Home / Fantasy / The Elven Princess / Queen Gaelemar

Share

Queen Gaelemar

last update Last Updated: 2021-08-21 14:32:30

"Mother!"

A mortal lifetime of a hundred years was not enough for Queen Gaelamar to forget the voice of her daughter. Her eyes opened slowly, deep into the sockets of her pale, frail face. Her lips were chapped, and white, with green veins running like tree sap through them. Once a figure of great might and beauty, the Queen of the North looked nothing like her former self.

"Aelanor," she whispered, as she tried to pull herself on her elbows.

"Mother, I am here," Aelanor bowed down to the Queen's bedside, her face shocked and devastated. "Please, do not strain yourself much."

"Oh, my daughter," Queen Gaelamar's face shined with hope and joy, something she had not felt in a long time, "I have no fear of anything anymore, my dear. You are back!"

Aelanor looked at the sickly face of her mother, the one who went through an inferno, sending her own daughter to the jaws of mortality just to see her happy, and then waited for so long without any hopes of seeing her ever again. Tears glittered in her eyes as she remembered her days in the Eternal Utopia, and wondered what would have happened if she never left.

"My Queen, I never thought I'd see you like this," Nimuel's voice brought Aelanor back from her reverie. She too, had tears in her eyes, and was trying hard to control them.

"Yes, child. Me neither, but I suppose we all have to face some sort of surprises in this lifetime, isn't it?" The Queen's voice was just as frail as her body, but it was steady, and powerful. 

"Yes, my Queen," Nimuel said. 

She came closer to her and sat down on the bed beside her. Aelanor was still on the floor, crying silently. Nimuel brushed her hair with her fingers ever so softly and pulled her up on the bed, beside the Queen.

"You've aged," Queen Gaelemar chuckled.

"I prefer to think that I have matured, in terms of age as well as mental faculties. Tell me mother, don't the elves have the same mental growth as humans?" she asked.

"Of course, we do, my child. In fact, we are wiser than any other race, and we are the same ever since our birth."

"Then why does my father remain a stubborn child at his age?"

Queen Gaelemar gave a sad chuckle, and sighed. "Daughter, your father was as arrogant as any creature ever born, but that is of the past. This behavior of his, this hatred for you, is not something I believe comes from his arrogance. He loves you, Aelanor, and he was devastated when you left, but his ego got the better of his emotions, and he pretended that he was glad that you were gone."

Aelanor's face was unreadable. She was shocked that the King had any feelings for his own daughter, and she was shocked that it came as a news to her. 

"The King I met today was not devastated, but proud and arrogant that he finally managed to defeat his daughter. And he was proud to show off his new heir to me," she scoffed.

"Yes, about her," Queen Gaelemar's voice shook as it was apparent that speaking was causing her discomfort, but she seemed determined to tell Aelanor something, "Moraen is not my child."

"What? What do you mean?" Aelanor sat up straight, confused.

"It means that the King had her with someone else, some commonfolk from the far end of the kingdom," the Queen stated, calmly.

"Then how can she be the 'rightful heir' to the throne? And how are you not worried that Father had relations with some other Female?" Aelanor's voice was shrill.

"Because he did not," she smiled, "your Father loves me more than his own life, and he would never do anything to hurt me. I trust him with everything I have."

Which was true, Aelanor thought.

"And if Moraen had his blood, she would be his true heir, since I belong to the North, and the capital city is in the South," she continued. "Which still doesn't make her the rightful heir, since she does not have the King's blood."

"So, what happened? Why does Father claims her to be his daughter?"

"I believe he must have been hoodwinked. Or cursed. Your Father has become less and less like himself ever since this villainess showed up." She gasped, and continued, "My apologies, dear. I was not thinking."

"It's alright, mother. I do not think you are calling her names, I think it is happening for real. There is some kind of villainy going on around here."

"All this to dethrone you and devoid you of your birthright," the Queen said.

"I don't care about that, mother. I would never have returned to the Eternal Utopia if not for you."

"I know."

"But I need to know what happened to you? How did you get sick? The elves don't get sick, mother!" Aelanor sniffed.

"I don't know what has been going on, dear. Many village folk have contracted some sort of disease, and the druids have been called, but they could do nothing. None of the elves is dead yet, but it seems like it won't be long before we start dying."

"Did you come in contact with the village folk? Pray, how come you got this disease?"

"I sent out a few messengers to help, but I did not meet them myself. It would have been my instinct, but the King had imposed a strict lockdown months before the disease even showed up."

"When did Moraen come here, aunt?" Nimuel cut in, unexpectedly.

"Nimuel! I said I do not care what Moraen is upto. I'd gladly give her my throne and my riches, but I need to know what happened to mother," Aelanor hissed.

"I know, Aelanor. But isn't it strange that the King would place a curfew out of the blue if he had no reasons to think that it's not safe to move out? When did Moraen arrive, my Queen" she asked. 

"A couple of years back. The King just brought her in and introduced her as his daughter, no concrete explanation given."

"Do you mean to say," Aelanor mused out loud, "that Moraen was the bringer of the plague?"

"It is possible, cousin. If she has hoodwinked the King, she must have bewitched him to forget about his duties. But she could not have stopped him from loving the Queen, which is why the King must have placed those restrictions for her safety. Only it didn't work."

"But we have no evidence of her wrongdoing. Mother, what do you think?"

Queen Gaelemar groaned a little as she tried to sit up straighter, "I am not certain, and I would suggest you do not start pointing fingers just out of your suspicion. Moraen has not been seen doing anything suspicious by me or the palace folks. Moreover, it would be imprudent to talk about this in above whispers. I, for one, believe that she simply might have been aware of the future, because of her prophetic magic."

