Chapter 56 - We Should Just Go Together

It did not take long for the meals to come out. The sweet taste of crab brought Zell back to his past life. Whenever there was a special occasion, his wife would always treat him to a nice garlic butter crab. "This is so good." Zell said as he chowed down on the crab.

"It really is!" Samantha said, matching his excitement. "So, Mr. Neuval, do nonhuman girls bother you at all?"

"No, I see no problem with them." Zell said. "Also feel free to call me Zell. I am here on behalf of myself, not the kingdom I am from. There is no need to be so formal with me.

"Right of course." Samantha said. "Well Zell, it is nice that nonhuman girls do not bother you, it is very progressive of you."

"Not really." Zell said. "People are just people. Doesn't matter their race or creed, everyone deserves a chance."

"And are you attracted to nonhuman women as well?" Samantha asked.

"Why do you ask?" Zell said. "If you are asking if anything inappropriate is happening with my party members, then no we are all just comrades in arms."

"I was more or less just generalizing." Samantha clarified. "It is good to know that you are unattached though, unless there is another girl somewhere?"

"No, I am unspoken for." Zell said. "Why do you ask?"

"Just trying to find out more about you is all." Samantha said. "It is not everyday I meet a decent person from another kingdom. Actually, this is the first time."

"I see." Zell said. "Well, we have finished our meal, we should gather Kaitlyn and Obsi and meet with your parents."

"We need not bother them." Samantha said. "After all it is you who is asking for the alliance, not them. Let them enjoy the sights and sounds of my fair kingdom. Give them a break from your long and weary adventure."

"Kaitlyn could most definitely use a break." Zell said. "That poor girl has been through so much with me. Alright let's just the two of us go."

"Fantastic, follow me." Samantha said as she got up from the table. She walked out and waved goodbye to Francis as she left.

They walked together along the wall until they got to one of the castle's towers. "This is another way in." She said. He opened the door and waved from Zell to follow her.

The castle was made of granite. The outside was rough, but the inside was smooth and polished. The torches that lit the rooms bounced off of the reflective walls. There was a long corridor before them with a long blue rug stretching as far as the eye could see. Empty suits of armor lined either side of the rug and large swords and axes hug from the wall.

"Quite the impressive decorations you have here." Zell said.

"Yes, my people prefer to be nonviolent," she explained, "but we have had little choice but to fight for what we believe in. It has been ages since the last war. I think it was with the Kingdom of Tarm. They wanted to take our nonhuman citizens as their slaves because they had a shortage of labor. We lost many in that war, but we won in the end."

They continued down the corridor until they reached two large golden doors. They were engraved with images of the sea, various creatures and shapes of water made up the bulk of the decoration. Samantha grabbed the double doors and pushed them open revealing a massive room. The room was large and circular with gigantic columns that held the roof up. The back wall had a staircase with a rug over top of it that led to a platform from which the king and queen sat. Behind them was crystal clear glass and the view of the sea.

As the king saw them enter, he stood up to greet them. "Ah, welcome back daughter." He said. "The guards told me that you would be bringing people who wished to be our allies in our fight for peace and equality, but I only see one man."

"Yes, we decided it best to let his companions rest." Samantha said. "This is Zell Neuval, he has come here to ask us to join him in overturning his sister's rule."

"Neuval is a long way away from our shores." The king said. "It would be too much of a strain upon my kingdom to send soldiers to aid your cause. I am sorry if you came all this way for nothing."

"No, sir." Zell said. "I do not need any of your men. I am strong enough alone to do what needs to be done. I only ask that you use your influence to stop my sister from gaining anymore power and support among the humans. I wish to end this war without causing harm to her if I can help it. I wish to chip away at her power. Then I will meet with the demon lord and secure peace."

"I am sorry young man." The king said. "Again, I cannot help you. My kingdom does not have any political pull with any other kingdom of man."

"Then just promise me that you shall never join her cause and bolster her ranks." Zell said.

"Of course." The king replied. "I would never join them. Their irrational racism against the nonhumans is everything I am against. My beautiful wife here, she is a nonhuman. Why would I ever do anything to harm her kind?"

Zell took a closer look at the queen; indeed, she had pointed ears. "So, you are an elf." Zell said. "I must say I have never seen one such as yourself. The queen wore a white dress and had eyes as blue as the ocean and hair to match.

"I am a sea elf." She said. "In Neuval I am sure you have only seen forest elves and dark elves. We sea elves live in or near the sea. We have the ability to breathe underwater, and my people have built a thriving culture at the bottom of the sea."

"Wow." Zell said. "I had no idea."

"Mom, Dad, I have a request to make." Samantha spoke up.

"What is it dear?" The king asked.

"I wish to marry Zell here." Samantha said. "He is the first man from another kingdom that I did not find completely repulsive. He cares about people and nonhumans alike. I think he would be a fine husband. Besides, I have seen his strength, there would be no better guardian of our kingdom than him."

"Wait what?!" Zell yelled.