William was in his room, Spike was sleeping in his arms.
"I can't believe we're safe now. Everything is fine."
William was stroking Spike's belly.
"You're such a cute little guy, I'm so glad I didn't leave you out there.
William looked at his clock; it was 5:30.
"Okay Spike, I have to go. I'm sorry but you'll have to stay here. But I promise I'll come back."
Spike didn't move, he was still asleep.
"Come on, wake up."
William gently nudged Spike, he slowly woke up.
"Sorry, buddy. But I have to go. You can stay here, and sleep. I'll come back soon."
Spike purred as he rubbed his head against William's chest.
"I know, but I'll be back."
William placed Spike on his bed and left the room.
Spike looked up at the door and then went back to sleep.
At six o'clock, William walked into the main dining hall.
There were a lot of people there.
"Hello, William." Said the king,
"How are you doing? Is the dragon still alive?"
"He's fine," said William, "I named him Spike."
"Interesting," said the queen, "so what are you doing here?"
"Amber invited me, she said some sort of spiritual ceremony is going to take place. I don't really know."
"A spirit summoning," said the queen, "those can be dangerous. It is not a good idea."
"Don't worry, mother. I will be with him." Said Edgar.
"I'm just worried," said the queen, "those spells are unpredictable."
"We'll be fine," said Edgar, "don't worry."
"I'm not sure about this."
At the center of the room stood a foxling dress in a light blue robe.
Her name was Lola, she was a beautiful even by foxling standards with bright yellow eyes.
"Okay, everybody, the ritual will begin soon. Please, have a seat."
Everyone took their seats.
"Okay," said Lola, "the spirit summoning will begin."
Lola pulled out a small wand.
"Here we go, Spirits of the dead, I call to thee. Come forth from the beyond, and grant me a favor. Show yourselves to us, and speak with us."
Suddenly, a pale blue cloud of light appeared, and through the clouds appeared Colonel Cyrus.
Everyone gasped.
"Colonel?" Asked William.
Cyrus turned to face William, a smile on his face.
"William, my boy. It is so good to see you again. I wish we could be together in person, but I'm afraid I am not allowed to come back. I watched you fight Ratty, you have become a brave and powerful warrior. I couldn't be prouder of you."
William was crying.
"Cyrus, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let you get killed."
"Do not blame yourself, William. I died a hero's death. And don't forget, I will always be with you. I am at peace now. Besides I know two people who want to said hello to you."
"Mom? Dad?"
William's parents stepped out of the cloud.
"William, it is so good to see you," said his mother, "We have missed you so much."
"Oh, Will," said his father, "look at you. You've grown into a strong young man. We are so proud of you."
"Mother, father, I'd never thought I see you two again. I am so happy."
William's mother embraced him.
"My baby," she said, "we're finally together again."
"Mother, I just want to know why it happened, why did the plague kill you both?"
"There was nothing that could have been done. We caught the plague, and there was no cure. You must learn to move on. Forget the past, and focus on the future. Prince Edgar?"
"Yes, Mrs. Underhill?"
"You saved our son's life, thank you so much."
"It was my pleasure, Mrs. Underhill. And he has saved our lives. He is a very brave young man."
"You are a true hero, my son. I wish we could have been together longer." Said Mr. Underhill.
Marie stood up.
"Mr. Underhill? Did you ever find out where the plague? Why did it come from?"
"Well Princess Marie, I don't know all of the details. There was a rumor that it came from the laboratory of a wizard."
"Oh my," said the queen, "Was it Ratty? Did he cause the plague to begin with?"
"No, ma'am. It was a different wizard. I do not remember his name, but I remember he was a powerful mage."
"Oh my," said the king, "If that's the case, then the threat isn't over."
"I don't know about Ratty's family, but some said that he had a brother. That his brother was responsible for the plague, not him."
"This is terrible," said the king, "We must be on guard, we could still be in danger."
"Do not worry, your highness." Said Cyrus "You and everyone on the ark are safe. The curse only sunk the land."
"Okay," said the king, "at least we got away from the land. We still need to find a new home."
"I know," said the queen, "and I am sure we will find one. We just need to keep looking."
"And that's enough for tonight. Goodbye, William. I hope we can see each other again soon." Said Cyrus.
"Goodbye son, we will be watching over you." Said Mr. Underhill.
"Goodbye," said William, "thank you."
"Take care of yourself, son. We love you."
The clouds disappeared.
The lights came back on.
"Alright Everyone," said Lola, "it's all over now. Thank you for coming. William, I hope that gave you some closure. Cyrus and your parents couldn't be happier with you. And Edgar, I know you have done an excellent job raising him. I will see you all next time. Good night."
"Good night," said everyone.
Edgar walked over to William.
"You okay, William?"
"Yes, Edgar. I'm okay. It was a nice sendoff. I feel like a great weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I'm glad my parents approve."