Terion was standing in the grand throne room wearing his best robes and felt the growing fear. When he was summoned by Princess Elisabeth, it was only natural to answer. After all, it was expected for him to pledge his allegiance to the new ruler of Berna. However, it wasn't Berna anymore. The Princess had cast away her past and severed all connections she had with the former Patriarch. She was no longer known as Elisabeth Berna, but as Elisabeth Nix. She became the bright symbol of hope for all the people who once called themselves Bernans or their slaves. Slavery had been abolished and was now considered a major crime, punishable by death. The Sword Saint was everything and much, much more than the rumours claimed her to be–a beautiful young woman who led the armies of Arcadia and not just destroyed but obliterated the previous order. Terion would be happy to serve her with all his devotion, but she was not the Queen of these lands.
Once he arrived at the idyllic city of Everlight, he simply couldn't believe his eyes. The picturesque homes overlooked clean and wide streets which were brightly lit even at night. The parks and special playgrounds for children dotted the city that seemed to be out of this world. However, it was all a deadly trap, a Dungeon. That alone put him on edge since the moment he put stepped into this place, and nothing that he saw could convince him otherwise. Or, yet again, that was what he first thought...
Princess Elisabeth Nix welcomed him along with the Scion of Xariinta. The fabled and feared Shadow Demon was casually chatting with the woman, who sometimes was accompanied by a small golden bird. If Terion hadn’t known better, he would have assumed it was Jukk'nala. However, it surely wasn't him. Whatever or whoever that was, it was leagues above Jukk'nala, whom Terion had seen unleashing his powers. The Shadow Demon was most respectful towards the small bird, which was a clear sign of the power difference between the two. It was also another reason to be afraid.
Then he had met Count Nova, and probably only to Terion's surprise, his wife. The Rabbitkin woman named Ellen stood tall and proud near her husband. Suddenly, all the pieces started falling into the right places. Count Nova, from the beginning, was doing everything to help the slaves. He had created entirely fake operations to blind the Church's investigators and everyone associated with them. He had been buying and saving them from a fate far worse than probably working for him. It was now so simple to see that all Princess Elisabeth simply needed to do was raise her hand to obtain his full support. Terion felt bad, knowing that he should have done the same thing. Instead, he believed that not having slaves at all put him on some moral high ground. That was another reason to be afraid. However, once it was revealed that the visit of the King of Arcadia was the true reason for their summons, all those fears became irrelevant.
The King of Arcadia, Theon Avalon, was a mystery for all the Bernan nobles. He rose to power with unprecedented speed and wielded the true, absolute power. His word was law. His suggestion was like an absolute statement. With a snap of his fingers, the mighty armies of Arcadia were ready to crush his enemies. And that man, who was more like a myth or a fairy tale, wanted to see him. An insignificant lord of an insignificant region of the fallen kingdom... The very thought of someone like Theon Avalon wanting to meet with him was ridiculous. Yet, it was true. The High King of all of Arcadia arrived on board his flagship to the Dungeon City of Everlight to see him. Well, not only him, but Terion definitely was listed by name. Still... Jehaness witnessed the arrival of HMS Dauntless, accompanied by HMS Sabre, and HMS Longsword. That sight alone was enough to make him believe all and any, even the most unbelievable tales about the King of Arcadia. Calling HMS Dauntless a ship was blasphemy and did not do it justice. That wasn't a ship anymore; it was death, the harbinger of war and doom. Now he understood how the Holy Navy could have been defeated so easily.
Then, to his horror, he was told that most of the Holy Navy of Berna was destroyed by its predecessors, HMS Victory. While Victory was a first-rate ship of the line, holding on his decks over one hundred magi-cannons, it was still a tall ship. HMS Dauntless was a behemoth made of steel that defied all laws known to Terion. He was also told that the battleship was at least ten times more heavily armed than Victory. The frightening things were piling up at astonishing speed, and it seemed that the world had decided that Terion should die from the crushing amount of shock. He saw the Lady Admiral, Janet A'net Sparrow, as the Princess and her husband welcomed her. The casual air that surrounded them was something that Terion was instantly jealous of. The Admiral herself radiated an aura of the same decisiveness and power as the Princess or Lord Nix. However, that aura was more condensed. He had never met a single Bernan noble who was even close to such authority as those three.
To add more confusion to the already panicking noble, a tall and muscular man accompanied Lady Sparrow, wearing an elegant and impressive robe. He was none other than the infamous pirate whose name alone was enough to make all sailors of the Holy Navy shake in fear. Captain Edward Teach, more widely known as Blackbeard. The famous figure seemed to know the Princess better than Terion could have imagined. The Viscount was so overwhelmed by the surrounding people he doubted he could make any good impression on anyone. Fortunately or not, he couldn't decide; the grand room was full of other people, leaving only a wide space, a corridor of sorts between the tall doors and the thrones. He was informed that most of the people present had contributed to the fall of the Patriarch. Most of them were slightly overwhelmed, but all of them seemed happy and relieved that the war was over. Some of them looked at him with curiosity, while others clearly looked as if they had no idea what Terion was doing there. The longer he waited, the more agreed with the latter.
