Epilogue

"Celtic, are you alright?" Andy walked over to her. She was standing in the open field looking into the distant sky.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Celtic didn't even look at him when she answered. Her voice betrayed her. It had been months since the Final Battle and a lot had happened. Celtic was adjusting to the changes, not only within herself but also throughout the kingdom.

"What's wrong?" Andy knew her too well. "Are you alright with the new elements?"

"Yes. My control is getting stronger with each passing day." Celtic was growing in controlling ten elements now. Light and Dark had manifested in her dreams and visions first. After a week of these dreams and visions, the elements became physical. "In time, we will need to awaken the Mistress of Light and Dark... and the Generals."

"Then what's bothering you?" Andy pushed.

"I am just trying to deal with the other changes." Celtic let out of deep breath as she thought about all that had happened recently. "It seems like each day there is another message of someone deciding to leave. Pickle, Liber, Dt, Wiz, Echo... it just seems like everyone is gone."

"Frost and I are still here. Joy, Grim, and Ellie. Bre, Wolfie, and Eme. Lati, Robo, Shadow... we're still here. And most importantly, Bane." Andy watched her reaction to that last name. "What's wrong?" He didn't miss the glint of tears.

"I'm fine." Celtic's answer was short and her eyes grew dark.

"Keep telling yourself that and maybe one day, I'll believe it." Andy shook his head. "When was the last time you talked to him?"

"Does it matter?" Celtic clenched her hands into fists, and then turned towards the forest. "I'm going to check on Neon and the others... I probably won't be back for a while." Andy watched as she headed into the forest. Claddaugh, with a baby Dream dragon on her back, followed behind.

"Where's Celtic?" Frost asked as he came to stand beside Andy.

"She went to go check on Neon. She said she wouldn't be back for a while." Andy shook his head and then looked at Frost. "I hate to meddle... but I have to do something."

"Do you think he'll even listen? She hasn't heard anything from him in weeks... Maybe he's moved on like everyone else." Frost knew what Andy was talking about. He, too, had watched Celtic struggle with this.

"I hate to meddle... but I have to do something." Andy repeated.

"I knew he would hurt her..." Frost shook his head.

"Don't be like that. He just gets caught up in things and..." Andy trailed off.

"Forgets? Forgets the promises he made; forgets the choice he made to be with her above anything else?" Frost looked at the Fire General. "I hope she forgets about him; it would serve him right."

"Frost... You don't really mean that." Andy looked at Frost. He knew the Cold General didn't mean what he was saying. They both knew that, no matter what, Celtic would never forget about Bane... and that Bane wasn't hurting her intentionally. They knew, one day, he'd come around and realize what was important again. "He's been busy. There have been a lot of Seasonal element dragons show up on his island. He's been training them to help with the harvesting of the crops now that Halo is gone."

"So that gives him the right to stand her up? Twice? With no word?" Frost spat. He wasn't so easily convinced. "Do what you feel you have to... I don't like seeing her like this anymore than you do." Frost knew that, no matter how much he thought Bane deserved to lose Celtic, Celtic would never give up on him.

"I'll be back in a few days." Andy said and then headed outside. "Hopefully not alone." He added under his breath.

"For her sake." Frost heard the last part. He and Andy looked at each other and then into the darkening forest. "Take this, maybe it will snap him out of whatever it is that is keeping him away." Frost handed an arrow charm to Andy.

"This is..." Andy looked at it and recognized it immediately.

"I found it on the windowsill this morning... I don't think she took it off though. It looks like the link broke." Frost said before heading out to the Cold dragons. "Good luck."

"Thanks." Andy said and then headed off to the Farm Island.

"..." Bane stood and stretched. Even though Autumn had started it was still a warm day. "Lunch time, I think, Arbor." He walked over to his Seasonal dragon and leaned against him. Arbor snorted. "Why are you being like that?" Arbor had been acting up recently. If Arbor could talk, Bane was sure he'd be getting the silent treatment. He watched the Seasonal element dragons busy working in the farms. They had come a long way and now know not to eat what they harvest.

"Bane?" A voice came from behind him.

"Andy?" Bane turned around and saw the Fire General standing next to his Solstice dragon. "What are you...?" Bane couldn't understand the unexpected visit.

"I came to give you this." Andy approached and handed Bane the arrow charm.

"Did she give this to you to give to me?" Bane looked at the charm and thought back to when he had first given it to Celtic. It had been a symbol of their friendship and over the past months it had become so much more.

"No. Frost did." Andy wasn't going to let on that the link had broken. He wanted to see if Bane thought Celtic had moved on.

"Oh." Bane wasn't sure what to think. "I don't know what to say." He knew he'd messed up, he wouldn't blame her if she decided to move on. Andy watched the emotions play across the Archer's face.

"She hasn't moved on... not yet." Andy spoke up. "She secludes herself in the forest with Neon and the others for days on end... but she hasn't moved on. She thinks you have."

"Oh." Again, Bane wasn't sure what to say or think. "I..."

"Everyone seems to be moving on. Liber, DT, Echo, Wiz, Pickle... She's starting to think you have too. You made the choice to stay with her, above everything else. When Halo left, she understood that you had to come back here... but that was with the understanding that you'd come back to her after a while. I need to know how long 'a while' is going to be. She needs to know if you ever plan on returning to her or if you have moved on." Andy, again, watched the emotions play across Bane's face as he thought about those words.

"I hadn't realized... Every time I talked to her, she always said that she was fine and that I needed to take care of things here." Bane shook his head and then looked at Arbor. The dragon snorted at him again.

