Heavy Lies The Crown: Chapter Eleven
by Starrify
Life slips away and the ghosts come to play.
These are hard times for dreamers and love lost believers.
Man-made madness and the romance of sadness;
a beautiful dance that happened by chance.
"Welcome back to Orb."
Kisaka nodded at the wiser man who had been the former head of the King's guards. It was more than five years since they've last seen each other, and Kisaka could see how much those years weighed down on the older man.
"It's good to be back, General."
Todaka accepted the former general's hand and shook it briefly. The other guards around him were not part of the faction composed of loyalists to the Athhas, and so if any of them figured out Kisaka's identity, then it would not spell any good for either of them.
A younger guard approached them. "Requesting permission to start collecting paperwork from the immigrants, Sir!"
"I came here to personally escort the Prince from the Kingdom of Plant. I will see to the collection myself."
"But, General, there are around twenty carriages and wagons in this group. It will be faster if we assisted you—"
"And it is by the Queen's orders that I do this task by myself." Todaka's voice was calm and complacent, surprising Kisaka with his demeanor. "Unless you'd want to go against her words and I'd have to report your misdeed so that you'd receive apt punishment."
The guard nodded quickly, afraid. "No, Sir!"
After the guard went back to the others, he walked in step with Kisaka to the first carriage.
"The Queen's orders, huh?" Kisaka asked with a grave chuckle. "Have you seen your Queen in person? Did she tell you that command herself?"
"No," Todaka answered. "I haven't seen her since the fall of the Userper. Unato Seiran just disappeared from the castle one day, and then she appeared announcing to the people that she has returned—from where, I don't know. Mana said that there are maids and doctors that are sent up to the tower almost every day; some of which don't return alive. I thought that Cagalli was the one being kept there, so I didn't question it."
"I was just as confused when you sent us the message about Orb's liberation." Kisaka clicked his tongue. "Things aren't quite as they seem, are they?"
"I've tried to make sense of so much, but even the military is in the dark about so many things with our monarchy."
"Perhaps only to those who were in the military before the Usurper arrived."
"Perhaps." Todaka shook his head. He didn't like thinking about how strange events were happening in their kingdom. "Now, I need to see proper paperwork. While you all stayed out of Plant, I'm sure you and your group do have legitimate papers to show otherwise I cannot assist you get into Orb."
"Of course, of course." Kisaka led Todaka to the first carriage. He took out all their papers from his messenger bag and let out a nervous cough before opening the door.
Todaka also coughed before reading out the names out loud. "Ledonir Kisaka, Erica Simmons, Kira Yamato, Murrue Ramius, and Yula La Flaga. Please raise your hands if your names were called—except you, Kisaka. I already know who you are."
The four who were seated in the carriage raised their hands, looking at the General. He raised his lamp to see the four faces and when the light landed on Cagalli's face, he stood flabbergasted.
"Kisaka, she's… She looks just like Queen Via—"
Cagalli felt like crying, but forced her tears back. "I look like my mother."
Todaka immediately knelt, the hilt of his sword hitting the door. If this was the true heiress to the throne, then who was living in the castle now?
"Your Majesty, forgive me—"
She shushed him back. "Please, no one must know."
"This is injustice!" His head hung low; his eyes rooted on the rough ground. He was ashamed to have served someone else, an impostor. "The people have been deceived! Orb has been kept in the dark for so long—five years of silence, and now that we were led to believe that we were finally free, you show us that the person currently sitting on the throne isn't you; is another usurper shaming the name of Athha!"
"General, please rise." Cagalli felt uncomfortable. Being so close to Orb meant being close to the reality of the whole complicated situation. When she met Todaka's gray eyes, she spoke softly, "No one must know. Perhaps only the most loyal men who you know will believe in my claim."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Here, my name is Yula La Flaga," she forced the name out of her lips. "Now rise before you start a commotion and the wrong people will know of my identity."
Kisaka put a hand on his shoulder after Todaka stood. "I will contact you once more after we've figured out a plan."
"You mean you came to Orb with no plan at all?"
"We need to learn first who we are up against."
"And it is only twenty of you against a thousand men serving under the Usurper! Surely you hadn't intended to send yourselves to die!"
"No one will die," Cagalli intervened. It was a lie, of course, because by now she had learned that there will always be casualties. But she wanted to help it, if only to lessen the pain of her people. "I do not wish anyone else to suffer. A man kills another man for vengeance, and someone else kills him to avenge the other man…"
"I understand," Todaka muttered. "But know this: every man who once served under your father will also serve you. We will lay down our lives if need be—"
"I've heard enough of that crap from Kira and Kisaka."
"Cagalli," Kira warned, his voice getting dangerously low for someone of his temperament. "Stop that."
She shook her head. "If you may let me, General, I'd like to go ahead and see Orb by myself."
Todaka was more eager to be in her favor. "Yes, of course—"
"Don't even try humoring her, General," Murrue quipped from her seat. "She'll surely cause a stir wherever she goes, regardless of her identity."
"I agree." Kira couldn't help the laugh coming from his throat. "Or if she goes, she shouldn't go alone. I'll go with her."
"Fine." For once, Cagalli agreed to have an escort. But it was her brother, and she felt that she needed him by her side if she were to see the old brick streets she used to run through. She wasn't sure if she could handle the whole sight of her kingdom—how were the people? Were they truly living in impoverishment or were they all better off with a usurper controlling their lives? She tried to shake off her thoughts, but her anxiousness was getting the better of her. "Let's go now."
