I sighed from my place at the head of the table. My crown slid down upon my brow, and I pushed it back up, mussing my hair in the process.
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"Enjoy your dinner," I declared to the guests seated around my table. "I have pressing matters to attend to, but please, don't spoil your meal on my account." I stood up, blood red cloak tight against my shoulders. As I passed through the doorway to my personal chambers, my butler hurried to meet me.
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"Butler, please ensure the guests have everything they need. Their comfort is of the greatest importance to me."
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He bowed lowly. "Yes, my lord," he said, and scurried off. I kept walking.
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Once I reached my bedchamber, I rang the bell that called all my personal servants to me. They all rushed in and I frowned as they bowed and curtsied.
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"Servants, you may take the rest of today off. I have no further need of you this afternoon. I will not need you this evening either. You may go."
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"Yes, my lord," they chorused as they flocked out of my room. I rolled my eyes and quickly strode into my walk-in closet. Flinging my Deltonite crown against the wall, I cursed.
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"I hate this castle, I hate these banquets, and I hate being king!" I yelled. Luckily, I'd had my chambers soundproofed, so none of the banquet-goers would be disturbed by my unprofessional outburst.
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I sighed. These outbursts were becoming more and more frequent.
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Shaking myself off, I grabbed a simple black shirt and pants. Throwing them on as fast as I could, I yanked on the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The pedestal in the center of the room rose up, revealing a fireman's pole. I wrapped my hand and legs around it and slid down. My brother, a year younger than I, was waiting with my favorite stallion in hand.
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"Carbon," he smiled, "am I right in assuming you won't be back any time soon?"
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I shook my head. "That is exactly right, Rune. I relinquish the kingdom to your guidance in my absence."
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"Where's the crown this time?" Rune asked.
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I groaned. "I have no idea. Somewhere in my closet. I've got to stop losing it."
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Rune laughed. "Carbon, it's okay. You've been a fantastic king. I think losing your crown once in a while is alright."
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"Yes, well, you tell that to the Elf-lords. They've always said I'm too young at twenty two to hold the position of king. 'The great Carbon, Elvenking, has left his kingdom to his incompetent younger brother. What will become of Daltina now?'" I waved my hands to accentuate my point.
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"It'll be fine, brother. Now, go. You deserve a break."
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I grabbed the reins from Rune and leapt upon the jet-colored back of Onyx. He was a stud and a half, but was always tame under my hand.
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As Rune opened the secret doorway into the woods, I rode out and called to him, "Keep the empire out of the hands of the Lords of the North!" He waved and shut the door.
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I galloped across fields and through forests, down valleys and over mountains. I was days into my journey when my horse stumbled and twisted its ankle. I was thrown from the saddle and my head struck a rock and I knew no more.
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I woke to a cool cloth pressed against my throbbing temple. When I opened my eyes, harsh white light pervaded my vision. I twisted on the soft mattress so I could see the person who had been caring for me.
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"Hush, mister. You'll open your stitches."
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The voice was so obviously feminine, but I still couldn't catch a glimpse of its owner.
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"You're an Elf, aren't you?" the voice asked nervously.
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"I am. And what are you? I would not ask such an impertinent question of a maiden, but as I cannot see you, I have no choice."
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"Sorry. Let me move."
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I heard a rustling by my head and a slim figure came into view. I'd never seen her kind before. She was of no race I'd ever read about in the ancient texts. Her hair was the color of flax, her eyes a beautiful sapphire color. She wore pale blue denim pants and a black shirt, with an unzipped leather jacket hanging on her shoulders.
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"Stunning!" I exclaimed, launching off of the small bed. I bowed lowly and kissed her hand. "Carbon Blackburn Thornheart, ninth Elvenking of Daltina, son of Raze Ardan Thornheart, eighth Elvenking of Daltina, at your service. And you are?"
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"Pandora Madyson Evans. I'm a human, I guess. My dad is a bartender in town."
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"Excellent! Well, Madame Pandora, I must be on my way. Would you happen to know where my horse is?"
