"To love someone, when there is no chance of that love ever thriving, THAT
is romance."
**Epilogue: Forgive Me**
~Eight Years Later~
"Nealan!" shouted Duchess Keladry of Queenscove from the garden path.
"Nealan, put your sister down, right this instant!"
Grumbling, a seven-year-old boy with blond-brown hair and shattering green
eyes placed a four-year-old girl with blond hair and hazel eyes on the ground.
"Mama!" cried the little girl and ran to Kel, hiding behind her leg and peeking
out at Nealan.
"Are you all right, Amaris?" Kel asked of the little girl.
"Yeah," she sniffed. "Neal sleeps with the pigs!" she shouted around Kel's
leg and stuck her tongue out at her brother.
"What?!" shouted Nealan II of Queenscove. "Mother! Did you hear Amy?!"
"Amy, don't say that about your brother. Both of you go get washed up for
supper." Kel scoothed them both inside and glanced at her second husband,
who held their newest son Baird.
"Having troubles?" he asked.
"Travis, you have no idea. He was trying to dunk your daughter into the
pond out there!" Kel exclaimed, taking Baird from him.
The corners of Travis's mouth twitched. "Shame on him. You should put him
in his place, Kel. Neal might get out of control."
Kel swatted at him. "It's not funny," she huffed and walked off to the dining
hall. Although Kel didn't love Travis nearly as much as she loved Neal, she
loved the man just the same. At first, Kel had tried to care for the son Neal
gave her on her own, then Amaris had passed on and it became too much
for her. Travis had offered to come stay in Queenscove for awhile to help
out, all romantic inclinations aside, and Kel had agreed. Things became
easier and Kel found herself beginning to love Travis is a more than brotherly
way.
After the young Nealan's second birthday, Travis had asked Kel to marry him,
and she had accepted. A year later, Amaris was born, and after that, three
years later, Baird was born.
"Ma?" Nealan asked after supper, tugging on his mother's sleeve with an
embarrassed expression.
"Yes?" Kel replied, kneeling so that they were at eye level with one another.
Nealan tugged on his mother's arm and led her away from everyone else,
leaving Travis with Amy and Baird. "What's wrong, Neal?"
"Why am I '*Nealan* the second' and not 'Travis the second'?" he blurted.
His intense green eyes drilled holes in his mother's head.
"Come here," she said quietly, opening her arms. The child obeyed and Kel
scooped him up in her arms, carrying him down to the catacombs. "I was
married before Travis, darling. Not for very long, though."
"What happened?" he pressed.
"Hold your horses, Neal." She showed him Neal's plaque in the mausoleum.
"That's your father."
Nealan did some mental math and frowned. "He was only twenty-six when he
died..."
Kel nodded. "I was barely twenty-one. I loved your father with all my heart
and soul, and he loved me the same way. Your father died bravely, Nealan.
He fought till the very last moment to protect you and me, as well as the crown.
That's why there's a wing of the knights' quarters in Corus named after him."
A look of incredible determination came over Nealan's face. "Ma, can I be a
knight? Like him...like my father?"
"Of course, sweetheart. Of course."
~ The End ~
I know it's short, but it's done. I didn't want to spend too much time on an
epilogue, and uh, I kinda debated putting the whole Kel getting remarried thing
in there, but I decided that she probably would have, if just for the help. You
know? Anyway.
I finished this in my notebook at my best friend's house on June 3, 2002. I
still haven't uploaded chapter 27 (hahaha) yet, so you guys are far behind.
Well. I never thought I would see the day when Free Falling met its end. This
was my first Tamora Pierce fanfic. It took me about nine months to finish this...
but it's done. Hope you enjoyed. Ah, parting is such sweet sorrow...
I was going to put up a list of everyone who had reviewed, but my list of folks
that had reviewed mysteriously disappeared from my laptop. Um, so, I'll just
say this.
