Tikos’ grove had grown considerably in the months since Leon’s last visit.  The main grove was to the south of Stormhollow, and as Leon flew overhead in Thunderbird form, he made a mental note to help Tikos establish more groves in the vast forests to the north, in the lands of the Ancestral Harts.  Thanks to the Harts being fairly aloof to the other Tribes and their relatively low population, much of their land was virgin forest, grown for thousands of years without human disturbance.

It was, as far as Leon was concerned, the perfect kind of place for Tikos and its tree sprites to establish new groves of thunder wood and Hesperidic Apples.

As Leon flew over the grove, he also took it as a prime opportunity to survey the grove’s defenses.  The grove he’d established in Occulara had been fairly lightly defended, with Tikos itself providing much of the more active defenses.  This place, however, was much different.  Given the strategic importance of both Hesperidic Apples and thunder wood, Leon had taken the step of having the entire forest heavily warded.  Not enough to disturb the wildlife, as Tikos had been adamant in desiring relatively ‘natural’ surroundings for the grove, but certainly enough for the force of five hundred Tempest Knights Leon had based nearby to respond to any potential threats.

Of course, the grove was so deep in Kataigida that the only possible threats were possible monsters, and the Jaguars further to the south did a good job keeping their lands peaceful and safe, but Leon wasn’t going to rule out the possibility of theft or illegal logging.  He knew that Tikos wouldn’t stand for that, but he didn’t want any attempts made at all, especially if he succeeded in opening the Thunder Kingdom up to more outside influence.  At the very least, the presence of Heaven’s Eye would do much to bring in outsiders who may have less respect for his laws and regulations.

Leon glanced at the small fortress that was being built to control the forest’s wards and handle the logistical duty of transporting harvested timber and amber from thunder wood.  It had been built of stone, though with as small of a footprint as possible, as Tikos wasn’t that thrilled about having anything resembling a settlement on the forest’s borders.  The main building was a rapidly growing tower, with a logistics depot opposite it.  The space between was enclosed by walls with a pair of gatehouses, and four watchtowers planned for each corner of the fortress.

Landing at this fortress didn’t even cross his mind.  The workers there were busy, he didn’t want to make a big deal out of his presence, and he just wanted to check in with Tikos, though he still couldn’t help but give the place a quick visual inspection.

‘Though… putting in an appearance there at some point might help with morale,’ he thought as he flew past high up enough that he doubted anyone saw him.

The center of the grove was devoted to the Hesperidic Apple trees, and it was there that Tikos made its home.  It lived within what had grown into quite a large tree with all of the lesser sprites it had recruited from the island’s forests.  Leon didn’t try to hide himself as he descended from the sky, and sure enough, as he landed, Tikos came walking out of the tree.

Its leafy hair rustled, and the air filled with the scent of sweetness.  “Leon!” the powerful tree sprite called out, speaking from the voice amber in its wrist.  “None more welcome arrivals can be than yours!”

Leon smiled at the sprite as he shifted back into human form.  “Tikos,” he affectionately drawled.  He held out his hand, and the tree sprite hesitated for only a moment before taking it.  “How have things been here, my friend?” Leon warmly asked.

“Much as ever,” Tikos readily replied.  “Thunder wood and amber is gathered, then shipped off, is.  More greater news is there, too!”  The leaves on the tree sprite’s head rustled again, and the grove was filled with a strong, heady aroma, and Leon felt himself reacting rather libidinously to it.  Tikos’ large, black glassy eyes narrowed with joy as it reported, “Spores have root taken; new sprites sprout will in one year’s time!”

“Your people are having kids?” Leon stated as a smile spread across his face.  “Congratulations!”

Tikos seemed to almost float off the ground as it shuddered with joyous emotions.  It swayed a few times in celebration before calming slightly and turning its attention back to Leon.  “No growth complete is without new growth!”

