“You look like you’ve had a long day, and it’s only just the afternoon, Kaladin,” Queen Maxwell commented upon my arrival.
I wiped the sweat off my brow. “You could say that. I’ve had an…action-packed morning and an eventful afternoon, Your Highness,” I said dismissively.
My workout with King Maxwell was tiring, to say the least. Especially after my long morning of sparring with my family. The training was refreshing, but even with the king not enhancing himself with mana. He was still a freak of nature in every category. I wish I could say his stamina was lacking, but that wasn’t even the case. Apparently, he was an avid runner and enjoyed sprinting around the palace.
Those poor servants. They probably go to work in fear knowing a Human freight train is running around. King Maxwell must be in the 0.00001% of genetics. He is a lucky man indeed.
I scanned the room and had expected a sort of conference-type setting, but instead, I found myself in what I could only assume to be her private quarters. The room was decently sized for a bedroom, somehow being big but not too big. I was surprised to see a somewhat typical-sized bed. The last few “royal rooms” I’ve stayed in have had beds so big it was borderline insanity.
The floor was carpeted, and a small fire crackled and popped in the corner of the room, giving the chamber a warm feeling. There also wasn’t much in the form of ostentatious decorations, just a few old faded rugs hanging from the wall that I immediately recognized as being from Brax and not Luminar, which only solidified that these were indeed her personal quarters.
The two Praetorian Guards loomed over me, and I felt as if they were chosen for this occasion more for their sheer size than combat ability, but I digress. If the queen was going to intimidate me, she knew what needed to be done.
Place a few War Gods loyal to her in the room and have them stay silent, and I might feel the pressure. But, come to think of it…I’m on close terms with nearly all the War Gods of Luminar, even meeting Master Maran. I’m just not acquainted with Mason Fields, the head of security for the university, and Lord Vasquez.
The queen smiled at the men behind me and waved a small hand at them. “Please leave us.”
The guards didn’t even voice a complaint if they had any. Only their footfalls and jingling armor, followed by the closing of the door, marked their departure. The queen pointed to a pitcher of water with tiny pure white ice cubes floating at the surface. The glorious liquid looked tempting, and I wanted nothing more than to down the entire thing, but I knew better.
“I’ll pass. I brought my own water this time,” I said evenly.
Queen Maxwell didn’t let my barbed words get to her as she just smiled, poured herself a glass of water, and took an elegant sip. She pointed at the glass and shrugged. “See, nothing in it.”
“Sure thing. You could easily have an antidote on your person or even self-inflicted immunity to your poison or drug. So I think I’ll be okay.”
The queen sighed and swished the ice cubes around the glass. “Well, I suppose I have nobody to blame but myself for your lack of trust. But, say, Kaladin, have you considered any of my previous offers?”
I just sighed and stood to leave when the queen called out to me. “It was just a question. No need to storm out. If anything, I was hoping for this answer because, unlike last time, I’ve come prepared.”
“Prepared? So that scheme, was you being unprepared? Do you typically drug people when you meet them for the first time and send your daughter to seduce them?” I said back curtly as I remembered Master Maran’s words.
There’s no doubt Queen Maxwell is pressuring Ren. Perhaps she isn’t doing it directly but most definitely indirectly.
Once again, the queen showed no signs of being bothered by my harsh questions. “It was. It’s not every day a man that can kill an ancient beast walks into the kingdom. While also possessing the unique blood of a Tel’an’duth royal and the patriarch-to-be of the Shadow Clan that was hiding away in a foreign land in a small village. That’s not even considering your wanted status and frequent run-ins with the Chapter of Despair while hiding your identity with a unique magical item. Doing nothing to secure your favor would have been a colossal failure on my part.”
It’s only been two days, but it seems word spread quickly. And it only took her that amount of time to investigate me.
I kept my mouth shut and glared at her. But she continued, unbothered. “And no, I don’t go around drugging people…usually. And I wouldn’t have sent Arene if she wasn’t at least a little interested in the idea of being with you. At that ceremony alone, I had dozens upon dozens of breathtaking daughters of various nobles to choose from. Arene did volunteer, after all, and she is a woman in her own right. I’m not so blind as to not notice my daughter’s own feelings.”
