They touched down from the carriage when they arrived. The sun shined on his rough metallic armor over his red robes. He reached out to help the queen out of the carriage, they stood in the middle of nowhere.
With trees being the only thing in sight for as long as their eyes could stretch in every direction. The king tried to find a house or sight of a person around but there wasn't any.
He picked up his sword and held it close, he kept his wife by his side and stared at the soldier that brought him there asking him why they were there with his eyes.
The king was not only out of his territory but also out of his depth as well. He was ready with his sword in case they get attacked, trading under cursed lands that no one ever dares to go to was scary.
There was a reason that such lands were considered forbidden, those who came in were said to never find their way out.
"This way my king," the soldier instructed and walked ahead.
The King took the help of his wife to walk, they didn't go far from the carriage and stopped at a big tree with weird markings on it. There was a drawing that resembled wings but the wings were far apart from each other with two horns in between them.
The soldier tapped the horns three times and stepped back. The King waited to see what happens. Moments passed, seconds turned to minutes, and time kept moving but nothing was happening.
"Is this supposed to be our last hope?" The king asked him. He wasn't impressed.
Just then, the tree moved. The tree started getting bigger and bigger with each second. The King and Queen had to step back to give it room for growth. The couch and the soldier stood before their king to offer him protection.
The tree kept growing forcing them to move back until it grew big enough for one to carve a house inside it. And in this, the trees around it didn't seem affected. They were simply pushed aside to create space for the magical tree.
The King and queen gulped. They were aware that magic existed in the world but had no idea that there were trees that could grow in size. They were awestruck by the tree and for a moment they forgot that there was a war going on.
They marveled at the moment and the magic they were bearing witness to. It was captivating.
A door formed where the horns were and the wings came to life. Like the wings of an angel, the wings grew big and laid lightly on the ground, they were pure white.
"A tree with wings, you don't see that every day," the king spoke out.
The door swung open revealing an old man standing behind the tree. Everyone moved back stunned to see someone inside, they couldn't agree with what their eyes were seeing.
The tree was originally so small that no one could have existed inside. Yet, the old man came from the tree and walked outside.
He took a minute to stretch his bones all the while studying the four people before him. He didn't say a word for most of the moments he stops before them.
"King Karn, to what does this old man owe the pleasure of your visit?" He finally spoke.
The King shuddered. He hadn't introduced himself and the old man knew his name. He spoke with him as though they were old acquaintances. It made him fearful, magic was never something to toy with. It was no secret that it came with a price.
"There is a war going on in Ember," he spoke with a firm tone of voice. Masking the fact that he was afraid of the old man who lives in a tree.
"I am aware, all the clashing of swords wakes me from my sleep," the old man uttered walking closer to him.
He stroked his beard and glanced at the king in the eyes. "You have a wish," he let out. "What are you willing to trade for the wish in your heart?" He inquired.
The King pulled the queen to stand behind him. The soldier drew his weapon and directed it at the old man to warn him not to get any closer to the king.
"Hahaha!" The old man broke into laughter at their reaction. "Is this how you wish to treat me at my doorstep?" He asked them not seeming angry by their reaction.
He waved his hand in the air, the soldier and the couch were paralyzed. They were awake and fully conscious but they couldn't move an inch in their body.
"I don't like being disrespected," he told to them.
The queen clapped her hands around the king's waist feeling terrified. The old man could paralyze people without having to touch them, she could only imagine what he would do to them.
"I wish you no harm," the king spoke. He did not quarrel with the old man, all he wanted was to save his people and after seeing the old man's power he was convinced that the old man could help him save Ember from the hands of his enemies.
"I want my kingdom," he said.
The old man clasped his hand at his back. His robe fluttered and straightened and changed color from brown to black. His long hair plated itself and rested slowly at his back.
"Wishes are tricky. You need to be specific about what you want, in words," the old man informed him.
The King nodded. After seeing the wonders the old man was performing without moving a finger, he found hope.
For Ember, his people, and their future generations. As a king, it was his duty to protect them from all kinds of danger. Right now they were in danger of going extinct.
He couldn't stand by and watch Ember perish. "I will give you all the wealth you ask for if you can make me victorious in this war," he began to say. "My victory should ensure Ember stands unmatched by any of the surrounding kingdoms," he added.
The old man shot his gaze at the king. "I live in a tree and I'm old enough to kick the bucket at any moment. What good is your wealth to me?" The old man raised a question to him. "What good is your wealth to the masters of the flying palace?" He went ahead to interrogate the king.
The King and queen froze. They had no idea that they were making a deal with the masters of the flying palace, the beasts that were rumored to have come from hell before gracing the works with their presence.
The King thought of turning around and leaving but the sight of the battlefield flashed before his eyes. They had lost too many children to the war and many more would fall if he didn't do something about it.
"I will give you half of all the war claims after I am victorious or all of it if you wish it so," he offered.
"If the masters of the flying palace cared for such things, they wouldn't live over the world. Offer me something worthy of your wish king," the old man told him.
The King was lost on what to offer the old man. He was running out of options seeing as the old man was refusing the things he wanted to give.
"The thing that equals my wish is my throne. It's yours if you can win the war for Ember," the king uttered calmly.
Ember came before him being king. He was ready to give it up if it means that he gets to see Ember standing tall and with pride.
"If they cared for a crown, they would be ruling the world by now, won't you agree?" The old man asked him.
The King had to agree with him. If the beasts were to claim a kingdom, not even he could stand up against them. They were strong and rumored to eat people to survive. It was hard to fight something that couldn't be killed, destroyed, or trapped.
It would be suicidal to stand against such beasts. Hence the old man had a point. But the king had nothing else to offer the old man.
The old man walked around the king and glanced at the queen. The King wrapped his hand around his wife, she wasn't up for trade. He wasn't going to let the old man touch a hair on her head.
"Your heartbeat is like a melody to my ears. You will make a fine collection," the old man said his eyes glowing, exultation surged through him.
"My wife isn't for trade," the king uttered standing between his wife and the old man.
"I have no interest in her. I was talking about the baby growing inside her," the old man stated.
The King and queen felt their hearts in their throat. That is not how they wished to learn that they were expecting a child.
It stunned them. They were shaken by the words of the old man. More of the fact that he wished to claim their child.