Chelsea stirred, slowly waking from one of the most pleasant sleeps she’d had in a long, long time. It was tremendously comfy here, her head against the soft pillow, her body warm beneath a soft, downy comforter.
It had been nearly a year since their big victory over Sal and the Endless Night. A lot had happened, a lot had changed, in their world…
And for herself.
Chelsea smiled at the new addition to her hand. A second ring, a golden band inset with three tiny diamonds. And then she rolled over, so she could look at Caleb.
Who, predictably, was still fast asleep.
That was one thing she’d learned over several months, ever since they’d gotten married and settled into Reiner Manor. Caleb Greyson fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow, and he slept the heaviest sleep in all the world. No snoring — that was nice. Though, just like another Greyson she knew…
He did tend to drool in his sleep.
Nothing too dramatic, though, and nothing too messy or gross. He was cute about it. Just like Delilah.
Chelsea sighed, a happy sigh, as she watched him, wondering when he’d wake up. She thought about teasing him. Tickling sometimes did the trick. If she poked him right around the ribs, that almost always got something out of him.
But then… she felt something. Something similar to what she’d felt the past few days.
It’s not just a dream, is it? It’s not just me getting my hopes up?
She felt it again, and sat up.
Teasing him can wait. I think it’s about time I confirmed my suspicions.
She leaned over, kissed Caleb softly on the cheek, and then got out of bed.
——
Caleb stirred. With one hand he checked his face, to make sure his glasses were still on, and with the other, he reached for Chelsea.
But Chelsea wasn’t there.
He opened his eyes, blinking away sleep, and idly wiped at his mouth as he sat up in bed. There was the impression of Chelsea’s head on her pillow, and the covers on her side had been pulled back.
Already awake. She’s always up before me.
But this was the first time she hadn’t teased him awake, or kissed him awake, or just watched him, waiting for him to wake up. He stretched, yawned, then swung his legs over the side of the bed, planting them on the floor.
Just before he stood up, though, the door to the bathroom opened, and Chelsea came out.
“There you are,” Caleb said, smiling. “Good morning.”
“It is,” Chelsea said. There was something different in her eyes, a glow, a glitter, an excitement that Caleb couldn’t place. Was there something special about today? Chelsea came to him, sat on his lap, draped her arms around his neck, and kissed him on the lips.
“You look a bit confused,” she said in a slightly teasing voice.
“You look different today,” Caleb said. “I just… I mean… is there something I forgot? Something happening today?”
“No, nothing you forgot,” Chelsea said. She tugged playfully at the blue streak in his hair. “This is something I only just found out.” She took his hand, and pressed it gently against her stomach.
Caleb’s heart fluttered, skipped a beat, and did a little dance. He gasped, laughed, staring at Chelsea, disbelief and unstoppable joy flooding through him. “You mean you’re…?” he started, hardly able to get the words out.
Chelsea nodded.
“But we’re, I mean…” Caleb started, stumbling over his words. “It’s only been three months!”
Chelsea grinned, resting her forehead against his. “We’re just that good, darling,” she murmured.
He kissed her, and she kissed him back. And there was nothing better in the whole world.
But before a second kiss could follow, a sudden sound of crashing metal sounded from elsewhere in the house. The kitchen. Naturally. Caleb pulled back, looked at Chelsea, and they both just sighed.
“Let’s see what she’s getting up to this time,” Chelsea said.
They left their room, and could already hear Addie talking frantically under her breath, amidst the sound of plates chinking and metal scraping. A faucet turned on, water running on full blast.
Rolling his eyes, Caleb entered the kitchen first, put his hands on his hips, and took in the scene.
There was Addie, up on a small step-stool in a spot halfway between the sink and the stove, managing a wild stack of messy, batter-smothered bowls and plates and measuring cups, alongside a large frying pan with several pancakes cooking on it — and about to overcook, by the looks of things. There was a smudge of batter on her cheek, a splatter of batter on the cute little Great Feline Adventures apron Delilah had bought her, and streaks of flour in her hair and all over her hands.
Her eyes, one blue, one green, had a now-familiar look to Caleb, one that somehow mixed both abject panic with unbridled enthusiasm.
Basically, the child was making a mess. And trying to clean it up, trying to be responsible.
And having the time of her life.
Chelsea cleared her throat, and Addie yelped, jumped, and spun around, brandishing her spatula at them. “O-oh!” she cried, swiftly lowering the spatula. “You’re, um… already awake.”
“Sure are,” Chelsea said, hands on her hips. “So? What are you making for breakfast this time?”
“Something edible!” Addie said quickly.
“Might want to flip those,” Caleb said, nodding to the pan. Addie yelped, hopped onto her stool, and swiftly — with surprising skill — flipped four pancakes. They sizzled as the uncooked side hit the pan, and the cooked side was just right. She’d narrowly avoided catastrophe, but she had avoided it.
With a little help. But Caleb wasn’t going to rub it in.
“Pancakes, huh?” Chelsea asked. She strode over, hugged Addie around the shoulders, and kissed her flour-streaked forehead. She took another look at the pancakes and leaned forward a bit, excitement and curiosity glittering in her eyes. “What’d ya put in them?”
“Chocolate chips!” Addie proclaimed happily. “And I tasted the batter before I started cooking — it’s good, this time, I promise! I followed the recipe.”
“Recipe?” Chelsea asked.
“Mmhmm!” Addie murmured, nodding. She pointed with her spatula at the far side of the counter, where a notebook was open to a page near the middle. Chelsea strode over to it and picked it up, staring at it reverently.
“It’s… one of Mom’s,” she said softly. She shot a look at Addie. “You’ve been exploring the Vault unsupervised?”
“Yup!” Addie said, not a care in the world. She scooped up one pancake, then another, and another, depositing them, fully-cooked, onto a plate. “Your mama left behind all sorts of great notes!”
“You followed this recipe, exactly as it’s written?” Chelsea asked. Addie nodded. “Well. We’ll see if you can live up to the chocolate-chip pancakes of my childhood, then.”
“Lots to live up to, kiddo,” Caleb said, coming over and planting a kiss on Addie’s cheek. He spoke softly, for Addie’s ears only, “They smell delicious. Nice work.”
Addie beamed.
