The School Days and Beyond

by Storyjumper

These stories are going to focus largely on Ferdinand during his school days with the last few focusing more on Part 5 content. We all know how Ferdinand feels about Dunkelfelger women and I wanted to expand on that with a slight twist... one of them is much more than they seem.

25. God Touched God Cursed

Note: So just a few things. First apparently Adelbert is a lot like Sylvester according to the fan books. Also at this point in the timeline he was unaware of a lot of Veronica's nastiness. My personal head canon is that at this point he thinks Veronica looks at Ferdi as embodiment of him being unfaithful to her. So that's why he allows (what he thinks and sees as) mild aggression towards Ferdi. This is where he's going to start questioning that. Next, I have no idea if the clips are canon or not. "Shumil in Wolf's Clothes" and "A Weave with One Snapped Thread" both used the concept and I loved it. But I also wanted to include the Aub in it so much creative license here ,

Adelbert (Ferdinand's) 3rd Year Royal Academy Interduchy Tournament

I sat looking over the Ehrenfest area. It was actually impressive what Ferdinand had managed to accomplish, especially when I considered he had very little in the way of help. How he had managed to afford to have the space decorated with his meager child support I had no idea. Not only that, but he also had several different presentations for the scholars as well as participating in ditter as an apprentice knight. I saw his female scholar and attendant surveying everything before we sat down, no doubts the two of them did a lot to help Ferdinand with this.

It actually hadn't been long that we were sitting when there was a commotion. Immediately, I knew the cause as several people approached us. Each of them was wearing the blue capes of Dunkelfelger. Aub Dunkelfelger, his nominated guard knight, a scholar, and attendant. If the Aub was a bear of man who exuded military might and cunning, then the young woman at his side was a fetze striding through the jungle shade. Rather than being overwhelmed by the intense aura of the man beside her, she seemed to use it to sneak in close. Judging by her age and her silver eyes, I recognized her to be his eldest daughter, Lady Minerva. So, this was the girl who had managed to up-turn my clever child's life, baiting him with resources and once in a life time chances. Her gaze first and foremost scanned the area, resting briefly on each guard before it fell on my wife seated beside me. Her gaze lingered a few heartbeats longer. Beside me, my wife tensed noticing the attention. But her gaze had had already moved on to me. Silver of the exact shade of Sehweit's noble color pinned me to my seat. A small tingling sensation ran down my back. Lighter than what I had experienced before, but it still brought back memories of the vestige of beauty who had given me a command that had changed the course of my life. I shoved those thoughts down and took a deep breath.

Greetings were exchanged, me and Lady Veronica greeting the Aub Dunkelfelger, then his daughter greeting us in turn after her father introduced her. She was as polite as decorum demanded for our respective stations, not even a hair more or less. However, the hair on the back of my neck rose as those eyes shifted to my wife and then flicked to my wife's guard behind her. For a brief moment I thought I was looking at the Lord of Winter rather than a girl still amidst her summer. My stiffness must have been apparent because Lady Veronica slipped her hand under the table and over my own. She squeezed gently offering reassurances and inquiring if I was alright without speaking a word. I returned the gesture to assure her that all was well. Though now I could feel glancing my way more and more as small talk progressed. Finally, the tea was changed and anti-listening device was laid out.

"What do I owe this auspicious meeting to, Aub Dunkelfelger?" I did not bother to decorate my words with usual euphemisms because I could feel the other man practically vibrating with excitement.

He grinned, "Your talented son, of course."

A beautiful dainty laugh cam from beside me. "Why has Sylvester caught your attention now?" I nearly winced at my wife's words. It was plain to me that he was not talking about Sylvester who was sitting with his wife a few feet from us, still speaking with another guest that had arrived shortly after Aub Dunkelfelger.

The other Aub had the grace to chuckle with sincerity. An action that shook his chest and made his red eyes very bright. "A wonderful jest, Lady Veronica, I was actually referring to Lord Ferdinand."

I could practically feel my wife's displeasure wafting off her. Though I knew she would keep her noble smile in place even under a veil, I was also certain she would try to brush off any of Ferdinand's achievements that the other Aub might try to bring up. Instead, she simply said, "Oh?"

Those red eyes turned to me and bore into me. Judging, weighing, and I could not shake the feeling that they definitely found me lacking in something. "My son has been Ordoschnell and tells me that your talented son has the absolute bare minimum retainers. Even a laynoble of all things." While the bigger man's voice was soft and cheerful, there was also censure in there as well. Beside Aub Dunkelfelger, his daughter glanced at him sharply at the mention of Lasfam. She looked like she wished to say something to her father, but decided to swallow the remark. "Is Ehrenfest so devoid of Greifechan's blessing that a pillar would go so neglected?"

