The Storm King

880 - Loyalties Tested

The entire gathering hall was silent as the grave. Most of the mages there didn’t even seem like they were breathing. Every tribesman was staring at Cassandra, still wrapped protectively behind one of Leon’s wings. Leon could feel their auras growing and more than a few hints of growing killing intent.

The first one to make a move was Xanthippe. The Lioness took a few threatening steps forward and growled, baring her teeth at Cassandra.

Nikolaos, however, returning to human form in an instant, clothed himself in the next instant, and stood in the aisle with all the grace and dignity that came with being one of the most powerful and important mages among a people like the Jaguar Tribe.

“Your Majesty…” he muttered, his eyes still locked on Cassandra. “Was that some kind of joke?”

[No,] Leon said. He’d expected a negative response, and though this was just a little more than he’d hoped for, he still spoke without hesitation. Cassandra was his wife, and though he greatly wanted to restore his Clan and becoming King of the Ten Tribes was central to that plan, if it came down to choosing between her and the Ten Tribes, he would choose her. [Cassandra is the daughter of the Sacred Golden Empress,] Leon repeated. [She is also my wife. If anyone has any problem with that, then they have a problem with me. If any of you have any problems, then step forward and see them addressed.]

As Leon silently spoke the room with his darkness magic, he began increasing the power of his aura. Though he was ‘only’ a ninth-tier mage and so not strong enough to dominate the room, he hoped it was enough to show that he was ready to violently defend Cassandra if the need arose.

Xanthippe had stopped growling by this point, and in a flash, returned to her human form. She stood in the center of the aisle without a stitch of clothing on yet hardly seemed bothered as she glared at Cassandra. When she did dress herself a moment later, it wasn’t in anything resembling court dress, but in battle gear with golden plate and a ten-foot-long spear that radiated dreadful power.

Leon began to channel his family’s magic right then and there and though he thought he was likely the only one aware of it, deep black storm clouds began to gather above the gathering hall.

[Watch yourself,] Leon privately said to her, and his voice seemed to jerk her out of whatever it was she was intending on doing. She froze as her eyes slid from Cassandra to him, and after a moment of thought, she pulled her armor and spear back into her soul realm, replacing them with only her regular clothes.

Shortly after, everyone else who’d been in the hall and wasn’t turned back into their human forms, including Leon. When reassumed his usual form, he did so standing before the entire gathering of his supporters, though not before waving to his retainers as they’d nearly all armed and armored themselves, too. He didn’t need to give anyone a verbal order, fortunately, and they all stood down.

Before addressing anyone, he glanced at Cassandra. For as outspoken as the Princess usually was, he could see that she was nervous in that moment. She wore an expression of confidence and her ninth-tier aura was towering, but he could see in the way that her hands shook nearly imperceptibly and in the way her eyes flitted from face to face in the crowd that she was one wrong move away from drawing a weapon and attacking someone.

So, he slid his hand into hers, and when she looked at him, he smiled. She didn’t relax entirely, but she smiled back, took a deep breath, and loosened up a bit.

“Now,” Leon loudly said as he turned his attention back to the crowd. “I’m sure some of you have some questions. Let’s hear them.”

Nikolaos spoke first, jumping into his first question as if he’d just been waiting for Leon’s permission to ask.

“You said she is your wife, Your Majesty?”

“I did,” Leon replied. “I love her. We’re married. More than that, the Sacred Golden Empire has tied its Imperial dynasty to me and my Clan. We’re… allies.”

“That is… incredible news,” Exallos said as he stood up and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Nikolaos. “It’s hardly believable. Were anyone else to make this claim, I wouldn’t believe it.”

Though he spoke fairly neutrally, Leon detected a few quavers in his voice that showed him as much angrier than he was putting on.

“I understand everyone’s opinions about the Empires,” Leon said. “To an extent, I share them. However, as I’ve said many times to many people here, the concerns of this plane are too small to trouble us. Our place is in the Nexus and the Void.”

“And yet,” Xanthippe growled, “those who’ve spent the past eighty thousand years killing us are on this plane. One of them is here right now!”

“And I’m married to your King!” Cassandra finally retorted.

“Your Majesty,” the Jaguar said as he, too, rose to speak. He strode forward, almost literally cutting Xanthippe off before she could say anything else. “Is it your will that we end our war with the barbarians?”

“We’re not barbarians,” Cassandra shot back.

Ignoring her comment for the moment, Leon replied, “As much as possible, yes. I’m not asking for anything that would put the Tribes in danger. And I know that in a lot of respects, true peace won’t be possible for a long time. Fortunately, neither the Ilian Empire nor the Sacred Golden Empire have committed that many resources to the current war, and I managed to buy their continued neutrality—in effect, if not on paper. These two Empires will not attack me or anyone who follows me! And if we manage to build a proper, official peace, then we could even add their resources to ours to leave this plane!”

“All of that rests on the idea that they will honor their end of any deal!” a ninth-tier Jaguar declared as he stood up. “They have proven multiple times during the past eighty millennia that agreed-upon deals will never be honored!”

