Empress Malty rides through the Roman countryside on her limousine. She is still moderately upset about not being able to enjoy Salernum and terrorize the peasantry. But she wasn't allowed because of her meeting with the chairwoman. Of course this enraged her, and would punish her advisor severely.
"Come on your graciousness" Kaname said, "You know this is a very important meeting for a good deal between us and India. An alliance opportunity is a good opportunity for times of war you know".
"Ugh, waste of my time" Malty replies.
"Your Graciousness, if you didn't want to meet with the chairwoman, why didn;t you say no to her proposal. You said this was an important meeting yourself".
"Did she really have to do it now, of all days".
"She wanted this to get done before their next religious event of some sorts, I think it had to do with raising the sun or something".
"False gods you mean".
"Besides your Graciousness, you should have talked to her about this before making the agreement". But Malty wasn't listening to her anymore. She is distracted with something she sees outside of her window. A caravan of some sorts. Yes, a colorful caravan of performers, some dancers, others musicians, while a small tent with a fortune teller inside was giving the small crowd of people here their fortunes and futures. These travelers had the most colorful clothes anyone has ever seen, but most of them, if not all of them are prancing around barefoot, and next to the show caravans are these people's living caravans, with laundry hanging on the lines and a a cooking pot over an open fire. It was that moment that Malty recognized these people as...
"Gypsies!" Malty shouted, ordering the chauffeur to stop the car.
"Your Graciousness, you mean Roma people of Cyprus origin, the puppet state of Egypt you have indirect control of" Kaname said, but Malty just ignored her. In fact, she was out of the vehicle and before Kaname knew it, Malty was out on the caravan grounds. Normally, she would announce herself at the crowd that she has appeared. But once and a while she would not, as o not scare people off, which usually happens. But Kaname wanted the Empress to talk with the chairwoman. So She too got out of the vehicle and chased her down, eventually finding her watching the dances.
"Your Graciousness!" Kaname says worryingly, "We got to return to the palace, the Chairwoman is waiting for us".
"Hey! I can do what I like, I am the Empress after" She replies back. "Besides, she can wait, I won't be long at this sign of gypsy peasantry".
"Again, Roma" Kaname responds. And again, she doesn't listen. She is entranced by what she refers to as the gypsy beggars. Though, he is actually a he ringmasters of these roma people. He is a blonde teenager with medium-length, wavy and spiked dark-blond hair. He adorns a black ragged tunic, a red patchwork vest over it, baggy pants and bare feet.
"Come one, come all" The boy says, "And let Yuri Dreyar's traveling troupe entertain you and relieve you of all of your troubles!". The crowd of course got very excited with the entertainment.
"Watch as the finest girl of all Cyprus dance to her heart's content. Here she is, the Great Zerabelle". The young teen girl with brown hair tied back into twin tail holding a tambourine appears out from the curtains. She wears an orange v-neck dress and brown sandals. The band plays on as the girl Zera dances for the crowd, who cheers and throw money her way. Malty laughs.
"Ha! What poor gypsy beggars, having to dance to a small crowd of peasants for their meal. Doesn't that make you wanna laugh at these miserable people?" Malty asks Kaname.
"Uh, I don't know you Graciousness" Kaname responds having given up on correcting the empress. After Zera's dance came a strongman act. A well fit man with a with a somewhat rectangular shaped head covered with messy black hair. He appears wearing a vest and baggy pants carrying a large pine tree log.
"And now we present the youngest, strongest man in the land, and my personal friend! He will attempt this break this large pine tree in two. I give you strongman Warrod!". Warrod then proceeds to throw the log up into the air, and before it hits the ground he breaks the lo in half. The crowd looks up at him with amazement and awe. Even the Empress was impressed.
