EPISODE 70: A MOTHER’S LOVE
— Edryan Queendom, Year: 7291, Season, Color Fading.
When I first laid eyes on him… I knew I would do whatever was in my power to protect him. That small bundle with tuffs of ebony-gradient hair and red-gold eyes that match my own. It was here that my skill (The Queen’s Indifference) … faltered. There is love in my heart for Margret and my Liana, but this love, this bond I felt, was different. It was not the love I knew of family, not in the same sense. It was not the love of my close ones. It was not the love of friendship or more. It was not the love I held for my countrymen, the same love that drove me in my quest to save Edryan. To purge it of its afflictions. To slay the Sins , and those who are the apostasy of the faith of Her . No, it was not that love. The love that my skill grew used to.
This Love was different. This Love was new. This Love opened my eyes to a new form of the emotion. One I hadn’t felt previously. It was as I held him in my arms for the first time, a silent baby that stared back at me… it was then I understood Love . It was then I met my greatest love, my child Lawruthian Imperius Koltius Edryani. Named Imperius for his legacy would last forever. For his rule would last forever.
— Excerpt from the private diary of Queen Titiana Koltius Verlio Edryani.
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Queen Titiana Verlio Koltius Edryani… was… not… happy . Her close council stayed silent around her as the tension in the room was high. Margret fiddled with the scrying spell showcasing Starglow Valley in multiple angles. It took great effort on her part to keep her connection going over the thousand or so miles between the capital and the valley.
Liana’s eyes seemed to roam everywhere but toward the queen. She and Laura were close friends and the two often drank together reminiscing of their glory days on the battlefield. It was in her words to the queen that Laura received this chance, this opportunity to land back in the grace of Her Majesty. The room was silent as scrying provided no sound but only the vision and the view of the area where the magic was directed. Several magical screens floated in front of the council, and they centered different angles around Queen Titiana’s favorite son.
Her finger began to tap as the events played out. She watched as Laura left Lawruthian without so much as a hint of protection, leaving the young boy in the company of his army and Garo. Eliana held pursed lips as she watched the actions of her husband. She knew his history with Thraag and the Convocation better than any.
“Garo will be addressed Your Majesty, I-“
Queen Titiana held up a hand silencing Eliana.
“Hmph,” Titiana snorted as the cavalry division of the West Gate Army set off to reinforce Laura instead of falling backward to protect Lawruthian.
Her hand tightly clutched the throne, and those around her could feel the pressure radiating from the caring mother.
A gentle knock came from outside the council chambers, and Titiana once again waved her hand. Guards opened the door to Marna Gamal. She’d held a smug look on her face that hadn’t bothered to disappear even after she viewed Titiana’s dark and worried expression.
“Lawruthian has made Madria a [Hero] and now the rest of you need to pay up.”
Marna gazed around the council to the rest of the Six Great Family heads. Akeem Oni, leader of the Oni family, snorted. Akeem was a large man with dreadlocks that fell just past his earlobes. He immediately tossed a ring over to Marna. Margret was next as she rolled her eyes and continued to tweak the active spell. One by one, the members of the six great families passed over their bounties to the prideful Marna.
The Queen’s tapping became louder, and Marna rolled her eyes. Her eyes flickered around the room as they met Vivian Consus first. The fat man just shrugged, and he nodded his head at Liana. Marna looked to Camilla Romus, who’d only just arrived before her. The woman held a slight smile but showed no other actions. It was the same, regardless of who Marna looked at, of all members of the six greats but one.
She finally turned to the Queen in hopes of mediating the brewing situation. “We cannot protect them forever. Now, more than ever, Lawruthian and our children must take their destiny into their own hands. There is no greater opportunity for Lawruthian to build himself into the King he needs to be,” Marna said gently.
“He is my only son,” came the cold response.
“I have listened to my loves,” Titiana began as she glanced at Liana who avoided her eyesight, and Margret who grew busy adjusting the spell again.
A portion of Starglow Valley’s sky turned red as the domain of Rage superseded control of the laws of an area surrounding Laura. At this same moment, Titiana’s throne cracked as she watched Thraag attack her son. Garo Drumian stood in a daze as he gazed toward the battlefield, toward [NOVA].
Titiana stood, and the room immediately erupted as the voices of the powerful members of the great families spoke. Waves of power were emitted from the Queen as her magical energy made itself known to reality. Sweat appeared on many of the council’s faces, and they rushed to placate the Queen.
