Three Square Meals Ch. 141

*There might well have been hundreds before him...* Edraele murmured, sounding deeply unsettled.

*Are you alright?* he asked with concern.

*It's the monstrous scale of it all... it's truly horrifying. I'm struggling to even comprehend the vast amount of time this slaughter has been ongoing, let alone the thought of billions of Maliri lives being wiped out over and over again, fodder for Xar'aziuth's vile appetites. Trillions dead... spanning countless eons...*

*Then I suddenly decide that it's up to us to put a stop to it,* John said with a sardonic smile. *You must be thinking that you're matriarch to a madman.*

*No, Baen'thelas,* Edraele said softly. *I'm honoured to be matriarch to the bravest man I've ever known.*

*Thank you, that means a lot,* John said, touched by her sincerity. His smile turned lop-sided as he added, *Although, it would mean a lot more if you weren't surrounded by women, and only actually knew half-a-dozen men... but I'll take whatever compliments I can get.*

Her rich laughter echoed over their bond, the carefree sound breaking the tension.

*It's nice to hear you laughing,* he said, closing his eyes and listening to her voice. *I know what we're facing is incredibly daunting, Edraele, but don't let yourself get disheartened. We'll take this war one step at a time and we do have the advantage of surprise on our side. Xar'aziuth has been doing the same thing for countless millions of years... he'll never see this coming until it's too late.*

*He doesn't stand a chance in the face of your boundless optimism,* she replied, her tone lightened considerably.

Now it was John's turn to laugh. *That's the spirit!* He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to see a dark-haired Maliri approaching deferentially. *Looks like someone wants to talk to me. I'll see you at the party, honey.*

*It should be fun. The matriarchs are alight with anticipation.*

"I'm sorry to disturb you, my Lord," the older woman said with a respectful bow. "I thought I should introduce myself. My name is Yelamha; I am the senior servant at Saelihn Immanthe and the smooth running of the palace is my responsibility."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Yelamha," John said, with a sweeping bow of his own. "I wanted to thank you and the rest of your staff for taking such great care of my girls. They've all had nothing but good things to say about the wonderful way you've looked after them."

She was startled by his respectful response, then beamed with joy at his effusive praise. "It was our pleasure, my Lord. They're lovely young women and it's been a delight to have them as our guests."

John glanced up at the magnificent palace and smiled. "You've done such a good job of making them feel at home, Alyssa is trying to convince me to make this our permanent base of operations. I must admit, she makes a very compelling argument."

"We would be honoured to serve you, my Lord," Yelamha said with conviction.

"Thank you... but I must insist that you and your staff start calling me John. If this is going to be our new home, I want to be able to relax around here, without anyone standing on ceremony. Does that sound reasonable to you?"

"That sounds very reasonable, my Lor-" she paused and smiled. "Very reasonable, John."

"Great," he replied, glancing over Yelamha's shoulder to see at least a dozen enraptured blue faces staring at him through the windows. "It might be wise for me to meet your colleagues when we have some spare time. I think they're going to have trouble concentrating when I'm nearby, at least until we..." his voice trailed off when he saw the senior servant blushing furiously. "Why do I get the feeling that you already know what I was trying to tactfully suggest?"

"Alyssa discussed the matter with us at length. She said some... very interesting things."

"Did she indeed. So... were you in favour of those interesting things?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Yelamha bit her lip and nodded, the indigo bloom in her cheeks deepening.

"Are the rest of your staff in favour too?"

"Very much so, John," she softly replied. "We all wish to aid you in your fight, in any way that we can."

Impressed by Yelamha's earnest declaration, he took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Thank you for the support. I promise I'll make time for you as soon as possible."

"We shall eagerly await that moment," she replied, with a twinkle in her eyes. "I do hope you enjoy the party, John."

"Thanks. I'd say the same to you, but it's not nearly as much fun when you're in charge of all the tidying up afterwards," he said, speaking from experience. "When I was a lot younger, I helped cater for my fair share of events. I'll try to make sure we don't leave too much mess."

Yelamha looked at him in astonishment for a moment, then blinked and shook her head. "There's no need to be more reserved on our behalf. We're all thrilled to be serving you and your guests tonight."

