Chapter 14

Prince Roberto of Aragon, the future heir of the kingdom, stood beside the bed of King Edward of Aragon, his father. For a moment he was silent. It hurt him to see his father like this. The old king was sleeping; the not-so-peaceful expression in his face reflected the mortal sickness he was suffering.

King Edward had been sick since the war with the Undead. While doctors and healers from across the land couldn't determine the sickness, they all agreed that the king had been carrying incredible burden of his people due to the war with the demons. Since then, Roberto had taken over most of the royal duties from the king, but his health hadn't improved even a bit.

And the day Roberto had feared most had come. The final battle with the demons was at hand, and the king had summoned him. The timing was perfect.

Another figure stood close next to him. She was Maya Murdock, the lady after his own heart. She had been a slave until Atrus White Lion bailed her out of prostitution. And in her journey with Atrus, she had also felt the king's generosity during their first meeting, just before they departed to see Baron Stoke, years ago. She therefore insisted that she accompanied him in his father's chamber.

"Roberto ... my son ... is that you..."

Roberto felt a sharp pain in his heart as he heard the weak pleading voice of his father. That voice had used to be strong and full of authority, the very authority he had often challenged. Years ago, when he was still a young brat, Roberto had never got along with his father. Then Maya and Atrus taught him to understand others, and he saw all the things his father had been trying to teach him. He owed his father too much. Now his time was running out.

"Yes, father. It is I."

"And behind you ... Is ... is that ... Lady Murdock... ?"

"Yes, it's me, Maya, your majesty." Maya replied politely.

The king chuckled, although with great difficulty. "How many times should I ask you... ? You are my daughter-in-law ... Call me father, will you?"

"I'd rather disobey you than losing my manner, your majesty."

That gave Roberto a quick smile. Maya might have been a slave, yet she learned fast. Her manner was one of queens or royal family members, polite, yet full of sincerity. Although she tended to get fidgety at times, her social skills were something other royal family members should learn from.

"Well said, indeed..." the king announced. "You must remain strong in what you believe ... Only then, you can straighten others in their paths..."

Roberto felt a rush of pride of Maya, shown by his warm smile. Maya noticed it and blushed lightly.

"Roberto ... how's the preparation for the war... ?" his father asked.

"Almost all is ready, father," he replied. "We are still waiting for the last group from Seraphim. King Hloffeth has promised his best Dwarven troops for the Alliance army. Sir White Lion is also marshalling his Ranger troops for war."

"Ah ... my finest man has returned ... Heed his advice, Roberto. He has the strength and intelligence of a hundred men..."

"I will do so, father," Roberto said. "Also, Priestess Rosa has contacted me that she's sending her best priestesses to assist us. We'll expect them to join us later. And finally, Sir Leonard from Blackwell, Atrus' personal assistant, is coming today with his hand-picked troops, trained by Atrus White Lion himself."

"Ah ... so many souls will contribute to the battle tomorrow..." The king sighed loudly. "What do you think, Roberto? What do you think the outcome will be?"

Roberto hesitated for a while. Honestly, he was afraid of the upcoming battle. While he had the joint army of all five factions of the realm, he was facing a threat greater than anything he could ever dream of. The stake was quite high. If they failed in defending the Elven land of Elom, the demons will have a good foothold in the realm to take over the rest of the land. He had to win this war, or everything was lost.

And only Maya's supportive smile could lift up his confidence before his father.

"If the Gods are willing, we shall return victoriously," Roberto answered firmly.

"That's a relief..." The king slowly lifted his weakened hand over his face and watched sadly as he struggled to move each finger. "After our peace treaty with our fellow Elves, it has been my greatest desire to fight in our dear ally's defense ... But look at me; I am old and weak ... I can't even lift up a spoon, let alone wielding a sword ... I can't walk to that door, let alone defending the Elven homeland..."

The king looked at Roberto sadly. "You're my only hope, son ... You must represent my kingdom and me ... Your appearance in battle will cement the tie between our nations ... And there is only one way that you could do so effectively..."

"Father, you don't have to do this..."

"But I want to, son, for the time has come," King Edward insisted. "For now on, I am no longer the king of the kingdom of Aragon ... You are."

"Father..." Roberto was stunned.

