Chapter 52: A Conflict of Interest
Notre Dame did not ring its bells that evening.
Near the center of Paris, well within walking distance of the Palace of Justice that had once been home to Judge Claude Frollo, stood the Madame's mansion. It was among the finest buildings in the city, the best Munny could buy, with meticulously crafted stone walls hand-painted a brilliant white. Above the front doors and beneath the balcony was a circular stained glass window with the image of a long-haired man holding a rose upon it, though just who that man was was a mystery to all but the Madame. Twin staircases led from the doors and curved around a fountain, leading out into the long walkway that ended at an iron fence enclosing the estate.
Immediately within the mansion was the foyer, a large room that was imposing in its emptiness. Emptiness save for one individual, that is—Steiner. The loyal bodyguard stood in the center of the foyer, light from the outside sun filtering through the stained glass and casting the image of the man and rose onto the floor. As with outside there were two curving staircases in the foyer, moving up in a wide arc from the reflective tile ground floor to the second, carpeted floor. Up and down those stairways marched the creatures with the shrouded faces and the steepled hats, moving silently and ignoring Steiner completely.
The creatures—the 'Black Mages', as they were called—had not paid Steiner even the tiniest sliver of attention as he joined them on the journey back to the mansion. That was…disheartening, to say the least. Surely servants of the Madame would pay the proper respects to her most loyal guardian? But no such thing was done, and Steiner had followed behind the Black Mages in gave him time to think, and to be alone with those thoughts, which quite honestly was something that Steiner found he wasn't used to.
Why did they behave so? Their treatment of Mademoiselle Garnet was simply abominable. They had to hurt her to get to come along, a tactic that Steiner would never in a million years agree with; the Mademoiselle's safety was absolute. But despite his misgivings (and there were many), he could not argue with the results. Garnet had not been reasonable back at Notre Dame, and nothing Steiner did or said seemed able to convince her. As heartless as these Black Mage creatures seemed to be, they got the job done. He supposed that was why the Madame hired them.
Steiner had begun walking as he thought, his hand cupping his chin and his armor clanking with every step across the polished tile floor. His face was tilted downward, his gaze locked on his crystal-clear reflection. He wasn't watching where he was going. As he approached one of the two staircases he continued to look down, his lips a thin line and his eyes half-open as all he saw was his boots moving up each step.
Maybe I should polish them. I…suppose they may be a little rusty…
Bump!
Steiner walked into something helmet-first. The cool metal over his head sank into the object ever so slightly, so it wasn't hard. He lowered his hands to his side and tilted his head up slowly, fingers ready to draw his sword at a moment's notice in case it was an intruder on the mansion grounds. But it was no petty thief—Steiner found himself face to face with jagged red eyes on a pitch black face.
"Oh!" Steiner jumped aside, pressing himself against the wall and allowing the Black Mage to pass. It moved past him without a word, without even a glance. "S…Sorry?" Steiner didn't know why he spoke, he knew it wouldn't respond.
Around him, more Black Mages continued to move up and around the mansion foyer and second floor. Steiner watched the one that he had walked into with a growing curiosity. Its motions were stiff and puppet-like, its arms perfectly still and its eyes directly ahead even as it moved down the stairs. And a chill ran down his spine. No human moved like that.
The Black Mages weren't just strange, they were disturbing. Just being near them seemed to throw Steiner's emotions into a frenzy. His doubt was boiling up to the surface, and he was growing angry at himself. That wasn't like him at all. He hadn't second-guessed anything since he was a child trying to decide what dessert to eat at one of those fancy noble parties. Steiner watched a duo of Black Mages march into another room. Was it them? Were they the cause behind it?
What even were the Black Mages, really? They drew up awful feelings inside of him, they moved almost robotically. And beyond that, what was that witchcraft they had used in combat and captured the Mademoiselle with? No… No, it couldn't be witchcraft! The Gypsies were the ones guilty of that, with those magic key swords and the like. The Madame was a follower of the church, just as Judge Frollo had been! She would never support black magic!
"You just gonna…roll over like a trained dog? Do whatever some noble know-nothing tells you to?"
