Chapter 68. In the End

I take a deep breath, and prepare myself to ask them one last favor before we get back through the gates to the mortal realm. "One last thing…please do not mention anything to anyone about the baby," I request.

"He was conceived within the cycles; thus you must alter the date of his birth?" Regius asks, and I nod.

"I…am just hoping that it was still dark enough that your companions didn't notice that I was pregnant when we rode in," I say, hoping the darkness and my cloak had hidden it. "Even if you trusted them with the rest of the story…well, things tend to spread and this kind of information could be easily misinterpreted."

Fulgur nods. "Our party only knows that we answered your request to meet with the gods. They assume that it concerns how best to correct what your witches continue to suffer after the Hunts and the war. We have not told them differently. I will hold my tongue concerning the babe."

"As will I," Alicula promises behind him.

"Being Cedelian," Regius admits, "I told my companions as much, knowing that they would automatically expect something else was going on as well. Eventually, I allowed them to 'discover' that Hildyr had not died in the war and had trapped herself in her Crystallum instead. This satisfied them, thinking that we were coming here with the intent of finishing her off, and if they saw your Tenebrarum glowing they would have noticed that it was already occupied."

"I don't care if they spread the rumor that we were 'disposing of' my mother," I say, "so long as they say nothing about my child." It is a rumor very close to the truth, and is wild enough that few will believe it. Those that do believe will only think highly of us; Hildyr's destruction benefits everyone.

"I will say nothing of him," Regius tells me. And then we all turn our heads to Veles, who is still walking fast and has refused to allow either of the other men a turn carrying me.

"My brother knows everything I do," the last fairy admits. "And I know that baby did not choose the manner of his birth; the gods did. You needed that baby to get out of your mess uncorrupted…but there was just that one unpleasant side effect. Deal with it as you see fit, neither my brother nor I will say anything about it. You came here wanting a way to reintegrate your witches, and the gods granted some of them Healing."

I nod in thanks, and sigh. Side effect…as if I took a medicine to save my life, and it performed its purpose…but gave me an itchy nose. I look down at little Genaro, who is still sleeping in my arms in spite of the motion being carried provides. And I realize that Ophelia was right, those months ago when she told me that as soon as my baby was in my arms, that I would want nothing more than to protect him for always…and then I would have to let him go bit by bit.

And I have to curse my baby to protect him.

I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. It can wait a while longer…I can hold him a while longer. I still have to heal him when we get through the gates, and his father needs to be able to have his turn to hold him. I would not think of disallowing Waltz to see his son as he is; he needs the chance to interact with his baby. And…and it hurts to know that my husband cannot simply be the proudest father in Angielle immediately. I am sure that he would be, otherwise, under normal circumstances. But circumstances are anything but normal, at least around me.

When we finally get to the gates, Veles sets me down in front of my Tenebrarum before practically running into his own Crystallum. And he freezes there.

Of course. The rest of us have to get into ours, leaving together just as we came. Veles cannot get to see his soon-to-be merry widow until the rest of us allow it. And so I step into my Crystallum again, holding my son tight to me, the cooling sensation enveloping me again for a moment as I step through and out into the other side.

And there is a wail as my son wakes, crying perhaps at the sudden change of temperature before he is out in the warmth of the flat meadow outside the gates again. As my magic returns to me, I lay one hand on my son's chest while carefully supporting his head on the other. I find his heart with my magic, taking inventory of what is as I compare it to what it should be. Whatever shock caused him the distress he senses is enough for me to harness, and make minute—though very important—changes. I can clearly see where Runia's spell left off when the cycle restarted, how far it had gotten in healing his heart, and I smile in the direction of the gates.

I had not seen her there, but I am sure that is where she is. She was not a direct victim of my mother's to be called for her trial, and I can only assume that she is somewhere in that city chasing her grandchild around in play. Now that she has no one that needs her Healing, Runia can do exactly as she likes…which is how she had wanted to spend her retirement.

I look back down at my son, who has stopped crying as he looks at me with huge eyes. "You're alright now," I whisper to him. "You are going to be fine…and it is time you met your father."

"Leaving so soon…so quickly?" I hear Regius say, and I look up to see Veles practically running towards the open door where one of the gatekeepers waits for us.

"Your woman is just sitting around, waiting for you outside!" Veles yells back at him. "I might have to fight through several dozen money grubbing aristocrats!"

"In two months!" Regius reminds him. "For the love of all that is holy, don't see her before her husband dies and make the man jealous enough to stay home when he should be falling out of that window!"

And that causes Veles to stop before getting through the door. "Point taken," he says, nodding to us as if the gesture suffices for a proper farewell. And then he walks through the door and disappears.

"I'm guessing he was never much for social graces?" I say, handing the baby to Parfait long enough to work my own Healing on me. And I almost sigh in relief, as what seems like a thousand small tears mend. When I am done, I feel stronger. It is no longer necessary for anyone to carry me.

Regius shakes his head. "No…and things are typically more…harmonious…if I just let him be. If I'm lucky, Alecia will mellow him out a little bit. Though…I can say that I find the prospect of getting back to the mortal world attractive as well."

