VERY IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR READERS! PLEASE READ!
I WILL be closing my poll for my next story idea next week. If you still haven't vote, please go over and do so now! So far, Memory Loss/Familiar Yet Foreign is winning! :D
*sniff* This is it guys...*sniff* This is the end...*sniff* of my story! *bawls* Omg! *cries* I didn't *sniff* think I could *sob* finish this! But I did!
ANOTHER VERY VERY VERY IMPORTANT NOTICE! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE READ!
I will be making a drabble series for this! :D:D:D:D YAY! It's not completely over (to many stories have yet to be told in my opinion)! I will upload a A/N when it is first uploaded (which will be pretty soon actually, I've already got a couple ideas in mind :D) Thanks everyone for contributing to this story! I don't think I would have finished it without all of your support!
Well...for the last time for Lost History...I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Guardians.
Epilogue:
"Do you remember much of her?" I asked, crossing my legs and sitting next to Jack.
I could feel cold, melted slush start to seep into my shorts, but I didn't pay it much attention as I gazed at the engraved stone. Mooning from the darkening sky shone on the letters engraved on the stone, and I leaned forward to brush away dust and crumbled rock from the tombstone, reading the words on it:
Sarah Anna Overland
1675 – 1722
Beloved wife of James William Overland and loving mother to Jack Alexander Overland and Atheia Rose Overland.
Jack sat next to me, his legs tucked underneath him. In his hand, he held a bouquet of Algerian Irises, their smooth purple and blue petals softly grazing against a few patches of grass sticking up from the melted slush of winter. He was quiet, his eyes repeatedly running over the words carved into the tombstone that stood before him.
The Guardians had no clue where we were, probably assuming we had gone off to spread more chaos. Over the last week of being Guardians, everything had gone smoothly. There had been a meeting the next night after Pitch's defeat, where we celebrated with roast turkey, pumpkins, potatoes smothered in gravy, apple pie and lots and lots of eggnog. North had then arranged fortnightly check-up meetings at the North Pole, and had always reassured Jack and me that we always had a place at the North Pole. After that, everyone other than me and Jack went our separate ways.
Over the past few days, Jack and I had basically circumnavigated the globe, happily talking about what had been going on for the past three hundred years of our separation. It was only the other day though, that Jack suddenly had the urge to visit mother and father. So that's how we found ourselves retreating back to Burgess, picking up two bouquets of flowers–Algerian Irises for mother and orchids for father, which I held in my hands–and landing in the cold, yet vaguely familiar cemetery of Burgess.
Now, in the light of the moon, we sat in front of mother's tombstone. Father's tombstone, even older and more unkempt, stood to the right, followed by Jack's and my gravestones. Just the sight of them was nerving, as if taunting us and reminding me of what Jack and I could've had if fate was different.
"Not much," Jack eventually replied, pulling me out of my thoughts. "Just bits and pieces, here and there; it's coming back, but very slowly."
I nodded understandingly his way. "Same with me."
We sat in silence for a while, the only noise being the cool wind rustling the leaves in the trees. Fresh, spring flower buds poked from the snow, soon to open up later when the sun melts the snow away later during the year. The air smelled fresh and damp with the coolness of the mid-spring evening, and I suppressed a shiver from the quickly dropping temperature as the reddish-yellow colours from dusk started to fade, replaced by the dark colour of night.
It wasn't only the cold though that gave me shivers; it was the feeling of something, or someone else being there that gave me the nerving feeling. I craned my neck to look behind me, only facing the dark, empty forest. Moonlight streamed through the leaves, causing patterns to dance around on the forest floor. I frowned, squinting at the eerie forest, causing Jack to turn to me again.
"What's wrong?" He asked, following my gaze.
I sighed in defeat, turning back to the cold gravestones in front of us. "Nothing."
Jack gave me a smile, scooting closer. "Hey," he murmured, pulling me into a side hug. "It's okay." The reassurance in his voice caused something to click at the back of my mind, resulting in an image to flicker behind my eyes:
Jack sat at the base of an oak tree, shaded from the sun. The clearing where the lake stood was deserted, allowing the young adult to peacefully rest in the quiet area near the trees that bordered the forest. He had one arm lazily covering his eyes, and the other resting on his stomach, along with a content smile gracing his features as he snoozed under the tree.
A little girl, no older than seven, padded into the clearing, her cheeks faintly streaked with tears. She walked over to the teenager, who cracked an eye open and smiled at the young girl, before it turned into a frown at the sight of the tear tracks down the young girl's face.
"Hey," Jack asked worriedly, sitting up and opening his arms up for the child, to which she climbed into and sat on his lap gratefully. "What happened, snowflake?"
"Jane and Amber were saying nasty things," Rose said, sniffing and wiping at her eyes. "Stuff about how we were too poor to do anything good in this world."
Jack scoffed, turning his head so he could lock his eyes with the exact, hazel copy of his sister's. "Well, they're just the spoiled-rich Burgess kids, aren't they? Why do you have to listen to them?"
Rose chuckled, hugging Jack as he whispered in her ear: "Don't worry Rose; I have a feeling you're gonna do great things for this world."
I smiled and hummed peacefully to myself, causing present-day Jack to look at me in confusion. "What?" He asked, chuckling. "What did I say?"
"Nothing; I had another memory." I said happily, turning to Jack and smiling.
Jack's expression lit up with a grin, his cerulean eyes sparkling with delight. "What about?"
I chuckled under my breath. "I'll tell you later." I then stood up; placing the orchids down on Father's grave as Jack did with the irises on Mother's. I blew both gravestones a kiss, before turning to Jack, who had stood up with me. "I think we should go, we still owe Jamie a visit, you promised him the other day, remember?"