She jumped out of the carriage and got on the back of Akatsuki. She looked back and smiled fondly at Kusanagi. He was now the one supporting one of the wagons which carried sacks full of their possessions. Kira soon followed after her and climbed onto another horse. He held the lamp to guide their way into the kingdom.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew she wasn't.
"Shinn Asuka?"
"That would be me," the young man answered. His red eyes looked up to find smiling old gray ones. "Is there something wrong with my papers, Sir?"
"Not at all, Sir Asuka." Todaka shook his head and handed back the papers to the boy. "Welcome back to Orb."
The door to the carriage closed and soon they were in motion once more. Shinn swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat—all the guilt that has piled up on his bones for the last five years would finally be gone. He had faulted himself for being able to escape Orb while his parents and his younger sister were left behind; while he had prayed every day for Haumea to keep them safe, he still didn't think that was enough. Seeing them alive and well was going to be more than enough for him.
They passed by dark streets and alleyways which Shinn couldn't identify, but every time he looked out of the quarter light, he saw wooden houses with slightly dim candle lights shining from the windows. Behind those windows, Shinn imagined families having their late supper of bread and cheese and a few scraps of meat, if they could afford it. He imagined his own family eating happily whatever they had, wondering where their only son was.
Surely his family must have missed him as he missed them; his younger sister, especially, who he was very close to ever since she was born. He was very protective of her; he remembered how he had beat up a few kids who had taunted her—until now, he still had tendencies to be violent, but Lunamaria was able to calm him down after a few years.
He was brought out of his wistful thoughts by a knock on their carriage.
"Our first stop's here, center of Heliopolis," the man spoke with a tired look on his face. "I'm sure you lot can find your way home from here. If any of you are going to Onogoro, move to the other carriage which will stop at a place where you could rent a bed for the night then take a boat out to the outlying islands tomorrow. Your bags are on the wagon—"
Shinn stepped out as fast as he could and breathed in the familiar salty air. It had been too long since he left. He took his bag from the wagon and rushed to the direction of the marketplace. He couldn't remember the way home from where the carriages stopped, but he at least knew the steps to take from the last stall on the right—that used to be where his mother sold flowers, after all.
He walked as fast as he could, very anxious to see the faces of his family after all those years apart. He almost stumbled over a few loose bricks here and then, but he composed himself quickly and started his pace again. A few minutes later he arrived in front of a small house which looked more like a shanty, but Shinn knew this was his home. His heart raced as he saw a sliver of yellow-orange light coming from inside and before he knew it his hand was eagerly rapping on the wooden door.
The door creaked open and an old lady stood behind it.
"Who the hell are you?"
The lady frowned at the language of the young teenager in front of her, but her frown turned into a pitiful grimace after she saw the red of his eyes.
"Your name is Shinn, isn't it?"
"How do you know—"
"The Asukas were my friends and they let me and my husband stay here during the reign of the Usurper."
"And so? Where are my parents?"
"One night they were unjustly accused of being part of one of the protests and they were taken away by soldiers and they never returned. They had asked me to take care of Mayu—"
"Where is my sister?!"
"She ran away two weeks after that and I've not heard from her since."
"You're lying!" Shinn unsheathed his sword and pointed it to her. It had caught her off guard, but she collectedly stood her ground. "My parents are alive; my sister, she's—"
The lady pushed the trembling sword down with her palm. "And what would I have to gain from not telling the truth? Come in, Shinn, as this is your home before it is mine. Allow me to take care of you so that I may honor the promise I made to your parents."
Shinn stepped back, stumbling over his own foot and landing roughly on the ground. His elbows were scratched and most probably bleeding, but the physical pain could not match the torment he was feeling inside.
"Please, let me and my husband help you, Shinn—"
But he didn't hear the lady's pleas. All he could hear was the cracking of the foundation below him. As far as he knew, he no longer had an impetus, no reason to go on since he had lived for the days he would be with his family again. So he began to run as far away as possible—his feet leading him to where he always went to clear his head when he was younger.
He stood on top of the cliff and looked down. During the day, the sea was calmer; but as it was dark and the moon pulled on the waters, the sea was the tempest most described it to be. In the land of peace that was supposedly the Kingdom of Orb, one couldn't be truly at peace neither on land nor on the surrounding waters.
He closed his eyes and took in the scent of the sea once more. He stepped closer and closer to the edge, his feet no longer an afterthought.
"It's definitely smaller than the castle in Plant."
"The size of the home of the royal family is proportional to how large the kingdom is."
"The architecture is superb!"
"Never mind the architecture, those paintings are amazing!"
"There is a beach nearby, isn't there? I'd like to collect some seashells to bring back home…"
Athrun frowned in irritation. His escorts, while all highly trained in the merciless art of killing, could be childish at times. As they walked through the dim passages that led to their respective rooms, he couldn't help but also admire what little he could see of the castle. He'd have to ask someone to tour them all tomorrow.
If Cagalli would make an appearance, of course he would ask her to personally tour them—or maybe just him without his friends.
"You're awfully quiet, Zala," Yzak retorted, crossing his arms. He glanced behind them to check if the servants were following them with their baggage. "What's on your mind?"
"I was wondering if we could get a proper tour of the castle."
