Mighty Jewel | LO'AK + NETEYAM

epilogue

Kyalayi woke up in the forest, the sun shining on her face and warming up her body. She liked that. The girl quickly sat up, wondering how long she had been sleeping in the leaves. She gazed around, slightly on guard as she was still unfamiliar with this kind of forest, it was nothing like the one surrounding her village. The sound of ruffling leaves could be heard behind her and before she knew, a weight made her loose her balance and fall right back on the ground.

"You've slept for too long." Neteyam pouted, giving her several pecks on her face and a longer kiss on her shoulder where her scar was healing. Kya laughed at the sight of the forest boy, cupping his face with her gloves free hands and admiring him.
"I'm sorry." She pouted back, teasingly mocking his expression.
"Let's fly for a bit." He jumped back on his feet, dragging her with him in his motion. Kyalayi looked up, the eclipse was slowly setting in.
"I have to go." She frowned.
"No." He complained. "You've only arrived."
"I've been here all day, 'teyam." She chuckled.
"Kya." He pleaded, looking at her with his golden eyes so lovingly she couldn't refuse him anything.
"And what do I tell your mom for my lateness? She's going to be annoyed."
"Not my problem." He pecked her on the cheek, quickly crouching down by the water pond and splashing some water at her. The girl shrieked by surprise, making him laugh as the couple entered a battle of water splashing, running around in the forest, chasing each other. Kyalayi couldn't care less about what Neytiri was going to say if that meant she could have a few more seconds, minutes or hours with the boy she loved. That night, long past the eclipse had set in, Neteyam and Kyalayi mated. They became life long partners, both in death and life. There was only one person made for Kya and it was her forest boy.

"I really don't want to but I think I should go now." Kya whispered, leaning her head deeper in the creek of his neck, his braids tingling her cheeks. The couple laid on the ground, Neteyam's arm around her shoulders, her head resting on his chest, listening to his heart beating as if he was still alive. She would never get tired of this sound.
"I know." He sighed, straightening himself and Kya up. He pressed his lips against hers, savoring how she tasted and already longing for the moment where he could see her again. It sometimes was lonely without her here but he will forever wait for Kya. Especially after tonight, they had became one and only soul in front of Eywa. "Say hi to everyone for me."
"Of course." She smiled, kissing him again while closing her eyes.

In an instant, Kyalayi was brought back, quickly regaining consciousness and taking in her surroundings. She was no longer with Neteyam in the forest he called home but rather underwater by the spirit tree. Kya disconnected her tail from the tree and swam back to the surface, already missing the boy she had lost too soon. After the war, Tonowari and Ronal had made the Sully's staying permanent, they were one of them now as Neteyam laid with their ancestors. The same way that Kyalayi became one of the Sully's. After the girl lost consciousness on the rocks, Quaritch's ship sank underwater, bringing along both of her parents. So that day, not only did she loose her mate but she became an orphan too. Kya will forever be grateful for the Sully's, they took her in and made her apart of their family, of their home. The ocean girl now rode her Ilu back to the village where she knew Neytiri would still be awake, awaiting for her return.

"How was he?" The woman asked, whispering to not wake the others.
"Good." She grinned. "He's getting used to it."
Neytiri stepped closer, scrutinizing the girl's traits.
"You're glowing." She pointed out which made Kya frowned, unsure of what she meant by that word. Suddenly, Neytiri's traits softened as realization struck her. "You mated."
Kyalayi stood silent, not embarrassed by what they had done but more timid about it. Neytiri was Neteyam's mother after all and no one really had mated with someone who died before them. Neytiri didn't think it was possible but the gleaming dots on Kyalayi's face said otherwise.
"I love him." Kya's voice broke, tears falling down her cheeks.
"That's all that matters." Neytiri reassured the girl, wiping the salty tears with her hands and brushing her hair like any mother would. "We were not lying when we said you will never be alone. More now than ever, you are one of us, Kya." Neytiri rested her hand to the girl's chest, around her heart. "Neteyam is a part of you, forever."
"Thank you." She whispered, gently wrapping her arms around the woman and hugging her. Neytiri was right. As long as she lived, Neteyam lived too. "I'm gonna go sleep on the beach if that's okay."

