Back inside the hall, straining to put his thoughts of Hëna on the side, Daniel looked at the expectant faces of his friends gathered before him. He didn’t know what they were thinking, or what they believed; maybe they doubted him even more than he doubted himself. But one thing he was sure the oracle was right about, the countdown had already begun, and if they did not act now, all would be lost.
‘I know you all believe that I am the Great Lord, and I don’t know what to say to that. I do not feel any different; I’m still the same Daniel. However, if that’s true then we did what we set out to do. But our mission is not yet complete and there’s more work to be done. We need to deal with Winter and stop him from turning this kingdom into his own playground. I will be the first to face him if I must, but I cannot do it alone. Are you still with me?’
He looked at each of them in the eyes, trying to find there the answer, but it was Nemo who gave it first. The red-haired boy moved one step in Daniel’s direction and spoke.
‘This is still our adventure, Dan. I promised I would follow you ‘till the end, and I will, my lord.’
Smiling as he emphasized Daniel's new title, Nemo knelt down on one knee before him and bowed his head. He held that position, waiting for the others to join him.
Daniel was taken aback by his friend’s act of reverence, and did not know whether he should protest or not. They weren’t going to start acting all official now, would they? He didn’t want to be treated any differently, he wasn’t interested in that. All he wanted was for this whole thing to be over and done with, so they could go back to being normal boys, just hanging by the seaside and causing trouble. Still, he guessed until that happened, he’d have to suffer some more of this nonsense and let them treat him as was the proper procedure before the Great Lord, uncomfortable as it made him feel.
Nathaniel was next to follow in Nemo’s example.
‘I know I speak for my prince, my queen and the rest of my people, when I say that we will be honored to stand beside you, whatever you decide to do. We are your loyal subjects to command as you will.’
He too kneeled on one knee before Daniel and bowed his head.
‘You can count me in,’ the oracle also said, kneeling beside Nathaniel. ‘You will get all the help that I can give and more.’
Only Hëna was left standing. Looking at her face, Daniel once again wished he knew what she was thinking. He could see the pain and heartache over the loss of her brother, but there was more behind those beautiful black eyes. How did she feel about him being the Great Lord? Would she still stand by him until the end, like she had promised, or would she abandon him now, at the end of all things? He was happy to have the guys’ allegiance, but her support meant so much more to him.
Hëna appeared to be pondering things for the briefest of moments, but then she too knelt down next to Nemo with her head low.
‘I am very happy that we found you, my lord. I will continue to follow and serve you, until you no longer need me.’
He should have felt happy, but he didn’t. Her voice was cold and her words distant. He was no longer Daniel to her, no longer her friend, and whatever warmth or hope he had felt before of winning her heart, now seemed completely vanished.
Unwilling to deal with these thoughts right then and there, he focused on the work they had to do.
‘Thank you!’ he said to the four people kneeling before him. ‘I don’t know what qualifies me to be this Great Lord, or what I will be able to do for Endërland, but knowing that you are with me, gives me much hope and makes me believe that we can achieve anything. Please, get up; I think it’s time for us to make some plans.’
Everyone got up and gave him their full attention.
‘If the reports that Winter has built himself an army are true, I’m afraid we’re gonna have to do the same and build our own.’
Nathaniel came forward with what seemed to be the obvious question.
‘But how? I mean, we are inexperienced in these matters. I know my people are flying into battle as we speak, but for the life of me I don’t know how they’re gonna do it.’
‘Hopefully Séraphin will have gotten to the queen in time, and we won’t have to find out. Still, from what I’ve seen, your people are quite capable with knives and seem to have produced enough of them to arm everyone. I guess we’re going to have to use what we know and have. However, we only stand a chance against Winter if we are all united. We need to bring wingmen, mermaids and people all together, and strike at the same time as one. If we can manage that, then I know just the person to prepare and lead an army.
‘Does anyone have anything to write on?’
Hëna went through her belongings and produced a piece of parchment and a quill that Daniel took and began to write with. When he was done, he signed the letter, rolled it into a tube and gave it to Nathaniel.
‘Do you think you’re strong enough to fly, my friend?’
Nathaniel unfolded his large wings before them, the wounded one with some difficulty. He tried to cover the pain he felt, but didn’t fully managed that.
‘It’s not fully healed, but I will manage,’ he answered, nonetheless.
‘Good. I need you to please fly to Dard'h and hand this to Gabriel in person. If he agrees, please lead them back here without wasting time. And if he doesn’t, lead them here all the same.’
Nathaniel bowed his head quickly and left right away. Daniel turned around to face the other three.
‘I’m gonna need a couple more papers,’ he said to Hëna, who handed him a few more pieces of parchment. He took them, noticing the question in their eyes.
‘If we are to bring all our people together, I’m gonna need to talk to their leaders. For that I will have to send messengers, which is why I sent Nathaniel to Dard'h. It’s time to see where Gabriel’s allegiance really lies.’
‘In the meantime, what do we do?’ Nemo asked, already feeling important and useful.
Daniel thought about it for a moment. He needed a little time to write the letters, and until he was done, there were a few things they could do.
‘I would first like to get rid of those bodies; I think burning them would be best. Also, we need to search this castle and see what else may be hiding here. Who knows, maybe there are other people still here, or we may find something else that may be of use to us.’
‘I’ll deal with the bodies,’ the oracle offered.
‘I’ll take Nemo and check the rest of the castle then,’ Hëna said and turned away, without waiting for an answer. ‘Come, Nemo.’
Daniel watched as she went and could not help but feel guilty. He knew she needed the time to mourn her brother, they all did, but they could not afford any right now. He promised himself right then and there that he would make it up to her at some point.