The meeting was going poorly. Things were threatening to unwind as the counsel destabilized into panic and shouting. The demon hoard was here. It was the end of all things.

Princess Thalia felt herself being swept up in the tide of despair that was threatening to overcome the last gathering of elves and men, but her role was to provide an aura of quiet serenity wherever she went, and if that was all she had to offer in these dark times, she would do so now. Unfortunately, her brother, the King of the elves, didn't share her sense of duty. Amidst all the shouting, he leaned over to two of his closest advisers and whispered low enough that Thalia herself was likely the only one to hear them. "Gather your most trusted warriors. This alliance is over. We'll retreat behind our walls to enjoy what time we have left while we wait for the end!"

His words drove a knife into Thalia's heart. She watched as he, the noble King of elves, snuck out of the war council, leaving everyone else to their fates. For but a moment, her serene smile faltered as her eyes threatened to overflow with unwanted tears, but that was when she caught his eyes for the first time.

At the other side of the room, a human general met her gaze. He was far too young for the role that had been thrust upon his shoulders more by vacancy and necessity than experience, but his gaze held a steely resolve that helped Thalia find her serenity once more. She smiled and nodded her gratitude to the man who probably had no idea what he'd just done for her.

He grinned toothily at her, and she noticed a wicked gleam in his eyes. Thalia continued to watch as he took a deep breath and bellowed over the crowd, drawing everyone's attention as he did so. "Lords, ladies, and fellow generals! All I am hearing are words of the lost and defeated. This is the doom of our times! The end is here! Let us run and hide, buying what little time we may!"

Thalia wondered if maybe this man had noticed her brother's disgraceful acts and was about to level accusations to remove the blame of the failure of this war from his own shoulders. The princess couldn't even blame him. If this was how he wanted to spend his last days, so be it.

However, he seemed far from over with his theatrics. As he swept into the middle of the crowd that parted before his manic energy, he theatrically spit on the ground. The room was now quiet enough to hear the soft wet impact. Thalia hid her distaste even as he spoke up louder than before. "Maybe you're right, maybe this is the end! But before I die, I'm going to take advantage of this opportunity the demons have given us!"

The room was so quiet now even Thalia's heartbeat seemed deafeningly loud in her ears. She was wondering the same thing every other person in the room was wondering. What opportunity could this mad man mean? He didn't waste the attention and even stood on a table dramatically, pointing into the distance toward the approaching demonic horde. "In all the time we've fought them, the demons have been careful and meticulous, teasing and testing our lines with constant harassment, never standing and fighting unless they had the advantage. They spread out and overwhelmed us with numbers we couldn't hope to match, thinning our ranks as we stretched too thin."

Every warrior present knew precisely what the mad man meant. Trying to pin down the demon army was like trying to pin down your shadow, and every attempt saw you slowly clawed and bitten from behind. But now, the man unleashed that wild smile of his on the crowd, and Thalia could feel the tiniest surge of hope from the gathered lords and ladies, and the man drove his point home. "But now, for the first time, all of the demonic horde is in one place. All of their champions, lords, and heroes stand before us. They think we're broken, weary, and at our ends. They think to intimidate us with a show of force before butchering us like cattle. They think we have no fight left in us."

The look in his eyes was mad and infectious. Thalia could feel the hearts of everyone in the room starting to beat stronger and faster as the tempo and volume of his speech gained traction. To her, the hearts of these warriors sounded like the drums of war as the mad man made his final point. "But in their arrogance, the demons have made their first two mistakes. They backed us into a corner, and then they gave us a target to strike at! Gather your men! If we must die this day, then let us ride out and meet them like warriors! Let us take the opportunity they've given us to drive a spear into the heart of our enemy. Let us break the horde here and now then return home as heroes!"

A wild cheer rose up from the crowd, and man and elf alike ran out to organize this final desperate insane assault, leaving only Thalia and the mad human general alone. As he approached her, the princess felt her heart beat faster. A thought occurred to her. ‘What would this insane human do to her now that they were alone?’ But, in truth, she didn't care. If he could bring hope to her people in these dark times, he could do whatever he wished with her, and Thalia would consider it a price worth paying.

