Epilogues

*After the battle*

*Aaron*

Finding Oswald's body is easy. At least, finding its location is. Seeing him, seeing the truth in the author’s words, is one of the hardest things I’ve had to endure. When Oswald was whipped back by the tendril of shadow, he slammed against a trunk. However, his body isn't broken. There's no hole in him. He looks like he's sleeping, though he isn't.  

He's dead. I know it, but there's a part of me that doesn't believe it. Maybe the way he looks undamaged is confusing me further. I know the author did it, fixed his body, but I wish he could bring him back. 

We carry Oswald up to the Grand Palace. We should be celebrating. We beat Malexis. We saved our world. We saved the author's world. But Oswald's death overshadows it. Yes, there's celebration. People who didn't know Oswald like I did are laughing and cheering and making plans for a party. 

Milo and I are the worst off. We've known Oswald the longest. We've been the closest to him. He was one of the first people who knew I was gay, apart from Riley and Milo. And now he's gone. 

As we make our way up the road toward the palace, I have to blink hard several times to prevent myself from crying. Nobody would blame me if I did, but I don't want my soldiers to see it. 

When we enter the palace and carry Oswald's body to the throne room, we find my mother waiting. She gasps when she sees his body and tears fall from her eyes, tempting mine, but I hold firm. 

I will not cry. 

Oswald has no wife. No children. There's nobody to plan the funeral but us, but I can't. I task Cara with taking care of the arrangements before Milo and I go to our room to change into fresh clothes. As soon as the door shuts, I can't stop the tears. Can't stop the sobs. I collapse into Milo who clutches me to his chest, squeezing me as if this will somehow bring Oswald back to life. 

Once I'm all cried out, Milo touches my face. I feel the puffiness leave my eyes, my tears dry on my skin and vanish. It's time to rejoin the others. To have a drink in Oswald name. To be thankful we can live another day. Thankful we have the author's promise to look forward to. 

To our happily ever after. 

*Riley*

Nothing feels real to Riley. For years, it'd been Aaron, Milo, Oswald, and her holding on to the secret of Aaron and Milo. She’d known him for years and yet, here he was, laid out on a stretcher, and being carried up to the palace. She couldn’t look at his body. Tears fell silently down her face, but she held her head high. They had won. They’d lost Oswald in the process, but her family was safe. She was safe.

Back up in the palace, Riley diverted herself from her mother’s tears, choosing instead to find solace in Gavin’s arms. Her children were asleep, which was perfect. She didn’t have the energy to be a mother at the moment. But she had to have enough energy to be a queen, to be a sister.

She didn’t blame Aaron and Milo for going to their room. Aaron needed this time to grieve. Tomorrow, the next day, and every day after that, he’d have to be strong. Tonight, he should let himself be weak. Let himself feel the pain.

After giving a report to the Small Council about their battle with Malexis, Riley helped Cara oversee the preparations for Oswald’s funeral. They would spare no expense. Though she didn’t have the authority to do so, per se, she authorized dipping into imperial coffers to spring for the celebration of Oswald’s life. 

A party broke out in the throne room, started apparently by the soldiers who survived the battle against Malexis. In truth, Aaron, Milo, Piper, and Riley got off easy. Sure, they fought through a horde of horrifying creatures, but the woods were surrounded with other traps. Areas that glowed and melted your skin, trees coming to life and toppling over on soldiers, spots where the ground would vanish and the soldiers fell into pits of darkness, never to return. 

Whether it was out of Ottie’s ability to return them or he simply didn’t want to mess with the story anymore, Riley didn’t know, but none of the soldiers who died at the battle came back to life. Just like Oswald. 

She attended the party, showing her face as Queen of Midoor, but her heart wasn’t in it. She was in no way as close to Oswald as Aaron or even Milo, but his absence would lay heavy on her heart for the rest of her life.

Still, with Gavin by her side, it was easier. Whenever she felt the wave of emotion begin to overtake her, she'd clutch on to Gavin's arm. But she knew she'd be okay. 

*Piper*

While everyone else went off to retrieve Oswald’s body, Piper stood at the portal into Ottie’s world, transfixed by him. By the man who created everything she'd ever known.

“Why did you have to make my sister evil?” she asks him. 

“Honestly, there’s no good way to say this,” says Ottie, looking uncomfortable. “It just made a good story. An old crone gave a fortune telling to Aaron and Milo and she told Milo to beware a raven-haired woman. Introducing you, my readers thought you were the villain. When I introduced Phoebe, it created confusion. One of you had to be the villain for the story to work. I chose her.”

Piper wanted to lean through the portal and slap Ottie across the face, but she didn’t. Imagine slapping a god.

