Chapter 20: Statue

         Grom stared out the window that overlooked the town of Oneria, and for the first time, the sun took its place in the sky without a single cloud to shadow its light. New life sprang throughout the town, and the hustle of daily living returned. He watched the vendors along the streets and listened to their usual enticing calls to sell clothing, vases, and food. The round-bellied fruit vendor’s voice rang out above them all as he tried to sell a pineapple to an unsuspecting townsman.

         Men carrying hammers and chisels gathered around the center of town and ducked under a tall, brown tent. The chipping of stone and pounding of metal overtook the vendor’s cries. Grom flinched and looked over his shoulder, expecting rock and a large boulder to fall from above. The only thing he saw was the gleaming white ceiling over his head and the comfy, feathered bed that he enjoyed a night’s rest.

         He stepped from the window and looked around the castle guest room, the same room he stayed up counting the bricks (all 3,462 of them) that first night before their adventure began. The room itself was quiet, and he hated it. After his travels across Feldos and to the dark-stoned castle, he found the solitude and silence unsettling. He watched the door, waiting for Cloey to burst through and call him a lazy dwarf.

         As he stood watch, his mind returned to The Blackened Isle, Mortillus. He held Prescott in his arms and sobbed. When he could bare the sight no longer, he left Prescott on the balcony and staggered back into the dark room. He noticed Renant’s obsidian dagger laying on the ground amongst the carpet of ash. He knelt down and lifted it, eyeing the sharp edge. For a single moment, the thought of ending it all entered his mind.

         “Silly Grommy,” a familiar voice said behind him. Grom turned and stared the floating Edwin in the eyes. “What are you thinking about?”

         “Everyone is gone, and it’s my fault. I want to apologize to them, and there is only one way that I can see them again to do it,” Grom answered.

         “How do you plan to do that? Don’t tell me you’re going to fish yourself to death,” Edwin said.

         “What?” Grom questioned, looking down at his hand. The black dagger was gone, and he held a frozen trout instead. Baffled and angry, he threw the fish at Edwin, who ducked his head just in time. Grom sank down to his knees and pressed a palm against his forehead. Edwin floated down in front of him and stared at him with his beady little eyes.

         “You didn’t cause their deaths. They fought to protect the rest of the world from Mortillus. Look, Astaroth is gone, and the artifacts have fallen with him. Feldos is saved! So let’s go back home. I can send you to Oneria if you’d like,” Edwin said with a strange smile.

         “They lost their lives,” Grom said, lowering his arms to his side, “Isac, Cloey, Shenk, Prescott, even Kravitz. They are all gone. I wanted to go back with them all. We were supposed to return together as heroes.”

         “Grommy,” Edwin began. He floated around behind him and placed his hands on his shoulders. “They are in a happy, glorious place now, but they will never leave your side. All you have to do is remember them, and they will be there for you.”

         A knock shook the door, disturbing his thoughts of Mortillus and the strange blue kobold. Grom rushed across the room and threw it open. He expected Cloey or Isac, but Jonathan stood there instead. All of the excitement melted from his face, and he turned away and sat on the edge of his bed.

         “I’m sorry to bother you, but I was told to let you know that the ceremony will be held later tonight,” Jonathan said. He wore the same shining armor as the day they first met. When Grom did not respond, Jonathan cleared his throat and coughed. “And I wanted to say that I am sorry for your loss. I was wrong about you all. You are a brave dwarf, Grom. Your friends were equally honorable. Your deeds will always be remembered in Oneria and throughout Feldos.”

         Grom nodded.

         “I’ll leave you alone and come back when they are ready for the ceremony. Goodbye, Grom,” Jonathan said, bowing his head and closing the door.

         Grom closed his eyes and returned to The Blackened Isle.

         “What about your princess?” Edwin asked, floating back around in front of him. He poked Grom’s cheek with a single claw. “You’ll want to go back to her, right?”

         “I was kidding myself the entire time. She’s royalty, and I’m just a dwarf. She probably won’t talk to me ever again,” Grom replied.

         “She’d be a fool not to. You saved her life, remember? Plus you have an adorable smile,” Edwin said, poking his cheek again.

         “You’re starting to creep me out,” Grom said, swatting away his hand.

         “Do you think she’s beautiful?” Edwin asked.

