Disclaimer: I do not own anything that I reference.


Chapter Thirty-Five: Burning Plans and Cool Dessert


(Edinburgh, Scotland)

"Yes Phoebe?" Danny asked as he looked over a holographic map of the England.

It displayed an accurate portrayal map of the land that would have one day made up the United Kingdom. There were markers in red that displayed the French/Scottish army. He had told Queen Mary and King Henry to split their army in half so they could take different routes to reach England and the city of London.

The Fake Queen Elizabeth had been given order to have the English army respond to the fracturing of the army as he had wanted. The explanation being to keep as much of the damage from the French/Scottish army to a minimal and prevent villages from surrendering to Queen Mary's rule. They had split into three armies. One led by Robert Baratheon, one led by Eddard (Ned) Stark, and the last led by Prince Louis.

Each of the armies held a target that he was interested in. Robert Baratheon held Bebbanburg, Ned Stark's army had Lord Dudley and the Spear of Longinus, and Prince Louis had the Sword of Damocles.

According to his B.I.R.D.S.' scan of the path the army of King Henry is travelling the closest town they would be near would be the town of Tranent.

"I was just wondering what you are doing?" Phoebe asked as she stood behind him.

"Right now, I am looking at the army that King Henry is soon to be doing battle with." Danny answered her.

"Is something the matter?" Pheobe asked. "How many men does he have with him?"

Currently King Henry army consisted of twenty-thousand men.

"King Henry has enough men." Danny said. "The problem is that he is eager with temptation to forge ahead and engage the enemy."

"Isn't that normal for war?" Phoebe asked. "My dad said when he served the war the kings were always wanting to fight."

"Yes. The problem with the situation is that if they meet the English army now the area they will be fighting in is a large patch of bog." Danny said.

Lola had told him that the place is called Trenant meadows.

"That would be bad." Phoebe said.

That was an understatement. If their horses attempt to stride forward, then they will sink in the mud. The formation of the cavalry would break as the riders fell off of their horses. Then mass chaos would follow as the English started shooting at the fallen soldiers. This was the century where guns would start replacing swords. If King Henry's army was in an unfortunate location, they could all be slaughtered like boars.

"So, you are looking for a way around the bog?" Phoebe asked.

"Correct." Danny said as he increased the focus on the map.

"How long do you think that King Henry is going to wait?" Phoebe asked.

"He already is resentful of the fact that he has had to wait this long. I doubt his patience will last longer than the week." Danny said.

The madness in King Henry had increased when he landed on English shores. He believed that victory was certain, and any sacrifice was worth it His men just thought that it was certainty of victory, and it gave the men following him confidence. It was probably because their fraction of the army had yet to come across actual resistance since the army broke in half.

"Why don't you offer one of your ships?" Pheobe asked. "That could take them over the bog and behind the opposing army."

Because that is not what the original wanted.

He wanted them to clash in battle as they advanced forward. He wanted songs to be sung of their glory and valor as they charged into overwhelming odds. The losses they took as motivation for the others. He would be sending aid every now and then to reinforce the men's belief in Nirtti's power and benevolence.

"That is not the plan." Danny said before he pulled himself back. "I'll figure it out."

He would have a B.I.R.D. do a more intensive survey of the area to find a path so that the army could move forward and surprise the English.

"Anyway, the reason that I came searching for you is that I was wondering when you were going to help us activate our gifts?" Phoebe asked.

He had been thinking about that too.

The original had been thinking of making it a grand ritual. Having the pair of sisters drink a concoction brewed by Delphine while under the light of a full moon. They would drink it while under the light of the planet's full moon. The dramatics would certainly suit their tastes.

Then he considered the possibility of them having a power that could be dangerous to the area or each other or even worse with the original. It was better for him to do tests on their blood to see what they would develop before he just granted them their abilities. That way he could check the old Alteran records and see if they had records of the kinds of powers the Halliwell and Stillwell sisters could develop.

"I am having the necessary pieces moved. I want to be sure that I can teach you how to control your abilities." Danny said.

"Is there danger?" Phoebe asked.

She was hesitant but there was very little fear. He knew that even with the risks that she would move forward.