My noble smile did noy waver, but I swallowed back my shame, knowing full well that Ferdinand had stopped using most of the retainers he was given because of his inability to trust them. I couldn't prove my wife had a hand in it either, she was much too careful. "I am afraid it is not such a simple matter as Greifechan's blessing." I needed a way to make him back down, but my position was limited. Until a small flurry of motion caught my attention. Lady Minerva had pulled out a folding fan and was using it to cover the lower half of her face. That reminded me, the young lady also had very few retainers. Four apprentices if I recalled correctly. Which was technically an even bigger deal since Dunkelfelger ranked so much higher than Ehrenfest. "Just as there are reasons for Ferdinand's entourage, I am sure the same could be said for your own daughter who also has so few." My stomach dropped at what I had just dared to do. I prayed to every God I could think of, that other Aub would not take offense to my words. All the while I could feel those silver eyes on me. When I dared look her way, she had a very smug expression as if to say, 'well played'.

Aub Dunkelfelger sighed drawing my attention back to him. "My daughter," Just the way he said 'daughter' was enough to tell me what he thought of me and my skills as a father. It was also a not-so-subtle way of pointing out that he noticed my lack of the use of the word son when referring to Ferdinand. "Minerva has elected to have the bare minimum retainers so she may serve a 'great lady' as her guard knight." I'll bet it was also a move to show she had no desire to take the highest seat from her elder brother. If I understood correctly, she was talented enough for the seat.

I could feel the headache brewing behind my eyes and temples. This was not going well, and I needed dissuade the Aub from his current course quickly so I could take a recovery potion. But even more than that I didn't want to incite Lady Veronica against Ferdinand. The boy didn't that level of hostility. By the Gods he did not deserve the barely veiled ire that she was currently putting out.

"Aub Dunkelfelger, just as Heilschmerz and Flutrane heal in their own way so too do Dunkelfelger and Ehrenfest work in their own ways."

The other man looked at me thoughtfully as if what I was saying had struck him with an interesting idea. For a brief moment I thought Anhaltung had graced him. The bigger man said, "Ditter."

Silence greeted this remark, but I noticed all of the Dunkelfelger retainers looked absolutely excited. The young apprentice guard knight behind Lady Minerva was practically vibrating with his expression couldn't be held in place. While I on the other hand felt my confusion show on my face. What did he mean, ditter? I knew I wasn't alone in my bewilderment when the young archduke candidate was also openly staring at her father with questions burning in her eyes. Something the man was pointedly ignoring.

"I'm afraid Anhaltung escapes me, would you be so kind as to enlightened me about what you mean?"

Now he grinned so large that even his daughter seemed unnerved. "We should ditter for your son."

By the Gods, I wanted to squeak out. Glücklität this is too much for any one man to handle. But Grammalatur had abandoned me to Chaoscipher's tender mercies. Even Lady Veronica was openly gaping. We were in no position to refuse, but if the Zent caught word of this, even he would agree that Dunkelfelger was overstepping its authority here. But that could also get me in more hot water with Dunkelfelger. I was about to hold my head in my hands at the frustration of the situation when none other than Lady Minerva came to my rescue. She reached into her sleeves, pulled out a small feystone, and tapped it to turn it into a little white bird.

The other Aub finally noticed his daughter. "Minerva-."

"I am calling mother." She answered in an overtly sweet tone. All of the Dunkelfelger people seemed to freeze to their respective spots. "Any ditter of this nature would involve stakes of similar worth, would it not?" Her father nodded wordlessly. It would have been funny if not for the fact that this conversation could alter the course of my duchy's future in catastrophic ways. "As this would mean you have to be betting either myself or Lady Magdalena, mother should know right away. As this would affect her plans for our futures." With each cheerful word the girl said, her father's face became more and more ashen. A feeling I could understand completely.

"You are- Yes- I." He floundered for the barest of moments while his daughter smiled at him. "It was a jest." He finished lamely. No one was buying it, but this was the moment I needed. I forced out a chuckle to aid my fellow Aub.

"Quite the jest. You had me going there."

Silver eyes cut me glance before she turned back to her father with a pretty pout on her face. "Quite the cruel jest. Would you really so easily gamble one of your children's futures like that? We can be quite fragile, father. Especially when our loved ones would sacrifice us so easily." She was looking at Aub Dunkelfelger, but the words were a thin blade that sliced me deeply. All I could see were gold eyes looking at me with such trust. Even though I was barely even an adequate father.

"Now you are being cruel daughter. Besides, you are made of sterner stuff than that." He chuckled.

She scoffed, but put away the Ordonnanz.

"Aub Dunkelfelger." It was Lady Veronica that spoke. "Since this matter means so much to you, I will see to it Lord Ferdinand has more people to fill his entourage." I had to fight the urge to sigh dejectedly. It was truly a futile hope that this whole thing could be swept under the rug. But now the zantzes was out the bag. "As the First Lady of Ehrenfest, I will see to it personally."

"I appreciate you taking an interest in this matter, Lady Veronica." The other Aub had an intense look. But I could not help but glance at his daughter who was watching my wife from behind her fan. For a split second I thought I saw a rainbows instead of molten silver. It was like the god of life sat before. The metal blades of her fan groaned under her grip. Instinct screamed I needed to something, anything right now or the heavens were going to open up.