Todaka stopped in his steps and turned around to face the small group. He gave them a rare smile—as there was so little reason to smile in Orb in the past few years. "Tomorrow morning after you all have eaten, someone will be able to lead you around. If the Princess makes an appearance, then you all can consider yourself lucky."
What does he mean by lucky? Athrun thought. They resumed walking and soon ended up on the second floor on the West wing.
"This is it, boys—and lady." Todaka nodded at the servants and they went into the rooms to put down the baggage of the guests and when they re-emerged from the rooms, they bowed respectfully and scurried away like rats in the daylight. "If you've any concerns, just ring the bells in your room—they're connected to the servants' chamber and someone will see to you promptly."
"Isn't that nifty," Dearka said with a low whistle. "Any guarantees that the servant coming to me would be a female?"
Athrun rolled his eyes. "Please don't mind him."
Todaka gave a hearty laugh. "I wasn't intending to. In any case, I was given the task of being your escorts during the duration of your stay. The letter which the Princess wrote which has the orders say that you are welcome to stay for as long as you need, and that if anything happens to you, it is my responsibility."
So does that mean Cagalli didn't give him the orders personally? Athrun furrowed his brows in thought. There were a lot of things that weren't making sense in Orb.
"Now, are you young boys in need of any further assistance or will you let me retire?"
The Prince considered asking him to step into his room so that they could have a conversation in private wherein he could ask about Cagalli; why she was rarely seen around, why she had to give orders through letters. But he didn't know the General. As far as he knew, anyone in the castle could be still loyal to the Usurper. If he asked him something about the Princess, then surely they would be immediately suspicious of him.
"No, thank you, General Todaka," Athrun spoke as he eyed the rest of his comrades. "Thank you for all your help so far."
"It was and will be my pleasure to assist you in any way that I can." Todaka bowed deeply to show his respect for the Prince of Plant. "If you all will excuse me."
After Todaka left the five of them, they all looked for which room contained their belongings. Athrun entered his room and while it was smaller than his room back in his castle—obviously—it was still quite comfortable. In the middle of the room was his bed covered in fine linen and what he assumed to be feathered pillows. He was used to luxury, but he was more than okay to have this modest accommodation. He had slept on more uncomfortable surfaces before—like over leaves and dirt.
After unpacking a few of his belongings, a knock came from the other side of the door.
"It's Nicol, Yzak, Shiho, and Dearka. May we come in?"
"Go ahead!" he called out; he hadn't locked the door as he anticipated that they would see him before they slept. "What is it?"
"I want to make this quick, Zala. We're all very tired from having to ride horseback for the past few days—while you probably just sat on your lazy ass in your fancy carriage." Yzak yawned and covered his mouth. "Do you need reports of our travels on the trade route?"
"I don't, but Father or the council might want to see how banal our trip was."
"Does that mean we get to report your small search for a blonde?" Dearka smirked teasingly. "Us golden-haired fellows can be quite charming—"
Athrun glared at his blonde friend. "That part isn't necessary."
"You'll have our individual reports on the trip before breakfast, Your Highness," Shiho said bluntly. Her fiancé was yawning for the nth time and his weariness was beginning to affect her as well. "Is there anything else you need before we return to our respective rooms?"
"They don't need to be done tonight; just make sure that they're done before we go back to Plant. I'm not sure how long we'll be staying here, but the Princess's coronation is happening around two weeks from now."
"Athrun." Nicol stepped forward, the brave little lion cub that he was. "I saw that you were hesitant when General Todaka asked if you needed anything else from him. Why?"
He sighed; of course Nicol would've sensed that.
"Close the door. What I will tell you now will not leave this room."
The two siblings arrived an hour after Kisaka, Mu, and Murrue settled in the orphanage; both of them more solemn than they were when they entered Orb. After being fed, they proceeded to sit in the small, stuffy parlor of the orphanage, where Cagalli told everyone present of what had happened to her while she was away. Everyone was practically silenced after hearing the entirety—or so they thought, as she had purposely left out her interactions with Athrun—of the brunette's story.
"I knew that it wasn't you whom we saw back then," Miriallia said softly. "I can't believe all that you went through, Cagalli…"
"I can't believe it, too," Cagalli whispered back, her voice unsteady from having to recall painful memories. And yet she wasn't crying, to everyone's amazement. She could notice their pitiful looks, how they sympathized with her tragedy. "But I'm here now, so I have to do what I have to, don't I?"
Sai pushed his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose. "And that is to reclaim the throne? The Usurper had a few thousand men on his side. Whoever's replaced him must still be on their side because I've noticed the same people doing rotations on the city. Right, Miriallia?"
The quiet girl nodded. When Sai addressed her, she had flinched; the small action didn't go unseen in Cagalli's eyes. "Yes; this time, though, they haven't provoked the people the way they would have before…"
"Is it really that there is a usurper to the previous one?" Reverend Malchio spoke from his chair, his voice ever soothing and confident. "Or is it that the same man has given different orders?"
"Are you implying that the Seirans are still actually in the castle?" Cagalli asked.
"I imply nothing as I know nothing. I just want you to note all the uncertainties you have. If you choose to tackle this problem headfirst, Princess, than you might be blindsided as soon as you walk into your previous home."
"Then what do you suggest I do, Reverend? There is no way for me to truly know what is behind the walls of the castle."
"All of your assumptions must be accounted for. When you encounter something that will make your plans go awry, then you must know how to act and proceed."
