The Chaotic Kingdom - Epilogue

<-Chapter 23

It was the event of the Era. It was four months after the war that crossed dimensions, and the wedding day for the High Princesses had arrived. It would also be their coronation day for the torch was more than ready to be passed to the next generation. This marriage marked the start of the change in the galaxy. In the following two weeks, the remaining Crown Rulers yet to wed would do so, and all Lower Princesses and Princes would become Queens and Kings.

The rest of the worlds had been completely rebuilt. Billions of people had moved from Protea and Delphinium to spread across the galaxy, and more had as yet come from other galaxies beyond. Blossom Field had begun to flourish anew, and the newly resurrected eight worlds now just needed to get their economies kickstarted. Iris, however, had gotten quite a head start on the rest.

The Apex of Chaos, in curiously testing how expansive her power had become, had done a little experiment and actually transported her entire farm and beloved apple orchards right to Iris. It had become part of the palace grounds where the trees would continue to grow and sell the so-called Witch's Apples across the galaxy. The move already showed signs of being the right choice. It turned out that more than the ice apples loved cold weather, which Iris' constant snowy landscape had plenty of; the entire orchard began to positively thrive within weeks, and the next crop would be the biggest ever.

The wedding of the High Princesses was the double wedding they had always desired, and the ceremony would be held in the grandest garden of the Protea palace while the reception would be moved to the same on Delphinium. The garden itself had been decked in riots of proteas and delphiniums in garlands while cool marble pillars and archways turned it into something from a fantasy tale. It had been designed by Tasia and Raine, and then made reality by Yvette.

Chance and Pallas were two visibly nervous bridegrooms to the point that even the guests who didn't know them well had to snicker. Neither had worn formal Ruler type outfits before, and they would now wear them for the rest of time. Both would have a far less elaborate version for everyday use, but that made it no less a clear statement of rank. Pallas wore the white and gold of Delphinium, but he wore a pin with a statice blossom thanks to his connection via his sister to her kingdom. Chance wore the black and pink of Protea, and to his shock, it had been insisted that he wear a hyacinth pin. The reason? Just as LeAnn had predicted, Diego damned well wanted it known he claimed Chance as being like his brother, and therefore that made Chance a part of the Hyacinth Kingdom.

As if to underscore it, Diego and Arista alike stood on the grooms' side of the marble gazebo. Both grooms had expected to stand alone, but Diego and Arista had insisted on standing beside Chance—and Claret and Sabin had equally insisted on standing by Pallas. They stood on that side as well. The other side, for the brides, had Shanae, Robert, Evan, and Sayena alike.

The guests in the audience of course included nobles and people from across the universe, such as Alloran and Arabella Aria, but it also included the ten Alurian Defenders as well as Raven, Vargas, Felix, and even Dana. It seemed clear that Phoenix still resisted some on that score, but only a little, Beth had noticed gleefully. Someone, and she wasn't naming names, had a hickey on his neck barely hidden by his formal uniform. If he didn't admit it before the end of the day, she would play dirty and blab.

The ceremony for a Crown Ruler and High Ruler looked mostly identical except for a few pointed differences: a High Ruler did not have an attendant or escorts. The two princess would walk together alone except for each other, as they had wanted. The eight Defenders of their generation stood in two rows of four on each side of the aisle and would fall into step behind the princesses as they passed. The Caretakers to the Defenders made up the front row of the audience, along with all other members of the royal houses not at the gazebo.

Reagan and LeAnn walked together down the aisle with one hand clasped between them as their other hand carried a bouquet of their birth flower. They wore beautiful, formal, and elaborate versions of their Ruler gowns that had been handmade by Asheria and Beth alike from the finest materials they could obtain. They also wore their coronets as High Princesses, but only for the last time. As ever, the cousins made perfect opposites in appearance, but those differences merely underscored why the two worlds as a whole complemented each other so perfectly.

As they walked down the aisle, their chosen four personal Defenders fell into step behind them. Tasia, Theo, Rachel, and Beth followed LeAnn, and Raine, Storm, Emily, and Ryan followed Reagan. All eight wore not their Ruler outfits but their Masks and armor as Defender Cultivators who had dedicated their lives to their High Princesses' protection. As the train walked the aisle, most of the audience remained seated. The only ones to stand were the Elder Cultivators and the Alurian Defenders, and all bowed deeply in a sign of respect. Once the princesses passed, they sat again.

Chance and Pallas came forward a few steps to meet LeAnn and Reagan, and different hands clasped as the two couples walked together the rest of the way to the altar. Shanae and Sayena moved from where they had been standing to take their place before them, and Shanae stood more to the front while Sayena flanked her. Sayena may have been elder, but Shanae was still considered a Lead of their generation. Both queens now wore new crowns that marked them as dowagers and no longer the High Queens.

