Epilogue
SEVEN YEARS LATER
Sunlight streamed through the fairy library's stained-glass windows, casting a mesmerizing dance of colors upon the towering shelves filled with dusty tomes and ancient scrolls. Seraphina and Niall had built the windows here several years ago.
The children's corner, bathed in the warm glow of flickering lights, was my addition to this sacred space, where I could share the magic of stories with my son, Maxim. I had created this special corner in the library six years ago when I discovered I was pregnant with Maxim.
I enjoyed nestling in the kids' section of the fairy library, my new sanctuary. The scent of ancient parchment and ink filled my lungs as I flipped through the pages of a colorful children's book, roaming over the vibrant illustrations meant to captivate young minds.
"Mama, read this one," Maxim urged, his small hand patting the book's cover.
My six-year-old son was the spitting image of his father inside and out—his stubbornness and his raven-black hair surrounding piercing amber eyes.
"All right, baby." I said, adjusting my swelling belly to make room for him on my lap.
“Mama.” Maxim almost rolled his eyes at me, and then he gave me a sheepish look. “I’m too big to sit on your lap. I’m not a baby.”
Sighing, I smiled at him. He fidgeted next to me as we continued to read the book.
Earlier that day, we'd visited Willa's oak tree. I had wanted to tell Maxim about his grandmother, the woman who had been so important in our lives and whose memory lived on in the mighty tree. Willa’s oak tree stood as grand and mystical as the Goddess Oak Tree in the Poison Garden, and Seraphina had often referred to it as the Twin Goddess Tree.
The Poison Garden had changed since those dark days. The poisonous mushrooms were long gone, and the fairies thrived as they learned to harness the healing properties of the bark from the trees.
While standing under the low-hanging branches of the tree, Maxim had asked if he would ever meet Grandma Willa. Almost in tears, I told him that she would always be with us in spirit, and whenever he wanted to visit with her, we could come to the oak tree.
I entrusted The Book of Thoradis to the three witches. They moved back to the fairy realm, living in the City of Earth. But I didn't even know where they hid the book.
After reading the last page, I closed the book and rose from my seat, cradling my swelling belly protectively.
We were expecting a baby girl. Many nights, I’d turn and toss in bed, thinking about if she would inherit the daisy wheel birthmark that had marked my own skin since birth. Maxim hadn’t been born with it.
"Mom, what do you think my sister will be like?" Maxim asked, tilting his head as he studied my expression.
"I'm sure she'll be wonderful," I said, stroking his soft strands of hair. "Just like you."
The kid grimaced. “I hope she’s not like Adriana.”
Before I could tell him to be nice to Tammy’s daughter, the doors suddenly burst open, and a whirlwind of energy charged in—a confident five-year-old girl with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
She darted between the towering shelves, calling out, "Hello, Aunt Bree."
I laughed.
"Hi, Maxim." She giggled, sticking her tongue out at him before disappearing behind a row of books.
Maxim rolled his eyes, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
A moment later, Tammy appeared in the doorway, her chest heaving as she ran after her spirited daughter.
"Adriana," she called out, worry etched across her face. "Slow down. You're going to hurt yourself!"
Maxim frowned and pointed in the direction Adriana had disappeared. "She went that way, Aunt Tammy," he said, a hint of amusement lacing his voice.
"Thank you, sweetie pie," Tammy replied, offering me a quick wave before dashing off after her energetic child.
Nothing had prepared me for parenthood. Sometimes, I even thought leading a war in the human or fairy realms was easier.
"Maxim," I murmured, "do you think it's harder to raise children or to fight in a war?"
I chuckled.
He tilted his head, considering the question with all the seriousness a six-year-old could muster. "I don't know, Mama," he admitted. "But I think being a family is the most important thing."
I smiled at his wisdom, which sometimes surprised me at his age, and pulled him close, treasuring this tender moment between us.
Tammy's frantic voice echoed through the library. "I'm going to count to three, Adriana! You better get off that ladder! One…two…"
I held my breath, waiting for the outcome of this latest skirmish in the ongoing battle of wills between mother and daughter.
Maxim looked up at me, his eyes wide with concern. His small hand gently squeezed mine.
"Everything will be fine, Maxim," I said.
Maxim graced me with a half smile, reminding me of how Torin looked when unsure about something.
The loud thud that followed Tammy's countdown vibrated through the hushed air of the library, accompanied by the exaggerated stomping of tiny feet.
Tammy and Adriana finally appeared from behind a tall bookshelf, both looking a bit disheveled from their chase. Adriana darted towards me with a grin, while Tammy groaned and looked as if she had aged ten years in the span of a few moments.
When she reached me, the little girl placed her tiny hand on my swollen belly. "I hope she likes to play with crossbows and arrows. Daddy gifted me a set. It's a baby one for now, but he promised to teach me later to shoot a real arrow."
Tammy's mouth opened and closed, struggling to find the right words to address her daughter's bold statement.
I couldn't hold back my laughter at the absurdity of it all—and that pretty much summed up my life since the revival of the fairy realm.
There was no such thing as a normal family. I adored mine as it was.
"I'll show you how to use a real crossbow when we go back to the kingdom," Maxim said, his gaze steady on the little girl.
"No thanks." Adriana frowned, crossing her arms stubbornly. "I can figure it out myself."
Something passed behind Maxim’s eyes, but he remained still and serious.
I exchanged a knowing look with Tammy and smiled.
We were about to head out when Torin and Adrian rushed inside, urgency etched across their faces. Adrian's eyes looked wide with stress, while a mischievous grin danced on Torin's lips.
"Did she cause more trouble?" Adrian asked, his gaze flicking between me and the children.
I shook my head. "No, everything is okay."
Relief washed over Adrian's face as he glanced at Tammy, who nodded in agreement.
“You may want to hurry back home, Breanna. Before I came here, your parents were about to leave on vacation.”
Mom and Dad were flying to Australia for two weeks, and I wanted to catch them before they left.
Adriana, Adrian, and Tammy made their way out of the library first.
Torin crossed the distance between us in a few easy strides and planted a tender kiss on my lips. Maxim, not wanting to be left out, clambered onto his father's shoulders, giggling as Torin hoisted him into the air.
"Let's go home," Torin murmured against my skin, his warm breath tickling my ear. "You know I don't like you riding the hounds while pregnant, even if they go slowly."
The memory of those demonic-looking dogs came unbidden to my mind, but now, free from the dark magic that had once ensnared them, their true, intelligent nature had come through.
They no longer breathed fire, and the fairies fed them in exchange for their transportation services.
Maxim loved riding the massive-looking creatures.
As we stepped outside the fairy castle, the beauty of the realm took my breath away every single time.
The sun hung low in the sky, casting a warm, golden glow over everything it touched.
The vibrant-green grass seemed to dance beneath our feet as we walked, and the delicate scent of wildflowers filled the air.
My eternity mate smiled and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me close.
Maxim, perched on Torin's shoulders, reached up to pluck a brilliant blue butterfly from the air, giggling as its wings tickled his fingertips.
"Look, Mommy! A butterfly!"
"Be gentle, Maxim," I reminded him, watching as he carefully released the pixie fairy back into the sky.
I wasn’t sure what powers Maxim and our baby girl would develop as they grew up, but I had an eternity to find out.
****** The End *****
If you loved The Eternal Queen series and want more strong, human heroines with special powers, check out The Hidden Witch duet, coming in Summer 2026.