I looked at the report sent by Victory and covered my eyes with a sigh. Just a few years ago, if anyone had asked me about Elves, I would have had the image of typical proud and always attractive people before my eyes. Let's call them classic Tolkien's Elves who were wise, mostly because of their longevity, and prideful because of their beauty throughout their longevity. Of course, beyond handsome or beautiful, they were also quite cold and unapproachable to outsiders while true friends to anyone they trusted. Mandatory, the Elves were friendly with nature and animals and while hating everyone who destroyed their forests. Sometimes forests in general. I sighed once again. Did I get Tolkien Elves? No. Of course not. I got Sicilian Elves.

I knew that Irene was passionate in her love and unyielding in her anger but I wasn't expecting her to argue similarly with her own father. Her fierce temper, combined with a self-awareness of her position, individual power, and sense of duty, made her a very dangerous opponent in any political discussion. So far, I thought it was just Irene being Irene but, now, I suspect it was because Irene was an Elf. I wasn't sure if being a High Elf contributed to her temper but it was highly plausible. So, yeah...these were Italian tempered Elves, with a strong Sicilian flavour. Forget the peace-loving, forest-dwelling, mystically gentle beings. There are certainly people with those notions living in Nilmerthis but I was sure as hell that they weren't High Elves. Huh...

If you looked at it like that, the entire Kingdom of Ibrevell was like a Sicilian mafia from some old movie.

Admittedly, I had mixed feelings about her undesired meeting with her Father but I decided to choose the most reasonable approach known to every husband: Ignore it and pretend it didn't concern me. I was going to ignore the problem until she, specifically, addressed it and demanded my opinion. Until then, I'll just nod in agreement and hope it's enough to calm down my fiery Elven beauty. It wasn't like I had another opinon about her family, or Ibrevell, in general. But, truth be told, I had no fact-based opinion about them at all. It, probably, wouldn't be a huge problem if I were just-a-guy who married their daughter. The problem, mostly for them and Ibrevell, was because I wasn't just a random guy but the absolute ruler of Arcadia. And, what I knew so far wasn't very helpful to their cause as they rapidly collected sins.

"Do we know who ordered the attack on Irene?" I asked the holographic image of Blackbeard who stood at a nervous attention. It wasn't the nervousness of someone afraid for their life but of someone who knew they might be accused of fucking up, even though they, realistically, couldn't do anything to prevent said fuck up.

"We are working on it, my Lord. However, we are almost sure that it wasn't the Marquis or Te'saru. It might have been their Elven spies coordinator who tried a classic false-flag attack." The former pirate looked miserable. "I take full responsibility for failing to prevent the attack, my Lord."

"Oh, please... We have shields and barriers for something so unpredictable. You can't prevent the timing of something like that, Blackbeard. There will always be armed idiots who believe that an attack on my family will help them reach their goals. I'm spiteful and vengeful but I'm not unreasonable." I sighed and shook my head. There was something off about him but I hadn't been paying that much attention to Blackbeard's behaviour lately. That changed right now as I closely looked at his body language. "Once you figure out who gave the order, I want their head. In case it was Irene's father, after all, I prefer him alive. I assume you already executed all the attackers?"

"Yes, my Lord! I sent my best soldiers to ensure we didn't miss anyone and, hopefully, discover who was the mastermind behind their plan."

"Very well." I nodded with a grim expression. "How long will it take you to return to Avalon? And also, I should ask, did Aclium's people believe that the entire First Fleet was there?"

"We are close to Avalon. We should land in the morning, my Lord. We are certain the locals bought it. The problem was, keep the illusion long enough to make sure Princess Roannia and Goddess Harmonia stayed convinced. To further sell it, Empress Irene informed our guests that most of the First Fleet received new orders and they would depart once we entered Arcadian airspace. We believe we successfully convinced our guests that this was the entire First Fleet." Blackbeard relaxed.

