A Torch in Secret Kindled
Fourth Day of the Fifth Month 294 AC
For a long while yet you look upon the boy and consider your next words with care, for a boy he is indeed. His life had not been an easy one, and the teachings of the Scholarum had prepared him for labors of the mind, for the seeking of lore. Yet for what you are about to impart upon him, there can be no true preparedness.
You were not prepared even in the fullness of your power when you beheld the sundered skies above what had once been the mountain of Heaven, and though ink and parchment shall not from the spirit ask as much as seeing the horror of it in the flesh, it shall weigh on him all the more so.
Should you wait for the next one to call, a part of you wonders, but you dismiss the voice almost at once. Now or later, young Marco shall know the truth and if it is to be later then he will know you did not trust him with it and he will likely be displeased, not without cause. Still, hesitant as he might be in some small things, he is here, he is attentive, and he is by his own words and will yours to command and so command him you shall.
From the gilded depths of your cloak you withdraw a certain book that no mortal hand has written, the Fading Grace. "When we are done here you may read this book, but you must do so in this chamber and under guard of the Praetori. I do not trust it out of well-warded chambers for the tale it tells is as dreadful as it is true."
The boy nods, this time without hesitation. A command places him on firmer ground, it seems. Thus in your own words you tell the tale of the Sundering and the state of the planes, carefully and without haste answering all his questions, and they are many.
Better by far than simple shocked silence, better than fear and denial.
"So you see, the Imperium is a bulwark against all of these threats. Against the grasping hands of Baator, the nihilism of Abaddon, the madness of the Abyss, the taint of the Far Realm, and the hunger of true oblivion itself. In this day and age, even the gods cannot without fail ensure the safety of their followers' souls, let alone aid them in life. This is why I have created the Imperium, with all it's institutions and its ever greater grasp. To succeed where the gods have failed. To create a safe harbor in the wasteland of this world."
This time he has no questions and no nod of understanding. "Does it sound arrogant, perhaps presumptuous?" You offer as much of a smile as you can manage after discussing such grim matters. "Then let me tell you another secret. It is only arrogance if you fail, and if we fails in this, what care will
any of us have as the flame of history gutters out to black oblivion?"
"A man wearing his noose fears battle less?" The question comes like a sigh of breath kept in. You had not heard that saying before, you assume it is native to the Deep from the days before your coming, but you can guess it's meaning well enough.
You nod as you offer him a cup of strong Myrish Tea, by far the best drink for talks such as this, you have found, for it sharpens the mind and does not dull it as wines and liquors do. "I have often spoken openly before many of the light that must be borne forth to aid those who linger in darkness, in fear and ignorance and strife. That was the truth. What you now know that few others do is that the light we all kindle here and now is the only one there is. Nobody else is coming to save us this time and only hollow skies stretch above."
"That's, uhm..." He looks paler than he did a moment ago, shaken to the core, more by being included in the 'we' than any words you had spoken before. One thing to know the world is broken, another to be told you have to help fix it. Time to explain the why of that then.
"What you have shown by grasping the power I have wrought and which these ideals give shape to is that you are worthy and capable of handling these truths. Capable of carrying these ideas out into the world to strengthen the walls against the enemies and to prepare the people for the day when the whole truth must be revealed to them. One day, they all shall know and if they all believe that the Imperium can keep them safe anyway, then nothing ill will happen on that day. " You pause a long moment and in a tone willfully wry, you add. "I hope that you can take my word on this."
At that Marco, snaps to attention like a legionary caught slouching at his post. "Of course, Your Majesty." Not
quite what you had been hoping for, but it will do.
"What I need of you and those who shall follow in your footsteps is to find like-minded people and help them to develop the convictions and belief necessary to access the same power you now wield. I do not expect them to fight or die for me and for the Imperium, but to speak. To carry these ideas to others. Some will take up arms to fight the darkness. Others will build with their power. Yet others will heal. They all will do their part in their own fashion. Will you do this for me and for the realm?"
"I already swore an oath to you and to the realm by the constitution, Your Majesty," the boy replies gravely, recovering his composure. "This seems to me an extension of that oath and nothing less. The circumstances have changed, and I hope that my powers have changed and I shall be able to bear this charge, but nothing of my convictions is different from when I walked in this room."
"Good," you smile. "I know that this is no small thing to ask of one so young, but rest assured that the load will grow less with every new pair of hands to carry it, until one day it might be light as a feather."
"Feathers are... feather are a bit
too light for my liking, Your Majesty. Why, I might float away with naught but a feather on my shoulders and then where would I be?"
You let out a surprised laugh. Mayhap he is at least a bit like you were at his age. In parting, you give him a small talisman of Soul Steel in the shape of the three headed dragon and inscribed with the Mark of Greed that it should keep his soul safe. A patchwork sort of solution, but for now the best you can manage.
What next?
[] Speak to the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch about sending an envoy to the Curia
[] Rat clearing (interlude)
[] Write in
OOC: Some very respectable will saves rolled from the kid even given that Viserys was the best at presenting this his own skilled allowed. Not yet edited.
