CHAPTER 99 – FAREWELL
The next day, after the smoldering ruins of the cities and the countryside finally stopped smoking and the skies were clear of any cloud sinister or not, it was the brightest morning of their lives. The sun came up as if it was there all along. Mitakahn woke up early and walked the beach. The sun lit the lake up in almost unbearable brilliance, reminiscent of the Phoenix. Mitakahn walked along the water, sinking his feet. It was so quiet. The crashing waves were the only ambiance. Mitakahn felt at peace.
Mitakahn had a newfound respect for the tide bringing the water in, and the sand beneath his feet. Nothing was more reliable than earth and water. Mitakahn meditated on the end of his journey before the beach and the sun. He opened his mind to the past, empowered the present, and looked to the future. Mitakahn absorbed the spirit of the morning sun.
From what looked like inside the sun, Chronis the silver-tailed hawk flew down and landed in front of Mitakahn. The silver bird looked him in the eye as best he could. Mitakahn was still mesmerized by this animal’s intelligence. Mitakahn could tell…the bird was trying to convey something to him. Mitakahn let his mind drift and Chronis began to caw like he did on the road, with Anilithion. If Mitakahn shifted his focus away from listening to the bird’s caws his could hear faint echoes of words.
“When you are ready. You must come with me.”
Mitakahn nodded his head. Part of him was excited about what that meant. Would he be able to see Chronis’ home? Legacy City was a complicated place. For many religions it's heaven, another name for what the Magnanimous in the Pride call the AfterLight. The home of the gods, and the King of the Gods, Lord Patronalus. Mitakahn knew for now his kingdom still needed him. He would love to travel. He even had thoughts to help Zora see what lies in the south and if it can be salvaged. He had a lot to get to, but first, he helped put his home back in order.
The new king wasted no time in cleaning the streets and started reconstruction right away. Everyone supported King Axion, and his friends and family remained by his side to ensure a proper revival. It was not until after Zepathorum was cleared did they all begin to disperse and return to their own kingdoms. Commander Cel’a rebuilt the royal guard slowly. It began with all of the surviving warriors from the last stand who wished to continue service for their kingdom. Over in Castle Rosi Island, Cipher and Mercinestor Casterosi founded the Order of the Imperators, a specific sect of the royal guard dedicated to guarding the crown from the world and the world from what’s inside the ruby gem on the crown.
The princes of the Steed Kingdom packed up from the Citadel. It was time for them to return to Metuchen. They would go back to their family and their lord, King Avalahn. Anilithion looked forward to seeing his shores again. The princes all said goodbye to Queen Adyána and Eberlyn. Anilithyìstad waited until last to say goodbye to his sister. He told her, "If you ever need anything, I will always be there for you." Adyána thanked her brothers and her nephews for their support. And the Steed Kingdom left the Citadel.
King Axion and Mitakahn escorted Jericho, Mortikahn, Paxikahn, Anilithion, and Anilithyìstad to the beach of Lake Niobi. They would travel with the remainder of their troops around the lake and down through the Jungle Thicket, a task Anilithyìstad was known for.
It was time for his boys to learn the ways of the ancient jungle. Watching them battle the juggernaut from the Citadel made it clear to Anilithyìstad, the world was in the next generation's hands now. He had his time and his adventures.
Axion bid farewell to his Uncle Anilithyìstad first. “Thank you for everything, Uncle,” said King Axion as he walked with him to his horse, “Without you…I do not know what would have become of me…”
“You did your country well, Axion. For that, I am truly proud of you,” congratulated Anilithyìstad, “We all are. You will make a great king. And we shall always be your allies. Two kingdoms connected by blood hold an oath no stronger.”
“Ay, Uncle. Zepathorum will always be in Metuchen's debt.”
Jericho polished off the new shine to his silver sword on his horse. He spent the nights in between now and the battle of Zepathorum branding a name onto the silver of his blade. It read, translated from shorelander native, “Wolfsbane.”
“That’s some blade you found,” commented Mitakahn.
‘Found?’ thought Jericho, “It was the blade that found me.”
He showed the silver sword to his cousin as Axion approached them.
“Look Axion,” Mitakahn pointed out, “It’s pure silver.”
“…Wolfsbane” Repeated Axion as he read it aloud.
“I should feel so lucky to escape all this tragedy with a gift.”
“It was not luck, but fate…that helped us escape tragedy, Jericho,” declared Mitakahn.
“Good-bye, cousin” bid Axion.
And Jericho left them saying, “Good-bye, my friends.”
Mitakahn moved onto his uncle Paxikahn. After shaking hands, Mitakahn told his uncle, “To tell King Avalahn, thank you for his finest warriors, and their exceptional work.”
Paxikahn and the rest of the princes bowed their heads at Mitakahn’s words. “The Pride shall always be in all of your debt,” he concluded.
Paxikahn embraced Axion. “Farewell, brave king,” he said before he got on his steed.