"You hear me, son. I am no longer your king. You are now the rightful king of Aragon. Rule wisely, my son..."

"Me ... A king... ?"

"Lady Murdock, pay your devotion to your new king," the former king ordered.

Before Roberto could protest any further, Maya quickly knelt down before him and bowed her head. "Maya Murdock, paying my devotion to you, King Roberto of Aragon. May you rule wisely, your majesty."

Roberto was speechless. He never dreamed such moment could come this fast. As the future king of Aragon, he had countless dreams for his country. Now Aragon and many others were in disarray, and it was up to him to settle things back to normal. He had the hope of Aragon, and probably the whole realm, lying on his shoulder.

But he was not alone. Roberto gently picked Maya up on her feet and met her smile, glowing with pride. Yes, she would always be there for him. And all his friends would, too. They were now probably somewhere in the Northern Continent, confronting the leader of the Army of Darkness. They were doing their part. It was time for him to do his.

"Very well. Father, please await for the news of my victory."

"The Gods watch over you, my son," the former king said. "Take care."

Roberto refused to look back at him, fearing that he might notice the tears running down his cheek. Maya noticed this, and she carefully brushed the tears with her finger. She looked into his eyes lovingly.

"Your strength with a sword is only matched by the strength of your heart," she said. "Come, the time has come, my king."

And she led him out of the room and along the long corridor of the palace. None of them said anything, knowing that nothing was needed to be said. They got a job to do and a whole realm to save.

They soon arrived at the courtroom of Castle Stromgarde. Maya recognized the room as the place where Atrus, Anna, and herself had been introduced to the royal family of Aragon. Her real journey started here, and she would hate it if the journey ended here. Several people had been waiting for them. Maya recognized Lord Garth, the royal advisor of the court. Captain White Lion, Atrus' father, was there, along with a young woman with flowing priesthood robe she recalled as Priestess Rosa, the temporary High Priestess of Lycra. There were several others from all five factions of the realm, probably representatives for the Alliance Army.

One Human stood forward and spoke up, "We wish to see the king."

"You are looking at him," Roberto replied calmly.

Almost everyone in the room gasped at this. "What do you mean, Prince Roberto?" One asked.

"I am no longer Prince Roberto. From now on, on my father's wish, I am King Roberto of Aragon, the rightful ruler of the Human Kingdom of Aragon. I will rule the kingdom with the blessings of my father and all my ancestors before me. Those who resist my rule resist my father and my ancestors, and therefore have no place in Aragon."

Roberto spoke with such authority in his voice that no one in the room dared to say anything. Lord Garth flashed a quick smile, while Captain White Lion nodded approvingly. Maya just grinned, enjoying the horrified look from some people in the room.

"I have an important matter to attend. If you have no further business, I appreciate if you don't waste my precious time," Roberto continued.

"No, Prin ... I mean ... King Roberto..." one quickly added, "We wish to report the preparation of the Alliance Army."

"I do not wish to take this into my hands alone," Roberto replied, and then gestured to Maya. "This is Princess Maya Murdock of Blackwell," Maya was dumbfounded with the title Princess he gave him, but made no complaints. "She will serve as my advisor and second-in-command. Speak to her if you wish to report anything concerning the Alliance Army. She has my full authority in this matter. Respect her the same way you would to me."

Again, King Roberto's order confused most of them in the room. They knew Maya had minimal military background. Some of them would rather die than accepting orders from a civilian, or even worse, an ex-slave. But the king's order was final. They just nodded frantically.

"Very well. Princess Maya, you have the lead."

With that, Roberto left the room. Maya casually watched him go, and then turned back at the audience. She just smirked.

"Well, folks, shall we begin?"

Atrus gasped as his lungs demanded for fresh air. But all he got was cold air, chilled for centuries of winter. For a moment he went panic as his lungs felt burning, but settled down as soothing sensation enveloped his body. His lungs ceased to hurt, and his breathing returned to normal. The air he was breathing was now comfortable enough for him to take. Slowly he opened his eyes.

A monster's face was only inches before his eyes.

"Yikes!" Atrus started to take a swing at him, but the monster simply deflected his weak blow.

"Kiddo, it's me, lad! Stop kicking me knee!"

