Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom, Stargate SG-1, Reign, or anything else I reference.
Chapter Thirteen: Problems Arise
(Paris, March 1559)
Danny took a deep breath as he sat on a chair he created. He could hear the sounds of the party happening outside, but he was focused on the coffins that were in front of him. Each one of them contained a Mikaelson vampire. They were going to be sent to a secure room once they reached his castle through the Antarctic Chappa'ai. They would be kept behind a locked door that only reacted to his specific power signature.
"Have you picked out new bodies for them?" Esther asked as she appeared next to him. The coffin that Niklaus kept Esther in was also in the room but that was more so he could get a genetic base to make new bodies for the Mikaelsons. The original plan had involved kidnapping villagers and altering their looks, but this had less victims.
"The process is ready to begin." Danny said. They would be living in a land where no one would have ever heard of them or been a victim to their progeny.
"You will give Rebekah the happiness she has been denied all these years." Esther said.
"I have every intention of doing so." Danny said. Rebekah was he first to get a new body and the moment she woke up would be the start of the life she had dreamed about. He was still undecided on when he wanted to wake the others up. He knew the order he would be releasing them in. It would go Finn, Elijah, Kol, and finally Niklaus. He and Rebekah could talk it over. Finn was the first brother because he had lost centuries to the dagger, and he felt like he had suffered enough.
"I remember so long ago how innocent they all were." Esther said. She had made mistakes in their lives but now they were finally getting the chance to be human and live how they wanted. Best of all was that Dahlia would never find them. She did not know where that ring would lead them, but it would be better than the lives, they led for the past half a millennium.
"I could bring you back to the world of the living as well." Danny said. Esther's body had been perfectly preserved. It was no big deal to bring her back to it. If she still wanted to die, he could take her to another world and kill her there surrounded by her family. That way she could reach whatever afterlife was waiting for her.
"No. My life is over, and I want to respect the cycle nature intended. If you want to do something for me free Freya." Esther said wishing that her other daughter gained her freedom as well.
"Very well." Danny said. and watched as she cut the connection between them. That did not mean he was alone, however. "What do you wish to lecture me for now?"
"You are taking advantage of a mother's hopes to build an army." Aunt Oma said as she appeared before him.
"What I did was take a step to bring order to the chaos." Danny said. Through the study of Lucien and Eric on the ship (not to mention the Medjai vampires trapped in the village) and knowledge from Esther he learned that the Sirelink allowed him to send psychic messages. He was gathering the one hundred and fifty vampires that descended from them to gather at the castle that Tristan and Aurora used to live in but still owned.
"You make what you are doing sound so noble." Aunt Oma said.
"It's better than leaving them on their own." Danny said. Most shows and movies he had seen with Vampires and humans eventually had the two sides at war with one another. He was going to prevent the two species going to war.
"You could lead them to peace in a way that does not require you conquering this world." Aunt Oma said.
"The world is already conquered. Most just don't know it yet." Danny said as he activated the Chappa'ai that had been moved from the Antarctic to inside King Henry's castle. That way the original could make sure that it was guarded and be alerted if it was activated without his permission. They had planned to use the one in Egypt but the presence of the Medjai had caused them to abandon it. It could rest where it was for a while longer.
Two duplicates lifted the coffins with telekinesis and stepped through the portal.
"You see nothing wrong with what you are doing?" Aunt Oma asked.
"No, I do not." Danny said done with the conversation and walked to the party. Aunt Oma would leave on her own eventually. He was in the mood for some fun.
0-0-0-0-0-0
"Have you seen Lady Greer?" Danny asked as he watched how the lords and ladies of the court danced around. King Henry had decided to throw a masquerade party and had given people the masks of the ancient gods and goddesses. People were wearing masks of Zeus, Apollo, Ares, Hera, Artemis, Aphrodite, and so on. Kenna was wearing a purple and blue dress wearing a mask of Aphrodite. He had one for Apollo but had yet to put it on. Hanging from the walls were the symbol of Nirrti.
