Trapped in Another World With No Magic

Daniel walks into the audience hall’s rear waiting room that the Fievegal’s main family enters from. He looks to be the last one to arrive, apparently. Veiranoei waited for him, and she greets him. “About time, Daniel, my Lord Husband.” She’s not the only one occupying the room, since many of the children, including Jieka and Tekten, are being watched over by the Keepers.

Unfortunately, Jieka and Tekten are not napping like the other goblin children, and they immediately cry out, “Papa!” as they run towards him. Daniel chuckles, and the elderly Uhl’tall Keeper tries to catch them, but she is too slow.

Or rather, the two eldest goblin princesses have gotten quite fast. Daniel catches them in his arms and hugs them, since there’s no way he could refuse them. “Oh, my babies. Those are some good girls.”

“Apologies, your Grace,” remarks the Keeper.

“You’ve done nothing wrong. How could I neglect my babies just for an audience like this?”

“That said, Daniel, everyone is waiting for you.”

“I was the last one told, and I’m the last one to arrive,” replies Daniel a little playfully indignantly. “I assume there was a battle of wills about whether or not I should attend.”

The gatonine smiles guiltily and looks to the side. “You’re not wrong.”

Daniel kisses both princesses, and he says, “Alright, girls. Please be patient and wait for everyone here. Papa’s gotta go pretend to be a bossman now.”

“Daddy take wif you!” replies Jieka instantly, clinging more tightly to the collar of his crisp white jacket adorned with golden fasteners and a sharmelkolle chain supporting a cape that apparently matches the tone of Hekate’s, along with Veiranoei’s dress.

Daniel hesitates, and he looks at Veiranoei, who is concerned. She’s an Empress ‘in name only’, but she has all of the rights of any of the others, including telling Daniel off. She whispers, “Daniel…”

This time, Daniel smiles a little bashfully. It’s quickly becoming the furthest thing from a secret that Daniel spoils Jieka and Tekten most of all. The scare when they stowed away on a shuttle solidified any feelings of protectiveness he has, as well as doing anything and everything to sweep away all threats that could ever harm them, while also doing everything he can to make them smile. He is capable of speaking to them in a stern tone for discipline, but they are generally rather well behaved…

… for now.

Veiranoei slumps, and her ears and tail droop as she knows that she doesn’t want to be the bad guy either. The princesses are sweet, and Jieka is the Crown Princess until the Fievegal irons out a final plan for the future of Fievegal political structure.

She points at both girls, saying, “Jieka, Tekten, you have to be on your absolute best behavior. You have to listen when Papa or anyone else is speaking, and if you need to pee or you get hungry, you have to be whisper it to me or Papa, alright?”

Both girls nod, and Tekten replies, “Tekten always good.”

“Jieka peed and pooped already! Heeheeheehee!”

Veiranoei scowls up at Daniel, and he smiles in turn. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

She sighs. “I wish it were that simple.”

“I’m surprised you’re the one that waited for me, though. Is it your turn to be Sovereign Empress?”

The former knight stands up and shakes her head. “No, but Ryuo gave me her seat as second because she wants to hold Samael and your egg. Something about it getting close to time for the next batch.”

Daniel nods in understanding, and he helps Jieka and Tekten both get nestled against him on his left arm while offering Veiranoei his right. “Well, my beloved wife, shall we?”

She giggles and wraps her arms around his. “I won’t complain if you speak to me this affectionately more often, you know.”

“I didn’t know you wanted me to. I can start flirting with you if you really want, Fluffy-butt.”

This turns Veiranoei’s whole face red, while the Keepers who overheard also stare at them bashfully.

“Fwuffy-butt?” repeats Jieka eagerly, and Daniel chuckles immediately kissing her forehead to hush her, “Shh, don’t say that out loud, Jieka. It makes Mama Veiranoei…”

He pauses when the gatonine’s forehead bumps his shoulder, and she whines, “Please stop… I won’t be able to go out there at this rate…”

“I think it suits you,” replies Daniel sincerely. “You deserve to at least look like you are as spoiled as any Empress should be.”

She takes a deep breath and exhales, her tail wagging agitatedly back and forth, which Tekten is watching curiously. He says to the woman, “Sister Hiyashall, please ask Brother Shomaldun to station someone appropriately dressed near the door, in case we need to give the children a break. Basic formal wear, nothing too fancy, and only just in case.”

“Yes, your Grace. I’ll inform him immediately.”

“Alright, my ladies, let’s go join the others before someone comes out here to scold Veiranoei for holding us up.”

“Wha-!?” retorts the gatonine Empress, but Daniel starts walking forward, and she has to jump into step to stay alongside him. And, just as the door is opening for them, she regains her composure, lest she be stumbling and looking foolish, like he knew she would. Veiranoei, as both the granddaughter of the Grand Premier and a knight, has been through far more formal audiences than Daniel, so she knows how important it is to keep up appearances above all.

And, a side-glance from Daniel reveals that she is still trying to suppress her bashful smile and rosy cheeks, managing to look absolutely beautiful as a result.

