As he read through the pages like he was diving into a novel that really caught his interest – all about the deep history of this world around them – the maids finally made their way into the room. They carried the regeneration orb carefully, resting it on a rich, fancy red carpet spread across a small silver platter.
"Here you go, King Geshua."
The king offered his thanks to the two maids and with just a simple wave of his hand, he sent them off right away. After they'd left, he turned and held out the orb to Maximus, who'd been so wrapped up in reading that he only paused when the glowing green sphere came into his line of sight.
"Here now – this is the regeneration orb. It can heal anything from minor cuts clear up to low-major wounds. Severe and high-major injuries won't respond to it though, since this one's really only meant for when things get dangerous out there."
Maximus gave a quiet nod as he took in what was said, then he reached out, took hold of the orb and tucked it safely inside his sack. But then he remembered something else he needed to ask for from the king.
"Oh right – could I get some of those special mushrooms? The ones with all the stripes and lines on them? I know it sounds odd but they're really important to me for some big reasons I can't get into just yet."
"I see. Of course I'll help you out – I've come to know you're not the kind of person who asks for things without good cause. That's exactly why you'd be such an ideal match for my daughter to marry someday, you know."
"Please, there's still so much I have to do first before I can even think about marriage. I've got a long road ahead of me, and plenty of challenges I need to face down before I can settle into anything like that."
The king nodded along, understanding where Maximus was coming from. He took the response in stride, with patience and respect for the younger man's goals.
"Right you are. I won't push the marriage talk any further than this – I get it."
From her spot in the corner of the room, the princess let out a sharp scoff as she listened in. She looked thoroughly frustrated with her father's words.
"Dad… I know you're always trying to be funny and all that, and sometimes it is good for a laugh… but marriage? Seriously? Can you give me a little bit of dignity here for once in your life?!"
Both of them let out a warm chuckle at her outburst – but just then, a strange knock sounded at the heavy wooden door.
"Wait right here, both of you."
The king spoke calmly, his voice steady and alert as he stepped over to open it.
"And who might this be… if I may ask?"
Standing there was a man who looked awfully familiar – especially to Maximus. The way he dressed, his brown hair and bright blue eyes… everything about him was recognizable.
"My name is Jyle. I've come to deliver word to the kingdom about something you're never going to see coming."
Maximus shot up from the edge of the bed the moment he heard that voice, recognizing the man instantly. He moved closer to get a better look, and sure enough – it was the very friend who'd helped him get back on his feet when he'd been at his absolute lowest point.
"Jyle… is that really you?"
Jyle's eyes went wide with surprise when he saw Maximus standing inside the royal manor.
"But you're not a noble or anything like that… how in the world did you end up in a place like this?"
"Long story short, man… let's just say it's all kind of complicated. There's a lot to tell but not much time to say it right now."
Jyle's gaze drifted over to a sword propped up in the corner of the room and he started to move toward it to take a closer look – but the king stepped forward and gently stopped him.
"Hold on just a moment. Let's talk through why you're here first before we start looking at weapons."
"Oh, right… my apologies for that. I didn't mean to overstep."
Jyle cleared his throat and reached into the deep pocket of his coat, pulling out a folded letter. He held it up with both hands, unfolding it carefully as he began to read aloud:
"Dear King Geshua. Greetings to you and your people. I know this letter comes to you informally, and what I'm about to say will no doubt catch you off guard. Our people are in need of supplies – we're currently at war with the fire elves. We, the forest elves, are reaching out to all other elven kingdoms to ask for help and open negotiations. We promise that we will find a way to repay this kindness, whatever it takes."
The king stood there for a moment, his brow furrowed in confusion. He couldn't wrap his mind around how fire elves could have declared war on forest elves – after all, every elven clan had always lived in peace with one another. Fighting between their own kind was considered a terrible crime, and whoever started it would face harsh punishment.
"What? The fire elves?"
Maximus looked over at the king with a questioning look on his face.
"Fire elves – what are they exactly?"
"The fire elves are different from regular elves, or even forest elves like the ones who sent this letter. They're known for being fierce and relentless, though they usually keep to themselves and stay composed. It's truly shocking that they'd turn on their own ancestors like this. I'm sure all the other elven clans are just as stunned as we are to hear news like this."
Jyle nodded along in agreement as the king spoke.
"That's right. Elves have always been known for being kind and welcoming to each other – and to most other species too, aside from a few humans here and there. So this really is the last thing any of us would have expected from them."
Maximus felt pieces of the puzzle starting to fall into place as he listened. Elves were supposed to be peaceful and never raise arms against their own kind – which meant there had to be something wrong here. Either a curse was twisting their minds, or someone was pulling strings behind the scenes to make them act this way.
"Then there's definitely someone or something behind all this chaos. I'll have to get to the bottom of it if we're ever going to put an end to this war properly."
The king gave a firm nod, understanding exactly what Maximus was planning. He knew it would be dangerous – they had no idea who or what their hidden enemy might be – but he had faith in the young man's strength and determination.
"Alright then. I'm putting my trust in you to see this through."