Aleksi survived, in the end. Not well enough to keep working, not enough to fight without the threat of a heart attack, but enough that he could eat, drink, and laugh with a free mind. Elijah knew the giant wasn’t the biggest fan of giving up his hours in the smithy, but it was for the best. They were getting old, and his body would’ve forced him off the job sooner or later.
He had some concoctions that could help Aleksi within a few months, potentially letting him do some mild exercise and maybe even train with Sasha again, but it was a proposal for the future. For now, they could only rest.
The problems plaguing the country weren't theirs to fix anyway. As one would’ve expected, the events that came to be during the night had caused quite a stir. To have a barrier separating the Academy from the rest of the city before a Tarrasque seemingly appeared out from nowhere only worsened things. To see the monster that stopped the country from harvesting the riches on the lower half of the Dungeon standing there, able to move and kill if it so desired, had caused panic unlike any other.
Alin moving it outside of the city walls did help slightly, but the damage and events weren’t forgotten. The deaths of the king and crown prince only made things worse.
From what Elijah was able to hear, however, they’d been able to spin it in their favor. The thought of the crown prince betraying the country wasn’t very good for keeping the people happy, so what if Rubeus Hayes had been behind it all? The potions found to influence minds might not have easily worked on the prince, but the people didn’t have to know that.
The king had been killed by the Royal Mages, Phillip had been able to break free at the end and kill Rubeus, but the wounds suffered caused him to die in the process. A sad death, but the valiant efforts of the crown family allowed them to get through it.
It was not a day of loss. It was a day of celebration, as their enemies were defeated.
A stupid lie, but there wasn't anybody alive left to disprove it. Vera had gotten the rest of the traitors killed for their actions, had made sure those few who knew the truth were silent, and the people had cheered. The time to rebuild had arrived.
Many things needed to be made new. The Academy was in shambles, the power it wielded was mostly gone, and the passive protection it offered against the neighboring countries would fade the instant news traveled across the border.
“It’s ironic that you’re keeping that thing,” Elijah commented, as he sat at the Queen’s balcony. He and Vera could look over the high walls from their position, and see the Tarrasque lying in the grass as it was fed a few tons of meat. Without the need to move, it needed little in terms of feed, but Vera wanted to keep it strong if it was ever needed. “So much was lost, and at the end, there’s this beast to show for it.”
He swore that the large eyes fell upon him for a moment as if the monster had heard him from so far away.
“It could be worse,” Vera countered. “Castilla will undoubtedly start prodding our borders again soon, but they will hesitate before restarting the war when faced with this beast.”
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“You sound confident in that prediction.”
“A Queen has to be confident in her plans,” she said, looking regal for a moment before breaking into chuckles. “At the very least, we’ll have a few months to rebuild and get ourselves together. Six months shouldn’t be impossible, I’d say.”
“Six months…” Elijah muttered. “I’m guessing you are going to propose a change to our old agreement?”
“Is it really a proposal when you’ve already decided to stay?”
“Keep dreaming.”
They enjoyed looking over the city for another hour before Elijah excused himself. Vera had a good friend to invite into her chambers, and he had to check up on Aleksi and the others. By the whispers heard, it seemed Grace’s mother was going to tear him a new one.
Hopefully, his ears could survive it.
“Elijah!” Jack greeted the second he opened the door into the Royal Healer’s personal chambers. Another two beds had been put inside, allowing the trio to lie around without being pressed together constantly. “Come to visit your favorite people in the world?”
“I don’t remember having such a list,” he replied dryly, not wasting time before he began to check Aleksi’s chest with a stethoscope. “Resting pace is good. Still some murmuring but better than six hours ago. Nothing to be scared about.”
“Good to hear,” Aleksi said, returning to his lying position. “I have to admit that I’m starting to understand why people can laze around in bed all day. It’s rather relaxing.”
“Don’t get used to it,” Sasha commented, making both old men frown.
“Why?” the giant questioned.
“We’re gonna be traveling when you’re back on your feet,” Jack announced, having seemingly planned it all without telling them about it. “Somewhere with a body of water that’s around body temperature.”
“And you’ve heard of this place from where exactly?” Elijah asked.
“Oh, I have no idea where we can find one of those, but this world is pretty big, right? Not an impossible task.”
Elijah supposed not. And with their newly-gained freedom, who was he to shut down such ideas? Only…
“Weren’t you adamant about returning to the other world?” he asked Sasha, to which she shrugged.
“The idiots that brought us into this world are dead,” she replied. “No reason to stay in the city if I can’t force them to put me back.”
…
‘Can I swim in a lake?’ Dawn asked from within his mind. While she would be able to leave it in time, she was still trapped inside him until the plant-flesh could properly assimilate with his body. ‘I want to swim in one.’
‘Then let’s find you one,’ Elijah said, looking over the others. Though lives had been lost, these three were still here. ‘Might be a month or two before we get there.’
‘That’s fine. I can wait.’
So could he. So could they all.
Though it had taken so much to get here, they finally had time to breathe a little.
End of book 1.