Titan King: Ascension of the Giant
Chapter 794 - 794: A Marriage Alliance

Elf King Rommath and Grand Elder Lireesa stood in stunned silence.

Two Archlords in the Stoneheart Horde meant the Giant King, Orion, possessed at least one Archlord-level avatar. Such power, such a deep foundation… it was a force the blood elves could no longer hope to resist.

"The situation is not as dire as you imagine," the ancient voice of the Guardian Tree rustled through the leaves. "My people on the wind have told me there are no armies massing on your northern border. The Giant King does not intend to start a war."

"Furthermore, the humans have their Saint, and the dragons have their White Dragon majesty. They will provide a balance to this new Archlord. The greater political landscape will not change overnight. But it has changed. And now, you must assess the new reality and make a decision."

The information was staggering, and its implication was clear. Some time ago, the Elf King and the Grand Elder had come here and, at great cost, had the Tree divine the future of the blood elves in relation to the Stoneheart Horde.

The prophecy had come to pass. The Horde had risen. And now, a decision they could no longer avoid had to be made.

"Since the dawn of time," the Guardian Tree continued, its voice ancient and weary, "when two factions wish to soothe their enmities, beyond a pact of mutual defense, the surest path is a marriage alliance."

"A marriage alliance?" Rommath frowned. "But I have no sons or daughters, nor a sister of suitable rank."

It was a method he did not object to; it had been used before in the long history of his people. Among the many consorts of the human Saint was a blood elf woman, and that bond was one of the reasons the two races had coexisted for so long.

These ancient powers were all intertwined. Barring some unstoppable calamity or unforgivable hatred, even if one faction were to fall, its people would often find a way to survive through these tangled connections.

"Lycanor," Grand Elder Lireesa said, her voice a soft, heavy whisper.

She said only the name, offering no further explanation. It was not needed. In all the blood elf race, only Lycanor, a warrior at the upper echelons of the Legendary tier, possessed the status and strength to be a worthy match for the Giant King.

"But… she…" Rommath started to speak, but the words died in his throat.

The survival of his entire race rested on his shoulders. If not for Orion, Lycanor would have, in the near future, become his queen, his wife. And now, for the sake of his people, he had to send her to the Stoneheart Horde. To wear the crown is to bear its weight. This was the price of his kingship.

"If the Stoneheart Horde and the blood elves become permanent allies," Lireesa said, her gaze fixed on her king, "then with our existing pact with the humans, our people may know another five thousand years of peace."

Peace. It was the one thing the blood elves had always yearned for.

"My King, if you cannot bring yourself to issue the decree, I will go to Lycanor. I will persuade her."

The Guardian Tree remained silent. It was their protector, not their ruler. Such matters of the heart and the crown were for them to decide. Power, for a guardian, could be a veil that blinded it to the needs of its people.

The South, the Human Kingdom.

In the royal council chamber, King Harold faced a magic mirror. Within its silvered surface were the images of two men: Grand Duke Richard and Grand Duke William.

"My lords," Harold began, his voice calm and steady. "The Saint's analysis has proven correct. Now, tell me, what is our course of action?"

With Orion's ascension, the rise of the Stoneheart Horde to become the third great power on the continent was unstoppable. Harold's face betrayed no emotion, but the two Grand Dukes were far too shrewd to misread the gravity of the situation.

They also knew a fact of which few others were aware: the child born to Princess Ava was of the Giant King's bloodline. Regardless of the grim circumstances of her abduction, regardless of the insults she had endured, in the cold calculus of statecraft, the Princess of the human kingdom and the Archlord of the giants had, for all intents and purposes, completed a marriage alliance. And they had produced an heir.

The process had been a thing of darkness, but the result… the result was politically perfect.

"Your Majesty," Grand Duke Richard said smoothly, ceding the initiative. "We are currently engaged in a full-scale war with the Sea Race, expanding the kingdom's borders. The internal affairs of the realm are for you to command. We will support your decision completely."

He was, in that moment, deeply impressed by Harold's foresight in protecting Princess Ava and her child.

"The King's will is our will," Grand Duke William echoed, his tone one of sincere loyalty.

"However," William continued, changing tack, "our plans concerning the boy, Kronos, must now change accordingly. The goal of using him to seize control of the Stoneheart Horde has become… unrealistic."

"I propose we now fully support Kronos in attaining status and power within the Horde. Let him become the face of a new, friendly relationship between our two peoples. After all, half the blood in his veins is of our royal line. He is one of us."

To change with the times is a necessary quality for any man of power.

Grand Duke Richard was quick to second the motion. "I agree with Lord William's proposal. And I further propose that Kronos be granted the full rights and allocations of an imperial prince. The son of an Archlord cannot be insulted, and nor should he be."

Richard's stance was firm. The sons of Archlords were not to be trifled with, for they were often the Archlords of the next generation. The human kingdom's own line of Saints had been preserved for this very reason: through blood and heritage.

Furthermore, Richard had his own clandestine dealings with the Stoneheart Horde. If the two powers became allies for generations to come, the benefits he stood to gain were nearly as great as the king's.

"So be it," King Harold said, his voice finalizing the matter. He recognized the sharp political acumen of his dukes. "The plan is changed. We will elevate the status of Kronos."