After Elise and Valeria left him and Maia, Leon didn’t go looking for them for a few hours. He didn’t want to interrupt anything they might be discussing, and he wanted everything that had been talked about in their previous conversation to have its chance to sink in.

It wasn’t because he was nervous about facing Elise after the way she left, after facing such dangers in the civil war he knew that that reaction would just be silly.

But eventually he did work up the nerve to go looking for Elise and talk to her one-on-one.

He found her alone in a sitting room, idly staring out of a nearby window with an open book in her lap. She looked up when he walked in, but her usual smile was tinged with sadness when they made eye contact.

“Hey,” Leon said as he walked over.

“Hey,” she replied as she glanced back out of the window, then closed her book. “Come to chat?”

“You could say that, though ‘chat’ might be a bit too casual for what we might need to discuss…”

As Leon sat down, he didn’t slouch over, he remained upright and formal, his eyes on Elise to underscore how seriously he was taking this.

Elise bitterly smiled but didn’t say anything for a long time.

When it became clear that she didn’t want to start, Leon said, “I know that I handled the situation with Valeria quite terribly.”

“Hardly an astute observation, I think everyone knows that you handled it terribly,” Elise replied, a comforting hint of playfulness in her voice. “It’s probably for the best that you refused to take her into your harem, your families’ history notwithstanding—she’s too good for you for having forgiven you so easily. I think such forgiveness beyond most people.”

Leon nodded, finding no fault with her statement.

“After talking with her, though, I think I can understand why you did what you did,” Elise said. “I am so sorry about Lapis… your giants, your unit…”

Leon nodded again, not wanting to talk about them right now, but knowing that their loss greatly contributed to his decision-making back then.

“I felt like I had to act against any threats I saw, even if Valeria hadn’t yet done anything hostile to me,” he said, his eyes turning downward in shame. “It’s no excuse for inflicting such wounds upon her, though… No excuse for rash behavior…”

He went silent, and Elise stared at him for several long seconds with a shallow smile on her face.

“You’re definitely different now than you were when you left,” she said. “I can see that plain as day. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so remorseful.”

“It’s… been a hard few months,” he replied, his voice cracking halfway through, his stoicism cracking just a hair with no one but his fire-haired lover—fiancée—there to see.

The two went quiet for a few seconds again, neither quite knowing what to say to the other. Elise was, again, the first to break it.

“I love you, Leon. More than I can ever properly express. And Valeria is one of my only friends, one of my best friends. I’ve said this before, but it seems it needs repeated; I could never stand by and watch the two of you fight each other. The idea of one of you killing the other… is one I just can’t take.”

“I think, at this point, it’s not something you need to worry too much about,” Leon said. “I… don’t want to repeat that mistake. I’d rather be friends with her than enemies. Even if we do wind up enemies in the end, I’m not sure I could go through with killing her…”

“And why is that?” Elise asked, giving him a searching look. She didn’t know him to be the sort of person who forgave so easily, who was so willing to let someone who was connected to his enemies go. He and Valeria were quite similar in a lot of respects, but in this they seemed to greatly differ.

Leon endured her silent assault as well as he could, but her brilliant green eyes cut through him like a hot knife through warm butter, and he had to look away despite knowing that it would only make him look guiltier.

“I…” he hesitantly began, warring within himself about whether or not to tell Elise the truth—whether or not to admit the truth to himself.

Before he could answer in full, however, one of Emilie’s servants knocked on the door and poked her head into the room.

“Forgive my intrusion, but Sir Leon, the Bronze Paladin has arrived looking for you! His Majesty has requested your presence!”

“Thank you, I’ll be right out,” Leon replied, and the servant retreated from the room to wait for him out in the hall. Leon, however, was in no hurry to leave, and he remained right where he was sitting, his golden eyes locked on his fire-haired fiancée.

“Seems like you have to go,” Elise reluctantly said.

“Seems like it,” Leon replied. “However, I’ll not leave until I’ve said my piece.”

This wasn’t something he wanted to kick down the road. He made a mistake, and he wanted to make sure that Elise knew in her heart that she wouldn’t have to worry about either him or her friend.

