The First Archmage

"Have you heard?" A servant asks another as I walk past, the pair of them oblivious to me, my Cloak of Shadows Skill concealing me from their gaze entirely. "The Archmage destroyed Fort Kar so completely, there aren't even ashes left behind."

"I heard," the other servant responds. "Did you hear that once he did, the monsters stopped attacking? I heard he came from there – do you think he was the reason the monsters were attacking in the first place?"

This is the fourteenth rumor I've heard of Gavin's return since I made my way back into Kar two weeks ago. It seems the Archmage has been rallying the Resistance and taking out Turas forts and military cities they built themselves.

True to the way of my father, and his father, and his father, and so on, Gavin leaves no survivors. By himself, Gavin is able to show the might of Jozan. Rumors have spread far and wide of his capabilities, as have rumors of my existence.

I'm sure Gavin started that two months ago, when he apparently stopped by to kill a massive fucking demon that Turas's Inquisitors and Enforcers couldn't handle and free a variety of Adventurers who were there.

They're talking like he used some special spell that no one's ever heard of to do that. There is no doubt in my mind… that he used Dispel. It's not even that advanced of a healing or holy spell, yet even the priests I've heard discussing him don't seem to have realized he used it.

Ignoring the gossiping servants, I make my way to the throne room. When I reach the great, wooden doors, the banner of Turas hung over them, I feel a rage boil within me. They haven't replaced the doors, which have the symbol of Kar carved into them, just hung banners over them.

They have defiled my home for too long. Six years have passed, and it is time for me to reclaim the throne. Once I have, I will find out what happened to my sister. Hopefully, she and her son are still alive.

If they are dead…

Then the wrath of the Hero of Len will grow even greater.

I step forward, slashing with my knife, and the two guards drop to the ground, their throats slit. Their blood sprayed out, but it slid off my magical cloak. The Skill is useful for staying free of such trivial things.

"Firebolt," I mutter, then again, and the two banners turn to flames.

Ignoring the burning, knowing it will not affect the doors, I push the heavy wood open. Only someone with Access could do so easily, due to the sheer weight of the wood used.

I stride into the Throne Room, past the pillars decorated with the banners of Turas, and set them aflame as I pass, until I reach the dais, where the grand, golden throne sits.

The same grand, golden throne my father once sat upon, and his father before him, and his before him, all the way to Meiva Jozan, our founder and First King.

Beautiful and majestic, it is no place for my enemies to sit upon. They are lucky the Throne Room is currently empty, it being so late at night. Or rather, early in the morning. According to the System, it is only three in the morning. It will be at least another hour before anyone would enter, though with the guards dead outside, it might be a little bit sooner.

I walk up the steps to the dais, running my fingers against the cool, glimmering metal, which currently reflects the burning banners.

Turning around, I look out against the empty room.

My empty room.

I place my hands on the arm rests, deactivate my Cloak of Shadows Skill, then lower myself onto the cushion, sitting with my back straight.

"This is my throne," I say, to no one in particular.

Throne Reclaimed!

Fallen Crown Heir is a Tier IV Class, as a result, it will not be returning to Crown Heir, so that you may keep its Power of Vengeance; however, you will be acquiring Crown Heir's Ultimate, Power of an Oath

Because you have Mastered Crown Heir, you qualify for the King Class instead of the Ruler Class!

You now possess the King Class!

This Class is a Special Class, and does not take up any Class Slot

Power of an Oath (Special Skill): Oaths made to you are akin to a Blood Oath, with some additional benefits, including that you can decide the penalty for breaking the Blood Oath, within reason, and you can sense the location of all those who have made an oath to you

King (I): The ruler of a kingdom, people bow to your feet and fear your wrath. +2 to INT, CHA, CON every fourth Level, +5% to all charismatic bonuses, Royal Decree, Royal Quest

Royal Decree: You possess the capability of declaring a new, absolute rule, within set guidelines. You cannot force someone into loyalty, you cannot force someone to betray another, you cannot force someone into honesty, you cannot force someone to answer a question. This Skill is to allow you to instill a new law and allow all the people of your Kingdom know it and know it is true and yours. This Skill can only be used once per Level of your King Class

Royal Quest: You are capable of granting a Royal Quest to someone, which can be granted even when they are not before you. This Quest ignores the normal limitations of Quest-granting, and can possess greater rewards based on the views of the granter

Title Acquired!

