His footsteps echoed through the halls, the sound of claws scraping across the concrete floor. Even with all the movement around him, he kept his gaze forward, his mind flying to a thousand and one places.
Today was Grover's third birthday party. And it showed, soldiers marched to all sides to ensure that the palace would be safe from the huge flow of nobles and influential figures who would enter and stay all together in a single building. It was funny how a common event in every Griffon's life could have to be so well planned and prepared. But with the number of enemies the Empire now had with the fragmentation of the old continent-spanning territories. It was a miracle they still had the core regions of the old empire.
The old Empire the world once knew is now long dead, with the Herzland being the only remaining loyalists still standing and able to fend off external threats. Now with political and economic instability after riots after riots, they could go back to their 'normal' lives. But the castle naturally was always amassed by the best trained, armed, experienced, and loyal troops in the entire empire. Their metal armor gleamed with their constant polishing and advanced vests that could withstand shotgun blasts stood in a row in every hallway and room door. At least 4 to each aisle. Anyone who entered the palace, which would already be outsized for the absurd amount of troops stationed in a single building, would be completely swarmed by troops who fanatically defended every floor there as if it were sacred ground.
But that wasn't one of the main reasons for so many troops, but for a percentage of them not being Griffons.
He'd already caught glimpses of these creatures a few hallways back, they were the complete opposite of the Griffon royal guard, but that didn't make them any less capable.
Instead of helmets with metal masks. They used the unique and iconic Stahlhelm ('steel helmet'), in changeling it refers both to a generic steel helmet and more specifically to their distinctive military design. His military clothes dark-green collar and shoulder straps with symbols he couldn't recognize, a gray jacket while wearing a cloth mask that covered his face all but his bug-like eyes along with his transparent wings. But the symbol that they carried in their arms already explained everything, a horn with two other interconnected and bluish wings connected with them. Those were the Changelings.
He hadn't studied much about them, but as their allies, he had a general grasp of their society as a whole. Not so long ago they were a society of divided tribes, each with their loyalty to their local queen and the hive they were born to. Queens were at the top of the society, being those who were born drinking a kind of royal jelly made exclusively for heiresses handpicked by the previous queen.
In other words, they were a matriarchy. With the queen being at the top of the hierarchy, below her heirs, the most influential and powerful drones, and at the bottom the rest.
He wasn't sure if that was true, but that's what the stories and sources told him, even with their dubious origins.
But all that didn't matter at that moment, what mattered was that one of his most powerful queens would now visit the palace. She's coming to visit his son. He loved his son with all his heart. Everything he did made him proud and every moment spent with him was a blessing in itself.
But this time, he really wanted to scream at his idiot of a son for doing something so crazy and unthinkable. WHERE in the THREE DIVINES did he think it would be a good idea to summon one of the most powerful magical beings in the world to his birthday?
But what made him furious the most was HE HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED when they decided to invite her.
While her power was absurd, she had no intentions of doing any harm to the Griffon empire. Conquest is obviously impossible because of the gigantic sea dividing the continent of Equus and Griffonia, and also applied by the fact they don't have a port to access such a sea without making an absurdly long and expensive voyage.
And finally, she seemed very interested in getting to know him, or more specifically, his son.
This shall not stand.
Not while he still breathes.
Chrysalis is an extremely important ally, but she was in not-so-refined words; One of the most malevolent megalomaniacs he'd ever met. If the people thought he was strict with his authority or a great Warmonger, it was because no one had ever met her. All the drones under her hoof were guarded 24/7 in every corner of the city for dissidents and rebels. Her hives had constant patrols and daily searches. He shivered inwardly at the thought of the dystopian country that must be changeling lands. To think of such a tyrannical and heartless being getting close to his son. It would be the end of everything he had slowly and patiently tried to teach him. He couldn't let her corrupt him with her ideology.
Breaking his thoughts, he would come across two big doors, he would hear many voices, laughter and more voices. He let out a frustrated sigh as he removed his crown to run a hand through the fur above his head in a futile attempt to straighten it out.
'Has the party started...? Dammit, I hope I didn't miss too much....' He thought as he put his crown back on and hurriedly entered to the surprise of the guards flanking the door on the other side.
Upon entering, the entire room would fall silent, the gazes of all the nobles would pass to him at the door.
At the beginning of his reign, he would always shrink when he was forced to go out and expose himself like this to so many people in one place. Having been the heir to the empire already made him protected above all else by his father, but being sick and physically weak as he was only increased that tenfold.
But after so many years, he learned to ignore it. Learning to put on the friendly, smiling emperor mask that everyone knew. Not knowing how much he hated each of those nobles eternally, only a few being exceptions.
They were the reason his administration was such a disaster, and their corruption only wiped out any trace of legitimacy that existed in his regime.
Cheers came as glasses were raised and smiles came his way, he reciprocated with a warm smile, and he waved at them as he went downstairs to join the party. 'Not even the most dangerous forests of Griffonia contain so many snakes in one place.' He internally chuckled at his joke as he welcomed the guests and thanked them for coming, even though he wasn't sincere in his words.
