Responsible guard, life-saver, queenslayer, dragon rider Eli turned towards princess Lillia. "I'll stay with her."
"If you're worried about her safety, you really shouldn't be, I can promise you our guards are entirely trustworthy. We have never had an intruder in the palace, not since it was made hundreds of years ago," the queen said. Eli didn't reply. She was just clenching her teeth and her fists in annoyance. "Fine, alright. Princess Lillia, Queenslayer, your room is on the right. Prince Rileigh, your room is right here on the left."
The servants on both entrances seemed fairly young, at most fifteen years old, as far as Eli could tell. Her and princess Lillia's servant had really short hair and a calm look on his face. He looked up at them once they approached, and bowed.
"It is an honour to serve you, your Highness, and Queenslayer Eli," he said, and opened the door for them.
The room was very spacious, and even had a balcony hidden behind a few layers of curtains, ranging from see-through white to thick crimson. The night-tables were equipped with tall white candles, and there were several white-and-gold pots with weird red-and-green plants growing out of the dirt. The room was incredible in every way except one: the bed meant for Eli wasn't even a bed, but just a woolen mattress with a lot of covers over it.
"Is there anything I can do for you, your Highness, Queenslayer?" The servant asked, making Eli nearly jump out of her skin. She had forgotten all about him.
"No, that's fine. Come get us in time for food," Eli said. The servant bowed and left the room, closing the door behind him.
The princess looked thrilled. "This room is incredible! Look, we can see the whole town from the balcony! And those weird buildings in the sea, too!"
Eli sighed, feeling too annoyed with everything to talk. Her shoulder was getting crushed under the armor, so she sat down onto the ground and worked on getting her shoulderplate off while the princess kept rambling about the view, before finally going out onto the balcony and out of earshot.
Wait, what if she got assassinated while on the balcony?
Eli leaped onto her feet and ran out onto the balcony after the princess. However, instead of lecturing her, she found herself frozen in place by the sheer beauty of the view. They were pretty high up, and the whole city stretched before them in all its glory. The people on the streets were just like blue-and-green specks on the ground, surrounded by colourful buildings. Eli could see several markets strewn around, and some pretty strange buildings around which quite a bit of people were gathering. The sea beyond the city stretched on into the horizon, and the many pale buildings rose from it on either side. The harbour was full of ships, and some were already sailing away through the path created by the sea-buildings.
After finally getting her bearings, Eli looked back at the princess, who was leaning dangerously over the railing. Eli took the princess by the arm without any regard for rank, and pulled her back, to the younger girl's shock.
"You could get murdered on that balcony. A good archer could have taken you out easily. Don't leave my sight, understood?"
The princess scoffed and pulled her arm from Eli's grip. "Why are you being such a jerk?"
"You begged me to. If you want to stay alive, you'll listen to me," Eli said coldly.
"This is so unfair, Eli, we've just arrived!" The princess whined, and Eli felt a nerve inside her brain snap.
"I could be fucking a hot elf right now, but I'm stuck babysitting you instead," she retorted. The princess's eyes bulged out in shock at Eli's vulgarity, but she recovered herself quickly.
"Well, that elf is my future husband, so-"
It took all of Eli's self control not to fling herself onto the princess and bash her royal face in. "I will fling you off this balcony if you annoy me again."
The princess shut up, looking terrified. Eli just sighed and went back inside.
Luckily, there was a knock at their door, forcing Eli to stop thinking angry thoughts. "Come in," she said, and her heart fluttered when she saw that their visitor was Ril.
"I heard some angry yelling, so I thought you could use some company," he said, and Eli sighed again, the very thought of the princess giving her a headache.
"We were having some disagreements regarding her safety," Eli said. Ril chuckled, closing the door behind him.
"It's an unfortunate situation, but I feel confident in your ability to keep the princess alive," he said, and then turned towards the princess, who was no longer on the balcony, but inside, shyly keeping to the side. "As for you, you should really listen to Eli. She killed a queen she didn't particularly like, so what do you think she'd do to an annoying princess?"
"You're right, I'm sorry," the princess said, and both Ril's and Eli's faces reflected their mutual shock. "I... I was so excited to be here that I forgot the danger I'm in. If I die here, nothing will ever change in Revera. Eli, you're right, I asked you to protect me. I'm sorry you can't be with Rileigh because of me. I'll listen to you from now on."