"My people kept records of what our ancestors dealt with when they first began developing their abilities. Thes record described how in the beginning many Alterans had abilities that injured themselves or brought disaster before they gained control." Danny said.

"Like what?" Phoebe asked.

"For example, one member could cause shockwaves but each time she used them it risked her breaking her arms. " Danny said.

"That's horrible." Phoebe said as she moved her right arm to grip her left arm.

"That's why I want to be careful." Danny said turning to her. "How would you and your sisters feel about going shopping in Italy?"

"Really?" Phoebe asked.

"Yes. I can see how stressed you and your sisters are so I thought you might enjoy seeing somewhere new." Danny said with a smile.

It would help get her mind off what he just revealed to her.

"Doesn't all of Italy hate you?" Phoebe asked.

"That is just the Pope and the Catholic Chruch. It will be fine. I have some business to do there anyway." Danny said.

"Alright. I will go tell them." Phoebe said running off.

'Kenna would probably like to go as well.' Danny thought.

She had been working hard and finally finished building his Scottish Estate and deserved a reward.

Now all he had to was see if the other two wanted to come along.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Hello King Daniel." Lola said as she curtsied.

"Hello, Lady Lola, how have you been?" Danny asked since it had been a couple of weeks since he had last seen her.

The last story that she had told him about involved special stones in England that according to legend were able to send people into the past. He had a feeling that they were similar to the ones that the original had encountered during his mission on the planet Teru.

"Have you come to talk about some new myth that you wanted to learn about?" Lola asked as she gestured for him to come inside.

"Not this time. Instead, I wanted to know if you wanted to come to Milan with Kenna and the others?" Danny asked as he stepped inside the home.

It was rather extravagant for a peasant but for someone that had been raised in Lola's station she probably saw the small estate as a slight by Mary. It probably was given how vindictive Queen Mary could be when she felt like she had been wronged. She had threatened Queen Catherine in the original timeline by telling her she would tell foreign countries about King Henry's madness and watch as their enemies invaded.

She had ripped a peace treaty between England and Scotland when she believed they were the people that killed Francis.

It was partly the reason why he had her infected with Nish'ta as well.

"Queen Mary probably is not ready to see me yet." Lola said.

That is true but given that Queen Mary is away from the capital trying to establish peace and control it was no problem.

"I just figured that you would want to see your other friends again. They miss you." Danny said while using x-ray vision to peek on the baby sleeping in his crib.

"I do miss them." Lola mumbled.

"Kenna has told me about how she misses the days when your group was whole, and you all got along." Danny said.

"I can't leave Jean all alone." Lola said.

His full name is Jean-Philippe Valois-Angoulême, but they all pronounced it as John. Queen Mary had not wanted him legitimized seeing it as a threat to their reign, but he promised them that she would have a child. It would be better for all of them that they got along as children. The Targaryens were building up to a civil war right now because the royal family could not get along.

"I can have my Jaffa watch him." Danny said for Lola.

"Are you sure they will be able to watch over a baby?" Lola asked.

"No need to worry. If I give the order, he will be treated as the rarest jewel in a miser's treasury." Danny said as he went to hold Lola's hands.

"How long would it take us to get there and back?" Lola asked.

"I don't plan for it to be long. We are just going to spend a few hours there." Danny said.

"Alright then." Lola said giving in.

"Great." Danny said with a smile.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Danny opened the door to his room when he ran into a surprise. He had expected the ladies to still be talking over what they planned to do once they reached Milan.

"Are you going somewhere?" Kenna asked standing in the doorway.

"To my ready room. I have some calls to make." Danny said.

"You can't make such a call in your quarters?" Kenna asked.

"I want the room for the atmosphere such calls require." Danny said.

"I just want to remind you that you promised that you would spend the trip with us. Not a duplicate. The actual you." Kenna said pouting as she walked up to him and grabbed his hand.

"I mean to keep that promise. Which is why I have to make the call now." Danny said bringing his head down to kiss her hand. "I have promised many people many things and I intend to keep them."

"Very well as long as you don't forget mine. I am really looking forward today." Kenna said pulling him into a kiss.

