Chapter 168: Chapter 168

168 Chapter 168 : I apologize

In the royal palace of Gavaria, Gareth, Zander, Finwe, Ozias, Odran, Ivan, Beric, Roland and king Dvalin all sat down at a large teakwood table with the king and queen. Margret Burchard was still misty eyed not believing that she was actually looking at her son after so long.

“You’ve gotten thin,” she commented on Gareth’s weight who was sitting beside her, “you haven’t been eating enough and you’ve been stressed.”

“I’m fine mother,” Gareth responded politely even though the truth of the matter was that he wasn’t all that fine. Prior to this, he was drowning his sorrows of losing Melissa to Elric in alcohol and ate very little. And even on the journey here, he couldn’t say he was doing much better, except for that fact that there was a chance of getting his woman back, he was still very worried about Melissa’s wellbeing under the watchful eyes of Elric. Her pregnancy wouldn’t be hidden for long and only the gods knew what Elric would do if he discovered it.

Margret rose to her feet, “let me check what’s taking the food so long,” she muttered as she gently stroked her son’s hair. “You need to be fed. Excuse me.”

When the queen left, James Burchard glanced at the faces at the table one by one until he stopped at his son’s face. “So everything that Elric told us, is it true?”

Gareth didn’t even like hearing that lycan’s name, he had caused him enough trouble in this lifetime and the next. “It depends, what exactly did he tell you?”

“Are you the crowned prince of the elves Adam?” The kings asked his son.

“I am,” Gareth responded. He cocked his head up and smiled at his father, “also, I go by Gareth now, apparently that’s the name I was given when I was first born.”

“When you were first born huh?” The king mumbled to himself before meeting his son’s gaze, “so that part of Elric’s story is quite accurate as well, you really have lived on this earth longer than you let on.”

.....

“I have, a little over a hundred years..”

“So you and Elric’s wife..?”

Gareth scoffed, Elric’s wife? That title was like a bitter potion in his mouth, if it wasn’t for Elric’s sneaky ways, Mel would have been his, and he wouldn’t be going through all this trouble right now. “Father I’m sorry for defying you and leaving the kindom in pursue of Melissa. I know I abandoned my duties as heir and practically renounced the throne, and I will accept any punishment for that. But abandoning my right as heir is the only thing I’m sorry for, going after Melissa is nothing I regret, and you know how they say ‘given the chance I’d do it again’?”

James Burchard leaned back on his chair and studied his son, “I heard that she had returned to Meria,” the king spoke, “I’m assuming you’re planning to steal her away again?”

“Exactly,” Gareth responded without hesitation.

“Don’t you think this game of tag of war over a woman has gone on long enough son?” James asked Gareth, “I understand you fell in love with her in a past life or whatever the case, but she is married now, it’s time to let her go and focus on more important things. The continent is crumbling, Elric is a tyrant who rules by striking fear in the hearts of people. He hasn’t changed anything, he has just reversed the roles with humans being oppressed and the awakened being the oppressors, we have to bring a balance.”

“Ironing out all of Elric’s barbaric laws is on my list father,” Gareth responded, “I will get to that I just need-”

“You just need to get Melissa back first, yes I heard you the first time,” James spoke with a sigh, “gods son what has this woman done to you. Is she so enchantingly beautiful that you can’t find another single more available woman to be by your side?”

“She is enchantingly beautiful yes,” Gareth responded, “but also-”

“Beauty fades son, she’s just one woman. You can-”

“She’s pregnant,” Gareth interrupted. “And the baby is mine.”

James Burchard iced up in shock. In the back, a loud crash was heard, when the men turned to the doorway of the room they saw the queen who had dropped the tray of food she was carrying while shock and guilt painted her face.

The king quickly rushed to his wife and inspected her frantically, “are you you alright Margret? What happened?!”

“Is she..” the queen stammered as she spoke to Gareth, “is she really carrying your child?”

Gareth nodded, “she is..”

