The King of Heroes: Null/Virtue

Gifts

"I'm pleased to meet you, my Lady," Izuku said, gently taking Himiko's hand and getting down on one knee. The council tilted their heads in confusion, their species didn't really have a gesture like that, but they could instantly tell the importance of it.

However, Himiko just looked at him with dull eyes, blinking in confusion.

"Crap, I was trying to be nice..."

He released her hand and stood. The speaker, Mirai, was there again.

"The council has examined both Lords and given the results, both the NULL Lord and Virtue Lord can be given the approval to proceed along a path towards the throne. As such, you two are to be married in the coming future, and take the thrones when ready. Are there any questions you might have for us?"

"Nah."

"Nothing currently comes to mind."

The responses between Himiko and Izuku perfectly reminded the council of just how mature Izuku was for his age.

"In that case, today is a joyous occasion," Mirai said, with all the energy of a dead fish. "We may finally present the Onyx people with the official heirs to the throne. Much of the council, and many nobles of the land, will meet you for the first time, pledge their fealty, and offer a gift if they so wish."

"So it's basically a bribery session, trying to get the King and Queen on your side. No wonder they start on us so young, we're easier to manipulate with gifts and kind words. They want a malleable ruler, one spoiled rotten, until they're too rotten to say anything but 'yes.'"

"Let's proceed to the public throne room, my Lords," Mirai bowed his head, gesturing to the back of the room, which was when Izuku finally noticed that there were several outlines in the walls, doors to other passages.

Mirai led them along until they were in a very standard looking throne room. A long hall with a beautiful carpet, leading up to the two dominating thrones. Izuku and Himiko took their seats and were told to wait for the procession to begin.

"Hey," Himiko said as they waited in silence. "Do you wanna be friends with me?"

"Friends? Oh that's probably how she interprets the Virtue Lord and the NULL Lord marrying. She's too young to really know what an arranged marriage is... I just realized how creepy this all is... considering I'm like 20 years older than her mentally..."

"Sure... I've never really had friends before..." He responded, staring into the distance.

"Now presenting, the nobility and elite of Draxia!" A guard by the door to the throne room said loudly, pulling open the door to reveal a host of people behind it.

The procession was a mind-boggling amount of people for Izuku. Almost every noble, whether they be from the council or not, was accompanied by servants, who each carried a gift of some kind for Izuku and Himiko. But Izuku quickly realized that the gifts were just a pretext, an opportunity to whisper in the Lords' ears.

"My Lord, I have brought you some exceptional gems from the reefs of Xsis," A man with a long nose, which reminded Izuku of a cartoon character back on Earth, bowed before him and presented several armfuls of crystals. "A little piece of advice, all important Onyx tend to have a nickname. For example, I am Re-Destro, my Lord. I would advise you to be cautious of the man with the name of Endeavor. You know him as Enji. That Endeavor for power makes him a dangerous influence," He said with a crooked smile.

"Your gift is appreciated," Izuku responded, ignoring the rest.

Re-Destro bowed his head further and excused himself.