The Fall Of Snow: Guard Your Heart

39. Epilogue

Epilogue

I stand on the balcony of the master chambers in the manor. My manor. I look out into the orchard as families gather their fruits into woven baskets and smile, still not believing any of this can be real. The summer sun is high above today, not a cloud in the sky to dim its light.

Since I've opened the orchard up to the public, families from all over have come to visit—not just the ones of a certain class. It fills my heart with joy to see mothers and fathers lifting their younglings by the waist to pluck an apple from a branch, seeing their toothy smiles spread as they take their first bite. The way parents' faces light up with delight from their child's happiness. Such a beautiful thing to witness.

The manor is nearly unrecognizable since I've taken over. The walls have been painted, and the furniture changed. The darkness of my mother no longer lives in this home. I do. The staff was more than happy to stay when I took the reins of the estate, making some much-needed changes. Not only did they get higher wages and shorter days, but they also received the kindness and respect that they've always deserved. Instead of feeling dread at the prospect of working at Malum Manor, I hope they now feel excited—invigorated. I hope spending their days here brings them pride instead of pity.

Not only were these changes to the manor necessary after the battle that night but it was also needed for me. For my soul. I needed the haunted memories of my mother to vanish from each and every corner of my home. The threat of her sometimes follows me down the hall, but looking around at the changes made reminds me that she can no longer hurt me. That she holds no power over my life and my future. All threats of a huntsman lingering in the shadows are gone. All contracts voided.

When I feel familiar hands snake around my waist, I sigh with pleasure and breathe in the scent of Huck—of leather and pine. As I lean back into him, I feel the soft thrum of his heartbeat beneath his shirt.

"Snowflake," he growls into my hair, sending a shrill down my spine. I turn to kiss him fully, my mouth claiming his as he hoists me on the ledge of the railing. I will never tire of him. Of this. Of his mouth on mine. His hands on my body. Never tire of the way he says my name or the way he looks at me like I am the sun and he is the earth coming alive beneath my gaze.

When he drops to his knee, my body heats in anticipation as his hands slide down my sides. But when I look down at him, his glassy eyes meet mine with a smirk as he presents a red velvet box to me. My heart flips in my chest as he opens it, revealing a classic emerald stone atop a gold band. Bold and brilliant. My eyes well with tears.

"Marry me?" His low voice is thick with emotion and I nearly fall off the balcony from my own. I slide down from the railing meeting him on the floor.

"It would be my honor." My voice quivers with the swell of emotion as he lifts the ring from the box, delicately placing it on my finger. I watch as the radiant emerald stone captures the light within before sending it back out into the world anew. My heart nearly stops in my chest as I grab his face in my palms showering him with kisses.

When Huck stands and pulls me into him, I squeal as my feet leave the floor. With his arms encircling my waist, he spins me around in delight. The first thought in my head is I need to tell Coy! But knowing Huck, Coy already knows. The trickiness of sharing a best friend. We will have to send word to the southern camp where Aspen, Whip, and Bear now reside and invite them over to celebrate. Now that I have officially cured Aspen of his illness, he is free to travel to whatever camp he pleases— no longer tied to someone managing his symptoms. But even with his newfound freedom, he chooses to stay with his group .

I'll have to wait to see Coy, who is moving his sister and children into a cottage nearby. After an unfortunate hunting incident that left her husband in ribbons, Coy volunteered to relocate her and her young near the manor.

But Archer is never far these days. After deciding to hang up his sword, he's moved into the manor with Huck and I, taking on the role of Head of Security of the Fuzion Shoppe and the grounds.

With me as the new Lady of the Orchard, people have already begun to look for holes in our operation, hoping the daughter of the unforgiving Madam Evangeline isn't as lethal. With Archer on guard, it gives Huck and I peace of mind to know there is an extra security measure in place until the world knows that in some aspects, maybe the apple didn't fall too far from the proverbial tree.

On occasion, Archer will travel to camps to train newcomers, sometimes bringing Huck along too. But his days of battle are behind him, as are Huck's now that he trains the new recruits at a nearby base camp. His days are spent training young new soldiers and his nights are spent with me at the manor—in our home. With his new position as chief lead, Huck no longer needs to fight in battles that may arise. Instead, he works on strategy and training, keeping him close to home. For selfish reasons, I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Terran's memorial sits at the western side of the gardens, which we visit every day at dusk since it's been built.

We created a glass fountain with lanterns inside illuminating the water that trickles down in glittering cascades. No matter if it's day or night, the light shines through, brightening the garden and the ever-flowing water surrounding it. The silver plate that adorns its base is encased in glass commemorating Terran's life as he lived it.

Terran McGoff

Find the light through the darkness.

As soon as we were able, Huck brought me to meet his mother in Ilia, and I was able to reverse some of the damage that had been done to her mind. She will never be what she once was after the trauma and the years passed, but she is someone that Huck recognizes after so many years of yearning for his mother to come back to him.

We visit her weekly and bring her apple pies to share while we talk about anything and everything. I would have liked to have known the woman that she once was, but every time he smiles, I see the light in her eyes glow with delight. And that's the best we can hope for.

Hope was the only thing that got me here and the resilience to not give in to my mother's wrath, to not let the darkness dim the light. A small, animalistic part of me never allowed myself to lie down and accept the fate my mother laid out for me. It never lost hope for a future of freedom or the possibility of more. More than running for the rest of my life, more than accepting a life without love. More than anything I could have ever dreamed.

When Huck heads out to meet Coy that night, I walk into our bed chambers, past my armoire, past my vanity, and into the walk-in closet filled with shoes, coats, and my mother's looking glass. My looking glass.

After staring at the magic mirror for the better half of an hour, my hands twitching in anticipation to smash it and fracture its reflection to pieces, I found that something was stopping me. Something was holding me back from destroying it as I wondered of its existence, how it came to be, and where it came from. That's when I realized this mirror was a gift. The only gift I would ever receive from my mother. If there is one thing she taught me in the moments we shared, it was to keep your enemies close. Becoming the head of this estate has taught me just who those enemies are.

So, I dropped my hands to my sides as I took a step back, and looked directly into the mirror of wonder.

"Looking glass, my sweet, awaken from your slumber.

Your ruler seeks your charm.

Crack it open, break the veil.

At my behest, reveal the world asunder."