Epilogue

Athena stayed in her room and did not come out for hours, but the hallway echoed with her heartbroken cries. Every so often they would taper off, only to begin again a short time later. Kaze didn't attempt to stifle the tears, and neither did Ben—after all, the closest thing he'd ever had to a father was Mortesen. Even Rakar, always cold and distant, could not entirely keep his feelings hidden.

But Darren… Somehow he couldn't cry. Ever since the moment he found out…an emptiness filled him. His mind had gone entirely numb and the whole day was spent in a bland stupor. Even hearing it from his mother didn't touch the denial he continued to cling to.

There wasn't time to let the truth sink in before a servant came into his room and helped him into a formal suit to wear for the funeral.

Evening was encroaching on the world when they rode in a carriage toward the battlefield, fully ripe with the stench of death and smoke. It was fitting for the ceremonial place to be there, he supposed. The dead were still being collected, all Coizards to be buried with full honors and the rest to be hastily cremated before they could decay and spread disease.

The merhogs had already taken care of their own lost comrades and rushed home to attend the funeral of their queen. It was one merciful thing to be glad for when it came to the traitors—Cosium wouldn't have to deal with the dead fish.

Their carriage pulled to a stop beside the lonely tower. People were standing in a dense crowd all around, silent except for the partly-muffled sounds of crying. This wasn't just for his father. It was a collective funeral for all the vanquished heroes of this battle, honoring the fallen: friends, strangers, fathers, husbands, brothers…

Darren recognized Captain Alexei and other officers who had arrived mere hours earlier with the rest of the army. They had marched tirelessly for days, desperate to defend their country only to find the war over…and their beloved king killed by his own allies. Mage-Master Briar caught the young prince's eye, conveying without words that he would be there in case Darren needed him.

Cosium Castle's silhouette could be seen against the sky a mile south. The ancient Requiem Stone had always stood apart from the city, and it seemed like a bitter satire that Mortesen had died so close to it.

Together the family passed through the entrance of the grand tower. Taking Athena's hand, Rakar helped his sister-in-law ascend the winding stairs, his expression uncharacteristically gentle as she seemed to find difficulty gathering strength for the task. By the time they reached the top and came out into the open air, the two princes were almost exhausted.

Then they saw Mortesen and all thoughts of their tired muscles fled.

Sunlight began to fade as Darren stared in a daze at the funeral pedestal…the Requiem Stone itself. His father's body lay there dressed as though he was a puppet going to a ball—a mockery of the man he had been. Mortesen's sword rested on his chest, hands folded over the hilt…never to wield it again. Someone had been kind enough to clean away the blood when they replaced the king's armor with his uniform so that his youngest could not see any evidence of the ghastly, fatal wound.

No one moved forward. Athena held tightly to his and Kaze's shoulders, face covered with intense pain as she tried to bridle her emotions.

Minutes passed in silence until the sun finally sank below the lip of the horizon, then markings along the pedestal's sides began to glow. Darren wanted to dart forward and stop this from happening, but his mother's hand was too heavy.

One second his father was lying there—the next he had dissolved.

A great wind surged from the pedestal, so solid that it was visible as a weaving strip of air that glowed and sparkled in its graceful beauty. The king's Element…freed… It soared up into the darkening sky, growing fainter and fainter until there was a sudden burst of light in the heavens. A new star had taken its place.

The mourners in the field below started to keen, having seen the sign that the ceremony was completed. Athena finally gave in to her tears and nearly collapsed, now using her young sons' shoulders to keep upright. Torches around them came to life with soft, blue fire. Just enough to illuminate the space.

The brown hedgehog stepped forward at last, head lowered and hands clutching the edge of the pedestal. After half a minute Rakar picked up the urn that had been made for this occasion, then with great effort he gathered a handful of the dust left behind, letting it run through his fingers into the container.

"Brother…" he whispered in a disheartened voice.

Without looking back he held the urn out. For a few seconds no one moved, then Benonic reached out to take it and did the same. As members of the Royal family they were all supposed to do this. The other two boys managed it with trembling hands but Rakar had to help the queen, she was so distraught. Afterward she knelt there beside the pedestal, unable to staunch her tears and kissing the dust on her fingertips repeatedly.

Someone began to sing from below—a girl who sounded like Eliza—raising her voice in a soft song that invited others to join in. They did until the words spread and flowed through the wide valley where so many had lost their lives. It was a song most Coizards knew.

