~Chapter Forty-Eight~
Aftermath
Heat was slowly rising off the rocks near where Brooklyn lay, and over the ringing in his ears, he heard soft crackling sounds embedding from them, like embers in a fire. Lifting his head and blinking away his spinning vision, he felt groggy as he came-to.
Part of him wished that he could keep his eyes shut a bit longer and sleep his exhaustion off; however, duty and instincts kicked in, telling him that he needed to get up, help the others, and evaluate the damage.
Groaning and rubbing his sore head, Brooklyn pushed himself off his stomach and knelt on all four of his limbs, breathing in deeply to clear the fog in his head.
Around him, he heard his siblings moaning as they came-to, and relief pulsed through his chest. Once his vision cleared and the smoke thinned, Brooklyn surveyed the cliff they were on and was shocked to find its interface had changed.
Giant boulders had blasted apart when Demetrius's power exploded, and small fires, which were already smoldering, were licking the surfaces of the cliff.
Exhaling a breath, Brooklyn slowly got to his feet and looked around. Demona laid nearby on her side, her back and fiery red hair facing him. His siblings got to their feet, and next to him, Puck was awake and resting against a boulder. The bleeding in his abdomen had slowed down significantly, but he was still weak from the injury.
Brooklyn's eyes then went to Rose's figure, who was lying on her side, completely motionless. His heart jumped into his throat.
"Rose!"
Jumping across the cliff-top, he landed softly next to her, knelt, and gently scooped her body into his arms with tears swimming in his eyes. Her eyes were shut, and more cuts and blood had lined her beautiful face.
"Rose?" He whispered, caressing his palm across her soft skin and wiping some soot off. "Baby?"
She didn't answer.
Brooklyn shook her once. "Rose… please, babe, wake up." He shook her again, this time a bit rougher, his tone louder. "Rose!"
Finally, a soft groan left her lips, and her eyelids shuttered. Then, a faint tingling sensation flowed through his limbs.
"Oh, thank the stars!"
Closing his eyes, he focused on his breathing and the uneven pounding of his heart. Gulping, he then looked back down at her face and caressed her skin again. Other than her bleeding head and other minor injuries, Rose appeared uninjured, which he thanked the heavens above for.
Brooklyn gently scooped her body into his lap and let her head rest against his chest. Holding her close, he willed their soul-bond to continue to help her regain consciousness and heal her of her wounds. With her laying against him, he could feel her heart beating gently against his chest, and within their soul-bond, he also heard the healthy pulsing of their child's heart.
More tears welled up in his eyes as he closed them and held her close, silently praying to the Gods in thanksgiving for saving hers and their child's life.
A few minutes went by in silence, and finally, Rose groaned again. Her eyes fluttered open, blinked a few times, and then looked up at him in confusion.
"Brooklyn?"
"Jalapeña," Brooklyn breathed in relief, crying into her hair. "Rose, thank goodness you're still alive and alright!"
Leaning his face down, he pressed his lips to hers and kissed her lightly. It was a gentle caress, instead of how deeply he wanted to kiss her. Gaining her strength back, Rose sat up a bit better in his arms and moaned happily as they continued to kiss tenderly. She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him close.
After a few seconds, Brooklyn slowly pulled away from their kiss, smiled at her, and then cupped her face.
"Are you alright, my love?"
"I guess," she sighed. "I'm… tired. Really, really, tired and kind of banged up, but other than that, I am alright." She looked into his tearful eyes, and seeing how much he was hurting, she dove right into her apology. "Look… about what Puck and I planned. I… I'm sorry that we-"
"I thought you and our child were dead," Brooklyn cut in, his voice barely above a whisper. "When Demetrius stabbed the relic of Excalibur into your abdomen… I swear that I was going to…" his voice faltered, and he then looked away from her.
Rose swallowed heavily and knew what he was about to say.
"I know. I'm so sorry, Brooklyn."
Silence passed between them for a few seconds, and he was still refusing to look at her out of what she knew to be him trying to hold himself together. Brooklyn exhaled shakily, and a dry sob exited his throat. When he finally looked at her, tears were streaming down his face.
Rose cupped his jaw and moaned. "Oh, Brooklyn- honey, I…"
"I was going to die with you," he breathed, his face serious. "You do understand this, don't you? With you and our child gone, I couldn't even think or imagine still living in this godforsaken world alone. Not after you-" his throat bobbed, and he couldn't continue.
