Sal's coal black eyes fluttered as he skimmed the status reports from the Southern Isles. He couldn't believe the destruction Ogre had caused in the past 18 years, ever since his escape from the Grinlo Knights so long ago. 

For Sal, withholding his blade from Ogre' heart that day was his single greatest regret. If he had finished Ogre then, the world wouldn't be the way it was now.

He sighed, defeated. Sal didn't know why he even bothered reading these reports anymore, they always said the same thing. Pillaged villages, conquered land, broken people, sea of blood. Again and again and again.

For the millionth time, he cursed the late King Artemis. It was Artemis' war with Elm that brought Calnoiva to its knees.

It was Artemis' war that forced Mathias to focus on repairing Calnoiva rather than hunting Ogre when he was vulnerable.

As it gleamed, Sal caught a glimpse of his reflection in the silver chalice on his desk. He was only 36 but the war had taken its toll on him. The hard lines of a hard life were a permanent fixture on his face, as with the perpetual eyebags.

Sal leaned back in his seat, resting his head on the firm oak. He closed his eyes and allowed his mind to pull him back into the past.

18 full years had passed since the encounter in Grinlo. 16 since Artemis choked on a turkey leg and died, allowing for Mathias' reign. 15 since Mathias' marriage to the vain but surprisingly friendly Lady Linnet. 14 since the birth of Mathias' beautiful daughter, Princess Edolina.

Sal's heart trembled wildly in its cage as he recalled one more date. 18 years since he had come to the paralyzing conclusion that he, Salvador Orion, was helplessly in love with his best friend.

A knock resounded from the entrance to his study. Sal sat up straight and turned to the door. He saw Mathias perched against the frame sporting a mischievous grin, arms crossed.

"So, Lina almost punched the Grand Duchess in the stomach at lunch."

The simplicity with which Calnoiva's King delivered the news left Sal in awe. Of course, that was also exactly the kind of thing Sal would have expected. Simplicity.

"Was there even a reason this time?" Sal asked, feeling a matching grin conquering his own face. Lina's antics always amused Sal. Whenever he looked at her, he understood exactly why Wolf used to melt in response to Mathias. He himself couldn't help melting.

It only made things funnier when Mathias would rant about the uncanny likeness between Lina's current behavior and Sal's behavior at her age.

"Apparently, Lina heard the Duchess rambling on how she would make the ideal wife for you. According to Lina, since you're already taken, the Duchess deserved to be punched for the crime of attempted theft."

"What? I don't belong to anyone." Sal huffed, shaking his head.

Mathias laughed heartily, now perched on the desk's edge. He then said the few words that still shook Sal, even 18 years later.

"Yes, of course. I love you too."

A calm settled between them, the sort of calm Sal had grown accustomed to. But the way Mathias' eyes lingered over the meaningless artifacts around the room gave Sal reason to expect bad news.

He didn't have to prod for information, the King spoke before Sal could.

"Ogre's demanded a seat in the Peninsula Summit this week. Calnoiva, Elm, Ferodite, Grinlo, Yisteria, Wisp... he figures he's stronger than all of us now so we owe it to him to listen."

There were millions of things Sal wanted to say, but not a single one could adequately articulate his rage.

Quietly, Mathias added, "Ogre also demanded we each bring our daughters to the meeting."

Sal paled in disgust. The thought of someone as perverted as Ogre eyeing his dear princess was too much to handle.

Ogre was a monster in the truest sense. He was greedy beyond human capacity and had a distinct disinterest in human life. He was so far removed from humanity that Sal was convinced even Artemis was a better choice.

Mathias sensed the kindling of Sal's fury and spoke in a stern tone.

"Sal, we're not in a position to say no. I don't have to remind you, do I? Ogre took Aiker last Sunday. He's now in complete control of the entire North and large parts of the East. Even with the Peninsula united, we'd barely be able to hold him back. It's unfortunate, but as long as we care about our people, we are at his mercy."

Sal managed to mumble a meek response.

"I don't want him looking at Lina."

"Me neither," was all Mathias could say. Their calm was replaced by the storm.

*****/\/\*****

Sal and Mathias exchanged knowing glances. Both of them had instantly registered Lina's tiny hiccup the moment it had happened.

Sal knew that Lina, being Mathias' offspring, was an oddball of the highest caliber. She had interesting quirks which could keep one amused for weeks. One of them, for example, was the habit of hiccupping when she was scared. Right now, she was petrified.

