Chapter 37 - Epilogue

Allura stood quietly atop the canyon wall. The dry breeze of the arid landscaping brought with it the smell of smoke, sulfur and iron. The wisps of hair framing her face rustled in the toxic breeze. Her eyes skimmed the landscape below; the heart of the gorge.

Twisted metal warped in the dim, occluded sunlight. Pockets of fire burned unchecked, weapons were scattered and strewn about, some still sheathed within cooling, broken bodies. Crimson painted the canyon walls, sundered armor, tool and souls littering the brutal aftermath. Shattered wood, crushed masonry and burning fields flickered in the peripheral.

Her expression remained impassive as her eyes scoured the landscape. No sign of life resonated, but she hadn't expected to find any.

A gust of wind carrying new dust and the scent of decay caused her to shield her eyes with her palm.

The queen knew he was there the moment he joined her. He stood behind her, quietly gazing out over the merciless destruction spread before her field of view.

Neither spoke at first.

"Why are you here," his question fell from his lips, reverberating off the silent cemetery of war.

"You found me," she murmured, finding herself to be both surprised and not at the same instant; a decidedly dichotomist feeling. Allura hesitated a moment before answering his question. "I wanted to know what happened," she whispered back, turning to face the projection of her father. Alfor nodded once, coming to stand beside her.

"Alair was…" He trailed off, struggling to find the correct word for the brutal king.

"Shattered," she murmured. When he glanced down to her curiously, she continued. "Only a shattered man could do this. Even King Zarkon never reached this point, at least… he hasn't yet. He is still… sane."

Silence descended once more and her eyes returned to the desecration.

"Have you met Alair in a memory yet?"

Allura only shook her head, but she stilled, glancing back to him as a thought occurred to her.

"Would he even know me? I was not yet alive at the time of these memories."

Alfor shrugged.

"To be honest, I do not know. We are… bound to that time in which we existed," he said carefully. "But we are also bound to the relic. We can move freely among them – in the same way you are present now in a time that came and went long before you ever took your first breath. Those of us with our sanity, we can understand what we see. We can understand the presence of a stranger among us, we still know that time moves on behind us, and that more are still to come. However, in his case, his mind may be so clouded that he would not understand that."

Allura pondered the information.

"So… theoretically, your grandchild could meet you someday?" She cast him a look out of the corner of her eye.

Alfor stared at her, openly studying her with disbelief.

"Daughter, are you…"

She blushed, pressing her palms over her flat stomach, a soft laugh leaving her lips.

"No, I do not believe so. But… with peace settling around us like a mantle, I cannot imagine it would be much longer before it's a very real possibility. We haven't spoken much of it, but I think that it might be what Lotor would want, as well. If not, so be it, but the possibility is far more present than it ever was before. I… never wanted to bring a child into the violent battlefield I grew up upon."

Her father turned his gaze back to the carnage ahead, stunned by the odd juxtaposition of speaking of new life on the edge of what was arguably the bloodiest and darkest day of Arus' history.

"I never wanted you to grow up on it, either," he murmured. "I had hoped that I could clear the animosity before you were old enough to understand what you saw. …In that regard, I failed you."

Allura blinked, but Alfor returned to her question before she could protest.

"In theory, yes. However… you would have to be gone from your existence first. The relic would have had to pass to the child and have bound itself to them in your wake. Don't forget – you were not able to meet me here until you shattered my sword," he cautioned, looking down to her palms still on her abdomen, the ring glowing blue.

"True," she conceded.

"But, when that day comes – I pray not for a very, very long time – it is possible. Moreover, it will be a way for you to still speak with them, as well, as you will someday join me here."

"That's really not such a terrible end," she mused softly. "But… would I still have Lotor? I mean… everyone here is a descendant of the relic."

"This is only one plane, Daughter. I am only lost to the physical realm, but I have access to so many others. I see your mother in her afterlife," he said. "I can travel between those realms, and you will, as well. Think of this place as a gateway. Once both you and your beloved have left the corporeal reality, your connection becomes infinite. It is… the gift we are given by the heart of Arus for our enduring loyalty."

"It's a beautiful and priceless one," she murmured.

"As we surrender everything we have in life to protect our people – we are handed it all back when the torch passes and our watch ends," he murmured.

He smiled genuinely at her, the familiar crinkle in the corner of his eyes warming her heart.

"The only delicate part of the travel is maintaining communication with the living. The relic is the only key. Either in my sword, bound to your realm; or in your ring, able to bring you here. It is the vessel for that. Does that answer suit you, or have I burdened you with more questions?"

Allura nodded, taking a moment to realize that her ring was a vehicle between Life and Afterlife. While still entwined with her father, he had stayed. Bound to her, she traveled. A smile curled at her lips before an explosion in the battlefield before them drew her back to the reason for her visit.

"How did… Alair become so… wrong?"

"Hard to say. Shortly after Queen Alena's assassination, King Arol ruled in her place for only a few short years before he fell ill."

Allura blinked, stunned.

"Queen Alena… was assassinated?"

