AN: Hello again! I have absolutely nothing to write here, but I wanted this chapter to have many words. So... well there you go.
Crap aside thanks for reading again and please review. Special thanks to my Beta.
Read and enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Zero No Tsukaima. If I did, it would have way more swords, dragons, and most of all: EXPLOSIONS.
Rebellion: A Zero no Tsukaima Fanfic
Nobles and commoners. For centuries, conflicts between these two groups had occurred over and over, escalating from revolts and attacks to conflicts between Germanian soldiers and Tristain mages. These clashes were common in a time of war. Recently, the group known as Reconquista had set a goal to end all monarchy over Halkeginia. The promise of handing power over to the commoners was the reason they had gone as far as taking Albion under their control, which had been recently taken back by the few remaining followers of the previous King of Albion.
The cruel truth however was that its leader, Joseph of Gallia, wanted to have absolute power all over the continent in his attempt at being able to feel emotions once again.
A second group of rebels originated from the east of Tristain, struggling for what they believed was a just fight and a fair cause: the end of the aristocratic oppression. So far, they had been able to survive thanks to the heir of the void that supported their cause. Even against an entire army, the outcome of the war had not been decided yet.
At least, not by them.
Alone and far away from his position as King of Gallia, the leader of Reconquista rested in his private quarters. In the middle of the room lay a large and yet miniature scale representing the kingdom of Tristain. Pieces were arranged here and there, forming the towns, fortress and such, as well as the two forces that currently fought over the power of the country.
The rebels and the nobles.
On their side, the nobles had the money, resources and over all, the power to fight like they had done for generations. Their magic was their pride and bless, and they didn't hesitate to use it on those who they considered to be a threat. Not only were powerful square mages on their side, but two users of the void, as well as Gandarlf, the young boy who had taken on an army of two thousand men and survived to tell the tale.
In addition, there were the members of the royal council. They were the reason this war had happened in the first place, and driven by arrogant pride as well as fear of retribution, they were doing everything in their power to exterminate the rebels lest their crimes be revealed.
Once the mages in general agreed to fight for the crown, all that was left was the crown itself and the void girl plus company. Youngsters, yes, but far more intelligent than the older nobles who only believed what they were told. These kids investigated further, looking underneath the underneath, used their sixth sense, opened their third eye; concluding that there was something more than commoners fighting for power, they just didn't know what.
That is where he made his move.
The interception and switch of letters, an arranged fight with Sheffield, the lay of a carefully hidden traps and the group of heroes the queen trusted so much began believing their side was the just one, simply because they thought the rebels were receiving Joseph's aid. Which wasn't so far from the truth. The difference lay in whether or not the group of Lyon wanted such help; which they didn't.
Finally, the rebels on their side were less in number and resources. However, they had the support of ninety percent of the people all across Tristain, not to mention their own Void mage, the item he had in his grasp and his knowledge over the ancient runes. All in all, the rebellion was a strong movement that actually stood a chance of success.
Joseph smirked. The next battle at Saul's valley was going to play a decisive role in the war. Once they had obtained victory, the rebels would take the magic academy, and then finally the palace, and then the capital itself. Once they had achieved such thing, victory would be his.
For many, war was an uncertain concept.
For Joseph, each battle, move and reaction was foreseen.
All his subordinates had to do was make sure the rebels won, and with a bit of luck one of the void girl's friends would meet his or her end. He only needed the girl and Gandarlf; secured inside the academy while undergoing recovery. Their friends had no importance whatsoever.
Rearranging the pieces to better imitate the actual formations and positions, Joseph smirked. Really, these people could be quite amusing…
His mind was blurry; Saito was surrounded by darkness. Slowly, he began to open his eyes, wincing a bit at the sudden impact of the morning light. His entire body felt numb, and as soon as he tried to move his arm, his muscles protested in pain causing the swordsman to groan.
Semi-conscious, Saito tried looking around to deduce where he was. Decorated walls, fine furniture, a warm bed no doubt filled with goose feathers... "Louise's Room?"
Indeed, the teen found himself laid upon the bed of his girlfriend, full of bandages, his clothes clean and folded nearby. By his side, over a wooden tea table, was a plate full of food that had surely been ordered by Louise and brought by Siesta; and next to him, snoring softly and with a peaceful expression slept his Mistress, tired because of all the events that had transpired.
