Tyranny of Steel

Weeks passed by, and the long awaited supply ships arrived in Australia. Along with a significant number of men who could begin the construction of a proper military base. Honoria said her goodbyes to her crew before departing with Malissa back to Singapore. It wasn't an overly emotional affair, as Honoria had already said everything that was needed to be said to Elfrun. As for the rest of the crew, she barely even knew half their names. 

The two women flew together back to Kufstein, where they shared one last conversation before saying their goodbyes. Honoria struggled to fight back the tears in her eyes as she gazed fondly upon her old first mate. It was difficult for the woman to find her voice, but in the end, she posed the question she was most curious about.

"So... Where will you go now?"

Malissa was equally emotionally stricken as she sighed heavily and gazed off towards the west. There were several moments of silence before she revealed her plans. 

"I think I'm going to buy a ticket for Neuhafen. The city is a den of vice. Gambling, Prostitution, drugs, alcohol and plenty of it. It sounds like my kind of place. I might use my vast fortune to open up a casino, as well as a brothel or two.

Obviously I know the business pretty well, and for a lot of foreign girls, it's a better option than remaining in their homelands. I'll treat them right, maybe even re-invent the game when I'm at it. What about you Honoria? I suppose I already know the answer, but what are you going to do now that you have finally retired from the pirate's life?"

Honoria merely scoffed as she wiped the tears from her eyes before responding to the woman's question.

"What else can I do? Get down on my knees and beg my children for forgiveness. The looks in their eyes when they saw me going on my last journey. It was truly gut wrenching. I owe it to my kids to be the mother that I should have been all those years ago. I wish you the best of luck, Malissa, and hope that one day we may meet again..."

Malissa said nothing and merely nodded her head. The two women exchanged a brief hug before departing. It was entirely unknown whether they would see each other again in this life. But Malissa could sigh in relief, knowing that Honoria was no longer the naive girl who recklessly ran away from home all those years ago.

Honoria had not informed Berengar that she would be returning home so soon. But nothing within the reich escaped Linde's ears, even in a distant colony like Singapore. Because of this, a car was waiting for Honoria at the airbase, which quickly brought her back to the palace. 

The moment she stepped out of the vehicle, she saw her three kids waiting for her, along with her husband and Linde. Alexandros and Helena gazed upon their biological mother with complex emotions in their hearts. They had honestly never expected the woman to quit half-way through her retirement voyage and come home.

As for Constantinus, he was merely an infant, and was held in Linde's arms as if he were her own child. A sight that was all too common among Honoria's children. Berengar approached Honoria, who had a long expression on her face, and hugged the woman before whispering into her ears the words she wanted to hear the most.

"Welcome Home..."

Home. This was where she was meant to be all along. It suddenly seemed so preposterous that she had spent so many years running away from this place when it was the source of all her greatest memories. Honoria nodded her head and repeated the words as if she were in a trance.

"Home... Yes, I am finally home..."

Linde had a complicated expression on her face. Honoria and she had a special bond, one that was second only to the ones they both shared with their husband. She could tell Honoria had a difficult time coming to terms with her retirement. Even she was surprised when she heard that Honoria had boarded the supply ship and abandoned her crew. 

While Linde was reflecting on this, Berengar and Honoria continue to embrace each other for several moments before the man let go of his wife. After doing so, he smiled and grabbed hold of the woman's luggage, preparing to bring it inside their home. With a wry smile on his face, he mentioned what he and their kids had been up to during her absence. 

"I promised the kids we would go out to eat as a family when you finally returned. I honestly didn't expect it to be so soon. However, I know what the flight from Singapore does to a person, so I will let you get a few days' worth of rest before we have our little family outing."

Honoria was honestly surprised to hear this. She looked over at her two oldest children with a hint of suspicion in her heart before posing her a question to her husband.

"The kids agreed to this?"

Berengar smiled, but before he could even respond, Helena spoke up on his behalf. 

"Alexandros and I have both agreed to give you a second chance at being our mother. Something we would have never done before you retired from your life of Piracy."

These words broke a barrier within Honoria's mind that she had erected to prevent herself from succumbing to the tears that were ever present in the back of her eyes. The moment she heard her kids say they were giving her a second chance, she fell to her knees and bawled like a bitch.

The sight was so startling that both of her Kids rushed forward to help the woman, as did Linde and Berengar. When Alexandros and Helena came near, Honoria wrapped her arms around them while struggling to say the following words between her sobbing. 

"Thank you... I promise... To do everything I can... To make up for all those years..."

Alexandros and Helena were still young kids, and they did not have the mental fortitude to remain calm in such a situation. All it took was for one of them to begin crying before the other one followed suit. Surprisingly, it was the older of the two siblings, Alexandros, who broke down first.

Linde smiled at the scene. Though the mother and two kids were crying, the redheaded beauty knew this was a good sign. It was the start of a new and healthier relationship between Honoria and her kids. Even Berengar was nearly moved to tears. 

However, he was a man, and as a man he had resolved himself never to cry, especially not in public. Perhaps, at three in the morning, he might take a smoke break and go bawl his eyes out on the patio by himself. But at this moment, he was as firm as a rock, even when everyone else was moved to tears. The lack of emotion on his face actually caused Linde to become a bit enraged. She balled up her fists and lightly pounded Berengar on the chest as he gazed coldly at the scene. 

"How can you not be crying at a time like this? Are you really that much of an unfeeling asshole?" 

Berengar did not scoff. There was no disdain on his face, nor was there any anger about the sudden "assault". Instead, he gazed upon his most beloved wife and wore a pitiful expression before revealing his thoughts to the woman he loved. 

"I do not have the luxury to cry..."

Linde heard Berengar's words and did not understand them at first. However, as she looked around, she realized they were still within the driveway of the Imperial Palace. When she realized they were in public and behaving so shamefully, the woman sniffled for several seconds, and fought back the tears before nodding her head thrice. After doing so, she hugged her man and whispered something in his ears.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it..."

Berengar merely nodded his head before responding to her apology.

"I know..."

With this said, Berengar allowed his third wife and their two kids to cry out all their emotions. After doing so, he led them inside and hosted a special retirement meal for Honoria. Every member of his family was present, and he made sure to do his best to shower Honoria with the love she needed during this painful transition in her life.  As for the family outing that he had promised, that would occur on the weekend. 

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