Uriel wasn't quite sure why he had just decked his slightly older brother, every survival instinct would have directed him not to anger the supernatural predator that stood before him. To the lycan's credit, his twin's punch was more than enough to render most men and mer unconscious or deal considerable pain, but all it did was change the traveler's view to one of the ceiling. Reman brought his head down slowly; one would almost assume he was readying a counterattack, but he had a sad, apologetic look on his face. The Imperial negotiator extended a hand in peace, which his elder brother accepted.

“I got a little carried away, this is a rather intense moment.” Uriel was more well-spoken than Reman remembered, but it was a welcome advancement. The feral man laughed alongside his more civilized twin, and a strange mirror-effect was not lost on their observers. The two were identical in the face, completely alike and yet worlds apart, few masterpieces could compare to the work of art playing out before Marcus and Antonius.

“We all have our impassioned moments, Uriel.” The lycan squeezed the bulkier man's hand, a greeting that hadn't been shared in far too long. The headbutt that followed was even more traditional, and the bloody nose Uriel was left with only solidified the reunion. “But, blood for blood, as they say.”

“Reman, was that really necessary?” Antonius was trying to reacquaint himself with his wayward son, but the sibling violence was something that was rooted in infancy when it came to the young men. The legate knew that no real harm had ever befallen either of the two, but they were much stronger in adulthood.

“That is quite enough.” Marcus Tullius wasn't one to be ignored, and the twins backed from their soon-to-escalate altercation. The aged general grabbed Reman's shoulders, and Antonius seized the younger Legionnaire, though it was unclear which of the twins was being protected by the detainment. Once the two were separated and seated, things took a turn for the relaxed and easygoing. The terrible brothers Tullius were being civil, for once in there opposite lives.“Now, Reman, I believe you have some things to tell us.”

“That really depends on what you mean.” The werewolf sipped on the purified water a server had brought, he wasn't about to drink anything alcoholic. The odd choice of beverage only stacked the curiosity of his relatives, consumption of spirits seemed to run in the family.

“You could always start with what you hid from me.” Marcus' words and stare were making the lycanthropic Imperial sweat under the pressure. There wasn't an easy way out of this, and Reman knew it.

@#@#@#@#@#@#

“I take it you must be Princess Luna?” Emperor Titus Mede II looked the blue alicorn up and down, a gesture that seemed ever so common amongst the humans of Nirn. While the Imperial sensed no ill will from the pony, he wouldn't dismiss his Penitus Oculatus until the Tullius family reunion ended.

“Indeed I am.” Luna didn't bow, Kodlak had broken the habit after their meeting. It didn't help that the princess saw the gesture as a sign of weakness, though there hadn't been any reason besides the reactions from the Companions. The immortal royal extended a hoof, and she learned from the sound of scraping metal that the Emperor's honor guard didn't like that.

“At ease.” The old, bearded man called off his warriors with the wave of a hand, a tactic that would often foster a sense of security and respect within those he spoke to. The lavishly dressed human gave an aggravated and apologetic gesture, clearly embarrassed by the behavior of his men. Titus put on a wry smile and saw a chance for good humor. “Sorry, they can be a bit jumpy.”

“I know the feeling.” Luna cast a short glance to her lycan escort, who snorted in response. The alicorn smiled bashfully and clacked a hoof against the ground, a prearranged signal for Renoir to make his way towards the front as stealthily as possible. The Princess of Night felt the undead man approach, and watched the Penitus Oculatus agents remain unresponsive. “But, I believe there are things we must discuss.”

“Yes, something about arranging a meeting with your sister.” It slightly frightened Luna that the old man knew so much about the plan, but Titus hardly exuded any ill will. The bearded Imperial looked at the bleached pegasus next to the princess, and then shifted his gaze to the masked vampire. A brief flash of recognition crossed his features as he looked at the worn face of ivory, almost like he could tell what exactly lurked behind the humanesque image. “Though that seems more like a formality at this point.”

