Heart hamring away at his ribcage, Leon schooled his expression and said, “That’s… quite the power. I’ve heard of such things in legends before, but honestly never thought such a thing was possible…”
“The records are scarce,” Ryonos stated with a distant look, “but reliable. Jung, the Wall of Samoset. Rigadr of Kitlinlin. Antares the Red Scorpion. As far as we know, these three are the only n who have achieved such a feat, and it is from them that we have any reliable idea of what death is.” His bright white eyes returned to Leon. “Until now, that is. Leon… I won’t ask it of you now, but in the years to co, I would like to study that power of yours.”
“You want my son to use a power that causes him physical pain?!”
Ryonos spared Serana an apologetic look. “If he’s willing, then yes.” His attention flickered back to Leon. “If he doesn’t, then that will be it. I won’t press. All I would say is that such a power is… not sothing to use without cause.”
A thin grin on his lips, Leon said, “That thing about Heartwood Trees is still stuck in my head, to be honest. But if you think there’s sothing to learn from my power, then I’ll help if I can.”
“In that case,” Ianu said with a welcoming smile, “when the Gas are over, return to Arushae with us. You should be introduced to the realm of dragons! And while you’re there, you can peruse our records. Our knowledge is open to all who share our blood.”
Leon’s grin thinned further. “That is… a generous offer. I’ll have to take you up on it soday.”
“But not soon?” Ianu asked.
“No. I didn’t leave Artorion with the intention to spend the next few years gallivanting across the Nexus. Not without my armies at my back, at least.”
Ianu laughed, the booming sound echoing in the small room. “I look forward to it, Leon!”
“As do we all,” Varon said.
“Indeed,” Leon responded. “But to get back to—”
A sharp knock at the door interrupted him, and so irritated was he that he nearly threw a bolt through it. But he had mastered himself at least enough to resist that instinct, especially when he realized that it was Elise on the other side.
“Excuse ,” Leon said, the other dragons present looking almost as irritated as he’d been as he crossed the room and opened the door, revealing his wife.
“Husband,” Elise said apologetically.
“Beloved wife,” Leon replied, hoping that his tone and words would make it clear to his new extended family that he wouldn’t tolerate disrespect toward her.
“I hate to interrupt,” Elise said, “but we have… another visitor.”
Sighing tiredly, Leon bemoaned, “We always seem to have visitors these days, don’t we? Who is it?”
With an apprehensive smile, Elise said, “Bennu.”
Leon blinked rapidly, wondering if he had heard that correctly. “The Phoenix?”
“Yes, darling. He’s here. Oddly subdued, too. Or maybe not so odd considering his loss.”
Leon projected his magic senses, noting that many of the guards that he’d called up for the arrival of the Sun King, and subsequently dismissed after his departure, were now back in position since a Phoenix was standing just outside of the hangar’s magic barrier, waiting to be admitted into the ark. Bennu had several red-clad attendants with him, but his entourage was notably small given his position. He was also looking quite unhard; no trace of the injuries Leon had given him anywhere to be found.
Stalking up behind Leon, Serana hissed, “Did he say why he’s here?”
“No,” Elise replied. “Only that he’s willing to wait for a convenient ti to speak with you. He only nad my husband, though; I don’t think he knows that you’re here, Princess Serana.”
For a mont, Serana looked thoughtful, her eyes straying in the direction of the ark’s hangar. After a pointed look from Leon, however, she turned back to Elise and said, “Elise, dear, no need to call ‘Princess’. My na will do. You could even call ‘Mom’ if you like…”
Red flushed through Elise’s cheeks. “That’s… very generous of you, Serana. Give … give so ti?”
Serana looked mildly disappointed but nodded imperiously. “If you need it. It has been brought to my attention that I haven’t treated you as a wife of my son should be treated. Co in, young one…” Serana took Elise’s arm and practically pulled her into the room, making her the center of attention for all the other dragons present.
“What about Bennu?” she asked a little nervously.
“Make him wait,” Serana said dismissively as Leon smiled with a hint of resignation and closed the door behind his lady. “Now. My son and I have long been parted. Almost from the mont of his birth, when Kamran’s dogs forced us apart. Now my son is here, and he brings with him four wives! Four! And more, if that Ocean Princess is to be indulged!”
“Unlikely,” Leon quietly offered.
“No need to be embarrassed, Leon, my everdark nephew,” Karina said with a teasing smile. “All dragons take multiple partners! The perpetuation of the bloodline requires nothing less!”
“Not all dragons,” Serana corrected. “But my son can have as many as he wants!”
“Good to know,” Leon responded.
“But,” Serana continued, “it does pain to be reminded of how much ti apart we’ve spent. I, perhaps, took so of that resentnt out on you, my dear. I should not be so harsh on a woman who has caught my son’s eyes; a woman who will one day birth my own grandchildren! You may not be a dragon, my beautiful daughter-in-law, but you will bear them, and that is enough!”
Elise’s face was a deep scarlet by this point, and she started sending pleading looks Leon’s way. He could understand why: while this sort of talk wouldn’t normally matter so much, given the struggles he and his wives had had in conceiving, talking about it with strangers—even if those strangers were kin—wasn’t easy.
