Author's Note: Some Howl's moving castle AU art from the same artist who did the cover @Kurobara_Black feels like the perfect way to bring the story full circle.
Seven Years Later
Annette
"Mommy! Mommy! Hurry up!"
I laughed, trying my best to keep up with the child who, despite his small size, was practically bounding through the woods.
"Slow down, Percy," I called after him. "You don't want to trip and fall, now do you?"
Skeever grinned at me. "Remember how much we all used to hate the Haunting Ball? Now it's everyone's favorite event of the year."
Six years ago, Vandel, Ridley, and I had agreed to change the Haunting Ball from an event that occurred twice in a lifetime to an annual celebration of the peace between the three kingdoms. At first I was afraid our people would be upset by this, but over the years it had become a cherished celebration, allowing many humans and demons to meet and form close friendships.
I smiled at Skeever, wrapping an arm around his waist. "That's true. Though...I think our son is less excited about the party itself and more excited about seeing--"
"UNCLE RIDLEY! UNCLE VANDEL!" Percy called excitedly, taking off running as we entered the clearing.
At its entrance stood a giant Bone Monster, a silent guardian to protect the partygoers in the clearing. Ridley had turned the monsters from beasts to be feared into creatures of protection. Often, whenever either kingdom needed defense or assistance, Ridley would arrive and provide one of the creatures.
And speaking of Ridley...
I looked to my son who was hurtling himself towards the two kings.
Vandel grinned, scooping the boy up into his arms. "There's my favorite godson!"
Ridley gave his hair a little ruffle, beaming at his godchild before he finally turned to face us. "How was the journey?"
"Good," Skeever said with a nod. "It's much easier traveling through these woods now that the new road between the kingdoms has finally been completed."
Still balancing the child in one arm Vandel removed a small parcel tied up with silver ribbon.
"Here," he said. "I got this for you."
Percy's eyes grew wide. "For me? Really!?" Grinning, the boy opened the present to reveal a small velvet cape with intricate designs of rabbits made of diamonds sewn into the fabric. The child gasped. "This is amazing! I'm going to wear it every single day for the rest of my life!"
I shook my head. "Vandel, this must have cost a fortune. How can we accept such a gift..."
"Pah, I'm the demon king. I can afford it. Besides, it would be a crime to rob him of such a stylish item when he has the same wonderful taste in fashion as his godfather."
"Yeah!" Percy cheered. "Me and uncle Vandel are fashionable!" He stuck out his tongue at us.
"Wha..." Ridley crossed his arms. "What about me? Aren't I fashionable too?"
"Only when uncle Vandel styles you," Percy giggled. "When he doesn't, you dress like a rock."
Ridley furrowed his brow. "What? Really?"
"He's right." Vandel smirked at him. "You know, I could've sworn I told you that myself once."
Skeever grinned, gazing at Vandel and Percy. "The two of them are quite alike, aren't they?"
I rested my head against his shoulder. "Years ago I would've thought that'd be a horrible thing, but now I think we'd be incredibly lucky if our son grew up to be anything like Vandel."
We looked back to the three of them and it appeared Ridley and Vandel had resumed their usual bickering.
"I can't believe you're criticizing my clothing choices," Ridley was saying. "It's not all just about fashion. There's practicality too. Remember that cape you had that people kept tripping over? What if you had to fight in that?"
"I'd just take it off."
"And how about your shoes? Remember the time you marched all the way to the Bone King's kingdom in heeled boots?"
"I'll have you know I fought an entire battle in those shoes and I looked utterly fabulous while doing it."
"And I'm sure you had blisters for days."
"How DARE you imply I'd ever allow my feet to look gross!"
"Mommy," Percy said suddenly, luckily cutting them off. The boy pointed to the large marble statue that stood at the center of the clearing. "What's that?"
I offered him a soft smile. "It's a memorial. After years of construction it's finally been completed. Would you like to take a closer look?"
Percy gave a small nod and Vandel gently lowered the boy to the ground.
The five of us moved closer, standing among a few other humans and demons gathered around it, paying their respects.
Percy gazed up at it, his eyes wide.
The statue was beautiful, two marble figures so large that their heads brushed past the trees around them into the starry sky above. It conveyed a human and demon standing side by side. Together they held the sun in their hands, a glowing orb that radiated golden light. Carved into the orb were the names of the demons and humans who'd lost their lives in the battle against the Bone King, including even...Victoria.
We stared up at it for a moment in silence. Ridley stepped beside Vandel, entwining their fingers as he held his hand tightly.
"You see those names up there?" Skeever said softly. "Those are the people who gave their lives so humans and demons could live in peace. You might be surprised to hear this, but only a few years before you were born humans and demons were enemies."
"What," Percy gasped, surprise flooding his gaze. "You mean I wouldn't have been able to see uncle Vandel, or George, or Tuttle, or mister Boris--"
"Okay," Vandel cut in, "let's not include Boris in on this."
Skeever grinned, gesturing to Vandel, Ridley, and I. "If it weren't for these three, the world would be a very different place. You should be proud. Your mother and godfathers are heroes."
"How did you do it?" Percy exclaimed excitedly. "Tell me the story!"
"I don't know," I said. "It's a very long story..."
"Please!" Percy begged, tugging on my sleeve. "Please, mommy! I want to hear it!"
"Okay, fine," I said, letting out a low laugh before glancing at Ridley, Vandel, and Skeever. "But the three of you are going to have to help me." I pointed a finger directly at Vandel and Ridley. "Especially you two. You did most of the adventuring."
"Alright," Ridley said. "But you need to start it." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I've never been terribly good at knowing when a story begins."
I smiled at him. "Well, lucky for you I know exactly when everything started to change. It happened when a villainous demon stole a princess and a heroic knight decided to stop him."
Vandel crossed his arms, glaring at her. "Hey! Why am I the villain in this?!?"
I arched a brow at him. "You literally called yourself the Demon Prince of Darkness, how are you supposed to not be?"
"I thought it sounded cool!" Vandel protested.
"No, it makes you sound like the most cliché evil prince in the world," Ridley said with a grin.
"Gods! Fine," Vandel huffed, rolling his eyes. Despite the action, he was grinning as well. "Fair enough. I can be the evil prince in this retelling. Only because it makes it way more dramatic, and I live for dramatics." He looked to Percy. "Just know I'm gonna become one of the good guys really quickly."
I laughed, looking between them once more. "Alright, I think we're getting a little distracted. Let me start over. The story starts the way all good stories begin..." I took a deep breath, "with a hero versus a villain."
The End.
Author's Note:
Thank you all so much for reading. This story never would never have been possible without the support of all you amazing readers. Thank you for making my journey telling the story of Ridley and Vandel a truly special one. I'm definitely feeling quite emotional writing this author's note, but then I remember this isn't goodbye. We're just turning another page.
There will be plenty of new stories and exciting announcements coming soon. So stay tuned because I can't wait to share them with you!
Sending you amazing readers all my love!
-Eli