The alcohol being served for the party was a stronger type than they were used to. It was from Dinai and usually served to Jaffa. It would certainly give them a hangover especially with the other substances that the nobles were selling and giving to each other. He believed that it was a mix of aphrodisiacs and opiates.
"Did you want something from her?" Kenna asked.
"I was wondering how she is doing?" Danny asked. He had not talked to her much since he had told her the fake backstory of how Leith had died in a bar brawl in town.
"She should be somewhere around here." Kenna said as the two of them walked through the castle.
"King Danny." Greer said as she curtsied in front of him.
She was wearing a beautiful dress with a blue top and long green skirt.
"I was wondering how you were doing with everything?" Danny asked as he put her hand in his.
"I did not mean to worry you, King Daniel." Greer said.
"It is no concern. I have wanting to spend time with the two of you." Danny said as he held on to both Kenna and Greer's hands. He only had so many days, so he was going to enjoy it as much as he could.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Danny woke up from his bed and looked to the two women lying beside him. Kenna and Greer were probably going to remain like that for a few hours and as much as he would enjoy staying here as well, he had work to do.
One bath later and he was ready for his day to get started.
"Kada." Danny said focusing on the contact orb.
"You require something my king?" Kada asked. He was stationed in the village making sure that progress was being kept on track.
"I want you to send an Al'kesh towards me." Danny said.
"Do you need guards my king?" Kada asked.
"I should be fine on my own." Danny said. The witches that he was going to see were a husband-and-wife pair. They had been born in Austria but had relocated to France recently. He had found out about them due to the knowledge that he had gained from the Other Side. They currently had one daughter and were protected by seven bodyguards.
"Very well my king." Kada said hoping that nothing happened to the duplicate of the King. The king needed to be aware of all possible enemies and if something happened to his duplicate there would be blanks that could become dangerous to the king's goals.
"I do not wish to be kept waiting." Danny said as he ended the call and pulled away from his desk and walked to the doors that would lead outside of the room and faced the Jaffa guarding his door. They had been stationed on the second Ha'tak that had come from Dinai. "Madi order the soldiers to get my guests some breakfast."
"Yes, my king." Madi said as she walked off to accomplish her task leaving Afram to guard the door alone.
"What is my task?" Afram asked.
"You are to keep where you are." Danny said then walked off to find someone to tell him the current location of Queen Catherine.
"I heard that you were back." Archduchess Sisilia said as she approached him.
"How have you been?" Danny asked the Archduchess who was being followed by her compelled ladies-in-waiting.
"I have been doing well." Archduchess Sisilia said.
"No problems with finding your food?" Danny asked.
"No, this place of full of delicious treats." Archduchess said.
He knew what she was doing. So many nobles walking around that just wanted to talk to her. Give them a simple hint or suggestion of getting alone with her was enough for her victims to come to a secluded place safe from the eyes of others. One compulsion later and they walked away without a memory of what happened. The guards he left behind made sure that she did not go too far. He did not need rumors spreading about her yet.
"Do you know where Queen Catherine is?" Danny asked.
"Not really." Archduchess Sisilia said.
He was not surprised. She had spent more time with King Henry than the queen when she had first visited the castle and now it was still the same. Now it was just that she was punishing him for killing her by draining him of his blood and making him perform foolish tasks.
"We should talk again soon." Danny said as the Archduchess bowed before him. Her ladies following her actions before they left him.
He walked with a smile on his face until he ran into Henry's chief of security.
"The royal family requires your presence." Bontemps said
Bontemps hated him so much that just looking at him made the valet mad. He should be happy. The Catholics and Protestants were finally agreeing about something. He should enjoy it while it lasts.