Tears welled up in Rose's eyes. She could feel the intensity of his pain within her soul, and it was breaking her heart. Pulling his face down to hers, she kissed his lips deeply. Their lips danced tenderly for a few minutes, not in any rush to go deeper, but not in any hurry to end, either.
Finally, she broke away, rested her head against his jaw, and whispered, "I'm sorry, Brooklyn. I'm so sorry for causing you pain, but it was the only way we could have pulled this off."
Brooklyn nodded, keeping his face close to hers, and stole small kisses in the pauses of their conversation.
"I figured as much," he breathed, "but it doesn't change the fact that I had to watch you, essentially, die… again."
Rose smiled sadly at him. "I know. I'm so sorry, my love."
Brooklyn smiled back at her, then narrowed his eyes slightly. "What puzzles me is how Puck found us. I had no idea he was there when we were fighting Kevin."
Rose shrugged. "He came from the battle and was seeing if we needed any help. Regardless, he found me when Kevin knocked me off the cliff and told Akira and me that he had a plan to kill Demetrius. So, automatically, I was all in. He then told me that shape-shifting back into my human form, while he took my place, was the only way we could trick my father." She paused and shook her head, cupping his face. "I hadn't tried to shape-shift back into my human form before. The thought never even crossed my mind that it could be done. I was so sure that my human form had died when my father sacrificed my blood to the curse… but I guess I was wrong. I was able to easily shape-shift back into who I once was, " she paused, then smiled, "which means our child may have shape-shifting capabilities, as well."
Rose looked down at herself, then cupped her stomach. Brooklyn followed her gaze, smiled, then rested his claws over her hands.
"I can't wait to see," he breathed, and Rose smiled at him.
"Me too." She paused, then asked, "what… form of mine do you prefer?"
Brooklyn scoffed. "Oh, Rose, this again?"
"No, I want to know. Please?"
Brooklyn exhaled profoundly and smiled at her.
"I love you as both a Human and a Fae. Okay? Polka-dotted dragon, remember? You're my Rose and will always be mine. But, I must admit…" he raised a claw and touched her face tenderly, "seeing you as a human again, your beautiful hazel-green eyes, your soft, luscious body… blew me away. Seeing you in the form of the woman I first fell in love with was incredible to me, especially when you stood up to the Lord of the Dead. I feared for your safety but trusted in your strength and powers. I know you were more than capable of defeating him, no matter your form."
Rose smiled and leaned her cheek into his palm, but after a few seconds, her smile faltered slightly.
"Brooklyn, I am sorry about the pain I caused you. I know what it's like to witness your mate getting stabbed and thinking they are dead. I wouldn't wish that pain on anyone, especially on the one that I love with all my heart and soul."
"I know," Brooklyn whispered, pulling her into his arms and holding her close. "I forgive you, my love. I know now that it was for the best."
Rose nodded but still let her tears fall as he gently rubbed her back.
"We had to keep you in the dark, just in case Demetrius was reading your mind. Puck told me that keeping you out of our plan would make me sneaking up to attack my father even more plausible, and he was right. I knew it would be difficult for you to see me in that state, but trust me, my love, I never meant to cause you pain. I just did what it took to stop my father."
Brooklyn pulled away from her, stared back intently into her hazel eyes, those beautiful eyes that held his heart hostage the moment they first met and melted into them.
"I know, it's okay, Rose. I'm just so…" he paused and drew her face closer to his, wanting to kiss her and never stop, "I'm just so thankful that you and our child are alive. And I… I'm so proud of you. My beautiful, brave, and bad-ass mate, I'm so damn proud of you for everything you've managed to do here. I'm proud of you for being so strong and for fighting in a freaking war while pregnant. I mean, good heavens Rose, you killed the Lord of Hel and Death in your condition! Is there anything you can't do?"
"Thank you," Rose laughed softly, cupping his jaw in her hands and gently kissing his lips. "And I'm so proud of you too because it was your strength and love that helped me get through tonight. Without you, I would have been so lost. Just like I was back in Hel before you rescued me. I didn't realize how empty I had become, and despite me trying to fight Demetrius's influences, the darkness was slowly draining my soul of all life and light." She shut her eyes and shook her head. "You have saved my life so many times, Brooklyn, and I can't ever thank you enough for doing so."