“Hardly. And what do you mean by that?” I shot back.
The queen put a hand to her chin and winked at me. “I’ve heard you are rather…slow on the uptake, some might say. But you don’t need to pretend that much, Kaladin. I’ll be generous. You should know Arene only speaks about five men, well, four now.”
I had a feeling where this conversation would lead. I personally didn’t give a damn about what she had to say. I mostly came here so royal officials wouldn’t hound my family for days on end. It was better to listen to her half-baked excuses and honeyed words, deny her again and repeat in a few months. Unfortunately, this would most likely become a regular occurrence for some time.
The queen raised her hand with five fingers. “Let’s see. There is her father.” Another finger down. “Her Master.” A third finger. “Her long-time friend, Sylas Paine.” A fourth finger. “Oh, obviously, she spoke of that traitorous snake, but that name is as taboo as they come nowadays.”
With only one finger, she pointed at me. “And then there is you. I don’t believe I can explain the differences in her words among these four people, but just know that there is a difference. To put it lightly, Arene thinks very highly of you.”
I raised out of my chair and nodded. “Good to know. I think very highly of her as well. But I don’t need you to tell me that. If that’s all, I’ll be going now—”
There was a loud thump as a stack of papers landed on the coffee table, teleported from thin air. Well, it was most likely from the queen’s Spatial Ring that she wore. But the sheer amount of papers was something to behold. It was several inches thick.
I eyed the papers suspiciously, as well as the queen. “Don’t give me that look. I spent a lot of time on this, you know. I pulled many strings and exhausted a considerable amount of built-up favors to make this happen, and I did not summon you for idle chit-chat. Since you are so ready to get down to business, why don’t we start?”
While still standing, I grabbed the top page and examined it. It was stamped with the royal Gryphon and a new symbol I hadn’t seen before. It looked like an eagle…no…a lizard’s talons grasping a heart.
“The Dragonheart project…what is the meaning of this? I won’t be used for your little pet project—” I started to mutter, unable to hide my annoyance.
The queen let out an annoyed groan, finally allowing a bit of emotion to leak through her perfect royal mask. “Why is it that the most rational of men jump to the most irrational thoughts when they see something they disagree with? Instead of judging this entire document on the name alone, how about you continue to read along,” the queen said pointedly. “But we can get to that after this little matter is settled.”
The queen slid a small cloth baggy to me about the size of my palm. I could hear metals clack against each other as they settled. “This is, of course, only a fraction of what is owed. I believe you are well aware that this matter will take some time to complete. Most likely, at least a year’s time. But delays are always to be expected.”
I opened the cloth bag to reveal three small rings. All of them were various colors, one gold and two silver. They all had different gemstones, but I recognized them as being Spatial Rings, or at least I thought they were. And once I slid one onto my finger, it all but confirmed things.
The weird sensation of understanding how to use the ring despite already wearing one flooded my mind. I could feel the general shape of the mental room, and it was probably a bit bigger than my current ring, so barely as large as a standard room at a traveling inn. Hardly comparable to Sylvia’s giant warehouse Spatial Ring.
It allowed me to dip my consciousness into the ring and pull out a mental list of what was inside. And the mental room was packed from corner to corner with black Dragon scales. I slipped on another ring and repeated the process to find this one filled with bones of various shapes. Unfortunately, it was also at max, but the efficiency wasn’t nearly as high as the other ring, probably due to the awkward size of the bones. So As per our agreement, I figured the third ring was full of meat or flesh.
So the spatial ring can’t fold the bones like a pelt of a monster, huh? Interesting. And these rings…they are probably worth a ton of gold.
I narrowed my eyes at the queen. “If the teams have made progress from the neck, which I started, there should be more than this.”