"We have gathered here," Shanae said distinctly, "to honor the marriage between these couples." No one moved or spoke. She continued, "It has been more than five thousand years since this ceremony was last performed." A hint of déjà vu made her eyes meet Robert's, and they both smiled. She turned back to the crowd and said, "Their hearts have already united them as one. In their own words, let them speak the vows that will unite them before us all."

Reagan, as eldest, was first. She took a deep breath and looked up into Pallas' loving face. Tears glimmered in her eyes and then fell freely; she did not care. Delilah had done her makeup with waterproof stuff. "I vow on my life," she said softly but still clearly enough everyone heard, "to love you until the end of forever. I will be the tender Illusions that guide you through your hardest days."

Pallas had to clear his throat. He could hardly believe he stood there. He, the Archon of the Immortal Fields, finally having his dreams come true. "I vow on my life," he said huskily, "to love you until the end of forever. I will bring you dreams of love when you are tired, and I will Care for you, and hold you together, when you feel as if you can't stand alone."

LeAnn looked up into Chance's face and felt her heart clench fiercely. He had tears in his eyes. Her voice trembling only a little, she said clearly, "I vow on my life to love you until the end of forever. I will be the sun of Nature that shines in your sky."

Chance almost couldn't speak in return. How in the hell had he gotten there? Finally claiming the woman he had been born to love. He knew that now. His fall had happened long before they ever met. "I vow on my life," he said quietly, "to love you until the end of forever. I will be the Shadow always by your side to bring you peace. I will Care for you, and hold you together, when you feel as if you can't stand alone."

Claret and Diego stepped forward, and each held a box. Within each box sat four rings, two of opal and two of amber. Reagan and LeAnn removed the rings with their world's stone and slid them onto the pinkies of their betrothed. Pallas and Chance removed the other matching rings, and also slid them onto their lover's pinkies. To wear the stone of a Cultivator's world was to promise to the world itself that you would always be together. All eight rings had been carved and blessed by the High Priestess of Protea herself to bring additional good luck.

Shanae felt her lips tremble a bit as she said clearly, "For ten thousand years, I have ruled over Protea as its Ruler Cultivator and High Queen. So, too, has my beloved sister-in-law ruled over Delphinium. The role was not easy, and the road hard, but we truly cherished every minute the way you have always cherished us."

Sayena stepped up beside her and she had a pillow in her hands that had both hers and Shanae's former crowns as High Queens. The heavy, elaborate, pieces could be mistaken for nothing else, and could only be owned by a true Ruler Cultivator of the world. "Kneel," she told all four standing at the altar. If she noticed the tears on her face, she clearly did not care.

Robert and Evan also moved forward, and the latter had his and Robert's former, smaller, crowns as High Kings. They also wore different pieces now to note their change in role. Each of the four Elder High Rulers lined up before the one to inherit their role. Shanae, clearly, said, "Today we crown your new High Queens and Kings. Cherish them as you cherished us. Love them as you loved us."

Tasia and Raine removed the coronets that the two princesses wore and then stepped back again. Shanae gently settled the crown on LeAnn's head even as Robert crowned Chance, Sayena crowned Reagan, and Evan crowned Pallas. "From this day forward," Sayena said, "look to these four as your Rulers. They will lead you through the Resurrection Era."

All four stood and turned around to face the crowd, and somewhere in the audience, more than one Alurian Defender could be heard muffling a snort of laughter as they saw Chance's face. Tasia had called it perfectly!

"All hail High Queen LeAnn and High King Chance!" Shanae was biting her cheek. She had been strictly ordered to never use his real name, but it had been tempting! At least now she could act like a mother to him as she had been so tempted to do for so long! He had always belonged in their family, and she could have picked no better mate for her daughter.

"All hail High Queen Reagan and High King Pallas!" Sayena knew she was crying for sure but didn't care at all. She was just so darn happy with how everything had finally come together! She had felt helpless to aid her daughter to be with her mate more, but now they could be together forever.

The cheer that rose on the air was deafening. Over it, Shanae said, "Well, what are you waiting for? Kiss already and make it official!"

Proving anew which genes had dominance inside each new queen, Reagan grabbed Pallas by the lapel and dragged him in for a heated kiss that curled both their toes inside their shoes. LeAnn chucked her bouquet carelessly over her shoulder, leapt into Chance's arms, and kissed him fiercely. As laughter rose in the air, she finally released her new husband to glance back where her bouquet had gone. She smirked. "I couldn't have done better if I tried!"

Phoenix, a look of sheer surprise on his face, now had the bouquet of black proteas in his hands. "It hit me in the face!" he blurted. "It doesn't count!"

"Yes it does!" nearly the entire audience chorused as one.