The boy Zidane's words echoed in Steiner's mind. Was…he simply blinding himself to what was right in front of him? The fact of the matter was, these Black Mages were capable of generating fire, ice, and lightning. With their shadowy features and blood-red eyes, somehow Steiner doubted they were powers by the grace of God. But surely if this was the Devil's work, the Madame would not be allying with them willingly? Yes… Yes, of course! They had her in their clutches!
And in such a case, then the Black Mages were servants of evil! Yes, Steiner had no further doubt—this must be so! And perhaps they were even controlling her—as they must have done with Judge Frollo all those months ago! They were behind it all! The Mademoiselle had even identified them back at Notre Dame, so she must have known. That was why she had ran! The events of the last several months clicked into place. Steiner felt proud of himself for it.
The sight of the Palace of Justice through the stained glass window caught his attention. Standing up straight, Steiner tapped his head and chest at four points and whispered a prayer. He had to go see Mademoiselle Garnet. He had to speak with her about the Black Mages.
Steiner moved down the halls of the mansion with renewed determination. He no longer walked around the Black Mages he encountered, shoving them aside without straying from his path. On occasion one black-faced doll would turn and stare back at his retreating form with its unblinking, jagged red eyes, but for the most part they simply recovered from their stumble and continued their own walks unperturbed.
There was a darkness growing in the halls of the mansion. Steiner had been willfully ignoring it, but it could be ignored no longer. The shadows crept along the walls and the floor, with the occasional red eye or thorny heart symbol peeking out from the darkness. Whatever shroud the Black Mages had cast over the Madame to hide their true intentions as devilspawn must also have hidden this fact from her. The air grew chill as Steiner ventured down the halls, to the point that his breath was even beginning to grow visible. He rubbed his shaking body when he finally came to a stop in front of the Mademoiselle's door, face to face with a Black Mage guard.
The glowing red eyes stared up at Steiner, and he stared down at it. For the first time Steiner truly looked at that pitch black face, registering what expression the silent demon was showing with those eyes: hatred, disgust, anger. Not just at him, but at everything. The eyes never shifted; if he didn't know any better, Steiner would guess that they were permanently shaped that way. Steiner gulped, but he stood firm.
"Y-You are dismissed from guard duty." The Black Mage watched him, unblinking. "T-That's an order!"
A few painful seconds passed as Steiner watched the Black Mage with baited breath, but eventually the little demon obeyed. It sank down into the shadows and vanished in a flurry of purple flame. Only when ever ember was gone did Steiner allow himself to breathe normally again, and it took another few minutes of making sure there were no suspicious shadowy spots in the surrounding area before he knocked gently on the hand-crafted wooden door in front of him.
"Mademoiselle?" She gave no immediate response, and Steiner had anticipated that much. He sighed, allowing his confident exterior to crack slightly as he laid a hand on the door. "Please, I know you're in there. I just want to talk."
Still nothing. She must have been pouting—not entirely unheard of with her.
"…Fine, you do not have to reply. But please listen, at least." Steiner stared down at the open palm of his free hand while the other remained against the door. "Mademoiselle, I understand that you are upset. And you have every right to be. But this is for your own good! The Gypsies killed a justice of the peace, who knows what they would have done to a young lady such as you?"
Steiner paused, wetting his throat. "And… Mademoiselle, I know what these demons, these Black Mages, are now. You don't need to worry, I am on your side—I and the Madame, of course. Or well, she will be. Once we lift the veil they have assuredly placed over her eyes. I promise you that—she is a kind and loving person…" He sighed. "…and I don't know where you ever got the idea otherwise. Would you please tell me? If no one else, trust in me."
And Steiner waited again. He waited for one, two, five minutes. His armored hand slid down the polished door, his fingers brushing against the intricate patterns. No answer came. He let out a sigh and pressed his head against the door, his closed eyes beginning to water.
"Mademoiselle, please. Blame me, hate me, all you want. Just don't blame the Madame! And…please…say something. I need to know that you don't… That I can…" Steiner trailed off, unsure how to continue. What did he want? "Just, please…"
"Please don't ignore me. That's…all I ask, Garnet." Slowly, Steiner's legs gave out beneath him and he dropped to his knees. He rubbed a hand against his face, but the cool metal over his fingers did little to absorb the tears. "That's all I want."
