The Alpha King's Nemesis-Chapter 68: Arguments, Potions And Darling Gretha ()
"No! Absolutely not!" Askel declared firmly, his tone leaving no room for arguments as he stared down at his mate.
Zariah scoffed at Askel’s words, her crimson orbs blazing fiercely.
"You seem to be having some sort of misunderstanding, King Askel. I did not come to seek your consent, only to tell you that I deem it necessary to witness the situation in the Sea Kingdom for myself." She said back to Askel.
"I do not know the situation down there, I cannot have you place yourself in danger!" Askel exclaimed, hoping his mate would see reason.
"You cannot have me do anything at all! You are not my Alpha or my King! The only orders I obey are given by the Crimson Alpha!"
" Now it would be in both our best interests not to waste time deliberating over this as there will be no conclusion where you get to treat me like some fragile damsel!" She snapped fiercely.
Askel was at a loss for words, he had never been very adept at word battles, especially when no one dared to challenge him so directly.
Askel understood that his mate was a warrior wolf, he had witnessed her strength for himself, her indomitable spirit was undoubted, but still yet, she was his mate.
She was his to protect, to safeguard and to cherish, how could Askel be willing to let her walk straight into danger alongside him?
"Mhíjani...I...there will only be Luther and I...if anything were to happen you, I will never forgive myself." Askel said quietly, his gaze pleading for her to understand his stance.
"I will be by Zari’s side all the while. The Sea King may be daring, but I doubt he will show aggression to Crimson Moon and if he does attempt to harm Zari in any way...our Alpha will never let him off." The other crimson wolf spoke up, walking up to stand beside Zariah.
Askel frowned slightly, from all indications, it seemed Alpha Moonstone greatly cherished his mate Zariah. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞
Of course, there was no Alpha who did not value his Head warrior but still, Askel hoped Alpha Moonstone’s cherishing had it’s limit, otherwise, they would be having a serious problem that most definitely would not end well.
"Must you insist on this, Mhíjani?" Askel asked again, still very unwilling.
"I must and I am." She replied, her gaze unyielding.
"Very well..." Askel succumbed with a deep sigh.
"Prince Treyton and the representatives from the merfolk have gone on ahead, they will inform the Sea King of our presence, we await his permission to enter his domain." Askel relayed to Zariah.
She nodded slowly, reverting her gaze to stare out into the vast ocean ahead.
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Zariah had not been waiting for too long when she noticed the change in the movement of the ocean.
First, the vast waters began shifting in opposing direction and after a short moment, the churning of the waters became even more apparent and soon grew violent.
The waters swooshed and twirled, churning in a circular motion.
Zariah watched the display of power and could not help her awe at the absolute command the merfolk had over the seas.
As the speed of the churning waters grew even more rapid, creating a sort of whirlpool in the midst of the water and from within the whirlpool emerged a great sea beast.
The beast was massive in size, even when a half of it was still submerged beneath the waters and the two horns portruding from it’s head glowed dimly with ancient magic.
"Killer Whale." Zariah acknowledged, recognizing the beast for what it was and without a doubt, the male who stood atop it was none other than the Lord of the Killer Whales, Prince Treyton.
The whale surged forwards, creating massive waves with it’s movement as it headed towards the shore, coming to a stop at the very edge.
It splayed it’s fin out and Prince Treyton dismounted from the great beast, walking up to Askel with powerful strides.
"King Askel, my father is delighted at your presence, I will escort you to the Sea Kingdom immediately." Prince Treyton said,
Prince Treyton’s gaze moved over to Zariah, quirking a questioning brow at her presence, most likely because he had not seen her with them previously.
"Lady Zariah, I was not aware you would be gracing us with your presence." Prince Treyton commented,
"Is that to say I am unwelcomed?" Zariah asked straightforwardly,
Prince Treyton chuckled quietly, shaking his head in disagreement.
"I had hoped you would come along but I did not dare seek your presence. My father also shares my thoughts upon hearing of the presence of representatives from the Crimson Moon."
"With the Crimson Moon here, my father will be rest assured his worries will be taken care of."
