As promised, I bring you the next Faylinn story and the FINALE of this story arc!

Yes, my dear readers, it is time. It is been long in the making but, finally, the last installment of this first Faylinn story arc is HERE.

For Newcomers

These continuing short stories started out as pieces inspired by fairy tale prompts, but rather exploded on me and have now turned into a whole continuous story. The tale follows Raylinn, a wingless fairy, Finn, a banished prince, and their tag along sassmaster Zayd the genie as they traverse the world and have all sorts of fairy tale-ish adventures. The first few tales were more or less standalone adventures, but story #7 started an overarching plotline that is still going.

The Previous Stories

You can find each story below:

• Deal or No Deal (A Rumpelstiltskin-inspired story and the first introduction to these characters)
• Let Down Your Hair? (A Rapunzel-inspired story)
• It Ain’t Easy Having a Genie (An Aladdin-inspired one, and Zayd’s first introduction.)
• Frogs and Bears Make Great Boyfriends (A The Frog Prince and Snow White & Rose Red crossover story)
• That’s Definitely Not Granny (A Little Red Riding Hood one that dives into Finn’s story a bit.)
• The Genie Can Dance (A Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling in which we discover Zayd’s history.)
• Royalty is a Cold Business (A The Snow Queen inspired story.) [This one would be a good place to start if you haven’t read the others, as it begins the current plot arc.]
• The White Lion (A The Wounded Lion inspired story.)
• Genies Don’t Make Great Babysitters (A Prince Ahmed and the Fairy Paribanou inspired story)
• Royalty, Witches, and Awkward Family Reunions (In which we get a surprise visit from Baba Yaga!)
• Friends, Foes, and Fairy Wars (In which the ~ d r a m a ~ happens.)
• The End of the Beginning Part 1 (In which even more drama happens. Like…so much drama.)

There’s also a Pinterest Board!

ALRIGHTY. No more delays. Let’s just get right to it!

THE END OF THE BEGINNING
(Part 2)

The truth rippled through the taut air, shuddered down Raylinn’s core. She was the queen of the fairies. Kellen did not sacrifice King Olten, but took the sacrifice upon himself. And with him and Valetta gone, the title passed to the next in line of the fairy royalty. Raylinn.

A sharp laugh cut through the tense silence, and a fiery head of hair pushed through the crowd.

“You’re the next in line?” Zayd cried as he approached, his features seeming to be battling between incredulity and delight. “Way to keep a guy informed.”

Raylinn shifted uncomfortably. “Well, I sort of only found out myself.”

Apparently delight won out as he barked another laugh. “You know what this means, right?” He gestured to some of the fairies. “Everyone under your reign has to do what you say. Go on, have some fun.”

Fear, disbelief, and anger stirred through the fairies in turn. And Raylinn as well. If what Zayd said was true, she could do anything. These were her subjects now. These people who would have slain her at birth solely for being different. Heat sparked in her chest, and her markings burned brighter.

Melaytha’s eyes widened, and she stumbled back.

Raylinn sucked in a breath at the sight, at the sight of so many of the fairies watching with distrust, alarm. She thought of Melaytha and some of the others, resisting Valetta. Of Kellen, choosing to sacrifice himself. Of her own mother, who fought and died to bring a world of peace for her daughter.

It was as Kellen had said to Trayla—not all fairies were bad. Much of the ruthlessness of fairy kind came from Valetta. Perhaps many of them simply followed her lead out of fear. But if they had a new ruler, a kinder leader, could it be possible the fairies could be a peaceable race?

Hundreds of eyes stayed fixed on her—fairies, humans, genies. All waiting. But it was a pair of familiar brown eyes that gave her the courage, the assurance, she needed. Finn stood near her right, smiling with pride, with confidence. Forever believing in her, even when she couldn’t believe in herself. The heat inside her cooled to a comfortable warmth, to the true source of her magic, and everything that had transpired flowed through her like a powerful river, shocking and invigorating all at once.

Her story had not ended. She still had a role to play.

She loosened her clenched fists, straightened her shoulders, and addressed the crowd. “No.”

