Urgost was sitting in his study awaiting the start of another dreaded council meeting. He was King of the Elvish nation; he had more important things to attend too. They dragged on for hours and hours with no clear outcome and were all in all a catastrophic waste of time. However, this one felt different. There was a hidden agenda in this meeting, something he hadn’t been told.

He stood up from his chair, pushing it back with a small groan as it scraped across the floorboards. He walked over to the window and stared outside. The city was just beginning to wake up as elves started moving through the streets with carts of fresh food or other items. Athaldris lay in eternal darkness safe for the elven lamps. They were placed so perfectly around the city, giving everywhere a faint glow of life. The lights hung from the beams of every building and Urgost watched as they all brightened in unison to signal that the morning had begun.

The tree coverage above the city only let in the faint scraps of light from the sun due to the thick foliage. He always loved the fact that unless you knew where you were looking, you could easily pass by the city or get lost in the deep forests in the miles surrounding it. It was the perfect deterrent for any foreign invaders. Not that they would ever make it past the magical storm protecting their lands.

He was slenderly built like the rest of the elven race. However, even amongst the elves, he was a giant, standing at almost eight feet tall. The grey was just beginning to pierce his silvery hair. He was one of the oldest among them and with that drew a great deal of respect. No one had challenged him in the thousand years since he had forcibly taken control of the elven lands. With the exception of Terandriell and the high priestess, but he tried not to think of them.

He sighed. I wish I had him executed rather than imprisoned, he thought. First, he disgraced the ancient order of the StormBlades and then damaged a few ships of my fleet. Then to make it worse had the audacity to travel and integrate with the human disgrace. He smirked at himself.

Movement on the street below him caught his attention as two guards arrived to relieve the two that had been stationed outside for the night. Although the meeting was due to start at any moment, he didn’t care. He had been late to the last one too. It was becoming tedious, everything was about Terandriell and the StormBlades and how they travelled with two hundred elves. They were probably dead already, he scoffed.

The smell of freshly baked bread wafted up to him as a cart passed. He whistled, gathering the attention of his guards and the cart owner. With a few points and no words, one of the guards lifted a loaf of bread and a small cake for Urgost and half a loaf for himself and the other guard to share. Urgost retreated from the window as hunger gnawed at his stomach and went back to sit at his desk. He proceeded to clear a small area and wait on his breakfast arriving.

A couple minutes past before there was a light knocking on the door as a young elven girl walked in. She was carrying his plate with his bread and a small selection of cheese in one hand and a jug of water in the other.

“Thank you, Daiyra.”

“Do you need anything else, my Lord?”

He stared at her with his unwavering eyes and his upwards slanted eyebrows causing her to blush and look away. He wondered if he should correct her, he was her king, not a lord. The council was full of lords and princes, and he was there better, everyone knew it.

“No, that will be all.” Maybe next time, he thought.

He liked how she looked and didn’t want to upset her so soon into her new role. She was quite small for an elf and young, maybe fifty with hair the colour of starlight. She must have been from one of the small villages as he hadn’t known her up until now. “Oh, please advise the council I will be running late.”

She bowed and left, closing the door with a light thud behind her. The council knew he would be running late, for it was already ten minutes after it was due to start. He was too hungry to care and too bored with their drama.

Urgost devoured the loaf of bread and the cheese selection, washing it down with his jug of water. Placing it down left a small water ring to stain the mahogany table it now rested on. He looked around for his cake, but it was nowhere to be seen.

He sighed. He was already running late for the meeting, and it would take him another fifteen-minute walk to arrive. He decided to ignore the mystery of the cake and grabbed his formal silk robes and crown.

The robe was as silver as his hair and delicate to the touch, it was embroidered with the most exquisite patterned details imaginable engraved in a dark brown colour. His crown was fashioned from the white oak of the Tree of Ishjaak, the very tree rumoured to have been the god's mortal form which now rested in the centre of the great elven nation. It was utterly plain in design and had no gems or any other intricate details, but he looked all the more regal because of it.

