The Emperor of Mankind
In the years to come, there would be many legends surrounding the day the Emperor came to Tempestas. The most common one was how the Eternal Storm itself parted for the Emperor, allowing the light of Tempesta's sun to stream down upon the gathered people; the raindrops glittering like diamonds in the golden light. Another was how the oceans themselves calmed at the Emperor's arrival.
But there was one legend widely accepted as fact.
It was the day that the Storm Lord's famously near-omnipresent smile vanished completely from his face.
II II II
Thorondor and his honour guard waited patiently as the rain pattered down heavily on the Storm Hold. Asghar stood at the head of a veteran squad from the first company, as still as a statue. Beside them were Gwaine and several veteran Storm Riders from the Thunder Bearers. Gwaine's partner, Deor and the other Storm Eagles were circling the sky above watchfully. Gwaine already stood nearly as tall as Asghar and his muscle mass had also greatly increased as a result of the gene-enhancement he had undergone. He still had several procedures to go through before he was truly a pseudo-Astartes, but Thorondor couldn't help but marvel at the changes in just the last several months alone.
Behind the gathered Astartes and Thunder Bearers were a gathering of officials from the main army of the Thunder Bearers. At Thorondor's insistence, Firiel was also present, and Commander Brand had been unofficially appointed as her chaperon for the duration of the welcoming ceremony much to the amusement of the other officials; but he bore it with great dignity, raising Thorondor's esteem of him greatly.
Further behind them were a row of Astartes from the Second Legion, forming a perimeter to keep the crowd that had gathered back.
Thorondor was clad in his battle armour, which had just been returned from the armourers. The granite-grey armour was inferior to the power-armour worn by the Astartes, but it had served Thorondor throughout the war, and he would have as its final duty to bear witness to the Emperor's coming. For the same reason, he held the power-glaive that had served him in the war; the one that had killed Ajuhal, in his right hand. A new and far superior set of armour and weapon was being forged for him, but he wanted to wear his old gear one last time.
Garuda stood watch over Thorondor, positioning himself just behind his partner so that the Storm Eagle loomed like an oversized, avian-shaped throne.
Despite the crowd that had gathered, silence reigned; broken only by the sound of the rain falling. Thunder rumbled occasionally and lightning flashed, but the people remained silent; patiently waiting.
It was the actions of Deor and the other Storm Eagles that first notified the people of the impending arrival. They suddenly ceased their circling and took towards the Storm, calling out. Garuda looked up sharply but did not react otherwise. The people gathered below watched as Deor and the other Storm Eagles vanished into the roiling clouds of the Eternal Storm, collectively holding their breath in anticipation.
The vessel that descended from the Storm was shaped like one of the Storm Eagles. It was clearly an Imperium vessel, but far more intricately designed than any Thorondor had seen thus far. As it descended, the Storm Eagles flew in an honour guard formation with it; something Thorondor had never seen them do without a rider before. Once the vessel landed, the Eagles broke off to resume circling the area once more.
A door in the right side of the vessel which was facing Thorondor slid open with a hiss and a gangplank extended from it. The anticipation in the air was palpable.
The being that emerged from the aircraft was only slightly taller than Thorondor. He was clad in an ornate pearl-white power armour with a crimson eye emblazoned on the breastplate. A black giant wolf pelt flowed from his shoulders like a cape. The being was bald and tanned, and his grey eyes surveyed the crowd before coming to a rest on Thorondor. A smile, revealing perfect white teeth, appeared on his face.
The being strode towards Thorondor, his easy stride and the aura that exuded from him reminding onlookers of an approaching tidal wave. But when he reached Thorondor, it was as though his aura meshed with the Storm Lord's to form a great maelstrom that threatened to pull all into its depth; such was the presence of the two.
"You must be Thorondor," said the being, his voice warm.
Thorondor's smile widened. The being facing him was remarkable, but his presence was more akin to Russ. Thorondor instinctively knew that this was not the Emperor which left only one other possibility.
