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The rest of that day hadn’t gone that well.

Avyrus and Sascha headed back to the castle the way they’d come, they’re limbs starting to ache from going the great distance. Discouragement seemed to be filling Avyrus by the moment and Sascha just wished she could do something about it. But she could do nothing, except watch and wait.

When they reached the castle they walked through the courtyard into the castle. The dead wolves had been removed, but had yet to be buried. The fact that the three knights that had been killed had already had a burial angered Sascha.

The wolf pack had done more good than the shiny men ever had! Sascha had to see that the remaining twelve wolves helped her bury the untimely casualties.

Sascha walked up the hall to Avyrus’ soon to be chambers where the patrol was still sleeping. No one was on guard anymore, Avyrus having left.

“Come,” she spoke softly to Akemi and the rest of the patrol. “We must bury the dead.” And so they all made their way out of the castle to find the fallen wolves that were right outside the walls.

“Thundermist,” Akemi whined with welling sorrow when she saw the she-wolf’s body among the other casualties.

Thundermist is... dead? Sascha flattened her ears with shock. It was not long ago that the white she-wolf had given the sorrel-and-white colored wolf a patch of moss to drink from. And now she was dead?

Sascha pressed her muzzle into Akemi’s shoulder fur in attempt to comfort her. The scar patch that she had noticed when they’d first met had reopened during the battle, but it was healing again.

Of course it wouldn’t heal properly; the scar would always be there. “I’m sorry,” she whispered with sympathy.

And so they buried the wolves at the edge of Rosewood Forest, one by one. Some of them were Twilight Pack warriors; some were nomads that Sascha had gathered to fight against Harloc. It was very sad, for she knew that the wolves that had died would be grieved for in the Twilight Pack.

And the others that had died would never be able to become real Twilight Pack members. They would always be considered Pack wolves at heart, and they would always be honored for their bravery.

When every wolf was buried Sascha started to speak a eulogy about the nine wolves that had lost their lives in battle. She felt horrible that they had died and that they would never be returning home. And it was completely her fault.

After the burial and eulogy was over everyone left the edge of the forest and started back to the castle. When the thirteen wolves made it there, Avyrus was above on the balcony that overlooked the courtyard. The knights, noblemen and women were gathered below to hear him. They looked a little more accepting of him... but Sascha couldn’t understand why. She separated from the other wolves and made her way through the crowd to the front.

Xanthus. He was chained by his hands and feet, crouched down like an animal, on top of a wood platform directly below The Balcony. She knew that the platform was used for executions and whatever other punishments that the Kings of the past and present had ordered.

“You see?” Avyrus shouted over the yard so that all may hear him. “He admitted that he practices magic. Is that enough for you?”

She’d missed that much? To hear Xanthus say that was a miracle. It benefited Avyrus’ reputation also, for it proved he was not lying about their former King.

“I don’t believe you!” A woman from the crowd screeched and ran up to Xanthus. She had ginger red colored hair and green eyes, quite beautiful to be honest.

When she reached the traitor King the woman wrapped her hands around Xanthus’ muscular left arm. “Please! Please... tell me you are lying! Tell me you do not practice what they accuse you of!”

“I am sorry! It is true!” Xanthus exclaimed angrily. “And they can do whatever they want with me.”

“And do not think I will let you go easily, Xanthus,” Avyrus snapped. “I will not kill you, but I will order you to be flogged. I sentence you to exile. Travel beyond Hadrian’s Wall and never return to Aerulis or England again.”

“Don’t hurt my husband any further!” The woman pleaded, obviously sticking by his side even after being lied to by him.

“Woman, be thankful that I am not going to execute him as I probably should,” Avyrus responded sternly. “Keep in mind that I am Aerulis’ new King. I am King Avyrus, son of King Aeolus and Queen Keeva.”

“I am his wife! If he is to be punished, I want to be punished with him!” The former queen started to cry lightly. “You are no King of mine! I will never follow you!”

Some of the guards gathered together to grab Anne and get her under control, so that she did not interrupt further.

It wouldn’t be the first time today that someone had rejected Avyrus. Titus had found out that his father was the former druid King and had refused to speak with him afterward. Seeing Avyrus’ face it looked like it had really hurt him. Sascha couldn’t imagine the feeling of her son or daughter never wanting to speak to her again. She hoped that Titus would come around.

“Very well; you will not be flogged, but you will be banished. I cannot have traitors among the court. There has been enough of that,” the new King of Aerulis answered. “Guards, restrain her until further notice.”

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And the guards obeyed, taking the young woman inside the castle to the dungeon. She screamed and protested but it did no good.

“Wait,” a voice at the entrance to the courtyard interrupted them. “A friend of mine would like to say something before you flog the traitor King.”

“Titus?” Sascha whispered and turned around to see the young man with a proud smile on his face. “Geez, talk about mood changes.” He sure looked happier now. She spotted the rest of the druids behind him, as if being led by him. Perhaps he had finally agreed to become King after all?

