Here it is Saga's epilogue. I'm happy with the way this chapter turned out. Some of the chapters I haven't been overly impressed with, but if I didn't send them in when I did, I'd still be stuck there writing them. This one didn't take to long, but I got everything I wanted into it. Let me know what you think. You can drop me a line at either Mist_dark@hotmail.com or Mist_dark@yahoo.ca I check both, so you'll get a response.
Thanks to everyone that's e-mailed me about Saga, or for the authors out there, that have responded to e-mails I sent them. I try to respond to all of the e-mails, but occasionally I get side tracked, and well we all know what can happen then. Anyway, thanks to Kenitra, Shade, Aeoros, Aphrodite, Di, Hamado, Tom, Matt, Keif and David. The list goes on, but these are just a few of the people who e-mail me constantly about the story. Thanks for your encouragement guys. And again thank you to everyone who's written me just to say they're enjoying Saga. Means a lot to know that people are reading the story and enjoying it.
Legalities: This story is in now way suppose to reflect the sexuality of the members of Nsync. If any of them are gay, then it's their business and not mine. If you're too young in your area or it's illegal in aforementioned area, please leave. If homosexual themes offend you, please leave as well. Parts of this story are based of the RPG Rifts. All trademarks belong to Kevin Siembieda and Palladium books.
Once again enjoy the story. Thanks for reading.
Until next time, Rune
EPILOGUE
Ishtar walked the empty hallways of the castle. The soles of her boots echoed through the passages. Now and again she would step over the body of a fallen warrior. Sometimes they were the demons that had invaded, and other times not. Blood ran thick on the floor, causing it to be slick in some places.
A groan caught her attention. She stepped over a pile of ash and a blue robe to reach the woman. The goddess looked at the woman at her feet. She brushed a lock of dark hair from the woman's face. Stooping down she picked the woman up and bore her away from the blood shed.
Maria was covered in the gore that came from fighting a battle. Her shirt was torn in several places and hung to her body by the blood that had changed the cloth from white to red. The pants had faired better, but not by much. Blood stained them as well, but they had fewer tears in them.
Her face was locked in an emotionless mask. The stare of a woman that had seen far too much in her lifetime. Even though she was centuries old, the battle she had just fought would remain etched in her memory for the rest of her life. As a master vampire she felt the death of each of her minions. She had lost all but a hundred of them. The few remaining vampires had found a place to rest during the day. Places to lick their wounds and hope they never had to fight like that again.
Time stood still for the Hispanic vampire. She walked the halls of the castle but didn't remember any of it. She was looking for someone and she wouldn't remember anything until she found them. Which was for the best. The blood the ran thick on the floor would have caused even her to vomit.
She came too a door that hung slightly ajar. She pushed and it swung inward almost completely of its own will. The dim light from the torches flooded into the room in a narrow beam. Her mask cracked.
"NO!!!!!"
Maria raced into the room and embraced the body.
Darkness shrouded his vision. He pulled himself to into a kneeling position and blinked his eyes a few times to clear them. They didn't. He pulled himself to his feet, using the wall as support. He stumbled through the room slowly. He avoided most of the obstacles because he knew what was in the room, and there wasn't much.
His hand moved from stone too wood. A few moments of fumbling and he pushed the shutters outward and felt the warmth of the sun flood onto his skin and waited for the light to flood the room. It never came.
A smile crossed his lips. "I'm blind," he whispered. "I'm alive, but I'm blind."
Awareness came slowly and painfully to the Guardian of Air. Pain lace through her head like a horrible headache. She groaned and pushed herself into a sitting position. She moved slowly as to not agitate the pain.
Gradually the pain subsided until it was gone completely. She looked down into the pool. It rippled and cleared. She saw the remains of the battle. The bodies that covered the forest. The ones that lay in the castle.
She saw the body of Selvar. A tear traced its way down her cheek, mingling with the blood that she had shed earlier. Another followed when she saw the bodies of Innis and Paloma. She wept bitterly when the pool showed her the body of her fallen servant.
"The pain this has caused," she whispered through her tears. "And the pain it will cause."
The waking world came slowly to Pyre. As his conciseness returned to him his body began to scream in agony. Every fiber of his being felt as if it were on fire. He lay there for a few moments allowing his body to regenerate. He had no idea how long he had lain there, but it probably wasn't that long.
