"Hey, that's kind of OOC."
Hey, listen, I know. But let me have this.

Convincing the guards would be a hard sell. Some liked me more than others, and Nero looked far from divine with heavy eyes and torn clothes. The mask did nothing to hide his state, but he would be more recognizable to them with it on than off.

The woman hadn't lied about her curious weapon. A wall of ice split the room between us and the guards. Listening close, I could hear muffled bickering from the other side.

"You're certain you wish to lead this?" I asked Nero as he placed his demonic hand on the wall and eyed it with interest.

"I think it'll look best if I do the talking." His claws clicked against the ice. "They were supposed to be my guard, so if I can't get them to believe me, who can I convince? Besides, I've played this part for years. I can manage it one more time." A smile flickered on his lips as he glanced at me. Despite his words, I could tell that he was anxious. He'd never commanded the knights before, never given a speech or orders of any kind.

"You'll do great," Kyrie said. After a great deal of bargaining, I'd allowed her to stand at Nero's other side. I didn't believe Nero knew of her status yet, but I would delay that issue until a later time. Nero had learned enough for one night.

"But hey, if anything goes wrong," Dante called from the far wall, where his brother had forced them all to stay in order to remain out of sight, "I'll be there in an instant, kid."

"I know." Nero did not look thrilled at the idea. "You're too damn reliable. Now stay put."

"You still owe me," Vergil added. Unlike his words, his gaze was calm and unaccusing as he looked to Nero. "See to it that no one else harms you in the meantime."

"Owe him for what?" Nero muttered.

Trish saved me from the added rush of anxiety by calling over as well. "I'll add some special effects for you. Just go with it."

Though I was certain I didn't care for whatever she had planned, Nero gave a nod. I'd expected for her to use some of her unsettling magic to break down the ice, but Nero's claws curled into a fist that shattered through a portion. The ice sang like wind chimes as it crashed to the ground around us.

Having already overexerted himself, Nero had to contain his haggard breaths as he stepped forward. I could see it in the quick rise and fall of his chest, but his face was as set as the mask over it.

"Holy Knights," he said in a voice so sharp and commanding that I found myself straightening my shoulders on instinct. "Did Sanctus send you to kill me?"

As per the woman's words, their feet were sealed to the ground with a coating of ice, clinging around their ankles and pooling around them like mud. They tossed wide-eyed glances at each other in a search for guidance or answers.

I recognized all of them but could only place names to a few. They were all trained soldiers sworn to fight for both the church and king. Our chances were up in the air.

Claude spoke up for the rest of them. Older and more experienced than the rest, I had a guess that he'd been put in charge of the squad. "We were warned of intruders, some demons wearing fake skins," he said. He'd never much cared for me, which put a wrench in things when his gaze narrowed on me. "The prince and Credo are dead. You shouldn't mock them by-"

"That was a lie," Nero said. "Sanctus aimed to take the throne for himself, so he attempted to assassinate me. Multiple times. I guess this is his final attempt."

"You expect me to believe you're not demons when you're both supposed to be dead, and your arm looks like that?" As Claude nodded toward the arm, I saw Nero's fingers twitch. He must have wanted to hide it behind his back, as he always used to after I'd help him strip the armor away. Now, though, he had no choice but to raise his arm up for the knights to see in full.

"It's not pretty," he said. "But it's the power of our god." In some ways, he wasn't lying. I saw no issue in lying to them, but most of what we had to say was at least half true.

"We chose to hide his arm to not unsettle the people," I offered. "I am no demon, Claude. None of us are."

"Why would His Holiness spread word of your deaths only to kill you later?" one of the younger men asked. "That doesn't make any sense." His name may have been Drew. I couldn't recall for certain, but I knew him to be the sort who received punishment for stepping out of line often.

"He wasn't aware that his earlier attempt had failed," Nero said as he glanced to me for help, clearly guessing. He wasn't right, but it was a good bluff.

"Did you see our bodies?" I asked.

"No, they said the whole fort burned."