Don't lose your way
With each passing day
You've come so far
Don't throw it away
Live believing
Dreams are for weaving
Wonders are waiting to start
Live your story
Faith, hope and glory
Hold to the truth in your heart

If we hold on together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
As clouds roll by
For you and I

Darren could hardly breathe. What dreams could he have now that his father was dead? Everything he'd ever wanted to become was gone now…

Souls in the wind
Must learn how to bend
Seek out a star
Hold on to the end
Valley, mountain
There is a fountain
Washes our tears all away
Words are swaying
Someone is praying
Please let us come home to stay

If we hold on together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
As clouds roll by
For you and I

'Hold on'…? To what? Was there anything left?

Darren couldn't bear to watch any longer. He was nearest to the stairwell. His shoes slapped against the stone as he darted through the doorway and he heard Kaze call his name. Master Briar was down there, but he didn't want to see the hare. He didn't want to see anybody!

The words he'd read in his uncle's notes came to mind and he said them in a frantic whisper, not even fully comprehending what he was doing.

"Chaos Control!"

Between one step and the next Darren shifted then dropped to his knees, completely winded. It wasn't easy by any stretch of the imagination, but he'd been so desperate to be anywhere else that he didn't care where he went. Then he looked up, finding himself in a place far more painful than the Requiem Stone as he recognized the tree in front of him. The same tree where his father had found him on Kaze's birthday…

The song continued to follow even across all that distance, forcing him to hear words that were so cruel in their optimism.

When we are out there in the dark
We'll dream about the sun
In the dark we'll feel the light
Warm our hearts, everyone

If we hold on together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
As high as souls can fly
The clouds roll by
For you and I

As high as souls can fly… Where was his father's soul now? Why had he been taken away just when he'd begun to be the figure of paternal love and guidance Darren had always yearned for? What hateful irony ruled his life?!

He saw the light flaring over his hands, creeping up his arms. Vines sprouted from the earth, lighting the area with their glow of magic. His fur seemed to burn with green fire and he could feel control beginning to surge beyond his grasp.

Every rule and method of control drilled into him at the Academy faded to a mumble in the back of his mind. He slipped back into his old habit, letting the vines do as they wished. The pain inside found its way out, pressing from every side. Darren knew that if he didn't regain control he could go comatose from magic fatigue or even burn himself out permanently.

He knew, but he didn't care.

Vines surged everywhere, dense and coiling. Some wrapped around him but he ignored them, calling more and more into existence. The new technique and the old melded in his mind.

Darren didn't realize he was crying until the sobs made his hands shake. Trying to brace himself, he touched the nearest snaking vine. It curled around his arm in response, but he didn't jerk away. It had…caressed him…as though it understood. Impulsively, the young hedgehog called them closer. They swarmed around him and he embraced them, continuing to cry.

He begged to lose himself, to have no thoughts or memories. The young hedgehog knew he was asking the impossible, but he kept trying. There must be a way to block everything out, to mask the pain until there was nothing left!

Just as he started to perceive the vines around him acting very strange, a crushing flood of weakness struck him so hard that he choked into a swoon. Something caught him, wrapping around gently…

Daylight was beginning to creep into the sky, though the last few morning stars stubbornly tried to last longer. Darren blinked, unsure what he was doing outside. A headache pounded inside his head and the young prince tried to reach up…but he couldn't move.

Vines were everywhere, winding about him so snugly that they felt like a warm blanket. He started to struggle and they loosened, then he felt hot breath on his face. The prince looked up into a pair of luminous green eyes. There was just enough light for him to see that the giant dog curling its body around him was not ordinary. Its matted fur hung long and twitched like living vines.

Darren stared in wonder. It couldn't be real.

"Are you an…Elemental?" he whispered.

The creature cocked its head as though not sure what to make of the question. Darren somehow knew it understood him. It just didn't know the answer.

He touched its side, knowing this was impossible. Elementals were the embodiment of magic. They couldn't exist unless someone physically held onto magic, and he had let go of it for…well, all night.

The creature licked his face, smearing him with very real saliva. He laughed suddenly, unable to explain why the pain of his father's death felt farther away. It was still there, but somehow in the presence of this creature he…he knew things that hadn't occurred to him before.

Death was part of life—it came to every living thing. There was no escaping it. And yet he was also aware it was only another beginning. His father no longer seemed so far away, though he didn't know why. The pain of losing him still sat like a monstrous toad in his chest, but trying to forget and barricading himself against the torment of his soul was no solution. There would be no healing down that path. He had to be honest with himself, with his family.

