We continued on our journey to Thysa uninterrupted, and over the course of two weeks that Alice and I spent together, I’d say we had gotten quite close. It was refreshing to listen to someone so full of life, living a lifestyle vastly different from mine. Despite her still not revealing much about who she was, I had a solid guess in mind, and if I was right, then the reasoning behind secrecy was more than justifiable. However, none of that truly mattered as the endearing elf I’ve been with was nothing less than a charming, light-hearted traveling companion. She made Thysa sound breathtaking on more than one occasion, making me eagerly await our arrival as I wanted to see it myself.
Alice was ecstatic once things started becoming familiar; however, as we got closer and closer to her home, she started looking anxious. I wanted to find a way to help, but all I could do was talk about it while we spent our last night together before reaching Thysa.
“I might end up missing our nights out like this.” I smiled, looking at her while rolling around in my bedroll.
“I’ll miss them for sure.” Alice sighed, turning to me with a meek smile. “Who knows, maybe we get a chance to do this again.”
“I’m all for it.” I chuckled but noticed her mood hadn’t improved all day. “Hey. . .”
“Hmm?” She gazed into my eyes. “They’ve gotten a lot better.”
“What?” I looked confused for a second as I had something to say.
“Your eyes,” she pointed out, pleased that she managed to help me out. “They’re no longer bloody.”
“That’s not-”
“Did you drink the mixture today?”
What she was referring to was a mixture of herbs Alice spotted that helped ease the pain and the infection over the course of a few days.
“Yes, I did. Now can you let me speak, okay?” I chuckled again, knowing she was interrupting me to avoid talking about how she felt.
“Fine. . .” Alice sighed.
“Come on. . . I’m sure everyone will be thrilled to see you back. Why worry so much?”
“Thrilled? Sure. Let’s say that.” She chuckled sarcastically. “I’ll be glad if I step foot outside my house ever again.”
“Then I’ll just have to come and save you. . . again,” I joked, giving her a wink.
“Promise?” She tucked a hand under the blanket she used as a pillow, sounding hopeful that I was being sincere.
“I do,” I said confidently. “I guess it sounds weird if someone says this about themselves, but I don’t like making promises I can’t keep, so trust me.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” she said, closing her eyes as a few strands of hair slid down her face, which she quickly pushed back behind her pointy ear.
“To think I’ll soon get to see those gardens you kept talking about so passionately.” I turned on my back, tucking my hands behind my head, letting a sigh of relief escape me. “I wonder if your house is up on a tree with a beautiful view.”
“Despite constantly upping the expectations, I’m still confident you’ll be left speechless,” she bragged, smiling coyly.
“I’m sure I will,” I said, glancing back at her. “Goodnight, Allie.”
“Night, night. . . Alex.”
----------------------------------------
Early in the morning, our journey continued as Alice seemed to have found the courage to erase her doubts. It was wild thinking about how different our circumstances and the source of our anxiety were at the thought of returning, despite both wishing for it.
Staring down at the ground, lost in my thoughts, I noticed Alice suddenly stopping in place. When I glanced back to see what was wrong, I found her with a soft smile, taking a deep breath before she looked at me.
“We’re here,” she said, making me pay attention to what was ahead as she took the lead.
When I first saw the outer wall of Thysa that guarded the city, it left me gazing in awe. While it blocked us from seeing inside, the whitestone wall covered in flowers and vines along with engraved arcane runes that glowed already exceeded my expectations, and the gate leading in was no different. Hanging from the heavily guarded wall was the Royal Family banner, a white tree representing the Sacred Tree of Thysa centered on a lime green field. While I couldn’t see its colors, my mother had me memorize all the banners belonging to royal families across the continent of Nuia, something most nobles had to do.
“You okay?” I asked as we got closer to the gates, noticing a few guards wearing elven chain armor with the royal sigil painted on their helmets slowly approaching.
“Yeah,” she said confidently, forming a fist in her right hand.
Without saying a word, the guards kneeled before us in respect to Alice once they got close enough. They greeted her in elven, and despite not knowing the language, there was no need for a translation for me to pick up on who she actually was. As I’ve guessed, my traveling companion turned out to be none other than the Princess of Thysa Alice Kelthyra, daughter of Queen Sylphena Kelthyra.
Once they stood back up, they proceeded to talk in elven, but Alice cut them off by raising her hand.
“We have a guest that doesn’t know High-Elven, so I ask you to speak Common,” she said, glancing back at me.
