The Storm King

From Occulara, Bolt in Shadow bore Leon’s people westward, taking a more circuitous route than he usually took when undertaking this journey. Normally, with an ark, he could make a fairly straight shot heading northwest, passing over the hilly boundary where the Ilumerian Wetlands met the Screeching Desert. This time, however, Leon wanted some time to reminisce.

In Thunderbird form, Leon flew alongside the Thunderbird Clan heavy cruiser. His avian eyes swept over the swampy landscape, occasionally seeing some large creature or a boat navigating the tight waterways. His memories of the Wetlands were hardly fond, consisting of fighting monsters and vampires, but as his expedition passed over Attica, he shared a moment with Anna and Helen. Neither of the women was particularly fond of their time in Attica either, so Leon didn’t press them too hard to reminisce.

Further north lay the Cortuban Alliance. More vampire troubles had been had there, and Leon was sorely tempted to stop and greet the Pentarchs and ask about what he’d seen below the arena in Andalus. However, a quick scan with his magic senses showed that none of the Pentarchs were in the city, so he didn’t bother. Xaphan hardly seemed worried about Amon or his vampire servants, telling Leon, [If they come, then they’ll come. Any vampires that that waste of good kindling Amon has left will shit themselves at the sight of us. And it’ll be the last thing the lazy ballbags ever do.]

With such poetic musings ringing in his ears, Leon pressed their expedition onward.

Akhmim and the Samar Kingdom held some memories for him, too. The city itself was the last major city on the Tyrrhenian River, leading into the Gulf of Discord that separated the Samar Kingdom from the Bull Kingdom. It was also where Leon had first encountered Talal.

“This city…” Marcus said appreciatively as they flew overhead. “Good fighting pits here…”

An amused snort was Leon’s initial answer. “Do you want to stop and beat someone down? It’ll hardly be a fair fight…”

Marcus was polite enough to laugh and shake his head, but Alcander was a little more boisterous with the Bull Kingdom so close. Abandoning almost all of his dignity as the commander of Leon’s Tempest Knights, he declared, “I wouldn’t mind a good fight! I’ve been getting way too cooped in this metal can!”

“Then come fly with me,” Leon suggested. “Or better yet, get some hands-on training with some of the knights.”

“What if I don’t want actual solutions?” the enormous man quipped. “What if I just want an excuse to bitch and moan? By my Ancestors, isn’t a man entitled to a little complaining every now and then?”

“No,” Leon responded with equal sarcasm. “Complaints are for those with actual grievances. And since I’m perfect, I know that you must have no grievances, isn’t that right?”

A bout of laughter came from Marcus as Alcander shrugged, grinned, and said, “If you say so, Leon. Perfect, that’s you. Yeah.”

Satisfied, Leon’s expedition moved on.

He briefly wondered whether or not he should stop in Samar, too, but soon thought better of it. The Sultan and his court were hardly threats to Leon or his people, but just flaunting his power over them while showing off Asiya sounded fun. Asiya and Cristina, however, thought it sounded considerably less fun.

“I would never put my Asiya in danger!” Cristina insisted.

“Could be fun, though,” Asiya whispered with an impish grin. But then, her expression turned dark. “Might also be fun to send all those in that city into the arms of their Ancestors.”

Leon immediately regretted even voicing his ill-advised musings. Asiya’s father had been killed when Leon freed them from the Sultan’s imprisonment. Asiya herself had almost been sold off or disposed of. He could imagine these weren’t good memories, even if flaunting their power might provide some amount of entertainment.

Letting the matter rest was the best course of action, in his mind. So, on to Ariminium, they continued.

Of all the places they’d passed over so far, none of them could rival the emotional effect that seeing the Bull’s Horns up close had on Leon. It had been a little over half a century since he’d seen the place, though it hardly felt like so much time had passed. Now that he was set to leave Aeterna, though, it made seeing the twin fortresses and triple-layered wall spanning the pass between them much more impactful—for all he knew, this was the last time he would ever see them.

A flood of memories came pouring back to him as Bolt in Shadow came in for a landing just behind the walls. Not much more than a year he’d spent there with Trajan, but he remembered almost every second. Fighting through the city streets during the guild riots, running around the mountains with the Diplomatic Corps, all the actions taken in defense of the city during the war with the Talfar Kingdom…

And, of course, Leon’s thoughts were drawn to Maia. They weren’t far from Saron, and Leon knew that Maia wanted to visit her mother, as she’d done the previous time they’d visited. A part of him wanted to go with her, to see her home, but Saron was a place for nymphs, and she wasn’t sure that her mother was going to make an exception, even if she wanted to.

