Epilogue

The feeling of the wind against my wings was magnificent. My draconic body soared through the air effortlessly. The sun basked my wings in warm light and the waves of the sea brushed droplets of water against my claws and belly. The sound of the children cheering only added to the feeling.

A week had passed since we emerged from the Cathedral. The crowd that gathered at the front gates was larger than it was when we went inside. The people looked at each other as the air around them crackled with Source. As per my promise, I told everyone the truth. How Lucian and Dallis started the whole thing with the death of the elves and her mission to purge the world of Source. But I emphasized her mistake in bringing Braccus Rex back to life. I told them it was up to us to fix her and Lucian's mistake that nearly doomed the entire realm. When the time came for a new Divine to rise, I told them there would be none. Not now or ever again. The Divine was dead, but the power now resided in the people. All of them. They would be the ones to fight back the Voidwoken if they worked together.

And work together they did. With the Paladins given more power, and the help of civilians with fighting experience, everyone managed to drive the Voidwoken completely out of Arx. I, along with the others, contributed to the fight as well. When the Voidwoken were pushed back, Malady managed to miraculously put the Lady Vengeance back together. I was so happy to see the ship not only reassembled, but her spirt was still intact. She expressed relief that she was still alive despite still a ship as well as seeing me alive too.

With Arx safe, we boarded the newly repaired Lady Vengeance and set out. With everyone aboard, we all had our destinations on our final voyage together. The first destination was the devastated elvan lands. Ifan planned to plant new seeds so they could grow into a new home for the elves. A small contribution to heal the wounds brought by this war. During our voyage, I figured it would be a golden opportunity to stretch my wings. I would need them in good shape when I was needed to travel long distances at a moment's notice. When I was comfortable with how I soared through the air, I decided it was time I gave the children the experience they've always wanted.

I continued to fly around the ship for several minutes. When I was finished, I told all four children to hold on. With a steady swoop, I gently dove towards to the ship before splaying my wings open. Slowly, I floated down towards the deck. When I was close enough, I closed my eyes and channeled the power within my heart. In a graceful motion, I twirled myself around and felt my draconic body fade away. An instant later, my lizard body emerged with my two regular wings splayed out.

When I made my choice, I decided to do a little something for myself before the Source was given to the world. I used the power to repair my wing and fix my right eye while growing new scales over the burned ones. Unfortunately, the new scales couldn't hide the permanent damage. From my right hip to my shoulder, down the length of my arm, and the area around my right eye, my scales were discolored as scars. But I didn't mind it. My repaired armor hid most of the burns. For the one around my right eye, it could work for intimidating future foes. Furthermore, unlike most lizards, I no longer obsessed over my personal appearance anymore. When I had to wear dresses, the scars and simple attire would make it clear I had no vanity within me. I was a Dragon Knight. My duty was to protect the people. Not to indulge in riches.

With my repaired wings, I floated down gracefully. In my arms, I held all four children. When my talons touched the livewood, I put the four children down onto the deck. They all looked up at me as I exhaled and put my wings away.

"Did you all have fun?" I asked them. They responded with a mixture of cheers, nods and "Yeses."

"Thank you, Mahalia," Trice said.

"You're very welcome."

I looked up to see a crowd gathered around me. My parents were the first to come up to me. They gave me loving hugs and expressed their awe of witnessing my performance in my dragon form. Brell decided to stay behind at Arx to discuss business opportunities to rebuild parts of the city. Before we left, he told me he was at peace with our new paths. I could tell what he said was genuine. I remembered the last words we shared be I departed.

"Go out there and start the next adventure."

"I will."

I saw Gareth, Tarquin, Almira and Mihaly nod their heads to me. Gareth was happy to see we succeeded in stopping Dallis. But he wasn't keen on my choice to follow Ifan's advice in forsaking Divinity and giving it to everyone, good and evil alike. I could tell he was having a crisis of faith since he bet so hard on me being the sole god of this world. I told him maybe it was time to find faith in himself instead of a god. He told me he would try, though it would take time to do so.