"Yeah, she's great at telling people that she's fine even when she's not." Andy could understand what Bane was saying. "How are you holding up?"

"I've been better. I could use some time away from all of this, honestly." Bane looked around at the farms and then at the charm in his hand. "If I just had someone to help out around here..."

"The whole Kingdom needs more people to help out. We've lost quite a few due to people moving on and starting new adventures." Andy said. "At some point we're going to need to find the Mistress for the new elements."

"Huh?" Bane hadn't heard about there being new elements.

"Celtic didn't mention it to you?" Andy looked questioningly at Bane.

"No." Bane wasn't sure why she hadn't mentioned anything to him. "It never came up..." Now he really wanted to see her.

"Interesting..." Andy thought for a moment. "Well, it's not my position to say anything so... I guess you'll just have to talk to her about that. I'm heading back to the island now. Feel free to join me or you can take whatever time you need.

"Thanks." Bane thought for a moment. "I think I need to figure a few things out first." Andy nodded and then headed back to his island.

"..." Celtic was sitting on a rock near Neon's cave when a huge gust of wind blew through the valley. She shivered a little. She'd been out there for almost a week now and had no intention of returning to the cottage anytime soon.

"Celtic..." The voice seemed distant but it was unmistakable for her. Her body tensed as the air grew colder. "Try as you might, you cannot get away from me. I will always be there as a reminder of what you are capable of..."

"No... I didn't have a choice. I did what I had to do." Celtic protested.

"What about me?" Another voice joined in the conversation. "You just let me die."

"You died protecting me... there wasn't time to save you." This was a side effect to being able to control the Light and Dark elements. The Dark brought out the doubts and fears in a person.

"If you had chosen me, I would still be alive. If you had realized you could have loved me..." The second voice taunted.

"No, my choice was made. I chose what was right and good. I do not regret the choices I've made." Celtic drew from the Light in fighting the Darkness.

"If you had chosen Justin, you wouldn't ever be alone." The first voice interjected.

"I am not alone..." There wasn't much faith behind those words.

"You are not alone." His voice stopped the Darkness and her heart. Bane approached and noticed the images in the water. "You two can leave now." The images flickered out as he wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry. I should have been here sooner."

"You had more important things to do." Celtic leaned against him; she could feel the tension leave her as it was replaced with his warmth.

"Nothing should be more important than you." Bane turned her around to face him. "Why didn't you tell me about the new elements?"

"I didn't want you to worry; you had enough going on." Celtic couldn't believe he was standing in front of her. Tears pricked her eyes and she buried herself into his chest.

"Makes sense." Bane hadn't realized how much he had missed this feeling. "Okay, that's it."

"What?" Celtic pulled back and looked at him.

"This time, I really am never letting go." He smiled warmly at her. "I have a few things to give you, but first what was that with Blue and Justin?"

"A side effect of controlling Light and Dark. Darkness brings out the fears and doubts." Celtic took a deep breath. "The fear of being alone, of making a mistake, of regretting choices... of becoming evil. The fear of letting the evil within rule."

"You are not evil. You could never be evil. You think of others before yourself. You have been the source of hope for the kingdom. There's a reason you were chosen as the Enchantress of the Elements. You have to believe in yourself." Bane wasn't sure where these words were coming from but he knew they were true.

"You are my light, Archer." Celtic smiled at him. "I don't know what I would do without you."

"Same." Bane took her hand in his and they headed to the cottage.

"Claddaugh, Sonnet, let's go home." The Celtic dragon and the Dream dragon toddled along behind the couple.

"Um... When did you get a Dream dragon?" Bane glanced at the three dragons behind them.

"The other week..." Celtic replied sheepishly. Bane laughed at her facial expression. He kissed her forehead and they continued along the path.

"..." Andy sighed with relief when he noticed Bane and Celtic coming down the path from the forest. "Good." He and Frost exchanged glances, both felt a weight lift off their shoulders. "Maybe we should leave them alone?"

"You don't have to tell me twice." Frost said. As much as he liked seeing Bane and Celtic together, he would rather not spend the evening with the couple who probably had a lot of catching up to do.

"Celtic, before we get back to the cottage I want to give you two things." Bane stopped walking. He took her wrist in his hands and placed the arrow charm back on it.

"How did you get that?" Celtic had been looking everywhere for the charm.

"Frost gave it to Andy and Andy gave it to me..." Bane replied.

"Oh, I've been looking everywhere for it... I guess the link broke." Before Celtic could pull her hand back, Bane placed a ring on her finger. "What's...?"

"I asked a Diamond dragon and an Aquamarine dragon for a favor." Bane cleared his throat.

"Are you blushing?" Celtic teased a little. She had to do something to calm her nerves.

"I said that I am never letting you go, and I mean it. Marry me and be with me always?" Bane's heart was beating so fast he was having a hard time breathing.

"Bane, I would..." Celtic was interrupted by the roar of a dragon. "What was that?"

"Sorry to interrupt, but we have an emergency." Robo came running up to the pair.

"Robo, what's happened?" Celtic and Bane looked at the man.

"Eddie has escaped from the dungeon... He's a lot stronger than we thought." Robo took a deep breath. "We may need to gather everyone again, as a precaution."

"Alright, send word, we'll gather tomorrow on the Main Island." Celtic said. "And, Bane, the answer is 'yes'."

"Cool." Bane smiled. They both laughed at Robo's reaction.