A/N: Can anyone see this?
Site notifications appear to be borked AGAIN, but I promised an update today, so an update you shall receive.
If this chapter gets a ton of feedback -hopefully it will!- then I'll do my best to ensure an earlier update.
Possibly even weekly!
Sorry if this particular chapter seems short, the site issues murdered my motivation today; not to mention my hands keep shaking on occasion -aches and pains-had to get a friend to help me spellcheck this EIGHT TIMES and even then it was a very near thing indeed.
I'm trying to fend off the effects of long covid, but some days are better than others. I can't claim to understand what's going wrong with me. I don't even know why! One day I'm fine, then my health craters for a few hours, then I'm back again for a bit, and the cycle repeats. Its rather annoying and I've been told I have to "ride it out" Sure, what's one more problem on the pile. Not like I don't have enough, what with already being this old. Feels like every day is a battle sometimes.
*siiiigh* Don't mind the rambling of this geezer...
As ever, I own no quotes, references, quotes, themes or memes! They're simply tributes to legends far greater than I.
I'm just an old man who writes as a pastime. I don't make any money doing this, not a single cent. This is ALL done for free.
Time and feedback will determine if this remains a story. Simple as that. In other words...its up to YOU, the reader. Do let me know~!
Chapters are going with the "Name" theme for now. Get ready, here we go!
Marika is an absolute menace in this story, and a delight to write.
What manner of menace, you ask? Read and see~!
"A crown is warranted with strength!
~Naruto/Godfrey/Hoarah Loux.
Name thy Crown
"Hail the conquering hero~!"
Marika met Naruto at the gates of the city and found her grinning like a loon, arms spread wide to welcome him home. The not-yet-crowned-queen looked inordinately pleased with herself as he climbed the stone stairwell to reach her; he supposed she had ample reason to be, given his recent...conquest.
Could he call it a conquest?
He pondered that for a moment as he crested the last of the steps, taking them two at a time in his haste. He'd bested Rennala in single combat and proven himself to the Lands Between at large, all while holding back the lion's share of his might. Better yet, he'd done it alone through none power but his own. Everyone would speak of his devastating deeds today and soon, the world would know things had changed, that they would continue to change, under his and Marika's watchful eye.
The Golden Order was rising and it was good to be king.
Marika met him on the last step, reaching out for his hand. She really did like touching people. Her fingers lingered on his, caressing his rough knuckles as though they were made of the finest marble. It would've been so very easy to pull his hand away, but she just looked so damn happy that he couldn't bear to do it.
"You were triumphant, I trust?"
...yes," he answered readily. Liurnia is ours. Queen Rennala has agreed to enter into an alliance with us."
Marika made happy noises and clapped her free hand over his, rubbing both against her face.
There was a strangely sweet smell about her. Perfume, perhaps?
But why were her cheeks red?
How odd...
"Wonderful~!" the buxom blonde beamed up at him, dispelling his concern, "I'm sure Rennala will be working quite...closely with us in the future."
Kurama snorted in the back of his head. "Undoubtedly."
He frowned at her as much as his old friend. "And what do you mean by that?"
"Nothing!" she chirruped all too quickly, steadfastly avoiding his gaze with a smile. "Come, I have a gift for you."
Pivoting upon one heel, she trailed a hand across his bice,p then turned and walked back through the gate, leaving him to follow. Bemused by her behavior, he allowed her the indiscretion.
"And where's Radagon?"
He could see her face from this angle, but he heard the smile in her voice. "I'm certain my dear brother's around here somewhere, probably having a bit of a temper tantrum."
The ghost of a smile played over his lips. "And whyever would he do such a thing...?
"Don't be coy," a golden eye gleamed over her shoulder as she glanced his way. "He expected you to fail my dear; to falter, just as he had in the past. Instead you returned triumphant. Needless to say he was quite...irked by your triumph." she paused briefly, head tilting but a little as she listened to a voice only she seemed to hear. "Ah. Maliketh says my dear brother may have said some crude things about you. Unfortunately for our dear Radagon...
