Epilogue

When I had been told by Phaltina that I was going to my paradise, I did not think that she would mean being sent back to life. I awoke to find myself naked on a rocky crag not that far from the village. Just after I appeared there, Aphronia, of all people, found me. She had heard of my death, so she was shocked to find me there. She had a blanket in her pack and gave me that to allow for some semblance of modesty on our trek back to Int’samba. I asked if Janet and the others had come and gone but she assured me they had not made it yet. She decided to house me in a spare room of her house until the others arrived.

That night I was pulled into a dreamscape one last time. It was Phaltina, making sure I was okay. When I asked her why I had been sent back, she simply smiled.

“I made this mistake a long time ago and too many have paid the price. I would not allow you to suffer the same fate, so I made a deal with the other gods. I would be allowed to return you to life, but I would never again be allowed to walk amongst you.”

I thanked her and she told me not to waste this second chance I had been given. When the door opened and I saw Janet there, it was nearly more than I could handle. I decided to say something cheeky, hoping to dissolve the tension. Instead, Janet and the others burst into tears and rushed over to me. All the while, the bundles of joy in each of their arms were uncertain as to what was going on.

When the kisses and tears were concluded, I was introduced to each of my children. Every single one of them was beautiful and my heart swelled at the choices of names. I spent the rest of the day playing with them, until the time for the ceremony. I had heard through Aphronia that they would conduct a welcoming ceremony for Celka’s ashes. It was a quiet and somber affair, with many tears by all. I, of course, said a few words about the woman who helped me become whole again and helped us defeat the Voguel once and for all.

With the event behind us, we spent a few days together relaxing as a family before we would have to start our travels yet again. This time however, we would be going a different route. We were nearly seven months of travel away from the port that we had arrived at, then there would be nearly another three months travel to get to Cartha. However, there was another port town west of Kart’laga. It would only take three months to reach it and then a week or so of travel by boat to arrive at Dru’tirk.

We thanked Aphronia for her assistance and wished her well on her future. We promised to keep in touch and made our way out of town to return home. We took our time, enjoying the scenery as we went. We stopped every so often to let the children spend time out of their wagons. When we arrived in Kart’laga, my presence was a surprise to everyone. I explained that I did not know what happened, only that I awoke to find myself near Int’samba.

Many treated it like some kind of divine revelation, that the gods were once again looking down on Vishant with favor. While I did not deny it, I assured them I was nothing special and figured it was a reward for my sacrifice to end the curse. We spent two days in town, resting and resupplying, before we headed for Lorsh’tava. As we left, we were surprised to find that there were six soldiers waiting for us. Apparently the Dran had learned of my return and decided that we needed to rest. Two pairs of soldiers would drive the wagons while the other soldiers would ride ahead and behind us.

Eritor would not budge, saying that he and the Dran agreed on the matter. They had secured a boat that would take us to ​​?? and that the Dran would pay for all of it. He also handed us a letter that the Dran sent me. He thanked me for my sacrifice and was happy to hear that the gods felt I deserved a second chance. The nine of us would always be welcome in Vishant and would go down in their history books as the saviors of the province. I did not know how to process that, but I figured it was a high honor.

The travel back to Bardack was uneventful. The days were spent moving between the wagons to spend time with my children. Enjoying meals together and spending quality time with my loves. The night before we were to arrive at Lorsh’tava, I asked all eight of them to marry me. Tears and kisses were shared by all. I did not need a magical bond with them to know how happy they were.

We were welcomed with cheers when we arrived in Dru’tirk harbor. Apparently, they were made aware of our arrival and had prepared a welcoming committee of sorts. Supplies were already prepared and by the end of the day we were ready to set off again for home. With a good night’s rest at the inn, and after celebrating the birthdays of all the children, we left in high spirits. While only Trent was near his actual birthday, the rest would turn a year old during our journey to Cartha. We had already decided to share all their birthdays in one big party, due to how close together they were.

As we made our way home, there was a buildup in excitement we all felt. The children did not know what it was about, but they felt it as well. When we got near enough, I diverted the wagon and saw a smile form on Janet’s lips. Ingrid turned to follow us, as we moved down an old path towards the lagoon. This place was filled with good and bad memories, but I figured that, to help tip the balance, I would make some more. We had lunch there while the children splashed around. In a few hours we would be home, and a new round of excitement would begin.

Everyone agreed that we would make visiting the lagoon a regular occurrence. I wondered if it would be prudent to talk to Edgar about purchasing the land around it, making the lagoon a daily event. We packed everyone up one last time and returned to the main road home. Not long after, we came out of the woods to gaze upon the walls of Cartha. I looked on in amazement, taking in all the changes that had occurred. It looked as if the town had almost doubled in size in the two years we had been away. The high log walls that had been built to protect from Voguel attacks were no longer there.

Though a wall of thick logs surrounded the town, they were a third of their former height. It was almost as if the logs had been cut off at the required height, then the tops were used to fill in the larger perimeter of the town. The large gate that once was the only way in was also gone, with two soldiers stationed at the entrance. From what I could see, it seemed as though the area of my house had been expanded upon a bit as well and I turned the wagon to go towards the special entrance to my land.

I was not surprised to find a soldier stationed at that entrance. He politely stopped us and asked us our business.

“Well, my name is Davik,” I said with a smile. “I have been away for a while with a group of warriors and have finally returned home. If Clive, Trina, Liza, Brandon, or Carl are around they could confirm my identity. So could Ruben, the town’s carpenter or Edgar the Patron himself.”

The soldier’s eyes went wide, and he merely nodded before running off towards what I would assume was now the direction of the workshop. A few minutes later the soldier arrived with Carl in tow and I watched my young friend and former apprentice look at me and smile. He confirmed our identities and guided us to the new stable they had built in my absence. He had decided that they needed a proper town stable, especially given all the horses they needed for the deliveries. Edgar happily obliged and in turn for giving them the space they needed for their project at my behest, he discussed expanding and changing the village a bit.

With the threat gone and the cure out there, the high walls were no longer needed. He wanted to give the town a bit of protection, mostly from wandering animals, but making it a warmer and more inviting place. It took a year to get the changes made to the Patron’s liking. Carl had to contact the forester guild from Fardun to help with the logs. Once it was done the Patron awarded them all the land that was added to the inside of the borders as payment. That gave them enough room to build a comprehensive stable and expand the workshop a fair bit. They were having trouble finding places to live for the various workers they had, but for now, they were making do.

I grasped my friend’s shoulder and said, “I plan to talk to Edgar and get his help to secure the land around the lagoon. If it is successful, you can convert the house into a dwelling for our workers.”

Carl smiled and said, “We were hoping we could do that. When we heard you had died in the fight with the Voguel, we knew we would have to wait for the others to come back. We are happy to see that your death was a mere exaggeration.”