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Garrick thought he would never be free from pain again. When Nephrita's retaliatory ward ripped his back open, the same unimaginable agony that had torn through his body when he drew from Agasis returned, and this time it didn't fade. The pain had physically blinded him as he fell from the sky. Some time afterward, he had only a steady throbbing to convince him that he had hit his head on his way down, as well. The pain overpowered his senses and he couldn't feel anything else. It was so excruciating he didn't even know when the wings and tail had disappeared.

He could feel his life slipping away from him, leaking out through his stomach and several places on his back, and found himself wishing for death to come. Through a haze he saw her approach, stumbling slightly but otherwise safe. Her eyes roamed across the remnants of the battlefield, littered with bodies of all kinds. A strange look, pocked with emotion like he had never seen her express, crossed her face as her gaze passed over the fallen elemental spirits. Eventually, she turned her eyes to him.

"Fool," Niabi remarked reluctantly, the word sounding far away in Garrick's ears. "You didn't need to throw your life away." Somehow, Garrick managed to draw enough air into his lungs to reply.

"I told you... this is our land, too." His back throbbed with every breath he took and his stomach twisted in agony with each word. "And even if the last of us dies defending it, at least we can die knowing we kept it safe for everyone else." He raised his eyes to the fallen thunderbird. "They apparently thought so, too." He tried to say more, but he couldn't muster the strength to fight through the pain any longer. A pause rang out across the pale night as the fox woman looked down at him, her expression softening. After a long moment, she bent down and reached toward him.

"Then I suppose I have a duty as well." She pulled his dagger out of its sheath. Garrick gazed up with his remaining strength, hoping she would kill him quickly, but instead, she drew the curved blade quickly over her own arm. The knife fell onto the street with a clang and Niabi leaned her head back to the sky. A red stain began to spread across her arms and the sleeves of her gown as she rose into the air.

Then, it started to rain.

Garrick hardly felt the first scattered drops fall gently on his face and body. As the drizzle rose to a steady shower, it seemed to seep strength back into him, restoring the feeling in muscles grown dead from the pain in his back. His breathing grew deeper and he could see clearer. Euphoric relief washed over him as the excruciating pain in his back and stomach washed away with the rain. He felt strong, his wounds nothing more than dull aches.

Shocked, he pushed himself to his feet. Many of the other people and creatures littering the square began to stir as well. Garrick raised his head, letting the rain slide down his face. Niabi hovered above, bloody arm outstretched with her other hand grasping the wound. Her body trembled as the rain fell all over the city. Garrick glanced around, finding mystical creatures rising and limping away, krolmins struggling to take to the air, and people standing and gazing around in awe. Turning, Garrick's eyes settled on Domino, who rose with Damian's help. They both looked at each other curiously, then Damian threw herself forward and wrapped her arms around him. Garrick looked back to Niabi.

The malakh began sinking back towards the ground as the rain started to abate. He moved forward, increasing his speed as she fell faster. Finally, the rain stopped, leaving a soothing layer of mist over everything. Garrick came beneath Niabi just as she fell. He caught her tall frame in his arms and lied her gently down on the street, stolidly ignoring the murmuring crowd that gathered around.

Niabi breathed raspily and her damp body was cold and weak. Her shimmering fur had lost its luster and her skin stretched over fleshless bones and sunken cheeks and eyes. Garrick could only gaze at her in shock, propping her shoulders up. Head lolling, she turned smoky black eyes to him, long muzzle open as she panted.

"You're not the only one," she uttered with a weak hiss, "who can die a noble death." Her breathing slowed as her head fell back. Closing her eyes, her body stopped moving entirely. Whispers spread throughout the crowd as Garrick continued to hold her, startled by her actions.

Suddenly, the colors began draining out of her fur and clothes. He glanced over her curiously as her form faded to a uniform white-grey and her features diminished. Her body grew lighter to hold until she seemed weightless.

Then, his hand passed straight through her, leaving only a residue of ash on his gauntlet. What remained of Niabi's body fell into a shapeless pool of dust that soon seeped through the cracks of the street. In the blink of an eye, all remnants of her were gone. Garrick crouched, gazing in shock at the empty space in the plaza where the fox woman had disappeared.

