The explosion was so massive that even in Lamyria, people could see its bright glow illuminating the eastern horizon. People stopped what they were doing and gazed at this incredible sight. They were used to seeing only darkness on that side of the firmament, so the brilliant radiance was something unexpected. And after a rough last week when so many people succumbed to the mysterious plague, the light somehow appeared as a beacon of hope.

A couple of days after, the watchtowers lit up in the middle of the night. Aliyah adjusted her dress as she hastened through the palace halls toward the courtyard. Aurora joined in, striding to her side with a quick bow of her head.

"How far are they?" the Queen asked.

"The gryphon was spotted over the mountains an hour ago," Aurora said, hardly containing the excitement. "They should be here soon."

"How is Thalia?"

"She's still asleep, but she does look much better," Aurora replied, a relief lacing her tone. "Just like the other patients. The healers say that it seems like the poison has suddenly stopped working. The victims accept more food, and the colouring gets back to their skin. If we are lucky, first people should start waking up any day now."

"That is a relief indeed." Aliyah let herself smile. "I bet we'll have to thank Gawyn and Sky for that."

"Let's hope they'd be here soon."

They reached the main palace gates and strode into the courtyard. The place was full of soldiers and other excited people, even despite the very late hour. Everyone was ecstatic to see the General and Colonel back from their heroic mission to the Blighted Lands.

After the grand explosion in the east, the kingdom was rigid with rumours and speculations. People were coming up with often ridiculous tales of heroism and bravery that led to the utter destruction of the whole Blighted Lands.

Aliyah didn't dare to hope for anything. The sole fact that the sick people were getting better was successful enough for her. When she saw the blaze of light on the horizon, she felt her heart sinking. The explosion must have been massive if they could see it from here. She was not sure if anyone could survive that.

But when she got the message that the gryphon was spotted heading towards Eaglepoint, she let herself hope. Her heart fluttered with anticipation when she was gazing at the eastern sky, and finally, she spotted the small black dot that was slowly getting bigger.

Gathered people started shouting and cheering loudly. No one even thought of containing their excitement.

When Zephyr got closer, Aliyah's heart clenched. There was just one person on his back.

And it was neither Gawyn nor Skylar.

Aliyah couldn't breathe, and her vision blurred. She closed her eyes, trying to contain the rising despair. It was a false hope then. All she wanted to do was get back to her room to let out the wail building inside. To cry and mourn and act like any grieving human being. But she was the Queen, and she had to be strong. All the people here would be shocked and look at her for reassurance. And she could not let her personal feelings affect her. She had a duty to perform.

She raised her chin and stepped forward as Zephyr landed heavily in the middle of the courtyard. The excited voices turned to cries of surprise and anguish. Both gryphon and his rider looked horrible, bloodied, bruised and half-starved. Zephyr's beautiful silver feathers were ruffled and torn in places, and he limped on one leg.

The young woman that jumped off his back didn't look any better. She barely kept her balance as she staggered toward the Queen and fell heavily on one knee, bowing her head. Her hair was filthy from dried brown blood, and her armour was torn in places and covered with blood splotches and other things Aliyah couldn't even identify. Her face was pale and gaunt, and her eyes looked haunted.

"Your Majesty. Major Ayah Adnet. I have the report from the Blighted Lands."

"You may raise," Aliyah said, trying to pace herself, even though she wanted nothing more than to shake the woman to tell her the dreaded truth right away. The soldier got back to her feet, swaying a bit but keeping herself straight. "Please proceed."

"The mission was successful." Ayah took a vial with dark red blood and handed it to the Queen. Her hand shook a bit. "We managed to secure the sample of blood of the Emperor himself. The General believed it is a base ingredient of the poison."

Aliyah gazed at the small vial and nodded, turning back to the soldier. She steeled herself to make sure her voice would not waver. "The casualties report, please."

Ayah took in a sharp breath. "I'm the only survivor, Your Majesty."

The crowd made a collective gasp, and people started shouting, demanding an explanation. Aliyah raised her hand to silence them, even though her heart was screaming with them.

"More details if you please."

Ayah took a deep breath, clearly fighting with her own emotions. She blinked several times to get rid of the tears gathering in her eyes. "As we entered the Blighted Lands, the soldiers fell one after another. That place is... horrible. Everything there is tainted and poisonous. Countless monsters prowl both land and skies, and everything is rid with traps..." she trailed off as if she just remembered something. "We sent the wounded soldiers back a couple of days back. Have they not returned?"

Aliyah nodded. "Yes, they did. All three of them are safe and recovering from wounds in Shawcross Keep. Their report is matching yours so far."

"That's a relief." Ayah sighed and wiped tears from her face. She braced herself for what was coming next.

Aliyah didn't rush her – she looked like she went through hell.

"Before we reached the Blighted Lands Capital, just the four of us remained. But we got ambushed once again. This time, there was no end to monsters. Lucroy and I acted as bait to lure the creatures away, so the General and Colonel could get there. Lucroy was killed soon after, but I managed to get the beast to chase me for quite a long time. They got me eventually. They killed my horse, and I was sure I was done for, but Zephyr came back for me." She looked back at the gryphon gratefully. Zephyr only whimpered sadly.

"I don't know what happened in the Capital, but the General and Colonel fought the Emperor and his sorcerers when we arrived. There were... so many of them. Too many. We tried to help, but our efforts didn't make any real difference. And then the General handed me the vial and told me to get it back to you, Your Majesty." Her voice started to break. "I didn't want to do it. I didn't want to leave them behind. But he ordered me to go." She sniffled and wiped her nose with the back of her hand.

