DESTRUCTIVE MYTH

“I KNOW!!” The king shouted slamming the head of the table with a flat jewelled hand.

“But he can’t be an elf, they never get sick or die from illness, only beheading or through the heart, and that alone with their speed is almost IMPOSSIBLE!” One shouted back standing up.

“Yes, but this one has to have been cursed!” The king stated sitting back down at the head of the courtroom, gripping the side of his chair in frustration.

“How do you know?” Another asked.

“I saw it in his eyes, I felt his hopelessness.” The king said looking more confused than the rest.

“You can’t tell that by looking at someone’s eyes!!” one shouted in disbelief.

“I AM KING! Everyone has a gift! I KNOW when someone is LIEING! I KNOW WHEN something is wrong. How else could I have stayed king so long.” The king said standing up not like being questioned about his judgment. “Why do you think we always win our battles before they hit our gate, it is not by luck!” They all bowed slowly sitting back down, he appreciated them being open with him, not holding back on their thoughts, it’s what advisers were for, but he would not accept disrespect.

“What do we do then?” One spoke for all.

“Cure him.” The king said tapping his right hand, they looked at him defeated, two words like that would solve nothing.

“How do we cure a curse or poison we know nothing of?”

“How do we know he even is an elf; it could be a trick?” Another repeated his previous question.

They broke out in the discussion, the king watched them for a while listening to their suggestions taking the conversation in a new direction, then raised a hand and they all fell silent.

“You speak unwisely this, elf, and yes he is an elf, is important and obviously lost, why else would he be alone? If he worked for someone, which is highly unlikely, it’s highly unlikely that they would send such a wanted treasure out on its own.” The king said slowly folding his arms rising an eyebrow looking at them. “The only logical reasoning is that he is lost due to some sort of trauma, or that he was on the run and we just happened to be at the right place at the right time.”

“What if he is rouge?”

They was absolute silence.

“If he is, I will find out in due course.”

“I still don’t understand why now, elves have been dead for thousands upon thousands of years, what on earth would bring them back now.” one finally asked.

“What if they weren’t brought back, just, never died as we thought.” the king said looking at a few of their faces.

“Your majesty, everyone knows the history of Altahime, they were all killed in the attack, and the ones that escaped were poisoned to die soon thereafter.” one said standing.

“How do you know this? It’s a tale, a legend been brought down through history for generations uncounted, but that’s just it, no one today was there when it happened were they? So how can you be so sure some didn’t escape everything? How do you know if the true story wasn’t twisted, changed over time? What makes our facts, facts?” The king said looking at their frustrated faces. “I was told an odd forty years ago by a dear friend, that two elves lived in a small village near the borders of the Black Maser, many backed up the story, but when we went to investigate the village was destroyed.”

“Then the story was a lie.”

“Or a cover-up.”

A debate broke out again until the king raised his hand to hush them.

“I’m tired of the what-ifs, they are getting us nowhere.” The king said suddenly feeling weary.

“But your majesty even if it were true, there is no way one of those brothers would make it this far on his own, he would have been seen by someone, and what of the brother?” Another said.

“No maybe not, but we have no idea where he is from, or if the story even relates, either way, this, elf is extremely powerful, we must take caution.” The king said seeming a bit excited.

“How your majesty?” one shouted.

“How can you tell he is so powerful you?” A few asked

“Throughout history elves are known for their extraordinary abilities, every elf had different markings on their necks, ranging small to big stating power and ability, though how to read what powers the markings give has been lost over the years, it is still a status of power displayed on the neck, this elf’s neck has been filled all the way to his hairline behind his ears, down to his shoulders,” The king said tensing with slight excitement.

“Small markings meaning what exactly?” another man asked.

“Small power, limited, but nonetheless still very strong, every elf is stronger than any man.” The king said.

“So, this elf?” one dared to ask.

“Yes, the strongest I have ever seen by markings in history, except for one other.” The king said darkly leaving the table walking to the Relangathian world map on the wall at one end of the court.

“Q-Queen Dimas?” They all stuttered in horror. The king didn’t say a word; he looked at the Black Maser on the map then hung his head.

“Yes, and the new rumors will no doubt reach her soon, we will need to prepare.”

The king left the room many hours later making his way slowly back up to Drathis feeling defeated, the meeting had resolved nothing of what to do with the elf, but prepare for war if the elf lived to see a new day. He doubted though if his death or life would make a difference, everyone knew Dimas was crazy and she would no doubt believe the rumors of his kingdom absorbing the elf’s power wanting it for herself.

He would not lose his empire to her, or any other who dare try.

