CHAPTER 9:

OF ASSASSINATION AND DISILLUSIONMENT

As Harry surveyed the manor of Earl Julius, he thought back as to why he allowed Griffith to talk him into this. Griffith, not unreasonably, pointed out that if he died, then Casca would probably take command. And while Casca was a perfectly able commander, she wasn't going to be in favour with the court, with her sex alone being a big strike against her, never mind her mixed-race heritage, and the Band of the Hawk would become easy prey, or else would be dismissed from their position, still a strong blow, even if there weren't any other ramifications.

Julius had proven himself a threat before. It was best to not to give him a chance to strike again. The reason why Harry was chosen was, between his spells and the Invisibility Cloak, he was best suited to stealth.

Harry wasn't quite sure whether Griffith had an ulterior motive in mind. After all, Julius was in the line of succession to the throne, and if Griffith truly did want a kingdom, then Julius was in his way. Still, when he saw the Queen's carriage pull up, and watched her go in, he wondered why. He soon got his answer when, being perched outside the bedroom out of curiosity, he saw them going at it. His eyes widened, and then, narrowed. Leaving aside the infidelity to her husband, the fact is, Julius wasn't really a handsome man, while the Queen, while stern and harsh, was still beautiful. Maybe she was hedging her bets?

Afterwards, he heard them discussing matters, with one of them being Harry himself. He was actually heartened, slightly, to hear them taking his suggestions seriously. They weren't nice people, but they at least had some brains. Though his goodwill came to an end when he heard them both complaining about Griffith as an upstart…and then, he heard Julius call Casca a 'mulatto bitch'. And he had been around Casca long enough to know what a mulatto was.

Soon after the Queen left, Harry watched Julius once more as he trained with his son, if you could call that training. Julius seemed to be obsessed with ensuring that Adonis, a timid-looking boy, was strong enough to be ready for when he took over the White Dragon Knights. But it seemed more like Julius was taking out his anger on the boy, and an old retainer was protesting this, to no avail. Eventually, Julius tired of it, and went back inside. And that was what Harry was waiting for.

He snuck inside, following Julius to his chambers, and then waited, watching as the man stared into the fire, before hurling a goblet into it. "Damn you, Griffith!" he snarled. "If only that crossbow bolt had ended your miserable existence, I…"

"Avada Kedavra."

A strobe of green light briefly lit up the room on Harry's whisper, and Julius sagged in his chair, his eyes wide in shock. Harry nodded, his grim business done, and began making for the door, only for it to open. Harry kept the Invisibility Cloak around him, only to see Adonis creeping in. "Father, I wanted to…father?" Adonis went over to his father, and gasped when he saw the man's face. He then fled, screaming for the old retainer.

Harry sighed. A shame it happened like this, the kid discovering his father's corpse. Having been made an orphan himself, and by the same curse himself, he didn't like what he had done. But protecting Griffith would protect Casca, and the other Hawks, by proxy, And despite the assassin being publicly thought to be a Chuder assassin, it was only a matter of time before Julius struck again.

Plus, the way Julius treated the kid…it reminded him too much of how the Dursleys treated him. At least the old retainer seemed to care for Adonis' wellbeing. Maybe when he had a moment, he'd get Adonis something nice as an apology.


After taking the Portkey back to the barracks, he put away the Invisibility Cloak and the dark clothing he had worn under it, and then walked out, heading to the mess hall, hoping to tell Griffith about the successful mission. However, Griffith was conspicuous by his absence. Corkus was regaling Judeau, Rickert and Pippin with a bullshit tale, while Casca and Guts were talking to each other on some issue or other. Harry knew that their companies had drills today.

Harry walked down, and sat down next to Casca. "Harry, where have you been all day? Griffith said he had an errand for you to do," Casca asked.

"Yeah, and I was going to tell him I had finished. Where is he?"

Guts scoffed. "An invitation to a party with the Princess came at the last minute. So, what was the errand?"

"Secret. I need a drink first, then I'll smarten up and head up to find Griffith. Hopefully I can speak to him alone. Using a Patronus would be a bad idea."

Guts peered at him, before his face fell into a look of understanding. "He had you kill someone."

Casca looked at him sharply. "Is that true, Harry?" she asked quietly, making sure not to raise her voice so that attention wouldn't be drawn from the others. Harry nodded. And judging by the look in Casca's dark eyes, she knew just who he had targeted. "Nobody saw you?"

"If they did, I don't know about it..."


After a drink and a quick change of clothes, Harry made his way to the hall where Griffith was having his little party. Casca and Guts had insisted on accompanying him, and as they walked along the road to the hall, Harry spoke quietly of what happened, using a Privacy Charm to prevent them from being overheard. "Do you think I did the right thing, Cas?"

"…If Earl Julius really did target Griffith…then yes. He had no qualms about killing Griffith out of envy. And what you said about how he treated his son…" Casca mused.

"…Reminds me of what Gambino did," Guts remarked softly. "We've got no baby-sized swords here, he used to say." He put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "The kid could've done with toughening up, but I wouldn't wish what Gambino did on anyone."

There was something in Guts' tone that got through to Harry. Something that spoke of Gambino doing much more than just training the young Guts heavily. "I agree," Casca said. "It is one thing to take up the sword of your own free will, but…wait, hold back, I see him."

And indeed, they did. They had just been approaching the hall where Princess Charlotte had been holding her party, and they saw Griffith in finery, escorting Princess Charlotte around, before offering her his cloak to sit on. Harry, Guts and Casca approached, until they were just within earshot, the Privacy Charm hiding them from view.