“I like Valeria,” he declared. “And when I say ‘like’, I don’t necessarily mean romantically, but the seeds of romantic interest are certainly there. I know she feels stronger about me than I do about her, but…”

“You can envision a future with her in it?” Elise asked, an easily detectable trace of hope in her voice.

“I can,” Leon affirmed. “I truly meant it when I said I wanted to make peace with her, I… would like it if she stayed in our life.”

Elise finally let a smile show on her face, but it was brief and soon replaced with a more serious expression. “I’m happy to hear that,” she said. “It might take some time, but I think I can forgive you for this. But let me tell you that you are beyond lucky that Valeria was so quick to do the same.”

“I know,” Leon softly said as he rose to his feet. “I love you, Elise.”

“Love you too, fiancé,” she replied as one last smile graced her lips before she looked back out of the window.

Leon stepped forward, gently took her head in his arms, and kissed her forehead. It wasn’t only Valeria who was too good for him, he knew. He pulled back only a second later and said, “I think I should go see what’s going on with Bronze.”

---

Leon found himself back at the King’s private villa, and this time, it looked quite a bit different. Rather than being fairly remote and deserted, now there were dozens of officials waiting in the courtyard and outside the villa’s gates, easily over a hundred people who had some business with the King.

But Bronze led Leon right past all of them, straight into the King’s bedroom. They walked in on a meeting about some bureaucratic nonsense that Leon almost immediately tuned out, but at least the King himself seemed to be doing much better than he was the day before. He displayed a bit more vigor as he listened to the officials speak. Likewise, his aura was a little heavier; Leon was still unable to see through it, all-but confirming that the King had managed to ascend to the eighth-tier despite the injury that left him comatose for years.

Once Julius’ eyes landed on Leon, however, they remained fixed for an uncomfortable amount of time, after which the King dismissed everyone else. Bronze and Penitent almost stayed, but the King told them to wait outside, as well.

Leon almost thought the two old Paladins were going to make a bigger deal out of wanting to stay, but to his surprise, they said nothing more and left the room, only pausing to ensure the door was shut and the sound-proofing enchantments were active.

“So, Sir Leon ‘Ursus’, was it?” the King said, his voice still hoarse and gravelly from lack of use in the past decade, though he didn’t seem pained by it.

“That is, indeed, my name,” Leon replied, hardly bothering to be respectful. He was already planning his exit from the Bull Kingdom, so he wasn’t going to genuflect to the King in private, no matter how offensive it might seem to Julius.

Fortunately, it didn’t seem that offensive to him, as the King proceeded onward as if everything were normal.

“Is it really, though?” the King asked. “My Paladins have told me a different story. They say your name isn’t ‘Ursus’…”

“Your Paladins aren’t all-knowing,” Leon replied, smiling at the King. “However, I will concede that my name was different before I came south. Back then, I was ‘Leon Raime’.” With Justin missing and no one else around, he wasn’t at all afraid of confirming who he was to Julius.

The King sighed in surprise and gratification as he leaned back into his pillows. “I thought so,” he whispered. “You look so much like your father and his father, I knew immediately.”

Leon nodded in acknowledgment.

“Ancestors, I miss them,” Julius sighed. “I think your family would have loved you, judging by what I’ve heard. You would’ve been one of their best knights. Now, you could be one of their best Archdukes.”

Leon’s smile grew a little strained and cocked his head slightly.

“Sir Leon, I would like to acknowledge you as the heir of House Raime and directly enfeoff you as the Archduke in Teira. That way, we can all skip the legal hurdles that might come up if you petition the court for such an acknowledgment and a return of your ancestral lands. What do you say?”

As if the possibility that Leon would decline never entered his mind, Julius reached out his hands, clearly expecting Leon to fall to his knees before the bed, take his offered hands, and kiss the golden signet ring emblazoned with the charging bull of House Taurus on his right middle finger. Or so it seemed to Leon, at least.

