Chapter 1, Part 2

The procession stopped in front of the palace, and the Elf King was the first to dismount. His body language made it clear he was in a foul mood. Which came as no surprise to the guards – Elvyon hated the lack of luxury during travel. It was one of the reasons he, despite his power, didn’t bother conquering other countries.

“Set up a room for her near me,” Elvyion ordered one of the guards. “And bring me some decent food, not that garbage they cooked for me during our journey,” he continued.

“That’s why I hate conquest, the food is so bad,” the king mumbled while walking inside.

Elodarn had quite a few questions he wanted to ask Liel, now that the king wasn’t around. He looked at her but realized she was busy helping Mare. It will have to wait, he thought.

Liel accompanied Mare as they were led to a spacious and well-furnished set of rooms, which would serve as Mare’s quarters. While they were settling in, a number of female servants came in – they had heard the king would return with a bride and were curious to see who she was.

Liel introduced Mare to the servants. The women were startled when they saw Mare’s heterochromatic eyes, but before they could make sense of things they heard Liel’s voice.

“Kowtow to your ruler.”

They all dropped to their knees and swore their loyalty. It wasn’t that Liel had some sort of authority over them, but rather that for a very long time the heterochromatic eyes had been a sign of royalty and power. Kowtowing to an elf with such eyes was almost a natural reflex for the citizens of the Elf Kingdom. Also, Elvyon also planned to make the dark elf his bride, so swearing loyalty to their future queen didn’t seem out of place. After the servants got up, they took on respectful positions as they waited.

“Is there anything you need, Mare-sama?” Mirel, who was among the curious servants asked.

“Yes, as the future ruler of this country I think it is important for me to meet with the Lords of this nation, as well as those who hold high ranking positions,” Mare said.

“I understand, and when would you like to hold this audience?”

“Tomorrow afternoon,” Mare replied. “If it’s not enough time for some to come, that’s fine. I just want to meet those who are currently in the city or the vicinity.”

“I understand, I will send out the invitations to an audience,” Mirel replied with a bow before leaving the room.

The rest of the servants were dismissed as well. Mare nodded to Liel, who bowed and left as well. After exiting, she saw Elodarn talking to one of the servants, whose body language suggested she was in a hurry and didn’t have time to talk right now. Liel moved toward the Captain of the Elite Guards, calling out his name. His talk with the servant interrupted, she slipped away, while he went to meet Liel.

“There are some questions I have for you. As a Captain of the palace guards I should be better informed, but… well, you know how the King is,” he began.

“Of course, Elodarn-dono. Then, let us talk in here,” she motioned at a nearby room.

After the two entered, Elodarn got down to what interested him the most.

“Liel-dono, since you had spent the most time with Mare-sama, and know more about her and her nation than any of us, how do you think the Sorcerer Kingdom will react to our action?” Elodarn asked.

“How will they react to the Elf Kingdom kidnapping their envoy?” Liel smiled at the man.

“Yea. The king doesn’t seem to be concerned at all, but… given the rumors floating around about the Sorcerer Kingdom. If they declared war and forced us to fight on two fronts…” he didn’t need to finish his thought, the elves were barely able to hold the Slane Theocracy off. If a second front was opened, their defenses would collapse without question.

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. The Sorcerer King is a just king, and in his absence, his loyal servants will uphold his ideals,” Liel said.

“Meaning what?”

“Meaning that they won’t punish everyone for the actions of the few.”

“Hmm, alright,” Elodarn mumbled.

It sounds like she’s saying the Sorcerer Kingdom won’t declare war on our nation, but would instead seek to punish those responsible for the kidnapping. But, the one responsible is the king – how can they get to him without going through the elven army? Even if they hired an assassin from the assassin guild, Ijaniya, they would still fail to kill the king. He wasn’t sure how to take Liel’s words, but then another thought flashed through his mind.

“Liel-dono, do you know what Mare-sama was doing in the Slane Theocracy? What was she there for, as an envoy?”

“She was sent there to establish friendly relations with the Theocracy. And to tell them to release all of the elves currently held as slaves,” Liel said.

“What?! And did they?”

“The Slane Theocracy said that since Mare represents the Sorcerer Kingdom and not the Elf Kingdom, such demands are unfounded.”

He felt his momentary excitement crushed. Of course, thinking that the Theocracy would release all the elven slaves if someone just asked them to was a stupid notion. He fell silent for some time, trying to process all of the information he had just heard. But, Liel’s voice interrupted his train of thought.

