by Tom Burton
Laura nods. She withdraws her arms from around the king. King Daniel then walks out of the room. He steps into the corridor with Azdus and Goras. Kamara follows behind them.
“Excited about becoming a father?” Azdus asks the king, who chuckles in response as the three continue walking.
“More nervous than excited,” King Daniel replies. “I hope I do not repeat the actions of my father.”
“Your father saved an entire village and gave his life in exchange for yours,” Goras notes. “Perhaps he was one of the first to see the orcs and warn the country—the only disappointment there is that no one listened.”
King Daniel is not pleased by Goras’s comment.
“Have you decided on a name for your baby?” Azdus asks, electing to change the subject.
“We have received word from the doctor that the baby is to be a boy…and we have decided to call him Aaron.”
The two wizards smile gracefully at the news.
The three reach the royal gates and walk out onto the streets of Dellmoor. Kamara still follows behind them.
“While I am with you…I have a favor to request,” the king tells the wizards. The wizards listen on, intrigued. “Humanity suffered greatly while you were absent, and at a time like this, we need all the hope we can get. So I offer you a seat by my side, as my advisors.”
The wizards take a few moments before responding.
“We knew this offer was coming, but unfortunately, we cannot accept,” Azdus tells the king.
King Daniel recoils. He looks over at the two of them.
“Our time as rulers—” Goras explains “—or even advising those who rule, only causes pain and destruction. You have all you need beside you: family, those you love most in the world.”
King Daniel considers the wizard’s words. He chooses not to push his request any further.
The three eventually reach the walls of the capital and walk through the front gates. King Daniel then sees Kamara behind them.
“We’ll be fine, commander, go back to the queen,” King Daniel instructs.
Kamara nods and walks back inside the capital.
As the three walk from the capital, King Daniel suddenly turns sad.
“I miss him,” he whispers to himself.
“Grief is something no one can understand; all of us are helpless in the face of it,” Azdus offers, having overheard the king. “But time is a great healer. The grief opens you up less each time, day by day, until one day we wonder what has become of it.”
“Aaron’s name will forever be present in Neroman,” Goras reassures the king. “His sacrifice will inspire many generations to come, and he will be known as the Silver Savior.”
“So what do we call this piece of history?” the king asks the two wizards.
Azdus and Goras look at each other for a second.
“How about…The War of the Last Alliance?” Goras recommends.
King Daniel smiles. He nods—but then his smile slowly fades.
“Did Aaron know he was going to die that day?” he asks uncertainly.
Azdus and Goras turn to King Daniel and look at him sadly for a moment. Goras then reaches into his pocket and pulls out a sealed letter.
“Aaron had this on his person the day he died at the Lion’s Cloud. It is addressed to you,” Goras tells the king.
He hands the letter to King Daniel, but the king chooses not to open it. He simply clutches onto it tightly with his hand.
“Aaron will always be with you, and you should honor him by looking out for your own family, as he looked out for his,” Azdus suggests.
King Daniel nods.
The three then continue walking. Eventually, they make it to the edge of the royal forest.
“There is a reason for our visit,” Goras tells King Daniel. “We have something to show you.”
The king looks at the two wizards, mystified. He then follows the wizards through the forest. Despite the lack of conversation, the relaxing and peaceful silence allows for a quick walk through the forest. Soon, they reach the cliff overlooking the ocean. The sun is beginning to set on the trio. The king walks to a particular spot on the cliff.
“Aaron and I sat here the night before he died. Just to have those last peaceful moments with him, it was something special.”
King Daniel smiles bitterly. As he looks over the cliff, he notices a small ship anchored half a mile from the sandy beach at the bottom, and a rowboat on the beach. He looks at the ship uncertainly. Then the king turns to see Azdus and Goras walking down the stone staircase embedded into the cliff.
King Daniel keenly follows them.
Once they reach the bottom of the cliff, Azdus and Goras look out upon the small ship, and turn back to Daniel nervously.
“Wizards have nothing left to give Neroman,” Goras confides to the king. “We have brought nothing but death and destruction—our brother ensured that, and that is why we must leave.”
Daniel is left stunned.
“No…you can’t!” King Daniel pleads.
“This will be the first time in Neroman’s history when the race of man will truly rule,” Azdus argues. “Peace is finally here…the line of Rane can lead this kingdom to a greater age than the age of wizards.”
“Your place is here, its home!” King Daniel argues.
But the wizards ignore him. Instead, they turn to board the rowboat.
The king’s tears finally surface, rolling quickly down his face.
“There is nothing out there…you have nowhere to go!” King Daniel cries out.
The two wizards simply turn and smile softly to him.
“Anything can be looming out there on the horizon…that’s the best part of life!” Azdus concludes.
They row the boat to the ship, once they board the ship, they unfurl the sails and head quickly out into the open waters. Defeated, the king watches the ship sail off; then, he slowly walks back up the stone staircase. Once he reaches the top of the cliff, he makes a particular effort to find the spot where he sat with Aaron.
Once he finds it, he sits and stares at the ship sailing away.
Soon, King Daniel opens the letter from Aaron. His hands shake as he reads it intently.
Daniel, I am writing to you in case the worst happens; better to be prepared than to die with regrets. I truly believe we are capable of winning this war, otherwise this would not be written. Yet you need to be the one to lead them. Everyone has a purpose in life—mine was to try and lead them in a fight against unimaginable odds, but deep down I know that my life cannot continue after that. But when the time comes, I will always be there, by your side: you’re never on your own….
King Daniel stops for a moment, trying to control the emotions inside him. He looks out to the sea once more and sees the ship far out in the distance. He then looks back down and resumes reading the letter.
You have so much to enjoy in your life; you have so much yet to do; so much yet to accomplish. But whatever happens, be sure to live and to love, for that is all we can do; that is all we can fight for.
—Love, now and always, Aaron.
King Daniel finishes reading the letter. He wipes away the tears continuing to roll down his face. He looks up at the sea to see the ship has completely disappeared from sight; he can only watch as the sun sets in the distance.