Epilogue

(/Cal/)

"Mom, I can brush my own hair!" Mare argued, as she tried to pull away from her mother, who was feverishly trying to brush her hair. Her mom grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her back, though, replying, "Enough of this, Gisa said you need to sit still and stop moving or else you'll tear the stitches."

"I can brush my hair with my other arm!" Mare cried in frustration, but her mother silenced her by pulling on an exceptionally bad knot. I snickered from my position on the other side of the room, where I was with Torin and Maggie, who were trying to play cards. It wasn't really working, considering the fact that Maggie didn't know what cards she had, and she couldn't see into my mind to see what she did have without cheating. Apparently it was against her moral code, at least, from what she had told us. So, she would hold it out to Mare, and I would see it, and then pretend that I hadn't.

"Do you have any twos?" Maggie asked as she dropped one of her cards on the table. Torin sighed in annoyance and replied, "For the last time Maggie, we aren't playing Go Fish."

"Fine, then I'll go fish on my own." She reached for the stack of cards and pulling one, put it in her hand. By now, she had a hand of seventeen cards and it was funny to see her try and hold onto all of them.

Gisa poked her head inside the tent, and as she carried in clean bandages, she glared at Mare. Apparently she had heard her mother outside, because she immediately admonished her older sister. "If you want to get better and get out of here quicker, you need to stop fighting, and do as you're told. Cal did come and tell me earlier today, that you tried to get out of bed."

Mare turned her furious eyes on me and mouthed, traitor. I smiled and gave her a wink before leaning back in my chair and asking Maggie, "Alright Maggie, do you have any sixes?"

Maggie leaped up from her chair in excitement, and almost tripped running over to Mare. She showed her cards and asked, "Are there any sixes?"

Mare sighed, but before she could reach up and grab the cards, her mom slapped her hand down and pulled them out of Maggie's hands and said, "You have two, darling."

Maggie bounced back to the table and shouted, "Now, I can go fish!"

"That's not even how Go Fish works!" Torin shouted, and Maggie stuck her tongue out at him in response. "I have two sixes, so I get to get two cards."

"No, that's not how it works! You have to give him your cards cause he asked."

"No! I get to go fish!"

"No, you don't!"

"Yes, I do!"

"Enough," I groaned, as I pushed the deck of cards toward Maggie, "She gets to go fish."

Maggie cheered and sticking her tongue out at Torin, again, she grabbed the last two cards in the deck. Throwing her cards in the air, she cheered, "I won!"

As the card rained down in a storm, Torin threw his cards down onto the table and grumbled, "Well, you always win when Cal plays with us."

The tent flaps opened again and I looked over to see Shade step in. Dressed in fatigues, he looked like he had finally gotten a good night of sleep. He looked around at the mess of cards on the floor, then at his sister, who looked like a cat getting a bath, and he raised his brow at the spectacle before turning to look at me. "Farley says she's demanding to speak with someone."

I sighed as I set my cards down, and went to get up. Torin took one look at them and then cried in disbelief, "Are you serious, you were bluffing the whole time?"

I gave him a wink and a smile, and rose from my chair completely. Torin narrowed his eyes in response and grumbled something under his breath. Mare watched as I passed, and before her mom could stop her, she reached out for my hand and gripped my wrist tightly. I glanced down at her in surprise, and ignored her mom, who let out a cry of fury at her daughter's inability to follow orders.

Mare gave me a sad smile and stroking the skin inside of my arm with her thumb, she whispered, "Try to be lenient with her."

"I'll try, but there isn't much I will be able to do." I replied softly, before bending down and pressing a soft kiss to her hairline. I had to touch her at least once every few minutes, just to make sure she was really there. She didn't seem to mind either. She responded warmly to every caress, kiss, and touch. It only made me more confident in my relationship with her. She wanted this as much as I did, and that was all that mattered.

I pulled away from her and whispered, "I'll be back later, and I'll tell you everything."

She nodded and dropped her arm. Her expression instantly changed, though, as her mother pulled on her hair with the brush and yanked it back into a braid. Mare let out cry of fury, and I winced before backing out of the tent with Shade.