But he didn't give a damn about this bunch of useless parasites, no. He wanted to know one thing.
Where was his son?
Scanning the room, he searched but only found guests and more guests, both Griffons, and Changelings. But no sign of his son. Looking at one of the only pink figures in the room, he saw Gabriela with Gerlach as usual. The two were inseparable and he wasn't afraid to say a good couple. But as Emperor he could not allow such a union to take place. Gerlach's Grand Duchy of Feathisia and Gabriela's Strawberry Duchy were two of the Empire's most powerful vassals, a union between these two states would be catastrophic for the sensitive balance of power between all the Empire's vassals and protectorates.
And on top of that, Gerlach didn't have the courage to open up to Gabriela, and the Emperor was sure it wasn't going to be so soon that such a confession would happen.
But back to the point, his son wasn't with her either. Which was a surprise seeing how much they had become extremely close, Gabriela had met his son last year and they were immediately inseparable. Her acting like the motherly figure he never had, helping to close a void Grover never thought possible, he thanked his cousin so much for that.
Returning his search he now turned his attention to the invited clergy, all clustered around the Archons.
But exclusively, Eros. Archon Eros the VII..
He was little Grover's most admired and respected figure, who saw him as a grandfather and advisor. He was responsible for teaching Grover that even at such a young age, he already proved to be a very dedicated child.
But Grover wasn't with him either.
His concern began to increase, ignoring the calls of nobles to him, the Emperor entered the party more. Taking care not to bump into more guests.
'For God's sake please tell me she didn't find him, please don't...' He hurried through the crowds as he tried to get to the birthday boy's royal table. His eyes finally found him, his pupils dilating at the sight.
His son sat comfortably not on his chair or sofa, but on a huge fan of bluish feathers with black dots, he showed off his trademark beaming smile to the person giving him comfort.
His eyes narrowed in hatred as they found the source of his son's 'comfort'. A Griffon with black fur. The tips of her wings, claws and beak were a whitish-green color while with a long bluish hair that almost reached her claws, matching her tail.
Grover had to admit that she was beautiful. Her slender curves and feathers were divine. And it just showed how fake that Griffon was, beauty like that was too perfect to exist. Hiding beneath the magic that gave their race its name, the Changelings. Was a hard shell and hideous face to match her own personality.
That slender and radiant figure caressed the head of the little emperor lovingly while talking to him.
'That massive pile of fake dung has the fucking audacity to touch my son like that? As if she'd known him for a long time and cared about him? She's dead! DEAD!' His beak felt like it was going to split in half with the pressure while smoke seemed to come out of his body with all the stress. Approaching the queen with malicious intent. 'I don't even care that I might cause a diplomatic incident, NO ONE CORRUPTS MY SON!'
His thoughts were cut short as he felt a huge tug preventing him from reaching his destination, looking furiously he would find.... "Gabriela? What are you doing?"
She gave him a bemused look as she released him, crossing her arms. "Don't even try Grover."
"What?" He asked, trying to sound innocent, something that only annoyed her.
"You looked like a minotaur about to start a bar fight, and I know that face. You were going to cause a scene." He just growled in frustration as he glanced back at the disguised Chrysalis and his son, who was now lying on the huge feather fan and hugging it like a pillow, fully enjoying the double caress chrysalis was giving him.
"Look at her.. Who does she think she is? That's MY son, this was supposed to be OUR birthday. To have a family memory and fun! Something to remember in the future! And she's stealing it all for herself and her selfish desires all the while acting like she's some mother figure! I have this—” He continued his angry rant, venting all of his accumulated hatred of the situation on his cousin and cursing the queen of Changelings with all the insults he could find. She just looked at him with a surprised face and mouth agape.
In all her years knowing Grover, he never snapped like this before.
Then an imaginary lightbulb appeared above her head. And her shock turned to mischief, as she just smirked and tilted her head to the side. "Grover Von Greifenstein. Are you jealous?"
The Emperor took 3 seconds to process the question. His face was dominated by a reddish tone and his eyes showed total surprise.
"WHAT???"
He had to be honest with himself, every birthday he had was a moment of total excitement for little Grover. There were so many people he didn't know in one place! All dressed so well and so bright. From what his father always talked to them about, each one was important in some aspect of the empire. Some ruled over lands at the behest of Dad, others helped those he sent, and some were priests who dressed up funny.
At first, he didn't know what they were for, first, he thought they were old people who got together and gave advice to the younger ones since they lived longer. 'But grandpa Eros said they helped others connect to the gods. He doesn't know what gods are, but they must be important!' Whenever priests are walking around many soldiers and nobles bow to them almost like they do the same for daddy.