Neytiri nodded before Kya walked back to the other side of the beach where she would usually sleep, right by her old hut, craving the familiar sand to warm her body. What she didn't expect when she arrived was to find Lo'ak, sitting there and looking up at the eclipse. Kya silently sat next to him, both of their gaze focused on the horizon, they stayed silent for a few moment.
"I know I'm not my brother-"
"Lo'ak." Kya sighed.
"Let me finish." He turned his face to meet her jeweled eyes. "Please." He begged, his voice slightly shaking.
"I know I'm not him, Kya. I would never want to replace him but I want you to know that I see you too." The newly eldest son grabbed the ocean girl's hand in his, his eyes watching his fingers caressed her teal scarred skin. "I saw you the minute you showed me those." He dropped her hand. "I think what I feel, what I always felt towards you was the same instinct and natural feeling my brother had for me. I want to protect you, no matter the consequences. I want to take risks but only because it will aid you. If that's okay with you, I'll be the protector you never had. No one will hurt you again."

"Like a brother?" He nodded and Kyalayi smiled at Lo'ak's confession, it wasn't what she had expected but it was everything she had hoped for. "I'd love that."

[...]

Quaritch's eyes opened with difficulty, his every muscles aching as he finally regained consciousness. He must had been lost at sea for the several days now and only today, he had landed on some kind of ground. He coughed some water out of his lungs before shouting out the names of his team, wanting for someone to hear his call for help. But nothing. For a few moment, he wandered around on the beach, entering a mountain of high rocks where he could only see the clouded sky, no trees. Before he could even realize what was happening, the ground underneath the man's feet cracked and the stone separated precisely in half, trapping him. Quaritch swore to himself, his frustration echoing and bouncing from rocks to rocks. Soon, two figures appeared, ones he would recognized everywhere.
"Thought you sank with the ship." Quaritch smirked, sliding his tongue on his pointy canines.
"You thought wrong." Marrek crouched to look down at the man.
"You'll pay for what you did." The white haired woman angrily spat.
"I almost didn't recognized you, Evelyn." He chuckled, admiring the woman's new form, back in her Avatar's body.
"You killed our daughter, you monster." Evelyn yelled, her anger getting the best of her. She would never forgive the man that had cut short her time with her daughter, twice. Nor would she let him live.
"Did I?" Quaritch pouted, provoking the couple even more as they all hissed at each other.
"You're going to get what you deserve." Marrek stated, straightening himself up and jerking his chin to a non visible figure. Footfalls echoed and soon Quaritch was face to face with something he never thought he would witness. They were just like him, the same species but their skin was not blue, it was red. They eyes weren't yellow, they were a charcoal grey.
"I always thought Ashes Na'vi were a myth." He cockily smiled.

Forest, Reef and Ashes all ignored the man's commentary. Marrek looked at their eyes, giving them a single nod before saying, "He's all yours."
The couple walked away in hope of finding happiness again now that Quaritch was in the Ashes' people hands, knowing that his life would also be cut short just like he had done with their daughter. When they were way too far and out of earshot, Quaritch's body started to shake with the fright of getting killed. He couldn't die. Jake Sully and his family were still alive, his journey wasn't complete just yet.

"They lied to you." The man shouted, desperate for them to spare his life, wanting to live on their side. "Kyalayi, their daughter, is alive and I know where to find her, where to find all of them."

THE END

omg, this book is finally completed.
Thank you everyone who red it, you don't know how much every single one of you mean to me. As I'm posting this, we are at 20K reads which is completely insane. 

about the end, I wanted to tease the third Avatar just in case inspiration struck me when it will come out for a sequel of this book.

I hope you enjoyed the story of Kyalayi and Neteyam (and Marrek) and everyone surrounding them. I certainly did enjoyed writing it and putting my own personal touch to this amazing story and world.

In case you still want to support me, I have other books on my page (Jamie flatters, Jack champion, etc.) and I hope I will see you soon.

-justine