Author's Note: I believe this is the last ToL fic to finish and then I'll be caught up. Afterwards, I'm planning to take a break on ToL fics and focus on a crossover series that I've been writing/planning for years: The Black Shadow Chronicles. I've already started on many of the stories, yet rarely finished any of them. So the writing quality may not be as great. In a nutshell, the series is about a team of misfits, consisting of different characters from different games or shows, and some original characters, traveling the universe which has been conquered by a dark lord. The leader is an adolescent girl who doesn't even value her own life. She waits for the day when she will be killed in battle and finally be set free. The fact that she no longer fears death makes her extremely dangerous to friends and foes alike.

The first story has already been posted; you can easily find it in my profile: "Reawakening." Also a brief summary and character list can be found in my bio. Perhaps my faithful ToL readers can follow this series as well. And who knows? Perhaps I'll write another ToL fic here and there. And who knows? I may put a few ToL characters in the crossover series. And now, on with ToL.

Epilogue

"You poor fools thought you could actually defeat me and my Terrors..." Vaclav taunted. "How amusing. Now it's time to be punished for your ignorance."

Solon stroked his blade carefully. "I say we slice them up nice and slow...starting with the little flower child."

"Ahh!" Harriet shrieked.

"No!" Arnold interrupted. "Commander, I have a final request...as your former officer."

"Hmm...very well, Stingle," Vaclav said. "What will it be?"

Arnold took a step forward. "Kill me and let the others go."

Elsa gasped. "Father!"

"Arnold!" Csaba cried with the same level of shock.

"Ors?" the Scallop Brothers gulped.

Vaclav closed his eyes. "Very well. As a former fellow-in-arms, I shall grant your final request. Just give me your sword."

"My sword?" Arnold asked.

"Your swordplay as still as commendable as ever, Stingle. Therefore, I'll grant you the honor of dying by your own sword."

Stingle? Csaba thought. He really is Stingle?

"Father, please don't do this!" Elsa begged. "I don't want you to die!"

Arnold took her by the shoulders. "I'm sorry, Elsa. I know it will be painful, but it's absolutely necessary. Right now, I need you to make a promise."

Elsa looked at him with teary eyes. "Wh...what is it?"

"Take care of the people of Werites Beacon for me. Heal their wounds and illnesses with your medicine. And may you have a long and happy friendship with Chloe."

Elsa found it even harder to control her tears. "Father, I..."

"Promise me now, Elsa."

"I...I promise."

"Thank you. Farewell, Elsa...and all of you, too."

"Mr. Alcott..." Harriet muttered softly.

Arnold picked up his sword and walked calmly to Vaclav, handing it to him. "All right, Commander...get it over with."

"Make it slow and painful!" Solon chimed in like a child begging for candy. "Let me do it!"

Vaclav threw him a look. "Solon! The agreement was that I would be the one to finish him!"

"Bah!" Solon stepped back, thoroughly disgusted. Will I lose the chance to have some fun with my apprentice?

Vaclav addressed Arnold once more. "Have you said your last words?"

"Yes," Arnold replied. "I am ready."

Elsa broke down now. "Father!"

"This can't be happening..." Csaba said.

This isn't how I wanted to save Dad and the others... Harriet thought.

Vaclav pulled back the sword in both hands. "One...two...three!"

He moved in, thrusting the sword towards Arnold's abdomen...

"Uhh...ahh..." Norma's voice muttered from out of nowhere.

The entire room froze as everyone looked in her direction.

"Is she waking up?" Melanie asked.

"Impossible!" Solon yelled. "They cannot wake up without my antidote!"

Antidote? Arnold thought.

"So-So's gonna rape JJ..." Norma babbled. "Oh no...stay back, you manly beast..."

"Is she talking to me?" Solon wondered.

"Ahhhh..." Senel and Chloe let out a long, mellow sigh.

"That hare-brained chick..." Senel muttered.

"How dare you address me like that..." Chloe responded in a monotonous tone.

"Soon we'll be rolling in money..." Norma mumbled.

"You're one greedy little gal..." Moses murmured.

"Oh please, Moses...you're hardly one to talk..." Jay said, almost in a whisper.

"From now on...you can be my human shield..." Norma burbled.

"Like hell..." Moses groaned.

"Unbelievable..." Cashel said. "The fools are...talking in their sleep!"

"Its jaw was truly splendid..." Will muttered. "I hope one day I can acquire a specimen."

"It's like talking to a wall..." Norma said.

"Little seedling nestled in the ground..." Grune sighed, "grow up safe and sound..."

Suddenly, Senel screamed out loud. "STELLLLAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The scream startled everyone in the room, but it gave Arnold an idea.

"Now's our chance!" he yelled.

He rushed in, throwing a crushing punch to Vaclav's jaw. The Scallop Brothers each attacked one of Cashel's shadows. Csaba took a lucky guess, attacking one of the remaining shadows. He was quite surprised that he had attacked the real Cashel, causing the shadows to vanish.

That Solon guy said he had the antidote, Elsa thought. I have to get it from him!

