AO 7 Ch 5

People in the Capital often rose early to accomplish the basic necessities. They set up their market stalls, making their way early to work like the blacksmiths to heat up the forges, or heading to the inns where they'd warm the hearth and begin baking bread. However, this morning was a little different as people perked up looking towards the eastern gate.

Trumpets blared in the distance, fireworks began showering overhead. Everyone looked up from their daily monotony, confused about what was happening. Had someone important arrived? 

A man glanced at his wife, as if she might have the answers. 

"Don't ask me," she said. "Take the girls and see what's going on. I'll finish at the stall." 

Most people were excited or curious about the noise, but one person heard it and felt a sinking feeling in her gut. 

"Miss Aldis, if you hold on, I can get you a carriage," someone offered. 

"No time for that," Gwen replied, throwing her robes over her shoulders. "I have a feeling I'll need to see this for myself. Don't worry, I'll be back." 

With that, she was outside in a rush, hurrying down the streets. As that ill feeling grew worse, she just knew it. Ard was causing a ruckus.

**Five minutes earlier**

Our carriage had hobbled past the gate guards, one axel had been replaced with a stone rod and half of a wheel was stone too. Not to mention it had been hit by an ogre and looked less than the noble wagon it started out as.

I was slowly remembering why it was just easier to ride Cyam through the sky.

The gate guards had been a little prickly, even after I showed my mage's medallion. They kept squinting at the state of the wagon and apparently they weren’t expecting me.

"Stupid guards," I huffed only for the stone axel to give out and the wagon to plop down, apparently it lasted through the gate and was going to be done.

"It's fine," Emlyn groaned and motioned for the door as she hopped out first.

"You would say that, Em. You're not the one who just killed a king and got a shoddy reception back home." I gestured at the wall, where the guards could most certainly still hear me as I stepped out. Then I kicked the stupid carriage in a poor display of frustration.

"Ard," Emlyn hissed. 

"What? I'm not even doing anything wrong. Yet." 

"Yet? You aren't going to do anything at all," Emlyn chided me. 

"What? I'd just like a little more fanfare. You know, is it too much to ask for a reception for a hero like me?" I put my hand against my chest and gave Emlyn my best innocent look.

"I don't know if he deserves a full king's welcome, but he probably deserved better than this," Missy said, gesturing at the empty streets and bustling workers. The goddess shared a look with the other two, who both nodded to each other. "Don't expect this every time, Ard."

Missy smirked and snapped her fingers.

"Woah, woah, wait! Don't do whatever it is, you're just gonna make him so much worse," Emlyn tried to stop them.

However, a complicated magical circle expanded from the ground around us, filling the street and the air above us like a bubble being blown. The scenery went through a drastic shift as the entire entryway was lined with men on white horses picking up long bugles and putting them to their lips.

Cyam wasn't to be left out and leapt from my shadow, hoisting me onto his shoulders and tossing me high into the air as he reared up and let out his own cry of victory.

As the fanfare began, trumpets blared, and illusionary people began throwing confetti, coins, and—I squinted—were those undergarments? As soon as the trumpets finished their first call, the horses fell to a knee and everyone bowed as fireworks began showering the sky.

"My lord, congratulations on your victorious return," Maribelle bowed to me as Cyam came down from rearing and handed me a bouquet of flowers.

"I would like some credit, but you did good, Ard," Emlyn winked and pulled out her sword from her sheath, pointing it in the air. The clarion calls resounded again. Zuri and Aurelia clapped. Eva gave me a slight eye roll, but said something to Missy before she had a wreath and held it out to me.

"Cyam, if you would lower him a smidge, and Ard, I think I'll need you to dip as well."

"It would be my honor, princess," I played into it, genuinely enjoying this.

As Cyam kneeled and I lowered my head, Eva still had to prop herself up on her shadows to place the flower crown on my head.

"Congratulations, Arden Aldis, on your meritorious service to the kingdom," Eva pronounced. She really had this princess act down. 