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS REVIEWED!!! I LOVE YOU ALL!
is romance."
**Epilogue: Forgive Me**
~Eight Years Later~
"Nealan!" shouted Duchess Keladry of Queenscove from the garden path.
"Nealan, put your sister down, right this instant!"
Grumbling, a seven-year-old boy with blond-brown hair and shattering green
eyes placed a four-year-old girl with blond hair and hazel eyes on the ground.
"Mama!" cried the little girl and ran to Kel, hiding behind her leg and peeking
out at Nealan.
"Are you all right, Amaris?" Kel asked of the little girl.
"Yeah," she sniffed. "Neal sleeps with the pigs!" she shouted around Kel's
leg and stuck her tongue out at her brother.
"What?!" shouted Nealan II of Queenscove. "Mother! Did you hear Amy?!"
"Amy, don't say that about your brother. Both of you go get washed up for
supper." Kel scoothed them both inside and glanced at her second husband,
who held their newest son Baird.
"Having troubles?" he asked.
"Travis, you have no idea. He was trying to dunk your daughter into the
pond out there!" Kel exclaimed, taking Baird from him.
The corners of Travis's mouth twitched. "Shame on him. You should put him
in his place, Kel. Neal might get out of control."
Kel swatted at him. "It's not funny," she huffed and walked off to the dining
hall. Although Kel didn't love Travis nearly as much as she loved Neal, she
loved the man just the same. At first, Kel had tried to care for the son Neal
gave her on her own, then Amaris had passed on and it became too much
for her. Travis had offered to come stay in Queenscove for awhile to help
out, all romantic inclinations aside, and Kel had agreed. Things became
easier and Kel found herself beginning to love Travis is a more than brotherly
way.
After the young Nealan's second birthday, Travis had asked Kel to marry him,
and she had accepted. A year later, Amaris was born, and after that, three
years later, Baird was born.
"Ma?" Nealan asked after supper, tugging on his mother's sleeve with an
embarrassed expression.
"Yes?" Kel replied, kneeling so that they were at eye level with one another.
Nealan tugged on his mother's arm and led her away from everyone else,
leaving Travis with Amy and Baird. "What's wrong, Neal?"
"Why am I '*Nealan* the second' and not 'Travis the second'?" he blurted.
His intense green eyes drilled holes in his mother's head.
"Come here," she said quietly, opening her arms. The child obeyed and Kel
scooped him up in her arms, carrying him down to the catacombs. "I was
married before Travis, darling. Not for very long, though."
"What happened?" he pressed.
"Hold your horses, Neal." She showed him Neal's plaque in the mausoleum.
"That's your father."
Nealan did some mental math and frowned. "He was only twenty-six when he
died..."
Kel nodded. "I was barely twenty-one. I loved your father with all my heart
and soul, and he loved me the same way. Your father died bravely, Nealan.
He fought till the very last moment to protect you and me, as well as the crown.
That's why there's a wing of the knights' quarters in Corus named after him."
A look of incredible determination came over Nealan's face. "Ma, can I be a
knight? Like him...like my father?"
"Of course, sweetheart. Of course."
~ The End ~
I know it's short, but it's done. I didn't want to spend too much time on an
epilogue, and uh, I kinda debated putting the whole Kel getting remarried thing
in there, but I decided that she probably would have, if just for the help. You
know? Anyway.
I finished this in my notebook at my best friend's house on June 3, 2002. I
still haven't uploaded chapter 27 (hahaha) yet, so you guys are far behind.
Well. I never thought I would see the day when Free Falling met its end. This
was my first Tamora Pierce fanfic. It took me about nine months to finish this...
but it's done. Hope you enjoyed. Ah, parting is such sweet sorrow...
I was going to put up a list of everyone who had reviewed, but my list of folks
that had reviewed mysteriously disappeared from my laptop. Um, so, I'll just
say this.
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS REVIEWED!!! I LOVE YOU ALL!
