Tomes of Nevermore: Shattering Light

Chapter Sixteen: The King of Ghosts Returns

"Land just outside the town of Eternum." Omi said as Phoenix finally soared low enough to see the tiny buildings and snow capped mountains beneath them. "And everyone wear these black cloaks. The way in which a person arrives says a lot about them. Prepare to be presented to the world my young squires."
The mechanized phoenix came to a screeching halt in a clearing in the snow covered forest surrounding the village. "Black cloaks on and hoods up." Omi said. "Alister you walk in the center after all you are our king."
Alister smiled and flipped his hood over his head. Crisp flakes of white fell from the gray sky above as Alister, Tarah, Ty, Omi and Pal all climbed out of the ship. Omi stood back and admired his squires proudly as Ty threw a snowball at his sister.
At first it appeared as though she was going to freak out and scream but instead she bent down laughing and threw a snowball right back in Ty's face, Pal having never been in a snowball fight, took the initiative to lay himself a snowball cannon. The moment was so fun even Alister joined in as they ran around laughing and pelting each others thick black cloaks with snow.
"They're all so young." Omi thought as a tear formed in his giant green eyes. "So innocent. I will miss them all so very much."
"Come now my young squires." Omi said beginning to walk down the cobblestone path that led up the snow capped hill into the village of Eternum. "The future awaits you all."
Alister turned too Omi and gave the most genuine smile he'd given in years. "Omi, you have done more for me than even my own family has. You took me in and defended me from my brother, you didn't even turn your back on me when I became possessed foolishly trying to become a god. I owe you everything."
"Tis but a knight's duty to protect the rightful king." Omi said. "But everything else that I did for you, I did because we are friends young Alister Wildeheart. Come now. Your kingdom awaits you."
Alister turned and looked at Tarah and Ty who were both smiling from ear to ear with approval. "I never thought I'd have friends like this." Alister said. "But I'm very glad to have met you all. Even you Ty."
"Likewise ghost jerk." Ty said with a bony grin. "But don't ever expect me to kneel to you even when you make me the head of your kingsguard."
"You're both so thick headed it's a miracle either of you can hold your heads above your shoulders" Tarah said.
"Agreed." Omi said looking up at the sky. "Best we make our arrival post haste. A storm is coming."
Everyone simultaneously flipped up their hoods and followed Alister down the snow covered path. Pine trees with faces carved into the bark lined the path, some with low branches holding a spear and shield. The houses in the village were all small with black smoke billowing out from every chimney. In every window, on every porch, were black banners with a white heart stitched onto the front. Children running around playing in the snow, men and woman working, merchants and lords alike, all came outside as one of the trees with a face sounded the trumpet held in one of its branches.
"That's the Prince!" A little boy said pointing.
Somewhere in the crowd a man with a blue animus radiating off his fingers began to play a song on the lute while another man who had a red animus began spinning a drum roll.
"He's no prince anymore lad." A woman said correcting her child. "He's a king now!"
"Aye he is." A man said in agreement. "And the only king that I mean to follow for the rest of my life."
"Your majesty! Over here!" A group of girls said waving a whispering to one another.
"That's Ser Omi Hall!" A man said. "The greatest knight to ever live."
"Is that skeleton?" A child asked. "That's the coolest thing I've ever seen!"
"Look at that girl." A guy said standing on top of his roof. "She's gorgeous."
"And probably way too strong for a coward like you." His wife said bitterly. "Your majesty up here! Hello!"
Tarah and Ty had never felt so praised in their entire life. Everywhere they looked more and more people were crowding around them cheering and smiling. Omi and Alister however had been used to this kind of attention and waved attentively to everyone in the crowd but kept their eyes and minds focused on where they were walking too.
"Now presenting to the village of Eternum," The tree said. "The rightful King of The Frozen Peaks of Whitescape, King of Ghosts, Leader of the White Heart rebellion, Squire of Spirits, King Alister Wildeheart, Son of the late great King Obsidianheart. Long live the one true king!"
"LONG LIVE THE ONE TRUE KING!" The crowd shouted. "ALL HAIL THE KING OF GHOSTS!" They began to chant.
"Their walks the only mortal brave enough to fight a war without a god's power to protect them!" A man cried. "Their walks a true man, a true hero, and the one true king!"
"ALL HAIL THE KING OF GHOSTS!" The people continued to chant.
"Didn't I say appearances matter?" Omi said with a laugh.
"They really all love you Alister." Tarah said.
"Listen to them Tarah, I may be the only one who they know. But already they love all of us." Alister said. "Even Ty."
"I could get used to this." Ty said waving all around as people whispered about him with interest.
At the center of the town there was a stone stage with seven steps leading up to it. Alister led the way up and stopped at the top of the steps.
"Now turn." Omi said instructing his squires. "And hoods down."
As soon as they spun around and flipped down their hoods the crowd somehow found a way to become even louder. A drum roll began to play and people threw black roses down in front of the steps.
"I never thought anyone would be happy to see a skeleton." Ty said waving at all of the pretty girls in the crowd.
"They're a wounded people." Omi said. "It's funny, people may judge and look down on others for the way they look or where they stand in the world. But when the cards are all played and people have their backs to the wall, they won't care what sort of kind of hero or background that hero has. People just want to be saved."
"I'll save them." Ty said feeling truly accepted for the first time since his death. "I'll save all of them."
"You can't save everyone." Tarah said. "Some people don't want to be saved."
"That, my clever little twins, is a question I have been wondering all my life.." Omi said.
"People of Eternum," Alister shouted. "I Alister Wildeheart, The Rightful King of Whitescape, have vowed that upon my return that we would take the war to my brother's doorstep and storm the castle gates. We don't have the largest army, we don't have the favor of the divine, for death's sake most of us have never even seen battle before, but what is at stake is much greater than any one person's life. There's men out there that want to turn you all into slaves. There's men out there who have died defending what they believe. Men who have died fighting a war in my name." Alister raised his spear to the sky and a bolt of white lightning struck the clouds. "There are good men on both sides of this war. Men who never dreamed of fighting one another, I myself am waging war against my own flesh and blood, but if we don't stop my brother even more people will die and our nation will be bled to death. Let us end this war and save as many good lives as we can!"
The crowd went wild. "And I'd like to present to you all, my master and dear friend, the hand of the King, and the greatest knight in the kingdom, Ser Omi Hall the Knight of Heroes and his squires, Tarah Weird the Squire of Wisdom and Tactics, and Tywin Weird, The Squire of Skull and Bones."
Tarah and Ty shared a smile as they heard their names shouted out. For the first time, in a long time, perhaps ever in their lives, Tarah, Ty, and Alister felt happy and accepted in a place where they all knew that they belonged. But this, was just the calm before the storm, and the happy ending they dreamed of was still far far away from where they stood in the eyes of gods and men. That's is of course if you believe happy endings exist.
There is a term, "a beautiful lie". A beautiful lie is often a carefully articulated story meant to distort the truth in an otherwise grim situation. Beautiful as a lie might be, it is still in the end, just a lie and any person who chooses to accept such a beautiful lie should give up reading at this point in the book. Because the truth is far from beautiful because this story is not a beautiful lie but is rather a bitter sweet truth. Like sipping a black coffee without sugar, this story will leave a most unpleasant taste in some others mouths, and the rest of you will drain the cup till it is but a few drops of brown liquid. So goes human nature. Only continue reading if you are a person who seeks truth, bitter as it may be.