"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage."

  Lao Tzu, Chinese Philosopher

  The darkness of night had long settled over the Castle of Glass when the last of fairies appeared beneath the Waypoint Pillar. Sapphire and her remaining warriors, who had refused to leave until every other fairy was safe in their new home, appeared exhausted as duty finally gave way to grief.

  They left their dead in the valley, in rows ninety long and ten deep, to await burial when the morning sun crested over the horizon.

  “Lightpaw and the others are to the north, Sapphire,” Milly yawned, directing her across the sandy eastern beach. “Just follow the footprints, and Nobori will be there to guide you when you reach the pines. They found a place to begin to rebuild where the ocean meets the mountain. There’s a pleasant inlet there, so the Eastern Waves will have access to the ocean.”

  “Thanks Milly,” Sapphire mumbled, her eyes bloodshot from exhaustion. She glanced at the shining towers that rose above her in the night, a lighthouse for her people. “It’s going to take some getting used to.”

  Milly held Sapphire back as her warriors moved across the beach. “The healers didn’t get to you?” she asked, as she traced her finger over the cuts that crisscrossed Sapphire’s arms.

  “The healers are just as exhausted as my warriors,” Sapphire replied. “I’m not a priority. There were others – children and the elderly – who needed their magic more than I did.”

  Milly’s hands glowed healing blue as she gently held Sapphire’s scaled arms. Her wounds began to heal. “You’re a priority now, Sapphire. Your people need you to lead. They are scared, and they need you to be healthy and strong for them.”

  Sapphire didn’t protest, a testament to the exhaustion and sorrow that had settled over the elder of the Kinship of the Eastern Wave. She had held back her emotions during the battle and the hours that followed, but even she had her limits.

  The cuts on Sapphire arm scabbed over enough to get her through to the morning without infection.

  “Go get some sleep,” Milly instructed as her magical glow faded. “We’ve all got some long days ahead of us.”

  Sapphire nodded her agreement and stumbled her way across the sand to rejoin her warriors. They marched towards their new home, with only the sound of the breaking ocean waves to fill the mournful silence that fell over them.

  Calista jogged across the sand just as Milly watched Sapphire disappear into the pines with Nobori.

  “How’d the town hall go, Cally?” Milly asked as another yawn escaped her. Her eyelids felt heavy, and her own words sounded distant as exhaustion took hold.

  “About as expected,” Calista answered, as she mirrored Milly’s yawn. She waved her hand across her face to try to keep herself awake. “Cheers and tears, and more than a little Freelancer outrage that we would make such an agreement with the CEOs. I can’t say I blame them. Elmer and I spent the last hour trying to calm down those who were closest to Matt, Veronica, and the others who died in the Battle of Tower Beach. I don’t think they’ll do anything stupid, but Elmer will keep an eye on a couple of them, just in case.”

  In the distance, the sound of celebration began to fill the air as hundreds of players gathered to celebrate the defeat of the arenas and the addition of three months to the Event Timer. The smell of roasted boar and mushrooms wafted on the breeze. Stone and Brass stood on a table as they soaked in accolades, and the strum of a guitar began to send its notes into the night.

  Milly looked for the origin of the notes and was shocked to see Shufflebottom – still clad in his jester outfit – seated on a chair with a simple acoustic guitar.

  “A guitar. Can you believe that? Apparently Shufflebottom kept one in his office and would practice during work. He’s talking about building a stage for performances once the wall is complete.”

  “Do you… want to go watch?” Milly asked, her question interrupted by another yawn. She stepped and stumbled, as exhaustion threatened to finally claim her. “We could… learn more about… him…”

  Calista scooped her girlfriend off her feet and into her arms, a wicked smile on her face. Milly gave a surprised squeal, then quickly nestled her head into the softness of Calista’s white dress.

  “I’ve got a better idea,” Calista whispered in Milly’s ear. “Come on, love. Elmer arranged a surprise for us, and I can’t wait to show you.”

  * * *

  Calista still carried Milly in her arms when the elevator opened to the fourteenth floor of Freelancer Tower.

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  “Welcome home, love,” she announced with a flourish as she carried Milly across the threshold. “What do you think?”

  “Home?” Milly whispered, as she stared across the empty floor. Like all the floors in Freelancer Tower, this one was permeated with the musky scent of disuse and had random stains on the ceiling and carpet. The large windows were cracked. It was open-concept and empty, save for a collection of old mousetraps along the heating registers and a wooden chair with three legs. A tiny staff kitchen, men and women’s washrooms, and four executive-sized offices – one in each corner were all that comprised the floor’s developed space.

  “It’s a fixer-upper, I’ll admit,” laughed Calista as she watched Milly take it all in. “But it’s ours. You and me, and Rain when she can leave the medical floor. She can’t keep living in that closet in her shop. Elmer insisted that we have our own space, and I didn’t have the heart to disagree with him.”

  “Home?” Milly asked again, speechless.

  I’ve never had a real home. I had started to think that way about the Castle of Glass, but this is just so much more… real. It’s a place to call my… our… own.

  “Our home. What do you think?” Calista asked expectantly.

  “It’s… it’s perfect, Cally,” Milly finally got out, overwhelmed with emotion.

  It’s the most beautiful gift in the world. In any world.

