The Gift of Battle (31 page)

As he flew
through the air, Thor suddenly felt the Sorcerer’s Ring throbbing on his
finger. He felt an incredible power radiate from it, control his hand, his arm,
and guide him. It forced him to swing his arm around, impossibly fast, to reach
out and grab the stone railing with one hand.

Thor was amazed
to find himself grabbing holding of the stone and, in the same motion, swinging
himself back up and around onto the bridge. As he did, he kicked the Blood Lord
in the chest, and he, clearly not expecting this, went stumbling back, landing
on the ground.

Thor could hear
his people cheer.

Thor charged and
slashed, ready to finish him off, but the Blood Lord surprised him by rolling
and blocking. He then swung his halberd around for Thor’s feet. Thor jumped, it
barely missing.

The Blood Lord
gained his feet and the two of them faced off, once again slashing and
blocking, weapons sparking, as they drove each other back and forth.

“I am stronger
than you, Thorgrin,” the Blood Lord said, between blows. “Darkness is stronger
than light!”

He brought his
halberd down and Thorgrin blocked it. But the blow was stronger this time, and
as he pushed, it came closer and closer to Thor’s face. With shaking hands,
Thor barely held it back.

“Give in,” the Blood
Lord snarled. “Give in to the sweet darkness and join me for all time!”

Thor managed to
push back the blow, sending him back.

But at the same
time, the Blood Lord surprised Thor by immediately swinging up with his
halberd, straight up with lightning speed, coming underneath Thor’s sword and
managing to smash it out from his hands, disarming him.

Thor watched in
horror as the Destiny Sword went flying up in the air, spinning end over end,
then skidded across the stone floor of the Canyon bridge.

Thorgrin stood
there, facing him, unarmed, the Blood Lord between he and his sword, grinning
back an evil grin. Thor realized he did not need the Sword. He did not need any
weapon; he had all the power he needed within himself.

Thor lunged
forward, unafraid, and tackled the Blood Lord, driving him down to the ground.
The Blood Lord was caught off guard by the sudden move, and his halberd went
flying as he fell, clanging on the stone.

The two of them
rolled on the stone, Thor trying to pin him down; but the Blood Lord was twice
his size, and all-muscle, and as Thor final pinned him, the Blood Lord managed
to roll and then pin Thor.

The Blood Lord
held him down, choking him, and as Thor reached up and grabbed his wrists,
holding him back, his huge, sharp claws came down right for his throat.

Thor, losing
air, weaved in and out of consciousness. He struggled back with all that he
had, but he realized he was losing. The dark force was prevailing. The
Sorcerer’s Ring was shining less brightly, as if it, too, were dying.

As Thor felt
himself go weaker, images passed through his mind. He saw his mother, her
castle, the skywalk. He saw himself kneeling before her, asking forgiveness.

“Forgive me,
Mother,” he said. “I have failed. I have lost for all time.”

She placed a
hand upon his forehead.

“You have not
failed, Thorgrin. Not until you admit failure.”

“He is too
strong for me,” Thorgrin said. “I have lost the secret. I do not know how to
vanquish darkness. My faith does not match his.”

She smiled down.

“It is your
final lesson, Thorgrin,” she said. “It is the final secret you have been
missing all this time. The one you need to win for all time.”

Thorgrin stared
back, in and out of consciousness as he was choked.

“Tell me, Mother,”
he said.

“It is not
power,” she said. “It is not power that makes a warrior great.”

Thor blinked,
feeling his life force ebbing away.

“But what is it,
Mother?”

She smiled.

“It is
love
,
Thorgrin. It is
love
that makes us powerful. Love for your family. Love
for your people. Love for your country. Love for honor. And most of all, love
for yourself. That is the power you are missing. It is a power greater even
than hate.”

Thor blinked,
several times, realizing, and as he did, he felt his body grow warm.

