Hello, world. It's been a while since the last time I wrote that phrase on this website—more than two years to be more precise. First, let me be honest. Until earlier this month, I had made up my mind to ditch this story for good since… well, I had a really bad case of writer's block, I was (slightly) depressed and I'm working seven days a week. But around early November, I was watching the Seed remastered episodes and one night, the story came dancing right back. That's right, dancing. As in the scenes came in flashes in my head.I tried to sleep it off, but it didn't work. The scenes for the next chapters kept playing over and over and over again when I closed my eyes. That night, I ended up sleeping around 5am. Freaky, but true story.
So here I am, writing this again. I think the past two years have changed my writing style just a little bit, but please bear with me.
Ok (big deep breath). Here goes.
Disclaimer: The author of this fic does not own gundam seed/destiny, or its characters, because if I claimed I did, would delete my story—wouldn't it?—and the copyright people will sue me. Any similarities from other fics are purely coincidental, and so are any allusions to real events, places and people.
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Chapter 34: The Truce
Few had the gall to disturb Patrick Zala in the dead of night. The night was his only time for repose amid the demands of ruling a massive domain. Even Athrun wouldn't dare; such an act was reserved for the direst of times. Not even a potential truce with Orb or the possibility of capturing Dullindal counted as acceptable reasons.
So he couldn't imagine what kind of guest would be important enough for his father to drag himself out of bed. Athrun had not gotten to talking to his father about Orb's offer of a compromise. Truth be told, he had no idea how to even break the topic to the king, let alone convince him to call the whole thing off.
In that sense, Athrun was somehow jealous of his father's guest, who seemed important enough to be granted a king's audience at such a late hour. Like a cat prowling quietly behind the curtains, he peeked through the slightly open door.
He could not believe who it was.
"And what would the prince's lady friend want with me at this hour?" the king asked his guest.
"There is no point in pretending you don't know who I am, your Highness."
To Athrun's surprise, the king smiled. The girl kept her brave stare. She made her intentions clear, and no one, not even the king could stop her from doing so.
"Cagalli Yula Attha. Princess of Orb. What can I do for you?"
Hearing her name said completely with its regal title made Athrun flinch. He closed his eyes, trying to shake off thoughts of Kira telling her every piece of information that had been withheld from her for the past months. Athrun had kept secrets from her. She had every right to be angry. But she wasn't. Her face was tense not out of fury, but out of determination.
She took a deep breath, the sound of air gushing through her lungs and the ticking of a pendulum far in the distance the only things that can be heard in the king's study. One wrong move and she would never see her homeland again.
"I am about to ask you something your son hasn't gathered the nerve to ask you. Abandon the pursuit for Orb."
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The main plaza of the capital was just as still-the air, just as tense. Zaft's prince had given Kira's party until midnight to leave Aprilius, unless they wished to face inspection at the gates. All of them nervously awaited Cagalli's return, especially Kira.
"I know just what to say to convince him, trust me!"
And what would you say that his son can't say any better? If he can't convince King Patrick what makes you think you can?
Kira scolded himself again for letting Cagalli run off alone. It was, however, the only option. The king might hesitate to speak to them if he were to come. The princess seemed very confident in what she had to say. She said it was a request the king could not refuse.
A soft melody echoed in the night. It came from Nicol's flute. Zaft's top archer seemed to carry a flute wherever he went.
"Sir, with all due respect, could you please stop that?"
"Why, Shinn? It's such a soothing melody."
"It's not really working right now."
Nevertheless, Nicol continued to play. They were all gathered near a corner of the open space- Kira stood beside Lacus who leaned against his shoulder, Miri was a few feet from Nicol and Mwu was right in front of Shinn who was leaning against a lamppost. The light flickered, making it hard to see if someone was about to pull out a blade.
Of everyone in the group, it was clear to Kira that Shinn was the most tense. After all, he seemed the only who had no idea what was happening and who Cagalli really was. He had been haphazardly pulled from the dinner table when they dropped by to pick up Cagalli's things in Lt. Todaka's house. Cagalli lied that they had an emergency at home and she had to rush back.
"If you have something to say," Shinn muttered, glaring at Kira, "spit it out."
Nicol stopped playing as the wind got colder in the plaza. With the music gone, anyone could hear the ringing of two swords unsheathed from under their owner's coats. Kira bid both Miri and Mwu to calm down.
