Chapter Thirty-Six - What A Fall
***
"So, you're telling me that if we kill the princess, the power will be without a destined controller, and it will be most powerful in anyone's grasp?"
"Yes, Emperor Omega. Then any of us will be able to use it in order to - well, to do whatever."
"You're sure about this."
"Yes. Delta Khalidah and I just researched it moments ago. It's all very - interesting." He smiled. "Please let me do it."
"No." The emperor rolled his eyes at his son and flickered them instead on Delta Khalidah. "So let me get this straight. I kill the princess. The ginzuishou goes without controller, so we can use it. The dynasty is incomplete, so we can take it over without the magic of the city working against us - it will be working so hard to protect itself it will gloss over us. We take over the city, get the scientists to work the magic into my line, bada-bing, we rule the Earth and make these miserable Earthians our servants?"
Aiyana shuddered, but nodded.
The emperor broke into a huge smile. "So what are we waiting for! I've been praying for a chance to shut that girl up!"
"But-" Aiyana choked back a lump in her throat. "As annoying as the spore is, the ginzuishou will be more powerful with her alive. Her will - her life - the ginzuishou - I researched. The books say that the ginzuishou almost has a sympathy - indeed, a personality - of its own. If it has a sympathy and a personality, it will mourn the princess's death and thus misfire."
"No. The ginzuishou's powers are unlimited." Tamashiiro smiled. "That's what all the books say. Whether she is mourned or not, it will still work its magical power."
"Yes-"
"Yes." Emperor Omega. "So we've got to execute the princess in order to use the ginzuishou to its fullest. Good. Get her. The sooner we do this the better."
Aiyana gulped, alarmed.
"Problems, First Delta?"
"I'll so miss locking her in her room after a good tussle," she offered lamely. "Permission to retire, your highness?"
"Permission granted. You too, Tamashiiro." He waved his hand. "Go eat or something."
***
~Eat? Eat? Eat?!~
The emperor made a rule that the execution would be as quiet and unpretentious as possible. Lady Serenity wasn't a military prisoner, and she hadn't committed any crimes - they were executing her out of necessity - and only the six Epsilon executioners and he would know the time and place of the execution, as well as the method. The seven Delta had groaned at the decision - none of them liked the princess much and wanted to watch the execution.
Aiyana had to discover the time and place of the execution. She had wanted to get to the princess before the Epsilon did, but when she went to Serenity's room, the young princess was not there. She could only pray that the Epsilon had not yet executed the princess.
There had to be some way to stay it!
She suspected that Prince Tamashiiro knew the statistics. So she'd hunted around until she found the prince. Aiyana smirked when she realized what he was doing - practicing reading the Japanese kanji. She had to admit, he was improving. Yesterday as they did more research he had stumbled through a kanji reading of one of the more complicated non-fiction books in the library. She watched him check his watch. Either he was trying to meet the two-hour limit set for the Delta - not likely, since he didn't have to and he hated research - or he was waiting for something.
A few minutes later he checked his watch and closed the book, placing it back in its place on the bookshelf. He walked out of the library, Aiyana following close behind him, staying well enough behind him so that he wouldn't see her.
He paused several times along the way, looked around, took wrong turns, and finally arrived upon the casual throne room.
~I know they're not going to do it in there...!~ Aiyana thought.
Finally he turned around and faced the exact place she was in. "You can come out now, Delta Khalidah," he said amusedly.
Aiyana slid from her spot, chagrined.
"I'd have been a really sucky Delta if I didn't know you were there."
"So what does that make me?"
"A really sucky Delta."
"How long have I been there?" she challenged.
"I realized you were following me when I got lost near the regular throne room."
She smirked. At least there was a concession. He hadn't known she was there as long as she was.
"Now that you've followed me, I suppose the only thing to let you do is accompany me to watch Princess Lady Serenity's execution," he said, grinning. "The emperor allowed me to view it."
Aiyana turned white. "Is that where you were going?"
"Stupid girl. Of course that's where I was going. You didn't think I was just going to recline?"
"No. I would think you'd still be practicing your kanji."
It was Prince Tamashiiro's turn to turn colors, for his face turned into a tomato at that. "That long?"
"That long."
"You've never much had a gumption for death, have you?" He smirked slyly. "I saw how stark white your face went when I mentioned the execution. Which is why it baffles me as to how you killed the king and queen."
Aiyana shrugged. "I don't like watching death if I don't have to."
"Well, it'll be good for you to witness this one." He latched onto her wrist, fully intending to drag her into the throne room. "Come on. It'll inure to the sight."
"No! Let me go!"
"Stop fighting, First Delta!" He yanked her harder and dragged her into the room.