Zachery emerged from the group of druids, made his way through the gathered nobles, and approached the chained down Xanthus. “It is a pleasure to meet you face to face,” he said bitterly.

“Druid!” the former King snapped. “If my men were not traitors I would have them shoot you right now!”

“They are not traitors. At least not anymore,” Zachery growled furiously. “You are the traitor! You killed my father! And you will get what you deserve.”

“Is that all?” Xanthus said unfeelingly.

“No, it isn’t,” Zachery eyed him unwaveringly, then lifted his fist and punched the traitor King hard on the side of the face.

“There you go, Zachery!” Sascha praised her friend’s nerve.

Later that day Xanthus was flogged, and then was banished along with his pregnant wife Anne de Taske. They were both escorted twenty miles north to Hadrian’s Wall where right by the sea shore there would be one of the three gates that were spread across England.

However, it took them two days to get to the Wall. But when they crossed through the gate, the thirty gate guards stepping aside to let them through, everyone was filled with triumph.

“Who are those two young people?” One of the guards asked.

“They are just two people who broke the code of their kingdom,” one of the escorts responded.

They all watched for a moment as Xanthus and Anne vanished into the foot hills, all alone and stripped of any armor or weaponry... never to be seen again.

It took the escorts three days to return to the kingdom. Back in Aerulis things were calming down.

After Avyrus had announced himself the new King, had Xanthus flogged and banished along with his wife, the crowds were going back to their daily errands. Sascha wished that she could bring the potential threat of Sir William to King Avyrus’ mind, but she was an animal. She unfortunately could not do such a thing. William did not like the druids, so someone should keep an eye on him.

Titus and the druids slept at the castle for a few days, until the knights that had escorted Xanthus and Anne to Hadrian’s Wall arrived back. At about noon that day, Sascha eavesdropped on Titus’ conversation with a girl she’d never met before. She was dressed similarly to the druids, but was just different.

“Hi,” Titus spoke softly.

“Titus,” the young lady smiled brightly.

“I’ve missed you so much!”

“Same here. I’ve missed you too!”

“I wanted to thank you for what you did for me, feeding me and helping me escape from the dungeon,” he said. “What happened after I left?”

Millie hesitated, looking a little sad. “I fell asleep all of a sudden, and then the next thing I knew I was awake and locked in a cell.”

“Oh Millie, I’m so sorry!” Titus apologized. “I will never let that happen again!”

Sascha could tell that he held great affection for this nice young lady. So he had gained something out of Xanthus’ evil doings. He had found love. Millie put her hand gently on his shoulder, a great affection showing in her blue eyes. “There is no need to apologize, Titus.”

“How can I make it up to you?” The druid King seemed to ignore her, wanting desperately to make her feel better about being locked in a prison.

A few moments passed where Sascha thought that Millie wouldn’t answer however thrilled her smile seemed. “Well... there is one way you can make it up to me,” she said with a loving voice.

Titus seemed confused at first, but eventually he gave the expression of realization. He gave a huge smile, softly taking her hand and walking out of the courtyard with her.

So Titus had a love now. Aerulis was at peace, and the druids were at peace. The Twilight Pack and Windstorm City were at peace now. They had a few casualties, but they were still at peace.

“Hurry, Sascha!” Akemi’s voice sounded behind her. The white she-wolf saw that the other twelve wolves were following her lead. “The dragons are outside the castle walls, I think they want to go back home!”

“They do?” Sascha questioned. She followed the wolves outside to where the fifty dragons stood almost towering over the castle. They were definitely gigantic creatures, but also great friends of hers. Without them, none of this peace would have been achieved... even if at first they had threatened to end all peace in England.

“We wish to return to Meadows of Agrona,” Jasmine the golden colored dragoness announced.

“Oh...” Sascha flattened her ears with sadness. The Meadows of Agrona was over one hundred and twenty miles away on the eastern side of the country.

She would probably never see them again.

Then the white she-wolf remembered something horrible; Akemi and the Twilight Pack lived in the same area, so far away. Sascha couldn’t bear never seeing her friend again!

“I know what you are thinking Sascha,” Akemi frowned with sorrow. “But I must return to the Twilight Pack!”

“We take you,” Kuro offered with a smile.

“Thank you, Kuro,” the speckled gray she-wolf barked and then turned back to Sascha. “We both have two totally different destinies… and I am glad that I could have been part of yours.”

Akemi perked her ears up enthusiastically. “But trust me; this will not be the last time that we see each other. Our paths will cross again someday.”

“And I look forward to that day,” Sascha chuckled lightly.

Akemi nuzzled Sascha. “Goodbye.”

And so the twelve wolves mounted the dragons and then took to the skies.

As the great white wolf watched them fade into the distance until they were no longer visible she tried to keep it in mind that she would see them again.

It would be a long time before she did, but she would nonetheless.