Chapter Twenty-Eight: Farewell
Five years would pass for the Kingdoms to heal, with Tali as the new Empress Samarkand with time was rebuilt into the glorious kingdom it had once been, of course, she had help from her royal adviser and Husband Logan.
Albion rejoiced with the return of its king and the soldiers that were left behind in Samarkand during the war against Corruption. The Joy would grow even more with the royal family welcoming a new heir.
Saker did succeed in rebuilding his bandit camp, however, due to his adventures and perhaps the influence of Logan, Saker decided to follow a new path, he created the Defenders of Albion, warriors who for the right money will solve any problems the people of Albion need.
Need a Balverine slayed? Call the Defenders. Need someone to beat the stuffing out of a jerk? Call the Defenders. The Guild became so popular even the King hired their help from time to time.
Echo stayed true to her word too, it became a government secret, the South Island Hero Guild. Seeing Albion history, the President decided the heroes will be the best of the best, dealing with issues only the strongest can deal with.
With Echo as the leader, the guild had flourished again, of course, the funding from the President helped. The guild turned out so well that even Tali considered creating a secret guild for Samarkand.
As for Albion heroes? Well, winter had come to Bowerstone, snow blankets the castle as carriages road through the gates. In one carriage Logan pulled apart the curtains and quickly closed them to turn to his wife who was rubbing a rounded belly.
"Are we nearly there Logan? I think baby getting anxious," Tali smiled trying to peek out her window blocked with curtains.
"Hey, no peeking!" Logan spoke with a grin, "I promise you'll get to peek soon."
"If you say so, my love," Tali spoke wrapping her jacket closer around her, the cold was still something so new to her.
"Trust me, you'll love this surprise, I am keeping an old promise," Logan smiled scooting over next to her and placing a hand on her belly, "we will be meeting this little one soon."
On Tali's lap, Percy in ferret form snuggled to Tali's pregnant belly, "I can sense this little one will be very strong."
"What do you suppose the gender will be? From the kicks I am guessing it's an energetic little boy," Tali smiled looking at Logan whose eyes were focused on her belly.
"I am getting the sense it may be a high strong little girl, like her mama," Logan smiled looking up at her.
"I'm gonna bet the baby gonna be a combination of you both, a strong-minded, and ridiculously stubborn child," Percy spoke jumping onto Logan and placing himself on his shoulder.
Feeling the carriage stop Logan grinned, "ok close your eyes!"
Opening the doors of the carriage Logan stepped out first, helping Tali to walk out of the carriage making sure she didn't slip on the snow as she tried to keep her eyes closed, "can I look now?"
"One more second!" Logan smiled positioning Tali, "ok open them!"
Opening her eyes Tali let out a soft gasp seeing the entire Bowerstone Castle covered in a blanket of snow, lighting up the night as the snow slowly fell like little balls of light, "you were right, it really is beautiful in the winter, thank you, Logan."
"You're welcome my love," Logan smiled looking up the stairs to see the doors swing open and a small child appear at the top.
"Uncle Logan!" a small little boy with curly brown hair shouted rushing down the stairs.
"There he is!" Logan smiled picking up the child and tossing him in the air and catching him pulling him into a hug, "how is my brave little adventure?"
"I've been good Uncle Logan! I missed you!" the child smiled looking over to Tali, "Aunty Tali!"
"Hello, little one!" Tali smiled kissing his cheek, "You've grown so much!"
Looking up the stairs Logan looked to see his brother who smiled at his guests, "There you are! See you found our missing guest Robin?"
"Sure, did Daddy!" Robin smiled being set down by Logan.
"Well don't just stand there in the cold! Come inside everyone waiting!" Adam smiled watching his son race up the stairs and took his hand.
"Shall we, my Empress?" Logan smiled taking Tali's hand.
"Lead the way," Tali smiled following Logan up the stairs into the palace.
"Merry Christmas!" Ben cheered when Tali and Logan entered the large decorated ballroom.
"Aye shove it up your jingle bells ya red belly git!" Ginjer shouted from above a fireplace.
"Ohhhh! Daddy Ginjer said a bad word!" a little ebony skin little girl with dark dirty blonde hair said dressed in a red dress as another exact copy of her with her hair done differently pointed.
"Mummy! Ginjer being naughty!" she spoke to Page who picked her up in her arms.
"I know girls, Ginjer will be getting coals in her stocking for years to come," Page spoke giving the gnome the evil eye.
"Aye so many little ones running around, warms the heart doesn't it Boulder?" Sabine smiled turning to Boulder who was playing with a litter of puppies.
"Huh?" Boulder spoke looking over when his name was called.
"I think everyone here now," Logan smiled spotting Saker over by the punch bowl and Echo talking to Anna but could not shake the feeling someone was missing.
"What wrong Logan?" Tali asked sensing something was wrong.
"I don't know, ever since the war, every time we all get together it feels like someone missing, it's like a piece of my memory gone," Logan spoke as Tali nodded.
"I understand, I can't shake that feeling too," Tali spoke seeing Jasper enter the room with a stack of letters.
"Ah! Everyone here, it's so curious, while dusting the Sanctuary I found these letters! They all seem to have names addressed to certain people in this very room," Jasper spoke handing Logan and Tali a letter followed by Ben and Page, Adam and Anna, one to Garth, and one to Echo.
"I wonder who this is from," Logan asked opening his letter with Tali looking over his shoulder to read along.
'It pains me to say goodbye, however, I know you will all be fine, the cost to come to all of you had an additional price. My very being, 'or at least this present version of me' no longer exists. I faded away with all the memories you all had of me. This is for the best. The future needs a fighting chance. So, all those who received a letter, I am tasking you with one final mission. All of you were given a separate piece of parchment with instructions, please follow them. The hero to be born from your timeline will need your help.'