Atrus cringed, trying to get a better look. His vision was blurry, either from his waking up from unconsciousness, or from the gale of cold wind smacking against his face. Slowly his vision was cleared, and he could see the real monster before him.

It was Holgreb the Dwarf. His face was partially covered with the cloak from the thick jacket he was wearing. Some part of his long beard had been frozen, and it seemed that jagged spikes had grown from his chin. Atrus blinked several times and tried to look at him carefully, before exploding in laughter.

"Will ye stop laughing at me already?! You'll choke yourself again, just like the last time!"

Slowly Atrus' memory crept back to surface. He remembered going through the dimension door, crossing the barrier of space and time between Lord Falagor's hut and the mysterious Northern Continent. He remembered running through the dimension tunnel, until he felt a sudden jab of pain in his chest ... and then ... he couldn't remember.

The pain in his chest? He instinctively touched his chest, covered with thick fur coat. The pain was there. Then he remembered the skirmish near Lord Falagor's hut, where he had been poisoned. The poison remained in his veins. Lord Falagor had to channel his friend' life force to him to keep him alive. He was now still alive, but the pain was still there.

"What happened?" he asked.

"You fainted during our travel through the dimension tunnel," he heard an Elven voice from his back. "You were lucky Adriana saw you before the portal collapsed. You could have trapped in the dark space forever."

"Anna?" Atrus shook his head. "She saved me?"

"Yes. You frightened us all for a moment there," Aurelia said. "You've been unconscious for a few hours now. Do you still remember why we're here?"

He did. He remembered what Lord Falagor had told him. He was to travel to the ruins of Emerald Tower and defeat whatever evil had taken refuge in it. Then he was to replace the seal on the Gate to the Underworld, trapping the evil god Agamesh and his minions in where they belonged.

He nodded.

"Good," the Elf said cheerfully. "How's your chest?"

"Miserable."

The Elf glanced to the Dwarf. "Well, at least he's honest."

"Yeah," Holgreb agreed, "Lying amateurs usually die quicker before they could draw their swords."

"Where is Anna?" Atrus asked. "Where is everyone?"

"Lynn was just here a minute ago," Aurelia explained. "She used her Fairy magic to heal your lungs and warm your body. The air you're breathing right now is instantly warmed the moment it enters your nostrils, so you don't need to choke."

"She's now calling your girl and that magician," Holgreb continued. "They went ahead to scout."

"Anna and Calem?" Atrus frowned. "Have I missed any battles?"

"There seems to be nothing here but a vast field of snowy wasteland surrounded by huge mountains," Aurelia said. "The fact that this was the site of the greatest battle of the Gods still amazes me."

"I told ye before," Holgreb added, "Those Gods were all stupid ... They knew nothing but running rampage across the land and flatten yer houses..."

"But this terror must end!" Aurelia snapped. "We still have to defeat Agamesh and, hopefully then, the Gods will leave us alone..." She turned back to Atrus. "According to Adriana's magic, we're somewhere in the southern tip of the Northern Continent. The Emerald Tower should be somewhere north of here..."

"That's right, we're going north," Lynn suddenly showed up from a dimension door, followed by both Anna and Calem. Atrus noticed that Anna's face, partly hidden by the long coat she was wearing, was a bit tense. He was always annoyed when he found her spending time with Calem, as the old wizard seemed to talk ... a bit too much.

"What is it?" Atrus demanded.

Anna hesitated, and Calem was staring at him weakly. The rest of the party was silent. For a moment no one spoke.

"Do you really wish to know, Atrus?" Calem asked finally.

"Is there something you wish to hide from me and not from others?" Atrus asked again.

"Atrus, we are not hiding anything from you..." Anna spoke up. "It's just that ... I ... I don't know if you really want to hear it..."

"I've heard worse. Spit it out!"

Calem sighed loudly, releasing thick vapor from his mouth. He then looked away and closed his eyes. "Your master, Lord Falagor, is no more."

Contrary to what he had said earlier, he was not prepared for this. "W ... what?! What do you mean?"

"You heard him, Atrus," Anna said softly. "Our Lord Falagor is gone. I ... I'm sorry..."

"Wha ... how could this be?" Atrus demanded. "He just saved my life!"

