The Belromanticum

Chapter 61

It took around two decades after the sacking of Heacharium before I was able to leave Zuunkhorun. I finished my reforms, rendering myself the final tyrant who could accurately be described that way. After me, the position would look far more like the hobbled monarchs that rule at the pleasure of their parliaments in this Sixth Strata.

Into this rump post I installed a worthy successor. Searching for the perfect person for this reformed tyrant was a challenge, finally deciding upon a descendant of mine from Sarakiel's line, who, as it turned out, had married a descendant of Ujaala's. Thus were our lines merged upon the throne of a great land. Darklings would rule Zuunkhorun for a thousand years. It pleased me that Ujaala, who had been taken as a slave, was now the great-granddam of a house of tyrants.

With the future of the kingdom as assured as such things ever were, it was time to depart. I longed to be in a place that felt more like home. This was, of course, the time I would spend in Bashamailon. I was not certain how long I would stay, but even I was surprised by how long I lingered. Some of that is the fault of my wife the queen, some was the charm of that wonderful place.

Almost all of my children with Lysethe and Maireili were gone, cursed with the few years given to human and ghoul. Kelephas was elderly, a knight-commander in the Order of the Black Rose, and he stayed in the land of his birth with his Theva bride. The bulk of Sarakiel's sizable brood remained in Zuunkhorun, with only Bethor accompanying us as he finished up his apprenticeship. He would depart soon after for a life of adventure.

The other wizards set off to make their own mark upon the world. I had delayed them in my selfish war for too long. Deimara and Shura-Hegal began careers as adventurers and would soon be known as heroes, first on Aucor, then later in the Red Wastes. Dioscoro and Diotai set out into the lands once ruled by the Heacharids. Many of those reading this will know what they did there and those that do not will not have long to wait to learn at least some of it.

The rest of us arrived in Bashamailon on a bright spring day. My steps were light as we traveled through the Hinterlands. Alongside us was a wagon laden with treasure, gifts from my grateful subjects. I had led them into that brutal war, but the ones still living had no memory of the dark days when the Heacharids surrounded the Arkohnum Gate. What was a tragedy a century before was now merely a footnote in the annals of prosperity. I remained an honored figure of Zuunkhorun, the tyrant who ushered in a golden age, reformed the government, and then nobly abdicated. They are far too kind to me.

Melisant and her honor guard of knights waited outside the ring of standing stones. Their pennons flapped in the breeze as the mountain sunlight gleamed off their enameled armor. Thanks to the love of Allegeth, the years had not touched Melisant, and she remained as breathtaking as she had the first time I beheld her.

I prepared myself to gently and nobly correct her when she had used my old form of address. I was no longer Tyrant of Zuunkhorun. I retained but two titles, my Kharsoomian lordship and that I was prince consort to the queen. WhileYour Highnesswould be technically correct,my lordwas perfectly fine. It was far more than any foundling from the rugged northern shores Rhandonia should expect anyway.

"Your Highness," Melisant said. "Welcome to Bashamailon."

"Thank you," I managed, uncomfortably swallowing my aborted intent of magnanimity.

She greeted my wives as I recovered, her eyes widening when she beheld the vorghal Ten Ghosts rode. My Theva bride was heavily pregnant, which led me to learning that they carried for a little more than three years. The others were horrified by this, but Ten Ghosts expressed only equanimity. I suspect she might have enjoyed the attention and care the others heaped upon her while in her condition.

Melisant led us down the path from the plateau and through the town of Kaibéliard on the way up to the Dragon's Roost. The townsfolk watched us with open curiosity. We were quite a sight, their prince consort and his massive feathered serpent, two darklings, a ghoul, a woman with stark white skin and hair wearing red-enameled plate armor, a Kharsoomian beauty cradling a djinn lamp of Old Qammuz, a ghostly wild-haired pirate woman, and of course a statuesque Theva mounted atop a slavering beast. Tanyth, accustomed to her position, put on her most welcoming smile and waved. She even spoke to a few of the townsfolk, and I believe any who received her attention fell in love. She would be as popular here as she was in Zuunkhorun and Castellandria.

Allegeth greeted us in the main hall of the Dragon's Roost. Her entire court surrounded her, decked out in their finery. She was certain to greet us all in turn, saving me for last. When it came time, her fiery eyes met mine and she took my hands. Her scales were warm and dry and already I longed to feel them against me.

