Chapter Nine #2
I flinched at her bluntness, casting a quick glance in her direction. Even for Atreya, that was bold. The air in the throne room seemed to thicken.
Aster's face darkened, his jaw clenching. Surly he already knew why we were here. I braced myself for an explosion of royal anger, but Thaldric intervened before his father could speak.
"It is alright, Father," the young king said, his smile was tight, not quite reaching his eyes. "I had a feeling she would be coming."
My eyebrows shot up in surprise. Thaldric had known?
Atreya broke the tension, bowing with the grace of a royal.
Her movements were fluid, practiced—a queen in her own right.
She knew how to rule and navigate politics.
Thaldric would have his work cut out for him.
Atreya didn't back down easily, not after all she'd been through to get this far.
I watched her, marveling at how she could shift from battle-hardened leader to diplomat in the blink of an eye.
"Your Majesty," she said, her voice rich with respect as she addressed Thaldric. "I apologize for the abruptness of our arrival, but the matter at hand brooks no delay."
I suppressed a smirk. I'd witnessed Atreya outmaneuver countless opponents, both on the battlefield and in the political arena. She ruled our ragtag rebellion with an iron will and razor-sharp intellect that rivaled any monarch. Poor Thaldric, I thought. He had no idea what he was up against.
The young king nodded, his expression guarded. "Follow me," he said, gesturing toward a hallway. "We can speak more freely in private."
Aster and his wife flanked Thaldric, their steps measured and regal. I noticed the former king's hand twitch, as if longing to guide his son. Old habits, I supposed, died hard. Thaldric was a king now. He would have to make his own decisions.
We reached a new set of ornate double doors. Thaldric pushed them open, revealing a smaller chamber beyond. As we filed in, I caught Atreya's eye. The determined set of her jaw told me everything I needed to know. She wouldn't leave without getting what she’d come for, no matter the cost.
Thaldric moved purposefully to the head of the polished stone table dominating the room. The crown glinted atop his head, a constant reminder of the weight he now carried. His parents took their places to his left, their faces etched with concern. Atreya and I settled into the chairs to his right.
"If you're here for more soldiers, I do not have them to give," Thaldric said, his voice carrying the authoritative tone of a newly crowned king. So his father had told him about Atreya’s wants before he’d taken the crown.
Atreya leaned forward. "Understandable," she replied, her voice smooth as silk. "But the kind of soldiers I want are not men."
Thaldric cocked his head curiously, brows furrowing as he processed her words. But before he could respond, his father, Aster, let out a heavy breath. "Not this again."
What had Atreya proposed before that could elicit such a reaction from the former king?
Thaldric's gaze darted between his father and Atreya, confusion etched across his features. "Not what again?" he asked.
"I don't want men. They should be here serving you. I want to use golems as soldiers."
The words hung in the air. Golems? My mind reeled, struggling to process the implications.
Those gentle earth creatures were crafted for peace and service.
To thrust into the brutality of war? It seemed impossible, sacrilegious even.
It was against the Earth Dryads customs to use them for such a thing.
I stared at Atreya, searching her face for any sign of doubt or hesitation. There was none. Her jaw was set, eyes blazing. This was no idle suggestion—she had clearly thought this through. More than once since Aster already knew about it.
Part of me admired her audacity, her willingness to push boundaries in pursuit of winning this war.
But another part recoiled at the idea of corrupting something so pure.
The Earth Dryads cherished their golems, treated them as gifts.
To weaponize them . . . It felt like a betrayal of everything they stood for.
But as my initial shock faded, a small voice in the back of my mind knew the strategic brilliance of this.
Golems were strong, tireless, and, most crucially, expendable.
They could be destroyed without leaving grieving families behind.
And since they were created to serve, was this not simply another form of service?
Before I could fully grapple with my conflicting emotions, Aster's voice rumbled through the room. "I told you before, Atreya, that I won't condone the misuse of golems." His eyes flashed with barely contained anger. "It's disrespectful. Not only to them but to our people."
Atreya's eyes narrowed, "And I told you before that sacrifices must be made to win this war." She paused, her eyes sliding from Aster to his son. "And now, with all due respect, Aster, I'm not here to speak to you. I'm here to speak with the King of Woodhaven."
My stomach twisted. Fuck, the man had only been off his throne for maybe an hour.
The challenge in her words was unmistakable.
I watched Thaldric, searching his face for any hint of what he might be thinking as his father fumed in his chair.
He'd remained silent until now, his eyes darting between his father and Atreya.
Thaldric leaned forward, his newly crowned head tilted in curiosity. "What are you planning that would require an army of golems?" he asked, his voice steady.
"Ember is going to invade Woodhaven again," she declared.
"It isn't a matter of if, but when. You all know this and yet you haven’t done anything to prepare for it other than raise your walls. Valos is smart, calculated. The next time he comes for you, he will be ready to face the earth benders in a new way, he will take down your walls, and steal your throne.”
A chill ran down my spine. I'd seen firsthand the devastation Ember's armies could wreak.
"I'd like to start building our defense now," Atreya continued. "So that we are prepared and will have a backup plan if either of our armies fall."
I watched Thaldric closely, noting the slight widening of his eyes, the almost imperceptible tightening of his jaw. He was young, but not naive. The burden of his new crown seemed to settle more heavily on his brow with each passing moment.
Atreya pressed on, her voice gaining strength.
"I know I have been building the rebellion for a long time, and I have built my numbers high, but even I'm not stupid enough to think that we could face Valla’s armies head-on. Ember outnumbers us, they always have, and I feel having the golems will be the last thing they ever expect because of the process of making them.”
The room fell silent. I could almost hear the gears turning in Thaldric's mind as he studied Atreya, weighing her words against a lifetime of tradition.
To create a golem, you needed two things: an earth bender to create the form and a witch willing to help with an enchantment spell to bring it to life.
We had witches in the rebellion, but the amount of time it would take to create an army would be weeks, months even. Not to mention the energy required.
Suddenly, Aster's voice cut through the tension. "You're not considering this, are you, son?"
I held my breath. The fate of Woodhaven—perhaps of all Osparia—hung on Thaldric's next words.
"Father," Thaldric began. "I don't like the sound of it either, but I don't want this war to carry on for another century. I want my reign to bring peace to our people."
“Our people do have peace!” Aster lost control of his temper then, but his son didn’t back down.
“Behind walls and lines of soldiers isn’t peace, Father!
It is only an illusion of safety. This war is far from over.
How many more men have to be ambushed? How many more camps or small villages filled with mothers and fathers and children will be destroyed while we continue to hide behind our walls of stone and false security?
” he reasoned. Aster's face was a mask of concern, his lips pressed into a thin line.
Thaldric seemed to grow taller, his shoulders squaring.
After what felt like an eternity, Thaldric tore his gaze away from his father. He turned to face Atreya, his expression set with determination that seemed to age him beyond his years.
"I'll do it," Thaldric declared. "I'll give you golems."