"Well, thank you. I couldn't have done it alone. It is thanks to all of my anchors and everyone who has drawn themselves into this fight. I cannot take credit alone and must truly be thankful for our victory," I said, holding a hand to my chest and giving a small bow of appreciation to the fake crowds and the slowly gathering real ones. 

"Such a humble man," Emlyn said, while simultaneously rolling her eyes. Truthfully, she was a woman with many talents. "Maybe we should get out of here before Ard somehow manages to cause more of a scene," Emlyn said after I had been soaking this up for a moment. 

"I'm going to give that one to you," I said after a moment of thought. 

"You damn well will," Emlyn nodded to me before her eyes drifted to the crowd beginning to form and stare at them.

"He will if he knows what's best for him," Ditzy paused, tapping her lips. "He really doesn't have any idea what is best for him, does he?” 

“If he did, there would be a number of things going very differently." Emlyn chuckled.

"Hey now, I like to think I'm at least competent enough to put my pants on myself every morning." 

"Oh yes, that is the measure by which we should all describe competence," Eva rolled her eyes. 

"Well, I am competent at one thing. Let's go get ice cream," I said, turning about face from the direction we were heading and back towards the shop that I remembered Emlyn liking before. 

"Ice cream?" Emlyn perked up. "You don't like ice cream." 

"Of course not. It is far too sweet. My version was better," I waved a hand dismissively and the illusion collapsed. "But you like ice cream, and as luck would have it, I like you." I made a soft kiss towards Emlyn. And I must have been right, because she grinned like a loon. 

"You certainly have your redeeming moments," she hooked her arm in mine. 

"Is it really all it takes for him to win you over?" Ditzy asked, following closely.

We were really cutting quite the figure through the street. Enough actual people had seen the magical fanfare that there were people openly staring and whispering as we passed. 

***

A young guard atop of the wall looked back at his fellow rubbing his eyes. "That's the guy we just let in, right? How d-did they do that?" He stuttered. 

"Mages?" His fellow guard, a veteran, offered helplessly with a shrug.

"But still, what do we do about him?" Both of them looked down at the old man with the broken wagon that the group had left behind. 

"Well, I guess we help him. If they can do things like that, then it's best to get on their good side?" The older guard offered. 

"But what if they left the old man to struggle with the wagon because they didn't like him?" Both guards stepped down to see if they could help, only for the old man to look up and smile at both of them. 

"Do me a favor and just get rid of the wagon and the horse. Sell it. Toss it. I don't care." And with that, he jumped high enough to reach the rooftops before kicking off the roof and quickly disappearing into the city. 

The two guards looked at each other, dumbfounded. "I guess we get rid of the wagon?" The younger one offered. The other just stood there scratching his head. 

"Well, he had House Aldis mage medallions, so I suppose they won't cause too much trouble, right?” The older one pondered.

“Wait, Aldis Isn't that the house that had the young mage that even killed people from his own house?" The newbie’s eyes opened in horror.

The guards looked at each other stupidly for a moment before the old one shrugged. "We were just doing our job. Who are we to bar a noble from entering the city?" 

"You're right. Just doing our job. If anything does happen, it won't be our fault."

Even as they said that, their commanding officer was sprinting to the guardhouse and both of them went pale.

"You don't think she noticed all of that, do you?" The newbie gestured into the empty air where there used to be fireworks and rows of trumpeting at night.

"It was kind of hard to miss."

***

I leaned back at the ice cream shop where the ladies were all lounging with their preferred flavors. Interestingly enough, the goddesses, particularly Bad Kitty, were acting quite surprised after their first taste of ice cream. 

"And the ice cream you made was better than this?" Bad Kitty asked, taking another dainty lick. 

"Oh, so much better," I said. 

"Don't listen to him. He's lying," Emlyn scowled at me. "Don't take advantage of Bad Kitty. She hasn't had the horror show that you refer to as ice cream." 

I scoffed. "It's not that bad. That is a gross exaggeration."