The Ostland had taken around half a day to repair, and even more to fly back to the capital. Saito though, didn't make it that far. As soon as he was sent to the infirmary he had remained asleep, and wouldn't have been surprised to hear that a certain pinkette denied herself sleep until her "stupid" familiar woke up.
The bags under Louise's eyes confirmed his suspicions.
Not wanting to wake her, and ignoring the grumbling of his stomach, Saito tried to go back to sleep; but couldn't. His mind was filled with questions and doubts he couldn't answer for himself.
The woman he had fought; was she a mage? Was she not? How could she summon those flames? How could those commoners use wind magic to reinforce their arrows? Or earth magic to strengthen their shields? If it was magic, why didn't Derflinger's ability work completely? What were those runes?
The man that had appeared besides her: Was he a void mage? He had to, how else could he use Explosion or Teleportation? Was it he who sabotaged the ship? How did he get inside? What did he do to Tiffania, who had been unconscious at the infirmary? Did that mean he was with Joseph? Was that woman his familiar? So many questions with very few answers were the perfect formula for a headache.
Fortunately for Saito, he had the wisdom of a certain sword.
"Finally up, Partner?" Near Saito's clothes and leaning against the wall, Derflinger greeted his partner.
"Derflinger…" Saito said softly, unable to find the words he wanted.
"Not fully huh? Can't blame you, that chick beat us pretty badly huh? For a moment there I thought she would cut me in half." It was a joke, Saito knew it. Not only was the sword almost indestructible, but he could hardly picture the proud blade sliced in pieces. "How are ya' feeling?"
"My head is killing me." He protested. "Try speaking lowly Derf, Louise might wake up." Not only did she need rest, but a grumpy Louise was a very scary image.
"Relax Partner, the girl remained awake for two days straight. As soon as they finished healing her, she refused to leave your side. Sounds familiar, don't you think?" It had practically been the same that with Guiche. It had been a long time since he was beaten so badly.
"Is she okay?" Saito asked, concerned.
"She will live. Some water mages healed that nasty burn she received, so all she needs now is a good sleep." Even more reason not to wake her up.
Saito didn't respond; he didn't know what to say. He was relieved, but his mind was busy with other matters at the moment.
"Can't sleep?"
"Can't. I have too much on my head." Saito confessed.
"Let me guess, it's about those rebels right? 'Specially the man." His image appeared in Saito's mind. White skin full of runes, purple hair, dark robes; power was spewing out of his very pores, and yet he remained passive and expressionless. Even his voice hadn't even had a hint of exhaustion or edge of being in the middle of a battle; he had been collected and calm.
"I just don't get how they did that. Was it magic? If it was then, why didn't your ability to absorb it work?"
"Because it wasn't magic partner, it was those runes."
"Do you mean her sword and both their bodies were magical artifacts?" Gandarlf asked skeptical, not really getting it.
If the sword could have sighed, it would have. "In a way yes but in another no. It's quite complicated really."
"And how would you know about them anyway?"
"The Founder Brimir created the runes they are using, and remember I was the weapon of the first Gandarlf, so I know a thing or two."
"Ok then, please explain."
"I will, try not to fall asleep." Seeming to clear his throat, the sword began. "First of all, runes in general. What do you know about them?"
Now fully awake, Saito searched his mind for the answer. "From what Louise has told me, runes are sort of like a magical language. Mages use their willpower to write down runes, and depending of which ones they write they can vary in their effects."
"Well, at least you got the basics."
"Runes are indeed a language, they are often referred to as the "tongue magic speaks" and only square class mages can produce them at will; not only that, but they have almost unlimited effects depending on the elements you use to craft them as well as the runes you pick. For example: let's say a mage wants to know what happens in one part of the continent while being at the opposite side. He or she enchants two mirrors with square water magic, and writes runes that specify that whatever reflects on one mirror must reflect on the other. Get it?"
Saito had a expression that clearly showing he didn't quite understand. "So… you mean she was using an enchanted sword?" He guessed the most logical option.
"Could be, but it isn't. For once, even if by runes, any effect a magical artifact produces is considered magic, thus my ability should work. What we faced there wasn't entirely magic. Not to mention, that you need at least some magic skill to use runic objects."
