Golm

Golm - Chapter 16

Chapter 16

I woke up in a familiar bed. I woke up in George. “Hello Herridan. Have I healed your wounds well?” It asked in my head.
I opened my eyes and I thought to George, “Where am I? What happened?”
He replied, “You are in Princess Elesia’s Palace. You were carried here I believe. And Maurna summoned me to tend to your injuries and nurse you back to health.”
I got out of George and I looked around for some clothes. I found some set out for me on a table next to me and I put them on. I asked George, “How long have I been asleep?”
He answered, “15 hours and 36 minutes. How are your injuries? Did I satisfy your needs?”
I felt great and I only saw a few scars. I thought, “You did a great job George. Thanks for helping me.”
He accepted, “That is my purpose.”
I stepped outside of my room and I ran to the throne room looking for Elesia. I got to the throne room door and I opened it. When I did I heard the cheers of hundreds of men and women. I saw a red carpet rolled out for me and I saw Elesia sitting on her throne clapping. I paced down the carpet surrounded by cheering people. Bells rang and people up on higher floors threw confetti and streamers. Bands played victory music. Roses were thrown and people sang.
I got to Elesia and she told me, “We knew you would wake up soon, so we set up a celebration for you, Emperor Herridan.” I looked at her with surprise. She called me Emperor, but why? I remembered that in Golm, you had to either inherit the throne or kill the one who had it and I had killed Runar. I had become Emperor!
I turned around to the people and watched them cheer like people cheered the soldiers’ return from World War Two or the cheering of New York when the ball was dropping December 31st 1999. A servant put a coat around my body and directed me to my throne. I sat down on it and watched the people cheer. Elesia came up to me and she put a crown on my head. The crown seemed to symbolize the respect I had been fighting for all my life. If Elesia wasn’t my reward, then the crown was.
The doors swung open again and four figures came out from the door. It was Maurna, Pias, Utof and Rorden! They didn’t die; they were ok! They stepped up towards me and they knelt down before me. I told them to stand up and that they didn’t have to honour me like that. Another servant came up to me and gave me four medals. I took them and I knew what to use them for.
I put one around Rorden’s neck and I told him, “You fought bravely and you helped out everyone to achieve this goal, thank you. I hope I won’t need your skills anymore thanks to you.” I moved over to Utof and I put a medal around his neck. I told him, “You also fought with your life and I am indebted to you as a friend and as your new Emperor. Live long my friend.” I moved to Maurna. I put the medal around her neck and I told her, “You saved my life many times and you protected me and healed me when I needed it. You have let me feel extra ordinary things, Maurna. You are a very good friend, I hope to have you as a friend forever. I’m really sorry to here about your people and if I can help, please tell me.” She nodded and smiled. I moved to Pias and I put the last medal around his neck. I told him, “You have been a great friend. You’ve taught me much and we’ve worked as a team to accomplish some great things. I hope we will be friends for a long time. Thank you Pias.”
The four bowed and walked away. I walked over to Elesia and I told her, “I wish I had something for you.”
Elesia said, “That isn’t necessary.”
I grabbed her hand and I knelt to the floor on one knee. I looked her straight in the eye and asked, “Will you be my Empress? Will you marry me?”
She looked in my eyes and her eyes lit up. She broke in tears and answered, “Yes Herridan! I will.” I stood up and we both kissed. We kissed for a long time, while the crowd cheered and the band played. It was a magical moment.

