The day after they had been married, in another garden in the East wing of Naasis, Artemis and August stood facing each other.
The Archknights of Henem stood in a line facing them, Gwennaude, Kafka, Lysia, and Arcas at the forefront. The Three Consorts, Adeline, Eunice, and Isolde stood at the side, each carrying their various
Most Noble men and women had already adjourned from the capital to return to their various estates. Of course, Willow had remained, along with his many attendants, although their aunts and uncles from the branch families had already returned to Margraves. Ever since the Sable Decline, the previous Era that had dissipated almost five-hundred years prior, it had become common for branch Families of larger Noble Houses to live relatively normal lives. Their houses within cities or towns might be a bit bigger, and they might have a hand in local politics, but by almost all accounts, they were almost commoners.
Sometimes, this would cause a bit of strife internally in Houses, but it was usually something that could be easily resolved by giving the Heads of branch Families more amenities.
August leaned in, grasping Artemis's shirt-collar as he pulled him down, a deep kiss
On the sidelines, Kafka's face turned bright-red, and Gwennaude reached a hand down to cover her eyes, shaking his head.
"I-in front of all of them...?" Artemis whispered sheepishly as they pulled away from each other.
"Did you forget who I am? Who will complain when the King does as he wishes?" August smirked.
It was the day of Artemis's coronation. After all, this was a marriage with intent to grow stronger. It was with the intent to love. So of course, he would become the 'main' Consort of the King, the Crown Consort. If there were a title for it- it would be 'Queen'. But Artemis didn't fancy himself a Queen. Being a 'Consort' was fine enough.
Still, it meant that he would be afforded power, he would be afforded draw within the political landscape. It meant he would be able to help his family, it meant he would be able to help August.
He had draped the fur of a Blackwolf over his shoulders, that which stretched over what was once its head resting on his right. This was one of August's many wedding gifts for him. By his words, it was what his Spirit Bond resembled quite well. He thought it was something Artemis was right. He was wrong. It wasn't something he liked.
It was something he loved.
The coronation of a Crowned Consort was a simple matter. Underneath the eyes of the Witch-King's most trusted advisors, Knights, and friends, as well as Artemis's closest family members, August would declare his intentions towards Artemis. It was mostly a matter of formally recognising Artemis as August's lover, as someone with importance, in the presence of all of his closest civil servants.
"This is Archbishop Castorias. He was a good friend of my father, now overseeing the day-to-day of the Cathedral of Leylines in the undercity."
Artemis's eyebrows raised. The Church of Leylines was the most popular saint-worshipping institution in the Blackbaast, only closely followed in popularity by a sub-faction of Saint Worshippers who attended the Church of the Sign, who worshipped the Saint Sonetto. Artemis wasn't too sure what exactly the Saint Sonetto had accomplished in his life, it simply wasn't a habit of his family to attend to that belief system. However, it seemed a common enough practice in the Northern and Southern regions of the Blackbaast.
Artemis nodded respectfully to the Archbishop. He had an elderly countenance, a long white beard that had been tied up with a large wooden bead-like carving, carved with ornate runes and a strange almost-otherworldly symbol on the front - the Rune of Cade.
"Are we ready to begin, Archbishop?" August glanced over towards the man of stature. He simply nodded in return, he was a man of silence. August then looked over towards the people who had gathered, smiling as he turned to them.
"Everyone, I don't think I need any introduction, you know me quite well."
They all seemed to laugh at this joke. The mood within the room was warm, pleasant, it was peaceful. August wondered if this was one of the last times that the Blackbaast would feel such reverence. Soon, they might be plunged into chaos, into despair. He needed to work hard to prevent that occurrence, and even this was a simple step in that direction- growing more powerful.