Reading his letter Tali looked at the additional paper she and Logan were given while Logan read on with the others who were given a special fortune.
'Logan. I have one final fortune to tell you. Many years from now the bloodline you and Tali created will birth a Hero named Zain.'
'Ben and Page. The hero you two created, the one who will continue your legacies name is Seth Finn.'
'Echo, you, and the South Island Heroes Guild with birth the legacy, Voltage.'
'Adam yours and Anna's bloodline will split, from your side of the bloodline a hero named Connor will rise to lead the new heroes. Anna the hero worthy to carry the hammer in your name is Kyler.'
'The name worthy to carry your bloodlines. The age of heroes has ended, for now. The Sanctuary will not be needed till the era when heroes will need to return. So, with this knowledge follow the instructions given to you and create the trials for your legacies so that they will be worthy to claim the Guild Seals you all once proudly carried into battle. I am not good with goodbyes so this is a farewell, my friends, till we all meet again in the afterlife. G.'
With each group reading their letters they looked up to one another pocketing their letters, Adam spoke "Logan, Tali! I wanna show you something!"
Entering the gardens Adam leads the two into the family tomb where Logan's eyes widen to see the statues of Brom, Scarlet Robe, and the Hero of Oakvale before them.
"Merry Christmas family," Adam spoke placing roses on the feet of the statues as he and Logan approached their parent's stone sarcophagus, "hey mother, father."
"We miss you," Logan smiled, the brothers placing roses on their parent's coffins before facing the blind seer statue where Adam pulled out his guild seal and placed it in its hands, watching the seer lift its hands and hid the seal.
"I'll use Anna's seal to return to the sanctuary to return the Hero Weapons, I assume you two were given similar instructions too," Adam spoke looking at his brother.
"We already started building into Tali's ancestral tomb for a trial, guess the seer of the letter knew we would do that, it will be strange, our time is over, now we get to be parents," Logan spoke with a smile, "I look forward to every minute."
"Me too, come on! Let's get inside before Saker drinks all the spiced wines!" Adam smiled as they exited the tomb.
"I wonder," Tali spoke looking to the sky, "Logan, what kind of person do you think our legacy will be? Will they be worthy to be a hero? Will they make mistakes our family made?"
"Hard to say, however, if they're a mix of both of us then I am positive they will be the Hero Samarkand will need," Logan smiled taking Tali's hand, "I am curious what my brother and Anna's letter said but I suspect we aren't allowed to know."
Inside Logan and Tali stood by the large fireplace to warm up, Saker then slid over, "So, what was in the letter?"
"Nothing important Saker," Logan spoke tossing the main letter into the fire while leaving the instruction they were given in his coat pocket, "the Defenders Guild huh? Never thought I see the day you would turn a leaf."
"Pfft I didn't change that much! Only work if the pay is good!" Saker grinned about to light a cigar but got his shoulder smacked by Echo.
"HEY! No smoking near the pregnant! That and you told me you would quit!" Echo scolded snatching the cigar from his hand.
"No, I said I would CONSIDER quitting, there's a difference!" Saker spoke trying to get the cigar back, "Besides! It is just a myth that smoking is unhealthy! I've seen plenty of pregnant broads drink and smoke."
"I suspect in the future that myth gonna be proven very correct," Logan sighed in annoyance, "I'm happy for you both, your success has really shown."
"I'm just happy the four of us are together again," Echo smiled, the group hearing Percy clear his throat loudly from Tali's shoulder.
"AHEM! Five! I am part of this package deal now!" Percy chuckled getting a pet from Logan.
"Any names picked out yet?" Saker asked watching Tali rub her belly.
"A few yes, but we think the name will come to us when we see the little one for the first time," Logan smiled placing his hand over Tali's hand on her belly.
"You two will be amazing parents, can't wait to see the little one soon," Echo smiled, the group then heard Jasper clinking a glass standing with Hobson.
"Alright everyone gather around! The latest camera model has arrived! Don't have to wait three months! Let's take a picture!" Hobson spoke.
"You heard him! Everyone pile in, let's make this a good photo!" Adam smiled placing an arm around Anna with their son between them.
Logan and Tali moved close to his brother all crowding in with larger people like Saker and Boulder standing behind as Hobson stood behind the camera, "Alright everyone! One two three! Say cheese!"
"Cheese!" the group shouted with a smile, the flash booming capturing the moment but at this moment if one was looking at the photo they would smile looking at the two brothers.
Elsewhere in Albion, one family holiday had become bloody. In a home, a blood-covered man slowly dragged himself across the floor having been brutally stabbed many times he tried to reach a door only to have the path blocked by a once white but now blood-soaked women's heel.
Shivering the man looked up to a beautiful blonde woman in white stained with his blood who looked down at the man with hatred in her eyes, admiring her reflection in her blood-soaked knife, "Is this not what you wanted my dear STUPID husband? You had me for years? Little did you know in the back of my mind I loathed every minute of it."
"W-why my sweet lady?" the man managed to speak as she rolled her eyes at his question.
"Did you think I could love you? That your love potion would keep me your prisoner forever? Not anymore, I am free, and no one gonna stop me from having my revenge on those who wronged me, starting with you," Lady Grey spoke stabbing the man in the back and stabbing several more times till she was certain he was good and dead.
Washing the blood from her hands Lady Grey looked up to see Reaver sitting at the dining room table, sipping some tea.
"He told me where I could find you, Lady Grey, what an honor," Reaver spoke with a smirk, "if it's revenge you seek then we have plans indeed for you."
A.N. Lady Grey and Reaver? What sorts of evil do you think those two could come up with