"I feel like I've gone to some psychic…"
Kisaka gave a low chuckle at how exasperated the princess was becoming. It was his duty to keep the young girl safe and as such it was now also his duty to make sure that if any of their plans do go awry, then the Princess will come out unscathed.
"You should listen to him, Cagalli," Kira spoke up. He sat beside his mother and when Cagalli looked to his direction, her eyes fell to the floor once more. It hurt her that Kira still had his mother while she didn't have the only parent she had ever known. "He's just telling you to stop being reckless."
"That could be another way to put it," Malchio commented with a warm smile, the same smile that Cagalli remembered to have calmed her down when she was much younger. "You must remember, Princess, that your life is more valuable for the sole reason that you are accountable for many more; but that doesn't necessarily put your life above that of anyone else."
"I…understand?" Cagalli just gave him a grin instead—which, while he couldn't see, he was able to feel. "Thank you, Reverend Malchio. I'll remember your words when I'm out there trying to not die."
Sai clenched his fists at what Cagalli said. While he understood that she had her own share of suffering throughout the years, many people from Orb suffered worse fates. "Do you find that funny?"
Cagalli saw his sudden hostility and decided that the people here weren't the ones she wanted to put against her side all of a sudden. "Not at all, Sai. How would you suggest going about our common dilemma that is the Usurper?"
"To start an uprising."
"You want a revolution?"
"Well, what other way do we have? Nothing will truly happen until we put our thoughts into action—"
"And you got Tolle killed for putting your thoughts into action, didn't you, Sai?" Miriallia cried; her once meek voice turning into a thunderous roar. Both of her feet were now on the floor and she faced Sai with much resentment on her features. "I warned him that it wasn't safe, that starting a commotion at the square would make no difference! I told him not to go, but you still pulled him away from me and dragged him along to the city where he—"
Sai stood up as well. "He died believing in what he thought was right!"
"So why didn't you die?!" she continued to shriek while clawing for him, but Mu was holding her light frame back. "You could have saved him; you could have let him stay with me here!"
"You think there's not a day that passes that I don't grieve his passing?"
"I think you care for no one and nothing but yourself and your intents!"
"Tolle was my friend!"
"I loved him...!"
Cagalli watched the drama unfold before her very eyes. She hadn't noticed how shallow her own breaths have gotten until Kira appeared at her side and placed his hand on her shoulder. His adoptive mother stood behind him.
"Come, Cagalli," Caridad offered a hand to her. "Let's help you get settled in."
She nodded and looked back at two of her childhood friends. The guilt of not realizing that Tolle wasn't there was beginning to sink in and she felt worse than before. Her friend had died for her—their cause. Someone she knew well as a child was dead.
When they arrived in front of a small room with bunk beds laid out in two rows, Cagalli blinked. How many people was she going to share a room with?
"I'm sorry if there aren't really other rooms here. This is an orphanage, so all the children share a common living space—the boys separate from the girls, of course. The young ones are too rowdy to be sharing rooms with the delicate girls." Caridad smiled at the young girl; when Cagalli looked up, she saw someone who could have been her mother. "I make small plaques with the girls' names for the beds. Just check which bed is free. We've had to accommodate more children since…"
"I understand." Cagalli walked into the room and looked at the names written in front of the beds. She spotted Miriallia's bed near the window, and decided to take the empty one across of it. When she sat on the small mattress, Caridad followed and sat on Miriallia's.
"That bed is empty because the little girls are frightened to look out," she explained gently. "There were often corpses on the street; they couldn't bear the nightmares that came with such a sight."
Cagalli sighed; she hadn't expected it to be that horrible here in Orb.
"My Queen." She looked up and saw Caridad with a soft smile on her aging features. "I'm sure you have questions—not about this orphanage, but of your family. By now, surely you must know—"
"Aunt Caridad, please, you've never called me by my formal title before."
"Because I couldn't imagine that my niece would one day rule this kingdom."
"What do you mean—?"
"You see, my dear, Via was my sister."
Cagalli's eyes widened. Her father never told her about her mother; she had learned to rely on accounts from the older servants, but none of them were there before she was born. But from one of the dreams she had, Cagalli could infer that the King had made them go away and swear into silence about the fact that there were twins and not just one blonde daughter.
"How?"
"We were from one of the less powerful noble houses of the Alliance, but we were poor and my father was desperate to marry us off into better families. His dream was to make us royalty. When Uzumi was still a young prince, he singled out Via and brought her back with him to Orb; overwhelmed with having his dream realized, our father perished the next day."
"Then what happened to you? How did you get here?" All of this was my brand new information to her and she could feel her heart racing with some sort of adrenaline.
"At the time, I was seeing my Haruma, who came from a merchant family—as wealthy as his family was, my father would have never approved of a union between the two of us, simply because he wasn't part of the nobility. When Haruma found out that my father had died, he took me to Orb where we had this large house built. He couldn't have children, you see, so we decided to turn this into an orphanage where we could make the kids have a family of their own."
"And what of my mother?"
"She had found me a few years later, when she was wed to Uzumi and had to make rounds of charity works as a Queen. After that, we kept in contact through letters. But one time she visited when she was very pregnant. She was distressed because she said the father of her child wasn't the King, but instead was some doctor…"
Caridad let out a heavy breath, remembering such memories always wore her down. "She never did come back after that day. There was unrest in the region of Ame-no-Mihashira and when Uzumi returned, he put the kingdom in a state of grievance because his queen had died upon giving birth to you. Yet you were still named The Goddess of Victory for your birth brought upon their victory."
