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All right, DW Family! It’s been a long time coming, but I’m finally ready to dive into the conclusion of the prequel saga to Matt Zimmer’s Gilda and Meek and the Un-Iverse: “The Pontue Legacy Part VI – The Promise”.

Previously, our band of protagonists – Princess Sarah, President Zyle, King Krac, Winifred, Captain Henry, and the dashing swordsman Pedro – were locked in a gruesome battle of wills inside the Dragon Council’s mountain fortress as a trio of Dragons forced them to take part in a vile reality TV show in which female Dragons are put through the most dehumanizing of situations… such that one unhatched Dragon was inadvertently killed during the skirmishes! However, Sarah was able to locate and rescue the cherished Egg the protagonists had been searching for since they arrived at the dreaded mountain, while Zyle unleashed his innate powers to give a rather stern lesson in humanity values to the amoral Dragon Council. But as the good guys hopped aboard their winged steeds, Sorceress Augatha and Tork, along with Scuzzy and Fuzzy, suddenly caught up! The chase led to the land of Ralla, ending in a final duel of magic between Zyle and Augatha. Zyle eventually drives Augatha back with a Banshee Scream, which put the real HURTIN’ on the sorceress… but in a shocking turn of events, Zyle’s trump card inadvertently led to his tragic passing after dropping 200 feet into the earth. Though Zyle was indeed a “Blessed Child” (the term that explains his powers and abilities), he was NOT immortal, not like Augatha. Sarah took a moment to grieve for her lost love, and makes a promise to him before he passes on: that she will never forget Zyle, and as God is her witness, she’ll make sure no one else forgets him either. Augatha, on the other hand, has also made a promise, to herself: that this time, she will not only never question a prophecy, but that her sister won’t be deep-sixed until she’s certain the girl cannot be turned to her side of the fight…

So, without further ado, let’s dive into the conclusion of The Pontue Legacy, and see if we can’t find some Easter eggs or other links to the main Un-Iverse Saga, hmm?

Un-Iverse #14: “The Pontue Legacy, Part VI – The Promise” Review

• As we left off, our heroes are still mourning over the downright soul-crushing loss of Blessed Child Zyle, with Sarah obviously the most aggrieved. I mean, Zyle was EVERYTHING to her… and admittedly, I thought they really were a lovely couple, and that’s not just because of the slightly censored “nighttime scenes” in earlier parts of this saga. Sarah seemed to really feel open and free upon meeting Zyle, so it's totally understandable how this loss cuts so deep for her. Zyle’s steed Gerald walking up to his deceased owner and friend and realizing he will never again open his eyes was another heartstring-tugger; there are few things sadder than an animal, be it a steed or even a pet, witnessing the passing of their owner. That kind of bond sears the heart and the psyche when it breaks. And to add to the pain, King Krac and Winifred are nearby and are so overcome with emotion that Krac tries his best to brighten the mood by proposing to Winifred, who promptly accepts but still needs his embrace for the time being. Even the Narrator reflects on just how emotionally traumatizing the end of Part V was, and before everyone collapses from grief overload, he moves to jump ahead a few hours…

• While there two celebrations going on in the Kingdom of Ralla – a celebration for the Kingdom’s prosperity and a celebration of life for the dearly departed Zyle, Sarah has gone into isolation to reflect on the good times she had with her lost beau. She remembers a conversation with Zyle ages ago in which the latter smugly calls her a crank. Sarah responded with admiration on how someone could literally call her – a princess who could have Zyle decapitated come sunrise – a crank to her face; hell, she finds that kinda sexy. Zyle doubles down on his statement, citing the cynical nature of his reasoning. Sarah loves it, and so do I; it seems Zyle was using his humor to show Sarah just how unique she is – a princess unlike any other. And with that memory, Sarah returns to the present moment with a smile. I think she’d be great in starting this trend in royalty going forward…

• Captain Henry arrives to inform Sarah that the time has come to discuss their counterattack against Augatha’s forces. The two meet up with Krac and Winifred, and right away Krac asks the question that’s on everyone’s mind at the moment: without Zyle on the team, how the hell are they supposed to win this fight so they can reclaim the Kingdom of Finn? Winifred reveals the answer: Krac now has an army of his own, ready to get their hands dirty. But Herny points out the obvious; Ralla’s soldiers are untrained and would face a serious size disadvantage and would not suffice on their own. Sarah asks if there are any stray Finn soldiers in the forests, as does Winifred on any regular people roaming about the area. Henry references the posters Sarah had placed earlier in this saga and concludes that there may very be such soldiers lying in wait for a battle. Sarah remains unconvinced, saying that those posters were distributed two weeks ago, thus it could already be too late for most of those soldiers. Pedro lays the cold, hard facts: not even the combined might of Finn AND Ralla’s armies would be able to overcome the enemy they now face and—

