She understood. Whether he remembered at the time or not, she had had to make a powerful, painful sacrifice as well, to bring him back. The weight of it still hung heavy on her - the loss. She hadn't known that they would make the decision to give up their lives for Thalion, and she couldn't say that had she known she would've made a different decision... but it hurt, still... to think of all those lost lives. And they were taken needlessly - taken because Thalia couldn't leave well enough alone.

She had caused so much pain and whether Thalion understood it or not, he deserved thanks. He had saved so many people... and even if it had been a difficult choice, it was the right one. Thalia would never have stopped - not until Minette was dead and Thalion was her broken soldier again, killing for her twisted cause. He had saved Doyle. Saved her... Saved himself.

Looking up, she met his gaze and smiling faintly, she shrugged, before returning her eyes to her work, concentrating perhaps harder than she needed to on the task, "I mean... It would easier if we did it together. As... as Queen, I'm obligated to take a husband, Thal. And I think given the circumstances, I've reign to choose whomever I want. With your guidance, we can protect the people from whatever's come through from Evernight, and rebuild the kingdom to be what it should... what it's always meant to be."
 
He couldn’t tell right from left at the given moment, but he didn’t think he needed to. Not yet. There would be a time to figure it out, at some point in the future. For the moment, he didn’t want to figure anything out. He wanted to go back to how he always knew he could be, and control any emotions he felt. It was easier to tuck them away and let them be hidden. Until he ate, slept, and figured out what would come of his life, that was what he planned to do. The corners of his lips twitched and he flicked his gaze towards Minette, listening and processing what she was suggesting.

He never imagined they’d go their separate ways, but without Evernight and Thalia between them, he had nearly figured she’d resume her role as Queen. His own participation in the crown would be limited, or so he believed. He had no skills when it came to people, or leading. He wasn’t even sure he liked people all that much, and saw his only prospect in Green Reach supplying information about the new creatures that invaded their world, as he was one of only two who knew anything about them at all.

Thalion scratched his cheek in his usual way, just to give his hands something to do. “I don’t know anything about any of that… rebuilding kingdoms or whatever,” he said. “But I’ll do whatever I can to help.” His response probably left something to be desired, but there was a soft hint of a smile on his face as he glanced towards the people milling about, looking scared and hungry. He didn’t know if he liked people, but he did know he didn’t like discussing such private matters in front of them. It had been so long since more than one set of ears heard his voice, he lost his confidence talking in such a crowd… even if it was only a few people, and none of them were paying the two of them any mind, not with the fire and the scent of stew on the air.
 
Nodding, Minette released his hand with a soft pat, "All patched up. I should see to the others... Make sure everyone's alright. We'll need to comb the city... find anyone injured and bring them back here and to the infirmary and I need to see who in my counsel is still..." Biting her lip, she let the words taper off, looking around the room instead.

A few weeks ago, a few days ago, in fact, Minette might have questioned what he meant. His comments were vague, and vague wasn't necessarily any indication that he supported her idea. But she had seen the gentle smile, and she knew Thalion well enough to know that if he wasn't outright denying the suggestion, it wasn't a brush off. He would need time to think on it, surely, and she would need to pose it formally to the counsel, but in truth she had no real thoughts that it wouldn't someday happen.

She loved him, and she would be Queen... and as queen, she had rights... she had a duty, but she had rights. And Thalion had saved the people. He had saved her life, and she was going to ensure that it was known, far and wide that the man she'd come home with... the man she loved was worthy of leading Doyle into a new and golden age.

Standing, she smiled down at him, her fingers brushing his jaw for a moment, "...I love you, Thal..." and with a nod, she was off to discuss the search with Ben and the others.
 
“Thanks,” he said, “I love you, too.” His hand ached, more than it should have for a wound of that caliber, but it stemmed from internal weakness that seeped through his very veins. Rising, he found that same weakness in his legs, his knees, his body. He could only hope that it wouldn’t last long, but the smell of food, no matter how rudimentary it was, breathed a bit more invigoration into him. Served a small cup full of vegetable soup, the warmth and sustenance it brought as he wolfed it down eased the sense of faintness. Though a far cry from feeling his usual self, it was a start… a start on a very long road still left ahead of them.

One glance into the hall was enough to remind him just how much work. Buildings would need to be rebuilt, and damage would need to be cleared away. The people who passed would need to be buried and those injured tended to. The fields and livestock were devastated, he was sure, and that meant food would need to be imported in from other towns and villages. Running his hand across his chin, he frowned inwardly to himself as he thought over those matters. At first glance, it seemed like all too much to handle. It felt like no amount of time would ever fix the damage that was brought in nigh an hour.

The rest of the day, Thalion busied himself beginning the load road to cleaning up. He went into town until dusk, mostly fixing fences for livestock that hadn’t completely escaped and aiding those in most dire need. By sunset, too exhausted to continue any longer, Thalion trudged back to the palace. Peeking into the kitchen, he found the cook and the cook alone, and proceeded through the halls.

“Seen Minette?” he asked of one of the women he found passing, helping pick up the palace broken vase by broken vase, but she only shook her head at him before continuing along her path. Frowning, he propped his hands up on his hips.
 
