She got downstairs after keeping her guests and family waiting for about five minutes after the boys came down.
"Arba!" Morgetha exclaimed as soon as she saw her descending the stairs, rushing her in embrace, leaving her family surprised.
"Do they know each other?" Archer was the one who voiced the question on their minds.
"Something like that" Morgetha said laughing
"Yeah, something of that nature" Arba seconded.
Morgetha was ready to chat away with her new best friend till noon, but she soon had to give way for her brother to greet his belle.
Arba smiled as she stood motionless for some time just looking into Caleb's blue eyes that could drown her, then remembered she is yet to greet the Queen.
"Hello, Arba" the Queen smiled at her as she held her in motherly embrace.
It's funny how fast people could change sometimes, just the day before, neither Arsila nor Morgetha would ever consider to stoop so low as to visit or even dine with people they consider entirely beneath them like Arba and her family, but now here they are laughing with them.
Arba had never left home all her life for fear that she would be in danger for being different. And the one night she went out she discovered her parents were right, the world out is not all dances and balls. But if she never left the house that night, she would have never defeated those who were after her, she would have lost the boy who would turn out to be her one true love, she would have never gotten her best friend, Morgetha. She would probably have never gotten another chance to change the course of her destiny.
Soon it was getting late, the royal family had to say their goodbyes.
"Promise to write, I will always write back and I'll visit as much as I can" Morgetha was saying as she hugged her, "Oh I'll love to show you around the capital too, it is so very beautiful, visit anytime you can, will you?"
Morgetha's excitement was infectious that even as Arba knew she probably wouldn't be able to afford a trip to the capital, she found herself agreeing to visit. She would love to really, the way Morgetha had described Caledun, the capital, it sounded like a dream, if only.
Next she bid Caleb goodbye, there was a funny strange feeling in her chest anytime she looked into his eyes. A good strange, she liked it.
He promised to visit often and take her to the capital himself whenever she wanted. He wanted to kiss her on her cheek, but her brothers were sending him death glares and he knew better than to go against the warning in their looks, prince or no he couldn't face all nine brothers, they would beat him to a pulp. So instead, he settled for giving her a chaste peck on her hand.
Then the Queen wished her well, thanking the family for their hospitality as she said her goodbyes. Arsila wasn't over-nightly fond of the young girl, but the girl seemed nice enough. She had somehow transformed her daughter who usually preferred her own company, if the sudden change in Morgetha was because of the bond Arsila couldn't tell, but it was nice all the same. Plus, the girl, Arba, does have great powers, its best to keep her close.
As Arba watched the Royal carriage drive away, she waved, hoping this wasn't their final goodbye. She would love to see them again, mostly Morgetha and Caleb.
~.~
Thanks to the influence of the Queen, the King made a royal decree that no 'Gifted one' is to be discriminated against or attacked by society, just because they were born different.
Arba could freely go out now, although it did take the townspeople some time to get used to the fact that her family had had a secret daughter all this while, that they had kept hidden. The town's best Gossips couldn't believe they had not gotten wind of such a note-worthy gist prior to the time she was revealed to town.
Her life did turn around for the better, her family's too. About three of her brothers are married now, the family is growing.
Fuhrer was imprisoned for attempting to end the life of the Princess among other crimes. His relationship with his daughter was having some improvement as she continually visited him in the dungeons, having conversations with him.
Misera left the Magus and followed her passion which is painting art.
Arsila became the leader of the new order of the Magus.
~EPILOGUE~
[About four years later]
She walked down the hallways of the castle at Caledun, chatting with her best friend she now considered a sister, she was basically her sister in law.
They discussed the rigors of being a first time mother.
"The little piglet just won't let me sleep at night, she is up every hour" Morgetha laughed as her best friend complained to her about her niece.
"It will get better with time; Arce was like that too at that age" Morgetha said referring to her own son.
"It better and soon" Arba said fiercely causing Morgetha to laugh again
Just as they were talking she saw her husband walking towards them with the little piglet in his hands beet red as she bawled, that seemed to be the only thing she does these days; cry and eat, cry and sleep, cry and cry.
"She can't let me be for a minute, can she?" Arba groaned loudly, Caleb laughed as he came to her, placing a kiss on her cheeks before dropping the crying baby in her arms
"Do you think maybe it is because of the name we gave her?" Caleb said, his eyes twinkling mischievously
"What is wrong with her name?!" Morgetha asked
Arba knew where this was headed and moved aside to a nearby bench to go nurse her golden-eyed baby they had named after Morgetha.
"I didn't say anything is wrong with it?" Caleb was saying slowly moving away from his sister
"So what do you mean by what you said?"
"Nothing" he said raising his hand as though resigning from the banter, only for him to say, "Just that the name is the problem. Have you met you, sister?"
"Hey! Come back here, you meathead!" she had already begun chasing the Prince who was now running, expecting her to chase. They still acted like children sometimes.
"Nothing is wrong with me, you! Have you met you? you are clueless, insufferable, annoying…" were the last words Arba heard Morgetha shout to a laughing Caleb before they went out of hearing range, taking their bickering further into the castle, down the hallway.
Arba laughed, as she now sat alone with baby Morgetha, at how the siblings do this almost every time Morgetha came around, very similar to she and the twins whenever they came around. Baby Morgetha laughed as if she also saw what her mother remembered that made her laugh. Arba brought her up to her face and pecked her cute soft rosy cheeks.
She may be a disturbance at times, especially at night, but Arba wouldn't trade her little bundle of joy for anything in the world.
She looked around her, considering all she had now, her life is great, she could live like this.