"I just wanted to try and give you a 'real life', you know?" Cindy said quietly as they walked slowly along the beach. "So you'd have a chance to see what it was like, so you'd know what mortals were like away from the battlefield. We're connected right? I know you had very little exposure to people, outside of killing them."

 

Aeronwy asked, "Why did you make me a child?"

 

Cindy shrugged, "A few reasons. I knew you had fun like that when you slaughtered the Brotherhood. I knew people would be a lot nicer to you as a strange child, than they would if you were a strange teen or strange adult. And I knew Ciara needed a friend, and that she and Sid would both welcome you in like that."

 

The two of them had left Sidney's home so they could have a private conversation. Though it took some amount of persuasion to convince Zoe to let Cindy out of her sight. The catgirl was afraid, and for good reason, that she might never see her girlfriend again.

 

"And when did you realize what it was doing to you?" she asked, looking up at Cindy.

 

Aeronwy was still in the form of a ten year old girl. That was the body Cindy had given her and as long as she was on Earth it was how she would appear. She didn't mind it, and for the past ten months she'd allowed most of her self to remain dormant while she experienced life as a more-or-less human child. 

 

She was fully awake again now, and while her body remained that of a ten-year-old girl she was in truth anything but. The handful of people she and Cindy passed on the beach saw only the odd blonde teen and the brunette child. If they knew the truth they'd likely flee in terror.

 

"It was only about a month," Cindy admitted. "I figured out pretty quickly that when we were both on Earth I was draining. At first it took a few days, but it kept speeding up. By Zoe's birthday it took less than a day. Then in June it was less than an hour."

 

She added, "And now, this is it. I'm already drained. The next time I go back there will be the last. I won't be able to return to the mortal realm again."

 

Aeronwy looked up at the blonde. "In all the millennia I've existed, I've been feared. I've been hated. My name has been cursed by many and invoked by few. The ones who would call upon me only did so to satisfy their lust for power or land or conquest or glory. Even my own sisters planned to use me then discard me, as you well know."

 

She shook her head slowly, "Those like my sisters and I don't normally subscribe to human concepts such as 'good' and 'evil'. But in this case I will admit Cindy, I was not a 'good' person. Had you not hidden yourself from me then subsequently trapped me, I would have destroyed you. And I believe you know that."

 

"Yeah," Cindy shrugged. "That's what I figured."

 

"So why then would you sacrifice yourself for me?" Aeronwy half demanded. "I honestly don't understand."

 

The blonde shrugged again, "What I said earlier? I wanted you to have a good life. I wanted you to get to know mortals, to have some good experiences with them. I wanted you to see what it was like not being feared or hated. I guess I wanted to give you a chance to be better. I wanted to try and help you, same as everyone else."

 

After a few more paces Cindy stopped and looked at Aeron. "I wanted you to feel loved."

 

The small goddess admitted "You have achieved all that and more, Cindy. Stay here, stay with Zoe. Don't throw your life away for me."

 

Cindy sat down on the sand. "I already told you, it's hard for me to just live here. So many people are looking for me and everything. And if I stay, you have to go."

 

Aeronwy sat beside her, "I'm immortal, and you are my vessel. I can always return to visit through you. If you go, that will be the end of you. I'll remain here for a while, however long it takes for this physical body to break down and cease functioning. Then I'll be back there with you. Cindy don't condemn yourself for eternity just to give me a few decades on Earth."

 

There was another sigh from the sorceress. Aeronwy could tell the girl was reluctant to rethink her decision. She could also sense that time was running out. If she didn't convince Cindy to change her mind soon, the clock would run out and the choice would be made for them.

 

Aeronwy could only think of one other option. She'd hoped to convince Cindy to stay, but as it appeared that wasn't going to happen she would make the other offer.

 

"There is another possibility," she said softly. "An option which would allow us both to remain here together."

 

Cindy frowned. After a few moments she asked, "What's that? I've looked at this from every angle I could think of for months and all I can see is only one of us can exist here."

 

With a sigh, Aeronwy replied "We could share. We could join, and exist together within the same corporeal shell."

 

She elaborated, "It is not without its risks, and we both may be forever changed. I don't even know for certain that what I propose is possible, but I believe if the alternative is you spending eternity imprisoned in my fortress then it's worth the effort to try."

 

Cindy continued to frown as she appeared to be thinking it over. "Why would you want to do that for me?"

 

The small goddess smiled slightly, "You have been sacrificing your soul so that I could experience friendship and love. In return I will risk my individuality so you may remain here with me."

