A/N: I hoped you guys will enjoy this update as you did my last one. What will happen now that Parliament thinks Esther is dead, when in truth, she's alive? Read and find out. Note: there is a reason why one should NEVER skip school, and it will be explained later. There is a character based off of Jedi Skysinger's hubby Darth Tyronnius Shoelaces. I hope you guys will enjoy this. ;) In the words of Anakin Skywalker: This is where the fun begins.
Chapter IX: Before Parliament
Though they did into hell, thence shall be mine hand to take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence I shall bring them down…
- Amos 9: 2
Meanwhile in Vatican City, Rome...
Daylight caressed the proud city, making it marble glow with a pure light, almost resembling the promised city of a New Heaven and a New Earth when Christ would return. Ancient history, dating back over one thousand years after the Armageddon, was hewn in every brick, in every stone. The hymns and prayers of holy pilgrims and the faithful could be heard along with the deep melody of church bells. Such a day was a mockery of what was occurring in the Room of Archangel in the Apostolic Palace. Normally, morning mass would have been held, holding the room in a sense of calmness and tranquility; however, the booming, raging voice of the Duke of Florence, cut through the previously established silence.
"Preposterous!" the baritone voice of the Cardinal of Venezia was currently echoing throughout the sacred chamber, demanding answers from a nearby aide. "St. Paul's Cathedral destroyed in a single night?"
His Holiness and the assembly of the College of Cardinals had been called into an emergency meeting that day. Within the circular chamber of beige and marble, everyone was currently seated in their allocated places, keenly listening to the grievous report from Albion.
"Indeed, Your Eminence. It is with solemnity that I relay this to you. All preliminary intelligence from Albion state that at 20:05, on November the fourth, St. Paul's, one our oldest cathedrals and one of our strongholds amidst a nation of heretics, was destroyed. Five clergymen were among the casualties, one being an archbishop. Fortunately, everyone else among St. Paul's clergy were still alive along with twenty wounded. Re-enforcements have only just arrived and are currently surveying the damage."
Cardinal Francesco di Medici, the Chief Minister of the Holy Ministry of Doctrine was an intimidating man who was widely known for his predisposition for battle and boldness. As General Commander of the Inquisition, he didn't believe in compromise, and preferred to respond to situations with militarism, violence and force. His visage matched his reputation, his dark coffee hair was cleanly cut upon his brow, his facial features were hard and striking, and his blue eyes currently resembled steel. His blood-red robes attested to all the lives that he had taken in his struggle for power. His golden-lined gray inner robes attested to his dying purity that had become corrupted with his conniving. Many knew that he wished to become the Bishop of Rome, but because he was illegitimate, he was denied this supposed right. In response he conspired with his current rival to put their younger brother as a political sacrifice upon the altar of power so he may control the Holy See using his puppet, the current Pope. Unfortunately, 'His Holiness' was now beginning to outright defy him and the power he had worked so hard to attain was now slipping through his fingers.
Now with St. Paul's destroyed, he could now wage war with Albion. Albion, in Francesco's eyes, was a heretical human state that actually had the audacity to let the parasitical scum known as vampires walk among them in so-called peace. The witch currently in charge had been his blasted sister's subordinate, and like his sister, she was a repugnant moderate that would no doubt lead her State to its own destruction. In order to prevent that, he had to cleanse it by means of exterminating all the vampires, their human sypathizers and the heretics that crawled throughout it by means of war. He couldn't do so originally because of those damn Accords, an unclean, unnecessary and unfruitful means of making 'peace.' In his mind, peace could only come when the world was purged from these enemies of humanity: the vampires. Making peace with them could only lead to more strife and future struggles. Now that Albion had destroyed one of the Vatican's own strongholds and violated the Treaty, he had full right to send in the Inquisition and finally slaughter, not only those who destroyed that beautiful symbol of their authority, but those fell fanged beasts as well.
"All of those people... I hope they find peace in Heaven," the Holy Father whispered to himself, while at the same time he thought: I can only pray that Esther is okay.
His Holiness, Pope Alessandro XVIII, was currently seated at the head of the room upon a high throne of gold, ivory and velvet. He was garbed in robes of white silk and golden threads that concealed his sickly flesh. Though His Holiness appeared to be a fragile, weak and unassuming young boy with gray hair and a pale, acne marred, complexion, in truth his Faith and kind heart make him unknowingly more superior to his sibling and it showed greatly in his saxe blue eyes. Behind the throne there was a golden cross and shining from within was a light that illuminated the one who was God's Representative on Earth.
Seated to his left, upon a simple golden throne was his brother, Cardinal di Medici. To his right sat the blonde Milanese beauty that was Cardinal Sforza, his sister. Her eyes were closed in contemplative thought and she was currently the calmest of the three. However, her sharp mind was in motion as she analyzed how to prepare for the argument that was bound to come. Caterina knew one thing: if Francesco had his way, he would reply to Albion's "attack" with quick and severe retaliation. She also knew that Francesco's presence normally frightened Alessandro to no end, the usual result being the young Pope reluctantly agreeing with his militaristic elder sibling. Fortunately, after two years, Alessandro had begun to harden himself against Francesco's bellicose displays towards him. Unfortunately, from the event that had just occurred, the Accords she worked so hard to pass could just as easily end up in flames and Francesco knew it. No doubt he would utilize every ounce of his intimidation and fear-tactics upon her unfortunate younger brother until the shield the young man had created would shatter. Caterina would do everything in her power to prevent that.
"There is no place in Heaven for heretics and heathens," Francesco reminded him coldly.
"Those who died were of the Faith," Alessandro countered.
Originally Alessandro was a frightened young lad who hated himself because he was always under the shadow of his elder brother, Francesco and his elder sister, Caterina. The pressure of being in such a high position added further pain to his heart. However, two years ago, when he was hiding out in a underground nest of vampires, he saw what he could do as Pope of the Catholic Church to help bring peace to a fallen world just as God had asked Peter, the first Pope, to do. He saw for the first time that vampires-er, Methuselah, were not the monsters that Francesco claimed them to be. He saw that they were human as well. They were people who laughed when they were happy, cried when they were sad, raged when they were angered and, more importantly, a people that could love. After seeing this with his own eyes, Alessandro then asked his sister, Caterina, what he could do for the world and Caterina had smiled and said that he had "grown up." Unfortunately, standing up to his boisterous and demanding brother who had been using him as a puppet for over ten years was no easy feat. His elder brother had used Alessandro's greatest weakness against him for over a decade: he could not stand yelling or loud noises. However, knowing that his sister, his friend and more importantly Christ his Savior, was on his side, he had stood up to Francesco and had proved victorious. A feat Caterina would like to see repeated here and now.
"Which is why we cannot tolerate this abhorrent attack without a swift and decisive response! We must declare Albion under imperium in imperio in accordance with Vatican Canon Law, Article Four!" Francesco exclaimed with his usual dramatic flare, as he rose from his throne to stand before the white-robed lad, his robes billowing around behind him.
"Brother," The Chief Minister of State interjected from her throne, "our current alliance with Albion and the Empire would be in jeopardy if we undertook such action."
