Chapter Text
Deep in the lands of Zaron, the humans of Kupa Keep struggle to stay alive as they are attacked by the wicked Drow Elves of Larnion.
Darkness falls as the humans beg their King to save them. A noble King, known only as the Grand Wizard.
For a thousand years the battle has been waged, with only the bravery of the Grand Wizard to protect his human followers.
But even though the Wizard King is so undeniably cool, the Drow Elf armies continue their attacks. They seek the human’s most treasured relic – the Stick of Truth.
But the tides of war are soon to change, as news of a “new” kid spreads throughout the land.
In order to save the humans, the Grand Wizard must get to the new kid – before the Drow Elves can manipulate his mind and USE him, to take the sacred relic from human hands.
For whomever controls the Stick…
…controls the universe.
…But what if this tale wasn’t the complete truth?
This tale is not from the side of the humans, but rather the Drow Elves, and how before the grand war began, they were the ones suffering under the Grand Wizard, and soon broke free, however small their numbers may have been.
Since then, they have grown, both in numbers and in strength, and have been locked in battle with the Grand Wizard, the battle for a land free of his tyrannical reign.
This is a tale of a trial the Elven Kingdom must face in their battle against the Wizard King, a tale of bravery and betrayal.
A tale of loyalty and trust.
A tale of love.
“I have to go to him! No-one else is even nearly fit enough to do so! You must let me go!”
“Beldroth, that is enough. I have told you today, and the day before that, and the day before that. I will simply not allow it.”
“What if it had been warrior Marsh who was taken captive, huh?! I’M SURE YOU WOULD SEND SOMEONE TO RESCUE HIM THE VERY MOMENT YOU KNEW! SO WHY DOES PHILLIP NOT RECEIVE THE SAME TREATMENT?!”
At this, the Elven King took in a breath and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Warrior, please escort Beldroth out of this throne room. We will discuss this matter once he’s calmed himself.”
Said warrior stood from his position on his king’s left and urged the fire mage towards the doors of the throne room and out into the hall.
“It would be advised to watch your words around our king, mage. You know that.”
At the moment, the mage didn’t care. All he knew was that at this moment, the kingdom’s archer -the best and most skilled archer the kingdom had to offer- was bound by heavy chain to the dungeon of the Kupa Kingdom, and it had been three days since they had received the message from the opposing kingdom’s carrier raven.
“Filthy Elven Jew, we have weeded out a dirty spy of yours within our precious kingdom walls. Let it be known that this means a battle against your kingdom will be waged very soon. For your attack against our kingdom, I am holding your spy hostage, and will continue to do so for seven days. In this time, I expect a full reparation of $500, or your spy will face a slow and brutal death on the night of the seventh day. The choice is yours.
Grand Wizard ”
The moment the Elf king had announced this to the kingdom, the mage had been furious. He had warned the king that sending Phillip into the Keep alone would be dangerous, and that he should’ve been allowed to go with him. Yes, Phillip was extremely skilled and had a good head on his shoulders. That is why the king had chosen him to be the kingdom’s spy; he was very friendly, very intelligent, and very convincing.
Yet the mage knew he was too naïve for his own good, and too forgiving. This is why the mage always chose to stay close to his side, so that he could protect him when he got into trouble. Not that the elf archer needed his protection, but this is what Beldroth told himself whenever Phillip caught him staring for a moment too long, turning away with a rose-dusted hue from the tips of his ears to the breadth of his face.
Everyone in the kingdom knew Beldroth and Phillip had always been close, they were best friends when they were little kids. And when Beldroth had encountered the injured elf alone during one of his forest missions and returned with him to the kingdom, the Elven King had welcomed him in. Ever since then, the mage and the archer worked as a pair, loyal to the Elven Kingdom throughout the great war.
The two were rarely separated, which is why the mage had been upset at the news that the King would be sending Phillip alone into the Keep, and purely outraged when he got word of his capture.
Beldroth had planned to go after Phillip the very moment the message was received, but an order given to the Bard had forced him into a pacified slumber, and scolding’s from his king when he awoke.
They were all upset by the news of their archer’s capture, but the king knew this had to be handled with logic and careful planning, and not by rash decisions headed by emotions.
This was exactly why Beldroth had been ordered by the king to not step foot outside the kingdom walls, and not to be the one to go to Phillip’s rescue.
All the mage could do was wait until further instruction from his king was given, and in the meantime, he took out all of his anger during the daylight, mercilessly setting dummy after dummy ablaze with his magic, the small straw people left as nothing but smoldering piles of ash after taking blow after blow of scorching flame.
And that night, the night of the third day, once his patrolling shift had ended he switched out with the Bard and retreated to his quarters within the castle. It wasn’t a far walk from his post too his room, his AND Phillip’s room, which they insisted because it would leave more rooms available for any newcomers, and it was then and only then that he let himself be vulnerable.
Letting his armor slide off and clatter to the floor, his robes discarded to the bedpost and wand tucked safely away, Beldroth let himself lumber to the balcony and rested his forearms against the cold stone barrier.
It was times like now that the all-powerful fire mage, one of the kingdom’s most powerful members, the one who always had a tough resolve and never let his guard down…
…that he allowed himself to weep.
Once alone in the comfort of his shared room, the mage let his worries rest heavier upon his shoulders, so their whispers reached his pointed ears without falter. All their horrible thoughts rushed in, and he begged and pleaded with any god that would listen that Phillip would be returned safely to him before the night of the seventh day.
He prayed to the moon, and to all the stars in the sky, that his best friend would be returned to him. His calloused fingers gripped the stone beneath them as he imagined the blonde encircling him in a hug, wrists sore from imprisonment, but neither caring, as sharpened claws gently combed through any knots in the gilded strands.
Bringing a clawed hand to his chest, Beldroth slowly unfurled his clenched fist to reveal a small red ribbon.
The one Phillip used to tie up his hair each night before retiring, claiming it was ‘always best to keep yourself looking gentlemanly, even when no one is around to see.’
The blonde had an exception for this sometimes however, when the mage he shared a room with insisted he keep his hair down, that ‘it would be no good if it were pulled back and tied so tightly all the time. It’ll fall out sooner.’
They both laughed, and just that memory made the mage’s wine-red eyes water, and his hand curled back around the ribbon.
He didn’t care how much the Wizard wanted; he would pay any price in a heartbeat if it meant the protection of his best friend’s life. He would fight anyone and anything that got in his way, not caring about his own safety, if it meant that Phillip would be okay.
Wiping his eyes, the mage slowly retreated from the balcony and pulled the dark covers over the window, numbly dragged his feet, and fell onto the bed, not caring that he was dirtying the newly washed sheets; he didn’t bother to pull them back.
As he lay there, letting exhaustion roughly pull him into unconsciousness, he made a promise to himself, and a promise to Phillip as well.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to get you back Phillip, no matter the cost. I promise, you will be okay, I’ll figure something out.
I Promise.”