A/N: hello and welcome to my Kingsman fic! I hope you enjoy it!


Chapter 1: Miss King

"Oi!" Rita screamed, pounding her fists on the metal door when she heard everything go quiet. She blew a piece of her wild, elbow length, caramel colored, wavy hair from her blue-gray stare before yelling, "Whoever's out there, get me out of this damn room right now!"

The door's lock sounded, making her stop pounding and stare at it in shock before it slowly opened. She stared ahead in shock with a raised fist, ready to slam onto the door before it fell to her side when she was greeted with the sight of a man she knew very well.

"Merlin," she breathed.

"Rita?" he frowned back at her in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"Father had me put here for my protection," she replied. "Does this mean…Valentine's been stopped?"

"Yes, but—"

"Oh, thank God!" she sighed in relief as she stepped past him and into the hall and he moved aside to let her through before turning to her. She looked around the hall at the others that were locked up being released before she gasped when she nearly tripped on a corpse in front of her missing its head, but Merlin caught her arm before she could topple to the ground. "What the bloody hell happened here?"

"I'll explain everything on the plane, but, Miss King, there's something—"

"Where is father?" she cut in, looking around the hall before looking to him in wonder at why he looked forlorn. "Merlin?"

"Rita," he began, making her frown deepen at his tone. "I'm…sorry to have to tell you this, but…Arthur—your father…is dead."

Her gray eyes shot wide in disbelief as she remained silent. She could see the truth in his eyes, but she still shook her head, refusing to believe it herself.

"One of our…recruits found out he was an ally of Valentine's and your father, in an attempt to kill the recruit, inadvertently killed himself," Merlin explained. "He drank his own poison."

"Who was he trying to kill?" Rita breathed, then glanced around again before asking, "And where's Harry? He should be on this mission, shouldn't he? You're usually not in the field."

"Valentine killed Harry," he replied, shooting her gaze to him again. "He shot him in the head."

"How…How is that possible?" she breathed, shaking her head in disbelief again. "Harry's the best agent in Kingsman! No one could—!"

"Rita, please, let's get you to the plane and I'll explain everything," Merlin reiterated.

Rita gave a dazed nod as Merlin gently took her arm and led her down the hall, helping her step over the dead bodies of Valentine's men so she wouldn't trip. Her mind was reeling as Merlin only led her toward the plane, past the people on phones trying to get someone from their government to come pick them up.

Her father was dead. Harry, a man she had viewed as family, was dead.

She didn't want to believe it, but with everything that had happened, and the decisions her father had been making, a part of her – a small part – wasn't really surprised.

Now, her mind reeled with questions: What would happen to Kingsman? What would happen to her? Where would she go? What would she do?

She didn't realize she was sitting in the plane and sat until Merlin set a glass of water on the small table in front of her. She jumped with a start and looked up at him with wide eyes and he only nodded with a reassuring smile before stepping toward the cockpit, drawing her attention forward where she noticed a young man, about her age, in a suit…a Kingsman suit. He was looking out the window to his left, an ankle up and resting on his knee before his gaze turned to her and he gave a charming smile.

"Back to Earth, are ya?" he smirked in a rough accent, making her frown at him before he shifted and leaned forward to hold a hand toward her. "I'm Eggsy."

Rita frowned and hesitantly leaned forward to take his hand, shaking it as she nodded, replying, "I'm Rita."

"Nice to meet you, Rita," Eggsy nodded in return before reclining back again, and she watched him for a moment as the plane engine started up. She guessed Merlin would explain everything once they were underway and he could put the autopilot on.

"You're a Kingsman?" she wondered, making him look to her in wide-eyed surprise before straightening.

"Well, uh…sort of," he replied honestly, making her frown at him in wonder. "It's a bit complicated. I'm sure Merlin will explain it all once we pick up Roxie. I mean, Lancelot."

"The new Lancelot?" she guessed.

"Yeah," he nodded, then wondered, "How long were you in there?"

"Just before recruitment for Lancelot's position started," she replied, solemnly. "I've been locked in there for months."

"I'm sorry," Eggsy murmured, sincerely, reaching out to take her hand as it sat next to her glass of water, and she shot her gaze at him before nodding her thanks. He gave her hand a small squeeze before sitting back again and asking, "How do you know about Kingsman, then? You an agent?"

"No," she chuckled, slightly as she shook her head, explaining, "I'm a sort of patron I suppose. See, my name is Rita King."

Eggsy's eyes shot wide in recognition, making her smile slightly in understanding as he muttered, "Oh…"

"Now you understand," she noticed. "I'm Chester King's daughter."

"Y-Yeah," he replied, shifting nervously in his seat. "I…I didn't know he had a daughter."

