Venom took a deep breath and returned to the Armada’s lands where she had lost the raid to Sirius. She realized now she shouldn’t have been so hopeful to win. Her mentor and the pack he led were a formidable force indeed. She overestimated her strength, but they had all learned from the experience. Especially Venom, and she walked forward on her white gloved paws with a humbled heart.

Again the young princess tilted back her head and called out for Sirius. She stood proud, because that was what he would demand of her. Her effort was valiant and her opponent seemed undefeatable at times. He was the first wall of defense of the Empire and that duty was not shirked. Venom took in a deep breath and lifted her head, knowing he wouldn’t take long to find her.

The Warlord had just finished congratulating his wolves, throwing a party in their favour, with all of the Empire invited, of course. The win was for both packs, as it would have been no matter which side had come out on top. He would still understand Venom’s frustration, knowing she had wanted the win. He would have been happy to see it, too, but the Warlord would be true to himself. When Venom won against, she knew with certainty it was because she had earned it, not given it.

He found his young, once-apprentice after she had summoned him. “Princess” he said, smiling at the thought of the same title he had once directed towards her mother. He kissed the brow of the slightly smaller wolf. “You guys fought fiercely today. Who didn’t show?” he hadn’t missed the fact that they had arrived one less than expected.

In Venom’s mind a part of her believed that she couldn’t fully take over her duties as Empress until she could defeat Sirius in battle. Had she won her fight she would have demanded her mother step down right then, but with her overwhelming loss her confidence plummeted. She didn’t feel like she was near ready now, her talents and skills were not to the level that leadership demanded. Her skillset and lack of close supporters made her hesitate in grasping her destiny.

As she suspected, Sirius was quick to answer her, the grin on his face only making her feel less adequate. Keeping her head up was a difficult task, she took the losses harder than expected. Her heart beat quick as she tamped down the emotions warring in her. She wanted to fall to the ground and throw a tantrum, to decale her inferiority and inability. Sirius would not accept that behavior from her though, and she tried to revel in his pride of her.

He kissed her lightly, and assured her that she had fought well, not that she felt like it. He noticed that their numbers had been uneven as well, but she couldnt and would not blame her loss on mismatched numbers. ”An uncle. One that won’t be welcome in Ashen if he shows his face again.” She said bitterly, but shook her head. ”That’s not why I lost though, I’m just not yet good enough…” Venom averted her gaze from him, gritting her teeth as she continued to work through her loss.

He looked to his princess, and he saw her wounded pride. He sighed softly, and pulled her close, kissing her brow as he often did. "Princess. Did I ever tell you about the time I found myself at a slave market?" He asked her gently, scarcely waiting for a reply before he plunged into detail.

"It came into question what my fighting skills where worth, and one upstart would of a fighting pack to the far North decided it meant very little. We had a little match to prove him wrong. His Alpha and his Alphas second discovered it and decided I meant them offence. This Alpha of warriors and his second both decided to challange me. I decided it would be simpler to take them on at once. They fought together, and they fought well. I pounded them into the earth. Sometimes a loss dosent mean you havent honed your skill, or arnt a worthy fighter, Venom. You caught have kicked the ass of any of my fighters, and I have trained them well. Just as I trained you."

Venom allowed him to pull her close as he gave her a kiss on her brow as though it was the wound on her pride. He asked if he’d told her this story, but the Princess wasn’t given a chance to answer. With her dark ears perked she listened as Sirius told her a story that was like a lifetime ago. ”I’m not entirely sure what your message is with this story.” She teased him. Was he saying that the two from the other pack were well trained and like her had fought well against him or was he trying to drive home the fact of how powerful he was. ”But how can I lead the Empire if I can’t defeat you.” That was the highest goal, the point of proof that Venom was fully prepared to be Empress of the Ashen Empire.

The Warlord had to laugh softly at her words. He did not mean them as an insult, though he found amusement (and pride) in her determination. "I am not your enemy, your great obstruction. I am your greatest champion. I train to be undefeatable so that I might be in the greatest position to be your shield and your vanguard." It came as some surprise to him to see how greatly she wished to defeat him.

