Chapter 7: Nadja's P.O.V.
2043 Words
Ralee got us to the Fae castle quickly. There are many guards around. Some of them are peeking at Ralee with curiosity. Some of them acted like we weren't even there.
"Who's this?" One of the guards at the doors to the castle asked.
"Let us through, I need to see the king and queen." Ralee responded.
"Dang Ray, you really aren't going to tell us who this girl is?" The guard asked as he looked at me.
I grabbed the back of Ralee's tunic, and tried to hide behind his large frame.
"Don't look at her." Ralee ordered.
The guard immediately averted his eyes from me.
"Sorry, I didn't know she was skiddish." The guard said apologetically.
"Let us through." Ralee ordered.
"Okay." The guard said.
Then he leaned in closer to Ralee.
"Is she the one?" He whispered loudly.
"Learn to mind your business, Aden," Ralee replied to him.
Aden whined. Ralee gave him a cold look. Finally, the two guards opened the door.
I followed behind Ralee into the castle. It's so... big. Way bigger than Uncle's. Everything is grand and bright. It has a completely different feel than the Grand Duke's castle.
I didn't get much time to look around though. Ralee marched on ahead, and I hurried to follow after him. I almost ran into a woman carrying a pile of sheets.
"Oh, my apologies, ma'am." She said.
Ma'am? She's apologizing to me?
"Are you okay dear?" She asked.
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. The woman stared at me as I inspected her. She has orange hair, and her face is covered in freckles. Her ears are shaped like Elgar's were. And she is wearing a black and white dress.
"Bea, how are you?" Ralee said, appearing next to me.
I nearly jumped out of my skin. You'd think someone of his size would make noise as he walked.
"Uhm, fine Ralee thank you." The woman responded, still looking at me.
Bea's eyes flickered at Ralee.
"Is this girl okay?" She asked.
"She is going to see the king and queen now," Ralee told her.
Bea's eyes went wide.
"She's...?" She trailed off.
Ralee nodded to her. Bea looked taken back for a moment. Then she looked at me.
"As soon as you are done, call for me." She demanded.
"C-call f-for you?" I asked.
"Yes," Bea said, nodding. "We will get you a bath ready, and some fresh clothes."
Uhm, what? Is she.. a servant here?
"Bea is one of the servants of the castle," Ralee told me.
"Head servant." Bea corrected him.
My eyes went wide.
"Never heard of a woman in charge have you?" Bea asked.
I shook my head.
"Well, just wait until you meet the queen." She said with a laugh.
"Speaking of," Said another voice.
The three of us turned to see another man. This one is as tall as Ralee, but not as big of a build. He has short golden blonde hair, and purple eyes. He's dressed in nice clothes, which means he must hold a high position here.
"They are ready to see you now," he said.
Ralee gave him a nod. The man turned on his heel, and began walking down the hall. Ralee started to follow him. Linda gave me a bright smile, and ushered me to follow.
It feels like I've been thrown into an entirely different world. No one has been aggressive towards me yet. It's.. shocking.
I thought everyone hated Dark Elves..
The man who had gotten Ralee's attention stopped in front of a pair of grand double doors. He cleared his throat, and pushed them open. The man walked in with Ralee right behind him, and me right behind Ralee.
Ralee got down on his knee to bow to the royal couple. I immediately fell to my knees, and bent my body down, putting my head to the floor.
"Your majesty, I have found the one who made the call," Ralee said.
"This is the one? A girl?" A male voice said.
"Why do you sound so shocked?" A female asked. "Women are powerful too."
"That's not what I meant, my love. It was just a bit of a shock. She's so small." The male replied.
"So small." The female mocked. "I'm small, and I can still kick your a.ss, king."
My eyes went wide at their tone. She just spoke to who I assume is the king that way. Does she have a death wish?
The male chuckled, shocking me.
"Yes love, you sure can." He replied.
"What's her name?" The female asked.
"I do not know your majesty. She.. hasn't spoken much." Ralee replied uncomfortably.
The room was silent for a moment.
"I see." The female said. "Honey, raise your head, you don't need to bow for so long."
I hesitantly raised my head, but kept my eyes low. I can see the golden steps, and the golden thrones. I can see the king's boots and leather pants. The queen has on a dress, but it looks tighter than the ones I have seen before. I can't bring myself to look past their knees.
Suddenly, the queen stood up from her throne. Panic started to choke me as she marched up to me. The clacking of her heels filled the room.
The queen put her finger under my chin, and lifted my head up. I came face to face with one of the most beautiful people I have ever seen. The queen has wavy light blonde hair. Her light green eyes are twinkling with curiosity as she smiles at me. Warmth spread through my body as I stared at her. I started to grow more relaxed.
"You may look me in the eyes when I speak to you. I'm not from this world, so I'm not used to being treated like royalty." She told me.
I gave her a confused look. What does she mean she isn't from this world?
"Are you not aware of the other realms?" The queen asked me, confused.
