Chapter 429 - Renewal

Right in the scorching heat of Elendor, Queen Ela III and Staxius went into town. There, they would walk, chat, play, and have a good time. Upon the lesser-known district rested a bar named Hoberg. The bartender, an informant of her majesty remained on standby. The job was tough and money came from the kingdom's pocket. Thus, to keep money in the green-zone, Hoberg was one of the most infamous places to get God's ale or Angel's dust. 

"This place brings back memories," said the queen drunk from the past hour.

"Yeah, it gets better the more you stay," returned the king unbothered by the alcohol. The room in which they drank was little with no windows. The only exit was a smaller door at an arm's length to the right.

"Just like old times," smiled the king in casual attire – a flowery buttoned shirt, shorts, and sandals. If it wasn't for the unnaturally pale skin, he would have fit into the local's dress-code. The Queen was the same, she wore a short dress with the same flowery charm. It accentuated her childish side; the tigress like gaze seemed to be tamer. 

"W-we s-should really g-get going," the pauses between words, the way her head wobbled, and distant gaze.

"You've had enough for today," smiled him wrapping her arms around his shoulder.

"No!" she pushed, "-I can walk on my own," said she confidently. The first step taken, the pony-tail, attached to naught but her scalp gave the illusion of her being pulled back. 

"Steady," reacted Staxius holding her arms, "-you'll be alright," he smiled, "-come on, let's get you to the palace."

"Y-you k-know what, King of A-Arda, y-you are a good man. A b-bit on the ominous side, but I like you. Else, why w-would I subject myself to such a dump of a place? I always say alcohol doesn't taste good unless y-you have good c-company."

"Let's get out," *Ancient Magic: Teleportation.* Changed into the lush garden of her residence, her body finally gave in to lying on the floor. 

"The clouds are dancing," said she hidden in the shade of a cherry tree. 

"They sure are," replied Staxius sat with back against the large tree-trunk. "Elina sure knows how to hold her alcohol."

"Are you making fun of m-me?" her face moved as if a wave, the tranquil ocean broken by the drowsiness of the liquor. 

"No, I'd never do such a thing." The pink blossom against the dark-brown branches with the blueness of the sky. What a sight to wonder for trees of this beauty were rare in Hidros. There, the place was either filled with pine or some other woeful tree. Comparing the two surroundings; Hidros: cold, desolate, and recovering from the war. Elendor: hot, filled with activity, on the verge of an economic boom. Traveling around the world was one of the many privileges he had.

"MY LADY QUEEN," came an over-shocked voice. "-ARE YOU OK?" asked Malta with the back-hand against his forehead. "You went out drinking," he stared away as if embarrassed, "-why such a thing, why do something so ungodly?"

"Give it a rest, Malta," returned a darker voice. "Can't you see she's asleep? Let her rest, she's been through a lot."

"I suppose the ever-observant king strikes again," sighed he. The gentle whiff of pleasantly crushed almond – the fragrance of the cherry; moved about as if fairies flew.

"She's indeed been a little fatigued the past few months," said Malta taking a seat in-between.

"She wasn't being her usual self. I figured something to be wrong."

"King Arda, you do care a lot for your friends," returned Malta with a big smile.

"I suppose I do," said he resting his head against the tree, the passing sky soon filled with images of the past. "I had friends I cared about; I swore to protect them, but naught happened for I was weak and unsmart. I left one of my only real friends to die – not him, but his family and fortune. All he worked for gone in a second. That province was supposed to be my responsibility, yet, I threw it onto him thinking about the future. What did he do in turn? Accept the burden with a smile. How can I say I deserve someone so caring? I dug into his past and found many things that were beyond his care. He took charge, cleared my name, and did so much. What do I recompense? A mere token of remembrance… I wished to have seen his sister get married." Staring Malta strongly, "-I'm not a good friend. I'll use whoever I need to get whatever I want."

"It's not a bad thing," whispered the butler, "-I might act overzealous, I know people hate my personality, and I do myself too, but it's a must. I need to keep up the act for her sake – Lady Elina has been through more than most people. She suffers from the trauma of the battle of inheritance. I'm her only friend left from those days – she's alone. The large palace, the riches, everything is a show. I want for her to be happy; I truly do. She's a good person, however, the world doesn't see her that way. They view her as the traitor who left the Wracia Empire to join the Federation." 

"Is the populous so heartless?" 

"No, they stand by her side, it was a long time waiting. Being forced into worshipping their god almost had our culture devastated. Similar to Arda, Elendor has their own sets of beliefs – our eyes are to the sky, I'm sure thee knows the story."

"Looking beyond what we can see. Malta, may I ask something?"

"Yes, there's no need to ask for permission, majesty."

"How is the situation really, how's the situation with the Wracia empire."

"Ah," the voice sunk, "-we're at war. Juvey the Cray is hard at trying to enter from the North-East. Tis the reason why she ordered such a large shipment of weapons. The General is directing the forces as we speak. We've managed to hide the information from the public."

"Why not ask for help?" 

"She didn't want to impose on the Federation," sighed the butler, "-if we called for help, the non-aggression pact between the Wracia Empire and Argashield Federation would break, the war would bring nothing. 'The people of Hidros needs rest', tis her words." 

"She's too caring for her own need."

