Chapter 1

It’s simple. If you’re a High Elf, you can shapeshift and/or control powers. If you’re a Common Elf, you don’t have anything.

I, unfortunately, am a Common Elf.

My friend, the Crown Prince Imperial, is the Highest High Elf you can imagine. His spirit animal is the Golden Eagle. His other favorite animals include the wolf, the snake, and the snow leopard. But not only can he turn into every animal you can think of, he also inherited a trait that only the royal family has: the Great Dragon. And besides that, he has telekinesis, telepathy, and shadow manipulation. The three rarest abilities that a High Elf can inherit. He is the crown jewel of the royal family, and the eldest son, so technically, he was the one who would sit on the throne after his mother’s reign is over.

Actually, I wouldn’t say he’s my friend, more like a person who I could talk to. The Crown Prince Imperial made friends with a lot of people. He knew almost all of his subjects, and he’s a huge shameless flirt.

I thought that was his greatest weakness. It’s not that he doesn’t take anything seriously, but sometimes it gets annoying instead of charming. I could still talk to him, but it’s getting harder as we grow older, as he gains a bigger ego and greater pride.

Common Elves usually live in a ‘not so good’ area. There weren’t any thieves or thugs, but the houses there weren’t as beautiful, or as sturdy. And I know that there are a lot of orphans. One of them I have befriended, a little nine year old boy named Lysandre. He wanted to master the sling, so every day, I would see him go into the woods and practice. At night, he would return to an abandoned house and sleep there. I’ve always wondered how he could survive the cold.

The High Elves live higher up the mountains, where less humans would spot us. But every year, when they celebrated the prince’s birthday, they would throw a huge party that would last for the entire week. Only the High Elves were invited, though.

I was just a child in the Elves’ eyes, only eighteen years old, but I didn’t have a child’s body anymore, I’ve grown into a woman a few years ago already.

My routine every day is simple. I go out to gather fruit from the forests, then I return around late afternoon to take my sister out to watch the carnival every night. After that, I go to bed. Lysandre likes to follow me around the city, we enjoy talking to each other, and I sometimes found him as an adorable little boy.

So there we were, at the edge of the city. I had an empty basket in my hand, while Lysandre has this sling and a pouch full of pebbles.

“Elesira?” he piped.

I looked at him, “Yes?”

“Have you ever considered a husband?”

I snorted, “Not really.”

“But why not?” Lysandre looked at me with huge innocent eyes, “Then, I could be your son!”

I choked, “You… you want to be my son?”

“Yeah, why not?” he tilted his head.

“I’m only nine years older than you!”

“So?”

I shrugged, “I don’t think I’m ready for motherhood, Lysandre.”

“Oh.” he sounded disappointed, then his face lit up as if he had an idea, “I know! We could run away to another city and claim to be mother and son!”

I shook my head, “It’s not that simple, Lysandre.” I sighed, “Yes, you would make a fine son, but I’m not ready for the responsibility.”

We walked deeper into the woods until we found the fruit groves. I started picking the fruits up in the trees while Lysandre sat down to rest.

We chatted for a couple of minutes before I heard the flapping of wings. I turned and saw a golden eagle looking at us with its sharp dark blue eyes.

I knelt down, “Your highness.” I murmured. Lysandre looked at me confusingly, but did what I did as well.

The eagle leapt down from the branch and landed as the Crown Prince Imperial. He wore a dark blue shirt and black pants that suited him well. His black hair was shaggy and longer than I remembered. His trouble maker grin was plastered on his face, and his eyes glimmered with mischief.

“Hello, Elesira. Lysandre.” he nodded at the boy.

I said nothing.

“You may rise, you know.” he said.

I stood up and pulled Lysandre to his feet.

“What are you doing out here, your highness, if I may ask?” I said quietly, keeping my eyes glued to the floor.

“What am I…” he scoffed, “Why does everyone think a prince should stay cooped up in the dusty old castle when there’s a whole world out here?” he gestured at the forest around us.

“It’s safer in the castle, your highness.” I said in a reasonable tone.

Prince Imperial was silent, then he said, “Hey, Lysandre, can you give leave us for a few minutes, please?”

Lysandre knew better than to argue, so he nodded and ran off deeper into the woods.

