King of the Goblins—Chapter 46

“Please, come in,” he said, stepping aside so I could enter.

His house was small, but beautifully made. Everything was wooden, of course, having been magically grown from the same trees that made up the city itself. A thick rug in bold colors covered the floor, and several paintings hung on the walls. 

“A guest?” a woman asked.

“Aaron, this is my wife, Alenia,” Althidon said.

“Pleased to meet you,” I said, offering her a small bow. Well, my best attempt at one.

Althidon had told me that Leena had her mother’s beauty, and now I saw what he meant. She was a stunningly beautiful woman, and her beauty was not even remotely lessened by the streaks of gray in her hair. She had the same slender build and facial structure as her daughter, though her hair was more of a strawberry blonde. Her eyes were blue, like a clear summer sky.

“I’ve been training him for about a week now,” Althidon explained. “He’s…helping a friend.”

“Oh,” Alenia said. “Well, in that case, he’s just in time for dinner.”

“Do you have time for dinner?” Althidon asked me quietly.

“No. Yes,” I said. “I don’t know. There’s a lot going on. I really need your help.”

“Wine, please,” Althidon said to his wife, who nodded. “We need to talk about a serious matter, my dear.”

Althidon led me to the side of the room, where two chairs sat with a small table between. A moment later, Alenia brought two silver cups filled with honey-colored wine. I could tell Leena wanted to better hear our conversation, but at a stern look from her father, she went into the kitchen with her mother. She kept glancing at us the entire time.

“Now, tell me what’s going on,” Althidon said.

I took a deep breath. “Ralcor’s guards have kidnapped Silvy, Tressi, and Zia. He’s holding them in the throne room. I just went there and saw them for myself.”

“You went all the way to the throne room?” Althidon asked, sounding impressed.

“Yeah,” I said, continuing. “With the shadow stone, it’s not that hard for me. I only had to kill, I don’t know, half a dozen of them. But he’s got the women. I spoke with Ralcor and he challenged me to a fight. I agreed and told him I’d be there tomorrow. He said if I don’t show up, he’ll skin the women alive.”

Althidon took a long sip from his wine and leaned back in his chair. “Well,” he said after a moment. “I don’t see how things could get much worse.”

“Ralcor is the only problem,” I said. “I can kill the rest of the guards myself, or with Taranath’s help. I was able to kill two men at once today. I did it twice, in fact. But I can’t fight Ralcor by myself. Even with Taranath, I don’t think I’d make it.” I took a deep breath. “I don’t know what to do, so I came to you for advice.”

Althidon drank from his wine cup again and sat there, brows knit in thought. He glanced over at me a few times, almost seeming to argue with himself. 

As for me, I was a mess of emotions. Fear that something was going to happen to the women, anxiety and stress and regret for all the men I would have to kill. And of course, absolute terror at the thought of facing Ralcor. I knew a death at his hands wouldn’t be a quick one.

“There are very few men alive that could face Ralcor with a sword and survive,” Althidon said. “His skill with a blade is legendary. I’ve often wondered how I would fare against him.” He took a deep breath. “I suppose it’s time to find out.”

“What?” I asked flatly.

“I’m going with you,” Althidon said, downing the last of his wine. “Drink your wine, that’s not cheap.”

I looked down into my silver cup and took a sip. It was a light wine with just the faintest trace of sweetness. While I wasn’t a huge wine drinker, this was just as good as I expected from elves. 

“I’m already risking Taranath’s life. I don’t want to add yours to the mix,” I said, feeling some measure of guilt. 

“Nonsense,” Althidon replied, waving it away. “As I understand, I probably won’t even get close to any soldiers until we reach Ralcor. You and Taranath will take care of them. You’ll sleep here tonight. For obvious reasons, there is nowhere in the goblin city that would be safe for you.”

I nodded, feeling numb. “Thank you. I will forever be in your debt.”

“Eh, forget about it,” Althidon said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had a good fight.”

I winced at the similarity to Ralcor’s words.

“Are you two ready?” Alenia called out.

“Yes, honey,” Althidon said. “Come on, Aaron. Right now, stressing yourself won’t help anything. Try to relax a bit.”

I followed him into the small kitchen, where we sat around a round table. The food Alenia served was colorful and smelled incredible. It looked like some kind of flatbread, filled with…. Well, I didn’t know what. Some kind of bean, with a thick, rich red sauce. Colorful vegetables circled the edge of each plate. I didn’t recognize most of them, but they were well-spiced.

It dawned on me that there was no meat in the food. That made sense, from what I understood about elves. They probably weren’t too big on killing animals and eating them. For that matter, goblins weren’t huge on it either. Well, as good as this tasted, I didn’t mind one bit.

“Some more wine?” Alenia asked.