Tarquin gave his apologies when we addressed him about him resurrecting Braccus Rex. But I decided it was best to forgive him since Dallis forced him to do so, and he provided us the means to put Braccus down for good. In the end, it all worked out for the best. Meanwhile, Almira and Mihaly decided to catch a ride with us to find a nice spot to live together. Wither it would be a lone cabin in the woods or a house in a secluded village with just few enough people to remember everyone's name, they would decide when they found it. Meanwhile, Del decided to stay at Arx and join the Paladins alongside Cork as they readied themselves for the war with the Voidwoken.

Then there was the guest of honor on our voyage: The Red Princess. With her free of the God King, and the Voidwoken pushed back from Arx, the Red Prince brought her back from the dream realm and escorted her to the Lady Vengeance. Their return to the Empire would be glorious, no doubt. Sadha's attention was on her husband-to-be and her son. Junior rustled around his father's arms, no doubt pleased seeing me fly. That would be him some day. I could only imagine the moment I would fly beside him and his future brothers and sisters in the clear blue sky.

Next was Sebille. She walked up to me with her signature smile and gave me a pat on the shoulder of my freshly repaired armor. There wasn't much that needed to be said about her now. She was my best friend and she was so thankful to me for being there for her. I could only imagine what she would do now that she was free.

I then heard a croak below me. I looked down to see a red Salamander at my feet. Xuir had survived the crash, but we lost track of him until Malady started putting the ship back together. Thankfully, he didn't have any hard feelings towards me. In fact, he was ecstatic to see me as a dragon. I kneeled and gave him a good pet on the head. He moaned with approval, snapping his maw gleefully. I couldn't help but smile.

Last, but certainly not least, was Ifan. When I stood up from petting my pet, he had already wrapped his strong arms around my waist. I, in turn, put my arms over his shoulders and I lowered my head to his level. I felt his whiskers brush of over my mouth as my lips caressed his. When the kiss ended, we took a moment to take in each other's gaze while sharing warm smiles. I heard someone make a humming sigh. I glanced over to see that it was Trice who made the sound. The boys, on the other hand, were happy to see us together, but they still hadn't gotten used to watching kisses.

"Well, it's nice to see you're enjoying yourself."

I turned my head to see Malady standing before me. Her voice carried a trace of leftover disappointment. It wasn't surprising because, like Gareth, she was banking on me being Divine.

"Don't worry I'm not going to lecture you about your choice again. I've already said my peace. I just wanted to return this to you before I forget."

It was then I noticed she was holding something in her hand. It was a book. But not just any book. The book I found inside Consular Zara's chest with the wand and the blue gem. During the week we spent pushing back the Voidwoken from Arx, the book had slipped my mind.

"Thank you for finding it," I said taking it from her hands.

"Oh, you're very welcome," Malady made a halfhearted nod. "Now go ahead and carry on."

She turned around and made her way back to the wheel of the ship.

"What is that?" mother asked.

"One of the things I found on my journey thanks to Xuir," I said. The salamander brushed against my leg in thanks.

"Unfortunately, we've yet to find a way to open it," I said.

I looked at the insignia engraved on the locking mechanism. It was most certainly a dragon. And seeing the dragon made my mind spark.

"Perha-"

Before I could finish that thought, I heard a yip. I looked up to see Junior rustling in his father's arms. He was looking up at the sky at something.

"Eyes to starboard!" I heard Malady shout from the wheel.

Coincidently, it was to starboard where Junior was looking at. We all turned our heads to the open sky. Only minutes ago, I was the one who stretched her wings in the wide sky. But now, another pair of wings soared through the sunny blue. When it got closer, I heard a familiar roar.

"Make room," I told everyone.

