To all my loyal reviewers, I can't thank you enough for following Anna, Darrow, and Finn thus far, I will be writing a sequel, and I tell you more about it at the end of the chapter. Please R&R so I know what you guys think of my ending!

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Chapter 21

The Sword in the Stone

"See isn't this easier?" Darrow asked leading the way along.

"Sure, but this zigzagging up the mountain is making us walk extra," Finn pointed out stubbornly.

"Well then Finny you go straight up and we'll meet you there," Darrow challenged, Finn didn't say anything so they fell into a laboring silence.

"Either way it's getting really warm up here," Anna said looking up at the sun, "It'll be nightfall before we get to the top."

"It should cool down at night," Darrow said scrambling over a rock, "We'd get there faster if somebody, like Finn, didn't have to stop and rest every few minutes."

Finn stumbled over the rock nearly falling, "You know, some of us aren't as coordinated as others."

"You mean like you and the rest of the rocks in the world?" Darrow asked smiling at him.

Finn threw a stick at Darrow's head and missed, Darrow laughed and started their climb again. Anna watched the exchange looking frustrated but she'd given up on them a few hundred feet back. Darrow paused to hold a branch aside for her before releasing it in Finn's face, she rolled her eyes and looked around brushing blonde strands of hair out of her eyes.

They'd been hiking for hours without having hardly anything to eat and only a bit to drink; they ran across a couple of streams along the way. Anna had to admit that Darrow's idea of zigzagging up the mountain was saving them a load of energy, but she also had to admit that Finn was right. They were losing time, but she couldn't' see any other way up.

Anna could almost hear Gerard catching up to him; a few times she thought she saw a flicker of movement in the brush around them. However when she whipped around to see nothing was ever there except some bird or squirrel. She noticed that Darrow seemed tense too; he kept kneeling over to move things that would make their ascent extra noisy.

As if on cue he bent over and brushed some twigs out of his path glancing around furtively, Anna bit her lip, and glanced at Finn who lumbered along without a clue. She lifted her skirts a bit to step over a plant.

They had stopped to rest when the sun set, dark shadows were cast among the trees as they perched on some rocks to catch their breathe. Darrow's green eyes were scanning the trees expertly, Anna watched him out of the corner of her eye wondering what was going through his mind.

Darrow was worried about becoming King, she could tell, he was worried that he would fail and the fall of Kyrria would be blood on his hands. Anna had similar thoughts; she sighed and glanced up at the darkening sky.

"We're nearly there," she said softly.

"Yeah, for some strange reason this all looks so familiar," Finn said thoughtfully, "Like I've been there loads of times before this, but I've never left Bast."

Darrow smiled, "You have to come to Frell, so I can laugh at you with my friends."

Finn looked sulky, "Maybe I will, you never know."

"You should Finn, Frell's lovely," Anna assured him, "You'd like it Finn. There's an old castle that only gets used for special occasions, it has candle trees growing out back, and a nice long banister."

"Oh and the Royal Menagerie! We have dragons, and Ogres, and gnomes…" Darrow started listing dreamily.

"And birds that speak all different languages, and the centaurs are so cute!" Anna volunteered.

Finn nodded thoughtfully, "How's the food though?" he asked seriously, and the others laughed, "No, I was serious."

"The food's fine," Anna said dismissively.

"Well maybe I will visit, I mean I can't let you two having fun without me can I?" he joked.

This made Anna uncomfortable, she wasn't going back, she couldn't, but she wasn't going to tell them that… yet. Let's just get this quest done and over with, she thought, then I'll tell them and… it's not like I'll never see them again! I'm sure I can keep in touch somehow. Maybe.

Darrow cut into her thoughts, "Well let's get going, it's nearly dark and Finn already has trouble walking in the daylight."

They started their hike again mostly in silence with the occasional comment from Finn or Darrow, but Anna couldn't shake the thoughts from before out of her head. Darrow seemed to notice and questioned her on whether she was feeling well or not but she easily countered it saying she was just tired.

The Moon was high in the sky and Finn was about to faint, Anna felt like her feet were made of lead and could barely put one in front of the other. She was about to suggest they stop and rest, especially when a fog started to form around them. Soon she could hardly see Darrow in front of her.

Anna didn't realize he'd stopped until she ran into him, she heard Finn trip over something behind her but she was too busy wondering what Darrow was stopping for.

"What is it?" she asked softly through the fog.

"I feel strange," he said sounding confused, "Like somebody's speaking but I can just hear it, do you feel that?"

"No," she said, "Do you think we're close?"

"I don't feel it either, Darrow, you've lost it," Finn said appearing out of the whiteness.

