A/N: Here it is. The epilogue. I feel both excited and depressed. Please read the massive long AN I'm going to write after this chapter, it might be important. Well, it's important to me, anyway. Thank you so, so, so much. Please review one more time *sob*. Thanks for reading!
4 Years Later
"I'm back! And exhausted!" Aurelia crashed through the front door of hers and Dorrien's rooms, dropping a pile of newly-acquired books on the floor. Now twenty-three and a wife and mother, she still looked nineteen and probably always would.
"Mummy!" a small, dark whirlwind in the form of three-and-a-half year old Melody appeared, flying towards her mother. Melody looked nothing like Aurelia. She had Dannyl's dark Kyralian roots, rather than Aurelia's fair Elyne features, and was a small, adorably plump child. However, she had definitely inherited Aurelia's temperament – she had already charmed Lorkin, now almost five, into believing that he was in love with her – and sometimes there was a sparkle in her eyes and a curve to her rosebud lips that they all recognised well.
"Hey, Mellie!" Aurelia grabbed her daughter up into her arms and gave her a smack of a kiss on those sweet rosy cheeks, "Have you been good for Do today?"
"'Course" replied little Melody, looking rather offended, "When will Lorkin be here?"
"Soon. Why don't you go and get all your toys ready to play with?" Aurelia had spotted her husband over the top of Melody's pretty dark head, and was, as always, eager to talk to him. In the last four years, there was rarely a day when they'd spent more than a couple of hours apart. Today, the day she had started her lessons again, had been almost scary without his reassuring presence.
Melody dashed off, and Aurelia at once moved towards Dorrien, smiling, and flung her arms around him in a fierce embrace.
"Was it that awful?" Dorrien chuckled, breaking the hug to look anxiously at his wife. Aurelia rolled her eyes.
"Yes! I'd forgotten how hard the lessons are! I have so many books...and I'd forgotten too how taking notes gives you hand cramp. I'm so tired" she slumped wearily against his shoulder, and Dorrien stroked her heavenly hair comfortingly.
"That's a pity" Dorrien replied forlornly, "We have guests, in case you hadn't forgotten, all coming here to celebrate you returning to your lessons. And I had a celebration of my own planned later"
"Oh, did you?" Aurelia face lit up with interest, "Oh, I'm sure I can summon up enough strength to enjoy that..."
Dorrien laughed loudly, "I bet you can"
Aurelia traced his lips lingeringly with her fingertips, "So what have you got planned?"
"You'll just have to wait and see"
"Aurelia! How did it go?" Rothen burst in, towing Lorkin by the hand, bright and jovial. Aurelia and Dorrien moved away from each other sharply, Aurelia blushing slightly. Rothen didn't seemed to have noticed, and neither had Sonea, who was hovering just behind. Lorkin ran over to Aurelia and Dorrien.
"Hello, Aunt Aurelia!" he greeted happily, "Hello, Uncle Dorrien! Is Mellie in her room?"
"She is. But I warn you, she's only got girly toys. You'll probably get bored" Aurelia cautioned amusement in her voice.
"I never get bored with Mellie!" Lorkin protested, looking scandalised by the suggestion. They all laughed, and, looking embarrassed, Lorkin rushed off to Mellie's room, where they heard her greet him with enthusiasm.
"Have a seat" Dorrien gestured to a circle of armchairs and Sonea and Rothen both sat down. Calculating that there wouldn't be enough chairs for them all when Dannyl and Tayend arrived, Aurelia perched on Dorrien's lap instead.
"It went okay" she shrugged, answering Rothen's earlier question, "It was tiring"
"We wouldn't have come if we'd known!" Rothen cried sympathetically, taking a glass of wine, "It's such a shame I can't take your classes anymore. Still, you'll have all the help you can get, what with Dannyl and I masters of Alchemy, Sonea and Dorrien into Healing and your friend Elle a Warrior"
"Poor Elle. She's still the only girl" Aurelia laughed, "Still, her latest boyfriend finds that very attractive"
Rothen, Sonea and Dorrien all laughed. Aurelia turned to look at Sonea, her eyes glittering with mischief and a smirk on her lips.
"Speaking of boyfriends..." she began, trying not to giggle, "How's Osen, Sonea?"
Sonea threw one of Aurelia's favourite cushions, almost knocking Aurelia's wine out of her hand, "We're not officially together, Aurelia. We're friends"
Aurelia snorted, "If you say so. Oh, come here" she stood up from her seat and grabbed Sonea by the arm, drawing her into a corner while Rothen and Dorrien carried on talking, "Now tell me everything. I tell you everything"
"Sometimes you tell me too much. I couldn't look at Dorrien for weeks after you told me how you spent your three-year anniversary" Sonea shuddered, "And anyhow, there's nothing to tell"
"There is! You've been up to something. Oh! Oh my goodness! Did you – Ooh, you did, didn't you?" Aurelia was getting rather shrill and excited by this time. Sonea looked puzzled.
"What did I do?"
"You've slept with Osen!" Aurelia hissed eagerly, her eyes wide, "You did, didn't you? You hadn't meant for it to happen and it just...it just did. That's so romantic"
"You're getting a bit carried away! I never said that we did!" Sonea protested, but she was blushing.
"Oh, I can tell. Now, I have to know – how did he compare?"
"To what? To who?"
"To Akkarin, of course!"