"Convenient that." I wasn't going to tell them that I had started the fire. That would only cause more trouble. "Sanctus wished to kill Nero and blame Capulet. That is the same reason he sent us into Capulet territory while knowing that Capulet's prince took that route. He wanted for the prince to attack Nero and to blame Capulet for instigation." A few of them had been with me for that trek, and I could see the spell of doubt taking hold in their troubled expressions.

"Nero?" Claude echoed.

I had to hold back a smile as I swept my hand up in gesture toward my new knight. "The one we've called Prince all this time. He does have a name."

Nero's ears burned a few shades darker under their renewed stares of curiosity as he pulled off his mask. "That's right," he said, still with a haughty tone that was ill-fitting but a good performance. He did struggle a bit with finding flashy words. "Sanctus...preemptively deemed me to be the next ruler but wanted only to use me as a pawn for his own gains, so he had the king and queen killed."

"I'm confused," one man sighed. "Are we going to believe all this?"

Everything together was tough to swallow, years of deceptions revealed by someone they'd never seen speak. Their anxious glances revealed that we were losing them.

"We know it's a lot," Kyrie piped in. She'd promised me that she wouldn't draw attention to herself. "Trust us, it gets weirder, but if you're willing to just listen and not attack us right away, Nero will take the ice from your feet."

Nero blinked at the piercing stare she threw his way. "Y-yes," he said. "I don't want to have to hold you captive, but I also don't want to fight you."

"You've seen him fight before at the festivals," I added. "You know you'd be at a disadvantage even with your numbers."

"Very well," Claude said. He was also aware that I could beat any of them in a fight, or at least, I would have been able to had I been less exhausted. I was glad none of them called my bluff. "But if I have any reason to suspect you're a danger to us, I will not hesitate."

Nero didn't move. In fact, he looked as confused as the guard when the ice began to recede from their feet. It must have been the witch's weapon, but when they were free, they all looked to Nero in amazement.

Convincing them was easier from there. They still didn't like the truths we offered, especially not the paintings. Seeing the portraits out made my stomach twist. I'd always imagined the childhood shown in the painting belonging to someone else, not me. They were all skeptical of my position, of course, muttering amongst themselves until Claude spoke over them.

"Those are the king and queen," he said. "Most of you were quite young when they died, but I was working as a squire for one of the duke's knights, and I recall their appearance. I recall their son as well. I would never have matched him to you, Credo, and I must admit, I do not like to, but I can see the resemblance."

The troublesome younger man, Drew maybe, turned to Nero but ducked when Nero returned the gaze. "Um, forgive me for asking," the young man began grumbling, and I knew we'd convinced him. "But if you're supposed to be divine, why did you let Sanctus get away with this for so long?"

Nero took a slow breath to disguise his thinking before he spoke. "I'm still human. I bleed when cut. I don't know all or see all or any of that nonsense. Above all else, I'm here to protect Fortuna from demons. That's the power my strength gives me. I thought Sanctus wanted what was best for Fortuna, but he had me fooled as well as everyone else. I wish I'd realized sooner, but now I can fight for Fortuna like I'm supposed to." He held up his hand and the rings adorning it. They fit him well. "I'm not made to rule you. My power does you little good there. That's Credo's birthright, not mine."

That was enough to win over Claude, and the rest fell into place behind their commander. "If you want what's best for Fortuna and you bear the rings, I suppose it's not my place to stop you," he said. "What do you wish of us, General?"

Nero considered it for less than a second. "Let the people know that I'm alive and that anyone who was in on the plot against us should rethink their loyalties or face retribution."

"We can inform the public of the rest at a later time," I said. "I would not wish to confuse them with word-of-mouth."

Kyrie hid a smile behind her hand. "I think they'll be confused regardless."

Pulling this off would take a great number of lies alongside the truth, but I had a feeling the people would be willing to believe anything that Nero had to say if there were no one to contradict him.

"You did well," I said after he dismissed the guards.

Brushing his finger along the bridge of his nose, he breathed a laugh. "Keeping that voice up was obnoxious. I sounded like an ass. Can't believe none of them tried to punch me." His shoulders went slack, and he took a step back as though to catch his balance from a push. As his knees fell out from under him, Kyrie and I both grabbed him by an arm to keep him upright.

