Queen's Own: So here, to all you folks out there, is the epilogue for Legacy. Some of this is probably unexpected- but hey did you really expect her to marry a guy she met at fourteen if she can choose? Not do disillusion anyone, but even I am not romantic enough to think I'm going to marry my eighth grade crush/boyfriend. Come on people. I think I might write a chap in which she meets Alanna's kids but this one was finished first and that one might be an after thought. Maybe, I don't know.
Disclaimer: I don't anything you recognize from anywhere other than the previous chapters of this fic.
Siri: It's been a fun road, guys! I'm going to miss you!
Vira: Come read my fic now! It's called Being His, and then there's a sequel called Being Mine.
Epilogue
Caterin sighed, laying her head against the wall. Her head hurt after a long day of dealing with young children and their father, who was not much better. Her husband, Norrin, knocked softly before entering their bedroom.
"Cat?" he asked quietly. She didn't bother turning her head.
"Are they asleep?" she asked. He laughed and came to sit next to her. She shifted slightly so that she was leaning against him. Strong arms wrapped around her waist to rest on her slightly bulging stomach.
"If I had known the children would have this effect on you," Norrin teased. "I would have held off on a third." Cat snorted.
"As I recall," she said. "We had decided to only have two. That, however, was until we visited Mother." Norrin coughed to hide a laugh. The Lioness had taken one look at Caterin's two small boys and had demanded of her daughter where the third girl was.
"I certainly hope this one's a girl," he said seriously. "I'd hate to have to inform your mother that we needed to try again." Cat smacked him lightly.
"Lucky Aly," she said teasingly. "She doesn't have to put up with this from Nawat, considering they already had a girl. But it's not enough to have five granddaughters- Mother needs at least one from everyone." She sighed dramatically. "I gave up fighting her on anything when I was fourteen. Especially on those rare occasions when she and Father agree."
"Your parents are a force to be reckoned with," Norrin said solemnly. "But I guess that's what you get from people like them." Cat laughed.
"If this is what we say about my parents," she teased. "I'd hate to see what our children will someday say of their parents. Or worse, what we say about your parents." Norrin groaned.
"Don't remind me!" His mother ruled their family with a tight fist. Norrin was deathly afraid of her, and every time they got together, she and Cat managed to get into some fight or another, most due to the fact that her precious son had married a bastard. Never mind that the match had earned the King Jonathan's blessing as well as Emperor Kaddar- no this girl could not be good enough for her eldest son.
"Speaking of your parents," Norrin said, shifting slightly to pull a crumpled letter out of his pocket. "We got a letter from Tortall today." Cat took the letter from him and exclaimed in delight at the Teldran seal on the back.
"It's from Laur," she said immediately, without opening the letter. "The handwriting's too messy to be Damyin." Norrin laughed softly as his wife opened the letter and scanned it. Her smile grew wider with every passing line.
"This is too perfect," she said with a sigh, putting the letter down.
"Dare I ask?" Norrin said, shifting his arms around her.
"Lianne's getting married in ten months time," Cat said with a smile. "To Kalem of the Sunset Dragon tribe. He's a Bazhir which is causing quite an uproar, though if I can guess Father's reasoning, it's because Kalem's going to become the Voice and he wants to keep it tied to the Tortallan throne. It's actually a fairly good move politically, if a controversial one."
"Personally?" Norrin asked, sounding concerned. He'd met the youngest princess on a few occasions and he liked her.
"I don't think she got as lucky as we did," Cat said, giving him a soft smile. "But I don't think she expected that. Laur thinks she likes him though, and he's apparently quite nice. I think she'll be fine."
"Are we invited?" Norrin asked.
"Of course," Cat said. "I am her half-sister after all. It's the perfect time to go too. The baby will have been born by then- we can take her home to meet the family. And Damien's expecting his second and Laur just had her first –a girl. I've met the heir but Princess Shinkokami is going to be expecting a spare by then I think. Everyone's going to be coming in for this wedding- possibly even Aly and Nawat."
