This is the end! Will there be a happy ending? Only one way to find out!

~Chapter 29. I'm glad I crashed the wedding~

Ellie POV

The entire group of them came home soaking wet and very quiet. Emephile decided to detain Joreth in the drawing room until we came to an agreement about what to do with him, eager to leave the awkward atmosphere. Charlotte also left quickly, saying that she was tired and wanted to go to bed. I frowned. Something was definitely up.

"Is Gen okay?" Freya asked before I could find out what was wrong with Charlotte.

"I don't know. I called Rizzo and Jess over; Jess to fill her body with fire to repair most of the damage and Rizzo to treat the wound but they haven't left the room in about an hour."

"But she'll live?"

I ran a hand through my hair. "Probably."

George took my hand and gave it a squeeze, pulling me towards the living room so I could lean against him on the sofa. I turned my head to Fred who looked positively shaken. "What happened?"

Fred recounted the events of the past few hours, quickly skimming over the part where Charlotte lost control.

"That's never happened before, has it?" Freya said with a frown.

"No but her powers were always unusual. Most people develop stuff like that from birth, not aged seventeen. Hang on." I fished out my wand and muttered a summoning spell under my breath. A large book floated into my hand.

"Is that a family history book?" Freya grinned slightly. "It is, I remember mum used to make me memorise a different section every day."

I flicked through till I found the page I wanted. "This is their family tree with every possible combination of extraordinary powers written in. If you look you can see that in the Ryder family their magic has been getting stronger in every generation."

"Other Ryders have power over water?"

"Not quite." I began. "Most have power over the mind and prophecy but every now and then there are those who can control one of the four elements—excluding fire obviously." I traced my finger down the line of Charlotte's ancestors and then stopped, frowning.

Freya looked at me with concern. "What is it?"

"The line of Ryders with elemental powers always ends at the third generation." I flicked forward a few pages. "Every third generation witch has been unable to bear children. There's a note from Catherine, it says: 'by the time elemental powers reach a third witch or indeed wizard in the Ryder line, the magic is almost overwhelming. In this case a female Ryder would bear no successor as the electrical powers developed in this generation would instantly kill an unborn child. Furthermore a person with elemental powers can only grow in strength and therefore the magic they possess must be carefully monitored and controlled."

Fred leaned forward. "What does that mean for Charlotte?"

"It means that her powers are getting stronger every day and most powers are controlled primarily by emotions, which is why when she got angry she completely lost control. It also explains why Charlotte can't have children...but that's never bothered her so it's not the big problem here."

"So how do we prevent that from happening every time she gets angry? The water part isn't so bad but the electricity is dangerous, she could hurt someone without even realising."

"We train her to control the electricity in the same way that she controls the water. She starts from the beginning and keeps doing the basics until she gets it."

Freya sighed. "The same way that some parents train children whose magic comes on too quickly."

I shrugged. "It's effective."

At that moment Rizzo slipped into the room, half-smiling at me with tired eyes. "We've done all we can."

"Do you think she's going to be alright?" I asked.

"She'll live," Rizzo brushed the hair out of her eyes, "but I don't know if she'll be okay. She won't be getting out of that bed for weeks and I have no idea what the psychological impact will be. Chances are a selective mute won't cope well with being stabbed in the chest."

Magenta POV

I tried to turn over, wincing at the pain that immediately shot through my body.

"You might not want to do that." Lauren's voice rang out and then just kept on ringing and echoing in my head.

"Where…where…" I gave up trying to speak, my voice just a raspy mess.

"You've been through a really bad trauma so speaking might be a little difficult right now." She said gently. "Actually there are a lot of things that might be difficult right now but it'll get easier."

"It hurts." I managed to choke out.

"You're okay." It was Al's voice this time. "I can get you more painkillers if you need it."

"No." I swallowed hard and tried to speak again. "I want you to stay."

A hand took hold of my own, giving it a comforting squeeze whilst I tried to get settled on my bed but I couldn't, I could barely move. Everything ached and where it didn't ache I couldn't feel anything.

"Am I paralysed?" I croaked.

"No! No, no, you're not paralysed but to revive you we had to fill your body with fire and force it to repair itself and people tell me that it isn't a pleasant experience." Lauren said reassuringly.

"I feel paralysed. Are you lying to me, Lauren?" I licked my dry lips. "I can take it; you can tell me the truth."