"I was looking for Queen Catherine but if the whole royal family wants to talk, I will listen." Danny said as he started following his guide. As they walked past, the nobles walking through the castle he could feel their anger at him as well. Now that there was no drink, drugs, or food to occupy their attention they focused back on him. They wished that something horrible would happen to him so that he was out of their lives, and they could try and restore the country from the chaos they considered it in now. Too bad for them. He also remembered all of their faces. Soon they would be sent to the mines to dig naquadah for him.
They could be more useful that way than what they were doing now.
"I heard that the lot of you wished to speak with me?" Danny asked as he looked around the room. Waiting in the room with King Henry was Queen Catherine, Prince/King Francis, and Queen Mary. The guards around them were frowning at the sight of him but knew that they would not accomplish anything by complaining.
"Leave and make sure that no one comes in." King Henry said looking at his guards. They looked reluctant but complied all the same.
"My king I do not believe that this is wise." Bontemps said.
"I said I wanted you and the guards to block the entrances to this room." King Henry said.
Bontemps just gave a dutiful nod and walked out of the room.
"What do you want?" Danny asked as he pulled a chair towards him that he could sit on. It went flying from the side of the wall and landed smoothly in his hand.
"I have received this letter from the Pope." King Henry said sliding the letter towards him.
"Well, this is something." Danny said once he finished reading the letter.
"Do you not see how serious this letter is? I have been excommunicated." King Henry said raising his voice only to quiet down when he glanced at him.
"I can read perfectly well. I just do not see how it matters." Danny said. The royal family no longer followed the Christian faith and he supplied them with gold. Whatever Rome thought about them did not matter.
"There is worse news." Prince Francis said.
"What do you mean?" Danny asked.
"He means there are whispers that there is an alliance to build an army to attack France." King Henry said. "My spies are reporting that King Phillip, King Antoine, Queen Elizabeth, and Prince Louis were gathering the soldiers to invade when summer comes."
'At least they are going to have a beautiful time before they die.' Danny thought.
"I warned you of this a month ago and now it seemed that my fears are coming true." King Henry said.
"How many soldiers do you think they can muster together?" Danny asked looking up from the letter.
"Probably upwards of one hundred thousand all together." King Henry said. Many of the peasants and commoners in France would probably be joining Louis's army given he had soldiers destroy and plunder their churches.
"How many can you bring together?" Danny asked turning to the king.
"Hopefully thirty thousand and that is only if the nobles that are still waiting to pick a side decided to help him and send some soldiers." King Henry replied.
"That is not that bad." Danny said considering the circumstances.
"How is that "not bad"? Queen Catherine asked. "It would be a slaughter when the battle started. Many of our soldiers would dessert us when they saw how huge a number their enemy had raised. The Italians Wars have just ended recently, and the Valois line had many enemies before you had come to visit."
"These are men that have simple swords and cannon. My ships move through the skies." Danny said. It would not end well for them.
"Can your ship's weapons mow down an army?" Queen Mary asked.
"They would have no problem bringing down an army of that size." Danny said. Those giant moving crowds of people just made better targets.
"Another problem is that the church may unleash it's weapons." King Henry said.
"What weapons?" Danny asked curious of what weapons his enemies might use.
"They have the Sword of Damocles and the Spear of Longinus." Queen Catherine said.
"Really?" Danny asked because he had not heard of either weapon existing in the show and if they existed here, they had to be fakes or a result of alien technology. He would check with the original who had the memory cube of the Other Side.
"These are weapons that can cut or pierce through anything." King Henry said.
"How did they find them?" Danny asked. They sounded similar to the Spear of Osiris.
"The Sword of Damocles was found during the First Crusade and the Spear of Longinus was a gift to Pope Alexander VI by Jewish refugees." King Henry said. "I heard the stories of what happened when Pope Alexander unraveled the spear from its wrappings. The spear started to hum and glow with holy light."
"Have you seen it yourself?" Danny asked.
"I had wanted to visit the Vatican hoping to catch a glimpse of the spear, but they refused me. They claimed it was to keep it safe from those arrogant enough to steal it." King Henry replied.
