This time, it was the Mad King who fell to the floor, dead.
I watched the last breath leave his body, waiting for the darkness to steal over his form as it did our previous enemies, banishing him from sight.
The darkness never came.
Through coincidence or fate, the impact knocked the crown from his head. It rolled through the blood of John to bump against Shahrazad's knees. A shudder ran through her body, dislodging her captor's surprised grips. With a snap, the story that had once bound the characters to their places ended, setting Cove, Sinbad, Shahrazad, and our allies free.
Shahrazad inhaled sharply through her nose, the sound echoing in the full yet quiet throne room. Her hands, when she reached out, were steady as she lifted the crown, placing it atop her head. Her face was a carefully carved mask of victory, projecting a false calm and confidence as she gracefully rose to her feet.
Even as the room visibly brightened with the rising sun, the mood of the room lightened as well, as though the entire kingdom had dislodged a particularly nasty thorn from their side and could finally begin to heal. The man who'd held Shahrazad captive unhooked his belt, letting his sword and his weapons fall to the ground. He collapsed to his knees, his shoulders slumping down as he bowed his head in Shahrazad's direction.
With no lost love for the King they'd defended so fearfully, the sentiment spread in a wave, swords and guns clattering against the slowly warming floor, echoed by the soft thud of their knees as they bowed their heads. Their relief was palatable, a potent reminder of the fear the Mad King had struck in the hearts of his followers. Without him, they folded easily to the beloved Shahrazad's rule.
Her boots padded softly over the floor, the sound echoing through the room as she walked up to me, a weary smile crossing her face. She cast a brief, grateful glance toward Cove before turning to Sinbad, communicating some unknown sentiment between them. Ani skittered out from wherever he'd hidden, arching against her legs.
She smiled, the dark brown wisps of her pulled-back hair kissing the side of her face as she bent down to gift him a single pat on the head. As Ani's head bobbed, her hand continued down until she brushed her fingers lightly against the fluttering pages of the book. Her smile brightened as she made contact, and she carefully picked the book up from its place on the ground, snapping the pages shut. The sound echoed loudly through the silent room, startling someone behind me into jumping to his feet. Someone coughed politely, and Shahrazad cast an amused glance over my shoulder, presumably waiting for them to recover before she continued.
Where the reflected light in the Mad King's eyes was a burning rage, Shahrazad's were lit by a comforting fire fueled from within.
Our eyes met before she shifted her attention to Cove, holding the book in his direction. "As promised."
His eyes wide with shock and confusion, Cove slowly took the book from her, pulling it in to tuck it against his chest. A tiny flicker of guilt crossed his face before he banished it with a grateful nod.
"Before you leave, I wish to offer you both my thanks," she said, inclining her head forward in the slightest of bows toward the both of us. "If there is anything else you require, only ask, and it shall be yours."
[You've been gifted with Shahrazad's favor! Fame and fortune are yours if you only ask!]
The sudden appearance of a message from the system was a surprise after the uninterrupted and quick defeat of the Mad King, but the events of the past evening were quickly catching up to me. I slid the thoughts to the back of my brain to think upon later and perhaps to research more upon our return to our home world.
"We will," Cove promised. "For now, we only wish for safe passage." His magic seemed across the room, saturating it with the ocean's brine.
It warned that as soon as we stepped out of this room, we would vanish from this world. I cast a quick glance toward Sinbad, attempting to convey my appreciation for him in the short glance we'd share. I was sure that if I asked, Cove would allow us the time to linger and say our goodbyes, but I was loath to ask. Now that our mission was accomplished and the book recovered, I could only feel a bone-deep weariness.
With an understanding "of course" that made me feel bare before her, Shahrazad flicked her wrist at the soldiers and granted our request. The guards who'd restrained us politely escorted us out, carefully avoiding eye contact. Weighed down by the silence of the room, Cove, Ranch, Ani, and I were escorted out, leaving Sinbad behind.
Just as I breached the doorway, I glanced over my shoulder, giving Sinbad a slight nod and a tired smile that was reflected. This was only a temporary parting.
The doors clattered shut behind us, and Cove picked Ranch up with his free hand, placing her on his shoulder. With the hand once again free, he downed an inventory and offered up his arm. I grabbed Ani, reaching out toward his wrist. Cove jerked his arm away, shaking his head.
He reached back out to snatch my outstretched arm in a bruising grip. "I don't feel like looking for you again."
I instinctively jerked my arm back but was unable to escape his grasp. Clearly, his self-defense lessons left something to be desired if I was so easily restrained.
"That was not my fault," I responded, glaring at the true offender sitting in my arms. Ani meowed, bumping his head against my shoulder.
Unimpressed, Cove pulled, dragging us along the thread that led back home.