The Court of Ambrai: Prologue
May. 21st, 2013 08:26 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hawkeyesprimeCross-posted to Hitokiri07eva at Livejournal
Series Title: God Save the Queen
Volume Title: Book One: The Court of Ambrai
Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable Character or Concept featured in this story, they all belong to all respective creators, producers, and distributors.I receive no money from this work of fiction.
Summary: The Mazoku Motherland, Shin Makoku, a kingdom mired in war and chaos. When the Princess of Amestris, the Mazoku Nation on Earth, is brought to the Motherland to become Consecrated Queen, She finds herself inheriting a world that will take all her skill and cunning to bind to her power.
~*~Prologue~*~
The fountain from which the Maou often traveled to and from Shin Makoku shimmered in the noon light, the shadow from the trees creating dappled patterns on the water and stonework. Juliet Yuuri Shibuya studied her reflection in the water thoughtfully as she fingered the gold braid pinned to her shoulder. Dark eyes traced the insignia and stars that decried her service and rank on her collar and shoulders. She gently traced the service bars and medals pinned to the breast of her jacket and dropped her hand onto her lap and sighed as she recalled the latest events that had occurred in Shin Makoku. It had been a debacle from the get go and she, as a commissioned officer for the Mazoku Armed Forces in Amestris, the Mazoku Nation on Earth, was ashamed to have been forced to lay claim to the event as her responsibility. She was an Ambrai Mazoku, trained in Marloven Hess, the Military Capital of Amestris, and for the sake of Sankt Kaiser's Plan, had behaved like a verdammt wallflower from the moment she arrived in the Motherland. Oh, how eager she was for the day the Plan was completed. She'd show that dummkopf Wolfram how a proper soldier and nobleman should behave in the presence of his Queen, as soon as she broke off her engagement with him of course. As an Ambrai graduate from Marloven Hess, she had a responsibility to maintain her reputation and being betrothed to a hotheaded fool was not the best way to do so. If he could convince her dear knight on the other hand... An since he was a war hero and loyal to her... No Marlovan Hessian or Ambrai could dispute her choice! As for that Schweinehund Stoffel, Juliet would gladly see him put in his place, on his back with his groin ground to paste under the heel of her boot. Teach him to try to kidnap her!
"What is with the scary look?" a dark haired boy wearing spectacles strode up behind her, "If you keep making scary faces, your face with get stuck that way and you will scare off Sir-Weller."
"Mein tapferer Löwen* would never leave me just because I made a scary face!" Juliet was scandalized. "Conrart is a courageous and loyal Knight!"
"Loyal? To the Maou of Shin Makoku, certainly," Murata Ken set down the rucksack he had been carrying and sat down on the fountain ledge beside Juliet, "But to the Major Commander of the Armed Forces of the Makoku Kingdom on Earth? That is debatable."
I am the Maou of Shin Makoku as well as Major Commander of the Armed Forces of the Mazoku Nation on Earth," Juliet said firmly, "My Knights will obey, no matter what face I show them."
"And if they do not?" Murata asked.
"I am Maou and Princess of Ambrai. They will submit or be crushed beneath my boot."
Murata chuckled as he pulled off a glove and dipped his fingertips into the water, "What a woman you are, Juliet. The Motherland lives in terror of the day you show your true nature."
Juliet smiled grimly, "I will not tolerate lazy knights, not even among my nobles. They will be whipped into shape, come hell or high water."
Murata laughed. "That day will come sooner than you think. The Apostles are moving again," Murata said softly, flicking the water off his fingers before pulling his glove back on, "and we do not know when we may be under attack. Your Brother is adamant that we give the impression that at least a year has passed between your last visit and the next one."
"No more Wallflower Queen?"
Murata's glasses glinted in the sun, "No more Wallflower Queen. All Hail Lady Juliet Yuuri Shibuya, Princess of Amestris, Queen of the Great Demon Kingdom. May all your campaigns be fruitful."
Juliet's smile was cold, "Excellent. When do I leave?"
"Sunset, in four hours. I have sent for your favorite saber and here is your armor. You will arrive in Shin Makoku garbed for battle, hunting a Dead Apostle who by chance entered the portal ahead of you, and you will slay it at the first opportunity."
"Chasing a Dead Apostle into Shin Makoku?" Juliet cried, "That is madness! No Apostle will simply let me kill him or her simply to keep up the ruse!"