“What makes you say that?” Princess Luna had a bit of a sinking feeling in her gut, and recalled how much she knew Titus Mede had heard. The Emperor might not take it too lightly that the progeny of one of his generals had mated with a foreigner, and one from another realm at that. The Princess of Night felt a wave of dread flush through her chest at the thought of what horrors may have been befalling the lycan down the hall, especially if all Imperials were as quick to jump the gun as Reman.

“We already meet the preliminary requirements to established economic relations.” The Colovian man wasn't even taking the unborn foal into account, the hefty sack of gems wayward Tullius wore on his hip were sign enough that Equestria would be very beneficial to the Glorious Empire, and the nation's value easily doubled if the Elder Council could somehow keep news of the brightly colored ponies from reaching the Dominion for a few months.

“So I'm a bargaining chip now?” Glade knew that it wasn't actually her the human was interested in, rather it was the developing mass of cells she housed within her lower abdomen. Intermarriage was a common tactic to form bonds with other kingdoms in Equestria, a tradition that extended well into the modern day.

“Actually, what you and Ser Reman do with your child is inconsequential, but it would be good publicity for the both of you to stay together.” Titus could already see The Black Horse Courier eating the gossip like a skooma addict with the shakes. Such news would travel fast and far, which was just what the aged Emperor wanted. “It has never, nor will it ever be the domain of myself or the Elder Council to say who our nobles may marry.”

“A nobleman and a knight? What has he been keeping from us?” Luna tapped a hoof against her chin, but quickly noticed the five sets of eyes upon her. Titus, Renoir, and Lynette knew the reason behind the title, though it wasn't as if the spellsword hadn't done enough to qualify as a knight errant.

“All nobles descended from Cyrodiilic heroes are considered to be knights.” The archer counted of some unknown quantity on her fingers, like she was explaining something to a child by using a completely unrelated subject. “And the Tullius family is the legacy of no less than two.”

“Should I just throw everything I thought I knew about the man out the the window?” Renoir was getting slightly agitated, even if his mask wouldn't show it. The nearly century-old vampire felt a little betrayed by his colleague; this sort of information denial bordered on rudeness in Daggerfall.

“Perhaps we should continue this when we have the proper time.” The Emperor knew there was a bit of tension in the air, it was in his nature to be aware of such things. Imperials hadn't conquered Tamriel on military might alone, their inborn abilities at mercantilism and public speaking made them ideal for integrating nations into their collective. “It shouldn't be taking the general this long to welcome Reman back to the flock.”

@#@#@#@#@#@#

“I'm going to be a father.” The feral man reclined in his seat, if only to appear less unnerved by the eyes upon him. There wasn't really a reaction he expected, but Reman planned on something negative. A light punch in the arm from his younger brother most certainly hadn't been on his list of possibilities.

“Congratulations, I'm sure Lynette was bursting with joy when she told you.” Uriel wore a grin, showing the gap where he'd lost one of his canines. The younger twin took a moment to realize his brother had paled slightly, and it only took a second more to understand that the child was illegitimate.

“If your fiance isn't expecting, then would you be kind enough to tell me who is?” Antonius had a look that only a man of righteous conviction could effectively wield. Tradition was very important in an Imperial household, siring bastards left and right would reflect poorly on the family. The legate was not a man to cross, and he wasn't too old to thrash his son if need be. “I assume you'll be taking responsibility?”

“Of course, I arranged for her to meet a healer I knew as soon as I suspected.” That was Reman's only reason for involving Renoir, as much as he didn't trust the vampire on a personal level. Professionally, academically, sure, but there was just something a bit... off about the undead pyromancer. “I've never made a misstep in my travels.”

“Antonius, perhaps you should be easy on the boy.” Marcus's sentence was worded as a suggestion, but any who knew him would understand the dire consequences that would befall the legate, should he continue. A palpable chill ran through the lavish lounge, every man in the room shook to their core. “Or have you forgotten how you met Senna?”