• Suddenly, both Pedro and Henry draw their blades, with Henry also mounting his steed. Yep, trumpets are blasting, and that can one mean one thing. See, we’re in medieval times, right? And usually when a brass horn goes off, it’s the musician’s way of epically shouting “Warp Speed, Mr. Sulu!” –er, I mean, uh… oh, right. “ENGAGE!” But contrary to what we’d be led to believe, the approaching army isn’t an enemy one… it’s Kosram’s! As in, the Kingdom of Kosram, the kingdom of which Zyle was President! And of course, as Vice President Raz reveals to Sarah, Kosram has already received the news of their President’s passing. As of right now, Raz is now Temporary President Raz until the next election during harvest, and as we would expect, he and the Kosram army have pledged their lives to the princess in honor of her and of Zyle’s sacrifice. Getting straight to business, TP Raz informs Sarah that the time has come for an all-out assault on the Vikings who still have control of Finn Castle, led by Sven. TP Raz reports on the “presumed dead” status of Augatha, something Sarah – and all of us who’ve been following this epic to the end – already knows to be false. I mean, the Narrator puts it so succinctly - “The world is not that lucky.” But time is of the essence, and our princess is also just plain exhausted from the events that have led to this point, so she’s ready to just take it to the Vikings. Henry and TP Raz discuss the five-day march back to the Kingdom of Finn and the provisions which should sustain the whole troop along the way. The banquet stored for the trip is music to Krac’s people, for obvious reasons… but were that old curmudgeon Farrell to discover that an entire Kingdom of Dogs were suddenly running amok in his kingdom, he would most certainly NOT be pleased…

• While the next five days are dedicated to battle planning and trekking through the rugged wilderness, our Narrator friend here decides to spare us those mundane details with something of more sustenance: Augatha is still making her way to Dragon’s Mountain, with Scuzzy and Fuzzy in tow, as is the way with the three. But the sorceress isn’t looking too good, even for an immortal being – she is bloodied, beaten and broken, and here I thought that Blessed Child Zyle’s final attack was the worst of Augatha’s injuries. Suddenly, to the dismay of both Fuzzy and Scuzzy, Augatha keels over. The two slippers are momentarily grief-stricken, but soon relax and chill out. Many, many hours pass, with the two slippers still chill and waiting patiently as hellish thunderstorms and equally hellish sunbaked scorchers come and go. Obviously, Fuzzy and Scuzzy are on to something, or why else aren’t they weeping over the loss of their fallen queen?

• …Because Augatha’s an immortal, bro. As in, she’s NOT a mortal, and can therefore take much, MUCH more punishment than a mortal can. And she proves it by teaching a foolish vulture not to eff around with her when it attempts to feast on her eyes, swiftly snapping the avian’s neck like a twig and downs its nourishing blood in a mad thirst-fest. Yeah – you don’t screw with an immortal sorceress.

• However, the blood does not satisfy, and Augatha reaches for the water bottle she packed for the trip. Turns out the bottle’s empty, and after saying an incantation twice to apparently refill that huge flask, Augatha is soon troubled. As she takes a closer look at the flask to discern what the problem is, both Fuzzy and Scuzzy have already figured it out: the incantation for magically creating water has lost its power, seemingly due to Augatha’s weakened state. Fuzzy and Scuzzy attempt the incantation themselves, but to no avail… which means that this could actually be a LOT more dire than I was led to believe. Stranded in a sun-cooked desert with no H2O is NEVER a good thing. And worst of all, it implies in an interesting way that either Fuzzy or Scuzzy is somehow responsible for the ineffectiveness of the spell!

• After keeling over once again, Augatha manages to hold out until the next rainstorm, where she uses Fuzzy as a makeshift bowl to fill with rainwater. The water seems to do the trick and revives the sorceress, and soon the three baddies are back on the trail. Along the way though, her leg suddenly gives – as Scuzzy pointed out earlier, Augatha’s leg got twisted along the way to the Mountain, and it proves to be quite an inconvenience. But a quick snapping of a thick tree branch to use as a makeshift cane, and again, the three baddies are back on the trail – gotta hand to Augatha; despite her nearly diminished magical strength, she still has the best backup weapon of all… her brain and ability to improvise. Dedication to a goal does that to a person.

• After what seems like many eternities, the three arrive at what’s left of Dragon Mountain – a “mountain” of nothing but rubble. Augatha finally speaks (she had been silent since drinking the rainwater from the storm earlier), saying she was silent because she needed to save her strength in order to perform the upcoming incantation. T’ is a LONG one, too, in an ancient tongue so foreign that the Narrator read my mind and provided a nifty translation so I wouldn’t be completely lost or that my mind wouldn’t overheat with confusion. And through that incantation, Dragon’s Mountain is restored… and then some. And then, THEN some. See, the resulting fortress is much more than what was once Dragon’s Mountain. The resulting fortress will withstand nearly 10 centuries with its reinforced Granite battlements… ladies and gents, we are witnessing the establishment of the hallowed Mount Crushmore. Filled with the energy from Augatha’s determination to never again ignore that prophecy. And now, the goal is clear; Augatha is no longer fixated on murdering Sarah, but rather on finding her sister and taking her FROM Sarah. To raise her into the very being that will end up destroying the princess. She’s in this to coax her sister into someone with a thirst for hellish destruction as raw as hers, and she’s gonna do this RIGHT. “Returning” home once more, the game plan is set. This time, our princess will looking death straight in the eyes – Death, in the guise of her sister. And that’s a VOW coming from Augatha. Shit just got *real*, peeps.

• Meanwhile, our cavalry team has finally rallied, sufficiently armed themselves, and is on their way to Finn. The first part of the game plan involves a section of the army taking a secret passage to access the drawbridge, facilitating the entry into the fallen Kingdom. Which is smart, of course, because of, well… I’m just gonna say, “Vikings”. I don’t think the rest should be too hard to piece together, hmm?