"Indeed," Calem nodded. "You recall how I objected when he was about to use the Lifeleech spell to save your life. The spell would magically absorb some or all of the victim's soul and transform it to the caster to heal his wounds. Lord Falagor made a little modification to the spell, using his own body to channel the life force to you. However..."

"However what?"

"That ... that's just ... impossible to do..." Anna said. "One's body can only contain one soul. Should one's soul get damaged, it could absorb other souls for healing. If there is some excess soul left, it will be snuffed out, or stored for future use. However, Lord Falagor channeled the souls of four of us instantly through his body. Theoretically, his body would not be able to withstand such load, and would collapse."

"But he did not collapse!" Atrus countered. "He survived!"

"Indeed, he was a great mage." Aurelia said. "But his soul was wounded right after the spell. He knew he wouldn't survive, so he forbid Calem to say anything. Instead, with all of his remaining power, he invoked the dimension door here. That was why the dimension tunnel collapsed sooner than usual..."

"Master Falagor..." Atrus said slowly. "Master Falagor is gone..."

Anna flashed several signals with her eyes to the rest of the group, and they began to disperse, leaving both and Atrus alone. She approached him from behind and circled her arms around his shoulders. He gratefully held her hands against his chest and began to cry. The Champion of the Guardian, the future savior of the realm, the finest warrior chosen by the Gods, was now crying in a mortal girl's embrace.

"He revived me," he said slowly. "After Gideon ... without him I would have killed myself ... Without him I would never see you again..."

"Without him, the realm would have lost her only savior," Anna said softly. "You are born with a great destiny to take, Atrus White Lion. Lord Falagor has sacrificed himself to make it happen. You must go on and complete what you must do, and his sacrifice will not be in vain."

"But I can't do this!" Atrus roared. "For the destiny I'm going to take, many have lost their lives! Many have fallen to pave my way to victory! I am not without heart! I can't let these deaths go on!"

"And that's what you're doing, Atrus honey..." Anna lovingly stroked his shoulders beneath the thick coat. "You are to stop these deaths from going on and on. Remember, you are fighting not for the dead, but for the living." Anna pulled his gaze toward her. "As for the dead, you are to make sure their dreams lives on."

Atrus threw his gaze toward the great wasteland before him. "They're going to pay ... They are all going to pay for this..." He stood up and roared in anger. "All of them!"

"Atrus..." Anna said speechlessly.

"Say no more," Atrus said coldly, still staring at the wasteland. "I will have my revenge."

Roberto returned to the royal courtroom to find Maya waiting for him. There was no one else in the room, which means Maya had taken care of them all. She welcomed him with a grin.

"How's my second-in-command doing?" Roberto asked.

"Never been better," she said.

"So can you give me the summary of the report on the Alliance Army?"

"Sure." She handed in a piece of paper. Dumbfounded to the fact that she had actually taken notes during the audience session, Roberto raised his eyebrows, but received the paper nonetheless. He found only one line written on it. "It says, 'everything is ready'."

Maya waited in anticipation. "So, what do you think?"

"Er..." Roberto drew his breath. "I'm expecting a more detailed summary..."

"Oh, you want that!" Maya drew her breath. "The troop commander reported that all troops are ready to move at any time. The minister of logistics reported that the last needed batch of supply convoy has arrived and is being prepared, as we speak. Captain White Lion reported that his Rangers detachment is standing by just outside the castle and waiting for further orders. The final Dwarven detachment has also arrived and is getting ready to depart. The Wizards also reported that they are ready to open the gate to the land of Elom as soon as you are ready. Finally, the Fairies will be joining our main group in Elom as soon as we arrive. The same goes for the priestesses of Lycra."

For a moment Roberto was silent, struggling to digest all the information. Finally he admitted that the true summary was indeed 'everything is ready'. He was soon marveled at Maya's ability to memorize everything from the audience.

"My smart little girl," he smirked, "I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, boss," Maya smiled. "Anyway, the troops are ready for you."

Roberto nodded. "Let's meet them."

"We're going north now," Atrus said aloud, annoyed that the blizzard around him slightly masked his voice. "We're going to make them pay!"

