Epilogue One
“Mom!” Landon’s voice echoed through our private quarters, ones that we had expanded over time to make room for our family. Dakath, who was sitting next to me on one of two balcony chairs, chuckled quietly while continuing to read over the plans for today's journey.
I offered my husband a knowing look before bringing my tea cup to my lips, trying to hide a smile.
We knew this was coming. Weeks ago, we’d placed bets on how long it would take for Landon to say that he didn’t want to come with us this year—he’d held out until the morning of our travels, which was far longer than any of us expected.
Normally, our son was much more outspoken about what he wanted, which led me to believe he was truly conflicted about what to do, especially since he knew how much we wanted him to come with us this year.
Either that or he had spent his time trying to come up with a reason that would go over well with all four of us.
Landon was as stubborn as Elijah, though with more than a hint of Dakath’s broody nature, so I suppose that made a bit more sense.
“We need to at least hear his reasoning,” Dakath mused, and I nodded my agreement.
We did need to listen to him, even if I planned on him coming with us regardless. I didn’t fully understand why he didn’t want to go. I understood the thought behind the reason he always gave us, but I just had a feeling that there was more to it that I could see.
“Out here!” I called out to our son, though I was sure he already knew that.
We sat out here most mornings, enjoying the view of the harbor and the city coming alive in the bright sunlight.
This morning was no different, although with our travel plans in place, it was a bit more relaxing than most. The morning had even included some much-needed alone time with Kolvar until he decided to trek to the harbor to triple check our family’s quarters on the ship we would be sailing over the Cursed Divide on.
I hadn’t seen Elijah since very early when he had woken up to go talk to a few of the naval captains who would be traveling with us.
While we didn’t require many soldiers, we always took some with us and the small fleet that sailed alongside our ship.
The Cursed Divide may have been familiar, but I certainly wouldn’t call it friendly.
“I can’t go.”
I turned in my seat and offered my son a perplexed look as I realized he was far more worked up than I thought, frustration filling his gaze.
The boy who had come to us as an orphan in the ruins of war was no more.
Our son had grown into a man nearly as intense as his fathers.
More than any of his siblings, he had also taken an interest in military strategy and leadership.
At only twenty-two, he was already working his way up through the ranks.
He hadn’t needed to, after all he was a prince, but he had told us that he wanted to start from the bottom like everyone else. He wanted to earn his station.
I swear Elijah had nearly cried at his words.
Landon was an amazing young man, but he could stand to lighten up. Which is why he needed to come with us!
“Why?” I asked sincerely.
Once a year, we traveled to the Thaician Empire to celebrate our peace and unity with a feast and ball.
It was something all our kids looked forward to, until about five years ago when Landon had stopped attending, saying that he wanted to focus on learning about leading and ruling and locking himself away for hours with his tutors.
At first, I hadn’t pushed it because I worried he stopped attending due to the fact that he was returning to a place that had only ever been filled with war and pain for him.
Year after year, he insisted that wasn’t the case.
He claimed he was only seven at the time, so he barely remembered what happened.
I’d been left questioning why ever since.
I hoped to finally get my answer this year.
“I need to ensure our empire is protected and taken care of in your absence,” he intoned, seriousness evident in the set of his jaw. “Even a short amount of time is long enough to leave us vulnerable for something to happen.”
I had no idea what he was concerned about happening considering how peaceful our empire was, but I didn’t want to discount his concern.
“You know we have an entire system in place,” I pointed out. “We have several advisors, military leaders, and appointed citizens as delegates. Our empire could run itself if needed.”
“What if there’s an attack?”
I smiled softly. “Who is going to attack us? The only other empire is the one we are friendly with. I promise you there is nothing to worry about.”
“I can’t go.” He ground out, running a hand over his face.
Dakath offered him a knowing look, his attention fully on our conversation even as he stared out over our beloved city. “Don’t use that tone with your mother.”
Our son offered a grunt, his ears turning red as he ran his hand over the back of his neck. “Sorry, Mom.”
Dropping my cup of tea on the small table between my seat and Dakath’s, I reached out to squeeze Landon’s hand. “I know you’re nervous, though I’m not sure why—”
“I’m not nervous.”
“Landon, honey, you are the heir of this empire, the next leader of the Tridian Empire. If you want to be successful in your role, you will do so by gaining experience. You must understand and be part of the political landscape of both empires.”
While he was the oldest of our adopted children, his age wasn’t the sole reason he was the heir to the Tridian throne. If any of the others had shown interest, we would have figured something out, but I think everyone could tell that leadership was Landon’s calling.
“I already know Tristan and Bailey.”
“You know them as your aunt and uncle,” I reminded him softly as I leaned forward in my seat, fixing him with a serious stare. “You do not know them as leaders. You need to know how to work with them in that capacity as well.”
“Plus,” Dakath added from beside me as his head spun in our son’s direction, “Rina is only two years younger than you, so it's not as if you won’t have anyone to talk to.”
Landon’s eyes darkened at the mention of her name, piquing my interest as Dakath chuckled under his breath. “Rina is a child.”
“Pretty sure she’s twenty, like your father said. Five years ago, she may have seemed like a child to you, but she isn’t anymore.”
Dakath nodded before adding, “When the time comes for her to get married, you will need to attend as a sign of respect. Surely, you want it to be on friendly terms—” Landon scoffed, throwing an incredulous look in Dakath’s direction.
“What?” Dakath asked, amusement tingeing his tone—after so long with him, I could tell that he was up to something, though I couldn’t quite tell what.