Guiding her by the head to meet his lips, Brooklyn closed his eyes to kiss her deeply.
"I do it because I love you, and you're mine to love and care for. You have saved my soul, heart, and life too, my love, don't you forget how much I treasure you."
Rose exchanged a loving smile with him, and both leaned into each other. With Demetrius dead and the New Olympian army attacking the rest of Hel's creatures, they wanted to lose themselves in each other's love and kiss until they couldn't kiss anymore.
Rose suddenly stopped inches from his lips, looked past him, and gasped in horror.
Brooklyn pulled her into his chest and whirled around right as a Draugr landed on the cliff from the air, shrieking with claws out to maim them. He crouched to take it on when the Draugr suddenly went silent, halted in mid-step, and slowly shut its massive jaw of razor-sharp teeth, looking shocked.
Rose and Brooklyn exchanged glances at each other, both silently wondering what was happening. The Draugr suddenly staggered backward, clutching its chest.
Then-
It raised his skull to the sky, opened its mouth in a wordless gape, and disappeared into an ash cloud. Not a bone or fragment of its corpse was left.
Silence passed between them for a few seconds, then Brooklyn finally spoke.
"What... in the world... was that all about?"
"I have no idea," Rose replied, stunned. Draugr had never acted like that before, nor has she seen them randomly burst into ash before.
Before they could speak, a thunderous roar suddenly rose from the battle below them. Exchanging worried glances at each other once more, they ran over to the ledge of the cliff, looked down at the valley below them, and gasped.
All of the Draugr, Trolls, Ogres, and Dark Elves on the battlefield also evaporated into a cloud of ash, leaving their soldiers alone, without an opponent to fight.
Just then, Broadway, Angela, Akira, and Lexington walked up and stood next to them, also looking over the edge.
"Whoa," Lexington whispered, jumping slightly. "What the-?"
"What is going on?" Akira whispered.
"They are… disappearing," Angela added in amazement.
"How is that possible?" Broadway asked.
Rose stared down at the evaporating clouds of ash, wracking her brains for the answer. Nothing the army from Greece did could have caused all creatures from Hel just to die, automatically.
There was something else going on.
Looking behind her shoulder, she stared at the spot where her father's body had exploded and where the death curse on his staff and Excalibur now lay. The orbed ball hadn't been broken- so that couldn't be the reason they were dropping like flies.
"It's because I killed Demetrius," she suddenly whispered, slowly realizing the truth. She then looked at their faces, which mirrored her astonishment. "They are dying because I killed their source of power! The very reason they existed!"
"So, killing Demetrius meant killing his armies, as well?" Brooklyn asked, looking at her in amazement.
Rose smiled and nodded.
"Does this mean that we won?" Angela asked, glancing between everyone's faces before looking at Rose.
Rose contemplated her words for a moment, turned back to the emptying battlefield of Hel's creatures, and exhaled out a half-sob, half-laugh as tears swam in her eyes.
"I think so. I mean, the prophecy did say that the Goddess of Death would triumph and Avalon would fall." She gestured to the burning battlefield of Avalon. "And with me holding that title… I would say I've triumphed, and Demetrius's Avalon has fallen."
"And you did sacrifice yourself for the good of all," Brooklyn added. "So does that mean the prophecy is fulfilled? Are things in balance now?"
Rose contemplated his words, wanting to say yes when she suddenly felt unsettled. Deep down, inside of her, she knew that the battle wasn't over.
Something, still, wasn't quite right.
"I don't know," she finally admitted.
"So, what now?" Lexington suddenly asked her, and she turned to face him.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, we've won the fight. You took a sword from Demetrius. Does that mean this is all over?"
Rose stared at Lexington, unsure how to answer him. The sensation in her chest was growing stronger. It was a warning of sorts.
Slowly, after racking her brain, she shook her head.
"No… I don't think it's over."
Brooklyn chuckled lightly and placed his claws on her shoulders.
"What? Of course, it is, babe. Look-' he pointed to the near-empty battlefield, "only our armies are left standing. Demetrius is gone. The curse is still intact, and with him stopped, a balance has been brought back to the world. You took a freaking sword for these people. What else could the prophecy be referring to?"
