With a long, contented sigh, Leon slid beneath the surface of the pool-sized bath. The water was almost scaldingly hot, with steam rising from the waterâs surface. But to Leon, its heat was delightfully comforting, heating him down to his core and relaxing his muscles until he felt like he was nothing more than a puddle of flesh at the bottom of the bath.
He didnât stay beneath the surface for long, despite how comfortable he found it; he stayed below for long enough to admire his ladies, who were largely relaxing closer to the shallower edges, and then returned to float on the surface.
The bath was in the center of a small private courtyard, with the water open to the sky. The area was, as was only right and proper for his palace, heavily warded against unwanted observers, so he and his ladies could bask in the light of the sun in peace.
And he did just that, having spent months on Arkhnavi, where getting a glimpse of the sun was incredibly rare. But as if the city was rejoicing in his presence once again, the weather had been nothing but warm and sunny in the two days since his return.
Of course, until heading out into the bath, Leon hadnât seen much of the sun; heâd spent most of that time alone with his ladies, resting and recuperating after all that had happened since leaving Aeterna. In that time, the issue of heading back out into the world and participating in society again was raised a couple times, but Leon largely brushed it off. He wanted just a few days alone with his family before having to deal with anything else.
Of course, what he wanted and what he got wasnât always that similar.
As he surfaced, he felt the water ripple with power, and he was dragged back over to where most of his ladies were waiting. Cassandra, Elise, and Valeria were all sitting thereâElise and Cassandra were as naked as Leon, but Valeria had wrapped her body in a towelâwhile as he came to a halt, his head coming to rest just above Eliseâs thighs, Maia appeared beneath him, an impish grin on her face.
âYouâre not getting away that easily, my dear,â Elise said as she let her arms drift across Leonâs chest and arms before tightening around him in an embrace that told him he wasnât going to be drifting away from her again.
âOnly an idiot ignores politics,â Cassandra added, her voice surprisingly soft for how reprimanding her words were. âPolitics abhor being ignored.â
Leon wanted to snipe back at them both about how thatâs why he had ministers, but he knew that was a mistake. He was a King, and he wanted to take that duty seriously. As much as he enjoyed spending time with his family, he was getting a bit antsy about seeing to his duties.
âBefore we get into all that,â Leon said, âHowâs MariâKha settling in?â
Valeria answered, âGaius left a report earlier today. She was introduced to Nestor and the giants via comm lotuses. Theyâve spent the past two days endlessly discussing her suit, and I think there was a suggestion that Nestor was going to fly back to Stormhollow to see it in person.â
âFigures thatâs why he would come back, not to see me,â Leon said without a shred of bitterness. He understood; one of the biggest things pushing him to get back out into the world was the promise of further study into enchanting and magical engineering. He had a lot to share with Nestor, too, such as the enchantments that Tir had shown him beneath the monastery, which Leon was sure Nestor would get quite the kick out of.
âSo,â Elise said after silence fell for several seconds, âare you finally ready to hear what youâve missed?â
Leon frowned but nodded. Heâd been far too busy either telling them of Arkhnavi or taking at least one of them to bed to listen to anything more than a brief overview of what had been happening on Aeterna in his absence. âIâll all ears,â he said.
âI hope youâll be at least a little bit tongue, too, husband,â Elise replied with a gentle smile. âDealing with diplomats in your absence has been⊠trying, and though weâve been doing our best, there are still many issues that need your input before they can be resolved.â
âThen letâs start with the most pressing,â Leon said as he shifted around to lean against the edge of the bath with his wives, lover, and mate.
âThe most pressing is the diplomat from the Sentinels,â Elise informed him. âHe has a message thatâs meant for your ears only. Heâs been quite insistent on that, and refuses to leave it with any of us, or to leave at all until he could gain a private audience with you.â
âOdd,â Leon stated. âAny idea what he might want?â
âTell him your theories,â Elise said as she turned her emerald eyes toward Cassandra.