Cagalli frowned. "But that's not the real story, is it?"
"Uzumi came to the orphanage in secret, late at night. Somehow, he knew that the children weren't his, and I had never seen a man of such honor and integrity, so devastated. He was surprised to see me open the door for him because he could recognize me as his late wife's sister. I could see his hesitation, but he decided to push through with his actions and entered the orphanage with you and Kira in his arms."
"That's when he gave Kira to you?" Cagalli asked. When Caridad nodded, Cagalli prodded further, "But why? Wouldn't Kira have made a better heir because he could have been a king? Kira had the same hair and eyes as the Queen; he wouldn't have had to grow up under scrutiny!"
Caridad shook her head. "No, Cagalli, he wanted to give both of you away. I begged him to reconsider because he needed an heir for the throne. In the end, he picked you because he didn't want to see Kira become like his real father, a man he didn't know."
"And he didn't think I would end up like whoever that man was?"
"He believed that he would one day see Via in you," Caridad answered surely, still smiling. "And you are strong, just like your mother. You will push through with your decisions and see them to the end. You're defiant and ambitious, too."
"And yet she didn't see her marriage through, did she?"
Caridad stood and moved to sit next to her niece. She took the younger girl's hands and put them in her own. "I don't expect you to understand yet since you're young, but when you've reached a certain age, you'd want a family of your own. And Uzumi couldn't give that to your mother."
"So that gives her a right to fall in love with another man?"
"The heart will want what it wants, my dear. You cannot tell who you're meant to be with. Via loved Uzumi—but sometimes other loves encompass others." Caridad looked at her niece's brown hair and her lips fell to a straight line. Cagalli looked just like Via when she was a young girl. "You'll learn that one day, when you have to choose between a man you love and what is best for the kingdom you'll be ruling."
When Cagalli was deeply in thought, Caridad added, "The only reason we were able to sustain the orphanage was because King Uzumi didn't want to abandon Kira completely."
"And he let me go to the orphanage so that I could still be with Kira somehow?"
"He didn't want you to be alone," Caridad whispered comfortingly. "Do you understand the decisions your father made, Cagalli?"
"I still don't understand what he was thinking when he didn't leave with me and Kisaka during the coup d'etat." Cagalli shook her head; she had pushed those memories into the depths of her mind, but now that she was back in Orb, they had to resurface sooner or later. "Or why he had to have my mother killed."
"Uzumi would have never brought himself to have Via killed, regardless of the treason she committed."
Cagalli stood abruptly, her heart stopping at what her aunt had just told her.
"Is my mother alive?"
"Have you found her yet?" Djibiril gritted through his teeth. Sensing his master's annoyance, his cat also hissed at the soldier who had entered the room. "If the news I hear isn't good, then I will have you hanged. What is it you wanted to tell me?"
"T-two things, Lord Djibiril," the soldier stuttered, afraid of the wrath of the white-haired man. "The total death count of those the young princess has slain last night to escape is twelve. Assessing the different scenes of deaths showed that the soldiers weren't disarmed and tried to fight off the princess, but they were still unable to restrain the princess."
"Then I taught her well." Djibiril smirked and relaxed into the chair of his quarters. Since the prince of the kingdom he detested was in the castle, he had to be careful to go undetected; else the Prince's party might discover him and ruin his plans before he could put them into action. "Have you deployed search parties for that stubborn little girl?"
"Yes, Lord Djibiril! They've all been dispatched with the instructions to search around for a blonde girl with brown eyes."
The soldier felt as though the ground had trembled beneath him, but that was only Djibiril shaking with his uncontained rage. The soldier was taken off-guard by the sudden sword pointed at his throat.
"The Princess has violet eyes!"
"But, Lord Djibiril, the profile in the royal paintings show her with brown eyes—"
"I'm the one who knows the Princess and not you! What is the color of her mother's eyes?"
"Violet or purple, Lord Djibiril—it's an easily amended mistake, my Lord! I'll have messengers correct the orders! We'll find the Princess—"
"If the next words that come out of your mouth aren't pleasing to my ears, then consider your life over—"
"General Kisaka has been sighted in Heliopolis, my Lord!" the poor soldier sputtered out; now on his knees, begging for his life. "The soldiers who spotted him lost track of the General at the residential areas, but his profile matches the description of the former bodyguard of the Princess!"
The tense muscles in Djibiril's face relaxed one by one, until he was laughing ecstatically, maniacally. The soldier dared to look up to find the white-haired man looking so pleased with the news. Slowly, he smiled in relief; he had been spared from the wrath of his Lord.
"Amend the orders and tell them to bring back the Princess before noon—if they don't return with the Princess, then all of them will be sentenced to death." Djibiril took the soldier by his hair and made him stand on his feet, spitting spitefully on the younger man's face. "And tell those soldiers who sighted Ledonir Kisaka that there is a bounty on the former General's head. Any man who brings the General back to the castle will be given a reward."
The soldier nodded and excused himself. He ran away from the room as soon as he closed the door behind him. Next time, he wasn't going to let others coerce him to be the messenger for Lord Djibiril, that was for sure.
