Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 94782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
“Are you still sure about this?” Calder asks.
“Yes, my son.” She nods in a way that proves she’s still in there, despite her failing body. More determined than ever, she’s a shining light in this world who deserves to go in peace.
“I have already spoken with Calder and Runa,” she tells us. “But I have a few things I would like to say to both of you. Come to me, please.”
Ella and I join her at the bed, each of us taking a side and uniting our hands with hers. She speaks to Ella first, her face full of warmth and love for the woman who has brought me back from the darkness.
“Thank you.” Her voice betrays her emotion. “Ella, you are my daughter now, and that doesn’t change just because I’m gone. Call on me whenever you need a friend to talk to, and remember everything I taught you. I want you to have my books, my elixirs, and my jewelry. They belong to you now.”
“Thank you.” Ella’s lip trembles, and she nods. “Thank you for accepting me into your family and for loving me. I can’t tell you what it’s meant to me.”
“That love will never end,” mother says. “Please look after my son. Love him as fiercely as I know only you can.”
“I will,” Ella promises. “I will take care of him always.”
My mother nods, and Ella hugs her before taking her leave to sit and wait for me.
“Thorsen.” Mother looks up at me, tears gleaming in her eyes. “My dearest Thorsen, how I admire and love you. The depths of which you will someday understand when you are raising your own son.”
“I love you too.” My voice fractures.
“Remember what I said. I’ll never be far away. Speak to me often, tell me how you are, and never stop fighting for the beauty in life. You will find it, even in the darkness, if you choose to look.”
“I’ll make you proud,” I assure her.
A tear splashes onto her cheek. “You already do.”
I hug her, and she whispers into my ear that it’s going to be okay. That I shouldn’t mourn for her because she’ll always be right here in the leaves and the wind and the blossoming flowers. I don’t want to let her go, but she tells me it’s time, and I hold on a little longer until I can’t hold onto her anymore. She summons the others back to the bed, and we all gather around her.
“Let us say a prayer to Hekate.” She closes her eyes, and we follow suit, repeating her words as she recites a prayer for a safe rite of passage after death.
When we open our eyes again, she has the elixir in her hand, harnessing the last of her energy to bring it to her lips.
“I’m going to sleep now,” she says. “It’s been a long journey, and I’m very tired. Remove this bottle when I’m gone, and never speak of this moment again. Remember me in the garden, or my herbal room, or spending time with my boys. Remember me only in good ways, and be happy, not sad, when you think of me.”
We all promise her that we will, and she drinks the elixir before handing the bottle off to Calder. She smiles, closes her eyes, and goes to sleep.
Just like she said.
Epilogue
Ella
“Hello, my King.”
“Good evening, gudinne.” Thorsen kisses me on the top of my head as I roll into him. I bury my face into his neck, inhaling the sun and the salt of the sea.
“Nice of you to join me again,” he says.
“You wore me out.” I yawn as my fingers trail over his beautiful body. “Was I out long?”
“About two hours.”
I sigh and close my eyes, content to stay here like this all day. It isn’t often we have time to lounge around anymore, but we make the most of the Norwegian summers by taking the yacht out every chance we get. Thorsen is perpetually busy, but he carves out this time in his schedule for us, and it’s non-negotiable. He works hard, and he’s dedicated to making a lasting impact during his reign. But when it comes to time with his family, we’re always his first priority.
Five years ago, we took a late honeymoon on this yacht. Thorsen spent days inside me, and I don’t think he’d ever felt more accomplished than when he learned that Atlas and Frey were conceived on that trip. It was the moment I truly saw him break through the clouds of darkness that had plagued him for so long. And when it comes to his sons, his dedication is unwavering. Thorsen told me right away he wanted to be a hands-on father, and I knew it was important to him that they always felt loved. Even with all his responsibilities, he still manages to take the boys to their horseback riding lessons and find the time and new opportunities to teach them.