“Of course, there is more. I don’t have enough ways to transport the scales right now. I can hardly parade massive loads of materials worth thousands of gold in an open caravan now, can I? I am having the rest sent to the palace for safekeeping via Gryphon Riders using rings on a regular schedule. If you absolutely need more, I’ll be more than happy to show you to the vaults myself,” she said with a wink.
“I’ll live…I’ll retrieve the parts if I need to. I imagine you’ve already taken your cut?”
The queen waved a hand. “Naturally. Also, consider those three rings a gift. I’m sure they will only sweeten the deal that is to come,” she said with raised eyebrows.
I sighed to myself and just steeled myself for whatever meaningless crap the queen intended to feed me. The rings were a nice addition; honestly, I should have just left with those. There was—
Well, that’s unexpected. Even so…
“This is all nice in theory, Your Highness, but I’m afraid—”
The queen sighed deeply and ran a hand across her face, and parted her golden hair. “A theory this is not, Kaladin,” she said sternly. “This project is far from being an idea on a piece of paper. It’s already been set in motion. Thousands of hands, mine included, have been working toward this very moment. I’m sure if my advisors heard you say that, they would all retire to an early grave. So many sleepless nights brought us here on short notice, and now all you need to do is accept. But please feel free to continue reading,” she said with a wave of her hand.
I continued to read through the abstract, and on paper, it was an ambitious project indeed. Basically, the state would institutionalize every current and future orphanage in Luminar. And this was a power play if I’ve ever seen one.
According to this document, only about 10% of orphanages in the country are either privately owned or under the jurisdiction of the state, with another 5% under the Moon Mother religion. The Church of Amon-Ra ran an overwhelming portion of orphanages. This was a big deal, no matter how you looked at it. The hundreds of orphanages in every city must have been bringing in massive sums to the church. And Luminar was supporting them.
This would undermine all that. And put every orphanage into the hands of the new Dragonheart Foundation.
“I don’t see what you gain from doing this. You are going to scorn and undermine the most prominent religious sect in the region for…what? To gain my favor? Even you aren’t so naive to think this will go over well.”
The queen gave me a devilish smile. “Under normal circumstances, yes, this would be a disastrous move if done using force. It would incite a rebellion in the likes we’ve never seen. No kingdom has attempted to erode the power of the Church of Amon-Ra and the Holy Kingdom and come out unscathed. Even my father wasn’t foolish enough to spite them.”
She pulled back in her seat and crossed her arms across her chest, her smile growing. “But…what if I didn’t have to?”
“You are telling me they just agreed to hand over all of this land? That’s impossible,” I said flatly.
Queen Maxwell just continued to smile at me. “Well, it’s not. I told you that my top priority was securing food for this nation to become independent from the whims of the City-States. Undermining the blasted church and its religious cult was the second. I’ve spent more years working on this than you’ve been alive. Before Luminar even came to be, I’ve—said too much, it seems,” she said, stopping herself mid-sentence.
“Sounds like you were getting to the good part."
She let out a slight giggle. “I can’t tell you everything, now can I? What’s a woman without a bit of mystique, mhm?”
“What do you want? I see that this weakens the power of the church, even if slightly, but that can’t be all,” I said plainly.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
The queen nodded. “It’s true. This is a rather minor move in the grand scheme of things. These orphanages tend to operate outside the church’s primary… religious grounds… in nearly every case. The amount of land lost to the number of favors and capital I had to spend was hardly worth it in the short run. But it’s a start, or perhaps it’s just the groundwork…who knows?”
The queen readjusted herself and took another sip of water before looking me directly in the eyes. “And what do I get out of it? I thought it obvious, but perhaps I should supply a simple list for a simple man.”
She raised her hand with five fingers. “One, I get to poke the flaming monster nest that is the church of Amon-Ra without getting my finger bit off. Two, I get to apologize to you without the need for flimsy words but with solid action while also gaining your explicit trust and giving you a reason to stay here. Three, I get a nation full of educated children who are loyal to Luminar and not the blasted church. And four, this system will sift through thousands of individuals and find the hidden gems that have so far remained unseen by anyone. And five, I get an army… possibly. Oh…and there is one more thing, but that’s more of a win for you, I suppose, but I’ll tell you about that in a moment.”