"So what was it then?" Saito couldn't figure out where the sword wanted to go with all that.
"Void magic Partner; runes infused with the void not seen since the founder." Derflinger said dramatically, making it sound as bad as it should be.
"That man…" The teen finally realized; all those rebels had pulled back there was because of that mage.
"Exactly; somehow, he learned what only the Founder knew."
"But, if he made that sword…" Saito began. "…how could fire erupt from it? Doesn't void magic nullify the other elements?"
"Indeed it does, but where does the void magic produce?" The sword asked.
Gandarlf couldn't figure it out. "I don't know…" He tried to find the answer, yet he wasn't having much success.
"Okay, let's put it this way. That pentagon over Louise's neck, what does its five points represent?"
Saito responded automatically. Louise had worked herself to death before the second-year graduation exam, and even from one month previous began to study, with Saito forcedly helping her. That single thing Derf was asking him to answer had been repeated to him over and over for a dozen times. "Fire, water, earth and wind elements united with the human spirit."
"There you go; the void rests on its user's souls, their very spirits. Void magic communicates directly with a person's soul, same story with any rune it is made of."
Derflinger finally confessed. "That woman's sword reached her soul and let her manifest her elemental affinity."
Saito had a face filled with realization. "I see. And let me guess, even if not everyone can use magic everyone has an affinity…" He began.
"…because everyone has a soul. Good Partner, you are finally getting it." The sword finished.
"And since it has void magic involved your ability to absorb magic didn't work completely." Saito deduced.
"Yup. Not only that, but those flames were a raw manifestation of the soul, not magic in itself, though it uses the same principle and source: willpower."
"Well, now that that's covered, what about those other runes." He was referring to the ones that had suddenly appeared on the rebels' skin. "They seem to boost all her abilities, like going berserk."
"You could say that, but truth is those runes are less mighty than they seem."
"What are them then? What do they do?" Saito wanted to get over this as soon as possible to get on the move again. The more time they wasted, the more time that bastard had to make new toys.
"The same as Louise's teleportation, just that to a lesser extent." Saito silently asked the sword to continue explaining.
"Instead of fully transporting a physical thing like a person, it trasnports vital energy."
"That means that however is attached to those runes…"
"…can exchange willpower back and forth at will, boosting their abilities."
The Japanese sighed. He wasn't someone who stressed often; he preferred to let things happen and act accordingly. Fretting over something too much was Louise's work, yet now that he heard what Derf had to say Saito couldn't help but hold the bridge in his nose. "This sounds bad Derf."
"It is bad, but luckily that trick has a downside." This caught Saito's attention immediately. "Why leave such thing until the situation was desperate? One of two: either they feared someone discovered how the thing worked and countered it; which is very unlikely since you would need someone with knowledge similar to mine; or it had a price to pay."
"Those runes were good, but not perfect, not even nearing the Founder's. They were never meant to transport something other than supplies, and even less to be put on living things."
"You are right. That they had more power didn't mean they were invincible. They wasted a lot of willpower on those attacks." Saito began deducing. His latent worries had just ceased, for now.
"Whoever was at the giving end of the runes must be tired, and I would bet those two won't be fighting any time sooner." Derf explained.
"That's why they agreed to let Louise and me go. They can't hold that state for long and were afraid of losing control before finishing us off."
"Good, we are over all the boring stuff finally. There's just one important matter left now." He let his wielder give it his full attention before finishing. "What will you do with this knowledge?"
This Saito didn't have to ponder much. Ignoring his exhaustion and making sure not to wake Louise up, the teen rose to a sitting position on the bed's edge, slipping his feet to the floor. "Whatever it is that I must do definitely isn't laying here. I must tell the others about this, find a way to counter those runes." With effort, Saito stood up and began dressing.
"You sure? Even with the treatment you got you are still weak. The only reason you didn't collapse halfway through the battle was because of Gandarlf, and even then your body got over the limits."
"I don't care. I have slept long enough. Time to move." He crouched slightly to pick up Derflinger and put it across his back. "Besides I already died remember? There's little left that can truly hold me down; this is nothing."
