Guardian (Sequel to Fearless)

Chapter Ninety Five

A/N-- So! Next chapter is the last "real" chapter of this book. Then, there WILL be an epilogue... and then, I finally put a wrap on this journey!

Saying that, I really want to tell you guys they'll be out soon (because you guys know me... I write them as soon as I am able) BUT... where I live, there's a pretty good chance that I'll be riding out Hurricane Irma this weekend or at least catching a brigade of spin-off tornadoes. So I may or may not have power for however long. But I'll do my best, I promise you!

Lastly, this chapter took a week but I'm not terribly sorry this time. :P. I actually wrote this chapter three times before and hated it all, so I scrapped it. It took so long because I wanted to give you guys a decent quality chapter!

Hope you enjoy!

"It's grown," Irila whispered as she stared at her cherry orchard for the first time in years. "These trees are bigger than I remember them." Wasn't that the theme for everything? Everything grew. Her daughters were no longer children -both had children on their own now in a sense. Rhalla had a son and two adopted daughters... Iris carried a child inside her.

Quietly, Rhalla walked ahead and picked up a fallen blossom from the grass. The flower had just recently blown from the branches, and it was whole mind for one missing petal. Everyone watched as she brought it over to her mother. With a small, tender smile, she placed it behind Irila's ear. It was an act reminiscent of how Irila used to decorate Rhalla's hair with flowers when she was far younger.

Despite its simplicity, it was a poignant moment between the two -one that knocked the breath from Irila Gwenneth. Her daughters were both home. Though that moment of serenity was quickly interrupted by Lissa, who had to tell them, "That flower's all broken, mama."

Rhalla looked over at her youngest daughter and shook her head. "It's only missing a petal, little one. It's not broken; it's only different," she said, referencing more than just the flower. Now, she turned to her eldest girl, who now sported more athletic clothes and a haircut like her mighty mother's. "Different can be beautiful too."

Oletta smiled a little, catching the meaning. Meanwhile, Lissa said, "But won't it die quicker though?"

"Who can say?" Rhalla asked her, chuckling softly. "It could last a week; it could wilt tomorrow. Same as all the other flowers blown from the tree. Might as well enjoy all of them while they're here."

"Can I have a flower?" Lissa wondered out loud.

"You can have as many as you want," Irila told her granddaughter. "You can bring some inside. I'll braid them into your hair if you'd like." Lissa brightened at that prospect and immediately started gathering flowers from the ground as they walked the path back to the cottage.

They quietly passed the orchard, all enjoying each other's company. Sometime through it, Irila took the hands of each of her daughters. They got to the small stable, where Gretchen was stationed alongside a muscular black stallion. It was gorgeous, yet the sight gave Elliot pause. He didn't quite recognize the animal. "Iris, did Renna get a new horse?"

"Not that I know of," Iris squinted her eyes. "That looks like... Kayde's horse."

"That is my horse," Kayde piped in. "I know for a fact that I left it with my... wait, is my mother here?"