Still, even if Pleione would allow it, it was hardly going to happen soon, so Leon focused on the moment as the ark touched down.

As with their previous trip north, Cristina had called ahead, ensuring that the Kingdom knew that they were coming to visit. Again, the Bull King came out in force to welcome them back to the Kingdom, dragging out what seemed like every man and woman of means and position to add to the massive crowd.

As expected, August was with them, his wife and adult daughter at his side. They didn’t seem to have any additional children, and Leon wondered if they would have any more. The Sacred Bull’s bloodline was no exception to the usual fertility issues that those with Inherited Bloodlines had, and King Julius just got lucky having five kids. August’s wife, the previous Duchess of Vesontio, also wasn’t as strong as August was, and though she likely wasn’t even two centuries old, she had long streaks of silver running through her hair, and her face was lined with wrinkles. August still looked relatively youthful, though it seemed his power had stagnated at the seventh-tier.

Along with them was the rest of the Royal Family—including Herculanus despite his position as a blood priest—as well as the Paladins and high ministers. Leon picked out Roland, Minerva, and Aquillius, and though all three had visibly aged, they still looked strong. Missing from the crowd, however, were the Bronze and Penitent Paladins, the two oldest and most loyal Paladins that King Julius had.

Leon exited Bolt in Shadow to immense fanfare. He’d expected it, helping him to endure the long reintroductions and pleasantries that were to be expected. He refrained from asking too many serious questions and relished the reunions he was able to witness. Cristina went to embrace her mother and father, standing next to each other. Given the looks of shock on their faces, Leon wasn’t sure if Cristina had mentioned the magical progress she’d made over the past few decades—she now stood on par with August, if not exceeding him, at the seventh-tier, pushing against the boundaries of the eighth.

He and Cristina were then formally introduced to Princess Aelia, August’s daughter. She’d only been four years old when they’d last come to the Bull Kingdom, but now she was in her mid-fifties. With her sixth-tier strength, however, she hardly looked a day over thirty.

Additionally, Leon’s Bull Kingdom-born former retainers had their families there alongside the Royal Family. Marcus and Alcander were from the ranks of the dissolved nobility, and as far as Leon knew, their families were still prominent and wealthy, so he was hardly surprised to see them. What was more surprising was seeing that even Alix’s family had been brought to greet them, for which Leon was immensely grateful. He knew that leaving family behind was a concern for his people, and he’d offered their families places in his Kingdom and the Nexus, if they desired. He wondered if any of them would take him up on the offer.

Lastly, Lucianus was able to see his family for the first time in fifty years. Thanks to his diligent training under Marcus and the occasional taste of ambrosia, he stood on par with Roland, his father, in terms of magic. From the way Roland was madly grinning, Leon didn’t think the Paladin was too upset over this state of affairs.

With patience bordering on superhuman, Leon endured the long greetings with so many familiar faces. The Royal Family, Roland and Brimstone from the Paladins, Minerva, Aquillius, even Constantine, and a few more of Trajan’s knights who had turned up, were the only people he was that interested in seeing. Hundreds of people wanted to clasp his wrist and exchange a few words, though, and he did his best to give a good impression to them all.

Finally, after all the greetings were done, King Julius led them into Ariminium itself, and Leon was carried in a grand chariot with his family into the city. Meanwhile, Bolt in Shadow took back to the sky. It would circle the city and wait for him until he decided to return to Kataigida. Until then, he would travel wherever else he wanted to go under his own power.

One great parade later, he was finally allowed to relax in the Diplomatic Corps’ apartments for visiting dignitaries. Anzu left to visit the griffins in the Border Mountains while Maia left to visit Pleione in Saron. Leon wasn’t going to leave Ariminium without them, so he began getting settled in for a few days in the city that had been such a monumental part of his life.

There was much he wanted to do in the city, from just walking through the streets with Elise, Valeria, Cassandra, and even Alix, to visiting his old haunts and seeing if any still existed. Before any of that, however, he met with his fellow King in a more informal setting. Joining them were both Julius and Leon’s families.

“Leon!” the Bull King greeted as the Paladin outside showed Leon and his family into the courtyard where they would have their private meeting with the King’s family, though from the décor and veritable feast on offer, Leon thought it might be more of a private party than a meeting.

“Julius,” Leon replied. They greeted each other more informally now that they were in private, and without the pressure of a massive crowd trying to get some face time in with him, Leon was able to more clearly focus on the Bull King.

The man was starting to show his age despite his power. He was eighth-tier, so common estimates would’ve had his living for quite a while yet, but after only fifty years, he looked like he’d aged two hundred.