“What?” The twins were speaking in stereo, surprised that their parents had been force into matrimony to give their oldest sibling legitimacy. However, it did provide some perspective for Reman's current predicament.

“Father, is now really the time for that?” Antonius was flushed, which was quite the feat for such a serious man. The circumstances of the marriage made no difference in his mind, he still loved his wife as any other husband.

“I'm only saying the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.” With Marcus's words, the subject was dropped. Reman knew that wouldn't be the only secret to be revealed, but it was certainly the oldest. No family as prestigious as theirs was without its share of closeted skeletons, even the noble general had his own burdens to bear. “So, tell us about the pony.”

A fireball erupted from a candle as a cloud of high-proof alcohol touched its flame, the product of Uriel and Antonius mutually spitting their drinks. Both men turned to the lycan in question, who looked unfazed by his grandfather's statement. The werewolf's apparent apathy would have come across as rude, were it not obvious that he was panicking internally. Marcus snapped his fingers in front of Reman's face, eliciting no response from the dismayed spellsword. The lycan's pupils contracted and focused on the white-haired man across from him.

“How did you find out?” Reman would have tried to deny it, but he had learned early in life that one couldn't lie to General Tullius with any chance of success. If his brother and father had trouble comprehending the truth, then that was their problem.

“You weren't exactly trying to hide it.” The old man wasn't incorrect; in his eyes, the younger Imperial had left a trail of crumbs any fool could track. It was easy enough to peg something involving the mysterious equines that accompanied his grandson, given the silence that overtook Reman whenever Marcus asked for specifics. “We're family, you can share everything with us.”

“I suppose the worst you could do is disown me.” The lycan laughed without humor, something he did rather often these last few days. After going by his given name for so long, returning to anonymity would be easy. It had only been a little over a week since Reman had become a Tullius once more, and he felt as though it would be torn from his hands again. “Summer Glade and I met under, shall we say, less than ideal conditions.”

“What kind of name is that?” Uriel had recovered from his startled state, and was now listening to his counterpart in earnest. Under the younger twin's reasoning, if Marcus believed it, then it only made sense for the tale to be true.

“The sort of name common in Equestrian society.” It was also one of the tidbits Reman never quite understood. Why would intelligent creature limit their names to simple words? Human names were often unique, with no analogues in nature, but the trend was lost on the ponies. “Hircine, I'm certain you all are familiar with the Father of Manbeasts, sent me to Equestria for sport.”

“And you somehow bedded one of the natives?” Antonius was feeling a bit better. If the religious man thought of the equines as a third race of beastfolk, the prospect of his first grandchild being birthed by one wasn't too hard to swallow. Much to the man's surprise, his lycan son grew flushed, as though he was embarrassed or ashamed of something.

“Actually, I infected her, was imprisoned, had dinner with the ponies' leaders, then visited some of Equestria's heroes in Ponyville.” Reman rattled off the abridged list of events like someone would read a recipe, even if the incredible tale was more than a little unbelievable.

“Then we had sex on Twilight's bed.” A bleached pegasus scampered into the room. Glade was followed by Emperor Titus Mede and Princess Luna, who were followed by the remaining party members in turn. The werewolf mare took a flying jump into her forebear's lap, fully aware that he was sitting with his nearest male relatives. The pregnant pony snuggled into the Reman's chest, and caught a familiar face staring at her with wide eyes. Upon seeing the resemblance the stranger had to her alpha, Glade looked up the more experienced lycan. “Since when are there two of you?”

“For as long as either of us can remember.” The lycan genuinely smiled at his twin, and hugged the pony in his lap closer. It was a few more seconds until the normally-attentive Reman Tullius to realize there was an elephant in the room. Said pachyderm was neither equine nor vampire in nature, and it did not involve the unborn addition to the werewolf's lineage. “When did the Emperor get here?”