Reclaimer of Thrones (I): You have reclaimed a throne that is yours by birthright

Now to wait for my new subjects to discover that their false King no longer holds power.

It takes less than ten minutes for guards to rush into the room, including from the passages leading to the royal bedchambers. From there, the new Fallen Ruler runs out as well.

They see me sitting here, and weapons are drawn.

"You would dare to draw your weapons against your King?" I ask in a curious tone, not a trace of mocking in it.

That, in and of itself, will tell them I am mocking them, that I view them as so far below me, they could not stand a chance. The Hero of Len is not a weak Adventurer.

"Who are you?" The Fallen Ruler demands.

"Tyler Jozan," I answer. "The true King of this realm. Now kneel before me, all of you, before your lives end."

"You aren't-" the Fallen Ruler begins.

"The only way," a man in finer clothes, who I recognize as one of the Councilmen from Father's time, interrupts the Fallen Ruler. "That you could possibly claim the throne with him still alive and without a variety of other circumstances would be for you to have been of the royal bloodline of Jozan. And yet, there was no male heir, so-"

"I lived as a servant, with only minimal training for the crown," I state. "Father believed it best if men like you weren't aware of my existence. For the last six years, I have trained to become stronger, and-"

"How sad," he says. "As someone with the Fallen Royal Class, you wouldn't have been able to take on another Class until it reached Level 15… until the System changed things. But even still, you would have no-"

"Magic Bolt," I blast his head off. "You were saying? Oh, my apologies – you can't talk anymore, because you're dead. I am Tyler Jozan, the True King of Jozan. Kneel before me and affirm your loyalty to me, or lose your lives."

Several of the guards begin to rush forward, but before I can react, they drop to the ground, a pair of soldiers having moved forward at a speed even I couldn't follow, despite my 61 AGI and 63 PER.

They sheathe their swords as they move, dropping to their knees before me.

"My King," the say in unison. "I swear my life, my blood, my blade, and my skills to you."

Immediately, I become able to sense them. I will need to find if there is a way to turn it off, because it might become… problematic, if I'm sensing every person who swears fealty to me.

"I am surprised," I say. "That you would kill your own comrades."

"We are loyal to Jozan," the man on the right says, neither rising from their bow as the other swords stare on. "We hail from the Village of Kar. The Archmage warned us of your return."

The moment he mentioned where they were from, the other guards looked very, very uneasy. In fact, many of them appear to be sweating. Sweating, pale, and trembling.

Gavin's people are dangerous, huh?

How did they manage to avoid being collared for having Access?

"You may rise, my children," I say, and they stand. "My first order as King is this: should anyone attempt to flee this room, kill them. Anyone who is not kneeling and swearing fealty when I reach 'five', kill. Do not kill my usurper, though do not allow him to leave, either. If he will not swear fealty to me, I will kill him, myself."

"Yes, Your Majesty," they clap their fists to their chests.

"One," I say clearly, and no one reacts. "Two," the soldiers of Jozan draw their weapons. "Three."

Nearly everyone drops to their knees and begins to swear fealty. I count six who did not.

"Five," I say. "Because I'm King, and do not need to bother with keeping my word to my enemies."

The soldiers of Jozan kill them. The Fallen Ruler does attempt to flee, but before the soldiers can reach him, he's thrown back with a gust of violet-tinged wind, which then holds him down in front of me, forcing him into a kneeling position.

I catch a rustling from the rafters, then hear whoever it is drop down, landing in a crouch, a flowing robe of black with violet Dekami runes lining its edges wrapped around him.

My blond-haired Archmage stands, smiling at me.

"Welcome back, Your Majesty," he shows me those brilliant white teeth of his, his azure eyes filled with a light and amusement that reminds me of when we first met, not the boy I saw a couple of years ago, the one who was going through a lot of stress. "It is good to see you back where you belong."

"Thank you, Gavin," I tell him. "You have kept your oath to the Kingdom of Jozan, and for that, I am eternally grateful. I must ask, though, what happened to the ring my father gifted you? I only see your second one on your hand."

