43. Epilogue
Many, many years later.
Simon
My heart pounded in my chest, its rhythm echoing like the wings of a frantic pixie. The brilliant light sources, high above, bathed the landscape in a torrent of pink and golden beams, and seared my back with its warmth.
Beside me, my mate stood, our hands entwined, her touch like a gentle breeze that caressed my skin. As we ventured towards the heart of the freshly blossomed meadow, the scent of bloomed flowers enveloped us and mingled with the earthy aroma of dewy grass.
Fauns needed space to run, to prance and play. We had high energy, and while I enjoyed expelling my energy by rutting, when we’d had our kids, we quickly realized we needed them to burn off their own never-ending energy.
Three of our kids pranced in front of us. The eldest, Lark, was as tall as me at fifteen years old. His horns weren’t as big as mine; he still had a long way to go to mature into adulthood. He still watched over his siblings, and he was the typical oldest child, as my mate would say. Strong, capable, and most of all, a leader.
Lark’s favorite thing to do was whittle with knives and blocks of wood. When he was young, he created his first instrument, a single flute, and brought music to our home. He took books off the shelves of our thatchet and created multiple kinds, such as double triple and even a pan flute.
After our evening meals, he would play, but now that he was older, he preferred to help me ready the thatches for our new residences. In the evenings, he taught his younger brother, Canyon, the ways of music.
Canyon has added to the music, not just an interest in flutes but drums and a fiddle that Lucy gained from one of her fathers’ frequent visits.
Our middle child, Clove, had the longest hair, that she wouldn’t let anyone cut. It was as bright as Lucy’s, always double-braided, so it wouldn’t drag on the ground while she ran through the tall grasses of the meadow.
She looked so much like her mother; I knew I would have to protect her from any male that thought they were worthy of her.
I watched my family fondly while we took our time to reach the middle of the field to meet Sable.
Today was the day we had been waiting for.
Lucy squeezed my arm as her head leaned on my shoulder. “Everything is going to be amazing.”
I swallowed heavily, but my chest felt like a boulder was sitting on it.
The orcs were at the tree line on the other side as a welcoming party. I told them they had to stay back until the initial welcoming to the Wood had happened. I didn’t need the herd to scatter before we could officially welcome them and let them know they were safe.
The kings and queens of Bergarian stayed away. Thank the gods, because I didn’t think I could handle the formalities, and I didn’t think the other fauns could either.
“Simon.” Lucy rubbed her hand up and down my arm. “Simon, you’re trembling.”
She pulled me to a stop just a few feet away from Sable, who was patiently waiting at the meadow’s center. Our kids were keeping her company while panic overtook my body.
I had everything planned, down to the last thatchet. I knew of every family that would arrive. I knew their names, their faces, their likes and their dislikes. I knew how many fauns to each home, how many kids they bore in their absence from the Earth Realm while they stayed with Poseidon—which wasn’t many.
They would know little of the home they had left. They would know that a god had saved them from a time when their species was in danger, but nothing more than that. My family, my mother and father, who had no more kids after me, had no knowledge I was missing to save their suffering, but once their hooves met the soil, they would remember.
They would know I had been gone for many years and that I had grown to be what I am today.
Emotions would swirl among my parents, they would feel many, and I would need to hold them together. I would because I was their son. I held no resentment toward them in any way.
In all of this, I was able to grow and be who I was supposed to be: the leader of the herd.
Would they see me as such a figure? Would they believe I could take care of them? Lead them in the dangers that were here? What of Bergarian; would they truly accept them? The orcs were still faced with wary glances.
I felt a warm hand on my chest, my rapid breathing slowed, and I looked down at my teary-eyed mate.
The female who had kept me calm all these years, the mate who had kept me grounded and told me I could do anything, wrapped her arms around me.
“You’ve done so well, my little faun.” My body slumped and nuzzled into her shoulder. She smiled and pressed a kiss to my neck. “Poseidon and Sable wouldn’t have brought your kind here if they didn’t think we were ready.”
“Our kind,” I muttered, running my hand over her horns.