The halls grew so quiet that Steiner could hear the slow and steady beating of his heart. His breathing slowed to practically nothing and his hand fell from his still-closed eyes to the cool tile beneath him. The other hand he reached for the doorknob with, but hesitated and fell short of. She could open it on her own.
So…why didn't she? Still Steiner, ever-loyal Steiner, waited in silence, a million thoughts running through his head but all of them amounting to one thing: Why does she not respond? He more than understood that Garnet was upset at him (though he still believed that getting her away from those Gypsies was the right thing to do) but giving someone the cold shoulder was out of character.
And he didn't deserve it anyway! He was nothing but helpful for her his entire life! He waited on her hand and foot! By God, why didn't she just answer him?! It was simple! All she had to say was 'I hear you, Steiner!' and that would be the end of it! This wouldn't even be happening if it wasn't for those filthy Gypsy vermin. The little children running around with witchcraft and devil's keys. Awful!
With a sudden anger flaring inside his heart, Steiner climbed to his feet. His eyes snapped open and he saw red—quite literally. With his head still tilted down, his now open eyes were locked right onto his shadow—and the glowing red patterns within it. Letting out a yelp of surprise, Steiner jumped back and hurriedly fumbled for his sword.
His shadow didn't move with him.
As Steiner drew his blade in shaking hands, his mind slowly began to register what he was seeing. Those red patterns were the eyes of a Black Mage, and though he did not voice this realization the shadow suddenly acted as if in response to it. The red eyes, always twisted into an expression of hate, flashed brightly for a moment and a thorny heart emblem appeared below them. The shadow began to bulge and grow, twisting up from the floor as it took form into the demon, yellow hat and purple robes included. The Black Mage stared at Steiner and he back at it, the only sound the soft clanking of metal as Steiner adjusted his grip on the hilt of his sword.
Steiner was no idiot. He had earlier come to the conclusion that these Black Mages were messing with his emotions, and finding one hiding in his shadow just as anger was boiling inside of him was no coincidence. This thing, this creature, was trying to bring Steiner to a tipping point. It wanted him angry, it wanted him in a frenzy. But to what end? And who was it meant to be directed to? His thoughts had wandered to the Gypsies and their key-wielding companions—did the Black Mages want them gone?
Before Steiner could consider anything more, the Black Mage suddenly bolted. It moved with a speed Steiner would not have thought they were even capable of based on the slow and steady pace he had grown used to, but his eyes didn't lie. After only a moment's confusion Steiner gave chase, his armor clanking heavily through the halls. As he moved further he encountered more and more Black Mages, and all of them were moving in the same direction, to the same place: the foyer. But why?
Steiner came to a halt at the top of the stairs. The sun had grown somewhat lower in the short time he had been away and now the light did not filter through the stained glass window, so the image of the man and the rose was not cast onto the tile floor. The Black Mages were assembling in the center of the foyer, all of them facing the front doors.A ruckus was occurring outside, and Steiner didn't have to guess twice about what it was.
The doors flung open with such force that they almost flew off their hinges, courtesy of one Quasimodo. Immediately after, more familiar faces from Notre Dame dashed in from behind him and engaged the Black Mages. No doubt they were here to take Garnet from her rightful home once more, but Steiner did not jump into the enemies or not, he didn't suddenly care for Gypsy vermin. That said, he opted not to jump into the fight himself; with luck, the two sides would tire each other out and then he could expel the both of them from the Madame's property.
The Black Mages reacted with the same unexpected swiftness he had seen as they had run to the foyer. As one they raised their hands, which began to glow with eerie light. Steiner had been at Notre Dame and knew what was coming next, but no amount of foresight could prepare a normal man for seeing balls of flame and bolts of lightning manifest out of nothing and fly through the air. But nonetheless the intruders were ready for it.
The one with the spiky brown hair—Sora, if Steiner recalled correctly—swung his silver blade in a circle and bashed aside two fireballs. He sped forward and threw up a clear dome formed of interlinking hexagons that absorbed more of the Black Mage's attacks, and when the dome shattered it sent out a shockwave that knocked the nearest Black Mages back. Taking advantage of their momentary openness, Sora swung his sword again and sliced cleanly through two of the Black Mages whose corpses were then consumed by dark fire.
