Epilogue - Aurelia

" I am not trying to hurry you, but come the fuck on, will you?" Hadriel motioned me out of the bedroom in our new apartment.

"How is that not hurrying me?" I laughed, attempting to walk forward and mostly just waddling. I was due any day, and Weston wanted to take me on an outing before the baby came.

"That is literally hurrying her," Leala groused. Everyone decided she would stay and be my lady's maid until the baby was born. There was someone in line to take her place, though I hadn't met her yet. It was a fairy—a concession in the negotiations.

"Eat rocks," Hadriel sang.

"Fuck a cactus," Leala sang back.

I hadn't gotten the chance to visit the fairy kingdom yet. By the time the negotiations were signed, I had been too far along to travel. We'd visit after the birth with the baby, and the royals—who had decided a trip was long overdue—would come too. I did get a fairy trainer, though. Three, actually: two of them were Emoters, and one specialized in training fairies to use magic. My training was mostly about moods and focus and things I was picking up on very easily, because I used those sorts of practices in the mundane portions of my job...

Which was now on fire.

We had ten work sheds now. We had continual garden expansion. We had a line of Moonfire Lilies growing in between the edges of the Everlass, the two plants co-existing quite happily. We had orders out of our asses. Most of those came from the medicinal stuff we were selling to people who needed a little help and didn't know it had existed in the market.

Granny's operations mostly died with her. Someone tried to put out product a few months after her demise, but it didn't get far. It wasn't good, it was dangerous, and I produced better. We'd killed the threat while keeping me working and our kingdom thriving. Despite how it had come to pass and the bittersweet memories along the way, it had all worked out for the best.

"Grab the..." Hadriel shook his finger at the painting he'd insisted I give to Finley and Nyfain. "Grab the thing. Leala! Grab the thing! "

"Gods help me, Hadriel." Leala shook her head as she finished packing me a picnic, then rounded on him. "If you don't calm down, I'm going to fuck you with the handle of my whip. Remember how much you hate that? Your guardian of your asshole will not protect you from me."

"Why are you so riled up, anyway?" I asked as I waited by the door.

"He thinks you are going to go into labor today," Leala said, handing the basket to him before grabbing the painting. "He claims to have a sixth sense about it."

"I do have a sixth sense. I have predicted four labors."

"Two of those four had already started. How does that count?"

"I didn't know that at the time, though."

Leala rolled her eyes. "Okay, go. Go, go." She shooed him in front of her. "Are you going to go?"

Hadriel put up a finger. "Do not sass me. I am very frazzled right now."

"Clearly."

Weston waited for us at the bottom of the grand staircase, standing with Nyfain and Finley and little Tabitha.

"Hi, baby girl!" I gushed, putting my hands low for her. If I crouched down, I wouldn't get back up.

She ran to me squealing and grabbed my hands. I hoisted her up onto my hip, the position awkward with the size of my belly.

"And how are you?" I asked her as I met the others.

"Let's let Mommy hold you for right now, how's that?" Finley said, eyeing my belly as she took Tabitha. "We don't want to hurt Olly, do we?"

Tabitha hadn't quite gotten my name yet.

"Here, sire." Leala brought forward the painting, as tall as her waist and cumbersome to hand over.

He took it, looking at the image. His eyes found me over the canvas.

"It's..." I shrugged. "I painted it when I first met you because you scared the crap out of me, but I didn't know how to mix colors. Annoyed about that, I redid it. I hate unfinished projects. They told me to give it to you instead of throwing it away. Honestly, just throw it away. No hurt feelings. I was going to do it anyway."

Weston leaned in to get a look before leaning away again. "Even with the odd colors, I told her to give it to you."

"Let me see." Finley went around him to look over his arm. He held it out a little for her.

"Da-da." Tabitha pointed. "Dada!"

"Yes, baby, that's right. That's Daddy's dragon." Finley's eyes were wide. "This inspired the product branding image, right?"

"Yeah. Toned down, though," I replied.

"Un-tone it down." Nyfain continued to look at the painting. "Un-tone that branding down. I want it to look like this."

I smiled, preening a little. "It's just a doodle, is all. It's?—"

"Do not sell yourself short." Hadriel started trying to bustle us away. "Come on, time to get going. You can hear him gush about the painting later."

"This is fucking amazing," Nyfain murmured.

"Daddy! Language," Finley said, still looking at the painting as well. "Ha! Found it." She reached around Nyfain to point.