"But I didn't sacrifice anything for anyone," Rose whispered, turning to face him. "That wasn't me. It was Puck who took the sword for-" she suddenly stopped, gasped, and whirled around. "Oh my gosh, Puck!"
She had completely forgotten about him and the near-fatal injury he took while shape-shifted as her.
Behind them, Puck was sitting up, resting his back against the boulder, and was still awake but was as white as a sheet. His hand was cupping his bleeding abdomen.
Dashing over, Rose knelt by his side and touched his arm, surveying his wound.
"I'm so sorry, Puck!"
"Just barely remembered that I was still here, did you?"
Though trying to be his usual light and witty tone, his voice was quieter and more solemn with growing weakness and came out with a wince.
"That sword replica may not have been the insta-killer that the real one is, but I still wielded it out of iron, which has weakened me greatly. I figured your father was going to try to kill you, and, to make sure our plan succeeded, I had to make my performance as real as possible."
"I'm sorry," Rose whispered, moving his hands and replacing hers over his bloody wound. Puck winced again and had shut his eyes at the pain. "I'm so sorry that this happened, Puck. Here, let me heal you."
"That would be very much-" he winced again as he took a deep breath, "appreciated." He took another breath, then added, "I… I thought the wound would heal itself, but it would appear that Demetrius really wanted you dead. He stabbed that thing into me very deeply." He looked up at her, his face sweating slightly. "Good thing it was me and not you, though. You and your child would be dead."
Puck winced again.
"Shh," Rose whispered. "Stop talking, Puck. You need to save your strength."
Tears then welled up in her eyes as she stared at her bloodied hands, thinking upon his words, and her throat bobbed.
"I… I know words can't and won't ever do what you did for me, justice, but… thank you, Puck. Thank you for being willing to make that sacrifice for my child and me. I-I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you."
Puck smiled. "Oh, you know me, Rose. I'll… I'll eventually think of something."
Rose grinned back, knowing it could be dangerous territory to be in debt to a Trickster, but after what he did for her, she trusted him completely.
Brooklyn suddenly knelt behind Rose and placed a claw on hers and Puck's shoulders.
"We both are indebted to you, Puck," he added softly. "I have to thank you for what you did. I thought I had lost my mate and child forever, but because of you, they are alive, this war is over, and our lives can finally return to normal. I don't know how I'll ever make it up to you, but I will try. I promise."
Puck smiled weakly at him now. "It was nice for you to share your love with me, Brookie. And here, I thought you detested me, but the whole time I was Rose, it was all googly eyes and sappy moments. I probably could have kissed you had you tempted me even more."
Everyone burst out laughing behind him, and Brooklyn's smile fell as he shook his head, sighing, "and… the moment is now ruined. You are impossible, Puck."
"Oh, but you love me," Puck teased. "You said so yourself when you thought I was dying when I told you that our love is forever. Remember?"
Brooklyn stared back at Puck, his face half-frozen in shock and disgust.
"I remember…"
"It's you and me now, Brooklyn," Puck said weakly with a teasing smile. "When Rose heals me, this relationship of ours will last forever."
"Goody," Brooklyn quipped dryly. "I can't wait."
Rose chuckled, glancing over her shoulder to look at Brooklyn's unamused face, then, to her shock, he suddenly tipped his head back and burst out laughing. Puck joined him, just to stop, wince, and cry out hoarsely, instead.
"Yeah, don't laugh," Rose said, pushing down harder on his abdomen as blood seeped through her fingers. "That's what you get for trying to get my husband to hate your guts again."
"Hey," Puck said through gritted teeth, gasping through the pain, "we were bonding."
Rose laughed again, shaking her head at their love-hate relationship, shut her eyes, and focused on his wound now.
The healing magic became more accessible to her than she ever remembered as a human. It immediately flowed out of her hands and encompassed his entire abdomen in bright red light without much effort.
After a few seconds, the magic faded, and under her hand, his abdomen was completely healed. Puck's breathing relaxed and leveled out as he rested his head against the boulder.
"Oh, thank you, Rose," he sighed in relief. "That feels much better."
"You're welcome. It's the least I can do."
Puck exhaled deeply, opened his eyes, then said, "you may want to go and check on the others, though, and see if they need some of your magical healing. For a moment there, our armies were getting their butts whooped."