And I smile as I take my baby back from Parfait. "The thought occurs to me that I need to get back to my husband, to let him know that things went as well as could be expected."

And I hear Fulgur laugh from behind me. "If he worries over you like I worried over my wife when she was having our children, we should go back before he turns into a nervous wreck."

"Assuming it's still light, we should probably break camp and leave before Lucette leaves the temple," Alicula considers. "It would be easier to hide the baby that way. And before I forget, did that nice young man you sent to me find himself successful?"

Parfait smiles as we all walk towards the door. "If you mean Garlan, he and Jurien have been courting as well as they can during our journey."

The orange-haired fairy smiles at my friend. "I was hoping that might happen."

"I just have to ask," Parfait says, turning to Regius. "Was…this Alecia's husband truly so terrible she really was cartwheeling out of the cemetery?"

Regius grimaces. "He was…is. To make a long story very short…the man did not make his fortune through either honest or particularly legal means. It would not surprise me if one of his business partners is, as we speak, arranging for his death." He pauses for a moment. "Actually, marrying Veles is probably the most intelligent thing Alecia could do. It is likely people will be after the dead man's 'unrecorded' property, and might believe that his widow might hold the keys to it. Marrying a fairy or witch of power is probably the best…motivation…she could provide anyone to simply leave her alone."

I nod as the gatekeeper wordlessly holds the door open for us, and I walk through, finding myself once again in the marble hallways of the temple. On the surface anyway, it sounds like the woman needs Veles as much as he needs her. But once we get through the tall white gatekeeper that leads us through the hallways breaks his silence. "Your party awaits you within the temple, Lucette," he tells me. "My comrade has been sent out to tell the other camps to ready themselves for travel, so they will be ready to leave when the rest of you choose to exit the temple."

"Thank you," I tell the gatekeeper, happy that my husband awaits me in relative private. And the gatekeeper leads us through the hallways, and into the large entryway with the pillars. When we enter, in spite of the fact that I know that there are other people there, the only person I see is my husband.

As he sees me and the bundle I carry, Waltz's faces shows nothing but the most heartfelt relief as he rushes over to me and gathers the both of us into his arms. My husband seems utterly speechless as he does so, and I lean into him while being very careful not to squeeze the baby too much. When he relaxes his grip on me to look down at our infant, I tell my husband, "We're both ok. It went as well as we could have hoped."

Waltz nods, still speechless as he takes the baby from me when I proffer him. He handles the child gently, as if he is made of spun glass. Abruptly, the baby sneezes, opening his eyes again and father and son regard one another for the first time, wide-eyed and amazed. And a smile pulls at Waltz's lips, becoming broad as my husband grows almost teary-eyed. "Lucette…he…he has my…."

"Yes, he has your eyes, my love," I tell him while wearing my own smile. "Perfect ruby eyes." Just as red as the ruby in my wedding ring, that I picked out all of those months ago. Red is not just the color of blood; it is the reminder of the man in whom I have found my one true love…the man that gave me a beautiful son when he gave me himself.

Waltz gives a chuckle as he sinks to the floor in the absence of any chairs to sit on, still holding the baby. "I used to get teased so much over them as a child, and you consider them one of my attractions."

I join my husband on the floor, grateful that healing myself allows me to comfortably do so. "I simply have good taste," I tell my husband with a grin.

He finally tears his eyes away from the baby long enough to give me a kiss. "Things really went well?" he asks.

I nod. "Better. The childbirth gave me just enough pain to fill the measure on the knife, my mother's soul is being judged as we speak, any witch that served me is being given Healing, and…and I saw your parents. They were there, Waltz," I finish quietly.

And his face stills into an expression I can only call the deepest longing. "They…are they…?" Waltz seems unable to finish his question.

"Your mother sat with me while I was in labor," I tell him softly. "Your father got there a little later. I couldn't hear them, but they could understand me. I told them what happened, that Mother hadn't corrupted you, that you had helped me escape her, and that we are happily married. They seemed…quite relieved at the news. They seemed to be at peace, knowing that you had not fallen to corruption. They got to meet me and their grandson, and seemed quite happy that they had been able to do so."

Waltz nods, speechless for long moments, his eyes falling from me to look at our son again. "I…I can see that," he finally says. "If I had died trying to keep my son from a corrupted Bearer, my greatest anxiety in the afterlife would be worry over his fate. Even with everything we had to do to get here…I think it was worth it, to help Mum and Dad find that peace."

"And to get Healing back," I admit, knowing that the talent will help rebuild the witches as a group.

My husband gives me a wry grin. "Do you know how odd it was to have all of that just stuffed into my head? Delora looked quite out of it for even longer than I did."

I grin at him. "That's because Delora got…an additional surprise." And I look around for my second-favorite witch, finally noting the surroundings. Veles is gone, as I thought he would be, but all of my other companions save Garlan and Jurien…who I assume remained outside with the horses…are in the chamber. Klaude is in a corner of the room, taking with the Brugantian Bearers and Parfait, while Fritz and Chevalier stand together are watching something with barely restrained shock and amusement. My eyes follow their gaze to find where Delora stands, and she is being thoroughly kissed by Regius.

