The Darkness Beyond the Stars

Epilogue: Jayros

I'm sitting in my room now, the windows open, the wind threatening to blow all these pages away forever. Maybe that would be best. It's been six months.

The Twisted had never planned on killing me themselves. Raon had been right, but only mostly. They'd poisoned him to go mad, and kill me, killing themselves first. If they had succeeded, the Elvenaer and the High Elves would've been destroyed. They hadn't wanted to rule the land, just destroy the Elves.

Morok had been sending messages to the Elvenaer every week, negotiating peace. They were reluctant to agree at first, but then something changed.

Raon did leave something behind, other than memories. My swollen belly is refusing to fit in all my old dresses now. The day I realized, I laughed. Morok heard me and thought I was going mad. When I told him, he left, and I heard him crying in the hall.

Morok is outside my door, I know. He's always near. We spend most night sitting on the floor together, him telling me all the things Raon never got to tell me.

I have to go. The baby won't stop kicking me, even at night. It likes it when I walk around outside.

I talk, telling the baby all about his father as I walk. I think it likes it. Or at least kicks less then.

...

Jayros.

My son.

Raon's son.

He was born two days ago, on the ground, not three miles from the same cliffs.

Morok and I were traveling west, and the baby decided it was time, apparently. And when I held him in my arms at last, I cried. I cried for all the family he would never have, and for the joy that I held something of Raon.

...

He's sleeping now. He has the most beautiful pale hair, but he's frowning, even in his sleep. I keep telling him stories, of how his father smiled, his strength, his talent with a blade. His wings, dark as night.

Morok demands to hold him half of the time. And I let him. Reluctantly.

....

So that's my life now.

Queen, widow, mother.

.....

I think about Raon every day, but every time, it hurts a little less. And I hold our child, and kiss him, and hug him, and his laughter is the most beautiful thing I've ever heard.

And the sun sets, and rises again, and time goes by, and Jayros learns to walk, then speak, and I hear Morok telling him stories about his father, and the wonderful adventures that he went on with him, and Jayros watches him with his big blue eyes, blond hair sticking out in every direction. Then he looks to me, and hold out his short arms to me.

And I smile, and kiss his cheek, and carry him off to bed as the sun sets in golden glory.