“I’m tired of this formality, Elesira.” I was shocked to find his voice low and serious.

But I didn’t look up from the ground.

He sighed, “I know I haven’t been paying attention to the people who actually need my help, but I’m getting closer to the throne, and when it’s time, I will help you guys out.” he said sincerely.

That got my attention. I looked up and met his dark blue eyes, “Your highness–”

“Don’t call me that.” he said.

“I… Imperial,” my voice was strained, “we’re fine.”

“No, you guys aren’t.” he took a step forward, “I don’t visit as often anymore, but I know what’s going on. That boy, Lysandre,” he pointed at where he went, “I know he doesn’t have a family, and he’s all by himself. I know that you,” he gestured at me, “have trouble finding food in the winter. I know so many who are suffering, and none of the wealthy are doing anything about it. But when I have the power, Elesira, I will change that.”

“But why not now?” I blurted out.

He frowned, “Excuse me?”

“You’re the Crown Prince Imperial, surely you can do something! You can’t wait a few more years to help us, because by then, most of us may be dead!” I said.

The prince shoved his hands into his pockets, “Look…” he ran his hands through his hair, making it sticking up, “I’m really trying. With father gone, the councilors near panicking, my advisers clueless, mother dying–”

“Queen Ephaera’s dying?” I gasped.

His face darkened, “You haven’t heard, have you?” he said quietly, “She got a virus that we can’t control. We have to keep her in a room, and I’m afraid she’ll die in a few weeks.” he suddenly looked very old and weary, “After that, we still have the funeral plans, and the neighbor hooding kingdoms to explain to…” he shook his head, “It’s very confusing politics, Elesira. You wouldn’t get it.”

I stepped up to him until we were almost chest to chest, “No, I understand.” I murmured, “I’ve lost family too, Prince Imperial.”

“Yeah, but you never had a kingdom to rule.” he laughed bitterly, “At the age of fifty, a king that young would be looked down upon.”

“No, you wouldn’t.” I said, trying to sound as reassuring as possible.

He snorted, “Sure. I think I forgot to mention one thing. Arranged marriage.”

“Oh.” I suddenly understood what he was mulling about.

The prince rubbed his eyes, “Yeah, oh. I’m marrying a princess from the East Empire.”

“They’re the most powerful empire in the realm!” I exclaimed.

“Yeah, I know.” he muttered, “Except they really don’t care about love and compassion. I’m being married to a random princess I don’t know about.”

“I…” he sounded like he needed a hug, “Is there anything I could do?”

He shook his head, “Nah, nothing you can do in this, sorry. Unless if you are a princess in disguise, and you happen to be a member of the Lost Crown, no, there’s nothing you can do.”

The Lost Crown was the most powerful family of the High Elves, but the last member of the family happened to be Prince Jhaerloth, who was killed in a fire. That family was lost, that’s why they’re called the Lost Crown.

“Do… do you need anything?”

The prince looked at me, and for once, I thought he looked tempted to say something, but then he hid it, “No, thanks anyway.”

He was about to turn away when I touched his shoulder. He stiffened, but didn’t move away. “You know, you can tell me what you need. Even something to eat would suffice.”

The prince’s shoulders went up as he inhaled and sagged. He turned back to me, his gaze playful but pleading at the same time, “A hug?”

I wanted to raise my eyebrows, but I ignored the urge and opened my arms. He squeezed me and buried his face into my neck, sighing. Slowly, I felt him relax.

“It’s great to know that someone understands.” he murmured onto my skin.

“Isn’t a citizen supposed to support the royal family?” I asked.

He laughed and pulled away just enough to look me in the eye, “No, not all the time. I’ve heard stories of rebellion before.”

I shook my head, “I don’t think I’ll ever rebel. Unless if you’re a monster in disguise, or you turn out to be a horrible king and person.”

Prince Imperial reached down to take my hand, his eyes glimmering with the slightest mischief. He kissed the back of it, his lips grazing my skin, “For you, Elesira.” he murmured, “I’ll become a good king and person. Just for you, no one else.” he bowed before letting go of my hand. I was too shocked to see him turn into a golden eagle and fly away.

“Well!” I jumped at that voice.

“Lysandre!” I exclaimed.

