Secrets of Avalon

Celestia193's Author's Note: Wow, finally at the end of this project. The battle was rough, and we kinda stalled out because I ended up getting pretty sick, but we pulled this one out of the hat, and we've got a couple more projects in the works. One is a replacement story for Phoenix Rising (our Naruto x Fairy Tail crossover) that will probably be getting posted soon, and the other…well, someone made a request somewhere regarding a SasuHina, with Sasuke being a Navy SEAL, and I thought that was just an awesome idea, jumped on it, and pulled Silver along for the ride, so…we've got some fun there as well. You all can look forward to some of that, and we'll figure out when to get some of that new stuff posted. Peace out, and see you guys next time!

Silver's Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. We hope that you all enjoy the grand finale of Secrets of Avalon. As Celestia said, we've got a couple projects in the works. Not sure exactly when we'll release what, but for those of you interested, keep checking in. They'll either show up in my stories or Celestia193's. Happy Reading!

Chapter 42

The battle was over, the war was won, the orcs had been routed, and the scattered remnants of the invading army had been driven out of Thiral, through Miria, and back into the north. They were leaderless and confused, chaotic, and in no state to band together again. It would take them decades, if not centuries to recover from the loss, and even longer before they were a threat to anyone again.

But the orcs were not the only ones who suffered heavy losses. Miria had been all but destroyed, their capitol sacked and burned, the devastation extending all the way into the south, burning through the forests, and into those of Thiral.

In Thiral, it took the mages over a month to put out all of the fires, and most of the kingdom north of the capitol had been razed to the ground. But Sindaron, thankfully, remained largely untouched by the fire, thanks to the efforts of the mages who had powered the many barriers protecting the city. The damage, though…was devastating.

Tens of thousands of elves had died, if you added together every single casualty, regardless of affiliation. And they had lost more than a few powerful mages in the fighting. Without them, it would take many decades to grow back the forest, and it would take longer still to return it to its former glory.

And because of that, Sasuke felt rather melancholic as he unwound the last of the bandages around his head. They'd won, he and Hinata were together, Kaguya was gone, Ino could stay with Sai. But the price…what had happened to his home. It was hard to even look out the window without seeing little bits of smoke, or the charred remains of once great trees, other trees ripped up and knocked over by Kaguya's last attempts at surviving. Seeing it made his heart ache.

Hinata sighs as she leans her forehead against his. "We can rebuild. The forest will regrow, Sasuke." She knew exactly what was on his mind and she felt it too. "It's devastating, but nature has a way of recovering even from utter destruction."

"I know…" But that didn't make it any easier to look at. Not when he'd spent so long living under the leafy canopies. "It just feels so…dead now." He hadn't even realized quite how alive the forest really felt until it had been ripped away.

"I know that you're sad, but at least our families are still alive." She smiles and kisses him. "And we have each other."

"Mhm…" He wraps his arms around her, burying his face in her breasts. "And I wouldn't trade you for the world…" He closes his eyes, inhaling deeply to take in her scent. "…I guess now they'll HAVE to let me participate in the spring festivals." They wouldn't be able to spare a single mage, not now. "And Ino will be a big help." She could grow plants like no one he'd ever seen before. The two of them would definitely be key in kick-starting the regrowing of the forest.

She giggles at where his face was. Sasuke was such a breast elf. "Mmm. That's right. Look on the bright side." The forest would be full of life in no time. "At least we won't be bored for awhile. There is so much rebuilding to do."

"Yes, there's that." Gods knew Sasuke hated being bored. He would probably be walking around, helping to regrow the forest, even outside the spring festivals. "I guess you'll get to hear me sing more often."

"That sounds nice." Hinata snuggles to him. Sasuke was very snuggable. "You can serenade me and the forest at the same time."

"I think I'd like that." It certainly sounded nice. Maybe now he could actually take her out on a few dates here and there. Well, what passed for dates in this world. "There's some groves and caves nearby that I could show you. On of them has so many glowworms in it, that you'd think there was neon lighting and electricity in there."

