Back in Heliodor, I walk down the red carpet, my friends behind me, heading towards King Carnelian, with Hendrik at his side. Guards line the rug, reminding me of the first time I ever came here.
However, this time, I won't get thrown in the dungeons.
At least I hope not anyway.
"Honoured Luminary!" King Carnelian greets, "it gives me great pleasure to welcome you in the manner you deserve at last!" He closes his eyes, "to think I once thought ill of you...saw you as a harbinger of calamity...called you inconsolable things..." excuse me? "truly, Jasper cast a most malign shadow," he looks back down at me, "I owe you a great deal. You have revealed the traitor in our midst, and returned my daughter to me. As a small token of my appreciation, I have arranged for some...special visitors. Hendrik," he addresses, "if you would..."
Hendrik nods, "yes, sire."
He disappears out the throne room, leaving me slightly stunned. Special visitors? I have special visitors? I rack my brains, trying to figure out who could be here to see me. Could it be all the people I've helped? It can't be...wait! Can it...?
A short while later, Hendrik opens the doors again, standing aside to reveal...
"Mum! Gemma!"
Gemma smiles, "oh, there you are at last! We've been dying to see you!"
She runs forward and I rush towards her, meeting her halfway. We throw our arms around each other, grinning.
"I was so worried about you!" She cries, pulling away, "I heard all these horrible stories! I, I, I thought you...you might be..."
"I'm fine," I respond, "I'm okey. What happened? Why are you here?"
"Right after you left the village, this horrible man called Jasper came with all these soldiers," she explains, "I'll never forget his eyes – they were so cold. He ordered us all to gather in the middle of the village and then...then he told his men to kill us all..."
Damn you, Jasper!
"But, Sir Hendrik came to the rescue! He showed up just in the nick of time, and told Jasper to let us live! They still locked us up in the castle, but at least we were safe...and then they came and told us you weren't a baddie after all, and let us go!"
Mum comes up behind Gemma, "we've been through a lot, love," I hug her, holding back tears of joy, "but from what I hear, so have you...I'm proud of you. And so is your grandad, I'm sure."
"Now," I turn to see King Carnelian rise from his chair and also catch Erik smiling in my direction, "let us begin the festivities. A bequest worthy of our saviour awaits! From this day on, none shall doubt the Luminary! She shall be honoured! Celebrated! Adored!"
"Huzzah!" The guards around me suddenly shout, making me jump, "all hail the Luminary!"
My companions and I are the guests of honour at the banquet the likes of which Heliodor has never seen! The singing, dancing, and merriment last long into the night, and at long last, we all retire to bed.
I'm only just dosing off to sleep when I feel like I hear my bedroom door open.
I'm shrugging it off as a hallucination of a dream.
I hear footsteps and shift in my bed, trying to black out the hallucination. Why can I not have a dream where me and my friends swim and splash each other at Cobblestone Falls or something?
A sudden cry of pain and the clatter of metal jerks me from my sleep. I sit bolt upright, and see King Carnelian, clutching his hand again, glaring at my sword on the floor.
"What is this!" He growls, "why can I not touch the sword!? Surely it cannot be...?"
Diving out of bed, I grasp my sword, glancing at King Carnelian. What does he think he's doing!? I know he's the King and everything, but that doesn't mean he can waltz in here and steal my sword!
I gasp as his eyes flash red and he reaches out to me, "accursed Luminary! Give it to me! Give me the Sword of Light! It belongs to me!"
"You're the one who said it's my birthright!" I shout, "it's mine! Get away from me!" I point my sword, blade first at him.
The door bursts open, revealing Jade and the rest of my friends, their expressions demanding explanations.
"What's going on in here?" She demands, and gasps when she sees her father glaring daggers at me.
"Princess!?" Hendrik questions, "what is the meaning of this?"
Jade clenches her fist, "I knew it! You're not my father! Look at you! You're a monster, not a man!"
