The final chapter, the finale. It's been long, hasn't it? A full eighteen chapters. And it all began when Mari ventured into the forest with Noni to find a unicorn. One person did send in a description of how they see Mari, and that was that she had brown hair, grey eyes, and a lot of bracelets. I found that bracelet detail interesting. I mean, even I don't usually think about those kind of things. I picture people more with hair length and eye color. It's just basic things that give a very general but easy to imagine appearance. So I've always seen her as a blond. Not a platinum blond, but her hair is brighter than I described Chiyoka's to be. And then, of course, there're the stark red highlights on the underside of her hair. To me, her eyes are green as well. I realized the other day that I seem to have a preference for green eyes. A lot of my characters, ones I post here and ones that I don't, have green eyes.
Anyway, I present to you the final chapter in Forest of the Enchanted.
"Where did you guys get this dress from?" I wonder, twirling. The soft green material flutters out gracefully like the wings of a butterfly, gold rimming the bottom and flashing against the light of the sun. Hikaru went off somewhere a while back and returned with this in his hands, insisting I try it on. When I pushed him to tell me where it was from, he said he'd say once I had it on.
Arms slip around my waist, Kaoru pulling me back to him. "You look lovely in that, Mari," he murmurs, lips pressed to my ear. Red creeping into my face, I let him hold me there and address Hikaru again.
"Please tell me you didn't steal it."
"We didn't, we didn't! It's just a little favor we asked from an elven tailor," he smirks. Although I'm not exactly sure whether or not I believe him, I let it slide. Bad habits can't be broken over night. It has gotten better over the past three months, though.
They used to not have any qualms against stealing, due to their isolation from human society. Common etiquette hardly existed to them. Their frank actions didn't at all help the other villagers accept them. Other than death threats that we've managed to dwindle the numbers of, they've also had attempts to drive them out and overall rejection of their presence. They're only allowed into town if I'm accompanying them, and that's because I'm part of the town council.
I'm not exactly sure how that happened. When the rebuilding began, there was clearly a need for order, so some of the stronger leaders got together to make decisions. One way or another, I got dragged into it. Now having magical creatures helping us, they found a need to have a spokesperson for the enchanted forest. I was the one they chose. Even so, Kyoya is also usually at the meetings mediating, and the twins never leave my side for long. Their presence relieves a lot of the stress being a leader entails. The enchanted forest is now formally within the village borders, now a proper part of Ouran, so of course the residents need a say in how we recover.
Oh, and it turns out Hikaru and Kaoru actually used to live in a cave like the legends rumored. It's a large cavern carved into the cliffside that I fell from when I first came here. The area is spacious enough to house the entire population of Ouran, so that's where everyone is staying until things can be put back together. The orphanage...well, it may have permanently moved. Kyoya's not too happy about all of the new roommates, but Renge seems delighted taking care of the children. Having her around allows me more free time than I've ever had before. She's not a replacement for Mother, or course. No one could ever replace her. Instead, Renge is like another older sister to them. I think they view Kyoya as an older brother, although he's not exactly affectionate towards them. The twins are excellent with the children, which pleases me. Their rambunctious personalities make them like two of the kids.
"What do you think, Mother? Do I look good?" I step over the rectangle of newly sprouted grass, where moon blossoms have only just begun planting themselves again. Soon, only the stone markers will hint to the graves this land holds. Their stories, their lives, overgrown with the passage of time. Like they were never here. And yet, they were. They were here and they both lived. They both had happy times and sad, both of them fell in love….and they're both with the ones they love forever. And then there are us, who are left with our memories of them.
If we spend our lives mourning over theirs, though, our own stories will miss their chance to be written. Even if the earth overtakes us eventually, perhaps someone will dig us up, and our lives will influence theirs. That is the closest anyone can come to an eternity.
"Green suits you."
Hikaru joins his brother, trapping me between them and holding me away from the one who spoke. Thankfully, their expressions are no longer hostile like they once were.