"The Apostle in question was bitten last night," Murata said, "He is still undergoing the change though the Shroud of Martin is allowing him to keep his humanity, what is left of it."
"Poor man," Juliet's face creased with sympathy. The Changing was said to be among the most painful experiences any sentient being could undergo, exceeding the pain of Cruciatus, a pain curse that directly stimulated the pain center in the brain. All Knights tasted five seconds of the curse as part of the Ordeal of Knighthood, a reminder of the pains and trials that followed Knighthood. "Who is he?"
"Sir Ban Lawrence of Hedgerow in Ardacia, Lenfell."
Juliet's face hardened, "Sir Lawrence is a good man. I am honored that he would sacrifice his end to this cause."
Murata nodded and stood up, holding his hand out to his friend. "Come up to the Armory, Shibuya. You need to get geared up before you can go."
Juliet nodded and allowed her friend to pull her to her feet.
~*~
Juliet stands in the arena, her boots picking up a fine layer of dust from the sand scattered over the arena floor. When the battle is at it's height, and she and her opponent are sufficiently disheveled, the arena will be flooded, the water carrying away the sand and touching the crests placed on the arena floor. Once enough maryoku is gathered, Shiori would open the way to send them to Shin Makoku.
She is garbed as a Marlovan Hessian Knight at arms, garbed in gleaming silver mail, hauberk, gorget, gauntlets and pauldrons and all. A thin gold chain is plaited into her hair with a single black stone on her brow. The surcoat she wears is a rich Ambrai Black with the white tree and a red dragon curled under its roots and her cloak is Shin Makoku blue with the golden lion rampant. Her belt bears her trusted blade, Caliburn, and her dagger. Strapped to her back are her twin long knives, Sanna and Sanchi.
Murata stands behind her, holding Juliet's shield in his hands, the setting sun burnishing the matte black field and white tree and red dragon.
On the other side of the arena, Sir Lawrence is clad in woolen trousers and white linen blouse, the blood red of the Shroud of Martin wrapped round his neck. His face is ashen and bloodless, his eyes sunken and cheeks hollow. A rough wooden round shield is strapped to his arm and an unsheathed sword gleams in his fist. He grins at her, tired yet determined. This is his deathsong, his final battle, one from which he will not return, but he is ready and willing.
From the stands, a drum booms. Juliet takes off her cloak and hands it to Murata and takes her shield from him with the same motion. She draws her sword as she turns and strides to the center of the arena. Murata scurries away as Lawrence casts off the Shroud of Martin and walks forward. A gong sounds and the two combatants begin to circle each other. Lawrence lunges forward, blade flashing.
It is a dance of naked blades where one misstep would mean first blood. Although he is not armored, Lawrence has the speed and strength of the supernatural. Juliet, though she is encumbered by her armor, takes less damage because between her shield and the chain mail and plate armour, her opponent's blade glaces off her protection. Then Lawrence manages to wrench away her shield, and despite the ache in her forearm, she is suddenly more mobile.
Sweat is dripping into her eyes, and the world is narrowed to the grit of her teeth, the heft of her blade, and the clashing of blades. Distantly, she hears the ringing of a gong, and suddenly, footing is more precarious as water creeps across the floor of the arena, soaking the sand and slicking across polished tile and lifting cloth stretched across lightweight wooden frames. Soon, the water level rushes upward, and turns gold.
The ground opens up under her and her head slips under the golden surface and spirals toward pale blue depths.
~*~
It is raining in Shin Makoku. There is a flash and two people appear in the courtyard of Blood Pledge Castle. Conrart Weller and Yozak Gurrier are the the first to notice, meandering along the hallways near the Courtyard as they were. Gwendel von Voltaire is the second to notice, and he summons the guards and leads them down. They draw their blades and rush forward, meeting with Gwendel and his soldiers as they go.
What they find are two combatants battling in the Courtyard. One of them is a strange man with dull brown hair, preternaturally fast despite his sickly appearance, and the other, the armored figure clad in black, was their Maou.
None of the men, trained soldiers as they were, were foolish enough to cry out and distract their Maou. The third Mazoku to notice the battle, is not so level headed. Wolfram von Belfried rushes into the courtyard, sword drawn, and bellows the Maou's name at the top of his lungs. Distracted, her eyes flickers toward him briefly, and her opponent takes advantage of her distraction to disarm her.
