Heavy Lies The Crown: Chapter Seven

by Starrify

This is why, why we fight, why we lie awake.
When we die, we will die with our arms unbound.
So come to me.

"Open the doors!" Djibiril shouted while still mounted on his white horse, his posture immaculate even as he jumped off. Immediately after his feet touched the ground, two young boys came out and took the saddles of his horse, dragging the steed back to the stables. "Did no one hear me? Open the doors!"

The knight guarding the throne room stepped forward; brave enough to face the irritation of the angry white-haired man. "Lord Djibiril, King Unato has requested a moment with his son, Prince Yuna. He had instructed that we tell you to wait here until he the Prince comes out."

Djibiril sneered at the knight who went back to his post. "Very well then."

It took a couple more minutes, but eventually the purple-haired spoiled brat came out, and Djibiril bowed with feigned respect to the Prince.

"Lord Djibiril, Father expects you in the throne room now," Yuna told him in a disinterested tone. "I suppose you do not want to make him wait much longer?"

"I wouldn't want to anger the King in any way," Djibiril replied and started walking towards the big oak doors. Yuna gave the man a final glare before heading his own way. He never liked the white-haired man, not when he first appeared in his home six years ago, and not now—and he supposed, never, as well.

And of course, Djibiril shared the same feelings towards the Prince. What with his pretentiousness; Djibiril knew that Yuna was in fact a coward underneath his snooty appearance, and that a sword held to his throat would easily make him wet his pants.

With a smirk at the thought of the Seiran heir bawling like the baby that he was, Djibiril walked into the throne room. He went down on one knee and bowed his head, as was what was supposed to be the custom to whoever greeted a royal. But he knew that the usurper was no royal.

"Rise, Lord Djibiril," he heard a haughty voice say, and Djibiril kept his thoughts to himself. "I had been expecting you."

"Good day, King Unato," Djibiril started, standing straight in his place. With his ice blue eyes, he watched the fat, half-bald man take a sip of wine from his chalice. "I come bearing news of the events at Heliopolis Square yesterday."

"And what of it?" Unato asked, adjusting himself on his throne. "The man was willing to burn himself and got those little pieces of paper out. The words were on them, were they not?"

"They were, My King. The Goddess of Victory. The people were running away from the burning plaza, carrying those papers with them."

"Then I assume everything is working according to your plan, Lord Djibiril? Tell me, what is it you wanted to accomplish by throwing small parchments to the citizens? Their mind is still not changed and they do not accept me as King."

"Why, but you are," Djibiril said with a sinister smile. "You are a king, are you not?"

"I am!" Unato answered, sounding intoxicated. "I am King of Orb, a better ruler than that fool Uzumi would have been!"

"And that, I do not doubt, Unato," Djibiril answered informally, bowing his head once more. Raising his head to meet the King's dark eyes, he continued, "You ask what I wanted to accomplish with the man in Heliopolis Square, Your Majesty? To put it simply, the tactics you have been employing these past five years—well, I've found it to be ineffective."

Unato's eyes squinted. "Are you criticizing the plans I've made for Orb?"

Djibiril kept his lips tight. "No, Unato, I would not dare commit lèse majesté by disrespecting you. My apologies if you found offense in it; but let it be known that was not my intention. What I planned to accomplish, again—I wanted the citizens to hope."

"Hope?" the King laughed with ridicule obvious in his tone. Then, he sounded angry, obviously in a drunken stupor. "Hope! That would accomplish nothing! I have told you time and time again, Lord Djibiril, that if there is something to be done, you need power. Fear. That is what you are supposed to give those people otherwise they will oppose you!"

"Contrary to what you believe, Your Majesty, they do not fear opposing you. Every day at least one person is brave enough to knock on the gatehouse of this castle, with nothing but a simple sword in their hand. Of course, he gets knocked down easily and killed by one of my soldiers stationed there. They do not fear you; they fear my army. They stand down because of their fear of what my soldiers can bring."

Unato raised his chalice, and a servant boy ran up to refill the glass with wine. "And what is it that your men bring?"

Djibiril's lips curved upward. "Death." The King raised a brow at this, but continued to consume his wine. Djibiril resumed, "But if there is one thing greater than fear, it is hope. A little is effective, but in great quantities, it's quite dangerous."

"So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that in the next few weeks, we will have to expect more riots. The people will want to demand answers as to why there were papers with the name of their beloved princess who is supposedly dead. They will be more forceful—and as always, my soldiers will hold them back down. Your men are hardly loyal to you, Unato, and I mean that with no offense. It is the truth."

The King dismissed it with a drunken hand, accidentally throwing some of his wine around him. "And so, Djibiril? Your plan—what is it? You give people their hope, and for what?"

"To bring their princess back," Djibiril answered. "Even if that means throwing you off the throne."

He unsheathed his sword from its holster. Unato stood from his throne—still drunk, and two guards brought out their owns swords and stood between him and the steps leading to the high chair for the King.

"I could easily take down the two of you," Djibiril taunted, not putting his sword down. "But why get my hands dirty when I have my own men to dispose of? Sting, Auel!"