He drew close but stopped just short. His pungent smell was offensive to Thalia's delicate nose, but she could still feel that wild energy radiating off him in waves. His smile was still feral, but there was something else hidden there the princess couldn't place. One moment turned to two, then three, and finally, the human spoke. "I'm not sure how it is with elves, but in human society, when a dashing knight runs off to face down the evils that threaten the land, it's customary for a maiden to bestow a favor to him to give the heroic knight a reason to return."

Thalia's mind was a blur. What did this human mean by "a favor?" then she recalled seeing pictures of knights in a book in her brother's library. In the images, ladies had given the knights pieces of cloth to wear into battle. Is that what this man was asking for? Some object to remember her by while he fought? It was such a simple thing, so she relented. "Alright, what would you..."

Then she was cut off when the man took advantage of her acceptance and leaned in and kissed the elven noble. As he did so, his emotions crashed into her as she felt everything that was hidden behind his words. At his center was a bottomless pit of fear and despair such that the pathetic fears that had threatened to overwhelm Thalia before paled in comparison. But around that pit swirled a storm of anger, defiance, and determination, and through it all pierced the thinnest ray of hope. It was a mear sliver of a thing, so fine Thalia would have lost track of it if it weren't for the fact that this man's soul clung to it with feverish might.

The intensity of all his emotions shook Thalia deeply, even as the man pulled back and looked at her with the wild smile and insane eyes that she now had the barest understanding of. His expression softened only slightly as he spoke one last time. "Now that is a kiss worth living for!"

Before she could gather her wits, the human was gone, and Thalia found herself mourning the man whose name she'd never learned.

-

Thalia smiled as she watched her husband, King Reignhold shift uncomfortably on his throne. The poor man had no idea she'd been the King's sister, and after the other lords and nobles deposed her cowardly brother, they'd been overjoyed to learn the mad human who'd led them to victory in their darkest hour was also interested in the princess whose hand would decide the next King.

All he'd known at the time was that he was flushed with his victory and impossible survival, and she was a beautiful maiden. Their celebration was just what one naturally did after such a thing. He'd been the center of many feasts and toasts, but he didn't catch on until too late that one of those had been a wedding feast, and he was the groom of honor.

Not that he minded too much. If marriage was the price of the pleasure of Thalia's company, it was a small price to pay. The whole king thing, though... That was a different matter.

He'd been every bit as wild and energetic a king as he'd been a general, so much so that his new subjects often affectionately referred to him as the Mad King. He was known for being the first to dive into trouble and the last to walk away from it. He behaved nothing like any sane king they'd ever known, and they loved him for it.

Under his rule, the elven and human alliance had gone from a fragile, temporary thing to a mighty country that rivaled any of the older, more "pure" nations that bordered them.

As time passed, there were signs of his aging. As much as Thalia tried to drive them from her mind, his mortality weighed on her. Not that she regretted marrying her “Mad King,” she just didn't want their brief time together to come to an end. But try as she might, the signs were slowly starting to become harder to ignore. His arms didn't swing as freely when he walked, and his legs sometimes seemed to become heavy. In addition, his posture was becoming slightly stooped, and his arms and legs seemed quick to get sore and stiff.

The people listened to and respected their King. But, recently, he'd been growing tired of the bureaucracy. Unless he took a direct hand in anything, nothing seemed to get done. That's when he came up with the clever idea he was about to present.

Thalia watched her mad husband with pride as he presented an insane idea that only he could have come up with. "Lords, ladies, nobles, and rabble, I come before you with a proposal for the future of our kingdom!"

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There was a cheer from the crowd. Even the elven lords smiled with as much affection as they were capable of. Which, according to Reignhold, was none at all, but he trusted Thalia that it was there even if he couldn't discern it. The King continued. "As it stands, our country needs a way to more efficiently make decisions. As evidence of this, during our last rainy season, we took so long deliberating the best way to deal with the floodwaters we almost lost many of our vital crops. To that end, I propose a new council. It will consist of seven members. Three humans and three elves. Each respectively representing the nobles, the clergy, and the common men and women of their respective races, with the King or Queen acting as an arbitrator, and only in the event of a deadlocked vote, possessing the seventh vote."

The people were murmuring amongst themselves. This sounded promising so far, but it was missing their King's now-familiar odd touch. However, it seemed Reignhold wasn't finished. Getting the people's attention once more, he continued. "However, to keep this from becoming a counsel of elves versus men, the elven leaders will be voted for by humans, and the human leaders shall be voted upon by elves, encouraging us all to act for the betterment of each other rather than ourselves!"