Caterina Sforza was no stranger to the bellowing tirades of Francesco. Normally, the differences of their ideology placed the siblings in such heated debates and arguments that she was often placed at the firing end of Francesco's rage. This, however, was completely different, for the co-existence between both Terrans and Methuselah, humans and vampires hung in the balance, as well as Alessandro's current strength.
"They have brought this on themselves! To not act would be to encourage further violence! Would you have them attack the Palace next? What would happen to your precious Queen then?"
At the mention of Esther, the young pontiff could not help but think of her, think back on his first meeting with her. Three years ago, Alessandro had met a girl that had helped him start on his path of manhood. That same girl, now a woman and a monarch, had been one of the few friends that he had in his life. He cared for her not because he was in love with her -though he will admit that he originally had a crush on her- he cared for her because she was a true friend, almost as much of sister in reality as Caterina was by blood.
"Your Holiness, you MUST act now!" thundered Cardinal di Medici.
"No, Your Holiness-!" Cardinal Sforza countered, hoping Francesco hadn't battered down her younger sibling's defenses just yet.
"Invitat culpam qui peccatum praeterit.(1) We will not stand by as a nation of heretics destroy the peace we have established. We will find those who had committed this horrid sin and strike them down in divine retribution. Those heretics will think twice before they attack one of our own, if it means that we must abolish alliances to do it, so be it! We will see to it that God's will be done and the Vienam Domini (2) shallbefall they who threatened us!"
"Wait," commanded a voice whose owner was not yet quite in the room. "I would speak on behalf of the Albian Kingdom," his soft tenor voice cut through the heated argument.
"Cardinal Borgia," he said as he rounded on his other rival who came into to the room with an quiet grace, "what right have you to be here?" demanded Cardinal Francesco.
"'What right?'" Cardinal Borgia, the Chief Minister of the Holy Ministry of Public Relations and of the Holy Ministry of Information, smiled ironically. "I am a Cardinal and is this not an assembly of the College? I do recall I have a right to be here. As such, now that I am, I would like to speak on behalf of Albion, before you call the Inquisition down upon their heads."
Francesco huffed. That Borgia brat was always countering him, even in his own thoughts.
Cardinal Antonio de Borgia y Borgia, Prince of Hispania, was a man of great ambition. Unfortunately for Francesco, Antonio possessed a powerful charisma that made his original supporters side with him and he was currently an ally of that vixen of a half-sister, Caterina. He, too, was garbed in gilded lined white and red robes; however, these robes didn't match his gorgeous completion of dark alabaster skin and burnt umber hair that fell beautifully to his shoulders. What stood out the most were his sparking peridot eyes, and his eyes weren't the eyes of a priest, his eyes were the eyes of a king.
"Your Holiness," the Cardinal bowed before the young Pope, turning away from Francesco, "from the intelligence I've gathered from my resources in Albion, this was not the work of those loyal to Her Majesty, the Queen, but by rebellious traitors that call themselves the Knights of Tudor. As we all know, Her Majesty has a deep love of this Church and would never dare to strike out at us. The Tudor Knights, on the other hand, are a group of radical Albians that wish to wipe out every one of the Faithful, as well as the Methuselah, in the isles. Her Majesty has attempted to seize these seditious rebels, but to no avail, for they conceal themselves well in the shadows of her Court. So this matter was not an act of violating the Accords, this was a ultimatum made by those who are criminals. Therefore, I do not believe we, the Vatican, have any right to forcefully place Albion under imperium in imperio, but rather we should give Her Majesty our aid in ridding those who have caused this atrocity. Placing Albion under Martial Law will only cause more atrocities such as this to occur rather than end them."
"NO! That is not an option Your Holiness! These 'Knights' must have attacked because they thought us weak! We are merely giving them the excuse they desire by not acting now! If we send in the Inquisition without any further hesitation, we can show them we will not tolerate any form of-"
"You're just eager to shed blood as they are, aren't you, Cardinal di Medici." Antonio countered, turning his head toward the red-faced man before him and tilted his head slightly. "Is it because you want to shed the blood of the humans who committed this atrocity or you want to shed the blood of the vampires who are innocents in this case?"
The Chief Minister of Doctrine growled. Even though he believed what he was doing was right in killing vampires and so-called "heretics," by means of keeping peace amongst the Faithful. However, from Heaven's eyes, his un-repentance for murder, the killing of God's lost sheep be they Terran or Methuselah, had stained him with the blackest sins.
"You make a good point, Cardinal Borgia," Caterina chimed in from her position. "We should be assisting Her Majesty in regaining control of the situation and not adding to the chaos by giving the Church's enemies more reason to side against her and us."
"Eminencies!"
A man wearing a Vatican page uniform appeared in the middle of the room, or rather a hologram of him appeared.
"We have just received a report from Albion! It is said that the Albian Queen has perished!"
A disturbed murmer began to spread throughout the chamber like a disease through viens.
"Stream the transmission," Caterina commanded with urgency.
A hazy blue image appeared where the page once was, filling the round projector from floor to ceiling. The scenes flickered and jumped, as though the projector was being held by hand, the person holding it being jostled and pushed by the crowd visible in the scene. It took a moment or so to realize that this was the Albian Parliament building in the background. The assembled throng surged around the Gates, jockeying for position. A young girl became visible on the screen. She surveyed the masses before her and grimaced widely, momentarily exposing her fangs before she pulled her hat down over her eyes and covered her face with the scarf she was wearing. Hunching down in to the black leather jacket she wore, she pushed towards the Gates.
"She's a vampire!" Francesco shouted.
As the girl plowed in to the crowd, her hat still visible just above the heads of the others pushing toward the gate. Suddenly, a violent explosion rocked the image, throwing debris at the lens and causing the view to drop momentarily to the street. There were scenes of legs and coats and shoes as whoever was holding the recorder struggled to right it. Then a scream was heard.
"The Queen is dead!"
The view zoomed in on the Methuselah girl who had just cried out, who suddenly vanished from view. Behind where she had been was a smoking mass on the sidewalk. The view zoomed in further at the same time it started to break up and pixelate. What had apparently been a human being a brief moment ago was lying in front of the destruction of the Gates. Then the hologram cut off.
"She murdered the Queen, why else would she run?" Cardinal di Medici declared.
"You don't even know that's the Queen. It could be a security guard," Caterina cut him off coldly.
"The timing of this information is very suspicious," Antonio agreed. "Almost deliberately vague, yet provocative."
"'Provocative,' isn't the word best to describe this blatant declaration of war! A vampire killed the Albian Queen! This gives us more than enough reasons to place Albion under Martial Law! The entire State of Albion must now be swept clean of all the filth that walk throughout it! Beginning with that monster that killed Her Majesty!"
"I am going to call the Palace," Cardinal Sforza announced as she swept out of the room. "We need more information about what has transpired before we call the Inquisition into action."
"And I am going to have a word with the communications officer," declared Cardinal Borgia as he followed her out. "It seems we'll be working together, honey."
"I don't see why you need to tag along," Caterina asked icily.
It couldn't have worked out any better if he had planned it that way. Francesco rounded on the Pope immediately, now that the boy's allies were gone. If Cesare and Caterina thought the other cardinals would keep him from acting on this opportunity, they had sadly misjudged the Chief Minister of Doctrine.