"You must be Horus Lupercal," said Thorondor.
The being, Horus, nodded. "Please, just call me Horus."
He hesitated for a moment, before placing a hand on the Storm Lord's shoulder, giving it an affectionate squeeze. "Brother, it warms my heart to finally meet you. I've heard the reports from Russ, and while he's not given to exaggeration, he's definitely done a poor job of describing you to us."
Thorondor's smile grew warmer. "Russ was simply displeased that I scratched his armour on our first meeting."
"Did you, now?" said Horus, laughing. "You must tell me about it sometime. But there's someone else who wants to see you."
Still smiling, Horus stepped aside and looked back to the aircraft. Thorondor followed his gaze and his breath caught in his throat.
Golden light streamed from the entryway of the vessel. A shape stood silhouetted in the doorway, standing still for a moment before stepping forward.
As the golden light bathed him, Thorondor felt warmth spreading throughout his body, lifting away the ever-present chill of Tempestas. His heart thumped mightily in his chest, the sound of it filling his ears like rumble of the Storm and he was dimly aware that Horus was bowing, and everyone else was kneeling.
As the being of golden light drew closer, Garuda made a crooning sound before bowing his head so that his beak touched the top of Thorondor's head lightly, pushing him forward; closer to the source of the radiance.
As such close proximity, Thorondor was overwhelmed. His smile vanished completely as he dropped his glaive and Thorondor fell to his knees, his head bowed. The golden being stood over him silently, majestic power radiating from him.
"It's you," whispered Thorondor reverently. "It's you...father."
Mighty hands gauntleted in gold touched Thorondor's shoulders. When the voice spoke, it spoke with such loving warmth that nearly made Thorondor weep to hear it.
"Rise, my son, you need not kneel to me."
The hands gently touched Thorondor's chin and lifted his face so that he may look into the golden eyes of the Emperor of Mankind.
Thorondor saw the power lurking behind them; the ageless wisdom mirrored within them, the compassion, the fierce burning determination and love all reflected within them. Thorondor knew that Leman Russ had been right. It was his fate to serve his father.
"By the Eternal Storm of Tempestas and my life, I pledge that I, Thorondor and all who would follow me to serve you, father."
The Emperor nodded. "I gratefully accept your pledge; but let it not only be to me, let it also to be to the Imperium and all Mankind."
Thorondor bowed his head once more. "I so pledge."
"Then rise, my son," said the Emperor, pulling Thorondor to his feet. "Rise as Lord of the Second Legion."
Thorondor stood and faced his father.
"By your will, father."
The Emperor smiled.
II II II
Father and son sat facing each other; alone, Horus had excused himself to give them privacy.
Thorondor studied the Emperor intently.
The golden light that had exuded from the Emperor's very being had dimmed; although a hint of it shone on the ornate golden power armour that he wore; like gold lit by soft light, despite the fact it was nightfall.
Now that he was no longer overwhelmed and blinded by the Emperor's radiance, Thorondor could see that his father; apart from the majestic power armour he wore, to all outward appearance was remarkably plain. His skin was dark brown in contrast to Thorondor's paler complexion; though his hair was the same shade of ebony black as Thorondor's. His face did not stand out in any way; indeed, Thorondor believed that if he had passed the Emperor among a crowd of people equal in size, he might not have even noticed his father.
Except the eyes.
At first, Thorondor had believed the Emperor's eyes to be golden because of the light that had shone from it. But now that the light had vanished, Thorondor had initially believed it to be the same shade of grey as his, but as he looked into them, he noticed that no matter how hard he concentrated, he could not truly pinpoint the true colour of the Emperor's eyes. But beyond that, he could sense the power that had overwhelmed him so locked behind them, dormant for the moment.