And my husband notices this as well. "I take it that her 'additional surprise' had something to do with whatever happened in the last cycle?" he asks, sounding surprised.

"It did," I admit as I hear soft footfalls behind me, and I turn my head to see Nieva standing there, watching the unfolding scene with wide eyes while she still clutches the doll Waltz made for her.

"Princess?" she asks softly. "That man kissing my mother…. Who is he? Is he in love with her?"

"His name is Regius," I tell the child, "and yes, he is in love with your mother."

"Does…does he want a little girl too?" she asks, uncertain, as if she thinks what might be happening is too good to be true.

And I have to smile at the child. She has seen so much pain in her life, and now it is finally time that she can experience joy as well. "He said that if your mother agrees to marry him, that that he would treat you just as if you were his own daughter. I think he is asking her if she will marry him now," I add, noting that Regius has stopped kissing Delora for a moment, and appears to be talking with her.

And Nieva looks stunned, her shock turning into a wonderful realization. "Then…then if Mother says 'yes,' does that mean that I get a father too?"

And my smile only grows broader as I answer her. "Yes, Nieva. That's exactly what it means."

"MOMMA! TELL HIM YES!" she practically cries as Regius takes a knee before Delora, assuming the traditional pose for proposals.

The both of them startle, and turn toward Nieva looking as if they are struggling not to laugh. "Sweetie…I have to finishing letting him ask first, and he wants to do this properly!" Delora calls back to her daughter.

"Oh…ok then!" Nieva replies, practically hopping on one leg then the other while she waits in the periphery for Regius to finish his proposal. It is only when Delora nods, saying words we cannot hear at this distance, and Regius rises to kiss her again that Nieva runs to them to be introduced to her new father. And the child bursts into happy tears as Regius scoops her up into a hug.

"Well, I didn't expect that," Klaude admits to me a few minutes later, when he has come to bid me goodbye.

"You had a lot of fun with that scandal," I tell him. "Your host 'captured' your 'lover's' interest while the king was there. You started making eyes at the one princess the king would not let you have, and when the king tried to curse you it backfired on him and it took Regius an entire day to make him stop crowing like a rooster and erase the memories of everyone that had seen him doing it. The king tried throwing a different princess at you, all four of them started fighting over you, and you ended up humiliating one of their suitors in a duel while Delora and Regius enjoyed having a deliciously scandalous love affair."

Klaude sighs deeply. "All of that excitement, and I cannot remember any of it."

I shrug. "If you visit Delora sometime, I'm sure she will tell you all about it."

"I need to go back home for a while before I do anything else," Klaude tells me. "I'm leaving with the Brugantian Bearers nearly immediately, but I wanted to tell you goodbye first. And congratulations…and thank you."

I nod. "Just don't say anything about the baby."

Klaude nods. "Of course," he says, and looks at the child who is now sleeping in his father's arms. "He…is a beautiful child. I wish you all nothing but joy. You deserve it."

I smile at my former lover, the reason I had picked up a sword. "And I wish you nothing but joy as well. Take care in your actions…and please allow someone close enough to actually love you. It would do you a lot of good, to be in love yourself…with someone other than yourself."

The prince smiles at me. "With you as an example, I am sure that I will not be able to help doing exactly that. Though…I might try to do it in a slightly less dramatic fashion. I know when I am beaten; topping the events of your first wedding is hopeless."

I smile at him as I nod. "I don't know…that international scandal you cannot remember causing comes close."

He sighs and shakes his head. "I wish I could remember that. I'll simply have to make a trip to Cedel and see Delora sometime. And I wouldn't mind being assigned to a diplomatic mission to Angielle every now and then to see the rest of you."

"You will always be welcome in the palace, and the Marchen as well, I am sure," I tell him.

"We won't even tease you about your dresses…much," Waltz adds with a small smile of his own.

After a final round of 'goodbye,' Klaude leaves with Alicula and Fulgur out of the doors into the wide world.

"This is not how I expected this day to turn out," Delora admits to me when she has come over to take her own turn in holding the baby. "I'm just minding my business, waiting on you and Parfait to get back, and all of a sudden my head gets stuffed with medical knowledge only to be followed by the complete events of the last cycle and a wonderful man…."

Our eyes trail over to where Regius is sitting on his heels, talking to Nieva who still seems quite excited. "I've known him for less than a day," I admit, "and I cannot help but think highly of him."

"You've developed good judgement," Delora tells me. "There's so much more to him than appears on the surface. The rest of the nobles think him something of a recluse that prefers to remain on his estates, but the truth of it is that he's been marshaling the witches employed in government services for years. He keeps track of what officials accept bribes or pervert justice by using other means, for example, and has them removed by catching them in their own webs."

"That makes sense," I admit, thinking that this is probably how he knows the current husband of Veles' soon-to-be merry widow. "I hope that you and Nieva will be happy with him. When do you plan to marry?"