Urgost descended the two flights of stairs to the landing at the bottom and greeted his guards. He knew both of their names, he knew everyone in the city, even down to the new-borns. Only two children had been born this year so far in Athaldris, which wasn’t rare. Life was precious to elves, and they lived so many lifetimes that children were rarely conceived.

He was there the day the two babes were born. Little Corgan and Amelia. Twins, a boy and girl. He had high hopes for the two little warriors, already challenging the will of their mother at only two months. He smiled to himself.

The two guards followed him as he began his journey through the city. The streets were busier now that everyone was rushing around to carry out their daily tasks. He walked through the cobbled streets, taking a slight detour to visit the courtyard area in the centre of the city. The rough ground below him turned into a perfectly flatted circular area of the most stunning marble. The inner area was light in colour, getting darker closer to the edge he looked. In the middle stood the enormous white tree of Ishjaak, it towered upwards and pierced through the tree line high above. Although the tree itself was believed to be dead and devoid of all life, it was still worshipped amongst their race as a symbol of hope.

Urgost knew better though, whenever he passed by the tree, a slight vibration emanated from the crown atop his head. It was a part of the great tree and still alive, the gods had given it strength even if they didn’t interfere in their affairs any more. He paused for a moment soaking in the splendour and grandeur of what lay before him.

“Ahh, Urgost. I see you are running late too.” He turned around to see General Emirial standing. He wasn’t as tall as the King but looked just as ferocious. His hair was black as the night sky and short, both of which were unusual. He had to give a fierce impression after all since he commanded the armies of their nation.

“Well, you know how these council meetings are,” Urgost rolled his eyes.

Emirial laughed as he walked closer to the King. “I think it’s the eighteenth this month,” he scoffed.

“Nineteenth,” Urgost corrected with derision. Emirial only wore the absolute best armour ever created with more swords and bows than he knew what to do with. He had his own personal armoury within the depths of his mansion. He was Urgost’s closest friend but a little eccentric even for an elf. Spending most of his days in solitude in the under levels of his house training, and only ever ventured out with matters of importance such as the current meeting.

“I suppose we best be off. We will be the talk of the day at this rate.” Emirial smirked, knowing fine well that it was the case already. The two of them walked side by side. Urgost usually preferred people trailing him, but this elf was his equal and commanded almost as much respect as he did. Urgost looked down to the weapon, resting on his friend’s hip. The blade was sheathed in black leather, curved and thickest at the middle point. It was length and a half of a regular sword with a gigantic sapphire planted in the pommel.

“Another one for your collection I see. May I?” Urgost asked.

Emirial paused for a moment. He didn’t want to hand over his newest blade, but it was the King. He knew that although Urgost asked to see the weapon, it was more of an order. He cautiously removed the sword from its sheath as they walked and handed the dark blue blade over to his friend. “Careful. It's sharp enough to cut through stone like cheese.”

Urgost looked back at him in disbelief. “That is nonsense!” he shouted, “the blade does have a beautiful balance to it.”

“Try it,” Emirial said with a challenge. He walked over to the side of the road and picked up a hand-sized rock, gently throwing it over to Urgost who caught it with his left hand. He looked down at the stone and then the blade before gently pressing the thick part of the sword on the rock and Emirial was right, it glided through it so seamlessly he wondered if there was some trick to it.

“What kind of metal is this?” Urgost asked, his face revealing what he wouldn’t say, he wanted a blade for himself.

“It came from the fall of a meteor, not two moons past. The goddess Aesha has blessed the metal, praise be with her.”

“Praise be with her,” Urgost responded automatically but not meaning it. He was still far too intrigued by the metalwork before him. He hadn’t noticed at first, but there was a slight throbbing deep within the sword. It appeared to be breathing much like his own crown, maybe the goddess had blessed it after all.

“Is there any metal left over?”

Emirial knew the question was coming and had already perfected his refusal. “I’m afraid the metal was used to create arrowheads.” He didn’t lie, he had used it to create arrowheads, but there was more than enough to make another thirty weapons.

