The healers stop what they were doing and send out magic messages before rushing back to those still unconscious. Two haven't even stopped they are working on Viktor alone. I am not sure if any of those I brought would ever wake, but I pray they will as I pick myself up and drag myself over to Argyle and the other weakened dwarves.
Talon comes with me, he has a few missing scales and some bruising where there are no scales, but he missed the worst of it.
"I caught Viktor before he hit the ground."
"Thank you."
I am fighting to hold on to consciousness my body overloaded from taking so much power. I have almost self-destructed. I hope what I am about to do would not push me over that edge.
"I need your power Talon. The champion bond will allow you to gift it to me, with your consent. I need to make sure they cannot recover and come for us again."
He nods and takes my hand flooding me with his power and the power Avren gave him sharing his blood. I stumble and vomit up blood as Talon steadies me.
"Elainne."
I shake my head wiping the blood from my face.
"It must be done."
I gather it all and create what is essentially a magic hammer. It crushes them all in an instant and they dissipate leaving nothing behind. No bodies littering the ground, no signs of magic or blood. Everything is gone.
I release a sigh of relief and pass out.
Chapter twenty-six
When I open my eyes next, I see Cullen, or what I assume is Cullen. He looks older. OakHeart is there as well. He is holding one of my hands, eyes closed, chanting. I look around and notice candles and incense everywhere. They are marked for healing.
"Elainne!"
Talon shoves everyone aside and races over to me pulling me up gripping me in a hug. It hurts and I cry out. He lets me go and gently set me back down. I lift a hand; I am all skin and bones; there is no meat or muscle on me. I stare at the skin brown and weathered…. the goddess left me with a side effect it seems.
"How long have I been out?"
The three around me look back and forth, even Cullen avoids my gaze. I clench my fists and it hurts so bad I cannot hold it for more than a few seconds. "How long?"
"They don't want to say because it has been a year."
FireHeart steps into the room and fails to hide her grimace. I look to Cullen and his drastic change. That makes sense. He has grown.
"A year…. but…. who…"
Cullen sits on the bed next to me and grabs my hand again saying a spell. It lessens my pain to more tolerable levels. OakHeart still chants. I look over to see if he has even opened his eyes.
"He has been like this for the last six months. He tied you to him and all the mighty oaks he had tagged so to speak. Using their strength, you have stayed alive. The healers reached a breaking point six months ago. They either had to attend to the rest of the kingdom or you. Knowing what you would choose Aiden sent them into a healer's sleep and when they woke, they went back to normal duties. Since then OakHeart has kept you tethered to life. My son is a very loyal man. You are the mother of his future child, giving him a gift, he never thought to have. He was not going to let you die."
He is indeed a wonderful man. We will always be able to confide in one another; I knew it the first time I met him. We will not be awkward parents, even apart we can be a united and caring front. My greatest hope is our child will take after him.
"OakHeart."
I pull my hand from him and it snaps his concentration. He looks at me, smiles, and passes out. FireHeart is fast enough to catch him. She rolls her eyes smiling but I can sense her worry.
"Stubborn boy."
She easily lifts him with magic and I see a vine wrap around her wrist implanting a thorn into the soft spot, another reaches out and does the same to her son. It disappears but I know what that is. She is doing what he did to me in a sense. She is feeding him power and life. Making sure his determination to keep me alive doesn’t kill him. I wonder how often this has happened but I have no right to ask.
"What have I missed?"
"Aiden had all your notes and previous decisions and decrees to rule by. Talon alternates between guarding you and him. The other mages have taken up guarding him when Talon visits you. They are fond of him. He is logical and listens to the elder's advice quite often."
I breathe a sigh of relief. I am glad they have agreed to help him. I hope he had no trouble, but if he did, I am glad Talon and the other mages have been there for him.
"How has everyone fared?"
Cullen smiles staying next to me and continuing his monologue.
"Well, Aiden successfully carried out your plans for integrating the dwarves into the system, he thanks you for your detailed report on it. He used it for a base on how to handle things. The council gave him no trouble. Between an always cranky Talon, FireHeart, the mage elder and myself no one dared say anything. You were unconscious, not dead. I think they knew better. "Things went very smoothly. In fact, the elder asked the dwarven representative if they would like to bond with the goddess of the mountain we hail from. They all traveled out and were bonded; the dwarves and we are now cousins so to speak. Our power hails from the same goddess. So, they are back to having power over the stone and gems, Aiden even let them take down the useless part of the palace you wished to. Now the dwarves all live in marble homes. Others think it quite strange that a little cottage is made of marble. I find it quite amusing."
I can only imagine the Elves and humans being so shocked, only the rich and noble have marble. Dwarves can speak to the spirit of the earth and all its gems and stones. They would know how to use it best. I am glad Aiden found a way to keep things running smoothly, and that they have come up with a solution to home the dwarves without straining our resources. It is my biggest worry whenever we integrated new people.
"They have been helping farmers maximize their soil, letting them know the best crops to plant for the best harvest and so on. They are trading knowledge for food until they decide where to settle and what to do. So far it's working well."
