Relaxed Orb smiles and says, "I just wanted to say than-."
Holding back her finger, she releases a flick then sends air pressure flying into Orb's forehead, knocking him down onto his back, then says, "SPEAK WHEN SPOKEN TO!"
Zahhak, taking over Cyrus, says, "How unflattering-." Cyrus, taking back control, says, "Stop she's going to keep hitting me!"
Stelara walks up beside, Dumitra says, "Focus, Queen."
"Yeah, yeah." Walking up to the front of Orb and all his friends, Dumitra says, "All of you here in your own ways fought to protect Blestemate, many of you having no bond with this country or its people at all, and for that from the bottom of my soul I thank you all for your kindness and strength."
Dumitra gets on both of his knees and prostrates herself in front of everyone, and says, "Thank you for protecting my children, you don't understand how much this means to me."
Shock fills the expression of them all, with Avram saying, "My Queen, you don't need to do all of that for us."
Stiprais, walking up behind her, says, "He is right. You shouldn't lower yourself for babies like them."
Vėja says, "These are not any random travellers but leaders of a different country; it isn't right for our matriarch to lower herself like this."
"Is it not a matriarch's job to be a moral leader for all the rest of her children? If someone goes as far as these people have gone for our country, then this is the least you should do as thanks to be a just human being."
Dumnorix says, "Thank you, but please lift your head up now. It might be personal, but I only want to see those greater than me bow their heads when I defeat them in battle."
Abbán grabs Dumnorix by the neck and shakes his head, saying, "You're still trying to pick a fight after what we saw yesterday. Has your brain damage gotten worse?"
Laughing as she rises, Dumitra says, "Courageous, I am sure that willpower will carry you forward. Now onto the rewards."
Standing in front of the three idiots, Dumitra says, "Rise."
They get on their feet and avoid looking into her eyes as they stand upright. Holding them all tight in a hug, Dumitra says, "Your ingenuity and courage were able to bring me back from the brink of death and save the people of this country, and for that, any single request each of you three has of me shall be carried out within the full extent of my power. It can be a castle, a title, wealth, or even having your parents over their bow and grovel at your feet each time they see you for the rest of their lives, are all things that can be given."
The faces of the three idiots light up as they stare at their parents behind the Queen, causing Veekeeris to say, "My Queen isn't that a bit too much?"
"SHUT THE HELL UP, YOU THREE MORONS! I FALL ASLEEP FOR 3 YEARS, AND THE COUNTRY EXPLODES. IF THE SAVIOURS WANT SOMETHING, YOU GIVE IT TO THEM DUMBASSES!"
The three morons coward, and the Queen walks back up towards the stairs and says, "Another reward I have for all of you is that each member of Niflheim will be given special citizenship. At any point from now till you all die, I will welcome any of the current 57,000 people into my country. So, if Orb over there blows up your country due to poor management like the three ultimate mega morons over there, you have a special safety net."
Orb, sticking up his hand, says, "Hey, can any future members of my country also receive this benefit?"
Orlok dashes up to Orb and picks him up by his collar, and says, "How dare you try to abuse the Queen's kindness by asking for more. This greed is what the Messiah warns us about, you should cut yourself repeatedly in front of her majesty and keep regenerating until she forgives you for this blight onto her n-."
The little wolf boy starts picking Orlok's nose, and says, "You got a bit of snot in there, handsome guys like you shouldn't let things like this stand."
His annoyance rises, and Dumitra releases another flick of air pressure onto the back of Orlok's head, knocking him to the ground. Dumitra says, "Sorry, Little Lok, there is a bit of a crazy supporter of mine, he almost cut off all your heads a moment ago when I took a bow."
"No problem, it was actually pretty fun to be picked up, nobody ever does it."
Cyrus using his tail picks up Orb, and places him on his shoulder, and Dumitra says, "You're a boy whose willing to put his life on the line for a giant amount of strangers, I have a feeling that if I was to extend that citizenship to all future members of your country I feel like I am one day going to get millions of immigrants rushing into my door."
"Fair," all of Orb's friends say.
"HEY!" The little wolf boy screams with his hair turning red.
