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Back The Ever After Save as PDF
Chapters (92)
  1. Cover
  2. TheEVERAFTER
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. 55
  58. 56
  59. 57
  60. 58
  61. 59
  62. 60
  63. 61
  64. 62
  65. 63
  66. 64
  67. 65
  68. 66
  69. 67
  70. 68
  71. 69
  72. 70
  73. 71
  74. 72
  75. 73
  76. 74
  77. 75
  78. 76
  79. 77
  80. 78
  81. 79
  82. 80
  83. 81
  84. 82
  85. 83
  86. 84
  87. 85
  88. 86
  89. Epilogue
  90. GLOSSARY
  91. TheEVERAFTER
  92. By Amanda Hocking

“I’m not trying to defend what happened,” Runa said, speaking slowly and carefully. “I’m merely explaining. After we were married, we moved here to Doldastam, away from my friends, my family, my lake. I was shunned, and Iver worked long hours to support us. The winter was so dark and cold, and I was alone, very, very alone.

“I went out to the bar one night, and Indu was there,” Runa went on. “No one else would even talk to me, because I was Skojare. But he did. He bought me a drink, and then another. We talked for hours and then . . . we spent the night together. And I never saw him again.”

“Does Dad know?” Bryn asked.

Runa sniffled and nodded. “After you were born. You were a few weeks old, and I thought he should know the truth. Iver already loved you so much, and he never stopped, he never thought about leaving you. With time, he forgave me, and we moved past it.”

“But I didn’t deserve to know the truth?” Bryn asked sharply.

Tears streamed down her mother’s cheeks. “I told you the only truth that mattered—that Iver and I love you more than anything. You’re our daughter, Bryn.”

16

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Birthright

The visit with Bryn’s mom had been mercifully short, and Bryn didn’t say much on the walk back to the apartment. I took a long shower—both because I needed to wash the stress and grime away, and to give Bryn the privacy to talk to her boyfriend and process what she’d learned today.

When I came out of the bathroom, Bryn apologized for the awkwardness, and she forced a smile as she suggested we still try to have a good time.

“You’re never in Doldastam, and I never take time off, so we ought to make the most of it,” she announced.

And she had a point, so I agreed, and we spent the afternoon doing things around town while we pretended that Bryn wasn’t internally reeling. We saw the Tralla horses, and we rode her horse, Bloom, around the edge of the city. For supper, she took me to Juni’s Jubilant Confectionery, and I had the most delicious semla ever.

After that, Bryn took me on an after-hours tour of the palace. She explained all the battles depicted in the giant stained-glass windows, and when we went around the corridor with all the kings’ portraits, she knew facts about every one.

I took a picture of Elliot Konrad Strinne, the sixth monarch in the Strinne Dynasty and the twenty-eighth monarch of the Kanin kingdom. Nearly twenty years ago, he’d fallen ill with an infection of the blood, and he’d died when he was only twenty-six years old. According to Pan’s mother, she’d worked as a human trade liaison to the King, and she and Elliot had fallen in love and they had Pan together.