Epilogue

It was a glorious day for a wedding. The sun sparkled on the sea and Aurelia awakened with anticipation filling her heart.

Baird’s single comment that he preferred traditional weddings had opened the issue of whose traditions to follow. Aurelia had vetoed the very idea of having a priest officiate, while Baird had not taken well to the idea of entertaining everyone within a day’s sail of Dunhelm for three days and nights.

In the end, they had decided on a morning handfasting in the gardens. A quiet ceremony with their friends alone, at Dunhelm to close the circle of what had been begun here so many years before.

And on the morrow, the Beauforte Dunhelm Resort would open with a fanfare. Aurelia had laughed aloud when Baird unveiled the resort’s logo, his wink telling her exactly why a single arrow had been worked into the design.

Cupid’s arrow, indeed.

Aurelia smiled to herself as she dressed. Her dress was simply cut and wrought of ivory silk. It fit her figure smoothly, flaring to swirl around her ankles and leaving her shoulders bare. There was a band of embroidery in the same creamy shades across the neckline and around the hem. She had decided to make her vows barefoot and had told Baird as much.

Just to keep his interest.

Aurelia eyed her reflection critically once she was dressed and hoped her hair would grow back quickly. The power of the Dreaming was vastly diminished without her hair and even when the locks grew back, Aurelia knew they would never have their former strength.

She could not blame Baird for preferring it long, for she did as well, but given her choice and the same circumstance, she gladly would cut it again. It had been a small price to pay for Baird’s happiness.

And what need did Aurelia have of the Dreaming when everything she had ever desired awaited her in Dunhelm’s garden?

There came a knock on the door and Aurelia knew it was Talorc. When she learned of the custom of fathers escorting their daughters down the aisle, she had immediately asked Talorc for his aid. The old man had unabashedly blinked back a tear before he agreed.

And today, he looked as splendid in his tux as an older Julian might. He winked at Aurelia. “Are you sure about this young man of yours, Miss Aurelia?” he demanded gruffly, the merry twinkle in his eye belying his protective tone.

“Oh yes.” Aurelia felt herself flush, but Talorc merely smiled and offered her his elbow with a paternal air.

And as they left her room, Aurelia could feel Gemma’s presence keeping step.

A harp was playing as they stepped out onto the lawn and Aurelia’s smile widened when she saw Baird.

This time, he waited for her, his hands folded before himself, his morning suit impeccably cut. The suit emphasized the broad width of his shoulders, showing his height and lean strength to advantage.

Baird’s eyes glowed as Aurelia stepped into the circle of roses and stephanotis laid in the grass. She thought her heart might burst when the heat of his hand closed over hers. They clasped hands left in left, right in right, and faced each other before the crashing sea. The wind lifted her skirts ever so slightly as she smiled up at the man who held her heart.

“Ready, princess?” he murmured.

Just past Baird’s shoulder, Aurelia saw the faint shadow of the King of Inverness and his wife, their faces wreathed in proud smiles. And Julian was there beside Baird, Thord’s mischievous smile dancing on his lips. She looked back to Talorc and caught a glimpse of her father in his blue eyes, then Gemma/Ursilla’s merry twinkle right beside a glowing Elizabeth.

Beyond them all lingered three figures in white, the Nairns themselves who wove the fate of all men into their cloth, the features of three great priestesses cast like shadows upon their faces. Even the women who had graced Aurelia with their gifts now came to wish her well.

She and Baird were not alone, they never had been. On this long-fated day, they were surrounded by all the ones who had loved them so dearly, in this life and all others.

The pulse of Baird’s child murmured in her belly of the future and Aurelia turned back to Baird with tears shimmering in her eyes. “I love you so very much,” she whispered.

Baird’s lips tugged in the half-smile that heated Aurelia’s blood. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he murmured. When Aurelia smiled in turn, he squeezed her fingers, then began to recite the vows they had written themselves.

Aurelia watched as Baird pledged himself to her, his voice ringing with quiet conviction. She did not falter in her own oath, then Baird slid a simple gold band onto Aurelia’s finger. The heat of his hand lingered over her own.

“And so it was,” Aurelia said softly.

“And so it is,” Baird concurred.

They stared into each other’s eyes and simultaneously declared. “And so it always shall be.”

And when Aurelia turned laughingly into the hail of rose petals, she saw the shadows of those gone before had faded like the morning mist. The power of their love lingered in her heart, and Aurelia knew it always would be there.

Just as she knew even when this life was far behind them, the wheel of life would circle once more. She and Baird would return, they would find each other and share again the power of a love that never died. The threads of their destinies were woven tightly together and would remain entangled for all time.

So it was.

So it is.

And so it always would be.