No one in the group objected to that, although everyone was quite concerned with Atrus' newly found energy from his anger. All of them had seen how Atrus could transform into a formidable brawler when he was in anger. While most of them were concerned with his current injury from the poison, Anna was more concerned with his desire for vengeance. She had never seen him burning with passion for revenge before, and she was quite terrified. She feared his anger, but more than that, she feared she might lose him in the process.

"Beware, Atrus, don't let your anger cloud your mind..." Calem said carefully.

"I don't care, let's just get over with this!" Atrus said quickly. He took a stride toward the north before doubling over, holding his chest and coughing heavily. "Damn," he cursed.

Anna quickly came to his aid and eased his breathing with her magic. Atrus nodded in gratitude to her, and then turned toward the others. The Elf, the Dwarf, the Fairy, and the Wizard were all there, staring at him with concern in their eyes. The normal Atrus would have stopped and asked what was wrong, but the anger driven Atrus would not. He was quite annoyed.

"What are you waiting for? We have a realm to save! Come on!"

The party hesitated, as they all took turns to glance at Anna. Anna was quite speechless to the change in Atrus' personality. While she could understand his anger and sadness of losing his teacher, she could never expect to see him that mad. She just nodded to everyone.

"Atrus," Calem spoke up. "I do have something I must perform. I haven't donated my part of the soul. Will you allow me to give you my part?"

"Go ahead, Old Man, and do it quick," Atrus said, but hesitated. "You're not planning on dying, are you?"

For a moment the group thought Atrus was trying to make a joke, but his serious stare changed their mind. "No, of course not," Calem replied.

He then approached Atrus, put his hand on Atrus' shoulder and invoked the Lifeleech spell. Instantly Atrus felt refreshing mist entering his veins, numbing his pain and strengthening his muscles. He nodded at him approvingly.

"Well, I'm ready now," Atrus said. "Shall we go?"

"We will catch you up," Calem said. "We need to pack our camp first. You and Adriana can go first. We will catch you up in ten minutes or so."

Anna quickly noticed Calem's hard glare and turned to Atrus. "Come on, honey. I'll help you along..."

"I can walk on my own!" Atrus said gruffly, and began walking away.

Anna stared at him sadly for a moment, saddened by the rejection. The rest of the group looked at her with sympathy, but said nothing. Slowly she began to follow him toward the north, where their destination lay.

"Poor Adriana..." Aurelia the Elf said. "How could he hurt her feeling like that!"

"I'm telling you, that kiddo is not himself!" Holgreb commented. "He seems ... possessed. Must be one of those Gods thingy."

"We must understand him," Calem said. "He's being ripped apart."

"Ripped apart? How?" The Elf asked again.

"This is to fulfill Lord Guardian's prophecy. Agony beyond imagination will threaten him. He will be tortured from inside out. Only then will he be ready to accept his destiny."

"I can understand him," Lynn said softly. "I felt the same way when I lost Falstoff." She turned to Calem. "I owe you one for beating me back to my senses."

Calem smiled. "No trouble at all."

"So who can beat him back to his senses?" Holgreb asked.

Aurelia sighed. "I'm sure Adriana can do it. But I fear she's just too heartbroken to do so. Poor Adriana..."

"She loves him so dearly she's willing to die for him," Lynn said. "Adriana loves him, Captain White Lion honors him, Lord Falagor died for him, and the Gods chose him. I too will lay down my life to see him fulfill his destiny."

"Right," Aurelia nodded. "Perhaps, then, he will find refuge from his sadness."

"Don'cha worry, I'll protect him like a hawk!" Holgreb said. "Well, enough talk! Let's follow the kid!"

And they did follow him.

King Roberto, riding his horse, couldn't help but gasp.

Before him was the vast landscape of the countryside around the city of Stromgarde the capital city of Aragon. But instead of farmlands, the land was covered with thousands of beings from all major races of the realm. This time, instead of fighting each other, however, they were all here for a common cause, their very own survival. Human Knights, Pikemen, Archers, and Rangers stood side by side with the Dwarven folks, consisting of their proud Axemen, fearless Berserkers, and Crossbowmen. The Wizards, consisting of many races in their ranks, were all ready with their own spell books in their hand. And at the other side of the realm, Roberto knew, the Fairies would be ready to support the troops with their heavenly songs.

