The Bard of Xalir (Complete!)/The Archer of Adelbern (Complete)/Book 3 (Coming Soon)

I finished packing my belongings. It was strange. When I finally left the harska fortress, I felt satisfied. Sure, not everything went my way, but I felt like I had done good. Gunner was defeated, Bagheera was the new king, and my family and friends were safe. Good work. So why was I dissatisfied now? Why did I feel like I hadn't done much of anything?

Trafford was defeated. He was now going to spend the rest of his days rotting in the royal dungeon. Along with the guards who had helped him overthrow the king and queen. Richard was no longer a member of the Lawmaker's Assembly, or at least not a ranked member. Thrig was nowhere to be seen. Neither was Gunner. It was like they had disappeared into thin air.

Frustrating. That was the only word I could find to describe it. Even though my only goal in coming to Adelbern was to help Zadona, I still felt like my work wasn't done. What more was there to do? No one seemed to have a good answer for me. They didn't share my worries. We had fought the good fight and came out victorious. Everything was settled.

But it wasn't. There was a very worrying thought in the back of my mind. From a certain point of view, Trafford was right. Greenspring's father, a dangerous druid corrupting the land, was still out there. I had seen some of the corruption myself back when I was helping the harska. He wasn't an immediate threat to me, but he was still out there somewhere.

No, I needed to focus on my family. Zadona would need some help settling into Xalir. That would surely take my mind off things.

Still, I needed some closure and there was only one person who could give it to me. I carried my stuff out into the hallway. Beth was downstairs talking with Nia and Zadona, most likely planning our trip home. Valna was of course staying in Adelbern, so she didn't have to pack. She was doing some paperwork at the cathedral. Greenspring was in his room.

I knocked on his door. He had fully recovered from the shock of hearing his father's name after so many years. Though we had yet to really talk about it. Before today, I was fine to leave it at that. Blackwater was his father, that was Greenspring's business, not mine. Yet I couldn't shake the feeling that it was going to become my business. Life had a nasty habit of pushing me into danger.

"Come in," said Greenspring, his voice hoarse.

He was sitting on his bed fixing a hole in his robes. Instead of the leafy ensemble he normally dressed in, he donned a simple white tunic from the Lawmaker's Assembly. It was odd to see him wearing something so mundane, but I didn't comment on it. I had other business to attend to.

I sat down on the bed beside him. "Thank you for letting me use your totem."

He smiled. "You are welcome. I was worried you would not be able to use even a fraction of its power, but it seemed to work."

"Is your father going to become a problem?" I asked, changing the subject.

His smile faltered. "Ah, that… Well, I do not think so."

"You don't think so? You're not sure?"

"I am not sure," he answered.

Greenspring set his robes to the side and stood up. He walked over to the window and looked out at the street below. Grabbing his wolf pendant, he began muttering to himself. Whatever language he was speaking in, I didn't understand, so I waited for him to be done. After a short moment, he turned back around to face me with a grim expression on his face.

"My father is strong, stronger than any foe you or I have faced before. But if he is going to become a problem for anyone, he will become a problem for me. The last time we met, he only had eyes for my totem. I do not doubt that his goals remain the same."

"And the corruption?" I asked.

He sighed. "A consequence of his lust for power."

"So what now?"

Greenspring looked back outside. "I will find him and take him down once and for all."

"You can't do it alone," I said, already dreading the long journey ahead.

"I will not involve you in my personal matters. He is mine to deal with. Besides, you have a family to return to."

He was right. I couldn't go on another grand adventure, especially after I had just finished one. Arienne, Charlie, Henry, Ma, and Pop were all waiting for me. Zadona needed help adjusting to her new life. And I wanted to be there for every second of it. All those wasted years we had spent apart. For a small amount of time, I wanted to relive our childhood.

"You're right, I can't go with you, but that doesn't mean you have to go alone. There are others you can call for help, like Valna. And I'm sure there are even more who wish to stop the corruption."

Greenspring chuckled to himself. "I have some ideas."

"But if you ever think you won't be enough, call for me. I will come at a moment's notice," I said.

"Speaking of calling for you," said Greenspring. "I discovered how to open the box you found in Richard's office."

He walked over to his bed and reached under his pillow. The wooden box looked the same as it had before, about the size of my hand and unopened. He set it onto the bed and tapped it with his finger three times. A greenish-brown light enveloped the box, causing a seam to form along the edge. Greenspring picked the box up and cracked it open.

