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The portal was destroyed just after the children departed and to this day it is not known if another one exists somewhere on Earth.
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The castle of Avengard was abandoned just as Aramunt Vell had once been. Nobody dares to venture into the ancient fortress of the Sorceress out of fear of the traps that she might have left behind. Those brave individuals who do still dare approach the castle say that they can hear strange sounds coming from within.
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Eolmuth ruled in Between-Two-Rocks until his death. He was buried just beside the tomb of Werner Gravenstein.
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Gamar did a good deed for it was he who had freed Geum, Gom, Gorom and Gorynth from Avengard by breaking their chains. He decided not to listen to Harol and went a different way to the other gnomes. In spite of it all, he was banished from Kratoa, disappeared into the forest, and nobody saw him ever again.
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After the Queen’s defeat, the Fire Orpes returned, vanquished, to Vulcania. No sanction was put against them except for the promise never to wage war again. Antarus returned Vulcaria to them as a sign of peace, and even though there was no more war, that defeat had left a bitter taste in the mouths of everyone at Katorock.
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Tobias was captured and imprisoned at Synerum and spent the rest of his days in a cell of ice at the order of Oden. He claimed to have been under the Sorceress’ spell until the end of his days.
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King Oden ruled for another dozen years after the children departed. He rebuilt High-View and died there of old age, the weight of years having finally caught up with him. He was buried at High-View as he had ordered, at the place where Ramenor had once stood. His statue was erected in every town as a commemoration of his valorous deeds.
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Golmuth, the courageous dwarf, became as famous as Theodoril in Arboria. He became a guardian of memory and was King Oden’s personal advisor during the reconstruction of High-View. After King Oden’s death, he returned to live at Between-Two-Rocks and became a teacher. He founded the first school in Arboria and taught both dwarfs and humans. He also reclaimed the book from the hollow tree and made numerous copies so that everyone could learn the story of Harlan Gori.
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Antarus reconciled with his brother Glacius and became the legitimate ruler of Synerum. Together, they rebuilt the city of ice and erected an enormous ice tablet to commemorate the children. Ganarock took its place at Synerum. He sometimes left Synerum to pay a visit to the small house in the tree where Gravenstein had once lived. Even though it was too small for him to enter, Antarus enjoyed standing below, alone, guarding the memory of Alexander and their meeting.
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Geum and Gom were crowned kings and it was the first time that any civilisation in Arboria had been governed by two sovereigns at the same time. Kratoa prospered under their rule and opened their doors to humans. Today, human and gnomes live side by side in the wonderful cave.
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Gorom and Gorynth were welcomed as heroes and told of their exploits for the rest of their lives, never hesitating to take the opportunity to exaggerate their tales.
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Dongo returned to Numera and took care of the ‘special’ shoot. The community of Elwings grew rapidly and the majority of them helped to ensure that all the inhabitants of Arboria respected nature. Never had the land been so covered by flowers. The other Elwings did not understand how it was possible, but time did not seem to have a hold on Dongo. Could he have found a way to lengthen his life?
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Silmaril began a career in writing and wrote the stories of this great epic. He and the Kirantorus became inseparable. He also revealed the location of Theodoril’s tomb and his house became a museum. He was offered the position of the leader of the rock dwarfs, but he categorically declined the proposal.
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The consumption and mistreatment of animals were banned throughout the kingdom by King Oden, and humans had to learn to live off the land.
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Amy grew up to be a beautiful young woman, and she slept with her favourite doll every night. Like Golmuth, she taught at school, having studied to be a history teacher. She is celebrating her 30th birthday today.
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Meredith had a more complicated life. She married quickly and had many children. She found a passion for painting. She painted a fantastic universe on canvas: castles, forests and even strange beings she called Orpes.
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Hope became a doctor. She said that she had wanted to become a doctor ever since she had treated men on the battlefield. Everyone thought she was just saying that to embellish her story, what battle could she have been part of?
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Alexander became an author and wrote a book called Arboria: The Land Between the Trees. He married and had a child. When his son began to read, he told him every night part of his great adventure in the land of Arboria before falling asleep. Alexander lost sight of Hope and his friends. Now, in the adult world, everyone led their own lives.
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A few years after their adventures, the priest died and the house on the edge of the woods was sold. Alexander never saw Hope or Amy again. From time to time he met Meredith when she came to visit her parents.
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Secretly, all of them hoped one day to discover a new portal leading to Arboria.
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In the end, against all odds, Arboria was saved by children. In our world, some species of animals are endangered, and we kill thousands of them for money and some for pure pleasure. We are also cutting down forests so that some people can become richer, and we move thousands of animals to take possession of their homes. We also move whole peoples to extract riches from the soil. The human species is on the wrong track. We are disrupting the climate of the Earth. We make war. We are doing all this, forgetting that we are only tenants of this beautiful planet. We must hope that one day Man will finally become aware of this unique chance to inhabit the Earth. Should we not keep hope in our children? Maybe someday, the world will change. It certainly will not be thanks to us... but thanks to them.
