Epilogue

"All right, that ends today's class. Do not forget to finish your persuasive paper that is due tomorrow. And this time, please proofread them. I don't think I can stand to read another simple spelling error." Mabrey pinpointed Lendil from the mismatched group. He clicked his beak nervously. Enanatuma giggled and patted his hand. "Have a good rest of the day." The class hurriedly shuffled out, an outbreak of sound following them. Mabrey sighed and collapsed on her seat. She glared at the piece of deer slathered in mustard she usually never liked but just now had intense cravings for. Mabrey sighed and ate it. Why did it have to taste so good? She detested mustard!

For the past eight years, she had been teaching goblin and elf children in a school erected for such an integrated purpose. The treaty terms were determined the day after Mabrey and Marak were married. It ran similar to United States schooling. A child started classes from kindergarten and ended with high school. If they so wished it, which the children were pressured to do, they could continue to the other college structure designed specifically for the older generation.

This configuration benefitted both species. The elves gained goblin knowledge and, rarely, goblin magic. The goblins were then able to associate with female elves, so instead of stealing the desperately frantic creatures into a deep dank cavern, they simply courted them in a gentlemanly manner. Lately, male elves had taken an interest in female goblins. Marak, though he was a lenient goblin King, could not have any of that.

Mabrey, at first, had tried to teach the younger children. She enjoyed watching goblin and elf children interact, yet as her knowledge of goblin and elf history grew, so did her desire to learn more. Thus, teaching elementary students no longer suited her. She was beginning her first term as a high school sophomore history teacher, while juggling the rest of her college career, when she found out from Charm that she was pregnant.

"Excuse me?" Mabrey gurgled into her morning coffee. She put the drink down and pushed it far away. "I'm what, now?"

"You are with child, King'sss Wife. More than you will ever know…" The golden snake affirmed. The snake was currently coiling her body around Mabrey's pale fingers. Mabrey wiggled her fingers, still in slight shock. "I sssuggest ssstaying away from sssuch drinksss…" A golden snout gestured towards the coffee, and Mabrey nodded in agreement.

"T-Thank you for telling me, Charm. You're wonderful." The snake swiftly became paint once more in its version of being embarrassed. Mabrey, in turn, held her stomach. She told Marak afterwards and he later explained to her that he tried hard not to lift her up and swing her around.

"A son already! My little cat carrying a kit! I'll be a father!" Marak spoke in mismatched sentences. He kissed Mabrey many times that night.

Soon, a little goblin boy was born. Mabrey heard tales about how mothers would cry at the sights of their sons. Beth had done so a mere two years or so before, yet if Mabrey even wanted to cry, she would not have. This boy was not ugly at all. He was too handsome for words. Nothing could have described the state of his beauty. Marak assumed that there was so much elf and human blood running through the child's veins, the goblin attributes were simply kicked out. Yet that did not mean the boy was not unique in his own way.

The boy's hair was a mixture of black and brown silky strands that fell straight. The tips of his ears were pointed, and his bright yellow-green slit eyes slanted like an elf's. Sharp teeth were already in the boy's tiny mouth. He wriggled in his mother's arms, pouting. As Mabrey watched her son, she noticed something amiss with his skin. It took a few moments, but then she saw. His skin was that of a cool silver metal. It would seem that if one were to merely touch the boy, he or she would be shocked by how cold it is. Yet, the child in Mabrey's arms was of a comfortable warm temperature. In fact, he was too warm, just like his father.

"What name will we call him?" Mabrey cooed softly. Marak rubbed his wife's back, thinking.

"Silverskin. Marak Silverskin would do the trick."

Six years have passed since then. Mabrey blinked her eyes, trying to dispense the memories. She needed to pick up her son from his kindergarten class. She gathered her supplies, listing her own homework for her master's degree class. It was her last year until she could move forward onto a doctorate's, and it had been long hard work. She passed by the high school hallway, progressing slowly to junior high school, until at last she was approaching the classroom her son attended. Mabrey was just in time. Silverskin scrambled out. He was always the first to dart away from his lessons.

"Mommy, mommy, I learned some stuff. You wanna know what it is?" The boy tugged on his mother's jeans. She smiled and swooped him up into a bear hug. He faked choking sounds until she relented and placed him on the ground, safe and sound.