“Now that you guys are done smooching,” I turned red, “can we go somewhere else now?”

“I… we… we were NOT smooching, Lysandre.” I grumbled.

He laughed, “Yeah you were! He was like ‘Oh, I’ll do anything for you, Elesira! Anything!’ and you were like ‘Oh, Imperial. Do you need a hug'” he smirked at me.

I shook my hand and took my basket. For the rest of the day, I had to tolerate the little boy making kissing sounds and teasing me.

 

In a few weeks, the queen did die, and at the same time, the princess from the Eastern Empire arrived. Everyone mourned that day, and the Guard had to carry the queen’s coffin around the city for people to throw flowers before going out of the gates and burying her with her ancestors. Prince Imperial walked in the front lines, his eyes downcast.

People tossed either white roses or black roses. Both symbolized peace and harmony.

The funeral lasted for a couple of days until the day of the wedding arrived. Of course, the common Elves weren’t invited, but everyone else from the higher classes were. Up until midnight, I could hear the cheers and the music playing from the top of the mountains.

The next few days were a blur. We were asked to join the ceremony of the crowning. Prince Imperial is now King Imperial, and his wife was Queen Hua Lien.

But as the weeks passed, I noticed more guards patrolling the area, and it was harder to get out of the Common Elves’ district. And I never saw Imperial again. Young Lysandre was scared of all the soldiers with sharp halberds patrolling the streets.

I started to get angry. He promised us a better place to live. Lysandre was being shoved around by young soldiers, and a lot of other people were being ignored or beaten. The streets were no longer safe for children, and I had to protect a lot of young elves.

Then, my parents told me that it was time for me to move away. Not that they were threatening me, but they felt as if their house wasn’t safe for me anymore. So they gave me enough gold to buy myself an apartment. It wasn’t big, but at least it had a bed, a fireplace, a table, and two chairs. There was a built in closet that was big enough to put my belongings in, and there was a small shelf.

When I finished moving in, I decided to let Lysandre live with me, so that was what I did. He moved in with me and felt much safer afterwards.

My routine was almost the same, only this time, I had less time gathering fruit, because sometimes I had to spend hours avoiding soldiers and defending the young, old, or weak. Lysandre almost got beaten up pretty bloody if it weren’t for another young man impaling a stick into the soldier’s heart.

I had to spend all night cleaning Lysandre’s wounds and healing his injuries.

“Elesira,” Lysandre said quietly, “when can I start calling you mother?”

I didn’t stop cleaning his long bloody gash when I said, “I told you, Lysandre. Being your mother would mean a lot of responsibilities that I am not ready to take.”

“But I want to have a family!” he said, biting down on his lip, “I want you to be my mother.”

I looked up at him, “Really?” I gave him a weary smile.

He nodded, “Yeah, I do.”

I sighed and picked up the bowl of water from the table, “Are you sure? Because I don’t know if I can take care of you.”

Lysandre nodded again, “Yes!”

I walked over to him and hugged him tight, “Alright,” I decided, I’ll do this for him.

He threw his arms around me and laughed for the first time in weeks.

Someone knocked on our door.

I stood up and opened it.

“Your majesty!” I gasped.

Imperial looked very angered and weary at the same time. “What’s going on?”

“What do you mean?” I said.

“Out there! I’m seeing soldiers that are beating people, and children who are fighting for food!” he pointed down the hall.

I leaned against the door frame and folded my arms, “What do you think, your majesty?” I asked, my voice cold.

“My advisers say the streets are safer than ever now, and that poverty would no longer exist.”

I laughed bitterly, “You’d better stop trusting people you’ve just met, your majesty, because I don’t think that’s the case right now.”

He clenched his fists, “I can’t believe this is happening. How could I have…” he clenched his jaw and looked away.

I stayed silent.

Imperial growled, “I need your help.” he said at last, his voice strained.

I looked at him skeptically, “My help? What help could you get from a Common Elf, king?”

“I need you at the castle.”

My eyes widen. Of all the things, I never expected this. “You… you need me help… at the castle?”

Imperial nodded stiffly, “Yes. You were one of the few who trusted me in the task of being king, and since you know what it’s like here, to live in a hostile place and to fight for survival, I need your help to help my citizens.” he said.