"It's a gross something, alright," Aurelia added. "You've told us the recipe and there's no way that you could have eaten that without needing a healer to tend to you.”

 From what I've heard of that recipe, a healer wouldn't be enough. You need Ard himself to put the poor person's soul back in themselves." Zuri piled on.

"Hey, you guys are really putting down my ice cream.”

“Do we even still get to call it ice cream?" Emlyn asked. 

Bad Kitty's eyes darted back and forth following our banter. "I can't imagine bad ice cream. However,” She gave me a long look. "Ard does tend to create miracles."

"Wait a second," I started to thank her and then frowned. "I don't think this particular miracle is a compliment."

"You don't say, Ard." Emlyn had a smug look on her face, like she was winning some unknowing competition.

Then again, Emlyn turned everything into a competition.

"And I don't know what he's thinking right now," Emlyn narrowed her eyes at me, "but I bet it's entirely false in blaming me for your own faults."

"What? Never. I was thinking about how beautiful you are, but if you want to call it false…" I shrugged helplessly. 

While we were here, I couldn't help but notice several people walk past and point at our group.

"We're getting quite a bit of attention," Missy said. 

"Yeah, that's bound to happen," Ditzy tossed her hair. "After all, it would be more surprising if people didn't stare." She pursed her lips and focused on me as if I had done something wrong before a light bulb went off in my head. 

"You're right, Ditzy. It must be my rugged charms." I struck a pose. "People simply can't look away, can they?"

"She was talking about our charms." Emlyn bopped me on the head. "I thought you were just thinking about how beautiful I was? Would it kill you to compliment us?"

"I don't know, but I'm afraid to try," I winked. “You all know just how damned beautiful you are and if I say it too much you might get a big head.”

"There you are," a familiar voice cut through the crowd, and the raven-haired, green-eyed Sienna pushed her way through, wearing Aldis blue and gold. Her dress stretched over her swelling stomach, clearly proud and showing it off. 

"Ah, Sienna!" I jumped to my feet as fast as I could, only to wrap her in a hug before, at the last moment, realizing I didn't want to squeeze too hard. 

"None of that," she said, and swiftly crushed herself to me and pecked me on the cheek. Before she pulled away and gave me a long once-over. "It seems like you guys have managed to return him to me in one piece," she said, glancing over at my anchors. Her brow furrowed slightly at the sight of the new faces. "Introductions might be in order."

I held Sienna's shoulder and gestured at the group behind me. "Come sit. I'm sure if you stick around long enough, Emlyn might even be able to find something that embarrasses me."

Emlyn leaned forward, excited by the challenge.

"Come sit," I repeated, gesturing for Sienna to take my seat. I could find another when I grew tired of standing.

"And Selina? You are looking fine as well." I turned to see her blonde anchor standing to the side. Unlike Sienna, she was showing far less.

Sienna looked her up and down. "She barely even looks pregnant," my wife huffed. 

"But it looks fantastic on you. I wouldn’t change a thing." I knew very little about what it meant to be pregnant. However, in my many shortcomings, I had been heavily lectured by Beth during her pregnancy, just before beginning my life as a mage. I knew compliments were supposed to be applied generously. Many women, like Beth, had grown considerably aware of their changing shape, and particularly the struggle of fitting into clothes and, at some point with the twins, fitting into tight spaces behind the bar.

"Well, thank you," Sienna nodded. "I can't help but notice you picked up a few extras. Eva." She recognized the woman who she'd met before we began our journey anew. However, her eyes fell to Missy, Bad Kitty, and Ditzy. "I don't believe we've had the pleasure."

"Ah, actually, you remember Hecate," I gestured at Missy, and Sienna squinted ever so slightly.

"Your mother's servant and anchor?" She asked for clarification.

"Eh," I waffled my hand. "I think she has far more important titles than those. But we can just call her Missy."

Sienna frowned, and then shifted her gaze to the other two. There was a slight furrow of her brow as she stared at Ditzy.

"And you've picked out the next one to be introduced." I gestured towards the blonde goddess, “Ditzy. My wife, Sienna. Sienna, Ditzy."

