…
…
…
Three nights pass in the Pavolian capital of the Blue Throne after Reine sends the Imperial Council's summons. Three nights that seemed to last forever as an uneasy air hangs over the metropolis.
On that third night, a taxi cab plies through the broad avenues of the Pavolian capital. A well dressed woman with long, purple hair sits in the back and a small leather briefcase sits by her feet. The woman stews in her own thoughts when the taxi screeches to a halt.
"Mind the road, please." The well-dressed woman chides the driver.
The cabbie tips her cap and looks at the rearview mirror to apologize.
"I'm sorry, Lady Ane'nis Ninomae. There's a traffic stop ahead. Security's gotten tighter in the capital ever since the Imperial Council was summoned. It's all over the news."
Ane'nis peers out of the cab windows and sees a strange scene. She finds Municipal constabularies manning the checkpoints, but soldiers of the Regular Army seem to be arguing with them.
That argument has caused a traffic jam spanning multiple city blocks. Cars, buildings and people are bathed in the flashing red lights of police cruisers.
'It's just as bad as Her Excellency feared…' thought Ane'nis, clutching the briefcase at her feet 'I can't waste any more time.'
Ane'nis heaves a sigh. She picks up the briefcase and opens the door.
"Lady Ninomae…?" The cabbie whips her head back.
"I'll carry on by foot." Ane'nis replies. She digs into her coat pocket and fishes out wads of high-denomination Pavolian rupiah bills, handing it to the cabbie, "Here's my fare - and tip."
"That's a bit much…" The cabbie gasps.
"Just take it, please." Ane'nis urges.
She glances at the cabbie and hums.
'Come to think of it… now that I see her in the light, this cabbie seems strangely familiar. Brunette hair… purple eyes…'
The cabbie notices the noblewoman's curious gaze. So, she takes the stack of bills and closes the door.
"Thank you, Lady Ninomae. If you'll excuse me, I have to find another fare."
Before Ane'nis could say anything else or discern why the cabbie seemed familiar, the cabbie turns her taxi around and drives off, away from the traffic checkpoint.
Ane'nis heaves a sigh and turns her eyes towards the Blue Throne's castle on a hill, illuminated brightly even in the night.
The Istana Merakyat palace.
…
After a brisk walk, Ane'nis Ninomae is welcomed into the Istana Merakyat who greet her with sharp salutes. Ane'nis returns the gesture and is ushered into the palace. She is promptly brought to one of the Empress' study rooms.
"PAVOLIA RAYA!" Ane'nis greets Reine.
"Pavolia Raya." Reine answers her.
The Imperial Guards close the door behind Ane'nis, leaving the two ladies alone in the study room.
"Allow me to thank you for this, Ane'nis." Reine speaks casually, "House Mun'eo has served House Merakyat faithfully for decades. That faithfulness is a rare source of relief in these trying times."
"It is our duty to serve the Empire, your Excellency." Ane'nis smiles warmly, but her smile wanes as she sees the rings under Reine's eyes, "You haven't been sleeping well, though, have you?"
Reine shakes her head sadly.
"Not with this great weight on my shoulders." She says with a frown. Her eyes wander to the briefcase in Ane'nis' hand, "And I'm afraid that that weight will get even heavier."
Ane'nis gulps and nods. She sets her leather briefcase upon Reine's desk.
Reine's lips twist into a frown.
"A part of me is afraid to see what's inside this case, Ane'nis." Reine thinks out loud.
"But it is the truth, your Excellency." Ane'nis answers grimly, "I couldn't believe it myself, but the evidence is clear. You… have to see it for yourself."
Ane'nis pops open the briefcase and brings out printed documents and photographs from the frontlines. It shows Reine the true state of the war - not the rose-tinted lies that Zeta and the compromised Imperial Council had been telling her.
Reine flips through the pages and browses through the photographs. Her frown deepens and she collapses onto her chair.
"Y-your Excellency!" Ane'nis gasps, rushing to Reine's side.
