Fourth Vector Ch. 36

Eric rolled his eyes. "So nice to see you again, Katherine," he said with sarcasm. "I'd hoped you would be dead the next time I saw you. What a pity."

Tears streamed down Kat's cheeks. "You still haven't lost any of the viciousness over the years. You're still the bastard you've always been."

"Somebody had to be the strong one," shot back Eric. "It wasn't going to be you. You were always too soft. Even your father knew it. Uncle Marcus used to curse the day he was left with an only daughter. Your birth robbed him of his wife and any chance of getting a proper male heir. I did what I did out of respect for your father."

"You did what you did because you were selfish and wanted something you didn't earn," retorted Kat angrily.

"Earn?" Eric started to laugh as his mouth filled up with blood. He spat a decent-sized wad of it before he started speaking again. "And you earned the regency, did you? Just because you happened to be the daughter of Marcus Rosdahl? You earned nothing, Katherine. Only the strong deserve to rule. You were never strong enough to rule in Galicia. Even the lords knew it."

"And yet, the strong Regent Eric Rosdahl is here at our feet," said Kat. "Dying before those he considered weaker than he."

Eric snorted. "Life is unfair, is it not? It robbed you of the regency just as I am now being robbed of life for no good reason."

"For no good reason?" repeated Jack. "What happened to you just now is the least bit of justice that's owed to you. It's a good thing you're dying. If you'd lived, you'd spend the rest of your life imprisoned for your crimes."

Eric rolled his eyes again. "What crimes? For making Galicia strong again?"

"For weakening her in the face of her enemies, for allying with our traditional enemy, for trying to kill the rightful king, for deposing the rightful regent," said Jack as he ticked off his fingers. "There's four right there. Take your pick, there's many more."

"You know what your problem is, Jack? You think too small. You've been hanging out with my cousin for too long. What I did was to break the mold that constrained the Galician people. My decisions were unorthodox but it would have led to a greater Galicia. A great nation for our people!"

Jack shook his head and gestured to the burning city behind him. "It looks like it really worked out for you."

"Don't be flippant with me," snarled Eric. "It's your fault that Kalmar is destroyed, not mine!"

"No, you can place that blame rightfully at your own feet," said Jack. "Kalmar would still be under your control if you treated your soldiers properly. Your fleet would still be under your control if they didn't think you were insane. And this city wouldn't be burning if you didn't have a role in making it so. You're to blame for Galicia's ills, no one else. You've made Galicia infinitely weaker by being at the helm."

Eric simply shrugged and flicked his hand. "I care not for the opinions of those that are below me. My mortal life has ended. Let me die in peace."

Kat crossed her arms in front of her chest. "At least the world becomes a better place with your death. At least your evil ends here tonight."

Eric snarled at her. "You were always the weak one, Katherine. Do you want to know something? I'm happy that I betrayed you. I'm happy that I stole your regency. I would have done it again in a heartbeat because of how weak you are. You think you're strong now because you've attached yourself to him but you're still the weak girl you've always been. Your father loved me more than he could have ever loved you."

"Coming from Marcus Rosdahl, that's hardly a compliment," remarked Jack.

"Marcus Rosdahl was a great man," said Eric. "The only thing he did wrong was not devoting more of his resources to destroying your family. He got very close to doing so but it was only the luck of fate that let you get away."

"Some would call that prophecy," said Kat. "There's a reason Jack was supposed to survive. Why even father's carefully designed plan failed. Jack was meant to live. He was meant to see this moment and lead us in this war."

"You and your beloved prophecy," replied Eric. "The only reason you liked it was because of the future it had intended for you. You knew you would be his wife so your future didn't look so bad. I knew it would end in my death if your prophecy was true."

Kat shrugged. "It looks like it was right then. As it always has been and will continue to be."

"I care not for the ramblings of prophecy," said Eric as he spit out more blood. "And now I care not for Galicia. As far as I'm concerned, you can have the country. She's disappointed me."

"You were never fit to lead her to begin with," said Jack. "And now we will take over your place. There will be much work in fixing what you've managed to destroy."

