The Storm King

“That was fast,” Valeria observed as Leon and his family returned to the more private wing of his villa. Only Elise, Maia, Valeria, himself, and now Cassandra were here; everyone else was busy preparing a celebration for the upcoming nuptials, though when precisely that was going to be was still up in the air.

“I can’t help it, I’m a romantic,” Cassandra replied nonchalantly.

“Still,” Elise said, cutting Valeria off from what Leon was sure would’ve been quite the barbed retort, “I’ll admit to having some misgivings about how quickly you accepted the offer… I would be a little more comfortable with these proceedings if you could help us to understand that this isn’t just a spur-of-the-moment decision on your part and that you are actually on board with joining our little flight…”

Cassandra smiled and laughed. “I’m a Princess,” she explained, “I’ve been brought up to be bold and to commit to my actions. I’m not to second-guess myself before the consequences have even borne out.” Elise looked like she was about to interject again when Cassandra silenced her with a raising of her hand. “What’s more,” the Princess continued, “this is something that I’ll admit I’ve long considered. My suitors back in Evergold have proven themselves… lacking, to say the least—Leon, you met Stephanos yourself, you know the kind of people I was dealing with.”

Leon nodded, briefly scowling at the reminder of that particularly arrogant man.

“Ever since I accepted to myself that I liked Leon,” the Princess said, “I’ve thought about this. When Leon told me that he reciprocated my feelings back during the exploration of that supercarrier, this has been on my mind: when we would finally give this a shot. While getting married was, itself, a little out of the blue, my grandmother had given me a few days to come to grips with it before I headed here; or did you think I came all dressed up like that for nothing? I had to impress my future husband and sisters-in-law…”

She beamed at Elise, flashed a polite smile to Maia, and then finally grinned provocatively at Valeria.

“I’ve thought this over, Elise,” she said. “I would’ve preferred a little more time to get to know everyone else, but it seems that this is happening. I’ll be joining your ‘flight’. Not for a few months at least, but it’s been decided. So let’s do our best to get to know each other from here on.”

Elise frowned lightly, but Leon knew what she was going to say already. She’d pressed him to commit to this course of action several times, and now that he finally was, he doubted she was going to back out now. Having an Imperial Princess on side was going to be the kind of boon to their family that turning her away was not an option at all.

True to what he knew of his wife, after taking a few moments to make a show of deliberating on the subject, Elise smiled and said, “Then let’s figure out a way to make this work so that we’re all happy. This is going to be quite the adjustment we need to make to our family.”

“That’s not the least of what we need to prepare for,” Leon said, speaking again for the first time since they’d retreated further into the villa. “With this marriage, Heaven’s Eye is going to be seen as aligning itself more closely with Evergold. Evergold is going to be seen as aligning itself more closely with me. There will be consequences.”

“We can handle them,” Cassandra said almost dismissively, but Leon saw a momentary tightening in the corners of her mouth and eyes, telling him that she wasn’t quite as confident in that as she was making herself appear.

“Be that as it may,” Leon responded, “it’s still for the best that we consider how this is going to affect not only our families but also Heaven’s Eye and the Sacred Golden Empire.”

“We’re going to eventually leave this plane, are we not?” Cassandra asked, surprising Leon only a little. He supposed it was only natural that the Grand Druid made sure Cassandra knew what his stated plans for the future were. “If that’s the case, then these problems are only temporary. We can focus on growing stronger and preparing for our departure when the time comes. Let those in other Empires cry foul as we leave them behind, it’s not like they’ll be able to do anything about us.”

“But they can do something about it now,” Leon said. “Having the support of Evergold and Ilion will be crucial. And that’s why I’ll probably be pretty deep in work for the next few months, making sure that we have Ilion in our corner.”

“And what of Evergold?” Cassandra asked with a sly smile. “Or were you just going to give all that information to the Lord Protector and leave none for my Empire?”