"Next thing of note would be the deal between both of our countries. I have had the ministers give me the rundown of the details of your plan, and I agree to it."
Smiles move across all their faces, with the exception of Orb and Elia, who wait with cautious looks. With his head turning black, Orb says, "But-."
"But, I will need you to meet certain development goals on certain timelines. This means you'll have to focus mainly on reaching the western edge of Victoria before anything else."
The air in the room changes, and Maple's face turns to Orb, who says, "That would be rather inconvenient for us. We want to mainly focus on developing the land around us first before we start launching large projects towards reclaiming Victoria."
"Then change your timeline. The truth of the matter is that after hearing about you, I have no confidence in whether or not you will be dead in the next five years. I can't bet my country's future on you without certainty. And besides, I am not restricting you unfairly. If you meet the goals, I promise you the allegiance of Blestemate as a permanent ally, and my own allegiance as a weapon to defend your people. And I am sure that would help with your current predicament, Mr Basileia."
Under his breath, Orb whispers, "Crap."
Φ Feeling my Blestadrac blood surge, I stare at Orb and my son as I try to calm myself down.
She got us. It has been less than 24 hours since she has been awake, and the Queen has already figured out we were the ones who took all of the Basileia crystals from the Crystal Cave.
One of the biggest roadblocks we currently face is the fact that the events at Basileia have not only caused a shortage of a critical resource worldwide, but also involved an attack against a series of nobles from countless countries. It is easily one of the main issues Niflheim faces in terms of optics, along with the association with the Beastkin. Is this a threat?
Smiling, the Queen says, "I would like for a few of my trusted ministers to join your council, as was recommended earlier, and they will make sure you are abiding by the goals of our deal. I know this might not be the ideal you were looking for, but I am sure it would benefit you quite a bit more in terms of long-term goals."
I can't say the Queen is wrong. Her title as one of the 7 Monarchs gives her enough legitimacy and power to counter any bad will we currently have. If we play our cards right with the legacy of Skydust, Basileia crystals, Vicotria's land, and Beastkin scientific developments, we could easily establish ourselves as a strong country even in these hectic times.
The limiting of Orb's freedom with the addition of an envoy keeping tabs on his actions will make him do less crazy things, and allow development around our country to go at a steadier pace while assuring he won't leave the country and get himself killed. In all honesty, this plan isn't bad for the average citizen of Niflheim, and while slow, it definitely does guarantee a strong future for our country, but not having the ability to help those whom he wants might be a non-starter for Orb, so what shall he decide?
Φ With silver hair, and his head hanging low, Orb grabs his chin, then lifting his head up with a smile, Orb says, "I will take your deal."
Smiling, Dumitra says, "Smart idea."
Maple, walking up to him, says, "Are you sure Orb?"
"I wasn't expecting everything to go this well. I am even surprised they agreed to as much as they did. Besides, this entire plan becomes a lot easier if I simply get stronger and have more control over my Legacy."
"That sounds like something you'd say, but you'd better make sure to get good amounts of sleep, you got that!"
"Sleep is a sickness, Maple."
Maple puts Orb in a headlock, yet releases it as the Queen says, "That's all I wanted to say to you all. Now, if you have any questions to ask me, I will answer them."
Abbán stands up and holds his arm up before saying, "Would I be able to ask you a question, your majesty?"
"Go ahead, and you may call me Dumitra."
Orlok, turning to her, says, "But your Majes-."
"Don't make me hit you again, Orlok."
He quiets down like a tamed puppy, then Abbán says, "The destruction across Căderea-dracului is large and varied; it's something that will take time to repair, especially with the current mental state of all the citizenry. So I would like to ask if my Fabhtaire company could take over repairs, we are mainly a type of Beastkin who were specialised for highly coordinated jobs like construction. If you would like to hire us, I can assure you we will be able to get the city rebuilt for a reasonable price."
"And so you can get a deeper look at the cursed construction within the city?"
"Our people are already deeply use to wonderbeast construction. I can assure you we already have enough knowledge to make cursed items, so don't let that be a worry."