“By the way, Elodarn-sama, in case something were to happen to Elvyon-sama, who would inherit the kingdom?”

“Eh? What could happen to the king?”

“It’s just a technical question. Then, who will become the new ruler?”

“Um, well, I suppose one of Elvyon’s offspring, or in an absence of a clear next in line the Lords could end up fighting them for the throne,” he mused.

“That was before, though. Now that a bride had been selected, Mare-sama would become the new ruler, isn’t that right?”

“Well, the wedding would need to be held first and then there are…” Elodarn began to say before a light bulb went off in his head. Is she saying what I think she’s saying? He wondered as he stared at Liel.

“By the way, the Lords and other important guests will have an audience with Mare-sama tomorrow at noon. As a captain of the palace guards, you should come too.”

“Why, why are they coming?” He couldn’t help but stutter.

“Don’t you think it’s important for a future ruler to meet the powerful figures of this nation? Helps avoid misunderstandings in the future,” Liel smiled at him. “Then, I shall get back to Mare-sama,” she added.

Dumbstruck, Elodarn watched the female leave. In a daze, he stumbled out of the room and proceeded to carry out his daily duties. He spent the rest of the day going over this conversation over and over in his head. When the evening came, he was finally able to meet with Mirel – after she became the King’s concubine, the two could no longer live together. That’s why they had to sneak out and meet like this in order to talk.

“It doesn’t make sense,” Elodarn said after sharing his thoughts with his wife. “Even though she took the King’s punch without dying, she was still hurt hours later. Mare should be scared, wondering about her future and such. Instead, she managed to talk Elvyon into marrying her. And she seems intent on getting involved in politics,” he shook his head.

“Could you be reading too much into it? Asking to be made a queen was the best move she could take given the circumstances. It would also secure her position and offer her the most protection,” Mirel said.

“If you got kidnapped, would you have the presence of mind to execute such a move? It doesn’t feel like a sudden decision made by a girl under duress,” Elodarn shook his head. “Then, there is the matter of Mare asking the Theocracy to release all elven slaves. Why would the Sorcerer Kingdom care about that?”

“Maybe they are trying to boost their popularity among Elves?”

“To what end though? There are practically no Elves in their kingdom. It would only make sense if they were planning to take over this nation,” Elodarn voiced the thought he had been nursing for most of the day.

“Perhaps that is what they are planning,” Mirel shrugged.

“But, why would Liel tell me what she did? Didn’t she just reveal their cards to me?”

“Oh, and what will you do with your suspicions? Will you go to warn Elvyon?” Mirel smiled.

“Of course not. You know I would welcome anyone who could get rid of that bastards,” he fumed.

“Exactly. That’s probably why she decided to show you their hand. After all, our story is well known – how many men had attacked that bastard after he took their wives as concubines.”

“I am sorry I wasn’t strong enough to protect you,” he gritted his teeth.

“You know I don’t blame you for that, honey,” Mirel moved closer and wrapped her hands around him.

They stood like that, hugging each other for a while. Finally, the two separated – they would get in trouble if someone saw them embraced like that.

“If your guess is correct, then what should we do?” Mirel asked.

“We should try to assist Mare and Liel, though in a way that wouldn’t make us stand out. For instance, a future queen meeting with the Lords is pretty normal so you couldn’t be blamed for arranging such an audience.”

“I am glad you are not thinking of doing anything rash. Then we’ll take a wait and see approach,” Mirel concluded.

***

It was around one o’clock the next day. Elvyon came to visit Mare and was currently standing in the middle of Mare’s quarters. However, there was no one in the rooms. What the… he cursed as he left. He walked through a corridor looking for someone to speak to.

“Hey, you,” he called out to a guard standing near the stairs. “Do you know where Mare, the dark elf I brought back yesterday, went?”

“Your majesty! Mare-sama is currently holding an audience with the Lords and other dignitaries in the secondary dining hall,” the guard reported after saluting.

“An audience with the lords? The hell?” Elvyon mumbled as he quickly made his way to the aforementioned dining hall.

He could hear the chatter as he approached the hall. The guards posted at the entrance swung the doors open for him, and he walked inside.

“What is the meaning of this?” He asked after approaching the table behind which Mare was sitting.

“Is it not normal for a future ruler to meet with the dignitaries of the nation?” Mare asked, a puzzled expression on his face.

“You are not a queen, not until the wedding,” Elvyon shouted angrily.

“Don’t you plan to consummate our marriage tonight?” Mare asked. “Then, after tonight I will be a ruler of this nation,” he continued after the king didn’t retort.