“As you command,” said the captain of the guards, whose face I couldn’t see.
“Princess, huh?” I smirked, having figured it out earlier.
“We’ll talk about it later.” Alice’s gaze went back to the captain. “Captain Rengel, please escort us inside.”
“My apologizes, Princess, but I can’t abide by your request.” He lowered his head.
“What? Why?” She looked confused. “Don’t tell me that my mother banished me from Thysa?”
“Of course she didn’t.” He dared chuckle. “However, we were given orders to inform our superiors as soon as you arrived. They should be arriving shortly.”
“Great. . .” she mumbled, looking behind him as a cloud of mana appeared out of nowhere, out of which stepped an elderly man that hardly reached to my chin.
“Who’s he?” I whispered, glancing at the walking stick he carried with him.
“A rotten apple. . .”
“Welcome home, Princess,” the old man said with a gravelly voice, but despite being someone Alice disliked, he at least did me the courtesy of speaking Common. “I see you’ve brought company.”
“Elder Zavix,” Alice said, sounding annoyed right off the bat. “You’ve truly provided me with a heartwarming welcome.”
Zavix followed the trend of having long hair and a well-groomed beard that reached all the way to his belly. You could tell he was past his prime as his skin wrinkled and his back arched a bit. The unusual and large mole on his crooked nose made me wonder if he was ever good-looking in the first place like all the elves are assumed to be.
Ignoring what Alice said, he gazed into my eyes and spoke in Elven, making the guard closest to me approach from my side. Luckily, the guard’s demeanor was in no way aggressive, allowing me to remain calm under pressure, but in the meantime, Alice and the Elder argued back and forth, and I couldn’t understand a word said.
“Your weapon,” the guard demanded.
“Ah, right. . .” I removed it from my belt and handed it over while glancing at Alice, who looked like she wanted to draw hers.
He obviously had a way of getting under her skin, and with such a vast age difference, he demanded unquestioned respect despite her title. Sadly, I couldn’t get involved as it’d risk things escalating; however, Alice prepared for such outcomes.
“How rude of us to keep our guest waiting outside like this,” he said, looking back at me. “I hope you don’t mind, as I’m sure the Princess informed you of the trouble she caused by running away from home to go on her little adventure. Would you mind waiting inside the palace while we finish our little chat?”
“Ah, I-”
“Alex, it’s okay. We’ll head inside together,” Alice reassured me.
“Of course.” I nodded.
The gates opened, and we entered the city for the first time, allowing me to witness the untouched beauty that was Thysa. Full of life, hundreds of elves walked down the stone-paved street with their eyes glued to us as we passed by. I could see the awed looks on their faces as most of them saw a human for the first time, not to mention that I had the Princess next to me.
They built their houses around the tall trees and on top of platforms connected by hanging bridges, making it a nightmare for anyone scared of heights, while their gardens made the Kallis Estate look laughable in comparison. Elves seemed to dress in loose, comfortable clothing, and even the poorer-looking folk looked well off, as poverty wasn’t a thing in Thysa. Of course, it was easy to tell the rich apart, Elder Zavix being an example with his patterned robe.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
Eventually, we reached a bridge leading over the river that flowed through the city and toward the Grand Palace built around the Sacred Tree, the largest on the continent. Whitestone steps led to the entrance of the palace that I’d believed only existed in fairytales. Everything from the open balconies with shutterless windows to the narrow dome-tipped towers surrounding it felt surreal, as the guards and servants attending bowed respectfully before Alice as she walked by.
When they split us off, Alice reassured me not to worry and that she’d come to see me soon, which eased my mind. Now I got to enjoy what appeared to be a waiting room full of food and drinks as if they awaited a larger company.
Crashing into a cushioned chair for a change, they left me no choice but to wait patiently.
“I hope things go well,” I mumbled to myself.
ALICE KELTHYRA:
“Do you even understand what you’ve done, Princess?” The elder scolded me, making me want to punch his rotten face.
“I’m fully aware of my misdeeds, but it is not your place to berate me, Elder.” I kept my cool, letting out a frustrated sigh.
I was aware that something like this would happen the moment I returned, but I expected it to be either my father or mother to hold me a lecture and not one of the Council members.
“I wouldn’t call this berating, Princess. All I’m doing is ensuring that you don’t do something like this ever again.”
“It is not your place to do so. If I wish to leave Thysa, it is my right, and I’m sure my mother would agree to that.”