âI was going to, bitch,â Cassandra replied without a shred of heat in her voice. Elise yelped a moment later, but not due to anything the Imperial Princess did, but rather because Cassandra punctuated her statement by pinching Elise somewhere Leon couldnât see.
âYou two seem quite comfortable with each other,â he observed as Elise gave Cassandra a faux outraged expression and splashed some water at her.
âItâs been a long few months without our dear husband here,â Cassandra responded in a playfully mocking tone. âWeâve had no choice but to console ourselves in your absenceâŠâ
Leon cocked an eyebrow and grinned at the implication. He ran one hand over Eliseâs body and reached for Cassandraâs, only for his hand to be lightly slapped away.
âWe still have work to handle, my King,â she sternly said.
âThereâs a lot of work that involves this, too, that we should handle,â Leon said with a suggestive tone, though he already knew what the answer would be.
Elise gave Valeria a look over his shoulder, and a moment later, all the water around him froze solid. He gasped in surprise at the sudden chill, though with nothing more than a frown sent at his silver-haired lover over his shoulder and a quick channeling of fire magic, her ice rapidly melted.
âBusiness first,â Valeria said, âthen pleasure.â
âYou make it sound like the two are separate,â Leon quipped before turning back toward Cassandra. âBut youâre not wrong. So, whatâs the Keeper doing?â
âMy grandmother has informed me that there have been some curious movements amongst the Sentinels lately,â Cassandra explained. âEver since the wars that saw your Clan⊠removed from power here in Aeterna, the Sentinels have controlled your Clanâs old capital.â
Leon silenced her with a stern glare and a raised finger. âOur Clan,â he corrected.
âRight,â Cassandra said, looking a little embarrassed. âRight. Have to keep that in mind.â
âSpouses donât generally join Houses in the Sacred Golden Empire,â Elise elucidated for Leon.
âShe will one day bear strong, powerful, and wise members of the Thunderbird Clan,â Leon said, reaching out for her once again though with less lascivious intentions this time. âIf that doesnât make her a member of my Clan, then I donât know what would. But even if you donât⊠even if my wife is all you ever are, then Iâll still always consider you a part of my Clan. Youâre a part of my family, full stop.â
Cassandra smiled at him as she drew his hand down to her abdomen.
In the almost two days since his return, Leon had confirmed with his ladies that none of them were yet with child. Heâd done his best to contain his disappointment when learning that, especially with all the preparations that theyâd made before he left to try and conceive, but it had been hard, and he was sure some of it bled through. Part of the reason why heâd holed up in the palace for so long was to try and make it clear that whether or not they had kids, he still loved them all.
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âWeâll make it happen,â she said, to which Leon nodded. âBut to get back on topic: the Sentinels have always considered the ruined capital to be absolutely off-limits. No oneâs allowed there, and if they find that anyoneâs trespassed, they are publicly executed.â
âHarsh,â Leon stated. âI canât help but wonder how many Clan artifacts remain to be discovered there if the capital has been protected from looters.â
âWe might get a chance to find out,â Cassandra continued. âThe Sentinels have apparently been preparing some kind of expedition into the capitalâor so we think. My grandmother thought that the Keeper was abandoning his principles to try and get his hands on Thunderbird equipment, but then the Sentinel diplomat showed up on the Thunder Kingdomâs shores, and opinions changed. The current assumption is that the Sentinels are preparing to grant you access to the site.â
âIt wonât come for free,â Valeria cynically stated.
âNothing ever does,â Elise added.
âStupid humans,â Maia grumbled as she poked her head above water for a second. âShould just head over and take what youâre looking for.â
âIf only it were that simple,â Leon said. He knew Maia was only expressing frustration and not actually advocating for some kind of conflict with the Sentinels over access to the site, but he would be a liar if he tried to claim that heâd never at least considered just going there and seeing what the Keeper might do in response.