"It's not paralysis—if a brick fell on your leg you'd feel it. The fire binds itself to your muscles and bones so everything will either feel painful or numb and you won't be able to move at all." Albus gently stroked my cheek with his free hand. "You'll be able to move again in a few days, weeks max."

The words sunk in. Al was being optimistic, I was going to be stuck in this bed for weeks, barely able to function properly. On the other-hand at least I was alive.

"Well you better be keeping me company."

Freya POV

Joreth was just sitting in the room alone, not handcuffed but unable to use magic or leave. He was leaning back in his chair, eyes closed but obviously not sleeping. He looked up when I entered but stayed where he was.

"I really wish you wouldn't look like that, like the life has been sucked from you."

"I'm about to go to jail for the murder of my wife and the attempted murder of my daughter. How would you feel?"

"You were telling the truth weren't you? About my mum?"

He sighed. "I wouldn't lie about something like that. I know that the last memory you had of me was an awful one but I wouldn't lie about your mother."

"Then you don't have to go to jail." I took a few steps forward. "It wasn't your fault, Joreth. Besides, Emephile has clearance, she can sort all of this out for us."

"I have free will, I chose to do what I did, I chose to try and kill you." He said, moving away from me.

I sighed, leaning against a chair. "You didn't kill me." I relayed the same story to Joreth as I did to my sister. "You didn't kill me and you tried to save Lauren—that counts for a lot."

He groaned. "What do you want from me, Freya, because I don't think I can give it to you. I'm still the enemy, you can't wave your wand and make everything better."

I closed the gap between us while Joreth attempted to back up as far as possible. "I want you to stay and try to make things work for us, all three of us. Fighting for this family will be your redemption."

"Why? Because it's your redemption? You think by saving me you can somehow save yourself?" There was barely any space between us. "It doesn't work that way, Freya, you can't make me good."

"No, I can't but I believe in you and I know that you can do this. I need you to do this, for me."

He reached out a hand to touch mine but shied away at the last moment. "I guess I can try."

I closed the gap between us and kissed him, my hands pressed lightly against his chest. It felt like before, back when we were young and in love and there were no evil mothers trying to keep us apart. It was easy to forget that this man had tried to hurt me and my daughter. It was easy to forget because it had been so many years since I had ever been loved and years since anyone had held me like I needed to be loved.

Charlotte POV

I lay awake in bed for hours, just staring at the ceiling and trying to get my breathing back to normal. My head was spinning. I felt weak, like my body had decided that it had done enough work for the day.

There was a sharp knock on the door and then Fred's voice—I didn't respond. He sighed and walked in anyway, sitting on the bed beside me. For a brief second I felt the need to cover up—I'd removed most of my clothes in order to dry off—he wouldn't want to touch me after what happened earlier. He must have sensed my brief nervousness because he slid up next to me and held my hand.

"You sure you want to do that?" I muttered.

"Yes, of course I'm sure, I love you." He pressed a kiss to my forehead. "What happened this morning wasn't your fault, Charlotte, you were under a lot of pressure."

"I flooded an entire building!" I gulped and then whispered. "I hurt you."

"You gave me an electric shock. I'm okay."

"It could have been more than that." I sighed. "I'm sorry."

Fred put his hand on my waist and pulled me onto my side so I was facing him. "I'm not accepting your apology because you have nothing to apologise for."

I bit down on my bottom lip and closed my eyes, trying not to completely break down in front of him. "Sometimes I look at Freya and Ellie and wonder if I'd have made a good mother. I never wanted to be one or at least I didn't think I did. Do you remember? I was sixteen when they told me that I'm not baby carrying material and at the time it didn't bother me at all and most days it doesn't but seeing Freya with Lauren and Ellie with Rizzo, I just wonder if I'm missing out."

He closed his hands over mine. "You are a mother, Charlotte. You've been looking after Lauren since she was weeks old and you've been watching over Ellie since you were kids, you're a mother, with or without your own child."

"I would have wanted a son, weirdly enough. Actually, I think that's because if I had a girl, Ellie would've insisted on the child being named after her."

Fred grinned widely. "I don't think having a son would change that. We would have a son named Ellie or Anna or, at best, Grayson."

