Olver struggled to form a reply.
She is too close to me for my mind to function properly.
“Was faking love a part of your plan as well?” Olver finally asked.
“I never lied about that. In the beginning, it was just about marrying you for the practicality of it, but along the way, I did fall in love with you. And then you broke my trust. And my heart.”
Olver took Elsa’s hand in his, as the wind swirled around them.
“I never meant to, believe me. Death never scared me, but in that forest, while facing Traznug, I did not want to die. Dying meant never laying eyes upon your magnificent face, and I did not want that. I have missed you, Elsa. It was the thought of meeting you again that kept me going, even when my body was screaming for me to stop.”
“These are just words,” Elsa withdrew her hand from Olver’s.
“Oh, how I wish they were. It would have been easier. But they are not. I ache for you.” Olver murmured.
“So do I. But I am afraid I cannot give myself to you knowing what you did. I apologize,” and with that, Elsa turned and started to walk away.
Olver had already seen tears in her eyes before she turned, and perhaps that was the tipping point for the king of Indius.
“What will you have me do then?” he screamed in desperation.
Elsa stopped in her tracks and slowly turned to face Olver once more. Her cheeks were glistening with tears in the moonlight.
“Tell me, and I will do it.”
Elsa walked back to Olver. Her face was a portrait of grief, her body was a sculpture of seduction.
“It was on a night like this, that I killed Erling,” Elsa said, holding Olver’s hand and guiding him to sit beside her on the cold black sand, “I had been a good wife to him throughout the week, surrendering my body to him in all the ways he liked, pleasuring him until all the royal guards posted in the tower heard him moan. And so, when I asked him to take me to the ‘Valley of Flowers’ for a few days, he could not say no,” Elsa slowly unhooked Olver’s cloak, and threw it away into the wind, which picked it up and carried it away dancing.
“The Valley of Flowers is a desolate place in Harduin. Desolate and beautiful, a perfect place for an ambush. I had already hidden a few of the men loyal to me among the sea of flowers that covered the valley,” Elsa pushed Olver on his back and began tracing the scars on his chest with her fingers. Olver could feel the small dagger in a ruby encrusted scabbard that hung from her sword belt, as it scraped against his thighs.
“In the night, when I lay with him for one last time, my soldiers waited for me outside the tent, hidden with naked swords in their hands, awaiting my signal.” Elsa climbed on top of Olver as his hands fumbled with her tunic, finally ripping it away. Olver’s blood rushed to his manhood as he felt Elsa wriggle her hips on his hardness.
“Just the thought of them waiting to slice Erling open got me wet,” she said as she removed her tights and placed Olver’s hand on her wetness, “just like this.”
Elsa worked Olver’s breeches off of his body, and then straddled him with her legs. Olver could not help but take one of her nipples in his mouth, as she moaned into the wind.
“As the…aah… soldiers held him down, and…as… as I strangled his throat, I asked him…I asked him who supplied him the soldiers for the rebellion,” Elsa said through moans as Olver’s mouth worked on her breast, “he whispered ‘Henrik Swolderhornn’ before finally dying in my lap.” Elsa caught Olver’s hair in her fist and yanked his head from her breasts and looked into his eyes, “Now do you know why I would rather die, then see the first king of Aerdon be a Calypsian, let alone his wretched son. You will have to promise me, that whenever we find the temple, and when a situation arises where you can be king, that you will not back down, that you will take the crown, and be the king of Aerdon, beside your queen, Elsa Faerson.”
“I promise.” Olver whispered, “You will be my queen. I love you, Elsa.”
“Can I trust you this time, Olver?”
“Yes. I will do as you say.”
“Then you can have me. I love you, Olver Liongloom.”
Elsa lowered herself on Olver, and he felt himself entering her. He tried to embrace her, to kiss her, but she held him down and began riding him with ferocity. It was her who began kissing him, and it was her who scratched his already battered chest even more, as the waves reached their intertwined bodies, pooling around them and then receding back into the sea. Elsa’s screams filled the air, as Olver was swept away into bliss. He kept gazing into her beautiful emerald eyes, twinkling like the stars above, and just before erupting inside her, he saw them lit up with a fire so fierce, that it awed and scared him at the same time.
