Marina stood there for a long time, looking at the ocean. Then she felt Greg's hand slip into hers. She squeezed Greg's hand in thanks, and they both watched as the wind carried the ashes away.

And then something amazing happened.

The clouds above them started to change and move, making shapes against the blue sky. Marina gasped when she saw them.

They were three distinct shapes made of white and gray clouds that looked exactly like Kael, Denna, and Ryn. They were smiling, or at least it looked like they were, and they seemed to be looking down at her with what could only be called approval.

"Do you see that...?" Marina whispered because she was afraid that if she spoke too loudly, the vision would go away.

"I see it," Greg said, his voice full of awe. "They're saying goodbye to us."

The cloud shapes moved together, coming together and breaking apart, and moving across the sky in a way that felt like happiness, freedom, and peace. Then, slowly, they started to go away, turning back into regular clouds that floated lazily across the horizon.

Marina stood there with tears running down her face, but for the first time since the dungeon, they weren't tears of sadness. They were tears of letting go, of accepting that her friends were finally at peace.

"Rest well, my family," she said softly. "Until we meet again."

She looked at Greg, and the smile on her face was real, but it was weak. "Thanks for being here with me."

"I couldn't have done this without your help."

Greg said, "You're stronger than you think," and then he reached up to wipe her tears. "But you're welcome."

They stayed there together for a while longer, looking at the ocean and the sky, feeling the sun's warmth and the comfort of being with each other. And slowly, little by little, the heaviness that had been on Marina's chest started to go away.

...

Something changed on the way back to Ferndale. Marina was still sad and still trying to make sense of everything that had happened, but she seemed lighter than before. She joked with Bork about how bad he was at driving, made fun of Felix's terrible sense of direction, and even got Seraphine to smile a little.

Marina was almost back to her old self by the time they got to the workshop. When they got to the workshop, they found Lylia, Elwen, and Donetta waiting for them with dinner already made. The smell of roasted chicken and vegetables filled the air, and there was more food on the table than they could eat.

"Welcome back," Lylia said with a smile. "How was it?"

"Beautiful," Marina said, and she meant it. "Sad, but lovely. They would have liked it."

Everyone sat down to eat, and for the first time in what felt like forever, the mood was light and easy. People told stories and laughed, and slowly the Brotherhood of Peace started to feel like a family again.

Marina stood up and cleared her throat halfway through the meal. She held up her glass of wine. Everyone was curious about her.

"I have something to say," she said, and the way she looked at Greg made him suspicious right away. "As you all know, things have been awful for me lately. In a literal sense. And during that time, I learned something crucial."

She stopped for a long time, and Greg's stomach dropped when he realized what she was going to say. "I realized that life is too short to not say how you feel."

"I told Greg I love him, and guess what? He loves me too. That means, ladies, that I am now Greg Greyson's girlfriend. I am the first and only woman to win the heart of the famous blacksmith who refuses to make weapons."

Lylia let go of her fork. Seraphine's eyes got big. Elwen made a small, hurt sound. Donetta even looked surprised.

Greg's face turned red as he said, "MARINA! Did you really have to fucking announce it like that?"

"Of course I did," Marina said with a smile. "I worked hard for this, Greg. I went through weeks of pain and saw my friends die."

"I deserve to be able to brag, especially since I'm the first one to win in this harem situation!"

As she looked around the table at the other women, her face turned smug. "Sorry, girls. I was the first one here. Better luck next time."

"Marina!" Greg hissed, embarrassed.

Marina, on the other hand, laughed, and it was a real laugh that seemed to brighten the whole room. Greg was embarrassed, but he couldn't help but laugh too. This was Marina, the woman he loved, who was sarcastic, brave, and completely unashamed.

And if she needed to deal with her trauma by being really proud of their relationship, he could handle that. Lylia was the first to feel better, but her smile was tight. "Well done, Marina."

"I'm so happy for you both, even though it should be me for the first..."

"Thanks, Lylia," Marina said in a sweet voice. "I know you liked him too. Don't worry, I'll let you borrow him occasionally to get cooking tips."

"And if you're brave enough, you can get that second spot!"

"I didn't..." Lylia began, but then she stopped and shook her head. "You can't be serious."

"I like the phrase 'efficiently competitive' better," Marina said as she sat back down next to Greg and put her arm around his shoulder. "But impossible works too."

"But, don't worry, girls! You get your spot soon enough! Hahaha!"

"This harem shit thing is still going, huh..." Greg sighed.

Seraphine was looking at them with a look that made it seem like she was trying to figure out the odds of this happening. It seemed like Elwen wanted to say something but couldn't find the right words.

Greg just sat there, feeling both embarrassed and loved, wondering how his life had gotten so complicated. But as he looked around the table at his found family, the people who had been there for him through everything, and Marina, who was using him as a personal armrest while she continued to tease the other women, he realized something.

This was the peaceful place he had been looking for when he first came to this world. But the messy, chaotic, and complicated peace that came from being around people who loved him, even when he was broken, had done bad things, or didn't deserve it.

"To new beginnings," Bork said all of a sudden, raising his glass. "And to the family we've built together."

"To new beginnings," everyone said, and they drank together as the sun set outside the workshop windows.

Greg looked at Marina, who was smiling at him with so much love and mischief in her eyes that it hurt his chest. He kissed her temple and didn't pay any attention to Felix's catcalls or Elwen's disgusted groan.

He whispered, "I love you," just for her.

"I know," Marina said back in a whisper. "And I'll never let you forget it."

The last light of day faded into twilight outside, and three wisps of cloud slowly moved across the sky, almost as if they were keeping an eye on the little workshop and the people inside. It looked like they were smiling.

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