Page 4 of The Broken Elf King
I didn’t like the intrusiveness of the question but knew I must answer and truthfully. My life was in his hands. “For life-saving medication for my aunt.”
His brow knotted in confusion. He would be perplexed at that. People in Archmere didn’t need medication. If they got sick they were healed. For free. It was as easy as breathing for them.
“Did you know you would not be able to repay the loan when you took it?” he questioned.
I growled slightly then, my gaze flicking to his and holding it. “Yes,” I said with annoyance. “To save my aunt.”
He seemed to consider my response.
“What are your thoughts on the elvin race?”
I frowned. “That’s a broad question. I—”
“I need to know if I will be hiring someone who hates me and my people,” he clarified. “You grew up in Nightfall under the queen’s rule.”
So he was thinking of hiring me? Not killing me? That excited me. Maybe this wouldn’t end in my hanging.
I nodded. “I think they are lucky. They have no sickness and can easily heal. I am jealous of the healing ability and wish them no harm.”
He frowned. “Jealous of an ability you have?”
I felt my cheeks redden. “I never bloomed. My father died before he could train me and… my magic never came.”
Blooming was what the elves called it when your magic surfaced, usually around age five when you started your training.
He stepped before me then, squaring his shoulders and looking me right in the eyes. “Alright… and what are your thoughts on the Nightfall queen?”
I stiffened, holding my breath. It was no secret that the queen had murdered the elf king’s entire family when he was fourteen. Seven siblings; only he survived. He hated her, that much I knew, and so did I, but to say that out loud was treason.
I looked over my shoulder, checking if the door was closed. Speaking out against the queen was met with a swift response, and I’d never done it, not even to my aunt. We grumbled about the lack of accommodations, or treatment—we spoke ill of some of the army’s deeds, but never of her. His eyes narrowed to slits.
“What do you think about the Nightfall queen?” he pressed again.
I took in a deep breath. “I hate her. I wish she’d just die so we all could live in peace,” I said in a rush, and then clamped my hands over my mouth.
A halfcocked grin spread over his face for a second and then it was gone. “Very well. I’d like to hire you on as my new personal assistant. My last one got married and left,” he declared, and went back behind his desk to scribble on a piece of parchment.
I sagged in relief. Personal assistant to the king? That sounded like a big deal. Not like cleaning toilets or making bread. “I… I’d be honored.”
“I need someone well educated,” he stated, still looking down at his parchment. “Fast at taking notes, able to read books, and learn about new things and inform me.”
I nearly jumped out of my skin with joy. “I love reading. I read a book a day, all kinds of subjects, and even fiction for fun.”
He looked up then and pushed the piece of parchment he’d been writing on across the desk, handing me a quill and ink. “Do it quickly.”
I had no idea what it was, a test of some sort? I worked well under pressure, and so I sat at the chair across from his desk and grabbed his ink quill and the piece of parchment.
It was a test. And it was in three different languages!
Thank the Maker I spoke them all.
“I haven’t seen written Old Elvish in years,” I admitted. I dipped the quill in the ink, grateful I’d had such a curiosity for languages across the realm and studied them all.
His first question was written in Old Elvish and was simple. It gave a problem of a fishing vessel sinking out in Fallenmoore territory. The question asked whether the elf king had the right to retrieve the boat or would need King Moon’s permission before doing so. It seemed mostly like a question to make sure I understood the language.
I answered and then moved on to the next. This one was written in New Elvish. Another simple question, which I answered. The last one was a detailed arithmetic problem written in Avalerian, which was the language shared among all peoples of Avalier.
I finished it easily, and handed back the parchment.