“That’s wonderful, I’m happy for you!” Leon exclaimed, though his smile faltered slightly when the tree sprite’s words sank deep enough to prick at his insecurity.  He thought of his ladies back in Stormhollow, he thought of Alcander and Sofia, he thought of Red, Gaius, and Alix.  His friends and companions were settling down, starting families, while a growing fear had taken root within him that he might never have kids of his own, that he might truly be the last of his Clan.

But while Tikos was almost literally glowing with excitement was not the time to let that insecurity show, so Leon tamped it down.

“How many sprites will that make?” Leon asked.

“Twelve now, then fifteen!” Tikos proudly reminded him.

“A most fortuitous thing,” Leon said.  “May their Ancestor shower them with all the rain and sunlight they could ever want.”

Tikos rustled a bit more before calming down, the pliable bark on its face relaxing and settling into a more neutral expression.  “Apologies, Leon,” it said.  “For reason what have you come?”

“Is checking in on a friend not reason enough?” Leon playfully asked.  Tikos rustled in amusement, sharing a laugh with him, and he added, “I’ve come for an update.  Since I’ve just returned from Arkhnavi, I want to know where everything in my Kingdom stands.  I’ll likely be leaving again in the near future, though hopefully for no longer than a few weeks, and I need to be sure everything’s moving in the correct direction before then.”

“Walk, let us,” Tikos said as it waved toward the nearest Hesperidic Apple tree.  “Leaving so soon again?” it asked as they started walking.

“Escorting a Princess back to Evergold,” Leon explained.  “Then after that… might be taking up the Keeper on an offer to explore my Clan’s old palaces.  There could be quite a bit to find there, but even if there isn’t… I wouldn’t mind seeing another place built by my Ancestors at the height of their power.”

He’d managed to convince his advisors to at least agree to hear out the Keeper in a neutral location, so he’d be meeting with the man in Evergold.  There, Leon figured, would be the best place to discuss the specifics of his offer.  At the very least, he was confident that the Grand Druid would literally throw Keeper out on his ass if he tried anything in her city, and for that alone he almost wished Keeper would try something untoward.

Tikos nodded.  “The fallen tree feeds the sapling,” it stated.

They halted before the tree, and Tikos gestured toward its branches.  As Leon had come to expect from Tikos’ tender care, the tree’s branches were heavy with fruit, though of the dozens of apples growing there, most were ruby red, and only three were pale gold.  Those three would brighten as they grew and ripened, the tree filling them with the power it absorbed from the environment.

Leon reached out with his magic senses, expanding his awareness to include the entire grove, and then further out.  Even though he was right next to the tree, it was only when he looked at the grove from such a wide point of view that he could see the currents of magic flowing through it, nourishing the land, and feeding the apple trees with the power that would consolidate within the apples.

“How long?” Leon asked.

“Months.  Not many,” Tikos replied.

“Do we know how many spares we’ll have?” Leon asked.

“Enough for retinue entire, plus twenty,” Tikos answered.

“Twenty spare…” Leon murmured.  “That should be more than enough for Helen.  But…”  Addressing Tikos again, he ordered, “Have all the apples sent to Helen.  She’s working on something special that should increase the potency of these apples.”

“Will do,” Tikos acknowledged.

Leon smiled.  “Remarkable work, Tikos.  Is there anything you need?”

“Comes to mind, none,” Tikos airily responded.

Leon nodded, but as his eyes swept over the thunder wood trees, the sky darkening slightly as his and Tikos’ enchantments started to call lightning upon a couple of them, a thought occurred to him.

“Tikos,” he whispered, “how much do you want a larger growth?  I am referring to this correctly, right?  Your Clan is a growth?”

Tikos looked confused for a moment before its hair leaves rustled and it simply said, “Yes!”

“Yes to which question?” Leon asked.  “Both?”  Tikos nodded.  “Both, all right.  Your growth…  Where I grew up, there are other tree sprites.  The Forest of Black and White is a forest that hasn’t seen large-scale human habitation in a long time—probably because it’s infested with ice wraiths.  But there are also tree sprites there.  I don’t know if there are any like you there, who might be in control, but I’ve never seen any evidence of that.  If you wanted…”

“I want them!” Tikos strongly declared.  “They be will part of growth my!”