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Then the doors to the throne room opened, and everything else was irrelevant.
The man who entered the room was tall and young. Without a doubt, he was a skilled warrior and powerful leader. Everyone bowed to him, and only the shock that prevented Terion from doing the same allowed the Viscount to notice an unhappy grimace that briefly crossed the King's face. While he tried to focus on the King of Arcadia, it was simply an exercise in futility. Up to that moment, Terion was confident that he had seen many beautiful women, but he was woefully wrong. He stopped breathing for a moment, seeing the gorgeous women that followed Theon Avalon. The six unbelievably beautiful women wore the most magnificent crowns and most impressive gowns that he had ever witnessed. When he finally remembered how to breathe, he saw the stunned glares of nearby people and heard the hushed voices behind him. While Terion was stunned, he saw the most frightening thing in his life. The Shadow Demon Scion respectfully and fearfully bowed in front of Theon Avalon.
The Royal Family of Arcadia took their seats on the special podium while Princess Elisabeth began her speech. Terion knew he should pay more attention to the Princess, but he simply couldn't focus. He observed the mighty King as he nodded with a fatherly smile and furrowed his brows. The more he observed the King, the more he realised the fundamental differences between Theon Avalon and the Patriarch. Terion had been a witness to the countless long and boring speeches given by Dolren Igaris. That old man seemingly could have talked for days without end and admittedly with little sense after the first hour. The King of Arcadia listened instead. Terion focused for long enough to note that the Princess had praised all the gathering people for their work during the war but, most importantly, for their dedication to rebuilding the Province of Everlight.
Before he knew it, the speech was already over, and after receiving a round of applause, Princess Elisabeth bowed to the King, who slowly stood up. In absolute silence, he stepped forward, and with a nonchalant wave of his hand, he put aside his Royal Mantle. His outfit wasn't exactly Royal under the navy blue cape lined with snow-white fur and embroidered with gold threads. It looked similar to the uniforms of the Guardsmen Corp: a black tabard, a white, long-sleeved shirt, black pants, and high, black-leather shoes. On his belt hung an unremarkable long sword and nothing more.
"As you have probably guessed by now, my name is Theon Avalon," he announced with a powerful voice as he looked upon the gathered people. "As you know, I'm the king of Arcadia. But that is just the tip of the iceberg."
His voice hung in the air, and no one dared to even breathe louder; his speech incredible and mesmerising, forcing everyone to listen.
"I should say... I am King Theon Avalon, The Righteous Dungeon, The Champion of Eriar, The Chosen of the Archangel, The Bringer of Equilibrium, The Friend of the Eternals, The Protector of the Weak, The Bane of Void's Servants, The God Slayer, The Vengeful One, and The Conqueror." The shocked murmurs soon broke into hushed discussions, but they died down as the King's hard gaze rolled through the throne room. The Princess, Lady Del'mira, and the other Arcadians weren't surprised at all. If that man was a Dungeon...
"I know that some of you counted on obtaining privileges or expected to be elevated to nobility. Unfortunately, that would not happen. I'm telling you this so there are no false assumptions or fruitless expectations among you. However, there are vast differences between Arcadia and any other kingdom you know. I allow for much more freedom for all citizens of my Kingdom as long as you adhere to the laws of Arcadia."
While some people were visibly disappointed, the last King's sentence intrigued everyone. It looked like there were many things to learn. He almost jumped when he felt a warm breath on his neck, and after he swiftly turned around, he blushed, seeing the cute face of Lady Del'mira so close to his own.
"You are going to like this change, Viscount Terion," she whispered and winked. "Don't worry, many of us had to learn how to live anew."
"How do you..."
"I told you when we met for the first time that you intrigue me." She smiled mysteriously and turned her face back towards the King.
He took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes. The attention of a woman so attractive, powerful, and uncompromising was highly stressful for someone like him.
"There will be a lot of changes in your lives, but most of them for the better," the King continued. "New means of transport will be built to help travel through the vastness of Arcadia. Food and goods you have never seen will soon appear in your cities and towns. Schools and Academies will be built to educate people of all races. However, don't let my words lull your minds... The enemies that wish to destroy the peace we try to build will inevitably knock on our doors. That's why Arcadia will continue to arm itself to face any and all enemies. Our Ships will rule the skies of Nilmerthis, and our Armies will be unmatched in battle. Only then will the peace and prosperity we all want will be secured!"