Damnit, she hadn't wanted to go into the throne room as the personal escort of the prince. That would only make it more difficult to rescue Lady Serenity. If she could have slunk in silently, she would have had the element of surprise - perhaps from the back or the side - but with Prince Tamashiiro making a big deal of it, she would have to stand in military rank, thus coming from the front and being much easier to apprehend.
But Tamashiiro didn't release her to her rank. Instead, he kept his hand clamped around her wrist. She writhed under his hold. "Let me go," she whispered fiercely.
"Delta Khalidah, this is oh so informal. You don't have to stand in rank all the time." He pushed his mouth to her ear. "Live a little. Since you abhor death so much anyway."
She struggled, but he was bigger and stronger than her, and she finally decided to save her energy.
Six Epsilon brought Lady Serenity to the foreground of the room, taken from the lacy pink dress she had worn earlier and instead clad in a plain pale pink dress, easier to control her in. She writhed as well, but there was only so far she could move with the six Epsilon holding her down. They brought her to the center of the room, made her kneel, affixed her head to the block below.
Decapitation!
Aiyana squirmed. With Tamashiiro holding her on this side and the Epsilon flanking the princess, by the time she wiggled free and made it to Serenity, the girl would be dead. The laser axe they were using would quickly sever bone, muscle, tissue. There was no way she would physically save her.
The Psi soldier raised the laser axe above his head, as Lady Serenity screamed.
There was only one way...
"Stop!" Aiyana screamed, waving her free hand. "Stop! Don't kill her!"
The Psi paused mid-swing, looking at Aiyana quizzically. He then turned towards the emperor. The emperor waved him off. The Psi relaxed his axe.
Prince Tamashiiro rolled Aiyana around to face him and cocked his head to the side. "And why not?"
Aiyana stared back at him. "Killing her won't accomplish anything."
"How is that?"
"Because..." Aiyana swallowed, stiffened, gathered up all her courage. "She's not the crown princess of Crystal Tokyo. I am."
A collective gasp came from the room, but Tamashiiro's expression didn't change. He only smirked more widely. He looked up at the emperor, who nodded slowly.
Aiyana suddenly had a sinking feeling in her stomach.
"You...knew."
Tamashiiro shrugged. "I didn't know that you were the princess. That is as much a surprise to me as it was to anyone. But I suspected that you weren't loyal to the crown after you didn't report for seven months, even if your ship was crashed, which it wasn't. When we arrived here and you jumped out the window to save the princess, I suspected then. But my father wouldn't believe me.
"So I arranged this little affair to catch you in it. It was so much fun! I knew that your big ol' heart would give you away at the moment of truth." He smiled. "You were always so weak when it came to death."
Aiyana's mouth dropped open.
"I deliberately went to the library - don't you think that'd be kind of an obvious place for me to hang out before the execution? And why do you think none of the other eager beaver Delta followed me from there? Hm, you're losing your touch, Aiyana." He shook his head, clicking his teeth in a tsk tsk sound. "Coincidence that you found me right before the execution, isn't it, Aiyana? There was no set time for this little affair. I decided to hang around until you found me."
Aiyana hung her head in shame.
"When you did, I checked my watch to make it look like it was a set time. After a few moments of making you wait, knowing you'd follow me out of there, I left.
"Getting lost wasn't a part of the plan," he admitted, faltering, "but it was a good way for me to pretend like I hadn't known you were behind me for the whole time. Then I figured, I'd better hold that crazy girl down before she rushed forward to sacrifice herself for that girl. Which would have been stupid, since we would have killed Serenity anyway, but-" He shrugged casually.
"I was going to suggest killing you both when we found out the truth. But this admission - you're the princess? It's absurd. I halfway don't believe you, but if that weren't the truth, I think you would have come up with something better than that. You're smarter than that. So it must be true.
"But to make doubly sure, I suggest that we run some tests to prove your relation to the throne." He regarded Aiyana carefully. "How did you like my little story, Aiyana?"
She turned her eyes away, casting them towards the floor. How could she have been so stupid?
"I told my father and the other Delta of my suspicions early on. They've been watching your every move since that day. We'd just about confirmed you were a traitor. We just needed something concrete from you." He grinned. "And we've got it!"
He shoved her brutally, one of the Epsilon catching her from the back. Aiyana was so shocked that she didn't even struggle away from the Epsilon soldier, and it only took two to hold her.
"Take her upstairs and put her in the second-biggest bedroom of the palace - the queen's personal chamber. Oh," he added, snapping his fingers at the Epsilon holding her, "get former First Delta Khalidah out of that uniform and strip her of that insignia."
He sucked his teeth. "What a fall, what a fall, Aiyana! From First Delta to First Sigma in no time at all!"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------
AN: If you'll remember correctly, Sigma are prisoners of war.
Sorry for the shorter chapter, but I had to stop there for effect.
