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Chapter 17. There's Always Tomorrow
"No. No, no, no. Not her. Not her." Mandrake let the staff clatter to the floor as he struggled to his feet. His leg throbbed, waves of pain shooting up his spine as the adrenaline rush faded, and the weight of what had just happened crashed down on him.
The Jinn boy held her in his arms. "Stay away from her!" he screamed, pulling MK's prone form closer to his chest. The desperation and agony in the boy's voice stopped Mandrake in his tracks, chilling his blood. Across the room, Dagda, supported by Amianth looked on in disbelief. The queen knelt beside MK placing a hand on her clammy forehead, wiping the cold sweat away.
"Where's Asteria? Where are the healers? Why is no one doing anything?" the boy shouted, voice hoarse. "Do something!" He yanked out the shard of rot but it was the Blight and Mandrake knew the poison was already in MK's blood. No longer stanched by the shrapnel, MK's blood flowed freely, staining her clothes dark red and pooling on the smooth floor. The boy pressed his hand down on the wound, trying desperately to hold the blood in.
"It's not enough, Nod," the queen said. She looked up at Mandrake, and he could see the resentful resignation in her eyes. "Only a queen is strong enough to reverse the effects of decay that have already taken hold."
Damn that girl. Damn her. Why didn't she listen to him? Why didn't she stay out of the way? He'd told her he wouldn't relent, not for anyone or anything. He should have kept her in Wrathwood, should have hid her away where she couldn't involve herself. She would have involved herself no matter what I did.
"But there…is no queen," the Jinn boy said weakly. He clenched his fists and glared at Mandrake. "You. You have to call off the bats." He handed MK gently to Tara and stormed toward Mandrake, and it was hard to fight the urge to retreat a step when it was like being accused by his younger self, wrestling with the same grief Mandrake had once felt—still felt. "Do it! You can't let her die like this! Not after all she did for all of us. For you!" Tears were streaming down the boy's face, but he didn't bother to wipe them. He barely seemed to notice.
"I…" After all this, they would ask him to stop now? They were so close to victory, standing there on the edge of midnight. Yet somehow, the idea of that triumph, long awaited, tasted like ash in his mouth.
MK gasped, clutching at her stomach, eyes shooting open but not seeing. The queen murmured to her, trying to comfort her as MK let out a soft whimper, and each weak, tiny sound struck daggers into his chest.
"Dad," Dagda said, surprising him with the sudden proximity, "please do it." Mandrake found he couldn't bear to make eye contact with his own son. It would destroy his resolve, he already knew; he could tell just from the sound of Dagda's voice—not the sound of the recently of-age warrior, but of the pleading child who had his father wrapped around his finger. "Please! I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for her. Let's end this already. Let's just end it. This isn't worth it."
"Dagda," Mandrake murmured. He should have known, should have seen the signs. This was never what his son had wanted for a long time now. For what would this victory mean to Dagda, but a long, unknowable future borne of anger and vengeance? They did not see it with the same eyes. Perhaps they never had.
Dagda ran forward, grabbing Mandrake and burying his face in his father's chest. "Dad! Please! I'm begging you! You don't have to do this anymore. You can let them win. It's okay. You can let it go. Just let it go. For me. For MK. For Mom. Please. Let them save her. She's my friend."
Mandrake wavered for a moment, like a ship unmoored. Am I right, to give all this up? After all this suffering…He looked at his son and Amianth, the young Jinn and MK. Perhaps for them, for their suffering, they who never asked for any of this; they who fought and bled in a war that didn't belong to them.
Mandrake stepped back, tipped his head up and roared, poured all of the grief and loss into it, all the things he could never get back, but perhaps, just perhaps, the children could. Above them, through the opening in the ceiling, they could see the cloud of bats dispersing and more light drifted down upon the center pool. Amianth picked up the pod that lay abandoned and shriveling where the queen had dropped it to tend to MK. She hurried it over and placed it into the increasingly bright circle of light, and instantly, the pod rejuvenated, its internal fire awakening and the petals spreading out.
