Trinity Blood: Emperor's Mask
Chapter 10: Empire's History
Abel returned to the camp after several hours of checking to make certain they hadn't been followed. When he returned, he found that Baibars hadn't moved. However, the head of the yeniçeri was no longer alone.
"Where is he?" it was the girl from earlier. "Aren't we supposed to be guarding the emperor to make certain he returns safely, Sir?"
"Ask him that," Baibars stated.
She jumped and turned to see Abel walking towards them. "Your Majesty," – the girl bowed low to Abel – "I didn't see you there."
"Don't bow," Abel told the girl as he stopped near to them. "I'm not royalty."
She straightened with an amused look on her face. "Are you or are you not: Abel Nightroad?"
"I am," Abel frowned, not getting where she was going with this.
"Are you not then related to her majesty: Seth Nightroad?"
His frown turned to a sigh. "I am," he confessed and rubbed his eyes, "it's just been a very long time since I've had any status." He started passed them. "We should get everyone up." At least Abel knew no one was following them, which was a bright side to this. Granted, he should just accept his past. The problem was he had been running from it for so long he could barely remember what it had been like to be Emperor Nightlord, beloved by his people and known as more than just a "terran" to them.
A few of the others were already up, mainly the other yeniçeri Baibars and Mirka had brought with them. They were already getting food ready. So Abel walked over to where Caterina still slept curled up near to William.
"Professor," – he touched William's shoulder first – "we'll be moving out soon."
"Hmm." William opened his eyes and blinked several times.
Abel moved over to Caterina and roused her as well. She still looked exhausted after yesterday, but some of her coloring at returned. "How are you feeling?" he asked, keeping his voice low more for her benefit rather than to avoid being heard by the Methuselah.
"I'm fine, Abel." She gave him a small smile to reassure him.
A part of him wanted to believe her. But another part of him, the oldest parts, had seen enough people through the centuries dying to know she might only have a few months left to her and that was only if they managed to get her to Empire soon. Right then the only "cure" for what was killing her was to turn her. And he knew she would never take that option.
Abel nodded to her and stood. The others were already getting up as well. Asthe was now by the small, smokeless fire while Ion and Esther were talking in hushed voices. Abel made certain he was trying not to hear what they were saying, but by the fact they were shooting him glances he could guess.
Abel moved over to the fire as well, but he didn't act to help the yeniçeri. It wasn't that he didn't want to help them, only that he knew they wouldn't want him to help them. To them he wasn't Abel Nightroad, traveling Priest. Rather he was: Abel Nightlord, the First and Only Emperor.
"Tovarish," Asthe started.
"Hmm?" He looked at her, one eyebrow cocked.
"First I am sorry for not thinking you were my tovarish for so long. But I thought that trust like that was something every tovarish should have. And to learn you didn't trust me with your life. It's a matter I've held to since my first tovarish died."
Abel smiled at her. "I'm also sorry for blowing that back in your face. What I trust you with is something I hold far dearer than my life and that's the future of the empire."
Asthe stared at him as if she wasn't certain she had heard him right.
"I do still view you as a friend," – he hesitated – "Asthe."
She smiled at this, but before she could say anything, Esther and Ion joined them. "Father," Esther started, "his Excellency wants to tell you something."
Abel kept his expression blank, not certain where this was going. He kept his eyes on Ion however.
"I shouldn't have been so mad," Ion started, not looking at Abel. "Even if you shouldn't have had the emperor's sword."
It took a lot not to chuckle at Ion's half-hearted apology. Abel was glad to see the boy had apologized despite the wording of it. It had to have taken a lot of effort on his part and a lot of pushing on Esther's end.
"Apology accepted, Count of Memphis." Abel smiled at the boy. "And I am sorry for cutting you."
Ion looked at him and blinked. The count gave Abel a curt nod before he moved to the other side of the fire from Abel. He settled beside his grandmother.
"Thank you, Father Nightroad," Esther said with a bow of her head. She didn't move over to Ion. Instead she settled next to Abel. "Father, can I ask why you exiled yourself from the empire?" she asked.
Her question made the yeniçeri pause in starting to pass out the meal.
"I'm curious about that as well," Asthe admitted.
Abel took a deep breath. It wasn't a story he was looking forward to telling. "The reason was to stop another war as bloody as the Human-Methuselah War was," he started. "What you must understand was that when the empire first appeared, we weren't enemies with anyone on Earth. Rather the Empire followed the emperor into a time of peace with the Vatican and Albion."
"What?" Ion asked, looking confused. "This wasn't told in our history. It starts with them attacking us out of nowhere just because we are what we are."
Mirka smiled and patted Ion's head. "That's true, history books do tell it that way. But those of us given the true history by the empress know what his majesty speaks of is the truth. We were allies, in the beginning."
"We offered them technology in exchange for seed, livestock, and horses," Abel continued. "In fact the emperor and the pope of the time were close friends." Abel decided it was very strange talking about himself in the third person. "Trade was good between the three nations and the empire absorbed smaller ones around it who wanted protection from revival nations. Most decided to survive as servants and lower class while others helped with farming and other matters those from the original group had grown rusty at."
