Gods of Malcea ✔️

F I F T Y - O N E

Karos went up a winding staircase before going down a hall to the Great Hall where once important meetings and discussions took place. In there, he saw the king, as well as Rakkaus and some other dragons, circled around a table. This part of the palace was untouched by the war and was as it was before the attack. Karos figured that was why he and his people took up residence here.  

"You dare to come in here," Rakkaus said standing in his way before he could approach the king. 

"Rakkaus, no. Let him speak. After that, be sure to escort him out personally." Rakkaus bowed and stepped to the side along with the other dragons keeping their heads bowed and turned away from them both. "You may all excuse yourselves for a moment." 

Everyone shuffled out the room in silence leaving them behind with the tension hanging thick in the air. The king stared at him with green eyes taking him aback. Were they not green before? A Soon as the king stood up a wave of red hair came down to his lower back. The king walked closer to him towering over him by a couple inches. 

"You take my queen. You take my son and my daughters. Now you want my heir. Is there no limit to your human greed?" the king seethed causing Karos to take a wary step backward, but the king pressed closer. "I will not ever have it. Do not waste your time in coming here again!" He turned around and stalked back to his chair. 

Karos' tongue was limp in his mouth and no words wanted to come out. The man was more intimidating than his own father. Instead of bothering with words, Karos sunk to his knees and bowed his head. 

"Forgive my king for what he had done. It was all Malice's doing."

"He massacred my people. My children!" He slammed his fist against the table causing the marble table to crack from the pressure. "I had killed my own child! With these hands! With these hands that had seen her brought into this world, I had taken my first born's life... and it is something I now how to live with. The shame," he cried with anger. "The shame... " 

"He had done wrong... a great wrong... an unforgivable wrong, but this is a time where we can start anew." 

"You are here for my son and I will not give him to you," he growled turning his head and silencing conversation. 

"What can I do—what must I do to gain your approval in this?" There was a searing pain going through his leg now, but he ignored it and stayed resolute. 

"Approval in what?" he yelled. 

"I love him." The king looked at him as Karos' eyes stayed trained on his. "I do, as he loves me. And he is suffering and in pain."

"Because of you. Do you know what you had done to him? Do you?" he roared. Guilt trickled through him causing his eyes to falter. 

"And doing this—willing me away from him... Do you think that is making him any happier than what he is now? If you want him to be happy then let him be. He is mine as I am his. You must learn to accept this." The king sniffed and wiped his nose. "This palace, you can have it. What shaky alliance we have can be discussed at a later time, but this... I have given my heart to him and I cannot go without it."

"You are a human—"

"—If you cannot accept me as I am, then accept me for what I am worth." The king eyed him and walked back towards him. "You worry for your people's safety now that they are on Malcea. You fear humans may begin to hunt them down and Eunalians may try to start another war while you all are weakened. That was what this meeting was for, was it not?"