"YOUR HOLINESS!" He watched as Alessandro visibly trembled. Good! Now he'd acted like the obedient boy he once was. "You MUST deploy the fleet and find those who are responsible for the death of not only the clergy of St. Paul's, but the death of Her Majesty and avenge them! As they were of the Faith, you should understand, don't you, Your Holiness? Then please give me the command!"
"B-but... d-didn't God say 'v-vengeance i-is mine'(3)? I d-don't th-think we should—" the Pope stammered timidly, now that his final barrier had been broken.
"Your Holiness, if you don't act now, you would have defiled the memory of Her Majesty, the late Queen! We will mourn her in time, but for the sake and for the glory of humankind, we must see to it that those who have taken her from us have faced justice! God's will be done."
"There must be retaliation!" one declared.
"Indeed, this is an insult to our Church. No doubt those fiends are laughing at our expense," Archbishop D'Annunzio agreed.
"We cannot stand for such insubordination!" cried another.
Francesco smiled at how quickly his followers had returned to him and how the Pope had fallen into his hands once more, now that his rivals were removed. His smile was chilling, certainly not something that belonged on the face of someone of the cloth, who claimed to be on the side of Heaven. Unfortunately, they all had failed to see how the world had changed. Every human state would see the upcoming violence against Albion as unfavorable. Those in the Vatican did not understand that if they would not stop vying for political power, stop viewing those under their rule as mere sheep and accept Methuselah as fellow humans, instead of game animals and monsters, only then could they cease dancing in the palm of a greater Enemy. But as they were blinded by their own corruption and lust for power, they played right into his hands.
The grounds surrounding the building were immediately swarming with troops. Colonel Spencer's army made quick work of removing the crowd and cordoning off the area of the explosion, so as not to further contaminate the area or impede their investigation. The citizens and the Albian media were effectively barred from Parliament and its environs. Airships were soon buzzing around the perimeter, discouraging anyone without military clearance from attempting to re-enter the area. Stunned by the realization that his beloved was not, in fact, the one lying dead and charred in the street, a dazed Father Nightroad was swept back with the crowd. Not wanting to make a scene -not yet in any case,- the priest allowed him to continue be pushed back toward the buildings across the street. Soon enough, the Lord Commissioner, Sir Arthur Randall, was on the scene immediately with Chief Inspector of the Yard, Lestrade. They stood over the smoky remains of what was supposed to be the Queen and had the "corpse" promptly removed. As Abel tried to move towards them, he was stopped immediately by a wall of blue uniformed troops.
"How did the Vatican get here so quickly?" Sir Randall muttered to no one in particular when he glimpsed Abel's uniform behind the line of armed men.
"Probably one of Her Majesty's secret body guards from her time in the AX," Lestrade answered, peering curiously at Abel as well.
"Who's in charge here?" the priest queried of no one in particular. No one seemed inclined to answer him and Randall and Lestrade chose to ignore him. As Abel attempted to push past again, this time he was forcibly pushed back.
"Who is charge here?" he asked again, his ire rising.
"Who wants to know?" asked the nearest armed guard, pushing Abel away even harder this time, causing him to stumble backwards in to the nearby wall.
Before he could protest, a strong arm snaked out of the darkness of the adjutant alleyway and pulled Father Nightroad in with it.
Only the Lords of the House of Lords and the Representatives of the House of Commons were admitted. Once they were assembled, what was left of the Gates of Parliament were sealed; all connections to the outside world severed. The members of Parliament milled about outside and within the chamber, unwilling to be seated. They murmured anxiously among themselves, sometimes loudly, sometimes as a whisper. The room was filled with tension and barely suppressed emotion. Fear, outrage, confusion all vied for prominence in the chamber. Eventually, they were herded in to the hallowed hall and those doors two were closed, although it did little to encourage them to come to order. If anything, the great space felt smaller, more claustrophobic with the doors firmly shut behind them because of what had happened.
Standing at one of the two podiums rising high on either side of the doors, the sergeant at arms rapped his staff and called for order repeatedly. Finally, all those had been admitted were seated in their allocated places, except the vacant positions of the Lord Chamberlain, the Lord Chief of Justice and, more importantly, the vacancy of the Albian throne at the center of the massive mahogany chamber opposite from the entrance. The presence of the handmaidens on either side of the throne, dressed in formal blue Albian military attire, made the absence of the Queen all the more telling. Finally, the Lord President of the Council came forth from behind the empty golden throne and stepped into his place in front of it.
"Assembled Lords and Representatives of the House of Lords and the House of Commons," rang out the tenor voice of Virgil Walsh. "On behalf of the Privy Council, we thank you for attending-"
"Can we dispense the pleasantries, Lord Walsh?" requested Dame Ann Buchanan, the representative for the Duchy of Mercia. "I believe we will accomplish little until we hear what has transpired."
"We will come to that, but first-"
"But first we must hear the truth of the matter," Lord Aliester Chamber, the Viscount of Druitt, interrupted. For such a slim and reserved man, his voice carried.
"And so we shall," declared Virgil with a huff. "First there are matters to which we must attend. What happened-"
"What did happen at the gates of Parliament?" demanded Lord Harold West, the Baron of Bath, emboldened by the others to speak.
"Enough," Integra, the Duchess of Lancaster countered sharply. "An investigation is surely underway to find out the means, method and motive of Her Majesty's demise."
"We know an investigation is underway, Countess Oxford!" exclaimed Sir Conroy, the recent husband to the Duchess of Kent and the Duchy's representative. "What we want now is answers! What the bloody hell has happened and how are we going to keep our country from collapsing, now that the Queen is dead?"
"Watch yerse'f, Conroy," James Stuart cut in. "Ye go too far!"
"You go too far, Stuart. For all we know this could be the work of your Frank-"
"Silence!" the sergeant at arms thundered from his place atop the podium. There was momentary break in the noise
"I will NOT tolerate this mindless speculation," Lord Walsh hissed in a tone that sent chills throughout the collective spinal columns in the room. "We will have order and then we will have answers."
The elder Methuselah stared hard and the assembled faces in the chamber, daring any to break the silence again. Into that silence came a sudden grunt from the sergeant at arms. Virgil turned his attention with the rest of the government to the podium at the far end of the great hall where the man had just collapsed, only to be replaced by a tall, thin albeit athletically built man in a dark suit and a trench coat. Virgil's sharp eyes could make out the symbol of the Tudor Knights pinned to his lapel. He bent silently and shifted the unconscious man to the side before taking his place at the side of the entryway.
"Thank you, Mr. Heyer," said a voice from beyond the entryway.
"What's the meaning of this?" Lord Walsh demanded in that same controlled, yet deadly tone he had employed the moment before.
Adam Sutler, a reedy, sallow man, stepped from the shadows and into the center of the podium.
"You wanted answers. We have your answers, My Lords," he called out to his audience. "And we will provide the order this country deserves and so desperately needs."
The handmaidens at either side of the throne stiffened and looked toward Walsh, who gave an almost imperceptible nod of his head. Two of the three vanished immediately. Virgil turned his attention back to the other end of the room.
"What answers do you have, Lord Chancellor?" queried the Earl of Manchester.