Beneath a layer of dust was a green leaf. I'd seen one like it before, a Diagum Leaf.

"Is that…?"

Greenspring chuckled as he picked up the leaf and held it up to the light. "One of the original Diagum Leaves plucked from its ancient tree. How the Lawmaker's Assembly came upon one of these, I do not know. Valna had no knowledge of it, and did not want me asking Richard. So the origin of this leaf will remain shrouded in mystery. What I do know is that it is yours."

I took the leaf from his hands. "Are you sure?"

"I will need a way to contact you, right?" he asked with a smile.

"You better call often," I said, placing the leaf back in the box and closing it. "Don't try to do everything yourself. After all, you're getting up there in age."

"I know and I will," said Greenspring. "Shall I walk you out?"

Unlike Nia, Beth, Zadona, and me, Greenspring was not leaving Adelbern. Trafford killed many druids, it was Greenspring's job to find the names of those druids and report them as dead. It was depressing work, but it was work that needed to be done. He had also volunteered to help the city recover from Trafford's short reign of terror. Turns out that overthrowing a king can have far-reaching effects.

I grabbed my stuff and followed him downstairs. This was it. After dealing with Adelbern for so many months, I was finally going home. Nia, Beth, and Zadona were all packed and ready to go. We had Tamara's cart ready to take us back over the Emerald Mountains and to Xalir. Everything had been settled.

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Valna was waiting for me downstairs. She was barely hiding her excitement as she held a long package behind her back. The others all looked excited as well. Confused, I set down my belongings and stared at everyone.

"Did I miss something?"

"I got you a present," said Valna, holding out the package toward me. "To help you keep your promise."

"Promise?" I took the package from her hands and opened it. Inside was an exact replica of Kingmaker, the original mandolin Piopus had given me. Same model, same color, same quality. It was like she had plucked my mandolin out of the past and handed it to me now. There was one change. On the back, she had carved five symbols. There was a wolf's head, a two-headed axe, a quiver full of arrows, a gavel, and a pitchfork.

Kingmaker II.

"So you'll never forget us," said Valna.

"Play us a song, Norman!" yelled Greenspring.

I took a deep breath. Placing my fingers on the strings, I began to play. There were many songs I could have played. A happy song to reminisce about the good times I had shared with everyone. A sad song about farewells. Even a song that had nothing to do with our current situation. Instead of picking a song that I knew, I started to play and sang whatever words came to mind.

The king of Strabora,

his treasures lie beneath ya.

So deep in the ground,

they hardly make a sound,

the treasure of Strabora!

A young man left home,

to go and roam,

and find the treasures so deep.

What he found,

beneath the ground,

was nothing.

Not a single thing.

For what he found,

on his journeys around,

was that home was what he sought.

It wasn't my best work, but Valna seemed to enjoy it. So I continued on and played a few more songs, more of the classics. Those songs Valna enjoyed a lot. At least she remained a fan. That was good enough for me. When I finally finished, Valna ran up and hugged me. I moved my mandolin to the side and returned the hug.

"Thank you for everything," she said tearfully. "For giving me back my church."

"Lead them well," I said, patting her on the back. A thought popped into my head. "The deal Trafford made with Gunner, please continue it if you can."

She pulled back and gave me a wide smile. "I won't let the harska go hungry, I promise." I may hate Gunner, but I don't hate the harska. Not all of them. Gunner had sacrificed his freedom to save them, and sacrificed that deal to help me. It was only right to make sure his efforts weren't in vain.

Nia, Beth, and Zadona gave their farewells as well. Both to Greenspring and to Valna. I gave Greenspring a hug and made him promise again to call for me if he needed my help. Nia actually made him promise the same thing. As we were all walking away, I took one final look at Greenspring and Valna.

"Don't forget, you're always welcome to visit!" Beth called out to the both of them.

"I'll be sure to," said Valna.

There was just one more stop before we left Adelbern for good. Once we were outside of the city gates, Nia stopped the cart. Off the road, near the same spot Greenspring took me for our talk, Nia dug a small hole in the ground. Pulling her brother's druidic pendant out from under her shirt, she lifted the necklace over her head and placed it into the hole.

"Goodbye, Voitto," she said. No more words were said. We stood behind her with our heads bowed as she buried the pendant.

Then we got back into the cart and started our journey home. Out of the city limits, over the Emerald Mountains, and into Kent's Crossing. While most of us were happy to be heading home, Nia was a bit agitated. I thought it was sadness from burying her brother's pendant, but there was another reason. She had never gone back to talk to her parents after confronting them in front of the cathedral. It must have weighed on her a lot. I wanted to help her, but I wasn't sure what to do.

