"I didn't know you were a Prince!"
Mouth agape, Vivian still couldn't comprehend the fact that the tall, rude uncle who smelt of lard(?) was THE Prince of the Elven Kingdom. He looked nothing like what Elves were supposed to portray:
Slim – X
Is an Archer – X
Likes Veggies – X
Like singing – X
Lazy– Can't be arsed to move if his life depends on it!!!
Overall, he was the very antithesis of what was expected of Elves. Yet despite all these faults, she saw that he was very good. When she was hungry, he didn't hesitate to share his food with her, even though he wasn't smiling. When she was cold, he covered her with his blanket.
When she felt alone and sad, he gave her head pats, saying everything will be alright
She felt that despite everything, he will always help those who need help, for he is the Prince of the Elves.
Ears burning a bright red, Vivian quickly followed the tall green man and Sir Duncan as they entered the Queen's chamber...
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
"Kyaaah! How's my little pookie doing?! Are you injured? Have you lost a hand? Are you hungry? Nooooo! Merangue, go and tell the head chef to start cooking Venison for my little pookie kin! He must be very hungry! Hurry up, or else he'll st-"
"Cut it out, you old hag! I'm fine as it is, and I already ate before coming here. Instead of worrying about me, you should be more focused on what we found out in our investigation..."
Initially, gobsmacked at the contrasting image of the Queen (she expected her to be more regal, more cold), she felt disappointed, betrayed, for the Queen appeared to be silly and un-serious. She hoped that Her Highness would help avenge her village, but her acting as a baby made Vivian lose all hope.
That was until she saw Celestine change expressions faster than she could eat 10 Mashrooms.
"So, what did you find out..."
The sudden change in her temperament made Vivian falter back, shocking her to her core. She could not believe that the lazy, good-for-nothing Queen was actually competent. This made her have more faith that justice would be meted out to those who massacred her village.
Mom, I can finally avenge you...
Meanwhile, Duncan was busy recounting what they had seen, as well as the final fight with the so-called 'bandits'. "...And so, when they wanted to take a closer look at these abominations, they started making this weird 'beeping' noise, they exploded. If it weren't for the old man here, we'd be minced meat by now. Urrrggghhh..."
Shivering at the thought of what he had seen, Duncan felt his hair standing up. It was the closest I've ever felt to death. Damn it, which morons have joined with the Demons!?
Celestine, after listening to the report, made no further comment, except a single nod. "Alright, thank you for the investigation. I shall look further into how they came into these lands. Now, time to party!"
Slipping back into her carefree persona, she slouched back on her sofa. Grabbing a plate of Bacorn chips she had somehow hidden behind the sofa, she began happily munching, falling into her own world, causing the trio to simultaneously roll their eyes, forcing them to leave.
"Hey, wanna go to the market?"
"Nah, I'm gonna visit the park near the edge of the city. What about you kid?"
"Umm, I wanna visit the Dun- wait, the pet shops near the market. Yes, the pet shops!"
Tired from all the fighting, the group went their separate ways, intending to destress before going back to the Sanctuary.
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Sipping a glass of fizzy apple juice, Celestine saw them off from the window of the office. She smiled at their carefree behaviour, before turning back, eyes scrunching profoundly.
She knew for a long time that people were going missing, but she didn't know where and how. The clues always seemed to go 'missing', and any evidence that was found ended up destroyed. She knew that there was something fishy, but she couldn't point her finger at it. She knew that she needed an independent investigator, but there was one small issue...
There was no she knew that could be trusted
That was until her son and her big brother came here to change some clauses in the Union Treaty. Using her klutz, she managed to fool some of the court nobles, and managed to use them to investigate what on Earadun was going on.
Having found out what was going on, she grew more and more concerned. Humans and Demons cooperating was blasphemous enough, but this was their matter to resolve. No, her concern lay somewhere else, somewhere that struck the heart of the nation:
Who disabled the barrier, striking a deal with these heathens, and why did they do it!?