In the room, Djibiril sat back down on his chair. His cat jumped onto the table and lay down in front of him. As Djibiril stroked the purring cat, he began to laugh again.
Ledonir Kisaka's presence in Orb meant that Cagalli Yula Athha—the real one—was also in the kingdom. And if he was sighted in Heliopolis, then the real princess shouldn't be too far away.
Everything was truly turning out in his favor, thanks to the intervention of the divine blue cosmos.
"Oh, thank Haumea you're well!"
Light violet eyes were staring into the ceiling blankly. It was such a bright room, she mused to herself, brighter than her room in the tower of the castle. Slowly, she shifted her line of sight to the robed woman sitting on a chair next to her bed. There usually wasn't anyone in her room when she woke up; and if there was someone, he or she was usually dead.
Stellar began to sit up, and the woman immediately moved to assist her. After her back was resting against the wall, the woman handed her a glass of water—not a chalice, but her thirst would not allow for any refinements.
After she had chugged down all the contents of the cup, the woman set it down on the small drawer beside the bed. Trying to match the woman's smile, Stellar raised the sides of her lips awkwardly.
"Where am I?"
"You're in the monastery. A young traveler around your age came running here shouting that you needed help. Someone took you from him and brought you to the small clinic where we took the water out of your lungs."
"Water?" Stellar asked confusedly. She couldn't remember anything, anything at all about the events that could have possibly led her to be in a monastery. "Who is this young traveler?"
"Yes!" The woman's smile got bigger—which Stellar didn't think was physically possible since she was already baring all of her teeth. "Perhaps it is better for the young man to act as a catalyst for Haumea's enlightenment! He has been waiting outside your door since dawn. I'll step out and let him recount what happened to you."
The woman stood and dusted off the lower half of our robe. Her smile didn't go down once and Stellar would cringe if she was not under the hospitality of the woman. She walked out and the wooden door revealed a young man's worn face.
"How is she?" he asked hurriedly, one of his hands pulling at the hairs at the back of his head. "Is she okay?"
Stellar tilted her head; who was that man? Eventually the woman stepped to the side and revealed a rather handsome man with black hair and unusual red eyes. He looked relieved to have seen her awake—why, though, she didn't know yet.
"Stellar? Are you okay?" He sat down on the chair where the woman used to sit and reached out to hold her hand. When his hand was around hers, her eyes widened in panic and she slapped his hand away. "Stellar?"
"Who are you?"
"You don't remember me?"
"Tell me who you are!"
"I'm Shinn!" he cried, gripping the edge of the blanket on the bed. After discovering that he had lost his family, he was ready to give up all hope—but then she had appeared to him, dancing on the precipice under the moonlight. He had thought that by saving her, he had saved himself. "Stellar, I'm Shinn! I rescued you last night when you fell into the waters—"
"Why am I not in the castle?" she continued to ask questions he didn't understand. She was beginning to look very dazed and wild, like how she was after he pulled her onto shore. "Did Uncle send you to kill me? Has he no use for me anymore?"
Shinn frowned, his eyebrows furrowing as he was worrying for her more and more. But he remembered how he was able to calm her down last night and he was damn sure it was the only way to keep her in a sane state.
"Stellar." Her eyes focused on his. "I'll protect you. I promised you last night that I'll protect you. Don't you remember?"
It had seemed to work on her again since her shoulders relaxed and the glaze in her almost-pink eyes was dissipating. She closed her eyes and continued to breathe until her breaths were all evened out. Shinn continued to watch her, fascinated at the girl who couldn't be that much younger than him. Had the unrest in Orb done this to her, maddened her with what she experienced?
If he couldn't help himself, then he at least wanted to help her.
"Shinn?" Her voice had a slight tremble in it as he registered the recognition in her eyes. "Shinn, you—"
Before she finished whatever she was going to say, she jumped on him and they both fell on the floor; crying as she gripped onto the fabric of his shirt. Shinn simply smiled and wrapped his arms around the blonde's fragile frame.
"I need to get back. Shinn, my uncle, he's going to kill me if I don't come back to him! Please, Shinn, you have to protect me…"
He continued to comfort her, running one hand through her soft tresses.
"I'll protect you, Stellar," he promised again soothingly. "But before you go anywhere, you should have something to eat."
Stellar shook her head and buried her face deeper into his chest. He sighed and made a move to stand, but she pushed him back down onto the floor with her weight.
"I don't want to go anywhere," Stellar says shyly, looking up into Shinn's ruby eyes. "I want to stay with Shinn. Only Shinn wants to protect Stellar."
"I'm sure your uncle wouldn't really kill you," Shinn offered, dragging her up with him as he stood up. He dusted his pants and she blinked before she did the same with her white skirt. "He's your family and he treasures you somehow, I'm sure."
Stellar took a deep breath and lay back down on the mattress. Her violet eyes looking around the room until her gaze landed back on Shinn's ever curious eyes—curious about what, exactly, she didn't know.
"Everyone is a pawn to him. He started this war in Orb because all he wants is to see Plant fall into ruins, and he'll use everyone and everything to destroy the kingdom."
Shinn's eyes widened and his anger was beginning to take over his system, he could tell, but he forced himself to calm down for Stellar's sake. "Is your uncle the Usurper?"
"No, Seiran was just another pawn." Stellar forced a laugh from her lips. Thinking of her uncle always felt like she was taking in bitter medicine. "And now I am another pawn in his giant board, too."
