Titans of Chaos

"I was the compromise candidate. The Great Queen was my grandmother, and Lady Cyprian wasmy mother, and Lady Tritogenia was as afraid of me as all intellectuals should be. (Merlin andSolomon can tell you how well the wise and learned can withstand the foolishness of love!)Mavors did not want to war on his own son, and Mulciber did not dare earn the hate of his wife,my mother. And everyone thought I was a foolish boy, young and weak and easily led.

"But my flaw was not that I was weak. As I said, I was too strong. Do you see? They were afraidto follow the love-god to war with Chaos. And when the Goddess of Love herself, the LadyCyprian, said no... well, let us say that she is considerably older and greater than any of us know.

She was found floating on a seashell in the Western Sea, surrounded by singing Graces, and shemay be older than Chaos or Old Night."

I said, "Is that why Mavors is not in charge of everything? He needs the three goddesses tocoronate him?"

He nodded. "Partly why. Who wants War to rule the universe, rather than Love? My fatherMavors is a strange man. I think he hates himself. He rejoices in the glory and virtue of war, buthe hates the carnage, the madness, the tears, the bloody business of it, the lies. So many lies. He isbasically an honest fellow, in his own way, and he doesn't like how enemies use spies and traitors;kings lie to men; men lie to their wives; and wives tell their children how brave their fathers are;cowards get medals and real heroes die unmarked; and bards lie about it all. He is not a happyman, my father, except when he's with Mother.

"And Father can never be with her, lawfully, unless he gains the throne and changes the laws. Ifhe becomes the Lord of Sovereignty, no longer merely the Lord of War, he can bind his heavy redsword in olive branches and retire from his bloody work, spend his days at home with the prettiestwife in Heaven. What veteran wants more than that?"

Archer shrugged and seemed a little sad. "In any case, Mavors does not dare rule a Cosmos tornwith bloody civil war, not with Chaos encamped in strength outside our crystal walls. It might bedifferent if Father had the unambiguous support of Mother. But my mother, the Cyprian, merelylooks at him through her long lashes and smiles and does not leave her crook-backedsoot-streaked husband-but neither does she leave the rough and handsome war-god to hisloneliness.