With a massive, outrageous mess on the countertop, the family of three settled in at the table, ignored the disaster, and ate pancakes.
Caleb, Chelsea, and their daughter.
Three months, and Caleb was still partially in shock. Of course he’d known this was coming, he’d made those promises with every intention of exactly this life.
But actually living it… waking up every day to this lovable, marvelous chaos…
It all made their battle against Sal seem that much more distant. Made all the horrors of the Darkness seem so very far away.
It made it really sink in for him that they’d won.
“Oh, these are freaking fantastic,” Chelsea said, making happy sounds as she chewed up several bites and swallowed. “What the heck, kiddo? You nailed it! It’s like I’m five years old all over again!”
Addie giggled. “Makes you not so mad about the twenty-seven other times I tried to make breakfast for you, doesn’t it?” she asked.
“Hmm…” Chelsea bobbed her head back and forth, then looked at Caleb. “What do you think? Think we can forgive her for nearly destroying our kitchen?”
“I never came close to ‘destroying’ it!” Addie protested, planting her palms on the table. “And I always cleaned up my messes!”
“With help,” Caleb said, grinning. He shrugged. “Why not? Let’s forgive her. It’s the thought that counts, after all. And she did finally make a breakfast that isn’t just edible, but delicious. A perfect example in learning by trial.”
“Hands-off parenting pays off sometimes, huh?” Chelsea asked with a chuckle. “And if she keeps learning from here, she’ll be setting a great example as a big sister in a little while.”
“Big sister?” Addie asked. Confused, not realizing what Chelsea was getting at, not right away. Caleb and Chelsea shared a look, smiled, and then Addie gasped. “Wait, wait, wait! For real? You’re gonna have a baby? I’m gonna have a baby sister?”
“Or brother,” Chelsea said, laughing. “We won’t know for a while yet. But yeah. Look forward to it, kiddo.”
“I will!” Addie said, grinning from ear to ear.
Breakfast continued, enjoyed by all. A family of three — with a fourth on the way.
The day started off happy and comfy, but it couldn’t stay that way. A lot had changed, and a lot of work was still being done. And life didn’t slow down for newlyweds.
Caleb and Chelsea were in the thick of it.
Grimoire, now no longer home to a secret magical society, had managed its changes incredibly well. The battle against Sal, the fight to keep Grimoire going, to save their home, in the midst of extending Hollow Hours and desperate battles against gigantic Shadow-Stalkers and the nearly-unkillable Sen, had forged a bond between mages and regular citizens that couldn’t be broken. With the Endless Night stopped, rebuilding of Grimoire had taken priority, and gone surprisingly swiftly.
But soon, they had to reckon with the rest of the world.
All magical societies across Earth were a secret. Until the Endless Night. Now the secret was out, and Grimoire was at the heart of this changing world. A delegation had been put together, a mix of both mages and non-magical citizens, to go out into the wider world and help people cope with new truths and changes. And the wider magical world had largely joined in and supported them. Only Renault had asked to maintain its secrecy, and Grimoire and all other magical societies had agreed to allow them that.
But all of that was more distant from what Caleb and Chelsea were up to. They weren’t part of those delegations. Deirdre and Callum were, as well as Jacob Crowley and Mina Shoto, and accompanying those four mage representatives were seven regular citizens of Grimoire.
Things were, by all accounts, going quite well. Earth wasn’t just reeling from the revelations about magic, but also from the Endless Night, from every single person on the face of the planet having been swallowed up by that same darkness. Confusion and fear had dissipated, though, in the months that had followed Sal’s defeat. People were coming together, coalescing around that shared experience of the Endless Night and the Daybreak that followed.
Grimoire had changes of its own to deal with, as well. That’s where Caleb and Chelsea were most actively involved.
With Emmeryn returned to Hollow Island as its Shepherd, Hollows no longer attacked Grimoire every night. Hollow Hour existed, but it didn’t need to be called that anymore. It was as safe as the rest of the night, simply serving as an hour when the boundary between Earth and the Enchanted Dominion was thinner than any other time.
It was wonderful to be safe. But without Hollows and Hollow Drops, Hunters had lost a very stable source of revenue. They had almost lost their entire identity. What was there left to hunt, with the Hollows gone?
It turned out, quite a lot.
The Endless Night was stopped. The greatest Darkness was defeated.
But Darkness still existed. In the hearts of people, in the hearts of worlds, and it could still be found in secret places, that living Darkness, festering, growing, planting roots.
The greatest battle was over. But if Humans and Enchanted didn’t remain vigilant, a similar battle could erupt once again someday. And with how narrow their victory had been, no one was eager to go through that again.
So Caleb, Chelsea, Lorelei, Gwen, and Will had been assigned by Jacob Crowley to a task force focused on investigating the Darkness, fighting against it, and reporting back to him and the people at large on their findings. There was Darkness still, around Grimoire, beneath Grimoire, and all over the world. It was found in small pockets, tiny fragments, little infestations in dark corners and secret places. Nothing like the Endless Night. Not even as fraught and perilous as the infestation that had taken over the Library of Solitude.
But, left alone, that Darkness would grow.
So the Hunters branched off into two groups. The first, following the lead of Caleb and Chelsea’s task force, fought the Darkness and learned more about it. Along with their findings came a swell of public support. Knowing that the Hunter Guild was their potent defense against another rise of the evils they’d barely fought their way out of, the people of Grimoire gladly funded their endeavors. And along with that, the Hunters spent a lot more time working during the day than they had before. They educated people about their work, about the Darkness, about the Enchanted Dominion, and about magic in general. There was a lot for people who’d been kept in the dark so long to learn. And they also put their efforts into public works, helping wherever they could on a wide variety of projects. The scars of two battles for Grimoire — against the Radiance, and against Sal -- would remain for a long while yet. It took time for a city to heal.
The second branch of the Hunter Guild operated primarily under Jacob Crowley’s direction. They scattered, heading abroad to various locations, establishing a number of schools for Hunters.
The fight against the Darkness, the constant vigilance, couldn’t be Grimoire’s fight alone. And even all of the current mages of Earth couldn’t be expected to fight alone.
So they not only worked to train existing mages to be this new type of Hunter, but also to explore avenues for those without magic to learn to wield magic themselves.