I blinked, then I said quietly, “You’re really going to do that?”

He ran his hands through his hair, “What else can I do? My advisers and councilors think I can’t do anything, so they do everything for me.” he muttered.

I lowered my gaze, “I… I can’t leave Lysandre, though…”

“I can take him with us.” he offered quietly.

I looked back at Lysandre, who was still looking at us curiously. I faced the prince and nodded, “Alright, I’ll do it.” Besides, it meant a possibly better life for me and for them.

Chapter 2

The castle was huge, but I barely noticed it. All of my thoughts were focused on the fact that the people’s lives depended on me and the prince. Lysandre was assigned one of the bed chambers, and he stayed to play with the toys given to him. Once I finished taking a bath and changed into more suitable clothes, we headed for his study.

But before we got to his study, we ran into the queen.

She was beautiful. Her skin was pale, but not in a deathly way, it was like a white flower that blooms only during the winter. Her black hair was tied up neatly in a style I’ve never seen before. Her eyes were chocolate brown, like rich soil and full of life. She was slender, she walked silently, and her small hands were folded neatly in front of her. The dress she was wearing had beautiful flower patterns woven into the cloth and shimmered like a reflection. Her expression had a sense of duty and elegancy, but also kindness.

“Who is this, my love?” her voice was accented but melodic.

Imperial gestured at me, “This is Elesira, a guest of mine.” he said, his voice calm and emotionless.

“Any guest of yours should be a guest of mine as well.” she said.

“She and I are going to discuss matters, Hua Lien, so if you’ll excuse us…” he opened the door and gently pushed me in.

The queen sniffed with distain and said, “I’ll be in our room if you need me.” she walked off without another word.

Imperial didn’t say anything else as he closed the door behind us.

The room was simple, elegant, yet cozy. It had a warm fire, and a few couches that are perfect for sleeping on. His desk was made of polished wood, and on either side of the wall behind his desks were bookshelves. There was a low table in the center of the room, and on the table was a vase of flowers. The floor was carpeted, so I had to walk in barefooted.

“Would you like something to eat, Elesira?” he asked me.

I shook my head, “No, we need to get down to business now, your majesty.”

“Call me Imperial, Elesira.” his voice wasn’t authoritative, it was pleading, like he was begging someone not to say his name along with a title he didn’t want.

I only nodded as I sat down on the couch, “What do you want me to do?”

He sat down in front of me and crossed his ankle over his knee, “First, I need you to tell me what problems you guys are facing.” he said in a serious tone.

I huffed and leaned back on the couch, “Well… we don’t have any markets in our district, and with the gates sealed off to practically everyone, we can’t get any food, so we have to gather fruit by ourselves from the forests.”

Imperial frowned, “But I thought…”

“You thought? Forgive me, but the higher classes don’t know everything, Imperial!” I couldn’t help but snap.

He swallowed and said slowly, “Yes, that is true. Keep going.”

“There are too many orphans in the city, and they have nowhere to stay. Most of them die of starvation or the cold nights.”

“Can’t the families adopted children?” he asked.

I made a face, “No. Not everyone wants a child, Imperial. And even if they do, they don’t have enough money to support even themselves, let alone a family.” I said, thinking back on my family.

“I see… go on.” he said.

“We really need to make new houses and repair damage the storms have done.” I said, “Just because we’re Common Elves doesn’t give anyone the right to spit in our faces.”

“Is that really what’s going on?”

“No, but it certainly feels like it!” I said bitterly.

The young king sighed and leaned back in his chair, “Repairing the district, hiring merchants, and sending money to each family, I could do. But winning the respect of the higher classes for the Common Elves would be difficult.”

“Then make a speech or something.” I said, “Or I could talk to them.”

“No, they will kill you.” he ran his hands through his hair, “Listen, why don’t we focus on one problem at a time for now?”

I nodded. Dealing with everything at once wouldn’t do anyone any good. “We can start with the major problem, the district.”

“Right, so we need new houses, cleaner streets, and a better environment?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, I’ll set up a meeting and get started.” he stood up.

“Imperial?” I said.

He turned, “Yeah?”

“Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

Imperial grinned, “It’s nothing. I promised to be a good king, and I intend to keep that promise.”

When I walked out of the room, I ran into Queen Hua Lien.