I nod. Everything seems to run smoothly without me. Am I really needed now? Can I not rest?
"There is one issue. Aldamon showed up. He said he was cut off from you...no one knew what to do. Aiden didn’t throw him in a dungeon or kill him, but he did confine him to a room in the palace after he saw Viktor…it's been a year."
"Release him and have him brought to me."
Everyone looks confused and wary. I sigh. "He will not harm me. Tell Aiden I am lifting Aldamon's banishment. He has done enough for me. No one outside this room will ever know how much."
Cullen nods and I see a magical bird fly through the roof, likely to Aiden. A quick 'hey our queen is alive, awake, and wants to see Aldamon, oh and she lifted his banishment'...I can see the council and Aiden being beyond confused.
"Aiden will be glad to not have to kill him…after what happened to Viktor…"
He flinches and let’s go of my hand standing while everyone in the room glares at him. He won’t look at me but shoots a look filled guilt and apology to everyone in the room.
"What? What happened to Viktor?!"
Last I saw him two healers were trying to heal him in his human form after the dragon one burned out from too much magic absorption.
"Is he alive? Is he safe? Did he end up maimed or did he…?" I can't finish that sentence. If he gave his life for mine...I don’t know how I can ever live with myself. I broke our bond so he could choose a life of his own. I can’t hear that he chose to give it up for me. I just can’t.
No one answers me and that is all the answer I need. No one even glances at me. Even Talon looks down and away.
I burst into tears my body shaking with guilt and sadness. I can barely breathe in. The door slams open and Aldamon comes charging in. One look at me and he slows down comes over and hugs me close.
"I broke our bond so he could choose his own life. So he wouldn’t die for me!"
/> "That was the path he chose. It was his choice in the end and it's what he wanted."
It is little comfort to me, or likely to him, as his last family has passed on. Died being my shield, the exact thing I was trying to prevent.
Everyone else leaves the room as Aldamon and I cry together, I cry until I can no longer stay awake. Clutching the egg of the Phoenix and wishing it could restore life to those gone I let myself fall asleep with very little intention of waking again.
A month later I am awake. I had fallen into a magic sleep, one that allowed my magic to return to me and heal my body. When I wake my mind, my emotions are still broken. I thought losing Avren hurt more than anything I ever felt. No, having the man you love die for you after you set him free before you can get over your love and feelings of betrayal all braided together is much, much worse.
When I wake only Aldamon is there. He looks haggard and drained as well. He smiles at me but it doesn’t reach his eyes and it doesn’t hold any true happiness. It is a farce. I understand because I know for the foreseeable future mine will be as well.
"Aiden said you demanded my banishment be lifted; I didn’t thank you for that yet."
"How long this time?"
"A month. You needed it. You have had too much thrust upon your young shoulders too quickly. You look better, darker than I remember, but no longer an old woman in the making."
I try to smile but it will not form.
"I cannot stay Elainne. I will stay for the ceremony; Aiden is holding a one-year anniversary ceremony. The dwarves lost family in the battle as well. Once it's over I will leave."
"Where will you go?"
"The goddess wants a mountain caretaker. Someone to make sure the dwarves and mages do not take the path of least resistance again. Someone to serve her for the centuries to come. I have volunteered. She let me come to say goodbye. Then I will leave and not return. I hope you understand."
I nod and tears slide down my face again. I do, I know he needs something, something to dedicate his life to so he doesn’t end up bitter. I have a kingdom to care for, he will have a goddess. But neither of us will ever be the same.
A week later I preside over the ceremony. It is my first appearance in a little over a year. I am no longer a child nor am I just a regular queen. I am an Empress and I have a duty to my people.
We perform a ceremony to make sure the spirits of the dead find their way to the ever after and many speeches and accounts of the lives of those gone are given. Even the dwarves I killed earned my tears. They had done as they thought best, as did we all. No one holds it against them and for one day we all feel one another's loss and despair. We mourn as a kingdom. We are one.
I look down as the egg I wear stirs. I stand to raise my hands for silence. Everyone looks up at me. Elves and humans, dwarves and mages. Fairies and unicorns. They hold hands as one. I was told I would know when it was time to birth the phoenix from its egg. Now is the time.
"I was told we could create a kingdom of unity, the whole world at peace, helping one another. No war or violence, no famine or disputes. At the time I couldn’t see it. All these races that had never gotten along coming together. Now as I look out on all the faces of those of you grieving for others lost loved ones I understand.
"We make our own destinies. If we want this kingdom to work we must let go of old grudges and past hate. We must be born again. Not as dwarves or humans, as elves or fairies, as unicorns or mages. We must be reborn as one. One group, one people, under the same banner determined to make this dream a reality. Today we mourn those lost, tomorrow we are reborn stronger and as one.
"I have gifted this egg when I went to see the firebirds. It’s the last of them. I was told I would know when to birth it into the world. That time is now. We are the Kingdom of Light so it only makes sense that our emblem, our representative, be a never-ending Phoenix, the bird of light itself."
