Rise Of The Godking

He was hardly able to believe it until he felt the same, course hands through his thin robes and the s.h.a.ggy beard of the healer digging into his shoulder.

"It wasn"t your fault. If you blame yourself, don"t. It really wasn"t your fault…"

He mumbled this, but in Daneel"s ears, it felt as if he was shouting it. All the pent-up frustration and self-pity that had almost eaten him alive burst forth… and were drowned in a river of relief that flowed out through his eyes.

He raised his hands and hugged the man, too, as tightly as he could. Hearing Reese wince, he loosened his grip, then, but still stayed there, in the embrace of his friend.

"Friends.h.i.+p. It is a strange thing. I don"t know since when I"ve seen him as one… but he, Sebastien, and Gerard are even more than that. Is it because they helped me when I had no one? Or is it because I have been searching, all along, for a family that I can trust? Either way… it feels good."

It was after a long time that he finally stepped back to see how the injuries of his friend had fared. They were still there, bandaged up and leaking blood, but they looked a whole lot better than they had in those dim flashes of lightning in the Lord"s mansion.

Reese"s eyes were crinkled with happiness as he studied Daneel, too. Clapping him on his shoulders, he gestured with his head at the path in front of them and said, "Let"s go. The one we should thank for this reunion is waiting for us. He"s really a character, isn"t he?"

Daneel chuckled for what felt like the first time in an eternity. If someone had reminded him of the fact that not even an entire day had pa.s.sed since the mishap on the surface, he would never have believed them.

With a nod, he kept one hand around Reese"s back and took a few steps forward. It was almost as if he was unwilling to let go of him, afraid that it would turn out to be a dream if he didn"t grip it with all his might.

The smell of baking bread grew stronger as they walked down the empty corridor hewn into the rock, much like the one that Daneel had traveled through to reach that platform which had raised him to the Pit. Soon, they emerged in the kitchens which made him understand why he was smelling so much food, and in just an instant, they were surrounded by little dwarves with happy, innocent faces.

"Brother is back! Brother is back! Yay!"

"Brother is with old man! Both can play with us now!"

"Old man should tell more stories! Brother can listen, too!" "Come, brother, come! EAT EAT EAT!"

Daneel was slightly overwhelmed by everything they were saying, but as he saw Reese laugh happily and pat the heads of all the dwarf children, Daneel saw the entire thing in a new light.

Before, due to his astonishment of finding that such a place even existed, he hadn"t really been able to think much about the nature of these little beings. Now, he could see clearly that they were probably some of the purest organisms in the entire town of Graiton.

He felt a smile come to his lips, too, as he saw them clamoring around his legs. Patting their heads in the same way that Reese had done, he nodded at them all, taking special care to give attention to each and every one as the others got jealous looks if they were ignored.

They were children, plain and simple… and they were adorable, in the way that only children could be.

A familiar voice appeared from a place farther away, among the chefs busy at their work. With a small smile on his lips, the old dwarf was walking forward, caressing his long beard while saying, "Welcome back. Children, your father is waiting for the two of them. They"ll be free to play later, okay? First, it"s time to eat!"

"Alright! Food!"

With a loud cheer that was somehow perfectly synced between them all, the 20-ish dwarves all ran to the exit of the kitchens which Daneel knew would take them to that long dining table he had seen.

"With me."

Turning around, the steward let them down the same path. On the way, Daneel saw that Reese was still looking at everything in the same astonished manner as him when he had been here for the first time. A few seconds later, noticing Daneel still staring at him as if he was unsure that it was all real, he smiled and said, "Hey, don"t worry. I"m going nowhere. I could tell that it was one of the hardest things you might ever have had to do to leave me there. In that moment, my heart was warm as it felt good to be mean so much to someone. I was ready to meet my imprisonment and perhaps even death with equanimity… so imagine my surprise when a tall man stumbled into the mansion, and split into two! I was sure that I had died and reached some nonsensical realm, but I was forced to accept that it was reality when they left and returned in barely a minute with a fully grown man. What followed was quite sickening, but I guess it was necessary. He injured himself in the same manner as me and was made to lie down in my position. I even tried to resist, as I don"t want to force my fate on to someone else… but that man just said that it was a debt to the dwarf king that he was happy to pay. Then, I was teleported here, and it was quite disconcerting for a time as I was told I couldn"t go upstairs… until they talked about you. You"ve been keeping some secrets, eh? But honestly… I don"t blame you. If you told me about something like this, I would definitely have called you crazy!"

They chuckle together, and Daneel nodded. Parts of the tale had fallen into place, but there was still something that niggled at him.

Almost as if he could read his mind, he said, "Your decision wasn"t in vain. I heard the dwarves who were escorting me talk. Apparently, the only reason they found out that things had gone wrong was when they saw you leave that place alone, looking so shaken. If you had delayed any longer, or tried something uselessly time-consuming like carrying me out even though it would have been a foolish thing to do, they wouldn"t have had enough time to make the switch. They barely managed to do it before the guards came rus.h.i.+ng over. Right now… I just wish I could tell dad. How is he?"

Daneel was about to answer, but right then, they stepped into the large throne room. A booming voice greeted them both, making them turn to the gigantic chair and the gigantic being sitting on top of it.

"Brother! Finally! We have missed you! We are most satisfied with what you have been doing… and we know, better than anyone, that things tend to go wrong. His sacrifice will not be forgotten. Children! Bring it over!"

Daneel"s eyes widened as he heard, then saw a flood of dwarves hurry over with trays on their hands, each laden with bottles and bottles of the same yellow liquid that he had seen those children drink before falling unconscious in the celebrations of his arrival the last time. Over half of them ran over to the dwarf king, and the other half arranged themselves into neat lines in front of Daneel and Reese.

As they watched on, bewildered, all those that had gone forward began to pour the bottles into a large mug that had been hidden behind one of the legs of the chair. When it was half-filled, the giant reached down and lifted it up, causing the wine to slosh and make a sound that was loud enough to echo in the cave.

Taking a short swig, he boomed, "Tomorrow, we can plan and scheme and look to the future…but today, we shall drink and grieve and honor the dead! We wish to know everything about the bold soul called Sebastian who gave up his life for the cause! Drink up, and let"s begin!"

Daneel turned to his right, wondering how Reese would take it…but he was surprised to see that the man had already downed a long swig and was looking at the bottle with tear-filled eyes.

It became clear that all the laughter he had just heard had only come to be because he had been swallowing the grief down and keeping it at bay, just like him. 

Understanding that this was the perfect opportunity to pull it out and let it run its course, he obliged… and drank up.