My Voice for My Heart

Epilogue

I watched my daughter skim the surface of the lake. The undine held her beneath her arms, dipping her in the water, and swaying her back and forth, whispering something into her ear that made her giggle madly.

Her brother pointed, his crystal blue eyes shining as he waited for the undine to throw his sister up into the air, where she would flip and dive back into the water. He pushed his way out of my lap, toddling over to the shore and sitting down, his chubby little hands splashing the water he could reach while he babbled wildly.

"Lululululu."

The undine looked over, her sharp white teeth revealed as she grinned at me widely.

Our daughter loved the undine, who she'd been calling Lulu for as long as she could talk. Her first word was a name for the undine.

At first, I'd resented it. She was my baby. But the truth was, without the undine and her intercession at the last moment, there would be no baby. And there would certainly be no adoring fathers to smother her in love and attention.

I kneeled next to Rabbie, scooping him up in my arms and covering his chubby face in kisses. I felt a pair of arms encircle my waist. I was pulled into a hard chest before a kiss was pressed to the side of my neck.

"How is she, angel?"

I turned around, squeezing Rabbie between Athol and me. Rabbie pushed against Athol, smacking his chest and babbling up at him. Athol nodded his head, like he understood before taking him from me and throwing him up high in the air.

Rabbie squealed in delight, though I was sure my heart stopped beating for a minute.

"Mama, Mama!" Muirín called me.

Athol and I turned. The undine held Muirín above her head, bending her elbows and then throwing my daughter straight up in the air.

Muirín transformed. Her arms became white feathered wings. She was a beautiful, if tiny,  swan. The magic never failed to amaze and terrify me. Muirín glided for a moment, circling above our heads before landing lightly on the pond and transforming back into a girl.

The undine clapped her hands delightedly, scooping my daughter up and kissing her cheeks. They had a bond, and it was that bond that moved the undine to save us from Maeve. She sensed the spark of life inside me, and when Maeve moved to engulf us in flames, the undine had acted. She made the wave that destroyed the fire, sweeping across the land all the way to the ocean.

Maeve was gone, smothered beneath her sister's water. The destruction left was massive. Crops were destroyed and livestock drowned. We were lucky to survive the undine's help.

Muirín and the undine dove beneath the water and a moment later appeared on the shore. My daughter put her arms around the undine and kissed her before running toward us. I waved goodbye. The undine watched us leave longingly. I worried about what the undine's love would mean for Muirín one day, but I refused to brood. My daughter loved the undine, and the undine loved Muirín; as much as she could possibly love anything.

Athol waved and Robbie reached for the undine, but she dove beneath the water, disappearing from sight and leaving us alone.

"Where's Papa?" Muirín asked as we walked.

Balthair, Coiseam, and Iasan should be returning from their travels any day now. They advised the leaders of the country, following the mission of the society Phillip had founded.

Phillip had disappeared with the wave. Many of the instructors and leaders of the society were swept away, never to be seen again. It broke my heart to think that our survival caused the deaths of so many people. It made my family more determined to influence the leaders to do what was fair and right.

Since her father left, Muirín had asked every day about his return. We often traveled as a family, but there were some places that were too dangerous for all of us. In those cases, I was left behind, along with the babies, and often Athol.

Muirín was less understanding, and wasn't afraid to throw herself on the floor to make sure everyone knew how greatly she disapproved. Her father'd been gone a month now, and every day that passed Muirín became more impatient.

"There you are!" Rab ran toward us, kissing Muirín and Rabbie. "Where have you been?"

"Lulululu," Rabbie babbled.

Rab's face went pale, but he smiled. "Oh?" He looked over at me, and I shrugged. The undine was part of our lives now. Even if she merely tolerated us, she loved our children.

"I turned into a swan again."

Rab's face went from pale to grey. Her first transformation took us all by surprise, and we worried we'd passed the curse onto her, but the undine assured us it was a gift. The way she said it, looking into the distance, made me shiver in fear, and wonder if she could see into the future. After that, none of us questioned it.

And Muirín was beside herself with joy. Her power only manifested when she near water, and something inside her drew her to it. If I was unable to find her at the house, I inevitably found her at the lake, in the undine's company.

"Is Papa home?" Muirín asked Rab.

Rab shook his head, and he was given the saddest look ever to grace a four year-old's face. "Why?"

"He'll be home soon, angel," Athol kissed her again. "Let's go look at the horses."

His distraction worked, but it was unnecessary. I heard a horse's whinny and the sound of hooves on the stones outside the gates.

"Papa!" Muirín pushed away from Athol, running toward her father.

Balthair jumped down, letting the horse wander off. He picked up our daughter, covering her face in kisses. "Hello, sea fairy."

Muirín rested her head on her father's shoulder, one small arm going around his neck and squeezing him tightly. He met my eyes over her shoulder and smiled, his grey eyes happy.

The other men poured into the courtyard, and soon it was filled with laughter. Rabbie and Muirín spoke over everyone, filling Iasan, Coiseam, and Balthair in on the things they'd missed. Of course, Rabbie's additions were mostly babble, but he was happy with the undivided attention.

Coiseam took me in his arms and I leaned my head on Coiseam's shoulder, breathing in his scent, and watching my family. I had never believed I would have this: children, love.

"How was it?" Coiseam asked quietly, his voice in my ear.

"Good," I answered, turning to look up at him.

"You're not too tired?"

I smiled. Leave it to Coiseam to notice what even Iasan, as healer, had missed. I took his hand and put it on my stomach. "No, not too tired. Your baby is going easy on me."

Coiseam's face split into a wide grin. "My baby?"

I nodded, my finger coming up to my lip. A moment later I was surrounded by my family. I had everything I could ever want, and no matter what the future brought, we'd face it together.