Darren closed his eyes, leaning into the soft pelt of the Elemental at his side. It reminded him of a forest, green and thriving—all its being devoted to stretching up to meet the sky and reaching down through the soil. Plants felt pain too, but they accepted whatever came to them without complaint. Perhaps…he could learn to do the same.

For some time he didn't pay any attention to anything, which is why the voice continuously calling his name went unheard. The golden globe on the east horizon had barely risen above the ocean when he jerked to his feet, surprised to see his mother break through the trees. She still wore her black velvet dress from the funeral and looked as though sleep had been the last thing on her mind this past night.

"Darren!" she cried with sudden joy, but faltered at the sight of the huge green…dog? "What is that?!"

"An…um…a Mystical."

The shock on his mother's face turned into relief. "Oh! Well, I suppose you couldn't have found one at a better time. Everyone's been looking for you since dusk. Master Briar was worried you would grow hysterical." She approached cautiously, looking the creature over. "I've never heard of a Mystical like this. What's his name?"

Darren was still partly shocked at the words that had come out of his mouth, but he managed to answer. "…Dagda."

Athena reached out to touch it and Dagda gazed at her with curious, non-threatening eyes. Darren ran his fingers through the vine-like fur and felt a smile pulling at his mouth.

Another page of notes in his uncle's possession came to mind…about the strangeness of unsettled magic in children. There were instances where advanced techniques could be accomplished with little effort (the way Kaze used to be able to fade in and out of his Element practically without a thought), and very rarely a child would do something so extraordinary (such as an Earth-wielder creating maze-like tunnels throughout an entire mountain) that no one knew how they had accomplished their feat or be able to replicate it.

Even if he wasn't sure how Dagda had come to be, he did know the creature was there for him when he needed it most.

The day after the funeral…

Queen Martharine felt awareness bleed back into her mind, making her conscious of the headache first, then the cold. She had no idea how long she'd been trapped in her dreams, but it seemed like years. A voice had pulled her out of them. He was close, but not standing over her.

"—hardly needed any encouragement. Once I'm made regent, she'll turn over most authority of ruling the kingdom to me. If she begins to grow too opinionated about how things should be done, I may have to become…persuasive."

The ground squirrel's hand felt numb until she moved it, then the long cut that had scabbed over began to throb. A hiss of pain attracted the one who had kidnapped her. Martharine opened her eyes, blinking several times to clear away the blurriness. There was a lantern in the dark hallway, but it hardly illuminated any features of the two figures now staring at her silently.

"Back to your post," Rakar ordered. "I have an interesting experiment I want to try."

The other figure slapped a fist to his chest and left. His departure made her anxious, feeling as though this 'Rakar' didn't want an audience for a reason. Pushing herself up was difficult and she had to lean heavily on her arms, but she managed to meet his eyes with a queenly stare.

"The battle went well, if you were curious. The Rofakians surrendered shortly before daybreak, but your forces splintered and continued to fight after news spread that the queen had abandoned them. There are only a couple thousand left."

Shock stole every ounce of dignity from her. She sat there on stones that seemed to leech all the warmth from her body, squeezing her blue eyes shut to hold back the tears. Where had it gone wrong? Martharine had poured everything into this war—all of it an attempt to fulfill the lifelong ambition of the last three monarchs of her country.

"Are you saying my maid fled the battlefield before the outcome was known?" She'd suspected the ferret was a coward, but she was still a Gardfordian!

"According to some of what we discussed beforehand," Rakar said, apparently in the mood to humor her, "she felt it important to send as many of your troops to the slaughter as possible. The more who died in that pointless battle, the happier she said she would be. But then she didn't expect the transformation potion to be poisoned. Slow-acting, of course, but she lasted long enough to fool the generals into obeying her orders to change several important maneuvers. Once she was dead and they saw who she really was, no one knew what to think. They didn't know if you had purposely used her as a decoy to cover your flight or if she'd killed you."

Now furious hatred began to burn at the edges of her heart. He hadn't thought to put any restraints on her. If she could just get close enough, Martharine would be able to char the flesh from his bones. She had to keep him talking without making him suspicious.

"What do you want from me?" the queen asked, briefly placing a hand to her forehead as though to rub away the ache and then setting it down again a few inches closer to his boot.

"From you? Nothing, really," he shrugged. "It's simply that you are the last one who can identify and connect me to the war's conception. I've always kept careful track of everyone who knew I was involved."