"Ye blighter, ye!" Rab growls, I had a feeling in my waters that something wasnae quite right with ye, Carnelian!"
"So this whole thing was a sham?" Erik asks, "the banquet, the speeches? Wow, that's cold. So who are you?"
Carnelian simply growls in deep frustration and disappears, leaving us in a stunned silence.
"He's disappeared!" Jade exclaims, as my friends suddenly surround me, covering me from all angles.
Erik and Jade stand closest to me, Erik with his arm out in front of me in a protective gesture and Jade looking here, there and everywhere.
"Oi, you!" Veronica shouts, "stop skulking in the shadows! Come out and show your stupid face!"
"Something tells me he won't have gone far!" Jade faces me, "quick! Let's search the castle!"
Erik stays by my side the entire time we search the castle, keeping my left hand tightly in his right while his dagger is clutched in his left. My bow is ready on my back and my Sword of Light, yes, mine, is securely held in my right hand. We run down the hallways, checking every room checking every corner until we finally reach the one room we haven't checked.
The Throne Room.
We all surge forward, stopping short of the steps leading to the throne.
"No more giving us the run around, you!" Veronica points, "we've got you cornered!"
Serena steps forward, "now let the king go and show us your true form, fiend!"
The king faces us and starts to laugh – like a maniac. He suddenly turn rigid, glowing slightly, before the King himself flops backwards onto the throne, and a taller, much scarier figure replaces him. He wears a long purple robe with crimson edges on the ends of his sleeves and the bottom of the robe, a long magenta cloak around his neck, a purple collar with alternating black triangles in the centre and lined with gold and yellow fabric, as well as a long black cloth with crimson edges hanging from the collar in front of his robes. The edges of this cloth and the robe, as well as the sleeves, are decorated with various strange runes. He carries a tall, gnarled wooden staff with a red crystal orb near the top.
Mordegon.
"Unmasked at last!" He sneers, assessing each of us, "I have been enjoying Carnelian's...hospitality since the day Dundrasil fell," at the name of my fallen kingdom, I scowl resentfully up at him. He continues, "but the game ends here. I have wasted too much time already, waiting for you to lead me to the Sword of Light. And since I was unable to steal if from you, it seems I must take it by force. Come to Mordegon like good little lambs...and die!" His staff glows and sudden purple mist spreads throughout the room.
Rab gives a guttural growl, "Mordegon! So it's you! I've waited years for this to come!"
Hendrik stutters, "not only Jasper, but...His Majesty too...? Your deception shall not go unpunished, devil!"
"You have been a serviceable puppet over the years, Hendrik," Mordegon turns to the knight, "but it is time you joined your kinfolk...in hell!
I scowl up at Mordegon, "it was all you, wasn't it...?" My voice breaks slightly, raising a fist to my necklace, "the destruction of Dundrasil, my hometown, Cobblestone, the families torn apart..."
Jade slams her foot down, "you've stolen so much from so many...and now, you're going to pay!"
Hendrik takes his stance beside me, "I stand with you, Luminary! My loved ones, my countrymen – they must be avenged!"
Erik stands on my other side, "I'm with you too! This is the guy who's had it in for you all this time right?" He readies his boomerang, "let's show him who he's been messing with."
I nod, "everyone, let's do this!"
Mordegon spreads his arms, "well, Luminary? What are you waiting for? Come! Give me your power, that I may rule over this world unopposed!"
"The only way you'll feel my power is when I pummel you in the face with it!" I snap,l unging forward.
The battle commences...
"Noooooo!"
With the Sword of Light ready to strike if necessary, I glare resentfully up at the Lord of Shadows. He glowers right back at me. He looks down and...starts laughing?
What has he got to laugh at!?
"I see..." he pants, "so be it...but do not think...that you are the only one...who has...defied the flow of time..." he grunts in pain and dissipates, leaving nothing in his wake.
Defied the flow of time? I think, frowning in confusion, what does he mean by that...?
