Birvale Beach
Myrtle nodded to Grace as he slung his pink backpack over his shoulders. "I miss the sky too. But don't worry, if Momdine has a plan, Momdine will get it done!"
He trusted deeply in the ability of his fellow islanders. Although Myrtle himself was small, he felt he had an important purpose too. No matter how bad things got, he would never give up hope. That was important.
"I believe in you and everyone!" Myrtle accepted Grace's helping hand out of the boat, and he then proceeded to cling to her in a big bear hug. Normally his tiny arms were too short to wrap around anyone, but Grace wasn't that big, perfect size for him to hug.
"Alright, little minnow." Ondine chuckled as she pried Myrtle off his friend. Not satisfied yet, Myrtle clung to Ondine next, attaching himself to his surrogate mother and refusing to let go. She didn't even react to him.
"We can just leave 'em. Without the wind to kick up the waves, they're not going anywhere." Ondine waved her hand dismissively towards the boats. "And if they do, I'll catch them.
"I think it's like a ten minute walk to the Sanctuary..." She squinted towards the jungle up ahead. "Just up the beach and through this forest here. Come on girls, let's get moving."
Myrtle finally let go of Ondine so she could lead the army forward. He grabbed his friend's hand, excited out of his mind. "I can't wait to meet everybody! Do you think they'll be nice?"
"No," Maggie smiled evilly. "I bet the other soldiers will be six feet tall with horns and claws. And they eat annoying little boys for breakfast!"
"Oh no!!" Myrtle half-squealed, half-giggled as he squeezed Grace's hand tighter.
---
Upstairs
Ivana's mind had been elsewhere for hours. She did not want to look in a mirror, terrified of what she would find. The scenarios she envisioned were beyond gruesome.
Nobody else was concerned about physical appearance at this point. Ivana felt ashamed that she still cared. Life used to be so simple; Ivana remembered her friends complaining about things like stained clothing and bad marks on math tests. Now the world was at risk, and Ivana couldn't completely wrap her mind around that.
She wanted to go back to the peaceful days, when worrying about trivial things like beauty was okay, because there was nothing this bad to worry about.
Ivana was grateful when a voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Scar. Was that her new name?
"My name is Ivana, and I don't believe I know yours." She spoke, disgusted at how rough and guttural her voice sounded. She must have ruined her vocal chords as she screamed in agony.
"I'd like to know it, though," She added as an afterthought.
The Timekeeper's daughter sat up in bed. She expected to feel sore and achy, but she wasn't in any physical pain. These people must have healed her somehow. Ivana tested her hands, clenching and unclenching them into fists. She allowed a small violet spark of electricity to dance in her hands, weaving playfully between her fingers. It was comforting.
"Oh, sorry." Ivana realized she had forgotten to reply to the other girl's question. "Well... I'm honestly not ready. But I want to fight beside my sister, even if I'm afraid that something like this might happen again."
She reached up and gingerly touched her ruined eye. Whatever healed her apparently couldn't restore sight there. Maybe she could wear her hair down more, cover that horrible scar up.
"... I need a moment. But when I do go downstairs, can you come with me?"
---
The Sanctuary
Amber's humor always brightened up the situation. Cilan felt relaxed just being in her presence. Man, had the journey been a real trial. Cilan thought back to the day it all began, the meeting with his friends in the woods outside Capital City. Back then, he never imagined it would come to this.
He never imagined the fate of the world would fall upon their shoulders.
"Always." Cilan squeezed her hand comfortingly and stepped forward with her. None of them would face this burden alone. Well, except Agatha, but she kind of deserved it.
Cilan tried to protest when Amber remarked on his voice. He wanted to make some witty comment in return, but a literal birdlike squawk came out of his mouth. Laughter exploded from the clearing, especially from Blair's army. Cilan tried to hold it back, but he ended up laughing too.
The laughter died down as Amber made her speech. It was replaced by another sound, and Cilan knew exactly what it was. He knew because he could hear it inside his own chest.
It was the sound of everyone's hearts beating as one.
"For Hesenia!" Came the cry from countless soldiers, and Cilan was among them, raising his fist to the sky with determination in his eyes. Oh my god Amber. That was beautiful.
I'm gonna tease you about this for the rest of our lives.
(Continued below!)
"For Hesenia!" Timpani attacked the air with her fist, like she was punching the curse of darkness that blanketed the sky. She had always been the solitary type, but for a moment, she could feel her heart beating in time with all of humanity's. Amber had that effect on you apparently. It had taken a while, but Timpani had finally grown to respect the new princess as her leader.
The burning feeling in her chest was not the fire of rage. Anger burned but gave no warmth. What Timpani felt was a deep and passionate love for Hesenia, for Mayne, for their future children and all the others in the world.