"I have been a fool… and our country has been played for fools by that power-hungry savage…" Reine growls, gritting her teeth, "She spoke of her empty promises and her fanciful dreams, talking about some divine destiny that Pavolia would gain… but she takes great pains to hide her carnage - her… her horrors!"
"House Mun'eo has opposed this war from the beginning, your Excellency." Ane'nis interjects, "We lost our prestige, our holdings in the Eastern Kingdom and got kicked out of the Imperial Council by Rajah Bazo Vestia because of it but we have not changed our dissent."
Reine rises up from her chair and walks towards the window of her study room. She looks out to one of the traffic checkpoints in the distance and sees the police arguing with the military on the streets.
"I know - and I wish that I… and my mother had listened to your clan and opposed the Rajah and her sick-in-the-head daughter sooner." Reine grumbles. She turns towards Ane'nis and looks straight into her eyes, "I am taking steps to right these wrongs, Ane'nis. Our hands were tied then, but a great albeit dangerous opportunity has arisen. I will need your help, and the help of House Mun'eo in the days ahead.
"Our loyalty to you is absolute, your Excellency." Ane'nis lays her hand over her heart, "I swear it upon my House and upon the name of the Holy Mother Towa."
Ane'nis pauses and stands behind Reine resolutely, "All I ask is that you bring my little sister home safely. Her dramatic address gave us this great opportunity after all."
"Major Ina'nis Ninomae will return to you alive. That is my solemn oath to you, Ane'nis." Reine swears. She turns around and faces Ane'nis, "To that end, I want House Mun'eo to take over the Blue Throne Constabulary. Use your family's influence to wrestle as much control over the Imperial Guards in the rest of the thirteen provincial duchies away from the Zeta loyalists. We have to be ready for anything in the coming days."
"It will be done." Ane'nis answers sharply.
Reine nods.
"As for you specifically, Ane'nis… I have another special mission. An urgent one." Reine walks to her desk and brings out a letter bearing the Imperial wax seal, "Long before this bloody war began, my mother wanted to appoint you as Ambassador to Elysium. She never got the chance."
She puts the letter in Ane'nis' hands.
"Now, I want you to negotiate with the Elysians and fight for an honorable peace on my behalf. On my mother's behalf too."
Ane'nis takes the letter. She looks at the Imperial Seal on the wax bearing the ciphers of Empress Goya IV. She is at a loss for words, so Reine continues.
"Take that letter and show it to Ambassador Watame Tsunomaki. The INU are obliged to grant you safe passage by plane through to Pekoland, the Sicarian Isles and then to Metro Elysium. I've already arranged for your Elysian visa to be processed. A simple renewal, I'm told. You had one when you studied in Xenokuni, after all."
Ane'nis gulps and finally gathers her thoughts.
"But your Excellency, this is a diplomatic mission. A formal diplomatic mission. The War and Foreign Affairs departments will cry foul about being circumvented, and the Imperial Council… and Rajah Bazo Vestia would…"
"Leave the Imperial Council and Rajah Bazo to me." Reine answers firmly, "It is my duty as Empress to face them. I will make them see things my way - and do what I know my mother, in her heart of hearts, would have wanted to do."
…
…
…
The next morning at the break of dawn, long after Ane'nis Ninomae had excused herself to begin her new mission, Empress Reine Pavolia emerges from her quarters dressed in full Imperial regalia. Reine wears the intricate and bejeweled Merakyat crown on her head and wears a grand, regal blue cape over a gold-trimmed white uniform of the Imperial Guard and a long, embroidered blue and white sarong over military trousers.
An entourage of Imperial Guard soldiers armed with Kar98 rifles accompany her and they march together down the halls of the Istana Merakyat like an army on the field of battle.
Her heart beats hard against her chest and an upset stomach threatens to make her throw up, but she stands firm and gathers her resolve. She marches on with her chest and her head held high.