The bluenette laughs at that and cuddles against him more. "I think you just tried to ask me out on a date." Or whatever passed for a date in this world anyway. "And that sounds great."

"Yes I did, and yes it does." Sasuke smirks smugly. "There's plenty of places I can show you, as long as you come to visit more often." He laughs quietly. "I'll even teach you how to ride properly, that way, it'll hurt less, and you can ride faster." It did, after all, take quite a bit of practice.

"Well... I think I'll catch on quickly enough." She smiles at him mischievously. "After all, I figured out how to ride you easily enough. The more G Rated version of riding, shouldn't be too hard after that."

"No…I suppose not." Sasuke laughs a little louder as he flips them over, lying on his back on the dark sheets of his bed, settling her on top of him. "Then I suppose that you should probably get some practice in."

"Mmm yes. That might be best." Hinata laughs as she straddles his waist and captures his lips in a heated kiss.

Oh…now this was more like it. After all of the fighting and the healing, this is what Sasuke would prefer to do with his time. "Then I'll do my best to teach you." He kisses her back, nipping lightly at her lips as his hands travel up her thighs, hiking up her dress.

That's when Itachi comes in. "We're having a grand feast to celebrate our victory. Come and join us." He blinks. "Or...I guess you had another kind of feast in mind. Well I suppose it's a bit early for me to be an uncle, but at the rate you two are going...I imagine I'll be one before the year is out."

Groaning, Sasuke lets his head drop back down against the sheets. "You have GOT to be kidding me." Worst. Timing. EVER.

Hinata doubted that she would ever stop blushing as she makes her way to the feast a few moments later with Sasuke. "Magic. Only magic could organize a feast this quickly." She whispers as she looks around in awe of the mountains of food and drink that could be seen everywhere.

"Half the on-call cooks are mages, the other half are just REALLY old." Which, in Sasuke's mind, meant that they knew what the hell they were doing. "Mother probably pulled out all the stops for tonight." He takes her by the hand, leading her towards the head table. After all, she was with him, and that meant that she sat with the royal family.

"Most likely." Hinata laughs softly at the thoughts. "Are you still pouting about Itachi interrupting us." She whispers to him.

"Yes." Yes, he was. His brother could be SUCH a cockblocker! "Sometimes, I think that he does that sort of thing on purpose to embarrass me." Walking in at precisely the wrong moment, whether he was with Hinata, or doing…other things.

Hinata blushes, but she smiles at him. "It's not like he knew. I doubt he has x-ray vision." Well at least she hoped not!

"No, but sometimes, I think he can read minds." Sasuke seats Hinata first, before taking his own place next to his mother and reaching for some food. "It's scary what he knows, sometimes."

"He thinks I can read minds only because he's foolish and extremely predictable." Itachi snorts in amusement as he sits down next to Kurenai. "I love him anyway though."

"Of course you do. Though I suppose that I could replace mind reading with eavesdropping." Sasuke shoots his older brother an annoyed look as he sidles closer to Hinata. "That seems to be your favorite hobby." He rolls his eyes at the thought. "Well, other than banging Kurenai."

Itachi rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "So crude." He smiles at his future queen and caresses her cheek. "The proper terms would be the following. Making love or ravishing."

Sasuke resists the urge to vomit, seeing as not only is Hinata there, but his parents are both sitting between him and Itachi. Their father, in particular, looks ever so slightly ill. Not to mention annoyed. "Boys…be sure to conduct yourselves properly."

Mikoto shakes her head and sighs. "Well at least Hiashi isn't scheduled to arrive for another turn of a sundial." An hour in human world terms. "In light of that, I'm willing to let it slide. It's just a normal sibling rivalry."

Pouting, the younger prince turns back to his food, and to his fiancee, allowing Kurenai the opportunity to pull away Itachi's attention. "And what happened this time to set Sasuke off?"

"Oh Sasuke was in the mood to celebrate with his princess." Itachi sighs. Not at all sure how he got himself into these predicaments. "And I walked in at the wrong moment."

Kurenai shakes her head at the High Prince. "Itachi…I do believe that you should learn to employ the simple courtesy known as knocking. You'll get yourself into less trouble that way."