I eyed the bottom of the paper and clenched my jaw. “You would forcefully put those children into service?”
“Oh, the look of genuine anger on your face. Ren had told me you were interested in the children, but I hadn’t imagined it to this extent.” She gave me a coy grin, and her golden crown shook atop of head. “And oh no…what would I ever do? If the Dragonheart Foundation didn’t enforce any punishment for those children who threw away our kindness…it would just be unacceptable,” she said, her voice full of faux sadness.
I scanned the paper quickly again and read a part I had missed. “I see…you would leave the punishment up to the Dragonheart Foundation…”
Simply put, the country wanted a…reimbursement on their investment. The children, when they turned fifteen, had an option. Serve in the military for three years….and…wow…have the equivalent of six years of education fully paid for. That must be Bowen’s handiwork. Or fail to serve and receive punishment from the Dragonheart Foundation.
“Oh, how it breaks my heart, forcing those young children to work in the palace as servants with pay or even having them kneel before Headmaster Bowen and slave away at the school’s grounds while forcibly taking classes…the gods forbid that they have to work under a master craftsman or tutor of their choice for a time…so many choices all of them so evil and—”
“I get it,” I said with a groan. “You wouldn’t actually punish the children.”
Queen Maxwell's devilish smile returned. “Exactly. That clause is merely there to slake the thirst of some of the more… aggressive nobles who were opposed to things. The amount of outs given is up to you, but I don’t imagine you would be a cruel master.”
The mandatory military conscription must have been added from the Princes’ faction if I had to guess…but still…
“How are you going to fund this…and is this line a fact? Would you truly cede all decisions to the Dragonheart Foundation?” I asked.
“Funding? It’s already there from Arene and a few minor projects that have all but been forgotten. I’ve only boosted the amount to compensate for the project's growth. And yes, all funding would be funneled directly to you and the foundation. What you do with it would be up to you. Of course, there will be some oversight, as there has to be, but it will mostly be limited to budget checks and the allocation of resources. As long as you are not grossly misplacing large sums of money, you can do with it as you please. And that goes for all situations regarding planning…and whatever else you want. Of course, some things will have to be checked over, such as land purchases, but that can be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Also, you’ve read…” the queen said with a roll of her hand.
“You are giving me two decades to supply results, or the termination of the project is a possibility,” I said. “With a fifteen large gold salary for myself? Are you mad…”
Fifteen large gold a year…that is an insane number for a job I am not qualified to do.
The queen nodded at me. “See, you understand. I highly doubt you will fail. I’ve basically set you up for success, Kaladin. You have access to all my advisors until you can staff your own. Bowen and his team are already prepared to assist you, and you will be working with him directly to ensure a direct pipeline for future students as well as develop an early education system for the children. You would have to be a drooling imbecile to screw this up,” she said matter-of-factly. “Oh, and the salary is up for negotiations, and it would also go to the head of the foundation as well. You can funnel the money into the program or take a cut for yourselves. The money will decrease by one large gold every two years until it reaches a four large gold count. Call it a generous gift.”
“Good to know… and you really want me to run all of this…you understand that I’ve never done this before, right?”
“Oh, so you're already imagining yourself in the position?” she said with a wink.
I just sighed, and the queen chuckled. “Don’t worry. You won’t be the head of the Dragonheart Foundation. Your name is more or less to secure legitimacy and power. Of course, I know you will do great things, but you won’t be alone, nor will you be the face of the foundation.”
Huh? Come to think of it; she just said I would share the salary with the head…
“Go on, read the next page,” she said, somewhat excited.
I grabbed the following paper from the pile, and my eyes widened. “Sylvia…would be the head?”