Slowly, he stood. His eyes passed across the uncertain faces of townspeople surrounding the scene. Turning to glance behind him, he found Damian and Domino, their expressions matching the others. Closing his eyes, Garrick let out a sigh.

Damian stepped forward, laying a hand on his arm. "I think it's time to get some rest." He gazed at her for a moment, then shook his head.

"I should go up to the castle and tell the king what happened. That the battle's over." Garrick was exhausted and emotionally drained and wanted nothing more than to find the nearest bed and sleep forever. Damian nodded.

"Here, Sir," came a voice nearby. Garrick turned to find a soldier with a great, bleeding wound on one arm leading a dun charger towards him. "You can take my horse." Garrick patted the man's shoulder as he took the reins. It was like a signal to the crowds around, and the entire square began to move and speak softly.

As Garrick mounted, he glanced around. Many people and creatures had not risen again despite Niabi's healing rain, and most of those remaining nursed serious wounds. The salamander and the stone bears had disappeared, but the thunderbird that had borne them lied unmoving, spread-eagle at one corner of the square. At another, the ground was far wetter than the rest.

Gently tossing the reins, Garrick began moving through the plaza and rode off into the deep of night.

Damian awoke to a golden sunrise over the battered city. The blackened husks of buildings destroyed in the battle loomed even more grim and twisted than they had appeared the previous night, but the warm sunlight cast a gentle glow over Albrith. The streets were far too quiet for a city so large, though she knew that it had been a long night. For hours after the battle ended, mages and healers moved among the many wounded, trying to treat injuries. Even some healed by Niabi's sacrifice didn't last through the night. No one in town seemed to have been spared some personal tragedy.

As Damian gazed out the window, however, she saw the mood in the streets hopeful, even jubilant. Strangers greeted each other like old friends, young and old alike sang their victory, and everyone seemed eager to help. A smile crept across Damian's face as she watched a group of barmaids wheel a keg of ale and a pile of leather mugs down the street, handing them out freely to anyone they passed.

Damian turned as a knock sounded on the door. The owner of an inn made for visiting nobles had insisted that Damian, Domino, and Garrick rest under his roof free of charge. They were lodged in enormous, handsome rooms with plush rugs and drapings, leaded glass bay windows, and an enormous feather bed with silk canopy, after being served a hastily prepared but exquisite meal. Damian found herself relishing having the room to herself as she sorted through her emotions after the battle. It had been a short night of sleep, but a restful one, and she awakened feeling hopeful. Nephrita was gone, both she and Domino were looked upon with respect, and below, the city began preparing for a celebration.

Servants came in to bathe her in a huge, white marble bath filled with lilac-scented water, their gentle massages easing away the last of her tension. She had declined the innkeeper's offer of a brocade gown, but her clothes were washed and mended and returned to her fresh as the day she got them.

The same offer had been refused by Domino, she noticed, when she met him in the hall in his brown clothes and black cloak and found servants bustling a fancy doublet out of his room. She smiled at him. He returned with one of his own, doubtful as before, then all uncertainty faded as he continued gazing at her.

"How are you?" Damian asked, taking his hand. He paused, crystalline eyes looking deeply at her.

"Hopeful." He ran a finger down her face. "Fortune was kind to me last night. And I think Change is in the wind." Damian simply reached up and kissed him in response.

Hand in hand, they descended the wide carpeted stairs two stories down to the elegant common room. It was empty save for Garrick, still wearing his broken armour, and the shaman Orok'Ti. The barmaids glanced uneasily at the krolmin, but said nothing. Orok'Ti sat impassively on a leather chair beside the huge, blazing hearth, a burlap sack set next to his digitigrade feet. He lifted his thin body out of the chair as Damian approached, beads rattling with the movement.

"Damyan." His yellow eyes gazed into hers. "You save many us last night. You free us, not kill us." Damian smiled at him.

"I know you didn't mean to hurt anyone. I'm sorry for causing you such pain, and I thank you for fighting alongside us last night." The shaman nodded deeply.

"We thank you. Many krolmin owe life to you. All krolmin know, Damyan friend and hero." Damian's smile widened as Orok'Ti reached into the sack laying beside him. "Krolmin give Damyan gift, so we be friends." Drawing out his clawed hands, he held out an abalone pendant carved in the shape of a wolf, tied to a leather thong. Crude, but polished silver beads surrounded the pendant. She drew in a breath as she took the pendant gently from the shaman's hands.