Everyone took several steps backwards, leaving a clear open spot on the deck. We watched as the pale blue dragon swooped towards us and casted a massive shadow over the ship. He floated down, beating his wings gently to slow his descent. When he was close enough, the dragon glowed bright and his massive form dissolved. When the glow ended, a familiar lizard in silver armor appeared on one knee on the deck of the ship. The lizard stood up and opened his eyes, revealing the piercing silver eyes that belonged to the Winter Dragon. I handed Sebille the book and walked forward to stand before the Dragon Knight.

"It's good to see you again, Slane," I said bringing my fist to my chest piece and bowing before him.

"As am I to see you," Slane returned the bow in kind.

I turned around to look at my parents amongst the crowd. I beckoned them to come closer. They did so, slowly.

"I'd like you to meet Slane," I gestured to the Dragon Knight.

"It is an honor to meet you," Slane bowed before my parents. "You should be proud of your daughter's deeds."

"We are," my father said. "You're the one who gave her the amulet that turned her into a dragon, correct?"

Slane smiled and nodded. I then looked over at the children this time. All four of them meekly walked over to me. Slane kneeled to the children's level and held out his hand to them. Trice was the first to muster the courage to walk up to Slane and shake his hand.

"Thank you for giving Mahalia the power to turn into a dragon, mister Slane," she said.

Slane nodded his head to her. Paulie, Sandy and Han greeted him the same way. With the greetings finished, he stood up and allowed me to ask the important question.

"I suppose it isn't hard to figure out how you managed to find us, isn't it?" I said.

"Word of your deeds have traveled far and wide across Rivellon," Slane said. "All that was required was to travel to the source of Divinity's death and follow the trail from there."

I smirked and nodded to him. Slane then looked up and around him. He raised his hand and swiping it through the air as it crackled with Source.

"And it is from Divinity's Death that a new age has been born," he remarked. "You had a choice to claim the power of Divinity for yourself. Yet you chose to give it to the people instead."

"Before I even unlocked the final power of your gift, I felt I had more than enough power to do what needed to be done." I said. "I may have the power of a dragon, but I am still a mortal. I don't desire to be worshiped. Only to help those in need because it's the right thing to do."

Slane's smile was one of admiration and pride.

"Spoken like a true Dragon Knight," he said. "You truly are worthy of carrying on Niza's legacy."

I raised my brow.

"Who's Niza?"

Slane was about to answer but his attention was drawn to something behind me. I turned around to see his eyes resting on the book Sebille held. She took notice and walked forward, holding the book out to Slane. He graciously took the book from her hands with a very polite "Thank you." He looked down at the book with a rather admiring demeanor. He slowly stroked his hand over the insignia. I had a feeling there was something unbelievably valuable within that book for him to do that. He then presented to book to me.

"Unlock the seal and you will find the answers you seek."

I took the book. I remembered what I was about to do before Slane arrived. Now that he was here, I was more eager to find out what was inside the book. I took a deep breath and felt the fire in my heart flow. I exhaled a small jet of flame from my mouth, gently brushing against the insignia on the lock. When the flames stopped, the insignia glowed bright red then to bright blue. It then spun a full rotation counterclockwise before ending with a click. I felt my heart quicken in my chest. I pulled the flap away. It was done. The book was opened.

Before I could open the book though, I heard a yip. I looked up to see Junior hopping out of his father's arms and scurrying towards Slane. He nodded to me to go ahead and start reading as he kneeled to greet the baby dragon. Sadha stood near her son as he nuzzled his snout into Slane's gauntlet. As I prepared to turn the page, Ifan, Sebille and the Red Prince walked up and looked over my shoulders. I pulled the cover open to reveal the first page. It was mostly a blank page. But in the center was an inscription.

"What language is that?" the Red Prince said. "It's certainly not the Old Tongue."

It certainly wasn't. But it looked remarkably like it. When I looked at the letters, I felt my mind spark. It was like I knew the language already.

"It's… I think it's… Draconic."

"Draconic?" the Red Prince said.

"The dialect the Old Tongue is based on."

