Chapter 179 - I Want to Invite You to Become the Legion Standard Bearer
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"Come, let us raise our glasses. To that illustrious Ogryn laborer who shone so magnificently in the archives of Ryss — Horus Lupercal!"
Inside the private lounge of the Macragge's Honour.
Kaelen raised his wine glass, and the crisp clink rang off the metal walls.
Horus sat across from him, gripping a custom silver goblet roughly the size of a wine barrel. The great bald head threw back in a deafening roar of laughter, his whole face going red, tears squeezing from the corners of his eyes.
"Don't bring that story up, Kaelen." Horus tilted his head back and drained a massive gulp of spirits. "We fabricated that identity on the spot just to dodge an inspection, and somehow it actually got entered into the core system. When Roboute read that line out loud, I wanted nothing more than to dig a hole in the floor and disappear into it."
Kaelen had his legs propped on the coffee table. He took a slow, leisurely sip.
"But it's an unforgettable memory, isn't it? My Wolf King — from nameless Ogryn grunt, back to reclaiming your place as a Loyal Son of the Emperor, leading a Legion in battle for the Imperium once more. Tell that story to your warriors someday. They'll worship the ground you walk on."
Horus laughed and shook his head, reaching over to top off Kaelen's glass.
The atmosphere was warm. Easy.
After a while, the laughter wound down.
Horus's gaze drifted to the holographic projection floating above the coffee table. It displayed the embryonic command structure of the new Legion, "Shadow Moon Grey Wolves." Row after row of empty grid slots glowed faint blue, waiting for fresh blood to fill them.
The smile faded from Horus's face. His thick fingers moved slowly along the rim of the silver goblet.
"Kaelen." His voice dropped, carrying a rare note of hesitation. "Taking back command — I'm not nearly as confident about it as I've been letting on."
"You're a war genius who swept across the galaxy. Say that out loud and the other Primarchs will come looking for a fight."
Kaelen set down his glass and sat up straight.
"Precisely because I'm the one who nearly destroyed it." Horus pointed at the command chart in the projection.
"'Start over', four simple words. Father and Roboute trust me, and they've dropped this weight back onto my shoulders. A new Legion. New sons. But I can't stop myself from thinking, what if? What if I take one wrong step again, and drag these sons who trust me straight back into the abyss?"
He wiped a hand across his face. It was a vulnerability Horus almost never showed anyone.
"That's why I need an anchor. Someone who can knock me awake the moment I start to drift." Horus raised his head and looked directly at Kaelen, his expression more serious than Kaelen had ever seen it.
"Kaelen, I formally invite you to become Chief Strategic Advisor to the new Legion. I'll carve a place for you at the very top of the Astartes command chain, Mortal Deputy Commander. Within the Legion, your orders carry the same weight as mine."
Kaelen stared at that utterly serious face.
His scalp prickled.
He picked up his glass and knocked back three long gulps. Then he cleared his throat and waved a calm hand.
"Easy there, my Wolf King. You're trying to roast me alive." No hesitation. Flat refusal.
"I know exactly what I'm worth. Offering advice? That I can do. Actually running the Legion? An outsider trying to manage professionals is a disaster waiting to happen. Those proud Space Marines would tear me apart before the week was out."
"Take that old company commander you once had, 'Windfall' Cruz. Beloved by some, despised by others. Never a constructive suggestion to his name, always barging in at the worst moment, always waving around his seniority like a weapon..."
"I know Cruz."
Horus nodded. He'd clearly anticipated the refusal, and he didn't look the least bit deflated by it.
He knew his friend. Capable, but never reckless. Sharply self-aware, with no appetite for overreach.
But the Wolf King wasn't ready to give up. This was a moment brimming with hard-won glory, and he wanted Kaelen standing beside him for it.
"Alright. I won't push you into something you don't want." Horus shifted smoothly, a smile working back onto his face. "If you won't touch the military side, we go simpler. The day after tomorrow, Roboute is personally hosting the flag-granting ceremony for our three new Legions on Macragge Plaza."
Horus leaned forward.
"You don't have to do a thing. Just dress sharp, stand at my side as my personal Standard Bearer, and hold the battle standard of the Shadow Moon Grey Wolves. That's all. Surely that's not asking much?"
That's it?
Kaelen turned it over.
A flag-granting ceremony was pure pageantry. Hold the standard, be seen, carry zero actual responsibility.
And stand front and center at a moment that would go down in history.
"Done." Kaelen nodded without a second thought.
"It's my fortune to fight alongside you, my friend."
Horus drained his goblet in one go.
That cracked the conversation wide open. With the alcohol doing its work, Primarch and mortal alike began spinning out the future, how bright it was going to be, the victories stacking up, the glory still waiting for them.
Then the identity scanner outside the lounge door chimed.
The heavy hatch slid open on both sides.
Fulgrim walked in.
The Phoenix of Chemos had traded his wargear for a magnificent purple-and-gold robe, the intricate embroidery catching the light with every movement. His platinum hair was immaculately groomed. The whole effect was effortless, faultless elegance.
"Lupercal." Fulgrim's eyes held a warm smile as they found Horus, but he walked straight past him and settled onto the sofa next to Kaelen. "Hiding our friend away in here for a private drink. That's terribly selfish of you."
Horus's smile went just slightly rigid.
"Kaelen and I were discussing military matters." A beat. "Fulgrim, dressed like that, are you headed to some banquet with the noble ladies afterward?" The tease was light, but the current beneath it was clear enough.
Fulgrim paid it no attention whatsoever.
He turned to Kaelen, violet eyes warm and steady.
"I suspect every noble lady has already secured her preferred partner. They are never short of options." A soft pause. "Kaelen, I came to find you about the new Legion."
The Phoenix's voice was low and melodic, the kind of tone that made refusal feel almost impolite.
"For the flag-granting ceremony the day after tomorrow, I need you. I'd like you to serve as Chief Advisor to the Phoenix Sons. Or, if you prefer..." A slight smile. "Stand at my side as my Standard Bearer."
"Oh, I don't think so, brother."
Horus stood before Kaelen could say a word. He stepped forward and met Fulgrim's gaze directly.
"Kaelen is already my Legion's Standard Bearer."
➤ Next: Matters of the Heart
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