Brinn used her keen hearing to listen for her husband as she scanned the carnage of the battlefield. Alvar was many things, but quiet was not one of them. She was sure that with enough patience, she would hear the elf she was searching for.

Along the ground, some fairies were popping in and gathering up the wounded and taking them to the healers. Other fairies had the more difficult task of collecting the dead. Separately she passed by elves who were still gathering the gnomes in groups to hold them until the peace talks were complete.

It was amazing how quickly things had been organized. Brinn realized that these plans must have been made before the battle began because neither the fairies nor elves seemed to need direction or supervision.

Even more amazing was the new King of the Gnomes. The timid, mousey gnome that Brinn had witnessed at the palace when she was pretending to be Mairwen was gone. The difference was night and day.

Lukoss was walking around and ordering his new subjects to submit to capture. "There is a new order. I have been warning you for years that we were working against the Fates. Look where that got Cafer! The Fates have chosen me as your king. You know what will happen if you defy them."

Brinn stopped her quest momentarily to regard him. Noticing her quizzical gaze, Lukoss walked to her and bowed his head slightly. "Princess," he greeted her with a surprisingly regal air.

"The Fates chose you?" Brinn challenged him quietly with her brow raised. "I did not know I was one of the Fates now…"

"The Fates did not reject me. That has to count for something." Lukoss responded, not exactly denying her claim.

Brinn pulled at her chin. "Where did you find such confidence? This," the elf motioned to all of the male before her, "is not the gnome I traveled with."

The gnome king's lips curved upwards. "You have to adapt to the situation. With gnomes, you either have to cower or intimidate." Lukoss peeked over Brinn's shoulder and scowled at a large gnome who was giving an elf trouble. The rowdy gnome reluctantly complied. He turned back to the elf, "Perhaps with time, things will be different, but for now I will play the game."

"The Fates are not the only ones who will be keeping a close eye on you, Your Majesty." Brinn was not sure whether to impressed, amused or concerned.

"I think I rather like the idea of having as many allies as possible," Lukoss retorted. "I look forward to speaking again soon." Then spotting another source of trouble with his new subjects, the newest gnome king went off to deal with the problem, bowing his head as he left.

'I don't even know what to do with that,' Brinn thought. 'Did I help crown a hero or a monster?' Only time would tell, and the elf did not have time to contemplate it.

The elven princess's golden ears perked up as she picked up a familiar voice among the organized chaos. She jerked her head towards the sound. Finally, she had found whom she was looking for.

"Push!" Alvar admonished. "We are almost there." He, Gandr and two others were all pushing aside a fallen giant to rescue an elf and fairy underneath. "Last time. Now!"

It took all their strength and coordination to roll away the large cyclops. The freed fairy had a broken wing and a mangled arm. The elf had only managed to escape death by digging a ditch with his wind magic to preserve his body from the giant's massive frame. Both were quickly ushered away.

"Alvar!" Brinn called out as she sped towards her husband.

The handsome newlywed rubbed his dirtied hands off on his dirtier tunic and opened his arms to receive his wife. "Welcome back!" he greeted her. "I am happy you are well. You will have to tell me all about your trip." His chipper voice made Brinn note his pained smile. His eyes, though glad to see her, were filled with sadness. Beside him, Gandr too tried to smile, but it came off as a grimace.

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"My trip? I retrieved the prince, healed him, then killed him with a magical spell…" she fell into Alvar's arms. He held her, kissing the top of her head.

"Was that the light pulse we experienced? What a powerful wife I married…" he cooed.

"It took three of us, including a fairy and the obnoxious prince. Humans were not made for magic," the words spilled out.

"I am sure it wasn't your fault." Alvar ran his fingers through the elf's red hair. He could feel the rise and fall of her chest against his.

"I could have stopped it, but I didn't," Brinn argued. "I could see no other way to end this." The elf's shoulders sagged.

"If Alaron went in willingly, you are not to blame. His choices are his own." Alvar spoke the words that his wife needed to hear. She felt the guilt slowly lift from her soul.

"Thank you." Brinn wiped a stray tear. "Where is my brother?"

Alvar's body tensed. "Your brother is fine. He was out here just a moment ago trying to help as many as he could, but I sent him to the healing tents. Your father…"

Seeing the elf struggle with his words, Brinn laid a comforting hand on his arm. "I already know that father was wounded saving you, Alvar. But based on the news I received, I think we would be better looking among the dead. Will you come with me?"