Thor suddenly
opened his eyes, feeling the Ring throbbing on his finger, seeing its light
shine more brightly. He looked up at the Blood Lord’s face, saw him scowling
down, and finally, Thorgrin understood. He understood the secret to battle. The
secret to power. And he suddenly felt an insurmountable power.

Thor swung his
arms around, knocked the Blood Lord’s arms’ grip from his throat and threw him
off of him, sending him tumbling back on the stone.

The Blood Lord
turned and looked back in shock. He scrambled to his feet, and for the first
time, Thor could spot real fear in his face.

The Blood Lord
scrambled for his halberd, running to it and gripping it with both hands as he
faced Thor.

Thor, feeling
all-powerful, walked to the Destiny Sword, reached down and picked it up, knowing
that nothing could stop him now.

The two of them
stood there, facing each other, and the Blood Lord let out a fierce battle cry,
raised his halberd high, and charged Thor.

He swung down at
Thor, and this time, Thor blocked it easily with the Destiny Sword. Their
weapons clanged and sparked as he came at Thor again and again, swinging left
and right. But this time, something had changed: Thor reacted more quickly,
blocking the blows easily. Thor felt more powerful than ever, and he blocked
each blow as if it were nothing.

The Blood Lord
noticed, too, as he stared back at Thor with increasing fear in his face.

Finally, the Blood
Lord stood there, breathing hard, spent.

Thor, though,
was not tired at all. He stepped forward, slashing again and again, his blows
more powerful than ever, the Blood Lord raising his halberd and blocking them,
but barely in time, weakly. With each sword slash, his reaction time became
slower, Thor pushed him back further, and it was getting harder for him to even
lift his halberd.

Finally, Thor
came up and around with a great slash, and as he did, he knocked the halberd
from the Blood Lord’s grip.

It went flying,
end over end through the air, over the side of the railing, and plunging down
into the Canyon.

The blow had
also managed to knock the Blood Lord down onto his back. He lay there, staring
up at Thorgrin, shocked. Terrified. Clearly, he had never expected this.

Thor stood over
him, calm, relaxed, stronger than he’d ever been. He had conquered something
within himself, and for the first time in his life, he felt free. Fearless.
Invincible.

The Blood Lord
must have sensed it, because he looked back at Thor as if he knew something had
shifted within him. He raised his hands weakly.

“You cannot
defeat me, Thorgrin!” he yelled. “Lay down your sword and accept me!”

But Thor stepped
forward, drew back the Destiny Sword, and with one definitive thrust, he
plunged it into the Blood Lord’s heart. The thrust kept going, the sword
lodging in the stone with a tremendous noise, like an earthquake, the entire
bridge, the entire Canyon, shaking as it did, as if Thor had plunged the Sword
into the spine of the world itself.

The crowds on
both sides of the Canyon gasped as the Blood Lord lay there, flat on his back,
staring up at the sky with a look of surprise.

Dead.

Suddenly, the
dark clouds above parted and there appeared a black funnel cloud, whirling down
from the sky like a tornado. It came down right for the body of the Blood Lord,
scooped him up, and carried him away, spinning, into nothingness.

As he died,
suddenly, all of his creatures, on both sides of the Canyon, even those
attacking Thor’s people, burst into flames, dying, too. His entire army, wiped
out with him.

Thor felt the
Sorcerer’s Ring throbbing in his hand, and he reached out and slowly raised his
ring finger, knowing the time had come. He aimed it down at the Canyon, and
slowly, it began to shake.

A wall of red
and purple light rose up from the mist, swirling, climbing higher and higher;
as it increased in velocity, it spread, all the way through the Canyon, aglow
with all different colors as it grew more and more solid. Thor’s heart lifted
as he realized: the Shield. It was, after all this time, restored.

Thor watched as
on the far side of the Canyon fresh hordes of Empire soldiers tried to cross
the bridge, to attack him and his people. But he watched with joy as they
bounced into the Shield and were killed on the spot.

His people,
finally safe, let out a great cheer.

