Ch.31

The capital of the Highelven Empire, Zyrevermoor, a sprawling metropolis of beautiful architecture and nature, that intertwined seamlessly. The city was home to millions, most of them being high elves. It was a metropolis that boasted a harmonious blend of captivating architecture and bountiful nature, where the ethereal and the earthly intertwined seamlessly. The city flourished with millions of residents, predominantly comprising of high elves.

A solitary ship sailed into the bustling docks situated to the east of the city. From its wooden planks, a messenger hastily disembarked, clutching a sealed letter with utmost urgency. Determined to deliver the missive to his superior without delay.

That letter would make its way to the emperor himself before the end of the day, where he would read it in the privy chambers of his palace.

The letter, adorned with an elegantly written script of elvish, bore a peculiar insignia, a crest that had never before met his eyes. Rendered in immaculate black ink, the sigil depicted a crown with two horns, one of them tragically broken. Its simplicity was mesmerizing, its execution so flawless that it appeared as if it had been meticulously printed rather than inscribed by hand.

As the emperor delved into the contents of the letter, his countenance revealed little amusement. His emerald eyes scanned the sentences, their piercing gaze laden with a mixture of spite and annoyance.

Unyielding in his composure, the emperor crumpled the letter within his grasp. His lips parted slightly, and he ran his tongue along their edges.

("Ferin?") He finally said, his voice resonating through the chamber, causing his steward to stand a little straighter before the emperor's imposing desk.

("Yes, your majesty.") The steward cleared his throat in composure.

("Yes... I believe I recall that province.")

("It is where we pushe-") The messenger began, eager to provide crucial information, only to be abruptly interrupted by the emperor.

("Those Drowvish falguns, yes.") The emperor's voice sliced through the air. ("I recall. So they dare to rebel and threaten me?!") His words dripped with righteous indignation, his expression becoming one of twisted amusement, despite his voice being devoid of any sounds of laughter. He swept his straight, thin blonde hair away, his hand resting firmly against his own face. ("To refuse to pay tax and demand their own freedom...?") A soft and calm sigh escaped from his frozen lips. ("Send word that Ferin is to be retaken. I want all traitors, enslaved, or executed and dropped in the ocean.")

It had been over half a year since Ferin fell under Erik's control. Since then, the borders to the north of Ferin and the east of Innah'vadah had been secured with thick and sturdy walls of stone being built across the borders. They were meters tall with wooden gates acting as the only doorways between the inside, and the outer.

Progress had skyrocketed, with numbers having reached the thousands, homes numbering by the hundreds, and the food situation having become more than stable. Even docks had been built on the southern shore, with a large trade ship having just been completed.

Dozens of men pushed against the hull of the ship from the outside, shoving it into the water with all the strength they could muster. On the other side, more men assisted to get the ship into the water, pulling it by ropes from the docks. Erik sat on the sidelines, watching as his men worked. Within moments, the ship was pushed afloat into the water, rocking heavily as the waves began to lift the massive ship above its surface.

The collective of men cheered upon seeing the ship float steadily in the water. The elves and orcs all cheered for their collective accomplishments. They wiped their brows of sweat, arched their backs in stretch, and threw their arms around one another's shoulders in celebration.

Erik stood up from his seat and turned to the men standing behind him, with dozens of crates stacked behind them. "Load the cargo!" He commanded them, which they did so with haste.

The crates were full of gold, smelted down and refined into perfect bars of solid gold, as well as food rations, clothing, and weapons.

Now that the ship was proven to be able to float, Erik made preparations to leave. He returned to his castle, grabbing a bag he'd prepared beforehand, one which he left in the great room by the stairs to the east, which led up to the bedrooms. He paused, his hand clenching onto the bag in realizing what was missing. He threw the bag over his shoulder and grabbed his shield which was leaning against the stairs before. His sword was missing, but he had an idea of where it had gone and who'd taken it.

In the back of the castle, between the kitchen and the library, Kalia was practicing with his stolen sword. She took up numerous stances, though it was more akin to a childing playing rather than an experienced warrior.

She didn't even hear him coming, as his steps were completely silent. Startled upon seeing him standing nearby, she dropped the weapon, both her fists balling and covering the precipice of her lips in shyness. "H-Husband..." She muttered in recognition of him.

He approached closer to her, her body stiffening up like that of a statue. "This is no toy." He told her, picking up his blade at her bare feet. "It is an instrument, a weapon."

"I know that." She retorted; her pronunciation having become much more profound over the months. She relaxed her shoulders and suddenly changed the way she stood, raising up her chin and pressing her chest forward, taking on a more modest and poised form, as if to seem confident.

"Do you now? And yet you scraped the floor."

She looked down to see a faint scratch in the wood, before turning her head, crossing her arms under her modest breasts, and responding in an almost pompous way. "I did not do it on purpose."

Erik showed little to no change in his expression as he placed his hand on her head of curled locks. "Never drop your weapon. If you can't handle the weight or your grip is not strong enough, you should never have picked it up. A knife would suit you better."