"Welcome home, my husband," Allegeth said, baring her sharp teeth.

"I am pleased to be here, my love." I leaned in and kissed her chastely. She was at once the sole monarch of this land but also the descendant of their living deity. I was not precisely certain where the line for respectability was, but I was determined to fall upon the correct side.

Servants handled our possessions and when grooms came for the vorghal, Ten Ghosts had to politely assist them. Vorghals were never truly tame. They were perfectly harmless to those of us who Ten Ghosts had bonded with as family, but anyone else could be considered prey. Allegeth would soon order a special stable for the beast built, that it would no longer distress the horses.

We were shown to our quarters to be refreshed while the preparations for the feast were finished. Allegeth installed us in a tower of our own, though only Tanyth, Zhahllaia, and Sarakiel would spend the bulk of their time there. I would later learn that when the castle was built a thousand years before, they had not imagined a consort with quite so many mates.

After changing out of our traveling clothes into something more presentable, we were escorted down to the main hall where Allegeth and I had our wedding feast. The fare was hearty but I scarcely tasted it. An uncanny feeling settled over me like a cloak. I kept thinking I needed to return to Zuun Khatai for some pressing business that I could not quite remember. Then I would recall anew that a new tyrant sat the throne and he would not appreciate my meddling.

I was adrift. I'd had purpose for longer than I ever had in my life. I had dedicated myself to the fall of an empire. It had fallen. What could be next for me? What would occupy that time? I had no clear answers.

That night the questions tumbled from my mind. My wives, by mutual agreement, had decided that I should spend the night with Allegeth. We needed to start the royal marriage off properly and of course begin our efforts to continue the dragon's bloodline.

We made our way to the royal suites in the central tower of the Dragon's Roost. Melisant walked with us, now clad in a tunic and breeches embroidered with the dragon of her order. I found myself wondering if the knight would be joining us. Then I found myself wondering precisely what our relationship was. She was Allegeth's wife, and Allegeth was my wife, but what did that make Melisant to me?

Allegeth answered the question as we reached the door into the suite of rooms. She paused, embracing Melisant and pressing a tender kiss upon the knight's mouth. "You will have to excuse us tonight, my love. My husband has certain duties to perform."

"Of course, my lady," Melisant said stiffly.

It seemed Melisant was as confused as I. Though I cursed myself for speaking, I could not leave it there. "Melisant," I said uncertainly, unsure of how to finish that particular sentence.

Allegeth turned, lust in her fiery eyes. "I thought we should be alone our first night in the Dragon's Roost together."

The way she phrased that, it implied we would not be alone on other nights. She had frolicked with my other wives in the past, so it is possible that was what she meant. We had been speaking of Melisant, though, muddying the issue in my mind. I had started to become accustomed to my ageless state and thought that I could solve this conundrum on another night. One perhaps when I did not want Allegeth so profoundly.

"I feel the same way, my queen," I said.

"Good," she said primly. "Now this not for our amusement. We are to continue the Great Red Father's line."

"I know," I said stripping from my robes.

"This is not all fun and games, Bel."

"I understand."

"No Arthan style," she said sternly.

"Tonight? Or until we have a child?"

Her gown dropped from her, revealing her scaled curves, the fiery line running from her breasts to her sex like a beacon for my need. "You'll do your duty first." She smiled, flashing her teeth mischievously. "And if I am pleased, then perhaps I will allow you to despoil me."

"Then I shall have to do an excellent job," I said, my clouds climbing her curvaceous legs as lightning raked over her scales.

She shivered in pleasure. "An excellent start."

***

***

My feeling of being unmoored persisted for the entirety of my first year in Bashamailon. That is not to say I was miserable. Quite the contrary. Quiyahui and I spent much time in the surrounding mountains and valleys, exploring the contours of the small kingdom. I spent as many nights as I could manage in the arms of my draconic bride. Melisant's resentment only grew, but I felt it was not my place to broach the subject. I thought surely Allegeth noticed.

