When I walked into the room, Arthur was already awake, sitting on his bed, letting Mikan look over him, while Sasha was pacing back and forth before his bed. Glancing at Leyla, she was nervously sitting in a chair, looking back and forth between Arthur and Mikan, while the latter looked the most relaxed. The way she cried for help made many of the palace maids and guards believe someone had just assassinated Arthur, causing the entire place to blow up. So much so, that I think we will have to make a public declaration that nothing happened just... Arthur being overwhelmed or overworked... or something.

"He is fine." My wife said after canceling her healing spell, "Physically, there is nothing wrong with him. I checked everything, believe me... He is simply exhausted, like... staying up for days without sleep."

"Even my headache has gone away," he moaned before I even opened my mouth, smiling, "I'm fine."

"Your nose was bleeding and your mouth was foaming..." Leyla muttered, not believing him even for a second.

"Are you really okay?" I asked, even though I was absolutely sure that I would not call the way he looked anything close to being fine. He looked like shit, with bloodshot eyes, wincing at louder noises or sharper lights so... No. His headache was not yet gone; he was just playing the big guy before me. "Haaah, you managed to scare everyone in the palace by collapsing in your own office. When Leyla cried out, I thought you were dying... Son, I should charge you for the panic you caused."

"Sure..." He grunted and tried to roll his eyes, but stopped halfway, wincing, reinforcing me that his headache wasn't exactly gone yet. Gotcha there, kiddo...

I could tell even better the more I looked at him, because his face was colorless, his lips were dry, and his movements were sluggish, not to mention his gaze was a bit unfocused. Great... Just before I was to depart Avalon, something big had to happen. Figures! And as a cherry on top... Because it was Arthur who collapsed, sending out a mental shriek for help, I was pretty sure who was behind it. Do I need to smack some Vasa butt or what? Because I am starting to itch to kick them in the teeth and make them eat it from the floor.

"No need to look at me like that," He murmured, watching my expression change a few times in rapid succession.

"Tell that to the others." I grunted, "Anyway, Luna is preparing some soup for you, while Yuri is making sure your siblings aren't scared to death. Especially little Percy. He heard Leyla's cries, and he got totally spooked. He is currently hiding in Jila's lap..."

"Ugh... Sorry..." Arthur and Leyla said at the same time, making Sasha shrug and shake her head.

"Not your fault."

"So," I continued, much more softly, dragging a chair closer to Arthur's bed, "You want to tell me what in the actual hell happened? Because from what I heard, you were doing math one second and bleeding from the nose the next. Did you divide by zero or something?"

"Twice, in fact." Arthur grimaced as he rubbed his temple, giving up on laughing before he leaned back, no longer trying to straighten his back, and decided that remaining buried between massive pillows was perfectly adequate. "Honestly, Dad, it wasn't just pain. There was… something else. I think the pain was just the aftereffects of the presence invading my mind. It was... a voice with such potent magic that it was oozing through its presence. It overwhelmed me."

"I told you to keep applying those bloody tattoos!" Leyla harrumphed, making Sasha nod, but Mikan suddenly shook her head, raising a hand so we would listen to her.

"He had it on."

"What?!" Sasha gasped.

"I do apply it." Arthur nodded, "Since becoming the Sovereign, I wanted to make sure all is going well... I wasn't reckless, I wasn't trying to jeopardize all that Dad built for us... All the people whose lives I should protect... Yet this thing got through it."

"Thing?" I caught on, "It wasn't that Zah'Ratil bastard?"

"No..." He murmured, furrowing his brows, "Not at first..."

"What do you mean?" Sasha asked, her lips trembling, as she sat down to hold his hands, gently caressing them.

"There were two voices. One wanted to—" He stopped, searching for the right words, his eyes unfocused, recalling the experience, shuddering. "One wanted to consume everything. That was the feeling I got... The other, belonging to the Vasas... Somehow stopped it. It broke through and dispelled the first one, expelling it from the connection."

"Fucking hell..." I groaned, rubbing my face, "Are you telling me that those bastards, whatever method they use, can now directly contact you even if we try not to pick up the phone?!"

"I think..." Arthur frowned, licking his dried lips.

"If I meet him again," I said slowly, rubbing the back of my neck. "I will Shock and Awe him with a left hook and a groin kick. I don't believe that for a moment that the first voice wasn't their shenanigan bullsit somehow, not for a second! They want to groom you since you were young... heh... Those types of bastards are the worst and most slimy. They will play any role to play with you in a shed!"

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"Like you groomed us?" Yuri asked, appearing at the doorway, while Lancelot and Galahad came in beside her, wanting to see their brother; their faces were just as horrified as Leyla's had been at first.

"That was different." I waved her comment away, "And we don't have any sheds, we have proper rooms."

"What did he say?" Sasha asked, her tone somewhat calmed, ignoring us and wanting to return the focus to Arthur, rather than engaging with me or Yuri.

"Well," Arthur's gaze flicked between us. "He said he's running out of time. That he can't hold Ignis down any longer."

"Do you think it was that thing he was speaking about previously?" Leyla chimed in again, looking at her brother, then at me, "The first voice, I mean? This... Ignis thing? Beast? Whatever the fuck?"

