TBATE: Let The Truth Be Known {Completed}

Chapter 49: It's All Over

We emerged at Xyrus Palace on a balcony overlooking the gardens of the palace. Arthur, Tess, and Virion approach the railing and wave out at the cheering crowd beneath.

It's surreal.

"Please. Please. Settle down," Arthur calls out, his voice amplified by his own sound magic.

The cheers begin to subside before he speaks again. "To my fellow humans, our grandfathers, but to elves and dwarves, our fathers, fought a war. War ravaged our continent, our nations. It was because of this war that we fostered hate for each other that took decades before it even began to recede.

"The plague of war struck once again seven years ago in this very city. Even from here, I can see it. Off in the distance, Xyrus Academy lies in relative ruin in comparison to its former glory. Alacrya struck and slaughtered our children -your sons and daughters. While that may be true, I ask of you one thing, just as the war between humans and elves was perpetuated by the former king of Sapin's greed, this one had similar origins. The people of Alacrya were caught up in the greed of a power struggle between two tyrants."

Above us, a huge image display artifact appears. On the screen, a pair of contraptions not native to this world sit. Two guillotines rest on a stage as men and women begin to murmur in the crowd beneath.

Arthur picks up once more, "These tyrants have been felled. They remain powerless and will answer for their crimes. The world no longer has a need for them. Cruel as it may be, they have been sentenced to death by the populous of Epheotus, the continent of our supposed deities.

"This camera feed is live from Epheotus. Their executions are to be broadcast, and while it is a monumental occasion for the liberation of the continents, I ask that you show them the respect befitting all living beings. They are people just like us. They may live longer, be more powerful, and perhaps truly be superior, but nothing... and I mean nothing... can take away the emotions that even they feel.

"Look on them not with disdain but with pity. Pity the lives that led them to their circumstances. But beyond that pity, remember those you lost, for they smile down upon us.

"When those men are brought to the guillotine, you need not look. You need not observe. Merely the knowledge is enough. Look away if the thought bothers you or if your stomach lacks the fortitude.

"I ask that I may have your undivided attention for a moment."

Arthur glances down at his feet and takes a deep breath.

"I... We all lost someone. Remember them well. We will see them again, sooner than you may think. Thank you."

Arthur waves to the crowd beneath before stepping back, receding from the view of the people.

Cheers erupt in the crowd.

"Godspell! Godspell! Godspell! Godspell!"

A blush emerges on Arthur's face as he turns to enter the palace.

Virion steps up to where Arthur was and begins to deliver a speech of his own.

"People of Dicathen, peace befalls us once again. Thanks to your persistence, Lance Godspell's unrivaled strength, and Alacrya's revolution, we can live in harmony again. While it may take time to shirk the prejudice, it is for the better that we cooperate and integrate the societies of the two continents just as we had begun to do with the races nearly a decade ago.

"As the first order of business, in a symbol of the union between the continents, I have an announcement. A wedding will take place. The continents will be joined in a manner that binds us so long as they live. I welcome to you the Commander of Dicathen's Armed Forces and Sovereign of the Sehz-Clar Domain of Alacrya.