"Shiloh Sutton, the Cleric of Aphrodite." Viceroy Chambers mused, standing and offering him a deeper bow than he'd given, before looking at their party with interest fring in his eyes. "I beg your forgiveness in seeking such an impertinent boon from you, but would you consent to being examined with Devil's Sight? To confirm that you are, indeed, an avatar of Lady Aphrodite, of course."

  Shiloh thought this was a curious question. If the Viceroy had someone in his employ with Devil's Sight, why would he ask permission to allow it to be used? Beck said she was only able to see css, name, and level, right?

  Shiloh turned to his foxgirl lover, who seemed to understand immediately what he wanted. She gave him the tiniest of nods, and he looked back at Chambers.

  "Proceed as you would, Viceroy." Shiloh replied clearly.

  The reedy man cpped once, and a door opened on the side of the chamber. The sound of armored boots marching across the marble floor echoed through the throne room, and the nobles to Chambers' right parted. A guard approached the throne, holding a spear in one hand and a shield in the other.

  "Your grace." The guard said, snapping to attention.

  "Captain Greenback, Master Sutton has agreed to having your Devil's Sight used on him. If you would, please confirm that he is an avatar of Lady Aphrodite, and nothing else." Chambers didn't even look at the guard, his eyes never leaving Shiloh.

  "As you command." Captain Greenback accepted before turning to look at Shiloh. His eyes didn't change, but he recoiled slightly a moment ter. "He is, in fact, an avatar of Aphrodite, your grace."

  "Thank you, Captain. You are dismissed."

  The guard captain saluted and marched back through the door from whence he came as a outburst of murmurs swept through the room. The nobles shifted as those in the back tried to get a better look at the confirmed avatar.

  "Well, Lord Sutton, it would appear that we are to be even more honored by your presence in our halls." Chambers said, bowing even lower than he had before. "Please, what may the city of Chattery do for you?"

  "I have come to announce my presence and status directly to you, your grace, to offer you the respect due your station." Shiloh repeated the line from memory, as Twil had taught him. "In service of my goddess, we have liberated the vampire Viktora Markov from beyond the Bonedust Mountains. On our return trip, we apprehended the remaining members of the Scarlet Hands, who are now residing in your city jail. I would ask your grace, on the authority of my goddess, that these men be shown mercy."

  Per his Mistress' instructions, he did not offer a reason for the mercy he was requesting. They would either respect Aphrodite's will, spoken through her avatar, or they would face the consequences of pissing off an avatar, and thus, a goddess.

  When Shiloh finished speaking, another round of mutters swept through, loud enough that the viceroy had to wait for it to quiet down before he could respond. When he did, Shiloh thought he saw delight in the bookish man's face.

  "Tales that I am sure have been downpyed, Lord Sutton." Chambers smiled knowingly. "Though nonetheless impressive. Do you have any word from the vampires of Emberhearth Castle?"

  "We had no direct contact with the vampire courts, though Viktora may be willing to speak on the matter in private." Shiloh replied. He didn't want to shut the man down outright, but Viktora's past was certainly not something he was going to make her drag up before all the nobility of the area.

  "I see." Chambers said. He thought for a moment before plying Shiloh with his next question. "Why have you captured the remainder of the Scarlet Hands? I had an order out for inhabitants of the realm to leave them be while we conducted our negotiations."

  "I think that would also be best discussed in private, if your grace would allow us that boon as well." Shiloh replied, wincing slightly. He didn't really care for this practice of speaking in front of nearly a hundred people who had no business being involved, but Twil told him that it was the standard practice on Glitnir. Allegedly, the nobility on Glitnir was well-known for their incorrigible gossip, and many had risen to power simply by trading on information. Having them attend important matters of state, therefore, was desirable to keep themselves well-informed.

  Chambers slowly nodded. "I see. We will discuss that in my offices ter, then. Do you have any more tidings for us, or perhaps a message from your goddess, the Lady Aphrodite?"

  "No, your grace. At this time, my allies and I are resupplying and preparing for a long dive into the dungeon entrance just south of here." Shiloh informed him.

  Yet another round of whispered conversation broke out. This time, Viceroy Chambers was forced to call for quiet.

  "Silence! If you cannot still your tongue, please adjourn from this room while we speak." His gre, while not as impressive as some that Shiloh had seen, was enough to bring quiet to the room once more. He passed his eyes over the audience once, then returned his gaze to the Apostles, smiling at them.

