Rory POV

From battle to a carriage escorted by the General Ceres of Desfyran Royal Guard, this was the difference of traveling with a prince. The carriage was black with gold trim, exuding extravagance. Braxton and Emera were trying to discretely while holding hands on the bench across from Silas and me. There should be a sense of relief since we were entering the capital city, but there was a heavy feeling between the four of us. We had been through so much together in the last two…no three months now.

“Silas,” I started to ask when Emera gasped as we came around enormous hills.

There were trees covered in beautiful hues of yellow, orange, and red. Cyran was a grand city built on a river, but Desfyra was built in the river. There were more canals in this city than there were roads. All the autumn flowers were in bloom in the planters along the sides of the canal. The buildings were built from stone with wooden arches. Accents of blue, green, and brown around the gray stone of the village buildings made the blue water of the canals pop. Windows were big and welcoming, showing off the diverse population of the city.

The castle stood tall in the middle of the canal city. Its white towers could be seen from the forest from which we emerged. The spires were different shades of blue against the white fluffy clouds of the sky. Cobblestone bridges connected the city streets to the castle gates. Long, row boats shuttled people around the city instead of carts along the city streets. No wonder Silas and Braxton knew how to handle ships so well.

“This is where you live?” Emera looked around dumbfounded.

Braxton gave her a peck on the cheek. “It could be where we live.” His voice was all smooth like butter.

“Making plans, Braxy?” Emera teased, leaning into him.

Suddenly, this carriage felt very small and steamy. Silas gave me an awkward glance before staring back out the window, which didn’t help the situation. “Shouldn’t you be hyping us up to meet your sister?” I elbowed him, playfully.

“Heh, not much to tell. She’s the queen of the elven kingdom. Many people come to Desfyra because her policies and laws are friendlier than others. Her people love her. The court tolerates her. My parents let her take the reins when she was about 300.” Silas rattled off facts about his sister. “She’s the ideal queen.”

It wasn’t long before we walked into the throne room to meet the famous queen. General Ceres led us through the grand doors. Courtiers were lined on either side of the path to the throne. Everyone here was an elf, which surprised me. After seeing the city, I imagined nobles and those who hold public office would be from different races. I suppose my hopes for Desfyra are ahead of my time. I should just be happy Queen Amory wishes to see us.

The blue and white trends continued inside the castle as well. We walked down the rug toward the silver throne that echoed the arches in the city. On the throne, sat a woman with longer pointed ears than Silas. Her eyes were silver like the throne beneath her. She had long black hair decorated in small braids around her simple, silver tiara. Her face matched Silas’, but her features were softer than his.

“Queen Amory Halestone, may I present you brother, Prince Silas Halestone, on his return to court.” General Ceres sounded so official.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Silas stepped forward to bow to his sister, and Braxton signaled us to bow too. Queen Amory left her silver throne and descended a small staircase toward Silas. She had a sword on her hip, and her gown was loose, allowing for a full range of motion. The queen drew her sword, which made my heart stop until Silas responded to her attack in kind. An epic battle between siblings brought the throne into chaos.

Silas threw ice at Queen Amory who would turn and strike him with her flaming sword. Ice versus fire raged, ripping the curtains to shreds. Black blast marks marred the silver throne. The courtiers retreated from the throne room aside from a select few. General Ceres commanded us to move when the elf siblings got too close with their dual. It lasted another twenty minutes before General Ceres called it a draw.

Queen Amory came away gleefully laughing at her little brother. “You’ve gotten better, Si.”

“Wasn’t that the point of studying at the wizard’s guild?” He smiled at his sister, and they hugged briefly before approaching us.

“Braxton,” Queen Amory greeted. “I hope you weren’t bored to death at the Wizard’s Guild for the last few years.”

“They had decent beer, so it wasn’t a total loss.” Braxton grabbed her arm like orc warriors do to greet each other. I felt less worried watching this queen interact with Silas and Braxton.

Queen Amory stood in front of Emera and me with a wide grin. “Am I to understand that you are the ‘Red Lady’, hero of the N’ila slaves and slayer of pirates?”

Well, how am I supposed to respond to that? “I wouldn’t say hero, your highness. Silas and Braxton offered to travel with me when I needed help, so it was natural for me to agree to help them in their time of need.”

“Modest one, isn’t she, Mylor?” Queen Amory stood with her hands on her hips, looking from me to the male elf standing off to the side. “Silas has petitioned me for your request, Emera and Rosewyn.” She whispered to both of us so no one else could hear.

“Seems so, Your Highness,” he answered. “I wonder if she is all that our dear prince said she is.” This tall, thin middle-aged elf studied me.

Queen Amory looked at me closely, invading my personal space. “I sense two magic items on her, which matches what I have heard.” She grabbed my hand in hers, and I felt her mana invade mine for a moment. “Her mana level is quite high as well.” She released my hand and took a step back.

“Amory,” Silas warned. “You are making my companion uncomfortable.”

Queen Amory’s eyes lit up like the sun at Silas’ words. “Companion?”

“Yes, my-” Silas stopped himself. “Wait, Amory!”

Queen Amory called over a hefty-looking, bald elf who carried a special stone in his hand. “Milow, quick. Test them.” She commanded as she bounced up and down.

Before I understood what was happening, Milow grabbed my hand and Silas onto the stone. He started mumbling some words in Elvish. I was beginning to be creeped out by these nobles just touching me so casually. Would it hurt them to ask? Silas was over here yelling at his sister to stop trying to force things when the strange stone we were helping began to shine. A number appeared above the stone, reading eighty-three out of one hundred. The room went silent.

“Heaven has blessed us!” Queen Amory declared, and I yanked my hand away from this Milow guy.

“What the hell?” I felt like the butt of a joke as the Queen was busy celebrating with her remaining courtiers. I looked at Silas, but he was looking at his damn hand, stunned to speak. Emera had moved next to me, running her hand along my arm to keep me grounded. “Someone wants to explain what just happened.”

Everyone stopped to look at me as I raised my voice in front of the queen. Queen Amory approached me happily. “You have answered our prayers, child.”

“That tells me nothing.” I looked at her unmoved by her words.

She looked at her brother for a moment who was completely checked out of this situation. “I see. Silas hasn’t told you much about himself has he?” I wasn’t sure how to answer. “Very well. Walk with me, Red Lady. I will explain.”

Braxton encouraged me to go with Queen Amory. Emera told me to trust my gut. Silas was still speechless but nodded for me to go with her. Mylor and General Ceres weren’t as happy as the other courtiers in the room and tried to object. Silas silenced them as the queen pulled toward an exit. He trusted his sister to explain this to me, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what she meant.