EPILOGUE

The silence in the bed chamber was a long one, interrupted only by the faint crackling of the fire. The grandfather was leaning back in his chair, his shoulders slumped in a weary stoop. Similarly, the boy's eyes were drooping, showing his own exhaustion.

His mouth widening in a yawn that was entirely unfeigned, the grandfather cleared his throat and said, "I think perhaps that is enough for tonight. Time to sleep, my boy."

The boy straightened up, blinking his eyes rapidly as though trying to chase away his fatigue. "No!" he protested. "That can't be all of it!"

The older man paused in his intention to stand up from his seat and looked at his grandson. A faint smile crossed his lips. "Why can't it?" he asked.

"Because, because," the boy sputtered, "it just can't! Merlin went off to foster with Tristan de Bois, and Arthur was a squire. There has to be more! Arthur isn't king yet, and Merlin isn't his advisor! That can't be the end, it just can't!"

The grandfather's entertained expression fell away, and the grandson was still awake to notice it. Amusement vanished, only be replaced with something far more different. Grief, absolute devastation. A chill ran through the boy.

"Oh no, my boy," the old man said quietly. "That wasn't the end. That was only the beginning."

END PART ONE

Final Notes: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the story. As I started developing it, I quickly began to realize that all of the ideas that I had for this story would quickly turn this into a mammoth-sized monstrosity that I would never be able to finish by the time of the Paperlegends deadline. As a result, I committed myself to just writing this part of the tale, saving the rest of it for a later date. So this story is going to be but the first in a series of perhaps three stories, if things play out the way I think they will. Hope to see you back for more in the future!

Also, please take a moment to leave a review! :)