829A/N: Thank you all for the wonderful comments and messages on the last chapter- they all really brought a smile to my face and were beyond beautiful. I'm happy to hear that so many of you have enjoyed this story so much and I'm truly humbled by your compliments and your dedication to this story. I've really enjoyed writing it and I'm happy you've all enjoyed reading it.
To answer a few questions: A few folks have asked me which character is my favorite. I have to say that's a really difficult choice to make but I have always liked Amar and really loved being able to give him a more developed character than he had in the trilogy. Him and this characterization of Zeke have definitely been my favorite to write. Zeke's protectiveness over those he cares for really resonates with my personality so my own narcissism has biased me in his favor. :P I simultaneously found his viewpoint to be the easiest and hardest to write- easiest because I could imagine it so vividly and hardest because I'd often find myself stuck deciding which plot points to follow because they'd all fit in very different ways. As a result, there are at least 5 different major alternate endings I imagined for this story.
Several folks have asked about a sequel and I don't currently have plans for one but perhaps eventually. I have for a while been toying with the idea of doing a spin off from the perspectives of the more devious characters- Eric, Peter, Caleb, and Max- taking place in the same timeline as The Third Pedrad based on some chapters I wrote from their perspectives that I ultimately ended up not posting as part of this piece. It wouldn't be immediately but maybe in a little while.
My focus for the next while is going to be working on and hopefully finishing up my other Divergent fic- A New Era- that has lain dormant for a while as well. If you're interested and are up for an Eris AU, I invite you to check it out (yes, I know that is a shameless plug).
In the interim, you'll find my lurking around the comments sections of your fics, enjoying the universes you're constructing and your versions of these characters accented with your own creative flourishes.
Thank you for your wonderful words and your creative works,
The SillyFluffyChild
Epilogue
Zeke
I don't know why I'm so nervous; practically no one will actually be looking at me anyway. It's not about me; it's about her. That's always how these ceremonies work.
"Ezekial, it's time."
Amar's booming voice breaks me out of my thoughts, bringing me back to the task at hand. It's show time. I straighten my tie— something that I was loathe to wear but finally submitted myself to doing— and follow Amar out to the rooftop, where everyone is waiting; where she's waiting.
She looks beautiful dressed in a simple white dress. Taking her arm, I escort her down the aisle to where Four's waiting, eyes locked on her and full of adoration. Not for the first time today I marvel at how happy I am that I stopped being irrational those years ago and got out of the way of their happiness. If I had to do it all again, I would only make myself make that decision earlier than when a near-fatal wound forced a shift in my outlook.
When we reach where he's standing in front of Harrison, who's officiating, I turn and place a soft kiss on her cheek before watching her walk away from me to take his hand. This is the day that I always dreaded but really isn't so bad now that I'm faced with it. As Dauntless we're taught to face our fears and this has for years been mine— today is my own personal sequel to the fear landscape but I'm making it through in record time.
Shauna takes my hand when I take my seat next to her, our son tugging slightly on her hair as I do. Andrew always wants her attention, no matter what is going on. It's a phase and he'll grow out of it eventually but we both revel in it while it lasts. There will be plenty of years to come when he isn't as desperate to have us love and watch him. One day he might even drip his blood in a different bowl than we did and we'll spend the rest of our lives looking back at these moments, wishing we had realized how lucky we were now. We'll wonder what he's doing and if he has children; if he's happy, if they're happy.
Seeing Ri's face glowing with happiness as she slides the simple wedding band on Four's finger reminds me of all of the stolen glances I witnessed between them but couldn't decipher those years ago. Now it seems so obvious: the way she'd blush when he looked at her; the way his eyes would drop sheepishly to the floor. I still remember days after I woke from my coma when Four, while staring at his hands in his lap, divulged that she had spoken the three words he'd been hoping to hear from her and now he was truly sure. I'd see that same demeanor from him a few years later when he told Mom and I he'd asked Ri to marry him and wanted our blessing for it, as if we'd ever turn him down at that point.
Their vows are quick, straight forward as they always are in our faction, which makes me think of my own voice reciting them some time ago in this very spot. I hear Shauna quietly sniffle next to me, undoubtedly recalling the same moment that I am musing over, offering my hand a quick squeeze simultaneously. Pretty soon the ceremony is over and everyone is dispersing to various parts of the roof for us all to wish them well and celebrate with them. My sister now officially has a husband.
