by Billy Wong
"Alright." She told him about how she had been a former ruler of Aerilea, then died battling the Father of All Monsters only to revive herself using her willpower and mastery of magic. She then described how the continent started to break apart due to the decline in magical energy, and her quest to stop it from falling.
"That is quite an incredible tale. Then you are my descendant." Descendant, what? But he did bear her father's likeness. "Even if you did not come with the intention of replacing me, that is a happy coincidence."
"You're a member of the Aerilean royal family? It's mind-boggling to meet an ancestor of mine here, but from how long ago?"
"From what you say, it must have been centuries since my reign. You might recognize my name. I am Saint Prince Cedric the Second."
Julianna's brow rose. "Cedric the Second? I've heard about you for sure, but that must've been more than twenty generations ago... so long your time is hardly remembered other than in history books. Sorry."
"No need to apologize. Of course time moves on, and the past fades in the collective memory. But there are some things that should not be forgotten."
"So what are you doing here? Do you have any idea how to stop the continent's magic from decreasing?"
He frowned. "That's what I was about to tell you, but you might not like it."
"Go ahead," she said after a moment's hesitation. "I came all the way here for answers, I'll hear any I can get."
"I am here serving as a conduit between our land and the magical realm, to supply our continent with the energy to stay afloat. From the time it was raised until my era, the royal family of Aerilea has fulfilled that role, for the spirit of a powerful magic user is required to serve as conduit." Now she knew why he'd said she might not like hearing this, and had a good idea of where it was going... "Because every spirit eventually feels the pull of the next world, tradition had it that every few generations a new Aerilean royal would take the place of the current conduit, freeing the previous one to move on. But after I took on the role, no other came to replace me. This process was not common knowledge, rather a well-kept secret among a few, so perhaps they were killed in some mass accident causing it to be lost."
One of her ancestors could also possibly have not wanted any of their relatives to be sacrificed for this and silenced those who knew the secret. Though that would be extremely short sighted, she couldn't rule out any of her predecessors being mentally unsound. It dawned on her that Aerilean royal dances in tribute to the continent's guardian spirits were originally meant to honor their ancestors who served as such, and she regretted looking down on them as frivolous at times. "There should've been better precautions in place to preserve the secret. I'm guessing then you can no longer serve adequately as conduit due to losing your hold on the world, and want me to do it in your stead?"
"You understand quickly, though I'd thought to ease you more towards that question. Will you do it?"
It scared the hell out of her to think about not being with Keith and Julian, and staying here for however long she would have to until one of her descendants relieved her. Could a person even hold onto their sanity all alone like this? Cedric seemed to, but who knew what preparations past royals had for this? Meanwhile she was completely unprepared, not even aware of this until today. Yet it didn't seem like she had much of a choice. "Considering there's no one else, I might have to. If the alternative is the continent falling, I can't allow all those people to die for selfish reasons. Let me discuss it with my family first, though. I should at least ready them for my departure, instead of just suddenly leaving."
"All right. Do you know how to get back?"
"I'll figure it out. I found my way to you, after all."
She swam away from him through the golden world, yelling her companions' names in hopes they would hear and guide her towards them. "Mom, is that you? Your voice sounds really faint." Keith and Becca joined in, and she headed in their direction. A short while later, she popped out of the hole in energy form and reconstituted her body with some effort.
"Glad to see you're safe. Did you learn anything?" Keith asked.
"I learned a whole lot, and met someone I would never have expected to." She shared everything Cedric had told her, Keith and Julian's expressions growing ever more anxious as she neared the end.
Julian looked at her with moist eyes after she finished. "You're going to leave, Mom? Aerilea still needs you, you can't!"
"No it doesn't. I was away for three years and you did a fine job without me. My strength was only important during the recent crisis, but even so you might have pulled through without me. Me being around just made it easier, you still would've had Becca and could have asked the other nations for help."
"We might not even have been able to stop Severil and Ostuh from going to war much less thwart the One Army. You're so much more experienced and savvy than me, if the kingdom has to lose one of us it shouldn't be you." He looked down, features tense as if trying to gather the strength for his next words. "M-maybe I could be the new conduit."
She gaped. Her son would sacrifice himself for her? She knew him to be brave, and felt admiration for him offering to give up his life, but there was no way she would allow it. "You can't do that," she said, stroking his hair. "I'm not able to have children anymore. If you sacrifice yourself, there will be no descendant to take your place as conduit when the time comes, and we don't know if another talented mage would be capable. So for the sake of the future, it should definitely be me who goes and not you. Besides, I've already lived a full life. Your life is just beginning."
"But you're only thirty-five yourself—thirty-two not counting the time you spent being dead. Mom..."
"Don't cry." Keith squeezed Julian's shoulder, although his own voice was shaky. "This won't be the end of your mom. We know already she can come back from not having a body, so we just have to look into ways the continent can be sustained without a spirit conduit, like how they do magical research in Ostuh, and when we find one she can come back to us."
