Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice is not mine. Elements from this story is inspired by Thor: The Dark World and Harry Potter. All disclaimed.
On High Guard
Aspirator
ONE - PROLOGUE
The High Guard were the best Alices in the world - that is, genetically modified and trained to be the best but forever slaves to the Master who made them. And that was not an easy compliment. Alices were soldiers, and more. Alices were assassins, and more. Alices were spies…Alices were Alices. And there were many troupes of them all over the world. There were the HyperSian (whom are quite weapons friendly), the Shifu (whom specialized in ancient eastern martial arts), and many smaller armies. But none of them compare to the High Guard.
They were not enlisted. They were not volunteers. They were certainly not eager scholars. They were born and - brutally - raised into it. Though they didn't have the numbers unlike other Alice armies, they had the skill. They were an elite task force. They were unbeatable.
And they were Persona's. Without fail, he would remind them every day of that fact.
The High Guard were Persona's special project, but not his only project. So it was, with some heavy deliberation but mostly blackmail, that the High Guard were traded in surrender.
Sort of.
Persona had meant to put up a false front of surrender to this young, brave as she was, Queen. Or, at the time, she was the ex-Queen, fresh from an internal coup. Persona also meant to quickly strike her down once she had given him what he wanted.
Natsume knew this plan of course, because he was the Commander of the High Guard. Unlike their usual custom, Natsume had relayed the plan to the rest of the High Guard. Persona was cunning, sure, but the Commander has heard things about this Queen that he was willing to bet on. So he told his Guards to keep their eye open. They assured him that their loyalty, undoubtedly, lies with him, not Persona. Whatever decision Natsume makes when the time comes, they will follow without question.
So, as his gut instinct had told him, the Queen outwitted the Master.
Quite impressively, he thought at the time, because she made it look so easy. And this was Persona, who's got the best Alices in the world under his thumb.
Not anymore.
The emotionless High Guard stiffly marched in formation, standing behind the new Queen and her small band of loyal entourage in symbolism of the trade. The Queen merely stepped forward and handed the Master a box. Natsume briefly wondered what this "cure" for the "death mark" was that the Queen had given his former Master. But he put that thought aside for a more pressing matter. He glanced at his Guards, and they stared unblinkingly back at him in acknowledgement.
As soon as the exchange happened, Persona signalled for his other project. Codenamed the Black Cat.
The genetically modified leopard leaped from behind the wall, an astounding ten feet in the air.
Natsume, who anticipated this, leapt at the same time.
There was the sound of swords unsheathing beside him, the sound of a deadly growl, but the sound that made him freeze was the Queen's commanding voice.
"Stop."
And froze he did.
But so did the leopard.
Natsume gracefully returned to his position in front of the High Guards, emotionlessly watching the scenes unfold.
With a flick of her wrist, the Queen had put the deadly leopard, Persona's trump card, to sleep. Slumped to the ground, black belly moving up and down in slow breaths, completely non-fatal.
"Magic." Persona spat, anger oozing from his skin. "So the Royals do have Magic. It wasn't a myth after all." But he had more than two projects up his sleeve. With annoyance, because he didn't think they were ready for combat, Persona called out his newest army of Alices. The Soulless.
Unlike the 20 High Guard Persona had prepared, there were 100 Soulless.
The Guards knew their answer before they glanced at their Commander. Before Natsume even placed himself in front of the Queen to defend her from the first Soulless attack, the Guards had already surrounded her in protection.
They were backed quickly towards the exit. The Soulless were formidable, a high standard for a foe of the High Guard. After all, they were made by the same man who made the High Guard.
The only difference is, the Soulless were not fully trained.
Natsume slashed this way and that, his sword cutting through the air too fast for the human eyes to perceive. He ducked. He counterattacked. He drew blood. And they couldn't draw his.
Whatever the ten Soulless that he fought against let him to do in his counterattack, he made sure that he was always protecting her.
The Queen, kept carefully behind him and carefully without injury.
Though the High Guard were all unharmed, they knew they could not beat the sheer number that the foe presented. At least they were able to tear down half of the army.
Soon, they retreated to the Queen's mode of transportation.
So his first words to Queen were: "horses offer the least protection, and yet you chose them to escape the second most skilled army in the world." As an afterthought, he added, "Your Highness."
She looked at him evenly, her amethyst orbs as emotionless as his. "Perhaps it is how you ride them." She countered evenly, then almost reluctantly added, "and I have the first most skilled army in the world."
Before anything else could be exchanged, the Queen tilted her head sideways, leading her small entourage of one handmaiden, one knight, and two advisors out the exit while the High Guard covered for them.
The Imais were the most powerful Royals to rule in Aqalian history, while the High Guard were the best Alices army in the world. Unfortunately, it would be one ocean and another continent before that would make it back to Aqualia.
Natsume glanced sideways at the cold, terrorizing smile that tugged at the Queen's lips.
Whoever had overthrown the Queen had no idea what they had coming for them. Without a doubt, there was hell to pay.