Delvers LLC 5, ch 6

“What?”  Aodh glanced over at the messenger and wondered if he’d heard correctly.  “Say that again.”

“Your family has arrived, your Majesty,” said the messenger.  “You gave instructions to allow them to freshen up first once they had arrived in the city, and they have done so.”  To Aodh’s side, Tanushree frowned, and the messenger must have seen it.

Aodh raised an eyebrow. “Tanushree, did you know about this?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”  As usual, she didn’t speak too casually to him in public.  “I didn’t expect them to be done so quickly, though.”

“Oh.”  Aodh quickly realized that Tanushree hadn’t told him because she knew him so well already.  He would have just been nervous and stressed--it wouldn’t have been helpful.  She was also following his wishes when he’d made a decision about it, same as the messengers had been.  In hindsight, maybe that hadn’t been the best order he’d ever given.

He turned first to look at the noble he was meeting with, Baroness Trionin, her husband, and their attendants in the background.  The visit had not been official, thank goodness.  “Thank you for your visit, Tironin.  You are dismissed until we meet again,” he said.

“Yes, your majesty,” said the Baroness.  There might have been a slight tightening around her eyes, but she didn’t show any other signs of annoyance or displeasure.  Bluntly dismissing anyone, much less a high ranked noble might have been unthinkable for Aodh in the past, but that had been before Brecken, and before he’d had an exhausting crash course on how to be a king.  Being too harsh wouldn’t create loyalty, and wasn’t his style anyway, but being too nice could get him killed.

He glanced over at Tanushree.  After the nobles he’d been meeting with had left the room, she asked, “Are you alright?  Are you ready?  Sorry for keeping it from you but there was what you ordered, and you had such a busy day, and...”

“It’s fine.  I’ve been ready for a while,” said Aodh.  Then he instructed the messenger, “Bring them here, to this room.”  He had to make a conscious effort to give blunt orders without saying, “please,” to servants.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

After the messenger had left, Aodh said louder, “Vitaliya, I know you’re out there.  Come in here, please.”

His cousin was through the door in a moment and standing around like she hadn’t just been guarding the door.  As a member of Intelligence, guard duty would never be her official job, but nobody told Vitaliya what to do anymore, not even Gonzo.  She’d decided that she was Aodh’s personal guard, and that was that.  Besides, nobody could ever claim she was not entirely devoted to her cousin.  If she is really my cousin, thought Aodh.  The dark thought came out of nowhere, and like always he quelled it, reminding himself that family was as much who cared as who shared blood.  Besides, Vitaliya had already laid down her life for him.

She was probably at least a little insane, she was undeniably annoying, she could be brutal, and she’d made Aodh’s childhood more miserable, but she was definitely family.

“You called, Your Majesty, little Aodh?”

He mentally sighed, already beginning to regret calling her.  Aodh said, “Our family has arrived.  Now I should be able to finally get some answers since you either can’t, or won’t, tell me.”  He frowned, but Vitaliya’s smile didn’t even flicker.

Tanushree didn’t say anything, just squeezed his arm in support.  Vitaliy noticed and her smile only shook a little.  The two of them didn’t like each other, not a bit.  Thankfully, Vitaliya at least seemed to accept Aodh’s engagement with the young noblewoman based on her birth and standing if nothing else.  

Now that he was thinking about it, Aodh had to admit Vitaliya really didn’t seem to like anyone.  It was good that she’d always been wise enough to keep any sharp words to herself around Nora, though.  Others feared Vitaliya, or respected her sacrifice of her arm for the king.  Nora didn’t care about any of that.

Aodh definitely missed the Hero of Berber.  She was probably the most...dynamic person he’d met on Ludus other than Henry or Jason, which might have been why he had liked her almost immediately.

He finally heard the sound of footsteps outside and steeled his heart.  Don’t cry, don’t cry, he told himself.  I am a king.  I need to maintain dignity.

A few minutes later, his aunt and his uncle came in the door and just stopped, looking at him.  Aodh felt self-conscious for a moment.  He was dressed a lot differently than he ever had been as a farmer.  His clothing used to be simple and utilitarian.  Most kings and queens of Berber had worn fancy, expensive clothing.  Aodh had broken tradition a little bit.  He still wore finery, but it was more martial in nature.