"Dana!" On a clearly impish grin, Reagan hefted her bouquet through the air at the knight in question. "Catch!"

Dana shot to her feet quickly and the flowers landed safely in her arms. As she sat down again beside her sulking lover, she murmured, "You might as well just accept me now, you know. Beth is eyeing you. I think she knows. You're pretty much stuck now, Nix."

Phoenix grumbled and sulked, but he knew she was right. "Thanks a lot," he complained at LeAnn and Reagan alike.

As one, both said, "You're welcome!" And, pleased with their timing, they exchanged a high five that made everyone start laughing anew. The Era was, indeed, in good hands.

 

* * * * *

 

Two weeks later, the Resurrection Cultivators and their Caretakers gathered at the primary dock out of the landmass on which the Protea Kingdom sat. The ship that departed would be heading for Vericity's landmass instead as part of a nearly two-month voyage. Riding on the ship—unknown to any but the captain and crew—were the former High Queen and King. The rest of the weddings had happened, and all of the younger generation had been crowned. All Elders had taken off for journeys across their home worlds, to enjoy the resurrected lands and the new cities to explore, and now the last pair set out as well.

"It's so odd," Tasia murmured. "Isn't it, Shana?"

Shana Toulume—formerly and yet still Shanae Protea—smiled at her. "To be going by my other name again after over thirty years? Yes it is. But, at the same time, it's wonderful!" She stretched her arms high over her head. Her casual clothes and hidden Flower Marks helped throw the unwary off enough that few would ever realize she was Shanae. "I can go anywhere, do anything, and no one will know who I am. I can finally have some peace."

"Ha," Rocky snorted. His voice sounded as amused as his eyes looked. He too was dressed casually and had hidden his Flower Mark of Delphinium. He had also stopped bothering to control his fluffy and curly hair, so it seemed to go every direction on his head without a crown holding it down. "You will have peace, I will have what can only be called an adventure."

LeAnn grinned. "I think that's what Rubeo said on our wedding day."

"Yes," her husband retorted, "it is."

They all laughed and then heard the ship's horn blowing in a call for everyone to board. Shana hugged everyone tightly, but LeAnn and Tasia most of all. She loved her fellow Apex-sister as deeply as she loved her daughter. "If you need us," she said softly, "just call us. And," she eased back with a grin to her daughter, "work on giving me some grandkids."

Kari thought about it and then decided, "I can see her as a grandma. Totally. Damn, I wish my grandma had been that cool."

Shana and Rocky handed out final hugs and then boarded the ship. Their hands remained linked together as they headed toward their cabin. The silence stayed soft and companionable and then he said softly, "Can you believe it?"

"That we're free?" she asked wryly. Their cabin door shut behind them, and she turned into his arms contentedly. "I had thought it would be so much different to be free, especially when I met Tasia. I suppose I will have two levels of freedom, and I don't mind that so much. Perhaps we will choose when our time is done. That would be fine with me."

"I have no arguments myself." He scooped her up into his arms with a sudden wicked grin. "Does it occur to you that we now can do whatever we want without fear of a daughter or friend walking on us?"

She laughed as he dropped her on the bed. "It does indeed. Now come here and tell me again that I'm more trouble than I'm worth."

He looked down at her, and she was so beautiful inside and out that she stopped his breath. He had loved her for ten thousand years, could not remember a time he had ever not loved her. He would love her for eons more. "Oh, you're worth every moment of trouble," he said huskily as he sank onto the bed beside her. "Every moment and more."

He pulled her into his arms, and she was more than willing to submit to his tender embrace. One year, ten years, one thousand years, ten thousand years, a million years. No matter how much time passed, she knew she would never, ever stop loving this man. He who was her perfect Caretaker, capable of protecting her heart and soul just because he loved her.

And, as they all knew, love was the one power that could make anything possible. It could cross over dimensions and provide a way to guide lovers together again, and it could make right any wrong that had been wrought. It was the one force that even the three Apexes bowed down to, and it could heal anything no matter how badly wounded.

Even a heart torn by madness.

 

©Stacy J. Garrett. Do not reprint or redistribute without permission.

Bonus Content: Cultivator Outfits->

The Chaotic Kingdom - Chapter 23

<-Chapter 22

By the time the king and queen of Rosewood were shown to the throne room, everyone had gotten a chance to be refreshed from battle. Between Jeo and Raine's healing skills, they had put everyone back together from whatever they had sustained in the battering from the Chaos power; there had been more than a few injuries.

To push for a bit more formality, the Resurrection Cultivators now wore their Ruler outfits instead of their casual clothing. The Alurian Defenders had returned to their uniforms, which Beth had been able to majikally mend for them where they had sustained damage. She had even been able to make Rose's uniform fit a little better. "You still have room to grow into it," she teased, "but now it's more comfortable." She laughed as Rose jumped and hugged her tight. "Aww, you're welcome!"

