章 39: Elders

I pushed the doors open and stepped into the throne room. The elders stopped arguing and turned to face me.

"My prince."

"Welcome, young prince."

"Welcome, prince."

"Welcome, Prince Malgath."

They all bowed out of courtesy and sat back down.

Sitting on the throne, I looked over the elders as they looked at me.

"Speak," I commanded coldly, catching them off guard. The female elder, Thessalia, was the first to respond.

"My prince, we were discussing your raid. Specifically, how reckless and dangerous it was to lead one-tenth of our army into battle without informing us, especially given your lack of experience. You also took away our two generals. And let's not forget your encounter with the human hero, which you only survived due to our healers."

"The raid was a success, and the prince has already won the battle. That is in the past. What else is there to discuss? We should focus on the future," the short elder, Dalyor, interjected calmly, which was unusual for him as he often displayed anger.

"We have to understand our past to forge our future," the old elder injected, but no one listened to her.

"This raid could have ended in disaster if not for the human baron's incompetence. No one died purely by chance. The prince is just a child; he should be learning, not leading an army. If he must join the war for some reason, he should do so as a soldier, not a commander. His inexperience could lead to the destruction of our entire army, and his confrontation with the human hero puts us at risk. Once they notice her absence, they will rally their forces against us." Thessalia continued, ignoring the old elder.

"There is another problem: two of our generals, our main defense force, left the city for a whole week just to follow a child—I mean, the young prince. It would be disastrous if we were to be under attack while two of our generals were away," short-haired Elder Malon, probably the only elf in the realm with short hair, joined the discussion.

"We still have our queen and archon," Elder Dalyor continued to defend my actions.

"You know very well that Archon cannot interfere," Elder Malon responded to Elder Dalyor, whose veins on his forhead began to become visible.

"Elder Dalyor, you're missing the point. The prince's actions have put us in serious danger. He—"

"I KNOW," Elder Dalyor shouted, silencing Elder Thessalia.

Taking a deep breath, Elder Dalyor calmed himself down before he spoke.

"I'm well aware of how dangerous Prince Malgath's actions were, but is it not enough?" Elder Dalyor asked with a furrowed but pitiful look.

"For ten thousand years, we have suffered, hunted like prey, and lost our families and loved ones. We have become a mere shadow of our former selves. Our people are broken and live in constant fear. Have any of you ever stepped outside your comfortable homes to see our people?" Elder Dalyor asked, his voice shaking with emotion. Elder Thessalia and Malon opened their mouths to respond, but Elder Dalyor raised his hand to stop them.

"They may appear to be smiling and happy, but they are not. They are suffering. They have also lost their loved ones, but they cannot grieve due to fear. Every night when they go to sleep or every day when they wake up, they fear that today might be the day when others come for them. They cannot leave and truly enjoy our beautiful forest, knowing that if they stray too far from the city, they risk becoming prey, hunted down, or worse, captured. We need to change this. We need to remind the realm that elves are still the most powerful race to have ever walked upon this realm. We must reclaim our glory,have our revenge, or else we will perish, but we are too old and incompetent to achieve that," Elder Daylor concluded with a touch of sadness, slumping in his chair, looking weary.

"But our prince can. He is only fifty years old but has strength equal to half of our knight general. He learned magic from our archon and trained with the ranger general. He embodies everything we lack. His potential is limitless. He possesses the strength and will to restore our glory. Why none of you can see that... why?" Elder Daylor asked with a pleading gaze as he looked at the other elders.

Silence filled the throne room for a brief moment before Elder Thessalia spoke hesitantly.

"But unnecessary battles are not the way to achieve it, Elder Daylor. It could lead to our doom. We need to gather information, plan carefully, and prepare. We must wait for our young ones to mature. Our army is not even a fraction of what it was before."

Elder Daylor sighed and shook his head.

"Are you finished?" I interjected for the first time during their debate. All eyes turned to me.

"II sit on this throne not to hear your pointless arguments. I have no interest in your opinions of me. I am your ruler, and my word is law." I met the gaze of the elders, especially Thessalia and Malon, who looked offendedbut remained silent due to the pressure they were feeling from my presence.

"You do not need to fear my actions. You need not fear my decisions. Everything I do is well thought out and planned. I will never endanger our people, just as the walls of our city protect them. I will sacrifice myself. Every word I say, every breath I take, and every drop of blood I shed is for the greater good of our people.I will bring back the age of elves. This is my vow," hearing my words, Elder Dalyor's eyes brightened as he beamed like a child, while Elder Thessalia and Malon looked skeptical.

"I'm here today because I obtained crucial information from goblins that there was a possible elven settlement in the north, in the Everwinter Mountains."

Hearing my words, all the elders jumped up from their seats, even the old elder who was sleeping woke up.

"You surely are not believing the words of a goblin."Elder Thessalia said with a wave of her hand, while Elders Daylor and Malon nodded in agreement."Sure, some elves went north before, but they didn't survive."

"I'm not a fool nor a naive child,Elder Thessalia. That's why I said a possible Elven settlement. An investigation is needed."

"It's true there are elves in the north, but they are hurt and angry with us. They won't help," the old elder said, drawing our attention to the matter.

"Explain, old elf," I asked, seeking further clarification. Her words essentially confirmed the presence of elves in the north, but I still needed to witness it firsthand to be completely certain.

"I can't remember well, young prince. My memory isn't what it used to be. I'm old now, with just a few decades left," the old elder replied weakly before closing her eyes and falling asleep.

"My prince, we must send scouts to the Everwinter Mountains right away. This could be a crucial moment for us. If, by the goddess's grace, we find our kin in the north, it will change everything. Our dream of restoring our glory could become reality," Elder Daylor exclaimed with excitement and happiness at the possibility that there were other elves out there, a sentiment shared by Thessalia and Malon.

"That was my intention, but I will be going alone. There is no need to send others." With those words, I rose from my seat.

"Absolutely not, Prince Malgath. You are the heir to the throne. You can't just leave the kingdom whenever you wish. You have too many responsibilities," Elder Malon shouted after me. But I ignored him and headed out of the throne room to find my room or mother's, since we still share it, to see her.