Weddings are always busy for the couple; there are dozens, if not more, people to greet and visit within a short span of time. There's, of course, the need to sneak in moments of private revelry and excitement with each other. Somewhere in there, they also have to figure out how to eat something so they can make it through all of it. It's no wonder between it all I don't get a chance to talk to her before my dreaded speech. I don't mind because I know she'll find time for me later in the night and of course we're family still so it's not as if I'll never see her again.
Even though Amar, Uriah and I all served in the wedding party, I somehow drew the short straw and was told I had to deliver the speech to the newlyweds. We had left Mom to be the arbitrator. Apparently, according to her, walking Ri down the aisle wasn't enough. Which is how I find myself tapping a glass to get everyone's attention before finally saying the words that I spent hours writing and re-writing until they seemed almost unrecognizable. As it turns out, writing a speech about two of the people closest to you is incredibly difficult to get right.
"I don't know what you all have heard about me but I guess I've gained a reputation over the years for being over protective of my baby sister. I can't imagine why because it's not like I have ever had anything but a calm and cool demeanor when it comes to her and her safety." Chuckles quietly ripple through the crowd at my attempt at self-deprecating humor. "The thing that I was most dedicated to protecting her from, of course, was romance.
"See, the day I gained my baby sister, I realized that what I really gained was the most perfect person in the world to be a part of my family. I used to watch her sleep when she was still a toddler, promising to her that I would make sure that she grew up to be brave and strong and that I would always protect her, love her, and make sure that nothing hurt her. As she grew older and my compulsive need to check on every scraped knee became increasingly irrelevant and I saw how caring she was toward others— a true embodiment of bravery that causes a person to stand up for another— I realized that the worst pain I could imagine her experiencing was a broken heart. I didn't know how to keep that from happening to her. But I couldn't imagine that anyone would be remotely worthy of her love and attention; I couldn't figure out how I even was worthy of it as her brother. How would some stranger remotely have a chance?
"When I met Four, I knew that I had found a friend that I could trust through thick and thin because that's just the person he is: he's instantly trustworthy and you know it from the moment you talk to him. Even though he's quiet and undeniably the most intimidating person you'll ever meet, there's no doubt that he's also the most loyal, honest, and trustworthy as well.
"So when my most trusted best friend and my perfect baby sister fell in love, it was quite frankly the most beautiful and perfect ending possible. It was beyond anything any one of us in this room or in this city could have thought up, except, apparently for them. As always, my perfect, brilliant, baby sister knew more than I did.
"What I didn't understand was that Ri had, indeed, grown up brave and strong and also smart and caring and thoughtful. She would have grown up this way no matter what and it has meant that she's been ahead of me for quite some time now. So by the time she met Four she had already realized that true bravery is best expressed in loving another with complete abandon. It's the part of our motto that we don't teach, we don't say with words, but is there nonetheless.
"I'll admit that my reaction to the development of their relationship initially was, uh, less than ideal to say the least. But once I really made myself see who my sister had become and who my best friend really was, I knew that my initial response had been entirely mistaken. There was also that one moment of facing my own mortality, which always seems to knock some sense into people.
"Four, I'm so happy that Ri has you to rely on and to love every day; there is literally no one better in this world— and there never will be— to do that. And Ri, you'll always be my baby sister that I will promise to protect from the pain of the world as much as I can, even when you're wrinkled and old. There's no stopping it even though I know that you don't need it because you're so brave and fierce. You're an awe-inspiring woman and if there's anyone who can balance and love Four unconditionally, it's you. I'm happy that you two have found each other and I know that you'll spend the rest of your lives in a partnership and love that will be a beacon for all of us around you. We're just lucky enough to witness it.
"So I propose a toast to my perfect sister and amazing best friend: may your love sustain you on the darkest and hardest of days, may your humor and laughter ring out and infect the rest of our world, and may your relationship be an example for us all of what true bravery is so we may, too, aspire to it. We all love you and always will. Congratulations."
Four wears a smile on his face as the people around us clap. Ri is staring at me and though there are several feet between us, I can see the glimmering tears in her eyes. I'm sure they are mirroring my own.
As it turns out, just like Ri never needed to worry that day when I had to choose the faction I would stay in for the rest of my life, I never needed to worry about this day.
Neither one of us was ever going to lose the other.