Alliance
1786 Words
PALACE Of ARWOS
At the center of a spacious, cluttered room, Princess Shella sits on her tangled bed, a disheartened look on her face. Her plump servant moves around the room, putting everything back in order.
"With the horror that has happened, everyone will forget about my sister as they focus on finding that devil's special sword. " Shella laments.
Her servant halts and looks back at her.
"I am afraid you are right." She answers blatantly. "There is a huge chance we might lose your sister. But if they succeed in tracing the whereabouts of that sword, you will find your mother."
Princess Shella rubs her head, feeling a surge of anxiety at the mention of her mother.
She has always desired to find her elvish mother, or the mystery that lead to her disappearance. This could indeed be her chance. But she can't bring herself to forget about Mila like the rest of her family. Sometimes her empathy becomes the impediment to her goals.
A gentle knock on the door of her room startles her. Her servant hurries to answer.
"Your Majesty?!" The woman exclaims in a timid voice as soon as she opens the door and bows deeply. "At your service."
Princess Shella assumes it's her father at the door until she hears the smooth as silk voice of King Tolis Varno.
"I wish to see Princess Shella. Is she inside?" The voice asks.
"Yes your Majesty." Princess Shella's servant answers in a nervous tone. "You're welcome to come inside." She invites and steps aside as the great elvish King strolls into Shella's clattered room, his gaze darting around.
"Make yourself at home, your Majesty." The servant bows once again before going back to reorganizing the room.
Princess Shella hastily stands, an uncomfortable look on her face. "I am sorry about the mess. I and my servant were searching for something." She explains.
"I don't mind the mess. I have always found the tidiness of my kingdom boring." Tolis replies with a tight smile.
Shella inwardly sighs with relief and forces herself to put on a welcoming smile. She had expected him to confidently voice his disgust, but it appears that the elf King isn't as obsessed with immaculancy as she had thought. It's impressive how different he is from other kings, especially her father.
"Last night you told me that you have some information regarding the whereabouts of the lost blade of Zedon. I am sure you realise how vital that information is now. I promise to secure a safe release of your sister from Lodz Kingdom if you tell me what you know." King Tolis assures.
Shella appears apprehensive as she shifts her gaze to the floor.
"I lied about the information. The texts I have do not reveal the whereabouts of the sword." She confesses. King Tolis raises an eyebrow.
"But there is a scroll that my mother left in my basket of trifles before she disappeared. A part of it is written in elvish which I can't read." She adds before he comment on her first confession.
"Do you mind if I take a look?" He asks.
Shella turns and walks to wooden box laying at a corner. She returns with a tinny, old parchment which she hands to King Tolis.
She points at the elvish writing at the bottom of the text and Tolis reads it silently.
"What does it say?" She demands anxiously.
"In this house I am within reach." King Tolis interprets the elvish words with a puzzled look.
"Your mother had a house?"
Shella shakes her head, her brows furrowing as she struggles to decipher her mother's message.
"She is referring to the queen's quarters, the house we lived in before she left!" She exclaims in realization after a short moment.
"She definitely isn't there now." Tolis points.
"Of course. She must have left something in there that can guide us to where she is." Shella explains delightfully, a bright smile spreading across her lips.
King Tolis watches her with eyes full of admiration. Apparently the Princess is quite the genius and her mysterious mother had anticipated it.
"Hasn't someone else been residing in that house since she left?" He questions.
"No. My father wouldn't allow it. He kind of had hope that she would one day return." The Princess answers.
"Then hurry and find what it is she left. Keep in mind that it may be heavily concealed." King Tolis cautions but smiles encouragingly. "Make haste because time is not on our side." He adds before turning to head out.
* * * * *
Shella and a team of servants ransack through her mother's belongings, finding nothing that can bear valuable information
in frustration She is about to call off the search when one of the servants exclaims, "There is a cellar!"
They all run to the chamber. The informer knocks on a seemingly intact timber floor to the sound of resonant booms. Shella's face lights up with expectation.
"It might be vintage wine down there." One of the servants comments.
"No one conceals liquor in this fashion you drunkard." His comrade rebukes.
"Let's tear the barrier apart." Shella orders.
Two men immediately get to work, puncturing a large hole through dense wood. Others scramble to secure lamps and a ladder. They all immediately climb down into the dungeon.
The glimmers of light from the lamps reveal a heap of elvish war paraphernalia dumped in a corner.
