The time has come for my part of this tale to come to an end. From hunting Unicorns to deciphering curses, marrying my Imaginary Friend and meeting the ghost of Gretle Goth, and making the Valley home to creatures it had long lost, my story has been one of magic and dreams. I had often wondered what my title might be, having seen the plaques that befitted my ancestors in the gardens of the House. The Author, The Adventurer, The Builder, The Lover, The Mother, and now, The Dreamer. We had all accomplished so much more than being a Caretaker or a creator.
As we celebrated Quentin and Rhys’ birthdays leaving only the triplets in their young adulthood, I was able to take a moment to witness how far my family had come. Like many moments before it at weddings and even funerals, I was in awe of the connection and love we still held between us regardless of age, time, or distance. It wouldn’t be long before we were entering our golden years and watching our children take over and I think that was why my mother had insisted on not simply celebrating the milestones.
“You can’t be serious?” I scoffed.
“I’m sorry. They’re threatening to take the Centre down entirely if you don’t agree.” Mel flinched as she spoke.
“This is ridiculous!” I stopped before I could launch into a rant when Tilly walked into the kitchen. “You mean I have to send him away, to Aurora Skies?” I leveled my voice.
“Yes.” Mel chewed the inside of her cheek.
“Why not just tell me to stop competing? Why does he have to go?” I balled my fists at my sides.
“Because this isn’t about you winning too many trophies. They don’t like the idea of supernatural beings being in the Valley. They don’t like you having access to power like that.” Mel whispered as Tilly loitered in the corner.
“Is something wrong?” I spoke loudly in her direction. Her head lifted up and her usual snarl was replaced with a cautious line.
“I think this has something to do with my sister.” She glanced awkwardly at the door.
“We’re listening.” Annoyance edged my voice.
“Mildred has never been a fan of the supernatural. She didn’t even care about the Council until you asked to meet Gretle. I don’t know if this has anything to do with the curse but I wouldn’t be surprised if she was the reason the Council want you to send Kai away.” Tilly’s frown made me reconsider a harsh response.
“What about you? Are you a fan of the supernatural?” Mel spoke up.
“Ori told me that Matilda might be involved in this whether I like it or not. I don’t want to see her hurt because I tried to shelter her from things I’m powerless to stop. Mildred has been feeding Noah and their kids all sorts of stories about Kai and your family and warned them to stay away. I know I’ve not always been the most welcoming sister-in-law, but at the end of the day if its our daughters that are at stake then can we at least agree to work together in a common interest?” Her eyes seemed to plead with me and I recognised a helplessness from being kept in the dark too long. I resisted the urge to deny Noah’s involvement and instead reached for her hand.
“You and your daughter are as much my family as your husband. If Mildred wants to move against us, we will protect our blood.” I recalled Gretle’s words.
“She’s my blood too.” Worry etched into Tilly’s brow.
“That may be true, but there is no stronger power than the love of a mother.” Melody and Tilly took a hand of mine each and joined their remaining hands. I knew nothing of what would come but I remained steadfast in that moment that we would be united regardless.
Prom came around for Winnie and Vincent shortly before Xavier was due to join them at High School. I remembered how my mother had crammed my siblings and I and our dates into the hall to take innumerable photos before we left. My children patiently smiled and shifted until I was happy with their portraits.
“Come on Seph, they’ll be late if you keep going.” Cosmo gently took the camera from my hands and I noticed the twins shoot him a grateful look before moving towards the door.
“Ok but you two have fun! Don’t be late home and call me if you need anything!” They echoed my last few words and laughed together. I gaped at Cosmo in a plea for parental support but he joined in with their laughter and ushered them out to where their limo and friends waited.
“You and I both know this was all a distraction from making a decision about Kai.” He smiled at me knowingly.
“I wouldn’t call it decision, that implies options.” I frowned and stepped into his arms. “I hate the Council.” I mumbled.
“I know. I would see them dismantled in an instant but we want Winnie to have a seamless transition.” He repeated our words from endless conversations and deliberations about our next move. In the end we knew that I would have to sacrifice Kai to protect my daughter and that was a choice none of us would regret.
That night we met by the lake in the mountains above the cliffs. Kai found me and without speaking whisked me away into a world of colour and magic. He had sensed something was wrong and I didn’t know if he hoped to ease my stress or make the most of our last time together.
“Our time is almost up, Princess.” He shifted his feet as he spoke in my mind.
“I don’t want you to go. This isn’t a choice I want to make.” I felt tears brewing as I reached for his mane.
“I was never meant to stay. Only to help.” His eyes swirled as he stared at me. The night began to feel oppressive like my dreams when I was much younger.
“They want to arrange a collection to take you to Aurora Skies.” Salt seeped into my tongue as I spoke through tears.
“I will make my own way to a world of my choosing. We won’t let them take me.” I imagined a handsome smile in my mind as he plotted against them.
“Where will you go? What will you do?” My voice sounded further away and my mind became unclear.
“Don’t worry about that now. You must rest, there are battles to come and you will need your power.”
“Don’t you mean your power.” I corrected him as a faint buzzing filled my ears.
“I grant you the power you need to break the curse but there is a power inside of you that grows every day. You must conserve it.”
“What do I do with your power? How do I store it?” I felt the world slipping away as I spoke.
“Take this blessing. It is the Blessing of the Unicorn bestowed to only the highest conduits of Good magic. You must pass it directly to the cursebreaker.” His horn glowed in the night sky and I reached forward to touch it.
Before I could make contact with the unicorn I was blinded with a stream of light. I stepped back as the light ensnared us both. A silence I had never known covered me and I froze in time. The stars seemed to burn brighter and the air move thicker than ever before. In this blinding cascade of light the unicorn vanished. The ground stood empty as if it had never been touched by its hooves.
“Goodbye, Princess. May your dreams survive an eternity of night.” His voice echoed in my head and with that the light vanished and the world seemed to return to spinning on its axis once more.
I returned home late that evening shaken and dazed. Cosmo helped me into bed as I mumbled and whispered about what I had seen and what would come next. I woke the next morning with a sore head and puffy eyes and was surprised to remember the whole thing. It was a few days of rest before I found my voice to tell the Council that Kai had made his departure of his own accord and that I was retiring from jockeying completely. The ranch welcomed Ricochet and Nightfall on a permanent basis and a popular new jockey took on Shadow. Melody and Tilly had created a way to speak without Mildred’s awareness and we agreed that her daughter Marlene would take over her duties on the Council. When the time was right, Marlene, Winnie and Matilda would be the keys to protecting our future.
As the dust settled and the twins prepared for graduation, I finally found the time to speak with Winnie. As generations had before us, we met at the photograph Blair had taken of Sunset Valley in its infancy. The exhibit had stood strong through the test of time and our family had never lost touch with our heritage because of it.
“You want me to be the next Caretaker?” The shock in her voice disarmed me slightly.
“You didn’t already know?”
“Well I hoped, but I didn’t know if there was like a test or something.” She shrugged as she admired the photograph. I laughed and reassured her she had passed all the tests to prove that she was true to herself and that was enough.
“Does it matter if I have a career? I know Aurora did and so did you but the others…” Winnie drifted off.
“Do you want a career?” I realised I had never asked.
“I want to be a performer. An acrobat. I want to be the best the world has ever seen.” She smiled confidently.
“Then who am I to stop you?” I smiled back.
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