Leon snorted. “I figured that would be asked for. I was assuming that I was going to handing off at least some of what the Lord Protector wants to the Grand Druid as well. I’m sure she’d press for it anyway.”

“She will,” Cassandra replied. “Grandmother always gets what she wants, so it’s better to head her off where you can.”

“Regardless,” Leon continued with a growing headache, “nothing’s ready yet. Hesperidic Apples aren’t ready, my information on Apotheosis isn’t ready. You not only need to be integrated into my family and my retinue’s power structure, but you also need to be filled in on my own personal projects and subordinates.”

Cassandra’s ruby eyes began to shimmer more intensely than they already were at those words, but what Leon had to say next had her scowl returning.

“Most of these projects—or all of them, really—are need-to-know, Cassie. And your grandmother doesn’t. I’d rather she kept her nose out of our business. She’ll get what she thinks she’s owed, but that doesn’t mean I want her hovering over our shoulders, micro-managing our affairs, and denying us any secrets.”

Cassandra stared back at him, her expression turning even more serious than when she was trying to reassure Elise. After a long moment of silence, she whispered, “I… can understand that. And… I… agree. There are things… that my grandmother doesn’t need to know.”

“Things that I’ve kept secret for good reasons,” Leon emphasized. “Lots of not-so-good reasons, too, but mostly good reasons. If I’m going to bring you up to speed on my family and what we’re doing, then I want you to know that I’m placing a great deal of trust in you not to spread that information. And that it will be nigh-impossible for me to trust you ever again if this trust is betrayed.”

For a moment, Cassandra looked almost annoyed, but she took a deep breath and mastered herself. When she made eye contact with Leon again, she continued to speak with great seriousness.

“I understand, Leon. And if you’re going to trust me with your secrets, then I will keep them. Besides, it’s not like I haven’t before—I haven’t told anyone about your black fire, I’ll have you know.”

Leon smiled and bowed his head slightly in gratitude. “Thank you, Cassie.”

Cassandra smirked. “Is this it? Can we get to the fun parts now?”

“In that much of a hurry to get Leon inside you?” Valeria sarcastically asked.

Cassandra laughed. “I won’t deny that I’m looking forward to my—our—first experience quite a lot, especially if Leon’s good enough to keep all three of you satisfied, but that’s not going to happen for a while. We have other business to handle, such as wedding planning, and revealing those secrets to me, don’t you think?”

Leon sighed as he stared at Cassandra, his lips turns upward in a gentle smile. “Trust, right?” he whispered.

“Trust,” she repeated.

Leon sprang to his feet. “Very well,” he said. “I suppose the first place we should start with, then, is my workshop…”

---

Leon stared at the report in his hand and the intricate diagrams on the table in front of him. He was in one of his most secure research facilities, one that he’d had made even more secure after consigning Valentina and a dozen of his finest blood mages to its depths, tasking them with research that might aid him in unlocking the secrets of his transformation enchantment.

The Thunderbird had done much to create that enchantment, of course, and Leon had asked her about it as much as he could. Unfortunately, she had admitted that she hadn’t done as much as Leon had hoped, merely adapting the Primal God Krith’is’ work using what knowledge she’d managed to glean from the Great Black Dragon before he’d stopped talking to her, and from her knowledge of her bloodline. As a result, she wasn’t as useful as Leon had been hoping she’d be in adapting the transformation enchantment for other bloodlines.

So, if Leon wanted to make sure that this was a useful carrot for bribing the Ten Tribes to his side, then he needed to unlock it himself. Or have others do it—so long as the secrets were his to parcel out, then it didn’t matter too awfully much.

The report in his hand was their preliminary findings: a brief summation of their attempts to break down and completely analyze the intricate and exceedingly complex enchantment crafted by literal divinity. Most enchanters had never considered working with three-dimensional enchantments, so Leon understood why they were a little flabbergasted at the work he’d laid before them, but in the same breath, he was surprised at just how quickly they’d managed to get him some kind of report on their progress.