The relic flashed brightly on her hand, the blue light nearly blinding. Both Alfor and Allura regarded it curiously before it subsided.

"It would appear that Alena sends her regards," he mused softly, almost to himself. "Your great-grandmother," he began, pausing to divert to history. "She and Arol were married extremely young, it was more of an arranged marriage at the time. You are the first born-queen since her time – that is, the one born to wield the relic. Queen Aurora was a queen in the same way King Lotor is a king. They are Guardians of Arus, yes, but they were not meant to carry the same burden that you do. That I did," he added for clarity, before returning to the story of his grandparents. "They grew to love each other with time, but it took them years. She was… fire and brimstone unleashed. Willful, indomitable. Stubborn. Almost too brave – she took many risks.…It feels cruel that she was killed in her sleep, but perhaps that was the only way it could be done."

"Who did it?" She stared at her father who could only shrug helplessly in response.

"It is unknown."

Allura turned away from him and gently made her way down the embankment into the canyon. Cliffside dwellings smoldered in the ruins and she paused, staring down in horror at the burnt bodies of Drule farmers; men, women, and children.

Alfor paused behind her.

"It is said that this was the day that clouded over Planet Doom's atmosphere permanently." He raised his eyes to the sky – thick clouds had formed from the smoke rising from the flames. "I do not know if that is true, but it certainly did feel marginally brighter before. Perhaps it was the weight of the innocent souls that blackened their horizon."

"We did this. Arus did this," Allura whispered brokenly. The village was completely torn apart. What appeared to be a rural agricultural community – as best that could exist on the hostile planet – was burned to ash, the civilians slaughtered. She raised her eyes to the ridgeline, an older – yet still recognizable – Castle Doom glittered in the distance, the alarm sirens still sounding and the mourning bells tolling.

"Alair… from a very young age… sought strength. He believed the only way to have it was through power and force," he explained somberly. "By the time he was four, he wanted to rule. He demanded absolute obedience from the staff. Alena and Arol tried to control him, but as he grew into a young man, he began overpowering his parents. …Sometimes physically."

Allura frowned, stepping around the shattered lives of the thousands of Drules.

"Did Alair… kill his parents?"

"That… is what is suspected, but there is no evidence either way," he said gently. "It is… interesting that Arol passed away so quickly after Alena. The circumstances surrounding his illness are vague at best. The doctor that tended to the king was… well, he vanished shortly after the funeral."

"To be completely honest," he added darkly. "Historic recounts don't always know who was lost first – Arol or Alena, as it happened so quickly. I am only able to tell you this due to the relic bond between myself, Alair and Alena." Allura could only nod in response. She recalled her texts had been vague on the succession line predating her grandfather.

"So there was no one left for the throne but Alair… And he claimed the relic and his place as a born-king," she murmured, finishing the story.

"Fueling by his lethal nature, the energy - the heart - of Arus became an ax that would later decapitate thousands. Alair, King of the Siege," he explained, causing Allura to touch the ring on her finger warily. "I went to great measures to purge the darkness from our family name. I saw what kind of man my father was, and I wanted that to end with him. To burn with him," he explained, looking to the sky. "I thought there could be a better way. Less violence, less murder, less… sacrifice," he tossed a sad look down to the corpse of a young mother clutching an infant to her chest desperately.

"What he gained from all this, I do not know," he murmured. "But I wanted no part of it. I wanted better for me. Better for Arus. …Better for you. Something brighter, I wanted to teach you what I had learned the hard way. Science, medicine, health… I wanted Arus to be known for healing and restoring, not… destruction."

"You could have done so much more if only Zarkon hadn't…" she trailed off.

"I don't fault him for it. Look at what my father had done to his people," he gestured to the surrounding graveyard.

"But you were already working to change that. You weren't like Alair!" Her rage bubbled up as she glared at her father.

"No," he said simply. "But he did not know me."

"But he should have been able to see your actions and judge you separately from him! He's a monster!"

A moment of silence passed between father and daughter before Alfor spoke again, the faintest hint of a smile curling at his lips.

"Just like you judged Prince Lotor separately from his father before you truly got to know him?"

Allura's eye widened as her fury vanished, her palm pressing over her mouth in shock.

"By the Stars, you're right… I… I did assume him to be the same..."

"It takes substantial courage to set aside a violent history. The safest thing to do is assume someone will be your enemy – then they can never betray you. You, my daughter, have the spark to resist that lure. You had moments where you could have followed the same path as everyone else. You could have ended Zarkon's life and perpetuated the bloodshed. You could have handed Lotor to the Alliance for execution. …You did neither."

The late king's eyes twinkled with pride as he studied her intently.

"Handing him over for execution just… it felt horrible, I couldn't do it! And… Lotor is the one who talked the sense back into me with the Alliance. I… I was so angry with both Zarkon and the Admiral," she admitted.

"Anger is powerful. You must not stifle it, but neither must you let it control you. In a haze of hate, fury or fear, we make those decisions without logic or concern for the future. The man you've now taken for your husband appears to be a perfect foil for you."

