Rise From the Ashes

Epilogue: An End to a Great Beginning

(NARRATED BY TRAVIS GUILDER)

We were on television, newspapers, magazines—you name it.

And boy, did it suck.

More than a month had gone by, yet I was still too occupied with our "victory tour" to return home. I didn't really enjoy the publicity or talking to strangers all that much. And while it may sound fun to you, it was really tiresome having to tell girls that I was taken, going to celebrity parties, and having to attend all sorts of government meetings. What made it especially tough was knowing that everyone expected me to act perfect.

But then there was Cameron, who was far less of a social butterfly than I. It must've been pretty hard on him, especially since he was now every teenage girl's dream boy. They all seemed to think he was hotter than blue fire itself. Magazine photographers would constantly chase him around, trying to capture a photo that they deemed "poster-worthy." Very few of them ever came up with anything worth a fangirl's dime.

At one point, Cameron caught flak from the media for what he did to the fifteen-year-old princess of Aquadria at a formal party. When she happened to ask him for his autograph and phone number, he turned her down, not knowing who she was. But even after he did learn her identity, he only agreed to dance with her once, saying, "No thanks" when she asked him again. If it had constitutionally legal within that country, the king probably would've put a large bounty on his head.

After one of those government/military meetings in the city of Covarado, the General pulled the eight of us aside. He wasted no time getting to the point:

"I'm fairly certain that Lectavus is alive," he said. "Once he's strong enough, I fear he's going to set out to find the tombs of the other four kings. I hate to say this, but our job may be far from over."

We all let out a collective groan.

"Don't worry," said Moreilene. "We probably won't call on you for a while. I'm just letting you know now so that you'll be ready when the time comes."

"Does this mean I may return to Aquadria now?" asked Lamerio. "My colony is moving there, you know."

The General shook his head. "Actually, that's untrue. You and the Royal Colony need to stay in Aridia with the rest of the Prophecy children. That way, you'll remain under our protection. We recently contacted your mother about the matter, and she agreed to comply."

"Where are we gonna live?" inquired Cameron, gesturing between himself, Lola, and Prince Senti.

"We'll be adopting you and Lola as members of our family," I informed him. "I was going to keep it a secret until tonight, but I guess that plan's out the window...."

"R-Really?" Lola squeaked. "You mean we finally get a house to sleep in?"

"Uh-huh," I replied. "My parents agreed to the whole thing. They were really excited to have you."

"Are you sure?" asked Cameron. "You don't think we'll be a burden?"

I shook my head and laughed. "Of course not! Besides, it's not like we don't have space. Since the rebuilding of our town, my dad added two separate bedrooms for you both. We used some of the reward money from King Kemtall to pay for it, and the construction should be finished within a matter of days." I allowed my smile to spread. "So, what do you say? Will you come live with us?"

Cameron and Lola answered by hugging me very tightly, going down as one of the most touching moments of my entire life. I had always wanted a brother (though another sister was okay, too).

"You can keep your last names," I added, parting from their arms, "though you'll have to sign a few papers to become an official part of the family."

Cameron grinned. "I'm looking forward to it, Brother."

"As for Senti," said the General, "much of your tribe has relocated to Moreila Valley for you. They now reside within the Flame Pine Forest, where the trees have promptly started to regrow."

Senti heaved a sigh. "Given that I have been away for six years, I sense that my father has a punishment larger than Blessed Mountain in store for me."

Contradictory to that statement, Senti's father actually threw his son a grand homecoming celebration that lasted for seven whole days. Apparently, the only thing the Chief cared about was that his son had returned home safely. It wasn't enough to completely reverse Senti's perspective of his father, but it helped, no doubt.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye for now," said the General. "Unfortunately, I have another meeting to get to."

After saying our goodbyes, we went back to our hotel rooms. The next morning, everyone packed their bags and set out for home. Not only was I happy to return Moreila Valley, but also was overjoyed to be living there with my friends. There was no more fear, no more stress. All of Aridia was safe because of our efforts—

But not for long.