"We can always turn around," I said to Nia.

She smiled at me. "My brother loved Adelbern. He loved the people, the sights, everything. I thought coming back would help me see what he saw, but I can't. Not as long as they are there."

"Your brother would be proud of you for trying," said Zadona.

"I know," said Nia. And that was that.

In Kent's Crossing, we stayed with Tamara for a day before heading back to Xalir. Nia was much more relaxed now that she was home, and Tamara was happy that Nia was safe. I thanked Tamara for the sword, which she said I would have to pay her for later. Especially since I hadn't kept my promise to her. We all had a good laugh. The whole time, Zadona seemed a bit nervous.

When I confronted her about it, all she said was, "I'm just tired."

Before we left, we made plans for Tamara and Nia to visit. I looked forward to it. Not just because I enjoyed spending time with them, but also because I was sure Arienne would be ecstatic. Under the Sapphire Mountains, she had grown attached to the massive warrior. That hadn't changed as Nia and Tamara became like family.

As we rode away on a cart I'd rented from a sick merchant, Zadona stared at Kent's Crossing with a nostalgic gaze. "My father took me here when I was a child."

"I remember," said Beth. "You two were gone for a week."

"Did you miss me?" asked Zadona.

"Always," I answered.

We crested over the Ruby Mountains and found ourselves looking over Xalir. There was a mix of emotions on Zadona's face. How many terrible things had she done while she was away? I didn't know. All I knew was she could make up for those acts in time. If she was willing to start over, I was willing to help her every step of the way.

"Mommy! Poppy!"

Arienne raced to the cart from Henry's forge, having caught us as we were riding through town. I jumped off and picked her up, swinging her over my head. She laughed, causing me to laugh as well. Already, in the brief amount of time I had been gone, she had grown so much. A head taller, a whole head taller. How big would Charlie be?

I placed Arienne in the cart and had her ride with us back to our home. Beth grabbed her and held her tightly in her arms. "Where's your uncle?"

"Home."

Beth raised an eyebrow. "He left you by yourself?"

Arienne didn't answer. She stared wide-eyed at Zadona. "Hello," she said shyly. "My name's Arienne. What's yours?"

Zadona smiled. "Zadona. Your parents have told me a lot about you."

"Really? What did they say?" asked Arienne.

"Pleasant things, but I'm sure you don't want to hear about that," teased Zadona.

"Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!"

In the distance, I could see home. Nothing seemed too different, yet it seemed like everything had changed. Like all the colors were brighter. Ma was outside sweeping the porch when she saw us approach. She gasped, then ran to the door to call for Pop, Henry, and Charlie.

Charlie raced out of the house. He jumped onto the cart and began bombarding us with questions. Where had we gone? Who was that strange woman with us? Had we brought food? I laughed. Like Arienne, he'd had his own growth spurt while we were gone. Ma, Pop, Henry, and Scraps soon came to meet us as well.

"Welcome home, Zadona," said Ma, tears in her eyes.

"Bout time you came back," said Pop.

"How's it feel to be back?" asked Henry.

Scraps barked.

"I'm happy to be home," said Zadona.

Henry gestured to the Meyer farm. "Shall I get Tom?"

"No," said Zadona. "I'd like to see him myself." She stepped off the cart and took a few steps toward her old home. She stood still, as if paralyzed.

I placed my hand on her shoulder. "Want me to go with you?"

She sighed. "Please?"

Beth stayed back to yell at Henry for leaving our daughter unprotected. As I walked with Zadona, I remembered the first time I had met her. She was just a little girl, sitting on the doorstep as she waited for her father to come home. That same doorstep had aged and was in need of repairs, but it was still there. It was the same house she had once called home. Zadona hesitated for a second before she knocked on the door.

We didn't have to wait long. "Norman?" asked Tom as he opened the door. "What's—"

His jaw dropped as he noticed Zadona. Before Zadona could say anything, he pulled her toward him and hugged her tightly. She laughed as tears streamed down her face. He was crying even harder. My eyes watered as well.

"Zadona… I missed you so much."

"I missed you too," she replied, her voice cracking from the rush of emotions hitting her.

"Are you staying?" he asked.

Zadona glanced at me. "For as long as you'll have me."

"Then stay, stay for good."

Zadona squeezed her brother tighter. "As you wish."