When the bats had dissipated entirely, the bud completed its bloom and a burst of warmth rippled out from its core, filling the room with a golden glow. The light in its center shot upward, swirling around the room, and Mandrake thought he could hear the sound of song in the rushing breeze as the magic danced around the sanctuary, seeming to search.
The sparks of light converged and rushed in MK's direction, until her body was concealed by its radiance. The energy lifted her out of the queen's arms, carrying her toward the central dais where the glowing flower sat, and the group let out a collective gasp, as they realized at once what was happening.
MK breathed in, and the forest breathed in with her. She felt it. Every tree, every flower, every weed, and mushroom. She breathed out, and the forest receded like the withdrawing tide. There was a humming in the background, barely there—the sound of all lives singing together.
She remembered pain and cold, but the feeling was gone, and she was left with the sensation of a peaceful dawn after a good night's sleep. What had happened? She strained to remember, but the dreamlike peace settled her mind, so MK allowed herself to relax, relishing every inhalation.
Her eyes fluttered at the sensation of soft lips touching her forehead, and the background singing became stronger for a moment. Take it easy, little Airmid, a voice whispered, or perhaps many voices at once—she couldn't be sure. MK opened her eyes.
She lay in a bed of pink petals, floating on water. A circle of pale blue light hovered above her, and it took a moment to realize it was the sky. She lifted her hands, examined them, and then almost involuntarily, touched her abdomen, and the memories came slamming back. MK jolted upright with a gasp.
There was a crowd of people around her, and they all flinched backward in shock at the sudden motion. Sticky blood coated the floor, trailing from the open landing all the way to the dais where she lay. That's mine…She looked down at where the Blight had struck her, and gasped again.
She'd worn a plain green cloak that day, borrowed from Eilley, since her pink hoodie would be too noticeable during an escape. The blood was gone from it, as was any damage from her injury, and the cloak was now a long, airy dress, scalloped with petals and laced with pink as bright as the blooming pod she lay upon. MK gave a questioning glance to the rather large crowd that stood around her. Leafmen, Jinn, and Boggans had all clustered in the room, and they looked at her with a mixture of wonder and astonishment.
"What happened?" MK asked, voice coming out shaky and raspy.
Queen Tara stepped forward, since no one else seemed to know what to do. "The pod chose you, MK. You are the new queen."
The statement dragged through her skull, leaving chaos behind it. "What." She looked at the others, letting out a furious laugh. "This is a big joke right? What you're really trying to say is I had a really weird dream, and I just woke up." MK got to her feet. "Or how about, everyone had a really crazy party and I got super drunk and you all decided to prank me while I was sleeping, is that right?" Her foot slid in the blood on the floor. She laughed again—sharp, clipped sounds that didn't resemble anything like her voice.
"MK," Nod murmured, pushing through the crowd to step forward into the boundary of space around her that everyone else feared to breach.
MK whipped her hand up. "No. Stop it. Stop being so serious. This is just a joke, right?" Her voice rose in pitch. "Why are you all looking at me like this?"
"You were dying," Nod said. "The pod healed you."
"So what, it was between dying or being queen, is that it?" MK hissed. Her legs wobbled so she leaned back against the dais.
"No," said Tara, who was no longer a queen, evidently. "Those were separate things. But it seems the Draíochta—"
"I don't give a shit about the Draíochta!" MK said, breathing hard. Everything quivered, from fatigue or fury, she couldn't tell. "I'm sick of hearing about it. You're going to tell me that it picked me for this the whole time? You want to try and tell me this was the plan from the very beginning? I was never supposed to go home? What am I going to tell my dad? He's waiting for me!" she screamed. Her ears started ringing, the humming music returning.
"You've been through a lot of trauma just now. Just try to breathe. Don't think about us or anyone else. Just breathe," said Tara. She made a sharp motion, waving at the crowd to get out of the room.
