I couldn't believe this was really my life now.

Queen of the United Fairy Kingdom—ruling over the Love Fairies, the Light Fairies, and the Dark Fairies—beside their King, Veravos.

It's complicated work, but I enjoy it. Nothing we can't handle.

More importantly, I have a job I absolutely cannot fail.Yes—motherhood.

I sat at the edge of the bed, tucking in my two boys under soft covers, their eyes already sparkling with mischief and dreams.

"Mommy, can you tell us a bedtime story?" Azendian asked, cross-legged and eager. His eyes were bright, already swept up in whatever world I was about to spin.

Gacanagh was quieter, as usual. He sat beside his brother, hands pressed together in that familiar, thoughtful way. Still, he looked at me with the same unspoken hope. I couldn't disappoint them—not tonight.

Just then, Veravos strolled in, his signature smirk on full display.

"Tell them about the Tree of Regrets," he teased.

I laughed, tossing a fist in the air like I was about to start a battle.

"What's the Tree of Regrets?" Azendian asked, leaning forward with delight.

"Tell us, please!" Gacanagh chimed in, a rare grin tugging at his lips.

"Daddy will tell you," I said, shooting Veravos a wink.

He sat down beside Gacanagh and flicked off the lamp, his hand brushing through our son's curls in a moment of tenderness I didn't dare interrupt.

"It's just a spicy plant," he said casually.

Azendian scrunched up his face. "That's a really bad story, Daddy."

Beside him, Gacanagh nestled against Veravos's side, looking up silently, as if to say, Is that really all?

I sighed, dramatically. "Alright, alright. One story. Then bedtime. Deal?"

They both nodded like little knights swearing an oath.

I settled in, slipping into the rhythm of the tale.

"Once upon a time, there was a Dark Fairy Queen who wanted to snuff out the light. All of it. She craved full control of the darkness."

"Then she died. The end," Veravos said with a grin.

I rolled my eyes but smiled. Of course.

"Then what happened?" Azendian asked, clutching his blanket.

"She attacked a place called the Light Fairy Kingdom," I said.

"Where's that? Can we go there?" Gacanagh asked, instantly curious.

"Not the best place for a vacation," Veravos muttered, his tone shifting. "Evils hide there... even in the light."

I glanced at him. His expression had darkened just enough for me to take note—but I let it pass.

"An evil fairy named Judorah attacked while your Daddy and I were visiting."

"You and Mommy were there?" Gacanagh asked, astonished.

"Then what happened?" Azendian pressed, already lost in the tale.

"She went after your Mommy," I said gently.

"Were you hurt?" Azendian's voice was soft. Gacanagh, on the other hand, looked at me skeptically.

"You fought an evil queen?" he said, doubtful. "Mommy, you shouldn't lie."

Veravos laughed, deep and warm.

"The last person to lie is your mother," he said.

I shot him a glare sharp enough to slice through stone.

He held up both hands. "Alright, alright."

Then he got serious.

"Judorah used the Tree of Regrets—a plant that feeds on sorrow, burrows into your soul. She tried to use it on your mother." He paused. "But your mother was turbo-charged. She took control of the tree instead."

Azendian gasped. "Then what?"

"Then the darkness tried to consume her," Veravos said quietly. "But before it could... someone saved her."

"Who?" Gacanagh whispered.

"Someone powerful, kind, and always underestimates himself," I said, my eyes meeting Veravos's. "Your Daddy."

"Didn't it hurt him? Didn't it control him?" they both asked at once.

Gacanagh clung tighter to his father's arm. "Dad, I don't want you to be hurt by some tree. I don't like this story."

Veravos pulled him close. "I'm fine, son. Nothing can take me from you. Promise."

I watched the three of them, heart full.

"Do you want to know what happened next?" I asked.

"Tell us!" Azendian cried.

"Well... I found the Guardian of Light. And with his jewel, I made a wish to save your Daddy."

Veravos smiled, softer now. "And that wish... brought us here."

"Wait—what jewel?" Gacanagh asked.

"It was magic, wasn't it?" Azendian bounced in place.

"Yes," Veravos said, winking. "A very magical jewel. An emerald."

"Ver," I said gently, "it's late. Let's save that story."

He chuckled, ruffling their hair. "Alright, kids. Another time."

We kissed their foreheads and stepped out of the room. The door clicked softly shut behind us.

And then... the memories crept in like shadows through moonlight.

I remembered that day.

Judorah launched her Tree of Regrets to attack the town, with me as one of its victims.

I'll never forget how the darkness nearly consumed me—how every painful memory surged through my mind like a storm. Then, Veravos reached through it. He refused to let go. His grey eyes—usually full of teasing charm—had turned to swirling pits of black.

Tendrils from the Tree of Regrets had coiled around his arm while it left me. He winced but held on.

"Run," he had screamed. "Be free," he had whispered.

Then... he lost control.

The air turned cold. Shadows lengthened. The earth pulsed like a living thing. Behind him, brambles of darkness rose like a crown of thorns. Two vast black wings unfurled, blotting out the stars.

"Time to snuff out the light," he had said, calm and terrible.

Dark portals tore open beside him, ripping through the fabric of the world. Trees, buildings—people—were pulled in, swallowed by shadow.

I had never seen a Dark Fairy wield power like him. Unapologetic. Unrelenting. Utterly terrifying.

But I couldn't let him go. Not like that.

So I ran. I ran faster than I ever had—to the Guardian of Light. I begged him to use the Baltimorean Emerald immediately.

And I made my wish:

A new world where the darkness had never consumed my Veravos.

The Guardian agreed. A singular wish. I gave up my original wish because nothing else mattered more.

And here we are now.

This Veravos—my Veravos. The one I knew, the one I love.

I reached for his arm and squeezed.

His grey eyes met mine.

"Hey," I whispered. "I'm really happy I'm with you."

"And I, you," he said softly.

Without another word, I pulled him close and kissed him—long, deep, full of everything we'd survived.

This man. My Dark Fairy King. My equal. My love.

Lanky. Broad-shouldered. Curly-haired. Grey-eyed.

Frightening, dramatic, infuriating, irresistible.

I am yours.

Then, from behind the door, a tiny voice slipped through the crack.

"But what if the darkness comes back?"

Gacanagh.

Veravos paused.

Then, calm and resolute, he answered—

"It won't. Not while your mother and I are here."

And I smiled.Because I believed him.

"But did the Dark Fairy Queen really die?" he tugged my arm.

I gave a look at Veravos.

"Well," Veravos said in his usual nonchalant tone, "she was consumed by the darkness she wanted to control."

"Gacanagh, dear," I said gently, lifting him back into bed, "while you might be part Dark Fairy, the lesson here is that we can't control darkness. Not really."

"But what if I can't help it?" he asked, quiet but earnest.

"Son," Veravos said, voice calm and full of promise, "we always have the power to choose. No one will ever take that choice from you. Remember that."

He kissed Gacanagh's forehead, and I adjusted his blanket.

Azendian was already a picture of bliss, deep in sleep.

We quietly exited.

There will be more questions—in time.But for now... it's just bedtime until the next fairy tale.