Not My Pyre (A Pearl-Centric Double Life FanFic)

Epilogue: Twenty-Nine

Pearl was turning twenty-nine today. If the Life Games had still been running, she would be done now. She'd get to leave.

But the Life Games had been abolished almost a decade ago.

As Pearl looked out her window, she smiled.

She lived in a handful of rooms in the Lords' palace. They'd been able to save most of it from Tango's wither, but it had been a restoration project. Now it was home to the contestants, their families, and a handful of the Watchers that had come with Grian. They were the current leaders of Misharin, while the people tried to get their democracy in order.

It wasn't perfect, but it was better.

A lot better, actually.

Lizzie and Joel had finally gotten married nine years ago. Their wedding had been beautiful. And Lizzie's dress! Stunning. Pearl almost wanted to get married just to wear something like it.

Jimmy and Scott had gotten married a year after that. Pearl had been Scott's best man. It had also been a beautiful wedding.

Grian and Scar were engaged. Scar had been so nervous to ask him, and had asked Pearl for advice several times.

But the more surprising thing was that they could afford this sort of thing. Scar had gotten a proper diamond engagement ring, Lizzie had had a dress with lace, and Scott and Jimmy had had hundreds of poppies.

Fifteen years ago, that would have been impossible. Engagements were done with rings passed down for generations, rarely more than iron bands, weddings were small events with immediate family and the officiant, nothing else. Unless you were rich, then they were extravagant.

Joel and Lizzie had actually taken a lot of convincing to spend so much money on a wedding. They'd decided to because it sent the money back into the system - and, also, the people loved them and wanted them to have an amazing wedding.

The system was so much better now. People lived in houses with five rooms or more, or purchased rooms in houses that used to belong to the rich folk. There was healthcare, more jobs - for everyone - and people weren't, you know, joining a death game for money.

It had taken years to get to this point, but they were here.

"Pearl!" A voice called from the door to her room.

She turned. "Yeah?"

Apollo smiled. "We're ready for you."

She followed him out of her room and down a staircase around a couple of corridors, to the collective dining room for all the tenants of the palace.

On the table, surrounded by her friends and family, was the most elaborate birthday cake Pearl had ever seen.

"Happy birthday, Pearl!" Her friends shouted.

Pearl laughed as everyone rushed in to give her hugs and gifts, Jupiter and Frey arguing over whose gift she'd like better, as always, Apollo ruffling her hair, and everyone else congratulating her on surviving to twenty-nine.

Pearl was happy. Her world wasn't perfect, but they were working towards it.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! We're done!

More in the Author's notes later.