Bumva approaches the gate that's supposed to have a flaring black insignia. Nothing happened though which makes her emerald eyes squint. She takes in a whiff and not even a foul stench entered her nostrils.

A thought races into her mind. She stops the corners of her mouth from curling up. What if Garth, William, and the Skeleton Queen all died during their fight?

She tries to shake that thought out of her head as she enters the kingdom. The open doors and windows make her grip the hilt of her weapon. Her ears try to pick up any strange sounds that would alert her. Her heart races and pounds louder than a drum.

She takes a deep breath in. A deep breath out. The thought of seeing that handsome bard alive and well keeps her steady.

Craters, cracks, and burn marks disturb her thought process. No bodies of the undead are present. She hurries along as she decides to go to the castle. She keeps her heavy breathing down in case she has to fight.

The emerald warrior comes across the burnt corpse of the knight laid against the wall in the throne room. A large crater is near the middle of the spacious room with broken pieces of metal armor nearby. She inspects a hole in the floor to find hair. She smells it and stops herself from gasping out loud. She fights her eyes from flooding her face.

He's alive. His body isn't here, she argues with the fear building up inside her. She holds her dual bladed axe above her head. If she has to kill, she can end it with one swing. Veins strike against her forearms and biceps as she walks into an open corridor to the side.

She finds a wooden door in the corner. She silences her heart from giving away her presence. She slowly opens the door...Nobody is in the room. Just a made bed and a chest in the corner. She exhales through her nostrils.

Be calm. He should be alive. If he is, I will kidnap him into marriage, she thinks with optimism.

"Ewww, this is so gross!"

That voice echoes down the corridor to the orc's location. She knows that wasn't William's voice. But it can't be the queen based on what she had heard. There's no ounce of malice in that voice.

Who is she? while she sneaks down the hallway.

"Don't be such a baby. Dark chocolate is amazing."

"Good thing that you like caramel."

"Oh, I absolutely do."

Her heart leaps with joy that William is alive. She smiles from ear to ear in relief. She goes to sheathe her weapon, but a tip from her father stops her.

"A mage can use illusion magic as a trap. So will the necromancer you will face."

She holds the axe to her side for a quick thrust if needed. She hopes that it isn't an illusion. More laughter and sounds come from the room.

"I love you, Will."

"I love-"

The abrupt silence makes Bumva stop in her tracks.

"Bumva, is that you?"

"W-William? Are you alive?"

"I am. I will be right out."

His voice settles her nerves, but she senses something was off. "Who is that with you?"

The door opens slowly and Bumva sees a hand resting on the frame. William groggily exits the room. Her jaw drops from seeing him alive and well. He hears her exhale and looks in her direction.

"Hello, Bumva the Beau-"

She cuts him off as she rushes in to embrace him tightly. She places him back down on the floor with hands covering his cheeks. He moves his hands to keep her hands in that spot.

"I was so worried when Sindy sent me the letter."

"I didn't mean to do that. Bumva, there's something you should know. I defeated the Skeleton Queen, but it's not how you expected. Garth was a liar."

Her emerald eyes widen. "What do you mean?"

"Sheathe your weapon. I beg of you."

She listens to him and waits for his explanation. A woman with a bronze complexion and silky black hair walks out of the room in an orange dress. The stranger then holds onto William's hand. Her magenta eyes are nothing that Bumva has seen before. Almost magical in a way.

"Garth's father, Arthur of House Vinum, poisoned the people of Albarino so he could take their special wine for profit. Garth knew about it and supported the plan this whole time," William explains.

Bumva shifts her feet in disbelief. "I never heard of that. How did you find out?"

"Melody told me," he points at her.

"I was the former Skeleton Queen."

Bumva doesn't want to believe her ears. This gentle looking human was the monster that killed Drago and the other heroes?

"Stay away from him!" she roars as she tried to put herself between them. Will steps forward between them and holds her hands.

"Bumva, I'm not under a spell. Let me explain."

"Prove it. What was the message you wanted to tell me in your letter? You never mentioned it."

"Bumva the Brutal, I love you too."

Her heart bounces with confused joy as he said those words with sincerity. She couldn't help the smile that is on her face from the admission she wanted to hear. He finds her hands to kiss them tenderly.

"Please, come inside and sit on the chair. We will explain everything to you," Mel offers.

"After a proper breakfast for you two," Will adds on.

She follows the couple inside and sits on a chair. She sees the bard feeding Mel some of his rations.