Zayd looked from her to the crowd and back again, his eyebrows impressively high. “Um…no?”

She nodded, trying to slow her pounding heart. “No. I am not Queen Valetta. I will not use my power to control you.” She swept a gaze across the massive crowd. “Any of you.”

Zayd motioned to Aladdin and whispered something to him. He must have requested a wish, because with a murmured word from Aladdin, sparks flew from his fingers and glanced against Raylinn’s throat. She shot him a questioning look, but he just nodded for her to continue.

“The reign of Valetta is done.” She gasped as her voice echoed as clear as thunder across the field. Zayd smirked in satisfaction. With a shaky breath, she stepped forward. “This discord between fairies and humans cannot continue. I know there has been much bad blood on all sides. I have experienced prejudices on both ends myself. I understand. But that does not mean it always has to be this way. We can find peace. As things settle, we will negotiate new laws of fairies entering this realm.” This brought on a wave of murmurs from the humans, but many of the fairies appeared intrigued. “This world is now under my protection. I will not abide any more cruelty against humankind by the hand of a fairy.” Now the murmuring shifted, and she hurried on. “But it goes both ways. The fairies are my people, and as”—she licked her lips—“as their queen I will protect them.”

It felt so odd to say, such a foreign thing on her tongue. As foreign as the seemingly unending power now coursing through her. She was now the most powerful fairy in all the realms, and it was her choice how to use that. But it wasn’t even a question. It was as Finn had told her in the alleyway while the world collapsed around them.

“You are not a murderer, not like them. You are a defender.”

Defender—that was what she wanted to be. Always.

“For now,” she continued, “I think it is best if all fairies return to the fairy realm.” She dared a glance behind her at the many bodies strewn across the field. “G—gather your fallen.” She swallowed. “And please, go home in peace.”

Melaytha took a wary step forward. “Are you not coming back with us, Your Majesty?”

Raylinn locked eyes once more with Finn, who watched in trepidation, and this time it was her turn to give the assuring smile. “My home is here.” She winced as her voice continued to echo.

“Oh, erm, I wish her voice was back to normal,” Aladdin said hastily.

Another spark flew from Zayd’s fingers to her throat.

She smiled gratefully to the both of them before turning back to the pink-haired fairy. “Will you watch over everyone for now? If there are signs of any more trouble, come tell me right away.”

The fairy’s entire demeanor brightened. “Of course, Your Majesty!”

Your Majesty. She didn’t know if she’d ever get used to that. “Thank you.” She hoped she wasn’t making a mistake putting her trust in this girl, but Melaytha’s actions of defying her queen and standing by Kellen spoke volumes. “Go on then. Enjoy your life.”

Melaytha beamed, and in a flurry of pink wings, she leaped into the air, her pink markings shining as bright as her smile. Raylinn smiled too. Fairies would always be a wild people—fun and freedom their core values, and with Valetta’s cruel reign no longer holding them down, perhaps a newfound freedom would soften their more ruthless natures.

Like Melaytha, many of the fairies’ markings blazed, and with a wave of their hands, something appeared in the air before them like rounded windows. Raylinn squinted at the nearest one. The sight through the strange circle wavered as if underwater, but still she caught sight of golden, twisting trees, a shimmering silver sky, and a dizzying myriad of flowers blooming in colors unimaginable. She pulled in a breath. The fairy realm.

Beyond her birth, she had never been. Did not even know how to create a portal to enter. That magic, of course, was inside her now, perhaps had always been. But she never had any desire to enter the realm of the cruel people who would execute her on sight. Now, of course, she could enter and leave at will. And yet, despite the glorious sight before her, she felt no pulling to go. It was as she told Melaytha, her home was here.

In sparks of light, the fairies obeyed the command of their new queen and vanished through the portals, the strange, wavering windows disappearing in their wake. Soon, only humans inhabited the field. The second Fairy War had ended. And, as long as she lived, Raylinn refused for there to ever be a third.

“Raylinn!”

