36 Truth

They agreed upon a daily ration of nameless liquor and boiled eggs in return for Natalia's services. The eggs were apparently non-negotiable according to her. Unable to contain his excitement now that he had access to a Truth Seer, Nikolai called for a wheelchair, making harried servants dig through the storehouses until they found one of Suri's old prototypes. Settling the old woman comfortably within, he wheeled her through the mansion towards his tower.

"She was such a sweet child." Natalia smacked her lips after every tiny sip of alcohol. After haggling with the old woman over the quantity of her ration, he'd conceded to an extra splash today which she nursed lovingly against her chest. "Always so serious. When the others ran around, crashing and smashing into things she would be there to help them up and make sure no one was hurt."

"That sounds positively angelic." Nikolai remarked, swerving around awkwardly placed pedestals in the hallway, resolving to remove them and make the path easier for a wheelchair to traverse. "Unbelievable actually."

"There's a lot of pressure being part of the main family." Natalia banged the arm of her wheelchair and Nikolai slowed down.

"Please don't do that Aunt. This chair's old. I'll get you a better one soon so bear with it for a while."

"My legs still work boy." She grumbled. "You like to rush around too much. It's good to move slowly sometimes."

"I'll put a holder for your drinks in it."

"Who needs legs anyway?" Natalia chortled, taking another small sip. "Where was I?"

"Pressure of the main family."

"Right. They always place expectations and demands on the direct descendants. You have to be better than everyone else, stronger, faster, smarter." She sighed, gazing blankly into the distance. Nikolai slowed down further, almost to a crawl, the creak of the wheels echoing throughout the hallway.

"Most people would be happy to take their place. The luxury, resources and respect are enviable."

"For an adult, yes they are. But a child only sees other children happily running in the fields without a care in the world. Then they turn to their parents, who are busy with something or the other so they turn to their caregivers. Nannies, uncles, aunts. They ask, why can't I go out and play? They're told to fulfil the expectations of the family. The responsibility of the aristocracy. Not the most conducive environment to develop healthy human beings."

"I can imagine." Nikolai murmured. "But if they think a farmers child has it any easier, then their teachers haven't done a good job."

"You must have been a handful as a child." Chuckling, Natalia reached back to pat his hand.

"My mother may have said something to that effect before." He confirmed, smiling down at her. He imagined this is what having grandparents would be like. Maybe with less drinking though.

"Yes. Considering the other side of the hill before making a decision is a useful skill Nikolai but most children can't see it that way."

"They should." He muttered. Raising his voice he asked. "Was Elya sad about it?"

"No, she was the perfect descendant. Upright, honest and with a passion for learning. Anything her parents demanded, she succeeded. You can imagine what would happen."

"No actually I can't. I kept getting in trouble when I was a child."

"That doesn't seem believable." She swung her cane, clipping him in the leg.

"Ouch! Stop flailing with that thing. You can tell if I'm lying so why would I?"

"It only works while I'm looking at you."

"Well, in this case I'm telling the truth, it's easy to verify. Most of the retainers serving in this mansion came from the original Morales lands." Reaching down to rub his leg, Nikolai ignored the old woman's glare to check the welt rising on his shin. "Apparently I caused some trouble when my magical abilities started showing up."

"Only some?" Her glare intensified, and he sensed a pressure enveloping his mind.

Now that he was aware, he could feel the compulsion forming. As far as he could tell it seemed to be instinctual, something out of her control. He coughed, a light blush creeping up his neck and explained. "Sure. Some. A few fires, lightning strikes, one flooded basement and just one small, and I mean small, plague of mind controlled rabbits."

"A small plague."

"Very small, only a few hundred."

"Yes. You did cause some trouble." She shook her head. "I think it's safe to say that it may be a relief that the Suzdal's lack magical talents."

"Magic's fun though. You were telling me what happened with Elya." He prompted, happy to change the conversation. There was a lot more than hundreds of rabbits and random elemental forces which he'd rather keep a secret.

