The Broken Rules

Chapter 23: A New Life

*Luna's perspective, close to Saphire with Gwaine next to her*

           I felt broken, I had lost so many, I lost control as soon as I saw Saphire crumble to the ground. I had all of my happy memories and adventures flash through my mind right before losing all of the control I had. I had approached her, I was shivering, I was cold, I was desperate, I was exhausted. She was laying there with arrows in her. The blood was not flowing out of her, perhaps it was because I cauterized it when exploding in fury. She was not moving.

-Saphire..?

No response. I started to cry. Ugly tears came out. I dropped to the ground, Gwaine hugged me from the side, I held onto his arm.

-Please... Wake up...

-I'm so sorry Luna...

-Don't leave me...

           I mumbled more, giving up all hope that she was still alive. I closed my eyes as I continued to shed tears. Gwaine hugged me tighter to try and help out, he didn't speak, he didn't need to. We were silent. I was mourning. We had won but at a perishable cost. After a small moment, I got up with the little strength I had left and started to turn around. A groan. A loud one. The same groan I had first heard and discovered in the cave. A dragon groan. A warm breath. A loud exhale. I turned around and saw the golden eye I had adored and feared when first gazed upon. A slight turn of her head and neck.

-Hello... peasant...

-Saphire!

I smiled and no longer shed tears of sadness, they were turning into tears of joy. She groaned once more and lifted herself off the ground as much as she could. She was extremely unstable. The arrows moved a little and many fell out of her. I chuckled at the thought of her calling me a peasant again. That was what she had called me the first time we had met. Gwaine had hurried to her to get rid of the arrows that he could reach that had not fallen out. She snarled:

-Careful!

-Sorry, I'm trying, but arrows always hurt when they are pulled out...

-Saphire! You're alive!

-Yes... Just barely...

-But... How--

-I'm a dragon. Have you already forgotten?

-Still, you suffered so much yet you're still breathing!

-It was thanks to you. If it weren't for your powers, I would have died.

-What?

-Your flames. We are connected. Fire doesn't harm me if it's connected to me. Your fire is close to mine, instead of hurting me, it healed me and gave me energy. You also cauterized my wounds stopping me from bleeding to death. You saved me.

          Gwaine looked back and smiled. Through my destructive power, I managed to heal. With those words, I understood what else an Angelic Devil could do. As an Angelic Devil, you could harness chaos and turn it into life after. If done with the correct amount, I could create a new life. To have life, you needed to start where there is none.

           Saphire looked further behind me and so did Gwaine. I turned around as soon as I heard cheering. We had won. It was over. Ragdos survived. Claribel was with no crowned ruler. Alfred was dead, I could feel it in my gut. The war was over. I looked back on everything that had happened as the sun slowly climbed higher in the sky. Saphire had managed to get up more and approached the destroyed fortress. We all knew that all wars between Ragdos and Claribel would be over for a very long time. Ragdos would need an emergency ruler: Caroline would lose her title as a Princess and have the title become Queen of Ragdos. Gwaine would return to Claribel and be crowned King, surely, after many debates that he would face with the population. He was, after all, announced dead. For the people, he would have returned from the land of the dead. To many, it was deemed as Satanic or Unholy.

           He would, I trusted, create peace Treaties with Ragdos. We would help rebuild Ragdos and help bring life on their grounds. Saphire would need some extra attention before giving her, her absolute freedom. She would probably return to Yazralon where it was definitely safe for her to roam around with, I hoped, occasional visits to see me. There was only one question that lingered in my mind. What would I do? After fixing everything, seeing Gwaine become King, and commemorating Jania and Lincon. What would I do? I guessed time would show me. And it did.

*Luna's perspective, three months later*

           The fresh breeze of a summer morning is quite relaxing especially after a night's work in the palace. Being a servant is harder than it looks, that is true. Being a knight? It's also hard. Everything in life is hard. Life is never easy, especially when having to begin a new life. I had watched Queen Azelia weep and mourn the loss of Jania. I also admitted Jania's feelings towards her, Azelia was glad to know, however, she wished she could have returned her feelings earlier. Their love was reciprocal. Gwaine had proposed multiple Treaties with Yazralon, he also let Queen Azelia decide whether she wanted Yazralon to be visible on the map or stay hidden. The decision was made to be a slow reintegration to the world.

           Caroline ruled over Ragdos with a man named Lewis by her side. It turned out Lewis was on the candidate list over a year ago and they had met on multiple occasions. It was still organised and forced, but they grew fond of each other over the many months they had known each other. Saphire roamed Yazralon and the Lands of Ranshayr, she also roamed in the mountains of Zelboria. Her vision on the right had been damaged, her flying was wobbly but she was growing stronger. She still soared delicately.

           After many councils and constant debates, Gwaine had finally been crowned King of Claribel, he did find the weight of the crown heavy due to the gruesome passing of his Father. Although his Father did some wrongs, he was still commemorated. Gwaine had to go through multiple and agonising formations to make sure he understood everything, he also needed to deal with being addressed through honorifics. He lost some form of freedom but fought to get it back. He had also formed Treaties with them to allow migration flows and commerce with Ragdos, the Lands of Ranshayr and Zelboria after reaffirming his power. They had seen weakness in Claribel and tried to take a piece of the lands. The Treaties helped everyone prosper and grow.

           It was funny how after some time I believed I would become a maid again and still somehow stay alongside Gwaine. I was still beside him, not as a maid, nor as a consultant. Instead, I was his partner. A large majority of Claribelians were against it: the first reason was because of my unnatural powers, the second was because I did not come from Royalty. I was originally supposed to be known as Lady Nightenghale many years ago but that did not matter to them.

           It was hard to stay by his side, people had tried to kick me out of the City. Others tried to hurt me and others tried to avoid me. Some were kinder, some paid no attention to it and treated me as they had always done. I was put through many trials against my will but they couldn't be helped. Gwaine hoped that one day he would manage to convince his population and the major councils to allow our alliance. Even a King has limits to his power. It did not matter much to me, I was still by his side. That was all that mattered to me. In any case, we still had our secret rendezvous and our little fun moments, some casual, and some considered to be sinful.

           Here we are, now and again, in the Kingdom of Claribel, a beautiful place beside the sea with the sun rising and the birds chirping and singing. This Kingdom had been peaceful for many years thanks to the strict rules set by the laws of King Derek. That peace had fallen into chaos. Now, King Gwaine ruled the Kingdom. Peace had been restored after the unleashed chaos. If there was one lesson I had definitely learned from all of this, it would be the one where chaos lies in silence before cursing everyone. Chaos can be scheming nearby, so stay attentive. However, when chaos breaks out, do not stop it because where there is chaos, lies the opportunity to create a new life.