Vargas had taken off his heavy armor, but he wore a uniform of his own that clearly marked him as the Captain of the Alurian Royal Knights and made him look more dangerously attractive than ever. He was the only member of the Knights present, and he would continue to serve his post until he married Moonlight and a new captain would need to be appointed. Frankly, he already had his eye on Dana. He heard a light knock, and went over to open the throne room doors. The Rosewood royalty stood right outside. "Please enter," he said formally with a bow. "We have been expecting you."

"Starlight!" Eithane hurried across the room to take the Ruler Cultivator's hands. "Are you well? It had everyone worried that you had disappeared! There were wild rumors that you had been killed, but the Leylines weren't disrupted, and we heard nothing about Moonlight being suddenly Activated. Also, the Alurian Defenders had not torn apart the planet trying to find you."

"Well, actually, I would have been dead if not for my new friends." Starlight gestured to the Resurrection Cultivators. "Allow me to present the Dual Cultivators of Blossom Field galaxy. High Princess LeAnn Protea and High Princess Reagan Delphinium gave me their aid as well as the aid of their team. The Lead Defender of their team, the one to whom we owe the most, is not present, however. She currently rests to recover from the battle."

"We will wish to thank her as well," Luther said firmly. He bowed to the Resurrection Cultivators. "You have our gratitude as well." He turned toward Starlight again, and a flicker of desperate hope filled his eyes. "We have heard rumor that you know of Raven's whereabouts."

She didn't bat a lash. "Why should you care?" she asked calmly. She shrugged. "Of course I know where he is; he is my soul mate. Five years ago, I and my sisters were drawn to his side as he fought Minstrel over his banishment. He wanted proof that Minstrel had set him up. All he got was nearly killed. Jeo had to encase him in liquid Leyline power and slap a crystal around him for five years in order to save him."

"He . . ." Eithane's face crumpled with tears. "Oh god," she sobbed. "He's been asleep for five years? What if he never wakes?" she demanded of her husband. She buried her face against his shoulder as her body shook. "We'll never get to apologize to him for being fools! I want my son back!"

Luther held her tightly, but his own eyes were wet with tears. He looked at the Alurian Defenders. "You protested his innocence so fiercely that we realized something was wrong with the whole scenario. We sought proof of the allegations, and we found it. We knew within a year of disowning Raven that he could never have done it. We are ashamed of ourselves as parents. We just . . ." His voice broke. "We just wish we could have asked his forgiveness!"

Starlight glanced at Beth and Ryan who nodded slightly. She turned back toward the couple. "Well, why don't you ask him for his forgiveness now?" she suggested softly. She turned and held out a hand. "Raven."

Raven walked forward around the thrones. He still wore no armor though his clothes had been mended and made whole. He would not don armor unless it was the kind rightfully his by birth. He gently took Starlight's hand and laced their fingers together. His heart pounded hard. It seemed too good to be true that his parents might believe him finally. "Hello, Mother, Father."

"Raven!" Eithane reached toward him and then stunted it, not certain he would welcome it. "You're alive," she whispered. "I was so afraid . . . please!" she pleaded. "Will you ever forgive us? We were stupid and wrong. It makes me sick to think we treated our own son that way!"

"You haven't been disowned for the last four years," Luther said quietly. "We just didn't make it formal because we did not know where you were nor have a way to find you. That will change on the morrow. You are my heir, and you are the only one I trust to rule the kingdom."

Raven smiled. "I've had a better offer." He skimmed his knuckles down Starlight's cheek. "Starlight has asked me to be her king whether I have my own inheritance or not. You'll need to find a better heir." He brightened. "Tell you what, name Vargas as your heir."

"Name me what?!" the Captain demanded incredulously.

"Oh I see!" Storm clapped his hands together and bounced on his toes. "Then the three largest kingdoms will be ruled by the three Alurian Cultivators of royal blood! It'll make a perfect triangle among the Leylines and strengthen them immensely!"

Luther and Eithane looked at each other speculatively. They had known Vargas for decades since he and Raven were good friends. They and Felix had been a devastating threesome as pre-adults. "The idea," Luther said slowly, "has merit."

"Good goddess," Vargas groaned.

Moonlight snickered. "And here he hoped to avoid being a king by marrying me. Oh well. You win some, you lose some." She let out a long breath. "Well, with that out of the way, I want to check on Tasia. Didn't your mother say she was fetching Tasia's husband?" she asked LeAnn. She didn't know what name to refer to the Apex of Dark by and felt a little unnerved to refer to her as such. She at least knew LeAnn to be her daughter; the resemblance had been a bit uncanny.

