“REVIVE,” I said, calmly, enacting the next part of my plan.

Agata, Jorg, and Ania looked on in shock as the destroyed skull of Ivan slowly pieced it back together before the light returned to his eyes. Technically, it was only time that mattered between REVIVE and RESURRECTION, but it was still stunning to realize I had the ability to resuscitate someone from death. This went a bit beyond a crash cart.

"What the ever-loving fuck, man?" Ivan asked, staring at me with shock in his eyes. His head was once more restored with a large scar on the back of it, I could see the mark as he bobbed his head up and down.

"I was establishing some ground rules," I said, probably more threatening for the fact I didn't change my tone.

"Allow me to establish some ground rules by killing him," Jorg said, pulling out his sword.

Ania held his arm and looked like she wasn't sure whether she wanted to kill Jorg, Ivan, or both in that moment.

"You fucking killed me!" Ivan snapped, losing all his earlier Shakespearean composure.

"Yes," I replied.

"You are bringing back a monster, Aaron," Agata said.

"Yes, probably," I said, looking down at the fallen Prince of Ledziania. "However, I think I made my point."

"The Wind Demon contains Ivan's soul," I said, sighing. "The original Ivan. Goddammit, I'm just calling you Not-Ivan."

"I told you--" Not-Ivan started to say,

"Shut it," I replied. "You can't run away from any of this anymore. There's a bond between the two of you, the Real Ivan and Not-Ivan, if such a distinction exists. You're still getting memories and emotions between the two of you. That means it might be possible to reverse what was done."

"What's been done has happened over the past ten years," Not-Ivan hissed.

"Which no one noticed," I said.

Jorg paused. "We noticed. I thought my nephew had gotten over his insanity. Instead, it was my brother plotting to gain the throne. He clearly thought he could fool us all by pretending to be the queen’s son.”

That was another thing that didn’t make sense. Prince Ivan from the books would have freaked the fuck out if he found himself in his nephew’s body. Mind you, if he was nearly the monster that everyone had treated him like, he would have polished off the Mad Queen and become king just like he’d always wanted. Something had stayed his hand, be it sentimentality, desire to avoid being a kinslayer, or the realization he’d inherit everything anyway.

“Which this one was doing,” I said. “That’s my point. I think there’s no Cezary and Ivan anymore but just mixtures of both.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying this entire time!” Not-Ivan snapped.

“It’s why the two of them have been plotting against one another the entire time,” I replied. “Maybe it’s possible to unseparated them and rescue the real Ivan, though.”

"There is no real Ivan anymore," Not-Ivan said. "That thing is not he anymore than I am Cezary."

“That is a lot of if’s, Aaron,” Agata said. “Also, I can’t understand why you’d execute him and bring him back here in the Royal Palace.”

“Because we’re right next to the Mad Queen’s throne room,” I replied. “We need a hostage, captive, and prisoner all in one.”

“Those are all the same thing,” Ania asked, staring at the blood and brain on the back of the wall. “Is it wrong I’m a little turned on right now?”

“Yes!” Agata asked.

"I didn't think he could kill someone and bring them back as an intimidation tool!" Ania said, gesturing. "It's impressive."

“What’s going on in there?” Joan asked, walking in.

“Aaron killed Ivan, who is actually Cezary, and then brought him back from the dead!” Ania called back.

“I’m sorry, what?” Joan asked.

"Sorry!" Ivan said, looking at Joan. "Aaron and I are just having a discussion."

“Do a doppelganger check on Aaron!” Jon said, calling from the hallway. “This is way too hardcore for Pwiffle boy.”

Francine pushed her way into the bathroom and stared at the sight that greeted her before turning to me. "Are you insane?"

"That seems to be a running question," I replied. "Ivan, your next few minutes of life will be determined by how you treat Agata, Ania, and Jorg."

"There's nothing from this thing I want other than its head," Jorg said but his voice was wavering. If for no reason, then the prospect of getting his brother back from the Wind Demon hung in front of him.

Personally, I wasn’t sure that was possible. If you poured a pitcher of orange juice into a pitcher of apple juice then poured half of the contents back into original pitcher, you couldn’t separate the two again.

And if you pour vodka in the pitchers, you have two pitchers of orange appletinis, Perun said. Which goes to show, Aaron, you are a sorority girl in a man’s body.

You didn’t want me to kill Ivan, I said. Everyone else would have wanted me to. This is a compromise.

This is deranged, Perun said, pausing. I like it.

Not-Ivan, realizing, that he was literally going to have to rely on his gift of gab to survive, turned to the people who he'd victimized throughout the books.

"I would like to apologize for my misdeeds, Lady Roses," Ivan said. "They were a product of Veles influence on my soul and also the unlimited power I possessed as prince. They were the embodiment of ungentlemanly behavior."

"You had my nanny killed," Agata said, her tone acidic.

"She was mine too," Ania said.

"You had a knight drowned in horse piss for flirting with me," Agata said.

"You had me whipped and said it was a pity I was ugly unlike my sister," Ania said. "Otherwise, you would have kept me as a mistress."