"At the first town we come to," Delora admits. "We would both prefer a small wedding, something for just ourselves before this gets swept into the public eye."

"I can understand that," Waltz admits from beside me. "Are you worried about how Nieva will adjust to this?"

"Some," Delora sighs. "Fortunately, she is an intelligent child. She will adjust to her new circumstances. And I have already told her not to mention the baby until I do. She seems thrilled at having a father for the first time."

"She deserves to have one," I say, happy that she can finally be given what she has been denied her entire life…a father that loves her. And I am glad that she will be able to grow up, secure in the knowledge that she is loved. It was something I had not had, myself, when I was a child. And then I remember something else. "Before you leave…thank you for cursing me. I don't think that I've ever expressed my gratitude to you for helping me properly." She always told me that I would thank her one day, during the cycles she cursed me, but I hadn't done so yet.

Delora smiles at me. "You are welcome. And thank you for sending me on a mission with an annoying, flirtatious prince that thinks the day incomplete without drama. It was nearly as annoying as I'm sure that curse was, and it turned out much better than I expected."

It is bittersweet as I hug her goodbye, tell her that she is free to visit me as she likes, before Delora goes to bid Parfait goodbye. I also hug Nieva before she goes, thanking her for being there, for being kind when I needed it. She seems sad to have to tell the rest of us goodbye, even as she is happy to get a new home with a new father.

"He says that I can have an entire room to myself to sleep in when we get to my new home," she tells me, as if this surprises her. "An entire room!"

I chuckle, and then abruptly stop when I remember that she had been living in a farmhouse that had one large room, and a loft. And she had no roof over her head at all as we traveled. She is accustomed to hardship and poverty. "You will also get tutors to teach you things, too," I tell her. "You will have to work hard to learn things."

Nieva nods. "But I like learning things," she says, still hugging her doll. And I suspect those same tutors and nannies will only allow her to retain the somewhat crude doll when they are told that Prince Waltz had made it for her, when we were traveling together.

There will be a lot of changes in her life, but with Delora and Regius for parents, I am sure she will be fine. It is not long before Delora collects her daughter, and she leaves after finishing her goodbyes to all of us.

Finally, only Fritz, Chevalier, Waltz, Parfait, the baby and I remain. And we wait a little while, for Regius' party to leave. As I wait, I begin to dread leaving this sanctuary that separates me from the rest of the world. After I leave here….

And my heart begins to break, as I look down at my son, who is once again sleeping in my arms. My husband, sensing my thoughts, comes from behind to put his arms around us both as we both gaze down at our sleeping baby.

And I am not sure if I can do it. I will not ask my husband to curse the baby, so I have no choice but to do it myself, but still….

"Lucette," comes from behind me, and I startle and look around to see the gatekeeper in black addressing me.

"It is time for us to go?" I ask, wondering if I am being dismissed.

He nods. "More importantly, it is time for you to arrive. When you leave, a portal will be opened directly to Angielle. You will appear behind the Marchen, and can make your way to the palace from there. You are advised to refrain from performing additional spells on your son before showing him to your father."

I nod, and close my eyes and sigh. The gods have decided that I need to return to Angielle immediately. I will be waiting not six months to reveal little Genaro to the rest of the world, but a year. It will have to wait until I bear another child.

And I cannot help but wonder what trouble the rest of my family has gotten into, or are getting into, that this is required! I took care of Alcaster and Myth, put trustworthy men in their places, and still something else has happened!

"So be it," I say sadly. And then I wonder why it is important that my father see his grandson before he is cursed.

It doesn't matter. If the gods say it is important, I will believe them. After all, that worked out well when I obeyed their instructions to find Nieva, and avoid Runia.

Still, it is with a heavy heart that I leave with the rest of my party out the doors and I give Jurien and Garlan a few minutes to coo over the baby before I climb back up into the wagon seat, and everyone mounts their horses. It is still light, sunset just beginning, as I look over the now vacated camping sites in the mountain pass. When we start to move, in the road before us a light swirls and turns burning away what was in front of us so we can peer into a familiar clearing in a wooded area. Fritz is the first through, being the first to convince his horse that portals are nothing to be concerned about, and eventually the rest of us follow. Once Garlan and Jurien come through last, the portal vanishes.

And it is night, not sunset, when I look around the clearing where we once held our sword practices and magic lessons. "Did you want to stay in the Marchen overnight?" Parfait asks me, climbing down from her place beside me.

"No…I want to go find out what is going on tonight," I tell her, allowing my husband to help me back off the wagon, careful to hold my son as he does so. "I'm not sleeping until I speak with Father, and find out what is going on."

"Do you want me to come with you?" is the fairy's next question, but again I shake my head.

"If it is anything of importance," I tell her, "I'm sure your cousin could tell you and you could just come over then. But I was told to show my son to my father before…taking other actions…so that is what I will do." I look at the wagon that has been my home for these last few months, and open the door and allow the Tenebrarum to follow me as I walk further from the wagon. "There is still gold that Delora meant for our return journey," I tell her. "Use it to settle what debts you can, and split the rest of it among yourselves. I'll be in communication with you soon. You can keep Garlan and Jurien here until tomorrow when I know how things stand, and I'll take Fritz with me."

