The Isle

by puzzlepuzzle

In the aftermath of the Second War, Athrun Zala vanished without a trace for seven years - Cagalli never thought to find him. But fate deviates when he comes to find her himself and a web of desire and deceit lies before them. Original Cover Art SEQUEL OUT. .

28. Chapter 27

I own nothing of GS/GSD. R&R please.

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Chapter 27

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If one could even call the exchange a conversation, Athrun's one conversation with Yuna was an experience he would never want to repeat. Crucially, it was the one thing that he would and eventually did conceal from Cagalli rather willingly.

Far from it being an experience that he wanted to forget, the conversation was one that Athrun wanted to remember. He preferred that the poison he received from Yuna was imprinted like a map onto his skull, because it was all to easy to forget the world when he was with Cagalli.

Besides, Athrun had always made it a point to learn his lessons well.

The lesson haunted him even years after he gave her up and somehow met her again. The lesson haunted him because it was true and that truth hadn't changed. It plagued him even when they were together, walking along shores at the distant edge of a place secluded from the world beyond them, all because he knew that she had never really been his right from the start.

And Athrun knew Yuna Roma Seiran had been correct enough for Athrun to take him seriously. In fact, Athrun could even sympathize with Yuna. If Athrun looked at the events that had happened with Cagalli's previous fiance's point of view, Athrun had been the one who'd stolen Cagalli. No matter how despicably weak or arrogant Yuna Roma Seiran had been, Athrun understood his anger towards the stranger who'd suddenly appeared with his then-fiancee- a Coordinator who'd come from nowhere and had nothing.

It was an office that might have appeared more like a gallery. Paintings were everywhere on the walls but the space of the generous office that Yuna occupied as a Seiran Emir seemed cluttered even then. The chandelier in the room was a bit low and Athrun wondered if its owner had to duck to get to his desk. As it was, he stood in front of Cagalli's colleague's desk, waiting to be told why he'd been instructed to come here.

Yuna Roma Seiran was not one of those men who cut to the chase. He liked to think of exchanges as conquests. Even crossing the lawn required attention, discipline and poise. That was his way. Conquests were necessarily slow, aching trials with the troubles of the world weighing one down, but succumbing to the wisdom and elegance one could always face the world with. And at the end of it- ah! The warmth of victory to bask in and the glow of a setting sun to complete the atmosphere of accomplishment.

And from the looks of it, Athrun noted wryly, those conquests were perhaps all washed down with some Don Perignon to complete the sweet taste of self-importance.

In the meantime, Yuna smiled benevolently at the person he identified by the name of 'Alex Dino'. There was a mild condescension that Yuna applied to his voice and his gaze, and Athrun noted it with a growing dislike for a person he mostly tried to be courteous to.

"Well, so good of you to come by, Alex." Yuna said pleasantly, his already thin lips thinning a little more. Athrun decided not to remind Yuna that he'd ordered the visit.

Yuna twirled a finger wrapped with his fringe, surveying Athrun with a small smirk. "Some wine?"

Athrun began to decline, except that Yuna got there first. "Oh, but I expect the taste won't sit well with the likes of a- well, you."

Athrun fought the urge to lift a brow. He smiled mildly instead. "Thank you for the offer, sir."

"But come now Alex," Yuna stood up, not bothering to offer Cagalli's bodyguard a seat. "You must know why I called you here. Look around the office, and you'll see."

Athrun did as Yuna asked. As he gazed around and the sculptures of Rubens-worthy women, he wondered why this particularly exquisite set of birdcages seemed out of place while next to dining table. And why was there a dining table in this office and not a single bookshelf or some kind of file storage area? Come to think of it, there wasn't even a visible computer anywhere.

There was a cupboard filled with porcelain figures and plates. The sheer quantity of them made Athrun feel he was in a museum or stranger still in the current situation- an office that had been converted into a museum.

Athrun wasn't quite sure why. Perhaps this person was requesting help with re-decorating or moving things out of the office. While Athrun had been around for a month now, nobody had really paid him notice and the little extra work he got on top of his bodyguard duties were usually running errands for random people in Cagalli's office. Perhaps something like that was required. But why the need to look at this overcrowded space?

He gazed at a row of pictures featuring highly pleasant, clearly beautiful, extremely agreeable if somewhat dismissible scenery. Amongst these, there was a painting of a cathedral bathed in light. He actually recognized that and muttered the artist's name to himself.

"I bought that in Paris, when I was completing my college education that my family encouraged me to pursue in preparation for this job," Yuna said loudly, noting where Athrun's gaze was. Athrun did not miss the emphasis on 'Paris', 'college', 'education', 'family'- Yuna probably assumed Athrun had experienced nothing of those. "It's an original that cost me a pretty penny- I even got it insured."

Athrun wondered if it had been Yuna or Athrun's father who had been cheated. He made a mental note to check the vault back in Aprilius to verify if the wedding gift that his mother had received from his father was a fake. But then, Athrun remembered that he was unlikely to return and therefore dismissed the thought- what did it matter anyway?

Still, his lip curled instinctively when he looked at the dimensions of the said original.

"I notice you've been taking your time to look at my office." Yuna sounded rather satisfied. "You like it, even though you can't appreciate it fully."

Athrun was highly puzzled, because this office was twice the size of Cagalli's and appeared infinitely less useful than hers. He was even more puzzled as to why Yuna thought he liked the office.

"Well, Alex? From the looks of this office, can you infer why I called you here?"

He was doubtful that Yuna wanted honest perspective and commentary on the styling of this room. Athrun would have gladly offered some except that it had not been asked of him. Besides, Yuna was unlikely to like, let alone have the ability to appreciate Athrun's thoughts on the chandelier, which might have been used as a hat stand.

So Athrun snapped back to attention. "I have no idea, sir."

Yuna poured some wine, swirling it theatrically. "I will tell you then. I see that as a bodyguard, your observation skills are sorely lacking."

Athrun waited, standing quietly in the middle of Vanity's fair. And Yuna seemed to be more keen on sipping whatever he was drinking.

"Look at that picture." He pointed to the largest, most richly-framed one. Of course, Athrun had noticed it but declined much thought on it.

There was an enormous rectangular family portrait. Athrun could vaguely recognize Yuna's parents, who stood on the extreme corners of the portrait respectively. A much younger Uzumi Nara Atha stood in the centre, looking very solemn even when he sported shorter hair and less of a beard.

In the centre, two children sat. One was a tall boy in his dinner jacket and with a pleased smile and violet hair, and the other was a girl that Athrun recognized immediately.

Cagalli's hair had been long then, with bright locks flowing over her shoulders and her hands folded neatly in her lap, her skirts gathered around her. But if she looked like a Lacus-figure from afar, Athrun spotted the unmistakable defiance in her face. Her posture looked uncomfortable- almost as if she was inching away from the hand that the other child was stretching towards one of hers. Her folded hands looked quite stiff.

"I want you to look carefully at that family portrait, Alex. I will tell you what's so significant about it."

Athrun waited a little more, feeling slightly bored. He wanted to get back to Cagalli's office- she was meeting some Atlantic Federation officials today and had spent a whole night preparing for it. He was sure that she would do well and he wanted to witness it. Besides, he had to brief her on Kisaka's behalf- there was an Armory One visit in three days' time. If Yuna continued at this pace, Athrun would have no chance to speak to Cagalli at all.

He ticked off the events lined up in his mental schedule-planner. She had a dinner event tonight, the day after tomorrow, and tomorrow was a pretty intense day too. He had to get back as soon as possible to speak to her.

But as it was, Yuna Roma Seiran was taking his time and Athrun was obliged to wait.

Thankfully, Yuna spoke. When he did, Athrun wondered why he'd bothered asking at all.

"You're in love with my Cagalli, aren't you?"

Athrun found no reason to deny it even if he didn't agree with a particular if not key aspect of the question. "Yes."

Yuna drank a little more, looking rather amused. "You do know that she's the equivalent of a princess in this country, don't you?"

Athrun found no reason to answer. The answer rang in the air even when there was silence. The overpowering cologne that the person before him seemed to become visible in the silence.

"You do know-," Athrun found that phrase particularly irritating, but Yuna seemed to favour it. "That she's my fiancée, don't you?"

Frankly, Athrun did know.

Athrun had found out upon stepping into Orb after the First War. Although Cagalli had arranged for him to work as her bodyguard and permitted his new identity, he had found lesser than expected time to be with her.

Upon her return, she'd been swept up in a whole slate of political affairs and had been initiated into the civil service as the Atha Emir- there were no other Emirs from her House after her father had died. If she wasn't in the office, she was attending events to extend connections within and outside Orb. By right, he did have a lot of time with her as a bodyguard, even if not as Athrun Zala.

But all that hadn't distracted from the nasty shock of realizing that she wasn't exactly free to be the Cagalli he wanted when he was free to be Athrun Zala- Athrun Zala without the baggage of being that very person.

On the first day of his being in Orb, he'd been shown around her house and estate. It had been a massive house and massive place, and it was famously beautiful and known to have some tributary of the Orb river flowing through it. Cagalli had been showing him around quite excitedly and they'd only returned from a walk in the woods when Yuna Roma Seiran had showed up.

She'd frozen up and before Athrun could infer what was happening, she'd been grabbed into someone's arms. The stranger had planted a loud, wet kiss on Cagalli's cheek and declared, "About time you came back to me and Orb, my love!"

And Athrun had stood there, trying not to gape. The stranger seemed to be familiar with this place- he had found them, hadn't he? And the stranger seemed to be quite familiar with Cagalli too.

Not only was he not addressing her as the Orb Princess, he had called her his love. Athrun had never called Cagalli by any other form, much less with such sweet endearment that it rang almost false.

And Athrun had never- never- laid a hand on Cagalli in public, much less kissed her. He didn't even do that in private if he could help it. But this person had done everything Athrun had never done. The worst was that Cagalli seemed to accept it, even with that grudging smile she forced out. The nature of the smile did not matter to Athrun- the fact that she bothered at all made him wonder if he'd made a mistake by going to Orb with her.

Now, he glanced at Yuna.

The rest that had followed, Athrun realized now, had only a prelude to the procedures of every morning. The hug- the kiss on the cheek- the awkward gaze from Cagalli that shifted from her fiancé to him- the moment when she was led away- the moments thereafter that Athrun found himself wondering why she didn't resist- the moments thereafter that Athrun found himself wondering why he hadn't resisted.

And now, Yuna Roma Seiran was asking if Athrun knew that she wasn't exactly his.

He looked at Yuna blankly, half-wishing that he could be sent out of the office so he could get back to Cagalli. Was she on her way to convincing the officials already? He wanted to see her- he wanted to be anywhere else but here. Even if he had to watch from a corner as she struggled to make others see from Orb's point of view, he would be better off as Alex Dino than Scum-of-the-Moment.

"Yes, I know she's your fiancée." Athrun replied. He wondered how long it would take for this person to realize how flat his tone was.

"Good." Yuna said merrily. "As long as you know that, all's fine."

The puerile presumptions that Yuna Roma Seiran's smirk contained made Athrun feel slightly annoyed.

But for that exact reason, Athrun's curiosity was piqued. That he felt some reaction at all was a feat, considering that this man was as interesting as the mollusk on the rock. Still, Athrun couldn't resist.

He looked at the man who was one broad office table, two years and ten grades of highly annoying stuff apart from himself. "Aren't you upset that I want to be with her?"

Yuna sneered at him. "Who do you think you are, Alex?"

Athrun decided that Yuna wasn't intending to have him answer truthfully or at all, and thus he decided to hold his silence.

"No, I don't think you know who you are. Or maybe, you don't know what you are not." Yuna looked at his fingernails with a touch of frivolity and nonchalance. It might have been a philosophical statement, except that the context was one of an insult.

"I don't understand." Athrun said in a brittle tone.

Yuna failed to see Athrun's displeasure, but smiled gratuitously at him. "No, I didn't expect you to Alex. But let me put it simply for your sake." He paused dramatically. "Plenty of men want to be with her. If I had to be upset with everyone, Alex, I'd never have a moment of peace. The main point is that she won't be with anyone else but me."

"What makes you so sure?" The words were escaping before Athrun could bite back his tongue and politely excuse himself to leave the room. As it was, he was having difficulty trying to stop himself from punching the daylights out of the insufferable slug.

It wasn't just annoyance he was feeling, Athrun realized. He was feeling envy and bitterness at what Yuna was saying.

Yuna shrugged. "There are plenty of reasons- she is what Orb considers a Princess and you might say I'm considered the Crown Prince of the Emirs."

"Do you think that she'll choose to be with you just because of that?" Athrun's disbelief made Yuna turn a strange colour of puce.

"There are other reasons of course," Yuna spat. "But the main reason is that I want her to be with me."

Yuna turned on him scathingly, with a small, acidic smile on his pale-skinned face. "You might even say that she turned out to be quite lovely."

He got up, walking to the painting that hung directly opposite from where he sat. Athrun stood very still, watching as Yuna stroked Cagalli's face with her defiant expression. "I know she seems like a little tigress, but frankly, I like my women tamable. Especially those with plenty of spunk- those make worthy conquests. Either way, you might say we are well suited and that she needs me in more ways than one."

"I see." Athrun found his insides curling in distaste. "Would it change anything if I told you that I came to Orb because of her?"

"Did she tell you that she wanted you to be with her?"

Moments after they'd found Kira and brought him to safety, the broadcast had announced a ceasefire. Cagalli had dismounted with him, both of them silent as the surroundings filled with activity and noise. In that moment, they had known that their childhood had long vanished with the last of the debris in the darkness of space. But they were alive still.

They'd both watched as Lacus ran to Kira's side, Kira unconscious with weakness but peace in his expression. Kira had seemed to be in a slumber he'd never enjoyed before. If he woke up, he would wake to a world he had chosen to strive forward in.

Cagalli had stood with him in a tiny, quiet space amidst the throbbing, collective will of the soldiers and personnel around them. Someone had moved towards her, asking if she was hurt, and he watched her shake her head numbly. And he had felt her take his hand and lead him away; away from all those crying and screaming, those grieving and rejoicing, those unconscious from injuries, those busy with the wounded and seeing to ship operations; all those who had survived along with the two them.