“Shame,” the King responded, handing the blade back. It was sheathed a few moments later and hidden from sight.

The two of them travelled the rest of the journey in relative silence. The large theatre building was just ahead in the upper district of the city. It lay open to the environment around it like most of Athaldris. The theatre was a large semi-circular building with seats situated on steps higher up the further back it was. It was large enough to hold around three hundred people.

A plain alter was located near the flat edge of the building where the speaker was already standing. He was garnished in the richest gems and a dark green robe which was evidently too big for him as it trailed at least a foot behind him.

Urgost and Emirial sauntered in with no cares in the world. They sat on the raised platform in the centre of the seating area. Looking around, they noticed that there was only around forty elves already seated somewhat haphazardly throughout the room.

“Ahh, we may finally begin.” The speaker looked in the Kings direction. Urgost stared back into the speaker’s eyes, not blinking once. The man was quickly unnerved and fumbled around with his notes trying to regain his complexion.

“Item one on the agenda,” the elf's voice echoed around the room.

Here it starts, Urgost thought.

“The harvest this year so far has not been as fruitful as first thought. The festival has left a drain on our food reserves, and drastic measures are required for the upkeep of this.” He raised his head from amongst his papers to look at his audience, waiting for someone to offer a solution.

“I will have ten elves work night and day on a new plantation patch.” Prince Juilan stood, he was an intelligent man although still new to the game of politics, he had taken over the role from his father who had gone into early retirement.

The aim, Urgost thought, is to trick your fellow elves into doing it instead.

“That should suffice.” The speaker replied.

“Drastic indeed,” Emirial whispered, nudging Urgost with his elbow. They both guffawed and received a dagger-like stare in response from the speaker.

“Item two on the agenda…” Hours dragged by as Urgost and Emirial began just talking amongst themselves and not listening to the petty concerns being raised. They had heard it all a hundred times before.

“Finally, the reason we are all here today.” Urgost looked around, there were double the elves in the meeting now than when it had first started. Including the temple magistrate, High Priestess Lianna. He hadn’t noticed most of them enter, he was too busy talking to his commander about the current strength of their forces. The eight thousand strong, the 56 warships, the 183 Caravels and the numerous transport vessels. All of this along with the construction of a new siege weapon they had been perfecting, the Porcupine.

“Terandriell and this endeavour with the humans.” This instantly caught the King’s attention as he stopped mid-sentence and looked around the room. He could see High Priestess Lianna smiling with one of her disciples and her company of guards sworn only to her standing ready. It annoyed him that he had no sway over them at all, but they were devotees of the temple. She held the love and respect of the people, enough to speak out in public about Urgost. She had done so on numerous occasions.

“I open the floor to air your concerns.”

Urgost sat, watching. Waiting for the first brave soul to begin the debate.

“I believe this is within our rights as free elves to travel and do as we please.” Prince Julian announced. There were a few nods in agreement.

“He has always been a political...” Urgost paused, searching for the right words. “Adversary to us.”

“That he has,” Emirial replied then stood up, turning to face the crowd around him. “How can we expect to protect our people when some amongst us will so precariously and without thought, risk the exposure and destruction of our own and for what?” He finished facing Prince Julian directly as they both retook their seats.

The High Priestess stood. “I have convened with the priestesses of the temple, and we have come to the belief that this is the gods' will. Why else would they have been allowed to traverse through the storm barriers surrounding our realm unless the goddess Aesha had allowed such a trespass.” Her voice was soft, but she spoke with purpose and authority.

Gods. Urgost thought. They are cruel beyond measure. If they were to intervene and help our people, then how are we in such peril now? He looked up to see a few starlings floating on the tree branches above listening intently to the conversation as well.

Princess Eilen stood, she was young but had a sharp wit to her and Urgost had always been fond of her for it. She was reasonable and stern yet kind, it was a perfect balance. “Maybe they got lucky, they had Feineer as captain. We all know how skilled and seasoned he is, perhaps he found a route through.”

