Epilogue.

Here it is, the epilogue! I hope it satisfies all your questions and you feel like it's been wrapped up nicely. There's a longer A.N. at the bottom, so please check it out.

The moroi world is outmoded and outdated, but change always occurs. So what happens when a feisty guardian clashes with a closed off royal moroi?Ever wondered how we came to have Guardian Rosemarie Hathaway as our Queen? In this, the only autobiography of it's kind, comissioned by King Dimitri Belikov and his wife, Queen Rosemarie Belikov (neé Hathaway), find out the whole truth behind their chance meeting, courtship, and long and happy marriage, not just what you're told in those stuffy history lessons! Written by Lord Ivan Zeklos, advisor to, confidante and best friend of HRH King Dimitri Belikov.

Audrey smiled as she flicked through the autobiography while her class finished their work.

Despite lots of hardships, they'd also had their happy ending. King Dimitri and Queen Rose had had three children, a son and two daughters who had chosen to forge their own paths and identities. Their eldest child, their son Prince Jaiden Dimitri Belikov had followed in his father's footsteps and gone into politics while their daughters; Princesses Alanna Marie and Alyssa Janine had both chosen to have a Guardian career. Like King Dimitri had said, back when he was fighting against the Quorum for the right to marry Queen Rose, the Lazar name had been carried on by his cousins living in Romania, and the Belikov name had been carried forth by their three children. He, Queen Rose and their children had carved out their own little niche, and that was all they needed.

King Dimitri and Queen Rose had made so many valuable adjustments to their world, and the thing that drove Audrey crazy was that they were never credited for their actions. The history books always accredited them to an 'Unknown' author, had minimalized their efforts and made it seem like the changes were a conclusion that society had come to on their own. Without them, there would be no Guardian Council, a governing body which worked with the Quorum to help take the Dhampirs perspectives and needs into consideration when making decisions for the vampire world. Without them, it was likely that Dhampir numbers would have continued to drop, rather than flourish like they currently were, thanks to increased protective measures for Dhampir youth, and mandatory magical and physical fight training for all Moroi. And the biggest improvement had been the eradication of 'Blood whore' communes. King Dimitri had made it law for Moroi men to take care of all their children and provide financially, and with that stability, Dhampir numbers had increased dramatically, as had the number of female Guardians. Overall, there had been a positive change in the society, and while the history books had hidden it, reading After the Fall and then doing independent research had shown Audrey who was truly responsible for many of the benefits.

The story of King Dimitri and Queen Rose was indeed legendary, and had been the thing that had spurred her into actually taking the time to grieve over Jonah's death, and then to push past it and move on with her life. Her teachers had all given up, none of them having or wanting to take the time to help her deal with her emotions in a healthy way. They had written her off, talked about and treated her like a screw up, but reading After the Fall, King Dimitri and Queen Rose's autobiography had shown her that no matter how you started, anyone could make a difference in the world. It had taught her that she could start with even the smallest movement for change, and so long as she had the determination to see it through and support from people who truly believed in her, she could make it happen.

It was a valuable lesson, and it was one that she had done her best to always pass on to her students and to remember herself.

That positive influence in her life had made her determined to help others, and following in Queen Rose's footsteps, she had created a campaign to make their story a part of the national curriculum, to get them the acknowledgment they deserved. She had made several copies of their story and kept the original that she had found in the library, and then stolen all those years ago, safely hidden away.

Hearing the growing murmurs and whispers, she glanced at the time, and realized that the school day was almost over.

"Okay class, that's the end of the lesson. Pack your things away!"

Audrey laughed lightly at the tired little faces of her seven year old students as they carefully put away their writing books. They had half an hour before their parents would be there to pick them up, and she knew exactly what would cheer them up – hearing the next little segment in the autobiography. The same story which had caught her attention when she'd been a student, one which she felt was incredibly important and had made a point to read to her students every year once she'd become a teacher herself.

"So, who wants to find out what happened next?"

Almost every hand in the classroom lifted, and twenty pairs of eager little eyes focused on her as as reached for the well worn, leather bound book resting on her desk that she'd been flicking through.

"Make yourselves comfortable."

Tables scraped and chairs squeaked along the floor while she flicked through the pages until she found where she'd left off the day before as the schoolchildren all hurried from their desks to grab beanbags, cushions and blankets so they could sit on the floor comfortably.

"Everybody ready?"

She received several nods and murmured yeses before clearing her throat, and then began to read.

The End.

So that's it, the end of After the Fall! After three long years and a ton of writer's block, I hope that you've enjoyed going along Rose and Dimitri's journey with them, and seeing how things ended for them.

To answer a few questions:

No, there will not be a sequel.

Next, I'm posting a piece that I wrote for a fanfiction gift exchange. It's a Harry Potter o/s.

I'm working on the sequel to Who are you, really? And the sequel to Better the Enemy You Know. So one of those two will be the next VA fanfic I start posting.

Thank you so much for reading and reviewing and for following along with this story, whether you've been here from the start, or if you only just started reading. I appreciate all your support, and I hope that you've enjoyed reading this story just as much, if not more than I have.

If you want to read more of my work and keep up with my new stories, make sure to add me to your author alerts!

Until next time,

Nicia.