The Brat Prince of Vos
Chapter 4
Continuity: Pre- and Post-TF:A, a little bit of AU here and there
Warnings: None for this chapter
Pairings: None for this chapter, eventual Megatron x Starscream.
Yay! I'm glad the reviews are all positive so far! In answer to one reviewer, I use minutes and kilometres rather than the kliks and breems and whatnot because, honestly, they get so complicated and everyone seems to have a different opinion on what length of time or distance they are x_x it's just clearer to use our own scales of time and distance XD
"Your Majesty," Megatron began, extending his arms outwards as if he were an actor in a play. "Outside the safe haven of your Kingdom of Vos, the political world grows uneasy. Kaon, Iacon, Polyhex, Tyger Pax, they are all forming careful alliances, new governments that will rule Cybertron as a whole, without a thought to your own city. The traditions and customs your people have strived so carefully to preserve, so kindly educating outsiders such as myself to your ways, will be destroyed. With a single Autobot government in power, your Royal family will be stripped of power. The outside world will come barging in."
"Of course," Megatron continued smoothly, "there is no question that your army of fliers is one of the most powerful on Cybertron. But the sheer number of mechs that make up the citizens of the rest of Cybertron are enough to topple Vos."
The King grimaced, raising a hand to rub at his chin, while the Crown Prince looked horrified - Megatron was beginning to doubt the younglings knew anything of the outside world at all.
"That is not even to begin on the discrimination that has befallen fliers everywhere in the last century!" flourished the Decepticon leader, raising his arms upwards in mock outrage. "Every mech and femme with abilities above and beyond the common populace, the Autobots seek to repress! It would not surprise me in the least, should the Autobots take power, to ban protoforms from being moulded with wings, to ban flier modifications such as my own."
In response to this, there were cries of outrage from the Royal Guard at the mere suggestion. Some of the Royal children seemed to now be paying attention, naively wondering if Megatron was telling them a story or if they were truly in danger.
"The corruption outside of these walls is truly a terror to behold," Megatron cried out, "my Decepticons, my army, we have but one goal - to crush these Autobots, to rise up against their dreadful oppression, to allow each and every mech gifted with wings to flourish and grow in their rightful place as leaders of Cybertron. My Decepticons will never crush cultures and ancient traditions! One of my lieutenants is a gifted femme named Strika from Simfur, who cannot even speak the common language of Cybertron, her own home's first tongue being that of Old Simfur."
"Perhaps," continued the Decepticon leader, "you believe me to be paranoid, a raving lunatic. But I have a spy, a groundling, sad to say, who has reached the rank of Prime three times, in three different disguises, in three different cities. Each time he reports back, always new laws condemning the fliers of Cybertron to the ground! Always my race of Decepticons are beaten down!"
"But!" Megatron smiled wickedly, raising a hand, "My army already grows strong. With Vos on my side, with your Majesty's allegiance to the Decepticon cause, our army would surely crush any in its path. Fliers, Seekers, jets, with your wings, we would have a tactical advantage something to behold!"
Megatron kneeled again, then, as Cyclonus had taught him to, to signify he had finished his performance. There was a heavy silence in the throne room, as the King seemed to recover from the news Megatron had delivered in his speech.
Surprisingly, the first noise to break the silence was the sound of tiny claws clapping.
Despite himself, Megatron looked up in confusion to see the youngest, Prince Starscream, clapping slowly and elegantly, expression still unreadable, golden eyes staring intensely at the Decepticon. Soon after, the Royal Guard joined in the clapping - though the Decepticon leader was sure it was some sort of tradition along the lines of "laugh when the King laughs" than the Guard's true admiration.
The King quickly raised his arms for silence. "Megatron," he boomed, "this is a grave situation indeed - one I will need more time to think about. I and my Ministers will retire to my private conference room and discuss your offer." With that, the King stood and left through the same door he had entered, the Ministers following after. Cyclonus hesitated a minute, then deciding tradition be damned, gave Megatron a small thumbs-up before he left.
Alone with the Royal Guard and the Royal children, Megatron was not entirely sure what he was supposed to do now. The Royal Guard stood silently to attention (the silver Decepticon was sure he saw at least three of them asleep standing up), while the younglings talked and played amongst themselves. Two of them giggled in hushed whispers about Megatron, right in front of him - from the heights of their platforms, the Decepticon could see it was Princess Morningstar and Princess Shiningstar.
"Where are his wings if he's a flier?" Morningstar tittered. "He's supposed to show them off proudly!"
"Why is he that dark grey colour, what is he, dead?" Shiningstar giggled in reply.
The Decepticon leader's optic twitched, but he resisted the urge to storm over and rip their heads off, as he would with any other youngling that dared to make fun of him. He decided instead to analyze the children back, staring at each of them in turn. While they all shared the same basic body types, the differences between them were noticeable. Each one's helmet was constructed differently, some resembling crowns, others looking more like the helms of army generals. Oddly, some of the Princesses were more bulky and less feminine than their brothers - the thirteenth, Starscream, was particularly slight, with a waist more befitting of a femme in Megatron's opinion, though he supposed the youngest was still growing. The Crown Prince, Rainmaker, stared off absently into the distance with a worried expression - Cyclonus had warned Megatron that the Prince was particularly solemn. The Minister supposed it was to do with their mother's death, which they all seemed to blame on Starscream for being the unlucky thirteenth child.
Then, just as quickly as he had left, King Rainmaker the Fifth burst into the room, followed by his Ministers. He took his place back on the throne, and fixed Megatron with an intense look.
"Megatron, I have decided to accept your offer," the King boomed, and Megatron almost sighed in relief - until he continued. "However, there is one small condition."
The Decepticon leader froze. "…Your Majesty?" he prompted.
"You will bond with my youngest child, Starscream."