"Yeah, that's true," Julianna said. "You don't have the ability to reform yourself with energy, as far as we know, so if you give up your body you're gone. But for me, there'll still be hope of us reuniting someday."
"I guess... but long will it take for us to find a way? We might never find one, if a member of the royal family's spirit is the only thing that can serve in this capacity."
She looked down, knowing that was very possible. Then she met his eyes. "Even if that's the case, you won't lose me. Did you already forget my voice can be heard in here from the other realm? So just visit me once in a while... so I don't go crazy from loneliness too..." Saying this, she was struck with sympathy for Cedric, who had endured the passage of so much time without human contact. Wait, why hadn't he ever tried to get the attention of those who visited here? But the others said her voice had been faint, so maybe no one would've noticed him trying to communicate if they weren't listening for something—plus he'd have had no way to know when somebody was there.
Julian hugged her tightly, wetness streaming down his cheeks despite Keith's advice. Keith too blinked back tears, and even Becca wore a deflated expression with slumped shoulders. "You're so good, Mom. We'll visit you often for sure, and maybe you can even come out once in a while? Being the conduit might not require you to be there full time."
"Maybe, but it's doubtful. I'll ask Cedric though. Anyway, I guess this is farewell." She kissed his forehead. "I love you, Julian." Then she went to Keith and they shared a much longer kiss. "You know how I feel about you. But I grant you permission to love another woman, since you know..."
He shook his head. "If it happens, it won't be anytime soon. Three years and I couldn't get over you, remember? I can't believe we're already losing you again, after you came back from that. We didn't even get married."
"Like we discussed, you aren't really losing me." Julianna touched his hand. "And besides, we're already married in our hearts." He nodded and she walked over to B
ecca with a smile. "What can I say to you? It's been fun. Don't get in too much trouble."
They shook hands, and Becca said, "Bye old lady. The world will remember you as a great princess."
"I don't care about the world remembering me, as long as the people I care about do. You all take care of yourselves." She stepped towards the wellspring and reached out a hand. To leave the mortal coil was a proposition that frightened even her. But what else could she do? She wondered if she would ever see, actually see her family again. This really wasn't how she'd planned for her return to end...
"Stop," a male voice said from the chamber's entrance. She'd recognize that voice anywhere, and pulled her hand back thinking to delay her ascension at least until the danger passed.
"Should we just kill him?" Becca asked. "He can't be up to any good."
Julianna held up a hand. That was probably true, but his actions including coming here alone were unexpected enough to want to hear his rationale for them. "Father," she greeted the new arrival warily while Becca aimed her bow at him and Keith drew his sword. "What are you doing here, and why would you of all creatures stop me from leaving this world?"
He stood there in silence, ominous as always, and she braced herself in case he attacked. Then he said, "The courage with which you all fought against me time and again has changed my mind. If even their females will struggle so hard to survive, as I did before, perhaps humanity deserves a chance after all."
"Even females?" Becca muttered. "Kind of downplaying us there..."
"Just let him say what he has to," Julianna said. She addressed Father. "Great"—if he was being sincere—"but what does that have to do with me? I'm going in there to save humanity, at least on this continent."
"You should stay as a leader of mankind. If my offspring attempt to make peace as I have asked of them, I believe you may have the influence and wisdom to see that your people honor such a truce. But if you are not there, I cannot see that peace holding."
He wanted to end the conflict between their races? It seemed almost too good to be true, yet she could see it. If his primary motivation was the survival of his kind, all the losses they'd suffered in the last battles might suffice to make him reconsider their course. She would rather not continue hunting them down and losing people in battle with them if it could be avoided, too. She longed to say her son was fully competent, and could persuade the allied countries to stand down if the monsters truly did cease their aggression. But she was much more respected by other leaders, and even she might have difficulty getting them all to give peace a chance.
Still, "Why would you suddenly trust me enough to want to cut a deal? From bitter enemies to prospective allies just like that?"
"Your archer friend told me some good things about you. Seeing her heart in battle, I tended to believe her."
She gazed towards Becca. "You did? I'm surprised you would try to reason with him."
Becca took on a bashful look. "When we were on the verge of winning, he started demanding to know why we were so set on exterminating his kindred. I figured you would want me to clarify your position on that, so I did."
Julianna smiled slightly, imagining her saying something like, The old lady doesn't feel a need to exterminate you! She'd be happy to live and let your ugly asses live if only you would do the same. And perhaps Father had become aware of Nero's intent to get rid of him and his offspring, and realized they'd taken the wrong side. Returning her attention to him, she asked, "But what would you have me do? The spirit of an Aerilean royal is needed to become a conduit to the magical realm to keep the continent from falling... or at least that of a talented mage, but I don't know if we could find another suitable one in time." She had no idea what exactly qualified one for the role, after all.
After a pause, Father said, "I am also a being of magic. It might be that I can go in your place."
"You would sacrifice yourself for me?"
"Not for you. For the future of my children, if you would help me protect it."
