Pagan's Untold Story, pt 1 Title: Pagan's Untold Story (part 1 of 2) Rating: FRT Characters: Pagan, Mrs. Darlian, King Peacecraft, Queen Peacecraft, Milliardo, and Generals Khushrenada and Catalonia Notes: Thanks to the_dw and guiltyred for their help! Time: AC 170-AC 176
Pagan's Untold Story by Arabian Princess
"... I am announcing the elimination of all national borders. These borders have been the cause of wars around the world. I declare there is one nation: the world nation."
She watched the end of Relena's speech and shook her head. She closed her eyes as she took another sip of wine. It was very quiet in the house now that she was the only one left, so it surprised her greatly when she heard the door click open (all the servants were gone for the night). Still, she did not open her eyes until she heard her "guest" take a seat in the chair next to hers. When she looked, she saw it was the old butler, Pagan, and he was pouring himself a glass of wine. She did her best to hide her sneer. She thought she had been rid of him for good. He had never been a good butler, for he never took any orders from herself or her late husband. He only did the things which his precious "Miss Relena" asked of him. "I thought you said you'd stay by her side," she said more nastily than she had originally intended. He took a moment to sip his drink, and she could see the noble heritage peaking through. "Dermail's granddaughter took her. I was away with the other girls. I never had a chance to stop her before she left, and once she was on his property, I of course couldn't get her. You know what would happen if I should step anywhere near Dermail—the same would happen to you." She stiffened a little at the allusion to her past. "Yes, you do know what would happen." "No, we cannot get her now," she agreed. "We cannot even contact her now. If Dermail found us, we're as good as dead. He hates traitors even more than he hates pacifists." "Relena is a smart girl. She should be safe there. She doesn't know anything, so she can't leak anything, and Dermail doesn't know she's connected to us. She'll be safe," he comforted as much as he dared. "You never told her? You never told her anything." "She's better off not knowing. You and your 'husband' should have never told her you were her adopted parents. She was better off believing she's a Darlian." "Your ways haven't worked so well either," she retorted. "They've kept her safe all this time." "Well, your methods got everyone into this situation in the first place." "No," he said through gritted teeth. "I recall a certain Romefeller spy of the female persuasion helped bring about the downfall of the kingdom." "That female spy was only sent because the old male spy failed!" They sat in silence. Drinking the wine in hopes to calm their flared tempers, they ended up nursing their anger and hurt egos. Pagan poured himself yet another glass of wine; they both stared straight ahead, blankly at the television screen. After some time, Mrs. Darlian finally said (in a rather quiet voice): "It wasn't my fault. I remember that much distinctly." "I have the better memory between the two of us," he countered lightly. "You were young. You were still having fun back then. I, on the other hand, was quite the adult. I saw things much clearer than you, I paid closer attention and caught more details than you, and I had the wisdom to know to burn the details into my mind. You were too young to do such things." That was the closest she would ever get to a compliment from him, so she allowed him to continue without interruption. "Of course, as a spy, it was also my job to keep an eye out for such details. I have done my job long enough; you were new. I knew what to look out for and what to pay attention to." "If you know what happened so clearly, then," she said, "please explain it to me—since I apparently don't remember." Most of his smirk was hidden beneath his mustache, but he nodded and complied.
