Chapter Eight

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Arya Bladedancer paced back and forth in the suite they had assigned to her. While she was allowed to move about within the Palace, Duke Barradin had told her that if she left, she would not be coming back. With a sigh she leaned up against the windowsill and looked out into the city below. People scurried from place to place, throwing uncertain looks at the Palace.

"Dammit, Shadow, you had better know what you're doing," she muttered.

"Beginning to rethink this?" asked a voice behind her as she stood up and nearly tripped over the large Melandru's stalker behind her.

She turned; ready to tell the other person exactly where they could stick their cat and how fast to put it there when her voice died in her throat at the look on Terrence La Rune's face. "What is it?" she asked.

He looked down sorrowfully. "I think you should sit down."

---

"Terry…" whispered Akruan as Terrence gave him the cup of water to drink.

It had been the first time since Akruan Soulblesser had actually awoke since, as what one inexperienced dwarven monk called it, the sleep of death had descended on him. Terrence was concerned, as Akruan's breathing had steadily grown shallower and more erratic. "Yeah?" asked Terrence softly.

"You… will… take care of Arya… won't you?"

"I said I would," Terrence gritted his teeth.

"Good…" Akruan nodded once.

Then in one last grimace of pain, went limp in Terrence's arms. His breathing slowed, and then with one last shuddering sigh, the monk died. For a long moment Terrence sat there silently as a certain measure of shock overtook him.

This was the man that no matter what had been one of the best battle monks Terrence had ever seen. The man had fought at his side numerous times… but now—Terrence laid him down in the bed and laid the covers over his head—he had finally passed on into the Rift.

The next day, after allowing a respectable time to pass with Akruan lying in state in the small chapel, the dwarves built a stone cairn of out large rocks. Terrence watched from the entrance of the chapel to Dwayna as he turned Akruan's holy symbol over and over in his hands as Cambe snuffled beside him. He scratched between the ears of the large cat and said, "Yeah, yeah. I'll be all right. I'm just sort of in shock, is all."

Finally, a dwarven monk came up to him. "We are ready for the young man's funeral."

"Give him a few more hours to lay in state," said Terrence with a sigh. "I know no one will show up but… I need my own time right now."

The dwarf nodded and went back to preparing the funeral pyre.

---

For a long moment Arya sat still and silent in shock. Then she blinked as she looked at Terrence and the sorrow on his face. Then she fell back into the chair, missing it completely as her legs gave out underneath her. She sat on the floor, one leg underneath her, as she leaned her back against the chair. Terrence rushed forward and hugged her as she clung to him. "I'm sorry… there was nothing I could do to save him," he whispered as she shuddered as her sobs wracked her frame.

"No…" she beat her arms against him. "Tell me it's a dream. A bad dream. Tell me this is your sick idea of a joke. Just… don't let it be true!"

Terrence held her closer as he finally allowed a few tears of his own to roll down his face and into his beard. "I'm sorry, Arya," his own voice broke as he brought out Akruan's holy symbol and laid it in her hands. "I really wish I could."

---

They were just entering the North Kryta Province from Scoundrel's Rise when everything fell apart. Lionguard surrounded the caravan on all sides and one, presumably the leader, approached the wagon. "Is there a problem, ma'am?" asked Izumo.

"Where are you coming from, men of the Kurzicks?" asked the Lionguard captain.

"We come from Ascalon, from over the Shiverpeaks where we were trading in rare stones and art," answered Ise.

One Lionguard nodded to the other, and the captain, a woman of no short stature, came up to them and demanded, "Then you won't mind us checking your wagon?"

"Of course we don't," answered Ise. "May I ask why?"

"The Queen of Ascalon went missing, and the only suspect caught was a Kurzick. We have been inspecting every caravan as suspect," answered the Lionguard Captain.

"I will be filing a formal complaint…" warned Ise.

"You do that, and be sure to list that my name is Captain Betta of the Lionguard," she said as her officers began to circle the wagon, tapping it as one looked under the tarpaulin. Izumo watched them in disinterest, hoping that if he feigned a lack of worry they would believe that they had nothing to hide. Selena was again hidden in the compartment as they had known that the closer they would get to Lion's Arch the more likely it was they would run into either Lionguard or others of Ascalon.

One tapped one part of the floor accidentally when he slipped and fell. Noting the hollow sound, he tapped another part. It was then the two Kurzicks began to feel concern. He frowned and looked over at Captain Betta who said, "I think you should climb down out of the wagon now, sirs. Or else we shall make you."