"You did good, soldier," Aliyah said gently, though her heart fell into pieces. "What happened next?"

"They told us to fly like the wind because they would blow the whole place up. So, we did. I've never flown that fast on the horse. And even though we did cover a good distance before the explosion, we still barely escaped the heatwave. Afterwards, when everything died down... we got back there. I know we shouldn't, and I disregarded an order, but I had to make sure...." Her voice broke again, and a sob shook her whole body.

The courtyard was silent while everyone watched the battered soldier telling her story. Some covered their mouths, while others wept openly. Aliyah felt for all of them, but she had to stay strong for a little bit more.

"What did you find there?" she asked. Her voice was calm and collected as if what was said did not affect her, while inside, she was screaming and wanting to tear something up in a blind rage.

"There was nothing left. The whole remaining city just vanished. Only a massive crater was left in its place. There... there was no way anyone could survive this," Ayah stuttered finally.

"I see. Thank you for your report, major. You should go and rest now. Gods know you deserve that." She gestured to the other soldiers to help Ayah get to the barracks, and she looked at the small vial in her hand. "And I'll get this to our healers immediately."

***

Aurora was sitting in the Evergreen dining room and gently patted Zachariah's back. The old man was weeping openly, just like the rest of the staff. Rori felt her face wet from tears, but she felt oddly numb. It didn't seem real. The thought of her sister no longer being here in this world seemed preposterous. It felt as if she had a hole in place of her heart now, unable to feel anything.

She didn't want to feel anything.

The quick pattering of small feet and excited yell broke the sober atmosphere filled with sobs. "Mum!"

Kane dashed into the room and leaned on his knees to catch his breath. Aurora was on her feet immediately.

"What happened, Kane?"

"Thalia! She's awake!" he cheered, and then he looked around at all the sad faces. "Mum? Did something happen?"

"I'll tell you later," Rori said, pushing him to the doors and wiping her tears. "Let's get to Thalia first."

They rushed through the hallways of the estate, followed by the servants. Gods knew they all could use some good news now.

Kane was the first at the door to the small room and opened it with a theatrical guest.

"See? I told you!"

Thalia was sitting on the bed, rubbing her eyes and yawning. She still looked half-starved, but her skin had now a healthy colour, and her cheeks were a bit pink.

"Oh, thanks to the gods!" exclaimed Rori and rushed to close the little girl in a tight embrace.

"Aunt Rori? Why are you here?"

"I'm here to see you," she replied through happy tears and kissed the girl's forehead.

"I'm hungry!" Thalia complained. "Can I get a dessert if I eat all my veggies?"

"Of course, you can, sweetheart."

Thalia beamed happily, and then she looked at all the servants gathered in the hallway.

"Where is Mummy? And Daddy?"

Aurora hugged her niece and finally let herself weep.

***

"It's a beautiful place, don't you think?" Rori asked, squeezing Thalia's hand.

The girl looked around with her sad, dark eyes but said nothing. She hasn't talked much since she learned that her parents passed away. No one could blame her. She was just five years old and not ready to deal with such a tragedy. Rori stroked dark hair gently, promising herself to do everything to take care of her niece as if she was her own child.

They all gathered in the royal cemetery in Eaglepoint. It was a beautiful place full of greenery and sculpted monuments and the last resting place of kings and queens of Lamyria. The Queen entered the makeshift dais to address people.

The place was so full that crowds were gathering in neighbouring streets clogged by the people who wanted to be there to honour the deceased.

"We gathered here today to pay our respects to the fallen heroes," the Queen started. Aliyah was perfectly poised and calm. Rori knew it was all just a show, as she was holding her as they grieved together for the death of their siblings. She blinked away tears and focused back on the speech.

"We will not fall into sadness and despair now. No, we will celebrate our heroes and raise our voices to honour them. Because heroes never die. They will live forever in our hearts and our memories. Gawyn and Skylar Gryphonheart and all the soldiers who accompanied them gave their lives to bring us a new era. An era where the Blighted Lands are no longer a threat. They sacrificed themselves to strike a blow, form which the foul sorcerers will never recover."

The people cheered, and the Queen let them, but she raised her hands and continued.

"They were all extraordinary people. We should all strive to be more like them: noble, brave and relentless. Ready to do what needs to be done without looking back. They refused to back down and let the threat and foul promises lure them into submission. They stood proud and strong and fought for the freedom of this kingdom to their last breaths." She paused and looked over the crowd.

"It's thanks to them, many of us standing here instead of rotting in their sickbeds. Let it be a lesson to us all. To never give up. Never bend towards aggression. And stand united. Because together we are strong and only when we work together our kingdom will thrive."

She stepped back and signalled the people standing next to the giant statue covered by the canopy. The men pulled on the ropes, and the canvas fell, revelling a beautiful sculpture of two gryphons accompanied by miniature, winged horses. A golden plate was carved with the names of Gawyn, Skylar and the soldiers who died on the mission.

Aliyah turned back to the crowd. "Remember, do not fall into despair. Today we celebrate our heroes. They gave their lives so we could live on and lead our kingdom to a bright future. Do not disappoint them, and always be the best version of yourselves. They did their part already.

"And now, the future is in our hands."

The End

AN: Thank you so much for reading this far. You are awesome! 

Now, feel free to scream at me ^^