His fists felt the need to be in contact with something hard. Stellar's uncle was truly an evil man to have destroyed a kingdom in order to destroy another one, to have used his own niece for his own benefit. He couldn't let Stellar go back to wherever or whoever her uncle was; he couldn't not save her. "Stellar—"
The door swung open and three soldiers rushed into the room with their swords pointed at Shinn. He recognized their outfit as those worn by the royal guards—but what did they have to do with Stellar? Behind the three men was the woman who offered to let him rest while she watched over the young girl and she looked frightened, afraid of bloodshed in a supposedly holy compound.
"Please, this is sacred ground! There is no need for violence here—"
"Silence, Woman!" one soldier barked as he pointed his sword at the terrified woman. The other two soldiers kept their swords pointed at Shinn and Stellar. "We will not leave until we have the Princess Cagalli Yula Athha."
Shinn's eyes narrowed at the guards and then he looked at Stellar, but she no longer was the scared small girl that he knew. Instead she was standing dignified, even in the simple blouse and skirt given to her by the monastery; and her eyes held an almost murderous glint in her light violet irises.
Shinn reached for her shoulder, but she flinched out of his grasp.
"I could have you all killed for daring to disturb me."
The three soldiers knelt and laid down their weapons.
"Forgive us, Your Majesty; Lord Djibiril ordered us to look for you. The Prince of Plant and his companions are due to meet you soon."
"Of course," Stellar grunted, her tone showing how displeased she was. "If any of you tell Lord Djibiril of my whereabouts, I will all have your heads. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Stellar stepped out of the room and gave one last glance at Shinn. Her eyes softened only slightly, but they became consumed with disgust after a second. When he couldn't hear their footsteps anymore, Shinn crumpled to the floor, his thoughts all scrambled.
Stellar's uncle was the true mastermind behind the coup d'etat that led to the long period of unrest. That led to the death of his family. Stellar's uncle is using Stellar to pose as a princess. Specifically, she was impersonating Cagalli. Athrun was in the castle right now with his friends, and Stellar was going to meet with them as Cagalli. But Athrun knew the real Cagalli. Stellar's uncle might do something to Athrun that could lead to Orb going into war with Plant. Stellar's uncle wanted to destroy Plant.
Something bad was going to happen, Shinn knew; not just to poor, mad Stellar, but to Athrun, too. Something was definitely going to happen to Cagalli as well—that was, if Cagalli was in Orb and Stellar's uncle knew of her presence.
Shinn had to warn Athrun. And he had to warn Cagalli somehow. Or else there was truly no one he could save.
"They're gone now," Miriallia stepped away from the window and turned to face Cagalli. "Usually they make rounds in the afternoon, so it's really odd to see a group of soldiers going around so early in the morning."
"It's almost noon, is it not?" Cagalli yawned; she hadn't realized how tired she was. "Damn, I really want to sleep some more."
Miriallia smiled gently. "You're still the same Cagalli who loves siestas, I see."
"I wouldn't be Cagalli if I didn't enjoy sleeping, Miri," she teased back at her brunette friend. Miriallia did look worn and thin, she noted sadly. Surely nothing less than Tolle's death could have had this sort of effect on her. "Miri, I hope you don't find this question out of place..."
"Are you going to ask me why I haven't been sleeping or eating?" Miri snapped angrily, glaring her blue eyes at her friend; but she looked apologetic quickly afterwards and averted her gaze from Cagalli's sympathetic eyes. "I have enough of that talk from Aunt Caridad and Reverend Malchio. But I'm fine; really, I am."
"I know how it feels to have adults tell me repetitively about what I should and shouldn't be doing." Cagalli nodded understandingly. "Especially from Kisaka, Erica and Kira."
"Does Kira count as an adult?"
"No, I'm obviously the older twin between the two of us," Cagalli harrumphed, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Her immature action led Miriallia to letting out a small laugh, which pleased Cagalli because her old friend was beginning to show signs of happiness—no matter how small they were. "But really, Miri, I was going to ask you something else."
"Oh?" Miriallia blushed, embarrassed to have assumed Cagalli was going to ask about her well-being. But naturally she didn't take it against Cagalli; what was one life Miriallia cherished to the thousands of lives Cagalli had to carry as a burden, anyway? "What was it, Cagalli?"
"I wanted to ask you why Sai is so angry now," Cagalli said quickly, her eyes briefly looking at the door to check if it was still closed. With such a personal question about another person living in the orphanage, she couldn't risk getting eavesdropped on. "When we were younger, he used to be quiet and shy—almost like Kira. I want to know what happened to him, why he is the way he is now."
Miriallia frowned; ever since Tolle died, her friendship with Sai had been strained to a point that she would crack if he dared to speak to her. It wasn't like she could really help it. In the week that followed Tolle's death, she was lost in a daze; easily agitated and had violent tendencies. They had kept her in an isolated room, probably afraid for the younger girls if she stayed in the common girls' room. Aunt Caridad spoke to her often when she was restrained, telling her she knew how it felt to lose someone you loved dearly.
"No one's the same person they were ever since Orb was taken over," Miriallia said softly. "Not Sai, not me. Especially not you, Cagalli."
"Then I'll make it my goal to turn everyone into who they used to be."
"Once you're on the throne, you'll have no time for petty ideals like that." The brunette was brutally honest, shocking the blonde with her words. "You'll be the Queen and there will be no time for you to think of how individuals are. You'll have to think of the kingdom in its entirety and forget about us."
