Breaking Providence (Original Fantasy)

A/N: Here we are guys. This is the final chapter of Breaking Providence Book 1. I do not currently know when I'll be writing Book 2.

That said, if you've enjoyed reading this story and want to hop on board my next story right at the moment of its conception, please check out The Soul Engine for me! It just started today and I'm really excited for it~

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The coronation ceremony was just as beautiful, over the top, and ostentatious as he expected it to be. Or at least, Marcus wishes he could say that. In all honesty, it’s even more outrageous than he was expecting. The wedding had managed to lull him into a false sense of security. He’d assumed THAT was the height of what the Capital was capable of.
 
He had, of course, assumed wrong. Very, very wrong. The wedding was an amazing event, don’t get him wrong, but it had maybe a fifth of the audience that the coronation had. The wedding was put on with less than a week’s notice, allowing only those who were already in the Capital to actually attend it. Meanwhile, the coronation took place at the end of the month, giving plenty of people time to travel from their lands to the Capital to attend.
 
Marcus had to admit, despite thinking he had his expectations well in check, he was more than a little blindsided by the whole thing. It was just so opulent, so insane, so… frivolous. Yes, frivolous was a good word for it. It didn’t help that Marcus still didn’t fully understand why it was even necessary. From the moment Elsenthia’s mother had returned to the Higher Plane, everyone had started referring to Elsenthia as Queen.
 
Seeing as no High Elf had ever come back from the Higher Plane before, it was considered the same as ‘dead’, which meant Elsenthia was immediately promoted to her mother’s old role and became Queen of the Holy Empire right there and then. Marcus, meanwhile, became King the moment he married Elsenthia. Or at least, people started calling him King and ‘Your Majesty’ and what not.
 
To hear Elsenthia explain it, the coronation was all about the pageantry. To show the people of the Holy Empire that the Royal Family, the Nobility, and the Church were all unified behind their new rulers. And to show the Nobility that the Church was fully in support of his and Elsenthia’s ascension. And to show the Church… yeah, it was all a series of convoluted politics. Marcus had done his best to wrap his head around it, for Elsenthia’s sake if nothing else, but he wouldn’t lie. He was struggling.
 
Still, ultimately it went off without a hitch. He and Elsenthia were coronated as King and Queen of the Holy Empire by Serafina herself, their very own pet Holy Pope. It was quite the celebration, with tens of thousands of people lining the streets. There was a bunch of ceremony attached to it, with the coronation starting in the Cathedral and then eventually traveling to the Palace to finish up with him and Elsenthia taking their seats upon not the one throne her father and then mother had once sat upon, but two thrones made equal to one another to signify their equality as rulers.
 
Marcus was glad, ultimately, that he’d let Serafina and Volupa convince him to put the Geas on the former. He had no intention of keeping a slave now any more than he did back when he’d tried to free Erised before he knew who and what she actually was. But Serafina was clearly a broken woman in need of not just a firm hand, but some serious emotional and mental support. Marcus intended to give it to her to the best of his ability.
 
Though, he had to admit, he couldn’t even begin to imagine the reactions from the remaining clergymen and nobles if they had known what their Holy Pope was wearing under the robes of her office while she coronated him and Elsenthia. They would have more than likely thrown a conniption fit, but it wasn’t his fault. It was all Serafina’s idea.
 
Then again, maybe they wouldn’t have done anything at all. Marcus was still struggling to wrap his head around that bit of information as well. That Elsenthia and Volupa had been cleaning up the Church and the Nobility on Serafina’s orders while he was gallivanting around the countryside… well, it was a lot. But it seems like it was necessary. At least no one had tried to ruin Elsenthia’s big day by raising a ruckus or trying to claim she couldn’t be Queen or Marcus couldn’t be King.
 
Everyone had been quite respectful in fact, and those who needed to had knelt before them as they sat on their thrones and pledged loyalty to the new Dynasty. Yes… it had all gone about as well as could be hoped for.
 
Still, Marcus couldn’t be happier that it was all over and done with now. As he and his Queen retire to a more private party, he feels a little bit of the weight on his shoulders lift off. Hand in hand, Marcus walks with Elsenthia into one of the Palace’s many studies to find that Erised, Angelina, Volupa, and Serafina are already waiting for him.
 
The moment they step inside, Serafina perks up, the Holy Pope quickly hurrying over.
 
