Milo and Clack: An Elvin Love Story
Part XIII: Sacrifices to the King
Milo
“Why are you torturing me?” I asked as my arms felt like lead weights. The sexy elf dude had come back to where I sat, summoned a sword out of the air, and I thought for a moment he was going to kill me.
Instead, he handed me the sword, explained it was magic so it couldn’t maim me; then, after summoning one that looked exactly like mine, he began swinging at me.
I lifted my hands to block the thrust the first time, and he sliced through them. I looked down at what must be my blood squirting all over the ground but I was unharmed. “Okay,” I said and looked myself over again. “They don’t hurt… okay I can do this.”
The guard laughed and swiped my ass with the broad side of the sword. “Ouch! Fucking hell, why did you do that?” I asked.
“It hurts, just won’t maim or kill you.”
“Got it.” I said and swung the sword with all my might. Which, to be honest wasn’t very hard. I'm a book nerd, not a warrior. Hell, I never even tried to play sports. I just knew I’d suck at them.
“You can’t attack when you’re emotionally compromised. Watch me, and wait for an opening.”
If the wretched elf gave me an opening, I never found it. Mostly, he beat the shit out of me for over an hour. “For real, tell me why I’m being tortured.”
“Because, it’s my job to keep you alive, and the best way to do that is to ensure you can at least fight if a battle ensues.”
“But I don’t have any magic, hoo-hah stuff, I can’t summon swords, or whatever it is you are doing when you jump into the air like you did last time I swung this thing at you.”
“Broadsword. This is a broadsword, and likely the thing you’ll be using if you get into a hand to hand combat with someone.”
“And, if I’m stupid enough to get into a battle, why a broadsword?”
The elf shrugged, “Cause we have more of these lying around than anything else.”
I moaned, then almost screamed, when he swatted my leg with his sword. “Come on, face me again.”
I wanted to stab him so bad… I know what I said about not wanting to kill people, but I wouldn’t hesitate to stab this SOB if I could get to him. Not to kill him, I chastised myself, just before he came at me with his sword and it clanged against mine, causing every muscle in my hand to cramp at the same time.
I kept trying to give up, but before I could say anything he would come at me again, push against me, challenge me. Each time, my temper got a bit hotter. I’d swing at him, and he’d do some fancy elf thing, jumping six feet into the air, or flipping around. I no longer thought I was hallucinating, I was now convinced I’d died and gone to hell.
I mean, the elf was sexy, big butch dark brooding eyes. But, damn he was a demon. That explained it, this wasn’t some fairy, or elf… “You’re a fucking demon,” I said when he dodged my sword again by leaping into the air.
He laughed and stood a few feet from me. “I’ve done the same move sixteen times. Exactly the same way, yet you still swing as if I were going to stand still and let you stab me. Why aren’t you learning from your mistakes?”
“Why aren’t you learning from your mistakes?” I mocked him.. I threw the sword down and collapsed on the boulder, exhausted. “Listen, why don’t you pick on someone else? I don’t want to be a warrior. I don’t want to be this king, or whatever you keep calling me. I didn’t choose this.”
He sighed, picked up the sword, and placed both of them next to the boulder. When he sat beside me, I could feel the heat coming from his body. I could also tell his body was taut from years of training. I hungered to reach over and touch his arm, but restrained myself.
“I’ve told you, you don’t have powers because your magic is not ripe. You will come of age in a few years, and when you do, your power will be extraordinary. But, even when you are magically powerful, knowing the basics can help you overcome a lot of issues. The one thing we’re taught early on in our training is that relying on magic alone will get you killed.
“And relying on your strength alone, without magic? Does that lead to death as well?” I asked.
He nodded, “It does, but you aren’t alone. You have me, and you have an entire legion of faithful warriors. Trust them…”
I just laughed, “trust a bunch of strangers who’ve never met me to keep me alive against an uncle set to kill me… an uncle who killed my birth family… yeah, I’m not putting much faith in that.”
“You can, you should. We are sworn to you, our blood flows with the power of the Limbert Stone, the Limbert Stone honors the true king or queen. Right now, Repratian Milonium Debotious, that is you.”
“And what of the guards my uncle has?”
Aah, they are powerful and many. They do not have the Limbert Stone, but they are a massive army.”
“Wow, you make me feel so much better.” I sighed.
“It isn’t my place to make you feel better, King Repratian. It’s my job to protect you, and the truth is more powerful a weapon than flattery or lies.”
I shrugged, “I suppose, but I’ve had enough of the truth for a while. By the way, when do we eat? I’m starving.”
The Elf Man nodded and stood up before walking over to where we first arrived. I recognized the place because, well, footprints for one thing, but also, there was an odd looking tree that stood there. Something about that tree felt… off. Like it wasn’t supposed to be there.
I couldn’t hear the elf, but I saw him speak to the tree. A few moments later, the young woman from the first time I ended up here, crawled out of the branches of the tree. She was carrying a backpack that looked like it was made from a cloth that glowed white.
When she came to me, she smiled then bowed. “Your majesty,” she said, and I was surprised she was much more meek this time than she’d been before.
She put the pack on the ground and closed her eyes before chanting a string of words I didn’t understand. Within seconds, the backpack turned into a bright light that blinded me momentarily. I closed my eyes against the glare and when I opened them, the desert landscape around me transformed.
We were now inside some large opulent room. There was a dining table in the middle of the room, that was literally covered with food. “Your majesty, from this point forward, just ask the table to provide what you are hungry for. If the food is located in the region where we live, the table can replicate it for you.”
“Replicate?” I asked her, “Like on Star Trek?”
She looked at me strangely then over at the Elf man. “I’m not sure what Star Trek is.”
I just shook my head, “Elves don’t watch television I suppose?”
She smiled, “Oh yes, we do… my favorite show is Stranger Things.”
“For real?” I was surprised a young woman her age had watched that show. Oh well, to each their own, right?
“Star Trek is an old show, well there’s some modern ones, but never mind. Replicated food, is it real?” I said knowing I could go way too far down the Star Trek Geek track.
“It’s real,” Elf man said. “But you should eat, then rest. Tomorrow, I wish to begin training once again.”
I moaned, causing him to chuckle. The young woman stared at me, then glanced over at Elf man. “He’s training?” she asked.
The Elf looked abashed then nodded, “He needs to know how to fight, and I’m guessing we’re being kept here, since we didn’t arrive back at camp.”
The young woman shrugged. “I don’t know, I was just told to bring this to you, but that I shouldn’t tell anyone you’re here, so yeah, they probably mean to keep you here.”
“Hey, what about my foster parents. They were at the camp with me…”
The Elf stopped me and said they were fine, probably taken somewhere safe. I pouted, “Will I get to see them again.”
Both the elf man and the girl stared at me, then he shook his head. “When you are king, it’s possible. Until then, no… right now the focus is to keep them away from your uncle King Atticon.”
I was about to put one of the beautiful grapes that I’d plucked off the table in my mouth, but just then my stomach went sour. “Oh… I think I’m going to go wash up. I see there’s a kitchen, so I’m guessing we have a bathroom here too… a shower?” I asked and the young woman nodded.
“Okay, I’m going to take a shower.”
***
Join us next week as the adventure continues...
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