[h3]DAY 9[/h3]

Morning caught Aleko wide awake, him suffering from restlessness after the passing of a tumultuous day; his shoulder joint still stung him in all the most unpleasant ways, but at least he wouldn't return home with a scar to tell about his little bout. With his fur clean, his garments strapped to his body under the weight of a plate suit, his long sword hanging stiffly from his waist and the rifle strapped on his good shoulder, the shepherd made his way to the courtyard of the newly acquired fortress to meet with his two generals, receive their reports and head home. It took a couple of hours for the dwarven general to make his appearance, who had only the best of news coming from the hometown they recently annexed along with the province. With nothing else needing his personal attention there, the emperor pulled out the peculiar stone general Bulkwyn handled him, giving it a firm squeeze in his leather-gloved hands.

"Well, we may have this, but master Cyrus didn't leave any instru-" once more, he found himself interrupted by a sickening sensation of becoming nothing but outspread matter for a fraction of a second, then, regain his physical form within the next fraction in a completely new environment.

Of course, he did recognize the study as soon as his eyes adjusted with the lighting and distance of objects in the room he had been teleported in, but just under a second ago the chilly air was chapping away at his wet nostrils, the earthy soil of the courtyard lightly sinking under his weight replaced by a creaking hardwood floor. The halfling had to blink a few times to adjust himself to the new surroundings, his stomach taking a rather hard blow that left him winded. To Bojor's groan, he could only nod.

"I'll never get used to-" Aleko then loudly cleared his throat after swallowing a sip bile "-I'll never get used to this."

Now, he was aboard his new home after a worthy success. As he walked over to his quarters, steel clattering against the hallways as he made his way through the half-familiar corridors, his shoulders slowly dropped as tension slowly made out of him, his body now adjusting to the non-combat status.

[i]But I can't help it[/i] he thought, [i]it doesn't feel right. I did this one for myself, not under some orders of any sort. Well, I've done it for the people too, but those people respond to my calls. I'm not made for this. This Empire isn't mine.[/i]

The shepherd groaned and shook his head once he was in the confinements of his quarters; he loosened every strap that held his suit of armor on him and slid his body out, his pores and furs feeling most grateful for being released from under the constant pressure and stiffness of padded clothing. A nice, hot bath would definitely help him to soak his muscles loose and finally relax.

[i]And this why it all feels odd. Everything is offered to me on a silver platter and I still don't know exactly why.[/i]

Before he could get to the wash closet, he noticed the plaque, a hard, cold knot rolling down his throat as he read the names of those who had lost their lives to bring him to such luxury. It felt ever worse. But clarity hit him once he had finished bathing, a sort of a queer idea running through his mind, but at the same time, a sound, well-mannered decision. By the time he had dressed in more comfortable, yet, still nobly attires, the wizard had showed up to greet the heir and congratulate him for his victory. It indeed was weird for the canine to learn that the rumors spread alarmingly fast, which only meant that the secrecy of their actions could only be taken in a very narrow time frame before all the wrong attention will be upon them. Master Cyrus was certainly proud about the success, adamantly reminding Aleko that the true empire would finally make its glorious return.

[i]You're clinging to a dream like a heavy anchor, old man.[/i]

Then, Scribe made its appearance, bless it. Aleko felt an eerie charm about the skeletal being as it showed enthusiasm about him too, in its own way. Poor child. Which reminded him:

"Master Cyrus", Aleko started, "I have a request from you, if you'll allow me to appeal to your resources. I-" he cleared his throat once more before he turned his gaze over to one of the large windows viewing the world below "-I can't help but to feel rather uneasy in this fortress. Leaving aside the accommodation issues that I am still struggling with, there is this sense of- I can only describe it as if I feel I do not deserve all this, at least, I feel uncomfortable having all this luxury all by myself."

"As such, I wish to bring someone aboard the Escalyber to share this luxury with me, someone that deserves it more than I do for all the efforts and hardships they had to endure for my mere existence. Cyrus, I would like to ask you to find my mother and have her brought to me. She deserves to be treated as the mother of an emperor, therefore, I will not have her on Freedom Island a day no more."

[b]“Your... mother?”[/b] Cyrus pondered for a brief moment before giving his answer. [b]“Of course... She is welcome here. I will send word and arrange for her to be brought here as soon as possible. I assume she currently lives in one of the provinces from Freedom Isle, no?”[/b]

"That is correct." The canine answered, nodding to the wizard. "From her last letter, I understand that she has retreated to a cottage in the province of Zeiserberg, at the outskirts of its capital city. Here." Aleko reached for a pocket, from where he pulled a small golden medallion with a couple of emerald finely-cut stones which he offered to Cyrus.