“Master… i-if it pleases you, I would like to get more comfortable…”
 
Exchanging a glance with Elsenthia, the half-elf still rather bewildered by Serafina’s… subservience, Marcus looks back to the red head and nods with a smile.
 
“Of course, Serafina.”
 
The Holy Pope of the Church doesn’t hesitate. She all but flings her robes off of herself, having mastered the art of removing them in a heartbeat it would seem. Underneath, her Holiness is clad in what can only be described as leather straps. They crisscross over her body, exposing both her breasts and her crotch. She also has on leather bracelets and anklets that have small chains dangling off them to more easily bind her to her own undersuit.
 
The others in the room all react in differing ways. Elsenthia wrinkles her nose, as if not sure what to think of the closest thing she’s had to an Aunt debasing herself in such a way. Erised also seems uncertain of how to react to the Great Enemy acting like this. Meanwhile, Volupa smiles, pleased to see Serafina brought low. And Angelina? Angelina smiles because she knows how happy Serafina is, and deep down inside knows that this is the best possible outcome for all involved.
 
Ultimately, the rest of them decide to ignore it, even as Serafina collapses to her knees and waits for Marcus to sit down before eagerly crawling forward until she can push up between his thighs. The newly coronated King of the Holy Empire watches Serafina begin working open his pants for a moment, before lifting his gaze to the rest of the room’s occupants. His faithful companions. His wife. Volupa.
 
He should be happy now, right? Content, even? And yet… he can’t help but feel a little off. Almost… rudderless. Sure, ruling the Holy Empire alongside Elsenthia wasn’t likely to be easy by any stretch of the imagination, but… it felt a little strange all the same. He was struggling to put it into words, if he was being honest.
 
“Marcus. Are you alright?”
 
Trust in Angelina to notice him ill-at-ease, of course. The Holy Priestess looks concerned as she clasps her hands in front of her, unconsciously framing her bosom in the process. When Marcus doesn’t immediately answer her, the others turn their full attention to him as well, with Elsenthia walking over and placing a hand on his shoulder with a furrowed brow.
 
As Serafina takes him in her mouth down between his legs, Marcus gives Elsenthia a smile and puts his own hand atop hers, squeezing it for a moment. Then, he lets out a sigh, sweeping his gaze over the rest of them.
 
“Truth be told… I feel like a waste. I don’t know… it’s silly. Embarrassing, really.”
 
Elsenthia scoffs at that.
 
“You’re no waste, Marcus. Why would you ever think that?”
 
As the others all nod in agreement with her, each in their own way, Marcus squirms a bit before finally admitting the truth.
 
“I have all of this power. I’m the first ever Destined Lord. I have the power of two Jobs bundled up inside of me. I feel like… I feel like I could singlehandedly destroy Roka-Ra’s Warband now. I feel like I could wipe out armies. But… look, I’m not saying I want to kill a bunch of people. It just feels weird. I spent all that time trying to figure out what was going on with me. Meanwhile, you and Volupa were busy here in the Capital removing all of our enemies. That’s not usually how the story goes, is it?”
 
Looking around the room, Marcus sees the looks on everyone’s faces and feels even more embarrassed. Serafina is the only one not truly reacting to what he’s saying, and that’s because she’s too busy sucking his cock to really participate. Eventually, Erised tilts her head to the side and blinks.
 
“The story, milord?”
 
Groaning, Marcus palms his face for a moment before shrugging. He’s said enough now that there’s no point in backtracking. Might as well get it all out, right?
 
“Look, let me start by saying I know how dumb this all sounds, okay? So… allow me to ramble here a bit. In the story, the hero saves the day, right? That’s how it’s supposed to happen. And I’m not just talking about the Destined Hero, I’m talking about… the… the hero. Of any story, really. I guess… well, I suppose I thought that I wasn’t just completing my parents’ legacy by combining the Dark Lord and Destined Hero Jobs. I thought I was doing it for a reason. A purpose.”
 
Looking around at them all, Marcus wishes he didn’t feel so wretched.
 
“I figured there would be some final villain to face. To defeat. That the armies of our enemies would have risen up against us while I was gone and it would be up to me to put it down. But that’s not what happened at all. I just don’t know why I have all of this power now if everything is already resolved. It’s over and the day is won. And here I am, King. It’s just not ever this easy in the stories. The hero doesn’t get their victory handed to them, you know?”
 
Silence falls in the study for several long moments after he’s done. Marcus squirms a bit, considering pointing out that that wasn’t a rhetorical question. He really wanted someone to answer him, or at least tell him he was being an idiot.
 
