Memories of the day drifted in Eial’s mind, more prominently than prior nights. He remembered the darkened stares, the apprehensive movements, as he stood alone, a stranger among the rest. The words, the warning of his mother rushed forward. Perhaps she was not wrong, after all. Suddenly, his heart molded like clay and he put a hand over top, gently stroking his chest up and down. Flashes of the demon's voice teased his ears, his arrogant stance riddled his vision. Memories of the demon, who held no fear of the little elf’s powers soothed him, yet tormented him the same.

Positioning himself to lie down on the stiff bed, he thought of Glolieh’s words, What’s there to be afraid of? Smiling, he breathed in and breathed out soundly with a huuu. Glolieh maintained a professional distance, but never treated him oddly. At least there was her. At least he could sleep without hiding. At least he had a purpose.

This is fine.

This is fine.

Repeating the words as a spell, he managed to fall asleep as he did all the other nights.

“It’s rare to see you still asleep.”

Glolieh’s deep voice greeted the smaller elf in the morning, her voice booming within the confined walls of the iridescent chamber.

“Mmm,” the soft voice groaned as he sat up, rubbing his eyes. “I’m awake, I’m awake. Sorry…” Then, as if suddenly gaining awareness, Eial flashed his eyes wide open and pinched his cheeks, following with light slaps. Shaking his head as if a wet puppy, he then looked forward to refocus and quickly stood up out of bed.

As he wiped off the sweat damping his neck, Glolieh chuckled lightly and came over to clamp his feet with shackles. But, as she held up the shackles, she bit her lips for a moment and threw them to the side, rattling as they hit the floor. Attaching only the shackles around his hands, both hands this time, she held the end of the chain that tailed along.

“Sorry I still have to bound you for now,” she grated, her eyes concealing mild frustration. “We’re going somewhere else today.”

Following the other, Eial found himself awkwardly standing before the king and queen in the throne room. Visiting the royalty again was not something the elf had expected to happen so soon, and definitely did not expect to happen this morning. Unsure of how to act or what to do, the elf just stood still, blinking, as his pulse picked up speed.

Around him stood many guards, a distance away, including those who had accompanied him on the research patrols. On his walk into the room, he had also noticed the researchers whom he had grown familiar with showing their attendance, although tucked away in the shadows. Other scholarly elves also stood in the distance, as if approaching closer could be of imminent danger. The small elf was, after all, only bound by his hands and nowhere else. Of course they would be afraid.

Glolieh had left Eial to stand alone in the center of the spacious, carpeted area as she came forward. Clutching onto the chains linked to Eial, she kneeled with one knee, bowing before the royalty.

“Thank you for agreeing to my abrupt request to meet, Your Majesty. I wish to report on an issue with the treatment of our elven guest.”

The queen shifted in her seat, eyeing the small elf for a noticeable while before turning back to the guard. “What seems to be the matter, Glolieh?”

“Pardon my bluntness, Your Majesty, but our mistreatment towards Eial is unfound. I had observed and ensured that he would bring no harm. Yet, we still tie him in shackles, still make him sleep in the dungeon cells. His research partners fear him, and so do the guards, the shame they are named so. He has done nothing but help us during his stay without a word of complaint, but we continue to treat him as if he’s a criminal!”

Glolieh had her head faced to the floor when she started, yet by the end, her eyes looked upward, searing into the queen’s gaze. He hadn’t expected Glolieh, or anyone to speak for him. Yet, this elven guard, who he had harmed in the past and had only known for a brief time in the present, fiercely defended him in front of the queen. However, the fear of the queen’s reaction to her brazen act trembled his heart, consuming any feeling of gratitude.

“It’s okay, though. I’m fine…” Eial had started to say in a whisper of a voice. The last thing he would want is for the guard, who seemed to be his only ally during his stay, to be in trouble for his sake.

Yet, as he spoke, Glolieh stood right up and flipped around, her searing gaze now towards Eial as she scrunched her brows. “It is not fine, Eial,” she said sternly. “You are royalty. If one day you and the demon are forgiven for your misdeeds, this treatment towards you would not be acceptable.”

“I hear you, Glolieh.” The queen spoke behind the guard and immediately, Glolieh turned back around to sit in a single legged kneel, bowing down. In her echoing voice, the queen continued, “But understand, Eial is a unique elf. How would we know that away from protection, he would not cause harm?”

“I’ll guard him,” Glolieh answered. “If we move him to a guest room, I’ll guard his door. Your Majesty, I trust him and his intentions. If he does us harm, I will place my life as a betrayal to my vow of your safety.”

Eial felt heartened and troubled. Words the guard spoke made the elf feel a sort of deepness within his chest that welled up in his throat. Yet at the same time, he felt that the guard’s trust was too intense. Truthfully, he even felt a little awkward. No one should exchange their life for a small situation like this. Thankfully to Eial, it seemed that the queen agreed.

“No need to use your life as a wager, Glolieh. You know I trust you the most. However, even if we move him to a different room, we can’t change how others feel. If the researchers and guards are afraid, then they are afraid.”

“Then, if Your Majesty allows, please let me accompany Eial by myself. There is no need to heavily guard him. Having me is enough. As for the research, Eial has done this long enough now to know what to do and how to manage by himself. We can relay the log to the researchers at the end of the day. They were not able to contribute to our findings, anyway.”

Eial wanted to look back at the researchers who stood in the same room behind him. At the same time, he intensely did not want to meet their gaze. This guard spoke too honestly, without filter, and Eial could not help but cower, hoping her words would not attach to his person. How would the researchers have felt hearing something so direct and insulting? He briefly reminisced of their expeditions and wondered if what the guard said had held true. After a moment, he kept his conclusions quietly to himself.

Nonetheless, Eial pondered through her words and imagined how it would be to do the research with just the two of them. A gentle thought crossed his mind: it would be nice. But, he didn’t indulge himself with the thought for long. Knowing that it wasn’t the other elves’ fault for treating him the way they did, it would be unfair to find comfort wishing them away.

During the time Eial’s mind wandered, the queen had been silently contemplating Glolieh’s proposal. After a moment, she finally moved her lips open to speak. But, just as she did, the air around Eial shifted, and an odd anticipation welled in his heart. As he looked up, his eyes grew wide and his breath hitched— for what he saw was a pair of alluring amber eyes, a pair of thick, rough horns, and a very familiar demon falling down towards him.