Chapter Thirty Nine: He is Here

“Am I surrounded by fools?! Captain, I was told that you would be ready for combat but all I see are the royal guard lazing around out there! We must be on constant alert!”

The royal war tent had been set up for less than an hour before Valant called in the acting captain of the Royal Guard to go over the plan for tomorrow night when they arrived at the Red Citadel. His attitude was erratic to say the least and the rest of the guard had noticed it, especially the acting captain Malthas, who led the royal protectors in Hilin's stead.

“Your Majesty, I understand that you are distressed, but we have no idea what we are preparing to fight. I must ask you, what is it that we are going to be facing when we arrive in Scarl Forest?” The acting captain spoke with an even and respectful tone, despite the insults that he had to endure for the past hour. Malthas was trained by Hilin in combat and from her he learned the important lesson of acting from a place of reason and to never anger when facing a foe. But even he was having a hard time with the King of the Elves.

They both stood at a large wooden table. Upon the surface of the hard oak was a carved map of all of Vita, with several blocks of blue stone marking the current position of the Elven Guard, almost directly sitting on the border of Scarl Forest.

Marwenna stood between the two men at the table, her gaze almost empty as it stared without seeing at the map in front of her. Valant spared a gaze for his wife and his face immediately softened as he noticed her expression, concern became evident within his eyes.

It had been almost a week since Marwen suddenly appeared in the centre of the throne room, near dead from wounds she had sustained in some kind of invisible battle. She had told Valant everything of course, had stated clearly that it was Vitriss who had done these things to her, but Valant couldn't believe that. His Goddess was the supreme being, undying and ever merciful, she would never hurt one of her faithful servants. Marwen had proved herself when she had slain the beast Corus, Valant knew that she must have been mistaken, delusional or manipulated.

“It won't matter anyway, you're sending all these people to their deaths, Valant.” The words that came out of Marwenna's mouth were cold and dead, a small smirk appearing at the corner of the mouth, as if she was mocking him.

Valant took a deep breath, causing a wide eyed Malthas who had paled from his Queens words, to turn and face him once more.

“Malthas, I cannot tell you what we will face because I don't know myself. I know there is a threat, I know it will be powerful, but together we can overcome. Please, ensure that the guard are on constant alert.”

“You know what we face, Valant. You know He can't be stopped, yet you continue this charade that you are in control. He will come with fire and death and the guard will fall. Then, so shall we.”

“Marwen!” Valant shouted.

Suddenly there was silence as Malthas stared at the Queen, his eyes filled with curiosity and worry. Valant on the other hand bit his tongue to stop himself from shouting at his wife further. More arguments wouldn't help anything.

“Malthas, give us a moment.” Valant said quietly, his eyes never leaving Marwen's empty expression.

“Your Majesties!” Malthas said immediately giving a deep bow before turning and walking out of the room, happy to get out of the building tension within the room.

For a moment there was silence as Valant stared at his wife, his mind moving with furious speed. He had tried many times to talk to her about what had happened in the throne room but he had only ever gotten the basics. Corus has returned and Vitriss wants a message delivered. He didn't even know what the message was, Marwen had told him the bare minimum and then retreated into herself, a shadow of what she once was.

“Please, Marwen. You must help me. I thought that by going to the Red Citadel we could finally put this to bed, that you would see with your own two eyes that Corus has not returned. You were wrong, something else must have happened. The Goddess wouldn't unleash an evil like that back upon this world.”

A expression of disgust crossed Marwen's face and she looked up at her husband, glaring at him across the large table.

“He was not evil! Don't you see? I killed him. I killed the man I had sworn my life to protect. Not for any grand reason, but because Vitriss wanted it so. Now he has returned and he will be wrath. You don't know him, Valant. Not like I do. I left Cinder and the others to rot, I left everything for you and the Elven Empire. That was my decision. He will kill us all and there is nothing you can do to stop it. So stop trying!” Marwen was crying, tears falling from her eyes as the pain of her actions sprung up anew. Memories of her oldest friend, bitter sweet and fading, filled her mind with his face and the guilt that came with it as a result.

