The Beastess groaned as the rest of Max's gang pulled her up to the balcony of the tower. Max threw the trident aside and rested The Beastess's head on his lap. Rusty, Normie and Virgil stared in horror at their Mistress's condition. She was faltering—and fast.
The Beastess blinked her eyes open and saw Max's face greeting her. She smiled and said weakly, "You...You came back..."
"Of course I came back," Max replied. "I wouldn't let them...Oh crap! This is all my fault! If only I've gotten here sooner..."
"Maybe...it's better...it's better this way..."
"Don't talk like that!" Max shook his head in denial. "We're all together now. Everything's gonna be fine, you'll see."
"At least...I got to see you...one last time...my Little Master..."
Max's heart ached. He didn't think her love for him would make her go this far. He couldn't love her the way she wanted him to, but he knew he had to do something to repay her. Whatever she had done for him was too great a price to pay for her unrequited love for him. He felt so guilty as he let her huge hand caress his face. Then suddenly he felt her hand slip. He heard her final breath escape from her mouth and then there was silence. The animated objects turned towards the window of the East Wing where the bell-jar was (the tower was somewhere near the East Wing) and saw the last petal fall from its stem and its glow diminished. They shook their head in dismay. It was too late. All was lost. They will remain the animated objects they were for the rest of their lives.
"No! No, Beastess! No! Please don't leave me! You're my best friend! You can't die on me! You promised to be a faithful friend and a loyal guardian! You promised! Please don't leave me!" Max yelled in horror at realizing that The Beastess's life had slipped away. He turned desperately to his father and pleaded, "Dad, please help her! Please! Your trident! Please bring her back!"
"I'm sorry, son," Blake said in regret. "My trident has many powers, but it cannot bring back the dead. I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do, Max."
Max let out an agonized yell and buried his face onto The Beastess's breasts. She was his best friend. She was the friend that loved him unconditionally. She was the friend he had come in terms to like despite her grotesque figure. He had seen past her looks and seen her as just a normal human being. No one could replace a great friend such as her. How could all this happen? How could his selfishness get in the way of their friendship? He felt as if he had led her to her doom. He felt as if by appearing in her life, he brought SkullMaster and all this tragedy upon her. Everything had started when he met SkullMaster. It was his fault Fishermen's Friend Village got into this mess. It was his fault his mother was almost taken by him. It was his fault his best friend had died. Max kept on blaming himself as he continued to cry and wail in remorse. Bea, who had awakened after her wounds healed, came over and hugged Max from behind, trying to make him feel better, but he just wouldn't stop crying.
"Poor girl..." WarMonger said as he moved towards The Beastess's dead body. Gently, he moved Max and Bea aside and cradled her head in his arms. There was something inside him that told him he had to do something to make all this pain go away, but he wasn't sure what it was. He let his instincts guide him as he brought The Beastess closer to himself.
Everyone watched in awe as suddenly a bright glow of light emitted out of his chest. The light came out of him and spiraled around WarMonger and The Beastess, engulfing them in a reddish-blue glow that lit up the whole tower. They had to shield their eyes a little from the blinding light as they continued to see the light spiraled around the area of The Beastess's chest. Finally the glow slowly dimmed and a thin line began to form that connected WarMonger's chest with The Beastess's before disappearing as mysteriously as it appeared.
"What the...What's going on?" Norman finally found his voice.
"They're sharing lives," Thor replied, remembering something he had seen in the past. "WarMonger had the power to revive the dead by giving a small piece of his lifeline to them. He's done that loads of times when he finds dead birds in the bell tower. Judging by this action, he's not only giving a piece, he's giving a big piece, and he's sharing it with her. Both of them will have the same lifeline and will live forever unless both of them die together! (A/N: This concept almost goes the same with Macbeth and Demona in Gargoyles, ya dig?)"
"Woah, dude! That's what I call colossal, man!" Felix exclaimed in admiration.
The Beastess opened her eyes and got up slowly. The wound inflicted by SkullMaster was gone. The first person she saw was WarMonger grinning at her sheepishly.
"What...What happened?" she asked, puzzled. "I thought I was..."
Max beamed and ran over to hug The Beastess while Thor explained WarMonger's power again. She turned towards WarMonger who still looked a little sheepish. He actually helped someone he had first met? This was the first time anyone would give away their life to save her. She began to grow rather more interested to this WarMonger guy.