He tilts his head as if he had never considered such a thing. "Oh yes. I believe you're right." Itachi smiles at her. "I'm so blessed to have such an intelligent future wife."

Goodness, what ever what she going to do with him. "If you do this often, then it's no wonder why the child is upset with you. I believe that another…lesson is in order."

"He's not a child." Hinata shakes her head as she kisses Sasuke's cheek. "But yes, knocking would be greatly appreciated."

Itachi beams at her. "Well I am always rather eager for my lessons with you." Honestly, Sasuke should learn to lock his door, if he wanted his privacy. Still, he didn't mind humoring him.

While he was tempted to utter some rather colorful words under his breath, Sasuke refrained, and instead, focused on his food. Dinner was always a slow affair, especially when attending a feast this size. So it was more…nibbling on food, rather than actually eating it.

Fugaku shakes his head at the antics of his sons, before opting to direct his gae around the room, observing the many guests invited to the feast. There were nobles, of course, foreign ambassadors, war leaders, and the leaders of several of the wild tribes in attendance. This was, after all, a celebration of victory. There was no need to leave anyone out.

Mikoto shakes her own head as she smile at her husband. "It's a celebration, My Love." Her hand is soon under the table on his thigh. "Loosen up, as Sasuke's people might say."

"His birth people." Fugaku corrects her almost automatically. "He belongs here, now." And that was something that would never change. "But I do see your point. It's just that our son gets himself into so much trouble, that I'm beginning to experience alarming bouts of paranoia."

"I can't blame you for that." Goodness knows that boy had almost given her several heart attacks. "Though it sounds like you could use a good shoulder rub and maybe a nice bubble bath to help you relax."

That…certainly sounded nice. "And perhaps endeavor to give Itachi and Sasuke a younger sibling?" After all, a third child couldn't possibly be nearly as much work as Sasuke had been.

Mikoto didn't view such a thing as particularly likely. "Well I don't suppose there is any harm in trying." She tilts her head. "Maybe a princess will be less likely to give us heart attacks than our two wonderful princes."

The suggestion nearly made Sasuke gag, not three feet away. He did NOT need to hear about his parents' 'family planning', and similarly, he did not need to hear SAID planning. "Kill me now…"

Hinata laughs and shakes her head. "You're so adorable when you sulk." She smiles at him.

Sasuke rolls his eyes, then kisses Hinata's cheek. "You are the only person outside my family that I'll let get away with calling me that."

"I know." She giggles at him. "And I intend to abuse that privilege quite liberally."

"Then I suppose I'll just have to abuse a few of my own privileges later." Sasuke discreetly nips at her ear, smirking slightly at the thought of said 'privileges'. "After all, that leash is for more than just keeping me tied to the bed while I heal, right?"

Hinata blushes ruby red and really hopes that his family didn't hear that. "G-Good to know." She couldn't believe he'd said that!

Chuckling at the sight of his blushing princess, he barely resists the urge to pull her into his lap and tickle her senseless. "And you say I'm the adorable one. But I have to admit that I've got nothing on you."

"Well that much is certainly true." Hiashi proclaims as he arrives in the dining hall earlier than expected. "It seems my unicorn knew a slight short cut. How fortunate." He looks around in amusement.

AGAIN with the interruptions! Sasuke barely manages not to glare at Aladel's king, who had Neji trailing along behind him. "Looks like the whole family is here."

"Welcome, Hiashi." Fugaku rises to his feet to greet the other monarch. "It I good to see that you made it here safely."

"Thank you, Fugaku." Hiashi nods at him in greeting as he takes his seat. "It is most fortunate that we were able to emerge victorious."

"Fortunate indeed." Fugaku resumes his own place, his often stern face broken by a slight smile. "Recovery will be difficult, but thanks to our children, we have the opportunity to do so. Sasuke, Hinata, and Ino as well, they were very brave to take on Kaguya as they did."

He sighs as he looks at them with an apologetic fashion. "It seems that I was not nearly as good a judge of character as I had previously been led to believe." This was his fault. He should have noticed her treachery sooner. "Though I am glad that the battle has been won."