It will take too long to start at the very beginning. I'll start in AC 170 and summarize the first couple years as quickly as I can. King Nicolo Peacecraft was a wise and just ruler. He was heavily inspired by Heero Yuy who was in the colonies making trouble with his unification and Total Pacifism ideas. Peacecraft adopted his ideals and tried to implement them on Earth. Both were a threat to the Alliance and to Romefeller. The colonies were rough and unruly; it would be easy to take out Yuy by way of a secret assassin and to have everyone accept it (which happened five years later). Peacecraft would be harder. He was a strong member of Romefeller and a beloved king. He could not be taken out by an assassin so easily. Revenge would be wanted, and there were many others who would carry on Peacecraft's torch. His ideas (while originally Yuy's, on Earth they were given full credit to Peacecraft) had already spread to other countries. The Alliance and the Foundation needed a spy to bring down the country and to destroy the Peacecrafts from the inside so that when they were swept away, no one would be shocked, and everyone would accept it. Thus, they came to me. I was a noble of lower rank, so while I was a member of Romefeller, no one knew who I was, and I could infiltrate. My children were basically grown, and my wife had died some years earlier. Dermail personally gave me the assignment. That says something about how grave they found the situation. He did not tell me what to do, but he made it quite clear. The Peacecrafts were very trusting. They let me into their kingdom without too much suspicion. As any nobleman, I kept my hands clean of any dirty work. Instead, Romefeller gave me a team of professionals; they reported directly to me (and probably indirectly to Dermail). Slowly but surely, the heirs of the Sanc Kingdom died. All of Peacecraft's children and grandchildren died, and no one suspected foul play. A nasty disease swept through the kingdom, and other accidents also helped take down the others. By AC 172, all heirs were gone, one way or another. Queen Peacecraft was a little harder. She was careful to stay away from the diseased areas, and she was old enough that she never did anything adventurous. As an alternative, she had to be poisoned. There's a certain poison where if you put trace amounts of it in a drink and a person drinks small amounts over a long period of time, a fatal dose can be given one day, and the doctors never know it's poison. They label it as a heart attack. Eventually, King Peacecraft became the sole survivor of his family. He had no heirs left, and his partner was gone. He grieved, and the country grieved with him. However, he could not grieve for long. His advisors soon had to approach him. "Your Majesty, we are all grieving with you. It is a loss for us, too," one of his advisors said with sympathy. "Your children were like our own siblings, your grandchildren like our own, and your wife was such a wonderful woman. It will be very hard not to miss her. She was such a charming and caring woman. She loved each of us just as you do. How could someone not miss that?" Nicolo nodded, touched but clearly not stupid. "Yes, George, I know she and the others will be much missed." He breathed a heavy (almost wet) sigh. "I sense 'however' coming, though. What is it?" George hated confrontation. He was a pacifist only because of cowardice. He sputtered and tried to think of a way to explain the situation delicately. Luckily for him, Winston spoke up, "Sire, we all are grieving with you, but as your advisors, we must also look at our situation objectively. The kingdom is now without an heir. Forgive me, but you're not a young man anymore. Unless you name your nephew Victor as heir..."—"No! Never!"—"That is what I thought. Our only other option is marriage. You need to get married and have more heirs, or Victor and the Romefeller Foundation through the Alliance will gain control of this kingdom. It is an emotional time, but we must not let our grief blind us and keep us from what needs to be done." The others mumbled their agreement to Winston's view, I sat in the back keeping my mouth shut, and we all kept our eyes on the king, waiting to see what he would say. He took a moment, thinking on the subject very carefully. In the end, he said he needed more time to think on the matter, this subject required plenty of cautious thinking, and he did not want to be rushed into a decision there and then. Everyone agreed and understood, and the matter was tucked away for a short time.
"What are your thoughts on the subject?" the king asked of me during our next fencing match. Romefeller placed a high importance on fencing, so I had much better training and skill than his other, native courtiers. I gave him a challenge, never simply letting him win. "It's quite practical. You are at least my age, sire, and I would have a hard time producing another line of heirs. The sooner you start, the better foundation you will have," I explained. "To go on and start a new life would be an affront to my wife. I could never live with myself, moving on as if she meant nothing to me except a means to continue my line, as if she were only here to produce my heirs," he said, advancing on me. "An affront?" I scoffed, blocking his thrust. "Everyone knows the decisions a king must make. They will know this second wife is really the one just to continue a line." He frowned, troubled by this. "I don't think I like the idea of a loveless marriage. I won't marry some maiden just to make more heirs." "Can you live with your nephew taking over the kingdom?" I inquired, taking a step toward him. He hesitated, so I continued. "Could your wife have lived with your nephew inheriting the kingdom?" "No, she could not have," he answered gruffly. "She would rather have had me divorce her and marry another with sons already than to let Victor take over. She was willing to make any sacrifice for Total Pacifism, just as am I." "Then make the sacrifice now," I urged. "The Queen, God rest her soul, would have wanted it; you just admitted it. This is the time when the country is at its weakest! The Alliance could strike at any moment! You need to show you're still strong, you're still solid. A wife and more heirs will demonstrate that. You cannot think only of yourself and your family. You have to put the rest of the country first; they need a new queen and more heirs. Do not let Total Pacifism die with your family. Continue it." He parried and blocked my attacks as he contemplated this, and he appeared to be in deep thought. It always amazed me how he took my advice merely because I had excellent skills in swordsmanship. "I might be able to make that sacrifice, but how can I expect a young maiden to do the same? My new wife will be young, I know, and she will not know everything she is sacrificing. I may come to care for this young lady, but I will never love her, not like I loved my wife. How can I ask her to give everything up for an ideal she can barely think of? How can I ask her to sacrifice these things for a husband who will never love her as a husband should?" "As you said, she'll be young. Do you think this woman will care about anything once she holds her first child? Young brides only care for babies. Young mothers are wrapped up in their babies. You will make her the happiest woman on Earth to make her a queen and a mother. She will be young enough not to care for love. That will come in time as you say. Your new queen will not help you govern as your wife did, but she will serve her purpose—knowing full well what her purpose is, and all sides will be content." "All sides but the Alliance and Romefeller," Nicolo smirked as I landed the winning blow. "You win, Pagan. You've convinced me." "Surely your wise advisors did that." "I leave it up to you to find my wife. You're the only one I trust."