Outside, there was a bustle of activity, as members of the Guard prepared for us to move out. Farley had given the order, that as soon as Mare was healthy enough, we would be heading back to the main base up in the mountains. We had sent out a message only hours after Mare's awakening, claiming responsibility for the Delphie siege, which had instantly painted us with deadly targets and made it imperative that we got back to our safer base. We had then asked for the Reds to stay tuned for another broadcast that would give out all the New Bloods' names, so that they could find their families. Only a few of them had decided to really stay with the Guard. The rest had determined that they wanted no part in a war that was very much their own. The only ones to stay were a woman named Isabella, who had a young baby boy named Gabriel, and a teenaged boy named Oscar, who we had discovered was a nymph. He was only a few months older than Torin, who was desperately excited to have another boy in the group that he could actually talk to.

As we passed a group of soldiers, I glanced at Shade out of the corner of my eye and inquired, "How's Chelsea?"

"She's good, she's been hanging around with Maribel a lot lately. Something about wanting to check out new things." Shade replied carefully. It had become common knowledge only yesterday that Shade and Chelsea had broken off whatever engagement they had. Of course neither of them appeared to have any hard feelings over the matter, but something told me that Shade knew more about what happened than he was letting on. I decided not to pry though, Chelsea was old enough to look after herself, and Shade was more than mature enough to handle a breakup.

"So, you and my sister. You two are official now?" Shade asked innocently, as he tucked his hands into his pockets. I stiffened in response and replied cooly, "You already gave me a speech, you can't give it again."

"As I recall, I gave you the annotated version. Now, that you are officially with my sister, you need to get the real thing, complete with all the Barrow brothers, and their leader Daniel Barrow."

I rolled my eyes at his comment, and then turned the corner quickly to avoid a mass of people that were carrying what looked to be crates of metal. Shade watched them go, too, and then narrowing his eyes he muttered, "Hector better not be up to something."

I watched their backs as they continued to walk away, then shrugged and replied, "If he is, Farley will deal with it."

We continued along, and started to take the stairs down to the makeshift cell we had created. As we descended, Shade commented dryly behind me, "I'm serious about that meeting by the way. I'm thinking we should have it over a candlelit dinner, with you, me, my brothers, and my dad sharing a nice glass of wine while we discuss what you can and cannot do with my sister."

"Mare can tell me that, I don't need you four to do it." I replied with a huff, as we reached the bottom of the steps. One of the men standing guard perked up upon seeing us and saluted. He dipped his head politely and greeted us, "General Calore, Commander Barrow."

Shade pointed his finger at me, ignoring the man before us. "I don't care, you two are going to be so caught up in the lovey dovey stuff that you're not going to be thinking clearly."

I coughed and gestured with my eyes for him to look at the young man who was looking between us with a confused expression. Shade waved him away and mumbled, "Whatever, you get away from it this time, but you won't always be able to."

I rolled my eyes and turning back to the young man, I ordered, "Stay on watch out here, we'll go in and let you know if we need any assitance."

He nodded and then dipping his head in respect he replied, "Sure. Congratulations on your relationship with Mare Barrow, too, sir."

I winced at the response, and brushing past him to hide my blush, I grumbled, "Does everyone know about that?"

"I think the proper question is who wasn't gambling on it." Shade replied with a laugh, as he followed me. He seemed to relish in my embarrassment, and I glared at him in response. He stifled his laughter to a snicker, and waved for me to open the door that led into the small room.

Behind the heavy metal door was a closet like room that was filled with empty supply crates. I sighed at the material of the door and tried not to grumbled about the stupidity of it. There was almost no room to stand in there, and for that reason, Evangeline was sitting on one of the crates, her arms crossed and her expression furious.

When she saw me enter the room, her eyes widened to the size of saucers, and she growled, "Well, I guess talking to you is better than no one."

"Cool your jets, blondie." Shade teased, behind me as he closed the door and leaned against it. Evangeline seemed to inflate in fury at the nickname and with a sneer she spit, "That's, Your Highness, to you, you filthy-"

"Evangeline," I interrupted as I pulled one of the crates toward her and sank down onto it. She turned to look at me and her eyes glanced me over carefully before she allowed herself to whisper, "You look different."

"Well, I haven't exactly shaved in a few days." I replied with a smile before resting my forearms on my knees and leaning toward her. She looked different too. Evangeline had always had a hard face, but her features seemed softer now, as if she was just as broken as I was. Her hair hung in dirty tendrils around her face, and she kept pulling it out of her eyes. Underneath her eyes she had dark circles that seemed to make her cheekbones look sharper.