"Lady Minerva, I noticed your fan has a strange beast embroidered on it. The same one that wraps around your broaches. It is quite fascinating." Indeed, it was, and would be more so if the circumstances were different. A serpentine like creature with bare wings and a lot of short spikes. Clearly a beast meant for battle, but not one I had ever seen or heard of.

That frigid gaze turned to me, and practically burned across my senses. The only way I could think to describe the sensation was that I now understood what a shumil felt staring down a hungry zantzes. A small panicked voice in the back of my mind shouted, 'She knows. She knows I'm too weak to protect that which is mine.' I swallowed back the back before it could overwhelm me. Be reasonable, I told myself, how would she know that? Ferdinand himself would never reveal that kind of information, he was too careful. And I was fairly certain he would die for me and Ehrenfest.

"It is a dragon, Aub Ehrenfest." From one breath to another all the violence and bloodlust that I had been sensing was sucked up and disappeared. As if it had never been.

"A dragon, you say? Is that some kind of feybeast native to Dunkelfelger?" I resisted the urge to wince as Veronica once again drew the wild girl's attention.

Aub Dunkelfelger chuckled. "No, Lady Veronica. They are a myth my daughter has a certain fascination for. I believe you will be able to see it properly in the ditter match today."

"A myth? Sounds intriguing. I would love to hear your tales." She practically purred at the young girl.

I thought she might refuse to continue the conversation. Instead, she tapped her fan closed against the palm of her hand. She looked at my wife very thoughtfully.

"Sadly, Grammalatur finds me difficult to bless, so the tales will have to wait until Dregarnuhr wills it. But I suppose it could not hurt to tell you about them. They were once thought to be the Gods' first attempt to fill the garden. Fierce and cunning creatures, dragons have a tendency to hoard, be it wealth, knowledge, mana, or something far more priceless. However, they are most well-known for how jealously they guard their greatest treasures, and the wrath of which they would unleash those who would threaten all they cherish. Frightening, even to the Gods."

A chill ran down my spine.

"Father is right though, you will be able to see it my dragon soon, in ditter." Was it just me or was or was the 'in ditter' part and after thought? Yet everyone else was just nodding along like she was royal performer that spun the most interesting tales. Worst of all my wife implied that she would like to meet the young Dunkelfelger princess for a private tea party. That couldn't be allowed. I very much doubted my wife would live to see the next sunrise if she went to a private tea party with this bold girl. But the Gods it seemed had finally taken pity on me because the girl gave a polite excuse for not being able to. Then managed to drag her father away while allowing everyone else to keep their dignity. I let out a relieved breath once they were gone.

"So, that'd the Efflorelume who has been leading your son around by his nose." There was so much to unpack from that one sentence. A sting of betrayal which is what Ferdinand represented to her, amusement at the trouble Ferdinand was likely to receive from the Dunkelfelger girl, as well as several barely veiled implications about both the princess and Ferdinand that I did not even want to think about.

"She is certainly spirited."

My wife gave me a look from under her veil, but seemed to understand I did not want to keep talking about this subject. Wordlessly, she passed me a potion from her own belt. I quickly drank it while she ordered the tea be changed to a more soothing kind. Relief to my still pounding headache was swift, but I noticed they were becoming far more frequent and the potions were leaving me more and more exhausted.

By the time I finished my tea I noticed someone else was approaching the Ehrenfest spot. This time it was Aub Drewanchel. Instead of coming straight over like Aub Dunkelfelger and his entourage, this man lingered at that the booths with Ferdinand's research. Including a recording tool. Even though he was looking at the scholar's research I could feel his focus on me. Like his heraldic animal he was would not come straight for the attack. No, he would circle around what he wanted then attack with precision of mana or venom. I took a deep breath and braced myself when the older man sauntered over. My stomach churned uneasily. We greeted the other Aub and sat with us. The conversation topics were generally bland and nothing too off putting. And while we made small talk the ditter field was prepared. Round and around the conversation wound and more and more I felt like I was walking into a trap.

"Hmm, looks like ditter is about to begin. Shall we move closer, Aub Ehrenfest?"

I stiffened knowing full well this was not a request. Nor was my wife welcome. I agreed leaving behind Lady Veronica. The other Aub moved off towards the seating closer to the rails. He deliberately choose a spot that kept our backs to the rest of the Ehrenfest area. Any attempt to turn to look at my wife would be noticed. Below us the ditter field stretch out with spots of color in each duchy's colors scattered across the field. After only a brief moment the ditter bell rang. I expected Aub Drewanchel had waited for this moment to speak, but instead he watched the match silently. So, I was forced to follow his lead.