They'd found themselves in that same place where there was only darkness beyond their windows- where she'd sworn she would protect him. And they had watched their tears falling, floating in the air as part of the anti-gravity zone. She had smiled shakily at him, and he'd reached forward to take her in his arms and kiss her. As he did so, he found her hesitant as they'd always been- hesitant but seeking him as he sought her.

For the days after that in the aftermath of the Jacchin Due battle, they'd been caught up with helping to restart operations and tending to the wounded. But as the soldiers returned to their bases and things started getting sorted out, she'd found him alone in his room on his bed. He had been sitting there with all his things packed around him.

He'd pulled her to him, trying to find the words to tell her that he was going to return to the Plants that evening. There had been no other option that he could see. The war crimes he'd committed had to be faced, and there were things to settle back in Aprilius with his father's death. He looked at her and wondered how he could tell her all of this and how she would react But he needn't have bothered wondering, for she had looked at him and whispered, "Don't go. Be with me."

Athrun looked at Yuna. "Yes. She asked me to be with her."

He watched as Yuna's expression darkened. But it cleared, and then Yuna laughed. "You mean she wants you there as a bodyguard."

Athrun wondered why the blood was rushing out of his face. There was no real reason as to why he needed to feel affected by what Yuna was saying. Athrun had heard enough from people around Cagalli that nobody thought much of this Seiran Emir.

Cagalli had voiced similar sentiments as well, although it was uncommon for her to speak ill of anyone behind the person's back. She'd vaguely mentioned that Yuna Roma Seiran was well known for being eccentric and a bit inefficient in his work.

Well more than that, actually- he'd heard her mutter that she felt dumber by the second while sticking around Yuna. It had pleased Athrun to no end, although his reserve had kept him from snogging her in the middle of the day- in her office. All that mattered was Cagalli's support for their relationship and her resentment towards being a pawn of Orb and a potential trophy wife.

Or so Athrun had thought.

But Athrun did feel that Yuna's nails were starting to reach beneath his skin. If anyone could get to him, the person was either someone close or someone who spoke the truth.

Since it was not the first, Athrun suspected it was the second possibility, even though he disliked the thought of that. Looking firmly at Yuna, Athrun told him, "I doubt she wants me with her solely because she wants someone to protect her."

Yuna raised a thin, plucked brow. "Dare you contradict me, Alex?"

"No, sir." Athrun's voice was mostly mild but there was a note of aggression that had entered. The 'sir' was emphasized with Yuna's special brand of odious sarcasm, and Athrun congratulated himself for a second. "I'm just stating a fact. Her engagement to you wasn't by her own choice."

"That's why it's even more important," Yuna said firmly. His eyes flew to the portrait, and Athrun knew who he was looking at in particular. Present on the nine year old Cagalli's shoulder was the weight of her father's hand. From her posture, it seemed to be the only thing that kept her present for the procedures of portrait-taking while seated next to the other child.

His smile turned gloating, and Athrun realized that Yuna had really been gaining momentum to his point. More than that, Yuna had provoked Athrun sufficiently to get a particular reaction from him.

"Our fathers' wills are in this. My father is currently head Emir, you know, and I will probably be as well, because Cagalli's too young and inexperienced and the Council of Elders will probably hand the reins over to me and hope that we will marry to facilitate that. Either way, she's perfect for my qualifications."

"I see." Athrun said politely, but with ice in his face and voice.

"A head Emir's son is a rather important figure you know," Yuna continued. "The head Emir is the superior of all the other Emirs from his Noble House. And my father is not just a Seiran Emir- he's the Seiran Emir who heads the rest of the Seiran Emirs. I am sure the Council of Elders agree that my marrying Cagalli will be a very good move for Orb- my father, after all, is the head Emir."

Athrun weighed his option and decided not to say 'suck my balls' to the person at the desk. For that matter, he would not reveal anything that would get him booted out from the Atha Estate. Last he had checked, Athrun knew that the Council of Elders would be highly unhappy to know that the Orb Princess was pursuing a relationship with Athrun Zala. If he had to sit here and suck it up, he'd do it if only to continue staying by her side.

"Well, I suppose you're to be forgiven for being attracted to my fiancée," Yuna said primly, pressing his fingers together. "She isn't scarring to look at- she is rather attractive in many ways even without long hair and a proper dress. More importantly, she's got wealth attached with that very surname, and she really is quite pleasant once you learn how to handle her. And after all, my Cagalli is the Orb Princess. I can see how there are plenty of opportunities for one to gain Orb citizenship and to climb the ladder that way."

"I didn't like her because she could get me into Orb- or because of her power." Athrun said. Every word was a thin slice of anger from the next word.

"Come now," Yuna laughed. "She doesn't seem like your sort. She's very feisty even by my standards- you look like you go for wallflowers. She's more than a match for me, let alone you. You'd never stand a chance getting near her. You should stick to the wallflower kinds. Or at least, your-" His lips curled. "Your kind."

Athrun's tone was very curt. "I don't understand what you mean."

There was a pause as both stared at each other. The dislike was mirrored in each other's faces.

"You're a Coordinator, aren't you?"

"Why should that matter?" Athrun hadn't expected to come across as so brash, but it had long appeared that way. In fact, he decided that he owed Yuna a barb or two. Besides, his forced courtesy and self-imputed identity had long worn thin.

Yuna pressed on. "But you are one- right?"

He matched Yuna's smugness with a thinly-concealed dislike. "Have you met Naturals with this hair colour? Or is that colour of yours natural too?"

Yuna gave him a look that suggested he was glaring at Athrun, except that his jaw appeared weak no matter what and his arguably handsome features seemed phony in that light. "I inherited it from my mother, so it's natural. I'm a Natural, Alex, unlike you."

"Well," Athrun said thoughtfully. "That means I'm a Natural too." His eyes regarded Yuna sharply. "If that distinction matters at all when we're here in Orb."

He watched Yuna's face go red with the exposure of his fallacy.

"You think you're unique," Yuna declared. "But not here in Orb, where you throw a stone and you hit a Coordinator." He laughed at his own expression and took another swig of whatever he was drinking that he hadn't bothered offering to Athrun. "One wonders why we don't throw more rocks."

Athrun ignored the hatred welling up in him.

"I will enlighten you then, Alex. Coordinators are what we Orb Naturals think of as," Yuna paused for dramatic effect, "-necessities. Effective working machines who make our economy much better than it would be. Even Coordinator labourers work so much better than Naturals. It's in their genes to slog and to produce brilliant results- literally!"

Yuna laughed at what he imagined as a particularly clever turn of phrase.

"I'm sure my darling thinks so too. I will give you credit for what you are naturally gifted at, Alex- I'm a very fair person who accepts that Coordinators can do what we Naturals can't, and that's why Cagalli has hired you."

Athrun was silent. He wondered how to penetrate the impervious perceptions that Yuna had of Cagalli and him.

He wondered if the best of humane efforts would succeed. And then he wondered whether Yuna was saying something that was unwise, considering that Orb's policies were to maintain Natural-Coordinator relationships in the best way possible.

At the same time though, Athrun understood that what Yuna was saying was probably true. The only reason why Naturals could accept Coordinators was that the latter could contribute to their society. This didn't necessarily mean that all of the Orb society and the Orb Nobles accepted Coordinators in every sense of the word. They didn't have to, not even if this society appreciated Coordinator abilities.

And Yuna was confirming this.

"In Orb, if you think Coordinators are welcome here, you are not wrong. But you are not right to think that the Council of Elders will let any random person, such as yourself, go near to the Orb Princess." Athrun watched as Yuna tapped his fingers irreverently on the surface of the spotless glass. "I don't know how both of you met, and I don't want to know either. I'm not going to lie and say I didn't run a check on you and found nothing. In any case, your details have never mattered at any point."

"Yet you ran a check on my background." Athrun was skeptical.

Yuna stared at him impudently. "Only to ensure you weren't some Coordinator trying to harm my fiancée. Once you were in the clear, all that matters is that you don't overstep the boundaries that no other Coordinator in Orb would dare step over either."

"What boundaries are you referring to?" Athrun said sharply.

He watched as a small smile made its way onto Yuna's face. Had he been led into this situation right from the moment he'd been sent to this office?

"To put it in a crude and highly blunt way," Yuna told him, "You are here to work. You are not to seduce or to misguide her."

"You think that she's not worthy of choosing who she wants to be with?" Athrun said quietly.

"Let's just say that she can be a little naïve at times- especially as to what's good for her and what I need from her. There's the political support she can give me- amongst other things." Yuna's grin was ghoulish. "I've spoken to the Head of the Council of Elders, who of course, is my father's very good friend. He agrees that it would be best if we could marry soon. The last I checked, nobody even knew who you were or where you popped out from- except that you're her bodyguard. So if you continue doing your job, nobody will bother you. You should keep it that way."

Athrun looked defiantly at him. "What if I told you that she wants to be with me?"

Yuna began to laugh until he was bent double with his mirth.

"She's met Coordinators like you her whole life. They- both the Coordinators and Naturals- they looked at her even when she was a mere child of ten." Yuna sat up straighter. "I grew up with her and watched the important visitors all agree that she would become a force they'd reckon with. You think I don't know that men look at her all the time and wonder what it would be like to be near her?" His laugh was scornful. "It didn't take our parents' wills for me to decide that she was the only one who was good enough for me."

Athrun said nothing. It struck him that he knew nothing about Cagalli's childhood and that she'd never offered anything to him about it. Yuna however, seemed to be quite familiar with all that, and it occurred to Athrun that Cagalli must have grown up with this person. A twinge of envy compelled Athrun to look down for fear that he would glare at Yuna Roma Seiran without any good reason to.

"We used to play hide and seek all the time." If Athrun might have expected some kind of sentiment, he found only a goading arrogance in Yuna's voice. "She would run and I would always find her. She would visit every weekend with her father- until I had to leave for my studies abroad. She must have missed me very much, because she ran away from home. She was very fond of me, I can assure you. Still is."

Athrun wondered why Cagalli had never told him much about her childhood. He wondered if he ought to ask her to- then decided not to make a note of it. If he was unwilling to say anything about his childhood for fear of remembering his father, then it didn't seem fair to ask Cagalli to talk about hers.

"What a very pretty child she was," Yuna sighed. "And in some ways, she's still a child, isn't she?" He looked at Athrun poisonously. "She needs to be guided to do what's best for her."

Yuna tapped his fingers fondly on the table.

"That golden hair and eyes of hers is rather fetching. I used to comb it all the time when we were children before she had it cut. Such a pity- I wonder if she knows how much I miss those braids."

"I wonder." Athrun muttered drily.

"And she does have a very nice smile." Yuna said pompously, almost as if Cagalli had regularly bestowed it on him. Well actually, Athrun wasn't sure and he felt himself feel slightly put-off. "It could work magic on the adults. My parents love her as if she was their child too. They always gave her dresses and candies to eat- they've always seen her as their daughter, which definitely appealed to Lord Uzumi." Yuna looked condescendingly at Athrun. "Cagalli was the apple of his eye, you know. He wouldn't want just anyone near his darling child."

From what Yuna was saying, Athrun inferred that she had probably grown up privileged, admired, and perhaps even spoilt. But he was aware that Yuna was showing off insider information that Athrun had never really gotten access to, and Athrun was aware that the information was rather important in many ways.

"And let me tell you something else, Alex. I was glad that I returned to Orb to take my place as a Seiran Emir, although the First War was about to break out and I could have spent my time in Paris." Yuna leaned forward slightly. "Because I thought I'd meet her again. You can imagine my disappointment when I found she'd run off to some desert and become some resistance fighter. That face and that golden hair- that power- that loveliness- on the likes of some random resistance!" His eyes glinted in disapproval and disgust.

Athrun didn't have the heart to inform Yuna that if Fate had been anymore complicated, Athrun might have well been in the same place as Yuna's fiancée even if they'd been enemies at that time. The same desert was a place that Zaft had been pitted against the Desert Dawn.

Yuna stared at Athrun. "But she's returned now. And that's why I'm not letting her get away ever again."

"What if she doesn't want to be with you?"

Yuna stood up. There was anger in his face at Athrun's boldness- especially since he thought that this was coming from a lowly bodyguard. He had ceased to grasp a very simple concept that negated who and wherever Athrun was from, and it was clear in his words.

"That's impossible. Someone like you shouldn't be stopped from wanting to be near her- there are plenty of others like you and all of you can't be helped. But even if you and a hundred other people want to be near her, I'm the only man that deserves to be with her."

Even when Athrun stood to leave, skipping the customary bow he owed to his superiors, he knew why he had never trusted Yuna.

It wasn't only that Yuna was a schmuck. Athrun could deal with those. It certainly wasn't the sole issue that Yuna was a bastard- Athrun could ignore him easily if Yuna was merely that. It wasn't even that Yuna was Cagalli's lawful fiancé- Athrun could put that out of his mind if he wanted to. He'd already done that, in some ways.

What plagued his mind was more than all these.

It was that Yuna ultimately loved her even if for the wrong reasons, and could rightfully do so.

---

Hours before Athrun had returned to the manor and set his plans in motion, he'd made a deal with Yzak. Greyfriars' orders rang in his head, as did the Numbers' instructions. But Athrun would not accept that.

He might have gone to see Cagalli immediately. Epstein had informed him that she had tired herself out and was sleeping. But Athrun could not simply kiss her goodbye and endanger her even if it was the nature of his orders from the Numbers.

Instead, he had entered his office, locking the door and making a call. As the line had connected to Seven's office, Athrun had prepared himself to ask the impossible once more.

"I want you to convince the Numbers that she shouldn't be handed over to the terrorist." Athrun had told Seven. "She has to be brought to safety."

"Where?" Yzak had said caustically.

While Athrun could only hear Yzak's altered voice, Athrun knew the acid dripped with every syllable. As a general rule, Yzak did not take kindly to insubordination, let alone the degree that Athrun had exhibited.

"Try sending her back to Orb instead of passing her to Greyfriars as he has asked." Yzak muttered. "You know as well as I do that he's got people back there waiting for her to return. It only takes one of his followers to slit her throat if you disobey him and send her back there."