His female companion, the other one with a key-shaped sword—Steiner believed she was called Xion? She called upon the winds with a single swing of her own black and white sword, powerful gusts that blew through the open window and buffeted the Black Mages. Like Sora, Xion leaped right into the middle of the fray during the Black Mages' momentary weakness with her sword swinging. When a Black Mage melted into the shadows and shot up behind her, Xion spun on her heel and sliced cleanly through the creature's neck.A pair of Black Mages attempted to strike her down, but she parried their blows and brought the strange weapon down on their heads, then thrust her hand out and finished the job with an explosion of light.
Their friend Donald matched the Black Mages with witchcraft of his own, a sight which made Steiner's skin crawl. With a flick of his wrist and a raise of his wand, fire erupted from the ground and arctic winds chilled them to the indecipherable, quacking shout caused bolts of lightning to rain down from nowhere, dancing around his teammates and sending extreme levels of voltage into the Black Mages' bodies.
One lightning bolt almost struck the shield-wielding Goofy. He let out a cry of alarm and jumped backwards, tripping over his own two feet and yet somehow crashing into a Black Mage and knocking it onto the floor. Recovering—or perhaps fumbling about even more?—Goofy then swung his arm out and smashed the broad side of his shield into another encroaching opponent. The dazed Black Mage was then met with a powerful fist that sent it flying into the wall.
Steiner was surprised to see the infamously pacifistic Quasimodo fighting, but there it was nonetheless. The hunchback shook his hand as if burned and even muttered an apology to the Black Mage, but soon enough went right back into combat. But as acrobatic as Quasimodo may have been, he wasn't fast enough on his feet to close distance with the Black Mages before they warped away through the shadows. Still, he didn't need to be; as before, Goofy's shield would often send the wizards flying into Quasimodo's waiting fists. On at least one occasion a dumbstruck Steiner even witnessed Quasi toss Xion and Sora toward more distant Black Mages.
And then there was Zidane, who Steiner felt a particular enmity towards. This was the one who dared to think he knew better what was good for the Mademoiselle, and Steiner hated that. But he could not deny the Gypsy boy's skills with those daggers of acted as if this were some stage production, moving not only with agility but withimage. Everything he did seemed designed to show off, from how he twirled his daggers between swings to how he flipped and somersaulted all over the foyer. It wasn't just his body either, even his weapons were in a constant state of flux. After every few swings Zidane would attach his daggers at the hilt and form a dual-bladed sword that he proceeded to swing around in a wide arc before splitting them up again.
It was quickly becoming clear to Steiner that his earlier hopes weren't going to happen. The two sides weren't going to take each other out; the Black mages were doing quite badly. They weren't some elite fighting force, they were numbers fed into a grinder! But Steiner still didn't join the battle. No, his first concern was Garnet, and following that the Madame. This battle was almost over, and the intruders would be coming for Garnet soon. Steiner had to be ready.
He turned and ran.
The halls were empty; every single Black Mage in the entire mansion had gone to fight at the foyer. The entrance to Garnet's room was exactly as he had left it, which disturbed Steiner slightly. Surely she had heard the commotion and would have come out to investigate? Unless she had already snuck out some time ago, which'd explain why she didn't react to Steiner earlier; but no, that didn't make sense. In that case Zidane and the others wouldn't be here to get her back. So what was it?
"Rusty!"
Damn, so soon?! Steiner whirled around and held his blade in a defensive gesture. The Black Mages had already been defeated, and the intruders were here. Steiner's fingers tightened around the hilt and he held his ground. "You're not taking another step! None of you are!"
At the head of the group, Zidane held his daggers so tightly that Steiner half expected the hilts to snap in two under the pressure. He had been grinding his teeth as he stood there glaring sharply at Steiner, and now barked out demands in an uncharacteristically harsh voice. "I don't have time for this! Let us through, give us Dagger!"
Steiner huffed and tilted his head upwards, staring Zidane down his nose. "Even if I had any intention of letting you see her, it vanished when you called her that." He raised a fist up before his face and swung it in anger. "Her name is Mademoiselle Garnet Til Alexandros, and she and the Madame are as far above you as you are above an ant!"
"Damn it, Rusty! Are you really so dense as to obey someone who can summon monsters like those Black Mages?"
