Epilogue
Royal Aerie of Hierapolis Dragon Kingdom of Kappadokia Six months later
I smoothed my hands over the heavy silk of my wedding gown, its fabric a deep, midnight black embroidered with threads of crimson that caught the light with every movement.
The dressmakers had labored for weeks, creating a garment that honored both human traditions and those of the Wind-Walkers. The high collar, reminiscent of classic Dominion fashion, gave way to flowing sleeves slashed to reveal crimson silk beneath, echoing the wing patterns of Menelaus’ Wind-Walker form, with his black wings edged in brilliant scarlet.
Mother, who stood next to me waiting to escort me for the next part of the wedding ceremony, smiled approvingly.
“When you first proposed a black gown rather than the traditional Divine Mother’s green, I doubted you, Jonquil,” she said, her tone measured but her expressive hazel eyes—so like my own—twinkling. “But you were right to choose your husband’s colors. It makes a bold statement.”
I returned her smile. I’d argued and negotiated with her and Lady Liliane, the Chief of Protocol, through the spring and summer about every detail of this landmark wedding. I’d compromised on many items, but not this one.
In the end, our wedding ceremony incorporated both human and Wind-Walker traditions.
It had begun a short time ago with a modified version of the traditional Wind-Walker nuptial flight.
Menelaus, in his Wind-Walker form, had carried me on his back as we flew, circling the royal aerie three times. The first circuit symbolized strength, the second circuit protection, and the final circuit eternal vigilance.
After landing gracefully in the canyon amphitheater’s center, Menelaus had withdrawn to change into human shape and his wedding attire.
Meanwhile, Lady Aeolia, in her magnificent Wind-Walker shape, and the Chief Imperial Councilor, Duchess Violetta of Monteleno, clad in full imperial court finery, jointly delivered a welcoming address that emphasized reconciliation between the human and Wind-Walker realms, peace, and the promise of a unified and prosperous future.
I stood at the entrance of Menelaus’ cave, my heart brimming with joy as I listened to the speeches and waited for my cue.
The pale stone walls of the canyon amphitheater rose around me, illuminated by the golden light of the afternoon sun.
Their surfaces were dotted with countless cave entrances where Wind-Walkers made their homes. Each opening was hung with vibrantly dyed silken banners that fluttered in the gentle breeze. Wind-Walkers perched on wide ledges carved into the amphitheater walls, their massive wings tucked tight against their sides, their feathered forms a brilliant counterpoint to the pale stone.
Beyond the open space that served as the Wind-Walker’s gathering place, lush vegetation flourished—an explosion of green that wound like a verdant river between the pale stone cliffs. The contrast between the stark, weathered tufa and the abundant life mirrored the journey Menelaus and I had traveled—from desolation to this moment of flowering joy.
The human guests were seated in chairs and on long, padded benches on the canyon amphitheater floor. Nearly the entire imperial court was in attendance, having sailed down the coast earlier this week in what had been nicknamed “The Grand Wedding Fleet.”
They’d put in at Baleares briefly to pick up Duke Ramón and Duchess Sibilla.
In gratitude for all they’d done for me and Jacinthe when we first arrived at their ducal palace, I’d insisted on awarding the Espolan couple the coveted position of official wedding attendants.
“…and so, on this historic day, let the vows spoken and promises forged beneath these skies forever bind our two realms in harmony and peace, as we celebrate a love that heals the wounds of the past and lights the path to a brighter future,” Duchess Violetta said in her clear, trained voice, concluding the Welcoming Address.
As a human choir burst into a joyful hymn to Vesta, Mother took my arm and escorted me to the dais in the center of the canyon amphitheater. There, Lady Aeolia (still in Wind-Walker form), Duke Ramón, and Duchess Sibilla waited for us.
Mother kissed my cheek and withdrew. My gaze followed her as she left the dais and took her place next to Papa.
He looked frail and hunched in his throne-like chair at the front at the front of the crowd of guests gathered to witness my historic union with Menelaus. Mother sat next to him on an equally carved and gilded chair.
During a brief period of lucidity after his arrival, Papa had met with Menelaus and me, and given his ceremonial blessing for the match. Papa had also been introduced to Talisa, Mira, and Juno when they’d discreetly visited the palace during the academy’s spring break.
My daughters sat on chairs next to Papa’s throne. They’d accepted the news of my marriage to Menelaus with varying degrees of enthusiasm, but they were here, and that was what mattered.
Jacinthe, who’d been the most supportive, caught my eye and gave me a broad smile and an encouraging nod.
With her stood her four soul-bound companions. The young Wind-Walker Boreas, his expression solemn for once, had his arm draped around her shoulders. Beside them stood Tama of the Sea People, the Dark Fae prince Gwydion, and Lord Ilhan. It was an unlikely gathering that represented the very unity Menelaus and I hoped to foster.