“Thank you.” Axion had always admired his uncle Paxikahn. Paxikahn was young and only a child when Axion was born. They had long since forged a special bond. For Axion, the darkest of times always seemed a little bit brighter with his Uncle Paxikahn around.
Mitakahn walked with Mortikahn. Mitakahn stood in silence, proud of his young cousin. He always knew Mortikahn would make a worthy warrior. Now, the suspicions had come true, and Mitakahn felt all the more validated. Mitakahn shook Mortikahn’s hand and thanked him for his duty.
Mortikahn answered, “You walk amongst the gods now, Mitakahn, and it is I that am thankful to have you. I feel a great era is on the horizon, and you will be the key to it all.”
“Let us hope that it is an era of peace and prosperity. Good-bye, Mortikahn,” Mitakahn finished as he walked away.
Axion grabbed his youngest of cousins and head-butted him, holding their heads together the king thanked Mortikahn, saying, “We could not have done this without you, cousin. Know that in every step you take for the rest of your life.”
Mortikahn hugged his oldest cousin, the king, and got on his horse. He turned around and bid farewell, saying, “You know it hurts now…”
Axion tried to make sense of what he was saying, as Mortikahn finished, “when you head-butt me with the crown on.”
Axion laughed.
Mitakahn reached Anilithyìstad and Axion concluded with Anilithion. They embraced each other with thanks and compassion. Mitakahn looked to his uncle, “I don’t know how you do it.”
Anilithyìstad responded incredulously, “How do I do what?”
“But one thing of always eluded me, one mystery.”
“What?” Anilithyìstad asked.
“Why Anilithion?” asked Mitakahn, “Why did you send Anilithion for me and not Mortikahn?” he expanded.
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Anilithyìstad spent time thinking about it, but it was clear that he already knew the answer. “Because Anilithion would give his last piece of bread to somebody if they needed it.”
Mitakahn continued the last of his farewells speechlessly, in deep thought over Anilithyìstad’s final words.
Axion turned to Anilithion and simply said, “Thank you for looking after my brother.”
“You’re welcome, my king.”
“I know how trying it can be.”
Anilithion laughed at this and shook his head, “Mitakahn never led us astray. The entire time…he knew what to do.”
“He is a powerful being in this world-”
“But not nearly as powerful without you two,” interrupted Mitakahn as he caught up, throwing his arms over both of them.
Anilithyìstad and Anilithion were the last two to get on their horses and head down the shore. They joined the rest of their family and the cavalry that had survived and started their journey home to Metuchen Point.
After that, Humbler, Kunezar, Bridger, and Tron left for the Epitaph Road. Mitakahn, Excelsior, and Orion said good-bye to their closest friends. Excelsior and Orion would stay but a little longer, being wanderers in nature, there was no rush for them to leave.
They prepared for their departure in downtown Zepathorum, at the gates. After only a couple of days the gates of Zepathorum were clear, up and running again. The seven of them were all heavily responsible for said progress. They would not go by horseback but walk down the road. Mitakahn faced them, one by one, and said his good-byes.
Mitakahn put his hand on Humbler’s shoulder and shook his hand. “You will always be the rock,” Mitakahn bowed. He went around to Kunezar, who was strapped to Humbler’s back, the easiest way to get him home safely to the Komodo Maze.
“I’m sorry for what has happened to you, my friend.”
“This is not your fault, Mitakahn. I would have walked to the ends of MagnaThora with you.”
Mitakahn choked back some tears at those words.
“I will walk again someday. My people may not have as many resources in the SandLands, but that has made us cunning. Whether it be by my own legs or some other machination…if you ever need me again. I will be ready.”
“You are the best friend a person could ask for, Kones. Take care of yourself.” Mitakahn put both his arms on his shoulders, “I mean it. I will be around to check on you soon.”
Humbler nodded at Mitakahn. The big softie became short on words when things got too emotional. Bridger stood out of the gates, staring out onto the road. Mitakahn walked up beside him, “I owe you my life.”
“I might say the same about you. We all do. It was you that led the way.”
“Yes, but you all made it possible. Especially you, Bridger,” Mitakahn intended, “Thank you.”
Finally, he walked over to Tron who stood waiting for him, “You were right.”
“Right about what, prince?” Tron replied.
“What you said after the Funeral…we got through this. We did it.”
The two shook hands and threw their other arms on each other’s shoulders.
“I will miss you most of all, Tron,” Mitakahn said closely, “You are a part of me, my brother.”
“All of you,” Mitakahn went on, “You are all my brothers, and I can never thank you enough for rescuing me from the darkness.”
They bowed their heads to Mitakahn, finished their good-byes with Excelsior and Orion, and departed for the Epitaph Road. Mitakahn waved goodbye to his friends as they left. They would walk together until they got to Epitaph City, where Bridger would go east, Tron would go south to Crucifire Plains, and Humbler carrying Kunezar would walk west until they reached the Komodo Maze.
Excelsior and Orion stayed a while after that. The two helped Mitakahn and Axion adjust into their new roles and rebuild their kingdom. Then after one last day’s hard work, without any warning, Excelsior and Orion parted ways with Mitakahn.
