Sword of Kings 3: Tempered by Fate - 25. Final Clarifications

In due time, the messenger Beraut had sent to the kitchen returned with several servants, each one carrying a tray laden with either food or drink. The companions were then advised they could eat as much as they wanted, so they eagerly began filling their empty bellies. Qaim made multiple return trips to the trays after he'd first selected something to munch on, but eventually he curled up in the corner and fell asleep, satisfied and content now that his tummy was full.

While they were doing this, Beraut temporarily exited the apartments and left them alone to enjoy their meal in peace. While he was gone, King Dylan and King Brolin both came into the room and began congratulating everyone.

“Kieren, my boy,” King Dylan began as he entered the chamber and sought out the lad. “I knew you could do it. Although you sometimes doubted yourself, I've always maintained my faith in your ability and held firm in my belief that you were the one. I was positive that you would be successful.”

“I never doubted you either,” King Brolin enthusiastically added, while flashing a broad grin. “After watching you at Leander and then observing you again at Thorold, I knew you were someone to be reckoned with. Then, after hearing the reports about how you had conducted yourself so auspiciously during your journey to the dwarf homeland, I was sure you would accomplish great things. From that moment on, I had every faith that you were the one the prophecy foretold of.”

“You all did very well,” King Dylan added, while turning slightly and perusing the faces of the others that had assisted Kieren on the mission. “Although I’m terribly saddened about those you lost along the way, their sacrifices helped to make this day possible and they shall never be forgotten.”

“I strongly agree,” King Brolin added once King Dylan had finished. “I also want you to know that my earlier promise still holds and you are all welcome to come back to visit Thorold again, any time you wish.” Everyone smiled and nodded in response to the dwarf king’s generous offer.

"And that goes for the elves too," King Dylan quickly added. "You are all invited to come and visit our wondrous homeland whenever you wish and you will be given a reception befitting a king."

“Your Majesties, you are both very kind and I'm sure everyone here appreciates your offers,” Kieren responded for each of them, as the others nodded their heads in agreement.

“Kieren, you may also drop the typical formalities when you are speaking with Brolin or myself from now on,” King Dylan advised him. “Very soon you will be crowned king, which will make us peers. This means you may converse with us the same way you interact with your other friends.”

"But I'm not sure I would feel comfortable doing that," Kieren shyly replied. "I'm pretty sure I'd feel as if I were being rude and disrespectful to you if I did that."

"Nonsense! You are now the King of Tarolia, whether you have the crown or not, so there would be nothing disrespectful or rude about you addressing us as equals," King Brolin added forcefully and sincerely.

“But shouldn’t my mother become Queen and rule first?” Kieren wondered. “From what I have learned about the royal line of succession, I believe it would allow her that honor before me. After all, she's older and is actually the next person who should be in line to sit on the throne.”

“You are correct in your assessment and that would normally be the case,” King Dylan answered as he cocked his head slightly to one side. “Maybe I shouldn’t be the one to tell you this, but I don’t think your mother will mind if I take the liberty to inform you about her intentions. At various times over the past few years, Cenobia has confided in Beraut and me that if you were successful on your mission then she would gladly step aside and allow you to rule instead of her. She has agreed to assist you as much as she can, at least until you feel you are ready to rule alone, but you will be the one who will be crowned king. She has assured us that she will be satisfied to remain in the background and simply bear the title of Queen Mother.”

Suddenly, everyone began cheering and congratulating Kieren. Although his companions had assumed he would be king all along, this confirmed what they had suspected. No one was quite certain who started it, but before long the chant of, “Long live the king,” was being shouted by all of Kieren’s companions and this quickly spread to the soldiers who were in the chamber with them or in the adjoining hallway. Once this raucous mood and deafening tribute had died down, each of those that had journeyed with Kieren and had assisted him on the mission now made his way over to congratulate him personally.

“Damn, I still can't believe my best friend is going to be the King of Tarolia,” Garreth said, while hugging his longtime mate. "I guess it means those kids that used to tease you so badly will have a rude awakening coming concerning their previous vulgar behavior." Garreth flashed Kieren a wicked grin after adding this comment.

“You were so brave,” Jana offered, as she hugged Kieren's neck and kissed him on the cheek. “I know you are going to make a wonderful king.”