They shared a smile before she bowed again and reluctantly returned to the palace. John watched Yelamha rally her distracted staff, until he spotted a golden shuttle arc across the sky, the gleaming hull reflecting the light from the sunset.

*We're about to land, John,* Edraele informed him.

*We're all on our way too,* Alyssa interjected a moment later.

He strode back into the house to find that the servants had vanished, leaving him alone to walk through to the grand hallway. In a perfect bit of timing, both matriarchs entered the huge reception area simultaneously, each leading a long procession of wards. The Invictus crew were wearing demure cocktail dresses as they gracefully descended the sweeping staircase, while the matriarchs had foregone their formal gowns for elegant full-length dresses.

The Matriarchs and Lionesses fanned out, moving at a stately pace until they had each formed two semi-circles with John at the centre. The choreography was a captivating sight and John turned to admire both sets of women sweep into place surrounding him.

*It's sweet that you think this is just a happy coincidence and we haven't spent hours carefully coordinating everything,* Alyssa said, her cerulean eyes sparkling.

Suppressing the urge to laugh, John smiled warmly at his guests. "Welcome everyone, to the Palace of Saelihn Immanthe. Ten thousand years ago, this was once the seat of power of Valada, the first Maliri matriarch to rule without a Progenitor. Valada believed that she was abandoned by Mael'nerak, but we now know that he actually sacrificed himself to protect her... the woman he loved."

"Their fate is a tragic story, with a heartbroken matriarch left behind to rule the Maliri alone. However, I have no intention of breaking any hearts and I definitely don't intend to rule alone. All of us will be working closely together to determine the fate of the Maliri Protectorate, with my matriarchs coordinating your efforts. Edraele and her wards will be focusing on defending our homeland from vengeful Progenitors, while Alyssa and her girls aid me in hunting down these tyrants."

His mouth twitched into a wry smile. "I have a third matriarch around here somewhere, but apparently she intends to make a grand entrance..."

Taking their cue, a flight of songbirds swept into the palace, twirling around in brilliant flashes of colourful plumage. They landed lightly on the shoulders of the Lionesses, then Jade and her sisters serenaded the Maliri with a joyful song, as if welcoming them to their first formal gathering. The matriarchs were amazed by the antics of the apparently tame songbirds, and listened in fascination as they sang together in perfect harmony.

Having awed their audience, the Nymphs took flight again, swooping into an adjoining room and out of sight. After what seemed like only a few seconds, Jade glided into the Grand Hall wearing a formal gown, followed by her similarly attired beaming sisters. They moved to their position beside Ailita and the Lionesses, evening up the numbers in both semi-circles.

"Thank you for joining us, Jade," John said, inclining his head towards the verdant-skinned Nymph.

"It's an honour to be here, Master," she replied respectfully.

Having discussed this next part at length with his matriarchs, John's smile broadened. "Now... as you can see, there are rather a lot of you. I could laboriously introduce you one at a time, only for you to immediately forget everyone else's names as you worry about making a good impression."

There was a round of genuine laughter as they all listened to him attentively, his audience now wondering what John had planned.

"Instead, I'd like you to meet with each other over drinks and talk amongst yourselves. We'll get together again later in the evening and I'll ask you some questions. There'll be a prize for the matriarch who can correctly answer the most questions about the Invictus crew, and there'll be a separate prize for the Lioness who learns the most about the matriarchs."

That prompted a burst of excited chatter, with the Lionesses and matriarchs wondering what the prizes might be.

John cleared his throat and everyone fell silent to listen to him again. "Before we start, there's one other guest that I'd like to formally introduce to everyone."

He glanced towards the rear of the palace, where Luna accompanied the late arrival into their midst. There were gasps from the rest of the Maliri, their faces reflecting a gamut of emotions, with some expressing shock, others angry, and several more intrigued. Alyssa and Calara stepped aside, allowing Sarene Baelora to enter the circle and move to stand at John's side.

Sarene stood before them, staring owlishly at the rest of the matriarchs. They could all see the dramatic changes to her hair and what that signified, but there was also no mistaking the significant differences in her bearing and demeanour. It was hard for them to believe that this was the same woman that had brashly declared her ascendency to Matriarch of House Baelora, with her mother's blood dripping from her face.