"To be fair, I was ten then," Not-Ivan muttered. "I was posturing."

"Not helping your case, man," I said.

"We may have been a bit permissive with his behavior," Jorg muttered.

"You think?" Ania asked, looking at Jorg.

"Yes, all of that was very wrong," Not-Ivan said, looking to one side. His reaction was more that he was trying to explain his actions during a drunken bender than a murder spree in his childhood. "I killed and hurt a great number of other people who didn't deserve it."

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

"Yes, which is typically punished by death," Ania said.

"Veles' influence was a powerful drug," Not-Ivan said. "How many innocents did you kill as a member of the Dark Moon elves?"

Ania looked away. "That is different."

"Yes, she's sleeping with Aaron. I don't think you're his type. For example, you're not a redhead or related to him," Jorg said, seemingly taking a moment to enjoy just how awkward this was making us all feel. He really did not like us. Me in particular.

"Ania's not related to me!" I snapped.

I shouldn't mention that the Wise Man is actually my--, Perun said.

Don't say a goddamn word, I said.

Perun was silent.

"I like Ania," I said to Cezary. "I don't like you. You lied to me."

"And that's worthy of death?" Not-Ivan asked.

"No, killing all those people in your past is," I said.

"You pardoned Thistle too," Not-Ivan said, not helping his case.

"Also, an attractive woman who Aaron wanted to sleep with despite not being a relative or redhead," Jorg said.

I was really starting to hate this guy. Which was funny because he was the guy who kicked a kid in the face during the first eleven chapters.

“And looked at how that worked out," I muttered. "Even so, she was willing to die to make amends. You got us in a fight with the Wind Demon."

"Which you wanted to kill anyway," Not-Ivan said, lowering his head and knowing that the crowd was against him.

Is he right? I asked Perun.

About what? I asked, feeling uncomfortable with the way this was all turning out.

Being a hypocrite about the way I'm treating him, I replied.

Well, if it's any consolation, being a hypocrite isn't worse than being a murderer, Perun said. Justice is inherently arbitrary. We condemn those we hate and pardon those we like.

That's an odd thing for a God of Good to say, I said.

It assumes that the bonds between humans mattering in matters of justice aren't important just because they're personal, Perun said. I didn't expect you to kill Not-Ivan, Cezary, whoever, but that doesn't mean I don't understand your reasoning.

Murder is still murder, I said.

Killing isn’t murder, necessarily, Perun said. It's going to have consequences, though. People have had their view of you changed. What are you trying to accomplish here?

Trying to balance justice and mercy, I said.

Ah, Perun said. You have no idea.

"Ivan always treated me kindly in the hell your family, you personally, made for me," Agata said. "I also see so much of that Ivan within you and very little Cezary. I know how much magic can twist a person's sanity. I've spent the past ten years living in a cycle of believing my husband was alive and various people wore his face. I believe you should be allowed to make amends."

"You've got to be kidding me," Ania said, looking at her sister.

"I must rise above the prejudices of the past," Agata said.

"No you didn't!" Ania said.

"Aaron allayed my suspicions about his softness by exploding the back of his skull," Agata said, no small hint of satisfaction.

"Fair point," Ania muttered.

Francine looked at Jorg. "What do you think?"

"He looks and acts so much like my brother," Jorg said, shaking his head. "The monster below us wasn't Ivan either. Ivan, the real Ivan, would have recognized me. If there's a possibility we could save him, I want to take it. That means keeping this troll alive, but I don't trust him."

"Trolls are actually very nice people," I said.

"Shut up, Aaron,” Jorg said. "Go be the god of unwashed masses, ratkin, and pacifists."

"That's a really popular religion in our world!" Jon called in. "Mind you, very few people do it right and its boss is more a sheep and fish guy."

Joan looked torn. "I feel like I should be giving some advice here but I am genuinely confused about what the right thing is here."

"We need to make sure he doesn't backstab us," Ania said. "That's my thing as a rogue."

"I have an ability from being a 20th level Paladin," Francine said, clearly having been thinking this through.

"You're 20th level?" I asked, impressed.

"25th," Francine said, proudly.

"Oh," I said, now uncomfortably aware of our level discrepancy.

Francine pulled out her giant sword and aimed it at Not-Ivan. It didn't fit in the bathroom, and she had to take a few steps back to hold it to his throat. "Swear your peace, Ivan, and know that it will be on your head forever."

Not-Ivan took a deep breath. "I do not believe in the gods, I do not believe in honor, nor do I believe in the bonds of family--"

"Really not helping your case," I said.

"But I do believe in life," Not-Ivan said. "I swear, if you will let me, to give you whatever aid I am capable of giving to destroy the remaining Old Gods as well as cast down Veles. I am a pitiful soldier, but my knowledge of alchemy is without peer. So is my grasp of politics that none of you possess. Ser Aaron here rescued us from Radu, tried to give Thistle a second chance, and has shown himself to be a capable as well as compassionate leader. Far more than I have ever been. Therefore, I swear my fealty to him and him alone. His orders are my law. If I ever betray him or those he loves, may my life return to death. Furthermore, I renounce my claim on the throne and adopt him as my son. May he, as Garland of Nowhere or himself, rule all Ledziania."