"He's already here," Raine spoke up. "I felt him arrive not long after Shanae and Sayena left. Uncle Sabin no doubt sent him over." Musingly she added, "Dad's probably got another headache from all this dimension jumping. I hope that delayed heal effect Sayena was working on has finally taken effect."

 

Tasia awoke hours later in the late afternoon. She had been subconsciously aware of Rodi's presence the entire time, so it didn't surprise her to open her eyes to find him sitting beside her on the bed. "Hi," she said drowsily. "How'd you get here?"

"Same way Shanae and Sayena did. Sabin sent me through a time-space portal. He said he won't charge toll fare this time." He helped her sit up and then pulled her into his arms to savor the feel of her warm and alive against him. "I would have found a way to you somehow even without him." He did not need to look in her mind to know she had changed. Where before her power had felt like Ice and Shadow with a tang of Glass, the Shadow had been replaced by Chaos. The sparks where their skin met flew hotter and brighter—and safer—than ever before. "Want to tell me what happened?"

She rested her head on his shoulder with a soft sigh. "I'm the Apex of Chaos."

He digested that for several moments. "Well," he finally said, "that does explain everything. There must always be a balance. It explains you and Shanae as well the force of Hope inside you, your gifts . . . we've said it unknowingly all along every time we said your power was more chaotic than anyone else's. We all subconsciously knew."

"My power is chaotic because I am Chaos." She tilted her head back against his arm. "I can see the literal seed planted from the moment Byron got imprinted. From events even earlier than that in my lineage. Everything led me to this point. Oddly . . . I feel comforted knowing the truth. I think I finally know the entire reason of my existence. It all came together under this single thing."

He kissed her softly and then steadily deeper when her arms wound around him tightly. She tasted the same as always, marshmallow and chocolate, but there was something slightly sharper to it now. A minty flavor that he thought might be Chaos. His lips curved. "Chaos tastes like peppermints."

She laughed. "Somehow, I am not surprised." She closed her eyes and curled tighter against him. It was over. They had won. She had faced the heart of madness and escaped to tell the tale. Distant wounds throbbed still and she shied away from them without looking. She would deal with the lingering effects of this shattering later.

"Oh, no you don't." He held her tighter. "Cry, my love. Let me hold you together this time. Let tears heal where music cannot reach. You can heal yourself. Take my strength to do so, for I offer it freely."

It still broke his heart as she buried her face against his shoulder and wept. He would have shared her pain anyway even if her Mystic voice had not torn into his soul and forced him to feel what she did. He merely squared his shoulders and accepted the painful burden while she let herself heal. She was not the only one who needed to do it. The other Caretakers had agreed with Rodi that all the Resurrection Cultivators were long overdue for a good cry over the things they had been forced to endure.

"Stubborn idiots," Tasia sniffled against his shoulder. She hiccupped halfway through the statement.

"Guilty as charged. We love you, and we want to make sure you don't hurt. It's our duty." He slowly began to smile. "Now look what you did. You got my shirt all wet."

"If that's supposed to get me to suggest you take off your shirt . . ." she began. At seeing the laughter in his eyes, she felt the last of her pain fade away. She was there. She had survived. She could go back again if needed. "It worked," she decided, and then gave a laugh as he playfully tumbled her down and sank them deeply into the feather bed.

When she walked into the throne room two hours later, Phoenix crowed at Vincent, "Ten copper, pay up!" He smugly counted his money as Vincent reluctantly paid him. "I told him you would walk in here glowing from something other than that Apex of Chaos thing you've got going on."

Tasia grinned and shrugged one shoulder. "We have an old saying in Blossom. Something like 'take two pills and call the doctor in the morning'. I've discovered that taking my husband twice has a better effect, and I don't need to get the doctor involved."

"For which the doctors are grateful," Raine retorted. Still, she smiled and walked over to hug Tasia even as LeAnn did. Both held on tightly to their shared loved one. "You did good," she said. "You impressed even us, and that's not easy. We already thought you were the most amazing thing ever anywhere."

Starlight stood from where she had been sitting on Raven's lap and walked over to take Tasia's hands. "I know there are no debts between friends, but all the same I owe you something I can never repay. If you ever need us, the Alurian Defenders will find a way to be there for you."

"And the same for us," Tasia concurred. "If you ever need the Resurrection Cultivators for any reason, we will come as fast as we can. Friends don't forget friends, ever." She smiled and squeezed Starlight's hands. "And don't forget to invite us to the wedding. You'll have to attend the one on Protea as well." She shot a grin at LeAnn. "Seeing Rubeo Chance get crowned is going to be the highlight of the year. I have five hundred pieces that says he gets a look of 'oh god what have I gotten into?' on his face the moment that crown touches his head."

