56 Meeting

When Leo finally opened his eyes the next day, it was already past noon. It was acknowledged by everyone that due to the battle the day before, that they would all relax due to the mental and physical burdens. That was why, leo had done exactly what elder grandma recommended and embraced Iris until the sun had risen. He looked over at his still sleeping wife and smiled. It was rare that he woke before she did, and Leo was enjoying the shared warmth of her cuddling with him.

It wasn't meant to last though, when suddenly there was a knock at the door. Leo groaned, before getting up while throwing a blanket over Iris to cover her. He quickly dressed, while Iris started moving from the knocking waking her. Leo swiftly opened the door, and slipped outside before the interior could be seen, and came face to face with Jack.

"Hey, morning. We're setting up for the meeting, and giving everyone advanced warning before we start in an hour." Leo nodded at jacks words, and went back inside after he left, to find Iris still wasn't dressed. She was instead doing stretches, while showing off her skin like it was the most natural thing ever. He knew she was doing it on purpose though, as evident from her smirk when she looked at him.

"The meeting will start in an hour, we don't have the time to-" Leo cut himself off however, when Iris did a stretch that gave him quite the view... 'One more round won't hurt' Leo thought to himself as he tackled Iris onto the bed once again. An hour later the two left after they finally dressed and Iris drank her tea, and went to the meeting.

While they decided to rest today, they still needed to have a meeting regarding the battle, the service of those who died, and future actions they needed to take. After sending off the three who died, two warriors and a hunter, the whole village sat down to determine what they needed to do for the future. Leo waited for elder grandma or someone to start the discussion, but no one did. It wasn't until Leo saw her looking at him that he realized she wanted him to lead the discussion. He groaned, but figured that with the plan he had in mind it was better this way, as he walked to the front and said to everyone,

"I'm sure everyone knows why we're here, but I'll say it again just to make sure, we need to discuss what we're going to be doing in the near future after yesterday's attack." There were plenty of murmurs after he said that, as there were only about two choices for them.

"So as far as I'm aware, the decisions stand as either staying and risking another attack, or leaving to find another place to live." Even though they knew what Leo was going to say, hearing him actually say it made the situation seem more real. Everyone started getting rowdy at the options due to the complications at both of them. The issue with staying was obvious, they didn't have the numbers to be able to fight continuous battles. Leaving though meant having to pack up everything, attempt to establish another permanent residence in the mountains, and trying to have everything ready for the winter.

"I know that we are short on options, but if we want to survive then we need to choose one or the other. I personally vote for finding a new home." A few seconds after Leo's words fell, the entire place erupted as people tried to protest at how unrealistic an idea it was. Leo waited until they started calming down before stating his reasoning.

"Every one of you know Iris and I will be leaving soon. When we do who is going to protect you from every attack? I don't wish to belittle all of you, but the next time they send someone to kill us it won't be just two hundred foot soldiers. How do you plan to defend with just the small numbers here?" At Leo's question everyone was silent, thinking. It was at this point that Leo stated his intentions, the plan he came up with before falling asleep in the early morning.

"That is why, I have decided to accept the position you have tried to give me, and become a king. But, a king needs subjects, so instead of a journey to fight the champions I will go to find those rejected by society. I will recruit those who will face similar trials in the coming days, same as us. And through them, we will build our kingdom!" Leo paused at this moment, waiting for those who would reject his plan.

He had thought of this when trying to come up with solutions to prevent himself from relying on the beast. He recalled that elder grandma wanted him to become a king, so why not gather people to form an army? He won't have to fight most battles if he had more numbers, but who would follow him? His answer, those about to be subjected to the purge. But being a king wasn't just about soldiers, he needed farmers, craftsmen, normal citizens. So Leo decided, he would start with the one he figured would be most important to lay the foundation. Seeing no one was rejecting what he had to say, Leo continued.

"Instead of leaving to find the other champions, I will leave first to find the dwarves, then the elves, and finally the beast men! I will gather those who are best in their fields, and together, will create an empire that won't be threatened by the humans who follow Arthur. And finally after we manage to do all of this, then I will fight Arthur once and for all and end his reign of tyranny!" As Leo finished what he had to say, everyone was quiet. Then suddenly,

Clap

Clap

Clap

One by one everyone present started clapping, then suddenly everyone in the village was applauding Leo. He didn't know what to do as the small audience cheered his plan. They all knew it was unrealistic, that there were several flaws, and that there was a huge chance of failure. However, they all saw that spark of drive in Leo's eyes, and they knew, he would lead them to greatness.

Leo didn't mind the cheers of the rest of the villagers, he looked to find Iris and elder grandma, and saw them both beaming at him. Elder grandma because he was taking the first steps towards the destiny she wanted to help him towards. Iris because she was admiring the figure of her husband inspiring a mere fifty to sixty people to found a kingdom, and the thought that she would be walking side by side with him for the whole journey.