"You do not have to stay here on my account. We will be heading south soon, and I know you must be tired of being around others all the time. Feel free to go home and have a rest of your own." Aurora offered as she walked around the Celestial Garden.

It had been two weeks since the Empress had arrived in the candled palace of the elves. They had been planning tirelessly with those on the other side of the mirror, but just now she was taking a respite in the fresh air with her thoughts. That was until the cranky fairy, Reyan, had decided to join her on her otherwise quiet walk.

He complained of the weather, the hospitality of the elves and of how much better his own home was. It was the last complaint that had led to Aurora's impassioned plea. Really, she would have offered anything short of her already lost kingdom to make the griping stop.

"I would never think to leave you alone in this den of jackals. The elves would walk all over you if not for me..." Reyan asserted. He looked indignant at the suggestion that he should leave her side. "I am only here to protect you, you know."

"I am quite capable of tending to my own matters." Aurora was slightly annoyed that Reyan seemed to think she was incompetent.

"Do not get me wrong," the fairy argued. "You are quite fine at Empress-ing. You are just too nice. No one can ever accuse me of that..." Reyan held up his head proudly as if this were some huge honor he had given himself.

"Indeed," Aurora agreed. She held a flower between her fingers and smelled it to hide her grin.

"That is why we make such a great team. I give some bark and bite and you make me less...curmudgeonly..." Reyan admitted with a wince.

Looking back at the fairy, Aurora chuckled, "Did you just call yourself a..."

"I don't want talk about it," Reyan hurried ahead of the Empress and admired his reflection in one of the small fish ponds.

Aurora shook her head. The fairy had more layers than an oversized onion. He was a good one, deep down. She sighed happily. At last, there would be a moment of peace.

The world had not left her alone just because she was not ruling it. If anything, it weighed heavier on her shoulders because it needed saving. Every moment of her day was spent planning and coordinating, and even though Zan had tried to take as much of the burden as he could, the pressure was getting to her.

There were so many unknowns, not the least of which was that they had received no message balls from the palace in weeks. It was very unlike the spymaster to leave them in the dark. Unless something happened…

No! She could not think like that. The Empress had come out here to clear her mind and now that Reyan was occupied, she could find solace in the quiet.

Finding a marbled bench, Aurora sat down and leaned against the vined wall. The lovely woman closed her eyes to take in the silence and relax. She breathed deeply.

"Your Majesty?" a familiar voice asked apologetically.

The Empress allowed the back of her head to thud against the wall lightly as she tilted her face to the sky. Perhaps if she ignored the Guardian, he would leave without another word. But that would be rude…Aurora sighed.

"I know this must be important or you would not disturb me, but can it wait five minutes?" The weary woman asked without opening her eyes.

Zan hesitated. "It can, but you might be upset that you did not know sooner. She told me not to bother you, but…"

Aurora's eyes popped open. "She? What 'she' said you should not bother me?"

The Guardian smirked, which only made the Empress more curious. "She has come home at last, Your Majesty," he answered vaguely.

The woman jumped with from her seat with vigor. "Why did you not say so sooner?!"

------------------------------

Brinn and Alvar were standing anxiously in the receiving room when Aurora rushed in without ceremony. She nearly tackled the elven princess to the ground, much to Alvar's amusement and the royal servants', who attended them, embarrassment. This was definitely not protocol.

"Princess Brinn, I have been so worried!" the Empress said as she wiped tears of joy from her face. "But here you are looking radiant! I am happy to see you look so well."

Brinn's golden face was not hidden by the human façade any longer, and in her happiness, the elf closely resembled the sun. Alvar was not far behind as his smile at seeing the two ladies together rivaled the brightest stars.

The two elves had already been provided with fresh clothes and bathed, making Aurora wonder just how long ago they arrived. To her, they looked like the majestic characters she had always read about in fairytales. Maybe that is because they were.

"I am happy to see you also!" the elven princess laughed. Then she cocked her head to one side. "Do not get me wrong: you look gorgeous, but what happened to your hair?"

Aurora touched the crown of her head. The flamelike locks were neatly braided and pinned on her head while the darker hues flowed around her shoulders. The Empress was beginning to get used to the question after having been asked that by so many. "The Maker touched me," the woman answered with a pained smile, anticipating the onslaught of questions. She was not disappointed.

"How did this happen? Was it when you got the water? Wait, did you get the water? I want to know everything!" Brinn's eyes glittered. As the spymaster, she was privvy to boundless information, and the weeks of being in the dark had taken their toll on her curiosity. She needed to fill the void.

Aurora hugged her friend another time. "Sit down, you must be exhausted."

Brinn shook her head. "I am fine. And anyway, no one sits until the King and Queen arrive. It's…"

"Protocol," the ladies said together with a giggle.

Aurora released her friend from their hug, and her upper hand ran across the elf's neck and necklace. The jewelry was tucked neatly beneath the lady's collar. 'Why hide a necklace?' the Empress wondered. 'Wait, Brinn does not wear jewelry. Unless..'

The Empress looked accusingly at Alvar. There was a bulge beneath the collar of his tunic as well. He held his head up proudly, turning his neck so a hint of silver caught the light.

Snapping her head back to the she-elf, Aurora reached behind the other lady's neck to pull the chain from beneath her dress. It was plaited, silver and sturdy, but not gaudy.

Aurora gasped and narrowed her gaze. "Is there anything you want to tell me?"

"The jig is up, my dear," Alvar pulled an identical necklace from his tunic.

"You got married?!" Aurora screamed before being hushed.

"Only a little…" Brinn responded sheepishly. Her golden cheeks were rosy.

"But how? Where? When?" Now Aurora had all the questions.

The red-haired elf tried to decide how to begin. "Well I made the hasty statement that I would marry Alvar as soon as it was all over. I meant the war. He thought I meant our escape from the castle…"

"I won," Alvar cut in with a wink.

Brinn's ears burned as she glared at the he-elf. "We were only married by humans so it does not even count! No offense, Aurora."

Aurora hid her smile behind a cough. "Please continue."

"So once we got out of Valiant and I caught Alvar…don't ask…he insisted that I marry him right then and there. We found a small town and had the mayor marry us. The old mayor was very confused by our sudden appearance, but graciously did the deed. Oh, I owe Mairwen some money. We used it to pay for our chains."

"That is very romantic and completely you. I am so happy for your both!" The Empress gave the groom a hug as well. "I only wish I could have been there."

"There is time for pomp and all that later," Brinn answered with a resigned sigh. "But this…this was truly something that was mine." She took her husband's hand and smiled warmly at him. He wrapped his free arm around her, and they were lost in their own world.

Seeing their obvious affection, Aurora squealed in delight. She clapped her hands and hopped up and down like a schoolgirl. "Welcome to the club, Brinn. Having a husband is wonderful. I cannot believe you are married!"

From the doorway of the receiving room, someone cleared their throat gently. The trio turned to see Queen Lanassa, King Zoltan, Prince Ithel, and Gandr staring with various expressions.

Gandr looked excited. Ithel was surprised. Zoltan seemed conflicted and Lanassa was as unreadable as ever. But all four seemed frozen in place like statues.

"I present Their Majesties, The Crown Prince, and Gandr," a herald announced with a flourish.

'Too late for that,' Aurora rolled her eyes inwardly.

Lanassa narrowed her eyes on her daughter and spoke only two words. "You're married?"