Amber shuddered. “I should have destroyed that thing from the first.”
“I have been in close examination of your memories,” said Petra. “It seems to me that you had lost the battle before it even began. Look, Sylv, don’t beat yourself up over it. I didn’t save you so you could wallow in misery and regret. Worrying can’t change the past, and Reuben and I will deal with the consequences and the people of Rizkaland. We want to do this.”
“But I …”
“You are not a monster, Sylvia. You let a monster in, but you are not a monster. You are forgiven. Now,” she drew back, “Reuben and I have some things to discuss, so we’re going to give the two of you a moment.”
With that, she and Reuben left the room.
“Granite…” Amber began. “Or would you rather I call you Richard? Your real name?”
“Whichever one you feel more comfortable using,” Granite answered. “Reuben and Petra think that the people of Rizkaland will accept us better under our real names, but I believe that it may be a while before we get used to them. And yet, they do seem strangely right … when Reuben and Petra use them, at least.”
Amber nodded. “They do, I suppose.” They sat in silence while Amber sipped her soup, its warmth spreading through her. It felt so good to be thinking clearly again. How had she let that thing take over her life for three thousand years?
“Petra makes things sound so easy,” she said at length, setting down her spoon, “but I can’t just sweep away the last three thousand years and act as though they didn’t happen. I did terrible things, Granite, to so many good people.”
“And Petra understands that,” said Granite. “Watching her worry through all of the issues that surround you these last three days has been interesting. Honestly, the more I watch her, the more I can believe the two of you are sisters. She’s not asking for you to act as though the last three thousand years didn’t happen; she knows you can’t do that. She wants you to accept that you have been forgiven.”
“After everything I’ve done…”
“She knows what you’ve done, perhaps better than you know yourself.” Granite’s frown deepened. “Watching her face as she explored your memories … that might have been one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. And yet she has still chosen to forgive you.”
“I don’t deserve it.”
“That’s the funny thing about forgiveness.” Granite ran a thumb across her cheek. “If you deserve it, you don’t need it.” He leaned forward and kissed her nose. “I love you, Amber, Silver, Sylvia, whatever you want to be called now. We’ve been given a second chance. Let’s not waste it on regret. We actually get to grow old together, this time.”
“A mortal life,” she whispered. “Such a short breath of time. I…”
She paused long enough to remove the tray from her lap and set it to the side before she threw her arms around her husband’s neck. His arms folded around her, pulling her close, holding her tight.
“I never stopped loving you, I want you to know that,” she whispered in his ear, her throat too tight to speak any louder. “I just stopped choosing you. Which is just as bad – worse, even. I blamed you for pulling back, but I deceived myself. You have been so steady and faithful over the years, even when I was at my worst. I don’t deserve you.”
“There is nowhere I’d rather be. My life is yours, always has been. I’m just glad that we have one last chance, even if it’s just a breath.”
“Oh, Granite…” She nearly choked on the words. “After every way I hurt you? Disappointed you at every turn? Refused to listen to you? If … if it had been you, I don’t think I could have borne it.”
Granite loosened his hold on her, took her hand, and placed it against his heart. “They still beat together,” he whispered.
Amber managed a smile as she laid her head against his shoulder. “I made you into a shadow of the man you used to be. Granite, when was the last time you smiled? Really, truly smiled?”
Granite was quiet for a very long moment, but then he began to chuckle. “Actually,” he answered, “I’ve scarcely stopped smiling since the battle.”
“But…” She pushed herself up to look at him, and her heart melted at the sight of the broad grin spread across his face. Fighting tears, and yet smiling at the same time, she ran a thumb over his cheek. “I … I think I had forgotten how deep your dimples are…”
“Well, let’s hope you never have cause to forget again.”
He kissed her lips, and Amber felt her heart finally pulling back together.
Chapter 3
How are we possibly going to convince the Rizkans to accept Sylvia? She’s hurt them so much as Amber.