• Sarah is determined to make her presence known as the army moves to reclaim the Kingdom of Finn, but Captain Henry is still very much concerned for her safety. Sarah understands the risk, and it’s a risk she’s ready to take. She also understands that the Viking leader Sven is a man of reason and an exceptional example in leadership. What Sarah did NOT understand though, is the reason behind Captain Henry’s hesitancy – that her Pops, King Farrell, had slain Sven’s wife in battle. Suddenly, the “man of reason” argument just lost much of its validity. All the same, soon nightfall arrives, and Sarah turns in for the night with her newborn sister. But then an interesting phenomenon happens…

• As her sister gives off an eerie glow, Sarah’s dreams become clouded and troubled. Before long, the princess finds herself standing before her sister, who’s now all grown up. Sarah’s lil’ sis requests to go with Sarah into the upcoming battle, a request that Sarah reasonably chooses to deny on grounds of potential child/younger sibling endangerment. But Lil’ Sis retorts by stating that not only is this sensation not a dream, nor that she’s a figment of Sarah’s subconscious. What we’ve got here is a premonition, a precognition of sorts, one of the ominous type – Lil’ Sis here is warning that if Sarah refuses this request, then come tomorrow, she’s dead royalty. Sarah counters by forfeiting her decision to fight, and Lil’ Sis responds by bluntly stating that road will lead to a miserable life or a meaningless death. In other words, refusal at this point means that regardless of the actual result, it’s ALL bad from here on in. Sarah explains by expressing her raw grief from the loss of Zyle, and that she can’t risk cumulative grief with the potential loss of her sister as well – and as someone who has personally been through cumulative grief, I don’t blame her. But Lil’ Sis once again dishes out the tough love, reminding Sarah of why Zyle died; he died to protect her, the woman he loved. Stepping down at this point would surely trivialize his sacrifice as well. And most of all – and this is most likely the reason behind this chapter’s namesake – Sarah made a *promise* to Zyle. To turn away from all of this would be to break her promise to Zyle, and given how much she loved him, breaking that promise would condemn Sarah to a fate worse than even death itself… which becomes evident as she wakes up drenched in sweat and terrified, while a saddened Winifred approaches her side. Not gonna lie, this scene was deep. Definitely getting the feels here, as it reminds me of how I had to get back on my feet after losing two friends this summer so I could continue being there for my friends and family who still need me.

• Winifred offers some much-needed aid to Sarah to help her out of her delirium, and the princess manages to gradually calm herself. But she also made a decision on the upcoming offensive – she will take her little sister into the heat of the battle, and orders everyone to respect that choice. Captain Henry again voices his concern over the decision, but Sarah maintains that the decision is final as she come to it in a premonition and most of all, because she cannot break her promise to Zyle – to the only man she ever loved. Sorry, Cap, but I think that pretty much ends the discussion. She IS your princess, you know.

• It isn’t much longer until a small party consisting of Sarah, her sister, Henry, Pedro, Winifred, Krac, and a small group of Raz’s knights infiltrate the kingdom’s castle through the secret passage spoken of earlier. Upon arriving in the castle’s kitchen, Sarah is aware that there are cooks and chefs present through an audible mix of voices. Captain Henry assures her that despite their station, the cooks cannot be spared – this castle is under the control of enemy forces, and there can be no mistakes this deep into now-enemy territory. Sarah’s lil’ sister’s eyes give off a glow, which is followed by quite an audible commotion from the other room. Winifred finds that all the cooks have been put to sleep, negating any need for bloodshed. Well, whaddaya know… Lil’ Sis’s got some skills, for sure. At that point, it all starts coming together for Sarah; with her little sister’s abilities, there won’t need to be any bloodshed at all, and she and the crew won’t have to stoop down to the level of killers to accomplish their objective. Not bad, given that taking a life isn’t the same as whomping a spider.

• Next, the crew dons their cloaks – and gloves to hide the paws of the non-humans in attendance – and decide to take the long way on foot to the drawbridge, avoiding several Viking Cats along the way. And with a diversion from Krac, the Vikings are alarmed to an apparent security breach! And in the next moment, it’s Krac’s time to shine. And boy, does he SHINE – I swear, his way with the swords reminds me so much of the scene in Captain America: The Winter Soldier with Cap and a combat knife-wielding Bucky (one of, if not THE best MCU film in my opinion), especially his prowess with that reverse/backwards sword snatch and slash! And yeah, of course he’s gotta do a pose after that stylish finish. Gotta indulge yourself a little, King! And oh my God, the ending… Winifred now knows exactly why she has the hots for the King, as he himself explains it: “You don’t grow up with a name like Krac without learning how to fight.”

• Soon, Sven is alerted to the commotion by a soldier, and realizes that for responding on his end, time is of the essence. Like, in seconds. Next, we’re treated to Pedro deftly cutting down all resistance headed his way while Gerald and the Winged Horses that Zyle created arrive with more reinforcements to rain hell on the tower guards patrolling the battlements. At long last, the drawbridge is finally lowered, and even more reinforcements charge through while making mincemeat out of the Viking Cats futilely pushing back. Seems like this is going very, very well… the good guys haven’t even suffered one casualty in this fight! Man, where’s my popcorn?! This is flippin’ AWESOME.