Valant immediately moved around the table to his wife, wrapping his arms around her body and pulling her close to him. She struggled before eventually relenting, muffling her cries in his finely made tunic.

“I swear that I won't let that happen. You have my word. If Corus is there, we will kill him again. I won't let him hurt you.”

The sounds of crying changed completely as Marwen pulled her face away from Valant and looked up at his face. Her eyes were calm and clear, laughter like glass drifted sharply through the air as she stared at him.

“Oh, my love. You don't know what you are talking about. I just wish you had stayed in Callai like I requested.” Marwen said quietly, her hand touching Valant's cheek softly.

Valant snorted “Yes, I would just sit inside the palace in Callai and twiddle my thumbs while my wife goes off to face her death alone. I think we can both agree that is a foolish thing to say, Marwen.”

Marwen sighed “Perhaps you are right. I would have come after you if our positions were reversed. But still, bringing the Guard was foolish. You don't know Corus, but you do know Cinder. She is more than capable of destroying this many men by herself. There is no doubt in my mind that they will both come together, lowering our chances of survival to an even smaller degree.”

“So tell me how to fight them, Marwen! You are The First Knight of the Rebel Court, you knew them both longer than anyone else. Tell me how to beat them, tell me their weaknesses, their strengths, anything to give us an advantage.”

Marwen pulled away from Valant's embrace and made her way over to the constructed fireplace, which blazed with a magical light. She sat in one of the comfortable chairs, upon which leaned The Angelis, and stared deep into the flames.

“They have none. None which would be of any help to us. Cinder only becomes more powerful when she is at a disadvantage and Corus is never on the losing side. He's just too strong, even after all these centuries, I haven't been able to become his equal. I may stand a chance against Cin, if she came alone. But like I said, she won't. Even fighting Cinder alone isn't ideal because the casualties would be immense. I still believe what I said in Callai is the best option. We surrender and hope that Corus lets us live.”

Valant looked at Marwen for a long second before his eyes suddenly opened wide “You don't want to live through this, do you? You think you deserve this?”

Marwen turned in her chair to stare at her husband “Yes. I deserve to die for this, I want to die. I have betrayed everything I have ever cared for. Perhaps it is time to stop fighting. If the end is here, then let it come. I have no reason to hide any more.”

“And what of our son!? He is even now in the Red Citadel! Only Vitriss knows how much he is suffering at the hands of Corus and his vampire harlot!”

Marwen shook her head “Corus isn't in the business of killing children. I don't believe he would kill Mahalis. Hurt him perhaps, but not kill him. Our son is fine. It would be better if I was gone, he could serve as a Knight Descendant without my shame hanging over his head.”

“You would have him serve Corus! The man who manipulated and used your mind-”

“Valant! Corus did not control me. He did not manipulate me. I was controlled by your precious fucking Goddess! The only reason that you still think this is because of your blind devotion to a woman you have met once. Stop being so fucking pathetic!” Marwen shouted, jumping to her feet and standing in front of her husband, her face red with rage and disgust.

Valant matched his wives stare with one of his own, his eyes blazing with anger. “I may be committed to a cause, but at the very least I wasn't some whore who followed a man blindly hoping to suck on his cock-”

The punch came out of nowhere, connecting with Valant's temple, he didn't even have time to react before he was thrown across the room and onto the war table, which snapped and broke under his weight. The champion of Vitriss tried to get to his feet, but he couldn't get his bearings in time to stop his wife from grabbing him by his throat and pulling him into the air. He tried to break Marwen's grip but was unable to, her strength far outstripped his own, both magically and physically.

“How fucking dare you say that to me. I followed him because I loved him, but when it came down to it, I chose you!” Her eyes were manic, fury pouring from her aura as she slammed him back into the ground, breaking what remained of the table into even smaller splinters.