"Right. All of us are going to enjoy the trip. Nothing is going to get in the way of that." Danny said clearly feeling Kenna's intent to guilt trip him.

It was adorable so he let it pass.

Kenna stood back and let him pass her and walk down the ship.

"Hello Ka'ri." Danny said as he walked up to the Jaffa guard.

"Greetings my king." Ka'ri said moving out of the way.

Danny walked into the room and took his seat. He activated the contact orb and started a group call.

"Hello." Lucien said.

"Yes" Aurora asked.

"How can I help you?" Tristan asked.

"I am glad that the three of you have answered my call in such a timely manner." Danny said looking at the Trinity with a smile.

"Did we have the option to refuse?" Aurora asked.

It seems that Aurora was in one of her downward swings.

"Please forgive my sister. You know how she can be." Tristan said.

"I have called you three because I have a problem." Danny said.

"What kind of problem?" Lucien asked interested.

"Finding Mikael has turned out to be a bit more difficult than I expected. It seems that he is aware of my traps and is doing his best to avoid detection." Danny said.

He did not think the man knew how to be subtle. Everything he had learned about him made it seem like if given the choice between subtlety and overt action he would choose to rampage like a bull in a China shop. When he had been chasing Niklaus he left him the cut off head of horse in his bed.

"The Vampire hunter? You want us to find him for you." Tristan asked hesitantly.

"Yes. I have been advised that the best way to catch a thief is with another thief." Danny said.

"If you are unable to find him then how are we supposed to find him?" Aurora asked.

"The three of you have spent centuries living in the shadows of human awareness. I have no doubt you can use such experience to find him." Danny said.

"Even if we do find him there are limits to what we can do." Tristan said sounding concerned.

"He is the most violent of the family. Entire villages have burned because he believed they held his children." Aurora said.

"You have caught all the others is one more such a challenge?" Lucien asked.

'Seems like I am going to have to go through with the plan.' Danny thought.

"I thought that you three might be reluctant to get involved. You spent a century running from him after all. So, I am going to give you the correct motivation to help me and join in the hunt." Danny said. "I have released Rebekah."

"What?" Aurora asked surprised.

"Why would you do that?" Tristan asked with wide eyes.

Danny knew that would make him care.

"To force your hands. My retainers distrust you vampires. They believe one of you has been helping Mikael avoid detection. I wanted to reassure them that you will do everything possible to help." Danny said.

"So, you decided that putting my life in danger would be a proper motivational technique?" Aurora asked anger raising in her voice.

It was a good thing for them that he decided to make the call while they were separated by oceans. Looking at their faces he left that they might have reacted impulsively.

"I am only threatening you to make sure I have all of your help." Danny said.

Tristan is her older brother and Lucien has been pinning for her since they had been human. There was no way they would let her come to harm when word reached Mikael that his daughter is walking around.

"I assume that you are doing the same with Sage?" Lucien asked.

"Sage is already properly motivated. I can trust her and have no need to take such action." Danny lied.

He knew that he had Sage's loyalty but that did not mean he would reveal such things to these three. Instead, he would make it seem that the reason that he is doing this to them is because they have yet to full prove their loyalty.

"Very well if you are going to force our hand." Tristan said.

"Goodbye." Danny said ending the conversation with the three.

Now for his next call.

"Ray'al." Danny said as the hologram formed.

"My king." Ray'al bowed in greeting.

"How far along have you gotten?" Danny asked.

"The process is twenty percent completion. Soon we will know everything that Greg and Paul Rowe know." Ray'al said.

He had set a trap for the two brothers while disguised as Jeremy. He used Delphine as bait and when the brothers arrived, he had them tranquilized and sedated. The reason he went through all this effort instead of just killing them is because he learned through Jeremy that the brothers had been studying powerful dark objects. Tracking down evil witches and warlocks that were likely to sell them or easy to kill if they were not willing to make a deal.

"Keep me aware of your progress " Danny said as he ended the call.

He was about to leave when he received a surprise. Someone was trying to contact him.

"Hello. my king." Fared said in greeting when his image manifested fully.

"Is something the matter with Katerina? Or Violet?" Danny asked the Jaffa that was responsible for watching over his spies.

"They are still on mission. I am calling you to inform you of Ha'ru's progress." Fared said.

