Epilogue

SABINA

^TWO YEARS LATER^

I watched my son, Carsen, in the middle of his room, surrounded by a sea of toys and the watchful eyes of twenty maids. A sigh of relief escaped me.

He was growing up so quickly. Soon, he’d be training to be the King of Quopia. I couldn’t have been more proud. This was his destiny.

“My lady, Lord Aboloft requests your presence.” The maid’s voice was respectful, her bow deep.

My heart pounded at the mention of my husband. He was awake and wanted to see me.

I turned to leave immediately, but not before giving the maids a stern instruction. “Keep a close eye on Carsen,” I ordered.

“Yes, my lady. We’ll watch over the prince,” one of the maids assured me. But something in me hesitated. I looked into my son’s dark eyes, so much like his father’s, and made a decision.

“Never mind. I’ll take him with me.” I scooped Carsen up and headed out of his room towards mine. Aboloft wouldn’t appreciate being kept waiting.

The guards at the entrance bowed and opened the door for me.

Inside, my husband stood by the window, hands clasped behind him, gazing out at the meadows and the stunning views of his kingdom.

“You kept me waiting, Bluebell,” he said as the door closed behind us, leaving us alone.

“I didn’t want to leave Carsen, so I brought him with me,” I replied, setting my son down on the bed.

Aboloft turned, and my heart fluttered at the sight of my handsome husband.

He hadn’t changed in the past two years. He still had the power to make me weak with just a look.

He made me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world, scars and all. He loved me, and I loved him.

“How do you feel? Did you sleep well?” Aboloft asked, pulling me into his arms. It was a habit of his.

Whenever I was near him, he’d pull me close or touch me in some way.

“I feel good. I’m happy. And I slept really well. How about you?” I asked him. The nightmares that used to haunt me two years ago were gone.

“I’m happy and always will be as long as you’re with me. And I always sleep well with you in my arms, Bina,” Aboloft answered, kissing me softly.

After the kiss, Aboloft tugged at my dress until he saw what he looked at every morning. The scar left by the spear that almost killed me two years ago.

It was a miracle that I survived. I thought the spear had hit my heart, but the healer said it was just to the side.

“No, it doesn’t hurt,” I said before he could ask the question he’d been asking for the past two years.

“That’s not the only reason I look at your scar every morning,” Aboloft said.

“What’s the other reason?” I asked, as Aboloft gently traced the raised skin of my scar.

“This scar reminds me that you’re here, that I didn’t lose you, and that I’ll never lose you. This scar gives me peace, my beautiful goddess,” he replied, bending down to kiss the scar, another one of his rituals.

“I still can’t believe I survived. I was sure I was going to die,” I confessed.

“I believe it. I promised myself that I wouldn’t let you leave me again. And I kept my promise. I pulled you back to life.

“My love will always keep you with me, Bluebell. No matter what,” he said, kissing my scar a few more times before looking up at me.

“I love you, Aboloft,” I whispered, my voice choked with emotion. No one could love me like Aboloft. No one else made me happy except for my husband and my son.

“And I love you, Bina, my queen, my wife. I always have and always will love you.” Aboloft kissed my forehead before wrapping me in his arms.

I could hear his steady heartbeat, knowing that it was the reason I was alive—because he was. His heartbeat would keep mine going.

Aboloft only let go when we heard our son calling out to us. With a smile, Aboloft walked over to the bed and picked up Carsen.

His eyes sparkled with love for our son as he kissed the top of his head.

Two years ago, after I woke up from the spear wound, the healer had no choice but to tell Aboloft that I was pregnant.

When I saw Aboloft, I was scared because he was furious. He did punish me for hiding his child from him. After I recovered, he punished me in a way that ensured I would never hide anything from him again.

“How’s my prince?” Aboloft asked his son.

“Papa, I love,” Carsen babbled, kissing Aboloft’s cheek.

“I love you, too, my prince.” After kissing Carsen’s chubby cheek, Aboloft put him down so he could explore the room.

“Some say a king shouldn’t show affection to his son because it shows weakness, but I disagree. Carsen gives me strength, and I won’t be cold towards him.”

“He deserves our love. Being cold to anyone doesn’t mean one is strong,” I agreed.

“You’re absolutely right, my queen. He’ll always have our love. We won’t make him feel unloved,” Aboloft said, watching Carsen as he toddled around the room, lost in his own little world.

“Why don’t we take him to the lake?” I suggested.

Ever since the conflict with the Wilsden folks, Aboloft had been visiting the lake more frequently. The same lake where we first crossed paths and kept meeting until I left him behind.

“That sounds like a good idea. The weather is perfect, and Carsen would love to play. We could have lunch by the lake. It’s been a while since we did that,” Aboloft responded, wrapping an arm around my waist.

“Should I ask the maids to pack us a lunch?” I asked.

“No need, I’ll handle it. You stay here and get ready. Put on something light, nothing too heavy. I want you to take it easy for a few hours.”

He kissed me softly before leaving the room, leaving me alone with Carsen. As soon as Aboloft was out of sight, a maid appeared.

“I’m here to look after Prince Carsen while you get dressed, my lady,” she said, a gentle smile on her face.

“Thank you, I won’t be long. Make sure he doesn’t hurt himself,” I told her before heading into my dressing room to change.

Once the door closed behind me, I was faced with hundreds of dresses, each one more beautiful than the last.

Choosing a dress for the day was always a challenge for me, so Aboloft had assigned a few maids to help me out.