It was exciting… and distant. Caleb looked forward to seeing where all of that led, but he didn’t get to be directly involved with it, and he was glad about that.
After everything he’d been through, he was tremendously happy to be able to stay in Grimoire. He’d still travel regularly. He’d already made several trips to Midnight Bridge, touching base with Mister Midnight and Ingrid, and continuing to learn more about Time Magic in a more peaceful, more relaxed manner. There was a lot to explore with what Caleb had discovered about Phase Jumping, and now they could take their time and safely test their limits.
But he knew that in the grand scheme of things, his place was at home, here in Grimoire.
And another perk of leading the Grimoire-stationed task force was that, due to fighting directly against the Darkness, he got to overlap with another group of defenders of the people.
Paladins.
Delilah had a great deal of work to do at Revue Palace, and she and Alice were also working to help Marcus revitalize the Moon and find Sub-Paladins and other administrators and volunteers to help with that vital Bastion. But she also came back to Grimoire several times.
Until the Hunters of Grimoire were ready for it, she’d made it her responsibility to watch over the Well of Darkness beneath Grimoire, and keep it not just sealed, but subdued. Never to erupt again. And when she came to check on it, she also met up with Caleb and Chelsea, and shared her own findings about the Darkness.
“We have to be ever vigilant.” That’s what she told them, and she lived it out. Peace was a wonderful thing, a beautiful thing. But it wasn’t a time to be idle.
If they weren’t vigilant, if they didn’t keep up their much smaller fight, then the horrors they’d seen a year ago could come rushing back.
The work went on. Grimoire remained safe. And, as long as Caleb and Chelsea had their way, it would stay safe forever.
——
“All right, okay, sure,” Ben said, twirling his pencil. “I’m just saying, we have a lot of big choices to make, and we can’t just leave that to the last minute.”
“Like we usually do, you mean?” Kathryn asked, grinning.
“Then!” Shana said, holding up her hand. “Let’s discuss.”
She was excited. Exhausted, but excited.
A whole year of relative normalcy. A “new” normal, of course, but still — normal. No crazy adventures, no grandstanding villains, no mysterious quests.
Just her, her twin, and the Dawn Riders, quelling the fears of Grimoire. The Hollows were gone, but Nightmyrn still popped up. Fears didn’t disappear, even when the night was safe. While Hunters largely worked during the day now, Shana and her friends had taken over the nighttime patrols. And they’d done exceptional over the past year. At first, they were running across dozens of Nightmyrn every single night, and fought frantically to see them purified, and the fears of the peoples relieved.
But for two weeks now, they’d averaged one Nightmyr each night. Grimoire’s fears were fading.
Job well done.
Of course, that wasn’t all that Shana had had to contend with over the past year.
“We only have one semester left,” Shias said. “Ben’s right. We really need to think about the future.”
“What we need to think about are our finals,” Rae said.
She had a point. They’d all gathered at Murphy’s, the greatest pizza place in all of Grimoire (and, in Shana’s opinion, the entire world), for the express purpose of studying for their finals.
Normal life. Just a year ago, Shana had been missing insane amounts of school because of quests and missions, battles and adventures.
Now, she was coming up on the halfway point of her final year of high school. The future loomed large before her.
She’d never been more excited about it.
And they’d come to Murphy’s! She could remember, a little over a year ago, when they’d met over lunch to discuss plans for Shana’s next quest to save Nocta, and she’d been outvoted in her hopes to go to Murphy’s.
But this time, she’d had help. This time, the vote had been a tie. And, as was only right and proper, in the event of a tie, the leader was the tiebreaker.
Shana got what she wanted.
All thanks to the newest addition to the Dawn Riders.
Shias, Ben, and Rae sat on one side of their booth. And on the other side, Shana sat between Kathryn… and Annabelle.
For almost a year now, the Princess of Solitude had been living in Grimoire. She’d even tried her hand at going to school, but after proving herself far too well-educated for all of elementary school, and then all of middle school, and then, to top it all off, all of high school…
She’d decided that there really wasn’t much point in a Princess going to school.
She wasn’t idle, though. She was Shana’s first Apprentice, and gave her all in helping soothe the fears of Grimoire.
Better yet, she’d been the extra vote Shana needed. It was all thanks to Annabelle that she got to have pizza today.
“Finals are tomorrow,” Kathryn said. “What’s the use in studying now? We know everything we’re gonna be able to know at this point.”
“And we have really big decisions coming up in barely five months,” Ben said. “But either way, we’ll have time to study and discuss the future.”
“Why are you so focused on the future?” Kathryn asked. “That’s a bit surprising for you.”
“I just… I’m realizing how close it is,” Ben said, sitting back with a thoughtful expression. “And I don’t want us to not know what we’re doing until the last minute. I… I don’t want to make the wrong choice.”
“The wrong choice?” Shana asked.
“You’re worried the team might break up?” Kathryn asked. Ben gave her a look, and her eyes widened. “Oh my gosh, you are. But come on, that’s crazy! Dawn Riders for life, that’s as obvious as it gets!”
“Then what are everyone’s plans after graduation?” Ben asked.
“I… hadn’t really thought about that,” Shana said, staring at her soda, watching as bubbles floated to the top, and an ice cube shifted.
“I’m gonna teach gymnastics at my gym,” Kathryn said. “That was always the plan. My coach teaches there, and I’ve been helping out for years. Time to make it official.”
“I’m going to go to college part time while I help out my mother,” Rae said. “She expects me to take over the Archivist’s Guild when she retires, and while that won’t be for a long time yet, I have a lot to learn. Especially with how things are changing so rapidly in the magical community now.”
“Kathryn, you’re not going to college?” Shana asked.
“What’s the point?” Kathryn asked with a shrug. “It’s crazy expensive, and I already know what I want to do, and I don’t need a degree to do it. And if I ever have a midlife crisis, I can always go to college then. Not everyone goes to college right away. What are you planning on doing?”
Shana sat back, thinking about that. Because the truth was…
“I have no idea,” she murmured. “I mean, well, I know I’m going to keep being the Dreamer. I know I’m going to keep protecting Grimoire, but… well, we’ve practically ended nightmares all across the city, and it’s only been a year. So, I mean, I guess I’d started thinking about, well… maybe I need to travel. There are people with nightmares, people spawning Nightmyrn unawares, all over the world. And I’m the only one who can change that.”
