The Storm King

“Are you ready for this, husband?” Elise asked as she straightened Leon’s collar with a gentle touch.

“I don’t think I’m ever ready for anything when it comes to them,” Leon replied, smiling at his wife. She leaned into him, pressing her forehead against his upper chest, while he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close.

“I’m not ready to leave,” Elise whispered.

“If all goes well, then you won’t have to. If they’re amenable, then no one will be in any danger at all.”

Maia ducked in, a somewhat jealous look on her face as she pried one of Leon’s arms away from Elise and wrapped it around her. “Foolish,” the river nymph murmured as she burrowed her way into Leon and Elise’s shared embrace, both of whom happily made room for her. “They want more. However much they have, they want more.”

“True. But they have the power here, whether or not they seek more,” Leon replied.

“It’s still strange that the Director agreed to this,” Elise observed as Maia got settled in with both Leon and Elise’s arms around her.

“He emphasized discretion,” Leon reminded. “I’m not going to walk in there and tell them everything. Just feel them out a bit. See what happens then. We’ll need to know where Anastasios and the Grand Druid stand, and there are ways to go about doing so without directly telling them that we’re allying with their Empires’ nemesis.”

“Still dangerous,” Elise whispered.

“Rather not tell them anything,” Maia bitterly spat. “I don’t like them. They’re always around. This isn’t their home, they shouldn’t be here.”

“Have they been bothering you?” Leon gently asked.

“Their presence is bothersome enough,” Maia replied.

Leon chuckled. “You know, if I actually follow through with what seemingly everyone’s been telling me to do—courting Cassandra—then the Grand Druid, at least, will likely be here more often…”

Maia groaned. “Cassandra can stay. Not the Grand Druid.”

“I don’t think that’s how it works,” Elise said, a wide smile on her face. “She’ll be family.”

“She already treats herself as such with how many demands she makes,” Maia growled.

“That’s just the nature of our relationship right now,” Leon quietly said. “So long as we’re weak enough for her to exploit, then she’s going to exploit us. Or me, at any rate. Once we’re strong enough to do our own thing, then any leverage she has on us will be gone. If anything, I’d almost take it as a compliment, that she and the Lord Protector know that we’re going to grow beyond them—if I weren’t convinced their behavior would be exactly the same regardless.”

“Greedy,” Maia again stated.

“Are you sure you should be judging anyone for that?” Elise asked the river nymph, a playful smile on her lips. “I seem to recall you being quite… demanding when we first met.”

Maia only shrugged, then snuggled closer to them both. “I have what I wanted. Most of what I wanted.” She gave Leon a pointed stare and moved his arm so that his hand pressed against her abdomen.

“Someday,” he promised. “Someday.”

She huffed, but Leon knew her well enough to know that she wasn’t truly upset.

“I should get going,” he said. “No need to keep two of the most powerful beings on the plane waiting for too long. Besides, the sooner I get this done, the better.”

“Just be careful, husband,” Elise whispered as she brushed her lips against his. “In fact, to make sure you move quickly…” She slithered out of Leon’s embrace, pulling Maia with her. The three were speaking in their bedroom, so she didn’t have to go far to toss the river nymph down on their large shared bed. “Stay there,” she sternly ordered Maia, whose bronze features had already flushed with desire and anticipation.

Elise then moved around to one of their bedside tables and began taking out leather straps and silk cords. Leon grinned as Elise began to pull Maia’s clothes off and tie her to the bed.

But then, she paused and glanced back at him. “Go on, then,” she playfully ordered him. “Take care of your business. Then come back here and take care of us.”

“Go quickly,” Maia gasped, her voice already ragged with arousal.

Leon’s face almost hurt from how widely he was smiling as he called upon all the restraint he could and left the bedroom. He had to take a couple minutes just outside the door to compose himself; breathing deeply, wiping the smile off his face, and making sure that he wasn’t showing any signs of the lust that his ladies had stoked within him.

Once he’d managed to bring himself under control, he set out for his meeting.

He didn’t have to go far, simply walking to one of his villa’s private sitting rooms. He knew from the handful of guards posted up in the hallway that Anastasios and the Grand Druid had both beaten him there, but they’d had enough meetings with him in his home that the guards hardly even looked up as he approached. Anastasios’ guard captain merely stuck his head into the sitting room and announced Leon’s arrival.