Minette's day had been long as well - beyond long, and exhausting. She'd spent the majority of it helping to tend to the injured, to comfort the families of those who had been lost, and searching for anyone missing. All in all, the devastation had been real and powerful, but so much of it was structural that she almost felt relieved. The loss of life had been, miraculously, lower than anticipated and while even just one death would have been too many, she felt a sense of hope by the time she returned to the palace that not even the damages could undo.

But so too did she feel exhaustion. It seeped into her, creeping into every inch of her for. She needed rest - they all did, and she was finally ready, she felt, to give herself just that. The palace was filled to overflowing with citizens, misplaced by ruined homes and fires that still needed quenching, but Minette's quarters were pleasantly unhindered and quiet. The west wing of the castle had sustained little damage, and there was a warmth about it - a familiarity that had been missing when she had first woken. Despite all that had happened, Doyle felt a little more like home again.

Curling up in her bed, a bed she had been sure she'd never revisit again, she laid her head down and for just a brief time, allowed herself to drift into unconsciousness - allowed the world and it's worries to fade away . Tomorrow would be filled with work - relocating, treating the injured, and assessing the damages and losses of livestock and crops, but for now... for now there was just peace and quiet and a blessedly dreamless sleep.
 
His muscles ached, his entire body ached right down to the marrow of his bones. Joints hurt. His head screamed. He couldn’t feel his toes in his boots anymore because the cracked leather had worn through and rain water had gotten in, chilling his feet to nothing during the day. The warmth of the castle was an improvement. The wind didn’t blow there, and he was protected from the rain, which continued to drizzle on and off throughout the day. Walking all the while helped, too. He searched the palace, though not a soul had seen Minette. It was dark, long dark with a bright chunk of crystal moon in the sky, and still not a sight of her.

Just when worry got to its worst, he swung around the far western wing and, following his faintest memories, found her old chamber door. A soft knock and he let himself in, finding the door unlocked. There, inside, was a lump beneath the covers. Thalion kicked off his boots as he approached the bed, sitting down on the edge so he could roll up his trousers before laying back.

“Hey, you awake?” he whispered. His uninjured hand reached over, resting against the duvet lump that was Minette. When he didn’t get a response, he chuckled softly—it was too funny not to—and curled up next to her. Before he allowed himself to sleep, he peeled back the covers just an inch so he could nuzzle his nose against the back of her neck.

“I love you,” he murmured, though he knew she wouldn’t be able to hear. It didn’t matter, really. It was a nice moment, a relaxing moment, and one he needed desparately. The aching in his body grew worse as he relaxed. His muscles throbbed, begging for a day… a week… a year to just sleep and recuperate, but tomorrow would be another day of hard labor in a new life. All the while, as he drifted in and out, he considered Minette’s proposal. Marriage? Royalty? It was too far-fetched, but he didn’t care about titles of money; he had no use for them. What he did have use for was a lover’s heart.

“I would like to marry you, even if I’m not sure what that all means.” He didn’t expect a response, and maybe that’s what made it so easy.
 
Minette, however, had learned all too unfortunately how to sleep lightly. In Evernight, even before she'd run across Thalion that day on the shore of the lake, she'd known it was too dangerous to allow herself to sink too deeply, to drift too far. And there in her chamber, despite the silence, despite the peace of it all, she knew she needed to remain cautious. Thalia was gone, but the dangers hadn't gone with her - not entirely. The worst of them were the dragons, and she knew being prepared was the difference between life and death sometimes.

So when the door cracked open and Thalion entered, she woke, not with a start, but slowly, slipping from the confines of sleep just enough that she was fully aware he was beside her. His face burrowed into the back of her neck and she inhaled as he did, and almost... almost, she allowed herself to slip back into sleep.

Then she heard his words and her eyes snapped open, and in the darkness of her room, she twisted to find Thalion's face, so close to her own, staring into the depths of his deep eyes. Her voice was a whisper, sleep still clinging to it as her lip turned gently upwards into a smile, "If this is a dream... I'm never waking up. But I really hope that it's not." Breathing out, she reached for his hand, and closing her eyes, brought his fingertips to her lips, "I'll tell the counsel tomorrow. I'm not sure myself what it all means, but I don't care. I love you, Thal..."
 
When she shifted, it startled him a bit and he shook his head and leaned back on to his side a bit further. “I didn’t expect you to be awake,” he admitted with a little bit of heat in his cheeks, though it was too dark in the room to make out with any clarity. “Didn’t mean to wake you.” Though, judging by the softness of her voice and the smile he could barely make out through the darkness, he deemed that she was glad to be awake and overhearing of what he’d said.

“Good night,” he said, his voice barely audible in the soft whisper of the quiet room. He sighed out the last of his energy and let his eyes close. Within moment, he slept. He slept better than he probably ever had in his life and come the next morning, he was surprised when he was awoken not by his own intuition, but by the sun. The rain clouds parted, speckling the sky, but allowing beams of sun to work their way through. It was early, everything was silent except for the clicking of the Oilers he could just see through the window when he cracked his eyes open with a murmur for the first time that day.

