Ney talks in hushed whispers to a small hand mirror clasped to her chest.
"Elluka and Mariam...They killed Presi."
An irritated voice and a click of the tongue respond, "Tch, well the. Presi was a fool to act so soon anyway. This will not change our plans. Tonight, the Queen dies."
Amongst the quietness of night in the Lucifenian castle, a red cat scurries like a mouse through the corridors soundlessly. It carries a glass in it's mouth. Finding the master bedroom door open, it jumps nimbly onto the Queen's bed and lets a single drop of crimson drip into the Queen's ear. With it's job complete, it hurriedly disappears the same way it came, without a trace.
Queen Anne Lucifen D'Austriche was declared dead the next day. Cause of death: Goula.
…
Prim Marlon raps her throne impatiently.
"Where is the mail?" The new mailman was late every now and then. "I am going to send him to the guillotine for trying my patience so!"
"Dear, we discussed this, the man's new to the roads here." King Marlon patted her hand.
He suspiciously eyed Prim's new "adviser". She constantly wore a black hood and carried a red cat around.
The mail finally arrived. "Finally!"
Prim dug furiously through the pile to find her letters. The king leisurely picked one up. It was from the kingdom of Lucifenia. He opened it gingerly, though it was supposed to be someone else s job. His eyebrows arched in surprise as he read it.
"Prim?" Prim poke up from the mountain of letters. "What? Has anyone seen my magazine subscription?"
"Prim..." The king paused to reread the dubious piece of news, "Anne's dead."
There was a pause.
"You mean...The noble Anne Kyrene, from Elphegort?" "No-Prim! She was your best friend!"
Prim gripped her skirts. She left the king to his letters without another word. Safe in the sanctuary of her dressing room, she exhaled. This hadn't been accounted for in her plans at all. Abyss appeared beside her in a puff of smoke.
"So, mourning for the enemy are we?" Prim's venomous glare didn't faze her. "I suppose you still have feelings for that 'best friend' of yours, eh?"
"Why did you kill her?! I wasn't done making her suffer...Now, my plans..." In rage, Prim grabbed her hand mirror out of her pocket and flung it at Abyss, who caught it promptly.
"Temper, temper...Pride sleeps in these you know?" She held it so it caught the sunlight. "Wouldn't want that to break, now do we?"
Prim took a deep breath. Abyss was right. Moping over failed blueprints did no good. Anne's suffering may be unfinished but the coup Du grace could still be delivered through her children. Yes, she'll take all of Lucifenia for herself. Anne had been an obstacle, but now with her gone and her stupid daughter in the throne, the field was set for the conquest for humility of Lucifenia.
…
"Now are you sure about this, Leonhart? You already have that girl to care for..."
"I'll manage. Germaine will help too."
Alexiel, now Allen Avadonia, was going to be adopted into the Avadonia family to prevent any future assassination attempts. There were many complications regarding this though. The prince was declared dead, for one, and two, he was to be hidden forever.
"I wonder if the memory loss will even be a problem..."
"Don't sweat it, Mariam. You make a great head maid." There was a following loud slap and nervous chuckles.
"I know how hard it is to raise a child. I found Ney unconscious sometime ago and raised her myself."
"Yeah, yeah, you're the expert." Leonhart pushes open the door, facing his new foster son with a cheery smile.
"Well, ready to go?"
"You're sure you want to leave, Alex-I mean, Allen?"
"Yes." The boy's unwavering tone was admirable. "Because, without me around, unnecessary conflicts won't occur."
Leonhart helped Allen with his bags as they arrived at the Avadonia household. Germaine Avadonia burst out the front door and began chatting as she helped.
"Who's this?" "He's Allen, your new brother, Germaine."
"Oh my GOSH! I've always wanted a little brother! What's your favorite food? Color? Clothing?..."
Allen didn't answer any of his new sister's questions. She blabbed on as he went to his new room. It was small, compared to the one he had back at the palace.
He sighed. This was all his fault. If only he hadn't suggest they run away to play that day. If only he never found the secret fireplace passage, he'd still be able to stay with Riliane. And she'd remember him. But that was past. Now, he was Allen. I'll find a way to help her, even in this state...
A year after the transfer, Allen remained distant from his foster family. Then one day, the local locksmith went around town tearing his hair out about his missing daughter, Chartette Langley. Saying she had disappeared in the Forest of Bewilderment (Eldoh Forest) days ago, all the other adults thought her dead. All who wander in, save a few experts, were bound to succumb to hunger before ever seeing daylight again.
