The Kept

Epilogue - The Girl

Xai leaned casually against the throne and peered over Nerys's shoulder at the letter that Nerys was re-reading for the tenth (or twentieth) time.

"That's rude," Nerys said. She didn't bother to pry herself away from her reading, or hide the contents. Xai knew what the letter said as well as Nerys did.

"Today's the day, huh?"

"Is it? I wasn't keeping track."

"Are you nervous?"

Nerys looked up at Xai and rolled her eyes.

"I am Nerys, the "Kept Empress", "Guardian of the Four Nations", "Harbinger of the Final War" and "Bringer of Lasting Peace," "Scourge of Tyrants"; feared by all and beloved by enough that I haven't been assassinated yet. Even the kingdoms across the sea tell their children stories about me to scare them into behaving well. Why would I be nervous about this?"

"First, you haven't been assassinated yet because of me. Keep that in mind, please, your excellency when listening to the bards sing of your feats. They exaggerate. Second, you have ten years worth of unresolved 'tension' still waiting to be addressed. And third, they're here."

"What?" Nerys looked around in a panic, but the hall was still empty.

"Good attempt, but you've been made," Xai called to the empty room. "You can come out, girl."

A tall, athletic young woman silently slipped out from the pillar closest to Nerys and Xai. She had long black hair, dark, crescent moon eyes and her mother's dimples and her father's teasing smile.

"Seriously, Xai?"

Xai shrugged.

"Not a threat, not my problem."

The girl bowed low before Nerys.

"Empress, forgive me. I know it is childish but I wanted to show you how much I've learned."

"Amparo! You've grown!"

Nerys leapt to her feet and scooped Amparo into a tight hug.

"Oh, we're doing this now!" Amparo said with a startled squeak."That's... not the reaction I thought... You're much smaller than I remember."

"Amparo, mind your courtly manners. The Empress has always been larger in spirit than her person."

Dadien strolled toward them at a leisurely pace. Ten years had not changed him much. He had the beginnings of the silvery streaks in his dark, tousled hair and laugh lines had formed beside his eyes, but they were as brilliant blue as ever. Still full of laughter, but tempered by much more sorrow.

After they parted ways, he and Amparo disappeared completely. Not even Nerys had been allowed to know where they had gone. But that did not stop Haolaetia's vast network of spies from rounding up young girls who even slightly resembled Mari or Dadien in Trygve's desperate search for the lost princess that was key to winning Nerys back.

Now, he was dead, killed by Nerys's own hand in the final battle that put an end their decade-long war. Only when the threat from Haolaetia was over once and for all, was it safe for Dadien and Amparo to come home at last. Dadien opened his arms and Nerys flew to him. They stood locked in their embrace for a long while before either of them spoke again.

"Hello, my brightness."