"You seem like a very important person in Orb. Are you really just a merchant's son?"
"A merchant family? Was that how Cagalli introduced us?"
"It sounds like you're hearing this for the first time. Does that mean it's a lie?"
When Kira didn't answer, the sound of a sword fully drawn pierced the night. Nicol tried to stop Shinn, but the young man wasn't listening.
"I know I have my orders, but I have serious doubts about these people, sir," the soldier barked, ready to pounce. "There's no way they're just normal merchants."
"We have our orders, Shinn. Athrun said we are to ensure their safety."
"Well, the prince has been deceived!" Shinn said through gritted teeth. Miri and Mwu were poised to draw, waiting for Kira to give them the signal. Shinn clutched his sword even more tightly.
"The commander has not been deceived. Captain, do not make hasty conclusions."
Yzak emerged from a dark alley, Dearka right behind him. Both of them looked like they had spent the whole day scouring the city.
"The prince has not been deceived because he knew all this time who Cagalli really was. And you, Captain, should not be disrespectful to Orb's prince, Kira Yamato Attha."
It took a while before the truth sunk in for Shinn. Dearka sighed, scratching his head like he felt this was another troublesome encounter. Nicol had tucked away his flute.
"The Commander knew? Since when?"
"I don't have to explain things to you, Captain. All you have to do is follow orders."
With that, Shinn fell silent and stood rigidly by the light post. Yzak leaned on the nearest wall right beside Shinn. Dearka did the same. Both of them made sure their sabers hung prominently on their slings.
"It seems that your commander did not tell a lot of people about Cagalli," Kira said, noting how Shinn was completely lost in the conversation.
Dearka would have answered, but Yzak shot back quickly. "He didn't tell anyone. If he did, your sister wouldn't be here."
"You would have sent her away? That seems rather mild treatment for a spy."
"No, that would have been the last thing we would have done. It would have been worse. You wouldn't want to know."
It sounded like a threat. Kira ignored it.
The lingering silence was stifling. Dearka couldn't stand it. So he thought maybe he could make the atmosphere lighter. "If you don't mind me asking, Prince Kira, what do you intend to do now?"
Yzak gave Dearka a cold stare for asking such a question so casually, but Kira answered anyway.
"We head home. We haven't heard from Cagalli for months. Our father is anxious to see her."
"Aw, Athrun would definitely be disappointed."
Yzak threw another menacing look. Dearka shrugged, saying they might as well be friendly. Despite the frown on Yzak's face, Kira concluded, "You all seem to be good friends. Prince Athrun's closest circle."
Before Dearka could say yes, Yzak said, "Friendship doesn't define our military, Prince Kira. I don't know if that's how it goes in Orb, but as far as Zaft is concerned, our commander is our superior, nothing more and nothing less."
Nicol looked nervously at Kira, who seemed to ignore the subtle insult.
"Oh, I think that's not true," Kira replied. "Just by looking at you now, I can tell that of all his men you are the most loyal because you are his friends. If you weren't, you would have already told the king that we had come, and we would be in a dungeon instead of talking like this. That's also why you can't stand it. You can't believe your friend never told you the truth."
Lacus gasped as Kira pushed her away. Yzak had drawn his sword.
"It seems I'm right."
"So you are. I can't believe Athrun trusts you more than us."
"Now that's not true."
"See? You act all timid and civil but the truth is you're as trustworthy as a snake. The same goes for your sister."
"Yzak, stop," Nicol said, alarmed by Kira drawing his own blade. "Athrun's orders are absolute."
"Not when they deliberately put Zaft's interests in jeopardy! Let's settle this, prince, man to man. And after this, I'll deal with your sister, before she seduces the Commander into surrendering Zaft's throne to you!"
Everyone, except Lacus, drew their weapon. Kira bid all of them not to interfere.
"You think you can take me on? You're too cocky, Prince Kira!"
"Compared to your commander, I'm pretty sure you pale in comparison."
Yzak lunged forward, prompting Kira to block his sword as it came inches away from his face. Kira quickly moved to the offensive, throwing strike after strike until Yzak stepped several paces back away from everyone else. He quickly recovered and shoved Kira off balance, leaving him wide open. The lieutenant lunged once more for the finishing blow.