"We have apprehended the murderer of Her Majesty and, as a matter of fact, we have him here before us, vampire." Sutler sneered as Virgil clenched his teeth. "Behold, Lords and Representatives!" He gestured to the podium on the other side of the great doors. Ethridge and Heyer entered, dragging an unconscious Ion between them. The young Methuselah was bound in silver shackles and bleeding from multiple wounds. He had succumbed to his injuries thanks to the generous amount of silver in the ammunition used on him, effectively rendering him as weak as any Terran in his situation.
"This vampire and I say vampire because that what he truly is, set off a device of Lost Technologies that not only destroyed the Gates of Parliament, but also took the life of Her Majesty, Queen Esther I. He is also guilty of the murder of the Lord Chief of Justice and the attempted murder of Draco Dascomb, a Lord Privy Seal. We were most fortunate to be prepared to deal with his kind; else he might have succeeded in his mission and killed us all!"
"Are you seriously accusing the emissary of the Empire of this heinous crime?" demanded Lady Victoria Ceres, the Home Secretary. "Absurd!" she nearly shrieked, her eyes blazing.
"Yes, there, my Lords and Representatives! There, you see it!" Sutler declared triumphantly. "That is the nature of those who your Queen sought to protect. They deceived her. Her naive belief in coexistence cost her everything. We cannot allow it to destroy our country along with our monarch!"
"Calm yourself," Integra whispered to her companion. "Do not give him another excuse."
"The House of Manchester has served the Throne of Roses for generations, centuries even," Virgil countered. "Do not cast aspirations on race based on an individual, an individual who has not yet been proven guilty."
"Did not your sister do the same thing?" Sutler countered, "Did not your sister say that all humans were targets? Even to the point she held the Pope hostage? To the point of Rebellion?"
Lord Walsh was silent, momentarily finding himself caught in a sea of memories from a time of great sorrow for the Albian Methuselah. When the previous Queen Bridget II had made known her illness would result in death, she left Albion temporarily under the charge of Mary Spencer, the Governor of Londinium. After Mary, who was under the belief that the Methuselah were nothing more than bloodsucking monsters, had slaughtered the Methuselah rebels of Belfast, Vanessa believed the same fate would befall the Methuselah of the Ghetto unless she responded with even more violence. Her despair and anger brought her to the point she held her own blood brother at gunpoint.
When he spoke again, it was with cold determination, both to keep himself and the situation under control.
"What proof do you have that the Count of Memphis has committed these crimes?" Virgil demanded.
Abel began to struggle as another hand over his mouth joined the one holding his arm. He nearly used his own superhuman strength to free himself.
"Quiet! Quiet!" a familiar voice repeated until the priest stopped struggling. "I'm going to let you go now, but you need to keep silent, understand?"
Abel nodded his head, twice.
It took him a moment to regain his composure to recognize the woman from the bed and breakfast, currently garbed in navy blue trench coat with a sheathed skean strapped to her belt. Upon her lapel was a crest with a woman's hand clutching a broadsword rising from a lake.
"Miss Ruth? What are you doing here?"
"Me? I should be asking you that, Father Nightroad."
"Eh? How did you know my-?"
"Honestly," Ruth cut him off. "One night in Albion and you've already gotten yourself in trouble. If you needed to get to Parliament or to see Her Majesty for that matter, you should have said something during your stay. Tsk, tsk, tsk," she teased. "To answer your question, I already knew who you and your associate were from the moment I first met you two."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"Allwissend bin ich nicht; doch viel ist mir bewisst. (4)" she quoted in fluent Germanic. "As I said earlier last night, you never asked." She smiled for a moment, then her expression hardened. "But to more important matters, I'm going to get you inside Parliament, without the notice of the Knights or the Bobbies."
"Not to seem ungrateful, but why are you doing this?" Father Nightroad stammered.
"My loyalty to Her Majesty, the Queen, and my loyalties to the Order of the Round Table. Either or both."
"So that symbol is-?" his gaze fell to the pinned crest.
"Correct, Father. Allow me to formally introduce myself; I am Dame Ruth McArthur, the Vice Representative to the Duchy of Mercia, and Vice Chairman of the Albian branch of the Order of the Round Table." She swept a low bow, but straightened quickly. "Come, this way."
They turned and trotted quickly down the narrow alleyway.
"My bed and breakfast is actually a safe haven for Her Majesty," she continued over her shoulder, not turning to look back at him. "And to those who are loyal to her and a meeting place for the Round Table."
They entered a doorway at the side of the one of the buildings and immediately began to proceed down into a stairwell.
"I've never heard Esther mention any of this before," he asked, both puzzled and curious.
"Our order has been around for a very long time, Father Nightroad. Even before the Armageddon. We are some of the few who actually know what really happened before and after Armageddon, not the fables the Church tells." She paused for a moment. "But then, I understand you too know what the Vatican says is not really so, don't you, former Lieutenant-Colonel Abel Nightlord?"
Abel stopped cold on the descending staircase. "How-?"
"I said I was in Her Majesty's service. Did you think I was not in the confidence of those who serve her as well? Would I be taking you to her now if I did not know who and, more importantly, what you were?" She began to go down into the darkness again. Abel followed her as much out of curiosity as out of a desire to see Esther. They reached the bottom of the staircase and entered a large open room, almost like an abandoned warehouse or factory floor. There were crates and equipment standing dormant. She began weaving through them toward an opening at the far end of the room, where light was bleeding through the edges of a doorway.
"You seem to know things that few humans do. But may I ask, does Esther know-?"
"I believe that is your story to tell her."
"Thank you."
"Ah, here we are!" She pulled open the large wooden door with a grunt and stepped into the daylight. Abel's eyes did not have to adjust, so he was immediately able to see the low wharf and the small, sleek power boat looking out of place in this part of the city. A man stood next to it, wrapped in a heavy woolen coat and cap. He had a ruddy complex and sharp hazel eyes. A white streak of hair poked out from amidst the otherwise auburn hair that shown from under the cap.
"Jerry!"
"Hey Momotaro (5)." He smiled, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her lightly on the lips. "What took so long?"
"I had to pick up a friend." She pointed her thumb at the priest in question as Abel gave a sheepish wave.
Jerry's face blanched at the sight of the AX Agent. He knew who the man was from a time he wished he could forget, a time that just seeing this stupid priest brought back horrid memories of the monster he once was, a monster that he had made certain to destroy...
He turned abruptly and strode toward the bow of the ship. "We're wasting time here," he barked over his shoulder "Get onboard."
Abel looked from Jerry's retreating back to Ruth's barely concealed grimace. She sighed, shrugged and waved Father Nightroad toward the boat. They boarded quickly and the small tugboat was cast off. The tension in the air was palpable. Abel wandered from the stern forward to the helm.
"You look like someone familiar," he said to the Albian Marine staring straight ahead. "May I ask, are you aquatinted with a man named Brother Stephen?"
Jerry's hazel eyes glared down at the priest, so much so Abel flinched at the sight. "That man is long dead. I made certain of that." he said flatly. "I killed him when he went after my wife and nearly killed my daughter." his voice broke at the last word, as he looked upon his gloved hands as if they had bloodstains on them.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Abel apologized. "I understand how you feel."
"I'm not here to give you my confession, Father. I'm here to get you to Parliament before those -" he said a word that wasn't appropriate in any form of pleasant conversation that described relations outside of marriage. "- traitors take control and kill us all."
