May Death Do Us Part

117 Chapter 117 : The marble palace

It didn’t take long for news of Aiden and Estel’s expected baby to spread among the people, and with it brought rise different emotions towards the pregnancy. Some thought of it as a miracle, a divine gift from the gods and they would flock to the residence of the couple and take many gifts for the baby. Others feared it, saying no living soul should be able to possess the magic of an elf and the strength of a nosferatu, claiming it would bring unbalance to the world.

Aiden and Estel on the other hand couldn’t care less about what anyone thought of their child, they were too ecstatic about the mere fact that they had managed to convince a child. Estel would roam around the newly established town talking to her now slightly protruding tummy while Aiden had become extremely doting and overprotective. He even pushed the wedding till after the baby was born claiming that he didn’t want to stress Estel.

It was a bright and sunny spring afternoon and Kaiser Stefan and king Aragon were walking through the town admiring the progress and discussing on how to save their captured brothers from the humans. The two had become even closer because of their children.

“Never thought I’d be a grandfather so soon,” Stefan spoke.

“What do you mean so soon you’re over a thousand years old!” Aragon responded with a chuckle, “I’m wondering why an old geezer like you isn’t using crutches.”

“The nosferatu age quiet quickly yet very slowly,” Stefan responded with a smile.

Aragon turned to look at the man curiously. “And what do you mean by that.”

“Nosferatu children age rapidly body wise till they reach adulthood,” Stefan explained, “after that they’re bodies stop aging even when years go by. For instance, would you believe that my wife is four hundred years younger than me?”

“Good grief are you serious?!” Aragon asked in shock.

.....

“I am, but yet she seems to be only six years younger physically,” Stefan elaborated further, “and she looks almost the same age as our son who is much younger than her.”

“Good lord, I don’t know if that’s a blessing or a curse,” Aragon responded with a chuckle.

“It’s a bit of both,” the Kaiser responded as they continued walking, “do you have any idea how hard it was for me to parent Aiden, he had already developed the body of a man at only fourteen and was very rebellious. Try telling a teenager in man’s body that he cannot adopt a wild boar as a pet, it felt ridiculous.”

Aragon burst into laughter and pat his friend hard on the back, “well you did a fine job! He’s become a good man, and me and my daughter thank you for that.”

Silence fell on the two men as they continue walking through the town. It was a lively afternoon and the street was filled with venders, merchants, builders and children of every race. It was a heartwarming site to see.

“It’s wonderful how they have all settled in so quickly after what happened isn’t it?” Stefan commented as five children, two elves, a nosferatu, a dwarve and a lycan, ran past them joyfully.

“It is,” Aragon responded, “but you and I both know that deep down they still suffer the loss of their home and some their families.”

Stefan’s smile faded as he looked at the busy people around them. The elven king was right, some of these people had lost their family and all of them had lost their homes, it was not something one could get over so easily.

“We have to avenge the people we’ve lost Stefan, and we have to retrieve the ones we left behind.” Aragon walked passed the Kaiser and stood in front of him, “I have reached out to some people who can help us, some very powerful people.”

“Powerful people?”

“Have you heard of the mages of the rocks?”

Stafen’s eyes widened. The mages of the rocks where a group of powerful users of forbidden black magic, and were of elven and nosferatu descent. They were believed to be the first users of magic and had passed on their knowledge and skill to those who lived now. It was said that over time their magic became so vile that they were asked to leave the kingdom and settled in the great rocky rift that surrounded the snow riddled lands at the edge of the continent.

“Aragon, don’t tell me you’re planning on using the dark arts to fight the humans,” Stefan spoke in hushed tones, “what if there are consequences?!”

“Do you have any better plan?” Aragon responded firmly, “we cannot beat them in numbers Stefan think for a moment. Magic is what we have that the humans don’t, I suggest we use it!”

Stefan sighed, maybe Aragon was right. “What is it you have planned exactly?”

The elven king took out a parchment from his pocket and handed it to Stefan, “they say they have a way we can send some of our own disguised as humans to the central kingdom. If that’s true, we can know of their weaknesses and exploit them accordingly in order to take back what is ours.”