As she goes through, rays of sunlight pour in from the rows of velvet-draped windows along the hall. In the corner of her eye, Reine sees the tall statues of her predecessors - the Emperors and Empresses of Pavolia - standing guard at the snowswept gardens of the palace.
The blankets of snow that had veiled the statues have finally begun to melt, revealing the stoic faces of the past rulers looking out to the metropolis beyond the walls. Though most of the statues are crafted with poses and details unique to them, only the statue of Empress Goya IV has her head turned toward the Monteazulas and Xenokuni City beyond it.
So, with its head turned westward, Reine could see the profile of her mother's face. Stubborn snow lingers on her face, melting slower than the white veils of her peers.
'It looks like she's crying.' Reine remarks.
She clutches at her chest. The rising sun shimmers off of the tear-like icicles on Empress Goya's statue, briefly showing Reine her own reflection on the window. She has the beginnings of tears forming at the sides of her eyes, but she quickly wipes them.
'I don't have time to cry yet, Mother. Our country still needs me.' She quietly declares, 'Watch over me, dear Mother. Pray for me to the Holy Mother Towa. Please make sure that she hears Pavolia's pleas. Goddess knows we need it.'
With that, Reine takes a deep breath and carries on down the rows of high windows draped with blue velvet curtains. She makes a turn and comes face to face with a pair of heavy double doors of mahogany carved with ornate insignias of the Pavolian dynasties. A peculiar sign fashioned out of gold hangs over the doors and reads,
'Aula Dewan Kekaisaran'
The Imperial Council Room.
A pair of Imperial Guard soldiers turn towards Reine and give her the Imperial salute.
"PAVOLIA RAYA!" They announce.
Reine returns the gesture.
"Pavolia Raya." Reine answers.
The Imperial Guards lower their hands and open the door for her, revealing a lavishly decorated room with gold statues of exotic flora and fauna, jewel encrusted crests of the noble Pavolian families, handsome wooden fixtures and rich blue drapes and curtains that would put most ballrooms in the world to shame. Luxury piles upon luxury as far as the eye can see, but none of it brings Reine any joy.
Reine steps inside and finds herself in the room that her mother visited often when Reine was still a child. The doors close behind her but Reine glances back over her shoulder. The somber image of Empress Goya IV's statue outside the Istana Merakyat disappears behind dark wood.
There would be no little, wide-eyed Reine would be there to burst through the doors to interrupt the meeting for fanciful storytime.
Only the harsh reality of war as seen through tired, jaded eyes.
"No turning back now." Reine tells herself.
…
Gathered there in the Aula Dewan Kekaiseran are the most powerful political powers in Pavolia.
High ministers known as the Menteri Dewan proudly wear sashes denoting the Imperial department they head. Rajas and Ratus, petty kings and queens of the Empire's vassal kingdoms, wear their respective kingdoms' royal regalia but wear intricate gold circlets instead of crowns. Finally, the Adipati dukes and duchesses of Pavolia's thirteen provincial duchies - subjects of the vassal kingdoms - wear twin medallions representing loyalty to their petty monarch and to the Empress.
Seeing this dazzling display of gold, silk, embroidery and precious jewels always puts Reine on edge.
Throughout Reine's twenty six years of life, everyone in that room pretended to befriend her, bowing in her presence and paying homage to her and her mother. Beyond those official gestures and pleasantries, though, not one of them did more than what they were obligated to do. To Reine, every one of them was just a face with a fancy title or a historically powerful surname.
All of them were the same.
A parliament of elites ever eager to display and seize power.
That congregation of bureaucrats and despots rise up from their seats and bow down before Reine. Their voices all fill the gold-laden room.
"PAVOLIA RAYA!" They cheer.
"Pavolia Raya." Reine answers with deflated enthusiasm.
She observes the congregation gathered before her, scanning the room with sharp eyes. An empty seat close to the Imperial throne catches her attention.
"Rajah Bazo Vestia is not here?" Reine asks the crowd.