 

Aeronwy added, "You took my name as your own, Cindy Aeron Talbot. I think that's a sign."

 

"If we try this and it fails, one of us will die." Cindy pointed out quietly. 

 

"If we don't try," Aeronwy replied calmly, "One of us will definitely be lost for all eternity."

 

Cindy was quiet for a few more moments. Then she sighed, "Ok. Let's go tell the others. And say goodbye. Then we should go somewhere isolated, just in case. If things go wrong, we don't want to cause another Anomaly problem."

 

"Agreed."

 

The two got to their feet and started making their way back towards Sid's home. 

 

Their pace was slow. Aeronwy could tell Cindy was weary and her energy was waning rapidly.

 

 

 

It was a few minutes past four in the afternoon. The sky was overcast and growing dark, and a light but constant rain was falling. There was a chill in the air, but Zoe ignored it along with the rain.

 

She still felt numb, hollow, empty. Ten days had passed since Cindy and Aeron both said goodbye. They said they were going to attempt to fix the problem, they'd come up with a possible solution. But neither returned.

 

Then last week an envelope arrived from a lawyer in Cardiff, delivered to Sid's place via courier. Apparently Cindy made the arrangements nearly two years ago. According to the letter, she knew almost from the start that her days were numbered. She didn't know how it would happen or when it would come, but she knew once she started trying to change the world that her luck would run out sooner or later.

 

And now here they were. Ciara stood to Zoe's left, Sidney at her right. All three of them held each other as they stared.

 

They were in a small cemetery just outside Aberaeron, in Ceredigion, Wales. Before them was a new gravestone, set at the edge of the graveyard. It was polished black granite, the inscription was fresh and crisp.

 

Cindy Aeron Talbot

b. November 7, 2020

d. November 15, 2025

she #ChangedTheWorld

 

"I still can't really believe it," Sidney whispered.

 

Zoe fought back some tears as she tried to respond. On her second attempt she finally got the words out. "I know Sid. But it's what she wanted. She knew it couldn't end any other way."

 

Ciara sniffed and rubbed her eyes as she leaned against Zoe's side.

 

The three stood there for a while longer, before Zoe finally sighed "Let's go."

 

Her companions both nodded in agreement. Zoe concentrated and cast the spell, and a moment later the three of them were back at Sid's place in Australia.

 

Sidney commented, "I'm not sure there's much point going to bed, the sun'll be up in a half hour. We should get out of these wet clothes though. Then I think I'll head out for a run once it's light out."

 

Ciara sniffed again and said, "I'm going to bed."

 

Zoe watched as the girl went to her room. Sid took a few steps to her bedroom as well, then hesitated.

 

"Zoe? Are you going to be all right?"

 

She thought a few moments, then finally nodded. "I'll be ok Sid. Actually, I'm going down to the beach. I want to watch the sunrise."

 

Sidney gave her a weak smile, "I'll see you down there in twenty minutes or so."

 

Zoe nodded and smiled back, though it didn't reach her eyes. She slipped off her jacket and left it hanging on a peg by the front door. As Sid went into her room, Zoe headed outside.

 

The pre-dawn light was already starting to fill the sky to the east as Zoe made her way down the hill towards the beach.

 

She crossed the road, and as she continued towards the beach she noticed there was another figure already there. 

 

A young woman was sitting alone on the grass in the little park overlooking the beach and water. Zoe didn't really feel like company, but she had to go past her to get down to the sand. 

 

She stayed off to one side as she made her way across the grass, but also kept an eye on the stranger. 

 

The woman was wearing a tight black bikini top and black cut-off shorts, and she was barefoot. She looked about the same size and age as Zoe. She was around twenty years old, and probably about five-foot-four or five-foot-five. She appeared to be slim, but curvy. The young woman had shoulder length wavy hair that looked jet-black in the pre-dawn light. 

 

She turned to look at the catgirl, and even in the darkness Zoe could tell the woman had brilliant blue eyes. 

 

"Hello Zoe," the woman greeted her quietly.

 

With a sigh, she approached the stranger. She stopped a meter or two back and asked warily "Are you Aeron? Or Aeronwy?"

 

The stranger smiled slightly and replied, "Actually we're thinking of calling ourselves Kat from now on."

 

Zoe was about to ask what she meant by that, when the woman held out her right arm. A tattoo was visible on the inside of her wrist. Zoe's eyes widened and her heart began to race. She'd know that tattoo anywhere, with the three runic letters that spelled out C-A-T. 