"Grayson's actually a cute name." I smiled sadly. "Grayson Ryder." Fred cleared his throat. "Fine, Weasley Ryder."

He kissed me again. "You know it's not too late to adopt a kid, if you decide it's what you want." He drew me even closer. "Although you're going to be awfully busy trying to plan a wedding over the next few months."

I leaned up slightly. "What did you just say?"

"I said adoption is always an option if it's what you want because that's totally okay with me too and—"

"—No after that." I cut him off, punching him lightly on the shoulder.

"Oh I said you've got a wedding to plan, you know, because the wedding is August 5th."

I kissed him quickly. "We're getting married?" I exclaimed. "Oh my god, we're actually getting married."

"Wedding date set, talking about having kids—we've come a long way since engagement rings made out of burns and drinking in a tent." He beamed.

"I think that's what they call growing up."

~XC021~

A few months later

Ellie POV

I was getting to a point where being pregnant was extremely uncomfortable and everyone rushing around wasn't making my life any easier. The wedding was the following day and the house was a hectic mess of wedding preparations and things left over from the baby shower. I didn't move from my place by the kitchen counter, too pregnant to be bothered with walking around.

"You need to get up and help out." Charlotte grumbled, bustling in with her wedding folder.

"I don't see you forcing Gen to move." I nodded over to Magenta, Lauren and Albus who were gathered in the corner of the room.

"Gen is still recovering from a trauma, you're just pregnant."

I raised my eyebrows at her. "Just pregnant?"

George groaned and shot her an unimpressed look. "Oh you had to go there."

"Just pregnant? Being seven months pregnant is extremely uncomfortable."

"We know." George said gently. He pressed a kiss to my baby bump. "You're doing a good job."

Charlotte rolled her eyes at us. "I'm going to speak to Riz, she might actually help me with the wedding."

"Good luck with that." I called after her as she left the room. "Being lazy runs in the family."

~XC021~

Charlotte POV

I don't know what I was expecting when I walked around the white stone path to the courtyard but what I imagined would never have lived up to the real thing. Freya and Ellie had done an amazing job with the venue, little red flowers winding their way up the pillars and showering the ground with petals that turned gold on contact. Gold tinted pebbles line the path which opened out into a huge mosaic tiled courtyard. Red silk was strung from pillar to pillar, creating a canopy for the guests.

From my concealed position I could still see the guests finding their way to their seats and ahead of them, Fred and George standing at the other end of the aisle, laughing about something. Both of them were wearing black satin suits, Fred with a gold handkerchief tucked into his pocket and George with a red one. I smiled slightly to myself.

Standing in a corner with my dad were Freya, Ellie and Lauren—my three bridesmaids. Freya waved me over, gleaming in her floor-length crimson dress that had bands of gold running around the hip.

"I look huge." Ellie complained to Dad, rubbing her stomach like she was experiencing some sort of discomfort. "People are going to think that I'm the one who needs to get married."

Dad chuckled throatily, then saw me and beamed. "You look radiant, Charlotte."

"Thanks." I said, giving him a tight hug to stop myself from shaking with nervousness.

I hadn't seen my dad in years—he'd moved to Ireland when he divorced Mum and I'd never made much of an effort to keep in contact. He looked the same though, slightly round in the stomach, always grinning and a glint in his eyes that said he was up to no good. At first I hadn't been sure whether or not to invite him but seeing him and having him hold me and reassure me, made all of the awkwardness disappear.

"It's show-time." Freya whispered as the music began. She quickly kissed Dad on the cheek and shuffled into place. "Smile, Charlotte, you've been waiting for this day since you were seventeen years old."

All I couldn't think about whilst walking down the aisle was how attractive Fred looked. He was so handsome, with those green flecked cobalt blue eyes and light smattering of freckles along the bridge of his nose. And suddenly I was standing in front of him, smiling up at him slightly shy eyes.

"There are so many people." I mouthed. "I don't think I'm related to any of them."

"I think most of these people are here to see me. I am very handsome."

I covered my laugh with a cough. I was marrying Fred. I don't think there'll ever be a day when I forget how lucky I am.

Freya POV

Charlotte looked absolutely amazing in her wedding dress and it kind of made me regret that I didn't ever get married. She was wearing a figure hugging piece with a ruffled mermaid tail and slight detailing around the waist. Her hair was braided around the back and then gathered together in a cluster of dark ringlets. She had always been a pretty girl; she'd inherited a good balance of our grandmother's delicate features and our mother's sharp, angular bone structure.