"Thank you," she uttered and pulled the string around her neck. Orok'Ti smiled and nodded at her. She paused, thinking, then a smile alighted on her face. Reaching into her satchel, she pulled out the black drinking horn that Caleb Brown had given her in Trent. She held it out to Orok'Ti. "A gift for you." The krolmin smiled admiringly as he took the horn from her hands.

"Krolmin and Damyan trade gifts," he stated. "We are friends." Damian's smile widened. Her fear of the krolmins had vanished and she hoped that some day, she would get to visit the shaman in the mountains near Aether. Turning, she glimpsed Garrick smiling at the scene.

"Would you like some breakfast before we go?" he asked. Damian shook her head.

"I'm not hungry yet." She glanced at Domino. "Do you want to eat first?" The mercenary simply shook his head.

Garrick grinned at them. "Well, then, let's be off." He lead the way out of the inn, followed by Orok'Ti with his sack and Damian and Domino behind them. Garrick turned as they departed through the elegant front doors and began walking down the street. Before they had gone ten paces, however, a whinny rang out behind them. Garrick turned and grinned.

"Just in time!"

Turning curiously, Damian gasped. Unguided, Brenadier approached them, followed by Hope and Singer, apparently unchanged since they had left the horses on the back of the thunderbird. Damian moved eagerly toward the golden brown pinto, shocked to find the horses there. Hope's coat was dirty and lathered, but the mare nuzzled her hand in greeting.

"How... how did they..." Damian attempted.

"Breny knows how to get around," Garrick answered simply. He shushed the chestnut destrier as it snorted and stamped its hoof. "Shall we ride, then?" Damian mounted Hope with a wide smile as Domino climbed onto Singer. Garrick offered Brenadier to Orok'Ti and walked beside the krolmin as he began leading them on.

Heads turned and some people shrank away when they caught sight of Orok'Ti, but most calmed to see him alongside Damian, Domino, and Garrick. Orok'Ti stared blankly ahead as he rode, oblivious to, or ignoring, the reactions he received.

After passing several blocks, Damian glanced curiously down a side street leading to the plaza where the battle had occurred. Everyone in the street stood still and gazed wonderingly, uncertainly, into the square. Garrick stopped, noticing the peculiar behavior, and turned to follow their eyes. When they rounded a corner and came within sight of it, they all stopped, stunned.

Where last night there had been only rubble and blood, now a huge tree grew from the center of the square. Slowly, they approached, weaving gently through the crowd that gazed cautiously at the new landmark. The tree had the narrow, straight limbs and smooth bark of a birch, golden and shining in the sun. Broad leaves glimmering white shadowed nearly half the city square. The cobblestones around its roots were gone, as if the tree had been there for years and the city was built around it.

The people examining the mysterious tree circled around it at a wide berth as if held back by an invisible wall, clearly afraid of its sudden appearance. Damian followed Brenadier as Garrick maneuvered through the crowd, trailed by Domino atop Singer. The throng parted to let them pass, and she moved with Garrick past the edge of the crowd.

Damian leaned her head back to take in the sight of the immense tree, towering over almost all other buildings in the city. It was a beautiful sight, and looking at the early sunlight filtering through the wide leaves gave her a sense of peace.

Garrick stepped forward silently. The crowd grew quiet as everyone watched him. Gauntlets left behind at the inn, he reached up and laid a bare hand on the trunk. A moment of silence passed as he gazed up into the depths of the tree.

Turning to face the crowd, he called out, "This tree grows where last night there was only death. Let it stand here as a symbol of life, of the togetherness and perseverance that we all showed as we overcame the darkness as one. Let it stand as a monument to those who lived... and those we lost. And may we never forget the noble sacrifices that gave this tree life."

Carefully, a few townspeople crept forward, stirred by Garrick's confidence. A lone voice called out from deep in the crowd.

"Does it have a name?"

Garrick turned to gaze at the tree's golden bark. "It has a name in the old language. Niabi... 'peace.'" Dropping his hand, he stepped back. The crowd shuffled forward, now eager to touch the tree as well. Garrick sent a glance to Damian, then turned and began leading them on. Turning, she watched the tree as they rode away from it, the masses of people now swarming around. The plaza seemed almost unrecognizable from the battlefield it had been the previous night. Closing her eyes, she said a silent prayer for the spirit of the malakh that had seemed not to care for the petty lives of humans, only to give her own to heal them.

