CHAPTER 139: A TYRANT’S RESOLUTION AND HERALD OF THE STORM KINGS

’The Astrapi Kingdom?’ I thought in perplexity, wondering why this northern neighbour of ours would seek an audience with us. And one that seemed to scream in significance, considering the rush of the butler and Darius’ delivered words.

"Tell the Grand Vizier I will be there shortly." I replied, as the man respectfully bowed and quickly left.

I then returned my attention to my mother, wanting to finish making my amends before I deal with the foreign emissaries, but before I could open my mouth, my mother removed herself from my embrace, her face now returned to her usual bright and warm expression, that always manged to further enhance her already enchanting beauty as she said "Go now, you mustn’t leave duty waiting, and Darius wouldn’t have called you if it was unnecessary. But be prepared to pay dearly for what you did to this old lady, young man. Understand?"

"Understood." I replied smilingly, not wanting to tease her back like I usually did, as I recalled the last time she said those words to me three years ago.

Standing back up again, a brief few minutes after I had sat down, and I begin to exit the garden pavilion, when I suddenly paused, as I heard my mother call out "Alex."

"Yes mother?" I asked, turning back to face her.

"Congratulations on advancing to the third gate." She said with a brilliant smile, and a tone that held within it all the pride and love she held for me.

I said nothing in reply, merely smiled at her graciously, as I again spun around and nodded to my uncle, who despite being soaking wet still, nodded in return, before he lightly bowed to my mother and then winked at Nizam, who instantly understood his meaning, as he did a quick flourish with his hands that shooed away most of the water still clinging to him, before he then followed me.

Our trek to the throne room was initially a silent affair, with none of us saying anything, until my uncle decided to break that stillness, saying sincerely "Excellent work on your recent advancement, my boy."

"Thank you uncle." I replied with a small smile across my lips.

But then silence returned to our midst, seemingly determined to keep walking with us and continue annoying us with it’s awkward presence; thankfully my uncle was again there to expel it "Your mother has already forgiven you my boy, you needn’t worry so much. She just dislikes feeling as though she is adding weight onto your shoulders."

"She can never be a burden upon me." I instantly retorted, my tone still calm, but with an irrefutable will within it now.

"So you speak, but are they reflected in your actions?" He asked, his tone now questioning, with a hint of the grievance he felt layered within; most likely at the fact that I hid the information about my third gate from him as well.

"Everything I did, I did to lighten the load on her and all of you." I retorted, my tone coldly strategic, yet undeniably affectionate "Better you think me busy for a few hours, than dread the imaginative possibilities of unrealistic horror your mind would undoubtedly conjure."

Sighing as he roughly combed his hair back, he said "Neither your mother, nor any of us are so weak as to crumble under the illusions of our own minds, Alex. You must put your trust in us, as we do you."

"Of course I trust you uncle." I quickly replied. "And neither of you are weak, I obviously know that, but it is also an undeniable fact she is a compassionate woman, one that loves her family more than life itself. A similarity shared between you and her. And a trait I admire greatly in you both." I truthfully said, as so few in this world could ever retain their hold over such a pure characteristic. "But that very same compassion brings you constant pain, so if I can guard you against such suffering for even a single second, I would not hesitate to do so, even if hate me for it." I finished as I turned to look him in the eye, making him pause half in fright, half in shock as he beheld the abyssal pools of madness I called my eyes.

He obviously recognized that something was very wrong with his nephew long ago, as no boy of fourteen, who has known nothing but the comfortable life of an imperial prince, and raised in the gilded silk cribs of the Imperial Palace, could ever become a man such as the one before him today, while possessing such haunting eyes, and overnight no less.

And he’d long since come to terms with my rampant insanity that occasionally reared it’s horrid head, and revealed it’s terrible fangs, but today he noticed a different aspect of my mania, and that was a tyrannical possessiveness, one that dominantly disregarded all disagreement and opposition, and simply focused on protecting what it deemed irreplaceable.

My uncle’s eyes reflected all his thoughts, as he seemed both happy and fearful of the level of care and devotion I afforded my family, but before he could put his thought into words, a giant of a man, wearing loose green robes, and slinging a giant hammer over his shoulder came to our side, along with three haggard looking children, two boys and a girl, who followed after him like obedient ducklings, as he saluted us while slightly bowing his head "My emperor. My lords."

"Valdour." I replied, the madness I had earlier liberated, now returned to it’s seal, as I asked "What brings you here?"

"Nothing much, sire. I just finished training the little ones." He said gesturing to the three behind him, who bent lower when my eyes travelled towards them.

"And how’s their progress?" I asked, patting all their heads in order to ease their hearts.