But Kira was too fast for him. The prince evaded Yzak's attack by a hair's strand and closed the distance between them. With one swift elbow thrust to the gut, Kira sent him successfully to the ground, wincing in pain. Just before the lieutenant could get up, he felt cold steel touch his neck.
Like a rabid animal, Yzak bolted back up and braced himself for another blow. His blade met metal that sent it flying in the air.
Athrun stood between the two men, staring coldly at his friend.
"That's enough, Lieutenant."
"Don't interfere!"
"Do not talk back to me, soldier. Know your place."
The remaining Zaft soldiers stood at attention at the presence of their commanding officer. Athrun sheathed his sword.
"You're dismissed Lt. Joule. You'll be reprimanded for this."
"He started it!"
"But you drew your sword first."
"Athrun, are you honestly taking their side on this?"
It was an open secret in the army. Everyone knew that after the southern campaign, the army would set out for the east, the last frontier to building the empire to be ruled by Zaft's king. It was a century's old goal since the forefathers of Aprilius had first sent out their finest men in battle. All these years, they had been waiting for a king capable enough to do it.
Everyone thought it was Athrun. After this most recent development, everyone was wrong.
"The king has ordered the campaign for Orb be abandoned for good. All orders and resolutions issued in preparation for the assault are hereby nullified. The army shall shift its stance back to regular defense of the kingdom."
The announcement stunned everyone.
"How?" Kira blurted out. All of his worries had instantly vanished into thin air. In its place was the dumbfounding question of how quickly Zaft's king was convinced.
"It wasn't me. It was Cagalli. She was very convincing. All she had to say was..."
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"That I owed her for my son's life. That if it weren't for her, I would be welcoming home a corpse. It was genius. I couldn't say no."
More than an hour after Cagalli left, Patrick had another late night guest-Reverend Malchio. They sat contemplating the night's events over a cup of tea.
"There was no need for Orb to help us capture our enemies, she told me. No need for them to offer any sort of bargain. As far as she was concerned, the price had already been paid. She told me my honor wouldn't let me betray someone I was indebted to."
"But still Patrick, I would have never imagined you'd agree so easily. The crusade took you years to prepare for, years to gather Zaft's strongest and most loyal. It took us centuries to wait for the right man to lead the army. Why back out now?"
In Patrick's study, there was a giant mural stretching across an entire wall, a map of the known world-Zaft to the west, Orb to east, the newly conquered cities to the south and Logos, their enemy, to the north. In the map, the world was surrounded by a hawk and a wreath of olive leaves, Zaft's royal emblem. It was said to be the dream of an entire people-a world with no war, ruled by the one great king.
"It was my greatest dream. For Athrun to become that king. Even if I know, in my heart, that Athrun was not one for war."
The king's voice lingered, echoing within the chamber. The echo reminded him of that dream, one that caused his son a great deal of pain.
"When Cagalli said Athrun didn't want to fight anymore, and I saw the look on Athrun's eyes from behind the door, I knew. The dream was not meant to be."
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It was almost midnight. Kira and his group had to hurry out of Aprilius before inspections started again. Even if the king had already given his word, Athrun would rather avoid the trouble of explaining Kira's presence to his father.
Cagalli's things were packed, ready to leave. Nicol helped her lift her luggage up the carriage that would take them to Zaft's newly installed gate at Heliopolis, where an escort from Orb awaited their return. Cagalli couldn't even bring her new horse with her.
"Shinn, you can still call me Cagalli, you know."
The young soldier froze, recalling every time she argued with and hurled insults at the princess.
Noticing this, Kira gave Shinn a quick pat on the back. "Relax. Even if you said my sister couldn't cook to save her life, I won't take it against you. It's true anyway."
The earnest comment from Kira earned him a whack in the head from Cagalli. Athrun couldn't stop himself from grinning. If Yzak hadn't left out of spite, Athrun would have gotten another earful from him.
"Are you sure this is fine with you? You may never see her again."
Nicol was right. If fate had somehow brought Cagalli to Aprilius, the task she was supposed to fulfill was done. She was able to ask from her father what he never could-an end to the fighting.
She had saved him again. He would forever be grateful.
"Captain Almalfi, is the Commander alright? He's just been staring at Cagalli for the last two minutes."
"Oh he's fine, Shinn. Prince Kira said he wanted to speak with him?"
