Rise of the Champions - Chapter Fifteen
Author: Milady Dragon
Steve walked into the Council chamber alongside Sir Napoleon Solo – it's Napoleon, please – and a formidable woman who'd introduced herself as Sir Kate Beckett, the Knights' Commander of Barony Andrade, and he got his first good look at where the Barons of the Western Lands met.
It was an enormous room, and Steve was surprised by the sheer simplicity of the décor of the place. On the walls were what were the banners of each of the twenty Baronies, the cloth colorful in some circumstances and austere in others, all of them unique to the Baronies they represented. Steve recognized them all, from his studies on how the country was arranged these days.
Twenty chairs were pulled up to an immense table, perfectly round so that no one Baron would be above the other, the backs of the seats also bearing the crests of the individual Baronies. Situated behind each of the chairs were padded benches, which Steve assumed were where the Court Wizards and the Knights' Commanders would be seated during the meeting.
Along one wall was a long buffet table, where drinks and finger foods had been set up. Several of the gathered Barons and their companions were already helping themselves; he went along with Napoleon and Sir Kate and got his own glass of wine, smirking a little at Baron Nick's earlier comment about bringing his own snacks. The Knight was certain that his Baron had known this would be waiting for them, knowing it for the sarcasm he was getting to understand was Baron Nick's default manner of dealing with people.
Sir Kate laughed, which changed her face from stern to downright beautiful. "And, as usual, Baron Tony is the last to arrive. Sometimes I think he just likes to make dramatic entrances."
From what Steve had seen from his stay at Ferrous Castle, he would believe that.
"You must be the new Knights' Commander of Triskelia," a voice came up behind Steve, who really didn't like anyone in his blind spot, but figured these people all knew each other and it would be relatively safe in allowing that sort of thing here.
The man who'd approached was a little taller than Steve, with dark hair and brown eyes that twinkled in good humor. He had a welcoming smile, and a dimple in his chin, handsome and wide-shouldered. His armor had red and blue accent scale work, a blue tabard covering it front and back, his sword in a leather sheath that had also been dyed red and blue.
He held out a gauntleted hand. "Sir Ray Palmer, Knights' Commander of Barony of the Waves."
Steve accepted the handshake; Sir Ray seemed to perform it with his entire body, he was just that exuberant. "Sir Steve Rogers, Barony Triskelia…as you've already guessed."
Sir Ray's eyebrows went up. "You were named after the mythical Paladin of the Western Lands! That's fantastic!" If Steve had believed him exuberant before, this was bordering on excitable puppy territory.
"Sir Ray," Napoleon chided, in good humor, "I think you're going to shake Steve's shoulder out of its socket."
"Oh, right. Sorry." The man dropped Steve's hand, although the embarrassment didn't last long. "Anyway, welcome to the Council." He leaned forward a little. "A lot of us think it's boring, so don't be worried if you do, too."
"Oi!" a shout had Sir Ray spinning around. A man stood a few feet away, blond and dark-eyed, and Steve thought he looked a bit shifty. He wasn't wearing the traditional Wizard's robes, instead black trousers, a white tunic that looked to have seen better days, a red scarf about his neck, and a rumpled tan-colored cloak, but the traditional wand and dagger combination was on his belt. The dragon standing beside him was another giveaway that this man was a Wizard; it was about the same size as Lola, only black as pitch, with golden eyes that whirled in the way dragon's eyes did.
"Baroness Sara is looking for you, mate," the Wizard called, his accent pegging him being from the United Kingdom. "Better get a shift on." His dark eyes were examining Steve closely, and Steve met his gaze, not backing down.
That earned him a playful smirk, along with a heated gaze that had Steve blushing a little.
There went his dignity. It wasn't fair.
Sir Ray was grinning. "Excuse me, but duty calls. It was nice to meet you!" With that cheerful farewell, the Knight joined his Wizard companion, the pair of them heading toward a blonde woman dressed all in white, who looked like she could kick the ass of everyone in the room.
"Sir Ray is one of the more…exuberant members of our group," Napoleon chuckled. "And Master John Constantine – the Wizard – will bed anyone who's willing. If he bothers you, just tell him to stop and he'll respect it."
Steve considered that. He thought of Jack, who seemed to flirt as easily as breathing. And yet, Steve could tell that it was a part of him, and that he'd never go any further than that, because it was very obvious how in love with Ianto he was. He had to wonder if Master John was the same, if it was simply reputation taken from visual actions. He supposed it didn't matter. The Wizard could be as promiscuous as they came, and yet he wouldn't let that color Steve's respect – or lack of, since he didn't know the man at all so it could yet go either way – once he got to know him.