Eric's eyes flashed. "Good luck fixing the city. She'll burn down soon. There's nothing you can do to contain the blaze, I've made sure of that."

"You've managed to set fire to your own capital city. And to think, you did so willingly, condemning all those innocent Galicians inside to death," said Jack while shaking his head. "You really are a monster."

By now, Eric was having a harder time forming his words. His blood loss had accelerated and his breathing was becoming more jagged. "Call me... what you will. It won't change... facts. My uncle... would be proud! If only we could have... destroyed the Kincardines."

Jack knelt in front of Eric and brought his face close to the dying Regent. "The Kincardine line lives. It lives with me and now it lives within the blood of my son. My son will one day take the throne of the Galicia that you failed to lead."

Consciousness returned briefly to Eric's eyes. "Your son," he repeated looking back at Jack. His eyes then swept over to Kat. "Your son."

"Our son," said Jack firmly as he gestured to Kat. "Our son John is a unification of the two ruling bloodlines of Galicia. The Kincardines and the Rosdahls have been united."

"And it will extinguish the Rosdahl name for good in doing so," said Kat.

Eric managed to shake his head before he lost the strength in his arms. His face hit the ground. "Your father... would despise you for what you did. You mated with our... enemy."

Jack shook his head. "It was through love that saw the enmity between our houses destroyed. There will be one family moving forward. One united family to rule Galicia."

"In a way... I've still won," coughed Eric. "Rosdahl blood runs through your son. We will live on in him."

Jack shook his head again. "You couldn't have suffered a greater loss. Everything you and your uncle tried to prevent has come true. The love that Kat and I share will set Galicia back to her rightful place. You've failed, Eric."

It was there, at the precipice of death, that Jack's words finally seemed to have their desired effect. Eric didn't lash out with rage or hatred. Instead, his eyes took on a defeated quality, one that showed every sign of unsettled despair.

Then, before it was all over, a single stream of blood fell from the corner of Eric's lips. Life gave out of his body and his last breath escaped into the evening air.

Eric Rosdahl, Regent of Galicia, was dead.

At that moment, Jack felt Kat press into his arms and embrace him tightly. He held her closely as she began to cry, running his fingers through her long blonde hair.

"It's all right," whispered Jack. "He's gone now."

"He's done so much evil," said Kat as she pulled back to look at him. She gestured toward the burning city. "How can we even begin to fix it?"

"One step at a time," he said as he pressed in a gentle kiss. "It will take time to rebuild Galicia to what she used to be but we'll get there. I can promise you that."

Kat looked back at the unmoving body of her cousin. "He wasn't always like this, Jack. I remember him when he was a boy and he still had some decency left. What happened to him? What brought him to this end?"

Jack let out a small sigh before he attempted the answer. "Lust for power was his undoing, Kat. He let it twist him into the monster he became. When you're ready to betray your own family to get what you want, you have nothing redeemable left in you. That little boy you used to know died a long time ago."

Kat could only nod at his words. They remained locked in embrace for a few more moments before their soldiers still near the door warned about the blaze consuming more buildings on this side of the city. Finally, Jack had to tug Kat back up the small staircase back into the city, where he immediately felt the heat of the fire once more.

With night descending on the capital, it was hardly the time for rest or sleep. The city was in crisis and every able-bodied person pitched in to help. Even with the citizens of the city united in their task, more often than not, the flames were only extinguished when the buildings came tumbling down. One particular collapse nearly buried Jack and a platoon that were trying to battle the flames.

The buildings were one thing but everyone took on a look of despair when the Castle itself caught flame. Despite a good portion of it being stone, the roof and many of the newest additions were made from wood, and they burned just as easily and spread just as quickly. It made for quite the sight to see the Castle, situated on the highest part of Kalmar, burning uncontrollably.

However, just when everything was thought lost, something incredible happened. It was just past midnight when a soft rain began to fall on the city. Jack looked up toward the sky, feeling the warm drops against his face.

