CHAPTER 5
LAND OF ELVEN
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Thick tropical woods adorned a lovely scene. The morning mist gathered thickly on the tree limbs, creating a magnificent scene as if clouds were descending. In the heart of the Valoran forest, the Yggdrasil tree stood magnificently. It was massive, standing half a mile tall. The diameter of the trunk alone was tens of meters while its branches and twigs stretch for nearly a mile. Yggdrasil was so massive that it could house a civilization.
The Kingdom of Valora.
“Your Highness, it's time to eat. Let me feed you.” With a fabric tassel covering her face, a woman in a maid's outfit entered the room. She addressed a silver-haired girl who engrossed herself in a strange book. Ignoring the maid's words, her delicate lips spoke softly without bothering to turn her head.
“He said no magic on Earth, Estio. I don't get it. How does a smartphone work without magic, anyway?”
The maid sighed softly with a clear expression on her lips. Slightly pouting, she pointed to the cover of the book the princess was reading. “Your Highness, how long did you read that?”
“So what?”
“That book is useless.”
The princess shifted her gaze, showing off her emerald-clear pupils and flawless skin that was free of any stains. Her long ears perked, showing her maid that she was being offended. “Estio! This is knowledge!” She yelled in rage.
The maid shut her mouth. She grew accustomed to Princess' immature demeanor, which easily got her upset. Her highness was also prone to complaining if her interests were questioned.
“I want to go to Earth, Estio. I want to ride a car! I want to have a smartphone! I want to live there with him. Why did he leave me?”
“Your Highness, please be calm. He will be back.”
The princess felt hesitant to respond in any way. As she sat with her arms folded, her countenance became glum. Her lovely eyes stared out the window. Pouting like a child, she mentioned someone who dared to leave her alone.
“Varg, where are you? I miss you so bad.”
Estio let out a long sigh. The princes had often mentioned someone who had been gone to a world without magic. The veiled maid understood that Taeriz missed him so much.
“Estio, do you miss him?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Will Varg be here?”
“Yes, Your Highness. Pray to Yggdrasil.”
Taeriz's mood quickly changed. Her glittering green pupils reflected the stars, while Estio exhaled with a stiff smile. She fed her patiently because the princess could not eat on her own.
“Estio.”
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“Can I marry him?”
The wooden spoon in her hand stopped moving.
“No. He is your own brother.”
***
Princess Taeriz lived in a unique room with tree-patterned walls, surrounded by unusually natural design. All the accessories were raw-shaped, not chopped or polished, and the floor was covered in thick leaves. The bed was made of some sort of webbing rattan with drapes hanging from the ceiling. Completed by lights from lighted resins, everything was lovely. In line with the gorgeous face of a childish princess.
“Estio, I'm bored here. Seven years are too long. I want to go somewhere with my brother.”
“Be patient, My Lady. He will be back.” The maid patiently rubbed Taeriz's smooth skin with some kind of herbal scrub. The princess was so spoiled that she never lifted a finger to wash herself. Not to mention dressing on her own. Everything had to be done by her nanny. “Your Highness, please go to the main hall. His Majesty is waiting for you.” Finishing her job, she asked kindly.
“I don't want to.”
“I beg you, Your Highness. His Majesty has given a decree.”
The beautiful princess pouted. Her mood was easily swayed. He stood angrily and moved out of her room. ”Stop ordering me around! I'm not a child!”
“Your Highness!”
The face-veiled maid followed the princess through the hallway, which was textured like a wooden tunnel. The corridor's pattern gave the impression that they literally lived inside the tree. After walking for a while, Princess Taeriz arrived in a spacious room with a large altar in the center, decorated with a long table with various kinds of fruits.
A dozen people had waited around the long table. They were a group of senior elves that had served the monarch for hundreds of years. Looking at a princess who had just entered the king's altar, they greeted her with pride and adoration. “Hohohoho! The most beautiful creature on the continent is out of the room!”
“I'm tired of being locked up! Set me free! I'm not a child!”
Everyone smiled as Taeriz yelled, with the exception of a dashing figure on the altar. He was King Falasa. His pride weighed heavily on him. Despite his 240 years, his face was wrinkle-free.
“Do you know what it's like to have a daughter?’
The elders laughed as the king complained. Taeriz, meanwhile, remained pouting, with her shoulders rising even more and her cheeks puffing out.
“Father, I'm tired of six years in a room. How long will I be locked up?”
“Until you are old enough.”
“I'm 95!”
“You're a teenager. Don't equate our age with humans. And stop studying those people. Particularly the humans behind the portal. They are evil.”