It was chaos from start. A mass rush of students to the center forest area. Spells flashed through the trees as students attacked each other with more ferocity than I had ever seen. I caught sight of a long blue haired boy with an ochre cloak overtop a vivid blue one. Ferdinand not only seemed to be directing the chaos and roiled around him, but he also seemed to revel in it. He looked… happy wasn't quite right, but like he belonged in this scene. Before I knew it several greater duchies turned on each other, wiping out many of them fairly early into the match.

Aub Drewanchel chuckled. "Your son has quite the talent."

I found Ferdinand once again. He was wielding a magic tool that looked like a mesh net. Though whenever it caught someone up in it, lightning traveled over the surface while leaving Ferdinand unharmed.

"I do wonder how he managed to send Verdränner's fury through it without harming himself. I imagine that would have been quite painful to test. How blessed by Mestionora your heir is."

I cringed and was about to correct the other Aub's misunderstanding when he waved me off.

"Oh, that's right. Your eldest son is your heir. Forgive me. Seems my age is catching up to me.

I nearly choked. While the other man was definitely older than myself. There was no way Mestionora had abandoned him to Dregarnuhr's tricks on Grammalatur. This was all way too pointed. Even waiting until the ditter match started to talk seemed like a very deliberate choice. Why was he steering the conversation like this?

"I'm sure Mestionora has many blessings for you Aub Drewanchel."

He smiled making me think, snake. "Indeed. I'm sure the goddess of wisdom will bless me in many ways yet." His gaze returned to the match. "Quite like your son."

"Yes, Ferdinand is very blessed by the gods."

"Mhmm, Angriff, Kunstzeal, and even Schlageziel to name just a few."

"You honor my house with your praise, Aub." The smile that curled up his lips once again had me swallowing. Everything I said seemed to be exactly as he expected. I got the unnerving feeling that not only was I following him down a very dangerous road but that he was very intentionally leading me down it.

"Honor and pride are definitely things you should feel with a son like that." He nodded down to Ferdinand who looked very striking with his two capes. Twin swords were in his hands as he fended off several enemies. I knew he had been practicing to do well in his class, but the skill he showed was head and shoulders above many of the adult knights in Ehrenfest. "Apparently, he willing takes whatever he can get from us upper duchies. The Dunkelfelger princesses both provide him with plenty of challenges to nurture competence. Both mind and body. My own adopted children speak very highly of his skill and have told me to expect absolute ruthlessness when it come to him."

"Oh?"

"Quite." Aub Drewanchel never looked away from the battle. "Are you aware that, in my homeland, the supreme couple adopts both giebes children and talented youngsters? Not unlike how the Dark God and the Goddess of Light adopted their talented granddaughter."

"I have heard of this tradition, yes." Wha- Oh! My first instinct was to reject his proposal out right. After all the goddess of time had wanted me to raise Ferdinand. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized this could easily be the Gods giving me a nudge. Ferdinand could easily rise to meet his destiny that the Gods have for him. And I would be able to keep my promise to keep him safe. And this way Sylvester would have the back of an upper ranked duchy. The words had barely even crossed my mind when the young Dunkelfelger princess' words followed.

'Would you really so easily gamble one of your children's futures like that? We can be quite fragile, father. Especially when our loved ones would sacrifice us so easily.'

Golden eyes so full of earnest trust flashed before me. I was a pitiful father. I couldn't even actually think of Ferdinand. Only relieving myself of a burden I willing choose, and how it would benefit Sylvester. I couldn't gamble Ferdinand like that. At the very least I owed the boy the choice of what he wished to do here. All other choices had been stripped from him.

"Does Mestionora get to choose whether or not she goes with the supreme couple or stay with Geduldh?"

The other Aub blinked at me surprised. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It is a choice, I suppose. But who would refuse only to be killed by Ewigeliebe?" I winced at that. Probably no one, but I owed Ferdinand that much.

A high pitch roar distracted everyone. I turned to where the sound had come from; Dunkelfelger's area. There was a giant blue scaled bird crouched in the center of their home base. Beside me Aub Drewanchel placed a magic tool over his eyes.

"Ah, so that is the strange highbeast, Ordoschnell has been singing of."

I used body enhancement around my eyes to bring the image into sharp focus. The dark blue serpentine beast came into clear view. It was exactly like the image embroidered onto her fan and wrought from metal around her broach. Enough spikes to arm every full knight in Ehrenfest with a dagger made of it. Massive bare wings that looked like leather stretched over a flimsy frame. Finally, the scaled body. All of it built a creature clearly meant for battle. It was even unnecessarily large.

"Interesting, they are using her highbeast to protect their treasure." Now that he mentioned it, I did notice there was something tucked under one of its wings. While Minerva stood guard in front of the small natural opening. Only a strange shield in her hands. It was round with two U shapes cut from the sides. Her glaive was impaled into the ground next to her.

"Why leave the girl to guard it by herself?" I wondered aloud. "Usually, Dunkelfelger is not so caliver about their treasure." I watched as several students from Werkestock approached clearly thinking the same thing I was. The Dunkelfelger archduke candidate simply waited with her shield raised.

"I doubt they have overestimated their strength. This strikes me more as a statement."