My family found their purposes far more easily than I. Zhahllaia and Tanyth were the first, instantly becoming fixtures at court as two of Allegeth's most trusted advisors. Allegeth referred to Zhahllaia as her wazira and others called the djinnYour Excellency. Tanyth, the Dowager Princess of Clan Abibaal, was an instant favorite of the populace and she often went among them. I would be willing to bet Tanyth knew the names of every person in Kaibéliard. Allegeth often jokingly referred to Tanyth as her princess consort, though judging by the ardor displayed when the two of them lay together, it was not entirely in jest.

Sarakiel and Maireili found lives as academics. Sarakiel turned to the royal library and soon gained renown for her expansive knowledge and voracious intellect. It had been many years but she was still a qualified Monia of the Grand Library in Castellandria and such things carried weight. Maireili spent much of her time at the observatory on a neighboring peak embracing her love of the night sky. We did not have astronomers then, but Maireili would become something like it.

Jerrika missed the sea. I do not believe she was ever truly happy in Bashamailon, though she tried her best. She could not leave, for away from me she would once again degenerate into the mad scourge of the waves. Mu-Baoth slept upon the surface of the Lapis, an island by appearance, collecting shipwrecks. Jerrika, and with some effort I, could perceive him when we wished. My stormwight captain spent much of her time drinking and gambling in the various taverns of the small kingdom.

Lysethe found her purpose one day in court. On that day, my mind was among the fragrant mountain flowers that called to me. This luxury, of thinking of nothing and worrying about less, was still a novelty for me after the constant pressure of Zuunkhorun. I had recently found a stream in a neighboring valley that I wanted to trace to its source. I thought I might ask my son Bethor if he wished to accompany me, but a band of adventurers had arrived in Kaibéliard and the lad had the look. The same look Rhadoviel would have seen in my eyes just before the Swiftblades took me into that barrow. He would depart with his own party the next year.

Allegeth was in the midst of receiving petitions from her subjects, granting what she could. Bashamailon was far smaller than Zuunkhorun, and while I had tried to maintain a similar tradition, it was not terribly practical. Allegeth, however, could make a profound difference in the life of any of her subjects. I was lost in thought as the woman who would change Lysethe's life began to speak.

"The beast slays my flock!" brought me back to reality. I saw the woman for the first time. She was in her late middle age, her blond hair falling to gray, her heavyset form in a peasant's dress. "I beg the service of your champion."

"By Her Majesty's leave, I will depart immediately," said Melisant.

"Your Majesty?" Lysethe stepped forward. "May I go with her?"

"Of course." Allegeth turned to the peasant woman. "You have Melisant the Faithful and Lysethe the Red Hound of Zuunkhorun. That should be more than a match for a single wyvern, no matter how persistent."

"May the Great Red Father bless you, Your Majesty," said the woman.

Lysethe and Melisant would return a week later with the head of a wyvern that was promptly mounted over the hearth in the great hall. Lysethe found her purpose as an errant of the land and I believe she was truly happy in this. She became beloved in the kingdom, her hound a popular flag flown in many parts of Bashamailon. Ten Ghosts would follow her into this purpose after the birth of our son.

Ten Ghosts bore our son Wind in late autumn. I learned that Theva children have names that follow them for their youths but these change when they make their mark upon the world. He would become known in the histories as Vorghal's Path, but I will call him Wind until he returned from Qel Rylah with his new name. I am muddying events, and I apologize. Suffice to say, Ten Ghosts gave the family a strong and handsome boy and called him Wind.

Soon he was joined by Basila, the first girl to come from Lysethe. We had only finished our loveplay one night and it had been especially passionate.

"I'm with child, Bel," she said, laying her hand over her muscled abdomen. She was not showing yet.

"That was why you were so ravenous," I said.

She chuckled. "I am always like that in the early months, aren't I?"

I leaned over to kiss her. "You do not have to keep bearing children."

"Why do you say that?"

"Merely that Sarakiel, Tanyth, and Maireili are all past their childbearing years. Yours will never end except by choice. You've given us a mighty brood and if you had any obligation in that regard, it's more than filled."

She touched my hand. "This is by choice, my love."

"Good," I said, smiling. "Now come here."

She laughed, allowing me to gather her in my arms. "I thought you were exhausted."

"Iwas. Now I am elated."

She laughed again, quickly melting into a sigh as I slid into her.

Wind, only a year older than his sister, was a dutiful older brother. While their mothers were out being heroes, Wind and Basila were my life and in them I found meaning.