She released him then and Valant immediately began to gasp for air, his hands on his throat as he pulled in one painful breath after another.

Marwen looked down on her husband, the fire fading from her eyes as she stared at him. “I chose you, Valant. I still choose you, even after all that has happened. I am not a whore.”

The Queen of the Elves moved back to her seat, grasping the back of it with a firm grip, so firm that it cracked the hard wood beneath her knuckles.

With painful movements Valant began to pull himself to his feet, his head swimming and throbbing with agony as he did so. His eyes found his wives back and the anger faded. He felt sick as he thought about what he had said to her.

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“I'm sorry, Marwen. I... I just don't know what's going on. We've been telling ourselves for centuries that we did the right thing. That Corus needed to die. Then, suddenly, you say Vitriss turned up and decided to tell you that it was all a lie? That we were not the heroes that we thought we were? I... I just don't know.” The King said weakly as he walked towards his wife.

Marwen turned to him, her face hidden behind her hair “I don't know what's going on either, Valant. Do you truly think this is what I wanted? I would rather have lived the lie than have this... this pain. Every time I go to sleep I dream of killing him, I dream of his final moments, smiling and telling me that he didn't do it. I didn't believe him, I couldn't believe him.”

Valant hid his jealousy well, but he had been feeling it rise up like serpent during this conversation. Corus had been the centre of Marwen's life. He had been her whole reason for existing for so long. When Vitriss had told them that Corus was a traitor, a manipulator, Valant couldn't have been happier. He had fallen for Marwen long before she fell for him and he finally had a way to remove the largest obstacle in his path. The man she loved.

Perhaps Vitriss was testing him, testing his faith by placing that obstacle back in his way.

“Whatever we face, we face together, Marwen. You have my word. I'll be beside you every step of the way. Right up until the end.” Valant said, even as he wrapped his arms around his wife from behind and kissed her neck, pulling her as close as possible.

“Together.” Marwen whispered as she leaned into him.

They broke apart at the sound of a ruckus outside, both of the monarchs turning to see what was going on.

It was then that a guard ran into the tent, breathing hard and covered with grime, his hand immediately banged against his iron plated chest as he paid tribute to his King and Queen.

“Your Majesties we-” The guard stopped as he turned and saw the shattered table, as well as the state of the King's ripped tunic.

“What is it, soldier.” Valant snapped.

The guard suddenly focused on his King “Forgive me, your Majesty. We have just received word of riders approaching, some of them carry the sigil of the royal guard. We believe it is the Knight Descendants, sir!”

Marwen and Valant stared at each other for the briefest of seconds before they rushed out of the large pavilion, Marwen being sure to grab The Angelis as she went.

Outside the main tent was row after row of smaller ones, each one of these designated to a soldier, as well as smaller command tents for high ranking officers. Scarl Forest could clearly be seen in the distance, the black tree's providing an imposing sight and stark difference to the colourful grasslands that surrounded them now.

It only took Marwen and Valant a few minutes to walk to the outskirts of the camp, various members of the royal guard each rising and bowing as they past by, many muttering about the state of the King's clothes, but Valant ignored it, his eyes set firmly on what he could see just outside of where their army had made camp.

In the distance were riders, all on horseback as they made their way forwards. Marwen enhanced her vision with magic, as Corus had taught her to do many years ago, which allowed her to pick out the individual faces of those that were approaching. There he was.

Mahalis.

But something was wrong. He was wrapped in a blanket and his face looked pale. Marwen could clearly see Kara ride next to him, one hand wrapped firmly around the reigns of his horse, as if he was too weak to lead the beast himself.

Marwen's heart become to beat erratically as her mind whirled furiously with the possibilities of why Mahalis was in such a state. There was only one explanation that made any sense to her.

Corus.