"Let me bring her somewhere else then." Athrun's voice had been steady even though his hands were shaking. "I can't possibly pass her to Greyfriars so that she can be used in a trade with Harraldsson."

Yzak's answer had came after a pause. "I can't do that, Athrun."

"Why?" Athrun had demanded. "You mean the Numbers don't care if she lives or dies?"

"I'll tell you the truth if you don't already know it, Athrun." The voice had been very brusque. "The subject must be removed. The subject's outlived her usefulness, as have the terrorists. They will eliminate each other, and your job is to enable that."

"I should have known." Athrun had been unable to keep the anger from his voice. "The Numbers were always using her as a pawn. She's not the subject, Yzak! She ceased to be simply that for me ever since I saw her again!"

"But you did know what she was brought to the Isle for. All along, you knew what her role was." Yzak's tone had been cold. "You knew we were using her as a pawn. You allowed us to use her as a pawn."

And it was true, as Yzak had said. At the heart of it, Athrun knew exactly why the Numbers had bothered preserving Cagalli Yula Atha's life.

He had heard Yzak sigh at the other side. "I think you know exactly why the Numbers didn't want her to be killed on the SS Rafael."

If she had died in Scandinavia, a war would break out between Orb and Scandinavia and embroil Plant in it. The Isle's operations might have been exposed during the potential war, and the Intelligence Council certainly did not want that. Most of Plant's society and certainly the Earth Alliance did not know there was this operation going on and the Numbers wanted to maintain status quo.

These had been important reasons as to why Cagalli's death had been prevented.

"But you should know that there had were even more crucial reasons as to why her six-month stay ensued." Yzak had said softly. "The real reason was because the Numbers had already wanted to get rid of the terrorists by then. We found that she could be used."

All the information that Plant needed had long been milked out of the terrorists through their intelligencer. They were now unnecessary complications in Plant's operations. Besides, the terrorists had already provided the distraction and scuffle while Rune Estragon had taken Cagalli Yula Atha back the Isle.

More than that, they'd taken the blame for everything quite readily, since they'd been convinced by Rune Estragon that the only way for their cause to succeed was for their existence to be acknowledged and publicized.

Up to that point, Greyfriars and his followers still believed that the Danish had been sent to the Plants through a useful contact and fellow sympathizer. For them, Rune Estragon was basically a businessman.

Athrun did not have to be afraid of implication. He was ultimately an intelligencer, and Plant would intercede for him. Even if Rune Estragon had planned the kidnap and had harbored the Orb Princess, the Plants would step forward and speak up for him, accepting his actions as their instructions. Medical evidence would be given to show that Cagalli had required six months to heal from her long-standing chest injury.

The terrorists however, had to be settled.

"We left them back at the Isle only because we had no other choice. We don't want them in the Plants- they're not like the other Halfs or Coordinators. They might subvert our society."

"So you don't mind that they've contacted Harraldsson and are planning to make a trade with her as the pawn?"

"The Numbers know that they are using her as their ticket into the palace. The condition for them to be granted an audience with Harraldsson is that they bring her into the palace." Yzak had confirmed.

"You realize that they are going to try and open fire on Harraldsson and his guards, don't you?" Athrun's voice was agitated.

"Of course."

"Then Cagalli might be injured in it! If Harraldsson doesn't kill her himself, she'd probably be caught in the crossfire!" Athrun's eyes had widened. "Or- or is that the Numbers' wish?"

"The Orb Princess-," Yzak had trailed off. "I'm not going to lie and say you had no part to play in her fate."

"What do you mean?" Athrun had demanded. "Didn't you promise me that she wouldn't be harmed?"

"I did." Yzak had replied quietly. "But that was assuming you kept to your side of the promise. You already knew why we were keeping her for six months even after she'd recovered."

As the Numbers had told Athrun, so long as Cagalli Yula Atha was still missing in Scandinavia, the unwanted terrorists on their Isle could be removed. Athrun knew exactly how the Numbers were going to use her.

As long as Cagalli Yula Atha wasn't found, the terrorists would be blamed by both Orb and Scandinavia. Her presence on the Isle would ultimately create a scapegoat for Plant's purposes.

At the same time, the Intelligence Council was not careless enough to know that Orb could possibly find the Isle in the attempt to find Cagalli. To protect as many as they could, the Halfs had been shuttled to the Plants, along with the original asylum-seekers who were willing to leave their long-time holiday resort. The latter group were made of very few individuals- trials awaited them if they stepped out of the Isle. Overall, the option of escaping a war directly at the Isle was available, although few took it.

Athrun had agreed to his role in bringing Cagalli to the Isle and making her stay. The master plan was that she would be kept from knowing anything until six months were up. On the day of the dateline, Rune Estragon would hand her over to Greyfriars while setting a trap. On that same day, Orb would enter Scandinavia and see that the terrorists had always been the culprits.

That way, a war would be avoided, and Cagalli Yula Atha would go home safely. Better yet, the terrorists would be apprehended without the Isle and its secrets being discovered. Nobody would breathe a word about the Isle or even know its location.

Once Orb had proof that the terrorists were the culprits, it would surely find a way to execute the terrorists through the Galactic Court. The Numbers would never have to deal with the people they didn't want to take care of.

Besides, the terrorists knew nothing about Plant's operations aside from their giving pockets of Danish an asylum within Scandinavia. The terrorists didn't even know that the people being persecuted weren't targeted for being Danish but for their being of Coordinator descent. The terrorists would never breathe a word about this for the sake of their loved ones, and they would not be able to shift the blame to an Intelligence Council they knew nothing of.

All he would have to do, as the Numbers had promised, was to make sure that Cagalli stayed there for no more and no less than six months. He would only have to keep her safe from the terrorists, and never let her find out anything about their operations. In return, they would give him the freedom he'd demanded a long time ago, and they'd cover up for him, as the other intelligencers would be covered up for.

"You agreed to it." Yzak had repeated. His voice had rang with finality.

Athrun had always known that the Numbers were using Cagalli as a pawn by making her stay for six months. He had agreed to it even though she might have been brought back to Orb safely and more quickly. At the time when he'd agreed to making her stay for six months, he had been planning to take her and escape the night he met her. When that had fallen through because of her injury, he'd been trapped in the Numbers' plans instead.

"Truthfully, Athrun," Yzak had said quietly. "I suspected that you might defect. I thought it was possible that you might take her and leave Scandinavia and the operation."

Athrun had closed his eyes. "That was my plan. But she got injured and I had to come back to the Isle."

"You could have helped her escape to Orb after she woke up." Yzak had pointed out. "But you didn't."

But they both knew why Athrun had kept her there. He could not allow her to leave after meeting her again. Even if only for six months, Athrun wanted to be with her. He had done something so selfish as to want her by his side, all while pretending to follow his orders. And in doing so, he had ruined what he might have received for following his instructions, his comrades and even Cagalli.

"That's why I can't risk Cagalli being handed over to them," Athrun had pleaded desperately, "I kept her here."

"You were following your orders." Yzak had said firmly.

"Only because those coincided with my intent!" Athrun had cried. "I am responsible for her safety, Yzak!"

"Not as an intelligencer- your duty is to the Numbers." Yzak had said stiffly.

"I am not merely her caregiver." Athrun had said, his voice tight with anger. "She is as good as a part of me. Greyfriars is intent on trading her to Harraldsson in exchange for Denmark's independence. That is certain death for her at Harraldsson's hands."

"Your orders from the Numbers are to do as Greyfriars wants." Yzak had reminded him. "Harraldsson won't dare to kill her with the dateline so near."

"Yzak!" Athrun's voice had grown with disbelief. "The Numbers know that he's a madman- he's always wanted a war with Orb! That's why he agreed to the ultimatum the Galactic Courts imposed! He's been planning to let the dateline pass, and he'll never produce the Orb Princess or explain why she went missing! You can't pass her to him!"

Yzak had sounded tired. "I know. But she knows more than she should, Athrun."

"Are the Numbers trying to get rid of people who know that the Isle exists for Plant's purposes?" Athrun had demanded. "Is that why I've been ordered to send her to her death? If it's the terrorists, I think you have good reason to. But Cagalli is innocent! Her knowledge that the Isle houses Coordinators that Plant gave refuge to before the First War isn't her own fault!"

Yzak's tone had been accusatory. "It was yours. You didn't fulfil your side of the plans, Athrun. You let her know about the Isle. You told her what you were doing here, and you endangered her by giving her that information."

Athrun had fallen silent.

"That's why I kept reminding you not to let her know anything. If she didn't know what the Numbers and Eyes do on this Isle and why this Isle even exists, the Numbers would be less enthusiastic about letting her perish along with the terrorists and Harraldsson. "

Athrun had covered his face with his hands. "I never thought-,"

When she'd found the basement and seen the similarities of his actions with his father's plans for Genesis, she'd accused him of betraying her by bringing her to the Isle. He hadn't wanted to tell her the truth. But more than that, he didn't want her to distrust him any longer.

"I only told her about the original refugees," Athrun had begged. "Not the Halfs, or Harraldsson, or even Erik."

"It's enough for the Numbers." Yzak had said unhappily. "I haven't told anyone of what I know about your relationship with her. But if they knew that you have actually established that relationship with her, that would be just one more reason to ensure she is involved in a scuffle between Greyfriars and Harralsson."

Athrun had been silent.

"More than that, Athrun, your action of forming a relationship with her is a matter of great seriousness, because that was not part of the scope of duty you were permitted to carry out. If she lets this matter get out, you're dead meat."

Athrun had recalled the implications. It would look like Plant was trying to use its intelligencer to seduce the Princess just to get involved when it was supposed to be neutral.

"So you think I should give her up and let her die with our secret?" Athrun had demanded. "You think she'll betray me?"

Yzak had avoided that. "I'm quite sure that she wouldn't say what her relationship with you was, since it doesn't make sense for someone in her position."

Athrun had thought of a portrait that hung richly, framed with gold and aged with an eternal truth in its depiction. He had held back his hurt and listened as Yzak made a sound of discontentment.

"But as long as there's another secret, it makes her more dangerous."

His superior had showed no emotion. "Why do you think I was always so adamant that you remove yourself emotionally from her? On one level, I was afraid that you would grow too close to her and endanger the mission. But more than that, I was afraid that you would tell her what you were doing on the Isle. With that knowledge, she has become someone the Numbers are forced to remove."

"I'm sorry." Athrun whispered.

And Yzak had sounded very sad. "You brought it upon her, Athrun. There is no other way to shift the blame. You were the one who lost control over yourself and you were the one who told her anything at all."

Subsequently, it had taken all of Athrun's pride as an exchange for what he'd finally made Yzak agree to.

The first thing that Yzak had made Athrun promise was that Cagalli would know nothing more of the Numbers' operation within and outside the Isle, let alone Harraldsson's role in all the events that had happened.

Of course, Athrun hadn't needed Yzak to tell him to do that- common sense had told Athrun what he simply could not risk. If he'd told Cagalli that the Coordinators and Halfs were being neutralized in Scandinavia, in particular Denmark, there'd be no end to her wanting to confront Harraldsson.

There were other things that Yzak had made Athrun promise to fulfil as well, and in exchange, Yzak had promised to get Kira into Scandinavia as best as he could, amongst other things.

And that was why Athrun knew he could never stay with Cagalli and have her love him completely in the hours that passed after that. After he'd made her eat and had taken her consciousness, he'd changed her into a set of comfortable, warm clothing.

Moving her to the yacht hadn't taken much effort at all, and nobody had seen him except the puppy Alita, who'd been sleeping in the passageway. The dog had raised her head, mournful and silent as if she knew what was to happen. And Athrun had wondered if Ko would blame him for not letting Ko say goodbye to Cagalli.

In the cabin, he had watched her sleeping. She had looked peaceful at first glance, but there was that grip of her hands against the sheets. Athrun might have fooled himself into thinking that Cagalli could return to Orb unscathed if he followed what the Security Council had ordered for the Eyes to do. He might have told himself that it was unlikely that Greyfriars had long planted people in Orb to harm Cagalli upon her arrival.

And when she awoke and demanded that he stay with her, he had been tempted to. He had been tempted enough to make a promise that he knew he would break.

He might have held her in his arms and stubbornly shut off the world forever. He might have fooled himself into thinking that he could somehow escape with her, never mind that Greyfriars was demanding that Rune Estragon produce her.

But it wasn't fair to those on the Isle. If he'd stayed and fled with her, there would have been nothing to hold back Greyfriars. Greyfriars would realize that Rune Estragon had betrayed him and would have taken his revenge on the aides and the defenseless Ko that Athrun had recognized as his family. The Eyes would not be able to protect the aides without a direct order from the Numbers, and the Numbers would probably sacrifice the aides to keep the operation from being discovered.

Nor could Athrun tell her what he was planning and force her to share his burden. Cagalli had lived most of her life knowing too much, doing too much and fearing too many things, it wasn't right to tell her everything that he carried in silence everyday. He had tried to keep her safe for all this time; even caged her against her will. Maybe he'd done too much.

He'd watched her sleeping, tired out from their conflict and their resolution. And Athrun had known as she stirred slightly that the latest dosage that he'd injected into her would wear out soon. At that time, he'd known that her waking up would be in a matter of minutes. Barnett had timed it for him- she'd timed everything perfectly.

And Athrun knew what was the only way to make Cagalli go to a place. Only by pushing her away from it, would she go. And that was where Kira would step in.

As he'd gazed at her features for what might have been the last time, Athrun finally grasped what Yzak had meant when he'd told Athrun that a bird in the hand was better than two in the bush.

If they both fled, Athrun could not guarantee his life, let alone her safety. But if he turned back and forced her to go ahead, she would be safe.

This bird was free to go now.

---

Evening had fallen in Sweden and Kira was besides himself in desperation.

"Why hasn't anyone contacted us yet?" He hissed to the captain. With their outfits and the large jug of beer Kira was using as a prop, it seemed unlikely that anyone took notice of the two men as they moved out of the cavern.

The captain looked nervously at him, both of them walking faster than the normal person here at the market place. The night had fallen a few minutes ago and very few people were hanging around now. But this did not make Cagalli easier to spot and Kira had a sneaking suspicion that she'd either never arrived or that she'd somehow slipped past them.