I set to my task very diligently. Though I led the court to believe I was irritated with having to be on the selection committee (comprised of a mixture of noblemen and senators), I was quite pleased. I was already in the king's confidence; I was changing him little by little even though no one saw it yet. I knew despite his grief and thoughts, he would also take in his new wife by the time we found one (for I knew finding a wife—a new queen—would take some time). If I could ensure a young unknown maiden from Romefeller became the next queen, the king would change even more. "We have to be very careful. Romefeller could send in spies at any moment now; they want this country to fail," asserted Winston at the first committee meeting. I managed to hold back my snort. "How do we know a spy isn't already in our midst?" I put out, looking around the room furtively as the others did. "No!" Winston declared, "We will not start suspecting each other as well. Romefeller wants us unstable. Whether through spies or causing us to fall into suspicion, I doubt they care. Now. All in this room have been present for years. I believe we can safely rule ourselves out. If you must be suspicious, look at those who've recently entered the kingdom, but do not let your uncertainties rule you. We need to stay focused on our mission. We must find a queen to bring stability to the kingdom." The others muttered in agreement, and the matter was put to rest for the time being. "How shall we go about to find a queen?" asked one man. "We need nominations. This can be no beauty pageant. We need reliable people to find out suitable women and to nominate them for our review. These agents can sift through the hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of potential brides and narrow down the candidates so that we can evaluate only the best ones. It will save a lot of time for us and provide a filter so that we do not have to look for fakes in each contestant," another man, Aderton Cohen, explained. I was quite relieved not to have to make the suggestion. "And who do you suggest we use as 'agents'?" I inquired. "I've made a list," Aderton said and produced a piece of paper from his inside pocket of his jacket. The others gathered around it as we all inspected the names. I noticed instantly that half on the list were in the room, including myself, but I allowed Winston to bring this up. "I see you only want to save time for half of us," Winston joked, laughing boisterously. Quite a few others joined him. "You seem to place great faith in us." "The king has done that, my friend," Aderton said. "The king trusts all on the list, and they are close enough to him that I believe they are the best qualified to find his new wife. They know who will get along with him, and they know who will compliment him as the future queen. Does anyone disagree?" There was some discussion, but in the end, everyone agreed to Aderton's plan and to his list. Then everyone had to decide how many nominations each man could make and which regions each should search. Ironically (at least to me), this took the most time. "They cannot nominate too many people. Else, why would we have them weed out some to begin with?" "We cannot expect them each to narrow it down to just one person either. If one man should find two excellent women, should he be forced to pick a queen right then and there? Another man at the same time could find no woman who would do a good job, but he would still be expected to bring one back. Should he then pick some woman who he knows could not handle the responsibility?" "Any woman like that would be caught by us in a heartbeat, Mitchell. And, if that were the case, why doesn't the first man just give one of his nominees to the second? All would be taken care of then." "That woman could learn he finds her unworthy and thus set on a quest to fool us, though, I agree, it would be hard. The possibility is still there, and we mustn't be too arrogant as to think we cannot be fooled. As for the second matter, what if the first man finds three women, and only one man has found none? Or, perhaps, two men find no woman worthy, and the first still only has one. We also cannot expect things to work out so cleanly and perfectly." "Then have each bring forth two." "Exactly two, or at most two?" "From Mitchell's point of view, at most two." "I say, each man can bring at most five." "Five? Five is too much!" "Far too much!" "We'll be swamped for years! The king could die before we choose his new queen." "We could die before we choose a new queen, gentlemen." "We cannot set limits before we know the regions each man will cover." "Oh? And why do you say that, Matthew?" asked Winston. "I submit that each man will have a better time at finding potential brides in different regions. Carlton knows Greece very well, and I'm sure he could find an abundant number of worthy young ladies—as well as knowing which tricks they use. However, he may not be able to find nearly as many women if he were sent to, say, Bavaria. He could also be tricked more easily, not knowing the