"Can we ask the Elves to help us?" I voice my intention, hoping to receive positive feedback from what I have said.
All of them at once swivel their heads, looking at my nebulous figure. After confirming what I have uttered, Bill sits at the empty chair, grabs his cup, and quaffs the fawn booze.
"The elves are always in a neutral state without the desire to help those who are in need," He chugs another set of the powerful brew, making him slightly tipsy from the alcohol he had consumed.
"We tried it before, but our efforts returned with no avail. You can attempt, kid. We can only pray for your success." He finishes his sarcastic sentence with a smug carved in his face, knowing that the results would be me ending up in defeat.
"Elanor will help us. I know him-,"
"He is the King of the Elves!" Bill snaps back while lifting his glass, spilling the liquid on the ground. "How can he benefit from helping us with our personal problems?"
His eyes stare at my appearance with despair, waiting for me to answer his quiz.
"I-," My voice croaked, unable to give him a proper response.
"Have you noticed my goblin friend? We are in a war involving the thirteen greatest Kingdom. Not the Elves, not the Dragonewts, and especially not the Sprites."
"Then what can we do?"
"There is nothing we can do. We are all doomed, waiting to get killed or slaughtered; if it wasn't for Snow."
"Snow?" I repeated his words, hearing such a new name that I do not know.
Their globes soften, unsure of telling me the history of the man named after the season.
"You really don't know?" The kind father slouches towards us, affirming that he had heard my sentence clear.
"No,"
"Very well, Lake. I will tell you his tale," The old man, Bill, murmured, inviting me to take a seat closer where I can effortlessly hear his voice.
"Snow was a gifted child, yet born and raised by himself, near the slums; like the rest of the abandoned kids. He has had no one with him as he grows older, which made him feel anguish and terrified. At the age of ten, he mastered every skill thrown at him by the ruffians on the streets and used his power for the greater good. Whenever he sees someone as powerless as him, he would not turn a blind eye and shield them like a hero. However, his golden streak came to an end, and held captive by the slave merchant," Bill halts for a moment and heaves out a long inhale, endeavouring the pain searing through his chest as he resumes from where he had left from the story.
"What happened next?" I encourage him to recommence his diegesis, wanting to know the rest of Snow's actions.
"He met Revica-her best friend and one of the captured maids- surviving from the abattoir of the merchant." Bill stood up from his post and walked away without finishing the narrative.
"Then he became the King of Spades-the end."
_________________________________________________
"You're back!" Izz greets me with a melancholy look drawn on her face, still waiting for me inside the isolated shed. She rushes towards my direction with teary eyes and gives me a light smack on the chest while burying her head on my shoulder.
"How did your conversation go?" She added, inquisitive of what had happened earlier from our talk.
"A lot of things," I said, inviting her to sit with me on the uneven hays.
"I am listening," She claimed giddily while wiping her oceanic tears.
We stayed up all night and addressed the problem I have had. The topic that Bill and I discussed shifted back to the monster horde. During our talk, we furthermore keep track of the progress of the Kingdom's war. I also told her the story of Snow, which made her both sad and angry at the exact time. But nobody can blame her emotions, for even I had also felt the same.
"So, what are your plans for tomorrow?" She leans over to my side, gazing at my orbs glued at the night sky.
"I don't know," I weakly replied as I returned her gape.
My eyes and mind deliberately plunge into a night of rem sleep, rewarding myself from the tiring night. Izz does the same and quickly falls asleep, exhausted from a different reason-playing with the children throughout the day.
Awoken by the cockerel crow, I abscond the barn and sprint towards the Elven Kingdom. I do not want to desert my goblin friend, but she feels more serene hanging out with the children than tagging along with me, having these staid royal conversations.
Lost in thought, I bumped into a branch and was about to hit my head, but a sudden force slashed the tree. Yes, the tree itself descends to the ground, allowing my body to curve on my right, evading the almost painful impact.
"That was dangerous!" I babbled to myself and rested my hand right next to my heart, feeling the hasten pace of my beating heart. Cold sweat runs through my cheeks as I continue visualising what could have happened if I had not dodged the bough.
'But where did the robust strike come from?'
As if answering my query, a figure hovers from above, jumping from one twig after the other, reaching closer to my direction with unbelievable speed. Setting up my stance, I materialise both my spells, water jet and water sphere, simultaneously, and aim my attack directly at the figure while attempting to leap over to my flank.
However, with a familiar yet screeching voice, my balance breaks apart, leading me plummeting on the soil. Landing on my butt, I cannot help but palpate the soreness of my skin, cursing at the person responsible for my pain.
"You!" I exclaimed, astonished after seeing Izz standing before me, hiding her snickering face. "Why on earth are you here?"
I pick myself up and brush the dirt that got stuck on my clothes using my water magic.
"That was impressive footwork, brother!" Izz confesses while nodding to herself, acknowledging what she had seen from the mock-battle.
"I could have died there?"
"From?" She tilts her head, unaware of what I was trying to explain.
"Forget it," I said while accompanying my phrase with a laugh.
After our cackles die, Izz snorts her head away from mine as if she angered about something that I accidentally did.
"Spill the beans, Izz. I cannot read your mind,"
Izz steadily lowers her head and scrutinise something on the ground. Following her eyes, I see nothing but the colony of ants harvesting their food for the upcoming winter; like as, humans.
"Don't leave me alone again," She quietly said and promptly gazed into my orbs, observing what response I would make. "I hate being alone."
My arms instinctively wrap around her body and securely embrace her with the energy that I have. I can feel her warmth touching my body and the liquid forming in her eyelids.
"Alright. From now on, I will bring you anywhere I'd go," I assured Izz while lifting my pinkie.
"What's that for?" She said, confused about my gestures.
"It's a form of a promise," I answered, raising Izz's finger for her to mimic my movements. "Do the same,"
"Then what do I do?"
"You wrap your digit around and grab my finger as thoroughly as you could,"
Thus she did. Izz's strength was monstrous even with just her little finger, nearly cracking my small phalanges.
"That's enough strength, for now," I remarked while awkwardly moving my hands out from her latch.
"Sorry~."
"It's called a pinky swear. We have made a kind of ritual that signifies our promise within 24 hours," I explained, giving Izz an assurance for our pledge. "it also takes the gesture that the person can break the finger of the one who broke the promise."
"Then you better uphold upon your word, brother!"
"Of course,"
Seeing her smile has enlivened my day. It may also hint that a favourable response awaits us if we ask Elanor or the Queen, Beatrice, for their help us in our conquest; to defend our village against the monster's horde of monsters.
"But what if they don't-,"
"They will," I corrected Izz, applying the law of attraction for the betterment of the village.
"We better be moving before Bill and the others find out," I suggested while pulling Izz away from her restless thoughts.
Izz could not help but to follow my steps, aware of the consequences of our actions. We might sever the relationship with the elves and our Kingdom as their traders in the economy. 'Markus will never like that idea' I thought, while brushing off his frenzied expression at the back of my mind.
As we draw closer to the village, we spot orange and yellow hue illuminating from the distance, accompanied with intense heat brushing through my skin. Both of our eyes widened to the sight of the burning trees in the forest, consuming everything in its path with the scorching fire.
"No!" A wretched scream escapes my mouth as I reach out my hands over the gates of the Elven forest.