But that meant her advisors, bodyguards, King Lugius and his commanders… All of them were dead? She lowered her head, slumping in a way that brought her fingers almost within reach. Not too much at once.

"Is there no way I can convince you to let me live? Why would you bring me to this place if you could have killed me that night and ended it all then?" She paused to blink several times, wondering if there was something wrong with her sight. His form looked blurry at the edges, as though he wasn't fully there.

He regarded her with the slightest trace of amusement. "I've always allowed myself the luxury of catering to my whims. I simply didn't feel like killing you at the time. The others had nothing worthy of my attention, though I admit it would have been interesting to see what I could do to Lugius. I would have liked to see how he would respond on the end of one of his own leashes." There was a wry chuckle of amusement at the thought. "But he got himself killed while trying to assassinate my sister-in-law. Athena apparently was expecting that from him."

The indigo squirrel froze. If Queen Athena was his sister-in-law, that meant… Rakar… She remembered the name now. All this time she had been dancing to his tune, letting herself be manipulated into a plot created by King Mortesen's younger brother.

"I see you finally figured it out. My orders were to lure Rofaki into the war and use it weaken their country beyond repair, but they weren't strong enough by themselves. I specifically chose Gardford because none of you knew who I was. It also felt right to destroy you for being responsible for my grandparents' deaths, but that's more a matter of justice than revenge. You certainly took the bait, didn't you?"

Her hand shot forward—only to pass through his boot, the flames searing nothing but some stray bits of straw scattered on the floor. An illusion? But it didn't disappear at the discovery and Rakar gazed down at her, laughing so suddenly that the squirrel darted back, afraid.

"Shadows don't burn very well, do they? I suspected you might try that."

The realization that she was completely helpless finally impacted her. She couldn't run or fight…no one would come looking for her. This place would be her tomb.

The red-brown hedgehog stared at her with a penetrating gaze. One corner of his mouth quirked up in a way that made her mouth go dry with terror. He stepped slowly, deliberately toward her. Martharine backed away, feeling her limbs begin to tremble. But the cell was small and there was nowhere to go.

"Did you know there is a delicate balance when it comes to magic? It is tied in a mysterious way to both the body and soul of a person. That's why restraint manacles work so well. The right kind of barrier on the body blocks its use, but from the soul's side it is much more interesting. I've done a few tentative experiments with this…yet I always held back for some reason." He knelt, taking hold of her chin, and she felt her breath catch as she stared into those hard crimson eyes. "I don't see the purpose in holding back any longer."

Unseen claws slid through her in a way she had no ability to describe. They reached deep, grabbing hold of something, and suddenly there was a feeling she could only relate to a searing hot blade slicing away inside. The attack twisted uncontrollable shrieks from her throat. Then the last few threads severed, leaving a shapeless void in the center of her body. Something she had never known was an intimate part of herself was gone. She had nothing but a ragged wound there now and no way to staunch the bleeding.

Martharine's screams devolved into helpless sobs as he released her. Rakar stared down, thoughtful curiosity spreading over his features. For some reason he thought this moment would be harder. Instead he felt…nothing.

"Mortesen," he breathed, "I never realized until now that you were my conscience. Whenever I kept myself from doing certain things it was always because I didn't want you to be ashamed of me. I don't have that weakness anymore."

The squirrel had curled into a ball, tears flowing from her eyes. Ever since the beginning he had planned to kill this arrogant woman, but seeing her reduced to a miserable, crippled thing teased at his enjoyment of the moment. Rakar left the cell, returning a minute later with a parcel made of sealskin: Nymph's gift from six months earlier.

"I think I will let you live after all," he said after watching her for a time. "When you leave here, you will be unable to tell anyone about me or even use your own name. And I will make sure suicide will be an impossible escape from your punishment."

Martharine opened her bloodshot eyes, seeing him unwrap the collection of tools. She had seen interrogations in her own dungeon before and knew what it was. But the emptiness where her magic used to live seemed so large that bodily pain could hardly compare.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm not going to give you any deep wounds. I just want to make sure no one will ever be able to recognize your face."

Solid shadows curled around her limbs, holding her tight.

Several days later in the kingdom of Emeralias…

King Devilish turned to the soldier who had delivered the news only moments earlier, one eyebrow raised in surprise. "Mortesen is dead? Well, it's not as though I expected anything else. I wonder what Gardford and Rofaki are going to rename the country."