"Elya wasn't sad but when the demands came to act like a perfect woman, devoted to husband and Court, she responded savagely. They'd trained her into a warrior and when you push a warrior, they fight back. Before her grandfather or parents noticed, she'd already enrolled with the Knights of Chernigov." She trailed off, lost in thought. There was no need for her to continue. The Knights were almost untouchable since their ties with the Houses ran deep. Every House had a daughter, aunt or even mother within the Order.

Nikolai continued pushing the wheelchair, enjoying the peace. It was strange, but he never spent time just walking through this massive house he called his own. It took an old lady being stubborn for him to appreciate the place, fluted columns and vaulted corridors cast in an eclectic style. A style that he'd never seen before and his mother went to great lengths to praise.

Waving her cane in the air Natalia gestured towards his tower and Nikolai ducked to avoid the deadly piece of wood, wondering if it was possible to confiscate it. "You're not going in the right direction."

"We'll go there afterwards, just want to check in on Elya."

The old woman chuckled and leered over her shoulder. "So concerned already boy? Have you done it?"

"Done what?" His heart fluttered in fear at her expression.

So much like his Master's.

When he was at his worst.

"IT. Plucked the flower. Punctured the veil. Rode the Dragon. Understand?" she waggled her eyebrows suggestively and Nikolai lurched, almost falling over and sending the wheelchair careening. He managed to get a grip even as he came down on one knee. His efforts to control her wheelchair were met with a loud ringing noise as Natalia brought her cane down upon his skull.

"Be careful boy!" she rasped and Nikolai scrambled to his feet.

"Agh, you old harridan! Who hits someone in the head?" tears stung his eyes, a dull throbbing spreading from the small lump forming on his skull.

"Who shocks a poor old woman like that?"

"What 'poor old woman' asks if someone has done… that… with their own flesh and blood?" Growling he shoved the wheelchair roughly, wincing at her random strikes against the wheel. It sounded a lot like war drums.

"So you haven't?" she subsided a little, disappointed but seemingly satisfied at the pain she caused him, grinning when Nikolai rubbed his head. "Kissed?"

"No." Nikolai wheeled her along, dazed at the absurd conversation. Since when was this a topic someone discussed when it came to their own grandchildren?

"Huh. Kids nowadays are so awkward. In my time, let me tell you, things were different.My first husband was just as wishy-washy as you, refused to make the first move but I dragged him behind the stables one day and let me tell you he paid attention after that…"

Nikolai tried to change the topic, but Natalia happily detailed her escapades, subsiding only when they found Alexis lounging outside Elya's room. The old woman was in fine form and she chewed the Vice-Captain out for everything from her hairstyle to her 'scandalous' behaviour.

Nikolai slipped into his fiancée's chambers, ignoring the pleading gaze Alexis shot him. Heaving a sigh of relief, he checked Elya's condition, casting spells to gauge her injuries. Luckily she had an iron constitution, coming out of the fight banged up but whole. The remnants of Demonic energy had been cleansed by his spells and he felt confident in bringing her out of the magic keeping her asleep.

Demonic energy was a subtle thing, its influence lurking deep within and growing slowly. Unnoticed for months or years, a stressful situation could cause a sudden explosion if the victim's thoughts aligned with the purpose of the energy, leading to levels of corruption that could be irreversible. Casting another purification spell for safety, Nikolai placed his fingers against her temple, letting the magic pour into her slowly, coursing through her body to purge even the smallest speck of foreign powers.

Satisfied she was out of danger, he cut the spell keeping her asleep and brushed her hair aside, gazing at this woman who would soon be his wife.

She couldn't be called young, the strain of who knew how many battlefields leaving deep grooves around her eyes and faint frown lines. He'd followed Seven's advice to 'never ask a woman her age' and therefore didn't know which of them was older. He chuckled, thinking how strange life was, not knowing simple things about her but pining for her presence.

Asleep, her hair curled across the pillows and blankets, cascading in every direction like a glistening wave of silver, a softness in her features now that her burdens were set aside. Their hands may be stained by violence but she retained a purity that pulled at him and he stroked her cheek, thumb running across the scar twisting her lips as he'd seen her doing so many times. She was so conscious of the injury, touching it, turning her head away or letting her hair fall over it to hide the scar.

