Elvis and his retinue raced through the night, finally reaching the outskirts of Valkaris where the city gates already swarmed with cheering crowds awaiting their return.
Ever since Elvis had saved Virelith, Robert had dispatched messengers nonstop to spread news of the victory. The legend of the prince who crushed an army of over a hundred thousand in a single night had set the city abuzz. For days, the gates remained packed with onlookers anticipating Elvis' triumphant return.
"Look! Is that His Highness?" Rouge cried out from the upper balcony.
From the moment Bonnie learned Elvis had gone to Virelith, she'd waited daily at the teahouse by the gates, her heart pounding with each passing hour.
"Yes! That's him—see the white wolf?" Bonnie flew down the stairs and bolted for the gates.
