“If I may, with all due respect, your customs are idiotic.” Le’Ahy said after discussing with the members of Setraliie’s delegation for a while.
“What do you mean?” Ilthin frowned, feeling offended.
“I mean, take Lord Verhen. There’s only one of him and limiting him to one woman is detrimental for the whole Mogar. This way it will take forever for his species to multiply.”
“There’s no rush.” Sylpha replied, feeling the issue touching her very closely. “What are a few decades in the lifespan of a Divine Beast? The blink of an eye.”
“She actually has a point.” Contrary to everyone’s expectations, it wasn’t Ilthin speaking. “The humans already got their share. He’s half human and half beast so it’s only fair to mix the Tiamat’s bloodline with an Emperor Beast as well.
“My daughter is a powerful mage and has developed a deep bond with Verhen which makes her the most reasonable choice.” Fyrwal the Hydra stepped forward while pushing Faluel in front of her.
“Mom!” Even Faluel’s toes turned red.
“Don’t ‘Mom’ me.” Fyrwal’s voice was that of an angry parent disciplining a brat throwing a tantrum. “You belong to one of the five founding pillars of the Kingdom and Verhen’s the new one.
“You shared your home and knowledge with him to which he replied by giving you a priceless gift. Do you deny it?”
“No, but-” Before Faluel could wish for Mogar to kill her, someone else butted in.
“Not so fast, you old hag!” Feela said. “There’s no point in adding more Dragon blood to the mix and from a diluted well at that. The most logical choice is someone from the Griffon bloodline.
“I candidate myself, but I’m willing to step down if someone from a pure bloodline comes forward.”
“Who are you calling an old hag?” Fyrwal was about to escalate the conflict when someone else raised the ante.
“The beasts can solve their dispute later but since we are discussing the issue, then the Eclipsed Lands demand their fair share!” Ilthin said.
“And so does Setraliie!” Le’Ahy didn’t care whose coattails she rode as long as she got what she wanted.
“Well, too bad this isn’t a democracy!” Kamila stomped her foot hard enough to cause a shockwave. “No one but me touches my husband. I don’t give a damn if slowing down the spread of his race is detrimental for Mogar.
“Lith is mine! Mine! Mine!” Then, she conjured a hologram of the planet between her hands and shattered it under her foot before clarifying: “Mine!”
“But, sweetie, no one is saying that you can’t be part of it.” Ilthin said, trying to calm Kamila down. “I’ve offered him first and then you a threesome and neither of you turned it down but you also didn’t reply. What if-”
“No means no! End of discussion. Are we clear?” Kamila cut her short.
“What she said!” Lith had taken a few steps back when that madness had started, sending Kamila forth because she held a power no one could question or defy.
“But-” Fyrwal tried to say.
“I said, are we clear? Yes or no.” As her blood pressure rose so did Elysia’s.
Feeling her mother’s distress, the baby readied for a fight and triggered a ripple effect through her blood that alerted her grandparents.
The sky screamed with thunder and the earth grumbled with quakes.
Tyris’ light, Leegaain’s fire, and Salaark’s life and death energy manifested behind Lady Verhen’s back, heralding the Guardians’ coming and their wrath.
“Yes.” Everyone raised their hands in surrender and dropped the topic like a live grenade.
“For the record, I’m not interested in Lith outside of a platonic relationship.” Everyone but Tezka, who kept sipping his drink and eating ice cream. “I’m his honorable guest. Please, leave me alone if you Guardians come here to smite these pesky ants.”
The various delegations stepped away, leaving the Verhens, Tezka, and the Royals alone. Only after Kamila’s anger subsided did everything go back to normal.
“Good gods, that was something.” The King said.
“Indeed.” Sylpha glared at him. “We’ll talk about this at home.”
She hadn’t liked his lack of objections at the amorous proffers of the elf maiden.
“Dear, she caught me by surprise!”
“Not in public.” The Queen walked away with the grace of an empress and the boiling fury of a storm.
The King knew that if left brewing, Sylpha’s rage could only get worse so he ignored her words and brought her to a private place where they could talk.
“Thanks, babe.” Lith sighed in relief. “I really didn’t want to offend anyone, but if they kept treating me like some kind of mindless slab of meat, I’d have given them a piece of my mind.”
“Anytime.” Kamila grunted, but not at him. “If any of those power bunnies tries to hop in your pants, just give me a call and I’ll do the rest.”
“Feisty.” Tezka chuckled. “I like you.”
“Thank you!” Kamila gave the Suneater a big squeeze, drawing several curious gazes.
“For what?” Tezka’s was among them.
“For always protecting my sister, my nephew and niece, and even their happiness. I wanted to thank you for years but we never seemed to meet. If I wasn’t overbooked already, I’d ask you to be our nanny as well.” Kamila replied.
“Mine is a full-time job, but I’m honored by your offer.” Tezka gave her a small bow. “But I can assure you that whenever your kids play with mine, I’ll always be there. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
He walked away as well, mingling with the people from Zelex and the undead who he considered as sort of distant relatives.
After a while, the opening music announced the beginning of the ball and the kids returned. Aran would dance with Filia, Leria with Frey, Lilia with Xagra, while Leran and Garrik with two young noble dames.
The first dance was bound to be the King with the now serene Queen and Lith with Kamila since spouses outranked even the Royals during galas. After the first dance, Lith switched partners with the King.
At that point, it was the family’s turn. Usually, Elina would take the first turn, but she left the honor to Solus.
“That poor child still has to recover from what that monster of M’Rael did to her.” She told Kamila to explain her decision. “She is recovering, but the recent trauma reopened the wounds from her parents’ death.
“Solus needs to know she’s part of our family and that nothing can change that.”
“I agree.” Kamila nodded, wishing Solus a speedy recovery.
Alas, many in the room didn’t share her compassion.
“Great Mage Solus Verhen is very pretty.” Said one of the guests, uncaring of who heard him. “I don’t get why Magus Verhen didn’t marry her.”
“Me neither.” A noblewoman replied. “I would get it if she was his sister or one of his cousins, but they are distant relatives so blood shouldn’t be an issue. She’s a powerful mage and a valiant fighter. The perfect candidate for a powerful bloodline.”
“Indeed.” Another one nodded. “She went through thick and thick with Verhen while he was exiled in the Desert, she helped him create Void Magic, and fought alongside him as the Golden Knight during the War of the Griffons.”