"That's the spirit partner! Let's go kick some ass!" Saito gave a cheering in response, only to cause a grunt to escape from Louise's lips as she began to stir.
Careful not to disrupt her sleep further, both companions silently made their way out of the room.
War was, like Lyon now just reflexed, sort of like a race.
At least, his was.
On one side, stood him and his troops; on the opposite side the imperial army. Their stage was Saul's Valley, each team planning different ways to overcome the other.
What was the thing they raced for?
Preparation.
To many outsides, and to many soldiers in general, it may look like many battles were organized; each force moving into formation in front of the other team. They face each other, no one attacks and they listen as their commanders give speeches to boost the morale. Then the horn sounds, and each side charges. Those who can attack from behind do so; those who don't, try to reach the enemy before getting hit by an arrow or a fire ball.
Or so was the thing.
Even with large and complicated tactics involved, battle could be summarized into five types: an ambush, an infiltration, an escape, a head-on battle…
…and a massacre; such was the prize for those who came second.
Most of the times it didn't occur, but if one side ever beat the other when preparing for battle, they wouldn't wait. When is the best time to strike? When your enemy has not even lifted its weapons.
At the moment, men and women ran from one side to the other making sure everything was ready; else they get taken by surprise.
The rebels were frustrated and tired. Since Dianne's group barely survived the last battle they had been doubling their pace towards the valley. With rain, wind and little sleep, Lyon's army was in an awful shape for combat. They didn't have the transportation means the army had, nor could they rest on a village as there were none near. As icing to the cake, both he and Joshua were still recovering from the spirit transfer they had just performed.
Worst of all was that the army knew such facts least the last one, as they had been followed by a few airborne soldiers who kept their distance the second Lyon proved that even when tired he could still make one or two wind blades.
None of their pursuers wanted to be cut in half as that tree had.
And even with their increased movement, the rebels had to go rescue what remained of Dianne's and avoid meeting with the many squads of soldiers looking to intercept them.
As it was, a few hundreds prepared to face around a thousand enemies, who not only had better equipment, but had deciphered their trajectory and began preparing for combat before them. All around Lyon's camp people hurried to make sure the supplies were safe; that everyone had the correct equipment and that each rebel was in position.
To many, this would seem as a massacre. Luckily, the rebels had not waited one year before attacking just to be killed.
It wasn't about matching the nobles on power, such thing the rebels knew, it was about evening the tide by whatever means they found.
So had they done at the valley too.
They would scout out for traps, explosives, hidden caves were even more soldiers could hide and ambush from; they had even made some of those to make them drop their guard; make them think they had found their trump card.
Too bad their trump card was hidden at the best place to hide: in plain sight.
It would ensure confusion, chaos: the perfect time to give the decisive blow. The best way to deal with a puppet was attack that who controlled it, and with any luck the commander of the army would turn out to be a member of the council; hopefully a certain Count.
They wouldn't be expecting it; they would be taken by surprise; and what was best:, they didn't have a single way to stop it now that their void users had been taken out by his comrades.
Thank God they had decided to attack them with everything, else finding both of the void mages and Gandarlf would have been a true challenge. Or rather, thank Zheo. He had foretold the Council's response to their presence, and calculated their clash with the Founder's heirs.
"It's incredible." Lyon thought as he held a sheet of paper inside his private quarters. "Such a powerful weapon in such a little size." He referred to the list of tactics Zheo had given him before being sent to the infirmary. In it were contained the strategies he was to use at the battle, one for each possible scenery the void mage had been able to imagine. His only chance to win was following such instructions.
But to win, Lyon needed rest. Being at his best was a vital part of the plan, and such he had to lie down after thirty seven hours without sleep; his mark was eleven hours away. Letting his head fall on top of the pillow, he repeated to himself over and over that there was no need for him at the moment. Their officials would prepare everything, and the imperial army wouldn't attack while he was out. They could be ready for a battle, but not for an attack. After what they demonstrated against the Ostland, the nobles feared whatever magic they had used, as well as the fact traitors and spies were among their lines.
The army was checking and double-checking every single soldier enlisted to ensure any infiltration failed. They would find nothing. Why send spies inside the militaries, when there were more important, less guarded places they could be put? That didn't mean it wasn't a good thing. There would be tension, everyone looking over their shoulder and not trusting those they had once considered allies. Specially the newer recruits, who were the center of all the controversy.