"Oh, that," he flicks his wrist, and the other spacial ring appears in his hand. "I was storing it in my own ring."

He can do that? That's possible? How does one store a spatial ring in another spatial ring?

By having an amount of free space in the containing one larger than the space within the first ring and the ring itself.

Thank you, Len.

You're welcome. Gavin probably tried to do it just to see if it was possible. If I can get Nies to wake up, I'll ask him about it.

There is no need, Your Divinity.

I'm honestly kind of curious.

Of course he is.

"Here," Gavin flicks the ring to me, and I catch it, slipping it onto my finger. "The Wealth of Jozan, restored to its proper place."

"Thank you, Gavin," I say.

"I've added to it," he informs me. "Various things I found on my journeys, including some torture gear. I also added in a few whips and gags, just for you."

Yeah, Gavin's back to his old self.

"Thank you, Archmage," I say. "How long will you be in the area for?"

"Not long," he answers. "I planned on leaving Jozan to begin amending our relationships with other nations once the crown was yours. According to Nies, you are more than capable of defending yourself, Hero of Len.

"Speaking of His Childishness," Gavin snaps his fingers, and two more bodies drop from the rafters.

These are creatures I have only seen in images, large, with orange fur with black stripes, golden eyes with slits for pupils. Large, muscular, and majestic. Tigers. Only… these ones have stubby black horns atop their heads.

"Nies told me to leave these here," Gavin says. "That they'll protect you from threats you can't. They're Sacred Sein Tigers. They come from Nies's Divine Realm, and are immune to mortal attacks."

The tigers move to sit beside me, and Gavin looks at the Fallen Ruler.

"Are you going to swear fealty to your King?" The Archmage asks. "Or will you die?"

"Killing him would make him a martyr," I remind Gavin.

Violet flames begin to swirl around Gavin, taking on the form of a serpentine dragon, its head beside Gavin's, its glimmering golden eyes staring at the Fallen Ruler with distaste.

"A martyr for what?" Gavin asks. "Because when the Master of the Order of the Violet Flame decides someone is not worth living, they no longer are. He took the throne from the true King, broke several laws, and has committed high treason. By law, he is to be executed. Allowing him to live, at this time, is to disgrace Jozan."

Gavin might have a powerful Acting Skill, but I doubt it's assisting him at all. He is right, in that the Fallen Ruler is worthy of death. Letting him live or die, there will be a resistance loyal to Turas among those who truly were.

Why does Gavin hold such a powerful loyalty to us? It's not like he ever interacted with anyone outside his village. I always got the vibe he didn't think much of most Adventurers, and they were really the only people who went to his village, before he gained Access.

It doesn't make any sense to me. Len still won't tell me why he was raised with the Code of Jozan, or why he actually took it to heart. He didn't swear fealty to my father, but to the Kingdom, and he didn't even have to obey that oath. He could have just kept the Wealth of Jozan for himself, yet he didn't.

Looking down at the usurper, I make a decision.

"Thank you, Archmage."

Gavin nods, and then his dragon soars forward, burning a hole through the man's chest before returning to its coil around the Archmage. Gavin has not a trace of care on his face for him, but when he turns those blue eyes to me, I see nothing more than respect.

Very, very confusing.

"Archmage Gavin," I say. "You have vowed yourself to Jozan. As its King and representative, I know that you have much you have planned for in life, and great goals that you wish to accomplish. In order for you to do them, you cannot be tied down to a nation. For that, I relieve you of your oath and duties, so that you may do your own things, without worry of needing to return here when we are in danger."

Gavin begins to glow with a crimson light, and he looks annoyed, then downright pissed, and after a few moments, I realize that he's fighting to keep the violet light. Several minutes pass as everyone stares at the glowing magician, until the light retreats back into him.

He sighs.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Gavin says. "However, I have sworn Blood Oath to ensure the full revival of Jozan, and I will see it through to the end. Until it is completed, I will be visiting other nations of our region, and spreading word to them that the True King of Jozan has returned, as well as doing my best to amend relations that have soured because of Turas's actions."

That glow… was him fighting to retain the Blood Oath. Why is he so stubbornly insistent on restoring Jozan? He has no reason whatsoever to be loyal to it.

