Epilogue — Life was filled with much joy after that.
Matthew was a much better person after his experience as a pig, and he became known as a wise and merciful king. His reign was noted for its peace. He and Ella had three more children, and they invited all the extended family and their friends (including Jay) to the castle for the Name Day Celebrations.
Mark had many adventures and eventually found his true love, but that’s a story for another time.
After a long courtship, Eli and Mary were married in royal splendor (as reported by Miss Pringle’s Nosey News). They bought a gypsy wagon and a horse, and they spent most of their time traveling between the kingdoms as ambassadors for Nelsonia. Mary remained a quiet woman all her life. She never did get used to cities and crowds, but people gathered at their campfire at night, and it was considered a great privilege to hear her sing.
Fritter was decorated for bravery by both King Matthew and King Winky. Fritter’s true love, Betty, married him and joined him at the dragon’s caves. Fritter became known far and wide as an expert herbalist and potion maker. Their descendants can still be found in the dragon’s employ.
Col and Bee were reinstated by the Nelsonia Magical Guild and recognized for their heroism. Col regained his rights to the Miracle Mix formula, and the profits from the yearly sales made him a very rich man. Col and Bee turned down the job as Head Wizard and Witch for the kingdom. Instead, they took a certain small boy home with them, to love and raise in the Tulgey Woods.
Felix retained more of his magic than he had realized at first. When he grew up, he was often invited to the Royal Name Day celebrations. His gifts tended to be highly unusual.
MacQuire and Connie returned to the Tulgey Woods and to their werewolf kingdom. They remained great friends with Jay, Ezra, and Janine, and they often visited the dragon’s caves.
Jay B. R. Wokky cared for his precious dragon egg, and when it hatched, he named the dragonlet Fiona. He was very busy raising the snarky female. Together they patrolled the Eastern Mountains and eventually had four children.
Josiah T. Dumfries the Eleventh received two medals: One for his bravery, and one for being the oldest postman ever to be on active duty. He officially adopted Bernie, who became a postman with the rest of the family. Mr. Dumfries lived to be 120 years old and entertained his great-great-grandchildren with stories about the Tulgey Woods and the great dragon who saved the kingdom of Nelsonia.
As for Ezra and Janine, they spent most of their time at the dragon’s caves. Ezra invented a system of ventilation that improved air circulation and cleared up Jay’s allergies. Ezra also invented a new heating system which kept the caves toasty in the winter. He continued to share his inventions with the gnomes and humans for a price, and he became almost as wealthy as Jay. Ezra and Butterfingers remained life-long friends.
Janine continued to learn herbal lore from Fritter, but she never did reveal the secret of how she had healed so many people during the war. When they were old enough, Ezra and Janine got married. Their children grew up playing with the dragons and became known as dragon riders.
Old Bob, Bee, Coll, and many other friends and family would often come from miles away to stay at the dragon’s caves. There was nothing they liked better than to gather by the fireplace in the evening and listen as Janine entertained them with stories.
Janine helped Jay to write an epic poem about all the events that had transpired, and Fritter sent it in to the contest. Jay not only won first prize, but he had a star named after him. Jay’s epic poem became a best seller. Hundreds of years later, that poem and other records of Nelsonia would be inherited by one of Ezra and Janine’s descendants – a man named Charles Lutwidge Dodgson.
The End
Carol Nicolas 