Chapter 486: Moonlit Dance

"LAND!" A sailor cried out, seeing the distant shores of a world never seen before. Sasha ran down from the bridge to the front of the ship, a beaming smile on her lips. They had seen the seagulls telling them it was coming, but seeing the new world for herself was an entirely new experience.

Without an order, the sails fully dropped, charging the ships towards the shore as Sasha did everything to contain her excitement. "Mother." Muttering to herself, the memory of speaking to Catherine about what lay across the sea came to mind. Leaning over the railing, her eyes sparkled at the sights, "I found it. There’s more." The ship tore through the sea, closing in on the shore.

Golden shores, emerald fields surrounded by a forest full of life, waited for them. Behind it, a mountain backdrop watched everything like the guardian of the new world. The anchor dropped, dragging the seabed before halting the ship just before it entered waters too shallow.

Running to the rowboats, Sasha jumped in with the other excited members of her crew and paddled with all their might towards the new land. It was a mad dash as if all of them were afraid it would vanish like an illusion.

Fish swam around them as the sun glowed on the water. Sasha looked at it all with delight, jumping off the boat just before they made landfall, wanting to feel the water and let her clothes cling to her body. The breeze assaulted her face, washing her with the smell of kelp and salt, mingled with the fresh scent of nature found only in places humans didn’t live.

"Hahaha." With a mad laugh, she crawled onto the shore and grabbed a handful of the sand, holding it into the sky and letting it fall through her fingers. "YESSS!" Staring at the sky, her laughter grew louder. Looking back at the fine sand, she dug both hands into it as tears of joy poured from her eyes. Lowering her head, she dug her forehead into the sand. "IT’S REAL!"

Around her, her crew copied her, basking in the moment, feeling solid ground beneath their feet for the first time in two months. Sasha desperately tried to clear the tears from her eyes, but couldn’t. "It’s real." Telling herself again, she stood up and took a few breaths, staring at the new world before her. She took in sights similar to those in her home. Looking back at the ship, she smiled, "Bring those who couldn’t see it. Bury them and let them be the first to live here." The crew nodded, but none moved, still trying to get accustomed to the surreal moment they were experiencing.

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In the garden, Isra sat under the canopy, staring out towards the flowers that basked in the moonlight. Taking a deep, peaceful breath, she looked up at the stars —the sky clear, free of imperfection —silently spotting the constellations.

Light footsteps cut through the serene atmosphere as a pair of hands wrapped around her neck. With a soft kiss on her cheek, her face lit up as she grabbed Alfred’s hand. "Happy anniversary." Alfred quietly spoke, rubbing her wedding ring with his thumb.

"You’re still awake?" Isra asked with her usual softness, standing up. Alfred sat in her place as she carefully placed herself on his lap. Leaning her head against his shoulder, he held her in a tight embrace.

"I couldn’t sleep. What about you?"

"The same." The two stayed silent, watching the sky. Every few minutes, a streak of light would shoot across, disappearing in seconds. "Do you remember when we spoke on the balcony?" Isra asked, staring at the palace.

"Of course." Alfred smiled, remembering it clearly.

"You told me the truth." Isra grabbed his hand and looked towards the moons. The blue and white glow bounced off her black eyes. "I’ve been worried for so long." Looking away from the moons, she stared at her hand and played with her ring, "Every time we spoke about it, there always seemed to be a part of you that wanted it." Looking back at Alfred, she sweetly smiled, "Do you miss it, Alfred?"

Alfred knew what she meant, hearing the deep worry that she always had, no matter how many times he answered. "Not anymore." Unlike before, when there would be a few seconds of hesitation or conditions for him to return to Earth, he answered instantly. "For so long, Isra, I hated this life. I hated this world. I hated what I was doing." His voice was tired as he spoke. Letting out a deep sigh, Isra tilted her head back, looking up at his face that stared into the sky, "But now. I’ve never felt so free. To say everything I’ve done was for me is amazing. I used you, I used Edward, I used my promise to Little Alfred. I couldn’t be a killer, I couldn’t be a tyrant." Mocking himself, he smirked, "God, I was pathetic."

Alfred tightened his hold on her, "But now I realise, I love this life. I love what I built here. I love you, I love my children." He paused, moving his hand over hers. Stroking the ring on her finger, he smiled, "What was I before? A man without many friends, no family I loved, drifting along to the end of my life. I was nothing. I don’t need Earth, I don’t even want to go back, with or without you." Alfred paused, bringing her hand to his lips, kissing the ring, "I now have everything I want."

Isra warmly smiled and moved her hand to caress his cheek. "Thank you."

"I’m sorry," Alfred said, sadly looking down at her. Kissing her forehead, he rubbed the back of her hand, "It shouldn’t have taken me so long."

"Don’t." Isra said lovingly, "Don’t be sorry. All that matters is the future now."

"What about you?" Alfred asked, slight fear in his eyes, "Are you happy?"

Isra looked forward and stood up. Turning around, she held her hand out and pulled Alfred up, bringing him close to her. The two slowly swayed back and forth, staring at one another, turning it into an elegant slow dance. "I have a beautiful son, a lovely husband who makes sure I have everything I ever need. I’ve been allowed to live how I want." Resting her hand on his chest, she felt his steady heartbeat, "I don’t need anything else, Alfred. There’s nothing more I could want." Pausing, she smiled to herself, "I couldn’t be happier."

Relief washed over his face as he kissed the top of her head, "I’m glad." Looking to the sky, he stared at the two moons that stared back, "I have nothing more to give after all."

Isra chuckled, shaking her head, "I know." Pausing, she looked up at him again, lifting her hand off his heart to stroke his cheek, "Even now, you still have that worried look."

Lowering his gaze, he sighed, "You know why, Isra."

Smirking, Isra shook her head and leaned up, kissing his lips before placing her head into his chest, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and closing her eyes, "Don’t worry about it, Alfred. No matter what people say, no matter what they will say, it was all worth it. Even if others say it wasn’t. For us, it was. That’s all that matters."

"Yeah..." Alfred smiled, not finishing what he was going to say. Looking up, the stars danced alongside them as the moonlight bathed them in a serene glow. Taking a deep breath, he rested his head atop hers and smiled, enjoying the silent dance.

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With that, it is over. To everybody who sees this, thank you for reading this far and for all the support you have given me. There have been ups and downs throughout the story, both in my own life and in my writing, but it is now done.

Honestly, I love this ending. I know some people may not like it, as it isn’t a grand speech or anything like that, but the discovery of the new world and a final intimate moment between Alfred and Isra was to me how this book should end. It leaves me open to explore the second story after this, but everything related to Alfred’s and Ammar’s story is over for now. They won the war, and Alfred got everything he wanted. He may not deserve it, but he got everything.

Sure, other wars haven’t ended in the story, but to me, it doesn’t matter if I write them. We can guess how the Silesian-Gotic war will end, and we can assume the Severian-Lisaponic war will drag on for years.

I will leave this here and upload a Chapter with my thoughts after this. If you don’t care about that, don’t read it; but if you want to see what I am thinking, be my guest and buy it.

Back to the main point, thank you all for reading. I know I write for my enjoyment, but making sure the story is enjoyable for all of you has been one of my main goals, and I hope I succeeded. Writing the Reborn King has been amazing, and I am so glad it is all done.

For the last time,

Thank you for reading.

Ems_Cube

See you next time.

THE END