The previous fight proved that Tristan would not be able to oppose the Arcadian king's commands; not with his current level of strength, at least. After healing both his wounds and his pride, he was ready to meet the king.

In his current condition, the smart thing to do was to comply and wait for the right moment to strike back. He must act patiently, he just hoped he didn't need to kiss the king's ass while he was at it.

Approaching the hall, he was still a bit annoyed that the queen didn't end up doing much to aid him. He somehow believed that the queen had his best interests at heart, but he couldn't figure out why she didn't back him up. There had to be something else, aside from his strength.

After all, why would the Vanyar queen let another kingdom do as they pleased in her own territory? As he sauntered along, he began to ponder about her motivations. He still believed that the key to his freedom lay in the hands of the queen.

Unfortunately, upon entering the hall, Tristan's hopes were immediately crushed. On the great Vanyar throne looming before him sat the Arcadian king while the Vanyar queen stood by his side.

"What the hell! How could it be?!" He thought, a cloud of confusion descending on his mind.

There were definitely some facts about the king that he missed. When he walked in, the atmosphere was charged, voices echoing in the great expanse of the room. He could hear the queen and King Callan exchanging words as though in the middle of a heated debate.

Seeing that Tristan had arrived, the two quickly halted their argument. The air in the room had suddenly turned stale. He was almost completely certain that they were talking about him; it appears that the king had made his decision.

From their expressions, he knew right away that the odds were not in his favor. Before the king could announce his verdict, Tristan had an answer at the ready.

"I have no need to pack, I am ready to go."

No one said anything in reply. There was a moment of complete silence, and everyone stared intently at the king, waiting for him to speak.

"There is no need! I have decided that I won't be needing you anymore."

Tristan's first response was elation. He thought he had won; could it be that the king would finally leave him alone? But the king's expression was not right. There was a coldness behind the king's gaze, and Tristan's face fell as his relief dissolved into alarm.

The king gestured with his hand, and immediately dozens of kingsblade surrounded him. As he had expected.

"Capture him!"

Tristan flinched as all of them ran to charge towards him. He rapidly unsheathed his sword, clutching the hilt tightly with both hands as he braced himself for impact.

"Don't blame me if I hurt you!" He yelled. The swing of his sword was enough to make a few of the speeding kingsblade jump back, dodging his movements.

As he was trying to determine the appropriate strategy to fend off his attackers, Tristan felt a sudden presence beside him. He realized too late that Nix had appeared next to him using shadow magic, and stabbed his sword arm with a knife.

"Aaarghhh, get off me Nix!"

Tristan was about to slam Nix to the ground when suddenly, he heard a crashing noise a few meters away from him. A kingsblade had struck the floor heavily with his fists, casting an ice spell which instantly covered both of his feet. Tristan was stuck in place, wrestling violently against his binds.

At the same time, another kingsblade had cast a plant spell, and immediately a towering mass of twisted roots and ivy erupted from the ground, warping into something like a thrashing limb. It promptly entangled Layla in a torrent of vines, lifting her off the ground. In one swift motion, she was whisked away to the sidelines.

"Triiss!!"

"Layla!!!"

Tristan used the sheer power of his physical strength to break through the ice, attempting to twist around and retaliate against Nix's attack.

Braacckkk!!

His hand reached out, grabbing at nothing as Nix had already retreated into the shadows.

"Damn magician!"

Tristan was so furious, he smashed into the closest kingsblade in his proximity, sending him flying across the room. The kingsblade's armor clattered loudly onto the floor. He glowered at the queen standing next to the raised throne, and began to shout.

"Leenna! Is this your wish?!!"

The queen stayed silent and didn't answer.

A sudden series of footsteps pounded behind him. Turning back, Tristan saw Captain Raika running towards him in full force. He cursed under his breath. She was one of the strongest of the kingsblade and probably the fastest. Tristan could see sparks of lightning flickering beneath the soles of her feet as she dashed forward.

The woman dodged his blade gracefully, with quick, calculated steps. She passed effortlessly under his sword, and before he could register what was happening, she was standing behind him. She grabbed him with both her arms, casting a spell.

[Thundershock Tier 5 Lightning Element]

Tristan howled in agony as an intense burning sensation rippled down his back. He tried to break free from Raika's grip, but she was so strong that he could not manage to push her off. The pain on his back only escalated the more he tried to squirm out of her grasp.

"Arggghh!!!"

Tristan was pissed. These people were playing with his life like it was nothing.

The lightning spell's aftereffects made his body go limp. After a few more moments of struggling, he felt like his bones had turned to jelly as his knees finally gave out. He fell weakly onto his knees. His breathing was ragged and heavy, with Raika still clutching his torso tightly.

Only now had he begun to acknowledge the thrumming pain on his arm from where Nix had stabbed him, and instinctively he covered the wound with his palm.

Shit. Now what would he do?

Out of nowhere, a sharp object split through the air and hit Captain Raika from behind, forcing her to release her hold on Tristan's back. The object was an arrow, shot by none other than his wife, Serene.

She quickly grabbed three arrows, and instantly they all began to cast an ethereal light, glowing with magic.

"Stop!!" She shouted, as everyone in the room turned towards her in dismay.

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Written by Avans, Published exclusively by W.e.b.n.o.v.e.l,