"You look different too." I volunteered as I sat up straighter again and crossed my arms across my chest comfortably. She mirrored my motion and then spit, "What does it matter, you're going to kill me anyway, aren't you?"

"I don't want to, if that's what you mean," I replied carefully, and she seemed taken aback once more. "I don't want you to die Evangeline, contrary to what you believe, I do care about you."

She snorted in a very unlady like way and hissed, "Oh please, spare me the pleasantries. You don't care about any of us. That's why you killed your father and helped these terrorist invade the capital."

"Oy, terrorists is a strong word to be throwing around before breakfast." Shade growled from the other side of the room. I glared at him, warning him to keep his mouth shut, before turning back to Evangeline and whispering, "I know that's what it looked like, but I'm about to tell you something, and you can choose whether or not you want to believe it."

She looked doubtful at my words, but Evangeline had always been sensible, and she would always hear out every side of the argument before passing justice. It was one of the few things I had actually liked about her.

Sighing, I began, "None of it was true," she opened her mouth to argue, and I silenced her with a glare, "Yes, I did kill my father, but Elara made me do that. Maven was the one that worked with the Guard, and he did it so that he could lead them in and get them all killed."

Her eyes widened in surprise and she whispered breathlessly, "You're lying."

"I wish I was. I wish I was lying to you. But Elara and Maven are the liars, and Mare and I were just the unfortunate scapegoats of the whole thing."

"But you fought with her, she tried to kill me!" Evangeline argued, as she narrowed her eyes. She was starting to get it, starting to put the pieces together, and the picture they were forming was not one that she liked.

"Yes, but you did try to kill her first. I fought with Mare because I had no other choice, and I-I loved her." I whispered softly. She blinked in stupidity for a moment and then muttered, " A Red girl?"

"She's not just any Red girl, Evangeline. And you know it. She's different. She's powerful enough to take down even the strongest of us. She was born to end this regime, to take Maven off the throne and save the Reds." I supplied carefully, the weight of what Mare had to do finally falling on my thoughts. Evangeline sat back in shock and seemed to digest my words for a moment before whispering, her voice slightly pained, "I believe you."

I glanced at her in surprise and she said a little louder, "I believe you, Cal." She smiled at me bitterly and then whispered, "I should have trusted you from the very beginning. I was… just in so much shock. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the tapes, but a part of me, a part of me did believe that it was a lie."

I smiled at her lightly and whispered, "I'm glad you believe it, but we have a bit of a problem. The Guard wants you dead. They want to execute you on a live broadcast, to show the whole country that we mean what we say."

She stumbled to her feet and cried out in terror, "No! You wouldn't let them, don't let them, Cal!"

I leaped to my feet and grabbed her arms, holding her in my grip I whispered reassuringly, "I can try, but Evangeline, I can't save your skin unless you help me do it."

"Anything, I'll do anything!" She cried. Tears were starting to leak down her cheeks and she grabbed my wrists tightly as she begged me, "Please, I don't want to die."

"You might not like this, but you need to swear an oath to the Guard. I can only save you if you become a part of the Guard." I whispered softly, as I helped her sit down again. Shade pushed off of the door and argued, "And you have to be completely loyal, no exceptions!"
She glared at him, and then with narrowed eyes she whispered around her tears, "I remember you, you were the soldier, who we caught. I-"

"Tortured me? Yeah, you did, and it hurt a lot." Shade hissed as he began to advance on her. I stepped between the two of them, and putting my hand on Shade's shoulder, I murmured, "Calm down, we need her to do this."

He sneered and replied at the same volume, "That doesn't mean I have to like it."

He backed away again and slowly went back to his original spot. His eyes were narrowed, and his arms were crossed in irritation though, showing exactly what he thought of my idea. It had taken some convincing for everyone to go along with it, but Farley had trusted my word. Evangeline would swear an oath, as long as it saved her own skin for the time being. During that time, we could slip more current information out of her.

I waited until Shade had cooled down enough, and turned back to Evangeline, who looked to be seriously considering her options, just like I predicted she would. She ran a tired hand through her hair and whispered, "And you promise that if I do this, they won't kill me?"

"Yes."