“Titiana don’t be rash, we’ve spent too long hiding to throw it away now,” Akeem Oni spoke sternly.
“My Queen, your son is fine. The [Chosen] has built his own protection,” Camilla stated as she watched the golem burst from the ground in defense of Lawruthian. A thoughtful expression remained on her face.
“Wait Titiana, he still has your necklace, no matter what happens his life will be saved,” Margret spoke up.
The great families continued to placate the queen until she was reseated. Margret forgot her spell and gently guided the woman back down. Her fiddling with the active spell left alone.
Mariam, who stayed silent in her corner of the room, finally spoke. “To love is to learn, to build, and to let go . Every sparrow is eventually kicked from the nest. Lawruthian must establish himself to the Edryans. If his mother shows up to save him, what good will that do his reputation?”
Titiana opened her mouth to respond, then hesitated. Liana took this opportunity to speak, sensing the hesitation in the queen. She repaid several favors in helping requests get granted by Titiana throughout the years, as they all did. It’d made their houses rich and kept them as the great houses. Now, she realized she may have acted with haste in helping Laura return to the good graces of the Queen.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
“My Queen, Lawruthian has his golems, he is a bright child with endless possibilities. You have beseeched our Goddess Madris in hopes of a child who will be like no others…”
“ Not because he is behind, but because he is too far ahead ,” Titiana’s eyes shone as she whispered her famous words. Words that shaped the current Edryan society. A wish granted by her Goddess and a son she believed would care for her people and love them just as she had.
“Allow him to fulfill that destiny, Eliana has trained him in the four base elements, I have taught him the blade as you have. Margret has allowed his ideals to bore fruit. Now, now, it is time for Lawruthian to walk his Path. To show the world who he is. Edryan is watching.”
Queen Titiana nodded and everyone settled down as her gaze returned to the large projections showcasing the area surrounding her son. A giant structure that Titiana recognized began to emerge from the ground. Her eyes sparkled as the giant defensive structure emerged, dust and debris floated in the area covering the emerging building. Titiana watched as the Imperius Army quickly moved into the dust and toward the large building. They floated and began to expel their magic as a thrusting force.
“Smart, resourceful. I wouldn’t have thought to navigate in such a manner.”
Large walls rose from the ground with impressive glowing blue-gold rune-work carved upon them. In the span of a few moments, a defensive building was built and powered. The building seems to be an extension of the ground itself. Everywhere the council looked, the building emerged as an extension of the very ground it was molded from.
Titiana grinned, and she radiated pride as her son’s accomplishments emerged. Margret clapped, excited about the emerging structure. “Oh, that is finally being used! I remember when Hector first built a building. The Hero Golem has drastically improved since.”
“Oh, what are the properties of this golem and this structure,” Camilla asked curiously.
“Oh finally curious aren’t we,” Margret smugly stated. The two had always been in direct competition as the two most magically versed families in Edryan.
“HECTOR-1 or Hero Ego Construction and Terraforming Operative Responder – Model 1, aptly named by His Highness, is a worker golem taken to the extreme.
As you know, the worker golem is a model that can build simple structures, carry heavy objects, and whatnot. That,” Margret gestured at the golem-like defensive building with a giant dust cloud hovering above it.
“Is a golem amplified and under the effects of the divine spell (Adaptive Learning Algorithm) which can learn beyond the scopes of what most golems are capable of. This model happens to excel in defensive structures and other defensive aspects.”
The group's attention returned to the battlefield as a bright explosion of magic alerted them. A large collation of mixed forces marched through a large glowing blue-black swirling portal. Nearly the moment this collation emerged in total, they struck. (Fireballs), (Arcane Missiles), and other common projectiles magic spewed in an array of colors toward the large golem-shaped building. These attacks were immediately repelled as a hexagonal shielding appeared over the structure.
The members of the Six Great Families' eyes were shown with light as the battle continued in front of them.
“He’s managed to deploy a ready-made base in a matter of minutes. This can alter the battlefield completely,” Akeem stated with excitement. The Oni were not part of the houses that bought golems from LSG. It was not their way to rely upon these sorts of external devices.
“It’s impressive, but using the plain dirt as a mana-conductive material will have the power source of those wards run dry in minutes,” Camilla commented.
