Romulus looked into all of its eyes. He knew he should not trust this creature. But he had to try. The prize it dangled was too great to ignore. It was the prize Romulus had been searching for all his life: the mythical weapon that, legend had it, could lower the Shield and allow him to cross the Canyon.
The creature turned its back and began to walk away, and Romulus stood there, watching it.
Finally, he followed.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Gwendolyn rode on the back of Mycoples, behind Thor, holding him tight, the wind rushing through her hair. It was cold, but it felt so refreshing. She was beginning to feel alive again.
In fact, Gwendolyn had never felt so happy as she did now. All felt right in the world again. She could feel her baby, kicking in her stomach, and could sense its joy at being near Thor. Gwen burned with excitement to tell Thor the news, but she was waiting for the perfect moment. And ever since they had left the Tower of Refuge, they had not had a moment to talk.
It had been a whirlwind of battle and adventure, the two of them flying on Mycoples, Gwendolyn watching in awe as the beast wiped out scores of Andronicus’ men. She felt no pity for them. On the contrary, she felt satisfied, felt her desire for vengeance slowly being fulfilled. With each Empire soldier they killed, with each city and town they liberated, she felt wrongs being made right. After all the defeats, after watching her homeland destroyed, it felt good to finally be victorious.
After liberating Vinesia, Kendrick and his men began to make their way back to Silesia. Gwendolyn and Thor decided to fly back on their own and meet them there. With Mycoples, they were so much faster than the horses and had plenty of time to spare. Thor had directed Mycoples to take them on an aerial tour of the Western Kingdom. As they flew, Gwen looked down with satisfaction to see scores of Andronicus’ men wiped out, lining the ground everywhere from the Highlands to the Canyon. The Western Kingdom, she was relieved to see, was completely free.
Of course, half the Empire army remained on the other side of the Highlands, but Gwendolyn was not worried about that now. Seeing the tremendous damage Thor had inflicted on this day, it was obvious to her that they could wipe out the remnant of Andronicus’ men in another day. Andronicus would have no choice now but to surrender, or to go down in defeat.
For the first time in she could not remember how long, there was no longer need to worry. Now it was time to celebrate. Mycoples flapped her great wings and Gwendolyn examined her in awe, still hardly able to conceive that she was riding on the back of a dragon.
She clutched onto Thor as they took a romantic ride throughout the Ring, looking down at the mountains and valleys and rolling hills, seeing them for the first time from this perspective. They reached the Canyon and in the far distance she could spot the sparkling yellow of the Tartuvian on the horizon. They turned and flew along the Canyon’s edge, and her breath was taken away viewing it from this perspective, its swirling mists aglow in the setting suns. It seemed as vast as the world.
They turned and headed for Silesia, and Gwen’s heart fluttered at the thought of being reunited with all her people. Before Thor’s arrival, she had been so nervous to return, to face her people. But now, she no longer felt shame; on the contrary, she felt filled with joy and even pride. Argon’s words of wisdom had finally sunk in, and she finally realized that what happened to her had nothing to do with who she was, that it did not define her. Her entire life was ahead of her, and she had the power to choose whether she would let herself live happily or let her life be ruined. She had decided she was going to live. That was the best revenge. She would not let anything bring her down.
All the different colors sparkled in the mist below, and it was the most romantic ride she’d ever taken, beyond her wildest dreams. She was, most of all, overjoyed to be sharing this with Thor. She couldn’t wait until they landed, until they finally had time alone together, to tell him the amazing news that she was pregnant. She sensed Thor had something to tell her, too, and couldn’t help but wonder if he was going to propose to her. She smiled at the thought of it, giddy with excitement. There was nothing in the world she wanted more.
They flew over King’s Court and Gwendolyn’s heart dropped to see the remnant of this glorious city, its charred walls, abandoned homes, toppled fountains, and statues. But its walls, at least, still stood; they were charred and crumbling in places, but they had not all collapsed. Gwen felt determined, filled with a sense of purpose. She vowed to herself that she would rebuild King’s Court. She would make it greater than it ever was, even in her father’s time. It would be a shining bastion of hope, a beacon for all to see. They would see that the Ring had survived, and that it would continue to survive for centuries.
They flew ever farther north, and finally, Silesia came into view, its shining red stone rising up into the air, sparkling in the horizon. Its upper and lower cities were visible even from here, and Gwen’s heart beat faster as she saw Kendrick and all the men returning from the victory, flooding through the city gates and into the huge city square.
Thor urged Mycoples on, and they dove down, landing right in the city center. As they did, a great cheer arose amongst the men, and Mycoples arched her neck and squawked with pride.
Thor dismounted, then took Gwen’s hand and helped her down, and as their feet touched the ground they were met with the cheers of thousands. The thick crowd ecstatically waved their hats and chanted Thor’s and Gwendolyn’s names. She could see the love and devotion on all their faces as they rushed forward and embraced her from every side. She realized they were thrilled to have her back. And the feeling filled her heart. She had thought they might look at her with shame or disappointment. She had been so wrong. They still loved her as much as they always had; perhaps even more.
Gwen felt home again. This was her place, here, with these people, helping them. Not in a Tower of Refuge, isolating herself from the world. She needed to embrace the world. Argon had been right.
“My sister!” came the voice.
Gwen’s heart lifted as she turned to see her youngest brother, Reece, standing before her, alive. He had made it back from his quest in the Empire. She had never expected to see him standing before her again.
He rushed forward and embraced her, and she hugged him back. He looked older, more battle-hardened, more mature.
“I’m so happy you’re alive,” she said.
The mood in the air was beyond festive, beyond jovial—it was elation. It was as if everyone here had been born again. She embraced her brother Godfrey, her brother Kendrick, and then one person after the next stepped up and embraced her, an endless stream of well-wishers. As she stood there beside her brothers, she could not help but think of her father and her other siblings. Here they stood, she, Kendrick, Godfrey and Reece, four out of six of them. Gareth had been lost to them all. And Luanda, as always, stayed apart, could not seem to get over her jealousy of Gwendolyn. But at least there were four of them, and she felt as close to Kendrick and Godfrey and Reece as she ever had. She felt, finally, as if they had all become a close family. It was ironic that it had to happen after their father had passed away.