Oceanum Collis

•Chapter 7• The Queen

"I told you to stay away from him!" Hayes yelled at his younger sister. Serena rolled her eyes at her brother. "I almost got him to talk, Hayes." She said. "Yes, almost. Before he tried to hurt you." Hayes replied. Serena looked at her brother. "Oh yes, because that rock was so scary!" She said sarcastically. Hayes let out an annoyed sigh. "You know that is not what I am talking about," Hayes replied. Serena rolls her eyes again. "You have too much faith in him." He added. "Maybe, but unlike you, I do have faith in him," Serena said. Hayes chuckled at her. "Faith," he said quietly. "Hayes, think about this. What if the prophecy is true?" Serena questioned. "We don't know how it ends, Serena." Hayes reminds his sister. "No, but from what we've seen, he will-" Serena started. "We don't know what he will do. As far as we know, we help him ascend that throne, and we will all be dead the next morning." Hayes replied. The male elf started to walk away from his sister. Serena quickly came up after him. "Or, he will make the peace return to these lands. Everyone will be united again. No more blood will be spilled." Serena said. Hayes stood still in the halls of the castle. "Blood will be spilled anyway, Serena. We're on our own. Do you actually believe that those beasts would want to be united with us again? Do you think they will listen to him? A human?" Hayes asked her. "They did once before. We all did." Serena replied. "Serena, those beasts don't listen to anyone. We tried to reason with them, remember? And we failed!" Hayes reminds her. The she-elf glanced down at her feet, remembering it. "Those creatures will never be united with us. They are animals." He added. Serena let out a sigh. "I want what's best for our people." She tells. "So do I." Hayes protested. "Really? Because it seems like you only want to wipe out every human in this world." Serena snaps at her brother. The male elf glared at his sister. "Isn't it?" Serena questioned. Hayes walked past his sister, not answering her question. "Father wants to see you, by the way. Now!" He called out. Serena watched as her brother walked away. She turned around. She started to make her way towards her father's chambers. 

She politely knocked on the doors. "Father?" she called. After a few seconds, her father opened the door for her. She stepped inside carefully. "What is it you wanted to talk about?" She asked him. The elven king cleared his throat. "That man-" He started. "Father, he didn't harm me," Serena assured her father. "This is not about that, Serena." Her father tells her. Serena sat on the chair by the window and bookcase. "Then what is it?" She questioned. She lifted her feet up to set them on top of the desk. Her father pushed her feet off again. Callodir picked up a rock that sat on his desk.  He held it in his hand, squeezing it tightly. "Do you remember what your mother told you the last time you saw her?" He asked her. Serena nodded slightly. "Tell me," Callodir ordered as he squeezed the stone tighter in his hand. Serena took a deep breath. The queen cupped her face in her hands. Serena's green eyes looked into her blue ones. The beautiful queen smiled at her daughter. "I am so proud of you, my child." She said. Serena smiled at her mother's compliment. "The King's Guard. Who would've thought my little princess would be in the king's guard?" The queen smiled. "Thanks, mom," Serena replied. The queen stroked her thumbs over her daughter's cheeks. "Don't ever let anyone tell you what to do. You are a princess, but you are-" "You're also a worrier. Protect your people at all costs." Serena spoke. She glanced up at her father. "No matter what the costs." She added. Callodir opened his hand. A beautiful white stone sat in the palm of his hand. He sat it on his desk again. "Your mother always saw the good in people. And so do you." Callodir started, "So, I ask you this one time. Can we trust him?" He asked his daughter. Serena let out a deep sigh, not answering his question. The elven king leaned on the desk. "Did you see anything when you were with him? Something we can go on?" He asked her. Serena shook her head. "I didn't see anything new. Only what I saw before. Him... on the throne." Serena tells her father. The king groaned annoyedly. "We have to know, Serena." He tells her. "I don't know! My visions haven't been clear for years. How on earth do you expect me to see him of his future?" She questions. Callodir looked at the she-elf in front of him. "We have to know, sweetheart. You're the only one who can." He said.

Later that day, Callodir sat by himself in his chambers. He looked at the white stone sitting on his desk. He tilted his head, looking at it. He suddenly felt a soft hand on his shoulder. The elven king glanced over his shoulder. He met the eyes of his beautiful queen. "The children are in bed." She informs him. Callodir smiled at his wife. The blonde elf sat in the chair next to him. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Serena had her first vision today." She smiled at her husband. Callodir's eyes widened. "What? Did she really?" He asked her. The queen nodded in response. The king smiled and looked outside the window again. "That young?" he questioned. "She's nine-hundred years old, my love." The queen tells, "It was going to happen one day." She added. "Well, if I'm being honest, I didn't think it would happen," Callodir replied. The blonde elf brushed his brunette hair aside. "She's special, love." She reminds him. "Well, she does have more abilities than her brother," Callodir said, "And he doesn't like that at all," he added. The queen nodded at him and let out a chuckle. "He teases her all the time. I don't blame her for the payback." She replied. Callodir turned his head to look at her. "What was the vision about?" He asked her. "She said she saw a man." She answered. "A man?" The king questioned, "A human one?" He asked. The queen shrugged. "I think so. She said it was a baby. Hundreds of years away from now." She tells him. "Well, is he going to be a threat to us?" The king asked. "Love, she saw a baby. Babies aren't that threatening." She smiled at her husband. The king rolls his eyes at his wife. "You're hilarious." He said annoyedly. "I love you, too, Darling." The queen replied. Callodir snapped back to reality. He was holding the stone in his hand now. "My love," he whispered. He stood up. He walked over to the bookcase. He pulled out one of the books. He opened it on a blank page. He then placed the white stone on the blank page. "I think I have found a way to do it." He said. He then placed the book back on its shelf. "Then we can be together again." He added. He turned away from the bookcase. He started to walk out of his chambers. "Hayes! Serena!" He called out. A guard, that was standing by the door, glanced up. "Sir?" He said. "My children. I need to speak with them." He replied. The guard nodded. "Of course, sir. Right away." He answered.