A genuine candid smile is always best, isn’t it? It’d be nice if you could be happy all the time, Veira.

“Announcing the arrival of his Majesty, Emperor Daniel kos Lawson, her Majesty, Empress Veiranoei kos Lawson, and their highnesses, Princess Jieka kos Lawson and Princess Tekten kos Lawson.” Magnir’s voice projects well as he serves as herald, and he takes his seat again with Roetta right beside him, holding her own egg. If the eggs Daniel had a more direct hand in making are rapidly approaching hatching, then it’s highly likely Roetta’s and Magnir’s egg will soon be right behind.

As for the audience, Daniel feels like half the world has gathered, given how many people from Mattarglos, Stalvaltan, the Empire, and the Fievegal itself have gathered. Among many others, he spots Ahok, Kalegrynten, Yormolett, Roetta, and Gwenesphia’s family, Kuboen, Goelselmo, Erue, and Peiburi. He even spots a trio of nervous-looking boruans; a couple and their adult daughter. Neith brought them for this audience specifically for one of his most important requests to date, even if there’s no way Daniel would refuse. In fact, he encouraged Neith to go bend some Imperial military rules to steal her away, if need be.

Daniel waves his left hand while not shifting his arm that Tekten and Jieka are sitting on. He wishes they’d never get any bigger, since they’re the perfect size for him to carry them around like this, but he knows that if they get even as tall as their respective mothers, they’ll be too big to pair up on Daniel’s arms. Tekten is doing her best to hide behind Jieka and clings to Daniel all the tighter, while Jieka is amazed by all of the people present. And, if Ahok is anything to go by, they’ll probably get at least a half-foot taller than their mothers.

Shek and Skloe are seated in their respective thrones, which are mostly oriented like a phalanx shape, with the ladies seated somewhat by ‘rank’, meaning the two goblins are the furthest back by about a foot, but are still visible to everyone in the main audience chamber. They look worried seeing Daniel, but he gives them a subtle thumb’s up with his right hand, while Veiranoei waves and smiles for entry.

She takes her position in front of the throne directly to the right of Daniel’s, and Hekate is seated and smiling at Daniel and the princesses.

The mechanic-turned-Emperor says finally, “Please forgive me for the delay. I insisted I be here, but my injury made shaving and dressing more challenging than I thought it would. I will account for this in all future meetings.”

Daniel isn’t trying to make excuses for sympathy, but the entire right side of his face remains extremely sensitive to any touch, even beneath some of the ‘healthy’ skin. Fortunately, Hekate had an eyepatch made with the new Lawson family crest designed by Erimaya. He takes his time to be careful about finding his seat, now that he has essentially half of his field of view eliminated.

Lucy peeks out of the scarf, which Daniel is wearing, but she hides when Hekate spots her and scowls briefly.

Daniel takes his seat and sits the two Princesses down on his lap. Tekten tries to hide somewhat in Daniel’s armpit, and he asks softly, “Tekten, do you want to go back?”

She shakes her head. “Daddy no leave?”

“I’ll be right here or standing up the whole time.”

“Tekten stay…”

“Jieka stay too, Daddy,” replies Jieka a little loudly and he smiles, petting her head. “Alright. Then, show me how good you can be and act just like Mommy, alright?”

She grins and nods, and Hekate stands up. “Thank you all for coming again. We’ve made a lot of progress since the last audience, and many things are in motion. So, We’ve decided to take today’s audience to reward many more names who are deserving of recognition for their efforts. Lord Kuboen of Honeydip, if you would please step forward.”

Kuboen rises from his seat and approaches the center podium, where he kneels like a proper knight. “I am at your service, your Imperial Greatness.”

“Lord Kuboen of Honeydip, scion of your house behind your elder brother, whose honorable service at home granted the Fievegal great assistance that we would not have had such miraculous success without; you, yourself, have stood at the front lines, defending the Fievegal and the people of Ahmpur from the unprecedented chaos caused by the mana fire. In the wake of the fall of the airship, you heroically led a mission through to retrieve Princess Silence kos Lawson, and you had to make many quick decisions at the edge of oblivion in order to preserve your own life, that of Silence, as well as our own Field Marshall Klur. Your heroism cannot be overstated. For your impeccable service above and beyond what the Fievegal could rightly have asked of you, We will hear your heart’s most earnest request, and by all the power of the Fievegal, We shall make it so. Be it land, a formal title within the Fievegal, or riches to rival a nation’s, please make your request known to Us.”

“You honor me, your Imperial Greatness. I dare not ask without the full knowledge of the weight of any request I might make. As such, it is not for myself that I make the request, but the Honeydip family. If my family from Mattarglos might be provided the means to operate and trade within the Fievegal’s borders, that would be beyond sufficient.”