Reuben wrapped an arm around Petra’s shoulders and pulled her close. “Are you regretting sparing their lives?”
Petra laid her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. “No. I just wish … that there might have been some prophecy that we could use that would give us absolute proof that we weren’t supposed to kill them. Maybe we should have sent to Klarand for Ashna. Maybe she could have Spoken something for us…”
“Laura already said that Ashna isn’t necessary for this speech,” Reuben reminded her. We’ve done everything we can. Now we just hope that Alphego will give you the words to say.
She nodded.
“I’d do it for you…”
“No, I need to be the one to speak. It was my decision to spare them, and I’m the Tela Du. They expected me to kill Amber. They need to hear the truth from me, and I don’t need to look like I’m hiding behind you.”
Him: Don’t forget that I’ll be standing behind you the whole time if you need me.
Her: Trust me, I’ll need you. If there’s one thing I know for certain about this speech, it’s that I know that I can’t possibly do this thing without you.
Her: So you’re glad that our moms finally talked us into getting Tied?
Petra rolled her eyes and pushed out of his arms. “You would still be here, at my side, even if we weren’t Tied. Things are just … a little bit simpler this way. That’s all.”
“I love you.”
“And you are distracting me from the matter at hand.”
“Precisely. You’re worrying too hard.” He laid a hand against her forehead. “You’re going to make your head explode. And what is that going to do to me?”
“I’m sure you’ll survive.” Petra sighed and pulled his hand off of her forehead, although she kept ahold of it. “I just don’t want to lose her – them – as soon as we finally find them.”
“And we won’t. Petra, I refuse to believe that Alphego would bring them back and let you go through what you did to save her, just to rip them back away.”
Petra shook her head. “Alphego doesn’t always work the way we want Him to; you know that. He giveth, He taketh away. This might be a warning to not follow in their path. Look, I’m grateful that we didn’t have to kill them in the Room, but things would just be so much easier if we didn’t have to be king and queen now. I’d much prefer to just go back home and forget that Rizkaland ever happened.”
“I don’t think Richard and Sylvia will be able to just forget about this place,” Reuben pointed out. “Look, aren’t you the one who just told her to not worry?”
“Because there’s no point in both of us worrying. Look, it’s not as though this is one of those situations where I have no control. I just need to figure out exactly what to say.”
Reuben slid an arm around her waist and pulled her close again. “So, how is she? Richard and I gave the two of you a while to talk.”
“I know.” Petra managed a smile. “I honestly expected the two of you to interrupt us a bit sooner.”
“I think Richard was scared,” Reuben admitted. “He was the one who kept … delaying us. Can’t say that I blame him. For the last three thousand years, he has been living with a dragon. Now that the Dragon’s gone … well, she’s, in essence, a stranger to him. They have a lot of pieces to pick bac
k up.”
Petra nodded. “Putting that on top of the consequences for what she did to Rizkaland … it won’t be easy for them.”
“Rizkaland just needs to see that she has had a change of heart, a true change this time, not an act to lull the people.”
“That’s a tall order,” said Petra. “She really abused their trust fifty years ago, and I’m not sure she wants to make amends – that way at least. She’s sorry, utterly remorseful … but she doesn’t think she deserves forgiveness, so why fight for it?”
Before Reuben could answer, Laura interrupted.
“She has a lot of healing to do.”
Petra and Reuben turned to see the Doorkeeper standing in the doorway.
“I know,” said Petra.
“Now, there are people gathered in the courtyard below,” Laura continue, stepping to Sylvia and Richard’s bedroom and knocking at the door. “They’re waiting to know the outcome of the battle.”
“Um, come in!” Richard called, after a few seconds.
Laura shook her head and pushed open the door. Sylvia and Richard were both seated on the bed, he with his arm tight around her waist, she sipping her soup directly from the bowl.
Her eyes widened as she saw Laura, and she sat frozen as the Doorkeeper approached.
