𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐎𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐍 𝐎𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐃𝐒. empires smp (in progress)

𝐗𝐗𝐈. THE ALLIANCE

"Foxling," Katherine spoke up, leaning over the table, "I haven't—"

"Thank you for the meeting, Lady Katherine," Atticus said firmly, leaving no room for her to argue against him leaving. The other rulers quieted down, leaning closer, drawn to what he had to say now that he'd thrown off all of their expectations. "I'll be sure to RSVP for your masquerade, but I must be going. Oh!"

Atticus gave a sarcastic smile to fWhip. "Count fWhp. King Sausage." He turned his gaze onto Gem, who frowned at him. "Wizard Gem. If any of you continue your immaturity toward the Cod Empire, I will bring war into your kingdoms." He looked down at Sausage, eyes narrowed. "If you don't show him respect, I will show you an army," he said, seething even as he bluffed.

The alliance would be more than enough to convince the other rulers to back off from their harassment of the Codfather; Atticus didn't need to put his kingdom through a war for the man. If the Wither Rose Alliance's matching expressions of fear told him anything, it was that his words were more than enough to convince them to leave the Codfather alone.

Silence fell over the table once more at Atticus' threat. Atticus stood up straighter and finally made his way out of the room, ears turning red from his own display. So much for remaining unemotional when it came to the Codfather.

Atticus just made it outside when someone grabbed his elbow; Atticus stiffened and turned, pulling his arm out of the mysterious hold and barely managing to catch himself before he swung a hand toward the Codfather in defense. Atticus offered a tight smile as he lowered his arm, the Codfather taking a step back just in case Atticus did decide to hit him after all.

"Codfather," Atticus greeted lightly, trying to keep his tone casual.

The Codfather gave him a disbelieving look. "Foxling," he said, blinking slowly, "what was that about?"

Atticus pursed his lips for a moment, grimacing. "It was a circus," he admitted. "I could have handled that better."

The Codfather smiled slightly, a quick quirk of his lips before he frowned once more. "Did you . . . were you serious? About an alliance?" he asked, tone both hopeful and wary; he clearly didn't believe Atticus, and given the way Atticus had always talked about alliances, it was clear why.

Atticus hesitated, wanting to reach out to touch the man's arm but refrained, instead gripping his papers tighter against his chest. "When have you ever known me to be anything but serious?" he pointed out instead. The Codfather studied him for a moment, quiet, before he finally relaxed, offering Atticus that familiar smile that he seemed to reserve only for the Vulpesterrian king.

"Thank you." There were many ways Atticus could have taken the gratitude; he wasn't sure how he was meant to, so he didn't dwell. "I just—" The Codfather sighed, looking back over his shoulder; sure they were alone, he returned his attention to Atticus. "Why would you want to be an alliance with the weakest empire?" he murmured, as if afraid that speaking the words out loud would make them true.

Well. Atticus supposed they were true; the Cod Empire was the smallest in the lands, and the Codfather wasn't exactly swimming in riches and resources. But when had that ever mattered to Atticus, especially when it came to the Codfather? The man could have dressed in rags as filthy as Sausage's mind and Atticus would still consider him a good man so long as everything else remained the same.

Atticus frowned at the Codfather, feeling a surge of anger under his skin. The Codfather doubted himself, just as most of the other rulers did; and Atticus couldn't even tell him off for it. He couldn't threaten a war in the Codfather's honor against the Codfather himself. That would be ridiculous. This whole situation was absurd, really—Atticus had just broken his most basic rule for a man who doubted himself, all because his emotions were running high.

Atticus took a step away from the Codfather, shaking his head. "Have a good day, Codfather," he called over his shoulder, leaving the man standing in the snow around House Blossom. He didn't owe the man an answer—the Codfather would realize that Atticus wouldn't ally himself with someone who he believed would drag Vulpesterra down.

One day, the Codfather would believe that he was deserving of respect and kindness. Until that day, Atticus would work to make sure the man stopped believing the negative things he'd heard about himself or the Cod Empire; he'd have to keep his own annoyance at bay, too, if he wanted the Codfather to believe that he was telling the truth.

He could start with a gift when the Codfather next came to Vulpesterra. They would need to talk about their alliance at some point, and perhaps offering something of value would convince the Codfather that Atticus had a genuine want to be in an alliance with him.

But what did you give the man you had romantic feelings for, without giving away those feelings but at the same time hinting that they were there? Atticus had never needed to ask the question, and he was certain that no one would have the answer.

"You're out early," Thomas noted, opening the carriage door for Atticus. Atticus paused for a moment, looking up at the man. Thomas had dated—he was dating right now. He had a romantic life, which meant he had knowledge!

"Did you give anything to Jane for your date?" he blurted out, brows furrowing.

Thomas' eyes widened as a blush settled over his cheeks. "Um . . . no? Was I meant to?" he fretted.

Atticus waved his hand in dismissal, sighing. "No. I just need ideas."

Thomas frowned at him for a moment before grinning. "Ah, finally working up the courage to confess to the Codfather, are you?" he teased. Atticus' face was immediately overtaken by a blush; he looked over his shoulder to make sure they were alone and found that the rulers were barely leaving the meeting room, some of them mingling with the others.

He turned his attention back to Thomas, not bothering to ask how the man knew of his feelings. Thomas was too observant for Atticus to doubt and, besides, Atticus was sure he hadn't exactly been subtle since he'd discovered his own feelings.

"I offered an alliance," Atticus told him, trying to keep his voice steady.

Thomas stared at him in disbelief; his confusion would have been funny if Atticus wasn't feeling the same way. After a moment, Thomas nodded. "Well. That's certainly the greatest gift you can give him, then."

Atticus frowned, shaking his head. "No. I want to give him something that shows I'm taking him seriously as a ruler. He might think this whole thing is a joke."

Thomas nodded along with Atticus' words but still looked doubtful. Atticus quickly realized he would be no help in Atticus' mission; he wasn't a ruler who had romanced someone before. As helpful as his advice might be to someone more common, Atticus wouldn't be able to follow it even if Thomas did have something useful.

Atticus sighed. He supposed he could stick to the basics. "Can we stop at the kingdom's jeweler for a gift?" he muttered begrudgingly.

Thomas beamed at him, too proud of the fact that Atticus was going to do something that made his skin crawl. He would probably say it was a good thing for Atticus to make himself uncomfortable by doing a nice thing, but Atticus wasn't inclined to agree; he was only doing this to convince the Codfather that his intentions were true.

At least, Atticus hoped they were true. He hoped that he would have gone down the same route even if his feelings toward the Codfather were platonic instead of romantic; he hoped that kindness would have won over the worry of protecting himself and his image.

And as much as he wanted the Codfather to be aware of his feelings, Atticus would also do everything in his power to hide them and focus on the true reason for the alliance—making sure the Codfather received the respect he deserved as a ruler and a person. Atticus knew what it was like to be dehumanized; he couldn't imagine how the Codfather dealt with it when his support system was scattered across different kingdoms.

"You have good ideas, then?" Thomas asked, offering his arm to help Atticus into the carriage.

Atticus sighed, forcing a smile. "Only the best."