“You doubt the word of the gods?” The high priestess replied.

“You just said it was the word of the priestesses,” she retorted. Laughter ensued from most of the theatre. Red-faced and abashed Lianna retook her seat, defeated. Urgost couldn’t help but love Princess Eilen for it.

“Terandriell is the ringleader. The rest of the elves will return home should he…” Prince Jurthy paused, all eyes turned to face him. “Perish.” He dragged the word out to convey the dark meaning behind it.

Urgost had considered that fact, he had a few elves he could have quickly sent out to assassinate him, warriors far older and more robust than he ever was. But at the cost of drawing attention to them and the lands were vast, hunting or tracking them would have taken time. He is probably dead anyway. Urgost thought again. Hoping that it was true and that the others would soon return.

“I am perfectly sure that you did not just threaten the life of an elf.” The priestess shouted over.

“No of course not, I was just simply stating a fact that is true.”

The debate raged on for some time, as did the previous three meetings over the past week, with the same arguments coming up time and time again. Urgost let out a deep sigh, content on just watching the birds above rather than wasting his time listening to this squabble. It was in that moment a young elf that he scarcely recognized ran in and handed a letter to the speaker. A message that with his eyesight he could make out his own seal on it. They whispered between each other before he scurried off again.

“My Princes and Princesses,” came the voice of the speaker. “New evidence has come to light that will help us resolve this issue.” He lied. Urgost knew the contents, and it was only going to infuriate this situation even more. He could utter a few words and have the letter burst into flames… or the full building. Maybe he could have the patrol outside charge in to steal the attention and whisk the message away to safety.

“I hold in my hands a signed letter, signed by King Urgost himself.” He said, waving it in the air. “It states that Terandriell is an enemy of the crown, branded a traitor and has an execution date!” The Theatre burst into an uproar of raised voices. Urgost sat thinking of the most heinous ways he could have this man killed and the boy. He softly shook his head, dismissing the thoughts. He hadn't mentioned him being branded a traitor, not in those words. The real letter was hidden in his home, in a drawer concealed and held shut by magic. How anyone would have found it was a mystery.

“Is it true?” Emirial asked quietly.

“Yes, but if you think I’m foolish enough to leave that lying around you are sorely mistaken, something foul is at work here.” He turned around to see the high priestess with a sly grin on her face, watching him intently.

“Do you think she is capable of this?” Emirial asked.

“I would never underestimate what she is capable of, she would have entire kingdoms burn to fulfil her desires.” Urgost stood up and descended the steps, the bickering around him slowly quietened as all eyes turned to watch him. He walked across the smooth ground and directly towards the altar where the man was standing.

“May I see that letter?”

“You shouldn’t need too; you know what it says!” The speaker retorted.

“It wasn’t a request,” he said sternly. The man looked at him, and his eyes briefly flickered up to the elves behind Urgost. Urgost knew in that instant that someone here was responsible for this. He glanced over the letter quickly before turning to the crowd.

“This is a forgery! And do you know how I know this beyond any doubt? Because the real one is locked in a vault within my house.” Gasps emanated from the elves around him.

“I will give you one chance now to admit your guilt and own up to this before I take matters into my own hands.”

“Who are you to challenge this council Urgost,” Lianna said, her voice full of contempt.

He turned to face her. “Lianna. You seem to forget yourself when addressing me.” He then continued to look around the room. “If there is one thing, I cannot abide it is liars. At least Terandriell, the one we are debating admitted his plans, foolish but I respected him for it. One amongst you is a coward, and I will find you out. Rest assured, I will find you out.”

The room fell silent, stunned. Every single elf stared at him. Unsure of what to think or how to act. The only exception was Emirial, who was relaxed on his chair, smirking. He was proud that his friend had stood up for himself. Urgost usually kept quiet but to see him fight was admirable. This is why he was still King after all these years.

