A/N: Part of this a lot of you have seen coming. Hopefully some of it still takes at least a few of you off guard. Let me know in the reviews!
Disclaimer: I am not John Flanagan.
Epilogue: Liam and Talia
Liam brushed his horse rhythmically as he watched Talia make dinner. He'd been given a mission a week ago and Talia just happened to be in the area looking for her next project. She more or less made her living working with the Ranger Corps and Battalion though she never formally joined or even pledged allegiance to Araluen. She claimed she had nowhere to go other than Hibernia but, like Liam, she thought it was time to distance herself from Scout and Caitlyn. Those two were in Hibernia making new lives for themselves and didn't need anyone to interfere.
"How many missions have we been on together the past few years?" Liam asked. Talia didn't even look up at him.
"Sixteen," she replied a little too quickly. Liam put the grooming supplies away and joined her by the fire. He stared at the flames as she settled inches away from him. At times like this things were awkward. He couldn't quite place his feelings for Talia. He thought of her as more than a friend but not in a sisterly way. He didn't want to admit the feelings could be romantic. It felt too much like betraying Lina, whom he had loved more than anything. She'd inspired him to betray everything he knew to lead his peers into an uncertain future and given him two daughters he was proud of. He was finally able to think about his late wife without breaking down. Now he even smiled when she crossed his thoughts, which was often. Somehow when he worked he could feel her there telling him he was doing the right thing.
But then there was Talia, who really was right there with him. He'd known her for years as nothing more than Lina's Charmer friend. He was male and as such he'd definitely noticed how beautiful she was, but it had never floored him the way it did other men such as the fathers of Kane and Russ. She had other good qualities aside from just her beauty but he'd never taken much notice of them because Lina outshined them. Talia had always been a friend. When she'd first offered to accompany him on a mission he hadn't thought anything of it and neither had she. They were simply people working to achieve a goal.
"I feel like I'm betraying Lina," Talia whispered. Liam nodded.
"Me as well," he said. "It's odd. When we were in our teens and twenties we were both so prepared to lose each other one way or another. It was just how things were going to be, right?"
"Right," Talia agreed. "Academy mindset."
"But…I didn't lose her until after I got out of that."
"When you weren't ready," Talia said for him. "I wasn't either."
Liam played with his oak leaf that marked him a Ranger. It had never felt right to be in the Corps but he'd done it because he felt right being with Lina and she wanted to be in Araluen. Now his daughters were in Hibernia making their own lives for themselves and he simply didn't have anything better to do.
Liam and Talia completed their mission a week later. They rode back towards Redmont where Liam fully expected for them to go through the usual routine. He'd check back in at the castle before returning to his cabin and she'd collect whatever fee she'd been promised and be on her way.
"Do you want to come stay the night?" Liam asked after they did just that. Talia raised an eyebrow as she dropped her coins into a purse. "It's going to rain."
"Sure," Talia finally said. They made the short trip back to his cabin. He tended both their horses while she went to start something for dinner. They'd just sat down to eat when there was a knock on the door. Liam opened it and stepped aside feeling somewhat surprised to see Gilan and Lady Evie from the Battalion's Council.
"We were hoping you'd be here," Lady Evie said to Talia.
"Why?" Talia asked warily.
"I've noticed you've been restless, Liam," Gilan said, ignoring the women. "You're tired of being in Araluen. At the last Gathering more than one came up to me saying they suspected you were looking to leave our ranks."
"You think I'd abandon my duties without proper notice?" Liam asked, slightly offended. Surely Gilan had come to know him well enough to know that wasn't in his nature.
"The fact you consider leaving is what bothers me. I don't want to lose a good man because he feels lost. I have a new position for you."
Liam raised an eyebrow as Gilan nodded over to Talia.
"You two make a good team."
"We trained together," Talia replied evenly.
