The Exiled King | ✔

EPILOGUE I

Lirya and Eryian's joint funeral was a solemn event attended by the remaining guardians and the residents of Blackrose castle, as well as Lirya herself—which was endlessly amusing to those who knew. She remarked that it was quite an odd experience to watch her own body buried.

The days that followed were filled with trepidation for those who knew how close they had come to destruction, for there was no sign of anything amiss but neither was there any sign that Lirya and Eryian's sacrifice had truly saved them. Life simply moved on and as the days, then weeks passed, they breathed a little easier and pushed the worry to the backs of their minds. Mortals were very adaptable, and they could only keep worrying about something that could not be stopped for so long before it wore on them.

Strangely, after Lirya's death, there was no news of a new keyguard, nor did the remaining guardians feel a new bond form. No distant cousins of house Throeyns manifested the powers and the guardians suspected that, much like what had happened after the first demon war, the guardian powers would disappear when their wielders did—until they were needed again, though they all hoped that day was a faraway future.

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Jason stood outside the house that he'd grown up in, hesitating to knock. So much had changed since he'd first left home to pursue knighthood as a squire at Throeyns castle, that it was strange to see his childhood home looking exactly as he had last seen it.

He took a deep breath and knocked on the door and within moments it was pulled open so quickly Jason didn't have time to react, before his sister nearly bowled him over with a fierce hug.

"Jason, you're back!" She cried, as he stumbled back a step before returning her hug with a grin.

In the time that he had left, Lily Kainley had grown from a child to a bright-eyed tomboyish youth. As they made their way into the house, Jason found himself noticing more than ever how shabby, but homey the place was. He had slept out in the wild and he had slept on the finest linens in the mightiest of castles, but something about the simple three-room house was special to him. They had no couch, so he sat on the double bed that he and Edmund used to share and felt a sense of comfort and belonging wash over him.

Jemery Bladesworn may have had his biological father, but Jason had Vern Kainley and his two siblings.

Edmund returned, flinging the door open with a bang, and ducking as he entered. He was covered in a sheen of sweat and he held a wooden sword in one hand and a leather waterskin in the other. His soft brown hair was combed out of his face and he stood tall, especially for his age.

"Ed! You've gotten so tall!" Jason exclaimed, his eyes lighting up and he jumped to his feet.

Edmund froze as he saw Jason, then there was a clatter as he dropped his sword. Jason walked up to him, surprised to find that his younger brother was almost at eye level with him now. Edmund was initially quiet, but soon began to warm up to Jason, the distance between them melting away as they reminisced over the childhood they had shared.

"As you know... I'm the gold guardian and, well... a lot happened," Jason said awkwardly, "But I've been given land and a title a-and money... quite a bit of money. Iron damaii, even!"

His father was quick to understand and he asked, "You will need to move to your new territory then. Are you asking that we all pack up and go?"

Jason shook his head, "Ad- King Adrian wanted to offer me some land up north, but I asked only for a little bit of land... around this home. I wouldn't ask you to move half way across Sanobar... this is home, after all."

His father smiled and Lily cheered. Jason felt a wave of contentment wash over him as he thought, I'm home...

Jason added thoughtfully, "We could add a room or two to this house though... I imagine Ed isn't all too happy to have me moving in again."

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When it became apparent that a new keyguard would not emerge, the other guardians slowly began to retreat back into obscurity. This shaky world had no need of their powers at this time, so Nyuen, now of sound mind, returned to her homeland, Handemon.

Altein returned to Westik, determined to find out who had ordered his death the night he fled, but instead found an island ruled by an incompetent king and fearful unrest in the people. The crown prince, after solidifying his place with the deaths of his seventeen brothers, proved to be a good king at first. However, it was revealed that he was no more than a puppet to his mother, who truly ruled Westik through him. Upon her passing—through poison, and the culprit likely one of the women who had lost sons to palace politics—it was found that she had been instrumental in the deaths of most of the princes. The crown prince—now king's incompetence was immediately obvious, but his mother had amassed a significant militia of loyal men who kept the people from voicing their complaints.

Altein's return to Westik shifted the delicate political balance of the island, for he made no secret of his identity, and his guardian powers were the truest proof of his birthright. He could have levelled all of Westik and rebuilt a kingdom upon its ashes, but the world had seen enough bloodshed and unnecessary cruelty. It seemed that his brother agreed, for they met in peace and decided on the course of Westik's future together.

Altein was crowned king, to rule jointly with his brother, and they both swore to end the bloodshed that always engulfed the royal palace during succession. The next royal heir would be chosen based on merit, not birth.

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In Sanobar, Leus prepared to finally cut ties with his father, but perhaps as some kind of karmic justice, Darron Ravenstorm was thrown from his horse and he passed to the Ether. Instead of distancing from House Ravenstorm as Leus had planned, he instead became the next Lord Ravenstorm. He replaced most of the retainers who had been wholly loyal to his father and was finally able to give Soriel a place at his side, as he had always wanted to.

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Note: Even as I write this, I can see so much potential to expand on everyone's stories, but this story has been 7 years in the making and it is time to end it. I'm sad that I wasn't able to give all of the characters the screen-time they deserved, and I hope I'll be able to do better in my next work.