This would solve my problem…I…we should change Sylvia’s image in the public…
The queen sat back in her seat with a pleased expression. As if her entire plan had finally come together. “Exactly. I don’t plan on just rooting you down. I want to secure Sylvia as well. And I want to guarantee both of you financially and socially. I’ve already heard the reports of a full red-eyed Vampire wandering the streets with the Dragon Slayer today. It caught me off guard, but I planned to do this from the start. Sylvia will become a paragon. A saint. A figure to behold that supports the poor, uplifts the weak children of this nation, and molds them into success stories. It may take decades. I may be nothing more than a pile of bones by the time people’s minds are changed about Vampires. But I will lay the groundwork for you and for her.”
The queen rose from her seat and stood before. She extended her hand. “And all you need to do is shake my hand, Kaladin.”
I looked up into her soft green eyes. “I can’t. Not yet. I won’t decide without Sylvia present. I’ve also decided to continue going to school. And you could be lying about all of this. I’ll have to look over the documents.”
The queen deflated and gave me an annoyed look. “You ruined the moment, Kaladin…this was going to be something painters enshrined forever.” She turned away from me with a sigh. “I understand. Go relay the information to Sylvia. I’m sure she will find the terms agreeable. And feel free to hire a third party to investigate the document in its entirety. I’m sure you will find nothing short of a masterpiece dedicated to you and your loved ones.”
“My loved ones?”
The queen turned her head for a brief moment. “Did you really think I would do all of this and not guarantee that little girl’s safety and security? She was far too precious to leave out. I hope you are proud, Daddy.”
Gah…this woman…maybe she is giving Mila official citizenship or something. She’s technically my daughter and should be noble, but papers are always better than no papers.
A light gray envelope appeared in the queen’s hands, and she slid it across the table to me. “One more thing, and then you can take your leave. And don’t lose that.”
I looked at the envelope, and it was just that, an envelope. It wasn’t even sealed. “And this is supposed to be what exactly?”
“An invitation. No, more of a guaranteed ticket. I’m only allowed to hand out one a year, so I’ve decided to give it to you,” she said casually.
“A ticket to the games? Wait, you want me to participate in the tournament against Sandervile?” I questioned.
“Yes, I do. And I’m positive you will want to be involved.”
“That’s a big assumption,” I stated.
“Oh, it’s really not. Once you agree to the Dragonheart Foundation, this will come naturally. Did you really think I would stop at the orphans? There are plenty of talented individuals being forced to work to their deaths in the City-States. Aren’t there, Kaladin?” she said with a knowing smile.
I shouldn’t be surprised that she has connections to the Adventurers Guild. I used them in hopes of avoiding this exact situation, but…it is what it is.
“So you know. Does that mean you’ve confirmed his whereabouts?” I asked.
“It does. The Dragonheart Foundation is already poised to act. You can find the details on page…two or three hundred, sorry I don’t quite remember. It’s been a long few days,” Queen Maxwell said with a yawn.
Well, today has gone in a completely different direction than I had anticipated.
“Fine, let’s hear what you have planned.”
—
Chaos Dragon Empress Avasta’s POV
Clack.
Clack.
Scraaaapeee.
I flicked the deep blue ice of my nails with a huff. “So tasteless. Why does he feel the need to ruin the beautiful walls with ice?” I sighed to myself.
An artificial cold gust carrying tiny specs of snow rolled over me. If a mere mortal were to be exposed to that blast, they would have ceased to exist. But for a Dragon, it was nothing more than a cool sea breeze.
Well, for me, it is. I’m sure Unniass would be whining the entire time. There’s a reason the Emperor of Fire never goes this deep into Lacerterra.
I climbed the small set of icy steps to the massive frozen door that was settled deep within the permafrost stone. The rockface deep within the earth had been cut out into long tunnels that were just wide enough to allow two fully grown Dragons to walk side by side if they so chose. However, most of us tend to remain in our more Human forms. It’s far easier to move around and manipulate items, after all.
The door was once a magnificent work of art. Even now, my childhood memories flood back to me. I remember the warm blues of cobalt and the deep greens of the jade that made up the material. The figure of the once legendary twin-headed Storm Dragon used to be forever engraved on this very door. A piece of art to be revered for centuries. But now, it was nothing more than an old frozen door.
