Epilogue
Princess Fenlia left the Soleben court following the Second Plague. News of her exploits remained limited, to the point that few at court knew her whereabouts. She never again appeared at court proper – though, when asked, her family always, always, spoke of her with fondness.
King Elician of Soleb did not reign long.
Two years to the day after his coronation, he willingly abdicated his throne to allow the succession of Queen Adalei.
Adalei reigned for sixty-three years, a time noted for its strong commitment to Alelune, a rise of academic institutions and the establishment of the first non-Exalted medical units in each of Soleb’s major cities.
The Elena Morsen Institute stands, to this day, as the pinnacle of medical research, training and integrity, and was inaugurated by the Queen as one of her first official acts in office.
Following Elician’s abdication, King Alest of Alelune made frequent visits to Adalei in Himmelsheim in both formal and informal capacities, establishing a long and evident friendship between the two countries that superseded his marriage to Elician.
He was at her side when she eventually passed away, and attended the coronation ceremony for her daughter, Queen Elia, in the days that followed.
While Elician’s presence in the Soleben court was limited following his abdication, his dedication to the royal family itself was never in doubt, and he often hosted Queen Elia and her descendants in the Eternal Palace of Altas where he and King Alest spent the majority of their time.
Elician extended his patronage to the founding of many arts colleges in both Alelune and Soleb and is said to have been the author of many books of poetry, mythology and history, all anonymously published or written under a pseudonym.
Determining which pieces were written by him is a frequent source of debate amongst scholars.
Several examples of fine arts, including portraiture and landscape paintings, have also been attributed to Elician, with the Royal Museum of Altas maintaining the bulk of his work.
King Alest, by contrast, ruled Alelune for one hundred years and remained much loved by his people until his own willing abdication.
He attended classes at Alerae’s top medical school throughout much of his reign and frequently engaged in debates with students on matters of philosophy and science.
He encouraged Alelunen Givers to emerge from hiding and to accept their place in Alelunen society, and was a staunch advocate for equal rights of all citizens regardless of birth or prestige.
His only known published work was a volume of bird species and their range of travel across the continent.
An avid bird-watcher throughout his reign, Alest discovered a new owl species during one of his travels; he named it Brielle.
At the end of King Alest’s reign, he chose an unlikely heir following the adoption of the orphan Taria Silna.
Taria had no known family or bloodline, but Alest brought her before Death to request Death’s blessing on Taria and all her future generations.
Death approved, and Taria was thence renamed Alecia.
Upon his abdication, Alest relinquished his nightcat to the new Queen Alecia to guide and protect her.
The nightcat has for ever more been a fixture at the Queen of Alelune’s side, a protector that ensured no future assassinations or coup attempts have ever successfully been carried out against the reigning monarch of Alelune.
Alest’s retirement from public life was a slow process. But by the time he and Elician vacated the Eternal Palace, their inevitable seclusion was expected.
No one knows where either Alest or Elician went after they departed, but they left behind one final message addressed to the people of the nations they helped bring towards peace.
Live and die well, and have a good waking on the morrow, whenever and wherever that may be.