Finn’s shout snapped her from her thoughts, and she swerved to find him kneeling at King Olten’s side. The King lay on his back, gasping shallow, ragged breaths, the black veins crawling along his skin more prominent than ever.

Finn turned panicked, red-rimmed eyes at her. “He’s dying. Please…can…can you…”

She rushed forward and slammed to her knees on the King’s other side, immediately pressing both hands against his chest. She had so much power now, too much power. Surging inside her like a raging river. She had to be able to heal him. She had to. But how? “Z—Zayd, I don’t—”

A hand pressed against her back. “It’s like when you broke Prince Malak’s and Reginald’s curses. Find the tangled source and smooth it out.”

She pulled in a deep breath, let it out slowly, and closed her eyes. The presence of magic streamed around her, from Zayd’s hand on her back to the other genies nearby. But there was another source, an uglier source, just beneath her fingertips. She blocked out all others and focused on that single tangled, oozing knot. This was a far worse knot than with Malak and Reginald. It dripped with black slime, slippery and taut. But she was stronger now. Carefully, bit by bit by bit, she worked through it with her mind.

She did not know how much time passed. The concrete world was lost to her. Untangling the knot was the only thing that mattered.

Finally, she tugged on the last twisted string. With a pop of warmth, the knot vanished, and she opened her eyes. Her gaze met King Olten’s. The black veins across his face receded, and with one last rasping gasp, his breaths eased.

“Father?” Finn eased the man up to a sitting position, staring in stunned wonder. “Are you all right?”

King Olten swallowed, nodded. His gaze had not left Raylinn’s, and for several seconds, the two simply took one another in. “You…healed me,” he said at last.

“She did more than that!” Finn reached across his father to grasp her hand. “She ended the war!”

A lump had formed in her throat, and it took multiple tries to speak. “N—no. We ended the war. Together.”

“To Queen Raylinn and Prince Finnigan!”

She searched the crowd for the voice and found Prince Malak raising his sword. Others followed suit, and soon deafening cheers of Queen Raylinn and Prince Finnigan echoed through the field. And that was when she realized. No ice soldiers.

Hundreds of perfectly normal, entirely human Talgarian soldiers swarmed the area, raising their own weapons in triumph. Kellen’s death must have reverted them back to normal. She looked around and saw another familiar face. Trayla hovered nearby, watching King Olten and Finn. Strangely, she still had white streaks in her hair and a paler complexion than before. Seeming to sense she was being watched, she turned to face Raylinn, and Raylinn pulled in a breath at the sight of her normally brown eyes now a piercing blue. Trayla quickly looked away, her mouth pressed in a tight line. Raylinn swallowed. Perhaps because Trayla broke Kellen’s curse, she would always hold part of it in her image.

Raylinn stood, taking in the people around her. This war left many wounds, but that didn’t mean there could not be healing.

An arm flopped around her shoulders. “Just so you know, I’m not calling you Queen Raylinn,” Zayd said. “What a mouthful.”

She chuckled. “Good. That would be far too strange.” She turned her head to meet his gaze and smiled. “You did good, Zayd. We would have never made it this far without you.”

“Eh, kept me from getting too bored,” he said, as nonchalant as ever, but she could see the weariness in his gaze, feel the exhaustion in his arm around her. Granting all those wishes had put a strain on him. Which brought on a question…

She looked back at the healed Talgarian soldiers. If Kellen’s death had ended all of his enchantments, why then had Valetta’s not ended hers? Shouldn’t her curse on the genies have lifted as well? So much power, and she used it to cause so much harm. Raylinn clutched a fist, still trying to become accustomed to that power now streaming through her.

She gasped—the answer to her questions coming clear and obvious. Valetta’s power, her enchantments, did not end like Kellen’s because they had transferred to someone else.

Raylinn shoved Zayd away. “Go get your brothers! And the other genies!”

He stared at her with wide-eyes, both eyebrows raised. “Well, someone is getting pushy with this newfound power.”

“Just go.” She couldn’t stop a smile. “I have a promise to fulfill.”