"Ditzy," Sienna repeated, turning to me with a scowl before turning back to the goddess. "I apologize for my Arden, that is such an incredibly rude nickname."

The goddess laughed. "If you spend your time apologizing for Ard, I'm afraid you'll be far too busy to deal with your children."

Sienna scoffed. "Isn't that the truth? And the final one?" She turned to Bad Kitty as the woman's tail flicked into existence before disappearing once again. Obviously, Sienna caught it by the way her eyes shifted like any normal person's would, to follow the motion of the tail. "Was that a tail? That’s why she’s Bad Kitty?"

"Exactly. I know. I tried offering Naughty Kitty, but she turned that one down."

This time, Sienna turned partway in her chair to glare at me. "So these are nicknames, and they are terrible nicknames."

"Yes, well, the real names wouldn't have that much meaning either. They're all goddesses, but not ones we worship here in Avente." I shrugged.

Sienna looked as though she'd swallowed a fly, while Selina reached for her sword. After a moment, Sienna composed herself and slapped me on the chest. "Arden Aldis, you should be more respectful of the gods," she admonished. 

"What do you mean? I'm so respectful of them," I protested, gesturing at the three. "Right, guys?" 

"No, he's absolutely horrible to me," Bad Kitty retorted, placing the back of her hand to her forehead as if she were moments from fainting. This earned me a sharp glare from Sienna before Bad Kitty peeked out from between her fingers with a smile. 

"Look at her. She's trying to turn you against me," I accused. 

Sienna turned back to Bad Kitty and gave her a thumbs up. "I fully endorse giving Arden a taste of his own medicine. I like her." 

Ditzy smiled and extended her hand to Sienna. "As Arden introduced me, I am Ditzy, otherwise known as Aphrodite, goddess of love, beauty, war, water, and a few other things," she said, waving her hand dismissively.

"I see he's managed to con you three." Sienna said.

"Conning is certainly a harsh way to say it. Also, that insults their intelligence as much as it does insult me," I pointed out. 

"Goddesses," Sienna muttered, shaking her head. "I hope you all remind him on a daily basis just how lucky of a man he is.”

"Hourly, if we can help it," Emlyn offered between licks of her ice cream. 

"Still not enough, if you ask me. But I suppose it still isn’t enough, because I haven't been getting letters lately," Sienna said, her eyes turning sharp. 

"Well, things got a little busy," I began to ramble. "You know, there was freezing the king of Avente, and then killing the king of Garrish, and then all of the chancellors, and then, you know, my back hurt, and it was a long journey back." 

Sienna frowned and I knew I was in trouble.

I turned to Emlyn, who pointedly continued licking her ice cream. I then turned to the goddesses, who were all smiling devilishly. Finally, I turned to Maribelle, hoping she would come to my aid. 

"I don't believe your life is in danger," Maribelle said. "And should you receive any wounds, do not worry, sir. I will be sure to heal them." 

"Your support is overwhelming," I said dryly. 

Maribelle flashed me a quick smile.

"Well, if we're all done having fun here, I guess it's probably time that we go back to the estate, yeah?" I suggested, glancing at the group. 

"Your mother is going to be cross that you didn't come to her first." 

"Well, you know, there were things to do," I said, not even managing to convince myself with that half-hearted statement. 

"Uh-huh," Sienna responded, clearly unimpressed. "You should know, however, that the entire city is," she hesitated for the right word, "in a bit of choppy water." 

"I can only imagine," I said with a chuckle. "With the king captured, the city has to be going absolutely nuts." 

Sienna winced. "Not captured, dead. And if you don't know that, then I assume you don't know that Elder Trevis killed the first prince as well." 

I paused and stared at her. "By chance, who's being blamed for the king's death? I know I froze him solid, but I'm fairly certain he was still alive when I handed him over." 

Sienna smiled at me, but there was no warmth in her expression. "Oh, the blame for that lies squarely on your head, Arden."