Darrow dismissed this and they trudged on tiredly, then Anna couldn't see Darrow at all through the fog she could just hear him labored breathing and heavy footsteps. She started too feel strange, like they were being observed by tons of people who were all murmuring with approval but she couldn't quite make out what they were saying.

"Do you guys hear those people?" Finn whispered behind her.

She nodded and Darrow must have too but Anna knew he couldn't see them, either way he seemed to accept this and they continued on for a while longer. Then she didn't hear Darrow's footsteps anymore but she did hear him gasp. Anna moved forward uncertainly and emerged from the fog. She gasped.

Before them lay a perfectly circular pool, the water shone silver in the moonlight and was so still it was worked as a mirror. Reflecting all the figures in the fog, they seemed to be sitting in an arena of sorts waiting quietly for them. None of them moved but they sat there silently and completely still watching the trio as they stood at the edge of the pool.

The eerie whispering had stopped, everything was still, there was no breeze, no noise Anna could swear she could hear not only her heart but Darrow's and Finn's too. Then her eyes were drawn to the center of the pool, a rock rose from the water a single solitary structure that was as tall as two men.

Anna's blue eyes immediately ran up its length to the top, where the gold sword hilt glinted at her. The blade was halfway submerged in the stone sticking up for all to see, the emeralds shone as if they'd just been polished. She glanced over and saw Darrow looking at it too.

For the longest time nobody moved they stood there at the edge of the mirror pool staring at the sword as if frozen into stone. Anna thought she might never move, soon she believed that she too was rock, a stone statue weathered and worn by time. Frozen at with her toes inches away from the gleaming water and gazing at the golden sword that they'd traveled so far to find.

The sword they'd fought so hard to reach was mere yards away, and none of them could go toward it.

Then something started to happen, Anna noticed movement out of her eyes, it was like a ripple effect. The fog people were shifting it started at the other end of the arena as they all finally moved. The fog people were turning their heads, moving their gaze to the other side of the Arena. Anna followed them with her eyes and saw… just past the stone…

"No!" Darrow gasped his voice hardly above a whisper.

"Ah cousin you look surprised," Gerard, sneered started around the pool toward them. His two men started around the other edge of the pool, as if trapping them. Anna looked at Darrow and saw that his focus was no longer on his cousin, but on the sword. His green eyes had focused on it and Anna realized what he was about to do even before he dropped his cloak and tired sword and lunged toward the pool.

"NO!" Gerard bellowed and he hit the water at the exact moment Darrow did. The two boys fell down to their knees, Darrow stumbled forward onto his hands and knees clearly he'd been expecting the water to be deeper. Gerard splashed toward him and reached Darrow as he stood, the two stumbled back and fell back onto the shore. Finn had drawn his knife and was watching the two men sprinting toward them.

Anna glanced around, the fog people were watching grimly but they did nothing, they didn't make a sound. Anna noticed movement and turned toward the pool, the stone, sword and all, was sinking! It was slowly moving downward and Anna knew that once the sword was beneath the water… they'd never get it.

Before she thought she'd kicked out of her shoes and started running across the mirror pool toward the stone, uncertain as to what she could do. The rock was only two feet above the pool now, Anna stopped running and knelt down touching her finger to the pool, it froze solid.

The rock screeched to a halt a single foot above the surface, Anna sighed in relief and glanced back, at Darrow who was wrestling with Gerard then at Finn who was leading the two burly men on a wild chase around the pool.

Then she was sprinting back toward Darrow her feet running on the ice like it was regular ground. She ran over and seized Darrow's discarded sword by the hilt and yanked it free of the sheath. It was far heavier than she'd first thought and she staggered.

Anna managed to lift it with two hands, it would do. She was already running toward where Gerard was attempting to force a dagger into Darrow's face. Anna slashed and Gerard cried out blood seeping from the slash across his shoulder.

Darrow kicked Gerard off of him and started toward the sword, he slipped and fell but was scrambling up before Anna had dropped the sword and started running toward the stone as well. She hadn't gotten far when Gerard's hand caught her across the face, Anna cried out and fell to her hands and knees on the ice blood pouring from her nose.

Gerard left her there and started after Darrow was having trouble keeping his footing on the ice. Finn was sitting on the ice not far from Anna watching the two men standing at the edge not daring to step onto the slippery surface. A bruise was swelling up around his right eye.

Anna looked back at Darrow and saw him standing in front of the sword looking at it uncertainly. She could only imagine what was going through his mind, pull the sword out and he'd be a hero, a King, but Darrow didn't want to be king. He was fine just being Darrow, but when he pulled the sword free he would never have a chance to be just Darrow.

