Athera could not remain still after this invasion upon their soil, they would have to retaliate but it was too soon. They had to consalidate their forces. So after quarantining the enemy with more forces at Greenhill and Iredale, Azemar returned with Ieros to the capital to report. He felt that he still needed to stay upon the battlefield but a legion of stone had reinforced his men, sent by Ieros. They numbered nine thousand and although not as strong as his personal golems, they were stronger than the average soldier and were still rather hard to destroy, after all, have you tried to break a rock with only a sword?

Of course, they could reconquer but right now, without a plan from which to go on from, it was wise to stay put. Besides, Ieros was ordered to return as well so there was no one to formulate an attack and although they could reconquer their lost territories, doing it at the hands of a lesser general may not be able to keep those territories from suffering heavy damage. And so they returned, Ieros first appearing before Azemar so he could take him back to the capital in an instant. They arrived at the palace itself, where maids, seeing them, rushed to tell the King of their return. Azemar dutifully reported what had happened while Ieros said that there had been no problems.

Once their audience with the King was over and the two were leaving, Azemar whispered, “What did you mean by, ‘no longer any problems’?”

Ieros then said, “Exactly what it means, general. Now, I do believe that they are preparing a feast in our honor, I suggest that you prepare yourself.”

Azemar was then accosted by a servant who told Azemar to prepare for the celebratory feast which would be in his honor. When Azemar looked up, Ieros was already quite a distance away and with a smile, Azemar called,

“I look forward to speaking with you more at the feast!”

Ieros stopped and turned, his grey eyes locking with Azemar’s before nodding sagely. He then turned and continued to walk, seeming to glide across the floor. Azemar watched him go for a few moments before giving in to the requests of the maid and made his way to the bathing chamber where he escaped the confines of his armor and relaxed in the pool, remembering what the time in which the maid said to arrive. Then someone else joined him and he was pleasantly surprised to see Ieros, surprisingly more muscled than he first believed him to be although of course, his pecs weren’t as pronounced Azemar’s. Rather, he just looked like a healthy teen, almost abnormally healthy in Azemar’s opinion who exercised regularly but not religiously.

Azemar commented, “I am surprised to see a mage with such a fit body.”

Ieros bowed his head, “One cannot practice magic to its fullest capabilities without first having a healthy body.”

Azemar chuckled, “You really are a genius, aren’t you. You remind me of myself, although of course, I was more of a genius in the art of war.”

Ieros nodded, “Yes, I have heard of your many exploits, how you turned the tide of battle with a single decision. I have been meaning to talk with you for awhile now but sadly, I never had the chance to do so.”

Azemar smiled, “Well, you’re here now and to be honest, I too have been greatly curious to meet you.”

The two began to talk until once more, Azemar broached the subject of what Ieros meant by, “no longer any problem”. For the first time, Ieros had a smile, not genuine mind, it was all part of his near perfect act.

Ieros then said, “To be perfectly honest, there was another invasion force, I assume that you already know who.”

Azemar guessed, “The Vimarisians.”

Ieros nodded, “Yes, an army of ten thousand they sent against me but I easily repelled them with an army of seven thousand soldiers. I didn’t want to use my golem legion as I felt that would be too unfair, I wanted to enjoy the battle. But… the enemy commander was rather a disappointment even though she was the Princess of War. She was too naive and thus she and her army were defeated within a day.”

Azemar cocked an eye, “A day?”

Ieros chuckled, “Of course, my soldiers were far better than hers. They were lesser golems, with skeletons of stone and flesh covering them to make them seem human. I didn’t want my capabilities as a mage to be known, rather that I appeared to be some powerful general. Of course, they acted as golems as well, perfect teamwork and no fear of death. Of course, this unsettled the enemy and soon, victory was mine.”

Azemar smiled, “My, you truly are a genius. Rather frightening if you ask me.”

Ieros bowed his head, “I’ll take that as a compliment. But… I do understand why you think so.”

His smile faded and he grew serious, “That is why I promised the King that I would never marry, this inhuman power of mine cannot be passed down. It would be far to dangerous and… I believe that it is the best in the long run. Geniuses are simply people ahead of their time or relics of an ancient past. The rest of humanity does not deserve their genius for they as a whole got to their level because of a reason, most likely instigated by them. But then again, without geniuses, the world would never advance. An interesting topic but I digress. I apologize for taking up so much of your time.”