“And you haven’t?” Cassandra riposted.

“We will follow our King wherever he goes!” the ninth-tier Jaguar elder insisted.

“And your King says that he’s keeping his wife and the alliances it facilitates!” Leon shouted. For just a moment, Leon let his full aura spill forth and fill the entire gathering hall. No one else, despite many there who were his equal in power, if not slightly his superior, strengthened their auras to combat his, allowing him to almost freely apply magical pressure as he saw fit.

But after that moment, he retracted his aura with a mental reprimand for letting his anger get the better of him.

“What do all of you want from me? What do you expect having me as your King will do for you? You know my goals: to rebuild my Clan, but in its proper place up in the Nexus and beyond! Do any of you have ambitions besides this? What do all of you want?”

Leon had heard many of their wants, but for the most part, no one had ever told him what they might want from him. He’d won their support simply by being who he was and by either helping them out, as in the case of the Hawks, or by winning a contest, as in the case of the Lions. If they wanted anything from him, though, he needed them to give voice to it.

A long silence followed as Leon continued to silently demand they speak. To his surprise given how everything had gone so far, Xanthippe was the first to speak, but before she did, she fell to her knees.

“My apologies, Your Majesty,” she said. “You have won the support of the Lions. That has not changed.”

Leon glared at her, letting his aura settle around her rather oppressively. But in what he interpreted as a sign of her obeisance, she did nothing to fight it off.

“To have a member of a group long thought an enemy here is… startling,” Nikolaos said next. “But the laws and traditions of our people are clear. We are not warriors by choice, but by necessity. If our King has forged an alliance with the barbarians, then who are we to argue?”

Like Xanthippe, he dropped to a knee, though he certainly wasn’t smiling. While Leon felt like he could easily respond, he held his tongue and simply let his aura settle around Nikolaos’ shoulders as well. Again like Xanthippe, he didn’t fight it and took the full weight of Leon’s aura.

With the two of them, everyone else quickly fell into line. The Jaguar was next, genuflecting to Leon and Cassandra. Then came Singer and Exallos, and then all the remaining ninth-tier mages. Then the elders, and following them, the Chiefs. Soon, the entire hall was bowing to Leon—even, to his amusement, his retainers, though some with more enthusiasm than others.

Alcander, Alix, Marcus, Gaius, and Anna had bowed quickly and without much hesitation—Eirene was outside with Anna’s war beasts, otherwise Leon would’ve expected she would’ve bowed as quickly as they did.

Anshu and Red were more reluctant, but after some whispered words from Valeria, they too bowed.

Valeria, Maia, and Anzu, meanwhile, remained standing. His wives hadn’t fallen to their knees, but Anzu had been about to until Valeria stopped him. Leon was wholly in support of that; he didn’t want his family bowing to him like vassals.

With a grin, Leon turned his attention back to the rest of the hall as Valeria, Maia, and Anzu joined Cassandra by his side.

“If there are any more concerns, let them be heard now,” Leon demanded. A long silence followed, not a soul responding to him. “Very well,” he said as the silence became deafening. “Let’s move on. The Lions have joined us, so shall we celebrate?”

---

Though there weren’t any more concerns about Cassandra raised during the meeting of the full allied council, Leon had a strong suspicion that that was not going to be it. His suspicion was proven correct that night when, after the various allies already in the city finished celebrating the Lions joining their ranks, Leon’s strongest supporters met in his guest house.

Upon their arrival, he gathered them in his guest house’s central meeting room, and this time unlike most others, he had his retainers join him. Only Anna was exempt, having to deal with putting her war beasts to bed with Eirene—and, he was sure, doing other things with her girlfriend, too.

As he briefly contemplated that, he made a quick mental note to have Sofie, Alcander’s lady, join them at the earliest convenience.

‘After the meeting of the Elder Council, probably,’ Leon thought. He had to visit two more Tribes, and then the Elder Council would be called to put the issue of his Kingship to bed.

“So,” he said aloud as he focused on the moment at hand rather than the vague future, “let’s get down to business, shall we? For all our sakes, I won’t assume what you’re here to talk about, so let’s start with that…”

He cast his gaze about the room, noting that in addition to his family and retainers, the Jaguar, Nikolaos, Singer-in-Caves, Rain-Dancer, Xanthippe, Exallos Aetos, and Ipatameni were all present. Notably, all were glancing at Cassandra fairly frequently.

“Is there anything that needs to be said in private?” Leon asked, signaling the start of their strategy meeting.

“All those who have problems with any one of us had better be ready to get fucked, and not in a good way!” Alix declared, to the shock of the elders present.

Leon fought the urge to smile. [Simple, but I like it,] he silently said to his retainer.

She glanced at him and nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

“Please,” Leon said without much conviction, “there’s no need for that kind of language here. My retainers can be protective of my family, I hope all of you can understand.”

