Chapter 143 Diplomatic Mission
Elara's POV
"Your brother?" I stared at Mother in shock. "King Aldric is your brother?"
"Was my brother," Mother corrected quietly. "I died thirty years ago, remember? At least, that's what everyone believed."
King Aldric's face had gone from stern to stunned. "Helena. You're really alive."
"Barely. For years." Mother's voice hardened. "After you refused to help me when Morgana's family came hunting Moonstones. After you turned me away because magic scared you."
"I had a kingdom to protect!" You wanted me to harbor magical fugitives..."
"I wanted you to save your sister!" Mother's hands shook. "But you chose fear over family."
The tension crackled between them.
I stepped forward. "This changes everything. Uncle, you're planning to attack your own family."
"I didn't know you existed until five minutes ago," Aldric said. "And it doesn't change the fundamental problem. Your kingdom threatens human survival."
"How?" I demanded. "Show me one human we've hurt. One person suffering because of unity."
"It's not about immediate harm. It's about the future." Aldric gestured to his advisors. "Show them the projections."
An advisor unrolled scrolls covered in numbers and charts.
"In the past year, human-only marriages in neighboring kingdoms dropped forty percent," he explained. "Birth rates of pure human children decreased thirty percent. Meanwhile, half-breed births increased seventy percent."
"Those aren't tragedies," Lily said. "Those are families choosing love."
"Those are humans choosing extinction," Aldric countered. "In three generations, pure humans will be a minority. In five, we might not exist at all."
"That's assuming everyone chooses mixed marriages," Faye argued. "Which isn't true. Plenty of humans marry humans in our kingdom."
"Enough to sustain the population?" Aldric asked. "Your data says otherwise."
He was right. I'd seen the census reports. More mixed marriages than human-only ones.
But was that bad? Or just different?
"Let me show you something," I said. "Not charts. Real people."
I pulled out the testimonials we'd gathered. Letters from citizens about how their lives improved.
"This is from Marcus, a human farmer," I read. "He writes: 'My crops were failing. I was going to lose my farm. Then a griffin family moved nearby. They taught me about wind patterns and soil rotation. Now my harvest is triple what it was. My children won't starve.'"
I handed the letter to Aldric and pulled out another.
"This is from Sara, human mother of three. 'When the plague hit, I thought my family would die. But merfolk healers saved us. They didn't ask for payment. Didn't care that we weren't magical. They just helped because we needed it.'"
More letterd of humans whose lives were better because of unity.
Aldric read them silently. His expression didn't change, but something flickered in his eyes.
"These are individual stories," he said finally. "Exceptions."
"They're not exceptions. They're the norm." I pulled out more evidence. "Trade has increased. Crime has decreased. Life expectancy is up. Education is better. Every measurable metric shows unity working."
"For now," Aldric's advisor said. "But cultural dilution is permanent. Once human traditions are lost, they're gone forever."
"Then teach them!" I said passionately. "Share them! That's what unity means. Not erasing human culture, but adding to it. Learning from each other."
"Easy to say when you're half magical yourself," another advisor sneered.
"I'm not magical by birth. I'm human." I met their eyes. "I grew up poor. Hungry. I sewed clothes for pennies. Magic was something scary that happened to other people. I understand human fear because I lived it."
"Then you betrayed it," the advisor said. "Married a dragon. Became one of them."
"I became a bridge," I corrected. "I show humans that magical creatures aren't monsters. And I show magical creatures that humans aren't weak.
"Your truth," Aldric said. "Not everyone's."
He was right again. I couldn't force my worldview on entire kingdoms.
But I could plant seeds.
"Uncle," I said softly. "You don't have to agree with me. You don't have to like unity. But you love Mother. I saw it in your eyes when you recognized her. Family still matters to you."
"That's not fair..."
"I'm asking you to give us time. Six months. Send observers to our kingdom. Let them see firsthand how it works. Talk to real people, not just read reports." I took a breath. "If after six months you still think we're a threat, then we'll negotiate terms. Borders, something that doesn't involve war."
Aldric looked at Mother. "You support this?"
"I support anything that prevents my daughters from dying," Mother said. "And yes, I still love you too, you stubborn fool."
Aldric almost smiled. Almost.
"Six months," he said finally. "But I'm sending twenty observers. They go everywhere in your kingdom. See everything. No restrictions."
"Agreed," I said immediately.
"And if we still decide unity is too dangerous..."
"Then we talk again before anyone attacks. We find a solution that doesn't end in bloodshed."
Aldric extended his hand. "Deal."
I shook it. Relief flooded through me.
We'd bought time. Six months to prove unity worked. To change hearts and minds.
It wasn't perfect. But it was a chance.
The ride home took another five days. We celebrated quietly, not wanting to seem too triumphant.
But as we approached our kingdom, something felt wrong.
The gates were decorated. Music played. People were celebrating.
"What's happening?" Drakon asked.
A guard rode up, grinning. "Your Majesties! You're back just in time! The council declared today a festival. Two years of peace. Everyone's been waiting to celebrate with you!"
Two years. Had it really been that long since the wars ended?
We entered the kingdom to cheering crowds. Banners everywhere. Food. Dancing. Joy.
"They did this themselves," Thorne said, impressed. "We didn't order it. The people just... organized it."
I watched humans dancing with werewolves. Dragon children playing with human kids. Elderly merfolk teaching young humans to sing water songs.
This. This was what we'd been trying to show Aldric.
"Your Majesty!" A young couple approached. Human man, ice faerie woman. "We wanted to thank you. We got married last month. Our families were against it, but your example showed them it could work."
More people came forward with stories. Friendships formed. Businesses started. Lives changed.
"This is what we protect," Drakon murmured. "This happiness."
The festival continued into the night. I gave a speech about hope and unity. About choosing love over fear.
People cheered.
But as the celebration wound down, a messenger found me.
"Your Majesty. We've identified the traitor."
My heart stopped. "Who?"
"Come with me. You need to see this yourself."
He led me to a secure room. Inside, chained to a chair, sat someone I'd trusted completely.
Someone I'd never suspected.
Faye.
My best friend. The person who'd helped me from day one. Who'd saved my life multiple times.
"No," I breathed. "Not you. Please not you."
Faye looked up. Her eyes were red. Void-corrupted.
"I'm sorry, Elara," she said in a voice that was hers but also the Void Empress's. "I tried to fight it. But she's too strong. She's been inside me for months. Seeing everything. Planning everything."
"Since when?" I demanded.
"Since the Eastern Kingdom. When the serpent attacked Drakon." Tears ran down Faye's corrupted eyes. "The Void got in me when I healed him. I didn't know until it was too late."
My best friend. Corrupted. Controlled.
"We can save you," I said desperately. "The sealing magic..."
"The archives you need are destroyed. By me. On her orders." Faye's voice broke. "And tomorrow, I'm supposed to kill Lily. The Empress wants the strongest Moonstone eliminated first."
"We'll stop you. We'll contain you."
"You can't. She controls me completely when she wants." Faye looked at me with such pain. "Elara, you have to kill me. Before I destroy everything we built."
"No!"
"Please," she sobbed. "I don't want to be her weapon. I don't want to betray you. But I can't stop it. The only way is..."
Her eyes flashed pure red.
Her voice changed to the Void Empress's.
"Hello, Elara. Surprise. Your best friend belongs to me now. And she's going to help me destroy everything you love."
Faye's hands moved against her will, forming attack magic.
Aimed directly at my heart.