He had a feeling he was going to get to know pretty much everyone in this room pretty well, at some point.
"There's a rumor," Napoleon confided, "that Grand Master Phil is considering Master John for the new Head of Void Order for the Western Lands."
Sir Kate's eyebrows rose. "That…should surprise me, but it doesn't. Master John likes to put on a front, but he'd very powerful. I understand there's some tragedy in his past, one that he doesn't talk about. But, if that was enough to disqualify anyone from a position of responsibility around here, I doubt most of us would be present at the moment."
Steve had to agree with that, albeit silently. His own past was a mess, and he didn't want to bring it up. As far as anyone else was concerned, the Paladin of the Western Lands had been lost three hundred years ago. Now, he was starting over, trying on the skin of Sir Steve Rogers, Knights' Commander of Barony Triskelia. So far, it seemed to fit fairly well.
"Have you heard any other rumors about the new Head of Void Order position?" he asked, intrigued despite himself.
Napoleon nodded. "Supposedly, also in the running is Mistress Penelope Garcia, the newest Court Wizard of Barony Shandling."
Sir Kate winced. "She might be better off taking it instead of staying on at the Baronial level. I hear Shandling is a mess. Baroness Victoria says the accounting alone shows that the Barony is nearly bankrupt. I don't envy the new Baron, not at all." She pointed toward a tall, solidly built man in his forties, with auburn hair and a reddish scruff of beard. "That's him. Baron Joshua Gates." She smirked. "No relation to Baroness Victoria."
"I've heard good things about him," Napoleon allowed. "But Shandling is a disaster."
Steve knew the story behind what had happened to the old Baron Shandling, Jerald Stern, but didn't say anything. He was pretty sure these two already knew everything already.
"Baron Nick had it almost as bad when he took Triskelia," Steve did have to point out. He'd gotten all the gory details when he'd first stepped into his new role, and he could only be thankful that Nicholas Fury had come along when he had, and gotten Triskelia back on track.
"I wasn't even a Knight when that debacle was uncovered," Sir Kate shuddered. "I was just a magistrate, even if I was on the fast track for my spurs. What I've heard though…thank the Gods Baron Nick showed up when he did."
"He's become a leader on the Council," Napoleon added. "A lot of people respect the hells out of him for what he's managed to do. He got a lot of that, though, when he originally interceded with Shandling on that adoption eleven years ago."
"Adoption?" Sir Kate asked.
Steve knew exactly what adoption the other Knight was talking about, and said, "Then-Master Phil Coulson found an orphan in the original mess with Loki. He wanted to adopt her, but Baron Jerald refused because he didn't want to lose a magical child from his Barony, considering her more of a resource than a person, from what I've heard. Since Baron Nick is an old friend, he went to the Council and pushed the issue, so that Master Phil could adopt her." There was more to it than that, but he didn't feel like volunteering the full story.
"That…I'm glad, then. I can only imagine what would have occurred if Stern had been allowed to keep a child against her will."
Well, Steve had a feeling that Daisy would have run away, and would have found Phil once more. Just from the short time he'd known them, he could tell they were meant to be family.
Napoleon nodded. "Honestly, Stern should have been removed then, but Shandling was in too much chaos at the time. Removing a sitting Baron at that point would have made it even worse."
If Steve had known that getting a group of Knight's Commanders together was like bringing together the village busybodies for tea and gossip, he would have seen if this sort of thing happened outside of Council business. He had the feeling that he'd learn a lot about the various Baronies this way without having to put in too much effort.
"I'm not late!" a familiar voice shouted.
Steve turned as Baron Tony, Pepper, and a man he didn't recognize but who must have been Sir James Rhodes entered the chamber in a rush. Well, Tony rushed; Pepper and Sir James strolled along behind, appearing quite amused by the whole situation. Happy, draped across Pepper's shoulders in his usual spot, was downright chuckling.
Sir James Rhodes was a tall, austere man, dark skinned and wearing armor as if he'd been born in it. While he hadn't actually met the man yet, he'd heard about him when he'd stayed at Castle Ferrous, after being pulled from the Void, and it had all been good. The Knights' Commander had been a childhood friend of Baron Tony's and, when the Baron had taken over the Barony from Obadiah Stane, it had made sense that Sir James had taken over the position. Pepper loved him like a brother, telling Steve once that, if not for the man she called Rhodey, Baron Tony might not have survived past childhood.
