Maggur had yet to say anything to her, though they had been flying for nearly half an hour. It had given her time to think. First she had thought about how a hurrok had managed to get so close with so many warriors around. Then she had realized that no one would shoot at a hurrok with the chance of missing and hitting any number of people in the crowd. Then she wondered briefly about what Maggur was going to do with her this time now that he had her in his grasp again. Would she be going back to a prison cell or gilded cage? She wasn't sure which one would be better.
Mostly she thought about Ivan and hoped he understood what she had done. She hoped he wouldn't be the one to come after her this time. If he came, then he was falling right into Maggur's trap and she would be at the bloody king's mercy in order to keep her love, her husband alive. She hoped that it wouldn't be Dom or Roald coming for her either. They would put her in much of the same position. She wondered briefly if this would cause a war. How much more proof did the other countries need that she was kidnapped by the Scanran King than seeing him do it right there on her wedding day with tens of thousands of witnesses?
As the time drifted into a silent hour a new thought dawned on Gwen. What if the other countries wouldn't go to war because it was the gods holding them back? What if Maggur wasn't meant to be killed by armies or other rulers? What if Maggur was meant to be killed by someone sent to make a positive change in the world? What if Maggur was meant to be killed by her? It wasn't a pleasant thought. She had never taken a life before and she even felt absolutely terrible for killing spiders though she hated them with a passion. She had always thought it was a bad thing to kill but what if killing someone saved future wars' worth of lives, a country's worth of lives, the world's worth of lives. She knew what he wanted of her. He wanted to use her to take over the other countries, dominating them one by one and subjecting them to his rule with her as his only hostage. She could take a life to stop that, couldn't she?
Yes. She could. But it would have to be done before they landed. She had a feeling that even with Maggur dead the hurrok would still take her to Scanra. She would stand before the people of Scanra and tell them their king was dead and she was there to ensure a better king would take his place. She was the Godssent; it gave her at least a fifty-fifty chance of being listened to. But there was little she could do to kill him in the air. He had a weapon and she was certain if she made a grab for it, he'd notice. She did not have weapons, in order to honor her image as a benign being on her wedding day. No, the only way she would have to kill him was with the height itself and the only way to get him off of the hurrok would be to shove back as hard as she could and let the momentum carry them both off of the behind of the hurrok.
She had always been afraid of heights. Rather, she was afraid of the fall, or really even the landing itself. She was afraid of death and pain. But she was more afraid of what Maggur would do if he was allowed to live. She didn't want to give herself time to think anymore. If she thought more, she'd think of Ivan and the fact they had only been married for a few very short days before she would die. She'd think of Roald who saw her as a friend, guide, and divine being at times that helped him better the world for his people. She'd think of Kai who was ripe to learn while he was still young and could be molded into one of the best kings of all of history. She would think of Dom and Kel and the children they would one day have that she would not be around to see. She would think of Neal and Yuki and their children. She would think of all of the people that were counting on the Godssent to help them. No, she couldn't give herself that chance to think. Instead she took a deep breath and as she exhaled, she shoved back with a shout.
Maggur was caught off guard and she felt his body shift behind her and then with a surprised yell, he was moving backwards and away from her. Then his hand hooked around her waist and she felt the hurrok's body roll out from under her. Then they were weightless and Maggur let his grip on her go. His armor made him plummet like a stone while she, in her much lighter robes, left her falling just a fraction slower. She reached up to her neck where the necklace Ivan gave her still hung and she gripped it hard enough that it bit into her palm. She closed her eyes as the ground neared. She didn't want to see the end. Instead, she imagined Ivan's face as it had been when he had helped her out of her wedding gown and laid her down on the bed for the first time as his wife as she braced for the impact.
She expected a brief second of pain, a moment of realization where death gripped her soul and pulled it from her broken body, anything other than the sensation of the ground ripping apart under her body like thin fabric. She opened her eyes as her body plunged feet first into water cold enough to shock her body into movement. Instinct took over and she let go of the necklace and started to kick and move her arms to bring herself back to the surface. As she broke through, she glanced around to find herself in a vaguely familiar place: the Waters of Life. Above her a light shone down through a hole in the roof of the cave, showing where her body had ripped between the worlds. She swam not towards the shores but towards the base of the tree on the other side where she knew she could possibly climb up and reach the hole. If anything she could try and climb through and reach Tortall once more. As she lifted herself out of the water she realized very briefly that the only things she was wearing was the necklace Ivan had given her and the ring he had given her. Beyond that not one stitch of clothing had come between the worlds with her. It would be something she hoped to correct before facing other people again.
The tree itself hummed under her hands with raw energy and it filled her very being as she placed both palms on the tree. She felt a thousand worlds' worth of life and energy flowing through her like they had been the seeds of her existence and she was the Tree of Life and not simply a small, insignificant being touching the base of it. She felt wise, ancient, unbreakable all at once. But no, she wasn't a tree. She was a human who needed to return home and after some time she was able to realize that enough to break the tree's hold on her body. Quickly she located the branch and the way up to it and scrambled up before the tree's power could grip her again. Then she was at the hole and it was already starting to close. She jumped up gripping the edge of the hole and pulled herself up and through.
She felt briefly like Alice from Alice in Wonderland as she came through the hole to fall sideways out of a pillar. She hit the marble floor and sighed as she sat up. She found herself in a familiar place she was not quite pleased to be: the Court of the Gods. At least this was the right world but that she wasn't back in the mortal realms could mean so many things. They could be sending her home now that she had eliminated one of the largest threats to peace and the slow moving equality. They could be sending her home for assuming she knew what they wanted and killing a king. They could be only there to tell her she truly was dead. She did at least know it had something to do with Maggur because his blood stained armor lay on the marble floor next to her as the hole between the worlds sealed completely shut just above her.
