Elvi

The Broadcast

Rowan walked a short distance through the forest, before shifting, he shook out his long black fur and ran; running between trees, over hills, through rivers and streams and up the mountain before hitting the border of Keitha City. He shifted back to his human form before leaving the forest. Walking with purpose to his castle, people bowed as he passed; not acknowledging them, he kept on his way. Once inside the castle gates, he took a left and made his way to a side entrance, following the well practised maze of corridors and staircases until he was sitting at his desk. He released a breath, rubbing his hands roughly over his face.

‘That meeting went about as well as our first,’ he thought to himself.

A knock at the door had him growling in annoyance. He hadn't even removed his jacket. He stood back up and made his way to the door, throwing it open roughly.

“What do you want Llyall?” he said, taking his jacket off and hanging it on the hook by the door.

“I need to talk to you before the announcement, my Lord” Llyall said, closing the door behind him.

“Speak,” Rowan said, going to his alcohol cabinet, pulling out a bottle of whiskey and a single glass before sitting back down behind his desk.

“I think revealing the truth about Elvi to the people is a mistake” he started matter of factly.

Llyall had not dared to sit, instead opting to lean his hands against the chairs. Rowan swallowed the entire contents of his glass, refilled it, then stared at Llyall, waiting for him to speak. He would not interrupt him. Letting him speak his true thoughts right now was imperative. He would let him talk himself around the falsehoods until he talked himself into the truth.

“I believe that there will be many who try to harm her,” he began. “There of course has always been the small sect of shifters who are sympathetic to the Witches, but that number is not many. You, of course, found her during a hunt. You saw the reaction from the men on that day. I feel if you mention your mate that will place her into great danger. We will be spread too thin to protect her and to keep those wishing her harm in check, my Lord. There will be uproar. They will say ‘we can’t have a Witch Queen. The Royal line will be polluted’.”

There it was, thought Rowan. There was the truth, not the pretence of saving her life. They could not reach her inside that dome. He suspected only those with Witch blood could enter the field. He drank half of the whiskey before replacing the glass.

“No one will get through that barrier. I can’t even get through it and I am her mate” he said bitterly, finishing the second glass before filling it once more. “I also highly doubt that the Witch will want to spend enough time with me, after today, to want to pollute my blood line.”

“What do you mean?” asked Llyall, curiously, leaning forward.

“The presentation will happen tomorrow as planned. Go and get the others” he ordered, turning from his third, and ignoring his prying question.

*

Rowan watched as the men settled themselves into a comfortable position. He emptied his fifth glass. Today’s meeting with Elvi started off well, but crashed and burned pretty quickly. He couldn’t pretend that he wasn’t happy about her feeling the pull though. He would just have to try and make amends in two days' time when he saw her again. The men looked expectantly at him, so he would have to try and get Elvi out of his head, if only for a few minutes.

“Tomorrow at the presentation I am aware that the rumours of my ‘non shifter mate’” he made the air quotes, “will be brought up. The plan will be to explain that the reasons for our sudden treaty with the Witches of Vadon is a developing situation that requires delicacy and time. Further details will be provided as they are available. That is what the public will hear. Nothing else. Do you understand me?” The men assured their compliance. “Good. Now get out of my sight. I want to be alone.

The men stood hurriedly and filed out of the room, Delroy lingering to be the last man. He pointedly nodded at the King before closing the door with a sharp snap. Rowan released a slow breath, before filling his glass again. He replaced the stopper in the bottle, and left the office, leaving the bottle on the table. He crossed the hall, pushing open the door opposite. He wandered to the door inside to the right, slowly sipping his drink. Placing the cup on the marble countertop he undressed for a shower. The hot water poured into his skin, heating his body to the bone. He had spent this month sitting down, either at the tree or his desk, causing aching joints and a cold he couldn’t seem to shake. After twenty minutes or soaking himself he stepped from the shower, dripping water on the floor as he crossed the room for his forgotten towel. Emptying his glass once more as he exited the bathroom, he found an unwelcome sight on his bed.

“My Lord, you are dressed for the occasion” Asena said, seemingly delighted to find him in only a towel.

“You are on dangerous ground Asena” he growled.

“That is what I was hoping for, my Liege” she replied, not understanding the threat.

She pulled her knee length white dress over her head, revealing her naked body. Rowan could understand why she was popular throughout their race, she was beautiful, but he was well beyond the point of being in the mood for her games today. She strolled across the room, swaying her hips, before coming to rest in front of him, her hands immediately at his hips, untying the towel with practised movements, which fell to the floor unhelpfully. Her eyes roamed over him, apparently delighted. He caught her wrist as she grabbed onto his manhood, squeezing gently.

“Asena, you will remove your hand from me and you will take your clothes and leave this room. This is your only warning.”

Her eyes widened, before releasing her fingers, in turn making him release his own from her wrist. She hurried to grab her dress, leaving the room in a rush. Rowan flopped onto the bed, not bothering with the covers. The last thought he had before falling into unconsciousness, wondering if Elvi would ever want to act like that with him.

*

Rowan pulled his navy suit jacket over his white button down shirt, he left it open and his top button undone to appear casual and approachable; his dark brown oxfords shined to a gleam by his man servant. He brushed his long hair back out of his face. He was press ready. His advisory team had always recommended him to appeal to his female audience, and he had to admit that so far, the advice had done him wonders. His approval ratings were the highest of any King in recent history. That might well change after today's conference. A knock at the door pulled his focus.

“Enter” he said, fastening the clasp of his silver watch.

“It is time, my King” said Alarik, popping his head through the door.

“I’m ready.”

*

“The reason I have called you all here today,” started Rowan confidently, looking out at the collection of high borns and reporters, “Is to release the following statement. I, Rowan of Keitha, King of Shifters and Wolves, by royal decree and therefore binding law, here say that no shifter or wolf will attack the Coven of Vadon, from this day forth, by punishment of death.”

A collective gasp sounded from the crowd, before an upswing of outrage from the high borns and questions from the reporters. The King stood at the podium, waiting for silence to fall once again.

"What about the rumour that one is your mate, my King?”

“Will you confirm or deny that you have found your mate?”

“Will you be returning with a mate soon?”

“What did the Witches offer in return?”

He heard a sigh from Alarik, and mild shuffling from the group of his highest, behind him. He raised an eyebrow as the crowd continued their ruckus.

“SILENCE” he bellowed. The crowd fell silent immediately. “Our treaty with the Witches of Vadon is a developing situation that requires delicacy and time. Further details will be provided as they are available. Until then, I expect all of my subjects and those living on my territory to fall in line with this new law. I also expect my subjects to keep the distance that they would usually afford to the Vadon Coven. Copies of official documentation of this law can be found in the usual way. And as for the Vadon watching this report right now, I’ll see you tomorrow” he finished staring directly into the camera and winking, broadcasting him to the world. He knew that Elvi would be watching him and he wanted to hint at her that he was thinking about her. He promptly turned, left the podium and walked up the stairs and into the castle, not leaving space for further questions.