[Note: I'm not entirely happy with how this came out, so I'd love to hear some opinions on it. If you see any ways this could be improved, please let me know via pm or review. It'll be much appreciated!]
In her final moments, there were only two things going through the mind of Audrey Gassenarl. She knew that she was going to die, and that there was no avoiding it. And she was afraid.
In her own eyes, her intentions had been good ones. But if you were to ask a person who fought on the opposite side, they were most likely to call her by unflattering names. In the best case scenario, they might think of her as a terribly misguided person. Finding that person, however, would probably be a hard task.
The day those intentions had led her onto the wrong path was the day Archduchess Cordelia had revealed her Darcsen heritage. Of course, whether it was "wrong" was a matter of perspective. To Audrey, it had been the only path to take.
It had been a day since Cordelia's announcement, but Audrey's brain still hadn't quite managed to process that fact. No, that wasn't quite right. Understanding that the Archduchess was a Darcsen was easy enough. Rather, what gave her difficulty was everything it entailed.
The first thing it meant was that the Gallian royal family had deceived its own people for generations. What sort of ruler lied to their own people? Audrey scoffed. It was proof that the Archduchess couldn't be trusted. Previously, Audrey had been proud that she had sworn loyalty to the royal family and enlisted in the army. Now that fact only caused her to feel shame, even though there was no way she could have known.
There also was the issue of what it meant for someone to be a Darcsen. Because the Darcsen race had terrorized Europa long ago, they still lived in shame to this day. And rightfully so, Audrey thought to herself. It had taken the strength of the Valkyrur to bring about their defeat. The thought that the rulers of the "true" Gallians belonged to the race that once nearly destroyed Europa was unbearable.
The woman gripped the blue pendant she always wore around her neck. It was a symbol of the Valkyrur that had saved Europa in ages past, and it was also a testament to her faith. To Audrey, the Valkyrur were gods. How could she possibly accept a ruler belonging to the race that had brought the wrath of the gods upon themselves?
A Darcsen. A word people would spit more than speak. Audrey couldn't possibly accept that kind of ruler. It conflicted with her faith and her pride as a Gallian.
The woman paced back and forth in her room, unable to come to terms with the new situation. The only thing clear to her was that things needed to change. But where to start? She stopped in mid-stride when someone knocked on her door.
"What is it?" she asked, not in the mood to deal with matters of little importance.
"Audrey, father has called for us. We'll do better to not make him wait." Audrey recognized the voice as Baldren's. She knew well that when their father called, it had to be something important. The woman was quick to follow her brother.
As it turned out, their father also was none too thrilled about Archduchess Cordelia's revelation. To the degree, in fact, that he already had thought of several possible measures to remove her from the throne. That sort of speed commanded respect, Audrey thought. At the same time, she felt a bit embarrassed at how she had been completely overtaken by confusion and not done anything useful during the same timeframe.
Gilbert Gassenarl took the time to explain each possible course of action in detail. It was obvious that a lot of thought had gone into his planning. He must have been working intensely. Perhaps even overnight? Audrey wondered to herself. While she only had- no, there was no use in wasting energy on that sort of thinking. What was important now was which course would be the most likely to succeed, and which reactions they would meet upon a possible failure.
The matter of their cooperation was not a question. Count Gassenarl had been strict in raising his children, and he expected their full support. Nor did Audrey see any reason to question her father. Her goals were the same as his, to ensure that the Archduchess lose her position as soon as possible and lead Gallia back onto the right path. She knew that the same also held true for Baldren. They ended up discussing the matter for a little longer, before it was decided when they would begin and what actions should be taken.
After the discussion, Audrey retreated to her room. She was still in need of some time to spend in her own company.
"Sacred Gallia can only prosper under Valkyrian rule," she muttered to herself. As a Yggdist, it was a phrase she fully believed in. Sooner or later, a Darcsen ruler was bound to bring about ruin like the Darcsen race had done before. Nothing good could be expected of a race who had gone far enough for gods to oppose them. Audrey's own support of the royal family had been largely based on the fact that they were of Valkyrian heritage. But now their lie had been exposed and she felt nothing but contempt for them.
Audrey realized that the actions they were about to take might very well bring about a civil war. War was not a thing to make slight of - that she had learned while she fought to defend Gallia during the Second Europan war. The destruction a civil war might bring would undoubtedly hurt Gallia in the short term. But in the long term, she knew that Gallia would recover from the damage and be able to prosper under proper rule.
She also knew that she would see familiar faces on the enemy's side. Not expecting to fight any of the people who had served alongside her in the Gallian Military would be naive. Gallia was a small country. But it was a sacrifice she was prepared to accept for sacred Gallia. In the end those who still supported the Archduchess were no better than their ruler, Audrey told herself. They supported Darcsen rule, and through that the inevitable destruction of Gallia.
On that day, Audrey swore to herself that she would fight to prevent that it ever would come to that.
And she had fought with all her might. But it had not been enough. A fear-filled scream made its way out of the rebel commander's mouth before an explosion tore her tank into pieces. And her with it. She would not be remembered as a savior of Gallia, but one of its enemies.