EPILOGUE
Alaric wakes me with a kiss. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of waking up next to my beautiful, rebellious, former noble.
Normally, such a kiss would be a prelude to both of us staying in bed as long as possible, but today, Alaric is the one pulling me from my slumber, passing me the dress of grey and gold I’m going to wear today.
“Come on,” he says. “We can’t be late for the grand opening.”
He's already dressed in the dark clothes of a noble, his hair tied back, leaving him looking elegant and eager to get going. I'm almost as eager, since this is the moment when we get to see our efforts come to fruition, at least in one area.
We’ve had to do so many things in the months since we brought down Selene and destroyed the colosseum.
The new senate is very different to the old version, the most corrupt elements weeded out.
The guards serve the city, not the interests of whichever nobles can pay them the most. The forum has been turned into a useful element of government, with ideas picked up there and brought before the senate for discussion.
In a lot of ways, we’re making progress, but there always seems to be more to do.
There are always those who profit too much from their corruption to give in easily.
The gangs don’t control whole areas of the city anymore, but they still exist in the shadows.
Olivia might have retired from politics to focus on throwing lavish parties, but I’d be a fool to believe no one is being influenced in them.
“You’re brooding,” Alaric says.
“I am not,” I shoot back.
“Staring into space while you think about all the horrible things that might happen if you stop even for a moment?” Alaric guesses. “What would you call it?”
He has a point, so I give in and let him whisk me away down the corridors of the palace. As a senator, I get rooms once again, along with all the others who've been voted onto Aetheria's ruling body.
We hurry out through the grounds, past people who call out to us, probably wanting to stop and talk, or maybe seeking help with some problem. On another day, I would have stopped to speak with each one, but today, there’s only one thing that matters.
We make our way through the city to the spot where the colosseum used to stand.
There's no trace of it now. Instead, gardens stretch out in every direction, filled with statues and hidden spots.
The stones that amplified magic have been set in the gardens, letting them help anyone who needs the extra power, rather than hiding them away in Aetheria's temples.
The gardens are designed to show off that magic for the entertainment of the people, but without killing.
I see birds that shimmer into whole flocks of illusory copies and a small cat that seems to disappear even as I watch, changing color to match the landscape.
There are magical rides that run through the gardens, looping and spinning, providing entertainment for those who pass through.
The beasts from the former emperor's menagerie have been placed within a grand zoo for the people to see, without them being slaughtered in the arena.
The trees grow and regrow in different, spectacular shapes, becoming works of art for people to enjoy as they walk.
“They’re going to meet us by the spire,” Alaric says, taking my hand as we stroll through the gardens.
It’s an easy spot to find. The spire of rock that impaled Selene still stands at the heart of what used to be the colosseum, reaching up like a jabbing finger.
Her remains have long since been removed.
Instead, the grey rock is carved with the names of those who fought and died in the colosseum, barely an inch of it without a mark.
It’s important we don’t forget these names, or what the colosseum of Aetheria cost us.
Marcus is approaching the spire from the side.
He doesn’t wear the toga of a senator now, just the rich clothes of a merchant.
He’s still muscular, golden haired and handsome, but he leans on a cane now as he walks.
Even the best healers of Aetheria weren’t able to undo the damage of the attack on him completely.
Alaric lets go of my hand, letting me go to Marcus alone. The two are on better terms now, but I’d be a fool to think they’re friends. But Alaric isn’t as jealous as he used to be. Maybe it’s because I chose him, and will always choose him from now on.
“I’ll see you at the spire,” Alaric says. “There are people I need to remember.”
I nod and go to meet Marcus partway. He smiles as he sees me.
“How are you?” I ask him.
He shrugs. “I survived, and I wasn’t sure I was going to. That’s good enough. Of course, I’ve had to work hard to make my businesses more legitimate, but it feels good to finally be able to do that.”
We’ve been cracking down on some of the illegal facets of the city, trying to create a place that isn’t as governed by violence. Marcus’ knowledge of the more corrupt elements of the city has proven invaluable in doing so.
“Given how well you’re recovering, are you contemplating a return to politics?” I ask him. “The city could use you.”
Marcus shakes his head with a rueful smile.
“No, it couldn’t. I know myself too well, Lyra.
I’m an ambitious man. If I dove back into the world of the senate and tried to get myself elected, it wouldn’t be long before I was making shady deals and pushing for more authority.
I think we’re both better off if I tend to my shipping fleets and my gardens. ”
It feels strange, hearing Marcus so willing to take a step back.
But then, we've all been through a lot to get to this point. He's almost died. Alaric has survived life as a wanted criminal. Rowan rose from being a slave to a gladiator to the First Senator of Aetheria. Now, he's content with just being one senator among many.
In just an hour or so, this garden will open as a place of remembrance. Now, memory fills me, of how I got to this place.
I was snatched from my village and forced to be a slave gladiator.
Everyone, including me, was sure I was going to die in my first bout.
Yet somehow, I survived to become the champion of the colosseum and earn my freedom, even as I helped to bring down the empire.
I returned to Aetheria only when Rowan called me back to become a senator, and that saw me facing deepening threats to an already corrupt system.
Now, the biggest of those threats is dead, and the city is renewed.
There are still threats out in the world: I’m sure Arboria’s queen watches us with interest. But mostly, things are better than they’ve ever been in the city.
So many things have ended in Aetheria, from the games to the old systems of slavery and corruption.
But today, today is the start of something new.