Using the report in his hand and the transcription of the relevant passages of his transformation enchantment that targeted his bloodline, he was able to trace the lines of logic through the entire enchantment, with helpful notations on just what each section was supposed to do—in broad theory, at least, his people were still working on the details. The bits that the Thunderbird had specifically tailored to her bloodline were still stumping them a bit, but progress was progress.

And that progress had him convinced that even if he didn’t yet have the more universally-applicable transformation enchantment that he was looking for, he would in a reasonable time.

Once he was done tracing the entirety of the enchantment he’d given them to study, Leon smiled and left the research facility. He had a meeting with a certain devil to arrange…

---

“Have you been thinking over my proposal?” the Jaguar asked Leon as they were left alone.

They were standing in the small villa that Leon had set aside for the Jaguar and his people, in the most private of the villa’s conference rooms. They’d met at least once a week, with the Jaguar giving Leon more and more in-depth information on the Ten Tribes’ political and social structure. Leon found it easy to enjoy these meetings, as these were people he was intending to take under his banner rather than those he held no interest in ruling over. That one distinction alone made the Sky Devils infinitely more interesting to learn about in Leon’s opinion as opposed to the internal workings of the Bull Kingdom.

Leon wasn’t surprised by the Jaguar’s question. It had been the man’s first every time they’d met, and Leon’s answer hadn’t changed.

“Your proposal occupies a great deal of my time,” Leon replied. “I’ve not thought about anything more than what you’ve proposed, I’d say.”

“And two months hasn’t been enough to come to a decision?” the Jaguar asked, impatience evident in his tone despite his obvious attempts to hide it.

“Were you expecting me to immediately answer affirmatively as soon as you offered me a throne? By your own admission, it will not be just given to me, but even if it were to be mine with no more than an admission that I wanted it, I would still take as much time as I needed to deliberate over it. A crown is no small burden to bear.”

The Jaguar nodded, his expression looking like relief and consternation were at war within him. “An… admirable attitude to have. Still, I would rather have an answer soon; I do not enjoy being this far from my people and this deep in enemy territory.”

“Then I’ll at least tell you that I’m inclined towards accepting your offer, despite some misgivings amongst my advisors. As heavy as a crown is, I would like to think I’m strong enough to bear it, especially if I have good, reliable souls around me who can take a little bit of weight.”

Leon gave the Jaguar a long, serious look, and the Jaguar’s eyes widened a moment before he bowed ever so slightly.

“If I do not mistake your intent, then I would be honored to advise you.”

“Good. I would see that all the Ten Tribes have proper avenues to consult with me and have me consult with them in turn. Assuming I do become their King, at any rate; I do not expect them to bend their knees so easily, if what you’ve told me is accurate.”

The Jaguar looked somewhat insulted, and Leon quickly added, “I do not question your honor, but all men have their biases.”

That seemed to mollify the other man a little bit, but not entirely, so Leon quickly shifted topics to something a little more beneficial to the man.

“When we first met and had our little duel, you called me ‘Raptor’. You know that I can transform, yet in the two months you’ve been here, you’ve not asked me about it. I find that curious.”

The Jaguar gave him something of an incredulous look. “We all have our secret magical techniques,” he said. “Some are more worth keeping secret than others, but it takes a special kind of relationship to ask after them. We are not close, so I did not ask about your ability to transform. It is not my place to pry where I’m not wanted.”

“Hmm. I like that philosophy. But in this case, I think you would’ve found prying to be a little more beneficial than you might’ve thought…”

Leon waved his hand and conjured another copy of the section of his transformation enchantment that targeted his bloodline, having it fall into place on the conference room table.

“My ability to transform is unique to me, I’m afraid—or simply to my bloodline, but those are one and the same until I start having kids. But I have some of my people working on making it a little more acceptable to those with other bloodlines.”

The Jaguar’s eyes turned in Leon’s direction and seemed to sparkle more and more as he continued.

