If I had to describe the city of Virynth Atheos in one word, it would be ENORMOUS. Tokyo was probably bigger, but Virynth Atheos was certainly no slouch. Even that word seemed inadequate when I got my first real glimpse of the city the following morning. The completely rebuilt city. The city that had apparently been bigger than anyone could have even imagined.
For starters, the part of the city that had been in ruins had been completely reconstructed minus the two towers that had held the Sunsword and Moonsword. The castle stood over everything even more now, with new spires and towers having been constructed, or reconstructed rather, by the Morphean power that now resided in the Staff or Sarcanas. It had even reconstructed the flags that flew from the towers and parapets along with the color of the palace itself, which gleamed with a shimmering white. Portcullises, battlements, turrets, ramparts and more had been restored to what looked to be their strongest.
Inside the castle itself, all damage to each and every portion had been repaired, leaving nothing undamaged. The murals were repaired, rooms were pristine, windows fixed etc. The throne room looked even more magnificent than before and had undergone a few changes, including the dais. There were three thrones instead of the one. Said thrones seemed to have been sized perfectly for me, Ember, and unless I missed my guess, Zecora. When I'd tried mine, it was beyond comfortable.
One other change of note in the castle was the Emperor's private bedroom. The bed size hadn't changed, but the wardrobe in the closet had shrunken to perfectly match my size. Before, the clothes in the formerly broken down closet had been nothing more than tattered garments, but now there were clothes made perfectly for me, with dresses and other female garb for Zecora as well.
Ember herself had the room that once belonged to the Dragon Lord, but it was now the room of the Emperor's Hand. She'd moved her entire hoard into the area beneath the castle that had once been the hoard room of the Dragon Lord as well. I took note that her attitude and saw that it had greatly improved. Her temper was, well, tempered, and she became calmer. It spoke to what having a soft bed and a good night's sleep could do for one's mental health.
Yes, the ancient capital of Old Aelyssia was big even in ruin, but what we had failed to see was that there were entire sections that had been lost to time. Virynth Atheos was a city with three parts. The center was the castle, which was now surrounded by tall walls of polished deep red stone. Outside the walls and past the fully reformed metal gates was what had to be the section for richer Dragons, if the houses that had been reconstructed were any indication. More than houses, these were full blown mansions, with pieces of ancient art, tiled floors, and even carpeting. The streets were made of perfectly smooth cobblestone.
Outside what I thought had been the outermost wall was another section of the city that had sprung up literally overnight. This section was larger than the center, and it was full of many different buildings. There were hundreds of houses that could comfortably hold a family of Dragons if need me, along with other buildings that one would normally associate with civilized society, like a library, bank, and even something that looked like the Roman Coliseum. There was even a marketplace with a fountain in the center.
The third section wasn't quite a section. Instead, it was a large plot of land where what looked like farmhouses had sprung up. Each had plots of land cornered off by small stone walls. Thanks to the Fae's spell on the ground, the farms looked dead.
The Dragons had woken up to find that they had been displaced during the night and that entire new sections of the city had appeared. Unfortunately, I was not awake to see this, as the moment that the transformation had finished, I had passed out. I was asleep for two days, recovering from what I later learned was magical exhaustion. In my absence, Ember and Huǒshān had to act quickly, ordering the Imperial Guard barring the Dragons from entering the city until they could determine that things were indeed safe. Both had promised that once things had been cleared, they would be allowed in and given proper housing.
During those two days, Ember had apparently swallowed her pride and had Sunset contact Twilight to ask for help. When Twilight had been informed about what had happened, she came back and helped with the investigation without hesitation, but not before bringing the Ponyville doctor through to examine me, which was how it was determined that I was suffering from magical exhaustion. What I hadn't counted on but should have realized would happen was that the rest of the Mane Six plus Spike would show up, with Spike wearing Imperial Guard armor. With their help, the small group, including Wallflower, along with the Imperial Guard, looked over every square inch of the newly reformed city, looking for anything out of the ordinary. After I woke on the second day and had learned what had happened, I joined in, going with Zecora and Scarlet as we explored the brand new city. It took us a good number of days, but eventually we all determined that things looked normal enough.
While we had been doing this, Twilight had been doing some mapping of the entire city. She had given each of the search party, including the Imperial Guards, a small crystal that recorded everything around it in a two meter radius or so. Ember told our search parties to not miss anything, and by the time we were done, Twilight's little recording devices gave us an incredibly detailed map of the city.