"I could say the same about you, majesty."

"Well," he stood, "-should we let her rest in nature or carry her inside?"

"Nature seems fitting," smiled the butler, "-who would be so foolish as to refute such an idyllic scene."

"You're right," holding out a hand, "-what was the response from Mr. Elon?" 

"No idea," he grabbed and stood, "-thee'll probably have the answer later tomorrow."

"Suppose that leaves today without a schedule," quick to exit onto the green yard, "-when she comes to her senses, tell her we have somethings to discuss." Wings sprouted, large and dark, an angel. He disappeared with a single flap leaving few feathers behind. 

"Éclair," hovered inside a cloud, "-status on the war?"

"Majesty is going to get involved?" asked the spirit.

"Depends…"

"I've tapped into the military channel. The fight is at the Germo mountain range, the natural border separating Elendor from Juvey the Cray's second province."

"How bad is it?"

"Not that bad," said he going through the battle-reports. "It's been mostly special ops in the forest, villages, and such. Undercover operations that are hard on the mind. If it goes too loud, the blatant violation of King Juvey will awake a tsunami of panic."

"Why doesn't Elendor take this violation to the Emperor and demand compensation?"

"Impossible. Master, thee knows a single piece of paper doesn't have the power to stop the warmonger Juvey. The complaint will give him green light to attack."

"Help from the Federation might make matters worse."

"Most definitive," whispered Éclair.

"Once again, I can't do anything to help…" Unable to think, he dashed off into the emptiness of the skies. Flying for hours on end to find answers. 

Dawn approached; lady night threw her veil over the continent. Queen Ela III awoke with a headache. 'The hangover is going to be bad,' thought she looking around. 'Nausea… damn it!' 

"You awake?"

"Staxius, what are you doing in the tree?" her head slowly raised.

"Watching the sun-set," said he looking down, "-damn the breath stinks."

"How did you know!" 

"Sharp senses," he winked to dropped, "-go have a shower and rest."

"I will," she accepted his help to get up, "-how long has it been?"

"Couldn't tell you myself," he shrugged, "-here."

"What's this?" asked she holding a potion.

"Something I made to help with the hangover. I know how much you hate it."

"Wait, does it work for real?" a mix of joy and curiousity came in form of her tight lips and risen brows. 

"I made it."

"Then it's poison," she laughed.

"Poison?" quick to pinch her cheeks, "-as if such a thing would be enough to kill you."

"OK, OK, I yield." The cheeks flamed, "-you really need to stop pinching. Tis unbefitting my ranking."

"And you need to stop drinking like a dwarf."

"Whatever," she ran towards the palace, "-I'll see you in the morning." 

Many things came to light. Queen Elina was similar to King Staxius as not wanting to impose on one another. The conversation with Malta felt pleasant. Just speaking about his friend to another gave a semblance of peace. The feeling was weird at first; however, the words from both Ela and Eira forced him into speaking about what he felt. Night fully settled onto the province and a reply had yet to come. Time at this moment wasn't an issue. He retreated from the battlefield of Alphia – he lost against the five giants. The battle at Tale was nothing more than a faker's attempt at a meaningless victory. What he said on that day was mostly elaborated lies. Granted, Éclair was very helpful. The victory gave one thing – time. Meldorino was lost. For time, he lost things that was more precious. Cake out in Hidros received news of the tragic event. Meldorino returned to the Gaso conglomerate with fame of them being tied to the late hero Luna. On top of that, they held the capital Staxius gave. Things seemed to have been going down the road of despair. Though, the King didn't back down without a fight. All the products were imported from Phantom – Meldorino was but a reseller of what Phantom's items. Thus, the damage was limited. 

'I can forget about Meldorino. The break into their market is going to be hard. There's no forcing the issue. I need to step back and re-evaluate the situation. The fight has begun. We fool everyone with the AHA. Let's hope Aceline's movie doesn't suffer the same fate. Scott must have seen it coming, that's why he returned with everyone to Hidros. What move will the Emperor do now, Patek's must be on his throat for the comments about the AHA and justice.'

"Majesty," voiced Éclair loudly, "-I've received a priority message from Emperor Sultria VI."

"Read it."

"Dear Father-in-law, I appreciate all the help you've given to Alphia. I think it might be best if I resolve my courtship with Eira. The Patek's are growing more active; it's the point where the Imperial family is at risk. They gave me a singular condition, that I order Phantom and the King of Arda to leave Alphia. From my heart, I want to marry Eira, she's the best lady I've met. I want to become a part of your family. Yet, circ.u.mstance says I must think of the greater picture. I know thee art not the type of man to give up, and neither am I. I promise I will get married to Eira, I will, even if that's the last thing I do. So, please, ask your forces to leave. The Lerado's are finished; there's nothing about it, thee lost." 

'He ends just like that,' thought Staxius, '-I've lost everything that we've worked for.'

"Éclair, order Phantom to retreat. I want everyone to return to Hidros, this battle is lost."

"Roger…"

'Don't worry Sultria. I'll be back stronger, trust me on that.' Staring out the window, the coldness of the night made him think. The journey ahead was yet to be complete, there were things unsolved, Kreston's remaining followers, the Underworld, Alphia, and most importantly, what it means to be the inheritor of Time.