As no one was inclined to make a bet against Chaos—she who could find truth amid any insanity—they all just grinned. At least they also now knew why she seemingly knew everything: she really did!

 

* * * * *

 

It was almost dawn when Reagan finally returned to her rooms in the Delphinium Castle. It had taken a while longer than intended to go home since the orb from Arthur had been stressed to the max. They'd had to refresh it from the Leylines to get it to work properly. The good news was that they now had two orbs. They had made the second at the same time, so that both teams could visit each other, and Tasia had also done some special thing to ensure Talon would not suffer from it.

No one really wanted to know how the first orb had ended up on Protea in the first place and conveniently in the hands of the man who had fathered the Apex of Chaos. Some things, Lilac had decided dryly, were better left unknown.

And, of course, everyone had wanted to greet them upon getting home. Reagan hadn't seen Pallas though and it felt disheartening. She fell face first into her bed without bothering to undress. "Sleep . . ." she moaned.

"How about a massage?" her lover's voice asked teasingly as he sat beside her on the bed. "Would that help?"

"Probably." She blinked, then shot upright into a sitting position. "Pallas!" She also sat upright into him and sent him tumbling off the bed and onto the floor. In an effort to grab him, she went tumbling after him and landed on his chest with a thump. "Oof!" Her color rose. "Oh god, I'm just like my mother!" she wailed.

He could only smile and tug her closer. "And I wouldn't have you any other way. Welcome home, Rea."

 

LeAnn was not as patient as her cousin. She didn't see Chance at the reunion and barely managed to bid her time until it was done. "Kick his ass," she muttered as she stomped up the stairs toward her room. "Damn it, where is he when I need him?"

She felt both ornery and defiant as she went into her room and stripped off her clothes. It was slim consolation to see that his things had already moved in so they shared her suite. She put on her beautiful gold nightgown and robe and then went into the bathroom to spray perfume at her pulse points. It was like armoring herself before a battle, and she knew her mate well enough to understand what weapons worked best against him.

She swung out of the bathroom only to swing right in Chance's waiting arms. He hauled her off her feet and kissed her hungrily before she could say a word. Her head was spinning by the time he released her, and she had an urge to tear his shirt off. "Well," she managed to say. "That explains why you waited until we had privacy to greet me. And, hell, if that's the greeting I get for going into battle, when's the next one?"

He laughed out loud and hugged her fiercely. He had changed his mind. He wanted a handful of daughters precisely like their fierce and obstinate mother. Nothing would make him happier.

 

Theo didn't bother to turn on lights as he finally staggered into his house. "Kim?" he called. "Your doting husband would cheerfully kill for a hug or two right about now."

Kimber walked in from the kitchen with a smile on her face. More than happy to oblige, she caught Theo in her arms and held him tightly. The tension finally eased as she felt the bonds between them stop stretching so hard. None of the Caretakers had gone to the reunion exactly because they had known their lovers needed to come home, their actual home, to them for rest and recovery. "Welcome home," she murmured.

"It's good to be home. Whoop!" He grabbed her shoulders for balance as she lifted him up and began carrying him down the hall. "I totally forgot you can do that now. And where're we going? Well, other than the obvious," he added as she walked him into the bathing room.

"You're going to take a hot bath and relax." She set him on his feet and kissed him soundly. "And then you're going to go to sleep. You've earned a little pampering and then some."

He considered that as he watched her start a bath in the giant tub. Then, with a smile, he stripped his top off. "Kimber?" he called softly. When she turned around and went very still, her eyes hotter than their shared fire, he felt more wanted than anything alive. "How about you bathe with me and scrub my back?"

She smiled and walked over to kiss him. "As my prince commands. I don't think you'll get that sleep you need for a while, though."

He grinned. "So?"

 

Storm let himself into the apartment he shared with Kari and made a beeline directly for the kitchen. The cookies were in the jar on the counter and he grabbed two. As he bit into the first one, the familiar taste banished the lingering bitterness in his mouth from the fight. He was still kicking himself for not seeing what it all meant sooner. He would have also kicked his eldest sister for not sharing what she had seen, but he knew it would have no effect.

"Ah ha." Kari had come up behind him without a sound, and she wrapped her arms around his waist tightly. "There you are." She smiled as she saw the cookies. "The dinner of champions."

"It's the fourth hour of the morning. It's breakfast at this point." He polished off the cookies and then turned around in her arms to burrow close against her shoulder. The relief in being able to savor her presence without others around felt nearly overwhelming. "Thanks," he said softly. "I think we all needed this." He tilted his head back to smile. "And now that I'm fed and cuddled, I really wouldn't mind some sleep."

She laughed as she lifted him off his feet. "Okay," she said. "But are you sure you're tired enough to sleep? You seem a little wired." She lowered her head to nibble on his ear just in case his beautiful pattern master mind had missed her hint.