Needless to say, Leon did not do that. Instead, he suppressed a chuckle and replied, “That’s… not going to happen. Far as I’m concerned, you can keep Teira and the entire Plateau. Though, there is a little bit of business I still have up there…”

Contrary to Leon’s expectations, the King didn’t seem at all aggrieved with his response. Julius simply let his hands fall back to the bed and gave Leon a bitter smile.

“I can’t deny that I’m sorry to hear that, Sir Leon,” the King said, his tone sad and regretful. “This Kingdom was greatly lessened without Kyros, without your family.”

Leon nodded again, appreciating the sentiment behind the King’s words.

“I suppose I understand your decision,” Julius continued. “I hoped—more than I reasonably should’ve, I suppose—that your presence heralded the return of House Raime. Ancestors know we could use your House’s steady stewardship in times like these. However, your decision is yours to make, and it’s a reasonable one. But tell me, what business have you up there if you don’t intend to succeed Kyros?”

“Well, first off, before we get to that, I wanted to look into getting my villa in this city back after it was seized by Prince Octavius.”

“Consider it done,” the King instantly replied, his tone almost dismissive as if it weren’t even a big deal to him.

“Secondly, I was hoping to poke around Argent Palace a bit. It was the seat of my House for so long, and I just wanted to connect with my past a bit, if I could. Doesn’t mean I want to become the next Archduke, though. I’m just looking for a few sentimental things.”

“Anything in particular?”

“No.”

Julius’ tone had been a tad suspicious, but Leon’s quick answer shut down any further questioning in that direction.

“I will grant you a special dispensation to explore Argent Palace,” he said after a few short seconds of thought. “I intend to consecrate the place as the memorial for House Raime, then, if you don’t want it back. Leave it untouched, leave it for the wilds to reclaim.”

Leon chuckled a bit, knowing that Julius really wanted him to take that title back since he kept giving him so many chances to recant his decision. But that wasn’t going to happen. His future lay outside the Bull Kingdom, outside Aeterna itself. He wouldn’t be able to reach it if he allowed himself to be tied down to the Great Plateau and be answerable to the Bull Kings, and even though he was slightly tempted by the offer of the title, Teira was hardly portable.

“That sounds fine,” Leon responded. “I’m sure my grandfather would’ve been greatly touched by your gesture. But I’m fine with letting the Archduchy of the Great Plateau stay in Royal hands.”

The King was silent for a long moment, stretching out this one last chance for Leon to change his mind. Only when it became more than abundantly clear that Leon was not going to do so did the King finally sigh and say, “Very well. Sir Leon, I wish you luck in your future endeavors.”

“Thank you.”

“If you don’t mind indulging me… I don’t suppose you would share with me what those endeavors entail?”

Leon bitterly smiled and shook his head. “I’m not at liberty to say,” he said. “Partly because I don’t want people following me, but also because my plans aren’t exactly solid, right now.”

He had the archives in Teira to follow-up on, and then the map he found in the Cradle. He knew that his future would involve investigating the remains of the Thunderbird Clan on this plane until he’d gained the power to achieve Apotheosis, after which he’d try to make his way to the Nexus, rebuild the Thunderbird Clan, and take the head of Lord Kamran. However, that was about as detailed as his plans currently were, and he could think of few things he wanted to do less than try and explain all of that to Julius.

“How about, then, you tell me about your childhood?” the King asked, his tone relaxing as his emaciated body sank further into his bed. His dark brown eyes, however, remained bright and attentive, showing Leon that he was simply getting more comfortable, not losing strength.

“Any particular reason why you want me to do so?” Leon asked in confusion.

“Your family and mine have always been close, and I’m simply curious as to the events which transpired regarding Lord Artorias and the destruction of his villa.”

Leon couldn’t sense any deceit in the King’s words, so he indulged the older man with a brief overview of his time in the Northern Vales when it was just him and his father alone in the Forest of Black and White. He gave the King no details about Justin’s involvement in Artorias’ death, but he did bring up the fact that his father had been killed. He wanted to solve that problem on his own, if he could, and he didn’t want to drag Valeria into any trouble with the King if it could be avoided.