Eli suddenly felt bad for threatening the princess. She was still a child, terrified of the world but willing to change that. That alone made Eli respect her, especially after taking responsibility and apologising.
"It's alright, princess. Just follow the four rules, and you'll be fine. We also need to keep an eye out for that necklace and the noble with red hair. It's not the queen, right?"
The princess shook her head. "No. That person had shorter hair. And they looked more elvish, I think." Her eyes suddenly widened, and her mouth fell open. "Oh, that's right! I had the vision again tonight, and I drew the necklace in the morning! I'll show you when they bring in our belongings."
"That's good," Eli said, plopping down onto her bed. Ril was leaning on the wall, watching their exchange with intrigue.
"Need some help with that?" He asked after a few minutes of Eli silently struggling with her other shoulderplate. Without waiting for an answer, he sat down next to her and got to work.
"Oh, the queen said she'd get you a healer, right?" The princess asked.
"Yeah, I forgot to ask the servant about that," Eli replied, moving her shoulder around and trying to ignore the pain the movements caused her. Ril leaned over her to move her tunic aside and take a look at the bandages. He was so close that Eli got a face-full of his purple shirt.
"It's bleeding again, Eli, I told you not to use that arm," Ril scolded, and Eli grinned.
"I just did a couple of push-ups in the morning. And a couple of practice swings, and some-"
"Don't tell me more," Ril interrupted, moving back into his place with a smile on his face. "I'll get a servant to bring some healers to you before lunch, okay?"
With that, Ril got up and left Eli alone with the princess. Eli stayed on the bed, while the princess went to her own bed and also sat down, both of them enjoying the silence.
The healer came sooner than Eli expected. And, also unexpectedly, the healer was a priestess. She was wearing red robes, and had her brown hair partially covered by a red veil. Ril walked in after her and closed the door behind him.
"You're inured?" The woman asked, looking at Eli. Eli nodded, trying not to feel nervous.
"Yeah. I fell into a sea serpent and bumped off its tooth."
The woman tsked, and knelt down in front of Eli before very roughly peeling off the bandage. Eli didn't wince, although the pain really shocked her. She remain completely still as the mage muttered things under her breath as she kept inspecting her shoulder. She really didn't seem like a healer to Eli, but she couldn't complain that she was getting help.
"You should know that our magic works differently than yours. We don't specialise, the priestesses are the masters of all fields. With that being said, I do prefer injuring people rather than healing their injuries, so this might hurt you."
Perfect, just what Eli needed. "Whatever, just get it done," she muttered, focusing onto the floor. She was already uncomfortable that Ril and the princess were watching, and the mage's moody attitude didn't help.
The woman placed her hand onto Eli's shoulder, and began. At first, Eli felt only warmth, but the warmth soon turned into scorching hot pain. She gritted her teeth and clenched the fist of her healthy arm, her breathing getting heavy.
She felt that it would go on forever, and she was reaching the limit of the pain she could suppress, when it was all over.
"Not even magic can entirely fix your shoulder. You're too careless. It never healed properly, and it will never be the same, but it's certainly better than before I came along." The woman got up and walked out of the door without saying anything else.
Eli moved her shoulder around, and it didn't hurt, although it was stiff. Ejder was right, as always.
Before either Ril or the princess could open their mouths, there was a knock at the door. Ril opened it, and in came Eli and the princess's servant, bowing.
"I'm very sorry for the interruption, but the meal will be served in fifteen minutes. Your belongings are about to come in, as well." He bowed again and swung the door completely open, so that several other boys in blue could bring in one single bag of Eli's things and about seven bags and three chests of the princess's things.
"Well, I'll let you two get ready and meet you in the hallway," Ril said, and smiled before he left.
Eli quickly slipped into a comfortable black outfit and then spent a few minutes waiting for the princess to finish up. She ended up wearing a dress Eli was sure she wouldn't be allowed to wear in Alonia; it would have been considered too simple for a Reveran princess. But in Notrhl, it would've been perfectly acceptable; it was a beige dress relatively simply designed, but it had golden threads woven into it, which was the only thing that confirmed its wearer was nobility in the first place.