The two boys who carried off his horse earlier, burst through the heavy doors, their weapons in hand. Sting, who was good with his bow, aimed at the two other soldiers in the room and within another second, the arrows were in between their eyes. Unato stared, horrified, at the sight of his two men fallen on the ground.

"I told you, Unato, that my men bring death," Djibiril continued to goad at the usurper. "It has been five years since I gave you that throne to sit on! I gave you the army you wanted to bring down the old king and take over Orb! Now, I believe, I should get my end of the bargain. Five years of waiting is far too long, and I want what you promised."

Unato's gaze travelled from the green-haired archer to the white-haired traitor. He was becoming more and more afraid—fearful—of what was going to happen to him, but he knew that if he attempted to escape, he would accept the same fate as his soldiers. Then, he looked solidly into the eyes of Djibiril. "I cannot go into war with Plant for you."

Djibiril's scream resounded in the throne room. "Sting, an arrow to his arm now!"

And an arrow shot through the fat flesh between Unato's right hand and elbow. Unato howled in pain and got on his knees, clutching his right arm with his left hand. Two other soldiers came into the room and held Unato back while Djibiril took slow steps up the stairs to the throne."

"Lock him up in the dungeons," he commanded, the sneer not leaving his face. "Make sure his face sees no light and he gets no food. Let him starve and be desperate enough to drink up rat's piss."

"You cannot!" Unato cried, struggling to escape the grasp of the two younger soldiers while not straining his right forearm too much. His eyes were wide with fear and his voice was desperate. "I am your king!"

Djibiril stopped in front of him and tipped his crown away from his head. It fell with a loud clank onto the ground and he kicked it down the stairs. Then, with a final sneer, he turned around.

"You are no king."

"You are upset, My Prince."

Athrun turned around and saw the pink-haired princess of peace walking towards him with a small smile that didn't quite reach her cheeks. She was not exactly the person he wanted to see, but he welcomed her presence because of his fondness for her, nonetheless. "Just a tad bit tired, Lacus."

Lacus's smile turned into a frown—a facial feature that did not seem nice on her at all. "And I'm afraid I'm to blame for your current fatigue. In fact, you look as though you're coming down with the common flu."

The blue-haired prince attempted to smile, but found that he was too tired to lift the edges of his lips. They were alone in the corridor that led back to his bedroom and Lacus had chased after him after he found out of his father's intentions. Lacus remembered there was quite some shouting involved between the two usually calm Zala men, and the other members of the Supreme Council had vacated the chamber once they could sense the oncoming screaming match. All of them knew that the only one who could get away with such a blatant opposition to what the King said was his son—and Prince Athrun Zala was a force to be reckoned with when the situation called for it.

"A war!" Athrun had boomed, his normally composed self, gone at the news of his father's intentions. "You want to bring a different sort of hostility to a country already facing internal conflicts?"

"I do not expect you to understand!" Patrick had quickly countered, defensive and angry. "You did not fight in the war between Plant and Alliance! You were merely a boy! What would you know about fighting in the real world?"

"I know that a country will suffer more with two simultaneous wars! Orb's monarchy is already in shambles and there is no word of the condition of the people who live there! Aggression towards them would only result in the destruction of the whole nation!"

"Then we would have seized it and won!"

"And for what? To have your revenge on the Alliance? The Alliance is not Orb! The war is over and you and I both know that it will not bring back Mother!"

The council members that were waiting behind the partially opened doors could hear every word between the conversation between the King and his heir. They were all saddened whenever they had the chance to glimpse the rocky relationship between the two remaining members of the Zala house. All of them had personally known the late Queen Lenore and knew that she was what brought the two men together. Now, without her, their relationship was as strained as it could be.

When the Prince stormed out of the council chambers, Siegel put a hand on Lacus's shoulder and gave a simple nod. She nodded back and ran after her childhood friend and supposed fiancé up to the hallway leading to his room. And now that she was standing in front of him, she wasn't exactly sure what to tell him.

I'm sorry, is the first thing that comes to mind. But Lacus knew that Athrun did not like it when people pitied him—especially if it was because of how his dysfunctional his relationship with his father was. But she wasn't sorry because of that. No, she believed that he was a stronger, more independent person because of his estrangement to his father. She was sorry because of her worry for Kira, his best friend, and that led him to chase after a ghost outside of Plant.

So that was what she said.

"There is no need for you to apologize, Lacus," Athrun said, still frowning. "I was concerned for Kira, too."

"I was up at the keep when I spotted Kira," Lacus explained. "It was about three hours after you had left. I ran to the stables, expecting you to be there with him, but you were not yet back in Plant. Kira would not tell me where he had gone, and he left again with no word. I wanted to tell him that you were on the trade route, but he was no longer there when I turned around."

"He seems to have a habit of disappearing more often now," Athrun joked. "You would think that he is hiding a secret from us. A lady from the village, perhaps?"

Then, when he saw that Lacus had tensed at his comment, he hastily amended his words. "I am kidding, Lacus. You and I both know he has eyes for no one else."

And again, Lacus said, "I'm sorry."

"There is really nothing for you to apologize for."