"In case she will be reluctant to follow you, show her this. Once you show it, heh, there will be very little in her way to find me. I'd bet a couple of hundred she would walk the distance." He stated with a small smile, the features of his beautiful mother passing through his mind in one of his most treasured childhood memories.

Before their discussion concluded, Cyrus had brought to his attention that only he would be able to discover the motivations of his generals and and envoys. That brought a frown upon Aleko's forehead and a pout of frustration. He brought his hands from his back unto the sill of the large window and lowered his weight upon them.

[i]Bastards[/i], he thought bitterly, his fingers tapping the metal, [i]you were too afraid to reveal your intentions. Too afraid to even lie to me, lest I would have caught you later. Or Cyrus might be hiding their opinions from me.[/i] The canine snorted disdainfully as he pushed himself away from the window and turned towards the throne, walked towards it and stopped right in front of it.

[i]They never really work fully in your favor, do they? Up here, there's no such thing as loyalty. It's partnership.[/i] Quid pro quo. [i]I scratch your back, you scratch mine. I am curious, what would happen if I were to pull a couple of rugs from under some people's feet?[/i]

He tapped his fingers against the throne's arm rest before he left.

[h3]DAY 10[/h3]

The same tap pattern could now be heard vibrating through the heavy table in the council room. The emperor, dressed in dark blue garbs that contrasted will with his white fur and piercing gaze, appeared relaxed, yet, very present within the discussions held at the table. He only moved his eyes to meet Marcus's own as he addressed himself to the emperor. To his question, Aleko nodded slowly.

"Yes." He uttered in a lax tone.

He had to keep an open ear and mind to the following discussion, as the talk of Mage-Trees seemed to touch a few sensible spots here and there, especially since a number of ethical issues have been raised on how to handle the odd resource. Of course there were clashing opinions, the high elf envoy became a nuisance in a very short amount of time since he had opened his mouth, but Eamon struck a nerve in Aleko. To him, it became very clear that the anthro was there for personal gain, knowing that the transport of the trees and the production of sap would fill his hefty vaults with more gold. With ideas here and there, thoughts and opinions thrown around like paper pellets, it soon came time for him to have the final say in the matter. He glanced to his left and right, noticing the envoys waiting for his conclusion. The halfling sighed and tapped the table once more.

"Master Groverunner." He called, his eyes immediately darting towards the elf. "Believe me when I say that I understand your reluctance about the nature of those trees, their properties and the means of obtaining them. I know that it bears a great insult towards your culture and I'd like to have a quick discussion about that. Allow me to formulate an analogy." Aleko cleared his throat and straightened his back.

"Most of us here enjoy consuming meat, am I not right? Fowl, pork, beef, venison, you name it, most of us do. Us, carnivorous anthros, enjoy meat too, oh, we do love it, especially if it's prey meat. For a wolf, prey could mean a pig, a boar, a stray sheep, even a deer. But it took us several thousand years to evolve from what we would now consider cannibalism. Due to that issue, all natural prey anthros are now very reluctant about natural predators, not to mention any form of meat. Yes, even from un-evolved livestock."

"But have they imposed this reluctance on other races that consume meat on a daily basis? No, that is because they understand that for some organisms, it is impossible to live without meat. Try keeping your children on vegetables only diet and they will die in a matter of weeks. What I mean to say is that, although it is highly troubling and deeply disturbing for them to see their lesser kin slaughtered for food, they understand the necessity of the act and accept the usefulness of the resources obtained from livestock."

The emperor then lands his palm against the table, pushing himself on his feet, allowing him to stride around the table at a slow pace.

"Which brings us to the issue at hand. Those trees, let me tell you, disturb me as well; yet, it would seem that the properties of its sap could grant us quite some advantages. The humans have discovered that it may be used as a healing balm, the anthros have found it may be conversed into a sedative gas, both of which may bring significant advance in medicinal practice and science. With these on the table, Master Groverunner, you find it more ethical to deny life and salvation from the wounded and sick in favor for an edict put in practice by ancestors long gone and dead?" 

[i]Yes, I'm painting a big bull's eye on your back, elf.[/i] He thought to himself. [i]You'd better start thinking progressively if you don't wish to be replaced.[/i]

"Master Weissnout's proposition sounds better to me, under a few conditions: saplings are to be distributed in equal number to our human and anthro allies, so that Winterpeak may further their studies and obtain the aforementioned balm, and Freedom Island to concoct the gas. Which brings us to the second condition: you may not arm your troops with this sleeping gas just yet. I will allow you to manufacture and test it- here's my third condition -in clinics for surgical procedures that requires the patient to be fully sedated. If you two prove that this sap can be [i]safely[/i] used as a balm and as a sedative, you two will have won yourself eternal gratitude for creating a project that could save millions of lives."

