Descent of a God

Speech

Arthur POV:

(A/N: Minor edits I thought were necessary. )

"Sir! Please, wake up!" An unfamiliar voice startled me awake, dragging me out of the unwanted memories I had been dreaming of.

As my vision focused, I was barely able to make out the shape of a woman, her features shadowed by the sunlight directly cast to her face. "Sir! I'm begging you. Please, we need you washed and prepped for Commander Virion's speech!"

The handmaid shook my arm gently as I turned away from her, still half asleep.

"Move out of the way. I'll wake him up," a familiar voice grunted as a loud crackle resounded from his direction.

I immediately sprung to my feet, catching the projectile of lightning in my hand.

"Bairon. A displeasure to see you again," I said sharply, still in a foul mood from my argument with Tessia yesterday.

"I see you've learned some new tricks," Bairon responded with his hand still outstretched.

It had been over two years since I had last seen the blonde lance. He hadn't changed much, except he had cut his hair short and the scowl on his face was even harsher.

"Don't you know it's dishonourable to attack someone behind their back?" I asked, hopping off my bed.

"Well, we're in times of war," he shrugged before turning around and heading out the door. "Now get changed. The rest of the lances and Jude are already by the teleportation gate."

I watched as Bairon walked out of my room. He and I would always have our differences, but I got what he meant when he said that we were in times of war: both of us were invaluable allies.

The handmaid timidly approached me. "S-Sir, please. I'd hate to keep nagging but—"

"It's okay, Rosa. I just got direct consent from Commander Virion to speed up the process," another, much bulkier handmaid interrupted as she stomped in, pulling a large cart covered by a sheet.

The handmaid named Rosa switched glances between her coworker and me. "A-Are you sure, Milda? I don't think we should do anything to offend—"

Milda held up a meaty finger to silence her associate. She then turned to me with a stern gaze as she rolled up the sleeves of her blouse. "Now, Sir. If you're not in the mood or you're not capable of washing yourself, I'll be more than happy to get into the shower with you and wash you."

I inadvertently took a step back in horror. "No, no. I'm very much in the mood to wash myself."

"Very good," she said. "After you wash, please dress in this set of armour Lord Aldir prepared for the speech today."

Milda dramatically removed the sheet covering the cart she had brought in, revealing a mannequin dressed stunningly in a suit of armour that I would soon be wearing.

The residents and most of the workers inside the castle had been escorted through the gate earlier this morning so they could find a seat in the crowd. I didn't get a chance to see my family today, but they did leave a message with that timid handmaid saying they looked forward to seeing me up on the balcony.

'I can't believe Virion decided to have the speech done at Etistin, though. Isn't that where the Alacryan ships are heading?' Sylvie voiced, concerned as she nestled on my shoulder.

'I think it makes sense. It's a bit of a wild card, but if done right—and I'm sure that's what Virion is shooting for—the crowd will see our force as much more imposing up close than their ships from afar.'