" Beyond that, my father hoped to apologize in person for the inconveniences Kristen caused while under the influence of the charmer demon." Prince Treyton said with a small smile.
"Here, this is a potion enchanted by the Sea Oracle, it will aid you to breathe as normal whilst underneath water."
" It also possesses a scent concealing brew that will prevent your identities from being given away." Prince Treyton said.
"Thankfully, I have come with enough to go around, otherwise I fear it would take another day for me to make a trip to the Sea Oracle’s cave." Prince Treyton said as four vials materialized in his outstretched hand.
Zariah lifted a hand to stop King Askel from picking up the vial before she nodded to Nile.
Nile understood Zariah’s order without her having to speak, he picked up a vial first, uncapping it, he passed a hand over the lid.
His hands glowed a silvery color as he examined the contents of the vial with his magic.
Zariah watched Nile’s expression furrow into a frown.
"Perhaps you forgot to mention it also contains a tracking component." Nile pointed out in a casual tone.
Prince Treyton seemed taken aback by Nile’s words and a dark glare from King Askel had him explaining the situation immediately.
"The tracking component is an essential part of the potion as it is imperative for the appropriate authorities to know the location of all guests in the Sea Kingdom at all times."
"This is due process and it skipped my attention to instruct the Sea Oracle that the tracking component will not be required in this case. It was an oversight on my part and I apologise." Prince Treyton said earnestly.
"He speaks the truth." Nile confirmed and Zariah nodded in approval.
"I don’t know about you, but Sea Kingdom or otherwise, I do not like the idea of being monitored."
" And the wolf shifters accorded you greater regard than this on your visit to the Ethereal Domain." Luther said in distasteful tone.
"Bearing in mind that we are here on the Sea King’s invite, this is rather inappropriate." Nile said in agreement to Luther’s words.
Prince Treyton nodded in understanding, his expression guilty.
"I understand, it was not my intention to disrespect you in anyway. King Askel knows the merfolk hold him in high regard, I for one will never disrespect him in anyway."
" I will return immediately and have the Sea Oracle see to it." Prince Treyton promised.
"There will be no need to take a trip back...Nile? Get rid of it." Zariah ordered the spirit guide.
Nile hummed in response, stretching his hand over the four vials, they levitated mid air as they were encased in the silvery glow of Nile’s magic.
It only took a moment for Nile to declare the potion safe to be consumed.
Zariah picked up a vial and downed it without hesitation and the other three followed suit.
Zariah felt the potion surge through her, settling uneasily in her stomach and she frowned at the bitter aftertaste.
"Then... please allow me escort you to the Sea Kingdom." Prince Treyton said, stepping to the side.
As Zariah made to move forward, King Askel grabbed her hand in a gentle grip and pulled her backwards to himself.
Understanding King Askel’s intent, Luther, Prince Treyton and much to Zariah’s astonishment, even Nile continued forwards.
"Mhíjani..." King Askel began,
"We already talked about this King Askel, I won’t change my mind." Zariah cut in dismissively.
"I understand, it’s just...whatever happens, do not leave my side... please." King Askel asked in a serious tone.
Zariah frowned slightly, as much as she wanted to shove him aside, she did not think it right to belittle him before the sight of Prince Treyton who awaited some distance away,
Beyond that, rather than prolonging the conversation, Zariah felt it was just as easy to accept so they could get a move on.
"Fine." Zariah murmured, ignoring the relieved expression on King Askel’s gaze.
Zariah headed towards Prince Treyton, passing the Killer Whale a wary glance.
"Fret not, Gretha is a darling." Prince Treyton assured, noticing Zariah’s unease.
"Gretha?" Zariah asked, passing Prince Treyton a look of disbelief.
To think he had actually named the Killer Whale, and Gretha of all names?
Zariah passed the two sharp horns portruding from ’Gretha’s’ head a pointed look.
"Well Gretha sure doesn’t look like a darling...but I’ll take your word for it." Zariah murmured to the amusement of everyone as she accepted Prince Treyton’s help to mount the Killer Whale.