But Lacus was feeling guilty and she regretted the actions Athrun had taken because of the extent of her worry for his best friend. She knew that he was tired from riding out and arguing with the King, his father, upon his return, but she could not stop herself from asking him more questions.

"Athrun, how did you know that Kira wasn't out on the trade route?"

"I didn't," the Prince replied honestly. But he didn't intend to tell her about Cagalli. In fact, he didn't even consider telling Kira, so technically Cagalli was his secret—and the thought of keeping one from his two closest friends frightened and excited him at the same time.

"Oh," Lacus stuttered, unsure of what to say next. "So what are you doing back here?"

"I'm not quite sure myself," was his honest reply—because as far as he knew, he would rather be sitting beside Cagalli's bed, where she was supposedly resting after the doctors she left her with, stabilized her condition. He had left her in the small infirmary in town and since he had exited the small doors and rode back to the castle, his worrying did not stop.

Lacus could see he fell into some sort of daze; he probably had a lot on his mind. "Athrun, I'm really sorry—"

"Lacus, I hope I don't sound rude because you must know how genuine my affection is for you as one of my dearest friends," Athrun said coldly, and inwardly, he flinched at his own tone. "But I'm quite tired. If you insist on apologizing, I will repeatedly tell you that there is no need, and our discussion will end in circles."

The songstress stared at the prince. "Oh, but of course. You should rest, Athrun. I am sorry to have kept you."

Athrun gave her a small smile. "Well, we'll talk again tomorrow morning. Kira had asked for a leave, but if you could find a way to summon him, please do. I would like to meet with him as well."

Lacus curtsied and bowed her head. "Yes, I will see to that. Good day to you then, milord."

"And one to you as well, milady." Athrun nodded and turned around. He was only slightly guilt-ridden by leaving Lacus behind, but he was exhausted; he knew that she understood.

He entered his bedchamber and locked the door behind him. He walked to his bed and sat down on the soft mattress. He unbuttoned his coat and slid off the soft fabric until there was no more cloth covering the flesh of his torso. In the soft light that came from the setting sun, he examined it and saw that there were his sweat stains and her blood stains that covered different areas of the cloth. Taking another deep breath, he took off one boot and let it drop to the floor. Then, the next boot also came off and the thud of the shoe falling to the ground echoed in Athrun's head for a moment.

He stood up and walked the short distance from his bed to his bath, where the still water was waiting for him. Slowly, he dipped his legs into the wooden tub. Soon his whole body was soaked in the lukewarm water and he began to relax, the right temperature soothing his aching muscles. He felt so dead, as if his life was suddenly taken away from him. Athrun wasn't sure if it was the fatigue of riding for so long or if it was the stress that his father was causing, or if it was because Cagalli looked like she was going to die earlier. Had it really been just this morning that he left Aprilius City with great speed, in a supposed pursuit for his friend?

The prince closed his eyes and when he opened them again, he saw the reflection of his emerald eyes looking back at him, in the water. They were the eyes Cagalli said she disliked—they were also his mother's eyes, and he, for a brief period of time, was bitter that she had left him and his father, so he had also disliked seeing those eyes whenever he passed by a mirror. He had hated them, too. But that was once upon a time, years ago, when he thought that he was at fault for what happened to his mother.

His mother had died all those years ago. The memory was as fresh to him as the colors of the flames that took away the life of his mother were bright.

She was dreaming. That, she was sure of, because there was absolutely no way for her to be back in Orb. And in the Athha castle, no less! Cagalli felt like crying at the familiar sight of her childhood home, but knew that she had to hold back the tears—after all, she had promised her father that she would be strong.

She was standing in a hallway—which one, she was unsure of, but she just knew that she was in the Athha castle.

"My Queen!" she heard someone shout the title, and she faced that direction and saw that there was a handmaiden running. The maid ran past her and stopped further down the corridor. Cagalli turned around and saw the maid was now with a regal looking brunette.

"My Queen," the maid panted again, and the woman beside her smiled kindly. "The King Uzumi has returned unharmed from the islands. They were victorious and Orb is at peace once more. Now, he summons you to the Southern court yard. He told me to let you go there unescorted, so I am to leave you once you reach the gates."

This was her mother, Cagalli realized. She had seen her mother's portrait on the Wall of Rulers and Consorts in the Eastern Hall, back when she was younger, but had forgotten what the Queen had actually looked like. Her father had often kept her from seeing the other portraits and she had always thought it was because seeing her face brought too much ache in his heart. Kira was right, though, Cagalli did share the same facial structure as their mother, but Kira was the one who inherited Queen Via's brown hair and purple eyes. Cagalli had often struggled with the thought of not looking like her father in any way, and maybe this was her chance to know why.

"That is very well. I have prayed day and night for His Majesty's safe return, and Haumea had granted my wishes." The smile did not leave Via's face. She seemed like the perfect wife and queen, Cagalli noted, staring intently at her mother. But there was something in her expression that was off—something that gave away her sadness behind the veil of happiness. "I wish to see my children before I go there. Surely, Uzumi is patient enough to not mind waiting a few more minutes."