He stared at them with pride. This was indeed the Alliance Army. Or half of it.

Riding next to him was a squire, desperately trying to ride properly. He was tasked to carry King Roberto's prized weapon, the gigantic Kaiser Sword. With the size of four feet in length and a foot in width, the blade was quite a bulky burden to carry, especially if one didn't know how to carry it properly. Most people will be amazed at Roberto's ability to wield the sword with ease.

Following on his other side was a war chariot, but the one riding on it was more important. Princess Maya Murdock, the future queen of Aragon and the second-in-command for the Alliance Army, stood proud on the chariot, watching in awe on so many men and women ready for battle. She wore a full set of studded leather armor with ring padding around her chest and waist. The armor bore the symbol of the Kingdom of Aragon, fresh from the castle forge. While she had no real military experience, she stood with such confidence that elicited awe and respect from the soldiers and military commanders.

Riding along with the group was the newly promoted Commander Hawk, the Supreme Commander of the Alliance Army, in control of all five races in the army. He rode proud on his horse, carrying his long spear. An old Dwarven general named Kerish was riding a chariot, leading his Dwarven army. The stable master had tried to assign him a pony, and failed, to the general's embarrassment. Besides, it was said that the general preferred to lead the army on foot, marching along with his men.

Riding behind him was Garmeon, the temporary Arch-Wizard of the Magi. He was going to lead the mages in the battle. Sign of weariness was apparent in his face. Only days ago, the wizards had lost their second home in the Northern Peninsula to the demons. The wizard was now ready to repay his losses. Behind him was the war hero, the reinstated Commander White Lion, the leader of the Human Ranger detachment. After so many years, Atrus' foster father finally put his enchanted white armor back on. The legendary Holy Sword was back in his hand, and his old bow was again strapped on his back.

Missing from the group of leaders was Lyra the Fairy, leader of the Fairies. She would be joining the group at the battlefield. The Elves had already begun fortifying their position in Elom, and it was rumored that Prince Farn himself would be leading it. Finally, Priestess Rosa from the Holy Order of Lycra had also promised to join the army in Elom, along with her ranks of priestesses of Lycra.

As the group rode away from the protective walls of Stromgarde, the entire Alliance Army roared together, demonstrating their eagerness to go to battle. Roberto stared at the ocean of troops lining up before him, with pride and pity mixed together. Most of these troops, he knew, were villagers whose family members had been killed throughout the war. While there were people with true dedication to their cause, such as White Lion's Rangers and the Elven troops, all were respectable armies with the sole purpose of defending their homeland and the realm. But the rest were either mercenaries looking for gold and fame, or conscripts seeking for vengeance. The latter concerned him the most, since undisciplined, anger-driven troops were very hard to control, and therefore, very hard to be kept alive.

In this case, Maya's advice in having Hawk as the leader of the Human army was indeed sound. Hawk, unlike other young commanders, possessed unique leadership skills that impressed friends and foes alike. He would charge forward, and his men would follow suit, screaming like crazy. He would fall back, and his men would retreat slowly, without anyone leaving the formation or running away from the battle. Since Hawk was going to be busy as the Supreme Commander of the Alliance Army, Commander White Lion would be taking over the responsibility if necessary. Again, everyone respected the war hero and would certainly obey him to the letter.

Dwarven General Kerish fidgeted uneasily on his chariot. "Are you sure this is going to work, King Roberto?"

Roberto just smiled. They were going to do the craziest thing one would ever think of in tinkering around with magic. The use of Dimension Door spell as a means of transportation was quite common for a mid level mage. The spell would create a magical tunnel breaching through the fabric of time and space, making a trip between two places separated by thousands of miles possible in a very short time.

This time they were going to try something different. They were not only going to send a person into the dimension tunnel. They were going to march the entire Alliance Army into the tunnel and send them across the continent, all the way to the valley near the remnants of Mount Karigor, in the Elven land of Elom. Roberto's own brainchild, this plan would cut the army traveling time to almost nothing, giving them more time to rest up and fortify the battlefield. Doing so, however, would require full concentration of at least a full detachment of experienced mages, as the energy required to maintain such anomaly of time and space would normally be enormous.