Hekate cups her chin, nodding approvingly. “Your request is indeed reasonable, but is almost entirely covered by the trade agreements being formed with Mattarglos as we speak, and also available to your family through the coming system for trade and status that the Fievegal will be implementing very soon. I will personally waive any fees incurred for this process to be, but I feel that is hardly sufficient for your deeds, particularly protecting a Princess of the Fievegal and a high-ranking military officer with severe danger to yourself.” Hekate holds her right hand out, “I have decided. We will provide the Honeydip family deeded land near the Citadel, where you may use the land as you see fit, Lord Kuboen. This, of course, is contingent on permission from Grand Premier Kalegrynten of Mattarglos.” Hekate faces the aging gatonine in his box seating, “Grand Premier Kalegrynten, thank you for joining us on this most auspicious day.” The gatonine stands up with the effort that comes with age, and he bows.

“You grace me, your Imperial Greatness. As a gesture of the goodwill between our great nations, I hope that the Honeydip family can serve as one of many bridges between us, and so, I would be happy to grant Lord Kuboen of Honeydip permission to receive this rewarded land and operate it as its governor under the Fievegal.”

Hekate nods. “Very well. Lord Kuboen, I henceforth present the land…” As Hekate gives a surprisingly well-spoken declaration of Kuboen’s reward, including permission to pass on the land to his heir, Daniel checks on the girls. Jieka is playing with a button on Daniel’s cuff, while Tekten is simply cuddling against him, seemingly listening to Hekate, whether or not she understands what’s going on.

Daniel knows Hekate, Kalegrynten, and Aramellianna discussed the land rewards ahead of time, and Kuboen will be made a noble of the Fievegal, since he has been a major help on several missions now.

While he’s listening, though, Daniel sees the young woman he believes is Silence, since she is an insectoid, angel-like being seated in the “staging” seats to await her turn. But, she is third in line not because of her rank, but because she asked to go after Kuboen and Emerald, the dragon who is next.

“Thank you, your Imperial Greatness. I will endeavor to live up to this gift with honor and dignity worthy of your most gracious consideration.”

“I look forward to your feats from this day forward, Lord Kuboen. Please feel free to return to your seat or join your family.”

As Kuboen stands up, Zuzia, who is dressed once more like a Grand Princess herself, starts a round of applause that everyone else matches, since there will be time while he’s heading to his seat.

After the noise simmers down, Hekate calls out, “Next, Lady Emerald, please step forward.”

The green dragon does as she is bid, respectfully standing and approaching the podium as well, kneeling as a knight for a moment. “You honor me, your Greatness.”

“Lady Emerald, your feats are none to be overshadowed. You defended the Citadel, Our beloved home, when an unpredictable monster appeared, defending Empress Ryuogriar, Prince Fal, the Dragon Prince and the Dragon Princesses, and you even stood watch with Prince Fal to protect him day and night without rest. I will allow my beloved fellow Empress, her Majesty Ryuogriar gur Lawson, to grant your reward.”

Ryuogriar stands up regally, and she carefully walks with Samael in her arms. Everyone watches in wonder, since baby dragons are almost as rare and treasure-like as the jewels the entire Fievegal Royal Family are wearing, including Sundenelle, Aramellianna, Neith, and Zuzia.

“Lady Emerald, her Imperial Greatness has spoken briefly of your feats, but your actions have impressed none more than me. Even in the face of my own displeasure, you set aside all differences to defend me and the children. I have had my eyes opened, and, our beloved Emperor has done his best to teach even me, the eldest of the female dragons, the value of forgiveness, fairness, and second chances.” She cradles Samael affectionately. “I am proud to be able to reward you, Lady Emerald. I have decided that any and all debts you owe to the Fievegal shall be forgiven, and you will be granted the noble title of Countess, which you may pass on to your firstborn heir. And, lastly, I wish to hear your heart’s greatest desire. Name a request, and if it is within my power, it shall be yours.”

Emerald looks up, and she looks briefly at Neith, and then up at Ryuogriar again. “My heart swells with pride and gratitude, your Imperial Majesty. I have but one request that my heart desires. I hope to be granted a new name under this new life of mine in the Fievegal.”

“Is… that the full extent of your request?” asks Ryuogriar. Daniel can tell she expected the green dragon to ask for something specific.

“Yes, your Majesty. I would not dare ask for that which might appear to be motivated by avarice. I wish only for the honor of a name granted to me by our gracious rulers of the Fievegal.”

It sounds a little bad when she says it that way, but Daniel realizes she’s not asking for a child, which is what even Ryuogriar seems to have expected. As such, Ryuogriar is quiet for a moment, and she realizes the green dragon is giving her a chance to look magnanimous.

“I see, Emerald… You are wiser and kinder than I would expect,” murmurs Ryuogriar with a smile. “Hear this; if a name is what you wish for, then a name it shall be. Like Lord Kuboen, your humility is a virtue to be envied. That said, in these early days, when we are a small nation doing our best to protect what we have, never let it be said that the Fievegal is not generous to Our friends and allies in times of victory. So, in addition to your new name, I shall grant you one more wish. You may make this wish in private with me later, if you prefer, such that no one will accuse you of avarice, and the nature of this wish shall remain between us.”