The Werkestock apprentices attack in unison. Their schtappes clattering loudly against the shield. But the lady did not budge, did not bend, and would not yield. If someone had asked me before today if I thought a shield was a weapon, I would have said no. But watching the brutal beating of four apprentice knights made me reconsider. Especially after one young lad had his nose busted open from a direct blow from the flat side of the shield. Even though the edge was dull I had no illusions that those young men would be walking away from this fight. One thought himself clever and tried to sneak around Lady Minerva only to trigger a trap from the highbeast. Lightning burst from its jaws and seared the poor boy. Leaving Minerva alone standing over her victims.

Once everyone was laid out on the ground, I watched those silver eyes flick towards my direction. She reached behind herself and laid a hand on her highbeast's wing. Then the dragon lifted its head and let loose another ear shattering roar of triumph, that was also a dare for anyone else to approach.

"Hmpf. She's as bad as her father." Soon after the ditter bell rang. It was announced that Dunkelfelger took first place. What was surprising however was that Ehrenfest had taken fifth place. A significant jump that was unheard of. The whole stadium was left murmuring about the mixed places as only Dunkelfelger got what was expected of them. Aub Drewanchel said his goodbyes promising to speak with me again at the conference itself.

Unsurprisingly, or surprisingly; depending on where you were sitting, Ferdinand was called for first in class for every single one of his classes. Murmurs raised through the gathered crowd of nobles like a wildfire. Many lost their composure to shock. I on the other hand felt pride thrum through me. This would definitely call for some kind of reward, but what would be good. I glanced at Sylvester and thought it would be best to include him in the process somehow. Then Veronica would not mistake it as favoritism to Ferdinand.

Once all the pomp and fanfare was done I felt the exhaustion pulling down on me. That coupled with the strange feeling of a thread caught in my chest made it so all I could manage was to hold my head up as we returned to the Ehrenfest dorm. The entire way I could feel my wife's gaze on me. Once we were safely inside the dorm, she pulled me aside into another room. Knowing what she planned, I dismissed our entourages. Even with them gone she was still cautious enough to hand me an anti-listening device. I took it.

"Adelbert? How are you feeling? You look so pale." She reached for me and I felt a fine thread of her mana enter me. It felt not unlike when she ran her nails down my skin. I had to bite back the urge to groan. When her hand came away my wife seemed to hesitate.

"What is it?" I asked her.

"I think you should rest for the rest of the conference."

I blinked at her surprised. "I can't do that. You know that."

"At least let me take on more work and cancel any meetings you have for the next two nights."

I felt a worm of suspicion at such a specific time frame. If I did that, I would not be able to meet with both Ferdinand and Sylvester. "I will certainly welcome my goddess of light's help, but I will not cancel my meetings on such short notice. Even the pillars will abandon the supreme couple if they are too readily abused."

Annoyance flashed through her posture. "The Dark God has final say."

"Yes, he does. So, he also bares the responsibility to rule justly."

"Why?" The word burst from her reminding me of one of our few fights. When she refused to stand in as Ferdinand's mother. I took a deep breath knowing full well what she was actually asking.

"I wish to nurture my sons." The word ripped through me like someone had yanked a thorny vine out from inside my chest. "I believe they will bring about a beautiful future for our Geduldh. But they both need guidance before that."

Silence greeted me. It stretched out and became a yawning ravine between me and my wife.

"I see." Even with her veil in place I knew she wasn't looking at me. She was refusing to. Instead, she pulled two vials from the potion pouch at her hip. "Drink the red one now, and the yellow one when you wish to sleep." I knew she would storm off once I took them if I didn't stop her. So, when I took them, I made sure to plant myself firmly in her way.

"Thank you, my love." I smiled at her and made sure to take the red one while she was watching. It had a strong herbal taste, but it was palpable. Once it was gone, I could feel some energy slowly returning. I returned the empty bottle to her, but still her head was bent to the floor. I had done this. Hurt her. More than anything I couldn't leave her like this. So, I reached for one delicate hand. Capturing it and bringing it up to my face. I smiled mischievously at her as I planted kisses on the back of her hand. The smell of herbs tickled my nose. How long had she spent brewing to make the potions that were keeping me going.

"You shower me with your blessings, my beautiful Efflorelume, my gracious Heilschmerz, my only goddess of light." I stole another kiss before straightening up with a triumphant grin on my face, knowing full well that Geduldh's noble color would be staining much of her face. It was extremely tempting to sneak a peek, but I had pushed social boundaries enough. Her anger and hurt no longer lingered in her posture. Thus, I said my goodbyes and forced myself to leave her before I was tempted to linger far longer than was appropriate.

I called Sylvester to my room early so we could discuss Ferdinand's reward early. He did the proper greeting, but the grin on his face was as unnoble like as it was infectious. My son could barely even sit still through the small talk before the tea was changed and anti-ease dropping tool was given.

"Is this about Ferdinand, father?"