"Sorry," he sighed. "I'm just tired." I couldn't imagine how he'd held himself up for so long in his condition. His eyelids sank, and his breaths grew deep and slow. "Can we go now?" he asked. "I don't want to be down here anymore."

"Of course, my prince." I had promised him that.

"Not your prince anymore," he grumbled.

I wasn't going to argue then, but he was wrong. No matter what rings we wore, I would always be his knight, and he would be my prince. I was too accustomed to the roles to think any other way.

I hadn't expected either of my sons to come check on me, so it was nice to find them both standing at my side as I lay prone beside the gate, my cheek against the cool stone floor.

"You exhaust yourself, yet you insist on keeping your human form," Vergil said. "Why do you always expend the extra energy for that?"

"I like this one better," I said.

"If we have to drag him out, this is easier than having to haul the oversized bug," Dante said. "Think you'll be able to walk, Dad? The kid wants us to get out of here. Time to go meet whoever this holy guy is."

"Yes, if you'll give me a moment, I can manage it," I said. My limbs still wouldn't budge, but I did manage to twitch my fingers. Progress.

"The gate is sealed properly this time, yes?" Vergil asked.

"It was sealed properly the first time."

"Yet a human managed to break it."

"Nothing is perfect," I said with a sigh. "Nothing lasts forever."

"But everything you do is amazing, Your Majesty," Agni said with a smile as he popped into sight over me.

"Oh yes, I'm sure the seal is very good this time," Rudra added, appearing alongside his brother.

At least someone believed in me. The two patted my back in odd, stiff movements. Comfort was a new concept for them.

"Hey, you two are still in trouble," Dante said. His fists met the sides of their heads, pushing in and knocking their skulls together. They hunched down to escape his reach, clutching their heads and pouting.

"We did what we were told," Agni said.

"His Majesty and Lady Trish said to help the other His Highness when he needed it," Rudra added.

Vergil raised a brow. "You stabbed your 'Majesty.'"

"That wasn't me. That was Agni."

"No fair!"

"Enough, boys," I said. They might as well have all been children. "It's fine." My arms dragged up to push me to my knees. Progress was slow, every movement weighted like iron had filled my veins, but I managed to find my feet.

"Hey, Dad." Dante wore a small frown and an inquisitive sharpness to his eyes that I knew not to like. "When you healed Nero, you used the old seal's power, didn't you? Did you give him more demonic power then?"

"Ah, I was hoping you wouldn't notice." Both boys glared at my smile. "It was just enough to heal him, very little, honestly. I didn't think he would survive otherwise. If he can learn to control his power, he will make a wonderful general for his country, I think."

I wouldn't have thought anyone could survive being given such a strange form of my power, yet it had always been part of Nero, a piece of a much larger seal. Too much would have killed him, I knew, but I wondered if having a greater portion of the seal might help stabilize him. Time would tell. Still, I had high hopes for the little prince. He was as stubborn as my boys.

"We will see," Vergil said. "Shall we go?"

"Let us. Just make sure that you don't start any more trouble while I'm in no condition to aid you." Standing or lying down was all I was good for at that point. Truthfully, my boys didn't look much better off. Their appearances were disheveled messes of torn clothes, dirt, and flecks of dried blood. Each time they blinked, it lasted an instant too long, as though they had to fight to reopen their eyes against sleep's pull.

"I don't know that you were helping all that much before," Dante said, always in the mood to joke at my expense.

"You would have taken quite a fall without me."

Dante took one last glance over the ledge, squinting into the abyss below. "Is it that far to the bottom?" he asked.

I couldn't help but break into a grin. "It is-"

"Father, no."

"-one Hell of a fall."

Vergil dropped his face into his hands with a groan, and Dante tossed his hands up with a huff of, "We're not family anymore. I don't know you." His jokes were always terrible, so I could never understand why he disliked mine so much.

"Do not be cruel, my sons. I am weak and old." That didn't make my smile any less broad, though. They both stormed out, ignoring my calls for them to wait. My steps were so sluggish that Agni and Rudra would trot forward a few paces before stopping and looking back until I caught up. Each time I reached them, I would pat them both on the head just to see their eyes shine and their lips curl into mischievous smiles.