"Ab honesto virum bonum nihil deterret, (6)" Abel quoted. The priest nodded slightly and returned to his seat at the stern of the craft.
Ruth was staring straight ahead. "He doesn't like to be reminded of his time in the Inquisition," she said without looking at Abel. "It wasn't pleasant for anyone."
"He was an-?" Father Nightroad looked down at his gloved hands, feeling the blood he had spilt on them for a moment as well. "No wonder he looked familiar."
"Former Inquisitorial Officer Brother Stephen, code name: Il Lupus.(7)" She sighed. "He was the first and only deserter to have come out alive."
"'Deserter?' I thought he was considered a hero from the official report that I heard."
"Indeed? And how did you hear it then?"
"A cult rose up in Prague and it gained many followers. They eventually became violent and held clergymen, including a bishop, hostage. The Inquisition came on their behalf and nearly fell into a trap had it not been for Brother Stephen. After ordering a retreat, he saved the hostages with just a sword. After the incident, he disappeared and was never heard from again. Or, at least," Abel looked up at Ruth's profile, "that's how the Bohemians tell it."
"I hate to burst your bubble, Father," she said looking him in the eye for the first time. "But that wasn't the case. Brother Michael, the former Vice-Chief of the Inquisition at that time ordered that the city of Prague be cleansed, be it man, woman or child. They weren't going to save the hostages; they were going to kill them along with the cult."
Abel gasped. "I knew the Inquisition was... I knew they held strong-arm tactics... but to kill those in the Faith…"
"They were going to say that the cult had already killed the hostages and those in the city. Word got to him," she nodded toward her husband, "of their intentions and he ordered them to put a halt to their plans. Bother Michael, however, went by the Old Testament belief of cleansing by bloodshed and accused Brother Stephen of 'heresy' and attempted to kill him on the spot. Jerry, I mean Brother Stephen, fighting by defense, killed him and ordered the Inquisition to retreat as he saved the hostages. After that he left for Albion since it was the only human state that didn't accept the Vatican's authority."
Father Nightroad stared at the Marine's back with a new appreciation for the connections in their past. The tug then turned abruptly and slowed as it came about to port and passed under the a low bridge that turned in to a large tunnel. At the end of the darkness was a small dock, with multiple pipes leading away from the chamber and a small door inset at the far end of the dock. They scampered from the boat and trotted toward the doorway with great urgency.
"You can get to Parliament from here without being seen," she explained.
"Too late for that," said an urbane voice from behind the small door as it opened.
Jerry swung a lantern in the direction of the voice. It was then they all noticed the blood on the dock.
Vampire blood.
"Ion's been here," Abel whispered.
"I'm more interested in who's still here," the Marine declared, pulling his Roman Jericho M13 Dies Irae, fully loaded with 512 Maxima rounds, from his belt.
"Oh, bugger!" Ruth swore as she recognized the figure that was spying on them.
It was Lewis Stone standing before the door that led to Parliament..
"Not another step, traitor!" Jerry said in a cold flat voice as he aimed his weapon at the Earl of Leicester's head.
"We have caught the killer in the very act!" Sutler proclaimed. "He murdered of the Lord Chief of Justice as we tried to prevent him from setting off the explosive and he nearly killed Draco Dascomb, who lies wounded this very moment from that vicious attack." Sutler held aloft Ion's scimitar, which bore the Fortuna family crest of the Unicorn Rampant upon the hilt, and the blade covered in blood.
The room exploded in to chaos. Voices protesting in disagreement, but others shouting in support of Sutler. Victoria made to leap toward the end of the chamber, but Integra held her back. "No," she urged. "This has to play out on its own. Trust me," she hissed urgently to the enraged Methuselah.
"We have sufficient evidence of these claims," the Duke of Cornwall declared. "This matter has settled. We have more important business to attend to, Lords and Representatives. We must find ourselves a new leader before their kind invades and our country collapses!"
At this, the shouting died down quickly to a disturbed murmur.
"'Find ourselves a new leader?'" the Earl of Essex stammered.
"What do you mean, 'invaded'?" Representative Anne queried.
"The Queen is no longer. She was murdered by this vampire, it being one of the highest members of the Imperial Aristocracy. What do you think they will do when they find out that we have captured him, now that the Queen is dead?"
There was a collective gasp in the chamber. Virgil ground his teeth in frustration, but said nothing.
"She is dead and we must accept that," Mr. Ethridge declared, turning all eyes to the other podium where he held Ion's slumped form next to him.
"A tragedy, that" added Mr. Heyer on the other side of Ion, although in this moment, he didn't appear particularly upset.
"But before we grieve, we must select a Lord Protector." Ethridge continued. "The Lord Protector shall rule in place of Her Majesty, the late Queen, until we find a suitable heir to claim the throne. As such, we wish to declare, Lord Chancellor Sutler, as the Lord Protector of Albion,"
"As th' Lord of Appeal haes state'd, we also wis' to declaere th' Duke of Cornwall as Lord Protector," Mr. Heyer agreed.
"You cannot do this!" Lord Walsh avowed, finding his voice at last. "No one can become Lord Protector without approval from both Houses or the Prime Minister. This act is nothing more than an act of high treason against, not only our liege, but the whole nation of Albion!"
"Unless both Houses and the Prime Minister agree to select a Lord Protector, Duke of Cornwall, you are ineligible to sit upon the Throne of Roses," Dame Ann of the Duchy of Mercia declared.
"Very well," Sutler smiled as if this law was just an obstacle that could be easily removed. "We shall put it to the vote. My Lords, you know how dangerous it is for a country to be without leadership. How much more dangerous is it now that our Queen has been murdered by an Imperial assassin? Do you not see the forces gathering against us? The Empire merely awaits the word of this foul traitor that the deed was done to descend upon us. And what of the ones amongst who would sympathize with them living in our very midst? And if we do not somehow succumb to invasion and sedition, will we not be ground under the heel of the Vatican, as they impose martial law here under the pretext of keeping order? We are in a fight for our very existence, My Lords! How can you ask Albion to fight without a leader? Who else can do this job? How else is prepared and willing to do anything to save Albion? Are there any among you who can offer a name who will do more to protect this country that I love more than my own life? Do any among you offer a reason not declare we, our Speaker and Chancellor, as a rightful Lord Protector?"
The disturbed murmur ignited into verbal chaos again.
I dreaded the decision that awaited me on the other side of that door. As I stood in the darkness of the tunnel that led from Parliament, I knew that if I opened the door and found one of the Queen's allies there, I would either have to complete the mission I had undertaken as a Tudor Knight or fulfill my obligation to act in the best interests of Albion as I was charged as Lord Chamberlain. Strange how they had seemed one in the same not so long.
I had my reasons for joining the Knights; now they are nothing more than excuses. Originally, I joined the Knights because of my anger for both the Church and the those damnable monsters known as vampires. Vampires took away the only person that gave me human affection, the affection that bastard of a father and bitch of a mother should have given me, but never did. The Catholic Church brainwashed my brother into joining their ranks and gave excuse after excuse for taking the lives fellow humans for nothing but personal gain. The Knights gave me a necessary release from my anger by fighting them and striving to take my vengeance against them.