All around him, the citizens and soldiers of Kalmar looked upward, feeling the providence of rain as it came down on their city. That soft rain turned into a steady rush until it started to pour uncontrollably.

It was just what the city needed. The flames that showed no sign of extinguishing were humbled in the face of the bounty from the clouds. For the first time that evening, hope was once again visible on the faces of the people. Even those that had lost everything were thankful for the rain, hoping to preserve some part of Kalmar from total destruction.

With the joyous rain and the extinguishing of the flames came the celebration. It didn't matter that the city was wounded and that her brothers had just been fighting each other. The blaze was now extinguished and the civil war was over. Jack saw families embracing each other, thankful for life or that their house was still standing. He saw soldiers reunited, especially those that had been fighting with him while their brothers-in-arms remained in Galicia.

Foremost amongst the celebration was the reaction of the citizens of Kalmar to seeing their king walking amongst them. Everyone seemed to stare at Jack wherever he went. Old grandmothers reached out to touch his shoulder or grab his hand. Young children yanked on his trousers and ran back to their parents. So many people waved or tried to catch his attention, bowing their heads when he noticed them.

The people of Kalmar were thrilled to have their sovereign back after all this time. And in the rain and misery of the evening, a hope was born anew.

A hope for a better tomorrow and for the rebirth of Galicia.

*****

Jack wasn't sure what time he finally got to bed that evening. It was only a couple hours after the flames were extinguished when they made the short journey back to the original camp where he promptly fell into bed alongside Kat and Abigail (who had come ashore from theDestiny once she'd heard news that the city had fallen).

Jack was asleep instantly, the rigors of the day and the length of the night zapping him of his remaining energy. Even still, there wasn't much time until dawn, and it was only an hour after the rising of the sun that he felt his eyes pop open for the first time that morning.

As Jack sat up in bed, something felt different that day. He felt noticeably lighter than before as if the shadow cast by Eric Rosdahl had finally dissipated. He sat on the edge of his bed looking out toward the ocean for what felt like half an hour before the girls stirred.

Even with a quick breakfast, there was much work that had to be done.

It was midmorning by the time that a small entourage descended on the Galician capital once more. Jack, Kat, Abigail, Greg, Vera, as well as the Callands arranged for transportation to the city. Vera looked the sleepiest of all them, having spent the night with John the previous evening. She was very deserving of the title of favorite aunt for the newborn, even if he did keep her up half the night. She was only slightly saddened to hand him back to Kat, and together the small group entered the city.

Kalmar was a ruined sight in the daytime. Despite all the rain, parts of the city were still smoldering. Most were the parts that had faced collapse in the previous twenty-four hours but those buildings that were still standing were hardly in good condition.

Most despairing was the sight of the Castle. It's burned out stone walls looked to be a total wreck. The Callands as well as Kat were incredibly silent as they neared the city, each of them knowing the true majesty of the city that was lost to the flames.

One thing that buoyed everyone's spirits was to see the citizens of Kalmar already cleaning up from the day before. Those buildings that had been destroyed were now being cleaned up, stone for stone, brick for brick. Groups of men were hard at work repairing that which had been damaged. Never was there a better sign of life coming together again after calamity.

All of them stopped to watch Jack ascend to the Castle. There weren't any Galicians alive that could remember the time of the kings, but even now as they watched him move toward the Kincardine ancestral home, all was silent. The mystique of what they were witnessing held back all conversation or commotion, and Jack felt instantly humbled at seeing their silent respect.

"I would say they like you already, Jack," said Greg from his side.

Jack shrugged. "They barely know me. And at this point, I wouldn't blame them if they hated me. After all, it's my fault their city is like this."

"You can't be much worse than Eric Rosdahl," said Greg with a smirk. "After what they've been through, this is like a breath of fresh air for them."

Greg seemed to be right. Despite the fact that it was Jack's forces attacking the city, no one seemed to hold a grudge against him. They were all too caught up in the moment, one that was two hundred years in the making.

It was a moment that Jack didn't want to hog to himself. He gestured for John to be handled over to him, and the infant came willingly, already having bonded with his father after their rocky start. Holding his son in his arms, Jack not only showed the Galician people the present but the future as well.