Nero was somehow worse off than I. Once again, he was being carried, this time against Credo's back. I felt certain he had protested the accommodation, but his breaths came slow and easy as he rested his head against Credo's shoulder. All fear and stress had eased from his expression as he slept. He was quite cute when he wasn't trying to cut me in half.

"Do you need help carrying him?" I asked.

Yamato's sheath swatted against my arm. "Father, no," Vergil scolded, "you can barely carry yourself."

"We can help!" Agni and Rudra chimed in unison.

With an irritable sigh, Credo started off toward the stairs. "I've got him, thank you."

"Shoot, if it means I get to sleep, anyone is welcome to carry me," Dante said. No one deigned to respond as we all headed for the ground floor, but once we reached it, Lady knocked her crossbow against his head.

"Whoops," she drawled as Dante clutched a hand to his newest injury.

"Hey, you're supposed to protect me from harm."

"And you're supposed to have a functioning brain, yet here we are."

His retainers were the sort who would have left him where he'd fallen had he passed out. Though I wasn't sure I could blame them, that wasn't the mindset a retainer should have had in any case, but Dante had chosen them for himself. He had odd taste in allies.

"Back to the old man then," Trish said as she stretched her arms out above her head. "Right back where we started."

"Trish, you brought Nero here," I said, the sharpness of distaste sinking into my tone. She wasn't being subtle about it. She wanted us to know. "Why?"

She continued forward without looking back. The castle's tall, empty halls echoed with her voice. "You left the prince alone and unstable in an anxious crowd, and you thought Lady and little Miss Kyrie would be enough to handle him if he lost control?" She clicked her tongue. "He was going to go off. It was just a matter of time. Better to have you lot around him than a hoard of humans. Besides." She pranced up a few staircase steps before tilting her head back enough to show off her smile. "I wanted to see what would happen."

Just because she was right didn't make me like her any more, but I had to concede her point. We'd made a poor choice. Quite a few, actually.

I fit a smile on my face. "Well, I'm glad things worked out more-or-less."

"We still need to deal with Sanctus," Credo said.

"What is he going to do? Lecture us to death?" Kyrie asked, grinning, but her brother didn't match her amusement.

"I'd be more concerned about him having more guards or a trap waiting for us."

For all I'd heard of Sanctus, I found myself disappointed when we crowded into his office to find a frail old man sitting alone at his desk. His fingers were threaded together in front of him, and though he frowned at the sight of us, he showed no fear or surprise. "So you've sided with the Capulets," he said as his gaze came to rest on Credo. "How unfortunate. I suppose you expect some alliance to form from this betrayal."

Despite the little prince dozing against his back, Credo did an impressive job of appearing every bit the stern king he would need to become. "King Sparda has done more to ensure the safety of Fortuna's people than you and the rest of the church ever did, and you know it. Had it not been for the treaties, we would have gone to war long ago."

"We would have gained more from the war than we would have lost."

"We would have gained land," Credo spat. "We would have lost lives, but of course you wouldn't care. People's lives are nothing but tools to you. If you cooperate, I might allow you to live, but you will maintain none of your power. That's better than you deserve."

"Let him live?" Dante muttered. "Why?"

Always quick to educate his brother, Vergil answered in an equally low voice. "The man has his uses."

"Perhaps, but I would not trust him to his word," I said. Sanctus watched us as we spoke. Perhaps he heard us. I hoped he did. As I continued, I raised my voice to make certain. "Credo, he's not worth wasting time on. I wasted enough trying to negotiate with him and his group over the years."

Credo nodded. "Yes, and I'd rather like to get Nero to bed. He's admittedly heavy."

Sensing the two at my sides about to speak, I smacked my hands to the tops of Agni and Rudra's heads to silence them. Both looked up at me with pitiful pouts

"Sanctus," Credo continued. "I'll have my rings now. Hand them over."

"Your rings?" Though his tone remained soft, Sanctus's smile was dark with malice. "You expect to take the throne after all this time? I see you've given the demon child the general's set. I can't imagine how you expect the people to accept you as a replacement for their farce of a prince. If you expect me to speak in favor of you, you are mistaken."

"I do not need for you to speak for me. I do not even need you to tell me where the rings are. You think, even now, that you've won, but you have nothing."