"Unfortunately no, your Excellency." answers another Rajah. He takes off his feathered hat and apologizes, "His domain of the Easternmost kingdom is preparing for the Elysian counterattack. After the Elysian incursion in Banda Punkak Biru, he cannot be away from his people."
"Rajah Bazo is also mustering up his realm to provide reinforcements for the Grand Marshal." Adds the Pavolian Minister of War, "The Army despe- ahem… righteously requires more able-bodied soldiers. Many boys and girls are turning fifteen this month as well. Their time to answer the Draft is close at hand."
One after another, the council members nod in agreement. Reine's lips twist into a frown.
She doesn't need to ask them what they thought about the War as it stands.
Reine runs her hand through her long locks of hair and flicks it defiantly.
"Very well, we shall proceed without Rajah Bazo." Reine declares.
As soon as she does, Imperial Guard soldiers come to her bearing the Imperial klewang longsword and the bejeweled Merakyat family scepter set upon blue velvet cushions. Reine takes the longsword and the scepter and brings them to the Imperial throne at the heart of the Council Room.
With the ceremonial weapons in hand, Reine begins the meeting.
…
"Honorable members of the Dewan Kekaiseran, hear me now. I have gathered you here today at a time of great peril for our beloved Empire of Pavolia. The ninth year of our war with Elysium is dawning upon us and I believe that it is up to us to define the future - which path Pavolia shall take moving forward."
She raises up the ceremonial weapons and asks, "In this new year, shall we lead with the sword or the scepter?"
Reine doesn't wait for an answer.
"Surely all of you have heard of the news from the frontlines by now. The broadcast of Major Ina'nis Ninomae, scion of House Mun'eo, is shocking, to say the least, but I have the misfortune of knowing that her claims are true."
"The war has swung wildly in favor of the Elysian Commonwealth. We have failed to neutralize their forces they are on the verge of neutralizing ours. It is no use denying this fact any longer."
Boos and jeers echo in the Imperial Council room, but Reine holds the ceremonial weapons firmly and continues to speak.
"I will admit that when I first appointed Zeta Vestia as the Grand Marshal of our Armed Forces, she and I shared the belief that total victory against the Elysians was just a few more successful battles away. I visited the frontlines myself and saw the Grand Marshal's brave counterattack with my own eyes."
"But a lot has changed in the past few months."
"Our armed forces have been driven out of the Elysian province of Poseidon's Point. The humble surface fleet of the Angkatan Laut has been dealt a terrible blow with the loss of the KPP Darussalam battlecruiser. The Angkatan Udara's inventory of warplanes has been decimated as well in that costly offensive. And now, we run the risk of losing both the Manor House and Xenokuni a second time this year alone!"
The protests grow even louder in the room now. Reine furrows her brow and makes her declaration.
"As the Empress of Pavolia, I believe that it is time to set aside the sword and to wield the scepter - for the good of all mankind. With this scepter, I am preparing to enter negotiations with Prime Minister Fauna Ceres of Elysium for a mutually honorable peace."
"Pavolia must offer these three things to Elysium. First - a ceasefire between our two nations, effective immediately. Second - a restoration of diplomatic relations between the Empire of Pavolia and the Commonwealth of Elysium. And finally - the removal of Zeta Vestia as the Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces. I will take charge of the Armed Forces and order them to stand down."
…
The moment that Reine uttered her third point of peace, the Imperial Council room erupts in uproar. The rowdy congregation begins hurling insults at her.
"We always knew that you would be a disgraceful Empress, Reine Pavolia! How dare you utter such nonsense!? PENGKHIANAT!"
"Grand Marshal Vestia and Rajah Bazo told us that you were plotting against them! Now you show your true colors, ANJING!"
"If Empress Goya IV were alive today, she would weep to see how weak her bastard daughter is driving Pavolia to the ground! ANAK HARAM!"
Reine furrows her brow. She faces the noblewoman who mentioned her mother and points the ceremonial longsword at her.