The rain had stopped. The sun began to shine out of the horizon. Everyone went out of the castle to see what was left of SkullMaster. He lay on the ground on his own pool of blood, lifeless and motionless, his eyes staring blankly up and his bloody mouth slightly open. The rose had fallen out of his pocket and lay helplessly on the floor, its petals scattered everywhere. The ring was still on his finger. Blake tried his luck and took off the ring. And since he was the true heir, the ring slipped out rather easily. He reached over and closed SkullMaster's eyes. No matter what deed he had done, he was still his half-brother and he still loved him the way he was.
As he stood up, Virginia finally found the courage to approach him. Throughout the whole ordeal, she didn't dare to believe that the man standing before her was her so-called dead husband. Only when she tentatively touched his cheek and felt his warmth was she able to embrace him.
"I missed you, Blake," Virginia whispered. "I thought you were dead."
"I missed you too, Virginia," Blake replied. "And there's something I need to clear up. It wasn't the mermaids who killed me. It was, I regret to say, Scott, my own half-brother."
"I know. I know now. I'm so sorry."
"You've deprived our son of his love for the sea. You knew that the sea was in his blood. You really gave him a hard time. Yes, I've been watching you, Virginia. That wasn't a very nice to do to our son, you know."
Virginia scratched her chin guiltily. For years she had took to believing other people's rumours just to get rid of the grief and pain she felt over her husband's loss. She looked apologetically at Max. Max just shrugged. He knew she would find out about the truth sooner or later. Blake stole a look at Norman's aching look on his face and sighed.
"And I cannot be with you anymore, Virginia. I have found a new life and a new world. I have a family of my own with the Queen of the merpeople, and I'm sorry, but I cannot remain long here."
"That's right, Mrs. Deanhart," Drakeb replied as he stood beside Blake. "King Benedict had a daughter with Queen Fridorithia and I'm officially his son-in-law. Which makes you my stepmother-in-law."
Virginia stared in disbelief at Blake and Drakeb. She was speechless at what her husband was saying. Yet, she didn't know why, but deep down inside her, she felt a sense of relief and acceptance towards Blake's decision. She took a deep breath and asked, "I just need to ask you one question, Blake. Is she really worth it?"
Blake nodded. He then went over and took Norman's hand and put it on Virginia's. He winked and said, "May you two be happy."
Norman and Virginia looked at each other and blushed. There was nothing to hide anymore. Their feelings were mutual. They didn't have to pretend that they didn't like each other. They soon locked themselves in each other's embrace and kissed. Max smiled. Finally they were getting somewhere. Then Blake approached Max and said, "I believe this is yours."
"But...But Dad. You're the true heir of the King of the West. You should be wearing it."
"I already have my own kingdom under the sea. One kingdom is enough for me. Besides, you're my son. What makes you think that you might not be the heir as well? Go on. Try it on. No harm done."
"But the rose," Max stole a look at the broken rose. "Virgil said I need the rose to break the seal of the castle."
"We'll figure that one out later. Try it on."
Max stared at the ring. All this trouble and chaos for a ring (A/N: Almost like LOTR, don't ya think?). The ring that had brought both happiness and grief. Finally, after staring it for a long while, Max shrugged and took the ring. This was going to be his final and biggest adventure yet. What else he had to lose.
As he put on the ring, something miraculous happened. A bright light shimmered and Max's cap suddenly changed into the shape of a fully diamond-studded crown. The rose that was broken and scattered suddenly reattached themselves back together and looked brand new. With a blinding speed, the rose shot towards the direction of the room where the altar was and laid itself on the base. Almost immediately, light streamed out of every corner of the castle and everything that was ugly inside and outside the castle became immaculately beautiful. The gargoyles turned to angels and the beasts turned to gods and goddesses statues. Whatever was dark and gloomy from that castle quickly became bright and cheery. The light continued to travel around the castle and began circling itself around the animated objects. One by one, the animated objects changed back their original forms, starting with Rusty and her boyfriend. They turned out to be a pair of couple that stood almost the same height, with Rusty having hair the colour of rust (guess that's where she got her name) and eyes a perfect black and the boyfriend with long flowing brown hair. Come to think of it, Rusty looked almost like the teenage version of Virginia.
Then it was Normie and her son Junior. She turned out looking like a middle-aged version of Phoebe and Junior a boy of maybe 8 or 9 years old with the same hair colour as hers. Later it was Virgil, who turned out to be like a humanoid chicken. Then later it was the rest of the animated objects changing into their human selves. Everyone cheered and beamed in relief at finally becoming the human they once was.