MK watched them dissipate out of the corner of her eye, until only a few remained in the room. In the corner shadows, a tall figure shifted, hesitating about whether he was best off leaving or staying. MK looked up at him, feeling bitterness rise up in her, relishing the way her gaze struck guilt into his eyes.
"You," she breathed. "You did this to me." Mandrake stood there, waiting in resignation like he was expecting a death sentence. Dagda ran in between them, breaking her line of sight, and MK blinked, wondering if there had been blood red fury in her gaze, because everyone watched her with a hint of fear.
"MK, wait," Dagda said. "I know you're angry. But don't take it out on him, please. Be mad at me. I wasn't brave enough to stop it in time. I couldn't hold up my end for you. I'm sorry. It's my fault too."
The seething rage that threatened to boil up inside her fizzled out, leaving her with nothing but a sick feeling bubbling in its place. MK's legs gave out, and she slid down onto the floor and buried her face in her hands. "Just go away. Please go away. All of you. Go."
"MK," Nod said, his voice soft and gentle, but she couldn't take it.
"ALL OF YOU!" Even blinding herself to the world, she could feel the sorrow of her friends as they obeyed her wish. She could feel them wondering what they could do, what they could fix. But you can't. No one ever could.
~ooooooo~
She'd found Airmid in one of her dad's old books during the early phases of his research, when he'd been exploring different types of legends. The five year old MK had decided immediately that Airmid was the most interesting out of all the characters in the book and told her mom so.
"Why is she your favorite?" her mom had asked.
"Because she can fly!" MK told her.
Stifling a laugh, her mom asked how she knew, and MK told her it was because she had "air" in her name, obviously. Even after MK had been successfully persuaded that Airmid was a goddess of healing, not a goddess of air, MK, too proud to admit a mistake, continued to declare she liked Airmid best anyway. It was her mom's secret nickname for her when she got older, used whenever she wanted to get a rise out of her daughter.
"It's going to be one of those embarrassing stories you tell at my wedding or something, isn't it?" MK would gripe.
"Only if you want. There's so many more I have in mind!"
~ooooooo~
The earth in the deep forest was damp under her bare toes. MK breathed in, feeling the life of the forest joining in. Whispers tickled her ears—the sound of the trees, the wind, the sky all talking together. Even before being chosen by the Draíochta, the deep forest felt different from the rest of the woods. It was wilder, older, closer to its original, purest state.
She pulled her pink hood over her head, stuffing her hands in her pockets. MK hadn't worn the dress since the day she woke up in it. She hadn't returned to Moonhaven, hadn't spoken to anyone. Eventually, she would have to explain to her dad why she couldn't come back, but at the moment, she couldn't seem to find her voice.
The forest worried over her. Everywhere she moved, tiny sprouts tugged their way out of the ground, reaching toward her, caressing her feet. The flowers and branches leaned toward her, vines embraced her when they could, recoiling sadly when she brushed them off.
It wasn't fair. How much more would she lose for reasons outside of her control? She sat with her back against a tree, listening, breathing. Everything here was so alive, and once that had exhilarated her, but now it only left a void. None of it belonged to her and the disconnect clawed at her.
The shadows panned along the forest floor as the sun swept through its arc in the sky. MK sat there, eyes closed, parsing through the soft song of the Draíochta for the one voice she was searching for. She heard it on the edge of death, pulling her through memory and time to when things were better.
A rustling sound caught her attention, and MK shook herself off, wondering how long she'd been sitting there, half-meditating.
"Shh, you're all right," a gentle voice said, the speaker concealed by the thick brush of the untamed woods.
MK stood and crept toward it. Who on earth would be out here in the middle of nowhere? Dagda and Amianth were the only ones who seemed to bother, but that wasn't either of their voices. She pushed a net of leaves aside and peeked through them to see a Boggan draped in a bat hide cloak crouching over a large moth with red and white patterns laced across its wings like dancing fire. MK jolted in alarm, but quickly realized this was not Mandrake. Then who...
