Epilogue

Darby watched silently from the roof of Elmira High School at the students making their way to class.

A year ago yesterday I left this world behind. It feels like decades.

The school didn’t change much in the year that she was gone except the small plaque and tree dedicated to her. Other than that things looked exactly the same, it just felt different to her. She was now an outsider looking in on things she once knew. 

Or maybe it’s the atmosphere, now that the threat was lifted of transforming there seems to be less worry among the older class men. I never had that.

She closed her eyes as a light rain began. Her wings wrapped around her and she fingered the winged necklace that started it all.

Kellen’s arms slid around her waist and his wings brought them close together warming her cold body. 

“You were born for this life,” he reminded her, “you had a purpose for becoming who you are.”

“I have to wonder what would have happened to me if I stayed mortal,” she mused, “sure wouldn’t have been anything as spectacular as this.”

Kellen was quiet a moment before saying, “If you didn’t transform I’d probably be hungover in some stranger’s bed.”

She frowned. “I still struggle knowing that you weren’t always dedicated to me.”

He stroked her cheek. “The minute you walked into my life I was, I just didn’t know it yet.”

She smiled. “You know, this is the place where we first met. I was mortal, and I was going through the transformation.”

“I remember. You were terrified of me, but I tasted the want that you tried so hard to hide.”

Darby laughed. “It was strange. No one has randomly drove up to me and started a conversation with me. I mean, you could’ve been a murderer or kidnapper. . . I still don’t know why I was so okay with it, especially after you kissed my hand.”

“I never claimed to be normal. And I could tell that your hand wanted to touch me, but since you weren’t allowing it I figured I better do something to please your desires.”

She rolled her eyes then thought a moment. “What was going through your mind when you saw me?”

“Well. . . to be perfectly honest, I was just trying to find someone to mess around with. But when I saw you and your growing tattoo, I knew you were the special girl that Sorus was speaking of at the meeting. And I wanted to get to know you better. . . we just didn’t have the time available then to do that. Which is why I’m glad that I met you in the woods when you transformed.”

“Did you really believe that I wasn’t going to fall in love with you?”

“I wasn’t sure of anything, I mean, when we first met you weren’t exactly falling into my seductive trap,” he chuckled, “but I figured that odds are you would’ve in time. I didn’t want to focus on that. I just needed to be with you.”

Funny, that even though he didn’t love me, he still felt the need to be with me. Even before then I did mean something. . .

“Did you think that things would work out the way they did?”

Kellen laughed. “Darling, I expected a lot of things to have happened, but I guarantee that none of them would have turned out like this.”

“What did you think would have happened?”

He seemed to struggle with words for a moment before settling with, “Well, most of them did end up with you being with me.”

“Really? How did you know that?”

“Because I wasn’t going to just let you go.”

“But you did,” she pointed out.

“You were the first faerie that I actually cared about. I would do whatever I could to keep you but there wasn’t any way I could stop you if you wanted to leave. And you wanted to leave.”

“You wouldn’t have tried?” She looked away from him. This was the first time since she came back that they had this discussion and the memory was still just as heavy on her heart as it had been then.

“There wasn’t any point to it. I’d keep you for what? Nothing would have changed. . .” he trailed off.

“But you still thought we’d be together?” 

“I thought that if you stayed, I could turn you dark,” he finally admitted.

She processed that. “Oh.”

“I didn’t really have an exact plan, just theories. I just needed you to stay.”

“Well, I always knew we’d be together in this way,” Darby informed him.

He smiled. “How so?”

“Because I had faith in us.”

“I can’t help the fact I didn’t.”

Darby turned around to face him. “I’m not blaming you.”

He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter, I blame myself.”

“Everything worked out,” she rested her head against his chest, “that’s what counts.”

He rubbed her back. “Exactly.”

“And now we have to deal with a war against the humans, why don’t we get cut a break?”

“We’ll worry about that when we get there. It’s probably still a ways off, because mortals aren’t transforming anymore the they have nothing to hate us for. Odds are, they’ll let it go.”

“Okay. . .” she paused, “Kellen, I have a request.”

“Oh?” He laughed, “And what might this be?”

“I want to go back to school.”

“Why?” His eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“I want to get my diploma and go to college.”

“But why?”

“It’s something I need to do. I’ve always valued education, and even if I’m a queen that value hasn’t changed. Besides, it could come in handy to learn what the mortals have figured out.”

“Darling, you can do whatever you want to. You don’t have to ask my permission.”

“I want you to be okay with it,” she told him.

“Alright,” he laughed, “I’m perfectly happy with you getting an education, good for you.”

She kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”

“So, how much longer do you want to stay here? We have an extremely comfortable throne at the kingdom,” he hinted.

She smiled and gave one last look at the school. “First, tell me you love me.”

“I tell you that constantly,” he grinned, “especially when I’m expressing that love for you.”

“Still, I want to hear it once more.”

“I love you, Darby,” he said kissing her neck.

I may never get over how good that feels to hear that.

“I love you too,” she clasped her hand in his. “Okay, we can go now.”

She turned away from the school, and her old life, for good as she flew back to her empire, her world, to continue her purpose with her Dark King.