"Thank you, Archmage," I tell him. "And good luck on your journeys. Whatever is needed, I trust you will be fair and true."

"I will," he says. "And Your Majesty, I will always be tied to Jozan, no matter what, from now and through death, even with the releasing of my vows."

He bows, then turns and leaves.

"Does anyone know what happened to my sister and nephew?" I ask, and some of them look at each other. I turn my gaze to the two soldiers of Kar. "Do either of you?"

"Our apologies," the one on the right says. "We only arrived in the palace last night, at Gavin's announcement that you would be returning."

How did Gavin know I was returning?

Nies and I have been talking. It is believed that there is a Divine Being able to mask its presence from other Divine Beings who is communicating with Gavin. The only other option would be for Gavin to have unlocked his Psion Resource, which he hasn't. You will, soon enough. That said, neither of those is really possible, so we Divine have no fucking clue.

Psion, the power of psychics. The power to foresee the future… all of the males of my family hold this power, and my father was said to have Psionic power that rivaled Meiva's.

"Someone find out what happened to my sister," I state. "Princess Alyssa Jozan. We were twins, so she would be eighteen, now. She had a son around six to eight months, so he'd be around six or seven, now."

I honestly don't remember how long it's really been, even with the ability to pull up the date. My daily Horoscope is annoying, too.

You will receive a massive shock regarding two people close to you.

Like, what the fuck?

I will admit that I check it every day, but they usually aren't that… weird. Not lately. What kind of shock? Is it something different for each of them? Or is it the same shock?

"And before anyone leaves," I say. "I make this a Royal Decree: Jozan will not now, nor ever, so long as I reign, ever place a collar on those of us with Access. Ever. They are to be removed from all Jozan Adventurers as well, and anyone who refuses to remove them from an Adventurer is to be considered a traitor to the crown and to the Kingdom. The old reign of the Council is gone, and my line will be governed by them no more. I am the King, not a puppet, and I will not yield to the whims of those who are here to advise me."

In addition to a message informing me of the creation of the Royal Decree, another one appears.

A Massive Royal Feat has been Performed!

+25 King Experience!

King is now Level 2!

You may now use Royal Decree one additional time!

"Following that," I dismiss the message. "The former Councilmen of Jozan are hereby declared traitors. They, their families, their staff, and their guards are to be arrested, their properties absorbed into the Kingdom. They and theirs will be interrogated, and the Councilmen and any deemed worthy will be executed.

"The People of Kar," I continue. "May return to their home, in the Duchy of Karus. Please continue to watch the passage and drive the monsters from our land. I am sure your assistance will be required, from what I have heard of the wyverns."

Which are apparently led by one named Bert…

Dammit, Gavin.

I dismiss people, and get to work on sorting out various things. I have a list of the Duchies brought to me, of both those designed for Turas, and those of Jozan. Because of the nature of Jozan, and the fact that it's governed by three Divine Beings, in order to officially change the Royal Register, the approval of Lord Jozan is required, and he apparently refused to grant it, so they redrew the lines in their own register.

As I go through them and give my orders and declarations, one name catches my eye.

Gavin Jakran, Duke of Zelar. Looking at the date on it, I would've been eleven then. Father and Alyssa had gone on a trip shortly before then. Actually, looking at it, I think that that's Gavin's birthday.

What did Gavin do that Father gifted him an entire Duchy for his birthday? That doesn't seem right. It notes that there's a Reagent actually governing it. Or at least, was. I'll have to see how he's doing and who's governing it now.

Is that what Gavin meant, though, when he said that he would always be tied to Jozan? If so, then why didn't he simply ask me to lift him of that?

I check the Turas register for their Duchies, to see which ones Zelar became, and find that it's whole and untouched, though it declares Alyssa as the Duchess of it, and that she watches over it and takes care of it.

Those are definitely shocks, especially since there's no way they would have wished for a royal of Jozan to do that. Unless there's something special about Zelar, and they needed her to govern it. But then… why did Father simply gift it to Gavin?

This is so confusing.

At least I know what happened to my sister, now.