The Boggan soothed the moth, which flopped around on the ground, and MK realized it had a torn wing. "No need to hide," the Boggan said, smiling in MK's direction.
MK pushed through the leaves, struggling to reign in the confusion that was surely written into her features. Something about the Boggan seemed strange, like they were supposed to recognize each other. But the only one MK had ever known to wear a bat cloak was Mandrake. This Boggan was female, judging by looks and voice.
She must have seen MK's bewilderment because she chuckled. "I'm so glad to meet you. You've taken such good care of my son."
The words knocked the wind from MK's chest. Her eyes widened as the bolt of realization struck down. "Danu?" she breathed.
The Boggan smiled again, and MK unfurled a little, finding her own discomfort and pain dissipate. It encouraged her to move closer, and she crouched down with Danu next to the moth.
"I've got to be dreaming," MK said, rubbing her forehead. "Or I'm seeing things."
Danu laughed, a musical sound of honey and candlelight. "Maybe both," she said.
"But you…you died. Didn't you?"
Danu gave her a knowing look. "So did the one you search for. Yet still, here you are."
MK couldn't argue with that. "I…I thought I heard her. Maybe that was just a dream too."
"You can't go chasing ghosts forever, MK," said Danu. "It's a dark path to walk."
MK tucked her knees tight against her chest. "Yeah, you're not the first one to say so." She sighed. "I just feel like I'm going nowhere."
The moth on the ground fluttered feebly, lifting its torn wing and flopping it back down. MK reached out and touched the powdery surface, running her fingers through the fragmented strands. She could feel the flecks of bleeding energy in the broken wing, pockets of warmth glittering in the air around her hands, and instinctively, she pulled them together, weaving them back into place with her will. The tattered strips of the wing glowed and converged, and when the light vanished, the moth's wing was whole again—her first healing.
"Only if you let yourself," said Danu, watching the moth test its power of flight again. "Don't be afraid of letting go. I think you'll find the most important things remain beside you, no matter how far you walk." She turned her gaze to the sky with a sad smile. "If only I could tell him what I tell you now."
The moth fluttered up, dancing through the air with its joy and whizzed over MK's head. She found herself grinning at its pleasure, turning to watch it fly away. As she did, the leaves parted, and Nod, Amianth and Dagda stepped through the brush.
"MK! There you are!" Nod said, rushing forward. A honeybee led them into the clearing, landing near MK and sensing her with its antennae.
"You've been out here all this time?" Dagda asked.
"Right in our own territory, practically," said Amianth.
MK whipped her head back to where Danu had knelt, but blinked in shock. No one was there.
"You okay?" Nod asked, crouching down and brushing the hair from her face. He kept some distance between them, unsure of whether or not she would allow him or anyone into her personal space. He followed her gaze. "What're you looking at?"
"Didn't you see…" She shook herself. "Nothing. Never mind." MK peered at Dagda out of the corner of her eye.
"Were you out here this whole time?" Dagda asked. "We were looking everywhere for you."
"And turns out you were right on the outskirts of Wrathwood," Amianth finished.
"Yeah." MK allowed Nod to help her to her feet. "I can hear better out here." They looked at her, confused, but she didn't elaborate.
"How about we take you back to the Bower? Is that okay?" Nod asked. He led her out the way they came, and MK let him guide her.
"Dagda," MK said. "Where's your dad?" Maybe it had been a dream or all in her imagination, but that would also mean she had imagined the voice of her mother too, and MK wasn't ready to admit that. In any case, her instincts told her that the meeting was more than pure hallucination.
"Um, to be honest, I'm not sure. He goes flying with Rukgar and doesn't come back until late. I get the feeling he wants to be left alone," Dagda said, picking his fingernails and staring at the ground.
"I get that," MK murmured.
"Why?" Dagda asked.
"Just wondering." She refused to more than that.
