The copper-haired boy with the golden crown on his head stood from the golden throne and glided towards me, with all twelve of the knights following close behind him.

While he got closer something occurred to me, wasn't the king supposed to be like fifty summers old? This meant either A, the king had discovered the secret to immortality, or B this wasn't the king and was instead the first prince.

"Don't move unless told, and don't speak unless the king asks you too," he said.

The boy stopped when he was almost right in front of me, and I was surprised to find that he was even taller than me. I wasn't sure what they were eating in this castle, but it was making them into giants. Either that or everyone in my town was just particularly short. Then again, I didn't have that many encounters with people outside our village. Mom almost always made me stay inside or out of sight when people, not from the village, came to do business at our house.

The boy reached out and touched a strand of my hair, "Ah, so you and your brother found the girl I requested," he let go of my hair and began to circle me. I could feel his eyes traveling up and down my body, "Tall, blonde, curvy, beautiful, green eyes," he completed his circle and stopped in front of me again. He looked towards Tinly, "She's well trained in the arts of pleasing a man too as I requested?"

Pleasing a man? What was he talking about- Before I could even finish my thought, the king had put his mouth on mine and had begun moving his tongue inside my mouth. His hand looped tightly around my waist, and he pulled me closer, deepening the kiss.

At first, I was a little stunned and confused, why was he kissing me? Then I was angry, why was he kissing me!? Just what did he think I was!?

He pulled away after a couple of seconds and frowned into my face. Up close I could see his eyes were a deep brown color. "Why isn't she doing anything?" he asked, still looking into my face.

Tinly cleared his throat uncomfortably, "Well those chains on her hands make her follow all my commands, and I ordered her not to move or speak unless told so, but your majesty, she isn't for that purpose..."

"Then what purpose is she for!?" he snapped and pushed me away from him. He spun around and stormed back towards his throne and to the waiting line of knights, which parted to allow him through.

If only I could move, I seethed, recovering from the shove before my feet could become frozen again. His majesty's nose would be upside down by now.

Tinly gave me a quick glance, before looking back towards the king "Before that, may I ask where your father, King Jamie, is Prince Tovin? This is a matter that I must discuss with him personally," Tinly said in reply to the prince's earlier question.

Prince Tovin stopped halfway to the throne, "If you want to speak to him then go to his chambers," he said with his back facing towards us. Then, seemingly changing his mind, he spun back around to face us once again. "Tell me instead. No...I command you as your king to tell me."

Tinly stepped forward until he was between the prince and me "Your majesty, sorry if I'm being rude when I say this but you're not my king, not yet you are my prince..."

"Silence!" Prince Tovin roared, "I will be your king before the sun sets tonight! Did you not hear what I said before!? My father is on his deathbed!"

"Well your majesty I might've shared some information with you, regarding this girl, if your father had already gone on to the summer lands and you were sober, but none of these things are true."

The prince looked a bit caught off guard and so was I.

"That's right, you didn't think I wouldn't notice Tovin? For god sakes, I grew up with you, and you've forgotten I'm a magician. I'm well aware of dryad tears. It's the tasteless and orderless alcohol that can intoxicate you with only a sip. You can walk in a straight line, and even juggle, but it still fogs up your mind nicely. And you are the type of drunkard that will scream a secret to the heaves the second it reaches your ears, and this secrete needs to be kept. At least for a little bit longer."

My eyes, which had fixed to Prince Tovin, flew to Tinly. Did he just call the prince a drunkard? Who was this guy!?

The king's face grew angry "One more word from you, and I'll have one of my knights cut your tongue out."

"Bravo, that's a fantastic idea! Cut out the tongue of the Magistrate's son and heir, and turn every magician in the city against you. Not only are you the drunkard king, but you're also the stupid king!" Tinly shouted, his voice bouncing off the walls of the room.

The prince narrowed his eyes and pointed at Tinly, "I'm sure your father would be perfectly fine with Givin as his heir."

"Yeah, I'm sure a corpse for an heir would just tickle him pink, wait we don't even have his body! Guess your plan has failed."