"Welcome back, Kyoya," I greet him from my place with the twins. They tolerate our friendship, but only because I continuously reassure them that they are always most important. "You're journey was pleasant, I hope?"
He nods, not emerging from among the darkness of the trees. We've grown used to communicating at a distance. "It was warmer down south. In my travels, I've escaped the worst bitterness of winter, so I am quite satisfied."
"Did you…." I hesitate to ask. "Did you find it?"
He's silent for a moment. "I did."
I throw my arms around the twins, unable to wipe the grin from my face. "We'll have to prepare for the trip, then," I declare. "I'm sure Renge will be ecstatic to have the children all to herself for a while. Let's see, we'll need food, and money, and probably an extra change of clothes for everyone. Do you think we'll be able to find a carriage? But then we'd also need to take care of the horses. What do you think, Kyoya?"
"I think we'll probably walk, since horses are not fond of dragons," he grins.
"That's true," I nod in assent. "We'll walk, then, and sleep under the stars. It's warm enough to, and we aren't exactly rich enough to pay for an inn every night. How many of us are going? I mean, are Mori and Honey coming?"
"No, Honey's very serious about taking Tamaki's place looking out for the forest."
And Mori stays wherever Honey is. "So that makes it just the four of us, then."
"Can't we just go without him?" Hikaru grumbles.
"Then," Kaoru snuggles my neck, "it'll be just the three of us."
"I'm not sure I'm entirely comfortable with that," I sigh, resting my head against Kaoru. I slide my hands down to hold Hikaru's hands, making sure he's not left out. So far I haven't sensed any jealousy between the two of them, but I don't want to take any chances. I do my best to divide my attention between them equally. "One of the reasons he's tagging along is to keep you two in line, understood?"
Hikaru's shoulders sag. "Fine."
"Thank you." I break free from Kaoru, pecking Hikaru on the cheek. He doesn't let it go at that, though, turning his face to press his lips to mine. I return the kiss, lightning snapping in my blood. As usual, I'm the one who has to draw the line and pull back before he can get too passionate. Kissing without being married is already improper enough. I indulge them, anyway, to that extent. Besides, I myself do not dislike it in the slightest.
"And I don't get a kiss?" Kaoru complains in a whisper, turning my head and laying his lips on mine. His kisses are much softer than his brothers. I think that he's a little more conscious of human manners than Hikaru, in the way that he tends to show a bit more respect and holds back more of his quips. If I one day had to choose between Kaoru's gentle, solemn love and Hikaru's whose is passionate and rough, I honestly don't know if I'd be able to pick one over the other. I'm getting too used to all the affections they shower over me.
Kyoya clears his throat and I break away, blinking rapidly. This is why Kyoya's coming along. As of late, I've been getting carried away. I forget that I shouldn't be doing this with the twins because I'm unmarried, and very nearly let them go farther than kissing. I'm sure dragons don't have the same reservations that humans do, but I'm not a dragon. Although I may be a witch, I was still raised in a human society, so my restrictions on things like that are much more strict than they'd like. I keep having to remind myself of this, though, with them always edging me to give in. Travelling alone with the two of them is not ideal.
"Is this your first time going to another town?" Kaoru asks, not at all embarrassed.
"Yes, it is. I've never been comfortable with leaving the children behind."
They both chuckle, Hikaru noting, "You sound like you're their mother."
"Anyway," I ignore his comment, "I'm still uncertain about going without them, but I don't think it'd go too well if we tried to take them along." Imagining it, both the twins and Kyoya smile. Nineteen children being looked after by an elf, two dragons, and a young witch….it'd be like a carnival. It already sort of is, with the addition of a young unicorn, a female elf, and a tree nymph. Maybe this trip will be sort of relaxing.