We looked over at Slane who was finished with his greeting with Junior. The dragonling nestled himself into his mother's arms. Slane stood up and gestured to the book.

"Now that you are a Dragon Knight, you can uncover the knowledge long thought forgotten."

He stood at attention, patently waiting for me to continue. I did so. I looked at the inscription. I read the words aloud in the original language. It shared the same characteristics as the Old Tongue, but with slightly more bravado in the words. When I finished the sentence, I went back and translated it for everyone else.

"To the one who unlocked this book, you will find the history of our race long forgotten and a power that can change the world. May you use this knowledge for the betterment of all, and not just yourself."

I exchanged glances with my partners. They seemed overly excited to see what was in the book. Since I was the only one who could read the words, they stood in front of me allowing me some breathing room. I took a deep breath to temper my excitement and turned the page. It was the table of contents. The book was divided with the words "Introduction", "History", "Biology", "Artifacts", and "Songs" being the main sections. I moved to the Introduction section right away. When I read the words, my eyes widened when I came across a name.

"Niza."

I looked up from the page to look at my partners.

"Who is she?" Ifan asked.

I read further into the passage.

"She's… a dragon," I said. "No wait. She's more than that. She's…"

My mouth hung open when I finished the paragraph.

"She's the founder of the Dragon Knights."

A silence came over us. I looked up at Slane. He crossed his arms with a smile on his face.

"Our graceful mother who gave birth to our order," he said. "What you have in your hands is the Tome of her knowledge. For years we believed it was lost. But now you have found it."

I had more questions pop into my head. But rather than asking Slane, I flipped to the history section. My eyes tore through the words paragraph by paragraph. All the while my mouth hung open.

"She was there when the Red Dragons were struck down," I said. "She hid from Zorl-stissa along with other dragons and they were spared. They stayed in hiding and contemplated why they fell from grace. Hence, she created the Dragon Knights and vowed to not repeat the mistakes of the Red Dragons."

The words hinted at the method which a dragon's spirit would be passed on to a willing holder to be granted their power. I immediately flipped to the Artifact section. When I opened the page, I felt myself freeze. On the right page was the diagram of my amulet. But what caught me off guard was Niza's name. I looked up at Slane again.

"Niza's spirt was within the amulet you gave me?" I asked him.

"Her body was the amulet itself," Slane said. "The gems contained her powers of the three elements: fire, ice and lightning. Fire was still with her spirit but the other two were lost. But you have recovered them and brought them together."

He glanced at Junior in Sadha's arms.

"And with pure dragon fire, Niza has blessed you with her full power."

I was in silent awe.

"You must have had a lot of faith to entrust that power to me," I said.

"From the moment you asked where Redeka was, I had no doubt."

Slane wore a smug smile and winked at me. I felt my cheeks blush.

"What else is in there?" the Red Prince asked.

I looked down at book again. I decided to go to the songs section. I flipped to the section of the book. When I looked upon the pages, the words were arranged in a similar pattern like the song of the slave scar book. But these songs weren't about slave scars.

"There's songs that… give strength, agility, inspiration or even respite," I said.

"Our language is of great power," Slane said. "When sung by a dragon, songs can do miraculous things when sung for good. But it can also be used for ill."

My mind sparked. I immediately turned my attention to the Red Prince.

"That explains why the Old Tongue is so versatile," he said.

I continued to flip through the song pages. Eventually I came across a page with a diagram of something familiar on the right page. When I looked at the description, I felt my entire body freeze. My eyes widened and I gasped so hard, everyone's eyes darted to me.

"What? What is it?" Sebille asked.

I couldn't answer her. My whole attention was consumed by the words on the page before me. My heart pounded in my chest. Was I reading this right? Could this be possible? After all this time, could this be how I fixed everything for good?

My eyes darted between Sebille and the page several times before I noticed Slane looking over my shoulder. His silver eyes were wide in amazement too, though not as intense as I was. I looked over the song again and again until I memorized every note. I then handed Slane the book and whispered into his ear.

