Epilogue #2
Kinan pulled out with a pout; he liked to stay in Cormal as long as possible, but it wasn’t very comfortable for Cormal in this position.
They shifted so that Kinan could tuck himself up against Cormal’s back and wrap his arms around him, no longer inside him, but plastered against his skin with so much of them touching.
He snugged his chin over Cormal’s shoulder and kissed his cheek.
“I love you,” he whispered.
Cormal smiled, feeling more content than he could ever have imagined. “And I love you.”
He could never thank Kinan enough for helping him to see the truth and make way for this beautiful new future.
It had taken time and a lot of negotiating with the Queen, but they were now making visits around the country to talk to people and help demystify children of two worlds, Life Mages, and carnalions.
To humanize them, even if that was a bit of a misnomer.
It was either Cormal and Kinan, Brannal and Perian, or Molun, Arvus, and Trill.
They all knew that Perian and Trill were more likely to be in danger, and their partners weren’t about to let anything happen to them.
Each group had extra protection as well, so that watches could be set and couples and triads could still sleep the night through together.
So it wasn’t really much like Cormal and Kinan going to Perian’s estate, when they hadn’t known the danger and had ridden off on one horse together.
The Queen had insisted on adequate protection for her son, and it wasn’t like Cormal disagreed.
But there was still something of the spirit of that visit, even if there were more trappings now.
They’d all agreed it was important to be seen and counter some of the rumors that had sprung up no matter how much work they’d done with the Warriors and Mage Warriors taking notices and answering questions around the country.
“I’m not very important by comparison,” Kinan liked to point out, faced with what Perian and Trill could do.
It was certainly eye-opening to see them actually heal people.
They tried to do it wherever they went, and it only made sense to have their partners with them to make sure they had all the energy they needed.
“You’re a crucial part of this,” Cormal always countered. “You’re living proof of what they’re able to do, and it’s more important than you know to have people see you reacting positively to all this.”
Like it or not, Kinan’s opinion held sway. No, he wouldn’t convince every single citizen that Life Mages and carnalions were safe, but he had the power to influence more than most. And he was so very committed to creating that better world for his friends and everyone like them.
Plus, it got them away from the wedding planning for a little while. Sometimes, strangers asked them about the wedding, but they didn’t have any power over it, so Cormal didn’t mind.
“You know, when we get back, Mother’s going to have all new plans for us,” Kinan pointed out as they made their way to the stables.
It had taken a lot of arguing with his mother, but Kinan had finally convinced her to let him ride his horse instead of sitting in a carriage.
Cormal could only laugh. “And we’ll deal with them then.” He sent Brannal a beseeching look. “You’ll try to rein her in, right?”
Brannal scoffed. “I’m going to let her Majesty plan to her heart’s content. Hopefully, she’ll get it out of her system.”
“I’m never getting married,” Larenia declared definitively, here to see her brother off.
They’d met the night before with the returning Brannal and Perian to go over the lay of the land. Overall, it was going well, though it was possible that it was the most open-minded citizens who were willing to come to town halls and actually be in the same room as Life Mages.
Unsurprisingly, the ninth and sixth districts were lagging a bit in support, and they had to assume that their councilors were heavily pushing their own agendas.
The fourth district had reflected the changing views of its councilor and seemed at least open to the possibilities.
Cormal and Kinan had agreed to focus more efforts there, since they were less likely to be in danger while sharing their story.
Cormal still felt guilty about the damage he’d done, but each person he tried to help convince now went a little way to remedying that. They could only move forward, after all, and he was proud of the work that he was doing now, especially with Kinan at his side.
Kinan had been brave enough to envision a whole new world, and with the help of many others, they were working to make it possible.
Cormal would also have no hesitation about burning the world down if anyone tried to harm a hair on Kinan’s head.
(There were actually some benefits to being known as the fiery redhead who might lose his temper if you were rude to the Prince.
Delana usually came with them to make sure nothing got too out of hand.
But really, anyone who went after the prince of the realm had it coming, right?)
From being the most-avoided horse in the stables, Prince Horsey had become one of the most ridden.
Perian had insisted on giving him back to Kinan, who had desperately wanted his horse back but didn’t want to take him away from Perian, but he’d finally given in when Perian agreed to continue riding him.
Perian had taken him on their last tour, and now Kinan was going to do the same. It was like Prince Horsey was making up for lost time. (And he got very agitated if they suggested riding any other horses. Cormal was relieved that despite his name, Fireball was much sweeter tempered.)
Prince Horsey had snorted and stamped when a tangible Kinan had gone to the stables for the first time.
“I’m so sorry,” Kinan had said, voice thick. “I was kind of invisible for years, and no one could see or hear me, including you. But a bunch of really awesome people helped heal me, so here I am. I’m sorry it took so long. I’ve missed you.”
Prince Horsey stared at him for a long moment, then nickered softly, and Kinan had come forward and leaned in, flinging his arms around him and burying his face in Prince Horsey’s neck and crying.
And the most temperamental horse in the entire stable—probably the entire country—had just stood there and let him do it. (He’d also looked really judgmentally at Cormal when he’d gotten a little misty-eyed.)
When Kinan had recovered, he’d insisted on brushing Prince Horsey down, talking to him all the while, reaffirming their bond.
And now it was like those seven years had never happened, and Prince Horsey was ready to go anywhere that Kinan wanted, including roaming across the country and trying to teach its citizens that they’d been thinking about carnalions and Life Magic all wrong for centuries.
Kinan and his sister hugged for a long time, and they bid fond farewells to everyone before mounting up.
“Ready?” Kinan asked.
“Ready,” Cormal confirmed.
He knew that together, they were unstoppable.