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Hail Milo! How are you old friend?! It has been three summers since last we met, yet the years have been unceasingly kind to us both it seems. My eyes and ears have brought me many tales of your endeavors. From the slaying of two kings to the building of the birth of your magnificent gifts! Who knew that my childhood friend would develop into a magus? I am increasingly excited to see how much you have grown my dear friend. See you within a fortnight!

Your dear old friend,

Sevelle Valeros

Milo read the letter twice more before placing back onto his small writing desk. In truth the desk was there more for the scribes than for he himself. Yet at the same time it felt more comfortable, more like the one he remembered from his youth than did the large mahogany one situated at the center of the room. That position was a dangerous one, leaving a body open to attacks from those who felt the need to end his existence and thus his reign over the kingdoms he was all but forced to conquer. It was unfair how much some despised him after all he went through to overthrow the despots struggling to enslave the entire populace of both empires. The nobility of both Rellan and Vallose outwardly opposed his rule unsurprisingly, but to send assassins to try and end the only individual keeping them together? They were blind fools the lot of them. They would need to be properly dealt with soon. How soon though? How long did he have before one of these assassins would be successful?

It was enough to make him want to scream. Furs were dying of cold and starvation every day while those imbeciles sat by and got fat on the spoils rewarded by high class. Milo had quickly put a halt to that by redirecting supplies into the slums of each city. Kitchens opened offering meals to those less fortunate and jobs to any and all who could work. This was a temporary plan that would become more permanent once a screening process was created with which to see who was capable of working and who would need continued assistance. It would be a long process and something had to be implemented quickly before these handouts began to be abused. Those who could work would work, there was no other way around it.

The feline stepped out onto the balcony, purring softly as the sunlight warmed his fur. The stark white stone of the building framed his own white fur allowing the pink of his nose to stand out starkly against the background. It also caused the scar under his eye to become more noticeable, though none were present to see. It was not a normal scar but a patch of hair turned a deep blue-grey; a memory of a past life. One could think of the scar as a type of gift given him by the gods for abusing his power. At times the site still stung from the residual effects of the magic which created it. That magic was something he dare not attempt again. Another loss of control could be disastrous for morale, not to mention the fact that it would destroy half the city. Magic had been the cause of so many of his accomplishments as well as his troubles.

"My lord, General Vayne Philos wishes to see you concerning the fortifications of the outer wall." Koios was a good advisor. A tall, elderly owl with a penchant for chewing on sourleaf root. He was the sole reason Milo chose to reside in Vallose instead of Rellan.

"Send him in, Koios, and ask Anila to bring up some chilled wine. I feel like this will be a tiresome meeting." The avian bowed and limped from the room. Milo was told it was old age that caused the bird to limp, though Milo suspected there was more to Koios than he let on. He carried himself much too gracefully to have just been an academic his entire life. Milo smiled as General Vayne stepped through the chamber doors. "General! I have been waiting for this moment. How are things progressing? Are my firestorms coming along well?"

General Vayne scoffed at the term, obviously still not happy with the implementation of untested magical cannons on the same wall his men patrolled. The old tiger was not a fan of magic in general from what Milo had heard. "They are going up just fine. I suppose they will be troublesome to take down as well. If nothing else they provide some cover for our archers."

"I will assume that was a joke, General. I understand your mistrust of something so potentially hazardous to your men but I assure you they will work. They run off of similar principles to the glow lamps used so often by your own men while on patrol. The main difference is that they can violently discharge that energy in a chosen direction." Milo gave the feline a satisfied grin. He was proud of his work, even if the general was not. The old tiger had experience of course, the innumerable scars along his arms and neck spoke of that. Yet the world itself was changing and with it so must their means of defense. Vayne towered over him as he passed Milo heading out onto the balcony.

"My lord, I humbly apologize for my insolence. I just do not see how we can trust something that has never been tested before. Fire is too dangerous an element to be used so haphazardly."

Milo narrowed his eyes causing the general to clear his throat. Gods did he make this man nervous? "Rest assured my calculations are spot on. Plus if you recall the greatest alchemists in Vallose developed the housing for the crystals as well as the directional hubs to harness and manipulate the energy. I doubt there will be any problems firing the weapons when we need to."

"Might we at least test them when they are up? It would be wise to know exactly how to properly aim the devices when the need for their use does arise." Vayne was finally wearing down.

"General did you think I expected you to blindly use them without any prior experience on the part of your men?" His lack of a response was answer enough. "Who am I, Vayne?"