Warm laughter was in his voice as he said, "I'm sure you'll find a way to relax me."

 

Racine made it back to her rooms in the Statice wing of the castle and wondered seriously about turning off time for herself for a while. A month sounded good to sleep off her exhaustion. However, she walked in the door of the sitting room and was promptly inundated with "Welcome home, welcome home!" from two very hyperactive children jumping on the couch.

Oddly, she found the welcome to be exactly what she needed. She smiled and walked over to hug and kiss both of them. "Why aren't you in bed?" she scolded.

"Daddy said we could stay up to wait for you!" Relisha's energetic eyes suddenly seemed heavy. "But now I'm really kind of sleepy." She yawned and curled closer against her mother. "I'm glad you're home, Mommy."

Percival seemed to be under the same effect, and Racine looked up to see Melina flying in a circle. The fae was scattering what she assumed to be sleeping dust. Bless her. Racine carried her twins down the hall and tucked them into bed where they fell asleep before their heads hit the pillow. As she went back into the hall, she asked, "Where's Allister?"

"Waiting for you in your room." Melina barely managed to keep from giggling on the words. "Good night!" she called cheerfully after her. Then, with a spring in her flight, she fluttered off to find her own sleep.

Racine walked into her bedroom and turned on the lamp only to find her husband was half-naked and sitting in bed. Her body heated happily, but her heart tugged even harder as she realized he had fallen asleep waiting for her. She laughed and walked over to kiss him. "Isn't the knight supposed to wake the royalty with a kiss in those old fantasy tales?" she asked against his lips.

"One can dream," was his husky murmur in response. He tugged her closer. "Welcome home, brown eyes."

 

Terry was waiting outside the apartment building where he and Beth lived when she finally arrived. He waited until she parked her carriage and then he went over to her and immediately lifted her up in his arms. He could feel the pounding in her heart that was the empathic version of a headache.

She said nothing and just let her head rest on his shoulder. She felt tired from the soul outward. Just his presence helped, but what she really needed was a chance to just turn off the outside world. The door she usually shut everything out with had been used as hard as the door of Chaos.

Her skin tingled. She opened her eyes to realize Terry had carried her into their bedroom, and her reaction was to the sensation of the cast circle he had made. Her entire body went limp in his arms as it closed it behind them. The sudden cessation of tension felt blissful. "Just put me down and I'll sleep for a week," she said around a yawn.

He smiled and lowered her to the bed. "I figured you'd say that." He expertly divested her of all her clothes before getting rid of his own just as fast. He then wrapped them both up within the blankets on their bed.

She closed her eyes and reveled in feeling his emotions inside her. She had never been happier in her life. She was also, suddenly, not so tired anymore. With a smile that held more than a hint of sultriness, she asked, "Where's my hello kiss?"

 

Raine made a beeline straight for the bedroom when she got home. Majikally clean or not, she still felt grimy and dirty from the fight. She swiftly stripped off all her clothes and then went into the bathing room to start a shower. It got nice and hot fast, and she jumped inside to scrub away what felt like five layers of muck that were purely emotional.

She could sense when Logan entered the house, and she could hear him fiddling around with things in their bedroom. She lacked the energy to figure out what and so shelved her curiosity as she got out of the shower and dried off. It wasn't until she was drying her hair with a towel that she realized she could hear soft music.

Now more curious than ever, she peeked into the bedroom to see that he had turned on the audiobox and lit some candles. A breakfast-dinner hybrid had been spread out on the end of the bed. Her stomach growled, and he gave her loving smile. "Hungry? I had Julianna make something I could hold for you to eat when you were home."

"Good guess." Swathed in her robe, she walked over and lifted the meal to move it to the dresser. She then climbed up to sit beside him on the bed. His brows lifted and she turned to curl her arms around him. "But not for food right now. Feed me later. Right now I need you. There was too much death. I need to feel alive. Remind me of the rebirth aspect of my heritage."

"Always," he vowed as he cupped her face in his hands and drew her in for a kiss. If it was the last thing he ever did, he would make sure that she never forgot that she was not just alive, but his life in particular. Against her lips, he added, "You will have to tell me later why I need to yell at my sister, though."

As he had hoped, it made her laugh, and her eyes warmed as she tumbled him over onto the bed. "Much later."

 

Emily was not a happy camper as she stomped through the gardens toward the other side of the palace where her rooms could be easier accessed. First the arrogant jerk said he was going to watch over her and then he didn't even have the courtesy to show up when she got home. She was going to kick his ass. She was going to turn into a bear and kick his ass. She was . . .

