Agatha let out a shuddering breath as she shut the door behind her. She told him as much as she could without frightening him into making wrong decisions. Now for her part. Queen Genevieve always wanted her daughter to have the life she deserves with the person she loved. She would make sure that be made possible.
Agatha made a portal to get to the Rune tower as quickly as possible. Thankfully, the tower seemed untouched from the outside. She held her rucksack to her chest as she quickly ran inside. If she could convince her colleagues then she could even ask for her help in this war.
Agatha stopped short as soon as she took a step inside the Rune tower. Bloodied bodies littered the stone. Some had several body parts missing or gaping holes where their organs had been ripped apart from their body. Agatha swallowed the scream on the edge of her throat and ran through the different floors.
Everywhere it was the same. Not one student or worker had been spares. Agatha twisted through the stone pathways until she came to a stop before a large painting of a beautiful landscape.
She made a rune on the painting using her fingertip that glowed with magic. This was another one of her creations. A safe cellar that been created for use during a natural calamity or something equally worse. She guessed the current situation surpassed all those events.
Agatha had to draw three more runes before she reached the innermost space of the cellar that could only be accessed by a Guardian. If the other Guardians were hiding somewhere, it had to be in there. Agatha carefully stepped inside, one hand ready before her, white sparks of magic hovering a breath away from her skin.
Agatha expected not seeing the Guardians but nothing prepared her for the sight before her. The rucksack in her hands dropped on the carved stone floor. A sheaf of papers scattered from the bag - some turning crimson as the pooled blood absorbed into the old parchment papers.
Mangled, broken, incapacitated, severed body parts were all that she could lay her eyes on. Bile rose up her throat and Agatha heaved the contents in her stomach on the floor near the wall.
"I expected the infamous Agatha Marlowe to have a lot more spine than that."
Agatha froze. From the corner of her eye, she saw a silhouette creep out from the shadows of the cellar. The only sound in the room was her own ragged breathing and the crisp footsteps of the intruder.
"Now, this is a surprise even I did not calculate. I expected you to be under high protection after I let you go. But here you are, out of your own free will. Like a rabbit caught in a bear trap."
'Let you go.' The words repeated inside her head.
Eric Dragna crouched on the floor before her. Agatha stood completely paralyzed. She didn't know why she was so afraid but there was something about the dark aura that enveloped Eric and the knowledge of her own demise that kept her frozen in place.
"Oh look, you found the original document of the betrothal. Were you planning to advocate on their behalf? How adorable!" Eric snickered, nimble fingers sorting through the parchment.
"Why did you kill them? They didn't do you any harm." Agatha spoke. Her tone was surprisingly steady. "If you thought killing them would make me lower my guard-"
"I know there are no affectionate feelings shared between you and the rest of the Guardians. They never liked you from the start and then you went ahead and disappeared on them along with the most precious jewel of the Kingdom." Eric hummed. "I wouldn't want you alive either. In fact, I did you a favor. They were planning on getting rid of you anyway."
"That-" Agatha growled. "-gives you no authority to butcher people. They had families-"
"Who will be dead by morning. I don't care." Eric waved her away dismissively. "Now you may be wondering why I took the time to wait for you. Even though I wasn't sure if you would take the chances."
Agatha didn't answer. Her body was stiff like a statue. Eric smiled as he circled around her.
"Where is the second amulet? I know you know all about it. I've heard the miracles of your clairvoyance. So start talking. I haven't got the time for chit chat." Eric said.
"It's adorable that you think I would tell you even I knew about it." Agatha spat. "I will die before you get me to help you."
Eric hummed unhappily. "Well, it was worth a try. Say hello to my sister-in-law."
The movement was so quick that Agatha couldn't even see it. The irony of it made her want to laugh. And she would have if not for the blood gurgling in her throat from the gaping gash on her neck. Agatha heard the cellar door slam shut as she crumpled to the ground. The smell of smoke enveloped her lungs making her wheeze and choke.
'Atleast I managed to do it.' Agatha smiled. The syringe fell from her fingers with a small sound - the red stained glass shattering on contact. She had given Eric a taste of his own medicine in its very effective raw form.
The world around her dimmed despite the bright hues of the flames gobbling up the bodies in the room. The strong stench of burning flesh, smoke and blood made her eyes water and nose numb.
Agatha thought of her fifteen year old self meeting the Queen for the very first time and days later learning that she'd been made the head of the Portal runes department. She never knew her family so that was one worry less. Agatha had been abandoned on the streets as a mere child and had learned to fend for herself.