“I will continue to rule this nation, tomorrow and a century from now too,” he shouted. Although Mare’s words were sound, his anger didn’t come down one bit.

“Yes, of course. Forgive me, I misspoke. I will be one of two rulers,” Mare lowered his head.

Elvyon looked at the seated lords and officials. He didn’t particularly like them, but they were needed to run the nation. Still, the faces he saw didn’t make him feel any better.

“Cheh, whatever. I will see you tonight,” he told Mare before leaving.

“I apologize for his behavior,” Mare announced as he stood up. “I hope as one of the future two rulers of this nation, I will do a better job at leading it,” he rose his goblet in a toast.

Although Mare’s words sounded a little strange, everyone around the table lifted their cups and drank to his toast.

“Then, let us continue gentlemen. You were talking about Eryuentiu, the flying city to the south,” Mare reminded an older elf who was in charge of trade and commerce and sat near Mare.

“Ah, yes. It must’ve been twenty years ago when I led a merchant caravan south…” the elf began.

***

Elvyon was filled with anticipation by evening. He walked through the corridor towards the Mare’s quarters.

Tonight, I will copulate with Mare and soon powerful children will stand by my side, helping me to conquer this world. Ah, I waited so long for this. He thought as his pace quickened. He swung the door open and entered. Inside, he saw Mare sitting on a sofa.

“You haven’t changed your clothing,” Elvyon stated with a frown.

“Yes, I, I haven’t,” Mare replied.

“It doesn’t matter. Let’s do this,” he rubbed his hands together.

“Um, I don’t think we can, you see, there is, a problem,” Mare stuttered his reply.

“What problem? Are you feeling nervous? Don’t worry, I’ll try not to be too rough,” the Elf King laughed.

“Um, no, there is a… different, pro… problem,” Mare’s stuttering seemed to be getting worse.

“Like what?”

“Well, um, for one, I am, a, a boy.”

“What?! A boy? What are you saying?” Elvyon couldn’t understand what Mare was saying.

She is a boy? How the hell is she a boy? Is this some kind of trick to get out of having sex with me? The King’s mind raced, unwilling to accept Mare’s statement. Before he could compose his thoughts, Mare spoke again.

“Then, there is also this,” he motioned to an ellipse-shaped purple energy which appeared in the middle of the room.

The hell, is that a portal? What’s the heck is going on here? The King was in a daze.

A young dark elf boy emerged from the portal. “You hit my brother, you will feel the full wrath of Nazarick!” He shouted staring daggers at the king.

Eh? Heterochromatic eyes, the King noted subconsciously, looking at the elf

“Who are you?” Elvyon shouted as more figures emerged from the swirling portal.

“Then, let’s get this over with,” a girl with silver hair said.

“Get what over with? Who are you? Answer or I’ll kill all of you!” He screamed at the newcomers.

A number of undead monsters emerged from the [Gate] while the king screamed.

“Dimensional Lock,” Elvyon heard a voice right as a figure of a man dressed in the type of garment that was popular in the south emerged from the portal.

The [Gate] disappeared after Demiurge’s cast a spell which prevented all teleportation in an area.

“These should be enough. Then, Shalltear, if you please” Demiurge said after glancing at their forces.

“What?!” Elvyon roared as the silver-haired girl attacked him with a strange weapon which appeared in her hands out of nowhere.

“You dare?!” He bellowed while parrying the attack with his arm.

He was strong, really strong. From his very creation, he was placed above others. Elvyon, the Elf King of the Blackened Forest in Álfheimr.

“Whatever petty plan you have, I will make you regret crossing me!” He declared as he prepared to battle.

“You know nothing, Elvyon. Everything dances in the palm of the Supreme One,” Mare replied with pride in his voice.

Explosions rang out throughout the palace, a tremor sent the guards to the floor, as they were unable to keep their balance.

“Follow me!” Bellowed Elodarn, as he led the palace guards.

He wasn’t leading them towards Mare’s quarters though, which seemed like the epicenter of the raging battle. Instead, he was leading them outside the palace. That shouldn’t be surprising, for one, anyone strong enough to give the elf king a run for his money was far beyond Elodarn and his men. On top of that, he was prepared for something like this to happen, though the speed at which it did was surprising.

The Sorcerer Kingdom really is fast, they set their trap and are about to take control three days, he had to admire such efficiency.

Outside the palace, Liel stood next to Mirel, as more guards and servants poured out of the palace, running for their lives.

“It has begun,” Liel said as a piece of palace’s roof flew off.

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