And Thor could
not help smiling himself.

The Ring,
finally, was protected. It was one again.

TWELVE MOONS LATER

Gwendolyn stood
at the window of her chamber, atop the newly built castle in the center of the
newly built King’s Court, and as she, holding Guwayne, looked out at the
splendor of the city being erected, her heart swelled with joy. Down below,
stone by stone, brick by brick, building by building, King’s Court was being
rebuilt on its foundations, whatever remained, restored, and whatever did not,
built from memory. Even more, they had spread out its original foundations, so
the capital was now twice the size it had been in her father’s time. The
streets were bustling, joyous people roaming them, hard at work, filled with
industry, with purpose. An air of peace, of comfort, spread over the city.

Endless groups
of newly minted knights strolled the newly paved cobblestone streets in their
shining armor, making their way to and fro from the newly built training
grounds, jousting lanes, and the Hall of the Silver. They also bustled to and
fro at the new Hall of Arms, choosing from an endless array of newly forged
weapons and armor. She spotted Erec, Kendrick, Brandt, and Atme amongst them,
joined by the new ranks of Silver and by scores of knights from the Southern Isles,
all laughing, jostling with each other, true joy on their faces.

Across the new
marble courtyard, replete with a golden fountain in its center, Gwen examined
the new Hall of the Ridge, hundreds more knights swarming outside it. Koldo,
Ludvig, Kaden, Ruth and the remnants of the elite fighting force of the Ridge
lingered outside it, the two sides of the MacGil family united from the two
ends of the earth. Two armies, now one, and stronger than they had ever been.
Gwen thought of her father, of the pride he would take to see them all like
this, to see King’s Court like this again.

The boom in
building and prosperity had spread to every corner of the Ring, slowly being
re-inhabited over these past twelve moons—even across the Highlands. With the
McClouds gone, no longer was there tension on the two sides of the mountains,
but harmony and peace, all of them one nation, flying the same banner.
Citizens, every day, spread out to new towns, rebuilding old ones, or starting
new ones. The sound of hammers and anvils were everywhere, as new life spread,
like a force which could not be stopped. Even all the vineyards and orchards,
burnt to the ground but a year ago, were now, under Godfrey’s watchful eye, in
bloom again, and bore more fruit and wine than ever. The Ring, Gwen was
surprised to realize, was more magnificent than it had ever been.

But all of that
was not even what made Gwendolyn as happy as she was. What filled her heart to
overflowing was not only being back home, but more importantly, being back at
Thorgrin’s side again—and having Guwayne back in her arms. She held him tight
and looked down into his glowing gray eyes, his blond hair, and she could
hardly believe that he was one year old today. He was a strikingly beautiful
child, and not a day went by when she did not spend all the time with him that
she could, taking more joy from him than just about anything else. After all
they had been through, she could appreciate, more than ever, what it meant to
be apart from him, and vowed that should never happen again.

Bells tolled in
the distance, harmonious, soothing, and Gwen remembered why she was even
happier on this day than most. For today, after so much turmoil, so many
obstacles, so much time apart, she would officially be wed to her love, to
Thorgrin. Gwen’s heart beat faster at the thought, and she looked down and saw the
city resplendent on this day, people hurrying in all directions as wedding
preparations filled the city. Doors were being draped with roses, streets lined
with petals, casks of wine being rolled out onto fields as benches were set
before them. Jugglers and musicians and bards were gathering in bands,
preparing, while cooks were toiling over vats of meat. And in the center of it
all, countless chairs were being lined up before the most beautiful altar Gwen
had ever seen, ten feet high and draped with white roses.