"If that is what you wish, Your Highness." The maid bowed and followed the Queen as she walked into a different hallway. Cagalli sprinted, chasing after the apparitions of her mother and a handmaiden. Soon enough, they were inside a larger room—which Cagalli recognized as her nursery. She recognized the wooden toys around the room, but noticed the greatest difference: there were two cribs instead of one, and she assumed that she was inside one while the other one carried Kira.

"Please leave me for a moment," Via requested. And the handmaiden nodded and exited the room, closing the door behind her. Cagalli watched as Via walked to the two cribs standing beside each other. Via stood there for about a minute, just staring at the two babies as they gently rolled around in their slumber.

Then, the Queen broke into soft, quiet sobs.

"Kira and Cagalli," she called out, still standing over them. Her shoulders shook as she spoke, and Cagalli didn't know what to feel with her mother's miserable tone. "My children, I am your mother. And I'm afraid that I will never have the joy of seeing or holding you again. I've committed a great treason, but I do not regret what I have done, because otherwise I would not have had both of you…"

Via continued to cry, muttering apologies and regrets under her breath. It went on for a good ten minutes, and when she had turned back around, she looked just as immaculate as when she had entered the room—no tear stains on her cheeks or puffy eyes. There was no sign at all of her earlier despair. She walked out of the room with the dignity of a royal, and Cagalli unconsciously found herself straightening her back as she followed the Queen again.

The path they were taking was unknown to Cagalli. She remembered the maid had mentioned going to the Southern court yard. As far as she knew, that area was closed off until she was around seven, when they cleared the whole area to make it a riding range. Everything about her dream was bizarre, but she could not bring herself to wake.

Once they had reached the court yard itself, Cagalli saw the most beautiful garden she had ever seen—even more beautiful than the ones in the other court yards combined.

"My love," she heard a voice call—and the familiarity of it brought an ache to her heart. It was her father's, and she turned to see the King of Orb, almost twenty years younger. His hair was like ash and his eyes weren't as tired as they were when she was growing up. "I was afraid you would not come."

"I would not miss receiving my husband," Via answered, her kind smile not quite reaching her purple eyes. She walked and went closer to the King. "Our children, they—"

"Via, please." Uzumi sounded tired. "You know the real reason why I summoned you here."

The Queen nodded sadly. He took her hands in his and stared at her fondly—the gaze of a husband who has not seen his wife in months. "I thought you would have taken me to your court."

"I thought I could spare us both of the humiliation," Uzumi confessed, not moving. "But either way, the end result is the same."

"I die in both possible endings," Via said bitterly. Cagalli did not understand what was happening, and she just wanted to run up to both of them and hold them, ask them what she was supposed to do. "At least tell me, my dear, what will happen to our—my children?"

"I am in need of an heir to the throne, so I promise that I will take care of them."

"My Kira will be king one day?"

"If he turns out to be a fine man, then I hope so."

Via continued to smile, though tears were back on her face once more. "Have you seen them? Kira and Cagalli?"

Uzumi's thick eyebrows furrowed. "I could not bring myself to."

"I understand, my dearest husband."

They were walking further and further away, and Cagalli could not move her feet to follow them. Their faces were becoming fainter in the distance, but their their voices were loud and clear in her dream. She could not make sense of their conversation and she was getting as frustrated as she was confused.

"Via Athha, queen consort of Orb," Uzumi formally addressed his wife with a stern look on his face. The air was tense between the King and the Queen, but the gravity of their situation was lost from where Cagalli was. "Do you deny any or all allegations of your treason?"

"I do not."

There was a short, beautiful moment of silence when there were no clouds above and the court yard was filled with the light from the sun. A soft breeze passed by and pulled on the fabric of the Queen's long dress. In the quiet of the day, one could hear the soft echoes of the tweet of the birds and the rustle of the thin branches. There was a certain delicacy in the moment between her parents, and there was something that stirred in her as she watched her parents interact—perhaps it was the knowledge that she had never seen them so sad together.

"Then I'm afraid I must sentence you to your death, my love."

Then, the figures of her parents blurred in Cagalli's sight and everything went black.

Queen Via had died—and the real reason was no where near the stories told by those around Cagalli. No, she didn't die of childbirth or anything like that. She died because she wanted children, which her father—no, he wasn't her real father—which Uzumi could not give her.

"Oh, great; you're awake!"

Cagalli's eyes fluttered open and saw a mob of bright maroon hair framing the face of a girl who looked to be around her age. She further inspected her surroundings and found nothing at all to be familiar to her. She was in a completely foreign place with people she didn't know, she concluded. How did she even get here?

Athrun, her mind answered for her. Athrun was the one who took her away from the forest when he found her with a fever. There wasn't pain shooting from any part of her body, but she did feel the tightly wrapped cloth around her abdomen, so someone must have fixed her up after Athrun brought her somewhere.

"Where—" is he?, she wanted to ask, but instead she stopped when she heard how raspy her voice was.

"You are currently in Februarius City," the other lady chirpily answered.

"Februarius," Cagalli repeated carefully; the red-head nodded. And a moment of realization settled in and she sat up from her bed, horrified. "I'm in Plant?"