The tiger looked momentarily dumbstruck, shifting his stance as his expression turned to that of suspicion. "You are our king, my lord. You are Milo Felecriste, High King of the realm of Eledar and ruler of both the kingdoms of Rellan and Vallose."

"I am not yet High King, though your confidence in me is uplifting I assure you. Now, who are you?"

Another wary look, "I am Vayne Philos, Lord General of the army of Vallose and a member of the High Council under your rule, my liege."

"Correct. Now who has seen more experience in battle?"

"Myself sir." A quick answer, should that have offended Milo?

"Last question, who is more fit to lead an army?"

Vayne hesitated at this. Milo could see his mind working to try and discern whether or not this was a trick question. The smaller feline answered for him. "You are general. You have the experience, the expertise, the decisiveness, and most importantly the respect of your men. I am never going to undermine your authority in that respect, in fact I will always come to you for counsel regarding anything involving the kingdom you have spent your life protecting. That being said I also am confident in my own experience with magic and devices which use magic. I would never force you to use anything that would place your men in danger, even if it may seem so at the time. Now, how about we make a deal. You make no more fuss over the firestorms and I will be the one to test them out."

The shock on the old tiger's face forced Milo to suppress a chuckle. He had never seen the cat so taken aback. "Sir, I could never allow that..."

"So you do not trust me and my work?"

Vayne opened his muzzle to protest, then thought better of it. Instead he nodded in acquiescence. "As you wish, my king. When should we expect you on the wall?"

"When will your work be finished?"

"I would say in about three days' time."

So soon? "Then I shall begin testing in four days. I shall fire each device once, then a soldier of your own designation shall take the second shot. Each firestorm holds about 20 volleys' worth of energy before the crystals must be recharged. I assume that should be enough for your men to become accustom to using them."

"That should be more than sufficient, my lord." Vayne went on with reports from each of the scouting parties sent out to patrol the outskirts of the realm. All was thankfully clear and the recent reports of bandits in the northern highlands seemed to be dwindling away. Milo thanked the general and dismissed him, returning to his previous task of staring listlessly towards the horizon. His thoughts were a jumble of doubts and what-ifs. General Vayne had brought more than just news and his own worries in with him. Their discussion brought about questions in Milo's own mind. The introduction of the firestorms was paramount to securing the kingdom against what was to come. Milo just hoped it would give them the advantage they so needed. It was not a matter of winning, victory would be theirs no matter what. It was more of an attempt to minimalize casualties and scare any potential enemies into at least hesitation if not into talks of peace. Fear was not the desired method for avoiding war, but at the same time it was not as if he was instilling fear into his people but into the leaders of opposing nations. Fear would never become a weapon against his people. The feline would abdicate long before he was forced to implement fear as a method of rule. Yet, would it not cause a surge of fear when the denizens of Vallose saw what his creations could do? That smell...chamomile?

"What brings you here Aiden? I did not think you would return for another few hours." Milo turned to find a slender lynx leaning against the doorframe leading inside. Aiden was very slight yet he was oddly curvaceous. Milo had thought him a female at first sight, though he still did not think he was far off. Everything about the lynx was feminine including his voice. The only reason he knew otherwise was proof Aiden shamelessly provided upon their first private conversation. Milo had consulted each member of the High Council privately in order to obtain their earnest opinions on his rule and what they desired to change within their respective duties. Aiden had been quite talkative that night which incited an offhand comment about how much females can talk. The slender feline seemed to take offense to that and instead of storming out as Milo expected he disrobed, exposing proof of his sex to Milo and causing the young king a severe amount of discomfort in the process. Since then the lynx often visited him, making what Milo assumed were advances that may or may not be altogether unwanted. Milo would never give him the satisfaction of that piece of information.

"How is it that I can sneak up on the great General Vayne, pride of the Vallosian military, yet you always seem to be able to catch my scent? Is this a thing of the magus?" Those piercing yellow eyes brought warmth to Milo's face. He hoped no redness could be seen through his fur.

"A product of my training I'm afraid. You forget I trained with the monks of the valley." It seemed to always rankle the lynx when Milo pointedly accused him of forgetting a fact. Aiden was supposed to be the Lord of Information after all.

He smiled and gave the king an appreciative once over. "How could I forget? It is how you obtained that glorious figure after all."

"Yes, I look so stunning in these thick royal garments." Milo glanced at the thick silk robes enveloping his body. A remnant of the past that unfortunately the High Council refused to let him retire. Luckily he had them modified for quick removal in case he was required to move swiftly. It did not help with the heat, but the thin monk's breeches underneath would at least mean he was covered if the need to abandon the more cumbersome clothing arose.

