And now, a promise kept.
I rise, turning back to them. To my knights. To my sister. To the genie who watched me die again. To the unicorn whobrought me back. To the broom attempting to clean the remains of a destroyed temple.
I grab its handle and shake my head. “Our work is done. The world is meant to be messy. Rest.”
The chaos hums beneath my skin.
The world has changed, belonging only to those brave enough to claim it.
Chapter Forty One
Daphne
When you tear everything down, you’re left with only what matters. Then you can rebuild not to someone else’s specifications, but to your dreams. The possibilities might be terrifying, but they’re worth it.
The stripping of Idol power and its return to the realm isn’t announced with trumpets and grand gestures. It’s in the eyes of every creature we pass on our way back to the Hallows. They’redisbelieving, but hopeful. Is it perfect? No, absolutely not. It’s messy and glorious.
I sleep on and off against my knights as they pass me between them, needing to convince themselves that I am still here. They need to have more faith. Our bond is deeper than blood and stronger than any higher power, formed by conquering death. Never once did I falter in the belief that their love would always catch me.
My body is tired, though, and for the first time in forever, peace settles in my bones. Not an emptiness, but a destiny fulfilled, and now I am free to follow my own. Will it be any less chaotic? I hope not.
“Daphne, we’re here,” Hart murmurs against my temple as my feet touch the floor.
I lift my head, finding we aren’t at the stables, but inside the Living Library which is bustling with happy creatures. I turn my head and note the tunnel connecting the Hallows castle library and this one is now a defined and connected walkway. The All Knowing has opened the gates, the freedom of knowledge available for those who seek it. We aren’t gatekeeping, and we can’t and shouldn’t hide the past.
The lessons learned have been hard and should not be forgotten, or we risk slipping back, and that I cannot abide.
A pair of familiar older men argue good-naturedly from between the stacks. Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm.
I blink at them as they walk toward us. Wilhelm looks me up and down. “Well, you look a lot less dead than the last time I saw you.”
“And you look alive,” I point out.
Clearly, they are alive. What I mean is, they aren’t tired, hopeless beings living on the outskirts of some forgotten corner of the realms.
Jacob snorts. “I believe we owe you our lives.”
I shake my head. “You owe us nothing. I don’t want to start my future—” I slide a glance at Gwyneth because this affects her too. She nods in agreement. “—with a debt.”
“I told you,” Wilhelm says, bumping shoulders with his brother.
“Yes, yes,” Jacob grumbles. “You did.”
“Told you what?” Gwyneth asks.
“That you two arethetwo. We waited a long time for a pair to appear in our bloodline who wouldn’t be tainted by the temptation of the Idols’ power,” Jacob explains.
Wilhelm points at Gwyneth. “I knew when you passed the first test.”
“What test?” she asks.
Oh...
“The shoe,” I whisper, glancing at a grinning Charming. “The shoe was your test, sister. And you refused the seduction of power.”
Charming shrugs. “The only kink in the road was me actually falling for you.”
The knights go completely still as we absorb the role this idiot played. It’s almost unbelievable. Almost.