The cold had cracked and destroyed all the hand-cut gems. The cobalt had long since frozen over into blue glacial ice. The engraving was nothing more than a vague outline of its former glory.
How depressing and dreary… just like its occupant.
I ran my fingernail across the icy surface of the door until a horrendous yet wonderful sound filled the silence. It was positively deafening, and most would find the noise abhorrent, but I enjoyed it for a single reason.
Making him squirm.
I heard him rise from his sleep, if only a little, and promptly kicked the door in. The ice broke away into a burst of blue and white as if supplying me with an elegant entrance fit for my status. And, of course, I obliged and strode in as if I owned the pace, knowing full well it only irritated him even more!
“You…” a deep cold voice echoed, rattling me to my marrow.
I felt a smile rising as I looked up at the gargantuan figure before me, consuming nearly the entirety of my vision. His deep blue scales were so beautiful I felt as if I could examine them all day while poking at them. I could imagine his disgruntled complaints, which made me smile even more.
“Do you have to speak to me with so much ice in your tone? Is that any way to treat your partner?” I said playfully.
The Frost Emperor rose to half his height. “Former partner,” he snarled.
Despite speaking directly to me, his massive jaw never moved. I ran a finger down my chest seductively. He could say what he wanted. I knew where those cold eyes were staring.
“Such cold words for the bearer of your child,” I said while walking deeper into the room.
Keldrag let out a snort. “I have many children and many bearers. You are not as special as you think you are, Avasta.”
But I am.
A chilling breeze ran through the room and down my spine as I let out an involuntary moan of ecstasy. “Not now…I’m not in the mood,” I said with a wink.
The old Dragon let out a rumble that shook the ice free from some of the surroundings. His deep blue eyes narrowed dangerously at me. “What do you want? Why have you disturbed me?”
I continued my stroll to the section that used to be a library. He was a studious man before his self-imposed exile. This library once housed thousands upon thousands of books from even before the age of The Bloody Emperor. Now, it was just a frozen wasteland.
All besides this one book…
A single brown leather bound volume on top of a slab of ice that used to be an orange desk. “I’ve come for my grandfather’s research. I’m sure you don’t have any need for it?”
“Why?” he asked curtly. “You’ve never shown interest in these things. Moreover, his findings in that book were inconclusive.”
“As far as you know, they were. I have reasons to believe he was onto something. And interest? Neither have you in…what is it now? Almost three thousand years? What do you care?” I snapped back.
“Watch your tone with me, Avasta. I’ll tell you what I care not for—”
“Or what?” I interrupted with a smile, purple magic swirling across my body. “You’ll fight me, old man? Dirty those frozen claws of yours? Or perhaps you’ll abandon someone again? You are two for two on royalty, might as well add another,” I spat.
Keldrag pushed himself up to his forelegs, his chest letting out a deep-seated rumble. “You’ve overstayed your welcome. Leave.”
I started walking away with my book in tow. “Oh, did I strike a nerve? I was just speaking the truth. And here I was coming to give you good news in return for keeping my grandfather’s belongings safe.”
“You know I can not freeze that damned book. Your bloodline’s magic has tainted it,” he said coldly. “And good news? Don’t make me laugh. I read your report—”
I couldn’t help but smile. I used my finger to lift my chin up as I looked back at him. “I lied.”
His eyes went wide for just a moment, but Keldrag’s icy glare returned. “You are playing a dangerous game, Avasta.”
“Aww…so you do care…” I cooed while rubbing my body.
“I care nothing for you. My feelings lie elsewhere,” he snorted.
“That’s not what you told me before. And you have a funny way of showing familiar love. I wonder if your son sees it that way?” I questioned out loud.
“You…wench…be gone from my sight,” he shouted imperiously.
“I hope you freeze to death,” I said while walking out of his room.
“Blasted woman,” he snarled his final words, nothing more than a whimper at my back.
The door shut violently behind me with a gust of bone-chilling wind. It was cold enough to make even me shiver. Perhaps I really had struck a nerve….wait, of course, I did!
Now then…I have a family to gather.