Bagheera was officially made king the next day. Since the rest of us had recovered, we all headed to the throne room to watch the ceremony. Compared to the kinds of ceremonies other kingdoms had for crowning a new king, this one was plain. There wasn’t a crown, nor did Bagheera put on fancy robes. Instead, he sat down on the throne while Smokey told stories about his heroic exploits.

I stood on the edge of the room. Harska crowded around the throne, singing praises to their new king or fighting to be near him. To the right of Bagheera stood Princess. Damian stood on his left. Both of them were chosen as advisors to the king. In my opinion, Damian should have been in jail with Gunner, but Bagheera wanted to keep him close. He had too many admirers among Gunner’s former allies to keep him in chains.

Patches stood near Damian. She glanced at me before gesturing to Bagheera and winking. From what I had heard, she had been the deciding vote to crown Bagheera. I was glad that Smokey and Patches had decided to ally themselves with Bagheera. They had been nice to me during our travels.

Nia and Tamara had decided to skip the ceremony. Both of them had moved into an empty room near mine. I hadn’t had the chance to talk to either of them since talking to Gunner for the last time. Most of the druids had headed home. Only Deja, Kadir, and Greenspring stayed behind to make sure everything proceeded orderly.

Khristi had left during the morning. She snuck out while everyone was getting ready for the ceremony. I only managed to catch her as she was packing her belongings, which amounted to a blanket and some food. I said my goodbyes, wishing her a safe trip home. Even though she looked happy to leave, I could tell something was weighing on her.

“Thank you for everything,” I said, extending my hand. “I don’t know how I can repay you.”

She took my hand, gripping it firmly. “No need. Knowing that Greenspring is safe is reward enough. I can sleep safely now that my debt to him is paid.”

“Debt?”

“He saved my life when I was young. Him and his… Well, I only counted my debt toward him. Greenspring did most of the work.” She wrapped her blanket up and tied it to her back.

“Where will you go from here?” I asked.

“Some druids have gone missing in the north, going to go check on them.” She shrugged. “Probably nothing, but it’s my job to check.”

I nodded. “Good luck.”

Khristi smiled, revealing perfect white teeth. “Same to you, Norman Benson.”

A loud cheer from the harska gathered around Bagheera brought me out of my thoughts. Greenspring stood next to me, cheering as loud as the rest. He still looked young, having not had time to reapply his disguise. Why he had worn one before, I still wasn’t sure. Still, I wrapped my arm around his neck and joined in the celebrations. There would be time to worry later.

Drinks and food were passed around the crowd. Delicious meats that dripped off the bone and melted in your mouth. Foamy liqueurs that made you feel like you were flying. It seemed to never end. We celebrated for the rest of the day and long into the night. By the time everyone had left or passed out, the sun had started to rise again.

Greenspring and I stumbled back to my room where we fell asleep on the floor. Henry was already passed out, having left the party early to put Arienne to sleep. I would have done it, but he wanted me to enjoy the celebrations. Who was I to complain?

I heard a knock on my door. Greenspring stirred slightly but continued to snore. Standing up, I felt my back crack and creak as my tired bones woke up. It was past noon, heading into the next evening. The door opened, and a pair of blue eyes peered through the gap. Seeing that I was awake, the door opened wider. Nia and Tamara were holding hands, holding back laughter from my delirious state.

“Morning,” said Nia. “Or should I say good afternoon?”

I groaned. “Morning is good enough. Are you two heading out?”

Nia nodded. “I thought we could all travel back to Kent’s Crossing together, but if you’d rather sleep...”

Arienne shot up. She bounced up and down on the bed. “I want to go! I want to go! I want to go!”

Henry sighed, covering his ears with his pillow. “I’ll stay here.”

I threw my pillow at Henry. “Nope, we’re going together. Hurry up and pack.”

Arienne cheered. She ran through the small room, jumping up and down. I laughed. Part of me had worried that she would be changed by the experience, but she seemed to be the same as she always was. Had I changed? I didn’t feel different, but I knew I would never forget what had happened.

“Do we all have to go?” asked Greenspring, his face smothered by his pillow.

“Yes!” yelled Arienne. “Now hurry and pack.”

Greenspring chuckled to himself. “Yes, Ma’am.”

Before we left, I stopped by the throne room one last time. Bagheera was sitting on the throne. Next to him was Princess, who whispered to Bagheera while showing him a scroll. Both of them turned to look at me as I entered.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Norman!” exclaimed Bagheera, sitting up straighter on his throne. “Come to say goodbye?”

I nodded. “Thank you for your help, King Bagheera.”

He laughed, shaking his head. “For you, Bagheera is fine. I’m sad to see you go, but I’m happy you’re leaving in good spirits. If there’s anything I can do for you, please, ask.”

“No, nothing I can think of at the moment,” I replied, biting my lip. “Stay on the straight and narrow. That will be good enough for me.”

Princess smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on him.”

“Then that’s good enough for me.”

After a respectful bow, I looked at the harska one last time. All of us went through so much to get to this moment, yet I found it hard to say goodbye. Piopus used to say that life was a story. Each day was a page, every year a chapter. If that was true, then this was just another chapter. In longer stories, goodbyes were always temporary. We would see each other again.