Stefan folded up th parchment and looked up at Aragon with concerned eyes, “and who would be willing to give themselves up to become a human spy? Have you even brought this up with Edron and Dvalin?”

“Edron and Dvalin will be brought up to speed soon enough,” Aragon spoke as he took the parchment from the Kaiser’s hand, “you are like my brother Stefan, more so now, I need you on my side on this. We are to have a grandchild soon, don’t you want to make this world safe for them? I know I do, and I know Estel and Aiden want that as well. We need to do this for the children.”

With another sigh of defeat Kaiser Stefan nodded, “our grandchild should not know the meaning of ‘living in fear’, not while we still live.”

Aragon gave Stefan a pat on the shoulder and smiled at him, “and neither should all our other grandchildren to come. I will call for Edron and Dvalin at once and discuss the way forward on this, soon we will live safely and in peace again.”

As the two kings talked, an elven guard walked towards them and bowed. “Your majesties, there is something you need to see. A group of men were out scavenging the lands outside the town and they discovered something.”

Stefan and Aragon gave each other a glance and turned to look at the guard.

“What did they find?” Stefan asked.

“I don’t know how to explain it your majesty,” the guard responded, “it’s best you see it with your own eyes.”

*

The two kings and the guard all rode on horse back out of the town and out into the thick woods. They were all wondering what could have been so confusing of a discovery that the guard couldn’t describe what it was. The trio rode for about fifteen minutes until they emerged into some sort of clearing that was covered in tall thick grass. As they moved at a slower pace, they noticed some large chunks of broken marble scattered around the tall grass and covered in vines.

“It looks like some people had been here before us,” Stefan commented as they rode past what looked like an old water fountain, “and by the looks of this architecture, they were quite civilized.”

“So much for this being untainted land,” Aragon commented as he passed a broken statue.

“it’s over here your majesties,” the guard called out to the two men.

They brought their horses to a hault and dismounted them. “Dear gods!” Stefan gasped as he gazed at the massive structure in front of him.

Ahead of the men stood a massive marble palace intricately curved on the side of a mountain. Even though it was covered in vines and dirt, it still stood tall and beautiful, glistening in the afternoon sunlight.

“Could this be?” Aragon spoke in a shaky voice as he walked towards the massive structure, “it can’t be, I thought this was just a myth.”

Kaiser Stefan walked up to his friend to take a closer look at the breathtaking work of architecture, “you know of this?” He asked Aragon who looked like he had just seen a treasure that had been lost for years.

“When I was a child, my grandfather told me of a lost kingdom built by our ancestor that had a white marble palace curved on the side of a mountain,” Aragon explained as he walked into the beautiful building, trailing his hand on the marble pillars. “My ancestor, king Sephlon, met his wife Erva on this mountain, and when he proposed he assembled some of the greatest architects and built this place as a wedding gift to her. The great kingdom that rose around this place was named Ervelon, in memory of their love. But I thought that was just a story, never in all my years did I think I’d ever gaze upon the very history of my people.”

“You elves can be very determined when you’re in love huh?” Stefan joked as he inspected the palace. “Don’t let my wife know of this, I don’t want her demanding palaces curved on the sides of mountains for herself.”

Aragon chuckled in response, “oh trust me this will stay between us, I’m too old to be this extravagant.”

“So what will you do?” Stefan asked, “this is your family’s legacy you surely can’t leave it to rot away.”

The elven king moved an old painting aside and a rat scurried out from behind it, “I think I have an idea,” he responded. Aragon walked to Stefan and smiled sheepishly at him.

“I don’t think I like that look on your face Aragon.”

“Look Stefan I’m too old to carry out this project and honestly speaking so are you.”

The Kaiser arched his brow at his friend suspiciously, “so?”

“I’d love to give this place to Aiden,” the elven king responded, “he is young and energetic unlike us. And he will be the father to my grandchild and the husband to my daughter. He will be the next king, possibly of both the elves and nosferatu.”

Aragon ran his finger on the dusty walls and took a step further into the palace, “let the boy rebuild this place, and let him settle here with his wife and children. Given the history of why this place was built, it would be quite fitting don’t you think?”

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