Chapter 99: Champion, Chapter 32: A Brighter Tomorrow

Aidan

The Realms

Seventhday, 3rd week of the 9th month, Age of the Chosen 1

Noon

Ceallach Macht, Mistvale Highlands

The sun shone high overhead as Aidan walked out of Caer Macht and into a lush flower garden. Several branching paths led through a carpet of blue-violet blossoms that stretched just above the ankle-height midday mists. Bushes, vines, and small trees rose in clumps, providing visual variety to the display with red, white, pink, yellow, and other warm hues countering the deep cool color offered by the low-lying blooms.

Past the garden, less than a minute by the most direct route, stood a white stone structure. Aidan couldn't call it a building in good faith since it lacked walls; instead, pillars and arches held up its gabled roof. The area under the roof was designed as an amphitheater with seating for several hundred centaurs arranged in a partial circle around a raised dais. This was the Idyllic Forum, where Aidan's High Council would deliberate publicly. Not every meeting would be out in the open, of course, but he wanted his government to be as transparent as he could get away with.

The stands were packed. It looked like every single centaur and harpy in the city was present, although Aidan knew that wasn't true; at the very least, there were warriors of both races out on patrol. The crowd's murmurs rose in volume as they spotted Aidan and his fiery eagle-shaped escorts. He stepped out onto the dais, greeted each of the other leaders—Ailis, Sarpedon, the Starchaser Council, and Cynehild—then walked up to the edge facing the crowd. He had the elementals turn down their heat production and land on his shoulders in a bit of showmanship.

Aidan raised his hands, gesturing for silence. Everyone's attention was on him as the noise died down far enough for him to speak and be heard. Digging into his middle school drama handbook, he projected his voice as best he could and spoke.

"Thank you all for coming. Just in case some of you don't know who I am, my name is Aidan, and I am the Lord of Ceallach Macht. This wasn't a role I sought for myself; I would have been happy being nothing more than Brighid's loving husband." Aidan smiled at his Soulmate, who sat in the first row next to Sunnild. "Where I come from, there is an ancient saying, told as an ill-wish: may you live in interesting times."

Aidan let the idea settle in for a moment before continuing, "Well, unfortunately, it appears that we are all doomed to live in interesting times. Some of you were present during the battle against the Taig. Others were there when the dragon Karsarrym attacked. Some poor, cursed few of us survived both. I am sure that the rest of you know the rumors. Well, today, let me separate fact from fiction for you."

Aidan sucked in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. A paranoid part of him, deep in the back of his mind, ranted and raved that he was about to make a huge mistake. He shoved that part of himself down and ignored it. The truth was already out; it was better to take hold of the narrative now and shape it towards his ends.

"On Seventhday, in the second week of the seventh month of Godless Age 597, I was Chosen by Birgitte, Brigantia, and Braihain—collectively known as the Brighaid or the Three Flames—as their champion and agent in the world." A susurrus of whispers broke out among the crowd, but Aidan talked over them. "They granted me a measure of Their power and set me down in the Highlands to work Their will. Yet, They did not tell me what to do, saying instead that I should follow my heart.

"Well, my heart led me on quite a journey, let me tell you!" He got a chuckle out of the crowd with that. Good, they're invested. "Only a few of you know, I think, that the Battle of Ceallach Macht was the second time I faced the Taig. The first time was on a scouting mission from the Council. That first time it captured me deep inside Caer Macht. Then it killed me."

This time the crowd reacted with shock and disbelief. Aidan let it go on for a few seconds before raising his hands for silence again. "Yes, you heard me right. It ripped me limb from limb. You can ask Cai, Llwyd, Ceirios, Ysbail, Anwn, or Brighid; they all saw the manikin it made of my corpse. Obviously, I got better." He grinned at that. That's two different Monty Python skits in one. "You see, one of the benefits of being a Chosen is that death isn't quite as final for us as for most people.

"The second time I faced the Wildlord, this time with allies beside me, the Brighaid guided my hand in destroying it utterly. The display of magic at the Battle of Ceallach Macht was a result of that. Another result was my second death: that spell, Phoenix Pyre, uses my soul and life as its fuel. So, you know I speak the truth when I say that I have fought, bled, and died for the Starchasers. As far as I am concerned, you are my people, and I am yours."

Aidan turned his attention to the twenty or so Ash Shroud Sisters in the crowd, meeting each of their gazes. "I do not have any such direct bonds with the Sisterhood, but still I make to you that same pledge: any of you who choose to live in Ceallach Macht and abide by its laws are my people, and I am yours. I hope that I will not have to die again to cement that promise in your hearts. I am glad to have you with us, and I pledge to you that your lives are no less valuable to me than those of my own tribe.

