Battlefields to Ball-gowns (A Bridgerton Fanfiction)

Epilogue

Five Years Later...

"I SWEAR TO FUCKING ZUES IF YOU ARE NOT READY PERSEPHONE BRIDGERTON WE ARE LEAVING YOU!" Artemis called up the stairs for her painfully slow-moving daughter.

Four-year-old, Persephone Bridgerton, heard the Illyrian growl of her beloved mother and knew she had to decide quickly. 

"It's not that hard Eros, blue or red ribbon?" Persy panicked looking to her younger twin brother for guidance. 

Eros looked like he'd rather die than stand looking at ribbons for another moment, "Blue."

"But I wore the blue yesterday."

"Red then."

"But the red-"

"FUCKS SAKE PERSEPHONE!" Eros cried in agony looking at his father who just entered the room. Anthony shot a vexed look at his son's fowl language that he no doubt inherited from Artemis. 

The twins both looked at their father with annoyed golden eyes. Their hair resembled his, brown in tidy curls, but every other feature came directly from his wife, much to her pleasure. 'The Illyrian blood flows stronger than the weak English' she would always say.

He couldn't help but smile at his children's identical perturbed features. 

They were getting ready to go to welcome Apollo and Eloise Black's first child into the family. They had been married about four years prior but decided to travel before trying for a child. Now Helios Black was born and the Bridgertons, Hastings, and Blacks were ready to celebrate the new addition.  

A wildly annoyed princess entered the room, the one-year-old Hera Bridgerton swaddled in her arms and two and a half-year-old Hades Bridgerton flowed closely behind his mother. 

"What is taking so long?" 

"A horrible important, life-or-death decision that requires all of our attention Mother," Eros sassed with the gall and wisdom of someone five times his age. 

"Shut up Eros... Mother, red or blue?"

With a roll of her golden eyes, Artemis motioned for them to follow. They entered Artemis and Anthony's shared room and the princess reached into her own vanity pulling out a length of silky white ribbon, "White to match your dress now let's go."

Anthony smiled, lifting Hades into his arms as they all went down the stairs of the Bridgerton ancestral home. The carriage was waiting for the beautiful family to set off. 

All had not been perfect in the last four years, but it was good and filled with love and support. 

Persephone Bridgerton-Black was next in line for the Illyrian Royal Throne after Ares, much to Anthony's dismay. Eros Bridgerton was to inherit his father's title as viscount. They were both brilliant for their age, fluent in both English and Illyrian. But they were sure to have what neither Artemis nor Anthony was blessed with, a peaceful childhood.

They arrived at the party smiling brightly when they realized that everyone was able to come. 

Aphrodite and her husband Prince Friedrick and their three children welcomed them at the door. A few paces in stood King Ares Black holding his son Hephaestus Black next to his wife Queen Kate Black nee Sharma. She had been an Indian debutant that Ares had found his soulmate in. Athena stood proudly holding hands with her wife Valerie, welcoming her sister with open arms. 

Then they saw Penelope and Colin and Benedict and his wife Sophie. They saw Daphne and Simon playing with their little ones. 

Finally, they saw Apollo proudly showing off his son to Violet who cooed at her newest grandchild.

"Congratulations are in order brother." Artemis smiled matching her twin's overjoyed look, "Sister look at him! Look at my son! He is perfection is he not? The sun rises and sets for my perfect son, my Helios, my sun son!" 

They laughed as Apollo continued to gush over his son. 

"If I had known that all the poems and affections would transfer away from me I would have had a child ages ago." Eloise teased, smiling at her husband's pout. 

Violet took Helios from Apollo's arms so that he could embrace his sister. 

"We did it, sister... we survived," Apollo whispered in low Illyrian. His eyes misted with tears as they looked around at all the joyous faces. 

"We did it, brother... we lived." They smiled enjoying the lives they fought to have, enjoying the love they deserved, and enjoying the family gifted to them.

THE END

Thank you so much for reading Battlefields to Ball-gowns. I hope you loved reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you and love you all! <3