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The Hall of Windows

Chapter 80

"Aina, come on, darling!" Evelyn called, her voice echoing across the hall, across the pink sky. "You've got an eternity to look in those bowls!"

Aina, a beautiful red fox draped in a flowing white gown, was in a place the gods called The Hall of Windows. It was a very long colonnade, lined by rows of white columns. Flowered vines draped over its roof and snaked in a web up each great pillar. The pathway itself was lined with rows of white pedestals, and on each pedestal was a white basin of water, which served as a window into the mortal realm. It was through such basins of water that the gods could watch over mortals, though the water provided a very limited view, like looking through fogged glass.

Aina clutched the sides of a basin as she peered into its contents. She had been watching Azrian and her son for some time, though she wasn't certain how long. There was no concept of time in Skkye, and Evelyn had been waiting patiently enough. If her patience had waned, then Aina had likely been watching the basins for several mortal years. But she couldn't help herself. Life on Aonre was infinitely more interesting than anything happening in Skkye. She wished she could somehow relate this to mortals, that life was precious and eternity . . . overrated.

Aina had watched with bated breath as Azrian suffered and struggled, lost and wept. Now finally, Azrian was happy, living in Wychowl with Etienne and his daughter: Aina could _breathe_again. Azrian wore fine dresses to court and ruled at Etienne's side as queen, and the foxes worshipped her. She and Etienne went on to have many more children, all of whom lived in the castle, dog-fox whelps who bickered and tickled and ran and played. These dog-fox children were beloved by the public, dog and fox alike, and their existence encouraged the dogs and foxes to start regarding each other as sentient, valued beings who were worthy of living side-by-side with. It was . . . amazing. And it was far more than Aina ever could have hoped for while she'd been a mortal living in the forest, constantly running and hiding from the dogs.

Etienne's daughter, Princess Zeinara, went ahead and married Prince Sterling, and while both of them were unhappy about it, over the years, they became good friends, eventually ruling the kingdom in Etienne and Azrian's stead, and ruling it rather well. Zeinara gave birth to a child soon after they were married (and long before they were actually ruling). They named the boy Evernus Emerald, and Aina found it amusing that no one seemed to suspect the pup of belonging to someone besides Prince Sterling.

It probably helped a great deal that little Evernus looked completely like a King Shepard, with a black muzzle and a golden mane. He even had Zeinara's blue eyes.

Zeinara's lover Kayya was only too happy to help raise the boy. She stayed in the castle with Zeinara and never left, while Prince Sterling had his occasional lover on the side, and the arrangement seemed to work for the most part. The dogs viewed Kayya as the nanny of Evernus and not many knew that she was actually the queen's great love. It was the easiest way to protect her life, as many were still adjusting to the very idea of same-sex love between females.

Aina couldn't help but find it ridiculous that it was easy for dogs and foxes to accept each other and put aside centuries of hatred, but it took them twice as long to accept same-sex love between two females. When she complained to Evelyn, Evelyn only laughed and asked her what she had expected: the two of them had suffered for that very reason.

Aina was glad to see that at least her grandson Ettoras did not have to hide who he was. As planned, Ettoras restored S'pru, sacrificing all the magic he'd regained to do so. He then led his foxes to the SummerValley, where they were able to fight back the monsters and lift the time-freeze spell. They then set about rebuilding their lives, and all were welcome to live in the new kingdom Ettoras began, dog or fox, it did not matter.

Ettoras called his new realmKingdom Ere, the name being a reference to the time before that was lost, to all the mistakes that had been made by dog and fox alike and hopefully would not be made again. His lover Yeneneshe ruled at his side as queen, and she was such a powerful sorceress, she won the awe of the foxes under her rule very quickly, as well as the deference of the dogs who came to live in her lands.

Having no magic (again) had left Ettoras vulnerable, and Aina had to admit she was worried for him: what was a fox without magic? But she had to remind herself that Ettoras wasn't just a fox, he was also a dog. A few were foolish enough to try but most didn't dare to make an attempt on the life of Ettoras, as his powerful vixen queen was always at his side, ready to protect his life and crush those who threatened it.

Together, Ettoras and Yeneneshe had a daughter whose fur was black as night, whose mane was white as snow, whose eyes were like fiery coals, and who had the pale wings of an angel. They named her Nahimana, and in time, she was as powerful as her mother. Many believed she would rule Kingdom Ere well and protect it quite easily from those outsiders who wished it harm. As she grew older, any whispers of assassinating the royal family of Ere eventually dwindled.

And of course there were whispers. Aina wasn't even surprised. Many dogs were against foxes integrating within their society, and there were several small rebellions that took place over the years, bloody and unfortunate but always quickly put down by those in power.

Nahimana got along quite well with her cousin Evernus, and there were already scholars recording whimsical accounts of the two future rulers playing together in the mud. Each time they visited each other, they were practically inseparable, and Evernus doted on his cousin with a devotion that amused the ten kingdoms heartily.

Williamina Kingsley, however, was a different matter altogether. Better known as Will, she was a bully of a girl with black pigtails and smirking brown eyes, who loved to beat and humiliate Evernus at every given opportunity. She was the foxhound child of the Duchess Eva Kingsley and her husband Duke Edward Kingsley, but even still, her sense of self-importance was over-inflated, to the point that she thought she could bully the future king himself.

Young Evernus was always shy and no match for fiery Williamina. Though Nahimana had always protected him, there came a time when she decided Evernus should finally stand up for himself. The three of them were around the ages of twenty and twenty-one when Williamina humiliated Evernus at his own ball. Rather than run in and save Evernus yet again, Nahimana encouraged him to put Williamina in her place. Evernus did - publicly on the dance floor - and for the first time in her life, Williamina got a dose of her own medicine. She angrily followed Evernus from the ballroom, and when they were alone together, Evernus bravely turned to face her. He fully expected a slap and was utterly shocked when Williamina yanked down his pants and went to town on him. They were married two years later.

Aina backed away from the basin when she felt Evelyn's gentle paw squeeze her shoulder. "Alright, alright," Aina said, her lips curling in a half-smile. "It's just . . . it's difficult, leaving the Hall of Windows. I worry that they're in danger all the time."

Evelyn was a white foxhound with a long flowing mane, and as a result, her fur always seemed to glow incredibly bright - brighter than any god in Skkye. She was young and beautiful and draped in a long, flowing white gown. She smiled and tilted her head, and her blue eyes were bright against the warm pink sky.

"Maybe I should go down there," Aina said worriedly.

Evelyn laughed. "Aina! Our children can take care of themselves. They've more than proven that." Her blue eyes softened and she touched Aina's cheek. "Come, love. We're in paradise. Let's enjoy it."

Aina laughed as well. She took Evelyn's paw, and they passed together down the stone path, through the churning clouds, through the beams of sunlight, and into an eternity of bliss.

The End