"As am I." Fugaku clasps a hand around his goblet of elderberry wine, lifting it to eye level. "To peace, friendship, and new beginnings." Then he smirks. "And, of course, the impending joining of our houses."

"Come catch me!" A tiny, twelve year-old elven girl streaks across the lawn in nothing but her nightgown, laughing wildly at the top of her lungs as her silky raven-black hair streams behind her, her lavender eyes glowing with mischief as she races away from an older elf in his seventies under the leafy canopies. She'd pulled on his hair, trying to tear her ruby-eyed cousin away from his books long enough to play with her. That, of course, involved the relentless tugging on his hair that resulted in its currently messy state.

Kamlyn, first son of the king of Thiral. And here he was, chasing his little cousin about like there were goblins at their heels. "I swear you've got fairy blood in you or something." he shakes his head as he chases after her. "You're the most hyper elf that I've ever met!"

Asa laughs gleefully as she races about the palace courtyard and up into one of the trees. "Come on, Kam! Hiro isn't here, and I'm bored!" She jumps from branch to branch, bemoaning the fact that her big brother was off on a hunting trip and left her behind. Twelve wasn't that different than twenty! If she was a kid, then he was still a kid too! But her daddy had said that Hiro was old enough to go hunting, and she wasn't! It wasn't fair!

"This is ridiculous." He shakes his head as the young prince decides to fight smarter, not harder. "Take this!" So he summons some vines to grab the jumper and pulls her to the ground. "I'm sure he'll be back soon. Probably with a pretty fur coat for you too."

"But I wanna get my OWN fur coat!" She hated being left behind almost as much as she hated being pulled down by Kamlyn's vines. "And that's not fair! You cheated! No magic allowed, meanie!"

"And so you shall get your own fur coat, one day." He shakes his head. Not sure if she was truly that much of a spoiled princess or if she was just acting that way because of her age. "One should learn to expect the unexpected. Not everyone is going to play by the rules all the time and you should account for that."

She pouts as she tries to untangle herself from the vines. Expect the unexpected, yeah right! You couldn't expect the unexpected. That's why it was unexpected! "Daddy says that it's better to earn your fur coat than get it from someone else…"

"Which is rather ironic since he gave one to your mother, many years ago." He shakes his head in amusement.

"That's cause Mom doesn't hunt!" The little princess crosses her arms, sticking out her bottom lip. "I'm gonna be a great hunter! Just you watch! Besides, Daddy said that Mom earned her coat a different way." She frowns. "What's a…l-leash?"

"..." Kamlyn was going to demand compensation for babysitting at this rate. "Never-mind." Hinata's laughter is heard as the queen approaches.

"You'll find when you're older." She smiles down at her daughter. "Now, come along and stop tormenting your poor cousin. Your grandmother has a new dress for you to wear and a new bow."

"Fine…" Asa only stops pouting for a moment as she twirls her hands into her mother's skirts.

Thiral's queen shakes her head at the sight, her ruby eyes glittering with amusement. "It's good of you to entertain your cousin, Kamlyn." Though it looked like her son was going to need a little help. "Though she seems to have done quite a number on you." She picks at his hair, untangling a few pieces of it. "Come, let's get you sorted out before the delegations from Miria and Aladel arrive."

"Yes, Mother." He nods as he follows the Queen off to do something with his hair. "I love her, but she acts like a wild elf most of the time." He shakes his head.

That prompts a round of laughter from the queen as she sweeps her son away, and a frown from the little princess, who tugs on her mother's skirts. "Mama, when am I going to get to go hunting with Hiro and Daddy?"

Hinata smiles down at her daughter. She really was daddy's little girl. "Oh, he'll take you when you're ready, I promise." The bluenette reassures her daughter as she leads her off in search of the child's grandmother.

The two of them found the retired queen in the gardens, her favorite place. And Asa's first instinct was to let go of her mother, and race towards her grandmother, leaping u into the older elf's lap. "Grandma!"

