CHAPTER SIXTY
TANYA'S POV
For the first time in a very long time...
There was peace.
No war.
No hatred.
No sacrifices.
No enemies waiting in the shadows.
The covenant was quiet once again.
But this time, it was a peaceful silence.
Not the silence that comes before tragedy.
The war against Raymond was finally over.
The truth had been revealed.
And yet...
One final wound remained.
King Adrian.
A few days after Raymond's death, King Adrian requested to see me privately.
I found him standing beneath the sacred baobab tree.
The once-proud king looked older than before.
Weaker.
Burdened.
The moment he saw me, he lowered his head.
"Tanya..." he said quietly.
I remained silent.
For years, this man had hated me.
Judged me.
Misunderstood me.
He believed I was nothing more than an ungrateful child and later a dangerous witch.
King Adrian took a deep breath.
"I owe you an apology."
His voice trembled.
"I was wrong about you."
I looked into his eyes and saw something I had never seen before.
Regret.
Real regret.
Without saying a word, I summoned the Sacred Mirror.
The silver surface shimmered before us.
"Then see the truth for yourself," I said softly.
The mirror began to glow.
Soon, images appeared.
A small frightened girl.
Me.
The day I entered the palace seeking justice.
The day my uncle abused me and stole everything that belonged to my family.
The day I begged for help.
The day King Adrian dismissed me.
The day I left the palace broken and alone.
The king watched everything.
Every tear.
Every humiliation.
Every injustice.
When the vision ended, silence filled the air.
King Adrian fell to his knees.
Tears streamed down his face.
"I never knew..."
His voice cracked.
"I trusted the wrong man."
He covered his face.
"For years I hated you for being an ungrateful child."
His shoulders trembled.
"When the real monster was my friend."
I felt no anger anymore.
Only sadness.
The king looked up at me.
"Can you forgive an old fool?"
For a moment, I stared at him.
Then I nodded.
"Yes."
King Adrian closed his eyes in relief.
Later that week, the king called Daniel and me to his palace.
The entire council had gathered.
Nobles.
Elders.
Generals.
Everyone.
King Adrian stood before them proudly.
"I have hidden the truth long enough."
The hall became silent.
Then he told them everything.
About Queen Eleanor.
About Daniel.
About the exchanged child.
About his mistakes.
About his threats toward his late wife.
About how his impatience had forced Eleanor into making desperate choices.
For the first time, he blamed no one but himself.
Many people were shocked.
Some were angry.
Others cried.
That same evening, King Adrian visited Queen Eleanor's grave.
Daniel and I watched from a distance.
The former king knelt before the tombstone.
"I am sorry," he whispered.
"For all the pain I caused you."
The wind blew gently through the trees.
And somehow...
It felt like Queen Eleanor had finally found peace.
Days later, King Adrian made another announcement.
One that shocked the entire kingdom.
"I am stepping down."
Gasps echoed throughout the palace.
"I no longer deserve this throne."
But the people refused.
They demanded another solution.
Then one elder stood up.
"We already have our king."
Another nodded.
"Prince Daniel."
Soon the entire hall agreed.
Daniel.
The man who had protected both humans and witches.
The man who remained loyal to the kingdom despite learning the truth about his birth.
The man who chose peace instead of revenge.
My eyes filled with tears as the people chanted his name.
Daniel looked completely overwhelmed.
That evening, my godmother called us aside.
Daniel's biological mother.
The Queen of Witches.
She smiled softly.
"There is something we have decided."
Daniel and I exchanged confused glances.
"The kings and rulers of every pack have spoken."
She looked at Daniel.
"You belong to two worlds."
Then she looked at my swollen stomach.
"And so will your child."
My heart skipped.
"The decision is final," she continued.
"Daniel will rule the human kingdom."
She placed her hand gently on my belly.
"And your son will one day inherit the Snake Pack and become King of the Pythons."
Daniel and I stared at each other.
Relief flooded through us.
For once...
No one was forcing us to choose.
Peace spread quickly across both worlds.
Humans and witches began working together.
The sacred baobab medicine cured many illnesses.
People traveled from distant kingdoms seeking treatment.
Hospitals expanded.
Trade flourished.
The kingdom grew richer than ever before.
And for the first time in history...
Humans and witches stood side by side.
One month later...
Daniel and I were married.
It was the most beautiful day of my life.
The covenant was filled with celebration.
Humans.
Witches.
Snake Pack warriors.
Lion Pack witches.
Everyone came together.
There was music.
Laughter.
Dancing.
And happiness.
Pure happiness.
As I stood before Daniel in my wedding dress, tears filled my eyes.
After everything we had suffered...
We had finally made it.
That night, I lay in Daniel's arms.
His hand rested gently on my belly.
Holding both me and our unborn child.
For a long time, neither of us spoke.
We simply enjoyed the peace we had fought so hard to obtain.
Finally, I smiled.
"Thank you."
Daniel looked down at me.
"For what?"
"For not giving up on me."
His eyes softened.
"There was never another choice."
Then he kissed my forehead gently.
"I would find you in every lifetime."
Tears filled my eyes again.
That night, we promised each other something.
No matter what happened.
No matter what challenges came.
We would face them together.
Forever.
Soon after, Daniel was crowned king.
The people celebrated for days.
And he ruled wisely.
Just as everyone expected.
Years passed.
I gave birth to a healthy son.
Our first child.
As promised, he grew up within the covenant learning the ways of the witches and the Snake Pack.
The Queen trained him personally.
By the age of twelve, our son was crowned King of the Pythons.
And future ruler of all witches and wizards.
I cried proudly throughout the ceremony.
Daniel cried even more than I did.
Though he denied it afterward.
King Adrian frequently visited the covenant.
At first, he claimed it was because he wanted to see his grandson.
But eventually...
The truth came out.
He had fallen in love.
With my godmother.
The Queen of Witches.
To everyone's shock, she loved him too.
Years later, they married.
And King Adrian chose to spend the rest of his life beside her within the covenant.
Even Daniel could not stop laughing when he discovered the truth.
Jerry and Tammary moved to the human kingdom.
Together, they helped us manage the healing centers and hospitals.
Their family grew.
And so did ours.
Years later, Daniel and I welcomed triplets.
Two girls.
And one boy.
Our home became noisier than ever.
But I loved every moment of it.
The lonely girl who once slept inside a dog house...
Now had a family.
A home.
A kingdom.
And love.
More love than I ever imagined possible.
One evening, many years later, Daniel and I sat beneath the sacred baobab tree watching our children play.
The sun slowly disappeared beyond the horizon.
Daniel wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
Then he smiled.
"I used to think I was cursed to love a witch."
I laughed softly.
"And now?"
He kissed my forehead.
"Now I know I was truly blessed to love my beautiful witch."
Tears filled my eyes.
"I love you, Tanya."
I leaned against him.
"I love you too, my Daniel."
And beneath the same sky that once witnessed war, hatred, and heartbreak...
We finally found our happily ever after.
THE END