Juliet doesn't waste her breath with a curse, darting backward away from a thrust that would have gutted her. She ducks under a swing that would have taken her head off and lunges forward. Her fingers close around the hilt of her sword and she rolls to her feet in time to knock aside and overhead blow and stabs the blade into her opponent's gut. The man gasps as Juliet kicks him off the blade, and darts forward and swings down, loping off his head.
She stands still, breathing heavily for a moment, then she turns to Wolfram, her face twisted with fury.
"What kind of soldier are you?" she snarled, "You could have gotten me killed! You do not rush out into the middle of a fight bellowing at the top of your lungs!"
"What do you know about battle, you wimp!?" Wolfram shouted.
Conrart and Gwendel exchange long suffering looks. It was clear to the two brothers that their Maou had changed since her last visit, and it was obvious that more time had passed for her than them.
"How dare you ask me that, you moronic fool," she growled, "I have been knighted and seen battle in the year since my last visit in Shin Makoku! Can you say the same?"
Wolfram stepped back in surprise. "A year?"
Juliet sighed. "Yes, Wolfram, a year." She turned to Conrart and Gwendel, "Can we go inside before I rust?"
"Of course Heika," Conrart said gently, "I will help you out of your armour."
Yosak stepped forward, "I'll take care of your sword for you, Heika. I promise it'll be cleaned and polished and back in your room by dinnertime."
Juliet gave him a hard stare before unhooking the sheathe from her belt and said quietly, "Caliburn was commissioned for me by my brother after my Ordeal of Knighthood. Damage it at your peril," and passed sword and sheathe to the spy.
"Of course, Heika," Yosak bowed as he took them from her and strode away.
"Will you require a Squire, Heika?" Gwendel asked as the two brothers and the guards escorted the Maou to her chamber.
"Yes," Juliet said curtly, "and Wolfram is to move out of my chambers, effective immediately. Today has shown me that I cannot trust him to keep a level head. I will see this farce of an engagement dissolved at the first possible opportunity as well."
~*~
TBC
Translation:
Dummkopf - fool
verdammt - damn
Schweinehund - pig
Mein tapferer Löwen - My brave Lion
Series Title: God Save the Queen
Volume Title: Book One: The Court of Ambrai
Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable Character or Concept featured in this story, they all belong to all respective creators, producers, and distributors.I receive no money from this work of fiction.
Summary: The Mazoku Motherland, Shin Makoku, a kingdom mired in war and chaos. When the Princess of Amestris, the Mazoku Nation on Earth, is brought to the Motherland to become Consecrated Queen, She finds herself inheriting a world that will take all her skill and cunning to bind to her power.
The fountain from which the Maou often traveled to and from Shin Makoku shimmered in the noon light, the shadow from the trees creating dappled patterns on the water and stonework. Juliet Yuuri Shibuya studied her reflection in the water thoughtfully as she fingered the gold braid pinned to her shoulder. Dark eyes traced the insignia and stars that decried her service and rank on her collar and shoulders. She gently traced the service bars and medals pinned to the breast of her jacket and dropped her hand onto her lap and sighed as she recalled the latest events that had occurred in Shin Makoku. It had been a debacle from the get go and she, as a commissioned officer for the Mazoku Armed Forces in Amestris, the Mazoku Nation on Earth, was ashamed to have been forced to lay claim to the event as her responsibility. She was an Ambrai Mazoku, trained in Marloven Hess, the Military Capital of Amestris, and for the sake of Sankt Kaiser's Plan, had behaved like a verdammt wallflower from the moment she arrived in the Motherland. Oh, how eager she was for the day the Plan was completed. She'd show that dummkopf Wolfram how a proper soldier and nobleman should behave in the presence of his Queen, as soon as she broke off her engagement with him of course. As an Ambrai graduate from Marloven Hess, she had a responsibility to maintain her reputation and being betrothed to a hotheaded fool was not the best way to do so. If he could convince her dear knight on the other hand... An since he was a war hero and loyal to her... No Marlovan Hessian or Ambrai could dispute her choice! As for that Schweinehund Stoffel, Juliet would gladly see him put in his place, on his back with his groin ground to paste under the heel of her boot. Teach him to try to kidnap her!
