Arthur pulled a chair beside Leon's bed and sat down. Cedric dragged another chair over before taking a seat of his own. Raymond was less fortunate—after a brief search he discovered there wasn't a single piece of furniture in the suite capable of comfortably supporting his newly enlarged frame, so he simply sat cross-legged on the floor. The metallic eagle remained perched proudly upon his shoulder, its feathers occasionally shifting. Clink. Clink. The sound resembled tiny blades brushing against one another.
Arthur studied the scene for a moment, then sighed. "Now." His gaze settled on Raymond. "Tell me what happened here."
Leon immediately turned toward his brother, the glare he gave him carrying a very simple message. Explain your own disaster.
Raymond scratched the back of his head awkwardly. For perhaps the first time all day he looked genuinely embarrassed. Then he began explaining—the eagle egg, the cliff, the visions, the transformation, the hatching, the blood pact. Everything.
Arthur listened patiently from beginning to end, his expression revealing absolutely nothing. Cedric meanwhile listened with keen interest, occasionally adjusting his spectacles whenever Raymond said something particularly ridiculous, which happened rather often.
Eventually the explanation ended. Silence filled the room. Arthur leaned back slightly. Truthfully he wasn't entirely sure whether to laugh at his son's stubbornness or his stupidity. Possibly both.
"If I had been in your position," Arthur finally said, "I would have chosen the second eagle."
Raymond blinked. "The second one?"
Arthur nodded. "A bird possessing near-human intelligence." His fingers tapped thoughtfully against the armrest. "The possibilities are nearly endless. Communication. Scouting. Intelligence gathering. Coordination."
Cedric nodded in agreement. "A remarkably valuable creature."
Raymond looked personally offended. Of course they would choose the boring one.
Arthur's lips twitched slightly. "That said." His gaze shifted toward the metallic eagle. "I do commend your effort to prove me wrong." The smile finally appeared—small, amused. "Let us see how successful your aerial artillery becomes."
The effect was immediate. Raymond shot to his feet as though someone had lit a fire beneath him. "There!" He pointed an accusing finger directly at Arthur. "That! That is exactly why I acted on my own this time!"
The eagle immediately became excited, spreading its wings slightly. "Screeeech!"
Raymond pointed harder. "Our thoughts never align!"
"Screeeech!"
"You always look at everything differently than I do!"
"Screeeech!"
The bird bobbed its head enthusiastically, apparently agreeing with every word. Cedric quietly looked away. Arthur looked completely unbothered.
Watching the scene unfold, Leon slowly grabbed his head. He could already feel another headache coming. Two Raymonds had been bad enough. Now there were three. And somehow the newest one was already the loudest.
Eventually the banter died down. The eagle settled once more upon Raymond's shoulder, though it still occasionally let out an approving screech whenever Raymond looked particularly passionate about something. Arthur chose to ignore it. This story is hosted at novelping.com.
His attention shifted toward Leon, the amusement fading from his expression. "It appears eggs differ from normal pregnancies."
Leon straightened slightly.
"Unlike a foal, the eagle hatched immediately after the transformation." Arthur's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "It seems eggs do not require additional time to develop once your power has finished its work."
"Looks like it," Leon agreed. Then he grimaced. "But the drain was ridiculous." He rubbed his forehead. "I was almost drained to death."
Cedric adjusted his spectacles. "That would make sense." Both Arthur and Leon looked toward him. The old advisor folded his hands together. "In the case of a normal pregnancy, the mother continues supplying nutrients after the transformation." His gaze drifted toward the eagle. "The mare's increased appetite can likely be attributed to exactly that." He paused. "But eggs are different. The nutrients available to the developing creature are fixed from the moment the egg is laid."
Understanding slowly dawned across the room. Cedric continued. "If Lord Leon's transformation accelerates growth beyond what the egg can naturally support, then the missing energy must come from somewhere."
Leon suddenly didn't like where this was going. Cedric looked directly at him. "It comes from you."
Raymond winced. "That sounds unhealthy."
"It probably is," Leon muttered.
Cedric nodded. "The greater energy drain and immediate hatching would both support that theory."
Arthur gave a slow nod. "I was thinking along similar lines."
The room fell quiet for several moments. Then Arthur's gaze shifted toward Raymond—more specifically, toward the eagle. His eyes lingered there, upon the metallic feathers, the impossible strength, and the blood pact. When he finally spoke, his voice had become noticeably quieter. "And about that blood pact."
Raymond instinctively sat a little straighter. Arthur's gaze remained fixed upon the bird. "If all of your magical beasts are capable of something similar..." He paused. "...then things have become far more interesting."