"Tyler," a woman's voice greets me, and I look up from the table to find a gorgeous girl standing before me, her curly brown hair matching that of everyone else on the continent, and same with her brown eyes. Despite that, she is not like other women of this region. I know from her name and Class that though she may be attractive, she is not mine to take. "It has been years."

"Alyssa," I stand, beckoning to her. "It has, indeed."

Alyssa walks over to me, and we embrace for a moment. I kiss her on each cheek, then she takes a step back.

"I was just going over the registers," I tell her. "You governed over Zelar as Duchess, while Turas reigned?"

"Yes," she smiles. "They cannot divorce someone married under a Divine's Oath without a Divine annulling it, and they wished to marry me to their false King, to help 'placate' people over not being ruled by the Jozan bloodline. However, no Divine would approve of the annulment. In fact, only three even responded – the rest flat-out ignored their attempts. As a result, they were too scared to do anything to me, and considered giving me a Dirty Marriage or sending me off somewhere to be forgotten. However, they were scared of the wrath of whatever Divine put fear into the others enough to prevent the annulment to do that.

"And so," she continues. "I told them that, if they let me do my own thing in Zelar, I would not rally people behind me to put my son on the throne. As they had no knowledge of you, that meant that their only chance at having it taken from them would be placated, as they did not wish to kill the child of the woman the gods would not annul the marriage of."

"I am glad you are alive," I tell her. "Regardless of the reason. How is Zelar?"

"Quite lovely," she answers. "Do you mind if I leave? Your nephew escaped me when I received the notification that I was no longer a Fallen Royal. I was informed that you were returning, and so made my way here, so that we could reunite, once it was time."

"You were informed?" I ask. "By who?"

"Gavin," she answers. "He stopped by the castle to let me know you were on your way back."

He knew where my sister was? Why did he go to her to let her know?

I am so confused by all of this. Len?

He doesn't respond to that.

Your Divinity?

Yes?

I am so confused right now.

Perhaps a bath would help you clear your mind?

"I am going to the Royal Bath," I tell Alyssa. "See if I can't clear my head some. It has been a long day, and a long journey for me. I hope to see you and my nephew at lunch."

"I will try to find him," she smiles. "He takes after his father quite a lot, though, so that might be difficult. I'm just glad there weren't any wyverns in Zelar. I might have died from fear, were there!"

Not sure what to make of that comment, I make my way to the Royal Bath, a room which can only be entered by the bloodline of the true rulers of Jozan. It was blessed by Jozan himself, so even Gavin would not be capable of entering.

I enter the large room, steam hovering above the eternally-hot waters. There are small plants here and there, and the bath itself is made of stone and divided into sections, with rocks or plants separating them, giving it a more natural, soothing view.

I shed my clothes, and for a moment, look down at my body. I am lean, very lean, from my high AGI and low STR, my body smooth and devoid of hair, something I once believed to be only rumors about Heroes.

Then I asked Len about it, and he confirmed that all Heroes have smooth, clean bodies, as a result of a certain god deciding that all Heroes need to be able to be considered 'sexy'. I asked him about what if someone thought hair was sexy, and he told me that that particular Divine thought those people were idiots.

I trail a finger down a scar that runs from my left nipple to nearly reaching my crotch. Had that claw made it once inch lower… things might have been different for me. Looking at it, a question comes to mind.

Your Divinity?

Yes, my Hero?

Len hates it when I call him that, but it's respectful, and he always responds, as it's a way for me to contact him when he isn't eavesdropping. I'm just glad he informed me that I don't need to speak to communicate with him, as a Hero.

I probably could right now, but I'm no longer in the habit of doing so.

Yes, and you're also in the habit of thinking to yourself after contacting me.

Sorry, Your Divinity.

What did you desire to ask?

I like both boys and girls, though to continue my line, I will be marrying a woman from somewhere-

Do you mind if Gavin finds a foreign girl for you to marry, as a way to placate another nation?

Um… what?

Hypothetically, if another nation would be placated by you marrying their fourth princess, would you be okay with that?

If it is needed to ensure Jozan's survival, then I will be fine with it.

I'll inform Nies, then.

I'll seriously need to marry their fourth princess? I would much prefer it be a noble of Jozan, Len. There really is something that-

No, it was just a hypothetical question Nies had for me. None of the nations around here even have four princesses. There is one that might want you to marry their princess, though. Isil.