∞∞∞
It was the sun that woke him up. It blinded him for a few heartbeats as he opened his eyes and looked around. Blue waters stretched in all directions before him, and black sands behind him. And beside him, curled up under his cloak, looking like one of the black boulders scattered around the beach herself, was Elsa. Olver rested his eyes on her lithe, petite figure, the heaving motion of her bosom sending waves of tranquility through his body. The memories of the previous night rushed back to him, and he felt his loins stirring. And then he remembered the promise he had made, and the waves left as soon as they entered.
What did I do? I have broken a vow to take another. I have promised to betray the person who saved my life. A person who was finally learning to be a better man.
All of a sudden, blurry outlines of all the people he was going to hurt started to take shape before his eyes. The dying father, the loving sister, perhaps the spirit of a dead mother, the people of Indius, the god Erdoher, he went through the list in his mind, and each name felt like a punch to his gut.
They will forget everything if I find a way to save the realm, he tried to pacify himself, no one will care who marries whom, as long as their children are safe, and their future is secure. But what about Garen? He couldn’t find an answer to that question, and the feeling of guilt fought its way back to his heart. His eyes scanned the horizon once more, but nothing stirred as far as he could see, except the gulls circling far above over his head.
Elsa stirred beside him, and her eyes fluttered open. She threw the cloak away from her body and sat up, rubbing and squinting her eyes as the golden rays of the sun fell on her beautiful face.
“Slept well?” asked Olver
“Better than most of the nights,” Elsa replied with a smile, “We should be heading back to the cave. Others might be worried.”
“Last night still feels like a dream. A very pleasant dream that was too good for the harsh realities of the world. Tell me I did not dream it.” Olver said while caressing Elsa’s cheeks.
“No. It was all true, my king. And the dreams that we are yet to turn into realities are going to be sweeter than last night. The world will be ours, Olver. Songs will be sung in our praise, and tales will be told of our love and labor, we shall start a dynasty that will rule for thousands of years.” Elsa said expectantly, hope filling the green of her eyes.
At the cost of betrayal and blasphemy.
“What would the gods think of our union? Do you think it will make them happy?”
“Who knows what the gods want?” Elsa shrugged, “For thousands of years, we worshipped our individual Vizarins, thinking that worshiping other gods will be sinful. But now, at the end of everything, the gods want our kingdoms to unite, they ask us to be one kingdom, ruled by a single king. But they do not tell us who is to be worshipped then? Erdoher or Miervana, or perhaps our Vizarin, Garandyll, or maybe the god that those craven Calypsians worship? All we know, my king, is that they want us to come together, to show a united front,” said Elsa, taking Olver’s chin in her hand and coming closer to his face, “and what better way to show a united front of Harduin and Indius than by uniting my front with yours,” Elsa kissed Olver, whose lips curved into a smile.
What sort of black magic is this? One momen
t, I feel burdened with the guilt of betraying my family, my people, and Garen, but the moment she looks at me, and her skin touches mine, every shred of guilt vanishes like clouds after a heavy rain.
“Do you know the song, A knight’s maid?” Elsa whispered, nuzzling Olver’s neck.
“I apologize, my lady, but I have never heard of it,” Olver confessed.
“How could you? It is a Harduinian song, and no wedding is complete in Harduin until the minstrels recited the ballad of Sir Wilbor Wilkish and his paramour, Lady Prianka. A love for the ages, it was called, although the love lasted for only a night. You see, Lady Prianka was lost in the forest of Grimhall one day, and the night was drawing near. Scared and nervous, she ran into Sir Wilbor, the handsome and gallant knight who vowed to take her back to safety. But Garandyll wanted them to stay together a little longer, and so, a storm raged, and lightning thundered, leaving the maid and the knight to find shelter beneath the ruins of a castle, and there, as white swords flashed in the night sky and rain fell like a dam freed, they shared a passionate night of love. But in the morning, the soldiers of Lady Pianka’s household found the girl in the arms of the knight and fearing embarrassment for their lord and Lady Pianka’s father, they feathered the knight with quarrels from their crossbows, while the Lady Prianka just looked on in horror. Sir Wilbor’s body never hit the ground as he fell and hovered on a bed of arrows that pierced his body in a hundred places. They say that lady Prianka’s scream can still be heard on the nights when the sky is lit up by white flashes and when dark clouds rain hell on the forest of Grimhall. Seeing her knight succumb to his death before her eyes, lady Prianka pulled one arrow out of the knight’s body and stabbed herself to death. She could only be his maid for the night, hence the name, A Knight’s Maid.”