A cheer went up from the crowd as Reignhold waved at his people. Though Thalia saw he'd tucked his right hand behind his back. It was shaking in that odd way she'd noticed it doing several times lately. She almost frowned at that, but instead turned and smiled at the crowd, moving closer to her husband as she did so.

-

Thalia was tired. She'd been covering for her husband more and more, but she didn't know how much longer she could keep the problem from the people. They'd brought in the best healers in the country and swore them to secrecy, but every inspection revealed the same thing. His body was mostly healthy. The problem lay in his mind.

The symptoms Thalia had thought to be simply mortal aging were apparently a prelude to a worsening disease that was slowly robbing her husband of his body and mind. He no longer spoke before large gatherings, and when he did speak, it was common for his voice to turn soft and trail off into incomplete thoughts. Sometimes his feet seemed to freeze to the ground, and he could not move, or worse, he'd fall over.

The once mightly warrior grew angry and withdrawn as his body slowly betrayed him. His now constantly shaking hand was a never-ending reminder of how far he'd fallen.

Despite all that, once in a while, Thalia could see the great man she'd fallen in love with shine through the darkness from time to time. When he spent time with the children, he always smiled and listened to their meandering stories and was quick with a tale or two upon request.

In quiet moments when they were alone, Thalia would place her head against his and listen to his raging emotions. Sadness and weariness were more profound and louder than ever, but so too burned the same firey determination he'd wielded against the demons. What's more, there was now a tight band of light connecting his heart to hers that burned all the brighter with each passing day despite the fear and doubt that now swarmed around him.

Still, with the Mad King’s retreat from the public light, Thalia was forced more and more to step up in his place. At first, she'd felt utterly lost in the maelstrom of politics and drama that came with the position, but then she'd think of her husband's mad smile and the wicked glint he got in his eyes when he was about to do something characteristically bold and crazy, and she'd dive right in, learning to trust herself and her own strength as she went.

All the while, she felt guilty knowing that as she was finding her own strength, her husband was losing his as he fought this unwinnable war against his own mind and body. Yet, despite all that, when she'd return from a long day of politics and negotiations, he'd always greet her with a smile. The smile had lost some of its wildness over the years, but in its own way, that smile signified an inner strength Thalia still marveled at. It marked another victory in an unwinnable war. She wondered how he always found the strength to fight on even when defeat was inevitable. But, then again, that was how they'd met.

-

Thalia walked in on the maids cleaning up after her husband's latest tantrum. She couldn't bring herself to be angry with him. It wasn't his fault, after all. It was his mind's way of dealing with the fear and confusion of a world that seemed to grow stranger as it faded in the fog of his mind a little more every day. Still, it made her sad to see him in this state. What was worse, what really tore her heart in two, was when he looked into her eyes and there was no spark of recognition. Most days, she was nothing more than another face in a sea of unknown and forgotten faces. She could feel his struggle as he fought desperately to hold onto his memories, but every day a little more slipped through his fingers.

Right now, he was sitting in his wheeled chair, watching with shame as the maids cleaned up the remnants of the dinner he'd thrown on the floor. He knew he'd done something wrong, but the once mighty warrior couldn't even remember why he'd lashed out to begin with.

The maids dealt with his tantrums with exceptional care and patience. Thalia had hand-picked each of them. Every one of them had fathers, brothers, or in the case of one elderly elf maid, a son who'd fought beside and been saved by the mad human king in their darkest hour. Now they would proudly stand by him during his own.

Once the mess was mostly cleaned up, Thalia dismissed the maids to spend a little time with her husband, even if he didn't recognize her any longer. She brought over another bowl of his favorite stew and started to feed him since his badly shaking hands rendered him unable to do so for himself any longer.

Between spoonfuls, she looked up and was startled to see the hint of his old wild smile hinted at on his face. His eyes searched hers desperately as if trying to remember something of great importance that was long forgotten.

For a moment, Thalia's hope flared as she felt his mind tugging at hers, but then the moment passed, and his eyes clouded over as he slumped in his chair. For just an instant, it was too much for her. The queen turned away and hid her eyes from the man she loved out of fear he'd see something in there that might hurt him further.