"I believe all of you saw Sarinia's message to the noble daughters of each of your Houses," John said to the deathly quiet gathering. "Before she made that call, Sarinia murdered her own mother and sisters, intentionally breaking one of the few laws that I've asked Edraele to enact on my behalf. That crime was heinous enough, but she then deliberately initiated the bloodbath that forced all of you to fight for your own survival."

"The penalty for such actions should have been a death sentence," John solemnly declared. "But I must admit to being culpable for the circumstances that preceded Sarinia's actions. It was ignorance of the Maliri rules of succession that led me to make offers to restore the youth of the existing matriarchs. With assassinations outlawed, those women would never have retired from power... and I now understand why that triggered such a homicidal reaction in their daughters. I'd like to apologise to all of you for the trauma you suffered due to that terrible mistake."

Turning towards the Maliri standing beside him, John continued, "For that reason, I offered to commute Sarinia's death sentence, giving her the option to relinquish her position as matriarch and live the rest of her life as a normal Baeloran citizen. She refused that offer."

Emandra Holaris glared at Sarinia with open hatred as she snarled, "Unless my eyes deceive me, she stands here before us, very much alive! Is Sarinia to receive any punishment for inciting a bloodbath that forced me to slay my own daughters?!"

"Sarinia is gone," John said quietly but firmly. Before Emandra could counter with the obvious rebuttal, he stated, "I'd like to introduce all of you to Sarene Baelora, the new Matriarch of House Baelora."

No one missed his emphasis on her new name, but Emandra gave him a look of incredulity. "That's Sarinia Baelora! I saw that malignant bitch's message with my own two eyes!"

John shook his head, his expression grim as he corrected her, "No, that woman no longer exists. I wiped Sarinia's mind and have given her a new personality. This is now Sarene Baelora, modelled on her memories of Tehlariene, her youngest sister."

"Y-you can do that?!" Emandra stammered, gaping at him in consternation.

"Yes... but I would never do it to someone against their will," he explained, making eye contact with the alarmed noblewoman. "Sarinia begged me for a chance to stay at my side, pledging her undying loyalty if I let her serve as matriarch of House Baelora. I refused, out of concern for all of your safety. Sarinia already proved that she thought nothing of resorting to betrayal and murder to get what she wanted. Rather than deal with the disruption of disbanding her House and splitting it between each of you, I gave Sarinia another option... to become Sarene, the woman she is today."

Sarene stepped forward and said softly, "Baen'thelas has apologised to all of you for what happened on that dreadful night, but in truth, the blame lies squarely with Sarinia. She knew exactly what the consequences would be in sending out that message, and she wanted that massacre to be as brutal as possible, to mitigate the sadistic murder of her own family. I know it will be hard for you to ever forgive me for those actions, not when I look exactly like the architect of such evil... but if you can bring yourself to do so, I would gladly offer you my loyalty and friendship."

If any of the matriarchs questioned John's story, their doubt was eliminated upon hearing Sarinia speak. The earnest and remorseful delivery of that speech convinced all of the Maliri that this was a very different person from the gloating noblewoman who had upended their worlds.

"I don't wish to disrupt this evening any further, so with your permission, I'll retire from your company," Sarene said, bowing to them respectfully.

"Unless anyone objects, I'd prefer you to stay," John interjected, glancing at Emandra and raising an eyebrow.

She shook her head and looked away, clearly unsettled by this disturbing development.

When no one else voiced any objections, John smiled at the Maliri beside him. "You're welcome to join us Sarene. I think it's important that everyone has the opportunity to meet the new person you've become."

"Thank you, Baen'thelas," she said, giving him a look filled with gratitude.

"Well, I hope you all have a wonderful evening," John said, turning to his audience again. "Have fun and enjoy getting to know one another... with a bit of luck, we're all going to be great friends for a very long time."

The Lionesses started a round of applause and were quickly joined by the beaming Nymphs. The Maliri matriarchs were unfamiliar with such public displays, but followed Edraele's lead, politely clapping to show their approval. As John glanced around the circle, he saw scores of smiling faces, with only a handful of sour-faced exceptions.