"On the left side."

I pointed to the bow of the ship where the figurehead was. Slane nodded to me, taking the book with him. I turned my attention to Sebille. I walked up to her. She tilted her head and cocked her brow, clearly off-put by my sudden enthusiasm. But she would find out why soon enough.

"Do you trust me, Sebille?" I asked.

"Uh…" Sebille hesitated. "Of course, I do. Why do you ask?"

The grin on my face couldn't be any bigger than it could possibly be.

"Close your eyes."

Sebille looked around awkwardly for a moment. Eventually, she closed both of her eyes. My eyes narrowed on the scar. At first, the tune of Sebille's slave song rung in my head. But it was soon replaced by the new song I read. I felt it thrumming in my heart, ready for me to sing it. I took a deep breath and lifted my hand. Gently, I placed it onto her check, covering the entire scar from view. I inhaled deeply and closed my eyes.

As soon as the notes of the song rolled off my tongue, I was enraptured by the tune: hopeful, upbeat, beautiful, but most of all, empowering. In that moment, I had forgotten the taste the slave song left on my tongue. The only song I heard was the one I was singing now. I felt the powerful notes flow through my body and into my palm. I gave everything into the song like a passionate opera singer. When I reached the final note, I bellowed and held it. Then it was finished.

Silence fell upon me. I opened my eyes. Sebille already had her eyes open looking up at me. At first, she seemed still off-put, especially hearing me sing right in front of her face. But she looked down at my hand and I knew she was suspicious about something.

Did it work?

It was time to find out. Slowly, I lifted my palm from her cheek. When it was only inches away, I gasped. I felt my entire body shutter. Sebille took notice. She looked down at her cheek.

"Wha…?"

Unable to see it fully, she brought up her hand and graced her cheek. Her eyes widened. Her jaw dropped. She gasped much louder than I did. She took both of her hands and brushed them over her cheek. She ran her hands over it faster and more franticly. She started to breath faster and faster, almost to the point of hyperventilation. Then she stopped. She turned around to the crowd and pulled her hands away for them to see. Ifan was the first to gasp followed by the children then all the others followed suit. She turned back around to look up at me. Her jaw was still wide open unable to speak. I could do nothing but smile.

The scar was gone.

When her eyes started to wet, I opened my arms right away. She immediate lurched forward and clasped herself to me. She didn't hold anything back. She wailed harder and louder than she did after we defeated the Shadow Prince. I felt her tears flow like little rivers against my neck. I closed my eyes and gently brought the two of us to our knees. I gently rested my chin atop her head and swayed her in my arms. All the while, I sung the song again. Only softer like a lullaby. Slowly, I felt a small hum of energy in my heart flow through my body and pass into hers. I felt her trembling body relax and the sobs slowly fade.

"Th-thank you," she softly muttered. I gently rubbed the back of her head in response.

When I opened my eyes, I noticed Ifan kneeling next to us with his hand on Sebille's back. He looked up at me with a smile that could only mean, "Good job." I smiled back at him. Then it was the children's turn. Ifan stepped out of the way, allowing the children to come in and hug Sebille together. When I looked at everyone else, they were just as stunned and happy as I was. My father held my mother in a caring fashion while the Red Prince and Princess exchanged very approving looks with each other. All the rest were happy to see what I managed to pull off.

I then glanced at the bow of the ship. Slane held the book open in one hand while holding his other hand over the railing towards the side of the figurehead just out of his reach. I heard him sing the final notes of the song over the sound of the crashing waves. With his song finished, he lowered his hand with a satisfied smile on his face. Though I couldn't see it, I knew he was successful in removing the other accursed scar. The figurehead reared around to look upon her liberator.

"Thank you, Dragon Knight," she said. "You and Mahaila are true heroes."

Slane bowed before the head.

"It is our duty to help those in need," he said.

