Ventari's Point of View

Dwardew Ruined Gate

“Both of you have done well.” A voice chimed in, and we turned to see the General smirking at us. “I’m proud to have served the Royal Family more than ever. This victory truly does belong to many. My Queen had you not returned when you did, I fear what may you have stumbled upon should you have taken much longer. Your deal with Sir Arthur Pendragon was our saving grace.” I stepped away from Vitar but kept a supportive hand on his back.

“Thank you for being here with my son, General Dwar. I’m sure my husband would be just as grateful.” He gave me a small bow.

The General then looked to Vitar. “However, the Queen is also correct, my Prince. Without you and your quick thinking when taking in the Druids, we would not have lasted. It’s been a true pleasure to see both of you grow up and turn into such capable leaders.”

“I had a good teacher.” I gave the man a knowing smirk. “One who didn’t hesitate to whack me on the back of the head every now and then.” Dwar gave a hearty chuckle at that, and my smile dipped as I turned to see if I could still see Arthur. “We should get the prisoners secured and send out a few search parties to make sure there isn’t anyone injured in the city. Arthur’s battle with the Wraith and that cloaked individual did quite a bit of damage.”

Dwar’s look matched my own. “I didn’t think you were serious about how powerful he was.” He then looked up at our missing ceiling. “Many will remember this day for the rest of their lives.”

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Vitar’s gaze moved to the palace. “Even our own home is partially in shambles.”

“We can rebuild.” I quickly said. “Our people are the greatest builders in the world, but this isn’t the time for that. Now is the time for rest.” Then I rubbed my face. “Once we get those prisoners secured and do a sweep of the city. We need to search for any injured or dead before we start with any celebrations.”

General Dwar bowed. “It will be done.” He instantly grabbed his most rested men and headed out.

“Should we head back?” Vitar asked me.

I smiled at him and patted his back. “You stay here and enjoy the moment with our people. You’ve earned far more than I have. I’ll round up a few of the palace attendants and other personal guards for help.” My smile quickly fell. “I also need to speak with Arthur. No matter what deal we made, what he did was a miracle. He deserves more than what we originally agreed upon.”

“What was the deal?”

“I’ll tell you later.” I told him, and he frowned at that. “It’s nothing bad, I promise. In fact, given everything he’s done, I’d say it worked out in our favor considering none of us would be alive without him.” Taking a deep breath, I exhaled through my nose. “Regardless, he was the only one willing to help me. I would’ve traded a lot more if it allowed me to return home.”

“I see.” Was all my son said in response before he gestured to the gate. “Lady Turiel and the other Druids are coming down. I’ll see about asking for their help cleaning up the area while the civilians prepare the victory feast.”

I nodded. “Then I’ll see you back at the palace.”

A rumbling grabbed our attention, and I felt the ground begin to shake. Many cried out in surprise while Vitar immediately readied his weapon before turning toward the gate. Others did the same as they expected an attack of sorts. However, many of us quickly realized it wasn’t coming from outside Dwardew but from the inside. Specifically from the direction of the palace.

Our forces, along with the Druids, turned to the palace to see the large portion of it that was cut through merging back together. The slamming of rocks shooting from one side to the other was visible due to how large the gap was. No one really knew what to say. It wasn’t fixed by any means, nor was it repaired. It merely looked like a patch job so the palace, or back of the former cavern, wouldn’t collapse.

Giving my son another pat, I started to head to the palace. “As I said, I’ll see you at home, Vitar.”

The prisoners were dragged away at my signal with the help of a few Druids who moved to keep the injured ones alive. With a small nod at Lady Turiel, we left as she joined my son.