Chapter Thirty-Nine

During the next few days, the three women got to work shoring up parts of the Citadel that were in the worst shape magically. Nothing was quite as far gone as Skir's chamber had been, but it was clear the routine maintenance had not been done in a very, very long time. Det and Loran fixed up the house and barn, getting things ready for someone to be living here full-time again. They also flew back and forth to the enclave with their heartmates a few times, getting supplies and reporting back to the Council about events.

There was quite an upset among the Councilors when Loran revealed that his own actions had been part of one of his prophecies that he had deemed too sensitive to tell anyone—even the Council. That didn't sit well with some of them, but Councilor Dela came to her uncle's defense, explaining that the judgment of a seer must always be respected.

If Loran had revealed what he'd seen, things could have been altered for the worse, she'd told them. As it was, the right outcome had happened. Skir had not escaped to wreak havoc, and the Citadel had not fallen. In fact, even though the Citadel would require years of work to get back to a safer condition, there were now three adult Guardians to do the work, which everyone agreed would be helpful.

The women worked together during the day, Bev and Connie teaching Loralie the things she hadn't known about being a Guardian. In the evenings, they would all eat together, and Loralie would do a bit of reading in the library before she and Det bedded down together there, sleeping on a pile of furs he had brought in from the enclave. He'd made up their little love nest right in front of the fireplace, and they spent their nights making love and talking about the future.

Bev insisted that Connie and Loran have the biggest bedroom, and Bev took the room that had been Loralie's childhood bedroom, which still had a reasonably comfortable single bed in it. Loran and Det had talked about adding on to the house so that everyone could stay there together at times, and they'd started drawing up plans. They'd also enlisted the help of the dragons to fly in supplies for the building project, and Lea and Neff had brought the twins to meet their grandmother, grandfather, and great-grandmother one afternoon.

That night, Det had flown back with the children, but he'd returned the next morning with more supplies. Loralie greeted him with a kiss when he came in the door.

"I missed you last night," she whispered to him. They were alone in the kitchen at the moment, but the others were in the house somewhere.

"I missed you too," he replied, tugging her more firmly into his arms. He took the kiss deeper, and she melted into him.

She really had missed him. She didn't know where this was heading, but she hoped it would end with the two of them together for the rest of their lives. She just hadn't been brave enough to broach the subject yet.

Noises in the other parts of the house drew them apart a few minutes later. Both were breathless and smiling. He held her hand as he lowered himself to one knee right there in the middle of the kitchen.

"I was going to wait, but I can't," he said, digging in his pocket with his free hand. "When I was home, I picked this up for you. It was my mother's, and since her passing, my grandmother has always said I should give it to the woman I love." He held up a gleaming golden band that held a shiny polished diamond in its heart. "Will you marry me, Lora?"

For a moment, her heart stood still. Did he just say he loved her?

"Do you?" she asked, rather than answering his question. He looked confused for a moment. She tried again, even though she felt a bit tongue-tied. "Do you love me?" she whispered.

His expression cleared as understanding dawned, and he smiled up at her. "Yes, Lora. I never stopped loving you, even when I believed the worst. That's why it hurt so much. Something in my heart knew you were still the woman I had fallen so deeply in love with that you would always own a large chunk of my heart."

His eyes shone bright as he gazed at her, and she could see it. She could see the love in his eyes. It had been there all along, but she hadn't dared hoped it had truly survived all they'd been through.

"I love you, Lora. And I always will," he stated for the record, his voice so warm and tender that it resonated in her soul.

"I love you too, Det. I never stopped, even when I thought it would be impossible to ever be with you again. You are my heart," she told him, brutally honest as she intended to be from now on with him. No matter what. "And yes. I will marry you. You're the only man I've ever considered spending my life with."

He slipped the ring on her finger and rose, still holding her hand. He raised it to his lip.

"And you're the only woman for me, Lora. Now and forever."

"Now and forever," she repeated in a whisper as he tugged her closer and bent his lips to hers, sealing the vow with a kiss.

News of their impending nuptials was cause for celebration in the Guardian's home that day. Det had brought a special meal back with him from the enclave for them all for dinner, and the women started talking about the ceremony and where they should hold it.

"My grandmother would like to attend, as would a number of others, including my brother and his wife," Det said. "If possible, I'd like to have the ceremony in the enclave." He turned to Bev. "My grandmother was especially eager to renew your friendship. She told me to offer you all the hospitality of our House, in fact."

Loran put his arm around Connie's shoulders. "My wife will be coming home with me. Finally," he said. "But your offer is gladly received, and you are all very welcome in my House as well."

Apparently, there was some kind of etiquette involved that Loralie would have to learn if she was going to be among the fair folk of the enclave for any length of time. Since her children were likely going to grow up there, she definitely needed to learn. Once again, she marveled at the idea that she had a future…with her babies…and with Det. Just a few weeks ago, she would never have believed it was possible.

A few days later, with the Citadel in better shape than it had been for years—though it still would need quite a bit of work that would be undertaken by all three adult Guardians in the days, weeks, months and years to come—they all flew back to the enclave. A banquet had been prepared in House Adain to welcome the elder Guardians, and most of Loran's House had also been invited and attended. They were all eager to meet the woman who had been part of their family for so long, though they had not realized it.