However, I cannot stand by any longer as they plan to kill more of their own fellow Albians on the excuse that the ends justify the means. Not only are they killing innocents, but they are allying themselves with an Enemy that would, not doubt, betray them in the end. They were blinded by their own greed, as I was blinded by my anger. They cannot see through the lies of that creature they called "Mein Herr." I've never seen him, but I've met a few of those who were on the higher-ups in the Order of Rosenkreuz and I can see his nature through them.
Adam Sutler first heard of the Order from that dark, mysterious man named Isaak Fernando von Kämpfer who had appeared in the midst of one of our meetings. We nearly killed him on the spot, but Sutler ordered that we should hear him out. He offered us power, financial aid and lost technologies in exchange for the death of a queen we so hated. How could we refuse such a perfect offer? Sutler and the others fell under his spell; yet I saw in those jet black eyes a devil and we had exchanged our souls to him.
Not long after that we had many other meetings with those in the Order. After each meeting, our targets became less specific. We longer targeted just the Vatican and the vampires and their supporters, now we included our fellow Albian humans. However misguided they may have been, we were sworn to protect them. Sutler was too blinded by his lust for power. He had forgotten the true purpose of the Knights.
I grew sick with all the unnecessary killings of innocent men, women and children. The Knights have become nothing more than power hungry killers, worse than the vampires we hunted. I cannot give any more excuses for staying with them, but I cannot leave without the risk of death. If only there was another way to finish this. Then I realize as I hear my "foes" on the other side of the door that it's...
"Too late for that," I acknowledge.
Now with an Inquisitorial gun aimed at my forehead, faced with something that would bring the swift wings of Death unto me, I now question whether my life was nothing more than an excuse.
"Not another step, traitor!" one of them declares. I recognize the man, he serves as a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Albian Marines under Colonel Spencer, but from what I've heard, he has a blood-stained past worse than mine. The woman next to him was the former heir to the Duchy of Mercia, who had given up her position and social status to marry him.
My eyes widened at the sight of the priest from last night. How could he be alive after facing Mr. Creedy, the muscle of our Knights? If he was alive, that must surely mean that Mr. Creedy is dead.
Now I have a choice, as I am faced with Death. To either kill these "foes" in the name of the now corrupted Tudor Rose, or surrender and aid them in their goal.
I make my choice knowing that Death lies at the end of both decisions and I choose what I know in my heart is right. If only I had listened to it from the beginning and maybe I might have been spared from all the torment I caused both myself and so many others.
"Wait!" I yell. "I can help you."
"Those fools! Where do their loyalties lie?" Ceres whispered irritably to "Lord" Hellsing as the assembly around them was filled with conflicting and angry voices.
"All shall come full circle in due time, Victoria. Keep the faith."
"Vote now!" Etheridge declared.
"Rig't now!" Heyer added.
"My fellow citizens, I know you are grieved by this situation," Sutler called out over the shouting. "I know that you all loved your Queen. Would she want you to behave in such a way? Would she want you to leave her country with leadership? I can think of no more disrespectful way to treat Her Majesty's memory than to let the multitude of its enemies tear asunder her beloved country because her countrymen could not put aside their differences in a time of crisis and allow the leadership necessary to save it have the power required to do it!"
"That's it," snarled Victoria, "now I'm going to rip out his lying throat!"
"No!" Integra countered. "How many more Methuselah will die if you act now?"
"I will admit to killing vampires and priests, but I also helped kill fellow Albians in the name of the Tudor Rose. Now, I have helped kill the Queen. I admit I hated her, but it was because I never understood her. How can I atone for that?" I asked miserably as I slumped to my knees and hung my head. They surrounded me, but they hadn't killed me. Yet.
"The Knights have failed in their attempt to kill the Queen," the priest replied. "You can atone by helping us."
"They failed?" I ask, stupefied. I lift my head and stare in to those winter blue eyes. "No human can survive a C4 and Thermite Napalm bomb that responds to their genetic signature. How is she-?"
"They killed an automation decoy, it wasn't her."
"Automation dolls cannot carry human DNA, they are machines, not flesh," I argued.
"Only if they are programmed to carry DNA," the priest countered. "I recall that when the Duchess of Moldova was supposedly 'killed' she used an automation with her DNA to escape death."
"You will be given leniency if you help us, but you will have to pay for your crimes of espionage and the conspiracy to commit treason," the Mercian Representative told me.
"I will help you. Nothing can be worse than the death I would have earned at the hands of the Knights."
"You don't know how wrong you are," the Marine replied in a tone filled with bitterness.
"I also have names of those in the Order of Rosenkreuz. If I can be given security I might be able to disclose some important information about them."
"First things first. Let's get to Parliament."
"My Lords and Representatives, let us vote, unless…" Sutler addressed the Scotian, "Prime Minster Stuart, are you willing to speak on behalf for your Houses to select a Lord Protector in place of Her Majesty, the late Queen?"
Sutler was already so intoxicated with the power that he was so close to achieving that he didn't notice the proximity of the gun barrel at the back of his head.
"Why should he when you had nearly killed her," an icy voice asked, laced with fury from behind him.
"I will not declare ye anythin' but guilty of treason!" James Stuart shouted. "Father Nightroad, arrest 'im!"
All the assembled Lords and Representatives seemingly shouted simultaneously in shock and disbelief as Sutler tried to take a step back and realized at once what was pressing against his skull.
"Father Nightroad?" he echoed uncertainly. "Aren't you supposed to be dead?"
"I am an AX enforcement officer for the Vatican's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It will take more than a warlock to subdue me," the priest assured him. "You are under arrest Lord Chancellor Sutler on the charge of acts of high treason!"
"Apparently this priest hasn't the faintest idea of what has occurred. Father," he called out to crowd rather than to the man behind him with a rather large revolver to his head, "we just apprehended the vampire who had killed Her Majesty by means most foul, surely you would like to arrest him and put away these charges of so-called 'treason,' of which are false and have-"
"We've heard enough of your lies for one day, Lord Chancellor," declared Abel in a cold, deadly voice that promised a swift demise. "If you want to keep that forked tongue in your head, I suggest you keep it behind your teeth now. (8)"
"'Ere now!" Heyer shouted. "You con't talk to 'Is Lordship lik thot, you Vatican dog!"
"Quiet, Mr. Heyer!" Sutler rounded on his associate. "Let us not upset him just now. My life would seem to depend on it." He took a breath and continued to speak in his composed manner. "If you are so convinced we are the traitor and not the vampire... then on what basis? If this is not a false accusation- and no doubt which it is- then you must have conclusive evidence of our guilt. Do you have such evidence, and if so, present it!"
"What a bold liar he is," Integra seethed.
"Release the 'vampire' and let him speak, Sutler," Lord Walsh called out from across the chamber. "Let this body compare the supporting evidence with his testimony."
"I'm afraid we can't do that. It would put all the Lords and Representatives here in danger. Do you want that, Lord President of the Council? This vampire gave us a full confession while we interrogated it. It is an extremist who wants war with us humans and it stated, very clearly that it killed Her Majesty so it may gloriously return to the Empire as a hero. It used a clever contraption of Lost Technologies to have the gates of Parliament blown up when she arrived, and this-" He took a data cube out of his pocket and on the side was the Albian Royal Crest. "-held a data file of Her Majesty's DNA, which it no doubt stole from the Palace! Also, it thinks itself worthy of calling Her Majesty by name!"