“Would you like to transform into a jaguar, Jaguar? I can personally assure you that nothing will help you feel as close to your Ancestor as when you’re sharing their form. It also comes with a healthy power boost, to boot…”

“That… sounds too good to be true,” the Jaguar whispered.

“My thoughts exactly regarding your throne,” Leon responded.

“Are… are you sure that having Heaven’s Eye study this enchantment is the best course of action?” the Jaguar asked, switching seamlessly back into his business mode despite the obvious greed and desire that Leon read in his eyes.

“I’m glad you brought that up,” Leon said, “because it was something that we had to talk about. It’s one of the biggest reasons why I’m not making for your Ten Tribes right now. You see, I have a good thing with Heaven’s Eye. I’m in an alliance with the guild’s director, giving me unfettered access to the guild’s resources, including some of what they looted from the corpse of my Clan. The relationship has been quite beneficial to me, even if it’s been… rocky, at times. And it affords me the ability to select those I find trustworthy and task them with work I don’t have the time or the knowledge to pursue.

“Since I have such control over Heaven’s Eye, I don’t see it at all as risky; Heaven’s Eye is now squarely in my corner, where it should be.”

“If you say so,” the Jaguar murmured.

“I do. And making sure that I retain that control even from down on your island is something that I need to do. I will not give up my position in Heaven’s Eye just for the chance at becoming your people’s King. I would have both, and that takes some serious prep work. What’s more, I want to ensure that I can return to the continent as needed; I’m not just going to drop off the face of the Imperial world as I politick with your people.”

The Jaguar scowled lightly but said nothing.

“In that vein, I’m securing some support from the Empires themselves. I’m even going to be marrying one of their Princesses. This will allow me to broker peace between the Empires and your people.”

Anger flashed across the Jaguar’s face. “Peace?” he said disbelievingly. “Impossible. Eighty-thousand years of blood have been shed, enough to fill our oceans several times over. There can be no peace between our peoples, there’s just too much bloody history to try and forget.”

“I think it’s possible,” Leon disagreed.

“Then you—” the Jaguar growled, though he caught himself before he could finish the thought.

“Listen here, Jaguar,” Leon said through clenched teeth, his anger now rising to match his feline counterpart, “I’ll not decry your conflicts with the four Empires as ‘petty’. There is legitimate anger on both sides. Great atrocities have been visited upon you both by the other, and I won’t ask anyone to forget them.

“But, were I to become your King, your future would not reside upon this plane, but in the Nexus, and out in the Void. This petty plane and its petty conflicts will be left behind, in favor of the grand and glorious Nexus, and all the equally petty conflicts that likely exist up there.”

The Jaguar cracked a smile, thin though it was.

“Our future lies in front of us, not behind,” Leon continued. “We will move on, we will not become bogged down fighting a bunch of, as you’ve called them, savages and barbarians. At least, such is the direction I would lead us in. Do you still want me to be your King?”

“Yes,” the Jaguar answered without hesitation. “No one else other than you could possibly unite my people, for you are the last of your bloodline. To have my people united is my greatest dream, and one that I never thought I would live to witness.”

“Then bear with me a little longer,” Leon said. “A few more months. A wedding, a lot of paperwork with Heaven’s Eye, and ensuring that the Ilian and Sacred Golden Empires don’t stab me in the back, and I can be on my way to your island.”

“Just those things?” the Jaguar sarcastically asked.

“Just those,” Leon confirmed, consciously taking the Jaguar’s question at face value. “Just a few more months. Can you spare that time, or must you return to your people first?”

“I will stay,” the Jaguar declared. “I must return with my people’s King, or do everything I can to facilitate his return to my people.”

“Then you’ll have to get used to waiting,” Leon said. “Just not for much longer. On that, you have my word. Besides, there are some projects here in Occulara that I’m running, one of which might be of great value to all Ten Tribes. Tell me, how much do you know of our Inherited Bloodlines?”