Epilogue
Carrion
The pounding hooves of my horse dulled my panting breaths in the growing winter light as they ate up the miles.
I had to make it before sun up, or all would be lost.
It wasn’t just my duty; it was for the good of the nation.
Every second I drew closer, my heart thudded louder with anticipation.
The campaign to eradicate the very last of the demons lasted nearly a month. My body was tired, my muscles ached, my soul beaten from the losses we endured despite our overall victory.
As the lone rider on the wide path towards the sea, I had to reach the palace to tell them of the news.
As soon as I crested the hill that led to the great sand dunes of the Sapphire Shores, my heart burst with joy. The first rays of the sun peeked beyond the ocean, like a beacon calling me onwards as the moon still reflected her light on the rippling water.
It would take at least half an hour to reach the palace, but I knew I would make it.
My horse was more worn than I was, and I promised her oats and carrots and the best stable she could ever hope for as long as she rode like the wind.
I shouted with joy as I raced through the shell-covered streets of the capital city.
The smell of baking bread, the sellers setting up the markets in dewy dawn, the washer-women preparing for the heat of the day; they all called and cheered and welcomed me back.
But it was the gold-armored guards at the gate that celebrated my arrival the most. The gates were already wide as I sped through, pushing my horse harder and harder to race down the frustratingly long avenue, past rows of palms and cut bushes with bursting blue and pink flowers, all to reach the front steps of the palace, and my home.
A month was too long. I couldn't do it again. The anxiety of waiting, of constantly thinking about them, of praying I could be anywhere else but the battlefield, was all too much.
But the demon stragglers who had survived every battle over the years were gone, and the war was finally over. There should be no more uprisings.
A siren advisor shouted at me to slow, but I would ride my horse into the palace itself to find them.
My heart caught in my throat, awe filling me as they finally came into view.
“Papa!” my perfect daughter cried out, running down the front steps of the palace in yellow frills that were all the rage in the south.
I groaned in happiness as I leaped from my horse before she’d even come to a stop. Suddenly, an entire month of worry burst into relief as I hit the ground. Pain spiked in my old knees as I crouched on the hard shell cobbles, but I didn’t care that my body was nearly done. All I needed was them.
I opened my arms, waiting for her to run to me. Seriphine’s blue eyes were even more piercing when her red scales caught the first rays of morning light.
“There she is!” I shouted as the most beautiful girl in the world flung herself into my arms, and I pulled her close, taking in her fresh ocean scents. All the tension in my body fled as my daughter giggled.
“Papa! That tickles!” She laughed again as I rubbed my beard against her soft face.
The courtyard spread in a wide half-moon, and at the center were the arching golden doors of the palace. But now that I had my girl in my arms, my attention swam up to the man sitting on the front steps.
Azul grinned at me as I swung Seriphine into my arms, and her tiny hands clutched my face.
She pouted as she made me look at her, and I could already imagine what a fierce queen she would be one day.
“Hello princess. Now why are you awake so early?”
“It’s my birthday!” Her smile grew as wicked as it could for a three-year-old as she met me with all the haughtiness of her father. “Did you bring me a present?”
I burst out laughing as Seriphine quickly scowled. “Why are you laughing, Papa!?”
I sighed, leaning forward to hug her again.“Happy birthday, Seriphine. You look very regal today.”
That was one of her favorite compliments.
“Shall we go and see your daddy?” I asked, even though I was already striding towards him.
I was dirty from days of riding from the Black Mountains in the far north, where the demons had hidden.
But there was a birthday feast coming, and I was sure her maids would wash away my grime from her three times over before arranging her hair and clothes.
And it ached to be apart from Azul even a second longer.
My mate had placed himself in a rocking chair right next to the doors that led to the grand banquet hall, and I felt like I was returning to a small house with a porch.
I couldn’t take my eyes off of how stunning he looked. He dressed in the same style he wore when I first met him, and the deep blue of his skin was even more vivid against the soft, red strips of fabric.
“Daddy! Papa’s come home!” Seriphine cried out as we crested the last step to stand before him.
Against his chest he held our young son, Kyros, and his belly was already swollen with our third.
I loved Azul in any form, but with a rounded stomach, a babe in one arm, and smiling up at our daughter, he was perfection.