* * * * * *

It’s been a year since that day I proposed to Elesia. Many things have happened in that time. Dulahin has come up to me and bowed to me. He has lead all his Sages to write knew chapters in their books. They added chapters of light, in books of darkness. In some cases they finished writing books that were started thousands of years ago. I had the full respect of all the Sages forever.
I learned that about 20 Aquasians were alive and that it would take them a very long time to become what they were hundreds of years ago. I appointed Maurna to be their Queen, but she didn’t want the role. She just wanted to rebuild Solwashi and help keep her race alive.
Since there were no wars to be fought, I ordered to warriors of Golm to help out the dwarves in construction. Pias and Utof both enjoyed building homes for families, now that Golm’s population will grow dramatically with me as their Emperor. Rorden however had the warrior blood so I appointed him as my personal bodyguard.
I had made Channdis’ house my private get away. His house was so peaceful and close to the city I knew many names of.
I kept the Golan Sword tournament, but I made sure no one was hurt. I supplied the padded weapons and I had medical teams waiting. That year’s tournament was great and thankfully no one was killed this time. The winner, a dwarf, won 10 000 GC and a small kiss from my wife Elesia.
Runar’s castle was stripped clean of any sort of information of anything and then it was burned. I was happy to see that place go down in flames. The smoke that came out was very thick and black.
The courthouse’s laws were changed, so no man was sentenced to death. I was also relieved of my charges and I was no longer an outlaw.
The stones, which contain the Elements, are hidden inside my Palace underground in many vaults and heavily guarded around the clock. No one will ever touch them again. Now the Elements will be life givers again.
Since the Elements’ powers have shifted and Fire isn’t the dominant force anymore. Earth is enriching the soils and crops are always good. Fire’s war is on top, but fire’s love still remains. Both Water and Wind purify the land better than before. Every day was a good day.
A giant graveyard was created a few kilometers from my Palace. It has a grave for every one who died in that battle and it holds Channdis’ grave. I come to mourn his death and the many others every once and a while. I gave back Channdis’ sword, the sword he gave me so long ago. I had placed it on top of his grave.
George is now my permanent bed. I will sleep on him for as long as I live and he will give me some ruling advice for the future, because I don’t know too much about ruling a world.
I let the tail men out of their prisons in the streets. They now live the way they used to, they are now farmers and now everyone in Golm can live more civilized lives since the tail men can grow the food they put on their tables, instead of them having to grow it themselves.
I don’t speak of the Grey Sages to anyone, because they travel between the worlds and in this case knowledge can destroy us. I keep their location secret.
The Tolken Door is sealed and it is now a tourist attraction. It brings some money into Vinna.
Some of the rarer races have begun their own cities and own civilizations. I heard the Repticans have a large chain of tribes to the East. The Repticans are now tame and I’ve become acquainted with their King.
Many other races that I hadn’t heard of, had gotten out of hiding and live in peace, and I know all their Kings and Queens too. I’ve met some mole people, some rock people, some snake people and many others. It was quite a spectacle at my 1st annual race festival, where everything can meat everything else.
Though the most interesting thing that’s happened to me was that my son was born two evenings ago. Whenever people aligned with Earth (dwarves, elves, maids, Sages, etc) have a child, its rank is random within all the Earth’s types. Water aligned people have other random Water aligned offspring. Same with Fire and Wind, but for the first time in recorded Golan history; Elesia and I mixed two alignments. My son is the second of this type. My son is the second dragon-like person in Golm.
He has wings like her mother and a long tail like his father. But yet he looks like only one alignment, like the fifth one. He has dark bluish skin and little baby claws for hands and feet. His face looks more like his mother’s, but I could tell he’s got more of his father inside. I was a little surprised at first when I saw him. I was expecting what you saw on the hospital shows, a human. But I remembered that I wasn’t a human, so I would have a child who looked far different from myself.
Even though he looks like a human-dragon, he’s still my son, and I accepted the fact in less than a second after he was born. I knew he’d grow up to be a great man and carry on in his father’s footsteps. Elesia and I are both thinking of a name for him, but we are having trouble.
The funny part about my son was the second of his type. The first one was famous and was a lot like me. The first one were the small statues I saw on the main gates into the city and on the gates of Channdis’ house. This first dragon-like type symbolizes everything I just fought for and what I had just saved. My son is the second one, and the first one was Emperor Tolken. The man who created order in Golm. The man who created the beginning. My son.


The End