women and culture there as well as he knows Greece. No, I say that we cannot make limits on the number of nominees until we have decided on the territory." "Very interesting idea, Matthew," Winston complimented, stroking his chin. He looked about the room expectantly. "Well? What does everyone say?" At this point, the lot fell into much more discussion and argument. Each felt he knew exactly where each man should go, and each also felt he knew the maximum number of nominees. I cannot remember the exact words exchanged there, but it is quite boring and will only slow down the story. If you have ever heard politicians arguing, you know what the room sounded like for the next few days. In the end, my region managed to be my family's territory and our neighbors. I knew I would have no problems finding a bride.
"Papa!" my youngest child called out as she ran over to greet me. It was quite the surprise for everyone. They knew my mission and knew we could not have any contact at all. When I returned to search for a queen, I had not been able to tell them of it, nor would I be able to stay with them, lest a member of Sanc discover me. Still, I took a few minutes to check up on my children. My two youngest were still living at home, and I longed to see them after being away for nearly five years. "Oletia!" I cried as I embraced her warmly. She was always a caring child. "It's good to see you, Papa," my son said, hugging me as well. I could see he held back tears. "Tell me everything. I don't have much time, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to see you again before I must leave," I told them. We had lunch at the house, and they tried to condense the last few years into five minute segments so that each would have the chance to speak and so that we could eat as well. Oletia did not do much eating, though. She wanted to make sure to tell me everything she could, and I'm sure she felt she could eat at another time. While my youngest relayed their lives to me, a young lady entered the house. She seemed to know the servants and shared small talk with the maids as she put up her shawl and hat. However, she was not one of them, and from her milky skin and conditioned hair, I knew she was a member of Romefeller. "Who is that young woman?" I asked my children. They turned to look and faced me again nonchalantly. "Why, that's only Katrina," Oletia reported. "I assume you two would have the good manners to greet her if she were a guest of yours," I chastised for good measure. "Why is she here then?" "I suspect she's here for Ethan," my son explained. "He's not here yet, so I guess she's just going to start without him in the study." "She's a friend of your brothers then," I concluded, silently cursing Ethan for getting involved with her. "Not like you're thinking, Papa," assured Oletia. "Katrina is the younger sister of Julia Sprengelmeyer. You remember her, right?" I nodded. Julia was a childhood friend of Ethan, but times had been hectic back then, and I had not gotten to know the girl well. "It's her birthday coming up, and with her husband gone off to war, Ethan and Katrina felt they should give her a special party. You know, to cheer her up and whatnot. It's a surprise party, so they have to make all the plans here." My children continued talking, but I did not pay much attention. Oh, how I now wish I had! I had many opportunities later to speak with Katrina, but I had just found the future queen. I wasted my time with my children because I found a young maiden to fulfill my needs. I watched Katrina from the table as much as I could without leaning in my chair or any other blatant signs. I do not think they noticed much, and I soon had to say goodbye to my loving children. It took a few days, but I was able to meet Katrina Sprengelmeyer without my children knowing. I already knew a little of her family, and in the days between seeing her and meeting with her, I was able to learn more. I knew by then that she was the perfect candidate. The family was small and insignificant in the whole of Romefeller, but they had good strong ties to many members. She was the younger daughter of the family with two brothers ahead of her. She had no reason to believe she could inherit anything from her family. She had to know that her wealth depended on whom she married. She would be the perfect, obedient pawn. "Hello, sir," she greeted a little nervously. "I don't believe we've ever had the pleasure of formally meeting." I greeted her and insisted she relax. "I suppose I should tell you exactly why I asked you to meet with me and why in this hotel instead of at my own house." "Ethan and Oletia both told me of your mission. Straight from Duke Dermail himself...I must say I'm in awe, sir." Her eyes showed it. "Then half my work is already done." I smiled. "The Peacecrafts need a new Queen. They need to produce more heirs." "Why sir?" she looked genuinely baffled. "Why not just let them die out? I don't think you should be helping them. They're weak now! We could take them out." "If only we could," I snorted. "The Sanc Kingdom