Titan King: Ascension of the Giant
Chapter 817 - 817: Are you really my sister and brother?

"Pallas's father is the King of the Giants," Elara pressed, her voice taking on a strange, melodic quality. "So who might your father be? Can you not feel it? The same giant's blood that flows through him flows through you. Do you not feel a kinship?"

Her words seemed to possess a magical power. Kronos looked at Pallas, at the giant youngling who stood a little taller than him, and felt a growing, undeniable affinity. The boy's face seemed more and more familiar, more and more pleasing to his eye.

"Are you… are you really my sister and brother?" His own father was the Giant King; that much, at least, Kronos knew. As he spoke the words, he subconsciously relaxed his fighting stance.

"Brother is correct, and sister is correct," Elara said sweetly. "But whether you are correct, I do not yet know. And now, it is time for the sister to challenge the brother."

With a playful giggle, she waved a small hand. A thick, emerald-green vine, covered in sharp barbs, shot up from the flagstones. It coiled around Kronos, binding him tightly, before its tip lashed out and began to smack him smartly on his backside.

The sharp, rhythmic crack of the vine echoed across the square.

The surrounding guards and handmaidens acted as if they saw nothing at all. Not a single one moved to intervene.

The sound finally registered with Pallas, and he seemed to snap out of a daze, at last understanding what was happening. "Sister, is he really our brother?"

"Mm-hm. His name is Kronos. They say he was born in the human kingdom."

Pallas looked with concern at Kronos, who was trussed up like a holiday roast. He wasn't crying or screaming, but was struggling mightily against his bonds. Pallas believed his sister. He had, after all, experienced this exact treatment himself. Giant younglings were naturally defiant with one another. They had to be beaten into submission.

Elara had won Pallas's affection with a clever mix of coaxing and trickery. But whenever they had a true disagreement—when she tried to steal his meat, for instance—Pallas would stand his ground. That is, until Elara lured him into a quiet corner, summoned her vines, and administered a proper whipping. That was how Pallas had been conquered. Now, the same method was being applied to Kronos.

"Sister, that must hurt him!" Pallas said, his voice worried.

Elara turned and patted Pallas's head. "Look, he's not crying, and he's not begging for mercy. It must not hurt that much," she said with a grin. The truth was, with a giant's tough hide, even a youngling could endure such a thrashing. The pain, however, was unavoidable. Elara, for all her youth, knew her limits and was careful not to use any truly powerful magic.

From a balcony above, Orion watched the scene unfold, with Prince Theodore standing silently behind him.

"So," Orion sighed, "he really knew nothing."

He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad one. The protective film of ignorance that had surrounded Kronos had now been ripped away by Elara. It was what Ava had wanted, and, he suspected, it was also precisely the outcome the faction behind Kronos in the human kingdom had hoped for.

Theodore dared not speak. He had no idea how to respond. The squabble between the three children was a family matter, the first step in forging their relationship. If one were to get technical about it, Theodore ought to address Orion as 'Uncle-in-law'. But the words felt impossible to say to a being of such power. It was all a tangled mess of family.

"Ava did not come?" Orion asked, his voice low.

"No."

"Did not wish to, did not dare to, or was unable to?"

Standing behind Orion, Theodore suddenly felt a crushing pressure descend upon him. Every word the King spoke was a test, and a wrong answer could have disastrous consequences.

"Aunt Ava is in Soaring Bird City," Theodore said at last, deciding on the truth. "She said she would wait for Kronos there."

"Soaring Bird City," Orion murmured, saying no more. His attention returned to the three children below.

"Do you know who I am now?" Elara demanded, stepping in front of the bound Kronos. She tilted his head up, saw the stubborn defiance in his eyes, and snorted.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

The sound of the vine striking his rear echoed again. Kronos grunted but remained silent.

"Call me 'Big Sister,' and I will let you go," she commanded. "If you don't, I will keep you tied up like this and whip you for three days and three nights. Even if Daddy comes, I will not release you. Hmph."

At this, it was Pallas who flinched. He knew better than anyone that Elara had their father wrapped around her little finger. In his mother's words, Orion was a complete 'daughter-slave'. As of yet, there was nothing Elara had ever wanted that Orion had denied her. Thinking of this, Pallas looked at his new brother with a deep sense of pity.

In the castle's magical gardens.

The gardens were quite lively today. Lilith, Lysinthia, Sylvana, Lycanor, Princess Nerida, and a host of other high-ranking women had gathered for a small, private party hosted by Lilith herself.

If Orion and his armies represented the hard power of the Stoneheart Horde, then this network of relationships, bound by the women of the court, was its soft power. As the King's wife, Lilith knew how to cultivate it. Such influence was often invaluable for handling private matters and other affairs that could not be settled on the battlefield.

The women were gathered amongst the glowing flowers, chatting idly about the various romantic scandals and affairs happening across the continent. Just then, a succubus approached Lilith and whispered a report of the scene unfolding in the castle square.

"Keep an eye on them," Lilith said with a serene smile, giving the handmaiden her orders. "Do not intervene, no matter what happens."

"Lady Lilith, what is this creature?" Princess Nerida asked, her attention captured by a tiny, cute creature peeking out from a nearby magical plant. "I can feel a faint elemental fluctuation from it."

"That is a faerie insect," Lilith explained, walking over and gently coaxing the creature onto her hand. She placed it in Nerida's palm, allowing her a closer look. "Keeping them in the gardens not only promotes the growth of the magical plants, but they also release trace elements that improve the quality of the environment here."

These were treasures unique to the castle, a part of her own personal resources.

"I had heard it was originally a species unique to the elves," Lycanor said, stepping closer. It wasn't her first time in the castle; she knew of the faerie insect's existence. "I apologize," she added quickly, "I only meant to say that it is exceptionally precious. The faerie insects vanished from blood elf lands thousands of years ago. Legend says that if they are properly nurtured, they can evolve into Faerie Dragons."