Epilogue: This is the End
REVERFEAT Castle returned to the hands of its rightful heir.
“The time has come,” a voice chimes.
“Fairy Godmother!”
“I am pleased to see you again, Lady of Dawn.”
Just like her name, Fairy Godmother appears with the dawn. She always surprises us. She’s still tinier than the first time we met, but has grown significantly larger than when we parted. Her size barely changes even after fixing the devastated ruins of the throne room.
“This is a simple feat compared to weaving the protective barrier.” Next, she runs a pliant finger along my broken sword and it returns to normal.
“Many thanks…” I mumble.
From this day forth, this kingdom will no longer cast away the weak. Taxes will be used to repair bridges and restore homes that have been razed to the ground. Guess you could wrap it all up by sayin’, “and then everything returned to normal,” but in reality it’s gonna take a long, long time for things to “return to normal”.
Summoning back the vassals and maids who had scattered silently throughout the land helps the castle slowly regain its former liveliness. Just like when a new sapling buds from a burnt tree.
Princess will likely inherit the crown and become the new queen.
Before that can happen however, Dragon and I, having fulfilled our duty, will exit stage left.
A man who becomes one with a dragon cannot afford to stay in one place. Needless to say, the same applies to Dragon. Our excess power brings about distortions in the world of men.
“Don’t go, Gideon. I want to stay with you, Mister Dragon.” About to cry, Princess alternates between hugging me and Dragon. “I want to return to the treehouse in the forest.”
“Don’t make that face. This is your home. Isn’t it?”
“Kyawawawa. Kyawa. Kyawawa.”
I hear indistinct, faint voices. Ticklish voices that make me want to duck my head just by hearing ‘em.
“Hey, did you say somethin’ just now?”
I look around, but there’s no one else here. Dragon nods with a self-satisfied look and speaks with stately pomp, “The Tiny People did.”
“Tiny people?”
“They probably clung to you in order to return here.”
“To me?” I’m befuddled.
“Because Princess is here.”
Princess smiles. “I see… The Tiny People will be with me here.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Where are they?” I ask, scanning the area.
“You won’t be able to see them if you try to.” Tears welling up in her eyes, Princess gives us a broad toothy smile as she steps back. She stands ramrod straight, her face becoming serene. “I entrust my knight to you, Spike Scale, oh mighty dragon of the ruby scale and protector of the Black Forest,” she speaks in the august manner of her royal lineage.
Her freckles stand out all the more on her flushed cheeks, but Lala Lilia stands firm. Servants move behind her and the surviving loyal soldiers who fled after her father’s death stand in protective formation around us.
Ahhh. Just rememberin’ this face will keep me from freezing for the rest of my days. No matter how dark or frigid the night I face, I’ll make it to tomorrow.
“Oi! Why is he responsible for me?!” I shout after her statement registers a little later.
Dragon glances down at me. “I am the responsible one, so of course I would be the one in charge.” He turns his snout up. “The immature should listen to their elders.”
“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean!”
Lala smiles serenely, tiny tears spilling down her cheeks. “Be safe both of you.”
I ignore Dragon’s huff and gaze upon the future queen. “We’ll come back on the happiest day of your life, to gift you with the most beautiful bouquet in the entire world.”
“Do you promise, my knight? Do you promise, Mister Dragon?”
“I promise, my princess.”
“You have my promise, my little lady.”
I mount my amber warhorse and nudge my spurs against his flanks to bring him to a gallop. Dragon runs alongside us. I glance one final time behind me at Lala as she gazes forlornly at our departure. I won’t look back again…
“Want to race?” I remark to Dragon, trying to distract from the nagging desire to return to her side. To continue watching over the child I raised for a year. The child who taught me just as much, if not more, than I did for her.
“I accept your request to duel, friend.”
He flaps his wings once and rushes up into the cloudless blue sky.
“Hey! C’mon! Flying is against the rules! No flying!”
“Wooow, how immature.”
SQUISH! Round, bouncy breasts are pressed against my back.
“WHOA! When did you—”
“Hey, since your childrearing days are done with, want to have some fun together, Mis-ter~?”
Witch had plopped down on the saddle behind me. In her coquettish adult form to boot. A tiny little rainbow spider is riding on her shoulder, awaiting its orders.
“Nah, this old man’s busy right now.”
“Booo. Your reaction is weak… Am I right to think you prefer this form?”
“Shrinking in size doesn’t make it any better! Agh! Hey! Don’t hug me! Stop clingin’ to me!”
“Not~ Happening~! We’re sitting on a galloping horse’s back, you know? I’ll fall off.”
“Uggggh.”
Knights can’t defy a maiden. That’s the rule.
“So? Where are you going, mister?”
“Good question… To the edges of the kingdom for now.”
“The edges of the kingdom?”
Lord Designs’ final moments made it clear that divine punishment awaits those who plunder and tyrannize. But often that punishment doesn’t come soon enough to protect future victims.
“It takes a considerable amount of time for change at the center to travel to the edges.”
And I should be capable of speeding it up.
“Doing it for the princess?”
“Yeah, for Princess.”
Witch’s eyebrows knit as she narrows her eyes and sighs. “Awww. You seriously amaze me, old man.”
I can hear Dragon chuckling in the distant skies overhead.