Lina fidgeted in her seat at the massive round table. Like the rest of the Princesses, she was strategically placed in between her father (or mother for some of them) and one other person from her Kingdom- in her case, it was Sal. But the safety cushion didn't help her, she was still scared. When she looked around, taking in the other Princesses, Lina realized she wasn't the only one.

Mathias met Sal's gaze and nodded. Sal leaned close to Lina, gently pinching her nose. He grinned and playfully whispered to her.

"Come on Sir BearClaw, didn't you vow to protect the King when I knighted you? I could've sworn that the 5-year-old Lina that forced me to conjure her an entire suit of armor had promised me she would never be scared of monsters. Maybe I was wrong?"

Lina turned to Sal, her bright blue eyes laced with mischief once again. She looked so much like Mathias, especially with those enchanting eyes. She may have had her father's eyes and odd sense of humor, but she had her mother's silky raven locks and narrow nose.

She then crinkled her nose in disgust, jerking her head towards the oak doors.

"And that's one ugly monster. No room for fear," Lina said, taking a deep breath.

An eerie hush blanketed the room as Ogre's heavy footsteps ricocheted off the walls. Sal turned his attention towards the last party to arrive, his disgust increasing as he took in Ogre's ensemble.

The monster had chosen to attend the summit adorned in distinct pieces of armor from every Kingdom he had conquered thus far. The traditional Aiker headpiece, presumably newest to the collection, gleamed as he took his seat.

The Peninsula Kingdoms' waited for Ogre to speak. Ogre, instead, took his time. He first glanced around the table, his sickening gaze deliberately lingering on every Princess in the room.

As a rule, Kings and Queens spoke first at these sorts of meetings. But Sal had the distinct sense they were past formalities at this point.

He tilted his head slightly towards Mathias first, wanting to confirm they were on the same page. Once he caught sight of the brief nod in his peripheral vision, Sal cleared his throat and spoke.

"I take it there was a reason you asked for that seat, no?"

Ogre narrowed his hazel eyes at Sal, thins lips pursed in a tight line. The thick muscle lining his neck strained as he leaned forward. As both men simultaneously recalled their last battle, the bloodlust in the room escalated.

"Orion of Calnoiva, I'd suggest trekking with caution. I'm not a man you want angry."

Sal couldn't help thinking Ogre wasn't the type of man anyone wanted in general.

This time, it was the Queen of Wisp that spoke. She placed her elbows on the table, clasping both hands together. Her dark eyes gleamed with power and determination.

"Do not mistake our compliance for weakness, Ogre. As it stands, if the two sides were to engage there is no clear indication of who would emerge a victor. In any case, no one would leave unscathed. It'd be best if you practiced caution as well."

At this, both the King of Elm and Queen of Grinlo nodded in agreement. What Wisp's Queen had done was marvelous. With a single sentence, she had drawn a very clear line between Ogre and the Peninsula. If the Kingdoms of the Peninsula hadn't already been united against this menace before, they sure were now.

Ogre clasped his hands together, mimicking the Wisp queen's pose. A sly smirk snaked its way across his lips.

"I am not here to speak of peace. I came with the intention of formally declaring war on the Peninsula." He paused, studying each Royal's reaction before continuing.

"But, as I'm sure Royals such as yourself would know, plans tend to change."

Ogre's gaze settled on Lina. He smiled.

As realization dawned on Mathias, the King stiffened. He hoped with every fiber of his being that he was wrong. Mathias took a deep breath.

"And what's your plan now?"

Ogre's smile darkened. He kept his eyes trained on Lina, who continued glaring back in defiance with her bright blue eyes.

"I want her. As my bride. Give me the girl, and I'll sign an agreement to never attack any of the Peninsula Kingdoms. And because I know you lot don't trust me, I'll make a binding oath with every Royal here."

Despite shaking with a kind of rage he had never experienced before, Sal spoke loudly and firmly.

"No."

"The girl or the Kingdoms, it's not a hard decision, really."

/\/\/\*****/\/\/\

I call Ogre a monster so much he just appears as a monster in my head :')

I tried very hard to fit the arc in 5 parts by skimming over things but it seems I still won't be able to finish this in the next chapter. I feel doing so would be unsatisfying to read because that much skimming will create more questions than answers (which is not the purpose of this arc lol).

So yeah, sorry guys but Mathias and Sal will be around for a while longer.

Any thoughts on Ogre? And Lina, whose Mathias' precious little girl?

Oh and aside from PurplePizza (to whom I tell everything so she doesn't count) how many saw Sal and Matt's relationship coming?

Guys, please remember to vote if you enjoyed this!

Chp pic: the type of armor little Lina was asking Sal to conjure (what he ended up making for her was much less sophisticated)