  "Well, that is certainly a wise goal. According to your party's status with the Guild, you have yet to complete even the first boss. Yet you were able to wrest one of Lord Ronak's from his grip. You present quite the conundrum, Lord Sutton."

  Shiloh shrugged. "I go where my goddess dictates."

  Chambers nodded wisely. He returned to his throne and sat upon it, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees as he tapped the tips of his fingers together. He studied Shiloh as if trying to solve a particurly difficult equation. Eventually the viceroy leaned back.

  "What can the court of Chattery do for you, Lord Sutton?"

  Twil had warned Shiloh that this question would inevitably come up. It was, she had said, the most dangerous part of the conversation. If he requested too little, it would tell all the nobility that he either thought himself above them, or that he was ignorant. Both of these would indicate an opening, which would encourage aggressive posturing by everyone present. If he asked too much, it would indicate weakness, necessitating help, or greed, which meant he could be bought. So, they had talked at length about what to request of the viceroy.

  "Your grace, my companions and I have no room to stay in while we are dwelling in your nds. If it is not an imposition on your hospitality, we would appreciate a pce to rest. We also would be very grateful to you if the court could provide us with a map of the empire, as well as a letter of acknowledgement, stating that I am an avatar." Shiloh saw calcuting looks from all around him, and he realized that Twil wasn't joking when she said that every piece of information was a weapon to these people.

  Fortunately for Shiloh, he had a mage well-versed in court intricacies. The three requests were chosen with deliberate carefulness. While they didn't know that Chambers would use Devil's Sight on Shiloh, they knew he would verify the cim of being an avatar somehow. The letter of acknowledgement would prevent anyone else from demanding the same proofs, as well as demonstrating that Shiloh was not ignorant in the matters of Glitnirian politics. The map would prove that he was aware of a bigger picture outside of the locality he was in, as well proving he was a pnner and difficult to outfox. Finally, the request for a room would tell them that he could be called upon at the Pace. This gave Chambers a bit more authority, as he would be the barrier for any of them to speak with the avatar. It would also help to keep the more minor requests from bogging them down.

  "I believe those are all perfectly reasonable requests." Chambers said with a twinkle in his eye. "We shall have quarters arranged for you to stay in while you are here, and I will have a map and the letter of acknowledgement ready in the morning."

  "Thank you, your grace." Shiloh offered him another bow. "Is there ought that the courts of Chattery would request of us?"

  As if waiting for this very cue, the nobles around them exploded in requests and questions. So great was the din, that Viceroy Chambers could not even make himself heard over it all. They only quieted down when the guards fnking the main entrance pounded their halberds on the ground, making deafening thumps of wood on stone.

  Chambers rose from the throne, and all eyes fell upon him. "Unless your request is of a life-or-death nature, you will hold your tongue. All other requests of the avatar can be made at a ter time." He waited for a long minute and, when nobody spoke up, he looked at the Apostles. "I apologize for the ck of decorum we have presented here today. The courts of Chattery have no requests for you at this time, other than for you to join me for breakfast in the morning. We can discuss the other matters brought up today then. I am sure that you and your allies would like to get some rest."

  With that, the court was dismissed. Shiloh and his lovers fled before they could be accosted by any of the excitable nobility milling around. They were taken to a vish room by the court page, where he informed them that dinner would be in two hours and that someone would be sent along to arrange it, whether they wished to join the Viceroy or eat in their chambers. Then, the boy opened their door and left them to their own devices.

  "Well, that went about as well as could be expected." Shiloh sighed, taking in the room.

  It was luxurious enough that Shiloh almost thought they'd been given the emperor's personal chambers. The door was gilded like the throne room, and it opened into a rge room with an enormous bed, easily big enough for all of them, pced directly in the middle. There was a collection of wardrobes against the wall the door was on, and there were two more doors on the fnking walls. The one to the left led to an expansive bathroom with a tub that was as spacious as the bed. The door on the right opened to another, smaller bedroom with four single beds crammed into it and only small trunks at the foot of each bed for storage.

  "What is this pce?" Shiloh wondered aloud, examining the seemingly-expensive fabric of the comforter on the bed, the intricate stone posts on each of the four corners and the ce trappings hung across them, the silver and opal mirror pced upon the oversized vanity, which could be used by several of Shiloh's girls at one time, not that they ever utilized anything as frivolous as makeup. They were each stunningly beautiful without the need for augmentation.

  "It is the room set aside for Emperor Harkon." Twil said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Every pace in Glitnir has one exactly like this. The only people allowed to stay in it are the emperor, avatars, heroes, and their associated concubines."