She groaned softly in her sleep and he froze as her hand clawed at his fingers. Nikolai was afraid she'd wake and see him touching her face. Instead she gripped his fingers tightly and mumbled something incoherent under her breath, eyes flickering open for a moment before her breathing eased once more in slumber. Relieved, he stood there for a while watching her soft smile as she held his hand.

He noticed Elya didn't breathe through her nose while asleep, her lips parted gently, quivering with each breath. Natalia's words spun in his mind and he couldn't take his eyes off Elya's lips. Luscious and rosy in the light of the setting sun. Unconsciously he bent over, not sure what he was doing, bringing their lips closer together.

He could feel her breath burning as the air brushed across his cheek. Nikolai's heart raced, thumping loudly throughout his body. Almost absent mindedly he thought how it was the first time he could feel his pulse in his fingers.

Swallowing nervously with sweat beading on his face he crouched down a little and moved in.

A flash of light from her nightstand caught his eye, and he stopped. The trinkets he'd purchased for her during their first walk through Konstanz lay arranged carefully on the table, resting in small boxes worth ten times as much as the items they held. Even an idiot could see how much she cared for them. Drawing a shuddering breath, Nikolai jerked back, staring at their clasped hands, heart churning in confusion at his actions.

"Our first kiss should be while we're both awake." He murmured, blushing at the thought.

Extricating his hand, he stroked her head and strode from the room, dragging the raging Natalia away, informing Alexis that Elya would awaken soon. Pushing the wheelchair while ignoring the old woman's rants and swings of her cane, he swiftly entered the tower and sealed the building magically.

"I knew a Mage once." She remarked, studying the magical equipment. "Knew him very well."

"Please no more stories of your… conquests."

"It's a good one. Wine and cheese a mile high. Enjoyed more than a meal, actually."

Sighing, Nikolai jogged up the stairs to his vault. Carefully slipping through the wards, he summoned his powers to unlock the massive enchanted door. Grabbing the items he required, Nikolai sealed the vault and returned to Natalia's side, carefully placing three vials of blood in front of her.

Raising an eyebrow the old woman summoned her abilities, gazing deep into the secrets held within the blood. In the presence of a Truth Seer, Nikolai's head spun, shuddering as his mind struggled to reconcile his understanding of reality with the 'truth'. The few seconds her Eyes were open felt like hours. His stomach churned even after she finished and he yanked his cravat off, frustrated with the constricting sensation it gave.

"Which Demigod did you kill to get this?" she smirked, amused at the severity of his reaction. Before he could respond Seven materialised from shadows in the corner, pulling down his mask and signing at them. Natalia's eyes widened, the cane dropping from trembling hands. Gently lifting one of the vials, she stroked it while searching the blood for validation of their claims. "Boy. Is this true?"

Sighing he pricked his own finger, squeezing a single drop onto her outstretched hand to let her compare against a normal sample.

"This changes everything." She breathed, letting him retrieve the vial from her shaking hands.

"Yes it does. Aunt Natalia." Ensuring none of the seals had come loose, he returned the vials of Imperial blood to the vault. He brought his notes and explained his research into the problem.

"I was hitting a dead end but with your skills I think we stand a chance."

"This is an amazing endeavour Nikolai."

"A necessary one. We need to know the truth. His descendants could start showing signs at any moment. Till date there's been no change and by my calculations nothing should show up for at least another three generations at least but you can never tell with bloodlines."

The old woman roared with laughter, hacking coughs racking her body. Nikolai stroked her back and calmed her with a spell.

"I'm so happy I came here." She whispered, eyes glistening mysteriously.

"Please don't cause me more problems Aunt." From Nikolai's perspective she looked like a child about to pull a prank.

"Speaking of Princes. There was this one time I met a Senroan Prince before the conflicts. Lost on the road he was almost out of food and water…"

She launched into an unlikely story of her tryst with foreign Royalty and Nikolai sighed when Seven sat near her, staring in rapt attention, offering examples from his own encounters, each of them adding even more unlikely situations to their own stories.

Great.

Another one.