His armor was perfectly fitted for him, and made for comfort during days of administration.  It was still every functional, though.  The artisan who’d modified his armor, crafting it out of existing enchanted pieces, had used mostly black materials and added a light colored symbol of Berber on his chest.  He wore a half-cape, which was also functional as much as decorative.  It had both defensive and mobility properties.  Aodh was a striking figure in his expensive armor, and anyone who could feel enchantments or recognized what it was would know he was ready for battle at any time.

His spear Vampire Stabber stood proudly in the corner.  Aodh’s mysteriously, deadly dagger rode in a hidden sheath on his thigh.

Behind his aunt and uncle, his other family members from the farm outside of Mirana in Tostey came to a stop as well.  There were over a dozen.  They studied him.  He saw his cousins among others that had given him a hard time growing up, and felt a complicated mix of feelings.

All of his expectations were turned sideways when his aunt turned back to say, “It is him.”  Then she faced Aodh, tears running down her face, and announced, “Hail to the king.”  The entire procession lowered themselves to their knees and prostrated.

Gonzo came in behind the group on the floor to stand by a stunned Aodh.  He said, “Rise, faithful servants.  Rise and be recognized.”

“What is going on?” asked Aodh.

“Your Majesty,” said Gonzo, “I am proud to finally formally introduce you to the O’Breen clan, some of the greatest heroes of Berber.”

Aodh was lost.  He had long suspected that his family actually had agents among them, and that they worked for Beber, but all of them?  And “heroes?”

Tanushree slowly nodded, though.  She said, “So sleeper cells are real?”

Aunt Zonna seemed to regain some of her normal personality.  “Yes, Lady Tanushree.”  She brushed all the tears from her face and visibly got herself completely under control.  Her gaze turned back to Aodh.  “Your Majesty, we need to talk urgently.”  She still spoke with deference, but this was definitely Vitaliya’s mother again.

Aodh cocked his head and frowned.  None of this was going how he’d imagined a reunion with his family. They’d traveled all the way from Tolstey, and after the first burst of emotion his aunt seemed to have allowed, now there was an air of...tension?

“What is it, Zonna?” asked Gonzo seriously.  Gonzo and his aunt knowing each other was not surprising to Aodh since Gonzo had been his cousin’s trainer for years, but his respectful tone was a little unexpected.

“Agent Gonzolez, no, Master Gonzolez, there has been a new prophecy.”

“From who?” asked the new spymaster sharply.

“My mother,” said Aodh’s aunt.  She gestured to the frail, white-haired old lady behind her, Aodh’s grandmother.

“What is going on?” asked Aodh.  There was more heat in his voice this time.  Prophesy? He thought.  A trickle of irritation started to bubble up within him.  The fact it felt like nobody ever told him anything was going to stop now, today, dammit!

Gonzo must have read his mind.  “We all need to have a talk.  Let’s go to the nearest safe room.  This is a conversation we should have in a more private place.”

Tanushree pursed her lips and asked Aodh, “What say you, Your Majesty?”  He knew her well enough now to know what she thought, and why she was asking him.  This was partially to show her respect for his position publicly, and partially to tell him to hurry up, to get the gold out.  That's right, Henry and Jason say, 'Get the lead out.'

“I understand,” said Aodh.  “Rise,” he commanded his own family, in what was one of the most surreal moments of his life.

He continued, “Let’s go to the nearest safe room.  Lead the way please, Lady Tanushree.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”  With that, Tanushree swished away toward an armored room only she could easily open.  She was followed by everyone who had been in the room, including the guards.

Down the hallway, she took control of and activated the earthen arm that she and Henry had installed inside the wall.  The large, hidden golem limb turned a wheel, making the faint sound of clinking gears.  A section of the hallway began to rise, revealing a cozy-looking meeting room.

With the door rising, the sandwiched layers it was made of could be seen.  Most people glancing at it wouldn’t know the significance, but Aodh had been present when Henry had explained it to him.