Isil. Dammit. Isil is one of the few nations that could actually rally a force to attack Jozan, and with our current shifting powers… that might not be good. And knowing Gavin, if he knows our surrounding nations, then he will probably visit Isil first.

Then again, this is me using old knowledge, things might have changed. Everyone might want to attack the shit out of Turas.

If it is needed, Len, I will do it. But I trust Gavin to seek out a way outside of that.

Okay. Was that what you were wishing to know?

No, it wasn't. I was actually going to say that though I like boys more than girls, I will marry a female to ensure the legitimate continuation of my line.

Your nephew can continue it as well. He is a legitimate air. It would allow you to explore your true preferences, and not worry about legitimate or illegitimate heirs.

Thank you, Len, but as King, I should also attempt to produce an heir.

As King, you can also have sex with people other than your wife, and no one will care. Just remember that.

Thank you, for the unwanted advice. As I was saying, Your Divinity, I prefer both sexes, though will marry a female, so as to continue my line. I know that Kade likes boys, from what time we did spend together, and based on various things, I know that Michael and Warren also like boys-

Which things? He interrupts me. You hearing them at night? Because that could be explained by other things. Or was it that time you walked in on them, and they were-

Thank you, for bringing that back to mind, Your Divinity.

Well, based on the fact that the image in your mind got you up in an instant, I think we can say that-

I was wondering if Gavin, too, was gay. And if so, why the entire team Father arranged was gay. That seems to be way more than just coincidence, and it makes me wonder if a Divine had something to do with it.

Nope. Your father knew the team would form long before any of you were born. He hand-picked each of you before your conceptions, after a series of visions he had with his psychic powers. I'm not sure why he picked boys who preferred other boys, but probably because he knew you would be gathered together for years. Well, suspected you would be. He probably expected for you to take one of them on as your lover. One or all of them. And that your nephew would take the crown, when you passed. Gavin was in the party purely because he needed to be.

So he's actually into females?

You know how, all through puberty, and even sometime after it, you randomly get hard? And how it's guaranteed if you see someone attractive? Gavin's never had to deal with that. In fact, the last time he was up was when he turned twelve.

What does that have to do with anything?

Wait a second…

His twelfth birthday? The same day he became the Duke of Zelar? Is that why my father made him a Duke? Did my father-

Go take your bath, Tyler. You'll know soon enough why your father made him the Duke of Zelar. And no, your father did not have sex with him. He preferred the other sex, and though he might have been willing to marry you and your sister to other nobles at that age, as is custom, he would not have done that himself. He liked his lover too much to go with another.

I am confused, and further attempts to receive answers fail. I lower myself into the bath and begin to relax, then notice something by the rocks to my right, on the other side of this section of the bath.

Were it not for my high AGI and PER, I would not have noticed him, as he dropped down as soon as I looked over.

A boy with curly, platinum-blond hair and ocean-blue eyes. I would have put him at around six or seven, and those are the same two traits my nephew had, and is the same age…

His Class of Prince confirms it, and his name tells me it as well, though now that I'm a King, I have both first and last name through appraisal.

Garret Jakran

Jakran…

Gavin's last name.

My nephew's last name… is Gavin's last name. The last time Gavin was hard was his twelfth birthday, the same day… he became a Duke. He became a Duke not as a gift, but because…

He married royalty. Gavin is my sister's husband. That's why he visited her, first. That's why he's so devoted to Jozan. He was raised to be loyal, and he is loyal to his wife.

Wait, Your Divinity?

Yes?

Gavin is eighteen and a half, and has seriously only blown his load once?

Well, more accurate to say, not once in about six and a half years.

I can't go a week without it, or I'm sore as hell… how does he manage?

We're not entirely sure. We Divine have actually been racking our brains on that. We actually wonder if it ties into his magic being violet in color, unless he forces it to be normal. That, and his eyes turning from blue to violet if he uses powerful magics or a lot of magic. That, or Gavin's sheer stubbornness has prevented him from needing to get off. Considering how magical things are, that wouldn't surprise me, actually. I'll ask Father about it.