is not weak. The deaths of the former queen and heirs have only strengthened the kingdom with its allies. If we take out the king now, it will cause more harm and trouble than good. No, a new queen must be found and new heirs must be made. It may seem like we're helping them, but think about this: if the new queen were secretly a woman of Romefeller, how do you think the king would change from that? We change the king and his ideas just enough so that when he is finally taken out, no one will riot." She took this in and thought for a moment. Finally, she looked at me. "Wait...sir. You're not...suggesting me?" I nodded. "I am." "Oh, no! I couldn't!" "Nonsense. You would like to be queen, right?" She nodded. "You want to be a mother soon, correct?" She nodded again. "You want to help Romefeller no matter what, yes?" Again, she nodded. "Then help me with this." "Shouldn't you be entrusting this sort of thing to a different woman? Laura Melaine or Alyssa Vandivier would be much better than I." "They are well known, Katrina. It could be done, yes, but they will be much more suspicious, and everyone will blame Romefeller when the kingdom falls. It will be easier to come up with a story for you. No one will be suspicious of you as queen. I can assure you of that. Think of the prestige and honor you will bring to your family by helping me with this assignment. I know all too well how hard it is to move up in Romefeller, and I know how your father will enjoy it so." She took another moment to think. She seemed uncertain, but I could see it in her eyes already she would agree with me. "What story would you have for me?" she asked coyly. "You attend church each and every Sunday, correct?" "Of course I do." "I do not know what drove Heero Yuy to Total Pacifism, but Christianity is at the core of the Sanc Kingdom's principles. Your story will be that your faith in Christ brought you to pacifism. You'll say He showed you how wicked your family and the Alliance with Romefeller is." "I'm going to say Jesus told me war is bad?" Katrina asked disbelievingly. I could understand why she would have a hard time with it. While most families of Romefeller attended some kind of church, as children, they were taught Jesus guided the leaders of the Foundation and Alliance through everything. Thus, they felt God wanted war, that they were vindicated. "It will take time, but you will be able to do it. Trust me, they'll believe it." "I still need to think this through and find out more," she warned. "But, I'll agree to this for now." I smiled and assured her she could withdraw at any time.
I had to keep on the move. I was sure that either Nicolo or Winston (or even both) would keep tabs on those of us searching—hoping to find the rat. I knew I could not risk submitting another maiden, lest she actually make it. I had to focus on the one I had found, and I had to make sure she was the one chosen. I was given ample time to find as many maidens as I could and to dwindle the number down to the most deserving and to the most qualified. Instead, Katrina followed me around the provinces as I set up false interviews. I held interviews in the morning while Katrina attended church. It was essential to the plan that she be entrenched in Christian lore. Most Romefeller members were not strictly in the faith, and when I first saw Katrina, she could not name more than three of the Ten Commandments. I would end for lunch, and mid-afternoon, I would begin my lessons with her. I had to teach her about pacifism nearly from scratch. Honestly, it was a wonder she even attended any Mass at all for nearly three decades. "How can they defend themselves?" she asked. "They have no army!" "They don't defend themselves with force," I explained. "They believe in peace and lead by example." "But how will they do that without weapons?" I needed all the time I could get. She could not wrap her mind around the idea of being in a country that still existed even though it had no way of protecting its borders. In fact, for many months, she refused even to step foot into the kingdom because she did not feel safe in the weaponless state. It took even longer to get her to travel without some sort of weapon on herself. She always carried a small hidden gun or knife. "Name the Ten Commandments," I had to quiz her each day. "'Thou shalt honor thy father and mother,' 'thou shalt not covet thy neighbor,' 'thou shalt have no other gods before Me,'"—these were the first three she knew from the beginning, and the first one was the only one the Foundation stressed—"'thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain,' um, 'remember the Sabbath by keeping it holy'...and...." I cleared my throat. I could work on the order and exact wording later. "Oh! 'Thou shalt make no idols,' 'thou shall not steal,' 'don't murder,' and what was that other one.... 'Thou shalt not commit adultery.' I can't remember the last one, but I'm getting good, right? I know nine out of ten!" "'Thou shalt not bear false witness,'" I submitted. "What?" "Don't lie." "I'm not!" Yes, it took a lot of time.