He asked once if he could invite them to the party to meet them, but grandpa just laughed a lot and said they were always with me. 'Do they see me when I go to poop? Or when I'm taking a shower??' This made him a little paranoid for the next few days, but Eros explained to him better that they were the protectors of ALL griffons and are the ones who watch over our souls.
They must be really cool! But he would ask them to stop watching him, it was scary and creepy!
But the moment he had been waiting for came two hours after the party began, the announcement of the arrival of the changeling delegation. Grover for as long as he could remember being, had loved new species. While his dreams helped him get an idea of how the universe can create strange beings. And he almost screamed when he met Count Ignatius. The poor diamond dog could barely breathe with the child looking at every corner of his body and shrieking questions non-stop for almost a full minute.
It was only with the Emperor's intervention that Ignatius was not forced to be tortured any longer by the child and his absurd curiosity.
Even though he was extremely flattered by all the attention he was getting from a member of the royal house and part of the family that had freed so many diamond dogs from slavery, he had to calm Grover down and change the subject to avoid further embarrassment in front of so many royal houses. It was ironic how many nobles brought their children to play with the little child emperor and hopefully create bonds with him, guaranteeing them the protection of the house and their duchies in the future, but he gave 100% of his attention to adults.
He didn't like to play or talk to kids his age, when asked about his father he simply told him that he didn't find any interest in trying to fit in with people who had nothing to add to his life and make him grow. . Unlike adults, who were smart, experienced and had so much to teach him.
His father was extremely conflicted with this opinion of Grover, but decided not to pressure his son.
But now Grover's attention was 100% on the doors, his mind racing as he imagined what the Queen's exotic appearance would look like? He had already seen her drones that already dominated the palace in preparation for her coming. But everyone said queens were quite different from the regular drone. It excited him so much! Why was she different? Was it because she was a ruler? But if that was why he was so much like his own people if he was of a higher class?
So many questions! And she could give all those answers!
He just missed his father.
His excitement faded as he thought about it, his father... He was getting a lot less with him and his advisors. Eros and Gabriela said that it was temporary and that he would come back better than ever, but their eyes said otherwise. They showed sadness.
But if daddy was going to get better, why did they say that to him so sad?
It was very confusing, but he preferred not to think about it too much. His father still saw him but now he was giving back the love his father had always given him. He needed it from what the sixth saw, Dad was showing a lot more pain and tiredness, he must have been working too hard! He deserves those long rests.
His thoughts were cut short as he heard the entrance gates open, the guard naming the guest of honor's arrival. Which made Grover's smile grow.
"Entering is her majesty lady of the land of the Changelings, mistress of her race, conqueror and sovereign of the hives of Vesalipolis, Dytrisium, Vraks-" And he continued. Grover sweatdropped as he listened to the guard continue naming several more names than he had ever heard in his life.
'Damn, she likes her titles heh...? She has more titles than my father!' He chuckled as he jumped out of his chair.
Passing the mob of adults who had now been formed to see the queen, they would fight their way past two of the guards who always accompanied the heir wherever he went.
He huffed a little annoyed to see those two doing that, yes he liked the company they gave and how much they cared about him. But they were pretty boring! They only spoke when they were adressed and always kept their faces scowling at all times.
At least he would get to her faster, but now he had lost all the fun! He wanted to give a surprise but not even that will happen. With a frown on his face and puffing out his cheeks in annoyance, he got closer and closer to the entrance.
As he searched for it, he felt like he hit something with a grunt of surprise and knocked him to the ground. 'Wow! Watch out mi-" As he raised his eyes he was faced with a figure he only had one word to describe. "Beautiful..."
She giggled with a bluish tinge to her cheeks. The majestic griffon just looked at him with a friendly smile.
"Thank you little one, I did the best I could to look presentable...." She commented as she ran her claws through her hair, throwing it in the air in dramatic action. "After all, a lady must be beautiful to her gentleman, mustn't she?" She finished her sentence by extending her hand to the little one, who readily accepted it.
"YEA!" He gave a happy little jump, much to Chrysalis' amusement. Seeing his own sudden excited outburst he quickly pulled himself together with a huge blush on his face. "I-i mean, yes, as a member of the prestigious royal house of Greifenstein, I wouldn't expect anything more from an equal."
He took her claw with both of his hands to catch her whole, the size difference being comical to Chrysalis. He would give her 'claw' a respectful kiss making the changeling queen in turn blush with embarrassment. "Shall we, my lady?" He would respectfully ask as he directed her to the royal table.
'Doesn't feel like I'm with a three-year-old kid... The reports were true, he has a higher intellect than the regular griffon children.' She thought just nodding her head to the child, who immediately broke his 'gentlemanly' facade and flashed a huge smile on his beak in absolute excitement.
"Great! There's so much I wanted to talk to you about! About your people, culture, and history! Is it true that you are a race of insects? Why are you a griffon then? Is it magic? How does it work???" He shuffled questions at her, leaping around her and using wings to get to her height in full excitement.
'I take that back, he's still just a child.' She thought with a mental laugh and facepalm.