"Human life is fleeting, a mountain's life less so, but stars... stars are eternal."~ Taric, The Shield of Valoran
My score for the difficult exam drops tomorrow. Pray for me lads.
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Gregori softly smiled, "She passed."
"My apologies.... I'm sorry to have opened up that wound." Augatha quickly replied.
Gregori shook his head, "It is fine. I have come to terms with her passing."
All the kids except for Annie, Daisy and Briar refused to look up from their plates due to the nature of the conversation. Annie and Daisy because they had shared time with one mother and Briar because she did not care for the conversation and the sweets were too good.
"If it is not too rude..." Pieter spoke.
Gregori knew what was coming and he let it come anyway.
Pieter continued, "Why haven't you gotten remarried? The children are still young and you are not too old."
Looking over the people at the table, Gregori sighed, "Annie's mother died a few years after giving birth to her. She got sick. Two years ago, I decided that she needed a mother and a family. That was when I met Daisy's mother. We decided to live together for our children and eventually got married. The Noxians killed her a year later. I haven't been looking for romance since." Gregori turned to his children. "I'd rather focus on these lot. All the love and affection I can eke out will go to them."
Pieter clutched his spoon tight, "Damn Noxians...."
"You killed them." Garen muttered.
Gregori nodded. "Yes. Every last one of them. Wouldn't you?" His eyes bore into Garen's.
Garen broke eye contact and stared down at his plate. He did not know if he had it in him to take revenge like that. He raised his head, "But there were kids..."
"There were." Gregori acknowledged. "But did not stop them from attacking my home and killing my wife and unborn child. It did not stop them from separating me and Annie for ten months. I did not stop them from experimenting on magical children." Gregori let himself cooldown from the outburst. "You have not seen the darkness this world has to offer Garen. I am not defending my actions. I did it out of revenge and I would do it again."
Garen looked back at his plate.
"Was it worth it?" Tianna asked.
"Hmm?" Gregori turned his attention to her.
Tianna leaned forward. "The revenge. Was it worth it?"
"Yes." Gregori pushed his plate forward and began wiping his hands with the cloth. "It was. Less for the emotional reason and more for causing fear. Fear of retaliations for similar actions. Within weeks of their death the Noxians decided to slow down experiments on children." His eyes hardened, "That singular decision gave me enough time to find Annie and the rest of the kids before they were killed. I will never regret it."
"I am sorry for your loss Gregori." Augatha offered. "For both of them."
Gregori smiled and nodded, not replying but accepting.
Pieter then wiped his hands on the cloth beside his plate and spoke, "Gregori. Would you mind joining me for a drink in my office?"
Gregori glanced at his children.
"Do not worry about the children. Augatha will show them around our home and the gardens. Their safety will be guaranteed." Pieter preemptively offered.
"I don't fear for their safety." Gregori replied. "I have measures in place. I just..... feel uncomfortable leaving them alone."
Pieter nodded. "I only hope you can trust me. I give you my word. They will be kept safe."
Gregori sighed, "Fine. I will join you."
"Thank you." Pieter replied. He turned to his son, "Garen. Stay with your mother as she shows them around. Ensure their safety."
Garen nodded, "I will father."
A few minutes later, they ended up in the study. Tianna had joined them.
Pieter walked in and spotted a bucket filled with ice. Poking out it was a bottle. The same bottle he had instructed Micah to keep cool.
He pulled the bottle out and noted the layer of frost outside the bottle. Micah had done a good job.
He pulled out three glasses and filled them up half way with the alcohol. He placed the two of them in front of their respective recipients and leaned against his table. He took a sip.
The alcohol burned down his throat. The taste comforting.
"Life has been difficult for you hasn't it Gregori?" He asked as he looked into the drink in his hands.
"It has Pieter." Gregori answered as he swirled the drink around before taking a sip. "It has."
"And I can only assume these weapons you are going around collecting..... they are part of some big scheme?" He continued.
"They are." Gregori nodded. "I have to seal them before it gets dangerous."
"Then your arrival her was fated."
"It might just be." Gregori took another sip. "I hadn't planned on coming till after a few months. No message. No meeting any of you. Just get in... travel... and get out."
Tianna took the opportunity to interrupt, "I for one am glad I got to see you again.. Ti ...Gregori." She caught herself as she almost spoke the wrong name. "You being alive has brought me and my brother immense happiness."
Pieter snorted as he sipped his drink. He looked at his sister in mischief. "You would be happy wouldn't you?"
"Shut up." Tianna returned coldly.
Gregori turned to her, "I heard you were married. Any children?"
Tianna dropped her head and then drank her whole glass.
Pieter decided to answer for his sister, "She was married to the leader of the Mageseekers. A political marriage. That rat wanted our family backing. Died at Sylas's hands. One good thing that came out of the uprising."