Kira bit back his frustration, pouring the beer into a drain along the way. The crowds had thinned at the marketplace, since people had left in favour of their homes or bars to hide from the bitter cold that was creeping into the air.

He prayed she would be safe. Surely, she'd have some kind of clothing to keep her warm? If they didn't hurry and find her, the Orb troops outside Sweden would demand that Sweden let them enter. The dateline would be just two days from now once the dawn arrived.

He checked his watch. It was eight-twenty and the soldiers undercover hadn't seen anyone who might have been Cagalli Yula Atha. Frankly, Kira wondered if this was a fool's mission- the soldiers were probably looking out for someone cloaked in grandeur- someone who looked exactly like what they imagined to be the Orb Princess. In other words, she might have been possibly bedraggled, worn down and probably even exhausted or thinner than anyone could remember, and they might not have recognized her at all.

That was a probable explanation as to why the soldiers had been combing the only entry port into Sweden for hours and had not reported anything of good news to Kira. What they'd reported had been mostly that there were the High King's roya guards circling the area. It didn't take a super Coordinator to know what they were looking out for either. Still, the royal guards' presences suggested they hadn't found Cagalli either.

"Perhaps," The captain muttered to Kira, "The tip-off you received was a false one."

Kira wondered if he'd been fooled. For a harrowing moment, he wondered if he'd been tricked, either by Athrun or by someone else who'd known that Kira would suspect the letter-sender to be Athrun when it was not.

But surely, it couldn't be anyone else except Athrun?

He closed his eyes, recalling the seal that had come with the last letter. If a mirror had revealed the precious letters' seals to feature Cagalli' name, then this one had featured numbers. Numbers that even Shinn did not understand; numbers on the seal of the last letter- the numbers that only Kira and someone else knew the origin of.

If one were to take apart a mechanical bird in Kira's house that had stopped moving for a long time, the year it had been made and presented would be immediately apparent in one of its key joints, as was the giver's identity.

In his pocket, Kira fingered the letter's edges. It had to be Athrun. Nobody else would know those numbers. And it couldn't be that Athrun would fake a letter begging him to send the troops undercover to Sweden to find Cagalli. Athrun did not have it in him to harm his friend or a woman he'd once loved very deeply. Nobody except Athrun would allow Cagalli to send letters back to Kira- no kind of captor would be so merciful or perhaps even foolish.

At least, Kira tried to assure himself of this.

He tried recounting the instructions that Athrun had enclosed. Kira had done everything, hadn't he? He'd brought the troops here, undercover. He'd arranged for the whole town area to be teeming with these soldiers, looking out for her. The letter-writer had assured Kira that she'd be here by five in the evening, and Kira had been here at four. But now, there was nothing reassuring him that the letter-writer did know what Cagalli was up to and where she was.

"Why would she be here?" The captain was muttering. "Why here, of all places?"

Kira didn't know why. But he couldn't keep waiting, could he?

He lifted his sleeve, speaking into the walkie-talkie hidden within it. "Expand the radius. Even if you have to comb every corner, do it. We must find her."

---

As she approached the gates, Cagalli realized the irony of the situation. The first time she had sought an audience with Pietre Harraldsson, she couldn't have cared less about her appearance.

Currently though, she panicked, trying to neaten the stray hairs and trying to straighten the clothes she was wearing.

It had rained a little along the way and it was as good as snowing, thanks to the chill of the temperatures. In an effort to stay as dry as she could, Cagalli had used the cloak she'd found folded in her pocket, along with its hood. The ice was gathering on the trees although it wasn't exactly snow yet, and she struggled forward, exhausted by her journey.

'Just a little more,' She told herself firmly. 'Once I seek an audience with Pietre, he'll surely agree to send his guards to find Kira and prevent Greyfriars from harming him."

The guards at the gate were staring at what must have looked like a beggar approaching. They looked dangerous, with large guns they balanced expertly in their arms and rather formidable dark suits and heavy coats for the winter chill. Each was at least two heads taller than her, and Cagalli was no more aware of her small frame than at this moment.

"I need help," She called out shakily, struggling towards them as her feet trudged miserably in the ice. The weather had turned colder as night had approached, and the ground was becoming peppered with thin ice. "I need to see your Crown Prince."

Naturally, there was nobody in the radius of at least ten meters. Unmistakably, the gates of the estate were extremely high with dangerous looking ends at the posts to warn thieves not to try at all. As Cagalli crept nearer, the four sentries began saying something that she could only shake her head numbly to.

"I don't understand," She said helplessly, shaking her head over and over again. Simultaneously, she opened her palms, showing that she had no weapon, bringing her hood down to reveal her face. "I'm the Orb Princess."

Cagalli watched recognition flash across their faces. There was a mixture of unsureness and surprise too, and they launched into a rapid conversation amongst themselves that she understood nothing of. But she was sure of one thing.

They had heard the word 'Orb' and they'd seen enough of her features to identify her. Without another word, the nearest one extended his hand hesitantly towards her.

Relief welling up in her, she took it, letting him drop to his knee and kiss her hand. The others were bowing too. And shivering in the cold but thanking her luck for bringing her this far, Cagalli found herself being led in through the gates.

"Bring me to your Crown Prince, Pietre Harraldsson." She said shakily, her teeth chattering with the chill. The trees that lined the estate seemed to shroud the place in a growing darkness and she half-wished she was with a friendly face or with a familiar person. All the same, she assured herself, Pietre would act according to what she requested. He would help her.

As they moved into a grand hallway, she noticed a familiar painting that she'd seen on the SS Rafael- one that featured a unicorn being butchered. Laughing nervously as she was guided along, they moved down two corridors and to the base of a very large staircase. At the same time, Cagalli noted that her reflection on the marble floor revealed a crumpled looking person- herself.

There didn't seem to be anybody around in this palace except more guards. There was one at every doorway and she wondered if Pietre didn't know how else to get rid of them. Cagalli had faced the same problem with her own bodyguards, until she'd taken steps to cut down the sheer number of those assigned to her to a grand total of none.

The place looked almost frosted by icicles, with its grand, unlit chandeliers and pale blue furnishings. There was luxury everywhere- the champagne upholstery and the crystal vases with white roses in it. It seemed mostly empty if one thought of the guards as furniture- there didn't even seem to be a single kitchen maid.

As she moved up the staircase, the four bodyguards still guarding her, Cagalli turned to them smilingly. "Thank you for your help."

They looked at her gravely, and she did not know why they looked at her with some fear and some apprehension. Were they expecting her to be some kind of witch, she wondered? Or were they unsure as to whether she was truly the Orb Princess? She had disappeared for quite some time, for sure.

But she had no time to pause and to think further, for she was in front of a large pair of doors with ornate brass handles. One guard knocked at the door and what she recognized to be Pietre's voice rang out.

It must have been an affirmative to enter, for the doors were opened and she stood there, a small, limp figure, staring into the massive room that Pietre Harraldsson must have been resting in.

With a great relief and gratefulness in her, she strode towards her friend. He was seated near a table, drinking daintily like a young kitten with his pale blond hair gleaming in the firelight. Immediately, she was comforted by his presence and the cheery roar of the fireplace. "Pietre!"

One of the guards was approaching closer, apparently trying to stand between Pietre Harraldsson and Cagalli. But Pietre shook his head, warning the man to stay away.

"Stay downstairs." Harraldsson ordered. "All of you. This is an audience between the Orb Princess and myself. Nobody is to be here but both of us. She must feel safe."

The guards bowed and she turned around, watching them vanish as they shut the doors. Her pulse was fast and she was trying to recover from the physical exertion of walking so far and without break.

He got up, a warm, gentle smile extending on his face as she grabbed him in a bear hug. "How did you get here, Cagalli?"

"Long story," She muttered. "But I don't have time."

"You must rest," Pietre insisted. "Come."

Unable to protest, she let herself be led to a corner of his room. A book lay on the fine glass table in the corner, and there was a cup of steaming liquid that he had sipped from, preparing to rest and have an early night. On the same table, a bowl of fruits was the main feature, and he'd probably just cut an apple. A pretty porcelain plate showed the slices of his efforts.

"Well, Cagalli." Pietre said simply, bustling around to fetch another cup and fill it with leaves. "You are a really surprising person." A boyish grin broke out on his face, and she was glad to see friendliness etched out there. "I was expecting you to turn up on one of these days."

"I'll explain everything, I promise." Cagalli assured him, letting him usher her into his seat that he'd occupied previously. She sat down, not bothering to take off her coat, just trying to catch her breath. He moved around, preparing the drink for her that she gulped down without second thought. "But right now, I need your help."

"As the Head of Sweden and therefore the High King of Scandinavia, I promise to do all that I can." He said quietly, with that solemn demeanor she could remember from their first meeting.

Cagalli looked at him with surprise. "High King? You don't mean-,"

He shook his head sadly. "My father died just weeks after you vanished from the Swedish Royal Yacht, Cagalli. He was ill for a long time."

She bowed her head, setting down the empty cup with a great deal of anxiousness. "I'm sorry. Was he sick with worry about the mess of foreign relations?"

Pietre raised her chin lightly with his two hands and kissed her cheek gently. "Don't worry. Even my sister was worried, but it's not your fault. She took ill too- she's recuperating though. Like my father, she has always been frail in health."

"Oh," Cagalli managed. She hadn't kept up with the news that was happening within Sweden, and Athrun had never bothered filling her in on these details too.

But what he had accidentally revealed to her worried Cagalli now.

She gazed at her friend, getting up from the seat. "Pietre, I need your help. My twin, the Orb Proxy, has somehow entered Sweden. I think he's searching for me here. But my kidnappers are also here and they are waiting for him- I overheard that my twin is in danger. I need you to send you troops to protect Kira."

He stared at her. "Kira Yamato is here in Sweden?"

"Yes." Cagalli said softly, trembling for an inexplicable reason. "I think he's trying to find me, but Greyfriars will surely hurt him."

The High King was staring at her still, and his unblinking gaze made her feel more worried than she could afford. At this point, she needed to keep calm and convince to help her. Thus, she proceeded to explain.

"I'm sure you know that the Danish terrorists exist," She said. She clenched her fists. "Their leader is called Greyfrairs. They were trying to kill me that night, Pietre. I escaped- but now they want to harm my brother too."

He moved away and began to pace by the fire. His expression and voice were deeply thoughtful. "Greyfriars, eh?"

"You know that name, don't you?" Cagalli said desperately. "He's dangerous- he'll stop at nothing to further his cause, even if it involves killing schoolchildren! You have to help me, Pietre! Please protect Kira!"

His bare feet made no clear, audible sound on the velvet carpets, but the silence hung heavy and palpable.

"I will, I will." Pietre assured her. "But you must tell me first, Cagalli." He halted, turning around to face her. His expression was stern now.

"Where were you all this time?"

Cagalli bit her lips. "I don't know. I don't know the exact location."

She thought he would finally see how urgent she was and urge his guards to find Kira and guard him. But she saw a flare of anger in Pietre's face and shrank back, wondering what she had said wrong.

"Cagalli," He said quietly, in a deathly calm voice, "Answer me. Where is the place you were brought to?"

"Why does it matter?" Cagalli demanded, getting up from her seat and taking one step forward. Her legs were aching and protesting from the sudden break of rest, but the alarm bells were going off in her head now. "I've told you that I don't know and it's the truth. But why are you so intent on knowing where I was held?"

"I'll tell you then." Pietre muttered.

He sat down on the couch, regarding her with an almost humorous expression.

"It matters because I want you dead by the end of tonight."

She recoiled, unable to trust her ears.

"You heard me correctly." He said calmly, "Your captor works for me."

The silence was only punctuated by the steady chime of the clock. It was nine at night. In his striped pajamas, she felt as if she was supposed to be reading to this child and putting him to sleep. The luxury of the room and the rich, embroidered curtains suggested his heritage, but none of that could detract or disguise her fear now.

"Impossible!" Cagalli hissed. "He'd never let me be handed over to you. I came by myself."

"Now how is it that you don't see what his plans were?" He said simply. "I've told you already. I made a deal with your captor- he's been working with me, and he agreed to hand you over. That's how you ever got to Sweden. How else would I know that you would come here today?"

Cagalli paled, thinking of the surprising carelessness that she thought Athrun had shown. The locks, the lack of security where the bridge-room was concerned. Even the last detail of having her learn how to shoot and how to pilot. Had he planned for her to come here?

"Well, I guessed as much that he learnt how to control you." Pietre said whimsically. "He took so long in handing you over that I was pretty sure you'd caught his eye."

He began to chuckle, as if she'd told him a very good joke. "Cagalli Yula Atha, I don't think you've really understood that I was always planning to let you in! Your captor called me to tell me that you were on your way here! I only had to wait and to station my guards in the town square and near the harbor! How do you think you got into the Winter Palace? I told the guards to let you in the minute you arrived."

"He told you?' Cagalli said, dry-mouthed. "You knew that I would come here?"

He didn't seem to hear her. "Orb must also fall. It allows these people to survive in prosperity. But Scandinavia will not be the same." He glared at her, his eyes filled with a strange hatred. "You will tell me where you were this whole time- I'll get that information from your mouth if I have to destroy you and Orb. Where are the Coordinators and the Halfs?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." She said loudly.

He began to laugh, a horrid, mincing laugh that was half-breathless but half-insane. Harraldsson's eyes so wide and childish that she thought she was mistaken.

"You're lying anyway." She said shakily. "He wouldn't have done anything to hurt me. He brought me to safety in the first place!"

His eyes narrowed. "Where did he bring you?"

"Pietre," She said softly, ignoring his question. "Tell me I'm wrong. You couldn't have planned that kidnap. If you had planned it, you would have known where I was. And the Danish terrorists- how could you be working with them? Scandinavia's been denying their existence for so long. You must have been hurt in that scuffle, right?"

"No, I wasn't involved in that, even if I did strike a deal to have you brought to me quite recently." Pietre said readily. He looked at her, amusement lighting up his innocent, angel's face. "I was delighted when the Danish terrorists kidnapped you though. What better way than to have Orb demand a war with Scandinavia?"