Thousands of
people, all dressed in their finest, were pouring through the half-built city
gates, all eagerly awaiting the big moment. It was a wedding befitting a
Queen—and much more than that. Today was a very special day, indeed the most
special day in the history of the Ring—for on this day, not only would she and
Thorgrin wed, but six other couples would join them: Erec and Alistair, Reece
and Stara, Kendrick and Sandara, Godfrey and Illepra, Elden and Indra, and
Darius and Loti. It was already being dubbed the historic Day of Seven
Weddings, one that was sure to be famed in the annals of the Ring forever. It
made Gwen recall, many moons ago, Argon’s prophecy:
You will experience a
darkness, followed by a joy, a joy so great that it will make all the darkness
seem light.

“My Queen?” came
a voice.

Gwendolyn turned
and looked across her chamber, and her heart skipped a beat to see Thorgrin
standing there, dressed in his finest, wearing a long, black velvet robe atop
his armor, looking more gorgeous than she’d ever seen him. He looked her up and
down, and his eyes shone with pride and joy.

“Your dress,” he
said. “It is the most beautiful I have ever laid eyes upon.”

Gwen beamed,
remembering her wedding dress, forgetting she’d even had it on, and as he
approached, she walked to him, holding Guwayne, and they leaned in and kissed.

“May I escort
you to the altar?” he asked, a smile on his face, his eyes shining.

She beamed back.

“There is
nothing I would like more.”

*

As Thor walked
with Gwendolyn, the two holding hands as they strolled, he relished their alone
time together. Gwendolyn had given Guwayne to Illepra to hold during the
ceremonies, and the two of them, always so busy with a million affairs of
court, of rebuilding, finally had a quiet moment before the big ceremony. Thor
wanted to spend the time alone with her, before they were back in the
limelight.

“Where are we
going, my lord?” she asked with a smile, as he led her away from the wedding
grounds.

He smiled back
mischievously.

“I wanted to steal
some alone time with my Queen. I hope that’s OK?”

She smiled back
and squeezed his hand.

“Nothing would
make me happier,” she replied.

They walked,
weaving their way through court, past throngs of people who smiled and
half-bowed as they went, removing their caps, all grinning ear to ear, all
ecstatic for the big day. Thor could see all the trumpeters lining up, all the
boys preparing the fireworks for the big night to come. He could see the
torches being lit up and down the aisle, even though it was still sunset, and
he could see thousands of people taking their seats. Bells continued to toll
lightly, as if to signify festivities that would never end.

“Thor, look!”
cried out an excited girl’s voice.

Thor turned at
the familiar voice, and was thrilled, as he always was, to see Angel, running
up him, beaming, her new friend Jasmine at her side. Thor was especially happy
to see Angel perfectly healthy, healed from her leprosy, as she had been ever
since he had retrieved the Sorcerer’s Ring and raised the Shield. Happy,
beaming, healthy, she was like a different kid.

Especially now,
that she had a new best friend in Jasmine—who seemed equally delighted to have
her. Jasmine never stopped carrying her books, and Angel, book-starved from all
her years on an island, could never get enough of hearing Jasmine’s long,
scholarly monologues.

“Do you like my
dress?” she asked, excited.

“Will we make
the perfect flower girls?” Jasmine echoed.

Thor grinned as
he looked down and saw them both in beautiful, white silk dresses, white roses
in their hair, each so excited.

“You couldn’t be
more perfect,” he said.

“I shall get
married just to see the two of you walk down the aisle looking the way you do!”
Gwen added.

They both
giggled with delight and pride.

“Krohn is trying
to get your attention!” Angel added.

Thor heard a
whining and he looked down to see Krohn at his heels, struggling to catch up.
He clearly wanted Thor’s attention, and he turned and saw not far away, Krohn’s
five new cubs, with their mother, a female leopard. Thor smiled wide, realizing
how proud Krohn was, and patted him on the head, leaned down, and kissed him.

As he did, Thor
heard a jealous screech, and he looked up to see Lycoples suddenly swoop down,
much bigger now than ever, land before them, and lower his head, waiting. Thor
and Gwen stepped forward, stroking it, and Thor laughed.

“Don’t be
jealous,” he said to Lycoples.

Lycoples
screeched, flapped her wings, then took off, circling high in the sky.

