Skarenmoor: A Fantasy of Falkenland

Chapter Twenty Seven: And the Dance Goes On... ~ Dastan

The next few days were a rush of excitement and activity. Families were reunited and stragglers of the Legions of Noir were chased off. The city of Orimoris was merry again, and at least four separate holidays were established in honor of me, in honor of Raven's love for Alexandria, in honor of Horric's sacrifice, and even a holiday for Jeaquson, who the Barons presumed was dead, but who I figured had just left to continue his adventures. He always was a lone wolf. After five such days of happiness and joy, the sixth day was solemn. For on that midsummer's morning, in the sight of all Falkenland, on the edge of Orimoris Mountain, Silverstar, along with Raven, Baron Arden, Sabrinaclaw, and even the famous Talia, Queen of Arkenfall, crowned me. The land echoed with cheers of, "Long live King Carrell! Long live King Carrell!"

Preparations were underway for a feast that night to celebrate my coronation, and the whole kingdom was waiting to meet me.

I stood there at the fifth hour of that warm summer's night, shivering in my royal festive clothes, preparing myself mentally for the door to open. Though I had been told that I looked like a true gentleman, on the inside I trembled like the simple farm boy I was. It was one thing to lead a people into battle. When the world is falling apart around you, you do things you normally couldn't do. It's quite another matter to lead those people in times of peace when clearer heads prevail. I almost thought of running home to my loft in Farendell, but then I remembered that it no longer existed. Ah well, might as well get the night over with.

"Dastan? Are you ready?" called Alexandria's voice from the other side of the door. I quickly snatched my bejeweled golden crown from off the guest room bed and fit it rather awkwardly on my head.

"Um, yes?" I gulped, hoping my hair wasn't askew or my face pimpled. Here it comes, I thought, as she turned the knob and the door creaked open. My jaw dropped open wide. There stood Alexandria, looking more beautiful than I had ever seen her before. Her hair had been let down and shone with the twinkling of a million stars. Her cornflower blue eyes captured me in their warm gaze. She had dressed herself in a glittering satin aqua dress with golden trim matching her hair. I realized that I had seen this image before...in my dream! I thought back to the day I first met Allie, how I had asked Malaki to explain my romantic dream, only to have Allie fall from the sky in dragon form. How could I have been such an idiot? The answer had been right there in front of me the whole time!

She offered me her hand and I graciously accepted it as Alexandria led me to the victory banquet.

"What is it Dastan? You're trembling."

"I don't think I'm up for this Allie, I can't socialize with nobles! I can't even speak very well!"

Allie giggled. "They say that the man who speaks the fewest words is often the greatest prize. Don't worry, I'll help you." As we made our way down the hallway of the palace of Orimoris, the tensions within me relaxed, but that all changed when we entered the hall. All the citizens and peasants of Orimoris had been invited. I saw the finery of the guest's clothes and saw a whole new side to them; all drab and mundane elements had been swept away and exchanged for fine silk tunics, dresses, and cloaks. The men were bare headed and carried themselves in a stately fashion, while the women had let their hair down and a few of the younger ones wore wreathes of flowers in their hair. Alaria wore a russet dress made of fox fur and had created flowering vines to decorate the pillars of the castle. Lyra had exchanged her usual golden gown for an ivory floaty ball gown, even prettier than the last one. Raven's dress was like candlelight and she moved gracefully within it. She was talking to a man and his sister who were dressed simply in foresters' attire—a quilted doublet and a simple brown dress. Their shaggy hair wasn't completely loose, but tied back in pony tails that looked strangely like manes? I gasped in disbelief for they appeared to be the horses Shadow and Beauty in human forms! Shadow winked at me, confirming my conclusion, and offered his hand to Raven, who blushed affectionately. Were they... But I jerked away from this confusing oddity, and instead surveyed the others. Karen stood stately, wearing a sleeveless red dress and engaging in a conversation with Droven, who had dressed in a full gentleman's suit. Silverstar had shown up in her usual torn burlap sack dress, as if to say, "I'm perfect the way I am." Sabrina and Narvin couldn't fit inside the palace, but they stuck their heads through the windows. Alexandria led me to the seat of honor, and we sat. All the others did the same, sitting at their own tables, observing my every move. It appeared as if they wanted me to give a speech. I stood and addressed them.