“She’d agree after assigning a dozen guards to walk by your side. You went to the Beastlands alone. You’re lucky to be alive, but that’s not even the main issue we’re dealing with.”
I was waiting for him to get to the point since he obviously wasn’t worried about me. The only good he ever saw in me was to be a bride to his grandson, who was three years older than me and a former friend. Last year when he returned from the academy, he asked for my hand publicly, and I refused, but the story didn’t end there.
Hurt by the rejection, Zavix’s son took revenge by smearing my name among those I used to call friends, saying things about how I always looked down on them and how I led him on for years. It sounded silly to me, and I believed none would take his word for it, but I was shocked when I learned how massive of a rift he created. He said accepting his proposal would fix my problem, but instead, I blasted him with a spell, saying I’d rather die. That was the dumbest thing I could’ve done, as it branded me with quite a reputation and made many lose their trust in me. Luckily, he wasn’t hurt, but not that it mattered since we had plenty of healers capable of fixing any injury I could’ve inflicted. He must’ve let me hit him on purpose since he was already a skilled mage attending the second grade at the academy who could easily defeat me.
“I’d appreciate it if you could stop wasting our time and get on with it.”
“So brash. . .” he mumbled. “Why did you allow a human to come to Thysa? Do you even understand the danger it brings us?”
“What? He saved my life, and I trust him more than I trust you.”
“That doesn’t matter. If the Kingdom of Eleron learned that one of their nobles went missing after an ambush and somehow that child ended up in Thysa, it’d give enough cause for them to start a war if they wished.”
“Alex would’ve told them what happened.” I couldn’t believe what he was saying. “Wait, how do you even know about that?”
“It doesn’t matter, nor does it matter if that kid spoke the truth or not. That’s not how politics work, and you’re too young to understand.”
“The seer told you, didn’t he?” I chuckled, starting to understand what was happening. “My parents don’t even know I’m here yet, do they? You knew I’d get home which is why nobody followed me after I ran away.”
“Now is not the time to worry about such things,” he tried getting back to the topic that interested him, but I wasn’t going to let him.
“I demand to see my mother.”
“You lost your right to demand such things the moment you acted childishly!” he raised his voice for the first time.
“You misunderstood me, Elder. I wasn’t asking for permission. I was giving an order. While you might be a member of the wise,” I paused, “Council. . . I’m still the Royal Princess of Thysa and have authority above yours. I’m sure you understand what that means,” I looked at him sternly with my arms crossed. “Don’t cause us more trouble than we need.”
I could see the fury built up in his eyes, but he managed to remain calm by letting out a sigh.
“Very well, Princess. However, your mother isn’t in Thysa right now. She’ll be returning in a few days.”
“Is my father here?” I asked, knowing that he did everything behind the Queen’s back.
I would’ve ordered him sooner had I known none of these orders were my mother’s.
“He is.”
“That’ll do.”
ALEXANDER KALLIS:
Their chat took longer than I expected, so I indulged in the food and drinks served on the table. They must’ve foreseen me doing so, right? Nobody would blame me, considering how long I hadn’t eaten real food, and no matter what I picked, it all melted in my mouth. Even the fruit felt leagues above ours.
“I see you’re enjoying yourself,” spoke an unknown male voice.
Caught with my mouth stuffed, I awkwardly turned to see a male elf whose age I could not tell in a million years, but he appeared to be in his prime. He had his hair tied in a ponytail that almost reached his lower back, and other than his good looks and surprisingly well-built body, there wasn’t much I could describe about him due to my colorless vision. As he approached, I noticed he was a bit shorter than me, but so were the other elves. However, what really intrigued me was how he snuck up on me despite me not sensing an ounce of mana within him. Well, that and his ridiculous robe that looked like someone’s first attempt at tailoring, even the patterns didn’t match.
I tried swallowing quickly and nearly choked on the food, forced to down a cup of water.
“Take it easy,” he chuckled. “There’s more where that came from.”
“Sorry.” I coughed, trying to regain my composure as I was a bit embarrassed.
“No need to apologize,” he kept laughing, seeming quite relaxed for an odd fellow. “Besides, it was me who suddenly interrupted you.” I kept looking at him, and the more I did, the more confused I became. “You must be wondering why I’m here.”
“Well, you’re either a guest here, which I doubt, or you came to ask me what happened on our journey.”
“It appears you’re quick-witted. I like that about a man.” He smirked, taking a cup and pouring himself water. “Indeed, I came to ask about your trip with our Princess.”