“Please,” I said, trying not to sound overly grateful.

“Leena,” Alenia said.

Leena got up from her chair and grabbed a small pitcher of wine, then topped off everyone’s cups. She set the pitcher in the center of the table and we continued.

“So, is there anything you need to tell me?” Alenia asked, taking a delicate bite of her food.

“I’m going with Aaron tomorrow,” Althidon said after a brief pause. His normally gruff voice was suddenly calm, almost tender as he spoke to his wife. “You know I love you, Alenia, and I don’t like keeping things from you.” He paused again, taking a deep breath. “We’re going to overthrow Ralcor and put Aaron on the goblin throne.”

Alenia swallowed her bite of food, then carefully cut another one. She stuck that in her mouth, chewed, then swallowed it. The whole time, Leena stared at both of us, her mouth open.

“Oh, close your mouth before you catch flies,” Alenia said. “Althidon, my dear, I’m not sure if that’s one of your bad jokes or not.”

“He’s not joking,” I said. After a sigh, I continued. “Everyone would know in a couple days regardless, so I suppose there’s no point in keeping things secret anymore. Alenia, my world was destroyed. The gods brought me here as an answer to Silvy’s prayers.”

“I know that name,” Alenia said, shaking her head slightly. “Awful, what Ralcor did to her.”

“Yes, well I was planning on overthrowing Ralcor and taking his place on the throne. I would bring about an era of peace and prosperity to the goblin people, and restore relations with the elves.”

“And you’re not even a goblin,” Alenia said without looking up. She took another bite of her food, not bothered at all by our conversation. Leena still looked like her eyes were going to pop out of her head.

“No, but I’m here because of them so I owe them that. Well…Ralcor’s soldiers kidnapped Silvy and two other women earlier today. All three of them are strong with magic. They were going to help me. I’m actually planning on marrying them once I become king.”

Alenia finally set her fork down, although it was just to grab her cup of wine. “So, you’re going to rescue them?”

I nodded. “And to kill Ralcor. But it’s going to be much more difficult without them. Taranath has agreed to join me.”

“Oh, the man with the bow? He is rather good.” Alenia gently set her cup down and looked from me to her husband. “Well, if anyone is going to help you, I suppose my Al would be the best man. I don’t think anyone out there can best him with a sword.”

“You’re just—but wait,” Leena said, trying to find the right words to say.

“Oh, your father is fine,” Alenia said. “He’s the best swordsman out of our entire people and has been for more than a hundred years, if not two hundred. If anyone is going to be okay, it’s him. No, the one person I would worry about is you, Aaron.”

I shrugged. “I know blood magic, and I’m very strong with it.”

That finally broke through her calm facade. The fork dropped from Alenia’s hand and clanged against her plate.

“Blood magic?” Alenia said, a hint of dread in her voice. “You know blood magic?” She looked over at Althidon. “You trained a man that knows blood magic, and brought him into my house?” Her voice was filled with displeasure.

Althidon held up a hand. “Peace be on you, wife. It’s okay. Aaron is a good man, and blood magic is the only way he is able to do this. He was brought here by the gods, remember. They gave him the tools he needs to complete his task.”

“What is the deal with you guys and blood magic?” I asked.

Alenia gave me a hard look. “Three hundred years ago, a man named Thalanil tried to conquer our people. He knew blood magic, just like you. He used it to slaughter hundreds, thousands of innocent people, in order to set himself on the throne.”

“How was he beaten?” I asked.

It was Leena that answered. “My grandfather,” she said with a smile of pride.

I looked at Althidon, who nodded. “My father was twice the swordsman I’ll ever be,” he said. “May his memory never fade. He saved us from living under the boot of a madman, although he died in the process. After that moment, blood magic has been forbidden in the elven kingdom.”

“Thanks for clearing that up,” I said. “Now I understand why some people react the way they do.”

“Will you be eating in the morning, my love?” Alenia asked.

Althidon shook his head. “No, just some water. Maybe a dash of wine,” he said. “Now please, let us talk of more pleasant things.”

After that, we talked of, well, elven stuff. I asked about the trees and how they were grown into cities. That was a point of pride among the elven people, Althidon explained. Great amounts of magic were used to shape the trees into the islands and bridges far above the ground, and to maintain them. We all relaxed a bit as he explained.

Long ago, the elves used to live on the ground, in buildings of stone, wood, and brick. After too many fights with orcs and other neighbors, they finally took to the trees, to live lives of relative peace. They still trained for war in case anyone were to attack them, but otherwise lived calm lives.

The whole time, Leena kept shooting me small glances and smiles. Learning the truth about me seemed to amplify her interest in me. At least she was cautious enough that neither of her parents saw, for which I was grateful. If she suspected her daughter of wanting to do anything with me, Alenia would probably drown me with that pitcher of wine, keeping a calm demeanor the whole time.