Mikoto smiles at her. "There is my little princess." She smiles at her and gestures towards a lavender dress designed to match her eyes and a new bow, along with a quiver of arrows. "I also got your aunt one as well."

The Queen smiles proudly. A little less than two centuries ago, she and King Fugaku had finally had their third child. A daughter named Akemi who was quite close to Asa. "You're getting so big!" Akemi was likely the only reason why Asa hadn't tried to disobey her father and sneak off onto a hunting trip so far. Thank goodness for small miracles.

"Yeah, big enough to hunt!" She waves the quiver around eagerly. "And I'm gonna get a bunch of furs for Grandpa's throne! It looks cold to sit on." After all, you had to earn a fur coat, but anyone could sit on them. It made perfect sense! Besides, Grandpa was getting old, and he was busy in the other kingdom, he didn't have time to hunt his own furs!

"I'm sure he would appreciate that, but you need to get just a bit bigger first." She smiles at her. "You'll get there soon. I promise."

The little princess grumbles at the evasion. People kept telling her that she was too little to do even said her brother was too little, but he still got to go! "It's not fair…I wanna go with Daddy too…"

"And you will, Sweetheart." Sasuke chuckles as he walks into the gardens, still armored in leather and silver, followed by his eldest son, who resembled him far more than his daughter did. She was almost the spitting image of Hinata, only with his darker hair. Hiro, though, had gotten his colors and features, with the sole exception of the slight blue tint to his hair, and his more rounded nose. But he definitely had his father's wicked smirk.

He was proud of his children, truly. But…his daughter could be more than a little difficult at times. So willful and independent, and yet…too young to be considered ready for…anything, really. "Come here."

Asa's eyes light up and she sprints as quickly as her shorter legs will carry her, barreling into her father's arms as he scoops her up. "You're back!"

Hinata laughs at the scene and smiles. "As you can see more than one elf missed you while you were away." She smiles and embraces her son. "How was your trip?"

Sasuke chuckles and leans over to kiss his wife. "It went very well. Hiro bagged two elk and the bear that was trying to eat them. Perfect shots to the eyes every time." He beams proudly at his son, though with a hint of a smirk lying underneath the surface. "He's almost as good as I was at his age."

"He's better because he hasn't nearly gotten himself killed three times." Hinata shakes her head. "As you can see, your father's finest quality is his modesty."

"Obviously…" Hiro rolls his eyes, despite the smile still plastered all over his face. His father was one of the best hunters he'd ever seen, so even if it was backhanded, the praise was still very much there. And in his father's eyes when he saw the pride there. "I'll admit that he's a better hunter. But I'm still smarter than him. No near-death experiences."

"Tch, traitor." And here, he'd hoped for his son to at least TRY to defend his honor. "Hinata, are you ever going to let that go? It's been two centuries…"

Hinata shakes her head. "No. Never." He was absolutely delusional, if he thought otherwise.

"Daddy!" Asa pulls on one of the two long braids hanging down around her father's face. "Kam won't tell me what a leash is. What's a leash?"

Sasuke pales, and Hiro covers his mouth, his ears turning bright red as the flush extends across his cheekbones. "Ah…nothing you need to worry about, Sweetheart."

"But Daddy, you said Mama earned her fur coat with a leash!" The girl just had no idea when to shut up. "What's a-" Sasuke covers her mouth in a hurry, the damage already done.

"It's something that smart mommies use to punish poorly behaved daddies." Hinata scoffs.

Hiro coughs suggestively. "And how you get me and Asa…" Because that was one memory he would love to 'bleach' from his brain. Never again would he go into his parents' bedroom without knocking.

Hinata places her hands on her hips. "Hiro, do you want me to ground you from the next hunting trip?! Because I will!" Honestly, what was the matter with both of them?

"It's not my fault you don't lock the damn door!" Hiro's ears darken to a whole new shade of red.

Sasuke shakes his head. "Cut your losses now. Trust me, it'll be better for you in the end." Hinata had very…particular ways of punishing him for his 'bad behavior', which usually involved something dumb, something dangerous, or both at the same time. He didn't want to find out what Hinata would do to their son for mouthing off.