When Elsenthia suddenly lets out a giggle, Marcus assumes that’s what’s happening at first. His Queen is laughing at him for being so embarrassingly silly. As her giggle devolves into a snicker, which in turn becomes a full-blown laugh, Marcus starts to feel a little bad. She didn’t have to laugh THAT hard.
 
Erised agrees, the lithe demoness scowling from across the room as she steps forward to give Elsenthia a piece of her mind. However, before she can do so, her mother stops her with a hand on her shoulder. Clearing her throat, Volupa speaks up.
 
“Apologies. Elsenthia is not laughing at Marcus for whining. She’s laughing because… well, he’s quite incorrect.”
 
Wait, what? Volupa’s words cause Elsenthia to rapidly get herself back under control once the half-elf Queen realizes what her laughter is coming across as. Coughing, wiping a tear from her eye, Elsenthia straightens up and offers Marcus an apologetic smile.
 
“She’s right. Sorry Marcus… I shouldn’t have laughed. I just forget at times that for all I was sheltered by my upbringing, someone like you was equally sheltered, just in different ways.”
 
Head held high, the newly coronated Queen of the Holy Empire strides across the room, everyone’s eyes following her as she reaches a large set of curtains. With a flourish, she throws them open, revealing not a window like Marcus is expecting… but a map. A large one too. Marcus stares dumbly at the map for a moment before realizing he doesn’t really recognize it. At least, not at first glance. Not until Elsenthia points a finger at the middle.
 
“This is the Capital of the Holy Empire. Where we are right now.”
 
With that information, he’s at least able to recognize the middle of the map. But then that means…
 
“And these are our borders.”
 
Elsenthia’s finger traces along the edges of the Holy Empire… which aren’t even a full fifth of the way to the edge of the full, wall-sized map. Marcus’ eyes widen as he finally realizes what he’s actually looking at. He’s never seen a map of the world before. He’s not sure if that’s simply because he grew up an orphan or what, but it’s true. And yet… that’s exactly what Elsenthia is showing all of them now. Not just a map of the Holy Empire and the lands it lays claim to, but also a map of the surrounding lands. The surrounding countries, even.
 
Past the wildlands to the West and South are more lands. Settled lands if what Marcus is seeing is any indication. Likewise for the East and North. To the East is the desert that that Vampire Hunter and his kin passed through in order to take a stab at Camilla. To the North are the mountains… but beyond them, the map says there are even more settled lands.
 
“Marcus.”
 
Elsenthia’s voice tears the half-orc away from studying the world map, and he looks to see her giving him a somewhat weary grin.
 
“Thanks to the Pact, the Holy Empire has stayed isolated for a thousand years. Thanks to the Dark Lord versus Destined Hero Doctrine, my ancestors have made practically no diplomatic inroads with our neighbors in centuries. In all this time, the High Elves have been all the allies that the Holy Empire has ever thought it needed.”
 
Shaking her head, Elsenthia looks at the world map herself and frowns.
 
“Unfortunately, we cannot count on the protection of my mother’s people any longer. While the Pact isn’t technically broken just yet, it will certainly seem that way to our neighbors. For the first time in a thousand years, one of my line has married outside of our High Elf allies. I married you instead of one of my mother’s race, breaking a tradition that had gone back for the entire length of the Holy Empire’s existence.”
 
With an almost helpless shrug of her shoulders, Elsenthia turns back to him.
 
“Truthfully, I don’t know how anyone outside of the Empire is going to react to these changes just yet. I don’t know if the High Elves are going to decide the Pact is over, and I don’t know what our neighbors are going to try to do. But I know this much… our long isolation is over. Whether we like it or not, people WILL begin poking at our borders. They will test us. They will decide if we are worthy of their friendship or their scorn. And… some will set themselves against us, no matter what we do ourselves.”
 
At her words, his thoughts move unbidden to the Vampire Hunter and his cohort once more. He can see the truth in Elsenthia’s words. He knows she’s right.
 
“I apologize for not bringing this up earlier. If I had known you were feeling this way, I would have said something. But the reality is… this is not a story. We do not get the luxury of a happy ending that we won’t have to spend the rest of our lives fighting for tooth and nail.”
 
Elsenthia, Queen of the Holy Empire and his wife, looks Marcus right in the eye.
 
“I do not know what the future holds, but I know one thing for certain. We’ll have need of your power yet, my beloved. You might just wind up being the only thing standing between us and complete annihilation.”

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