“Not to barge in on the conversation,” Finwe added on, “but I just want to put it out there that the mating of nosferatu women, like princess Melissa, is very selective. They can only conceive the child of their blood halves, meaning Gareth and Melissa are bound for life. Also the baby she carries is an heir not only to the Ervelon throne, but the Gavarian throne as well.” Finwe cleared his throat and gave a quick wink to his brother, “just in case someone didn’t realize why Melissa is very important to us.”

“And I almost had her killed,” Margret mumbled before breaking down in tears. She moved towards her son and fell to her knees, “I’ve been a terrible mother Gareth, I’m so sorry.”

Gareth quickly got up and pulled his mother from the floor, “please don’t get to your knees mother, you’re queen, it’s beneath you.” He cupped his mother’s face in his hands and wiped away her tears with his thumbs, “you were doing what you thought was best for me at the time. It’s alright, I told you I don’t want you crying anymore.”

“We have to get her back!” Margret spoke while firmly holding her son’s arms. “Elric is a mad man we have to get her back! She’s carrying my grandchild!”

Gareth smiled at his mother, “I’m glad you finally see things my way.”

*

“You!”

“Hey,” Julia responded nervously, “sorry i must have gotten the wrong room. I’ll just leave now and-”

The small green eyed woman squealed when Vivian dragged her back by the collar of her dress, “you’re the woman who tried to kill princess Melissa, I know those green dwarvish eyes anywhere. I saw you in my vision!”

“Im sorry I wasn’t thinking straight,” Julia squealed in fear, this person was unusually strong for a woman.

“Weren’t thinking straight huh?!” Vivian yelled, “was your mind foggy from your obsession with prince Gareth?! You get off on taking men that don’t belong to you huh?!”

“No wait i didn’t know that he loved her, I can explain!” Julia tried to run but Vivian was much too strong and had her in a choke hold in seconds.

“Vivian what are you doing?!” Melissa screamed after she heard the squabbling going on at her door.

“This little munchkin here tried to sneak into your chambers and stab you!” Vivian yelled as she choked Julia.

“I wasn’t going to stab her!” Julia yelled while chocking.

“What in God’s name Vivian!” Maria screamed, “leave her alone, do you want prince Clovis to kill us?!”

“If she wasn’t here to stab the princess why the hell is she here?!”

“I came to apologize!” Julia screamed.

Vivian loosened her hold on Julia and looked down at her, “you came to apologize?”

“Yes, I came to apologize to Melissa,” the green eyed woman gasped.

“Vivian release her right now!” Melissa ordered. The dark haired nosferatu woman released Julia who immediately went into a gasping and coughing fit.

“Gods Vivian you need to relax,” Maria spoke as she helped Melissa lead Julia into the room.

“You wouldn’t be asking me to relax if she had a knife up her skirt,” Vivian responded curtly while following the women into the room and closing the door behind her.

Melissa helped Julia into a chair while Maria poured some water into a cup and handed it to her.

“Thank you,” Julia mumbled before drinking the water.

“You should apologize Viv,” Melissa spoke with a stern look on her face.

“I’m not apologizing to this skimming little woman,” Vivian responded, “I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“No it’s okay,” Julia responded with a small smile, “after what I almost did to you, I deserved that.”

After Julia finished her water and the tension in the room settled, Julia turned to Melissa and smiled nervously at her. Even after Julia had tried to kill her at some point, Melissa still stood up for her when the other woman tried to possibly kill her, she really was a good woman and Julia needed to set things straight with her.

“I came to apologize,” Julia mumbled, “I’m sorry Melissa, I was blinded by my obsessive crush on the prince that I couldn’t see that you had done no wrong. I want to make amends, please accept my apology.”

Saying it out loud made Julia feel embarrassed, she really almost stabbed a woman over a man? One who had showed her multiple times that he wasn’t interested in her? Good gods she was a lost cause.

“It’s alright,” Melissa responded.

Julia looked up at Melissa in shock, it was alright? “Just like that?” the green eyed woman asked. “You’re not upset with me or anything? I wronged you and falsely accused you of being a witch, aren’t you angry at all?!”

“Well I was,” Melissa responded, “but not anymore. I didn’t see the need to hold a grudge.” Melissa sat down next to Julia and smiled slyly at her, “although, there is one thing I want from you. After that I’ll let you off the hook.”

Julia gulped.