 

"Sorry we were gone so long," the young woman added. "It was a bit of a rough ride."

 

Zoe stumbled towards her and dropped to the ground, to sit beside her on the grass. She tried to keep her emotions in check as she asked, "Is it really you?"

 

The brunette nodded, "Yes. We're going to let the legend die though. Let the world believe Cindy's gone. She did what she set out to do, she changed the world. But I'm still here."

 

Zoe shook her head slightly, "How do I know it's really you though? You don't look anything like her. You don't sound like her. That's her tattoo but..."

 

The stranger gave her a mischievous look. Then she stuck out her tongue and flashed a cheeky grin. Nobody else in the world did it quite like that. There was no doubt in Zoe's mind now, it had to be her. She threw her arms around Cindy and the two fell back on the grass together as they hugged.

 

Zoe felt more tears flowing, but this time they were from relief and happiness. They held each other for a few minutes, before more questions came to mind. She pulled away and sat up so she could look at the brunette.

 

"So what happens next?" she asked as she wiped her eyes. "Are you going to disappear off to your cabin again?"

 

"Nope," Cindy shook her head. "The cabin still exists, Caer Aeronwy still exists, but we're not bound to it anymore. We can go visit if we want, but we don't have to."

 

She paused, then said softly "Zoe I'm sorry I left you alone for so long. I'm sorry for putting you through so much stress and heartache this year. And I'm sorry for putting you through even more of that these past ten days. You have every right to hate me, to be angry with me, and to never want to see me again. If you'll give me a second chance though, I promise that will never happen again."

 

Zoe wiped her eyes again. She wasn't sure yet how to respond. She was definitely still angry, but she was also relieved and overjoyed.

 

After a few moments of silence, Cindy asked "Did you notice there's a little bungalow for sale, two doors down from Sid's place? I was thinking... If you wanted to, if you liked the idea, maybe we could buy it? Maybe you and me could settle down together. Have a quiet life here, be neighbours with Sid and Ciara?"

 

That sent another wave of emotions through her. Zoe wiped her eyes again and smiled, "I think I'd really like that."

 

A few moments later her smile faded as she asked, "What happened to Aeronwy?"

 

"She's still here," Cindy replied. "So is Aeron, which was an unexpected surprise. Me and Aeronwy figure her time on Earth with Sid and Ciara must have been enough to sort of solidify Aeron as her own person?"

 

She elaborated, "I think it's mostly going to be just me though. The others might come out occasionally? Like Aeron might want to spend time visiting with Ciara now and then, and I suspect Aeronwy will turn up if anyone ever threatened us or our friends."

 

"Um, Aeronwy's also going to take over what I was doing to combat hatred and stuff, against marginalized folks?" Cindy added. "She'll probably handle things differently than me, and she says it's something she'd only do rarely so you don't have to worry about us disappearing on some crusade or something."

 

Zoe frowned as all that sank in. After a minute or so she asked, "So what are you now?"

 

Cindy shrugged, "Dunno? We're still just us, but we're sharing. Maybe a little like Ciara and Will? We're a sorceress, an ancient warrior goddess, and a ten-year-old goddess of war."

 

She paused a moment, then said quietly "We're Cindy, Aeronwy, and Aeron. But all together, we're Kat."

 

"Why Kat?" Zoe asked. "Where'd that come from?"

 

Cindy held out her arm again, "So C and K use the same glyph right? So instead of C-A-T our tattoo can be read as K-A-T. Instead of my initials, it's our name."

 

The catgirl frowned, then reached over and gently 'booped' Cindy's nose. "You know people are going to think it's strange that between you and me, you're the one calling herself Kat."

 

"It's Kat with a K," Cindy deadpanned. "Nothing to do with the word cat. It's probably short for something? Like Katherine maybe? Or Katrina? I don't know, something like that."

 

Zoe smirked, "You should probably work out minor details like your name, before we start introducing you to people cutie."

 

Cindy just stuck out her tongue then grinned again. 

 

"C'mon!" Zoe said as she suddenly stood up, then pulled the newly-minted brunette to her feet. "We need to see Sid and Ciara!"

 

As they started back up the hill together Zoe slipped her arm around her girlfriend's waist, and felt the brunette's arm wrapping around her shoulders.

 

"You grew up," Zoe commented, referring to her girlfriend's body.

 

"We did," Kat smiled. "In more ways than one."