"During the hunt, you asked why so many people delight in violence, the shedding of blood and ending lives," Griffith was saying. "It is a fact that few would care to acknowledge, but is a universal truth, that people have such a savage side to them. You notice this. And yet, it is also used to claim our desires, as well as to protect them from harm. Violence, then, is a double-edged sword."

"…And what do you desire? Love? Honour?" Charlotte asked.

Griffith looked at Charlotte. "I won't deny that to win love and honour are important things in life. A knight willing to fight and die for such things is a true knight indeed. But there is something more important than that…something even more precious than love or honour. A dream, one nurtured for one's own sake. People seek out the fulfilment of their dreams, regardless of their station, and such dreams can bring them to greater heights, or bring them down low. Dreams can revive or kill, and even if a dream leaves a man, it will smoulder within their hearts. One should be willing to die for the deity known as Dream, and I consider those without dreams to be little more than the walking dead, hollow shells that are mere parodies of human beings."

Silence fell for a time, before Griffith turned to the Princess with a smile. "My apologies, Princess. My little discourse must be tedious."

"No, no!" Charlotte said hastily. Then, she hesitantly began, "Lord Griffith…you are a truly marvellous person. Your nobility outshines many of those we call nobles. And yet, when you taught me how to use a leaf to whistle, you seemed like a playful, innocent child. And when you shared your thoughts, you showed yourself to be a philosopher." Casca scowled, looking away, not willing to see Griffith and Charlotte's courting, such as it was. "You are truly amazing, and I'm sure your friends believe so too. It's what draws them to you, doesn't it?"

"…Friends?" Griffith asked. "They are my soldiers, the best a commanding officer could ever ask for. They will ride into the maw of Death for the sake of my dream…but that does not make them my friends."

Harry's eyes narrowed. He felt Casca next to him stiffening, while Guts' mouth dropped open just a little, enough to be noticeable. Griffith continued, apparently unaware of his audience. "A friend should never subsist on the dream of another. Rather, a friend, to me, is someone who has a raison d'etre, a reason for living, that goes beyond me. They would protect that dream, put their life, heart and soul into it, even if it meant opposing me in the process. A man who I would call my friend must be my equal in every respect."

Harry found himself clenching a fist. "Bastard…"

"Harry…" Casca began, only for Harry to glare at her.

"He's wrong. Maybe in his little ambition, he thinks he's right…but a true friend watches someone's back. A true friend fights by your side. A true friend would listen to you, tell you when you were right and wrong, and you would listen. Even if you don't have a dream, if you just have a reason to live, one that goes beyond yourself, it is a life worth living. And some dreams are worth sharing. Tell me, Cas…what place do we have in Griffith's dream of his own kingdom? He doesn't actually want a friend…he just wants us to act as his stepping stones on the road to his kingdom. He doesn't want to share his dream."

There was a shriek from above, and a maid was coming to Charlotte, telling the Princess about the death of Julius. Harry, Casca, and Guts couldn't help but notice the cold smile that touched Griffith's lips. It was a terrible sight to behold.

"Come on," Guts said quietly, looking unusually pensive, even shaken, in a way Harry hadn't seen him before. And the trio headed back to the barracks of the Band of the Hawk, their faith in their commander shaken…


They were readying themselves for bed later in their shared room. Casca said, "Harry…I know you don't like what Griffith said…but I have known something of what he was like for some time. Not quite what he said then…but…"

"I'm not saying he's wholly wrong. A true friend has to be an equal in most ways, someone willing to fight you in certain matters…but what about you, Cas?" Harry said, looking at Casca, who was stripping off her clothes. "You have been with him longer than Guts or I. You should be more than his second in command, you should be his friend. Your loyalty to him is pretty much absolute."

"Exactly." Casca shook her head. "But…never mind. Harry…you are my friend. You have been my friend ever since we were children, even if it was only in dreams, even if we thought each other to be imaginary. Judeau, Pippin, Rickert…they are most definitely my friends. I'm not justifying Griffith's words to you. I can't. He is my commander. But you are my friend."

"…And that's the only reason I'm staying. For you and the others. Not for Griffith. But…there's something I want to ask. Remember what Corkus asked all those years ago? If he asked you to kill me, would you do it?" Harry asked.

Her response was delivered without hesitation, with a vehement shake of the head. "Never. If there is one thing I would fight Griffith on, no matter what, it is you. Only if you have betrayed me, and everything I hold dear, would I ever do so. And I know you would never do that." She approached Harry, and gently kissed him, her lips pressed to his own, her tongue probing at his mouth. The yearning, the hungering to affirm their connection.

He responded in kind, and their hands began to wander, touching, stroking, grasping. Clothes were eventually shed, left in untidy piles on the floor. Then, they broke away, looking at each other. "Do you really want this?" Harry asked quietly. It was a big step in their relationship, one that they hadn't taken yet, and given her bad experiences, he wasn't sure she was ready. He wanted her to be sure.

In the end, the nod he got in response was all he needed.

CHAPTER 9 ANNOTATIONS:

So, we've had Harry assassinating Julius (and Adonis was spared!), only to learn of Griffith's true colours. We'll be having another interlude chapter before the next arc begins.

Review-answering time! Otsutsuki no Yami: What happens will happen the same way as in canon, more or less. Unfortunately, Harry won't be around to help the Band of the Hawk, due to, well, let's just say that the Godhand don't want him rescuing Griffith before he's at his lowest.

rmarcano321: For Berserk, it'd be Guts, Casca, and Schierke, although I have only read about the latter in fanfics. For Harry Potter, it'd be Hermione, Luna, Tonks, and Remus. It's hard to pick any one character, really.

No numbered annotations this time.