Epilogue:
The End?

Victoria knelt in the dewy grass, the skirt of her opulent black gown flowing over the ground around her. She felt nothing. The sea breeze sweeping over her and the damp grass pressing into her knees seemed non-existent, as were the monk, Jasper, and Walter. She was in shock and nothing seemed to exist but for the ornate golden casket before her.

She just couldn't believe Logan was dead. For the past week she kept expecting to see him around the castle. When she'd been coronated, she had automatically searched the crowd for him. Every time she did so, she'd remember what had happened and the memory would hit her in the stomach like a sledgehammer. It was torment.

She half wondered if it would be a reprieve if she joined Logan.

You killed him, a voice in her head whispered. You deserve death. Perhaps you should join him. Not that he would ever forgive you if you did.

Shut up! she mentally shrieked at the voice. Shut up and don't say things like that.

Logan would have wanted her to go on, that much she knew. Victoria just felt so…lost. And angry. Guilty. It was the reason she had avoided people in the last week. The reason she'd not yet held court nor had she attended her own coronation ball. Neither had she attended her brother's public memorial. She'd not even gone out onto the castle's grounds! Others wouldn't understand. Albion just saw him as a vanquished tyrant and Victoria could only see him as her big brother.

That, if anything, made it even more difficult to believe he was dead.

And, yet, the coffin before her was indeed real; its golden filigree sparkling brightly in the cold autumn sunlight. She'd seen her brother within it that very morning. He was gone…and it would be a long time before the young Queen would be able to accept it.

The world froze. Birds stopped in mid-air and the droning sound of the monk's voice abruptly quieted. It was like she had suddenly been plunged into a faded charcoal drawing—even the world itself had turned a dreary grey.

"What have you come to ask of me now, Theresa?" Victoria asked emotionlessly before slowly turning to look at the newly appeared blind woman.

Theresa was smiling her usual sad, all-knowing smile. "Congratulations, Hero. This is what the world would have looked like had the Crawler succeeded," she said, gesturing to the frozen world around her. "Grey; bereft of colour…and of life. It is because of your actions that Albion is safe."

"And my brother: dead," Victoria spat venomously, too tired to cry or scream.

"Logan's sacrifice displayed the nobility and care for both you and this country that he did not display in life," the seeress replied, her smile beginning to fade slightly. "It is something to be proud of, not angry about."

"I am proud," Victoria said, eyes narrowing.

She doesn't understand, the little voice hissed. She never will. Greedy. Selfish. She has orchestrated everything…and she is too blind to See the truth before her. What do you hope to gain from listening to such a powerless woman?

The Queen sighed, and, pushing away the little voice, added, "But Logan and everyone else who died had no need to. Their deaths could have been prevented."

It was nigh impossible to keep the accusation from her voice. If Theresa had told her, or her brother, everything from the start, she was certain everything would have worked out much better. Those who died might have lived. She and Reaver might not have been forced into such a deranged union. Walter might have been in better health.

"The past cannot be changed, you above all know that. What happened was set in motion by Fate and those living long ago. Don't dwell on what could have been, Hero. The future is uncertain enough without being trapped by the past."

"And what of my future?" Victoria couldn't help but ask, wondering if she was doomed to be led blindly into horrific events forever.

Theresa smiled mischievously. "That is not for now. I'm certain we shall meet again one day, Victoria."

And, with that, Theresa vanished. The world righted itself. Victoria returned her gaze to Logan's kist, unsure what she ought to feel; everything was still taking a while to process.

A small squad of the Honour Guard fired off their gun salute for their fallen King, though most of them didn't seem all that interested in what they were doing. The coffin was carried into the family mausoleum, and then, as if she'd woken from some terrible dream, it was suddenly over.

When she didn't move to get up after several minutes, Walter put a gentle hand on her shoulder and, together, he and Jasper guided her up to the castle. Any other day, and she would have been offended at them thinking she was so fragile. They didn't say anything, though; maintaining their vigil until they were forced to part ways. As Walter trudged off to welcome the court back for their first meeting since Logan's death, Jasper showed Victoria up to her rooms. She vaguely wondered how he knew she wanted to be alone for a while.

The door clicked shut behind them, encasing them in silence. Victoria, shakily, slumped into her vanity's seat.

"Why does everyone I love die, Jasper?" she whispered, almost pleading with him to make things right. Elliot, Logan, her parents…maybe her living hadn't been a victory; maybe it was just some strange tragedy that had yet to unfold. Maybe the truth was that she could never love anybody without destroying them.

Her fingers clenched on the polished stone of her vanity's counter, slightly crumpling the papers atop it: a pair of unopened letters each bearing Reaver's seal, an old newspaper, and some royal documents being the only ones of note. The room suddenly felt claustrophobic and she wished she'd not already used up all of her tears.

As if sensing his mistress's distress, Nero trotted over to her from the bed and gently nudged her hand with his nose. He looked at her with such loving concern and Victoria stroked his fur as if he were a rope holding her above water. In a way, perhaps he was.

Jasper, abandoning formality for once, knelt down before her. "I'm afraid, madam, that I cannot answer why. The ones we love and lose always seem much too alive for death. All I know is that there is some purpose behind it. The ones we love never truly leave us."

"Do you think so?"

"I know so," Jasper replied with a sorrowful smile. "Their memory lives on to push us and comfort us. I find, in times of stress, that it can both ground and inspire one most admirably. As long as you remember them, they and their legacy will survive." He stood up and retrieved a small-ish box from atop her dresser. Jasper carefully removed her crown from it and set it atop her head. "Fear not, Your Majesty; everything will be for the better soon enough."

Victoria took a deep breath to steady herself. The weight of the crown was more emotional than physical, but it made it that more real all that was about to change. Funny, she thought, that her first real political challenge as Queen was coming from Reaver. Some things never change.

Nero barked slightly, tail wagging so hard his entire body was wiggling in enthusiasm. His bark was cheerful as if he agreed with Jasper. It filled her with hope that, just maybe, she could do this.

You hope so, child, don't you?

Victoria looked into her vanity mirror, smile slowly growing secretive. Her reflection was that of a wraith: black and smoky, her form seemed whipped by endless high winds as glowing red eyes glared back at her. It looked much as Logan had just before his death. Victoria gave it a significant look, knowing she was the only one who could see it. And, very slowly, the Crawler smirked back.

Staring into those red eyes, Victoria suddenly felt very…peaceful. "You know what Jasper?"

"What, madam?"

"You're right. Everything is going to be alright."

End?

AN: Well, it appears MoI has reached its end. For now. (It is, of course, my duty to leave you with ebil cliff-hangers to mark the end of a fic. ;)) To those of you who have read, reviewed, favorited, or followed, I send my most heartfelt thanks. Thank you for sticking with me so long, I hope you enjoyed the ride and I hope to see you again when Blackout is finally ready for posting, sometime at the end of this year. Much love!

Dev. Notes: I've no excuses, explanations, or regrets. ;)

[edited; ver. 3]