"Eilley, do you have a moment?" MK peeked into the room where Eilley sat with a group of other Jinn discussing their resources and making plans for the following days.
The conversation paused, and MK cringed at having interrupted the meeting, but it was nearly impossible to catch Nod's busy mother alone. "Of course, MK," Eilley said, excusing herself from the group and heading out into the hall where MK stood. "Are you doing all right?" she asked quietly.
MK shrugged, leaning against the wall and hugging her arms to herself. "I had something I wanted to talk about, and you're the only person I really feel comfortable telling."
Eilley frowned in concern. "Certainly, we can find somewhere more private." She leaned into the room. "I have something to take care of. Fill me in on whatever you decide later tonight, won't you?" She led MK up the spiraling interior of the Bower and took her to the high branches amidst the willowy leaves that filtered the silver moonlight. The branches sang to MK in greeting, brushing her cheeks as she walked through them. Through the leaves, they could see the stars glittering above, the occasional cloud screening the light. MK stood looking up for a little while, letting the night's peace wash over her.
She shook herself off, realizing Eilley was waiting the entire time. "Sorry," she muttered.
"Take your time," Eilley said, sitting on a knot in the bark and admiring the stars along with her.
"I saw something strange out in the deep forest today," MK began. "I could have been dreaming, or maybe imagining it. I don't know. But I saw…I saw Dagda's mother—the one who died a long time ago."
Eilley's brow furrowed, but she kept her focus on MK, listening. MK was beginning to understand what Nod meant when he'd told her that his mom could wait for days until he was ready to say what he needed in his own time—that she would never press him.
"Like I said, I don't know how real that vision was," said MK.
"But it clearly made an impression," said Eilley.
MK nodded. "She didn't say a whole lot." She sniffed. "It's funny, she said the same thing you did about walking a dark path. Told me not to go chasing ghosts, to not be afraid of letting go."
"What are you afraid of letting go?"
MK wondered if she sounded crazy, hearing and seeing people who were definitely dead. "Myself, my mom, well, everything really—everything that I was. It's all gone now that I'm queen. I can't ever go back. I can't ever get that back."
Eilley took MK's hands in hers, warming MK's cold fingers. "It is easy to feel like you might leave those you love behind when you go places they cannot clearly follow. Sometimes changes feel like they destroy you and everything you had."
MK felt tears brimming in her eyes. "It's not fair that I didn't get any choice!"
"I know. It really, truly isn't. And nothing I or anyone else can say will change that."
"I don't know how you did it. How did you handle it? I'm so, so tired of this. How could I even be queen?" MK said, wiping the wetness from her face.
Eilley looked off to the side, staring into the distance, remembering. "Step by step. All of my thought was in the very next moment, and not a moment further. It was little things: remembering to eat, to move, to breathe. Whenever I wanted to stop, he would look at me, and no matter how tired I was, I knew I couldn't give up, so I would keep on moving, one foot in front of the other. Suddenly I had walked a mile, and then two, then many." She gave MK a sad smile. "It doesn't stop hurting. I'm sorry, I could never promise you that in good faith. This hurt you feel will always be there. But the farther you go, the more steps you take, the more you will fill yourself with other things. And soon the pain will sit side by side with volumes of joy and love, and its power over you gets smaller and smaller too."
"What if it doesn't?"
"It will," Eilley said firmly. "MK, listen. It is okay for you to be sad and angry and bitter. When you feel these things, you must feel them honestly, and never bury them. But neither should you nurture them. These feelings grow like weeds all on their own, without you helping them. Danu was right. You must not chase ghosts."
"I think," MK said, "I think that message wasn't just for me. But I don't want to tell him. I don't want to deal with him at all."
Eilley realized whom she was talking about and thought for a while. "There's nothing wrong with feeling that way. Focus on healing yourself first. Then we'll leave the rest to time."
"Time," MK repeated in a low voice.
"Step by step," Eilley reminded her. "There's always tomorrow."