"Such as?" William asked.
"Boating, for one," Abel stated. "Most boats those from the empire had been used to were far more advanced and it took a while to get used to ones which weren't.
"Don't get me wrong, there were tensions between the nations, but most were solved quickly. The emperor actually spent months at a time in Rome helping secure economic relations with the Vatican."
"And to train the young pope in politics," added Baibars. "It's said that the pope really looked up to the emperor who had been leading our people for well over a century at the time."
"Ever since he went insane," Mirka added with a dark note.
Abel nodded. "It was two years later that the first changes started. The people who had come started to change. It was sudden, happening quickly and catching every nation off guard."
"When the mass awakening happened the Vatican was said to want to continue peace relations, outside of a small group of them. The emperor's brother decided to play that group and make it so that the peace meeting was a trap, knowing that his brother would only those few he trusted with him," Baibars continued.
"That night," – Mirka named the imperial night – "Brother Myles caught the emperor in a trap. His group killed: Doctor Kayson Williams and his wife Tabitha Williams in cold blood before moving on the emperor. The emperor escaped because Arthur Asran gave him the seconds to do so."
"But Arthur died soon after and it was these deaths that started the war, right?" Ion asked.
"It was part of it," Mirka nodded, her voice salmon. "Arthur Asran was the emperor's tovarish, though the term didn't exist then, and the emperor lashed out in a blind rage against the Vatican forces. His men, who had joined him, followed their emperor into battle."
"That's how the war started," Abel almost whispered this. "What followed was a one sided massacre as the empire pushed further and further into human territory. They were nearly to Rome when Lilith Sahl changed sides." He fell silent, remembering her rage the day she had told him she was leaving and the battle that had followed. The forgiveness after that and those moments they had stolen throughout the war without the knowledge of the Vatican or the Empire.
His grip tightened on her cross. The memory of her death all too clear in his mind. His brother smiling softly as he held up Lilith's severed head. The rage which had followed that.
"Lilith was the only one who could beat the emperor as a tactician," Mirka continued for Abel. "After she gained the pope's trust, the tide of battle turned against us. Especially the year the emperor was imprisoned."
Caterina frowned, but it was William who asked, "If we had captured the emperor why didn't we just kill him?"
"Because there is no way to kill what he is," Baibars stated.
"As history tells it the war ended with the emperor's and Sahl's death," Mirka finished. "Lilith's body was recovered, but the emperor's never was." Her eyes were on Abel now.
"My sister and I were close to the Nithtlords," Abel continued, stopping Mirka before she could tell them he was really Emperor Nightlord. He wasn't ready for that. "My sister returned to the empire and took the place of empress while I took Lilith's body to the Vatican where she would rest safely hidden from the world and those who still hated her for betraying the empire."
"It wasn't until later, because Solomon and Barrack, the last two of the emperor's closest friends and advisors, were close to death that Lilith was given a tomb beside the emperor, in memory that they had been lovers," Mirka paused. "Lilith was given the last name 'Nightlord' and is now honored as the first empress of the empire though they never officially married."
Abel smiled and nodded to Mirka as his grip loosened on the cross. He was glad that they didn't hate her.
"To answer your question, I entered exile in order to help seal a deal of peace with the Vatican," Abel stated. "I gave myself to them to serve as an agent behind the lines in order to put down the rebellious factions within the world on the human side. While for a time the Fortuna brothers did the same on the imperial side."
With those words Abel finished his meal then helped clean the small camp.
The group set off within a few short minutes. Most of them were talking about history now while Abel stayed with the girl and Baibars near the back of the group. Ion and Esther were close to them but still in the conversation with the others.
"Why not tell them?" the girl hissed the question at Abel.
"I think I would rather not reveal my past all at once," Abel replied. Plus, he had been hiding from who he had been for so long… was he really still the emperor?
A loud crack tore through the air. Abel glanced up at the ceiling. "Ion, Esther." He raced forward and pulled the two of them out of the way as the ceiling started to collapse around them.
They were rushed back as the ceiling continued give way under centuries of being discarded. Dust filled the air. When it settled there wasn't even the smallest gape between them and the other side of the passage. There was no way to tell if any of the others were still alive.
"Grandmother!" Ion shouted. He raced forward and started to dig.
"Stop!" Baibars hissed at the boy, dragging him away from the collapse. "You could cause more the ceiling to collapse on us."
"But," the boy stared at the bear of a man with wide eyes.
"If the duchess and the others survived they will meet us at the camp," Baibars said and turned to those in the tunnel.
Asthe was also there with them, but all the others were either trapped on the other side or—Abel cut off the train of thought. Until proven otherwise, they were alive.
(Author's Note: Edit: I am not dropping the Trinity Blood fics. I know I had said I was, but I am not. I decided to finish them no matter how long it will take me. I did a poll awhile back that showed I still have people who really, really want to see these finished (the entire series).)