Sold to the Prince of the Meldanians

by Hollie Hutchins

  END OF PART ONE.

  7

  Mommy Issues

  Every time Amelia tried to tell Eldan about the conversation she overheard between his mother and brother, the two of them got interrupted. First, she tried to tell him on their walk home that afternoon. After all the chaos with Renny, the kids all got picked up by their parents early and Ilda and Amelia took the rest of the day off. Eldan offered to walk back with her, even though he still had work to do.

  She had worked up the courage, and found what she thought were the right words to use, and was about to tell him, when Lendir appeared next to her, grinning a cocky grin. “Heard you found the girl,” he said. “Congrats… though I am confused how you ended up losing her in the first place. Isn’t that like your whole job, keeping track of the runts?”

  Amelia ignored him and stared straight ahead.

  “Ah, c’mon,” he said. “Don’t be like that, sugar lips.” He reached out to put his arm around her shoulders and Eldan shoved his arm out of the way. “I was just joking.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” said Amelia.

  “Do you need something, Lendir?” asked Eldan.

  “I was hoping I could chat with you, little bro.”

  “About what?”

  Lendir eyed Amelia. “In private.”

  “Later then,” said Eldan. “Right now, I’m walking Amelia home.”

  Lendir smiled. “Great! I was heading that way as well. I forgot my lunch.”

  He walked the entire rest of the way with them, talking up a storm about the latest project he’s been working on; reforming the Meldanian army. The Meldanian dragons were strong and proud, but inherently non-violent. Although many of their cousins fought in the war, most Meldanians abstained. King Ernad never saw much use in cultivating a powerful army, and neither did the kings and queens before him. They had a military force, mainly for defense purposes, and that was good enough for them. Apparently, however, it wasn’t good enough for Lendir.

  Aemlia tuned most of Lendir’s words out, unable to control the rage and fear that was boiling up inside of her. Now was not the time, here was not the place, to have a big blow up with this massive, overly aggressive Meldanian man.

  When they got back to the mansion, Lendir finally excused himself, leaving Eldan and Amelia alone. She kept waiting for a moment where the kitchen staff was out of the room, but they just kept coming and going, bringing food and clearing plates. Most of the house staff was human, and Amelia didn’t want anyone to overhear her news and to start a wide-spread panic.

  The two of them finished eating and Amelia asked if she could talk to Eldan outside. He said yes and they made their way to the backyard, for a post-lunch walk in the gardens. It was quiet, and Amelia knew she had to say this quick and she had to say it now.

  “Your mom and brother are plotting to kill all the humans in Meldania,” she blurted out before they even sat down on the bench by the fountain. Eldan was, in fact, mid-way through sitting down, and upon hearing her revelation, was frozen in a sort of half squat.

  “What?” he said.

  “I overheard them, earlier, when I was looking for Renny on the top floor of the office building. They were in some unmarked office, talking about their plans for killing all the humans in Meldania after your father dies.”

  Eldan straightened up and shook his head. “That’s impossible. You must’ve heard wrong.”

  “I didn’t,” she said. “Those were your mom’s words exactly. She said she is going to kill all the humans, starting with me.”

  “But…” he trailed off. “That doesn’t make any sense. Meldania would crumble without its human population…” He wiped his eyes and forehead with his palm. “I don’t understand. I knew she didn’t like humans, but I never thought she would… And Lendir! How could he be in on this too!”

  “He didn’t sound like he believed your mother would actually do it,” said Amelia. “But he didn’t try to convince her not to either.”

  “This is insane.” He was shouting and pacing in front of the bench. “Besides the fact that it is completely cruel and immoral, it’s downright stupid! The humans make up the bulk of the working class in Meldania. Sure, we pay them well, but these aren’t wages that Meldanian dragons would work for. Our economy would collapse, and the social structures… No, this can’t happen. I won’t let it. Father won’t let it.”

  “Lendir said he thought your dad only had a few weeks left before he... “ Amelia looked down at the now dirty sandals Eldan had purchased for her the day she came to his mansion. “Eldan,” she started again, knowing it was unnecessary to finish her last statement. “You need to tell them this. You need to convince them not to do this. You can’t leave this up to your father. He’s not in a position to take control of this situation. It has to be you.”

  Eldan nodded. “You’re right. I can’t wait for father to fix this, like I have with everything else. Father is going to leave us soon, and if I’m going to have any control over what happens in Meldania after he’s gone, I’m going to have to take charge now. I’m going to have to show my mother and brother that I will not stand by while they run this city into the ground!”

  Queen Clarin didn’t look surprised when Eldan and Amelia barged into her office a short while later and her son demanded answers of her. She stood up and welcomed the two of them in, gesturing with her magenta colored arm. “It’s nice to see you––”

  “I need to talk to you!” yelled Eldan.

  “There is no need to shout, Eldan, sweetie,” she said with a nurturing smile. “If you would like to speak with me, we will do so in a civil manner. Please, sit.” She motioned to the only open chair in the room. The other chair for guests was already occupied by Lendir. She glanced at Amelia and offered her an insultingly transparent look of sympathy. “I’m sorry dear. I’m afraid I don’t have any more chairs. You’ll have to stand.”