Leon grinned.  “Wonderful to hear.  Next time I head that far north, I’ll let you know.  Might not be for a while, but expect it before we leave Aeterna.”

Tikos nodded, and after a moment of silence, they proceeded with the brief tour of the grove.  There wasn’t much more to discuss, with Tikos giving Leon nothing but good news regarding thunder wood and amber production.  However, even when the tour ended, Leon lingered there for a few hours more, enjoying the feeling of being out in the ‘wild’ again, even if that wild was still cultivated by creatures intimately connected with nature.

It wasn’t anywhere even close to being the Forest of Black and White, but it was closer than most other places Leon could easily visit.

When he left, he made a mental note to see if the trees that decorated the perimeter of the Elder Hall, so like those of his childhood home that he couldn’t help but think that they had to be the same kinds of trees, could also be grown in the gardens in his palace.  And if they couldn’t, then he might move up the date of his next visit back home, if only to acquire some seeds to bring back to Stormhollow…

---

Andromache had come to Kataigida with a retinue befitting that of an heiress to an Empire as powerful as that centered on Evergold.  Close to five hundred men and women had followed her spread across three Imperial arks.  Those arks had needed to be escorted through the misty veil surrounding Kataigida, but since Leon was married to her sister, such had been done with little fuss.

Now, Leon stood in his palace’s private arkyard.  Silver Spear had landed on the main arkpad, while Andromache’s people had largely boarded their arks and taken off.  The Imperial arks now hovered close to the palace, with six Thunderman arks close by, watching them like hawks.

Andromache herself waited with Leon and Cassandra, along with a dozen of her close retainers, and about three dozen of Leon’s Tempest Knights, with Alix there to command them, and a dozen more assistants, led by Gaius.

“Shall we be off, then?” Leon asked as the doors of Silver Spear opened at the top of the main boarding ramp.  He held out his free arm to gesture for Andromache to proceed first, his other arm held in Cassandra’s vice-like grip.  Though his second wife was putting on a pleasant and cheery expression, Leon could feel in her grip her resentment for her older sister and discomfort in the situation.

Still, he thought this would be an important thing for them all to do, and so had insisted on her joining them.

“I maintain that this is unnecessary for the heir to Evergold,” Andromache rather pompously stated.  “Returning home is not so arduous a task that such an escort is required.”

“Then don’t think of it as an escort,” Leon replied.  “Think of this as simply a man taking his wife back to her hometown to visit with friends and family for a few days.  Think no more on it.”

Andromache gave him a terribly condescending look before turning and almost marching to Silver Spear.

“This is an awful idea,” Cassandra murmured as she and Leon followed at a more lackadaisical pace, with Alix, the Tempest Knights, and their assistants following in turn.

“Gives us a good reason to go back to Evergold,” Leon cheerily replied.  “Are you saying you’d rather stay here than head home for a while?”

“No,” Cassandra firmly stated.  “I’m just saying that you got home only a couple weeks ago, there’s still a lot to do, and this whole thing with the Keeper can wait.”

“And you’re sure that none of your objections have anything to do with sharing an ark, even if a large one, with your sister for the few days it’ll take to reach Evergold?” Leon asked with a teasing grin.

Cassandra scoffed and only answered indirectly.  “There are larger arks we could’ve taken…”

“The only larger ones are so new they’re still being tested; and the heavy cruiser we took from the former Sunlit Emperor.”  Leon savored declaring Sunlit no more, though he only allowed himself a short indulgence before continuing.  “It’s still undergoing repairs, and with Nestor no longer in Raiginn, the pace of those repairs will slow.  The Ravens have to know what they’re fixing if they have much hope of actually fixing it.”

Cassandra scowled again.  After a moment, though, as they made their way up the ramp, her expression livened up, and she asked, “Have they fixed this thing’s main weapon, yet?”

“Let’s find out,” Leon replied.

