Chapter 54: Chapter 54
Arthur's Point of View
Lestranian Capital
"Hello, Varvara," Aydan said with a low bow and overly theatrical flair. "It is always a pleasure to see you, my Queen."
"You're majesty." I greeted Former Elven Queen, Varvara Gramie.
Despite her age, she was still very beautiful, had light brown hair with a reddish tint and deep brown eyes that held a commanding look about them. Varvara was also taller than most other Elves, which gave her a very prominent figure, which fit her Queenly visage. An Elven green dress which hooked on to her middle fingers on each hand gracefully covered her form.
A smile crept to her lips as she approached Aydan and me. "Always so quick to bow to me, my lovely Aydan. Do not linger where I cannot see those beautiful eyes of yours." As Aydan went to stand up straight, the Queen gave his beard a tug to keep him in place. "But not before I speak to Sir Mordred."
"Is there something you need from me?" I asked while crossing my arms. The chapters is up by N0vEI__bin
"Not at all. I merely wanted to offer my congratulations on your first successful battle. With Sir Aydan here and you in the field, I am certain that the tide of this war will turn in our favor." Varvara replied.
Quirking a brow, I gestured to her. "So, you don't want to know if we were conspiring?"
She smiled and lifted Aydan's head back up with her hand ever so gently. "Conspiring only works if you have someone to conspire against. Not many would be worth even considering given your positions."
"True enough."
A woman who looked younger than Aydan, but also older than most Elves you see. "Always a pleasure to see the two of you." A few spotted wrinkles could be seen, not that she would ever confirm their existence. She was also different than I was expecting from when I first heard about her. "Surely you are on your way to the banquet, Sir Mordred?" Varvara then looked to Aydan. "After all, my dear Aydan went to such lengths to prepare it before we even heard of your victory."
"We are. Would you like to join us?" Aydan asked as he held out his hand to her.
"I would be delighted." Varvara joined us on our walk, and the two talked back and forth. "Aydan tells me that you are going to be exactly what this Kingdom needs. A unifying figure that is determined to see Lestrania thrive."
"I'm merely doing my part."
"One victory is meaningless unless the war is ended with that victory. While the battle we won today was vital in moving forward as one nation and one people, it had little meaning in the grand scheme of things." I mumbled out.
Mara was quiet for a moment before she replied. "Maybe so. Although, I have no doubt the men and women who accompanied you will remember this moment for the rest of their lives."
I nodded in agreement. "And they should. There was no better place to start, and if this is to celebrate the war turning in our favor, who am I to be so serious." Patting her hand, I continued. "Shall we join the others?"
She smiled up at me. "We shall!" The Princess confirmed.
Moving through the banquet hall, a few women of all races would quickly swarm me, which was still surprising. It was happening more and more as the weeks passed, but this was the worst one yet. A large group of Zugal, Humans, and Elves all surrounded Mara and me. However, to my surprise, the Princess was quick to act as she held up her free hand and silenced them all.
"Ladies, please do not disturb Sir Mordred this night. He will be more than willing to talk later, but he wishes to celebrate with his soldiers." If that wasn't Mara lingo for 'fuck off, bitches' I don't know what it was. "For now, please enjoy the festivities with everyone else."
Naturally, not wanting to test their luck against the Princess, they all quickly dispersed. "You handled that with such grace."
"When one is a princess and raised in such an environment, a certain amount of poise is required to survive," Mara explained. "Otherwise, you will get pulled into the dullest conversations you have ever heard."
"I can imagine. However, it is amusing that anyone would think of boring you. With your skills with a blade, I'd thought most would think twice." I commented as we moved to a more esteemed seating location.
"Unfortunately, despite being a princess myself, threatening people at the edge of a blade is still frowned upon. Not that Rudnurth ever believed in such stipulations."
Sitting down, we began to grab some food. "I will deal with Rudnurth over time. Right now, he likely feels like a kid who had his favorite toy taken away from him."
Mara instantly responded with a scowl. "It is disturbing he thinks in such a way at all."
"Agreed. A crown is meant to help the people who bestowed it upon you. Not use it for your own twisted pleasure." Taking a piece of bread and breaking it apart, I ate one of the pieces. "Heavy is the head that any crown rests upon." Continuing as I looked at Mara got her to nod. "Remember that should the crown ever fall to you."
"I will!" She replied eagerly.
Unfortunately, I didn't know how much any of this mattered. This war would continue for an unforeseen amount of time, and especially since I have no idea how long I'm going to be stuck here. That, and the only two in the future who still live are Arceana and Elincia. That likely meant Rudnurth, Elias, and Mara were all dead. My eyes focused on Mara's features, and I noticed she kept glancing at me more and more. Something that filled me with dread, but I ignored it all the same.
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Goal is the same! 800 Power Stones! We can do it!