Damian's eyes traveled across the town as they rode on. It was still difficult to believe that it was all over. Her journey had ended. As she had a season ago, now she had to decide what to do with her life. For the first time, she truly understood how her father felt when he returned home from his trade routes. Nothing seemed more comforting now than the thought that she could go home, even if her father wasn't there anymore. As she thought of Aether, however, she remembered the people she had seen in the temple in Trent, and wondered how broken the town was after the attack that set her out to begin with. She still had to find a trade in Aether, and that with the town to be rebuilt.

Eventually, they came upon the castle gates. The outer wall rose high into the sky, as tall as the new tree in the city square, and stretched off far into the distance. A half mile away inside the wall, Damian glimpsed the castle, its huge form looming behind a smaller curtain wall on a hill overlooking a moat of spikes. On the far side of the castle, Aura Lake stretched away, its sapphire waters glistening to the horizon. Riding under the tunnel-like entrance and open portcullis, a steward greeted them and lead them across the field toward the castle proper.

After crossing the lowered drawbridge, they passed under the second wall into the courtyard. Large green trees and a garden of flowers lined the white stone path to the castle, along with ranks of soldiers that smiled and saluted at them. Stablehands helped Damian and Domino dismount, but hung back as Garrick assisted Orok'Ti off his horse. Damian leaned her head far back to take in the enormous turrets and towers of the castle, but found she couldn't see the roof from her vantage point. The castle had to be at least twice as tall as the one in Windermere and three times as broad.

The steward lead them inside the two-story iron-banded doors and across the polished forest green marble floor of the entrance hall. Brightly colored tapestries as tall as the front doors hung down between golden columns and stained glass windows lighting the cavernous entrance hall. Damian's eyes traveled in all directions, stunned at the elegance and enormity of the king's castle. Her pulse quickened with the thought that she was about to meet the ruler of all Faneria.

Up a flight of stairs, the steward brought them to the ornate doors leading into the throne room, painted in red and gold. Stepping inside, Damian could almost smell the importance of the room. Silk hangings of various colors draped from the ceiling and huge stained glass windows depicting famous battles lined the walls with polished shields and coats of arms. Knights in full suits of armour stood in front of every carved white marble pillar with more posted along the walls. They all stood placidly and stared unfocused ahead while the motley group passed through.

Finally, they came to the base of the half-flight of stairs leading up to the throne. The king was a broad-shouldered man of Clyde's age draped in scarlet, deep blue, gold, and violet satin and velvet. Rubies, emeralds, and diamonds glimmered on a chain of gold around his neck and several rings on his fingers. He sat tall and upright with great significance, glancing down at them out of blue-grey eyes above a wide nose and a thick, but trim beard that circled his mouth. Brown hair peppered with grey fell in smooth waves over his shoulders beneath a shimmering golden crown pocked with jewels. To either side of the intricate gold wood and silk cushions of the throne stood a stooped man clothed in the crimson robes of an archmage, a page clutching parchment, quill, and ink horn, and a finely dressed man that Damian guessed was an advisor to the king. Shadowed in a corner, a scribe sat at a small desk furiously scribbling on a roll of parchment.

The steward's voice rang out through the cavernous throne room. "All hail His Majesty, Lord Raymond Emeus the King of Faneria." Damian, Domino, and Garrick kneeled. Before them, Orok'Ti bowed low.

"I am Orok'Ti, great shaman." He set the sack down at his feet as his eyes met the king's. King Emeus steepled his fingers as he gazed down at the krolmin.

"Orok'Ti," he introduced, his deep, rich voice booming throughout the hall. "It is against the wishes of some of my advisors that I meet you today. I have had news of krolmin attacks spreading across my kingdom and many people fear you. However, I have also heard that your people fought alongside mine last night to end the attack on my city. Sir Magni tells me that you are trustworthy, but much of my kingdom believes otherwise." Damian held her breath, unaware that they would be receiving such a dark reception.

"Some think creator right to kill human," Orok'Ti answered, "but she hurt us, too. I watch friend and family die because they fight human. I hurt because creator make us fight human. We no want hurt human."

"Then what do your people want?"