"Only the agents knew," she replied, looking out her window in sorrow as she added, "Like Harry. He…He was like family to me. A second father, nearly."

"I know what you mean," Eggsy murmured, drawing her attention to him again as it was his turn to look out his window. "He was the one that recruited me."

They were silent for a few more moments before Rita broke the silence with a question she couldn't hold in any longer.

"Is your name really Eggsy, or is that the name you came up with for yourself?" she blurted, making him turn to her in surprise before he gave a hearty laugh.

"Nah, it's a nickname," he chuckled. "My real name's Gary Unwin. But everybody calls me Eggsy."

"Mind if I call you Gary?" she asked, making him frown in wonder. "Sorry, but I can't take it seriously when I call you Eggsy."

"Yeah, sure," he shrugged, casually. "I don't mind."

"I don't mean to sound so snobbish about it," she apologized, catching herself. "I've just…never been one for nicknames for anyone, really."

"That doesn't make you a snob," he replied.

"Thank you," she replied, looking out her window again, adding, "As much as I loved him…I don't want to end up like my father."

Eggsy looked to her in shock, but she kept her gaze out the window. He noted that she spoke of her father, Chester King aka Arthur in the past tense, leading him to believe she knew what had happened to him. But did she know everything, he wondered. Did she know he died during a failed attempt to kill him? He realized she must not have known, because if she did, surely she wouldn't be talking to him. Well, if she had to hear it from anyone, it should probably be him. Mustering his courage he took a deep breath and leaned forward, slightly, catching her attention and making her look to him in wide-eyed wonder.

"Miss King—"

"Call me Rita," she smiled, warmly, almost weakly, making him look up at her in sorrow before nodding.

"A'right then, Rita," he smirked, but became solemn again when he recalled what he was trying to say. "Listen, um…about Arthur—"

"You pair strapped in?" Merlin called from the pilot's seat, making the two jump and Rita looked around for her seatbelt. "We're about to take off. Eggsy, get up here. I have to talk to you."

Eggsy gave a sigh before smiling to Rita as she strapped herself in, then stood and made his way toward the cockpit, sitting himself in the co-pilot's seat as Merlin made his checks for take-off.

"What is it?" Eggsy asked, watching the man's hands move expertly over the control panel.

"Don't say anything to her about what happened to Arthur," Merlin replied, cutting to the chase, making Eggsy frown at him in wonder and disbelief. "She knows he's dead, but she doesn't know the details. I haven't told her."

"Why can't I tell her?" Eggsy wondered. "It was me that had to do it."

"She should hear about from someone she knows and trusts," Merlin explained. "She hears it from you she'll lash out, and it won't be good. Trust me on this one, Eggsy."

"Fine, fine," Eggsy replied, lifting his hands in surrender as Merlin took the controls and pushed the plane down the runway. Once they were in the sky, and Merlin made a few more adjustments, Eggsy couldn't hold back the one question on his mind since the mission ended. "So…what's gonna happen to Kingsman now?"

Merlin faltered over a switch before flipping it, not looking to Eggsy as he replied, "We'll see how many are left, then go from there. I'll have to talk to Rita as well. She inherits his assets upon his death…that includes his Kingsman title, if she wants it."

"Bloody hell," Eggsy breathed in astonishment. "Think she'll even want to keep it going? I mean, if she's the head of the whole thing now, she might not want it."

"She'll do what she feels is right," Merlin replied. "I'll explain everything to her once we pick up Lancelot."


Later...

Rita sat in the same place she had been when she met Eggsy, but now a girl named Roxy, the new Lancelot, was with them. The plane was on autopilot as Merlin sat in front of her where Eggsy had been sitting, who was now sitting down the aisle with Roxy. Rita stared at merlin in absolute astonishment, her eyes glassy with tears at the story Merlin told her of the events that had gone on after she was locked away. She stared into space for so long that Merlin worried she'd gone into some kind of shock that she might never recover from.

"Rita?" he called, warily, making her look up to him in a daze.

"Yes," she shuddered, remembering herself and quickly wiping the tears from her face then straightened and took in a deep breath to look at Merlin, squarely. "Tell them they can come back over here. I'd like to speak with all of you."

Merlin nodded and looked to Eggsy and Roxy, who had been staring intently at the two for some time, and waved them over. Eggsy was quick to get to his feet and head over as Roxy slowly stood and followed. Eggsy sat in the seat next to Rita, making her frown at him in wonder before turning back to Merlin and Roxy who now sat together.

"Possibly you're all wondering what I was doing in that cell," she began in a slightly shaky voice, still raw with emotion. "Or perhaps you already know, but I'll explain myself in any case.