“We can handle all of that later,” Leon quickly interjected as he took his wife, gently prying her away from his mother. “For now, I would rather get the Phoenix off my doorstep.”
“Speaking of,” Karina said as she stared at Leon, her red eyes bright and curious, “I had a question about another power you showed off, my dear nephew!”
“I should get to Bennu fir—” Leon began, but Karina swiftly interrupted him.
“He can wait! Leon! I want to know about that Thunderbird thing you did in your duel! It didn’t feel like an illusion, or so other kind of conjuration! What was that?”
Leon stifled a sigh while sharing a commiserating look with Elise. ‘Dragons wait for no one,’ he thought, his internal tone shaded by amusent.
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Releasing Elise and getting a bit of distance from the others, he asked, “Do you an… this?”
His body expanded and changed shape, pure white feathers sprouting all over his body, interspersed with darker, grayer feathers, especially lower on his body. His hair was replaced with a long blue crest, while his mouth lengthened into a golden beak. He had to duck a bit since his body in his Thunderbird form was quite tall, but the ceiling was tall enough that he didn’t have to bend down too far.
“Yes!” Karina exclaid, the other dragons reeling a bit. Ryonos, in particular, stared in amazent, while Ianu took several steps forward, almost looking like he wanted to touch Leon and see if he was real.
“By the Gleaming Scales…” Nyra whispered as she stared at Leon, her mouth agape.
[My bloodline is stimulated in this form,] Leon explained. [My control over the Thunderbird’s traditional powers is heightened greatly, too. My skill with black fire is… not. Not so much, anyway. I’ve been trying to see if there’s a way to take the Great Black Dragon’s form, but so far, I’ve had no success.]
“That’s still… incredible!” Varon exclaid as he walked forward and gently brushed his fingers against one of Leon’s large feathers, each one longer than Varon’s forearm. “Is this… sothing that can be shared?”
[In my Kingdom,] Leon replied, [the Ten Tribes who descend from old vassals of my Clan were given this enchantnt. I’m willing to share it with kin, too, so long as it isn’t shared too widely after that.]
Nyra snorted while Jennifyr said, “Dragons don’t share with others, Leon. There is no need to fear that.”
Leon nodded before reassuming human form. “There are few limits on the form as I know it. Took so getting used to, though. Flailed about on the floor until the Thunderbird herself shared her knowledge of how to move in that form with . Still needed ti to adapt, but at this point, I’d wager that I’m quite adept in it.”
“We are going to be discussing that more later,” Serana said with a proud smile.
“Yeah!” Nyra cried as she hugged Serana from behind. Serana indulgently hugged the younger girl back while letting Leon bask in her pride.
But soon, his eyes went back to the hangar, and the Phoenix waiting just outside of it.
“We’ll pick this up soon,” he said. “I still have many questions, especially about the Heartwood Trees. Many questions.”
“About your father, I assu?” Jennifyr asked. Leon nodded. “We’ll speak more later, then,” she continued. “Go and see off that aggravating little bird.”
Serana looked almost like she wanted to argue, but Jennifyr gave her a look and she refrained. Instead, she said, “I’ll go with you. Bennu was always after my heart. I’ll make it known without ambiguity that it was never his to win.”
She separated from Nyra with so difficulty, and together with Elise, they left the other dragons to chat quietly about all that had been revealed in their brief discussion.
“I’ll lead him to you,” Elise said.
“Should he be welcod in like that?” Leon wondered aloud. “I’m tempted to et him as I did the Sun King.”
“He can be greeted at the door,” Serana said. “It will make kicking him out easier.”
“Are the Phoenixes not powerful?” Elise asked. “Shouldn’t we at least give him so asure of courtesy?”
“We should,” Leon reluctantly agreed. “So long as he responds in kind.”
“He didn’t bring hordes of warriors with him,” Elise pointed out.
“That seems courteous,” Leon replied.
“Fine,” Serana groaned. “Fine. But he doesn’t get a chair!”
---
When Bennu walked in, he didn’t seem at all disturbed that Leon and Serana sat in the only chairs in the otherwise furniture-less room. His eyes widened when he laid eyes on Serana, but he otherwise gave no reaction of any kind while the door was still open.
For a mont, Leon thought he was going to act arrogant given the expression he wore and how tall he stood. But then Elise closed the door behind him, leaving the three of them alone, and Bennu imdiately fell to his knees.
“You defeated , Leon,” the Phoenix said. “The duel was honorable. I… I realize now that I was misled about many things. More shafully, I allowed my assumptions to get the better of .”
Leon frowned, unsure how to respond. Serana had fewer reservations, though.
“Not even an acknowledgnt, Bennu? Here I sit, the object of your affection for so long, yet seconds have gone by without remark! Were I a weaker woman, I would feel slighted.”