"My name is Lunamaria," the girl introduced herself while pushing Cagalli back onto the mattress with a strong hand. "And you're not allowed to get up from bed yet, I'm afraid. The prince specified that you need to get at least half a day's worth of rest even after you wake up."

Cagalli thought of glaring at Lunamaria, but decided against her actions since that would most likely scare her off when the poor girl has done nothing but follow orders. And she was probably the one taking care of her while she was sleeping.

The blonde blinked her eyes again. "How long have I been sleeping?"

"You've been out for about half a week now," Lunamaria replied, getting a glass from another table and bringing it to her. "Here, drink this. It'll help with your throat."

The princess drank all of the contents in one gulp as that was the extent of her thirst. When she brought the cup away from her lips, Lunamaria looked at her with an odd fascination. She chuckled, "You're really thirsty. And you must be equally famished as well. Meyrin's probably busy downstairs, so I'll tell Shinn to cook something for you."

Cagalli was hearing more names she didn't recognize and her panic was starting to set in. These people were strangers—people she didn't know if she could trust. But if Athrun trusted her to these people, then she supposed she would have to be able to tolerate them.

"Cagalli Yula," Lunamaria called her. Funny, Cagalli thought. Because anyone in Orb would have recognized her name, but here she was very much unknown. "I don't know how you got the great Prince Athrun to carry you around on his horse, but you must be someone. Who are you exactly?"

"If I told you I was a princess, would you believe me?" Cagalli found herself asking the other girl. Lunamaria tilted her head and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and the blonde found herself amused at the antics of the younger girl.

Lunamaria's eyes widened, as if realizing something. "Are you going to marry the prince?"

She almost choked. "No! No, what are you even saying? I was kidding!" Cagalli's face flushed a deep red, and Lunamaria caught onto the tint of her cheeks. "The Prince is but a friend—no, more of an acquaintance, really. This is only the second time we've met."

"Second time, you say? Some girls haven't even personally met the young prince of Plant and yet they swoon over the sound of his name." Lunamaria chuckled. "But I'll understand if you do have a crush on Prince Athrun—who wouldn't? He has everything you could ever want in a guy and more. Tell me, Cagalli—I hope you don't mind me calling you that—is he really as much of a gentleman as others say?"

"I…" Cagalli stuttered. Yes, is what she wanted to say, but thought she couldn't really say so because she didn't know him long enough. "I don't really know."

Lunamaria frowned, but was still cheerful. "I was only teasing. Anyway, I should head down and tell Shinn to cook now."

Cagalli simply nodded and the redhead went outside the room. She took a deep breath once she was alone and found that it didn't pain her in any way anymore. It was like she was completely healed—save for her bones, maybe, but still. She had broken a bone in her right arm when she was younger and it took her more than a month before the doctors there had allowed her to take the cast off. But now she had been out for a few days and for some reason her broken ribs were magically healed.

But then again, she was in Februarius City. The medicine in Plant was too advanced compared to the ones in the Alliance and in Orb. Heck, Cagalli wouldn't be surprised if they had put her on drugs.

When Lunamaria went back into the room, she was carrying a bowl of soup and she was also dragging along a young black-haired man. She laid the tray that carried the soup onto Cagalli's lap and smiled brightly.

"This here is Shinn and he will see to your needs while you're here."

"I'm not her manservant, Luna!"

"Prince Athrun paid us to watch over her so you're going to do this, Shinn!"

Cagalli watched the odd couple bicker at each other silently and giggled. They were quite cute together even though Shinn looked intimidating and Lunamaria was too friendly. She took her spoon and ate some soup as she watched the two continue to dispute each other silently.

Five minutes later, they were still fighting, so Cagalli decided to speak up. "The soup was really delicious."

Shinn turned to look at her. "Really?"

No, Cagalli thought because the soup that Mayura cooked was phenomenal, but she couldn't say that to the poor boy's face. So instead she opted with a content nod.

Shinn's face lit up and he returned his gaze to Lunamaria. "I told you I was a better cook than you!"

"That doesn't really prove anything, Shinn—"

And the princess dozed off somewhere in between the two's argument. The two noticed only after a while, and they exited the room laughing at themselves.

"You called for me, Athrun?" Kira said as he opened the door to Athrun's study. "I thought you were letting me off the hook since I did ask for the next few days off."

"Indeed, I did." Athrun looked up from his desk and felt a great weight off his chest after seeing the chestnut-haired boy enter the room. "But I had hoped Lacus would also be present with us."

Kira gave his usual goofy grin. "She will be here shortly. Sir Clyne asked for a word with Lacus when we went in the castle, and she told me to go ahead. Why, is it that important?"

Athrun gave a small smile to ease his friend's anxiety. "Not at all. I would just like to inquire of your whereabouts the other day, when you asked for your leave."

"Oh." Kira had thought of his alibi beforehand, so he simply recited it to his friend. "I went to the temple in Maius. I lit some candles and incense for Haumea. It is custom for one to do that in Orb when a person's day of birth is near."

"I see," Athrun said after a while. "So I assume you had a merry birthday, Kira."