• Unfortunately, Sarah is eventually separated from the warriors in the confusion of the gory melee, and before she knows it, she’s cornered by three smug Vikings, and they’re confident this’ll be an easy fight. As the princess trembles in fear of what could be very well a swift and sudden end, her Lil’ Sis’s eyes glow once more. In mere seconds, the Vikings have their overconfident mugs smashed in by a rain of boulders from the castle’s ramparts. Looks like Sarah’s premonition of her sister was onto something, as she finally sees clearly: Sarah bringing her Lil’ Sis along was indeed the right decision, as she is literally serving as a guardian angel of sorts. This sisterly bond is literally unbreakable… and right now, that’s a good thing, folks.

• As Krac and Winifred adopt a shrewd yet adorable team fighting style of assaulting the advancing Vikings with an assortment of cutlery and cookware (followed by an extremely valuable Ming vase which fetched the worth of a much-needed Viking’s concussion) along with Pedro’s dashing swordsmanship, Henry is concerned by another triplet of sword-wielding Vikings with murder all over their faces. Sarah notices the grim scene, knowing exactly how this is going to play out… and she’s right, in a way. A violent raging rain-and-thunderstorm besets the entire area, with our Narrator cuing for the soundtrack director to start the slow, dark, and ominous theme for Track 10 of “The Pontue Legacy – Original Motion Picture Score”, titled “Fatal Azure River’s Upheaval of Violent Light”… except that we are NOT witnessing this in animated form, with the soundtrack director telling us to get back to the action for now.

• Despite what Sarah thinks, Henry didn’t perish under the sudden raging storm; he’s alive and well, and uses the precipitation accompanied by violent light to take his blade to the distracted Vikings. He personally deals a brutal yet decisively surgical stab right into one Viking’s guts, which means whatever the cat ate just digested faster than was expected. Throughout the slaughtering, Henry temporarily finds himself drenched in Viking blood, much to the disgust of himself, Sarah and some nearby Vikings. But a quick shower under the blessed rainfall from the otherwise terrible storm fixes that right up, and as Henry claims, “The black guy LIVES!” I gotta say, this scene drew a big smile on my face, for exactly what Henry said. See, back in the day when a few friends of mine would head out to see one of those “slasher films”, one pal told me of a running gag of sorts: that in many action/horror/sci-fi/thriller films, the Black character is the first character to fall, either to poison, murder, or other form of death. In fact, I believe there was a scene in one of the Anaconda films in which Ice Cube’s character breaks the fourth wall while referring to this very trope. I’m indifferent to the gag, but I’m sure there have been people who lambast such a trope since it seems to look at Black characters as expendable or useless. And whaddaya know, Henry sees my reasoning, but in a more literal and joyous way. Serving in any kingdom’s military and seeing that Black soldiers always serve the first line of the defense just to preserve the White back-up soldiers kinda defeats the purpose of the White soldiers even enlisting, no? Any-who…

• But then SVEN shows up, and the celebration’s over. It’s time for the final throwdown! Sarah is the first to speak, and she demands that Sven step down; his army is decimated, Augatha isn’t coming back for him, and at this point any further slaughtering would serve no purpose. If he can agree to Sarah’s terms, the bloodshed ends, and so does the animosity – this will be a kingdom of TRUE equality, where status and/or royalty don’t step on HUMANITY. No supremacy here.

• Sven’s response is awesome not only because of its directness, but because of its simplicity. If Sven were a member of the United Nations, I guarantee you that the world would be a MUCH better place. And it would rid much of the world of evil, as love would instead be focused on the world around us and each other. Not to mention that minutes later we’ll learn that Sven is a born politician as well, which segues into why Gilda is so skilled and articulate with political matters, the cold hard truth, and her catchphrase about prophecies. Tell ‘em again, Sven!

--Sven: “Peace is more valuable than money.”

• Unfortunately, the citizens of Finn beg to differ, citing the murders that the Vikings committed against their kind, specifically King Farrell. But Sarah fires back with the most direct statement I’ve read in this chapter, and possibly the entire Pontue Legacy epic: she states that her kind – humans – have also committed great sins, of special note with King Farrell having killed Sven’s wife, and thus both humans and Vikings must acknowledge their crimes against each other and work towards an equal and peaceful coexistence. Yep, there’s blood on both sides, and the only way forward is to accept each other’s guilt and use it to create a better future. As Henry states, the enemy here – and in our reality, the enemy of humankind – is hatred. Hatred robs people of logical thought and reason and only leads to mindless destruction until they realize the real (and often irreparable) damage they’ve caused to those around them and even themselves. Now it’s SARAH and HENRY who would also make great United Nations ambassadors from Finn, as such statements could go a long way to improving world relations!

• The Narrator’s following statement about the peace between the Humans of Finn and the Vikings and how both sides are willing to trust in that peace even though neither side is 100% sure it will last – which it seems that it actually won’t – strikes a chord with me, for a few reasons. First, that mindset has been my mindset for quite a while. My sociology class in college during the early months of 2020 was full of all sorts of interesting concepts, the most interesting of which was the concept of the “self-fulfilling prophecy”: the mental process that turns thoughts of the worst possible outcome in any event of decision into reality in some way, shape, or form. Now, what I learned wasn’t some Pollyannish “positivity prevents ALL bad things from happening!” nonsense. It was learning to acknowledge that catastrophizing and focusing on the worst outcome can likely subconsciously drive you to create that outcome, and when it eventually does come to pass you don’t feel any better; in fact, it’s at that point that you start asking yourself, “What could I have done to prevent this outcome?” But the damage will have already been done, and the only course of action is to learn from the outcome so as not to repeat it. In early 2022, I remembered the Serenity Prayer, which basically encourages us to be able to accept what we truly can’t change, get the strength to change the things we can, and to find the knowledge in ourselves to know the difference between the two. Again, the Serenity Prayer isn’t a magic wand that will prevent all bad things from happening, but it puts us into a mindset where we are aware of what we can’t control so we can focus on what we CAN control – things like hanging out with our friends, catching a movie, beating the last boss of a video game, and/or reading an awesome book or comic/graphic novel (like I’m doing here right now). And sometimes, the things we CAN control can bring us a much-needed mood lifter.