"How has the mission gone?" Danny asked.

Ha'ru is a Jaffa. He had been tasked with going to Germany to discover if the rumors about the woman there is true. He had heard tales that a red-headed witch has been stealing children from villages.

"It seems that the rumors are true. The children are being abducted by an evil witch." Fared answered.

"Is she alone or is she working with a coven?" Danny asked.

"She has two children. A boy Sebastain and a girl Anne. The boy is the oldest." Fared said.

"Do you believe they are aware of their mother's actions?" Danny asked.

He wanted to know if there was a chance that they could be saved or if they had to go down with their mother.

"Ha'ru did not see them in person during my visit to the village but from what I have read it seems the daughter Anne is a kind soul." Fared said.

Seems more research would have to be done.

"Tell him that I want more information on how she is taking these children and the purpose behind it." Danny said.

"I will do as you command." Fared said.

"Keep me aware of his progress." Danny said before he ended the call.

0-0-0-0-0-0

(Milan, Italy)

Danny looked on with a smile as the group traveled between the merchant stalls.

From the moment that they had set foot on the ground Kenna had been deciding where they would go. The sisters had been surprised at her energy, but they were following Greer and Lola's attitude and going with the flow.

The werewolves walking behind them were for their protection to make sure nobody tried to rob them.

"Look at this." Kenna said leading the group with enough energy to power a Tel'tak.

"Ah you ladies have wonderful taste." The merchant in charge of the stall said.

He watched as she noticed the rings and moved closer to inspect them. He had given them all money for the trip so she should enjoy herself.

"Is she always like this?" Piper asked Greer.

"She has always dreamed of coming here since we were little." Greer whispered back. "When we were coming to Paris Kenna planned on seeing if she and Mary could talk King Francis into taking us all on a trip to Milan."

"What happened?' Prue asked while moving to look at a pair of bracelets.

"Living in the castle was complicated." Lola said with a sad tone.

The sisters took the hint and let the conversation drop.

He stopped walking when he felt something drawing his attention.

"Watch out for them." Danny told the werewolves following him before he split off from the group and walked down another street.

The street he was walking down was definitely shady and suspicious. The roads were cracked, and, on the walls, there looked to be remnants of dried blood.

"Hello stranger. What brings you to my shop today?" The merchant woman sitting on the other side of the table asked.

She is a rather beautiful woman. She reminded him of what Desiree was described as when she was alive. She looked to be a few years older than Queen Mary and her friends. She had tan skin and long dark, curly hair. Her green eyes drew people in, and her red lips made you want to stare. She had yellow hoop earrings.

"What kind of stone is this?" Danny asked as he pointed at one ring that was lying in a case with diamonds and rubies.

He could feel it giving off energy. It was faint like the last moments of a cellphone battery, but it was still enough for him to feel.

"You have a good eye. My suppliers travel all around the world finding hidden treasures. This ring used to belong to English druids. It is said to bring good luck to those that wear it." The merchant woman said.

The merchant was not sure if what she was saying was true, but it did not matter. The ring interested him and so he would buy it. He could question the spirits on the Other Side for its true history.

Danny walked up to the ladies while they were distracted with looking at the dresses being displayed in the shop. The first thing he noticed was that the name on top of the shop was French.

"Boo." Danny said with a smile and watched as they jumped in surprise.

"Why did you do that?" Kenna asked glaring at him.

"I thought it would be funny." Danny said with a smile.

He could feel their annoyance with him buried under the Nish'ta induced loyalty.

"Where were you?" Kenna asked.

"I found something that I wanted to buy." Danny said with a smile. "On my way back, I heard that this new tavern/inn opened up and the chef is trying to get people to try out his food."

"That sounds fun." Piper said.

"I thought you might like that. So, when you are finished trying out dresses, we can get something to eat." Danny said gesturing them forward.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"What do you think?" The chef asked as he watched him eat his desert.

The ladies felt that since he was the one to bring them here that he should try the food at this place first.

He had ordered an Italian Curd Lemon Semifreddo. It is the same desert that Takumi Aldini had made during his food war. He had been wanting to taste it for a while, but the clone was still on a journey learning about different foods. So, when he saw it on the menu, he had to order one even if it tasted different than the one from the anime/manga.

