WORRIES OF A KING
Chapter 3: worries of a king
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After finishing his speech, Markus came down from the boulder. Malyva hurriedly approached Markus, kneeling with his head bowed. "My King, I pray for your good health. It truly was an amazing speech. Every word you said today will inspire generations to come."
Markus, with a smile on his face, looked at Malyva and said, "Elder, why do you always make me feel discomfort with these formal greetings? I am just like your own child. Will you please stand up?"
Malyva stood with a happy smile. "My King, you cannot imagine the happiness I feel. You have given me equal status to your respected parents."
"And why would I not?" Markus began. "Even before my birth, my father died, and several months after giving birth to me, my mother also followed. From then on, till today, I was raised under the care of you all, fed and clothed by you all. I was taught by you, Elder, and Aunt. The love and care I have received from everyone never let me feel that I was an orphan. Everyone in this whole kingdom has been my family."
Malyva's eyes filled with tears upon hearing his king's words. But before he could respond, Markus continued with a worried face, "Elder, why were you in such a hurry? Has there been any movement by the enemies?"
After wiping his tears and with a look of seriousness, Malyva said, "The leader of the liberation army, John Mark Klera, has come to meet His Majesty."
Upon hearing this news, Markus was a little shocked and got lost in his thoughts. 'At this late hour of night, instead of preparing for tomorrow's war, he is here. What can be the reason behind his sudden visit?'
Seeing his king worried, Malyva said, "My King, I had the same thoughts as you. So I asked Sir John about the reason behind his sudden visit, and he only replied by saying he had an important matter to discuss with His Majesty."
"So he didn't mention any specific reason behind his sudden visit?" Markus asked, looking towards the sky.
"I am sorry for my incompetence, but it is true that I was not able to make him disclose the matters regarding his visit," Malyva said with sadness in his eyes.
Markus didn't reply immediately but kept looking towards the sky. Malyva continued, "My King, is that matter bothering you? I know what I am saying might be meaningless, but you are more aware than anyone in this whole world about how strong our Queen is. I can say it without a doubt that everything will be fine, and soon, My King, you will receive good news."
With a long sigh and a smile, Markus said, "Haaaah, it's true that I am worried. The reason behind it is that I know my wife well. For you all, she is a queen, but to me, she is still the same old princess who only knows how to throw tantrums. But it is also what makes her more adorable."
Markus continued, "The only thing that has stopped me from going back to her is that I know Aunt is with her. When it comes to keeping her in line, I know Aunt is the best for it. Since she is with Aunt, she wouldn't do anything funny. Even if I were there, I would still need Aunt's help to take care of that event."
Markus had a warm smile on his face. To keep up the mood, Malyva asked, "Was there any recent news from them, My King?"
But to Malyva's surprise, the question was a letdown. Markus replied with a saddened face, "No, the last I heard from them was last night. They said everything was good and that the event might take place today or it can also be tomorrow."
"Do not worry, My King. With the blessing of our Goddess, everything will be fine," Malyva said with a happy smile. To lighten up the mood even more, he continued, "If the event takes place tomorrow, then His Majesty will have two good news to announce to our people. The other will be, of course, our victory in tomorrow's war."
Upon hearing these lines, Markus looked more relieved. With a smile on his face and looking towards the sky, he said, "Indeed, with the blessings of our Goddess."
"Now we should get going to meet John. We have kept him waiting for a long time. Elder, I want you to join us in this meeting," Markus said, returning to the matter at hand.
"I am at your service, My King," said Malyva.
Markus went on ahead while Malyva closely followed. Twelve more elven warriors escorted them. Some of the guards were big elven men with hammers or long swords or axes in their hands, while there were also elven women warriors with shields, bows, and arrows on their backs.
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John was sitting on a chair, an elven warrior standing at a distance. After looking around a bit, John picked up the metal glass on the table in front of him. He drank the water and, staring at the glass, said, "Elven soldier, what do you think? Can I kill someone with this glass?"
The elven soldier, standing a short distance from John, was initially unsure if he had heard correctly. John thought, 'Well, who would care about the opinion of someone who is already dead?'
He stood up with the glass in hand and walked up to the elven soldier. John stared blankly into the soldier's eyes. The soldier sensed danger but was already paralyzed by fear. Before he could react, John struck him, putting a hole in his head with the glass. Blood spurted onto John's face. With a villainous smile, John licked the blood
and said,
"Haha, that definitely was a good meal."
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