When we were done, we went to the living room, where we all sat and Althidon and Alenia took turns telling stories from elven history. I found it fascinating, and more importantly, it helped to pass time without me tearing my hair out from stress.

“You will sleep in the guest room,” Althidon announced later that evening. “I hope you will find everything comfortable.”

He showed me to a small room that held a simple bed and a nightstand, and nothing else. When I sat on the bed, I felt an immediate difference from Silvy’s mattress. I suppose I had just gotten used to hers, but this was far better. I made a note to have the elves make a mattress for me after I became king.

Althidon bade me goodnight, then left the room. A faint bit of starlight beaming through the small window was enough light for me to get undressed, and I slipped beneath the sheets. They were soft, made out of that same material as my clothes. Softer than wool, stronger than cotton. I briefly wondered what kind of plant they came from.

I tried not to think about the next day, although it was hard. Eventually, exhaustion set in and I fell asleep.

I slept lightly, and woke with a jerk when I heard the door hinge creak. My hand shot out for the goblin sword but stopped on the hilt.

It was Leena.

She stood in the doorway, wearing nothing but a thin shift. A very thin shift, in fact. Even in the starlight, I was able to make out her nipples behind the translucent fabric. 

“Is everything alright?” I asked sleepily. I pulled my hand away from the sword hilt.

“Yes,” she said quietly, and came into the room.

I wanted to ask her what she was doing, but she simply came to the bed and pulled the sheets back. I was fully nude, but that didn’t seem to bother her. She climbed in bed with me, backing against me so that we were spooning, then grabbed my arm and pulled it over her.

I held her tightly to me. Her hair was the softest thing I’d ever felt, and she smelled wonderful. Her small, perky butt was pressed right against my crotch, so there was no way for me to avoid getting an erection. She didn’t seem to mind. In fact, she moved her hips a few times, making the situation even worse.

“You’re really going to be the new goblin king?” she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.

“Yes,” I replied. “I want to start a new era of peace among the goblins and improve their lives. They’re good people and they deserve better than what they have now. The elves are important to me as well, and I want to repair relations between our two people. I want to be the best king I can.”

“What do you value in a partner?” she asked after a pause.

I thought carefully before answering. “I have to be able to trust her. Someone that makes me feel loved, and appreciated. Good communication skills.”

When I didn’t say anything else, she answered. “Is that all?”

“Those are probably the most important things, yeah,” I said. 

“In stories, I’ve read about political marriages,” she said. “To solidify the bond between two nations.” She paused for a moment, then continued. “You know, I respect what you’re doing. Risking your life to help the goblin people, when you aren’t even a goblin yourself. Facing Ralcor, even though you know how dangerous he is. That shows honor, courage, and strength. Those are things I value in a partner.”

She suddenly rolled over so that she was facing me. Her nose was nearly touching mine. Her emerald eyes looked into mine for some time. I thought she was going to kiss me, and some part hoped she would, but she didn’t. She just looked at me.

After some time, she took my hand and put it on her hip, then moved it around, signalling for me to feel her in a way that showed she was still rather innocent and vulnerable. I let my hand move around a bit, respectfully, enjoying her slender body. Her hips were small, especially compared to the goblin women, but they were perfect for her frame.

“Is this okay?” she asked. “I know what you’re used to. Could you be happy with this?”

And now it made sense. Everyone knew how ridiculously beautiful and voluptuous goblin women were. Leena was beautiful, but curvy she was not. Not even remotely. She was self-conscious about her waiflike figure.

“Absolutely,” I said. I avoided letting my hand slide back to grab her ass, but let me tell you, it wasn’t easy.

That answer seemed to satisfy her. She turned back around, pressing her back to me, and told me to hold her. I did, enjoying her soft skin against mine, but I didn’t close my eyes and made no effort to fall asleep. The last thing I wanted was for Althidon to find his daughter in my bed. 

Fortunately, after about half an hour, she got up. Without a word, she sat on the side of the bed, toying with the narrow shoulder straps of her shift. With a flick of her hand, it slid down, and the shift with it. She stood and let it fall to the floor, then slowly turned back to me. 

I didn’t know what to say. Even as slender as she was, her body was absolutely flawless. I had never seen anything like it. Her small yet round, perky butt. Her small breasts. Her tiny waist and long legs.

She bent over and kissed me on the cheek, then held my gaze for a moment. With a faint smile, she grabbed her shift and straightened up, then turned and walked slowly to the door. She paused in the doorway, turning to look at me over her shoulder. With a rock of her hips, she finally walked away.

“Holy shit,” I whispered to myself. What was going on?

If only Zia could have seen her.