* * *

While Granny Luella continued to tend to the wounded, and the soldiers brought order, Raylinn stood with Finn outside the battlefield. All thirteen genies lined up before her, with the twelve princesses of Belthed and Aladdin watching from the side. Raylinn didn’t want an audience beyond them in case she failed. Even now, her heart beat erratically at the sight of such hopeful faces before her, but Finn’s hand grasping her shoulder gave her the strength she needed.

She raised both palms toward the genies and sought out the magic, the curse. Like with King Olten, it came to her. A knot of tangled threads wrapped around the genies’ like a noose. But unlike with King Olten, these threads were put there by her predecessor, by the magic that now ran through her own veins, and it was hers to command.

She reached for it, and purple light blazed from her palms, branching out into thirteen streams and connecting to the genies’ chests. She mentally grasped hold of all thirteen knots, squeezed her fists, and lurched her hands back. “I release you from your curse!” The purple streams snapped in a burst of blinding light.

As the light faded, a questioning silence filled the air. The genies examined one another, as if expecting to look different

“Did it…work?” Tallulah, the youngest princess, asked.

“Laddie,” Zayd said, eyes sparking, “make a wish.”

“Well, uh—”

“Come on, come on! Anything!”

“Erm.” Aladdin fiddled with Zayd’s oil lamp hanging from his belt. “I wish for a…um…apple.”

Zayd pointed both fingers at Aladdin, his face positively beaming with impish delight. “No!”

Arik, a large, green-marked fair, let out a whoop of delight, and with that, the area exploded in cheers from genies and princesses alike. The princesses shouted wishes, laughing as none of the genies had to fulfill them, though magic did erupt in streams of colors through the air as the genies formed spells of their own accord. Zayd’s youngest brother, Kydan, sent a burst of rainbow-hued butterflies soaring from his palms.

Lavena ran straight for Zayd and threw her arms around him but, seeming to think better of it, quickly let go, her entire face flushed. Zayd just grinned at her and winked.

But, as joyful as everyone was, no one could outmatch the pure, unbridled relief of Aladdin.

“I’m free!” He ripped the lamp off his belt and hurled it across the field. “Praise all that is good, I’m free!”

Raylinn threw a hand over her mouth, trying to hide her snort.

Aladdin stepped over to Zayd and shook his hand. “I wish you all the best, but please, please, please, never bother me or my family ever again.”

Zayd’s grin was all mischief. “No promises there.”

Raylinn rolled her eyes and stepped up to them. “Don’t worry. Zayd is a fairy now which technically”—she cast the man in question a stern gaze—“means he’s under my rule. I’ll keep an eye on him.”

Aladdin blew out a long breath and shook her hand as well. “You have Mamlaki’s support if you ever need it again.”

“I can’t express to you how grateful I am.”

“You grateful to me? You freed me from that menace. Trust me, I am forever in your debt.”

“The menace has ears, you know,” Zayd interjected.

Aladdin let loose a long-suffering sigh, but he cast Zayd a thoughtful look and, after a moment’s pause, inclined his head toward the fairy. With that, he left the group.

Zayd watched him go. After a silent few seconds, he turned to Raylinn and shrugged. “Still a bit of a sop, that Laddie, but not a bad fellow.”

Raylinn smiled. That was one of the highest compliments she had ever heard come out of Zayd’s mouth.

“If you’re fairies again,” Tallulah piped up, bringing everyone’s attention to her, “shouldn’t you have wings?”

A tense silence spread through the men, and they shared wary glances.

“Well.” One of them with yellow-markings, Julip, Raylinn thought his name was, rubbed the back of his head. “That wasn’t so much part of the curse as a…permanent removal.”

Kydan rolled his shoulders, wincing, and Raylinn grimaced.

No wonder none of the fairies had seemed all that upset over the fall of their queen.

“Ah well.” Zayd ran a hand through his hair. “Big ol’ bright wings always distracted from our beautiful faces anyway. Besides.” He glanced at Raylinn, one side of his mouth quirking up. “A fairy is still a fairy even with a few missing parts, yeah?”

She grinned back at him. “Absolutely.”