"Sire, Cosium defeated them. The Gardfordian and Rofakian soldiers are being sent home as we speak, tails between their legs. There are very few of them left."

"So Cosium survived." He leaned back in his chair, gazing at a tapestry depicting the castle that hung on the far wall. "With Mortesen gone, who will rule the country now?"

"According to the message, Lord Rakar will be raised to regency as soon as possible."

Devilish narrowed his eyes just slightly. "Him? …That one may be trouble. I don't like the idea of that schemer in charge of anything, especially with the company he's been keeping lately. He might just decide Emeralias is too enticing to leave unconquered."

"Is there anything we can do?" the soldier asked, growing nervous. "Cosium defeated two countries on their own soil. Do we even have a chance against that kind of power?"

"…Perhaps the most logical solution is to make Emerallias as undesirable as possible." The hedgehog king continued to stare at the tapestry, noting the musical instruments decorating the corners. "I'll issue a decree in a few days. All instruments made of metal are to be collected and melted down to make weapons. After that is done, I'll wait a few months and come up with another excuse for others to be taken away. Never so much at one time that they understand until it's too late. Without their music, the country will grow dry. Rakar will never consider Emeralias worth his time. Dismissed."

"Yes, Sire," the soldier saluted before leaving.

Devilish's eyes slowly turned to the scepter that leaned against his desk. Running one fingernail along the glassy surface of its head, he gazed once again at the red Cosmos Diamond within. Anger grew inside, a reflexive response to the feeling of intense power he could feel emanating from it, but one that slid around him as though he wasn't there. During his coronation the scepter had rejected him. Some theorized it was because he had no Royal blood, but there was no certain way of finding out.

He sat there, ravenously staring at the Cosmos Diamond of Emeralias and seething at the existence of a power he could not touch even though it was so close. He had no idea that in Cosium Castle, another hedgehog stared at its sister Diamond, wondering the exact same thing. Rakar clenched the rod so tightly that the bones of his fingers stood out, silently begging it to accept him during the ceremony. He was the son of King Negolas too. It was his right! If it refused him, he…he would simply force it to work for him.

In Titor's Garden a week after the end of the war…

Princess Lefae of Rofaki sat curled up on the bed that was little more than a mat on the floor. She hadn't allowed herself to cry even once since her capture, but she certainly wanted to. Not for the reasons anyone would expect, though. Being imprisoned didn't make her nearly so frightened as the idea that she would be returned to Rofaki. Her father…if he had to pay ransom, what would he make her do to compensate for the humiliation and loss of wealth?

When she had tried to speak with the ones who lived in this village, they tied her hands and hung the rope from a hook high on the wall for at least half an hour until her muscles screamed. It was the same punishment slaves received for defiance in the Rofakian camp. She didn't know if Prydain had told them to do that or if some of the former slaves who still lingered in Titor's Garden suggested it.

In the weeks since she'd been brought to this place, Prydain had only returned once at the very beginning. He was needed to train the army's soldiers how to use Light magic properly, so she received very little of his attention.

Just as she was thinking about him once more, the door unlocked and he stood there, surveying her. She remained silent, bowing her head in respect until he saw fit to let her speak.

"Rofaki and Gardford have been defeated. Your father died in the battle. You can go home now."

He took out the key and unlocked her collar, but she continued to sit on the mat looking miserable. Not even a flicker of sorrow or pity for Lugius touched her heart.

"There is no place for me in Rofaki. My brother will inherit the throne. My only hope to avoid a forced marriage was by helping my father take over Cosium. He promised to give me territory here in exchange for my services." She looked away. "What else was I to him other than a political pawn and a useful tool when it came to training slaves? I had no choice. I know you hate me, and you have every right to keep me in that collar."

The orange hedgehog came a few steps closer. "I was angry—furious. But I also know it's wrong to turn around and do the same thing to you. …Princess, why did you choose me out of all the slaves?"

She darted a glance upward, then dropped her eyes again, cheeks starting to flush. "It's foolish."

"I still want to know."

The collie ducked her head a little. "…To get back at my father. I've told myself for years it didn't matter that he was unfaithful to my mother, but I suppose my actions betrayed my true feelings. You were younger than most of the soldiers and very handsome. After your mind was addled, one night I took you where I knew he would see and ordered you to kiss me. Then I brought you to my dwelling."

Prydain's face went red. He had some vague half-memory of following her to the room, but that was all. Shame swept over him.