“You doubted yourself when you shouldn’t have,” Alairic told him, as he shook Kieren's hand and knelt down before him. “I said you were destined to be successful and none of us ever doubted that you would be the one to fulfill the prophecy and become king. You have proven us correct, so now it is time for you to reap the rewards. All of this has been rightfully earned through the numerous hardships you endured along the way and your conspicuous bravery.”

“Alairic, thank you very much for your kind words and for everything you did while we were on the mission. I'm not just saying this for me, but for Romaric and Garreth too. You were always there to serve as our emotional support whenever we required it most and I shall never forget it."

"I was merely doing what the leaders of my race sent me on the mission to do. I was simply there to offer you whatever service was required at the time," Alairic humbly replied.

"Well I think you went above and beyond the call of duty where that was concerned," Kieren responded, as he turned and glanced around at the others as well. "To show how much I value all of you and appreciate what you did along the way, I need to make something perfectly clear. I do not want any of you to ever lower yourselves in my presence and kneel before me.”

Almost immediately, shocked expressions began to appear on everyone's face, and once Kieren's unprecedented offer had a chance to fully sink in; it was quite obvious that none of his comrades felt they should honor his request. This fact was easily judged by their unspoken reactions, but before they had an opportunity to grumble or argue with him about it, Kieren spoke again and attempted to defuse the situation.

“If you wish to nod your head to me or bend slightly at the waist when we're together, then that is entirely up to you, but I do not feel even that is necessary either," he announced, adamantly. "I wouldn't be in this position without your continued support and heroic actions throughout the very long and arduous journey we undertook together. Through your actions, you have more than earned the right to always remain standing in my presence and to use my given name when addressing me. I do not want to see any of you bowing or scraping when in my presence, nor do I expect you to use any formal titles when speaking with me.”

After he finished speaking, Kieren smugly glanced around the room to see if his message had sunk in. After a few seconds, it appeared as if each of the companions understood his message and he could tell they were deeply touched by his sincere and very gracious offer.

“Kieren, I know you will make a fantastic king,” Rhys told him, breaking the momentary silence. The Akiktite also pulled the young man into a very powerful embrace. “Even though you occasionally doubted yourself, you always showed tremendous courage when it was needed the most. You also possess a truly remarkable intelligence, which I know will prove to be a valuable asset to you when you're handling difficult situations. Even more important than that, you have also displayed outstanding leadership abilities during the time we have been together. Due to these amazing qualities, I know you will be a wise, powerful and very effective monarch. I shall always hold you in very high regard and publicly pledge my continued service as your faithful subject.”

"You, as well as Alairic, have been my emotional crutches when I needed some additional support and I wish to thank you for that, as well as for your offer of continued service to the kingdom."

“I humbly agree with Rhys, my liege," Turquinine stated, in his booming voice. “Methinks Selvaggio wouldst feeleth the same way if he beeth here. He wouldst be extremely honored that he made his final sacrifice whilst assisting thee to ascend to the throne.” Turquinine then shook Kieren's hand and bowed at the waist.

"Turquinine, you and Selvaggio were most impressive and I had never encountered two more impressive fighting men. I will never forget your bravery and the awesome fierceness you displayed as you battled with the Serpent Colossus, Bilgy and Srejan. I am convinced that without you, none of this would have happened." Turquinine merely bowed again at the waist, before he stepped to the side and let someone else approach Kieren.

“We also feel honored to have been able to serve you,” Quintain said for his brother and himself. “Even though we didn’t always see eye to eye with everyone on this journey, you made some very difficult and often inspired decisions when we needed your input the most. You also managed to keep the rest of us from battling each other in the process.” The dwarf made this last statement while flashing Kieren a huge grin.

“And you always treated us with respect and allowed each of us to have a say in whatever happened along the way,” Sedain added. “Later, after some of our recommendations were proven to have been incorrect and the situation went awry, you never pointed an accusatory finger in our direction. Neither did you treat us any differently afterward, which is the true mark of a great leader.” At this point, both dwarfs bent at the waist and bowed before Kieren.

"You each proved your value both above and below ground," Kieren replied. "You were invaluable guides and tremendous sources of knowledge while we were in the mountains and also when we were deep underground. Your contributions were invaluable and shall never be forgotten." As the dwarfs were bowing and preparing to take their leave, someone else spoke up.

“You still take care of Qaim?” a little voice squeaked out. This meek request earned a brief chuckle from the others, as they turned toward the aignx.

“Yes, Qaim. You shall live with me and I will make certain you are well taken care of,” Kieren assured his furry friend.