I chuckled unsurprised that he had guessed why I had summoned him early. "Yes, I would like your thoughts on what he would like as a reward."

"Hmm, well he likes studying. So maybe books."

"I was thinking something that would connect the two of you."

My son sat back in his chair pondering my request. For several moments there just thinking. Then seemingly frustrated with his own lack of answers he ran his hand his long purple hair that had been thrown over his shoulder. He suddenly stopped the motion about two thirds of the way through then glanced at me. Specifically, my hair that was as long as my son's. He grinned making himself look like a much younger me.

"Father, what if we get matching hair clips."

It was a splendid idea. "Any thoughts to the design?"

This time Sylvester didn't even need to think about his answer. "The Ehrenfest crest. Ferdinand and you both work so hard for our Geduldh, and I'm your heir. It is our symbol."

I put a hand over my mouth. In part to help contain the emotions that swirled inside me and in part because I was legitimately considering how best to make his idea work. "The crest itself is too large, perhaps we can find a way to simplify it."

My son nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, we could each just have one of the lions holding the shield. Since I'm the heir I could the right one and since Ferdinand will be my left hand, he can have the left-hand lion holding up the shield. But your lion should be the three headed one, and it should be standing behind the shield with the two spears to show your status as Aub. Together we make the full crest."

Warmth touched my eyes. "I think that will be very fitting." We sketched out the designs for all three pieces, then I had them given to my attendant for safe keeping. I would make the order of my silversmith once I returned from the conference. I also made sure to understand he was not to breath a word of this to anyone. Sylvester seemed convinced that Ferdinand would catch a whiff of this surprise if he so much as mentioned it to even his attendants. Shortly afterwards Ferdinand himself arrived. He seemed both excited and hesitant while giving the traditional greeting to me. Once that was done, I immediately stood up and gently patted his head. Those gold eyes sparkled with happiness when I praised him. His joy even lingered well into our first cups of tea and chatting.

"Oh, Ferdinand, where did that blue cape you were wearing come from?" Sylvester asked. The cape in question was now nowhere to be seen.

"I won it from a Dunkelfelger knight apprentice. Heisshitze is Lady Minerva's cousin and guard knight." I remembered the young man. He had short curly brown hair and the same exuberant love of ditter that most people from Dunkelfelger shared.

"You did what?" Sylvester exclaimed gripping his stomach. While I sympathized with my eldest son's reaction, I still chastised him for shouting. Sylvester barely acknowledged my warning and immediately asked to see the cape. Moments later, Justus came in caring the folded cape. The table was cleared and cloak spread out so we could all look at. At first glance the embroidery was harder to see owing to the fact it was the same color as the cloak. Even though the raised nature of embroidery should have made it stand out in direct light like this. I also suspected there was a middle layer that had circles to blur them even more. It was something upper duchies were well known for, but the art was largely lost to Ehrenfest nobles. When I ran my fingers over the threads, I realized how truly fine this cloak was.

"Sylvester, be careful, the cloak-."

My eldest yelped snatching back his hand back. Ferdinand sighed and tapped his temples with two fingers.

"As I was saying, the cloak has protections from those who try to decipher the magic circles or copy them."

I chuckled. "Young Heisshitze must have a very loving wife."

Ferdinand made a face, something between amusement and a cringe. "No, the circles were created by Lady Magdalina, the thread and cloth were prepared by Dunkelfelger's first lady, while the embroidery done and mana given were Lady Minerva's." Ferdinand went on to explain the circumstances for which the young knight received this gift and exactly how it came to be in his possession. And what a tale it was. Both Sylvester and I were leaning forward as he told an almost clinical view of the fight. I very much suspected that he left many details out.

"You don't do things halfway, do you brother?"

Ferdinand scoffed. "Of course not. What would be the point of that?" His noble mask was in place, but I did notice the tips of his ears were red and he couldn't quite meet Sylvester's gaze. Sylvester grinned as if he knew he had the upper hand. He opened his mouth.

"Boys." I stopped them before it could devolve into Sylvester being a merciless tease. "Ferdinand, have you started to learn gewinnen?"

"Of course, father."

"How about you and Sylvester play a few rounds and I will the person who wins the most."

Sylvester managed to hold onto his pride as the 'big brother', scrapping up the first win. Ferdinand sensed how close the margin of loss was, and became more eager. He won the second match. After that, the third match Sylvester's pride was left in tatters as Ferdinand crushed him with a very skilled final maneuver. To his credit, Sylvester lost with grace. Which was no small relief to me, especially when I thought of my eldest child. I did not want the same thing for Sylvester.

Then the board was set up for Ferdinand and myself. Sylvester seemed even more eager to watch this. Opening moves were played and I waited until it was Ferdinand's turn again before speaking. "Aub Dunkelfelger and Lady Minerva came to visit this year." No surprise, the blue haired boy did not have any reaction to the news. Not even his mana stirred as he moved a piece. "It seems he was concerned about the small size of your entourage." I let that hang in the air between us for a couple of rounds. It helped that Sylvester muttered, 'that's why'. Ferdinand looked equally frustrated and nervous, especially when I didn't elaborate right away on what had happened. But his nerves betrayed him. Several times he made overly sloppy moves that left him wide-open. These I allowed to slide unchallenged.

