Epilogue

Vrasha and Elody did indeed manage to get out during the confusion. They gathered their escort and left Gelmina before the next moon, and were well on the way back to Khol-Hon before anyone thought to connect the great disaster with the visit of the foreign princess. The battle in the underground lake tore the heart out of Gelmina. It had been famous for two things - slaves and magic - and now it had neither. With its enchanted water slowly diminishing, and its archmage taken from it, Gelmina found itself in for harsh times and the legendary wealth of the city became something of the past.

This became especially true as those who had the strength of will to throw off the power of the water now that they were not being constantly dosed started to come forward and speak about their plights. Many of Gelmina's citizens were genuinely shocked that people had been tricked and **** into being slaves, and the cultural backlash of this gave rise to an anti-slavery sentiment which would taint the original culture of acceptance and submissions. The rulers and lords of Gelmina would of course try to maintain slavery as an institute, as it made them both wealthy and powerful but found this to be harder and harder. Though partially because of internal reasons, the great difficulty also owed to the presence of Khol-Hon and its queen. Vrasha who had been one of the last to see Gelmina in its height publicly denounced them, citing slavery as one of the driving forces of the corruption which had wormed its way into their society.

Khol-Hon, she declared, would not trade with or form alliances with those who accepted slavery of any sort, nor would she aid those who in turn would aid Gelmina. It was a war of words and influence and money, but time was on Vrasha's side. As the years wore on, Gelmina became weaker and smaller. Losing influence and gold while Khol-Hon gradually but inevitably recovered from its own war. Eventually, the two found themselves as the opposite of what they had once been. Khol-Hon grew powerful and wealthy and Gelmina stagnated and slowly died away.

Khol-Hon opened its borders to the people of Gelmina. Those who wished to escape from slavery or who wanted to live elsewhere. Vrasha welcomed them all, and allowed them to settle on her land. Because of this - and other factors - Gelmina withered away, eventually becoming a city of little more than ruins, dust and broken dreams. Archmage Kazum's creation which had flourished with his presence could not sustain itself without his power.

Among those who fled Gelmina were the sisters Samantha and Coursa, whom Elody specifically sought out and bought from the rulers of Gelmina. Once they were safely back in Khol-Hon, she released them and freed them. Over time the waters wore off, and the two women became once more their own people.

As for Vrasha and Elody, their casual relationship became a lot more official, and they soon attended functions as a couple and were often seen together. It became known that they had vowed to wed, and though as Vrasha predicted, not all of Khol-Hon was happy that they would have two queens, the majority accepted it with grace and joy. After all, it was Vrasha who was a hero. She had fought her brother and her father, and saved the people of her kingdom. And Elody was a sorceress of great power, a veteran of that same war and one of Vrasha's most trusted friends. Why should they not fall in love after all they had been through together?

Even after they were betrothed, it took some years for the marriage to take place. As such things tended to go, it happened slowly and both women had to do soul searching and go through their own particular trials before they were able to fully commit. Some of those trials were simple while others were anything but. Yet that is a tale for another time.

Vrasha and Elody ruled well as such things go. They were not immune to making mistakes, and nor were they perfect but by and large they did more good than bad, and helped more people than they hurt. Eventually, as they started to become more mature, the question of succession came up. Surely two women would not provide an heir? But Vrasha in true and practical fashion simply decided that she would have a child by someone else. With Elody's permission, she searched the kingdom for someone she felt was worthy to sire a child who would one day rule in her place. This took a long time and was, once more, a story in and of itself. But eventually she settled on a captain of the guard who caught her eye with his bravery and determination. She did not love him, but then he did not love her either and both of them understood the terms of the relationship. The man was solid and loyal to Khol-Hon, and so Vrasha and Elody invited him to sleep with them many times, forming a relationship which was rather odd but not terrible or uncaring. Eventually twins were born, and the captain of the guard was granted land and titles. He became a duke, and helped to raise and teach the children as a father should.

Despite the fact that they were not of her blood, Elody found that she adored the children above all other things, much to Vrasha and the duke's amusement. The three did their best to raise the children as future rulers, and though they did not succeed perfectly, they did well enough and found that though their family was most decidedly an odd one, they cared for one another greatly.

Eventually, however, Vrasha grew old. She was not immortal as Elody was, and though vital and strong, she could only deny the grim hand of **** for so long. It was said that as she felt her final years approaching her, she bequeathed her weapons - the Windblade and the Stormshield - to her son and her daughter, one each. And then, with Elody at her side, vanished into the night.

What they had experienced in Gelmina would remain with both women for the rest of their lives. It showed them parts of themselves that they had not truly understood before then. For Elody, it showed her what it meant to be human and mortal. To feel as well as think. She found also that she enjoyed bondage and ****-play behind closed doors. She felt that helplessness like that would keep her focused on what it was to be mortal.

As for Vrasha, she became even more against slavery and spent most of the rest of her life pursuing and destroying those who partook in it. In times to come - in a distant future hundreds of years hence - she would be regarded as a historical factor in the elimination of slavery for good.

And that is how this story ends. Two heroes returning home. Not unscarred, not unblemished. But wiser and stronger for what they had gained.

And as for the Heart of Gelmina, the core of Archmage Nectanius...

Well, that tale is not quite done just yet.