There was no return celebration. No victory parade. The people of the Ashfen city were exhausted and in no mood to cheer and the story was that the prince’s plan failed and a wild fire salamander attacked the camp, allowing them to reclaim the lake. The deaths on Ashfen’s side were not few. Out of the fifteen volunteers, ten died, including Erno whose wife passed away before the battle.
In the courtyard of the castle, the prince and the castle inhabitants gathered around a small grave made of stones. The prince had dug it himself and placed William inside, his tiny body wrapped in cloth.
He was a good rat.
Charles, Leon, Peter, and Joseph stood around the grave, their whiskers drooping. Sela was next to them, her wounds wrapped in bandages, her eyes on the ground.
The maid brought a bottle of wine and the prince opened it, pouring it on the grave.
“William fought bravely and saved a lot of lives. We will never forget him and his sacrifice,” Orias said, his voice steady.
The rats squeaked and sniffed, their tiny paws touching the wet ground. Sela nodded in agreement.
Orias turned to his sister, who was standing a bit away with Vara in her arms. The girl was sleeping, tired from her battle. He looked at the grave one last time before walking inside the castle, his family following him.
At the dining table, the group sat down and ate silently. The wine was passed around and the food was good but the mood was still somber.
After they finished, the rats left to their quarters and Sela excused herself to rest.
Orias went to the fireplace, a glass of wine in his hand. His first battle and it was a shit show. He needed to learn from it. This was not like the games he played in his previous life or the books he read for business strategies. This was real and people died. His people.
Looking at his palm, he could still feel the cut from Lesaril’s dagger. The pain was gone but the memory remained. Even with his superior knowledge, he still got injured.
A hand on his shoulder made him turn to see his mother standing behind him.
“Thinking about the battle?”
She sat next to him on the rug, her glass in one hand and the other reaching for the warm fire.
He nodded and took a sip of his wine.
Teresa had a sad smile. “War is never easy. Especially if you are the weaker party. When your father invaded my village, I lost many friends and family.”
A silence filled the room, only the crackling of the fire could be heard. Orias had learned to not pry into his mother’s past. It was her business, not his. And he knew that medieval history was bloody and brutal so he had a faint idea of the kind of atrocities she had experienced.
“Mom, tell me about my father,” he asked instead.
She raised her brow.
“Tell me about his magic. I know he is powerful but how did he become the king? No one speaks about it,” Orias clarified.
His mother finished her wine and sighed. Her gaze was fixed on the fire.
“He is a man of many secrets. But I can tell you what I have seen.” She started, her voice low, “Your father uses blood magic, as in actual blood. The blood of his enemies fuel his spells and make him stronger.”
“What?”
It was impossible to get stronger by killing people. The mana cores were the only source of magic and as far as anyone knew, it was impossible to make your own mana crystal more powerful. This was new information.
His mother chuckled.
“The rumors say he killed a god and drank its blood and that was how he got his blessing, the tattoo of a bleeding crown on his back.”
Orias stared at her, his eyes wide. His father killed a god? If he did then he wouldn’t even bother with this succession war. He would just sit on his ass and do nothing.
But as he thought about it, something didn’t add up. Why would he have ten sons with ten different species if he already had the strongest blessing?
Gulping down the rest of her wine, Teresa looked at him.
“Personally, I don’t believe he killed a god. I think it was something else.”
He nodded. His mother was smart and intuitive and he trusted her judgment more than the rumors.
With a groan, she got up and put her glass on the table.
“Alright, I am off to bed. Goodnight Ori and good job.”
He waved her off and stared at the fire, replaying the battle and everything he learned today. There was much to improve but he needed more information, especially about the other provinces.
“Papa!”
A ball of black hair and energy collided with his back and he stumbled forward, catching himself on the rug. Vara giggled and hugged his waist.
“Careful Vara.” He scolded but he couldn’t help but smile.
“Papa is strong, Vara can’t hurt papa.” She looked up at him with a proud smile.
Lifting her up, he put her on his lap and patted her head. Her mother’s voice came from the doorway.
“Vara don’t run away from mommy. You made me worried.”
Isabella walked to them and leaned down, kissing her daughter and brother on the cheek.
“I am not sorry mommy. I wanted to be with papa.” Vara stuck her tongue out at her mother.
Bella rolled her eyes and grabbed a glass of wine. She drank it quickly before putting it down on the table behind Orias.
“Let’s go to bed brother. I am exhausted.”
He stood up, Vara in his arms and together they walked to his room. When he put his daughter on the bed, she transformed into her monster form, taking up all the space.
“Transform back young lady,” Bella said, her hands on her hips.
The salamander whined and a small fire came out of her mouth before she shrunk back. Isabella took off her clothes and laid next to her daughter. Vara snuggled close to her mother.
Orias smiled at the sight and stripped down to nothing before getting under the covers. His body was sore from the battle and his mana was drained. He needed rest or sex but Vara was here.
Putting an arm around his daughter and pulling her and his sister close, he closed his eyes. Tomorrow was another day and it had been only a month since the succession war started.
He drifted off to sleep.