Nördliche Burg burned with the same heat as dragon fire and Alexander Nikos watched impassively as the ancient stronghold of the once venerable Schnee family was ruined by his army and that of his tentative allies. Chieftain Stone had let himself be blinded by his grief and anger at the news and the sight of his clan so utterly devastated by the storms unleashed by the Winter Maiden he'd served as King.
And wasn't that something? The Maidens were real, though their powers seemed hereditary rather than something that was acquired through the death of the former Maiden. That was a shame to be sure, the thought of a loyal Winter Maiden had him positively drooling, but at the same time he found himself uncaring for the fact he was denied such a powerful pawn. If the theory of the Great Collapse was true then perhaps he could find a way to construct the steel steeds rode by his ancient ancestors? Perhaps he could find a way to make cities float in the sky and challenge the domain of the dragons.
Alexander frowned when he thought of Cinder, his hand falling to the still frozen amulet that he'd taken off from the cold. It laid against the stone balcony of his newly seized chambers at the centre of Schnee power in Snowflake Keep, utterly useless and impotent.
Cinder couldn't risk returning, not when his armies could slay her. He knew she was still vulnerable after being driven off by that silver-eyed warrior, and by the Goddess wasn't he starting to regret making an enemy out of her? He hadn't thought Cinder would muster the courage to betray him, not with her lover and their spawn at risk. Then again he hadn't anticipated the amulet could be damaged.
His frown deepened as he realised just how sloppy he'd been. If he wanted to truly thrive and achieve his ambitions then he'd need to be more smarter, more careful, in the future.
"Your Imperial Majesty." A soft voice said, and he turned to see Laia Well, that goldmine of an informant who'd enabled him to orchestrate his magnum opus.
"Come in Laia." Alexander smiled, beckoning her into the room. She closed the door quietly, and he gave her a genuinely warm smile as she approached to stand next to him. The heat of the flames engulfing Nördliche Burg made the air warm and stifled, and her breath caught as she saw the devastation being unleashed.
"W-Why? What's happening?" She asked fearfully, and Alexander hummed in thought for a moment as he discreetly hid the amulet away in his pocket. He couldn't risk it being lost or stolen, even in it's currently useless state.
"Queen Weiss' more die hard supporters are reluctant to forsake their Queen." Alexander lied easily. "Our forces are being forced to engage them, and in the chaos I assume opportunists are trying to loot what they can."
The reality was far different. His men were sweeping across Nördliche Burg in an attempt to seize as much plunder as possible before burning down everything they could. The more damage the Atlesians had to fix would mean more resources they'd have to expend and divert away from any attempt to disrupt his plans in Mistral. The longer they spent rebuilding meant the longer they spent not growing, something he'd need if he was to add Atlas to his future empire.
"My family..." Laia asked, voice weak with worry and fear. "Will they be safe? Duke Acteon promised didn't he?"
Alexander hid the flinch that came to his face. Acteon had made clear what he intended to do to their informants family, and who he was going to blame it on. Anything could happen in the chaos of a fortress being razed after all.
For a moment Alexander thought about telling her, but ultimately decided against it. The only thing he'd gain was a look of horror and betrayal, and as he wasn't a sadist like Acteon he had little care for such a thing.
"I'm sure he'll look out for them." Alexander replied, letting some of his real emotion seep through into faked worry. He could prepare her at the least, she'd earned that much. "However Acteon would've had to set out from Snowflake Keep, and with all the chaos there's a chance he may not have made it to your family in time. I do not wish to hurt you, but you should at least expect the worst but hope for the best."
"Y-Yes, Your Imperial Majesty." Laia stammered, clearly not liking the thought. "Is there anything else you want me to do?"
"Just stay safe for now." Alexander ordered. "When Chieftain Stone's Great Council convenes we'll need to serve as a witness attesting to Weiss' crimes."
"Of course." Laia curtsied. "If I may?"
"Go. Be safe." Alexander said, turning to survey the carnage but listening until he heard the door shut as she left before pulling the amulet out of his pocket and thumbing the thick ice encasing it. The Goddess was a capricious being, though something utterly undeniable was her utter malice. The thought of challenging Her frightened Alexander to the core of his being, and even someone like Acteon would likely tremble before her. Her power was limitless, her ambition as deep as the ocean and her motives as mysterious as whatever lies at the bottom of the big, blue sea, if the sea even had a bottom that was.
She'd given him the amulet so that he could better achieve his ambitions. He was no fool, he knew that she benefitted from the chaos he needed to reap and the fact the amulet had helped him enslave a dragon, the race few could challenge and who Humanity only stood a chance against due to the sheer number of humans that existed, and that act was supposedly the tip of the spear when it came to what the amulet could do.
