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Elincia Ridell Crimea. He had, of course, heard the name before. She was the Crimean Queen, who had been hidden away as a child. When the Mad King invaded, she found herself alone with a group of mercenaries, and from there she gained confidence, allies, and momentum until she finally reclaimed her throne.
Pelleas looked across the camp, seeing the Crimean Queen speaking calmly with the Hawk King and the blue cat. He hadn’t gotten to know them well yet, but these were his allies now. It was strange, being in the same camp with them. Especially her.
When Pelleas found out that he would be traveling with her, he grew even more nervous than he had been before. He had thought to travel with Micaiah and the others that he knew, but somehow wound up with this group instead.
“Mother why are we traveling with the hawk king? I’m not comfortable here yet. I don’t know these people. The only one I really know anything about is the Crimean Queen, and I’m sure she hates us…” Pelleas looked at his mother questioningly.
“This is the safest group to be with. You have the Hawk King himself protecting you. I couldn’t bear for anything to happen to my precious baby boy. ‘Lady Micaiah’ almost let you die, and that General Ike looks like quite the brute. I couldn’t trust them to keep you safe.”
Pelleas sighed, dissatisfied with the answer his mother provided. He found his gaze drawn once again to the Crimean Queen. She was quite beautiful, now that he was meeting her in person. It was hard to believe that this woman was the same one who inspired him to take back his own nation. She looked so strong, and dependable, yet caring and gentle.
He didn’t realize he had been staring until she met his gaze. Her beautiful brown eyes, shining almost almost gold in the light of the campfire, made his heart skip a beat. He blushed and turned away, but his heart raced as she walked toward him.
“Hello King Pelleas, I don’t believe I’ve formally introduced myself. I am Elincia, Queen of Crimea, but you don’t need to call me anything special. Elincia would be just fine.” She smiled warmly at him, and he felt that warmth spread from his chest.
“Y-yes, hello Your highness- I mean Elincia. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I do wish it were under better circumstances. I am confused though, do you not hate me? After what my father did to you and your people. To your family…”
“What your father did has nothing to do with you. If anything, I’m surprised you don’t hate me for killing him. That’s all in the past now though, so perhaps we can leave it there and form a new friendship here for our nations. I was hoping to propose this at your coronation, however I had to deal with matters at home.”
“Oh no, it’s quite alright. I know you were busy. I would be happy to forge a friendship between our nations. There is one matter I must attend to before that, but I believe by the end of this war we will be able to achieve that goal.
“Splendid! I look forward to that day. I was following your campaign as closely as I could, and I am happy you took the throne. You fought bravely.”
“Well, to be honest, I couldn’t have done it without Micaiah and the Dawn Brigade. I had a lot of help along the way, so it’s hard to take much pride in taking back the throne. Especially since I didn’t know it was mine to retake until Izuka found me.” Pelleas looked down at his feet, feeling like the words of praise he was receiving were undeserved.
“I know what you mean. I could never have taken back Crimea had it not been for Lord Ike and the others. I sometimes feel unworthy of the position I’m in. I had so much help getting here, how can I sit on the throne, leading the nation, when all I did was follow the ones who saved me?”
“But that’s not true!” Pelleas declared, surprising both himself and Elincia with the urgency in his voice. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I only meant… You fought so hard and struggled against all odds to get to where you are today. You, more than anyone, deserve to be seated on the throne of Crimea.”
“Is that so?” Elincia let out a laughter that made Pelleas’ heart sing.
“Of course! You inspired me when I thought the fight was meaningless. You reclaimed your nation when all you had was a band of mercenaries without a leader. I was given an army when my journey began. The strength and determination you must have had to make allies of not only the beast tribes of Gallia, but of the hawks, the herons, Begnion’s apostle.. If you could do so much when you started with so little, I couldn’t give up when I had been given so much to work with.”
Pelleas gasped, feeling tears in his eyes begin to spill out, onto his cheeks. “Excuse me, I... I don’t mean to cry. It’s just that, my people... Because I was blind I almost led them to ruin. Unlike you, who took the throne and helped her nation rebuild, when I took the throne I only dragged us into another war. My people were dying for a cause I didn’t believe in. I am unfit to be a king.” He sat down on a log by the fire, letting his tears fall to the ground.
“I don’t know what you saw from Daein, or wherever you were before, but I didn’t exactly lead my people right away either. My advisors tried to manipulate me for months, and I had to put down a rebellion. My people didn’t accept me as a leader. They didn’t have faith in me.” She sat next to him, and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Your people trust you, even though you made a mistake. That’s something I had to work 3 years to earn. Being perfect is not what makes a good ruler. Doing what is best for the people, and having them trust you even when things look grim. You’re a natural leader, so don’t shy away from it.”
“My people… They trusted me, and now look at them. They’ve all been turned to stone. Even if we win, what then? How can I face them? Will they still trust someone who almost led them to ruin?”
“Stop worrying about the future for now. It’s important to plan ahead, but there are times where you need to focus on the goal at hand. Right now, we need to save our people. If we don’t save them, they’re lost forever. In this world, where our people have been turned to stone, our hearts are still beating for them. We can’t give up now..”
Pelleas looked up, and met her gaze again. He was amazed that even though she was talking about such heavy matters, she had such a genuine smile. He couldn’t help but smile back at her. “You’re amazing, you know? You really inspire people to be the best they can be.” He averted his gaze as his cheeks grew pink, but she just laughed.
“Thank you. It’s nice to hear that from someone who understands the struggles I’ve gone through. You might understand better than even my own advisors the pressures that I’ve felt these last 3 years. I need to go prepare for tomorrow’s travel, but if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.” She stood up and walked away. When she reached the other side of the camp, she turned around and waved before disappearing into her tent for the night.
“So that’s her. Queen Elincia. She’s even more beautiful than I expected.”
“Well, now that she’s gone, perhaps you’ll answer my question? Before she came over, I asked if you were ready to turn in for the night.” Almedha looked at her son disapprovingly. “Honestly, you should answer your mother when she asks you a question.”
“Oh, mother I’m sorry. I forgot you were… Yes, I believe I am ready to turn in for the night. Starting tomorrow I will not sulk anymore. I want to make things right for Daein so that the future we face will be one of peace instead of suffering.” Pelleas stood up and wiped his eyes, looking one last time toward Elincia’s tent. Then he went to his own tent and turned in for the night. For the first time in what felt like years, he fell asleep with a smile on his face, and warmth in his heart.