quote:

I have to admit, Nike managed to set himself up quite nicely there at the end. With his new wife acting as the monarch, he could let himself pick and choose the responsibilities he wanted, and leave the rest to Elsa. Assuming Elsa would let him handle anything at all, of course. Plus his leadership in the…“other” organization had few responsibilities of its own, as the Brotherhood is generally quite independent-minded. In the end, all his chiefdom required from him was to keep the members in line, lean on scabs, take all the best jobs for himself, and take a cut from everyone’s profit. In his role as the queen’s husband, he’s even convinced Sam the banker man to pay him insurance, “since he obviously needs it.”

The adventuring spark isn’t quite out of his system, though. On occasion, he, Elsa, or both together would leave the country for weeks or months at a time, leaving the ever-competent Logos as steward. I sometimes wonder if he and his ancestors have really been the rulers of Silmaria this whole time, given how often wandering adventurers are chosen through the Rites. No one quite knows where the two go when they leave, but Silmaria’s economy always has a boom once they return. Plus anyone who gets curious about their activities is rather quickly silenced, either because they “found” a hidden cache of gold and gems and suddenly don’t care, or because they end up finding a very good reason to leave the country.

Oh yes, and they’ve also had a lovely daughter enter their lives recently. I have no doubt that she will wind up being a great adventurer herself, but I get the feeling that she won’t be following her mother’s footsteps and becoming a queen. At least, not if her father has anything to say about it.

Ending: Magnificent Bastard