“The wards are slightly basic as well. My Romus family is well versed in ward magicks, perhaps my daughter and His Highness ca-”
Titiana held her hand up for silence, and the members of her council complied. Her eyes were glued to the structure that held her son. She found herself curious as to how he and his generals would oust themselves from such a situation.
“Hmm, I would the Imperius Golems as a front line to persevere the lives of my soldiers,” she commented.
Spells continue to rain down on the battlefield, exhausting the wards and draining their power source with every hit. Flames lick the ground, and the glow of the stars does nothing to dim the magical effects being tossed.
“It’s here,” Titiana stated. She felt the actions before they happened. As an experienced general and knowing the skills, spells, and resources of her son, she could very well predict his next movements. Yet still, he brought her a surprise each and every day. Her heart softened, and the Queen smiled as she pictured the baby boy she once held, who was now a young man.
The ground burst from underneath the front ranks of the opposing force as the Vanguard Golems clawed their way up. Metal bolts fired from their palms and into the collation facing against them. Titiana watched with cold eyes as an opposing magi-human's head simply vanished in an explosion of blood and bone fragments. His corpse fell backward onto the ranks next to him, spraying his companions with blood.
At the same moment, a small force of Imperius Soldiers shot from the defensive base. Five hundred troops moved in a tight-knit arrow formation. They moved so fast, that Titiana found it hard to believe they weren’t launched. It was when she watched the second half of the Imperius Army emerge that Titiana’s insides twisted. At the forefront of the Imperius Army was her son. He served as a tip of the formation, and he flew through the air with startling maneuverability. Occasionally, jets of flame would burst from his palms to slow or speed him up as he curved around to impact the Collation side. The magi behind him did the same, albeit their skill was inferior when compared to Lawruthian’s.
“Beloved by magic,” a voice whispered.
Akeem's eyes lit up as the man spotted his niece. Just like Lawruthian’s group, Ameri and the men behind her expelled flame color Chi as a propellant.
“A frontal and two pinchers, not bad,” Queen Titiana commented.
Her eyes flickered as a mage stepped from the folds of space above the impending clash. Thraag slightly stood there in his armored dark robes. Only a few seconds passed by until Garo Drumian flickered into space across from him. The two magi silently stared at one another. Thraag glanced at the sky, a smirk on his face as he waved his hand.
“Hmph,” Queen Titiana began until it shifted into an ugly snarl as the old mage unfurled a scroll.
“BASTARD,” Liana shouted. Yet, there was nothing they could do as the mage activated the scroll and the scrying viewers lost their connection.
Titiana… growled , and the surrounding space vibrated. Those within the council chambers held widened eyes as they felt the force of the Queen. She shot her right hand out and clawed at the air with the force of her magic. A tearing sound was heard as five clawed tears ripped open the fabric of space.
Her eyes held a pinkish hue and the throne-like seat behind her was eradicated from the force she let off. The room groaned, and the palace creaked as her Intent billowed out in waves upon waves of magical power. Much of the room began destroyed by her initial blast of power, but its occupants were another matter.
“MY QUEEN,” Liana shouted as she rushed toward the woman. Akeem was right on her heels. Margret began casting as a hexagonal blue shield appeared around her, but her target was the five spatial tears that slightly began to suck in the surroundings.
At once, multiple council members enacted. Some went to help Liana and Akeem, while others began to cast magic as they attempted to repair the holes.
Liana arrived at Queen Titiana and immediately stood in front of the woman. A pleading expression was plastered on her face, and she gently approached the woman. Akeem appeared behind her large oversized gauntlets appeared, but the man chose no other action.
Camilla hovered in the air, a magical barrier of gold and silver protecting her from the waves of power emitting from the Queen.
Vivian Consus’s grimoire floated before him as plants and other flora grew from his body. A sweet, calming scent entered the air.
“Hmph,” Titiana's chest heaved up and down, and she closed her eyes for several moments. When they next opened, the pinkish hue and light they held faded.
“Clean this place up,” she said as she began to leave the room. Titiana paused at the door and cold, no, indifferent eyes gazed back at the occupants. They focused on two in particular.
Margret's eyes didn’t meet the Queen's as she focused on closing the tears in the Mortal Realm, but she felt the gaze of indifference sweep over her nevertheless. Liana was different, she met the gaze head-on. Yet, it was not in challenge, but sorrow.
“If anything happens to my son…”
Queen Titiana Koltius Verlio Edryani—High Queen of Edryan and her greater colonies, turned and walked away.