She swallowed, and straightening her back, she looked me in the eye and stated, "I pledge my oath." She seemed to deflate afterward, and her head fell into her hands. I reached out to set my hand on her shoulder, and pulled back at the last second. She had just betrayed everyone she had ever known; it was not an easy thing to do. I backed away from her slowly, and turned to leave with Shade. He disappeared down the hallway, but I hesitated at the door. A thought had been pecking at my mind ever since she had come here, and now was my chance to ask about it. I glanced back at her and inquired softly, "Evangeline, is there an heir?"

Her head snapped up, and for the first time in her life, Evangeline looked defeated. Tears pooled in her palms, and she choked, "No, and there never will be."
I raised my brow in confusion, and she looked away in humiliation, as she whispered, "I'm barren. I can never bear children, and I would have never been able to bear you children, either."

My heart ached for her, and the words slipped by before I could stop them, "I'm sorry."

She looked up with a bitter glint in her eye and whispered, "So am I."

(/The Silver Court: Archeon/)

Maven stood before the wide window that normally looked out at the crashing sea. All he could see, though, was the pounding snow that fell in huge drifts. Soon, it would descend on the lower parts of Norta and flood the streets, forcing the Reds indoors.

In his hand, he turned the pendant that had been on his mother's dress. It was all that he had left of her, besides the memories. They had locked her rooms earlier, and buried her body in the Merandus tomb only hours before that. It had taken all of his will power to keep himself together, no use showing the entire country how broken he was inside. He had lost his mother, and without a doubt, Mare Barrow as well. She was most likely dead by now. It had been his fault too. He should have known that she would step in front of his brother though.

He clutched the pendant so tightly in his fist that the edges cut into his skin and drew blood. Gritting his teeth, Maven glared out at the snow and spit, "I'll find you for this, Cal, and I'll make you pay."

The doors behind him opened suddenly, and he looked over his shoulder to see Samson Merandus enter the room. He was dressed in the customary mourning clothes, but his eyes were free of grief. He took in his nephew by the window and dropped into a deep bow. "Your Highness, I hope now is not a bad time."

Tucking his bleeding hand behind his back and turning to face Samson, Maven replied stiffly, "No, but I expected you to with your family, mourning."

"My family is also in this room. Who better to mourn with than my nephew?" Samson replied slyly as he crossed the room to stand next to Maven. The two of them turned to look out at the blinding whiteness outside. Samson tilted his head to the side as if he were considering something and then whispered, "If I may be so bold, Your Highness, may I ask what happened at Delphie?"

Maven grimaced and after a few seconds of deliberation, decided to tell Samson the truth. "I sent most of the guards with the serum my mother told you about. The rest stayed behind with us to help remove all traces of what we were doing. The Guard arrived earlier than we expected, and in greater numbers. They took Evangeline captive, then fell back to a hangar to take the New Bloods."

"I see, and Tiberias escaped once more?"

"Unfortunately." Maven sneered, as he gripped the pendant tightly, once more.

Silence descended upon them again, until Samson whispered, "My sister would not have died so easily, unless something was keeping her from fighting. Perhaps, there is a New Blood that is stronger than her?"

"There is," Maven growled carefully, his eyes falling to the pendant in his hand which was now coated with his blood, after being soaked in his mother's, "A young girl, she is a whisperer."

"Interesting," Samson commented once more before turning to Maven and inquiring boldly, "The plan my sister started, it is still in motion, yes?"

Maven grinned to himself. If there was one thing that would get back at his brother, it was the final stages of his mother's plan, he just had to get there first. When he did though, he would have his bastard brother, and finally take his revenge. "Yes, it is."

"Good, if I may be so bold once more, I would like to offer my services. I think that you and I could do great things together." Samson volunteered, his blue eyes sparkling dangerously, as he looked Maven up and down. If he noticed the assessment, Maven didn't comment on it. He only closed his hands around his mother's pendant once more, and whispered, "As do I."

End Book 1

A/N

Welp that's all she wrote folks. (: The end of Red as the Dawn. Holy Moley, this is so insane! I can't believe that I finished this in only half a year. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this, and I hope to see you all around on Christmas morning when I post the new book.

Because this project has literally drained me of all my creative juice, I will be taking a short break to plan and rest up for the next one. But rest assured, the new story will be started before the end of January.

(: Merry Christmas, and happy holidays to everyone!

Question Time!

What do you think of Evangeline's decision to join the Guard, and what do you think will happen with her? (I'll let you know that she's big character in the next story. We might also get some POV's from her)