"Sad. They're giving up because they're all afraid." Germaine looked forlornly at the lights from the torches the adults held.
"She's not dead." Allen said stiffly. He was transfixed on the woods in the background. Germaine glanced at her brother, he had a new light in his eyes. She wasn't sure but she decided to go with his judgment. She threw open the closet and retrieved two rapiers.
"Germaine, what-" Allen was stunned when Germaine threw one to him.
"C'mon, we're going to rescue that girl."
The Forest was truly terrifying at night. It was known to have misleading fogs and gnarled ways of trees. The owls hoot was like a call of death. It was so dark the kids could barely see each other's silhouettes in the moonlight. Yet the two kids were focused and unmoved.
"Allen. Do you hate me?" Allen turned to his sister, surprised.
"No. Why would I?" "Because you never seem to be around. And if you are, you never talk."
"I...I just don't like company much." "Really?"
"Well, maybe some people are okay. Like you." "But all you do is stare into space."
The two siblings, once isolated, were opening up to each other fine. They even had a few laughs.
"Sometimes, I feel like-" Germaine's voice was suddenly muffled by a dark covering. Allen thought he was going crazy when he saw a big rock like figure lumber away.
"Germaine?" He called out, unanswered. Germaine's rapier was left on the floor next to deep prints in the soil. Allen picked up his sister's weapon with a dreaded feeling and ran after her captor.
Allen waded through a swampy marsh, dirtying his pants. He could see a fire lit amongst the trees. Several shadows elongated and retreated with the flickering light. As quietly as he could, he tiptoed to the closest bushes to the circle.
Four bandits, clad in black clothing and a mask covering their face, were laughing. A pig was roasting in the spit. One bandit had an usually large sack behind him. They all wielded wicked looking knives and daggers.
Allen assessed his thoughts. Okay, I'm way over my head here. They're dangerous bandits with really sharp weapons their not afraid to use and there's way more of them than me.
Allen spotted a stone lying by his feet. A risky idea began forming in his mind.
"Ow!" The fat bandit jumped. A small stone had egged him on the head. "Who threw that?!"
When no one admitted to the crime, the brilliant dunderhead deduced that the perpetrator must've been in the bushes. When he entered the foliage, there was a grunt-like yelp and a loud thud.
"What happened? Who's there?!" The bandits drew their weapons and sidled closer to the bush.
An agile figure jumped out from the brush and slashed the tendons off a bandit's leg. He crumpled, unable to stand as the two others swiped carelessly and fatally wounded each other. Allen breathed a sigh of relief, "Good thing you guys are as dumb as you look..."
He cut open the sack and Germaine's listless body tumbled out. A gag covered her mouth and nose. Her hands and legs were tied. The gag smelled of ether.
Allen quickly remove the ropes and the gag. He got water from a nearby stream and splashed Germaine on the face. She muttered, "Five more minutes..." and her head lolled.
"GERMAINE! WAKE UP!" Allen called in his loud voice he'd never used before. Germaine sat up almost instantly. She sputtered a bit.
"Allen? What happened?" Allen handed her the rapier.
"Come on, we don't have time. Chartette may be dead already."
The calm night and moon provided a lead for the two brave children as they traversed the forest. Moonlight lit along a swath of trampled soil, leading to an ancient well. Strangely, there was an iron grate next to the well. Allen heard voices whisper excitedly, yet indistinct, as they approached.
Germaine looked down the well.
"Hey, look," She whispered, "There's some kind of opening on the side of the well. And it has a ladder to it."
The two climbed down the ladder cautiously. Allen peered past the unlocked door. Inside, he saw more bandits. Chartette Langley hung upside down, bound in ropes to the ceiling. Allen decided to take his chances.
Much to Germaine's surprise, Allen swooped into the bandit's hideout and knocked one bandit out in a flash. The others began to counterattack and much to their dismay, Germaine joined in with the fight. One bandit out of desperation hurled numerous items at the two intruders. Including Chartette. She rammed into Allen, and the two toppled into the waters below.
"ALLEN!" Germaine watched helplessly as bubbles wriggled to the surface. She felt a tug as one large bandit gripped her arm.