“This story fills me with grief. Now that I have found you, I cannot ever imagine losing you.” Olver said as his fingers moved through the golden tangles of Elsa’s hair.
“Do not grieve for them, for that night, they lived an entire lifetime.”
“Do you remember the song?”
“Not in its entirety. Just a few verses here and there.”
“Will you sing one for me?” asked Olver.
Elsa smiled and nodded, “I just remember the ending, it goes something like this-
The leaves fell, and covered them whole,
two corpses and a single soul.
They left them there, for the wolves and crows,
but nothing touched them, not bird nor boars.
Men forgot but Gods remembered,
they welcomed them with crowns of emerald.
They lived together, in the halls of gold,
a knight, his maid, the beautiful and the bold.
And here we are, as the tale is told,
as the ale is poured and the night grows old.
We’ll sing of love, and we’ll sing of gold,
and sing we shall til’ the ale is cold,
and sing we shall, of blood and bones.
Elsa finished, and Elsa waited, but Olver remained quiet. Far off into the sea, on waves shimmering in the sunlight, he had seen something that had caught his attention, which in turn caused breath being caught in his throat. Elsa followed his gaze and found what Olver was looking at, and she felt the world around her spin, as her heart pounded against her chest.
Olver’s hand found Elsa’s as their fingers intertwined and their breathing quickened. A horn sounded off in the distance, its tone melancholic yet powerful, and Olver knew from where it came. At that moment, Olver felt insignificant, a mere pawn in the bigger scheme of things, a puppet in the hands of gods, a cog in a massive wheel. He looked at Elsa and saw the same wonder and awe on her face that he was certain was plastered on his face. Who knows what the gods want? Elsa had told him, the gods want us to proclaim a single king, the parchment from the temple had told him, but the only voice that rose above all others and began echoing in his head, was the voice of Diyana.
Elves, Toren called them, her voice said in his head, beings from the other world. A world of magic, a world of wonder, a world home to the Wizard-Gods. Gold and white are their ships, and gold and white are their palaces. Gold and white is their armor, and gold and white are their eyes and hair. They are a race above ours, Olver, for they were dearer to the gods. And they were the ones who helped Toren cross the Endless Forest.
Olver took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
This is it.
“Who are they?” Elsa whispered her question.
“Living embodiments of the gods,” Olver replied.
End of Part One.
Bonus Chapter
Travel to the city of Silentgarde, nestled among the mountains of Zaeyos, and follow Diyana and Jaeriz, as they overcome the obstacles that challenge their love, and react to the news of an hourglass being discovered deep in the forest of Eravia.
And finally, read about the first appearance of someone who will play an integral part in the second installment of the ‘Lords of the Kings’ series.
Click Here to read the bonus chapter or visit https://www.anantvgoswami.com/freebies .
Author’s Note
Dear Sirs and Ladies of the realm,
I thank you for reading my first book and giving a young author like me a chance. I am sorry if the book did not meet your expectations. I am 24 and still trying to get the hang of creating fantasy worlds, and I am sure one day I will be somewhat decent at the craft.
If you did enjoy the book, then it would mean the world (the world of Aerdon) if you could leave a review, as it would motivate me to keep writing, and keep getting better.
Connect with me and get latest updates about the next book and free resources by visiting www.anantvgoswami.com.
I have already started work on the next book, and your suggestions would be welcome!
I plan to publish part two in June 2019.
Till then, keep exploring my adventurers!
Yours Truly,
Anant.V.Goswami
(Disciple of G.R.R.M and J.R.R.T)
The Passage of Kings Page 21