Parfait nods. "Very well," she says. "I'll see you soon."

I turn around when I realize that Waltz is not standing beside me where I thought he was, only to find him coming out of the wagon holding the puppet, which he tucks in the blanket our son is wrapped in. Fritz stands beside him, looking a little nervous himself.

Of course. If there is a reason that I had to come back now, he might have a reason to worry for my sister. None of us know what to expect.

I take a deep breath, and open a portal to my mother's old laboratory…to my laboratory. And that is where I leave my Crystallum, glowing and completely free of cracks, and we use the secret passages to find my father's parlor. After using my second sight to ensure that it is empty, we open the hidden door and walk into the room.

To my surprise, all of the lights are still lit. In spite of the fact that it is dark outside, it must not be that late. The lamps would not still be lit unless my father was still expected to return to his quarters, and had not done so yet. And then I get a second surprise. A mound of presents are stacked on and around the card table.

"Lucette…I'm afraid that I've lost track of the days," Waltz tells me slowly.

"It might be Ophelia's birthday," I admit. "I...am fairly certain that it occurs when I am usually still cursed, though I cannot remember the exact date." I just remember that we held a quite celebration during the last cycle…or that one had been planned, anyway. But then something else had happened, and Ophelia had not felt like celebrating. But I cannot remember the date.

Fritz strides over to the table, and starts looking over the packages. He looks at one, he looks at several, his smile growing as he sees one and then another. "Put the baby down for a moment," he says, now grinning quite broadly. "I have a surprise for you."

I blink. He would not be looking this happy if it was Ophelia's birthday…. I exchange a quick glance with my husband, and carefully put the sleeping baby on the couch before rushing over to the card table where Fritz is holding out an elegant tag from one of the presents for me to see. As I look at it, my eyes widen, and my legs go numb as I lean back, practically falling into my husband. Those presents are not addressed to Ophelia…they are addressed, with the wish of a joyous forty-first birthday, to….

"Lucette…" Waltz asks quietly, as if not quite believing his eyes as he reads the same note. "When is your father's birthday?"

"It doesn't occur within the cycles," I admit. "It's two months before the cycles start."

"His fortieth birthday was, making his forty-first birthday ten months after the cycles start," Fritz tells me, still wearing that broad smile. "In other words, a perfectly acceptable time to be showing up at the palace with a newborn baby…ten months after your wedding."

"Lucette, we won't have to…" Waltz breathes. "Thank the gods! We can just…that portal was through time and distance!"

And I let out a sob, realizing that I do not have to curse my baby! I could go out there, right now, and present my father with his grandson in front of whatever dinner party is being thrown in his honor if I wished.

Or I could if I did not look as if I had just been through the ordeal of a lifetime. I use a quick spell to clean my clothes, to clean all of our clothes, and then rush to pull a bell to summon a servant. I have only a few moments to go back to the couch to pick up my son again before a rather confused maid comes through the door, and starts at the sight of us as she curtsies.

"Your Highness…Highnesses…you've returned," she says, surprised in a rather deep curtsy. "Forgive me, but you were not expected."

"I know," I say. "Please tell my father that we returned, and that I have a birthday present for him too."

As if on cue, the baby begins to mewl, and the maid's eyes widen even further as she notices him in my arms. "Yes, Your Highness…and congratulations!" she says, dropping another curtsey as she rushes out of the room.

I do not anticipate having to wait long, maids always run very fast to deliver favorable news, and shortly I see my father, stepmother, and siblings coming through the doors into the parlor. My father enfolds me in his arms first, welcoming me back to him as I introduce him to his grandson. Mum is next, and then Rod. As I hand the baby over to my father for him to hold, I tell him, "And Father…you are to hold your grandson for as long as you wish, whenever you wish. You will never be barred from the nursery…you will not have to dread the coming of the dawn." I look over at Mum who is hovering, just itching to get her hands on the baby as soon as my father is done. "You may have to stand in line, but that's it."

And my father's gaze comes up from his grandson to me, his expression a strange mixture of grief, joy, and wonder. "Lucette…how did you know…? I never told you about that…or did I?"

And I have to smile at him. "Father, just in case you did not realize it…I am a witch, and I will be doing odd things occasionally. I am also forever your daughter."

He passes the baby to Ophelia to take me in his arms, holding me tightly. "I love you, Lucette. You are my daughter, and I couldn't care less that you are a witch as well."

When my father lets me go, I hear my brother say, "Are we just ignoring that?"

I turn my head to follow his gaze, and see why Emelaigne has not held the baby yet. It is because she is pinned up against the wall, getting thoroughly kissed by Fritz.

I hear my husband chuckle. "Yes, yes I think we are ignoring that."

"Definitely," I agree, and my brother's mouth drops open. "This is the part where you ignore it too, and go back to admiring the baby to give them a little privacy."

