Epilogue
We talked for hours that day as we wandered through the forest that murmured around us.
It no longer hummed on about the misplaced human who stood amongst it, but it now sang songs of belonging for Aleixo specifically.
All felt at peace once Dewdrop made her return to me, both of us relieved that the other was safe.
But we both eyed Aleixo as he walked with ease.
I didn’t immediately understand the shift, but once I did, it was hard to ignore.
“But how can you be the realm guard? Until some time ago, you didn’t even know other races or realms existed?”
“I didn’t understand it either, not until Demiste explained it.”
“Who?”
He cracked one of his signature sunny smiles. “The Realm Guard of Death. That’s his name.”
“He never told me his name,” I grumbled, kicking a rock in my path.
“That’s because you are not the new realm guard.”
“But how did you come to be the new one?”
And so, the story unfolded as we walked.
In the times of the Mistress of the Night, there was a treaty that was settled upon by the eight races of the realms. This treaty was sealed away so no one could ever lay eyes on it, except the sacred eight, the leaders of each race.
This treaty declared that should the title of realm guard become corrupt through the leadership of one race, it would pass to the next race in line. This cycle would continue until the final days approached, of which one did not know the timing of.
As time moved forward, the sables began to fight against the treaty, saying the others were more against the sables having their turn.
They claimed they were the last in line because the other races had been turned against them by the humans, the most greedy race of all.
The sables fought to be in charge and rule the realms, while the Mistress of the Night fought to mediate the issue.
The agreement they set upon was that the treaty would be permanently sealed, even from the leaders themselves, and the rule of Realm Guard of Living would begin with the sables.
This seal was bound by magic that even the elves could not break through, and so the power never shifted with each realm guard, continuing on with the sables.
As the last of the eight leaders journeyed with the Realm Guard of Death, the sables took charge and hid the treaty.
There was nothing to be done as each leader was not necessarily evil—they were merely too power hungry to hand over leadership to those who could be equally qualified. And so, the seal never broke.
Until Nilsorn. No Realm Guard of Living had ever attempted to commit murder—there had never been one as truly driven by evil as Nilsorn.
It didn’t matter that Nilsorn was motivated by his love for someone; the desire to sacrifice a life for his own gain had disqualified the sables.
This gave the Realm Guard of Death power to break open the seal and pass it on to the next race in line, to the next Realm Guard of Living.
Aleixo.
“You do know we are still bound, do you not?” I couldn’t help bringing it up as his explanation ended. It felt as though this clueless human now knew more about the realms than I did. And it was likely that knowledge would grow beyond anything I could imagine in the years to come.
“You do know you’re asking that of your new realm guard?”
“Yes, but you are to be kinder than the last.”
Aleixo stopped walking, his hand brushing against mine. “I hope to always be kind to you.”
Was he going to ruin a perfectly good moment of jesting?
His eyes grew more intense as they looked into mine.
They were so completely blue that I began to lose myself every time he looked at me.
I had replayed the kiss we shared a thousand times, and still I longed for more of him every time I saw his face before me.
“Were you truly going to be bound to Nilsorn so shortly after my passing?” His voice broke through my thoughts.
I had so hoped it wouldn’t come up, but there it was.
“I do apologize,” I whispered. “It was a moment of desperation. I wanted…I wanted to live.” Tears spilled as I lifted my eyes to meet his once more.
“I was so frightened, I truly thought it was the end of me.” I took a shaky breath, and his hand slipped into mine.
“I didn’t know what I was trying to live for, I just knew I couldn’t let him end my life and then move on to hunt the next.
I thought…I thought I could change his mind. I thought I could save the next elf.”
“It’s alright, Calista.” We faced each other, closer than ever, but still not as close as I longed for.
“When I thought you were gone, I just—” My voice broke suddenly, overwhelmed by my desire to be held by him, but unable to take a step forward.
Instinctively, his arms wrapped around me, and I melted into them. “I’m here now, and so very thankful for the rules of the realms that kept me alive.” He chuckled, but I didn’t find his words humorous.
“I’m serious, Aleixo.”
“When are you not?”
“I felt like the world held no air when I thought you were no longer in it.”
He pressed kisses on the top of my head, filling me with the love I now knew I needed. “And now, here I am, like a gust of wind, arriving to give you breath.”
I leaned back, tilting my head up to force him to look at me. “Will you remain bound to me, Aleixo? Will you stay with me? Will you live out your days with me?”
His lips finally met mine and I gave back with everything in me. The hope for a new life, the unending love I felt for him, the voice in my heart that sang for him and only him. He spoke, and I knew his words were what I longed to hear even before he said them.
“In a realm where all others serve me, I will serve only you.”