Contents
Epilogue — 12.
Overview
Gwen visits London for Robin Fellows’s retirement and reflects on their shared book drawn from Arthur’s work. As Russia invades Ukraine, Gwen and Robin watch news of the Mariupol maternity hospital strike and glimpse a dragon in the blast. The sight confirms other dragons exist, reigniting Gwen’s resolve. Robin cautions that they cannot fight every dragon themselves, reframing their limits amid a widening threat.
Summary
In late winter 2022, Gwen travels to London for Robin Fellows’s retirement party, where she is celebrated as coauthor of Arthur’s book, having completed his unfinished work. Amid rooftop toasts and a view of the Thames, Gwen feels a powerful pull to stay in England, a yearning bound up with her feelings for Arthur.
Walking Robin home across Westminster Bridge, news breaks that Russia has invaded Ukraine. In the following days, Gwen and Robin watch the war unfold on television, stunned by images of tanks advancing and cities burning.
On March 9, footage of the Mariupol maternity hospital strike airs, flashing with violent light through smoke. In the flicker, Gwen glimpses a dragon’s reveling shape—wings spread, jaws open—and seizes Robin’s hand, realizing Robin sees it too. The vision confirms Gwen’s fear that more dragons exist behind recent cataclysms.
Driven by urgency, Gwen insists they must act, recalling the California megafires, Notre‑Dame, and Beirut as signs. Robin gently resists, telling Gwen they cannot fight all the dragons themselves and should let others have a turn, setting a sobering boundary against Gwen’s renewed determination.
Who Appears
- GwenAttends Robin’s retirement; coauthored Arthur’s book; sees a dragon in Mariupol blast and renews resolve to act.
- Robin FellowsRetires after forty years; shares Gwen’s dragon sighting; counsels that they cannot fight every dragon.
- ArthurAbsent but central; his unfinished work led to the coauthored book celebrated at the party.