BXBX NOVEL Chapter 87 - Interlude: Obligations
"My lady, I bring ill news." Gorgan bowed before the princess. Everyone in the throne room glared at the holy knight: all kind of attention was on him. He didn\'t raise his head.
The princess raised her arm. "Raise your head. What happened?" She was prepared. Even if she wasn\'t, she had to put up with a front.
"Daarc fell overboard. The ship has come back and that\'s what the captain told me." Gorgan\'s voice flowed freely. He was sad but he didn\'t let it show. Almost an entire month had passed since Daarc had left from the port of Moire.
"That BRAT!" The princess banged her fist on the handle. "I even warned him!" She looked anything but dignified. But no one could say a word and no one dared. With a long exhale she composed herself. "And? You wish to travel there and confirm?" She was annoyed, to say the least. But she knew her loyal knight, a bit too much to be exact.
Gorgan didn\'t say a word. His looks became even fiercer. "And I have an envoy from the dwarven kingdom." And yet, this loyal knight had bigger things to worry about.
The princess\'s eyes opened wide. "An envoy?"
Again all attention was on Gorgan. The news of Daarc falling overboard might have been shocking, but the idea of an envoy from the dwarves was even more of a shock. After all, the dwarves rarely went out of their way to get out of their stronghold, let alone send an envoy to a faraway land.
"We have one from the capital as well. The dwarves claim…" Gogran cleared his throat. This was uncomfortable to him. Very uncomfortable. "They claim… they claim- their princess has been abducted." Gorgan\'s voice shook. He sweated and he couldn\'t maintain his composure. It was an almost unbelievable situation. The kingdom of dwarves was like a natural bunker. Its defenses were the best this world had to offer. And yet, one of their royalty, abducted? It was hard to believe: no, it was impossible to believe.
The nobles inside the court had a similar look on their faces: the face of surprise and shock. Whispers became shout and soon chaos descended.
But the signal of the princess was adequate to quell the chaos and bring silence. "What do you-" Beatrine attempted.
Before the princess could finish, Gorgan moved on. "By prince Havard." It just took one word to silence the whole room.
The princess\'s eyes shot wide in surprise and she just glared down at Gorgan, silently. "Are you sure?" She spoke each word with caution and clarity.
"Yes."
***
Two months later, in a different part of the world, a boy sat by the window, admiring the sight from high ground. It was a marvelous sight, to say the least. And the place he was at was no doubt the greatest of all the marvels this land had to offer: the land of elves- Alfeime\'s royal palace.
"You\'re highness, the emperor wishes to speak with you regarding the human. A messenger from Desota is waiting in the throne room. He expects your presence at once." A maid bowed fiercely by the door. Her long ears and sharp looks could rival even the most beautiful of beings. She wasn\'t human.
"Very well, I shall be there at once. Please leave me for I must dress in proper attire." The voice was low and sharp: the promise of youth.
"As you wish your highness." The maid left the room. But just outside, she stopped. "And it would seem her highness has wandered to the town again. She still appears to be sad about the incident." It was almost as if she was pitying the princess.
"I see. I shall try to talk with her. You may leave."
"Yes, your highness."
There was silence. The room had only one person according to human eyes. The person was an elf. His eyes glowed in bright blue and a tint of red. But this smile was anything but innocent and there was definitely more than just one person inside.
***
In a land far away, a fortress city stood in the middle of a well. The city was protected by three mountains on three sides. And on the fourth side, there was the ocean. It was a prosperous city.
People would wonder where the residents of this land got their water from as the whole land was surrounded by a massive desert. And when they\'d hear that it was from a measly well, they\'d almost always think of it as a joke.
But it was no joke. This one measly well, a well with a radius of less than a meter was the sole source of water for the entire city. Of course, physically it wasn\'t possible but physics wasn\'t the only thing that governed these lands.
But there was a problem. The problem being, the quantity of water started diminishing and the well got deeper and deeper.
"I\'m afraid it will run out in two months my liege" A soldier bowed before the man on the throne.
There was no one else in the room and both were big people: dwarves.
"How can this be…?" The man on the throne pondered and held his head in his hands. He couldn\'t even look at the other man. "Does his highness know?"
"I\'m afraid we might go to war my liege. He said he won\'t be able to send rations for us." The man spoke clearly and fiercely.
This particular man on the throne held enough power to govern an entire city but when faced with a natural disaster like securing water, even he was powerless. "Damn!" The man hissed and banged his hand on the handle. "First the abduction, then the goblins and abnormals, and now a shortage of water? What is happening in this country? To THIS country?"
There was no one to answer his questions.. But one thing was for certain, whatever was happening here wasn\'t good for the living.