The Emperor had only released Ultimecia a short time ago, but already his distrust and suspicion were forcing him to reconsider employing her. She was far, far too sneaky for his comfort, and though she had never successfully outmaneuvered him he hardly put it past her to try over and over again until she succeeded.
She had agreed to kill Rosa without payment. He hadn't questioned it at the time, delighted by her appeasement, but the more he considered it the more suspect it appeared. Had she agreed so she could keep her eyes on him? Had she agreed so he would feel comfortable moving the pieces into place for his actions against Chaos, only for her to slot herself in at the last moment and profit from his hard work? He resolved to keep an eye on her while he concocted his plans, and he could, now that she had personally agreed to free up some of his time.
Ultimecia, Exdeath, and Kefka. Three of the most ruthless within Chaos' ranks. Rosa would be dead within days, assuming they upheld their end of the bargain.
The Emperor uncrossed his legs and inched forward to the edge of his throne. He slumped forward to rest his elbows on his knees, but the slight tug on his side where Rosa had stabbed him caught his breath again. It was still tender and bruised, and the skin wasn't quite healed yet. He jerked upright, then placed a hand over the wound to steady it as he jammed his elbows on his thighs and propped his chin up on his fist.
"Dead within days," he said to himself again, reaffirming that she would be punished for the pain and inconvenience she caused him. Just as long as Ultimecia did what he pretended to pay her to do.
He roved his eyes across the room, noting the same crystal shapes in all the same positions they'd been in since he awoke for his very first cycle. He looked up at the black, star-peppered sky, with all the galaxies in all the exact same positions. The gods' unchanging world almost wasn't worth the effort it would take to defeat them and conquer it. The power he would absorb from the gods was worth it, he thought, but not their world itself. Once he defeated Chaos and replaced him on the throne of Discord, he would be the one calling warriors, and he would be the one amassing power with victory after victory. He would have an unlimited source of energy, and they would fear him and cower. No one would ever belittle him the way that Chaos had. If they did, they would suffer.
Especially Rosa. As long as Ultimecia stayed occupied.
He growled out his frustration. He shouldn't have roped Ultimecia in to anything. At best he would need to watch her carefully and at worst he had backed himself into a dangerous corner, stuck between Chaos and Ultimecia both, hackles raised and teeth bared like a threatened animal. It was a kind of misstep he rarely made, which only added to his frustration. Strategy and anticipation was his strong suit, but he had allowed himself to become blinded by immediate rage and instant gratification. It made him short-sighted and one-track minded, and that lack of forethought created too many situations that couldn't be planned for. It was out of his character, and surely he would pay for it.
He stood up from the throne with difficulty. He needed to spy on Ultimecia. To find out how seriously she treated his offer, how urgently she desired to see it through, and how invested she was going to become. He hoped that by having those answers he could either relax his grip on her or retract his offer, vowing to ignore Rosa entirely if it meant he could begin planning against Chaos.
The Emperor called his staff from where he rested it against the side of his throne, and as soon as it sailed into his hand he teleported away from Pandaemonium. As he phased between dimensions and Gateways the beacon that was Order's Sanctuary shined and drew his eye. Its light was easy to spot from any place on the world map, and its aura of peace and harmony was easy to sense from any Gateway. Compared to the intensity of the blackness and silence that the Edge of Madness emitted at any given time, glancing at Order's Sanctuary was like passing through clouds.
He thought about stopping at Sanctuary. Just once, for strategic reasons. No doubt Rosa would be there, and despite the revulsion he felt at even seeing her again, he almost felt obligated to watch her. He could pretend to be invested in the little diversion he created for Ultimecia, Kefka, and Exdeath, and he could warn them of Rosa's strengths and weaknesses. He could gather a true inventory of her powerful magic, and of her skills with the bow, both for his information and for theirs. He couldn't deny that she was strong, and as if to remind him, his chest ached gently, where each of the five arrow shafts nearly punched through him. But was she strong enough to take on three of Chaos's most unscrupulous destroyers? He could learn for sure if her besting him had been a trick of Fate, or if she genuinely needed destroyed before she turned into a major problem. He could track her patterns and know how often she rested or patrolled and if it was at the same time every shift.
He almost phased through Sanctuary's barrier, already masking his presence so that the other warriors of Cosmos wouldn't notice him. But at the last second he reconsidered. There was nothing to be gained. He would have his satisfaction when Ultimecia, Kefka, and Exdeath destroyed her, and he wouldn't have to lift a finger. Kefka, Ultimecia, and Exdeath would make sure that she felt the same shame and humiliation she forced him to feel, and it would be the last thing she felt before her very existence was erased.
Ultimecia was his foremost concern.