"Liam, we want you to become a Ranger Liaison," Gilan said. "And Talia, we want you to formally enlist with the Battalion so that we can officially send you as Liam's partner."
"I wouldn't join the Battalion when Lina asked me. What makes you think you asking changes my answer?" Talia asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Because the placement is in Nihon-Ja. You two speak their language better than anyone else we have on hand that's suited for the positions and because of the distance Horace wants two of our own there. It'd also be a sign of respect to Emperor Koru if it could be you two."
Liam shared a glance with Talia. It seemed unusual. Ever since Liam returned and was introduced to the idea of a liaison he'd been waiting for an assignment to that branch. It just made the most sense. He wasn't Araluen and with Lina gone and his daughters grown he didn't feel need to stay there. As a liaison he could relocate to a place where he could start over and ultimately have a new life.
"So you want us to go to Nihon-Ja to stay?" Talia asked.
"Yes," Lady Evie answered. "Be liaisons for Araluen there."
"You understand we're Hibernian?"
"With all due respect on that side of things, Liam has been serving Araluen for over two decades now and you haven't claimed loyalty to a country in the same span of time."
"She has a point," Liam sighed. "I accept. When do I leave?"
"One month, but your duties as one of the Redmont Rangers end immediately. We wanted you to have time to make a trip to see your daughters if needed," Gilan answered. Liam nodded.
"Thank you."
"Talia?" Lady Evie asked.
"I accept as well."
"Good. You can leave and report in to Emperor Koru as soon as you're ready."
"This is a five year assignment," Gilan added. "I'd really suggest going to Hibernia before Nihon-Ja. You'll only be at the Gathering every five years. Aside from that you'll be in Nihon-Ja."
Liam nodded. "We'll leave immediately."
Three weeks later
Liam and Talia made their way to where Sean had told them Scout would be. She had drawn a short straw between Kineta and Elizabet and had been doomed to spend her afternoon entertaining princesses from an allied kingdom. Luckily entertaining two teenage girls wasn't too difficult for a Charmer and Talia had already come up with the perfect cover. Carissa, her new lady-in-waiting, was in there with her and part of that cover relied on Carissa's improv skills. Talia was going to pose as a distant cousin so that the princesses would assume she was worthy of entertaining them and in the process send Scout off on an imaginary errand. Carissa would be the selling point. She'd have to think on her feet to convince the princesses that Talia was indeed a member of the family. Luckily Carissa had spent most of her service with Rosalina who presented such challenges at least twice a day whereas Kelly had served Scout who was much too straightforward for games.
Liam waited outside listening through the door as Talia did what she did best; lie and look pretty. He smiled once he heard Scout agree and walk towards the door. Carissa was doing an amazing job, using the title 'Baroness Talia' without skipping a beat. Once Scout was in the hallway she hugged her father tightly.
"What's that all about?" Scout asked as she followed him.
"I've committed five years to being a Ranger Liaison in Nihon-Ja. I came to say goodbye to you, Caitlyn, and Mason."
"Kate and Mason are at the Academy."
"We'd better get going then."
Caitlyn had already graduated from the general training at the Academy but the direction her life had taken required she stay a little longer for specialty training. The constant physical weariness in her first few months there had turned every ounce of fat into muscle and once it toned out she found her energy returned twice over and felt invincible. No wonder her parents had always been so keen on fitness.
But that wasn't the path she'd decided to take. Once her body was in peak condition she found the training relaxing. Her mind felt free to seriously consider her options and, while running course after course, that's what she did. She kept coming back to watching every member of her family at death's door because of poison. Her father had been nicked by a Genovesan's arrow and stayed in the Castle Araluen medical wing under Master Jonathan himself for a week before coming home to sleep off the last of it. Caitlyn had huddled with Scout in a nook near the medical wing while William and Kane stood with their ears pressed to the wall nearby relaying what little information they could hear. She remembered being roused in the middle of the night to ride to Redmont Castle where her mother had been brought by a Battalion apprentice with a nasty wound that had been exposed to poison and waiting breathlessly, praying she'd last the night. Then there was Scout and her rotsmoss scratch most recently.
