The first day of the free colony of Armontiriath dawned fair and clear, and the festive air in New Warsaw was if anything greater than before. The townspeople and the cavalry troops, who had spent the night in houses throughout the city, turned out to welcome the infantry of Catania. With them came James Brady, his hand heavily bandaged, and he was reunited with Mary, who took him off to their own rooms in the Great Hall.
After lunch a bright speck was seen in the sky and it swooped low over the city. Its wing-spots gleamed in the sun, and some citizens believed for a moment that a celestial visitor had come down to join their celebrations. The eog Hana circled the square and came to rest on Vera’s shoulder as she stood on the steps of the hall. Then she knew that Carolus was not far off.
A few minutes later he appeared at the head of a cavalry patrol clattering through the streets from the north. He leaped to the ground, sprang up the steps and seized Vera in a passionate embrace. Hana flew up in the air and came down to rest on Andreas’ shoulder. As he watched the pair of lovers embrace Andreas almost felt the beginnings of jealousy. He and Vera had shared so much, but now another man was the foremost in her heart and mind. But the feeling passed like a faint mist, and he thought of the one who awaited him far in the north. Or was it all a dream, a night-fantasy of a fevered brain? He felt again the sword at his side and the helmet on his head, and knew again it was no fantasy.
Carolus put Vera down at last and turned to Andreas, congratulating him on the swift finish to the war. He explained that most of his army was still a good day’s march away, but he had ridden ahead with some of the cavalry on hearing the news.
“Excellent!” said Andreas, “You are most welcome, and we need you here. Tomorrow we must all meet, as many people as we can get into the Grand Hall, and decide the future of Armontiriath. You are the last of the original elected leaders of Pod 6, so we could not have met without you.”
“I’ll be there” promised Carolus, “though I fear it will mean a pause in the eating, drinking and celebrating that we all have to do!”
Then Vera dragged him off to join the feasting that was going on at trestle tables loaded with food and drink all round the square. A great bonfire was blazing in one corner and musicians were playing lively dance music in another. All that day and all night the festivities went on, and few folk in New Warsaw had any sleep. Even many heppers discarded their red and yellow and came out to join the fun.
The next morning it was a quieter crowd that packed into the meeting hall. Some 500 people were there – citizens of New Warsaw, colonists from further north, Catanians, soldiers of the army of Armontiriath, ex-heppers. James and Mary were there, at Andreas’ special request, with some other ex-leaders of the Totalist regime. When the hall was full Carolus climbed on to the empty stage and called for quiet.
“Fellow colonists of the planet Armontiriath” he said, “For that is its name and we shall forget all others – please listen to me for a minute. We have been freed from the tyranny of Albert Swingman and his followers mainly by the efforts of one man: Andreas dal’Nostra. I propose therefore that we elect him to be our ruler and that he become our king!”
Loud cheers greeted this proposal and cries of “King Andreas! King Andreas!” came from different parts of the hall. Andreas sprang on to the stage and held up his hand. A measure of silence fell.
“Thank you for your kindness, though I was only one of many who brought about this victory, and some of them never lived to see it. I was once by right captain of the starship Diana, but now I have no title. I have no desire to be your ruler and I will not be a king!”
The people cried out again, but he shook his head and stood silent. Carolus spoke again.
“If not king, Andreas, what title will you accept? You cannot slip back into obscurity after all that’s happened. You cannot refuse us in this.”
“Very well, if it’s the will of you all that I accept a title, I shall not be king, but prince. Call me Prince of Armontiriath.”
“Hooray! Hooray for Andreas, Prince of Armontiriath!” shouted the crowd, and he took off his dragon-helm and bowed low before going back to his seat.
“Now” went on Carolus, “we must decide other matters. What are we to do with our enemies, the Totalists, now that they have surrendered? What form of government should we have? How can we prevent another dictator from arising to dominate us?”
The hall was filled with noise and chatter as people discussed these issues, but without any sign of general agreement. At last Philip Veracourt took the stage.