Emerald’s eyes waver as she feels immediate gratitude, since Ryuogriar is explicitly saying without saying it that she’ll give Emerald what she truly wants, even if it might sound terrible if said in an open audience.

“I humbly accept, your Majesty,” replies the green dragon. She looks down to hide the fact that her eyes are actually starting to water, and she takes a moment as Ryuogriar smiles, returning to her throne. Hekate stands up and dismisses Emerald once she’s had a moment to calm herself.

“Next is our very own Princess Silence kos Lawson, daughter of Princess Arachne kos Lawson, who remains indisposed with my permission. Princess, please step forward.”

Silence stands up, but rather than walk, she floats just a few inches off of the floor. Her robe-like wings don’t flutter, but they do drift around her as if she’s submerged in water, and the angel-like being is rather stunning to watch. Much of the audience chamber follows her movements with a sort of awe, since she looks so elegant in her own beautiful dress. She lands and curtsies on the podium, saying, “Thank you, your Greatness.” Her voice is still stoic and emotionless, which is very similar to Arachne, but she remains polite and bows her head.

Hekate shakes off her own wonder, saying, “Princess Silence, your deeds are numerous, as are the circumstances of your arrival to our realm. Regardless, you wasted no time in helping combat the mana fire, protecting lives, including that of our most esteemed Grand Duchess Senior, Aramellianna kos Phenglegorn. As a Princess of the Fievegal, your bravery is an example to us all. Whatever you shall wish for, I shall do everything in my power to make it so.”

“Thank you, your Greatness,” replies the strange butterfly-like angel. Daniel is captivated by her, since she is beautiful even in the ways that she is not human. Silence continues, “If I may, your Greatness, I would like to direct my requests to his Grace, the Emperor. My requests are of a personal nature, and most suited to his Grace.”

Hekate looks at Daniel, and he nods. He gently does his best to scoot out from under the two Princesses, reassuring them that he’s just going to stand where Hekate is. “Please be good girls, and stay seated. I’ll be right there.”

Jieka nods, but she asks, “Can Jieka have cookie?” Daniel smiles and pets her head. “Sure.”

Tekten continues to cling to his jacket, though, and Daniel gently places his much larger hand on her tiny little green fingers. “Tekten, I’ll be right there. I can’t hold you this time. Please? I’ll give you a special treat if you’re a good girl for Daddy.”

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She’s obviously nervous, but she lets Daniel go, and he slides them back away from the edge of the throne to be safe. He whispers to Hekate as he’s stepping up beside her, “Can you give the girls some cookies, Hekate?”

“Only if you give me something in return,” replies Hekate with a smile.

Daniel chuckles. “How can I ever refuse you?”

“I don’t know. You do it all the time…”

Daniel ignores that last part as he steps up and says, “Princess Silence, you bring honor to the Lawson name.”

“Thank you, your Grace,” replies Silence, each time sounding completely level-toned and just barely audible, as if her voice casually dances through the air to effortlessly be heard by all.

“What requests do you wish to make at this time, your Highness?” asks Daniel politely.

“My first request, if I may be so bold, your Grace, is for permission to address you henceforth as ‘Grandfather’, as you are the Father to my mother.”

Daniel is stunned for a moment by this request. He knows it’s true, since Arachne is technically his daughter, not least of which because he has accepted her as such. But, this is also technically the first time Daniel is meeting Silence, since she has been focused on helping Arachne with whatever the Death Knight has been working on.

“Very well,” replies Daniel. “By all means, my Granddaughter…” He pauses with a slightly awkward smile as he digests this word. Even if he were still counting his Earth age, he’d only be thirty-five at this point, or maybe thirty-six, since he has partially lost track and doesn’t quite remember what month it was when he transferred to Zenkon. His physical age now looks to be around twenty-four. But, even with his actual age, it would be almost unthinkable for him to have an apparent adult granddaughter, and given that Jieka and Tekten are only approaching their first birthday at present, he thought he had a great many years before he had to worry about being called “Grandfather” or “Grandpa”. Still, he doesn’t really mind, since accepting the nonsense of this fantasy world has been his survival strategy so far, and it has made for a rather enjoyable life, all things considered.

Daniel idly scratches his eyepatch, feeling the aching, burn-like itch behind it, but afraid to actually put any pressure on it, since he is still far from being ‘healed’. He finally finishes his thought, “You may address me as ‘Grandfather’ whenever you see fit.”

“Thank you, Grandfather. This means a great deal to me.” She bows her head graciously, even though her voice couldn’t sound any more ‘bored’. But, Daniel knows from Arachne that the two simply don’t inflect much, so their emotions are deeply buried behind a stoic outer layer.

She then asks, “May I make another request, Grandfather?”

“Go ahead. You served fearlessly even though you were still new to our world, and calling me… ‘Grandfather’ is hardly worthy of being called a ‘reward’. If anything, it is a reward for me, even if it is rather… early for what I envisioned.”