"I like the color." Kenna said looking at his desert.

"I think that it is wonderful." Danny said after he took his first bite.

"You really like it?" The chef asked.

"I think it is amazing." Danny said before he moved to take another bite.

"Then I want one as well." Prue said.

"Me too." Phoebe said.

"Make enough for the whole table." Danny said placing two gold coins on the table.

It was more than was expected or necessary, but he felt like this tavern/inn could become a favorite spot of his when he wanted some Italian food and dessert.

He would try not to destroy it when he conquered Italy.

"Is there anything else that we are going to do today?" Kenna asked.

"Yes, but we are going to be leaving the city." Danny said.

0-0-0-0-0-0

(Forli Castle, Italy)

"This is such an amazing place." Danny said with his arms extended wide as he looked upon his newest treasure.

"I am sorry my king, but I do not understand why you are fascinated by such a ruin?" Greer asked sitting on the blanket.

Her aim was on the giant hole that would allow people to walk inside if they had the courage to go over the giant hole.

"This ruin as you call it once belonged to Catarina Sofrza." Danny said. "This is where she stood and fought against the tyranny of the Catholic Church."

The first time Catarina had been forced to watch as her son was tortured by the gonfalonier of Rome Juan Borgia. He was the bastard son of the pope at the time Rodrigo Borgia (Alexander Sextus). Juan had tried to intimidate her into giving up her castle and face his father. She had refused and instead claimed that even if he did kill Benito, she had the ability to make ten more sons.

That line tormented him until the end of his life.

She had defeated Juan when she gained reinforcements from her cousin Giovanni but that only made the church more determined to bring her down. Giovanni was stabbed to death in the castle's dining hall by his ex-brother-in-law Cesare Borgia while they were in diplomatic negotiations. Cesare would also be the one to break the castle wall with cannon fire and finally drag the imprisoned woman to Rome.

"What do you plan on doing with this place?" Prue asked. "Turn it into a fort to invade Rome?"

"The original would probably do that." Danny said looking at ramparts atop the castle.

He would enjoy the historic resonance in the act. The Sforza family had plotted in this castle to make an alliance with the French King to march down to Rome to kill the Pope and his family. They had gotten close to accomplishing that goal but thanks to the French King's desire for Naples they had to give up. It turned out to be a bad deal for the French King as Naples was suffering under the Black Plague.

Prince Alfonso had left infected bodies around the city as a way to weaken the French army while he escaped. It did the job better than intended as it infected the French King Charles VIII.

Rome would not be so lucky this time.

"We are here because I want this place." Danny said as the Jaffa finally set up the Reduction Cannon.

The Reduction Cannon was given its name by the effect it had once activated.

Like most Goa'uld technology the Reduction Cannon relied on crystals. These crystals had properties that caused objects to shrink or enlarge when a light source was fired through them. They could shrink to the size of a thimble or grow to the size of a mountain. It might be able to grow bigger, but he had not tested that. The machine around the crystal allowed more control of the size alteration.

"Are you going to use it as a private home?" Kenna asked feeling dejected.

He could feel the worry that she had about him. That he did not like her efforts to build his estate or that he had been wasting her time.

"The original already have enough of those." Danny said. "I intend for it to be the resort for our zoo on mars."

The habitats were completed, and he was going about producing the herbivores.

The original intended to show off his dinosaurs and so eventually his people would need someplace to stay at. The original thought of making a new building but he realized that he could turn their hobby into something practical. Taking a castle of noted history and turning it into something that they could actually use for people more than himself.

There was work that had to be done on it though. His Jaffa would have to fix the wall that had broken down, clean the interior, and remove the cines and grass that had grown around the place.

"There is a chance that the pope will hear of this." Greer said.

"I planned on sending him a card telling him what I have done." Danny said. "It will be good for him to know who he is dealing with."

The former pope Paul IV had died recently and had been replaced with Pope Pius IV.

"The current pope is a member of Catherine's family." Kenna said to remind him.

"I am aware that the current pope is a Medici." Danny said. "I plan to give him a chance to surrender."