***
"So, you're telling me that if we kill the princess, the power will be without a destined controller, and it will be most powerful in anyone's grasp?"
"Yes, Emperor Omega. Then any of us will be able to use it in order to - well, to do whatever."
"You're sure about this."
"Yes. Delta Khalidah and I just researched it moments ago. It's all very - interesting." He smiled. "Please let me do it."
"No." The emperor rolled his eyes at his son and flickered them instead on Delta Khalidah. "So let me get this straight. I kill the princess. The ginzuishou goes without controller, so we can use it. The dynasty is incomplete, so we can take it over without the magic of the city working against us - it will be working so hard to protect itself it will gloss over us. We take over the city, get the scientists to work the magic into my line, bada-bing, we rule the Earth and make these miserable Earthians our servants?"
Aiyana shuddered, but nodded.
The emperor broke into a huge smile. "So what are we waiting for! I've been praying for a chance to shut that girl up!"
"But-" Aiyana choked back a lump in her throat. "As annoying as the spore is, the ginzuishou will be more powerful with her alive. Her will - her life - the ginzuishou - I researched. The books say that the ginzuishou almost has a sympathy - indeed, a personality - of its own. If it has a sympathy and a personality, it will mourn the princess's death and thus misfire."
"No. The ginzuishou's powers are unlimited." Tamashiiro smiled. "That's what all the books say. Whether she is mourned or not, it will still work its magical power."
"Yes-"
"Yes." Emperor Omega. "So we've got to execute the princess in order to use the ginzuishou to its fullest. Good. Get her. The sooner we do this the better."
Aiyana gulped, alarmed.
"Problems, First Delta?"
"I'll so miss locking her in her room after a good tussle," she offered lamely. "Permission to retire, your highness?"
"Permission granted. You too, Tamashiiro." He waved his hand. "Go eat or something."
***
~Eat? Eat? Eat?!~
The emperor made a rule that the execution would be as quiet and unpretentious as possible. Lady Serenity wasn't a military prisoner, and she hadn't committed any crimes - they were executing her out of necessity - and only the six Epsilon executioners and he would know the time and place of the execution, as well as the method. The seven Delta had groaned at the decision - none of them liked the princess much and wanted to watch the execution.
Aiyana had to discover the time and place of the execution. She had wanted to get to the princess before the Epsilon did, but when she went to Serenity's room, the young princess was not there. She could only pray that the Epsilon had not yet executed the princess.
There had to be some way to stay it!
She suspected that Prince Tamashiiro knew the statistics. So she'd hunted around until she found the prince. Aiyana smirked when she realized what he was doing - practicing reading the Japanese kanji. She had to admit, he was improving. Yesterday as they did more research he had stumbled through a kanji reading of one of the more complicated non-fiction books in the library. She watched him check his watch. Either he was trying to meet the two-hour limit set for the Delta - not likely, since he didn't have to and he hated research - or he was waiting for something.
A few minutes later he checked his watch and closed the book, placing it back in its place on the bookshelf. He walked out of the library, Aiyana following close behind him, staying well enough behind him so that he wouldn't see her.
He paused several times along the way, looked around, took wrong turns, and finally arrived upon the casual throne room.
~I know they're not going to do it in there...!~ Aiyana thought.
Finally he turned around and faced the exact place she was in. "You can come out now, Delta Khalidah," he said amusedly.
Aiyana slid from her spot, chagrined.
"I'd have been a really sucky Delta if I didn't know you were there."
"So what does that make me?"
"A really sucky Delta."
"How long have I been there?" she challenged.
"I realized you were following me when I got lost near the regular throne room."
She smirked. At least there was a concession. He hadn't known she was there as long as she was.
"Now that you've followed me, I suppose the only thing to let you do is accompany me to watch Princess Lady Serenity's execution," he said, grinning. "The emperor allowed me to view it."
Aiyana turned white. "Is that where you were going?"
"Stupid girl. Of course that's where I was going. You didn't think I was just going to recline?"
"No. I would think you'd still be practicing your kanji."
It was Prince Tamashiiro's turn to turn colors, for his face turned into a tomato at that. "That long?"
"That long."
"You've never much had a gumption for death, have you?" He smirked slyly. "I saw how stark white your face went when I mentioned the execution. Which is why it baffles me as to how you killed the king and queen."
Aiyana shrugged. "I don't like watching death if I don't have to."
"Well, it'll be good for you to witness this one." He latched onto her wrist, fully intending to drag her into the throne room. "Come on. It'll inure to the sight."
"No! Let me go!"
"Stop fighting, First Delta!" He yanked her harder and dragged her into the room.