There was a silence as Aelanor mused over the words, while Nimuel looked troubled. There was a sudden voice and a cacophony of loud voices coming from the entrance, and two harried-looking guards came running down to the Queen's chambers.

"Your Highness, it's the Shaman from the mortal lands," one of them informed.

Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App

Latest chapter

  • The Elven Princess   The Perfect Disguise

    Vorga's room was small and cramped, with most of the wall panels hidden by large old-fashioned wardrobes and a small bookshelf. The she-orc opened the curtains to let lights flood the room. It looked forlorn, the wallpapers torn and spider webs in the corners, but the window let more sunlight in than the other rooms.As Vorga swung open the wardrobe doors, a burst of stale air wafted out, carrying the scent of old clothes and moths. The group peered inside, scanning the crowded racks and shelves, packed with a colorful array of clothes, accessories, and costumes."Are all these yours?" Aelanor wondered, looking at the bright coloured clothes and exquisite looking accessories. She couldn't imagine Vorga wearing any of those. They looked... too exuberant."Well, everyone goes through phases, don't they?" Vorga said, her eyes fixed on the pile of clothes, "Don't tell me that you always were this no-nonsense, serious all the time, no-fun loving elf that you are now."Aelanor's nose flared,

  • The Elven Princess   SparkForge- The Electric Workshop

    Over the next few days, the group joined Vorga to meet the residents in the Slimy Underground. Some of them showed a little resistance at first at having outside visitors for the very first time in years, but most were enthusiastic. Lamusha, a gray- skinned female orc with silver hair was fixing some wires on a futuristic-looking machine. Her mouth relaxed into a comfortable smile on seeing them approach."Ah, yes. The rogue monarchs on the quest to end the pestilence. What brings you people over to the SparkForge? Need electric fueled weapons for the war?" Lamusha asked."Does such a thing exist?" Pylaeius asked."Sure. Here, we use electricity just to power our internal operations, lights and power-generated cooling fans for example. But electricity, being the foe as well as friend, can be used to destroy as much as it can be used to help sustain life." Lamusha said."That sounds interesting," Aelanor said as she approached to look at the dials on the box-like thing from which variou

  • The Elven Princess   Endeavour

    The clip-clop of hooves had just receded when Vorga disappeared into the dark with her lit torch and groped around in the dark. Instantly, bright flames appeared, illuminating the insides of a large- what could only be called as a- mansion! As Vorga went ahead and lit the other torches around the ship, the group looked around, awestruck. Large chandeliers hung from the roof, covered with cobwebs and weed. Grand furniture laced the room, leather bound futon and chairs. Carpeted floors expelled dust and red moth eaten curtains were tied with golden clutches. The rooms smelled of mildew, of neglect, but it still had a grandeur unmatched. A large staircase opened up to an ornate picture frame, depicting a regal-looking female orc, resembling someone they knew."My mother," Vorga said shortly as she came up behind the group. "Let's walk up through here. There are enough rooms for all of you."Following the staircase that went both ways to reveal sleeping quarters, Vorga quickly pulled off

  • The Elven Princess   The Slimy Underground

    Vorga lead them through a narrow passageway that got narrower with every turn until they had to turn sideways to slip through them. The lack of air made them claustrophobic, and they couldn't see much, except for the faint light from the torch Vorga took when there were still lights. After the agonising three-fourth of an hour, they finally saw the orc bend down to work on something in the roof. A latch.A rope fell down and they climbed through the trapdoor above to a bustling area that looked exactly like the marketplace in the Golden Barrows. For a second, Aelanor considered the probability that the orc had tricked them into an ambush.But in contrast with the surroundings of the marketplace they had visited before, this one was very compact. There didn't seem to be an opening for a sea, or another civilisation nearby. The shops looked almost as if they were stacked on top of each other. Vorga continued to lead them through the cramped alleyways."This is the Generals, Princess, th

  • The Elven Princess   The Utopia

    Aelanor's eyes opened with the clamour of bustling businesses coming from the open window. Her companions slept through the din, except Saayan who was nowhere to be seen around the room. She walked up to the window and looked down. Her homeland might be called Utopia, but as she looked down at the cobbled street with all kinds of races, haggling and laughing and helping each other carry weights of marine life from the ships, she realised that the real utopia was here. Here, every creature was welcome. No one was looked down upon by others- except for that female orc in the tavern- she thought resentfully. Here, creatures would not fight for power, and here, no one would be banished by their fathers for the supposed crime of falling in love with someone of another race.Aelanor looked at her sleeping companions. She didn't want to wake them up. She knew they all have been tortured in their nightly visions, possibly even Saayan, who, Aelanor didn't know, could sleep or not. Barely makin

  • The Elven Princess   The Mug and the Mead

    The after effects of the food made all of them a little lethargic, and they pressed a few coins in the hand of the barkeep to save a room for the four of them for the night. The sun was still on the horizon, and the grief and shock of the day was on them, each lost in their thoughts, so sleep was out of question. Not even consulting each other about their next move, they exited the tavern, and the bell tinkled again over the sign, "The Mug and The Mead".Their feet carried them towards the beautiful scenery in front of them. The sun's warm orange glow cast a gentle light upon the bustling dockside. Boats and ships of all sizes bobbed gently in the water, their sails and rigging a tangled web of ropes and canvas. Barrows and carts, laden with an abundance of fruits, ales and wines, and exotic spices, rumbled across the worn wooden planks, as merchants and traders hurried to secure their daily hauls. The air was thick with the sweet scent of fresh fruit and the sound of laughter and ha

More Chapters
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status