Act 9.

"OK!" said Margaret in the silence that followed Mikako’s spell. "What in the world just happened here?"

Linda stared at the woman standing before her.

"Mikako! What’s happened to your hair?" was all she could say.

"I knew that we could not truly hold out against Toukon for very long. He was determined to get at me, and unless we had very powerful magic to use against him, we would eventually loose. Not to insult your prowess Champion, but there are limits to everything."

"No offence taken." said Linda. "But I thought that Byron had such magic and was willing to teach it to you."

"So I thought when he first proposed it." said Mikako. "but he had other ideas." she said looking straight at him.

Byron looked pleased with himself.

Toukon let out a breath.

"He didn’t?" was all he could say.

Mikako turned to the Dragon.

"He did." she answered. "At first I could not believe what spell he was willing to teach me, but soon realised it was the only option with the best outcome."

"Not truly the best." said Toukon who seemed in a calm almost resolute mood.

"No." said Mikako. "But now I will not morn the loss of my friends."

Margaret cleared her throat loudly.

"What exactly happened here?" she asked.

"If I may?" asked Byron who continued without waiting for an answer. "I simply told the young mage about a spell that would get rid of the temptation that was keeping the great Toukon coming after you."

"pardon?" asked Margaret.

"He had a spell that would allow me to return the magic that was given to me by birth." said Mikako before Byron could say anything. "As it is written ‘From the earth comes the magic, to the earth it shall return."

"So you are..."

"Normal." finished Mikako. "Yes. I am no longer a mage. And so no longer have the magic that Toukon sought. And since it was the magic that made my hair silver, it has returned to its normal colour."

They heard a low rumble in the earth and realised it was Toukon who was beginning to laugh. Soon the laughter nearly erupted from his jaw.

"Well played little one. I am impressed with the sacrifice you were willing to make to save your friends."

"Someone once told me that good friends were rare and worth fighting for." she said all the while looking at Linda.

Linda smiled back at her.

"It would only be petty and dishonorable of me to do anything now." said Toukon. "Besides, I have a long journey back home and need all the energy I can spare."

Linda looked up at the laughing Dragon.

"You seem quite happy for someone who has lost what he came for."

"Well." he said. "I have lost now. But I am still alive and will be long after you are dust. And though she may have been the one who could have given me what I have longed for, I suspect she will not be the last and that one day another will come along."

"What’s so special about her that only her magic can help you? And what did you need her for?" asked Margaret.

Toukon only smiled.

"For the first question, I will let you try to figure it out yourselves. I don’t want to spoil the surprise."

The others looked at each other quizzically. Mikako just shrugged.

"As for the second question. Your Queen can answer that one. Ask her of our conversation when you return."

He faded to his pale green self and turned to the wall.

"Goodnight to you all." he said over his shoulder and disappeared into the rock.

"Goodnight." said Mikako. "Sleep well."

"Come along." she said to the others. "We have some bones to bury properly.

They gathered Byron’s remains and he lead them back outside.

"Bury me on your return and I shall be free." he said. "Thank you all again." he said and disappeared.

On the way back Linda began to worry about her friend. What would she do now? She trained all her life to be a mage. What can she do now?

"Mikako." she began to say.

"Do not worry about me." Mikako said quickly.

"I am still young and Magic was not the only thing I was good at back home. I will be staying on if the Queen will have me. Just in another capacity."

Margaret cleared her throat and mumbled.

"Thank you for doing what you did." she said looking at the ground in front of her feet, looking like a little girl.

Mikako laughed out loud.

"Thank you Lady knight." she said. "I know how proud you can be. I am sorry you could not kill the Dragon yourself."

The two barely her her answer as she mumbled even lower.

"It would have been a great trophy. I could have rubbed it in my brother’s face."

It was late night when they returned to the city.

They brought Byron’s remains to the cemetery and a proper burial was done. After which the three returned to the castle to report to her highness.

The Queen was shocked to see Mikako without her silver colour, and listened intently to the story.

When asked about the conversation she had had with Toukon, she told them of why he had wanted Mikako so much.

Susan, who was in the room, noticed her Queen failed to say anything about what the Dragon had hinted at about Mikako, but said nothing as she had promised.

Besides, now it looked as if it would not matter anymore as she was no longer a mage.

"You are a loyal friend." she told Mikako when all was done. "I am proud to have you in my employ. In any capacity you wish."

"Thank you, my Queen." replied Mikako with a smile.

"You know." said Margaret. "For someone who just lost her livelihood, you surely are happy. You haven’t stopped smiling since we left the mountains."

"I noticed that too." said Linda. "What’s so funny, Mikako?" she asked.

"Well." she answered. "I was not completely truthful when I said it was not a trick. I really did not have any magic at the time. I just did not say that it was permanent."

"Pardon?" said the Queen.

Mikako turned to Linda.

"What time is it?"

Linda looked at the timepiece nearby.

"Nearly midnight." she said.

"Good." was all Mikako said.

The clock struck the first chime of midnight and the ground began to rumble.

A wind came up and light flooded the room and seemed to fall into Mikako, who stood there with her arms open.

Almost as quickly as it had started the chaos stopped, and the room returned to normal.

In the middle stood Mikako as she always looked with her silver hair falling down the sides of her face in two long braids.

One word escaped her lips.

"Okaeri."

She opened her eyes and saw the unbelieving looks on the faces of the other occupants.

"What were the chances that your magic would not have returned?" asked Linda breaking the silence.

"9 times out of 10 the returning part of the spell fails." she told her. "But I had faith. And even if it did not, it would have been worth the sacrifice. Now that Toukon is back at rest I will not be around when he wakes next. I hope."

"Now if you will excuse me my Queen." she said. "I wish to retire to bed."

"Yes." said the Queen, still a little in shock. "I think we all could use a good nights rest. I will have a room prepared for the Lady Knight."

"Thank you your Highness." said Margaret.

"If you could see to that Susan." said the Queen.

"Yes my Queen." replied Susan.

With one last glance at the mage she trotted out of the room.

The others left the room and the Queen stayed behind watching the three of them walk away down the corridor.

The words that Toukon had spoken to her still echoed in her head.

"She may be different than the other mages." she said softly to no one in particular. "But she is My mage."

And smiling, she trotted off down the corridor after the others.