After Kieren had assuaged the aignx's fear, the rest of the companions continued their conversation with the young king. They began by referring to some of the other things that had happened during their mission and this continued until the elf king stepped forward to clarify a point he'd made previously.

“Kieren, although I said earlier that we are now peers, that is not exactly the truth. Since you are now the king of ALL of Tarolia, I am one of your loyal subjects as well,” King Dylan explained. "Therefore, I pledge my allegiance to you and agree to honor all of your laws and directives. I am also informing you that I, along with all of the Wood Elves, will be your faithful and true subjects from this day forward.”

“That goes for the River Elves and me too,” Balaster Rombaire chimed in. Although no one remembered seeing him arrive, Rombaire must have slipped into the room sometime after the cheering and congratulations had started. "We will be your true and loyal subjects as well and I know that every River Elf will dutifully promise to honor your laws and commands as obedient subjects."

“And the dwarfs will also honor your laws and edicts as faithful subjects," King Brolin agreed. "As true and loyal citizens of Tarolia, every dwarf will be proud and honored to swear his allegiance to you as well,”

“But…” Kieren began to object, although that was as far as he got before being cut off.

“No, Kieren, I'm sure I know what you are about to say” King Brolin continued, “but you must set aside your humility. You have united all of Tarolia as one powerful kingdom again and have earned both this honor and the allegiance of all of your subjects. Even though I shall continue to handle the everyday affairs of the dwarf homeland, and Dylan and Rombaire will do the same for the elves, we shall look to you for direction when it comes to matters that concern all of Tarolia.”

Kieren was left speechless, knowing these three great leaders were telling him that they were willing to bow to his ultimate authority. He certainly didn’t think he had earned this right, at least not yet, because he hadn’t done anything to prove himself, other than having defeated Madumda. Even though he had overcome the Dark Lord in hand-to-hand combat, it could also be argued that he had accomplished that feat as the result of a fluke. After all, he had been sprawled out on the floor at one point and Madumda had been poised over him and ready to plunge his sword into Kieren's body. If the other mages hadn't taken it upon themselves to step in at that moment or if the Sword of Kings hadn’t accidentally brushed against the Dark Lord's leg, then Madumda, not he, would be standing here now. However, that was a discussion for another time.

While Kieren had been considering these things, Beraut had re-entered the room. As he passed through the doorway, he did so in a very uncharacteristic and overly dramatic fashion. In fact, his actions were very similar to what Kieren had seen Nathar do after they had first arrived at Leander. Although no one in the room knew it just yet, the wizard had done this to be certain that every eye was focused on him. As soon as he was convinced he had everyone's undivided attention, Beraut just as quickly stepped off to one side and revealed a presence behind him.

This was when the others first noticed that Commander Elgin had entered the room behind the wizard. There was nothing extraordinary about that, except he had his arm wrapped around the waist of a slightly taller, solitary figure. This curiosity was wrapped in a blanket that covered his head as well as his body, and since this individual stood with his face slightly lowered, the blanket was effectively masking his features, as well as hiding his identity. For that reason, no one in the room knew who, or even what, it was. However, Kieren wasn’t paying attention to what was going on, because he was still consumed with his own thoughts. Oblivious to this fact, Commander Elgin guided the enigma to within a body length away from where Kieren sat and then the wizard spoke.

“I thought you two might enjoy seeing each other again,” he stated quite simply, but there was clearly an unmistakable hint of mischief in his voice.

Hearing the wizard’s words suddenly peaked Kieren's curiosity, while also doing the same for the bundled figure. In an effort to discover what the wizard meant, they both lifted their heads slightly and attempted to see who Beraut was referring to. A shocked expression instantly registered upon each of their faces, as Kieren and the unknown figure stared at each other in disbelief. It was fairly obvious that Beraut had not told either of them that the other was present, so this was a truly heartrending moment for each one.

Romaric immediately dropped the blanket to the floor and Kieren leaped up from his seat, as the two teens hurriedly lunged in the other's direction, in an effort to exchange a heartfelt and deeply emotional embrace. Within a heartbeat, this pair was joined by Garreth, as he came to realize what had just occurred. As they were locked in this three-way embrace, Romaric groaned and this caused the other two to look at him oddly.

"What's wrong?" Kieren demanded, as he studied his friend's face.

"I'll show you later, when the three of us are alone," Romaric answered in a very soft voice. "Just take it a little easy for the time being."