"Why would you want a war with Orb?" Cagalli cried. Her confusion was mounting. "Surely Scandinavia cannot afford the war- you couldn't have planned it. It would have been madness. Tell me the truth, I've been-,"

"I'll tell you why Orb must be destroyed." He spat. "They allow the world to think that Coordinators and Naturals can live together. But all that is dangerous- subversive of natural harmony. One cannot mix the two together."

Her confusion was not clearing up even though the danger was becoming clearer to her instincts. "Didn't you hate those terrorists for killing your brother-in-law? They widowed your sister, Pietre! What you're saying-," She shook her head violently. "It can't be true!"

"I ordered Erik Strumsson's death," Pietre pointed out, almost matter-of-factly. "I paid some guards to kill him. He was in my way you know," He regarded her sagely. "He was always speaking out against my ideas. He was a Coordinator- filthy scum. Freja Magdalena was a fool for marrying a Coordinator."

He began to sob with laughter as he got up from his seat. "Erik Strumsson was poisoning my father against me! That old fool listened to his son-in-law's ideas. But it was ruining Scandinavia! He approved of Coordinators- thought that Scandinavia could be like Orb one day. That old fool was planning to renounce the old ways."

Cagalli drew in a few quick, deep breaths, trying to keep herself calm. Her body seemed frozen in the chair that Harraldsson had brought her to sit in.

"Freja Magdalena too- she opposed me directly even when I became High King. She refused to let me round up the Halfs and Coordinators and appeared at the council meeting. She called all the ministers cowards for not daring to stand up to me. I had to get rid of her." His eyes refocused back onto hers, and she thought of snake eyes. "I'll tell you why I haven't killed you yet, Cagalli."

He folded his hands gently, surveying her as he walked forward, the light from the fire casting a strange glow over him. "When I struck a deal with your captor for him to have you brought here, I wanted you to tell me where the Halfs are."

"Halfs?" The term was unfamiliar to her.

Was Harraldsson referring to the Coordinators that Plant had hidden within Scandinavia? Did Harraldsson want her to tell where those Coordinators were?

Even if they were damned, she would not reveal their location. There were innocent people amongst those Coordinators- people like Sundae and Eshe. But from what he was saying, perhaps the Isle had hidden more than Coordinators and the Danish terrorists that had fled there too?

He was watching her with growing impatience. "Come now- you must have known that Coordinators and Coordinator half-breeds were in the same place as you were in."

"I don't know what you're referring to." Cagalli insisted. "I know there were Danish terrorists in the place I was brought to, but I don't know anything else. I don't even know where the place is!"

"You've been gone for six months," He said softly. "And you didn't even know where you where?"

She tried to stand from her chair and took a stumbling step back. Had Athrun meant to protect that information? He hadn't even told her that those of mixed heritage were at the Isle.

Had Athrun known that Harraldsson was after her life and that information?

"I don't know." Her voice was shaking.

He took a step forward and hit her across her mouth. The force was both unexpected and immense, and she found herself in the chair once more. Cagalli was numbed to the searing pain that spread across her face- numbed by the possible betrayal.

"Don't lie anymore." Pietre raged. "He would never tell me where that place is because he wants to protect the people under him. But you have nothing back in that place- so tell me before I kill you! Where are they?"

Cagalli stared as he grabbed her left hand, paralyzed with shock of him turning on her still. Everything was beginning to fall in place and she understood within that moment.

As Harraldsson had said, Athrun would never tell Pietre where the Isle was, because Athrun had to fulfill his duties for Plant and Zaft.

Athrun had told her that there were Coordinators on the Isle, whose identities had to be protected. But Athrun must have known that there were Halfs there too- Halfs that Pietre Harraldsson wanted to neutralize. And Athrun had not told Cagalli of the Isle's location even while trading her in for something.

Pietre Harraldsson was babbling to himself as he pulled her out of the chair.

"I know many of them escaped me. They are hiding somewhere that I can't find. Someone is protecting them-," He whirled her around, twisting her arm more as she screamed once.

"But I agreed to grant that vermin an audience if you were brought here. You know where it is right? Tell me where!"

"Even if I knew where it was," She shouted through the haze of pain, facing the fire that burned steadily and merrily, consuming the logs. "I wouldn't tell you!"

And Pietre grabbed the fruit knife from the table and held it up to the light. His voice was a satisfied sigh. "It's today, isn't it?"

---

From behind him, Athrun heard Cartesia cry out. It was an awful shriek that did not sound entirely human. She was crumpled on the steps, unconscious from the pain of having been hurt. She'd taken down the guards she had been fighting with before this, and one was dead, slumped over her. She'd cleared the way for Athrun, although he was still having difficulty getting to the top.

Around her, those she had managed to bring down were still moaning and clutching their wounds. She had been unleashed on them like an animal, he though.

Behind him, Laplacia and Epstein were fending off some others.

As Athrun fought to move up the stairs, he had to turn back and fend off those who were trying to prevent him from reaching the top. The fierce hand-to-hand combat was dangerous, and a palace soldier charged at him. Athrun instinctively reached for his knife and stab the man's leg, trying to climb the stairs at the same time.

Another man rushed up to him, trying to yank him back, and Athrun recognized him.

"You're a traitor!" The man hissed. "Greyfriars trusted you- we trusted you- but you let her escape. You must be sorry that he realized that you were going to present her to Harraldsson yourself and earn the credit!"

Athrun did not wait to hear anymore. He kicked his opponent's stomach and drove him out of his way, throwing the man's body down as bullets flew towards him, using the corpse as a human shield. He didn't have the energy to spare with Harraldsson's guards and the terrorists pouring in for the kill.

The terrorists had sought an audience with Harraldsson, and Harraldsson had agreed on the condition that they presented Cagalli Yula Atha to him. To do that, Greyfriars had instructed Rune Estragon to bring her to Greyfriars. Instead, Rune Estragon had sent her directly to Sweden, and Rune Estragon had even led Greyfriars on a merry witch hunt until he'd told Greyfriars that Cagalli was not on the Isle at all, but already in Sweden.

The terrorists had set off for Sweden immediately and Athrun had followed. But upon arriving at Sweden, Athrun had spotted the Orb soldiers still circling the town square and had realized that Cagalli must have somehow evaded them and gone directly to the palace. He'd rushed there with his aides, but so had the terrorists, who'd assumed that Rune Estragon wanted to claim the credit for bringing Cagalli to the palace.

Athrun did not have to look at Greyfriars' followers to know that they were intent on killing the traitor.

He was the traitor.

---

Cagalli found that she could not cry out anymore. Pietre Harraldsson was still holding her arm and she groaned once, knowing it was broken. He looked at her quietly even as he dropped her left arm, aware what the effect would be. The pain in it roared almost visibly but she fought to keep her right arm steady.

She lay on the floor, faint with pain, where he'd thrown her to it. The shock of having him attack her had been enough, but the suddenness of his twisting her arm and stabbing her side had made her realize she could not afford to reason with a madman.

Slowly, she forced herself to sit up, gripping the arm of the chair for support. He was still gripping the knife he'd tried threatening her with, and took a step closer, aiming a kick at her side. The stab wound at her side felt bad- her left hand was near it and the palm was bloody.

As Harraldsson kicked, she tried to dodge it by rolling aside but only managed it partially. She was too weak with exhaustion and the last of her consciousness was fading away. She was near the door, but if she tried turning her back to run, he would surely follow.

Cagalli could not afford to hesitate anymore.

And she slipped her hand into her pocket, bringing out the gun. She could not afford to miss- it was a gun she was used to holding, and she would not let go of it. "I want you to surrender yourself. You'll go to Orb and be tried there."

"You shouldn't be the one making demands here." His face was pale with rage. He must have realized that she was ultimately useless- she had not provided him the information he thought he'd get from her, and he had traded something for it.

"Surrender." Cagalli whispered. "You need to go through the Galactic Court's inquiry.

As she spoke, there was a commotion from below the stairs.

"You're in my stronghold." Harraldsson mocked. "Do you think any one will ever make it up to this very room?"

"I don't know." She said feverishly. "But I'll shoot if you take a step." Her arm was still extended, the gun firm in her right hand.

"If you shoot me," He said calmly. "You will be charged with murder."

"This isn't murder," Cagalli breathed. "This is- this is insurance. I'm going to leave this room- this place- and find Kira myself."

She thought of Athrun with a strange kind of humour in her now. He had taught her so many things.

She coughed and felt her gut on fire, and her vision seemed to blur.

"Don't come any closer." Cagalli whispered. She raised it to his forehead, aiming it there. "Or I'll kill you."

---

Athrun could hardly hear anything as he ran up the massive flight of winding stairs. The entire hallway of the palace was a mess. The terrorists had broken in and were engaged in combat with the royal guards, even while the terrorists were intent on killing Athrun.

The Orb guards must have sense something was amiss, for they had entered the palace and joined in the fighting too. Of course, they were mostly fighting in confusion- the terrorists had just attacked them because they seemed to be support for the royal guards. After all, the Orb soldiers were currently dressed like the terrorists- in normal coats and clothes.

One Orb soldier whipped out a gun from under what seemed to be a fisherman's coat and Athrun saw the man aiming at him. Cursing under his breath, Athrun dodged. He did not want Cagalli blaming him for shooting anyone who'd come to save her.

He was trying to get to the top of the stairs. Cagalli had to be there- he'd heard a scream from there. He sprinted forward, trying to reach Cagalli and Cartesia, who had not made it to the top of the stairs.

Someone flew at him, hurtling down the stair with the advantage of the height, and without thinking, Athrun grabbed a knife from his side and split the man from chest to groin.

He kicked something out of the way, not caring to look, and scrambled towards his aide. When he got to Cartesia, he wished he'd forced her and the other aides to stay behind.

But he was steps away from reaching the room, and gritting his teeth, he left Cartesia there and shot once at the lock. Even before he entered, he knew that Cagalli was within it.

---

If anyone had broken into the room, Cagalli realized, she would have looked like the dangerous one instead. She was someone who looked like an assassin with a gun in her hands, standing in a posture that looked like she was guarding the door, her back turned to it.

And there he was; a boy really; who'd orchestrated unspeakable things but looked as if he should be protected from the knowledge of such horrifying events.

"You monster!" She hissed, with that loathing she would have reserved for someone else. Someone who might not have had Harraldson's beautiful, cherubic face. He took a step forward, the knife still gleaming in his hand. He laughed openly at her.

"I always knew you were an interesting woman, Cagalli." He said smilingly. "The first time I met you on the SS Rafael, I wondered why you would ever believe in Orb and that Coordinators could live with Naturals. But now, I know it's because you are a fool."

He took a step forward and she did as good as her word and began squeezing the trigger. But there was a gush of pain, a choking sound that she detected as her own voice, and she lost consciousness in the same moment that the doors were flung open.

The last she saw was Harraldsson falling towards her.

---

Athrun gazed at Epstein, and his mouth was an open envelope of shock as Epstein lowered the gun. Both Cagalli and Harraldsson were on the floor, and the carpet was stained with a combination of their blood.

"Get her out of here," Athrun ordered. Epstein nodded, keeping his gun and ripping off the gloves he wore to pick Cagalli up. And Athrun hoisted her onto his back with Epstein's help, both of them making their way downstairs.

There were shooting noises everywhere, and Athrun smiled grimly, realizing it was a mini war going on in the hall below. As Epstein moved down the stairs first, Athrun shouted a warning, and Epstein dodged a flying knife in time.

A royal guard ran towards both of them, ready to shoot, but Epstein grabbed a knife from Athrun's side and threw it.

It landed squarely in the man's eye and he fell to the floor.

"Quick," Athrun grunted. "She's in a bad shape."

"So are you." Epstein pointed out. Outweighed by the sheer numbers of those out to kill him, Athrun had suffered a pretty nice bruise on his cheek and forehead and was bleeding from a cut lip. His jacket was ripped and it revealed a nasty gash at his shoulder. He was limping from where someone had managed to shoot his leg.

"Then what are you suggesting?"

Epstein shook his head. "It's safer for me to go down first. There's a long way down the stairs and I'm not sure how many guards are waiting and fighting along the way. I'll give you a signal that it's fine. You stay and wait for me to clear the way."

"You won't be able to manage," Athrun argued. Epstein wasn't in particularly fantastic shape either.

But Epstein held up a hand to quell the protests. "You trained me for this. If I can't last this, I'd be a terrible student. You might consider it what I owe you anyway." He flashed a grin at Athrun and darted off before Athrun could say anymore.

Athrun wasted no time putting Cagalli down and pulling her to a makeshift shelter as they hid behind a pillar on the staircase landing. The landing was wide and a marble balcony hid them horizontally. The pillar would shield them from being spotted. There was still a great deal of noise everywhere and he could hear things falling apart, along with Epstein and probably Laplacia's yells as they fended off people.

He turned towards her, undoing her coat and trying to locate and salvage her wound. But as Athrun prepared to rip a portion of his shirt off, he heard footsteps approaching.

There was a something shoved to the back of his neck, and Athrun froze. But he did not drop his own gun.

Without turning, he knew who it was who'd come up behind him. The only person who could have gotten past Epstein was the person Athrun had instructed Epstein to look out for.

"I give up." He said clearly.

"Good." The voice said. "And that's the way it should have been a long time ago."

Athrun turned around to look at Kira, his gaze steady. "Get her to safety."

Kira's face was beaded in sweat, but his gaze was equally calm. "I will kill you myself if you laid a single finger on her."

Athrun stared at the familiar face and a rueful smile broke on his own.

"Then you ought to kill me now."

---

She thought of Athrun, and the memories of him in her semi-consciousness were awful; mixed in blood and fear when she had watched him kill. But there was still sweat on her skin, the heat of the lust and desire during their sex- all that she could still recall. There was that gaping chasm of emotional hunger in both of them. That had attracted her to him.

Somebody was shouting joyously in the distance and she imagined a child and a dog playing by the shore.

In her palm, she held the gun he'd left behind. She knew how to use it. He'd taught her. There were diamonds on her neck and wrist and she wore a golden dress that felt distinctively familiar.

The smell of salt made her think she was in the sea, bathing and swimming with him. But there was blood at the edges of the smell, and she did not know if it was hers, his or theirs.

