Epilogue

Cara wandered the halls of the palace. The place was utterly silent, and there were very few people walking the corridors. Ytheron and Lerien’yth had been told of the fall of Bäldassare and Sanňa, after being given the power by Cara had assumed control of the state.

The people were happy to have their new Queen, and they had not been told about Cara, she knew that she had to return home. If time had been passing then her parents would have been wondering where she was.

She had stayed for the funeral, and then was eager to leave. Sanňa had the book brought out from the chamber, not wanting anyone to go back in there where the deaths of three people happened. Cara stopped at a window and looked out.

The world seemed different now, things were different. The death of the main character was much more personal than she would have ever thought. She touched her mouth gently, remembering the time that Kip had kissed her, and then with a more glowing heart the time that Kade had.

There was a tug at her sleeve and she looked down to see Cameron standing there.

“Cara, I wanted to ask you something,” he said.

“Sure what is it?” Cara asked.

“Do you think that there is life after death?” he questioned.

Cara looked down to her hand resting on the window sill, hesitating.

“I don’t know,” she replied finally.

Cameron nodded.

“I think there is,” he said, “I think that if you believe hard enough there is something out there.”

Cara looked down to him contemplating.

“Are you staying here?” she asked, “I mean before you had to stay here, because of Bäldassare, but know are you going to go back home?”

Cameron shook his head, “no, not yet at least. Ariella and I are going to stay here. Sanňa said that we can do as we like, and Ariella doesn’t have anyone back on the Islands, and well, Sanňa’s been the closest thing to a mother for me.”

Cara nodded, “I think that’s great.”

“Yeah,” Cameron agreed, “though I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future and everything, Sanňa will have to marry eventually, and she still loves Kip.”

Cara nodded, “not everyone can know what happens in the future,” she said placing a hand around his shoulders, “and it should stay that way.”

Cara met up with Kade and Sanňa outside of her quarters. They walked in silence to the office that Sanňa had been temporarily using. Cameron, Ariella, Standing Feather, BlackFox and Whiifrow were all standing on the inside waiting for them.

“I would feel a lot better going knowing that I could see you again.” Cara said once they were inside.

BlackFox smiled and walked forward to hug her.

“Just write, with us and yourselves, and we’ll be together always,” she said squeezing her then letting go. “And someday, maybe, we’ll met again.”

Cara hugged Standing Feather next as BlackFox said good-bye to Kade.

“I hope things go easier from now on,” Cara said to him, “I would hate to put you through any more trouble.”

“Trouble has a way of finding those who needs to deal with it,” Standing Feather said taking Cara’s face in his hands and kissing her on the top of the head, “you’ll do fine with your own trouble.”

Cara smiled and turned to say farewell to Ariella and Cameron.

“Thank you,” she said, “both of you.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Cameron said watching her carefully, “you helped me more than anything.”

“That’s a matter of perspective,” Cara said kissing the top of his head, “take care.”

Cara finally looked to Sanňa and for a moment the sisters said nothing. Then Cara merely hugged her very tightly.

“I know you’ll do a fantastic job here,” Cara whispered in Sanňa’s ear, “and it’s good to know that somewhere out there I have a sister.”

Whiifrow placed a hand on Cara’s shoulder.

“It’s time to go,” he said softly.

Cara nodded to him and looked over to Kade. Kade walked to her side and took her hand as Cara placed the quill on the paper of the Master Copy.

She looked up to see BlackFox, Standing Feather, Sanňa, Ariella and Cameron smiling back at her and then the world was slipping away through the words of her story.

Cara’s father paced back and forth; her step mother was sitting staring blankly into space, and her grandmother was swearing in Gaelic.

“I can’t believe it,” Cara’s father said at once, “they could not have just disappeared of the face of the planet.”

“Cara’s been missing for five months, dear,” her step mother said.

“I don’t believe that she would just run off with Kade, I mean I know they were friends when they were little,” her father said, “but they had been drifting apart these last couple of years.”

“I know dear.”

Cara’s father began pacing again, “I mean,” he continued, “how could they just leave the school without anyone seeing or realising it? Are they just incapable of-”

“Carl, please,” her step mother interrupted, “just let it go.”

“How can I let it go? She’s my daughter!”

“And how are we supposed to find her? They’ve been looking ever since she disappeared and there was no traces, no leads, no-”

She was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. Carl at once jumped to get, followed by Cara’s step mother.

Kade stood silently on the other side of the door, holding an unconscious Cara in his arms.

“Cara!” her step mother almost shrieked and her grandmother came totted out of the living room. “What happened?”

“I think she hit her head,” Kade said quietly, Carl stared suspiciously at him and was about to say something when Cara’s step mother whacked him on the shoulder.

“Go call the doctor, quickly! Oh Cara, come in,” she said and led Kade into the living room where he laid Cara on the couch. Cara’s grandmother scrutinized him for a moment then ignored him completely and placed an old wizened hand on Cara’s forehead.

Carl came back into the room just as Kade was about to leave it.

“Where have you been?” he demanded, Kade looked up to him slightly surprised.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Kade answered and by passed him and left the house. Carl was about to walk after him when Cara stirred.

“Cara!” her step mother cried again when Cara opened her eyes.

“What- what happened?” she asked groggily.

“I think you should be telling us that,” Carl said crossing his arms.

“Don’t be like that,” snapped her step mother, “you’re all right now, the doctor’s coming – Kade said that you’d hit your head.”

Suddenly everything of the last five moths came rushing back to her. She sat up quickly.

“Is he still around?” Cara asked looking from her step mother to her grandmother.

“He’s just left,” her step mother said. Cara jumped up from the couch and barely noticed the battle gown that she still wore.

She headed for the door and flung it open and wide prairie air filled her lungs. She ignored the fact that her family was right behind her. He stood near the edge of a hill, looking out into the world. She took a few steps, seeing his clothing and smiled.

“Did it actually happen?” she asked her voice floating on the wind, “are we home?”

He turned to see her standing in the wind and gave one nod. She picked up her skirt and ran into his open arms, smiling at his laughing face.