Ise nodded to Izumo who then snapped the reins and the horses took off. One quick ranger managed to get a few arrows off and Izumo fell off, two arrows in his back. He rolled a few times and lay still. Ise dove for the reins and managed to get control back as the wagon careened down the hill towards the beach as the horses ran in fright. These were no warhorses and their fear was almost a definite smell in the air. He could hear the Lionguard shouting and, looking back, he could see them running after the wagon. Once he was on the beach, he ducked down a bit to prevent the same fate as Izumo.

What he didn't expect were the Ascalons on the beach.

Or King Rurik's Vanguard that was defending those same Ascalons as they fished on said beach.

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Rurik opened his eyes next and found himself in Ascalon City as it was when he fell ill after being possessed by Althea. Althea, the Shadow, was walking towards the Academy and he followed. He noted that as he ran through the city that people went about their business, and he could run through them.

Soon they came to the entrance of the Academy and walked through the Gates.

On the other side, in the same grey area between life and death that he found himself upon being taken by the Shadow, was the Lich Lord. This time, when Rurik took out his flaming dragon sword, it burned in a pure white flame. The Lich Lord turned.

"So, you finally choose to accept your fate."

"I do."

"Good, I so despise waiting."

"My fate involves sending you to the Rift where you belong, demon spawn," snarled Rurik and he used the very strength given to him by Althea and Selena.

The Lich Lord deflected the first blow, but the second he was powerless against as Rurik banished his darkness with the light of the love that he had found from his family.

Khilbron fell back with a snarl and countered. A shield of blue light formed on Rurik's arm as he countered the savage attack by the Lich's claws with the shield. This shield, he knew, was the strength lent to him by his friends.

"You won't defeat me so easily."

"I can defeat you," said Rurik. "And now I know that life isn't something you spend alone and let pride get in the way of accepting what your friends can give you in strength. I have spent my life defending the weak, and the powerless, in my Kingdom. But now I realize that sometimes I'm the one that's weak and powerless. And in that there is also strength in drawing on the strength that can be lent to me by others who only wish to help me for no other reason than that they love me."

Rurik laid down his sword. "And it is in that I pity you, Khilbron. You live a life knowing only hate, only bloodshed. And only death. I have been blessed with life, love, and now peace. Begone…"

One tear slid down his cheek. "But I pity you and know that it won't matter because no one deserves not to know that. But I don't fear you anymore either because eventually everyone that knows only hate will let it consume them."

With one last shout, the darkness fell.

And Khilbron was gone.

Althea smiled once, "Rurik… I love you… and when the time comes I will be waiting for you."

A touch as light as that as a butterfly caressed his cheek and then was gone. Rurik gasped as he realized that the lost feeling was gone.

And he opened his eyes to a canopy, and the ceiling above. "Thank the Gods! Your Majesty… how are you feeling?" asked Mhenlo as he ran over to the side of his bed.

Rurik blinked; slightly confused at the sudden change in the vision of the grey area of life and death to that of his life, and that he was again conscious and alive. With one shaky breath he said, "Mhenlo… bring me Arya Bladedancer and Duke Barradin."

"Are you sure? Perhaps you should rest first?" asked Mhenlo. "In fact, I insist on it."

With another sigh, Rurik closed his eyes, a smile on his face. "You're right. I need the rest."

With that he fell into a true and restful sleep.

---

Captain Greywind started at the sound of shouts as he watched the wagon that was obviously barely in control. He shouted to his men, and the fishermen began to move out of the way. Finally, he heard the clearer shouts, "Shoot the man! He's a fugitive!"

Greywind drew his sword and the horse drawn wagon careened towards the water as the horses reared in panic. Finally, the ties that held them to the wagon snapped and the wagon was tossed into the water.

The man controlling it fell into the water, drew a curved sword with a single blade, and came at his attackers as an Ascalon Ranger, seeing the violence in the man's eyes, took aim, fired, and the man fell back into the water as the blood blossomed out into the sea. The Lionguard still gave chase as the wagon, which was just deep enough to be caught by the waves and pulled out to sea.

It floated lazily in the waves as the Lionguard ran into the water as the Captain of the Lionguard stopped. "Oh no! We have to get it out of there before it sinks!"

Greywind then heard over the waves the sound of a woman crying and screaming for help. The voice was familiar and he tried to place it as he ran into the water to help pull on the ropes that fought against the sea current that pulled the wagon farther out as it began to sink, bubbles escaping from a air bubble… like a compartment was in the bottom and kept it afloat.

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Selena pounded on the top of the compartment and tried to kick it open as she felt the horses pull the wagon at break neck speed. She cried out at the top of her lungs.

She breathed a sigh of relief when the motion stopped… then that relief turned to panic when she felt the first hint of seawater in the locked compartment. "Oh Gods! Someone help me! It's filling up with water!"

She heard Captain Betta tell someone, "Oh no! We have to get it out of there before it sinks!"