It had been a long time since his battles had been more even. And even now, his sporadic loses had been more a moment of ill-luck. As no wolf could be utterly without fault in battle. Sometimes a defeat, or even a death, had nothing to do with lack of skill, and just the occurance of the wrong place, and wrong time. He worked on creating the illusion of invincibility. Every battle turned away by his reputation was a battle won. He would not give away that shield, not even for the sake of Venoms pride. "I am available to spar any day you wish it. Just remember, I give no quarter, no matter who I'm fighting. Losing to me is not an insult, I mean it without pretension, only fact. I am your blade. Polished to greatness for the sake of Deathbelle, of you, and of the Empire."

The Princess was far from her mother, she trusted in her own abilities for what she attained. That was why she took the loss so hard, like Sirius could see she felt it was a sign of her own strength. She couldn’t overcome the raid, she wasn’t strong enough to lead the pack. Her mentor tried to convince her that he was not the end all. He was there for her, but Venom wasn’t completely convinced. She wanted to overcome her mentor, to prove that he had taught her all she needed to know.

”It wouldn’t be proving myself if you didn’t give me your all.” Her words were hard but her touch was soft as she relaxed into his shoulder and sighed heavily against him. Knowing she had him on her side, how loyal he was to her mother and the Empire, Venom realized in that moment she was better prepared for leadership than she realized. She let herself give her self doubt too much room to fester inside. ”Do you think I can do it?” She asked, keeping her eyes on his chest instead of looking up into his features. "Lead the Empire."

His lips twitched into a wry smile, and he could see there would be no convincing her otherwise. She hadnt had the childhood he had, pressed into service at a young age. Trained, beaten, molded. Nor known the death of the original Empire, the defeat and almost death as he and Deathbelle fled it. She hadnt experiance the pain, but she still had the tenacity. It was more pure, brighter, and he wanted to see it grow. He would protect her from such horrors, if he was able to. Part of that protection was teaching her to stand for herself.

"Do I?" He mused, leaning back to eye his apprentice, his Princess. Seeing the young girl that had cried at her fathers death. The student that had learned to gut a deer with practised ease. To take down a cat with no hesitation. The wolf that had lead the Empire against the Armada in war games. They may not have won, but they had fought fiercely. No hesitation I following their Princess into battle. Easy it their love for her, or their love for her mother that allowed it? He wasnt certain, but he could see her taking to the role of a leader with ease. He smiled. "Yes. I see the Empress you will be. I will follow you, as I do your mother." She knew that, but perhaps it would do her good to head him swear fealty. He knelt then, going down on his knees before her, kissing a paw. "You will be my law, future Ashen Empress."

Sirius had done so much for the Princess that she was grateful for, along with everything he did that she couldn’t even begin to know. Like giving up his own life so that her mother escaped with her own. Returning to the ruling Empress side when he had healed enough to find her. The Warlord hadn’t hesitated to take Venom under his wing and trained her from a tender young age. He stepped up into the role of father figure when her own perished. She had so much to thank him for and yet here he was swearing his fealty to her.

She grit her teeth so that her emotions wouldn’t turn to tears in her eyes as he stepped back to look at her more fully. Venom held her head high despite the tears that threatened to spill as Sirius lowered himself to the ground, and reminded her again of his true place in her life. ”And you will be my sword, Warlord of the Empress.” She wasn’t exactly sure when Deathbelle would step down, but she felt much more comfortable with the idea after speaking with Sirius.

Venom couldn’t help it as her tears overflowed and she lost control. She closed the distance between them again and hugged tightly to her mentor’s neck.

He could see the emotion in her eyes, and knew the devotion went both ways. They where many things to each other. Princess, apprentice, daughter. Subject, teacher, father. One might think the roles would clash, but they blend together to create the unique union and loyalty between them. He would lead her with his wisdom, and obey her commands as law. He did not know how far in the future her leadership lay, but he knew Deathbelle would be wise in her decision of when to grant it. Perhaps the future might see his old childhood friend retired in his pack lands, near the den he had raised his children. He smiled at the thought, but could not predict the direction of the future.