Entering the room, he found the healers cleaning up and Drathis wrapped in bandages.

“Your majesty?” The one bowed.

“Report,” He said folding his arms.

“He will live, but it’s odd to have a magical being not have its body immediately try to heal its self.”

“Is it then a poison?”

“We are unsure, we need him conscious to find out if he might know something, we are unable to cure when it could be anything, he will though remain unconscious for a couple more days.”

“Very well, if you are done.”

“Yes, your majesty.” They bowed collected their ointments and things leaving.

“You two can guard the door outside.” He said to the soldiers, they nodded and did so along with his personal guard.

The king rolled his neck from the long day and walked to the window looking at his people busy at work then up at the sky deep in thought, he wondered how fast this tread of news would spread throughout the land.

“You do know, that you never going to be able to keep me here,” Drathis whispered, the king spun around startled to see him awake.

“Relax, as you said I can’t hurt anyone, yet,” Drathis smirked trying to sit up, the king’s mouth opened but nothing came out. “Yea, I’d be rich if I had a coin every time someone looked at me like that,” Drathis said with a breathless grin.

“You speck Relangathian?” The king asked in amazement.

“Yeah, what you think elfish?” Drathis asked sarcastically “I speak both fluently.”

“You supposed to be unconscious for at least a week!” The king tensed wondering why he had let the guards leave the room.

“Yeah, I bet I will be once I do fall asleep.”

“That’s impossible! The healers sa…”

“Yes, they did, but I can go into my own mind for protection, when all else fails me, I needed to know what was happening,” Drathis whispered cutting the king short.

“I see.” The king said looking at him in disbelief, there was silence for a while as the king studied him, Drathis watched as he was being studied, something must have relaxed the king deeming him not a threat as he turned to stare out the window.

“What you planning to do with me?”

“Are you a rouge?” the king asked ignoring his question, he wasn’t sure how to answer it just yet anyway.

“No.”

“You answered very quickly.”

“Should I have hesitated?”

“Why are you traveling alone.”

“Is it a crime too?”

“Rouges travel alone.” The king countered

“I wasn’t alone, your men captured me.” Drathis snapped trying to sit up.

“On an abandoned ship, alone.” The king spun to face him, Drathis flinched slightly, he knew that night the pirate and crew were on that ship, but thinking about it now, he realized that they hadn’t tried to help him, they had left him as bait knowing he would be taken, knowing they would no longer search the ship having caught a magical being like himself.

“selfish Basterds.” He reflected whispering to himself.

“Are there more of your kind out there?” the king questioned miss reading the situation.

“No, I am the last.”

“How have you survived all these years?”

“Is that really important right now?”

“If it isn’t, then pray do tell what is important, as the whole world knows elves are gone yet here you are throwing everyone off, the legends are wrong and I need to know more, I need to know why.”

“I can’t give you all the answers you seek, you need to just let me go, I can’t stay here.”

“You are not leaving till I get some answers.”

They stared at each other a long moment, then the king sighed.

“I am not going to get anything out of you, am I?” the king asked annoyed.

“Nope.”

The king’s face reddened slightly before he stormed out.

Drathis heard the door being locked and guards being placed in front of it, he smiled.

* * * * *

“Tell me again!” Queen Dimas said massaging her temples.

“Uhm, we…” A soldier spat oil trying to not fear her.

“You HAVE a report, now spit it out!” The queen hissed.

“We, l-lost ten of your ships, o-on the way to Zitex.” The soldier stuttered terrified; two lights exploded on either side of the queen with her rumbling fury, her throne room giving a slight rattle.

The soldier jumped back in line keeping his eyes on the ground.

“How did you LOSE THEM?!” Queen Dimas roared the force coursing them to fall to their knees, the storm raging inside her was nowhere near done.

“Your, mage...”

“SPEAK UP I KNOW WHO I AM!” Her eyes deepened to a maroon.

The soldier in charge of the nineteen lined up swallowed hard, readying his explanation.

“He, like the devil, soared through the sky, killed so many, e-exploded our ships, we didn’t know who they were, they were a single ship in our way, they needed to be destroyed, we didn’t know who was on it.”

The queen closed her eyes breathing in deep, the whole thrown room shock again.

“Who was like a devil?” She asked slowly.

“We don’t know, he dark hair, too fast, green shining sword.” The man tried to explain, fumbling for words. The queen froze fitting the pieces together, it was unbelievable.

“How did HE ‘destroy’ my ships?” She hissed, how had he gotten so far so fast?

“We not sure, some say power from him, just exploded and…”

“AND WHIPPED OUT MY SHIPS!”

