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The King kept his eyes focused on the crown he was passing from hand-to-hand, emerald gaze narrowed in irritation. He sat with his leg thrown over his gilded throne in a rather haphazard and un-Kingly way; though right now, a King was the last thing he wanted to be.

And while he was glad for another Herd to aid him in the war, his mind was simply not in the proper state of gratitude this stallion deserved. The King fought venom from dripping from his words, barely succeeding.

"Thank you, Ion." The King placed the crown on his head and with a grunt he straightened himself in his throne. "You may rise, and tell me why you are such a fool as to wish to die for me."

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"Hmmn. Sandar Lake, you say? The King stood, musing quietly. He actually didn't have anyone covering that northwest territory; it was even a stretch for Valdien to cover when he went out on patrol. Still in thought, the King strode over to Ion, pacing a slow circle around him.

"Confirmation looks good, at any rate. Heavy chest, strong hindquarters; you're a good runner, aren't you?" The questioned seemed rhetorical, as Azreth continued speaking; though to Ion or to himself was anyone's guess. "Mane not ridiculous by any means, excellent for staying out of the face, unlike my own dratted peacock of a stallion. Hooves unshod; You aren't Chosen?" Once again, the King spoke over his own question. "No matter either way, I suppose; hooves are a good shape, not too long nor too thin." The King stopped at Ion's hindquarters, on the stallion's left side, bending over to peer at the boy's cannon bone and hoof.

"Lift this leg for me, if you'd please." The King spoke so eloquently; command simply came natural to him, though it was not harsh by any means. Azreth was a man who had become accustomed to being listened to, and it showed in the way he carried himself and spoke: with pride, but not cocky by any means.

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The King sighed, releasing Ion's hoof.

"Well. I suppose you won't be terrible. You have leave to start a Herd, though make it perfectly clear to everyone in it that they must follow my every command; even if it goes against their will." Azreth rested his elbow on Ion's hindquarters in thought. "But you have my word as King that I shall not ask your mate to endanger herself. especially if the two of you are planning on starting a family together."

The King turned around, leaning his shoulder blades against the stallion's flank. "And if that is the case, then I will do my best not to send you on patrol once you are a parent. However," the King held up a slim finger, his Ring of Office catching the light of the candles lining the walls of the Throne Room, "you need to realize that I need every able Azrein to patrol unless they have just had foals or they are injured."

Azreth levered himself up from leaning against Ion, taking a few short steps so he stood beside the Azrein's face. He took the stallion's jaw in his elegant hand, gently pulling the horse around to face him. The King's eyes were narrowed; a hard glint of truth in their depths. He spoke in a rather official tone, quite different from his usual lackadaisical, jesting way. He wanted to make it clear that this was a binding contract, a promise of sorts from himself, as King, to Ion, one of the precious things he had to protect; and from Ion, as an Azrein to his King, to one that he believed in and trusted.

"I will do everything in my power to ensure that you and your family will be safe in the years to come. Though to do so, I might request that you put yourself in dangerous situations, but not your lifemate. Does this sound like a fair compromise?"

With his last question, the King's lips turned up in a small smile, gracing the Azrein to reassure him. "No matter how you answer me, Ion, you are still one of my subjects, one of my Azrein, and you shall be able to have your Herd either way. So do not feel pressured into making a decision based on what might happen to your aspirations, my boy. I am your King, but I am also your friend." He rubbed the stallion's ear between his fingertips absently.

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"Then I am happy to have your assistance, Ion." The stallion's nuzzle caught the King off-guard, and a genuine smile graced his normally sardonic features. "Your trust it me means a lot, my friend."

Azreth wrapped his arms around the stallion's muscled neck, drawing him into an embrace. He inhaled the sweet scent of Ion mixed with fresh hay, and closed his eyes, at peace for the first time in weeks.

It was always so special to have an Azrein place their complete and total trust in him -- all of them had such pure hearts, even those fighting for the Six, and to the King, every moment such as this was a miracle.

"You shall make a good father, Ion, and I would very much like to meet your family when the two of you get settled down."

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"Oh, Ion." the King released the stallion with a sigh. "Valdien and I..." The King's words trailed off, and he ordered his thoughts before responding. "I was at my wit's end, Ion. I was broken and battered, from a confrontation with one of the Six themselves. I was quite literally at the end of my life, stallion. It was dark, and I was broken, crawling along the ground at the bank of a river. I was thinking of throwing myself into its churning waters, so I wouldn't have to deal with the heartbreak of the Six anymore."

Azreth closed his emerald eyes, fighting back a grimace of pain at the memory. "When I had just made up my mind to do so, I heard footfalls in the underbrush, and I opened my eyes. The first thing I saw were eyes of the purest blue; deeper than any sea and they took me higher than the blue of the sky at midday. Pardon the expression, but I became lost in them." The King's throat grew tight, and he blinked around tears in his normally stoic eyes. "I heard a voice in my mind, Ion; one so sweet, so gentle and loving. It told me, 'You will never have to be alone, my King. Never again will you have to carry your burdens alone; you will never have to worry about going through life without love again. I am Valdien, and you are my Chosen.'"

The King paused, burying his face into the stallion's neck, showing uncharacteristic weakness. His voice was muffled as he went on. "I broke down crying, for the weight of being King lies heavily on one's shoulders. Knowing that I was finally Chosen, that I would have unconditional love for the rest of my years no matter what choices I make, knowing that I would have guidance and wisdom through all of the difficult decisions I would face in the future...I was saved, Ion. Valdien had saved me from ending my own life, and I knew that never again would I be alone."

The King took a shaky breath and distanced himself from the stallion, fighting a smile from his lips. "You will find your human when it is your time, my friend. I had not met Valdien before that day. From what he describes to me, it was like his heart had a string attached to it, and he just followed where it pulled to find me." The King lay a hand on the stallion's neck, giving him an affectionate rub. "You will Choose when you are ready. And let me be the first to tell you that there is no greater joy."

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At the stallion's words, the King grinned openly. "Poor Ion! Your heart has been snatched away, so clear for all to see in your eyes and the way you speak of her!" He laughed. "I cannot say that I have met either, what with patrols and matters of State having to be attended to. Though I would very much like to make their acquaintance."

Azreth ran his hand along Ion's muscled neck absently, following the curve of his muscles with his forefingers. "You are all so precious to me, Ion. Each and every Azrein, even those who fight against me. I would gladly give up my life for any of you, you know."

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