Zaylie and Naminé, along with Calen and Lómë, were standing there too, waiting for the ceremony to start. Naminé came up to me and took one of my hands. “Nariella, we might not know each other well, or for very long, but I feel honored to have met you. To have fought alongside you. I couldn’t be more grateful for all you have done for my family. Please know that you will always have a friend in me.”
She handed me a wooden box. I opened it to find a beautiful necklace. A golden, shimmering orb with a sliver of sparkling white dangled from the end. “Oh, it’s gorgeous.”
“I’m not familiar with human traditions, but I rather like this one where you are given certain items. This can be your ‘something new,’ I’m told. It was forged by both sunlight and moonlight, a mix of our two kingdoms. Let it serve as a token of our new friendship.”
I hugged her fiercely, recognizing the jewel represented a sun and moon. “Thank you. And the honor is mine, Naminé. I’m very fortunate to have you by my side. The same goes to you…I think we’re going to be quite the pair, you and I.” I winked, laughing lightly. She smiled with a subtle laugh of her own.
Zaylie hugged me with tears in her eyes, and then my father hooked my arm with his as he whispered, “It’s time.”
That was when I took in the entirety of what lay before me. Not only was the Weeping Willow covered in glowing specks that floated to the sky, but there were lit candles covering the area in a formed path. I realized that Queen Lirima stood at the tree, along with the two High Eldar that had created the other Ëlemmiire. Naminé and Calen began their walk down, followed by Zaylie and Lómë, and then I saw him. …Mycah.
My beautiful Mycah.
They were all waiting for me.
Under my Weeping Willow tree! The only place that had ever truly felt like home.
Rydan had taken his place at Mycah’s side, and I squeezed Ender’s forearm. Once he had started down the candle-lit path toward the Willow, a deep, enthralling cello strummed to life. I looked for the source and found Desmond sitting off to the side, playing the instrument. Liam sat next to him, his mesmerized gaze completely fixed on beautiful Zaylie.
My father led me to the start of the walkway, and we began our descent. “You are so beautiful, my daughter. Your mother would have loved to have seen you.”
I nodded in reply, already getting choked up all over again. I wished more than anything she could have been here, too. My heart was full and overflowing…I could hardly breathe.
Once my eyes connected with Mycah’s, that was it. Nothing else mattered. He enraptured me and completed me—mesmerized and entranced me. The tears evaporated as I found my sanctuary there. I was solely his and he was solely mine. I glided to him as he took my hand, and we all joined beneath the canopy of the mighty, majestic Weeping Willow tree.
I had found myself back to the beginning. Back to where my life had truly begun that day I had found Rydan lying here with nothing but a beautiful song. I might've used to want to hide and bury my troubles in sweet oblivion, never to escape. And there may have even been a few moments in my life where I would’ve welcomed a requiem to release my tortured soul into death. But that was a thing of the past.
As long as I had this night elf forever by my side and my Guardian protecting me, there would be nothing we couldn’t overcome, and I knew, for me, there would never be an end. No, the real story was about to begin.
After everything, after all of the bitter heartache, we finally had our sweet redemption.
Epilogue
His seductive lips lingered on the side of my throat, then brushed up along the length of my ear with a kiss. “I never thought of our species’ ears as sexy. Until seeing them on you.” I shuddered at the coolness of his soft breath as he had lightly chuckled against my smoldering skin. “You are unbearably beautiful, Mrs. Zafriel. My heart cannot take it.”
My husband’s fingers were gripped so tightly around the silk straps over my shoulders, I imagined he resisted with all he had in him the urge to rip my delicate wedding dress off my body. I glided my own over the roughness of his black tux until they rested on his shoulders, understanding the feeling completely. What I wouldn’t give to tear this outfit that he so unforgivably still wore to shreds. There were too many layers standing between us. I just wanted to feel the warmth of his skin on mine. Not only desire consumed me, but something more. Much more. It was a need. A deep need that pained me inside and out.
Already my breathing was rough and fast, but nothing like my hypersonic heartbeat. I placed my lips on his straight jawline and murmured against his skin, “Mycah.”
