[SRP] Ascension (Prometheus x Gideon)

[Epine de Rose]

 

[Epine de Rose]

"She's gone," He remarked gently. By now he'd had time to absorb the gravity of the situation and to an extent, why it had happened. Yet the longer he dwelled upon the issue, the more he began to realise that there were certain things that just didn't make sense. It wasn't just his mother that had disappeared without trace, but also his younger siblings... Based on the manner in which the Scourge behaved (and they were the initial suspects) this made little sense. His siblings weren't pale enough (to his knowledge) to cause a grievance and they certainly wouldn't get in the way and his mother... Well at the very least the Collective should have had the capacity to find her at one of several known ritual locations.

She'd been at none.

Thus has his eldest brother had mourned the loss of his mother and actively work with both their father and the Collective, Prometheus had instead mourned for the loss of his youngest brother. You see, while there was an assumption that Arimathras had been murdered, Prometheus had reason to be doubtful. He couldn't dispute the fact that his brother had made active moves to betray his own blood, but Prometheus knew that his darling mother was much more hardy than that. More importantly, the deity was more wiley than those around her gave her credit for. If the white lion were to make any bets, it would be that someone was playing a game and on this occasion it wasn't the Scourge or his brother. In an act of sheer irony the Scourge seemed to be the pawns that their heralds would have declared all others were.

He kept these views to himself, but as the drama continued and his father fought hard to maintain impartiality, Prometheus began to appreciate that he would need to make a choice. The priests had been particularly interested in his existence ever since he had arrived and he had done well to ignore them. When it came down to it, Destati had been abundantly clear that if he didn't want to do something, then he certainly wouldn't be forced. However, now that their circumstances had changed and his brother had become a traitor, Prometheus had begun to appreciate that there might be several advantages to humouring those priests and their prophetic notions...

"Now there is the face of a lion with a plan," the voice was so soft, but familiar. Gideon had entered his immediate vicinity and though he hadn't 'knocked', he'd made his existence known straight away.

"A welcome face," Prometheus replied with a warm smile as he glanced over his shoulder to regard the Noble. Gideon had always been the one he had admired the most; despite all odds the black and orange lion had disregarded the bitterness of the Al-Siq and conducted himself honourably. He'd never fallen to desperation, he never seemed to doubt his decisions, and he managed to be so courteous that Prometheus could positively see the grinding teeth of the nobility when they weren't able to receive the rise they so dearly wanted.

"Something one would appear to need in this current climate," Gideon agreed. "That being said you have responded to this tragedy admirably," he lifted a brow as he regarded the younger lion and shook his head. "But I know the face of someone who is placing all their pieces on the board."

"They'll want me to be their pawn," Prometheus didn't confirm his suspicions outright, but it was enough. "I'm not sure I can play the game as well as you can."

"That comes with age and experience," Gideon shrugged. "They will test you to the very core."

"They will?" Prometheus seemed momentarily surprised.

"The Dragon Priests and their authoritarian influence on the lower rungs of society can be...trying," he grimaced. "They carry more weight than they should and as a consequence, think they can speak louder than others," he sighed and took a seat. "But that is no different than the politico or the nobles, and if you can play that game... Then you will soon realise that the Dragon Priests are the worst strategists you will ever have the opportunity to meet."

"Poor planning?"

"Arrogant, but naive," he confirmed. "Play their game, surround yourself with strong supporters that they simply can't cast in to disripute, and you will soon find your own feet," he pointed out. "You just need to buy yourself time."

"Is there a limit on it?" The cogs of the white lion's mind were already twirling again as he considered the black lion's remarks.

"Depends on how patient you are and how long you can endure their ridiculous notions," he replied. In short, the time that Prometheus could buy himself was entirely dependent on how long the white lion was prepared to put up with it. If he was unable to last for long then he would need to install his powerbase swiftly, if he could handle them for a considerable amount of time...then it would be within the realms of possibility to gain power so insidiously that it would seem much more natural and have a much greater chance of depleting the authority of the religious bodies with very little resistance.

"I'm assuming this is all inspired by your brother," Gideon regarded Prometheus carefully.

"He did it because he saw no other way," Prometheus shook his head. "He saw a side of his new home that was completely disregarded and treated woefully."

"The same could be said for the manner in which Phantoms regard us."

"And yet we don't know that, you've openly admittedy you know almost nothing about their society - we know their kind dislike what I am but they let others live on the condition they don't resist," he pursed his lips. "Not that Epimetheus knew what they were like either, I'm sure he has some romantic notions that are largely incorrect...But to exact change in a place that seems trapped in an endless cycle something truly extreme needed to happen."

"The death of a deity scarce few know isn't that momentous occasion -"

"I'm not sure that was the aim, to him, I think it was merely a start. The gossip will be enough to stir some hearts at least but what if we... helped him?"

Gideon raised a brow, though he said nothing.

"The Al-Siq as a whole have exist in a perpetual cycle of war and tense peace, a peace that will never become a normality while the Dragon Priests continue to preach fear and intolerance. From what I have seen their victorious speeches have so far encompassed reminders that in order to avoid the entire problem we must destroy it at the core," he grimaced. He hadn't realised it immediately, but he'd grown to understand that they meant that a zero tolerance policy was the only way to protect themselves.

...A zero tolerance policy to a fur colour.

Religion had its place, but not at the cost of the lives of innocent cubs who couldn't actively choose their own appearances and they weren't born evil, regardless of what Epimetheus might have done!

"So perhaps it's time that we made the first move..." he glanced at Gideon who still seemed interested, but was reserving his judgement as he was known to do. "And then we should fix it our way."

"Fix is a relative term," Gideon advised.

"Fix as per the vision that the Prophetic Emperor has for his people," Prometheus amended.

"And that would be what...?"

"Reconciliation," he held up a paw. "Don't ask me how yet, I haven't work that out," Prometheus confessed. "But I think that this domain as a whole deserves to at least try," he said softly. "At worst they receive a dramatic war between brothers and at best, perhaps we might some souls who join this Scourge because they are never given the chance to be anything else," he uttered.

"So you've made your choice then."

"A Scourge Brother, the Prophetic Emperor and the Justicar's Heir," He snorted. "Think of what the bards will sing and the gossip the nobles will weave," The white lion shook his head. "You can't make change without being in a position to do so and I can't think of any greater opportunity than this."

"And if it fails?" Gideon knew there was every possibility of this if luck didn't favour them.

"Then at least I gave it a damn shot and that's the only thing anyone can ask for."

"Naive, but everyone is when they first begin such endeavours," Gideon smiled.

"You're sceptical."

"Age will do that, but as you said... if there was ever a time to affect change, it's now."

Word Count: 1455