CHAPTER 928: A HORNY LITTLE MUTT

"Thank you!" Ava turned, looking at King Harold with an expression of pure adoration, the same innocent gaze she’d had when they were children.

"It doesn’t come without a price." Harold shook his head, a hint of weariness creeping into his stern features. He turned away, unable to meet her eyes. In his mind, her simple, earnest gratitude was something he didn’t deserve.

"What do you need us to do?"

In the past, Ava would never have responded with such calm acceptance. As the High Princess of the kingdom, she was proud, the most beautiful rose of the court.

But she was no longer just herself. She had a child now. A child caught between the human kingdom and the Stoneheart Horde, whose future fate was destined to be anything but peaceful.

If we can’t avoid it, then I have to prepare Kronos, one step at a time. This was Ava’s new reality. If that day ever comes, I can’t let him go to the table with no cards in his hand.

It was for this reason that she had allowed Torin to use her name to run his scams and build his influence, even though she knew the man was morally bankrupt, involved in vile acts and the slave trade behind the scenes. It was simple: Torin and Soaring Bird City provided wealth, resources, and intelligence.

"Two things," King Harold’s voice grew low and serious. When it came to matters of state, he had to set aside their bond as brother and sister and speak plainly. "One for the future, and one for the present."

Ava nodded silently, motioning for her brother to continue.

"For the future, Soaring Bird City will become a vital hub for communication and trade between our human kingdom, the stoneheart horde, and the blood elves. Given your status, and Kronos’s, neither side will give you trouble. In other words, you and Kronos, and the city itself, will be key to whether the relationship between our three factions is harmonious, whether our alliance remains stable."

Hearing this, Ava slowly shook her head. She wasn’t a fool. She didn’t believe for a second that the relationship between great factions could be fundamentally changed, let alone decided, by a mother and son who were, in the grand scheme of things, irrelevant.

"You’ve matured," Harold said, turning back to look at her seriously. "But that only makes me worry more."

He should have been happy with her realistic response. But he wasn’t, because growth only comes through pain. And as her brother, allowing his family to suffer was his failure.

He stared at Ava for a long moment, then reached out and ruffled her hair, just as he had when they were children.

"You’re right to think that way. If a true war were to break out, you and Kronos couldn’t do much to stop it. That iron-willed, enigmatic King of Giants of the Stoneheart Horde... a man who could carve a path from the north to the south has a will strong enough that you could never hope to sway it."

This was the truth, and it was also Harold’s frank assessment of Orion. Of course, King Harold himself enjoyed a sterling reputation among the other major factions.

"But Kronos is his son. No matter how strained our relations become, they will never harm you. And in the future... if the future is hopeful, there’s no reason the stoneheart horde and the human kingdom can’t have a relationship like the one we share with the blood elves."

Harold’s gaze drifted to Kronos, charging across the training grounds. His voice was heavy with meaning, his eyes fixed on a distant horizon.

"Ava, every great faction has two faces: one is sharp and aggressive, the other is gentle and kind. You and Kronos are fortunate. Judging by the King of Giants’ attitude, you fall under his gentle and kind face. That makes your position between the Human Kingdom and the Stoneheart Horde unique."

He turned back to her then, his face bathed in sunlight, a gentle smile gracing his lips.

"And as long as Theodore and I are here, you will never be lesser than anyone."

Harold conveyed his absolute resolve to her with his eyes alone.

A soft breeze rustled through the Rose Manor, sending a flurry of petals into the air. A few drifted down between them, and for a fleeting moment, Ava felt as if she were twelve years old again. Back then, Prince Harold had made her the same promise: that he would make sure her life was happier than that of any other noble girl.

"As for the present," King Harold said after a long pause, "your task is to host a trilateral summit in Soaring Bird City. You will convey our stance on the traitor Torin to the blood elves and the stoneheart horde, express our deepest condolences for the loss of their people, and buy the kingdom time to clean its own house."

There were two reasons he was giving this task to Ava.

First, by succeeding, she would earn the merit needed to make her enfeoffment of Soaring Bird City legitimate in the eyes of all.

Second, it would demonstrate to the kingdom’s noble class the vital importance of Ava and Kronos in inter-factional relations. That way, none of the other nobles would ever dare to undermine her and her son the way they had done to Torin.

"The kingdom will dispatch the necessary officials to assist you."

"I understand."

Stoneheart Horde, Stoneheart City.

Ever since Pallas’s celebration for bonding his black dragon, the castle had grown much quieter.

Perhaps because Orion himself was now in residence, the fortress felt increasingly solemn and august, the air thick with the aura of immense power.

And in truth, it was. Orion often sat alone on his throne, sometimes lost in thought, other times immersing his consciousness in the Survivor’s Platform. His silent presence made the entire castle feel more imposing, more monolithic.

Just as he was now. Though Orion’s mind was deep within the Champions Alliance public channel, no one in the castle dared to break the profound silence.

Leonidas: @Deputy Commander @Arthas What’s the status up there?

At this point, with Alexander staying silent, Leonidas had become the group’s de facto mouthpiece. His impatience wasn’t just his own; he was speaking for Orion, Kraken, Isabella, and Makareth, all of whom were desperate for information.

Arthas: If you had a little more ambition and got yourself to demigod sooner, maybe we wouldn’t have people kicking down our door in the first place!

Leonidas didn’t get an answer. He got a classic burn from his old friend.

Leonidas: What, you lost? No way. @Arthas how’d you get so useless after promoting to demigod?

Leonidas wasn’t one to take a hit without firing back.

Arthas: I can swat an army of horny little mutts.

Leonidas: ...

A horny little mutt. There was no doubt who that was aimed at.