“I ask our Prince to come and speak to us” he suggested, “He must advise us here we go from here.” Again Andreas came up to speak.
“Very well, I shall speak what is on my mind. What of the Totalists? There are some here who are, or were, heppers.” Brady cast down his eyes and shifted in his seat. “But that is now history, and I propose that we begin again with no memory of that history. Let us pretend that both pods landed only yesterday, and now we have a brand-new colony to develop. If we begin in peace and reconciliation, forgetting past evil deeds, then perhaps we can make Armontiriath a planet worth belonging to.
“As for government, I shall be Prince but do not intend to rule you. My task, which I take on myself and my heirs, will be to keep Armontiriath free from oppression and corruption. Any who wish to join me may do so, and ride with me, and we shall fight if need be to ensure that no more Totalism, in any disguise, arises again. I shall go north soon and build a new city called Armontirina on the Glittering Cliffs by the Silver River. Those who wish may join me there and help to build the new city.
“But as for the rest of you, how will you be governed? I won’t tell you – you must decide amongst yourselves. Just two things I will mention. A famous man once said that democracy was the worst form of government, except for all the rest. So I would suggest strongly that you adopt a democratic form of government, but sort out for yourselves how it’s going to work.
“The other thing to bear in mind is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, formed hundreds of years ago but still very relevant. I urge you to make it the keystone of your government, and I will make it the foundation of my own oversight of this world. I shall protect you from oppression and injustice, but you must be responsible for your own lives and dealings with each other. This planet is big and beautiful and full of good surprises. Let’s not repeat the mistakes of Earth, but start again in hope and freedom. I’ve spoken too long – now I’ll be quiet.”
He left the stage and there was a prolonged outburst of clapping and cheering. Others got up and spoke about their hopes and dreams for the future, and in the end it was agreed that a commission would be formed to draw up a draft constitution for the new world. After that decision the crowd began to file out of the hall to join the continuing celebrations outside.
A few days later Andreas watched as James and Mary left the city with their baby and a group of friends. They were heading eastwards, planning to go round the Inland Sea and come to new lands in the south.
“I’ll come and see you sometime” promised Andreas.
“Please do” said James, “I regret the past now, and I think it’s best if we try to start again away from other colonists. But you’ll be welcome whenever you come south.”
Mary was sitting on one of the alcohol-powered wagons that the ex-heppers were taking with them, holding her baby. She smiled at Andreas. “I’m glad we can be friends again, after so many terrible things have happened. We’ll be glad to see you whenever you come to visit.”
Andreas waved as the wagon rumbled away to the east. He noticed it bore the banner of Armontiriath, which receded to a small black speck as the wagon headed away.
The next day Andreas was riding north with a small group of friends – Vera, Carolus and half-a-dozen others from the now redundant army of Armontiriath. Yet more would follow on later. Alicia and Irma had opted to stay in New Warsaw and help to form the fledgling constitution.
They rode slowly, enjoying the countryside and chatting with the people in the farms and villages they passed. Often they came to pleasant streams and swam there, and then lay drying in the sun for a while before moving on. They had left behind weapons and armour and were dressed in lighter, brighter clothes. Only Andreas still bore Kaalkuhn in its sheath, and the black dragon-helm was wrapped up in his pack.
Northward they rode until they reached the trees of the Rift forest. They went on under their branches, and their voices, talking or laughing or singing, rang through the woods. Strange bright flowers were blooming in open glades and small animals scurried about their business.
At last they came to the south rim of the Great Rift and gazed in silence into its vast green depths. Songs and noises rang out from the trees that clung to the side of the canyon and far below the sound of the river could be faintly heard. Then they turned and rode east, keeping as close as possible to the edge as they picked their way through the trees.
They camped that night by the rim of the gorge, and Andreas sat for a while watching the moons as they spun across the sky. Nearby Vera and Carolus sat together by the edge, gazing over the dark canyon. Andreas returned to his tent, leaving them to each other’s company.