It had been a week since the city had been reconstructed. A large number of creatures, myself included, were back at the castle, all sitting in a massive room with a large circular table in the center. The table had a map of all of Old Aelyssia on it, the continents made of solid gold and the oceans made of flat silver. The continents visible were ones I'd only seen a handful of times, only now they showed altitudes in shocking detail. Twilight had placed a large crystal on the center of the table which was now displaying a hovering three dimensional magical rendering of the entire city, including the underground caverns that were part of each house, the outlying farmhouses outside the farthermost walls surrounding the city and the temporary campsite. It didn't escape my notice that this hologram looked more like those from Star Wars than anything.
Sitting around the table were myself, Ember, Sunset, Twilight and Huǒshān. Aside from them and the guards around the room including Gemini and Mica, Huǒshān had gathered a few Dragons from the camp who had risen up to become something of community leaders during the past couple of months since the death of Torch.
In total, there were five Dragons that had become said leaders. The first two were actually a married couple. Both were about a three hundred years old. The female Dragon named was named Moraine. She was a dark greenish-blue female with fierce light blue eyes, wide draconic wings, a set of horns and fierce looking teeth. Her husband was a Dragon male named Cinder. He was three hundred or so years old and was actually married to Moraine. The two were apparently expecting to have their eggs hatching within the next couple of weeks and spoke for the expecting parents in the camp.
The third was another female Dragon, this one named Delta. She was just about to reach her five hundredth year. She was taller and bulkier than Moraine, had deep crimson scales, deep purple eyes, and had a deeper but clearly feminine voice. Her horns were similar in appearance to Ember's. She spoke for the generations that had lived for centuries under Torch's rule.
The fourth was a young Dragon male who spoke for the youth of the group. His name was Feldspar. He was a tall but lanky twenty eight year old Dragon with grayish yellow scales, dark brown eyes, and had two sets of light brown spines instead of horns.
The fifth was an older Dragon male named Rex. The second oldest of the Dragons, with Huǒshān being the oldest, he was a dark gray Dragon with two large horns, light yellow eyes, and pretty much towered over everyone else in the room. He was in his early 800s and was one of the first born after the destruction of Virynth Atheos. He spoke for the older generations, including those who remembered Old Aelyssia.
All of us were staring at the hovering image as it slowly circled around the table, glowing its slight blue and flickering. In a weird way, it reminded me of holograms from Star Wars. I reached down and touched the crystal Twilight had given me which was able to control the scene shown. Looking around the room, I focused on the five newcomer Dragons. I stood, the royal robes of my new office falling down against me as I looked at them. "Before we start this meeting, I want to say thank you to the five of you for joining us," I said. "I am well aware that the refugees out there are growing restless and hoping to occupy the houses, but I am pleased to announce that after a thorough investigation, the city has been deemed safe for habitation, if a bit outdated by modern standards. The structures are sound, the walls secure, and it would appear that the food that the former Dragon Lord hoarded will be enough to last us for one year. That is, if we decided not to hunt for food, which I don't anticipate many Dragons stopping."
"So why have you called us here, my Liege?" Huǒshān asked.
I slowly sat down in the chair made specifically for the Emperor in this room. "Because I want the advice of everyone here," I replied. "We have enough space for each Dragon here, but we need to establish where in the city they will be going. The houses all seem to be stocked with furniture, silverware, clothing and everything else necessary for habitation. There are even some houses that have toys for young ones." I looked at Huǒshān. "That's why I asked you to bring these five here. They speak for the people, and I want to hear what they want now that the housing situation has been resolved."
Rex raised a claw. "Your Grace, may I ask a question?"
I gestured towards him. "Please do."
Rex nodded. "Why not let the other Dragons choose which houses to live in? We might have been wandering and roaming throughout the Dragon Lands for centuries, but we all feel a longing. A longing for a home. Most of us don't remember this city before its destruction, but we've heard stories of its splendor and majesty. We want to be here."
I sighed. "Rex, I hear you, I really do, but as of now, we have absolutely no official governmental structure. Sure, we have me as the Emperor and Ember as the Emperor's Hand, but there's no other structure in place. No economy, which we definitely will need if we're to be prosperous. We don't have much of a standing army, something we should have in reserve just in case. We need healthcare, education, laws, some kind of police force, and more that escape me right now. I don't know if having Dragons choosing a home is the right way to go about it."