Without overthinking it, I chose a light green dress made of sheer gossamer. It was airy and flowing, perfect for a day outdoors.

I couldn’t help but smile as I changed into the green dress. Looking at my reflection in the mirror, I was reminded of how fortunate I was.

I could have died that day, and I almost did. But for some reason, I was given a second chance at life. It felt like I had been reborn into a better existence. Because ever since I woke up, everything had been wonderful.

There was no evil, no one mistreating me or accusing me of witchcraft. And Aboloft made me happy. He did everything I asked, never questioning me, never denying me.

And I was thankful for this second chance at life. I was thankful for this new, wonderful life. But most of all, I was thankful to have Aboloft in my life…forever.

The sound of Carsen’s laughter pulled me out of my thoughts. I left my dressing room to find Carsen playing with the maid.

He was sitting on the floor while the maid tried to spin a top, and every time she succeeded, Carsen would laugh and clap his hands as he watched the top spin.

“Carsen, would you like to go outside and play?” I asked my son, who turned to look at me as soon as I stepped out of the dressing room.

“Yes!” He exclaimed before standing up and running over to me. “Papa go too?”

“Yes, your father will be joining us.” I bent down to his level, running a hand through his dark hair.

Carsen smiled and kissed my cheek. He had a peculiar habit of kissing everyone he liked. Aboloft said it was a good thing because he would grow up to be strong and kind.

The door to the room opened and Aboloft walked in, a smile on his face as he looked at Carsen and me.

Aboloft smiled a lot these days. It was as if he didn’t have a care in the world. And I loved seeing that smile. I lived for that smile.

“I’ve asked the maids to prepare a picnic basket for us. It should be ready in five minutes. Are you ready to go?” Aboloft asked me.

“Yes, I am.” I stood up.

“Green really suits you. It makes your green eyes look even more vibrant, like two sparkling gems,” he commented.

“Thank you,” I blushed, trying hard not to grin like a schoolgirl. But Aboloft made it nearly impossible for me. He made me feel like we were young again, and this time no one could tear us apart.

“You don’t need to thank me for stating the obvious, Bina,” Aboloft said. I could tell he enjoyed seeing my cheeks turn pink.

Unable to resist, I threw my arms around Aboloft, resting my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

“You’re the only man who’s ever said anything nice to me,” I told him.

“Well, that’s a good thing in my book, because I might not be so forgiving to anyone else who complimented your beauty. I get pretty jealous when it comes to you, Bluebell.”

Lifting my chin with his fingers, Aboloft leaned in to kiss me.

“You’re impossible,” I giggled when we pulled apart.

“For you, I’d do the impossible, my beautiful goddess, never forget that,” he promised, making my heart flutter.

“We should get going,” I whispered. I was worried I might do something inappropriate if we didn’t leave right away. And I didn’t want to do anything like that in front of my two-year-old son.

“Are you sure? Maybe we can go tomorrow. I need you now,” Aboloft said.

“Our son is here. We need to go now,” I insisted.

Aboloft sighed. “You always leave me wanting more. What am I going to do with you?”

“Anything you want…but at night.” A thrill of anticipation warmed my core when I saw Aboloft’s dark eyes darken even further.

Two years ago, I would’ve never had the courage to say something like that, but Aboloft helped me come out of my shell, and for that, I would be forever grateful to him.

“You’re going to regret those words, my beautiful goddess,” he said, his voice husky with desire.

“With you, I never regret anything. The only thing I regret is leaving you. I’ll never make that mistake again,” I replied.

“Alright then, I’ll have my fill of you at night. Although I’m not sure if I can wait that long,” he said.

“Your patience will be rewarded,” I assured him.

“It better be. You torture me in the cruelest way.” Aboloft gave me a look filled with sinful promises as he picked up Carsen. “Let’s go.”

***

“You brought me flowers again,” I said, accepting the bluebells from Aboloft.

“Of course. I know how much you love them.” He sat down next to me, watching our son as he chased a butterfly across the meadow.

“Do you want a girl or another boy?” I asked, his hand warm and protective over our unborn child.

“I think a girl would be nice. But if we have another boy, that’s okay too,” he replied. It had been two months since we found out about our second child.

“A sister for Carsen,” I mused.

“A sister he’ll love and protect. Yes, I hope for a girl,” Aboloft agreed.

“Papa!” Carsen’s voice rang out, sounding on the verge of tears.

He ran over to us and threw himself into his father’s arms. “Papa, fly.” He pointed at the butterfly, still fluttering among the flowers.

“It’s okay, Carsen, let the butterfly fly. We don’t catch them,” Aboloft explained gently.

“Why?” Carsen asked.

“Because beautiful things shouldn’t be caught. They should be set free, and if they’re meant to be yours, they’ll come back to you,” Aboloft said.

“That’s a pretty deep lesson for a kid,” I commented.

“It’s something I’ll tell him every day for the rest of his life. Because it happened to me.” Aboloft paused, kissing my temple. “Years ago, I let you go, the most beautiful person in this world, and you came back to me.”

“King Bancroft brought me back to you.” I rolled my eyes.

“But you came back, and I knew I could never let you go again. Because you should never make a habit of losing your most precious treasures,” he said.

Aboloft was right. If something or someone is meant to be yours, they’ll find a way back to you, even if you don’t believe it.

People tried to take Aboloft from me, and me from him, but we always found our way back to each other. And that proved that Aboloft and I…

We were meant to be together. Always.

^End of Book One^