Memories of Elina flashed before her. Her lips twitched upwards. She would miss that child. For years, Elina had been her only family. Fresh tears pricked her eyes as the light went out from within her. Her mind replayed the words she always wanted to hear from somebody.
'You did well, Agatha. I'm proud of everything you've achieved. Now take a deep breath and rest.'
Agatha smiled.
"I am just as responsible, Rora. If I had left Julian inside your chambers instead of out, maybe things would have gone differently. Or maybe fate would have still found a way. There are a lot of ifs and maybe, but we managed to overcome the worst. Yes, it costed more pain that any of us ever anticipated but all that matters now is that, we are past it." Aiden said softly.
"Since when did you grow so wise?" Elina chuckled as he wiped away her tears.
"I've always been smart. What do you mean?" Aiden teased.
"Thanks Aid. It's going to take a while to completely let go of the guilt and accept it but hearing everything just gave me strength." Elina said.
"I'm glad. You need to be absolutely healthy for our baby to be healthy." Aiden leaned to kiss her forehead. "Come on, the kids are excited to go back." Aiden said as he stood up and helped Elina up to her feet carefully.
Elina pressed her fingers to her lips, kissed it and placed it on Guardian Agatha's tombstone. 'Thank you, Nana. For everything. I love and miss you everyday. I hope to have the chance to meet you again, in another lifetime.'
Julian fiddled with the little ring box. His feet moved creating ripples in the still water of the Fae-made pond.
"I've been looking everywhere for you."
Julian jumped and almost dropped the ring box into the pond. The tiny fish around his feet scattered from the movement.
"You scared me!" He gasped. Jason raised a teasing eyebrow.
"Were you having improper thoughts about me?" He nudged Julian as he sat down next to him. "Oh! The water feels good!"
"Why were you looking for me?" Julian questioned. He tried his best to be inconspicuous as he stuffed the ring box into his coat pocket.
"Because I was lonely." Jason answered without skipping a beat. Julian's ears flared deep crimson. "Look at your face!" Jason laughed. He slipped his hand through Julian's long fingers. "I missed you. So I went looking for you."
Julian stared at their clasped hands. "Do you see yourself being with me for a long, long time in the future?" He asked quietly.
"I see myself with you forever. And since forever is a long, long time, yes. You're stuck with me for this lifetime." Jason replied. He glanced to see Julian's - he didn't know how to describe the expression.
It was like Jason was just beginning to really look in deep but Julian had already been staring for a long time. His cheeks flushed. Jason cocked his head to one side. He offered Julian a soft smile.
"What is it? You can talk to me. You know that, Jules." He said. He rubbed his thumb on Julian's hand in a soothing manner.
"Do you want to make us official?" Julian asked seriously.
Jason looked confused. "Aren't we alre- oh, marriage."
"You don't want to." Julian said, face falling. More like a statement than a question. Jason noticed and squeezed his hand.
"It's not that I don't want to. I would love that. Truly. But I want to make myself stable and completely reliable before we take the big step. Marriage is a huge commitment."
"If this is about your legs, I don't care about it all Jase. I would have asked to marry even if you still had to be wheeled around. I love you. All of you." Julian said earnestly.
Jason felt a small lump form in the back of his throat. "I love you more, Jules. But this is more for me than for us. I promise to work hard so we can get married really soon. But, can you wait for me until then? Please?"
Julian stared at him for a few long seconds before leaning to kiss him. He pulled back after a second. "Okay."
Jason made a small noise at the back of his throat and pulled Julian in closer by the collar of his coat. He kissed him full on the lips and slipped a hand to the back of Julian's neck. His other hand wandered to his waist but stopped short when he bumped into something hard.
Jason pulled away in surprise. "Is that a...?"
Julian flushed face turned even darker. "I was kind of hoping you'd say yes." He admitted sheepishly. "Lia and Sophie even said you would pick me up and twirl me around they did at the theater plays." His voice got quieter by the time he finished.
Jason threw his head back and laughed out loud. "You asked the kids? Jules they are three years old!"
"I didn't ask them!" Julian said voice raising in embarrassment. "They just happened to see the ring box and were excited excited hear about it."
Julian's face was so red that Jason wondered if all the blood in his body collected together in his cheeks. "Well, can I see it? It does belong to me technically."
Julian fished the box from his pocket and opened it. There was a silver band, with a square emerald in the center, placed delicately in between the red satin fabric.