Upon entering the ark, they were greeted by the ark’s XO, who was in command until Anshu returned.  Leon and Cassandra ensured that Andromache was taken care of by being put up in a cabin not too close to their own, but not too far away as to be an insult, and when her sister went to see her accommodations, Cassandra repeated her question to the XO.

The man—born to the Tiger Tribe, though lacking a bloodline—replied with a smile, and an almost mysterious, “Many repairs have been made to Silver Spear.  Some require testing, however, to ensure that they’re safe to use given the lack of materials we have on hand.  Lord Nestor has assured us that our repairs are adequate, though.”

“Nestor has admitted that he’s no expert in arks,” Leon remarked.

“As you say, Your Majesty,” the XO replied, suddenly looking slightly nervous, and realizing his mistake, Leon immediately dropped the subject.  Showing any conflict in public, even friendly conflict, between members of the Clan, was a poor idea.

“On our return journey, we should test it,” Leon stated.

The XO’s eyes glimmered with excitement.  With much more enthusiasm, he repeated, “As you say, Your Majesty.”

With that, Leon and Cassandra made their way to their personal cabins while dismissing those who had accompanied them to settle in for their short journey.  Once they were alone, Cassandra asked him, “So, any idea why Nestor isn’t coming with us?  I figured if we’re going to be accepting that crusty old bastard’s invitation to Sentinel lands, then he’d be jumping to join us to see the old palaces.”

“He told me that the Ulta suit, golems, and all else are more important,” Leon replied.  “I’m…  Well, I’m not sure, but I think now that it’s an actual possibility, he’s a little nervous to head back.  He told me that if all works out well the first time, then he’d be more than happy to accompany me back for any revisits.  I think it was just cover for his nervousness, but he told me that he doesn’t want to leave Kataigida unless he knows for certain that the old palaces are open to him.  And this meeting with Keeper might not go as well as we hope.”

Cassandra snorted.  “Lazy boy.”

Leon softly chuckled.  “You know what they say: ‘I’ll sleep when I’m dead.’  Nestor’s been dead a long time, Cassie.”

“How is death any excuse for laziness?” Cassandra playfully demanded as he took a seat on the bed, and then she subsequently fell into his arms.  Leon tickled her, eliciting a few laughs, before her mood turned again.  “This won’t take long, will it?”

“No,” Leon promised.  “Absolutely not.  First sign of trouble, we’re leaving and coming back better prepared.  Why do you ask?”

“I’m happy to be heading back to Evergold,” she said, “but I’m going to miss the others.”

Leon nodded in understanding.  He’d promised Elise, Maia, and Valeria that he’d be calling every night, while the rest of his advisors and ministers he’d promised to call every day, but it was a different feeling than being there with them.

“I’m not super happy about being gone again so soon after getting home,” he said, “so I have extra incentive to make this quick.”  He squeezed Cassandra a little closer.  “Trust me on that.”

Cassandra smiled and said, “Evergold, then maybe the Sundered Lands, and then home?”

“Just so,” Leon replied.

She stretched out without leaving his arms, then in a display of athletic ability, wrapped her legs around his shoulders and swung herself around until he was on his back and she was straddling his hips.

“What oh what are we going to do to fill that time, Leon?” she asked, her ruby eyes practically burning with desire.

Leon’s hands found their way to her hips, where after a moment, they began to wander.  “Hard to say, Princess, but I think I have a few ideas…”

One of Leon’s hands slid beneath her shirt, and she said, “I like where your mind’s heading, darling!”

Leon laughed, then let his hands fall back to her hips.  He gave her only a moment to stare at him in confusion before tossing her off of him and down onto the bed.  In a moment, he’d assumed the dominant position, but barely a second had passed before her legs were around his waist.

“Oh, so that’s how it’s going be, then?” she asked as her smile turned challenging.  “Good!  We haven’t sparred in too long!”

Leon met her head-on, the thought running through his mind that if this was going to be how they spent the next few days, then he wouldn’t have any complaints.

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