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The bewildered girl gestured for me to follow her, which I did without hesitation.
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"When I found him, he was lame in the foot, but he's recovered remarkably," she gushed.
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"Were you the one who nursed him to health?" I queried.
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She blushed. "Yeah."
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I leapt at the opportunity. "Ah! Such kindness cannot be overlooked. Onyx means the world to me. I must do something to repay you! Tell me, what would make you the happiest?"
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Her blush deepened. "Well..."
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"Tell me, Madame."
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"I would like to show you something. It's about a two day ride from here. I've never shown it to anybody. Would you like to see it?"
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"Pandora, I would love to go with you. Do you have a horse?"
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"Yes, sir."
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"Then place your saddle and let us ride!"
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That evening, as we made camp, she told me about her race, Man. Similar to Elves, but without pointed ears and remarkable hospitality.
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"But tell me, fair maiden as you are, have you no lover?"
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"Oh, no! My father would never let me. He's a horrible man. He doesn't care where I go or what I do, unless he's had a good day at work, which is not often. Then he orders me to buy him more liquor, just so he can get drunk after the bad days. It's an endless cycle. I'd do anything to get away from him," Pandora sighed as she sank to the ground by the fire.
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"I can bring you to my kingdom. You'd be treated as a queen, I can assure you."
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"Carbon..."
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"You'd have the finest things in the kingdom."
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"Carbon."
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"You'd sit at the place of honor at every meal."
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"Carbon!"
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I turned to her. "Yes, Pandora?"
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"Please take me with you."
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The next afternoon, we rode into a wooded glen, where Pandora said we must leave the horses.
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"This is a place only meant for our eyes," she whispered, staring me down.
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"Then please, show me."
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She nodded and pushed aside a curtain of ivy.
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We were in a large slot canyon, where light was barely penetrating the ceiling, and a valley opened up at our feet. Lush forests grew and sparkling streams flowed. A perfect breeze brushed past us.
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The remarkable thing was that the walls of the canyon were made of the beautiful emerald-colored Deltonite.
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I gasped as I took in the splendor of the valley. Pandora and I were on a small ledge above the valley. A small path led to the bottom. Pandora grasped my hand and led me down the path.
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All day we frolicked in the forests and streams, often rolling with each other over the soft grasses.
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It seemed as though Daltina and that stuffy palace was on the other side of the world.
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Everything in this valley was of a lush green or blue color. There were hardly any exceptions. But then Pandora pulled me into the very deepest hollow and I truly grasped what green really was.
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"Pandora," I whispered, almost afraid to snap the tranquility of the place. "It's beautiful. It's stunning, really. It's as if all the world is made of Deltonite.
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"But Pandora," I added quickly, grabbing her hand and pulling her close to me, "You are the most breathtaking thing in this Deltonite world. Pandora..." I murmured, my lips centimeters from hers.
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"Carbon," she breathed.
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My lips sealed over hers as though I'd been kissing her my whole life. I wrapped a hand around her waist, and she drove her hand into my hair. I pressed against her, unable to get close enough to her.
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"Carbon," she sighed, the word instantly lost in my lips. She pulled me ever closer. Her fingers burned into my scalp. We pushed and twisted against each other, lips burning hot trails down the other's neck.
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I do not know how long we spent there, only that it was not long enough, for the next day we set out for Daltina.
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When we finally reached my kingdom, Rune was waiting at the front gate with a smile and the crown.
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"I knew you would be back today, brother. But who is this? A fine young maiden to be sure."
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I smiled, sliding off Onyx's back to help Pandora off of her horse. "This, dear brother, is Pandora Madyson Evans. And yet she shall not be so for long." Pandora gazed into my eyes as I delivered the news we had decided the night before. "Tomorrow, before the bell rings noon, she shall be a Thornheart!"
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Rune's expression lifted, then darkened. "I'm afraid not, Carbon. The Lords have declared war upon Daltina. They shall strike before the moon rises this evening." He places a hand on my heaving shoulder. "I'm sorry."
