The old world is ending, just as I told the council. But the new world we’re building in its place—a world where love conquers duty, where strength comes from unity instead of isolation, where change is embraced instead of feared—that world is just beginning.
And we will rule it together, king and queen, for all the ages to come.
EPILOGUE
AELIN
Six Months Later…
I find her in the palace gardens, kneeling beside the winter roses she coaxed into bloom with a gentle touch of her newfound power. The sight of her there—silver hair catching the afternoon light, her hands glowing with soft magic as she tends to flowers that shouldn’t exist in this eternal winter—still takes my breath away.
Six months as my queen, and she continues to amaze me daily.
“The delegation from the Summer Court was impressed,” I tell her as I approach, settling onto the stone bench nearby. “Lord Solaris couldn’t stop praising the trade agreements you negotiated.”
She looks up with a smile that lights up her whole face, her gold-flecked eyes sparkling with satisfaction. “He tried to shortchange us on the grain shipments. I may be new to fae politics, but I’m not stupid.”
“No,” I agree, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “You’re brilliant. The council was practically falling over itself to praise your economic reforms in today’s meeting.”
The same council that six months ago wanted her dead now hangs on her every word. It’s one of the many changes that have swept through the winter realm since our bonding—changes that have brought prosperity, growth, and a vitality that had been missing for centuries.
“How are the new trade routes working out?” she asks, settling beside me on the bench. The casual intimacy of the gesture, the way she fits perfectly against my side, still sends warmth flooding through me.
“Better than projected. The coastal cities report a thirty percent increase in commerce, and the mountain settlements are thriving for the first time in decades.” I wrap my arm around her, pulling her closer. “Your idea to open our borders selectively was genius.”
She laughs, the sound like silver bells in the winter air. “You mean my idea to stop being paranoid isolationists was genius.”
“That, too.”
The changes she’s brought to the realm go beyond economics and politics. There’s a lightness to the winter court now, a joy that had been absent for too long. Her human perspective, combined with her growing fae power, has created innovations that none of us had thought possible.
But the most profound change is in me.
For three centuries, I ruled alone—dutiful, controlled, sacrificing my own happiness for the greater good. Now I rulebeside my equal, my complement, my other half. Every decision is made together, every burden shared. The loneliness that once ate at me like acid has been replaced by a connection so deep it transcends the physical.
“What are you thinking about?” she asks, tilting her head to study my face with those perceptive eyes that see too much.
“You,” I admit, pressing a kiss to her temple. “Us. How perfectly you fit into this world, into my life.”
“Our life,” she corrects, and the possessive note in her voice makes my blood heat. Even six months later, the bond between us burns as bright as ever. If anything, it’s grown stronger, deeper, more complex with each passing day.
“Our life,” I agree, and claim her mouth in a kiss that tastes of winter magic and perfect contentment.
When we break apart, she’s breathless and flushed, her eyes dark with the desire that’s never far from the surface between us. “Aelin…”
“I know.” I can feel her need through the bond, can smell the subtle change in her scent that speaks of arousal. “Tonight. After the state dinner with the Earth Court ambassadors.”
She groans, dropping her head against my shoulder. “I forgot about that. How many more diplomatic functions do we have this week?”
“Only three,” I say, and laugh when she groans again. “The price of successful foreign policy, my love.”
“I know, I know. It’s just…” She trails off, her hand coming to rest low on her stomach in a gesture I’ve noticed her making more frequently lately. “I’ve been feeling a bit off lately. Tired.”
The casual words make my heart stop. I’ve been aware of the subtle changes in her scent, the way her appetite has shifted, the new softness I’ve noticed in her body during our intimate moments. But I haven’t dared hope, haven’t wanted to voice the possibility in case I’m wrong.
“Off how?” I ask carefully, trying to keep my voice neutral.
She’s quiet for a long moment, her fingers tracing absent patterns on my chest. “I think…” she begins, then stops, shaking her head. “No, it’s too early to be sure.”
