I blinked at him.
“It’s not just you that’s hurting,” he repeated fiercely. “We all loved Morgan. We all love Ryan. Maybe not in the same way as you do, but just as much. You have locked yourself away to the point where I can’t tell what you’re thinking. You’ve never been like that before. It’s not fair that you do that to us. Not now. Not after everything.”
“Not fair? Are you out of your godsdamn mind? Do you want to talk about fairness, Gary? Fairness is—”
“Sam, I am a hornless gay unicorn in my late seventies. Do you really think I am going to start taking your bullshit now? Because if you do, honeybunch, you are sorely mistaken. I have not put nearly a decade of work into you to have you start acting like a fucking dickbag. I won’t stand for it. I really will not.”
“But—”
“Shut it.”
“You can’t just—”
“Sam. Shut. It.”
“Oh my gods. I hate you so much right now.”
“Keep telling yourself that, princess.”
“I’m not a fucking princess.”
Gary rolled his eyes. “This is what’s going to happen. In a minute, you are going to hug me and you are going to cry. You are going to let it all out, because that’s what you need. And once that’s all done, you are going to eat the food that Tiggy brings you, and then you are going to go to bed. You will sleep all fucking night, and if I have to sit by your bed to make sure it happens, then I will. And then tomorrow, we are going to get up, we are going to be sad over the friends that we’ve lost, and we are going to have hope for those that are still here. And then, when an appropriate amount of time has passed, we are going to smile again, we are going to laugh again, and we are going to find Myrin and kick his ass so godsdamn hard that he forever regrets fucking with us. And when all is said and done, we are going to find my fucking horn, because I am sick and tired of having this bony fucking nub on the top of my head, do you understand me?”
I nodded dumbly.
“Good. Now. Let go of your sexy knight for a little bit so we can begin.”
I set Ryan’s hand at his side.
I turned around.
Gary was there, big and warm, and when I hugged him, when I wrapped my arms around his neck, I did exactly what he asked of me.
I cried.
For Morgan.
For Randall.
For Myrin.
For Ryan Foxheart, the dreamiest dream to have ever been dreamed.
Tiggy came back eventually, and he gathered both of us in his arms, whispering how much he loved us, how he would always be there to take care of us, and please, Sam, please don’t be sad.
We stayed there, together, for a long time.
Eventually I ate.
Eventually I slept.
I dreamed of Randall. He told me I had to do what was necessary.
“IT WON’T hold me,” Ruv said.
I looked through the bars of his cell in the dungeon. It was one of the cells in the very back, the ones meant for wizards. It dampened their magic. He was neutered. Useless.
“It’s doing a pretty good job so far,” I said dryly.
“He won’t let it. Eventually he’ll come for me.”
“Maybe,” I said. “And maybe he’ll even get you. But it won’t be for long.”
Ruv smiled at me. “I liked you. I really did. I think… well. I thought there could be something between you and I.”
“Eh. Couple of things against that. One, I already have a cornerstone. Two, you’re a villain with a mouthful of crazy. Kind of knocks you out of the running, dude.”
“Maybe you’ll change your mind.”
“Doubtful. What’s Myrin’s plan?”
The smile widened. “To burn Verania to the ground and then rise from its ashes like a phoenix of old. It will be remade in his image. And there is nothing you can do to stop it.”
“Watch me.”
His smile faltered.
He took a step back.
I turned and walked away.
“You’ll see, Sam!” he shouted after me. “Soon, you will witness what he is truly capable of.”
And then he laughed.
“WE’LL FIGURE it out,” Dad said, arm wrapped around my shoulders.
“Together,” Mom said, placing her hand on my knee.
Even if your heart is breaking, I thought.
“I CAN’T be what you need me to be,” I said. “Not yet. It would be better if it was Randall. For now.”
“Randall’s not here,” the King said, a frown on his face.
“He will be,” I said. “I’m not ready. There is still so much I need to learn.”
“I believe in you, Sam,” the King said, taking my hand in his. “I always have. And I always will.”
My heart was very full, and I couldn’t find the words to tell him so.
A PAGE delivered a sealed note.
It was brief.
The script was flowery, written in pink ink.
I’ll find a way to make this right.
Lady Tina DeSilva
“YOU’RE PLANNING something,” Justin said, staring at me suspiciously.
I shrugged. “I’m always planning something.”
“What are you going to do?”
I looked away. “Would you….”
“What is it?”
“If something were to happen to me, would you—just. Could you keep an eye on Ryan? For me?”
“Sam,” he said slowly. “Nothing’s going to happen to you.”
I smiled at him. It felt thin and brittle. “Yeah. I know.”
He hugged me then. Out of nowhere. It was a fierce thing, his arms around me tight and strong, his chin on my shoulder.
It took me a moment, but eventually I hugged him back.
“Dude,” I whispered. “Best. Hug. Ever.”
“Shut up, Sam,” he muttered near my ear. “Yeah. I’ll keep an eye on him. But you’d better not do anything stupid, you hear me?”
“Because we’re best friends 5eva?”
For a moment, I didn’t think he’d respond. But then he said, “Fine, yes, best friends 5eva, gods, I will never say that again.”
I loved my Prince.
I STOOD in the empty labs.
They echoed with the ghosts and memories of my mentor.
The greatest wizard who had ever lived.
I wiped my eyes.
I didn’t have time to mourn.
Not now.
I took what I needed, filling a small pack. It wasn’t much. I didn’t think it needed to be.
I was about to leave when something caught my eye.
I stopped, unsure of what to do.
Morgan was gone.
So they would be mine now. I didn’t even know how Myrin’s came to be here. Probably Randall’s doing.
I didn’t want them.
But I thought I needed them anyway.
After a brief moment of hesitation, I made up my mind.
The pack was heavier with the Grimoires inside.
I shut the door to the labs behind me.
Epilogue: A Decision Made
ONCE UPON a time in the Kingdom of Verania, there was a kickass boy born in the slums of the City of Lockes. His parents were hardworking, and at times life could be difficult, but they were alive and had all their teeth. Which was very important.
This boy, this somewhat strange and lonely boy, would grow up and give his lightning-struck heart away to a brave and beautiful knight.
After a series of wacky misadventures, they fell in love and things were good.
Then darkness came.