Hestia's Wish [2019 ONC Longlist]

21 | Epilogue

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Two Months Later

In the months following the second Concordian invasion, the Aithneans spent time on regrouping as a nation. Lady Aries apologized for the things she did, but she knew that her words wouldn't mean anything if she didn't have anything to show for it. And so, she did something for the people every day to show that she had truly changed. She started with rebuilding homes to make them more suitable for humans and the blacksmith apprenticeship by making it optional, giving many children the opportunity to decide what they wanted to do with their futures.

With the help of Ares, they managed to locate Harmonia and Cadmus in neighboring volcanoes and free them. Together, they formed the Jade Council. Their purpose was to protect the people of Aithne and ensure that no one would ever have to suffer again. Everyone was living prosperous and happily and for once, Hestia felt like everything she went through was leading up to this moment.

She sat on the shore of Black Hollow with her feet dipped in the water, reveling in its refreshingly cool temperature. She stared out into the distance, wondering what it was like for humans living in the other Zodiac nations. If their leaders were anything like Lady Aries was then they had to be suffering in some way.

She was pulled out of her thoughts as warm arms wrapped around her body from behind. She tilted her head back to see Alastair lovingly staring down at her. "What were you thinking about?" he asked, rubbing calming circles into her forearms.

"I was just thinking..." she started.

"Oh boy," he muttered, running a hand through his hair.

"Hey!" She smacked his arm.

He chuckled and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "I'm sorry. What were you saying?"

Her heart fluttered at the feel of his lips against her skin. She unknowingly leaned into him more before replying, "When the stars fell, they each claimed a piece of land for themselves, right?"

"Yes, that's how the story goes. Why?"

"If that's the case, there has to be a lot of people suffering out there. Some may be scared and unsure of what to do. They probably need someone to guide them."

"Tia, are you volunteering?"

"Well, that is...we can get off this island now. Why not? We would be helping people that really need it."

"That's true, but we don't know a thing about the other countries."

"Wouldn't you want to see more of the world?"

"It would be nice."

"Is that a yes?" she asked as a grin began to appear.

"It's a maybe. I think we should discuss it with Aries before we jump into things."

She nodded quickly and turned around to give him a quick peck on his cheek. "I can't wait!" she exclaimed giddily. "I wonder what we should pack...where would we start—" she paused when she caught Alastair frowning. "What?"

He pulled her close to him suddenly, wrapping his arms carefully around her waist to keep her in place before swiftly capturing her lips. She melted within his grasp and wrapped her arms around his neck as she accepted the kiss. Her lips softly moved against his, unable to break the spell that she was currently trapped in.

He pulled back and rested his forehead against hers as they breathed deeply. "I love you, Tia," he murmured.

"I love you, Ali," she replied proudly with an incandescent smile. She was no longer haunted or bound by those words as they were free to love each other openly and honestly. She could finally allow herself to love and be loved without fear of anything life threw at them. It wasn't their happy ending, but rather their happy beginning.

END OF BOOK 1

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A/N: Thank you so much for reading Engulfed by Aries. This story has been a wonderful, yet difficult journey. It was my first time working with third person multi-POV and it was honestly good practice. It is an absolute joy to finally mark it as complete. 

If you'd like to join my Discord community to unlock some perks and/or weeb about this story and my other works, click the link here >

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Check out some of my other works: 

Ceosal Kingdom Tales: A short story compilation featuring the aquatic creatures of the mythical Realm of Naestrirea.

The Prince's Beast: An MxM forbidden romance between a dragon prince and an exiled kitsune that draws upon Chinese, Japanese, and Christian mythologies. It's also a mashed up retelling of the classic fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast, and the Greek myth of the Minotaur and the Labyrinth. 

Tarot series: A high fantasy revolving around a disabled teenager's quest to collect and seal the Tarot in order to save the Realm's mythical inhabitants. It draws upon Ancient Chinese culture and xuanhuan and xianxia elements.

Eternal Promise: A historical fantasy based on the White Snake myth. It features the Eight Immortals, important places, creatures, and artifacts from Chinese mythology, and reincarnation / transmigration and Buddhism elements.

Any Way The Wind Blows: A Korean romantic fantasy that k-drama lovers are sure to love.

As always, thank you for the support!

Much love and eggs,
Luli

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Check out the next chapters for a sneak peek of the never-before-seen prequel (which includes an Asteria x Erebus arc) of Volume 1!