EPILOGUE

Of course, it wasn't quite that simple. Eska didn't magically get completely better from one positive experience…that would have been ridiculous. It took months before she fully felt like herself again, but she was finally on the right track. She swallowed her pride and hired a nurse, which helped somewhat. And Akna was there as well to talk her through her low points.

As for Mother…she didn't exactly grow to love Kinalik, but she did learn to tolerate her. Eska even allowed them to spend some time together under supervision. A better person may have been able to forgive Mother. Eska couldn't do that, but over time they reached a détente of sorts.

Eska and Desna maintained a somewhat tenuous grasp on power. Eventually, the scandal of Kinalik's birth died down, and things returned to their normal state. The courtiers hadn't found a way to oust them…yet.

Affairs were sufficiently stable to allow the twins to make a trip to Republic City for the coronation of that idiotic prince. And there, Eska and Bolin encountered each other for the first time in over three years.

He seemed to have moved on well. He had a new girlfriend (he denied this, but Eska knew he had a thing for powerful women). There were so much that Eska wanted to tell him. Kinalik was now nearly two and a half years old, and in all honesty had turned out to physically resemble Bolin much more than she did Eska. She definitely had her fits of temper now and then, but was a sweet child overall, and referred to both Eska and Desna as "Mama". Although Kinalik had inherited Eska's difficulties, she was very intelligent and worked hard at her speech therapy. Eska knew Bolin would have been proud of her.

Or Eska could have arranged a tryst with him. They could have met in some deserted room when everyone else was asleep. Eska was sure they would have had no problems this time, and that both of them would have found it pleasurable. She would have been sure to use contraception, since she could not afford another pregnancy right now. And then maybe Bolin would have decided that he wanted to move back north with them so they could be a family.

Yes, she could have done many things. But she ended up doing none of them. Perhaps, at some point in the future, they would meet again and their fates would be more aligned. Until then, she had to let him live his life in peace.