"What about a lottery of sorts?" Sunset suggested. Everyone turned to her, and she looked a bit nervous, but continued. She pointed to the outer section of the city where the houses were. "Number the houses. Have each Dragon and Dragons family units select a number randomly from a hat or something."
"You're forgetting the different sizes of Dragons, little Pony," Delta replied. "Some of these houses are for the smaller variety while others are for the larger ones."
"And let's not forget those of us with expecting hatchlings on the way," Moraine added.
"Are you expecting us to all fight about where to live?" Cinder asked, giving Sunset a narrow look. "We're not all the monsters you Ponies seem to think we are!"
"Enough!" I shouted, standing and looking over the table at everyone. "I didn't bring you all here so we could bicker." I looked down at the magical hologram. "Still, you have a good point, Moraine and Cinder. I don't like the idea of separating families. I know it's been a tradition to kick hatchlings out after they go through their molt, but I don't want that to be something we do in our Empire." I pointed at the hologram and the outer section brightened. "This section here has more than enough housing for each Dragon here, so I think we should start there." I then pointed to the inner city. "There are definitely larger houses here, but those seem to be made for some sort of nobility." I looked at the five new Dragons in the room. "If you five decide you want to help in the government's affairs, I can give you a house in the inner section if you want." So saying, I sat back down.
Every Dragon but Rex looked excited by the prospect. However, the older Dragon shook his head. "That wouldn't be a good idea, Your Grace. It would be seen as favoritism among the Dragons. Not only that, but we need to be among the people more to see what issues appear to bring to your attention."
When he said that, the other Dragons paused. I looked at Rex stunned. He made a good point. I nodded. "Alright, that makes sense."
"Let's not forget our dealings with the Council of Equestria," Huǒshān said, "especially with the Lycan Empire." He gave me a knowing look. I had told him about my encounter with the Lycans during one of our excursions through the newly rebuilt city. He had several dealings with them over his lifetime. "The Lycans have been allies of ours for centuries, but now with new leadership that may change."
"I've actually been invited to speak to the Lycan Empress at some point," I replied, "and not only that, but High Lady Valindra of the Deerfolk has invited me to Cervinia Citadel in the next week in my capacity as Emperor. I hope with these meetings we can establish some good relationships with these two races."
The room went silent as the various creatures around the table digested this new information. Some knew already, but the five new Dragons didn't know. After a while, Feldspar spoke up. "Okay, so what are you going to do next?" he asked, looking at me.
"My long term plans, you mean?" When the young Dragon nodded, I cleared my throat and sat up straighter. "I want to make this Empire strong as it was in the old times. At one time, our Empire was a powerhouse in the world. We had a plentiful bounty of exports and were prosperous. Now look at the state we're in. We only have this city to our name, the land around us is poisoned by ancient Fae magic until we can purify it, and our people live much more poorly than we did before. Hell, Dragons of Aelyssia wore clothes."
The seemed to shock the five newcomer Dragons. "Are we gonna have to wear clothes too?" Feldspar asked, looking a bit worried.
"I don't think that's the most important thing to worry about now," I replied, pointing to the city. "Each house has sets of clothes in them, so if you all decide to wear clothes, I won't stop you. Our most important task right now is to get the Dragons on the outskirts of the city into houses and to rebuild civilization. It will be hard work, and it may mean some changes to thinking, but I believe it can be done."
"You can't just force change," Rex interjected. "We Dragons are long lived and the older ones of us are proud."
"I understand that," I replied, "but ever since the Fall of Aelyssia, the Dragons have been seen in a negative light by other races in the world. From what Sunset here has told me about their past, the old Dragons were civilized." I looked around the room. "I've lived in a civilized world for most of my life," I explained, "and for the past half year I've lived in Equestria. There are good reasons why the Ponies are so successful in what they do."
"Are you saying we imitate Ponies?" Delta asked with a frown.
"God no," I replied. "I'm saying we look at what makes a good civilization and try and adopt it to best fit the mindset of the Dragons. Why do you think I asked you five here? I'm a human, and while I can guess what Dragons think based off the My Little Pony show, that's not accurate. I need Dragons near me who can help gauge the response of the citizens of this Empire. Regardless of what they think of me right now, I am their Emperor. It's my duty and responsibility to make sure they're all taken care of and prosperous. I need Dragons who can teach me about how Dragons think so I can make the best decisions that I can."
