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“We just had an audience with King Travus,” he explained. “Truly, we mean no trouble.”
The knight simply huffed and pulled up one of the thieves to take their hood down. Aria flinched, and so did Arthur. The thief was a Human. His tan, sun-kissed skin even matched Arthur’s. The two could’ve been mistaken for brothers with their black hair and beard. Only their facial outline set them apart, where Arthur’s strong and sharp features contrasted the thief’s round cheeks and faint brows.
In fact, all of them were Human. Only one of them was an Elf, and he must’ve been responsible for arranging this.
With a sneer, the knight pointed at the injured and dazed Human thief he grabbed by the scruff. “Must say, you have honor if you’re willing to turn in your own kind for their crimes. Guess some of youareworth the respect.”
Aria had half a mind to snap at the knight for his bigotry, but she knew she couldn’t expose herself. The two of them simply watched in silence as the knights rounded up the thieves while the guards cleaned up the mess and helped the shopkeeper with the return of his black iron. As the two of them slowly moved away from the scene, Aria’s conscience weighed down on her.
“You know what…” she said softly, “if Princess Mierna cared for you as much as you do for her, she’d try to set things right for Humans.”
“The queen of Nexis gave us all the drylands to make use of in exchange for labor and rations of harvest,” he explained. “It was Princess Mierna who enabled us to flourish.”
“Clearly, it’s not enough if they’re still thieving around. Humans deserve respect and honor as well.”
“Then maybe you can help,” he said softly. “Once we take down King Travus, I can take over Eldoria and finally be equal to Princess Mierna. Perhaps then she could marry me openly instead of keeping me a secret.”
Aria, surprised by Arthur’s devotion of love, wished she hadn’t said anything, but it surprisingly sounded like a solid road to power for the Humans. Making no promises, she simply pointed out a tavern for them to have some lunch before planning out their mission further.
***
“I’m sorry, what?” demanded Aria’s next-in-command, Callie. “Aria, this is too sudden. How am I supposed to explain this to your mother?”
“You shouldn’t,” she said, watching Callie pace around. The two were in Aria’s home not far from the Enchanted Lake, the only place no one could pry in on them. “Lie to her. Tell her I’ve taken off for a breather.”
“Do you take her as a simpleton?” she scoffed. “Fine, I won’t tell her the entire truth, but I need a timeline of how long you’ll be gone.”
“A whole moon cycle.”
“And am I getting updates about your well-being?”
“Of course,” Aria said matter-of-factly. “That’s a given, Callie. Until I’m gone, you’re in charge.”
Callie nodded defeatedly but gave Aria a hard look. “This isveryreckless, you know? We have no idea just what that man’s really like. Eldoria’s royalty has been isolated from the realm for so long. Even their advisors only ever reach out once a year for the annual gathering.”
“I’ll send a signal if I’m in trouble,” she reasoned. “Then you’ll have full permission to attack.”
“If what you said about Nexis is true, then who do we really have on our side?” Callie demanded. “Vihnmen is already overwhelmed. Midges and Tudor will be too focused on strengthening their own borders to help anyone.”
“We’re magic users,” Aria reminded her. “No matter the technologies of the other nations, we’re still powerful because we use magic alongside it all. The most you’ll have to do is break me out of his lair, that’s all.”
Callie didn’t look convinced, but she relented as she had no other choice. Aria gave her an apologetic look.
“Can you help me pack tonight?” she asked Callie. “This is the longest I’ll be gone. I’m lost on what to take.”
Her second-in-command nodded, and they silently began to prepare for Aria’s mission that held much uncertainty about her success.
Chapter 5
In the many centuries he’d lived and the decades he’d ruled over Eldoria in peace, brewing a potential war was sure to provide him with some form of entertainment. To be correct, it was his advisors, the Council of Elven Elders, that considered it entertainment, and Travus would keep it this way.
Regardless, one would think engaging in political conquest is what a man would need, yet the proposition he was offered less than a day ago is what he looked forward to.
He had never found himself this eager for anything else before. Of course, the Elven King of Eldoria revered for his many qualities had no scarcity of women, whether as show or shield, but it had become redundant. Now, he wondered if he could expect anything different from the Princess of Nexis.
His eyes rested on the ceiling-high double doors of glinting black iron across the throne room, waiting for them to open. The castle’s black and silver wasn’t very warm and inviting. Its marbled floors were still polishedfor the upcoming guest, and the silver tapestries were cleaned. Glass chandeliers hung at intervals down the hall, and a row of paired pillars held up the throne room to its magnificence. Moonlight filtered through the tall, frosty windows of the castle, bathing the throne room in an eerie mystical glow.
The doors opened with a creak, followed by the howl of the snowstorm outside. While the castle was already chilly, the temperature dropped further. Two small silhouettes appeared at the door and quickly stepped inside.