"What is with the scary look?" a dark haired boy wearing spectacles strode up behind her, "If you keep making scary faces, your face with get stuck that way and you will scare off Sir-Weller."
"Mein tapferer Löwen* would never leave me just because I made a scary face!" Juliet was scandalized. "Conrart is a courageous and loyal Knight!"
"Loyal? To the Maou of Shin Makoku, certainly," Murata Ken set down the rucksack he had been carrying and sat down on the fountain ledge beside Juliet, "But to the Major Commander of the Armed Forces of the Makoku Kingdom on Earth? That is debatable."
I am the Maou of Shin Makoku as well as Major Commander of the Armed Forces of the Mazoku Nation on Earth," Juliet said firmly, "My Knights will obey, no matter what face I show them."
"And if they do not?" Murata asked.
"I am Maou and Princess of Ambrai. They will submit or be crushed beneath my boot."
Murata chuckled as he pulled off a glove and dipped his fingertips into the water, "What a woman you are, Juliet. The Motherland lives in terror of the day you show your true nature."
Juliet smiled grimly, "I will not tolerate lazy knights, not even among my nobles. They will be whipped into shape, come hell or high water."
Murata laughed. "That day will come sooner than you think. The Apostles are moving again," Murata said softly, flicking the water off his fingers before pulling his glove back on, "and we do not know when we may be under attack. Your Brother is adamant that we give the impression that at least a year has passed between your last visit and the next one."
"No more Wallflower Queen?"
Murata's glasses glinted in the sun, "No more Wallflower Queen. All Hail Lady Juliet Yuuri Shibuya, Princess of Amestris, Queen of the Great Demon Kingdom. May all your campaigns be fruitful."
Juliet's smile was cold, "Excellent. When do I leave?"
"Sunset, in four hours. I have sent for your favorite saber and here is your armor. You will arrive in Shin Makoku garbed for battle, hunting a Dead Apostle who by chance entered the portal ahead of you, and you will slay it at the first opportunity."
"Chasing a Dead Apostle into Shin Makoku?" Juliet cried, "That is madness! No Apostle will simply let me kill him or her simply to keep up the ruse!"
"The Apostle in question was bitten last night," Murata said, "He is still undergoing the change though the Shroud of Martin is allowing him to keep his humanity, what is left of it."
"Poor man," Juliet's face creased with sympathy. The Changing was said to be among the most painful experiences any sentient being could undergo, exceeding the pain of Cruciatus, a pain curse that directly stimulated the pain center in the brain. All Knights tasted five seconds of the curse as part of the Ordeal of Knighthood, a reminder of the pains and trials that followed Knighthood. "Who is he?"
"Sir Ban Lawrence of Hedgerow in Ardacia, Lenfell."
Juliet's face hardened, "Sir Lawrence is a good man. I am honored that he would sacrifice his end to this cause."
Murata nodded and stood up, holding his hand out to his friend. "Come up to the Armory, Shibuya. You need to get geared up before you can go."
Juliet nodded and allowed her friend to pull her to her feet.
~*~
Juliet stands in the arena, her boots picking up a fine layer of dust from the sand scattered over the arena floor. When the battle is at it's height, and she and her opponent are sufficiently disheveled, the arena will be flooded, the water carrying away the sand and touching the crests placed on the arena floor. Once enough maryoku is gathered, Shiori would open the way to send them to Shin Makoku.
She is garbed as a Marlovan Hessian Knight at arms, garbed in gleaming silver mail, hauberk, gorget, gauntlets and pauldrons and all. A thin gold chain is plaited into her hair with a single black stone on her brow. The surcoat she wears is a rich Ambrai Black with the white tree and a red dragon curled under its roots and her cloak is Shin Makoku blue with the golden lion rampant. Her belt bears her trusted blade, Caliburn, and her dagger. Strapped to her back are her twin long knives, Sanna and Sanchi.
Murata stands behind her, holding Juliet's shield in his hands, the setting sun burnishing the matte black field and white tree and red dragon.
On the other side of the arena, Sir Lawrence is clad in woolen trousers and white linen blouse, the blood red of the Shroud of Martin wrapped round his neck. His face is ashen and bloodless, his eyes sunken and cheeks hollow. A rough wooden round shield is strapped to his arm and an unsheathed sword gleams in his fist. He grins at her, tired yet determined. This is his deathsong, his final battle, one from which he will not return, but he is ready and willing.