“Leon!” Anastasios boomed as Leon walked in and the guard shut the door behind him, sealing the three of them in. Leon felt the tell-tale rush of magic through his villa’s walls that indicated his privacy enchantments activated properly. “Good to see you again, my boy!”

“Leon,” the Grand Druid said more quietly, though with nothing less than familial warmth as Leon took a seat opposite the two of them. He couldn’t help but notice that the two of them had been sitting right next to each other on the same sofa, as was their wont.

As he sat down, Anastasios asked, “How has life been treating you, Leon? It can’t have been easy fulfilling this old girl’s requests, but I hope you’ve been otherwise thriving…”

The Grand Druid pinched Anastasios in the side for that remark, though she smirked anyway.

“Things have been great,” Leon honestly said. “I’ve been thinking about things lately that weigh upon my mind, but other than that, these past few years have been some of the best, most productive years of my life.”

“Wonderful to hear, wonderful to hear,” the Lord Protector responded. “If there’s anything at all I can do to add to that prosperity, please don’t hesitate to ask. I’ve been thinking, myself, lately, and I believe I owe you an apology. I believe we both owe you apologies, but I can speak only for myself…”

Again, the Grand Druid pinched him, and Leon did his best to ignore the blatantly flirtatious looks they gave each other.

“We’ve been a bit too demanding of you, Leon, is what I’m trying to say,” Anastasios said. “It’s… We must balance what’s best for our Empires, and what’s best for our partners. We don’t always get the balance right, as old, powerful, and experienced as we are.”

“We’ve gotten the balance wrong, dear,” the Grand Druid finished. “You’re more than just a tool to us. We both wanted you to know that.”

Leon smiled and nodded, though he didn’t take the words to heart. Words were easy to speak, but following through was the important part.

“Your words bring joy to my ears,” he said. “It’s an honor and a privilege to have you two stay here so often.”

“Oh, you needn’t be so polite,” Anastasios said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Not for a pair of old folks like us.”

“Actually,” Leon interjected before the Lord Protector could continue or the Grand Druid could add her thoughts, “I believe it’s necessary, especially for what I wanted to bring up with you.”

Anastasios stiffened, and after giving Leon a searching look, straightened up. The Grand Druid, however, remained fairly relaxed, though Leon felt her attention quite acutely.

“I’ve been thinking about my place on Aeterna,” Leon continued. “How much power and influence my name and my power could have upon it. I’m happy with where I am and have no desire to upset this apple cart, so to speak, but especially with all that I’ve been hearing coming out of the south, I can’t help but wonder if there’s more I can do to promote peace.”

“Such is a natural wonder for all men of virtue,” Anastasios said slowly. “But it’s in the details that we find the agents of Malefal.”

Leon nodded, recognizing the name of one of the few gods in the Ilian pantheon that was generally considered irredeemably evil. He’d even seen in some of the more feverish pieces of propaganda or historical fiction his Clan being tied directly to the deity, or at least the evil god being hinted to have a hand in the actions of the Sky Devils.

“That’s what I wanted to consult with the two of you about,” Leon stated. “Given how reluctant everyone seems to be to let me go south, is it safe for me to assume that my name, or at least my power, would have some level of influence upon the Sky Devils?”

Any trace of joviality in the sitting room had vanished, though Anastasios and the Grand Druid were still smiling.

“That’s… a concerning question,” Anastasios said.

“Are you asking to visit the Sky Devils, Leon?” the Grand Druid seriously inquired.

“I’m not asking anything,” Leon replied. “But I can’t help but be curious about the descendants of those who followed my Clan to this plane. I can’t help but wonder if I can somehow make peace between your peoples. Failing that, I can’t help but ask myself if Aeterna would be a more peaceful and prosperous place if I were to… take the Sky Devils with me, should I ever achieve Apotheosis and proceed with my plan to head for the Nexus.

“Let me put it another way: I don’t want anyone to die. This war between the Empires and the Sky Devils… If there’s some way that I could possibly broker peace, well… wouldn’t that be in everyone’s best interests?”

