The Blood King's Bride
Chapter Nine

The stranger Elena and Forest brought back had been sleeping since they carried him into the restaurant. He did not open his eyes all through the period when they took care of him. His breathing was rapid at some point, coming out in harsh puffs, causing Elena to become worried. Mac helped to remove the man’s attire and dressed him in more comfortable clothes. When he was done, Elena took over from Forest and began to wipe off the man’s sweat. His breathing eventually became normal, and Elena sighed in relief.

The man slept for a long time, and they all surmised that his body required the much-needed rest. So they went about their daily duties as the man slept. Later in the evening, as they were preparing for the public banquet, the man woke up. Forest was the first to replace out as he was in his room searching for what to wear. When the strange man woke up, Forest jumped in alarm when he called out to him. Finally recognizing who was talking, Forest reached out to the man and asked him how he felt. He didn’t even wait for the man’s response before yelling for Elena.

Elena had just finished bringing out the dress she would wear for the banquet when she heard her name. She rushed over to Forest and was stunned to see the man they took home awake. Forest shook her out of her daze, and she quickly walked over to ask after the man.

He was a huge man, Elena noticed. His arms which were uncovered after Mac dressed him, were roughened with scars, and Elena wondered what kind of life the man had lived. His hair was curly, and he had huge bushy beards that looked like they hadn’t been shaved off for months. His eyes exposed his age, though. It had a youthfulness ladened with ageless secrets, a young man who was too wise for his age. Once again, Elena was left odd about just who the man was.

“Thank you for helping me.” The man said. His voice was coarse and very deep.

“No problem.” Forest acknowledged. “But I just have to ask. I have been curious about this since we brought you in yesterday. You at least owe us your response.” He said, looking at the man, silently asking for permission to go on. The man nodded his head.

“Why would you drink so much if you do not have the money to pay for it?” Forest asked. Elena was also curious about that. The man looked at them and studied them for a while before answering.

“I had the money. I realized that I didn’t bring it with me when it was already too late and as I was so drunk, I couldn’t defend myself. That is the only reason why that man could beat me as he did.” He answered. The man suddenly put up his arms, rolled them around, and rubbed his shoulders.

“He laid some heavy punches, though. I guess that wasn’t his first time doing it.” He said absentmindedly. Elena and Forest looked at themselves. They didn’t know what to expect after the man woke up. The man looked around the room and saw Forest’s clothes laid out.

“Are you going out?” He asked.

“Yes,” Forest replied. “Today is the day of the public banquet.”

“The King’s birthday? I forgot about that. No wonder everyone was so hyped up yesterday.” He mumbled.

“Aren’t you going?” Elena asked inquiringly. The man faced her and shook his head.

“I have attended it several times throughout my whole life. It’s nothing to look forward to.”

Forest and Elena gasped in unison.

“How can you say that?” They both said, and Forest continued. “It is the grandest event in all the four kingdoms. People from every kingdom come to take part in it, both commoners and royals.” He said defensively. The strange man just smiled and gave them a cognizant look, as if he knew something they didn’t. They all hung around like that, eyeing themselves.

“I just realized I haven’t introduced myself, how rude of me.” He said, breaking the lull.

“I’m Wazir, and you both are?” He inquired politely.

“I’m Elena,” Elena replied first, then indicating to Forest she said;

“And this is Forest.”

Wazir looked at Forest and said, “You have an unusual name. Unique, though.” Studying him closely, he declared;

“I think it suits you perfectly.”

“Yeah, I think so too,” Forest replied drily. Wazir ignored him and faced Elena.

“You have a lovely name, young lady.”

“Thank you.” She answered.

“You must have been loved so much by the one who named you.” He said, still looking at her. Elena felt that his words had deeper meanings, but that thought was quickly drowned out by the huge feeling of melancholy that rose in her upon thinking of her mother. She was the shining light in her mother’s life, a life that was wickedly snuffed out of her. Not wanting to showcase her feelings to those in the room, Elena quickly shielded it and nodded her head in response. They both were looking at her strangely, so she resolved to change the topic.

“Why don’t you come with us? We know you are recuperating and all that, but we do not trust you enough to leave you all alone in our restaurant. So just endure this once and come with us to the banquet. Or do you have a place to stay?” She asked. Wazir sighed listlessly.

“No, I do not. I guess I’ll have to come with you then. Sorry if I’m taking up much of your time and space.”

“No, not at all. It’s all right.” Elena said, glad that they had moved away from the tense atmosphere.

“We can offer you a job here,” Forest abruptly said. “We are looking for more waiters. If you’re interested, you can talk with our boss. He pays well too.”

Wazir looked at him as if stumbling upon his hero.

“Thank you. I’ll take you up on your offer.” He said, a huge smile illuminating his face.

They both left the room; Elena headed back towards hers and Forest to the kitchen with his clothes. They wanted to give Wazir some time to himself while preparing for the banquet. Mac came out already dressed while they were just finishing up. They finally all came out and stood in the restaurant service room, admiring each other.

