King Who Fell From Grace

Chapter 10: Meeting with the Elven King

POV: 3rd Person

On the other side, Arthur and Tessia had burst through the frame and fallen to the stone floor. Tessia was now fully awake while Arthur had started to stand up, not expecting to have such a rough entrance.

But as his gaze caught sight of the lightly lit up city of Zestier, the capital of Elenoir, his mind has only thought of one word; Pristine. The city's main path was covered in unmeet branches from the trees above. There were many lighting artifacts that gave a faint hue of turquoise and yellow but extended far into the city's crevices, having a light ambiance to it.

Arthur picked up Tessia from the floor and didn't have time to sightsee much after that, as swirls of green light and wind danced in circles until the all tied to a point on the floor in front of them both. The swirling stopped and the wind dispersed to show elves covered in black battle attire, they each had a rapier strapped to their side and a silver emblem of a branch with a blade right through the middle on their chest.

They all kneeled and yelled in unison; "We welcome back the royal princess!"

Arthur, in that moment, finally made the connection. Tessia Eralith... Eralith, as in the elven royal family's surname. Arthur's mouth hung open and his eyes widened, he look towards Tessia and pointed a finger at her.

"Who? Where? Here? You?" He asked frantically as his head turned from the men to Tessia, to the men and back. Tessia blushed and nodded.

"Princess! We arrived as soon as we noticed the use of the royal teleportation gate. The king and queen have been notified and should be-" the man was cut short as a voice called from behind.

A carriage was seen skirting and three figures practically jumped out even before the carriage had stopped.

"My baby! Oh, Tessia, my baby!" A woman with beautiful silver hair and eyes that shone like turquoise gems cried out as she ran with her arms extended.

Tessia's lips quivered when she caught sight of her parents, so Arthur gave her a little nudge towards them, feeling sentimental himself.

Arthur then threw the elk-hound into the gate before it closed along with his bag and strapped knife. He positioned his body to face the family again.

Her mother got on her knees and hugged her tightly while she cried. Her father, the king, also had shorter silver hair and matching green eyes, not as bright as her mother's though. One could easily see the bags under their eyes. They've been stressed, tired, and hopeless for days on end. Arthur knew the feeling well.

He also hugged Tessia, but only bending his knees, not completely on the floor like the queen. And the last figure, an elf with a cleanly shaved face and sharp, dagger-like eyes got closer. His eyes softened at the sight of Tessia. Arthur didn't need a connection to know who he was.

Virion Earlith. A name written in every history book. The man who won the war against the humans while being at the elemental and numeric disadvantage. A man who fought on the front lines with his men. A noble, strong, and fierce man. Arthur had only respect for him, and if not for the circumstances, he was sure he would bow in reverence.

After a couple more solemn and warm-hearted moments, the king spoke.

"Forgive me for our unsightly appearance. We've been worried for the past couple days about the princess' well-being. We hope that you could accompany us to the castle to hear the report on the incident regarding the past events." He said. His words indicated that Arthur was given a choice, but he knew by the authority in his voice that there was no choice given here. It was an order. A skill every king, or person of importance, learned.