"It seems they were so concerned that the Aub requested a ditter match with you and one of his daughters as the stakes." Both boys' eyes were wide open. I moved my piece seemingly unperturbed by the news I had dropped on them. Though my stomach gave a painful stir at the memory.

"Father! What are we going to do?! Dunkelfelger can't have my little brother." Sylvester looked sick to his stomach. His hand went to the affected area instantly. Ferdinand on the other hand was trying very hard to stay focused on our game. The only tells that what I said upset him was the slight wobble of his piece as his mana moved it forward.

I chuckled softly causing both of them to look at me as if I had lost my wits.

"Father! This isn't funny!" Sylvester cried.

"Forgive me." I tried to stifle my laughter turning it into a cough. "I wished for you two to share in my fun from today. But there is nothing to worry about from Dunkelfelger, Sylvester. Lady Minerva intervened and was able to get her father to retract the request." My noble smile slipped as I remembered the other Aub's pale face. "She even went so far as to admonish him." Sylvester's eyes were the size of saucers, while Ferdinand merely scoffed. Clearly, he wasn't surprised by her brashness. But then I thought back to the incident and what my wife promised. I felt my unease rise and that thread in my chest seemed rub uncomfortably against my mana organ.

"In order to stop further misunderstandings like that, Lady Veronica has said she would personally select retainers to fill out your entourage more. Furthermore, the young princess expressed in interest in seeing the quality of people the First Lady would provide you." In other words, he would have to take them with when interacting with upper duchies, especially Dunkelfelger. Show them that there is no reason for them to try and take you. Ferdinand must have understood my implied meaning because his smile became dazzling and bright.

"I shall endeavor to thank my classmates."

"That would be wise." I played my move before continuing. "After Dunkelfelger left, Aub Drewanchel came by. He seemed very interested in your recording tool, but that was not all." Sylvester was hanging off my every word while Ferdinand was watching me with caution. I got the impression he wished to be elsewhere rather than have this conversation. "The Aub wishes to adopt you, Ferdinand."

I heard Sylvester suck in a shocked breath. This time I signaled for him to be silent before he could protest. I ignored the frustrated look on his face in favor of watching Ferdinand's expression. It was curiously blank for several long minutes. When he came back to himself, he sat up straighter and looked me directly in the eyes.

"What would benefit you the most?"

I sighed and resisted the urge to scrub my eyes. "If you were to become Aub Drewanchel the connection would boost Sylvester's position as well as provide no small amount of protection to Ehrenfest. However, Sylvester would lose his best mister before his tenor as Aub even started." In other words, the merits to me and Ehrenfest were equal.

"Father-!"

"Be silent, Sylvester." I cut him off before he could sway Ferdinand one way or another. This was one lesson my eldest still had yet to learn. Not even the Aub could control everything. Despite my resolve I felt a trepidation and that thread in my chest ached fiercely. I wished I could pull the feeling out and throw it away. Silence had stretched on so long that I hadn't realized I was holding my breath until Ferdinand spoke again.

"Would I be able to see you two if I go?"

I shook my head. "Only during the tournament and the conference, and that's only if you were to become Aub."

He digested this information with a slight frown, tapping two fingers to his temple. When he came to his answer, he folded his hands together. "I would stay in Ehrenfest then, if you will allow it?" Sylvester sighed and slumped back into his chair.

"I will inform Aub Drewanchel of your choice."

Our game continued with Ferdinand stealing the win in final tricky move. I congratulated him. Soon it was time to say our good nights. Each of us returning to our separate rooms. My head attendant tried to help me undress, but that feeling of a thread brushing against my mana organ came again. I knew I would not sleep like this, so I waved the man off and dismissed all but my guard knight for the night.

"I need a walk." I told Bartholomew. Thankfully my old friend did not argue or try to convince me that I should at least take more knights. He was keenly aware that I had long since grown out of my more troublesome antics. After putting on light feystone armor the two of us walked out of the dorm. The quiet of the night was soothing even more so when we actually stepped out under the grace of the God of darkness. His cloak sparkled with his wife's handy work.

Bartholomew hissed in pain next to me. When I turned to look at him, he was rubbing his neck. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Bugs." He waved it off.

I snorted a laugh, but kept the joke about him getting soft to myself. Instead, I turned back to the night sky, just listening to the breeze. It wasn't until I gaze drifted down towards the forest; an inky blob, that I felt my unease stir again. The trees weren't moving. So why did I hear wind? There was a muffled groan and clank sound as Bartholomew crumpled to the ground. I was about to summon my schtappe when a soft female voice cut through the night.

"About time, little lion." I turned away from my guard's body and faced Lady Minerva perched on her highbeast.