Each and every time she'd been terrified and each and every time she'd been helpless. Caitlyn wasn't training to be a healer like Gabby, no. She studied poisons. What made them and where to find such ingredients, which had mild effects and which had severe effects, which were most soluble in water versus alcohol, and most importantly the antidotes to each and every one. Her mentor, an older man called Thomas, had declared her one of his best apprentices. She'd found a way to properly mass produce monte, a poison that wouldn't kill anyone but pending on the dosage in relation to size of the victim would leave said victim debilitated for hours. Healers used it to speed up the body ridding contents from its stomach. Once Caitlyn found a way to create kits of the stuff soldiers could use it to win battles with less blood.
Mason had returned to the Academy after learning everything Daniel had to teach him. He still put off taking his Ranger exams claiming he still had more to learn. Mason studied a wide array of subjects at the Academy ranging from Hibernian court protocol to weapons training.
Once Liam and Scout reached the Academy it was easy to have Caitlyn and Mason pulled out. After a short reunion Liam explained his new Nihon-Ja placement in greater detail. The three of them nodded quietly as he spoke and each wished him good luck with the promise to write. They had dinner together before Liam and Scout rode back to Roscrea. Goodbyes this time weren't as hard as others. Liam hated to admit how grown up the three were as he and Talia boarded the next ship out of Hibernia and back to Araluen.
"Perhaps you should say goodbye to your family," Liam suggested. Talia nodded.
Once back in Araluen, he and Talia made their way to Kane and Gabby's apartment. Kane had received a promotion within the Royal Scout ranks that upgraded him to a larger apartment with more benefits. Now a maid came to clean up after the family twice a week and dinner was delivered to their door every evening. Even though the space was larger the layout of furniture hadn't changed much. Gabby's blindness was a constant they dealt with by keeping everything in perfect order.
Talia knocked lightly on the door after Liam faded to give her privacy. She could hear the family inside. It was opened by a not-quite-grown boy with curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes.
"Hi Talia," the boy said as he stood aside so she could come in. "Mum, Talia's here."
Gabby rested her hands on the chair in front of her at the table where she'd just ladled out and arranged five bowls of soup. "This is unexpected," Gabby said. She was still wearing her physician's uniform. Even her hair was still tied back by a scarf. "Would you like some dinner? Kane will be home soon."
"Thank you," Talia said as she hung her cloak on a peg by the door. She crossed the room to Gabby though her eyes stayed on the boy who had opened the door. He walked back to the rug in front of the fire and lay on his stomach in the floor where an open book lay. Two smaller children, a boy and a girl, sat near him playing a clapping game. Holt and Robin had the same blonde hair and blue eyes. The three could easily be siblings though Russ was actually uncle to the other two. That didn't matter. The three played with and taunted one another as siblings. Russ's history had been explained to him little by little until he was almost fully enlightened on his ninth birthday. Every birthday after that Kane and Gabby would go into his bedroom at night after Holt fell asleep and would ask him if he wanted to know his birthmother. So far he'd told them no. Talia suspected he'd already figured it out on his own and didn't feel need to make it official by Kane and Gabby voicing it.
"Should we be worried?" Gabby asked softly when she felt Talia was near.
"No," Talia replied. "I just have some news to tell you all when Kane gets here. It isn't good or bad…it's just news."
"News tends to be good or bad."
"Don't worry," Talia assured her. She lay her hand on Gabby's shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. "How is everyone since last I checked in?"
Gabby wiped her hands on her apron before sitting down in one of the chairs. Talia sat as well. "Robin can count to fifty and Holt has gotten his first bow. Russ's tutor has found him someone to practice Nihon-Ja with. The ambassador's family has finally joined him here and the daughter is his age. She's helping him with Nihon-Ja and he's helping her with Araluen."
