Gadolor

Epilogue- Shalom

Shouts of joy had returned to the land as spring broke through the shackles of winter. Final traces of snow were wiped away by the mounting sun as it returned from its winter path, warming the earth with golden radiance. Young leaves spread their faces to the light, flowers bloomed in every field, and streams were choked with life. The voices of birds and fawns and men rang across the land, from the northern forts of Astor to the southern plain of Esthena. Today the two kingdoms became one.

Sunlight glowed in bright colors among the people where they stood crowded together. It glinted from the tips of the spears that soldiers held, where they stood in two lines, keeping an aisle clear. Ribbons fluttered from the spear-heads. Flowers adorned the crowd, which was full of craning necks and excited whispers. Every eye watched one end of the street, where steps ascended to tall double doors.

A sound rumbled through the stones, piercing the air, rattling windowpanes, and shaking bones. The horn sounded from the tower of a house with tall spires. Its doors opened slowly, causing the multitude to cheer.

Out stepped a man and woman, he crowned by gold and she by flowers, moving with their hands tied together by a scarlet thread. Cloud-white was the groom’s uniform, marked by the trappings of a king. The bride’s silken dress rippled like quiet water, the color of the youngest green leaf. Seven maidens held its long train. Her auburn hair flowed like a river, rich with the life that leapt from one smiling face to the next.

The groom helped his bride into a waiting chariot, then joined her with a bound. Their scars from the enemy’s country remained, but today pain was foreign to every face. People rushed to throw flowers in the aisle between the soldiers. The chariot’s gray horse tossed its head, eager to begin the journey down the street. The groom caught his bride’s eye and winked.

The chariot began a slow parade down the aisle, followed by the wedded pair’s parents, who emerged from the doorway after them.  As wooden wheels rolled over stone, ten thousand voices cheered, and the shout spread from the city over trees and fields. Wild animals paused to listen. One or two puddles trembled a little. Word soon spread to every corner of the kingdom that a new age had begun.

Yes, that is how their adventures began.