King Sunrider nodded in kind, "If it hadn't been for Emissary Orym's persistence, I fear my people's fate would of had a different turn of events. My sons rallied together, all of them bringing hope and restoring the peace, thank you all."

"You are most welcome, Sunrider, Elven King," Lord Irzen replied, "It was our pleasure to come to the aid of our friend, Prince Willow, in his time of need. We are glad that we could help and be of service to you and your people, Your Majesty."

Lazheros turned to the ranger, "Prince Willow, will you be accompanying us when we take our leave from the kingdom of Northaven, or are you staying here with your family?"

"I intend to remain here with my family, Lazheros," The prince replied without hesitation, "My family need me. My people need me. And more importantly, my country needs us!" He waved his and over to his brothers, "For we are the Sons of Sunrider; we are not just princes to our people, we are beacons of hope, symbols of justice and signs of order to them. But I will make you this promise, once the reconstruction is complete, once the king's law has been fully restored to our lands and once we have achieved a modicum of peace, then I will find you and rejoin you."

Alyson tapped Serna on the shoulder, "It's okay now, the deed is done and the late elf maiden is gone. You can turn back around now."

"Are you sure its okay, Alyson?" Caliaphy peeked through the strands of Serna's hair cautiously.

"Yes, Caliaphy." She replied.

"Thanks, Alyson," Serna turned around with a sad smile.

Captain Lion gave the king and his sons a courtly bow and said, "Prince Birch, my ship will sail soon, and I am offering to take you and the princess back to East Port along the way to Asylum, would that please you?"

"Ye gods, Captain Lion, what an OUTSTANDING idea!" Prince Birch nearly leapt from his seat but barely kept his composure--barely, "We have travelled by sea and by land, NOW, we shall travel by air!" With a distant and wistful look in his eye, Prince Birch seemed almost as if he was speaking to himself, "Ah! My muse speaks to me with words that are on the tip of my mind. I feel a poem coming on!"

The airship captain turned to the shield maiden now, "Young lady, have you considered my offer?"

"I have, Captain Lion," Serna looked up at the airship captain, "And while I do consider your offer a generous one, I'm afraid that I must decline." Looking over at her companions, The Shield Maiden added, "These people are not just my friends, they are my family too! And whether they are here like Prince Willow or in Asylum like Neven or on the road to another part of The Realm, there is a bond of fellowship that I have with them that I am not ready to part with. I hope you understand, Captain Lion, I have a family--and they are right here with me."

"Ah, I see. Well then," He kept a straight face, "I bid you and your friends safe travels, young lady."

"I'm sorry, Captain Lion, I really am," Serna replied with a hint of disappointment on her face.

"Prince Birch, my airship is ready to sail and I shall await you there," Captain Lion gave the royal family one last courtly bow and left for his airship.

Alyson could feel the disappointment in his eyes when Serna declined his offer and sighed. ~ Maybe someday Captain Lion and his wife will find the little girl to raise..~

The Bronze Man bowed once more before ushering Alyson, Serna, and Caliaphy out of the throne room, "Lord Irzen, are you still planning on staying with the group or are you parting ways as well?"

"I'm planning on joining you," Lord Irzen replied, "But, as I recall, the king asked to speak with me alone should we emerge victorious from this war. Now that we have, I will honor the king's request. If you can wait until I return, then I will be more than happy to join the rest of you guys."

Mandur had given his full report in detail to King Sunrider and his sons regarding everything on the previous battle with the horde. He and his fellows were quietly waiting in the hallway when Lazheros, Alyson, Serna and Caliaphy came over, "Ah, Grand Cleric, taking your leave finally of this arduous event?"

"From Northaven, yes. As for the rest of the journey, we shall see where the path leads," Lazheros told him.

"How about you, Captain Mandur," Serna asked somewhat sheepishly, "What are you going to do now? And where are you going to go next?"