Aranthor’s royal family left the capital with 500 soldiers, heading towards the border town to enter Elzaran. As they journeyed through numerous towns, they were confronted with scenes of abject poverty and heart-wrenching despair. It was the dead of winter, and the biting cold was merciless. They saw people huddled together, trying to share what little warmth they had. Children, their cheeks red and chapped, were wrapped in threadbare blankets that did nothing to shield them from the freezing temperatures.
The royal family passed houses with gaping holes in the walls, making the interiors scarcely warmer than the outside. Families shivered around dying embers, their eyes hollow with hopelessness. Sabrina turned her gaze away, finding no interest in the suffering outside her window, preferring instead to focus on thoughts of luxury and high society balls.
In the streets, the homeless lay still, their bodies stiff and blue. No one stopped to help; no one even seemed to notice. These were the forgotten souls of Aranthor, slipping away unnoticed in the cruel embrace of winter. The crown prince, Thalion, hardly spared them a glance. His thoughts were consumed by his ambitions: the throne and the princess of the empire. To him, the lives of the peasants were insignificant, mere obstacles in his grand designs. His plan was simple: marry the elven queen, merge Aranthor and Elzaran into a great nation, and then take the empire's princess as his bride. Peasants were just pawns in his game, their lives or deaths of no consequence to him.
Lyanna, on the other hand, felt a profound sorrow as they traveled through the bleak landscape. Each lifeless body, each hollow face, tugged at her heart. She dreamed of the throne as well, but with a different vision: to rid the kingdom of corrupt nobles and alleviate the suffering of the common people. She believed that with Elzaran's help, they could repel Orcathia and re-enter negotiations. The sight of people dying everywhere they passed was a constant, painful reminder of the kingdom’s dire need for change.
Finally, they reached the border town, their carriages approaching the border under the watchful eyes of more guards than expected. Their carriages stopped at a distance.
"I am Captain Houston, serving the royal family. May I speak to the person in charge?" Houston asked.
"Nice to meet you, Captain Houston. I am Captain Thorne of the border guard. How can I help you?" Thorne responded.
"Our queen and her family would like to meet with your queen," said Houston.
"Okay, what is the reason for meeting our queen?" asked Thorne.
"It is classified information, so please give way," said Houston.
"I apologize, but you cannot enter Elzaran without stating your purpose. Please return," said Thorne.
Houston returned to the carriage to talk to the royal family, then came back with Thalion and Lyanna. They introduced themselves.
"I hope Captain Houston explained it to you. You cannot be allowed to enter without stating a reason," said Thorne.
"We are the royal family. We don't need to explain ourselves to peasants," said Thalion.
"I understand, sir. That may be so in your country, but not in Elzaran. You don't need to explain yourself. Please leave if you feel like not talking to me," said Thorne.
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"How dare you insult me! Once I become the king of this—"
Lyanna interrupted him, "Please forgive us, Sir Thorne. We just came to form an alliance."
"An alliance?" Thorne was taken aback. Lyanna started to explain in detail, realizing they would not be allowed to enter if they remained silent and insisted on their royal status.
Thorne understood and left her to talk with a few people. When he returned, he said, "I see you brought many people; however, only ten people will be allowed to enter the country."
"What do you expect us to do with this many people, then?" asked Thalion.
"It's none of my business, sir."
"Thank you, Sir Thorne, for being gentle with us," said Lyanna. They picked seven people to enter with them.
After crossing the border, they were offered to stay in a large, well-furnished house while Thorne contacted the capital for permission to let them proceed. Five hours later, Thorne returned with permission for them to enter. Since it was late, they stayed overnight and continued the next morning. They woke up early, were given free food, and never asked to pay for their overnight stay.
"My name is Namu, and I will be your guide," said a beautiful golden elf.
"We would like to reach the capital as soon as possible, no sightseeing, please," said Lyanna.
"Oh, okay," said Namu. They left their carriage and entered the one Namu provided. It was as fancy as their own, and they felt comfortable. As they traveled from town to town, they noticed clean streets and thriving communities. Children with warm clothes played outside. Lyanna envied this nation and wished it were Aranthor. Sabrina saw herself living there once her son married the queen. Thalion admired his future kingdom and dreamed of making the people even happier with his ideas, like increasing taxes to build a statue of himself.
Even though they were in a hurry, they had to stop in every town for the horses to rest. They would book an inn and eat delicious food. Soldiers patrolled everywhere, markets were busy, and the orphanages surprised them. There were homes where orphans were well taken care of.
"Mother, I cannot believe everyone can go to school here despite their status," said Lyanna.
"It seems Elzaran is as rich as they say," said Sabrina.
"If they pamper commoners like this, soon they won't know who their masters are," said Thalion.
The next day, they reached the capital of Elfan. They entered a dreamland, all in awe. Sabrina was the happiest, having finally arrived at the place she always dreamed of. They went into the palace and were welcomed by Adaline, who referred them to Sana, responsible for arranging meetings with the queen. They introduced themselves.
"I apologize, but Her Highness and His Majesty are not in the palace at the moment. However, you can sit here and wait for them if you don't mind," said Sana.
"Thank you, Ms. Sana. We will wait," said Lyanna.
Thalion kept his complaints quiet. Sabrina and Lyanna glared at him. His education was a problem; his parents spoiled him, and as royalty, he did whatever he wanted. He believed he was special and greatness would follow him. They were given tea and, three hours later, delicious food. As the sun set, they were guided to a luxurious inn, staying without paying and eating for free, courtesy of the Elzaran royal family. They couldn't meet the queen that day. The next morning after breakfast, Namu brought good news. The queen was ready to meet them, so they left immediately for the palace. Sana guided them to the queen's office and knocked lightly. "Come in."
"Honey, I told you we should have just ran away and returned after a month," said Leona.
"Have you seen the workload I have? I don't want it to increase," said Elfan.
As they entered, two golden elves and a dark elf were enjoying a conversation. They stopped talking and paid attention to the guests. Sana introduced both the queen and king, while Sabrina introduced herself and her children. They only bowed slightly, as it is their custom not to kneel to anyone but their king. They were offered seats. Sana left the room to continue her duties.
"How may I help you?" asked Leona.
"We are here to form an alliance," said Lyanna.
"Why is the princess the one doing the talking, not the queen?" Elfan thought as he looked at Sabrina. She was very beautiful, competing with elves in beauty and physique.
"An alliance? You didn't need to come yourself. Even if you sent a messenger, I would understand," said Leona.
"No, coming in person will make the bond between our countries stronger," said Lyanna.
"Okay then, I don't have a problem being your ally. We will start with trading goods, and if things go well, we will also sign a non-aggression treaty," said Leona.
"Thank you, Queen Leona," said Lyanna.
"To seal the relationship between our two countries and to ensure the bond is never broken, please marry my son," said Sabrina.
The room fell silent. Leona, Anna, and Elfan did not expect that request. At the same time, Thalion was already in love with Leona. Even though she was not as beautiful as the princess from the empire, she was beautiful enough to deserve to be his wife. The silent moment was disturbed by an uninvited guest. The uninvited guest entered without knocking, but complaining.
"How dare you not invite me when we have humans in the palace," said Leonie.
Does this idiot think humans are some rare species?, Elfan thought.
She was followed by Sana, who held a chair and put it next to Elfan. Elfan had Leona on his right and Leonie on his left. The guests were shocked. They had never received information that the queen had a twin sister.