The tired-looking elf sat on the throne as he usually did. Ever since the Savages in the south had declared war on his proud nation, he had no moment to find peace; the only solace he could find was within his wife's hands, yet even that time grew sparse.
The elven army was too weak and only managed to keep back the savages due to the presence of powerful elites like Azure, Lira, and his wife.
Yet wars could not be won by a handful of elites; they needed allies and more manpower. He had sent Sheira to arrange something with Red Dawn, but that plan was completely ruined because of the kidnapping.
He interlocked his fingers and leaned forward as he exhaled loudly.
Lira had recently urged him that Azure herself should train as many soldiers as possible, even if she was overworked; while he had opposed it at the beginning, he could not deny that it was the best option.
The spymaster was one of his most trusted aides, and she was the one who supplied him with all the information he needed to make important decisions and, less importantly, protected him from nefarious schemes.
He shook his head as he pushed himself up the throne; the guards rushed to his side as he made his way outside the throneroom.
The Queen Soleah had been meeting with Sheira's new servant girl quite frequently, which worried him about her safety; however, Soleah knew how to take care of herself, thus he had pushed it down.
Yet he could not wrap his head around the reason why she wished to spend so much time with her.
Possibly because she is Sheira's servant. He chuckled. He knew that his dear wife loved all her children and was rather overprotective, and was most likely training Aqua.
He walked down the hall and toward the garden. He needed some time to relax and possibly find his wife. The day was far too long for him, and it was far from over just yet; if he was fortunate, the gods would have granted him at least an hour of relaxation time.
I am really missing my time with her. His ears twitched as he made his way through the elegant stone halls and toward the garden. Usually, he would have found his wife enjoying the flowers, but this time, there was nobody.
The guards remained outside as he entered.
It was tranquil, with only the fountain in the garden centre producing the noise of flowing water. Soleah loved to spend her spare time here, and in extension, so did he.
His vision spun slightly as he struggled to regain the balance. It has been like that for weeks now; he could barely hold himself upright without swooning as if he were some kind of bashful maiden.
A small smile played on his lips as he approached the fountain. The sound of flowing water relaxed him for the first time in weeks, and he intended to enjoy the rare moment of quiet.
While it was rare and pleasant, he still preferred to have Soleah at his side even in those peaceful moments. While most bombarded him with reports about the war, and then reports of sabotage and ambushes, he found it rare to have someone to just chat with, and not care about greater issues.
Such was the burden of leadership that most inexperienced and ignorant people would consider the role of a king rather easy and luxurious. However, that was far from the truth; the entirety of the royal family had existed to fulfill an important function. The function of leadership.
His people were suffering, the enemies surrounded them, and even Red Dawn had proven to be even more hostile than what Lira had reported.
While he had no reason to doubt Lira's words, it was the first time she was wrong about something so major, and it scared him. Lira, I hope you can handle whichever spy had fed us such dire misinformation.
If Sheira had died due to it, he would have been lucky to even speak to his beloved in the next decade.
"Your majesty." The familiar voice reached his ears. There goes my moment of quiet.
"What is it, Lira?" He turned to face the woman who was both his eyes and ears upon the world. She was one of his most trusted aides and thus was afforded many freedoms many would kill for.
"Terrible news, my Lord." Lira's ears slumped slightly. She frowned and looked into his eyes. "The Champion, Azure Hallowshield, has disappeared. I suspect foul play, unfortunately, not much else is known."
All color left his face, yet he had to keep his composure. His face twisted, she wished to scream, the news that Lira had brought him made his knees shake as he slid down.
With due haste, Lira rushed to his side and helped him up, "Your Majesty! Are you alright?"
"Ugh…" He pushed himself up with Lira's help. "No. Are you certain? If she is missing, we are going to have major issues. So tell me again, are you certain?"
Lira closed her eyes and nodded. "I am afraid so. It has been two days now, and my spies have not reported even seeing her."
He felt as if he was about to faint. This was the last thing he needed, missing one of the most powerful elites his dear kingdom had at its disposal. If what Lira had said was true, then the Elven kingdom would have been crippled.
He separated from Lira and crossed his arms, "Then find her. Spare no expense! I want her back at the palace as soon as possible, is that understood?!"
There was no point in sugarcoating it. While Lira was his trusted aide, she too had to respect his orders, and as expected, she bowed. "It shall be done, your majesty, but there is one thing."
"Speak."
"I advise you to gather the council so that we may discuss further action. There is a chance that Lady Hallowshield had disappeared of her own will, and thus means she had betrayed us."
The king frowned. If the Spymaster's theory was correct, then the situation was even worse. However, he sincerely doubted someone as loyal as Azure would have ever betrayed them. Yet, what was quite possible was that a powerful enemy had snuck in and taken her prisoner to use as a bargaining chip.
"Gather the council, however, I doubt that theory." He felt his strength leave him again as he leaned against the fountain. "Despite that, we need to know how to proceed if the worst comes to pass."
He waved his hand and dismissed the spymaster. Lira smirked and curtsied.
His eyes locked on the spymaster as she made her way inside the palace. The news of a loss of an asset like Azure was terrible. His mind worked overtime to think of possibilities.
If the savages had learned of this, the attack would be imminent; however, he had not heard of any incursions yet, which ruled out the possibility of it being the act of the beastmen.
Red Dawn perhaps? He scratched his chin. The enigmatic human kingdom was always hostile to them, but recently, he had learned they were an even bigger enemy than the beasts at the southern border.
It was the only possibility that he could think of; however, he would trust Lira to figure out what happened and get back their champion.
For a moment, he even suspected the new servant that Sheira brought, but quickly dismissed the idea. His wife had trusted her, and that was more than enough for him. Soleah was the most intelligent and beautiful woman whose trust was hardly earned.
If someone had been able to do so, there would be no possible space for doubt to fester.
While he had no opportunity to speak with the elven girl ever since she had first arrived due to his duties, it was of no importance. He had more important issues to deal with than a new servant.
One of the main problems that was certain to arise if Azure had indeed betrayed them, other than the loss of a powerful military asset, was the fact that she had trained many of the soldiers. If she had abandoned that duty, then they would most certainly be overwhelmed by physically superior beasts.
Issues just keep piling up, aren't they? He forced a smile as he headed toward the garden's exit. His plate seemed to get fuller by the moment, and even his moment of peace had to be interrupted by terrible and frankly terrifying news.
He swooned slightly and caught himself on the stone wall. Just need to keep going until my people are safe.
It was his greatest wish in the world to see his people safe and not in danger of extinction, yet it seemed as if it were a distant dream.
The elves had no protection from the gods, nor were they gifted warriors. Yet despite all that they endured.
"And I vow that we will endure any tribulation ahead!" He muttered under his breath as he wobbled back to the throne room.