Alvar looked at Gandr. The halfling nodded. "Go. I will keep things moving here and join you as soon as I am able. If you see my mother, please tell her that I am well."

"Thank you. We will." Alvar escorted his wife from the battlefield in silence. Brinn's face told a story of brave indifference as they made their way to the camp. Only the squeeze of her hand against his arm told him how much pain she actually felt.

————

Aurora rode Utku to check on all the human troops and thank the men and women for their service. The people were rallied by her presence and they were filled with new vigor to complete their tasks.

On her way back, the Empress could see the ships being beached and more prisoners being offloaded. The enormity of it all struck her. It would be a battle all its own to feed them all until they were properly dealt with. 'Few battles are actually fought with a sword,' she noted.

With that in mind, the Empress turned Utku toward the healers' tent.

The wounded were spilling out of the tent and laid out on the sandy ground of the Beachy Plains. The unicorns, aided by the uninjured fairies, servants and any other available creatures were tending to the injuries as best they could. While the worst wounds were being treated by the unicorns, the less deadly were being treated by traditional means. Unfortunately for the humans, the traditional means were the only means for them.

Aurora helped a servant dress a wound and reassured the warrior. Somehow giving comfort also soothed her aching soul. As she entered the tent, the Empress was accosted by more unpleasant sights and smells. Undeterred, she looked into as many faces as she could and gave them an encouraging smile.

For the sake of family, Aurora gave extra time to Lord Fedelmid. He had received an arrow in his shoulder and broken hand on the other arm from punching someone after being disarmed of his sword. The Empress and Duchess Ashleigh, who kept passing by as she helped the nurses, both scolded him for his foolishness in continuing to fight.

"Take care of yourself, cousin!" the Empress reminded him. "The Empire needs you."

Finally Aurora's eyes fell on a familiar friendly face. Though he was clearly in a large amount of pain, the soldier was telling a joke to the man lying on the cot next to him. "And she said, 'you cannot talk to me that way; everyone says I am a treasure!' And I responded with a serious face, 'if you are a treasure, madam, whoever dug you up should have reburied you!'"

Those around who could hear smiled appreciatively. Happy at the result, Junayd laid his head back down on his own cot and relaxed.

"Why is it even when you are in the worst shape of your life, you still find a reason to laugh?" Aurora approached the general.

"It could be worse. Xander only tried to disembowel me; if he had gone for my chiseled features, then I would have been in real trouble," Junayd flashed a toothy smile at the Empress. While not as wide and carefree as his usual grin, it was genuine.

"Will he be ok?" Aurora asked a nurse. The woman was tall and slender and wearing a simple white shift of a dress.

"They were able to get the bleeding to stop and sew him up. Somehow the pirate captain missed his stomach or he would have been finished long before he got here." the nurse said.

"It's a miracle!" Junayd exclaimed as he reached for the slender lady, trying to catch her waist.

She pushed away his hand. "You need to rest."

Aurora recognized her voice but could not place it. Perhaps they had met over the past few days.

"With two such lovely women for company, how could I rest?" Junayd winked at the nurse.

"We can leave," the Empress threatened.

"I will go back to the sea," the nurse added.

The sea? Aurora realized where she knew the voice. "Luna? Is that you?"

The selkie smiled demurely. "Phoca and the others are here too. We could not sit idly by when others needed help."

Junayd raised his head again and winced. "You should have seen them come in the tent straight from the ocean. They caused quite a stir until they were given the proper outfits to wear."

Luna blushed. "Hush now!" she scolded him, "or I will give you a sleeping draught."

"Draught away," the general countered, taking a painful breath as he relaxed his head and neck. "As long as you stay, you can do whatever you like."

The three were drawn by a disturbance at the front of the large tent.

"I was told I would find him here," a red headed elf popped into the tent with her husband close behind.

Aurora was going to call out to her friend, but another more masculine voice overrode her. "Brinn! Over here!"

Over in the far corner of the tent, Ithel stood and waved at his sister.

"Father is over here. He wants to speak to you," the elven prince said with a somber expression.

"He's alive?!" Brinn asked.

"He's alive," Ithel confirmed with a small grin.

"He's alive!" Aurora squealed.

"Hooray!" Junayd called then furrowed his brow. "Wait, were we worried about this?"