It was his undoing. The thin fabric was easily torn at the seams, his mouth melding to mine with a molten temperature that lit my body and every one of my nerve-endings on fire. I was a live wire, and he was the fuse that ignited my soul.
My tattered dress fell to the floor. “I’ll repair it later,” he rasped, kissing my shoulder before finding my mouth again.
I nodded my head, already knowing he would. It gave me a strange feeling of satisfaction that he wanted me so badly that he had to destroy my wedding dress. I thought of the moment when I had found my treasured willow sculpture in the art room in perfect condition after I had seen it shatter to pieces. From that moment on, I knew my life would never be the same again…all because of Mycah Nightly. He had fixed my sculpture, he’d fix my dress…he fixed me.
My husband.
I slid my fingers between the opening of his shirt, ripping the buttons off. With them now grazing his chest, my breathing stopped. The feel of him was mesmerizing. He kissed me deeper than ever, until finally picking me up and carrying me to the giant bed in his kingly room inside Castle Edhel-N’dor—our new home.
He stared down at me, capturing me with a world of love filling his eyes. I thought any second my heart would combust. He took my left hand and kissed my ring finger, where both rings he had made for me sat. “Amin mela lle, Nariella, My Queen.”
“I love you, My King,” I rasped, my chest exploding with butterflies.
His lips pressed softly into mine until a hunger between us grew so fierce, so undeniable, I didn’t think I would ever recover. We might have been married by men’s standards, but we weren’t human. Finally, as he took me as his, our souls merged as one, solidifying our elven union for all eternity. Euphoria had a hold on me, and I never wanted it to let go. I knew it wouldn’t.
We had forever together.
Two Months Later
The hills are alive, with the sound of music! That one line from the song in the Sound of Music kept playing over and over in my head as I gazed upon the Austrian mountains. It didn’t matter how many times I saw epic mountains in Luïnil, I was still impressed and in awe of their beauty, no matter where they were. They never got old.
Salzburg was stunning, to say the least. We used the amazing public transportation system to reach the city center, known as Old Town. I flipped through the tourist guide we bought at the airport. The Hohensalzburg Castle, which sat on a hill overlooking all the old architecture and towers spread out below, was transfixing.
“Uggghh, I’m starving,” Rydan groaned. “If I don’t eat this second I’m gonna pass out.” I rolled my eyes at his exaggeration.
“Let’s get authentic Austrian food,” I suggested. To be honest, I was ecstatic to be here in Austria. It was a country I had always wanted to visit. Well, I had always wanted to visit any country or any place outside of Kennebunkport, because let’s face it—beggars couldn’t be choosers. But Austria was definitely one of my top choices.
I averted my eyes to the buildings that we passed. The streets were magnificent. Even the doors were amazing to look at. They were all huge and made of wood with intricate carvings or details on them. Just stunning everywhere I turned.
Mycah pulled me closer into him and kissed my temple. “I think that’s a lovely idea.”
Rydan laughed. “Please. Don’t act like she always has such brilliant ideas just because she’s your
wife. We’re in Austria. Of course we’re going to get authentic Austrian food.”
“I was also going to agree with her, and she is not my wife,” Naminé countered, poking Rydan in the stomach.
“Ha! See, Ry? I do have brilliant ideas. So there.” I stuck my tongue out at him. He rolled his eyes at me and kissed Naminé’s finger that had poked him.
After eating, we stepped back out into the streets. I was extremely exhausted. We all were. The multiple flights made our trip over fifteen hours to get here, and it wasn’t exactly sleeping conditions for me on the airplane. But seeing the old city lit up like it was as dusk descended upon us made me hate the idea of going to sleep so early.
We reached our hotel and clambered up the stairs. Sliding the antique-looking skeleton key into the door was very satisfying and exciting, especially when I turned it and it made this clunky sound. The door creaked open in that very medieval sounding way, and I about died. It was amazing. I felt like we were in a hobbit hole. Everything was made of wood, even the winding stairs that led up to our floor of the hotel. You could smell the oak and hickory throughout the hallway. Once inside the room, the beds were low to the ground with a folded up blanket in the middle of each side of the single-sized mattresses contained in the same queen-sized frame.