For now, though, he was content to let the Keeper decide if and how to answer Leonâs request for access. After all, he had his Kingdom already working on everything of critical importance, to the point that he was sure even Nestorâs needed wisp repair tools had a good chance to be replicated within the next century with the dead man, the Ravens, and Mari all pooling their knowledge, so he didnât think there was anything he specifically needed from the site. Heâd love to get any cultural or historical information from the site that he could get his hands on, thoughâŠ
âIâll speak with the Sentinel diplomat first, then,â Leon stated. âIâm now very interested in hearing what he has to say.â
âOther than him,â Elise said, âthe other three Empires have also sent diplomatic missions, all asking for permission to establish embassies.â
âThat can be easily arranged,â Leon said with a smile. He could understand the Ten Tribesâ desire to remain aloof and disconnected from the goings-on of the mainland, but this kind of international recognition was invaluable. This kind of diplomatic interaction would help to ensure that their new peace would last.
âIt has also been brought to our attention,â Elise continued, âthat the Pegasi States have been badgering the Sunlit Empire to back them in making reparation claims against our Kingdom.â
Leon sighed again, this time a little more exasperatedly. He could understand their anger, too. Eighty-thousand years of war werenât so easily erased, but he was reluctant to pay any kind of reparations. His Kingdom would need all of its resources when he led it to the Nexus, and he doubted any of the Pegasi States would act against the Thunder Kingdom without the backing of at least one of the Empires.
âAnd even then, I canât see any of them moving without two or more Empires in their cornerâŠâ
âIgnore that for now,â he said. âMaybe if they try and make some claim with his directly, then we can address it. But until then, just pretend that we donât see them pressuring the Sunlit Empire to press their claims.â
âNot like the Sunlit Empire can do much to pressure us, anyway,â Valeria stated with an almost vicious grin that was quickly mirrored on Cassandraâs face.
The Sunlit Empire, Leon knew, was far from stable. Arcaion remained in power, but heâd yet to lay claim to the Imperial title. As it was, there were quite a few competing factions that were forming in the Empireâs power structure, and without a clear Emperor there to manage them, these different factions were starting to object to Arcaionâs continued control over the government.
Leon wasnât worried, though, since Arcaion still had strong international support. Keeping the Sunlit Empire down was in everyoneâs best interest, and he doubted Ilion or Evergold would allow Arcaion to ever be put out of power when heâd proven fairly amenable to their interests so far.
He just hoped that the man would reach the tenth-tier soon, as that was essentially the only roadblock he was facing to declaring himself Emperor. There were a few distant relations to the Empireâs Imperial Family, but they were all extremely magically weak, and none of the factions were backing them, which Leon found quite notable.
âNo one in that Empire wants to support their previous Emperorâs extended family,â he noted. âConsequences of being a shit monarch, then, isnât it?â He silently vowed to take the lesson to heart. Sunlit was such a terrible Emperor that without him being there, exerting his will with his tenth-tier power, the people practically turned on his family.
âWhat about Heavenâs Eye?â he asked, addressing the final foreign power of much consequence. The Bull Kingdom, of course, had an embassy already in Thunderhaven, but they were so far away and so comparatively weak next to Heavenâs Eye and the Empires that he hardly counted them.
âMy mother has been having quite a bit of success recruiting locals into the new branch,â Elise said, almost glowing with pride. âThe Tower is rising ahead of schedule, and we think there are only a few months left until we can have our grand opening. Heavenâs Eye will be doing business on Kataigida before the yearâs out!â
âTheyâre moving fast,â Leon observed. âAs well they should. Have we had any word from the Director lately?â
âHeâs been sending us regular updates on most Heavenâs Eye operations,â Elise explained, âbut there hasnât been much of anything of concern in those reports.â
âNo news is good news,â Valeria stated, to which Leon was tempted to agree.
âHas there been any news about Anshu?â he asked, which drew a frown from Valeria.
