The Hunter's Princess

Epilogue

Where am I? she wondered. Wherever it was, the surface under her head and body was soft, and there was a comforting warmth covering her body. She reached out an arm from beneath to feel the familiar softness of the quilt from her bedroom. Home. Sam and Dean did it, they sent me home! she grinned to herself.

A knock on her door broke her out of her reverie. "Come in," she rasped. A tall, thin man with slicked-back, steel-gray hair walked into the room.

"Good morning, Lady Kira. I trust you slept well after you returned from your grand adventure?" the man asked.

"I certainly did Alfred, thank you. It absolutely was a grand adventure, too. Remind me to tell you about it someday," Lady Kira replied.

"I look forward to it, Your Ladyship. In the meantime, however, you have two gentleman callers. I've taken the liberty of escorting them to the dining room, where they await your arrival," Alfred explained.

"Thank you, Alfred. Please let them know I will be down to join them as soon as I am properly dressed," Lady Kira answered. Alfred gave a quick bow, then turned and left the room so that Lady Kira could get ready to meet her guests.

Around twenty minutes later, Lady Kira descended the stairs to her dining room, where her guests were sipping their tea. As she entered the room, Lady Kira froze. The crown princes were in her home. Having breakfast. She took a deep breath and quickly regained her composure. "Good morning, Your Highnesses," she greeted them. "To what do we owe the honor of having you in our home?" she asked.

Prince Dean gave a quick bow as he regarded the lady in front of him. "Good morning to you as well, Lady Kira. I was entrusted with an important piece of correspondence. I could not, in good conscience, wait a moment longer before delivering it," he grinned.

Lady Kira reviewed the envelope addressed to her and instantly knew it was from future-Kira. She took her seat at the table, placing the letter next to her plate. Conversation during the meal was pleasant, even lively at times as stories of the past days' events were shared. As the meal neared its end, Lady Kira turned to Prince Dean. "Your Highness, if you wish, I'd be happy to give you a private tour of our estate," she suggested.

Prince Dean's eyes shone with amusement as he caught a glimpse of the Kira he met at the castle. He found himself wanting to discover just how alike the two women were. "I would be delighted, Lady Kira," he responded. Lady Kira and Prince Dean both rose from the table, with Prince Dean pulling out Lady Kira's chair for her. He offered his arm, which she accepted. "Lead the way, Lady Kira," he gestured and the two of them left the dining room.

"Well, I'd expect that the two of them won't be back for a while," Prince Samuel smirked. "Would you please show me to your library?" he asked.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Something was wrong. It had been too long since the ritual was performed, and Kira hadn't appeared yet. Dean began to ask himself if they missed something, or if the time variable of the lunar eclipse was too much of a factor. Too many questions, but they all added up to one thing: no Kira. "Sam....Sammy, what if we did something wrong? What if I've lost her for good?" Dean wondered hoarsely.

"Dean, we just have to give it a few more minutes, give the spell time to work," Sam pleaded.

"Time?" Dean scoffed. "Unlike that song from the Rolling Stones, 'Time' is not on our side. She should be--" a knock on the bunker door interrupted what could have been a long and angry rant. Dean looked at Sam for half a second before bolting up the spiral staircase, taking the steps two at a time. He threw open the door and his knees nearly crumbled on the sight before him. "Kira," he whispered.