"We want peace," Orok'Ti stated. "We want live alone in mountain. No human come to mountain to fight, to dig. Mountain is us home. Is us only home."

"And you would remain in the mountains without attacking any more people?" King Emeus pressed.

"Human come to mountain, we attack. Human stay out of mountain, we live alone. No human come to mountain, we make peace." The king dropped his hands to the arms of the throne.

"Are you willing to swear to that?"

"We make pact. We drink." Orok'Ti removed a waterskin that was tied to his belt. Removing the stopper, he took a hearty drink, then held the skin out. "We drink, we make peace." The king gazed warily at the skin as the archmage and advisor standing beside him gasped and admonished the offer.

"Your Majesty," Garrick cut in, stepping forward. He turned to Orok'Ti. "May I?" Orok'Ti nodded and handed him the skin. Garrick took a draft as the throne room fell silent. Everyone seemed to be leaning forward anxiously. Garrick swirled the drink around in his mouth before swallowing. He turned to the king.

"I think it's a kind of tea made from mountain laurel," Garrick stated. "But... it tastes like it's flavored with..."

"Is blood of night bird," Orok'Ti told. Confused and disturbed expressions alighted on the faces of many, but Garrick smiled in understanding.

"An owl," he realized. Stepping forward, he held the skin out to the king. "It's alright, Your Majesty." The advisor still warned against drinking, but the king took the skin. As he held it up, he gazed deeply into Orok'Ti's eyes.

"I drink, we no hurt human," the shaman stated. "You drink, you keep human off mountain. We make pact we never break on honor." The king hesitated a moment longer. Finally, he drew the skin to his lips and drank. Leaning forward, he handed the skin back to Orok'Ti.

"Krolmin give gift," Orok'Ti continued as he took the skin. Reaching into the burlap sack, he pulled out the pelt of a ram. The head was still attached and thick, curved horns spiraled around it. The back had been dyed with an array of colors depicting what Damian discerned was a group of krolmins dancing around a fire. Orok'Ti held the pelt out to King Emeus. "Gift for peace. Krolmin and human be friends." The king nodded as he took the pelt, then gestured to his advisor. Turning around, the advisor retrieved a shield and brought it to the shaman. Damian realized that the king had been prepared for this exchange.

"A gift from us to you," King Emeus stated. "This shield will be your defense against any who pass illegally into your mountains with intent to cause you harm. The inscription tells all of the agreement we have made here and of Faneria's peace with the krolmins." Damian peered around Orok'Ti to glimpse the shield. The silver face had been polished to a mirror shine. A line split it down from the top right to the bottom left. On the left side, the phoenix rampant and olive branch of Faneria had been duplicated in shining brass. On the right, a wolf rampant mirrored the phoenix with crossed arrows. A bordure rose out from the center, inside which was the inscription. Orok'Ti nodded as he took the shield, stowing it carefully in the sack.

"Now," stated King Emeus, holding a hand out to the page, "we will draft a treaty..."

"You keep paper painting," Orok'Ti cut in. "We want only to go home." The king paused, hand still held out for a quill.

"Very well," he stated. "I will tell the entire kingdom that the Orthys Mountains are out of bounds to my people, and anyone who breaks that decree will be punished. Let this be the beginning of improved relations between our people." Orok'Ti bowed deeply, then turned and walked out of the throne room with one last look to Damian.

As he stepped out of the room, the king leaned toward the advisor and uttered, "Write up a contract. The krolmins may be content with trading gifts, but I know our future generations tend to forget what's not written down."

Turning, he sat upright again and addressed Damian, Domino, and Garrick in a commanding voice. "Now, to the true heroes of the day." They all knelt again.

"Your Majesty," Garrick introduced, "this is Damian Sires, and this..."

"Henricksson, Your Majesty," Domino cut in abruptly. "Liam Henricksson." Damian and Garrick shot him startled looks, but he kept his head bowed stoically.

"Henricksson," the king repeated strongly, ignoring their reactions. "I know you as the traitor of the infamous Red Hawks." Damian saw Domino's eyes narrow faintly. "Yet, I've had dozens of witnesses come to tell me of your noble and altruistic deeds last night. You marshalled my troops, the krolmins, and strange creatures of magic to a single attack that destroyed the dark goddess Nephrita. You are a hero, Henricksson, and I am at your mercy. What would you ask of me in reward?" Domino's eyes closed partly and a world-weary look crossed his face.