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Steeling my features, I turned to Pandora. "We must evacuate. The Lords have technologies and magic far more advanced than anything we possess. We will be obliterated."
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"Where do you suggest we go?" Rune queried.
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"Where the world is made of Deltonite."
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A mere hour later, the Elves of Daltina were riding swiftly south, away from the Lords of the North, towards the Deltonite Valley, as Pandora and I had taken to calling it. We rode nearly nonstop for seven days and nights, resting only to water and feed our horses. On the eighth day, we dismounted and set our horses to the wind, knowing they couldn't be brought with us. Single file, the Elves made their way down the path. Frightened as they were, they refused to leave the clearing at the foot of the path, and that is where they set up camp. As for Pandora, Rune, and myself, we made a more permanent camp in the forest.
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A week later, Rune and I met with the Elf-lords and War-masters to decide what had to be done.
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"I say we call on our alliance with the Dwarves of the West. They have tactics and abilities we do not possess. We aided them when the Goblins of Forenheim descended from their dark pits in the mountains to seize Westingham Mountain. The Dwarves must now aid us!"
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"Thank you, Lord Cliff," I interjected, "But they are nearly a week's ride away. By the time our messenger reaches them, it may very well be too late."
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Rune stood up. "Lords, Elvenking Carbon," he bowed. "May I suggest we ask for the aid of the Men? It will gain their allegiance for the future, and aid in negotiations of peace."
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I nodded and sent a small Elf-boy to fetch Pandora. When she appeared, dressed in the blue and gold of a fair Elf-maiden, I called her to my side.
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"Do you believe that Men would help us if we made it known that we were sent by you, Pandora Madyson Evans?"
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Slowly, she nodded. "Yeah, tell them I sent you. Ask for the Governor and don't let him bully you. You'd be safer in town than here. I'd take everyone to town."
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I told the Elf-lords to gather everyone and begin the march to the Men's town.
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"And you, dear brother?" Rune asked, concern written on his face.
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"I shall be right behind you." I put my fingers to my lips and whistled shrilly. Onyx came thundering down the path, followed by the rest of the Elf-horses. "You must leave now, before the Lords discover where we've gone. Go!"
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The Elf-lords leapt upon their steeds and gathered up the women and children, and within a few minutes, the valley was empty but for Pandora and myself.
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When the last pounding of hooves had died away, I grasped Pandora's hand and we ran to the hollow where we had shared our first kiss.
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My servants had fawned over me and dressed me to kill. A pair of loose pants tucked into stiff boots, with a white shirt unbuttoned to my stomach.
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I pulled her into my chest and she wrapped her arms around me. I roughly pressed my lips against hers, and we practically melted into each other. She dug her fingers into the white linen and I thrust mine through her hair. Time and time again we were forced to come up for air, and time after time our lips found each other, more violent with each kiss. She pushed the collar of my shirt off of my shoulder and dragged her lips across my collarbone as I kissed her forehead.
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"May the Elf-lords find help in the Men, for they shan't have the rule of their king any longer," I whispered in her ear.
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"And why is that?" she murmured.
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"I'll never see them again." I reached up to my head and grabbed my Deltonite crown. I pushed away from Pandora, staring at the crown. My hands trembled as I realized exactly what I was about to do. I gripped the crown tightly, the spires cutting into my palms. Closing my eyes, I flung the crown away, as far as I could.
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Opening my eyes, I snatched Pandora's hand and pulled her close once again. As our lips intertwined, and our fingers tangled in the other's hair, I gently sank to the ground, Pandora tight in my grasp. Whispering sweet nothings against each other's lips, the castle at Daltina seemed further than ever.
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The stifling halls and the tedious banquets would never burden my spirit again, and the horrors of home would never again terrorize my Pandora's soul.
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As long as I had this girl in my arms, I wouldn't need to worry about mussing my hair or wonder if my outfit was befitting of a king.
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With Pandora by my side, I felt more kingly than I ever had in the grand halls of the palace.
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With Pandora by my side, I was content to stay here, where the world is made of Deltonite.
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