~ooooooo~
"Take it easy, little Airmid. There's always tomorrow." Her mom always said that whenever MK had been overly riled by deadlines and the rigorous schedule demands of her nursing program. The saying often ended up frustrating her more than anything, especially when she had a big qualifying exam the next day.
"But there isn't a tomorrow! Not if I fail this exam!" MK would screech, pacing across the floor with notes in her hands and on the floor. Her mom would soothe her and give her copious cups of tea and cocoa, assuring her she would do just fine and her hard work would pay off. Almost always, it would, and her mother would never have to actually say, "I told you so," because her face would tell it all. She'd never really gone through the trouble of figuring out what her mom's saying really meant.
~ooooooo~
Boggans and Jinn alike gathered at the Rings of Knowledge for the first peace conference to officially mark the end of the war. MK expected to see Dagda and Amianth at the head of the Boggan delegation, but she hadn't expected so many of the rest to appear so young as well. She was glad of the sight. Dagda looked nervous, so MK gave him a reassuring smile. He returned it, seeming to settle down in his fidgeting a bit and stand a little straighter. Or perhaps it was because Amianth may have elbowed him in the ribs and told him to get a spine—it was hard to tell.
Nod kept close beside her, his shoulder touching hers, letting her know he was there. The crowd was not large, but it was enough to make her self-conscious, especially wearing her flower dress that the pod's magic had bestowed upon her.
"Thank you, everyone, for being here today." MK's first words wobbled on their way out, but as she spoke on, her voice became stronger. Nod's hand held the small of her back, keeping her steady, and Eilley was not far off either, her very presence reassuring MK. "There are a lot of changes that need to be made if we're going to properly heal the wounds of the past."
She and her friends took turns explaining their vision for a renewal and rebirth of their way of life.
"We can never take back the wrongs that have already been committed, but we can work together to create a new world where such wrongs won't ever have to happen again, or if they do, they will be handled with justice," she said. "It won't be easy, but I have hope we can do it. We can rebuild this land and create something good for the generations to come. Step by step," she said, glancing at Eilley who smiled and tipped her head, "together, we can make things right."
There were discussions and questions of how this would be realized, plans made for future councils and treaties signed between the groups. By the time the council had adjourned, MK was nearly slumped back in her seat from exhaustion.
"How are you holding up?" she asked Dagda and Amianth. The latter had her face planted on the table, and Dagda was staring blankly up at the ceiling.
"There was so much talking," Amianth groaned into the table. "This is what adults do all day? No thanks."
"There's a lot of planning that still needs to be done. Once things settle in to place, it will be all right," Amianth's aunt said, coming up from behind them. She had been part of the delegation, but spoke little, allowing the younger Boggans to offer their voice for their own futures.
MK looked over her friend's shoulder, and saw Mandrake standing at a distance, leaned up against the wall, watching them. It was strange to see him without the staff, like something was missing from his figure, but MK did not find she minded its absence. Far above, contrasting against the high ceilings, a moth fluttered, red and white fiery patterns gracing its wings. MK sighed, standing and walking past the table where her friends chatted and made her way to the corner.
He straightened at her approach, eyes darting away, anywhere but on her. "MK…"
"Something strange happened not long after I became queen," she said. He raised an eyebrow, and she continued, "I heard a voice before I woke up. It sounded like my mom. I was so desperate to find her, I ran off just so that I could hear her again, and I ended up in the deep forest. Now, this could have been a dream, or an illusion from the Draíochta, but I met a Boggan out there. She was wearing a bat cloak, exactly like yours," MK said slowly.
Mandrake flinched, turning to her sharply. "What did you say?"
"She says it's okay. It's okay to let go. She wants you to heal," MK pressed on. She took in a deep breath. "Danu wants you to heal."
MK never knew how words could break someone until that moment. Mandrake stumbled back, hitting the wall and leaning on it for support. He pressed a hand to his mouth, holding back a choke.