True to his words, Ril was already waiting in the hallway when Eli and the princess left their room. He frowned at Eli as soon as he saw her.
"Eli, why do you have a sword on you?" He asked, and Eli felt relieved for a second. She half expected him to comment on her appearance.
"I'm still a guard."
"Do you really think that- that someone will try it at lunch?" Ril asked.
Eli shrugged. "One can never be too careful. They might try it on our way there, or while everyone's distracted."
Ril chuckled. "Sure. But what if they poison her wine?"
"Oh," Eli said, her face getting serious, and it was obvious from Ril's expression he regretted opening his mouth in the first place. "I hadn't thought of that. You're right." She turned to the princess. "You're not allowed to eat or drink anything before I try it first."
"Are- are you kidding me?" The princess asked, her cheeks flushing in annoyance. "Eli, that's taking it too far."
"Look, I-"
The princess interrupted Eli. "It's not poison. I know from the vision that there was a wound involved. Relax."
Eli sighed in relief. "Good, good. I can protect you from a wound."
Luckily, the other nobles emerged from their rooms at that point, and Helios happily strutted towards them, Blaed following close behind him with a lot less enthusiasm.
"Your Highness," Helios said, bowing in front of the princess. She acknowledged him with a nod.
"You don't have to be formal with her, she's a brat," Eli said, and the princess shot daggers with her eyes at her.
Helios chuckled, and smiled at the princess. "I apologise for Eli's crude behaviour, as always. We haven't really had a chance to talk much during the trip. Both Blaed here and I grew up with Eli, as dragon riders."
Helios had become quite a good talker. The Helios Eli knew was shy and embarrassed, but she was glad to see he was opening up.
"Yes, she's told me about you."
"You gonna bow to the elven prince too, or just ignore him?" Eli teased, nodding at Ril, who was enjoying Eli being a fool from a distance.
"There's no need," Ril said before Helios could actually bow. "I've never been a prince, never cared for that formality, I'm not about to start now."
"That's right, you were originally a commander?" Blaed chimed in. "You're the one who almost killed Eli that time, right?"
Ril grinned, and nodded. "Correct. And she still came to Linos so save me. Quite the idiot."
Blaed nodded seriously. "A truly big idiot, yes."
"The servants are waiting for us, so if you'd kindly stop complimenting me, we should go," Eli said, her cheeks slightly flushed. Ril winked at her, and her heartbeat quickened just from that.
The servants led them back down the stairs, and through a regular-looking door which led them into another large hallway. There was quite a bit of servants as well as some nobles around, each of them a unique mixture of human and elven features, and each of their gazes locked onto Eli and her group. Eli straightened up and put on a serious face, looking straight ahead. She needed to seem intimidating to scare off potential assassins.
It was going well, up until the princess suddenly clutched Eli's arm with the strength of a thousand suns, stopping in her tracks.
"Eli, it's- it's them, from the vision!" She whispered, and Eli quickly followed the princess's gaze, her heartbeat quickening. Her eyes landed on an individual who looked pretty much like a guy to Eli. He had red hair up to his ears, and yellow eyes which matched his yellow-and-black outfit. He also looked very elven, and he was heading right for them. Eli put her hand on the hilt of her sword as he approached, and he spared a quick glance at her before bowing.
"A pleasure to meet you, your Highness, and Queenslayer, you can relax, I won't harm the princess, I'm here for Rileigh," he said quickly, and Eli widened her eyes in surprise. He wanted to speak to Ril?
She glanced at Ril, and only got more confused. Ril was standing there with his mouth hanging open, eyes wide open in shock.
"Lyari... But I thought... I thought..." Ril stumbled over his words before the strange elf, Lyari, grinned and pulled him into a hug. Ril returned the hug without hesitation.
"You thought I was dead," Lyari said as they drew apart, grinning. Ril just nodded. "I'm not that easy to kill, my love."
Eli must've been hearing things.
"I really thought... I just..." Ril was still unable to form a full sentence, much to Lyari's amusement.
"I see you've changed your eyes. Was it from the fight?"
Ril nodded. "Yes, she cursed me."
