Count Argos had to welcome him and surrender command of the castle. So when the two men faced each other…
Argos bowed before Troy and in response… Troy bowed to the count.
"Although I am here at the command of my father, I hold your lordship in great respect." Troy said, standing up straight after his bow.
Argos was stunned.
"My lord… Siber is yours- I-" he tried to say, sensing a trap.
"No, Lord Argos, Siber is yours. I am here for my last step…"
"Toward what..?"
"… lordship."
"But you are a Lord of Aquabourne why—" he began, before realising there were two types of lordship.
Lordship in title…
And…
"I must get used to the cold. Before plunging off the northern edge. If I die, then that is my fate… and if I live, then it will be by the grace of the leviathan. And through that grace I will be the 3rd Leviathanlord of Aquabourne." Troy said, making it clear he was here to either die or ascend to the pinnacle of power.
Equally it meant that Troy was the youngest master in history, at only 25 years of age.
"I will do everything within my power to assist you, Lord Troy." Argos said, realising the true weight of the matter. And the consequence of Troy dying.
"Thank you. I heard Siber should have the journals of the first two Leviathanlords. Would you lead me to the study? I've only had access to the Dragonlord journal which I've had to decipher for quite a long time- as it's written in another language." Troy said, extending his arm to invite Argos to lead the way.
"The Dragonlord? What use would the Windbourne journal have for you, Lord Troy?" Argos asked
"… I find it difficult to plunge myself into the frozen sea. Submitting myself to the mercy of the leviathan. The use of whirlwind requires trust in the mercy of Whirlwind. That it's power won't rebel against the user and kill them. I hoped to learn how to better prepare myself for submission- but for them, submission to whirlwind is as natural and breathing. It is terrifying to think your own power can turn on you and kill you on a whim- but that explains why the Windbournes rule the skies when the other elements can get airborne." Troy rambled, admitting his own fears and interest in the white haired household.
"In exchange for the risk, their aerial capabilities are far superior to anything we can produce. I suppose that is why the phrases exist." Argos recalled
"Ah yes- the phrases. Never challenge a Windbourne in the skies." Troy began
"Never challenge an Aquabourne in water." Argos continued
"Never challenge a Stonebourne on the ground." Troy went on
"And never challenge a Crimson-Phoenix in a battle of attrition." Argos
"Yeah- it reminded me of how little I was when I learned it… and the forbidden saying." Troy recalled
"You mean about emperors?" Argos asked, tentatively
"Naturally…" Troy admitted
"Never challenge an emperor." They both with a somber tone, only imagining the horror that would be to fight an emperor.
"Enough of that… the study is this way my lord." Argos lead forward.
"By the way, Lord Argos, where is your daughter? I heard she's also here in the north?" Troy asked, oblivious.
"… in a northern emcampment…" he admitted, his face grim.
"Is she training to become a soldier so young?" Troy asked, concerned.
"The patriarch… commanded her… as punishment—" he added
"I see… well then the reports will have to reflect that. I shall give you discretion over the reports, just sign my name to them."
"I don't understand—"
"The beauty of reports is that they are just that. Reports. There can be some… discrepancies between reality and details within reports. Do you understand?" Troy asked
"Logically yes… but why would your lordship—"
"Because he would not have done so if she were legitimate. Because he commands children but discriminates between them. It is wrong. So by making another wrong we can get something right." Troy said, casually and without fear.
"You surely are aware there is more than one producer of reports." Argos said
"Not anymore. If the patriarch asks, I will reply that I thought his people were spies from somewhere else. And if he appears himself, I'm sure we can make arrangements prior to his arrival- of which we will be aware of." Troy said, moving forward whilst his lips casually spewed treason.
"Thank you… Lord Troy." Argos said, stopping to bow.
"It is merely the right thing to do from my position." Troy said, not stopping.
Thus, the illegitimate child could be spared the suffering- but Troy had a trial ahead of him. An insurmountable task at that, achieving lordship was no easy feat, and yet, he would have to try.