This fact had been also foretold by their tactician.
Sighing, Lyon closed his eyes and entered the darkness, falling asleep almost immediately.
She greeted him in his dreams.
"Who is the idiot who created stairs?" Curses and many other things filled Saito's mind as he struggled against pain to climb the long flight of stairs leading to the principal's chambers. He had failed to find his friends even after searching the majority of the academy; now that he thought about it, besides the occasional servant there were few inside the school. He understood the male students could have gone to battle the rebels like they did against Albion, but now there wasn't even that many female students either, not to mention only some professors remained.
"Where did everyone go?"
"Mister Saito?" Suspicion aside, Saito looked up to see Siesta climbing down the same flight of stairs he was in. In her hands rested a silver plate filled with food, and the teen had no doubt it was meant for him.
"Hi Sies- Oofff!" Taking a step back and using his foot as support to avoid falling, Saito found himself inside a very firm, very painful hug; food had been thrown aside.
"Saito!" Her voice was happy, that was easy to tell, and she was even shedding tears of joy. Saito had some tears too, but these were out of pain for having his already weakened body inside Siesta's crushing grip; it took the maid a full minute to take notice of this fact. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you." She apologized as the swordsman caught his breath.
"It's okay Siesta, I don't really mind a hug." Especially if he could feel her… focus! There was no time to think on such thinks. "Say Siesta, where is everyone?"
The maid's mood seemed to drop; obviously he wasn't going to like the answer. "The academy has been temporally closed; most of the students have gone home and those who remain will too soon."
Saito wanted to ask why, but he had a fair idea. "It's because of the revolution, right?"
Siesta nodded. "Because of the security of the students and teachers the principal has issued them all to return to their homes; even us servants have been asked to leave. It won't be long before the people who remain go and the army takes hold of the academy."
Security? It made sense. Against Albion was a different matter; they were far from the center of Tristain. The rebels, though, wouldn't doubt to take siege of the academy if they could. After all, inside it many magical artifacts were kept. It was no wonder soldiers would be here to protect it at the simple idea of what the rebels could do with them. "I see, so the principal…"
"He has gone to the Palace. He just left this morning."
Damn it! So all those stairs had been for nothing? Fantastic… "Damn." Saito muttered lowly.
"Was there something you wanted to tell him?" Siesta inquired. Her love subject should be in Louise's room resting; if he had forced himself to walk around the academy looking for the principal it must have been for a good reason.
"Not just him, Professor Colbert or Agnes too. It's about those rebels, what they can do." The swordsman explained.
"You mean about the magic they used? The sabotage? Their spies?" Saito gave the maid a questioning look. When did she…? "I heard some rumors here and there." She explained. If Saito didn't know her better, he would swear Siesta was some sort of spy on her own. Gossip really was a powerful weapon.
But he was diverting himself from the matter.
"It's not just that, it's…" He couldn't quite find the words to describe it, nor where to begin. Saito sighed, Derflinger was much better for this kind of thing. "Come, let's go somewhere I can rest and we will talk there."
Agreeing with a nod once she saw his serious expression, Siesta helped Saito down the stairs and into the garden. Apparently they had much to talk about.
None paid attention to the butler who had the food meant for Saito all over his upper half.
Call it suspicion, instinct or mere skepticism, but she knew something was wrong. When the rebellion began, she had had a nagging feeling something wasn't right; when her friend was ambushed in what she believed was a peace talk she felt worry and anger; when the council began acting even more defensive and alert than usual, her suspicion rose.
And when old Osmond entered the throne room to see her, Henrietta knew she wasn't going to like it.
And guess what, she was right.
Even when little, the queen of Tristain always held the happiness of the kingdom's people in high regard. She would have been like most nobles; arrogant and prideful; but it had all changed when she saw with her very own eyes the life of the commoners. She was a little girl then, childish and innocent; not understanding why she couldn't leave the castle Henrietta managed to escape one day and walk around the capital. She had been confused as to why it was all less fancy than the castle, or wondered why some houses were elegant while others a filth. She enjoyed the kindness of the townsfolk, and got irritated as she saw aristocrats acting like walking marvels, none of them recognizing her.
