Hope you enjoy this chapter, boys, and girls. I just want to clear up a few things. first, the back story of fulgrim pre-imprisonment is a little different than in cannon. Just in as much as I have written this with a few minor changes to match the story I want to tell. and two I know that in cannon Alpharius is dead, but how do we know the bloke in the last chapter was Alpharius? how do we know the guy who died was Alpharius? Can the question of who is/isn't Alpharius truly be answered? lol.
Fulgrim sat strapped with heavy bindings to the uncomfortable metal table deep in the bowels of the Macragge's Honour flagship of the Primarch Roboute Guilliman, where he had been in near-total darkness and silence for close on four days now. And despite his superhuman mind he would have been forced to admit he was starting to get a little bored. The rescue ships had been manned by mortal crews who had been unable to recognize Fulgrim for what he was, but as soon as one of the Ultramarines had seen him once he had boarded the ship to which his fellow escapees had been taken. It had only been thanks to the Dark Angel sergeant Gepreal who had stepped between Fulgrim, and the marines of the thirteenth legion and convinced them to take the traitor Primarch prisoner to await the judgment of the Regent of Terra. Faintly Fulgrim became aware of the sound of a group of heavy footsteps approaching quickly. So this is the end, is it? The Squad of Astartes that he head he figured had most likely been sent to execute him. Solemnly he resolved to put up no fight, this was what he deserved... Wasn't it? Just then the door to the small cell slid open with a hiss of hydraulics.
"I expect an explanation, Brother." Silhouetted in the doorway was his brother Roboute Guilliman resplendent in gold and azure armor. Flanked as he was on either side by heavily armed Astartes warriors armored in the livery of his Thirteenth legion. fulgrim was forced to admit that his brother cut an imposing figure. While there had never been any real animosity between the two brothers. Prior that is to the heresy. They had never been close, and Fulgrim had always thought, perhaps he realized in hindsight. Guilliman had been an overly prideful, and arrogant bastard. But in the current situation, he thought that his brother was most certainly entitled to some explanation.
"I am surprised you haven't already thrown me from an airlock," Fulgrim said trying a weak smile, which was met with a scowl.
"Don't tempt me, traitor." Despite the tone in his captor's voice Fulgrim was unable to stop his smile from spreading. Whatever happened next it was good to have the chance to speak to his brother. Even if only one last time.
"I will try not to. Now, what questions do you want answered?" Even as he asked he saw that something in the way he had phrased the question had touched a nerve as his brother's scowl visibly deepened.
"I would know of the meaning of this!" Still smiling Fulgrim replied
"Meaning of what dear brother, I am afraid in the ten thousand years you have lost your ability to be specific." It was a stupid thing to say, and fulgrim knew it. But just seeing his brother again had gone a long way to making him feel like his old self again, and with that came an unfortunate propensity towards snarky comments.
"You're appearing on board my ship at the head of a rag-tag collection of Imperial citizens who all claim to have escaped from some underground museum." Snarled the other Primarch fighting to keep his cholor under control.
"Well, I am not the traitor Fulgrim, I am his clone. As for the museum, well I was hoping you would be able to shed some light on where in throne's name I escaped from." His words hit Roboute Guilliman like a bolter shot, the very unpleasantness of their meaning hitting him like a bolter shot.
"A clone?" Guilliman's voice was incredulous, thick Fulgrim realized with disbelief.
"Yes, a clone. I was born in a lab owned by my former chief apothecary Fabius Bile." Pausing a moment to let the audience process his words before he continued.
"He kept me around for a few years until I was fully grown. Before betraying me to some Xenos I couldn't recognize who I assume imprisoned me in that museum we mentioned earlier. I am unsure how long ago that was, and as for the Imperials I led to the surface, they were simply people I found along the way. I was hoping for strength in numbers. " Slowly Fulgrim watched as Guilliman walked closer to him, and wordlessly reached out a hand and placed it on Fulgrim's shoulder.
"Speaking to you, I feel strange as if you are telling the truth." At his words, one of the two Ultramarines who had been standing wordlessly up to this point by the doorway spoke for the first time. The other remaining silent.
"My lord?" Confusion and something that almost sounded to Fulgrim like outrage filled their voices.
"Darius bring me Yvraine." The space marine who had spoken out paused a moment before snapping to attention.
"Aye, my lord!" He said before turning on his heels and leaving the cell.
"Yvraine?" Asked Fulgrim, an edge of confusion creeping into his voice.
"You have no right to ask any questions here." Guilliman's voice still sounded angry, but now Fulgrim noticed it sounded forced. As if the righteous fury that had filled the Avenging Son's voice at the start of their conversation had been replaced with something else. But he was still trying to maintain the front of being angry.
"Fine brother, then I take it you have more questions?" Fulgrim asked, growing frustrated with Guilliman's unwillingness to answer his question.
"Not yet, we shall wait for Yvraine" Again his brother dropped the name of... whoever that was. To his ears, it sounded strange not like the names common to Guilliman's Legion.