"That sounds interesting." Danny said. He would love to add them to his collection.
"It is said the sword can cut through anything. Whether it be natural or supernatural." Prince/King Francis said.
The Prince/King wanted him to understand the threat that they were under. The risk that the church posed to them all.
"Do you believe they will let someone use them?" Danny asked.
"I doubt it. They refuse to even let the weapons leave the Vatican." King Henry said.
"I have doubts about this time though." Queen Catherine said. "The servants are talking about the sorcerer that was manipulating the king and if word of that reached the Vatican, then they might arm someone with it as proof of their support."
"Either way I will have them in the end." Danny said. It would make his museum even more impressive.
"Getting soldiers is going to cost money though." King Henry said.
"That is no problem." Danny said. He had collected plenty of it since he had arrived. He would need to send his B.I.R.D.S. to see what the enemy was planning.
"Very well." King Henry said.
"I have things I want to talk to you about as well." Danny said.
"Such as?" Queen Mary asked.
"I want to arrange a marriage between me and your daughter Princess Claude." Danny said.
"When do you want it to happen?" Queen Catherine asked delighted that King Daniel wanted to marry into her family.
"Three years from now should give you plenty of time to prepare." Danny said.
"Is there anything else that you want?" King Henry asked.
That was the best thing about having followers infected with Nish'ta. If King Daniel needed it then it would be done with no arguments.
"I was wondering how Sebastian's and Lola's marriage is working out?" Danny asked as he turned to Queen Mary and Prince/King Francis. He had the two of them married as soon as they were both hit with the Nish'ta. It was intimate gathering of just him and the royal family.
"They are doing well." Queen Mary answered. King Daniel had told them he wanted them to be happy together and they were doing their best to accommodate with his desires.
"That is good to hear." Danny said with a smile. "Now my last bit of information is for Queen Catherine alone." The rest of them nodded and made to leave the room leaving him alone with the Queen.
"What did you wish to speak with me about?" Queen Catherine asked him.
"I wanted to talk to you about Diane." Danny said.
"What about her?" Queen Catherine asked.
She did not like thinking about Diane de Poirtes unless she had to, but she would stomach the idea of the woman for King Daniel.
"You only know that she has tried to alter the line of succession and get Mary to wed Sebastian, but she has been involved in worse events." Danny said.
"What do you mean?" Catherine asked.
"She was the one who told Count Vincent that King Henry was leaving the castle." Danny said.
'What?' Catherine thought to herself.
She was feeling a rage she rarely felt for another person. They all could have died. Prince/King Francis could have died that night and that was not something she could forgive.
"She paid Count Vincent's men who were holding Sebastian captured in the dungeon to treat him nicely until it was all over." Danny said.
"She will suffer for this." Queen Catherine said while thinking of the poison that she would use.
"She is also the reason that your twins died." Danny said and given how Catherine was gripping the table he could tell she heard him even if she stopped talking. Catherine murdered her in the show over that but learning that she put another one of her children in danger meant things were not going to be ending as painless for her.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Danny walked to the landed Al'kesh that had come from Kleak. He could feel the curiosity coming from the nobles and servants in the castle as it arrived for him. Word had probably spread to both King Henry's allies and enemies, they all wanted to see his flying ships and he really wished that he had enough time so that he could have seen each of their reactions.
"This is a surprise." Danny said as Qetsiyah appeared before him. She had not appeared before him in a while. He thought that she was enjoying her afterlife tormenting Silas.
"There is a problem." Qetsiyah said staring at him.
'Of course, there is.' Danny thought. People were just coming to him with more and more problems. He might start charging people favors for all the help he was giving. "What sort of problem?"
"An ancient evil has awoken, and it threatens the world of the living." Qetsiyah said.
"How ancient are we talking?" Danny asked. She had over a thousand years of knowledge available to her. She had to know something about this threat that she was asking him to fight because he had no doubt that was why she was bringing it up to him.