“I’m not a god,” Ottie reminds her, glancing at the mysterious device he created her world from. “I’m just a man. A mortal, human man, who writes stories.” He pauses for a moment, seemingly choosing what to say next. He takes a deep breath and says, “I can still bring her back, you know. Unlike Oswald, she wasn’t killed with the same power that cursed the story. She could be revived.”

“No,” Piper says at once. “She deserves a rest. Besides, if you brought her back and made her good, she’d have the memories of everything she did. I imagine it would take a lot of rewriting to go back and change everything.”

“My readers would probably enjoy reading a fresh take on some parts of this story,” says Ottie, but Piper shakes her head. “If you’re sure, I’ll leave her where she is.”

“I’m sure,” she says. She and Ottie stand, looking at one another for several moments before Piper asks, “So what happens now?”

“I’m going to close this portal. I don’t know what effect Malexis’s curse had on this story, if I’m being honest. It’s still writing itself, even without me typing anything.” He glances back at the device on his desk. “It’s even typing out words as I say them now. It’s…incredible.

“I’m going to let the next few days play out with you guys in control,” he says, turning back to her. “Then, I’ll take control of the story and write you guys a happy ending.”

“Is Malexis right?” she asks. “Once the story ends, will we be frozen in time?”

“I think so,” he says, shrugging. “I don’t really know. Until Malexis started blocking my writing, I wasn’t aware of any of this. I don’t know what else I can’t change. I don’t know what else is different. What if Malexis was able to go back and change parts of the story? What if his curse isn’t completely gone?”

“Then we’ll help you in any way we can,” Piper promises. “Now close this portal. I want to go see Robbins.”

“You could call him by his first name, you know,” says Ottie with a smile. “After all, you love each other.”

Piper doesn’t respond to that, just smiles at him. Ottie goes back to his device and starts typing.

The portal separating their worlds begins to repair itself, sealing the rip in the fabric of their reality until it’s completely gone.

She turns towards the wood and sees Oswald being carried out on a stretcher. Tonight, she’ll be with her friends while they grieve the loss of Oswald. Tomorrow, she’ll tell Robbins she loves him and begin planning their future together. Who knows? Maybe she’ll finally find a way to be happy again.

*The Next Day*

*Aaron*

We hold Oswald’s funeral in the rose garden of the Grand Palace. The place he knew Milo and I would meet secretly. He always loved this garden. When the service starts, an overwhelming grief grips my chest, causing an ache so deep, I feel like it’ll swallow me whole. But I stay strong. I meet with guests, accept their condolences, talk about Oswald’s life.

“Hey, look,” says Milo, standing next to me, “it’s Patty.”

I turn and see a pregnant woman walking toward me. I don’t know who she is, but there’s…something…

A wave of memories floods my mind.

Oswald telling me shyly, with a half smile, about a woman he met named Patricia. 

Oswald saying he’s going to propose to her.

Oswald and Patricia having a wedding right here, in this very garden.

Oswald proudly telling me he is going to be a father.

I know these memories aren’t real. Ottie must have created them.

“Your Majesty,” says Patty with a sad smile. Her eyes are red and puffy as if she’d been crying recently. I have no doubt. “Thank you for hosting Henry’s funeral. I just can’t believe…he’s gone.”

“Me either, Patty,” I say, surprising myself with how casual I sound. I don't know this woman, and yet I do.

She places a hand on her swollen stomach and says, “I’m just glad I have a piece of him to hold on to.”

“May I touch your stomach?” I ask. 

When she nods, I reach out my hand. It makes contact with the hard, tight skin. I feel a kick from deep within her.

“He’s going to be a fighter,” I say, unable to stop the smile from breaking across my face.

“Just like his father,” she says.

“Anything you two need, anything you two want, you simply have to ask, and I’ll make sure you have it.”

She nods, saying, “Thank you, Your Majesty. If you don’t mind, I’m going to go and say goodbye.”

I nod and watch as Patty moves toward Oswald’s body, laying in a half open casket in the sun.

I know what Ottie did. He rewrote Oswald’s history, made it so he married Patty and got her pregnant. He couldn’t bring Oswald back to us, so he did the next best thing. If he can’t live on, at least his legacy will.

I vow to myself to tell Oswald’s son everything about his father. How brave, how noble, how selfless he was. 

The ball of grief in my chest lifts slightly at the thought of this, at the thought of this secret Ottie and I share, for I’m certain I’m the only person he’s allowed to remember Oswald’s true history.

“Thank you,” I whisper, so quietly, even Milo can’t hear. 

*Three Years Later*

*Milo*

Aaron still isn’t awake. When I enter our room, I see he’s still curled up in bed, the blankets wound tightly around him. Outside, the summer sun is blazing over the fields of Midoor below our window in the Imperial Palace, though most of the light is blocked by curtains. He’s facing the balcony, which gives me an idea.

“Get up!” I say, magically opening the curtains so light floods his face. 