My heart leaped when Menelaus strode into view a moment later.
His powerful human form was now draped in flowing robes of imperial blue trimmed with gold braid. His fiery red hair blazed in the sunlight, worn loose and flowing past his shoulders, and the golden crown of Kappadokia rested upon his brow.
I wanted to savor each moment, to imprint every detail of this day upon my memory—the play of light on stone, the distant calls of birds circling high above, the sweet scent of flowers, the warm sunlight against my skin. And most of all, the expression on Menelaus’ face as he drew nearer—fierce joy and tender love mingled in equal measure.
When at last he reached us, Menelaus leaped up on the dais, then turned and extended his hands to me. His palms burned against mine, his grip firm.
“At last,” he whispered, his voice so low that only I could hear.
“At last,” I echoed, my voice thick with emotion.
Lady Aeolia curled her great feathered form around the dais as his chief witness.
Around us, the assembled wedding guests fell silent.
“We gather today beneath the Unconquered Sun,” Aeolia intoned in Capitolan, her voice carrying easily through the amphitheater, “to witness the union of two souls, two bloodlines, two realms.”
She then repeated herself in the whistling Wind-Walker language.
Menelaus faced me fully, his massive frame seeming to block out the rest of the world.
His golden eyes, fierce and tender all at once, held mine as his thumbs stroked the backs of my hands in a gesture so achingly familiar that my throat tightened with emotion.
For an instant, we were young again, discovering each other in the hidden gardens of the imperial palace, our love new and dangerous and utterly irresistible.
When Aeolia finished speaking, Duke Ramón and Duchess Sibilla stepped forward. Each of them held one of the elaborate floral wedding garlands traditionally used in human weddings.
The blossoms had been gathered from the imperial gardens and preserved with a spell. The garland makers had interspersed the flowers with colorful Dragon feathers contributed by each of the major Kappadokian aeries to symbolize the Divine Mother’s love combined with the Wind-Walkers’ commitment to shelter and protect their mate.
Menelaus accepted a garland from Duke Ramón and placed it around my neck.
His deep voice broke the silence, resonant in the natural acoustics of the canyon.
“I, Menelaus, King of the Wind-Walkers in Kappadokia, take you, Jonquil di Severieri, into my heart, my life, and my soul. For centuries, the flames of war have divided our realms, but today, I commit myself not only to you, my beloved mate and queen, but to the peace our union represents.”
Our announcement of our union in late spring had been met with controversy. Some among his people doubted the wisdom of their king taking a human mate. Many of my people still feared the Dragons who had been their enemies for generations.
Yet here we stood, determined to forge a fresh path.
“Before our peoples and beneath the Unconquered Sun, I vow to love you fiercely, deeply, and endlessly, to shelter you beneath my wings, and to uplift you upon the strength of my devotion. I swear to embrace your people as my own, to guard their lives and dignity as fiercely as those of the Dragons, and to strive unceasingly for harmony between our realms.”
His massive hands tightened around mine, as if he could infuse his words with physical strength. My eyes stung with unshed tears.
“Together, let us lead our peoples by example, teaching them to look beyond fear and prejudice and to embrace each other as one united aerie. Jonquil, with these words, I pledge my strength to your protection, my wisdom to our united future, and my heart to your happiness. Let this moment mark the dawn of peace, unity, and lasting love between us, between Wind-Walkers and humans, forevermore.”
I thought of the centuries of conflict, of mistrust, of blood spilled on both sides. I remembered of the laws that had forbidden our love, the prejudices that had torn us apart. And I thought of Papa, who had been so blinded by tradition and fear that he had nearly murdered his own daughter and grandchild rather than accept a Wind-Walker into his family.
Finally, I thought of my own wounds—the pain of separation, the years of living a lie, the constant fear of discovery that had shadowed my days as Isabeau of Bernswick.
My vision blurred and hot tears escaped my eyes, tracking down my cheek. Menelaus released my hands to brush the wetness away with his thumbs, the gesture so tender that it threatened to undo my careful composure entirely. His touch lingered on my face before he took my hands again.
I turned my head and met Jacinthe’s eyes. They, too, shone with tears, and I guessed she was thinking of her own journey—the painful discovery of her true heritage, the death curse she had barely survived, the bonds of love she had forged across racial divides.
In so many ways, she was living proof that love could transcend the boundaries our peoples had established.
“May this bond between Wind-Walkers and humans, forged in love, be a beacon of hope, peace, and reconciliation.”
His words painted a vision of the future I wanted to see: human mages studying alongside Wind-Walkers, trading knowledge and customs; diplomatic marriages like our own creating bonds between families; ancient hatreds giving way to new understandings.
“From this day forth, you shall never stand alone,” Menelaus continued, his voice dropping to a more intimate tone, meant for me rather than the assembled witnesses, “for you are the mate of my heart and the queen of my people.”
