Arthur 4 : The return of the prince

Chapter 5

"Sixty moons?! Are you mocking me?!" Selenia exclaimed as surprised as angry.
She was in the middle of a table meeting in the palace. Around her was Betamèche her brother, King Sifrat of Matradoy her father, Miro and Mino the moles and royal advisors from father to son and the autarch Eldarion who was visibly annoyed at the idea of having to repeat himself again. He had told the royal family of his diagnosis of the passage destroyed by the Bogo Matassalaï and if he wanted to carry out the repairs, he could not afford any delays. He therefore asked the King:

"Your Majesty, I humbly ask you to intervene to explain to your daughter that I am indeed serious and that we have no time to waste. Otherwise, I still risk using more powerful arguments."

Not wanting his daughter to recover another reprimand from Eldarion, King Sifrat decides to speak to try to calm the tensions:

"My daughter, you have to understand that a situation like this cannot be solved with the snap of a finger. We are already lucky to have someone who has the opportunity to make the passage operational again, it is our only chance to bring Arthur back."

"But Father, he's a nyrilorn! According to legends, nyrilorns are supposed to be able to accomplish great things!" replied Selenia.

"With all due respect, princess, these are just legends. And the "great" things that my people have accomplished, they have been accomplished most of the time in teams and with the necessary skills according to the situation. replied Eldarion before the King could react. For my part, I am all alone and although my powers will be useful to us for this mission, I have no notion of architecture, because I was educated above all in the military branches of my people, and not in the craft branches."

"Selenia, we too would like to see Arthur again, but the goddess of the forest decided otherwise." Miro said. "If we want to bring him back, we have to work together. The Bogos Matassalaï of the Highlands have also decided to help us, we must now do our part, just like Eldarion, who has offered to do his."

Little by little, Selenia's frustration gave way to a feeling of helplessness and injustice in the face of a fate against which none of them could do anything. She would have to wait at least 600 years for her one great love to return. A trial for which she already feared the amount of effort and energy to be provided before seeing her patience rewarded.

She also began to imagine Arthur's reaction when he too had to read this disastrous news. He must have been as dismayed as she was, expressing his grief to anyone who would listen to him from 4 feets and a few inches. Thus, even from the top of her two millimetres, Selenia felt that she would soon have to express her sorrow in the face of fatality.

Her father took her in his arms and tried to comfort her. They were joined by Betamèche and Mino. Even Eldarion, who had already pulled her straps from their first meeting, ended up feeling compassion at the sight of this princess suffering her first real heartbreak. In the end, he didn't seem as cold as he looked.

"You know, Selenia, we understand how you feel right now." said Mino. "When I was a prisoner at Necropolis, I missed my family more than anything. Being so far away from people without having the opportunity to come back and see them is indeed a terrible thing. But today my father and I are reunited again. Let's all make sure you're that lucky.

"For my part, I can also sympathize with your distress, princess." continued Eldarion. "I willingly set aside my personal quest for you and Arthur in particular, while I still miss mine so cruelly, starting with my own wife. I live with this emptiness in my heart at every moment, and despite everything, I always make sure that my hopes never dissipate. Now you must do the same."

"I didn't expect such words from you whom I believe you humiliated me in public two days ago."" Selenia answered him with astonishment.

"I'm sorry you took this the wrong way, but I felt this reminder was necessary, and I won't apologize for that." said Eldarion, knowing that he might disappoint Selenia for not making a genuine apology. Moreover, she did not even try to hide her disappointment. Nevertheless, she could count on his sincerity.