"Fifty!" Robin squealed as she ran to climb into Talia's lap. "One, two, three, four, five, six…"
The door opened and Kane came inside. He put his cloak on its peg before noticing Talia sitting with his daughter counting in her lap. "Hello," he said.
"Twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen…"
"Talia has news for us," Gabby told him. He walked over and kissed her before sitting down. Talia couldn't help smiling when she was around Kane's family. He'd grown up to have everything she'd wanted him to have. His children, all three of them, thought he was invincible and begged him to read them stories and take them to the woods to play. Gabby kept his ego in check while loving him unconditionally. He treasured her deeply. Talia had never known love like they had but was glad they had it. It was more than she'd ever had for herself.
"Boys, get over here. Talia's going to tell us something as soon as your sister's done counting," Kane ordered. The boys obeyed almost immediately. They raced and had a short squabble over who got the 'best' chair. Whatever made them think that particular chair was the best the adults had no idea.
"Forty-one, forty-two, forty-three…"
Kane settled the argument by picking up both boys by their shirt collars and setting each in a different seat.
"Forty-nine, fifty!"
Kane lifted Robin out of Talia's lap. He kissed his daughter's cheek as he himself sat in the 'best' chair. He scooted it closer to Gabby and settled Robin on his knee.
"I'm going to Nihon-Ja to act as a liaison for Araluen," Talia told them. "Evie and Gilan asked Liam and me to spend five years there."
"Russ is learning Nihon-Ja," Holt said after a pause. Kane had made sure his children received the best tutoring he could manage. Russ and Holt studied alongside Prince Reese, but Holt wasn't quite yet old enough to learn in depth about geography. Robin was still too young to begin tutoring, but Frey and Rosalina had promised she could join their daughter Iris when the time came. Luckily all of their children lined up with someone in the royal family close enough to be on the same track of learning. For now Iris and Robin joined Rosalina's Hibernian lady-in-waiting Kelly for lessons in basic manners and other princess-like behavior every morning and afternoon.
"You speak Nihon-Ja?" Russ asked. Talia nodded.
"Not as well as you do, I'm sure."
"Can I come visit you?"
Talia glanced over to Kane. Kane glanced to Gabby. Concern creased over the blind healer's forehead. Talia was sure it was more over Russ traveling so far away than the fact she'd be on the other end of that voyage. It was times like this Talia was glad Gabby was his mother over her. At his age Talia had been making long trips and she would have likely said yes without considering the dangers of such a journey. Gabby had more realistic expectations.
"We'll see," Kane told Russ.
After dinner Talia helped Gabby put Holt and Robin to bed while Kane and Russ cleaned up. Russ went to bed after reading a chapter of his book aloud to everyone. Talia no longer felt drawn to Russ the way she had once been. She didn't feel like his mother. Gabby was his mother. That was just how things were. She cared about him but what she felt for the boy was only slightly different than what she felt for Holt and Robin.
"Five years is a long time," Kane told Talia as he settled in a chair holding Gabby in his lap. Talia sat opposite of them closer to the fire. She knew what he was getting at. She hadn't committed to anything longer than a few months since tracking down Victor Eula.
"I know," Talia replied, "But it isn't like I'll be tied to one place once there. It's something new."
"And it's with Liam," Gabby pointed out. Talia bit her tongue. Nothing got past Gabby.
"Is there anything we should know about?" Kane asked seriously. Talia shook her head in disbelief.
"Does everyone know?"
"No," Gabby assured her. "Everyone knows about Ace and Kelly. They're more interesting than you and Liam."
"Gabby sensed something was going on last time she treated Liam in the medical wing," Kane explained. "We've kept it between us. We figured you'd tell us when the time came."