The ring wasn't done yet. Almost automatically, Max was led by the ring towards The Beastess and showered its power at her. She began to transform. Her height shrank down to the 18-year-old height she was supposed to be and her red hair became less fiery. The colour reduced to a normal redhead should have and her scaly green skin slowly peeled off her body, revealing fair, white skin underneath. Her eyes remained copper-brown but she wasn't looking as threatening as she used to. The miraculous thing was that because she shared the same lifeline with WarMonger, he experienced the same change too. His hunchback was gone and his height increased. His red skin was no more and his face morphed into human proportions. His yellow eyes changed colour into blue, matching the dark sea-blue of his hair. His fangs were gone and off went the horns as well and when he tried to talk, his voice didn't have that rasp anymore.
"Woah," Max said in marvel. "Is that how you really look like? I find it hard to believe. And you, WarMonger...you've changed as well! Guess that sharing lifeline gives you quite an advantage. And Virgil, is that you? A chicken?"
"I'm not a chicken, I'm a fowl! I happen to be the last Lemurian after a plague hit my tribe back on an unknown island in British-India (made that up ;P)," Virgil said with pride. "Your ancestor took me in and I've been the master butler ever since."
"R...Rusty...!" The Beastess looked at herself first, then turned towards the servants that had served her throughout the years of her duty to guard the castle. "Normie! Virgil! Look at us!"
"My goodness! This is really a breakthrough!" Normie beamed happily as she hugged and kissed her son.
"It is unbelievable! We're free! We're finally free from our curses at last!" The Beastess exclaimed as she hugged each and everyone. She then hugged Max and said, "Thank you, Max. Thank you so much. I should've known you're the true heir all along. You really are the King of the West!"
"Guess I got good genes," Max grinned as he stole a look at his father.
"I guess it's time for you to take your rightful place on your throne, Your Majesty."
"Yeah, I guess," Max grinned sheepishly before holding out his hand to Bea. "Would you like to join me, my Queen?"
Bea was speechless at first, then blushed and nodded as she took his hand.
"I'd be delighted, my King."
Soon, all's well ends well. Maxwell Deanhart was officially proclaimed the true heir of the King of the West and was crowned, together with his new wife Bea Deanhart, as the New King and Queen of the West. Many people attended the crowning ceremony, from the highest societies to the lowest (that'll be the people of Fishermen's Friend Village). Even King Benedict and his royal family, including Drakeb and Phoebe came to watch the crowning ceremony. An alliance was made between the land and the sea and Max's reign and King Benedict's reign had officially become neighbouring kingdoms. Peter, Pad, Pjer, Pac, Pince, Pablio and Phoebe were welcomed to visit Max anytime they liked, and that goes the same with King Benedict and Queen Fridorithia, and vice versa.
Norman and Virginia were also married a week after Max and Bea's wedding and were crowned as consorts, since Virginia was Max's mother, minus the royal blood. Norman was made a knight and deemed as Lord Norman son of Samson Bear (A/N: I dunno what's Norman's dad's real name, so I took one of Norman's aliases :p) and made him in charge of the royal army. The Beastess, or her real name Alexandria Sean, was also made a knight to fight alongside with Norman as a second-in-command. WarMonger changed his name to Angel Disguisia, after the name 'angel in disguise' by the archdeacon, and decided to work in the weaponry and art field, creating weapons for the army and nice sculptures and arts for either the castle or to be marketed out. Alexandria and Angel soon found love in each other and got married a year after Max's reign. They had a nice, quiet elite home built for them somewhere in the woods, with Thor living with them. SkullMaster's body was burned and sent out to sea, just like any self-respecting seaman should be cremated. King Benedict requested it to be so.
"He was my first mate, and die as a first mate he will."
Max never forgot the village where he came from. He pays a visit to the village once in a while and funds it entirely under his expense. Its wellbeings were kept and he ruled in his reign well. 2 years later, Max and Bea became the proud parents of twins, a girl and a boy whom they named Bea Junior and Maxwell Junior, or in royal terms, Bea and Maxwell Deanhart the 2nd. Norman and Virginia, too, became the proud parents of Samson Junior, Normandy and Helena Bear, and Alexandria and Angel the proud parents of Andrew Disguisia. Bea and Maxwell Junior were well taught to be the best successors of the throne and became the best of friends with their uncles and aunt and Andrew, including their mermaid friends Dominique and Dominic, the twins of Phoebe and Drakeb. Their heir continued to flourish and the King of the West and their descendants were well known as the best and most well-liked rulers of the world.
And they lived, as all fairy tale stories go, happily ever after.
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