"A mere confession obtained by ones captors isn't enough. We of the House of Manchester want to hear this 'vampire' speak this 'confession.'"
"We agree with the Lord President. We want to hear his confession, not yours," the Countess of Cardiff concurred.
"The time for confessions and investigations has passed!" Ethridge retorted. "This vampire killed Her Majesty and the decision for Lord Protector now lies in the hands of the Prime Minister!"
The large room could barely contain the noise which ensued.
"Allow me to speak, assembled Lords," James yelled over the shouting.
"Quiet!" thundered Conroy, the shrill voice of Home Secretary Ceres calling for silence added in to the mix along with the cold flat voice of Virgil Walsh. It accomplished its purpose. Every tongue was stilled and every eye turned toward the Prime Minister.
"I, James Stuart, Prime Minister of Albion, declare that Adam Sutler, Lord Chancellor and Speaker for the House of Lords, shall not become Lord Protector."
"Why say such things Prime Minister Stuart?" Sutler countered, though seconds later he would wished he hadn't.
"The Prime minister cannot select a Lord Protector because we, Queen Esther I of Albion, are still alive," a soprano voice rang out through the silent chamber.
It was a voice that everyone in attendance had heard before, even to the one who wasn't a respected voice of the government. The voice was commonly heard here in times all thirds of the government were to meet.
The mahogany doors behind the throne opened to reveal a woman who was supposedly dead. Escorting her was the green-haired, red-robed younger sibling of the Manchester Earldom, as well as a the handmaidens that had originally vanished, standing on either side of the Liege of Albion.
The majority of the Lords and Representatives released exclamations of shock and wonder, their eyes opened wide as if they saw Lazarus rising from Death.
Finally among the quietude, the Viscount of Druitt's fiercely shaking voice arose from nowhere, "Her Majesty the Queen!"
All Abel Nightroad could do was stare. Now, after two long years of denying himself her light, he was now seeing her before him, alive, real. It was then he realized that his dreams of her were more flawed than he realized; his mind had never done justice to what his eyes were seeing before him now. The scarlet red tresses of her hair... the sweet look of her cream-white skin... her soft pink rose-like lips... and those beautiful deep blue lapis-lazuli eyes that took his breath away... they were still the same, but after two years, her beauty had been enhanced, and it shown perfectly in that golden-lined black velvet dress she wore. He felt strange, even though he was supposed to look after the lying monster that nearly took her away from him forever. Still, in that moment, he felt...whole. He could feel his icy heart melt and could hear it beating once more, his blood pulsing hot through his veins. It was almost as if the void in his heart was completely gone. He was perfect, now that he had seen her again. And now he knows he can never leave her, never again will he deny himself his star's hope-filled light.
"Her Majesty...? H-How are you-" Sutler stammered as the Queen took her rightful place in Parliament; upon the golden throne that was rightfully hers.
"We are in fine health, Lord Chancellor Sutler, would you not have it so?" the Queen replied with a trace of sarcasm as she smiled ironically. "It is true we are saddened that you attempted to murder us and claim the Albian Throne for yourself. We are disappointed, angered even, but very much alive."
"We can explain, Your Majesty. We thought Your Highness had perished when the Gates were destroyed, we thought that-"
"You would take what rightfully belongs to the House of Blanchett for the House of Cornwall?" the woman tilted her head slightly, but there was an affected ring in her voice. "Do not think we hadn't heard your claim to the Throne. That alone is treason, Lord Sutler, as is the conspiring with traitors to attempt to assassinate the Sovereign of Albion."
"Why does Her Majesty think that we, the Lord Chancellor and Duke of Cornwall, would attempt to murder you with bombs of lost technologies?"
"How very interesting, Lord Sutler, that you should have such knowledge," Esther remarked. "We did not say how we were nearly killed, but yet you seem to know already. Fortunately, we were not present at that time." She turned to the crimson robed Methuselah at her left. "Lady Walsh,"
"Yes, Your Majesty?"
"Speak your testimony."
"Indeed, my Queen." Vanessa bowed, and then stepped forward. "Lords and Representatives of the Albian Parliament, I speak before you all as an Albian Noblewoman. My testimony is this: five days before this date, Her Majesty had ordered me to create a decoy, in case an assassination was to occur. The decoy was an automation doll that would not only resemble Her Majesty in appearance and voice, but also hold fragments of Her Majesty's DNA. I ordered a skilled programmer to program the doll so that it would resemble Her Majesty's behavior and actions. When the Gates of Parliament were destroyed, the doll was in the place of Her Majesty so that those who were attempting to kill her would believe they had succeeded and thereby make the attempt to take the Throne. As such, the only one who attempted to do so would be her would-be killer. The one who spoke was the one who claimed himself to be Lord Protector. I hereby accuse Lord Chancellor Sutler of the crime of treason and attempted assassination against the Albian Queen!"
"You ask a vampire to testify against me?" Sutler demanded, "I would like to hear a testimony from a human before I am convicted with lies!"
"We would recommend that you speak your testimony, Father Nightroad; after all, you're human as well. You are the only one in this room that knows of what has truly occurred and can speak." Esther gave Abel a small smile that took his breath away. He returned her smile then hardened his visage as he spoke every word laced with conviction and a noticeable anger that everyone in the chamber, including Sutler, dared not to interrupt.
"Lords and Representatives of this august body of Albion, I speak before you, not as a priest of the Vatican, but as a former citizen of Albion. Last night, my companion, the Methuselah currently being held against his will, and I arrived in hopes of warning Her Majesty of an attempt against her life. However, he was attacked by the very men who hold him now, who planted the technological bomb at the Gates of Parliament. I tried to save him, but a warlock, yes, a warlock, the late Lord Chief of Justice, a Tudor Knight, attempted to kill me in hopes of removing witnesses. I managed to survive; however, I believed I was too late when the Gates were destroyed until I realized the 'corpse,' of the 'late Queen,' wasn't Her Majesty, but an automation doll, made to look like Her Majesty. With the help of another witness who aided me in my arrival to Parliament, I was originally going to arrest Sutler who led these men, and hopefully prove to all of you that Her Majesty was not dead. The verification of my words lies in the fact that Her Majesty is before you all, alive and well. I, too, am pleased that she is alive. Now let it be known to all of Albion that the man who had attempted to take her life, was the very one whom attempted to claim her Throne!"
The assembly of Parliament erupted again, screaming such phrases as "traitor," "murderer," and "down with the Tudor Knights!" Everything that Adam Sutler worked for two years was now crumbling before him. His supporters in Parliament had abandoned him. He was being convicted by the testimony of a vampire and a priest, the very beings that he so loathed. He had been convinced that the Albian people would side with him when they realized who the true enemy was once the Queen was removed. How could it be that the Queen was still before them, casting her spells once more upon these deceived fools? If he was going to lose everything... he would make certain that he brought down that witch along with him...
"I have one question I must ask, Your Majesty," Sutler calmly addressed the Queen, concealing his murderous intent well. "You who led the Partisans against that tyrant vampire and eventually became a saint because you killed that evil beast. Why do you now think that vampires can co-exist in 'peace' with your fellow humans?"