“A world tour, huh?” Kathryn asked. She grinned. “Sounds great. Count me in!”
“Wait, just like that?” Ben asked.
“You, Benjamin, are too timid,” Kathryn said. “Be spontaneous sometimes! Besides, what are you planning on doing after graduation?”
“I…” Ben started, then ducked his gaze, staring at the table. An awkward silence filled the space between them.
“Food’s here,” Annabelle said, in that slightly breathless sort of way that told Shana just how hungry — and excited for pizza — the small, dignified princess had been.
Their waitress put the three pizzas on their table, along with a large order of breadsticks, gave them all plates, and took Kathryn and Shias’ drinks away to refill them.
“Let’s dig in!” Ben said, snatching up a slice and biting into it immediately, just as Kathryn, Rae, and Shias all started to reach out to stop him. Ben immediately regretted his haste, dropping the slice onto his plate and frantically fanning his mouth, gasping and yelping something that was probably along the lines of “Hot! Ow! Hot!”
Meanwhile, Shana and Annabelle set their chosen slices on their plates. Then, pushing the slices so that just a small bit was hanging over the edge of their plates, they raised their plates to their mouths, blew several times on their slices of pizza, and each took a very small, dainty bite.
“That’s how you do it,” Shana said, she and Annabelle smiling at each other. Meanwhile, Ben had managed to swallow his poor life choice, and now had a pair of ice cubes in his mouth, trying to soothe his regret.
“So the real question about the future becomes how we all still work together, and when things happen,” Kathryn said. “Right? Because I’m not missing the Dreamer’s World Tour, that’s for sure. And I know no one else wants to. So? Ben, Shias, what are you guys planning on?”
“You wanted to be a Hunter, didn’t you?” Shana asked Shias.
“I did,” Shias said. “But… well, the Hunter Guild’s changing quite a lot. And that was what I’d planned on way back before all of this started. Before we knew you were the Dreamer, before… everything.” He looked away, a flicker of a smile on his face. Shana knew that smile. Shias was embarrassed about something, but if he smiled like that, it meant he was going to say it. Which meant he’d been thinking it a lot longer. “I’ve just always known, well…” He looked at Shana, and the smile came back again. “Wherever you go, that’s where I want to be.”
Shana’s heart soared.
“If that isn’t the perfect picture of sibling affection, I don’t know what is,” Kathryn said, grinning. “Annabelle, you’re awfully quiet. You still sticking with us?”
“Of course,” Annabelle said. She took another dainty bite of pizza, chewed, and swallowed. “At first, I felt I owed the Dreamer a debt. But it’s not like that anymore. Now… I want to go wherever Shana goes, too. Because this is where I belong.” She smiled. “And, well, I don’t have to worry about things like a college education or a job, so I can do whatever I want, really. I, um… I didn’t meant that to sound so haughty.” She ducked her gaze, timidly sipping her soda.
Kathryn laughed. “No, no, it’s perfect!” she said. She leaned back, sighing. “Total freedom. And you’ve chosen to use it wisely, doing good things to help other people. What a role model.”
“Ben, are you okay now?” Rae asked.
“I… will survive,” Ben said dramatically, hunched over. After a moment, he composed himself, and very carefully took a second bite of pizza. He nodded, chewing and swallowing. “Yeah, okay. That’s better.”
“Just give it a chance to cool first,” Shias said, rolling his eyes. “Pizza amateur.”
“I never!” Ben said, flinching back with mock disdain.
“Okay, okay, amateur comedian wannabe,” Kathryn said. She leaned forward, eyeing Ben closely. “So? What plans does the person who started us on this whole conversation in the first place have, huh?”
“I…” Ben started. He sighed. “I just… want to be with you. All you guys. I don’t want the future to split us up. So I’ve… really been struggling, trying to figure out what to do.”
“What do you want to do?” Shana asked.
“Before all this started, I was kinda just coasting through life,” Ben said with a shrug. “I was just grateful to have you guys in my life, but everything else was just… whatever.”
“This coming from a straight-A student,” Kathryn said, rolling her eyes.
“But after we’ve been through so much, after all that’s happened, I started thinking…” Ben continued. “Maybe, I dunno. I thought about being a Hunter. Or joining a different Guild. Or maybe I could go to college, I don’t… I don’t know. I don’t know where I want to go. I just… I wanted to hear what you guys were thinking. I thought maybe… maybe that would help me decide.”
“And did you decide?” Kathryn asked.
“I… kind of,” Ben said. He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck somewhat sheepishly. “I don’t really know what I want to do. Not yet. I mean, like, big picture stuff. That’s what I don’t know. But right now, I think, well… I think being with you guys… that’s enough for me. I’m an Apprentice of the Dreamer, too. A Dawn Rider. I thought that was kind of a cheesy team name at first, when you came up with it, Shana. But it’s grown on me. And now… there’s nothing I could be prouder of than that.”
Shana’s heart soared, and she reached out her hand, palm down, over the table. Ben smiled, putting his hand on top of hers. And one by one, the others did the same, six hands stacked atop each other. Shana counted to three, and then the cheer went up.
“Dawn Riders!”
——
“I can’t believe Revue Palace is finally opening to the public,” Alice said. “Tomorrow, we’ll —”
“The day after tomorrow,” Delilah said. Alice shot her a questioning look, and Delilah sighed. “Tomorrow’s Christmas.”
“Oh!” Alice said, her eyes flicking from black to white. “That’s right. Heh.” She chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck. “Sorry, I… I’ve never really celebrated Christmas. Never really had a proper family before, you know?”
“Yeah,” Delilah said. She turned in a slow circle, taking in the fully cleaned, fully decorated, fully lit entrance hall and box office. She spied Reginald by the counter, wiping up a tiny smudge that had escaped everyone else’s notice, and smiled. “We really did it. A year later. Promise fulfilled.”
“Did you ever have a doubt?” Alice asked. She grinned as she reached her arms up, arching her back in a big stretch. “Kinda feels weird, finishing just us and our Summons. But Belle-Belle and Mari and Gramps have that thing. And, well, I dunno… maybe it’s not so weird.” She shot a smile Delilah’s way. “It’s you and me who made the promise to Revue, after all. And at the end, we’re the ones who saw it through.”
