I threw the paper away and then turned back to the children. I then teleported everyone to the castle. As the scenery changed, my generals could be seen. They were still speaking of plans but stopped when they noticed me. They came to me and greeted me.
"Find a room for the children. Viggo, you will personally handle the green kid with the fairy following him. He is... quite rash," I commanded.
They nodded.
"You two, follow me," I said.
Moon and Igneel followed. Soon, we reached our destination. The maid, seeing us, opened the door. I entered. Merida had awoken. She was crying, and the maids were trying to comfort her. Noticing Moon and Igneel behind me, she ran and hugged them.
"You two, where did you go?" she asked, crying.
"I'm sorry, Mommy," Moon replied guiltily.
Igneel apologized, looking even more guilty. Merida didn't have the energy to say anymore words; she just cried and held them tightly.
A Few Weeks Later
It's been a while since Merida had calmed down. Ever since then, she hadn't let Moon or Igneel out of her sight. She was practically always with them. As for me, I had been checking my notifications. When I became a god, I completed a mythical achievement, and as if this wasn't enough, there was another mythical achievement when Igneel was born. I immediately thought about having another kid when Diastasi told me that it was a one-time thing. She explained that the only reason it was mythical was because the child was a god.
Other than that, my divine skill was finally revealed: Bestow.
Bestow: Bestow a skill that you possess onto another. The skill cannot be a unique rank or higher.
Though the limitations are great, the skills I could give my subjects were already an unlimited amount.
A few weeks later, I was in my throne room again. I had called my generals for another meeting. These past few weeks, I have been busy trying to help Peter Pan. His hatred for adults was clear. Though it took a while, he finally revealed why he hated them. Peter Pan was not human. He was a spirit. When he was a human, he had been abandoned by his parents and left to starve to death. After his death, he turned into a spirit. As a spirit, he traveled from island to island. He met many other children and became friends with them. But the thing that drove his hatred for adults wasn't just what his parents did. As he traveled, he saw more and more children being mistreated and killed by people who were supposed to love and protect them. His hatred and anger for adults grew. One day, he came across an island. That was where he met Tinkerbell. Learning that the island was camouflaged from the outside world, he thought of a plan. He started traveling with the help of Tinkerbell and saved other children who were hurt or abandoned. Those were the 12 lost boys, as he called them. He had only started this plan a few years back, so there weren't a lot of children yet. Hearing of his plans and ambition, I decided to help him.
"I've called you all here to hear your reports and something I have to tell you," I said. They waited for my next words.
"The new island that I had just taken over has been given a purpose. The island is named Neverland. It will become a sanctuary for children who have been hurt and abandoned." I paused for dramatic effect. "Baby dragons who cannot take care of themselves will also be sent there, as well as 100 of my summons who are all ranked 4, to take care and protect them," I said.
They all nodded. Some might think it's too much, but they already knew they couldn't change my decision, so they went along with it.
"Now, what about the Seven Deserts?" I asked.
Nala came forward. "Your Majesty, the Seven Deserts have been conquered. They have all been integrated. We have created new routes for food and trade. The seven kingdoms are thriving," she explained.
I nodded. "Well, you got everything done already. Since you've done so much, you should be rewarded. Tell me what it is that you want," I asked.
She smiled. "My lord, I've heard you can bestow skills. Please bless me with a skill that lets me perceive between truth and lies," she asked.
She isn't asking for a lot. Though I had told them about this in the letter I had sent them, I didn't think I would use this so early. I lifted a palm, and a ball of light formed. It then floated and entered her forehead. Everyone looked amazed at the process.
"Thank you for the great gift, my lord," she said with a smile.
I nodded.
"Now, is there anything else?" I asked.
"Yes, my lord—"
Family Time
A few hours later, I was in my office. The meeting was a long one, and now I am finishing my paperwork. The door suddenly opened as Merida, Moon, and Igneel entered. I put my pen down as Merida walked toward me.
"Erik, let's go eat. I want to try something new," Merida said excitedly.
I smiled. Merida was slowly regaining her color. I stood and decided to finish this later.
"Hello, Father," Igneel greeted.
"Daddy," Moon said meekly as she hid behind Merida.
I sighed. Ever since that day I got mad at her, she's been scared. She hasn't been able to look me in the eyes and always goes quiet when I'm around.
"Moon," I calmly said as I knelt in front of her.
She flinched back as she gripped Merida's dress. I sighed again. It's better to go slow. I stood up, and we walked toward the kitchen. Though there were chefs, once they tried my cooking, they couldn't get enough. So when I'm here, they would call me.
Soon, we reached the kitchen. As we entered, I noticed a maid was cleaning. When the maid noticed us, she came and greeted us.
"You may leave," I commanded. She nodded and left. As the door closed behind her, I started cooking. I cooked a variety of dishes as the aroma wafted through the air.
A while later, I finished cooking. As we ate, I noticed Moon wasn't eating. I sighed again for what felt like the umpteenth time. "Moon, why don't you eat?" I asked.
"I-uh, I'm not hungry," she lied.
"Moon, you keep lying," I said.
She flinched.
Again, I sighed. I then grabbed her and sat her on my leg as I grabbed a spoonful of food and gave it to her. She was stiff the whole time.
"Eat," I commanded.
She followed my orders and opened her mouth. As she tasted the food, tears fell down. She then turned around and hugged me. "I'm sorry, Daddy. Don't be mad at me," she cried. As she cried, snot got all over my shirt.
I froze and comforted her. "Moon, I'm not angry," I explained. But she just ignored my words and kept crying.
Twenty minutes later, she stopped crying, and her eyes were puffy. She sniffed as Igneel laughed quietly.
"Stop laughing at me!" she yelled at Igneel.
"Okay, okay. Come on, honey, finish your food," Merida comforted.
