Chapter 165 I Won't Let Anyone Touch Him
As they approached the city gates, Tisha felt a sense of relief and happiness wash over her. She could see the smiling faces of her people as they welcomed her back home. Some of them were confused seeing the unknown faces, but everyone just welcomed them with a smile.
Lydia and Zenda rode beside her, their expressions filled with joy and relief seeing this warm welcome. They had been through so much together, and they were grateful to be returning home safe and sound.
They were happy that they were able to return with everyone, even though most of them were on the verge of dying. Thanks to everyone's effort alliance and the beastkins also managed to survive, no matter how hard the situation was.
As they rode through the streets, the people cheered and applauded, throwing flowers and confetti in their path. Tisha waved to them, feeling overwhelmed with emotion at the love and support of her people and her children. She felt blessed to be present at that moment and enjoy the warmth of her race.
Finally, they reached the palace, and Tisha dismounted from her horse, feeling a sense of weight lift off her shoulders. She was home, and nothing could ever take that away from her and Nikol was safe and sound.
As she walked through the palace halls, she was greeted by her advisors and courtiers, all of whom had been anxiously awaiting her return. They bowed before her, their expressions filled with respect and admiration.
Tisha smiled at them, feeling grateful for their loyalty and dedication. She knew that they had worked hard in her absence, doing their best to keep the queendom safe and secure.
Leviathan, Ressha, and Leona with her beastkin representatives silently followed her and Nikol with their eyes going around the city, and most of all, everyone was looking at Nikol waiting for him to question them.
As the day wore on, Tisha met with her council and attended to various matters of state. It was a long and exhausting day, but she knew that it was necessary to ensure the well-being of her people.
"Beast queen, I humbly asked you to rest for the day and we will discuss about everything tomorrow, Ressha you too," Tisha said showing her greatest kindness.
She had no animosity toward Leona, unlike Eva, since she understood why she attacked them and why she wanted Nikol, and she could imagine how hard it was for their race, just like them.
They didn't forget to assign places for normal beastkin girls to rest, so it took them a lot of time to prepare everything.
And after sending them Tisha looked at Leviathan but, Tisha had a scared face. She was afraid to talk with her after everything that happened but motivating herself and wanting to get recognized by her, Tisha slowly approached Leviathan and in a meek tone, she called her.
"Nikol's sister!" She knew calling her by her name wouldn't be a good idea, so she used the safest method and decided to call her as Nikol's sister.
Leviathan hearing her words glared at her causing Tisha to have a mini heart attack, but she quickly calmed down and continued.
"You can rest anywhere you want..." She got tongue-tied while trying to talk with her, which really frustrated her.
Leviathan sighed as she was already done with making more problems for her brother, so she decided to calm down for now and directly talk with Nikol about her dissatisfaction.
"Fine, I will do that, don't let any of your insects enter my room," With her last words, Leviathan went from room to room searching for something comfortable for her until she saw Nikol's room.
'He might be angry now, so I better keep a low profile, I don't want to hear him telling me that he hates me again and how am I going to tell about Arti's death to him'
Leviathan thought and took the room next to Nikol, but as a powerful being she didn't really need any sleep, so the whole time she kept looking at the wall with her mind wandering whether what she did was right and how she is going to act now.
The night had fallen, and the once-bustling queendom was now quiet as a graveyard. Everyone had retired to their relevant rooms and none of them had the energy to argue with each other, exhausted from the long day's battle and preparations for the upcoming council meeting. All except one, Nikol.
As he lay in his bedroll, his mind was racing with thoughts of what he would do from now on. The events of the past few days had left him feeling uncertain about his place in this world. He had fought fiercely alongside his comrades, but was that enough? Would it be enough to secure victory in the upcoming battle against Fenrir? Would it be enough to save others? Is it really worth rescuing everyone when clearly they are keeping secrets from him?
He felt really conflicted about his life right now.
Nikol tossed and turned, his mind refusing to rest. His thoughts were a jumbled mess, like a tangle of vines choking a tree. He hadn't always been one to think deeply about everything, but tonight his thoughts seemed to have a life of their own.
He wondered if he had made the right choices if he had been a reliable ally to those who had fought beside him if he had done enough to protect the girls from the alliance. His mind was a battlefield, and he was losing the war with how many tasks and problems he had to go through.
But amidst the chaos of his thoughts, a glimmer of hope shone through. Nikol realized that he was not alone in this fight. He had no reason to fight alone.
He had his comrades, his friends, and his sister. They had fought alongside him and would continue to do so if he requested. They had each other's backs, and together they would conquer any challenge that lay ahead. He was confident that he would be able to reason with Leviathan since she didn't kill him, even when he was seriously fighting with her.
With this realization, Nikol's mind finally began to calm down. The tangled vines in his head slowly began to untangle, and his thoughts became more organized. He thought of strategies for the upcoming council meeting, plans for the battle, and ways to strengthen the bonds between his comrades.
As the night wore on, Nikol finally drifted off to sleep, his mind at peace. He knew that whatever the future held, he was ready to face it head-on, with his comrades by his side.
Soon the sun had risen without even letting Nikol close his eyes for two hours, and he awoke feeling refreshed after a good night's sleep. He rose from his bedroll and stretched, feeling the stiffness of the previous day's battle melt away.
As he emerged from his room, he saw Alva and Emily waiting for him in front of his door, yawning and stretching. They exchanged a tired but determined smile, knowing that today's council meeting would be crucial for everyone, especially Nikol.
Together they made their way to the throne hall of the elven queendom, where the council was being held. As they entered, Nikol scanned the room and saw that everyone was present, gathered around a large circular throne, where Tisha was supposed to be, but right now, on that seat, Leviathan was comfortably sitting while every other queen and representative just waited for Nikol's arrival.
He saw the faces of his fellow comrades, each one bearing the weight of the responsibility that lay ahead.
"Welcome Nikol, you must be exhausted to sleep so much, I'm sorry for waking you up," Lydia said while Zenda followed her welcoming their main guest into the hall under the curious eyes of Leona, Cynthia, Kitsune and Ressha.
They saw him for the first time without having to fight or run for their life, and when they took a close look at him, they saw how different he was.
"Hey! Leona, stop embarrassing us, you're wetting yourself," Cynthia muttered seeing drops of water coming from their wounded queen's royal dress, She already knew what it was and she understood why, but at the same time, she knew this wasn't the time.
Nikol took a deep breath and approached the throne, and looked at Leviathan eye to eye.
"What are you doing on the throne? Get down," His voice was calm, but it clearly showed he wasn't going to be kind to anyone again.
It really surprised most of them in the room seeing Nikol standing up against his sister since they knew how much of a sister lover Nikol was, and it made them wonder whether his feelings of love changed for her.
Leviathan's eyes widened in surprise at her brother's sudden demand, but she quickly composed herself, nodding her head in agreement.
"I understand, brother," she said. "I have always known that this day would come when you would stand up against me."
Without any hesitation, Leviathan stood up from the throne and stepped aside, allowing Nikol to take his rightful place as ruler of the queendom. None of them even had any objection to it, since everyone knew if someone can overshadow the power of Tisha, Eva and Usha duo, it was Nikol.
Nikol sat on the throne with his eyes narrowed, looking out at everyone in the throne hall with a sense of cold superiority.
"You all may address me as your new king," He said, his voice carrying an edge of cruelty and lack of kindness.
"I expect absolute loyalty and obedience from each and every one of you. Any who disobeys me will face severe consequences."
The throne hall was silent for a moment as everyone absorbed Nikol's words and after looking into his eyes everyone understood that they are going to step into a new age.