"Ah, that does sound like her. How is Hatari? You two finally on good terms?"
"Y-yes, I guess."
Eli had never seen Ril so lost.
"Well, I'll leave you to it, then, we can catch up later!" Lyari said, and then took off in the direction they had come from. The whole group stared after him, before the servants called for their attention, and moved on.
"Maybe I should just kill him," Eli whispered to the princess.
"I told you, he's not the one who kills me. Besides, Rileigh knows him, go ask him who he is," the princess whispered back, and gave Eli a push towards Ril.
Eli felt unease eat away at her heart. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to know.
"That's the one from the princess' vision. Who's he?"
"It's no one."
Eli felt her annoyance leek out through her eyes. "Oh, yes, you're right, I must've just imagined someone talking to you just now," she said sharply.
Ril shook his head. "I- well, it's a long story. His name's Lyari, and he can change his gender with magic, so don't be surprised if you see him as a woman in a few minutes."
"Oh, I didn't know magic could do that," Eli whispered.
"The magic in Alonia can't. Lyari is from the continent. I met him years ago, he ran away to Alonia, and me and my sister found him. We were both in love with Lyari. We had a fight, and we both thought Lyari died during the fight. The fight I told you about."
"Oh. So- so is he dangerous?"
Ril shook his head. "No, not in the slightest. He's an exceptional mage, deceitful and manipulative, but not a danger to the princess."
"Okay. Are you happy he's alive, after all?"
Ril shrugged, his gaze locked straight ahead of him. "I've been living with the guilt for a long time. I was stupid, and the whole fight was stupid, it was a fight out of jealousy. It was one of the lowest points in my life. I finally managed to put it all behind me, but then Lyari decided to just appear out of nowhere. I don't know what to think anymore."
"I could kill him, if you want," Eli offered. A smile tugged at Ril's lips, so Eli saw that as a victory. He did seem pretty distressed, so having him cheer up a little made the weird anger inside her calm down a little.
"There's no need, but thank you for the offer."
Eli wanted to ask him if he was still in love with Lyari, but the words wouldn't leave her mouth. She was too afraid of the answer, so she decided to let it be, for now. Eli had never been in love before she met Ril, and she didn't know how it worked. But Ril seemed like he had a lot on his mind. Letting him think it all through seemed like the best strategy.
They were ushered into a dining room in which music was blasting from a couple of musicians playing strange instruments, giving the whole place a very happy, celebratory aura. The dining room was actually a very large balcony, with one wall opening up with a view of the forest behind the castle. Instead of one large table, there were many smaller tables set up, and servants were bringing food onto people's tables.
Without having to say anything, Eli sat down onto a table by the balcony wall, and Ril, the princess, Blaed, and Helios followed. Eli hated to admit it, but Blaed was now part of her group, and she realised she'd miss his annoying presence if he weren't there. Of course, having Teoh around would be better. Having Elan around would naturally be the best, and he would enjoy exploring the continent immensely, but just thinking about Elan made Eli's heart ache, so she focused on her companions instead.
Ril was quiet and lost in thought, so Eli doubted he'd be joining the conversation. He was staring off into the horizon, his eyes shining in the light. Eli's heart danced just from looking at him. She felt like she could look forever. Elves were absolutely beautiful, and Eli found any elf pleasing to look at, but none as much as Ril. There was something about how he gave a rough edge to the soft elven beauty that really stroke a cord.
Leaving Ril to his thoughts, Eli joined the conversation between Blaed and Helios, and the princess joined soon after. Before long, the three of them were joking around, yelling, and laughing, and later on, just as the servants brought their food and drinks, Ril's gaze had softened, and he joined in on bullying Eli for being too bossy.
Everything was going perfectly until Lyari, now presenting as a very elegant woman, dragged a chair to their table and sat down next to Ril, her light-blue dress sparkling in the light. All conversation ceased with her arrival, and Eli felt her heartbeat quicken, and was eyeing Lyari with caution. Everyone claimed Lyari wasn't dangerous, but Eli was convinced something was up with her, since the princess saw her in the vision. She had to have something to do with the assassination, and Eli was determined to find out what, even if she had to go behind everyone's backs.
//Hey guys, please vote if you enjoyed this chapter!