From the stands, a drum booms. Juliet takes off her cloak and hands it to Murata and takes her shield from him with the same motion. She draws her sword as she turns and strides to the center of the arena. Murata scurries away as Lawrence casts off the Shroud of Martin and walks forward. A gong sounds and the two combatants begin to circle each other. Lawrence lunges forward, blade flashing.
It is a dance of naked blades where one misstep would mean first blood. Although he is not armored, Lawrence has the speed and strength of the supernatural. Juliet, though she is encumbered by her armor, takes less damage because between her shield and the chain mail and plate armour, her opponent's blade glaces off her protection. Then Lawrence manages to wrench away her shield, and despite the ache in her forearm, she is suddenly more mobile.
Sweat is dripping into her eyes, and the world is narrowed to the grit of her teeth, the heft of her blade, and the clashing of blades. Distantly, she hears the ringing of a gong, and suddenly, footing is more precarious as water creeps across the floor of the arena, soaking the sand and slicking across polished tile and lifting cloth stretched across lightweight wooden frames. Soon, the water level rushes upward, and turns gold.
The ground opens up under her and her head slips under the golden surface and spirals toward pale blue depths.
~*~
It is raining in Shin Makoku. There is a flash and two people appear in the courtyard of Blood Pledge Castle. Conrart Weller and Yozak Gurrier are the the first to notice, meandering along the hallways near the Courtyard as they were. Gwendel von Voltaire is the second to notice, and he summons the guards and leads them down. They draw their blades and rush forward, meeting with Gwendel and his soldiers as they go.
What they find are two combatants battling in the Courtyard. One of them is a strange man with dull brown hair, preternaturally fast despite his sickly appearance, and the other, the armored figure clad in black, was their Maou.
None of the men, trained soldiers as they were, were foolish enough to cry out and distract their Maou. The third Mazoku to notice the battle, is not so level headed. Wolfram von Belfried rushes into the courtyard, sword drawn, and bellows the Maou's name at the top of his lungs. Distracted, her eyes flickers toward him briefly, and her opponent takes advantage of her distraction to disarm her.
Juliet doesn't waste her breath with a curse, darting backward away from a thrust that would have gutted her. She ducks under a swing that would have taken her head off and lunges forward. Her fingers close around the hilt of her sword and she rolls to her feet in time to knock aside and overhead blow and stabs the blade into her opponent's gut. The man gasps as Juliet kicks him off the blade, and darts forward and swings down, loping off his head.
She stands still, breathing heavily for a moment, then she turns to Wolfram, her face twisted with fury.
"What kind of soldier are you?" she snarled, "You could have gotten me killed! You do not rush out into the middle of a fight bellowing at the top of your lungs!"
"What do you know about battle, you wimp!?" Wolfram shouted.
Conrart and Gwendel exchange long suffering looks. It was clear to the two brothers that their Maou had changed since her last visit, and it was obvious that more time had passed for her than them.
"How dare you ask me that, you moronic fool," she growled, "I have been knighted and seen battle in the year since my last visit in Shin Makoku! Can you say the same?"
Wolfram stepped back in surprise. "A year?"
Juliet sighed. "Yes, Wolfram, a year." She turned to Conrart and Gwendel, "Can we go inside before I rust?"
"Of course Heika," Conrart said gently, "I will help you out of your armour."
Yosak stepped forward, "I'll take care of your sword for you, Heika. I promise it'll be cleaned and polished and back in your room by dinnertime."
Juliet gave him a hard stare before unhooking the sheathe from her belt and said quietly, "Caliburn was commissioned for me by my brother after my Ordeal of Knighthood. Damage it at your peril," and passed sword and sheathe to the spy.
"Of course, Heika," Yosak bowed as he took them from her and strode away.
"Will you require a Squire, Heika?" Gwendel asked as the two brothers and the guards escorted the Maou to her chamber.
"Yes," Juliet said curtly, "and Wolfram is to move out of my chambers, effective immediately. Today has shown me that I cannot trust him to keep a level head. I will see this farce of an engagement dissolved at the first possible opportunity as well."
~*~
TBC
Translation:
Dummkopf - fool
verdammt - damn
Schweinehund - pig
Mein tapferer Löwen - My brave Lion