I haven't had a happy one in five years, Kira wanted to tell him honestly, but refrained from saying so. Instead he said, "Of course, Athrun. Why wouldn't I?"

"I've yet to give you your gift, actually." Athrun took the wrapped gift from under the table and stood to hand it to his best friend. "Belated happy birthday, Kira."

Kira's eyes widened. "Is this...?"

Athrun nodded. "Just like Saviour, it's made out of the new metal they discovered in November City, gundanium."

"But this is too much for me!" Kira started to panic. While he did like the gift very much, he didn't think he was worth having a sword which costs about as much as feeding a thousand families for months. "Really, Athrun. I won't be able to use it because I'll be too scared to lose it."

"Nonsense!" Athrun waved off. "I couldn't think of anyone else who would be able to wield this sword to its full potential other than you. You're probably the only one who could best me in combat—but don't tell Yzak that, because he'll just be jealous."

The two laughed together, both feeling like they had no other concerns. But the truth was that they had the same blonde at the back of their minds and that they wished nothing more than to be with her at that moment.

There was a knock on the door and they paused in their mirth to turn to the wood.

"Enter," Athrun permitted; a young chambermaid opened the door slightly.

"Prince Athrun." The maid curtsied. "There is a messenger waiting for you downstairs. He bears a letter from the Hawke Hospice? He says that he cannot hand it to anyone else by you, as that was your request. He is waiting in the west tower parlor room."

Kira looked at Athrun queerly. "And when did you go to the hospital?"

"It doesn't really concern you, Kira." Athrun shook his head. Then, he addressed the maid. "Please wait outside of this room. When Lady Lacus arrives, redirect her to where we are heading."

They walked out of the office and closed the door behind them. Kira was carrying his gift, with the face of an amused child—which he was often, really, except when he was serious. He was scary when he was focused.

The two didn't talk during their walk because Kira was too absorbed with admiring the sword, and Athrun was also happy that his friend liked the gift he had made for him. Instead he chose to use that time to think of Cagalli. He was going to receive a report of her medical status and he was more than anxious of knowing what has happened to her. Was she safe? Was she stable now? He had a lot of questions, but no answers yet. He wished he could ride to her side, but his father had grounded him and disallowed him from leaving the castle grounds without his permission.

It didn't take long for them to arrive in the parlor where a man dressed in simple clothing immediately bowed at the sight of the prince.

"Prince Athrun, this letter contains reports from the doctors Hawke," the messenger said as he gave the small bundle of papers to the prince. Then, he stepped back. "The doctors Hawke also want to inform you that they've temporarily transferred your lady to Februarius City to rest in their personal living quarters. The address is written down inside one of the papers."

"Yes, I had asked them to accommodate her elsewhere." Athrun acknowledged the messenger and handed him a small pouch containing a few silver coins. "Thank you, good sir. Please give my regards and thanks to the doctors Hawke as well."

The man bowed a final time before being escorted out by guards. Athrun took a seat in one of the chairs and browsed through the words written on the papers. Name—Cagalli Yula. Age—approximately 17. Birth date—unknown. Nationality—unknown. Occupation—unknown. There were so many blanks to her profile, and he was determined to solve the mystery that was her.

"Now, who could this lady friend of yours be?" Kira asked, chuckling teasingly. He was still running a hand over the smooth and sharp blade. "You know, I will eventually get you to tell me what this is all about, Athrun."

"I cannot," Athrun said resolutely, standing and placing the folded papers in one of the pockets of his coat. "I cannot because I myself don't know anything either."

Cagalli was relieved to know that Athrun had left her bag with her, so she had a change of clothes and her own cloak to wear. Lunamaria had offered to lend her some of her clothes, but when she saw the pink skirts that were the main component of her wardrobe, she politely declined. She was more comfortable with her loose blouse and slacks anyway.

The next day, she was introduced to Meyrin, Lunamaria's younger sister who co-managed the apothecary that was downstairs. Upstairs was their living quarters. Apparently their parents were the doctors in the infirmary Athrun had left her in back in Aprilius City, and they had sent her here after she was stable enough to be transported.

She just wanted to go back to the forest to clear her head. But then she ended up in Plant territory—and with possibly no way out unless she forged her own documents or something equally as hard. Refugees from Orb probably registered when they arrived here years ago, but Cagalli didn't want to go to the city hall to do that, in fear of what they might do to her once they found out who she was.

While Lunamaria and Meyrin stayed behind to manage the apothecary, Shinn was tasked to take her around town. Shinn had explained that there wasn't much in Februarius City. Everyone was busy and serious because this was the premier city for medical studies and the like.

"Really, Cagalli, there's nothing you would want to see here. You said you didn't really like shopping, so we're not going to the bazaar at the town center," Shinn said as they were walking casually with no destination in mind yet.

"Do you have anything else that could be interesting?" she asked in return.

"Schools, medical centers, the giant library—"

"There!" Cagalli said excitedly. "Take me to the library."

Shinn nodded, not bothering to argue with her decision. Perhaps if he was with Lunamaria, he would have said something—but then, if he was with Lunamaria, she would just probably drag him along to shop with her.

