The Exiled King

Chapter 21 - The Crowning of the Winter Prince

He woke slowly, stretching out comfortably to hear the sheets rustling. Eyes shut, he nestled into the heat of the blankets, snuggling into a curled position.

Eventually he groaned and sat up, opening his eyes, but immediately shut them, hissing, as the bright sunlight hurt them. A loud knock on the door startled him, then he heard the sound of the door handle turning and the door swinging open on rough hinges. He covered his ears, trying to block out the grating sound, but instead of feeling soft, rounded edges, his ears tapered to a point. He squinted, opening his eyes slowly and scrambled out of bed, half-tumbling to the floor as he saw an elf entering carrying a basin of water and a towel. He stumbled over to her and grabbed the basin out of her hands, peering at the face reflected in the water.

The basin fell out of his hands and he sank to his knees, his heart beating erratically.

No... this can't be! He thought.

A single, blue eye had gazed back at him. The other was yellow. Yet, the difference in eye color was a far cry from the most shocking.

The servant had run out of the room in fright and returned a few moments with Dethemina and Galion, who knelt down and anxiously inspected Haverik for any injuries.

"What's wrong?" He asked, in heavily accented common.

Haverik's haunted eyes met Galions and he asked brokenly, "W-What have you done? W-Why are my e-ears so pointy? What happened?"

Galion gave his shoulder a reassuring pat and said, "You underwent the purification ceremony to purge the human blood from your veins. You're one of us now!"

Haverik shoved Galion's hand away, crying, "I never wanted this! How am I ever to return to human society now? I'll be an outcast - I was lucky to be born without these cursed ears!"

Eyes burning with fury directed their gaze at Dethemina, who stood uncertainly at the doorway, and Haverik shouted, "I wish I'd never met you!"

"My prince!" Galion scolded, "Do not yell at our queen like that!"

One of them...? I never wanted to be a full elf. I could have lived a happy life, concealing my elven blood, in Sanobar with Father. I'll only be an embarrassment to Father now, a son to be ashamed of. Shedding my human blood in favor of elven blood—no matter how I explain it, it sounds bad.

Tears fell to the floor, dripping from Haverik's sky-blue eyes.

"Hjevi-" Dethemina whispered, stepping forward.

At that moment, Haverik snapped. A chilly feeling wound itself from his stomach to his palms and ice spread rapidly from his fingertips, creating a thick coating of glistening blue-white ice crystals all over the walls and floor of the room. The glass of the windows of the room burst in a show of glittering pieces as giant ice spikes grew in a circle, enclosing Haverik and Galion, but shutting Dethemina out with a spike at her throat.

As he breathed, steam was exhaled from his mouth, and he said with deadly calm, "Haverik was a half-elven human... someone whom I can never become any longer. Do not even try to call me by that name. I do not wish to hear that name come from your mouth. I cannot shame my parents by t-this hideous appearance."

"I am discarding that name—it died with the human part of me, and I will take up a different name. One that represents my new shame," He continued frostily, then gave a twisted smile, "How about Taryn, Mother?"

Galion straightened and stood, careful to avoid the ice spikes. He surveyed the damage to the room but said nothing except: "Please calm yourself, my prince. At this rate you will freeze the entirety of Silvardor, and in spring no less."