A KINGDOM OF DEAD HEARTS [COMPLETED]

CHAPTER 49: FAREWELL ...

Xander looked dashing and royal. His expression was somber when he nodded at Airin. "I will take you to the elegarii," he said.

Airin nodded, turned to say goodbye one more time to Rovan, Elisthia, and Lyanna, and started walking next to Xander.

When they got outside, Xander took off his cape and let her have it. "It is too cold to go outside with only your ... sleeping clothes," he said. Airin took the cape, wore it, and smiled. "Here I am, walking in my Spongebob pyjama next to a Halgardian royal warrior, a steward of the throne." Xander smiled sheepishly and replied with a deep nod of his head, "It is an honour, my lady."

They walked side by side without any more word spoken between them.

Airin's heart was heavy, strange because she was supposed to be happy because she got to go home to her own universe. That alone should have been a great cause of joy, shouldn't it?

Xander sighed a few times, and Airin would steal a glance at him. His electric blue eyes just stared ahead.

From the palace, there was a stone pavement that led directly to the elegarii river. The pavement were lined with trees, different kinds of them even though now they were not full with leaves. Winter was almost over, the trees were just dead and wet from the rain, and the soil was wet and muddy.

When they got the the bank of the elegarii, Xander stopped, and turned to her.

"I will stab the sword of Zeus here, then we will go to the well for you to ... jump in."

Airin stood still, did not know what else she could say.

Xander was quiet, he did not make any movement. No sword of Zeus.

"Are you sure you want to leave Halgard, Airin?" he asked gently.

Airin was going to say yes, her mouth opened, but no yes came out. She had to force her head to start nodding before a hoarse yes came out of her trembling lips.

Xander took a deep breath, closed his eyes and he muttered the spell to take Zeus' sword out of its storage within his body.

The glistening sword materialized on his outstretched right hand.

He paused and stared at Airin again, before walking right next to the water, and with one stab, stabbing the water with the sword.

The calm river water started to form bigger waves, the orbs swam faster, and a sound like the sound of a breezy wind was heard from the direction of the well down there.

"The well is open for a human to pass by to go to your universe," Xander sighed.

Airin nodded, trying to smile again, but she could not. Maybe she was nervous, maybe she did not wish to leave Xander.

"Come," Xander extended his right hand after the sword of Zeus disappeared back into his body.

Airin nodded, took Xander's hand, and they started walking down the same pavement they came from. Midway in the pavement, Xander took her to the right, to another pavement that went downhill. The pavement then turned to stone steps that seemed to go around and down, for some time.

When they got to the bottom of the steps, they walked again for a few minutes on another pavement that took them to the outside perimeter of the sacred enchanted forest, the forest with trees that grew in perfect circle, the forest where the elegarii well was.

Guards patrolled the perimeter, then on each circle of trees was groups of soldiers patrolling. The well was indeed heavily guarded.

Airin just sunk herself in her surrounding. The smell, the brown-blackish colour of the muddy leftover snow on the ground, the sounds of soldiers' marches and the wind blew gently among the trees.

Everything seemed to surreal, but it was her reality.

They walked on the straight path that led directly to the center of the circles of trees. To the well of elegarii.

"The well is ready to receive you," Xander spoke. "See the faint white light glowing on its stone surface?"

"Yes. It looked exactly like the night I met you and Lyanna. Or when Leidra took me here."

They continued walking the straight path until they got to the altar-like pavement where the well was.

The elegarii well glowed faint white light as a sign that human beings could pass through after Zeus' sword was stabbed into the river. Airin walked slower as she approached the well. Her feet felt much heavier now to even take a single extra step. Xander walked half an armlength behind her.

She got to the side of the well and saw clear, silverish water with waves lapping gently. Orbs that fell from the waterfall went straight in and went down. Strange that she did not feel even a splash of water on her face from the waterfall that fell into the well. All was just so quiet, so peaceful.

"Are you ready?" Xander asked.

Airin snapped back from her wandering mind and awe of the elegarii, turned around and nodded at Xander.

"I will come to you. That is a promise," Xander stepped closer, and Airin struggled to pry herself off from such mesmerizing electric blue eyes that now stared at her with its full focus.

"And I will give you the answer then." Her eyes wandered and stuck at the black bandage again. "Are you sure you do not want to tell me what has happened?" she asked while her eyes lingered at the bandage.

And she could see Xander waver. He lifted his bandaged palm, stared at it intently, then stared at Airin, and at elegarii well.

"I wish so much for you to stay, Airin. Here with me, spend your days here in Halgard, by my side. But ... I want it to happen only if you truly want it, not because of ..." his sentence hung with no ending, it was as if his mind had won the battle of not talking more about the wound.

Airin sighed. Her mind failed to understand what had just been said but she decided to leave it be. "I will miss you," she whispered, Xander's eyes seemed to possess an invisible force that made her lift her hand, and she wanted to caress his face. But two inches from his face, she managed to stop herself.

Xander grabbed her hand gently before she completely took it back. "I will miss you. I will see you again. I promise. And one more thing, Airin. Please keep Halgard a secret that only you know."

Airin gently released her hand, and smiled. "It will remain a secret to all people in my universe, Xander ..." she gazed at Xander's eyes, and continued,"And thank you. Do come as you promise. The kids in my class must have missed their Uncle Xander."

This time Xander smiled and nodded. "It would be an honour to offer my service to the little princesses' court and that boy's dragon will have a caretaker when he is at school."

Airin laughed, and it felt good. Her students. She had missed them so! She would get to meet them again soon. That thought alone strengthened her that she nodded a few times, then she climbed on the well without any hesitation.

Xander stepped backwards, and she smiled at Xander once more.

Suddenly Xander lifted his right arm, muttered something, and some orbs that were tumbling down to the well shot out and floated on the air around Airin.

These orbs turned to be winged horses. Seven of them floated on the air around Airin.

"They want to say their goodbye and pay their homage to the destroyer of Leidra!" Xander shouted at her.

Airin was speechless. Her right palm covered her mouth, and her left palm did an awkward wave at the horses. The horses seemed to bow their head at the same time at her. Then they flew around Airin one more time before turning back to be orbs and tumbling into the well.

Airin smiled widely, and she saw Xander smiling back at her while nodding his head.

Airin said her goodbye one more time, turned around, and climbed the well. With one long draw of her breath, she closed her eyes, clasped one hand over her jade necklace, and jumped into the well.

Back to her own universe. To her students. To a world that awaited her return.