That was something Rose had been dreading to hear but knew that it was in her duty to do so. She nodded. "Don't worry. I will."
Just then, they heard groaning from behind them. When they all turned to see who it was, Demona had woken up and was shaking her head back and forth. Rose slowly stood up to face her, but Brooklyn kept his claws on her shoulders and stopped her.
"Don't bother with her," he whispered, glaring in Demona's direction. "Demona has made her choice. Time and time again, she's chosen to betray and try to destroy us. It's best if we leave her."
Rose turned to face him in shock. "But she could be hurt."
Brooklyn looked unconcerned as he shrugged, "not my problem, nor do I care."
"Surely, you can't be that angry with her," Rose whispered a bit angrily, noting Angela's demeanor fall from the corner of her eyes. But Brooklyn snorted at her.
"Oh, but I think that I can. Demona has done nothing to earn our trust back. If anything, she's the cause of all this mess."
Rose continued to stare at him for a few seconds, then whispered, "or maybe… she wasn't."
Brooklyn raised an eye bone at her. "Excuse me? I don't think you understand what she's-"
"I do understand what she's done and what she's become Brooklyn," Rose cut in, "and I know the clan is angry and distrusting of her, but that doesn't mean that she's completely unredeemable. She could have been under Demetrius's control this entire time, just like my mother was."
Brooklyn crossed his arms over his breast-plated chest now, looking angry.
"Really, Rose? Want to reminisce over what Demona has done for a moment? She threatened your life at our wedding just because you were a human, and her hatred for humans warranted that attack. No one was controlling her actions, only her. Then, she helped bring Kevin back from the dead, knowing that he could be a powerful asset in bringing you down. Remember that?"
Rose crossed her arms over her chest as he stepped closer to her.
"This entire time, Demona has chosen for herself to work with Hela and Demetrius, knowing exactly what the outcome would be," Brooklyn continued. "She doesn't care about any of us, the outcome of what the curse will do, and probably only joined their side because Demetrius promised to kill off all the humans with the death curse. She is an unredeemable monster, Rose, and can never be trusted."
"There was a time that I thought my mother was an unredeemable monster, but it turns out that I was wrong," Rose argued softly, then turned away when Brooklyn opened his mouth to argue. When she saw how distraught Angela was, she spoke to her instead. "Demona came into my room one night, back in Hel, and was trying to help me. Not because she liked me, necessarily, but because she realized that a mother's love was changing Hela, and it reminded her of her daughter, and how badly she wanted to be redeemed for her sake."
Angela's eyes were filled with tears now.
Rose smiled and nodded at her, then turned back to face Brooklyn.
"Look, I know this doesn't make sense, and I know what she's done, my love. I also know that maybe she won't ever change when it comes to the clan; however, when I looked into her eyes and saw deep within her soul, I didn't see an unredeemable monster, just pain. Deep, self-loathing, pain and someone who is trying to fight her demons, but, doesn't know how to."
Brooklyn didn't say anything but continued to stare at her with narrowed eyes. Rose smiled, then gently placed her hand upon his tight-gripped claws.
"She deserves another chance," she breathed, and Brooklyn's eyes widened.
"Demona's had more chances than she deserves, and she's blown every single one of them," Broadway argued loudly. "Including the time after Angela and I had our egg! Angela was sure she would change then but hasn't. Brooklyn is right. Demona can't be trusted and shouldn't be given any more chances."
Rose stared at Broadway for a few seconds, then lowered her eyes, smiling sadly. "I've had more chances than I probably deserved too, but yet, here I am."
"Yeah, well, you aren't evil, Rose," Brooklyn whispered, then pointed a talon in Demona's direction. "She is."
"I thought she was evil too until I saw the longing for belonging and purpose in her eyes." Rose then turned and faced Demona's kneeling figure. "The desire to get things right, for once, and I think she deserves at least one more chance to help make things right."
Nobody said anything as she approached Demona, who was panting slightly and kneeling on all fours. Rose slowly knelt next to her and went to place her hand upon her shoulder.
"Don't," Demona suddenly whispered, and Rose's hand froze, but she stayed calm.
"Don't what?"
"Don't try to help me."
Rose stared at her, smiled, then gently placed her hand upon her shoulder anyway. Demona looked up at her with wide eyes, and Rose could instantly see how tired and exhausted her mind was.