August and Cristina’s mother, on the other hand, looked quite elderly. She was magically weak which greatly limited her lifespan, but she was just as enthusiastic as the rest of the Royal Family with Cristina’s return, however transient it might be.

“Apologies for not visiting more frequently,” Leon continued. “I wasn’t able to keep that promise.”

“My daughter has kept me abreast of all that you’ve done in the south, Leon,” Julius warmly stated. “The task you’ve set for yourself is one of such great enormity that I can hardly fathom it. To prepare for such a venture while also ruling a vast Kingdom and keeping the peace between those who hold old grudges… I don’t envy you, nor do I blame you for keeping your priorities straight.”

The King paused before sending a mischievous glare Cristina’s way.

“My daughter, on the other hand, I’ll be less forgiving toward.”

“I was busy!” Cristina exclaimed, Julius’ statement drawing her out of her conversation with Princess Stefania. “I’m an ambassador!”

“Could’ve come home whenever you wished, though,” Julius lightly stated in an unserious tone.

“I would’ve liked to see you, too,” her mother chided.

Cristina stared in abject accusation. “Coming at me from two sides, huh? I see what you’re doing.”

“A flanking maneuver is just good tactics,” August said with a laugh. “Come, sister. Tell me of all that’s kept you busy in the south!”

As August pulled Cristina into a conversation, Julius whispered to Leon, “Take care of her, Leon.”

“Hm?”

The King watched his daughter laugh and interact with the rest of his family, with Elise, Asiya, and Valeria in particular jumping in to rescue their friend—and wife, in Asiya’s case—from the teasing she had to endure.

With a deep, tired sigh, he addressed Leon again. “Almost all of the men and women I knew growing up are now gone. My parents. My brother. My best friend. Everyone I looked up to… all gone. All I have now are the hopes and regrets of an old man. I know what you’re doing, Leon… I know it’ll take you far from Aeterna and the graves of your Ancestors. I know… that this may be the last time you return to my fair Kingdom while I yet rule it. If you ever return, then I will undoubtedly be long feasting with my Ancestors.”

His voice caught in his throat, but Leon didn’t interject. Julius took a moment to fight back the tears and continue.

“I have never been more proud of my family than I am now. I miss my parents and my brother. I even miss Octavius.”

Leon spared the old King a look of subtle surprise.

“Don’t look at me like that, Leon. You’ll know this when you have children of your own. You only ever knew Octavius as he was as a man. I was there when his mother brought him into the world. I was there for his first steps… for his first words. I remember the boy he was long before he became a man. I remember the good kid he used to be and have had to reconcile that with the man who ordered my stalwart brother killed. Yes, I miss my son, Leon. Do not judge me.”

“I wasn’t,” Leon softly replied. “I was just surprised. I think I get it, though. On some level, anyway.”

Julius cocked an eyebrow, which Leon took as an invitation to explain.

“Archduke Kyros… my grandfather. He kicked my father out of Argent Palace to try and get my father to leave my mother. It didn’t work, and my father and grandfather were never able to repair their relationship before… Argent Palace was attacked. Despite how my father was treated, I… still want to know what Kyros was like. I and my father were treated terribly by our family, but I still long to have that connection, to have met them and known them personally.”

Leon paused and glanced at his family and the Bull King’s family laughing and celebrating Leon’s visit.

“It’s not a perfect comparison, I’ll grant you that,” Leon concluded. “Just how I feel.”

Julius clapped him on the shoulder in solidarity, saying nothing more. After another moment of silence between them, he stated, “Cristina wants to go with you, to the Nexus. Maybe she can’t go immediately, but she and dear Asiya want to join you, Elise, and Valeria up in the stars. This may be the last time I see my daughter, too. That’s why I want to hear you say that you’ll take care of her. Of them.”

“I will,” Leon immediately promised. “Never let any doubt of that enter your mind. Cristina and Asiya are friends of mine, too. They’ll never come to harm if I have any say in the matter.”

Julius breathed a long sigh of relief. “That’s all I wanted to hear.”

It was Leon’s turn to clap Julius on the shoulder, and once more, they stood in silent solidarity, not sharing what was going through their minds since they both already knew. They simply commiserated together, with words proving superfluous.

Eventually, Leon broke their silence. “Of those who are gone… does that include Bronze and Penitent?”

Julius visibly sagged. “Yes,” he confirmed. “The Penitent Paladin found peace thirty-three years ago. Bronze followed him barely half a decade later. The world is colder in their absence.”

“It is,” Leon whispered, his heart sinking. Penitent and Bronze had known his family and had always treated him with respect. Hearing of their deaths hurt more than he thought it would.

Silence again fell between them, but this time, neither of them broke it. They simply stood there, watching those still with them while their minds filled with memories of those now gone.