Escape From Antoria

Escape From Antoria Part 42

part 42 the final part :D

Epilogue - Twenty Antorian Years Later

Skye POV

Avalians and Antorians alike gathered for the ceremony in front of the statue of Princess Isadora 'Cahira' Of Antoria, saviour of the worlds. It had become a tradition to honour the saviour every year. This was my first year of actually attending the ceremony because those in the academy of Sorcerers were only allowed to attend once they had entered their final year; mostly the ceremony was kept to the royal family and the people who had been there on that fateful day and those who were privileged to gain an invitation. I marvelled at the sight of the Avalians, yes there was an occasional Avalian visiting Antoria but it was rare to actually see one. I'd already completed my basic training but because of the markings that developed on my 18th birthday I was forced into further training...much to my happiness as you can imagine.

One by one people went up to the statue and paid their respects. I saw the King and Queen of Antoria walk forward with their children. The youngest, Princess Elena, grabbed hold of her sobbing mothers hand as the still beautiful queen brushed her hand across the cheek of the statue before wrapping her hand around the outstretched hand which looked like it had been stained. I watched as the rest of the family paid respects to their fallen member before joining the Elder of the Avalians. This ceremony also happens to be when the Avalians hold their ascension ceremony, where the new group of Avalians get their wings, though it happens more often than once a year because their time is different in that world, well that's what the academy says.

"Dude your next." My friend Lake said pushing me forward, yeah our mum's were what earth people call hippies hence the names. I stepped forwards and clasped the statues hand in mine as was proper tradition. I gasped at what I saw, the stains were actually the mirror of mine and with our hands clasped together it looked like they were the continuation of one another. Weird. I went to pull my hand away.

"Help me, I'm stuck." I called pulling but it was no use and I didn't want to damage the statue because it was sacred to both cultures and I'd rather not be the most hated person in Antoria. I tugged and it still wouldn't come off. My hand started to heat and I panicked. "HELP ME DAMN IT!!!" I said when no one had moved.

The queen rushed forward and gasped looking at my hand. I looked down to see what was so special, my markings were glowing and so were the ones on the statue but that's not all, the hand I was clasping was slowly changing from marble to flesh. As the burning intensified my skin began to burn and inside I felt as if I was ripping in two but at the same time like I was being completed. Could this get any stranger?

There was now a crowd forming around us watching as the black inky markings spread across the statue as the marble became flesh. The pain I was feeling was becoming unbearable and even though I was in as much awe as everyone else as the statue of the ethereal beauty came back I couldn't take it anymore and threw my head back in pain, a cry of agony escaping my lips.

Slowly the pain began to recede and as i lifted my head I heard many gasps from around me but my attention was drawn to the woman who was now was in the place of the statue and was holding on to my hand for dear life, tears running down her cheeks but most remarkable was she now looked even more like our queen as she too was covered in markings but hers were glowing like a rainbow occasionally flashing silver. That is soo cool. She took a deep heaving breath and then as if it was too much she fell forwards falling directly into my arms. I lifted her up bridal style and revelled in the feeling of her in my arms and the beautiful colours of her wings. I looked at her face.

"Hey are you OK?" I asked gently as I hid her from the spectators and carried her towards the royal family who were just stood there like the statue she had once been though not so marble.

I watched as the woman's eyes fluttered open. She looked up at me and smiled. "My angel." She whispered before looking around confused and her eye finally landing on the Queen and the green winged Avalian clutching onto the Queen for dear life. "Mum? Aurora? What's wrong?" She asked.

"Oh my god, it's really her." The Queen whispered sinking to the floor. "My Izzy."

The King picked the pregnant queen up as the entire royal family surrounded us. I kind of feel like a third wheel right now, maybe I should hand her over to one of the princes, this is a family matter even if I did enjoy having her in my arms a little too much.

The queen's prophet, Blake I think his name was, stepped forward. "It was just as I saw." He said before looking down at Izzy. "I'm sorry it took so long princess but I only saw the joining of the hands, I never saw his face, that's why we put the hand clasping as tradition." He said with a cheeky grin before walking over to his wife.

I felt a tugging so I looked down as I gently placed Izzy on her but keeping a firm arm wrapped around her waist because she was a bit wobbly. Standing next to me was the youngest Princess, she pulled Izzy and I down so we were on her level. "You two look like mummy and daddy watch this, its soo cool." She pulled my arm the wasn't supporting Izzy up to Izzy's face and began to trace the markings which had gone back to black, and now as my finger followed the path of the markings they began to glow like they had before. My eyes widened as I actually took note of my hand, this one wasn't meant to have markings on it, what the hell is going on?

Izzy lifted her own hand and traced my face making my eyes flutter shut, my skin felt tingly but a nice tingle. "It's soo beautiful."

"Oh that's nothing but wait until you kiss, its soo cool. Only family can come near you then." Princess Elena said smugly wrapped an arm around my shoulder and placing a kiss on my cheek. "You're lucky, big Izzy, you get him as your husband, look who I have to marry." She said pointing behind her at a boy who looked a year older and was clutching onto the green winged woman and wrinkling her nose. "I don't want to kiss him or hug him, he has germs." She said in a matter of fact tone. I chuckled before what she said settled in, husband??

The king started to laugh, what the...oh yeah mind reader.

"Son, when you look in a mirror you'll find you look a lot like myself, because you too now have the soul mate markings, usually it only happens when you do the bonding ceremony but I suppose this was an exception." He said with humour in his voice, he was only in his 40's which is young in the terms of a king.

Shocked I looked at Izzy who was a bit shocked herself before she gave me a shy smile. "You're the one who saved me. Without you I would have remained a statue forever because when I defeated the demonic, I gave up my soul but you, you somehow gave me some of yours so now we are two halves of a whole. If you die, I die, so no life or death situations that can't be avoided thank you but you're a healer like myself so that should be ok and I can always protect you, after all i am wicked with a blade." She chuckled.

I just nodded numbly as I got to my feet pulling Izzy with me before the young princess hopped into my arms.

"You realise this makes you my big brother." Elena said with a huge grin. I just gulped and smiled nervously as Izzy and I turned to face the crowds who suddenly began to cheer as they laid eyes on their long lost princess. Well hell, if you said this was going to happen to me at the start of the day I would never have believed you. I felt Izzy wrap an arm around my arm around my waist before she leaned into me.

"Don't worry, we have the rest of our lives to get to know each other." She said with a nervous chuckle. I couldn't help the smile on my face as I turned towards her face but she was much closer than I judged so when I turned our lips brushed and in the brief touch I felt more than I ever hand in my life and I swear I caught sight of a rainbow just then.

"Ooh, do it again." Elena squealed not looking at us but the air around us. I was confused but Izzy just grinned up at me before reaching up and placing a kiss once more on my lips and because my eyes were open from shock I saw it, around us was a bubble that looked like our very own rainbow except it had flecks of silver. On the outside of the bubble I saw Lake whooping and hollering at my which made me chuckle before I closed my eyes and kissed Izzy with everything I had.

Hope you liked this story i know some of it is a bit random but I really liked writing it so yeah thanks for reading it :D