This gets a warm chuckle out of a great deal of the audience chamber, including the Empresses. Daniel takes the moment to glance over his left shoulder to make sure the Princesses are behaving, which they are, thankfully. Tekten is fidgeting nervously with Hekate’s tail like a security blanket, since the feldrok teen decided to sit down in Daniel’s throne with them as they watch Daniel, and Jieka is making a mess of crumbs from the pile of cookies Hekate gave her. Daniel makes eye contact with the ravenette, and she grins, shrugging innocently.

The mechanic shakes his head subtly and faces Silence again. Regardless of the loss of regal posture, Daniel is thankful that Hekate is helping keep the Princesses content. With the laughter calmed down, Daniel gestures patiently for Silence to continue.

“Grandfather, for my next request, I would like Lord Kuboen of Honeydip.”

This smacks Daniel like a car splashing a puddle on him on the street; so far outside of his normal expectations while his guard is down, that he can’t even process it fully. By the time it sinks in, it has been over five solid seconds of silence as Kuboen jumps up from his seat in the box seating with Kalegrynten and the three other family members other than Gwenesphia who are present. Kuboen is shocked, and he glances from Silence to Daniel for a moment, which Daniel sees because he also looks to the gatonine for some sort of help.

“In what context do you wish to ‘have’ Lord Kuboen?” asks Daniel. “As you know, slavery is and shall remain illegal, with magic contracts used only as punitive action for particularly powerful individuals to help prevent their escape or regression to violence.”

“Yes, I understand and agree, Grandfather. I desire Lord Kuboen to become my Husband.”

Again, Daniel’s brain stalls out, and he’s frozen for a moment. Kuboen did save her, but according to the reports, she was unconscious during this rescue.

“I hear your request, Princess, but… uh…” Daniel’s eye starts to bother him a little more, only because his mind is lowering its guard against the pain as it spins idly, wholly caught off guard by Silence’s request.

He idly glances at the slightly lower platform of the deis, where Aramellianna and Zuzia are, specifically. Zuzia is just as equally confused as Daniel, though it may be because he’s too young to practically have grandchildren.

Aramellianna, for her part, seems more serious about the discussion, and she looks up at Daniel. She gestures her head forward, signalling Daniel to say something, meaning the silence is growing.

Daniel straightens his posture and says, “Princess… May I ask you why you have come to make such a request?”

“Certainly, Grandfather,” replies Silence in the exact same stoic tone that she has used. It’s not smug nor condescending, and if anything, her voice does have a sort of hypnotic quality to it. She could probably read a list of ingredients on American “healthy” foods and captivate an audience. The angel-like young woman continues, “Lord Kuboen has expressed his own concurrence with this request.”

“What?” just barely breaks over the large size of the audience chamber, emanating from the box seating where the gatonine in question is seated. He’s leaning on the banister, and everyone looks up at him, including Daniel, who is surprised by Silence’s claim.

Silence glances up at him and continues her explanation, “It is true, Grandfather.” For once, her voice shifts approximately one level deeper, but otherwise maintains the same stoic rhythm. “‘No. Hahhh. Grand Prince Kuboen. Yes. That’s. That’s acceptable. Hahhh. Hear that, Silence? Your Highness. I won’t force you, but it’d be nice.’ And, ‘I have this and all my toes, so come at me bastards.’” She returns completely to her normal tone, finishing her explanation, “These are the words Kuboen said while saving my life when I thought I was going to die after extracting her Grace Empress Wenlianna from the airship prior to its final impact. It was Lord Kuboen’s idea, and I feel it is a fitting reward that I am happy to accept.” It’s difficult to say she sounds happy, but she does hold her hand over her heart, and her face gives a small, doll-like smile.

Daniel looks at Kuboen again, and the newly promoted scion’s own expression is one of horror. It’s pretty obvious that he said the things she quoted, even if he probably thought she was unconscious the whole time.

The murmuring from the gallery of nobles, visitors, and anyone else that has been allowed to fill the stadium-like seating and observe the audience is still mild, but filling the air with sound. Daniel says loudly, “Lord Kuboen, join me and Princess Silence at the podium.”

Daniel checks on Jieka and Tekten, and he scans his crowd of consorts, who are smiling in amusement or surprised by the sequence of events that are taking place. Gwenesphia looks particularly worried, and Daniel asks softly, “Gwen, do you want to join us?”

“I… No. I trust you, Daniel. I’m… sorry this happened.”

Daniel shakes his head. “I’m not angry in the slightest. It sounds like Kuboen was quite heroic and spoke his mind candidly when he thought he was alone. I just… need to sort out what they both actually think before I let this move any further forward.”

“And she’s too young!” whines Hekate. She stares at Daniel with wide eyes, not considering at all how she might look to the audience observing and gossiping around them.

“I intend to address that as well,” replies Daniel. He looks to Aramellianna, mouthing the question ‘[Do you object?]’

Aramellianna takes a breath and sighs. She stands up and requests, “Your Grace, may I approach?”