The five Dragons looked at each other, then back at me. Rex was the first to speak. "I remember Aelyssia from when it was once great. I recall how great our civilization once was before the fall. May I speak with the others here in private?"
"Of course," I replied.
As the five Dragons left the room, I sank back into the chair and sighed. Ember, who was seated to my right, looked at me. "What is it?" the hundred year old Dragoness asked.
"Just wondering how the hell Celestia and Luna deal with the stresses of rule," I replied.
"I could tell you how my dad dealt with it," Ember said, "but I don't think that'd be helpful."
Huǒshān nodded. He was seated on my left. "My Liege," he said, "I don't know much about how the old Emperors ruled, but I do remember my father mentioning something called the…Imperial Assembly."
"I remember reading about that," Sunset said, "but what I learned wasn't much. It sounded kinda like a mix of the Senate and the House of Representatives. They help the Emperor to govern, but this was back when Aelyssia had more territory."
"I think for now you and the Emperor's Hand are more than enough to rule the Dragons, My Liege," Huǒshān said, "although you're wise to ask for a court of advisors."
"A good ruler listens to the people they rule over and tries to do what is best for them," I said. I looked over at Twilight, giving her a small knowing smile. She smiled and nodded back at me.
We fell into silence, waiting as we heard muffled and indistinct voices coming from outside the room. After about ten minutes, the door opened and the five Dragons came walking in, Rex leading the way. They reached their chairs, but didn't sit. Rex faced me and took a breath. "Your Grace, we've talked about it, and if you can guarantee that you will keep the Dragons first in any decisions you make in the future, we will be glad to aid you."
I stood and faced them all, then reached down, lifted my sword, and drew it. Holding it up, I spoke. "My Hand and I will do everything in our power to ensure the safety and happiness of every Dragon under our rule. I swear this on Eclipse."
The five Dragons placed their fists on their chests and bowed their heads. I slowly sheathed my sword and we all sat. There was silence before Feldspar said, "So…should there be a banquet to celebrate?"
I couldn't help it. I smirked and gave the young Dragon a grin. "I think we can arrange that."
Several days later, two days before February 1st, a large grassy field in the second section of the city was filled with Dragons who all sat at various tables that had been set up in the field. Similar to a village green, this place seemed to serve a similar purpose, but much larger. Applejack had used her Earth Pony magic to purify the area despite my protests (she said that this was the perfect opportunity to practice and to be of use) and now the city was looking more vibrant, with parts of the farmland looking green. Wallflower had managed to purify other sections with her own magic, although she was only able to make viable soil for future growth and not grow plants. Still, it was helpful.
The entire city green was packed full of hundreds of Dragons, alongside Sunset, Chrysalis, Gemini, Mica, the recently returned Sirens who had been called back from the as of yet unproductive search, the Mane Six, Spike, Scarlet, and Zecora. The tables were packed with various different foodstuffs. Most were from the food hoard I'd found, but some were fresh vegetables and gems from Equestria along with special meat products I'd asked Sunset to buy back on Earth, such as turkey, chicken, steaks and more. There were bottles of different types of alcoholic beverages for the adults and non-alcoholic ones for the younger ones, including many different barrels of cider from Sweet Apple Acres. The above guests, along with Huǒshān, Ember, Phlogiston, Aurora, Lahar, Feldspar, Moraine, Cinder, Rex, and Delta, all sat at my table near the front.
The party was in full swing, and I was admittedly a bit tipsy from the ancient Dragon wine, which was surprisingly sweet to the taste, having a slight Concord grape taste to it. I'd eaten a lot during that meal, more than I'd been able to eat before, but so had Zecora. The mood of the day was jovial, and the Dragons didn't even seem to care that inhabitants of a foreign nation had appeared to join. When Huǒshān had asked why I'd invited them, I said it was to show how grateful I was to them for their help in scouting out the city. They were honored guests, I told him, and they'd done a lot to help, especially Sunset, Twilight and Applejack.