"Now that is a leader." Timpani chuckled, ruffling Mayne's hair affectionately. She pulled him into her arms, so she could speak quietly and nobody else would hear. Being Vulcana's daughter, Timpani's deep and resonant voice had a tendency to carry farther than she wanted it to.
She held Mayne so close, she could feel his heart beating- it filled her with warmth.
"After we beat Agatha down," She murmured, "I promise you we'll watch the sunrise together. I love you, and I'm sure our kids will enjoy hearing stories about today."
Feeling as something had been restored in him, Rowan stood and joined the ranks of the soldiers. There was no sound louder than the overwhelming bass of everyone's hearts beating together. Although Rowan was blind, he could feel their unity and their determination from miles away.
"For Hesenia!" He cried out, raising his fist high. No more cowering and shying away from his duties. Everyone was here for a purpose, and that purpose was fast approaching.
After the cheering for Amber had died down, Rowan approached Lily and stood by her side. He gently clasped her hand in his and respectfully awaited Amber's response. No matter what, he would do his best for Hesenia. Rowan no longer saw a future of darkness and bleak despair. Now he envisioned a peaceful life by the seaside, cooking dinner for his sweet wife and their smiling children. The future was finally starting to look brighter.
Cilan just knew they would make it through. With everyone's hearts united against the threat before them, they couldn't possibly lose. Amber's words seemed to have filled everyone with hope, including the Six Generals. Cilan counted six present right now. It seemed that everyone was here.
"Little bird," Blair teased as she stepped forward to wink at Cilan. She twirled her rapier casually as she cocked her head at Amber. "Hey, Princess. My warriors and I, we all hate orders, but we'll make an exception just for you. Right, you rats?"
"Yeah!"
"Duh, stupid!"
"Shut up, Blair!"
"You shut up!" Blair hollered back at her comrade. "Anyway Amber, you give the word and we'll do whatever."
Lanette was the next to walk forward. She lowered her blades and knelt before Cilan and Amber, bowing her head for a moment before looking up at them. "Princess Amber, Prince Cilan. My brothers and sisters will go wherever you say."
When Katharine approached, she gave a small bow. The smile on her face was contagious, but Cilan was smiling already, so it couldn't infect him.
"What Lanette said," The dark-haired warrior chuckled. "Our loyalty will be to you, until the end."
"End?" A harsh laugh barked from behind her as Janice stepped forth. "A little death never stopped US."
The taller General slapped Katharine on the back, a friendly gesture. Cilan hadn't expected that. Now that he was paying attention, it seemed all the Generals knew each other already. The way they stood side-by-side, nearly touching, seeming totally comfortable with the others' presence.
"Listen here." Janice placed a hand on Amber's shoulder. When she spoke, her voice was passionate with rage and determination. "If you tell us to fight, we will fight even when our blades break, and we have to rip at Agatha with our nails and teeth. If you tell us to advance, we will push forward even if we have to crawl. And if you send us into the most hopeless situation with no chance of coming back alive, we will go to our graves with smiles on our faces and our enemies' heads crushed beneath our feet."
Janice had a completely straight face, and Cilan gave a chuckle. "I'm sure you'll do your best."
"No." Now Janice's face twisted into a cold smile. "We will do the worst. When she is in her grave, Agatha will have nightmares from facing us."
"Seems you haven't lost your fire after living in the mountains." Camilla nudged Janice as she walked by. "Amber, we have anticipated the day we would have the honor of meeting you, and we were not disappointed. No matter what, you have our undying loyalty."
"Thank you all for fighting for us." Cilan began, still unable to raise his voice. At least the Generals were all gathered around. Wait. There were five of them, and Cilan had seen six.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, the sixth made her way through the crowd. Soldiers parted around the stranger with murmurs of concern rippling through their ranks. Katharine positioned herself protectively in front of the others as the newcomer approached. Cilan squeezed Amber's hand but stood his ground.
"Oh my god..." Lanette covered her mouth with a hand.
"Holy Hesenia, what the hell?" Janice growled, eyeing the stranger fiercely. "Get out of here."
"No, wait." Camilla held up a hand to the other Generals, then turned to face the newcomer. "I've seen you before. You saved the lives of those messenger boys, Blythe and Peregrine."
The stranger nodded silently.
"It doesn't matter who you are, or what you look like. You're here to fight for Hesenia, aren't you?"
Another nod. Not a single word.
"Then you are welcome with us," Camilla said, "and you should make your loyalty known to our future King and Queen."
The stranger turned, much to Cilan's surprise, and he was able to see her eyes. They were a dark russet just like his own. Cilan felt he should know this person, but they were beyond recognition.
The stranger dropped to one knee, planting the bottom of their spear against the ground. There was a pause between they finally spoke, echoing the words everybody else had shouted.
"... For Hesenia."