"I am far from the only one who caused your parents' demise, and I am far from the only one who planned Nero's death. This castle has many more rats." He gestured to Trish with a lazy wave. "You and the boy will not last."

As best he could with Nero collapsed against him, Credo shrugged. It was the first I'd seen him without a hint of stress pinching his expression. "If there is one worthwhile thing I learned from you, it is whom I can and cannot trust. Besides, not all of the rats work for you."

Smiling as usual, Kyrie gave a wave that puzzled the old man's brow. "My name is Kyrie," she said. "We've never really been properly introduced. I'm one of the girls who works in the castle's chapel. You complimented my singing once. Credo and I don't look much alike, so I'm sure you would never have taken much notice of me, but I hear I look like my father."

At this, Sanctus's eyes widened. "So the child did survive."

"You're not very good at this whole murder planning thing," Kyrie said. "For all your talk, you have more failures under your belt than successes."

Sanctus regained his calm smile. "That you know of."

Kyrie's nose wrinkled in disgust. "I'll give you one more opportunity to just give us the rings."

"And if I do?"

"I'll give you a quick death."

"Kyrie," Credo said as though scolding a child.

"Let me have this, Brother."

Unable to best the determination burning in her eyes, Credo gave in with a sigh. "Very well. Do what you must."

With a nod, she turned back to Sanctus and held out her hand. "The rings."

"I have nothing for you," he said.

"That's fine. I don't need anything from you."

I didn't care to kill humans. I thought it unfair for me to interfere with their lives when I was so far beyond their strength, and of course, once a demon began to kill humans, we craved more. That was dangerous. I wanted no part in it. But I would not go so far as to say that no humans deserved death. I saw no reason to involve myself in defending the lives of humans who did not value the lives of others.

Perhaps it was selfish of me to insist my sons play the same role as I did. Though after we'd learned everything from Agnus, I would no longer have stayed Dante's hand. That man had not been human. Still, it was far more satisfying to see Credo end him. Demons loved to watch blood spill, and try as I might to smother my old instincts, sometimes I let them slip through.

I couldn't help but smile when Kyrie's knife came down through Sanctus's right hand, pinning it to the table. "I don't like to see suffering," she said as he gasped through his whimpering. "But this is the least of what you deserve. That's for taking my parents before I could meet them."

Another knife slipped from her hand through the palm of his left. "That's for taking my brother's title."

A third knife bit down into his shoulder. "That's for taking mine." Kyrie's eyes held no regret, only a blaze of determination. Whatever Credo felt, he hid it well beneath a calm mask.

The fourth knife mirrored the last in his other shoulder. "That's for everything you did to Nero."

The fifth found his heart. "And that's for whatever other crimes you've committed against this world, you bastard. I hope you burn."

As she pulled a handkerchief from her person and wiped the blood from her hands, the man breathed his last with a whimper.

"Sorry about that," she said with a sheepish smile.

The twin swords were bouncing on their toes on either side of me, not bothering to hide their enjoyment of the situation. Dante wasn't much different. "Will I get in trouble if I applaud her?" he asked.

His brother's eyes were dull with irritation. "Must you?"

"Well if it will annoy you, I definitely will."

Credo heaved another sigh. "I suppose I have no room to talk, but let us not. The rings, then?"

"Oh, yes!" Kyrie chirped. Tip-toeing around the corpse without care, she tested a few desk drawers until one resisted her pull. After yanking a knife from one of Sanctus's limp hands, she used it to pry the drawer open. "Like we needed him to tell us where they were," she muttered. "Nowhere else to hide them in this dumb office."

She popped upright with two ornate boxes in her hands before bounding over to her brother. Glee made her fidget like a child, but she was still quite young when I considered it. They all were.

Credo's rings fit his fingers but appeared heavy, one decorated with his house crest and the other with the Order's. "I'd always expected to see them on Nero," he said. "It feels wrong to wear them."

"They would have looked weird on the kid," Dante said. "Too flashy."

Credo couldn't conceal his smile fast enough for me not to spot it. "I suppose you're right." His hand dropped back down to reaffirm his hold on Nero's dangling leg. "He would have complained."

