Chapter 8: The Council

Sitting around the breakfast table laden with food, the royal family partook from their own meal. There was a large spread laid out, which was way more than what all of them together could eat. Nevertheless Magnus took a little bit of everything; from all sorts of meat, fruits, eggs, sweets, and whatever drew his attention

He sat quietly on his chair while his parents conversed, they were mostly talking about the goings on in the court. Gnawing on a bone underneath the tables was Grimm who was busy at work tearing at the bone as if it was some prey.

That left him with some thoughts, he needed to bring his WolfShark out some time to go hunting or else as the tamers put it he would lose his ferociousness and predator’s edge, and become nothing more than a docile house pet.

Suddenly crying out loud was the little baby who his mother tried to settle down. Little Yue was now 6 months old, thus she wasn't kept in her rooms as much as before, and was brought along to places.

His mother loved taking her out on a stroll like some little handbag or whatever. Which he noted that she didn't do for him as often that she did for Yue. He was one of the few babies who can saw he could remember his early days very well, and the favoritism stank from several miles away.

It wasn't like he was jealous or anything... okay maybe a little bit. But he was much more calmer when he was that little squirt's age. You don't see him screaming at the top of his lungs, and shitting all over the place. Still his parents couldn't look anymore happier.

His father was smiling down at Yue while his mother rocked the little gremlins around in her lap.

His grandfather was the only one that looked disinterested.

Sighing, he told himself he couldn't begrudge a little baby some care and love. He would be the first to admit, she was kind of cute in her own infantile ways.

He also grew up a bit during this time, he was now 3 years old! Not much had changed for him, but time was passing by quickly, and the world wasn't waiting for him to catch up.

Suddenly he was drawn out of his musing when his grandfather called out to him.

"Magnus, Magnus, Magnus," the old man had to repeat himself several times to get his attention.

"Oh yes, sorry grandfather," the young prince said after coming out of his reverie. "Sorry, I didn't catch that last bit," he grinned awkwardly.

"I was saying while you were daydreaming the whole time, that today you will be coming with me!"

"Where to?" Magnus furrowed his eyebrows.

"Somewhere very important," his father answered mysteriously with a broad smile on his face.

"Today is a very important day for you, sweetie," his mother also added, giving her own soft smile.

Raising a single eyebrow, Magnus decided not to comment on it. If they wanted to play it close to their chest, let them.

Just then some god awful smell seemed to come from out of nowhere, it didn't take a genius to know who made it. Glancing over at the little baby, Magnus simply pitched his nose together.

“It seems like someone needs her nappies changed. Doesn’t she,” his mother baby talked to the little moppet.

“I guess she isn’t too smart to poop herself,” Magnus joked.

“Ahh, but she is very cute,” his mother remarked in answer. “Unlike some,” she then added.

“What? Are you saying I wasn’t cute as a baby?”

"What makes you say that, sweetie?" his mother turned to give him a sweet smile.

"You aren't calling my daughter ugly, huh." His father rested a palm on his mother’s shoulder.

Looking at the two adults ganging up on him, Magnus simply took a sip of his milk then uttered. "Touché!"

Showing some rare humor at their antics, his grandfather chuckled out loud. Then ordered him, “If you are finished, come. We best be going now!”

“Sure,” Magnus answered as he stopped poking at his breakfast, and hopped off his seat.

“Don’t they grow up so fast,” he heard his mother say to his father.

“Yes, which just means that they quickly start giving you attitude and mouthing off to you!”

Magnus nearly tripped on his feet when he heard them. Then thought, ‘Oh well, let them say whatever they want,’ he guessed at times you could act a little childish.

With that the two of them were off toward who knows where really. Still Magnus followed along like a dutiful grandson.

***

It was to his ever growing delight when Magnus saw that they were actually heading out of the palace as they walked down the long grand steps of the palace entrance. A guard detail quickly followed behind them, silently shadowing them.

Once they were down the long steps, Magnus took a deep breath of fresh air. At this point he was really starting to develop Stockholm syndrome after being trapped behind the palace gates for so long. It didn’t matter how big the palace was, after a while a single place gets so dull and stifling.

Waiting for them down in the courtyard was their ride, his grandfather’s giant terrifying polar bear dog. She was already saddled and ready to go, and he saw some terrified beast handlers huddling together off to the side.

Taking her in, Magnus noted once again that she really looked like a mean bitch especially with that scar running down her eye giving her a more deadly edge.

He was proud to note that Grimm at least didn’t balk like him, he stood his ground and even gave a fierce yelp. The polar bear dog turned to lazily glance at the young wolfshark then turned away as if it wasn’t worth its time.

That surprised Magnus a bit, from his readings on wolfsharks, polar bear dogs were their natures foes in the icy tundra of the North pole. He guessed it was the polar bear dog training, and casual discard that went into the two beasts not duking it out like the apex predators they were.

“Come meet my companion, Nagini,” his grandfather waved him over while he petted the demon looking bear-dog which to his surprise softed under ear scratches of his grandfather.

