Chapter 57 Theon
THEON
“You two are up early,” Theon said, strolling across the courtyard to where Tessa and his mother were throwing sticks for his hounds.
He was used to finding Tessa with Akira, trying to build some sort of tentative relationship, but finding her with his mother was new.
“I was just leaving to get ready,” Caris said, turning to him with a smile. “I’ll leave you two alone.”
Theon pressed a kiss to her cheek as she passed before he closed the distance to Tessa’s side. She brought her hand back, ready to throw the stick once more, and Theon caught her wrist. She looked at him, startled.
“Use this,” he said, a ball of darkness forming in his palm.
The hounds had been excited before, but now they were yipping and prancing about.
“Show off,” she huffed, reaching for the mass of magic.
She chucked it, and the hounds took off, racing to be the first to retrieve it.
“Are you worried about how today will go?” Theon asked, Tessa shoving her hands into the pockets of her jacket.
“No,” she replied, smiling as the hounds came tearing back, Rigel with the prize.
“Then…?”
“I just wanted to ask Caris some questions,” she said. “That’s all. Are you ready to go?”
She turned to look up at him, her smile a little too bright. He cupped her cheek and leaned in, running the tip of his nose along the length of hers. “You are keeping something from us, little storm,” he murmured.
“Not really,” she replied. “Just… We’ll talk about it after the Tribunals. We have long days ahead.”
He was in his suit, and she was in a dress beneath her coat. Everyone else was meeting them at the Acropolis. So for now, he let it go.
Tessa Traveled them, and they strode up the steps of the brick building hand in hand. They’d needed something large enough to hold all the people who would be attending, and an academy in the western part of the Acropolis ended up being the best option.
They were led to an auditorium, where Tessa, Luka, and Theon joined Axel, the Ladies, their heirs, and several others at the front.
The seats were full, and not just with Legacy.
Fae. Night Children. Witches. Shifters. Even some mortals were here.
Which was good. If this was going to be successful, everyone needed to feel they were part of the process.
Everyone took a seat behind the tables that were facing the crowd. Not in grand thrones, but simple chairs, and the room fell silent.
“I guess we should start with how we want the kingdoms to be run going forward,” Theon said, unbuttoning his suit jacket and settling back into his chair. “All ideas are welcome. There are microphones throughout the room for anyone to use. We’re in for a long several days, so let’s get going.”
“The most powerful of a bloodline will no longer be the sole leader of a kingdom,” Tessa said simply, speaking into the microphone before her on the table.
“Then who will?” the Celeste Lady asked. “The reason the most powerful has maintained that seat of power was for protection, yes. But it was also for simplicity.”
“And even then, it often took hours or days for the six rulers to come to agreements,” the Serafina Lady chimed in.
“So we maintain a primary Lord or Lady for each kingdom,” Theon suggested. “Only they are accountable to a Council within their kingdom.”
“A Council of more than just Legacy,” Tessa added. “Fae need to be included. Mortals.” She glanced to her left where Axel was sitting. “And those from the Underground who wish to rejoin the kingdoms.”
Arguments and debates went back and forth on the subject for the next few hours until most of the details were agreed to.
“One primary Lord or Lady for each kingdom,” Theon was saying. “Councils will include three Fae, three Legacy, a Witch, a Shifter, a Night Child, and a mortal. Elections can be held, and we can figure out the details down the road. We need interim leaders for now.”
“I suppose Tessa is simply going to maintain her place in both the Achaz and Arius Kingdoms?” the Serafina Heir asked, and Theon hid his smirk. The Ladies may have come to terms with things, but the heirs were still adjusting to undoing years of learned animosity.
“Actually, no,” Tessa said simply. “There isn’t really another option for the Achaz Kingdom at this time, but there is a better option for the Arius Kingdom.”
“Theon?” asked the Anala Heir.
“Axel,” Tessa replied.
“Wait, what?” Axel asked, lurching forward in his seat. “Tessa, what are you talking about? I don’t even have magic anymore.”
“No, but your wife does,” she said with a smile. “A Night Child and a Fae leading the Arius Kingdom seems fine to me. You are prominent in the Underground and have more than proven your loyalty.”
“But he’s not the most powerful Arius Legacy,” the Falein Lady cut in. “Which is what we just determined would dictate who would hold that seat.”