I thought you didn't communicate with your father unless it was important?

In a world where people marry at ten to twelve, usually, when they have some sort of position of power, and often have children by thirteen or fourteen, the fact that someone who is eighteen hasn't blown his load once since his wedding night is quite intriguing. Father might actually enjoy the discussion, and probably be able to explain how that's possible. Oh, hi, Nies. What are you doing here?

Ekre kicked me out, another voice fills my head, sounding as much the child that Len does. I want cuddles.

I'm talking with Tyler right now.

Cuddle me. I'm tired. Get me cookies.

Which do you want me to do?

Both. Pick me up.

Okay. Tyler – you seem to be quite interested in Gavin and his loads. Do you want to see if your sister would be alright with him sharing it with you?

Gavin's loads? You mean the ones he doesn't make because he's weird like that? Sometimes, I don't even think he's human.

Tyler knows he's married to his sister.

Oh, cool. Gavin doesn't want to be married to her, but because he's the adoptive son of Elijah Mountstep, the Duke of Karus and the man known as 'Chief', an arranged marriage was somewhat necessary. Though as a result of his loyalties forged because of Mountainstep, Gavin doesn't have any interest in anyone, as he is married, and he doesn't have an interest in her. He did the deed the one time, and as his baby was born, there was no need to do it again. Your sister is aware of that, too, and does not expect him to try again. She also knows that if she wishes to pleasure herself, she may go with another man. Actually, Gavin could probably see if she'd like to annul the marriage, so that she can marry her lover, but I don't think his loyalty would allow that. This is too much talking. I'm done, now.

The sound of someone eating cookies fills my head, and I try to stifle a laugh, then remember that I'm not alone.

"Garret?" I say. "It's Tyler, your uncle. I'm your mother's twin brother. I've been away most of your life, but I'm back, now. Would you like me to help you bathe? I can do your hair and back."

My nephew slowly looks over the rocks at me, then drops back down, walking around it, keeping his head up to his nose under the water as he does, until he's right in front of me, then, he pokes his head up out of the water fully.

"Momma said only our famyee can come in here."

"She was right," I smile at him. "So only your momma, you, and me can come in here. I'm your Uncle Tyler."

"Unca Tyer?"

"Yeah," I smile at him. "Your momma's brother. I have been away for a long time, but I am back, now. Would you like me to wash your hair and back? Then, I will wash, and we can dry off and go find your momma."

"I'm hiding," he puts a finger to his lips. "Momma gotta find me."

And I'm starting to see the Gavin in him. The blond hair and blue eyes should have hinted at it to me, in the first place. I should have made the connection, six years ago, but I didn't see my nephew often, and even though I only knew of two people with those back then, I didn't know Gavin very long, and was thinking about other things at the time.

Six years for me to realize that they were related…

How many people know that the Archmage is the father of the current first-in-line?

Probably not many.

"Okay," I smile at him. "Want me to wash your back and hair?"

"Can Vivi join us?" He asks.

"Vivi?" I ask.

"Yeah," he nods. "Vivi."

"Only royalty can be in here."

"Vivi!" Garret yells in his squeaky boy's voice. "Come here!"

Vivi's already in here? How? Did Alyssa have another-

A small turtle swims from the section he was hiding in into this section, stopping by my nephew.

"This be Vivi!" Garret declares, picking up the turtle and proudly showing it to me. "He my turtle! I a Tamer!"

Garret has the Tamer Class? Why didn't I-oh, right. I only see the 'primary' Class, but for Royals, it shows that instead.

Knowing that he's Gavin's son, him having Tamer at only seven years old does not surprise me in the slightest. Nor does him then nodding and telling me I can wash his back and hair, putting the turtle on his head, telling it to stay, and then turning around so I can wash his back.

I'll inform him that the turtle needs to move when we get to his hair…

Gods be damned, Gavin's son being my nephew is going to cause me to die before I can find a wife, isn't it?

Speaking of the Divine…

Your Divinity?

I'm a bit busy, trying to get Nies to detach from me so he can take a nap on my bed.

You knew Garret was in here, didn't you?

He went in there about three hours ago, after harassing the guards at the vault and stealing from the kitchens.

Yeah, he's Gavin's son.