“Leon…” Anastasios said with a soft chuckle.

“The world is never so straightforward,” the Grand Druid quietly said. “The hatred between our peoples runs deep.”

“It’s in your power to change that,” Leon quickly countered. “Your Empires spend a great deal of time setting the Sky Devils up to be the bad guys in your national narratives. Ease up on that, and the people will turn their attention somewhere else. Let enough time pass, and peace can be declared. There will still be some bad blood, of course, but that will also eventually be forgotten with time as these wars pass beyond living memory, so long as you don’t start killing each other again.”

“Everything sounds easy when so condensed,” the Lord Protector bemoaned.

“It’s just an idea,” Leon conceded. “Speaking with the two of you is a prelude to figuring out details—and even then, only if you two find the idea agreeable. As I’ve said, my power and the legacy of my Clan have been on my mind. I wouldn’t call it a stretch to say that I bear at least some responsibility to bring some manner of peace to Aeterna—even if I bear no personal responsibility for the actions of my ancestors, I have the power to affect some kind of change. Is it not the moral thing to try and make a change for the better? That I have a responsibility because of the power within me?”

“Morality… can be frustratingly flexible,” Anastasios said. “Talk something over for long enough, and just about anything can be justified.”

“Are you saying that I’m wrong?” Leon asked.

“No, I actually find it admirable—the desire to help where one can.”

“We just don’t think this is a problem you can help with,” the Grand Druid added. “Your power presents many problems for us, and we know that the Keeper, and likely the Sunlit bastard as well, would be much more comfortable knowing that you were nowhere near the Sky Devils.”

“Here in the west,” Anastasios explained, “we are largely untouched by the events of eighty-thousand years ago. But it’s different in the east; their land was torn asunder during the wars following your Clan’s downfall and remains broken and barren to this day. Keeper is the one who fears your rise most of all, and gods only know how Sunlit might react to you visiting the Sky Devils.”

“It’s been his sailors and marines that have been dying in droves, for the most part, as he’s so fond of reminding us,” the Grand Druid added.

“I’m not talking to them,” Leon said. “I’m talking to the two of you. I won’t say that I’m not interested in your opinions of the other two, but what I want most of all is your opinions, absent consideration of others. Is the Sky Devils my responsibility? If I were to intervene in this, for the sake of peace, would you support me, or would I become an enemy?”

“You speak as if it’s already your intention to seek the Sky Devils out,” Anastasios observed.

“No decisions have been made yet,” Leon replied. “But as I’ve reiterated several times now, doing so has been on my mind. I… wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I managed the impossible and left Aeterna, yet didn’t use my gifts to deprive this plane of a peace that I could’ve given it.”

Anastasios and the Grand Druid each fell silent, both staring at Leon for a long time. Then, they slowly looked at each other.

“Leon,” the Grand Druid said.

“Yes?” was his reply.

“Could you give us the room for a few minutes?”

Leon smiled, though the expression was without warmth. “I’ll wait outside.”

He stood and returned to the door, pausing as he reached for the doorknob. He looked back at the two tenth-tier mages, finding that neither of them were looking at him. Instead, they were staring at each other, possibly communicating silently, through darkness magic—though, he wondered if they could do that, why they would send him out of the room.

With a sigh, he opened the door, walked out into the hallway, and closed the door behind him. The guards gave him a few strange looks, but when he returned them, they looked away.

Fortunately, he wasn’t left waiting there for too long before the door opened again, and the Grand Druid invited him back in.

“I apologize for that,” the Grand Druid said as Leon took a seat again.

“No, it’s fine,” Leon replied, practically chewing the sarcasm it was so thick. “I love being asked to leave rooms in my own home by those who, just a few minutes before, were trying to apologize for being too demanding.”

“We but needed a couple minutes to confer with each other,” Anastasios said. “Again, you have our apologies for that. Might we focus on the topic at hand?”

Leon stared at him for a long moment, a provocative half-smile on his face as he internally debated just how much of a thing he wanted to make of this insult. In the end, he decided that it was better to just let this be—better for his goals, at least.

“Before we continue,” he said, “I’d like to remind the two of you that what I spoke of was only hypothetical. Musings on morality. It’s advice I want, nothing more, for I do not yet intend on doing anything.”