• At that point, a cloaked individual grabs Krac – who has a title of “The Fearless”, which explains the awesome ass-kicking he was dishing out earlier – and accuses him of some crime against the Warlocks’ Council. The cloaked guy, Bob the Wizard, holds Krac accountable for Zyle’s death, claiming that as the Warlocks’ Council’s job is to ensure the historical timeline isn’t tampered with; Zyle’s death obviously screws up that historical timeline, and as the Warlocks consider themselves to be Gods that walk amongst men, it looks like there will be a hefty price to pay for Krac and the gang’s interference…

• Bob goes on to explain the grave offense that Krac committed: by having Zyle lift the curse on Krac’s kingdom, that in return also violated the universe’s will. Krac’s kingdom was supposed to remain in shadow and oblivion as spirits for eternity. Zyle was never supposed to defy the will of the universe. And having learned that, now things are starting to look grim all over again. Is there any sort of negotiation that can be done here? Any at all? I mean, the good guys won, the kingdom’s saved, peace is on the horizon… there’s gotta be something!

• Krac is enraged at what Bob is implying, drawing a sword. But things take a turn for the worse when he finds that his messenger is not of the flesh, but an apparition of sorts – Bob used a dimension-shifting spell to assume a spectral form. Bob lays down his terms: for Krac’s interference with the natural universal order, he has but ten minutes to say his goodbyes to his kingdom before it’s erased from existence for all time. Fully understanding the gravity of the situation, Krac relents and asks Bob’s terms, and the Wizard promptly states them – Krac must now swear a blood debt to allow Bob to assign him or a descendant with the task of restoring order to the universe at a time of Bob’s choosing. This is to compensate for Zyle’s deeds that tampered with the universal historical timeline, and Bob makes it crystal clear that should Krac or any of his family fail to commit to this task, then Krac’s entire bloodline will be stricken from existence in the universe. So, Krac can either go ahead and sign this contract in blood, or his entire bloodline will be as if it never existed. Steep terms, to honest… after everything Krac’s been through, and what probably might’ve been his bloodline carrying on through Winifred as they are to wed eventually, to turn this deal down, horrible as it sounds, I think would leave him with a guilt that would live on even after he passes away.

• As Krac agrees to the deal, he and every family member and descendant from this time forward are now the property of Bob the Wizard. And to prove he’s not effing around, Bob makes a personal statement to Krac, reminding of the consequences of his or his bloodline’s reneging on their agreement. After the warlock vanishes, Krac is already emotionally pained, and at that moment, Winifred approaches. Oh, man… here we go. This is literally gonna be hard to witness, because Winifred and Krac were so great together… not just by cuteness standards, but that epic team-up against the Vikings… *takes deep breath*… alright, let’s see how this plays out…

• It turns out that the two Dogs are still going to marry, and both have many puppies on their minds in the future. But Krac has to break the news about what responsibility this will come with…

• And while Krac converses with Winifred about their future, the Narrator tells us that Bob the Wizard was b.s.-ing Krac the whole time. Turns out that there WAS no tampering of the universal historical timeline, and Zyle lifting the curse did not damage the natural universal way of things. Bob’s actions were purely for his own benefit, and now he’s got an entire bloodline of Dogs at his mercy. Pretty cold-blooded, if you ask me. But then again, Bob was Zyle’s mentor if I’m not mistaken. And that fact’s gonna play a MAJOR role in the chapters to come, that’s for certain.

• Later as night falls, the armies’ leaders put their peace agreement in place. Sarah is crowned Queen of Finn but makes the pronouncement for the crown and the throne to be handed to Henry. Whoa. Then the Captain of the Guard’s position is handed to Sven. Double-whoa, especially given his battle experience – Finn’s army is about to rise to a new level in badassery. Krac also abdicates his crown with the intention of merging his Kingdom of Ralla into the former Kingdom of Finn. And although all peoples are aware that this peace is going to take a continued effort to thrive, the Dogs, Cats, and Humans are willing to make it work. Sorta reminds me of the ending of The Matrix Revolutions, in which the franchise’s most powerful seer, Oracle, admits that even after Neo and the Machines worked to together to terminate Agent Smith, the peace between Zion (the humans) and the Machines is not hers to decide. She trusts that the peace “will last as long as it needs to”, alluding to what many historians talk about with the idea of democracies falling into autocracies and then those autocracies falling to a revolution that creates a new democracy, and how the lessons from these events lead to stronger democracies and less violent conflicts.