“I don’t want to!” he says, turning over. I open the curtains on the other side and he groans as I approach.

“You have to get up, Your Majesty,” I say, tugging on the covers. 

“Suck my dick,” he says, opening one eye slightly and smiling.

“We don’t have time for that,” I say, though I can’t help but smile. 

“Just a quickie?” he suggests.

I roll my eyes, step back, and wave my hand, sending the covers flying off him. 

Of course, he’s completely naked. Fatherhood and running a country hasn’t allowed him the same time he used to have for the gym, so he’s lost his six pack abs, but he’s still fit. Honestly, he’s never been more handsome to me, even with the scar stretched across his face. 

It takes several minutes of pleading, kissing, and one quick blowjob, to get him up out of bed.

“Milo, I'm too tired for this today. Let's do it tomorrow,” he says, but I ignore him as I pull him down into the throne room where they’re all waiting for us.

Riley, Gavin, Bri, and Benji stand in front of our thrones, already in position. Elaine and Piper stand nearby, talking, while Piper’s husband, Lt. Robbins (she won’t let us call him by his first name for some reason) stands near the window, looking over Midoor. 

“Is this really necessary?” asks Riley, trying to wrangle her children to stay still.

“Yes,” I say. “I want one family portrait of us all. Where are Olivia and the kids?”

“We’re coming!” Olivia says, walking in through the throne room doors. Theo walks quietly behind her, but Grace is thrashing around in Olivia’s arms. She hates wearing dresses and today, she’s in a miniature ball gown, screaming, “No! No! No!”

“If you still, I’ll give you a cookie,” says Olivia to her. Grace gasps and finally goes still, magically freezing her own muscles. “I didn’t mean like that!” Olivia protests. Grace starts giggling and moving again, though Olivia manages to hoist her back onto her hip.

“All together, now!” I shout and everyone moves into position.

“What’s the rush with this, Milo?” asks Piper.

“We’ve finally gotten time to do it. We’re all so busy all the time, I want to capture this happy moment before it’s gone. It’s been three years to the day since we saved the author from Malexis.”

“You think the author is going to throw something else at us?” asks Riley. “Would he really do that?”

All of us look at Riley in disbelief.

“Of course he would,” says Aaron. “That’s what he does. We’ve been at peace for three years. Our story is close to ending. You know he’s not just going to end on a happy note.”

Except they’re wrong. I haven’t told anyone—not even Aaron—but I can sense the story ending. As its main characters, we’ll be the last to be frozen in time when it does. I want to immortalize this moment in our world, as it is in Ottie’s.

“Everyone just quit talking, look at the camera, and smile,” I order.

We all shuffle around one last time, getting comfortable. Olivia passes me grace, who clings to me as Theo climbs on Aaron’s back, holding onto his neck. Aaron throws his arm around my waist as Piper moves closer to me. On Aaron’s other side, I see Riley give the camera a huge smile which turns into a giggle as Gavin tickles her side. Behind them, Elaine beams at her children’s happiness.

The ending is so close now, I can practically feel the servants moving about the halls of the Imperial Palace freeze in time as the ending of the story closes in upon us.

“Three, two—” the photographer says.

In the last moment, Aaron turns his head. The movement surprises me and I turn to look at him just as he presses his lips to mine. And in this moment, I realize there’s no place I’d rather be. With my children close at hand and safe, surrounded by my friends and family, with my lips pressed into the man I love more than life itself.

In this moment, I am the happiest I’ve ever been.

I silently thank Ottie for holding up his end of the bargain. For writing us this happy ending. 

Aaron and I break apart and look into each other’s eyes as the camera bulb flashes.

THE END

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Author’s Note:

I am incredibly sad to be saying goodbye to this story, but I am incredibly proud of what I’ve accomplished. Writing this story and getting to interact with all of you has been an amazing honor. Thank you so very much for taking this journey with me. As much as I’m going to miss writing about Milo and Aaron, I’m ready to write something new.

Hopefully I did the ending justice. However, if you have any questions about the story, characters, or setting in A Prince’s Pride, feel free to leave a comment or send me an email and I’ll respond to everyone.

Don’t forget—voting is still open until midnight on June 20th. If you’re unaware of how to vote for the next story, click on my username at the top or bottom of this chapter and find “Vote on My Next Story!” and place your votes. I’ll announce the winner by posting a new story titled “Voting Winner!” that will be uploaded to the platform on Wednesday, June 21st. 

Just as a reminder, I will be taking three weeks off writing, so expect me to be MIA. I will still check comments on this story and the voting pages for a few days, and will be accessible by email if anyone would like to contact me.

Once again, thank you all for reading my story and sharing in this incredible experience with me. It means more to me than I can say. 

Here’s to many more stories to come!

-Ottie