"DO NOT DISPARAGE MY MOTHER! Insult me all you want, but not her!" Reine roars, glaring at her, "My mother did not wish to go to war and every single one of you here knows it!"
"Empress Goya IV started the war against the heretic Elysians, though!" The noblewoman counters, "Are you saying she went against the will of the people?"
"But my mother only wished to see Xenokuni achieve independence from the Elysians - and to force Elysium to acknowledge Pavolia's sovereignty over the Manor House and its environs. Not once did she wish to drive the Elysians out from the continent - or to subjugate Xenokuni like Zeta Vestia and this council seems to wish to do!"
Reine swings the sword to the air and growls, continuing her litany of grievances.
"Anyone that Empress Goya IV placed to achieve Xenokunian independence peacefully met a brutal end one way or another at the hands of fellow Pavolians. Anyone that I sent to defuse the situation met similar ends."
"Kolonel Moona Hoshinova was deemed as honorable even by the Xenokunians, but she was killed by a plot of Zeta Vestia and her right hand Kaela Kovalskia. Ina'nis Ninomae, whom I sent to look into the matter, is nearly killed while trying to speak of peace on humanitarian grounds. Tell me - all of you - how many more have to die on the altar of this Goddess-forsaken bloodlust!?"
All of the sudden, the Imperial Council room falls silent. The powerful bureaucrats and despots rise up from their chairs but do not answer Reine.
One of the Menteri Dewan ministers, the Minister of War, steps forward and faces the sword-wielding Empress.
"The Dewan Kekaiseran wished that this day would not come, your Excellency, but everyone in this room believes that you are no longer fit to lead Pavolia as her Empress. Fulfilling even a single point of your… fanciful requests would need majority approval of this Council to move forward."
The other ministers and nobles join the War Minister and stand behind him.
"However, as you can see, this chamber is entirely united against you. The provincial duchies, petty kingdoms and the Imperial ministries are all in agreement. We believe that you are misguided. Pavolia desires not this 'dishonorable peace' that you propose, but 'victory'! Complete and total victory over the Elysian scum!"
"The Pavolian people who continue sending their sons, daughters, wives and husbands to die in a losing war disagree!" Reine snaps at the minister, "Have any of you even spoken to the common folk of your domains? Do you see this war as some damn game!?"
Neither the minister nor his conspirators in the chamber are moved. They do not give her an answer.
Instead, they give her an ultimatum.
"You ask Pavolia for three pitiful points, so this chamber will offer you three choices, Empress Reine I. It is only fair! One - you can retract your words of weakness and cast away your foolish notions of suing the Elysians for peace. Two - you can put down the Merakyat Crown, surrender the Imperial Arms and abdicate the throne."
"And you plan to install Zeta Vestia as the new Empress?" Reine spits, interrupting them.
The minister only grins. The other ministers and the nobles nod in agreement. He snickers and announces his last offer.
"And three. You may continue to defy the will of Pavolia, but you will not leave the Istana Merakyat palace alive."
Reine's eyes sweep through the room. Their friendly masks have long since crumbled, leaving their sly, bloodthirsty grins. The longsword and scepter in Reine's hands feel heavy.
She faces the ravenous crowd and shouts back at them.
"Ini adalah Makar Jahan! This is high treason! How dare you threaten your Empress with death?" Reine points her longsword at everyone in the room, "All of you will pay for this insolence, haram jadah! Consider this Imperial Council dissolved! Imperial Guards - detain them!"
Half a dozen Imperial Guard soldiers stationed in the room wield their rifles. However, gunfire suddenly erupts in the distance.
Reine glances over her shoulder and looks out the windows of the Imperial Council Room, she sees the troopers of the Pavolian military opening fire upon the Blue Throne constabulary traffic checkpoints.
The bursts of gunfire then grow nearer, echoing from within the halls of the Istana Merakyat palace itself.
Automatic gunfire.
RATATATATATATATATAT!
Followed by an explosion.
BOOM!
