A/N: Well, here's the finale of The Heart of the Hawk! This chapter is kinda short, but hopefully you'll all still like it. Thanks so much for everyone who read and reviewed. All the constructive criticism means a lot to me since I want to be an author someday. So thanks for everything, you guys, it really makes me happy to open my email and see those reviews waiting. I enjoyed writing this story very much and it was truly an amazing experience- one that I won't forget (wow, that's corny). But since this was my very fist fanfic, it will always be extra special, and so will the faithful reviewers. Thanks, and this chapter is for you.
I don't think I will write a sequel because I'm too busy right now, but who knows? I have an idea for one…just no time.
Chapter Twenty-One: Risen
"Adima! Adima!" Talso roared as she sped across the quieting battlefield.
Rows of fire still burned in the oily tar pits, and a handful of soldiers remained engaged in battle, but for the most part, the Battle of Badon Hill was over.
Guinevere picked herself up off the ground. "Thank you," she said to Lancelot who stood beside her. "You didn't have to do that."
"What? Save your life?" he asked. They looked each other in the eye for a long time before being interrupted by the thrilling howls that Bors so often made. "Well, he sure sounds triumphant," Lancelot said, smiling.
They could see Gawain and Galahad walking towards them with Bors following, hollering, and pounding his palms against his chest.
"Where's Adima?" Guinevere asked suddenly.
"And Arthur," Lancelot said, looking around.
"And Tristan," Guinevere's face grew pale. "Where are they?"
Passebreul trotted swiftly beside Arthur, who was in the midst of shealding his sword. "What are you doing?" he asked the horse as Breul came to a stop beside him. "Where's Tristan?"
"Adima!" Talso fell to the ground beside her friend. "What?" her voice was frail and her hands shaking.
"Adima! Tristan!" Guinevere called out from far behind her.
"They're over here!" Talso shouted back.
Guinevere's heart dropped and she raced the rest of the way towards her sister, Lancelot and the other knights falling in quickly behind.
"No," Arthur mumbled under his breath when he saw where the others were gathering. Mounting Tristan's horse, Arthur drove Breul into a canter and made his way towards the others.
When he reached them, Arthur dismounted and approached the two lying down. Guinevere, who was holding Adima's hand, looked up at him, her cheeks streaked with tears. "They're alive," she told him.
"Quick!" Arthur ordered. "They need to be taken to a healer immediately.
"Hurry it up!" Bors ordered. "Get them on this horse, here, and we'll take them back to the fort."
"Right," agreed Gawain as he lifted Tristan's body. "Let's hurry."
When Adima awoke, she felt cradled by the warm sun. A soft smile broke on her lips; she felt as if she was in a dream. Then she remembered all that had happened and her smile faded.
"Tristan," she said as she opened her eyes and instantly sat right up.
"Adima," Guinevere, who had been sitting by her side, was grinning ear to ear. Adima had fright in her eyes. "He's going to live," Guinevere said kindly.
"Where is he?" Adima asked, fiercely.
"He's in the next room, sister. He hasn't woken yet."
"Take me to him."
Adima's heart was pounding as she walked through the stone walls of the building. As she paced quickly, she stared at the onyx ring on her finger and smiled. Guinevere followed directly behind.
"In there," she said, pointing her sister in the direction of a door.
Adima entered the room alone; her sister knew that she would want privacy. Tristan was lying in a bed, asleep, when Adima knelt beside him. She took his hands in her own and kissed them softly.
"I was in time," she said, breathlessly.
Tristan could feel warmth coming through his body, coming from his hands. His hands twitched and then loosened, and he shifted slightly closer to Adima.
The Woad kissed his hand again and smiled, placing it tenderly on her cheek. "Adima?" Tristan said, groggily.
"Yes," Adima said. "We're both alright."
The goblet must have been made of gold to shimmer so brightly in the blazing sun, or perhaps it was just the sun that made it glisten so. Merlin held it tightly between his hands as he walked slowly between the pair of lines of Woads that held fiery torches.
The sky was the bluest it had been in many months, and the sun's warmth reflected on them all. A gathering crowd had arrived to witness Guinevere and Arthur's wedding, including Tristan and Adima.