"Should we get family rings?" I asked my sons. "I think that would be fun."

Judging from Vergil's dull expression, he did not agree. "Please don't make me wear something god-awful, Father."

"Maybe we should have, like, royal family belt buckles," Dante said, wearing his usual grin for when he wished to irritate his brother. "How else will the people know, Vergil?"

"They will know! We don't need to wear something hideous to make a point."

"I'm leaving," Lady muttered. "You all can hang out with the corpse and argue."

Giggling, Kyrie followed her out the door, tailed by Credo and Trish.

"Do you think they'll put us up for the night, or will we need to go back to the inn?" I asked, but my sons could not hear, still bickering as Dante's smile grew wider and Vergil's hand curled around Yamato's grip. "My sons, can we not?"

I didn't expect them to pay me any mind, and they did not. For all Vergil's boasting, he was far too easy to provoke, and Dante was… Dante.

Fortuna was lucky that it had Credo to lead it. I was uncertain if Capulet would ever find a reasonable king.

"Well, I'm going to see where I can sleep for the night," I called. "You two try not to make a mess. Agni, Rudra, come along."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

At least those two listened to me.

Years must have passed since the last time I woke up in my own bed. With how slow my body was to wake, it did feel like I'd been asleep for years. My room had no windows, so I couldn't guess the time as I eased out from under the blankets and found my feet. No mask or armor rested against my bedside table, but like always, an outfit had been laid out for me. Even now, Credo treated me like a little kid.

My rings rested beside the clothes, and I put them on first. They felt foreign yet comfortable. I wasn't sure if Credo wanted for me to keep them once we convinced the people of his position, but I would wear them for him as long as he needed me to. I owed him that much.

When I started to change, I found the scar where the sword had run me through. The gash painted my side and back with the same numb scales as my arm. "It had better not start glowing too," I grumbled as I pulled on the fresh set of clothes. He'd picked the most obnoxiously formal set I owned, all shining brocade in the deep blue of Fortuna's royal crest. I looked like goddamn curtains.

I'd never stepped out into the hall without my mask on, so I couldn't help but peer out the door first to see if anyone were there. Before I could check both ends of the hall, a smooth voice sent my claws digging into the door.

"Finally awake," Trish said. I turned to find her behind the door, wearing her usual lazy smirk. "You slept like the dead, Prince."

"I'm not the prince."

"I'll stop calling you that when everyone else does."

I let it go with a scoff. Credo was probably the root of the issue, so I'd need to get onto him. "Where is everyone?" I asked. Sunlight beamed in from the windows overlooking the courtyard. It looked to be mid-day.

"Around," she said with a vague wave of her hand. "Credo didn't care to give anyone a room near yours. That was mostly Dante's fault, though."

I didn't want to know.

"So why are you right here?"

She offered no answer beyond a shrug and a smile. No wonder she was Dante's friend. They were both infuriating. "Oh," she said at length. "I suppose there's one."

"One what?" I asked, but my answer came before the words finished leaving my mouth.

"Little Prince!" Sparda called as he turned the corner at the end of the hall. "How nice to see you awake." His usual smothering presence came with him as he strode our way. Trish clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"How are you feeling?" Sparda asked. Being near someone so exuberant after just waking up made me feel exhausted again.

"Fine. Hey, uh, did I… stab you?"

His brows shot up. "You recall that?"

Damn, I was hoping I'd been wrong. Everything beyond storming into the back room of the dungeon was a haze of black spots and blurry images, but I could remember some sounds, and the smell of his blood was such a clear memory that it made my stomach roll.

"I can sort of remember," I said, ducking my head under his calm gaze.

"Do not worry yourself over it. Everyone I love stabs me."

That wasn't comforting. "Hang on-"

Yet another yell from down the hall cut me off. "Dad! Stop being weird!" Dante strolled into view with his fingers laced behind his head.

"I was not being weird."

"Anything you do is weird." He was one to talk. He cracked a smile at the sight of me. "Finally up, kid?"

"Yeah-yeah, I get it. I slept a while. What happened after I fell asleep?" I could recall pieces of the talk with the guards. Somehow, that had gone over well. I wasn't sure what I'd been saying half the time, and I remembered thinking about how nice passing out against the floor sounded.