Later she would learn about the difference in classes, and come to realize many injustices occurred day and night inside her beloved kingdom. Once she was given the title of queen, Henrietta had placed upon herself the duty of helping commoners in need and uncovering the injustices the nobles committed. So far she had been doing a good job, even personally looking into the matter herself at the expense of her own security.
But it had all changed when the revolution started.
Henrietta would lie if she said the rebellion took her by surprise; I mean, it did surprise her, but the queen of Tristain had been expecting such reaction one of this days. You could strain a piece of wood so much until it broke.
She had opposed the council on their idea of simply wiping them out, and against protests and threats, she arranged a meeting so that the issue could be resolved in peace. Because of that, however, her best friend and legal sister had been ambushed and seriously hurt; even now whatever Sheffield had used continued to affect her.
Learning that the rebels worked with Reconquista, and because of the well-known past of Shavia, Henrietta realized there was no other option. She didn't oppose the idea of using the Ostland, only protesting when she learned who was going to be sent. Despite her efforts, Louise went and once again found herself in the infirmary, with Saito in an even worse condition.
Having her dear friend hurt, not once, but twice, made Henrietta convince herself that the only solution for this was to fight and hope for the least bloodshed possible. Anger fueling her will, the queen had been ready to depart towards Saul's Valley and help with the battle when she was denied. The council didn't want her to go to battle, saying that sending the ruler of the kingdom to the battlefield would be stupid and careless. In a way, they were right. In a rebellion such as this the objective is to overthrow the actual power, meaning she was in the very same position her Dear Wales had been months ago. If she went to the valley, no doubt she would be targeted.
Then, however, Henrietta had doubted. Even with all those reasons, why try to protect her? The council was, for lack of better word, her worst political enemy after Joseph. They didn't care about her, and didn't even try to deny it; to the council she was just a puppet they could control to retain power; a puppet that, to their displeasure, didn't quite let herself be controlled.
If she was to die her lineage would come to an end and Louise would step to the throne. In her present condition however, she would be an easy target for any assassins that they sent for her, even more with Saito as he was now. They could kill her, or manipulate her; her father was after all a member of such political body. With Henrietta gone, they could easily seize the throne.
Why protect her then?
Unless, they didn't want to protect her.
They wanted to stop her from discovering something.
Unfortunately for them, she had already done such.
Henrietta's hands trembled, and she read and reread the letters in her grasp. They were a series of letters, dating from the war against Germania and some years after.
Their content was, in one word, horrible. How could her father, even if he was years from dying at that time, allow this to occur? How could the council actually dare do such a thing?
She didn't know, and didn't care. She knew the truth now.
It surprised her though, that this kind of papers hadn't been destroyed yet. Official messages like these, especially in time of war, were protected with a series of spells to avoid their destruction and were even able to track were they lost or stolen. It would have been hard, but not impossible to dispose of them. Of course, that would have attracted unwanted attention.
Shaking her head, Henrietta dismissed such thoughts. Whatever the reason, the letters remained and it was a lucky shot she had not had in a long time. There were more urgent matters.
"And you declare that these documents were given to you by Fouquet?" She asked, her voice shaky as it was full of compressed anger and horror.
"Yes, your majesty. She appeared at my office to give them to me. I realized the best course of action was to come to see her directly." Why was he here? He should be doing what any other old person did: nothing. He was way too old for this kind of stuff. Osmond should leave all this trouble to someone younger. Colbert maybe?
"And for that I thank you. I will make sure none of this falls on wrong hands."
"Worry not your majesty; I have already confirmed there are no spies around. We will not be seen or heard even by my own soldiers." Agnes said besides the queen, her voice poorly hiding the anger she felt as she read the letters.
"Thank Agnes." Henrietta didn't know what she would do without her personal guard. "Now, about Fouquet. She was declared to be working together with Viscount Wardes during Louise's mission to Albion; this fact was later confirmed when she fought against us in the war by the side of Reconquista."
"And what do you think that means your majesty?" Asked the old principal.
The queen simply sighed. "I don't know. Fouquet works for Reconquista. If they had these letters all along that meant they knew the truth even before the rebellion began. And the rebels work under Reconquista, but…"
Henrietta took her time to find the words. "It just doesn't make sense. If the rebels had these before then why don't just make them public? Furthermore, if Fouquet gave these to us it meant she knew we didn't know the truth."
