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The moment Chaos handed him a letter with that snide smile of theirs, Fitzroy was already annoyed. Then he opened it up and immediately noticed two things. He first recognized the handwriting as his mother’s and then realized the letter was dated around five months ago. So yeah, now he was absolutely pissed.
“What the heck, Chaos?! Were you hiding this from me?” he yelled, temporarily distracted from reading the letter as he waved it around in their face.
Chaos sighed, “See, I knew you’d get distracted the moment you saw it. The middle of a civil war isn’t the time to let yourself falter, so I made sure you wouldn’t.”
Though he knew they were right about the letter immediately making him unnerved, he couldn’t excuse them withholding any sort of information from him. He and Chaos were partners now, so they had no right to go behind his back anymore. He composed himself, glaring up at them as he warned, “Don’t you dare hide anything like this from me again.”
“Of course, Thunder King.” Chaos’ smile remained as calm as always while they dismissed themself from his room. They were more than happy to leave him with the letter and his thoughts, just as they were content to leave him without the knowledge of the other letters they had intercepted. He didn’t need to know. Even if he found out later, it wasn’t like he could do anything about it.
As the door shut behind Chaos, Fitzroy turned his attention back to the letter in his hand. His mother had written to him months ago and he hadn’t even thought about home since the war with Gray. He took a seat on the edge of his bed and unfolded the letter again, reading it to himself.
“My Dear Fitzroy,
I realize that this may never reach you, but I had to try writing to you. While the Demon War was terrifying to hear about, this civil war has taken a much greater toll. I was certain you’d be safe with your friends, mostly thanks to the letter your friend Argo sent after the Demon War ended, but I’ve been worrying a lot more recently.
I really hope this letter makes it to you. If it does, I beg you to think about coming home if you can. I have grim news, but I can’t bring myself to write it at the moment.
Gods I pray you are safe. I feel like I need you here with me, but I assure you I will be able to continue on if you have your own battles to fight.
I love you,
Your mom, Dendra Maplecourt”
-
It was an easy decision for Fitzroy to make, choosing to visit home. The pressures of ruling over a kingdom, in addition to Chaos’ constant presence, were taking a toll on his mental state. An escape back to his childhood home sounded like a perfect respite, however temporary it might be. He would see his mother (and possibly father, assuming he was home), spend some time in the quiet countryside, and, at the end of it all, invite his family to move into the castle with him. He would finally be able to deliver on the promises he had made them when leaving for Knight School so long ago.
He quickly made arrangements within the castle, leaving his most trusted advisors with specific instructions regarding what to do while he was away and demanding that no one accompany him on his journey. Of course, the captain of the guards insisted that he take at least two of her men along with him for protection, but Fitzroy quickly shut her down. He made a show of his chaotic magic, demolishing the column closest to the woman, and warned her to never underestimate him again. No one dared to question his plans after that, so, within a day, he was on the road, dressed down to avoid unnecessary attention and hiding any scars that might alert anyone of his true identity.
Fitzroy made a point to only briefly stop in towns if he needed resources, opting to otherwise ride around them and even sleep outside to minimize the risk of being recognized. Though his title as King brought him more free services than being an influencer ever could have, it also brought danger and delay. The surviving forces of the rebellion would be quick to attack and his loyal subjects would most likely request his attention or aid, slowing his travel. Best to avoid it all and get to his mother as quickly as possible.
-
Fortunately, his plan to avoid as much interaction as possible went smoothly, and Fitzroy stood in front of the Maplecourt family home after two days of near-constant travel. He stood still for a moment, staring at the door and hesitating to knock. Maybe he should have sent a letter ahead of him instead of showing up out of nowhere and surprising her. He hadn’t even thought through what he would say to his mother when he saw her, but now it was much too late for him to plan that particular conversation out. Knowing there was no benefit in allowing himself to continue stressing about the visit, the half-elf forced himself to knock on the door. He then stepped back, peering in through the thin windows that framed the sides of the door. Seconds passed with no signs of life coming from inside, and Fitzroy was starting to get nervous again when he saw his mother peek at the door from the living room. The moment their eyes met, she froze and he sheepishly waved, feeling a sense of nostalgia wash over him as he remembered returning home after being kicked out from Clyde Nite’s.
As Dendra ran to the door and flung it open, clinging to her boy and openly sobbing against his chest, Fitzroy couldn’t help but think that she seemed more slight than he’d ever seen her before. It was as he wrapped his arms around her small, shaking form that he realized how long it had been since he’d been home. She seemed so slight because he had been eight inches shorter and much less toned the last time he’d seen or even written to her. So many years had passed since he’d visited, and she’d gotten more letters from Argo than her own son, yet here she was, welcoming him back and holding him as if he were still the same boy she’d raised. He knew he was nowhere close to that boy anymore, but he felt, in that moment, that he was still as loved by her as he was then. He clung to her as well, desperate for the moment to never fade.
Of course, the moment of peace shattered when Dendra sobbed, “I thought I’d lost you both.”
His body now completely tense as his mind raced to catch up with the implications of her words, Fitzroy whispered, “Both..?” causing his mother to also tense as her breath caught in her lungs.
Dendra hesitantly pulled away from him and searched his expression, finding as much confusion as she did fear. “You don’t know…” she murmured. He shook his head, feeling tears well up in his eyes. There wasn’t much left to the imagination once he had processed her words, but he didn’t want to believe what seemed to be the truth. “Oh my boy...come sit down,” she insisted, leading Fitzroy inside and locking the door behind them before guiding him to the living room. He followed numbly and sat down on the couch, wiping his tears away in a futile attempt to hide them.