Each layer was made using a different element.  There was bronze for metal, ultra-compacted earth, a section of steelbark wood, and even a pane of ice, kept cool through the use of the magic running in the palace systems.  The theory was that having so many different elements involved in the door and the walls of the room would make it harder for an orb-Bonded or mage to break through or interfere.  Anti-snooping magitech had been woven throughout the outside of the room on top of everything else.

It was amazing that such a room had been built into the palace in less than a day, but Henry had moved quickly and he’d had a lot of help.  The man had used every advantage he could get in Mensk.  When body mages could lift incredible weights, fire mages could weld with a finger, Henry could bend or smooth metal with a hand,  and Tanushree could operate multiple loading ‘bots, it’d made manual construction work much easier.

A few of the O’breen clan glanced around curiously, but nobody asked any questions.  Aodh motioned his family into the room and instructed the guards to wait outside.  All of them knew better than to object.  Besides, Aodh could usually take care of himself, and these sorts of rooms were some of the safest in the palace.

Once the door was closed, Aodh hit the control to turn on the anti-eavesdropping tech.  As he turned, he “oofed” as he was hit by the flying weight of his cousin Jay.  The boy had grown.  He had his face pressed into Aodh’s chest.

Aodh’s aunt frowned in disapproval, likely thinking Jay was being too familiar, but emotion lurked in the corners of her eyes.  Meanwhile, Tanushree acted completely differentl than she might a half year ago.  Instead of objecting, she just smiled.

After an awkward pat on the head, Aodh gently pushed his cousin back.  Vitalia led the quietly crying boy away, and her expression seemed much softer than normal.  Aodh must have been imagining it.

He said, “This is urgent, right Aunt Zonna?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Aunt Zonna, as long as we are in this safe room, and with the people here, you can drop the honorifics.  For the next few minutes, I’m just Aodh O’breen.”

His aunt shook her head slowly.  “You can never be just Aodh O’Breen.  The truth is that you never were.” She caught Vitaliya with an intense look.  “Well done, daughter.”  Her eyes dropped to Vitaliya’s missing arm.  “And well fought.”

All of this seemed more than strange to Aodh, who was used to his aunt Zonna being a outgoing and friendly, if serious-mannered farmwife.

“I changed my mind about everyone taking their time to tell me what is going on with me, with the crown,” he said.  “I’m the king now, I’ve waited a long time for answers, and I want them now.  Putting up with not knowing anything for this long has stretched my patience to the max.  Henry said I should just order Gonzo or Vitaliya to tell me everything, and I’ve been tempted a few times.  But now everyone is here.  I want to hear everything that I should know before anything else!”

Zonna said, “Your grandmother has to give you the prophes--”

“Don’t care.  Tell me now,” demanded Aodh.  He’d expected some of his cousins and aunts who’d been harsh to him in the past to grumble, but none of them so much as twitched.

What the hell is going on? He wondered.

“We really need to deliver the prophecy,” said Zonna.

Then Vitaliya sighed theatrically, rolled her armless shoulder, and said, “So you want the short version Your Majesty, little Aodh?”

“Yes,” said Aodh through grit teeth.

“Mother?” asked Vitaliya.

“Permission granted.  He has a right to know, and this is finally the time.”

Vitaliya breathed, “Finally!”  She cleared her throat and almost managed to suppress a smile.  “Your Majesty, Little Aodh, you are Fideli, and you are royalty, twice over.”

“What?”

“Being one-fourth Fideli was a lie that your mother insisted we tell you for your entire life.”

Aodh made a choking sound.

Vitaliya's eyes twinkled with the joy of telling the secret she'd kept in for so long.  “Your mother was from Kilish, a country on the Fideli continent of Ludus that was conquered by Berkash about 20 years ago.  The youngest princess of the Kilish royal family actually braved the ocean to escape to this continent.  Of course, she wasn’t given much of a choice.  At first she found asylum in Hilil, but it was temporary.  The Areva only allowed her to stay for six months.  She would have to leave, so she chose the ocean.  It's amazing she survived the boat ride.

“After arriving on the Berber coast, she eventually made her way to Mensk where she successfully petitioned for political asylum.  While in Mensk, she met your da, who was the son of the Berber queen’s illegitimate daughter.”

