While golden-yellow glimmers reflecting off the cutting edges of the two axes wandered around inside the tent, the person who entered and filled the doorway without leaving a single inch of empty space spoke once more.
"Please be calm, I thought we could eat something!"
Entering through the small gap created when he took a step, the dwarf butler laid out the table and food he took from the interspatial ring in the blink of an eye. After placing the armchair, which had golden-yellow upholstery and was at least as magnificent as his master's clothes, across from the two orcs, he stepped aside.
"Dona Gracia, what brings you here at this time of night?"
The first to calm down was Wind of Death; putting away her weapon, she welcomed the man resembling a mound of fat. Boss wasn't relaxed yet; even though he sat back down, he continued to keep his weapon in a place where his hand could easily reach.
"When our newly met ally suddenly disappeared, I got a little curious. I won't ask where he went, I know that, but do you really know the person who took the name Batu? That's what I wanted to know."
A plate containing some of all the food on the table arrived on a small coffee table, and next to it was a drink glowing inside a crystal twice the size of a normal goblet. When the butler took his place one step behind his master, Wind of Death also sat down in her armchair after preparing a plate for herself.
"I'm listening to you, I hope the food is as delicious as it looks!"
"You're welcome, I don't offer anyone things I wouldn't eat myself, especially not to valuable allies like you!"
Wind of Death had made herself a considerable plate, even if not as much as Dona Gracia's, and her face lit up from the first bite, but Boss maintained his tight-lipped stance. As forces maintaining the balance within the same city for years, they had a habit of approaching each other cautiously.
"I can tell a story, an old one but of a kind not many people know, a special story!"
The man pushing the limits of obesity filled his mouth as if he would never be able to eat again and could only begin to fulfill his promise five minutes later.
"There was once a majestic, powerful, and authoritarian leader; he ruled those under his command with an iron fist. Whatever he wanted happened, and whatever could prevent it from happening was destroyed. One day, this leader met someone like himself but older, and as coincidence would have it, their children were accompanying them too.
When I say children, I am talking about two sixteen-year-old youths; one a sympathetic, excited, and mischievous boy, the other a beautiful, good-natured, smiling girl. While their fathers were meeting, they also met, bonded, and couldn't break away from each other during the weekend the contacts lasted.
Even though time passed since this meeting, the youths continued to meet in secret. Sometimes face to face, frequently by writing letters to each other, they satisfied their longing. No one is foolish enough to think that the son of such a powerful man or the father of the girl was unaware of what was happening, right?"
Dona Gracia, whose fuel ran out, buried himself in the plate with a diameter of two hand-spans refilled by his butler. He was eating like there was no tomorrow; he even managed to cram a quarter of the plate into his mouth at once.
"Enjoy your meal, take it easy!"
"Is someone taking it from in front of you, man? Eat those calmly; you managed to turn even an orc's stomach!"
Boss had also begun to adapt to the environment; even though he still didn't touch the food, at least he was participating in the conversation.
"Where was I? Yes, I was saying both sides were aware! Anyway, after two years pass like this, our mighty leader notifies the other older leader that he will pay a visit. This organization, which takes place before the planned time, is named, albeit not officially, by the size of the gifts to be brought and the preference for things usually chosen for a marriage agreement.
Can you imagine the excitement of the two youths?"
Following his question, Dona Gracia cast a glance at his empty plate, then turned to the two orcs to measure their reactions. Both had gotten curious but could guess the course of events; there was a 'go on' expression on their faces.
"Hosted in a palace golden everywhere, the mighty leader and his son began preparing for the night along with the servants retiring to rest. What a coincidence that the mothers of both youths were not alive; the wives of powerful men had a weird habit of dying before them anyway.
Ah, I'm sorry! Your special situation has nothing to do with what I'm saying; if I upset you or overstepped my bounds, I apologize!"
Wind of Death had lost her mother during her birth; Dona Gracia, apologizing implying he knew this, waited for her response.
"Upsetting me is not something you can manage, and if I thought you overstepped your bounds, your own head would be in the empty plate in your hand. You may continue!"
Handing his plate to his butler, Dona Gracia caught his breath a bit after making the 'enough' sign with his hand. His fleshy double chin rippled like an accordion; amidst all that grandeur, it was impossible to understand how he could look so ugly.
A limited number of people were sharing the table at dinner. There was no one other than the two men, their children, and the second-in-commands of the power they managed. Even the waiters left the hall illuminated by chandeliers adorned with leaf-shaped crystals after making their preparations.
The food service was left to the youngest, and while doing this, their eyes didn't part from each other. It was impossible not to understand that the two loved each other and were even made for each other. Thanks to them, the cheerful atmosphere dominating the environment increased a bit more every second, and when the plates were emptied, the energy reached its peak.
The mighty leader took his napkin from his lap to wipe his mouth; he roughly cleaned the grease on his lips, which his bushy mustache covered like a hat. His eyebrows were also at least as magnificent as the other hair on his face; they were prominent enough to let you recognize him from meters away.
"I believe the time has come; well, I assume you know why we are here, my esteemed counterpart!"
The other older man took the sparse hairs growing from under his chin like a goatee into his right palm and sent the last piece of food between his teeth down his narrow throat.
"I can guess, but I would love to hear it from your mouth."
The gazes of the two youths met; their adventure that started two years ago was like a horse galloping towards a happy ending, and now it was time to rear up. The mighty leader, clearing his throat, first took a deep breath, and after casting a glance at his son, he began to speak.
"There is no need to wait any longer; I have chosen your daughter as a new wife for myself, and I want you to approve this and ensure the union of the two powers!"
"Fa-fa-father, you!"
The mischievous young man could only say these; the man right on his right side didn't leave him a chance to say anything else.
"Shut your mouth! I cannot let your childish games ruin the future of the power I established giving my years. Along with my new wife, I will have new sons, and while raising them, I will not make the mistakes I made with you!"
The atmosphere had frozen over; the cold air arriving in the middle of spring and taking away whoever it caught unprepared was freezing the bones.
"I was expecting this too. The gods did not bestow a son upon me, but one of my grandsons will be able to continue keeping the power under my command alive!"
The old man was also in agreement; while accepting the other leader's proposal, he didn't hesitate to show his missing teeth. The second-in-commands didn't have the luxury to speak, and the young girl's breathing wasn't heard either; at first, they attributed this to her excitement, but when the naughty young man shouted, the truth of the matter was understood.
"She's dead, you killed her!"
He hurled the remaining liquor in his glass at his father's face, and right after, with a spark of fire appearing between his two fingers, he ignited the majestic leader's mustache, which was at least as magnificent as his title. The flammability of the liquor was high, and the flames engulfed his whole face within seconds.
While his second-in-command stepped in front of the old leader preventing him from being attacked, the mighty leader's subordinate headed towards the young boy, but he was already a few steps away from the window extending from the floor to the ceiling and allowing a spectacular view to be seen. Rumor has it, the screams of the man burned by the youth falling to the ground from the very top of the palace like a raindrop didn't stop for ten days, and no one could find his son's body!