I ran to the window to peer out, and my breath was taken away. I unlatched it, pulling the double-panes open like a french door twice, and stuck my head outside. We were on the fourth floor, giving us the amazing view of the sparkling city. A wide river ran right in the middle of everything, and mountains towered on the horizon.
Love. I was in love.
Leaving the window open to draw in the fresh, cool air, I moved to the bathroom. It was small but efficient, with a standup shower, toilet, bidet, and sink. I had never used a bidet before, and I wasn’t about to try it, either.
Mycah slid away the hair at my neck and kissed me tenderly. “You are so beautiful when you’re excited,” he whispered, sending tingles running down my spine. The sound of his voice alone struck a deep desire in me as if striking a match.
I spun slowly to face him, and my breath hitched. He was the beautiful one. So much so, it hurt. “Oh?” I breathed.
He grazed his soft fingers along my jaw until they tangled into my hair, capturing the crown of my head. He pulled me gently to meet his mouth, which I easily surrendered to. “Mhm,” he hummed. I was lost to him on a constant basis. He consumed me wholly as he amplified my desire with his own, taking me into ecstasy.
One thing was for certain and would never change—I absolutely loved being married to this extraordinary creature.
The next morning, I awoke to his heartbeat beneath my ear as he traced soft lines along the small of my back. I smiled, soaking it in. “Do you think we’ll ever get tired of this? We have a whole eternity together.”
“No, never.” He didn’t even hesitate.
“How do you know?”
“Nariella. I can’t get enough of you. You’re like the life-sustaining sun that I bend toward. Even if my stem should crash to the desiccated soil, I would never cease reaching for you.”
I gasped. His accent along with the beautiful words had me crawling on top of him and straddling his waist. His breath hitched as he stared up into my eyes. The deep-filled aqua color swirled with love and passion, waiting to devour me. I slowly lowered to his hungry lips and let myself float away to a magical place I couldn’t wait to spend the rest of my life in.
Later, we ate a wonderful meal in the communal room where breakfast was served at our hotel. The food was delicious and simple. Fresh squeezed juice, tea, and coffee were provided, among fresh fruit, oatmeal, cheese and cold-cut meats. Fresh baked bread was a staple, but something I found interesting as an option was the slices of chocolate cake and dessert bars cut into squares. Inside each had a different jam that I assumed was either raspberry or blackberry, and the yellow ones were probably lemon.
I was totally loving it here!
Afterward, we stepped outside into the chilled autumn air, and a few random raindrops fell on my head. “So, this was where Nikolai was from, huh?” I didn’t like picturing Nikolai being from a place that was so beautiful. It seemed more appropriate that he had been from somewhere like, I didn’t know, Hell? Maybe?
“Ah, he was not from Austria, actually. He was born in Russia, where his parents were from. He didn’t come to Austria until he was a few years old,” Mycah explained.
“Oh, thank goodness.” I took my husband’s hand. He twirled my wedding rings around my finger, making me smile.
“Okay, so according to this, the main artillery bunker for the Black Eagles is just over ten miles from here. It shouldn’t take long,” Rydan explained, staring into the magical orb a crazy wizard gave to us back in Luïnil.
For the past two months, we’d been going all across the world, taking down the Black Eagles. I had been so happy to learn we had been requested to return to the Earthly realm after believing I’d never get the chance to again. Despite that it had only been allowed for this important mission originally, Mycah had somehow managed to convince the High Eldar, along with our two kingdoms, to change their law. Now, the four of us were allowed to travel between realms as much as we wanted to. No more threats of execution. Instantly, a huge weight had lifted from my heart, knowing I no longer had to give up a piece of it. Of course, Zaylie had been the first—and only—person I had visited.
As for the Black Eagles, we first traveled throughout the United States, just like Rydan had always wanted to do, and twice Zaylie had flown to visit us. Once when we were in Colorado, and the second time while we were in Chicago. I loved it there—Mycah had shown us his favorite places, and we had stayed in his condo that he still owned.
Then we moved on to Paris and London, soaking up one beautiful thing after the other. Prague was next. Sure, we were technically working hard while doing it, but with Mycah on our side, who had gained all of Ohtar’s powers and strengths upon his death, it wasn’t difficult infiltrating each of their hideouts.