And Rod turns his wide eyes to our father, as if hoping for a little sanity, but he just smiles too. "It occurs to me," Father says pointing to the baby that his wife still holds, "that I might want more of those. If I let that continue, maybe I'll get another."

…..

"Were you this nervous before your wedding…the first one, I mean?" Emelaigne asks me.

The maids and hairdressers have been dismissed, having finished with their work, and my sister stands in a dress of white lace while her mother and I finish the last minute details. Actually, we are just fussing with a few pieces of lace that need straightening so they lie flat, but I have never seen Emelaigne look more beautiful.

"I was absolutely terrified. Varg said that he thought I looked like death itself," I admit to Emelaigne's question, and my sister blinks in surprise before I continue. "If you remember, I was not sure at the time if I was going to be marrying Waltz or Myth…the love of my life or someone that needed to be killed."

While I was gone, the rest of my family gathered to the parlor every evening they had free, and Mum read from the journal that I gave her. They had had enough time to go through the entirety several times, and are nearly as familiar with the events of those cycles as I am. My father, in particular, was not very happy about how much I had hidden from him, but at least he was able to understand my reasoning behind it all. He accepts that getting the cycles to stop took priority over other matters, and it helps that I did tell him about it at my first available opportunity.

At any rate, when I came home, my family was better able to know me and understand me. The ice princess had been replaced with someone that loved them, and wanted to be loved by them, and they all had accepted that by the time we returned on my father's birthday. They really had been at a dinner party held in his honor when the maid appeared, announcing that Waltz and I had returned…with a newborn infant. Under those circumstances, none of his guests seemed to mind that their host had left the table rather suddenly.

Officially, my son shares his grandfather's birthday…and Waltz and I do not even remember the actual date of his birth. My father was relieved that things had gone as well as they had, and that the portal granted us had kept us from needing to curse the baby. When Tuttle had shown up the day after we came to complete the paperwork on the new prince's arrival, I had told him the truth of the situation.

The official document states that my son had been born the morning previous to the filing of the report, that I had given birth in the middle of a road, and that I had been attended by the Lucis Bearer rather than my personal physician due to logistical matters preventing him from getting there for the birth.

In a way, all of that is actually true.

Emelaigne gulps hard. "Fortunately, it worked out that you married Waltz."

I nod. "It 'worked out' because Fritz jumped out from behind a curtain and chopped Myth's head off. Actions, and the lack thereof, cause most things to happen." And then I smile at her. "And now, I am helping for the preparations for his wedding. All things considered, I am very happy to return the favor."

We have been back in Angielle for about six or seven months, and during that time Fritz had courted and proposed to my sister. They seem genuinely happy together, and I am pleased for the both of them. They more than deserve their joy.

"So is your husband," Mum remarks. "He has spent most of the last few days with Fritz. He even skipped making his rounds at the temple yesterday."

Waltz and I, and every other witch with position in 'community services' rather than black robes, still make rounds in the temple to heal the sick and injured. There are perhaps two dozen Healers altogether, with most of us in black robes, and other witches are being accepted into the temple every day. The priests heeded their instructions, and even the witches that lack Healing abilities now work alongside the human priests in other areas. I was very clear with the high priests of the direct instructions from Chaos regarding the treatment of Healers, that they not be overworked and unable to make or maintain their own families. The Healers have set hours that they work, and are off in order to court or tend to the families they already have. It has become an expectation that the Healers have children, or more children, in order to pass on their talent to the next generation…that the gift must not be neglected. The Healers are further augmented by Chevalier in black robes and Annice in white who treat ills not serious enough to require the services of the witches. Chevalier is responsible for assessing those that present themselves to the temple asking for healing, and assigns them priority level for how quickly they need to be seen, and treats the minor cases with Annice's assistance as he trains her to become a physician herself. I have seen them several times in the temple, and they seem happy with their work. Chevalier tells me that it feels like a weight has been lifted from his shoulders, as he feels free to practice medicine without considerations concerning money…and plenty of backup that can help the patients that he cannot.

Scars from the Great War still linger, and many humans are hesitant to go to the temple to ask for healing until they are near death's door…or they were at first. After these months, they are starting to realize that the witches will do nothing but perform their Healing or other services, the only payment expected is whatever they chose to give the temple. According to the high priest, no other profession brings more income into the temple than their new Healers as more and more patients start to show up. This allows additional charity projects, and everyone benefits.

Not all of the human priests are particularly happy about the changes, but most seem to be adjusting. One, in particular, found himself unable to adjust. The dragon in the basement had thrown a fit when I had given him his choices, to the point that I had to restrain him to keep him from causing the temple structure damage. He had refused to reconcile with the witches by becoming one, and either did not believe or want to believe that he deserved penance for his actions.

Three days later, the dragon had changed from placid to violent, no longer behaving like a human or attempting to communicate with the priests that had tended him for years…his former friends. It had become necessary to put him, now a dangerous animal, down. In a way, he reminds me of my mother. She had been unable to accept her guilt too, remaining unrepentant until the end, and had suffered the consequences.