Her thoughts ended sharply as male arms closed around her waist, and she was snatched off her feet. Her stifled shriek was as girlish as they came, and she felt her cheeks turning red at the sound of familiar laughter. "Silas! Ass! Bastard!" She kicked her feet as she twisted back to look at him. "When you put me down, I'm killing you!"

Silas just grinned and with surprising speed adjusted his grip so he carried her more properly. Her long denied romantic heart began to do back flips. In the light from the lamps, with his golden wings and his lavender hair, he looked like the perfect secret fantasy lover she had never willingly admitted to dreaming up. Speechless, she could only stare at his profile.

He carried her into their rooms and then stopped beside the bed. "That's a curious expression," he decided. "You're not going to kill me? Beat me up? Turn into a snake and strangle me?"

"I seem to have lost the will for that," she managed to whisper. "I just . . ." She blew out a hard breath. "I just realized that I dreamed of you when I was a child. I dreamed of my soul mate carrying me away. I knew he loved me and would always be with me." And looking into his silvery-black eyes so incandescent with his love for her, she knew that her dreams had come true. "Well, hell."

He just laughed and kissed her. Classic Emily. He loved her more than anything.

 

Ryan knew even before he got to his rooms that Gail was in them already. Her music curled out and around him to ease all the emotional aches he had been subconsciously carrying. He hurried quicker into their rooms and found them lit only by a few candles. The first light of dawn barely peeked over the horizon. "Gail?" he asked.

She smiled and put down her guitar. "There you are, my healer." She got to her feet and held out her arms, and her heart swelled with happiness as he ran forward to burrow against her. It had taken all of her willpower to not carry him off the minute he had gotten home. "You were incredible," she murmured.

"Did you see it all?"

"No." She shook her head. "Chaos power is so unpredictable that even those in the Realm or on the Plane can't see through it. But I saw the before and the after. You were brave to face Aluria as you did." She gathered him close for a tender kiss and then eased back and framed his face with her hands. "Share with me," she murmured. "Let me heal you for once."

"Tomorrow." He let her inside his deepest heart where his emotions burned hot and pure and immortally for her. "Right now I need to replace pain with pleasure. Hate with love. Sadness with joy. Bring me back my strength and tomorrow I will let you hold me while I break as I need."

Her wings opened as she lifted him off his feet and carried him toward their bed. She was his Caretaker, and she gave him what he needed to be happy. Tomorrow would be soon enough to heal.

As they and their siblings were sleeping a few hours later, healing of a different sort arrived. None of them woke nor noticed as feathers filled the air and fluttered down to return to their owners. The lingering small gaps in the two demi-gods' power filled, and everything returned to the way it should have been.

 

When Tasia and Rodi got to the Delphinium Castle to pick up their children, they found both dead asleep in their beds. Anna was still dressed as if she had tried to stay awake but hadn't succeeded. Rodi collected Daelan from his crib, and Tasia eased down onto the side of her daughter's bed. She paused, smiled, and then let her appearance change just a bit toward her Apex one. "Hey," she said softly. "It's time to go home."

Anna's lashes lifted slightly and then she stared at her mother a little sleepily. A smile filled her face of sheer delight. "You have wings." She sat up and scrubbed at her eyes. "I like them." She still felt so utterly tired that she let her mother pick her up and carry her. She was big a girl now, but she liked it when her mommy and daddy carried her still. And Tasia seemed somehow even more beautiful to her eyes, even past the gray wings, as if her power had become stronger. It felt very chaotic but . . . Anna felt safer than she ever had before. "Are they free now?" she asked sleepily.

"They are." Tasia used her transport magic and took them all directly to their home. She let Rodi tend to Daelan and carried Anna into her bedroom. She did not initially realize something was different until she turned back Anna's bedcovers while her daughter changed into pajamas. Something had been hidden under the warm blankets. "Anna."

"What, Mommy?" Anna padded over in her pajamas, still rubbing her eyes, but her tiredness lifted as she saw the two dolls her mother held out. "Oh!" She reverently reached out to take them. "They're so pretty!"

One doll was a minstrel with his belled hat. The other was a princess with chocolaty brown hair. Their hands had been made to be clasped together, and the painted expressions on their faces were so real that you could feel the happiness emanating from them. "You see?" Tasia told her tenderly. "They wanted to thank you too."

Anna held the dolls tightly as she climbed into her bed, and she fell asleep again as soon as her head hit the pillow. Tasia gently shut the door as she left and turned to find herself in her husband's arms. "She's fine," she said softly.

"Good," he said just as softly. "I think we've all had enough fear for a long time."

They walked hand in hand down the hall to their own room to find their own sleep, and though neither noticed it, softly on their dresser appeared a small gray key and lock. Both softly shimmered with the power of Chaos.

 

©Stacy J. Garrett. Do not reprint or redistribute without permission.

Epilogue->