The figurehead nodded her gratitude and returned to her original position. Slane turned around and returned to us. By the time he came to my side, Sebille managed to calm herself. The children and I let go of her. With a deep breath, she slowly lifted herself off the floor and stood up with me following her.

Once on our feet, I looked into her swollen eyes that still streaming with tears. She opened her mouth to speak, but a nearby sound caught her attention. She turned her head around and so did the rest of us. The sound came from Junior. He rustled around in his mother's arms, spewing out random sounds. But those sounds started to form into something.

Music.

With all his concentration, Junior started humming the song. It was uneven at first, but after several attempts, he got the tune down. He hummed the song by himself, swaying his body back and forth in harmony with the notes. When he finished, he looked upon his audience with what I could assume was pride in his performance. After a yip, he looked up at his mother. She could do nothing but nuzzle her snout with his. She then glanced lovingly to her husband-to-be. He looked down at his son. He took a moment to comprehend what his son had shown him. He raised his hand and pet his son gently on the head. He shared a loving look with his wife-to-be.

The Red Prince looked at the rest of us. We stared at him in silence, occasionally exchanging glances with each other. The Red Prince then shrugged. There wasn't anything for any of us to say at this point. The Red Prince then moved his gaze onto Slane. With a composed swagger, he strode up to the Dragon Knight, taking a deep breath before addressing him.

"I know our people carried the crueler beliefs of the Red Dragons with them when they created the Ancient Empire. I even indulged in those beliefs when I was at the height of my power."

He glanced at his wife-to-be, his son, then at me.

"But after everything I've experienced on my journey, I learned what Niza did."

Slane's brows cocked. He gave me the Tome to me before crossing his arms.

"Is that so?" he asked.

"Yes," the Red Prince replied. "Now that I've brought Red Dragons back into the world, I want to make sure they will continue to exist since Zorl-stissa no longer exists to spare us if Rivellon threatens to destroy us."

"And how will you do that?" Slane asked.

"By having the Dragon Knights help reshape the Empire. I want to offer you the opportunity to become my son's mentor. I want him to learn to fly and harness his power. But I also want him to embrace the teachings of the Knights and sing for the betterment of all, not just lizardkin."

The Red Prince held out his hand to the Dragon Knight.

"Can I count on your support for this new age of dragons?" he asked.

Slane looked down at the Prince's hand. He then looked into the Red Prince's ember eyes with his silver ones. He looked like he was evaluating the sincerity of the Red Prince. After a full minute of silence, Slane spoke.

"Centuries ago, I chose to leave the Empire when its cruelty to others was too much for myself to bare. I found solace with the Dragon Knights. They entrusted me to accept the responsibility to protect the innocent from cruelty."

He glanced over at me for a moment.

"Now, with the world changed forever, the few Dragon Knights that remain can come out of hiding. We can do what Niza dreamed of since she created our order. To become creatures of honor. To inspire hope in all who wish for a better future."

He took the Red Prince's hand and shook it.

"When the war with the Voidwoken is concluded, I will gather the remainder of our order and come to the Empire to share our wisdom."

The Red Prince bowed his head gratefully.

"Our future is brighter with your help. Thank you."

When the shake was finished, Junior yipped in glee. Sadha walked up to Slane and allowed her son to extend his head out to let him nuzzle Slane's snout. The Red Prince came in and held his son close to him. As he did, Slane retreated to Ifan, Sebille and I. When his eyes rested on me, I looked down at the book in my hands.

"So, what happens now?" I asked him.

"Many things," Slane said. "Voidwoken to fight, people to help, and knowledge to share."

He glanced over at Ifan. He smirked when he saw his hand holding mine.

"Rest assured though, there will be time for respite and affection."

That earned a smile from both of us. Ifan looked up at me and winked. I smiled back and gave him another kiss. My mind then sparked.

"Speaking of which…"

I glanced at the three children then at Ifan. Ifan nodded to me. I handed Slane the book and I looked over at my parents. They nodded too and joined me and Ifan. My gaze rested and stayed on the three children.

