King Raosu stood up and made a motion for the crowd to be silent. Then he stood up and walked over to the four and addressed them.
"Suzanne, Ron, Thomas, and Alice!" he called out in a loud voice, so that all those around could hear. "You have defeated the Master Archfiend! May I offer you my deepest gratitude! Due to your efforts day has finally dawned again in our country!"
A roar of applause rose up. The heroes could not help but grin at the excitement and happiness displayed by the crowd. Ron even made motions for the crowd to get even louder.
Eventually the roar died down and allowed the king to speak again. "Suzanne, Ron, Thomas, and Alice!" he addressed them again. "You are all true heroes!"
King Raosu made a motion to one of his attendants. The attendant brought forward four pins, each one bearing the bird symbol of Alefgard on it. King Raosu himself took the pins and put them onto the heroes one by one.
"I hearby bequeath unto you that which is our country's highest honor: the order of Erdrick, bearing witness to your status as true heroes!" declared the king.
The crowd rose up in thunderous applause and chants yet again. This time it lasted several minutes before dying down. When it did King Raosu had one more thing to say.
"Suzanne, Ron, Thomas, and Alice!" he called out. Then he stopped himself for a moment and began again, "I mean, brave Heroes of Erdrick. You will forever remain the stuff of legends of the people of Erdrick!"
The king then motioned to the trumpeters. They raised their instruments and played an uplifting fanfare. As they played the king had the Heroes of Erdrick line up before him and turn to face the crowd. The orchestra then joined in and a glorious song was played. The Heroes and the crowd listened intently to the wonderful song. It was not often that such music was played in Alefgard though surely it was soon to become more commonplace. Indeed there were few who knew that it was the anthem of Alefgard that they played.
After the song had finished the party finally began. The Heroes of Erdrick were constantly swarmed and approached by the grateful citizens of Alefgard. All of the despair and misery the group had seen since arriving in Alefgard was forgotten. There were nothing but smiles, laughter, singing, and chanting. Even Thomas, who generally did not like being in a crowd, could not help but enjoy himself.
It took over an hour before the Heroes of Erdrick were finally able to leave Tantegel Castle. Brecconaly had become filled with people celebrating. Kitchens and cooks worked hard to provide food for all the people. It was a celebration like none other than the four had ever seen. It did not stop as night fell but continued on to the next day. As the sun rose the people briefly grew quiet and stared in awe at the horizon. For many this was the first sunrise they had ever witnessed. After that the party resumed with new vigor as the people celebrated the rise of the sun in Alefgard.
A week later the parties had finally come to an end and the people of Alefgard had to begin crafting a new normal for the bright world they now lived in. The Heroes of Erdrick likewise had to figure out what they were going to do now that their journey had come to an end. It was almost impossible for them to have a private conversation in town so they retreated to the countryside in order to talk amongst themselves.
"Well no more horrible Archfiends decided to crash the party," said Ron. "I think this time it's finally over. Hard to believe, really. It feels like we've been on this quest forever."
"Two years, two months, and two days, it's been," said Alice.
"Has it really only been so long?" asked Suzanne.
"Yes," answered Alice. "Ron's right, it feels like it's been forever."
"So what now, Susie?" asked Ron.
"The quest is over," answered Suzanne. "I thank all of you, from the bottom of my heart, for having followed me this far and for all the sacrifices you've made. You all have been true friends and companions from the beginning."
"First things first," continued Suzanne. "We need to do some clean up. We've acquired some powerful items over the course of our journey." She motioned towards the Sword of Kings she still had with her. "We don't have a need for such things anymore. I think it's best if they disappear, at least for now. We need to make sure they don't fall into the wrong hands but we also have to make sure they can be found when they're needed again."
"Zoma's final prediction," said Thomas. Suzanne nodded.
"After that it will be time for all of us to make our own decisions on where to go," declared Suzanne.
"Do you know what you will do, Susie?" asked Alice.
"To tell the truth I'm…very tired," answered Suzanne. "I don't want to fight anymore. I don't want to bask in the fame of being a hero. I want to go somewhere where I can leave all that behind. I'll learn a craft or job of some sort."
"Maybe you just need a vacation," suggested Ron. "I think we could all use that. At this point you've got to be one of the best with a sword in all time! And you're a powerful spellcaster in addition to that! It'd be a shame for all that skill to just disappear!"
"Well you're better than me with a sword and Alice and Tom clearly have me beat in magic," said Suzanne with a smile. "Certainly you three could carry on."
"Truth be told, I like your idea," said Thomas. "Disappearing from the public eye sounds like a great idea to me. I could go somewhere quiet and serve as the local cleric."
"That sounds just like you, Tom," said Suzanne. "How about you two?"
"I like what Ron was saying about a vacation," answered Alice. "After that, I have to admit I'm intrigued by the rest of this new world that's waiting out there. An entire world filled with knowledge and new mysteries to explore. I can hardly wait already!"
"Filled with new adventures, too," said Ron thoughtfully. "I may just have to join you! I don't care what Susie says, there's still plenty to work on with my swordplay!"
"More like there's plenty of new trouble out there for both of you," commented Thomas with a smirk. The four shared a laugh over the comment.
"It will be strange not to be around this group anymore," said Suzanne. "Over two years… There was a lot of hardship but we had some good times too."
"If you guys are staying here you'll have to make sure we know where you are," said Alice. "Then we could teleport back and visit anytime!"
"That would be great," said Suzanne. "But hey! We're not separating the group yet! We still have some work to do! Let's save the farewells for later!"
"One last adventure for the Heroes of Erdrick!" declared Ron.
Epilogue
The land of Alefgard was freed from the grip of the Master Archfiend Zoma. Finally Alefgard rejoined the world it had been separated from for so long. The Gardians and the people of the rest of the world were both in for surprises when they encountered each other for the first time in centuries. Records of Alefgard had disappeared from much of the rest of the world.
Meanwhile the people of Alefgard could finally live lives of happiness without fear of the tyrannical inhabitant of Charlock Castle. It took time to adjust to life after Zoma. Eventually the people learned to plan periodic celebrations like festivals and parties. Such things used to be unheard of in the dreary land.
Rubiss disappeared from the land of Alefgard as she had said she would. She remained and watched the people from her hiding place. Most of the Gardians would forget her as time passed. It was as Rubiss had decided it must be. It is said that when great evil came to Alefgard again she was there to aid her people in the fight for good.
Suzanne, Ron, Thomas, and Alice were hailed as the Heroes of Erdrick, the greatest heroes the land had ever known. The people of Alefgard recognized the debt they owed to the four and made sure that they would not be forgotten. Stories, records, and songs of their exploits were kept and maintained in the culture of Alefgard from that point onward, attaining legendary status.
In any case, some of the time an inquisitive thing can happen to legends as the year pass. Little errors heap up and aggregate after some time and mutilate the realities. Some way or
another the four saints were transformed into one solitary saint of legend. This legend was said to have been an ace of sword and enchantment and the destroyer of numerous incredible disasters.
Along these lines a genuine warrior was conceived and Suzanne, Ron, Thomas, and Alice wound up known as Erdrick, Hero of Aliahan. There was no equivalent. Nonetheless, presently, the Hero Erdrick bafflingly vanished and has not been seen since.
Numerous a story has been recounted that darkest of evenings when Erdrick left her weapon, covering, and ornament behind. Legend says they have been passed on to commendable warriors of future ages as the Sword of Erdrick, the Armor of Erdrick, and the Emblem of Erdrick.
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Dragon Quest Novel Page 70