"Father!" Jade exclaims, and I look to see her rushing up to King Carnelian, who's slouched in his throne. She lays a hand on his shoulder, leaning close to him, "Father! Are you alright?"
She steps back as King Carnelian looks up at her, "Jade...? Can it...really be you...?" He looks around, confused, "have I been...dreaming...? The last I remember is the attack on Dundrasil... After that, all is...black..."
Jade nods as I ascend the steps, thanks to Erik's little nudge, and they both look to me as my hand glows.
King Carnelian's eyes widen, "wait! That mark! The child! The Luminary! But...you were a mere babe in arms when I last saw you... There is clearly much we need t-to discuss...but you must forgive me...I am still feeling...rather faint..." he suddenly starts coughing, alerting both me and his daughter.
She places his hand on his shoulder again, "Father! You mustn't overexert yourself! Come on, let's get you to bed," she faces me, "I need to look after him. We'll meet here again tomorrow, alright?"
She helps her father stand and walks out the throne with him.
Sylvando comes up behind me and murmurs, "those two are going to have a lot to catch up on, hm? A lot..."
"We should get some more rest, everyone," Serena murmurs, "Mordegon is gone – we should rest easy."
Veronica stretches, yawning, "I'll agree to that,"
Erik comes up the steps and takes my hand, "you're sleeping with me tonight, misses," he chuckles, "that's the last time I leave you on your own."
I smile, "I'm a grown-up, Erik," I point out as we follow our friends out the throne room, "I can look after myself."
"I'll hand it to you – you've somehow managed to avoid the Lord of Shadows for sixteen years, but then again, you've had to deal with his lackeys, and you've barely survived them."
"I had the help of you guys," I nudge his shoulder with mine.
"Oh, so you're basically admitting that without us, you'd be done for?" he kinda flinches as he says that.
"Uhh...I'm not sure where I'd be. I think everything happens for a reason."
Erik looks to me for a moment, frowning, "what do you mean?"
"King Carnelian threw me in the dungeon because he thought I was the Darkspawn. If he hadn't have done that, I wouldn't have met you and I wouldn't have been able to have started my adventure. And met all of you."
"And you wouldn't have been able to save the world?" Erik finishes, smiling, "well, seems like it was all thanks to me," he winks.
I giggle and gently show his shoulder, also making him laugh, "you're so up yourself sometimes, y'know that?"
He lifts a small shoulder in a shrug, "yeah, that's sometimes the best way to be."
I rest my hand on his shoulder, "hey, thank you, Erik. I mean it."
He smiles and kisses my cheek, making my face heat up from his touch. He takes my hand, "anytime, Princess. C'mon, let's get you some rest. And then we can take it easy."
I nod as he takes my hand and leads me to our room.
I shift in the middle of the night, rolling from my left side onto my right. Unable to get comfortable, I move onto my back, sighing and feel like something's watching me. I sit up, rubbing my eyes and look out the window, only to see the moon shining brightly and stretching through the gaps of our curtains like icy blue fingers.
I look down to Erik who shifts and opens his eyes, smiling, "hello, Princess."
"Hey," I stretch, sighing.
"What's the matter?" He sits up with me and studies my face carefully.
"Nothing. Just couldn't get comfortable."
Erik smiles and gently kisses me, before flopping us both back down onto the mattress, making me giggle as he manoeuvres us both.
"There we go," he says, as we lay so I'm laying on his chest, with his arms secured around me, "a bed fit for a princess."
"You know you just referred to yourself as a bed," I giggle, and he giggles too.
"True. Get some more sleep, Princess. Something tells me tomorrow's gonna be a big day."
"Today was tiring," I murmur, slowly being dragged under again.
"Exactly..." Erik's voice fades, "and you deserve your rest..."
Whatever he says next lands on deaf ears as I'm whisked away by the embrace of sleep.
