Chapter 46 Seeds of Tomorrow
Three months passed in relative peace.
Mara threw herself into building the new kingdom. Establishing laws. Creating systems. Making sure everyone had a voice.
It was exhausting work. But good work. Work that mattered.
"You are doing too much again," Nyra said one morning. She appeared with her usual terrible tea. "Drink this."
"What is it this time? Poison?"
"Fertility herbs. Like I promised your husband." Nyra smiled. "You want pups, yes?"
"Eventually. Maybe after things calm down."
"Things will never calm down completely. That is life. You just have to make room for joy between the chaos."
"Wise words from a witch who lives alone in the woods."
"I live alone by choice. You live surrounded by wolves by necessity. We are not the same." Nyra set down the tea. "But we both know loss. Both carry grief. The question is what we do with it."
Mara thought about Isla. About all the wolves who died fighting Oblivion. "I want to honor them. Build something that lasts."
"Then do it. But also live. Love. Find happiness. That is the best way to honor the dead. By living fully."
After Nyra left, Mara drank the tea. It tasted slightly better than usual. Maybe she was getting used to it.
That afternoon, she met with the council. They were discussing trade agreements with neighboring kingdoms.
"The Bear Clan wants to establish a route through our territory," Marcus reported. "In exchange for military support if we need it."
"Sounds fair," Mara said. "Agree to it."
"The Human Kingdom to the south is requesting an audience," Luna added. "They want to discuss peaceful coexistence."
"Humans want to talk to wolves?" Mara felt hope surge. "That is huge. Set up the meeting immediately."
"There is one problem," Luna said carefully. "Some wolves do not want humans here. They say humans are weak. Inferior. That we should dominate them, not negotiate with them."
"Those wolves can leave if they do not like it," Mara said firmly. "This kingdom is for everyone. Not just wolves."
"They might rebel. Start another war."
"Then we will deal with that when it happens. But I will not compromise on this. Humans deserve respect. Dignity. Equal treatment."
The council agreed. Though Mara could see some were uncomfortable.
Change was always uncomfortable. But necessary.
After the meeting, Zevran found her in their garden. She was planting flowers. Getting her hands dirty.
"You have servants for that," he said.
"I like doing it myself. It reminds me of simpler times."
"When you were a slave?"
"Before that. When I was very young. Before my mother died. We had a small garden. She taught me about plants. How to make things grow." Mara smiled at the memory. "It was the only time I remember being truly happy as a child."
Zevran knelt beside her. Helped plant. "Tell me about her. Your mother."
"She was kind. Gentle. She worked in the palace kitchens. Human servant, like me. She never told me much about my father. Just that he was a good man who could not stay." Mara paused. "I used to hate him for leaving. But now I understand. He was protecting us. Protecting me."
"Riven made a hard choice."
"They both did." Mara planted another flower. "I want to be like them. Make hard choices for the right reasons. Put my children first."
"Our children," Zevran corrected. "We do this together."
"Our children," Mara agreed. "How many do you want?"
"As many as you will give me. Though I hear wolf births are difficult. Painful."
"Everything worth doing is difficult and painful. I am used to it by now."
They worked in comfortable silence until the sun started to set.
"There is something I need to tell you," Zevran said suddenly. "Something I have been putting off."
"That sounds ominous."
"It is not bad. Just complicated." Zevran took a deep breath. "King Darius left a will. Before he died. I only just found out about it."
"What did it say?"
"That if anything happened to him and Ronan, the throne should pass to me. His brother. The rightful heir."
"But you already refused the throne. You said you did not want to rule."
"I know. But the will also mentions property. Assets. Resources that belonged to the royal family." Zevran looked uncomfortable. "There is gold. A lot of gold. Enough to fund this new kingdom for decades."
Mara's eyes widened. "How much gold?"
"Enough to build schools. Hospitals. Roads. Everything we need to make this kingdom prosper."
"Then we use it. For the people. Not for ourselves."
"That is what I thought you would say." Zevran smiled. "This is why you are a good leader. Most would keep the gold. Hoard it. But you want to share it."
"What good is wealth if people are suffering? We use the resources we have to build something better."
"There is one problem. The gold is hidden. In a vault beneath the old palace. The one that collapsed when we fought Elara."
"So we dig it out. How hard can that be?"
"The vault is protected by magic. Ancient magic. Only someone of royal blood can open it."
"You are royal blood."
"Yes. But I cannot go alone. The magic is designed to kill anyone who tries to steal the gold. Even family. It requires two people of royal blood to open it safely."
"Who else has royal blood? Darius and Ronan are both dead."
"There is one person. But you will not like it."
"Who?"
"Brutus. He is Darius's cousin. Distant relative but still royal."
Mara groaned. "You have to be joking. Brutus hates me. He tried to start a war against us."
"I know. But he is the only one who can help access the vault."
"Where is he now?"
"Exile. Somewhere in the northern wastes. Living as a rogue."
"And you think he will help us? After everything that happened?"
"If we offer him something he wants. Brutus is many things but he is not stupid. If we can make it worth his while, he might cooperate."
"What could we possibly offer him that he would want?"
"Redemption. A place in the new kingdom. A chance to rebuild his reputation."
Mara thought about it. Every instinct said no. Brutus was dangerous. Unpredictable. Full of hatred.
But they needed that gold. Needed it to build the future they promised.
"Fine. We find him. We make an offer. But if he betrays us, I will kill him myself."
"Deal."
They sent trackers north to find Brutus. It took a week but they succeeded. Brought back a message.
Brutus would meet with them. Alone. At the neutral ground where they first fought.
"It is obviously a trap," Luna said. "You cannot go."
"We have to. We need his help." Mara looked at the message again. "He says he wants to talk. Maybe he has changed."
"Or maybe he wants revenge."
"Then we will be ready for it."
Mara and Zevran traveled to the meeting place with a small escort. Brutus was already there when they arrived.
He looked different. Thinner. Scarred. His gray fur was matted and dirty. Life as a rogue had been hard on him.
"Moon Wolf. King's Blade." Brutus's voice was hoarse. "You came."
"You asked us to. Why?" Mara kept her hand on her weapon. Just in case.