"Jules, it's beautiful!" Jason admired with wide eyes. "How much did this even cost you? You're not in debt because of me are you?"
Julian laughed. "I'm alright. I pulled in some favors. I got the emerald so everytime you looked at it, it would remind you of me." He said, forest green eyes shining with pride. And then they widened with sudden realization. "That's it!"
Jason looked up in question. Julian flashed him a wide smile. "A promise ring." He said.
"A promise ring?" Jason echoed. Julian nod his head suddenly excited about the idea.
"Queen Elina once spoke about it to Hailey. A promise ring is given to your other half when you want to promise your fidelity and commitment to them." Julian explained. "I got this as an engagement ring but it can pose as a promise ring until you are ready to take the leap with me."
"I...I don't what to say." Jason admitted. "Are you sure you don't want to sell it and keep the money for something more important?"
"Nothing in this world is more than you are to me, Jase." Julian said. "And this ring will remind you of my promise to you."
Jason bit his lip as Julian slipped the ring onto his finger and beamed at him. Jason stared at the shimmering emerald when his eyes landed on one of his own rings. It had belonged to his mother. Not the ring itself but the diamond enclosed in the ring. He removed it after a thought and took Julian's hand.
"I know this isn't brand new but it's really special to me because it belonged to my mom. This can act as my promise ring to you. Until I earn enough to buy you a new one." Jason said with a wide smile.
"I would like to keep this one, if you don't mind giving it to me. I'll take good care of it. I don't need or want a new one." Julian said, holding his ring clad finger to his heart. He looked up after a few seconds. A small smirk stretched on his lips. "So what is your promise to me?"
Jason mulled over it for a few seconds. He scoot closer to take Julian's hand into his once more. He brought it over to his lips and pressed a lingering kiss on his knuckles.
"It's a promise of a forever with you."
"Must they both go into labor at the same?" Kyle groaned. "I don't know who to focus on!"
Sophia snickered, followed by Aurelia and Reagan. Kyle narrowed his eyes at them.
"Soph, your Papa is troubled and you're laughing at me?" He said, feigning hurt. "Lia, Reagan not you both too. Why are you three finding it so funny?" He asked incredulously when the laugher got boisterous.
"Your pain is our happiness." Jason supplied, earning a dark look. He smirked.
The double doors of the room sprang open and Aiden stumbled in panting and out of breath.
"Papa!" Both Lia and Reagan squeezed out of Jason's arms and ran to hug their father's leg each.
"Hey..." Aiden smiled, bending over to kiss the top of their heads. "How long has it been? I came over as fast I could."
"I'm amazed that you actually managed to return all the way from Avrael in the span of an hour, Your Majesty." Julian said.
"I have no clue either." Aiden chuckled.
"Papa." Lia tugged Aiden's hand. "Are Mama and Aunt Hailey going to be okay?"
"Of course, love. We can see the-"
A clear, high pitched sound of a baby crying cut Aiden mid-sentence. For a minute, he was reminded of the first time he heard the same sound and how panicked he had been then. Now, he felt much calmer. Nervous but calm. Aiden tucked the kids closer as Kyle pulled Sophie into his arms.
"Whose do you think that was?" Jason wondered.
The first cry was quickly followed by a second. Kyle and Aiden looked at each other. Their expressions were a mirror. Joy, fondness, warmth.
A string of curses followed the second cry. Kyle lay his forehead on Sophie's shoulder. He chuckled, eyes misty. "Yeah, that one's mine."
About fifteen minutes later, the doors opened and the nurses filed out, carrying bags of bandages and cloth that had to be disposed.
"You can see them now, Your Majesty. My Lord. Congratulations on both the births. They're beautiful." The chief nurse said as she left the room.
"Come on, let's go say hello to your new sibling." Aiden whispered, taking Aurelia and Reagan's hands into his.
Kyle hoisted Sophie into his arms and entered after them. He paused when Jase and Julian stayed behind.
"We'll meet them after you do. Don't worry about us." Julian said. Jason nod his head with a smile.
The room was divided into two. A makeshift curtain stretched between the two women. Hailey blinked her eyes open and lowered the arm she had placed over her face. Her lips pulled into a lazy grin when she saw Kyle.
"Hey you." She smiled. "I was right."
Kyle laughed, eyes crinkling at the sides. "It's a girl. Two baby girls." He breathed.
"I have a baby sister now." Sophie asked, eyes widening to emphasize her statement.
Hailey opened her arms wide to hug her child. Kyle let her down and Sophie at once leapt into her mother's arms. Hailey kissed her forehead. "Yes, you do! Do you want to see her?"
