“That’s for me to decide,” said the Lady of the Lake. “Will you accept judgment from me, John?”
“I would tear the living heart from my breast and give it to you,” said the Shaman. “Do what you must, Eleanor. I deserve it.”
“You committed a terrible crime, John,” said the Lady. “Not for you the peace of verdict and sentence, and the balm of punishment. Instead, I sentence you to sleep in the Land, in my embrace, not to wake again till you are needed. To redeem yourself and the Land one last time.”
“To make amends,” said the Shaman. “That’s all I ever wanted, really. I’m so tired, Eleanor.”
“Then come to me, my love,” said the Lady of the Lake. “And sleep the sleep of centuries.”
The Shaman rose to his feet and looked slowly around him. He nodded to Felicity on the Throne, and Lament beside her. “Guard the Land, King and Queen. You have my blessing, for what it’s worth.” He turned to Hawk. “Good-bye, Rupert. It takes a wise man to know he’s not a King, and a strong man to walk away from it. I have always been proud of you, son.” He looked at Fisher. “Proud of you, too, Julia. You were like the daughter I never had. Watch his back, and try and keep him out of trouble.” He turned to the Seneschal. “One last gift and command to you, my loyal servant. Go and see your grandmother, the Night Witch. She’s currently the Mother Witch at the Academy of the Sisters of the Moon.” He smiled as general consternation ran round the Court, touching everyone but Tiffany. “The Night Witch founded the Academy after the long night ended. I always knew, but I said nothing. She has the right to work out her own redemption. I thought you ought to know, Seneschal, before I left. Family is precious.” And finally he turned to face the Lady of the Lake. “I’m ready, Eleanor.”
She held out her arms to him, and water spilled from them like fountains. “The first Forest King was married to the Lady of the Lake. A true marriage of the Land and the King. Now the Cathedral is returned, the Castle is restored, and all things come full circle again.”
King John walked forward into the embrace of the Lady of the Lake, and her liquid form closed around him, washing away his appearance as the Shaman as he faded away and disappeared within her. The Lady smiled around her one last time, perhaps especially at Sir Vivian, and then her watery shape exploded into a mist of tiny droplets that hung on the air and then was gone. The Shaman and the Lady of the Lake, King John and Queen Eleanor, not to be seen again for many, many years.
“It’s time Isobel and I were leaving, too,” said Hawk after a respectful pause. “We’ve done everything we came here to do. There’s no need for anyone else to know who Harald’s murderer really was. It would only complicate things. Blame it on the Magus. No one ever trusted him anyway.”
“You could stay,” Lament said suddenly. “The Throne is rightfully yours, by line of succession. Felicity and I would step down for King Rupert and Queen Julia.”
“Well, yes,” said Felicity. “Who are we, after all, to compete with legends?”
Fisher caught her eyes briefly. The Queen hadn’t sounded all that enthusiastic. “No,” she said kindly. “We could have been King and Queen long ago if we’d wanted.”
“I always knew I wasn’t the stuff Kings are made of,” said Hawk. “And I’d always be worried about my father’s legacy coming out in me. You’ll make a much better job of it, King Jericho.”
“Then stay anyway, as Captains Hawk and Fisher,” said Lament.
“No,” said Hawk. “I’d always be tempted to interfere. The Forest Kingdom needs a new start, with no reminders of its troubled past. The truth of our identities would soon spread, and I’ve never been comfortable being a legend.”
“Right,” said Fisher. “You have to watch your language all the time.”
Duke Alric cleared his throat awkwardly and stepped forward. Fisher turned to look at him. “I was wrong,” the Duke said flatly. “And there’s not many people who’ve heard me say that. I’m sorry, Julia.”
“For having your people beat us to a pulp, or for sending me off to die in the dragon’s cave all those years ago?” asked Fisher, her voice cold as ice.
“I thought I needed to set an example,” said the Duke. “You’ve done well, Julia. You could come back to Hillsdown with me.”
“I don’t think so,” said Fisher. “We’d be at each other’s throat in a week. We’re too much alike to ever be close.”
“Yes,” agreed the Duke. “There is that. You always were your father’s daughter.”
Fisher looked at Felicity, sitting on her Throne. “So, Fliss … “
“So, Jules … Good to see you’ve gone blond again. Black never did suit you.”
“Keep an eye on our father.”