"We got Credo's rings. The day is saved. Blah, blah, blah," Dante said with a wave of his hand.

I felt sure he was skimming over something important, but before I could ask, Sparda placed his hand on my shoulder and caught my eyes with his. "Now that you are more aware, I must ask. Are you certain you're alright with Credo becoming the king?"

My chest tightened, each breath thin and aching. I wanted to lie, but I found the truth falling from my lips. "I don't know. I don't know if it's unfair because I'm getting off easy now, and it will be so much work for him. But it's not my throne. It never was."

Sparda's brow furrowed in concern. "You shouldn't feel guilty, Little Prince."

Vergil's icy voice at my back made me jolt. "It's good that he understands the consequences, though."

Turning, I found his expression as aloof and difficult to read as ever. Something about his presence made warning bells chime in my head, but he was so calm that I couldn't begin to decipher how to react to him. "Where do all of you keep coming from?" I muttered.

"I hope you're prepared to address a crowd soon," Vergil said, ignoring my question. "Credo has stalled for as long as he can, but you'll have to regale your people with your lies if you hope to make his transition to the throne work."

"It's fine. I can do it." I hoped none of the anxiety roaring through my head showed. The thought of giving a speech made my skin go cold. A distraction came the moment I noticed that both Vergil and Dante had white hair again. Come to think of it, so did I. I couldn't think of when or why that had happened, but Sparda jolted me from my thoughts with another clap to the shoulder.

"I'm certain the people of Fortuna would love anything you had to say. Religious sorts can be a bit..."

"Like sheep," Vergil finished for him.

"Stupid," Dante offered.

Both of his sons turned to stare off at nothing, the picture of innocence under their father's firm stare. "Not quite where I was going, but I'm certain Nero will do well regardless."

"We're still ignoring the matter of his lack of control," Vergil said, pretending to find interest in the courtyard. "We must return home, and he must remain here with his current position. How do you expect for us to train him?"

My cheeks burned so hot that I must have turned a few shades. He was lucky I didn't have my weapons because it wasn't far to the courtyard, and the grounds made for a great place to duel. "I won't lose control again! I don't need your help!"

They all looked at me, pinned me with inquisitive stares that chipped away at my pride. As much as I wanted to believe my own words, I wasn't oblivious enough to lie to myself like that. I buckled under their unspoken accusations, ducking my head to avoid them. With all of them circled around me, I felt like a pack of wolves had backed me into a corner. My arm still buzzed with a desire to fight back, and if Sparda's smothering presence hadn't been there, I might have. Vergil was the first to speak, breaking the tension with a scoff of, "You can't honestly believe that."

Dante's smile was so forced that it seemed to pain him. "Yeah, kid, we'll have to do something. I think you can get a handle on things with practice, but you're still not stable enough to be left alone without someone who can take you down a notch if you get a little difficult."

"Do not fret," Sparda said. "It is true that I must return to my duties, and you to yours, Little Prince. Vergil needs to come back with me as well, but-" He broke into a blinding smile. "-Dante does not."

Dante must not have heard his father because he blinked a few times before turning to Sparda. "What?"

"Yes, I was thinking things over while Nero was resting." Sparda nodded along to his own thoughts, looking far too proud of himself. "You can look after him and train him to keep a handle on his devil side. Be the knight of the knight, if you will. And Agni and Rudra can keep you company so you don't miss home too much."

Bewildered, Dante looked like he'd gotten lost in a maze. "You could have mentioned this idea to me."

Judging from Vergil's raised brows and Trish's open mouth, Sparda hadn't mentioned it to anyone. I had a growing urge to break his jaw so he couldn't keep looking so damn happy with himself.

"It's the most logical option," he said. "You're not doing much back home. Besides, you like the food here. I suppose if we want to make it official, we can dub you Capulet's Royal Correspondent for Fortuna."

Grabbing Sparda's cravat, I tugged down and forced him to look me in the eye. "I don't want him. You can keep him."

Sparda took the opportunity to straighten the cuff of my sleeve, like I'd held my arm up to him for that reason. "But you two get along so well. I think it will work out for the best."