From a distance, Kira and Cagalli were talking. Athrun could lip-read Kira saying the words "no", "father" and "worried". Cagalli crossed her arms and huffed. She was apparently trying to convince him to do something.
Nicol and Shinn had to drag Athrun to where Kira and Cagalli were standing, with a little help from Dearka. Even if he was already face to face with them, he could only make out the words "stay", "birthday" and "escort". He finally recovered his senses when Kira mentioned Cagalli's name.
"I'm sorry, Prince Kira, were you saying something?"
Kira looked at him like he had a few screws loose in his head. Cagalli, however, wasted no time.
"Ow, what was that for?" Athrun scowled, massaging the part of his head where Cagalli hit him.
"Administering a head exam. You seem fine."
"And you call yourself a doctor?"
"Give it a rest, Athrun. I'm staying."
"Sure. And while you're at it... Wait. What?"
"I just convinced Kira. He's letting me stay."
"You should be going home."
"I'm not. Don't you want me to stay?"
"Ehem," Kira pushed Athrun back so he could put himself between them. He laid out the conditions. Cagalli was staying only until the 29th, just in time for Athrun's birthday ball. Someone from Orb had to stay with her as a bodyguard and she had to come home as scheduled.
Athrun nodded, still a little shaken. He barely moved as brother and sister bid each other farewell.
"You take care of yourself, Cagalli. And I expect Prince Athrun to personally see to it that you come back in one piece."
Kira had to say it one more time, because Athrun was not listening again. "I'd like you to assure me that my sister will be coming back. And may I emphasize, we want her back. I have your word?"
Athrun was still staring into space. Kira gave up, giving Cagalli a quick goodbye kiss on the cheek.
She was here to stay. She really was.
It was all that was ringing in Athrun's mind.
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Kira's party had made it past the gates safely-Athrun never let them out of his sight until they did. Only then did he realize that Cagalli was still beside him.
They were alone now. Shinn and Nicol had returned to Lt. Todaka's home to return Cagalli's things.
"Don't you have something to tell me, Prince Athrun?"
Athrun was speechless. First, he no longer needed to attack Orb. Maybe he never had to wage war again. Second, Cagalli was staying.
Athrun panicked when he saw Cagalli scowl. He was at an utter loss for words. How could he thank this one person who had helped him so many times he had lost count?
They had reached a small hill in the middle of the city, overlooking the cobblestone streets and all the little houses of the nearby blocks. The night was still, no one else would hear them.
There was a small fountain on top of the hill, with a ledge just the right height for Cagalli to sit on. It had been a long day for the both of them. Her shoulders were aching. She bent back, letting her forehead and a bit of her hair touch the water. It was refreshing.
It was then that he felt Athrun's hands touch hers. She shivered at the sudden contact and almost fell into the fountain. Athrun caught her by the shoulders.
"I'm sorry," Athrun stammered as he saw the surprised look in her eyes. "I just..."
He still couldn't find the words or the right actions to show him how grateful he was. It frustrated him, how he couldn't come up with the best single act of gratitude.
Sighing, Cagalli pulled him into a soft hug. He knelt before her, wrapped in her arms as she sat on the fountain's ledge. His heart pounded, the heat rising to his cheeks. He wondered if Cagalli noticed how helpless he was.
"All you need to say is thank you. And you're welcome."
Cagalli took the lead as they made their way back to the main road. The walls of the white city were replete with their usual radiance, shrouding all in its luminous haze. Cagalli was the same—a golden citadel basking in white light.
"Somethong wrong, Athrun?" Cagalli asked as Athrun took her hand.
"Nothing. I just thought I'd lead you back to where you're staying so you don't get lost."
Cagalli looked at him like he said something odd, but seemed to have shrugged it off. "Thank you." she said.
As they made their way in the night, Cagalli said. "See? Start with the little things. Little acts of kindness. Maybe you'll get closer to your father eventually."
"Yes, kindness," Athrun mumbled, watching Cagalli intently. He refused to let go of her hand, noting in his mind how warm it was in the cold autumn night.
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There goes chapter 34. It was rather hard for me to proofread this since I don't have my laptop, so I have to improvise with my handy dandy cellphone. Yes, I typed this whole thing on a word processor-less cellphone, pasted it on Word, did the proofreading there and uploaded it. So if there are any typos, forgive me.
Anyway, that's it. Thanks for reading, and I hope to hear from you all.
updated Nov 14 2013