This is the last chapter for this story. :')
*.*.*
The Kingdom of Landseer was no more. The Shadow People took care of the carnage, bloodied up on the ground and on the castle walls. As Parker, Alindor, and Alindor's family reached the next kingdom over, back into the heart of the Land of Talking Animals—Creadon it was once called—they witnessed Landseer vanish from sight.
Landseer was gone, like a memory that would surely fade away and with it its peoples, creatures, and animals that died there. Alindor huffed, realizing he was an orphan, but still had his family to call home.
"They're gone." Alindor got Parker's attention, as he did for his family. "They're all gone. Melisandre, Davin, Jine, and Tracker."
"We'll remember them. Won't we, Alindor?" Ulmayá asked, concerned.
Parker stared at the cat couple, unsure what to do. No words could explain the aching pain growing inside their hearts. While they were lucky to have escaped the Kingdom of Landseer on foot, they were sorely disappointed at how many lives had been lost today. Truly, it was a sorrowful day. Remnants of the Kingdom of Creadon were all that was left for Alindor, Ulmayá, and the rest of their family.
"Well, you needn't fear us now!" the Shadow Man called out, zipping towards them with all haste. Alindor hissed at him, not liking this man, even as the nomadic man stepped out from his dark misty hideout. "Whoa there! Easy kitty! No one's going to hurt you!" He said as the rest of his tribe of Shadow People joined them.
"You killed my parents! What do you have to say about that?" Alindor snarled, ready to pounce on this Shadow Man.
"They deserved their fate. Don't blame us for that, for what Aslan told us to do!" The Shadow Man declared, snarling in return.
"Our mission is simple: to wipe out those who are wicked, except for those we can trust and those who Aslan deems worthy to travel through time and space," the Shadow Woman said, coming out of the dark mist while carrying her spear.
"They didn't deserve to die! How could you do this?" Ulmayá cried, defending Alindor.
"Because you would have done the same thing, but your actions speak truer than what you would have done to them." The Shadow Woman spoke truthfully. She looked at Parker, admitting to him, "Even Parker hasn't shied away from carnage. Tell them how you defeated the Evil Dragonoid Clan back in the Land of Dragons. Didn't you want them dead?"
"When I was Maranguan," Parker said. "That's all I wanted to do was seek out revenge. Those dragonoids could have had a better life," he lowered his head in shame, "had I taken on another path. A good path." He looked at the nomadic woman standing before him, asking her, "How could you do this? Why all the carnage?"
"Ask Aslan and you will understand," the nomadic woman said, kindly. She ended the conversation there. "We'll be watching you. All of you, checking to make sure this doesn't happen again. The Land of Talking Animals is now under the Shadow Peoples' watch, and we will look over this land, this realm, to the best of our abilities." She looked at Parker, Alindor, and Alindor's family, instructing them, "Go now in peace, and pray that you do not run into another crowd of bad people, creatures, and animals." She fled into the dark mist, alongside the nomadic man and all their shadowy, nomadic peoples.
Parker watched the Shadow People flee, vanishing on the spot, right before his very eyes. Parker gulped, returning his gaze to Alindor and Ulmayá, who stared at him in fright and concern.
"I suppose we ought to get moving. It's a long way before we reach the Portal Realm if that's your destination," Parker suggested to Alindor and his family. "You could come with me. Go to the Portal Realm. Get a fresh start! Isn't that what you want?"
"We're not going with you," Alindor said at once, seriously. "I need to stay here in this realm with my family. I may not have long to live, but I know my heart is in the right place with my people, animals, and creatures."
"I would not have it any other way," Ulmayá said, agreeing with her cat husband.
Alindor looked up at Parker, approaching him and shaking his scaly, light red hand. "Good luck. May we meet again in the next life."
"Then I'll see you in the Portal Realm either way," Parker said with a warm, friendly smile.
"I'll see you there, too, after Alindor and I die, leaving this world in peace for the next one," Ulmayá added, wanting to stay closer to her golden house cat husband. She nodded with a warm, light-hearted smile. "Such is the way of things. The way of nature."
"Come on, Ulmayá! Do you really believe that? Death wasn't always in this Universe," Alindor said in disbelief, facing Parker, "and Parker knows this, don't you?"
"Well," Parker stiffened, calming down, "I know some things about the First World. I wasn't hatched there." He sighed, admitting to the two cats, "My home was in Oz. My original home. I was… treated poorly there. I was also raised by humans. That's why I have such strong emotions towards peoples, animals, and creatures. I'm not like other dragonoids, who were raised by other dragonoids. I'm just… me."