The thrones of the Gods filled in around her as more and more of them arrived to see her addressed. But no one spoke. Oddly she did not feel uncomfortable facing the gods in not but her skin and jewelry. Mithros, the Goddess, and the Black God were all still missing from their thrones and Gwen only had to guess the three of them were the only ones that needed to be present for what was to be said to her. The bloody armor on the floor made her feel guilty. She had been responsible for the ending of a life. She wasn't sure how long she stewed in her guilt as she stared at the bloody armor, the three empty thrones, and the place where the hole in the worlds had been above her. It felt like seconds, but then like days, and then like years until she felt a chilling hand touch her shoulder. She looked up into the shadow of a face that belonged to the Dark God and couldn't help but hang her head like a shamefaced child.
"It was not my right to take his life," she whispered, feeling in every part of her being that it was bad she had killed someone, but there was something else inside of her the rose up and more words rushed to her mouth before she could stop herself. "But I'd do it again under the circumstances. He was a terrible person that only was king to make himself more powerful. He did nothing good for his people, causing only pain and misery even to those loyal to him." She stuck her nose up and jutted her small chin out in the most stubborn fashion she could imagine. She hadn't exactly meant to say it all but now that it was said, she knew she had accurately described his nature and she would do it again if she was faced with another Maggur.
"We have seen all he has done and all you have experienced at this man's hands," the Goddess' voice drew her attention. "His punishment in the afterlife has been discussed and it has already begun to be carried out. As one of his many victims, know that we are punishing him justly."
"It is you that we must find a place for now," Mithros spoke calmly. Gwen felt her heart stop. She was dead and she would go to the Black God's realms only to be punished for the life she took and all of the bad she had done in life. Maybe her punishment wouldn't be as bad. She had done so much to try and make up for her mistakes in life. And maybe, one day, she would get to see Ivan again. Would he remarry by then? Would he have a new love, a family, and forget all about her by then? Maybe that would be punishment enough, to go eternity watching the one that you promised your love and life to with another.
"Your punishment for knowingly killing another human being and admitting a willingness to do so again, under the circumstances of course, is to return to Tortall and resume your place as the Godssent. Your punishment includes continuing to spread the word of peace and equality while creating your own blood line to carry on your message after you have grown old and have died a natural death." The Goddess' voice was somewhat amused as Gwen looked up in shock.
"I believe your husband has been missing you," Mithros told her kindly. The Black God reached his hand down and suddenly she was on her feet again and was standing in an empty hallway. This was her hallway, the hallway her guards lived in. It was night judging by the darkness, and late judging by the quiet as she moved along the doorways. How much time had passed? It could have been merely hours or even months. Time was different between the worlds and even between the Realm of the Gods and the mortal realm. The door at the end of the hall, her door, was open, light and quiet voices spilling out as Gwen drew nearer.
"To Gwen. Godssent, friend, wife, sister, daughter, and teacher. May she rest in peace." That was Dom's quiet voice and she could hear as cups clanked together to acknowledge the toast. So they thought she was dead. No, they knew she was dead. Enough time had passed for them to realize Maggur was gone and so was she. How long would it have taken to identify Maggur's body? What had been left behind of her to identify? Her clothing maybe as she was still without it. She wouldn't know unless she asked and she certainly wouldn't be asking that question any time soon. Instead she moved forward and leaned against the door frame to look in on all of her guards, Ivan, Sir Raoul, Duke Baird, Roald, and Sir Myles gathered around toasting to her memory. It would be touching, if she was really dead. Something barely substantial settled around her shoulders and Gwen realized she was being wrapped in a black cloak to hide her nudity. Looking up she saw the Black God at her side and gave him a smile, finding her courage building inside of her again.
"I'll rest just fine I believe," Gwen found her voice at last. It was slow at first. One pair of eyes looking up to take in her appearance, then two, then four, then everyone as they all turned to look at the source of the voice and connected the words to what had been said before. Ivan said nothing as he set his cup was set down. He did not break eye contact with her as he made his way over to her. There was no trace of smile on his face, no hint of laughter in his eyes as he stopped inches from her. He had several gray hairs visible and one or two wrinkles starting around his mouth. That was all she had time to notice before he reached out to touch her cheek and then, discovering she was real and not some illusion or ghost, he pulled her into a tight embrace.
"Are you back or are you just saying goodbye?" Roald asked quietly nodding behind her. She glanced up to see the Black God still with her and clearly visible to those in the room as they all stared at him.
"My punishment stands?" She addressed her question to the god. The hooded figure nodded and then reached down to wrap Ivan's arms a little tighter around her before disappearing on the spot. In Ivan's arms everything caught up with her. It seemed like it had been ages before that she had been standing on the platform with Ivan miming out a pledge of eternity to him. Ages ago that she had killed Maggur. Ages since she had climbed the Tree of Life. Ages before that she had spoken to the gods. The time finally took a toll on her and her body slumped against the safety of Ivan's embrace.
"Is she… dead… now?" Neal asked as Ivan shifted to lift Gwen's body up. He looked up, seemingly surprised by the others in the room and by the question.
"No, she's sleeping. I'm guessing she's had a long journey since we parted. Goddess and Mithros know that committing regicide, dying, and suddenly reappearing would wear any normal human out for weeks." Ivan smiled down at the sleeping woman in his arms. "I'm betting she'll be up and wondering where her clerks are in about three days."
"I'll bet you 10 gold crowns that it's two," Dom said after a moment causing a laugh from those in the room. "Ivan, I believe it's time you take your wife to bed."