"I did only what was right, Your Majesty. I neither need nor deserve reward." His soft-spoken words faded away quickly and silence echoed through the throne room.

"Henricksson," King Emeus replied in a deep voice as if scolding. "You came to help without being asked and you risked your life to stop a deadly threat. In my kingdom, those things are rewarded. I could think of countless ways to thank you for your bravery, but I would sooner give you what you need. What is it that you desire?" Domino sighed, his gaze fixed on the base of the stairs leading up to the throne.

"Forgiveness, Your Majesty. Forgiveness for my crimes... and my sins." Damian felt an ache in her heart at the faint hopeless sound to his voice, as if he asked something impossible.

"Consider them forgiven."

Domino made no reaction to the king's words. Damian frowned sadly with the realization that what he truly wanted was to forgive himself, something no one could give him. A hesitant pause settled over the extravagant hall, but Domino said nothing more.

The king stood, his tall frame towering over them from atop the dais, and drew an elegant sword from a scabbard beside the throne. "If that is all you ask, then I will ask something of you. Will you take the vows and swear yourself to me, to give your sword whenever this kingdom asks it of you?" Domino raised his head to gaze at King Emeus, visibly startled.

"Your Majesty?"

The king lifted his chin. "You are a hero, Henricksson. You deserve a title, and you've proven yourself as worthy as any knight. I would be honored to have such a noble and powerful swordsman in my command." Domino gaped at King Emeus, but the king's gaze remained steady. Domino's eyes wandered distractedly, wide with shock. Damian watched him anxiously even as her heart pounded for him. He was clearly shaken off guard and torn by the proposal. She knew he felt he never deserved knighthood, but the king's judgment was absolute, and, she thought, sound. Her pulse raced while she watched him, uncertain if he would accept or not. He glanced up at the king once more.

Bowing his head, Domino stated, "Sire, I become your man." His voice sounded faintly choked. King Emeus climbed down the stairs to stand before Domino and raised the sword.

"Then I dub thee Sir Liam Henricksson." The king touched the flat of the blade gently on each of Domino's shoulders. Domino looked up, subdued.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," he stated quietly. The king simply nodded, handing off the sword to the page.

"And Miss Sires," King Emeus stated, turning with a broad smile to face her. "To you my kingdom owes a tremendous debt. Without you, none of us would stand here today." He reached his hands out to her. She frowned uneasily as she took the king's hands and stood before him.

"I thank you for your praise, Your Majesty," she replied, avoiding his eyes, "but it's my fault that Nephrita was released in the first place." A lump formed in her throat. "Many people died last night because of me." Her heart felt tight with the thought of all the bodies lying in the plaza, even after Niabi's healing rain had fallen.

"But many more lived." The king met her surprised glance unflinchingly. "Sir Magni told me all about your history and the events that brought you here today. He is a noble knight and I trust his word. I won't excuse the actions of my people, as under the circumstances, I think they were right to pursue you. However, you never directly hurt my people and you were only trying to save yourself. I cannot punish you for that, as it is my job to protect my kingdom, and especially its innocent.

"You didn't know what was going to happen last night, yet you faced Nephrita with courage and selflessness the likes of which I have rarely seen. You could have run from this battle, but you chose to fight alongside all the others and bravely confronted not only the greatest threat my kingdom has ever faced, but your own fears and mistakes as well." Damian could only stare at the king. She felt especially humbled by his words, even though she couldn't entirely let go of her guilt. Suddenly, she understood how Domino felt, as she thought herself unworthy of such praise.

"This victory belongs to you," the king continued. "And regardless of how it came about, you saved my city and my kingdom. You are a hero that Faneria will talk about for ever. Name your reward and it is yours." A fleeting image of gold and jewels, of an extravagant life free from worry in the company of nobles, flashed across Damian's mind, but she shook off the thought. She hesitated, uneasy about asking the king of Faneria for anything and uncertain what it was she wanted. She knew she should ask for money, as hers had been depleted and she would need some to return home. It was all she wanted to do.

Suddenly, a thought struck her and she raised her eyes to King Emeus once more.

"Your Majesty, I want to go back to Aether and take up my father's trade." The king sent her an odd look.