An outraged shriek echoed from one of the distant towers above, punctuated by the sound of breaking furniture and falling rubble.
...Orin may have overheard him."
Was it just his imagination, or was that someone falling in the distance...?
No that, definitely was. How unfortunate.
"Should we help him?"
"Meh." Impossibly, her smile grew even more smug. "He'll live...though he might wish he hadn't. Lesser minds will always fail to comprehend greatness. This way, if you please. I've something to show you."
She shrugged one shoulder and kept walking, hips swaying.
From there, she ushered him down the hall, flung open the third door she found, and sashayed into an adjacent room filled with treasures. Piles of gold strewn among oaken chests sprawled with shields, gleaming suits of armor, mighty weapons some meters tall, but his gaze was inevitably drawn to a singular pedestal amongst them all.
Or rather, the crimson cushion placed atop it that single gilded pillar.
There, resting atop its plush surface...a crown awaited him.
"That...is quite the crown."
It certainly was; he'd expected some ghastly gaudy thing but this was...dare he say tasteful? A gold circled embossed with silver at the edges, tapering into a singular point leading upward from one's forehead. It was the very height of royalty without being overbearing; just the sort of thing a warrior king might wear.
"Do you like it?!" Marika's head popped over his shoulder as he felt her breasts spoon against his back. "I had it made for you just last night. You left before I could show you."
He blinked slowly and retrieved it with one hand "This is for me...?"
"Indeed!" the young woman gestured at him eagerly. "Its yours. I'll admit, was tempted to fashion you something similar to my Mimic Veil, but I thought better of it at the last. You don't strike me as the sort for pranks."
Oh, how little she knew. Still, the phrasing of her words intrigued him just now. "Mimic Veil?"
Her eyes twinkled. "Allow a lady some secrets, dear consort. Now, then~!"
Quick as a flash she was off again, dragging him out the room.
This time, Naruto let her take him by the free hand and lead him away. Such an excitable woman Marika was. He almost envied her boundless enthusiasm as much as her energy.
Idly, he glanced at the crown still clutched in his palm; the durable metal held firm despite his titanic grasp. It seemed she had a capable smith on hand.
Up they went, threading through the halls and passages, mazes and corridors until finally, they reached their destination.
"Behold~!"
There, beneath the gleaming gold of the fledgling Erdtree, a throne awaited him.
No, he realized, two thrones.
One was smaller than the other and seemingly hewn from the very back of the tree itself; but the other was a massive, mighty thing made of black iron and stone, large as he was tall. If he didn't know better, he'd suspect she'd gotten ahold of his measurements somehow and made it just large enough to fit him. Atop the back, she'd draped a bolt of heavy blue cloth, the better to match his attire.
"Isn't it glorious?" Marika skipped past him, grinning ear to ear. "I had the finest masons construct this throne for you; we spared no expense. I'd considered using bones or animal hide, but I felt that might be a little on the nose given your origins." she was babbling but didn't seem to realize it. "Do you not approve? I can take it back and have another made-
Right, he should probably say something. "Its larger than yours."
Judging by her half-lidded look, he'd managed to avoid putting his foot in his mouth this time.
"Of course it is." By contrast, her blink wasn't nearly so innocent as she pretended to be. "You're much bigger than I."
Alright, even he couldn't miss that hint just now! "...you and your double meanings."
"I prefer honesty." she glided back to him. "Won't you try them on for size."
...you're not going to let me be until I do, are you?"
"I shall not!"
With a long suffering sigh, he lifted the diadem to his head and -well aware of Marika's hazy eyes- donned it ever so carefully. There was no pain. No flesh of spellfire or some sordid curse, nor any backhanded treachery of any sort. It slid seamlessly onto his skull as though it had always been there, always been meant for him, always belonged to him from the very beginning. If anything he felt stronger now that he'd successfully donned the crown, more awake than he had been before; his body bursting with energy.
"Lovely, isn't it?" Marika crooned at him, causing his gaze to slide her way. "I wove several blessings into the metal myself. May they protect so long as I live."
