Chapter Sixty-Two
Talon
Talon wiped the sweat from his eyes before hauling another log over his shoulder. His muscles screamed in protest, but he welcomed every blissful second of agony.
Because he had those seconds.
They had the time.
They had a future.
Two months ago, they’d walked onto the battlefield not expecting to return. Now they were building an empire.
Arianna’s empire.
With the help of those from Pádraigín, all glamours had been broken, the humans, half-breeds, and Fae freed from Vairik’s influence.
Eimear had told Sive and The Weavers where to find the original ancient texts.
The tomes were monumental. It had taken days of digging through Ruadhán's ruins to locate them.
A chosen team had already begun the grueling task of copying their true history onto pamphlets and distributing them amongst the people.
Many were still in shock to learn that everything they’d ever been taught was a lie. Sive held classes daily, teaching officials and citizens alike. No one was excluded, though the questions were never-ending.
After the bodies of their dead had been buried and the Dark Fae burned, they’d purged the libraries of false histories and destroyed every text Vairik had rewritten throughout the centuries.
Fae memory was long and there were those resistant to the truth, but at least the next generation wouldn’t be subjected to Vairik’s version of events.
Lies. So many, many lies.
Good riddance.
Talon let the log fall from his shoulders and clatter against a dozen others he’d already relocated.
Nàdair had become a place of refuge. Many who’d been displaced due to Vairik’s followers or the Dark Fae had flocked here. Others had claimed to hear a calling from their queen and longed to dwell within the same city. Talon had felt it too, the day she’d risen, healed them, and claimed victory.
He would never get over the sight of her and Rion standing on the battlefield, a king and queen taking their rightful places amongst their people.
There were already tapestries being sewn in their honor.
It had taken a month, but the warriors of Brónach had grown two additional rings of redwood trees that circled the entirety of the city.
It expanded the territory tenfold, allowing everyone to reside behind the towering giants in peace.
It also provided Arianna and Rion a secure location to reside within the innermost ring.
After some deliberation, the council had finally agreed to allow glamours to hide Arianna and Rion’s permanent residence from the masses.
There were still far too many clamoring for a glimpse of their Queen.
It was a daily struggle that infuriated Raevina, though Talon didn’t mind her fury so much anymore.
Talon paused, wiped his brow, and glanced toward the setting sun. Its warmth bathed the rolling hills in oranges and reds, spreading out to caress the farmland and dense trees in the distance. Their world was consumed by safety and comfort. Promises for an even brighter tomorrow.
For all aside from one.
Talon’s expression faltered. Two months, and Ellie still hadn’t recovered.
He had found her directly after his reunion with Rion and Arianna, her torso and arms soaked with Vairik’s blood. Gavin had been seated beside her, a quiet unyielding force.
Talon had gaped at the young male’s missing arm. It was only thanks to Arianna’s magic that he'd survived at all.
Talon remembered trying to speak to Ellie, his voice hushed and gentle.
Ellie had remained silent. She hadn’t even protested when he’d scooped her into his arms and walked her all the way to Nàdair’s palace infirmary.
She had stayed all of a few hours before wandering toward the outskirts of the city.
Gavin had followed, of course, then had promptly panicked when Ellie locked herself in a prison of her own creation.
Gavin had run straight to Talon. Naturally, Talon had feared the worst. He had sprinted through the streets, heart lodged in his throat at the thought of losing someone due to their drowning grief.
He’d berated himself, told himself he should have stayed with her longer. There were so many shadows haunting her young mind.
She’d built herself a small cabin of ice. A tiny fortress that braced right against the redwood trees. Gavin had assured Talon she was still alive inside. The male could feel her down their bond. Talon had knocked and pleaded with her for hours before she’d finally allowed him inside.
Ellie had settled in a corner against the far wall. No chair. No blankets or pillows, just her knees curled into her chest, arms around them, and head leaned against the rough bark of ancient trees. Talon’s heart had shattered for her all over again.
He’d simply sat down beside her. Silent.
There were no words for the grief she’d endured.
The torment.
The violation.
Eventually, Ellie had allowed Rion inside as well, though refused to see her sister or Gavin. Even Myrna was permitted entrance on certain days, though Ellie’s moods were impossible to predict.
She only spoke when required. She ate when her meals were brought. Rion had delivered a bed, along with a few pieces of furniture, though none knew if she actually used them.
No matter what they tried, Ellie simply sat there, day in and day out, refusing to go outside or see anyone she didn’t wish to.
They all knew something needed to be done, but short of dragging her out against her will, they hadn’t yet decided what that something might be.
She’d been forced to do enough. Ellie needed rest. She needed time. Sive assured them all that if Eimear could overcome her difficulties, then Ellie would find a way as well.
Eimear …The High Lady was happy to be amongst her own people again.
She worked hard, helping the citizens and refugees adjust to their new way of life.
Alec only left her side to be with another female.
Apparently, the High Lord had a youngling on the way, though few were privy to the information.
Talon smiled; the world would know soon enough.
Alec's wedding was in a few weeks. The entire palace was in an uproar over a female they’d never even laid eyes on.
The younglings, Kaylee and Whelan, along with all those orphaned, were finally allowed to be younglings again. They ran through the wide-open plains, playing, laughing, carefree, and befriending humans and half-breeds alike. They would grow up in peace, in a world finally united.
Saoirse mostly stayed at Alec’s side, advising on matters of the crown, but she was also often found with Zylah, who, arguably, might have been the busiest of the lot. Talon didn’t envy her position.
Zylah took her duty to the half-breeds very seriously.
It was her job to ensure the half-breeds lived in fair conditions, and to enforce Arianna’s strict rules regarding equality.
They’d only had two serious fights break out that had nearly ended in someone’s death.
Arianna had intervened on both occasions.
Talon stretched his back. There was still so much to learn and even more room to grow. One day, a generation would read their histories and not understand the animosity toward another for possessing a different sort of blood.
One day, diversity wouldn’t divide their world. Everyone would be accepted and celebrated for their differences. One day, they’d see those differences as part of their strength.
“I didn’t take you for the lazy sort,” Raevina said, coming up to stand just behind him. Talon turned his head and smiled back, wondering if he’d ever grow accustomed to her insults. He supposed it was a good life to succumb to.
Talon hadn’t broached the subject of their future yet. Neither had she. They’d been content to dive into their work, then fall into one another’s arms at the day’s end.
But calm had begun settling. Their world reforming anew.
“I was just contemplating how one might go about asking a High Lady to dinner. Any suggestions?”
Her mouth opened. Closed. Raevina’s brows knit together. He loved that look. “I believe you already made other promises for the evening.”
Talon stepped closer, moving a braid over her shoulder. “I think I can still keep those promises after a warm meal.” She met his eyes, hers swimming with warring emotions. “No hard questions,” he promised. “Just dinner.”
Raevina cocked her head, a bit of playfulness returning. “I do believe you’re becoming a gentleman again.”
“Who claimed I ever stopped?”