"There isn't anything going on as of now. He's a close friend just as he's always been," Talia insisted. "It's not as though I've been pining after him all these years. He and Lina…"
"We don't think that at all," Gabby assured her. "But Lina's been gone for a while, and you're both lonely."
"We wouldn't think less of you if you were closer with him in Nihon-Ja," Kane said. "And if you want my opinion I don't think Scout or Kate would mind either. They're fond of you, and they don't like seeing their father alone."
Talia nodded, unable to fight her grin. "I'll keep that in mind."
One year later
Liam tied the Nihon-Ja Senshi robe around his waist and secured all his Ranger weapons. Living in Nihon-Ja had been much different than living in Araluen. Despite numerous trips to the country he'd never really adopted the lifestyle so wholly. Koru proved to be an excellent host as were his wife and daughter.
He turned as the paper door slid open to reveal Talia dressed just as Nihon-Ja women. Her skin had tanned almost to their olive shade but her silver-streaked blonde hair and blue eyes gave her away. A lotus-jade comb secured her hair. It reminded him of something Lina used to wear. The more time he spent with Talia in Nihon-Ja the more she reminded him of Lina. The two women were completely different but still so much the same. He was finally seeing what Lina saw in her. Talia, underneath her stunning natural beauty, was witty and tactful. Her basic understanding of their language intensified to fluent their first month there and she slipped into their traditions seamlessly.
"Ready?" she asked.
"Ready," he answered. They walked to the foyer where the palace welcomed newcomers. This was where guests were given sandals to wear indoors and robes to change into after soaking in the warm baths. The particular guests they were greeting though weren't really guests.
"Yudai-san, big day for you and Kawa," Koru said as he joined them. He used their Nihon-Ja names. Yudai, his Academy name, had Nihon-Ja roots by coincidence. He was somewhat relieved for the opportunity to rebuild it into something good. Kawa was the name Shigeru had given Talia so many years ago when she was taken captive alongside the Hibernian royal family and then rescued. She'd given birth to Russ in Nihon-Ja.
"You don't have to remind me." Liam tried to chuckle but his stomach felt knotted up.
"It is good timing," Sun assured him. Sun had studied the Araluen language as diligently as Liam's daughters had studied Nihon-Ja. Her words carried a heavy accent but overall were much more fluid than her father's. "She will enjoy our winter activities and then travel with us to Hibernia for your eldest daughter's wedding."
Liam gave up smiling. He frowned. "Don't remind me of that either."
"Getting married is part of growing up," Talia said with a grin. "Embrace it."
"I'm the father I don't have to embrace anything."
"Here we are," Koru announced with a clap of his hands. They stopped in front of an older Nihon-Ja woman wearing a blue kimono. The woman stood with her hands on the shoulders of a young Nihon-Ja girl dressed in a plain brown dress that fell only to her knees, and not by design. It was simply too small for her. The little girl had to be around ten years of age and looked up at them with fearful eyes. The two females bowed low at the waist. Koru, Sun, Liam, and Talia bowed back to them.
"Jin, meet Emperor Koru, Princess Sun, Ranger Yudai, and Lady Kawa," the older woman said in Nihon-Ja. Jin bowed low again.
Talia stepped forward and straightened the girl up. "You bow to them," she told her as she gestured to Koru and Sun. "Not to us."
"Do I call you Mother?" Jin asked. Talia nodded.
"If you wish."
Liam and Talia had married six months ago in a quiet ceremony. It just so happened Scout was in the country for Sun's official recognition as Koru's future successor with Mason as one of her body guards. They carried a letter from Caitlyn explaining she was on the brink of something big in her studies and couldn't make it but wished them the best. Liam had written them and Talia had written Kane asking for their blessing to marry. Each and every one gave it. Koru officiated their ceremony while Scout, Warden, Carissa, Mason, and their young Araluen hitchhiker Russ acted as witnesses. They'd honored Lina by her Nihon-Ja name Amarante. As part of the traditional Nihon-Ja ceremony they had to choose an ancestor to watch over their marriage. In Nihon-Ja, an ancestor could be anyone who had died, and while they didn't believe in ghosts it felt right to name Lina when that part of the ceremony came up. Neither knew their real families and one major reason they went through with the marriage was the belief Lina would want them to be there for each other. Liam accepted that his love for Talia was nothing like his love for Lina, and Talia accepted that she wasn't 'stealing' Liam from her best friend.