A sigh escaped him and he rested his head back down—still tired. Somehow, he felt more tired that morning than he did the night before, like any sleep he’d gotten had been a moot point. And oh, how his muscles ached. How everything ached. He forced himself to sit up, knowing if he didn’t, he never would. Smoothing back his hair with a few swipes of his hand, Thalion allowed himself a few moments to articulate his thoughts and awake. It was like the worst hangover, but without the pleasure of knowing you had a good time the day before.

“Ugh.” He dropped his head into his hands. “What I wouldn’t give for a dip in a pond, or something.” He felt dirty, and not the type of dirty that came from sweat and mud… but a bath would be the best place to start.
 
As Thalion shifted, so too did Minette, and blinking her eyes open, she looked up at him with a small, sheepish smile. There was something to be said for the feeling that while the danger wasn't gone entirely, it had for the better part shifted into something containable and for once... for the first time in so long... she could simply enjoy life. Enjoy being. There would never be a day, again, where they had to worry about Thalia returning... and there was such peace in that.

Reaching out, she fiddled with Thalion's sleeve and her smile brightened at his grunting, soft laughter bubbling up from her throat, "We're in Doyle, my love. We've got baths." Sitting up, she curled her arms around his waist, resting her chin against his shoulder with a small, tired sigh, "It's not the Ethereal Falls, but I can have one drawn for you... I could probably use one, myself."

Stretching up, she pressed a kiss to his cheek, before sliding free of the covers, her bare feet hitting the cool marble of the floor, "And then I'll need to see about the counsel. It will be a busy day, I'm afraid." Busy, but worth the while if it meant they were one step closer to rebuilding their lives... their kingdom. One step closer to all of those things that she had so desperately hoped and clung to for so long. It would be a few months before they were prepared to start the next chapter of their lives, but the road was open and they only needed to take it...

Smiling again, she reached for his hand, "...And just to clarify... Last night wasn't a dream, right?"
 
His sleeve, being tugged on, caused him to lift his head away from his hands to shift his gaze to Minette, brows raised. “Yea, ponds. Everyone has ponds,” he replied. So long had he been gone from Green Reach, the concept of a tub built specifically for housing hot water for one to bathe in seemed a little absurd. His head lolled to the side, just able to see her from the corners of his eyes when she rested her little chin upon his shoulder. The counsel, yes… his mind drifted to them. Were they even still in the royal city? What was a counsel, anyways? He wasn’t sure.

All the things happening in and around Doyle seemed very alien to him; he still didn’t understand people. Rising from bed as she did, he moved to pull on his boots, and unroll his trousers. He found his coat, hanging on one of the bed posts, and pulled it across his shoulders with some grunting effort. Aches riddled his joints, especially his knees and shoulders from the labor. The very idea of going back outside and doing anymore had his entire body physically revolting in pain and disgruntlement. Still, they could at least make a start. Not even a full day done, and he’d helped completed a new cow pasture and clear the rubble from a barn.

For a split second, he considered the possibility that magic could help… make things go quicker. Yet, he immediately dismissed the thought. The idea of even considering magic sent an uneasy chill up his spine. He may have been uncertain about people, but he knew well he didn’t like magic.

His hand was stolen and, with it, his thought. He hummed in surprise and lifted his head, glancing back over his shoulder to Minette. He gave her hand a soft squeeze and a hint of smile. “No,” he assured her. “Not a dream.” Giving her arm a tug, he reeled her into him. His other arm clasped around her waist and he bent to meet her in a kiss.
 
And if his words had not been clear enough, the embrace certain was. Minette folded into Thalion's arms... and despite everything, despite the chaos around them, the destruction, all that needed rebuilt, remade, found and healed, there was one thing that she was utterly certain of... she was safe there... she belonged there.

The next several weeks passed, and time seemed to stretch into infinity as they did their best to bring the city back to life. Homes were repaired and the work on the palace began... They had lost quite a bit, but the neighboring kingdoms, pleased to find the danger of the witch had finally ended, were more than gracious. Over the months, several of the creatures from Evernight had been located, but it was decided that only those most dangerous would be hunted... the others allowed to live, to thrive in a world where they were no longer held beneath Thalia's wicked powers...

The counsel had taken a bit more convincing on matters of the heart, as stodgy old men, accustomed to stodgy old rules were less than flexible, but Minette was not the same girl that had fallen into Evernight and her strength, her purpose gave her legs to stand upon that no one could collapse. In time, she wore them down and it was finally publicly announced that she and Thalion would wed.

The villagers, for all their flaws, had come around to the idea of Thalion more swiftly than she could have imagined, and theirs was a union observed by all... a beautiful wedding on the cusp of summer, beneath the setting sun. Life resumed... life blossomed and stories of Doyle and her king and queen became legendary among the whole of the land. And while the story changed over time, and parts were lost and parts were added, one thing never altered... Never before was a love borne through strife and struggle, in the end, so powerful. That, it seemed, was the greatest magic of all, a magic no one feared.

THE END​