Two months later

Mateo hated being sick. He thought he would be back on his feet by the time Isabella was born, but no. There he was–back in the hospital struggling to breathe. Tuberculosis was nasty. Why hadn’t it gone away? It did not help when the doctor gave him alarming news: his chance of survival was low. He would never recover.

Death was imminent. Mateo knew that, but he wanted to hold Isabella at least once before he became one with nature. Therefore, he fought as hard as he could for her and Maria, but he was exhausted.

Mateo rested under his white hospital sheets and he flipped through the incredible amount of “Get Well Soon” cards he had. The sound of his heart monitor relaxed him. The cards came from Evie’s family, his family, his friends at the Union, and children and people who idolized him as Ranger Anthony.

Dust found its way into the oxygen mask he wore. It tickled his nostrils, causing him to sneeze. He wanted to go home–he wanted to die there instead–but the doctors were not going to let him until/if his breathing improved. Mateo was scared that it never would. He thought about Maria to distract himself and set the cards down on his bed. He hoped that she was okay.

Mateo fiddled with his wedding ring, and then the Guardian’s Ring. “Please be okay, Maria,” he begged. He wished he could be there with her, but he was not strong enough.

A few minutes passed, and then he heard a knock at his door. It opened, revealing a young obstetrician. She looked like Evie with her long blonde hair and shimmering blue eyes. “Mr. Mateo, I have something for you,” she said.

Mateo pushed himself to sit up. He propped his back against his pillows. “Is Maria all right?” he asked, yawning.

The doctor hesitated. “Well... she...” A smile crossed her youthful face. “She’s just fine.” With those words, she opened the path to the door.

Maria walked through the thin entrance, in a teddy bear-patterned hospital gown. She held a small, pink bundle in her arms.

“Congratulations, Mateo,” said the obstetrician. “Your beautiful wife has given birth to a healthy baby girl.”

Eyes widening, Mateo asked, “Izzy?”

Maria approached the side of his bed and sat down with him.

The doctor opened the white curtains in Mateo's room. Bright sunshine scanned both the floor and his bed. It felt warm to the touch.

Maria held the bundle out to Mateo. “Here she is, babe. Our little Isabella.”

Mateo carefully took the bundle from her. One look at his child, and he grinned. It had been two months since he smiled like that. “Oh, Izzy,” he whispered.

The tiny baby looked just like him. She had Mateo's tan skin and his and Maria's black hair. Maria had tied a pink ribbon around her head. She slept soundly, with her little hand under her chin. Her ears, like Mateo’s, were pointy. Both she and Maria had small noses and poochie lips. Aside from Maria, she was the most beautiful thing Mateo had ever laid eyes on. Even more, he was her daddy.

Mateo cried up a storm. It was difficult to breathe through the sobbing, but he could care less. He just wanted to stare at Isabella forever.

“Isn’t she beautiful?” Maria asked. “See? I told you that you would hold her.”

“I love her,” Mateo choked out.

The obstetrician, who stood off to the side to give them space, felt like crying, too. She was both happy and sad for the new family because she knew Isabella’s daddy wouldn't be around much longer. At the same time, she was thrilled to have given him what he wanted most.

Maria patted Isabella’s head and said, “She has wings, Mateo.”

“She does?”

Maria nodded. “Yes. She’s our little fae princess. Honestly, I’m jealous that she took more after you than me,” she joked.

Mateo chuckled. “She looks like both of us,” he said. He set his palm down on Isabella’s belly.

Cooing, she stretched her arms over her head.

Mateo hugged her to his left shoulder, and that was when he saw his daughter’s wings. They stretched down the length of her back and blanket. Like a flower pending blooming, they had not yet opened. The wings were oval-shaped, white, and silky.

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Mateo sniffed. “She’s really a fairy. She’s really here.”

“She is,” Maria giggled, “and she already loves you, babe.”

Isabella heard Mateo’s voice. With her eyes still closed, she batted his shoulder a few times. She had been waiting a long time to comfort him herself.

Sniffing again, Mateo said, “Te amo, Isabella.”

He and his daughter slept together for a good while. Mateo did not want to let her go, and she didn't want to leave him. Every time Maria tried to pull her away from her daddy, the little girl fussed. Eventually, she settled down.

Maria brushed Mateo’s bangs out of his face. She took a picture of him and Izzy with her phone. Afterward, Maria pecked his right temple. “It’s okay, Mateo,” she softly said. “I know you’re tired.” She rested her hand on top of his. “I’ll take care of her, and one day when she’s older, she’ll see you. Watch over the Paperblank Forest as the Green Guardian. It’s where you belong.”

With her permission, Mateo let go. He passed away three days later on January 14th, 2022, exactly seven months after his 21st birthday.

Two weeks later

King Benjamin held the funeral at his castle. He gave Mateo a Viking-like burial, because of his plea to become “one with nature” when he passed. Benjamin was eager to grant his request.

