Months fly by leading up to the end of Jaime and Mei-Xing's deal. In that time, a cold passed around the family. The huli-jing was afraid it was because of her presence, but her lover comforted her with an embrace.

"It's not you. This will pass," he repeated with a sniffle.

Part of her mind wanted to leave to see if things will get better for them, but Jaime's love bubbled up an intangible weapon from her heart.

Her thick white tails tingled with magic. She pointed the ends of her tails at his chest. The magic flowed through.

The pressure around his temples disappeared without a trace. No dizzy spells. Each breath without a hinderance. Her eyes widened and stared at him.

He smiled widely while holding her hands. "You cured me!"

Her jaw dropped with welled up eyes that it worked. She stopped herself from crying as she went to cure the rest of the family. The same effects took place, but she surveyed each of them for anything out of the ordinary.

Her golden irises watched Jaime sleep until the next morning. He woke up without any lingering side effects. He rubbed the bags under her eyes with his thumbs. She quickly dozed off with a peaceful smile.

 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

While going out with him to assist his work, a monocled man of elegant poise tasted a sample of his wine in the corner. The old man leapt up from his chair with excitement.

"This is kostlich (Germ for delicious)! "Who made this Albarino Mel?" He looked around.

"I did, sir," Jaime responded. "I'm glad you liked it."

"Liked it? I loved it! It reminds me of Eiswein from my native country. Sweet and smooth! I would love to invest in your company and expand it to the furthest limits!" He declared to an amazed crowd while handing an engraved card with gold lettering.

"Wow. Thanks, sir. I'm ready to talk business when you are."

"Wunderbar! Let's start now! Grab a seat!"

Mei-Xing goes to leave, but Jaime grasps her wrist. "My partner needs to know as well."

The monocled man motioned for her to sit down. She couldn't help but smile from ear to ear from being included more in his life's work. She listened to the terms of their deal and Jaime accepted the terms with his gut urging him to do it.

Their business relationship ended up beneficial as the name of Albarino Mel expanded to the multiple kingdoms of Germ and parts unknown. Record profits allowed the couple to buy a house of their own.

Jaime let her design each room to make it feel like home for them. He noted the white opaque silk curtains on the windows and for their bed transparent ones.

"Hmmm," Jaime smirked at her.

Her thin eyebrows rise up. "What are you thinking?"

"Is the transparent ones on purpose?"

He ducked a pillow, but eight more hit his body. He grabbed a pillow for a quick pillow fight with her, before tripping her into bed. Their eyes softened and hardened upon their gaze.

"I can't wait to marry you after our deal," he told her.

"I hope to see that day as well," before part of her frowned not knowing what the future holds.

"One day at a time, novia," he reminded her. She hoped he will be right......

Fortunately, Jaime proves her wrong as the good outweighed the bad up to their wedding day in Albarino. After dancing and their reception, she initiates the consummation of their marriage with a quick removal of his pants with her bare hands. Day turns into night which ends with him resting on top of her with her tails wrapped around them.

"That was great," she lets out a happily exhausted sigh.

"Took the words out of my mouth," he heavily breathes while wiping the sweat off with her tail. Magenta meets golden in pure bliss before kissing each other again.

"Thank you for proving me wrong, zhangfu (husband)," she whispers before falling asleep. She lays her tails over him like a blanket.

"I'm glad, qizi (wife)," he looks at her before closing his eyes.

Father, I met someone magical just like you did with mama. Continue to watch over us.

-----

The backyard of the Bennett Mansion is abuzz with the sound of children of chasing each other through the field of flowers. Barriba chases after Soran in a game of tag but isn't catching up with him until one of her cousins throws her on his back to chase on four legs. His nine tails flow behind him just like his two other siblings.

She touches Soran on the back.

"Not fair, cousin," he chuckles.

"You didn't say those rules clearly," she openly argues without shame before laughing. "Thanks, Fenhua."

"You're welcome," his magenta irises smile at her.

Bumva and her family watch on as they go on to play a new game. The matriarch is proudly wearing the same violet dress and the wedding necklace her late husband, William, gifted her. Seeing Jaime and Mei-Xing's children with his tan complexion brings back good memories of Melody.

"Sileh, Rodrigo time for your lesson!" Luis calls out to the fox children with golden-brown eyes. His robe flatters in the wind, but the royal insignia of the Engla Lion holds fast. He sets down balls of various sizes.

Sileh and Rodrigo run up and stand on two legs. They bow in excitement to get started.

"Show what you know," Luis encourages.

"Xingxing," Sileh states in Chin while holding his arms out in front of him. Warmth travels between his hands as two white stars appear that he holds onto.

"Xin yue," Rodrigo says aloud. A crescent resembling the phase of the moon appears in his right hand.

Their uncle throws a ball at Sileh who throws out the stars like projectiles. The stars knock the ball away while he forms another pair. A ball approaches Rodrigo who throws his crescent weapon. The ball is also deflected, but the crescent returns back to be caught by his nine tails.

After getting warmed up, they combine their stars and crescents into a team attack which cuts a large ball in half with their power. Their jaws drop since that never happened never before.