I release the spell keeping it small and it hovers in front of me growing to the size of a full-grown all-powerful Phoenix.
"I name thee Zareb protector of the Kingdom of Light and all its citizens!"
The egg shatters and disintegrates. A fully-grown phoenix blows fire into the air and spreads its wings sharing its warmth with one and all. Then it shrinks and the fire burns out and before me is a bird the size of a full-grown eagle. No longer on fire, he perches on my arm as I hold it out.
"Bless us Zareb, we are creating a new world."
He squawks at me and everyone chuckles. This is our new beginning.
Adult Cullen short story
Growing up in court sounds terrible to most. The kids I now teach ask how I survived it. I always tell them Empress Elainne was kind, honorable, and never took me less seriously than any of the adults present. Even as a child my power and opinions were respected by her. Their little faces make big O's and their eyes pop as they bounce in their chairs asking to meet her. So I ask her and she shows up and meets all the mage children.
They do not treat her like a queen, well not the way adults do, instead, they look upon her with hero-worship all of them declaring to become her knights or lady in waiting when they are older. She patiently listens and encourages each and every one of their dreams. Her own kids are grown and running territories or guilds in their own names, under her banner.
There's BraveHeart, her half-fairy son. He has his mother's kindness and his father's seriousness. He is not as outgoing as his mother but I feel of all her children his heart sings to hers the most. They are so alike that if she ever needs to leave her responsibilities (forever is a long time to rule) he will be left in charge.
Then there is Hagan her Elvin son. True to his name he is a protector. Three-quarters Elvin he looks much like Elainne did before her world changed. All the Elvin people say so. He is honest, hard-working, and very much a warrior. Which is likely why he took command of her armies. It is his calling. No wars are fought, but that’s not all the military is for. They police the world and he travels from one territory to the next keeping everyone fair and in line.
Then there's Brighid. Elainne’s and a Dwarven fellows’ daughter. A short girl, even shorter than Elainne herself. She comes in at four and a half feet tall. She has light skin and long thick wavy hair. She excels in healing magic and is now on the council as the lead healer in all the lands. She gardens, farming herbs for the healer guilds all over the world. She is quiet, determined, but passionate about making people healthy and full of life. Her stubborn streak shows when her half-brother Hagan and she argue.
Elainne raised all her children together herself in her home left to her by her first familiar Avren. They grew up a year apart in age, as close as real siblings, with unicorn foals as friends and a Phoenix guardian. Their lives were full of wonder and kindness.
Every celebration they return home to their mother, who invites all their fathers as well, and they reaffirm their family ties. Seeing them all together one can tell how much they adore their mother and one another. No fighting over power, no questioning her decisions. They were all raised to love and care for the people as well as one another. It’s the one thing they all have in common, Elainne's heart.
Now that her children are grown and living their own lives, she often visits classrooms around the world. Surprising children and bringing gifts. I thought from the moment I met her she would be a kind and wonderful mother and I’d been right. She is. And I can tell she misses it. It had been her true calling, even more than the silly prophecy that ended up being correct in every way.
The only thing missing from her life is love. Talon doesn't count. He is her constant friend and companion, but their love is not the kind most think of when they speak of love. Zareb (her Phoenix) often says they are soul mates, but not the ‘in love’ with kind. It is possible to have a friend be a soul mate.
I have grown from the young boy idolizing the queen to a man with a very large crush on her. I respect her always, but while facing my more formative teen years I fantasized a h
appily ever after with her. She is an ideal, one I cannot escape, and one I don’t want to.
"Cullen, are you listening?"
I look up smiling. Elainne looks happy, confused by my staring and silence, but happy.
"Is he lost in his own mind again?"
Talon laughs and ruffles my hair. I am as tall as he is yet he still treats me as a child. At thirty I am not. He has yet to get the memo. One does not tell a dragon mage mutation to stop anything though. Only Elainne does so without feeling a backlash.
"I don't think I should be considered a child because I prefer to think my responses through rather than just spitting out whatever comes to mind."
Talon laughs, he is well known for saying what he thinks…offensive or not. I had been raised in the court so I have more tact.
"Cullen, did you hear me?"
I shake my head no trying to pay more attention.
"I asked if you liked the girl. The one I set up the meeting with."
The mages have gotten so sick of my aversion to females, they asked Elainne for her help finding me a nice girl. She has set me up with Elves, mages, fairies. She still treats me as a child, likely because she saw me grow up before her and has known me mostly as a child.
I am still on the council, but it rarely meets so I teach children that are as gifted as I had been so they can use their gifts wisely.
"She was nice. We had very little in common."
She sighs and looks at me with the look of a mother. Everyone in the kingdom, now very vast, young or old is her child to look after, to heal and make better, and to love. It is a role she takes far too seriously. I am afraid it will leave her alone forever.
"I told you I already love someone and I won't change my mind."
I confessed to her once. When I turned eighteen. She let me down kindly, gently, afraid to ruin the friendship we created. She’d been sure I would outgrow my love for her. Twelve years later I am still telling her I won’t.
"Cullen…"
Champion Complete Series Page 62