“Let me guess she will be taking us where we need to go,” Magnus remarked.

“Yes,” his grandfather answered with a smile.

“Now come on, hop on,” his grandfather said as he smoothly jumped onto the polar bear dog’s back. Trying to do as told, Magnus remembered he was still a little brat as his feet could barely even reach the foot straps.

His grandfather also seemed to remember that as he held out a hand for him and boosted him up. “Hold on tight,” he said as he gave the beast a kick and she was off.

Their guards followed behind them with Grimm happily tracking after them as well. The gates to the palace were open wide to let them out and then before long they were down the road leading into the massive city.

Magnus never stepped foot into the city before, all he could do was stare down below from the palace taking everything in from a bird’s eye view.

For a moment, Magnus wondered if it was his birthday today and he forgot all about it. This would have been more than enough celebration for him, but he could tell his grandfather had an even bigger surprise.

“So you want to tell me where we are going?” Magnus asked from behind his grandfather’s back as they entered the city proper. Like all cities it was busy and lively with people. This was after all the greatest and sole city in all of the Northern Water Tribe.

You could find all sorts of people here from hunters coming in with latest prey, to merchants busy selling their wears, to craftsmen hard at work with their trade, fishermen coming in with their biggest haul yet, wives airing their laundry out the windows, children running amok in the streets, and so many more other folks.

It didn’t take long for people to take notice of them since it isn’t everyday you see such a heavy guard detail. And his grandfather was well known after all. People were pointing and whispering at first then they started calling out in wild shouts filled with exuberance.

His grandfather simply waved at the people while the guards kept them back. Magnus also did his duty as he joined in, nailing the royal wave perfectly.

“Don’t you want it to be a surprise?” the old man asked after they broke away from all the people.

“Well let’s just say I can’t contain myself anymore,” Magnus answered.

“If that is the case then did you ever hear about the council?” his grandfather quizzed him.

“No…” the young boy answered very slowly. He felt like he should have, but nothing was coming to the top of his head.

“What do I even pay your tutors for?” his grandfather wryly shook his head.

“I don’t think we covered it yet. We were mostly covering the Noble House and Tribes of the Northern Water Tribe, and are moving to the other Nations structions soon.”

“So be it,” his grandfather said, “but they should have put this at the top. The Council is one of the great pillars of our nation along with the Noble Families, the Tribes, and the Army.”

“Mhmm, so it's that important,” Magnus mused out loud.

“Yes. Not only do they advise the chief on all matters. They are after all they are the ones who train and oversee everything about the Water Benders.”

At that casual revelation, Magnus froze in his spot; this could only mean one thing. “You don’t mean…” Magnus said after a while, unable to finish the rst.

“Yes, we will be going to them about your water bending.”

“Really?!” he asked, almost feeling like the little child he looked like.

Then as if remembering something all of the sudden, he recalled the day Yue was born, an all around very difficult day for everyone involved just like his birth he guessed. But the one thing that stuck out to him was what the Wise One said to his grandfather…

"The council would be the ones that would like to oversee my grandson's training. Which I agree with."

"Which you are a part of," the Wise One then stated.

He knew he remembered hearing mention of the council somewhere, and it was then.

“You’re part of the Council, aren’t you?” he said in an accusatory tone.

“Yes, I am in fact one of the Grandmasters on the Water Bending Council,” the old man answered in a matter of fact tone.

Magnus was silent as he processed that, it figured that his grandfather was at the highest bending rank.

After a long moment of silence Magnus asked, “If you are part of this council or whatever why don’t you just personally start my training.”

“It's up to the council as a whole to decide that. They will be the ones to judge if your training should begin at such a young age.”

“What do you mean?” Magnus asked, he was really starting to get the feeling that there were some underlying currents at work here.

“What I mean is that it is very unprecedented that someone so young should start on their journey to mastering water bending at such a young age. Most don’t even begin the day they turn 6 or 8!”

“Well why don’t you tell them to screw off,” Magnus said angrily, finally understanding. These old fucks who were part of the council didn’t like it one bit that he wasn’t conforming to tradition. They basically wanted him to go at their own pace.

“Boy,” the old man finally turned to face him. “If there is something you shall ever learn from me then know that you do not rule alone. You rule through consent from the people, your army, your nobles, and all!”

“I know that,” Magnus said a bit abashed, “it's just…”

“It can be frustrating,” the old man finished for him with a knowing smile. “You have no idea how much I thought if only those idiots could get out of my way. Though know this, however little limit they put on our power, they are there so that we can never run wild.”

Magnus said silent, and didn’t add anything just listening.

“What you could do though is wow them,” his grandfather finally added. “Show them your true power today, and silence all discontent.”

After a small hesitation, Magnus nodded his head in agreement with a ghost of a smile spreading across his face. Yeah he will wow them especially with his latest new technique.

“We are here now!” his grandfather said as they came to stop before a massive cubical shaped building.

“Come meet the WaterBending Council!”