As they left Mitakahn yelled to him, “Where will you go?”
“Don’t worry, prince” Excelsior answered, “I’ll be around when you need me.”
Mitakahn watched the last and the most zealous of his friends leave. Excelsior’s drive was a core essential to the group, like Tron’s heart, and Mitakahn’s perspective. Even at the academy, he attempted feats that no one else would, or anyone else could even think of. And when Mitakahn needed him most, he was always there, a bottom line that mattered above all else. That was why he would be friends with these five for the rest of his life, his brothers in arms and warriors of virtue.
Mitakahn returned to the Citadel to end the day. He passed one of the middle floors where his Aunt Agmaritha and mother were talking in a lounge, “…All of my siblings, except Theo, were banished from the cities, which is why…”
Mitakahn walked straight up the spiral staircase behind them only catching glimpses of their conversation, “…The curse Benethor’s brother still lives on today…”
He kept moving up the Citadel to the Throne Room and walked in on Axion and Eberlyn planning their wedding. He did not interrupt them but stood beside the balcony, looking out onto Lake Niobi and the Serengeti.
Mitakahn thought about many things: how the view was here, when they were battling the juggernaut, whether all of the shadow was entirely out of the Pride, how strong the Great Gate actually was, and whether it could withstand the evil that challenged them.
Getting too caught up in his own paranoia, Mitakahn refocused his thoughts. He turned around and asked the King if there was anything left to do that day. King Axion rubbed his lightly bearded chin with the tip of the simmering FireSword in thought. After a long moment’s deliberation, the King told his brother to take some time off, and spiritedly forced him out of the Throne Room strongly urging him to look for Zora.
Out of the people who should have left already, Zora remained, helping with the reconstruction on Zepathorum. Her main focus was restoring the Gatehouse and the northern fields. The two places that her stardragons impacted most. She was living out her penance and repaying the city she damned, piece by piece, brick by brick.
Zora was currently resting her hardworking dragon. Fathom spent most of his time reforging the crystal walls, providing a little more modern foundations against the highest of color temperatures. So, Zora helped out in the courtyard. Axion was convinced, he told his brother, that she did this in order to be in close proximity to Mitakahn. At the behest of Eberlyn, Axion urged Mitakahn to tell Zora how he felt about her.
“We can handle it from here,” Axion said, smiling, “Go check on the courtyard.”
Mitakahn ignored his brother’s advice. He brought his journal down to the garden with the Royal Lions. He sat amongst the beautifully cultivated flora, on a patch of grass. Gabriella walked out from the vibrant and colorful brush. The lioness had returned home.
She got close and rubbed heads with her prince, before swirling around him and sitting down. Mitakahn layed down on the grass and rested the back of his head on Gabriella's exposed belly. His head softly lifted up and down as the lioness breathed. The motion did not make it easy for him to write in the journal, but he was still able to put a title down. As Mitakahn started writing the accounts of his journey from the day he was expelled at the academy, his mind began to drift off.
Mitakahn finished writing the name of his tale. Legendary Kingdoms
It was good to be home, even though a part of him missed the adventure. He looked up at the open blue canvas and recalled all the glorious sights he saw on his journey. He was not the same person he once was, such a short time ago... The scholar, the student, the boy, was gone. His world had been opened up to such depths of truth and darkness that he could never go back to the way things were. He would never be able to pick up where he left off. His life was forever changed, and Mitakahn was unsure whether to feel cursed or blessed.
One thing was for sure, he no longer felt like he was in the wrong place. And for once he found himself in a willful change of heart, on two accounts: he was finally starting to accept his father’s death, and he was once again eager for the future. Whether it was one of prosperity or tragedy, he looked forward to his journey, his life, his purpose, and the end, his highly anticipated reunion with his father. Mitakahn was moving on, seeing his life as a whole.
The prince got lost in his thoughts and ended up falling asleep out there on Gabriella. The journal slipped between his fingers and fell to the grass. Gabriella nestled up beside him, no longer worried about ever losing him again. Mitakahn idly stroked the short hairs on the lioness’ head and wondered… What would have become of him if it wasn’t for Gabriella?
Mitakahn had a special union with the lion, something only heard about back in the original generations of the lion kingdom. Death had brought his great destiny out of him and forced him to make the ultimate act of humility, handing the destiny over to his brother. Everything was leading to what Mitakahn refused to see…The gods were not done with him yet. His journey was anything but ordinary and far from over.
Mitakahn let the sun protect his face. Between the end of the war, the comfort of being home, and the security of his lioness, Mitakahn was finally able to let his guard down. Freed from all his fears, he was about to drift through utter oblivion, and into another one of his dreams when he was startled by a sobering realization. Something unlocked from deep within his mind. Mitakahn remembered what the goddess Epiphany said and what the Phoenix Alphatross showed him. It all pointed him towards the god of the frontier, legendary Grey Wolfe…
“Lorde Entehii”