Chapter 881: Audience With The Fairy King
[Meanwhile...]
"What do you think is taking them so long?"
Ater's eyes were closed as he heard the feminine voice of Esme echo right beside him. He kept his legs crossed and didn't even respond to her concerned words.
This wasn't the first time she was asking him the question, and after he answered her the first time, he had taken a vow of silence. There was no utility in furthering a meaningless conversation, after all.
Still, her query made him think about a few things.
'We've been waiting outside the Royal Court for quite some time now...' His thoughts trailed. 'I don't know how Time Dilation works here, or if it is a thing at all in this realm, so it's impossible for me to know just how much time has passed in the outside world.'
Since they were in the Forest of the Fairies, which was practically unknown territory for him, there was a lot of information that he lacked.
'I tried asking Fae, but it seems she has no idea of the concept of Time Dilation. What an idiot...'
The other Fairies that they met also avoided them like the plague, but he could sense their animosity towards himself and Esme. If not for the protection that Fae provided them by being their escort, they would have most likely been attacked by the other Fairies.
'As expected, it was a good choice to spare her life.' He nodded. 'I suppose being the strongest Fairy around has its perks, after all.'
Not only did Fae secure their entry into the Fairy World, but she even took them to the Royal Palace to give them an audience with the king. That had skipped a lot of tedious processes that Ater had suspected he and Esme would have to go through.
'I would have utilized Esme as a useful pawn in this game, but it seems she isn't as useful a card as I thought.' Ater had no regrets bringing her along, though.
There was a possibility that he would need her, and there was no way he could take such chances of failure. Plus, she did play a small part in drawing out Fae, ultimately leading to the latter's defeat, so that had to count for something.
'It would be great if she could be quiet now, but that would be asking for too much, wouldn't it?' A sigh escaped his lips.
Esme was on edge, and he understood that.
After all... he felt the same.
'Fae mentioned Rey, which means the Fairies know about him. I do not know to what extent that knowledge goes, but I suppose that is what I need to find out.' Narrowing his eyes, he made sure to keep a constant observation on his surroundings.
Unlike the Elves, the Fairies were quite flashy when it came to interior decorations and the use of extravagant accessories. Practically all of the Fairies he saw had jewelries and flashy items adorning them, and the room that he and Esme were waiting in did even more to display their flamboyant nature.
'The floor is practically pure gold, and the walls have a crystal-like luster to them. Then, the gems that decorate the ceiling... and the chandelier... these people definitely have a surplus of precious stones, don't they?'
In fact, could they really be called precious stones anymore?
'Value only exists in scarcity, so if everyone has access to all of these shiny gems and minerals, I suppose they aren't anything special in this place...' As Ater kept up his observation, he noticed a presence approaching their room.
'Is it finally time...?'
The door opened and a male Fairy appeared before both he and the unsurprisingly relieved Esme.
'Hm? So it wasn't Fae?' Ater frowned a little, though he did well not to show it. 'It's just as I suspected, my senses are being suppressed in this place.'
Ever since he arrived in the Fairy World, he felt some kind of power that pervaded the air- quite similar to the way the Elves had the presence of The Oracle surrounding their Community. However, unlike with the Oracle's subtle influence over the land, this new power was too overt.
Fae called it the Fairy King's dominion over the land, which meant it was similar to how the Oracle kept her people in check and watched over them.
While Ater understood the concept, he didn't quite appreciate it, since it felt oppressive.
'It's beginning to get on my nerves.'
The grimace that the Fairy before him bore added to his slight annoyance, but he made sure to keep up his calm facade. He and Esme patiently waited for the little floating man to approach them, and then speak.
"The Fairy King has agreed to meet up with the two of you. Please come with me, and I will guide you to his presence."
The man donned golden armor and looked incredibly large for a Fairy. Compared to the Ater and Esme's size, however, he was no bigger than a twig-or perhaps a plump fruit. "Finally! What about Fae? Is she waiting there?"
"Indeed." The Fairy responded dryly. "The War Harbinger is also waiting for you in the Royal Court."
Ater and Esme exchanged glances for a moment before they rose from their positions and followed the Fairy.
He had a neutral expression on his face, which meant he was neither wary nor antagonistic towards them. To someone like him, carrying out the commands of the Fairy King was all that
mattered.
And, just as he was instructed to do, he led them to the massive double door that served as the entrance to the Royal Court.
It was made of gold and lined with all manner of precious stones.
It slowly opened, creating a slit large enough for the Fairy to first enter, while the remaining two had to wait a few more seconds before they could proceed. In that period, they heard the man announce their presence to the Royal Court.
"Presenting to the Fairy King... the visitors of the outside world—Ater and Esme...!"
At that point, both of them stepped into the Royal Court-a haven that had indescribable beauty and prestige beyond anything that had ever been seen by both of their eyes in the
world of H'trae.
The chandeliers that hung on the ceiling brimmed with perfection, and the floating sparkles of glowing crystals added an ethereal allure to the place.
The walls had murals that appeared ancient-with a language only the Fairies could understand—and the clean sparkly floors reflected their surfaces as they walked on it. Esme was blown away by all of these details and couldn't hide her shock as she walked beside the
composed Ater.
There were a few eyes on them-most of which belonged to the Royal Guard that were placed in their respective positions high above.
However, those weren't all of the eyes.
Fae, who was currently kneeling before a throne-room turned back in order to look at them. She was even smiling and waving at the two of them as they walked further into the hall.
Then... there was the last and most important person who set their sights on them. The Fairy King himself.
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[A/N]
Thanks for reading!
It feels good writing this book again. I almost forgot how I felt and some of the information
about this book. I guess that shows how swamped I've been.
If you're reading this... thanks for sticking around.