For a brief moment the room fell silent, because everyone understood the implications. Blood pacts were not common—in fact they were exceedingly rare. The ability was normally associated with creatures possessing extraordinarily powerful bloodlines. Dragons. Ancient vampires. Fairies. The sort of creatures that shaped history merely by existing. And now a newborn eagle had casually displayed the same ability.
Arthur remained outwardly calm, as always. Yet Leon knew his father well enough to notice the subtle signs—the slight narrowing of his eyes, the faint tension in his shoulders, the increased focus in his gaze. Beneath that composed exterior, Arthur was excited. Genuinely excited. Perhaps more excited than Leon had ever seen him. Because for the first time since the siege began, the future no longer looked quite so hopeless.
Arthur remained silent for a few moments after discussing the blood pact. Then his gaze shifted toward Raymond, or rather toward the eagle perched proudly on Raymond's shoulder. The creature immediately puffed up its chest. Arthur ignored it.
"Be ready tomorrow morning."
Raymond blinked. "For what?"
"We'll be testing how much stronger you've become."
The answer came without hesitation. Raymond immediately grinned. "Always ready." He folded his arms confidently. "Bring it on."
And honestly, he had reason to be confident. Before today he had already been a Gold Rank warrior—one of the strongest individuals within the city, a man capable of crushing stone with his bare hands and fighting monsters that would slaughter ordinary soldiers by the dozens. Now, after the blood pact, his body felt overflowing with power. Sharper. Stronger. Faster. Even breathing felt different. He had no idea how much he had improved. But every instinct told him the answer was a lot.
Arthur observed his confidence. Then the corner of his mouth lifted slightly. "Oh?" His tone became almost pleasant. "I'll make sure to inform Marshal Gareth that Raymond seems quite optimistic about defeating him." This chapter is updated first at novelping . com.
The room went silent. Raymond froze. His confident expression immediately stiffened. A flood of deeply unpleasant memories surfaced—training grounds, broken bones, being thrown through walls, being punched so hard he forgot his own name. Marshal Gareth. The strongest warrior in the city. A living catastrophe disguised as a human being. The man could fight an Orc Lord head-on and win. Raymond still vividly remembered their last spar—the fight had lasted approximately three seconds. One punch. One. Then he had awakened staring at the sky.
Could he beat him now?
...
Maybe. Probably not. Definitely not.
His confidence immediately became much more reasonable. "Could you perhaps tone down your wording a little?" Raymond asked cautiously.
Arthur's smile widened slightly. "I don't think so."
Raymond felt an irrational amount of anger. The eagle apparently shared his opinion, narrowing its eyes. "Hmph." "Screech." The synchronized response was so identical that even Cedric nearly laughed.
Raymond pointed accusingly at both of them. Then gave up. "Come on, Skyrend." The eagle immediately perked up, apparently pleased to finally hear its name. Without another word Raymond turned and marched toward the door, the eagle copying his expression perfectly.
Arthur called after him. "And don't wander around the castle." Raymond paused. Arthur glanced toward his enlarged frame. "At the moment you look monstrous." Raymond looked personally offended. The eagle looked offended on his behalf. Then both left the room.
The door closed behind them. Silence returned. Cedric quietly adjusted his spectacles. He genuinely wasn't sure whether he should laugh.
The moment Raymond disappeared through the doorway, Leon couldn't help feeling a little sorry for him. Raymond knew Marshal Gareth better than anyone in the room—years of brutal training had seen to that. If the mention of Gareth's name was enough to drain the confidence from his face, then tomorrow was probably going to be painful. Very painful. Arthur clearly knew it too, which was likely why he'd enjoyed the conversation so much.
Arthur's attention returned to Leon. "How are you feeling?"
Leon blinked. Arthur studied him carefully. "You still look pale. But not nearly as bad as last time."
Leon considered the question honestly. "The headache isn't actually that bad." He pointed weakly toward the closed door. "To be honest, that bird's screeching gave me more trouble than the transformation."
Arthur snorted—a rare sound. "The energy drain is still awful though." Leon sank deeper into the mattress. "I feel like a corpse."
Arthur nodded. "Then rest." He stood from his chair. "I'll have the kitchen prepare something nourishing."
Food. The answer to every problem according to Arthur. Leon wasn't even surprised anymore.
Arthur headed toward the door. Cedric rose as well. Before leaving, the old advisor paused, then looked back toward Leon. "Rest well, Young Master." A faint smile touched his lips. "I imagine you wouldn't want to miss tomorrow's fight."
Leon immediately grinned. "Oh, I won't." His grin widened. "Even if I have to crawl there myself."
Cedric chuckled softly. Arthur shook his head. Then both men left the room. The door closed.
For the first time all evening, silence returned. Leon settled back into the bed. His body still ached. His head still felt heavy. But despite that, he couldn't help smiling.
Tomorrow was going to be very entertaining.