* * *

Raylinn leaned against the balcony railing, staring out at the city as reconstruction continued to take place. She knew she should be helping, but she had promised Finn she would meet him here once his meeting ended.

The passing days had been a blur of meetings and reconstruction and finding some semblance of order. It made her head spin, and it came as a relief to stand here in the quiet. At least for a moment.

Behind her, the balcony double doors opened into her old bedchambers, the very ones she had lived in when Finn had first found her sitting in the ashes of her foster parents’ home and brought her to live at the castle. How so much had changed since that day. How she had changed.

She twirled the seashell Kellen had given her round and round in her hands, pausing occasionally to stroke at the etched names.

Terin x Altheria.

Though her life of running and hiding had ended, she still had so many questions, so many things to do and figure out.

She could still feel all her newfound power streaming through her bloodstream like warm water, though the shock of it had since lessened. After that first day, her fairy markings vanished, only reemerging when she used magic like normal. She looked human again, and she was perfectly all right with that.

“Raylinn?”

The quiet voice made her start, and she spun around to find Finn watching her with a soft smile. She returned it.

“How did it go?”

“Well…” He dropped his gaze, ruffling his hair and coming to stand at the railing beside her. “It was…interesting.”

“Oh?”

He turned his eyes back to her and smiled sheepishly. “Father has chosen to go ahead and pass the crown to me.” He shrugged. “I’m going to be the new king of Talgaria.”

“Finn…” Excitement, pride, shock bubbled inside her in an overwhelming wave, but she held it all in, studying his serious expression closely. “Are you…are you happy with this decision?”

He took a long breath and let it out slowly. “I think I am. I mean, I wish circumstances were different of course but I think, I hope that is, that it’s for the best.”

She grasped one of his hands in both of hers. “It is. You are just what Talgaria needs right now.”

He watched her for several long seconds, eyes searching hers. “Do you mean it?”

“Of course I mean it. The people want you, Finn, they trust you. With you taking the lead, we can bring the peace we’ve both so longed for.” She squeezed his hand tighter. “I am sorry though. About your father. I wish I could have done more.”

“No, don’t say that. He wouldn’t even be here if not for you.”

She nodded, trying to remember that.

Though she had managed to heal the King’s body, a great toll had taken to his mind. The proud, authoritative king had become hollower, broken. After such devastation, much of the Talgarian people had lost faith in both him and Trayla and instead rallied behind Finn. The council advised King Olten to pass on the crown before the people revolted completely. It seemed, at last, he had relented. Through his brokenness, he had also become softer. Perhaps because she had healed him and helped save his kingdom from destruction, he did not look at Raylinn with such hate anymore. More like curious uncertainty. It was a start anyway.

It was the start of a new world. A better one, she hoped.

“What about Trayla?” she asked. “Any signs of her whereabouts?”

Sighing, Finn shook his head. “Not a trace.”

Ever since the war ended, Trayla had been strangely quiet, keeping mostly to herself. But when the council began suggesting King Olten pass the throne to Finn, she lashed out in disapproval, claiming a boy who would leave his kingdom to run away with a fairy was not fit to rule. The next day, she was gone. Days had passed and not a soul had seen her since.

Raylinn bit her lip. “Should we be concerned about that?”

“Probably. But…” He shrugged, a hint of a smile playing at the edge of his lips. “It’s when I ran away that I think I found myself. That I really began to grow up. Maybe the same will happen for her.”

She returned his smile. “Maybe so. Nothing like a good dose of adventures to help one grow, yeah?”

“Exactly.” He attempted to thread his fingers through hers, but paused, frowning and opening her palm to reveal the seashell. For a moment, he stared at it thoughtfully, stroking the rough surface. “What about this? Are you”—he licked his lips—“are you going to go adventuring again in search of your father?”

You. Not we. Because he would be king now. He couldn’t run off on random adventures anymore.

She pulled her hand away, stuffed the shell into her pocket, and threaded her fingers through his properly. “Maybe one day. But I’ve got a whole lifetime ahead of me for that. We have a whole lifetime. I think we should have some adventures around here for a while.”

