Epilogue

I sighed, and put my head on the table. Life wasn't perfect, even if I was married to a missing prince. Crown prince at that, former Crown prince. My forehead felt pleasantly cool against the wood of the table.

I felt a hand on my back. "Aisling?" Nolen's voice asked. "You okay?"

I wanted to shove him aside. Of course I wasn't okay. I shouldn't even be out of bed. I have a fever, my mind in befuddled, I feel like crap and he has the audacity to ask if I feel 'alright'? "I'm going back to bed." I said glumly. I crawled back into the still-warm bed and lay against the pillow.

My husband came up next to me and took my hand. "You'll be fine, a little warm-headedness isn't anything to get worked up over."

"Ugh," I moaned. "When will the healer be here?"

"An hour." He responded. "Sleep, come on. Sleep can only help

I slept, long and hard. I woke up with a foul taste in my mouth and that same foul smell in my nose.

"She awakens." A heard a woman's voice say. "This is most excellent. Feed her this every hour, she should be fine in a day or two." I heard a door open, then close.

I opened my eyes. It was dark. Nolen grinned. "You're bedridden for the next one or two days, Aisling."

The healer spoke true, in two days; I was up and around like normal. Nolen, I could tell, was pleased. I was too. We were out walking in the gardens when we stopped near a fountain. It bubbled merrily. I turned to see his face. The moonlight reflected the smooth planes of his face romantically. A pit of red-hot coals was in my stomach.

I smiled, blushing like an unmarried maiden. "Why are we out here?" I asked. "It's much warmer inside-" He caught me by surprise. His lips pressed hard onto mine. Nolen's hands, I felt, pressed against my back, holding me tenderly to him. I purely melted.

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A girl plays out in the gardens, as she hears people coming, she hides among the brush and greenery and watches from her spot. She has a good view.

That same serving girl watches as her lord and lady kiss. Lord Nolen speaks tenderly to his wife and she laughs merrily. They stop by a fountain, one the serving girl often plays by. Lady Aisling is confused, the girl notices, she doesn't know why she is out there.

The girl knows better. She often saw Lord Nolen pacing outside their rooms, and praying for his wife to be better. Lady Aisling is ignorant of his love of her, and most likely her own love of him.

Lady Aisling points back at the manor, asking a question, but Lord Nolen leans down and kisses her. The serving girl notices her delay. She is uncertain, but the lovesick lord keeps her tight against his body and she responds. Her arms slip around his neck and press his face onto hers. The serving girl wonders if this is love.

They release. The girl smiles. Lord Nolen kisses his wife's forehead. She looks at the moon, then back at the man holding her. She whispers something that the serving girl can't hear. Lord Nolen is surprised, but happily so.

They kiss again. The unnamed girl feels a warm feeling in her heart. Despite what the rumors say, these two people love each other deeply, and the girl can't wait to tell her mother what she has seen.

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I awoke with the morning light streaming through the windows. I smiled. Life was pleasant. Everything was playing out wonderfully.

My only worry: when to tell Aisling we would have to visit the castle?

I chased the worries away. I yawned and gently pulled my wife's sleeping form closer to me. I fell back asleep with my head on her neck, steadily breathing in her scent.

Two weeks or so later, Aisling was around with a bad temper. It wasn't normal for her. Everyone stayed clear of the bad-tempered woman and answered any request without error. They, obviously, stayed silent and went around noiselessly. She didn't tell me, but I knew why and it wasn't fever.

-Five Years-

I happily drew on the table with charcoal. Mommy was happy. I was happy. Daddy was happy. I looked like Mommy, "eye-den-ti-cal" people said. Whatever Eye-den-ti-cal meant. Mommy was bouncing little Alex on her lap. Alex is my littlest brother. He's, I think, one. Rose is two and Brendan is my "twin". Twins are special my mommy said. She said people say twins have mystic powers. That they know what the other is thinking and if they're hurt.

I don't know if it's true because Brendan and I are never not together. We're close. Daddy tells Brendan he's "special" too. Whenever Daddy thinks I'm not around, he tells Brendan that he's glad Brendan can keep an eye on me. He tells Brendan girls are "a handful". I haven't figured that out yet, though. Alex is the worst of us all and he's a boy. He's always crying and waking Mommy and Daddy up.

Of course, I'd understand why Daddy said girls are a handful when I became older. After all I am a girl.

After we went to bed that night and Braden was asleep, I snuck out of our rooms, Brendan and mine. I went up to Mommy and Daddy's rooms. I heard them speaking. They didn't try to be quiet, after all, who'd be up this late to hear it?

"Nolen, you promised we wouldn't have to visit the castle once Alex was born. The trips are too draining, even once every few years!" Mommy said.

"Aisling, listen, they have to visit their cousin. Please, my brothers want us to visit and it's the least we can do for them!" I didn't remember ever visiting the castle. Mommy had said "every few years" so did that mean that they went before I ever knew? I was confused, who was Daddy's brother? Brothers? We had uncles? I know Mommy's Daddy and Mommy died, whatever that meant, a long time ago. Mommy says dying is going away and not coming back, but why would her Mommy and Daddy not want to come back? Our manor was beautiful. Maybe they found a new manor to live at.

I wouldn't fully understand dying until my Daddy left and never came back. They said it was a hunting accident. Why did Daddy go hunting anyways? Why didn't he stay with us and little Alex?

I wouldn't find out until I was older, about the same time I learned why Daddy said girls were a handful.