One long year later, it was time to rendezvous at the capital. A few others had asked for a couple months extension, so it turned out to be the perfect amount of time to get Katrina acquainted with the kingdom and with the people. She was able to charm the people much faster and easier than she was able to learn about pacifism. I started to feel that we might have a good chance to pull this off. Katrina was able to befriend and to enchant the pacifists much better than she was able to comprehend their ideals. The common townspeople thought she was quite the lady. She went to Mass each Sunday and spent a few hours each week helping the church. The people felt she was also pious and more devout than the other women. I was even more impressed when Katrina held her temper. There were a few situations I knew that rubbed her the wrong way, whether the citizens knew it or not, but she did not show her displeasure nor her longing to lash out and attack them. I must say I grew quite proud of her and her achievement in such a short time. The time soon came for the interviews, the inspections. Katrina and I were both nervous about the outcome. Each member held an interview privately with each woman. Then, all would come together at the end and review. If the need should arise, some of the women would be re-interviewed in whatever manner was deemed necessary. I was able to find some question that each woman "failed." I just hoped the other searchers would not do the same to ensure their catches made it, too. "Pagan, I want a word with you," Aderton said one day. I had similar conversations with many others. "Yes?" I asked in a quite innocent tone. "It's about Katrina," he said very seriously. I put on a face of mixed confusion and shock. "What about her? Has she done anything wrong?" "Well..." he started uneasily. "You...you do know who her family is, right?" "Yes, I met with them." "Pagan, she's a member of Romefeller!" "Did she conceal that?" "Well...no, she told me about them." "She was cooperative?" "Yes, very." "Then what is the problem?" That shut up most of them. They felt too guilty for doubting my choice. The only one who caused problems was Winston. He did not just take my word for it, and he questioned me frequently on Katrina. She told me he also kept recalling her back for follow-up questions. I also noticed his murmurs to the king behind my back. "She says she does not agree with her family," I insisted. "Pagan, I have trusted your judgement thus far, but I believe you've been had this time," Winston told me honestly. "You will judge her on her family? I see the Christian values in you so well," I sneered. However, I knew it was in vain. He would not guilt so easily. "Do not try that on me," he warned. "You are letting her manipulate you. I say she is a spy from Romefeller. They sent her to get in with you and thus in here. She could be sending them decoded messages. They could attack at any moment! She could be sent to poison the king! I won't let her near him." "You cannot deny her a fair chance because of her heritage!" I argued. "She's the best choice, and you know it." "You overestimate your power in this king and underestimate mine," he growled. I had to take action, and I had to do it quickly. Nicolo would not wait for a selection for much longer, and Winston was swaying everyone to his side much faster and easier than Katrina could charm them. One thing against Winston was his method of swaying others to his side. He could be very loud and forceful when he wanted to be. He had many allies in the kingdom, but they were mostly intimidated by him. I knew it would not take too much to plant seeds of mistrust. "I believe we can see the traitor," I hissed to the others in the halls privately. "How do we know of Winston's loyalties? Katrina has been very open on everything. She's passed through everyone else's inspection, yet Winston stalls because her family is in Romefeller—which she freely admits. She's a good Christian maiden who's followed Christ to pacifism. Should we exclude her because her family opposes us? I believe he is the spy. He wants the thrown weak." "Winston has been in the country for years," argued Aderton. "He could have had many opportunities before this. He can't be the spy." "Do you think Romefeller is so stupid they would send a spy in at the weakest point? You underestimate the enemy," I chastised. "They would have sent in a spy much earlier to weaken the thrown little by little." "Wouldn't a Romefeller queen suit him, then?" inquired George. "Wouldn't she help him with his cause?" "Isn't it quite clear that Katrina is on our side? She may not recognize Winston instantly, but I'm sure given time she could recall him from somewhere and reveal him as the spy he is! That is why he opposes her so. She is the one on our side, not he," I declared. "If what you say is true...then we must be rid of Winston," Matthew realized in a gasp. "Take out the traitor! We must report this to the king immediately!" cried Aderton. I smiled. This was all too easy. Winston would be out of the way soon, and the king would have no one to whisper into his ear that things were amiss. Katrina would be queen, and she would change Nicolo's heart even more. She would have children soon, and if one of those children should gain the crown, the pacifist nation of Sanc would be no more. Everything was working out fine. My only problem was that the Alliance was getting impatient, and even Dermail and Romefeller were having trouble keeping them happy.