Norrin laughed softly and kissed her cheek. "You don't need to tell me- of course we're going. Your mother will never forgive us if she can't meet this granddaughter after all." Cat smiled.
"The healer confirmed it today," she said, rubbing her bulging belly. "It's a girl. Four moons, Norrin. We'll have a daughter." Her eyes sparkled with happiness and love.
"A spoiled baby girl," he said, interlacing their fingers. "Your mother will be thrilled."
Ten months later found Caterin standing expectantly on the ship's foredeck. She lifted her middle boy (at two years of age still a toddler), Aryon, to see the approaching docks of Port Caynn. Daire (three years) clung to her skirt, his thumb in his mouth. Shielding her eyes, she could see a small welcoming party at the dock. A smile spread across her face.
"Cat!" Laur's voice rang across the harbor as sailors scurried around trying to anchor the ship. Cat restrained herself from running down to greet her friend. Taking Daire's hand and balancing Aryon on her hip, she walked down to the main deck. Norrin met her there, holding baby Macaria in his arms. The two walked down the gangplank together as servants bustled about behind them to get their luggage off the ship.
Laur embraced Caterin enthusiastically, taking care not to squash Aryon. After being prompted by his mother, Aryon too embraced his dimly remembered godmother. Daire smiled shyly at the half remembered woman who scooped him up before embracing Norrin.
"How are you?" she asked. "What's her name? She's adorable." Norrin smiled.
"We've been fine," he replied. Cat shifted Aryon in her arms. "The baby's Macaria and she's not nearly as adorable when she's bawling. She's only six moons."
"The Lioness will be thrilled," Laur said.
"You look good," Cat said, looking appraisingly at her friend. There was only a slight bulge under her gown to indicate her pregnancy. Then again, Laur was tall. "One wasn't enough for you? Goddess, I at least waited a little while. You'll have your hands full with two. How far along are you?"
"Seven months," Laur said, blushing slightly as she accepted their congratulations. "I know it doesn't look it."
"You're tall," Cat said, waving off the worry in her voice. "Tall women rarely show pregnancy much." Laur smiled and resettled Daire on her hip.
"I can't wait," she said quietly, a soft smile on her face. Cat hid a smile- she had seen much the same look on Kalasin's face when she was pregnant. "Even now that I know all the crying and work to follow." Cat laughed lightly as Laur led the family down to the carriage awaiting them, the Crown seal on one side. The three adults kept up a steady wave of talk the whole ride to Corus, interspersed with the occasional scolding for the two boys and Macaria's inevitable cries. They arrived in Corus by the end of the day, travel weary and happy.
The Lioness was indeed overjoyed to see her granddaughter. Norrin and Caterin found her out of their hands and in the care of her doting grandmother for much of their visit, something that both pleased and annoyed them. The celebrations and politics surrounding Lianne's wedding soon kept both too busy to be anything but thankful. Caterin moved effortlessly among the many factions of the Tortallan court, dropping comments in some of the more conservative ears. Some of the more liberal nobles found themselves soothed in part due to her efforts towards keeping fights from breaking out between especially the younger courtiers.
Norrin watched in admiration as his wife moved gracefully from one group of arguing nobles to the next, placating and supporting. Even after three children, Cat was as gorgeous as ever. She had regained her figure quickly after Macaria's birth and though lines had begun developing at the corners of her eyes, they were of the kind that indicated she smiled often and easily. They served only to age her beauty, not diminish it. No white marred her hair and her eyes were as young as ever.
When he expressed his thoughts, she merely smiled and kissed him lightly. "It's you, lover," she said affectionately. "You're no old man yourself. Between you and the children, you keep me plenty young."