The engaged couple stood near the edge of the cliff, in the center of a circle of stones, beaming with delight. Guinevere's smile faded a little as she glanced at Lancelot, but she forced it again when she looked into Arthur's loving eyes.
Merlin handed Guinevere the golden goblet and she took a sip, and then handed it to her betrothed. Looking gratefully into his love's eyes, Arthur took the goblet and drank, and then they both looked to Merlin.
"Arthur," the druid began. "Guinevere…our people are one, as you are."
Guinevere flashed a quick smile at her sister and looked back to her husband. They shared a kiss, and the gathered crowd cheered, gaily.
"Now I'm really going to have to marry your mother," whispered Bors as he took his newest bastard from Vanora.
Vanora reached for the baby. "Who said I'd have you?"
"King Arthur!" Merlin announced, bellowing it so that all could hear, and recognize their new king.
"Hail Arthur!" the crowd shouted.
Adima gave a little squeeze on Tristan's bandaged hand. At that moment, Merlin kneeled to the new king and queen, and the crowd quickly followed. She was filled with pride, hope, and love, and had never been happier. Everything was alright, she realized. They were safe. Tristan was alive, and Arthur was king. They would start a new life, she and Tristan, and together, they would remain at Arthur's side.
"Let every man, woman, and child bear witness on this day, that all Britons will be united in one common cause," announced Arthur, sincerely, as he raised Excalibur into the sky, as if reaching for the sun.
"Artorius!" shouted Bors, saluting his friend and king with his own sword.
Tristan, Gawain, Lancelot, and Galahad all at once raised their own sword. "Arthur!" they called, and Adima and Talso joined in as well.
Smiling brightly, Guinevere reached for Excalibur and held onto it with her new husband. The cold pommel of the blade felt icy in her slender hands, though the feeling within her was only warmth. She glanced at her sister, Adima, who smiled back at her.
In Adima's eyes, she saw true joy, and in Tristan's, she saw love.
A/N: Well, that's the end, guys. Thanks so much for being a part of this. Also, I won't be posting the bloopers because it's not allowed, and it appears I've deleted one of them but I'll explain what they were if you're curious.
The first was an alternate first kiss scene between Tristan and Adima that I thought was too corny. Basically, he's sitting in the snow and Adima comes over and while he's playing his rote (if you read the real Tristan legend you'd know what that is) and Adima starts singing and then Bors comes over and sings too (for some comedic relief I guess) and then they kiss.
The other scene I really wanted in the story, but was told it was too weird and superfluous, which is true, so I'm glad I didn't post it. Basically, all the knights knew there was tension between Tristan and Adima, so Bors came up with the brilliant idea to set them up. So Bors, Lancelot, Gawain, and Galahad try to get the two into the woods. The get Adima into the woods and then need to find a way to get Tristan to go to where Adima is being distracted by Gawain. So Bors tells him that he saw a rabbit in the woods that Tristan should kill and Tristan is like 'Why don't you kill it?' and ors is like 'Cuz it's dangerous. It's got fangs the size of…it can leap about forty feet…' and so on, to pay homage to the great Monty Python movie, 'The Quest for the Holy Grail'. So, yeah…that was it. Sorry you couldn't read it. It's probably not as funny when I explain in, lol.
Camlann: I really appreciate all your reviews and your faithfulness throughout the writing of this story. Thanks so much. I hope you liked the ending! Keep in touch and update some of your stories!
Artemis Darkclaw: Thank you again for all your reviews too. I'm really glad you like my stories. I like yours too! Thanks again for everything. I hope you had fun in Maine. The numbers at the end of each chapter you write are still cool, lol.
Snape's Opera Rose: Thanks for all of your wonderful reviews. I hope you liked the ending! I wasn't even sure how I was going to end it…it kinda just happened, lol. I still need to read Harry Potter! I love all the other books.
Irishfire: I hope you're still reading this story since you didn't review last time…Well, if you are reading this, thank you for all your reviews. I'm sorry I had to have so many cliffhangers, but I love writing them…tehehe.
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