He didn't like being frightened. Once he had his empire he'd be able to better resist the Goddess when she inevitably called in the favour he owed her.
Even if he failed he would be remembered. The thought appeased him as he watched the fires spread across Nördliche Burg, unchallenged and all consuming. Even if he died in the coming months he'd be remembered as the architect behind the downfall of the Schnee, once the most powerful family in Remnant and the sack of their unconquered fortress.
In a way, he'd already won.
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"Your men burned down the seat of Atlesian power!"
"And your helped them do it." Alexander retorted, and Acteon snorted from his seat on Alexander's right. For a moment Alexander found a moment of unity with the furious Chieftain Stone as they both glared at Acteon, who held up his hands in a gesture of peace that was offset by the smug smirk on his face. "It's easy for discipline to slip in moments of chaos, and I don't doubt when the rioters started rioting many of our men saw an opportunity they couldn't resist. Emphasis on our men."
"I had mine under control!" Stone seethed, and Alexander raised a doubtful eyebrow.
"Then why have we heard reports of clansmen joining the violence. We have heard such tales, yes?"
"We have." Acteon said, amusement clear on his face and in his tone. "In fact I can verify such tales as the truth myself. It was clansmen who entered the home of our widowed Mrs Well and did...well, we all know what happened to her husband and her son."
"You dare accuse my people of committing such a heinous crime!" Stone roared, enraged at the accusation and rising so quickly and furiously from his chair that it was knocked over. "I can perhaps stomach plunder and looting, mayhaps even an accidental death caused by such, but to suggest my people would torture a father and son and then desecrate their corpses is beyond the pale!"
"They were wearing thick furs." Acteon shrugged, and Alexander tried rubbing away the headache he felt brewing. "You clansmen wear such things no?"
"This is Atlas boy!" Stone bellowed. "Everyone wears furs!"
"We'll see how boyish I am when I cut strangle you with your own innards old man." Acteon retorted, the smug smile still splayed on his face but the humour in his eyes having died a cold death.
"Enough." Alexander sighed explosively. "You are both acting like children when the future of two kingdoms could very well be decided in this room. Chieftain, with all due respect we both have equal amounts of blame for what happened yesterday. Neither of us regained control of our men and restored order to the ranks, so I will not take the entirety of the blame for the matter and neither will you. Have you heard back from your fellow Chieftains and lords as to when the Great Council will be convened?"
"Some." Stone answered reluctantly, still clearly hung over the issue of who was to blame for the sack of Nördliche Burg. "Many have not responded, but I do not know whether that is because they have not heard or they remain loyal to the witch. I haven't' sent any to Vale since they'd likely declare themselves an independent kingdom again."
"Will you be able to convene it then?" Alexander asked with fake concern, trying to hide a desperate giggle that bubbled in his chest as he thought of the dozens of messengers he had sent south hours earlier with the news of how the Ice Queen's ill-fated reign met it's ill-fated end. All were destined to arrive at Vale to spark the very thing Stone feared, creating another war for Atlas to embroil itself in should it try to reassert its control over its occupied other half.
"Yes, Atlas needs a king sooner rather than later." Stone replied. "It'll likely be held by the time the first winter snows start to truly fall in a few weeks time. By then I want you and your army gone Nikos."
"We should be at Vulcan by then." Alexander smiled. "Provided you supply us with our promised supplies, gold, weapons and troops."
"Atlas is no place to-"
"And you are in no place to make an enemy of me considering how vital you were in helping a foreign prince overthrow your Queen." Alexander interjected, and Acteon snickered at the wide-eyed look that Stone gave him. If Alexander was less diplomatically inclined, he would've likely done the same. "Was it not you who so vocally protested Mistrali interference in Atlesian affairs mere months ago? Was it not you who just helped a Mistrali prince depose your monarch?"
"I understand you point." Stone growled through gritted teeth. "You'll get the supplies promised by the witch."
"I want more." Alexander smiled politely. "I need more after losing men helping you overthrow your witch of a Queen."
"You dare!" Bellowed Stone, slamming a fist against the table. The power of the image he tried to present was lost by the fact he only had the one functional hand, and that Acteon had not removed his hand from the hilt of his sword since Stone had called him boy.
"I do." Alexander replied calmly. "Now are you ready to discuss terms or should I find someone who will?"
Stone said nothing and let the sound of his own panting breath fill the room as he steadily realised the poor situation he'd trapped himself in. He was utterly complicit in helping a foreign power overthrow his queen, Mistrali soldiers were stationed across Nördliche Burg and Snowflake Keep and his own men had been exhausted after fighting Alexander's plunderers, local looters and themselves. In every which way Stone had dug himself into the biggest hole ever dug by man, and now Alexander was going to get him out of it.
For a price of course.