'Naturally, any master could attempt advancement to lordship. However, unlike ascension to this point, advancing to lordship was not based on power. Nor based on merit or authority.
It was luck.
That's all it was. One had to be lucky to attract the intention of the Greater Spirit, the incarnation of the element itself.' Troy read through the general records.
Troy would have to sacrifice himself to the waves and hope he was lucky enough to gain the interest of the leviathan.
'The advantage of the ducal families is their bond to the incarnations of the elements. Through a bond created long ago… over 513 years ago to be precise, the descendants of the heroes which defeated Emperor Anax carried both the blood and bond of those heroes.
Therefore, the greater spirit could take notice of them… but the changes were slim to none. Lordship was almost a fantasy.
Five hundred years ago was the first time four lords lived at the same time. Since then, there has been one other Leviathanlord. Two Phoenixlords and only one Golemlord.
As for Dragonlords- none. Not a single one since Kale Windbourne.
The will of the Greater Spirits was mysterious. Perhaps they chose individuals to become lords in times of need. Perhaps it was a thing of luck- right time and right person.
Perhaps both…' the records ended.
The only other thing was the journal. Troy started backwards, beginning with the journal of the second leviathanlord.
"For whoever reads this, give up." Was the first line.
"Among my generation, we've lost close to 20 masters who thought they were the chosen one. The Lord of water. All ambitious fools- of which I am among. But they had it wrong- and maybe so do you. Being the Lord does not mean you subjugate the greater spirit… we are nothing to them… the truth is—" Troy read over the page only to find the next one missing!
"Shit!" He exclaimed.
Whoever took the next page knew the secret and kept it for themselves- likely a past patriarch not wishing to give way to another Leviathanlord to take their place.
The rest of the journal of the second Leviathanlord was useless to him. Details of his acts and challenges as a Lord- but what use is that if he doesn't know how to become a Lord for certain.
Troy picked up the second journal, significantly older.
The opening read.
"I am the luckiest and unluckiest person alive… to become the first human to ascend to this level- that of a spirit! And only to live under Emperor Anax… I fear I am not long for this world once he discovers me."
"So I leave this for those who come next. I threw myself into the sea when the Emperor attacked my homeland. I served the emperor… but now that my home has been touched by death- I cannot continue to serve. To abandon his service means death. To rise against him means death. So- if all that awaits me is death- then death is what I'll seek for myself. That's what I thought… if only I knew that the serpent had greater plans… that I would not only survive… but receive the grace of a spirit so powerful. I was all alone in the world… I cursed at the emperor in secret- cursed at my solitude…" the journal went on
The next chunks were describing life under imperial rule…
"1789: the emperor started a war against other nations."
"1792: the people are starving. We've won the wars but gained nothing! The tyrant's victories ended with death. Not many survivors. Not many crops- everything is rotting around him!"
"1795: hell has broken loose! The people are uprising… but the fools did it right under his right. Not a single rebel survived… all of them are dead."
Then new discoveries!
"I found another… another Lord! He rules a colony underground…"
"There's another! He rules the skies in the mountains! Not even Anax has been able to reach there!"
"The fourth… this one is fighting the emperor… he died once… and last night a man in strange armour brought him to us alive. The Phoenix can rise from the ashes once!"
Then a few years later…
"We aree doing it. We found a way to access more power- should we be successful. I will write again- on how to wield the power of the spirits completely! Should we be successful, the emperor will fall and we will be saviours!"
Then it ended.
The story of the first Leviathanlord ended
"I don't get it… they won! Why is there no further text? What happened after they won..? The stories say the heroes were pronounced dukes of a new kingdom and that they died of old age… but this doesn't match history… if only there was a way to know…" Troy thought aloud, then sitting to process the information for a long while.
He learned so much- but not all of it was useful for his current predicament. Luck… fate… and the right moment. The more he thought, the more he felt as if he was going to die and chasing lordship would only result in his death.
Such was the circumstance… as for the outcome. Only time would tell.