The party went off without a hitch, and when Det and Lora announced they were getting married to those who hadn't known, a cheer went up in the great hall. He invited everyone present, and Loralie was sure they'd be rounding out the guest list in the days to come as they planned their wedding feast. It was quickly decided that the only place big enough to hold the ceremony with all those who wanted to attend would be the Council Hall.

It wasn't unheard of, apparently, so Loralie went along with whatever Det deemed appropriate. She'd never been to a wedding. Especially not a wedding among the fair folk. The closest she'd ever gotten to seeing how it was done was by watching a couple of human weddings from afar in the towns she'd passed through during her years of self-imposed exile.

The children were very excited by everything. Not only did they have both parents with them, but they now had grandparents and another great-grandmother who spoiled them with treats and taught them interesting magic. They were also going to have a part in the big wedding ceremony their parents were planning. Petr was going to be the ring bearer, and Penny was to be the flower girl. They weren't even sure what that meant, but they were thrilled to be included.

The three Guardians spent much of each day together, discussing strategies for renewing every inch of the Citadel and what should happen first. But the Citadel wasn't the only thing they discussed. Both Bev and Connie were adamant that Loralie should take time to be with Det and the children.

"I think you should visit every Gate," Bev announced one day while they were urging Loralie to do just that. "Take Detlif and the children along. The dragons can fly you around easily enough, if they are willing to help, and I can't imagine that they would balk at helping secure the Citadel after everything they've said and done already."

Loralie was surprised by her grandmother's words, but it did make sense in a way. They'd been talking about the various threats posed to all parts of the Citadel's labyrinthine structure over the past days, and the Gates were a definite vulnerability. Inspecting each one was something high on the list of things a Guardian must do.

"Plus, you can make connections with the folk guarding each Gate. There are more fair folk in the east and dragons and their knights mated to the new queen north of Draconia. Your family will help ease you into making friends there, I bet," Connie added.

"The plan has merit," Loralie said slowly. "But I have to run it past Det and see if we can take the children away from their studies for however long it will take to visit each place."

"Ask him to consult the maps his people no doubt keep," Connie offered. "I'd say they have to know the ins and outs of how long it takes a dragon to get to each place. For the farthest, they probably have known waypoints already mapped out where you can stop to rest."

"Alternatively, you could go through the labyrinths in the Citadel, but that's all on foot and it would take a lot longer," Bev said skeptically. "Going direct to the Gate locations is the better idea, I think. And we can start with the Gate here, in the enclave, so we can show you what to look for and what to do."

"Each Gate should be checked and maintained, if necessary, every year." Connie looked at Bev, who nodded in confirmation. "We had to walk to each one via the labyrinths, but you can do it more quickly with the dragons' help. And it's time you can spend with your family. You can also teach Penny about the task while you're at it. And Loran says it's not a bad idea to teach Petr a bit of our lore as well. Guardians have never had male offspring before, and the fact that Petr is here now means something important, or so Loran says. We shouldn't leave him out of our planning just because he is male."

"I agree with Father," Loralie said immediately. "I don't have as much foresight as him, but I have had images of Petr helping Penny defend the Citadel in the future. I think they will grow apart and have separate lives, but then come back together again when the Citadel needs them."

"A prophecy?" Connie asked sharply, looking closely at her daughter.

Loralie nodded slightly. "I believe so, but I'm not really a seer. Not to the same extent as Father and his relatives. So, I don't want to say it with any certainty. I just really think that Petr should learn as Penny does. If nothing else, he will be a powerful mage, and he needs to know how to control all that magic inside him. The Guardian's discipline can help him do that better than any other method, because his magic is just like ours."

Bev nodded slowly in cautious agreement. "You make a strong point," she said finally. "We need to figure out how to nurture him as best we can, as we do Penny. They are both our future, and they both have strong magic, even now."

"They remind me so much of you, when you were little," Connie said fondly, touching Loralie's hand as they sat around the table sipping tea and plotting.

"Then, that's what we'll do. We'll train them together for the most part, only giving Petr a bit more of what he'll need to survive out there in the world of man, and Penny, more of the Guardian's role," Bev said decisively.

"I think Petr will be quite the adventurer while Penny will be more of a homebody," Loralie said quietly. "So, our plan will work out fine with their personalities."

"As for me, I will spend most of my time at the house in the Citadel, though I would welcome the chance to visit with Fiora from time to time," Bev announced.

"Loran's been consulting with Detlif about adding on to the house, Mother," Connie reminded them all. "We would like to spend time there, with you, if you can stand our company," Connie said, grinning at her mother.

"Of course!" Bev replied at once. "I would love to spend time with you and Loran. And anything that can be done to fix up the house, I welcome. I'd love to have my great-grandchildren visit as often as possible, though I will understand if you wish them to live mostly in the enclave so they can have a more normal life than you did, Lora."

"Det and I have been talking about it, and we thought, when the addition to the house is complete, we might split our time between here and there," Loralie revealed, much to Bev's delight.

"I would love that," Bev said, clearly touched.

"So would we," Lora assured her. "I've never had so much family before, and I don't ever want to let any of you go too far for too long."

They all reached out to each other and held hands for a long, long time.