He traveled instead to Ultimecia's Tower and cast several shrouds around his silhouette so she wouldn't detect him. He found her on the centermost platform and he perched on the level above, looking down on the scene. He hadn't been there long before the Signet of Chaos rang at the very topmost level of her Tower, signaling someone else's arrival. A chill shot down the Emperor's spine at being caught eavesdropping, and he dashed behind one of the large gears that clanked and spun, hoping they would help to hide him. Several heavy, clanking steps pounded forward and the Emperor assumed it to be Exdeath until he heard a grunt, then an earth-shattering slam as the intruder jumped down to Ultimecia's platform. He peeked around the gear and found Garland, and his frustration built. He was a fool to believe that Ultimecia had any intentions of completing his task in a timely manner.
"Garland," Ultimecia said, without turning to look at him.
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing, at this very moment. Clearly," she said. She threw her arms to the side and gestured to the empty castle around her.
"You know my meaning. What are you doing with the Emperor?"
One of her thin, painted eyebrows lifted, and she turned to look at him, crossing her arms like an indignant child. "Now, now, Garland, isn't it rude to pry into another's business?"
"Not if that 'business', in any shape or form, threatens Chaos."
"Of course. Did he send you out to come spy, or are you just on your way to tattle?"
"That is none of your concern."
She dropped the innocent look and glared at him with all the force she could muster. "Then I suppose my business is none of your concern."
Garland growled his frustration before he could help it. Then his back straightened, armor clanking together harshly. " . . . You two are on thin ice. If the Emperor's schemes lead you to cross either of us, it will be the end of you."
She chuckled once, and waved dismissively. "It always is. Are you finished?"
"We're watching you. Tread lightly." He left without another word.
Ultimecia rolled her neck and dusted some imaginary specks from the front of her dress. Then she spun around to stare directly at the Emperor's hiding spot despite all of his shrouds. "You can come out now!" she called out. "I know you're there, Emperor. You cannot hide from me in my own Tower."
The Emperor sighed, then flicked his hand and removed all of his shrouds. He walked to the ledge of the platform and stepped off of it, floating down to her. "I thought you'd be tracking Rosa down with Kefka and Exdeath by now," he said, staring hard at her. The implications hung heavy on the ends of his words, that he thought she was stalling in order to upset him and keep a reverse eye on him.
Ultimecia rolled her eyes and ignored his statement. "I'm trying to decide which situation is more appropriate. Do you feel pressured by Rosa staying alive and possibly plaguing you later, or is it me you feel pressured by since I will not allow you to keep me easily distracted?"
Shocked into speechlessness by the accuracy of her questions, he quickly tossed his head and snorted. "Don't be ridiculous!" he chided. "I don't find it at all unreasonable to expect that you would get it done immediately. We made a deal."
"Indeed we did, but I cannot have you breathing down my neck at every opportunity. Then I won't be able to do my work." She crossed her arms again, tapping one finger on her arm. "Hmm," she hummed. "How about this: I planned on skulking about Sanctuary to perform some reconnaissance. Would it pacify you if you accompanied me? Just so you can have peace of mind that I am indeed completing the task you set for me?" she added, tilting her head and blinking slowly, the corners of her mouth turning up into a beguiling smile.
He quickly weighed the pros and cons of accompanying Ultimecia to Order's Sanctuary. Reconnaissance wasn't the same as completing the task in full, but it was a start. Ultimecia valued her time and almost matched the Emperor in strategy, so she would be loathe to let the work go to waste once she spent time and effort on it. By forcing her to participate it would ensure her total involvement. He wasn't fond of wasting his own time doing it since the entire point of employing Ultimecia was to keep her distracted and allow him time to plan away from her prying eyes, but it seemed a small concession in the wake of his greater goal.
"Very well," he finally decided.
It seemed he would have the opportunity to see Rosa after all.
A/N: I love getting in the Emperor's headspace. Chapters like these are sometimes hard to write, but when you character study someone like the Emperor, it's not so bad ~ we only see a certain side of him in Dissidia, after all, so giving him real emotions and secret desires, and actually scheming his schemes with him, is something that I find super fun and rewarding!
Thanks so much for sticking with me this long! A special thanks to my beta.
Please leave a comment if you have the time!
~Keyblader
EDIT 5/31/21: This is another chapter that went through a massive overhaul. As I read it, it occurred to me that I was essentially rereading the same conversation twice, and I didn't like that for a few reasons. The first was that I simply didn't want to read the same conversation twice! The second was that the information the Emperor learned from it - he doesn't even use it! He uses it briefly to taunt Cecil and Kain, but it's not important enough to warrant keeping it in the plot. Plus, it's not unreasonable to assume that the Emperor would've found out that information on his own with how long all of them had been involved in the cycles.