MY CRUEL PROTECTOR
"We can rebuild it, Nevan. Not as a fortress. As a home. We have the land. We have the peace. And we have each other."
"And the 'final design' Julian mentioned?" Nevan asked.
I pulled a small, silver locket from the bottom of the chest. It didn't have data. It had a packet of seeds—seeds that had been genetically stabilized by Julian to grow in the scorched earth of the grove. They were a variant of the wild violet, but they were hardy, vibrant, and entirely natural.
"He left us the garden," I said, smiling through the tears.
Six months later.