How desperate her soul was to be free from her pain.
"Are you hurt?" Rose whispered.
"Please," Demona whispered in a broken voice, "leave me alone."
Rose shook her head. "Sorry, I'm not going to."
Demona shook her head, then looked at her with irritation. "What is it with you? I have done nothing good to you to warrant your help and certainly do not deserve your kindness."
Rose smiled at her. "Because I see that you need help, and kindness is something you've not received from a human in a very long time."
"You're not a-" she paused, then looked her human form up and down, then blinked in shock, "oh."
"Let me help you, Demona," Rose whispered. "Are you hurt? I can heal you."
Demona watched her warily for a few seconds, then exhaled out in disgust and gave into her pride.
"No, but I have been under Demetrius's control ever since you left Hel with Brooklyn. Any creature that was left in his kingdom, he controlled with his magic and mind. I didn't stand a chance." Demona looked up at Angela now. "I'm sorry."
Angela's eyes were brimmed with thick tears, and she was breathing deeply, trying not to sob.
"I… I couldn't fight past him," Demona continued to whisper with eyes closed, "he was too powerful, and my head is just throbbing from his hold over my mind. His magic was so cold and empty."
Rose nodded, knowing exactly how that felt.
"We don't pity you," Brooklyn suddenly said coldly, glaring at her. Rose whipped around and glared at him.
"Brooklyn!"
"I don't buy her sop story, Rose," he snapped, walking over to them. "You believe what you want, but at the end of the day, she still chose to join Hela and Demetrius in this worldwide conquest for the destruction of all life, knowing exactly what that entailed."
"Not all life," Demona argued shakily.
"No, just all of the millions of innocent humans and our Clan," Brooklyn shot back, his eyes brutal and unforgiving. Rose continued to stare at him, with her hand on Demona's shoulder, but she lost some of her muster in defending Demona, and part of her wasn't sure why she was.
Angela slowly stepped forward and knelt on her mother's other side, not saying anything but offered silent support.
Demona, however, didn't answer him.
Brooklyn snorted, then pointed a talon in her direction. "See what I mean? She doesn't even deny it!"
"Brooklyn," Rose tried again. "Babe, enough. Please." But he was yelling at her now.
"Demona is one of the reasons for this war, and for Kevin being alive! I don't care that she was under Demetrius's mental hold. She was part of his army-" he whipped around and snarled his teeth at Demona, "-and she should pay for all of the pain she's caused so many innocent lives!"
Rose shot to her feet instantly and crossed over to face her enraged mate. He stood firm before her at his full height, but she didn't back down, either. They stared into each other's eyes for a few intense seconds, and while Brooklyn was tensing to argue with her more, Rose's eyes softened and slowly brought her hands up to his face, cupping his jaw.
"Brooklyn, my love," she whispered with tears in her eyes, "hasn't there been enough death, war, hatred, contention, and fighting… for one day?"
Brooklyn flinched as if she had slapped him, but she stepped even closer to him.
"How can we bring a balance to this world if we continually judge creatures who are trying to change? Or snarl at the mistakes they are trying to wipe clean?"
Brooklyn's jaw tightened under her grip, but when he raised his claws to hold onto her waist, his touch was gentle and tender.
"Or, my love, are we merely turning a blind eye to the fact that they will never change?"
Rose raised an eyebrow at him. "Hela did."
"She chose to change sides for your sake, yes, but that hardly changes what damage she caused you. What damage she caused to us."
"She atoned for those mistakes by helping me escape and then saving my life," Rose whispered, smiling sadly at him and caressing her fingers up and down his jaw. "Many times tonight, myself and our child would have been dead, but thanks to her, we didn't meet that fate."
Brooklyn looked down, but Rose forced him to look at her, and her eyes were swimming with tears. "My love, doesn't my mother's sacrifice account for something?"
Brooklyn exhaled deeply and shut his tired eyes.
"Of course it does."
Rose smiled sadly and sniffed away tears. "And does that include our forgiveness?"
Brooklyn froze at her words, and he looked downcast as he opened and shut his mouth. Sighing out heavily, he finally whispered, "I don't know. Maybe one day, I'm still not there yet. Despite what she did for you and our child, however, I'm working on it."
