Epilogue: Birds of Flight

The Traveler's Bird did not have many regrets.

When you traveled as often as he had, from place to place, from world to world, one did not tend to stay long enough to create such things. How could one stay when they were drawn to go? How could one regret if they never bothered to stay?

The only thing he did regret was what he had, or hadn't, done the day his brother died. When his sibling had come to him with a broken leg, the result of a run-in with rogue hunters, the bird had simply dismissed it as yet another accident caused by his brother's recklessness. The golden ribbon attached to the leg had only cemented his belief that his brother would be fine. Had he known that, that same night, his brother would be attacked again, the bird would have taken his brother and flown to the next Starniverse. And yet, when he had heard his brother's cry for help, he hadn't been fast enough. Upon watching the small child bury his brother from the trees, the bird had resolved to repay the favor one day. 

How could one possibly repay such a dept?

He could easily explain what he had done: how he had seen the girl from another world with a ribbon not unlike the one on his brother's leg. How he had seen her discontent and recalled the little girl's. He could easily speak of how he'd used his own magic to allow the girls to experience the thrill of a new adventure. He would even tell them how he himself had watched the girls from then on as they grew into their new roles.

Flaring his wings, the bird took flight. The particles of the rainbow trailed behind him, showering the sky with its subtle light. The bird allowed the wind to blow his thoughts away. His sharp, vibrant eyes took note of the distant ground below him. Satisfied that no one was watching him, the bird opened a portal for travel, being very careful to close it as soon as he was done with it. Such carelessness, mostly from his late brother, had allowed many a creature to bleed over into other worlds in the past.

The skies here never failed to both dazzle and disgust the bird. On the one hand, the air quality was horrifically bad. Some of the people had no respect for creatures of any sort, even daring to try and catch the bird at times. On the other hand, the city was a perfect testament to how advanced this society was. From the well-lit buildings to the rumbling vehicles, Los Angeles was certainly a unique place.

It didn't take long to find his charge. The strawberry blond hair she possessed was tied up with a pink silk ribbon. Her gray eyes portrayed her engagement as she continued to speak to the tousle-haired man in the black shirt. As she spoke, she played with a purple ribbon, also made of silk.

The bird took note of her demeaner. Gone was the rigid noblewoman, conforming to the ideals of everyone she had allowed to control her. In her place was a relaxed woman. Her smile was beaming, her stance uncaring. Truly, the woman looked. . . Happy.

The one in the black shirt was one the bird knew well. The boy had begun drawing the spirits that had found their way to this world since he was young. So passionate was this child that even the bird had stood still for a portrait. As the bird continued his thoughts, the boy looked up at the bird. He then looked back at the woman. Smiling a knowing smile, the boy mouthed something:

Thank you.

Never one to stick around after being caught, the bird flew off. He flew past bustling streets filled with tourists. He flew past the little forest where his own carelessness had allowed a human to pass through, years back. He flew over the ocean, watching the waves glisten in greeting as he passed. He flew higher and higher, something he required of himself so as to not scare anyone in the air vehicles. Once again, he summoned a portal.

Bursting through, the bird took a grateful breath of unpolluted air. Flying over the Gloom Forest, the Traveler's Bird took the time to find his other charge. Since the people of Cachonei knew of his kind's existence, he was a bit more cautious in his search.

The woman with raven hair was at a dress shop. With a glint of excitement in her hazel eyes, the newfound noblewoman appeared to be in her element. While she had always had an air of comfort, the woman now seemed as though she truly belonged in the dress shop. At her direction, the staff brought out white dress after white dress. It seemed to be an endless store of dresses.

Once she reached a lull in outfits, she sat down on an elegant sofa. Two women appeared next to her, one dressed in pink and the other dressed in gold. The one in gold held onto his charge's shoulders, smiling brightly. The woman was smiling, too. Her hands fiddled with a blue ribbon as she continued speaking with her companions. 

Her stance was more confident; Straighter, but not rigid. It was as though she had truly grown up from the carefree woman she had been before. And yet, even though that part of her youth was behind her, she looked happier than ever before.

In a different room waiting for her was a man with longer hair, left down on this day. The nobleman appeared to be looking at papers of some sort. Every so often, his eyes drifted to the door, as if afraid of being caught. Eventually, his baby blue eyes caught with the bird's. This man had the audacity to chuckle at the spirit. He gave the bird a conspiratory wink.

It would seem the bird was not as subtle as he had thought.

Shaking out his wings, the bird recalled the way his charges had been: trapped; Lost. Yet now, if he conjured up their faces, all he saw was joy.

Did that mean that his job was done? Had he finally repaid the dept that had come from his brother's fate? The women were now freed from the shackles of their former lives. They lived to the fullest, now having new roles; New companions.

Was it time for him to be free of his own past?

The Traveler's Bird took flight, once again. He beat his wings harder than before, hoping the work would clear his mind of this. All it accomplished was bringing himself higher into the clear blue sky. No amount of avoidance could hide the truth:

It was time to let go.

As soon as he realized this, a weight lifted from his shoulders. He looked down at the scenery with a newfound appreciation. The peasants were more vibrant. The storefronts seemed more approachable. The wind was a refreshing caress on his feathers. The bird felt more connected than he had in ages.

His charges would be okay. Lorelei was thriving in her job with the jovial shop owner. Lydia had a bright future ahead with the man of her dreams.

He recalled all of the things that his girls had experienced since he had started providing his aid. He recalled Lorelei's first day at her new job. He remembered blessing Lorelei with his symbol at the Dance of Spirits, using it to protect the nobles from the Atriblanc's purple poison. His mind wandered to when Lydia had put the maids in their places. He could still vividly picture the scenery on the day she had bid farewell to her home world.

These women would always be special to him. After what they had done for him, assisting and, later, putting his beloved brother to rest, how could he not? These two women, both so different yet exactly the same, had carved their own fond place in his thoughts. As he flew from them, he was comforted by one simple fact: Though they went their separate ways, they would always be connected. No matter how far away they were, they would only ever be. . .

Ribbons Apart.