“Of course, your Highness. Please do.” Daniel steps down to her level as she walks over, and she smiles softly.

The brunette matron says gently, “This… is an unorthodox audience in many ways already, but you’re handling it well enough, I suppose. Generally, if a member of Royalty offers to grant a wish or request, it is… expected that such an offer be upheld, particularly in reason.”

“And, a marriage is within reason, yes?”

“It would be an easier sell if the requested betrothal is to someone whose status has been compromised, but if I know you as well as I believe I do, your Grace, I suspect you intend to ask Kuboen his thoughts on the matter.”

“I also need to address the fact that Silence is created, rather than born, because otherwise, it sounds terrible.”

She nods. “It would conflict with your stance on her Greatness.”

“Yes it would,” retorts Hekate, flopping her tail a little bit as she stares pointedly at Daniel. A pin could drop even with the murmuring around the audience hall, and Hekate would probably be able to tell where it is. Regardless, Daniel doesn’t want to keep the other two waiting, since Kuboen has hurried to the ground floor as well, but he’s keeping his distance from Silence for the moment.

“Please excuse me, your Highness. Once I have a direction to go, I’ll inform everyone.”

She smiles and dips her head in approval. “The Fievegal is blazing a new trail, so it is forgivable, as long as you remain prepared for the rumors and gossip, your Grace.”

“Thank you. We’ll tackle the problems as we can.” Daniel smirks, and he carefully turns back to his right, since he obviously doesn’t have his peripherals while standing on essentially a large staircase. Aramellianna returns to her seat after a slight curtsy, and Daniel says, “Grand Prince Neith, please join me.”

Neith stands up with a smile. “Your wish is my command, your Grace.”

Daniel and Neith descend to the floor, and the grey dragon remains by the foot of the deis, casting the silencing spell around Silence, Daniel, and Kuboen as the two men gather with the summoned Princess.

“Your Grace, I meant no offense and I mean none now. I spoke recklessly that day to keep myself from fainting. I was certain her Highness was unconscious.” He kneels quickly, and both Daniel and Silence are unsure how to respond right away.

Before Daniel can respond, Silence sinks to her knees beside Kuboen while facing him. “I am… new to life, and many things such as emotions and nuance may pass by me. However, I was not offended in the slightest, Lord Kuboen. In fact, I was rather inspired. I know not what love and infatuation are, but I am willing to learn and be guided. With no former attachment to me, you risked your life to save me, and the thought crossed your mind to wed me.”

“That’s… I…” Kuboen doesn’t want to say it was just a joke or that he was being sarcastic towards Daniel, who wasn’t there. He looks up at Daniel for help, and Daniel ponders for a moment. He finally says gently, “Please, both of you stand up.”

They do as he bids, and Daniel then explains, “Kuboen, I agree with Silence. No offense was given, and I don’t believe in class divides. As a father and a grandfather…” He scoffs and smirks at Silence before continuing, “It is my duty to do my best and ensure that my children and grandchildren are not lured into harmful or exploitative relationships. I know you’re a good person and protective of your family, so I would not object to this union. In fact, it would have my blessing.”

Silence starts to perk up proudly, as if she just won a competition or a gameshow. “However,” adds Daniel before she gets too excited. “Silence,... Right now, I have a rule that any citizen of the Fievegal must be eighteen to marry, or to engage in the activities that a relationship such as marriage might include.”

Kuboen is stunned and slightly pale at the thought of what Daniel is implying.

Silence asks, “So, you intend to refuse, Grandfather?” Daniel can tell there is a slight edge to her tone, even if she doesn’t know it. It seems like she is genuinely upset at the notion, and it leaves Daniel thinking for a moment.

Arachne feels things. She simply doesn’t sound like she does because of the way her voice comes out. But, Vaergraes and Hekate have both mentioned off-handedly that Arachne becomes different when she is with Daniel, since Daniel does treat her with a great deal of respect as he would an adult daughter, and in turn, she likes to help him with everything she can.

Daniel closes his left eye for a moment to rest it and try to overcome a growing pounding in his right eye. He had a toothache once that felt like it made the nerve in his skull up to his temple hurt, and his eye is feeling like that, but deeper and in a place he can’t try to massage to alleviate the pain.

He takes a breath and exhales, saying softly, “Pay that no mind, my eye is acting up.” He opens his left eye and looks at each of them.

“Kuboen, I won’t force you to marry if you don’t want to, but I would be honored if you would consider seriously a marriage to Silence. That said, Silence,...” Daniel looks directly at her. “I’m still new to having children, and even newer to having grandchildren that are probably smarter, more mature, and wiser than I am in certain ways. So, I am going to go back up to the throne level, and I’m going to put this off until we can all gather together and have a more private conversation about it.”

“Do you not wish to marry me, Lord Kuboen?” asks Silence seriously as she looks at the gatonine. He is caught off-guard by this blunt question, and he glances at each of them.

