Broken Time: Tales of a Bounty Hunter Book 3

Chapter 36 - Epilogue

Larth

Ramiel remembered vividly the vision he had so long ago. The scene around him reminded him of that, but despite it all his smile didn't dim. This journey with Raven, Noemi, Amora, and Astrid had started so long ago -it felt like it. Yet, as he stood in the unfamiliar corridor of the ice palace of Larth, it felt like a dream. Part of him wondered when he would wake up to find that the journey wasn't over and that they were still in the middle of battle.

Larthians passed him by chatting between themselves cheerfully. In his vision there had been all kinds of races. Mostly he had seen locals from Larth, but also some Gypsies and Fairies too and even some Dinneileans. It had seemed so obscure back then. It made him wonder where that future had taken a turn, which bug or butterfly they had stepped on to divert them oh-so-slightly from the future in this vision.

"Hey!" a familiar voice shouted, snapping him out of his thoughts. "What are you doing just standing there?"

Ramiel turned around to see Raven walking towards him wearing a beautiful blue dress and an even brighter smile. Ramiel felt his own smile rise on his face just looking at her and seeing that she was alright. Next to her Noemi hadn't changed from her usual attire, but she appeared to have been combed into a more 'womanly' fashion -no doubt by the cheerful Witch.

"The ceremony is about to begin." she dragged him by the arm without warning.

"Astrid is more anxious than Amora." the other woman pointed out.

Raven giggled. "Of course she is. And I'm betting Amora is putting up a strong profile just for her shake."

The three of them entered the main hall where a large crowd had gathered around the throne made of ice. Ramiel felt like a fish out of the water. The Larthians around them were tall, taller than him that is. He shuddered as much from the cold as from the offputting feeling in his stomach. He was not a very social person. And yet, it was Amora's official coronation as Queen of Larth today, so here he was to show his support to the new Queen and friend.

"So, Ramiel," Raven turned to him. "Is this what you saw in your good vision?"

"Yes...but not exactly." he responded dryly.

"What?!" Noemi choked on her own spit. "I thought there were two possible futures."

"Well, my vision looked like this. Us gathered together in the ice palace...Amora getting crowned Queen...it's just some small details that are different."

"Did we do something wrong?"

"What does that mean?"

Ramiel bit the inside of his cheek. "I think it means that the future isn't set in stone. That even with celestial beings in existence the future is ours to shape."

"Free will." Raven nodded in understanding.

"I think I get it." Noemi hesitated. "We were given the tools to be the best versions of ourselves, but it's up to us how or if we use them."

"That sounds like something Novah would say." Raven chuckled.

Noemi sobered suddenly. "You didn't have a choice, though. You were forced to choose your pre-destined role, after a lifetime of denying it."

"I did choose it, though." Ramiel's admission shocked them. "No one forced me. I could have chosen to ignore it, or threaten, manipulate, or find another way to coerce the Gypsies to do my bidding. I could have chosen to walk away and doom the world to death. All were possible choices. Just because they were shitty doesn't mean that they weren't an option." he shrugged. "Sometimes all the choices you have are bad ones. And that sucks but you still have to choose."