“Only ten your…” Those were the last words from him as the queen snapped her fingers watching the soldier drop to the floor nothing more than lava rock.

The rest remained dead still on their knees fearing their own necks now.

Dimas rose from her throne gliding down the stairs to the front of the line, with a long nail she hooked one under the soldier’s chin raising him up in the air. Anyone that knew queen Dimas knew to never touch her, no matter the situation, he battled to breathe half gargling as oil blood as it ran down his neck out his chin.

“Tell me, what reason have you for me to not snap your necks too?”

No one spoke, she shut her eyes trying to remain patient but she was fuming and threw the soldier out the window to his death, one spoke up then.

“We, we, will go find him.”

“Hunt him down” Another shouted.

She gave them an icy stare returning to her throne.

“HOW do you THINK eighteen of you will stop him when SHIPS couldn’t?!?” She shouted, “GET OUT!!!” She said with a lazy wave of her hand sending them all through the door, not giving them a chance to even stand.

The door shattered as they flew out the room, she watched it rebuild slightly irritated, sometimes it would be nice to just watch the derby fly, and settle.

A knock came from the door at the other end on her right, the queen opened it with a twitch of her hand, and in walked six of her subjects.

“What do you want?” She hissed resuming to massaging her temples not in the mood for any more problems, after just finding out what Drathis had done to her ships.

“We have news, which you might enjoy,”

“Well? deliver it!”

“The boy, him, the elf has been, spotted once, and followed to a small city named Gozza, by Sural.” They said, the queen leaned forward almost smiling.

“And?”

“And he has been cursed, your majesty.” They bowed, proud of their news.

“Brilliant!” A dark smile crept across her lips, finally some good news indeed, she leaned back thinking them done, but they remained with head hung low. “But?” She motioned sensing more.

“We lost him that night.” They said bowing again.

She breathed in shutting her eyes, her temper of late was worse than ever before, a single word lately could send her over the edge.

“What is so hard about finding ONE SICK MAN!!”

They didn’t answer keeping their heads low.

“Is Sural still on his trail?”

“No, your majesty she had lost track of him.”

“Then inform my spies, they should do well.” She smiled recalling her specially brewed spied she had transformed not so long ago. “They should pick up his scent easily.”

“Yes, your highness.” They bowed remaining still, she frowned looking at them.

“There is more?”

“Yes, your highness.”

“SPIT IT OUT!” She snapped annoyed at their delay.

“A household has come forth with a newborn girl.”

Dimas leaned forward smiling at the news “Well, well, send them forth.” She smirked knowing someone in her kingdom would eventually faultier after her letter, but she had not expected it to be so soon.

They ran from the room and moments later reappeared pushing a huddling couple into the room, the couple entered, took one look at the queen, and fell to their knees in terror.

“Stand.” Dimas rose from her throne.

They stood heads still bowed as the queen began to circle them, disgust was written on her face, they were defiantly from the bottom of the food chain; layered in rags with too many patchworks to count, clothing passed down through generations far too big for their slender skeleton forms. Their collarbones were visible twigs that could be snapped and the woman holding a bundle of smelly cloth hunched over it protectively had her rib and spinal cord showing through the back of her dress.

“I was planning on questioning as to why you would give your own flesh and blood up, but I can clearly see you two are in way over your heads.” She made her way back to the front of them. “You can’t even feed yourself,” She stopped facing the poor man. “Which is clear by your wife here, who is about to collapse with hunger, so how could you support a child, have you no shame?” She mocked listening to their heartbeats doubling. “I could end this misery for you, give you a swift death.”

“Your majesty promised riches for those who came forth.” The man whispered his voice cracking.

“Indeed, I did, well let me see this bundle of… life.” She sighed watching as the now crying woman lifted her head to unwrap the cloths in her arms.

Dimas studied her: the mother had such soft features hidden under dirt, large blue eyes with tear patterns leaving a clean path through the grime revealing her white skin, she lifted the unwrapped naked child up to the queen in a half shaky bow.

The baby was perfect, with no sign of illness or disability, and watched the queen with big blue eyes like her mothers.

“Very well, she will do, come, fetch the child and bring me the box of gold.” She demanded over her shoulder, a servant took the child from the woman and left the room.

“Wait! Please! I didn’t get to say goodbye!” The woman begged jerking with tears as her husband held her back, another servant ran in with a box of gold and handed it to the man who took it reluctantly.

“No need, she will not remember you,” Dimas replied disappearing through the door. “That will be all.”

The mother collapsed on the floor in a fit of grief.