Claimed (Book #1)

Chapter 2: A Simple Wish

The dining hall was in total chaos. Ever since Mae confided to Glonir three days ago, nothing was ever peaceful anymore. Representatives from the North and South have arrived a few hours ago and everyone was arguing if Glonir was in the right mind or not to listen to a young girl and actually believe her.

"This is unheard of!" a man in grayish clothing shouted as he pounded his fist against the table. The utensils clattered but none were shaken from his reaction. He was wearing an emblem of a lion with a snake for a crown; a symbol of the people from the South. He was an aristocrat from the line of Holgdash named Stephen.

Stephen turned to Mae and eyed her ferociously. The young girl decided to keep her stance straight to avoid looking feeble to them. After all, she was still the Prime Minister's child. "How can we be assured that what she was saying was real," everyone was nodding their heads at Stephen's direction. "For the Goddess' sake, she could be hallucinating!"

"I certainly am not!" Mae cried.

"Glonir, you are a mad man!" an elf shouted.

"Don't you dare speak to His Lordship like that." another elf chided.

And once again the hall was filled with words thrown at one another. The once civilized Lumusians suddenly turned barbaric to Mae's eyes. This was politics. And this was why Mae didn't want to be part of it.

She stood from her seat but no one seemed to notice her leaving the room. She ran as fast as she could until she could no longer hear their arguments. She headed back to the gardens in hopes to talk to the lady again.

"Where are you?" Mae called out. "Come out! I need to talk to you!"

Mae felt absolutely helpless. Hell, she even felt insane for calling out someone who could possibly be her figment of imagination. She just needed some sort of proof of the woman's existence in order for her statements to be believed.

"I beg of you!" she called out one more time.

"So, who are you talking to?" a voice asked, but much to Mae's dismay it wasn't a woman but a man.

She followed the sound of the voice and it led to Rhohindir Mirkswood, one of the elves under the care of Glondir. Unlike other elves of his age, Rho was unique. Despite being 27 years of age in elven years, Rho showed incredible skill in swordsmanship and archery. Some say that he was destined to be like Glondir in his prime years while others say that Rho was an outright prodigy destined to overthrow Glondir one day.

"Has Glondir's insanity tainted you as well?" he asked.

"You have a terrible tongue, Rho." Mae stated as she crossed her arms.

Rho was almost perfect if he didn't have such a terrible character. His arrogance was his primary downfall to why Glondir wouldn't consider him being his successor. Yes, Rho was the perfect soldier that anyone could ask for but he wasn't the ideal leader.

"You caused quite a stir," Rho said. His blue eyes twinkled in the dark as the wind blew his blonde hair. His narrow smile would have made girls swooned over him but Mae knew that he was about to do something devilish. Mae would have found him beautiful if only she barely knew him. He was the perfect combination of a summer breeze and harsh winter. In other words, he was a walking contradiction. "Are you sure you're not mad? I could call a healer to examine you."

"The only one who needs examining is you." Mae teased.

"How about I examine you?" Rho smirked, a triumphant look etched on his face.

"I always knew you were crazy for me." Mae retorted.

Rho looked horrified much to Mae's pleasure. "Don't flatter yourself. I wouldn't even dare touch you even if you're the last woman in Lumus."

"Good," Mae replied. "I share the same sentiments as well."

"You're putting Glonir's reputation at a risk," Rho said seriously. The playful tone in his voice was gone and Mae knew that Rho wanted to talk to her seriously this time. "The humans are thinking that the elves are lunatics."

Ah, Mae almost forgot about Rho's special ability to hear what the humans were thinking. Strangely, his powers didn't seem to work on her.

"They always thought that non-human folks were lunatics anyway." Mae snorted.

"The other elves are mad at you for shaming Glondir."

Mae rolled her eyes. "Tell me something new," she pleaded sarcastically. "They've always hated me ever since I could remember."

"Well, what about I offer you a special gift to remove all your troubles away?" asked Rho.

Mae looked at him warily. Rho wasn't the gift-giving type. There was always a catch and this situation was no exception. "What?"

Rho took out an object from his pocket and handed it out to Mae. Her eyes widened in shock. Rho gave her an incredibly rare item. She was even more surprised by the fact that Rho decided to give it to her with no conditions attached. It was a Wish Stone that could grant any wisher's desire.

"You could wish them to believe you," he said. "Or even make everyone adore you. It's up to you."

Mae touched the Wish Stone softly. It took her a few seconds before she whispered her wish to it. As soon as she finished her deed, the stone vanished instantly on her hand.

"What did you wish for?" he asked.

Mae smiled and it caused Rho to take a step back. "I wished you to be genuinely happy in whatever you do."

Rho scratched his head in confusion. "You could had anything!" he stated. "Your problems would've disappeared. Why dedicate your one wish to me? Please don't tell me that you're secretly in love with me for all these years."

Mae let out a chuckle. "Don't flatter yourself," she repeated his works, irking him more. "I just thought you needed it more than I do."

"Well, well, what a cute romance blooming in here," a voice said. Out from the shadows, a lean figure crept out. "Too bad my presence had to ruin it."