         “Beyond any other woman I have ever seen,” Grom replied.

         “Do you love her?”

         The question stunned Grom. Above all else, thoughts of Anne helped him through the hardest parts of his journeys. Whenever he dreamed, he saw her face staring back at him. But love? Did he love her?

         Edwin smiled.

         “Then go find out.”

         Grom opened his eyes and looked around. He still sat on the edge of the guest bed, staring off at an idle brick in the wall. He sighed and covered his face with his hands.

         There was another knock at the door.

         “Fine, Jonathan, I’ll come down in a few minutes!”

         No one answered. Grom shrugged his shoulders and thought he had walked away. However, the knob began to turn and the door pushed open. Grom jumped up to yell at the intruder, but all of his disparaging remarks lodged in his throat. Princess Anne slipped into the room and shut the door behind her. She tucked a long, solitary strand of golden hair behind her ear. The rest of her hair was put in a single braid that ran down to the middle of her back. A light blue dress fit snugly around her waist and dragged along the ground as she stepped in front of Grom. Silver bracelets hung around her slender wrists, which Grom preferred to the shackles that held her in the damp, dark temple.

         “Princess, I am honored by your presence,” Grom sputtered, bowing his head to her.

         “Please,” Anne said, placing her hand under his chin and lifting it. He looked into her sapphire eyes, and she smiled down at him. “Grom, you need not bow your head to me. I owe you much. You saved my life, hunted down the orcs that murdered my father, and stopped Astaroth from destroying Oneria and all of Feldos. You have no right bowing your head to anyone.”

         “You speak too kindly, princess. I’m only a dwarf,” Grom began, but she placed a finger across his mouth.

         “You are more than that,” Anne whispered. She removed her hand from his mouth and placed it on his shoulder. She leaned forward and kissed him gently on the lips. His eyes widened, and she took a step back. “I have to go, Grom. I’ll see you at tonight’s ceremony, won’t I?”

         Grom nodded. Anne smiled and slipped back through the door; the second it closed, Grom fell back onto the bed, a wide grin stretched across his face.

                   *          *          *

         As the sun began its descent from the top of the sky, the townspeople gathered around near the tent. The crowd roared with shouting and laughter, while others whispered about what lie under the brown cloth. A buzz of excitement ran through the people of Oneria. Children played games of tag at the outskirts of the crowd, and vendors wandered back and forth to sell freshly-cooked snacks to those awaiting the unveiling.

         Trumpets sounded and from the castle marched a line of Oneria’s soldiers and Grom. The crowd cheered and clapped, calling out his name. Grom waved to the people, but in the back of his mind he felt uncomfortable. He wished he could turn and whisper something to Shenk or Prescott, but when he turned to either side, he found himself alone. Despite all the cheering and clapping, Grom’s heart sank. He took his place near the tent and looked out at all the people. So many faces, people that he and his friends fought to save. Among them he saw people he knew, such as the blacksmith, who had helped watch over Princess Anne, and the barmaid, who blew Grom a kiss as he had passed her. People he knew and didn’t were assembled to pay tribute to his wonderful deeds, but he still felt wrong about the celebration. The soldiers joined Grom around the tent, where they stood and waited.

         The crowd quieted a bit, but began shouting again when the trumpeting rose into the air. From the castle marched more soldiers, and among them walked Sir Jonathan and Princess Anne. As they made their way toward the crowd, the assembled villagers hushed and bowed their heads out of respect. They made their way toward the tent, and the soldiers stepped back away from Anne and Jonathan. Jonathan stepped forward and raised his hand for silence. The few remaining whispers died away, and he cleared his throat.

         “Good evening, citizens. I am glad that you all could come out here tonight. As you all know, we are here to honor the heroic acts of a group of brave people. They set out and saved Princess Anne from the clutches of an evil kidnapper. They saved Oneria from the raiding orcs. And they were the ones who saved Feldos from the tyranny of Mortillus.”

         In the back of his head, Grom heard the words that Edwin told him. “All you have to do is remember.” He wished he could believe his words. Had things really been that simple, he would be standing next to them right now. Had things gone right, they would be here celebrating the people’s freedom with him. Instead, he stood alone and felt like more of an outcast than a hero.