At that moment, the old king spoke, his voice soft and frail. "Oh come now, a pretty young lady like yourself must have something better to do that dote on a weak old man such like me. At your age, life is all about love and adventure! Great things are waiting for you out there! You shouldn't be shut up in a stuffy room like this."

Thalia turned and looked into her husband's eyes. There was something there, a flash similar to recognition though he still didn't seem to know who she was. But what was more important, there seemed to be an essence of his old intelligence.

She smiled back at him. "My King, there is nothing greater I could be doing right now, and nowhere I'd rather be than here with you."

The Mad King smiled sadly but fondly. "You know, you remind me of someone precious I knew so very long ago. It might be hard to believe, but she was every bit as lovely as you. Her eyes could pierce through the thickest of crowds and make you feel like you were alone in the room with her. My Thalia, the love of my life."

Thalia felt tears welling up in her eyes, but she blinked them away. It might not have been quite how she would have pictured it, but this was far too rare and precious a moment to waste. So instead, she encouraged him further. "It sounds like you love her very much. Tell me more about her."

Reignhold smiled before speaking. The love and warmth in the expression soothed Thalia's soul. "You know, the first time we met, she saved me. She saved us all, really. This whole kingdom would have fallen to the demons if not for her courage."

Thalia felt her heart fall. He was obviously confused again. "My King, as I've heard it, it was you that saved us that day."

The Frail old man tutted and shook his head as he patted Thalia's hand. "Maybe, but I was only able to do that because she saved me first. There she was, alone in a room full of great and powerful people. All of us were in an utter panic. There was no hope, the end was nigh, and we all knew it. I was ready to retreat with my armies and hide behind a wall to wait for the end to come when I looked across the room and saw her."

The King smiled as he looked off into the distance. The current world might be hidden from him by mental fog, but the world of the past remained clear to his eyes at that moment. "I saw a firey determination not to give in to despair in her eyes. It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Then, for one moment, that fire dimmed and threatened to go out. I knew then and there that I had to do something, anything, to rekindle that fire just a little longer. So I just started shouting whatever hair-brained things came to mind that might give her even a sliver of hope. Wouldn't you know it? The things I said for her worked on everyone else too. The whole thing, my speech, my 'legendary charge,' even my safe return I owe to that lone maiden fighting her own fear in the corner of a large room."

When the Mad King smiled down at his queen, his smile had every bit as much of the wild edge as it had ever held. "You know, at first, when we were left alone in that room, just the two of us, I'd planned to go off and die in a suicidal charge to buy my maiden just a little more time. But she held me rooted in place, and I was helpless in her gaze."

Thalia's loving husband smiled as she drew closer to him. "I don't know who was more surprised by our first kiss, Thalia or myself, but I do know it was that kiss that gave me the unbreakable command that I must return to my princess. I charged into the heart of the hoard and faced off against innumerable nightmares, enraptured by that one incredible life-changing kiss."

Thalia tightly hugged the love of her life once again. As she clung to him, all fear and doubt were silenced. In its place was a pure love that calmed her soul and soothed her fears. For one impossibly long moment, she felt every ounce of love and devotion this man had ever felt poor into her soul. There was more beautiful raw emotion at that moment than she'd feel in a thousand years.

Then the moment passed, and Thalia opened her eyes to stare into the face of her beloved. He smiled. "There you are. I've been looking for you! There's so much I need to tell you about!"

Thalia hugged him tightly as she whispered to the man she'd given her life to. "Of course, my king. Tell me whatever you'd like. I want to know everything!"

-

Thalia hugged her great-granddaughter as they sat under the old oak tree behind the castle. This was her favorite place to rest these days. The tree was one she'd planted to mark her husband's grave so very long ago, and in its shade, she could almost feel him reaching through the ages to hold her close once again.

She was surrounded by family and friends, and finally enjoying her retirement, having recently given up the role as monarch to her son. When she'd last checked on him, the poor King had been buried in parchment and paperwork as he struggled to undo some political faux pas that had been overinflated in an attempt to gain leverage over the inexperienced ruler. But when he'd looked up and seen the old queen looking in on him, he gave her a smile the echoed his father's wild grin in such a way that Thalia knew he'd be alright.