He wasn't so different from her then, even if he was a monster god who had once killed her. "I still don't know if this would work. But if it's your wish, you're welcome to give it a shot. Actually, let me ask Cedric first and see if he thinks this idea is sound."
"Are we sure we can trust him?" Keith asked. "He might be attempting to pull some trick."
Julianna feared that too, but the alternative terrified her enough that she wanted to believe Father. "He could, but I kind of feel like he might be genuine. If he becomes the conduit, I don't see him betraying us from there since letting the continent fall would kill his children too. Though, you guys watch him in case he does something when I go in."
She stuck her hand into the wellspring and waited to enter the other realm, taking a long time as before. When she found herself in the golden world, she swam through it until she beheld Cedric again. "Are you ready to take the next step?" he asked.
"Actually, I have a question. Do you think the Father of All Monsters could serve as a conduit in the royal family's stead?"
He stared. "The Father? Have you somehow restrained him? I should remind you that performing in this role need be voluntary."
"I'm aware. He's offered to do it, in exchange for a truce between us and his offspring. I don't know if they'll honor their end of it, to be frank, but I see merit in trying it out. So can the Father do it, being a creature of magic?"
"It's likely he can, though I have qualms about entrusting this to one not of our bloodline to say the least." Cedric studied her face. "Are you sure this is what you want?"
She bowed her head. "I admit to a certain level of cowardice towards leaving what I know behind. Please give this a chance. If it doesn't work out, then I'll go in his place."
"Fine. Having heard your history, I have some faith in your judgment. Then, there is a ritual I must teach you to free his spirit from the flesh..."
#
An hour later Julianna and her group exited the tunnel leading from the wellspring, Father having made the transition with apparent success. He did demand they regularly update him on how the situation with his kindred progressed and threatened to drop the continent if it went poorly enough, but she assured him they wouldn't let that happen. "We should still research alternate ways to maintain the flow of magic," Julian said while they stepped out under the bright golden sun. "Even the Father of All Monsters might not last forever as conduit."
"That's very true," Julianna replied. "Hopefully there can be a day when the continent stays afloat safely, without people or monsters needing to be sacrificed."
"I wonder if Ostuh will cooperate?" Becca said. "I'm glad you didn't have to leave. You're kind of an inspiration, a little bit."
"You are too. It was impressive when you stood back up after being nearly gutted by Father, and how you're always so confident and assured."
"You two just going to keep propping each other up?" Keith grumbled. "The old man here ought to get some credit too."
She smiled. "Those were some good cutting in halves you did on Caius and Nero, and you've adjusted well to your new sword. Though I still think it looks ugly."
"By the way," Julian asked, "what happened to you when you went in there the last time? It's rare to see you blushing like you were when you came out."
Julianna thought back to the last words Cedric had said to her after she guided Father's spirit through the wellspring. "Before I fade away, I would like to reward you for your efforts in preserving the future of our land with a title. I hereby name you Baehime."
"What's a Baehime?"
"It is a term derived from a mix of two ancient languages, meaning cute princess."
Her eyes had widened, and she whispered under her breath, "I'm not sure if I should share that outside of here..."
After she told her companions with some reluctance of what transpired, Julian frowned. "Cute princess? Isn't that a bit incestuous coming from your ancestor?"
"I'm sure he didn't mean it that wa
y," Keith said. "Although considering he had been totally alone for all these centuries, especially with you looking so young, his shriveled up old snake..."
"Shut up shut up shut up!" Julianna barked, and the others broke out laughing while she squirmed.
Becca draped an arm over her shoulders. "Calm down, Baehime. I think it's cute."
"It is not cute. You all are never going to let me live this down, are you?" She raised a fist to the sky. "Fine, from this day forth I am Baehime, guardian princess of Aerilea!"
"It's not as funny when you embrace it."
"By the way, when will our wedding be?" Keith asked.
She looked dreamily at him, so glad that was still a relevant question. She might not have a normal body, which could lead to awkwardness in years to come when he grew old and she didn't, but for now she would savor just being here with her loved ones. "Very, very soon," she answered. "Maybe now that the magic of the continent should be stabilized, I'll give us a light show for it too." She pulled him closer for a kiss. Still clinging to her shoulders, Becca tried to spoil their moment by mussing her hair as their lips touched, but she just shoved the queen of Severil away with one arm and continued what they were doing. She didn't know how smoothly the peace effort with the monsters would go and Leelee the Golden's anti-magic faction might still operate under new leadership, but having averted the disaster the land faced was more than adequate for them to take joy in. They walked on, towards a future that had become hopeful once again.
Cover design copyright © Dennis Frohlich https://www.artstation.com/artist/jorsch
Author Billy Wong is an avid fan of heroic fantasy, with a special love for strong female warriors. He draws inspiration from the epic legends of old, and is on a quest to bring over the top deeds and larger than life heroes back to prominence in today's literary world.
http://bklynbill.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/authorbillywong
https://twitter.com/WarriorWong