“And now that we’re done with that, there’s something else we need to do,” Delilah said. She couldn’t help it, she was so excited that she bounced a little on the balls of her feet. “Now that everything here is done, and it’s really, finally home, we need to make it feel like home.”
“How are we gonna go about doing that?” Alice asked.
Delilah grinned, grabbed Alice’s hand, and ran off with her. Through the halls and atriums, past so many cleaned and repaired theaters and lounges, to a distant hall that was all their own.
The residential hall. Where Delilah’s bedroom, and Alice’s bedroom, awaited them.
Delilah took Alice to her room, and for a moment took it in, with a mixture of joy and wistfulness. Her bed was made up in the blue-and-silver Great Feline Adventures set she’d had since she was six, that she would never give up for anything. She’d already mended a tear in the top sheet once, three years ago, and had managed to remove a stain from the comforter that her mother had called “impossible.” She’d keep it safe and clean and perfect forever. And that included the companion piece to that set she’d made herself, curtains and a canopy for her four-poster bed, in translucent blue with silver silhouettes of cat heads that sparkled in the light.
It had come from her room at Greyson Manor. The bedroom that she’d spent her whole life in was now empty of all her things. The bed there was made, it wasn’t a barren space, but…
It wasn’t Delilah’s room. Not anymore.
Home was here, at Revue Palace. And Delilah had made sure of that. All of her clothes, all of her decorations, all of her books and games and plushies and everything else… it was here. And she’d arranged it all slightly different from her room at Greyson Manor, had taken advantage of a slightly larger space, of a slightly different layout, to reimagine her living space.
She was so glad to be here. So glad that this was home. But…
“Hey, where’d the excitement go?” Alice asked, poking Delilah in the cheek.
“Sorry, I’m just… still adjusting, I guess,” Delilah said. She shook her head, and for a moment missed her long, wild curls that used to bounce all around her whenever she shook her head. But she’d kept her hair short, the way she’d cut it herself, for an entire year. And she liked it that way.
It was just…
“Growing up’s complicated, huh?” Alice asked.
Delilah nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, it is. But!” She spun around, grabbing Alice’s hand and pulling her to a space she’d prepared in the room. In front of her TV, she’d arranged a number of GFA cushions and pillows and plushies as a little sitting area. “This is what I’m excited about. This is me fulfilling the promise I made to you, a year later.”
“Promise?” Alice asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.
“To introduce you to Great Feline Adventures!” Delilah said. “Go on, go get into your pajamas! We’re gonna watch as much as we can until we fall asleep!”
“Wait, for real?” Alice asked, as Delilah started pushing her out the door. “I mean, uh, don’t you think that’s a bit overkill for my first exposure?”
“No way! This is a year overdue! We’re making up for lost time!”
“Okay, okay, but!” Alice spun around and stopped Delilah right on the threshold of her bedroom. She looked away, her eyes flicking to black. “I… um… don’t have any pajamas.”
Delilah stared at her like she’d grown antlers. “What do you sleep in?” she asked.
“My clothes,” Alice said with a shrug. “Don’t look at me like that. I know my upbringing was weird, so what?”
“Sorry,” Delilah said. “I don’t mean… hey, but that’s okay! You can wear some of mine. I have more than one set of PJ’s!”
“Whoa, hold up, what?” Alice asked. But Delilah was already at her chest of drawers, pulling out a whole pile of carefully organized pajama sets — all of them GFA-themed, of course. “Come on, we’re not even the same size.”
“You’re only a couple of inches taller than me, it’ll be fine,” Delilah said. “I like my pajamas big, anyway. Ooh, try this one! It’s the comfiest.” She tossed Alice an orange set themed after Felix Feline Felinosis, First Swordmeowster of the Twelfth Circle.
“Oh, you’re serious,” Alice muttered, staring at the bundle in her arms. “I, uh… am not getting out of this, am I?”
“Why would you want to?” Delilah asked, choosing her blue Reginald Feline Meowmont III set and ducking behind a folding partition to change. “Come on, get cozy! We’ve got lots of watching to do!”
Alice did, thankfully, change into the provided pajamas. She didn’t try to run off when Delilah wasn’t looking. Delilah wasn’t under any illusions about Alice’s excitement level, but it was okay. She’d make up for it with enthusiasm of her own. And once Alice watched a few episodes, Delilah just knew she’d be a fan.
“We’ll start right at the beginning,” Delilah said, popping in the disc and then curling up amongst the cushions with a sizable bag of assorted candy. She set the candy between her and Alice, taking a few gummy bears for herself and popping them into her mouth. The menu came up, along with an instrumental version of the GFA theme song, and she was already tapping her foot to the beat, a smile spreading across her face.
Oh, it’s been way too long. I haven’t had a good rewatch since Shana and I marathoned the series two years ago.
Yeah. I’m way overdue. And this time, I get to share it with someone new!
“Ready?” Delilah asked.
“As I’ll ever be,” Alice said. She rifled through the collection of candy before picking out a butterscotch, unwrapping it, and popping it in her mouth.
“Let’s go!” Delilah said, selecting the “Play All” option and starting it up. “To a whole new world, a brand new adventure, full of the greatest Felines you’ll ever meet!”
“Oh, boy,” Alice muttered, shaking her head. “What have I gotten myself into?”
Two episodes and half a bag of candy later, Delilah was singing along to the episode three opening theme song, and both girls were jumping and dancing around on the cushions to the beat. When the few spoken lines, rather than sung, popped up in the song, both Delilah and Alice shouted them out as loud as they can.
When the theme song ended, both of them collapsed in a heap amongst the cushions, laughing themselves silly and missing the first couple of minutes of stage-setting for that episode’s story.
“Rewind, rewind!” Alice said, practically grabbing the remote out of Delilah’s hand. “We can’t miss this stuff, I don’t want to get lost!”
“I know, I know!” Delilah said, swiftly snatching back the remote and rewinding to just after the theme song and starting it up again. “There we go.”
Alice breathed a sigh of relief and sat up straight, riveted to the on-screen action.
Six episodes and the rest of the bag of candy later, it was time to switch discs. “Intermission!” Delilah called, and both girls hopped up, stretched, and walked around the room a bit. Delilah switched over to the next disc and pulled out the second bag of candy. But when she turned around, she saw Alice curled up in the middle of her bed, hugging her knees against her chest, her head bowed so she couldn’t see her face.
