Chapter 43: Queen Lucilla.

The carriage never once stops or slow down, Neya could see the knights riding a horse while escorting the carriage through the window. The Satyr king in front of never once engaging in conversation with her instead he always seems to be busy with writing, reading, and signing piece of parchment that his own butler provides.

Uncomfortable with the long silence, Neya ask a question to the King "How did my mother get you to do this?"

The king raised his gaze from the parchment his holding onto the elf girl seating in front of him, he places the parchment back on his butler's hand beside him and put down his quill.

"She threatened my entire city," Viria said.

"What? How?" Neya ask.

"She has been importing bomb disguise as food ration into my city without me or my knights noticing it," Viria said.

Neya remembers the bomb that Nesto found in the caravans, so that's what it is used for.

"Just a few months after my coronations, my kingdom got threatened by another kingdom, and I have no way of fighting it. I can imagine the other three family's heads are talking about my ruling right now," Viria said as he massages the bridge of his nose.

"I heard about how unique Materna ruling system is, the king changes every fourteen seasons between the great four Satyr families living there," Neya comments.

"The Laerrebru family, Shuden Family, Xollurr family, and my own the Thunastex family," Viria said.

"I've never been to Materna before, they said it's beautiful," Neya said.

"It is, the surface industrialize area is hard to look at, but the underground city underneath it. It's magnificent, beautiful light that illuminates the city, the people, the bustling market underneath, we even have an underground port that leads to the sea," Viria said as he reminisces the beauty of his home.

"The way you said it shows that you really love Materna," Neya comments.

"I can't help it, I do love my birthplace, besides there is no other kingdom similar to it," Viria said.

"I'm sorry that my mother threatens your kingdom," Neya apologizes.

Viria let out a small laugh, "I am angry that she put my entire people live in dangers, but as a fellow leader, I know why she did it. So I don't blame her."

"It either you or war," Viria said.

"What do you mean either me or war?" Neya ask.

"It's not my place to said anything, but you should ask your mother why she did it," Viria said.

Neya's face sullen as she looks down, speaking to her mother is the last thing she ever wanted to do or see her face. Viria notices Neya expression change drastically.

"Back at the camp, are they your people?" Viria ask.

Neya looks back up at the Satyr king with a smile, "Yes, they are, but one of them... just passed away."

"Losing people is not uncommon for a leader to be facing, but I can see that your people are loyal and admire you. I also see that you have worked hard to build that place," Viria said.

"I admire that, even though your people built a camp on my land," Viria jest.

A smile form with Neya's lips, "Sorry about that, my King."

"You're not my subject, don't call me 'My king'," Viria said.

Neya notices the glance given by his dark elf butler beside him when Viria said those words. She ignores the glance and focuses on the Satyr

"How about 'Sir'?" Neya ask.

"You may call me 'Sir'," Viria said.

"Sir, sorry for my rudeness, but are you interested in a partnership?" Neya ask.

A grin appeared on Viria's face, "What do you have in mind?"

"My camp, I believe I can turn my camp into a town that can benefit your kingdom. I also believe that a friend of mine is coming to my camp to develop a new magic tech that nobody has ever seen before. I could give you the research after we perfect it," Neya said.

"And what do you want from me?" Viria ask.

"I want that land, and to be left alone without any kingdom meddle in how I lead it," Neya ask.

"I couldn't just give you a land unless you accept a title of Baroness, but you will be under my rule," Viria said.

"I don't think Sir would like me to be associated with your kingdom. How about I form a company. In exchange for the land, I would trade you with everything I can give, and the research I spoke of," Neya said.

"You really do want to be free from anybody ruling," Viria comments.

"But as I said before, I admire you, and this deal seems to be one in a lifetime event. So how could I say no," Viria said.

"Thank you," Neya slightly bow her heads.

"But only if you get out from your mother grasp alive though. If you do, I will send one of my men to your camp with the necessary paperwork. But for now, I wish you good luck," Viria said then the carriage stops.

"We have arrived at the exchange place," The dark elf butler said and the door opens. Letting the bright warm rays from the sun to enter the interior.

"If you may," Viria gesture Neya for to go out.

She swallows the saliva in her throat and steps out from the wagons. The moment she steps out, she sees another line of carriages waiting for her just a few feet from the doorway in she in. She goes down the steps while watching the knights guarding her mother carriages watching her from the distance.

A light skin elf with perfectly comb hair walk toward her with a crystal ball, Viria walk pass Neya, and toward the elf.

"Here is the trigger for all the explosive as the queen agrees," The elf said to the king.

Viria snaps his finger, and his butler walks to the crystal ball to inspect it. After inspecting it, the dark elf nods his head to confirm the authenticity of the trigger.

"Now the girls please?" The light skin elf asks.

Viria knight walks toward her to escort her, but Neya stops them by saying "I can walk myself."

The knights look at the Satyr King for confirmations "it's okay, let her walk," Viria said.

