Tavros: Mother and Son

It had been the longest day that Tavros could remember, longer even than the hike back to the nameless village after his fight with the hill giant. He and his friends had defeated the elvish revolutionary Tauriel, who seemed to be preparing to set himself up as a noble or even king in Caristhium, captured the elf's lieutenant Rona who had set fire to a good portion of the town, and brought his mother's remains back to the temple to be resurrected. Then he had stood beside her as she pronounced judgement on the ones who had murdered her, and saw to it that they were properly hanged. 

And before all that he had tried to deal with the remaining nobles in the area: the loyal, the recalcitrant, and the contemptuously rebellious. He knew he wasn't done with them yet, either; he knew he was going to have to make an example out of at least one of them, and the very thought made him even more tired. He was not a subtle man; he was not cut out for court politics, let alone intrigue. He was very much not cut out for the necessity of state-sanctioned murder. 

But his mother was Her Ladyship Emilianne Fontaine, sister of the former King Luc II, and aunt of King Luc III, who had been king right up until the Dark Army and the Solari Hunters rolled through. An adventurer in her own right, Lady Emilianne had established her estates here in Caristhium, overshadowing the local lords. If anyone would know how to restore the city and the lands around it, it was she. 

So when she turned from the hanged bodies in the central square of the city of Caristhium and said, "Walk with me, Tavros," he turned and walked with her. They had a bodyguard of sorts, formed of priests and paladins from the temple and a handful of former elvish revolutionaries who had apparently pledged some sort of fealty to Martini. Possibly, Tavros reflected, out of sheer terror. Martini herself might be about somewhere as well, most likely monitoring the rooftops as they walked through the city. 

"It is good to know that you're alive, my son," she said casually. 

"Likewise, Mother." 

"What you've done here..." She paused, giving no indication of how she meant to continue, so Tavros merely waited. When there was nothing to respond to, it was best not to respond. 

After a moment she offered a small smile, and continued: "This is dangerous, declaring yourself the King in the East. It will make you the target of demons, elves, this werebear usurper, and even--" Her lips quirked. "--our noble allies."

Tavros nodded. "There is no one else," he said simply. "Unless--" and here he did his best not to sound too hopeful "--you would be willing to step into the role of queen."

Emilianne shook her head. "I foreswore that when I refused a noble marriage. My blood is royal, but I myself am merely noble. You, on the other hand..." 

"There is no one else," Tavros agreed. "Unless King Luc III somehow yet lives." 

"If he does, and if he returns to power, he too will try to kill you -- for presuming to ascend to his position."

Tavros shrugged. "If he returns, I will immediately renounce all claim to the throne and pledge loyalty to him, vowing that I only acted to preserve his realm. Which is, after all, entirely true. I... disagree ...with many of the things my cousin has done, but he is still the rightful king."

"Ah, yes.Your elvish friends. Easy enough here, in Caristhium, where elves are not uncommon and there is much commerce with the forest, but have you considered how this will look to the rest of Sol Povos?" She considered, then added: "And even here, after Tauriel and his supporters?"

"The land must be reunited," said Tavros. "That includes the elves." 

She waited. 

"I know that will make things more difficult with the human nobles," Tavros admitted after a moment, "but the elves can also be powerful allies. And in any case, it's the right thing to do." 

Emilianne chuckled. "You may know that in your heart, and act on it, but never speak it aloud except in strictest confidence among those you trust fully and completely. Do you have plans for how to pursue this campaign of yours?"

Tavros sighed. "It's already begun. The bard, Geddy Lee Geddy, composed a song..."

"Ah, yes. 'In his silvered helm, he'll rebuild the Realm; there's a new King rising in the East.'"

"You've heard it." Tavros managed, barely, not to sound sour.

His mother gave the slightest of shrugs. "It's catchy. It'll spread."

Tavros suppressed a shudder. "Ruin, Geddy, Eva, and Leira have gone to try to free the remains of the wizards of Springmage, who are currently trapped and under siege in the Starroads Inn."

His mother considered this. "It seems a sound strategy. Geddy I know, if only by reputation. Who are the others?" 

"Eva is a gold dragon, and Geddy's loyal companion. Leira is... my adopted daughter, a human sorceress of considerable power. Ruin is a true elf, a warrior of unusual abilities."

"Adopted daughter?" His mother raised an eyebrow. 

"The girl is sixteen, and already capable of... well. Multiple Meteor Swarms in succession, for one thing. She pines for a paladin named Sacha, but with her age and her looks we had issues with other men taking interest in her. It seemed easiest to claim her as my daughter, and--" He shrugged. "--it grew from there."

"This concerns me," said the Lady Emilianne. "Should you fall, any man who wished to claim the throne might strengthen his claim by wooing and wedding her."

Tavros shrugged. "It would concern me more if she had eyes for anyone save Sacha."

"And this Sacha? Is he trustworthy?" 

"A paladin of Helios, I believe," said Tavros. "So, yes. Especially now that his curse has been lifted." This was another thing his mother had taught him: how to sound certain when he was anything but.

His mother closed her mouth, opened it, then closed it again. Finally she said, "And does this formerly-cursed paladin return your... daughter's... feelings?"

"I believe so, yes. He claims that his love for her gave him the strength to fight against the dark spirit that tried to claim him."

There was another long pause, and then Lady Emilianne said, "You have given me much to think on, my son."

Tavros said, "There's more." 

"Of course there is." His mother shook her head, just slightly. "But I can only digest so much at once. We will speak again soon."

Author's note: We really need to have a fiction from Sacha's perspective, I think...