Elizabeth's REIGN

Chapter Fifteen: World's Apart, My Dear

{Narrator's POV}

Siva tightened his grip around the sleeping girl that he held against his chest. Once the fox entered Cadyri's borders, he inhaled deeply and closed his eyes. The wounds on his body faded and his breathing went back to normal.

"Ahh... There's no place like home..." Siva's eyes squinted as a smirk played at his lips.

Beneath the two stood a castle in the distance. Humongous pillars lined the ivory walls where archers clad in black lowered their bows. Torches were lit, which signaled for the gates to be opened. Beautiful botanical gardens were revealed, all layered with roses, flowers, and exotic plants. A waterfall cascaded near what seemed like an array of hot springs, and rivers that were meant to hydrate the vegetation surrounding the palace. 

With his silver hair swaying behind him, Siva hovered over the ground before spiking downward in a gush of wind and landing swiftly in front of the gates. 

The soldiers, masked by their armor, crowded Siva. They thrusted their fists against their chests before bowing.

Nodding his head, Siva treaded past the soldiers. His grip tightened as he felt the girl in his arms stir in her sleep.

As the soldiers cleared a path, a man appeared near the palace doors. His blue, curly bangs swept along his eyes, the moonlight revealing a black sclera and red pupils.

"I told you to take the palace guards with you, Siva. Those humans are treacherous creatures... Possibly more than the Nomads."

"You couldn't have guarded the palace alone, Jinx, especially not in times of war", as Siva stepped in front of the blue-haired man, he furrowed his eyebrows, "Besides, I didn't come empty-handed."

As he perked an eyebrow, Jinx's eyes flitted downward to Siva's arms. He hadn't noticed the fox had wrapped his red, floral kimono jacket around a sleeping body, nestled against his chest.

Removing the cloth, Jinx gawked at the girl.

"Wh..Who is she..? Why did you bring back a huma—"

With a clawed hand, Siva covered Elizabeth's face, "I brought Valhalla's heir."

"Are you serious? I am not one for games, Siva. What is the meaning of this?" Jinx's red eyes glowed as he bared his teeth.

Sighing, the fox began advancing toward the spiral staircase that led up to the palace's doors. Jinx trailed behind Siva as the guards dispersed back to their positions.

"I am just as baffled as you are, Jinx. However, I cannot deny the fact that Valhalla undoubtedly chose her."

As the two men entered the palace, Siva marched through the crowds of servants cleaning the foyer. The maids' heads turned toward the men before quickly returning to their duties.

"...And where is your proof?" Crossing his arms, Jinx frowned.

"I'd tell you to ask the Nomads she battled, but they were all slaughtered." Siva snorted.

Jinx's jaw dropped as the news reached his ears. Suddenly, a man emerged from the shadows and chuckled.

"Am I hearing correctly? A human girl slayed the Nomads in the Human Realm?" A blonde man appeared in front of the two men, his grey eyes were devoid of any signs of warmth or amusement.

A ghost of a smile touched Siva's lips, "She's technically not human anymore... Her kind strongly disagreed...", he whispered.

The men stared down at the girl's sleeping face before Siva pushed open the doors to a dimly lit room. Filled with luxurious furniture and brimmed with feminine decor, the room welcomed the girl's slender figure as Siva laid her on the bed.

Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his angular nose, the blonde man exhaled frivolously, "You two understand that no one must know what she is, correct? For starters, I'd like to keep her alive for the war..."

Siva's eyes widened, "Have you sprouted fangs where your head should be, Aleister?!"

Frowning, Aleister looked up to Siva, "Do not question me, Fox! I am the Steward Butler of this estate, you shall refrain from your brash behavior!", he hissed.

Growling, Siva curled his clawed hands and leaned into a fighting stance.

Sighing, Jinx pushed his index finger up against his bottom lip, "Stand down, Siva. Aleister is right, we need her to fight our war whether she is of our world or not."

"And you two forget that I am the one to make that decision!" A blue fire erupted around the fox and encircled his body. Siva's eyes reflected the hue of the flames as he scowled at the men.

"As Lieutenant of the Armies of Cadyri, I also reign command of the war's effort. Frankly, I don't have much faith in our abilities to train a human girl—one who has never before set foot on Cadyri or even dreamed of the power she possesses—and have you risk her life for our war. This is Cadyri's problem, not hers."

As the fire began to die down, Siva's eyes wandered back to the sleeping girl.

As his eyes softened, Siva whispered, "I made her mother a promise that I'd keep her safe... The last time I put my faith into the hands of a young and inexperienced monarch, it ended tragically..."

The butler sighed as he stared down at the floor, "Very well. It seems I stepped out of my scope of expertise, and for that, I apologize. However...", coming face-to-face with Siva, the butler smirked, "Don't underestimate my abilities, Siva. I will have that human educated far better than any of Cadyri's scholars. War or not."

A light chuckled escaped Jinx's lips as he rested his hand on the fox's shoulder, "Calm down, the both of you. I'm amazed how deeply the girl can sleep, but regardless we mustn't risk waking her up. She needs her rest for tomorrow."

Having rounded the two bickering men out of the room, Jinx gently shut the door behind him.

Siva raised an eyebrow, "What do you have planned for tomorrow?"

Grinning madly, Jinx said, "Teaching her the dark arts will require much of her time, it is best to start immediately. Besides...", the blue-haired man briskly walked past the two men as he clasped his hands behind his back, "It'll be MY teachings that will bring honor to the throne, so they should be hailed as the most important in her schedule."

Both the dark butler and the sly fox frowned at Jinx's response. However, the magician disappeared into a puff of smoke before the two men could retaliate.

In sync, the pair muttered to themselves, "Arrogant bastard..."