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"the hall has been emptied entirely and i just escorted our last guests to the grand gates outside. is there anything else you need me for?" mingyu trailed seungcheol, who hurried his way through the chaos in the castle's hallways.
it was a little after midnight and adora's king had given every man and boy strong enough to carry a sword in the kingdom the task to report themselves in the castle. gear that has not been used in seungcheol's time of being here was brought back up, covered in dust and cobwebs. armor painted with layers of brown rust was being handed out by groups of brave knights, making sure everyone was provided with extra layers of safety.
however, no one in the kingdom had any idea of what exactly awaited them and what horrendous terrors dawn would bring with itself.
"please help the knights with passing out armory to everyone. i think we provided majority of our folk with fighting gear already. check if their swords are of any use and if they are sharp enough. if not, send them to the blacksmith who works by the square in town." seungcheol summed up a list of things for him to do while he was still busy pacing through the hallway himself, almost too quick for mingyu's long legs to catch up with. "if every man and boy in the kingdom is ready for dawn, make sure all women and children are brought to the secretive hallways underneath the castle."
"i assume i should inform them about what they have to do incase something goes wrong as well?" mingyu turned around the same corner as seungcheol did, almost bumping into a trembling boy who barely even was big enough for the armor he wore. with a lot of compassion for the boy's unfortunate fate, mingyu tried shaking the thought off to focus on his king's commands.
"just tell them that once they hear how the walls of the castle come crashing down, they should flee deeper into the hallways underground. tell them about the caves and the system of hallways that our ancestors dug for emergency cases like these. that should extend their deaths with at least a good while."
as heartless as it seemed, seungcheol simply could not permit himself to feel guilty about the gruesome things that might happen to his dear folk. not even when the chaos throughout the long ways of his castle was all caused by his own stupidity. or was it?
seungcheol was plainly left clueless, trying to focus on the best and most effective ways to protect his kin.
"my lord, there is something i need to show you." the elvish king of the seventa woods interrupted seungcheol and his servant's conversation. minghao, the one who was supposedly taking over the kingdom if anything would happen to the current king, wore a stern expression as he stood beside seventa's king, finally acting responsible for him and his kin's sake. unlike earlier that night, minghao had his hair tied up in a small bun while he still wore the same suit he had worn at the yule.
"what is it?" seungcheol answered with honest interest, wishing for it to be something in his odds. with a small gesture of his hand, he waved his personal servant away, wanting everything to be arranged as soon as possible, so both he and his soldiers could rest for a few more hours. as long as everyone would stand in position the moment the first rays of sunshine would reach the upper tops of the mountains.
"i think it might be something of your interest." the elvish king went ahead of seungcheol without giving further explanation, knowing that seungcheol would trail him through the corridors of the castle. "we elves are able to travel by horse. and as we usually take our time to reach our destiny, in urgent situations like these we have the ability to arrive within small amounts of time."
they soon reached the front doors, that were swung open by maids on both sides. they hurried down the stone staircase and continued their walk through the usual cozy village, straight to the grand gates that had been sealed merely a moment ago.
"what is it you are trying to tell me?" seungcheol was confused by the elf's sudden explanation, wondering if he was wasting his precious time outside.
"that i might have something of value for tomorrow's battle." the elf spoke.
"but i have said this before, your majesty." seungcheol addressed the king like usual. "it is not safe for you and your kin to stay here. please consider leaving before you get involved in my stupidity. i do not want to be responsible for the death of.."
and as seungcheol kept on rambling and making reasons for the elf and his folk to leave for their own safety, he barely even noticed the gates opening, welcoming the arrival of something he least expected. once he finally fell silent, his eyes landed upon his new company.
as far as the eye stretched, elves dressed up in full armory, clenching their bows to their chests as daggers hid in their holders that were wrapped around their waists by belts. an immense army stood right in front of his gate, ready to fight by his side when dawn would spread across the country.
tears welled up in the corners of his eyes on the heroic sight of the help he received. "i told you, have i not? that elves are able to reach places in just a small amount of time. call it magic, but i could hardly leave one of my greatest comrades alone when such a threat was thrown at him. we will help you fight for your kingdom and devote our hearts to adora."
seungcheol turned to the elf beside him, bowing to show him his gratitude. "i am very grateful for your generous offer, your majesty. thank you for fighting this battle by my side."
at least with this amount of brave elves, together with all men he was able to gather within his own walls, seungcheol was a little more confident about the fight that lay ahead of them. though the fear of the poor villagers was rather discouraging, seungcheol knew that they would find their way somehow.
they had to.