  “She can take my seat,” said Eldan. “I won’t be sitting down because this won’t be a civil discussion, mother.” He spat the word mother like it was bad tasting candy.

  Amelia noticed Clarin wince, slightly, as her son yelled at her, but she did not raise her voice in response. “Would you like to go on shouting about nothing, or would you like to tell me what this is all about?”

  “This is about your heinous, illegal, and sickening plan to exterminate all the humans in Meldania.” Lendir’s eyes widened as Eldan said this, but again, Clarin remained unphased.

  “You know about it then,” she said. “Good. That saves me the trouble of having to break the news myself.”

  “I won’t let you do this,” said Eldan. He came around the other side of the desk. He was now only a foot away from her. “When father hears of this––”

  “He will forget about it not a moment later.” She laughed. “Your father is a vegetable, a bag of bones! There is nothing going on in there!” She tapped her temple, grinning. “You can tell him whatever you want. It will only upset him for a short while and poof! It’ll be gone from his memory, snuffed out like the fragile life of a human.”

  “What happened to you?” Eldan was staring at his mother with a look of shocked disgust. “When did you become so cruel?”

  “How dare you speak to me like that!” She stepped towards him, mere inches from his

  face. “I am doing what is best for Meldania. What is best for our people. We should have joined the war like our cousins! We could have ensured humans were eradicated entirely!”

  “That wasn’t what our cousins were fighting for and you know it! They were fighting to preserve this world, to––”

  “To fix what those monsters did to it!” She pointed at Amelia. “The war was about cleaning up their mess! And now they are invading our city and making brand new messes! Have you even been paying attention?”

  “I––” Eldan tried to get a word in.

  “I’ll answer that,” the Queen continued. “No! You haven’t been. You have been too busy reading to
your father for hours in the hospital and running around with this slut!”

  Eldan lifted a hand, as if to smack his mother. Lendir stood up and put his hand to his belt, where a knife was slung.

  “Go on then,” said the Queen. “Hit me. You know you want to.” They stared at each other for what seemed like forever. Finally, Eldan brought his arm back down to his side. He stepped away from his mother. “That’s what I thought. Now, if you had been paying any attention to our city the past few months you would know that the humans are not following our recycling and waste management laws, and the garbage is piling up. It’s in the streets, in the rivers, everywhere. They are well on their way to destroying Meldania, just like they destroyed everything else.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me!” Eldan threw his hands up. “Do you know how many dragons I see throwing garbage on the ground. And when was the last time you properly recycled anything! If you really wanted to clean up the city, you would find a way to better enforce the laws. This isn’t about Meldania. This is about you and your hatred of humans.”

  “So what if it is!” Clarin slammed her hand down on the table. “It doesn’t matter why I’m doing it. It’s happening and that’s final! Lendir.” She looked to her eldest. “Call the wolf king from District Eight and start getting everything together for step one of the plan.”

  “What’s step one?” said Eldan.

  The Queen smiled. “It’s nothing you need to worry about, dear.” She brought her evil, terrifying gaze to Amelia. “If I were you, I would get out of my house, out of my city, as soon as possible.”

  “She’s not going anywhere,” said Eldan. “Why do you need the wolf king? We don’t work with the wolves.”

  “We do now.”

  “Mother,” Lendir said. “As a gesture of our gratitude for the wolf king taking the deal, I think we should offer up the humans currently in our own service, as a gift. The first of many.” He smiled at Amelia and ran his tongue along his teeth.

  “I think that’s a great idea,” said Clarin. “You’re welcome to stay, human, if that’s what Eldan wants,” she said to Amelia. “I was just trying to give you a head start.” She sighed. “That’s what you get for being nice.”

  “You cannot make this decision alone,” said Eldan. He walked over towards Amelia, putting himself strategically between her and his family. “You need to hold a meeting with the Meldanian council first. If you act without getting their permission, they can oust you.”

  The Queen’s eye twitched. “I know the law of this land, Eldan. I have lived here far longer than you have. In fact, I have already scheduled a council meeting—”

  “You have?” Lendir asked, frowning.

  “Yes,” said the Queen, sneering at her oldest. “I have. The meeting is tomorrow. As a member of the council, Eldan, I would expect you to be there, of course. I’ve spoken to many of the council members about my plans, and they all agree it will be for the best. I do hope you’ll come around as well.”

  “I will see you there, Queen Clarin,” he said.

  Eldan turned and took Amelia by the arm, which was now dripping with nervous sweat, and led her from the room.

  They walked briskly and silently back to the mansion. Amelia could tell Eldan was furious, and she wasn’t exactly feeling very chipper herself. She decided to hold off on asking the millions of questions fighting for space in her head, at least until the next day, after the Prince had had some time to cool off.

  At the house, Eldan excused himself moments after stepping through the door. “I’m sorry, but I have to retire to my bedroom. I need to prepare for the meeting tomorrow. Please, if you don’t mind, could you go to your room and stay there? Lock the door and don’t leave. I will arrange for some dinner to be brought to you later.”