“I… I have no… I hadn’t seriously thought it would ever be something I would have to think about, in all honesty, your Highness. I’ve been rather rude to Daniel, and… I have seen how protective he is about his family. If I could… I would like to discuss it with my family only because I don’t know what kind of obstacles to expect. And, I wouldn’t wish to cause you any problems.”

Silence studies Kuboen’s face for a moment. Daniel is fairly confident he’s being sincere; it is more about avoiding problems for the higher rank Princess than the problems it’ll potentially cause for him. The Fievegal won’t humor mysterious assassinations the way that was tried with Erimaya. She then tilts her eyes to Daniel and studies him as well. For a moment, a sort of innocence is all Daniel feels from her. He doesn’t live with any residual anxiety of how powerful so many of his companions are, but he is always keenly aware of it. But, at this moment, she is just a young woman petitioning him and pondering how she feels about what she was just told.

“If you will consider my request, Grandfather, Kuboen; I will accept the delay to your answers in hopes that you will each come to a favorable decision.”

Daniel feels a little relief, and he nods approvingly. “We will have a private meeting with the Empresses and the Honeydip family after the audience to discuss it further.”

“Thank you, Grandfather. May I make one more request?”

Daniel hesitates, and since they’re still in the silencing bubble, the mechanic nods. “Let me hear it here first.”

She nods. “Yes. Please grant me a name for my type of being.”

“Type of… You mean your race? Or, I guess, species? Such as human for me and gatonine for Kuboen?”

“Yes,” replies the Princess with a tiny smile adding a subtle, but rather adorable curve to her lips.

Daniel nods. “I’ll repeat what I said about your requested betrothal, and then ask you to make this request again.”

“Thank you, Grandfather. When Kuboen accepts my proposal, we will become a family that will honor you long into the future.”

Kuboen and Daniel both chuckle awkwardly, and Daniel says, “Let’s have that discussion first before we go any further.”

“Yes,” confirms the Princess with her somewhat deadpan-sounding voice.

Daniel asks, “Kuboen? Anything to add?”

“Uh… No, your Grace. I’m… It’s a lot to think about, and I was caught off guard. I apologize, your Highness, if it seems like I am hesitant, it is only because I hadn’t thought about anything like this seriously.”

“I understand,” replies Silence without adding anything further right away.

“Y-You do?”

“Yes. I will convince you if I must.”

Kuboen is stunned again by this, and Daniel says, “We’ll talk about it more. Kuboen, I’ll dismiss you from the deis. I have to at least pretend to be an Emperor, right?”

The gatonine warrior scoffs and chuckles. “Understood, your Grace. Thank you.”

Daniel heads back up the deis, and Kuboen and Silence wait for him to return to his seat as the unorthodox Emperor. Neith dismisses the silencing spell, and Daniel reaches the top as the dragon returns to his own seat. But, as the Emperor, Daniel doesn’t have to wait for him, but Hekate certainly doesn’t miss an opportunity to eagerly tease Daniel at a soft whisper.

“Daniel, I’ll meet you in your room tonight. Heeheehee!”

Daniel smirks at her, and he projects his voice as he faces the front. “Princess Silence, Lord Kuboen; the discussion regarding any possibility of betrothal between the two of you is a complex topic that requires more discussion. Silence, I genuinely wish I could grant your wish without question, but it would go against some of the values that the Fievegal will be holding going forward, not least of which is personal liberties. As both an Emperor and a Grandfather, I will bless and encourage this union, but we’ll have to discuss it in more depth with Lord Kuboen and the Honeydip family. I hope you will have patience for now, Silence.”

“Yes, Grandfather. I understand,” replies the young summoned woman.

“Thank you. Now then, Lord Kuboen, you may return to your seat at your leisure. Princess Silence, I believe you had one more request that I can grant now, correct?”

“Yes, Grandfather. If I may be so granted, I ask that you grant my species a racial name. As a magical summons granted autonomy by her Highness Arachne’s, my Mother’s, blessing, I do not feel I meet the definition of a Death Knight, a golem, or any other known sapient race.” While Daniel is saying this, Kuboen bows respectfully at Silence and quietly makes his way back to the exit from the room that will allow him to return to the box seating where he was.

Daniel was pondering Silence’s request while he walked back up the deis, but he hasn’t quite settled on something. He looks at Wenlianna, and the young brunette widens her eyes, and she quickly shakes her head.

Once all of the reports were made and everyone got the majority of the story, including Daniel, Wenlianna’s tale of her own harrowing experience, confirmed by Arachne and Silence, proved to be quite amusing. In a state of fear-induced delirium, Wenlianna fiercely fought off the other specially-crafted summons that Arachne created with Silence, and both of them made non-sapient versions to aid in the battle while being expendable.

Wenlianna believed they were ‘Angels of Death’, coming to take everyone from the airship into the afterlife, and she viciously –and impressively– defended herself with magic.

Angels of Death… Hmm… If I remember right, the three primary types of angels were the Seraphim, Ophanim, and Cherubim, right? I wonder if Zuzia knows. But,...