"Lord Chancellor Sutler and my Lords and Representatives of Albion, listen to what we must say." The Queen rose from the golden throne and addressed everyone in Parliament; from the highest of Lords to the lowest of Representatives, from both Terran and Methuselah, to all the humans of her kingdom. It was the truth that had to be known; that all were equal all were human, even if it meant soiling her name by revealing her bloodstained past. The Queen was not speaking like a monarch, but as a fellow human with her own faults and her own experiences, and with a ardent passion that made her light burn so bright that almost everyone in the room could see it with their hearts.
"Five years ago in István, not only was the blood of enemies shed, but the blood of our allies. In István, it was a tragic battle. At that time, I thought it couldn't be avoided. These deaths could not be helped. We had to fight, not only myself but my fellow Partisans, for our lives. That is why we took up swords. After three years had passed in my time in the AX and the Empire, I saw that that battle could have been avoided. I met Gyula Kadar, the Marquis of Hungaria during that bloody day. He was an enemy to me. He believed he could not live without killing Terrans. But what he believed was not the truth. No one had to die that day. Violence escalated from the smallest of misunderstandings. Gyula and I both believed that one of us had to die. It wasn't just us. On that day, those who fought on both sides were just like him. Were just like me. People who laugh, cry, hate and love just like us.
"Lilith..." Abel saw in his mind's eye his lost love's smiling presence over the throne of his star, "in this day and age... there is yet a girl who believes as you did."
"I asked myself repeatedly for over three years why my family had to die. Why did I have to fight? Could I have survived any other way? Why did I have to kill? Couldn't I have lived without staining my hands with blood? I wanted to know these things. Even now, I still don't know much about the world. I still have my 'whys.' Why do my fellow humans, both Terran and Methuselah, keep killing each other? I don't have the answers. But I have learned one thing: I have learned that... all this fighting and killing is wrong! I then swore that my new goal was to help create a world where both humans and vampires can exist without fear or hate. As your Queen, I swore to use my power to take what was wrong with the world and fix it!"
"So, what more have you to say, Lord Speaker?" Esther asked while jutting her chin toward the mastermind of her attempted destruction.
"Yes, I have learnt…" Sutler showed no sign of fear. Instead his lips twisted up as if rejoicing that his real intentions had finally been understood. "I have learnt that you have been brainwashed by these foul leeches! All Gyula did was manipulate you in death as all the rest of them have done! Now you think you can brainwash these people, too? You think you can deceive me? If only there was hope as you say, but if you are committed to follow this path, then I cannot exist anymore in this world you would create and... I will see to it... that...YOU CANNOT EXIST EITHER!"
And in a flash of motion, he set that plan in to action.
"""NO!"""
Next Chapter: Albian Reunion
Avert not thine eyes
A/N: Now I know that you all are asking questions such as, "WTH just happened?" or "Is Esther going to die?" Sorry but that is the evil of the cllliiifffyyy. (Laughs maniacally.) Finally, after two months, I finish my chapter. I am SO Sorry for the lateness, but life gets in the way sometimes. My muses weren't acting as they normally do, and I was having a rather difficult time because I have terrible times with dialogue and action shots, but hopefully this long chapter will make up for the two month wait. I also got back from MGM/ Disney Hollywood Studios and Epcot and I rather enjoyed myself, Jedi Skysinger, Naomi-chan and I had a wonderful time and we even got to see Fantasmic! This was the first time Naomi and I saw the show and it was the climax of the evening. Well now that my chapter is finished we may yet be able to finish this "book," I call the "Londinium Arc," then move to what I call the "Franc Arc," AKA "Books" II and III. Only five more chapters to go and this "book." will be finished, but it won't be the end for Trinity Blood Revelations just yet!
A/N Updated: Yes, I unfortunately had to get rid of the Cantarella/ The Borgias crossover character Cesare Borgia. I asked smcandy about adding another crossover, her advice was that I had enough crossovers and OCs that I didn't need to add more of them. I took her advice and found an orginal Trinity Blood character made by the genius of Sunao Yoshida-sensei (RIP). Even though I miss Cesare, I fortunately found a similar character to him after reading Trinity Blood RAM Know Faith and RAM Judgement Day as well as Manga volumes X-XII. After Jedi Skysinger read the same material, we came to the conclusion that Antonio de Borgia y Borgia was a combination of Cesare Borgia's wit, intelligence and mindsent and Juan Borgia's overbearing, flamboyant personality. So I dropped Cesare and replaced him with Antonio. Please kindly tell me whether or not I wrote him in character, because I have trouble with characters like that (dealing with Ayame from Furuba and Tamaki from Ouran High School Host Club is bad enough. D'OH!) Note: there is also a Black Butler reference in the Vatican section of this chapter, hint: three words that begin with the prefix, "un." I hope I did a good job.
Queen Esther's way speaking-
Esther, in this FF, has been ruling as the Albian Queen for two years now. Considering that she has been Queen for so long she had to develop decorum, formal speaking and royal responsiblities. Because this, Esther now has two different idenities, Esther the Partisan Warrior/ AX Agent and Esther the Queen of Albion. When she is speaking before Parliament, she speaks like the Queen of Albion, when she said her final speech at the end of the chapter she spoke as her true self (the Partisan Warrior/ AX Agent.) I used this technique so I could show the differences between these two identies. (Example: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom MenaceQueen Amidala/ Padme Amidala.)
(1) Quoted from Sententiae - Sentences by Publilius Syrus. The translation in Latin is "Pardon one offence and you encourage the commission of many."
(2) Latin for "Hammer of God." The symbol for the Inquisitorial Department is a cross-shaped hammer and thunderbolts, which suits them so well. IMHO I think they're a bunch of hypocrites that claim they are doing "God's will," (which IMHO is a BS philosophy) while they take the lives of fellow humans. (Humans in this case being both Terrans and Methuselah.) Sorry, had to let out steam, Francesco and those hard-lined Inquisition dolts make my blood boil.
(3) Quoted from Romans 12: 19, written by the Apostle Paul.
(4) Quoted by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the quote in English is: "I do not know everything; still many things, I understand."
(5) Momotaro is a Japanese folklore hero who supposedly was born out of a peach, (hence his name, meaning "little peach.") and saved Japan from invading ogres with the help of three animal friends; a monkey, a dog and a bird. Darth Tyronnius Shoelaces calls Jedi Skysinger that quite often because of her love for peaches and her love for animals. (Note: If one wants to see what he looks like, look up Ouran High School Host Club Volume 13 by Bisco Hatori.)
(6) Quoted by Lucius Annaeus Seneca, the translation into English is: "Nothing deters a good man from doing what is honorable."
(7) Latin for "The Wolf." Each Inquisitor, as far as I know, have names that are given to them based off of their fighting prowess, such as Petros being called "Il Ruinate" or the "Wild Boar" because when he starts a fight he doesn't stop until he sees to it that he pulverizes his enemy.
(8) Indirect quote to Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien, the original quote was made by Gandalf to Wormtongue with: "...Be silent and keep your forked tongue behind your teeth."
I'd also like to give a warm thank you to Aperio, dbzgtfan, and to Child-of-the-Dawn for the recent reviews. ;)
Mysteriously Yours
ObsidianEmpress