Bennu took a deep breath, his expression pitiable. “You, Princess Serana, hold my heart, though I can see that you prefer another. The ways of dragons are mysterious to , but I won’t judge such a pairing. I just want you to know that—”
“Wait!” Serana interjected, disbelief overpowering her domineering tone. “What… do you think my relationship with Leon is?”
Leon’s face fell as he suddenly realized the mix-up that Bennu had likely made.
“A relation of yours,” the Phoenix replied. “A cousin, perhaps. I understand why you would rather take him as your husband instead of , though I can’t help but—”
“Leon is my son!” Serana practically shrieked. “I am a married woman, Bennu! I have been for two and a half centuries!”
Bennu’s mouth fell open, and his eyes widened to roughly the size of the Origin Spark. “I… What?” he sputtered.
“My heart,” Serana stated, “was never yours to earn. Couldnever have been yours.”
Silence stretched between them until Bennu’s face fell. “I… I see. I have been led on a fool’s errand. Again.”
“Whoever misled you—” Serana began, but Bennu corrected her imdiately.
“It was my own heart that misled . I understand my reputation. That I fall in love too easily. I suppose I have earned that. But never has my heart beat for a woman like it did for you, Serana. That love was more real than any I have ever felt.”
“You never even knew ,” said Serana quietly.
“Did I have to?” Bennu asked, his tone rather sardonic but carrying a hint of seriousness. “You are that type of woman to inspire such feelings.”
Serana frowned in thought. “I am, aren’t I?”
“Your husband is the luckiest man alive,” Bennu said.
Leon and Serana exchanged a complicated look, grief and anger mixing with other emotions in their golden eyes. Regardless, neither of them corrected Bennu’s assumption that Artorias was still alive.
“I do not expect to love another again,” Bennu continued. “Not so fiercely. But that you’re here, Serana, makes this easier. I know when I’m beaten. I ca here to say this to Leon, but now I say this to you: I will cease my courtship, for whatever it was worth, and apologize for any discomfort I inspired.”
Serana’s frown deepened, and she didn’t imdiately respond.
“Just… like that?” asked Leon, surprise coloring his tone.
“What would my reputation be if I continued?” Bennu asked. “I… I had thought that you would be taking my place, Leon, but I see that I am even more misguided than I thought I was. No matter what, I ca here with the understanding that my courtship was over; the details don’t change that.”
“I see… I suppose I just expected you to be more… upset…”
“The duel was fought, and I lost. I did all I could, and I still lost. What more is there to say?”
“Others wouldn’t take such a loss quite so well,”
“Others are not Phoenixes. We are better than others.”
Leon smiled, admiring the sentint.
“And,” Bennu said with more enthusiasm, “now that I see my mistakes, I can correct them! And hopefully rekindle ancient alliances! Thunderbird! Phoenix! Dragon! Few beasts of old can ever hope to be ntioned in the sa breath as our Ancestors!”
“I’m happy to hear that,” Leon said with a sage nod of his head, even if he wasn’t entirely sure if this was genuine or not. Given all that he’d experienced on Khosrow’s Fane and what he’d seen and heard at Iaivi Fortress, it was likely better for all those who bore Inherited Bloodlines, rare as they were, to stick together, at least as much as was possible.
“The dragon flies with no others,” Serana boasted. “But that doesn’t an we can’t… have amicable relations.”
“That is more than I could hope for,” Bennu said with a grateful grin. “Let us not let all of this… prevent us from becoming friends! I may have certain regrets, but I am content with that much!”
Smiling, Leon said, “I’m always willing to make new friends. I’ve spoken with my Ancestor at length, Bennu, and she had nothing but good things to say about your nasake.”
Bennu’s eyes widened again in surprise. “Such communication with an Ancestor is… rare. But I know that the first Bennu would return the complints!”
Sensing an opportunity, Leon remarked, “I think he would, given he and my Ancestor took wing and flew to their final battle together. They, the Heavenly Wolf, and Cait Sith t their end side-by-side during that primal war.”
“I… I have not… heard of this?” Bennu whispered.
“The Thunderbird doesn’t like to speak of it much,” Leon continued. “But I know that they fell in opposition to Khosrow.”
“Khosrow…” Bennu whispered. “I… would like to hear more, Leon. But I have no ti for it, to my great regret. I have done what I ca here to do, but I hope we may speak more later. And you, Princess Serana. If I cannot win your heart, then I hope to at least succeed in winning your friendship, if you are gracious enough to give the chance.”
“My graciousness is legendary,” Serana said with complete seriousness.
“It is,” Bennu agreed with such a genuine smile that Leon was convinced he ant it.
Regardless, Bennu rose from where he kneeled and departed, leaving Leon and Serana alone again as Elise took it upon herself to escort the Phoenix heir back to the hangar—accompanied, of course, by the Paladins and a host of Tempest Knights.
In the silence following his departure, Serana asked Leon, “How much… has she told you? Of Khosrow, and the Primal Gods and Devils, and the end of their age?”
“Quite a bit,” Leon said.
“Share it with ,” she all but commanded. Leon almost considered the possibility of being offended, but the raw curiosity in his mother’s golden eyes banished that thought completely.
Smiling, he began sharing what he knew…
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