Epilogue

 

She stared at herself in the mirror. For some odd reason, she felt self conscious though she knew the outfit would probably be covered in dirt and debris by the time she returned. Still, it didn't detract from the fact that it was still a very important day for her. She nearly skipped out of her room in excitement.

 

"And where are you going in such a good mood?" Walter asked, looking up from his bowl of cereal. "On a date in those clothes? Really, what kind of standards do you have?"

 

"I'm going to Carvins Cove!" she replied, sticking out her tongue. "And yes it's a date. I don't care what I look like, it's all in good fun anyways," she said before swiftly slamming the door behind her before her brother could say anything against what she was doing or where she was going.

 

She could barely contain her excitement as she drove down towards the cove to meet up with her friends who were waiting for her when she arrived.

 

"Were you waiting long?" she asked when she finally met up with Henry.

 

"Oh no, we just got here at the crack of dawn and waited for you while we watched the sun rise," Henry said with a playful grin on his face.

 

The woman beside him gently punched him in the ribs. "We did not, he's joking, of course. He arrived a few moments before you did. I had been here since the beginning of time."

 

"Lady of the birds, then, I presume?" Cynthia asked, tilting her head to the side. She was much younger than she had imagined her to be. Jet black hair reached down towards her knees and was carefully braided and woven with feathers from birds of all kinds. Her eyes, which seemed to be too large for her head at the right angles, were a rich gold color which deepened occasionally when she blinked.

 

"Ah, yes, that is my title," she said, "You may call me, Ada."

 

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you at last, Ada. Henry's told me much about you."

 

"And he has told me much about you, earth child." She smiled and looked out towards the cove. "Alas, it seems as though the one who had invited us here is late to the party, how shameful," she commented, shaking her head slightly.

 

"I'm not late, I just had preparations to take care of," Tate said from behind them. "Come on, let's stop staring at the water and get a move on already, we don't have all day!"

 

At last, the time for the great adventure Tate had promised her when she was eight had finally come. Cynthia had been mentally preparing for this for what seemed to be ages. However, now that they were actually embarking on their journey, she couldn't quite contain her childish glee as she followed Tate's footsteps exactly and waited with bated breath for his instructions.

 

They crossed the water of the cove on a bridge made of morning dew and mountain fog to reach the first portal to the other side. There, they were greeted by the stream guardian decked in a garland of spring flowers and a mossy crown. The great snapping turtle smiled at Cynthia when he saw her.

 

"We thank you for your service to our land. You may have our blessings. May every journey you take across our waters be safe, and may you live prosperously," the guardian said before snapping his mouth shut when a rather tempting insect flew by him. "Now if you'll excuse us, we must be on our way," he said languidly while chewing his breakfast. "There are many fish this season we have not had a chance to catch." Without another word, he slid off his throne and into the water where he swam off to find the fish of the season which caught his fancy.

 

"Ah, he never does change," Tate commented, hopping over the throne twice and giving the stone structure a deep bow before continuing their trek. He lead them across a great expanse of golden grass which grew up to their waist. If she stared hard enough into the distance, Cynthia could have sworn she saw the star atop Mill Mountain. The line between the other side and her world seemed to be quite blurred on their adventure.

 

Past various cow pastures and through a lively road house, she wondered if they were ever going to reach their destination at all, but she didn't question him. Henry and Ada seemed to be perfectly content at the pace they were going at and took the time to admire the pastures with cows and livestock as well as the fantastical creatures they passed.

 

Finally after what seemed to be a tour of all that Roanoke had to offer, he stopped in front of an archway made of trees. "We're here," he said. The sun had started to set and rested right at the apex of the archway, not letting her see what was beyond there. "Follow me, if you will," he offered and stepped through the portal. Cynthia eagerly followed him and found herself on the very top of Poor Mountain, looking at the great vastness of the valley below.

 

"Wow, what a view," was all she could manage. She had never seen the city in its entirety like this before and it was utterly breathtaking.

 

"Welcome, to my kingdom," Tate said softly, holding her hand. "Thank you for being a part of it."

 

"Any time," she said, grinning at how beautiful life was at that moment.