"Ggh…no! She did no such thing! The Madame is a woman of noble blood, and those devilspawn have cast a veil over her eyes!"And while he was ranting, enough with the rust jokes!"And you will address me with respect! I am Adelbert Steiner, first guard to the Alexandros family! There are no men in this mansion higher than I! I'm not rusty, I just…need to polish my armor!"
Donald smirked. "So it is Rusty?"
"N-No!" Steiner shouted, stomping his feet, but his reaction and Donald's comment just earned laughter from the rest of the group. "Rrgh… Listen to me!" The laughter ceased at Steiner's shout. He grinned for a moment, but the grin quickly transformed into a snarl as he started stomping his feet and waving his hands once again. "How dare you, all of you! You're trying to take her from the person who raised her! From her family! I will not allow it!"
Goofy frowned. He lowered his shield and rubbed the back of his neck. "Gawrsh, we weren't tryin' to take Dagger from anythin' she didn't want. She's the one who ran away first…"
Quasimodo nodded. "I know better than anyone, just because someone raised you doesn't mean they care for you. That's not what family is."
Xion and Sora exchanged a prolonged glance at each other, apparently sharing some thought between them. After a long moment, Sora turned back to Steiner and held a hand out imploringly. "Steiner, you heard Dagger back at Notre Dame. This Madame isn't her family. Can't she choose who she wants to be with?"
"I am not speaking about the Madame!" The words escaped Steiner's mouth without himself even registering what they were, and it wasn't until the others froze up in confusion that Steiner realized what he had said—but he didn't understand it. After running the sentence through his head over and over again, the pieces began to fall into place. He lowered his arms to his side, his limp fingers only loosely hanging onto the sword now. "I am Garnet's family. I am the one who watched over her for her entire life… Don't I get a say in this matter?!"
The others grew somber. They glanced at each other and shifted around awkwardly, obviously feeling uncomfortable with the sudden shift in tone—not that Steiner could blame them. It was something he hadn't even begun to consider before, and his mind was reeling, but…it felt right. He and the Mademoiselle were family…weren't they?
"Steiner." He glanced up at Zidane, who had lowered his own weapons and was staring down at his feet. What, no Rusty? But Steiner bit his tongue on that comment. "Look, I know you mean well, but we should let Dagger decide. Don't you agree with that? If you really want what's best for her…"
"I will not allow you to make that decision!"
"That's why I'm saying let her make it! I mean really, why don't we just ask—" Zidane froze. His eyes widened and his stance faltered. He looked around the hall with a raised eyebrow and then glanced at Steiner out of the corner of his eye. "…Where is Dagger?"
"I'm not going to tell you."
"That's not what I mean! I mean…we haven't exactly been quiet. Shouldn't she have heard us by now?"
Steiner's stomach fell. The Gypsy made a startlingly good point, and it called up Steiner's earlier one-sided conversation at the door to the forefront of his memory. His mind went numb. No, it couldn't be. Steiner turned slowly toward the door and gulped. She's…safe…isn't she?
"Zidane, what are you saying?" he heard Xion ask behind him. "You don't think…"
"Xion, Sora, open the door!"
Steiner jumped in surprise and spun around. "No, I will not let you—" But mid-spin, twin beams of blue-white light soared from the tips of Sora and Xion's strange weapons, past him, and into the door. "What is this?!" The door glowed with a brilliant light and then opened of its own volition, revealing a dark and dreary room on the other side.
Any source of light that could have been in the room was unlit, and the windows that should have given a wonderful view of the Palace of Justice were covered by blood red curtains. Waves of what Steiner could only describe as pure darkness emanated from the room, the shadows straining his now shaking legs. In the center of the Mademoiselle's bedroom was her luxurious bed, but she did not sleep upon it; no, she slept above it. Garnet's limp form hung in the air, surrounded by crackling black and purple lightning coming from four Black Mages. The intruders barged into the room after a moment's pause, but Steiner stayed outside slack jawed.
The Black Mages had not been expecting them and fell in moments, cleaved in two by the light emanating from Sora and Xion's weapons. As their group went about lighting the room's lamps and flinging open the curtains, Zidane jumped up onto the bed and grabbed Garnet by her hand.
"Dagger! Dagger, answer me!"