"My king you act as if you always wear those uncomfortable looking things. I happen to know for a fact that you only wear those for appearances."

"Oh? And what exactly do I wear otherwise?"

The lynx grinned, a lusty appreciation in his eyes. "Need I answer that with words? I could just..." He reached up and tugged the shoulder of his cloak letting it fall to the floor. His paws moved to pull off his top next.

"Woah there, I think I get the idea. I'm not sure how I feel about you knowing this information."

"Unsure of me knowing or unsure of the methods I used to find out?"

"Both..." A blush crept over Milo's face, obviously bright enough to show through his snow white fur.

"You are too cute my lord. I wish I could understand why you remain without a mate."

"Your report Aiden."

He sighed disappointedly, "As usual you are much too quick to turn the subject towards business. Very well. The Barthold Empire has amassed an army in the areas beyond our eastern borders. Empress Hellein seems to hold some disdain towards your hostile takeover of Vallose."

"But why? I have sent her an indication of my intents and that I have no aspirations of ever threatening her own kingdom. Why does she insist on going against me?"

"It seems she and King Gunther had been romantically involved before you had him executed. Hell hath no fury as they say."

The king shook his head, his ears and tail betraying the smoldering anger he felt at the mention of the late King Gunther. "That bastard tiger was a fool. His rule was nothing short of a dictatorship. The kingdom has already seen a surge in trade since I reopened the roads to the Vale. The population of poor is decreasing every week. How can she not see the good I am doing for both Vallose and Rellan?"

"Obviously the good empress is ignorant of what is best for Vallose, though oddly enough she did oppose the way Gunther ruled his kingdom. I don't understand why she became so infatuated with him. It certainly was not for looks. The king was fat and sloppy. Not like you, your majesty."

Milo gave Aiden a disapproving glare, "What have I told you?"

"Again you seem to love toying with my emotions. Fine, Milo. I suggest you send Koios on a diplomatic visit before things get out of hand. He seems to be suited for such a task. Certainly you could do without him for that length of time."

The cat nodded, "I think you may be right. I'll send him to make peace with Barthold. The empress will listen to his reasoning. If not then he may just have to tug at her emotions a bit to convince her. That was slightly underhanded, but avoiding a war was top priority."

"Before I leave, I would like to ask... Have you considered my proposition?" Milo cocked his head at the question. His ears twitched as he struggled to remember what Aiden was referring to. The slender feline sighed once more. "How long am I going to have to wait for you Milo? I do not offer myself to just anyone. It should not be a difficult decision. You feel our connection just as much as I do. Why not let me in? We could achieve so much together... I would even shut down my whorehouses to save you from being associated with that... This is the first time I have wanted something like this, why not give me a chance?"

Milo stared out over the railing of his oversized balcony. The city was breathtaking, framed by the cloudless azure sky. It was even beginning to feel like home for him. "Aiden you have to understand my position. I am a street urchin trying to rule two kingdoms while attempting to avoid war with a third. Yes I am a magus. That does not make my task any less difficult. It is not that I do not have feelings for you, on the contrary I have felt something ever since the day of the private consults. I have never met anyone quite like you. You are real. I feel as though you are honest with me, even when it means insulting my intelligence. Also you are correct that I feel our connection. I could easily fall for you if I have not already. There are times where I lay awake at night and feel like my only escape from the nightmares is thinking of you. All that said, I'm not sure I can in good conscience allow myself to have you. If anything were to happen it would break me... I am not sure I could remain in control were I to lose you."

"So keeping me away is your answer? If something were to happen to me now you would feel nothing?" The anger was obvious in his tone. Aiden was usually so in control of his emotions. The hurt in his eyes was almost impossible to miss. "I think that is a foolish decision." All at once his tone turned to that of cold monotony. "I will leave you to yourself my king but know that I will not wait forever." He left without another word.

"Damn..." Milo said to the emptiness surrounding him. The lynx was right. Whether he kept him at arm's length or took him as a mate nothing would change. If anything happened Milo would most likely break. So why was he so hesitant to be with the feline?

All of this was so much more difficult than he could have ever imagined. There were variables that he could not account for. Everything seemed to be piling up on him. Then he noticed the letter once more. Sevelle was on his way. He would know what to do about this situation. Milo looked at the marked date the letter was sent. According to it Sevelle should be arriving... this evening?