Fifteen minutes after walking in complete silence with Shinn, they arrived in front of a giant hall with a statue of a man in front of the building.

"Who is that?" Cagalli asked, staring at the tall man.

"Ulen Hibiki," Shinn answered. "He's a doctor who funded the rebuilding of this library fifteen years ago. He has a whole section of books inside, but I think he's crazy."

Cagalli nodded, not bothering to ask anything else of the strange man.

"This is the main library of Februarius City. It mostly has books useful for those going into the field of medicine or biochemistry or something of that sort, but it has a few sections for other stuff, too," Shinn explained as they were climbing the steps. "It has five floors, so you can walk your way up all those flights of stairs if you want to, but the upper floor is mostly for more advanced studies. The first floor has those 'history of Plant' books and the 'noble lineage' books and stuff like those. Personally, I liked the library back in Heliopolis more."

Cagalli stopped and looked at the red-eyed boy. "You were from Orb?"

At the mention of the Kingdom of Orb, Shinn clenched his fists. Cagalli felt him tense and almost regretted asking. "I hate Orb. My family was left behind there when the Seirans took over. I don't know what happened to my parents and my sister…"

I'm sorry, Cagalli wanted to say, but knew that it wasn't going to do anything.

"King Uzumi was a weak leader," he continued to say, and Cagalli's world shattered at his slandering her father. "If he was strong, then Orb would have been the same kingdom as it was all those years ago. It would have been peaceful and not have conflicts, as it should—but instead the people in there are all suffering and dying, and it's his entire fault."

"But it isn't!" Cagalli told him defensively, clinging onto her belief of her father being the best king there could be. "King Uzumi did not mean for it to happen; he didn't even know that the Seirans were planning something! If he did, he would have done something! Father, he—"

"What was that?" Shinn asked when Cagalli stopped. It was a really sensitive topic for her, but he didn't know that.

"Nothing, I'm sorry," the princess said, continuing to climb the steps. Shinn nodded awkwardly and followed. "I left my father behind in Orb, too."

"You were from Orb?" Shinn narrowed his eyes, though without any malice. When she didn't answer and instead walked ahead, he whispered to himself, "Cagalli Yula—why does your name sound so familiar?"

The pushed open the doors and found a few people browsing through the aisles of books. Cagalli stared at the shelves and was instantly attracted to the wooden sign that said 'history'. She ran ahead, forgetting that Shinn was still near the doorway and went to the small section filled with books about the past—mostly of Plant, but there were also a few select titles that covered the history of Orb and the Alliance.

She had picked a book off the shelf and found that the cover was dusty. Cagalli was saddened by that because it meant that no one bothered to come into this section.

The Zala Lineage, the title said. It was the most recent account of Athrun's ancestry, having been written a few years after the Junius Treaty. She skipped every other page and went to the part that detailed the current members of the house of Zala.

"You know, seeing you with that book in hand, I would think Luna was right when she said you had a crush on the Prince."

She turned around and found Shinn frowning at her.

"This was also where I first went the first time I was here," he confessed. In his hand was a book he had picked off from another shelf, but also from the same section. "I had no idea what Plant was like—but I should have expected you to have a greater knowledge about it than I do, Princess."

Cagalli gasped and stood. "How did you—"

"How could I have not recognized you? " Shinn's voice was getting shakier with every word. "I always saw you when I was younger. You ran around Heliopolis Square without any guards watching over you. You played with the other children there. Everyone in Orb adored you, their princess, and they wouldn't let any harm come to you."

"Shinn…" Cagalli tried to reach for his shoulder, but he flinched back from her touch.

"No wonder you're alive. Haumea wouldn't let you be harmed—you're Orb's beloved princess! But my family and my friends, they're still trapped there in Orb! They're people just like you, so what makes you any different? If I had the power to help them, I would! You do, but what are you doing here? You—you're useless!"

"No!" Cagalli shouted, but then lowered her voice again when she saw some people were staring at her. "Shinn, do you think I'm not trying? Every night, I dream of taking back Orb and bringing it back to how it was before, how my father intended the kingdom to be. I want to be able to return just as much as you do, but I can't. Not right now."

Shinn glared at her angrily. "Let's just go back to the apothecary."

"Okay," the princess agreed, feeling defeated at his words. He hated her. She thought she could have made a friend out of him and Lunamaria and Meyrin, but he hated her.

Like the trip going to the library, the walk back to the apothecary was also silent. Perhaps even worse because their was an obvious tension between the two Orb refugees.

"Hey!" Meyrin greeted them when they opened the door to the shop. "Lunamaria's been expecting you two. Miss Cagalli, Luna said that you should head up and drink your medicine then rest again. Shinn, you have a list of errands to run."

Cagalli nodded and trudged up the stairs tiredly. What Shinn said gave her a whole new perspective of how she was going to reconquer Orb. While Kisaka said that there were people waiting for her and willing to fight for her, there were also others who hated her and her father. There were people like Shinn who blamed her family for what happened to theirs.

That night, when she went to sleep, she dreamt of a man named Ulen Hibiki—and she didn't know why.

