Re: Crucible of Storms: Skyforge
Aleks nodded in reply to Chloris's statement. He slowly lifted Khione off of him and gently pulled her hands away from her face. Seeing her cry elicited the feeling of a huge knot in Aleks's stomach; he abhorred seeing her like that. Tenderly with one finger he lifted her chin up so that she could look in his tri-colored eyes. He wiped the tears away with the gentleness of a mother caring for a babe as he spoke to her, "I know this is hard for you and it kills me to see you in pain like this, but... we have a lot to do. I know this is probably the only time, I would see you in more need of a reprieve than I, but in good conscience, I can't let you sit here like this. We have to find out if Fenwick is working with Tomlin or not. I know you're in pain now, but if Fenwick isn't working with Tomlin and something happened to the Headmaster, I know that you would take it all the harder and blame yourself if you didn't do something to stop it. I know it is asking a lot of you but you won't be alone, we're with you."
Aleks knew that, given Khione's code of honor, she would blame herself if something happened to Fenwick or if she didn't at least confirm his duplicitous role in everything that had occurred. Aleks stood and began to pace around his room, "Khione, I have seen you open a recently closed portal, but do either of you have the ability to open a portal to somewhere on your own? I ask this because I think the first thing we should do is head to the Headmaster's office and interrupt this meeting. If Fenwick is not with Tomlin then we can provide an allied front against Tomlin to either fight or make him retreat. If they are working together already, then at this juncture, I believe it best to make a quick retreat."
He stopped pacing and looked directly at Khione, "After we discern the answer to that, we have another tasking that we must delve into. You must take your place on the throne. I may not know much about the world I live in now, but there are a few things that seem to ring true in my mind, you can tell me if you agree with my thinking. I don't think it a good idea that, that hex-laced ichor is pooled around the Throne of the East, I have a sense that would cause horrible repercussions for the lands and peoples that fall under that Throne. Obviously, it is only an assumption of mine, I am sure you both would know better than I. Khione, you remember the battle with Samael and what happened to Kara after she ate what remained?" He asked as he gave a quick flick of his eyes to Muramasa to convey his meaning, "That's why I was not sure if I could clean it up." He hoped that she got his meaning. He suspected that if he had let Muramasa drink the ichor that he might also take in his remnant, and he was not sure if that was enough to give him a stake to the claim of the Throne of the East. It was Khione's throne and Aleks didn't take the chance without knowing if that was a possible outcome.
He continued to look into Khione's eyes, "You say you're on the cusp of true Ascendancy? In what little I've learned, I think I am starting to see certain correspondences from the allegories and the avatars that I have met on our journey. I believe that to take your Throne, we do indeed need to bring Calais back. You said he needed to be reforged, from your choice of words... reforging and not resurrecting, that you know something about how that might be done or who might be able to do that? If that is the case then I believe once we have figured out if Fenwick is with us or against us, we should head out to see that done. I think Amaterasu needs her blade, given by her brother. We then need to find out how best to rid the Throne room of hex and finally, get you to take your rightful place. So we need to get to this meeting, see about helping Calais, clean the throne room, and then get you on your throne. Somewhere amidst all that, we need to check on Ethan and Lorei, Lamia and Isen, and Chalice. I know it is a lot, but you know they say there's no rest for the wicked," he said with a smile as he dropped down to one knee in front of Khione.
He took her hand, with her focus on it, in both his hands, "You can do this; I believe in you with all my heart. And I have to say something... Tomlin may have lost his way or hells, he may have never had it, but that doesn't negate what you have learned from and under him. His personality and visible life may have been a lie, but he did something right. He taught one of the most noble, honorable people I know. You are what it truly means to be a guardian. As a knight, you served and protected and soon, you will become a sovereign. Probably one of the best and seemingly the most good that I have heard of. The world needs a leader like you, and your desire to fight for and protect people will prove useful in your challenges. The scope and power that you'll have with which to reign and protect will be amazing and touch more lives than you could have as a knight. I think maybe, it was always meant to be this way. You needed to be that guardian, that protector, so when the time came for you to be ready to rule, that you will have had that mindset and experience with us commonfolk, to lead from a place of compassion, benevolence, strength while knowing when the hard decisions must be made, and you'll be able to do them with honor and secure in the fact that what you do is for the good of your people and lands." He finished, patting the hand of the most important person in his life.