Chapter 8: The Elf King
The elves' kingdom absolutely charmed me. It was a mini version of everything. It's placid and didn't seem like the kingdom was mourning over their king's near death. Their kingdom is called "Arcadia" which literally meant "a scene of simple pleasure and quiet".
I saw that the elves were very industrious. They looked exactly the same as the elves portrayed in old Santa Claus movies, and it amused me.
Hey, come to think about it. If the elves had to use their powers just to bring themselves and the others at this place, then could it be that this is not in Forestierre?
I looked at Twinkle Bell. The elves were leading us to their king, and all of which were looking straight ahead. The matter about their elf king seemed very serious to me.
"Twinkle, is this still in Forestierre?" I whispered.
"Of course," he replied.
"Eh?" I pouted.
"Disappointed, are you? Well, it's impossible for you to be outside of Forestierre. You haven't escaped yet."
"Fine. Anyway, I'm worried about the elf king. I wonder what I could do for him." I said.
"Don't you ever think about giving up the necklace."
"I don't. It's not even mine. Giving this up is not something for me to decide," I replied.
"Good, but I don't feel good about this. I hope nothing bad happens to us just because you're trusting these minions."
I would say that I was really shocked. I never thought this little meanie would say it as if he were blaming me. It made me a little mad for a while, but recalling my past experiences of being trapped, they might've happened due to my inclination to trust other people.
Just before I came to realize it, we were already in front of the uniquely designed elf castle. It's adorable and unique structure charmed me a lot. The touch of nature in its very design and its mushroom-like shape really stunned me.
"Whoa, just look at this," I said in a dazed tone.
"Yes, Madame," answered the elf, "that is the highest building here- the castle."
"Wow, I must say, I'm really impressed!" I said.
"Well, might as well go inside, yes?" suggested one elf.
"Ah! Yes, of course. Let's go then!" I replied cheerily.
I was still very awestruck until we got inside the castle. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the big difference between the outside and the inside. How wonderful its appearance from outside was! But the exact contrary could be seen inside.
"I can't believe it. What happened here? Has this castle been abandoned already? Why, the place is messy." I commented.
"Please don't be that harsh. We couldn't find anyone who could maintain the castle. You know, no one else knew what he's going through right now, and we can't let anyone discover it." One of the elves replied.
"But why wouldn't you tell everyone? They have the right to know that." I said.
"Yes, you're right. But that would only cause panic amongst them. The elf king won't allow that."
I didn't reply. I knew I couldn't say any more. They were right. A king's duty is to protect his land and not to worry the people.
After going up the stairs, we finally arrived at where the elf king was. Yes, it's true that the elf king was bed-ridden.
