Chapter CCCLXIX: Homeward Bound ~Lady North

She was floating. Lady North was not entirely sure just why or where she was floating, but she knew she was floating. She could not yet open her eyes, but she did not need to. Deep down, Lady North knew what she would see: darkness, nothing but a large black void. She did not want to accept it. She did not feel ready to.

There were so many things she had left to do. Lady North wanted to be rid of the virus so that she could be free to explore who she was. Yet she no longer needed to. Lady North knew that she was, in fact, Artemis Evangelina of the Vernies. The memories of her past washed over her like ocean waves, sending wet tears streaming down her cheeks. She needed to be able to go back, so that she could right the wrongs her absence brought. And yet, she would never receive that privilege.

"Why do you cry, my Artemis?" a voice in her head asked her.

Lady North's breath caught in a sob as she shook her head.

"Because all is lost...my soul has fled from my body, and now I may never even try to restore my long forgotten past..." she wailed.

"Open your eyes my dear,” the pleasant, masculine voice in her head replied. “Not all is lost."

Lady North's eyes snapped open, firstly realizing that she was not floating at all but instead lying down on a very comfortable couch. She sat up quickly, meeting the deep blue eyes of someone she thought she would never see again.

"Medor...?” she asked, rubbing her eyes, blinking repeatedly. “Could it truly be you?"

He smiled kindly at her and offered his hand, helping her to her feet. Lady North caught his hand in her own, running her fingers over the skin, feeling it in disbelief. He waited patiently, a smile still on his face before drawing up his other hand, clasping hers between both of his.

"Yes, Evangelina, it is truly me," he replied, walking her through a pair of golden doors.

The doors led to a large room made of white marble, where three other people stood. Lady North's eyes widened and her hands flew to her mouth in a gasp, looking to Medor in fascinated confusion.

"How is this possible? You are all..." her voice cracked slightly. "...dead."

"It is true,” he explained. “Yet our Jems lived on, my dear. You were Artemis Evangelina before you were Lady North, and with the Vernies would your soul return. It is a very strange thing, what has happened. The Jems have been reunited, and the world begun anew. The Vernies live once again. Yet there is no ruler." He took her hand once again and leading her further into the room.

"No ruler?” Lady North asked, mostly to herself. “But that is a key part to our Lore. How can it cease to exit all of a sudden?"

Medor smiled and stopped her in front of a mirror. Lady North looked up into her reflection and gasped. She was not Lady North at all. Some of the features were the same, but yet she looked much, much different. Her very long silver hair was no longer in the confining braids of her position, hanging loosely about her ankles, and her white dress had been traded for a long violet robe.

Medor placed a hand gently on her shoulder, gazing into the mirror as well. "Because that piece of Lore is no longer needed, dear Evangelina,” he told her. “Although I am sure you miss your physical life, you will soon find your spiritual one to be very rewarding. You have brought the Vernies back to life. We will live forever now, Evangelina. All of us."

He turned her to face the three other people in the room. Her eyes first met the swirling emerald ones of Terais, and she felt hot tears fall anew from her eyes, knowing him to look very much like her dear friend Ianios.

"Welcome home, Evangelina," he greeted her, bowing with one hand on his staff, now void of the Jem at its top. She rushed out of Medor's reach to embrace him, sobbing quietly when his free arm encircled her waist, holding her gently. A few moments later she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder and she looked up into a smiling face with golden eyes.

"Glenaron..." she whispered, a picture of a wolf companion entering her mind; a companion known as Fang, who had always been her most steadfast guardian. He smiled brightly, pleased that she was able to make the connection on her own and pulled her away from Terais, laughing as she was pulled into a crushing hug.

"Give her some air, you big hairball,” a low voice said from behind her. “Spiritual deaths are messy."

Evangelina's back stiffened and she turned around slowly.

"Surprised?" the voice asked, amused.

"Why are you here, Galician?" Evangelina asked, growing angry that he would dare taint this holy place.

The deamon god laughed, looking to Medor. "She does not know?" he asked.

The brother shook his head, causing Lord Galician to laugh even harder.

"Then you are not ready to know, young one," he answered to Evangelina. And then he did something that Evangelina least expected: he crossed the room in a few long strides and embraced her gently, almost lovingly.

Evangelina knew she no longer had to wonder. She was where she belonged, and that was all that mattered. Perhaps she would return to the middle world some day. But for now, she was content to be among her close brothers and live a simple life.

(Writer’s Note: Please excuse the crudeness of this chapter. I only had an hour to write it... >< Artemis is no longer part of the plot, and neither is Lady North. Unless Tehx needs to use her for any reason, I request that she be allowed to retire. Any questions should be addressed to me. ^^ Thank you all for everything.)