Epilogue

The extended Lorrz family was gathered around the enormous dining table that stretched the length of the vast royal dining room in the Lorr Palace. For a royal dinner, it wasn't especially refined. In fact, to Layla, it resembled more of a rowdy party than an audience with the king.

"Where's Maraliza?" called one of the brothers. She thought Levi had asked, though she sometimes found it hard to keep track of them all. "She's the only one of the siblings who's not here yet."

"Ah, who knows, probably messing around as usual," called back Trigg.

"Gruxxor!" came Scarlett's voice ringing out across the hall. "Stop that!"

Layla looked up to see Grux's wife rushing toward their son on the other side of the room, stopping him from swallowing a bug that had somehow made it into the palace.

In fact, most of the guests weren't seated. They were either running after children, greeting each other, or arguing about which seat was theirs. Even Layla was preoccupied, kneeling over her son, who had deposited himself on the ground.

"Now, do you want to leave ferrephant in the bag or will he sit at the table with us?" she was asking a very distracted Caspian.

"Bug!" he cried, pointing to his aunt who was still trying to find somewhere to dispose of the beetle.

Layla sighed good-naturedly. Caspian was just learning how to talk, but his mastery of conversation was still a little lacking. The stuffed toy Zyair had bought her on Kona was clutched tightly in her son's hand, and she made an executive decision to invite it to dinner.

She picked up Caspian and ferrephant, depositing them both in the two seats between her and Zyair. She knew Caspian always insisted ferrephant have his own place at the table, and frankly there were more than enough seats to go around, even with the whole family there.

Well, almost the whole family.

"I hope Maraliza gets here soon," Zyair said, leaning over Caspian and ferrephant to talk to Layla. "I'm starving. And maybe a little worried for her, too."

The king must have been feeling the same because he suddenly pounded on the table. "No more of these empty stomachs. It's time to eat!"

The siblings and their respective wives and children fell into relative silence as they waited in anticipation of the feast about to be presented to them. Soon the seats were filled, and all discussions settled concerning who would sit where, with the specter of the king's wrath superseding any outstanding arguments.

A host of palace staff suddenly appeared bearing platters, and soon everyone was eating, drinking, and talking, though with much less yelling than before the meal was served. Perhaps everyone had just been hungry and needed some food to calm them.

Soon, Kozien cleared his throat and it became clear he had something to say.

"Honored guests and gathered family, I have an announcement to make," he began with gravitas.

Layla wondered if another child would soon be joining the Lorrz royal family, and she glanced at his wife for clues. Gianna, however, was looking smug.

"I've decided it's time to let go of the PulXar Star Cruiser." The two youngest brothers, as well as Willow, Trigg's wife, sat up attentively.

"I've decided to bequeath it to my little brother, Levi," he finished with a flourish.

Layla didn't get what the big deal was, and it seemed most of the other guests didn't either, but the three interested parties suddenly erupted into a heated argument.

"Oh, come on," Willow groaned, clearly hoping she'd get her hands on the antique spaceship, which had brought her and Trigg together. It held deep sentimental value to her. Layla remembered hearing the story about her stealing it out from under Trigg while he was on board. The real uproar came from Dante, though.

"Wait, you're giving it to him?" Dante yelled across the table while pointing a finger at Levi. "Are you serious?"

Kozien tried to speak, but Levi cut him off.

"Yes! He's giving it to me!" he cried, a huge grin spread across his face.

Layla remembered that as the youngest brother, he was rarely trusted with anything, and it reminded her of what things had been like for Zyair when they first met. She found herself feeling glad that Kozien was finally changing his tune when it came to having faith in his younger siblings.

Dante, on the other hand, was not pleased. He went off on a furious tirade about having to earn one's place in the family. It ended with him pushing his chair back violently and storming off.

"I'm disowning you all!" he called over his shoulder as he pulled open the dining room door and disappeared into the depths of the palace.

Somehow nobody seemed particularly surprised by his outburst. In fact, dinner continued more or less as usual.

That was, until a few minutes later when the doors opened once again and a young woman burst in. Layla strained to see over the heads of the family, but it wasn't until the woman was upon them that she saw who it was. Or rather, she saw who it wasn't.

She was expecting Maraliza. However, the woman who had just burst in wasn't her. Layla suddenly realized the woman who had just entered looked frantic.

"It's Maraliza!" she cried over the din. "She's gone!" The table erupted into cries of shock, and the woman continued. "We were out in the market square, and someone was following us! Or I don't know, it felt like someone was following us." Her voice rose to a frantic pitch.

Some of the children started crying, and someone went to comfort them, but Layla didn't see who. Her eyes were fixed on the woman whose terror was written all over her face.

"What happened to my daughter?" demanded the king, clearly panicking.

"I don't exactly know. The next thing I knew, someone threw a bag over my head," she relayed, though tears were starting to run down her face now. "I got away, but Maraliza…" She broke down crying, burying her head in her hands.

"Dammit, girl, tell us what happened!" demanded the king, pounding the table again. But she only continued sobbing.

"She was taken!" she suddenly cried. "Maybe kidnapped. I don't know."

Another murmur ran through the group, only louder this time, and edged with fear. Layla felt her chest tighten, but she didn't know what to do. Luckily the others did.

Kozien and Grux tried to get more information out of the girl, but she was clearly in shock.

"I don't remember," she kept saying, though it looked as though she was trying very hard to. "It was just all black."

Soon the king grew tired of her broken answers. "Dante!" he called into his comm. "Maraliza is missing! You take care of this!"

Dante's voice came back over the comm without a moment's hesitation. Layla was surprised.

"Didn't he just disown you all?" she whispered, leaning over to Zyair.

"Oh yeah," he said, almost nonchalantly. "He does that. But he'll help. Don't worry. He's still family."

Layla nodded, absentmindedly running her hand through Caspian's hair as she sat back in her seat. The Lorrz family may have been complicated, but she was learning there was no other family she'd rather be a part of.

Loyalty, it seemed, was more important than anything, and that was something she could get behind. She only hoped it was enough to bring Maraliza back.