"Yes! Can I hold her hand too? Will that hurt her?" Sophie asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
"Of course you can, sweetheart. Come on, let's see together." Kyle said.
Elina beamed as Aiden, Lia and Reagan as they entered. The kids ran to their mother almost immediately.
"I'm happy you're okay, Mama." Reagan kissed her cheek.
"Are you hurt, Mama?" Lia asked, holding Elina's fingers in her small hands.
"I'm okay, my loves. Are you excited?" She asked. They beamed at her and quickly nod their heads. "You can see. Be very careful. There that's it."
As their children fawned over their new sibling, Aiden sat down on the edge of Elina's bed. He enclosed her into his arms and kissed their bond mark. Elina sighed happily.
"I didn't expect you here. How are Hera and Derek? And little Skylar?"
Skylar Reyna Lockhart was Derek and Hera's daughter. They were expecting a second child now. Hera was still in her early stages of pregnancy.
"They sent their congratulations and Skylar sent one of her toys as a present." Aiden said. "And I wouldn't miss this for the world. I'm sorry I couldn't be here sooner."
"I missed you." Elina leaned her head on his chest.
"Always more, Rora." Aiden said, pressing a kiss on her knuckles.
They watched the kids admire their sleeping sibling. Reagan tried his best to be as gentle as possible when he slipped one of his chubby baby fingers into the infant's fist. His delighted smile was infectious when the baby held onto him. Lia was more shy, surprising both her parents. She stuck behind Reagan and watched quietly with wide eyed curiosity.
"Hey, is it okay for me to come in?" Kyle peeked from behind the curtain.
"Don't be so formal now. Pull back the curtain. I want to see my best friend." Elina said.
"She's also your sister-in-law." Kyle laughed as he tugged the curtain to the other end.
"You come way far back mister. I'm her best friend before I'm even your wife. Isn't that right, sweetpea?" Hailey chirped batting her eyelashes at Elina.
The other girl was almost hysterical with laughter. "Do you even have to ask, sugar?"
"Okay whatever this is, cut it out. The names. Skies!" Jason shuddered as he and Julian entered the festivity.
"I thought you liked it when I gave you names...gumdrop." Julian teased.
Elina and Hailey doubled over with laughter. Even Aiden cracked a grin at Jason's self supplied misfortune. He rested his chin on Elina's head as she laughed helplessly. His grin grew wider more because of her than the situation at hand.
"You asked for it, buddy. I can't help you with this one." Kyle chuckled, shrugging as he high-fived Julian.
"Oh, I can't. I can't, please." Elina choked out. She wiped away the tears from her eyes and massaged her cheeks.
"Julian, I name you my daughter's godfather just for that. Congratulations!" Hailey gasped as she caught her breath.
"Thank you for the honor, My Lady." Julian beamed, obvious joy shining through his eyes.
"Speaking of which, have you decided on names?" Jason asked, brushing away his embarrassment.
Hailey glanced at Kyle and nod her head. "We were thinking, Cora."
"Cora, I like it." Jason said testing it out. "Cora Renee Dawson." He suggested.
"Hey, that's beautiful." Kyle remarked. "Cora Renee Dawson. What do you think Hails?"
"I really like it too. Cora Renee Dawson. Sounds perfect." Hailey agreed.
"It's decided then!" Jason clapped his hands together. "What about you guys?"
"We decided on Adriel." Aiden said, glancing at Elina.
"Adriel Theodore Dragna." Elina finished. "Our youngest angel." She lightly squeezed Aiden's hand.
"That's so unique and pretty sounding." Hailey admired.
"Rora spent a lot of time going through names before deciding on Adriel." Aiden confessed.
"Our family has grown so big in such little time. I can't believe we're old enough to be parents, uncles and aunts now!" Jason exclaimed.
"We lost some and gained more along the way. That's just how life is." Elina said softly. "I'm glad we turned out okay despite everything we were put through."
"Turned out okay? We are nothing less than spectacular." Hailey called.
"I second that!" Jason added. "I guess we really rewrote history huh?"
"It's more like..." Hailey trailed, humming as she thought of the right words. "We refused to accept the limitations shoved at us and instead birthed a whole new future."
Elina gathered Aurelia and Reagan into her arms as Aiden carefully adjusted Adriel in his arms. She smiled at Hailey's words and shrugged.
"We said our goodbyes and now, it's finally time for new beginnings. New beginnings of life."