The children were enjoying Corus quite as much as their parents. The boys found playmates in Aly and Nawat's eldest –a girl-, as well as Damyin and his wife Kamila's older boy. The heir, Macaria and Laur's boy were often found in the same corner, all held by adoring grandmothers, aunts and various other female relations. A mob of aunts, uncles, godparents, grandparents and friends also kissed, hugged and cooed over the three children. Cat shook her head as she realized how spoiled the children would be when they returned to Carthak.
On the other hand, it gave her and Norrin some much desired time alone, time that they really hadn't had much of since their last visit to Tortall. Norrin decided sharing his wife with every noble in Tortall who needed her advice was still less demanding than sharing her with three small children and the politics of Kaddar's court.
And yet, despite everything, despite all the demands on them, despite the pressure, they were more in love than most couples in the Carthaki court, and for that matter, the Tortallan court. Caterin smiled fondly up at her husband, as they watched Lianne and Kalem's wedding go off without a hitch. She leaned into his shoulder, looking around at friends and family. Lianne looked incredible in her white lace dress, a contrast to Kalem looking resplendent in deep red and gold. Aryon, Daire and Macaria were sitting nearby. She could see Laur and her husband sitting with their arms around each other a few seats away. Her mother was amusing Macaria quietly. Her father and Thayet were standing beside Lianne, holding hands and smiling softly. Damien shot a smile at her from across the room when he met her eyes.
Life had smiled on her. The Gods had looked kindly on her and the ones she loved. For a bastard, she had done pretty well for herself. She had loved and was loved. And surrounded by the ones she loved, she could only sigh and rest her head on her husband's shoulder, pulling her middle son into her lap. Fate had served her well thus far. She could only hope it would keep doing so. At least for now, the future looked bright.
Jonathan of Conte, King of Tortall
A Biography by Karilyn of Dunlath
p. 527
Caterin of Conte was the illegitimate daughter of King Jonathan and Alanna of Pirate's Swoop and Olau, the King's Champion, better known as the Lioness. Born in Port Caynn, she was raised by Coram and Rispah of Trebond until her fourteenth birthday. Informed of her parentage upon that day, she came to Corus to claim her inheritance and her identity. Jonathan was not aware of her existence and her presence caused a considerable amount of uproar amongst the court. Caterin took her mother's fief of Pirate's Swoop, as is customary and eased into court life with little backlash after the initial reaction.
Two years after her arrival to Corus, when she was sixteen, Caterin of Pirate's Swoop joined the Queen's Ladies, and became one of Queen Thayet's personal ladies. Laur of Teldran, one of Caterin's closest friends then and for many years after, joined a year later. The two remained with Thayet the Peerless until Kalasin of Conte, Caterin's younger half-sister, left for Carthak to marry Kaddar Iliniat. Caterin went with her as one of three young, unmarried women of Tortallan nobility accompanying the princess. Once in Carthak, Caterin met Norrin Temiat, a young Carthaki nobleman two years her senior. They courted and were married a year and a half later.
Caterin remained in Carthak for the rest of her life. She kept in close contact with both of her parents until their deaths. Letters were also often exchanged with Damien and Laur of Teldran, and Veralidaine Sarrasri as well as her childhood foster parents, Rispah and Coram of Trebond and their children. Damien and Laur both visited Carthak on a few occasions, and Caterin often went back to Tortall to visit both her relatives and friends.
Her last visit to Tortall was with Kalasin Iliniat some years later to attend the funeral of Jonathan IV and the coronation of her half-brother, Roald. His death was after those of Queen Thayet and the Lioness. Following her father's death, Caterin remained in Carthak, managing her husband's properties and making both of them quite wealthy.
Norrin died three years before she did. In her last three years of life, she returned to Tortall and lived at the palace. She died in her sleep at the age of 73. Her four children –three boys and a girl- went on to become a Carthaki lord, the ambassador from Carthak to the Yamani Isles, an influential lord on King Jasson II's council, and a Tortallan knight.
Queen's Own: So that's the end of the road. Much love to all, and I will miss your feedback and advice. Wind to thy wings! -Becca and Siri