The Warlock (BxB)

Chapter 65

The walk back to Ambria was quiet. After Dante's final goodbye, they stayed in Zuvelia for some time. Varys and Tristan walk through the castle together, reminiscing about their time there. This kingdom was once Varys' home, and the place where Tristan stayed for a long time. It meant something to them, even if the memories weren't all that great. Before they were ready to go, Amaris was the one to get the ring from Meredith's body. After it was given to Tristan, he could feel his curse lifted. He would have to wear the ring for the rest of his life, but at least he didn't have the shadow following him anymore. If he had known about such an artifact in the past, perhaps he could have saved Dante from this same curse. It was too late for that, though. Dante was gone.

Now it was time for them to head home as they made their way back to Ambria. Tristan and Varys walked behind the rest of the group, holding hands and quietly talking amongst themselves. Amaris took the lead, while Casimir and Logain stayed together between their companions. Logain looked back a couple of times to make sure Varys and Tristan were okay. He felt terrible for them after their loss. All he could do in the throne room was watch as Dante left them. After being wounded, he was too far gone. Logain wouldn't have been able to sustain him for long enough to reach his body. He would have faded away before then. At least the prince had the chance to say what he needed to Tristan before leaving this world.

They continued their journey in silence until they crossed the border into Ambria. Tristan was the one who broke the silence between the group as he came to a halt and said, "Varys and I will go our separate ways now. We appreciate everything you all have done for us."

The rest of the group stopped as well. Logain looked back at them, worried. "Are you going to be alright?"

Tristan nodded. "We'll go back to Ambria eventually, but for now, I want to visit my family. It's been a long time since I've seen them. Thank you for helping us, and . . . thank you for helping Dante as well."

Logain gave them a sad smile as they said their goodbyes. Then, they went their separate ways.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Casimir told his parents everything that happened upon their return. His mother was upset with him for taking matters into his own hands, but she didn't stay mad at him for long, as she was glad that her son returned to them safely. After Meredith's demise, they would need to discuss who would represent the church now. Amaris was a candidate for the position, but it would take the royal family and the people some time to come up with a vote. For now, Casimir needed some time to himself after what transpired. His parents would handle the church and Meredith.

The prince left the castle to find the warlock. They separated once returning to Ambria so that Casimir could talk to his parents privately. Logain also needed to rest. He was exhausted after fleeing for his life in the shadow realm and then having to deal with Meredith. Logain also needed to straighten out his thoughts. He felt bad about what happened in Zuvelia. Not only couldn't he save Dante, but he also cost him the chance to live again. Then, Casimir killed to keep him safe. The warlock was overwhelmed by his emotions.

He stopped outside of Logain's house and knocked on the front door. The prince waited for a moment, but there was no response. He knocked again, but when he was met with silence, he pushed open the door. He was surprised to find it unlocked. Casimir entered the home, which was quiet. Casimir began to have a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Quickly, the prince called out to Logain and began to search the house for him. He looked through all of the rooms, but the warlock was nowhere to be found. It looked like he hadn't returned home once they got back to the kingdom. Casimir was starting to fear the worst.

After Logain almost lost his life, perhaps he was having doubts about being with Casimir. There was the possibility that something like this could happen again simply because he was engaged to the crown prince of Ambria. Perhaps Logain didn't want to experience that hardship again. Almost losing his life must have scared him. Once again, Casimir was losing the person he loved.

However, he was in for a surprise when someone hugged him from behind. Logain hugged him tightly, burying his head against Casimir's back as he took in his warmth. The warlock sighed and said, "Sorry if I scared you. I haven't been home yet, so I could get some fresh air, but I didn't leave Ambria. I won't leave without saying something to you."

The prince turned in his embrace so that they were facing each other. Casimir hugged Logain tightly. "I'm sorry for everything. Even if you left, I would understand. But . . . I am glad that you're still here. I was afraid that I would lose you after everything that happened."

Logain looked up at him, giving him a gentle smile. "I've been alive for a very long time. It's going to take a little more than a threat to my life to make me run away. Besides, I can't leave yet. We still need to get married and then plan our honeymoon. Then we can leave together."

"You still want to marry me after what happened? You almost died because of me, and I . . . I killed someone," Casimir said, choking on the words. It was still hard to comprehend that someone was dead because of him. He wanted to protect Logain, but it came at the cost of someone's life, even if that person was evil and willing to take someone else's life. He didn't want to stoop to her level.

The warlock hugged him tighter. "It's okay, Casimir. I'm sorry that things turned out this way, but it doesn't make me think any less of you. I still love you and want to be with you. Nothing is going to change that, and we'll get through this together."

"Thank you, Logain . . . I love you, too." Casimir took a deep breath and added, "Could I stay with you for a little while? At your other house, away from this kingdom. The royal family will clean up this mess, but it would be nice to get away for some time. More importantly, I want to spend time with you and discuss our marriage."

Logain let him go and smiled up at him. He took his hand and said, "Of course. Let's go, just the two of us."

He reached up to kiss his prince on the lips. Then, with the help of Casimir's divinity, he was able to create a portal that would lead them away from Ambria.

They walked through the portal and towards a brighter future ahead of them.

The End

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And that's a wrap! Overall, I think this rewrite turned out better than the original, and I really hope everyone enjoyed it! I tried adding some similar scenes from the original with a little extra detail, plus I tried making this book a little spicier lol (●'ω｀●) I had fun with it, at least. 

If anyone is interested in knowing about future projects, I have two more books planned revolving around side characters from this book. Casimir's brother, Oliver, will be getting his own book called Dragonbane (I had it posted at one point, and I absolutely adore Oliver's love interest in that book, but it needs a major rewrite to make sense with some plot points from Prince of Nightmares and The Warlock). Amaris will also be getting a book called The Sacred Flame. No date currently for when these books will be released, but stay tuned! ヾ(〃^∇^)ﾉ

And thank you to everyone who stuck around with me on this journey! I hope to see you next time! ＼(￣▽￣)／

Word count: 96,723!