"Try the dark chocolate with the ham and soda bread," he suggests.

"Like a weird sandwich?"

"How else will you like it, mi esposa?"

Bumva picks up that it's a term of endearment based on his tone. Only one question is expressed on her face. What the feck is happening?!

Melody bites down on the makeshift sandwich. She allows the different flavors to hit her tastebuds.

She grins. "Much better, thanks to you."

He strokes her face and kisses her caramel cheek.

"It's been such a long time since I ate."

"I can't cook complicated meals, but maybe you can be my taster."

"Trying to poison me?" she jests with a raised eyebrow.

"You will be fine because of the spell."

She pulls him in for a deep kiss. "I will always appreciate that, my love."

"Oh, Bumva. Are you hungry?"

"No. Just ate."

He can tell by her short tone that a question is eating her up inside. It's the same thing that happened when they were at the inn.

He taps Melody's hand. "Are you ready?"

"I am."

Will and Melody explain everything to her. The orc's jaw dropped more times than she could count, but she hung onto every word as the pieces fall into place. She didn't interrupt as she wanted to know every detail. They told her about the special spell which left her in tears. The love of her life will never have gray hair.

Will walks over to the sniffling and holds her hands to help her settle through the news. He kisses her dark green hands multiple times. After some time, he lets go.

"Tell me what's on your mind, Bumva?"

"It's a lot to consider."

"I know. Take as much time as you need."

"I also want to apologize for Drago. I'm sorry that I took him from you," Mel offers her condolences.

The orc warrior shoots up from her chair and Will puts himself between the two of them. 

He plants his feet firmly into the floor to face her. "I won't let you hurt her!" Melody lightly pushes him with a hand, putting him on the far side of the bed.

"Wait! Don't fight!" he tries to scramble off the bed.

He hears Bumva's arms wrapping around Melody's body. No bones are heard cracking.

"I won't hurt the one you love. I'm embracing her for the sad circumstances of her life," Bumva explains.

The former Skeleton Queen embraces her back. "We're fine, mi Esposo."

He exhales in relief.

"Thank the heavens, I came here before them."

"The armies are here?" Will's eyes widen. 

She places her palms on his face again to comfort him. "Not yet. Do we have a plan to get her out of here?"

"I have one." Melody tells her the plan to trick the armies.

"That's smart, but House Vinum will be among them. They helped finance Engla for support."

"Then I will expose them so they won't lay a finger on her," Will's fists clench with the silver wires between them.

"We have a couple of hours. But let's put that plan to action."

Will "finds" her hand and bends down on one knee. Bumva's mind stalls as she heard of this human custom.

"Bumva, when we make it, will you marry me after Melody? I promise to court you both until that time."

Her eyes well up from that question. "Yes!" She lifts him off the floor with a bear hug. The pressure in his back cracks out.

"Sorry!" she sets him down. He twists his torso from side to side and smiles at her.

"Just kidnap me a couple of months after that. I'm looking forward to our big family," while he finds her face. He stands on his tip toes and kisses her lips. Bumva walks him against the wall and presses her sinewy body against him. Their urges want to keep going, but they stop out of respect for Mel.

"I don't mind. We both are lucky to have him in our lives," Melody reassures them with a smile in her voice. The bard can't find a gram of jealousy from her tone which makes him happy.

---

Sounds of trumpets blast into the air. The banners of Engla, Fran, Germ, and Iril waver in the wind. Heavy metal steps accompany the steps of horses as they approach the castle with nervous hearts.

They come across a horse with the blanket of Engla on it and suspect it belonged to Garth. One of the soldiers takes the horse with them.

Each commander of the armies inspects the land before them. A desolate wasteland no longer fitted the area. The menacing energy that was described in the reports had left. Someone's tied horse is grazing on the new grass without a care in the world.

The commander of Engla smiles hopefully as he waved to the others. They all come to the same conclusion, but they wonder why the knight and the bard aren't outside. Each sent a scout ahead to investigate. They ride down and get close to the kingdom's doors.

"WAIT! It's me, William Bennett!" the voice shouts so they could hear him. Gentle music is heard playing as he slowly walks out with his silver wires. The commanders, watching from their telescopes, are relieved to see him alive and well.

"Did you and Garth defeat the Skeleton Queen?" the scout from Engla asks.

"The Skeleton Queen is dead, but so was Garth. They both died in their fight."

The scout translates and the others murmur from the bittersweet situation.

