Epilogue #2
“Who are you?” she snapped, brows furrowed—but her eyes were still locked on his. “What’s your name?”
He realized all at once what was happening.
“B-Blythe,” he stammered, the first alias he could come up with. He and Krujha had recently been taking turns reading chapters from an old Blythe Everwood novel out loud to each other before bed, leaving the name fresh in his mind.
“Hmm,” Fionia sighed. She released her light hold on his throat, taking a step back with an annoyed expression. “And... you’re not with the orc, are you?”
Alwyn glanced around the alley, forcing himself not to betray himself with a laugh. “What orc? I don’t see any orc.”
To his surprise, he could see the faint hint of a smirk on her face, too, as she turned away.
“You’re not who I’m looking for,” she said coolly. “It seems the trail has gone cold. And Autreth is quite expansive. As long as that trail stays in Autreth, it’ll be difficult to pick back up, don’t you think?”
Alwyn nodded. This time, when she glanced over at him, he couldn’t stop the slight smile from forming on his face. “Yes. Thank you.”
For just a moment, her expression softened.
He wanted to ask her what had happened with Tessarion, if it was him who had sent her here, or if the new Mage Princeps was the one still pursuing him, whoever they were.
Somehow he knew that even if he asked, she would tell him nothing.
This was her way of thanking him for saving her, but anything beyond that was out of her hands.
“We’re even now,” she whispered, and then stepped away silently, vanishing into the darkness. Alwyn stepped after her, turning back into the alley, but she was nowhere to be found.
When he rejoined Krujha on the street, the orc asked what happened, worried—but Alwyn only said they’d talk back in the room, and they made the rest of the journey in nervous silence.
In the privacy of their rented room, Alwyn recounted the tense exchange—how Fionia would report back that he wasn’t the one she was looking for, and that the trail had gone cold.
“I don’t know if she wants to leave the Order, too, after all that happened,” Alwyn concluded, looking down pensively at his hands in his lap. “But... regardless, she showed me mercy there, in her own way. So I think we’ll be safe for a while longer now, especially if we stay in Autreth.”
Krujha sighed, sinking back onto the bed and scrubbing a hand over his face. “I don’t know whether to be relieved that it was her, or more worried that she followed us without us noticing.”
Alwyn shook his head. “If she reports back that she couldn’t find me, I’ll take it as a win.”
Krujha glanced over at him and grinned, chuckling. “Look at you, becoming an optimist.”
Alwyn huffed, stifling a laugh of his own. “Far from it. I’m as realistic as ever.”
Though they eventually settled into bed after another chapter of their book, the encounter left Alwyn feeling too wound up for sleep. He found Krujha awake as well, looking at him when he rolled over restlessly in the darkness.
“Come here,” Krujha murmured, gathering him into his arms. He kissed Alwyn deeply, holding him tight, as if he never intended to let go. When they finally parted, Alwyn could feel the hard evidence of his arousal pressed against his thigh—that would be one way to release his nervous energy.
“I love you,” he whispered, as Krujha dipped his head lower, kissing his neck.
“I love you more,” the orc growled, squeezing him. “You’re not leaving my sight again.”
Later, after they’d cleaned up, Krujha settled back into bed beside him, sleepy and sated; but Alwyn still felt far too awake to settle.
Krujha opened one eye to glance up at him questioningly, seeing he was still sitting pensively on the bed.
The orc shuffled closer to wrap one arm around his waist, laying his head in Alwyn’s lap.
“So where should we go next?” he mumbled, already sounding half-asleep. Alwyn let out a faint huff of a laugh, half in disbelief that he could fall asleep so quickly. Still, he leaned into the contact, threading his fingers affectionately through Krujha’s dark hair.
“Maybe Polimnos,” he said. “It’s far to the east, along the coast. I spoke to a visiting scholar in the library earlier today. They have the second-biggest magical school in Autreth. Maybe we can learn more there.”
“A port city,” Krujha said softly, turning his head to smile up at Alwyn. “Sounds like a plan. We can go there, then when we’re done, we can catch a boat, go even further away. See the underground cities in Robruolor, or maybe the abandoned castles in Ixilia...”
Alwyn smiled, recognizing both locations—they had been featured in some of the Blythe Everwood novels they’d read together. They had already seen some of the sights described in the adventure books, but there were many more to go.
“We’ll see the world,” he murmured, leaning down to press a kiss to Krujha’s forehead.
“Sleep first, though,” Krujha yawned, and Alwyn chuckled. Affection swelled in his chest, sweet and aching.
If he had known his life could be like this, he would have left the Order so much sooner.
He couldn’t deny that he wanted his magic back, but not the life that had come with it.
Krujha’s love was more than enough—a gift he had never expected to receive.
He would spend every moment being thankful he’d lived that day outside the rebel camp, when he had been so sure he would die.
“Sleep first,” he agreed, finally settling beside Krujha under the warm blankets. Krujha’s arm around his waist was a familiar, comforting weight. Alwyn closed his eyes and dreamt—this time not of the past, but of the adventures waiting for them just around the corner.
THE END