As I walked through the halls of the harska fortress, I felt a tear form in my eye. So many hours spent down there, so many days spent away from home. Days spent away from Beth, Charlie, Ma, and Pop. It would be good to see them again.

Nia, Tamara, Greenspring, Henry, and Arienne stood in a circle outside the entrance hall. Each of them carried their belongings in a small sack. We didn’t have horses, ours had left when we were captured by the harska, so we had to walk the long journey home. I didn’t mind. This was the victory lap, one final celebration.

Deja and Kadir waved from the entrance to the harska fortress. Both of them had been so busy, we hadn’t had a proper chance to say goodbye. Still, I was glad to see them one last time. I waved to them, again feeling the pain of goodbyes.

Tamara and Nia held hands the entire way. I guess Arienne got jealous because before we had left the forest she grabbed Nia’s hand and held it tightly. Henry and Greenspring talked for a bit before they realized they didn’t have much in common. Still, I was glad that everyone was getting along.

We passed the forest, the hills, the plains, and the harpy hunting ground without trouble. Compared to our journey to the Sapphire Mountains, we were making excellent time.

A few miles away from Kent’s Crossing, Tamara sat next to me during dinner. It would be one more night before we entered the small town, one night before we had to say goodbye.

“Thank you, Norman,” she said, glancing up at the setting sun. “Sorry I was rude to you when we met.”

I made a dismissive gesture. “Don’t worry about it, I’m glad you’re safe.”

She nodded, tapping her fingers on her leg. “Feels weird to be home.”

“Yes, but that will go away in time,” I replied.

Tamara turned toward me, smiling. “You better visit. Nia won’t ask, but she’ll miss you.”

I laughed. “Of course, I’ll bring the whole family.”

“If they’re like your brother and daughter, then that sounds like a good time.”

“What are you two chattering about?” asked Greenspring, sitting down beside us.

“Are you going to visit us, Greenspring?” I asked.

He shrugged. “I will try, but I have my own duties to attend to.”

I nodded. That was good enough for me.

The next morning, we all stood outside Tamara’s forge. Greenspring was heading north, so he was leaving us as well. There wasn’t a dry eye around as we stood awkwardly in a circle. Henry glanced at me, before grabbing Arienne’s hand and leading her away.

“Come on, Ari. Let’s give them some space.”

“But I want to say goodbye,” she whined.

I couldn’t hear the rest of their conversation as they walked into town. Before I could react, Greenspring and Nia wrapped me in a hug, tears streaming down their faces.

“Excellent work, my boy,” said Greenspring. “You are one of the greats!”

“Thank you, Norman,” said Nia. “I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

I returned the hug, squeezing them tightly. “I’ll miss both of you. Visit the farm anytime you want. My home is your home.”

Greenspring laughed. “Don’t tempt me.”

Tamara grabbed Nia’s shoulder. “In a week, once we’re settled, we’ll visit in a week.”

I nodded, slowly slipping out of their embrace. “We’ll be ready.”

With that, we waved goodbye and went our separate ways. Unlike the harska, I knew I would see them soon, but it still hurt to say goodbye. I met up with Henry and Arienne in the market. After spending a few hours browsing, we headed home.

The walk home was quiet. Neither Henry nor Arienne had much to say as we trekked through the mountains to get home. We could have rented a cart, but we were running low on money. It took a few days, but we were used to walking by that point. As we passed the final hill, we looked over Xalir, our home.

Arienne raced through town, almost tripping several merchants as they passed through. I chased after her, apologizing to everyone I passed. It didn’t feel like I was home, but as I recognized the faces around me, it hit me. My journey was at its end.

In the distance, I saw my familiar red barn and small house. I watched as Arienne stopped in the middle of the road, and gestured for me and my brother to hurry up. Henry was a ways behind me, having decided to pace himself instead of sprinting through town.

Scraps, my dog, came out of nowhere and knocked Arienne over as she jumped on top of her. She covered Arienne’s face in spit, before turning to look at me. Wagging her tail, she bounced toward me and jumped up to lick my face.

Laughing, I rubbed her sides. “Scraps! Good girl, did you miss me?”

She barked. Pushing her down, I managed to make it to Arienne without falling over. From the house, I heard the door open and a loud gasp.

“Norman? Arienne?”

Ma raced across the yard, enveloping both of us in a hug. “I’m so glad you’re safe.”

“Daddy!” yelled Charlie. He grabbed my leg and held it tightly. Squatting down, I returned the hug. “My boy. I’m home.”

Even Pop seemed to rejoice at our return. He picked up Arienne and placed her on his shoulders as he smiled at me. “About time you made it back. Someone’s gotta feed the cows.”

I laughed. “Ol’ Bessy miss me?”

“As much as the rest of us,” he replied.

Henry appeared behind Pop, placing his arm around him as best he could. “I can’t imagine that. After all, you still haven’t seen her yet.”

He gestured to the house, where Beth was standing in the doorway. Her face was covered in tears. Letting go of Charlie, I ran to her.

I grabbed her face and pulled her into a kiss. It was wet, messy, and passionate. Since I had left home so many months ago, I had wished for this moment. Now everyone was home, everyone was safe.

Our lips separated. “I kept my promise,” I said, smiling.

“I know,” she replied, her face bright red. “Welcome home, Norman.”

End of Book 1