"We have struck gold, your mother was surely an uncanny woman, my lady." One of the servants teases Princess Shella. "Seems like battle runs in your blood."
"When did she get all this?" Shella asks, walking to the pile of things with an astounded look.
She inspects the quivers, armor, arrows and shields. None seems to hold anything special until she gets to the last item, a strangely large sheath with arcane symbols on its surface.
Princess Shella's eyes widen and she stammers out loud, "The sca...bbard to the sword of Ze...don!
A scuffle breaks out as everyone struggles to have a look at the writings on the leather sheath.
"Can you understand these drawings?" One man asks Shella.
"They look paranormal."She answers. "I must get this to the kings right away."
She climbs up the ladder and hurries out of the fancy house that used to be her mother's quarters.
An empty royal carriage and escort horses stand close to the front entrance of the palace. At the porch of the palace Shella notices unfamiliar faces seated on the wooden benches. She pays them no mind as she walks fast towards the door.
"You're the Princess?" One of the men exclaims, standing.
He bows in respect after she turns.
"We are deeply honored to meet you, my lady. These men and I are from Lodz Kingdom." He reveals.
Shella openly frowns.
"A word reached us that you have been greatly worried about your sister. Our noble king has brought her back, safe and sound." The man adds with a proud smile.
"Your King is here?" Shella questions with a disgusted look.
"Yes my lady. We seek a peaceful reconciliation." He answers, bowing his head again in a flirtatious manner.
Princess Shella turns and storms into the palace, shaking her head in anger. She bursts into the meeting chamber, interrupting a seemingly cordial discussion. She finally meets eye to eye with king Adriel and the astute King pleasantly smiles as he rises from his seat and bows.
"I was looking forward to meeting you, my lady. You're quite a beauty for a war hero. I imagine that wisdom and courage runs in your blood. You're a perfect reflection of your mother." He says in a confident voice.
Shella glares at him despite the trail of compliments. "How dare you show your face here after what you did?" She questions in a furious voice, taking a bold step towards Adriel. "What is your lousy plan this time, another alliance?"
Her father hastily stands from his seat, a concerned expression on his face.
"Calm yourself my dear. King Adriel has surrendered your sister back to us, alive and well." He intervenes. But Shella hears none of his words as her angry gaze remains fixed on Adriel.
"Zedon poses a mortal danger on all of us, my dear princess. Victory will not be on our side if we hold on tight to our existing contentions." King Tolis speaks and the Princess finally shifts her gaze from Adriel.
"You trust this covetous devil to offer his aid on such a struggle?" She questions.
"I am sorry about the failed attack on your father's kingdom, my lady." King Adriel apologizes. "But it isn't greed that had fueled my actions. I had heard rumors about Zedon's potential return long before I proposed the treaty. Your father did not believe me when I shared with him my suspicion that the sword may be within his kingdom. I was deeply worried and ended up taking a dangerous steps to protect our kingdoms." He defends.
Shella scoffs but she doesn't get to voice her thoughts as King Tolis takes notice of the sheath in her hands.
"That's a strange sheath you hold, princess." He says, his powerful gaze zooming in on the weird inscriptions on it's surface.
"It's the scabbard to King Zedon's sword." Princess Shella announces in an anxious tone.
Shock spreads across the faces of the men in the room. The werewolf Prince who was seated far from everyone rises and strides forward to take a closer look.
"How would you know what the scabbard to Zedon's sword look like?" Theo questions.
"I have seen drawings of it on many texts." Princess Shella confidently answers.
But the eyes of the men in the room still shift to King Tolis, seeking confirmation.
"She is not lying. The inscriptions on the sheath are authentic." He affirms. "Where is the sword itself?"
"There was no sword. We found this scabbard in a secret compartment under my mother's quarters." Shella answers.
King Edric shakes his head in astonishment. He has never believed the insane rumors about his estranged wife, now he realises how blind he was to the person she really was. He married a Millennium old genius elf who had succeeded in stealing the stealing the mysterious blade from Zedon himself.
"She must have left the shield behind to conceal the sword. There is no way of tracking down such an arcane woman after twenty years." King Edric says.
Tolis regards Shella with an encouraging look.
"In that house your mother is within reach" He reminds. "Would you like my help in searching for whatever it is she left behind?"
Princess Shella nods her head.
"Sure."
- Writer