Now, six months and many discussions later, they'd decided to adopt an orphan. So much in their lives had centered on adoptions, official and unofficial, and at their ages it was the only way they could have a child together. They agreed they couldn't handle a baby. Talia had bad luck with babies and Liam couldn't imagine going through what he'd been through with Scout again, spending long sleepless nights trying to coax a baby to suck milk from a cloth. They visited the orphanage as often as possible until they felt drawn to Jin, a quiet older girl who was among the least likely to be adopted.
Had she stayed she would have been married off when she was fourteen or fifteen to someone who may or may not treat her properly. Jin was too bright to simply become some man's young wife. She painted beautiful scenes onto stretched cloth when she scraped up enough supplies and could read and write, skills most girls in Nihon-Ja did not have. Liam and Talia planned to teach her confidence in addition to the Araluen language, perhaps Gaelic, and self-defense. Her life no longer depended on her ability to get a man to marry her.
"We will let you get better acquainted," Sun said after bowing to the older woman one last time. "We will see you tomorrow, Yudai and Kawa."
Liam and Talia led Jin to their rooms in the palace. The rice paper walls were thin and when a light was lit they could see shadows from room to room, but they'd gotten used to that.
"This is your room," Talia said as she slid open the door to what used to be Liam's office. They'd moved his Araluen-style desk to their bedroom and set up the space as best they could for a ten year old girl. They'd managed to get Araluen-style furniture in their own bedroom and an Araluen-style table for meals, but for Jin they acquired a traditional Nihon-Ja style mat on the floor and cushions to kneel down on.
"All this?" Jin asked with shock. Talia nodded. Jin walked over to the Nihon-Ja style desk and fell to her knees. She systematically opened jar after jar and touched the feathered quills one by one. They'd stocked her desk with paints, ink, and rice paper. Jin picked up one of the books on the shelf above the desk and flipped it open. She stared at the Araluen words with confusion before turning to the page to look at a picture.
"We'd like for you to learn Araluen. That book is something my other daughters, your sisters, had when they were young," Liam told her. "It'll help you learn."
"Thank you. Thank you both so very much." Jin set the book aside and, while still on her knees, bowed again.
"Don't bow to us," Talia insisted. "You are Nihon-Ja, but we are Hibernian…Araluen…westerners. We don't bow to our parents."
"You'll get to meet the rest of your new family in a few months when we all travel with Emperor Koru and Princess Sun to Hibernia for Scout's wedding," Liam told her. "Scout's Nihon-Ja name is Takara."
"Takara?" Jin repeated with wide eyes as she rose back to her feet. "Takara is famous."
"Apparently more famous than us," Talia laughed.
"Takara's father is Yudai," Jin went on.
"I don't care for that name anymore," Liam told her.
"I thought your wife…Amarante…"
"She died a long time ago. Talia is my second wife," Liam explained. "Amarante is watching over our marriage. We both honor her."
Jin smiled. She started to bow but stopped herself. "What do I do?"
"This," Talia said. She hugged the girl tightly. Jin seemed taken back by the sudden lack of personal space, but in the end wrapped both of her arms around Talia.
"Thank you, Mother Kawa," she said. "I want to honor Mother Amarante too. How can I do this?"
"By learning Araluen and taking her daughters as your sisters," Talia answered, "Their names are Scout and Caitlyn. They learned Nihon-Ja as a way to honor Amarante. You can learn Araluen to mirror that."
Jin nodded. "I will study hard," she vowed.