Jack laughed, brushing dirt off his pants. "That kid will be the death of me."
We smiled to each other, quickly turning back to the tombstones of our parents and whispering goodbyes, before leaping up and into the air, the wind happily carrying us to Jamie's.
Unknowingly to the two young Guardians, Tsar watched from his screen on the moon as they flew away from the cemetery, a grin on his face. Next to him stood a young man and woman, both possibly in there twenties, looking down at the spirits with smiles on their faces.
The woman was hugging the man close, her tears of joy seeping onto the brown vest he wore over the top of a pristine, white cloth shirt. The man himself was also in tears, the tear tracks on his cheeks quite obvious in the bright, sliver light of the room.
"They're so happy with each other James," The woman said, sniffing and wiping at her nose.
"They've always been like that; you knew it from the start," James said, smiling at the screen. "Those two stuck by the hip, ever since the first time Jack saw our little Rose."
Manny smiled, turning away from the screen and facing the man and woman. "You both brought them up well," He said, though with his next sentence his smile turned into a frown. "My only regret is that you both didn't get to spend as much time with them as you deserved."
The woman, Sarah, as Manny remembered, smiled at him. "It was fate; it always finds us at the most puzzling times."
"We only ask," James said, tightening his arm around his wife and pulling her closer. "That you take care of them."
Manny smiled, turning back to the screen and watching as Atheia and Jack laughed and joked with their first believer, the three of them grinning joyfully.
"I will."
Yay for sweet endings! :D
Thanks goes to JustPlainOldMe for the awesome idea for the epilogue! All credit for the idea goes to her!
It's been awesome to be your authoress guys! You'll be missed dearly! :)
This story, as of this A/N has:
*Been out for exactly 5 months and 23 days.
*12,275 views
*126 reviews
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and 74 followers.
Thanks goes to all of you awesome people! :)
Review Responses:
booklover1598: Hahahaha, no it's not exactly over, even now. As I've said in the author's note above, I'm gonna be making a drabble series for this story :) I hope to see you there when I upload it! :D Here's a cookie! (::) Thanks for your support throughout this story!
storygirl99210: Thanks for your support throughout the story! I've really apprieciated your reviews and the fact that you've been from me right from the start :) I hope to see you in the drabble series I'm making for this and the other stories I end up making :) Here's a cookie for all your support! (::)
Anonfangirl: Hahahaha, even now it's not over ;) I'm making a drabble series for this! :D *cues cheers* :D I hope to see you there when I upload it! :D Thanks for your support! Here's a cookie! (::) (And yes! I'm definately open to suggestions! :D)
AngetianPrincess18: Thanks! :) I appreciate the comments! I hope to see you in the drabble series I'm making for this! :D Here's a cookie for all your support! (::) You don't know how much it means to me! :D
MidnightWolf191: Awwww! Thanks! BUT IT'S NOT ENTIRELY OVER! :D:D:D If you read my A/N before, I'm making a drabble series for this! :D I'll probably upload it soon, maybe even later today! :D Thanks for your support throughout this story though! I hope I can see you maybe in the drabble series? I dunno! But I'm gonna miss you! Here's a cookie! (::)
JustPlainOldMe: *sniff* It's over man...I'm gonna *sobs loudly and everyone turns to look at me* Yeah...*sniffs* I'm gonna miss you! But hopefully I'll get the drabble series up! Maybe even today if I can get my arse into gear and write it! ;) Hahahaha, it's been a long and joyful journey, one that I'll truely miss. I've finished my first ever fanfiction! This causes for celebration! :D:D:D:D *throws awesome party* YAY! EVERYONE'S INVITED! :D:D:D Sorry about Atheia stealing Jack's line...I gave part of it back to him? ;) And I think Memory Loss/Familiar Yet Foreign (I'm gonna have to chose between those names soon enough) will end up winning! ;) I'm gonna have to get started! Jeez...a load of work...*wipes brow* I actually have read To Fall and Rise, but the funny thing is the idea for my OC was actually NOT inspired by her...would you believe it was my dad? One day, a while ago, actually, my dad came to me saying he had a dream about this punk-like fairy who had lost her wings because of her wrong-doings and ended up having to pretend being a human. He said he would like me to use it in my stories because he liked it :D Only recently, though, was I able to come up with this plot for it. Maybe one day I'll be able to write it, once I get the time ;) Hopefully I can steer away from Hlbr14 though...I don't want to copy...:) I can't wait to see you in my other stories though! :) Also, I need your official vote for the story ;) I want you to have a say too! :D But otherwise...I guess this is it...*sniff* It's been fun friend...*holds out hand for you to shake* I hope we meet again on other stories :) I guess I'm gonna be saying "Thanks for the sweet comments" for the last time on this story...*sniff* It's so emotional! :'( But, as I said, thanks for the sweet comments, for the last time on this story: HERE'S A BUNCH OF COOKIES FOR YOU! (::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(: :)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::) (::)(::)(::)(::)(::) May we meet again! :D Live long and prosper, fellow reader! :D
Aquadox (who reviewed for chapter 2, 4, 5, 6 and 14): Thanks for all the reviews and sweet comments! :D I'm glad you enjoyed the story! :D Here's a cookie for you! (::)
Guest (who reviewed for chapter 21): YEAH! HELLO FELLOW GRADE 9! :D:D:D Yeah, I am in grade 9 too! ;) Naplan sucked, ey? What was with that freaking subject for persuasive writing? That was so difficult! Everyone in my grade hated it ;) How bout you? How well did you think you did? :D Here's a cookie! :D (::)
Well...*sniff* this is it guys...time to change this story to 'Complete' and be done with it...I can't believe it's over...:'( I will miss EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU!
Live long and Prosper, everyone...
CrystalxRose