The aerian girl stretches and yawns. She stands up and goes to the door of the room. Sunlight filters into the main room from a little window in the kitchen. “Goodness! I got a bit carried away. I’ve been writing all night! Time for some sleep. I can add more tomorrow.” With another yawn she head off to bed.

The next evening she returns to her task, taking up the quill pen and pulling out yet another fresh sheet.

“This is where my parent’s story truly began. They left in search of peace and quiet and time to raise a family, and its true that they found many peaceful interludes, some lasting for years, but peace was not to be their lot. Indeed trouble found them within the year, and a kind of trouble they’d never anticipated. A kind of trouble that changed things forever.

“Sometimes you have to go through the forge, experience the worst that life can throw at you, in order to fulfill your potential. My parents thought that the hard times were over, but they were only just beginning.”

“You know Flame,” said Aidan as the couple sat together on the roof of Queen Tara’s tower, “I don’t think I ever really appreciated sunlight before this. Isn’t it wonderful to be able to just sit and watch a sunrise or a sunset with nothing at all to worry about?”

“Yes. Though I don’t think I’ll ever look at the sky in quite the same way again. Seeing the sky crack open isn’t an experience you’re likely to forget.” Flame Song leaned closer to Aidan then and sighed. “It seems like forever since we have been able to relax. But now the world is saved.” She grinned then. “That doesn’t guarantee us a happily ever after, you know. And we’re not the only ones that have been through hard times. The whole world has some rebuilding to do.” She let her gaze roam out over the landscape where the dying light masked the evidence of the chaos that had begun to affect their world.

“Well, maybe so, but I know that now I appreciate life more than I ever did. I’ve heard it said that you have to lose something to really understand how important it is to you.” With an ironic grin he added, “In that case I’m one of just a few people alive who understand exactly how precious a gift life is.”

They sat again in comfortable silence for a few moments. Flame Song looked over at her husband. His azure eyes were distant as he gazed at the vivid sunset colors. A shadow of remembered pain crossed his face and she knew he was thinking of the dark world of Spectoria. She knew that he still had nightmares about it, and that the shadow of un-death might never fully leave him. But then he turned to her and smiled. “I don’t think I need to lose you to know how precious you are to me. You were there for me even when all seemed dark. You know, I don’t think I could have made it without you there. You’ve always been the strong one, since the day we met. Even then you were rescuing me.”

Flame Song had to smile at that. Aidan had a knack for getting into trouble, and the very first time she had seen him he had been captured by demons. They had both managed to escape from the warren of demon tunnels that lay under the northern continent, but it had been a close call. At the time it had been frightening, but now she could see the humorous side of it.

“Yes,” she said, “But as I recall you saved me before I’d even finished rescuing you.” She grinned. “We’ve been through quite a few scrapes, and even though we’ve left active duty in the Clan I’m sure there will still be quite a few more. But I have to say I don’t think I’ve ever been happier than I am right now.”

Aidan’s gaze dropped to Flame Song’s stomach. It still looked as flat as ever, but soon the signs of pregnancy would start showing. “We have a very good reason to be happy. Have you decided whether you’d rather a boy or a girl yet?”

“I honestly don’t care which.” Flame Song directed an impish grin at her husband. “Considering my familial tendencies, we could have both, or several of each. How would that be?”

Aidan went wide-eyed at the thought. “Er, that would be wonderful, but how on earth would we keep them fed and diapered and all?”

Flame laughed. “Don’t worry. I’m almost certain there’s just one.”

Aidan grinned at her. “I should hope so!” But the faint shadow of memory crossed his face again. He wasn’t worried about the number of his children, but about the nature. Flame Song was only one month pregnant, and by that timetable, there was only one occasion where the child could have been conceived. One night, stolen aboard Baron Almaric’s ship on Sepctoria. And that one night had been while Aidan was a vampire. Aidan found that he couldn’t regret it. They had wanted children since the day they had been married, and had had none. But he couldn’t help worrying that the child would be born a monster. Flame Song had no such worries. She was calmly certain that the child would be just fine, though she speculated quite a bit about which side of the family it would take after.

Flame Song stared out again at the horizon, where the last traces of sunset light had vanished and the stars were coming out. “Maybe we should go in now.” Aidan’s gaze followed his wife’s to the darkening sky.

“Yes, I suppose so.” He stood up and launched himself off of the roof, spreading his pure white wings. Flame Song rose as well. Her form seemed to shimmer and then, in her place on the rooftop was a huge snowy owl. A moment later the rooftop was empty and two winged shapes spiraled down to the base of the tower.