Their monarch was here to stay.

Unfortunately, the monarch's Castle would need some work. Upon arrival at the traditional front gate, work had to be done to clear debris and rubble from the fallen roof. Even with the roof down in most spots, the Castle was still remarkably intact thanks to the stonework and there didn't seem to be any lasting structural damage.

Kat and Bill were their guides as they entered the Castle, the two knowing it the best of anyone. The lower and main floors were in the best shape from being shielded from the falling roof, and Kat led them all into what had been a study for the regency, where she was instantly overwhelmed with memories.

Her hand went to her mouth as she looked at the ruined bookshelves, desk, and curtains that had previously adorned the room. With saddened eyes, she turned to look at Jack.

"This used to be one of my favorite rooms. It was my own personal study," she said as she moved her finger around. "I have so many memories of being here, even from the short time when I was regent."

"It was still maintained as a study even by your cousin," added Bill. "I have quite a few memories of calling on him in this very room."

"My father used it plenty too," said Kat as her fingers traced along the corner of the ruined desk. "I remember playing under this desk while he worked when I was just a girl. He would frequently take visitors while I would entertain myself near his feet. They were carefree days and they were some of my fondest memories from the time."

Bill nodded his head in acknowledgment. He said nothing further but the look on his face said that he too remembered that time so long ago.

They kept moving throughout the Castle, oftentimes having to stop to clear debris before they could continue. Jack's heart felt the true despair at seeing so many damaged items--paintings that were reduced to mere scraps of paper, never to be enjoyed again. Furniture that was nothing more than kindling.

Even the bodies of some servants who became trapped, never to leave the Castle again.

All of it showed how much it would take before the Castle, and Kalmar, could become the city it once was again. This feeling was most properly illustrated when they came to the throne room.

Kat was the first to gasp and cover her mouth as soon as the door was opened. It promptly fell from the hinges and slammed against the ground, making all of them jump in surprise. The ancient throne room of the Galician King looked like a place that time had forgotten. There was more dust in here than damage, and only those items closest to the door suffered from the fire. Further into the room, Jack could spot items that hadn't moved in centuries--pews for the faithful, golden chandeliers, bright and spacious windows, as well as the throne at the head of the room.

The throne was ornate and simple at the same time. Made of one piece of solid wood, it eschewed comfort for simplicity but it became obvious that extreme detail and care was given to the small things. Jewels and other ornaments adorned the armrests. A small spattering of gold was inlaid along the edges. The chair had a commanding view of the entire room, and the raised dais it was on even had a magnificent view out the windows to the rest of the city.

That wasn't the only majestic piece in the room. Above the throne was an even more incredible looking piece. It was simple in function but adorned like the throne. There was a stylized letter K at the very top, as well as an outline of a long blade that flowed down to the throne. There were small hinges here, a resting place for something long, metal, and heavy.

It was the resting place of the great Galician sword, and Jack felt the enormity of his return like a giant weight on his shoulders.

"Wow," he muttered to himself as he took it all in.

"It looks like no one has been in here for quite a long time," said Abigail from his side.

"It used to be maintained at one point," said Kat as she looked around. "It was kept free of the dust at the very least even if there was little in the way of functions in here. Most regents avoided this room like the plague."

"As you can tell, Eric Rosdahl was quite content to ignore it," added Bill. "He mostly pretended that this room didn't exist."

"I take it he had another room put aside for calling on the ruler of Galicia?" asked Jack.

Both Bill and Kat nodded. "The Regent's Hall was set aside by the first Galician Regent. He found it odd to continue to do business in here when it was obvious that he wasn't the king. He did so out of respect for the old ways but over the years, that respect morphed into something resembling spite instead," said Kat. "My father often contemplated just doing away with the room and making it living quarters for the servants. He was quite adamant about the kings never returning."

Jack knew all about that. He continued to walk around the room, approaching the throne of his ancestors. He wiped a layer of dust from the armrest, finding it thick with the years of inactivity.