Taeriz's lips started to wiggle, sobbing because did not obtain what she desired. On the other hand, the monarch did not dare to look at her, seemed terrified of sympathy.
“And stop bothering Varg. Your brother ran away because you were too spoiled.” He talked while looking elsewhere.
Everyone rubbed their foreheads when the princess sat on the floor, crying loudly at her father's response. Her two feet were twitching on the ground like a toddler fussing for a toy. Taeriz was supposed to be sixteen if she were a human. However, her way of throwing a tantrum was too bizarre for her age.
“I want Varg to be here!”
“Calm down, please, don't cry.” The king lowered his voice and completely lost his dignity.
“I don't care. He has to be here! I want my brother back! You've promised me!”
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Known as a gallant and respected by everyone, King Falasa appeared so frail when his daughter showed a tear. His smile twitched. The brave king jumped down from the throne and squatted next to her. “Your brother goes to school on Earth. If you call him, he'll get angry. Do you want Varg to hate you?” The King spoke softly with a voice that was made up as if he were talking to a toddler. His lips were twisted when he tried to calm her down.
“Really?”
“Sure, Varg told me himself. When he graduates, he'll come here for you. He will carry you around like you used to. Or lulling you every time you sleep. He will bring everything you want from earth.”
“A smartphone?” She enthusiastically smilled.
“Yes. Whatever it is. Just wait, okay?”
Taeriz's face brightened. The king, meanwhile, massaged his forehead because the most honest man was obviously lying. Even a fool would know right away. Still, the princess nodded innocently, just like a five-year-old human baby.
***
“Ooo Yggdrasil, why have you forsaken my childs?”
King Falasa let out a long sigh, remembering his son, who underwent a sacred duty for the sake of Valora. Seven years had gone by. Even before his departure to the world without magic, Varg became someone else. He somehow knew everything about earthly civilization that the king never imagined. Steel carriage without any horse, a huge bird made of iron, and a small device that contained unimaginable knowledge.
“Is it possible to put all books in the world in ... uhm ... an artifact as this small?” he gestured a box shaped object as small as his hand. “Smartpun? Uhmmm ... what did she said?”
“Smart Uhm!”
“Yeah, whatever it is. Varg said that even the best apostle who is able to talk with the gods cannot be compared to a five-year-old human baby with smarts Uhm. You may ask everything, and that artifact will answer you right away. No need to do any ceremony. Is it possible? What magic is it? How smart is human in the earth with that vast of knowledge?”
Several elders showed disbelief at the king's question. Some showed fear, while the rest looked proud because the prince had been learning something in the world of wonder. Smart Uhm's existence had given them so many questions. If Varg's word were true, all earthlings should be smarter than any royal schoolars.
“I've never met any heroes of the gods who were smart enough to get my attention, nevertheless. Mostly, they are dumb. Varg said that even a beggar on earth has a Smart Uhm. Why did they have no brains? Does the gods in Smart Uhm choose a certain earthling who is worthy of knowledge? This is confusing.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Maybe the gods on earth didn't let them gain any knowledge. The heroes of the gods are evil. That's why the gods in our world accept them because they have been rejected on earth.”
King Falasa dropped the topic upon hearing a most plausible answer.
”Alright, let's go to Armin Kingdom. Sonare is waiting for us.”
***
Renouil, Armin Kingdom's Capital City
Horse-drawn carriages drove through Renouil's road in a parade, welcomed by thousands of Armin's citizens. The respected guest had come. They cheered when a wooden carriage with a flag passed by, pulled by several horned horses known as unicorns. It was the chariot that King Falasa and his five elders rode in.
“Seven years ago the capital of Armin was not this big,” said an elder.
“Yes, Mr. Polante. Their buildings are getting taller. Human civilization is advancing,” another elder replied.
The elves indeed resided in the trees. It could be said that they isolated themselves in the heart of nature. The Valora Kingdom nevertheless desired to engage in diplomatic relations with its neighbors and also interacted with humans through trade routes, tourism, and cultural interactions. Particularly to the nearby nation known as the Armin Kingdom. It was rumored that the first Armin King's second bride was the twin sister of King Falasa himself.
Their bond was quite strong.
“You see that? Lumina Cathedral is getting bigger!”
“What a magnificent royal palace!”
King Falasa was silent as the elders kept acting like a bunch of country bumpkins. He was quite aware that seven years was not short for short-lived people. Renouil became more grander. Its territory was expanding. King Falasa was also amazed although his face looked flat.
Humans were so amazing.
The king realized how ignorant his race was about materialism and development. Not to mention technology. The elves wasted their long lives in simple fashion. Grieving at how left behind the elves were, Falasa could not wait to hand over his crown to his son, who had been learning of a civilization that was way more advanced than the kingdom they visited.