"Excellent. I wasn't truly convinced of the necessity of pretending we sent so many ships but it seems it was the right choice." I nodded and smiled. "Anyway. It was a record-breaking time, Admiral. You needed less than five days to secure us a new ally! Congratulations."

"It's all thanks to Lady Irene and Lady Hestia, my Lord. I did nothing of note." He smiled.

"Nonsense." I grinned. "I listened to your discussion with Varis and Princess Roannia. It was great!"

"Thank you, my Lord."

"What do you think of Aclium's people? Hmmm, Aclians, I believe?" I pretended to eye him casually but my confusion with his behaviour grew with each second.

"They seem brave and honourable. Skilled in waging war and impervious to fear thanks to their Gods. Once, Aclium was a home to the God of War, Ares, and his children. But it seems that only his children remained in Aclium." Blackbeard hummed thoughtfully. "Nonetheless, they have a decent Navy and a fairly competent Army. They will be a fine addition to NATO, my Lord. Umm... Something wrong, my Lord?"

"Edward... What the hell has happened to you?" I stared at the legendary pirate in disbelief. "You are acting like some green kid who has a broomstick up his ass while they sweat in front of their drill instructor. Where is that free spirit I, admittedly, started to like? Take a seat, Son. We've got to talk..."

He sagged slightly as he sat down but smiled more honestly. "Son?"

"We have already established that Janet is my daughter. Since you are dating her and, it appears, you both are planning a wedding then, you are, basically, almost my son-in-law, so let's skip formalities, Ed." I crossed my arms and smiled at him.

"Well... I guess, Dad." He laughed like he used to before we gave him the Arcadian uniform. However, that relief was short-lived. "Don't get me wrong, Lord Theon, but I started changing the day you saved my life." He sighed and buried his face in his hands. When he looked at me again he was more serious and slightly melancholic. He almost whispered. "I still see the fire consuming my frigate. I still see the quickly approaching ground... And then I'm lying unscathed with Janet in my arms... It's so surreal..."

I said nothing but smiled slightly to encourage him to speak. I knew he needed it.

"So... I started thinking, my Lord... Well, I started reflecting on my life and I reviewed the things I've done... I - I started having nightmares. But... I have only this to cling to." He grabbed his Royal Navy uniform without looking me in the eyes. "There is literally nothing else I can do. When you invited me and my pirates to serve you, we were elated. We were no longer pirates but, now, soldiers. Maybe the shadiest kind of soldiers, but soldiers nonetheless."

"So you are afraid of what...? Disappointing me?" I fixed myself on my chair.

"Well... Yes. And not only I... Most of my former people are the same... We are anxious and some of them are breaking. Some are drinking enough that they have been close to their graves a few times. Some are afraid to fuck up. Some have nightmares about the past..."

"It's post-traumatic stress disorder, Edward." I sighed.

"What the hell is that?" His eyes opened in fear.

"Simply put, it is an illness of the mind. I might be wrong... However, I believe that you qualify. You led a very stressful life, being hunted by Bernans wherever you went, and risked your life daily. You weren't saints but you weren't the monsters the Bernans painted you to be either. I won't dig into your past or the past of anyone who has sworn their loyalty to me and followed through by behaving ever since. However, you and your people are so accustomed to being hunted and prosecuted that you expect it to be the norm. Simply put, once that stress and pressure vanished, your mind slowly started freaking out and made your body crave stress because it was something you were used to having. We need to address that before it spirals out of control and starts being a threat to others."

"Address? How?" He looked at me suspiciously.

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"Your people aren't the only ones with PTSD. A lot of the old Guardsmen have the same issue. There isn't an easy solution and we are trying to figure out the treatment on our own. It was a well-known mental disorder back in my old world but I didn't have specialised knowledge, except for some very basic information. The good news is that simply talking about the things from your past will help. In most cases at least... In the worst cases... Well. We have magic to deal with those. Divine intervention and wiping memory will help them to start over." I shook my head. "Don't worry. I won't abandon anyone who has sworn their allegiance to me."