"I have no idea how old exactly. I am just going off the feeling I get when I stare at the creature." Qetsiyah said.
"What sort of creature is this?" Danny asked more himself than her. Could it have been something left behind by the Goa'uld?
"I do not know but it gives off feelings of intense malice and hatred." Qetsiyah said.
Even though they were not on the same plane of existence she and the others could sense how dangerous it was must mean it was a massive threat.
"Where is the creature right now?" Danny asked.
"He is moving away from an ancient Egyptian city." Qetsiyah said.
"Of course, it is." Danny said as he banged his head on the metal wall behind him. He was going to scour that country from one end to the other to see what was hidden below the sands.
"The moment the creature awoke it sent vibrations through the world. Those in the living world could not tell where the feeling was coming from but those on the other side could track it to its source without fear of being noticed." Qetsiyah said. "However, there is someone that might know more about this than me."
"Who?" Danny asked. How could someone on the Other Side have knowledge that Qetsiyah could not gain access too.
"Arcadius." Qetsiyah said.
"And who is that?" Danny asked.
"He is the ruler of what the people of this world call Hell." Qetsiyah said.
"Is there a way to contact him? Preferably without him having to travel into some hell dimension." Danny asked.
"He has emissaries in the world of the living." Qetsiyah answered.
"Are they demons?" Danny asked. It would fit with the theme. Sokar disfigured his followers and created monsters to go with his choice so it would probably be something similar with Arcadius.
"No, they are Sirens." Qetsiyah said.
"Do you know where they are?" Danny asked. Another species created by his people. He should start keeping track of this.
"I can check. I will be back when I have an answer." Qetsiyah said disappearing.
While she was doing that he was going to focus on his current destination.
0-0-0-0-0-0
(Cramoisi, France)
Danny walked through the village and looking around. The people kept their distance but watched his every movement. They were wary of strangers. Probably more so when there were rumors of churches being looted and war on the horizon. He moved his hand up the gate and undid the clasp so that the gate that was separating the village from the estate was open.
'I wonder if they noticed that I am here yet?' Danny thought to himself as he walked down the paved path. All of the stones were connected so well that you could not see the seams. It was all the same length with no breaks or cracks. He could see that there were gardens around the estate. The plants/vegetables were recently planted.
"Who are you?" Envy asked as he transformed from a bird to a teenager.
"I have come to talk with your master and mistress." Danny said. Envy was one of the homunculi that guarded the estate. A homunculus was an artificial person brought to life through Alchemy. They had intelligence and feelings but because they were artificially made, they lacked a soul. He doubted that when they died, they would end up on the Other Side.
"That's not happening." Envy said as he ran towards him.
"I know you are stronger than you look but that won't help you." Danny said as he moved out of the way of Envy's punch. He may look skinny, but he knew that each punch could bring a young vampire to its knees or send their head rolling. Danny jumped back from a kick that Envy had used his power to elongate.
"That's what you think." Envy stated as he moved the intruder to the ambush spot. Lust was taking aim right now and when the intruder landed, he was going to get ripped to shreds.
"I have not come to fight. I just want to talk." Danny said as he started vibrating his molecules so that Lust's nails past right through him and stabbed Envy.
"What?" Envy asked stunned figuratively and literally bound to a tree.
"That's what you get for not listening." Danny said after he moved out of the way and turned solid so they could hear him.
"Don't move." Lust said as she pulled back her nails.
"I do not want to hurt someone as beautiful as you." Danny said. She was beautiful even as she glared at him. Most men would find it hard to look away from her even if they knew the truth about her.
"Then just stand there and let us kill you!" Envy roared as he shifted into a tiger.
It looked cool but it was still pointless.
"I said I did not want to hurt her. I said nothing about you." Danny said as he teleported in front of Envy and sent a strong burst of electricity through him until his skin started to char.
"What did you do to him?" Lust asked.