The depth of emotion in his eyes as he spoke these last words nearly undid me.
Now, with his vows complete, Menelaus lifted my hands to his lips and pressed a kiss against my knuckles—a gesture at once courtly and deeply intimate.
A chorus of approving whistles from the Wind-Walkers assembled on the ledges all around us split the air, echoing from the canyon walls.
Now it was my turn to speak my vows.
Duchess Sibilla handed me a garland of flowers and feathers. I went up on tiptoes and placed it around Menelaus’ neck.
“I, Jonquil di Severieri, Princess-Royal of the Imperial Dominion of Human Lands, stand before you, King Menelaus, and before all who gather here, to speak these vows from my heart. For too many years, fear and misunderstanding have shadowed our peoples, dividing our lands and hearts alike. Today, I come to you freely and with boundless hope, pledging not only myself, but the promise of peace and unity in our united realms.”
It wouldn’t be easy. Centuries of conflict and prejudice couldn’t be undone in a single generation. But in our daughter and her companions, I saw proof that change was possible. That love could create bridges where none had existed before.
“I vow to cherish and honor you, my dominus-consort, to walk beside you in both sunlit days and darkest storms. As your wife and queen, I promise to respect and protect the ways of your people as dearly as my own, to learn your customs with reverence, and to bridge the distance between our worlds with empathy, understanding, and love.”
I’d already begun that learning process. In the months since arriving in Hierapolis, I’d been studying Wind-Walker history and traditions, the complex etiquette of the aeries, the significance of gift-giving in their culture, and the rituals that marked the changing seasons. I’d listened to the stories of Wind-Walker elders, had attended their council meetings, and had observed their methods of conflict resolution, so different from the law courts of the Human Dominion.
“In binding our lives and our realms together, may we usher in a new age of harmony, healing ancient wounds and guiding both Dragons and humans toward trust, friendship, and mutual respect. Menelaus, from this moment onward, your joys shall be my joys, your sorrows my sorrows, and your dreams my dreams. Together, let us forge our future, side by side, heart to heart.”
As I finished speaking, I released Menelaus’ hands and reached up to cradle his face between my palms.
As always, his skin was hot beneath my fingers. His golden eyes, filled with an emotion too complex for simple words, locked with mine. For a moment, we were alone in the crowded amphitheater, wrapped in a private world of shared memories and promises.
Then, with a tenderness that belied his massive strength, Menelaus covered my hands with his own, pressing them more firmly against his face before slowly lowering them. Then we prepared for the next part of the ceremony.
Together, Duke Ramón and Duchess Sibilla lifted a huge, double-handled golden bowl where it stood at the back of the dais, and brought it over to us.
They set it in front of Menelaus. He spread his right hand over the mouth of the bowl and invoked Fire magic.
A flame, scented with incense, sprang to life inside the bowl.
Then he lifted the bowl and presented it to me. “My mate, take the gift of my fire. Let it warm you and protect you always. I entrust it to you as I entrust my heart into your safekeeping.”
I took one handle as he kept hold of the other, and together we held the burning bowl between us. “My mate,” I replied. “I cherish the gift of your fire and your heart. I will honor both until the end of my days.”
“The vows have been spoken,” Lady Aeolia intoned, her voice carrying to every corner of the amphitheater. “And their fires mingled. What begins here today—this union of Dragon and human, of king and princess, of man and woman—carries the weight of history and the hope of the future.
“With the blessing of the Unconquered Sun, I declare this mating valid and binding. May your lives together be long, your love be enduring, and your shared path bring prosperity to both your realms.”
The choir started singing another hymn, but were drowned out by a chorus of congratulations as Wind-Walkers whistled and screeched and humans applauded and shouted.
Menelaus drew me close and bent his head to me. His lips met mine with exquisite gentleness, a brief, tender press that respected the public nature of the moment while promising more to come.
When he drew back, his eyes held a heat that made my cheeks flush and my breath catch.
“My queen,” he breathed, the two simple words carrying the weight of dreams fulfilled. “My mate.”
“My king,” I replied. “My husband.”
Not lover, not the secret paramour of my youth, but husband . Mine, openly and without shame, before all our peoples.
Around us, the celebration began in earnest, the formality of the ceremony giving way to the joy of the occasion. Wind-Walkers took to the air, performing aerial acrobatics that left swooping shadows against the canyon walls. Musicians struck up traditional songs from both cultures, the melodies weaving together in unexpected harmony.
I stood in the center of it all, my hand firmly clasped in Menelaus’, feeling the last pieces of my long-fractured heart finally knit themselves whole.
* * *
Thanks for reading Jonquil and Menelaus’ story! I’m currently working on a spin-off series that follows Talisa’s adventures at the Imperial Academy for the Magical Arts.