“It’s good to see you awake again, Silver,” Laura said at length.
Sylvia’s gaze finally dropped, as she lowered the bowl to her lap. “And out of the scale’s power,” she whispered.
“That, too.” Laura sat down on Sylvia’s other side. “I like you a lot better when you’re sane.”
Sylvia’s shoulders sagged. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I should have listened to you. I should have…”
“Silver, I knew from the beginning where your path led.” Laura put a hand on Sylvia’s shoulder. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t say … do anything that would have prevented your mess. But I also knew that this day was coming.”
“I’ve hurt so many people…”
“Okay, let’s make something clear.” Laura slid her other hand under Sylvia’s chin and pulled it up so that she could look her in the eye. “There is nothing you have done that can compare to what I have done, and what I will do. Your darkest hours are over. Mine are yet to come.”
“But you…”
“You said that there are people waiting for us?” Petra inserted, ready to get this over with so that Sylvia could be absolved of most of her guilt.
“Come on,” said Richard. “Aren’t you the one who always says to never keep a crowd waiting?”
Sylvia nodded and then downed the rest of her soup in a few gulps. She stood, but still seemed unsteady on her feet, so Richard scooped her up without a word. She wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head against his shoulder. Both were smiling.
Petra slipped her hand into Reuben’s. He shouldn’t have worried.
Obviously. That’s what I kept telling him. It’s what I keep telling you, too.
She rolled her eyes.
Laura led the way through the hallways. With each step they took, Petra tightened her grip on Reuben’s hand. How were they going to convince the people of Rizkaland that letting Sylvia live was a good idea?
They reached the balcony all too soon. All those people, waiting to hear what their future was to be. She’d gone over her speech a thousand times…
The Dragon is dead… Reuben prompted.
She took a deep breath, leveled her chin, and stepped to the balcony railing. “People of Rizkaland!” she cried. “The Final Battle has been fought!”
She winced at the explosion of cheers. As she waited for them to subside, she glanced back into the hall behind them. Richard had set Sylvia back onto her feet, and they stood just within the shadows where the people wouldn’t see them.
“The Dragon is dead. It will plague you no more!”
More cheers. There really was an intoxicating charm to a crowd.
“I cannot claim the victory, however,” Petra continued, shaking her head. “For I stood powerless before the Dragon, and I might have followed in Amber’s footsteps – but for the Grace and Power of Alphego. It was He Who stood between me and the Dragon. It was He Who saved me – and not only me, but also my sister, Sylvia, whom you know as Amber.”
No cheers at that remark, just a stunned silence.
Petra glanced behind her. It was Richard’s cue to bring Sylvia out. He seemed about to pick her up again, but she shook her head.
Leaning heavily on his arm, but head held proudly, Sylvia walked onto the balcony on her own two feet. The crowd shifted uneasily.
Petra opened her mouth to continue the speech, but Sylvia shook her head.
“Let me talk. They deserve the truth, not excuses.”
“But…”
But Sylvia had already turned to the crowd, no hesitation betrayed in her features.
“People of Rizkaland, I do not deserve your forgiveness!” she began. “But I am not the woman who stood before you a week ago. I was the Dragon who plagued this land, but that part of me is dead. I should have died when I faced my final war, but Petra chose instead to spare my life, to give me a second chance upon the path that I had long since abandoned. I do not pretend to deserve it, but I ask that you give me a second chance.”
She closed her eyes. The crowd murmured.
Petra frowned, as she thought she saw, for a moment, a pink and green head among the crowd. Karyn was the last person she wanted to deal with right now.
“I have done so many terrible, terrible things as Amber. I ask for the chance to cast her behind me, begin anew, with the name my parents gave me at my birth. No longer shall I be known as Queen Amber, the Lady Dragon, but Sylvia, daughter of King Ralph and Queen Jane. I need no more title than that.”
“And no other titles will you receive,” said Petra. “People of Rizkaland—”
Petra was interrupted by a burst of glitter, and Karyn stood on the balcony with them.