"My, my. A strong man like that could be of use in the military" she remarks. "Chidori, I want you you to write down that a drug should be created to increase the soldiers' human strength". Kaname writes it down, much to the dismay of her, since it is probably a stupid idea to come up with drugs like that.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we will now take a break from our performances. In the mean time, feel free to have your future foretold by the great psychic of all Cyprus, the intelligent and wise Mavis Vermilion". Yuri points to a caravan that glows with a bright light out of its window, catching the attention of Malty.
"Oh! I wonder how this empire will do in the next one hundred year. I'm going in" She says as she pushes people around to get into the caravan first with Kaname trailing behind trying to get the empress back on track with the meeting with the Chairwoman. Of course she gets in first, and inside the caravan was a young woman with long, wavy, and pastel yellow-blonde hair. She wears a frilly, pink layered dress with a red ribbon tied in a bow around her neck. She also wears a white blouse decorated with a three blue diamond pattern with two blue triangles above. Like the other romas, she too is barefoot.
"Ah! Welcome dear traveler. I have foresaw your coming in visions many a weeks ago" Mavis says greeting the two. This forthcoming impressed Malty.
"Wow! She is one hell of a psychic to know that I have arrived. She is probably as good as they say!".
"I think it's your personality your graciousness" Kaname responds. Malty of course ignores her.
"Please, sit down as I tell you your fortune" Mavis says, showing them their seats. "Now, please. Ask me what the future holds for you. And for a small fee, I will take a look into that future and predict what will happen. Go ahead".
"Oh wait!" Malty exclaims, "How much I am going to pay you? Wait. I know the answer to that. Absolutely nothing!". Malty laughs of the idea of paying this "gypsy" anything, leaving Mavis to be annoyingly disappointing.
"Uh... yeah, nothing" Mavis continues. "Anyway... Go ahead and ask me another question. What is on you mind?"
"Okay". Malty gives it a thought for a minute. Then... "Oh! Will this advisor here ever shut up about the "important stuff"?" she says pointing at Kaname. This makes her a little irate, but she doesn't say anything to the empress. "I just want to have a little fun and not worry about what this sorry excuse of an advisor has to say on certain affairs".
"Okay... but let me ask, why don't you fire her".
"Because if I do, I would have to somehow get her to not talk secrets of the empire and that seems to be a lot of work".
"Uh, right... now, let me see your palms". Malty holds out her palms as Mavis touches the palms with hers, concentrating her thoughts to read Malty's future.
"I see that domestic issues are many and international tension a many. I see that the many issues of this empire are being ignored and-"
"Oh just cut to the chase" Malty bursts. "Will she shut up or not?"
"Short answer... no" Mavis replies, with Malty looking pissed. To which Malty goes back into thought, and playing with chance...
"Okay... where will this great and glorious Roman empire will be in the next two decades? I demand you tell me the truth immediately". The process repeats with Malty holding out her palms and Mavis touching them. Concentrating her thoughts on the empress, she sees the future and... what she saw shocked her, giving a yelp and jumping slightly from Malty.
"What is it? Does something happen?"
"I saw a dark future ahead for you". Mavis darkly says. "I saw great and powerful empires crashing down upon weak forces". Malty begins to become a little more irate. She knows her military is stronger than all the other empires combined, or so she thinks. "I saw people, thousands and thousands of impoverished, starving people, the peasants, prisoners and slaves, rising up against the government because of lack of food". the anger begins to raise in Malty who views her empire as stable as the new ironclads constructed at the harbor of Portus. And besides, there is nothing that these people can use to revolt. But her anger boils when this last prediction is made by Mavis. "And finally, I saw your head on a pike, the revolution got out of control, and the war was lost. An overwhelming force from all sides lead to the demise of this vast empire. Not even the three heroes could save you". If that wasn't the last straw for Empress Malty, she is now enraged that her gods won't save her.
"WHAT! What is this nonsense! The Three Heroes are in our favor for all eternity. I can not imagine the world not under the influence of us great Romans. And you dare mock the power and strength of the great Roman Imperial military? I see you as a cheat and a liar. I can't believe I listened to the likes of you. If I wasn't generous, I had you locked away!" Malty ranted.