“What’s up?” Delilah asked, clambering onto the bed and sitting beside her. “Alice, what’s wrong?”
“I… just need a minute,” Alice said. Softly, carefully. Trying to hide what Delilah heard right away.
She was crying.
Delilah didn’t say anymore. She just wrapped her arms around Alice, laid her head against hers, and sat with her.
After a few minutes, without lifting her head, Alice spoke. “I just… I’ve never… never really had this much fun, before. Not… not like this. And it’s so… I mean, okay, it’s kinda stupid, but it’s also serious, this is way more dramatic than I thought a cartoon musical could ever be, but I just… I can’t believe I’m crying over this, It’s dumb, just forget it.”
“It’s not dumb,” Delilah said. “I’m pretty sure those are happy tears.”
“Why the heck is that a thing?” Alice asked. “I hate crying. It’s stupid.”
“It’s not,” Delilah said. “Come on. Let me see your face.”
Alice shook her head. “Don’t wanna.”
“Come on, you,” Delilah said, smiling. “I’ll cry too, if it’ll make you feel better.”
“You can cry on demand?”
Delilah chuckled. “Theater kids learn all the tricks.”
Alice sighed, then sat up, looking Delilah right in the eyes. Tears fell down from white eyes. She reached to wipe them away, but Delilah grabbed her arm.
“It’s okay to cry,” Delilah said. “It’s just your heart overflowing.”
“Why does happiness make you cry, though?” Alice asked. “That’s just… that’s stupid. How do I shut it off?”
Delilah laughed. “Seriously? Just let it take its course. I’ve never seen you cry before though, so… I’m just saying.”
Alice glared at her. “Saying what?”
Delilah shrugged, looking up at the canopy. “I mean, if you’re that overdue for a good cry, it might take a while. Could be hours.”
“I’m not gonna cry for hours!” Alice said, leaping to her feet. She bounced on the bed, swayed, then, in an uncharacteristic moment of gracelessness, toppled over right on top of Delilah. Delilah let out an “oof!,” pushed Alice off of her, and then rolled off the bed. When she stood up, she was giggling. Alice stared at her, tears still falling, but a smile snuck onto her face. She let out a battle cry, leapt off the bed, and soon she was chasing Delilah, while Delilah ran from her, laughing and soon cry-laughing, because it was all just too much fun. When Alice caught up to her, she tried tickling her, but Delilah was faster, tickling Alice, and Alice burst out laughing. They both fell in a heap, right where it had all started: into the cushions arranged in front of the TV.
Gasping for breath, occasionally chuckling and groaning with the last vestiges of laughter, Delilah looked at Alice, and Alice looked at her.
“Yeah, okay, maybe you’re onto something,” Alice said. She grinned. Her hand went into the bag of candy, and returned with a heaping handful of gummy bears. Delilah’s eyes widened, and before she could say anything, Alice stuffed the whole mound of gummy bears into her mouth. Cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk, she somehow managed to chew, and chew, and chew.
When she finally swallowed, Delilah was still gaping at her. And a second later, both girls burst out laughing.
When they recovered from that bout of laughter, they sat up. Delilah ate a butterscotch, and Alice had a few more gummy bears.
“Ready for disc two?” Alice asked.
“Oh, so you’re into it now, huh?” Delilah asked, grinning.
“Abso-freaking-lutely!” Alice said. She leaned forward, white eyes wide with excitement. “And we can’t stop where we left off! Garland just met Morgyana and is on the edge of maybe betraying Felix and the Twelfth Circle and everything that’s good in the world! We can’t leave it hanging there, come on!”
Delilah grinned, pressed play, and settled in for another six episodes.
Yeah. This is just what I needed.
Now it’s feeling like home.
——
Fae stood beneath the boughs of the golden tree in the center of the Valley of the Dawn.
“What a difference a year makes,” she said, smiling up at it. The amulet had sprouted in no time, and had already grown twice as tall as Fae, leafy boughs reaching out to offer beautiful, calming shelter.
And in the air, she could sometimes hear that voice she missed. The voice of the Orphan of the Dawn.
“In so many ways,” Mercury said, grinning beside her.
All seven girls were here, along with Ciel and Toryu. They turned, looking out across the Valley.
So much had changed. Old, faded grey stone had been repaired, replaced where needed, and painted all over. Not a single slab or tile was a solid color. Designs of all kinds of intricacies and meanings wove their way across the ground, from this lowest level all the way up the highest level, dozens of stories above them. Red and blue and green, yellow and purple and orange, silver and gold, black and white, bursts of color were everywhere they looked.
A city of artists, where the city itself was a tapestry.
It wasn’t just this place that had changed, either. Fae and her friends had just returned from the latest in over a dozen trips to the Silver Star Sanctuary.
That was a place that required a lot more work on their part.
The Matron had vanished. No one knew where she’d gone, but she’d left behind a letter that told of a guilt and shame she never wanted them to see. She regretted her actions.
And she felt she could never face the Star sisters again.
But despite that, the Star sisters weren’t giving up on the Sanctuary. “If the Matron’s going to leave it in shambles, we’ll make something of it!” Mercury had proudly proclaimed.
After all, it had been their home, a long time ago. And it had once been, and could be again, a very important place in the Enchanted Dominion. Under the Matron, it had become a place of secrets, where a villain as conspicuous as Wasuryu could hide and work terrible evils, a place that only those who braved the fiercest of trials could ever find.
The Star sisters, with the help of Toryu and Ciel, sought to change that. To clean up the inside of the Sanctuary, of course, but more than that, to reconnect it to the wider Dominion. To make it a place that many could reach, easily and safely.
They hoped, one day, to partner it with Revue Palace. The Sanctuary had been a place of music, where the sisters had fallen in love with song. It seemed a fitting combination. But that would take time. It all would.
But in a year, they certainly had come a long way.
And perhaps most noticeable in the impact of the past year was where Fae and her friends were now going to: Renault.
“Last one,” Jupiter said. “You nervous?”
“Maybe a little,” Fae said. “It’s… I don’t know. It’s going to feel strange, having my mind all to myself again.”
