The Edge (Book 5 of The Claiming Series)

Epilogue

"We should take Bayfell while they're weak," a council member says. His wild eyes dance across the entirety of the court, resting a little bit longer on me as I cradle my sleeping son to my chest.

"Absolutely not," another member says, one of the older women on the council. "We need time to recover. Our queen just had a baby two weeks ago!"

Now all eyes are on me, and I glance down at my son to avoid their gazes. His eyelids flutter, but he remains fast asleep.

"I would like to strike back," Eli says after a moment's silence. "But now, this very moment, is definitely not the time. We lost many lives, and everyone deserves time to grieve. I don't expect Bayfell to come back anytime soon. This will give us time to strategize a new plan and to increase our security. For now, I would like to take a vote on strengthening our walls and moving everyone outside the barrier inward for now. Council?"

After some chattering amongst themselves, they ultimately decide as a group to side with their king.

"Let's meet again in two days, on Friday," Eli says as he gets to his feet. "In the meantime, I would like you all to propose a set of committees that we can allow the citizens to be a part of. For instance, a committee for strengthening our walls. Or perhaps training our youth. Please present at the next meeting. Thank you."

Eli offers me his hand, and with the baby tucked in one arm, I take it. We leave before the rest of the council and head into corridor. Eli smiles down at me. "How about a walk?"

I feel his hand press against the small of my back, and I beam at him. "Yes, please."

******

Eris offers to watch the baby so we can take our time in the garden. As much as I hate being apart from him, I don't think I would have been able to carry him for much longer. Holding him through the entirety of the council meeting turned my arms to mush.

"Are you sure you don't want to hire a nursemaid?" Eli asks as we keep a slow, steady pace together along the stone pathway.

I nod. "Eris is a great babysitter when needed, but... he's our son. I want to be as constant in his life as I can."

Eli squeezes my hand, and I lock eyes with him. His soft hazel gaze still melts my heart. And for a gut-wrenching moment, I remember that I have been so close to losing him too many times. His brows furrow. "What's the matter?"

"Oh." I look down at our feet. Was it that obvious on my face what I was thinking? I shake my head. "I'm just..." I lift my eyes to his once more and smile. "I'm really happy you're still here with me."

For a heartbeat, he's baffled, stopping in his tracks. Then, he leans over and kisses the top of my head. "Likewise."

We continue on, the sun lowering in the sky far faster than I'd like it to. Despite spring turning to summer, it's still cool outside. The magnolia trees are in full-bloom, and when a breeze passes through the garden, their sweet scent washes over us.

"I never did ask," Eli says after a while of silence between us.

"Hm?"

"What made you think of Ezekiel? Don't get me wrong, I love the name. It's just—we never even threw that name around. So, I guess I'm just wondering what made you dead-set on that?"

I cast him a sideways glance, the corners of my mouth twitching. "You."

"Me?"

"Of course, you. Aria suggested an E-name in honor of you, and I liked the idea. Our son was born during a battle that you won. You managed to be there for his birth and then save all of New Athens. I think all of our children should be named in honor of you."

"All of our—how many kids are we having, Mave?" Eli says with a laugh.

I bring the back of his hand to my lips. "I would give you the world if I could, Eli. But for now, I will give you whatever you want to the best of my capabilities. If you want ten kids, I will do my best."

"Oh, goodness, I won't do that to you," Eli says. His eyes are round in disbelief. "But Mave, you have already given me so much more than I could have ever dreamed of. I should be the one giving you the world."

"Then I guess we're both indebted to each other," I say, a smirk across my lips.

"I wouldn't put it like that. Isn't this just marriage?" He kisses the back of my hand now. "Two people who want to give the world to each other?"

"Mm, I don't think all marriages are like that. But I think all love is. Real love, that is."

"Aw, you love me?" Eli says.

I glare at him. "Don't be dumb."

He grins. "I was wondering why you chose to marry me despite all of this," he says, gesturing around us.

"Ah, yes, a life of luxury in a beautiful palace is such a burden. Why did I ever agree to this?"

He suddenly wraps a strong arm around my waist. "I knew you married me for my money."

I snort. "No, it was for your good looks."

"Ooh, thank you, my love."

I giggle and lean my head against his shoulder to look up at him. The smile on his lips sends my heart into a flurry, and I squeeze my eyes shut to remember this. To capture this image of him at my side. To engrave it in my memories.

So that if I'm ever on the edge again—

Close to jumping off and ending it all.

Or close to seeing Eli thrown from a great height.

I'll at least have this.

Sure, it's morbid. It's dark.

But memories are a beautiful thing. They are eternal.

A/N: Thank you all who have struggled along with me and my slow updates! I've been dealing with an ongoing existential crisis, but I think we're on the upward slope now. I got a new laptop that inspires me to write a lot more than my floppy old one (it was a Microsoft Surface Pro, so yes, it was floppy). 

As much as I hate to end this story so soon, I'm dying to rewrite the Claiming from the very beginning and to offer you all a new insight into the story as well as develop the characters more. I wrote the Claiming when I was 16, and I'm 24 now, so it's definitely time to give it a makeover. I'll be posting part of the new story here and will let you all know when that goes live. I will definitely appreciate any and all feedback on it so that I can create the best story possible for you. 

This isn't the end of Mave and Eli's story (especially since the Bayfell conflict is still present), but I hope I was able to leave this where it can rest for a while so that I can focus on the rewrite. 

Thank you guys so much for your patience and support!

A/N (Nov 2022): If you like fantasy/romance, feel free to check out my new story Winter & Wing, too!