Damnit, she hadn't wanted to go into the throne room as the personal escort of the prince. That would only make it more difficult to rescue Lady Serenity. If she could have slunk in silently, she would have had the element of surprise - perhaps from the back or the side - but with Prince Tamashiiro making a big deal of it, she would have to stand in military rank, thus coming from the front and being much easier to apprehend.
But Tamashiiro didn't release her to her rank. Instead, he kept his hand clamped around her wrist. She writhed under his hold. "Let me go," she whispered fiercely.
"Delta Khalidah, this is oh so informal. You don't have to stand in rank all the time." He pushed his mouth to her ear. "Live a little. Since you abhor death so much anyway."
She struggled, but he was bigger and stronger than her, and she finally decided to save her energy.
Six Epsilon brought Lady Serenity to the foreground of the room, taken from the lacy pink dress she had worn earlier and instead clad in a plain pale pink dress, easier to control her in. She writhed as well, but there was only so far she could move with the six Epsilon holding her down. They brought her to the center of the room, made her kneel, affixed her head to the block below.
Decapitation!
Aiyana squirmed. With Tamashiiro holding her on this side and the Epsilon flanking the princess, by the time she wiggled free and made it to Serenity, the girl would be dead. The laser axe they were using would quickly sever bone, muscle, tissue. There was no way she would physically save her.
The Psi soldier raised the laser axe above his head, as Lady Serenity screamed.
There was only one way...
"Stop!" Aiyana screamed, waving her free hand. "Stop! Don't kill her!"
The Psi paused mid-swing, looking at Aiyana quizzically. He then turned towards the emperor. The emperor waved him off. The Psi relaxed his axe.
Prince Tamashiiro rolled Aiyana around to face him and cocked his head to the side. "And why not?"
Aiyana stared back at him. "Killing her won't accomplish anything."
"How is that?"
"Because..." Aiyana swallowed, stiffened, gathered up all her courage. "She's not the crown princess of Crystal Tokyo. I am."
A collective gasp came from the room, but Tamashiiro's expression didn't change. He only smirked more widely. He looked up at the emperor, who nodded slowly.
Aiyana suddenly had a sinking feeling in her stomach.
"You...knew."
Tamashiiro shrugged. "I didn't know that you were the princess. That is as much a surprise to me as it was to anyone. But I suspected that you weren't loyal to the crown after you didn't report for seven months, even if your ship was crashed, which it wasn't. When we arrived here and you jumped out the window to save the princess, I suspected then. But my father wouldn't believe me.
"So I arranged this little affair to catch you in it. It was so much fun! I knew that your big ol' heart would give you away at the moment of truth." He smiled. "You were always so weak when it came to death."
Aiyana's mouth dropped open.
"I deliberately went to the library - don't you think that'd be kind of an obvious place for me to hang out before the execution? And why do you think none of the other eager beaver Delta followed me from there? Hm, you're losing your touch, Aiyana." He shook his head, clicking his teeth in a tsk tsk sound. "Coincidence that you found me right before the execution, isn't it, Aiyana? There was no set time for this little affair. I decided to hang around until you found me."
Aiyana hung her head in shame.
"When you did, I checked my watch to make it look like it was a set time. After a few moments of making you wait, knowing you'd follow me out of there, I left.
"Getting lost wasn't a part of the plan," he admitted, faltering, "but it was a good way for me to pretend like I hadn't known you were behind me for the whole time. Then I figured, I'd better hold that crazy girl down before she rushed forward to sacrifice herself for that girl. Which would have been stupid, since we would have killed Serenity anyway, but-" He shrugged casually.
"I was going to suggest killing you both when we found out the truth. But this admission - you're the princess? It's absurd. I halfway don't believe you, but if that weren't the truth, I think you would have come up with something better than that. You're smarter than that. So it must be true.
"But to make doubly sure, I suggest that we run some tests to prove your relation to the throne." He regarded Aiyana carefully. "How did you like my little story, Aiyana?"
She turned her eyes away, casting them towards the floor. How could she have been so stupid?
"I told my father and the other Delta of my suspicions early on. They've been watching your every move since that day. We'd just about confirmed you were a traitor. We just needed something concrete from you." He grinned. "And we've got it!"
He shoved her brutally, one of the Epsilon catching her from the back. Aiyana was so shocked that she didn't even struggle away from the Epsilon soldier, and it only took two to hold her.
"Take her upstairs and put her in the second-biggest bedroom of the palace - the queen's personal chamber. Oh," he added, snapping his fingers at the Epsilon holding her, "get former First Delta Khalidah out of that uniform and strip her of that insignia."
He sucked his teeth. "What a fall, what a fall, Aiyana! From First Delta to First Sigma in no time at all!"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------
AN: If you'll remember correctly, Sigma are prisoners of war.
Sorry for the shorter chapter, but I had to stop there for effect.