Epilogue
A year later, I’ve put on a dress again for the first time in months.
It’s not the normal girly dress I use when I’m pretending to be harmless and feminine. This one has a simple cut, a square neckline, and a pretty ruffle at the hemline, which falls to the middle of my calves. It’s sewn from a soft fabric in a dusty cream color.
I borrowed it from Nicky.
It’s as close as I could find to a wedding dress.
“You’re sure I don’t look ridiculous?” I ask, peering at myself in the mirror of the cottage we’re using to get ready.
“Ridiculous? What are you talking about? You’ve always been the most beautiful woman who ever lived.
” As she speaks, Teresa is combing out my hair, trying to arrange the long mass of waves so it falls in pretty curls.
She’s looking particularly soft and pretty in a new blue dress she had made for her by her village dressmaker.
“Don’t exaggerate.”
“Who’s exaggerating? Ask anyone. Let’s bring Ben in here and see what he says about how beautiful you are.”
“Ben isn’t going to tell you the truth. He’s woefully biased about my qualities.” Despite the words, I can’t help but smile at myself in the mirror as I think about him.
“Well, yes. He definitely is. But he wouldn’t be wrong in this. I know you don’t care that much about appearances, but you’re beautiful, Annabelle. You always have been.”
“Thank you.” I meet her eyes in the mirror. “I’m so glad you were able to come. You’re sure it’s not too much of a risk for your family? Mason isn’t worried about it, is he?”
“He’s a little worried—but only the way he’s always worried when we travel. He’s been completely on board with this trip. He wouldn’t have wanted us to miss it.”
“Okay. But be sure to head straight home afterward and stay out of sight as much as you can.”
“We will. We’ll be careful. I promise. Now stop worrying about us and focus on your own wedding.”
“I’m focused.” I adjust the neckline slightly. It’s a little loose since I don’t have much up top. “I’m used to focusing on about a million things at once.”
“Well, right now your only focus should be on Ben and your wedding.” She leans over to pick up pretty bouquet of wildflowers she wrapped in ribbon earlier.
“Your hair isn’t going to behave itself, but it’s gorgeous anyway.
You look perfect.” Her mouth wobbles slightly.
“I’m so happy for you. So proud of you.”
“Don’t you dare get me emotional,” I mutter, giving her an exaggerated glare.
She giggles. “I’ll be good. But I had to say it at least once.”
When I stand up, I follow the impulse and wrap my arms around her. We hug tightly, silently, for longer than expected, before we pull apart.
A minute later, we’re walking out the door of the cottage to the sound of music—Sasha on her fiddle and someone else on the flute.
The villagers have created an aisle with ropes and small bunches of wildflowers. At the end of the aisle is Ben, flanked by Vella on one side and his older brother and Roderick on the other.
I try to walk slowly, holding my bouquet in front of me in the archaic pre-Fall wedding style, but I’ve never been good at going slow. Teresa hisses at me once to slow down but then gives up, hurrying to keep pace with me.
There are so many people gathered on the both sides of the aisle. All of our people and a lot of Ben’s family and friends from the wilderness and nearly the whole of this village. But I can’t focus on individual faces. I can’t see anything but Ben, waiting at the end of this aisle for me.
Big and warm and solid and faithful—exactly as he’s always been.
The music stops when I reach him. Teresa moves to stand next to Vella as we turn toward the man who is acting as the officiant.
He’s an older black man I got to know well on both my visits to the wilderness. One of Ben’s close family friends.
His name is Mack.
He keeps the ceremony short—speaking of love and community and how this marriage is an emblem of it before having us say quaint historic marriage vows and repeat in turn, “I do.”
Ben kisses me, and the crowd cheers.
I’m hugged about a hundred times, and by the time I can focus clearly again, the entire scene has changed.
The crowd has dispersed. The villagers are getting back to work.
All the flowers and ribbons are gone. Most of my people are on the move again, preparing to work in small groups and stay mostly hidden until our next big mission, which is the way we’re having to operate now.
The Capital is constantly on the lookout for us, ever since our success at the Arsenal, so the longer we gather as a full force, the more danger we’re all in.
Vella gives me one more hug before she joins her brother and his family.
This is their village. The place where Ben and I truly began this fight. We chose it because every single person who lives here is loyal to us.
Ben has been saying goodbye to his parents and the rest of his friends and family who traveled to be here today. The journey wasn’t without danger because they had come in separate groups of two or three and cross borders they never crossed before.
But this village isn’t far from the eastern border, and they didn’t want to miss Ben’s wedding.
They can’t linger any more than we can. They have to get out of the Central Cities tonight.
So soon Ben and I are left, standing hand in hand at the edge of a village that must look to the rest of the world like nothing ever happened. Teresa and her children are all waving enthusiastically as Mason drives them away in their old truck.
I look up to meet Ben’s eyes and then down at my left hand. At Ben’s big ring on the finger there. The tree with spreading branches and deep roots.
He pulls a chain out of his pocket and hands it to me. I slide the ring onto the chain and then hook it around my neck, kissing the ring before I tuck it into my neckline.
An old farming truck pulls up even to where we’re standing, and the ragtag driver leans out. “You folks need a ride?” Robin asks with a twinkle in his eyes.
I’m grinning at the man and his bright insouciance that nothing in this dark world seems to dim. “How convenient that you just happened to be driving in the direction we want to go.”
“Funny how that worked out.” He nods toward the back. “Climb in the back. If you happen to see a picnic basket back there, you can help yourself.”
Ben and I are both laughing as we get into the back of the truck, and Robin drives it away from the village.
All is well. We’re still safe. And the basket has a delicious variety of treats and wine. I have no idea how Robin managed to get his hands on it.
Ben leans back against the side, and I lean against him, holding his arm as he wraps it around me. “This has been a good day,” he murmurs at last.
“Yes. It really has.”
“And now you’re my wife.”
“Does that make you happy?”
“Goddamn right it does.”
I laugh at his deep drawl. “It makes me happy too, even though it seems like we’ve been together forever. It was a good day. And it feels like… I don’t know… like the days are going to get better from here. Not just for us. But for everyone.”
“They will. I know they will. ‘Cause we’re not gonna stop fighting. And we’re gonna keep winnin’.” Ben leans down to kiss me. “There’s gonna be a lot of better days to come.”