He looked at me in shock. "I'm surprised... I was expecting to either hear that our consciousness demands us to repent for our sins or just to man up and deal with it."

"Well... Surprise." I shrugged and waved my hand, trying to calm him down. It worked, a little bit... "I'll ask you again. What has you knotted tight?"

"I'm anxious as hell, Sir..." He lowered his head and shook his head with resignation. "I'm afraid that one mistake will ruin everything I've managed to achieve for you. I'm triple-checking every order I give and I check every corner..."

"Well, paranoia is often associated with PTSD... Anything else, Son?" I smiled as I extended the syllable encouragingly.

"I don't know if you are joking or not, my Lord, but hearing you call me your Son is calming as.. As... Damn it... Like I don't know what, but it's calming to my nerves." He sighed heavily.

"Talk with Janet or, if you are too embarrassed to face her with your past, speak with Ban. However... Talking with Janet will help you clear yourself in front of her and, perhaps, her acceptance will help you deal with your trauma." I briefly nodded.

"I'll try to deal with it quickly, my Lord-" He smiled but abruptly fell silent when I started laughing.

"Quickly? Haha! Good one. You will need months, if not years, to deal with it, Edward! Remember, you are not alone and don't let paranoia eat your confidence." I shook my head and watched the tension slowly leave him. He deflated even more.

"Gods damn it, my Lord..." He rubbed his face but, finally, took a deep breath. The first deep breath since we started talking.

"Now... I honestly can't recall a single instance where I would crack down on a soldier in my service... Well, there were a few times when Janet was close to it but, ultimately, she got away with a slight slap on the wrist. So where the fuck did you get the idea that I would chew you out for this incident?" I slightly tilted my head.

"I don't know! I just expected as much..." He furiously ruffled his head. When he finished his hair was in total disarray.

"Would you feel better if I actually held you responsible for not preventing the attack?" I asked carefully.

"I... I don't know?" He looked at me in confusion. "I know it makes little sense..."

"On the contrary." I sighed and impatiently tapped with my fingers on my armrest. "But, in the past, I simply ordered people like you to go see a psychologist. Sorry... We will have to find a way to help you but, for now, you must simply meet in groups and try to talk through it. Does that make sense to you?"

"Some..." He smiled with a faint hope.

"So now... While we, at least, have some things established, what do you think about the Aclians?" I grinned.

"Above what I previously said, I personally believe they are trustworthy. Aclium was one of the oldest countries to abolish slavery and has treated its people fairly."

"That's more like you..." I nodded shortly. "All right. Once you return home, get in touch with your former men and go find Ban. Once Janet returns from her supply run, you both should take a week off. Go visit... I don't know? Ceallach's jungle and play in his artificial seaside? Or just spend time together, but, you will do what?"

"Talk with her?" Edward looked at me with brewing uncertainty.

"Good boy." I nodded and he laughed. "Dismissed, Son."

"Aye, aye, Dad!" His hologram disappeared with him, finally, smiling.

I leaned back in my chair and thoughtfully turned to the window. Nearly one hundred thousand of my soldiers suffered from various degrees of trauma... Which should have been obvious to me and, yet, somehow, I had overlooked it. Child soldiers turned murderers, orphans captured by passing soldiers, or kids just sold to be soldiers, what they had endured, so far, made them brittle instead of harder. Predictably, they started failing, one by one, like pieces of complicated machinery operating too long and under a huge amount of pressure.

Fortunately, I recognised the symptoms...

"I'm glad that Irene and Hestia are safely returning home." Soft and warm black wings closed on me from behind.

"I'm relieved they are safe. But I'm getting pissed off that nearly every time one of you leaves home, you are in some danger or attacked."

"It's something we've all got used to, Theon. Death was an unavoidable part of our lives for so long that most of us are dulled to it." Cahrona stated it sadly and grabbed me in a firmer embrace. "And, adding being a noble? That means, practically, being born with a target mark on your back... I envy you for growing up in a world where assassinations weren't the norm."