Steiner watched as, despite the Black Mages' deaths, the lightning continued to hold Garnet prisoner. She made not a single sound, not even a moan of pain, and didn't so much as react to Zidane's touch on her delicate hands. She may as well have been dead to the world. Steiner swallowed as well as his extremely dry throat would allow. This certainly explained why she hadn't answered him before, but why? The Black Mages brought her home, so why were they continuing to keep her prisoner?
Footsteps! The others couldn't hear them within the room, but Steiner in the hallway heard the unmistakable pattern of a slim woman moving down the hall—the Madame.
"What is going on up here, Steiner?!"
The Madame had a certain beauty about her, with her pale skin and dainty hourglass figure, though she'd probably stab anyone who said it to her face; there was always at least one knife on her person, usually more. Her electric blonde hair and bright teal eyes turned heads, especially here in Paris.
At her appearance, Steiner hurriedly turned around, straightened his back, and saluted. "M-M-Madame Relena!"
"What'd you say?"
"Your Madame?"
A few heads turned away from Garnet and toward Steiner and the Madame, and the intruders immediately pulled out their weapons as they did so. In turn, Madame Relena looked over Steiner's shoulder with an uninterested sneer on her face. That expression, however, quickly evolved into one of pure hatred. She shoved a shocked Steiner aside and thrust a finger right at Sora, Donald, and Goofy.
"YOU!"
"Huh?" Sora looked between his friends and then raised an eyebrow at Relena. "Have…we met?"
"Don't play dumb with me, brat! You think I wouldn't recognize you with a change in wardrobe?! Ugh, Marluxia, don't tell me you didn't get a handle on Naminé…"
"You know Naminé…?"
Beside Sora, Xion—who had looked increasingly inquisitive as this conversation had gone on—suddenly jumped in surprise. Her eyes widened, her jaw dropped, and she immediately pointed her weapon forward. "Larxene?!"
It was Relena's turn to be confused. She turned from Sora, Donald, and Goofy to stare down at Xion, inspecting her, digging into every inch of the black-haired girl with her eyes. She narrowed her eyes. "Do I know you?"
Xion grimaced. "We barely interacted, it doesn't surprise me. But I sure couldn't forget you. Let me jog your memory…" Xion reached back and pulled her black jacket's hood up over her hood, covering her face in shadows.
Relena's reaction was immediate, her expression contorting into a look of disgust almost able to rival the one she had given the others. "If it isn't the fourteenth freakshow."
Sora looked to Xion with surprise. "Xion, you mean she was part of…?"
Xion nodded as she lowered her hood again. "Organization XIII's number XII. The Savage Nymph: Larxene."
"Wak!" Donald shouted. "Then she musta come back as a human just like Lea did!"
"Oh, Axel's back to? I'll have to fix that once I'm through with you four!"
Steiner looked between the two parties, absolute bafflement plain as day on his face. He didn't quite get it, but it seemed that the Madame and those kids knew each other? But this wasn't important! What was important was Garnet! He turned to Relena imploringly. "Madame, these creatures you have hired are devilspawn! Look what they have done to the Mademoiselle with their witchcraft!"
Relena huffed and crossed her arms before looking at Steiner out of the corner of her eye. "I already know what they've done, Steiner. I ordered it."
"You…what?!" Steiner's world came crashing down around him. No…No, that couldn't be! The Madame would never…! "I don't understand, Madame Relena! Why would you ally with monsters such as the Black Mages?!"
But Relena paid Steiner no mind. She moved past him and into Garnet's bedroom, to which the others raised their weapons defensively. But with a wave of her hand, electricity sparked around Relena's figure and shot out in all directions. High voltage coursed through their bodies, sending them all into convulsions and dropping them to the floor.
"I wasn't about to let her run away again. After all…" Relena brushed a hand against Garnet's cheek. "I am her loving guardian. And as for you all…" Relena turned around as the others began to recover and climb to their feet. A strange green light emanated from Donald's wand and accelerated their progress. "You will pay for poisoning Garnet's mind with flights of fantasy! You…Gypsy…scum! Paris would be better off if Frollo had slaughtered every last one of you!"
Electricity and darkness shot out of Garnet once more, but they were prepared. Donald and Sora united their weapons to call upon another protective hexagon dome, which absorbed the blasts and fired it back at the raging Relena—only for a squad of Black Mages to appear out of the shadows and take the hit.