Moon paused, then nodded, as she started eating. Everyone paused as she started eating everything. She even started grabbing other people's food.
"Hey! My fish!" Igneel yelled.
Merida laughed at her antics as I just smiled.
A few weeks later, me and Elsa sat at a table as we watched the scenery in the garden.
"So do you plan to continue your conquest?" she asked.
"I do. I'm just holding it off for a bit," I replied.
"Oh, and how about me?" she said boldly, her gaze steady.
"Am I not conquering you right now?" I retorted, a faint smile on my face.
"I don't know. Is it working?" she said, returning my smile.
"Well, let me ask you this," I said, leaning forward. "When do you want to get married?"
Her eyes widened, and she turned fully toward me. She then chuckled softly. "You're quite a playboy, aren't you? You just married your wife not long ago, and you want another."
In response, I put both my hands up in a gesture of surrender. The place fell into silence as she then calmly spoke. "I want to marry in a few months. Though I want to get married right now, I want proper preparation," she explained.
I nodded. A proper ceremony would be a good political statement for our kingdoms.
"The neighboring kingdoms near Arendelle are growing restless," she suddenly said, her tone becoming serious.
"It's fine. I've already sent assassins to infiltrate them. They aren't much of a problem," I explained.
"What do you plan to do with them?" she asked.
"Well, nothing. They aren't much of a threat. Wasting troops on them would be useless since I already have troops in Arendelle. I plan to conquer different kingdoms from different regions and then unite them in one instance. The only reason that the Seven Deserts were conquered so soon was because of the genie and the fact that the last four kingdoms were stupid," I said.
She nodded, absorbing the information.
"I've got good news," she said.
"What is it?" I asked.
"A neighboring kingdom named Enchancia has sent a letter. They want an alliance," she explained.
"I see. I guess I have to meet with their king," I said.
She nodded.
"Why don't I send you?" I said, a thought occurring to me.
She chuckled. "Well, I'm technically not your wife yet, so it would be disrespectful. And during treaties, the leaders of each kingdom would meet," she said.
"I guess you're right," I muttered, a wave of weariness washing over me at the thought of the upcoming political games.
"It's getting quite dark. I've enjoyed my time today. Hopefully, you have something more for me next time," she said with a smile.
She then stood and bowed before leaving.
"Sigh. When will Igneel grow into an adult? I don't like politics," I muttered to myself.
Later that night, as I lay in bed with Merida next to me, I couldn't sleep.
"What's wrong?" she asked softly.
"Ah, nothing, just thinking," I replied.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked.
I smiled as I moved and came on top of her. "Just thinking about having another child," I said cheekily.
She blushed. "But we had a child barely a month ago," she tried to say.
"Does that mean you don't want another child?" I asked, leaning closer. As I saw her hesitate, I knew what to do next. I leaned in and kissed her.
A few months later, I stood across from Elsa. We were saying our vows for our wedding.
"I do," we said.
"The bride and the groom may kiss," the officiant said.
We then kissed as people applauded.
Ten minutes later, we were in the middle of the celebration when someone came over. I looked at him and smiled. He was the king of Enchancia. From my reports, I could only say good things about him. He was kind and caring to his people and his family. He was also fair and learned from his mistakes. As he walked toward me, he gave a small bow. I returned the bow. He was surprised by this action. Of course, this only happens when greeting people of a higher authority or someone you respect.
He smiled. "Emperor Erik, how have you been?" he asked.
"Everything has been great. How about you? I heard you remarried a while ago," I said.
He nodded. "Let me introduce you," he said as he made a gesture, and three kids came over. "These are my children, Amber, James, and Sofia," he introduced.
I smiled. "Moon, Igneel," I called. A few moments later, Moon and Igneel came over.
"Father," Igneel said.
"Daddy," Moon followed.
"These are my children, Moon and Igneel," I introduced.
Moon, seeing the other children, smiled and ran up to them. Igneel, seeing my expression, followed. As the children played, me and King Enchancia continued our conversation.
"So, King Enchancia, is there something you need?" I asked.
He nodded. "Someone has been collecting the Wicked Nine in order to revive the evil sorceress Vor," he explained.
"Wicked Nine? Vor?" I asked, my interest piqued.
"Let me explain. There is an evil sorceress named Vor who wants to take over the realm. Long ago, she was sealed by the protectors. Now, only nine items, when brought together, can release her. The Wicked Nine are a snake staff in the Seven Deserts, a golden flower that can heal and rejuvenate, a staff in the Moors, Ursula's Necklace, Mordu's claw, the sword of Shan Yu, a hat, a crown, and a heart box," he explained.
As he spoke, I realized I had some of the items.
"You need not worry. I already have some of the items," I said.
He smiled. "Really, that's good news. With it in your hands, I won't have to worry."
I nodded.
"By the way, I wanted to send my daughter to your kingdom for a while," I said.
"Are you sure?" he asked, surprised.
"Yes. She lacks knowledge, and hopefully, being around other nobles will teach her restraint. From what I can see, your children aren't spoiled. It will be good for her," I explained.
"It would be an honor," he said.
This was a great move. Doing this would show that I trusted him, fostering a greater relationship. Not only that, since our children would be friends, our kingdoms are guaranteed to be close. Fuck, I'm smart, I thought as I smirked.
"What are you smiling about?" Elsa asked, stepping up to me.
I turned around and smiled. "Of course, about my beautiful wife," I said.
She chuckled.
"Which one?" Merida stepped in, her eyes glinting with mischief.
King Enchancia, seeing what was happening, excused himself.
"Can't I think about both?" I asked.
They laughed.
Note: after this I might stop using Ai. Like each time I paste the revised version from the Ai, the spacing dissapears. Its genuinely making me tweak.