She tried to maintain her dignified attitude, but as she opened her eyes, her expression began to degrade into that of a blush. She was mesmerized by his good looks and acted rashly the moment he suddenly turned around to leave. "Wh, wait!" She threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist while simultaneously blurting out: "Take me with you! I want to see the human kingdoms."

"No." A cold and blunt response.

"Why not?"

"You would be a hindrance in more ways than one."

"I won't! I promise!" She squeezed him harder, forcing him still.

"You are being a child."

"I just want to see the human kingdoms! Why can I not?!"

Aggravated, he clicked his tongue. "Clearly, you do not understand the dangers. The humans were not so accepting of your kind before the Seratholics took over. Now, I imagine they are less accepting, and trying to protect you would hinder my actions."

She began to groan and squeal with closed lips, pouting and taking her anger out on him by squeezing her arms tighter around him. "Is that all I have?!" She shrieked. "A hindrance?! It makes sense, you only consider me your wife because of my father! A marriage for the sake of controlling my clansmen!"

Having had enough, Erik pulled her off of him, as gently as he could while still managing to combat her grip. "You are correct, but that does not make you any less my wife."

"Liar!" She shouted. "You do not care about me! You have barely even touched me in the past week, choosing to work instead! When we are together, it is for the sake of satiating your lust, and yet you refuse to give me a child! All of my brothers and sisters have had children! Is it because deep down, you dislike the thought of having a halfling kid?"

"You want a child, do you?" Erik responded just as calmly as ever, but turned around and began to approach her. His steps were much faster, and tossing it off to the side, he slipped off his bag.

"Wha, what...?" She stepped back in slight fear of what he would do, not expecting his touch to be so gentle, though that gentleness would be momentary. He swept her off her toes, grabbing and holding her against his body as he forced a kiss upon her lips, which she passionately reciprocated without a hint of resistance. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held onto him as he took her to another room; his shadow extending up the wall, creating a pitch-black portal which he stepped through with her in his arms. It led to the bedroom, where he threw her onto their grand, marital bed.

She began to undo the buttons to her dress in a rapid fashion, and he too began to take off his clothing. She could hardly hide the lust in her eyes or the smitten on her face as he took off his tunic, revealing his chiseled physique.

With her dress now off, he slipped off her undergarments, revealing in full her body.

She was not the most beautiful or well shapely of women, but he did not consider her charm to be any less than that of another woman. He considered her imperfections to only add to her allure, such as the faint black freckles which scarcely covered her cheeks. Her breasts were not the largest, but they were perky and spotless.

She tried hard to compose herself, to steady her breathing, but before he'd even touched her, she was softly gasping for air.

He climbed on top of her, his member fully erect between his legs. He kissed her, while she grabbed hold of his dick between them; both her dainty hands engulfing a little less than its full length.

Their kiss was sloppy, their tongues twisting and tasting the inside of each other's mouths.

When he finally pulled himself away, she was gasping for air. Erik's expression had hardly changed, still remaining cool-minded, though his actions would lead one to believe otherwise.

He grabbed hold of her ankles, raising up both her legs. It was she who guided him in, their eyes remaining locked on each other. With a slow yet strong push, the two exhaled simultaneously. It didn't take long for them to really get into it, losing track of time within minutes, keeping the ship and the awaiting crew wondering where he was.

With each thrust, a loud and wet slap, which her pillow-like thighs jiggled in reciprocation. Her bare feet jerked in the air with every soft and sweet moan that slipped from her lips.

When finally, their lust had been satiated, Kalia lay exhausted in their bed, the sheets clinging to her moist skin, but Erik wasted no time getting dressed to leave once again.

With one final muster of strength, Kalia managed to yank herself up, her lungs still yet to calm. She opened her lips slightly in utter, but couldn't find the words to speak. She grabbed hold of her stomach, realizing what he'd done.

"You... Did this, just to make me stay?"

"Did you not want a child?" He responded, leaning down in reach of his bag. In that moment, his eyes looked up at her, a speechless and almost mournful expression on her face. He saw in her eyes how she viewed him. "...Kalia. I see how you view me."

"What do you mean...?"

He spoke softly, approaching the bed and taking her hand. "You are mesmerized by my looks, impressed by my intelligence, and are thankful for everything I have done, yet you feel saddened."

Her face lit up in slight shock as if everything he said were taken straight out of her own thoughts. "No... That, that is not..."

"It is. You do not believe I am what I say I am, that I am a god, but I promise you that I am. You also think that our marriage is nothing more than a bargain, a deal. It was, but the moment I took you as my wife, you became mine. Even if the deal I made with your father were to be null, you would still be my wife, no matter what. You needn't feel such worry."

Her face again lit up with shock, but this time there was an eagerness about her. She couldn't help but look away smiling. "Thank you..."

"I will return within a half a year's time, and I will be sure to bring you back a souvenir. Until then, stay here, continue your studies, and eat well. Marasia will be in charge. Also, refrain from telling Astra and Marasia of this. I will deal with that when I return."

With that, a final goodbye before leaving for the docks and the ship waiting on the shore. The moment his men saw him coming, they alerted the others and they began to prepare to set sail.