"Which explains why you married a human woman," Ulmayá said, smiling fondly at him.
"Yes," Parker smiled back, pleased to hear this, "Yes, that explains a lot. Well, at least I have Halflings in my family tree." He snickered at the memory. The spell he put on Frodo Baggins would wear off soon. He didn't have that much time.
It was settled. He needed to go back to the Chesapeake Manor when all of this was over and done with.
"I love Halflings—Hobbits and humans in general," Parker smiled fondly at the memories and his likes. It gave him something to root for. "They're kind, once you get to know them."
"Of course," Alindor and Ulmayá said in unison.
"Well, good luck," Alindor said, shaking the light red dragonoid's hand again.
"And to you," Parker said, releasing the golden house cat's paw. He looked at the ruined castle ahead, asking the two cats, "So, that's where you're staying next? In Creadon?"
"I think I'll give it a new name," Alindor said with a smirk. He turned to Ulmayá, admitting to her, "We'll give her a new name, this kingdom we're staying at."
"I think the name Creadon's fine for the moment," Ulmayá said, curtly.
"Yes, I suppose it is," Alindor said, his smirk growing wider. He nodded and waved in Parker's direction, telling him, "Don't be a stranger! You're always welcome to stay in the Land of Talking Animals!"
"And with a new king to rule the land, too, no doubt!" Parker said with a light-hearted smile.
"Yes, there's that to consider. Farewell now," Alindor laughed, following his wife, their children, and grandchildren towards the ruined fortress where Creadon stood. It was time to mend the wrongs and hurts, doing what was best for his country.
Alindor would see that Creadon wouldn't fail again. Of this he was sure would happen, for however long it would last.
.
Parker looked at Alindor and his family, watching them leave until they vanished from sight. The light red dragonoid sighed, grateful he did something right for once, in spite of all the heavy losses. He couldn't forget this day, nor what transpired in the Kingdom of Landseer. That was just the way of it, the way it had to be.
He turned his gaze now to a blue-rimmed portal, spinning just behind him. He turned again to his left as an orange-rimmed portal opened up for him. It was a hard, fast decision, but one he needed to take to reach his next destination.
He sighed, deciding to choose the orange-rimmed portal. Right as he crossed the orange-rimmed portal, Parker found himself back in the Portal Realm, with its purplish-dark blue starry sky looming on the horizon, and its colors yellow, brown, blue, green, and purple rippling across the grassy field and mountainous region. Portals floated in the air, with some portals resting on the ground, in all different shape, sizes, and rim colors. Swirling mist formed in some portals, while rippled glass formed in other portals.
It truly was a sight to behold. Only Parker didn't feel so cheery. As soon as his brunette-haired, pale-skinned, green-eyed human wife Eliza Bowler-Dooley walked up to him, wearing a dark blue, sparkly dress, Parker embraced her, hugging her and not letting her go. Fresh tears formed in their eyes, making the losses Parker suffered through unbearable.
"I'm sorry," Eliza whispered in his long, furry red ear, kissing his ear and then his cheek. As soon as they kissed tenderly on the lips, falling deeply into the passionate embrace, they were interrupted by Tobias, the hobbit who looked just like Parker's human-hobbit form and Frodo Baggins, and the golden-brown Great Lion of Narnia, Aslan, who approached them.
Parker released Eliza, keeping an arm wrapped around her shoulder. Clearly, something was up.
"Yes? What is it?" Parker asked, softly, still clinging to his wife.
"The planet Zafna needs your help," Aslan said, calmly but with great sorrow. "It's time." Parker knew what that meant.
The Shadow Empire had reached its end. The only other option now remained for them: to get Qua'ra Holdo and her family off the planet Zafna, before it changed, becoming the broken, barren landscape Teremode. It was a sight Parker hated to witness, but would have to go anyway, if he wanted to save his friend and apprentice from a terrible fate.
*.*.*
That's it for the fourth part of my fanfiction mini-series, The Moral Compass, part of my Origin Series and my Long Series. :) Thanks everyone for taking time out of your busy schedules to read this fanfic until the end. It is much appreciated. :)
We're coming to the conclusion of my First Age Anthology for my Origin Series. It's exciting and sad because we're moving onto the next Age in my Origin Series. A lot more excitement is heading our way. :)
I'll see everyone in the next story. Bye! :)
~ Aria Breuer