His brow furrowed. "What manner of blessings?"
She grinned. "Secret!"
This woman! She would've given Jiraiya himself a run for his money!
Really, she was utterly insatiable. And to think they hadn't even done the deed yet.
"Now for the throne!" She stepped aside, gesturing grandly. "May you find it to your liking."
Remarkably, he did.
The black stone held his weight well, and proved far more comfortable than he'd thought it would be.
"Also enchanted!" Marika flounced down atop his legs, all but sitting in his lap. "My throne has the same blessing, one to make even the hardest surface seem soft as clay, and the coldest metal warm as a spring afternoon. After all, it would be remiss to sit upon a cold chair all day and night, no?"
...it will serve." he was too humbled by the grand gift to say anything else.
"We can decorate it with the blades of all our fallen foes." she stroked his cheek with one hand, nuzzling closer, "Doesn't that sound nice?"
It rather did.
Humming softly, Marika looped both arms around his neck and laid her head against his chest. He expected her to bound up at any moment and haul him off somewhere else, but no, she kept still clinging to him, swaying a little as she snuggled in his lap. A minute passed. Then another. Another.
"My dear consort," A tiny hiccup escaped her at last. "None shall stand before us. None at all...
He caught that faint, sweet scent on her breath again.
His eyes widened!
Wait...
.
..
...
Realization dawned.
Marika's flushed face.
The sweet smell that followed her.
Her hands, lingering on him every chance they got.
...you're drunk.
"M'not." one could barely hear the slur in her voice as she pressed her head into his neck. "You won. I had reason to celebrate. And besides, you took so loooong to get back...
He stared down at her until at long last, she raised her head to look him in the eye.
...so I started drinking early!" she granted him a gormless grin. "Would you like some? There's plenty of wine in the cellars. Or would you prefer ale?" one hand fiddled with the strap of her dress. "Perhaps something else would be to your liking...?
Clever, sneaky girl. He knew exactly what she was trying to do. Right, that settled it.
"You needn't embolden yourself with drink. We'll settle this when you're sober."
Rising from the throne, he picked her up, cradling her against his chest.
Drunk or no, she noticed that. Her eyes lit up. "Princess carry!"
Naruto sighed and carried her off to bed.
(.0.0.0.)
His Tribe finally arrived the very next day; countless warriors from the badlands come to the capital
But so too came the Dragons and their wroth was great. War came to their doorstep.
A crown was warranted with strength. "Godfrey" would soon show his.
A/N: Surprise~! Hope you enjoyed.
Would you like weekly updates? Do let me know~!
As ever, reviews are the fuel that sustain me. Without them I cannot write a single word. Simple as that. Working nearly all hours of the day keep me absurdly busy, as such, I can't bring myself to write something folks don't like.
Aaaand there we go. As ever, reviews keep me alive. Without them, I cannot write. So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review...Would You Kindly?
(Previews)
Fear he who fears nothing Leave he who has nothing left to live.
The young Fire Giant regarded him with wide, glassy eyes, her lower lip quivering.
"Oh, dear. Easy there, lets just calm down-
She started bawling.
"Can you kill something that big?"
"I'd prefer to talk with it, first...
Gransax loomed before the capital. Before him.
Naruto -Godfrey!- raised a hand and waved. "Mind putting that Bolt of yours down?
Naruto blew out an angry breath. Enough of this. "Orin!"
His disciple perked up like an eager puppy. "Yes?"
He pointed at their enemies. "KILL!"
She dove on them with a cackle.
"As my lord commands~!"
"Father, look!"
Godwyn really was a golden child.
Naruto heaved a small, bemused sigh as he watched his son conjure up a fresh gale. "Thatta boy...
"No. They won't be sending our sons to the sewers. Morgott and Mohg will stay. Right here. With us. If the Greater Will has a problem with that I WILL BREAK ITS BACK."
EDIT: Hope this made you smile, and have a great day!
Warm regards,
~Nz.
R&R~!