"And that's okay," Rose breathed. "That's okay, my love. I know it's a complicated and difficult thing, but if we can find it in ourselves to forgive Hela for what she's done and atoned for, then shouldn't Demona have that same chance to redeem if that's what she truly desires now? What if she has awoken from her corrupt slumber? Risen from evil's grasp like my mother did, even if it's for Angela's sake? Shouldn't our answer to her be tolerance and patience? And even if we can't forgive her for what she's done today, can't we still tell ourselves, maybe one day? If not for them, but don't we owe it to ourselves to try, even if it's to be at peace?"
Brooklyn groaned quietly, passing a silent glance in Demona's direction, then nodded his head once and grumbled, "I suppose."
Rose leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "I love you."
Brooklyn's gaze softened. "I love you t-"
"Oh, thank goodness you all are alright!"
Rose and Brooklyn turned around to face the deep voice and sound of wings joining them and watched Goliath land in front of them. He was panting slightly, and his deep lavender face had paled somewhat. Goliath's eyes skimmed the cliff and looked instantly relieved to see everyone alive and accounted for.
"Thank the stars," he sighed again, collecting Akira and Angela in his broad arms as they ran to hug him. He then glanced over at Puck, Demona, Broadway, and Lexington, who had picked up Excalibur and the Death Curse and were holding both carefully in their claws, then his wary gaze settled on Rose and Brooklyn.
"Lord Demetrius-?"
"Is gone," Rose answered. "I took his head off with Excalibur. He's dead."
Goliath drew out a breath in relief. "So, that's the explosion I saw from the ground! I thought… I was worried that…" he stopped, took another deep breath as he squeezed Angela and Akira tighter, then said, "no matter. I'm relieved to hear that he's dead and that you are all alive. It would appear his armies couldn't continue to live without his power to uphold them."
"Yes, the Draugr and Dark Elves all disappeared up here," Brooklyn said.
"As they did down on the battlefields," Goliath added. "But now, we are rounding up our armies and helping the wounded into the castle."
Rose's heart sank, and she couldn't bear to hear how many friends and family were wounded or had been lost- but she needed to know.
"How many were wounded?"
"Overall, just a handful of us, and luckily their wounds aren't too terrible," Goliath said but looked miserable as he said it. "Elisa is alive and fine, King Arthur is helping the wounded into the Castle, as is Kai, and Ilana with a handful of her sisters are helping them out now."
Rose exhaled out a breath of relief and leaned into Brooklyn, holding her stomach. But, he had his eyes on Goliath- whose face had paled.
"And… any deaths?" Brooklyn asked him in a whisper, and to Rose's utter horror, he slowly nodded.
"We lost a bunch of Xanatos's robots, a couple of hundred Third Race beings and Asgardians. No Gargoyles were killed, thankfully, but…"
"What?" Brooklyn caught his tone and stepped closer to him. "Goliath, what is it?"
Goliath looked miserable. "It's Coco and Hudson. They were taking on a few trolls, elves, and dwarves together, right before Demetrius died. And it... it's not looking good, Brooklyn."
Brooklyn was frozen. Rose stepped closer to Goliath, and by now, Demona had gotten to her feet and was listening.
"Goliath," Rose whispered, dread filling her entire body. "What about them? What happened?"
"While Coco was taking on the creatures, a Draugr snuck up behind her and bit her neck."
Everyone gasped. Angela's face paled, Akira raised her claws to her mouth, and Rose felt like she was about to vomit.
"What?" Broadway cried.
"It gets worse," Goliath said hoarsely.
"What's worse than that?" Lexington exclaimed.
"When Hudson was distracted by her injury, a troll stabbed a large, poisonous sword through his chest, seconds before they disappeared in clouds of ash." Goliath lowered his head and shut his eyes as tears welled up in them. "Elisa, Kai, Gabriel, Griff, and Staghart are with them now, but… there's… there's nothing we can do for them. There is too much blood." He looked at Rose, his dark eyes drenched with tears. "They are dying."
Horrified gasps erupted from everyone.
Demona's jaw dropped open, Puck even got to his feet, his face pale and solemn, but Rose stopped hearing and seeing.
With an explosion of fire and power, her human form disappeared and was replaced by her powerful Fae form.
With her amber eyes gleaming like living fire, she stretched her large, black, feathered wings out, shot off the cliffs with a blast of air, and took off towards the battlefields quicker than a bullet.