AO 7 Ch 12

Two guards stood in front of the royal palace. Magic was in the air, literally, with floating orbs of light illuminating the path up to the palace and glittering balls of ice reflected the light into a myriad of angles, showering the ground with golden circles of light like spilled coins all over the ground and walls. This only added to the constant opulence of the palace itself, with marble pillars inlaid with gold dominating the structure.

This was going to be the event of the year, and both guards knew it.

"Ah, please, right this way," one guard gestured to the next guest and the puffed up usher leading them in. This mage was decked out in a shimmering dress made of diamonds and gold that one might think was the most impressive thing he'd seen. 

However, there was a mage who had come in earlier with a dress made entirely of ice and rubies, using her magic to make it move with her steps. The glittery gold gown was simply yet another for tonight's ball.

Everyone was showing off for the end of the war and the beginning of the next era for Avente.

"Whoa, what is that?" his fellow guard asked, looking away from the next guest, his eyes focused on the distance.

"Huh?" the first guard asked, not having the slightest clue what to say.

An orb of light was rapidly approaching the palace. It was casting off enough light that as it passed through the city, it illuminated the streets as if it were midday. The orb appeared just before the entrance of the palace, before growing ten times brighter, banishing the night, and providing enough light that it scattered off the ice sculptures and made the entrance glow in scattered, shifting lights.

A mage stepped down as a set of icy steps extended from the orb. He had his arms out wide, wearing one of the most impressive outfits they'd seen thus far that night.

"But who is that?" the fellow guard asked, looking at a young nobleman dressed in blue and white. With a heavy cape trailing down off his shoulders and running along the ground, his suit was ribbed with purple pearlescent bands of a metal they couldn’t recognize, almost like a rib cage. And then, of course, he had pants. There wasn't really much one could do to make pants different, but it certainly wasn't stopping him from trying. The way they had the same bone-like trimmings, in some ways, if he were wearing different colors, he would look like a villain.

Behind him stepped a small troupe of the single-handedly most beautiful women either guard had ever seen that night.

***

"Arden Aldis," I said, handing my invitation to the two dumbstruck guards before me. All the other guests paused at my entrance. It felt good to be given the proper respect. After all, I had solved this war.

"I don't know him," Emlyn said, stepping around me.

"She does and she’s on my invite," I informed the guards. "She's just a little shy."

"Uh-huh, shy," the guard said, still having trouble peeling his eyes away from the women behind me and taking the invitation.

A blonde noble behind me cleared her throat at the guards.

"Ah, yes, Arden Aldis, we are certain you are on the list. Please, we are certain the House Aldis, is on the list. Please go right ahead." The guard waved my group in.

"Wonderful. Did you hear that, Emlyn? We made the list," I said, feigning surprise.

"Uh-huh." Emlyn was less than amused and paused after the guards, turning back to wait for me impatiently.

"Sorry about her," I apologized to the guards. "They're all with me." I gestured at the rest of my entourage and the three goddesses. "Oh, and this is Princess Eva from Zenovia. She should be given the honored guest position that she deserves."

Both of them looked a little confused and there was no usher for us. Oh well, if we needed a little more notoriety, I could just make it.

Though, in fact, this whole thing felt a little less coordinated than usual. From the moment we'd entered, it was unlike our first time when someone was guiding us through and bragging about the royal family. This time, it was far more subdued.

No one had even tried to police my admittedly unruly entry, which, in my defense, was simply too much fun. The royal family had been a pain in not only my life but also in the lives of many others. The opportunity to run amok in the royal palace was hard to resist. 

I stepped into a massive ballroom, completely unimpeded, and without anyone ushering me through.

The man at the door, who would normally take my card, stumbled, looking through my group for someone to assist him. "Sir, may I have your card?" he asked. 

I looked at the man, surprised that I needed any announcement.

“Do you not know who this is?” Missy scoffed.

The man blinked, clearly unsure what to do with that. 

"Now, not everyone has been paying close attention to the war.” I gently chided Missy as the two of us winked at each other. “I am Arden Aldis," I said, puffing myself up slightly. "I am the hero of the war, the mage who killed the king."

"Oh, welcome in, Master Mage. No," he corrected himself with a smile, "Grand Mage. Arden Aldis." 

I gave him a massive smile. "You aren't so bad yourself. What was your name again?"

"Simeon, sir."

"Well, Simeon. What is it you're doing after all of this is over? A man with talents such as yours isn't going to be sent off to wallow in some low position, is he?" I fluffed his ego.

"I should hope not, sir." He stood up a little straighter.

"I agree, it would be an absolute shame, I tell you, for your talents to be lost. But I do apologize. We must get this over with first. Could you announce me? Oh, and these are... they have names, but during the war, they became known as Arden's Goddesses."

"Of course, for a war hero such as yourself, we are happy to give them their due reputation." Simeon puffed his chest up like he was about to fight a war himself and strode to the railing overlooking the ball.

My smile was so big, I was worried I was going to give it away. Then again, I was fairly certain this man knew that by the end of the month, he would have a very new set of people that he was working for. It was in his best interest to impress everyone who came tonight.

It wasn't a surprise when he slammed a staff on the hollow balcony railing. The sound reverberated through the entire hall catching the attention of many people down below as he bellowed. “Grand Mage Arden Aldis, hero of the war and his divine goddesses has entered.” The man performed an apt bow, a masterpiece really. He went so low that the handkerchief tied around his neck scraped against the floor.

