Chapter Seventeen
O nce we hit Lebetem, I figured it would just be a quick jump in a portal, and we were clear.
Oh no.
Of course, things can’t be that easy.
After Lucian dethroned his mother, there was a void that was almost immediately being fought over. So combine random fires with the fact that the portal was about an hour’s walk from the border, and our journey tripled.
There were a few times when we even had to stop and fend off some random Imps who were clearly just ragey. I think that might be an emotional staple for this species. Even the shapes of their faces give them the appearance of an eternal resting bitch face.
We make it to the stone circle, relatively unharmed– don’t worry, no one lost any eyebrows– only to be met with about twenty royal guards and the pompous elf King Taruil himself.
Oh yay.
“Royal Consort, you will return with us to the castle and complete the ceremony with my daughter. If you give us no trouble, I will allow the two earthen beings to return to their realm unharmed.” Wow. I have no clue how this guy manages to actually sound like he has a stick in his ass, but he has done a fine job of it.
“And what of the elf in our company?” Lucian is trying to play some sort of political game, but I don’t get it.
“She has been found guilty of treason and betrayal of the crown. She will be made an example of, before being put to death.”
“And what court found her guilty with no trial?” Lucian is really pushing his buttons now. Disregarding his guard’s requests, he dismounts from his– yeah, I have no fucking clue with these flamingo, zebra things are– and gets right in Lucians face. A difficult task for some, but the King nearly matches Lucians height.
“She was found guilty by me.” And there we have it, a tiny bit of emotion folks. Anger.
“And if I should refuse your request?”
The King laughs, but the sound is cold and disgusting. “There is no request, it is a simple matter of coming willingly now so that they may leave this realm, or resist and watch as I kill the male and fuck the female you seem so interested in.” He whips his head in my direction and undresses me with his eyes. I try very hard not to squirm, but when the mere look from him leaves me feeling violated…
Lucian moves in front of the King, blocking his view of me. “You will not touch my mate.”
The King laughs again. “Mate? You have no mate. You are property. Not a being so blessed by the Gods to have a mate. Just because she let you between her legs willingly doesn’t mean–”
“She is my mate!” Lucian’s hand shoots out and he points a finger… at my stomach? “And that is my child!”
Excuse me…what now??
My head begins spinning as everyone starts shouting all at once. The guards keep trying to move in closer, but the King keeps waving them back.
I feel like I need to sit. Or maybe I am going to puke? There is nothing here to sit on.
I’m pregnant?
Wait… he knew ??
I let myself key in on the conversation long enough to determine that not only did Lucian know, but so did Blake and Midori.
“What the fuck guys?! When was someone going to tell me?”
“It matters not what the status of your womb is, I will bed you all the same!” The King yells and heads right for me.
Of all the choices I could make in this scenario, I went with gut instinct when dealing with a perv of epic proportions. I kick him as hard as I can, square in the nutsack.
He doubles over, wheezing as the guards snatch my arms.
Why my arms? It was my foot that did it, guys.
“No one move!” The commanding voice coming from Midori shocks us all into silence. Even more shocking is the blade poised at the King’s throat, held by her steady and determined hand.
“You are a blight on this realm–”
“I am the King!” She inches the blade closer, and a small bead of blood drops down his neck.
“You are a tyrant, a murderer, a rapist. You are a scourge on this land. And you will never let me be free.”
“There is no freedom for treasonous filth!”
“Was it treason when I was a but a child who simply wanted to play games with her blood sister, and you ordered our mother to beat me? Was it treason when you forbade us to speak of our true bloodlines for fear that someone in your precious court might discover your half-witch daughters could not be sired by a sterile King? Or was it treason when you ordered Laeryne to lop off my ear for fear that someone would question my parentage? What say you, mighty King Taruil? When the blade of judgment is held at your neck, are you not guilty of treasonous acts yourself?” Midori is screaming as tears run down her face. My heart is breaking for her. And still… none of the guards have moved a muscle.
“Enough of this. Guards, arrest this whore!”
Her voice is quiet, and her movements are almost elegant. “Wrong answer.” the blade is sharp, and cuts through the Kings jugular easily. She lets go as the front of his gowns quickly stain with blood.
And still no one moves.
The last few sounds of King Taruil choking on his own blood fade quickly as his body sags to the ground. Unmoving.
Everyone’s eyes move from the corpse of the former patriarch to the woman who fought against his rule for her entire life.
“Take your King’s body and return to the Queen. Castle Taruil is now under monarch rule. As crime for my punishment, I shall be banished into the earthen realm.” The guards release me, and as one they salute her.
The lack of movement to detain the killer of their former King shows a testament to his tyranny and despicable rule.
I only hope the Queen– or Princess, as I am not sure how their succession works here– is a better leader for their people.
There have been a whole lot of gruesome deaths since we woke up in this realm.
Maybe the fae have learned their lesson and will stop kidnapping earth beings?
Probably not, but one can hope.
Or at least the gore we wrought might make them second guess their actions.