"There's been news of Mr. Eto," Kyoya interrupts our dreaming. Arms around me tighten, the four eyes of gold narrowing dangerously. "I was told he came riding up to town in his carriage and made a huge scene. They said he was stunned to find everything in ashes, even though he's the one who sent the witch that started it. He kept shouting, asking where Eclair was and what had she done to 'his little Mari'. Someone gave him a black eye in return for his commotion and he went whimpering back to his mansion."
I'm unable to stop the small giggle that bursts from my throat, raising a hand to cover my mouth. Hopefully, he'll never be back. He might think that she killed me. Ah, that means Eclair never returned to him. When I came back to town the afternoon after the fire, she was nowhere to be found. I assumed she'd ran back to Mr. Eto, but I guess not. She probably thought that the job was not worth her life and abandoned it. Perhaps, after this, the orphanage will be safe from him. Even if he does come back, everything in the enchanted forest would be on our side. The very same creatures that make every day an adventure for my siblings could just as quickly make his life hell.
"So, when are we leaving?" The twins question together.
"As soon as we can," I state, breaking free from their grasps. I grab the dull dress I've traded for the luxurious green gown and fold it. "We'll head back to the tree, I'll change into something more suitable, and we'll be off as soon as we've collected the necessities. Does that sound alright?"
They shrug. "Sure."
"Good, then. Carry this back for me, would you?" I hold out the dress, waiting for Hikaru to take it. Then, I nod a thanks to him and snatch my patched up cloak from the branch of a tree it's been resting on.
I don't know why, but after laying Tamaki to rest with Mother, I felt it right to visit Chiyoka's grave. I also wish to go to Father's. He couldn't be buried in town because of his family tradition, where they get buried with their ancestors. We had no way of getting there to bury Mother with him, but Kyoya was kind enough to venture out to find both of the graves' locations. I'm not sure what I'll do when we get there, when I'm confronted with the final resting place of the tortured girl who killed her lover using my body, or the man who so intensely cared for Mother and for us until the point where he simply could not anymore, but I still want to go. I feel like that is how this chapter of my life must be concluded, so I can begin again with the next.
Or maybe this is the start of the next chapter, the last one already finished. After all, this is my first time leaving the town I was raised in. I'll finally be getting a taste of the outside world! Just knowing such a thing makes the air feel crisper, the sun, warmer. Whether this is the end of my chapter or the beginning of the next, I don't really mind. Either way, it's beautiful, and not in the way the flames were when they ate away at Ouran.
Beginning or end, they're both beautiful with a clear purity surrounded by the excitement of uncertainty for the future.
"Shall we go, then?" I create a small fire the size of my fist to act as my lamp as I step into the shadows of the forest filled with enchanted beings. Enchanted beings with stories that trace back generations, the origins of the mysterious legends spread throughout the world. The very beginnings of the bedtime stories mothers tell their children as they tuck them in to sleep at night. Only, it's not always just simple as they tell it.
Perhaps, now, I am one of them.
The End
It's over! I decided early on that the village would be called Ouran, but for some reason I decided to leave that detail until the last chapter. Why? I'm not entirely sure of that myself. It just seemed right. So what'd you guys think? Did it end well? The entire point of this site is to get better at writing, and to do so, you guys have to tell me how I've done. Have I lived up to your expectations? Are you satisfied? I know I am. I think it went pretty well. But now I have to say good-bye to Mari, and to the kids at the orphanage. It's always so sad when I finish writing a story, as celebratory as it is. It's at times like these that I wish I could just jump through dimensions at will to see how they're doing. I would do anything to spend a day with my characters, actually chatting with them. By the time I finish writing their stories, it's like they've developed minds of their own separate from me. If only... Shout out to MagicQuill42 for being the one who commented the most! I hope to see you reading my stories in the future! As for that, I have a couple story ideas for my next fanfiction. None are fully developed yet, but the possibility is 's a poll on my profile if you want to help me make my decision on which to write.
Till next time, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!