A Will of Fire and Darkness

Prologue

     The Eltrey are like any other elemental creature in Cerstar. Human like appearances and bodies, but with the added limbs or elements of the clan they came from, each clan being a different element such as water, fire, earth, light and dark. The Light Eltrey had gone missing centuries ago, their island drowned under the ocean. Whether they still exist somewhere out in the vast sea or not is unknown. As for the rest of the clans, they survived many wars against each other and other species. No more than a hundred years ago they formed an alliance, a pact that made peace between all the clans and formed a new kingdom called United Eltrey. All the clans except the Dark Eltrey. The king at the time had finished a brutal war with the Fire Eltrey and had no intentions of making peace with any of the clans. He closed off the Urgriss and executed any who wanted to leave.

     Which brings us to the present, the king died three years ago. I live in Urgriss and I hate every minute of it, though I was raised here and I am a Dark Eltrey, I continue to find more ways to hate this dark gloomy castle and the sad scrawny civilians that do nothing to change their kingdom and sit in misery even with the old king gone. Maybe it's just me that sees it, I stand at the foot of the throne of the new queen every day and follow her around as her bodyguard. She has many knights and soldiers loyal to her to guard her, but the minute she became queen she asked that I be her personal bodyguard.

     We had been acquaintances before. She followed me around and asked my questions and never seemed to shut up about how fun it would be to become queen when her father died. Why she stuck around me is a loss to my knowledge, my dread would be she some day asks me to sit on the throne with her. She never leaves my sight whether I like it or not, when I'm on duty I have no choice but to listen to her, but even when I have my own time she comes to me every night and asks that I sleep next to her bed. I've delt with this for a little over three years, which may seem short in the life span of an Eltrey, but I would rather die than stay here my entire life.

     It's sundown, my duty has ended, and I head straight to the room that can only be accessed by myself and the queen. Though I know there's no point in coming here other than to have a minute of peace and quite until the queen requests I come to her quarters. It's a small room containing a small window above a single bed, a sink and toilet built into an indent in the side wall, shelves on its opposite, and a tiny candle holder beside the door. Most everything here has been unused, the bed has never been disturbed, the shelves collecting dust.

     I sigh, stretching my arms over my head. Facing the small mirror above the sink I look at myself. Nothing special, same dark, ridged horns curling around pointed ears, bland shaggy hair. My wings tightly folded to my back as to not knock over anything in the tiny space. I touch under my eyes, the dark bags that lay there.

     This isn't living, this is just existing.

     Knock, Knock!

     I slowly turn toward the wooden door knowing exactly what will be on the other side. The door squeaks as I open it, and the face on the other side is staring up at me with a gleeful knowing smile. The figure of the queen is small but well-shaped, her green eyes jarring compared to her pale skin and the dark details of her long hair and straight black horns on top of her head, matching the spiky crown.

     "Come on Del, why do you always come back here when you know I always ask for you to accompany me at night?" she says, her almost childish voice ringing down the hall.

"Did it ever occur to you, Ms. Kelzic, that I hardly use the restroom on duty?" I rub my eyes, my voice tired and low.

"Honestly, why do you call me that? Just Kelzic is fine, you don't have to be all formal off duty. It's just the two of us" she smiled, making her voice lower at the last part. She turns around ready to head down the hall. "Come now, stay in my room."

I sigh falling into step behind her. "Though I am off duty, you are still my queen, and I am nothing more than your bodyguard." We walk through a parlor with large stairs leading upward to the royals' quarters. No one except select guards and family of the queen go up there.

"Oh Del, you know we're more than just that, we've known each other for years!" she threw her arms in the air. "I could make you more than just a bodyguard you know?" She looked back at me with a sly face.

I looked to the side, uninterested. "For the last time, it's Delkor. And I would like to stay in the position I have" I said, pushing the doors open at the top of the stairs. I bowed to her letting her pass, her long midnight dress trailing behind her.

She went to a sofa at the end of her large luxurious bed. She looked at me with a mocking pouty face. "Awe but Del suits you so well and it's easier to say."

I didn't reply and decided to make my place on the floor with the blankets from a nearby linin closet. The room was large enough to hold a feast with a ceiling that ascended till it came to a point. A chandelier of red candles hung from it. The queen's bed was half the size of the curved half-wall it was against, a veil hung over the top of the posts. The floor was carpeted in a dark red rug that I had grown accustomed to sleeping on.

Kelzic walked into the attached restroom with curtains to separate it from the main room. "Must you always sleep on the floor? Why not join me in my bed, it gets lonely you know?" she hollered. "It would be warmer, and the bed has enough room for three so it's not like I'm going to be intruding on your space. It should be an honor really; you are the one person that is allowed in here every night."

I laid down on my makeshift bed as she rambled on the same thing she does every night. "It would be inappropriate as I am only a bodyguard. You should ask your king that when you choose one." I closed my eyes.

She walked out wearing a nightgown of dark red and sauntered to her bed. She sat down on the edge and sighed, tucking her wings in behind her. "But I'm still enjoying being queen by myself. I don't need a king" she flopped on the bed. With a snap the candles went out. "Goodnight, Del."

"Goodnight your majesty" finally the dark consumed me and I fell into the cold embrace of sleep.