Tainted

Chapter Nineteen

CHAPTER 19 | TAINTED

Friend or Foe

He made me feel so uneasy, but I couldn't allow it to show in my eyes. I bent my knees slightly, so I was able to meet him at eye level. Clearing my throat I answered, "I would like to be your friend. However, with my friendship, I need a certain discretion." I said eyeballing the crowd of elves around the room. They had finally lifted from their bows and were staring at me and their king intently. Valentina and my mother had taken a position to either one of my sides as I stayed in my kneel. "We can assure you we have come here with no harm or ill intent. We only stumbled into one of your entrances by accident."

His big inhuman-like eyes scanned mine and his ears twitched with curiosity. He looked over to the pink elf and then nodded to the entrance that they had walked in from. "Come then boy," he commanded nodding his head in the direction of the door that he and the other came through. I followed them motioning for Valentina and my mother to follow suit. The crowd watched us motionless really the only thing that moved was their sharp gaze as they traced our steps. Once we made it to the door the two elves advised the woman to stay behind and to leave me with them. They both complied, but I saw the fear of the unknown in my mother's eyes, but she stayed back without question.

Behind the metal doors was a grand room with two thrones The blue one took his rightful place on his throne and the other stood beside him leaving the other seat empty. This place was marvelous it wasn't a typical throne room with marble floors with grand curtains that hung high as the ceiling and paintings of previous monarchs, but it was rich in gardens of flowers and a green paster that stretched to the throne, and behind it was a marvelous tree that was more than six meters high with branches that stretched further than I could really see. I honestly was mystified a tree could grow underground and that they had managed to build a palace room focusing on it.  There were massive fountains to either side of the room that had a king sculpted out in the center of one fountain and in the other was I think a woman elf. My eyes focused back on them and I walked up so I was a few meters away from them.

"Now tell me who you are boy," He had said in a stern voice that didn't shake once. "Your scent is all scrambled up I can't tell who you belong to and don't tell me it was of that woman out there. She is new blood. You... I can't tell who you are, but I know you aren't of her even with that scrambled scent you have you don't smell like a beastly human." He bit his words making sure I heard each one of them.

My hand instinctively flew up to my hair and brushed through my curls I smiled at them turning on the charm that I thought I had. "Well, my name is Alexander, and I," I thought a moment in hesitation on how much truth I should reveal. So many people had advised me not to but maybe a half-truth would be better than not any at all... "That woman in there is my adoptive mother. I've known her my entire life.  However, you are concerned about my blood, and I can say I'm barely finding that out myself." I chuckled at him. "When I figure this truth out you will be the first to know. It's just I must know if I can trust you. I know I am in your kingdom but your Highness I assure you your discretion now will pay you greatly in the future."

His eyes never left mine as I spoke but when I stopped, he grunted and shifted into his seat. "So, you are not planning to tell me who your family is?" He said tilting his head to his side.

"I will tell you all you need to know when I trust that I know I am safe. That my party I arrived here is safe, and I want to keep you safe to give you plausible deniability that I was ever even here." I said in a swiftness.

"Why would I need to deny that you have been here? Do you have someone searching for you boy?" He asked with his voice rising in tone.

"Everyone that knows of my existence is well informed on who I am and no one that I don't want to know well they just don't. So, to answer your question, no, no one is searching for me," I advised slowly so he understood everything.   Again, with another half-truth, I wasn't sure if anyone was searching for me. All I knew is we had run away from the upcoming guards. After that, I wasn't sure. I didn't know if they got my fathers I didn't know if they even got Arianna. But my expression remained calm and cool.

His head tilted to the side again perplexed at my words, "How does it benefit me to even keep your secrets sir Alexander?"

I pursed my lips and then responded, "If you keep mine... I shall keep yours. I would never want someone to even discover one of your entrances. Because dare I say it wasn't too hard to find the entry point." What I said was risky and I knew it, but it was the card I had to play. From what Valentina told me the Elf community was almost a forgotten fable here and if people find out they were still around I'm not sure how well it'd be for them.  My eyes didn't leave his as I continued, "My secrets sir are just as great as yours."

"Are you threatening me, boy?" He asked with his ear twitching in animation.

"I don't believe it is a threat if we both understand that both of us here are in need. You asked me if am I your friend I am extending a hand in friendship right to you. It is up to you if you want to accept my offer."  I smiled at him again, "I think we shall make fine friends. May I say we do not need to be here for too long we want to leave when dawn breaks again? "

The King looked over to the pink elf and then back to me with a sigh in his voice, "You know what Alexander? I will humor you for the night but then you and your women will leave as soon as the sun shows its face." He said with a hard stern voice.

I nodded to him putting both my hands behind my back and then I wondered out loud, "Now If we are to be friends. I need to know your name." I asked him with a generous smile.

He stood from his chair ,staff in hand, and the other hand he played with his beard, " To you, I am King Fionn."

Authors Note:

I know this is short and you're probably mad at me for taking so long to upload but I'm super excited to have some pen to paper because I'm back for real this time!

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