"But none of that speaks to my purpose here. I told you that the Three Flames told me to follow my heart, so let me tell you where my heart leads. I came to this land and found it full of darkness. Not literal darkness; no, I'm speaking of hatred, fear, distrust, isolation. Each and every tribe in the Highlands is the same, keeping to themselves, defending their borders like a drake guarding its nest."

Noise swelled from the crowd again, this time angry murmurs joining together in a seething buzz. "I do not blame you!" Aidan shouted above them. "You were not wrong! But you could be so much more! This is the path my heart sees. This is the road I choose to walk. Not one of darkness, but of light! Passion, creation, love, and unity! You are each strong! Your very existence proves that! But we are stronger together than apart!"

Aidan pointed into the crowd. "Steffan, how much more secure would the borders be if you had an Ash Shroud Sister along with you?" Without waiting for an answer, he pointed elsewhere. "Siwan, how much has your business improved because of the ideas you had while working on my clothes? Siomon, how about getting a cu uisce water mage to make sure your fields don't suffer from droughts or floods?" Then he turned to the harpies. "Sisters, what if you didn't have to hunt and scrounge for men? That is my dream, ladies and gentlemen. A home for us all, where we can work together to do more things better than we could alone."

He paused again, partially to let the crowd absorb the idea and partly to catch his breath. After a few moments, he continued in a calmer voice, "I won't ask you for your whole-hearted backing yet. I understand that this is a big change. I'm upending centuries of culture on all sides. I ask that you keep your mind open to the possibilities and give this a chance to work. And I'm not looking to do this without input, either.

"I am the Lord of Ceallach Macht, but I have no wish to rule as a solitary monarch. I am not so arrogant or selfish as that. I know that, for this to work, you all need to be part of it. That is why I am commissioning a High Council to advise me and govern the city's day-to-day affairs. Said High Council will meet here, in public, no less than once every week, and all but one of its members will be elected by you, the citizens of Ceallach Macht. I'm ready now to announce the first three Council members; ladies, step forward, please."

Ailis, Eilwen, and Cynehild took up positions to either side of Aidan. "Ailis will serve as my Chancellor, making decisions in my stead when I am unavailable. She is my right hand, and it is her job to act as the head of the High Council. Many of you are no doubt aware that she is beholden to me by oath, so I will say this now in public: Ailis, in Council matters, you are to speak your mind regardless of whether you speak against me or not. Give me your true counsel and only your true counsel, ignoring any command I might give you in the future to the contrary. Now, do you accept the position of Chancellor and swear to advocate the realm's best interests?"

All three of the Councillors-to-be knew this was coming, of course, so Ailis's reply was swift in coming and sure-voiced. "I do so swear."

"Eilwen, do you accept the position of High Councillor and swear to advocate for the interests of the Starchaser tribe as a whole?"

"I so swear," came the solemn voice of Aidan's harshest critic.

"And Cynehild, do you accept the position of High Councillor and swear to advocate for the interests of the Ash Shroud Sisterhood as a whole?"

"I so swear," the harpy officer swore and saluted.

"Thank you for your service." Aidan turned back to the crowd and continued, "These are the first three Councillors, but there will be more, selected from among those of you sitting out there. Whether you be a farmer, a soldier, or even an artist, the High Council will hear your concerns and bring them to me. In the coming weeks, Ailis will meet with you in groups and help you all through the process of deciding on your Councillors. In the meantime, the Starchaser Council and the Ash Shroud Sisterhood's command structure are still intact and separate. Any intra-tribal concerns can be brought before them as normal.

"Now, I've talked plenty and given you all much to think about, so I'll try to be quick with this last bit. This Forum is only the first large-scale construction project; there are two more that will begin today. The first will be a temple complex dedicated to the Brighaid and any other righteous deity we can consecrate it to. Leading that project and acting as Head Priestess until she finds a replacement will be Brighid. Do you want to say anything, love?"

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Brighid shot him a mock-glare, but stood up and walked up beside him, then turned around and faced the citizens. "My goal with the temple is to serve the city's needs, not the other way around. We want to be clear: there will be no rewards for worshiping the Three Flames, nor any penalties for refusing to do so. However, it should be quite clear to all of us that They have taken a hand in protecting us, and I believe They will continue to guide us to a better future. It is my hope that some of you will come to love Them as I do. Once the temple is constructed, I will hold services every Seventhday and be available for discussion whenever I am not busy in the forge. Thank you."