Even though their initial hugs had ended, they were still shedding more than a few tears as they started jumping up and down and dancing around the room in unrestrained joy. They were totally unable to contain their youthful exuberance about being reunited again and the others were kind enough to allow them the opportunity to share this cathartic reunion without interference.

“Kieren! You’re not dead!” Romaric eventually squealed out in delight. “I didn’t cost you your life after all. Oh, I was so worried that I had condemned all of you by my actions.”

“ME dead?” Kieren responded, totally baffled by Romaric’s statement. “You were the one who fell from the false span and was then swept away by the avalanche. How… how did you survive?”

Actually, no one waited for an answer, because they were too busy hugging each other and enjoying the moment in their own way. By the time they calmed down enough to speak again, the warriors had joined in the celebration as well. Someone must have taken a moment to explain this to Jana, because she had initially look confused about why everyone else was so excited.

Each of the companions were now busy shaking hands, slapping backs and embracing one another, while at the same time they were also telling each other how good it was to see them again. They were also eager to share how much it meant to them that they were all alive and well, since they'd all been silently grieving over what they had erroneously believed had happened. Due to their joy, very little else was discussed. This continued until the companions started to grow too weary to carry on like this for any longer. When this fact came to the wizard's attention, he realized many of the companions were about to collapse from exhaustion, so he decided he'd have to do something about it.

Beraut then took them, one at a time, and found suitable lodgings for them within the fortress for the evening. Even though the dwarfs opted to remain together, Beraut managed to get nearly everyone situated before they fell asleep where they were. Just as soon as the various individuals had been shown where they were going to stay, the only ones that still remained in the master suite with Beraut were Kieren and the two elves. They were obviously too pumped up about being reunited with each other again that it had prevented any of them from succumbing to their weariness yet.

While still keeping on eye on the youthful trio, Beraut made himself comfortable in one of the big, cushiony chairs he had cleared off in the sitting room of the apartment. It had been a very long and emotionally draining day for him as well, so he was more than ready to unwind too. Since he wanted to be able to watch over this particular group, he was planning to stay in Madumda's quarters with them. Since they would be using the bed chamber, Beraut felt he would be fairly comfortable resting in the chair while he waited for the boys to realize it was time for them to get some rest too.

After a joyous and draining reunion, the teens were eventually herded into the sleeping area, where they would be allowed to remain together. At first they were more than a little leery about sharing this room, because they felt uneasy knowing they were going to be using the same bed that the Dark Lord had slept in. Beraut, however, soon put them at ease by reminding them he would just be on the other side of the doorway if they should need him. Knowing the wizard would be there to assist them if a situation were to arise; they suddenly felt a little better about what they were going to do.

When the trio was getting ready to go to sleep, Romaric took off his shirt and exposed his chest to his two friends. "This is why I was groaning earlier," he stated, as the other two did a cursory examination of the area. Their eyes were suddenly bulging out of their sockets and their mouths were hanging open as they inspected his injuries."

"Oh, why didn't you mention this sooner? How did it happen?" Kieren gasped when he saw the gruesome spectacle.

Romaric then explained what he had endured and both boys offered their sympathy and remorse in return. Once they got over their revulsion about what Romaric had endured, another comment was made.

"Let me get Beraut to look at that for you," Kieren offered. "Maybe he can do something to help you."

"He already looked at it and covered it with a salve before I was brought in to see you," Romaric replied. "He even muttered some sort of spell over it that he said would make it heal faster, but he told me it will still take some time for that to happen."

Once that had been cleared up, they finally got into bed. In the end, they enjoyed a rather peaceful and refreshing slumber together.

When the trio awoke the following morning, they were still awash in the euphoria of defeating the Dark Lord and giddy about being together again. Since they weren’t thinking clearly, Beraut had to encourage them to go with him so they could get something to eat and renew their strength for the new day.

After the boys had finished breaking their fast, they went back to Madumda’s private suite again, after first carefully and quietly slipping away from the others. They had decided to use the Dark Lord’s bedchamber so they could have some privacy, even though the room still had an air of foreboding about it, although the daylight seemed to erase that feeling slightly. In the end, their desire to discover the remaining details about what had happened to each other after the false snow bridge collapsed under Romaric made them put their inhibitions aside and use the room anyway.

During this time, the boys commiserated with one another over what they had endured and then they reiterated their joy about being reunited again. When at last they were ready to get down to the specifics about what had occurred, Kieren began by asking Romaric how he had survived the fall and subsequent avalanche. Romaric then relayed the various accounts his captors and Commander Elgin had shared with him about what had most likely happened. Once he finished his story, Romaric had a comment for Kieren.