He straightened, eyes lighting up. “Yeah?”

She grinned and leaned over to kiss him. “I’m not going anywhere. After all, we have two entire kingdoms to run, not to mention two realms to try to form peace between.”

Now his own grin came in full, and he looked down at their entwined hands and rubbed a thumb across the thread of gold on her ring finger—her replacement engagement ring after she had to give her original one up to that imp as a bargain to help rescue Finn from a dragon.

“I was thinking…” Finn murmured, still looking down. “Once I’m king, I will need a queen.”

Her heart trilled. “Oh?”

“Yeah. There was never exactly a good time to have a wedding while being on the run and all. But now we can do it proper like, have a whole grand party. And, you know, it may help bring peace if a human king marries the queen of the fairies.”

“Oh, I see.” She couldn’t hold back a mischievous grin. “So it’s a marriage of convenience now?”

He glanced back at her, his lips quirking. “If by ‘convenient’ you mean that I so happened to find the woman I love more than life itself, then yes. Very convenient indeed.” His smile fell into something far more serious, and he pulled her hands up to his chest. “Raylinn, I would marry you no matter who you were or where you came from or what your title was. I gave up my kingdom for you, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat if I had to.”

Her own mischief faded, and tears pricked her eyes. “And I’d marry you, Finnigan Heldera, whether you were a king or banished prince or peasant boy.”

He swallowed, pressing her hands tighter against him. “So that’s a yes then?”

It was like becoming queen of the fairies all over again. A rush of overpowering, overwhelming, indescribable warmth filled her from head to toe, pure joy radiating from her like the light had from her fairy markings. “Yes, Finn. Let’s get married. Let’s get married as soon as possible.”

His face practically split open with such a wide smile. He moved as if to kiss her but stopped short, snapping his head up to search the skies.

She frowned. “Um. Finn?”

“Sorry, sorry. Last time I proposed I was captured by a dragon five minutes later. Can’t be too careful.”

She giggled, shaking her head. “Just another day in the life of Finn and Raylinn, yes?”

“Exactly, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.” This time he leaned in and kissed her properly.

“Ugh. I should have known I’d find you two like this.”

They broke apart so suddenly Raylinn’s chin smacked Finn in the nose. “You could knock, you know, Zayd,” she scolded, wincing at her sore chin.

“All the doors were open.” He leaned a shoulder against the balcony’s door frame. “Kind of hard to knock on air.”

“Well, did you have something to tell us?”

“Nah. Just taking a break. You know, to free me from enslavement, you sure are treating me like a workhorse.”

“We told you it was entirely your choice to stay and help with reconstruction. Besides, I believe it was Lavena’s suggestion that you, your brothers, and the others help rebuild the city with your magic.”

His color reddened by the slightest bit and he suddenly seemed very interested in his fingernails. “Still.”

“We do appreciate your help though,” Finn intervened. “Things are going much faster with it, and it’s helping show the people that we can make friends with the fairies.”

Zayd just shrugged. “So I hear congratulations are in order.”

Raylinn blanched. “Were you eavesdropping on us this whole time?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Um, nooo. I meant about ol’ Finny becoming king. Word’s spreading fast. What are you talking about?”

Finn chuckled. “You may as well be the first to know. Raylinn and I are getting married.”

Zayd cocked his head, now both eyebrows high on his forehead. “Haven’t you been engaged the entire time I’ve known you?”

“Uh, well, technically. But this time we’re actually going to have a wedding. You know, soon.”

“Oh.” He nodded, studying Raylinn for a moment with a hint of a frown. “So you’re staying then? No great reign in the fairy realm?”

“I suppose I should visit it now and again, assure things are running smoothly. But no, I’m living here with Finn.”

“Oh,” he said again, and returned to studying his fingernails.

Raylinn blinked at this strange behavior. No sarcastic comebacks? Nothing? “What about you, Zayd? Are you returning to the fairy realm?”