He laughed softly when she lost the battle with her emotion and leaped forward to envelope him. He pulled her close, titan paws wrapping about her. "And that is exactly how it should be, Princess" he agreed. His loyalty sworn to her future role, as he had always been fated to do.

She couldn’t say when her mother would take off the crown or what she would do once she no longer held the title of Empress. Venom had a hard time imagining Deathbelle as anything but Empress. As her image of herself in the crown grew, it mattered less and less. She knew that the woman wouldn’t get far if she was needed. Venom would take Azure’s advice though, she didn’t have to do it alone, she would surround herself with those she trusted, including Sirius. She knew he would always guide her in the direction that was best for her, and he’d uphold his oath at all costs.

As Venom closed the distance he wrapped his arms around her similarly and the two held each other tight. Mentor and apprentice, father and daughter, future empress and her guard. ”So,” she started softly, pulling back from him only slightly to peek up at him. ”I told Azure I’m going to mentor him.” She changed the subject suddenly, but if they were going to talk about the future maybe Sirius should know about their plans. Venom wondered how her own mentor might react.

He held her with love and pride, feeling much the same possessive protectiveness of her as he did her mother. She was in some ways his first child, the first he had looked on and knew he would do anything to protect.

She would continue their meeting with unexpected words, and he pulled back slightly, frowning at her words. She had done this before his fealty was sworn, and well still her loyal sword, he was also a father. Commands for his son should go through him.

He was not certain what he thought of this. He did not want the boys dark ambition to grown. On the other flip of the coin, Venom possessed greater compassion and virtue then his son. Her pride was better balanced, and he could not see it being her undoing, as he feared it might Azure. Perhaps an alliance would work to imbue a loyalty to the crown in his son, and some of her nature would rub off on him. "So long as you work towards teaching him to let go of his hates and the disregard with which he treats others, you have my blessing. He will make a great Warlord one day, if he can find such a balance." There was a very subtle rebuke in his words. One he would not voice as her loyal sword.

He seemed surprised at her words and pulled back only to frown at her. She was taken off guard by his reaction, she had honestly expected exuberance and blessing, but Sirius seemed more worried than compliant. Sirius thought for a long moment before he said anything and she thought that he might reject her statement all together and ban the idea before they were even able to get started.

Venom didn’t realize she was holding her breath but she released it as he offered his stipulations. He didn’t forbid them training together, but he wanted her to be sure to try to help mold him in a positive direction. She had to look out for his strong emotions, for his lack of empathy that he had. Venom nodded, she could see easily where Sirius was coming from. He saw the potential in the boy before and better than she could.

”Anything else I should know?” She asked quietly, feeling the seriousness in her mentor. Venom took everything she did with pride, she would give her all into doing this with Azure. She wanted to be prepared as possible.

He frowned thoughtfully, taking a seat before the princess as he considered her words. “He’s ambitious, and driven, and he’s not afraid to hurt others if he thinks it will get him what he wants. If you can teach him a measure of compassion and the importance of looking out for those that look up to you, you will have my appreciation.” he said with a sigh. If Azure did not learn this lesson, then Sirius could not entrust him with the Armada. Being Warlord was more than just power it was leadership.

He offered her a slight smile, and leaned forward to nuzzle her above an ear. His affection came easy with a select few. “I believe you will make an impressive Empress” he told her fondly. He would be watching this apprenticeship with some interest

The mood between them was changed to something much more serious than emotional. Venom regained her composure as she could think of someone else’s future than her own. She would need to work closely with the future Warlord in the future, whenever it was she took up the crown.

Azure had seemed more mature and wise than she had expected. Maybe he was too ambitious, and maybe she was important, but the boy had shown tha capability to empathize. If only slightly. If she could grasp hold of that tiny glimmer maybe she could help him expand it. Venom thought deeply about what she might do, Sirius had given her quite the task. Still, he was proud of her and Venom leaned into his touch as he nuzzled her lightly.

”I fully intend to prove you right.” She told him with her smirk returning to her pale lips as she grinned back at him. ”Someday.” Venom still wished to defeat her mentor in battle, but she knew it wasn’t a real prerequisite for the throne.