Wise stared at the trail of blood and smiled.
He stepped above it, careful to not get any on his shoes and walked into the living room—underneath the unwavering gaze of the queen.
He proceeded over to her plush couch and plumped down, crossing his legs.
Wise then proceeded to tap the couch as he let out a pleased sigh.
"Lovely couches you have here. The journey has left me terribly parched… Can I get something to drink?"
"Not coffee of course, wine preferably but anything other thing you have is great."
The queen quirked a brow, surprised by his stalwart confidence.
"I don't think we have been introduced. The last messenger was a bit less… perky."
Wise let out a slight chuckle. "He was but a messenger, I am the one Lord Wise sends when he needs something important taken care of."
If he was to show any kind of fear, the Queen would sense it which would affect his negotiations.
From his evaluation of her, Wise could sense it from her aura, she was not someone he wanted to fight, at least not yet.
First he had to somehow gain the advantage, while playing the role of Xenthos, Wise's imaginary attendant.
The princesses walked into the room and sat next to wise while the queen took a seat opposite him and her daughter on her right side.
"Humour me Mr?"
"Xenthos."
"Alright Xenthos, what is it that your so-called lord desires?" She asked, her tone mocking.
"I believe the messenger was abundantly clear of our demands." Wise said, his voice getting slightly colder.
The queen playfully rotated her mace by her side. "I have a bad memory."
Xenthos relaxed on the couch. "A drink."
The queen was once again left flabbergasted. "What?"
"My lord is not one of many talk, first a drink for my sore throat, then we can talk further."
"Do you want to die that badly?" Aofie shot from beside her.
Wise smiled. "Is that a threat?"
The room was quiet for a few tense seconds then the queen nudged her daughter. "Tell the maids to get him a drink."
"Mom!"
"Be quick." She said, leaving no room for argument.
Giving Wise one last angry glare, Aofie rose to her feet and stormed away.
Wise could feel the stare of the princesses on him, they were most likely seeing this arrogant side of his for the very first time.
As a pawn shop owner there had been many run-ins with gang members who tried to hassle more money than their product was worth out of his hands.
That alone obviously could not give him the confidence he had.
Currently, his confidence steamed simply from his strength, argue it all you want, power always came with a certain degree of arrogance.
And Wise was strong, maybe not stronger than the older dragons or the more experienced heroes but he was sufficiently powerful and would only grow stronger.
But that was not still the sole source of his confidence.
Somehow, this persona felt natural to him, it was like negotiation was something he had done a thousand times already.
Maybe in those sixteen years…
"I have to say." The queen began, drawing him out of his thoughts. "The only one that has ever been this bold in my presence was my husband the king."
There was a strange glint in her eyes as she watched Wise. "Tell me Xenthos, are you strong enough to back up that arrogant mouth of yours?"
"…" Wise remained quiet, right up until the maids finally arrived with his drink, princess Aofie not far behind them.
He took the silver goblet and swirled the red liquid within it before taking a sip of the wine.
Then he let out a pleased sigh.
"Lovely, not as good as what they serve in Frenum but lovely nonetheless."
Dahlia picked up a goblet and after staring suspiciously at the liquid for sometime took a sip as well.
Esme and Freya ignored the wine and instead took some of the snacks the maid had brought along with them.
Wise looked up from his goblet. "You asked if I could back up my mouth? But why would I have to when there is no need for it?"
"Are you saying you would oppose the dragon?"
The queen laughed heartily and tapped Aofie's back in a way that seemed rather painful, yet Aofie did well to hide it.
"I like this one! You never know what to expect from that sharp tongue of his."
Aofie did not seem to share that sentiment. Rarely did she ever see her mother engage in such long and boring conversations.
The queen was a woman of action and that was how Aofie was raised. Why then were they talking? The entire meeting bored hee to no end but she had to respect her mother.
The queen let go of her mace, allowing it to fall to the ground, but just as it made contact with the floor.
Boom!
The mace shattered the floor as though it was made of glass, not only destroying the flooring but digging deep into the soil beneath it.
'What the hell? How heavy is that thing supposed to be?!' Wise wondered.
Daphne's gaze hardened, Freya looked slightly concerned and Esme was nervously playing with the hem of her shirt.
Meanwhile Wise remained as impassive as every.
"Tell me Xanthos…"
The queen rose from her chair and walked up to him, leaning so close to him that he could feel her breath.
"Do you think I fear your lord?"
He smiled.
"No, not yet."
Thump!
Esme suddenly fell forward, collapsing on the floor. Next Freya fell sideways, leaning helplessly against his side.
Whoosh!
The shadows in the room stilled as though frozen, then out of them multiple spears shot out towards the queen, moments away from Teri and into her flesh when they suddenly disappeared.
"This Bitch..."
Daphne cussed, struggling to stop herself from sleeping, just before she fell backward, her dark hair scattering by her side.
Wise gently placed the cup of wine on the chair. "Poison? No, a sleeping drug."
"I never would have thought the Orks would go so low."
The queen shrugged. "A smart warrior knows when to adapt. Don't worry, we'll have a comfortable bed waiting for you when you wake up."
The world suddenly began to spin as Wise fell forward into the embrace of the queen, his vision turning dark.