The prince looked stunned for a second time, "Givin's dead!?"

Some of the tension in Tinly's body evaporated "Didn't the messenger I set not tell you?" he asked, his voice filled with confusion.

"No," the prince replied, and they both looked towards the boy in blue standing off to the side, "Why didn't you tell me Givin was dead!?" the prince demanded.

The servant straightened, "Sir, you insisted I stop talking as soon as I told you Tinly needed to see you immediately, and then to let you finish up your business..."

The prince's face reddened and he grimaced, "Just take the girl and go see my father but I warn you, he is in no condition to talk." the prince said and waved his hand at us. I took that as a sign that we were dismissed.

"Follow," Tinly commanded, and I complied, but it wasn't like I really had any other choice.

We exited the throne room and into the courtyard with the many doors again. Tinly went straight to one painted a mossy green color and opened it. He went inside and I followed, but again it wasn't like I really had any other choice.

The door opened up to a dark hall lined with flaming torches, and we walked down it until we reached a set of winding stairs also lined by flaming torches. We ascended those stairs, which lead to a stone corridor with identical wooden doors on one side, and arched windows overlooking another courtyard on the other. This courtyard, though, was filled with people in colorful clothes, instead of doors.

Tinly opened the second door to the end, and we entered into a grand chamber. The walls were made of a rich cherry wood paneling with a carving of beautiful forest scenes on them, the floors were covered in elaborately woven carpets, and the room was filled with numerous, exotic and beautiful knick-knacks. But for all the beauty and eye-catchiness the room held, it was all pointless because the room smelled of death. In a four-sided canopy bed pushed up against one of the cherry panels, laid a withered old man with wispy white hair, who was the source of all death in the room. You didn't have to be a doctor to tell that he wasn't going to last another day. The prince had been right when he said he was going to be king by the time the sunsets.

"My king!" Tinly exclaimed, and rushed to the side of the bed, and knelt beside it. Still bound by the earlier command, I followed him to the bed and was forced to stand awkwardly behind him.

The old man opened his eyes and saw that they were the same color as the prince. He looked at Tinly, but his gaze was unfocused. "Tinly is that you?"

"Yes your majesty, and I've come to tell you that I have a way to save Atencus!"

Saving? Why did our kingdom need saving? Our kingdom was rich with resources, and the harvest had been good this spring. Why did our kingdom need saving, and what did it have to do with me?

The old man smiled like Tinly had just told a joke, "Even if our army had an unlimited amount of dragons, weredogs, and unicorns, I doubt it would make a difference against the approaching enemy. I commend for your loyalty to the people of Atencus, but now I see that the only thing we could possibly do for them, is to keep them from the knowledge of their doom and let them live their last few months, in not days on earth in peace."

"But my king, I really do have something that can save us all," he leaned in closer, "an elf."

The king laughed bitterly, "That was a bad joke, my boy."

"I'm not joking, she's in the room with us right now," Tinly insisted and in that instant, he reached over and yanked the cloth from my head.

The king's eyes shot open and he looked around the room widely, until they landed on me, "By the love of the gods!" he exclaimed, and tried to struggle into a sitting position, but ended up falling back into the pillows of the bed. "Come here my girl," he wheezed.

"Do as he says," Tinly commanded.

I moved closer to the dying king and knelt beside him. The king reached out a gnarled hand and touched my cheek gently, a gesture that was oddly comforting.

"Why did you put her in slave chains, I thought he found them repulsive like I did?" he said softly.

"I do, but your majesty she was being uncooperative, and she's figured out how to use her power. I was afraid that she would escape, or invite chaos once we did reach the castle."

The king removed his hand from my face, "Did you tell her why she was brought here?"

Tinly was silent for a moment, "No," he finally said.

The king sighed "Well maybe if you've just told her why she was brought here, then she would've been more willing. A creature of her status can only be held in bondage for so long, and when she breaks free, all our other problems will seem small in comparison."

"But sir, you made me vow to tell no one outside of the castle."

The king waved a hand at Tinly, "My boy, you need to know when to break vows," he focused his unfocused eyes on me again, "Now where to begin?"