"I know, and I kid. But I will have to refuse. Outside of the issue that is revealing the existence of pure-blooded beastkin to the world too soon, the truth of the matter is that Blestemate is a country built by Nightmares over generations. Each building and structure has a deep history within, and that reaffirms our existence to many within the country. When something breaks here, it needs to be redone by people within the country to carry on that legacy. I am sorry, but we cannot accept your help."
"No, I understand that truly. Forgive me for my selfishness."
Abbán takes a knee, and then Orb says, "Dumi, I have a question."
"Go on."
"What will become of the Frumos family now. Will they be stripped of their titles and prestige?"
"The Frumos family, regardless of Dragoste's actions are an integral part of the country, and have done far too much for me to even recount. Countless were hurt over the last 2 days, yet far more have been helped due to the legacy of that house. I plan on contacting Intrare, and if she doesn't want to take over, I will look into one of their branch families and keep going down the list."
"Intrare," Orb says as his hair turns pink and his face lights up. He quickly smacks his cheeks recomposing himself, then asks, "Would I be able to ask another question?"
"Go ahead."
"What is the family of Lux?"
"Huh?"
"I have had a few issues with the way Lux is brought up. It's a name that both me, Cyrus, and Suzuka's Legacies all share. As well as the Church of Lux. From Setanta's memories, I can tell it was Mable and Gabi's last names which Setanta took on after being saved by them, yet I find it strange that Setanta, Zahhak, and Tamamo all happen to be from this family, and I just so happen to run into their Legacies. You seem to know Zahhak personally, so I was wondering if you could answer my questions on who they are."
Her eyes fall onto Suzuka, then she faces everyone, and says, "The family of Lux is the last name of Mable the Seer and Gabi the retard, and is carried by all those whom they see as their kids. Many of their kids and grandkids went on to hold many roles of power during the end of the 2nd Cycle, including the woman you see before you today, though this was never recorded in the history books."
"Huh!" Orb says as shock moves through the room, enveloping everyone.
Stelara, turning to the Queen, says, "I didn't know that?"
Orlok says, "Why have you never mentioned this?"
"It's a part of my life I would like to forget in all honesty, besides the past should stay the past. I have only ever brought up enough about them to you to explain the existence of Angra."
Facing Orb, she says, "In the case of your Legacies, the family of Lux all manifest Regalia, so each of them have the potential to become Legacies. Your meetings just happen to be lucky."
"That's really lucky," Orb says, contemplating what was said.
"There is a theory that says all Legacies return to accomplish a task, maybe they all had a wish they wanted to achieve, and this is the era for it."
"I see on that note, could you give me the names and locations of the family of Lux? If Setanta and Zahhak have any descendants, I would like to meet them if possible."
"Why?"
"I think it would make them happy to see their families."
"How cute, but I changed my name soon after Fimbulwinter fell, I disconnected from most facets of the descendants of Lux over the generations, mostly due to them doing so first. Besides, your Legacies would be able to give you a fair idea of where their descendants should be, and I don't believe I have the right to say that."
Pouting Orb says, "I see, I thought I might get a chance to sniff Wolfie's descendants if they existed."
"Stop being a freak, Orb," Maple says.
Laughing, the Queen says, "I can all but guarantee that the descendants of Lux will be able to recognise the soul tattoo you all have etched into your Legacies, so you can locate them using that."
"REALLY!"
"Yes, I think."
"That doesn't sound too confident."
Ignoring Orb, she says, "Now, in regards to the Church, you already know the two main churches are the Church of the Messiah and the Church of Lux. The Lux in their name is a reference to Charles Animus, who was dubbed the light of humanity at the time. The Church of Lux was what people started referring to them due to the obsession some sects of the faith had with Charles Animus. Lux is a term that is used to describe the Messiah in the scriptures. It tended to be a common enough name to those who lived before the 3rd Cycle, since Charles reign, the culture around the name changed and made doing such a thing blasphemous."
"I see, it makes Gevurah far less worrying to me. Now, one last question from myself, what will become of the members of Blamator?"
With the smile vanishing from her face, Dumitra says, "All members and associates of Blamator will be executed, no exceptions."