He shrugged. “I suppose I could. Lukian, Kydan, and the others think they will. It, you know, was our home once and all. And it’s not like there’s anywhere else to go really. I guess I could terrorize Laddie again, but I doubt he’d be too keen on the idea.” A halfhearted smile appeared, only to vanish just as quickly.

And now Raylinn understood. She smiled, and one glance at Finn’s knowing grin told her he, too, had arrived at the same conclusion. She raised her eyebrows in a silent question, and he nodded his approval.

“You know, Zayd,” she said carefully, attempting to keep her voice as nonchalant as he usually did, “I still need a magic teacher. Now more than ever, really; I’ve got so much magic running through me. It could be pretty dangerous for me to be left to my own devices. And now that you’re in full control of your own magic again, you’re even more equipped to teach me.”

Though he kept his head down, he peered up at her. “I mean, I guess that’s true.”

She couldn’t quite refrain from smiling. “So you’ll do it, then? You’ll stay here with Finn and me and be my official magic teacher?”

He pushed up from the door frame and stretched his arms. “Well, this castle is as comfortable a place as any to stay.” He peered into the bedchambers. “I’ll get a whole suite, right?”

Finn laughed. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Zayd shrugged, looking all the world as if he couldn’t care less, but Raylinn could clearly see the spark in his eyes. “Then why not? Guess it’d be a shame to break up the trio.”

Raylinn couldn’t stop herself. She threw her arms around the ridiculous man. “It would be a terrible shame!”

Finn joined her, snagging Zayd from behind so he was squished between them.

“No, no, no! No group hugs!”

She and Finn were shoved back with a flash of orange light.

Zayd straightened his tunic and ran a hand through his tousled hair. “Ugh. You two are insufferable.”

Grinning unrepentantly, Finn took Raylinn’s hand and flopped an arm around Zayd’s shoulder, seeming entirely unconcerned about any more blasts of magic. “Ready for more adventures?”

Zayd raised an eyebrow. “What? No happily ever after or whatever sort of dribble you goody goodies believe in?”

Laughing, Raylinn squeezed Finn’s hand and took one of Zayd’s. “This is happily ever after. Being surrounded by loved ones with innumerable unknown and exciting adventures ahead of us. That will always be happily ever after for me.” She grinned at them each. Zayd and his fiery markings and endless sarcasm covering up a man who only ever wanted somewhere to belong. And Finn, the kindhearted prince who loved a girl who was shunned by all. The two people who braved all odds and helped bring peace to a world that accepted neither of them. They were a strange bunch, the three of them. And she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Yes,” she said, grinning, “let’s go live our happily ever after.”

*sniffles* Not gonna lie, this got me pretty emotional. I’ve become so fond of my little disaster trio.

BUT.

As I stressed last week, this is not the end of Raylinn, Finn, and Zayd. There are an endless amount of stories that can be had with them (and certain other side character *wriggles eyebrows*). Just because one story arc has come to a close does not mean there will be no others. I can’t promise I’ll write them often, but there will definitely be more stories to come! As you can see, I left little story threads that still need to be explored… *grins*

Can I just give a ginormous hug to you ALL? The support and enthusiasm I’ve received for these little tales keeps me so fueled. It really helps my creativity to have a side project like this to play with and entirely embrace all the cliché fairy tale things with complete abandon. But the best part is sharing them with YOU. Your love for these characters sets fire to my soul, and I’m so grateful for everyone who reads these and all the precious comments (yes, including the ones yelling at me about cliffhangers *cackles*).

Because you are all such a huge part of making these stories fun, I’d love to know… What do YOU hope for the future of Faylinn stories? Any particular story threads you’d love to see? Certain fairy tales you think would be fun to incorporate into the tale? Specific side characters you want to have more of a spotlight? Obviously I can’t promise what is all to come, but I’d absolutely love to see what everyone’s thoughts are. So please, share away!

Thank you all again for being the best readers and dearest friends a little ol’ blogger could ask for. <3

What do you think, you crazy Faylinn shippers? I hope this plot arc conclusion was satisfactory and you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! What DO you hope for with future Faylinn stories? Tell me all!