Neya took a long breath and walk toward to the middle carriages. Her fingers dig into her palm while her eyebrow furrow, the door opens, and reveal a glimpse of the bottom part of a black gown with both feet wearing black heels visible at the end.

Neya feel the shiver behind her neck when she saw those.

It's her.

Queen Lucilla.

*

Somewhere south-east from Halsworthy.

Nesto walks through the treacherous path with overgrown roots and mossy slippery rock toward the place the caster mentions. He remembers the talk he had with the caster as clear as day.

'I'm supposed to bring her to a fortress hidden in the forest northwest from the town of Halsworthy.'

'A hidden fortress?'

'Yes, a hidden fortress, it used to be a research facility for the greed king, it's where I'm supposed to bring her.'

'What are they going to her there?'

'I don't know.'

'I lost someone back at the camp, his name was Za. You kill him.'

'So what you want me to do, apologizes?' The sarcastic tone annoys Nesto.

'I just want you to know, that there is always another way without shedding blood.'

'Yes, there are other ways, but killing is the most effective of them all.'

'Bye.'

'Before you go, I want to say that we will probably meet again and when that happens, I won't hold back. I will fight for my Queen.'

'I hope it doesn't happen' Those were the last word Nesto said to caster before he left him.

A quiet soft giggle snaps Nesto back to reality, he looks around him and sees a glowing blue light visible in a hole inside the tree trunk beside him. A smile form on Nesto face as he realizes what is it; a Fairy.

Because he can notice the tiny butterfly wings poking out from the hole, Nesto takes out a bread and break a tiny part of it. He laid a napkin on a rock, and place the tiny piece of bread on the napkin.

After placing the tiny bread on the napkin, Nesto kept on walking toward his destinations. It is believed that if you offer some of your food to the fairy, it will grant you a hundred years of good luck. Well, it's only a legend, no one had proved that it actually happens, but Nesto had a few foods to spare. So, he gave some to the fairy and continues his journey.

After another long journey in the forest, Nesto had arrived at an outskirt of a cattle farm. A sweet smell catches Nesto attention, when he looks behind him, he can see the fairy hovering toward him while strenuously carrying the napkin with bloated cheeks, and furrowed eyebrows.

He raises his palm toward the fairy and it lands on his hand with the napkin underneath her. She lay sprawl on his hand and panting for air. Nesto took out his leather water flask, opening the cork, he raised it closes to the fairy, she raises her torso upward and took a sip of water from the flask.

Nesto pulls the water flask away from the fairy after she finishes drinking it, "How long have you been following me?"

She spread out her arm as far as possible to show Nesto how long she been following him.

"Why are you here?" Nesto ask.

The fairy pointed to the napkin, "You fly all the way here just to give my napkin back?"

The fairy smiled, then she flew into Nesto's torso pocket and rest inside it. Nesto was confused, but he let her rest in his pocket, it's not like she can do any harm to him. He looks back at the cattle farm, he can see a large old fabric is drying under the sun beside other cloth on the clotheslines. He walks toward it, taking the old fabric, and continues heading north-west.

*

Neya has no idea where she should look at, she couldn't gaze on her mother face, if she did, she would... Only Yana knows what she would do if she saw her face. The anger, the hatred, and fear. It's all coming back to her, swirling and mixing inside her. The throbbing pain she felt right now in her had mix with nausea.

Her father death flash before her eyes again, and the day that she cast her aside with no sympathy or love in her eyes. She kept wanting to get out here and be with Nesto because she couldn't stand it anymore. Her restlessness has affected her feet causing her leg to involuntary tap the floor repeatedly.

"Child, stop tapping your feet," her mother distant and cold voice reminds her of the day when she lives in the castle.

She stops her feet, suddenly becoming afraid of her mother words. She was on the verge of tears, but she held on because she is not the same little girl back in the castle.

"Why are you doing this, what do you want from me?" Neya asks her eye still gaze on her mother feet.

"If you want to talk to people, look up at their face, have I not taught you that?" Her mother nag, just like she always did.

"I can't..." Neya mutters.

"Speak up! Child!!" Her mother scolds.

She looks at her mother face with anger and shouts, "I can't! Can't you hear me because I hate you, you're the worst mother that anyone ever had and I wish you would die in a ditch, dirty and cover in maggots!"

A loud pop echoed inside the carriages, Neya felt the stabbing on her cheeks then her eyes went to her mother open hand, just a few lengths from her cheeks. Her mothers had slapped her so hard that it shock Neya down to her spine.

"All those years I teach you how to become a lady, and you flush all it down the drain. What a waste," Lucilla said as she massages the pain out of her palms from hitting her own child.

Neya right hand begin to tremble, she quickly grabs her right wrist to calm her shaking hand while her eyes begin to water. She sniffs her nose, the pain was somehow worse than it seems, she wanted to cry but can't. She kept on looking down at the floor while the carriage ride through the day.

An eerie silence befalls in the carriage, the queen watches her child sniff her tears away, and there was no shred of pity to be given to her own daughter.