"I don't know what to say..." I patted the top of her soft hand.

"I guess you can't say anything... But I'm glad to have you." She squeezed even tighter and a serene calmness slowly spread through my body. "Do you know how to help our soldiers?"

"I think so, my Angel... A!" I opened my eyes in shock and facepalmed. Hard. "Aaaa! Oh, God! I'm so stupid!"

"What? Why?!" She nimbly jumped in front of me and looked at me in concern.

"Well... Because I've had the solution to this problem under my nose all this time!" I grabbed her by her waist and lifted her. She giggled and cradled my face in her arms.

"What solution?" She asked with a soft smile.

"Your people... The Succubuses... Or have you decided to call yourself something else?" I hesitated.

"Nothing that we all would like or, at least, agree to." She chuckled. "Tieflings, as you proposed, were the closest thing we had to a semblance of an agreement... But, I think we will embrace the challenge of clearing our name."

"Uhum... But seriously, you are not devils or demons so you should call yourself more fitting..." I nodded and put her down. She instantly used the opportunity to cling to me. I smiled widely because I was never opposed to my wife's closeness. "Anyway! If some of the Succubuses are even remotely as gifted as you, my Angel, they could use their powers to help the soldiers deal with their pasts and shield their minds."

"Huh..." She blinked a few times. "I suppose so... But wouldn't that be a violation of soldiers' free will? I don't want to bring bad attention to my people when we are finally accepted and we can live openly among the citizens of Arcadia."

"I'm glad you are concerned with ethics but, trust me, I will have everything covered officially. Just tell me if it's even possible." I grinned and reluctantly let her go.

I was afraid that holding her any longer would lead me to take her to our bed instead of discussing this serious matter. Sensing my will to resist her charms fading, she kissed me but I steeled my resolve. This time, she had mercy.

"Hmmm... So you want some of my girls to dig into the memories of our soldiers, help them find what causes their trauma, and help them deal with it?" She crossed her shapely legs and put her hand on her thigh. I would swear that she was toying with me now.

"Pretty much, yes... If I'm not wrong, that was called exposure therapy or something like that." I hummed, desperately trying not to be distracted. "Cate, please..."

"All right, all right! I was teasing you." She stopped and this time she was serious. "It will be hard but, I think, doable... I will confirm it with the others and, maybe, we could try to help a few volunteers... We must test it so we have a better grasp of the problem."

"Sounds good to me." I nodded eagerly. "So here is my proposal on how to address some of your concerns. First of all, all the Succubuses who are willing to be involved will make a vow to use their powers to only help people. Then, optimally, I will see if I can create a Psychologist class, or something like that. With it, your people will gain a whole new opportunity to contribute to Arcadian society and, by doing so, repair their reputation. Lastly, they will join the Medical Guild and the Royal University under an official, new branch of medical studies."

"That certainly will make us more visible publicly and, hopefully, aid our case. But, Theon... "She looked at me seriously and with a slight uncertainty. "If this works out, the girls I delegate to that work will have to focus completely on that task. We will be very short-handed in the nurseries..."

"I have thought about that..." I hummed and scratched the back of my head. "I know you may not like it, but I think that keeping the children of your kin in completely separate facilities is not helping your people at all. If anything, it creates a sense of exclusion and separation from the rest of our people. I think it's time to end that failed experiment, Cate."

"I... I know you are right but it's hard." She sighed heavily.

"I know. But you have nothing to worry about. The kids are growing healthy and without the bad influence and corruption of Chaos and Void that destroyed their parents. But, keeping them away from the rest of society will harm them another way. Imagine when, in a few years or decades, someone tries to badmouth your people, only to be met with scorn because most of the kids grew up with Tieflings. Their childhood friendships will protect your kin better than I ever will."

"All right..." She nodded nervously. "We will try..."

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