“His Majesty King Falasa has arrived!”
The Elf King walked tall among human soldiers who bowed respectfully to a king of different races, which were tied together by hundreds of years of history. The Kingdom of Armin held the elves in the highest regard. The inhabitants viewed the land of Valora as a sacred entity. Even their monarch, King Armin III, ran cheerfully as soon as he saw the handsome elf figure.
“Grandpa! Welcome!”
Falasa squinted with scolding eyes. Before him, a 70-year-old human king, the wrinkled man always acted like a child in his presence. Falasa was indeed King Armin III's own grandfather. Even though there was no blood relationship between them, the human king didn't care. He acted spoiled whenever Falasa was around.
“Don't whine about being carried, Sonare. Remember your age.”
“Where is Uncle Varg?” The Old King cheerfully looking around to find someone. “I miss him. Hasn't he come back from Nargoth Empire?”
The Elven King tried his best to keep his face straight. King Armin III was the second person with whom Falasa often lied. “Maybe looking around for Nargoth ladies or whatsoever. We'd better discuss the sealing ceremony.”
“Hahahahaha! Have a seat!”
Armin Nobles bowed graciously to him, showing respect with a genuine smile and sincerity. They hurried for pleasantries as though they had encountered an idol. However, Falasa's charisma only affected local nobles who were born and bound by their history. His charisma wasn't felt by some nobles on different corners who stood out significantly from the others. Their faces were charming and young, almost as beautiful as the stature of the elves, even though they were nowhere near as fit as King Falasa. They seemed to hate the elf's presence. Because, in fact, they were nobles who came from the world behind the portal.
“Tsk! Those long ears are pain in the ass.” A walker noble spoke in disgust, observing the royal guest from a distance away, as if they were the source of diseases. His hatred was so obvious that his fellow walker noble tapped his shoulder, admonishing with a fake smile among the guests.
“Be respectful, Count Vardant. At least pretend to be.”
”Tsk! If only Earth allowed slavery, I'd sell those elves.”
Badub!
Sinkkkk!
The atmosphere suddenly changed. Everyone fell in silence when the elf king turned slowly, showing a cold expression toward someone who cursed at him. Falasa's long ears twitched. He could hear Vardant's disrespectful words from far away, amidst loud murmurs and cheap talks.
“What did you say?” With a deep and low voice, his threatening manner instantly tensed the atmosphere. “You want to enslave the elves?”
The elven king glanced quietly at the crowd of Walker nobles, who somehow appeared to be suffocating. They collapsed to the ground like someone who was out of breath. All of their faces were pallid. Some had passed out, their lips frothing.
King Armin III recognized the problem. He bowed to King Falasa and asked him to calm down. Anger engulfed his mind. Turning toward the group of heroes who had just humiliated his grandfather, with his last respect remaining, he told them the bare minimum of etiquette as civilized human beings.
“I don't know if Earth teaches manners. If you can't honor a guest, get—out—of—my—place!”
***
“Fuuuckk! Elven bastard!”
Bam! Bam! Bam!
At the manor, Vardant slammed the table in rage. He felt humiliated after being kicked out of the royal palace. How could King Armin be more loyal to the elf than a hero like him? Vardant lost his mind because his title was just about to be revoked.
“Because of elf bastard I almost died seven years ago! Has King Armin forgotten?”
“Cool your head, Your Highness. Please be patience.” A knight tried to calm him down.
Vardant laid down and stared at the ceiling. He tried to smile by recalling his struggles as the Walker. In the past, before he awakened, he was a loser. He did nothing but lock himself in the room, just like a normal-looking nerd whom the bully loved to torture most. But everything changed after the appearance of a small tattoo on his hand. That was a tattoo of an ice sword, a sign that he was blessed by Hiemza, the God of Frozen. His past struggle was a last piece of his pride.
“Tsk! I wish there was a way to destroy the elven.”
“There is.”
Suddenly, a crystal showed a faint light. Count Vardant jumped from his seat and knelt down, knowing that the voice belonged to the leader of all walker in Indonesia.
“What should I do, My Lord?”
“Valora Elves will hold a portal sealing ceremony. Bring your strongest team to Dragona Cave. Find the Elf Shaman, finish them off.”
The count's expression stiffed in shock. No matter how bad his hatred to the elf was, releasing dragon army was out of question. Millions of people could die. “My city could be destroyed! This wasn't part of the plan! I can't do it!”
“Who said this is a suggestion? This is an order, Vardant. Do it,” replied the light before fading into void.