"Don't worry. Your honor is intact," she said with reassurance. "I had you sleep on a pallet in the corner. It was only for appearance's sake. It pleased me to see how much he despised the idea, but he couldn't say a word about it without being a hypocrite. I can't tell you how much I gloated over his anger."

The hedgehog still looked embarrassed, though now it was the prospect that he'd been used as a means of petty retaliation that bothered him.

"I'm sorry. For it all," she murmured.

He continued to stare. "I don't remember too much very clearly, but I do know you stopped calling me Tai'Daishar. Why?"

"Because you were right." Her voice was so low he had to strain to hear her clearly. "Prydain is your real name and nothing I said or did could change that. You made me feel terrible that day I took away your thoughts, whether you believe it or not. Until then I never allowed myself to think of the morality of what we were doing to your people. It didn't occur to me because I've seen collared wilders my whole life."

"Well, you're not collared anymore. You're free to go wherever you like," he said, gesturing to the open doorway.

"I told you I have nowhere to go."

"If that's true…I suppose you could stay in Cosium." Prydain gazed at her, seeing the sadness behind her eyes. "As strange as it seems, I wouldn't mind getting to know you without a leash between us, Princess Lefae."

The edge of a smile touched her mouth. "Please, I would much rather go by your name for me… 'Moondark'. It's lovely in a way my birth name is not." She allowed the smile to widen slightly. "If it makes you feel any better, you are very good at kissing. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought you did want me."

The hedgehog reached out, touching her hand softly though the redness in his cheeks was still present. "I said I was furious. I never said I hated you. And I'm not really mad anymore."

Several days later in Briny Bay…

Lini wandered through the streets of the port city a short distance from the castle, keeping as far from the crowds as she could. People had been packed so tightly into the place just the week before, but now they were mostly gone, leaving the roads littered with garbage in their rush to return home.

The young fox was not sure what to do now that she was no longer a Rofakian slave and certainly no Coizard citizen. Once she found Farrell's family…then what? Could she even do any sort of trade not related to her magic? Could she even do anything else? …And who would want to hire a murderer like herself?

There were only nine Rofakian wilders left alive after the battle, and Queen Athena had graciously offered them a temporary house in Briny Bay until they decided what to do with themselves. They all stayed there with the exception of Tar'Valon, who had disappeared after a few days. But they were so frightened of everything and everyone, the same way she had been at first. It felt so awkward having grown men and women practically cling to her whenever she came in the room, but most unpleasant was that they seemed to expect her to tell them what they should do. They looked up to her even though she was the youngest among them.

It was so unsettling that there were times when she had to get away.

Being able to go where she pleased was an enjoyable freedom, but the pressing crowds still frightened her. Lini continued to make her way through Briny Bay, finally winding up at the docks. Traffic was less dense here and there was plenty to see. She watched men loading boats with boxes and barrels, all the while singing rhythmic songs to help pace their work.

The songs reminded her of something. With surprise she found herself quietly chanting along. A prickle of hot tears made Lini blink quickly and she forced herself to stop listening. The fox found an empty crate and sat down. After a while someone touched her shoulder from behind, addressing her with a snort of impatience.

"Celes, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be with Mother at the inn while—" The boy stopped speaking as she turned to look at him. "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were my little sister."

Lini's eyes fastened on him. He was a fox, probably sixteen or seventeen, with deep mauve fur and a wide muzzle…and somehow familiar. Faint memories tugged at a suppressed portion of her mind.

"Edgar?" she asked, unsure.

The apologetic smile faded into confusion. Then his eyes widened with the beginning of shock. "Terra?"

Her throat was tight but she managed to whisper, "Yes. I…am…Terra."

An instant later Edgar threw his arms around her, sobbing her name over and over.

The outer shell that was Lini burned away, revealing the timid little girl that had been snatched from a dock while her parents were bartering nearby…that had been drugged and tossed into a ship among a group of other kidnapped children…that had found herself sold to Rofakians…that had thought her real self lost forever as her will was ground down by lies and humiliations…

Terra stood in the ashes of Lini, hugging her older brother as eleven years worth of tears flooded down her cheeks.

A/N: And there it is: the tale is done! I've loved that song since "Land Before Time" came out when I was three, and though I'm not too fond of throwing lyrics into the middle of stories, this time it seemed appropriate. The funeral described here is really what happens to the bodies of royal family members. I made a reference to another story about the wicked King Devilish by Mephilesthe who crushed his country just because doing so amused him.