A HENRY STORY 2: Trials Of The Fallen Prince

Epilogue

"Are you done at last? If strapping this thing on will always be so arduous, perhaps it wasn't worth making after all."

Henry sneered and made an unsuccessful attempt to kick Thanatos. "There you have it. I've just accomplished the feat of rendering my legs motionless. Applaud me, will you?"

"Oh, this is perhaps the one perk of it all."

Looking down at the restraints that had previously inspired his and Teslas' pride, Henry now felt a tinge of irritation as they held him securely in place on the flier's back. Adapting to this would certainly be a process.

He adjusted the broad belts around his thighs that were connected down to leather pieces resembling the front halves of boots strapped to his regular footwear, both in the front and back. The entire setup was specifically designed to secure his legs in place as firmly as possible while maintaining comfort. Despite the flawless mechanism, Henry suddenly found himself grappling with second thoughts. The idea was to eliminate his leg movement, and it worked perfectly. He just didn't know if he liked that anymore.

Nervously, he checked the two hinges on the insides of his knees that connected him to the collar-like saddle directly. To dismount, he would have to laboriously remove all the gear, and like this, he couldn't even move on his own. The thought made him uneasy, yet Henry shoved it aside.

"Feel restricted yet?"

"At least now the discomfort is two-sided," grumbled Henry, running his hand along the saddle strap and then leaning back to inspect the contents of the two additional bags.

"You think?"Thanatos unfurled his wings, prompting Henry to reluctantly sit upright again and meticulously double-check all his other belts and pockets. "Know that we have a forty-hour flight ahead of us, and I will use every second of it to make you regret ever fastening us into this thing."

"Alright, then I shall use this time to persuade you that it was a good idea after all."

Thanatos scoffed. "I wish you the best of luck with that. Are you certain that you have not forgotten anything? Your backpack seemed awfully limp when we departed from the colony, and who knows when we shall return?"

"This is because I need not everything I own," replied Henry. "The pups may play with my figurines, and we need not many supplies. Besides, your saddlebags now relieve my bag."

Thanatos hissed and sank his talons into the edge of the steep cliff ahead. It descended vertically, roughly two hundred feet, and below, Henry distinguished the turbulent waves that formed the perimeter of the waterway. It seemed to be near where they had been washed out before being carried to the jungle.

Henry's hand brushed the straps of his backpack before darting over to his neatly lined-up weapons. Mys was at his hip, as usual. He found Charos' long, double-handed hilt with the flier pommel right by his head. And next to it . . . Henry smiled as his hand gripped the freshly re-wrapped hilt of . . . well, he may have to come up with a name for it now, probably. "Igniter" was high up on his current list, as that was exactly what it did.

Upon receiving the fractured remnants of his original sword, Teslas had done so much more than just restore it. It necessitated a substantial amount of Ignifer, and I absolutely do not wish to forge another blade like this ever again, yet it now ignites without the need for separate application of Ignifer. This should save time.

Henry's grin grew wider as he suppressed the urge to draw his original sword and inspect the new, polished blade, which now shimmered in a multitude of colors when brought close to a flame. Although he didn't technically need it anymore, Henry had not discarded his dispenser, along with a small number of pellets for emergencies. He casually patted his backpack, knowing it was in there somewhere. And now, this sword was no longer inferior among his rather impressive array of weapons.