“I’ve been trying not to say it, but…” Mercury started, then shook her head.
“We know, you don’t want this bond to end,” Jupiter said. “But come on! You know it’s for the best.”
“And it’s not like it’s really ending,” Fae said as they walked. “We won’t hear each other’s thoughts, we won’t be as obviously close, but… the bond remains, right? Forever.”
Mercury wheeled around, staring at Fae in astonishment, a flutter of joy running from her through their seven-part bond. A bond that had been weakening subtly over the course of Fae’s treatments, but was still there, for one more day.
“What?” Fae asked.
“I just… never thought I’d hear you say something like that,” Mercury said, beaming. “You’ve really changed since I first met you.”
“For the better, I hope,” Fae muttered, looking away.
“Yup,” Mercury said.
“And she hasn’t totally changed,” Jupiter said. “She still hates when you put the spotlight on her.”
“So leave her alone,” Neptune said. “Come on. What she said is exactly right. We’re bonded, forever. It doesn’t matter if this part of it ends. We won’t forget what it was like. And we won’t abandon each other.”
“Dang straight!” Jupiter said, pumping her fist in the air.
“Fae isn’t the only one looking forward to newfound freedom,” Sonya said. “It will be nice, I think, for all of us. We won’t have to always be right alongside each other.”
“You’ve got plans?” Jupiter asked.
“Yes,” Sonya said. There was a flicker of nervousness, a bit of embarrassment, but she overcame that. “I’ve been thinking… I’d really like to travel. I never even knew of the Enchanted Dominion until I set off to find the Orphan of the Dawn, and I was so quickly broken by Wasuryu that I… I didn’t get to enjoy it. Not until you, all of you, saved me. And while the journey we went on was constantly fraught will all sorts of danger, it was the most incredible adventure I’ve ever known. It’s given me so many ideas for my writing, but I feel like I’ve only just gotten a glimpse of what’s out there. I so dearly long to see more.”
“And you’re planning on traveling alone?” Mercury asked.
“I think we all are looking forward to at least some alone time when this is done,” Madeline said. She and Fae shared a look. They both knew exactly how valuable a little — or a lot — of alone time could be.
“And our paths aren’t remaining one and the same forever,” Olivia said. “I’m going to return to Renault. I’ll still see all of you, as often as I can, but I know now more than ever that my place is back on that wall, as a Guardian, defending my city. I’ve been away for so long. It’s time I returned home.”
“But wait, hold up, you’re just leaving us?” Mercury asked. “But that’s —”
“What were you planning on doing once Fae’s treatment were over?” Neptune asked.
“Putting on a million concerts!” Mercury and Jupiter cheered in perfect unison. Mercury continued, “In Grimoire, at the Silver Star Sanctuary, at Revue Palace… oh.” She looked at Olivia and Sonya, and sighed. “Yeah. I get it. Can’t exactly expect you guys to be in the crowd everywhere we go.”
“It’s okay,” Fae said. “We don’t have to be in the same place to be connected. We won’t forget about each other. After a year of this… it’s time we all got a chance to do what we want.”
They reached their scheduled exit, and Fae turned back to give the Valley of the Dawn one last long look. She’d be back again, of course, but she always liked this view. From the very edge of the city, she could see so much of it. Its height, and its length. She could see the golden tree shining in the center, the beautiful artwork all along the roads and walls, and the people, the creative, amazing people who had been through so much, really thriving in their new home.
And she saw how the sky had changed. On the horizon, a light always shone, a golden gleam that reminded her of that distant shore.
The dawn — daybreak — was here to stay.
“Come on,” she said, turning and striding through the exit. “It’s time for the final procedure. And after that…” She smiled. “I’ll be home for Christmas.”
——
Greyson Manor was a flurry of activity.
“Another candle up there,” Deirdre said, directing the last-minute decorating. “Shana, that wreath is crooked. No, to the left. There you go. Shias, can you —? Thank you. Caleb, the left side could use a bit more red. Addie, more silver on the right, please. Don’t forget to use your step-stool, we don’t want too many ornaments clustered on the bottom half. Thanks, Chelsea, that’s perfect. Annabelle, just a little bit lower… there. Wonderful.”
The “Grimoire Crew,” as Shana had dubbed them, was hard at work. Caleb, Chelsea, Addie, Shana, and Shias — the Greysons who had stayed at Grimoire over the past year — were hard at work, along with Callum, Deirdre, and Annabelle, who’d taken up residence with Shana at Greyson Manor, putting the finishing touches on what was going to be, in Shana’s estimation, the Very Best Christmas Ever.
And just as she was thinking that, her heart full of warmth over all that was soon to transpire, she tripped, her hand caught on the garland wrapped around the banister, and it came undone, one end falling to the first floor. “Altair!” she cried out.
A flash of blue, and as Shana recovered she saw her faithful blue pup standing on the bottom of the banister, the end of the garland clutched in his jaws, his tail wagging happily.
“The greatest Christmas helper of them all,” Shana said, adjusting the garland and then scooping Altair into her arms. “What do you think, Mom? Just about done?”
“Just about…” Deirdre started, and then the oven timer went off. “Oh, there we go! Callum!”
“On it!” Callum said, racing to the kitchen. That was a sight that warmed Shana’s heart the most. She’d been astonished when she’d come back to Grimoire and seen the sorry state her father was in after his valiant fight against Sen. It had taken three months, but he’d made a full recovery.
Shana joined her father in the kitchen, where she helped him take fresh cookies off of the sheet and set them onto a rack to cool. And beside the latest cookies — lovely, aromatic, delectable, oh-so-tempting chocolate chip cookies — were finished and decorated assortments of so many Christmas cookies of all kinds and designs.
Shana, Shias, Caleb, Chelsea, Addie, Annabelle, Callum, and Deirdre had been very, very busy today.
“Lorelei, Will, and Gwen are on their way,” Chelsea said, checking her phone. “Should be here in a few minutes.”
“Before Alice?” Addie asked, pouting. “What’s taking her so long? She and Delilah were supposed to be here first.”
“They’ve got a much longer commute, kiddo,” Chelsea said, tousling Addie’s hair.
“And they still have a chance to not be late,” Shana said, eyeing the clock. “There’s half an hour before we officially start.”