"Your father's?" he asked.

"He was a traveling merchant, Your Majesty," she told, not deterred by his reaction. The king's eyebrows raised, though he still held her hands. His voice deepened in bewilderment.

"Miss Sires, giving you more money than you could ever need in your life is the least I can do for you." Damian shook her head.

"It's not about the money," she answered. "My father's trade routes were the life blood of the town. Without him to sell the textile guild's wares, Aether will starve."

"Why do you wish to take up his trade route?"

Damian smiled awkwardly. "Well, it's really the only trade that ever interested me." She cleared her throat, sobering. "Aether needs to rebuild now, and I know my father's suppliers. I think they'll be more willing to work with me than some stranger." She glanced briefly at Garrick to one side of her and Domino to the other side before turning back to King Emeus. "I just want to help them." The king gazed at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Damian felt her stomach grow heavy. She must have sounded mad, and perhaps he was reconsidering the pardon he had given her for releasing Nephrita and running from the kingdom's soldiers and mages for so long.

Finally, King Emeus stepped back with a smile. "Then who am I to deny you that?" He chuckled. "Such strange heroes we've been given. You could have asked for the kingdom and I would have given it to you gladly. Yet all you desire," he glanced at Domino, "is forgiveness," he turned to Damian, "and to do men's work." Damian grinned sheepishly.

"These are strange people, Your Majesty," Garrick remarked. King Emeus chuckled, then fixed Damian with a steady gaze.

"Perhaps if you grow tired of the merchant trade one day, then you can start up a school in Aether." Damian sent him a peculiar look, but he smiled steadily at her. "Master Sires." Damian gasped, eyes enlarging at him. "I will, of course, raise that to Grand Master once you take the vows of the Mages' Guild." Damian's heart raced.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," she breathed. He took her hand in both of his and bowed slightly.

"Thank you, Miss Sires," he responded. "You saved my city and my kingdom. Now, go join the celebrations! This day belongs to you three. But return to the castle by sundown for your official designation ceremony." He smiled at Domino briefly. Damian curtseyed as Domino and Garrick bowed to either side of her. As King Emeus spun to return to the throne, Damian, Domino, and Garrick turned and walked down the hall out of the throne room.

Once the doors shut behind them, Garrick sent Domino a strange look. "Liam Henricksson?" Domino nodded faintly.

"That's your real name?" Damian asked.

"Yes."

"Why didn't you ever tell us?" Her tone wasn't accusing, simply curious.

"I didn't mean to deceive you," Domino quickly stated. "Like most of the Red Hawks, I took on a new name when I joined." He frowned. "After they broke up, I hated the name as much as any other association with them. But, when I thought about the name my honest, hardworking parents gave me... I thought they would be disappointed in me. I was ashamed to use my real name." Damian sent him a sad look. "But," he glanced at her, "I'm starting to learn that I make my own reputation. And I'd rather be known as the person I was before I joined the Red Hawks." He smiled at her.

"Liam," she stated slowly, tasting the name as it rolled over her tongue. She grinned up at him. "I like it." Domino gazed at her a moment longer, then glanced at Garrick.

"I'm surprised His Majesty didn't offer you anything. It wasn't exactly my idea to coordinate that attack." A guilty and disappointed expression crept into his eyes.

"He knows," Garrick replied nonchalantly. "We discussed that last night."

"So what reward did he offer you?" Damian asked, amused.

"New armour." Garrick twisted around and pulled his cloak aside, showing her the twisted gashes in the metal where the wings had broken through. His grey shirt was torn as well, and beneath it she could see a thick layer of bloodstained bandages wrapped around him. Damian cringed at the sight. Garrick simply shrugged and faced forward again. "Well, Damian, this is it." Sunlight reflected off the smooth marble floor as they approached the open front doors of the castle. "You ready to start your life over again?"

Damian stopped just outside the doors, squinting in the brilliant sunshine. The air was warm and the sky pocked with fluffy clouds. In the green and blooming courtyard below, colorful birds trilled merrily as their horses swished their tails, waiting patiently for their return. A chorus of cheers rose up from the knights and servants as they caught sight of Damian, Domino, and Garrick. Domino grasped her hand and she clenched his firmly. A smile spread on her face as she gazed out at the town, and the world, welcoming her.

"Yes," she stated. "I am."

The End