"In other words, Reconquista knew about all this before it even began, and are manipulating everything from the shadows. We knowing about the attack is probably part of their plan as well." Agnes deduced.
"Do you think the rebels know any of this?" Henrietta wanted to believe the rebellion wasn't allied with Joseph. Her previous anger towards them now directed to the members of the council.
"I doubt it." Both the queen and Agnes turned to hear the old magician and his explanation. "Let's remember Reconquista's goal: the destruction of the monarchy of all countries. And also Joseph's own goal: The destruction and control of all of Halkeginia. Whatever reason they choose, aiding the rebellion goes along with their plan."
"Now, the rebels. They declare to be fighting for the commoners, and I believe them. Why? After what this old man has read, they have more than enough reason to be angry at us. But more importantly, if they were indeed working with Reconquista and were simply putting an act then they wouldn't have given us those letters; they would have let us kill each other."
"You are right Headmaster." Henrietta recognized the old man's deduction. Even with all those (True) Rumors of him being a pervert, the old Osmond was quite wise. "They gave us these documents because they expect us to do something we wouldn't do if we didn't have them. Whether the rebels know it or not, they are receiving Reconquista's aid and are being used by them."
"That means that the ambush was probably not the work of the rebels." Even though Agnes could already see some truths, she couldn't see all. "Even then we can't be too sure. They fight for the commoners, that is clear, but they could also be allying themselves with Reconquista and that is a risk we can't take."
"I agree with you Agnes; we can't still know if they are people worthy of trusting in. Besides…" Henrietta's attention drifted to the papers in hand. "…we have other issues to attend to, like what is Reconquista planning…" She took a moment to sigh. "…and what to do with the Royal Council."
"I'm surprised your majesty." Old Osmond declared. "I thought you would be anxious to have a talk with these rebels. It's in your nature to help the commoners in need after all."
"I also thought of that, headmaster." Henrietta confessed. "But then I realized an imminent truth:"
"We are past the point of talking."
"I see." Bringing her cup down, Siesta lowly sighed at the news she had just heard. As if things weren't bad already. "So they have a void mage by their side, just like Miss Valliére."
"Yes, and they may pull something off at the battle." Images of Louise single-handily dealing with the Albion army flashed through Saito's mind and he feared his friends were going to be the next ones to enter that white veil of doom.
"Nothing we can do partner. Your injuries are still wearing you down, and they already left. But don't worry, if my suspicions are correct neither he nor that other lady will be moving any time soon. Besides, those guys have Tiffania with them, and she is a Void mage too." Derflinger tried to cheer Saito's mood, not having much success.
"But will she really be alright? Wasn't she hurt at the battle?"
"Miss Tiffania woke up day and a half before you. Besides feeling a bit of dizziness and confusion she was without a scratch." Siesta had not been there at the Ostland, but she had seen the elf girl depart with the others.
"It was an illusion Partner. With the correct strength of mind one can recover from its effects rather quickly."
"That's not going to sooth my worry though." Saito felt personally bad with himself. He was Gandarlf, a warrior, a legendary familiar. He couldn't be here resting while his friends risked their lives. "At least she is safe." Looking at the window in Louise's room, Saito felt a bit of relief; both her and Siesta were safe here, he would make sure of that.
Looking at the expression on Saito's face, Siesta knew she could no longer keep it inside herself. "Mister Saito." The maid called out at the swordsman. He turned towards her. "There is something I must tell you, about Miss Valliére."
"What is it?" By the look on Siesta's face, he knew it wasn't going to be pretty.
"She ordered me not to tell you, but I think you deserve to know." She took a deep breath. "When the Lady woke up at the infirmary hours after the battle, the mages who treated her discovered something wrong in her soul. They don't know how, or why, but by using her magic…" Siesta looked directly at Saito's eyes, and he could see the sorrow in them. Sorrow for the girl, and pity for him.
"…Miss Valliére is dying."
AN: Well, that's all. Henrietta and her allies finally realize the truth behind the rebellion, but war is already on and the battle is about to begin. By the end, who knows what would happen...
Until next time.
Peace.