"That name again, I take it they are a person of some import in your legion?" Now the edge of irritation that had been in his voice became fully angry at his brother's annoying behavior.
"You could say that." Am odd smirk creeping onto Guilliman's face, which filled Fulgrim with an unknown dread. A dread that only got deeper when he glanced from his brother's face to the door wat and the strange feminine figure standing in it. As she stepped through the doorway something in her overly graceful movement made his skin crawl with the sheer unnaturalness of it. With a start, he realized she was not human.
"You call me traitor, but you invite Xeno aboard your ship?" Fulgrim's voice was incredulous as his mind raced to look for an explanation as to why his brother would have this Xenos witch aboard.
"She has proven a friend to me and my legion. Now she will reach into your mind and search for the truth. Should you prove to be telling the truth I will embrace you as a brother once more. Should you be lying, however..." Guilliman's voice trailed off as his hand tightened on Fulgrim's arm causing fierce pain to shoot up and down his body, as his arm was dislocated with a small, swift movement from his brother's hand.
"If this is the only way..." Fulgrim said through gritted teeth.
"It is" Replied his brother gesturing for the Eldar witch to begin. When her hand made contact with the skin on his forehead Fulgrim wanted to scream. It was colder than a human's would be but tingled with an odd unnatural life. Slowly the feeling of disgust grew worse, and more acute, but changed from the sheer oddness of the Eldar's presence. To the more familiar discomfort of the warp. He screamed in pain as the Eldar witch reached into his mind, and pulled out the truth. Leaving him numb, and exhausted.
"He speaks the truth lord Guilliman." Her voice was like the rest of her unnatural to the point of making him feel sick, but her words were like a salve to his wounds. The look on Guilliman's face hard Yvraine's words would have been priceless to Fulgrim if not for his continuing pain.
"Remove his restraints." A moment later Fulgrim felt his arms coming free from the heavy straps that had secured him to the table, and slowly rose from the table and stood finally coming face to face with his brother.
"What is to be done with me, Brother?" Fulgrim asked looking deeply into his brother's blue eyes, searching for his fate even before he heard it. Was he to be dumped on some planet as an exile, or returned to Terra to rule in name only sure he would never be allowed to take part in the crusade.
"As it would happen, your return has come at a perfect time. You might just be able to save me a lot of hustle." He said with the forced smile of a stage magician.
"But first, let's get you some clothes." The smile became more genuine with that last remark, a fact which brought a smile to Fulgrim's face as well.
"Blood of dorn!" Julio Alcibiades shouted angrily smashing his armored fist down onto the table. Looking around the veteran Astartes saw to his pleasure that he had managed to get the attention of his brothers. The Ultramarines arrest of their Chapter Master for what else were they what had happened. The brothers of the Sons of the Phoenix had been in a prolonged shouting match over what to do next, and despite his augmentations, Captain Alcibiades was beginning to have quite the headache.
"Good! I can finally hear myself think. How can we call ourselves Astartes? Elagabalus is gone less than a week and we are already arguing like a pack of women! " There was not a man in his brotherhood that he would not trust with his life, but to his dismay, some of the talks in the past few hours had come dangerously close to treason.
"We should be ashamed of ourselves. I know the Primarch would be!" Even as he said the words he knew them to be a mistake,
"And which Primarch is that, brother?" The voice belonged to Herod Cain captain of the first company and one of the voices that had walked the thin line of heresy closest.
"If we do not act brother, then surely we are damned every one of us. Don't you think that even know the bluebacks upstairs are preparing to kill us as they've most likely killed the Chapter Mater? We must strike first, and attempt to cease the ship!" And it was said, the thing that the malcontents had been skirting around for the past few hours was finally out in the open.
"To say such things. I should strike you down!" Roared captain Alcibiades standing from his chair with enough force to send the chair falling backward with a crash.
"With what, brother! We've been disarmed!" Shouted Herod rising to the challenge.
"Exactly Herod, we've been disarmed. So how in the name of the god emperor's golden throne on holy terra itself are we supposed to cease the ship!" Maybe, he thought changing tacks could help him get through to his brothers.
For what seemed like a long time Alcibiades and Herod stared another down, locked in a silent competition to see who out of the two of them would be the first to flinch before the other's withering stare. When suddenly Alcibiades became aware of the other battle-brothers of the chapter starring with a mix of fear and awe at a place behind him and slowly turning he saw silhouetted in the door behind him was a lone Astartes warrior.
"Elagabalus..." He said a smile breaking onto his face, to his pleasant surprise not only was the Chaptermaster alive, he looked both healthy and in good spirits.
"You had us worried brother!" That was Herod, equally happy as his brother at the return of their leader.
"Yes, brothers I am back. But hurry we must make our way to the armory with all haste. I won't have our Primarch brought aboard this ship without honors." The full weight of Elagabalus' words did not hit him at first, taking a moment to sink in. Their Primarch, but Door was lost, not a soul in the Imperium knew his location. Unless had he been found? That didn't make sense, but what other explanation was there? Of course, there were the accusations, but that made even less sense... Didn't it?
Have a great day, and God bless yinz!