“Your majesty!” I exclaimed.

She didn’t smile, “Hello, Elesira.” she said.

“Is there something I can do?”

“Yes.” she took my hand gently and led me to a window. She folded her small hands and sighed, “I fear my husband is not ready to be king.”

“Forgive me your majesty, but no one expects him to be ready. He’s very young.”

“I know.” her voice was soft, “He needs a friend to help him.”

“Does he not have any?”

“Being king means to give up a lot, including friendship.” she looked at me, “But it doesn’t have to be that way.” she took my hands and squeezed them, “I want you to be his friend, Elesira.”

“M… me?” I stuttered, “Your majesty…”

“He needs someone to talk to, and I’m afraid I’m not fit for the task at the moment. So I’m asking you to be his friend.”

“I… I don’t know if I’m staying here, though.”

“From the looks of it, I’d say you are, and for quite a while.” she let go of my hands and smiled, “Talk to him, get to know him.”

“But wouldn’t you–”

“I was forced into this arrangement as well, Elesira.” she winked, “Not every woman wants to wed a High Elf.” she walked off.

 

Lysandre knocked on my door that night, saying he couldn’t sleep, so I let him cuddle with me.

“Mother?” he whispered.

I had to get used to that. I reached up and stroke his hair, “Yes, Lysandre?” I murmured.

“I feel scared, I don’t know why.” he snuggled closer to me.

I smiled, “It’s the night, every child’s afraid of the night, Lysandre. Don’t worry, I’m here.”

It made me wonder how he managed to survive all those cold nights without a bed or blanket. And a child who doesn’t have someone to sleep with would most likely cry in the dark, fearing the shadows, and what was in them.

“Mother?”

“Yes?”

“Are you going to marry King Imperial?” he asked.

I stared at him with wide eyes. He giggled.

“I… no! Why do you ask?” I flushed.

“Because you hugged and kissed!” he laughed.

I growled playfully and flicked his nose, “We hugged, but we did NOT kiss, Lysandre.” I said.

“But he kissed your hand! And the stories say that a man would only do that if he likes you!” he said in a teasing voice.

I frowned, “Where did you hear that?”

He shrugged, “I heard it from the court ladies.”

I shook my head, “Stay away from them. They’re a bad influence.” and they were not court ladies, I was almost tempted to say, but I kept my mouth shut.

“You know…” he started.

“Stop.” I said.

“If you marry King Imperial…”

“Lysandre!” I groaned.

“Would I have to call him ‘father’?” he made a face, “That’ll be weird, but I’ll be a prince!”

I sighed, “Look, he’s already married, Lysandre. So the only father you’re going to have is another elf that I would marry in the future!”

“Do you have anyone in mind, mother?” he said.

I shook my head, “No, now go to sleep, Lysandre.” I said quietly.

He lay back down and sighed, “But a father would be nice…” he murmured sleepily and yawned, “I’d like that, mother…”

Those words got me thinking. Should I marry? Just to get Lysandre a father that would love him forever? Maybe I should, but it was too late to think about that. I’ll wait until tomorrow.

 

The next morning, Lysandre and I decided to go around the castle. While we were doing that, we ran into Imperial.

“When are you going to deal with the guards?” I called.

He looked up, “What? What guards?” he sounded confused.

“You know, the soldiers who are patrolling the area!”

The king’s face darkened, “Oh… those…” he sighed and rolled up the scroll his was reading, “I’m afraid those are Hua Lien’s father’s soldiers. You see, he thinks my kingdom isn’t safe for her daughter, so he brought an entire legion of soldiers to patrol the most dangerous places. She explained that it wouldn’t be permanent, but I’ll see if I could do anything about it, alright?”

I nodded, not totally reassured, but a bit more relaxed, “Okay, but please don’t make them stay any longer, because a lot of people are being beaten for no reason.” I thought about Lysandre’s bruise.

“Yeah, one of them gave me this long scar!” he rolled up his sleeves and revealed a half healed gash.

Imperial hissed, making a face, “Ow, that must’ve hurt!”

“It did! But now I’m gonna have an awesome scar!” he said, “It’s going to be great!”

“Okay.” he turned back to me, “Listen, I need to go, I’ll catch you later!” he waved before leaving.