"That could make some sense," Mikan nodded slowly as everyone forgot to scold Leyla. Understandably. "They did mention that to you, no?" She looked at me, making me nod with a shrug. "If they indeed have a beast that gained sentience or at least grew it back, and it can do this..."

"Whatever it is," Arthur continued, "Zah'Ratil said he can't come here as he needs to keep it in check."

"Duh." I snorted, "He can't come back over the Gods' Formation anyway. And even if he did, I will drop the Camelot on him."

"Leon... we did go over, though." Yuri reminded me, making me twitch my lisp.

"He told me that he'll send emissaries." Arthur added, "He sounded nervous and anxious... He practically begged me to listen to them when they arrived."

"And you wanted to what? Go find them yourself?" Sasha asked, her voice going pretty high-pitched, "Out of the question!"

"Maybe... I haven't thought about it, but... Um...?" Arthur didn't even flinch when answering, well, at least not until he met his mother's gaze. "If he's telling the truth, Father, we can't afford to wait. I should—"

"No, you should not," I answered louder than I wanted, but it stopped him dead in his tracks, "You're not going anywhere near the Beast Lands. Not after this! You are the Sovereign now, you stay put in here."

"You also didn't stay put many times either." He tried, but with everyone looking at him, he sank back into the pillows, "Okay, okay..."

"I agree with your father," Yuri said firmly, watching him, "You're barely standing as it is. You'd collapse again halfway there. Let us handle the problem, as usual."

"Moooooms—" He began, looking at all of us, only to get shot down by the newest voice.

"No." Luna declared as she arrived, pushing in a tray with a steaming soup on it, "You eat, you rest, you stay put. I'll keep watch over him from dusk till dawn! I will chain our hands together if I must!"

"Leyla," he tried next, but there was nothing to gain there either.

"No, Arthur." His twin crossed her arms, giving him a look that matched Sasha's perfectly. "I'm with them. You're not going anywhere near the Pride, not while you still look like the refugees from Horringar. You can't even stand or sit. Forget it! If they send someone, they can talk to Dad before they even get a chance to see you in the flesh! Hmph!"

Arthur grumbled something that sounded a lot like swearing, but kept it quiet, probably because Sasha raised an eyebrow in warning, signaling that despite his current state... a spanking could be in order if he pushes it too far.

"Look," I said, leaning forward, resting my elbows on my knees. "You're not going to go anywhere near that pervert. If Zah'Ratil reaches out again, tell him that if he wants to speak, come find me at the Pass. We'll meet them on our terms, but he should stop sending you spam messages because I'm gonna filter his fucking brain out."

"I didn't understand half of that, Dad," Arthur muttered while meeting my gaze, trying to smile. "Then you're going? I got that part."

"I am," I confirmed. "I was going to the Pride anyway. I'm not letting you walk into the hands of the Vasas or the beasts they fornicate with in their free time, especially not after you nearly got your mind split in half. Fat fucking chance. You stay here, heal up, and keep Avalon running. That's your job now."

"I start to feel you dumped the position on me to make sure I was staying put, right here." Arthur's murmuring was loud enough for me to hear, but he didn't argue. He knew better than to try... heh.

"That was partially the reason," Sasha exhaled softly, visibly relieved that our son finally relented. "But it was also because Leon wanted to focus on the Vasas and not on dealing with the Union."

"Hey!" I grunted, crossing my arms, "I wanted to laze around and have orgies."

"DAD!" the kids yelled, and somehow everyone was looking at me now.

"What...? It's true..." I mumbled, pursing my lips.

"It's not an orgy. That requires more penises than just yours."

"YURI!" came the second shout.

"What...? It's true..." She mumbled, pursing her lips.

Before I or anyone else could reply, though, a sharp knock came from the closed door, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps, pushing it open. Turning around, I watched as Merlin appeared, almost stumbling through the wooden frame, a report clutched in his hand. He looked like he'd sprinted all the way from the other end of the city.

"My Sovereign," he gasped, catching his breath, his eyes darting to Arthur before settling on me. "We received an immediate dispatch call from General Lucca! It came through priority contact only eight minutes ago!"

"Bad news?" I asked, already knowing the answer, seeing his face. I even looked out the window, but... It wasn't snowing yet.

"He couldn't tell, but he expects it to be bad, yes," Merlin's expression tightened as he handed over the transcript. "They've spotted movement at Avalon's Pride. At first, they assumed it was a regular pack of monsters… but then they noticed figures riding them. Definitely human-shaped."

"Riding them?" Leyla asked, frowning. "Did he really mean he is sending those emissaries? Like... right away?"

"I don't know what you mean," Merlin muttered, scanning the room. "Anyway... They appeared for only a short time before vanishing back into the trees beyond the horizon. Lucca reports that they moved in formation. He's requesting immediate confirmation of orders."

"Well, I can't wait then, huh?" I stood up, cracking my knuckles, "Tell Lucca to hold position and keep the artillery primed, but not to fire on those that have riders. I'll be on my way immediately."

"We are... holding our fire?" Merlin gulped once, watching me with a bit of confusion, "Are we expecting... guests? Red-haired ones?"

"Something like that," I said, while behind me, Sasha stepped up, holding my hand.

"Leon—"

"I know," I said, smiling back at her. "I'll be careful."

Although... I can't say for sure that I will be cordial. Or civil about it. I am pretty angry, truth to be told, so... Fuck diplomacy. And fuck the Vasas.

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