***

***

Melisant came and went on her short quests, and soon Lysethe and Ten Ghosts were doing the same. When Melisant returned, she always spent the next several nights with Allegeth, and there were times I thought half of the purpose of the quests was to secure this time. Yes, I know any jealousy on my part is the refuge of a hypocrite. And I would not have felt the slightest touch of envy, had not every time they retreated to Allegeth's chambers, Melisant shot me a triumphant look.

It was an annoyance, but one that I could stand, especially as I looked after little Wind and Basila. They learned to walk and to talk and I was grateful that neither one of them would know war because of me. I spent many nights with Allegeth and several years into my life in Bashamailon, our love bore fruit. I did not know this immediately. All I knew was that one day I thought to entice Allegeth into nature, but found Melisant in front of her door.

"Her Majesty is not receiving anyone," Melisant said.

"I am notanyone. I am her husband."

"She was clear, naming His Highness as one who would not be allowed within."

"Melisant."

"I am sorry," she said, though her tone did not imply any contrition. "She has asked to be alone, and as her champion, I will see her will be done."

"If she is ill, I should fetch someone."

"If she is ill, she inform me. Go to one of your other wives, wizard. You have enough of them." The amusement had vanished from her voice and her witch-blue eyes hardened.

Anger kept me rooted to the spot. I was a violent man, but I did not want to be. I wanted my peaceful years in Bashamailon to matter. I knew who I had been in times of war and no longer wished to see that man. I forced myself to nod. "As you say."

I found Tanyth entertaining Basila and Wind in our quarters.

"I thought you were with Allegeth," Tanyth said.

"She does not want to see me," I said. "She doesn't want to see anyone."

A frown rippled over Tanyth's features, vanishing as quickly as it came. "I would not worry overmuch. Come, let us go down to Kaibéliard and we can forget everything else."

The children clapped and before long we walked along the serpentine streets of the cozy town, eating honeyed nuts from small bags we purchased from one of the many vendors. We attracted attention of course, and it was Tanyth who received the most fawning admirers. She was an old hand at such love, accepting plaudits with practiced ease and making everyone who approached her feel special if only for a moment.

"If it weren't for the climate, I would love this place," Tanyth sighed after sending a few townsfolk away with some kind words.

"Tanyth, it's the spring." The sky was blue, decorated with a few white puffs. Blue-feathered wintanzers soared on the pleasant breeze.

"It's chilly," she said, pulling her cloak about her.

"You have not lived in Kharsoom for two centuries. How have you not grown accustomed to what you call the cold?"

"Oh, Kharsoom," she sighed wistfully. "The heat. The aridity."

"You still miss it?"

"Memory is a funny thing. When we came to Castellandria, the plenty shocked me. Everyone had enough to eat and drink. Zuunkhorun, even in the worst of the war, was the same. I think was I to return to Kharsoom the privation would punish me. But there are things I long for."

"What do you miss, Mama Tanyth?" asked Basila. The little girl's hand, sticky with honey, found Tanyth's.

"Well, my little sprout, it is a matter of culture. In Kharsoom everyone is always thinking of glory and honor and adventure."

I snorted, swallowing a response.

Tanyth shot me a glare. "Something you would like to add, boldisar?"

"That is not what I thought of when I was there."

"That is because you are an outlander," she sniffed, then her lips quirked. "No, I knowexactlywhat preoccupied you."

"What was that, Mama Tanyth?" asked Basila, innocent eyes wide.

She blushed, her crimson cheeks growing darker. "Yes, please, Mama Tanyth," I teased. "What was that?"

"Wizardly matters," she muttered. Then she brightened as the sight of a vendor on the next block rescued her. "Come, I'm parched. Cider will put me right."

I chuckled, taking Wind's small hand. He watched us, his tiny face serious, no doubt puzzling over the parts of the conversation he didn't understand. The vendor filled our mugs with cool cider and refused payment, though Tanyth insisted. I looked forward to autumn, when the cider would be heated, the steam banishing the mountain chill for a few moments.

We continued our aimless perambulations, taking time to watch a puppet show, eat from a few more vendors, and watch the bird dancers in the square. When we returned to the Dragon's Roost that evening, the castle was in an uproar. "Your Highness," said the Lord Chamberlain breathlessly. "The queen requests your presence at once."