“I thought he would come,” she uttered.
Nathaniel joined her with a skyward gaze of his own. “As did I,” he replied. “Vighon said he only returned from Dhenaheim last month. He’s probably still resting somewhere, Avandriell too.”
Reyna was gently shaking her head. “They don’t strike me as a pair who rest,” she said with a sad smile.
Nathaniel laughed to himself. “You’re right. They’re probably slaying some beast in the wilds or accepting coin for having done so.” The old knight wrapped an arm around his wife. “We’ll see him again. Even if it’s a hundred years from now.”
Reyna climbed onto her ship hoping that would not be the case. Trying to put Asher aside, or at least her disappointment, the queen stood by the stern and watched Illian shrink away. Vighon, Inara, and the others remained on the beach, waving until they were mere dots one each other’s horizon.
Only when the white cliffs were a dark line in the west did Reyna turn away. Only feet away, another elf directed his hands at the ship’s sails and threw his magic into the wind, pushing the ship further into the east.
Nathaniel approached with his comforting smile and an outstretched hand. “Come with me.”
Accompanying her husband, they made their way to the bow of the ship. A glassy ocean awaited Reyna and, beyond it, The Opal Coast of Ayda, her kingdom.
“It’s time to stop looking back,” Nathaniel averred.
Reyna looked up at him, his jaw set and eyes fixed on the future. She knew exactly what he was really talking about. Had there been a day since that fateful night on the highest ruins of The Bastion that Nathaniel hadn’t wept for his boy? Reyna had comforted him again and again, just as he had done for her in those dark moments of reflection.
As ever, they would get through it together.
“A new world,” she whispered to herself.
A sharp gust of wind cut by the side of the ship, turning every head to starboard. Before any could rush to the rail and investigate, Avandriell skimmed the water in front of the ship and launched up into the blue of the sky. She was bigger than the last time Reyna had seen her, but she was yet to match Ilargo’s size. Nathaniel shielded his eyes from the sun as he tracked the dragon.
“Looking for me?” came a familiar gruff voice.
Reyna and Nathaniel turned around to see Asher leaning against the mast as if he had always been there. The queen shot him a smile that broadened her face and leapt into his open arms. Within his embrace, the elf was sure the ranger’s strength had increased, just as Gideon’s had after bonding with Ilargo.
Asher looked down at her. “You didn’t think I’d let you leave so easily, did you?”
Nathaniel came at him with his arm rising up. “You’re becoming a smooth son of a—”
Asher crashed into his old friend, taking his breath away with a bear-like hug. Nathaniel patted the ranger on the back and flashed his teeth with a genuine smile.
“How was Dhenaheim?” he asked.
“Cold,” Asher replied. “But it had its moments. Doran sends his apologies by the way. He wanted to be here for your voyage, to say farewell. But, monsters or not, Dhenaheim needs him now more than ever.”
“Of course,” Reyna said understandingly.
“Is that a new sword?” Nathaniel asked, pointing at the blade on Asher’s hip.
Reyna had never been one for swords, but even she noticed that the ranger’s broadsword was not one of the replicas he had been sporting for decades. The leather around the hilt was the same shade of green as his cloak and the rounded pommel was now fashioned with hammer-like nodules instead of spikes.
“A gift from King Doran,” Asher explained, gripping the hilt. The ranger lifted the broadsword just enough to reveal a few inches of the blade. “Pure silvyr,” he stated, with only the hint of a boast in his voice.
Nathaniel looked genuinely impressed. “Who would have thought you’d be good friends with every king and queen in the realm?”
Asher shook his head. “Who would have thought all the kings and queens in the realm would be good friends with a ranger of the wilds?”
The trio laughed together as Faylen and Nemir emerged from below decks. Reyna maintained her joyous smile while welcoming them into the sunshine.
“Asher,” Faylen greeted with a friendly nod. “Drop out of the sky, did we?”
“Something like that,” Asher replied.
“You must stay for lunch,” Faylen insisted.
“We have more than enough,” Nemir assured.
“That would be lovely,” Reyna added, taking the ranger by the arm. “I would hear more of your exploits in Dhenaheim.”
Nathaniel walked past them and slapped a hand on Asher’s shoulder. “And I might have stashed a keg of Velia’s Golden Ale on board,” he said with a wink.
Asher held his arms out. “How could I say no to such hospitality?”
“Excellent!” Reyna beamed.
“I can stay no longer than that, I’m afraid,” the ranger warned. “There’s word of a job in Ameeraska and Avandriell is eager to test her strength against Sandstalkers.”
Reyna laughed as she caught sight of the bronze dragon, gliding overhead. “Of course she does.”
Asher’s company, however brief, brought a swiftness to the day that made the remaining days of her voyage to Ayda all the more bearable. After watching the ranger fly away astride Avandriell, the elven fleet sailed eastward until The Opal Coast and a land of great forests welcomed them home. Thousands of elves were awaiting them on the beach and even further beyond the tree line.
Nathaniel squeezed her hand as they finished the journey in a small rowing boat. Reyna squeezed his hand in return, aware that he was about embark on a way of life that was wholly out of his comfort zone. It was just another thing, she decided, that her incredible husband would