“Let’s chase
her!” Angel cried out in delight, and the two of them ran off, giggling, trying
to chase after Lycoples’ trail in the sky.

Thor took Gwen’s
hand again and they continued walking, Thor leading Gwen to a spot that was
sacred to him. The Kolvian Cliffs. This place had survived the war, the great
invasion, and was much like it had always been, giving Thor a peaceful feeling.
This had always been a special place for him, the place they had buried King
MacGil, a place he could get away, have peace, solace, and look out, from the
highest point, over the Kingdom. Thor held Gwen’s hand as the two of them stood
there, looking out together, at the vast empty sky, the setting suns, both red
now, the sky streaked with a million colors, so perfect for their wedding day.
Looking out, it was as if the world were being born anew. As if hope were
springing up again.

As they stood
there, far from the throngs, alone, peaceful, just the two of them, Thor could
feel Gwen’s palm in his, and he reflected. He was flooded with memories. He
remembered his first appearance in King’s Court, arriving here as just a boy,
being so intimidated by this place; he remembered the first time he had lain
eyes upon Gwendolyn, how tongue-tied he had been; he remembered the first time
he had met Reece, remembered his joining the Legion. He remembered The Hundred,
his training, all the men he had learned from, fought with. He remembered
Argon’s lessons, his counsel, and it was a presence he missed dearly.

He thought of
his journey, how he had started out as just another boy with big dreams, a boy
with no riches, no connections, no special skills. A boy who had been laughed
at when he had arrived here—and yet who now, somehow, had achieved it all. He
felt, most of all, a deep sense of gratitude. He knew that he had been very
blessed.

Thor remembered,
too, all the darkness. He remembered the trials, the assassinations, the
demons, the destruction. The long, cold exile. He remembered all the times when
he was sure he would not make it, sure that he could go no further. He thought
back on all the hardship, and despite it all, he realized that if given the
chance, he would not hesitate to choose to do it all over again. Because his
quests were never for the sake of riches, or gain, or titles, or fame, or
power—they were always for the sake of honor. It was honor that drove him, and
that always would.

Most of all, he
remembered how much he loved Gwendolyn. She had been with him from the start,
had taken a chance on him, just a boy, despite his position, despite his
rank—and her love had never wavered. She had continued to love him all the way
through their separation, had never given up hope, had survived, he was sure of
it, so that they could be together again. It was her love, he realized, that
sustained him most of all, that kept him going through all those hard times,
that had given him a reason to live. Somehow he had always known they were
destined to be together, and that nothing, no armies, no exile, no war, would
ever keep them apart.

Now, as he stood
there, holding her hand, watching the sun set, Thor marveled at how it all had
come full circle, at how mysterious life was.

“What is it, my
lord?” Gwen asked, squeezing his hand.

Thor shook his
head and smiled, turning to her.

“I’m just
remembering, my love.”

She looked out
at the sunset, too, and she nodded, understanding.

“I think of my
father in this place,” she said sadly. “So much we have lost. And yet so much
gained.”

Thor could feel
King MacGil’s spirit hovering over them in approval, along with Argon’s. He
thought of everyone he had loved and lost, and he felt his mother with them
too. Finally, his quests were over.

Yet he also
wondered. He knew the Shield was strong, knew that all those Empire forces out
there could never penetrate it again. He knew he had nothing to fear, outside
or inside the Ring. They were safer than they had been even in King MacGil’s
time.

Yet he also
could not help but think of the prophecies, of the price he would have to pay
for his sacrifice. Of the prophecy about his son, Guwayne, that he would one
day rise to become a dark lord, more powerful even than Thorgrin. Thor looked
down at the Sorcerer’s Ring on his finger, at the Destiny Sword on his belt,
and he wondered if that could be possible. He shuddered, thinking of the day.
He pictured Guwayne, so pure, so innocent, thought of his intense love for him,
and he could not imagine how it could be possible.