“What do you want to know?” I asked, standing awkwardly as the man gazed back at me.
It was clear he wanted information, and it was in my best interest to share, considering where I was.
“You’re blind, aren’t you?” He took a sip of water.
“Yes, sort of.”
“I can see the poison coursing through your body. You’ve only recently started curing it.”
“It’s thanks to Alice. She made me a mixture that helped ease the infection.”
“If only she paid as much attention when it came to swordplay as she does for her mother’s garden.”
“Are you her teacher?”
“Teacher? Ah, well, I guess you could call me that.” He awkwardly chuckled, scratching his head. “At least she seemed to mention me.”
“She didn’t share much about her personal life. Sorry,” I said, awkwardly smiling back.
“That’s fine,” he reassured me, lowering the cup. “Alice still brought you here.”
“I hope she didn’t cause too much trouble. I was just looking for a way back home.”
“That’s not something you should be worrying about,” he said calmly, sounding friendly enough to make me feel a bit at ease. “I apologize if I sound a bit too intrigued by your situation, but you use mana to sense your surroundings, don’t you?”
“Umm, yeah?” I was hesitant to answer. After all, this was who told Alice to keep her abilities a secret. “I probably shouldn’t be admitting that, should I?”
“Ha! It seems Alice blabbed about herself as well.” He figured us both out in an instant. “I guess it’s fine if it’s someone honest like yourself. However, keep what you told me a secret, even here.”
“I shall keep your guidance in mind.”
“Such politeness. Maybe you could teach Alice a thing or two.”
“Maybe I wouldn’t go that far,” I chuckled, slowly starting to relax. “Mind if I ask you something as well?”
“Go ahead.” He just kept smiling at me.
“So how did you end up being Alice’s. . . I mean, the Princess’s teacher or mentor? Whichever you prefer.”
“Oh, quite simple. I’m h-”
Our conversation was interrupted by Alice suddenly bursting into the room alone.
“Alex!” She sounded glad to see me again, but her attention was stolen quickly by the man next to me. “Dad?”
“Dad?” I mumbled to myself before my eyes went wide.
A second later, all I could think about was, holy shit, this man is the King of Thysa. Petrified, I stood in place, hoping I’d just fall over and die.
“Is that how you greet your father after running away, young lady?” He raised an eyebrow, leaning against the table with his arms crossed.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, completely disregarding his question. “More importantly, what are you wearing?”
“If you must know, I was having a pleasant conversation with the boy you brought home. And-”
“What?!” She yelled, flustered. “How could you say it like that?”
“Did I say something wrong?” He looked back at me, but I was speechless.
Never in my life had I wanted a do-over as much as I did at that very moment.
“Dad! Please,” she covered her face, embarrassed by her father.
“And as I was saying, before you rudely interrupted me,” he paused, looking back and forth between us. “You’ve never had the chance of seeing this fabulous robe because your mother forbids me from ever wearing it again. However, to me, it is a treasure I shall cherish forever as it is the first thing your mother ever made for me with her own hands! And while she’s embarrassed by it, I’ll wear it proudly for the whole world to see, as long as she’s not around to kill me.”
“I don’t know what to say?” Alice stared blankly at her father, caught off guard by his explanation.
His name was Elwyn Kelthyra, Alice’s father, King of Thysa, and the known Elven hero that stood against the humans that invaded their homes. However, like the Queen, he seemed to have held little to no hatred toward them after so many years.
“Well,” he said, looking back at me. “As long as you two promise to keep the robe a secret, I’m sure we could avoid any major punishments for our little girl’s misbehaving.”
“Sounds like a heavily favorable deal for you,” I dared try joking around, but luckily it got him laughing. “However, I think we can do that. Right, Princess?”
“Right.” she chuckled, approaching my side, and leaning against my shoulder.
“Well, it seems we have a deal,” King Elwyn said, looking at Alice squintingly with a coy smirk.
“Yes, your Majesty,” I said, unsure how to refer to her father.
“Oh, please. Call me Elwyn,” he said, but the thought of calling her father, the king, by his name blew my mind.
“I. . . Um. I can’t make such promises.” I awkwardly smiled yet again.
“Relax,” Alice said, nudging me. “Father’s the goofiest person you’ll meet, so call him whatever.”
“I’ve spoiled you too much,” he sighed for the first time, looking back at me. “Now, shall we find you a room to stay in?”
Chapter End.
Thank you for reading!