I was wearing some of the regal Dragon clothes that Rarity had made for me. I was wearing a dark evergreen regal surcoat with the symbol of Aelyssia sewn onto both sides, a belt made of pure gold around my waist, a royal purple cape with white fur sewn onto the shoulders and edges, a pair of thick but comfortable leather pants and boots. Eclipse was attached to my belt and underneath the surcoat, I wore a loose-fitting undershirt and some chainmail over said undershirt to keep the metal from chafing my skin. The Staff of Ignu was sitting beside me, standing in a special stand I'd found in my new hoard made specifically for it. I wore the crown of the Emperor on my head, the deep crimson gemstone glistening in the afternoon sunlight.
While most of the other Dragons weren't wearing clothes, I did notice that a few had begun wearing some older Aelyssian clothes. Ember, despite her initial complaints back at the Council of Equestria, had begun wearing clothes more often, although she was more tomboyish in appearance, having found some brown leather pants, an open vest made of durable dark blue fabric with the symbol of Aelyssia on it and two short swords for weapons. On her head was a silver circlet with a blue diadem embedded in it, the new crown of the Emperor's Hand. The other Dragons at the table were also now wearing clothes, although Feldspar was only wearing a pair of pants. Being a part of the younger generation, it made sense.
In the middle of the meal, I decided it was time to address the people, seeing as I would be heading back to Ponyville in the coming days to embark on yet another trip to Cervinia Citadel to meet with the Deerfolk. I stood and spread my wings, catching the attention of the nearer Dragons. When other Dragons around the field heard their fellows go quiet, they did so as well. In about a minute, every Dragon at the banquet was silent and looking towards me. I had to admit, I felt a bit nervous, but I soldiered on.
"My fellow Aelyssians," I began, using a slightly softer version of the Royal Canterlot Voice, "I'm happy to see that everybody here is enjoying their food. At least, if the messy faces here are any indication." This earned a chuckle from the crowd along with some of them wiping their lips with their arms. "This month has been monumental for the rebirth of the Empire," I continued, "as not only has Virynth Atheos been reborn from the ashes, but the hurts of the last war the Fae placed on the land have begun to be healed." This earned numerous sounds and nods of approval from the crowd.
I took a deep breath, then began flying up to be better seen. "I'm aware that there are those out there who don't think that I'm up to the task of being your Emperor, and to those of you thinking this, I must say that I don't blame you. After all, I'm an outsider, not a Dragon." I focused my magic and a burst of hot flame spread from my wings for a brief moment before the flames vanished. "But I assure you, my resolve to help this reborn Empire is strong!" I announced, wincing inwardly at who I was imitating. "I have been forming an Imperial Assembly consisting of representatives from among the citizens of this Empire to give me insights and perspectives that I might not understand without their aid! Your voices will be heard!"
I saw a wave of surprised faces in the crowd below me, and after their voices had settled, I continued, "Many of you know that the title of Dragon Lord was held in Old Aelyssia before and after its fall. The title is no more. Instead, I have created a new position as the head of the Imperial Assembly, the Emperor's Hand. The Hand will be superseded only by me in terms of authority. I have named Princess Ember as my Hand. As for the members of the Assembly aside from the Princess, I have named seven to the current Assembly, those being Huǒshān, Captain Lahar of the Imperial Guard, Feldspar, Moraine, Cinder, Rex, and Delta. They represent the voices of the citizens of the Empire."
"You're taking too long again!" Ember shouted up at me. This caused a ripple of laughter to spread through the crowd.
"Right, right," I chuckled, "I've said what I've needed to say, so I'll let you get back to it. Enjoy!" I landed, raised the golden goblet at my place, and shouted, "Long live Aelyssia! Long live the Empire!"
The crowd all raised their goblets. "Long live Aelyssia! Long live the Empire! Long live the Emperor!"
After the feast was ended, it was nearly sunset. The area was cleared rather fast by some of the Dragons as everyone at my table walked with me back to the castle. I was talking with Ember, giving her instructions on what needed to be done in my absence. "You've been practicing with the cellphone I gave you, right?" When she nodded, I smiled. "Good. If anything comes up when I'm at the Cervinia Citadel, don't hesitate to make the call. I'm going to be bringing one of the newer fabric doors with me so I can be back there in case of an emergency. While I'm gone, we need to have the Dragons here settled in as best as we can. There are plenty of empty houses available. Also, we're gonna need to restart the economy at some point. Right now, we follow the value of the Equestrian bit, which we should try and grow out of. There's also the deal we made with other nations about the trade routes through our lands."