• The next morning, Henry is fitted in the Finn Kingdom’s regal cloak as Winifred, Sarah, Pedro, and Krac look on with pride. And as expected, Winifred is carrying her and Krac’s firstborn (though she’s waiting for the right moment before she breaks the good news to him)! Pedro, who has often lived a life of combat, elects to resume his quest for Piranhala soon, to which Henry responds by stating Pedro as a citizen of Finn, and as such is always welcome. Pedro humbly acknowledges that Henry is just the monarch that Finn needs, while also lamenting how much he’ll miss his newly-decreed friend. And soon enough, the procession begins as the Kingdom’s knights arrive with the crown of Finn. Sarah officially crowns Captain Henry as KING Henry of Finn, the Kingdom’s new monarch, and the celebrations commence. Sarah silently leaves the festivities, both proud and sad at the same time – as am I. Not gonna lie, this scene packs quite a emotional punch; the pain and the grief that the main protagonists have suffered as well as the victories they achieved together really makes this moment a “coming full circle” moment. But the story’s not over yet, of course…

• Sarah approaches her sleeping Lil’ Sis, rocking her while humming the lullaby her own mother often sung. She reveals the Idol of Light – one of the great powerful items revealed at the very beginning of this epic, which has been safely hidden from Sorceress Augatha. The artifact glows as Sarah holds it before her younger sibling, acknowledging that while King Farrell was indeed a detestable person with many flaws, it is thanks to him that the Idol hasn’t fallen into Augatha’s hands, and Sarah will at least be forever grateful to him for that. If the Idol had been revealed, Augatha would’ve mercilessly pursued Sarah until the princess was six feet in the dirt. And that would’ve been a REALLY bad thing, peeps. And I’m in full agreement with the Narrator. Sometimes, one good deed can prove even the worst of people can have a heart, even if it’s just for a fleeting moment.

• Next, Sarah and Winifred say their goodbyes, with the former concealing Gerald’s Pegasus-like wings until far enough from the Kingdom of Finn – and from the Sorceress’s eyes and ears – at which she will live a life of her own. What’s really special about this moment is that after everything they’ve been through, Sarah considers Winifred to be more than just a servant, but also an equal and a sister. That’s a serious level of deep, and it shows, even with the Narrator nicely belaboring the point.

• But the final goodbye looks to be the hardest… between Sarah and the newly-crowned King Henry of Finn. His Majesty implores that Sarah stay in the place of her birth, noting that she doesn’t HAVE to set out on her own. And the King has a point, considering the journey they both took to get to this very point; chillaxing at the castle after what was definitely a roller coaster of a quest doesn’t sound too bad right about now. But Sarah kindly rejects the offer on the grounds of Augatha not resting until she has claimed her younger sister, and thus her continued presence will doom the entire kingdom under a constant threat by the Sorceress and her forces. That, and Sarah got as much as she could out of her ascension to the throne in just under five minutes, as crowning Henry and relieving the kingdom of eternal danger was all she felt necessary to do under the crown. No regrets are always the better choice, and boy, has this lady KEPT her promise. Gotta hand it to Sarah: the lady knows wassup.

• His Majesty gives Sarah his blessings, as well as the obvious reminder that she’ll always be welcome in the kingdom. Sarah gives Henry her utmost gratitude, especially for not dying in the war with the Vikings. As I also felt, Sarah found that moment refreshing – and in honesty, I think it is a good thing that films sometimes refrain from always killing off the Black character first. With so much of world history proving how much the Black civilization has been through – the struggles, the fight for rights, full liberation from all forms of discrimination and bondage – all of that represents a civilization that has never truly yielded to oppression. As a Black guy, I can attest to that feeling; we’ve been in this fight for over 400 years, and haven’t backed down. If we were as weak and insignificant as our oppressors want us to think, we’d have acquiesced the struggle long ago. Black people across the world know that their oppressors are carry immense guilt over the centuries of injustice Black and brown people have faced, and that guilt triggers one of two things: that people from the group of oppressors own their guilt and stand with Black and brown people for a better world (as exemplified by the peace between Cats, Dogs, and Humans in Finn), or to use the refusal to own that guilt and channel it into harmful ideologies to bury the truth under the illusion that the privilege it brings will drown out the angry conscience they will be forced to live with until they unbend. And refusing a guilty conscience will destroy a person, because their rage will overtake every action they take.

• Making clear her vow never to return to the kingdom despite her status, Sarah mounts Gerald and makes a statement to her Lil’ Sis: Sarah bestows upon her younger sibling the name “Gabrielle” – yep, the very same Gabrielle that we met in the main saga with Gilda and Meek with the sunglasses who matches wits with the soon-to-be Mistress Augatha – the same first name of their mother. She bestows this name through the power vested in her as Queen of Finn, even though it was just for a few moments, and in doing so she also fulfilled her promise to her late beloved Zyle. This was the sole royal decree she made as monarch, but it was also the only one necessary. With this in mind, she rides off into the unknown as we witness the newly-named Kingdom of Zyle’s new future unfold…

While this part of the story ends, Matt Zimmer’s got more to tell – now begins the aftermath of the Pontue Legacy: Fates. First, we’ve got “The Stewards of Earth – The Book of Un, Part II”.