“I was directly related to the queen?!”

“Yes.  And your parents didn’t die of illness the way you were told.  It was poison.  Your parents had moved to a different country, Tolstey, with the support of Berber Intelligence.  We all followed them and set up a community.  But your mother’s enemies still found your parents, still found you.  Our family has already killed your parents’ murderers, but the damage was done.  It was a miracle that you survived.  After that, I was assigned to be your close-proximity protector before I began training with Agent Gonzolez.”

Aodh’s mouth just worked silently for a while.  The equal parts concerned, and proud expressions of the O’Breens in the room somehow made all of these revelations worse.  He’d been expecting something shocking, but not to this degree.

Finally he choked out, “Why Tolstey?  Why was I told I am only part Fideli?  Why...everything?”

“That was your ma’s wish.  It’s technically true, sort of.  Half-breeds are possible, but very rare.  Your ma’s da was Terran, but like most inter-species children, she ended up being the same race as her mother.  Because your ma was Fideli, you are too.  But your ma wanted you to feel as normal as you could, surrounded by humans in Tolstey.  She told the adults not to treat you any different.  It was an order, actually.  I got in trouble for burning some of the children that teased you a few times.”  She frowned.  “Still don’t agree with that, but we couldn’t argue with the princess.  An order is an order.”

“But why Tolstey in the first place!?”

“You saw what happened to the queen with your own eyes, you were there.  And before she died, almost all of the royal family had mysteriously already disappeared or had accidents.  Your ma and da wanted to leave the palace life anyway, and they figured this way you’d be safer.  After they got poisoned, the family faked your death.  That was why you were allowed to become an adventurer.  The elders like my ma thought you’d be safer wandering than world than in the village.  If any smarter spies were to check while you were still there, they might have figured out you were still alive.”

“I could have died as an adventurer!”

Aunt Zonna nodded.  “Aye, but you didn’t did ye?  We were to keep you safe until you came of age, but after that, you were your own man.  Better to let you go into the world in Tolstey and get some experience and all that.  We didn’t expect you to join up with a group like Delvers LLC.  Hell, we didn’t expect any adventuring group to take you in at all.  Bit of a surprise, that.”

“So are you all really my family?”

“Sure are!  Share the same blood, we do!” said Zonna proudly.  “Your da’s father was Berber Intelligence.  Brother to my ma, your grandmother.  In fact, your grandfather dying was what set off the chain of events that led us all to move to Tolstey.  A few years after we'd left, your grandmother was dead, and your parents decided that my ma would fill in as your grandmother from then on.”

Aodh's head spun.  If he'd been an outsider hearing all these casual familial relationships being thrown aroudn, he would have been confused for sure.  Luckily, he had a lifetime of experience as an O'breen.  “And now Móraí is a, a seer?”

Zonna shook her head.  “No.  Ma, wanna tell him?”  She turned to her mother.  Aodh’s uncle was gently holding the old woman’s arm.

“I have been orb-bonded a very long time, boy.  Used up most of my lifespan, but here we are, no?   Sometimes I get a touch of the Sight.  Taps into something.  Can’t control it.  It told me that you need to be on the  Berber coast today.”

Tanunshree spoke up, asking, “How do you know?”

“I just do, girl!”  Aodh’s grandmother’s eyes flashed.

“She has never been wrong,” said Aodh’ uncle Teddy.  “If we’d listened to her in the past, your ma and da would not o’ died.  Tis the truth.”

Zonna patted her husband’s arm.  “That’s in the past.  No amount of beatin’ ourselves up will change it.”  She bowed formally to Aodh and said, “I am truly sorry that all of this is happening at once, but you need to go to the coast.  In fact, you should have already been there! It might already be too late!”

After dragging a hand down his face, Aodh said, “If we go to the coast, you have to promise to explain all of this to me in more detail.”

His grandmother grunted.  “That is not possible, my king.  Despite my daughter's hope, it's too late now.  There is no point any more.  The time frame was firm when I got the Sight this time.”  Tears of frustration began to form in her eyes.  She obviously really believed everything she was saying.  “It is important for you, but the opportunity, or need, will end at the end of the day today.”

