The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 44, End of Story

Kelparavel Castle sits atop a towering hill, with sand dunes, jagged rocks, and the vast sea stretching out before it.

The castle's main hall is magnificent, with an ivory roof and walls decorated with peacock feathers.

At this moment, in the grand hall witnessed by countless people, Aslan solemnly crowned the four kings:

Peter the Supreme King, Lord of the Lonely Isles, ruler of Calparavel, and over all of Narnia and all the islands along its coast.

Queen Susan of the Horns rules over the vast grasslands of northern Achinlanderma.

Edmund the Just, Duke of the Lamppost Wildwood, Earl of the Western Marsh, ruler of the western wastelands of Narnia.

Queen Lucy the Valiant, ruler of Carmen.

……

After the coronation ceremony.

That evening, a grand banquet was held at Kelparavel Castle, where everyone revelled and danced to celebrate this hard-won victory, with golden goblets gleaming and fine wines flowing freely throughout the feast.

Similarly, the people living in the sea, led by mermaids, responded to the melodious music in the castle with even more exotic, sweeter, and more moving songs.

Interestingly, amidst all the joy, no one noticed that Aslan had quietly left. Only Susan and Lucy noticed, but they didn't say anything.

Young Lucy opened her mouth as Aslan's figure gradually disappeared, bidding him a silent farewell.

……

The sun rose from the eastern horizon, heralding not only the arrival of a new day but also the beginning of a new chapter for this continent: the glorious and civilized Age of the Four Kings.

Meanwhile, in a valley in northern Narnia.

After quickly rinsing her mouth with the stream water, Ino began packing her belongings.

The long-lost thrill returned, undoubtedly proving that the story of Narnia had come to an end, and he was about to embark on his journey home.

Roll up the wool blanket spread on the floor, tidy up the books scattered on the blanket, and then put them one by one into the suitcase.

As for the remaining berries, he didn't choose to waste them either. He picked a few intact ones and put them in his pocket, leaving the rest piled up as payment for the wood elves' companionship over the past few days.

"Hey? Dinner's ready! Little one!" Ino called out to the valley.

The wood elf, who usually ate on time, did not appear, which puzzled him. He also planned to go to the tree where the wood elf lived to say goodbye to the person who was keeping him company in the end.

A few minutes later.

Ino stood quietly beside the small tree where the wood elves had previously perched.

The original wood sprite has long since disappeared, replaced by an ice-blue rose.

Just like the rose he saw in the White Witch's Garden, the whole flower looked as if it were carved from azure crystal, as clear and translucent as a real luxury item.

The only difference was the degree of bloom of the two flowers. The one in the garden was in full bloom, while the one in front of us was nearing its end, with several petals drooping down and hanging precariously on the stamen.

"You always seem to see through the endings of the stories I tell, yet you never doubt whether your own life is someone else's story..."

Ino gazed at the roses before her, speaking as if chatting with a friend.

……

After a long while, he turned and left.

When they returned, they had a small handful of snow that had not yet melted in the valley.

"I am naturally easygoing and dislike being restrained. Yet I owe you a debt of gratitude, but what I can give back is truly limited, and that is all I can offer."

As he spoke, he carefully spread the snow in his hands under the base of the rose, as if it were still growing in a frozen garden.

Perhaps it was the vibration of the ground when the snow was being spread, or for some other reason, that two petals happened to fall onto the back of his hand.

It's cool, but not cold.

Ino picked up a petal from the ground and examined it closely in her palm.

You see, back in the garden, due to the White Witch's majesty, he had only ever looked at this rose from afar, clearly only daring to admire it from a distance and not daring to touch it.

Not to mention picking up a flower petal and holding it in my hand like this, I never even dared to think about it.

"Hmm? It's melted?"

Mingming picked up two petals, but as soon as he held them in his palm, one of the petals melted at a speed visible to the naked eye.

This sudden change really caught everyone off guard.

After a brief moment of surprise, Ino quickly shook off the other petal in her hand.

Just kidding, he watched the petals melt and slowly merge into his palm. Although the White Witch probably wouldn't harm him, experiencing something this terrifying once was enough.

However, at this moment, there were no flower petals in his hand anymore; instead, there was a piece of ice-blue parchment, like a notepad, with delicate writing on it, no bigger than the palm of his hand.

"This is your payment. Leave Narnia and stop trying your half-baked magic tricks; they're utterly useless..."

He only saw one line of text, but the familiar tone and confident manner made Ino immediately recognize who it came from.

What puzzled him was the "reward" the White Witch mentioned. He wondered if it was payment for telling the story or payment for delivering the snow earlier.

But now that he has all the benefits, he no longer dwells on the reasons.

"Thank you for your gift, Your Majesty!" Ino said sincerely.

Unlike his previous reluctance, his address to the White Witch this time was truly heartfelt. Although the meaning of the other petal was unknown, the contents of the parchment alone were enough to move him.

Because it was filled with the White Witch's ice and snow magic, although there weren't many in total due to the limited space on the paper.

But each one is very practical, like the essence that has been refined and condensed after countless quality tests.

The first one was none other than the ice arrow that the White Witch had casually used on her sled.

It's somewhat similar to HP's Arrow Spell, except that these arrows are made of condensed ice, making them faster, more powerful, and even capable of firing multiple arrows at once.

As for the last few, Ino stopped paying attention to them after carefully looking at them.

After all... he was lucky if he could even release the contents recorded above after graduation.

On the other side...

The ice-blue roses that were just swaying under the tree seemed to have completed some kind of mission, vanishing without a trace like snow under the sun.

"This is truly goodbye, Princess!"

After saying that, Ino picked up her suitcase and walked out of the valley without looking back.

……

A solitary figure walked along the valley path, his shadow stretched long and thin in the slanting sunlight.

From a distance, it looks like a lamppost carrying a suitcase.

Ino, like any other bard, came alone to a strange land to witness the stories that unfolded there, and then left alone after the stories were over.

Everything seems unchanged, yet everything has changed.

The harsh winter of Narnia has passed, and spring has arrived as promised.

The story of Narnia has come to an end, but an ending often signifies a new beginning.

(End of this chapter)