In This Life And The Next
Chapter Thirty-Eight

Laura and Hazel were seated at the top of the battlement with a clear view of the field below them. Since they had sat down, neither had let go of the other’s hand. Jessica stood, her eyes on the field. Sam was next to her and Hazel wondered who would be catching who in the event that one of the princes died.

Hazel refused to follow that line of thinking and listened to the cheer that went up around them as Caspian stepped out on the field.

“Where is Alec?” Laura asked.

Everyone turned to look behind them but their attention was drawn to the field once again when John stepped out on the field. His own army cheered.

“Victor.” Laura snapped. He turned to her. “Go see what is keeping Alec. And Liam.” Her irritation was clear.

Victor turned and made for the stairs.

But Caspian and John were not waiting for anyone, even if it was the future king. There was no signal to commence but John ran at Caspian. Hazel closed her eyes but opened them once again when she heard a sigh of relief from Sam. Caspian had parried the move but Hazel didn’t understand why he wore the face shield, surely it was making it hard to see out of the periphery-

John went in for another attack, aiming for the side of Caspian’s armor-

Hazel stood and went to the edge of the battlement, pushed past Marc and Sam to get a better view and something caught her eye-

Even as John struck out again and Caspian blocked again, thrusted and parried with a sword that looked too familiar in his hands, like he had been using it for years and years on the battlefield and not for one of the very first times facing an enemy-

“Caspian’s is better than I remember.” Sam said and he sounded choked. He watched the fight and he must have known as well as Hazel; these men had fought at Alec’s side for years, had gone into battle with him, had protected his back as Alec had protected theirs.

John attacked again, overhead this time, and bore into the strike, stepping in close to the man he fought.

“It’s not-” Hazel whispered and gripped Sam’s hand in her own. He didn’t reply.

Alec let one of his hands drop and punched John in the chest and John fell back, rubbing his chest.

“Your Highness-” Victor panted, from behind them. Sam and Hazel didn’t turn around. It didn’t matter, they already knew.

“That fool .” Laura growled. Liam was helping Caspian to a chair and his face was already blooming a horrible blue bruise. Aurora stumbled after them with Ben’s arm around her to help her into a chair.

Alec ducked the slashing cut but not the smaller knife that found his shoulder. There was a muffled roar and Alec tore off the helmet and even that gave John pause.

Only long enough for Alec to pull the knife out and bring his sword up to block the next hit and the next and the next. John was pressing his advantage and when Alec swayed a little, his arm and shoulder no doubt aching from the knife and the continually brutal hits he was blocking, John swung a leg up and into Alec’s stomach.

Alec crumpled to the ground at his feet.

“No.” Aurora moaned, next to Hazel.

She put an arm around her waist and hauled her upright. “Stand up.” She told Aurora. “We are Valour. We don’t kneel.”

“I can’t watch this-” Aurora hissed.

“You can and you will .” Liam said from her other side, helping Hazel support her. “Our king is down there and you will watch to make sure that he is not cheated, that whatever the outcome-”

“That it is what it’s supposed to be.” Caspian finished when Liam began to choke on his words.

Alec did not go down easily. He traded blow after blow with John, his blood sliding down his elbow and causing his grip to loosen on his sword.

It was that small thing that let John knock it from his hand, and then knock Alec down. As Alec pushed himself up once more, his face bloody and bruised, his shoulder bleeding now more than ever, and looked up to the battlements. His entire family was up there and they were haloed in the light of the sun and if this was the sight he went out on, then he could settle for that.

John circled him until he stood behind Alec, his sword out.

“Sweet little prince, never got to play at being king.” John murmured. “Alexander Valour, saddest story under the angels.”

Alec closed his eyes and listened. He listened for the drawback of John’s sword and waited a second, just one small second, and there was the sword whistling through the air, cutting for Alec’s neck, to lay the future King down, for the fall of the Valour throne.

He ducked, turned, screamed as he used one of Aurora’s blades he had tucked away in his boots to stab John up through the jaw and the second through his eyeball.

As John fell, Alec jerked the blades from his body.

Aurora might want them back, after all.

Five Years later

Alec dozed on the blanket under the bright blue sky that reminded him of Aurora’s eyes. He could hear Liam laughing at something that his son, Xander, was telling him, something about a pony and a dog, and he could hear Ben’s loving proclamation of Hazel’s ever expanding belly. For months after they were married, Ben was teased about how he wore a ring like his wife, until one day Alec showed up with a ring to match Aurora’s. The teasing stopped.

Faye and Caspian were arguing about a game of chess and Laura was speaking to Jessica about the new castle that was being planned for them in the north. It was years away from being finished and Alec did not care to think about it for now.

He opened his eyes when a shadow fell over his face.

Aurora stood over him, their second daughter in her arms. Her own stomach swollen with their third child who is due any day now. He smiled at them. Aurora passed Peyton down to him and he tucked her against his shoulder. She tugged gently at his beard, giggling when he pretended to bite her hand.

Aurora made to leave until Alec put a hand on her ankle. “Where are you going?” Alec asked, he looked around for Aleena their first born who was making her way over to Liam and Xander.

“Only for some more wine,” Aurora murmured, “It’s the king’s birthday, after all. We should celebrate appropriately for the man the defends the borders, keeps us fed, our shops opens, our children learning, and our lives happy, don’t you think?”

Alec furrowed his brow. “The king does no such thing for me. Only you do that, Aurora, for me.”

“Best not let him hear that. I hear he is a jealous man.” Aurora chided. In Alec’s unbiased opinion, their children and the past five years had been the kindest to Aurora. She had more laugh lines around her eyes, her lips had been kissed not nearly enough in Alec’s other opinions, and she had more muscle on her frame.

“He can do nothing to me. Only you.” Alec tugged her down gently, laying a kiss to her stomach. “Only you, Aurora, in this life and the next.” He kissed Aurora and it was just as heady as it had been the first time.

“In this life and the next.” Aurora repeated, their wedding vows, their vows for everything. In all things, there was nothing that they could not take on, that they could not conquer.

In this life and the next.

The end.

(And that's the end of the story hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it there might be a part two depending on if I have time write it as I have a very active and crazy 1 year old running about.)