Page 87 of Theoden
“Follow me,” Ara said, and the four of us, his sons, walked behind him as he led us out of the ruined structure.
“Are we to return to our home, Father?” I asked.
Ara was standing still, staring up at the moon with a pensive look. I couldn’t help but wonder just what he was thinking. Did he feel the same rage I felt over our defeat? Was he planning a counter attack on those bastard wolves who dared to attack us?
“A wise man knows when to retreat, Théoden,” Ara said.
I looked at my brothers and they all had their heads down, avoiding eye contact. “How can we let that stand, Father? The insult—”
“Your youth is showing, my son. Do you know how many wolves attacked us? How many vampires died? How drastically my kingdom has been diminished?” Ara turned to me now, his face was tight with the anger I could see clearly in his expression.
I shook my head. “No, Father.”
He pointed toward the dilapidated building that we’d taken shelter in. “That is all that is left of my once glorious empire!”
I looked back at the building and remembered the two hundred or so vampires I had counted and the reality of what could have been dawned on me. We were fortunate to be alive. Had I not had the ability to fly, or the fire… we might have all fallen in the attack. And had Ara perished, that might have been the end of his line, or maybe even vampires all together. It was a grim reality I had to face, but I now understood… there was no going back.
I felt something inside of me crumble, and I had to strain to keep from crying. We had just lost everything. Our land, homes, precious possessions, everything. It took all of my strength to not let the tears fall, for surely, it would have been a sign of weakness. I had to be strong for my Father and definitely in the presence of my brothers.
“What about Queen Amara, Father? Her territory is Nepal,” I pointed out.
“King Evander has guaranteed me that if in the event we are attacked, he will send an army to our aide. Tylendel will be our liaison.” Ara ran his hands through his hair and sighed.
“Was that not in the first alliance, Father?” Titus asked.
“It was, which is why I was able to bargain this territory from him,” Ara said.
“Why not, with the help of the dragons, can we not take back our territory?” I asked. For some reason, I didn’t want to give up. Maybe because I knew how much our Father loved his home. He’d been born there, raised his sons there, and had built a life for us all there. I wanted him to have that back more than anything.
“Are you daft?” Nolan snarled. “Did you not hear Father’s words? We have no army, Théoden.”
“But with the dragons—”
“The alliance is defense, not to overtake,” Ara said, interjecting and silencing me. “There were over two thousand wolves who attacked us. I can only image there are more than that throughout the territory now. They outnumber both of our factions. To try to attack the wolves now would only result in more deaths and does not guarantee a victory, Théoden.”
“See, you were never a real soldier. Sometimes you have to retreat because surviving is more important that dying for a lost cause,” Nolan remarked.
I looked at him and he was glaring at me with a sneer on his lips. “I’m only concerned about Father. The defeat looks bad for him, others may seek to take advantage.”
“That is why we must regroup. It is my decree that every vampire sires another,” Ara said, then he turned to me, placing his hand on my shoulder. “It is time for you to form your own House, Théoden. You are two centuries old and your blood is potent. Your first child will be extremely strong. It is time for you to become a Father and Master, so choose your child wisely.”
My mouth dropped open because I hadn’t even thought about the possibility of leaving Ara’s home, let alone to start my own family. “Are you sure I’m ready, Father?”
Ara nodded. “More than ready for Fatherhood and a Lordship.”
“Father?” Nolan gasped, then he averted his gaze quickly when Ara shot him a challenging look.
“Do you object, Nolan?” Ara asked.
“No, Father, of course not,” Nolan stated in a sullen tone.
“That is good,” Ara said, then he turned back to me. “Your Lordship ceremony will take place once I find a suitable home in this new land I will call my Persia, and settle down. As for now, go hunt, I wish to be alone,” Ara said, then he walked off.
“Fucking unbelievable,” Nolan snarled. “A Lord.”
“You became a lord at four centuries old, correct?” I commented.
“And I earned it,” he shot back.