"Sheesh, leave all that on my plate, why don't you?" Ember said sarcastically.
I turned and gave her an apologetic look. "I know you're capable of this," I said, "and you will have help. The Assembly is here to help, and you do have authority to bring on new trial members if you see fit. If you know a Dragon with good sense of money and trade, bring them in. There's a lot that needs to be done if we're to rise to global prominence again."
Ember sighed, pinched the bridge of her nose, and nodded. "Alright, where should I start?"
"Housing is the most important thing right now," I said. "The people need to have a secure place to live. We have enough food in our stores to last for a year, but I don't want to rely on it for that year. When spring comes around, we'll need to start up our agricultural production. We may need to rely on exports too just in case." I turned to Lahar. "Captain, how are we on the military front? I know you and Gemini have been working together."
Lahar came up to me. "We've had several younger Dragons come and ask to become Guards," he said, "but we need a place to train them."
"There were some barracks in the inner circle of the city," Huǒshān said. "At least, if my memory of the old city is still correct."
"You're correct," I said. "I remember seeing them a couple days after I woke up. Captain, you and the Guard are to relocate to those barracks. They're near the south in a large circular building. It has a training area, quarters for soldiers, a mess hall, a fully stocked weapons room, a map room, and more. You shouldn't be able to miss it."
"It shall be done, Your Grace." He paused for a bit, then added, "Your Grace? Which guards will you be taking with you to the Citadel?"
"Gemini and Mica," I replied.
He frowned. "I must protest, Your Grace. I would prefer it if you had two of your Honor Guard with you as well as those two."
Gemini, having overheard this, snapped up at Lahar, "You think my brother and I can't protect him?"
"With all due respect," Lahar began, "you may be a strong warrior, and your brother equally so, but you can't fly. What if His Grace is attacked from above?"
"I was once Captain of the Imperial Guard for the Lycan Empire," she snarled angrily, "I can fight any assault from the air."
"Enough, you two," I said. I turned to Lahar. "I need all of the guards here to keep the peace, including you and the other Honor Guards."
Lahar frowned, then said, "I'm sorry, Your Grace, but as Captain of the Guard, I can't allow that. You named me your Captain, and it's my job to ensure your safety. I'm sending Scoria and Silica to join you."
I nodded slowly. "Very well. Tell them to pack for a long journey, then meet me in my quarters as soon as possible. I'm heading back to my house in Ponyville tonight."
As the two guards flew off, I looked back at the newest members of the Assembly. "While I'm gone, I want you all to put together a list of things you believe the citizens would like to see in the Empire plus things needed that might have been missed. I also want you to listen to Sunset Shimmer here in case she finds something of note in her research through the Virynth Atheos archives." Turning to Sunset, I said, "If you find something you think might be important, let my Hand and the Assembly know. Also, place a copy of said discovery on the desk in my room and I'll look at it when I can."
"What about us?" Adagio asked.
I turned back to the Dazzlings. "You three can go with some of my guards and Hestia to continue your search for other Sirens," I replied. "If you find Dragons there, invite them to Virynth Atheos if they want to go."
"I really don't wanna ask, but what about me?" Chrysalis asked reluctantly.
I looked at her. "You'll be helping Sunset with her research, under guard of course."
The Fae sighed, but simply nodded and said, "Figured it'd be something tedious…"
"Jethro?"
I looked down at the source of the new voice. Fluttershy was looking up at me with a both worried and expectant look on her face. "What is it, Flutters?" I asked.
"Are you coming home now?" she asked.
I resisted the urge to stroke her mane as I nodded. "Yes, Fluttershy. Tonight, I'm coming home."
Some time later, we all returned to Ponyville through the portal doorway, the sun had been setting in Aelyssia. However, in Ponyville it was still an hour away from sunset. I walked through the snow covered streets of my hometown, surrounded by the Mane Six, Spike, Zecora, Scarlet, Scoria, Silica, Gemini and Mica. I was greeted by a lot of the townsponies, and I greeted them all back. Soon, we were in my living room. I gave the two Dragon guards rooms for them to stay in until the 31st, the day where I'd be leaving for the Cervinia Citadel. The girls and Spike wanted to stay with me, but I told them I would be alright, so they all went home. I took a long soak in the bath in my room before crawling into bed between my wife and girlfriend. Soon, I fell into a deep and comfortable sleep.