My husband was a force to reckon with.
And now that we were all incredibly strong and growing stronger every day, they didn’t stand a chance against us. We traveled the world, slowly removing the threat of the Black Eagles one by one. And I enjoyed every second of it.
But my favorite thing of all: we were doing it together. The four of us. My dream—a dream I shared with Rydan—finally had come true.
I watched him—my best friend—my Guardian—laugh at something Mycah had said as we walked down a cobblestone street. Naminé bent into Rydan, covering her mouth to keep from laughing too loudly, and Mycah wrapped his hands around the small of my back, laughing at the top of my head. I smiled as I dropped my arm around Rydan’s shoulders, pulling him close, causing the four of us to be tangled up together.
No, not the Black Eagles, evil kings, or any beastly monster out there could ever stand against us. Thrown into the deepest pits of hell-fire, we came out the victors. We endured trials and anguish and emerged stronger because of it. We conquered all that we had faced and triumphed together. We were friends. We were family. We were soul mates. I finally understood what that meant in every possible way.
We were Heart Shadows.
The End
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Elvish Guide
Aglar {ah-glar} -- Glorious
Almárëa {ahl-muh-ray-uh} — Blessed
Amin mela lle {ah-meen meh-luh lay} -- I love you
Angador {ahn-gah-dohr} — Iron land
Aselaira {ah-seh-lie-rah} -- Mountain Home
Cathar {kuh-thar}
Cílon {see-lohn}
Dae’Sûl {die-sool} -- Shadow Wind
Döron {doh-run} -- Oak
Dúlin {doo-leen} -- Nightingale
Edhel-N'dor {ed-hel-n-doh} -- Elf Land
Ed' i'ear ar' elenea {ehd-ee-air-ahr ehl-ee-nay-ah}
-- By the sea and stars
Elda {ehl-dah} -- Elf
Eldar {ehl-dar} — High Elf
Ëlemmiire {ay-leh-meer} -- A star
Elen’Galad {ehl-ehn guh-lahd} — Star Light
Enÿalie {ehn-yah-lee-ay}
Erulissë {air-oo-lee-say} — Grace
Erulissë Asëa {air-oo-lee-say ah-say-ah} -- Grace Leaf
Estel {eh-stehl} — Hope
Fëa {fay-uh} -- Spirit
Goth en gothamin {goth ehn goh-thah-meen} — Foe of my foe
Isil'Elda {ee-seel ehl-duh} -- Night Elf (Moon Elf)
Lassaira {lahss-eye-ruh} -- Leaf home
Laurinquë {lor-een-quay}
Lisse’amin {lee-say ah-meen} — My sweet
Lle desiel? {lay deh-see-ehl} -- Are you ready?
Lómë {loh-may} -- Dusk
Lorda {lohr-duh} — Drowsy
Luïnil { loo-ee-neel} -- A star
Lureá {loo-ray} — Dark
Maite'Ona {my-teh-oh-nah} -- Skilled gift
Mani marte, amin Fallaner? Nae saian luume {mah-nee mahr-tay ah-meen fah-lah-neer} — What happened, my Healer? It has been too long.
Nadorhuan {nah-doh-hwan} -- Cowardly dog
Námoman {ah-mo-mahn} — Judge pure
Nianott {nye-uh-not}
Noldor {nohl-door}
N’taurn {nuh-tohrn} — Low
Nura'ringul {noo-rah-reen-gool}
Ohtar {oh-tahr}
Óre'Dae {oh-ray die} -- Heart Shadow
Remydan {ruh-my-dan}
Sarqua {sahr-qwah} -- Fleshy
Silmé {seel-may} — Moonlight
Skultor {skuhl-tohr}
Tar’dan {tahr-dan}
Tavas'Elda {tah-vahs ehl-dah} -- Wood Elf
Thank you to J.R.R. Tolkien for creating this ethereal language, and to grey-company.org and bladesofanarion.com for keeping the Elvish language alive. It was important for us to stay true to the Elvish tongue, and so we made it a priority to use real Elvish words in this story. However, some of these words/names are made up by Bailey Ardisone.
The Sweet Series Box Set: Books 1-4 Page 128