"After the fight, I found a woman that the queen kept hostage. Bumva the Brutal came right after to check on me."

The jaw of the Engla scout drops from the new information. There was no mention of a hostage, but then again, no one had survived to tell of that. He tells the others. Exhales leave their mouth.

"Is she okay?" one of the scouts asked.

"She is. And I need to ask something. Is House Vinum with the army today?"

"They are. Why?"

"She witnessed Arthur and his mages of House Vinum slaughter her people, except for her and the queen. She told me that Garth was the son of Arthur and would want to wipe out any witnesses to hide the truth," the bard asserts.

The other scouts notice the Engla scout is trembling with horror. His translation makes their eyes almost shoot out of their sockets.

"Merde! There must be a trial then!" the Fran scout asserts in his language.

The blind bard shakes his head. "Take me to the commander. Bumva is keeping the woman safe just in case."

He offers his arm out and the Engla scout helps him onto his horse. The scouts ride back to their commanders to report what they found out. Instead of smiles, it's rage all directed at the people who have the sewn patches of red wine on their robes. Engla's commander holds back his reaction to hide it from the others.

"They have enough money to influence anything. Bard, do what you must. Imagine the symbol of a bottle of red wine as you play your spell."

"Point me in the right direction."

The commander takes his hand and points it high in that direction. The bard stums the silver wires in a rapid manner. The House members tremble as the music is directed at them. Soldier magicians trap them all in an unbreakable circle. The bard picks up their nervous hearts and he projected his voice for all to hear.

"House Vinum, your time is coming,
Let the daylight leave you unbecoming.
Your crimes will be revealed,
No longer in the shadows will you be concealed.

May the fires of justice ignite,
So, that your words won't put up a fight.
For those involved, incinerate and combust in place,
Nothing will be left of your face,
Your legacy will be left without a trace.

Hellfire awaits to burn all of your senses,
May the truths out of my lips be akin to omnipresence.
Your crimes will not be unpunished,
Your ashes will be treated like rubbish.
No longer will the shadows conceal you!"

The sun rays brighten and intensify on the 20 members of House Vinum. Some go to run but it's too late. Their bodies spontaneously ignite into flames! Screams don't have a chance to leave as their bodies snapped into ashes. Back in Engla, daylight breaks through to incinerate the rest of House Vinum who are watching from a sphere. No one is left alive.

The soldiers step back in alarm from what occurred.

Will's breathing almost resembles the night of the gang, but he remembers who he was doing it for. Emilia, Hector, Luis, Rodrigo, and Melody. This calms his heart as he comes to terms with this incident.

The commander's horse trots over to him. "Men, those people have committed a heinous crime against the kingdom of Albarino. The survivor's words shall be heard and written down for all to know! What is her name, William?"

"Melina," he lies according to her plan. "She's also my fiancé."

The commander and those within earshot almost fall off their horses. The blind bard settling down doesn't sound right, but they don't push back on that. Things must have changed a lot during his mission.

"Congratulations!" the commander states.

"Thanks. We're going to get to know each better. May I take the fortune from House Vinum to preserve this castle?"

"Certainly. It's the right thing to do. We will ensure Melina's safety on the way back."

"Where's the castle again?"

A soldier leads him by the hand. He turns and whistles loudly with a shrill. Bumva, on cue, walks out with Mel who's covered in a dirty robe. "Melina" takes a blue bell flower from the grass before being helped onto Bumva's horse. The commander and the others are almost magnetized by the magenta irises.

He clears his throat. "I apologize for what they did to your loved ones. Are you okay, Ms. Melina?"

"I will be. My fiancé assured me of that," she answers while gripping Bumva's waist. She feels the hand of her love softly stroking her. She cracks a smile.

"Let's go, my love. They can't hurt you anymore."

She sees the piles of ashes in one spot as evidence of what he did. She strokes his hand back and feels no trembling from him. He gets on the horse and wraps his arms around Bumva and Mel. The Engla scout reports to the others and they all go home.

William strums again on the wires and sings softly.

"May the history of Albarino be protected,
Any thief shall be redirected."

Magic softly rains on the small kingdom. A protective seal appears and vanishes to Melody's eyes. Will puts the wires away before resting his head on her upper back from the overall fatigue. She turns her face to kiss him on the top of his head.

You will be the best husband I will ever ask for. Let's start our family when you're ready, she thinks with eagerness.

She looks back at the birthplace and grave of the Skelton Queen. She turns her head forward to the future, where she's no longer alone.