Steve didn't ask what she'd meant by that. He gathered it was somewhat private.
"We should get started, then," Baroness Victoria proclaimed. She'd been speaking with Baron Nick, Prince Thor, and another man, older, with greying hair and bushy mustache, compactly built, with the vague facial cast of someone from the Southern Confederacies and yet was obviously yet another Baron.
That had all of the Barons and Baronesses heading for their seats, and Steve circled around the table to take the bench just behind Baron Nick, Mistress Maria joining him with Iliad curling up at her feet. The only ones who remained standing were Baroness Victoria, and the Prince from Asgard, who planted his feet and held his posture proudly, just behind the bench where Sir Kate and Master Richard were sitting, the Wizard's own dragon also laying on the floor, although the Wizard had seemingly conjured a cushion for his dragon to lay on.
"You called us here, Victoria," one of the Barons said politely. Steve noticed the colors of the man's clothes, matched them with the corresponding banner, and figured out that this was the Baron Torando. He was handsome, with intelligent brown eyes, and he was watching Baroness Victoria intently.
"Yes, Baron William," she answered gracefully, "and thank you all for coming at such short notice."
"What's going on?" the Baroness of the Waves demanded, although it wasn't rude. These were people used to giving orders, and of course that would be an accepted way of address within the Council.
"I've received some disturbing news that I believe you all need to know. I would like to introduce you all to Prince Thor of Asgard. I will cede the floor to him." With that, Baroness Victoria took her seat, as the prince stepped forward, his face grave.
"I thank you for gathering so quickly," the Prince began, his voice serious and ringing from the rafters. "I bring news from Asgard. Loki has escaped his prison and is loose once more."
That caused an uproar. Steve had gotten a history lesson regarding Loki of Asgard, and how he'd cut a swath of destruction across Barony Shandling with the demons he'd summoned to aid him in his attempt at conquest. He'd been stopped by a superior force from the surrounding Baronies, and it had been by the skin of everyone's collective teeth.
Joshua Gates, the new Baron Shandling, stood. "What's being done to find him?"
"My Mother, Queen Frigga, has gone to the Wizard's Guild, to see if there may be a way to discover him through magic. However, that may fail as Loki is much adept with all forms of deception."
"So," Baron Joshua surmised, "we have no idea where he is, and are pretty much stuck with waiting to see what his next move will be." He was understandably angry; after all, it had been his Barony that had suffered the worst in Loki's attack, and was in such horrible shape after Baron Jerald that there was practically no way it could defend itself on its own.
Steve wondered what the man had been doing during that original attack. Had he been in the battle itself? Or somewhere else, and only had secondhand knowledge of the actual fight itself?
He didn't think it mattered, because this was a man who obviously cared about his people, and didn't want them to suffer once more. Yet, he was faced with that again, and the Knight could tell just how upset he was over his perceived defenselessness.
"You'll have support from my Barony if needed," Baron Starling called out. He was a rough-looking man, someone who'd obviously been through a lot in his life, his dark blond hair buzzed close to his head and his chin unshaven. He was dressed all in green, and a quiver of arrows was on his back. His bow was being held by his Court Wizard, a blonde woman wearing spectacles.
"And mine," Baroness of the Waves spoke up.
That led to every single Barony pledging its support if Loki went after Barony Shandling again. Steve couldn't help but be proud of them all, willing to help each other in case of invasion.
"And I am certain the Wizard's Guild will also be of aid," Master Illya added. "All Wizards have received notification of a Quorum, and you can guarantee that this is what it is about."
"The Grand Masters won't let Barony Shandling stand on its own," another Wizard spoke up. He was a handsome man, dark hair and eyes, and was with the Barony Aeternum party.
"Damned right," Baron Nick agreed. He stood. "You all know that Grand Master Phil Coulson is my oldest friend, and he's already assured me that he'll throw his own magic in with us. I also have it on good authority that Grand Masters Ianto and Stephen feel the same way. Loki is a threat, both magical and physical, and if he pulls the same shit he did eleven years ago we're gonna need to stick together until he's stopped once and for all."
Steve felt a swell of pride. This was the man who'd offered him a position in his court on the word of Phil Coulson alone. He'd sworn his oath, and would do his damnedest to lead his men and women into battle if it was necessary. Triskelia was his home now, and he would protect it at all costs.
Just as he would any of the allies he'd be called on to aid.
"While we're all together and the subject of a response to Loki has come up," Baron Nick rose, addressing the Council, "I wanted to talk to you all about an idea I had called the Avengers Initiative…"