The heavy mahogany doors of the Imperial Council room are blown off their hinges. Mangled remains of the Imperial Guard troopers keeping watch there splatter onto the ground along with the shattered door, sending sawdust, soot and red mist blowing into the room.
The rebellious ministers and nobles scramble away and hide behind their desks. And then, four Regular Army troops with silver sashes over their uniform storm the room with StG44 assault rifles. They point their guns at the Imperial Guards and mow them down without hesitation.
RATATATATATATATATAT!
Reine freezes where she stands. Her Imperial Guard troops fall on their backs riddled with bullets before they could even fire back. The bejeweled longsword and scepter slips from her hands, falling onto the hardwood floor with loud, metallic clangs.
The insurgents point their guns at the disarmed Empress standing out in the open. Reine shudders in fear and plops down onto the throne, raising her hands up in surrender.
All the while, the ministers and nobles cheer for Reine's humiliation. The Merakyat crown slips from Reine's head and falls off as well, rolling down the Imperial Council room towards the blown-open door.
The crown stops by the combat boots of a peculiar figure entering the room: a large man with silver hair and blue eyes just like Zeta Vestia's.
"Rajah Bazo Vestia." Reine recognizes him immediately.
Bazo picks up the crown and regards it fondly, looking at his reflection in its fourteen large, polished sapphires affixed into the gold.
"Blessings upon you, Empress Reine I," answers Bazo with a smirk. He twirls the Merakyat crown on his finger and declares, "Reine I. The first, and last of her name. You really should have listened to the Imperial Council, your Excellency. Your mother had the same three choices laid before her and she chose well. Unlike you."
"I'm sure you coerced her into doing everything you wanted, Rajah Bazo." Reine snaps.
Bazo puts away the crown and folds his arms. The devilish grin on his lips widens.
"Ah, young Reine. Little Reine. I still remember you barging into the Council room when you were young to tell your… asinine stories about the Pavolian Youth. You thought that Pavolia was just like the fairy tales that you read about as a child - clean, just and righteous. Reality is far, far uglier. How does it feel to learn the truth? About how the Pavolia of today stands on the graves of countless Pavolians?"
"You and I know entirely different Pavolias, Rajah. You and Zeta will only bring this country to ruin!" Reine argues.
"You're right, for once. We do know entirely different Pavolias. Yours is a child's fantasy. My daughter and I will lead a Pavolia lavished in glory."
Rajah Bazo draws a Luger pistol and points it at Reine's head.
"So now is your last chance to awaken from your daydream, Empress Reine. Abandon your plans for taking the knee to the Elysians, abdicate the throne… or die!"
Reine's heart pounds hard against her chest. Rajah Bazo's sharp gaze pierces her very soul, but she stays firm and sits upright on the throne. She takes a deep breath and cries defiantly.
"I refuse!"
"A poor choice." Rajah Bazo shakes his head, "Now, let me take you to see your whore mother in hell!"
Reine closes her eyes and grips the armrests of the throne, bracing herself for the shot.
BANG!
However, no bullet strikes her head or whizzes past her. Reine dares to open her eyes and she sees Rajah Bazo bloodied. He falls down to the ground with a bullet hole in his back and drops his pistol.
Behind him, a peculiar brunette lady in a Blue Throne taxi uniform wields a smoking Elysian M1911 pistol. The belligerent ministers and the nobles are the ones frozen in fear this time. The silver-sashed soldiers turn around towards her, but the lady promptly guns them down with incredible speed and accuracy.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
BANG! BANG!
The four Regular Army soldiers drop dead on the ground, but the bloodied Rajah Bazo struggles to reach for his pistol. That's when the brunette reaches under her uniform and draws a keris shortsword.
"You're the one going to hell today, Rajah Bazo!" She roars.
The woman pounces upon the bloodied Bazo, turns him over and stabs him through the heart viciously. Bazo flails about, gurgling blood, but the petite brunette pushes the blade deep and twists it. In just a few heartbeats, Bazo falls limp and his eyes grow unfocused.