“Married?” Landon questioned, disgust evident in the way his nose curled. A second later, his jaw clenched, eyes narrowing as he considered Dakath. “Is Rina getting married?”
“I meant it hypothetically,” Dakath drew out, offering him an arched brow. “Why? Does that bother you?”
“She’s far too young to marry,” Landon growled.
“Not much younger than you,” I reminded him again.
“Plus, twenty is a fine age to marry—no doubt this year’s ball will be filled with suitors.
” If Tristan didn’t kill all of them. If I thought he’d been protective with Rina before, it was nothing compared to now.
I agreed with Dakath regarding the possibility of marriage, but I knew a wedding was most likely far in the future.
Landon shook his head, staring out at the city below before grunting. “Fine. Fine. I’m coming with—when do we leave?”
“Oh good,” I said, offering a big smile. I wouldn’t hide my relief and excitement over him joining us—I hated the idea of leaving any of our children at home.
“Ten minutes,” Dakath offered.
He turned sharply, storming from the room as I picked up my cup of tea and offered my husband a look. “What was all that?”
“He likes Rina—it seems that it might go beyond simply just liking her, probably more than likes,” Dakath explained, and my eyes widened with the realization. “I think he has for a while, and it probably scared him when he first realized it, so he just decided to stay away from her.”
“For five years,” I whistled, shaking my head. “That’s crazy.”
“I have no idea if she'll marry anytime soon, probably not with how protective Tristan is,” Dakath chuckled. “But at least now we will have all of the children with us.”
I nodded in agreement, taking another sip of tea as I thought of the children who had completed our family.
Out of the twelve orphans who had been brought over the Cursed Divide, three of them had stayed with us—including Landon.
Then when Tristan had returned to the Thaician Empire, four more had been brought back to us.
Unlike the first group, none of them bonded to other families, instead wanting to stay with us and our growing family.
Adjusting to life with seven children hadn’t been easy, especially with never having been a parent before, but now that they were all on their way to being adults, I couldn’t be happier or prouder. I loved having a full castle, and these children had been an absolute blessing.
“We need to make sure the others are ready,” I pointed out, realizing it was nearly time to leave. “Penelope is probably still sleeping.”
Penelope was our second oldest, nearly twenty-one, and while she was a complete badass with combat, she loved her sleep and was almost always notoriously late.
It was truly hilarious watching her dads try to wake her, especially when she was younger and still growing.
More than once, she had fallen asleep at her desk with her tutor.
“Stella woke her,” Elijah announced as he appeared in the doorway. Stella, much like Kolvar, was full of energy and sunshine.
“Good,” I mused as Elijah, crouched in front of me, kissing the top of my hand with a gentle touch. “Landon has decided to accompany us, by the way.”
“Really?” He asked with an arched brow.
Dakath smirked. “I’m fairly certain he likes Rina, and I casually mentioned that she would probably be finding a suitor at this ball, and now he’s miraculously able to join us.”
Elijah chuckled, his smile pulling my own to the surface before my attention was snagged by two large forms striding past our door.
Julian and James were seventeen and absolute trouble.
The way they spoke in hushed tones, glancing to make sure no one was in earshot told me that they were planning something that would no doubt piss Elijah off for the ball.
Our youngest two were always getting in trouble, much to Elijah’s chagrin.
Pouring one more cup of tea, I nearly dropped the pot as a screech of frustration sounded nearby. Out of nowhere, Rose appeared in the door, cheeks rosy and lips pinched as she breathed heavily. “Emilia won’t give me back my overcoat.”
“Wear one of the others?” Dakath suggested, looking puzzled.
Rose offered me a pleading look, knowing her fathers wouldn’t understand. I barely understood, but then again, Emilia was always messing with Rose.
The redhead in question appeared behind Rose, offering me a delighted smile as she adjusted her plum-colored jacket, adding. “Come on, it looks way better on me—”
“You,” Rose hissed, turning as Emilia squeaked and sprinted away, being chased by her blonde-headed sister. I sighed happily, as I looked at Elijah and Dakath.
“I’m going to assume they will figure that out,” I mused as my two men shared a conspiratorial laugh. With a deep, contented sigh, I said “After I finish this cup of tea, I’ll be good to head toward the dock. Kolvar is already down there.”
“We will make sure all of the children are ready,” Elijah said as he squeezed my knees gently. He dropped a quick kiss on my lips before standing and striding out.
Dakath approached, wrapped an arm around my waist, brushing our noses against one another as he laid a teasing kiss on my lips before going as well. I sat back down and smiled, wondering how I was blessed enough that this was truly my life.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted one of Barnabus’ bat brethren arcing through the bright blue sky, disappearing as quickly as they had appeared. I loved that they were still around, constantly reminding me of my friend—one who had been a fundamental element in making this future possible.
Finishing my tea and slipping on my own coat, I looked out over my empire.
In fifteen years, we had only grown and developed more and more.
The commerce-centered capital had expanded, and we had placed more trading markets between small villages to ensure people could sell their goods without always having to travel so far.
I was so incredibly proud of everything we had been able to accomplish in such a short period of time.
More than that, I was so incredibly proud of how far we’d come and the acceptance that the Tridian Empire had shown to those joining us from the Thaician Empire.
With Bailey and Tristan ruling the empire on the other side of the Cursed Divide, these lands were experiencing a sense of unity like never before.
I had to wonder what Myrin would think of this—of the two empires being unified in creating a better world. I hoped she would be proud.