"Throughout my life, I've often battled with a thought, I'd like to share it with you now." He took a careful step backwards, pivoting his weight as he presented himself a bit more carefree. "You knew my father, not to speak ill of him, but I despised his style of rule. I hated my predecessors for the longest time, and I could not understand them. Their iron-fisted ways... they tore my heart into pieces, and I could not bear it. I feared my future, because I did not want to become that sort of man. That was why, for the longest time, I tried to rebel against their methodology. When I could be kind to those less fortunate, although it didn't amount to much, I tried to do so. When I could smile instead of scowl, I could. I would be combative towards my father, and it made me a very ironic person, a mask of jokes that I wear... even the flower that I created as part of my predecessor's tradition was more beauty than brawn, as was commonplace for the Witch-King... this person I had chosen to become, I wondered for the longest time if it was actually out of spite rather than the person I truly was. Maybe I was a rebel, not a kind person..."
The eyes looking at him seemed to soften as he said this, even Gwennaude, who had long been perceived as a battle-hardened soldier.
"Even now, I do not know if my choices up to this point have been because of that reason. The only path I try to pursue is for the good of all people, but what does that amount to in the end? Can my motivations, if shallow, upend my life's work?" He paused for a moment, glancing towards Artemis. "But there was a moment where I thought that I might be a decent person. It was when I came to realise that what I do really is out of a motivation beyond myself, it wasn't shallow or self-centered. There was really someone I wanted to protect, and it was the same feeling I had always felt towards my goals. In essence, that one moment was what it took to realise many things about myself, and confirm that what I was doing was certainly the right thing..."
He placed his hand on Artemis's cheek once more, bowing his head slightly.
"I would like to crown this man, this person who made me realise I can do better, I can strive for more. Would you mind it that much? This is not a command, I am not enforcing my rule. Each of you present, I value your voices. I ask you, if I love this man, will you object?"
The room remained silent. Instead, the usually-grim and composed faces of these soldiers had brightened. They only bowed their head in reverence, smiling.
August nodded his head at the same time, grinning. "Then, I'm glad. We'll go through with the crowning."
Suddenly, a servant walked through a door to the left, slowly approaching August. He turned his gaze with a raised eyebrow, gesturing for the servant to speak.
"Your Grace, we could not locate the crown- well, any crown. There simply are none left within Naasis."
August's eyes widened suddenly, a gasp escaping his lips. His expression quickly turned dissatisfied, then to anger.
"I forgot... my mother did not care for crowns... she thought they would mess up her hair..." August placed a hand against his face, groaning. "My father only had the one, although I do not wear it often... I should have had one made for you, I was a fool..."
Artemis's eyebrow raised, a hand touching upon August's face as he drew his gaze to meet his, smirking in an amused fashion. "It is just a crown, it does not matter."
"Can he be a Crowned Consort with no crown?" Adeline echoed the sentiment that seemed to hang about the room.
Isolde chuckled. "He'll have to settle being a Crownless Consort."
A Crownless Consort... The words stood on everyone's lips as they stared at the man ahead of them. Like the fur on his shoulders, he resembled a wolf- he was towering, almost... terrifying. But they all stood in awe.
Had they... ever had the chance to look at him in this light? Not the light of the garden, not the Light beside him, but... in that moment, he looked... different. He looked... truly regal, like a Ruler.
Gwennaude cut through the tension of the room as he laughed a hearty laugh. "Welcome to Henem, Crownless!"
Kafka was the next to follow, giggling. "Crownless, it really has a nice ring to it!"
Lysia reprimanded the two, correcting them. "That would be your Grace... Crownless."
Even he couldn't hold back. Artemis felt as if his eyebrow would twitch, but suddenly, his annoyed mood seemed to calm. He smiled, looking out at the Archknights as he raised his two hands, approaching.
"Indeed. I am... Crownless." He paused for a moment, eyeing each Archknight as he continued, "so, with this newly-vested power, you know what I can do to you all, right?"
A shiver ran down each of their spines, their faces paling as they bowed their heads.
Crownless... even if they say it out of spite, I kind of enjoy it.