“And despite the time, we don’t truly start until all Greysons are assembled,” Deirdre said.
“You don’t buck tradition,” Callum said with a lopsided grin. “And it’s especially important this year.”
“Yeah,” Shana said, her heart soaring.
Fae was coming. Fully cured, fully healed, fully herself. Fully her best self, now.
What I’ve wanted for so long! Fae won’t just be here for Christmas physically. Her heart will be here, too. No more distant loner Fae. No more trying-to-disown-her-family Fae.
The Fae I love, the Fae I wanted all along. She’s finally real, and soon she’ll be here!
“Kathryn and the others are on their way,” Shias said, checking his phone.
The doorbell rang, and Shana, Annabelle, and Altair raced to get it. They pulled open the door to find Oscar, along with Hagen and Mercedes Rook, and Mina Shoto, all of them carrying a heaping helping of presents.
“I know we’re early,” Oscar said with warm laughter, thanking Shana and Annabelle for their help in carrying presents, “but we just couldn’t help ourselves. We’re not in the way, are we?”
“Not in the slightest,” Callum said, grinning. “Come on in.”
It wasn’t long after them that Lorelei, Will, and Gwen arrived, along with Kathryn, Rae, and Ben, who they’d run into on the way over. And not long after them…
“Delilah! Alice!” Shana cried, pulling both girls into a tight embrace. “You made it!”
“What’d you think we were gonna do, miss Christmas?” Alice asked. “It’s kinda technically my first one ever. I gotta see what all the fuss is about, after you and Delilah have been hyping it up all year.”
And the pair hadn’t come alone. With them were Marcus, Maribelle, and Isabelle.
“Anna!” Isabelle said, rushing to embrace her twin. “It’s been so long! And you haven’t been writing me back! I’ve written you so many letters, and I’ve had a million questions. Are they keeping you too busy here? Are they feeding you enough?”
“You doubt they would?” Annabelle asked. “And I’m not going to write to you daily. It’s excessive. But don’t worry, I’ve read all of your letters. I think you have separation anxiety, though.”
“Aww, when you get all cold like that, I know you really missed me,” Isabelle said, pressing her cheek against Annabelle’s, grinning from ear to ear.
“Make yourselves at home, everyone!” Callum said. “Just don’t eat any of the cookies, yet. Cookies are off-limits until everyone’s here.”
“Greyson tradition,” Shana said, nodding sagely. “And we don’t buck tradition.”
The clock struck seven PM — the arranged time of the party — and Fae still hadn’t arrived. A few minutes after seven, the doorbell rang, and Caleb, the twins, and Delilah raced to answer it… only to find Isla and Dama.
“We arrive, as always, fashionably late,” Isla said, smiling that enigmatic smile of hers. “And what an unexpectedly exuberant welcome. Though not, I think, for us, Dama.”
“Sorry,” Caleb said, chuckling. “We’re still waiting for Fae.”
“Not much longer to wait, I would think,” Isla said. She looked down at Dama, whose ever-changing color and number of tails swished back and forth. “Don’t fret, children.”
“It’s good to see you, Isla,” Deirdre said, hugging Isla warmly. “Come on in.”
“How come you didn’t bring any presents?” Addie asked, frowning at Isla.
“Ah,” Isla said, raising an eyebrow. “An astute observation, but a flawed one. My gifts arrived ahead of me, already hidden. They will find their way to the proper recipients at the appropriate time.”
“Uh, so… basically…” Addie started, blinking.
“She got presents for everyone and they’ll get them when she feels like it,” Alice said. “Come on, don’t get greedy. Look, Kathryn’s showing off a new gymnastics routine, let’s watch!”
Addie was easily pulled away. Isla joined the party.
Shana, Shias, Caleb, and Delilah remained by the door. Waiting.
“Should we go outside and wait for her?” Shana asked.
“That would be overkill, don’t you think?” Caleb asked.
“Definitely,” Delilah said, nodding.
A moment later, the doorbell rang. The Greysons flung it open…
But no Fae.
“Tock!” Caleb cried, breaking into a broad grin. “And Maxwell! You both made it!”
“I promised, didn’t I?” Tock asked. She stuck out her hand, and Caleb shook it. A second later, Addie came barreling in, tackling Tock in a tight embrace.
“Can’t hold myself back this time,” Addie said, laughing. “I missed you!”
“Thank you,” Tock said, warmly returning the embrace.
The latest arrivals joined the party.
And Caleb, Shana, Shias, and Delilah resumed their waiting. The clock chimed seven-thirty.
And the doorbell rang.
The door was flung open, and Greysons stared in awe at the last one to arrive. Fae, along with all of her friends, was here.
There wasn’t an instant tackle of hugs, a sudden and intense group-embrace. There was a quiet moment, just the five Greyson siblings, taking this moment in.
Shana was the first to break the silence. “Welcome home, Fae,” she said, and an instant later, sobbed. Tears stung her eyes.
Fae smiled. Really, truly smiled. Shana almost couldn’t believe it. “It’s good to be back,” she said.
And then they were finally hugging. Caleb, Fae, Shana, Shias, and Delilah, all in a weird but somehow cozy tangle on the doorstep, overflowing with joy at this long-awaited moment.
The party could finally begin.
Presents were exchanged, songs were sung, games were played, and cookies were devoured. Christmas, the Greyson way, was done in earnest.
Shana could never remember a time Greyson Manor had been this full. It had come close, a year ago, several times. But every one of those times had been coinciding with crisis, with danger, with counsels taken about how to deal with the troubles they faced.
Here, now, was safety, peace, warmth, and love.
Just the way Christmas should be.
At some point, six Greysons removed themselves from the larger party. Shana, Shias, and Delilah led the way, to their favorite spot. Out through the top floor balcony, and then around, clambering up roof tiles to a flatter spot at the top of Greyson Manor. It was cold, and snow coated the roof and drifted lazily in the night air. But they’d brought blankets, and they all huddled close together, enjoying the contrast between the cold of winter, a winter they all loved, and the warmth of each other.
Caleb, Chelsea, Fae, Shana, Shias, and Delilah sat on the rooftop beneath the high, golden boughs of Yggdrasil. Through a gap in the lofty branches, they could see the full moon high above, shining beautiful silver.
And all around them, the city of Grimoire glittered with light.
THE END