Mahnu, An Immortal's Journey

Chapter 43

William broke the silence that had been going on now for quite a number of minutes. "Is there a King or Queen that was extremely great?"

Mahnu looked at William, and smiled, "Yes!"

William got excited, "Who!? Tell me!"

"He's right here." Mahnu laughed and looked at Richard.

"...I'm not a great King." He mumbled. As it was, he just realized how great his Knight was! How he had treated his mother and father poorly in the past!

Richard felt far from being a great King!

"It's not based on what you, as the King, personally thinks or feels. It's the people's point of view." Mahnu stated frankly. As far as she was aware, in her existence, a good King was someone who thought of his land and people.

Yet, this statement stunned King Richard, "The people like me?"

"Of course! They all saw the change of Kralaide from your father's reign to yours. They are much happier now. I even liked you when I hadn't met you. I remember thinking that you made a good decision to help the west and east with provisions just for them, even though they could give you nothing in return. And that's why I ventured to save you from the assassins, because I wanted you to live."

King Richard contemplated her words, while he sat properly on the bed beside Mahnu, putting his legs out in front of him. "So that's why we were able to meet?"

Mahnu smiled at him. "I felt sorry for you in Nowell. Here I was, an immortal, trying to help people for over a thousand years and there you were wanting to solve everything in a human life span. I even wondered if I should've told you not to bother."

The King chuckled, "So, that's what you were thinking then?"

"Yes. But you stunned me when you kissed me. Afterwards, I thought that you had a lot of nerve to kiss a God!"

"Were you going to kill me?" He asked, his eyes sparkling, remembering his own thoughts back then too.

William and Jaclyn started to notice that Mahnu and King Richard were in their own little world. They had been practically forgotten about and started to feel uncomfortable...

"No...I...I've never killed anyone before. Grant you, I did hurt people, if they hurt others, but I never killed any human."

The King was surprised, "No one?"

Mahnu shook her head.

"...You killed Thelmos and Eliza a few times." The King finally said.

"No. I'm not talking about God's. Besides, they didn't die." Mahnu retaliated, showing a frown.

"...I wonder how many times you would have died if you weren't a God..." William's quiet, curious words made everybody look at him.

Silence filled the room and William shrank into his chair. "I'm sorry...I shouldn't have said that."

"Leave." The King said coldly.

Mahnu put a hand up, "It's fine."

"It's not. Your name and death, in the same breath..." Just the thought of it made the King close his eyes to take a breath and try to calm himself down.

"Richard!" He then looked at her, obviously annoyed, and Mahnu sighed, "It is not like William wishes me dead. He was curious."

"I don't want to talk about it." The King mumbled.

William got up and bowed, "I apologize, I will never say those words again." And he left...

Jaclyn also left, leaving Mahnu alone to comfort King Richard.