Daniel thinks about what might fit. He likes using mythology and various other sources from Earth because it admittedly helps him remember them most of the time, while also adding a sort of allegorical weight to the identity of the name he’s using to reflect the person or thing in question.

Who was the River Styx god? Charon? That would fit… Yeah, screw it. No one here will know, other than Zuzia.

“I have decided,” states Daniel as he faces forward, and Wenlianna whines, reaching in futility, but she’s too far away from Daniel’s position today to stop him. She’s normally too bashful to draw attention directly to herself, even if she can be shameless in some of the things that will do so. That said, she decides to trust Daniel, or someone who signals her to wait, and he smiles. “On Earth, there is a legend about a being who would ferry people to the Underworld, whose name was Charon. One was required to pay a toll, which amounted to about one strysil or felarc, and Charon would escort them to the afterlife. Princess Silence, rather than ferrying people to the afterlife, you and your companion summons rescued a great many people from the airship as it was going down, fearlessly saved Grand Duchess Senior Aramellianna’s life as well as my precious Empress Wenlianna,...” Saying this causes the glasses-wearing brunette to blush and she hides her face as the others chuckle at her softly or pout at Daniel for not teasing and flirting with them in front of the whole world. But, there’s plenty of time for that. He continues, “And, rather ferrying people to the afterlife, you ferried them to safety. As such, it is with the utmost respect that I grant your race the name ‘Charonim’, which fuses this concept with a suffix used on various other angels to represent you as heroic angels that snatch people from the clutches of Death.”

Silence stares up at Daniel, and her mouth is slightly ajar. Her face is somewhat human, though without a distinct nose or ears, but she looks charmingly cute with a dumbfounded expression on her otherwise statuesque face. She didn’t expect Daniel to give her a legendary name, though if she asked Arachne, she would know that Arachne and any of the dragons Daniel gave a name were also named after mythological figures of Earth, from gods and spirits to angelic battle maidens.

Silence trembles a little as she bows her head. “Grandfather… I am honored, and I feel unworthy of such a name. As I pledged before, I will live my life to honor the Fievegal, the Lawson name, and the Charonim race as its progenitor.”

Daniel smiles and nods. “I will be looking forward to your feats from now on, Princess Silence. Please feel free to take a seat within the audience hall or retire for now.”

“Thank you, Grandfather.” Silence curtsies for a moment, and she levitates once more to simply fly directly to the box seating where the Honeydip family is gathered with a few others. Daniel closes his eyes and lets out a sigh, doing his best not to let it show completely on his face. He hopes she doesn’t harrass the gatonine or try to pressure him, but he suspects that she is simply choosing it as the place where her extended family-to-be is gathered and wishes to start the discussion preemptively.

Whatever. We’re all clowns, and this circus is still going, I suppose.

Daniel faces Hekate, and he says, “Your Imperial Greatness, I hope I have served well.”

She growls quietly as she extracts herself from the two goblin princesses, “Well-played, Daniel. But, I won’t lose this battle.”

“It has been an extraordinarily long time since we’ve played the Hekate game, hasn’t it?”

Her ears and tail twitch together, and Veiranoei scoffs and tries to suppress her own laugh.

The feldrok girl clears her throat and steps back up to the front, switching with Daniel and rolling right back into her facade to avoid addressing the Hekate game threat, since she knows the rules very well now.

Daniel carefully holds the Princesses so he can sit back down, and Hekate further rewards and announces even more decisions that the Fievegal has come to since the last audience a few days prior.

His eye is aching, but calming his heart down from the exertion of climbing the deis helps alleviate it. Ryuogriar carefully excuses herself while Hekate is talking because Samael starts fussing, which Daniel can only hear because she was on the right end of the subtle phalanx-shifted line of thrones for the Empresses.

While Daniel is trying to subtly massage his right temple, Veiranoei leans over and whispers, “Daniel, do you need some of the decoction?”

“Not yet, thank you…” whispers Daniel. Honestly, he does want it. But, that’s why he is going to resist for now. He has dealt with greater pain, and his two little daughters quietly playing with his clothes or hands on his lap helps calm him significantly. He probably should be trying to get them to still themselves, since they’re starting to get bored, but they aren’t yet making a lot of noise, so he isn’t worried about it that much. They’re effectively toddlers by human standards, and they’re better than any medicine for soothing him in mind, body, and soul.

Anyone who doesn’t like it doesn’t have to deal with the Fievegal, but as demonstrated by the relief efforts, the Fievegal is in a dead sprint ahead while other nations are still walking.

He has to be careful not to lose control of the race, nor for the Fievegal to rest on their laurels. But, he is surrounded by reliable Empresses and friends, and as he watches the Empresses take turns speaking to various individuals, he knows that he is the luckiest man in the world, in spite of anything else that came before.

Daniel will endure the pain of his eye because he will continue to grow stronger as a result. And, together with his family, even the most excruciating pain becomes little more than a moment to move past and a challenge to overcome.

***