EMPIRES SMP Fanfic - The Heavy Crown [Lost Empire]

[Nine] By the Hearth

CHAPTER NINE

By the Hearth

Point-Of-View: Tiger Blood Prince

ORCHESTRATING A MASTERPLAN for the culmination of Operation: CROWN was as tiring as solving a crossword with a heavy headache.

Tiger Blood Prince was pacing around the Church of Aeor while Clay the golem was still awestruck at the geyser of light outside.

He was worried sick about how dangerous being in the End was. It was a lone island with tons of pillars in the middle of blackness with a sea of void. A sea of nothingness. But it was essential for the mission.

To not let Xornoth know of the mission was quite tricky too. If Xornoth had known of their plans and had been there in time, he could just forge another one and worsen Joey. Or maybe he'd take Joey far away. Yet Hagan was glad that Scott never uttered out the plans of taking Joey's Crown out to Xornoth, or else their plans would be dismantled now. He only threatened the demon. It was truly hard to put a leash on that raptor Ruler once you've slid a crown atop its head, the Tiger thought sadly.

Coming up with a plan in a really short time also came along with pressure.

Hagan thought of potions. "Wizard Gem," he said the day before to the preoccupied Crystal Cliffs mage who was brewing potions, "do you have any spare Invisibility Potions?"

"No, but fWhip does, he's the master warlock after all!" She said brightly. "You need it for your mission?"

"Yes. Maybe two of them."

"Alright, I'll just fly to the Grimlands and ask for help."

Prince Hagan had stopped pacing and seated by the hearth, where the cauldron had been. Clay also stopped staring at the beacon and sat with him too. They went through their plans again, combing it out in case of possible flaws. Scott was still abed, regaining his strength.

After repeating it again and again, Tiger Blood Prince huddled close to the hearth and prayed for the mission to be successful. For them to come out of this unscathed. For the power of Aeor to prevail.

"You alright?" Clay asked, touching his arm.

Prince Hagan only nodded. "I'm nervous."

"That's just natural." Clay gave a reassuring smile. "I'm nervous, too."

Prince Hagan only looked at the golem's eyes and felt safe in there.

"Ever since I started to be your... friend..." the golem's smile widened, "I've felt tons of emotions, my Prince. I suppose golems of the Lost Empire were made to be just hardened protectors, but looking at it now, I think I'm a bit special."

Prince Hagan laughed. "What kind of emotions?"

"Just... me feeling nervousness, too." Clay confessed. "And me feeling happiness that you're my friend. And to protect you isn't just my duty, but it's also my declaration of love for you."

Hagan's eyebrows had raised, and his cheeks roamed red. "That's the sweetest thing..."

"Do you feel the same, perhaps?"

Clay's heartstrings felt as though they were being tugged. "I always do." The Prince laid down on his friend's lap, feeling warmer than ever. It was an unfamiliar song that the Prince didn't know that was rejuvenating to the soul. This was different... compared to the love that his Ruler nourished from that demon. That was insufferably one-sided. Joey strayed far into the hinterlands of love and got lost in the unknowing arms of a manipulative, evil man. Yet this one... the Prince knew that the golem really confessed that he grew a heart that beats for his friend. This was the kind of sensational love that he wished that this Emperor Joey would have.