Unlike most funeral days, it was not dark and rainy, but sunny. Evie, her family, and Mateo's friends from the Union (including John) followed King Benjamin down to a sparkly lake at the base of his castle. They hiked over small, green hills. The gray tips of the castle pierced the healthy sky.

The lake seemed to go on and on. It fed into a wood that Ben enjoyed exploring during his free time. He and Ms. Brook, with the help of John, set the wooden coffin down on the clear water. It had been decorated with a ring of bittersweet flowers. Engraved in the smooth wood were the words:

Anthony Mateo Brook

June 14th, 2001-January 14th, 2022

The Green Guardian

Ben peered over his shoulder to the mourning guests. He held an unlit torch in his hand. Before he, John, and Ms. Brook pushed the coffin out to the lake’s heart, he gave a small speech.

“Today, we are celebrating the short life of Anthony Mateo Brook, the most well-known ranger in all of Pinta Country. Mateo was a fighter. All he wanted was to see his little girl at least once, and he fought until he did. He cared about everybody and put himself at risk to protect his family, friends, and subjects. Pinta Country is blessed to have had such a wonderful ranger like him.”

Keegan put his arm around Maria’s shoulders. He brushed his finger across little Isabella’s cheek, who Maria hugged to her chest.

The baby girl reached her hand out to the coffin and shook her legs.

“Today is bittersweet,” Ben continued. “Mateo may no longer be with us, but he is here in spirit. He’s just embarked on a brand-new journey–a journey to the life he was meant to live, and I couldn’t be prouder.”

Maria was proud of Mateo, too. He was going to take good care of the forest. She could not wait for the day when Isabella would come to her and say that she saw her daddy. He was in a better place now, and that was all that mattered to Maria.

Keegan smiled feebly at her. “He was a good man,” he said. He still felt guilty about his abusive behavior toward Mateo, but he had to move on. Everybody did. “We'll miss him,” Keegan continued, “but we’re not going to make the same mistake, Maria. You’re not going to raise Isabella all by yourself.”

“Thank you, Mr. Madison,” Maria said. She rubbed a tear from her eye. “I’m just glad that he got to hold Izzy at least once. He died peacefully in his sleep.” Maria rocked Izzy gently, and that allowed her to fall asleep. She needed to feed her soon, but she decided to wait until after Ben burned the coffin.

“So chins up,” he said. “Mateo is now the Green Guardian, and he is watching us as I speak.” He glanced at the family. “Are y’all ready?”

"We are," Maria said. She smiled when Grandma Gilbert rolled up next to her in Mateo's old wheelchair, followed by Sam.

"He is one with nature," the old woman explained. "He just had a hard life, even from the beginning. If he's happy, we're happy."

“Very well, then. John.” Ben handed John the torch. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a box of matches. Ben scraped it with one match, creating a roaring flame. He lit the torch. He, John, and Ms. Brook pushed the coffin into the lake.

Ben waited until it hit the end of the sandbar, and then he chucked the torch. It hit the coffin, and it burst into flames.

Maria leaned her head on Keegan’s shoulder.

He hugged her close.

Evie, Embrose, and Charlotte came within reach of them. They were all decked out in formal funeral attire: black dresses and suits.

“He’s in a better place now,” Evie whispered.

“He is,” Maria said.

Like Ben mentioned, Mateo was there in spirit. His ghost and Faelyn rested in a tree next to the gathering. Mateo finally sported his long hair, wings, and fairy attire: his gold-trimmed, green tunic, lacy belt, brown pants, and tall chestnut boots.

The newborn fairy watched the coffin burn and said, “Thank you, Ben.” His eyes rolled over to Maria. “I love you, Maria and Izzy.”

Next to him, Faelyn punched his arm in a friendly way. “They’ll be fine, my son. You can visit them whenever you want.”

“That’s true,” Mateo admitted. He faced his dad. “Well, are you ready to return to the forest, Papá?”

“I am if you are.”

Faelyn and Mateo hopped off the branch they had been sitting on. Mateo soared down to Maria. He looked over her shoulder at little Izzy.

Maria shivered, as well as her family members. “He's here. I feel him,” she said.

“I am, Maria,” Mateo whispered. Since he couldn’t touch her, he blew her a kiss instead. He then shot into the sky and joined Faelyn.

Father and son flew above the puffy white clouds and twirled on the air currents. They high-fived one another.

“Let’s go,” Faelyn said. “The others can’t wait to greet you.”

“I'll race you to the forest!” Mateo laughed. As if he were a stone launched from a slingshot, he chucked his body forward.

“Hey!” Faelyn called. He chased after his son, flying the fastest he had ever flown in his life.

Together, they headed in the direction of the Paperblank Forest. They were ready, ready to start their new lives together... the life of the Green Guardian.

Final Word Count: 134,000