Simply because you refuse to believe the truth of a situation does not make it disappear. Justice will still, eventually, be met.

Fairies are entering the temple as well as witches, though not as many of them at the moment. It is something Parfait is still working on and it is keeping her fairly busy, putting her newly restored strength to work. Still, fairies are obeying as well…though with less eagerness than the witches who see black robes as deliverance from danger. I had Father put out a proclamation in every city, town, and village concerning what was now expected of the witches and fairies, and I have messengers that are sent out to find the ones that have cut themselves off from civilization completely. I do not want anyone I am responsible for to suffer loss because I was ineffective in carrying out my instructions.

"There were others available to take care of the patients, and Fritz…had some questions. Waltz always puts family first," I muse. My soon-to-be former knight, soon-to-be brother-in-law had some questions regarding marriage and married life…and Waltz is really the best choice of the friends he has to answer those questions given that Fritz does not have a father-figure to ask. And Emelaigne has asked her mother and I some of those same questions, especially in the last week or so. Marriage is an entirely new phase of life. I rather wish that I had been able to ask someone some of those same questions myself, but there were…circumstances.

"In other words, he is nervous too?" my sister asks.

I smile at her. "He is nervous…and eager to please you."

Emelaigne turns red as a strawberry at that remark. While I chuckle softly at her, Mum asks, "Are you unsure if you are ready for that dear?"

Still red, my sister slowly shakes her head. "No…no, this is what I want." She looks at her feet for a moment before continuing. "I waited for months after I met him, not knowing if I dare speak my mind to him. And when everything changed, I learned that he felt nothing romantic for me at that time, but it was possible he could later. So…I decided to wait longer. After he left, I waited another ten months for him to return with Lucette to hear his answer. And then all of a sudden he was back, asking only if I still wanted him…and 'yes' was the only thing I was able to get out of my mouth before he kissed me." Her head comes up to look at us both again. "After all of that waiting…I know that I could have asked for a longer courtship or engagement…but I didn't want to wait any longer."

"And this was the soonest the palace could be prepared for a grand royal wedding," I note.

"Especially since everyone was denied the chance to see and be seen at yours, Lucette," my stepmother notes wryly.

Apparently my lack of a large, fashionable wedding had been a huge disappointment to Angielle's social scene. I simply shrug at my stepmother's comment. "I do not seem to fit any mold well," I admit, and the other two women laugh.

And I know that I do not. After what I did to 'save Angielle from the traitors,' my old reputation was debunked. Everyone considered me politically savvy beyond my years to have successfully thwarted an attempt on my father's throne, though some are divided as to whether I did so because I loved my father, or because I simply did not want to be Myth's or Alcaster's puppet. And then there is the fact that I have been dispelling curses. I am still working on how to get rid of the Fairytale Curse itself, but I go over to the Marchen and get rid of the 'dark' curses several times a week, and give the rest further direction in whatever lesson they need to learn to rid themselves of their own curses. I have caught up with the worse of the corrupted witches, cursing those that needed it so they would not hurt anyone before their time to join the temple ran out and their power faded, so there is very little cursing going on except for a trickle of 'instructional' curses. And now the populace of Angielle is learning that they need not fear being cursed unless they do something to earn it.

"At any rate," I decide, "the people that mattered most to me were at my wedding…at least one of my weddings. Though I think that Father and Rod were the only ones that made it to all three."

My sister nods. "I was a little worried that Rod wouldn't get back in time."

"He wouldn't miss your wedding for the world, and you know it," Mum says with a smile.

"Not on purpose…but sometimes things happen," Emelaigne admits. "After Lucette's ordeal, there is very little I consider impossible now."

Two months after returning to Brugantia, Klaude had gotten a 'wonderful idea' and had taken Rod with him to Cedel. It is not uncommon for young royals to visit each other, and see there might be any interest between them. Father had only agreed after I told him that Delora would make a good chaperone, and Klaude had promised not to cause the scene he had last time when he was there. They had returned not only with a letter from Delora, who tells me that she and her new family are doing well and that Veles had found and married his merry widow, but with one of the Cedelian princesses on Rod's arm.

According to Delora, this is the same girl that had been trying to get away from her suitor however she could, and had gone straight for my brother while her three sisters were busy cooing over Klaude. Rod had been uncertain at first if it had been because she genuinely liked him, or if she had just decided her odds were better with him than with Klaude, but fortunately she had been forthright with Rod about her predicament from the start. Rod had appreciated her candor, and apparently several other of her personality qualities as well, and had asked her father for his permission to court her.

Apparently international relations took precedence over internal politics, and a courtship schedule had been drawn up for the pair. The Cedelian king had been a little hesitant at first…until Rod told him that he knew the princess shared some 'rare qualities' with Waltz and I, and thus would fit in very well with our family. According to Delora, the king had quickly confirmed with Regius that the Bearers knew each other, and the princess had been packed for travel to Angielle. Their engagement is not 'official' yet, but I think it will be official soon.