"Lady Minerva! You dare attack a member of another Aub's entourage? This will mean-."

"I have done no such thing." She tilted her head as her silver eyes studied Bartholomew. I sensed her mana flare as she inhaled, snuffling almost like a wolfeniel. "Besides, he's fine. Just asleep. So, what is it you want? Since you have been rudely calling since we visited you earlier."

I opened my mouth, then closed it. I couldn't even accuse her of lying or trickery. Her emotions flashed so plainly on her face. But I hadn't called her. "I called no one."

She looked at me as if I were a fool. Then I felt the thread in my chest giving hearty tug. As if it were trying to pull my mana organ from my body. I wheezed out a surprised breath.

"That is what you have been doing. Now, what, do, you, want?" She enunciated each word as if she were talking to particularly troublesome child. "Preferably before I lose my patients."

"What was that?"

"That is the connection that we have to the heavens."

My shock must have been written plainly across my face.

"Huh, you really didn't know. Dregarnuhr didn't explain?"

I felt my face pale. "How do you k-."

She snorted. "Because I am God Touched too. Pay attention, little lion. You should be able to feel it. That thread you keep pulling on connects us. It's the 'will' of whichever gods are our 'patrons'."

"Gods?" Only Dregarnuhr had come to me.

The Dunkelfelger princess scrubbed both hands across her face. "Grab the thread. Gently!" she hissed when I turned my focus on the threads. There were three different colored strands. The first connected directly to my mana organ was in Dregarnuhr's color. The other two were silver; the same shade as Lady Minerva's eyes, and dark purple. The color of an ugly bruise. "Try to avoid touching the purple it has nasty side-effects." I took her at her word. Something about that thread made me shudder.

"Why are we connected?"

She shrugged continuing to show a spectacular level of casual disrespect. "If it makes you feel better it is a strange quality that belongs to the Royal Academy alone. Those of us touched by the Gods can connect to each other here. My current theory is that it is so we can work together to further whatever inane plan the gods have." Not only causal disrespect for me, but a very blatant disrespect for the gods themselves. And she had met them. "Now back to my original question, what do you want?"

I thought about her question. Thinking back to each time I had felt unease through the bond. I felt it when I thought of Ferdinand and my wife. Then I remembered this girl's fury. The thing I could practically taste, while no one else batted an eye. Because they couldn't feel it.

"You wish my wife's death."

The girl straightened up. "Aub Ehrenfest, today is the first day I have met your wife, why would I wish for her death." The words came out oddly blank. No inflections, no emotions. Yet from the connection I felt the purple thread vibrate like a plucked harspiel string. Though this was far more grating and uncomfortable. It even left me queasy.

"I don't know."

Her eyes changed to several different colors. "Then you are a far bigger fool that I thought, little lion."

I clenched my teeth in frustration. "It's Ferdinand, isn't it? The reason you hate her." Yes, I felt the rightness of my answer. The cloak. It struck me like the thunder of Verdränner. "You love him."

Her head tipped back as she laughed outright at me. It had no joy, not even dry cutting amusement. Instead, there was only madness. The manic laughter continued until I felt I would be sick. Then it was cut off with a contented sigh. When her gaze returned to my own, she purred, "What if I tell you yes? What will you do, knowing you have something I love and cherish? Do you think that just because Dregarnuhr has granted you her blessing, doesn't mean I can do nothing. You can't be killed, but I promise, you can hurt."

I sucked in a deep breath. It was not the threat that concerned me. It was the 'can't be killed' that struck me.

"I can't die?"

Her snort told me I was being a fool. "Of course, you will die. I can smell the curse creeping through your body from here. I said you can't be killed. But there's always a price for a god's favor." I blinked at her and my knees wobbled. Suddenly I was sitting on the ground staring up at those pitiless eyes. "I wonder what will happen once you're gone? How long will your Geduldh last when your heir wears the cloak too soon and war has ravaged much of the country."

So, she knew about the coming war too. I sucked in a shuddery breath looking down at my clenched fists. Sylvester's face flashed before my eyes. How cheerful and carefree he was. Then I saw Ferdinand. The young man was becoming more of a recluse. They needed each other. That much was clear. Ehrenfest would not survive without them both. "Please." The word came out barely more than a whimper. "Please, I-, I need help. What do I do?" I expected her to rage at my uselessness or mock my pitifulness. Instead, nothing. I gathered my courage to face her. But whatever I seen earlier was gone. Instead, I saw only a very tired girl with circles under her eyes so dark it looked like she had been punched.

"Stand up, little lion. Do not bow your head. Be worthy of the love you freely given. Be worthy of the trust that has been placed in you. Do your duty as Aub and father. If you can do that, then the damage of your foolishness might yet be reduced."

I felt myself sigh in relief.

"But know, Gebotordnung cannot be put off by Duldsetzen indefinitely, as Dregarnuhr is more her ally." She turned to go.

"Thank you."

Sher stiffened. "Do not thank me."