"ALA- huh?" David was momentarily flabbergasted as he watched Alan flee instead of attack, but then he became outraged.
'Of course this barbarian ran! Who would dare to fight the Queen head on?' David gritted his teeth in anger before hoisting up his spear in preparation to throw it. 'But I will not let this backstabbing swine escape!'
However he knew it was futile. Alan was one of the very few Elves who wielded the power of lightning and he was the best of them. This power allowed him to be very, very quick when he wanted to be.
Even by some chance that David's spear landed, Alan would hardly slow down and he would escape regardless, carrying the spear along with him at that.
"Damn it all!" David growled as he launched his spear with all his might regardless of the potential loss. He could NOT afford to be hesitant at this dangerous time, his own life was at stake.
*SHIRRRRRR!*
A piercing sound reminiscent of an Eagle's cry tore through the forest as the spear sailed towards its target with lethal intent. The aim was precise and the speed was astonishing;the throw was frighteningly perfect, clearly the results of endless practice over the years.
Unfortunately, the target was a lightning-empowered Alan. The corrupted consort didn't even turn back, he merely leapt to the side in a flash and kept going.
'I failed!' David mourned in despair. The frustration and hatred in his chest welled to the point of effecting his breathing and almost choking him.
"Hmph." Titania suddenly harrumphed.
David felt ice enter his veins at the sound of her voice. He immediately turned toward her but didn't dare to look, he dropped to his knees and kept his head down in subservience and fear.
"Your majesty forgive me! I-"
"ARRRGH!"
David's heart nearly skipped a beat. 'That was-' He turned around swiftly and saw a sight that instantly dissipated a great deal of his frustration as elation took its place.
Alan had fallen to the ground and wrapped around his feet was the cause: A thick wooden branch that had sprouted from the ground nearby.
Shock and pain marked his face and it was evident that the sudden forced stop after running at such a speed had caused injury, but he was still a trained warrior and a moment later he made the swift decision to focus his mana to his right hand and strike the branch with so much force that it shattered, separating them into 2 pieces, 1 wrapped around his ankle and the other sticking out of the ground.
But before he could even get up, 2 thicker branches pierced through the soil and wrapped around both ankles. Again, he struck at them and broke them, but newer ones that were bigger and stronger than the last kept taking their place and eventually all 4 of his limbs and neck had been restrained to the ground.
"Y-your majesty, you're amazing! Hahahaha!" David felt a surge of vicious glee at the sudden turn of events, but then he caught himself and bowed to Titania. "I apologise once more for my worthlessness! I would have cut off my disgraceful arm if it wasn't still useful to you!"
Titania raised a brow at him. David's excessiveness could really be surprising sometimes. She had never dished out severe punishments for failed missions in the past so she didn't know why David suddenly thought that mutilating himself was appropriate, but she wasn't in the mood to ask.
"Calm down, David. Your spear slowed him down and made things easier for me."
"No no, that was nothing, I am nothing!" He knew that the Queen was just being kind. His spear had barely slowed Alan. From what he had seen, Alan had little to no way of escaping that trap regardless of whether his spear was involved or not.
'This is the brilliance of the Queen!' He thought with pride but also fear. 'I must make sure that I grovel more than I have ever groveled before. With 2 of her most trusted Grand Elders suddenly betraying her, she probably has suspicions towards all of us. To make things worse one of them was even Alan, her own consort! She might even kill the rest of us here out of rage! Damn those blasted fools! Alan, Alan you despicable pig!
What nonsense were you spouting earlier about being embarrassed by your 'Consort' title because other royal pairings are King and Queen? Open your mouldy eyes! Is the disparity between the partners in other royal pairings as tremendous as the one between you and the Queen? Your strength was boosted by the corruption of Envy and yet you were still immobilised by a single move! Moreover look at the Queen and look at you! Look at her royal green skin and star-like eyes, not to mention her pure white hair which is like a sheet of snow. That is a Royal Elf! How dare someone like you try to compare?! Don't forget that you're just like the rest of us you ghastly stain! You're not even the strongest Grand Elf anymore, Viraxes is! Great Tree above, who would have thought that you had been hiding envious thoughts this whole time and even ended up getting corrupted? You can truly hide! Now you're implicating the rest of us because of your own folly! I hope you die a wretched death Alan! I really do!'
David wished he could stab Alan over and over with his spear, but instead he made sure that his bowing form was as submissive as can be.
Titania glanced at David's comical 100 degree bow but ultimately ignored him and walked towards Alan.
The trap that she had used against him had been planned a long time ago, almost as soon as Trixina had struck. As one might expect she had felt fury of the likes she had never experienced before, but it was not fiery like other times, it was cold like ice and aimed to freeze everything in eternal ice.
It was this cold that allowed her to keep her rational so that she could think clearly and plot, making sure that Alan, the primary source of her ire, would not be able to escape.