"Nothing that won't heal with time." Danny answered. The homunculi had been gifted great healing powers beyond that of even a vampire. To kill them you had to destroy the core of their being.
"I will not let you pass." Lust said getting in another stance.
"I mean no trouble. I just wish to talk to the owners of the estate." Danny said again trying to get her to move out of the way.
"I have already told you that is not possible." Lust said.
"Fine then." Danny said with a sigh. If this was how it was going to go then fine, but they were the ones that chose this path. He drew the sword of Telchak from the sheath. He held it in and ignited the blade. The blade of light came to life and gave off a dangerous him.
Lust backed away from the strange weapon.
As he approached her, he found himself surrounded by golems made of light. Looks like Hohenheim was finally going to get himself involved. Theophrastus Bombastus Van Hohenheim was a tall blond man dressed in a simple white shirt and tan suspenders on his matching pants.
"This is not going to stop me." Danny said as with a quick spin he cut through them all.
"What is your reason for coming here?" Hohenheim asked.
He read the man's feelings. Dante was against Hohenheim approaching him but clearly the homunculi were not working and so one of them would have to get involved.
"I have come to ask you for a favor." Danny said.
"That was what we feared." Hohenheim said with a sigh.
They had hoped that they had hidden themselves pretty well from those looking for them, but it seemed that they would have to do better once this man left. Next time they were going to be moving farther away from civilization. Unfortunately, for them now that he had them they were not getting away.
"Let's go in and talk like civilized people." Danny said turning off his sword and gesturing to the manor that was at the end of the path.
"Very well." Hohenheim said as he led the way.
It took about twelve minutes for them to arrive at Hohenheim's house and his wife Dante opened the doors with a scowl on her face as she looked at him.
"What do you want?" Dante asked. She was a smaller woman with brown hair that turned to curls at the end.
"I heard that you two are gifted witches." Danny said. Qetsiyah was keeping a close eye on the pair. Probably because she considered them a variation on her story with Silas.
"And you wish to study under us?" Dante asked waiting for Greed to come and bring her tea.
"No. I have more than enough power on my own." Danny said as he tapped the desk and caused it to turn into a miniature statue of Hohenheim and Dante standing together. "Here as a gift." He placed it in the middle of the table.
"Then what are you here for?" Dante asked
"Most of the witches that I know are among the Other Side. I wanted to make friends with those among the living." Danny said. He was gathering the Vampires and the Werewolves to serve him. It would make no sense to ignore the witches. They were a rather volatile element. One that could make his plans rather difficult. Their reality warping may not be as strong as his as they did not have a personal dimension to receive energy from, but they could make weapons that could harm him. He was starting with these two because they were the closest.
"That is the favor you want?" Hohenheim asked.
"Yes." Danny said.
"You understand why we find this so strange correct?" Dante asked. "Most witches unless they want power preferred to stay away from them. I still remember all the pleas made for us to either take apprentices or work some magic for some lord or lady that need help."
"Yes. Most witches find your ideas to be troublesome." Danny answered. These two had turned their back on channeling the power of the spirits on the Other Side and preferred to use their own power.
"They are just blinded to what we can actually do when we are not held back." Dante said.
'Yup she has that streak of Alteran/Lantean madness.' Danny thought to himself. It was why he was so concerned with the witches. All it would take was a little idea and they could run wild. It was why the Pegasus Galaxy had monsters rampaging through it and abandoned ships full of people trapped inside holographic simulations.
"Well, I want us to get along and for that purpose I have brought the two of you a gift." Danny said pulling two rings from his pocket and handing to them.
"Rings?" Dante asked looking at the object but not touching it. they could have been cursed after all.
"The stone is a massive source of energy. You can channel it to increase your spells." Danny said. The ring contained a miniscule piece of Naquadah but that small piece was enough to power a twenty-first century city for a decade. For an individual it could last several lifetimes.
He wanted to see if they would take his offer.