"As you know, my father was in favor of Valentine's – to put it politely – ludicrous plan. What you don't know is that when they had their meeting, Father me along with him. Of course, I opposed the entire idea and when my father tried…'reason' with me, Valentine threatened me. However, Father threatened to do everything in his power to stop him if he laid a hand on me. So, Valentine suggested I be taken to a safe place instead, where I wouldn't cause any trouble. My father agreed to the terms, and I ended up in that cell where you found me."

She turned to Eggsy, making him look to her in wide-eyed terror, knowing Merlin had told her he was the one that had killed Arthur…who had tried to kill him.

"You needn't look so terrified. You won't have any trouble from me," she assured him before glancing around at the three to add, "Any of you. I know you all had to make decisions for the greater good of the human race. It was only a matter of time before my father made a decision of his own that would get him killed."

Rita looked forlornly toward the window next to her, watching clouds pass by before she murmured, "But…Harry didn't deserve to die like that. He didn't deserve to die at all."

Roxy lowered her head in sorrow as Merlin only gave a nod of agreement and Rita shifted to look at Eggsy again as he gazed into space. She reached out and gently touched his wrist, consolingly, making him look to her with wide eyes as she only smiled warmly, knowing he had seen Harry as a father figure.

A thought suddenly occurred to her, before she turned to Merlin and asked, "Do we know how many Kingsman were lost?"

"Not yet," Merlin replied. "I've sent messages to each of them, but I haven't had anything back."

"Where are we going?" Roxy wondered.

"Back to headquarters," Merlin replied, looking to Rita to nod, "We'll decide what to do next when we arrive. Lancelot, you get to co-pilot."

Merlin stood as Roxy followed him to the cockpit and Rita shifted to sit properly in her seat, Eggsy standing to step toward the seat Merlin had vacated and sat, watching Rita. He started wringing his hands. Even thought she'd told him not to worry, he was still sure she was angry. She had to be. After all, he was the man that killed her father. How could she not be enraged by it?

"Gary, what's the matter?"

He shot his gaze to her to find her staring at him with a slight frown over her blue-gray gaze. He swallowed and sat up straight in his seat, one hand on his leg and rubbing his knee, nervously.

"Just wondering if I'm really alright with you," he replied, honestly, making her give a small smile before looking back to the view outside her window.

"I know what my father was," she replied. "Harry called him a snob, and he was right. Unfortunately, Valentine's plans played on that part of him. He couldn't resist the opportunity to change the world…to the way he wanted it. Kingsman was taking too long."

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were pleased your old man is gone," Eggsy noted, making Rita turn her gaze to him again.

"And you do know better?" she wondered, curious about what he would say.

"Every girl loves her dad," he smirked, solemnly and Rita stared at him in wide-eyed disbelief, making him frown back at her in wonder.

That was the last straw. She jerked as she burst out a sob, making his frown deepen before she lifted her hands to bow her face into them, her shoulders shuddering with sobs. Eggsy swallowed hard before taking his earlier seat next to her, hesitantly wrapping an arm around her shoulders, trying to console her.

"Rita…I'm sorry," he whispered.

Instead of responding, she only leaned against him, rubbing her face into the lapel of his suit. He stiffened a bit, starting to feel awkward before he relaxed a bit and wrapped his other arm around her. After a moment or two, she finally calmed her sobs and gently pushed away from him to sniffle and dry her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she shuddered, wiping her face. "I don't…usually react like that."

"It's alright," he assured her, reaching into his breast pocket for the handkerchief in it and handed it to her. "I'm sorry I said anything."

"No, it isn't your fault," she blubbered, shaking her head as she took the handkerchief and used it to dry her eyes. "I think it just hit me suddenly."

"It's alright," he assured her. "I'm pretty good at bein' a shoulder to cry on. Mum uses both of 'em pretty well."

"Tell me about your family," she murmured, handing the tear-stained handkerchief back to him, but he gently pushed it back toward, silently signaling that she should keep it. "I could use a distraction right now."

"Nothin' much to tell, really," he shrugged, pulling his arm from around her. "Mum, little sis…mum's boyfriend."

"I gather from your tone you don't like the boyfriend much," she noticed.

"He's a prick," he blurted. "Mum's afraid of him. He tries to take me out every chance he gets."

"Well, I'm certain you'll be able to take care of him with your training once you get back," she guessed, then looked to her lap in thought before murmuring, "I have to decide what to do now, don't I?"

"I suppose," he shrugged as she turned her gaze to the window again. Then, trying to distract her again, he said, "Wanna hear about my time training? There are some pretty funny stories."

Rita looked to him with a smile and nodded, "I'm certain they are. Go one, then. Tell me some stories."


A/N: reviews?