They'd lain in bed and she'd teased him, kissing him and touching him but not letting him have his way. He'd begged and she'd bent forward, whispering, "Only if you promise you'll never fight anyone again. Not even when you're being threatened. Not even if there's a war that breaks out again- tell me you won't fight anymore."

He had stared at her. Her plea was very clear, but he could not afford to make the promise. They both sensed it. Instead, he tried to distract her. He ran his hands over her waist even while she sat above him, and his voice was breathless and a quirk of his lips telling her of his amusement. "I don't think that's what we need right now."

"I mean it," Cagalli insisted. She began to get up. "Or we stop here."

"That's pretty tough on me!" He protested, grabbing her hands and pulling her back to him. But he realized how intent she was on getting him to promise. They both knew that he had returned from 'work' with some kind of knife graze the other day. As it was, Athrun didn't want to tell her that he had regular scuffles with Greyfriars' followers and that he'd been a bit careless the other day.

"I don't care," She sang. "You promise me or we'll stop living in sin."

"As it is," Athrun pointed out, "I don't get to eat at normal times anymore, I don't get to sleep until you're done with me- and what's this now? Are you going to make me a monk? No more fighting? What's next? No more meat or booze? No more having sex until one of us faints?"

She laughed, kissing his cheek. "Well, you certainly won't get any unless you promise me." She sobered a little, looking into his eyes and forcing him to be serious too. "Tell me you won't kill anyone if you don't have to. I don't want you running off and finding trouble for yourself again."

"Since when?" Athrun muttered with a hint of a grumble.

Cagalli put her head against his chest. "The way you did in the Second War. I let you run off to fight and I don't think I should have."

Athrun sighed, lifting her up and nodding a little. "Promise."

"Good." She said in satisfaction.

"My payment?" He said with a raised brow, and she laughed.

"I thought you'd forgotten."

He clucked his tongue.

"Don't be silly."

All of that- the most intense of her feelings towards him were melting into what she seemed to be feeding off from the oxygen supply, and she moved her hand and found it comfortingly chained to something. He was kissing her neck and whispering that he wanted her to be safe.

She was reading diaries and she recognized his handwriting. He was nuzzling her and asking about her plans for the future without telling her his. And she was in front of a mirror, his arms holding her- snaked around her, his eyes staring at their reflections.

She was giggling and dancing, kicking somebody in the process. Someone who told her he played the cello.

And she was on her knees, looking at him fearfully, hoping he would not see through her lies as he shifted his fingers through her hair and parted her jaw.

A marmalade cat was on her lap, purring. Her fingers were stained with paint and lilies were blooming in the garden.

Then he was touching her and she was closing her eyes, feeling his tongue rake over her and his fingers move into her- easing and easing until she felt like he'd turned her inside out.

Things were different now. Athrun wasn't her captor; he was alive and real and she had been growing to love him again. But then he'd betrayed her by never letting her too close, never telling her enough. And then he had told her that the six months were over and forced her in a vessel, to be sent back to Orb.

A shot rang out in the darkness.

James Marlin was standing over her.

---

Cagalli woke up with a start and began to cough behind the oxygen mask. So this was what it was like to be drugged. There was that euphoria from being able to breathe in oxygen, having too much oxygen; and what a mess it was.

Someone helped her to sit up, and pulled it off, putting some water to her lips. She drank thirstily, almost gratefully, and then looked up into his smiling face. He had dark circles under his eyes and his face was a bit gaunt, but it suited him still.

"You!"

"Me." Marlin said cheerfully. But there was something older about him- he actually looked above thirty now. That boyish handsomeness, the dark brown, nearly black hair, that dancing dimple, his grey-emerald eyes in his fair-skinned, Dubliner's face was made graver now.

"More water?" He said gently.

"Please." She was nearly coughing, trying to lift her hand but finding it too heavy to cover her mouth as she wheezed quietly. Her mind was sluggish and weak. Where was Athrun?

His coat was on the chair, and her eyes lingered on it, trying to focus as she peered through the glass she was almost choking at. He laughed at her and patted her back, as if she were merely a puppy that had been a bit too greedy.

There was something cautious about him, something too hesitant that she did not understand. And for all his energetic merriment and youthful likeability, he was thirty-four and too old to lie to her.

"What happened?" She said dazedly, trying to pull the needles out of her hand. He made a sound of annoyance and prevented her from doing so. "Where are we?

She blinked stupidly. "Where am I?"

He grinned again, running a hand through his hair awkwardly. "We're in Warsaw. Near my house, actually. We can go there if you want."

"Not too far from Sweden." She said, trying to remember and ignoring the rest of what he was saying. There was a roar of sound in her mind but she found no images to accompany that.

"The Orb vessel they used flew you all the way to Poland while the doctors tended to you on that flight. You were basically shipped out of that damned region." Marlin informed her.

"What happened?" Cagalli demanded.

"We found you, that's what."

Cagalli sat up straighter as he explained.

She half-expected it to be a dream that the Isle did not exist. Athrun Zala had died seven years ago, and Rune Estragon- who was that again? She had been sleeping and Marlin was just a figment of imagination- but no. The roar of pain was not making everything fade out but focus in on the present.

"How long was I out?" Cagalli demanded, in an attempt to shift the focus away from Athrun.

"Only half a day," He said brightly- a little too brightly. "Anesthesia helped. And it's a good thing that Kira has darn good instincts and foresight, because he brought a whole team of doctors along when the Orb Intelligence team entered Scandinavia."

"You might have been stuck in Scandinavia, but Kisaka was very adamant that you fid not stay a moment longer in Sweden. And when he roars, it's quite scary. He's handling all the paperwork now with Aaron."

What was surprising, Cagalli thought, was that there was no doctor or bodyguard around. That could only mean two things- they had been expecting her to awake shortly before this, and that Marlin had been cleared by the bodyguards, whoever they belonged to.

With all she could see before her and the lack of a doctor in the room, Cagalli inferred that she wasn't too badly injured, despite how battered she felt.

He looked at her anxiously. "Do you need a doctor to come in?"

"Not really." She gave him a smile of bravado and turned to everything. "I suppose I'm fine if the doctor isn't here to watch over me in the first place."

"The doctor doesn't always know best," He said grudgingly.

"It's just an arm injury," Cagalli told him, looking and frowning at the heavily bandaged arm that seemed to speak otherwise.

Still, there was just a stab in her side- she could see that her stomach was bandaged. She winced as she moved and felt something pierce through the haze of the painkillers. The only thing she moved successfully were the fingers, which seemed removed from the rest of the bandaged and plastered arm.

Marlin shook his head. "You better not do anything. The doctors say you won't be able to use that arm for at least a month even when they've already given you drugs to quicken the healing. Why don't you take a rest and leave it?"

She blinked, settling back. The anesthesia was still in her system and she felt very, very tired. In fact, Cagalli noted, she felt as if her mind was still hazy and a bit unfocused. So she gazed at Marlin and nodded for him to continue, trying to take in all the details.

"There was blood everywhere and those terrorists were attacking the bodyguards and both parties were chopping each other like trees. In that moment, Orb's undercover troops got into the palace. Nothing's on the telly, because people can't take it when it looks like Orb's gone mad." He looked at her gently. "But you're safe now."

"Wait,' She said bewilderedly, through her sleepy daze. "How could the Orb troops be there? Last I recalled, Scandinavia basically denied Orb all excess. They said their national security would not be insulted by Orb's unfounded accusations."

"Stop," Marlin said slowly, looking at her carefully. "Last you recalled, you say? You knew what was going on all this while?"

Cagalli fought back the blush and the flustered state she felt she was going into. She had made a contract with Athrun for that information, and she was not about to divulge the details of that to Marlin.

"Funny how a kidnapper would inform the person of the world outside." Marlin mused to himself.

"Why's it strange?" She said unsurely. "And what makes you think it was a captor who told me of the world outside?"

"For starters, I would withhold all information from a captive if I were a captor. It makes sense because power comes from information," Marlin said simply. "To weaken the will of the captive, the captor often withholds information until the captive is totally dependant on the captor."

Cagalli drew back a breath. The memories of locked doors and endless hallways and the blindfolds that beckoned darkness returned to her.

He looked at her without sensing the turmoil in her. "Often, the captor releases little bits of relatively useless information to gain the captive's trust."

"Is that so?" Cagalli said, trying to keep her voice light.

Marlin's gaze was searching. "It's a common intimidation tactic- a little more subtle than outward threats but a lot more useful when done properly. The captive often ends up quite cooperative with the captor when psychological warfare is used like that."

"Oh." Cagalli managed, feeling a bit nauseous. Hadn't the information she'd sought led her to more questions and not answers? Hadn't she been led to make more contracts? Had Athrun meant that to happen?

Marlin cast a dark look at her. "You have no idea how worried I was when you suddenly disappeared without a trace."

"I'm sorry." She said in a small voice. "I've made all of you worry. Where's Kira and Aaron?"

"Both have been detained. They're accused of conspiring with terrorists for your kidnap." Marlin said impatiently. "Kira was conveniently around to become the Orb Proxy and Aaron was your schedule planner. Aaron arranged for you to go to Sweden, didn't he?"

Her mouth fell open in her incredulity.

"Aaron Biliensky wanted to stop me from going!" She said in pure fury. "This is getting unreasonable! Who's doing all this accusing?"

He shook his head. "I'll try to explain, so bear with me."

And Cagalli sat up, listening.

"Hours before you awoke, Orb openly accused Plant of sending in Kira Yamato to manipulate the relationship between Orb and the Earth Alliance. At the same time, Orb has accused Scandinavia and the Earth Alliance of attempting to murder you by allowing the Danish terrorists some hiding place within Scandinavia."

"Plant?" She whispered.

"Plant's in the strangest position." Marlin said heavily. "It was considered the mediator before this- exempt from the Galactic Court's questioning. But not anymore. Eileen Kanaver has just admitted that Plant and Zaft always had intelligencers into the region and they were directly involved in your kidnapping, although she maintains the intelligencers brought you to safety."

"Basically," he sighed, "There's a long drawn Galactic court case that will stretch out for a long time."

"Tell me about how they found us." Cagalli said, feeling nauseous.

"Us." He said with a small frown that suddenly made him look less well-tempered. "You mean Athrun Zala?"

She looked around with a startled little movement, as Athrun he would be there and suddenly walk out of a wall. The haze was clearing, and there was urgency budding in her. She knew where that urgency was coming from, and her voice shook. "What's happened to him?"

"For starters, Plant officially declared that Athrun Zala was a certified Zaft intelligencer along with a few others." Marlin shook his head. "He was your primary captor, wasn't he? Orb's accusations of Plant trying to get Orb and the Earth Alliance in a bad relationship were very nicely confirmed. Think of what Plant has to deal with now- I'm not even sure whether the immunity from questioning that Ea and Orb gave will be of use."

"Where is he?" Cagalli demanded.

"Resting." Marlin said smoothly. Too smoothly.

Then gently, almost protectively, he leant forward in his chair and told her, "Athrun Zala's detained in the most guarded jail within Warsaw, so don't worry. He was your captor, wasn't he? He can't harm you anymore."

He was scrutinizing her, and she shrank from his stare. His exceptional care with the mention of Athrun Zala's name suggested that he thought she had been harmed by someone terrible- someone cruel and inhumane. But the man he had in mind was the very man that Cagalli knew she loved.

For now, she kept her thoughts to herself because a strong instinct told her she could not reveal anything about their relationship.

"His followers have been seized as well." Marlin said softly, almost like he was trying to soothe her. "Those amounted to more than fifty of them."

"No!" Cagalli said in terror, forgetting to maintain her silence and secrecy. "No, Athrun's not part of the Danish terrorists-,"

His eyes narrowed suddenly, and she bit back her tongue, realizing that he had picked up that she was on first-name basis with someone he apparently thought was a villain.

"Marlin, I want to get out of here," Cagalli insisted suddenly and more loudly than she intended. She raised her hand in that air to make her point, but it was chained by the tube and needle and her words sounded disconnected. "I don't have anymore time to lose."

"What do you want to do?" Marlin questioned.

"I'm going to declare a severing of ties with Scandinavia!"

She frowned a little, lowering her hand, feeling that the lights were bearing down on her too much with the morphine still in her system. "Unless Harraldsson abdicates in favor of the Princess, of course."

"You can't." Marlin said grimly. "You're not thinking straight, are you, Cagalli?"

Irrationally irritated at how drunk she felt, Cagalli glared at her friend. "Says who? I know what he did, what he was planning and what he nearly accomplished! I don't care that Orb's policy is not to interfere with another countries' politics. He was committing genocide- or he was darn well close to succeeding."

He stared at her warily. "What do you mean?"

Cagalli bit her lips. "He was killing those of mixed Coordinator and Natural heritage, Marlin. The Halfs- he called them."

Marlin's eyebrows raised high into his hairline. "Cagalli, he was a philanthropist- his name jumps to mind when a person says, 'Galactic Peace Prize'."

"That was a lie." She said mutely, willing Marlin to believe her. "He wanted to know where I was being held- he thought the Halfs were being held there too. There are Coordinators there too. I bet he wanted to kill them."

"And who says this?" Marlin said cautiously. "How did you know about this?"

Cagalli shook her head, feeling lost and confused. The promise she had made to Athrun rang in her mind.

And Marlin got to his feet, pushing back his chair with a sound of disbelief. "You're not thinking straight here, Cagalli. I just want to know where you've been and what Athrun Zala told you while holding you captive."

"I know it sounds ridiculous!" She blurted out, her desperation robbing her of the ability to convince her one confidante successfully "But he'd never hurt me! He's working for the Plants! Trust me!"

"Personally," Marlin said wearily, "I can't. Not when even Plant is saying that he ceased to be their intelligencer after instigating you to shoot the High King."

The blood rushed from her face. "They've renounced him?"

"That's right." Marlin nodded. "He has been accused of insubordination, amongst other more serious things. You were in the position to be so close as to put the gun to Harraldsson's head and had the advantage of threatening him. Your bullet went-," He paused, "This near to his heart."

Marlin held up his index and thumb, barely an inch apart. "Surely that wasn't coincidence but planned by someone who had control over you?"

He looked at her with an expression she had never seen before from him- a doubtful one.