âNo,â she said as her sapphire eyes narrowed in concern. âWeâve not had any communication from him at all since he departed before you left.â
âNothing?â Leon asked, seeking clarification. âNot even a letter or call on a comm lotus?â
âNothing,â Valeria confirmed.
âI can ask my grandmother if thereâs been anything coming out of the Raj that might indicate he ran into some trouble,â Cassandra offered, though from her tone Leon knew she didnât think that would turn up much.
âWe should try and look into this,â Leon said. âAnshu was already punctual with his updates when I had him infiltrate the Saltwater Road. If heâs not updating us nowâŠâ
âIâll put out the word of what weâre looking for, then,â Cassandra said, and Leon nodded in gratitude.
âAs for the rest of the retinue,â Leon continued, âIâll be speaking with them all individually later, but has anything come up in the time Iâve been gone that I should be made aware of?â
âAnna asked Eirene to marry her,â Valeria said, and Leonâs eyes almost popped out of their sockets. âEirene said yes. No wedding has been scheduled, but you should keep that in mind.â
âWow,â he said. âAnna did tell me that she was thinking about this, but I thought she would wait a while longer. Good for her. For them both.â
âAlcanderâs going to need paternity leave soon,â Valeria added a little hesitantly as she sent looks of concern to Leonâs other three ladies. Of the five of them, she was the only one not yet trying for kids, though she was still sensitive to their feelings on the matter. âSofiaâs due in about four or five months.â
âGood for them,â Leon said a little more flatly, though he meant the words. âAlcander can have all the time he needs. I wish them both luck in raising their kid.â
âMaybe they can save a little for us?â Elise responded, the quiver in her voice betraying her true thoughts despite her otherwise light tone. Leon smiled at her and held her closer, while Cassandra snuggled up on the other side and Maia rose out of the water to plant herself in Leonâs lap, her back pressing up against his chest. Leon held them close, then gestured Valeria closer to join them.
âAny other pressing concerns?â Leon asked.
âNone that spring to mind,â Valeria said. âHelenâs been working hard at something, but Iâm not sure what it is. It might be worth going to her first out of everyone else.â
âSheâs been burning through materials like crazy,â Elise said. âThe cost exceeded even Nestorâs experiments before he ran off with the Ravens to make more golem frames for the giants.â
Leonâs eyebrows shot up. âThat much, huh? Wasnât she working on refining Hesperidic Apples into concentrated juice?â
âI think sheâd get angry if you were to phrase it so crudely,â Elise said, âbut I think thatâs what sheâs doing, yes.â
[Huh,] the Thunderbird whispered from his soul realm. [Trying to recreate ambrosia. Unlikely to succeed, but maybe�]
[Whatâs that?] Leon asked.
[Just what sheâs trying to make: refining the power contained in Hesperidic Apples into the single most delicious beverage in the universe. Does wonders for gaining strength. If you had a hundred bottles of the finest quality ambrosia in the Nexus, youâd be guaranteed to achieve Apotheosis, Leon. Of course, the âfinest bottlesâ are extremely rare, but if you could establish a way to make ambrosia before you even left this plane, even if that ambrosia is low-quality, then youâd be in a fantastic position to rapidly gain ground once you reach the Nexus.]
[Sounds like Helen needs some support,] Leon replied.
He quickly relayed what the Thunderbird told him to his ladies, and excitement began to grow regarding the promise that Helen's research held. Talk even turned to possible information regarding ambrosia hidden away in the Clanâs old capital on Aeterna since the Thunderbird clarified that all great Clans had their own infrastructure for brewing ambrosia, and hers was no exception.
In other words, there was even more incentive to try and gain access to that palace complex in the near future.
With that excitement buoying them, Leon and his ladies got out of the bath. There was some temptation to drag them back to bed, but Leon refrained. Thereâd be time for fun and making children later; right now, it was time for him to head back out into the world and actually be a King.
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