I felt so huge and awkward as I stood above him in leather and sweating under furs. And I still couldn’t believe I would be so lucky as to mate with him.
Seraphine was chatting happily about everything they had done so far over the weekend. The birthday of a royal was a huge affair in any nation, and according to my beautiful girl, hundreds of gifts had been pouring in along with nobles and dignitaries
Like Azul, she basked in the attention.
“But I just want to know what Papa bought me. Grandma said you were away traveling to another far-off country. Is that true? I want to hear all about it! But only after you give me your present, okay?”
“Of course, princess,” I said as I placed a kiss on her forehead before dipping down to kiss my mate.
“You were gone too long,” he murmured, his ear fluttering, the stunning blue scales of his cheeks shimmering as he smiled.
“You’re looking very regal today too, Your Majesty,” I said as I leaned back.
He sighed happily as he met me with an even softer smile. “Welcome home, commander,” he said.
My heart clenched at how tired he looked, but it was understandable when I had left him with our children. It was another of the reasons I had raced so hard to return home.
I rarely received letters on the battlefield, and I had no news of how any of them were doing.
Azul had wrapped Kyros in a golden blanket, and he was sleeping soundly, despite his chatty sister. I dropped to my knees again, reaching out a trembling hand to stroke Kyros’s forehead. His nose scrunched, but he stayed sleeping.
Seriphine had taken the red of Azul’s mother’s side of his family, with hair the same color as mine, whereas Kyros was more human, with a brilliant shock of silver hair and yellow eyes like Azul’s.
My eyes shuttered in relief that he was still healthy. The mortality rate for siren children could be shaky, especially amongst the royal family, but we had been blessed so far.
“I missed you,” I said as I smiled softly down at them before squeezing Seriphine again. “I missed you all so terribly.”
“I want to see the horse!” Seriphine said as she grabbed my hand and forced me to put her down. The second her feet touched the soft silver-veined marble of the palace steps, she was off, the frills of her dress waving behind her as she made a beeline for my exhausted horse.
A guard had already detached my saddlebags, and I knew my daughter would go rifling, so I left her to it.
“You’d better not leave me again. I still have enough soldiers to drag you back from wherever you run to.”
I shook my head as I chuckled. “No, Your Majesty. That is it for me. It’s been three years, and I can finally dedicate myself wholly to you - and to my family.”
Azul smiled as he nodded, arching his head in the way he did whenever he took on the role of the royal of the Sapphire Shores.
“Then it is a royal decree. I, king of the Sapphire Shores, hereby proclaim that Carrion, commander of the Sun Nation, shall no longer leave my bedchambers, nor the palace, until I am fully satisfied.”
“Do you intend to trap me here forever, Your Majesty?”
“Absolutely, you’re never allowed to leave us again. Or I’ll chain you up and the only thing you’ll be able to eat is my-” He cut himself off, his eyes widening as they dropped to Kyros before he smirked at me.
“Then so it shall be.” I bowed my head, and he placed his hand on my shoulder like the true king he was.
“You may rise, commander. And I swear if you don’t get yourself washed up and in bed by the time the maids have whisked the babies away I’m going to hunt you down.”
“Is that a promise, Azul?” I hummed, and his eyes sparked.
The tension hung between us, the air practically vibrating with our need.
The only reason there was such a gap between Seriphine and Kyros's birth years was because of the demon wars, but now that they were over, Azul would not rest until his womb waved the white flag. Though I was most likely to cry for mercy from our childbearing first.
Our heated gazes were broken by the high cry of our daughter. “Papa!” she cried out, and I choked as she waved my dagger in the air. “Is this my present?”
The guard danced around her looking panicked.
“If she’s already gripping a blade, she’s got a bright future ahead of her,” I said, pride filling me as Azul laughed.
“Only if you stay and teach her how to use that thing.”
I stole another kiss from him as I rose, jogging towards my enthusiastic princess. Now that I was free from my duties to my nation, I could spend the rest of my life raising my children.
I snuck behind them as Seraphina loudly swung away with her birthday dagger while chatting to the guard.
“Now!” I said in my most commanding voice, shocking them both. “Let’s start the celebration for my princess!”
She screamed, laughing as I scooped her up again, rubbing my cheek against her. Love overflowed in my heart as Azul rocked Kyros, watching us with a grin, and I fully returned to my family again.