"What do you want?" Stone asked weakly, slumping down into his chair with a tired sigh. Grief had driven his actions, as had anger, and now he had no outlet to release them so instead he turned to apathy. Acceptance. To whatever would make his miserable life slightly easier. To caving to Alexander's demands.
"One hundred and fifty thousand Lien from the Schnee treasury." Alexander began. "Consider it a gift and a bribe for my silence on your role in aiding a foreign power overthrow Atlas' queen. That means no interest, no paybacks, nothing. I want two thousand men to supplement my army, and I will choose them myself. I want enough arms to arm all eight thousand of them, enough supplies to feed them all the way to the coast and then some. Argus is off the table now, Atlas won't get any part of Mistrali territory and I want at least two dozen ships to transport my army across the sea to Mistral. I'll handle the rest of the fleet, but a donation of two dozen ships will ensure I don't linger in Atlas with a restless army."
"Done." Stone grunted. "Sort it out yourself though. If anyone complains send them my way. If that's all I'll leave you to do what you Mistrali do best, take what isn't yours."
Stone stormed from the room and slammed the door behind him to show his anger at the situation. Acteon turned to him, the hand finally leaving the hilt of his sword and a smug grin on his face.
"Well that went well."
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Alexander sighed as he relaxed on the warm furs and silks of his new bed. Days ago it had belonged to Weiss Schnee, the Queen of Atlas-Vale and Winter Maiden both. Now it belonged to him, and he took a particular joy in rifling through his former betrothed belongings in search of valuables. He even found an old teddy bear in his nightly foraging's, a ratty thing he'd immediately tossed over the balcony and into the courtyard below. Everything else he'd sold, leaving the room full of empty furniture and a sense of coldness he quite enjoyed.
He glanced at the amulet on his bedside table, still frosted over with thick ice in parts and despondent to his commands. It annoyed him Weiss had managed to win such a small victory over him, and it annoyed him even more he couldn't fulfil his promise to Cinder to butcher her family should she betray him.
He'd deal with the both of them in time, though for now he resolved to enjoy the over-riding sense of triumph he still felt over his first major victory. He sprawled across the wide bed, letting out a content hum as he did so.
"I told you what would happen." Whispered a soothing voice Alexander had hoped never to hear again. "I told you the boons I would give you for your service to me, Alexander Nikos."
"G-Goddess!" Alexander gasped, tangling himself in the furs of his bed as he scrambled up to his feet and grabbed at the amulet, which glowed with magical, purple light that cast his dark room in a purple hew. "I-How?"
"My dear pawn." The Goddess of Darkness feared and loved by all Mistrali simpered. "Did you truly think I'd grant you so much power to use as you will whilst I remained chained by the false Gods you hoped would ultimately prevail against me? Did you truly think me a fool when I gifted you so much strength and so much of an advantage over your peers? You've served your purpose my treacherous little pawn, and now I've that I'm free to pursue my own goals personally I have found others who can take your role. Others who will be more loyal than you. More useful than you."
"This...This isn't happening." Alexander shook his head, mind swimming in circles. "I won! I'm winning! I haven't lost yet."
"Yet." The Goddess laughed cruelly. "Don't worry little pawn. I'm not going to kill you now. That would be no fun. I think I'll have my new pawn do that for me, you've made quite the enemy of him after all. First you steal his first love, then drive him away from the place he spent most of his childhood as a criminal whilst at the same time setting my precious little religious zealots after him on trumped up charges. After all that what do you do? You try and send a dragon after him too! I admit, for all that I look forward to ending your miserable existence I will miss how pathetically dramatic and overzealous you can be when you feel threatened. When you think you're on top of the world that is. Your arrogance will be your downfall."
"I'm going to stop you, kill you!" Alexander protested, his fear giving him a modicum of bravery that felt flimsy even to him. "I'll find a way!"
"You will try." The Goddess replied in a calm, knowing tone that seemed utterly unfazed by his threats. "Funnily enough your replacement keeps telling me he'll do the same thing. Perhaps I need to work on my people skills? It has been a few millennia since I properly interacted with you mortals after all..."
"Arc." Alexander blinked, his mind finally connecting the dots with the information she'd given him. "You intend to replace me with Arc? How? Why?"
"Because if I do sway him then he'll be far more loyal than you ever were." The Goddess scoffed. "I need warriors not wannabe politicians. He will be the shield to my Grimm's sword. Tell me, whilst we're still having civil conversation do you mind telling me who you'd prefer to kill you? Would you rather I do it personally or should I hand you over to Jaune as a reward for his loyal service?"
"Fuck you." Alexander spat, and the Goddess laughed heartily.
"Only in your wildest dreams little pawn." The mirth in her tone died a quick death. "Now run. My little gift to you is about to get a little more...explosive. I'll see you soon Nikos."