"Therefore, you are to collect the sap, destroy the trees as you see fit, share the saplings and start studying. Under no conditions are you to use those saplings for anything other than the production of more magical sap, or I will see that the Emerald Council will pay you a personal visit. Any other questions?"

[hr]

The Ice Trolls were on the move and wreaking havoc, a rather frightening thought. For some reason, though, Aleko found it amusing enough for him to choke a smirk. But all of the amusement he felt was soon bashed away by Groverunner's less than subtle attitude towards the situation.

[i]When captain Riley told us that elves stick their ears into every little issue that isn't theirs, I thought he was only being a racist knob,[/i] the shepherd sighed as he drew attention upon himself with several taps on the table, [i]I hate it that he was right. I need to deal with this folly with a firm hand; I am in control, not the elves.[/i]

"Master Groverunner," Aleko uttered, throwing a stern look at the elf, "I see that you wish to extend your authority over other nations' governments and internal affairs. Why won't you take a seat in my stead, then?" He lifted his eyebrows briefly and allowed for a few seconds of silence to pass before he would continue.

"We will have to keep the troll population in check. As I see it, lethal force is necessary in order to keep them under control, at least, for now. And, what I mean by [i]for now[/i], is that we might be able to employ the knock-out gas to sedate the trolls and relocate them. What I am saying is that this situation will be dealt with in two phases: first phase, thin out the population using lethal force with caution, do not render them extinct unless you're forced to do so; second phase, once the anthros manage to concoct a distributable form of this sap gas, you are to sedate the trolls, trap them and have them moved someplace where they will not pester any forms of civilization. Where you will put them exactly, it is up to you to decide, master Cloudkeeper."

With the meeting coming to an end, Aleko headed towards the most quiet part of the fortress, the study. There, his mind could cleanse itself, just by throwing long glances over the neatly arranged bookshelves; the smell, the air itself seemed to calm him down. He found it useful to visit the study after each and every meeting with either the envoys, or the generals, as it would offer him the needed calmness to replay the conversations and review the attitudes of every individual. He certainly took a disliking to the elf envoy today. Luckily, he didn't have enough time to think about it, as Cyrus had made his appearance; perfect, as Aleko would quickly inquire about his mother. No success yet, no wonder, but it should be understandable why the shepherd was so eager to have his mother come on board the Escalyber. It was a much safer place, befit for a woman that had been through a tough life.

Then, Anna made her apparition in the study, promptly bringing up reports for him; she once again apologized for her intrusion, to which the shepherd smiled warmly and shook his hand dismissively. Per master Earthward's request, the emperor made his way to the research chamber quickly after Anna took her leave. Once there, the canine was greeted by the dwarf, the lizardman and the sorrowful chief engineer. These three had a remarkable invention on their desk, one that left the young emperor genuinely excited; Aleko examined every corner and detail of the apparatus, absorbing its shape and mechanisms.

"Of course I approve of this, it's a marvelous invention! I am most impressed by your work, Master Earthward, T'Chun and Reginal. Yes, this must be replicated and deployed, both for civilian and military use." Aleko then stopped and laid a finger on his own lips, lightly frowning. "Though, if we were to lose one of these to the enemies... an encryption method must be found to avoid incidents. But I am sure that will pose no problem for you. Marvelous work indeed. I will see that you are rewarded accordingly."

For a while, though, the image of the anthro haunted the emperor. While he did not want to be too pushy about any issue that wasn't his, it worried him that one of his underlings might be facing potentially dangerous amounts of sadness. He would look into this issue some time later, now he needed to clear his mind some more in the study. Which, in the end, did not quite work in his favor, as he managed to stumble upon a book that seemed to draw his curiosity to no end, so much that he snatched it for himself.

[h3]Day 11[/h3]

Blasted book. Good thing the day was rather easy for the emperor to endure, with two major reports to review and plenty of time to steal incognito naps in between various duties. The one bit of information that made the young emperor sink into himself was that Avalon started to grow aware of his movements. From now, caution had to be exercised, the next few steps had to be subtle and well-mannered. As well-mannered as a foe can be, for that matter. And, there was now word about his mother's whereabouts yet.

[i]Issues are mounting up now,[/i] Aleko thought to himself, gazing pensively through the window pane in his personal quarters, [i]my mind needs to remain brisk and crisp.[/i]

He turned his attention back to the dismantled rifle in his lap to resume cleaning the dark grey residue that accumulated in all the most impossible nooks, crannies and grooves of the intricate trigger assembly. He sighed and took a quick break to reassess where else the gunpowder had built up, shifting the mechanism into the light in the attempt to find any of the build-up.