The next day they reached Diana. The great bulk of the crew module loomed over the trees from far away, and by early afternoon they stood in its shadow and stared down into the Rift. The vast pillar of the starship’s central shaft disappeared into the depths below. The burned area around the landing site was almost grown over by now, and creeping vines were starting to grope their way up the smooth metal.
Diana seemed as if she had been there for thousands of years, brooding over her final resting place. Andreas looked up to the crew module above his head. It seemed silent and dead, yet within its bulk power was still being created and machines were still alive, waiting and preserving life.
“Professor Hertberg’s still in there, isn’t he?” asked Vera, “Do you think we should get inside and wake him up?”
“No” said Andreas, “Let him sleep. He is dreaming of his great discoveries and of returning to Earth with them. That will never happen. But perhaps the day will come when we can use his knowledge here on Armontiriath. Until then, let him dream in peace.”
They rode on, leaving behind the towering bulk of the starship with its load of memories. An hour later they came to a place where Carolus suddenly swung to the left, over the brink of the chasm, and led them on to a narrow path leading downward. This was one of the paths he knew where riders might descend into the Rift. It was narrow, but safe enough for the sure-footed unicorns.
They descended all the rest of that day, moving down into the lush foliage of the deeper reaches. It grew hotter and more humid, and they were glad to arrive at the bank of the river, 3000 metres below the canyon rim. Evening was falling and they agreed to camp there beside the swift-flowing water. First the humans took off their sweaty clothes and swam in the cool rushing water, laughing and splashing each other. The unicorns joined in, leaping and prancing in the water, as happy to be there as their human companions.
The next day they rode along the southern bank for a way, before coming to a place where a simple but rugged wooden bridge spanning the raging water. It had been built by Carolus’ army when they crossed the river from the other side, and the little party soon passed over to the north bank. Then it was a long slow hot climb up another narrow path. The humans dismounted and scrambled up on foot to relieve the unicorns, and it was night by the time they reached the rim and camped again among the trees. But from there only a few days of very gentle riding brought them back to Dragon Rock.
Andreas had a feeling of returning home when he first spied the cloud-capped secret mountain in the north, and then the black finger of the castle tower stabbed the skyline. They rode in through the gates at the end of the day, and were greeted gladly by Irma and Alicia and the garrison that had remained. The fortress was rebuilt and renewed, stronger and mightier than before. Black walls and towers rose up, and flags and banners flew proudly from them to welcome the little party. A simple supper was prepared for them, and then they went to rest early, to get ready for the events of the next day.
The sun rose, and people began to rush about with last-minute preparations. Crowds gathered in the great courtyard between the gates and the central courtyard. Music and trumpets played, and then Carolus appeared on the steps of the tower, clad in the black armour of Armontiriath. A fanfare sounded again, and through the open gates came Andreas with Vera. She wore a white gown and a jewelled circlet in her hair, and to the cheers of the crowd she crossed the courtyard to wed Carolus Samalto in the sunshine under the tall black tower of Dragon Rock.
After the ceremony the festivities lasted the rest of the day. Part wedding feast, part victory celebration, they involved singing, dancing, eating and drinking. As night fell the couple slipped away and put their old clothes on again. Then, mounted on Diana and Sirius, they rode out through the gates on a long camping trip across the northern hills of Armontiriath.
“Don’t come back till you’re tired of each other’s company!” shouted Irma, and they both laughed and called back “Then we’ll never be back!” and rode away.
Andreas returned to the tower and his small high room, and there long into the night he spoke to Hans and Alicia, discussing plans for the white city of Armontirina which they would build upon the glittering cliffs.
He slept for a while, but rose again early next morning. Few people saw him slip through the gates on Orion and head north. When he reached the Silver River he paused for a little while and looked over the site for his new city, and imagined it rising white and glorious on both banks of the river, near to the cliff edge and the foaming falls. Then he turned and rode beside the river north-east and then due north.
At last the edge of the forest that cloaked the slopes of the secret mountain drew near. Beneath the first trees stood a slender figure with golden hair and silver-grey robes. The Prince of Armontiriath rode quickly towards the one who awaited his coming.