33 Epilogue Parts 1 & 2 (1/2)

Epilogue: Part 1; Kirinae- How Time has changed things

May, 1104 A.D.

Mafrien-rather, father-brought a letter to me early on in the month. He walked in from the letter station, where messenger hawks were taken care of, and he held the letter out to me. It was from my mother.

She informed me that she'd gotten pregnant just before I'd left with father, and had already delivered the child-children-in the time that I'd been gone. I was surprised that this had happened, but even more surprised that I had actually been gone that long.

I learned that I had two brothers, one strangely Kelose's and one Dragon's, but once she explained it to me, it made...at least a bit more sense.

Father was amused by it. He was outright giddy. He told me that he'd sensed her pregnancy just before we'd left, but decided to let her find out on her own, without him telling her.

Mother's letter also informed us that she and Coal had gotten married, and father and I couldn't have been happier for her.

Father and I began to sort through all of the Dahrahm who would or would not join the cause for the new world. All those that refused to reform and change their evil ways were killed immediately.

Father reiterated my mother's wishes, repeating that he would not tolerate evil for as long as he could extinguish it.

A surprising number of Darkelves did, however, choose to reform and many even returned to their original homelands.

Together, my mother and father worked to integrate the Dark Realm with the Light Realm, trying to not keep them divided, but rather unite and conquer, creating balance.

Father trained me on how to be a ruler, how to get things done.

And soon, I was well on my way to becoming the queen.... or at least, that is what he told me.

He told me that I reminded him of mother, bold and blunt, straightforward and to the point. I didn't hold anything back.

And it made me feel good when he sounded proud to say it.

Mother came to visit after a few weeks.

Coal had brought her, Dragon, and the two children.

They were small, of course. As you might expect infants to look. One had Dragon's hair and eyes, and with the other, it was reversed.

They really did match both of them. Lucian and Adrian, my mother had called them. Both boys. Two brothers, I had mused aloud.

”Actually,” father went to inform me. ”You have three brothers.”

Everyone had jolted, shocked.

”Three?” Mother asked. ”I don't see another.”

My father looked away, his eyes looking far off into the distance, his mind somewhere else. ”I impregnated a human woman in another country after I first put you in the dungeon with Manwen,” he informed us. At their gapes of horror, he sighed. ”I know that it is wrong. And I had intended to go and fetch the boy. I know that it was a boy, I could sense it. But I don't know if she survived, or if he survived. And she wouldn't even recognize me now. I was a Dahrahm back then.”

”As long as you are sure to get that child and bring him-and his mother-here, then it shouldn't be a problem,” Dragon had tried to think positively.

Once mother and her group had left days later, my father had set out to continue his mission, bringing destruction to anyone who would not accept the minimal law changes that my mother was trying to get enforced.

And, for the most part, especially with my father's frightening display when mother had been injured by Ekabat, everyone seemed to be willing to cooperate without the use of force.

I was very excited when my boyfriend from Lykra, a Wraith of noble blood, Luka, was allowed to move to Barrenwilds, and he and I began to grow very close in many ways.

My father wasn't fond of him right away, but he began warming up to him a bit after a while.

Everything seemed to be winding down.

That is, until, the fight for the future....my future, really began....

For it was only months later that we learned of a new threat that could destroy us all, and the fate of the world could be changed forever...and everything that my mother and father had done could be for naught.

Part 2: Dragon- New threats

We had arrived back to Celestial Peak from Barrenwilds, and Kysael and I walked together to lay the children down in the nursery that had been made in the chambers beside of ours.

”That was a good visit,” Kysael said softly. ”It was good to see Kirinae after so much time.”

I smiled. ”Yes, she certainly has grown, hasn't she?”

She nodded. ”Yes.” She held Lucian in her arms, as I laid Adrian down in his cradle. She came to stand beside of me, looking at Adrian. Then we walked out of the room, down to the catacombs to see Kelose. Coal met us in the hallway.

”How are you feeling?” I asked her on the way.

She sighed. ”Still recovering from everything. My body is still tender.” When we reached the catacombs, she walked to stand at Kelose's feet at the bottom of the pillar of ice, and looked up at him a moment before looking back down at their son. ”He looks just like him,” she said sadly.

I came to be beside of her, taking her in my arms as her tears spilled down her cheeks. ”I know.”