Cagalli scrunched her eyebrows together. "Miri, you're my friend. I can't just think of abandoning you—"
"For the sake of Orb, you must!" she further insisted, her hands shaking as her instability was beginning to show again. "Tolle died thinking that he could have made a difference with leading rallies. He thought of leaving me because he knew that this kingdom, our home, was more important. He died..."
"He died waiting for you, Cagalli."
Kira stood at the door, his arms crossed across his chest as he stared at the two girls in the room. "Tolle died waiting for you to reclaim your kingdom and save your people. He died hoping that you'd save him."
Miriallia brought her hands to her ears, her head shaking in denial because no, no, no; Tolle is dead, Tolle is— And she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and another one pushing her arms back down to her side.
"It's okay to cry, Miri." Kira gathered his old friend into his arms and she continued to cry noisily, repeating Tolle's name again and again in between her ragged breaths. "Tolle wouldn't want to see you like this."
"Tolle is dead," she says finally, before collapsing onto the bed. His mother had told him that she had episodes similar to this one, and she taught him just what to do. It had happened quite often, she said, and often when she began to remember that Tolle was no longer there.
As Cagalli watched the two brown-haired teenagers grieve for their friend, she realized just how detached she had been from everything she's seen in Orb for the past few days. People were dead and people were dying—there was not much she could do about that, she had realized. Not even if she was in the highest seat of power, people would continue to die. She hadn't shed any tears for her friend or for anyone in Orb.
Miriallia was right. If she was to be Queen, she'd have to be detached from and at the same time attached to everything.
"I can't be the Queen." Cagalli shook her head and stood from her bed and paced the center of the room. "I can't be like her—"
Kira got up from Miriallia's bed and frowned at his twin's rambling. "You're not your—our mother, Cagalli. You need to let this go."
"And I will let everything go!" she cried, too, still thinking of what Miriallia said. "I will. I just need to..."
"Cagalli," Kira said her name in a warning tone. "What are you thinking?"
Everything, she wanted to tell him. As much as Cagalli wanted to cry because of all the thoughts going into her mind, she couldn't let a single tear out. She couldn't grieve for her friend, for her father, for all the nameless people who died and will die for her sake. Kira didn't understand how she felt. No one could.
"I'm not Via Hibiki," she whispered almost inaudibly, but Kira still caught onto her murmurs. "I'm not Via Hibiki."
Cagalli walked to one corner of the room where a mirror stood. She stared at her own reflection, at the off-white chemise she wore for sleeping. Her mother must have worn something similar to this. Her mother had purple eyes like Kira, not golden ones like hers. Her mother had the same features, the same sharp nose and the high cheekbones. Her mother had the long brown hair which she currently had. She looked just like her mother, save for the color of her eyes.
"I am not Via Hibiki," she said firmly, opening the drawer and searching through its contents until her skin met a cold metal blade which shouldn't have been in the children's room, but was there in the case of an intruder with bad intents.
Her eyes darted downward to the small knife in her hand. Kira saw this and his eyes widened, thinking that his sister would hurt herself then and there. He sprinted to where she stood, but by the time he pushed her down onto the floor, the damage had been done.
"You scared me!" All Kira did nowadays was scold her, she thought, pushing his weight off of her. "Cagalli, you shouldn't be putting anything like that near you!"
But she wasn't listening to anything he was saying. He could scold her later, she thought. He stood up and so did she, and when she looked back into the mirror, she saw only herself.
"I am Cagalli Yula Athha," she finally said, reaching her hand out to touch the ends of her now short hair and smiling contently.
"Please, Father, you have to hold on...!" a young woman cried as she held onto her father's old hands. They were travelling rather fast on a bumpy road, and while it was very uncomfortable to be kneeling on the floor of the carriage rather than sitting on the plush chairs, she could not bring herself to step away from her father as he lay on the cushioned seats.
"Dear, I don't think I can make it all the way to—"
"Please, you mustn't think that! You must hold on, please..." she continued to cry desperately, bringing her father's hands to her lips and pushing them to the side of her cheek. "Father, you cannot leave me as Mother left us! Please, please..."
"Lacus," he called out softly and pulled his hand away to stroke his daughter's long hair. "You, you need to find Athrun..."
"I will, Father, but who could have done this to you? What reason do they have to poison an honorable man?"
Siegel Clyne coughed out blood which fell onto the floor of the carriage. Lacus looked in horror at the stain her father left and the tears were gathering in her eyes again. She could not lose her father. Her mother had already left them when she was younger and for the longest time, the only family she had known was her father.
"Because the one who had me poisoned was a man of no honor," he spoke weakly, struggling to enunciate his words for her to hear. He continued to run his hands through his daughter's soft tresses. "King Patrick Zala must be stopped at all costs, Lacus, or else there will be nothing left of this land..."
When her father's hand fell limp onto her shoulder, all Lacus could do was scream.
End of Chapter Eleven
Notes: ALL THE GIRLS ARE CRAZY. But they will all get better! (I think. *winkwink*)
This chapter is the longest so far! I hope the length makes up for the delay somehow. As always, I will post this and then come back to it later to revise my writing. If you can point out errors or inconsistencies, that would be really helpful! :)
Song of the Chapter: Bones by MSMR
EDITED: Reposted! No updates yet. :)