"What is it Mahalia?" Trice asked.

Both Ifan and I kneeled while my parents stood behind us.

"Do you remembered the first thing I would do when we finished our quest?" I asked the children.

"To find us a home?" Sandy answered.

"That's right," Ifan said.

"Did you find one already?" Paulie asked.

"Perhaps," I said. "I've talked with my parents and Ifan about things."

"What kinds of things?" Trice asked.

"Well, because Ifan and I are different species, I won't be able to have children of my own with him. But I still want to have a family to come home to between the battles."

At first, none of the children seemed to catch on. But then Trice's eyes widened with realization. She looked back at the boys and they caught on too.

"Are- are you-?" Trice stuttered. I responded with a warm smile.

"Trice. Paulie. Sandy," Ifan said. "Would you like to be our children?"

All three of the children squealed. They immediately came in for a group hug. Both Ifan and I held the children between us, feeling their giddiness surge in our arms.

"Yesyesyesyesyesyes," Trice muttered into my shoulder. The boys muttered the same thing. When the excitement died down, we let the children go for them to see us.

"It's settled then," I said. "When Ifan and I are married, we'll officially take the three of you in."

My parents then walked up and kneeled before the children.

"We might have met you only a week ago," mother said. "But I'm looking forward to getting to know our future grandchildren better."

"As am I," father said. "We may wear different skin, but I can already tell you will be excellent grandchildren to look after."

The children moved closer and gave my parents the same warm embrace they gave me. I looked over at Ifan and smiled. Things were looking exceptionally good for us. Just then, I saw the Red Prince approach us.

"If you're planning on wedding soon, I'd like to offer having it within the Empire."

He glanced back at Sadha and his son.

"After you attend my wedding first," he finished.

I looked down at Ifan. He gave a smiling shrug.

"That'd be rather nice," I said. "As long as both are arranged without the use of slaves of course."

The Red Prince smirked.

"I'll see what I can do," he said with a polite bow.

"Well, you certainly have your futures planned out."

We turned our attention to Sebille. Her eyes no longer streamed tears and her playful smirk was back on her face.

"I guess so," I said. "But I'm curious about you now. What are your plans now that you're completely free? Even from me?"

Sebille rolled her eyes up to ponder.

"Well, first thing's first," she said.

She walked past me to the edge of the deck. Everyone in the center of the deck drew their eyes on her. She looked over the railing at the waves below. She pulled her needle from her belt. When she looked at the sharp piece of metal, it looked like it weighed heavier in her hand. She then pulled up her left sleeve, showing the names of the people she was forced to kill with the tool in her hand. After a full minute looking at the tool and the names of her victims, she took the needle between her fingers and held it over the railing. She closed her eyes and let it go. The tiny object left no sound as it plummeted into the waves. But I imagined it sinking to the bottom of the sea, never to be seen again. Sebille opened her eyes with a relieved sigh. She walked back to us with her sleeve still rolled up.

"First, I'm going to find the relatives of these people and give them closure. But after…"

She rolled down her sleeve. She looked over at the three children as they spoke with my parents.

"For the longest time, I've taken life. But now, I have a feeling that I should support it instead."

She looked at me and Ifan now.

"With your permission, I'd like to take a position of nanny and/or bodyguard for your parents and future children."

She had me absolutely stunned. I looked over at Ifan. Initially, he was skeptical about this. But his face slowly warmed up to show his enthusiasm for this idea. I, however, was still wary about this.

"I fought tooth and nail for your freedom, Sebille," I said. "You don't have an obligation to do this. You know how much I dislike people serving me."

She smirked.

"I know. But I don't see this as serving you. It's me using my freedom to help you. There's a difference."

She glanced at the sun on the horizon, no doubt seeing the world beyond.

"Besides, I've more than enough years left in me to travel the world once those children have grown into capable adults."

"You want to be our nanny?!"

The children rushed past me to stand before Sebille. She looked down at them with her smile.