"O-other r-realms?" I asked.
The queen frowned as she inspected me. She turned her head to look at the king. He gave her a nod, and she turned back to me.
"What is your name?" She asked me.
"N-Nadja." I replied meekly.
The queen smiled.
"Nadja." She repeated. "That's a very pretty name."
"M-my mother p-picked it o-out." I said.
Why did I tell her that?
"She has good taste. I bet we would get along." The queen replied.
"Sh-she's d-dead." I said.
Sarrow took over in the queen's green eyes. Even sad she's beautiful. I feel like her beauty is entrancing me.
"I'm very sorry to hear that. My mother is dead too. I know how hard it is. I'm sure you miss her a lot." She said.
"I.. n-never knew h-her." I said. "Sh-she d-died giving b-birth to m-me."
"Oh.." The queen said sadly. "That's awful. Surly your family told you all about her at least."
My face must have given something away because the queen's eyes grew hard.
"Your family told you nothing of your mother?" She asked.
"I-I-I.. I-it was m-my f-fault she d-died." I replied softly.
"How was it your fault? Because she was giving birth to you?" She asked.
"Well.. y-yes." I answered.
"Bullsh.it." She seethed.
My eyes went wide at her crude language.
"Your majesty." Ralee scolded her.
I looked at the king to see him shaking his head with an amused look on his face. The queen turned to Ralee with her face scrunched up. Ralee held his ground, with no emotion on his face.
"I can't even cuss?" She asked.
Then the queen looked at her husband.
"What's the point of being a queen if I can't even have freedom of speech?" She asked him.
The king chuckled.
"To be by my side, of course," he replied.
The queen crossed her arms across her chest, and c****d her hip.
"And be your eye candy? I don't think so." She said.
Then she turned to Ralee.
"Tell all the females of this realm that they are more than welcome to cuss as much as they like, and if anyone has a problem with that, then they can fu.ck right off. Queen's orders." She said sweetly.
My eyes went even wider as I stared between the three of them. The king looks amused, like this is all entertainment for him. Ralee is staring at the queen with a bored look. The queen is staring the both of them down. As if waiting for one of them to argue with her about this.
The queen has a strong spirit. She must not be from this world to be able to speak this way. Not even my aunt would go against anything Uncle said. I always heard Uncle tell Melia that women should be seen, not heard.
"My love, perhaps that isn't the best idea right now," The king said.
"And why not?" The queen replied.
"You have been changing too much," Ralee said.
The queen scoffed at him.
"I've been changing things for the better," she argued.
The king got up from his throne, allowing me to really get a good look at him. He's taller than Ralee, which is saying a lot. He is also a well built man. His dark brown hair is short, and his eyes are a mix of gold, blue, and purple. The golden crown sitting on top of his head almost seems too big for him. He also has a sort of childish aura about him.
Not what I would expect from the Fae king.
The king grabbed his wife's hands, and kissed her knuckles. The gesture was cute. It even made the queen's body slump slightly.
"What Ralee is trying to say.. is that you have been doing a lot, in a short amount of time. While there are many, many grateful Fae creatures, it is also shocking for the people. You are going to give them culture shock at this point, my love. We will make all the changes we discussed, but it needs to be done in time." He told her gently.
"Fine." The queen grumbled.
Then the king looked at me. I averted my eyes immediately. The queen placed her finger under my chin again, and brought my eyes to theirs.
"Nadja, never look down again. That is an order." The queen said.
"She was probably taught differently, baby. Give her a break." The king said.
"A break? This girl looks like she needs a break. I'm trying to give her one." She argued.
The king shook his head at his wife, and looked at me.
"You look like a Dark Elf, were you a part of that kingdom?" He asked.
Wouldn't that be a given? I thought all creatures kept to themselves? Should I lie?
What if Uncle demands the king hand me over to him?
"You don't have to be afraid, Nadja. No one will hurt you here." The king told me.
I opened my mouth, ready to lie. I'm just too terrified of my uncle. Before I could even utter a word though, the queen cut me off.
"Dom't you even think about lying to us, Nadja." She stated.
I gulped.
My eyes flickered at Ralee. He gave me a single nod. If I trusted him to get me here, I should trust him now.
But after I speak these next words.. everything will change.
Tell them the truth..
"N-no, I was n-not p-part of th-the D-Dark Elf k-kingdom." I told them.
"Then where are you from?" The king asked.
I took a deep breath.
"I.. w-was a servant t-to the G-Grand Duke o-of the L-Light E-Elves." I said.
"Why did Haldir have a Dark Elf servant?" The king asked.
"I-I am th-the d-daughter of the G-Great Healer." I told them.
Each of them gave me wide eyes. Even Ralee looks taken back. I bit down on my cheek.
I should have kept my mouth shut.
"Well," The queen said. "How about we get you cleaned up, and a room for the night?"
The queen pulled me to my feet.
"Oh," she paused to say. "My name is Lenny, by the way. Lenny Anderson."
- Writer
