Miraculous Games

Epilogue

Thank you for 100K reads! Enjoy the epilogue as a thank you from me...

EPILOGUE

Marinette wiped her cheeks for the millionth time that day. The tears had crusted over so there was nothing but flakes to brush away. She could barely breathe thanks to the lump in her throat, but it was slowly getting better.

Everyone around her had started to file away almost half an hour ago, leaving her alone in the cemetery. Unlike what she saw in the movies, the sky was crystal clear. Sunlight streamed down through the trees, casting shadows across the neatly trimmed grass. The remains of any dew from that morning had disappeared, but Marinette knew it would be back.

Just like her tears.

Through her tired eyes, she gazed down at the black marble headstone. It gleamed in the sunlight, and on any other day, it would have been a beautiful sight for anyone who passed. Instead of awe, Marinette felt only pain. Having been inscribed into the marble with careful hands, a single name shimmered in the sun.

Nathanael Kurtzberg.

Swallowing hard, Marinette closed her eyes and hung her head. Her hands clasped together tightly in front of her as she hunched her shoulders.

"Nathan," she said, her delicate voice cracking with emotion, "I'm sorry. You truly didn't deserve this. After everything we went through, I never wanted it to turn out this way. I wanted you by my side as we came home. Your parents... I..."

She couldn't say it. In her mind's eye, she saw them. Nathanael's mother had engulfed her in a hug as soon as she had seen Marinette at the funeral service while his father had simply clapped her on the shoulder. Despite all of the praise they gave her for surviving and, after noticing the ring on her finger, congratulating her on her betrothal, Marinette couldn't force a smile for them. She had spilled the beans, telling them everything that had happened and what they had tried to accomplish. She made sure to clarify that, even though she hadn't been romantically attracted to him, they were still a team. He had become one of her closest friends.

He had endured so much for her, and she wasn't going to forget that anytime soon.

"They loved you," she finally said. "They were rooting for you and me, you know. Your mom, she... she had planned out an entire feast to celebrate our return."

Her chin began to tremble. She could feel her eyes watering once again.

"I... I didn't mean to hurt you. I hope that, wherever you are now, that you have forgiven me. I didn't want to play with your emotions and your feelings. I wanted for the both of us to escape alive, and your plan was the best way I could do that. You... you never deserved the cold shoulder I gave you, nor the jealousy Adrien showed you." She couldn't help but give a sad smile. "I guess he'll have to apologize for that later. But... I hope you forgive him too."

She bowed her head. "He's... he's been through a lot. After gaining his mom and losing his dad all at once, I think he's been thrown off balance. And he will be for a long time." She paused. "If... if you could, could you watch over him? I don't want him getting into anything stupid - unless that's me. That doesn't count."

She let herself laugh quietly. Tears slipped down her cheeks, falling down the tracks that had been previously paved by earlier ones. After sniffing and rubbing her sleeve under her nose, she smiled at his carved name. She stepped forward and rested a hand on the headstone. It was warm and took her by surprise. She had expected it to be freezing cold. But... maybe this was his way of telling her she was forgiven?

"I'm never going to be able to thank you for everything. You'll be in my heart, forever and always."

"And I can't thank you enough for protecting my Princess."