That was true. The heirs would assume their seats as Ladies of the Celeste, Falein, Anala, and Serafina Kingdoms. Tessa couldn’t lead both Arius and Achaz though.
It would stretch her too thin, and while Theon could go back to Arius Kingdom, he didn’t want to split his time and focus.
He would stay with Tessa, and so would Luka.
“His son will be,” Tessa said. “I propose Axel and Kat hold the position until Maddox is old enough and ready to assume it.”
Axel was staring at her, clearly in shock, and murmuring broke out among the people.
“More than that,” Tessa continued, the crowd falling silent once more. “I will only be the interim Achaz Lady until we learn who should take over the position. I will work closely with Dagian regarding this matter.”
Tessa? Luka growled down the bond. We never discussed any of this.
Agreed, Theon said, working to keep his features impassive. What are we doing, Tessa?
“We are to believe that you are going to step down from everything after all this?” Lady Isleen asked, her suspicion evident in her tone. “What of you and your…husbands?”
“We have other responsibilities,” Tessa said.
“Such as?”
“While Rordan and Valter are gone, Achaz is not. There are still realms beyond that will face the same, and Achaz will likely try again. More than that, we have the Fates to contend with,” Tessa said calmly despite her chaos that had been thickening a little more as time passed.
“I put forth that the three of us become the new Keepers. Guardians of the realm to ensure that no one from the outside comes here without our knowing. So that history just might not repeat itself yet again, and the people we are protecting will not be the cost.”
“The three of you would be the Keepers? We’re going to vote on everything else and not that?” the Celeste Lady asked.
“You are welcome to nominate another who would be as effective in the position,” Theon said, recovering quickly from Tessa’s little surprise.
“There isn’t another who would be effective,” Kyra said.
“I believe Tessa, Theon, and Luka have all proven beyond a doubt they care for the realm, not just their own kingdoms. Tessa is the grandchild of three First gods. She is not demanding we bow to her. She is not demanding a throne. She is offering to take on the responsibility of protecting the realm so we can focus on protecting the people. That is a noble offering, and I agree to the proposal.”
“We will still have a say in the realm’s policies,” Theon interjected. “That is important to all three of us.”
“So you are, what? Simply Keepers of the Realm?” the Falein Heir asked.
“Yes,” Tessa said at the same time Theon said, “No.”
She turned to him, eyes wide with incredulity. “What?”
“You are not simply a Keeper of the Realm, Tessa,” he said.
“You bled and sacrificed for a world that only tried to break you. You fought for a realm that only wanted to use you. You’re still here, fighting for all of us in a forgotten world.
You could leave. You have that power. You could leave, Tessa, and you are choosing to stay.
” He shook his head, her wide eyes fixed on him as he stood and took her hand, dropping to a knee before her.
“You are the reason this realm still exists. So no, Tessalyn Ausra. You are not simply a Keeper of the Realm. You are a High Goddess of Chaos, because in Devram? Chaos reigns.”
“Theon, stop,” she hissed. “This isn’t—”
But she stopped speaking as chairs scrapped. As people in the crowd stood. As everyone in the room dropped to a knee before the one who could have left them to answer for their depravity, and instead chose to become a villain with the rest of them.
“You need to see something.”
“Fucking Arius,” Theon barked as he came face-to-face with Axel when he opened the bathroom door, fresh from a shower. “Boundaries, fucker,” he muttered, shoving past him.
“Get dressed,” Axel said. “I need to show you something. Luka is already there.”
“Fine,” he grumbled, grabbing some lightweight pants.
Twenty-two days.
It had been twenty-two days of sitting for hours in that auditorium debating new policies and restructuring.
Integrating the Underground population into the kingdoms. Dismantling the Fae Estates.
Debating where new communities could be set up.
Wages for the Fae and giving them the freedom to decide where they resided.
And Sources.
Gods, that had been three entire days in and of itself.
Tessa refused to back down on Sources and demanded no more Selections be held.
Instead, every five years, Tribunals just like they’d sat through would be held to make changes, elect new Council members, and more.
But Sources? Any Legacy could now have one, but only if a Fae was willing.
A new registry was being put together at Lilura Inquest where Fae could voluntarily offer to become a Source.
Pairings would go through several counseling sessions to ensure it was mutually beneficial, and then it would be one Source Mark.
The true Source Mark.