and stared at him, her
eyes cold and hard.
“Don’t you ever say that,” she said. “I will find Guwayne. If it’s the last thing I do, with my last dying breath, I will
find him.”
Godfrey looked down, and as Gwen scanned
all of their faces, she could see the grief and patience and understanding in
each one. And as her flash of indignation passed, she began to realize: they
loved her. They loved Guwayne. And they were right.
Gwen sighed as she wiped a tear and
turned and peered into the water, wondering: had Guwayne been swallowed by a
wave? A shark? Had he died from the cold? She shook her head, dreading to think
of the worst scenarios.
She also wondered if they were all
right: was she, indeed, leading her people to nowhere? As desperate as she was
to find Guwayne, her judgment was clouded. For all she knew, she could be
leading them further from him. She knew this was not the time to crumple up, as
much as she may want to; now was the time to think of others, to force herself
to be strong.
Guwayne will come back to me , she told
herself. If I don’t find him now, I will find him some other way.
Gwen forced herself to believe her
thoughts as she prepared for a fateful decision; she could not go on living
otherwise.
“All right,” she said, turning to them,
sighing heavily. “We will change course.” Her tone had changed; it was now the
voice of a commander, of a hardened Queen who had lost too much.
Her men all seemed relieved at her
decision.
“And to where shall we set course, my
lady?” Srog asked.
“Surely, we cannot return to the Upper
Isles,” Aberthol added. “The isles are destroyed, and the dragons may return.”
“Nor can we return to the Ring,”
Kendrick added. “It, too, is destroyed, and Romulus’s million men occupy it.”
Gwendolyn thought long and hard,
realizing they were all right, and feeling more homeless than she’d ever had.
“We will have to set sail to a new land,
and find a new home for our people,” she finally replied. “We cannot return to
where we were. But before we do, first, we must return for Thorgrin.”
They all looked at her in surprise.
“Thorgrin?” Srog asked. “But my lady,
he’s in battle with the dragons, with Romulus’s army. To find him would mean to
return into the heart of battle.”
“Precisely,” Gwendolyn replied, her
voice filled with a new determination. “If I cannot find my child, at least I
can find Thorgrin. I will not move on without him.”
The thought of returning for Thorgrin,
however irrational it might be, was the only thing allowing Gwen to, in her
mind, give up the search for Guwayne and change course. Otherwise, her heart
would just feel too heavy.
There was a long and heavy silence
amongst her men, as each looked to the other guiltily, as if all were reluctant
to say something to her.
“My lady,” Srog finally said, clearing
his throat, stepping forward. “We all love and admire Thor, as much as we love
our own selves. He is the greatest warrior we’ve ever known. Even so, I fear to
say, there is no way he can survive against all those dragons, against the
Empire’s million men. Thorgrin set himself up as a sacrifice for us, to buy us
time, to allow us to escape. We must accept his gift. We must save ourselves
while we can—not kill ourselves. Any of us would give our lives for
Thorgrin—and yet, I fear to say, he may not be alive when we return for him.”
Gwen stared back at Srog, long and hard,
something hardening within her, the only sound the breeze rippling on the ocean
waters.
Finally, she came to a decision, a fresh
strength in her eyes.
“We are not going anywhere until I find
my Thorgrin,” she said. “I have no home without him. If it brings us into the
heart of battle, into the very depths of hell, then that is where we shall go.
He gave us his life—and we owe him ours.”
Gwen did not wait for their response.
She turned her back, holding the baby to her chest, and peered into the
eyes cold and hard.
“Don’t you ever say that,” she said. “I will find Guwayne. If it’s the last thing I do, with my last dying breath, I will
find him.”
Godfrey looked down, and as Gwen scanned
all of their faces, she could see the grief and patience and understanding in
each one. And as her flash of indignation passed, she began to realize: they
loved her. They loved Guwayne. And they were right.
Gwen sighed as she wiped a tear and
turned and peered into the water, wondering: had Guwayne been swallowed by a
wave? A shark? Had he died from the cold? She shook her head, dreading to think
of the worst scenarios.
She also wondered if they were all
right: was she, indeed, leading her people to nowhere? As desperate as she was
to find Guwayne, her judgment was clouded. For all she knew, she could be
leading them further from him. She knew this was not the time to crumple up, as
much as she may want to; now was the time to think of others, to force herself
to be strong.
Guwayne will come back to me , she told
herself. If I don’t find him now, I will find him some other way.
Gwen forced herself to believe her
thoughts as she prepared for a fateful decision; she could not go on living
otherwise.
“All right,” she said, turning to them,
sighing heavily. “We will change course.” Her tone had changed; it was now the
voice of a commander, of a hardened Queen who had lost too much.
Her men all seemed relieved at her
decision.
“And to where shall we set course, my
lady?” Srog asked.
“Surely, we cannot return to the Upper
Isles,” Aberthol added. “The isles are destroyed, and the dragons may return.”
“Nor can we return to the Ring,”
Kendrick added. “It, too, is destroyed, and Romulus’s million men occupy it.”
Gwendolyn thought long and hard,
realizing they were all right, and feeling more homeless than she’d ever had.
“We will have to set sail to a new land,
and find a new home for our people,” she finally replied. “We cannot return to
where we were. But before we do, first, we must return for Thorgrin.”
They all looked at her in surprise.
“Thorgrin?” Srog asked. “But my lady,
he’s in battle with the dragons, with Romulus’s army. To find him would mean to
return into the heart of battle.”
“Precisely,” Gwendolyn replied, her
voice filled with a new determination. “If I cannot find my child, at least I
can find Thorgrin. I will not move on without him.”
The thought of returning for Thorgrin,
however irrational it might be, was the only thing allowing Gwen to, in her
mind, give up the search for Guwayne and change course. Otherwise, her heart
would just feel too heavy.
There was a long and heavy silence
amongst her men, as each looked to the other guiltily, as if all were reluctant
to say something to her.
“My lady,” Srog finally said, clearing
his throat, stepping forward. “We all love and admire Thor, as much as we love
our own selves. He is the greatest warrior we’ve ever known. Even so, I fear to
say, there is no way he can survive against all those dragons, against the
Empire’s million men. Thorgrin set himself up as a sacrifice for us, to buy us
time, to allow us to escape. We must accept his gift. We must save ourselves
while we can—not kill ourselves. Any of us would give our lives for
Thorgrin—and yet, I fear to say, he may not be alive when we return for him.”
Gwen stared back at Srog, long and hard,
something hardening within her, the only sound the breeze rippling on the ocean
waters.
Finally, she came to a decision, a fresh
strength in her eyes.
“We are not going anywhere until I find
my Thorgrin,” she said. “I have no home without him. If it brings us into the
heart of battle, into the very depths of hell, then that is where we shall go.
He gave us his life—and we owe him ours.”
Gwen did not wait for their response.
She turned her back, holding the baby to her chest, and peered into the
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