Epilogue
ONE MONTH LATER
The crisp spring winds flowed through the orchard, settling around Aris and me as we held hands together in unity.
I was barefoot, toes embedded in the cool grass, and had a flower crown in my hair, dressed in an ankle-length beige dress.
Aris wore his usual black attire with the top of his tunic loose, his black hair ruffled by the whispering winds.
I could feel his heartbeat racing.
With our hands entwined, Justir guided the ceremony.
Nirelle was beaming behind me with tears in her eyes.
Beshien, Peter, Sebry, Fenrah and Acantha were seated, watching the intimate moment between our two souls combine for eternity.
I began to speak.
“My vow to you—”
Aris leaned forward slightly and whispered so only I heard.
“Need I remind you, you tend to break your vows.”
My ears burned, and I slapped his arm, forcing a chuckle to rise from his chest.
I tried to hide my smile and continued out loud.
“My vow to you is unbreakable even if I tried.
This is my vow to you, that not only on this earth I vow my body and soul to you, but for the lives beyond, where you and I will find each other again.
I am yours, Aris.
My soul belongs to you and only you.”
Aris’ chest rose, and he blinked several times before he cleared his throat.
“I vow my existence to you, Solei.
I’m yours, until the end of times.
Until our souls no longer beat to the rhythm of life and beyond.
I will always protect you. I will always fight for you. I will always love you.”
I couldn’t stop the tears that flowed from my eyes, and Aris gently squeezed my hands.
“I’m glad you found me,”
I whispered.
Aris must have known what day I was talking about.
The day from over a year and a half ago.
“I’m glad I didn’t let you escape that dreadful day, too.
I couldn’t bear not to see the little vixen that fixed me up in my sleep… I knew from that moment you were mine.”
A smile escaped my lips, and I nearly laughed in bliss.
“I love you,” I said.
“I love you,”
Aris growled as he pulled me into his arms and crushed me with a kiss.
THREE YEARS LATER
I wrapped the young girl’s wrist as tightly but gently as I could.
The girl had sprained her wrist while playing with her friends.
“Have her drink this twice a day with some tea.
It’ll help the pain,”
I informed the girl’s mother in the apothecary.
There wasn’t much I could do besides helping the pain.
Only time would heal this wound—like many wounds, physically and emotionally.
The mother said her thanks to Fenrah and I before the doors of the apothecary slammed open and Aris barged in.
The bells rang violently.
I shook my head and smiled.
What an entrance.
Aris smiled apologetically as the mother and young girl left, murmuring their greeting to the emperor.
Fenrah placed a hand on my shoulder and gave a quick squeeze before she went back behind her small wooden desk to study some dried blood samples.
The people in Siniya had been recovering in a remarkable way from Strokan’s deadly empire.
Siniya was thriving in a way it never had before and expanded its traditions and cultural characteristics upon the neighboring countries who had reveled in this peaceful era.
The countries that were sworn to Stroka were now sworn to Siniya.
The people worshipped Aris and his strategies for rebuilding the empire, starting from within the family structure and stretched to building harmony between the different classes of people. He forbade slavery, and the price to pay wasn’t pretty.
“Someone didn’t want to take their nap today.”
Aris gave a nervous chuckle.
I lifted a brow but looked behind Aris.
A small black-haired boy, barely two years old, appeared behind Aris’ leg.
His thumb stuck into his pouting mouth.
The moment he looked at me, his mother, with light green eyes, he nearly broke down at the sight of me.
I rushed over.
“Oh, my baby boy.”
I picked him up and held his little body close to me, comforting him.
“Neo wouldn’t sleep, no matter how tired he is,”
Aris explained.
“It’s because he’s teething.
Aren’t you, Neo?”
I asked him, knowing he wasn’t going to answer.
Aris placed a finger beneath my chin, lifting it up, and brushed a soft kiss against my lips.
I smiled and became speechless.
Aris, after all this time, still made my heart race with butterflies in my stomach.
“Ma-ma!”
Neo clapped his little chubby hands together.
Aris and I beamed together and nodded.
“Yes, that’s right. ‘Mama’!”
“Can you say ‘Papa’?”
Aris asked enthusiastically.
“No.”
Neo pouted.
It was his favorite facial expression and favorite word.
I shook my head and stared at Aris.
“I blame you for that.”
Aris burst into laughter, the sound echoing in the small apothecary.
He grabbed my hand and the three of us walked through the palace halls.
Regardless of how Siniya inspired me to dance more, smile more, and live more, Neo was the missing piece to accepting myself and where I was in life.
Aris and Neo were everything I needed and more.
Aris and I held hands while Neo walked to the burnt orange curtains and played with the numerous plants living on the low windowsills exposing the vibrant outdoor gardens.
Aris stopped me in the middle of the large hallway and kneeled.
He placed a kiss on my swelling middle.
“What do you think it’ll be?”
“A girl.”
I smiled.
“I’ve never been wrong in guessing the gender of a baby.”
Aris raised a brow.
“Is that so?”
“Yes, I swear!”
I laughed.
“If it’s a girl, what will we name her?”
Aris asked the belly, as if the baby was going to answer the name of its soul.
“I’m not sure, but we have time.
About five months,”
I said softly.
“What do you think? Have you thought of anything?”
“Yes.
I thought maybe the name Fenrah.
Maybe Fe for short.”
I froze and melted in the same moment.
“I love that…”
“She’ll be a little healer like her mama, won’t you?”
Aris asked the swelling belly.
He rose and looked into my eyes.
“I have never felt so complete until this moment with the four of us.”
He shook his head slightly.
“And yet, I thought I was complete when I found you.
Then, when I made love to you, everything made sense to me.
The next was when I asked you to marry me.
My heart was filled with love. Then, when you gave birth to our son, I couldn’t believe I had made space for another love. When I found out about our next child”—his eyes glistened—“I thought I was going to implode with love…”
He leaned his forehead to mine.
“I had thought at one point in my life that I didn’t have room in my life or heart for love or anything like it…”
He held my face in his hands.
“I’ve never been so grateful to be so wrong.”