"AHHH!" She swung her rapier skyward and clonked him squarely on the head. In his confusion, he toppled onto some of his comrades and was rendered incapacitated. The other bandits tried to run but got their butts whipped by Germaine.
"Allen!" Germaine began descending down to the well waters by rope and jumped in. It was really dark, but from the direction of the flurry of air bubbles, she could make out Allen tangled in Chartette's bindings which were wedged on a loose brick jutting out from the side of the well. With great difficulty, she wrenched the two of them free and broke to the surface.
Exhausted, she lugged them both up the ladder and lay there gasping for a long time from fatigue. Allen shot up and began coughing water.
"Germaine! You...You saved us!" Germaine was practically asleep.
"Oh, Allen, you're okay..." She trailed off in words. A loud snore erupted from her throat.
Allen turned quickly to the quiet Chartette Langley. She was turning ashen and she wasn't breathing. Mustering up the courage (and blushing a bit), Allen gingerly pushes his lips onto Chartette's and begins blowing hard as he thrusts down on her chest. The next minute, she's wide awake. Chartette pushes Allen away and starts screaming at him.
"OH MY GODS! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!? THERE'S SOMETHING CALLED 'KEEP YOU'RE HANDS TO YOURSELF', BUSTER! AND WHY ARE YOU KISSING ME?!"
The noise woke Germaine. "What in the name of Levia are you-"
"Oh, thank the gods!" Chartette surprised the half-awake Germaine with a bear hug.
"I was thinking I'd die down there! I was just wandering the forest and then these bandits come and-Oh, I'm just so glad Big Sister saved me!"
Big Sister? Germaine and Allen exchanged puzzled looks.
"Nonetheless," Germaine relaxes. "Mission accomplished."
The townsfolk are a little less than impressed when the three musketeers come strolling back at 3AM in the morning.
"What were you thinking?!" "You could have been killed!"
The locksmith was grateful at least. Sort of. Not really.
He exploded into a mushy pile of tears and snot as he squeezed his daughter in his arms. Afterward, he scolded her for the rest of the night. Leonhart reacted the worst.
He was drunk, only fueling his monstrous temper.
"You stupid kid!" Leonhart struck Allen. "You damn near killed yourselves!"
Germaine partook in the drinking. Leonhart scolded her too, but she retaliated. After an hour of lectures, Leonhart cried, "I thought for sure...you died..." Germaine felt tears welling, Allen remained indifferent. The three had a good laugh after.
After that, Chartette remained a fierce friend, despite scarred for life and forever in fear of the forest. The three were inseperable.
Germaine developed a thing for drinking. Due to Leonhart's poor example, she followed him in his alcohol sprees. One night he was recalling a fight he'd had earlier.
"Man...that Gast sure is the..." He took another swig, utterly disoriented.
"Mm...Who?" Germaine reached for another bottle.
"Gast Venom, the Demon of Asmodean...Always aiming for the neck..." Germaine listened with little interest. Despite the level of boring, she remembered this little fact for future use.
"I am sending Allen to work in the castle." Leonhart dropped the news on the table one day.
Germaine sent beer flying all over Allen's seat parallel to hers. He'd gone up to his room. The mug clanked against the table. "What? Why?"
"Because, I feel that-" "Why can't he stay here?!"
"Germaine-" Leonhart could see her fury.
"He's happy here! Why go serve that devil of a queen?!"
Leonhart couldn't reveal the twin's issue. The argument dragged on till dawn. Germaine stomped off to her room, defeated.
At the castle, Leonhart carried Allen's sparse luggage.
"And remember, not a word about your sister." Allen nodded. The relationship was buried. He was just a servant. A maid came bounding out the doors.
"Oh! Sir Leonhart! And who is...?" Ney inspected Allen up and down.
"Ah, Ney, would you get your mother? This is a new servant in need of evaluation."
"Don't bother," Mariam shuffled over, "I'm already here."
"Well, here's Allen. I'm hoping he'd be a good chamberlain, y'know, for the princess."
Mariam inspected Allen. Her scrutiny made Allen squirm. After what seemed like an hour, she backed off.
"He's...passable." Mariam and Ney left after briefing Allen on his new duties.
As Leonhart led Allen to his new room, a question popped up.
"Mariam...She's more suited to be an assassin than a maid..."
"That she is, Allen."
"Then why is she a maid?"
"Kid, if there's one thing I know, it's that there's all kinds of women in the world."