"I had a history class and I found out that goblins used to live somewhere else! Have you been there before? It was H…Hal something." Mabrey covered a laugh and kissed her son on the head. He produced a disgusted sound in return. Tiny silver hands rubbed at the spot he where he was kissed, tussling his shoulder length multicolored hair.

"It was called Hallow Hill. I was there only once, but I never was able to see the inside of the old tunnels. From what I have read, it was almost as beautiful as our home now." By now, Silverskin had lost interest. Mabrey rolled her eyes and took the boy's hand in hers. "Come now. Time to visit Daddy." Silverskin quickly brightened at this.

Mother and child strolled out into the night. Stars blazed overhead, lighting their way. As they walked, Lendil's group of children, which now included eight-year-old Sasha, Tellun, and Humut-tabal (Lord No Star and Katherine's three-year-old son), stopped by to chat. They parted after a couple of minutes. Mabrey noted that they were now entering the goblin only study area, or the parts that turned into caves. Because goblins mostly practice goblin magic and elves tend to only use their own gift, the students learned how to control their abilities to each of their own territory. This preserved the page status goblins have used for centuries, which pleased some of the older subjects.

"Daddy's in court again, so we might have to wait to spend time with him."

"Court is boring," Silverskin moaned. Mabrey saw him roll his eyes. It was unnerving to see your trait being used by another.

"You will have to get used to it, since you will lead court as a Marak one day." Silverskin fiercely shook his head, tears already forming at the sides of his eyes.

"No! I really really really don't wanna be a Marak! Anyway, Daddy is Marak. Why do I have to be one?"

"Don't let Daddy hear you say that. He'll have a heart attack, and then you'll have no choice but to start ruling." The boy covered his mouth instantly. Mabrey smiled. That should do it for now.

All frolic and play died away when Mabrey felt an intense pulling in her stomach. She clutched her belly, releasing her child's hand to kneel down in pain. Sweat snaked around her forehead and her breathing turned labored.

"Mommy? Are you okay? Should I get Shamus? Or Mr. No Star?"

Mabrey shook her head in pain.

"No, kitten. Shamus is spending time with Inanna, and Lord No Star is attending to his son. Don't worry, kitten, I'll be fine." To show her nonexistent pain, which was the opposite of what she felt, stood and reclaimed his hand. Silverskin relaxed. The woman bit her tongue to keep from screaming out in pain, which seemed slightly familiar to her. She searched her mind, running through anything that resembled her inward ache. The only occurrence that faintly matched to this hurt was…but that couldn't possibly be. No…

"Come on, Silverskin. We have to hurry." When the small family reached the door, Mabrey had no time to play.

"Oh, it's you. I do not know why I was put up again if the Kings keep removing the door spell on their wives."

"Open up or I'll turn you to rust." Mabrey growled through gritted teeth. After the door swung open, grumbling while doing so, she rushed to Silverskin's chambers, instructed him to stay there, told the guards to watch over her son, and staggered over to the medic's ward to confirm something she already knew was true.

"So, Marak," Mabrey started. She watched as her husband crawled into bed next to her. He wrapped his long arms around her shoulders and kissed her cheek. She cuddled into his embrace, closing her eyes. Mabrey almost forgot what she had wanted to say. Marak always did that to her.

"Yes?" Oh, did he have to sound that way? Mabrey gathered up her courage, slightly trembling in his arms. Marak pulled her closer, sensing her growing fear. "What is it?"

"You know how goblin Kings can only have one son, right?"

"Of course. The Fathers of our races created the goblin King to produce only one heir to prevent fighting over the crown, and I grew up being drilled with my own father telling me that I must be strong and love my wife well to create an even greater King than I." He turned to face his wife and kissed her softly on the lips. "And I do love my wife, but that is not what you were worried about, was it?"

"No, it wasn't…well, what I wanted to know was…was if we can only have one male child, then why am I pregnant with a girl?"

Marak's jaw dropped, and as if to prove the unbelievable truth, Charms sprung from Mabrey's right hand.

"Out of all the King'sss Wivesss I have protected, thisss Mabrey isss the first to have ever carried the goblin King'sss Daughter."

The End

Thank you all for reading!