"Haaaa!" Solon rushed at her with his sword, but Elsa parried with her sword, causing Solon to stumble to the side. Elsa dropped her sword and grabbed Solon from behind, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. Solon dropped his sword as well and tried to pull Elsa off, but thought better of himself. He slipped his right foot backwards, hooking Elsa's ankle. He then threw his leg up while throwing his upper body backwards, knocking Elsa to the ground and crushing her with his own weight. Solon flipped to his feet quickly, while Elsa rolled onto her side, writhing in pain.

Solon picked up his katana again. "Such childish tricks!"

"F...Father..." Elsa groaned.

"Let's see just how tough Stingle will be when he loses his precious daughter!"

Solon brought his blade ripping through the air towards Elsa...

Poppo threw his wrench at Solon, knocking the blade out of his hands.

"Ors, ors!" Quppo and Pippo both charged at Solon, tackling him to the ground.

Poppo ran to Elsa's side. "Elsa, are you all right?"

Elsa sat up, holding her stomach, "I'm okay...he just knocked the wind out of me."

Solon picked herself up. "You may think that you've rescued your friends, but you'll never awaken them without my antidote!"

He then disappeared in a puff of smoke, taking Vaclav, Melanie, and Cashel with him.

"Solon, you fool!" Vaclav roared as he found himself back on the Legacy's bridge. "How dare you pull us out of battle like that!"

Solon shot him a look. "You're the only fool here, dear Commander. I pulled us out of the battle for strategic purposes, understand? Your mind is the key to winning the battle. I'm sure you've realized that by now."

"We could have finished them all off!" Melanie told him. "They were all weak and defenseless! And Stingle must pay dearly for betraying us!"

"He's betrayed us on a number of occasions," Cashel added. "I heard that he's the one who saved those bandits after I thrashed them in the Forest of No Return."

"All of you, relax," Solon said. "As long as Senel and his friends are in the coma, we can pick them off anytime we choose."

He reached into his pocket. "They will sleep as long as I have my antidote."

However, as he dug into his pocket, he realized that something was seriously wrong. "I...what? Where is it! No...NNNNOOOOOOOO!"

"No!" Csaba growled. "They got away!"

"They're long gone with that antidote!" Harriet whined. "Now what are we gonna do?"

Quppo stood in the center of the room for a moment before pulling out a small vial with a clear liquid inside. "Ta-dah!"

Everyone turned around.

"You hairy little thieves..." Csaba mused.

"Hee hee..." the Oresoren giggled.

"So how does it work?" Elsa asked.

"We let them smell the antidote, just like smelling the flowers put them to sleep," Quppo said.

Arnold took the vial and gave each of the party members a whiff of the antidote. Then they waited for the group to wake up...but they were all still out cold.

"It's not working!" Elsa cried.

"Wait a minute...it is!" Quppo said.

"Ugh..." Senel sat up, rubbing his head.

"Hey, Senel's awake!" Harriet exclaimed.

One by one, the other party members began to wake up as well.

"What just happened?" Moses asked. "I feel like somebody glued my eyes shut..."

"Moses!" Csaba cried, running over to the bandit chief.

Moses opened his eyes. "Csaba? Did y'all come to save us?"

"That's right. We all came."

"All right! I knew I could count on you!"

"Harriet?" Will asked. "What are you doing here?"

Harriet's face soured. "Hey Dad, I saved your butt, so you'd better be grateful!"

"Y-Yes, of course," Will said. "Thank you, Harriet."

"Chloe!" Elsa ran and embraced the Gadorian knight.

"Elsa?" Chloe asked. "Did you really come to save me?"

"Yeah, and my father, too," Elsa said. "Csaba, Harriet, and the Oresoren as well."

"Jay!" the Oresoren cried.

Jay stood up. "What are you all doing here?"

"We came to rescue you, Jay!" Poppo said.

"Ors!" the other Oresoren added.

"Is everyone all right?" Arnold asked.

Senel nodded. "Thanks, Arnold. We owe you all big time."

"We should go to Lumen Spring and have us a party!" Norma yelled.

"Now you're talkin', Bubbles," Moses agreed.

"Yes," Shirley said. "We should do something for them for rescuing us."

"Indeed," Chloe said.

"That really won't be necessary..." Arnold said, almost blushing.

"Oh, come on, Arnie," Norma said. "You need to get out of that hospital and relax a bit."

"You know, I have to agree," Senel said. "Don't you think you deserve a break now and then?"

Arnold scratched his head. "Hmm, I guess you're right."

"Ors, ors!" the Oresoren cheered.

"All right!" Moses yelled, squatting up and down. "Let's get goin' then! Yahoo!"

"Settle down, Moses," Jay said. "You're not a monkey, you know. Or then again, maybe you are."

"Didja say somethin', Jay?"

Jay sighed. "No, nothing at all."

"So how about it, Dad?" Harriet asked. "Was I a good hero?"

Will stroked his chin. "I suppose you were. You faced the danger to rescue all of us, so I suppose that does make you a hero."

Harriet hopped several times. "Yippee!"

Will smiled. "All right, let's go."

Everyone turned and left the throne room of Mirage Palace.