by Patrick Hatt
“Just what I thought, scallywag.” Bazooka grinned and stepped through.
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Max sighed and rolled over onto his back while staring up at the sky. Trudesile yawned and ran her fingers through his mop of hair while they stretched out on their blanket.
“Ready for this?” Trudesile whispered.
“I’d rather eat again and lie here with you.” Max pushed himself up to his elbows. “But if we must. I just hope it isn’t anything like last year.”
“Max, everyone is waiting on you two,” Brozen stated while he formed from the lake beside them. “So slow.” Brozen waved to the castle. “Do it, Lester.”
Max and Trudesile both were left bewildered as a portal opened beneath them. They quickly jumped to their feet after they fell onto the stage in the courtyard with all of their friends and the many rulers gathered before it. They smiled toward the sky as Shimmer, Eve, God, Ra, and Death hovered above them.
“Lester, I wish Allison had never taught you to do that with the portals,” Trudesile grumbled.
“Then we’d all be toast. Should be thanking me.” Lester snickered.
“I’ll thank you all right.” Max yanked beard hair out of Lester.
“By me pot of gold.”
“Get him, Max.” Mimi smirked.
“No birthday present for you, kiddo.” Lester pretended to pout while Mimi pouted toward him.
“Lester, please make this staging disappear,” Max asked.
“One-way trip to the dumping zone known as Atlantis.” Lester sent the staging through a portal and quickly closed it as they dropped to the courtyard floor.
“This day is the first day that we mark a year. A year that we strived for and suffered losses for. A year to mark peace in all of the realms. But we need no staging area to celebrate anyone. For much like King Arthur’s roundtable, we are all equal. Some taller, some shorter, and some all things in between, but we stand united. Like this castle we each re-built as a beacon of hope, we stand united. Together we proved anything can be done and together we will ensure our own fate from this day until…”
“Now what?” Lester mumbled as the Pedestal of Realms spun.
Bazooka and Dregg ran through the open portal, causing the crowd to scatter as beams shot through the portal and Dregg tumbled out of the way.
“What were you doing, rabbit?”
“Chaps, I was right. He’s out there.”
“I can confirm that Davy Jones is alive,” Dregg added.
“Where? How?” Max blurted out.
“He’s...” Bazooka smiled as Tru stepped in front of him.
“Never mind how. Get to it, chicken legs. Do what you do best and save the day,” Tru stated.
Merlin, King Arthur, Oberon, Evienne, and their many other friends all nodded to them while Shimmer roared and blew a burst of fire in the air above them.
“What do you say, guys, one more adventure before we go back to ruling?” Max asked.
“I have a feeling life is always going to be an adventure.” Trudesile clasped her fingers within his and stared at the Pedestal of Realms.
“And we’ll face every single one together.”
“Don’t forget me. Me and me pot of gold are growing so bored on Momentus.” Lester joined the pair in front of the Pedestal of Realms. “All right, rabbit. Show us the way.”
Bazooka stepped up to the Pedestal of Realms and opened a portal. He then strolled through and the trio each did at the same time behind him.
The rulers and many guests enjoyed the festivities while God, Ra, Eve, and Death stared at the Pedestal of Realms.
“This should be interesting,” God whispered.
“You know we could have put Davy back together that day,” Eve replied.
“Fate is theirs for the making, my love. Never again will we interfere or interrupt the nudges they make to it. Each being has choices and it will be the sum of those choices that make them who they are. That is the fate of all and that is how it will stay.”
“Until you get it in your head to do something stupid again.” Death laughed.
“Just be.” Ra smirked as God’s light shined brightly toward Death.
The four took one final glance toward all they had helped create, each relieved that it would now live on without their interference. Death and Ra then opened a crack and flew through.
“Daddy, where are they going?” Mimi pointed to Eve and God as they waved to her before stepping through a crack in reality.
“I haven’t the foggiest, munchkin. But like your brother, Camelot and all of us here today, I’m sure they will always be there when the need arises,” Merlin replied.
“And life always has another adventure around the next corner.” Evienne took Mimi by the hand.
Mimi stared at the Pedestal of Realms as her parents took her to mingle with Bandaid, Dina, and the others. She fiddled with the alternate reality Gem of Heaven Trudesile had given her months ago while wishing Max and the others luck. Mimi then happily strolled along and thought of all the adventures she would have one day by Max, Trudesile, and Lester’s side.