"Only if your mother-to-be accepts my request."

All three children turned to face me.

"Please, Mahalia, please?"

It almost seemed unfair that Sebille got the children on her side. When I looked down at Ifan, he was no help because he shot me a grin and nudged my arm. It looked like I had no choice at this point.

"Alright," I said. "Sebille can be your nanny."

The children cheered and rushed to give me another big hug. I could do nothing but hug them back. When I looked up at Sebille, she gave me a wink and a grateful nod of her head. I could tell this was something she wanted deeply. It made me feel much better about it. When my hug with the children ended, I was met with a silence. Not an awkward silence, but rather, quiet. A quiet moment that made me think.

So much had happened in this short span of time. Slane had returned to congratulate me on my accomplishments thanks to his gift to me. I unlocked a book containing knowledge of dragons. I used that knowledge to free my best friend permanently from slavery. Slane accepted to become the mentor of the Red Prince's children to teach them the ways of the Dragon Knights. I adopted three human orphans and my best friend offered to be their nanny. But those things were only a small slice of what was different now; for the world and me.

I looked to the sun off the bow of the ship. I took Ifan's hand and walked to the railing next to the figurehead. I looked down at the side of the figurehead and saw the Lady Vengeance's scar was indeed gone. Behind me, everyone followed and gathered around me. Sebille, the Red Prince, Sadha, Slane, Junior, Xuir, the children and my parents. We all looked to the horizon. As my eyes took in the beauty of the sunset, I looked back at my adventure. From the lowest pits to the highest peaks, from where it started to where it ended. It was an adventure worth remembering. But it wouldn't be the last. A new adventure awaited me. A new life as a Dragon Knight, a wife, and a mother. A new chapter in my story.

I looked to the people who gathered around me. They looked back at me with admiration and appreciation. I couldn't help but smile back at them. I started to hum my new favorite song. One by one, everyone joined me. The song filled our hearts as the ship set out over the waves to the new horizon that awaited us all.

Author's Note: Tune of the Anti-slave scar song: The Minstrel Boy (watch?v=swvK6_xhKMc)

Thank you so much for reading my story everyone. All of your feedback has been the driving force to keep going and finish this thing. Now that the story is finally complete, I'd like to take a moment and talk about how I found the inspiration to write this story.

When I first played DOS2, I found it so interesting that the lizards were a sophisticated race. The details of the House of War, Law and Dreams made it so that the lizards weren't all about slavery and tyranny. I saw it as a metaphor about how there can be good people within a society that appears to be evil to other people of the world.

For my inspiration for Mahalia, I'd say she's a combination of Rose from Titanic, Elphaba from Wicked, and now that I've started reading and watching Game of Thrones, Daenerys Targaryen. Rose is obvious with her being betrothed to an aristocrat to improve her family legacy. Elphaba because she's smart and she eventually becomes disillusioned when she feels betrayed by the thing she believed in up until that point. And Dany because of her affiliation with dragons and her hatred of slavery.

For her character arc, it was a prime opportunity for a story about dealing with guilt based on skin. When she sees the results of her people handywork on others firsthand, she becomes conflicted because she doesn't want to abandon the Empire's ideals entirely because it's been her home and her parents are still there. Perhaps there could be a way to resolve that issue without bloodshed. But when the time came for the Red Prince's destiny to be revealed, it made sense it would be the final straw for her. But thankfully with Sebille's new arc in seeing goodness in lizards, she turns Mahalia away from the destructive path of self-hatred. Along with Ifan's support, Slane's gift and the Red Prince's change of heart, Mahalia can love herself and embrace the power of the Dragon Knights.

So, in the end, your skin doesn't determine who you are. What's important is that you love yourself and respect others who are different and the world will be a better place.

I'd like to thank everyone again for reading and reviewing my story. Without your help, I wouldn't have been able to finish this colossal undertaking. Thank you. What did you think of my story as a whole? Leave a review and have a good rest of your life. See you later.