The Original Storm King.
The OSK.
He whose name is known by two.
The living storm.
The Storm King had many titles even before he decided to conquer the world, and now that I am in his body, even more titles will be made.
The Storm King, the title, not the person, is a title that is given to the current king of the storm kingdom.
The Storm King is the ruler, The Storm Prince is the next in line, and The Storm Father is the previous Storm King.
I do have a real name, one that only Strife and I know. It is tradition for only the father and the individual to know the TRUE NAME of the individual. The OSKs father, the previous king, disappeared when the OSK was young, leaving The OSK to rule the kingdom as a child.
Strife, was the father's right-hand man and advisor, according to himself. The Original Storm King didn't really care to remember the names or faces of those working for him until he was already 20.
So the current Storm Family tree is Me, The Human soul piloting the body of the OSK. My Mother, who remained on Storm Island with the women and children who haven't joined the fleet, and Strife as an honorary family member for how long he's been around.
Long enough to know some things about my race that the OSK doesn't.
"Strife," I call to my right-hand cloud, interrupting him reading a report from the Storms Landing Storm Base.
The First batches of magically-accelerated-growth crops are ready, as it would seem.
"Yes, my liege?" Strife puts down the report on his desk and turns to me.
"I have some questions that have been bothering me recently, I would like you to answer them," I tell the sentient cloud creature as I take a chair from the corner and sit in front of him, Crossing my legs and laying my hands on my knees.
"I will answer to the best of my ability, your Majesty," Strife says as I get ready to ask my first question.
The question that is unquestionably the most important.
"What happened to my father?"
The cloud takes a moment to ponder the ask, before looking at me and answering "He died fighting your grandfather," That's worrying to hear.
I know the previous storm king was missing, but dead? And fighting his own father, no less?
There is a story there.
"I see..." I murmur to myself, trying to keep a disinterested act, even though I am more interested than I was when I entered. I can ask questions about my race later, a story about why my father died is the important part.
I mean, He's the OSKs father, not mine. I'm a human!
Need to get my act together it seems.
"Why... Why did he fight my Grandfather?" I ask, hoping for Strife to start telling a story of intrigue and betrayal, George R R Martin will be jealous of.
Strife looks me long in the eyes before averting his gaze to the door of his room, An office space with a cot for him to sleep on. No windows, only one door.
He floats away towards the door of the room before closing it, locking it behind him, before floating back to his chair and sitting down. He wipes a cloud hand across his face and lets out a tired sigh.
"You're father," He began, "He wasn't a good ruler." And that is something that actually shocks me, According to what the OSK knows, His Father leads the Kingdom through a prosperous time, following after his father.
"He was soft," Strife continues, "Very soft," The glowing holes that make up his eyes seem to glint in melancholy remembrance, "The people liked him for his personality, the kindest king our land had since his great-grandfather. But that kindness of his was also his weakness.-"
Flashback scene!
We see a tall Storm-creature, the same race as my grandest self, walking through a corridor in a castle made of black stones. Outside the castle there is a heavy rainstorm, flooding the hard land and ruining the cities.
"Every time a calamity happened, He would open up the treasury to fix it, no questions asked," Strife explains as the other storm-creature, My father, Is seen addressing a hall filled with tired and messy Storm-creatures, of the short and stout variety, the peasants. Not to be confused with the tall and powerful variety, the royalty, like myself.
"The people loved him for it," The crowd cheers as my father showered them with food and blankets, "But the resources weren't endless," Strife continued to explain as the treasury can be seen slowly being drained of gold coins.
What was once a Scrooge McDuck vault is slowly growing colder and emptier.
"His father didn't approve of his spendings," An older Storm-creature, one more muscular and regal than the Storm King in the flashback is seen watching my father from a balcony.
"And after years of growing farther away, every argument and disagreement fueling a grudge that slowly grew in your father." The previous Storm King is seen walking down the corridors, the straight back and bright smile from his earlier showing is gone. Replaced by a grim frown and a hunched posture.
"And it all came to an end," Strife continued, "When you were born,"
A Baby storm-creature is seen sleeping soundly, wrapped in a blanket, being cradled in the arms of a regular female Storm-creature, my mother, as King and Grandfather both watch from outside the door of the small infirmary where the birthing took place.
Flashback End!
I once more find myself on the airship, sitting in front of Strife. The Images that flashed through my mind as he spoke reminding me of Kasa's words on King Twiga the Giraffe.
A Flashback, an honest to television Flashback!
But as the excitement of seeing a real flashback roars its head, I smother it till it dims as I look back at Strife.
Sobbing quietly, tears of glowing white liquid filled with sparks of electricity flowed from his eyes in small droplets, filling the room with the smell of ozone.
"I apologize, My Liege, Could we please postpone this talk until-" I interrupt him.
"Very well, We shall continue this story some other time," I say as I stretch my arms, Strife looking at me in shock. Likely expecting me to force him to recollect the story even through his clear unwillingness.
"On another note," I continue as I get comfortable in the small chair in front of the talking cloud.
"Would you mind telling me another story of my father?"
Strife slowly wipes away the electric tears from his face before his eyes spread as if he's smiling.
"It would be my pleasure, Your Majesty,"
"And one more thing before we begin, Strife. When It's just us two alone, in a casual setting like this. I allow you to use my real name."
Strife blinks before wiping a leftover tear from his face.
"Of course, I could, Prince-" And that's all you get to see!
You think I would reveal my name all willy-nilly like this?!
NO! You have to earn a Name Reveal!
Tata~