"I am impressed, Thorondor," said the Emperor. His voice was surprisingly ordinary, like his face, pleasing to the ear but completely unremarkable save for the faint hint of the majesty of the Emperor underlying it. "Unifying a world as fractured as this is no mean feat."
"I did not do it alone, father," answered Thorondor. "I made it this far thanks to those around me, and the sacrifices of countless more."
The Emperor leaned forward. "Tell me of them."
Thorondor hesitated for a moment; it wasn't that he didn't want to tell the Emperor; it was that he had never confided in anyone completely before, not even Firiel or Gwaine. But as he looked into the eyes of his father, he realised that he could hold nothing back from him. More importantly, he didn't want to.
So Thorondor told the Emperor everything; about Gwaine, Firiel, Torwald and the other people that have helped shaped him. He even spoke of everything that had happened, from he and Gwaine's misadventure with the giant turtle, how they met the Thunder Bearer, how Thorondor came to be partnered with Garuda, Torwald's dream of uniting Tempestas and the whole war that had happened to make that dream come true.
The Emperor listened, making no comment; only nodding where appropriate or asking Thorondor to clarify a point every now and then. But when Thorondor spoke of Torwald and his title, he noticed that the faintest hint of sadness glimmered in the Emperor's eyes.
"Is there something wrong, father?" asked Thorondor.
The Emperor looked taken aback, as though he had not expected Thorondor to notice. The Emperor gazed at his son thoughtfully for a moment.
"This Torwald," said the Emperor. "He was a man of great vision; a man who could see past the shackles of tradition towards a greater future. It is a shame that he died."
"It is," agreed Thorondor. "He would have been honoured to meet you."
"But his title, 'Thunder Bearer'..." commented the Emperor, trailing off for a moment.
"What of it?" asked Thorondor.
"It brings back old memories," said the Emperor, smiling wistfully. "Of a time before the Imperium; when I was fighting to unify Terra, I had a vast army from all walks of life; but first and foremost among them were the Thunder Warriors."
"Thunder Warriors?" repeated Thorondor with wonder.
"Yes, a title not too different from your Thunder Bearers," said the Emperor. "They were the earliest incarnations of the Astartes; peerless in all matters of war. They swept aside all my enemies in the conquest of Terra."
The Emperor leant back and closed his eyes as he immersed himself in his memories. "The greatest of them was Arik Taranis. No one distinguished themselves in the Unification War like he did. Eventually, he became known as the Lightning Bearer."
"Not too different from Thunder Bearer," remarked Thorondor.
"Yes," nodded the Emperor. "Remarkable isn't it? Two men separated by light-years on different worlds sharing a similar title."
"Perhaps it is fate," suggested Thorondor.
"There is no fate but what we make," answered the Emperor with a hint of reproach in his voice.
Thorondor inclined his head in agreement. "What happened to Taranis and the Thunder Warriors?"
Sadness washed across the Emperor's face. "They did not survive the Unification War. They fought and died heroically in the Battle of Mount Ararat, the final battle for Unity. The Astartes are their successors."
All of a sudden, Thorondor felt unease creep within him. Instinct was telling him that the Emperor was not being entirely truthful; but the sorrow on his face was genuine and heartfelt as far as Thorondor could tell. But there was also another emotion on the Emperor's face that anyone else would have missed, but Thorondor just barely spotted it.
It looked like regret.
"Now that you've been found, the Second Legion will need a name," said the Emperor, abruptly changing the subject. "Have you thought of one?"
"I thought we needed to earn our names?" asked Thorondor. "That is what Asghar told me."
"Some Legions have already earned their names," agreed the Emperor. "But as they were created in your image, you have a right to name them; like it was with Russ and his Legion. Horus too could change the name of the Luna Wolves if he so desired."
"I see," said Thorondor. "Then yes, I have thought of a name for the Second Legion."
"Tell me," said the Emperor.
Thorondor told him.
The Emperor smiled. "Most fitting indeed. Then I have a gift for you; one befitting of you and the Second Legion, I think."