“No…” Julius whispered as Leon ended his story with the death of Artorias and the beginning of his journey south. “Young Artorias… I can’t believe it…”

Leon was a little uncomfortable talking about such things, even in the vague and lacking-in-details way he was, so he simply waited in silence for the King to regain his composure. He ended up waiting a long few minutes before the King managed to look his way again.

“Sir Leon—”

“I suppose this is as good a time as any,” Leon said, suddenly interrupting the King and changing the subject. “I am hereby informing you, Your Majesty, that I am resigning my titles as a knight and as a Legate in the Royal Legions.”

The King was stunned into silence as he stared at Leon in disbelief. He could tell that Leon wasn’t going to stick around, but this declaration had still caught him completely off-guard.

“So… So be it,” the King replied. He was again disappointed, but he wasn’t going to get in the way of Leon’s ambitions. He owed House Raime that much.

“Thank you,” Leon said, a little surprised at how easily the King accepted his resignation. “By the way, I don’t suppose you can tell me what you intend to do with Octavius?”

The King grimaced as Leon brought up another terribly painful subject.

“Octavius… will be tried once I regain my strength, so in several weeks at the most,” Julius replied. “I’ve met with both my Chancellor—whom I had to rehire—and the High Arbiter, both of whom have explained many things to me that have happened over these past few years. I… think I may have to order my son’s execution for high treason.”

The King’s voice was carefully measured, but Leon could hear the subtle wavering that betrayed the King’s true feelings. He didn’t want to have his son killed. He’d missed almost an entire decade, and once he woke up, everything about his Kingdom had changed, and just about none of it for the better. It occurred to Leon that he was probably also mourning Trajan, and the prospect of losing another family member was likely devastating for the frail-seeming King.

Leon nodded, unsure of what to say. Eventually, he settled on, “… And… August?”

Julius sighed once more. “I don’t know,” he said. “House arrest for the time being, but he’s amassed too much support to just send him immediately to the headsman right now. He’s too popular among the Legions and the nobility. Hells, I have half a mind to retire as soon as I’ve recovered and make him the new King just to put an end to all this! Make him King since he fought so damn hard for it!”

The King chuckled for a few seconds as if what he said was nothing more than a joke, but Leon didn’t think it was. He could easily see the King choosing to retire rather than punish another of his sons, especially since August had been acting mostly in self-defense.

“Will you be staying here to see this through to the end?” the King asked.

“Maybe,” Leon replied. “Depends on how long my journey north takes me—I’ll be taking you up on your dispensation to visit Argent Palace as soon as it comes through official channels. I also want to check in with some friends in the Northern Vales before leaving this region of the plane, so I might be gone long enough that I miss Octavius’ trial and punishment.”

“Well, if this is the last we see of each other, Leon Raime, I wish you all the best.”

“Right back at you, Julius Taurus,” Leon replied with a nod of his head.

The King didn’t even bat an eye at Leon’s lack of respect. In fact, he responded only with a warm, almost fatherly smile as Leon rose to his feet and made his way to the door. Leon spared the older man one last look back before he opened the door and departed.

He ignored the looks he got from the people in the courtyard as he emerged from the King’s bedroom, and only barely acknowledged Penitent and Bronze as they moved past him to rejoin the King.

Freedom. Absolute freedom. He was no longer a knight, beholden to the Legions, with superiors and orders and political enemies. He was a free man. His smile about split his face in half as he breathed in the fresh air of the King’s private forest, and he took a leisurely pace walking back toward the Royal Palace. There were some people he’d want to say goodbye to before he left, but he supposed he could postpone those to later. Right now, he just wanted to revel in the fact that his time in the Bull Kingdom was all-but done.

Or so he hoped.

‘Better not make assumptions…’ he thought to himself, trying not to lose himself in the feeling of liberation that suffused his body.

But even amid his joyous mood, that thought settled in the pit of his stomach like a bad meal, refusing to let him forget. The King had just let him leave with barely any resistance, and Leon couldn’t help but feel that it had been too easy and that the Bull Kingdom wasn’t quite done with him yet.

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