“I thought after the messenger had been sent back to Treblanc to let Madumda know that you were sneaking in, I was afraid you would all be killed. I’m really glad that didn't happen.”

“Me too, but it could have easily gone the other way,” Kieren stated. “Any one of those traps Madumda had set for us could have wiped out part or all of our group. Now, after hearing what you've had to say, it explains why Bilgy and Srejan had been ordered to stay behind and guard the tunnels." When Kieren noticed Romaric's confused look he decided to explain. "Bilgy was the name of the troll and Srejan was his enormous pet. We were able to figure that out because Bilgy talked to himself a lot. I guess Madumda thought the two of them, along with the traps, would be sufficient to get rid of any intruders. It probably would have worked the way he had planned too, if we hadn't had Qaim, the warriors and the Golden Medallion Beraut had given me to protect ourselves. We definitely needed each of those things at different times.”

Once this had been cleared up, Romaric decided to ask Kieren another question.

“Will you have to go to Leander right away, now that all of this is over?” Kieren looked up at Romaric and then over at Garreth before he answered the question.

“Eventually, I will,” he confirmed, “but Beraut told me that he will allow me to go home first. He is doing this so I can discuss some things with my parents and will have a chance to relax for a while first, before I have to do that. It's a good thing too, because I need to talk a bunch of stuff over with my mother and father before I go to the capital. In fact, if you two want my help, I'm also willing to speak with your parents to see if they will agree to let you go there with me.”

Both elves agreed with his suggestions, although neither one was overly optimistic or confident that his parents were going to allow him to do this. Maybe they would at some point in the future, but they thought it would be a while before their folks would permit them to go.

“I also want you to know that I am bringing Qaim and Jana back to Wildoness with me,” Kieren announced, very matter-of-factly. "They will probably eventually join us at Leander too, but I will leave that decision up to them. I want each one to decide if it is something he or she wants to do, rather than telling them they have to go there with me." After seeing the looks on his friends’ faces, he thought he’d better explain.

“You have to remember that neither one has any family to return to or any place to live, so I am going to ask my parents to let them stay with us for now. It’s just my way of repaying them for everything they did to assist us, because I wouldn’t have been able to do what I did without their help too. Of course, I needed your help as well and that's another reason why I want you both to go with me to Leander.”

“And maybe you want to take Jana along because you’re falling in love with her,” Garreth offered, which immediately caused Kieren to look shocked and blush at the same time.

Seeing Romaric had not been around to witness how his friend had been acting around the servant girl prior to this, he was mildly flabbergasted by this suggestion. However, Garreth wasn’t about to let up or stop there.

“I’ve seen the way you look at Jana and make those goofy faces when you think you're alone. I've also listened in on how you two talk to each other in those sweet, icky, sing-song voices when you think no one else can hear,” the elf continued, with a smug expression on his face. “I have also noticed that you always seem to stay fairly close to her most of the time, no matter what the rest of us are doing or what else is going on.” Garreth now noted the look of shock and confusion on Kieren’s face.

“I’m not with her now and I was only trying to be nice,” Kieren responded, defensively. However, his comment only caused Garreth to make a face and roll his eyes to show he wasn’t buying Kieren’s explanation.

“You don’t seem to be that concerned about Qaim,” Garreth insisted.

“Qaim is different,” Kieren rationalized, although he still appeared uncomfortable with this topic of discussion. “Qaim can take care of himself. In fact, he seems to prefer being alone most of the time. Besides, he’s been with us for a much longer time, so he knows everyone else that's in our group and doesn’t have to rely solely on me for company.”

“And maybe it’s also because Qaim isn’t as cute as Jana,” Romaric added with a snicker, as he joined Garreth to put pressure on their friend.

“Neither are either of you,” Kieren quipped. “In fact, if you come to live with me at Leander, I might have to have masks made for you to wear or ask you to wear your breeches on your head so no one will think I have trolls for advisors.”

Hearing this, Garreth and Romaric each gave Kieren a playful punch in the arm, with one on either side.

“All joking aside,” Kieren added, “we shall always remain close and be best friends. You will be my most valued and trusted advisors for as long as I am king. You shall also be part of my family, since we ARE blood brothers, so no matter who I marry; you shall also be uncles to my children. We shall always remain dear to each other for as long as any of us still has the breath of life in his body, because this is one promise I shall never break.”