She suddenly took off, aspect of air coming alive as she drew in mana and activated the spell, moving at speed as she crossed the distance between the camp and the riders within seconds, the protests of Valant and the guard lost to the wind as she moved.

Mahalis looked up from his place atop the horse. From this distance Marwen could clearly see the sweat atop his forehead and the shadows under his eyes. Despite this, he still smiled when she was close.

“Mother.” He whispered the word but Marwen heard it regardless.

The young prince went to climb off his horse but he was far too weak and fell from the high steed. Marwen moved faster and caught the boy as he fell, cradling him in her arms as she lowered him to the ground.

“Gods, Mahalis, who did this too you?” Marwen said with desperate words, her hands running over her son to try and find any sign of injury.

It was then that she noticed his aura. It was blackened, looking sickly and glowing so faintly as to not be there at all. His aura had been decimated. She knew who had done this, but the idea stuck in her head. Corus' existence had always been just talk up until this point. But seeing Mahalis in his current state made him real.

Mahalis shivered in her touch, pulling the blankets around him more closely, but didn't respond to her question.

“Queen Marwen, we must speak with you urgently. Mahalis is fine, but the journey took a lot out of him.”

Marwen looked up to the source of the voice. It was Kara. The first daughter of Keltano stared down at her from atop her steed. She made no move to get off, nor to bow.

Marwen stared at the young woman, matching her neutral gaze with one of her own. “I see you are not calling me Knight, Kara. So... You have met him?” The last words came out hesitantly, almost as if the Queen didn't want to hear the answer that she already knew was coming.

“Yes, my Lady. We come on behalf of the King of the Rebel Court. But it would be better if we speak in private. Too many prying eyes out here.”

Marwen nodded, her whole body numb as the words washed over her, pinning her in place.

Corus has returned.

“Then follow me. We will go to the command tent and you will tell me what... what Corus has sent you to say.”

Together they made their way back towards the camp, Marwen easily cradling Mahalis in her arms as she walked.

* * *

“So, those are his terms?”

They had arrived in the command tent after seeing Mahalis off to the infirmary. The young prince had a rising fever and the sickly visage of his aura wasn't helping him. His ability to draw mana was cut off for the time being but, with time, it would recover. At least, Marwen prayed that was the case. She had only ever seen Corus do such a thing once and it was to Gorvo Nali. The church leader didn't have time to recover before Corus took his head off with Xolumbrandir.

Three of the Descendants plus Valant and Marwen had all entered the command tent. More than one glance was spared towards the broken table located in it's centre, but it didn't last for long. More chairs were brought in and all of them sat near the make shift fire that flickered with magical, smokeless flames. Kara, Lor and Dran didn't look nervous in the least, their faces stoic as they sat opposite the King and Queen of the Elves. Marwen could understand why. After facing Corus, very little could scare you.

“Yes, your Majesty. King Corus has very clearly stated that he will show leniency if you leave your army and continue onwards on foot. We believe that he and Knight Cinder intend to meet you as you enter the forest.”

“And if we do not?” Valant said, a mocking edge to his tone. As if he was merely humouring the children by taking this meeting.

Lor turned and gave the King a little mocking smile of his own “Well, I'd say that your army would be fucked, you'd be fucked, Marwen would be fucked... you know, just fucked in general.”

Valant snarled at the prince of the sea “How dare you speak to me like that! I am the Elven King you pathetic little-”

“Careful, traitor. If you speak ill of a Knight Descendant I doubt very much that any of the Knight's would take it lightly, never mind his Majesty.” Dran grumbled, his tone like gravel as his stone like stare looked right through Valant, who matched it with his angry glare.

“So, is that all? Corus wishes for myself and Valant to separate from our forces?” Marwen asked from her seat, her eyes finding Kara's, who nodded an affirmative.

“Yes, your Majesty. We left earlier than them but I'm doubtful they are far behind since we could not use magic to speed us along, due to Mahalis' injuries.”

