Allegiance

Chapter 40

Arthur was seeing red. The blood in his veins had been replaced with rage, with his thoughts only focused on one thing. To kill Curtis. Arthur wanted to erase every piece of him from the physical plane. Every fiber in his body was telling him to march out of the elven royal suite, go to the Glayder's suite, and make Curtis feel the pain of a thousand deaths. However, he was currently being held back.

Aya and Alea were physically shaking as they held Arthur in place, Aya holding Arthur's right arm, Alea holding his left. Their jaws were clenched, and sweat ran over their brows, trying to keep Arthur and his overpowering rage in check.

Tessia stood in front of Arthur, her hands gently cupping his cheeks, trying to force him to look at her, but his eyes were locked on the door. She knew Arthur was stronger than Aya and Alea, and only she had the power to keep him restrained. That was why she was currently and subtly using her abilities to keep his mana contained inside his mana core.

Tessia knew this wasn't good. Arthur had never reacted well when someone threatened her. And now, he had a family, who was now being threatened. She could see the rage in his azure eyes, the sheer focus he had to march down the hallways and turn Curtis into nothing. She wouldn't lie to herself and say she wasn't thinking the same thing. But she knew she needed clarity of thought before rashness of action. If she, Arthur, or anyone went to kill Curtis or harm any member of the human royal family right now, it could very well mean war.

Alduin, Merial, and Virion were standing in the back of the room, huddled in a small circle, trying to come up with possible solutions. The fact that Curtis, the prince of Sapin, would stoop to such levels left a vile taste in Alduin's mouth. He couldn't believe Curtis would do this and genuinely felt for Arthur, as he knew from their talks at dinner how much Arthur's family meant to him.

Merial periodically shifted her gaze from Alduin and Virion to check on Arthur, who had three white cores keeping him restrained. She honestly couldn't blame Arthur for showing such rage, for saying he was going to obliterate Curtis. She would honestly march the entire elven army across the border into Sapin if her family were in danger.

Virion cursed to himself, knowing this idiot of a prince, Curtis, had just put the entire fate of this continent in jeopardy. He wondered how such an idiotic plan had crossed Curtis' mind, wondering if Curtis honestly thought it would be a good idea to threaten the family of one of the powerhouses of Dicathen, who could destroy this very castle if he wanted.

Kathyln stood beside the door awkwardly, her wrists clasped in front of her and her eyes darting between everyone in the room. She couldn't help but feel awful. It was her family, her father and brother, who were doing this to Arthur, whom she considered a friend.

"Arthur," Tessia whispered softly, gently. She knew he was in dangerous territory. She needed to calm him before he did something stupid. "I need you to look at me." Arthur's eyes were still locked on the door, his murderous intent raging like a storm in his eyes. More sternly, Tessia said, "Look at me."

So Arthur did. His eyes flicked to hers, and he saw her teal pearls staring right back. Her eyes were filled with worry and love, trying to get Arthur to quell his rage. In a voice thick with anger, Arthur said, "I'm going to kill him."

"You can't," Tessia whispered softly, looking at him intently. Arthur's jaw clenched, and he was about to look away, but her grip on his face tightened, so he kept looking into her eyes. "I need you to listen to me. If you go and do anything to Curtis, it could very well mean war. And Blaine won't hesitate to have your family taken and killed."

"Then what do you expect me to do?" Arthur snapped.

Tessia sighed sympathetically, brushing her thumb over his lips, "I expect you to trust me."