“You know where to find me if you wish to confess, you have till nightfall.” He strode out of the theatre with his guards following closely behind him. He must have been walking faster than he realized as he reached his home within ten minutes. There were two guards stationed outside the grand white building.

“Has anyone been inside or acted suspiciously here?”

“No, my King.” They both responded in unison. Dismissing his current guard, he marched upstairs and directly into his bed chambers. Opening his dresser, he pulled out one of the drawers and lifted it upwards so he could reach into the compartment on the bottom. He pulled out the sealed letter and could feel the rage building up within him. He scrunched his hand into a fist crushing the letter amongst them with such force he was surprised to see it still in his hand when he opened it. He launched it against the wall and walked downstairs again.

“Guards, find out who that boy was that interrupted the meeting and find out who that speaker was. Check the outlying towns and villages, not this city. It’s no one from here.”

“At once, my King.” He could see Emirial coming down the street directly towards him. He always had some form of grin on his face, and this was no exception.

“My friend, you left that place quite perturbed. It was rather amusing.” He smiled deeply. When Urgost did not respond, he decided to keep the conversation going. “I have my own men looking into it. I suspect the High Priestesses handy work in this.”

“It is not her, that seems too easy,” Urgost retorted. “No matter, I shall find out soon once the speaker and boy are apprehended.”

“They should know better than to go against us.”

“That they should. Come join me, I need a drink after this.” He followed Urgost up the two flights of stairs and into his study, his blue blade swaying as he walked up each step.

“Please say you don't have any of that grape nonsense.”

“Elderberry,” Urgost answered.

“Ahh, you still have taste, don't you,” he laughed. Before long they were both sitting relaxed at the desk. Urgost poured three glasses of wine, handing one to his friend, drinking one down in a few gulps and then drinking the last one in pace with Emirial. It was a vibrant, intense wine, having stewed for almost thirty years from the most exceptional vineyard in the city.

“Gods, that's strong!” Emirial choked.

“This is the real stuff Emirial,” he laughed. “You know, I miss the good old days of fighting side by side with my kin.”

Emirial looked at him for a moment, he could tell Urgost was sincere. “Then why don't you?” he said, placing his half-empty glass on the table.

Urgost looked at him, drinking the entirety of the second glass before speaking. “It is one thing reminiscing and another reliving it. When those creatures attacked with their armada of a hundred thousand strong over what the humans call the great desert... No one and nothing could stop them.” Sombre thoughts overtook him as he thought about it and looked down at the empty glass on the table.

“You know, I am perceived as the tyrant king. The ruthless king. The traitor to the elven people. Yet I am still king. I saved our race from extinction, you know this. You helped me. Look at the thanks we get for it, publicly ousted in a council meeting.” Emirial remained silent, watching his friend.

“The things I witnessed, the things I have done. The things I have sacrificed all for what? So that nine hundred and eighty-six years later I'm the King of a bickering species that has nothing better to do than debate over fucking plants!” He picked the glass up and threw it against the far wall, shattering it into a thousand pieces.

“You are more than that Urgost. You have accomplished so much for our people, all those years ago we were down to under a thousand of us left. A thousand, let that number sink in. Now look at us. We have eighteen thousand elves in Athaldris alone and have numerous towns and villages littered around here. That is because of you.” No words that Emirial said could uplift the Kings spirit now, not much could. He knew he would feel better tomorrow after sleeping, but it was still only midday. He wished he could control the lamps outside and dim them all at once to signal it was the night just so he could sleep his worries off. The sound of heavy armour thudding down on wooden floors emanated up to them as one of his guards ran up the stairs.

“Sir!”

“What is it?” he said as the door swung inwards. The guard looked at the glass at his feet.

“Speak!” He commanded, still glancing downwards.

“The boy is here.” He looked upwards and stood before following the guard downstairs, Emirial quickly followed and there he was, the young boy who gave the letter to the speaker in what appeared to be a matter of urgency.

“I wish to confess,” the young elf said. His voice was weak and shaky.

Good, Urgost thought. His threat had worked.

“It was the High Priestess Lianna.”