"You are free now?" Gregori asked Tianna.
She nodded.
"No children then."
She nodded again, "He wanted to stay loyal to one of his Mageseeker commanders. Did not touch me at all. It wasn't even a marriage. Just forced cohabitation."
"A right bastard." Gregori replied to that.
Pieter nodded as he refilled their glasses. "The greatest bastard of them all. I celebrated his death and will continue to do so till the end of my life."
A smile crept up onto Gregori's face, "That much hatred is dangerous."
"Not hatred." Pieter shook his head, "Pettiness. I don't want to give the rat the satisfaction of forgiveness. Even in death."
"What people like him deserve is to be forgotten." Gregori muttered as he took a sip. "Their legacy. Everything they stood for. All forgotten. Removed from the annals of history."
"Aye." Pieter raised his glass in Gregori's direction. "That is what he deserves."
Tianna looked at the man in front of her. Comparing the boy she had spent countless hours playing with and the man nursing his drink, she could find few similarities, save for his hair and eyes.
He had changed. A lot.
Not just physically.
He was no longer the shy and quiet child from her memories..... he was a hardened man with his own stories.
For some reason, her heart hurt for him.
They had similar starting points but his life was filled with pain and loss.
"How did you get past the deaths of your wives?" She asked.
Now it was Gregori's turn to stare at his drink. "I said that I had come to terms with their passings. But it was a lie. I miss them both and I would do anything for even the slightest chance to bring them back." He swallowed the liquid. "But I couldn't keep wallowing in my sorrows could I? I had a child to raise. Now it has become seven children to raise. I will always mourn them but now.... the children come first."
Pieter observed the interaction from the side, a soft smile on his face as he watched his sister try to reconnect with her old friend. But he could sense the conversation going in a direction he did not like, so he interfered changing the topic.
"Another war is coming upon us. Why is it so?"
"It is the way of the world Pieter. Peace comes at a cost and it never lasts forever." Gregori replied as he leaned back in the chair he sat on. "And it is your turn to pay for it again."
"But we have you this time." Pieter commented.
Gregori chuckled. "Forcibly, yes."
He then sighed before continuing, "There is only one Iceborn in their ranks now. I had personally killed two of their strongest and then quite a few of their attacking force alone."
"With the weapon?" Pieter asked.
"Without." Gregori shook his head, "Let me tell you this..... Demacia is not going to be losing this. The only ones dangerous are the Iceborn and Sylas. Even if they added a couple more of them into their ranks.... you beat them by sheer numbers."
"Not after the blow your weapon dealt to them, we don't."
"Who's fault was that?" Gregori asked.
"Bastard." Pieter muttered.
The three then drank in silence for a while.
Pieter refilled their glasses once more and made to open the windows in his study. "Tell me Gregori.... What do you think of my sister?"
"I've only heard good things about Lady Tianna Crownguard of Demacia. Ex-leader of the Dauntless Vanguard. Her bravery and prowess are well known and regarded." Gregori answered as he felt the direction Pieter was taking this conversation.
Tianna looked at her brother in confusion.
Pieter sighed, "Gregori. Your children could use a mother. You could use a partner. My sister could use one. She can still have children. Think about it."
Gregori stilled at how straightforward Pieter was being.
"I.... I don't know Pieter." He tried to manage. "There is danger around me."
"But you take your children around?" Pieter interjected. "Don't play with me Gregori."
"Why me?" Gregori asked. "There are countless Demacian men who would gladly wed Tianna."
"That is the reason." Pieter spoke as he raised his glass. "That. You aren't going to marry Lady Tianna Crownguard but your childhood friend Tianna. There is a difference and that difference changes everything."
"But I didn't aske for this." Tianna cut in noticing Gregori's discomfort.
"I know." Pieter replied. "But our father made a mistake with you and I intend on correcting it. With Gregori you would be safe. Away from Demacia. Turmoil is on the horizon and I am not just talking about the upcoming war. The future is shaky and Jarvan-"
"Jarvan needs all the help he can get!" Tianna countered. "That boy is like my own nephew. I will not abandon him."
"It is not abandoning when we still remain." Pieter retorted. "You deserve your own happiness sister. You deserve some peace. You deserve love. Though I don't think Gregori would give you that immediately.... but eventually he might. And raising children with him would do you wonders as well." He sighed. "I'm of half a mind to find Luxanna and send her away with you too." He told Gregori.
"Her magic is not under her control and as much as things have changed, Demacia is still not safe for those who are not mages." Pieter grumbled and then backed his glass. He looked at Gregori once more, "Think about it Gregori. Don't rush to conclusions. Think of every possible option and give me an answer before you leave."
Gregori did not reply, instead choosing to take a sip of the drink in his hands and go through his own thoughts.
Tianna on the other hand just watched the two unsure of what to say.