  "You are my-" Shiloh started. A raised eyebrow from each of his concubines silenced him, and he blushed. "Well, I don't think of you as concubines, anyways."

  "We know." Viktora replied softly. "You treat us as people, with goals and aspirations of our own. It is what makes you worth following."

  Shiloh smiled at her, and the rest of his party filed in and began making themselves at home. They weren't under obligation to do anything until dinner, so they took advantage of the brief moment of true rest. The bed was luxuriously soft, and a bowl of fresh, ripe fruit adorned the nightstand. They chatted about nothing in particur for a long while until there was a knock at the door. Shiloh, being the honored guest, extracted himself from the cuddle puddle that had formed around him on the bed and opened the door.

  Standing on the other side, to the shock and anger of all present, was Ashleigh.

  The orc woman was nothing like Shiloh remembered. Her shuffling feet, downward-cast eyes, lip bite and uncertain eyes were all hallmarks of someone who might have once been abused by the braggadocious sexual predator the st time he'd seen her. He noticed that the brand she'd been given was much less noticeable, though the faint white lines were still there for anyone to see. Additionally, she wore a thin colr studded with a single ruby. Behind her stood a very severe-looking woman who wore the robes of a clergy member.

  Ashleigh looked up at Shiloh, blushed, and looked back down. She started to speak, but was interrupted by the woman behind her.

  "Look into his eyes, Radiance. You said you wanted to do this right." Her voice was as stern as her visage, and her eyes narrowed until Ashleigh raised her face to Shiloh's.

  Ashleigh blinked back a tear as she stared into Shiloh's eyes. He didn't see anger, frustration, or deception in them. What he did see, which shocked him to his core, was true remorse, grief, and the desire to be forgiven.

  "Shiloh, I w-"

  "What the fuck are you doing here?" Ara snarled, having gotten to her feet to see who was at the door. This roused the rest of his companions, who all crowded around with various looks of loathing in their eyes.

  Rather than try to calm down six angry Thirds, Shiloh simply stepped into the hall, gave them all a warning look, and closed the door.

  "I do apologize for my companions' behavior." He said softly.

  "There is no need for that." Ashleigh responded. "I deserve their, and your, hatred. This is..." She broke off and turned to the woman with her, whose expression softened. She gave the struggling orc an encouraging smile. Ashleigh took a deep breath, turned back to face Shiloh, and started over.

  "Shiloh, I wish to tell you that I am sorry. What I did to you was unacceptable, abhorrent, and a viotion of the ws that the gods gave us.

  "When I was branded and cursed, I spent three days trying to continue in my old ways. Three days of living on the street, digging through trash for food because nobody would let me inside anywhere. When I met Anasti, I was close to going feral. She took pity on me and brought me to her convent.

  "They cared for me. The only other people to show me an ounce of the kindness I didn't deserve since you spared my life. I have been waiting, hoping for an opportunity to do the one thing that I can for you. While Aphrodite took away my p-penis, I was still able to abuse people the way I did to you. You said you wanted to make sure that would never happen again, and now it can't.

  "The Sisters of Aphrodite's Innocence are training me to control my desires, and this colr is enchanted to prevent me from wandering more than ten feet away from them at a time. They have been instrumental in helping me accept who I was, who I am, and working to change it.

  "I want you to know that I am sorry. I don't deserve forgiveness, but I hope that one day I can look in the mirror without hating what I find there. I would offer my apologies to the rest of your allies as well, but..."

  "That's not a good idea right now." Shiloh finished the unspoken thought for her. "I'm sure they're all listening through the door anyways." A shuffling of many feet confirmed his suspicions.

  Ashleigh nodded. "I would like you to extend my thanks to Lady Reignover, however. Her rage at me is what allowed me to begin understanding that hurting others will also hurt the ones around them. It was a painful lesson to learn, but necessary."

  Shiloh nodded solemnly. "I will tell her."

  "Thank you." Ashleigh whispered. She looked at him, then at the floor, then at the woman behind her before nervously shuffling off. She was only a few steps away when Shiloh spoke again.

  "Radiance?"

  Ashleigh winced and turned to him. "A new name. An aspiration. A goal to shine my goddess's radiant love on all who I meet." She blushed, ashamed to hold such a lofty ambition in the presence of one she had taken everything from.

  "I see." Shiloh mused. He took one more long look at her. "Go in peace, Radiance."

  theninjagoose