"I'm sorry, but I was just reading your future. It's a dark future for you indeed, but you can change that". Mavis then reaches out to Malty's chest. "When you change your heart, your future-", Malty pushes her hands away from her.
"DON'T TOUCH ME YOU FILTHY NO-GOOD GY-". Malty stops herself when she sees something under the sleeves of her blouse. Something that the empress disliked.
"Hey! Under that sleeve, what is that?" Malty begins to question.
"What are you talking about?" Mavis asks, and all of a sudden Malty rips her sleeve to reveal a insignia on her right sleeve. an insignia that was weird in design, but what Malty recognized was some sort of fairy figure where she concludes...
"A damn Fairite! I should of known that a heathen was spreading lies and dissent within my empire!" Malty shouts, scarring Mavis.
"I-I don't know what y-you are talking about?". Malty brings out handcuffs and placed them on her arms.
"Fairites and other heathens are worshippers of the devil of the shield, and therefore must be terminated. I will have my soldiers take all of you back to Cypruss, and I will have the lord of the city-state hold you in our state sponsored labor camps. That will teach all of you to worship false dieties".
"But I-I-"
"Silence!". Cries of babies were immediately heard and out came a young man with black hair comes out holding two babies with blonde hair.
"Mavis dear, what's going on?" The dark haired man came out with only his ragged trousers, which shocked the empress (not really, but she does want more excuses to arrest these "gypsies").
"Zeref! We're not welcomed here, and she is trying to-" and before Mavis could finish, Malty screams loudly, so loud that military troops on a regimented run near the barracks could hear what was happening. The soldiers marched to the encampment and the commanding officer, Captain Katsuki Bakugo, entered the caravan where he heard the screaming and busted himself in there.
"Oy! What the hell is going on?!" He asks, seeing his empress in fright. Her advisor not amused on Malty's acting.
"Oh commander! Arrest these heathen gypsies!" Malty shouted in intense anger. "They worship the devil of the shield, and that man is perverted, he doesn't have a shirt on!"
"I'm sorry. My shirt is hanging to dry and we can't afford any other clothes".
"LIES! Nothing but lies from you Gypsy Fairites! Captain, I want you to take that pervert to the palace prison, take the woman and the rest of the filthy Gypsies back to Cyprus and have them detained in a labor camp! That'll teach them to question the authority of the Three Heroes Church". Bakugo proceeds to handcuff the man, Zeref, taking the children from him. Mavis desperately pleads with the empress to not take her husband away
"Please!" Mavis begs Malty, "Don't take away my husband. We done nothing wrong".
"Yes you did, being a damned Fairite!"
"But we didn't know we aren't wanted, we are just traveling by. You can't do this to us. Please, let us leave in peace!". Mavis cries in desperation to keep her family together, but of course...
"As if I care" Malty booms over the psychic, "Now you and your children shut up or I will seperate you with your children... in fact, I'll just do it right now. Captain, take the children to the prison in Neapolis, and we'll see what I'll do to these brats". Mavis panics but is retained by Captain Katsuki, Zeref was then taken to a prison car where he will be taken to the capitol prison, while Mavis and the Roma troupe got into a seperate car to be taken to a camp n Cypruss. The babies would be taken into custody by two soldiers whom would take them to the Neopolis child prison. After the whole debacle was finished, Malty and her advisor returned to the limousine. Kaname was pretty much disappointed at this point.
"Really your graciousness, was this really necessary?" Kaname asked her, "What are you going to even do with those two chiildren?".
"I had to, it is to protect my dignity as the leader of the Three Heroes Church, those damn Fairites. With those cries, they will never reach their "heaven" now" Malty states, whispering how they are a bunch of crybabies. "And besides, it has been a while since we sacrificed anything to the glorious Three Heroes". Kaname just shudders in that thought, and the limo leaves to the royal palace, where the Chairwoman has been waiting for six hours.
-End of Chapter Ten-
