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“You are not taking her anywhere!” yelled Gaelin.
Erendrial began to laugh. “Would you rather I leave her here so your wife can gut her? Dear Gaelin, weigh your options. In this case, I am her savior in a sense. Something you have clearly failed at time and time again.”
“You are not taking her. She is responsible for the death of our king and countless other lives. She will face the consequences of her actions and die for her betrayal,” said the queen.
Erendrial exhaled in annoyance. “I really hate to repeat myself, but since you're new to all of this, I will,” he stopped, exhaling in annoyance as he shifted his weight from one side to another. “We made a bargain. I revealed the traitor, and you will allow me to take what my king desires. It is unfortunate for you that the traitor and the thing that I came to retrieve are one and the same, but that is not my problem.”
“The bargain is broken. It is clearly stated in our laws that if a human is found guilty of an attack or the death of one of our own, they will be sentenced to death. Our law negates anything you or your king wants. Justice must be paid. She is my subject, which makes her mine to do whatever I wish with,” Daealla yelled in frustration.
“Oh, wow. This is a very busy and embarrassing first day for you,” Erendrial said sarcastically. “But I am afraid you are wrong again. First, let me make myself explicitly clear on one thing… you will not lay a hand on her. Second, you’ve been fooled sweetheart, she isn’t human, therefore, she is not your property. Thirdly, and probably the most important correction to that little speech of yours...she isn’t your subject. She is King Drezmore’s. She belongs to the dark court, which means her protection falls under my jurisdiction.”
I stumbled back, shocked at what I was hearing. I shook my head. No, this couldn’t be. What the hell? What in the actual hell?
The court gasped again as they began to talk amongst themselves, trying to figure out what was going on. I looked at Gaelin, not knowing what to do. He looked at Erendrial and then at me, shaking his head in complete shock. The court quieted as the queen looked from Erendrial to me.
“What is she?” Daealla asked.
Erendrial smiled, turning to walk back to me. He stood in front of me, locking his swirling silver eyes onto mine, reaching for my headband. I shook my head, desperate for him to stop. He winked at me and then took the headband off. He pushed my hair back around my ears, revealing the inadequate points. The whole court roared in rage, demanding I be slaughtered on the spot.
I didn’t understand any of this. The dark alfar had the same laws when it came to half-breeds. They were to be put down to keep the races pure. Why would he out me? Did he just want to take me back to the dark court as a sick joke and have his king kill me there? I dropped my eyes to the floor, thinking of all the horrible ways they would punish and torture me back at his court. It was a fate worse than death. I had done this. I had let Erendrial see who I really was. I knew it was going to come back and bite me in the ass. The crowd was yelling and screaming for my head. Erendrial lifted my chin with his fingers, taking my eyes with his.
“Head held high, remember. You will never bow again,” he said, nodding at me. He took my arm gently, bringing me to the front of his guarded circle. He looked around, waiting for the crowd to quiet down, still holding onto my arm.
Finally, the room fell into silence.
“We have the same law in regard to things like her. She is to be put down immediately,” said Queen Daealla.
Erendrial let go of my arm, stepping back to look at me with a smile on his face. “May I present, for the first time, Princess Genevieve Drezmore, sole heir to the Kingdom of Doonak,” Erendrial said proudly.
I felt like the wind had just been knocked out of me. The light alfar went crazy, yelling, and flailing like children. The twelve dark alfar warriors bowed to one knee, still in their circle formation. Erendrial bowed, smiling as he looked upon me from under his eyelashes.
I shook my head, not understanding. Was this some type of joke? I looked at Gaelin trying to find the words, but there were none. No, my father couldn’t be King Drezmore. I was not the heir to the court of horrors. This wasn’t happening.
“Silence!” yelled the queen.
The dark alfar stood to attention as did Erendrial.
“What game are you playing? She cannot ascend to the dark throne. She is a half-breed. She should never have been permitted to take a single breath.”
“I don’t have to answer any of your questions, queen. All you need to know is that she is the daughter of King Drezmore. He has claimed her as his own and declared her heir to his throne, which negates any law you wish to enforce upon her,” said Erendrial.
Queen Daealla’s temper was at its peak. “Guards!” she yelled.
Two rows of guards marched into the throne room from the hall. They surrounded the dark alfar, ready to attack when given the signal. The dark alfar warriors readied their weapons, crouching down into attack position.
Erendrial watched as they circled us. He laughed, placing me behind him gently.
“She is not going anywhere,” snarled Daealla. “I do not care who she is or what your king has deemed her. She will pay for her deception with her life.”
“I love that you think taking her life is even an option. I am going to have to agree with our friend here,” Erendrial said, tilting his head to Otar, “stupid queen.” He paused, waiting for the insult to take root. His methods were masterful. “I promise you that if you attack our princess here and now, you will be ending your own life in the process. She will survive and then her father will turn over every last stone of this palace, not resting until every light alfar is sent to Valhalla. You forget who you are dealing with,” he said, baring his teeth as he walked slowly towards her. His patience appeared to be wearing thin.
He raised one hand slightly, twisting it ever so slowly. The queen doubled over in pain, gasping for air. Veins bulged from her neck and forehead as I watched her wither in agony and discomfort. Otar spat laughter louder than any other sound in the throne room, throwing himself to the ground and rolling from side to side like a dog. The guards approached, but were frozen in place, unable to move a second later. Two dark alfar, twins, spread their arms on either side of the circle, keeping the guards stationary. Erendrial dropped his hand, allowing the queen to breathe freely. She held her chest in pain. The light alfar from the high families rose to their feet, moving behind the queen in a defensive position.
Queen Daealla rose, waiting for all her subjects to join her side. The dark alfar were heavily outnumbered, but somehow, I’d bet they’d be the last ones standing. She looked down at Erendrial. She was reckless, but she wasn’t stupid. She would die if this thing took a turn for the worse. She had just come into her power; she didn’t want her reign to end like this. She stood tall, looking from me to Erendrial once more.
“Take her and leave,” she said in a hoarse voice.
Erendrial smiled, clapping his hands together in satisfaction. “Excellent. I am glad you saw the error of your ways and agreed to uphold our bargain after all. Very wise for such a stupid queen,” said Erendrial, taking my arm to escort me back into the circle. I stopped him, looking back at Otar. He followed my eyes and exhaled in frustration but nodded. “Our princess would like to take Otar with us. Consider this an apology for trying to kill her majesty.”