Ieros then created a clock with a casual wave of his hand and said, “Why, look at the time. Two hours can pass just like an instant, can’t it. Anyways, you should be preparing soon, the feast will begin twenty minutes from now.”

Ieros stood, water dripping from his form and with a wave, all the water was drawn from his body into a sphere which he then cleansed of impurities, returning the water to the pool and disposing of the waste. He then created clothes for himself and also a gate, stepping through once clothed. Azemar remained a small while, chuckling to himself before he too left, drying his scarred body with a towel before dressing in the cloths a servant brought him.

To be frank, Azemar was rather intrigued by Ieros but also wary, the way Ieros spoke… it was not how one his age spoke. For a brief moment, Azemar felt pity, this child had never experienced what it was like to be a child. But, he soon lost it. He was much the same and if he knew someone felt pity for him, he would resent it. The boy was fated for this, to have two legendary affinities, he was a genius among geniuses, the peak of humanity. But his thoughts soon focused on whether or not he could escape the party, such things weren’t really his forte and to deal with masses of people without a sword being a solution was rather hard.

Eventually, Azemar sighed, he wouldn’t be able to escape even if he tried. He might as well follow his orders like the soldier that he was. So, resigned to his fate, he left the chamber, a servant guiding him to the designated hall. Once there, the servant continued to lead him directly to the King which he bowed before. The King, laughing heartily, told him to raise his head, this feast was in his honor, he need not bow to anyone during the entirety of it. Of course, Azemar was rather reluctant to do so, after all, he was a soldier and to a soldier, respect of the hierarchy ruled paramount.

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So he insisted that he still bow to those that were of higher status, after all, nobles didn’t take very well to upstart peasants. Even though he made his way to where he was with pure hard work, nobles still looked down on him, they feared him yes but they did not see him as an equal, rather as an ant that dared to think itself god. After a small conversation, the King was soon drawn away with kingly matters and after bidding farewell to the Queen that was accompanying him, Azemar wandered, saying hello to people who came to him but seeming to look for someone. Soon, his eyes spotted him, it was Ieros, he was standing off to the side in shadow, almost invisible. In fact, Azemar’s eyes had passed over the location a few times before he managed to see him.

Ieros nodded at him when their eyes met and Azemar grinned, saying, “What’s a mage like you skulking around in the corner?”

Ieros bowed his head, “Much like you, I don’t have a taste for parties like this. But, I was ordered to attend so I did. But I was never given the order to socialize so I have not.”

Azemar chuckled, “Well, let us two comrades in unknown territory stick together then!”

Ieros let out another rare smile, “Yes, I do believe that to be the wisest option.”

So the two walked with one another, speaking of various battles and strategies in how each of them would deal with the situation, most people not daring to interrupt their conversation. But the heads of noble families weren’t as cowardly, no, once they saw Ieros, they saw it as a chance to try and persuade him into their families, even though Ieros had publicly announced that he would not marry. So, one such noble approached, the patriarch of the Feralt Clan, Andrew Feralt.

He bowed his head before Ieros and said, “I am Andrew Feralt, of the Feralt House. I assume you’ve heard the name?”

Ieros nodded, “Yes, of course, your daughters were one of the most stubborn when it came to pursuing my affections.”

The noble wasn’t sure how to exactly respond, it did not seem to be an insult nor a compliment.

After a few moments of deliberating, he decided to take it as a compliment, “Yes, one has to be stubborn if one wishes to be a merchant.”

Ieros nodded, “Yes, to have the will to keep your price, even when the customer wishes otherwise.”

But before Andrew could say anything else, Ieros said, “But I am afraid a merchant’s stubbornness will not be enough to sway me.”

Andrew was about to say something but before he could say anything, Ieros’s silver eyes froze him in place. Andrew couldn’t say anything and Ieros left. Azemar and he had a small laugh at the expense of the nobles, Azemar bringing up a similar experience in the past. He too in his youth had been hounded by noblewomen although he was able to repel them by adopting an attitude of extreme obsession with war, having a crazy look in his eyes when they approached.

