Chronos stared down at King Roderick in shock.
He hadn't realized that he had transformed into his werewolf form yet and was now nearly a meter taller than the king.
The king stared up at him with one eyebrow raised and a chuckle at the corner of his mouth. This was a far better reaction than he had been expecting.
It took Chronos nearly a full minute before he finally realized he had transformed and tried to turn back, only to find that he couldn't.
His turbulent emotions and burning bloodline were keeping him in his werewolf state.
"Calm down. It's not going to happen immediately but there have been several high-ranking nobles that have proposed a marriage alliance to the Tri-Goddess temple."
That helped calm Chronos down some, but it would be a little while before he was fully in control of his emotional state.
He didn't understand why it was so difficult for him to turn back right now. He'd never had any problems controlling his power in the past. Even when his family had been in danger, he'd been able to fully control his transformations.
Chronos looked away awkwardly as he asked, "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I've seen what an enraged werewolf can do when their mate has been hurt and I don't want to see it again."
"She's not my mate," Chronos mumbled, not sure if he even believed what he was saying.
"You've seen what we do when we're enraged?"
King Roderick gave him a look that said 'Really?' before deciding to let him change the subject.
King Roderick chuckled, "Indeed. You know you really are your mother's son. Back when she was pregnant with you, she found out that Mathew was in danger trapped within a castle and surrounded by thousands of enemies during the war with the Grand Concord Federation almost two decades ago. She immediately rushed towards the south to assist him."
Chronos didn't really care for stories about his parent's past. They didn't have anything to do with his own goals after all. But it was giving him something other than his emotions to focus on, so he listened anyway.
"By the time she reached the battlefield she was eight months pregnant, but she grabbed her spear and with great determination attacked the enemy flank. Can you imagine it? A woman with a bulging belly suddenly declaring war on an army? It was ridiculous. That's what we all thought until she managed to hold off an entire battalion on her own."
King Roderick shook his head at the memory. He'd been ready to rush down and help her at the time, but she had proven that even while pregnant she was deserving of her title as the Silver Spear Maiden.
"Naturally when your father saw her, he rushed out of the castle with his own men, but before he could reach her, she suddenly collapsed. It was no surprise really, after killing a couple hundred enemies while in that state it's only natural to collapse. We all thought she was going to die at the time.
Then the Beklaedning werewolves stormed out of the bushes behind her. Apparently, they'd been following her ever since she ran away but hadn't managed to catch up with her until then.
It was the first time in a century that anybody had seen the full might of your clan and let me tell you it was a hell of a sight. Ten thousand werewolves rushing out of the trees and bushes slaughtering everything that stood between them and your mother."
That part greatly interested Chronos. He knew that his clan was large but despite being named 'heir to the ancestor' by the clan elders he never knew just how many clan members there were. He didn't even know what it meant to be the heir to the ancestor.
"They ran right past her in a matter of seconds and began massacring the Grand Concord Federation's army. It took them less than an hour to force them back."
That was amazing. The records of that war had stated that the invasion had numbered close to a hundred thousand soldiers with at least a thousand fourth rank lords.
While they hadn't fought all of them, fighting even a quarter of the army meant that his clan was outnumbered almost 3 to 1 and still managed to force them back.
It was an achievement to be proud of.
Seeing Chronos lost in his delusion of what such a charge must have looked like, King Roderick suddenly had a mischievous glint appear in his eye.
"Of course, when your mother fell to the ground we all thought the worst had happened with her suffering a miscarriage or an injury. Instead, it turned out that her water had suddenly broken a month ahead of schedule. And just like that she barely kept your fat head in long enough for the mid-wife to reach her before you came plopping out."
"Your Majesty! Please show some decorum." Chronos said with a flustered voice.
King Roderick started laughing, enjoying being the embarrassing uncle for a little bit. Wanting to see some more of his flustered expressions the king kept going on about how much of a bratty baby Chronos had been until the others returned.
Much to Chronos' relief that was only 15 minutes later.
Forge Master Bron returned with the lawcrown wood they needed but Smith returned with a vase that held two lilies.
The lily's petals were a pearl white near the edges but deepened to a pale blue or violet towards the center and in their center was a point of warm gold color that made others feel comfortable. The flowers gave off an ephemeral feeling like they only partially existed within the world of the living.
"Why'd you bring soulglass lilies here?" Chronos asked.
"A priest of the Goddess of Soul said we might need these. He gave them to me before wandering off somewhere."
The King snorted, "How did he even get into the deep caverns? These areas are restricted."
"I don't know but when one of the three Goddesses followers says we might need something I find it's usually best to just accept it and move on."
Chronos nodded in understanding.
The Tri-Goddess Temple worshipped the three Goddesses that many claimed had created the world. The Goddesses were the Goddess of Soul, the Goddess of Order, and the Goddess of Wisdom.
With soul being the most mysterious Goddess her followers were able to get into or out of almost anywhere whenever they pleased. Trying to stop them was like trying to stop a thought from coming unbidden into your mind.
Possible but extremely difficult.