"Why?" She demanded. "Why do you think Athrun Zala had control over me and why do you think I was instigated to kill Harraldsson?"

"You say Harraldsson attempted genocide," Marlin said quietly and almost to himself. He stood, walking to the foot of her bed. "That's what you think. But his bodyguards say you rushed into the palace, demanded to be brought to their master, and that you held him captive and shut the door."

She stared at his back, not understanding. "What? What are you talking about, Marlin?" Her eyes narrowed and she felt a roar of pain in her body. "They're all crazy! Don't even get me started on them!"

He whirled around, facing her from where he stood, and there was nothing but grimness in his face. "Crazy you say? I'm not sure if madness can be shared amongst sixty people who are all saying the same thing. I'm going to fill you in Cagalli, so don't interrupt me."

She nodded, feeling as if the world was going out of control while she sat there, helpless and pathetic in bed.

"The first thing you need to know is that Harraldsson's half-dead in a coma." Marlin said harshly.

"There was one that grazed his forehead- nearly entered to his brain. But hear this properly- the first bullet that came near his heart was not part of that machine-gun spray. The rifling marks show that. The only gun that could have done it was a close range bullet and that bullet came from your gun. There was no other gun in that room."

"What?" Cagalli gasped. "I didn't sh-,"

"Look," Marlin said firmly. "All I'm saying is that we've no way of knowing what went on for now. The investigation is still ongoing, by the way. The High King's in a vegetative state and can't testify."

"No," She said angrily, quite forgetting her promise not to interrupt Marlin, "He's a lunatic! He tried to kill me, for Pete's sake! For the record, I didn't even get to shoot at him- I'd fainted by then! He stabbed me in the side!"

"Will that be your defense?" He said evenly, tapping his finger on his elbow as he folded his arms. "Self-defense or defense of others? Or provocation? The last I heard was that you would be prosecuted. You attempted murder of Sweden's and therefore Scandinavia's Head. That is both a violation of civil rights and criminal, and not to mention Galactic law."

Cagalli flinched. "Why did you manage to get in if I'm considered a possible criminal?"

He shrugged. "I'm still playing the part of the love-sick fiancé who must be at his beloved's side for every minute he can. They allow that because I wouldn't have gained power from this even if you had been kidnapped. But I'll be defending you during proceedings."

"No!" Her voice rose as a cry. "I couldn't have shot him- I wasn't even conscious!"

"But you don't have proof or a witness that you were." Marlin shook his head. "The only gun found in the room had your fingerprints on it. Nothing else in there. And from where you were lying, according to the bloodstains you left behind, it would have been a perfect match for the bullet to have hit his heart."

Cagalli stared, her face growing white. "No! This is goddamn ridiculous- I didn't shoot him!"

"No, I don't think so either." Marlin told her brusquely. "I think you were set up, Cagalli. I think Athrun Zala instigated you to shoot Harraldsson. You did charge into Harraldsson's room as the guards said, didn't you?"

"No- they brought me to him in the first place! And no, I haven't been brainwashed!" She said vehemently, trying to push his hands off her shoulders. "Athrun Zala has nothing to do with this!"

But Marlin did not take his hands off, nor did he seem to have heard her. His voice, if anything, grew even softer and because of that, more persuasive.

"Then why did you even go to Sweden?" He questioned. "Shouldn't you have been eager to get back to Orb immediately? And how did you even get away from your kidnappers?"

She paused. "I can't tell you that now. I've got to speak to Athrun first."

"You see?" He said, very frustrated. "I have no idea what the heck went on in these six months, but I'm really beginning to believe that the he brainwashed you. You're even on first-name basis with him! Athrun Zala- son of Patrick Zala, the Patrick Zala! He's got a dubious past, defection and two years during which he apparently disappeared before reappearing during the Second War!"

She didn't bother telling him where Athrun had been. Instead, she came to Athrun's defense with a determination that surprised both her and Marlin. "He's not his father!"

Marlin snorted rudely. "How do you know that? He told you that?"

Cagalli fell silent.

"I thought you'd be more informed about his background," Marlin said with a slight frown. "He worked as your bodyguard for a while, right?"

She swallowed, not saying anything.

He shrugged, misreading her silence. "Or maybe you had too many after the First War- you probably didn't even recognize him or know who he was personally at that time. Well, I can summarize his background, which incidentally, will be part of the argument for our uses."

Her eyes hurt and she knew she was breaking inside. Whatever Marlin chose to say were things she knew- but things articulated from a person who represented a world. A world who did not know Athrun Zala the way she knew him.

"Cagalli," Marlin said sharply. "He was the poster boy for the First War- a talented and rather strapping young man even by Coordinator standards. He was the squadron leader for the elite Zaft team. That drew a lot of admiration from the people and garnered a great deal of support for the war."

"So?" Cagalli said defensively. "That doesn't mean anything!"

"Yes, it does." Marlin cut in. "He wasn't the poster boy for the First War for nothing. He was- and probably is- a very good speaker, who was asked to address both lesser soldiers and civilians and ask them to support Zaft's cause at that time."

Cagalli bit her lips, aware of all this. But obtusely, she looked at Marlin, saying, "So? What else does that mean?"

"He would have learnt how to persuade people even before he joined the war. And during the war, he was being featured a lot, wasn't he? Not just because he was Patrick Zala's son- but because he could potentially be a powerful person in civil service with his talent and his knack for saying things people would believe."

She stared, wondering if he had hit the truth. She thought of Athrun, the yacht, even her ease at entering the palace.

Marlin looked at her directly. "Why do you think he was engaged to Lacus Clyne? Because she was the poster girl for Plant, and their parents knew they would be even more appealing and powerful in a marriage."

"That doesn't mean he brainwashed me, even if he could have." Cagalli said stubbornly.

He reined back his frustration with an amazing control she wished she had.

"Well, I've been reading up on him." Marlin said blandly. "To be prepared for the preliminary questioning that's in three days' time. What I learnt was that he graduated with top honours in his class at the most prestigious Plant university, even if he never completed his post-graduate studies because of the wars."

"He has the ability to persuade, and a reasonably sane person would not let those faculties go to waste- especially when dealing with a woman." Marlin said, in that same, quiet voice. "Women respond better to persuasion than force. It's an established fact, actually. I'll definitely be bringing that up in my argument."

"Maybe," Cagalli said stubbornly. "I don't know. I don't really know what's going on either. But I want to speak to him. Now."

Marlin shook his head wryly. "You can't, you know. For so many obvious reasons."

She nearly bared her teeth at him. "He won't kill me or try to assassinate me. He could have done that six months ago!"

"No," Marlin said easily. "He might not kill you, and chances are, he can't because he's been disarmed, just like all who go to meet you. But he might influence how you testify in court. The possibility is very real. Look, half a billion people claimed that Patrick Zala was the savior of the cosmic era, and I think his son learnt a few tricks from old dad too. Why do you think Plant wanted him in the council so badly? Because he was useful with his influence! Because he's more brilliant than the average talented Coordinator, and mostly they wanted to keep tabs on him too!"

"I wasn't brainwashed, Marlin!" Her voice was getting louder. "Does the fact that Harraldsson's a lunatic and he tried to kill me mean anything? How about the fact that bastard probably killed his own father and imprisoned his sister mean nothing?"

"I don't know." He said softly, tiredly. "There isn't evidence of those accusations. The Swedish Crown Princess is still in a coma. He's joined her in one as well, so you can't get him to admit that even if you are convinced he's a lunatic. And those in the palace, his ministers, his bodyguards, they haven't said anything for anyone to suspect Pieter Harraldsson's loony."

"But he really did try to kill me! These wounds prove it!"

"Yes, that's something on our side. But the trick lies in establishing your relationship with your primary captor." He interrupted, dismissing her 'buts with a quick wave of his hand. "We'll prove you had no reason to kill Harraldsson, and then it'll be written off as a logical self-defense or better yet, a consequence of being deprived of information and being unable to trust almost anyone except the people your captor- Athrun Zala, namely."

Marlin got up, looking very composed. "Harraldsson attacked you because he didn't know better, and if you did shoot, it was in self-defence and because you believed Harraldsson was dangerous from what Athrun Zala told you about him and his attempts at genocide."

"No." Cagalli said firmly. "He didn't brainwash me. I haven't been brainwashed."

He leaned forward, staring at her. "And how do you know that?"

Surely, she was not suffering from some kind of dependency on her captor, and surely, she hadn't shot either. Nor had she been brainwashed. She'd been quite sure that she wanted to confront Harraldsson on what she had been eavesdropping on. She hadn't been brainwashed.

Or had she?

She rubbed her face with her hands, unable to answer Marlin.

She had depended on Athrun, that was for sure. He had been her sole source of information, and she had become close to him for the sake of gaining that.

And through that connection, she had developed an emotional and sexual relationship with her captor- did that mean she was inclined to believe what he told her? Why had someone as careful as him left the door opened for her to hear, unless he wanted her to react to it?"

Still, Cagalli threw aside those doubts. She would not allow herself to doubt Athrun even if the world did.

"Cagalli," He said soothingly, coming towards her and holding her by the shoulders gently. "But before that, let me ask you a few question. Do you know what's the most important thing to defend in this case?"

Cagalli paused, looking up into his face. It was an exceptionally handsome face, she realized, even when she had been used to seeing rather good-looking people in her line. She mulled over the question, and then said slowly, "I don't know anymore."

"Then I'll tell you." Marlin said clearly. "The crucial thing to defend here is your reputation. You must leave this mess with it entirely intact. I've told you already, you can use the case I'm going to build up for you- even you admit that if we argue that you'd been instigated is very plausible."

She looked away, biting her lips. "Who could have shot Harraldsson if it wasn't me?"

Marlin was studying her. "Would it change anything if I told you that Athrun Zala's print were also found on the gun?"

She recoiled, remembering that it had been Athrun's gun in the first place. "No, he couldn't have killed Harraldsson!"

"He's been silent throughout his capture, and only God knows what he's thinking." Marlin revealed. "From witness accounts though, it seems like you were more likely to have shot Harraldsson. Athrun Zala though, might be the culprit. "

They stared at each other, and he found that old familiarity come into him as he surveyed her golden eyes. She looked a little worse for wear with her pale face, but he knew that was very little of what she might have been through. She was staring, determined, as if he were challenging her to a fight.

She rubbed her eyes with the back of her good hand, trying to recall the events.

Marlin seemed to realize she was in a great struggle. He got up and pressed her very tenderly against the pillows, kissing her forehead. She was too tired to say anything; too tired to absorb everything fully. But still, Cagalli wanted to know.

"How did Kira know I was in Sweden anyway?" She murmured.

He looked at her in astonishment. "You didn't send him a letter?"

"Which letter?" She said, looking blankly at him

Marlin looked troubled. "There was a letter that arrived, addressed to Kira Yamato. It divulged the location and rough time you would be in the place you were found, and Kira informed Kisaka of this in private. Kisaka of course, returned to Orb about three days after you went missing in the Baltic sea. Kira was the one who studied the note, found it reliable, and gave the go-ahead. Kira thought you wrote it, just like previous letters."

She bit her lips, not daring to think of Athrun and the crest he'd forged.

He frowned. "I'm wondering now if it was a fake crest that convinced us all that you were communicating with us."

She remained silent.

"Did you draw it out and explain exactly how to recreate the symbols?" Marlin asked steadily. "Did you tell anyone of this crest so the person could make a replica?"

'Yes.' She thought, thinking of the agreement she had with Athrun. He had told her his secrets for it. It had never occurred to her that his past mattered more than her future, but she had asked for those, and he had not refused her in the end.

"No." Cagalli told Marlin, looking down. "I sent those letters myself."

He stared at her for a second more, and she used all her willpower to hold his gaze, knowing it was the most convincing way to lie. It was true then, for he dropped his gaze and turned back to face the wall, sighing.

"So what you're saying." Marlin said grudgingly. "Is that nobody else knew of the seal and its details?"

She thought of Athrun. "Yes."

The truth was that she had something to hide, and at that point, Cagalli felt as if there was some kind of sign on her forehead stating that she had developed a relationship with Athrun Zala as his captive. Uncomfortably, she shifted in the bed.

She felt ill, shaking her head as if she had a migraine, which was probably not too far off from that. The way Athrun had looked at her before he'd left, the way they'd made love before he had told her that she could leave the Isle, the way he'd told her that it was best to forget everything-

"Tell me how you got to Sweden."

Marlin was studying her and Cagalli looked at him and spoke wanly.

"I was brought on a yacht that was headed back to Orb. Athrun Zala was on board for a while, and I overheard him talking to someone about Kira going to Sweden. I thought Kira was in danger. And when he left by means of a rescue boat, I took control of the yacht and steered it to Sweden. I thought I could confirm what I knew with Harraldsson," She said weakly. "I didn't know that Harraldsson was-,"

And Cagalli broke off, shaking her head weakly. She did not know anything anymore.

"When you're a bit better," Marlin said quietly, "I will need to take records of whatever you have just said. As your defense, I need all the help I can get from you."

"What will happen now?" Her eyes were shut because she felt like she had weights attached to her lids.

"Orb's not the only one doing the accusing, that's for sure. Scandinavia's basically saying that, look, Danish terrorists or not, Plant is guilty of planting Athrun Zala in Sweden. They got him to be a terrorist and convinced the other terrorists to kidnap Cagalli Yula Atha. It certainly helps that Athrun Zala's a trained assassin and has been moving in the terrorist circles for a few years now."

"That's not true." Cagalli whispered vehemently, knowing fully well how much of it actually was.

"That's not the only thing Sweden's accusing. It says that Plant conveniently pretended to kick off Kira Yamato but got him into Orb and let him establish a power base in Orb for Plant's benefit."

Her hands trembled and she felt Marlin hold those comfortingly.

"Don't worry though. The accusations against Kira can be cleared quite easily. Athrun Zala's the biggest thing to settle in all of this." Marlin informed her. "He left Orb with a blemished record- had no place to go because he renounced his Plant citizenship but didn't get an Orb one anyway. So Plant reportedly offered him a renewal of citizenship by employing him as an intelligencer between Orb and Scandinavia."

Marlin did not understand that the additional news made her less at ease than ever.

