Epilogue
The steam from the apple pie hit my face with comforting warmth as I removed it from the oven. I could bake as many apple pies as I wanted now. In the Otherworld, it was eternally late spring, and fruit was abundant whenever I wished.
A tug at the bottom of my dress got my attention.
“Mama! Look!” My little son, Archer, looked up at me with big brown eyes. Dianus told me all the time our youngest boy had gotten my eyes. I couldn’t argue that.
He spread his sticky fingers to show me the aftermath of him eating some blackberries. He didn’t have palm lines or fingerprints, which were all from his dad. He couldn’t shapeshift yet, but we were unsure if that would change as he got older.
“Very good. Give Mama kisses.” I leaned down, letting him hold my cheeks for a too-wet toddler kiss. “Thank you! Here, let’s clean us up.” I hoisted him up on the counter, away from the pie.
As I wet a cloth, I sang him a song, which made him snicker at me.
“What?” I asked.
“You sound bad.”
I faked offense, slacking my jaw. “Do I?”
“Yes. Daddy sounds better.” He watched as I wiped his hands with the rag. “But you read stories better,” he added on second thought.
“Thank you, baby. That’s so nice of you to say. And I agree, Daddy is better at lullabies.”
Little did he know, a lot of the time, I’d go off script and just regale him with tales from Earth when it came to our bedtime stories.
The Otherworld was similar to Earth in a lot of ways. There was a sun and a moon, but the trees were often hollowed out with portals, and all the colors were more vivid.
I looked just the same. Curvy, freckled, and fabulous.
The only thing that had really changed was more ease. You slept but didn’t really need it. You ate but didn’t necessarily hunger. It was like life on easy mode, yet there was never a dull day. Serenity surrounded everything. So often, I’d pause what I was doing to bask in it all, grateful I got the opportunity to love a god who’d granted me this existence. And above all, I was proud of myself for seizing my destiny.
Other deities existed alongside us, and occasionally our presence was required at the Oak Court, where I’d sit on my own throne alongside Dianus as his queen consort. Gods guiding their counterparts into the Otherworld wasn’t unheard of, but it was rarer than you’d think. Needless to say, my appearance in this realm sent shockwaves. Folks were curious at first, if not skeptical, but over time, public opinion settled on one undeniable truth: what I’d done had been brave.
When not at court, our family lived a quiet existence deep in the woods and found solace in the oak cathedral we called home. It consisted of nine giant trees, each one acting like a pillar. Between them were stone walls and ornate stained-glass windows. Some depicted Dianus’s myths and others laid out my life story. One of my personal favorites was a motif of Asteria and me in a field of fireflies. Another favorite depicted Dianus and me together during our first Yule on Earth. They served as a reminder to our children of what had brought us all here together.
In the cathedral, we had one whole wall of bookshelves along with a comfy reading chair and a giant hearth that had a constant crackling fire. I’d sit and read to my babies in front of it. If they weren’t looking at the flames, they’d cast their gazes skyward. You see, the leaves in the canopy would flutter in a breeze down to the ground all day, but overnight they’d magically return to the branches, only to start the pattern over again. Some of the trees had doors that led to the root systems, which were somewhere between an outcropped cabin and a hobbit hole. We’d hallowed out cozy rooms for sleeping, crafting, and baking, and it was admittedly where I spent most of my time.
The door to our kitchen flung open with laughter behind it. Dianus locked eyes with me as he held it for our children. Our first child, a daughter named Aveline, ran through holding a delicate hunting bow.
Behind her was her little brother, Holter, holding the arrows. “Mama! We found a baby bear!” he exclaimed.
“Did you? Was it all alone?”
Aveline chimed in, “Yes, but Daddy brought it back to its mom.”
“Oh good.”
Dianus approached me, cradling my face and nuzzling my nose before kissing me.
“Hello, lover.” His deep voice was only for me as he slid one of his hands over my belly that for once didn’t have a baby growing inside it. “Are you well?”
“Yes, thank you.” I kissed him in return.
We ate the pie and put the children to bed. Then we went for a nighttime stroll in the forest outside our home. Holding Dianus’s hand still made me giddy. In this realm, he was even more powerful and impressive. Most importantly, he doted on me day in and day out.
We meandered to our favorite oak tree that was attached to his forever tree on Earth. I still remembered entering this realm through it all those solstices ago. Everything had been bright, warm, and safe. Time was different here, but we’d spent what felt like years together first, just fucking and frolicking the days away. Then my belly had grown with Aveline.
Our rumors planted in Gasquet had worked because the tree stood vibrant and strong. At times, its leaves would illuminate and the roots would spread, which Dianus informed me meant people on Earth were talking about us, reading my journal, or praying for fertility nearby. The energy flowing from the tree, and my love, provided more than enough for him to thrive.
I smiled at the notion of it as I watched Dianus take a seat, his back resting against the wide trunk. “Come down here, love. Let me braid your hair.”
I sat in front of him, relaxing as his fingers combed through my locks.
“Do you ever miss Earth, Shea?”
I looked up at the starry sky, hours away from moonrise. The constellations here were different, like we were in an alternate pocket of the universe.
“Sometimes.” I sighed. “I miss the Little Dipper and Coke from McDonalds. And of course Asteria. But honestly, my mortal existence feels so far away now.”
I looked over my shoulder at my beloved. “What about you?”
He shook his head, his pointy ears forking through his wild curls. “No, I do not miss Earth. This is where I belong.” We shared a loaded look. “Thank you for finding me. For believing in me.”
“Thank you for cherishing me.”
We exchanged smiles before I turned back to the sky so he could finish the braid. Words were sometimes unneeded with a connection such as ours.
Once finished, I rested back on his chest and turned my head to request a kiss. Luckily, Dianus was just as good at kissing here, if not better. Every touch, every breath ignited desire. As our tongues teased, he gently held my neck. His curious hands traveled lower, cupping my breasts. I sighed into his mouth as pleasure washed through me. Never breaking the kiss, he untied the string holding my neckline up on my dress, letting my breasts spill.
My nipples hardened with the cool springtime air and the drag against his palm. Unable to hold back a moan, I ripped my mouth away to watch his hands on my body.
“Oh, please don’t stop,” I begged, squirming against his growing cock as he tweaked and rolled my nipple.
Using both hands, he continued to squeeze and tease.
Being impatient, I turned over, hiking up my dress. I never wore underwear. Dianus liked easy access. Before I could even straddle him, he rolled us both on the ground. Once over me, he freed his cock. We both pumped it together.
I bent my knees, framing his gloriously strong body with my legs. “I think it’s time,” I whispered, awestruck by his handsome face framed in oak leaves and stars.
“You crave another child?”
I held back a smile, knowing what I was about to unleash. “Yes. I want you to put another baby in me.” The modern saying really worked wonders on him.
Dianus’s eyes flared with a quick sheen of gold in the dark as my intention settled into his mind. “I want another daughter,” he whispered before he slid his mouth over mine.
I nodded against the kiss, grateful I’d listened to my intuition all those seasons ago and spent Yule with my wild god.