"Dagda told me you've been keeping away a lot. I get that. I really do. But you can't run away forever. He still needs you, and he's worried," MK said.
Mandrake was silent for a long time, staring hard and clearly struggling to withhold the torrents of emotion that were beating down on him. "You mean, you went out there looking for your mother, and all you found were my ghosts," Mandrake said in a hoarse voice. The others had turned around to look at them, but MK shook her head at them, and they moved away to the far end of the room to continue their conversation, understanding the moment. "So I've impeded you again." He finally managed to make eye contact again. "MK, I'm sorry. I am so sorry."
She looked at him sadly. She wasn't quite ready for acceptance or forgiveness just yet, but the last thing she wanted, the last thing he needed, was for her to hold yet another something over his head. "I know," she said simply, gently, and let it be.
MK returned to the group and touched Dagda on the shoulder, tipping her head in Mandrake's direction. "He needs you now."
Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Dagda go, watched him speak to his father, when suddenly, Mandrake pulled his son into his arms, clinging onto him and holding him there. Dagda's shock faded quickly, and he leaned into his father's embrace, and MK turned away to let the two have their peace.
"It's probably time we headed back," Hortensia said. "There are still many things to take care of."
"More talking?" Amianth muttered, following her aunt. "We'll see you soon," she said, waving.
After finishing their goodbyes, MK joined Nod and Eilley as they walked out along the branches of the tree to find their birds. Nod linked his arm in hers. "So, first peace conference as queen. How are you feeling?"
MK shrugged. "It's going to be a lot of work. I'm trying not to think too hard about it or I'm going to get overwhelmed."
"Hey," he said, nudging her. "You're going to be great. And besides, you know you're not doing this alone. I'm here. Mom's here. Dagda and Amianth too. We're all backing you." Nod grinned at her, brushing her hair back. "Don't worry. We'll take care of you."
MK relaxed at his touch and smiled. "Yeah, you're right."
"'Course I am! Now let's go! I'm starving!" He said, whistling for his birds. Eilley rolled her eyes at him as he pranced up the branch, tugging MK along.
As they flew off, and she wrapped her arms around his waist, she murmured, "You know, I think I'm ready to tell my dad what happened now. I shouldn't keep him waiting much longer."
Nod placed his hand on hers. "I'll be right there with you…if you need me."
"I'd like that," she said, leaning against his shoulders.
Maia flew them over the plains of the Neutral Territories, and as early evening fell, fireflies rose up from the blades and dotted the darkening landscape with orange. MK understood now, just a little bit better, what her mother had been trying to say throughout all that time. No matter what happens, no matter what pain is inflicted, the world does not end; it is not destroyed. And neither are you. Another day would come, and life would go on, and so would you. There always would be a tomorrow.
They passed over several groups of people in clear celebration, and MK thought she caught a glimpse of Boggans and Jinn mingling together, giving their first shot at breeching the long-held barrier between their people. All around her, the land sighed in content, sending a rush of peace flowing through her.
Amidst the ever-present song of the night, the humming of the Draíochta that ran through every living thing, amidst the audible joy of a people coming together in healing, a whisper, gentle as the breeze tickled her ears. Take it easy, little Airmid. Take it easy.
Aaaaand that's a wrap! Oh my god guys! It's been one heck of a journey.
I noticed that my stories tend to have a theme of dealing with grief and coping with tragedies that are quite often beyond our control. And that's where MK's journey really needed to end. She's lost a lot, and left a lot behind-for the most part, not by choice-but now has the chance to start anew with people she's come to love. I hope that I was able to set that up well enough that her becoming the new queen was a storytelling decision that made sense. It's kind of hard when you're doing a WIP fic because once you post it, that's what you have to go off as your "canon," even if in the future you wish you had done a slightly different thing, or foreshadowed something more.
But I think I'm pretty happy with how this turned out, and I'm really grateful to you all for sticking with me all this time! I had a load of fun writing this! Now I've got to figure out what my next project will be.