Epilogue #2
I snort. “Oh, for sure.”
This has been my life for over six months now, but it still doesn’t feel quite real that I live in this fantastical world, have a husband who adores me, and can learn all about unusual animals I would have never known existed.
I want to become a vet here in the farther future, but right now, I’m still at the level of learning what animals even exist in the Nightmare Realm, so it will be a slow process.
As much as I enjoy being a royal consort, and the freedom that comes with it, I’d love Tristan if we lived in a box under a bridge. He’s so kind, attentive, and playful. Every day with him is a new adventure.
I think about that as we climb the stairs to our apartments.
They are in the Bloodweed-owned wing of the castle and consist of several rooms decorated to our tastes.
Tristan spared no expense on getting the ‘human’ room furnished however I like.
Our bedroom is all fantasy and unicorns with fewer spiders, gargoyles, and bats, which are in fashion at court.
The bathroom is nearly a copy of Luke’s, with a deep tub and stained glass in both windows.
I never thought I could ever live in such luxury, yet here we are.
Lady whines from behind the door as we approach and bursts into the hallway the moment Tristan opens the apartment. She’s now as big as a grizzly bear, but seems to have finally stopped growing, which is… a relief, since otherwise we’d need to build her her own home on castle grounds.
“Hello, girl,” I say and scratch her behind the ears. “Was she good?” I ask Sabine, who rises from my favorite reading chair and picks Nathan up from the floor. Judging by the stains left on him by slobber, he must have been playing with Lady.
“She’s always the best girl,” Sabine says, joining me in stroking Lady’s head. “When she’s not ripping apart your pillows.”
Sure, we have an army of servants who could dog sit, but it’s so nice when one of Lady’s favorite people can stay with her.
I’m always happy to return the favor and babysit when Sabine needs it.
Again, she’s a princess, she hardly has to worry about childcare, but she appreciates the personal connection. And I love being an uncle.
“You will tell me the truth, right?” I ask him and grab his tiny hand. “Was Lady nice?”
“Nice!” Nathan exclaims, but he’s still at that stage where the rest of his babble is hard to understand.
Tristan cuddles his nephew for a while and tells him (and Sabine by proxy) all about the amazing meeting with my grandparents and how smoothly it went. By the time they leave, I’m exhausted and pretty much collapse on the pretty sofa with a mushroom pattern.
“You think she will be as good with a baby that’s around all the time, or would she be jealous?” Tristan asks, and my mouth twitches as I pull his hand, until he too rolls onto the sofa.
In the past, having my own children was such a vague concept.
First of all, I’d need a partner whom I could trust, and we’d probably go the adoption route, but here in the Nightmare Realm, we could…
have a baby that would be biologically Tristan’s and mine, courtesy of magic and alchemy.
It seems too good to be true, and while I don’t think we’re ready for such a big decision yet, his question brings a smile to my face.
“I’m sure she’ll take care of the baby as if it was one of her own.”
“We should have kids at the same time as Kyran and Luke. Then, they’d be like siblings."
“I’d really like that. Elves can live so long children are much rarer than in your world. Sometimes, that means growing up without peers your age.” Tristan hugs me tightly. We are definitely still in the honeymoon phase, but one day in the future, I can see him be an amazing dad alongside me.
“But for now… How about we head to bed early?” he smiles and picks me up before I can answer. He knows my every weakness.
“What about dinner with the Lord?”
Tristan wiggles his eyebrows. “I said to bed, not to sleep.”
I snort and rest my head on his shoulder as he moves me to our fantastical bedroom with a massive four-poster bed. “Is that you saying you need to relieve the stress of finally meeting my family?” I tease and pull him in for a kiss.
This man has saved me, nurtured me, given me things I’ve not even dared to dream about. I’ve been through an unspeakable ordeal, an experience that will always stay with me, but Tristan makes me feel safe, and I know that as long as he’s at my side, I’ll get to heal.
“Have you walked past a mirror today? Your ass in those breeches has been driving me mad.”
He drops me to the soft bed as I laugh, already feeling flushed. “Nobody told you you can’t look,” I say and roll to my stomach, grinning when his breath hitches.
“Oh, I’ve been looking. Now it’s time to get them off.”
He straddles my thighs, and I gasp when he pushes his erection against my ass. I press my face to the bedding, shivers running down my body.
Yes.
I’ve found my personal happy ever after.
The end