"Aurelia, that's a disgusting question. Akkarin was your Uncle, remember? Surely you can't want to know..." Sonea trailed off, now too horrified for words. Aurelia's eyes were still twinkling, and she was full-blown grinning by now.
"Of course I want to know. Tell. Now"
"He didn't compare, alright? I mean, it was nice...it was lovely - wait, remind me why I'm telling you this?"
"Because I am your friend. Because you love me. Now, carry on"
"He was the first man I've been with since Akkarin died, so yes, it was...nice. But he's no Akkarin" Sonea was now rather getting in to this conversation, "I do like him though, even if it isn't the same. But it never could be the same. He's my second best, and now that's all I've got left. It's the best I'm going to get"
"That doesn't sound like you're too keen on him" Aurelia replied doubtfully. Sonea smiled slightly.
"I think I could grow to love him. In time. Not the same way I loved Akkarin, but a different way. A...calmer way. Do you see what I mean?"
"Of course I do" Aurelia squeezed Sonea's arm, "I think we should sit down now. Rothen keeps looking over, and Dorrien too. I think Dorrien's talking about me"
Sonea looked amused, "And do you mind that he's talking about you?"
Aurelia giggled, "No! I love it!"
They both giggled and sat down again, Aurelia resuming her seat on Dorrien's knee. The door thudded open and Dannyl and Tayend burst in, in one of Tayend's regular flamboyant entrances.
An excited voice came from one of the bedrooms.
"Is that my Daddy? Daddy!"
And Melody appeared. She saw her father as often as he and Aurelia could arrange it, but it still wasn't enough for Melody, who, although she adored her mother, had from the beginning been a Daddy's girl. Dannyl let out a loud whoop of delight.
"Mellie!" and swung her round in the air. She shrieked with laughter.
"You'll make her si-ick" sang out Aurelia, sweeping over to kiss Dannyl's cheeks and exchange an awkward smile with Tayend, "Hello, Tayend. Hey, Dannyl"
"Aurelia" Dannyl kissed her cheek in return, "Has my brat been good?"
"As always" Aurelia replied fondly, ruffling Melody's curls, "Good, and still looking nothing like me"
"We can only hope that she grows into it" said Dannyl sympathetically, making Aurelia smile.
"Mellie, are you going to let Daddy go at any point?" she prompted sternly, "So that he and Tay can sit down?"
"Fine" Melody pouted, but obediently slid down to the floor, "Me and Lorkin are playing with my new toys, Daddy. Do you want to come and see them?"
"Of course" Dannyl allowed her to take his hand and pull him along, but turned back to grin at Tayend, "Keep the seat warm"
"Of course" Tayend echoed, smiling. He took some wine from Dorrien and flopped into a chair.
"How are you, Tayend?" asked Rothen. They had all found it difficult to get along with Tayend at first, but once his fun, spirited and exuberant side came out, they had begun to found it easier. Relations were still strained between him and Aurelia, but that was to be expected – they were at least civil to one another.
"Being driven mad by Dannyl's latest chunk of research. He's writing a book now, you wouldn't believe the mess our poor house is in, and he's driving me to distraction, he really is. But other than that, I'm well"
"Good, I'm glad to hear it" Rothen replied cheerfully, "And you know what Dannyl's like. He'll give up soon enough. Just like that converter he started to invent"
"I do hope so" Tayend's gaze fell on Aurelia and Dorrien, who were smiling at each other, "Are you two planning to have a sprog any time soon?" he asked nosily.
Sonea and Rothen leaned forward instinctively. They had wondered for a long time, but hadn't wanted to ask. They should have known that Tayend – dear, lovable, blunt Tayend – would ask for them.
Aurelia and Sonea exchanged a glance.
"Oh, yes" replied Dorrien, "We want a large family"
Aurelia nodded fervently, "But I have two and a half years of study left to complete. There's no point in us trying for children until after I've finished and graduated"
Tayend tilted his head to one side, considering, "I'm surprised you haven't fallen pregnant yet"
"Hasn't Dannyl told you? We have our own ways of...controlling...things" Dorrien explained, slightly awkwardly. Tayend laughed to see his embarrassment.
"Oh, sorry, I'd forgotten! I didn't mean to be rude"
"Yes you did" said Aurelia with a little smile, "That's why we all like you so much"
Tayend mock-bowed, "I'm flattered"
They grinned at each other, a rare occurrence, which Dannyl emerged from Melody's room just in time to see. He smiled delightedly. He loved to see the signs of them all repairing themselves after such a long time.
Many hours passed. A lot of wine was drunk. Dannyl grew emotional over how he would one day have to see Mellie married. Tayend kissed him a lot. Rothen got the giggles, which turned out to be contagious. Dorrien began to wish more and more that he was alone with Aurelia.
Aurelia and Dannyl put Melody to bed together, which Melody loved. Aurelia left Dannyl alone with his daughter for a little while after she had gone to sleep. She saw him plant a tender kiss on the little girl's forehead and felt glad, not for the first time, that she had been able to give him a child. It would have been a waste if he had never been a father.
Finally, they all departed. Dannyl and Tayend promised to be back within the week. And Aurelia and Dorrien were left alone.
"Now you're drunk as well as tired" Dorrien pointed out as he wrapped his arms around Aurelia, "Maybe we should leave our celebration for another night"
"Certainly not!" Aurelia protested indignantly, "We're going to bed, right now. And in the morning I'm going to be even more tired!"