The next morning, I find Erik's side of the bed nicely made. With a note laying on his pillow.
Good morning, Princess. When I woke, you were still knocked out. Those fights yesterday must have taken it all out of you. So, like the wonderful person I am, I let you sleep in – in a nice comfortable bed too. Come and meet us in the Throne Room whenever you're ready.
I smile and quickly change. Once I've got my boots tied, I strap my sword to my back – I'll still need this no doubt.
Mum and Gemma, with a few of my other friends from Cobblestone are standing outside the Throne Room when I approach and I smile, greeting them both and hugging them. Inside the Throne Room, Hendrik and Jade stand beside King Carnelian – no longer possessed and back to his senses – sits on his throne. Erik, Serena, Veronica, Sylvando and my grandfather stand by the stairs, all watching me as I approach.
Erik smiles and nods to me as I come by the stairs and I smile back before turning my attention to the king.
"I know the truth now," His Majesty says, "hard as it was to swallow...the things I did while under the monster's spell are almost too terrible to contemplate. If not for you, this kingdom – no, this entire world – would have been turned to ashes. All would have been lost to Mordegon," He stands and holds his hand out to me, announcing, "a true hero stands among us! Erdrea is eternally in your debt! You are a worthy heir to the legendary Erdwin. Truly, you are the Luminary – our light and our hope!"
I turn as the guards behind me suddenly cheer and turn again as my friends start talking behind me.
Erik, arms folded, smiles, "we really did it, huh?"
Serena smiles and nods, hands clasped together. She suddenly looks down to see Veronica sniffling and wiping her eyes, "what's the matter, Veronica?"
"I,I don't know..." Veronica gives a half-laugh half-sob, "I just...welled up all of a sudden...I'm just...glad to be here with all of you, I suppose..." he gives a weak laugh.
"But where else would you be, you silly thing?" Serena asks her, smiling.
"Y-You're right," she sniffs, "I'm being stupid...Sorry," she looks up at me as I smile right back at her, "thank you. For everything."
I kneel down in front of her, "thank you, Veronica. If not for you, I wouldn't have made it this far."
She gazes at me for a minute before suddenly hugging me, shocking, I think all of us. She pulls back after a moment and gives me a little giggle.
After mingling with everyone, introducing my mother to some of my friends and Erik, and being hugged by every friend I know, Erik taps my shoulder, smirking.
"Heya, Princess."
"Heya, Spiky, you okey?" I ask him, frowning slightly.
"Yeah," he jerks his thumb to the side, "can I steal you for a quick second?"
I nod, "sure thing!" I follow him to the windows lining the thrown room and lean against one of the pillars, "what's up?"
"Stells," he looks down, fiddling with something in his hands, "there's something I've been wanting to ask you for a while. You've been through so much and you deserve a break. A long break."
I frown. Where is he going with this?
"And I was wondering if you maybe-."
The entire room suddenly dims an eerie shade of crimson, making everyone look around, startled. I push off the pillar and follow Erik as we meet our friends in the centre of the Throne Room.
"What's going on?" He questions, grasping my hand.
Serena clasps her hands together and closes her eyes, focusing, "I sense something...awful...something truly, truly evil...but where is it coming from?"
Erik looks down as if trying to remember something, "what was it Mordegon said before he died? Something about...not being the only one who'd defied the flow of time, right? But what did he mean?"
Something inside me feels angry. I clench my fist, shoving this sudden angry feeling down – not sure where that has come from...
The doors suddenly burst open, and a sentry comes sprinting in, pointing behind him, "Your Highness! Please, you must come quickly! It's Erdwin's Lantern!"
"What!?" King Carnelian demands, and he runs off slightly before turning back to us, "the balcony, upstairs! Quickly!" He runs off again.
Out on said balcony, my friends and I stop behind the King as he gazes up at the sky in wonder. Dark clouds creep along the crimson tinted sky, sending chills down my spine as my eyes dart from cloud to cloud.