"Excellently. Within five years at the longest, and the first will be able to unlock their first gate." He answered, a proud smile on his face, especially when he looked at his son, Va’lin.

Indeed, these three were demi-Gods we had recruited in the last three years to add to our strength.

The girl, Seraphina, was a child of the Poison God’s lineage, and would be turning twelve in a month or so. She had beautiful pale skin and a lithe body, like that of a serpent. Her eyes were an eerie, almost toxic looking green, the mark of her family; and her hair was the colour of a raven’s wings, until it reached it’s edges, when they turned a pale green, the slightly similar shade to her eyes.

Meanwhile the other boy, whose name was Azarlan, who was naturally a son of Lahtesh, the city of fire, just celebrated his eighth birthday a couple of weeks ago. And as was natural for those who inherited the blood of the Fire God, his eyes and hair were both a crimson red, like that of a roaring flame.

"Good job." I lightly affirmed, earning me a trio of smiles from the three.

"Thank you master." The three simultaneously said, their cheeks slightly warming as they did.

"Come now little ones, his majesty is busy right now. Let’s not disturb him." Valdour then said, as he ushered them to follow.

"Yes teacher." They replied, with even Va’lin calling such, before they ran after him.

"They’re good seeds, sire. Sure to grow straight and strong, unlike their crooked forefathers." Abraham uttered, his eyes smiling as they followed the three.

"Let’s hope so." I replied, my tone hopeful and optimistic, feeling as though I had made the right choice by picking up these two hidden gems from the mud pits that was their families, especially Seraphina, who I would describe her recruitment more of a saving than anything else.

But non the less, all of them have proved excellent investments so far, who only with minimal aid were already starting to shine a bit, and if I and Valdour polish them some more, then they were sure to stun the world in the not so distant future.

My only worry was their loyalty, as they might start harbouring thoughts of rebellion after they have earned enough strength, which shouldn’t be a problem any time soon, as I would always stay far and above them by the time they accumulate enough power to feed such ambitions. Besides, my primary plan of earning their love as well as their respect was going splendidly so far, and though those two shackles of mine are not fool proof, they were only the first of the ones I plan to bind them with to me.

And by the time they had grown into their own, I estimate that I would have tethered them with so many unbreakable bonds, that I would have completely cocooned them within, with no hope of them ever escaping.

"Let’s go, we’ve kept the emissary waiting long enough." I stated after a moment, resuming our march back to the throne room, which we quickly reached.

Once there, I turned to Darius, who stood in his usual spot, which was at the helm of my ministers, as I voiced the question that had befuddled me since the moment he sent that butler to call me, along with all the other ministers without knowing why "What’s the emergency that calls for such secrecy and decorum Darius?"

"He carries a dark storm scroll, sire." Darius simply explained, and my eyes narrowed.

A dark storm scroll, much like my empire’s own blue falcon seal, was a symbol that signified the highest order of importance in diplomatic matters. They were so rarely used, that even wars seldom received the privilege of being declared and halted beneath their most honourable stature.

"Let them in." I immediately ordered, as I ascended the stairs to my throne, curious what sort of message the Astrapi envoy bore, that could ever warrant the use of the dark storm scroll.

Very quickly three men entered, all of them wearing the official garb of an Astrapi diplomat, with the lead man amongst them, who was an older looking scholar with a thick brown beard that was threaded with white, and a shaved head, donning the kingdom’s White Oak pin on his left shoulder.

Their nation’s highest decoration for accomplished ambassadors.

"Hail to the Ruinous Dragon, the Bloody Emperor and the Mad Monarch; Master of the Scorching Desert, Lord of the southern realms, Holder of the Black Throne of the South, and Emperor of the Eclipse Empire, his majesty Alexander the third." The lead man saluted loudly and clearly, expertly concealing his apprehension at meeting me, as he and the others bowed to the fullest extent that courtesy allowed them to show a foreign monarch.

"Greetings to you as well men of Astrapi. I bid you welcome to my lands." I replied, bestowing upon them the same deference they offered me.

"We are most thankful, my lord. I am Taranis, and these are my colleagues Aella and Perun. It is our greatest pleasure to meet you." The man continued with the same respectful, yet not overly humble tone.

"Likewise." I answered with a nod, before my eyes focused upon him, knowing that the pleasantries were now out of the way "So tell me Lord Taranis, what brings a herald of the Storm Kings to my door."

He turned to the man he called Aella earlier, and took from him the scroll, as he proudly proclaimed "I have come here before you my lord, to officially invite you to the two hundredth and nineteenth, centennial Banquet of Concordia, that has been decided to be held in the Astrapi Kingdom this year."