Ares continued to chat with Abdan for some time, offering more and more meat to the people. The long shadow of the fort began to encroach onto their meal and Ares looked up towards the sun.

“I suppose it’s getting late.” Ares said and then he cracked his neck on either side. “I will sleep here for the night, and then in the morning we can make our way to Rivea.”

“Are we not in Reevea?” Abdan asked.

“The continent, sure. This whole land is Rivea, but I mean our city.” Ares then paused to think for some time, looking out to the soldiers he had sent out that had just moved to make the land their own. Rivea only had close to about a thousand soldiers, and with the enemy being the most elite units, they may struggle if Ares didn’t also enter the fray. Then again, Rivea would easily have another few hundred from those that would grab weapons and enter the fray too.

“Is something the matter?” Abdan asked.

“Oh, I just need to send a message on to the…” Ares had been looking up and then saw the familiar form of Asyllia, who would often fly at dawn and then during the evening to check on the fort. Ares waved a hand up to her, and she flew down and landed beside Ares, though a few of Abdan’s soldiers tensed up.

Abdan’s eyes turned wide and even his dark skin grew slightly pale.

“This is Asyllia, she is a friend of mine. Asyllia, this is King Abdan from…” Ares looked over to King Abdan.

He stood up and then bowed his head, as graceful as a swan. “King Abdan, of Otee.”

Asyllia remained still and silent.

“Sorry, she is not much of a talker. Perhaps I should introduce you to Saykkera.” Ares laughed and then slapped his knee, looking out to Lana, who smiled though raised a brow at Ares who was taking too much pleasure from his awful joke.

“Right, uh, so anyway.” Ares turned to Asyllia. “Would you ask the carpenters in Rivea to start making some housing for the humans. On the opposite side of the clearing above the shrine, and then connect it to the rest of the city. Tell Rori that we will have about five hundred humans joining us for the new few years and that it is the company of King Abdan of Otee.”

Asyllia bowed her head. “As you wish.” She remained for a moment longer and then Ares looked up at her expectantly. She looked him up and down, then the other King, before bowing her head to Ares and leapt up to soar away with her wings, circling around the area before then returning back to Rivea.

King Abdan bowed his head. “A dragon-beast man?”

“A dragonfolk, yes.”

King Abdan stared at Ares for a short while. “How is one of their kind under your obedience?”

“Well… that’s a long story. Though to make it short, I conquered Dragon’s Spine and Rivee gave me this crown and so made me King Ares, Master of Waters, Kin of all Riveans.”

“You conquered the Dragon’s Spine?” Abdan looked out to the mountain. “You had met Rivee?”

“I have, indeed.” Ares nodded.

“The originator of my line, of the Oshki, Abdin was his name. Many hundreds years ago, had too met a god, Azni. He was blessed, a divine rite to him, King of Otee, Master of Sand.” King Abdan brought out a pouch and then opened it up to reveal sand. Then the sand shifted, floating up and then dropping.

“Well then, I suppose we’re cousins then.” Ares laughed and then King Abdan began to laugh.

“I see, you have taken such a meaning?”

“Of course, what other meaning could we have taken?”

King Abdan bowed his head again. “I am glad that you have taken such a meaning.”

Ares raised a small bowl of milk and nodded. “Then let us drink and eat more!”

Then the festivities began and Ares ate until he could no longer fit any more food into his stomach.

Lana brushed his hair as he lay in their tent. Ares was groaning as he nursed his food baby, gently rubbing in circles. “I ate too much.”

“Is this your wisdom, Ares?”

“I suppose this is my wisdom. Isn’t that why I’m marrying you?”

Lana stared down at him with a glare.

“A joke, a joke!” Ares said, laughing before he groaned once more, the vibrations of the laugh unsettling his stomach. He reached over to rub her side and then her neck and face.

“Are you certain that it is a good idea to welcome the King so easily?”

“He is a man that has lost his Kingdom. Or at least, that’s what he says. I believe him well enough, though I haven’t seen much jewellery about him.”

“They are Kings of rings and amulets, not crowns.”

“Then I’ll have to see such a thing. Either way, he could be a spy too.”

“Then why have you invited him?”

Ares looked up at her. “He offered to help teach us how to make his heavy armour. It’s useful enough. Then if he is the King, we’ll have another ally. Once I’ve united this land, it’s a good idea to have an ally on another continent. This land seems to be quite large, if I can unite it under a single banner, we’ll have more than enough space for our empire. I don’t want to expand for too fair, it will bring about too much tyranny in the world.”

“You think about the most peculiar things.” Lana said.

Ares smiled. “Yeah. I just don’t want…” Ares stopped, trying to be careful to not draw on too much about his previous world. “Well, that’s that…” He said as he yawned.

Lana then leaned down to kiss his forehead. “The land is rather large. The west is far more developed and powerful than here.”

“Oh? Why is that?”

“The Dragon’s Spine, the dragons of the East, and the human invasions. No one wanted the East, it was a useless land, other than for many oxfolk.”

“Oh? Well then, let’s make them all regret abandoning this land.”