While she didn’t have the hooves, she still walked barefoot, some days, I wondered if her feet were swifter than my hooves. She could even run faster than our energetic children.
Lucy pulled on my hand, leading me to the center. Sable perked up her head while all the kids were playing a fast round of Ring around the Rosie. A game that Lucy had taught them.
“Are we ready?” Sable asked. She appeared in much more professional attire, and her sleek dark-colored jeans clung to her legs. A flowing dark cape draped over her shoulders, swaying gently with each step she took. She’d neatly pinned back her hair, leaving a few soft curls to frame her face. In her hands, she held a clipboard, the sound of her pen scratching against the paper as she diligently checked off my arrival.
My stomach churned. I’d do anything to push this day off for a couple more weeks, but what Poseidon wanted is what he got.
Sable stepped back, and our children stood by our sides. We held them tight to us. Lucy stroked our youngest’s hair and whispered to them quietly, while Sable cast a spell that would open the portal.
“Remember to be nice to the younger fauns. This will be their first time out in the open around so many trees, and they won’t understand the surrounding dangers.” Her voice turned serious. “Make sure they know the orcs are their friends, too.”
The kids groaned and nodded.
“C-could one be our mate?” Lark asked, his face turning a bright red.
Lucy scowled and grabbed his ear. “Don’t even think about it. You are too young to find a mate. Fifteen! You're only fifteen! You have to at least grow into your horns and know how to trim your own hooves.” She stared down at his neatly trimmed hooves.
Lucy made sure all our kids’ hooves were properly trimmed and groomed the night before, but Canyon, our eight-year-old, already had mud across his. Lucy scowled at him, and he stepped closer to me.
“Someone is in trouble.” I winked at Canyon, and his ears lowered.
As soon as the portal opened, the light sources dimmed, and a bright light made us all close our eyes. We held up our arms to hide the brightness, and as quickly as the brightness came, it disappeared.
Sable looked proud of herself and panted, checking one box on her clipboard.
Lucy tilted her head and nodded for me to approach. While she was my foundation, I knew I had to step forward and be the leader I was. I squeezed her hand, and our whole family approached the bewildered-looking fauns in front of us.
They were an array of colors. They weren’t just the brown, blonde, white, and cream like our family. Some were black, gray, red, and even deep purple I had not seen from my memories. Two of the fauns straight from my memories came trotting toward me. My heart nearly burst out of my chest when they slammed into me.
“You’re here.” My father pulled me tight into his chest. “I’d remember those eyes anywhere.”
I heard my mother’s sob beside me, her hand running through the loose hair at the nape of my neck.
“Hi.” My voice was raspy, and I held out my arm to pull her in as well.
It felt like I was complete once more. My chest was about to explode. I could feel them, as my mate who was bursting with excitement to meet them.
I pulled away, seeing that they had tears in their eyes.
“We didn’t mean to leave you,” they both said at the same time.
I shook my head and put my hand on both their shoulders. “I know you didn’t. It was fate that led me down this path. We have a home now, we”—I held my hand out for Lucy and pulled her to my side—“have prepared a home for everyone. For all the herd.”
My mother’s eyes filled with tears once more, and her hands covered her face. “Gods above. You have found a female.” She held her hands out and pulled my mate into her arms.
My father wiggled his eyebrows. “She’s beautiful. How was courting? I am sorry I was not there to help you.” His voice was much deeper than mine, even his horns were larger.
I made a face of disgust and shook my head. “Stop.” I cleared my throat.
Canyon tugged on my father’s tail, and he yelped in surprise. “Hey, are you my grandpa?” He looked up at my father and scratched his ear.
My father looked from Canyon to me and back again. “Obviously, you figured it out just fine.”
“I have grandkids!?” My mother bleated and jumped around Lucy to gawk.
This was not as awkward as I thought it would be.
I scratched the side of my face while I watched my father pick up my youngest, and my mother cupped Clove’s face. Clove beamed up at her and smiled. “You are just stunning, love!”
Clove’s face reddened, and a tiny bleat escaped her.
Lark had already walked closer to the crowd of fauns, introducing himself while they watched my parents and I reuniting. He was already explaining who he was and what our family had been doing here in the Wood these past years.