*A lovely start to the evening,* Edraele congratulated him, her voice flowing through his mind. *Don't mind the cool reception from Emandra and the others. I can't even imagine a scenario where all of the matriarchs enthusiastically embraced the spirit of what you're trying to accomplish here, not at this early stage at least.*

*Thanks, Edraele,* he replied, smiling across the hall at the Maliri Queen. *It's okay, I'm not expecting miracles.*

***

"Would you care for a drink, matriarch?" a servant asked politely, presenting a tray filled with crystal goblets.

Kehlarissa took one of the fluted glasses and took a sip of the dark crimson liquid, then nodded appreciatively when she recognised the distinctive taste of a House Holaris vintage. Instead of recognising the dismissal and moving on to the other guests, the servant remained rooted to the spot, staring distractedly across the ballroom. It only took the House Venkalyn matriarch a moment to realise who had so thoroughly captivated the dark-haired Maliri's attention.

Irritated by the low-born server gazing at Baen'thelas with such open desire, Kehlarissa cleared her throat and said sharply, "One glass will be sufficient."

"Of course. My apologies, Matriarch." Blushing furiously, the servant bowed in contrition and scurried away to hand out more drinks.

Alone once again, Kehlarissa glanced at Baen'thelas and took the opportunity to admire his handsome features. While she still greatly enjoyed the thrilling sight of him, the noblewoman was relieved to note that she was no longer completely entranced by his mere presence. Looking around the room, she noted that her fellow matriarchs were also able to resist the temptation to stare in wonder at Baen'thelas, whereas all the dark-haired servants were struggling to maintain their composure.

Reminding herself that she was supposed to be interacting with the Lionesses, Kehlarissa turned her attention to the Invictus crew. They were engaged in animated conversation with the younger members of the matriarchy, the two groups intermingling and obviously enjoying making small talk together. She dearly wanted to join in and make a good impression on the women closest to Baen'thelas, but their light-hearted laughter and beaming smiles were as unfamiliar as they were disconcerting.

Phelora Romenor was one of the Maliri involved in those discussions, her green eyes sparkling with joy as she chatted to a stunning blonde. Kehlarissa shook her head in disbelief at her companion's astonishing disregard for propriety. She would never have dreamed of approaching Alyssa first, not after Baen'thelas had informed them who led the Lionesses, establishing that the Terran teenager was of equal status to Queen Edraele. Alyssa's melodic laughter echoed around the room and she hugged Phelora, embracing her as if they were the best of friends. To Kehlarissa's surprise, she found herself deeply envying the young noblewoman and her gregarious nature.

After steeling her nerves, the Venkalyn Matriarch decided to start with the closest Lioness... a raven-haired beauty with lovely golden skin and exotic almond-shaped eyes. Sakura was already deep in conversation with Faranise Eshenestria as she approached, when the Asian girl suddenly made an elaborate gesture, swathing her arm in a glittering cloud of ice crystals. Faranise clapped with delight, gushing effusively at the astonishing demonstration of psychic proficiency.

After witnessing that shocking display, Kehlarissa faltered, feeling even less confident about speaking to their Terran guests. She darted a furtive glance around the room, to check if anyone had noticed her apprehensive reaction, and noticed that she wasn't the only matriarch that had yet to start a conversation with the Lionesses. Emandra Holaris, Marsendra Helewynn, and Garinia Quisayne all stood apart from the crowd, holding themselves aloof and making no attempt to participate in the party. By contrast, Beldrea Kayden and Kelenis Lesandoral were glaring at the younger matriarchs with sneering contempt.

Beldrea fidgeted self-consciously with her short white hair, darting resentful and embarrassed glances at the rest of the matriarchs. Now that they'd all spent time with Baen'thelas, the only other women present who still had short hair were the servants, a humiliating comparison that only darkened her irritable mood. Her shifty gaze flicked around to check if anyone was mocking her and she inadvertently made brief eye-contact with Kehlarissa. Taking that as an invitation, Beldrea drifted around the outskirts of the ballroom, with a scowling Kelenis trailing in her wake.

"Kehlarissa... I knew you wouldn't demean yourself with this ridiculous exercise," Beldrea said obsequiously, attempting to ingratiate herself with the higher-ranked matriarch.

"Just look at these simpering fools... all rushing to fawn after Baen'thelas' favour," Kelenis muttered, trying to mask her seething jealousy with disdain.