• Here, as the story’s namesake suggests, we learn of the fate of our main protagonists. King Henry was indeed exactly what Pedro believed he would be, as he was just and morally sound monarch who led the Kingdom of Zyle to prosperity with the combination of both his and Sarah’s groundwork. For 218 years – that a little over two centuries, folks – the Kingdom of Zyle had peace. All species maintained a beautiful coexistence throughout, and the historical precedent of the unions was the most significant of its kind. Zyle’s name became more than just the kingdom’s; throughout the ages, Zyle’s name became a holy invocation, a verbal symbolization of peace, goodwill, and most importantly, acceptance across the Un-Iverse. Even after death, Zyle’s status as the Blessed Child of his time can still be felt through every corner of the Un-Iverse… and I just gotta take this moment to salute the guy. You’re a boss, Zyle, and you know it. Godspeed, brother. *holds hand to chest*

• King Henry eventually married his future Queen five years into his rule, eventually passing away at age 91 and survived by his wife, his four sons, and his twelve grandchildren. His benevolent lordship over the Kingdom of Zyle was felt in all its citizens hearts, with the monarch passing into the hereafter with his family and friends at his side. I’m gonna miss this guy too, his evolution throughout this tale was really moving and at many times had me cheering.

• Winifred and Krac ended up leaving the kingdom as well, settling down in a small village not too far off. Winifred truly loved Henry and Sarah, but the painful and traumatic memories of her time at the castle were too great to ignore, and Krac decided that the two of them would be best off starting a new life. I can understand where Winifred is coming from, given that one incident in which she was brutally assaulted over a simple miscalculation from her nose. That kind of ferocity would dog a person forever (no pun intended). And besides, Winifred has shown throughout this whole story that she’s a genuine soul; yeah, she was loyal as a servant, but she turned out to be so much more – to the point of being accepted as a sibling, a sister, to Sarah herself. That is the sign of a special bond of friendship, no lie. Henry provided the couple with enough funds from the kingdom’s vaults that Winifred was able to purchase the Silverhaven Inn, and she and Krac raised three children and lived to their ripe old ages. And as I suspected, two of their children just happen to be part of the main cast of the original Gilda and Meek saga: Meek and Bernadette Anderson. Bernadette in particular shares a bit of Winifred’s brunette hair and blue fur, now that I think of it. Oh, and Bob the Wizard’s cocky ploy with the whole blood debt thing? Turns out he never collected it, which doesn’t surprise me given his reasons for attempting to do so. Someone’s gonna be getting a LOT of coal in their stockings this Christmas, and Meek and Bernadette’s fates are indeed “still in play” as we’ll soon see…

• Pedro of Pontue resumed his quest for the fabled land of Piranhala a day after Sarah took off from the Kingdom of Zyle and was never heard from again. Though something does interest me… Pedro’s face does bear a striking resemblance to another character in the present period of Gilda and Meek: I recall the character known as Dr. Smog, who also has a long nose and a pointed clefted chin but wears an eye-patch instead of a monocle. I’m really interested in seeing if my assumptions are correct about this, and if there’s any connection between the two.

• Sven the Viking was able to live a normal life. Sure, he wanted a position of power far higher than the one he was given, but is content in the grand scheme of things; he’d be a cadaver in kitty litter if he refused to stand down to Sarah during the war with her army, so the card he was dealt was the card he’ll live by. And live he did, for forty years — that’s a way better deal than a pointless fight to the death. Oh, and we also got a cameo appearance from Gerf! Still curious as to his whereabouts and motives…

• Next, we learn that Gabrielle gradually grew up under her older sister Sarah’s guardianship, and the latter even taught her the art of winged horse riding with Gerald. Gerald grew to love Sarah and Gabrielle as he could also feel Zyle’s love for both sisters also passed down to him. Gerald lived up to the age of 42, longer than most winged horses… and something tells me that’s in large part because of the cherished life he lived with the two siblings, and by extension, Zyle as well.

• President Raz won re-election in Kosram’s next election, despite him not being a Magician; the citizens of the Kingdom of Finn believed that his leadership during the battle with the Vikings and an extremely tiny amount of causalities on their armies more than made up for his lack of magic abilities. And though Raz wasn’t a Wizard or Warlock, the Kingdom of Finn believed they were far better off with a master tactician to counter the forces of Sorceress Augatha, and Raz had certainly proven that during the battle. Sometimes, uber-powerful magic isn’t always the answer; an opponent who can flank your blind spot can unleash a surprise or two.

• Sorceress Augatha remained concealed in Mount Crushmore for many decades, satisfied with the world presuming her dead. And during that time, the Sorceress focused her time into improving and strengthening her magic – 150 years’ worth of honing and training, and Augatha soon doffed her sorceress mantle; with such deadly potential flowing through her, Augatha became Mistress Augatha, the antagonist we know from the original Gilda and Meek saga. The Mistress continued to court Gabrielle with temptation and offers of power at her side, but as we know, Gabrielle hasn’t fallen for the bait, thanks to Sarah.

• And when we meet Sarah again, we discover just HOW she was able to prevent Gabrielle from being seduced by Mistress Augatha’s offers of greater power, not to mention Gabrielle also growing into a powerful sorceress herself; anytime Augatha tempted Gabrielle, Sarah was always able to dissuade her from giving into the temptation, right up to her last days. By the time Sarah was at death’s door at the age of 95, Gabrielle made a promise to her that she would use every ounce of free will in her body to resist Augatha’s persistent attempts to corrupt her as well as any other malevolent forces that attempt to prey on her. That’s awesome; as Sarah made a promise that she kept with every fiber of her being, now Gabrielle is taking after her Big Sis with her own unbreakable promise. Attagirl, Gabbie. And I can also feel the dedication too, as it becomes clear that as Sarah aged and weakened, she began to forget the meaning of the stories she repeated to Gabrielle about Zyle the Magician and the grand adventure they had. All of this comes full circle as the physical and mental toll that evading Augatha for so long has taken on the two Farrell sisters, such that Gabrielle decided they needed a place to call home.

