Rowan → Ethan Nakamura ✔

Epilogue: Stars

"...and that is the legend of Ma Wu Yue." Old Man Ma concluded.

The blanket of quiet that fell across the family after Rowan's story was routine. No matter how many times Old Man Ma had repeated his eldest daughter's adventures, Rachel would be holding her sobbing mother, her own eyes misty. Robbie would wipe his glasses and clear his throat. Ryan's bawling had turned to sniffling as he grew older, but he would still press his lips into a thin line of grief.

Yet at least once a year, the family would ask their patriarch to tell them what had happened to Rowan and Ethan. And each time they asked, Old Man Ma would recount the tale of two children that had been the light of the household and had taken care of everyone else as much as they could.

Shrines to the gods had been taken down. The one in the living room had been chopped to pieces by Old Man Ma himself. He remembered the day he had taken an axe to his faith; it was the day the three Greeks – Billie, Will and Nico – had returned to break the news. Clara had wailed like a part of her own body had been taken from her. Old Man Ma had to hold her while his own heart wrenched in two. Only once the visitors had left did he drag the remnants of a blind loyalty that cost him his daughter out into the park nearby. Only once the stars were out did he make sure Rowan saw his repentance.

He had seen her that night, exactly five years ago. He had seen her bright smile and sparkling eyes in the sky, her cheeks made of clouds and her nose of blue. He had heard her voice in the evening breeze.

"I'm okay, Dad. I love you. Tell the family I love them too. And it's not your fault."

He'd take a night walk ever since then at exactly midnight – the same time as the first occurrence. He shared the news with his family, and sometimes his children would accompany him. Sometimes Clara would. But he would always go.

There were nights where he'd hear Ethan too, whose presence he missed almost as much as Rowan. After all, he had been a son to him.

"We're doing well in a house made of stars, Old Man Ma. Rowan is safe with me."

Never more than a few sentences. It was all that he could hear and all that they could say. Perhaps Old Man Ma's faith in the gods had vanished, but it had been replaced by a faith in people. He had never appreciated the mortals he helped even as a Hunter, where he saw his duty to slay mogwai as divinely decreed rather than to assist others.

Now, however, Rowan had shown him that people – mortals – were worth far more than gods who lived too long and cared too less. So it was a faith in those around him that Old Man Ma focused on, and each night, Rowan and Ethan would look down upon their family. They would watch those they loved, ensuring nothing harmed them as they slept.

When the sun rose and the stars vanished from view, Ethan would turn to Rowan and smile like the children they had been, perched on top of trees. "How are you, Ro?"

"I'm home, Ethan. And so are you."

END

I'm going to be honest - I'd planned a tragic ending since the very beginning. It felt awful, especially since Rowan's family is such a large part of her identity and her death would technically mean leaving them behind. Still, it felt right to stick to the themes of how gods are not perfect. I guess Rick Riordan already tackled that subject, but I wanted to end her story as a legend to be cemented through the ages, so death was mostly unavoidable. Chinese people are very fond of legends, so it felt fitting that Rowan's story would end in a similar way.

Sorry about waiting so long to finish this story. Major changes have happened in my life so far - all positive, thankfully - so this was put on a backburner. I also wanted to just complete it, really, which is why it might seem a little bit rushed. Even so, I hope you had a good time reading Rowan and Ethan's adventures and thank you for sticking around.

I have an idea for a Peaky Blinders story. We'll see if it ever comes to fruition.

In the meantime, stay safe and healthy, everyone.