Beneath the dome, Quasimodo gulped. "Not even Frollo was giving off a darkness like this!"
Xion grit her teeth as more and more Black Mages rose out of the darkness, their red eyes glowing in time with Relena's electrical aura. "Larxene was never exactly the nicest person. And now that she has a heart, her hatred and anger have drawn the Unversed right to her!"
Steiner fell onto his rear and backed up against the far wall, shaking. "M-Madame Relena…"
"Dagger!" Zidane shouted over the crackling of lightning. "Dagger! Can you hear me?! I'll get you out of there!" The instant the dome dropped he charged forward, knocking aside any and all Unversed that came his way. But one got lucky, hitting him with a fireball from behind. Zidane spun around and attached his daggers together, swinging wildly at the Black Mage, but a blast of ice froze his feet to the ground and he went toppling over.
Sora held his arms up to his face and braced himself against the darkness. "Relena, you're letting the darkness take you! Don't lose your heart a second time!"
But Relena didn't seem to hear him. The electricity raging around her merged with the spell keeping Garnet aloft. The lightning raged into an indoor thunderstorm, blowing out the windows and putting out the lights. And the horror didn't stop there. The darkness flowed out of Relena's body—out the window and into the city. The sky grew black as storm clouds rolled in.
"I will succeed where Frollo couldn't! The Gypsies will be judged for their sin!"
When the bolt of lightning struck the Palace of Justice, all of Paris felt it. The world heaved in torment, quaking beneath Relena's bigotry and rage. The Palace of Justice rumbled and then let out a low, echoing groan before it began to transform. It grew and grew, practically doubling in size. The old stone contorted, the very foundation rose up from the earth, and extensions that resembled limbs began to appear. Darkness and electricity surged side by side among the towers, forming into a massive facsimile of wings that cast a shadow over the city. And to top it off, a thorny heart emblem appeared on the building's front.
The new Unversed, formed out of the Palace of Justice itself, let out a mighty roar that shook Steiner to his core. Relena took Garnet's sleeping form in her arms and moved toward the balcony.
"DAGGER!"
"RELENA!"
Steiner jumped to his feet and charged at Relena alongside Zidane, his sword tight in his hands. How dare she…how dare she! How dare she treat them like this?! Hating the Gypsies was one thing, but mass extermination?! She was going farther than Steiner dreamed—farther than Frollo had! She wanted genocide, and he would not allow it!
But more Unversed appeared to stop them. Black Mages shot out of the ground and spells soared, striking everyone with fire, ice, and lightning. Steiner froze in place as a massive combined ball of flame and electricity barreled right at him, but at the last second a blue of yellow jumped into his line of sight.
Zidane screamed bloody murder as the heat and shocks enveloped his body. Steiner still didn't move, rooted in place even as the others finished the Black Mages off and Quasimodo rushed over to Zidane's side with a bottle of green liquid that Goofy had provided him. If possible, this last act had sent Steiner's mind reeling even more than the last few minutes had. Why had this boy, who he had treated with nothing but contempt, saved his life? "It doesn't make sense…"
"Do I need a reason to help someone?" Steiner gasped and looked down at Zidane, who was grinning up at him as he handed Quasimodo the empty bottle. With a grunt of pain he climbed up to his feet, stumbling slightly and hanging onto Quasimodo for support. Despite the condition he was in, Zidane smirked."Or is my help not good enough for you?"
I… Steiner shook his head, surprised that he found the will to move. This boy was something else. "I do not think I shall ever come to understand you." He turned away."Now go."
"Rusty…"
Despite himself, Steiner found himself smiling at the name. "Do not make me repeat myself, Gypsy! Go now, before I change my mind!"
"…Right; thank you, Rusty. Guys, come on." With a wave of his hand, Zidane led his companions out the window and on their way to the animate Palace of Justice, which had since begun a rampage across the city and was crushing entire buildings a step at a time. Steiner stared after them, but made no move to follow.
What was he going to do? He had made an oath, it seemed like a lifetime ago, of absolute loyalty no matter what the situation. Where was the honor in breaking that? Could he really go through with it, even now? Could he call himself an honorable person if so?
"Having sworn fealty, must I spend my life in servitude?" Setting his jaw, Steiner made his way for the exit. Lord forgive him, his decision had been made.
There but for the grace of God go I.