Dendra sat at his side and offered her hand to him, which he was quick to accept as she asked, “What do you know?”
“I got a letter,” he stopped, cleared his throat, and took a deep breath before continuing, “from you, that you sent five months ago. You said you had bad news and that you needed me here, if I was able to come. So I- I dropped everything and got here as fast as I could.”
“And that’s it?” His silent nod prompted her to go on. “Well, however long it took, I’m glad you at least got one letter.”
His gaze snapped up to meet hers as he asked, “You sent more?”
“Oh, Fitzroy I sent so many, but I didn’t know where you were. I just hoped that sending them to the school would somehow get them to you!”
He could feel lightning begin to crackle underneath his skin, but willed himself to calm down. He'd deal with Chaos later. “What did the others say?”
“Well, they were mostly all the same thing said in different ways. Just me trying to reach you, hoping you were still out there and able to come home to help me out since Jerry-” she drifted off, the grip on her son’s hand tightening as if she were scared he’d fade away if she didn’t keep her grip secure.
“Died,” Fitzroy finished for her, knowing one of them just needed to say it so they could actually, really talk instead of tiptoeing around the facts. “Right?” he asked, smiling with sympathetic sadness as he returned the grip on her hand.
She nodded, “Yeah. He was killed in battle a couple weeks before I sent the letter you got. It was hard, writing that first letter, but it was harder not knowing if I still had you or if I’d lost you too.”
“So dad was fighting in the war, then?”
Dendra smiled with a twinkle of pride in her eyes, “We both were, in our own ways. I was helping strategize while your father was out there fighting the King’s forces,” Fitzroy’s hold on her hand tightened more and his expression faltered slightly, but Dendra proceeded, knowing it had to be hard for him to think about his parents fighting in any sort of war. “He was getting to be quite the leader, actually. I was real proud of him. But then he was killed and I- I tried to keep helping, but I just wasn’t as, uh, present, after that, so they sent me back here and I started fretting over you again. I’ll probably be joining back up soon, though. No point in-” When Fitzroy pulled his hand back and looked away from her entirely, she stopped talking, focusing all her attention on him. “I know, I know it’s gotta be difficult to process, but your dad and I knew what we were getting into. I just wish he could’ve seen you one more time. Oh he would’ve been so proud of you, Fitzy. You’re so strong! And don’t think I didn’t notice how tall you’ve gotten, what the heck happened?” she laughed as she teased him, trying to lighten the mood even a tiny bit. Fitzroy didn’t respond. “Alright, I’m sorry. Don’t want you losing yourself, but I know it’s a lot to process. Is there anything I can do to help?”
Silence washed over the two as Fitzroy attempted to come up with something, anything to say that wasn’t one of the thoughts currently berating his mind. He eventually landed on, “Do you remember the promise I made you before I left for Clyde Nite’s?”
Dendra smiled, “You promised that one day we’d live in a big castle, that you’d always be there to protect us.”
“Well I- I can fulfill that now,” he said, lifting his chin to face her again, “I’m sorry I’m late and I’m sorry dad had to die for a futile cause before I could-”
“Hold on now,” Dendra interrupted, eyebrows scrunched in irritation, “don’t tell me you’ve given up the fight just because that vile Thunder King said he won. He can take down as many of us as he wants, we won’t stop fighting until he’s dead and gone for good.” As her son stared at her, his expression unreadable, she grasped his hands again, “You’re stronger than you think, and I know you’ll keep fighting too.”
Before she could say another word, Fitzroy let slip, “I’m the Thunder King."
In his mother’s eyes, he saw a flash of disbelief as she shook her head and slowly took her hands away from his, “No, there’s- You can’t be.”
Fitzroy sighed and took off his coat, revealing the lightning surging beneath his skin and some of the brands that scarred his body. He glanced back at Dendra and waited as she took in the sight of his marked skin, processing the meaning behind it all. When she once again locked eyes with him, he first saw anger and pain, but her overall demeanor settled on fear as she stood up, backing away from him. Though he’d begun genuinely enjoying when others looked upon him with fear, he now felt sick for even growing accustomed to it.
Dendra scanned over his form once more before turning her back to him and staring out the living room window. Fitzroy felt himself stand up and walk closer before he could even consider what he should do. He was speaking before he could even contemplate the right words to say, “Mom, please, let me explain. There’s- There’s so much that you just don’t know, you couldn’t understand. Unification is the only way to fix the lands that damned demon prince tore apart. I’ve only done what I had to do! I- I was protecting my friends, myself!” He stopped himself from reaching out to her, instead kneeling beside her and looking up as he pleaded, “I swear I- I will make it up to you, you just have to listen to me, let me help you. Whatever it is you want, I can give you! Anything you want, it’s yours!”
Dendra looked back to him, tears streaming down her face, “I just want my family back.”
Fitzroy felt the tears running down his own cheeks buzz as the lightning beneath his skin crackled and surged, some overflowing through his tears and stinging his skin. He disregarded the pain, begging, “Mom, I’m right here! Come back with me! I- I’m very close with the Lich Queen. She’s the most powerful necromancer in Nua, I’m sure she could find a way to bring dad back!”
She shook her head, holding herself together as much as she possibly could, though still tense and quivering, “You are not my son.”
“Mom…”
“Leave,” she demanded firmly, with all the strength she could muster. Fitzroy had never known his mother to look at anyone with hatred and now he knew he’d never be able to forget that look.