Rise of a Queen

Epilogue

Two years later.

It was a lovely morning, not yet hot and still damp from an overnight decline in temperature. The grass was wet against my knees from where I was purposefully situated lower than the gravestone with Toby's name chiseled into its glossy marble front.

It only serves as a memorial, Toby is not buried here. No matter how great my pain had been, I could not bring myself to eternally separate my brother from his mother and father.

Toby was happily loved by two parents and that accumulated to more than the amount of love I could ever give him. Sisterly responsibility does not end in death so I decided to bury him in a plot between our mother's grave and his father's, where he can be surrounded by their love for the rest of time. He deserved that much at the very least.

This grave marker is merely my way of coping. Although his body is not here, I like to think that this slab of stone with his name so carefully carved in beautifully scripted writing links him to this place and keeps him connected to me. Perhaps not in body but in mind and in soul.

That gives me peace.

"So that is everything that happened this week. We have been so busy lately, more gangs are joining the treaty to merge and constant negotiations are under way to incorporate everyone accordingly." I explained. I talk to my brother as much as I can, some weeks everyday, sometimes even twice a day if I am feeling especially stressed. It has helped me progress through my grief to a place where I can finally accept what happened.

And a place where I can let it go.

Small hands swatted at my cheeks. The child in my arms was growing fussy, he was never at rest for long. Lively and spunky, he was always on the search for what came next. Always looking for more.

Just like the uncle he took his name after.

"Your nephew is doing fine, by the way." I held the infant higher and admired the midnight black hair he acquired from his father and the cobalt blue eyes he inherited from me. And the freckles across his nose and cheeks that were a blessing from my brother. Toby squirmed in my hold and babbled happy nonsense, which made me laugh as well, "He is getting so big. And he looks more like you with each passing day. Sometimes I get up to check on him at night and I swear it's you laying there."

A lazy breeze rolled across the grass and gathered my hair away from my shoulders, tousling through Toby's hair as well before it swept around us in an airy embrace. It drew my son's young eyes towards the tombstone and a gummy smile pulled onto his face.

My brother is here, I know he is; coddling his nephew and congratulating me for the family I have created. The family I always wanted.

"We will be back tomorrow." I promised and kissed the top of the stone. Then Toby and I stepped over the low wrought iron gate and bid farewell to the willow tree that kept watch over my brother's memorial. It's branches drifted in the wind, saying goodbye for another day.

It was a quiet walk back to the lot with only Toby's cheerful giggles to break the silence of yet another peaceful day. It took so long to get used to the tranquility that followed Dustin's promotion into the Council because the day he accepted that title marked the day that our lives finally eased.

Merging the gangs was a much smoother process than any of us had expected. News traveled quickly of the previous Council's fall and at the center of every rumor was Dustin's name, along with the rest of our participation. It was a bloody and gruesome victory but it was impressive to those who were not there to witness how close we came to losing.

By the time Erie arrived – not at all surprised to find Count Marx already dead – the gangs had already pledged their loyalty to the new Council under Dustin's leadership.