And indeed, he did become obsessed with War, his mistress which held him at a tight leash. In fact, he had been marked by one of War’s personal war maidens, Harena. Even now, he could see her watching from a distance, bowing his head when she noticed him.

Ieros then commented, “You are indeed the Sage of War, I believe that you are the first to have been marked by Harena.”

Azemar was shocked and then smiled, “Ah, so you can see her?”

Ieros nodded and Azemar asked, “I’ve only seen a glimpse of her, when she first marked me. I do not remember her appearance at all. I’ve wished to look upon her face, participating in many battles hoping that she would be there.”

Azemar had a wistful look on his face, he had fallen in love with Harena, searching for the illusive face that he had seen but could not remember. Ieros said nothing, merely looking once more to Harena who had a saddened look on her face. As a war maiden of the War God, she could not marry, only to devote herself to the art of war. Besides, she was an immortal, unless the War God favored Azemar, he would remain mortal and disappear. A strange love, one that only reinforced Ieros’s conviction that marriage were only painful shackles. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about that problem anymore.

Suddenly, a familiar voice called out to him and he turned, seeing Meralia’s familiar black veil and the figure of Rose following behind, her face also clad by a similar veil. They attracted attention, more so because of the way Meralia called out and Ieros turned to face them, bowing his head slightly. They began to attract a lot of attention but Meralia didn’t seem to care, instead chastising Ieros,

“How dare you leave her to me and say nothing!? She’s been waiting for you for quite awhile now and you haven’t even tried to communicate!”

Ieros was rather surprised but he listened to her entire tirade before saying, “I am sorry, my attention was claimed by Azemar’s excellent performance in battle so I decided to meet him personally, taking him to the capital and quite losing track of time with our conversation.”

He bowed his head, this time to Rose, “I am deeply sorry that I left you alone.”

Meralia was about to continue her tirade but then, she had a thought and her eyes shone mischievously.

She said, “As an apology, why don’t you dance with her. Don’t worry about her not knowing how, I’ve taught her how.”

Of course, Ieros already knew how to dance, that was one of the many things that he observed but he sighed at what he thought to be a useless endeavour. But Ieros wouldn’t go against Meralia and because he needed to keep up appearances, Ieros decided to dance. So he escorted Rose to the dance floor, people making way for the two. There was soft music playing and Ieros clasped Rose’s hands and adopted a less serious expression. He waited for the right moment to start dancing and once they began, they never stopped moving. Of course, it wasn’t fast or anything but slow, with the beat. He moved with great precision and grace while Rose, still slightly amateurish, was a quick learner and was soon keeping up with Ieros with ease.

Soon, the dance floor was empty except for the two of them, the others felt that their presence would only taint the beauty of their dance. The musicians had also stopped playing as well, too mesmerized by the sight before their eyes to focus on playing. But there was still music, sound that appeared to be everywhere yet with no conceivable source. Of course it was Magic, bringing forth a song that premen once sung in ages long past, remembering their voices and enhancing with its power, making the sound almost angelic. Of course, Ieros knew what Magic was doing and it seemed that so did Rose, Ieros able to see the blush on her face through the veil although it was only because he was close to her.

But his face was almost as emotionless as ever, although Rose could almost see the hint of a smile, the edges of his lips slightly curved upward. Of course, Ieros was merely keeping his act for Meralia was watching. The song soon came to an end, Ieros and Rose stopping their dance rather simply, although they made it seem exquisite. The dance ended as many dances do in movies, with Rose swept up in Ieros’s arms, the two of them looking into each others’ eyes. Ieros then stopped and lifted her back on her feet, bowing his head.

Rose curtsied and thanked Ieros, “Thank you for this dance.”

Ieros bowed, “It was nothing.”

The spell was broken and everyone began to clap, Rose blushing although nobody could see underneath the veil. Ieros sighed though, this was going to be very troublesome. He created a gate but before he left, Meralia quickly made her way to him and grabbed his shoulder, saying,

“Oh no, you’re staying.”

Ieros looked wistfully to the gate and then dismissed it with a wave of his hand. He then sighed, preparing himself for a very long night.