"That's it, no hunting trip for you next time and Asa will take your place." Hinata smacks her forehead in frustration. "Since she is acting like the elder sibling at the moment."

"But Mom! Asa can't go until she's sixteen!" Like hell was Hiro waiting four years for the next hunting trip.

Sasuke cringes at the thought of banning Hiro from hunting trips. "Hinata…don't punish Hiro. He's right, I'm the one who neglected to lock the door."

She gives him a dirty look. "Fine. Hiro, you can go on the hunting trip, but Asa is coming with you. And your father can enjoy some cold baths for the next week." Hmpf! He was undermining her authority as a parent! He'd regret that!

Suppressing a groan, Sasuke nods as Hiro darts away in a hurry, likely to make sure he didn't get himself into any more trouble with the smart mouth he'd inherited from his father. "Fine, we'll take Asa." Though that meant that they would have to go for much easier prey than usual. And no predators involved… Maybe he could just teach her how to snare rabbits or something.

"Yay!" Asa claps her hands together eagerly. "I can shoot a bow! I've been practicing really hard!"

"That's wonderful, Sweetheart." Sighing, Sasuke shakes his head. He really couldn't deny his little princess for long. Even if that meant suffering a week without his own princess. He sets her down on the groan, coaxing her towards his silently snickering mother. "Now go and play with your grandmother."

"Okay Daddy!" She toddles off happily, a victorious grin on her face.

Turning to face his wife, Sasuke pouts slightly. "You are so cruel, Hinata. A whole week?" How was he supposed to survive like a monk for a week? It was easier when he was hunting, his son and the animals were plenty distracting. But in the palace…that was another story entirely.

"You undermined my authority." She crosses her arms. "I don't like to deny you, but it is the only way that you'll learn your lesson."

Sasuke sighs, shaking his head, before pressing his forehead to hers. "Very well, then I suppose that I'll be joining Naruto and Suigetsu tonight. They were talking about bar-hopping tonight, and I don't entirely trust Karin and Jugo to keep those two in line."

Damn it! That wasn't fighting fair. Those three drank like wild elves and sometimes, they actually took a wild elf drinking with them! Naruto! The Golden Prince who had helped them during the battle with the orcs so many years ago. The man was easily in a league of his own with that legendary liver of his. It was as strong as his sword arm.

Whenever Naruto was involved, that's when things got even more out of hand. So out of hand, actually, that even Ino was sometimes shocked by their outrageousness. Which was certainly saying something because it was Ino. That woman had practically invented the word outrageous.

Speaking of Ino, she was now quite happily married to the former would-be assassin, now turned famous painter. The two were expecting their first child in July, and Sai was quite pleased by that development. Oh wait. She was getting off track here! Back to punishing Sasuke!

Hinata gives him a look. "You're trying to be sneaky and to worm your way out of your punishment." It was the sort of thing her husband would try to pull and sometimes it worked.

"Well, I would rather not intentionally subject myself to my own personal hell." He shoots her a look right back, before snorting slightly and kissing her softly. "But I suppose…if you'd rather me stay in tonight…"

"You're still trying to weasel your way out of it." She sighs as she kisses him. "I'm going to have to be firm with you." It didn't help matters that she caved half the time. Give Sasuke an inch and he would take a kingdom.

"Well…" He smirks, pressing a kiss behind her ear, before nibbling on the lobe. "Sometimes I like it when you're firm with me."

She sighs and leans into him. "What in the name of Avalon am I going to do with you?" Sasuke was definitely trying to take that kingdom.

"Hm…help me work on keeping secrets from our children?" He wraps his arms around her, holding her close to his heart.

"Well, My Love, it's called a lock!" She shakes her head and sighs as the steady sound of his heartbeat soothes her. Honestly, how the man could be so infuriating, and yet make her feel so peaceful was a mystery.

"Yes, yes, I know." Though Sasuke wasn't sure there were enough locks in this world to keep their children out of trouble. "And I love you too." After all, the secrets of Avalon were more numerous than the stars in the night sky.