The Attack of Ganhai Mountain

Finale

 

The capital of the Ciniceros Empire, Linicai, was made of stone houses with brick roads leading to them.  Most people in the city wore togas or robes, and those people were gathered around to watch the procession of soldiers that marched through the city.  They watched and cheered the brave heroes who had brought about the fall of Hurvun.

Leevan and Normir were in a Chariot driven by general Hevman himself.  They all waved at the admiring crowd, but Leevan was a little nervous.  He hadn't managed to see his father before this procession.  Maelin had, and apparently his father bought the battle scar story about Maelin's sudden old age.

Behind them, walking through the crowd, he spotted Maelin's father beaming at his son.  Maelin, still looking like an old man, blushed as he marched with the others.  Leevan was happy for him, a weird feeling, but he had to ask himself

Where was his own father?

As in answer he spied his father in the crowd, cheering louder than anyone else and clapping for him.  He was older than Leevan remembered, but Leevan didn't care.  The man smiled at his son, and Leevan smiled back.  Out of all the cheering faces, this was the one Leevan cared about the most.

 

Atop a high hill near the city, surrounded by soldiers and the same crowd from the procession, Leevan, Normir, and the general accepted their medals.  The crowd cheered once again.  Leevan was proud of this honor, but looked at his friend Normir, the cyclops.  He knew Hurvun's words would come back to haunt them.

Normir smiled at him, and Leevan knew he should be enjoying this day, but it wouldn't be easy.  The magicians at the palace couldn't have good news about Normir's condition.

Still, he would try to enjoy his medal as best he could.

After the emperor, a tall, large man in a silk robe and golden crown shaped like a circle of leaves, placed the medals around their necks, he said, "Thank you, noble heroes.  You have done us a great service."  Then he clapped, and everyone around them clapped.  Leevan and the others smiled.  He spied his father clapping for him, and he spied Kemra and Jaxia.  Kemra was radiant as always, and even Jaxia was beaming.  If this had been his first time seeing her, he never would have known she was scary.  He looked about at the great crowd.  Everyone was cheering for them.

Yes, this was a day to enjoy.

 

In the hospital of the palace, the stone walls were bare and almost foreboding.  In the various wooden framed hospital beds Normir was being examined by an older magician.  He had his hands over the cyclops and his eyes closed.  The old man, dressed in a red robe, shook his head and turned to a worried Leevan.

"I'm afraid it's true," said the magician. "He will die in a year.  There's nothing we can do."

Leevan's heart sank further.  He looked at Normir, who smiled faintly up at him.

"Don't worry Leevan," said Normir. "I may not have time left, but I can spend that time with friends."

Leevan didn't know what to say, but he smiled weakly back.  Spending time with friends was a good thing.  A very good thing.

 

That year passed happily, for the most part.  Normir spent half his time with Leevan, and half his time repairing the relationship between the cyclopses and the rest of the world.  When word of his condition got out, sympathy for him helped speed up repairs, so that within a year he had accomplished his goal.  The cyclopses and the rest of the world were friends again.

However, he spend his final moments not with any nation, but with his family, and his friend Leevan.  His family, a group of cyclopses, all cried, and so did Leevan.  They were in Normir's metal house, filled with exquisitely crafted metal furniture.  A beautiful place for so sad an event.  Normir lay in his bed, a metal framed bed with a mattress and pillow that were fluffy, despite being woven out of metal, and he smiled.  He was sweating, and he looked sickly, but he smiled all the same.

"It's not fair," said Leevan. "I only knew you for a short time."

"But it was time well spent," said Normir. "Don't worry, I'm fine.  I may die here, but my work will live on.  I'm just sorry I couldn't be at you're wedding."

"Think nothing of it," said Leevan, choking up.

"Goodbye, dear friend.  Thank you for everything."

Leevan bowed his head and looked up, but Normir had closed his eyes.  He was gone.

"Goodbye," said Leevan. "And thank you."

 

In a wide open field, Leevan walked with his bride to be between the two groups of people.  Their families and friends had gathered together to watch their marriage.  Leevan looked over at his betrothed.  As usual, she was radiant.

They reached the end, where the parents of the bride and groom waited for them.  As was tradition in their land, the parents would cover the marriage proceedings.  Leevan looked at the love of his life and smiled at her.  She said, "Are you ready Leevan?"

"Always, Jaxia."

She smiled.  Now that the war was over, Leevan thought, she had stopped being scary.  Now, whenever she looked at him, she was, indeed, radiant.

From the crowd, as the parents of the couple began the ceremony, Kemra started to cry.  General Hevman next to her said, "Kemra, this is a happy occasion."

"I know," said Kemra. "I know.  I'm just so happy for them."  Even as she cried, she smiled.

"Of course," said the general. "I've never thought of Jaxia as the marrying type, and if Leevan married anyone, I always thought it would be you."

Kemra laughed. "Me?  Oh don't be silly."

The general didn't comment, but returned his attention to the couple.  By the end of the day, Leevan was a married man.

 

After that, Leevan became one of the most sought after magicians ever.  He was a master of invisibility.  His living conditions improved dramatically, and he was no longer a pauper magician.  His clothes never got any more handsome, but since his spell required something ugly to hide he didn't mind, but wore his ugly brown cloaks proudly!  Of course, he found cloaks that were significantly less itchy, when he wasn't wearing his armor given to him by Normir, a friend he never forgot.

Magicians stopped wearing bright and colorful cloaks, and took the humbler brown ones that Leevan generally wore.  Bright colors eventually became a symbol of vanity, and the strange thing was it was Maelin who first suggested that.  Maelin and Leevan never truly became friends, but when he died of the old age Hurvun had struck him with Leevan did pay respects at his funeral.

General Hevman became quite renowned, and advanced well until his retirement, where he spent the rest of his days with his own family.  Kemra got married to a nice man, who had to be approved by Jaxia first, which was no easy task.  He barely managed to do it, and might not have if Leevan and Kemra hadn't gotten Jaxia to promise not to make people cry.  In the end, Kemra and her husband lived a long and happy life, and she was a respected magician in her own right.

Leevan and Jaxia also lived long and happy lives, and Leevan was remembered as a great magician.  He visited Normir's grave often, but with that hint of sadness came some happiness at memories of his friend.  Leevan, therefore, was happy to the end of his days with his family.

Not bad for someone who could only get his spell to work on rocks at first.

 

                                                                                 The End

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