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When they were finished, Artus sat back and looked pointedly at each of them. “I know you want to ask it, so ask.”

“All right,” said John, rising. “Where are the dragons?”

Artus nodded. “I knew it would come up sooner or later, but I was rather hoping for later. I sent them away, back to where they’d come from, past the Edge of the World, beyond Terminus.”

“Why?” asked John. “They have always been the strength of the Silver Throne.”

“Yes,” said Artus, “and that’s what troubled me. We—I—did not want to depend on brute force in order to rule. And I’d already decided that a monarchy may not be the best way to run an entire Archipelago. But if there were no king who was able to manage the dragons, it would be even more unwieldy to expect a Parliament to do it.

“So I decided. And as of today, my work is clear.

“Before another year has passed in the Archipelago, I will have begun the dissolution of the monarchy.”

When the others had left, Jack hung back to speak with the king in private.

“Artus, I have something to ask,” said Jack. “Something very personal, I’m afraid.”

Artus nodded as if he’d been expecting the question. “You’ve been wondering about Aven, and our son.”

“Yes.”

“He’s a good boy,” Artus said. “I couldn’t be prouder if he were my own flesh and blood.”

“Then he isn’t…isn’t yours and Aven’s?”

“I know you have eyes,” Artus replied. “I have hair like straw, and I’m so fair-skinned when I’m out in the sun too long the freckles on my arms turn green. He has his mother’s eyes and cheekbones—but he gets his handsome complexion from his father.”

The pieces fell into place. “That’s how your son can be nearly nine years old, even though it’s only just been nine years since you met his mother,” Jack guessed.

“Yes,” said Artus. “Aven and Nemo had been closer than she admitted to anyone. And even he wasn’t really able to convince her to settle down. She was—is—happiest on the seas, piloting a ship. So when I asked her to marry me, she said yes—and then I backed down after I saw how unhappy she’d become. She’d agreed at first in order to help me become accustomed to running a kingdom, and I thought she wanted it because of the pending birth of her son. But as it turned out, neither one of us needed a marriage for the reasons we thought we did, so we didn’t.”

“And yet,” Jack went on, “you call Stephen your son and have raised him as such.”

At this, Artus looked taken aback. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I? There’s a lot more to being a father than whether or not I’m the one who started the process. It’s seeing it through that counts.”

“That’s very admirable,” said Jack. “I don’t know if I’d be capable of that—raising another man’s child as if he were my own. I don’t know if I have the strength of character for it.”

“Stephen is Aven’s son,” said Artus. “That was enough for me. She knows I love her, and our arrangement, while it might be a bit strange to some people, works for us. And isn’t that what matters?”

“It isn’t for me to judge,” Jack replied. “I’ve sometimes wondered if I’ll ever get married at all. I watch John and Charles, and at times I envy them. But I can still relate. How you’ve done what you’re doing is just beyond my understanding.”

Artus clapped him on the back. “I’m sure if the situation arises,” he said, “you’ll be able to find the joy in it, as I have. And if you ever need advice, you know where to come to.”

Aven and Stephen looked up from the table in the hall and waved. Jack and Artus waved back.

“Kids,” said Artus. “They grow up so fast. It seems like just yesterday he was only nine.”

“It was last week, actually.”

“That’s just as bad,” said Artus.

The celebrations in the Archipelago lasted for a full day and a full night, as the peoples of all the lands came to Paralon to reclaim their lost children. Still, all the happiness over the successful return of the children couldn’t mitigate the frustration the Caretakers felt over the dilemmas that would still have to be dealt with in the near future.