All Things Must End

The day after the party, Matthew got reports that there were strange men in the woods. Daniel was creeping in the forest near where the men had been spotted, and when he heard a rustle, he was about to shoot when he heard Harrison's voice say, "Garin! We need to move silently. Since when were you so clumsy in the undergrowth?" A sigh filtered through the thick leaves of the bush in which the two hid.

"Perhaps it was when there was suddenly more of me than before?" The unmistakable sound of the palm of a hand smacking a forehead made its way to the crouching captain.

"Right! How stupid of me! Please forgive me, Garin, I was wrong to treat you like that." A soft sound of disbelief came form the bush.

"I still have a hard time believing that you and the man who treated Belle like a prize are the same person." A soft laugh issued from the large, but amazingly quiet, Harrison.

"Even I have a time of it. So is my apology accepted?"

"Of course my friend. It is good to have you back."

"It is indeed good to have Harrison Gaston back from whatever pit he was in," Daniel said, parting the bush's branches with his bow tip. Harrison smiled, a sound like laughter seemed to float out of him.

"Do you want some help finding those strangers, once we shut our big mouths?" the hunter asked. Daniel's smile told them he was glad of the help. After that day, Harrison was always with Daniel, ready to lend a hand. Garin pulled his weight as well, hiding slaves in his cellars and giving them food and a change of cloths whenever they came from the southern kingdoms, or even the nearer estates. Whenever the king called, Harrison and Garin answered; ready, willing, and able to help. Matthew worked to get rid of slavery, which had crept up to his kingdom from the south after his vanishing. Roads were repaired, nobles inspected and a few times replaced with more competent or open minded people. One man was truly horrible to everyone in his lands. A young man who Matthew had thought was a servant or a page and who he took under his wing when first they started the whole investigation turned out to actually the heir. Once Matthew had shown the young man the follies of the ways he had been taught, he was a rather competent, strong, and fair lord. The story of how he changed from the hardened youth who would have abused his power when it was given to him to being a fair and kind man is quiet amazing. However, that is another story for another time. The first five years of Matthew and Isabelle's reign were filled with reform, investigations, slavery trials, and speeches to show those who lived in the land what kind of people the new rulers were. Harrison was hailed as the new hero of Tales Wood Village, as well as the wiliest hunter in history. Garin was sighed after by many girls not only for his looks, which weren't too bad after his transformation, but for his connections and his heart. Many people said the Garin La Fou was the best brewer in the land and that part of his skill came from his heart of gold. Daniel, though now in his late forties, was still a soldier of great renown, rallying his men and taking out entire patrols by himself. Falcon and Tray proved to be just as awe inspiring as their father and just as kind as their grandmother, mother, and honorary aunt. Isabelle and Matthew were kind and gentle, but were not people to be trifled with. The king was just as good with bow, blade, mace, and tongue as Daniel and his father. Isabelle was a terror with a bow, could hold her own with a blade, had her mother's magical gift, and was so sweet she could wind anyone around her finger. On the sixth anniversary of the royal couple, a surprise family reunion from both sides of both of their families showed up in the entrance hall. Matthew took one look at all the people in the large room and turned to look toward the chambers he had given Daniel.

"DANNNNIEL! I COULD USE SOME HELP HERE!" he shouted, unknowingly using his own magic to project his voice into Daniel's room. Out Daniel flew, followed closely by his sons who had rooms right next to their father's.

"What?! What is it?!" he said, his hair sticking up at odd angles. Matthew waved at the entrance hall and its ocean of of people.

"An unplanned family reunion," he said, his voice wooden and his face looking as if he had just seen the face of death itself. Daniel looked over the sea of heads and laughed and laughed and laughed.

"I shall set the servants on full alert and warn them of the delicate tempers in the crowd," Daniel said, a twinkle in his eye. Isabelle giggled a little and whisked her husband off to find her mother and after that got him to show her his younger brother and his various cousins. A year later, they had their first born child, a strong and healthy son to govern their people when they either died or stepped down. Many children were born to the royals and their various friends. Whenever one family in their circle of friends had a child they all gathered to congratulate the parents and coo over the newborn. The reign of Matthew and Isabelle was a long and happy one. The people were amazed when they realized that the rumors of elf blood in the royal family were true and that Isabelle was a full blooded elf. When their firstborn son, Jacynth, reached the age of twenty-one the happy two stepped down and passed the throne to him. Peace and prosperity stayed with the kingdom, and wisdom with its king, for more than a hundred generations. The Gaston and La Fou families stayed close friends with the Ivino and Tavagonio families, working closely with them and even sending their kids to live with one of the other three families every summer. The royals loved it because it gave their children a chance to have a normal childhood and gave them a chance to have a different face in the halls. The other three liked to have a different child as well, though they had to break a few habits they had no care for occasionally. It would be three centuries before the kingdom was seriously threatened and major changes had to be made once again. The story of that trial and its outcome is yet another story for yet another time. Now, however, it is time for you to return to your world,over come the beast in your own heart, and fix the kingdom of your life.

A/N: and so it ends with space for a sequel... which I likely won't write seeing as I have no inspiration for it. Feel free to send me your plot ideas for the sequel, if you want one, and I'll let you know if I use your idea. Hope you enjoyed my story, tell me what you thought, and have a nice life.