Aodh thought quickly.  One advantage of all the life energy he’d been draining over the last month is that he actually felt at his peak all the time.  His emotions were raw, and this reunion was bizarre, but he’d long since become able to compartmentalize things like that.  His brief adventuring career before becoming king had made him tough.  He felt like a man twice his age now.

There was a simple decision to make: Did he believe his family or not?  They had no reason to lie, not now.  He frowned and asked, “Gonzo, is this all true?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“And why couldn’t you tell me until now?

“I never actually refused, Your Majesty.”

“That’s evasive, Gonzo.  We are in the quiet room right now.  Did you know all along?”

“No.”  The man’s demeanor changed, and he spoke to Aodh the way he might have before coming to Mensk.  “I wasn’t highly placed enough before.  Oh, I knew about the O’Breen family, but like everyone else, I thought the prince, you, had already died.  I only had it confirmed exactly who you were after you were crowned.  Of course, I figured it out by myself before that.”

“And why didn’t you tell me?”

“Vitaliya was refusing you already, and I didn’t want to be the one to drop this sort of thing on you.”  He moved his shoulders in discomfort.  “The O’breen family is famous, too, at least in my circles.  I may be the spymaster, but there’s a certain...respect amongst the Intelligence community for the families that have served the country for a long time.  Sacrificed for the country."

Aodh stood still for a moment.  He decided to just say what was on his mind.  “I am irritated.  Thank you for your honesty, but I am still irritated.”  Aodh thought for another moment while everyone watched him.  In the past, all the attention would have made him self conscious.  He said, “Gonzo?”

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“Don’t ever keep anything big like this from me again.”  Aodh’s eyes and voice were flat.  “You get a pass this time, but never, ever again.  Something this important, you should have taken the initiative to tell me once you knew, since you knew I didn’t know.  You’ve earned your position, but I had to approve it. I can take it away, too.  You are my spymaster.  I need to be able to trust you.”  He grinned without humor.  “I didn’t ask for this job, but I am going to do the best that I can.  Without all the information I can get, I can’t make the best decisions I might be able to make.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!  I understand.”

“Never again, Gonzo.  I’m serious.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Aunt Zonna.”  Aodh turned.

“Yes, Your Majesty?”  Aodh’s aunt was cocking her head like she was seeing him again for the first time, or maybe studying him.

“That goes for you, too.  Thank you for raising me after my...after my parents passed, but now I am the king.  My childhood wasn't very happy, but what's done is done and I don't trust myself to remember everything right anymore.  I understand why you came here to tell me all of this in person, but from now on, I want you to send an MMB for important information.  Important information can’t wait.”

“MMB?”

“Magic messenger bird,” explained Gonzo.

“Móraí,” said Aodh.

“Yes, child?” answered his grandmother.  She wore a knowing smile with a touch of pride.

“Do you know exactly where on the coast we need to go?”

“I will if I see it, but I can’t draw a map.”  She shook her head sadly.  “Right now I just have a feeling of direction and a mental image.”

Aodh considered his options.  Like he’d thought earlier, he had a choice.  Did he trust his family or not?  He decided he did, and that meant he was going to take his grandmother seriously, no matter how sudden or strange all of this was.  He deeply regretted instructing the palace staff to let his family wash up and rest first before seeing him.  And he doubly regretted telling his people not to let him know right away.  All of what he’d just heard was almost too much to wrap his mind around.  Luckily, the training he’d done over the last few weeks helped him stay calm.

“Tanushree,” said Aodh, “As soon as you open the room, I need for you to get my private airship ready for a trip with a small crew.  Please get whatever guards we will need to avoid being tried for insanity later by the Council.  Can you do that for me?”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”  Tanushree flashed him a smile.  He smiled back at her, he couldn’t help it.  She was so beautiful and strong.  He was very lucky to know her, much less be engaged.

Behind him, his aunt Zonna asked, “Flying ship?”

“Little Aodh has been busy, Ma!” said Vitaliya triumphantly.

Aodh could feel this day was going to continue being exhausting.  He could feel it in his bones.  “Nothing is ever easy,” he muttered, borrowing a phrase from Henry.