“Of course. It’s a dirty job, but someone’s got to do it.”
They nodded, smiled, and looked away, glad that was over. They’d never had much to say to each other. Hawk made his good-byes to Sir Richard and Ennis Page.
“Give Jericho a hard time over Reform,” said Hawk. “For the good of his soul.”
“Of course,” said Sir Robert. “You are sure he isn’t the Wrath of God anymore? I’d hate to be hit by a sudden plague or boils. Or frogs.”
“One last thing,” said the Seneschal, stepping forward with a certain ceremony. “Not everything has changed for the better. The Darkwood is still with us, and still a danger to the Forest. Therefore, Captain Hawk, I must formally require you to leave the Rainbow sword with us.”
Hawk slowly unbuckled his swordbelt and hefted the weight of the Rainbow sword in his hand. He knew the Seneschal was right, but it still felt like giving up an old friend, only newly recovered.
“And you left your axe in Reverie,” said Fisher. “The High Warlock’s last gift to you.”
“Ah, hell,” said Hawk, handing the Rainbow sword over to the Seneschal. “I’ve got both eyes again. I can always find another weapon.”
“Precisely,” said the Seneschal. “And so the Forest Kingdom grants you one last gift.” He held out the sword and scabbard he’d brought into Court with him. “I found this in the Old Armory. It is the sword of the first Forest King. I’m sure he would want you to have it. So that wherever you go, part of the Land will always be with you.”
Hawk smiled and buckled the old sword onto his waist. “Now I remember why I sneaked out of the Castle last time. I hate these drawn-out good-byes.”
“So, Sir Seneschal, what will you do now the Castle’s geography has returned to normal?” asked Fisher. “They’ll be replacing you with maps and signs.”
“And a good thing, too,” said the Seneschal. “I got tired of chasing rooms round this dump long ago. I’m going to be heading a team investigating all the wonders and mysteries of the returned Cathedral. More than enough work there to see me out.”
Hawk and Fisher stood together and looked around the Court one last time.
“Try and get it right this time,” Hawk said finally. “I’d hate to have to come back and sort you out again.”
“Right,” said Fisher. “Being a legend’s bloody hard work.”
Sometime later, Hawk and Fisher rode away from Forest Castle on the horses they’d brought with them from Haven. They didn’t look back. There were no crowds to cheer them on their way because no one knew they were going. Which was just what Hawk and Fisher wanted. It was mid-morning on a warm and pleasant day, with the sun shining bright in a clear blue sky. The air in the green woods was crisp and sharp.
“So,” said Fisher. “Who do you want to be now? You’ve been Prince Rupert and Captain Hawk.”
“I think I’ll stick with Hawk. He’s someone I chose to be. You still happy with Isobel Fisher?”
“I suppose so. But I’m definitely not going back to Haven.”
“No,” said Hawk. “We’ve burned our bridges there.”
Fisher laughed. “Burned a hell of a lot more than that. They won’t forget us in a hurry. In fact, I think it could truthfully be said that we did about as much good for
Haven as that city could stand. Time for a new start. Again.” She looked sideways at Hawk. “And there’s always the children to consider …”
“Yes,” said Hawk. “They seemed like good kids. There’s no guarantee they’re what we’d end up with, of course.”
“Oh, of course. No guarantee of any kids at all.”
“No. But we could have a lot of fun trying.”
They grinned at each other and then rode on a way in companionable silence.
“Let’s just go out into the world and see what’s there,” Hawk said finally. “Go adventuring again. Help people where we can. Kick the bad guys where it hurts. Because that’s what we do best.”
“Sounds good to me,” said Fisher. “Who knows? Maybe we’ll win another Throne along the way.”
“God, I hope not,” said Hawk. They both laughed and urged their horses on.
And so they rode out of Forest history once again, and back into legend, where they belonged.
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Chapter One: Haunted by the Past
Chapter Two: No One’s Who They Used to Be
Chapter Three: Taking Care of Business
Chapter Four: Not Really Like Coming Home at All
Chapter Five: Everyone’s Guilty of Something
Chapter Six: Explorations into the Soul
Chapter Seven: Going Down, Down
Chapter Eight: True Colors Revealed
Chapter Nine: In the Land of Reverie
Chapter Ten: Redemptions
Beyond the Blue Moon (Forest Kingdom Novels) Page 55