Klaude had returned from the trip without prospective bride, but he had confessed to me that he had really enjoyed 'encouraging' Rod. He remained in the palace to attend Fritz's wedding, both because he considers Fritz a friend after the trip and he had wanted to attend Garlan and Jurien's wedding that will be taking place in a few days as well, and I do not doubt that he will find someone eventually. I suppose that he is having trouble making a decision when he has so many possibilities, but at least he is no longer chasing girls simply for the thrill of it. He takes considerably more care with the hearts and dreams of others, and is careful not to imply what he does not intend to follow through on.

"I do think the word 'impossible' simply means that no one can remember the last time it happened," I admit.

There is a knock on the door, and Emelaigne practically jumps. "Your Majesty, Your Highnesses? It is nearly time for everyone to take their places," a maid says through the doors.

"We are coming," I call back.

Mum turns to Emelaigne, gently brushing her cheek instead of enfolding her in a hug, careful of both the dress and her daughter's makeup. "You have no reason to be nervous, Sweetheart. You are the most beautiful bride there ever was, and you have a wonderful groom awaiting you. I am sure that you will find nothing but joy."

Emelaigne manages a smile before her mother sweeps out of the room, but as I make to follow her, my sister grabs my arm. "One moment Lucette," she starts, her affected smile fading into earnestness. "Are…are you sure that he doesn't love you anymore? That's actually what I'm worried about."

I ponder that for a moment before answering. "What did he say when you asked him that question?" I cannot see her not asking Fritz.

"He…said that it was different now," she admits, "that he cared about you differently than he had once. But if he had truly loved you once, as his first love, I…I can't see how that could have just disappeared."

"Sometimes," I tell my sister, "one kind of love turns into another kind of love. I wouldn't say that his feelings for me disappeared so much as they just…changed."

"That…that can happen to people?" Emelaigne asks, wide eyed.

I smile at her. "It happened to me, Emelaigne. Believe it or not, I actually got my first kiss from Rod." Her eyes open wide, and her mouth drops open at that, but I continue. "I've never told him that. My feelings concerning him changed, and I love him like a brother now…just like I love you as a sister. Fritz's feelings changed too…he remains very protective of me, and I suspect that he always will. He just needed to know that I was with someone that would protect me as ferociously as he would before he could let me go to seek his own happiness elsewhere. And he found that it you."

"But…but you love Waltz," my sister stammers. "You are in love with your husband."

I nod. "Yes, I am."

"And you used to love Rod?" she asks incredulously. "He was your first love?"

"If you recall," I tell her with a smile, "I told the both of you that Waltz had not been my first choice, but that he had been my best choice. I love Rod like a brother now, and Fritz cares for me as if I was a sister…if one he will take orders from."

And my sister's face relaxes, and she nods. "Thank you, Lucette. I…I just needed to know that the man I love wouldn't be wishing that I was you instead of me."

I laugh quietly at her. "But it sounds like he just told you the exact same thing himself." Concerning that his feelings had changed, if not my former relationship with Rod.

"He did," Emelaigne admits, "but it just makes so much more sense when you explained it just now!"

I hug my sister as carefully as her mother had, and take her with me out of her room toward the throne room where the ceremony will be held. I escort her to a side room where she will wait until all the guests are seated, and the wedding starts. "Be happy," I tell her as I leave her, and she gives me a genuine smile in response.

After I shut the door, I turn around and find my husband waiting for me. "There you are," he tells me, smiling at me while he offers me his arm so we can enter the throne room and find our seats. "I suppose by definition Emelaigne has to be the most beautiful woman in the room tonight, but I've never thought that anyone else ever compared with your own radiance."

I return my husband's smile as I take his arm. "And you keep giving me reason for that 'radiance,'" I tell him, referencing what we have not yet told our family, not wanting to pull attention away from Emelaigne's big day.

Waltz shrugs. "Little Genaro is going to get spoiled if he doesn't learn to share attention soon."

And I have to laugh as I walk with my husband towards the doors where the final guests are being escorted to their places for the wedding. Our baby boy is growing like a weed, and receiving so much attention his nursemaid must put a sign on the nursery door to signify when the baby is taking his naps. It is growing even more important that he get his naps, as he is getting his first tooth and is becoming cranky over it. But he is whole and healthy, and I couldn't be happier. When his sister arrives, I hope he adjusts well.

We enter the throne room that has been beautifully decorated for the occasion, and take our seats in the front row. Waltz does not let go of my hand when we sit, and sighs contentedly. "You know, I can't think of a single thing that's missing."

I smile at him again. "Oh, I think you have one little project that still needs doing," I tell my husband.

He blinks. "And what might that be?"

"Waltz, remember now on my next birthday…since we skipped the last one…you still have to teach me that trick with the lilies."

…

Author's note: I'd like to thank you all for reading this work, and give a special thank you to those of you that have taken the time to review! I will still check for and answer new reviews as I can, and any questions you might have, so feel free to continue to comment. It has been a fairly long story, so much fun to write, and I hope all of you have enjoyed reading!

And yes…this is actually the end this time. I admit that I'm a sucker for happy endings.