• The Farrell sisters take a vessel to a tropical island named Tahlia, where Gabrielle would befriend the island’s natives and use her magical abilities to shield herself, the natives, and Sarah – this island would be where the latter would live out the final years of her life. Sure beats the hell outta hospice, that’s for sure. Regardless, we ARE talking “final” years here, and eventually Gabrielle has to face the moment she’s been dreading ever since she and Sarah arrived at Tahlia. After suddenly collapsing on the floor one evening, Gabrielle helps her weakened and brittle sister to her bed, where after giving a heartfelt statement of love and pride for what Gabrielle had accomplished all the way up to finding this island and evading Sorceress Augatha, Sarah Farrell – former Princess and Queen of the Kingdom of Finn to Kingdom of Zyle – succumbs to her age and passes away into the hereafter. And this scene was REALLY hard to read, given everything Sarah herself accomplished. But all living things must run their course, and no living thing lives forever – unless they’re a god or have a special amulet that provides immortality. Speaking of which, what’s the deal? I mean, Sarah possessed the Idol of Light, right? Shouldn’t that have saved her?

• As we find out, Sarah gave the Idol to Gabrielle to keep hidden from the eyes of the soon-to-be Mistress Augatha due to the extremely dangerous threat she posed to the world, much like how their father Farrell had given the Idol to Sarah to keep hidden from then-Sorceress Augatha. The latter had assumed Sarah had the artifact when Gabrielle came of age, but the centuries-long lifespan of Gragnocks held her back for some time to be absolutely certain of her suspicions. Of course, Augatha continued to pursue Gabrielle by sending legions of her demons to acquire the Idol but has failed with every attempt. Finder’s keepers, Mistress.

• And though Gabrielle’s life was pretty ordinary and uneventful, at some point things changed for her. The year was 1989, and Gabrielle came across none other than another big player in the original Gilda and Meek saga: Julius T. Raggleworth, who would soon become Gabrielle’s lover. And as the Narrator points out, this is where things changed for Gabrielle – though they didn’t change for the better…

And that, my friends, is where this final leg of the prequel to Gilda and Meek – The Pontue Legacy – draws to a close. I’ve got a mixture of emotions after completing this saga, but the most prominent ones are happiness, a bit of sadness, and a lot of excitement. This prequel goes to show that you don’t need stellar art skills to tell a powerful story, and though Matt is critical of his artistic abilities, I can still see the raw emotion shown by his characters, and it is that emotion that makes the characters come alive in ways I’m not yet used to. That’s why I think it’s important to check out comics that have the most rudimentary-looking of art, because oftentimes a powerful story can complement even the tackiest-looking of illustrations. I’ve read several stories that have drawn this reaction, with one in particular being from my co-creator and collaborator on Lil’ Hero Artists, Nick Vollmer. Long ago, he wrote a neat webcomic called Dreaded Eater, which was essentially a stick-figure comic with a unique sci-fi plot; the characters are intentionally stick figures because of the planet they live on (thus excusing his art style), called Tyvane. The first part of the series follows a soft-spoken but heroic stick figure character called Skate, who witnesses the Dreaded Eater arrive on Tyvane and begins to devour everything in sight. Tyvane’s military is summoned to fight the creature off, but struggles to even damage the Eater. To make matters worse, a dangerous cult of female warriors who see divinity in the Eater stand to defend it from the military assault, while another character, Tilly, looks on. Eventually at al comes to a head as Skate takes it upon himself to stop the Eater, and matches wits with one of the warrior cult’s strongest commanders as well as running into Tilly, who also assumes a heroic stance and seems to have an infatuation with Skate – and the way that the first chapter concludes is a literal upheaval of a moment.

Such is the reason I say what I always say with Gilda and Meek and the Un-Iverse: It’s a comic so unlike any that I’ve ever read. And it proves that the stereotype that people far too often heap onto comics is just that—a stereotype. And a bad and harmful one at that. Saying that “a good story can’t save bad art, but good art can salvage a bad story” is, quite frankly, a lot of bullshit, and serves as an excuse to defend the status quo standards of big comic book publishers. In this day and age where some of the most detailed and well-drawn issues of comics from Marvel and DC come with a price tag of almost $5.00 and downright horrible storytelling, that stereotype died a quick death and for the sake of the comic book medium, should be buried and forgotten. As Neil Gaiman said in his commencement speech (and later pocket-sized book) “Make Good Art”, the gatekeepers are leaving their gates – let’s not call them back so they can stifle originality and creativity, please. That’s what drove people away from the “authority” and privilege of publishers like the Big Two, anyway.

With that, the next story lined up is billed as a “Killer Filler” – an UnComix one-shot is next, simply titled “The Humans”… and despite what y’all might think, I’m actually excited about this one. Shutting up, and getting ready to check out an possible extension of what I’m assuming.

To Matt Zimmer, I applaud you, man. The Pontue Legacy was an emotional thriller from start to finish, and it has a lot of heart. It takes a really stellar story and script to illicit this kind of an emotional reaction from me, and you’ve got all aces here. Not to mention that it provided much-needed “cheer-up factor” throughout this otherwise emotionally and psychologically challenging year, especially summer. I look forward to checking the upcoming one-shot soon.

As for the rest of you, peace and love to you and yours, and may you have the best Christmas possible; we all deserve it.

Nana

--“Jason Deroga”