My chest puffed up with pride at his ability to take charge.
Lucy crossed her arms and nudged me, which caused me to automatically wrap my arm around her. “See, and you thought this was going to be a complete disaster.”
I let out a sigh of relief and walked with her to the herd of curious onlookers. They weren’t afraid; some even jumped in excitement when they saw the orcs on the tree line who waved excitedly.
“Who are they?” An excited young kid asked as he waved back.
I kneeled before the male kid, his eyes wide. “Those are the orcs. They have lived here far longer than I have. They are the Wood’s warriors, and we are the nurturers of this soil.” The kid blinked, and his lips parted. “Would you like to help the Wood grow, live amongst it, and play in its branches?”
The kid nodded furiously.
Canyon trotted closer to the kid and gripped his hand. “Well then, come on, let’s go!” Canyon pulled the boy along toward the line of trees. The orcs slowly emerged, along with their families.
I rose to full height, and Lucy wrapped her arms around my waist.
“This is going to be an interesting entry in my research journal. Think this publication will take off?”
Since becoming my mate and queen of this Wood, she never stopped writing and researching every plant, animal, mushroom, light, whisp, bond, god and goddess legend she could. She had published fifteen different research books; they were distributed all over Bergarian, even to the curious packs and colonies on Earth.
And she showed no signs of stopping.
Clove was following in her mother’s footsteps, except she had more of a desire to understand magic.
How that would favor her in the future, we were uncertain since she was a faun and did not harbor any magic in her blood.
Lucy was adamant her future mate would be of magical descent.
A growl rumbled through me as I watched Rune and James come through the clearing. They demanded they wanted to be here for the big event. They visited at least once a month and brought Clove a new book to study each time.
I narrowed my eyes at Rune, who felt my gaze. He knew I did not like Clove’s insistent study of magic.
Lucy rubbed her nose into my shoulder while the fauns scattered, talking amongst themselves, the orcs and Sable for further instructions. “You worry too much. You know she loves to read. Leave her alone.”
“You will change your tune when her mate is a warlock and grabs her up from the Wood and takes her away.”
Lucy growled, and her claws dug into my arm. “She’s only eleven. Would you stop!”
I chuckled and pressed a kiss to her cheek.
For the rest of the afternoon and into the evening, the orcs and the herd gathered together in celebration. While the orcs told them war stories of the past and tried to frighten the kids with blood and gore, this only spurred the younglings on. The kids and the fauns climbed trees, hunted through the thatches to find their names carved into their beds, and found food baskets and cloths for coverage if they wished.
The bonfire was lit in the middle of the small town that I had created over years of careful preparation. The flames crackled and danced high as the light sources dipped below the horizon, casting a warm glow over the herd and the orcs.
The scent of roasting meat filled the air, mingling with laughter and chatter. Lucy stood beside me, her eyes alight with joy as she watched our new community coming together.
I felt a sense of contentment settle over me, knowing that my family was here, safe and surrounded by those who would protect and care for them. The bonds that had been forged that day would only grow stronger with time. I was sure of it.
As the night wore on, the stars twinkled in the sky above, casting a gentle light over the revelry. I held Lucy close, feeling the warmth of her presence seep into my bones.
“You did it,” she whispered, her breath tickling my ear. “You got your family back and made your own.”
My lip twitched, and I pressed a kiss to her bond mark. “Never thought I’d have it all. Yet here we are.”
“Tomorrow’s agenda. Teach the herd about bonding.”
I groaned and stood behind my mate to wrap my arms around her.
A baby orc’s squeal pierced the air, and we both looked to our right to look at Valpar and Calliope. She sat on Valpar’s lap as they held their first orcling. A baby girl, a beautiful shade of green with bright tuff of pink hair on top of her head.
Valpar rubbed noses with the little one and the orcling sucked on his nose while slapping his face.
For an orcling, it was… cute!.
And as the bonfire crackled and the laughter of our new family filled the air, I knew that Lucy and I finally had our happy beginning, as I rubbed her swollen belly.
The End