“Well, don’t we look good,” Mac said satisfactorily, nodding his head. Elena smiled and did a little twirl.

“I love this dress so much.” She said.

“I’m surprised you were able to select a dress to wear after wasting your money buying over thirty gowns.” He said sarcastically.

“Hey-” Elena retorted. Forest laughed at her, trying to ease her anger.

“What can I say? I just love teasing you.” He said, a smirk hanging off his lips.

Elena snorted and crossed her arms, not wanting to look at him. They didn’t notice that Wazir had joined them until Mac spoke up all through their tirade.

“Hello, sir. How are you feeling now?” He said, walking towards Wazir in case he needed help. Wazir raised his hands to stop him and smiled politely.

“I’m fine. Thank you so much for your help.” He said. Then facing Elena, he asserted. “Would you care to give me some clothes, since I’m coming with you?” He glanced at himself and said;

“I doubt this would be good enough for a banquet.” Mac looked between the two of them, his eyes narrowed in confusion. Forest saw through his dilemma and helped him alleviate it by introducing them.

“Mac, this is Wazir. We just knew his name some minutes ago, while you were getting ready for the banquet.” He said, making nonchalant hand gestures.

“Elena suggested that he follow us since it won’t be proper to leave him alone here.”

“Oh,” Mac said. He looked at Wazir, and then he brought out his hands towards him.

“I’m Mac, the owner of this restaurant.” Wazir took his hand and shook it, realization flickering in his eyes.

“Thank you again, for letting me stay here.”

“No problem,” Mac replied.

“I would love to meet with you later to discuss if you have any job offer for me. Forest told me that I should meet with you. I wonder if that is okay with you?”

“Yes, of course,” Mac said, grinning. “We will talk after the banquet. For now, why don’t I give you some clothes to wear? You are a big man, I doubt Forest’s clothes would fit you.” He said. His fingers were on his chin, striking a studious pose as he scrutinized Wazir’s build.

“My clothes may fit you. They may be a bit smaller than what you normally wear, but I think it would work. Just wait here. Let me get some proper clothes for you.” He said, hurrying towards his room. He came out a few minutes later, with many clothes hanging off his hands and shoulders.

“You should try out these first. Let’s see if they would work.”

Wazir took the clothes appreciatively and went back inside Forest’s room to change. Five minutes later, he came out. He had put on a woolen tunic which showcased his big arms and tight breeches that showed off his thighs. It was not a typical dressing to wear to a banquet, but it was better than nothing.

“Well, off to the banquet now, shall we?” Mac said, brimming with glee.

The banquet for that day was set for the commoners. As they would not be able to enter the palace, the castle’s servants would help arrange a banquet-like service outside of the castle. The people would gather before it and be arranged in a particular manner before serving dishes takes place. There would be guards placed at the gates to ensure that no commoner would cause a threat to the King, his guests, or any commoner themselves.

Elena, Forest, Mac, and Wazir would also be part of the public gathering. They probably won’t stay for a long while, as they just came to see how it was. Mac and Wazir were not interested because they had seen it so many times. Still, Elena and Forest couldn’t wait to be part of the experience. It was their first time seeing something that grand, so they might as well enjoy it while it lasts.

Rumor had it that different people representing the other Kingdoms would appear. There would be a procession carried out by the countries’ ambassadors, proudly showing off their country’s wealth. Elena deduced that besides the main reason for the banquet, the other kingdoms probably came just to replace out the strength of their neighbors.

The Blood Kingdom was the only kingdom that never sent a representative. As the kingdom was popular for its blood lust and its notorious cravings for war, they only ever appeared if there were two things; first, an ongoing war, and second, a war they were about to cause. So to keep their reputation intact, they maintained a high level of secrecy. No one knew where their kingdom was, but everyone knew that whoever went there never came back.

They all finally arrived at the castle gates. It was packed with people from every corner of the kingdom hoping to see the King. The King was to address them from his palace top before the banquet could commence. The people had been arranged into neat rows; there were poles specifically placed to neatly group people and make sure that they did not squeeze themselves and create a space for the ambassadors of the other kingdom to pass through. Elena inwardly commended whoever came up with the idea. They were heading towards a place where they could get a better view. They all entered the same row and stood, quietly waiting for the banquet to start.

Elena’s heart started to beat fast from all the excitement. She couldn’t wait for it to commence. She was giddy from all the excitement and almost jumped because of the sensation. Forest smiled at her, his excitement radiating off his eyes. He, too, couldn’t wait for the banquet to start. The crowd was noisy, as people were all talking, carrying out one activity or another. Mac and Wazir stood indifferently, searching the crowd absentminded. They were counting the time, quietly waiting for the end of the banquet.

Suddenly there was a hush. The crowd became silent as if someone had snapped a finger at them. They were all looking up towards the royal balcony, a feeling of wonderment and reverence showing on their faces.

The King had appeared.