Selena started to scream, and then she heard Captain Greywind, "Come on, men and women of Ascalon, heave!"

"GREYWIND! Help me!" she screamed.

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Greywind thought his heart would drop into his feet when he heard the plaintive, "GREYWIND! Help me!" from the wagon compartment.

"Gods," he breathed. "It's the Queen! It's Queen Selena! Come on! Heave those ropes like you've never heaved before in the name of Ascalon! Dwayna preserve her… Heave, I say!"

Finally, the wagon came in close enough that the Lionguard could physically touch it without having to resort to swimming as an axe was passed and they chopped into the hinges that held the compartment. It came loose and another pried it open with a sword. Water rushed in and an Ascalon fisherman, who was swimming in the water, dove into the suddenly sinking wagon, and then came to the surface with Selena, who was sputtering and coughing from the water.

"Thank the Gods!" Captain Greywind helped her out of the water and to the shore.

"Captain… I have never been so glad to see you," said Selena.

"Don't thank me, if not for Captain Betta, we would have never known that you needed the help," Greywind motioned to the Lionguard who knelt to Selena.

"Your Majesty, welcome again to Kryta. I am sorry that again, your arrival was not under the best of circumstances," Captain Betta apologized. "Please allow me to take you to the palace in Lion's Arch where you will receive the proper welcome to our nation."

"Thank you, Captain," Selena nodded. "So long as Captain Greywind is welcome. I miss my fellow Ascalons after so long away."

"It shall be done as you wish, your Majesty."

---

Siuil La Rune arrived back in Ascalon a few months later to learn that, again, he was about to be a grandfather. He was almost through the first gate when Rurik himself greeted him. Siuil stopped for a long moment as he regarded the King. "What's wrong my friend?" asked Rurik as he took the man's hand in a hearty shake.

"You look better, but, you don't," answered Siuil.

And that much was true. The health that Rurik had been missing since being brought back from death was back and he seemed as lively and energetic as he had been before the Frost Gate. The old Rurik was back… but… a mature, more serious Rurik he was.

It didn't help that now Rurik had one lock of hair that was completely snow white and his hair was silvering far earlier than it should have. His beard, once almost black so dark a brown it had been, was now mostly silver.

Rurik smiled sadly, "Ah yes, that. Trust me, you are not the first one who has noticed. But, the worst is over and all that matters is that my friends are close to me again. Come, we have much to catch up on."

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In the spring, just weeks after she had arrived in Ascalon, Selena delivered twin girls. Both had her mother's light brown, almost red, hair and her green eyes. Rurik came into the birthing room and sat down beside her as he looked into the bundles that slept in her arm. He smoothed back her hair and kissed his wife's cheek. "Beautiful…" he murmured.

"What will we name them?" she asked, opening her eyes to look at him tiredly.

He smiled as he looked at them again. His smile took on a sad note, "Althea," he named the first one, with an approving nod from Selena, "and Milena."

Selena looked up in surprise. "Milena was my mother's name."

"I know," he answered quietly. "And that's why I thought it would be perfect."

"It is."

"Good, then. I think your father would like to know this as well," said Rurik as he kissed her forehead again. "Get some rest."

She smiled as she closed her eyes again. "Little girls… our girls."

"And the most beautiful princesses they will be in all the land," he murmured as he walked from the room and Delei and the midwife entered again.

Siuil walked up to him. "Well?"

"Twins…" Rurik smiled. "Twin girls. Althea and Milena."

Arya put her hand on Siuil's shoulder, "Congratulations, Grandpa."

"Here, here!" agreed King Jalis. "Congratulations to the mother and father."

Delei came back out and said, "Her Majesty says that if you would refrain from such loud outbursts, you may meet the new princesses."

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Walking to the stone that memorialized those who died during the Charr Invasion, Rurik knelt as he laid the pendant on the stone. "I named one Althea. I thought you would appreciate it. Maybe, in Princess Althea, you can live on. I miss you… and I still love you. But you're right. It's time I stopped living in the past and began living for my present and future. I have three children of my own to think of—and a wife who has given them to me. We will meet again in the Rift, and I hope that perhaps we…"

Rurik didn't finish as he smiled slightly as the sun broke, illuminating the lake as it gave it this beautiful blue shine like that of her eyes.

There were still many matters that would require his attention. How the Kurzicks had made it past their defenses would have to be looked into, as well as why. And this faction war that had spilled over from Kryta was another thing.

Not to mention that Mhenlo had received a letter from his former master. Now he was a rather nervous sort as he tried to think of what would cause Master Togo to call on him now.

With a sigh, Rurik turned back to Ascalon City and watched the rebuilding.

Recovery.

It seemed that it was needed in more ways than one—but at least this was a start.

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FIN