The years following Tomli’s ascension to king were a mixed and busy time. Garinor served in Tomli’s court as chancellor and oversaw many of the business aspects of the castle and acted as the king’s advisor. It was a perfect arrangement that allowed them to continue to spend time together while putting their individual talents and interests to use.
Terrian was made head of the king’s guard and his first duty was to root out all who were not true supporters to the new king. It was a daunting task and it led to several issues with some of the villagers in the towns whose families relied on wages their sons had earned. This was one of the recurring issues in which Tomli was forced to intervene and offer other positions for those who were dismissed from his service.
As the years went on, many other troubles arose for Tomli. There were three years of drought that made it difficult for villages to survive. Tomli was a fierce negotiator with other kingdoms and he was shrewd enough to barter sufficient food and water for most of his people. But the towns that suffered the most never forgave him, which led to a great war in which many died, including Besfa, friend to Tomli and Garinor.
Garinor and Tomli both took wives and had good, strong families, but they each lost a child to a plague that swept through the land one winter. It struck seemingly at random, but everyone who was personally connected to Garinor and Tomli lost someone close to them. It was then that Garinor started to have his nightmares.
In every dream, he saw the happenings in the country he loved so much, and he saw the pain and torment, and each time, a pair of cold haughty eyes would suddenly appear and startle Garinor to wakefulness. And each time, he noted that the sky was bathed in a blood-red glow. It didn’t matter what time of day these dreams occurred; it was always the same.
As one terrible event overlapped another during Tomli’s reign, Garinor came to think about the choice he had made back at cave when the scepter was in his hand. The Voice had told him that his choice would have consequences and now he feared he understood those words too well. The red gems had died, pulling the prince’s spirit into the scepter, and then it had shattered, scattering itself to the wind.
Somehow, the prince’s malice had caught in the air and seeped throughout the kingdom, infecting everything and everyone. Every illness was more vicious than it should have been, every storm raged too powerfully, every child born was just as likely to have a defect as not.
And so Tomli’s reign was cursed and Garinor’s heart lay heavy with the knowledge that he had chosen that fate.
You have come to the end of Garinor’s adventure, but there are other paths to explore. Start over and guide Garinor again along his journey.
The End…