"This is good though, Just keep that within your training lessons," Luis assures.

"Yes, uncle!" They respond before bowing to conclude their lesson.

"Great job!" Jaime congratulates as he scoops his twin boys into his arms. Their tails wrap around his shoulders in happiness. "Come over here, Fenhua!"

His son with magenta irises jumps up into his arms. Their mother embraces the group with her larger tails.

"So proud of all of you. Thank you, brother," she tells Luis who nods at her.

"What would you like to do now?"

"Ooh! Ooh! Can we listen to that story?!" Soran pipes up. The fox brothers also affirm that decision with waving tails.

"Is it finished?" Barriba asks her father, Gulak, who's holding her mother in his lap.

"Even though the first part is done, it's still ongoing. I will be right back," he sets his wife's feet on the ground. He returns back with a black book with a stamped approval for best seller and sits down while Claude and Tiffany strum their mandolins to set the mood.

Cara kisses Claude on the neck as he plays. Their years of love summarized in that kiss. Despite their old age, a few strands of silver were in the couple's hair.

Javier helps a pregnant Esmerelda rest in a chair before rubbing her feet. She happily moans from the pressure leaving her feet. She smiles at her doting husband.

"Melody, your papa is a great man," she rubs her bump.

The youngest of the Bennett family sit on the grass with focused eyes. Gulak recites the story from the beginning. 

"Let's begin. The story of your grandparents. The Skeleton Queen and the Bard....."

Their eyes are in wonder as Gulak Bennett recants with the prose of a musician. The action, magic, and romance in the story entices them. Their ears hang on every word as Bumva looks on with pride.

The blue sky turns to a painting of orange and pink as he closes the book.

"Our grandparents were awesome!" Sileh comments.

"I had no idea grandma was a maiden to the Queen," Barriba states while not knowing the truth since she's too young to understand.

"I wish we could have met them,"  Fenhua's tails droop down.

His dad tilts his chin up. "I know that they would have loved you all. Even though they're gone, they live on in your hearts," Jaime assures. His son looks up with a gentle smile.

He and the childrens' stomachs grumble.

"I'm hungry!" Barriba tells her parents. They chuckle from her attitude.

"The stew should be ready by now," Bumva announces.

They head on inside. Gulak and Ghulnea walk with their daughter in their hands. They lift her up in a swinging motion as they walk. Once in their room, Ghulnea brushes her daughter's hair as her husband puts away the book.

Barriba is ready but notices her father is looking over some paperwork.

She pulls on his sleeve. "Let's go, father!"

He shakes his head back to reality. "Of course," before placing the papers back in the safe. 

The whole family sits down in the banquet hall to enjoy bowls of stew. Bumva's emerald eyes look on in joy at her grandchildren before turning them to a funeral urn containing the ashes of William and Melody. It doesn't hurt her anymore to look at that urn. She imagines their proud smiles as she strokes the jewel of her necklace.

As the family splits up to leave for the night, Bumva notices Gulak is writing additional notes of today's events.

"Get some sleep, son," she whispers after knocking softly on the door.

"Just a minute...And done. Good night, mom. See you in the morning," he embraces her before she leaves to her room.  

Hope you will love the next story, mom and dad, while he places the papers into the safe. He gazes upon the title.

The Legacy of the Skeleton Queen & The Bard.

Gulak cuddles his wife and daughter in bed while settling in. He imagines their widened eyes from the truth of their family lineage.

Bumva gets into bed and closes her eyes. Her ears perk up from hearing something. Soft, yet pleasant. She recognizes the tune as her and Will's favorite song. She sits up and blinks multiple times at the corner of her room. The two familiar figures holding hands flash her a smile before vanishing in the moonlight.

She grins from seeing them again. They're in the afterlife together and will be waiting for her when her time will come.

"I love you both. It will take time but continue to wait for me. I want to see my grandchildren grow," before falling asleep with a peaceful grin. She gets her wish as they became adults living their own lives.

Gulak reveals the truth of Mel and William to the children when they were old enough to understand. They express shock, yet happiness that things worked out for them. He continues to write out their adventures to pass onto the next generation.

Sileh and Rodgrio become expert mages under Luis' guidance, solving magical problems along the way. Barriba becomes leader of the tribe of Terrible with her cousin Soran as chieftain of the Brutal tribe. Fenhua marries an elf woman and moves to Germ to live out his life with her.

Gash, Jr, and Emilia run a private security business for those who need their help while Hector becomes the lead captain of the king's guards. One day, he sees a commotion between a shopowner, a guard, and a mint green woman he had never seen before.

He estimates her height to be less than Ghulnea's 1.2-meter stature. Long, backwards tipped ears that are a few centimeters past the back of her short teal hair. Her broad nose flares up from the lobbied accusations. She yells at the shopowner while pointing her long, thin arm at him. Her description helps him remember: Goblin.

He gets off his horse and halts the commotion from rising any further. He finds out that the shopowner is refusing her lockpicking service despite working for his family's security business. She's quick to show the guard proof that she's an employee for Emilia's firm, but the guard doesn't believe her since her species is "known for lying".

She gets drowned out by the shopkeeper and the guard, but Hector vouches for her.