"I need more time," I told Dermail. "You wanted him taken down from the inside. That takes time. If you want a quick fix, just assassinate him already!" "You know we can't do that," the duke hissed. "Then allow me to have the time I need to take down this crown from the inside. It takes time. You should just learn a little patience." "I cannot afford to let you have a decade to take down this king. He will die of old age before we can take out the kingdom!" "Do you know Katrina Sprengelmeyer?" "Sprengelmeyer, Sprengelmeyer...yes, the family name sounds familiar," he decided. "At this very moment, she's poised to be the next queen. The selection committee—without me as I am the one who nominated her—the selection committee is voting this hour on the matter. I have taken steps to ensure that she will be passed." This caused him to pause. He thought for a few minutes, and slowly but surely a smile crept onto his face. He thought more on what Katrina as queen really meant, and he started to laugh. A glint came to his eye, and I knew I would have as much time as I needed and wanted.
Katrina called me hours later, ecstatic at the news. She had indeed been chosen as the new queen. She could hardly wait to have the crown fitted. I returned to Sanc as quickly as I could after the call. When I came into the palace, a servant informed me that King Peacecraft wished to see me the instant I returned. I left my luggage in the hands of my servants and went directly to Nicolo. "I thought congratulations were in order," Nicolo explained when I came to his rooms. "Congratulations, sir?" "I hear you're the one who found Katrina, the woman to be my next wife." He offered me a drink. "I believe that constitutes congratulations." I smiled. "Yes...I suppose it does." "You got your way, Pagan. You found a young woman, and you took out all those who stood in her way. She'll now be the queen. You refused to let her lose." "I took out a man very close to you," I said. "Sire...I am sorry about Winston." "You knew he was not a spy of Romefeller! You knew it! And yet you took him out just to get your way. You're as bad as the Alliance." He gave me a look of disgust before taking a long drink and turning his back toward me. "Winston may or may not have been a spy. He did, however, hinder us just as much as any spy would." "Do not play games with me," he warned. "I will not play these mind games. They're for the weak and the cowardly." I know he never believed Winston was a spy, but he also never knew my true reasons for disposing of him. Nicolo thought I merely wanted my candidate to succeed or at the very worst I wanted Winston's job. I doubt his mind entertained the notion of my being the true spy for very long. I was a loyal subject of years, and we had been through much in my time at the palace. We confided in each other, comforted each other, and challenged each other. I had even saved his life a couple times! No, he thought I was simply ambitious. He highly disapproved of my methods, but he did not sense the true source of my malice. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?" "I believe what I did was right," I insisted. "For yourself or for the kingdom?" he asked, knowing my answer. "Of course it works to my advantage," I admitted. "I believe it works for the kingdom as well. Winston is loyal to Total Pacifism, but he is part of the old way." "And I'm not?" "You're the head, sire. You adapt as needed. Winston was stifling you and the kingdom. He held us back too much. One way or another he would have worked against us," I argued. He snorted again, clearly not convinced, but he dropped the subject, believing I was just a backstabbing aristocrat. I then had to convince him that Katrina was not too young for him. "She's not even thirty," he pointed out. "Periangelo would have been her age, were she still alive today. I'm too old for her." "She's almost thirty, and it is not going to be the first time this big of an age gap is in a married couple." I paused. "You already agreed to take on a new wife. You never put any restriction on her age. A younger bride will be better for baring children." I produced a photograph of Katrina and handed it to him. He took it and considered her. "She looks a nice a girl." I kept my eye on his. "She is. She's very sweet, and she wants to be your bride, despite knowing the age difference." All I needed was a little glint that did not hold a fatherly tone. "Fine," he relented. "I'll meet with her to see how far this will go."