"The sky!" King Carnelian gasps, "I have never seen it's like!"
"Look!" Veronica points, "over there!"
I follow her fingers to where a mass of bubbling clouds circle...something. Something glowing. Then I see it slowly descending – the bottom of an orange-red sphere, with dark writing scripted everywhere.
"Erdwin's Lantern! It's falling!" Rab exclaims.
Out in the desert, right below the lantern, the little black sprite, unable to finish his task from before, stands once again in the same spot, determined to finish this time. Two more arms appear, as he waves all three sets up at the star.
'I N A N O T H E R P L A C E A N D T I M E M O R D E G O N D E S T R O Y E D M E. B U T M O R D E G O N I S N O M O R E. N O W N O O N E S T A N D S I N M Y W A Y. N O W I S M Y T I M E. N O W I A M W H O L E A G A I N.'
The little sprite glows, being lifted into the air as the sand engulfs the rocks that stand around the desert. He suddenly launches up and into the bottom of the star, causing a slight crack in the bottom. Reformed again, he shatters the star.
'N O W I A M R E B O R N!'
The star crashes down on Erdrea, causing a tidal wave of sand in every direction and terrible shaking around the desert.
Once the sand has settled, the sprite, reborn into a giant, stands, his crimson eyes glowing as black and purple clouds swirl around him.
"Erdwin's Lantern has fallen," King Carnelian says as we gather around him in the Throne Room, all of us shaken from what we have just witnessed.
Gee, way to state the obvious, Your Majesty, I remark in my thoughts, clenching my gloved fist again.
"I fear this bodes ill for us all..." he finishes, "I dare make this request to no other, Luminary..." for the love of Dundrasil, I have a NAME! "I must ask that you investigate. The great star fell to earth in the Celestial Sands. They can be seen from the Emerald Coast – that must be your first port of call."
Hendrik turns to King Carnelian as I fold my arms and dig my nails into my skin. I can feel rage and anger boiling up inside me. Why can I not just live peacefully!? I was looking forward to going home, seeing everyone again, helping them rebuild, tasting my mother's gorgeous stew again, showing my friends the view from the Cobblestone Tor, but noooo, there's another evil mastermind out there who wants my blood, yet again, from a poor, sixteen year old princess, who's lost virtually everything!!
"Sire, I would ask your leave to join this expedition," Hendrik requests, making me blink in almost surprise. The King nods and Hendrik strides up to me, making me look up at the tall knight in almost irritation from everything I'm feeling right now, "I cannot atone for all I have done. But perhaps in joining you, I might repay my debt at least in part. Luminary! I will be your sword, your shield, your unswerving companion!"
I nod and hold my hand out for him, "so long as you call me Estella and not Luminary, please," I request.
He shakes my hand and nods.
"Come on then," I say with an edge to my voice. Without looking at any of my friends, I turn on my heel and storm out the throne room, throwing the doors open.
"Estella!" I hear someone call, but ignore them, my feet taking me to my room. My brown curled strands of hair float by the side of my face, indicating how fast I'm walking. I'm speeding, I don't want to slow down. If I stop, I'll want to shoot something, if I stop, I'll explode.
I burst through the door to mine and Erik's shared room and start shoving things into both our packs. The door hits off the bookshelf behind the door and I send a glare at it, noting a light brown mark where the door has chipped some of the fine wood.
Stupid place to put a bookshelf then. I curse, before dumping both mine and Erik's bags on the bed and throwing our items on the bed with them. I need to keep myself moving to distract me.
"What are you doing?" I hear Erik asking me, standing by the door with his arms folded.
"They can have me," I say, my voice shaking, "whoever it is that's destroying the world this time?! They can have me, alright!? I give up! I'll never be free, I'll never be happy, I'll never be able to live a nice calm happy life without SOMEONE out there wanting my dead body!"
Erik's POV
"WHAT!?" I demand. Where is all this coming from? When has Estella ever been that girl to give up!?