         “Unfortunately, these brave souls gave their lives to save the rest of us. And for that, we wanted to pay tribute and assure that they would be forever remembered. As a gift to you all, we have prepared a special surprise. We acquired the services of all the best sculptors from our town to work together on this, and it will soon be complete. If you could please remove the cover.”

         A group of soldiers walked up to the tent and pulled the brown cloth away. Beneath the cloth, a stone statue stood in the center of town, depicting each of the four warriors that had given their lives. Grom turned to it and examined it with awe. Although it stood unfinished, he recognized their faces immediately. Standing there in front of him were his friends. Prescott stood tall, sword at his side and his owl Vision perched on his outstretched arm. Beside him stood Isac, leaning on his staff. Behind them towered Shenk, who held his double-ended axe up over his head. Hidden between the Izula brothers was little Cloey, a sweet smile etched on her face. The crowd began to cheer, and Grom stood with tears in his eyes.

         “And now to say a few words, the only one of the heroes who was able to return. Please give your utmost respect to Grom Greystone!”

         The crowd erupted into more cheering and clapping. Grom turned to Jonathan and shook his head, but Jonathan grabbed his arm and pulled him forward. Grom looked out at all those assembled and raised his hands. When they settled down, he began to speak.

         “Please, hold your applause. I set out with these four to make a change, and I believe we accomplished that. We did just that. We saved Princess Anne from death, and we stopped the orc’s raid of your home–our home. We even stopped an evil man from trying to destroy this beautiful kingdom. I never thought that we would have had to go through all that we had to endure, but we managed to survive because we had one another. I just wish that they could be here with me right now.”

         He paused and the crowd burst into applause. When they quieted, he continued.

         “I want to thank Princess Anne for thinking well enough of our deeds to have this statue erected. Now every time I miss my friends, I’ll know where to find them. Thank you all.”

         The crowd began to cheer again, and Grom stepped back. Princess Anne took a step forward and the cheers faded back to silence.

         “People of Oneria, I have one last order of business to discuss. Since the death of our dear King Gregory, there has been talk about my ascension to the throne as Queen of Oneria. I want you all to know that I am more than willing to watch over and protect our kingdom as queen.”

         The people began to cheer again, but she held up her hand.

         “As my first act as queen, I am honored to announce the newest addition to our militia. Grom, would you please step forward?”

         Grom felt his heart jerk in his chest. He looked up at Anne, the beautiful princess that he had dreamed about before they had even met. She stood there before him in her flowing blue dress, and he felt his entire body go numb. She appeared to him not as a princess or queen but as a goddess. He smiled and took a step toward her. She nodded her head, and he knelt down on one knee before her.

         “Grom, would you do Oneria the honor of becoming a captain of our knights? If you accept, you shall be provided with your own lodging and a troop of soldiers at your command. You have protected Feldos, now I wish you to protect my kingdom.”

         Grom lifted his head and saw Anne smiling at him. He took in a deep breath and nodded his head.

         “I would be honored to serve for a queen of such kindness and beauty. I shall take up my axe and protect Oneria with my life.”

         Queen Anne’s face beamed, and she held out her hand to him. Grom took her hand and rose to his feet.

         “Then it is my honor to announce to you all, your new Captain of Oneria’s Defenses, Grom Greystone!”

         The crowd erupted into a wild cheer. The townspeople rose up and chanted, “Long live Queen Anne.” She turned to the people and bowed her head to them. She turned back toward Grom and their eyes met. He felt the tender kiss that they shared in his room, and his face flushed red in embarrassment. Grom wanted to sweep her into his arms and kiss her, but he knew he could not. He bowed his head to her as she stepped past him. Jonathan stepped beside Grom and patted him on the shoulder. Grom looked up at Jonathan, who smiled down at him.

         “It appears you are now my equal. Thank you for everything you have done, Grom,” Jonathan said. Grom nodded his head, and Jonathan strode away with the guards, leading Queen Anne through the crowd and back to the castle.

         Grom watched her walk away, and for the first time he felt happiness in his heart. Grom turned away from Anne and gazed up at his friends. He smiled at each of them and whispered, “I miss you.”

         The sun set upon the town of Oneria, bringing the darkness of night. The sounds of lutes, flutes, and drums played on through the night, celebrating the beginning of a new era of peace throughout the land. As they celebrated, the four heroes carved in stone watched over the town of Oneria and its new hero, Grom Greystone.