“As one should be for their Lords,” the Jaguar stated. “While I have.. curiosities, I have no concerns to speak of. If my King declares that the barba—that the Empires are on our side, then I will believe it.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it,” Xanthippe stated. “However, if our King orders us to give them a chance, then a chance shall be given.”

“You’ll have no reason to attack my Empire,” Cassandra said.

“We’ll see,” Xanthippe replied. “Your people have been killing mine for a very long time. I find it hard to believe that their instincts will change just like that.”

“They’ll change because it’s in their interest to do so,” Leon said. “Peace will be achieved on Aeterna, and it will not come at the expense of anyone currently living on it. That is my goal, and I hope that all of you will help me in achieving it.”

“We are your humble servants, Your Majesty,” Nikolaos whispered. He paused a moment and briefly looked at the other elders, all of them communicating silently. When the moment was over, he turned back to Leon and Cassandra and continued, “We are not fickle. We pledged our Tribes to the Thunderbird, and that pledge will be honored. You lead, we follow.”

Leon smiled and made eye contact with all of the elders. From what he could tell, all agreed and none seemed particularly reluctant. Even if they had internal disagreements, he guessed that they were at least willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

“I support Nikolaos’ decision,” Exallos said, immediately bringing that impression into doubt, “but I do have one question, Your Majesty, if you would indulge.”

Leon nodded.

“If peace is unable to be achieved, who would you side with?”

Many of those around the room glared at him, with Rain-Dancer giving voice to everyone’s shared sentiment. “Poor form, my friend, poor form!”

“I but wish to know where we stand,” Exallos replied. “I do not advise going against our King, but contingencies must be made!”

“I will not side with whoever breaks the agreement,” Leon swiftly replied. “I trust all of you. Together, we can realize the highest of ambitions and return to glory in the Nexus. We can’t do that if we all kill each other.”

“We’re with Your Majesty,” Nikolaos repeated and he glared at Exallos. Judging by his aura, Leon guessed he was silently castigating the man for his question, and Exallos bowed his head slightly in Leon and Cassandra’s direction.

After a moment of silence, Leon asked, “Are there any more private concerns?”

“We… wish to put this matter to bed, Your Majesty,” Nikolaos eventually said. “To quiet all doubts anyone may have of our intentions and loyalties.”

“The only show of loyalty I’ll need is when the Elder Council is called,” Leon replied.

“Still,” Nikolaos continued, “we believe that it’s best that we return these.” With a wave, he pulled both of the Hesperidic Apples that Leon had given the Tribes from his soul realm. “They are great gifts, but we all agree that it’s better for Your Majesty to use them and present yourself as the great threat against the strength of the Thunderer.”

“I gave them to increase the power of our faction,” Leon growled, annoyance rising within him like an angry dragon.

“And the other faction has the Thunderer,” the Jaguar said. “A tenth-tier mage.”

“Tenth-tier or not, we’ll shitcan him,” Cassandra confidently stated.

“Let’s not get too arrogant,” Valeria quietly rebuked. “Better to prepare for the worst than to assume the best.”

“Leon almost had him in that duel! If he used his power, I can’t imagine it would be a contest!”

“That sounds like a failure of your imagination, then,” Valeria cheekily replied.

“Enough,” Leon softly interrupted. “There are other mages who could use these apples. Mages who are closer to the tenth-tier than I am. One of you.”

“All of us are sworn to you,” Ipatameni replied. “All of us know the potential. We remain steadfast in our decision.”

Again, Leon made eye contact with all of them, and this time, all steadfastly met his gaze, with not even Exallos’ mild concern being repeated.

[It might be wise to accept,] Gaius silently stated as the silence stretched uncomfortably, showing off his growing skill with the technique.

[You think?] Leon asked. [I don’t want to accept them back if they’re being given out of obligation!]

[It’s an obligation to accept as much as it is to return them,] Gaius argued. [To accept the apples is to accept their apology. Rejecting the apples would be to reject their apology.]

Leon frowned in thought, but after another moment, reached out with his magic and pulled them into his soul realm. “I will accept this, even if I don’t fully accept the reasoning. With this, let us consider the matter closed.”

“That would do us all some good,” Nikolaos said as he glanced around at the other elders. “Let us just one last thing: we apologize for the unseemly display in the gathering hall. We shamed our Ancestors with that act. You are our King, and your wife is one of our Queens. I hope that in the coming days, we can all be contrite and put these ugly matters behind us.”

“We are all civilized people,” Cassandra said with some dying anger. “Making peace is what we’re doing, aren’t we? If we can’t get along, then what hope do our peoples have? I’m willing to make this work, not just for my sake or my husband’s sake, but for all of us.”

Nikolaos lowered his head in gratitude.

“Fantastic,” Leon said. “I have no naïve beliefs that this is the end of the matter since there are still other Tribes to inform, not to mention the people of Kataigida and the Ilian and Sacred Golden Empires, but I’ll take what I can get for now. Now, about our plans going forward. The Harts and the Ravens…”