As soon as he did, both the guard and shopkeeper leave her alone because of his status. She is astonished that a human defended her. Her blue eyes get captivated by his magentas as he checks on her. She averts her eyes but can't help but notice his well-kept brown beard and thick matching hair.

Her feet shuffle upon him apologizing for their behavior. He hands her a card that would legitimize her words in case it happens again. He then notices his captain's ring is now in her right hand. She teases him with a smile that makes his heart skip.

She gives it back to him and asks if he can accompany her back to Emilia. On the way back, she "drops" her work bag in front of her. As she slowly bends down, Hector can't ignore her plump yet muscular legs. An audible exhale makes the goblin smile from teasing him.

After arriving at the shop, he informs Emilia of what happened. Emilia grips her daggers in anger for how they treated her. She slowly lets it go since Hector took care of it. Before he leaves, the goblin and him exchange names.

"Vezzi, would you like to go out with me?"

"I would, sir knight," she curtsies to him.

The dates only brought them closer together. He enjoys her fiery spirit and her teasing, but his words and looks make her like puddy in his hands. He reveals the secret of his parents which she accepts without any doubt.

"I'm glad they met because we couldn't be together. I love you, Hector Bennett-Ramirez."

He brings her seat over to him and caresses her face, before their lips lock together. Burning urges almost convince them to strip naked in the restaurant, but they stop.

They quickly get married at the Bennett Estate with their friends and family present. After the reception, he rides them to a luxurious hotel.

Before consummating their marriage, she decides to play a "game" she concocted. She "steals" something of his and if he captures her, he can do what he wants to her. They strip down with them excited to begin. He finds his wedding band in her hands and chases her down. He leaps upon her, pinning her small arms to the floor. 

Lust and love blend between their heavy breaths. 

He places her hand over his heart. "Vezzi, you took something that can't be returned."

She takes his hand to grope her breast. "You did the same thing. Protect it," she exhales.

"I will," before kissing her passionately.

He takes his time with teasing her small body, inch by inch. The fireworks don't stop until the next day. He brushes through her teal hair as she rests her head on his chest.

Their games get more interesting when he ties her up and has full control of her small frame. Her pleasurable screams are contained with his lips while holding her in mid-air. The domination drives her mind blank and her body begging for more. Thanks to the games, they were blessed with four sons and one girl.

All of them grow to be around his father's height with them passing some jokes on their mom being the short sibling.

Hector would always scoop her up to his face and spoil her with kisses. "I love my short wife. She stole my heart."

She laughs with glee and appreciates their fruits of their love.

Jaime and Mei-Xing continue operating Alberino Mel with six more children along the way.

Esmerelda and Tuzah's farm expands beyond Engla. Esmerelda and Javier raise their daughter Melody to be a self-sufficient woman. She becomes the apple of every boy's eye, but she fends for herself until she personally proposes to a prince from Span that caught her attention from his compassionate nature. She is blessed with two girls and a son to carry on her last name.

Meanwhile, Nanka and Tiffany join the guild to go on many adventures of their own. Tiffany sings about Nanka's adventures with one about saving a woman in Chin from a malevolent dragon and bringing her to Engla for marriage. She and the woman adopt several children from the orphanage to bless them with a home.

Claude and Cara's relationship continues to blossom with age. The brothel owner watches on as he serenades her.

After applauding him, she strokes through the gray in his hair. "My lover has aged more finely than wine."

"The same to you."

Their lips reunite with the same love they had back then...

Bumva the Brutal Bennett passes away in her sleep from a well-lived life. At first, it's cold to her spirit before a warm hand grasps her hand. The bard turns to her with a smile before floating up to kiss her on the cheek.

"It's great to see you again, Bumva. I know you lived a great life," William tells her.

"There's so much we want to show you up here," Mel expresses with joy.

The female orc smiles before kissing her husband and sister on the cheek. They go off to explore the afterlife up which has Phineas, Will's parents, Bumva's parents, Drago, and Melody's citizens that welcome her.

Drago pulls out a deck of cards for them to play later.

On the day of her funeral, the spirits oversee a ceremony that was more joyful than sad. The trio's children and their loved ones are drinking, eating, and dancing to lively music in celebration of Bumva Bennett's life. Yarlg passes on stories where Bumva overcame difficulties in her life.

William takes Bumva's hand and pulls her into a dancing position. Their quick "steps" match to the rhythm of the music. Mel steals William for a bit before dancing arm in arm with her sister. The celebration continues until the next day. 

"A proper sendoff for my orc goddess," the bard tells her.

"Can we see them again?"

"Always," he confidently answers. "Stay out of trouble!" He yells to his children.

"Continue to love each other!" Melody adds.

"Go for what you want in life!" Bumva roars.

Their sleeping children stir up as if they just heard their voices calling out to them. Although they aren't there, they can feel their presence like a warm blanket. They wave their drunk hands to say hello to them.

The trio wave back at their family with peace that their legacy is secured. One filled with love and magic.

THE END.

****Thanks for all your votes, comments, and support! What were your favorite moments and who did you like the most? Also, enjoy any of my other works :)