Balnor lets his grip on Alanis’ hand slacken as soon as they step into the light, looking for a moment to himself.
But too soon, they touch down on the grass, too soon he sees that they are, that they must be, back in the Feywild.
“How long until they’re coming?” He’s so tired, but it’s right to business. Asking this to Alanis now will make leaving them behind easier. He can kill The Hounds this time, and then worry about reacting.
“We’re not quite there yet, Balnor.” She replies, giving him a coy look.
“I wanted to show you one last thing, before we go to our timeline. We have a second.”
He takes a second to look around. This is the Summer Court Castle. Not the Old Court, but the main one, where all those Green Knights must have worked before Ezra took Lestibourne.
They’re standing right in front of it.
He reaches down, grabbing his sword out of its sheath, ready to attack despite how tired he is. Despite the fact that he just, moments ago, helped kill a god.
But Alanis puts a hand on his forearm, and shakes her head. “We’re just here to watch, Balnor. They don’t need our help.”
Concerned, he removes his hand from his sword, and watches.
Chaos and battlements bombard the front of the castle. There are serpents falling from the sky, attacking catapults and legions of archers. Magic is being flung everywhere.
It’s beautiful. But it’s terrible.
He looks up at Alanis’ words, and follows her finger as it points to a figure, and a man emerges from the front of the castle, to whispers from the soldiers swarming out of the gates.
The man is wearing an antlered helm, and parting the bodies as he walks, with everyone jumping to move out of his way.
For a second, he thinks it’s Beverly. The confidence is the same. And this is clearly some sort of leader of Green Knights.
But, as this man walks by them, Balnor sees his face.
One he knows, or would have, but never got the chance. It’s older than he’d ever known it, but it’s unmistakable.
“Bobby?” He whispers the name, worried about what will happen if someone hears, but when no one reacts, he realizes both he and Alanis are invisible.
“You will save him in your timeline, Balnor.” Alanis puts her hand on his shoulder and squeezes. “But you saved him in this one, too.”
Another figure emerges from the castle, walking behind Bobby, struggling to keep up. Balnor is shocked, and slightly terrified, to see his own face.
“And you saved yourself.”
The tears that have been threatening to escape his eyes, that had been flowing freely seconds before they arrived here, fall once more.
“Thank you,” He turns to face Alanis again, wipes the tears from his eyes, and takes a breath. “I’m ready.”
“One more thing though, Balnor?”
He nods, uncertain as to how Alanis could possibly finish this sentence, how she could possibly give him more than she already has.
“The three of them? They’re still out there. Fighting together.”
“Now?” He’s confused, Hardwon, at the very least, should not be alive by the time he himself is this age again. “In their same timeline?”
“You said it yourself. And they remember it. It’s not enough to have saved the world.”
“You have to constantly be saving it.” He finishes the sentence, happier than he thought he could possibly be, hours ago when he wrote it.
Alanis grabs his hand again, and summons the energy to send them back to their timeline.
This time, they make no stops.