“Wait, what?” I asked, stunned.

“What?” Jorg asked, stepping forward with his sword.

Not-Ivan smiled. “Just because I know I will never be king now doesn’t mean I want my insane sister, mother, sister-mother—”

“I’m keeping that term!” Jon called from the back.

“—on the throne,” Not-Ivan said. “Or the imposter. I am the heir to the Mad Queen and my word is now binding before the gods.”

“You already made this pitch, Not-Ivan,” I said, sighing. “I never agreed to it.”

“He did what?” Jorg asked. "He wanted to put you on the throne?"

"That's a dealbreaker on our marriage, Aaron," Ania said. "You'll have to marry Agata and let her be queen. I will only tolerate being a mistress."

Agata looked confused as to whether her sister was being serious. Which officially made this a Monty Python sketch.

“Ledziania needs a king,” Not-Ivan said. “Believe that I think that if nothing else. Am I free to go?”

I looked between everyone. “No, but you’re welcome to continue to join the party. Also, you said you’d obey my orders. Don’t piss off Agata or Ania as they have every right to kill you at any time.”

Ania looked at him. “I’m for killing him now. He’s on the list.”

“He’s already died,” I pointed out.

“It doesn’t count if he comes back!” Ania snapped.

"You can't make peace with your friends. You can only make peace with your enemies. That's why it's called making peace.” Yeah, I stole from the Dark Undermaster's chief competing franchise, sue me.

"Did you make that up?" Agata asked. "That's actually profound."

"Yes, yes I did," I replied.

Francine glared at me. “I don’t get why you did this, Aaron."

“We need all the help we can get," I said, reaching into my pocket and taking the resurrection coin that Veles had given me. It was a 9th level spell equivalent and possibly even stronger since it was a direct gift from a god. It could raise anyone from the dead. I hadn’t used it on Ivan for obvious reasons, but it occurred to me that if this was what a lesser version could do, I should start thinking about using it and using it soon.

The ENTANGLE and WEB spells dissipated around, and Not-Ivan dropped down on the ground. “May I go now?”

“You’re coming with us to see the queens,” I said, simply.

“Another person I have to persuade not to kill me,” Not-Ivan said.

“Yep,” I said.

ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED – It is better to be feared than loved

(A) 25 – Complete Ivan Crookback’s Loyalty Quest

ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED – “Swear to me!”

(A) 25 – Win a maximum difficulty Intimidation check

IVAN THE LESSER HAS REJOINED YOUR PARTY

SIDEQUEST(S) COMPLETED:

PRINCE CEZARY’S REDEMPTION 1/1

REWARDS:

+50,000 EXP (Intimidate Prince Cezary/Ivan into obedience)

+10,000 EXP (Learn Prince Cezary’s secret)

+15,000 EXP (Resurrect a party member after killing them)

Level 11 to 12

60,000/750,000 EXP

I paused. Perun, are you the guy who comes up with these achievements and EXP? Because these are messed up.

I told you that I get power from acts of heroism and things that are remembered, Perun said. If anyone survives this ordeal, they're going to remember you killing Cezary and raising him from the dead before telling him to get in line. People think they're ready to die right until you confront them with reality.

I didn’t have any response to that. “You okay with this, Ania?”

Ania looked up at me, clearly struggling with her feelings. “I promised I would do anything to stop Veles, but I was hoping that was more atrocities than forgiveness.”

I patted her on the shoulder, creeped the fuck out. “Good girl.”

I looked to the others.

Agata sighed. “He doesn’t strike me as Cezary. Whomever it was who abused me and so many others, it is not him.”

Francine stared at me. “You made this decision without consulting me and I think this is something you should have put before the group.”

“You’re not the boss of me, Francine,” I said.

Francine’s expression told me she thought otherwise.

Jorg shrugged. “My sister is probably going to kill us all. If so, that’ll be a good thing. It’ll save me having to kill you after I’ve rescued my brother and slain Veles.”

“So, I take it you’re not joining the party any time soon,” I said.

Jorg scoffed and walked past me.

Francine followed.

Which just me alone with the two Rose sisters who were obviously ambivalent about my continued attempts to show mercy wherever possible. I wasn’t sure I’d made the right decision and it had probably been driven by the emotional rollercoaster that I’d been riding the past twenty-four hours but if I could keep following Weis’ advice then I wouldn’t have to worry about anyone betraying me.

But what was the likelihood that Joan would?

Okay, now I was worried again.

“Hey, Aaron?” Ania asked, looking at me.

“Yeah?” I asked, shaken from my thoughts.

“Was it always your plan to kill him and revive him as a scare tactic?” Ania asked. “Or were you planning to kill him to show you were hard enough to lead this group? Because we gave you so much shit over Thistle?”

“Or did you plan to let him go if he explained himself?” Agata asked, clearly hoping for a less disturbing answer.

I just smiled and walked out of the bathroom.