Epilogue: Daybreak
Without the strong leader they found in Emperor Iepenel the Merciless, Arlenia once again found itself in turmoil.
The Luartians, after the loss of their governor and their top leaders, agreed, after negotiations with Admiral Ryfast, Admiral Thorgar, and Commander Fercen, to leave Arlenia and return to Luartia without a fight.
The rebels, battered and beaten and without a leader, surrendered without a fight, and the Arlenian flag flew proudly once more above Ictus City, Oronthurin, Southport, Vallis Town, Lignum Village, and Austerus City. The South was once again reunited with the North.
But not for long. Military rule could only last for so long, and even the charismatic Admiral Ryfast, who declared himself interim leader of Arlenia and of Ninquelen, could not hold the lands with the might of his armies for long.
Without a strong claim to the throne nor enough experience to govern, Ryfast's government soon fell to the lawless South.
And the north is no respite for the new government either. A dozen insurgencies emerged in the Ragnor Hills, the Lacus Forest, the Altum Forest, and the Silvus Forest.
Most have declared that Ryfast is no rightful ruler, and that it was the admiral himself who had Iepenel killed so that he could take power.
A year after the South's secession and three years after the end of the civil war of Arlenia, the Luartian king declared war on Arlenia, the grounds being the death of Governor Isylric in the Battle of Arlenn's Point.
Without warning, Luartian warships entered the Sea of Storms and assailed Southern Arlenia, thrusting the land back into another war. The Luartians broke the peace that they swore to uphold centuries ago, and send armed forces to invade.
In the north, Arlenia faced a threat from insurgency and rebellion, and in the south, it faced the threat of Luartian invasion.
But a single independent entity, separate from the Ryfast government in Ninquelen, emerged during the years of Luartian invasion. Most of the coalition were remnants of the old Imperial Battalion, under the leadership of Commander Fercen. Together, they numbered in the tens of thousands, and stood as a stark barrier against Luartian occupation.
They managed to hold the major cities from the Luartians, but the Luartains already had a foothold in the mountains of Southreach when they revealed themselves.
And with regards Vanya and Lindale, they were given commanding positions in the new coalition, and led the fight against the Luartians in Southern Arlenia. They never received the reward Iepenel promised them, but to this day, they are hailed as the heroes who ended Arlenia's crisis of death.
The lands remain in dispute for the next fifty years. A new day dawns on the Iron Island, and Arlenia is reborn from the ashes.
THE END
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Deathless
FantasyEvery soul tastes death. At the moment we are born, Death begins his walk. He makes no hurry, for he has all the time in the world. Throughout our lifetimes, the only thing we can be sure of is that they will end. One way or another. But...