"I'm tired of fighting this!" Estella finally looks at me, and in the light, I see the exhaustion on her face. I see the tears shining in her turquoise eyes, the look of knowing she'll never settle down and that her work is never finished, "I don't want to do this!"
I edge forward, holding my hands out as if to take hers, "I know you didn't want this, but you were chosen for this-."
"I DIDN'T ASK TO BE THE CHOSEN ONE, ERIK!" She suddenly screams, and the tears escape, rolling down her cheeks.
"...!"
"I didn't ask for this stupid mark! I didn't ask to be hunted since birth! I didn't ask for any of this and I don't want it!"
"Estella calm down..." I pick my next words carefully, "you're tired, you've had a long journey-."
"Yes, I have, and there has not been ONE moment's rest, where I can have a comfortable bed to sleep in, where I can wake up and smile, without having at the back of my mind, 'am I going to die today by the hands of the evil guy who's taken everything from me?' What if he takes you, or one of our other friends next? Who's fault would that be? Mine! Because he's after me! He took my homes, he took my parents! Their death is on me!"
She's shouting, she's hysterical. The door opens behind me again and Jade walks in, having heard her shouting outside.
"Estella, calm down," her soft voice demands.
"Stop telling me to calm down!" Estella screams.
"Estella, Queen Eleanor and King Irwin's death are not your fault! They gave their life for you to live!"
"You want someone to blame, blame Mordegon," I say, "he's the reason behind all this. He's the reason you were chosen for this. He could have stayed away from you, he could have stayed in his hidey-hole and not bothered coming back, but he did. He's the reason you're here."
Estella leans against the bedframe, her hands clasping the wood until her fingertips are white. She sobs silently, the tears running down her face. Her hair sticks to her cheeks, the curls all a tangled mess, while the rest of her hair hangs low over her shoulders.
"I just want this all to end," she whispers and I walk forward, feeling Jade lay a hand on my arm. I gently shrug it off and continue making my way to Estella, "I just want to feel free for once."
"I know, Stells, I know," I lay a hand on her shoulder as she raises her head and sighs at the ceiling. I put both hands on her shoulders and let her leans on me. Her legs buckle, and I gently lower us to the floor, my arms around her shoulders. She starts crying louder, taking deep breaths and letting them out as she leans forward, holding my hands that are holding onto her waist. My legs frame her body, as I shuffle us back against the sofa, leaning against it. Resting my chin on her head, I rock her back and forth, rubbing my thumb along her hand. Her hands loosen from mine and hold her tightly, feeling her hands hang loosely off my wrists.
"Let it out, Stells," I whisper, feeling her body shaking against me, "you've had this in for so long. Let it all out now."
Jade stands and walks to the door, where Sylvando is poking his head in. Once he sees Estella on the floor with me, his jaded eyes flash with worry, and he starts to talk, but Jade holds a finger to her mouth, before ushering him out. She nods to me, her hand on the door and walks out, gently shutting it closed behind her.
This is the first time I've ever seen Estella in this state. She's always been so contained and mellow, but so much must have happened, she's finally snapped. I see her points – she's fought so many people who are after her, who are allies with Mordegon, and now that she's just defeated Mordegon, she thought she'd get the chance to rest, but it seems like she won't get the chance to do that either, because there's another evil being out there who wants to destroy the world, and she has to take care of them, lest they destroy the world.
She won't ever get a moment's peace until she's wiped every villain off the face of the planet. And I'll be damned if I'm gonna sit back and watch her fight these people by herself.
"I'm always here for you, Estella. I'm staying here no matter how tough it gets. No matter what happens."
Here we go!! Yes I am uploading again, but as you all know, I've recently had a beautiful baby girl, and all my attention is on her at the moment, so uploads will be slow ahah but I'll do my best!!
Sorry for such a long wait guys!! I'll upload again soon!!
Enjoy reading!!!
Sera xx