"Please let me be hearing this wrong," Credo sighed as he too appeared at the end of the hall. He wore the same sort of finery as I had, and I couldn't help but find the picture odd. Credo wore simple white uniform pieces at all times, as did everyone in the Order. Even most of my clothes had been white. I couldn't help but stare at the shining vest he wore, as dark blue as dusk. When I caught his eye, he glanced away with a short huff. "Glad to see you're well and awake," he said despite not looking at me as he strode toward us. "Now what is this about Dante staying? You didn't mention this before, Sparda."

As Sparda reiterated his pain-in-the-ass plan, Vergil lowered his voice under his father's and spoke. "Nero." Hearing him say my name was always odd. "While I admit, having to deal with my brother is agonizing-"

"I can hear you."

Vergil showed no signs of hearing Dante in return, continuing over him. "There is no guarantee that Credo will be able to talk you down should you lose control again. You were a breath away from killing him this time."

The memory hit me like an arrow to my chest. I'd held a sword to Credo's throat. I'd been so close, so angry that I didn't realize who I was attacking. I could have killed him just like I'd tried to kill them.

"Dante is useless at most things, but he should be able to handle you in a fight," Vergil continued despite his brother's grumbling. "That is, if he actually would bother to fight you. He does have some weapons that would be better suited to restraining you, so I suppose we could retrieve them. Besides, you need someone who can provide some sort of training. Dante may be able to figure that out."

"This has been a good day for my self-esteem," Dante said. "You know, no one has bothered to ask if I'm alright with this."

Vergil shrugged. "We all know that you are. You like to be out of the castle, and you enjoy dealing with the boy."

"Harassing" would have been a more accurate word, but otherwise, that sounded like Dante to me.

"Fine," I said over Sparda and Credo's continued argument. "He can stay."

Dante was more startled than anyone else, looking like he'd never seen me before. "You sure, kid?" he asked. "If you don't-"

"You started this whole mess!" Turning my back on him, I crossed my arms and searched for the commanding tone I thought a general was supposed to have. "And now it's my turn. I don't remember inviting you to my castle, so it looks like you're trespassing to me. That warrants your arrest. The rest of you should probably leave soon before I capture you too."

"What?" Dante asked again.

Sparda struggled to bottle a laugh. "Little Prince, we're supposed to be trying to be on good terms."

They were supposed to be leaving. My good terms were that I hadn't arrested them yet. "We can negotiate the terms of his release at a later date," I said. "I expect some reparations."

Despite Credo's furrowed brow, I had a feeling he was smiling under the hand he placed over his mouth. "Nero, you do know that you're no longer the prince. I do actually have authority in this situation."

"I'm your general, right?"

"Of course."

"And I'm your advisor."

"So it would seem."

"Then, as your general, I'm advising you to kidnap Capulet's useless prince." Turning back again, I waved toward Dante. "He's my prisoner."

Vergil wore a thin smile, but his eyes shined with amusement. "We'll have to be going then," he said. "Lest we upset our would-be allies further. We'll see to your release after you've served your time, Dante."

"Hang on, you can't just leave," Dante huffed.

Sparda patted Dante's shoulder. "Have fun being kidnapped, Son."

With dulled eyes, Dante turned to me. "This isn't funny."

No, I found it hilarious. "Don't blame me. I warned you when we first met. I told you that I wouldn't take responsibility if you got killed."

Breaking with a soft laugh, Dante threw his hands up. "Then maybe stop trying to kill me. But fine, kid, I'm your prisoner now." He gave a sweeping bow. "Prince Dante of Capulet at your service. What's the first order of business?"

I just wanted Kyrie and Credo to get to murder the people that caused them so much trouble in-game, and I don't think that's unreasonable.

Thank you so much for reading this silly thing. Leave me a comment if you liked it because I love attention and feedback. And go read Blackout if you haven't because it's good, I swear.

Feel free to let me know if you have interest in seeing alternate epilogues, or I probably won't write them. Not sure if I'll post them on here? They'll definitely be on Ao3 since I can hook them in as part of a series. (As an edit, the Dante/Nero one is up on Ao3 now, and I got a request for a Credo/Nero one, so *throws confetti*)