The belligerent council members watch the fake cabbie in shock. Some of them try to charge at her, but she wields her bloodied keris and switches out to a second pistol from under her uniform.
"Don't you dare move a muscle!" The cabbie shouts, stopping the council members in their tracks. She raises her keris and sweeps her second pistol at the crowd while calling for Reine, "Your Excellency - it's not safe here. I'm here to get you out."
While the cabbie speaks, frustrated shouting echoes in the halls of the Istana Merakyat. More insurgent soldiers wearing silver sashes arrive with StG44 assault rifles.
"She's over there! With the Empress!" cries one of the soldiers, "Don't let them get away!"
"We have to go. Now!" The cabbie urges.
"Go? Where?" Reine gasps, whipping her head left and right to search for an exit.
The cabbie snorts. She sheaths her keris, runs towards Reine and yanks her out of the throne. Then, she brings Reine and sprints towards the Imperial Council room's windows.
"Hold on tight!" The cabbie yells.
Reine braces herself and the two of them break through the window!
CRASH!
Reine and the cabbie drop down one and a half stories onto the snowy hills of the Istana Merakyat's gardens. The cabbie lets go and the two of them roll down the gentle slopes of the hill.
The insurgent soldiers rush to the window and point their StG44's at the fleeing ladies.
RATATATATATATATATAT!
Reine and the cabbie pick themselves up from the roll and hide behind the trunks of leafless maple trees. Bullets strike the wood and whiz past them.
"Your Excellency!" The cabbie calls.
She tosses her second pistol, a Luger, towards Reine and the Empress catches it.
"You went to Pavolian Youth basic training, didn't you!?" The cabbie asks.
"I did!" Reine confirms, shouting over the hail of bullets.
"That's the pistol of Kolonel Moona Hoshinova." The cabbie remarks, "Use it well."
Reine holds the Luger pistol and muses, "Moona-simpai… even in death, you're protecting me."
The cabbie, meanwhile, reloads her M1911. As she does, she listens to the gunfire and commands, "They're about to run out of ammo. When they do, we drop them and we run. Got it?"
Reine steadies her grip on the gun.
Moments later, the StG44's of the insurgents fall silent. Reine and the cabbie break out of cover and fire at them.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Their shots fly true, killing two soldiers and wounding two others. The rest of the soldiers take cover, but the ladies don't stay and fight. Reine rips off her ceremonial sarong skirt and runs together with the cabbie before the soldiers could fire back.
They hop the fence out of the palace gardens and onto the circular boulevard wrapped around it. An empty taxi cab is there waiting for them.
The cabbie sprints ahead of the Empress and starts the car. Reine hops into the back and the two of them drive off, away from the palace.
"Rajah Bazo is dead, but he's just a puppet in his daughter's game. The Grand Marshal's insurrection is in full swing." The cabbie says, speaking as she drives, "The Blue Throne will be a battlefield in the coming days. Lady Ane'nis and the Constabulary are fighting back, but we can't stay here. Where shall we go, your Excellency?"
Reine holds Moona's pistol in her hand and she holds it close to her heart.
"Take us to Istana Mun'eo. I'll be safe there."
"Roger that, your Excellency." The cabbie answers.
Reine nods. Then, she looks at her sudden chauffeur through the rear view mirror.
"But before anything else, cabbie, I have to ask. You're a Keris Abu-Abu, aren't you? Why are you helping me?"
"I'm helping you because I believe that Pavolia can still be like those fairy tales that Rajah Bazo lambasted - or at least it can still strive to be so." The cabbie answers honestly, "I won't let the Grand Marshal turn that dream into a nightmare."
A small smile forms on Reine's lips.
"You talk just like Moona-simpai." Reine remarks.
"I can only wish." The cabbie smiles back.
"What is your name, if I may ask." Reine glances at the cabbie once more.
The cabbie looks back and answers wholeheartedly.
"Anya Melfissa. It is an honor to serve you, Empress Reine."
…
…
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TEMPEST
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