70. Epilogue
Lea
The wind blew softly across the rolling hills of Bearswillow, the long stalks of grass bowing toward the three freshly dug graves as if in deference to their memory. Gray stood between them, a prayer tumbling from his lips and tears shining in his eyes as he eulogized the dead. Genevieve, Thomas, and Eudora. The final three to be buried.
So many had been lost—too many—but their sacrifice had been honored back in Auropera. A tree had been planted for each of them, Lea funneling her light into their roots and helping them grow deep and strong until the garden was bursting with life. The garden sat between the castle and the town, full of bright, fragrant flowers and uninhibited sunlight, a resting place where families could honor the ones they’d lost. But for these three, Lea had chosen somewhere different. Somewhere closer to her heart.
For them, she’d chosen home.
Emma had agreed wholeheartedly. Had wanted Thomas’s final resting place to be the place he’d loved, near his family, and in the beauty of the mountains he’d grown up in. Lea didn’t think Emma would leave this place anytime soon, but she couldn’t blame her. Thomas’s family would take her in, give her a place to stay and make her one of their own until she was ready to return back home. If she was ever ready.
Emma knelt next to the fresh mound of dirt, Elise just behind her, her own face wet with tears. Emma had dressed in all white, her dress now stained with dirt as she whispered softly to the headstone bearing Thomas's name: Brother. Son. Friend. Soldier . Mate . And beneath the dates of his birth and death—his mate mark—etched into the stone with the same finality as the one marked on his body.
Lea’s heart ached as she looked at the mark. Emma would mourn him until the day she died, but Lea knew he was waiting for her. Likely sitting just over the hill, relaxing in the gentle breeze, allowing time to pass until they could be reunited.
Or maybe, he was here. Sending the wind to comfort her, just as Lea’s own mother had. Watching her, hoping she would find a way to be happy.
Someday, she would be. But the wounds they’d sustained on their souls would last far longer than those that scarred their bodies.
Henry and Evangeline stood behind Gray, their heads bowed in reverence to the ones who had given the ultimate sacrifice. The three beautiful souls who had risked their lives to allow the rest of them to live. A lump formed in Lea’s throat as she looked at them standing together, her birth mother and her father, both of whom had lost the other half of their souls. Hopefully, they, too, were waiting on the other side for their mates—Adelaide and Ryland. Lea smiled at the thought of them keeping eachother company until it was time for them to greet Henry and Evangeline beyond the veil.
Lea looked to the third grave, Eudora's name and place of birth chiseled in the middle. And at the very top of the stone was the mate mark they’d found on her body as well, a twin to King Tanad’s.
They hadn’t been the only ones to find mate marks upon their chests once the wave of magic had crashed across the kingdom, restoring magic and peace as it had always been intended. Erik and Janelle had been branded with proof of their love, as had countless others. More couples than Lea could keep track of, suddenly blessed by the gods with a gift they’d all but thought would never happen again.
Lea and Gray’s skin remained blank, only the scars of their past bond remaining, but Lea wasn’t sad. At least, not about the mate mark. The fact that she was alive was a miracle. That she would get this life with Gray, as well as the next. They had both survived. They had been given a second chance and had lived to see their kingdom flourish. It was impossible to feel anything other than grateful, especially when so many others hadn’t been so lucky. When so many others had been separated from their mates by death’s cold hands.
Tanad had allowed Lea to read the note Eudora had left for him, and she’d learned that, on the night of her birth, Eudora had not only seen The Daughter of Suns and Stars defeating the Black King, she had seen Lea’s entire life.
For years, she’d helped set up the events that would help Lea to defeat Alaric, allowing herself to be the villain, if that’s what it took to save Tanad’s kingdom. It was the only way, she had written. I wanted to stay with you. I tried to find something else, anything, but every time I changed the plan, we failed. I couldn’t watch your kingdom fall. Couldn’t bear to see your people die, and you, along with them. I hope you can forgive me for all the secrets I was forced to keep. I love you.
Tanad had forgiven Eudora, of course, but as Lea looked at his sad, haggard face, his hands gripping the top of her grave so hard his knuckles were white, she wasn’t sure if he would ever forgive himself for believing she would serve Alaric. Especially now that he knew every decision she’d made had been a piece in a moving puzzle that had allowed the next to fall into place.
It still gave Lea chills to think about—that Eudora had been the one to send the fenrir to her village, exposing Thomas’s magic and setting their journey into motion. A favor, she’d said, to another with magic as ancient as their own. They belong to Lea now.
She’d explained that the fenrir had been waiting for centuries for a Fae worthy of serving. Eudora had told them of her vision—that Lea would restore peace and magic as had been intended—and they’d answered her call.
As Gray said the final words of the service, Lea knelt down, pushing a single seed into each grave, hoping it would say all the things she couldn't find the words for. Her gratitude. Her sorrow. She rose to her feet, the wind blowing softly around them, and turned away, wanting to give Tanad and Emma their privacy to mourn, but stopped when long rays of sunshine peeked out from the clouds, scattering across the hill. Small green sprouts popped out from the seeds, multiplying and growing until the entirety of the graves were covered, with seedlings spilling into the grass.
The skin above her breast began to tingle, the scar of her mate mark burning. Her hand drifted to her sternum, her heart pounding beneath her fingers as she traced the lines she knew by heart. She looked to Gray, meeting his eyes as a slow smile crossed his face. Her heart fluttered as his love flooded through her—heavy and passionate and all-consuming.
Little Flower? His voice rang out in her mind, crisp, clear, and strong. Lea couldn’t speak, not even through their bond as she basked in the feeling of his devotion coursing through her until it filled every inch of her body. She nodded, tears pricking her eyes, and held out her hand. He pulled her into a silent embrace, pushing every emotion he was feeling down their bond—love, forgiveness, sorrow, pride, grief. They were all there, an orchestra plucking the strings of her weary soul.
Lea didn't know what would happen next. After the mourning, the grieving. They would have to learn to rule. To take care of their kingdom. She hoped they could build a home here in Bearswillow, with a garden brimming with her favorite flowers. A place tiny feet could run and feel the joy of open skies and soft grass and unconditional love.
But for now, this was enough, and she closed her eyes, committing the moment to memory. As Gray finally pulled back, his hand sliding into hers, the sprouts that had spread across the graves like clover began to bloom. Bright red poppies opening above Genevieve’s final resting place, bright white lilies above Thomas’s, and above Eudora’s, soft pink peonies. Her mother's voice echoed in her ear as a gust of wind passed by, the flowers gently swaying.
A rhyme for the grieving. A promise of better things.
Lea smiled, lifting her chin to the sky and letting the sun kiss her face before reaching down and picking a single stem of each flower.
Lilies, for peace.
Poppies, for sorrow.
And peonies, for hope of a better tomorrow.
THE END