The voice faded but the light remained, growing brighter and brighter. Burning arcs of purple light started sparking from the amulet, and Nikos quickly scrambled out of the bedroom and managed to slam the door to it shut as he heard a violent crackle.
Suddenly the door was blown from it's hinges and he gasped in pain and shock as the air was knocked from his lungs as he was slammed against the stone wall behind him and hit with the heavy wooden door. He felt his nose crack sickeningly loud and warm blood poured from his nostrils, making him feel clogged up and lightheaded. Guards scrambled towards him and he was ushered away to a quite room where his nose was reset and a white cloth as was pressed against his nose to stem the blood flowing from it.
"Your Imperial Majesty." Acteon said, entering the room wearing nothing more than his underclothes, his flushed skin and sweaty skin showing he'd been doing things Alexander did not want to know one bit about, whether they were sexual or sadistic or a sick combination of the both of those. "The hell just happened?"
"I found a potion of some sort." Alexander lied weakly, hands trembling and skin clammy and pale. His mind whirled with a million words as he tried conjuring some half-baked, somewhat believable lie. "I didn't realise it was something out of the ordinary until it started to hiss so I ran just in time to not be blown into smithereens."
"Right." Acteon sighed. "I'll make sure everyone doesn't panic more than they already are then get back to...you probably don't want to know."
Alexander fought back the urge to snort at that, glad Acteon was finally starting to learn about boundaries when it came to the less then pleasant things he got up to in his spare time. He was given a drink that smelled sweet to make him rest easier and led to another luxurious room, where he gulped down the overly sweet potion in one big gulp and reclined in the soft sheets and warm furs with increasingly heavy limbs, eyes drooping quickly as sleep took hold and he slipped into a pleasant abyss far different from the one his Goddess had once been trapped in.
Even with the sleeping potion his rest was marred and disturbed by the haunting echoes of what the Goddess had told him, of what she had promised.
Of what he knew would come to pass.
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Alexander was skittish after his last and hopefully final communion with the Goddess. He'd lost a powerful ally and piece of equipment no doubt, but he hadn't been crippled and he still had fight left in him, so he devoted himself to preparing for his upcoming return to Mistral. Atlesian ships were commandeered and gathered at Vulcan. Supplies were found, bought or stolen but all were gathered a dedicated stores at Snowmire, Vulcan and Nördliche Burg. His army would replenish their supplies at Snowmire and gather any last minute provisions there before heading towards Vulcan, which remained little more than a ruin after being fought over twice and sacked both times. Still it's port remained functional, both himself and his sister having seen its importance as a supply hub. For his sister it was the main port of call for supplies that would enable her to strike deeper into Atlas. For himself it was the springboard from which he would invade Mistral and take what belonged to him.
His plans for the other kingdoms were scrapped for now, though they remained in place. He didn't know where the Goddess was and what she planned to do, so he resolved to dedicate his efforts into securing Mistral and Mistral alone before he even thought about turning his attention to the other weakened kingdoms.
Naturally Acteon thought that meant things were going just according to plan. He had no reason to really fear or doubt or question why a dragon had helped Weiss escape from the fires engulfing Nördliche Burg. He likely thought it had been put under her influence by her magic or something along those lines. In reality they had a dragon whose family Alexander had threatened to kill who was now allied with the former Queen and Winter Maiden he'd just helped overthrow after months of antagonism setting up her downfall, though in truth what had happened had been luck rather than skill. If Weiss hadn't destroyed her own kingdom for him then he didn't know what he would've done to get to the point where he was now.
Either way it did not matter. Weiss and Cinder were aligned against him and would strike eventually, though he hoped they'd take time to lick their wounds first, time he'd use to take Mistral. The Goddess was alive and well and now apparently she was free to roam the world and destroy it as she saw fit, something he definitely needed to resolve though he had absolutely no idea how. Normally he'd turn to his contacts in the Inquisition, though they would be less than helpful due to their insane, zealous loyalty to the Goddess who would destroy them all and who he sought to stop.
It was odd how everything could be so thoroughly stacked against him days after his greatest triumph in his life so far. He'd face it though, those insurmountable odds, and he would win. It would be hard, he'd likely die a miserable, painful death but he would be try. He could say that much about himself at the least.
His hands tightened around the reigns of his horse and he kicked forward the spurs, setting off into a steady canter. Acteon followed, as did the army that marched from the smouldering remains of Nördliche Burg, heading south to Snowmire and from their Vulcan. And after that?
He'd return home. To Mistral. To his destiny, whether that end with him dead in the cold ground or a cold throne from where he'd take what was rightfully his and find away to save the world from a rogue Goddess.
"I'm coming home dear sister." Alexander murmured, uttering his thoughts aloud in a quiet tone. "I can't wait to see what you've done with the place."