Emlyn gave me an eyeroll and a smile. Talk about mixed signals. 

Several people within the ballroom looked entirely too confused at my entry, though one was expectedly appalled. My mother sat amongst the crowd, head in hand, with a look that said she was going to make me pay for my particular brand of humor. 

"I can see why a ball with you is going to be so amusing," Bad Kitty said. The goddess's ears and tail had been safely tucked away while she wore a gown. A soft yellow gown that faded into a darker gold as it stretched down to the hem. Her eyes had been done up in a particularly dark eyeliner that made it hard to peel my eyes away from hers. She was absolutely and irrevocably stunning. 

Unfortunately, I couldn't stay at the top end. "Shall we, ladies? I'm afraid if I link arms with all of you, I'm going to clog up the stairs." I held out my arms, only for Bad Kitty and Missy to assert their dominance and take each side. The two goddesses and I were watching the scene down below as we wandered down the obnoxiously long staircase. 

Missy clicked her tongue. "I do have to say they look pitiful. Like trapped rats." 

Bad Kitty agreed. "Well, if that's what trapped rats look like, then I suppose they aren't too bad off. Look, they have drinks." 

My gaze fell upon the scene of the remaining royal children. Bianca was the oldest amongst them and they stood out like a sore thumb in the way they had been corralled like a group of livestock amidst the party. Each and every one of them wore a terrified expression while they circled up back to back, not unlike a herd trying to protect itself amidst prowling predators.

Bianca occasionally stepped forward to dissuade a particularly aggressive noble, but it did little to help them break free of their current predicament. 

"Do you want to help them?" Bad Kitty asked, a sly smile on her lips. "You could. You could simply flex your magical might and scatter everyone circling them."

I sighed and shook my head. "If I did, they would become reliant on me and cling to me like barnacles.”

“Completely securing your family, the crown. If not directly, then turning what remained of the royal family into nothing but puppets on House Aldis' strings," Bad Kitty said.

I wrinkled my nose at the thought.

“Yes, and in the short time we've known each other, that does seem like something I'd be particularly interested in, doesn't it?" I frowned at her.

"It does not. Still, the temptation is there, is it not?" 

"Not even a little bit," I pinched my fingers together in front of Bad Kitty. "Because if they become the puppets, then I become the string, don't I? The thing that binds them to my family. The manipulator that must go both ways and ensure and become the middleman for countless negotiations. Pass. I don't want anything that complicated." 

I stepped down to the floor itself, only to see my mother roll through the crowd. With a raised eyebrow, she said, "Grand Magus Arden Aldis, I hadn't known that you'd gotten another elder to elevate your title.”

“Mother, I sincerely apologize. I explained to the man that I was the war hero that had killed King Martin and won the war, and he made rushed assumptions." I held my hands up helplessly.

"Uh-huh," she said, without a hint of trust in her tone. She turned to Emlyn. "Will he behave?" 

"That's the agreement," my first love held her hands up. “Do you think I get a say in this?”

"He will behave," Maribelle said. Unlike the others who were in glittering, decadent ball gowns, all of which were braced and ribbed in various matching metals that went with their primary color, she was wearing a maid uniform that directly matched mine. We obviously went together.

"Ah, well, if Maribelle says he'll stay in line, then I can only assume he will," my mother smiled at me. "Best of luck, son. Tonight might get a little dicey, but it is the last night that I require anything of you." 

I wiped my brow and let out an overdone breath of relief. "You know, here I was worried you were going to try and rope me into more." 

"Well, after this point, I know you've made it quite clear that you have no intention to participate. Trying to force you will only make things more difficult for myself in the long run," my mother was a wise woman, indeed. 

"Well then, I think I will figure out where the drinks are," I looked around for the platters and saw many hors d'oeuvres, but not enough glasses.

"I think someone is actively restricting that for now." My mother winced. "If need be, I can send someone back to the house to help fill their reserves." 

"Please do," I insisted.

My mother nodded and began to roll away, two very rugged men in her wake. 

"Oh look, she's got another new one," Emlyn said. 

"Emlyn,” I warned.

“By the time this is done, you're going to have like 20 daddies, aren't you?"

I turned stiffly to Emlyn. "If you want me to play nice tonight, I would beg that you don't try that joke again." 

Emlyn wisely mimed zipping her lips, locking them, and throwing away the key. "Got it, daddy jokes might be a touch too far." The way she immediately towed that line had me staring at her with my eyebrow raised, daring if she would keep pushing it. Emlyn curled her lips in to keep herself from smiling. 

"Anyways, how was dress shopping, all of you? I know that is a particular favorite of yours." I asked the group to change the topic before Emlyn became like a dog with a bone.

"Wonderful," Aurelia piped up. "We ended up coming up with the designs and then Ditzy here basically snapped her fingers to create all of the metal ribbing and trim."

The blonde goddess puffed herself up slightly at the mention, and I could only ruefully shake my head. It was difficult to fully understand what exactly was going through Ditzy's head.

"Now announcing the second prince," the man at the top of the balcony announced. 

The prince should have been the most powerful man in the kingdom. Yet, there was no aplomb, no pause for the ballroom to quiet down, certainly none of the deference which he had given me. The second prince stepped forward, his chin raised and his eyes raking over the crowd, only for them to land on me and open a touch wider. "Shit!" I cursed under my breath.