He pulled the painting in closer, his head disappearing behind it. "Is that...?"

Yeah, it was. A hidden dick with wings.

"May it help you go in heat and bless Tabitha with a sibling." I ducked away, laughing.

"She put a dick in my painting," Nyfain muttered. "How is that right?"

Weston wrapped an arm around me as Hadriel led us outside the front entrance, where horses and a carriage waited. Vemar sat beside the driver in a sparkly jacket that matched Hadriel's.

"No way." Hadriel motioned him out of there. "No! You were there when she found out. You can't be there when she goes into labor. It's my turn. I'll call you when the baby is about to be born."

He gave Hadriel a hostile stare.

"Get out." Hadriel motioned him away. "I‘m sitting there. Get the fuck out."

Vemar did, slowly, staring at Hadriel the whole time. If Hadriel was bothered, he didn't show it.

He brushed past Vemar and took the seat next to the driver as Weston helped me inside. "Ready?" he asked me.

"Ready." I didn't bother asking where we were going. I'd done that earlier and only gotten a little smile.

It turned out we were headed to the closest city to the castle, a large, sprawling affair with a dizzying amount of people. He took me to the outskirts where things were slower, down a lane through a lovely area with large homes with gates and hedges and gorgeous gardens. At the end, Hadriel jumped out, opened the gate, and waited for the carriage to go through. He met us at a house made of brick with white pillars in front. Weston helped me down from the carriage and steadied me once I had two feet on the ground. Just that small bit of effort had me breathing heavily.

"Aurelia," Weston said, leading me to the front door. "Welcome to your new home."

I frowned at it, confused. "What do you mean? We live in the castle."

"We have a residence at the castle, and we'll keep it to be close when we need to or want to be. But the castle is owned by the royals. This house... is owned by us. I bought it."

I followed him inside and sent awe and rising excitement through the bond. He showed me the polished wood floors and newly painted walls. It had a large kitchen and big pantry, with a big room off the side for parties centered around food.

"This is yours, Aurelia," he told me, showing me the big backyard with ample room for children to play and climb and swing. "It's ours. It is for our family. I know you'd be happy with a smaller house..." He smiled at me sheepishly. "I didn't grow up in a tiny place. I like more space."

I put my hands on his chest and looked around in wonder. "You bought us a house?"

"You had an idea of what your fairytale would look like, and I wanted to make sure you achieved it. You wanted a house and a family and safety. This house is very well protected by the elements and the fence, not to mention I will be wherever you are. I will lay my life down to make sure nothing happens to you and our baby. This I swear. As for the fairy contingent, the lady's maid is bringing all the little fairy gadgets and extras that Calia says you'll love. Would you like to see your art room?"

I fell into his deep gray eyes. "You're trying to give me all my criteria for a fairytale life?"

He kissed me. I felt the baby kick and put his hand against my belly to feel it. His eyes were so soft as he stared down at me.

"Our life together didn't start out like most fairytales, and both of us have had dark times, apart and together, but we still deserve a happily-ever-after. I wanted a mate to co-lead. I wanted a family." He paused. "I wanted true love. I found all of that in you. It's only fair I make sure your fairytale comes true too. I want us both to have our happily-ever-afters. Together."

I hugged him tightly, tears filling my eyes.

"Just having you was all I needed for a happily-ever-after. A baby was the icing on the cake. This is..." His face swam in my vision. "This is a dream come true."

My labor didn't start that day, something Hadriel would never live down. It did start the next day, however, and he'd always argue that he was close enough. It lasted longer than I care to remember and hurt more than really should've been possible, given my pain tolerance, but at the end of it I lay in bed with Weston at my side as our new baby boy was placed on my chest.

Weston had tears in his eyes as he snuggled in, his large hand covering the baby's entire back.

"He's precious," he said, kissing my cheek. "Shall we arrange a marriage with the princess now or wait until tomorrow?"

I kissed him. "I want him to find his true mate like we did."

"You never know. Both Finley's parents were wolves. Maybe he'll be the future king."

"Because he'll be a dragon?" I quirked a brow at him as the nurse helped me position the baby at my breast. "I'm going to tell Nyfain you said that."

"Please don't."

"You'll never live it down."

"Seriously, forget it. Pretend I never said it." He kissed my temple.

I beamed up at him. "I love you."

It just went to show, even dark and twisted journeys had happily-ever-afters.

The End.