  “Good, because I have something else for you,” Calista whispered in Milly’s ear as her voice took on a sultrier tone. “Something I hope you’ll like even more.”

  Calista carried Milly to the southeast corner office. It’s windows overlooked rolling ocean waves and gently swaying jungle branches. Music from the celebrations below snuck in through the cracks in the window and bathed the office – their bedroom – in pleasant, muffled strums. Their queen-sized bed, which they had bought from the Emporia the night before they ventured into the wilds, had been moved and now rested against the ocean-view window, its blankets and pillows invitingly arranged.

  Milly stared at the bed, then at the seductive sparkle in Calista’s eyes, and she suddenly knew what Calista had in mind. Her heart began to race.

  “You know, beautiful,” Calista whispered as she leaned down and nibbled Milly’s ear. “This the first night we’ve had to ourselves.”

  “Cally…” Milly breathed as her face flushed and warmth spread within her. She squirmed in Calista’s arms, as exhaustion fled her mind and Calista’s touch filled her every thought.

  “I almost lost you today,” Calista continued as she slowly planted tiny kisses in wandering path from Milly’s ear to her throat. “Milly… I need you.”

  Milly’s chest felt tight as Calista’s kisses grew more urgent and moved to her shoulder, her hand sliding up Milly’s thigh and under her gown.

  “Cally…” Milly repeated, at a loss for words. She felt desire spread through her, and she knew she wanted it as badly as Calista. “Don’t… don’t stop.”

  It was what Calista needed to hear. Their lips locked into a passionate kiss as Calista carried Milly to their bed and laid her down gently. Their tongues intertwined as their kisses grew more urgent, until Calista finally broke away, chest heaving, and eyes filled with unbridled lust.

  “Cally… I’ve... I’ve never…” Milly stumbled, as arousal mixed with anxiety. Her insecurities surfaced and threatened to pull her out of the moment. “What… what if I’m no good…”

  Calista placed her finger on Milly’s lips with a wicked smile. She swung her legs across Milly and straddled her waist, her face filled with confidence. Milly could feel Calista’s heat against hers, and her heart threatened to erupt from her chest.

  “You just leave it to me,” Calista purred, as she teasingly lifted her white Amazon dress to her waist, her eyes never leaving Milly’s.

  “You like?” Calista teased. Milly just stared wide-eyed, but her hands found Calista’s hips.

  Calista raised her dress higher, revealing her toned belly, until it reached the bottom of her breasts.

  Milly gulped, heat rising within her, as Calista lifted the dress past her breasts and over her head. Calista threw the dress to the ground with a playful flourish and leaned over until her breasts were tantalizingly close to touching Milly.

  “I want you, Milly,” Calista breathed in Milly’s ear. “I want you so badly. I love you, and I need to feel every inch of you.”

  “I love you too, Cally,” Milly said, without hesitation. The words felt right, and she knew, in the deepest depths of her heart, that they were words she would say for the rest of their lives, however long that may be.

  Calista flushed, any lingering doubts of their feelings for each other cast away with those three simple words. She began to kiss her way down Milly’s body as her hands caressed Milly’s sides. She let her breasts slide down Milly’s stomach.

  Milly squirmed under Calista, and her hands found their way to Calista’s short, red hair, her desire growing with every moment that passed. Her fingers feathered through Calista’s strands as Calista’s urgent kisses moved lower with each one.

  “Cally… please… I need you.”

  There was a delicate snap, and Calista’s bra landed on the pillow next to Milly as Calista’s kisses flowed down Milly’s leg. Milly felt her chest grow hot as she glanced at the lacey bra – Calista’s only bra – torn in half a dozen places after two weeks in the God Contest. She could feel Calista’s bare breasts pressed against her legs, and suddenly Milly was very aware of how unkept she was after a week of living and fighting in the wilds.

  “Cally, I’m not… I haven’t…” Milly started, but as Calista looked up, Milly could see Calista’s face was as flush as hers, her desperate desire plain as day.

  “My love. My Milly. You’re beautiful. You’re the most beautiful woman in the world,” Calista said, as she gently – teasingly – lifted Milly’s gown above her waist and began to kiss her inner thighs. “I love you just the way you are.”

  “Cally, what are… oh… oh god,” Milly moaned as Calista moved higher, and the last remnants of Milly’s hesitation vanished in an instant. Milly’s fingers dug into Calista’s scarlet locks as Milly’s own lust consumed all else.

  “Oh… Cally…”

  * * *

  They made love into the late hours of the night, long after the last of the revelers below retreated to their cubicles. Milly learned quickly, and soon it was Calista’s moans that echoed through their new home.

  Eventually, exhaustion overwhelmed the lovers, and they fell asleep, curled in each other’s arms as the world fell silent around them.

  For one night – for one brief, wonderful night – Milly didn’t think about the God Contest. She didn’t think about her past life and the painful loneliness that had filled it. She didn’t think about the death that surrounded them, or the anger and fear that found its home in death’s wake.

  All that occupied her thoughts as she drifted into a peaceful slumber was the woman lying naked in her arms.

  The woman who snored like a banshee.

  Whom she had found in a nightmare.

  Whom she had grown to love.

  The Non-Canonical Aftermath: