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nTrinity

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"The culprit has been punished for her crimes. Once again, our city is safe, and it is all thanks to my niece, Trinity.

" Aunt Glory was speaking to the citizens of the city that had just watched the three of us kill Hibiscus.

nWhen I looked at the faces that were watching us, I could tell that they were used to seeing things like this, since most of them have lived for more than several of my lifespans. That didn't make it easier on them though. Most of the people that I saw had looks in their eyes that said they were still scared and nervous.

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"Thank you, Aunt Glory, however, this is not something that I want to take the praise for. This is not a time to seek fame or recognition from others. What needs to happen now, is that the people of Faerie need to heal. This has been an especially trying time for all of you, and I know that you all need to process and comprehend what has happened. All of you have been living in fear for months. You have been afraid to even leave your homes. That alone is going to take time for you all to ease up. I want you all to be happy, healthy and most of all: safe. So, instead of offering me your praise, or congratulations; offer your neighbors, friends and family extra love. You never know who has been more affected by these events than others. Sometimes, just offering a friendly ear free of judgement is all they will need to heal.

"

nThere was nothing but silence that met my words. It was like everyone was still stunned. They didn't even know what to say. I was starting to feel uncomfortable and awkward as I just stared at the people. Finally, someone came to my aid.

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"I agree with Trinity.

" Athair mòr smiled as he came to stand next to me.

"We all need to heal. As a whole, our people need to come together and offer solace and kindness to each other. This is not the time to be individualizing everything. Right now, we need to support and love each other. I, for one, will be here to help all of you. As your prince, that is my duty.

"

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"And I, as your queen, will be right there with him. I want my people to move past this and live happily.

" Aunt Glory added to Athair mòr's words and, finally, the people seemed to respond with smiles and appreciative nods. That was the only thing that I could hope for now.

nAfter our attempt at encouraging words, the crowd was dismissed. They left with contemplative looks and heavy hearts. This wasn't just an execution. This was an attempt to completely overthrow their way of life. This was someone who had hurt and killed many people with their plot. It was going to take them all a long time to be themselves again, and even then, they might not be the same people that they were.

nI tried my best to think about what I needed to do as I left the platform with Reece. We had been gone for a long time, and everyone back in the residence didn't know what had happened. I wanted to get back and see the twins and hold them in my arms, and only doing that would help me to calm down and move on.

nReece held my hand as we walked back to our temporary home. We had been living here a lot longer than I had planned. My parents and all our family and friends had missed Christmas with Reagan and Rika. That made me sad. I wish this would have been solved a lot sooner.

nIt was quiet when we got back to the residence. I could tell that they had all been staying inside and weren't going to see the rest of the city, but I didn't think that they would be this cautious about everything.

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"Mom! We're home!

" Reece called out when we were inside. That was enough. Everyone that was upstairs heard his words and there were two very excited sets of feet already on the stairs. Clearly, Reagan and Rika were very fast and were outrunning them all.

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"MOMMY! DADDY!

"

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"MAMA! DADDY!

"

nMy babies were calling out to us, and the moment that they were at the bottom of the stairs I felt the tears begin to fall. I had missed these two so much. Not being able to hug them and hold them against me everyday was the most painful thing that I had ever felt. I didn't know how I was going to deal with that.

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"MOMMY! DADDY!

"

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"MAMA! DADDY!

"

nThey called out for us in unison again. Their excited little voices squealed at the same time, I loved it.

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"Reagan! Rika! My babies. I missed you so much.

" I called out as they ran toward me and Reece.

nRika leapt into my arms as I knelt to the floor and Reagan jumped into Reece's. The two tiny missiles almost managed to unbalance us as they jumped into our arms for hugs.

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"Mommy, me missed you.

" Rika's sweet little voice was right next to my ear as she rested her head on my shoulder.

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"Me too! Me missed you too Mama, and Daddy too.

" Reagan added.

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"Mommy, you leaving again?

" Rika pulled her head away and looked at me with sad eyes.

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"No, baby girl. Mommy and Daddy aren't leaving you again. Actually, we're going to get ready to go home.

"

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"YAY! Go home and see Nona and Papa and Móraí too.

" Reagan grinned as he said this.

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"And Uncle Nono and Aunt Nikki too.

" Rika added.

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"Yes, we will see them all.

" I couldn't contain the tears as I smiled along with them.

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"Ooh, Mommy, we see Uncle Trick too? I want to play with Luka and Levi.

"

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"No, see Uncle Trick and see Lexa and Lyssa.

" Rika countered Reagan's words and a little argument was about to start.

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"You can see Uncle Dietrich and see all the kids.

" Reece stopped them before they could start to bicker much more.

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"YAY!

" They said together, both of them hugging Reece as they stopped fighting. This was just what I needed to heal. This was the perfect medicine, the perfect way for me to relax and calm down.

nNow that all of this was over, now that the land of the Fae was safe again, I could finally go home and relax. This was going to be a much needed time of peace for us. I just want to go home, live my life with my kids, and my husband, and not have to worry about anything for a very long time.

nThankfully, we have earned this rest. We had protected Aunt Glory and Athair mòr, we saved the people of Faerie, and we had eliminated the threat. All was good, all was back to normal.

nThe day after the execution, we started to pack our bags and get ready for our return trip home. That alone was making me smile and making me feel lighter, and happier, than I had in a year.. It was time to move past all of this.

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