The Merman's Lament - IvanTill

~09~

By evening, some hours after Till had found Ivan on the beach, Till and Ivan got on the ship that would take them to Till's kingdom, Anakt.

It wasn't that far away from the place they had both been found in, so it took them only a couple of hours to get there.

During the short time before they had sailed, Ivan and Till had talked a bit more, getting to know each other.

Since they both had in common that they loved music and they were very artistic, they agreed to spend time together drawing, painting, or doing anything creative.

Till had told him he would show him his secret room, where he would keep all of his artworks, and he would play instruments and sing away from his father, whom he had told Till was not very fond of.

When they arrived in Anakt, Ivan was marveled at seeing the beautiful, deep green-roofed houses with pale turquoise walls. They were all built near the beach, and the furthest they reached was near the cliff where the kingdom's castle stood, following the same roof and wall colors as the houses.

The soldiers, dressed in elegant green and turquoise uniforms and white capes, came to welcome them at the harbor.

"Welcome back, Your Highness," they said, bowing to him. "His Majesty awaits."

Ivan noticed instantly how Till's face changed, going from a smile while he talked to him to a look of someone waiting for something bad to happen. Ivan couldn't help but worry for him.

Just how bad was Till's life in the castle?

They followed the soldiers, crossing almost the entire town and climbing the cliff before reaching the cliff and finally, the castle.

The guards and servants greeted them, and once they had successfully escorted them, they retired, leaving everything to the guards.

The guards made sure they came along to the throne room, and once there, they stood by the door, making sure they wouldn't leave unless they allowed them to.

Till and Ivan found themselves face-to-face with King Urak, sitting on his throne, looking extremely displeased.

His hair was silver, much like Till's, yet it was turning white due to his old age, and his eyes were teal. His face looked different from Till's, but you could still tell they were related.

He wore a long, teal robe with golden details engraved in it and an edelweiss flower sewn around the chest area.

As soon as his eyes crossed with Till's, his lips pressed into a thin line, even more displeased.

"Come here."

Till gulped before he did, approaching the old man, stopping right before him. He then harshly grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, leaving Till panicking.

"What did I tell you about taking our ships and going around sailing like an idiot with those criminals you have as friends, huh?!"

Till didn't respond, unable to say any word, as the king's hands were now dangerously close to his neck and threatened to choke him.

"You are disappointing me as usual! You are lucky that princess saved your life from drowning!" he yelled, not caring about being hurtful. "But honestly, it would have been better if you had died at this point! You do nothing but disappoint me with your rebellious behavior!"

Ivan, who had been watching from his place, horrified, decided he couldn't hold back anymore and ran towards them, immediately forcing the king to let go of Till.

He was left surprised, not having expected Ivan at all to step in.

"And who is this?! How dare he interfere in palace matters?!"