"We… complement each other, it seems. More than I would have ever guessed. Where I tend to overreact, he can be logical… and the reverse seems true. He understands the finer points of war, whereas I think I see diplomacy better," she said softly with a blush.

"That is an indication that the partnership will endure indefinitely, but," he touched her shoulder, catching her attention. "Do not dwell so much on the past. You have firmly declared your place and presence in this galaxy and its bitter politics. You have already broken the cycle of trading lives and spilling blood. When given the opportunity to return the lethal favor he paid me, you rose above it. Continue to look forward, not back. You will find nothing but sorrow behind you, but you have endless hope before you."

She nodded with resolution before turning one more look around the horrendous aftermath of war surrounding them.

"It cannot ever be undone, nor should it ever be. Too much was learned from it, if only to bring you to this very moment," he advised gently.

With another sage smile, the king's projection faded out, leaving Allura surrounded by ghosts of her predecessors' pasts.

"I suppose it is time to leave this where it lies," she murmured. She stretched her arms over her head and closed her eyes, focusing on waking her body up.

"My dear?"

Allura rolled over into the warmth next to her, feeling the strong arms of her husband surge around her. She blinked up at him lazily, tucking into his bare chest, grounding her mind back in her present. She exhaled deeply, enjoying the sound of his heartbeat under her ear.

"I'm here," she murmured.

His hand dusted lightly through her hair and down her bare back.

"Where else would you be?"

She tilted her head up to look at him, studying the contours of his features intently. A peculiar sense of déjà vu struck her. Luxurious sheets and cozy blankets draped over her and Lotor's hips as the two lay intertwined on the bed, a raised fireplace crackling in the background.

"A distant land that doesn't exist anymore, a past long gone but never forgotten," she mused vacantly, reaching up to brush her fingers across his cheekbone. In a familiar gesture, she tucked his hair behind his ear lightly, eliciting a shudder from the man beneath her. With soft curiosity, her fingers drifted down to his lower lip. The king released a shaky exhale at her gentle touch. His hand tightened on her bare hip and his lips parted without warning, nipping playfully at her digit.

She giggled and blushed crimson, allowing him to toy with her fingertips in an entirely explicit manner. She withdrew her hand from his face before pressing up against his chest. She hovered over him before replacing her fingers with her own lips.

He eagerly returned the affection, one hand rubbing slow, promising circles on her hip while the other slid leisurely up her ribs and shoulders to cup the back of her head, lacing his fingers through her hair.

She pulled back briefly to catch her breath, leaving mere centimeters between them.

"It's raining," Lotor said quietly.

"It rained our first night here," she replied.

He leaned up and quickly retook her lips with more fervor than before, thrusting his tongue past and claiming her mouth completely. Allura whimpered against him, snaking her arms around his shoulders. With easy strength, the king's arms wound around Allura's lithe body, easily lifting her up from the bed while keeping the blankets wrapped around them.

He never broke his claim as he deftly carried his wife to the living quarters of the chalet. Easing them down on the sofa, Lotor removed his lips from hers only to ensure she was still wrapped snugly in the fabric from the bed chambers.

"See?" He pressed his cheek against hers, guiding her face to look to the front door and the large, circular window around it.

Lightning strikes in the distance lit up the Charin night as rain poured on the ground and pelted against the glass.

Allura's lips curled into a smile as she snuggled closer to her husband for warmth. Again.

"I think I like storms," she said softly.

"They certainly suit you," he murmured in reply.

The two sat entangled with each other and the softness of blankets, the only adornments on their bodies were their wedding bands and Allura's relic. The infinite darkness around them was punctuated only by the lightning strikes outside, the halo of cooling coals in the fireplace, and the striking blue glow of her ring as Allura leaned closer, tucked her head under his chin and drew one arm up his back to hold his shoulder, the other remaining curled around his abdomen.

The unlikely dyad that had fueled and forged an impossible alliance, restructured the galaxy and spawned a new epoch of stability, was simply content to watch the rain fall outside, enjoying the peace and quiet of their own personal universe, humbled by their own designs.

"I love you," Allura murmured in perfect Drulish.

A shiver rolled through the man beside her, his own arms protective and tight around her still.

"I do not think I will ever tire of hearing you say that," he replied against her, nuzzling his lips against the top of her head. Allura exhaled deeply against him.

"That's good, I don't think I shall ever stop."

A moment passed between them, their hearts beating at the same tempo, curled into each other as if nothing else mattered.

"I have always loved you," he murmured quietly. He paused as a bolt of lightning licked the landscape outside. "And I always will."

Holy SHIT it's finished. 165k+ words, 36 chapters + epilogue... it's finished. (More or less - Because I'm inherently masochistic, my brain has already started threading together ideas for a sequel, stars help me.) So yes, I'm quite pleased with this! I will periodically be revisiting earlier chapters and rewriting them, mostly to clear up grammar and phrasing, nothing plot-related. It's taken me nearly 20 months to write this, and my writing style has changed over the course of the project.

So thank you, thank you for reading this all the way through, and as always, I welcome feedback!