  “I was thinking I could help you prepare for tomorrow,” she said. “We could eat together in your—”

  “No,” he waved her off. “No, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I need to focus and when you’re around I tend to… get distracted.” If the circumstances had been different, Amelia would have almost thought Eldan was flirting. But his voice had been flat, as if stating a fact and not trying to pay her any sort of compliment.

  “Okay,” she said. “I understand. I will go to my room then.”

  “And lock the door!” He reminded her as she started to ascend the grand staircase.

  “I will.” She stopped halfway up, just as he was about to walk down the hallway. “Should I be afraid, Eldan?” she called. “Do you think I’m in danger staying here tonight?”

  He was quiet for a moment, and then spoke, his back to her. “Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” He made his way down the hallway and disappeared from view around the corner.

  Amelia was in the middle of biting the pinky nail of her left hand—the only nail she had not already chewed down to a nub— when somebody knocked on her door. She called out, inquiring who it was, and heard an unfamiliar voice answer, “My name is Leana, I work for Prince Eldan.”

  The Prince had been at the council meeting all afternoon, and Amelia, having asked to take the day off work, was stuck waiting at the house, trying not to go totally and completely insane. When pressed, Eldan had said he thought the meeting would last at most two hours. That was five and a half hours ago. He had specifically instructed her not to let anyone into her bedroom until he got home.

  “What do you want?” Amelia called to the stranger, sitting upright in her bed. “I’m not hungry, so if you’re here to bring me food, just take it back please.”

  “No,” said the woman. “I am here because the Prince requested we set up a private line for you? So that you can call into District Eight?”

  Amelia hopped to her feet and was already at the door, hand on the knob, before she thought this might possibly be some kind of trick. Maybe this woman was just there to throw Amelia off the scent, and when she opened the door, Lendir would be there to throw a pillowcase over her head and carry her to her untimely death. “Can we just talk through the door?” she asked.

  “Uh, sure,” said Leana. “I was just coming up here to say we have the line set up, we just need to connect to a landline of some sort. I can install one in your room, if you’d like? I have it with me right here. But you’d have to open the door in order for that to work.”

  Amelia felt her grip tighten on the door handle. This was all starting to sound a little too convenient. But, if this woman was telling the truth, then she could finally call Victoria and her siblings, let them know she was okay and to see how they were holding up without her. She ran her thumb across the lock on the surface of the knob. “Okay, here’s what I’d like to do,” she said, quickly formulating a plan. “I’m going to unlock this door. You wait outside while I make my way into the bathroom and lock myself in there.”

  “That’s… fine, I guess.” The woman sounded slightly annoyed. “I promise I’m not going to hurt you. I really am just here to install the phone.”

  “I want to believe you,” said Amelia. “But I just don’t know who I can trust in this house right now. After I unlock the door, do not come in until I tell you so. I’m serious. I um.” She looked around the room for some sort of weapon, but saw only the lamp on top of the desk. Seriously? A Lamp? Again? She stepped away from the door and picked it up, holding it over her head just as she had done the last time she thought her life might be in danger. “Once I’m in the bathroom I will yell out and you can come in and do whatever you need to do to get the phone online. Does that sound like something you can agree to?”

  “Yes. I agree to the terms of your weird, overly-paranoid scheme.”

  Amelia chose to ignore the snarkiness in the woman’s voice and unlocked the door. She backed away, lamp in hand, keeping her eyes fixed on the handle. Once she was within arms distance of the bathroom, she yanked open that door and locked herself in. “Okay!” she said. “You can come in now!”

  The bed
room door opened. She heard footsteps and the sound of someone clearing stuff off the table next to Amelia’s bed. She sat on the floor next to the bathroom door and put the lamp down next to her.

  “So,” said Leana. “Now that you know I’m not a threat—”

  “I don’t know that for sure.”

  The woman laughed. “Fair enough. But let’s just say, for argument's sake, that I’m not here to murder you or whatever it is you’ve got yourself all worked up about, and that I really just came here to do my damn job. If that’s the case, would you tell me what’s going on?”

  Amelia pulled at a piece of her hair and twirled it around the length of her finger. “That depends.”

  “On what?”

  “Are you human?” she asked. “Or are you a shifter?”

  “Why don’t you come on out and see for yourself?”

  “No thank you.” Amelia looked at the handle, double checking it was locked.

  “I’m human.”

  Yeah right. Amelia rolled her eyes. That’s what a shifter would say too — especially one that was trying to get my guard down.

  “I’m from District Eight,” Leana continued. “East Eight. I ran away a few years back, happened to find myself here. The shifters were good to me and I was able to carve a life out for myself.”

  “What street did you live on?” Amelia asked.

  “What street?”

  “In East Eight. What street did you used to live on?”

  “The apartment building I lived in was on the corner of Tenth and Jamison.” She chuckled. “It was a real shithole. Leaky pipes and mold.”

  Amalie could picture the building perfectly. It was just a few blocks from her parents’ house. Of the shifters that lived in District Eight, few, if any, lived in East Eight. She couldn’t remember ever seeing a shifter in her neighborhood. Either this woman had done her research and was a very convincing liar, or she was telling the truth.