Valant whipped his head around, turning his angry eyes on Kara “That's another thing! You allowed your fellow Descendant, my son, to be brought to the brink of death while doing nothing to stop it!”

“And what were you expecting us to do, exactly? Fight The Rebel King to protect your son because he said something idiotic?” Lor said with a sneer “We're here because this is what Mahalis wanted. The King agrees that he shouldn't suffer for your mistakes, yet he wanted to come anyway. We respect our allies unlike some I can name.”

Valant jumped from his chair “You little piece of shit! Faral can't protect you from my wrath, Lor. I'll rip you apart!”

“Enough!” Marwen snapped, causing all of them to look at her hesitantly “Lor, do not speak to my husband like that. We have done some terrible things, but you will respect your Elders if you want to continue breathing. Valant, sit down, you are acting like a child.”

Lor glared at Marwen but said nothing and Valant returned to his seat, his hands curled around the edges of the arm rests.

“Mahalis said something idiotic? I assume that he insulted Cinder in Corus' presence?” Marwen asked, trying to keep her calm.

Kara's eyes filled with surprise but she nodded.

Marwen nodded in return. Of course. Talking ill of Cinder in front of Corus was a sure way to die. Thankfully, it seems that Mahalis has managed to avoid this fate. For now, at least.

“We will not separate from our army just because Corus sent his new little soldiers to tell us too. This is obviously some kind of ploy.” Valant said between gritted teeth, his eyes never leaving Lor who merely smiled at him in an insulting fashion.

Marwen shook her head “No, it is not. This is legitimate, although it means nothing. Corus has sent you all for the benefit of Mahalis, nothing more. Either way, our fates will be the same. The absence of the army just makes it all the easier for Corus to get to us. Either option really poses no great threat to him.”

Kara nodded “I suspected as much on the trip over. But the facts remain, perhaps he will be lenient towards you. You are still technically his Knight. Even if you did betray everything you once believed in.”

Although the words were meant to bite, it was nothing compared to what Marwen had been telling herself. She merely smiled at Kara, hiding the panic that had been filling her since this conversation began.

“Perhaps. But that would be if Corus wasn't already here.”

Kara, Lor and Dran's eyes all filled with confusion.

“What do you mean already here?” Kara asked, confusion evident in her face.

Suddenly there was movement outside and Marwen heard each approaching footstep like knives entering her skin. Her grip on The Angelis became tighter as she fought against the terror that was building up inside her body. It was not fear for herself, but fear for her husband, fear for her son.

It was then that the tent opened and revealed a guard who quickly stepped inside and took a knee before the monarchs, his breathing heavy as he tried to catch his breath.

“Your Majesties, someone is approaching the camp. He appears to be alone and without weapon. A young man.”

The eyes of the three Knight Descendants filled with surprise and that was more than enough for Marwenna to go on. Corus had never intended to give them the option to spare their soldiers, he knew that Valant would refuse such a request anyway. He was here.

“Please, go and inform the acting captain and the other lieutenants to prepare for battle and create a shield wall in front of the camp.” Marwen said, her voice surprisingly calm. She would order them to run, but at this point the Guard would refuse and stay anyway.

The man's eyes widened before he nodded and ran out of the tent at speed.

“Knight Descendants, It is my final request as a Knight of the Rebel Court that you protect my son. Take any horses you can find and ride as far away from here as possible. If anyone gives you any trouble, invoke my name. Will you do this final thing for me?”

The three of them stared at each other for a moment before each of them nodded in turn.

“Thank you. Please, make haste. I am unsure how long you will have.”

The Knight Descendants all nodded, left their seats and ran out of the tents, each grabbing their weapons, cloaks and packs as they went.

When Valant and Marwen were alone they sat in silence for a second, listening to the sounds of the organising army outside.

“So... he's here?” Valant asked quietly, his eyes were staring at nothing, disbelief clearly shone from within.

Marwen nodded with a smile “Yes. He is here.”