“Sylvia does not exist!” she declared. “She’s a figment of your imagination. This, this is Amber, the Lady Dragon, the bane of Rizkaland. Petra, what do you think you’re doing?”
“Amber, the Lady Dragon, bane of Rizkaland is dead,” said Reuben. “We destroyed the dragon scale that held power over her. This is Sylvia, Petra’s sister. Maybe Sarah couldn’t remember Sylvia, but that doesn’t mean that she didn’t exist.”
“He’s quite correct,” said Laura, stepping away from the doorway. “I did indeed take Silver and Gold from Petra and Reuben’s homes when they were but children, and the spell of immortality woven over them also included forgetfulness. Ritis is not the only person strong enough to make a person forget things. But Reuben and Petra’s memories are not easily meddled with.”
Karyn drew back, staring narrowly at Laura. “But even if she is her sister, that doesn’t excuse what she has done! The cruelty that she has wreaked upon Rizkaland! Don’t forget, Petra, it was she who killed Sarah.”
Petra put a hand on Sylvia’s shoulder, glaring at Karyn. “Don’t speak to me about what Sylvia has done. I know what she has done. I also know that, with the scale gone, she has changed. I’m not dismissing her past. I just don’t think that the death warrant is necessary. I have a different punishment already devised. In fact, I was just about to announce it when you interrupted.”
Karyn tilted her head to the side. “Oh? So you’re going to banish her back to her island?”
“No. I think two thousand years on that island were quite enough,” Petra answered. “And she has been restored to mortal life, so she won’t last another thousand.”
“Perhaps that’s a good thing,” Karyn suggested.
“Petra…” Sylvia began.
“No, she’s not right,” Petra declared, for she could hear Sylvia’s thought. “She’s annoying, stuck-up, and for some reason hates me.”
“I could say the same for you, Petra!”
“Then why don’t you go back to whatever world it was th
at you came from! Then you wouldn’t have to worry about this one anymore.”
“I wish I could! But this world has become my home, and I will not see it ruined by your insanity.”
“Neither would I see Rizkaland ruined,” Petra declared. “But nor shall I see my sister killed for the actions she did while under the control of the dragon scale because that wasn’t her. I have…” Petra paused, clenching her teeth at the memory. “The scale’s power was strong and foul. I nearly fell to it and became a terror to Rizkaland, a thousand times worse, I fear. But it’s gone now, and Sylvia is free, and I’m determined to let her have her second chance.”
“Rizkaland gave her a second chance – she threw it away and trampled it in the dust!”
“I did…” Sylvia whispered.
“Well, third chance, then. Because she is not the Amber who tormented Rizkaland. This is my sister, Sylvia, the only sister I have left.”
“She is not!” Karyn shouted.
Laura stepped forward. “I have already confirmed their relation,” she stated.
Karyn fell back. “That’s not what I meant, Laura.”
“Oh, I know,” said Laura. “But the others do not. What did you mean, Karyn?”
Karyn glanced from Laura to Sylvia and then stared Petra straight in the eye. “You have Ashna.”
“Ashna is my niece,” Petra answered. “Dear to me as a sister, yes, but Sarah and Sylvia are … were my identical triplets. It’s not the same.”
There was silence for several long moments, and then Karyn exploded with, “Do you have any idea – there’s a giant storm ravaging Klarand as we speak!”
“I’m well aware of it,” Petra admitted. “And to be honest, I had hoped to have already taken care of it. Unfortunately, Sylvia only just woke up – she has been unconscious since the battle – and part of her punishment is that she must rectify such problems herself.”
“Which is what Petra was just about to announce when you interrupted,” said Reuben. “In fact, had you not interrupted, the crisis might have been already taken care of by now.”
Karyn tilted her head to the side and then nodded sharply to Petra. “Very well, get it over with. Homes are being destroyed as we speak.”
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