The last memory he had was falling from the sky, hitting the ground and blacking out. He stopped. No, that wasn't right. The last memory he had was of the Guardian of Death leading him back to his body. He had died.
Slowly he pulled himself to his feet. It was painful, but he did it. he flapped his wings experimentally. The tear had healed and he could move them with minimal discomfort. After quickly checking his body over he though he could try to fly.
Initially the flight was slow, he didn't want to strain himself, but as he flew he worked the kinks out of his muscles and he was fine. The castle loomed in the distance. He flew toward it with increasing speed. The forest passed under him, and he could see that he wasn't the only survivor of the battle. The odd Werecreature moved in the trees below him.
He touched down in the courtyard just as the sun was peeking over the horizon. The dragon shimmered for a moment and was replaced by the human form that he had come to enjoy so much. Clothing himself in illusion he walked toward the tower. He could smell Justin in the air around the tower and knew that's where he was.
The inside of the tower was empty. Nothing was there. No one was there. Pyre began shedding tears as the realization hit him. Justin was gone. Not dead, but simply gone.
My dearest Lance,
As you read this I know that I have died. I know that this fact pains you greatly and that you will shed tears as you read this. I am not leaving this note to torment you, I would never willingly do anything that would harm you. But I have harmed you and that thought will be carried with me for all eternity. I have died, I have been slain in combat, but most importantly I have left you. And that is something that I never wished to have done.
Know this, and remember it always. I love you. I have loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you in the forest those months ago. I fell in love with the sweet and tender young man that I came to know. I fell in love with the scared young man that I first met. A young man that was scared, but refused to let himself be bullied. You have a great deal of strength my love. Keep it and share it with others at the same time. Share it as you have shared it with me.
This gift I give you now is a token of my love for you. I know that is not what you want, and I wish nothing more then to give you the world Lance, but I can't. I am dead. I am now truly one with the forces I commanded in life. I don't feat death, I never have. But I do hate death because it has separated me from you. But I must love death at the same time. The Guardian has agreed to give me this last chance to say goodbye to you. Though she insisted it be while you were asleep.
I'm watching you sleep now and I know that even if you were to wake, you would not see me. At least not in the way I can see you. It pains, me to leave you like this, but I must.
Take this gift and remember me always. I would ask you to move on Lance. To find someone else to love like you loved me. I know that you will mourn for me, but do not let that over come you. You are strong, and you must move on. Be there for your friends Lance, they will need you in the days ahead.
I will never forget you, even death cannot take those memories from me. Take care my love.
Love always,
Selvar
Selvar folded the paper and wrote `Lance' on it. He set it on the desk so that Lance would see it when he woke.
He crossed the carpet silently. The dead always move without sound. He stood next to the bed and smiled down at the sleeping form before him. Lance had shed most of his clothing to sleep, as was his habit. The covers were pulled up to his mid-chest as he lay on his side. Clenched tightly in his arms was Cro. The blonde held onto the book as if it were a lifeline.
Smiling again Selvar leaned over and gently pulled one of Lance's hands free of the book. He pulled something from inside his robes and placed it in the now open hand. He closed the hand and pushed it next to the book again. Selvar bent over and kissed Lance gently on the forehead.
"Sleep well my love."
"Are you ready Selvar?" The Guardian of Death asked gently.
He turned and nodded to her. "Thank you for allowing me to see him one last time."
A smile graced her lips. "Death allows many things to happen Selvar. You'll learn why I've done this in time." She turned to leave. "We must go now." Selvar turned and looked on the sleeping form of Lance one last time before walking to the Guardian's side. The pair walked forward and vanished into a light haze.
In his sleep Lance smiled and rolled over. Cro slid slightly from his grasp and lay on the blankets. His hand opened slightly and the moonlight glittered of the object in his hand.
It was a ring. Bone white in the moonlight. Three symbols were etched into its surface. The symbol of death and the symbol of life. Between them both sat the symbol of eternity.
Well friends, that's it. Saga is officially over. I'm kind of sad to see it end, but we all knew that this day would come. I'm surprised that I'd gotten this far with it, but I did. Anyway, thanks for reading. I'd keep typing at this point, but it's just going to be mindless babble, so I won't.
Rune