He would really be a King.

Gerard ran into her view and lunged at Darrow the dagger raised, Darrow looked up in surprise as his fingers wound around the hilt.

"NO! DARROW!" Anna screamed as the sword was yanked free and Gerard tackled Darrow to the other side of the stone.

Everything was absolutely still.

"Darrow!" Anna cried scrambling to her feet and wiping the blood off her nose. Finn followed her slipping and sliding but able to stay on his feet.

They ran around the stone and saw Gerard lying limply to the side the dagger clutched in his fist. Darrow sat there looking at them as if he were in a dream, the golden hilt clutched in his fingers and blood dripping off the blade.

They stood there staring at each other for a long silent time.

"He's dead. I killed him," Darrow said his voice sounded dry.

Anna nodded and Finn just stood there looking a dumbstruck, several more silent moments passed with only the sound of their labored breathing and blood dripping onto the ice.

Then the applause started, the fog people were standing now beaming down at them and clapping wildly. They didn't cheer but simply clapped smiling down at the children who stared back uncertainly.

Then Anna spoke the words on everyone's mind, "We actually did it."

"We did!" Finn let out a whoop and leapt into the air crashing back down on to the ice painfully. Darrow laughed standing up with his bloodied sword as the fog people clapped Anna soon found she was laughing too.

A fog woman came down from her seat and went to them silently, she took the sword and wiped the blood off the gleaming blade before handing it back to Darrow in it's sheath. Darrow strapped the sword on uncertainly while the woman handed Anna her shoes.

Anna pulled on her shoes and watched the woman hand Finn the knife he'd dropped, Finn took it gratefully and then the woman pointed. There was a place where the ice had melted, making a circle of the mirror water.

However when Anna gazed down into it she saw the moon glinting on the white marble of the round table on Avalon. That was their way home, Darrow was the first to drop through the water and land lightly on the table bellow, and then Finn followed him clumsily. Anna hesitated at the edge and turned to glance around the small space.

Gerard's men were starting back down the mountain hurriedly leaving his body slumped on the ice. Anna looked at his limp form sadly and felt almost sorry for him, then she turned and stepped down, she fell through the water as if there were none and landed on the table as dry as ever.

Darrow helped her down without a word as she glanced up at the blank white marble ceiling above her.

"It's done," Darrow said softly and Anna nodded looking at him she smiled.

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Epilogue

Anna followed the boys dutifully down the white sands of the beach toward the small boat that waited for them. It had been nearly a week since their adventure at the top of the mountain. Darrow was wearing the sword proudly as he followed Finn toward the boat.

Finn's eyes had swollen but with the proper care he could see out of it again and the bruise was nearly gone. The white women gather around them as Finn clambered into the boat sitting down quickly before he could tip the boat over. Darrow waded into the water and had one foot in the boat he turned to help Anna in.

Anna looked at his offered hand and shook her head, "I'm not going with you."

The past week had been too perfect, too peaceful, she hadn't been able to tell him, hadn't been able to face it. Her time with Darrow on the isolated island of Avalon had been a dream, it had passed all too quickly, and Anna wasn't ready to wake up.

Darrow didn't look very surprised, "I know," he said, "I was hoping you'd change you mind."

Anna smiled sadly, "I have no choice in the matter Dare, it's my duty. You know that."

Darrow nodded, "Yeah, like my duty to Kyrria. Things were so much simpler when you were just the nobleman's daughter and I was just the annoying prince weren't they?"

Anna nodded slowly, "Maybe… maybe this isn't good bye forever."

Darrow finally lowered his hand and looked down at his feet, "Right. Well then Lady Anna," he looked back up at her his green eyes miserable, "Until we meet again."

"Until then," Anna nodded barely able to whisper the words.

With that Darrow turned and climbed into the boat sitting down, the white women dove into the water and started pushing the boat along. Anna stayed on the beach and watched the back of Darrow's head until her vision blurred with tears that spilled over and down her cheeks.

He might have turned around to get one last look, but Anna couldn't tell through the tears, and he was too far away by then.

"Good bye," she whispered turning to go back up to her new home.

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I was crying when I wrote this! I felt so bad separating them, but if you can't live without more Anna/Darrow then you have to keep a look out for my Sequel! Bear with me with the title I'm not so good with the whole naming thing. But it's called Darrow of Kyrria. It's still in the planning process so it might take a few weeks for me to get it up and running but just keep an eye open! Thank you everybody, all my loyal reviewers, for sticking with my heroin!

Ali,