“Yet,” the Grand Druid pointed out.

“We have… conditions,” Anastasios added. “Concessions on your part if you do wind up making a decision that might… impact us negatively.”

Leon smiled thinly. Their conversation started fine enough just a few minutes prior, but it seemed that despite the apology, the Lord Protector wasn’t intending on being any less demanding.

‘Not that I can blame him,’ Leon thought. Anastasios had an Empire of billions to watch out for, he couldn’t make decisions without keeping all of them in mind.

“What kind of concessions?” Leon asked. “And what would these concessions buy me? Hypothetically speaking?”

“There would be an outcry in Ilion and Evergold if you were to get into contact with the Sky Devils,” the Grand Druid said.

“More than there is now?” Leon asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Anastasios simply replied, “Yes.”

“But…” the Grand Druid said, “the more worrying cries of outrage would come from the east, and perhaps the south. It could lead to a war between Empires, which hasn’t happened in many thousands of years. Risks like that can’t be taken lightly.”

“Indeed,” Leon responded.

“But risks like that can be taken… for family,” the Grand Druid said with a wolfish look of expectation.

Leon’s smile widened a bit, growing just that little bit more genuine. “Cassandra,” he whispered.

“If you were to become my grandson-in-law, I could overlook many indiscretions. I would even be compelled to defend you, assuming you weren’t bringing great dishonor to me, my family, or my domain.”

Leon slowly nodded, then glanced at Anastasios. “I hope you’re not asking me to marry someone to buy your support.”

“No,” he said. “But there are… certain obligations I would ask you to fulfill. As the Grand Druid has said, to defend you would require quite a few sacrifices on your part to make antagonizing our eastern or southern counterparts worth it.”

“Peace with the Sky Devils isn’t worth it?” Leon asked, only somewhat seriously.

The Lord Protector smiled humorlessly. “Peace is an obligation for us all, and one I do not intend to shirk. But the methods by which we attain peace can sometimes sow the seeds for future war. We must ensure that, in securing peace, we do not create greater conflict in the future.”

“And how would you propose we go about doing that?” Leon asked.

Anastasios leaned forward, his pink nebulous eyes flashing with ambition. “You managed to grow Hesperidic Apple Trees outside of the Menomonee Valley. And as the last scion of the Thunderbird Clan, you possess insights into achieving Apotheosis that we must not if you are so confident that you’ll achieve it.”

“And you want both,” Leon said.

Anastasios’ smile widened slightly, and he sat back without a word, simply giving Leon a smug, almost expectant look.

“This all depends on you, Leon,” the Grand Druid softly stated. “It would be inadvisable to get tangled up with the Sky Devils. But if you believe it’s your obligation to try and do so, then these are our terms. This is how you might buy yourself our support.”

He nodded. “I’ll think this over.”

Anastasios sighed, relaxing his demeanor. “It is distasteful to ask these things of you when you speak of peace, Leon. But we must ensure that our Empires remain as peaceful as we can. As much as you believe achieving peace is your obligation, it is ours many times over. And maintaining peace with the Sentinels and the Sunlit Empire is easier and safer than attempting to make peace with the Sky Devils. It’s just that simple.”

“I understand,” Leon replied. “I… I don’t like this. I may not even decide to do it. But it’s something I must keep in mind, myself; I may find myself sitting where you are, someday.”

“I’m glad you understand. Leon, I want to emphasize that I think very highly of you, and do not wish for any bad blood.”

“Think no more of it,” Leon said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I’ll be sure to keep the two of you informed if I continue to find myself mulling this problem over.”

The Grand Druid practically leaped to her feet and appeared next to Leon in a flash of light. “Good! Now, we simply must begin planning your wedding to Cassandra right this moment! Imperial weddings are grand affairs, and one can never start planning too soon!”

“I haven’t even decided on th—” Leon said as the Grand Druid started dragging him out of his seat and toward the door, but she interrupted him before he could finish.

“Nonsense! You two were made for each other! Just accept it and we can all be happier!”

She continued to chatter about destinations and themes as she led Leon out of the room, while all he could think of was Elise and Maia and his depressing realization that it would be just a little longer yet before he could join in their fun.

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