[i]I've killed a few days ago,[/i] he pondered, [i]I've seen combat again. My shoulder's a bit raw, there's a bruise on my chest. I've struck down men with my blade and shot down others. You do get used to it, so much that it feels like second natures. That's worrying. What... what did my father think of killing?[/i]

[h3]Day 12[/h3]

Good reports were coming in, which finally made Aleko react. He'd been doing rather decent so far, even though he had very little idea of what and how emperors should do; of course, the generals played a big role in the success of the operations, but they acted under his supervisions and at his orders. He couldn't help but to feel some pride within him, seeing himself succeed in the boots of his late father. Word of his mother has yet to arrive, which started to worry him; where could she have gone to? Even if she weren't in the province, someone could easily point where she could have went. If they managed to find him, a woman that's not meant to be hidden would be a lot easier to fetch. Curious.

The letters were related one to another, about the general Asimov he managed to capture during the assault. The vile thoughts that ran through his mind at the moment of capture were long gone, Aleko finding himself a lot more composed and apt to deal with the captive general accordingly and avoid any incidents that would brand him a criminal. Even so, the eyes of many he would still be considered one, just because he bears the name. Sendrakon, thought to have been extinguished in nine-hundred ninety-six, stands now twenty-five years later through his blood. 

Aleko choked loudly and starting coughing violently until he spat out the bite of pulled pork that nearly killed him. He was on his feet, his eyes planted on the desk as his mind ran some frantic calculations, each and every time the result would be the same.

"No," he uttered, speaking his mind to himself, "this can't be right. What in the bloody Skerom is... no."

[h3]Day 13[/h3]

"General," Aleko called the man beyond the cell bars, "I would like to have a quick word with you. If you answer me this, your freedom is guaranteed."

The halfling sat down on a chair in front of the cell, his doublet and trousers matching the colors of his eyes and fur.

"I'm not seeking any information about the Old Empire, general, my men have tried enough. This one's more personal." The shepherd leaned against the back of the chair, his gaze never leaving the eyes of the human locked behind the bars.

"On the field, you estimated my age at twenty-seven to twenty-eight. Is that correct, or have I misheard?"

The answer came soon. Aleko found himself grinding his teeth before he pushed the chair away in order to stand up and take his leave.

"Thank you, general. You will be released and sent back home."

Mere moments later, Aleko found the wizard after he rushed down every corridor and room that stood in his way. He left aside the courtesy of greetings and instead pulled the old man with him in his personal quarters and locked the door behind. Aleko threw a fist at the door to vent some of his anger, but seeing it as being insufficient, he also slammed his forehead against the door. But when he turned around, the halfling bore a big smile, one that was a far shot from being warm or friendly.

"Master Cyrus. I believe that the court wizard is the wisest, most knowledgeable individual within a noble infrastructure, am I not correct?" Aleko started, leaving very little room for the old man to reply before he continued. "That means, you are most assured that my father, the last of Sendrakon, died in nine-hundred ninety-six; that would prove your knowledge in relatively recent history, correct?"

"Good. We are currently in year one thousand twenty-six, gods bless us to see this year. Now, being a wizard, one could assume that calculus is also a feat of yours, no? So, let's see, if we subtract nine-nine-six from ten-hundred twenty-six, we obtain... ah, thirty! Well, quite easy, is it not? If you add thirty to nine-nine-six, you obtain one thousand twenty-six. Good, good, so we are proficient in this department too, no?"

"How about biology, Master Cyrus? Surely, one would know that all humanoid races bear their offspring in the womb for roughly nine to eight months, am I not correct? Of course I am. How do I know?"

Aleko, which strode around in a calm demeanor, suddenly launched a kick at a chair, hurling the object against a wall; the wooden furniture loses the bout, dismantling and splintering all over the floor.

"I know for certain that my mother didn't carry me five years in her womb, Cyrus!" Shouted Aleko, snarling and growling viciously. "Unless my father in fact survived the purge, I don't see how it happened, Cyrus! Are you following me? How in all the fucking gods' names am I here? Did his ghost fuck my mother during her sleep, Cyrus? Does my mother crave decomposed cocks? Or are you a sore liar looking for a scapegoat for your ambitions?" Aleko stepped up to the elder, raising a finger.

"I told you. If I found something, anything suspicious, I leave. How about you become sincere for once and tell me where is she. Where is my mother?" Aleko slammed his fist against the table and snapped his fingers repeatedly afterwards in front of the wizard's nose.

"Where. Is. My. Mother! Focus, Cyrus, focus on the truth and tell me!"