After agreeing with Kieren's statement, the trio began to laugh and joke around some more before they went back to join the others. Shortly after they walked into the sitting room again, Beraut informed them that they needed to grab their things, because it was time for everyone to leave for their homes.

The boys did as they were told, and when it came time to part ways there were some tearful good-byes between Kieren and his former companions. Rhys and Turquinine had the farthest to travel and were prepared to depart first. They had also decided to make the journey together, since there might still be others out there that had not yet heard that Madumda had been destroyed.

“Kieren, I’m going to miss your company and having to look out for you,” Rhys teased. “All I know is that if I ever have a son, I certainly hope he is just like you.”

“In that case, I'll pray that he's not quite as emotional or erratic as I was during our mission,” Kieren teased back. The two then wrapped their arms around one another after Kieren had finished his comment. As soon as they had released their hold on each other, Kieren turned to face Turquinine.

“I’m going to miss you too,” Kieren told the large knight. “After seeing you battle Bilgy and the Serpent Colossus, I know I’ll never find a fiercer protector. I am also going to miss hearing your distinctive and booming voice, which is more overpowering than the roll of thunder.” Kieren then gave him a smile and a wink.

“Thou giveth me too much credit for mine fighting skills,” the Mitikuan bellowed, "and mine voice be precisely what the gods hath bestowed upon me. I knoweth, however, that thou wilst maketh as great a ruler as any of thine ancestors.”

To Kieren’s surprise, the giant of a man then grasped him in a powerful bear hug after saying this and even lifted him off the ground in the process. Kieren feared the energetic embrace might end up snapping some of his ribs, but the giant knight set him down again before that happened.

Once Turquinine released Kieren, the two dwarfs approached him next. Sedain was still chortling as he walked up, because he had found the scene between Kieren and Turquinine to be quite amusing.

“I’m sorry, but seeing the two of you like that brought back memories of when Doenilio grabbed me in a similar fashion, after the rest of you had saved me from my captors,” the dwarf joked in explanation.

Remembering that incident brought an immediate smile to everyone’s face, but it only lasted for a few moments. Then, they all became quite sad when the reality about what had happened to Doenilio also began to sink in.

“Kieren, my brother and I will definitely miss you,” Quintain added next and it was obvious he was being sincere. “Although we sometimes have difficulty understanding the other races in the kingdom, you were a pleasant exception to that rule.”

“You might not be missing me for very long though,” Kieren replied. “If I get my way, I’m planning to visit Thorold for a while, so I can get to know and understand the dwarfs as well as I know the elves.”

“You shall be most welcome if you decide to do that,” Sedain confirmed, “and we would love to see it happen.”

Kieren thanked the dwarfs and told them that he hoped to see them again soon. After the northerners and dwarfs had departed for their homes, Beraut announced that he and his military advisors would be staying behind, so they could handle whatever issues still lingered from the conflict. They would remain at Treblanc and clear things up from this location first, before traveling to Leander and taking care of any unfinished business that needed to be resolved there.

With Kieren's approval and the authority to act of his behalf, Beraut had volunteered to do all of this so he would be able to keep his promise to allow the lad an opportunity to stay in Wildoness for a while. In the interim, the wizard would oversee and take care of whatever matters needed to be handled at this location first and then at the capital, so he could make sure the young man had some time to himself before he was pressed into service. All too quickly, Kieren would be required to move to Leander so he could be crowned king and then he would take over the duties and responsibility of ruling the kingdom.

In private, the wizard had already arranged for Alairic to see the three friends, along with the additional pair, safely back to the Woods of Wildoness. Alairic had readily agreed to accompany the others to their homes as he made his journey back to his own family. It wasn’t that far out of his way and it would also give him a chance to reestablish ties with his elfin cousins.

Beraut had found it necessary to ask Alairic to do this favor for him because King Dylan and the elfin troops had offered to stay behind at this location for a little while longer to help with other duties. They had agreed to oversee the burial or cremation of the various bodies left on the battlefield, as well as collecting the weapons and armor left behind, so those items could be reused or melted down. They would also perform any other tasks that were needed, and even though these were not the most glamorous jobs to be had, someone would be required to do them. Since they didn't wish to leave this task undone, the Wood Elves showed great humility and graciously volunteered their services to attend to these trivial functions.

Now that this chapter of their lives was behind them, all of Tarolia could now enjoy looking forward to a future filled with a renewed sense of hope and with great expectations.