Joreth returned to my side with a couple of drinks in his hand. He bent down to kiss me and then offered me the glass.

"This better not be alcoholic." I said, taking the glass.

"It's not, checked it myself." He took a sip of his own drink. "I'm surprised that Charlotte let me in."

"She loves me so she'll try to love you too. Plus she'll never hate you as much as she hates our mother."

"That's not very reassuring."

I took the drink from his hand and placed it next to mine on a table. I interlinked my fingers with his. "Dance?"

He pulled a face. "Do I have to?"

"You know you're allowed to have fun right? It's a wedding, enjoy yourself."

He pulled me closer in one swift movement, his hands grazing my lower back and then my hips. His lips moved against my neck, his right hand tickling my waist.

"Stop it." I giggled. "Stop it, Joreth, we're in public."

He traced kisses down my jawline and squeezed my body tight to his. "What?" He murmured between each touch. "I'm having fun."

Charlotte POV

I don't know why I felt so tired all of a sudden but it came on in one fast wave, almost as if there was some supernatural cause behind it. The world around me began to blur and my first thought was that I was losing control again but then I didn't feel my powers slipping like I had before. And then I saw the smoke, swirling along the ground and rising up in a way that was almost dizzying. I should have been choking on it, it should have hurt but it was too calming and peaceful. I had one last thought before I fell asleep: Riley.

Ellie POV

I had long since grown immune to Riley's powers so I spent a few hours waiting for Charlotte, Fred and George to wake up. All of the other wedding guests had deliriously left the venue, guided home by the smoke. Riley had told me how it worked; people would wake up with a hangover but wouldn't remember the smoke. I don't know how she managed to add hallucinogenic properties to her power but I didn't particularly want to question it.

Our conversation floated over and over in my head, the words wrapping around my mind. I tried not to think about what she had said; I didn't want to think about a decision like that on the night of my best friend's wedding. She had been so sure, so certain of our destinies, my destiny. She had changed everything, those few words, that whispered choice had thrown my entire life off course. No, it just redirected your life to where it was supposed to be. I gently touched my stomach, waiting for that familiar kick.

Maybe I was wrong, maybe I already knew my decision.

As Charlotte stirred, I felt a distinct and sharp pain in my stomach. I frowned. They couldn't possibly be contractions—it was too early for me to be going into labour. Charlotte was the first to sit up and then George and finally Fred. For a few moments they just looked confused and then they noticed me doubled up in pain.

"Are you okay?" Charlotte immediately sobered up and made her way towards me. "Are you having contractions?"

They were lasting too long to be contractions and the pain didn't feel the same as I remembered either. One minute there was just a little pain and then my stomach felt like it was on fire. A dizzy spell came over me and I stumbled forward slightly but George was already by my side, holding me up.

He looked down. "You're bleeding."

Tears began to stream down my face and suddenly I was crying hysterically, gasping for air. I was bleeding. I had changed into a pair of comfortable trousers and a large top to pass the time and now the trousers were stained with blood. I kept gulping, trying to get some air into my lungs, trying to alleviate the pain, trying and trying but never getting anywhere.

"They aren't contractions. They don't feel like contractions." I cried out. "It hurts."

I kept waiting for a kick, for just a little movement, something to let me know that they were both okay but nothing happened. This couldn't be happening to me, not so far into the pregnancy, not now. There was no movement. None. Earlier they had been kicking, that was the reason why I didn't do much dancing, they had been kicking like crazy but now there was nothing at all.

"George, there's too much blood." Charlotte whispered quietly. "We need to get her to hospital now."

There was another, sharp intense pain, more painful that the last and then a strange numbing sensation spreading across my brain. Everything started to blur into each other and a high pitched ringing started in my ears.

"My babies," I rasped, barely able to hear myself speak, "I think they're dead."

Cue dramatic music. What is wrong with Ellie? Will she be okay? And yes, I had to be cryptic about Riley's visit for reasons you will find out later.

Thank you to everyone who's read and reviewed and kept up with the story! I really hope you stay tuned for the final installment of the Flight of Fire Trilogy! Reign of Flame will be up soon! Until the next time:

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Ella Bells xx