"<Thank you, beloved,>" Aidan said in a whisper of Divine Speech directly into Brighid's ear, causing her to stiffen and shudder as pleasure coursed through her. Scarlet flooded over her skin, but she managed to keep from moaning out loud. Aidan gave her a smug grin, then turned his attention to the final announcement.

"The second project is a set of physical and magical fortifications around the city, drawing on the Throne's power to reinforce the walls and fuel the wards. There isn't as much to say about this one; just be aware that we are taking your safety as seriously as possible. Both of these Core buildings are being funded by myself, so they will not reduce the pace at which new homes and roads are constructed. I appreciate your patience while you're packed together like this; hopefully, by the end of next month, everyone will have a home of their own again."

The crowd cheered at that.

Aidan

Early Afternoon

"Whew, that's the longest speech I've ever made," Aidan said once the public announcement was over. "I've never been much for public speaking."

"You did great!" cheered Sunnild.

"Indeed," agreed Ailis.

"Anyway, now that the Forum is finished, I can see the Temple and Fortification options, so let's decide on those."

Aidan brought up his interface. As before, with the choice between Resplendant Chateau, Idyllic Forum, and Harmonious Complex, the system generated several options for him. He flipped through them one by one, listing all the data to his advisors.

"Uh, okay. That's a thing," Aidan said as he finished reciting the information for the Phoenix's Nest. "And I can't help but note that we have enough materials to build both Unique buildings. Should we?" Aidan looked towards Sarpedon.

"It is difficult to say. Unique buildings are more powerful than even standard Core buildings, but they attract attention. Hosting two at once could reap great benefits—or great sorrow."

"Mebbe we should look at the combinations we can build first? Yer Patron gave ya 200 units of stone, 200 of marble, 200 of exotic lumber, and 20 each of gold, silver, and bronze. Ya can also get Viridescent Nectar in whatever quantity you want from the Labyrinth, given enough time."

"We never tried harvesting any of the wood there, either," Ailis said with a grimace. "It is possible that we can get more exotic lumber that way."

"And we can always dip into the city's stores of basic stone," added Brighid. "We would have to for the Ramparts."

"Okay, let's see... It looks like we can combine the Sanctuary with either Geomantic Designs or Warded Ramparts, the Cathedral with any of the three defenses, and the Tabernacle with the Ramparts or Phoenix's Nest. Honestly, I'm not feeling the Cathedral. It places too much emphasis on a single religion for me."

"Agreed," nodded Brighid. "It seems powerful, but too monolithic for my comfort."

"Alright, that one's out then if our Priestess isn't even in favor. Does anyone have strong feelings about the rest?"

"The Tabernacle gives you a source of Dream Essence for your Quest," Ailis pointed out. "As of now, the only other way we know how to get any is through quests, which are impossible to predict."

"I don't like the idea of leaving the rest of the city unprotected by building the Nest," chimed in Sunnild. "Even if there's enough room inside for everyone, that won't always be true, an' besides that, it won't protect their homes."

"That is true, Miss Sunnild," Sarpedon said, "but keep in mind that Lord Aidan can still construct non-Core city walls and magical defenses. They will not be as potent as the Warded Ramparts or Geomantic Design, but most cities get by without such measures."

"Mm! I didn't think of that, sorry." She ducked her head, but Aidan curled his arm around her waist and pulled her into a one-armed hug.

"It's okay, songbird, that's why we're all talking about it. I didn't think of it either, so don't feel bad." Aidan was rewarded with a bright smile and a kiss on his shoulder. "With that in mind, does your opinion change?"

"Mm-hm. I think," she bit her lip, then said, "I think ya should take the risk. Yer bein' offered extra-powerful options fer a reason. Yeah, they might draw more attention, but ya already have a dragon after ya. I won't jinx it, but clearly, you've already drawn attention. Better ta make use of the best options ya have rather than trying ta sweep the dirt under the rug."

"Anyone disagree?" Aidan looked around. Everyone shook their heads. "Alright, then, I guess we have our Core building slots filled. Sarpedon, I'll rely on you to coordinate their construction while I'm away."

A broad smile broke out across the gargoyle's stone face. "It will be my pleasure, Lord Aidan!"

Aidan kissed Sunnild, then released her and pulled Brighid close to kiss her as well. Once their lips parted, he said, "My loves, I'll leave you to your own devices for the rest of the day since there's someone else who won't be beside me or sharing my dreams for the next week or more." So saying, he extended his hand to Ailis. "My lady, care to join me for the afternoon and evening?"

Ailis placed her slim hand in his and graced him with a warm smile. "I was hoping you would ask, my Lord Aidan."

Zurai

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