Verita - The Guardian of Darkness

6

Elanthin thought about lying for a second; just to unnerve the Gratians in front of her and provoke some emotion. While his subordinates wore their distrust and anxiety openly, the king seemed neither happy nor scared to meet her envoy. He stood before them like a gold-plated marble statue, seemingly unmoved by both the sight of a monster carcass and the arrival of Gratia's final triumph over Verita.

She'd come fully prepared to get on her knees and kiss this man's feet to save her people. But instead of immediately stripping her of her pride as a royal and trampling on it, the Gratian king was proceeding with nothing more than polite chitchat.

There was a cold sort of rage welling up inside of her. This was its own kind of torture; was the Gratian king trying to put her on edge?

"There is no need to be worried. The monsters rarely come up here as they prefer to stay close to the Deep", stated Elanthin coldly. However, they'd started to push forward lately, past Verita's fortresses and defense lines. But information was power and she wouldn't help a stranger without reward – especially not one that belonged to house Gratia.

Aetrian nodded at her in a manner that seemed strangely relaxed. Almost as if he was treating her like a comrade rather than a foe. What a silly thought, she told herself off.

Turning to Ves, he continued to speak in the Veritan tongue. "You shouldn't have presumed that the queen would act thoughtlessly."

Again, Ves bowed his head reluctantly, and she got the feeling that this was a common occurrence.

Meanwhile, Elanthin felt her confidence grow. If the Gratians hadn't harmed her yet, they weren't going to do anything out here. They likely wouldn't have bothered with introductions and smalltalk.

"What's going to happen next?", she implored of Aetrian without dwelling on the aid's impoliteness. She'd expected much worse to have happened by now. "Will we discuss and sign the treaty out here?"

Elanthin didn't particularly mind the idea of staying outdoors on the Plains for a few days but due to the on-going surge in monsters they'd have to deal with frequent visitors from the Deep. No matter how experienced the soldiers with her own envoy were, the Gratians would likely be of little help against monsters.

"I hope you'll allow us to escort you to the capital", explained the Gratian king, while his amber eyes wandered over the Plains. A gust of dust and wind messed with his silver hair, tousling it irreparably. Nothing out here could stay perfect for too long. "You'll stay in the royal palace while we set up the final treaty."

If I get a knife between the ribs as soon as we cross the Eternal Barrier, I'll come back to haunt them, thought Elanthin with grim determination. Even if she had to give her life for this treaty, she would've preferred for the end to come to her while she was standing upright, sword in hand – or at least while she was looking her executioner in the eye.

As if Aetrian had read her mind, he raised a hand ringed with glowing jewels towards his chest. A gesture which was supposed to indicate earnesty.

"No harm will come to you on our way, you have my word."

It was a strange promise and Elanthin couldn't help but wonder why they'd bother keeping her alive until they'd reached the palace; but she was far from complaining about it. Perhaps they wanted a public execution as it made for a better show.

"It won't take long. Two days to reach the capital after passing the Eternal Barrier", promised Ves, struggling in an odd mixture of the Gratian and Veritan tongue. There was a disquiet in his wandering eyes which hinted to Elanthin that the Gratian envoy was, in fact, prepared for things to go awry.

His words told her another thing: Since Aetrian's predecessors had built their houses' main seat scarily close to the Eternal Barrier, the Gratians' faith in its magical protection must remain unbroken.

At least I've got reassurance now, it passed through Elanthin's head. Her people would be safe once they'd passed the border and settled on the protected continent, just as she'd wished. Her head felt heavy but she managed to nodd.

Aetrian extended a dust-clad arm towards her and she couldn't help but stare at the intricate embroidery on his robe. On the silken fabric, delicate twigs sprouted flowers with colorful birds dancing around them. Elanthin hadn't seen anything like it in all her life; she couldn't even tell if she liked it.

"Then, shall we? I've taken the liberty to prepare a carriage and provision for you and a maid – in case you wish to take a familiar face with you."

She'd expected it but his choice of words made it reality: They weren't opening the Eternal Barrier for the whole envoy. Instead they'd be escorting her to the other side without protection from her people. The queen and a helpless handmaid surrounded by a dozen of experienced Gratian soldiers. Vax would've lost his mind by now.

"Before we go anywhere", barked Elanthin, alert at once, "you must keep your word. You promised to lower the barrier for my people if I surrendered myself."

The Gratian king blinked at her, as if he was surprised by her glaring distrust. Was he scheming something or simply naive?

How naive do you have to be, she wondered, to expect blind obedience from an enemy? Is that even possible for a king?

"I will, but we have to finalize the terms of our treaty before I can give out orders. When that's finished and over with, any arriving Veritan will be guided through by the mages."

She narrowed her eyes and Aetrian set out to elaborate on his words.

"I can't just tell the mages to disable their eternal barrier for an extended amount of time. What would the citizens of our border villages do if a monster made it through? Most of them have never seen one in person."

He wasn't wrong but that couldn't alleviate Elanthin's worries. If she left behind her envoy, there was no telling how much longer she'd be alive for. A dead queen could inspire grief and loyalty – but she couldn't ensure that Gratia's king would keep his promise.

Elanthin looked down at his arm, which was scarier to her than any monster she'd encountered the night before. Why was this stranger acting polite when he could end her bloodline and their feud without lifting a finger?

"I swear to keep my promises", he continued empathically as she hesitated to accept his arm. "I wrote that your people will receive protection upon their entry into the kingdom of Gratia and I will make it happen. As long as Verita's crown swears loyalty to me."

To him? Elanthin raised her head to meet his eyes, which were surrounded by long, silvery-white lashes.

"Not to your house?"

Aetrian's mouth twisted into a sly grin.

"Why would I demand that? I have no clue who my successor will be. If he were a terrible pest to our people, I would ask you to kindly dispose of him in my stead."

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