"Marlin, I can defend myself." Her voice became more resolute, even tough she knew she was being a fool. She forced open her eyes to look at him.

"And pray, how?" Marlin said acidly. "Or can you think of a better presentation of the facts in a case that will actually be in your defense?"

"I can defend myself because I'm innocent and I wasn't going to shoot that bastard anyway." Cagalli said brusquely. "And I'm sure Athrun didn't either, and that he didn't do any brainwashing."

"Both your prints are on the gun," He said, losing his patience with her. "Right now, the existing evidence is against you."

"So what?" Cagalli exclaimed. "The truth is that I didn't do it!"

"Well, that's not quite how the court reasons. The court would look at the gun and say, right, here's this set of fingerprints and here's another. Let's start with the woman first. Why would she shoot if she had to? Self-defense? Maybe. But is that so certain when it's this harmless looking young man who's only become the High King so recently? Well, I can get you off the hook completely. We only need to prove you were misguided." Marlin said firmly. "Which I begin to believe is really possible and in fact, the fact of the matter."

"I don't need you to be my defence." She looked at him stubbornly.

He pulled away his hand and nearly shouted then. "You think you can convince them you didn't want to shoot him alone? Without anyone to prove that you haven't been brainwashed? And why the hell are you fending Athrun Zala? If you didn't do it, then he did!"

He paused, trying to modulate his tone, for she was trembling.

"Someone else did it." She said quietly. "Not me. And not Athrun."

"Was there anybody you remember, who was wearing gloves?" He questioned. "And why frame you for it at that point in all the confusion and chaos, as I imagine it to be in a hall with a bunch of terrorists, and loonies? Who could have done it? Not Harraldsson's bodyguards, would it?"

"Maybe the terrorists were more likely," She muttered. "They would have a grudge against him."

"Well, that's my point." Marlin said in satisfaction. "Athrun Zala was working for the terrorists. Even Plant says that- they also say that he lost sight of his duty and who he was really working for."

Cagalli blanched. "How's that possible?"

"Sweden is accusing Plant of blaming their intelligencer to mask Plant's true involvement- that Plant always meant for their intelligencer to control the terrorists and use them against Denmark." Marlin laughed wryly. "At the same time, Plant says that Athrun Zala is not their guy anymore. If he kidnapped the princess with Scandinavia's terrorist guys, that's only because Scandinavia's terrorist guys planned it from the start, and Sweden allowed it to happen."

And Marlin drew in a deep breath. "The bottom line is that Plant has declared that it's got nothing to do with Athrun Zala, the terrorists and the kidnapping. The last I heard, Sweden was insulting Plant and saying that terrorists could not possibly brainwash Athrun Zala, because Athrun Zala is the son of a terrorist-leader anyway. Sweden even mentioned that Plant has made a terrorist a chairman before."

She was staring blankly. "How could Plant do that?"

"The only bunch who is not allowed in this mess is the media." Marlin said wearily. "The Earth Alliance, Orb and Plant media have been prohibited from breathing anything other than the fact that you have been found."

She tried to digest this, and felt a weight in her head that was distinctively painful.

Aloud, Cagalli began to argue in her desperation. "There's a distinction between terrorists. Athrun isn't one. He and some others aren't terrorists, although I'm not clear about their motivations."

He raised an eyebrow. "So they're secretly terrorists, I guess. For now, anyway, you can't differentiate their motivations. And besides, if their actions were the same as the terrorists, then there's no difference in the eyes of the Court- not when it's keen to hang some people and end the affair by blaming those it can get its hands on."

"What do you mean?" She said desperately, thinking of all the people Athrun must have killed in the seven years. Would that be brought against him too?

"Well," He said thoughtfully. "First of all, in court we could establish manslaughter from premeditated murder for different sentences. But for this whole messy case, where international relations and galactic securities are concerned, I suppose there's no point using that tactic. If the terrorists are found guilty of their accused charges, which even include attempting terrorists acts or having the intention to, then there's no point wrangling it as manslaughter or misled killings. A terrorist is a terrorist who gets hanged. The only issue is where he's hanged and who gets to hang him."

"So you're saying that as it is, Athrun's not going to be safe?" Cagalli mumbled, "Even if he killed only in self-defense?"

He couldn't have killed. He'd promised her, hadn't he?

"Oh, don't have to worry about him." Marlin said flippantly. "Worry about yourself first. If they don't admit their motives and establish their premises for kidnapping you, they'll be terrorists. Oh but even if they do, they'll still be terrorists, which means-," He drew a line over his throat.

Cagalli's hands shook even when she clasped them together. She was prepared to write a statement pardoning Athrun's role in her kidnap and bringing her to the Isle involuntarily. But would the courts find some way to show that the statement was invalid? What if the courts dug deeper and realized she was bound to Athrun by emotions and even a physical relationship?

"In a nutshell," Marlin spoke. "All the terrorists are ensured the death penalty by international jurisdiction if found guilty of kidnapping you. That encompasses everyone, terrorist-motivation or not. Athrun Zala's definitely striking down every zone. His silence isn't helping either."

Cagalli felt distinctively sickened.

"How did he treat you?" He asked carefully. "While you were a captive?"

"Very well." She was afraid to say anymore, because she was suddenly reminded about how happy she'd been by his side. Time had stopped then. Now it was flowing again, beyond her control, and Marlin was supposed to be on her side.

"Not even a single incident where any violence was used against you?"

"None." Cagalli said firmly, trying not to think of the incident when Athrun had chained her to the bed and told her he would break her arm if she didn't cooperate.

"Any mind games? Any interrogation?"

"No." She lied, trying not to recall Athrun's withholding of nearly all the information and how he had essentially forced her to tell him of the circumstances in which he had left Orb.

"No effort to intimidate you at all?" He was certainly being very thorough, as his profession had probably demanded of him.

Cagalli bit her lips, discounting all the times Athrun had actually threatened her.

All that was in the past. Athrun hadn't meant that. He couldn't have- he loved her, didn't he? He'd never said it- but he did. He did. He had to.

And frightened, she cast her eyes towards the still pacing Marlin, knowing fully well that a victim of Stockholm's Syndrome would have certainly thought in the same pattern she had just found herself using.

"That's persuasive still." Marlin said quite instantly. "It's precisely because Athrun Zala was so gentle with the captive that the you trusted him."

"Wait-," Cagalli butted in. "So you really think he's the one behind all this?"

"Obviously he is," Marlin said so surely and so confidently that her own belief was shakened for that minute. "And even if he isn't, well-," He shrugged. "The whole purpose of me defending you is to make sure the blame of what's happened doesn't fall on you."

"What's the worst case scenario?" Cagalli whispered.

"That the evidence shows you shot Harraldsson." Marlin told her bluntly. "Which is quite possible as the investigation is going. I'd argue that you were entirely vulnerable and totally dependant on the key instigator of the crime- and that your state of mind was so frail that you were likely to attack anyone you saw. Unfortunately, that person happened to be the High King of Scandinavia."

Cagalli couldn't believe her ears. Had all her appeals been dissolved by the air? "Wait- you mean you don't believe me when I say I didn't shoot Harraldsson? Marlin, I've already said that-,"

"No, no." Marlin interjected immediately. "I believe you. That's why I'm defending you."

"So you're going to lie?" Her voice was sharp.

He looked surprise at her harsh tone. "Am I lying? I'm not, am I? I'm merely presenting the facts in a manner that puts you in the best light."

"What about truth and justice? The right argument?" She argued.

"To use the language of solicitors," Marlin told her bluntly, "The right argument is the winning argument."

"So you're going to blame Athrun Zala for what's happened to Harraldsson?" She said incredulously.

He rumpled his tie and pulled it off impatiently, folding his hands together and surveying her. "Cagalli, I don't have the time to be arguing with my client. When I was still practicing, I'd seen my fair share of self-destructive, quite suicidal clients who basically wanted to go to jail but hired me to defend them. Do you wonder why I became a state prosecutor? It made the job far easier. Anyway, my point was that I never expected you to be one of those crazy clients."

"I'm not trying to be difficult!" Cagalli said, upset by everything and bristling with indignation now. "I just don't see why you need to cook up a story-,"

"Cook up a story?" Marlin said with an equal amount of indignation, "I'm trying to help you here, Cagalli! Now, let's cut this argument short. Listen to the case I'm building up, and tell me if you think the court will buy it. Be objective here." He cast a dark look at how she was staring mutely at him. "And remember I'm still refining it. By the time I'm through and I've cited the relevant cases to back this up, it will be quite airtight."

And Marlin finished with a swig of his tea, staring in disgust at how diluted it was. The bounce was back in his step, and Cagalli understood why he had been so highly sought after in private practice, and so well respected when he had joined the attorney general's chambers. He was brilliant, she thought dazedly. Brilliant, but so dangerous as well.

Her eyes grew wide in her face, and she tried to get up and stand from her bed. He forced her down immediately

"Marlin," She said fearfully. "The clearing of the charges- can't it be done in another way?"

He stared at her.

"If you can come up with a more convincing way, I'll call you God." Marlin looked at her firmly. "Remember that the sooner you clear your charges, the faster the faith in your will be restored for your government. You want that, don't you?"

"It's just my reputation," She said, her eyes flashing defiantly.

He laughed openly. "Oh, come now. The day I was called a rake by some lousy tabloids, I was banned from visiting the old Queen. As if I would seduce her by presenting her with a new set of dentures or something!"

Somehow, his irreverence made her feel slightly more normal, and she tried to smile. But his message was grim, and Cagalli understood her foolishness in undermining the importance of her reputation.

"You of all people should know what reputation means." Marlin told her. "You were the one who initiated the Orb statute conferring most of the media's independence to your government! You know how damaging a spoilt reputation can be. And there's one more thing- you're not in Orb anymore, Cagalli."

She raised her eyes to him, realizing that he was looking at her soberly but with a tenderness that made her feel slightly less alone. He admonished her, but in such a sincere manner that she could not feel grudge towards him but gratefulness instead.

He shook his head slightly. "Try leaving the international courtroom with the smallest doubt left unbanished and your government will let it fester, controlled media or not. You're the Princess of Orb, you're twenty-five going on that dangerous age of twenty-six, and the clause in that particular act will be coming into effect soon. The Orb nobles are expecting you to refuse to marry anyone the council picks, no matter how fantastic he happens to be."

"Think, Cagalli! If you were a minor Orb royal knowing that the current ruler is particularly well-liked by the people such that they would dismiss that act and say that it is obsolete and draconian just to keep Cagalli Yula Atha in her position, what would you do to get her out of your way?"

Cagalli knew the answer.

"You'd bring up a case where doubt of her actions was justified and unaddressed, that's what!" Marlin said vehemently. "Kira and Aaron Biliesnky already thought of that risk, so I was brought in to make it look like you had no problem with that clause. But we know that's just a charade."

She nodded, looking guiltily at him, but he didn't seem to mind having told the world he was her fiancé and having been hounded by the media every day. In that moment, Cagalli grasped what she needed to do. Marlin was her one ally, and she needed to make him understand that she and Athrun were innocent.

"Now look here, Cagalli. I know you better than any person in that courtroom. You aren't keen on being bullied into marriage, that's for sure. When this case ends, no matter what the outcome, you will still be expected to marry- if not at twenty-six, then a few months after that at very latest. As for this case, you are either guilty or innocent."

"If I'm found guilty?" She said fearfully.

"If you are guilty, there will be no better way of putting your reign to an end- an earlier end then it should have been. I suspect those planning to take power in Orb will always have dirt they can dish if you leave any stone unturned in this case. You'll conveniently be posted out somewhere in no time at all."

She turned pale. "But I've been running Orb better than they can ever do! My father didn't have to marry- he adopted- he didn't have to abdicate-,"

Marlin nodded, holding a hand up to pause her. "But Lady Sahaku abdicated in favour of your father for reasons out of her control. She was twenty-six when that particular law had its effect on her. If you are in her situation, with a nicely-stained record, I don't doubt that you'll be be asked to step down."

"My father-," She began to argue.

"Your father reigned in times when Orb was tasting power and fortune. Not that it isn't' now, but your father was an anomaly." He said simply. "You are unlikely to repeat that unconventional bypassing of laws that he did. And he was a man. There is that certain inflexibility when it comes to marriage laws regarding females. You may have forgotten it Cagalli, but you are still a woman at the end of the day."

She fell silent, understanding him. His eyes were looking at her, and she knew what his gaze meant.

"If you refuse to marry, and trust me, I know that's what you're planning to do, you're even less likely to get away with it if you have some stained record the Lyadov House will use against you. And you'll probably become an Orb royal in that case, and we know what that means. You'll be simply moving around in those social circles, living off taxpayers' money and doing your duties as one of the national icons like our dear old English Queen."

"Not if I can help it." Cagalli said fiercely.

Marlin smiled wearily, repeating himself. "You are either entirely innocent or guilty. There is no grey area, and you know that. Not when you are the Head of a country that is unofficially the head of the most of the world, save the Plants. And that is why you need me- that is why you can't leave any doubt in your direction. So we go with this claim."

She looked at him doubtfully, and he said defiantly. "It's not lying, so don't look at me like that."

Her frown grew deeper.

"It's not like you know Athrun Zala very well or anything." Marlin rationalized. "Or any of the terrorists, for that matter. But the fact is that you actually went all the way to Sweden just to meet up with Pietre Harraldsson, equipped with a friggin' gun. You were obviously instigated. Maybe by ways you weren't even conscious of."

"But you don't understand," Cagalli said with a cold dread. Her hands were balling into fists, and her nails were cutting into her palms. Marlin's face was becoming blurred and her lips were trembling.

"Understand what?" He said blankly.

"What if I know Athrun Zala- somewhat? I mean- you know, just slightly and through Kira, but it was seven years ago and I don't really-," Her voice died away.

Marlin stood up and paced. Her meaningless rambling now died down. She could see him thinking very hard. He turned on his heel and looked straight down at her, and she clutched her useless arm, feeling defenseless.

"Cagalli." He said tightly. "Tell me one thing first. Don't you dare deflect this, you hear me?"

She stared at him, fearing what he would say. But the question hung in the air even before he had spoken.

"Who is Athrun Zala to you?"

---

O days.