This was it. This was the moment she had been training for this past month. She knew how to handle herself differently and she memorized everything she needed to say. To her right was a standing mirror, and the blonde could see the long blue velvet dress draped over her small frame and the beautiful tiara pinned to the top of her golden hair. She looked pretty and royal, which she didn't think she could be able to pull off, but here she was, looking like a proper princess. She had forgotten what it felt like. Or maybe she didn't know what it felt like at all. After all, she was only a little girl when she was pulled away from her father's side.

She breathed in once, twice—until there was enough air in her lungs for her to be confident.

"Open the doors," the voice to her left commanded. It was Lord Djibiril and he had his confident grin plastered onto his face. The knights stationed by the giant balcony followed suit, and soon sunlight was streaming into the once dimly lit room. "I hope you do not disappoint me."

"I will not," she replied with the brightest smile she could put on her face and started walking down the carpeted aisle, heading outside to the balcony. Once she had stepped into view, she heard the cries of thousands of the citizens of Orb, and her heart clenched at the sound of mixed emotions of happiness and relief. Then when she put her hand up to wave at them all—like how she was taught to—the people started to get on their knees to bow.

"My people," she started, the speech ingrained to her mind after reciting it a hundred times. "Rise."

When she saw that everyone was standing, she continued, "I am Cagalli Yula Athha, daughter of King Uzumi Athha and Queen Via Athha; the last member of the royal house of Athha and the proper heir to the throne."

Then, Lord Djibiril came into view as well, strutting down the same aisle with his white pet following behind him. The people below them started to boo at him, and he gritted his teeth in response. They didn't know who he was; but they probably assumed that he was involved with Unato—which was the case in reality, but that front was for a different purpose.

"She was your princess," Djibiril shouted and the people were silenced. The occasional soft murmurs were heard but his voice could easily overpower that noise. His mouth formed a twisted smile with his display of power. "But today, she will be your queen!"

The cheers that came after the announcement were loud and merry. Everywhere below the giant balcony, the people were jumping for joy and crying. For them, having an Athha back on the throne meant freedom.

The blonde continued with her speech. "As you all may know, I have recently turned eighteen, the legal age in Orb. Therefore, I am now considered for the throne. I have been kept in this castle for five years. Like you all, I know how it is to be a prisoner. I know what it is like to suffer. But starting today, I shall have none of that!"

The people applauded again.

"This civil war is happening for all the wrong reasons! It is a great misunderstanding on both sides. Unato Seiran, who has acted as King Regent for the last five years since my father died, has stepped down and handed over the throne back to me. My first act as Queen will be to formally end this altercation! This I do with nothing but Orb's best intentions in mind.

"Now that I am back on the throne, I hope that I will have all of your support. Not just mine, but Orb's as well. There is an enemy we all must fight. And that enemy is the nation of Plant! They are the real cause behind your oppression as well as mine! They are the reason my father, the beloved king, died!"

The cheers now died down as a more serious tone took over the audience. War? They were relieved to hear that their civil war was ending, but to be thrown into a different kind of conflict was a different thing. They were all uncertain, but their queen was resolute in her speech, so they chose to believe in her either way.

"This is the real battle we must be fighting," she concluded her speech there. "Thank you and good day to you all."

She swiveled her feet and went back inside the castle. The shouts of the people broke into a chorus, and the echoes of long live the queen was heard even from behind the thick wooden doors. Lord Djibiril followed her inside and patted her on the back.

"Your father would have been proud of you," he said.

"My father is a dead man," she said coldly. Then, she put on a wicked smile. "Did I do well?"

"More than well, my lady." Lord Djibiril grinned. Like he told Unato earlier, all was going according to plan. "You could even say you did stellar."

"Kisaka!" Erica shouted, opening the door to the house. She sounded frantic and she was running towards the parlor where Kisaka, Mu, and Murrue were already seated. They all turned their attention to the agitated woman. "Ahmed—he found Akatsuki while he was riding out. Cagalli wasn't with him."

Murrue's brown eyes widened. "Did you send out men to look for her in the forest?"

Erica nodded. "Sahib and the others are searching right now as we speak."

Mu faced Kisaka and addressed him. "So do you think that's true? Is that her?"

"If she is not found in the forest, then it must be," Kisaka answered gravely, his forehead wrinkling as he furrowed his thick brows. "But why would she do that by herself? And more importantly, how?"

"Colonel Todaka would not deceive us, would he?" Murrue asked.

Kisaka shook his head. "He believes in the young princess as much as we do. This is his messenger hawk, and the letter had his seal. There is nothing in his letter that would suggest that he's lying or is being impersonated." Then, he called for Erica. "Send a hawk to the Waltfelds. Tell them to come here as soon as they can."

There was a hawk sitting on top of a wooden stool, its claws grasping the backrest. Its left leg still had a small piece of rope tied around it, but the paper that was attached to it was now laid on the table.

It contained but a short message, though the words were confidently written.

Freedom, it said. Care of the princess. Return soon.

And no one in the room could fathom what was going on.

End of Chapter Seven

Notes: Djibiril's line is inspired by The Hunger Games. If you catched the reference, points for you!

Song of the Chapter: This Is Why We Fight by The Decemberists

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