"My fellow citizens of Falkenland, my friends, neighbors, acquaintances and heroes of war; it is an honor to sit here before you tonight. By the grace of Malaki, we eat together here! To Falkenland!"

"To Falkenland!" they replied raising their glasses. And so it was that the feast began, and what a feast it was! There were pies of meat, pumpkin, apple, and cherry, cakes shaped like ships under full sail; rice puddings, sautéed fish, grayling, grapes, strawberries, oranges, bananas, pomegranates, turkeys, ducks, chickens, and even a suckling pig, surrounded by potatoes and carrots, with an apple in its mouth. Goblets of fine wine were given to all, and that was only the beginning of the revelries.

When all had finished eating, the band came out and sang the "Ballad of Bubbling Rock," a song of two armies of rival dwarves. Though he could not sing, Droven told the tale of the famous Elianna and Ayla Rose, two girls switched at birth from other worlds during the Binding, and their quest to return home (which I haven't the time to tell now, but it's worth hearing), and Alexandria told our own story to all who didn't know it. When the storytelling had finished, Dorset, Rivers, and Grey struck up a tune of music that made me want to laugh and cry all at once. At that point, the peasants grasped each other's hands and each man led a woman out to the floor where they all began to dance. The dancers moved so gracefully, sometimes it seemed as though they were flying. A wondrous sight, I thought. But when the song ended, everyone stopped dead and moved out, looking ashamed, and strangely as if they were asking for my forgiveness.

"What do they need my forgiveness for?" I whispered to Allie who giggled.

"They feel ashamed because they didn't wait for you to start the dance."

I was puzzled. "I don't mind. Let them dance their heart's content!"

"No, they want you to start the dance."

The horror suddenly dawned upon me. "Me, dance... Allie, I've been a simple farmhand my whole life! I can't dance!"

Allie smiled warmly. "Everyone can dance!"

"You don't get it. I've never danced in my life! I don't know..." Allie let me speak no further before she touched her finger to my lips, begging me to be silent.

"Where do you think men learned to do it in the first place? Come and dance with me, you adorable coward!" With that she yanked me away from the table and led me out to the dance floor. I stumbled about, trying to keep time with the music, my embarrassment growing every second, but Allie patiently showed my feet where to move, and all of a sudden, I began to feel free, as if I hadn't a care in the world. Allie gazed into my eyes and I into hers. Our feet never touched the ground and we danced together, never missing a beat. The multitude of the citizens joined us and we became a whole kingdom moving as one.

I whispered to Allie, "It feels like flying!"

She beamed, her eyes narrowing, as if she had a marvelous thought. She leaned in to whisper to me, "Meet me at the palace gates at midnight. Come in your dragon form and then we'll really fly!" We continued to dance and I wished it would never end, but around the eleventh hour of the night, the people departed for their homes after bowing, curtsying, and shaking my hand. I headed up to my room and waited an hour. As the minutes ticked by, I pondered the events of the day. But when the chimes rang out twelve strong tones, I opened my chamber window and threw myself down, changing into a dragon the moment my feet left the windowsill. I soared over to the front gates where Allie waited in her dragon form. We approached one another and she smiled.

"I have made the right choice. You and Raven are the only ones exactly like me in my condition. Both dragon and human at once. Are you ready?"

"I'm ready for anything, as long as you are right beside me."

"Well then Dastan Carrell Rowan, let me show you my world." Together we spread our wings and took flight up through the clouds of the atmosphere in their purples, blues, and blacks, to the shining stars and moons. Our tails subconsciously intertwined and we moved as one through the air. She was the morning to my night, and I realized that I had received Malaki's answer to my question. The girl of my dreams was right here with me, and no matter how many times it seemed our lives would bend, we would always remember the great dance, a glorification to Malaki Himself.

And though Dastan and Alexandria would eventually grow up, reign together, grow old together, and die together, in their hearts the dance continued. And the dance goes on to this day, for anyone who truly believes.

The End