It was a beautiful ceremony but not too extravagant. Nicolo held some kind of affection toward his new wife. They had a short honeymoon, but he was needed at the kingdom. Things were very quiet for a little more than a year as the couple settled into life, as the people were getting used to Katrina, and as everyone patiently awaited the first royal birth in years. However, the new queen approached privately me one day with a dilemma. "Pagan, I'm not pregnant yet! It's been more than a year," Katrina moaned to me. I chuckled. "Babies take time, Katrina. You cannot expect to be holding a babe ten months after the wedding." "I do not have time!" she insisted. "He is an old man. It took me long enough to get him to bed me." "I know his age," I growled. I was two years Nicolo's elder. "Whatever argument you used to have him accept me is wearing thinner each day. I need a baby to allay his doubts. He's getting older, so it's harder to father a child." "But not impossible," I pointed out. "You want to cast out my doubts? Have the king tested and prove to me he's still very capable of fathering brats." "The king would never consent to a test of that sort, and I would never ask him. I won't jeopardize my position by it, and you better not either." She gave me a patronizing look. "You think I'm that stupid?" She took out a vial filled with a liquid, whose origins I was afraid to ask. "The last time he came to my room, I—" "—I don't need to know!" I interrupted. "You used your feminine wiles as his wife to get a sample of the king. Let's...let's leave it at that." Unlike this younger generation, I was perfectly happy to leave out some details. Katrina wore an amused smile at my reaction, but she nodded and left it at that. "I can't get this tested obviously. Everyone will know. I'm sure you know some doctor who will be discreet. Prove to me he's still able to have children." I did not appreciate the wench ordering me, she was letting this short role as queen go to her head, so I gave her a sneer before I took the vial. I indeed knew a discreet doctor, and her point was valid, though I hated to admit it. A few days later, I went to visit Dr. Dorado. He was the secret consultant of many members of Romefeller; it was said Duke Dermail even went to him on certain matters, so I knew he could be trusted. I gave him the vial, and he gave the test top priority. When the results came in, he did not look hopeful. "Is it that bad?" I asked gravely, fearing the worst. "It could be worse," he admitted. "However, it's not good. He can still father a child, but the chances are very low. By natural means, I would be very surprised, even with a fertile young woman. The safest, most assured way would be in-vitro fertilization." An heir had to be born. We had to have one. "Do you have enough left of that sample?" "We'd need another one for the best chances," he informed me. "Bring the young woman in, and a nurse will explain everything she needs to do. If she can't get another sample, this one will do, but we really need a fresher one." I nodded. "It's...I'm sure it's possible for her. I'll relay the message to her." I thought for a moment. "This could be their only child, correct?" Dorado nodded. "Is there...any way to ensure we have a male heir?" "Scientifically, yes, I could." "We need a male," I told him. "If this is the only way, then so be it." I returned to the palace and immediately requested an audience with the queen. I had made such requests before, so no one suspected anything out of the ordinary, and as I had been the one to find her, they knew our families were friends. In private, I relayed to her the doctor's news. "I have to have surgery?" she asked, a little hysterical. I shook my head. "They can do it without surgery." She relaxed then stiffened. "I have to get another sample." I nodded. "He could figure it out." "He may not," I said simply. She looked out the window at the courtyard below. "You need a baby to secure your position. A male child will do that even better, correct?" She made a slight nod with her head. "If you do it this way, a son will be guaranteed." She kept gazing out the window without saying a word. "What's wrong?" I finally asked, irritated. "It's...nothing," she sighed. I reminded her of her duty and obligation. I should have been more adamant about it.
Within three months, the expectation of a royal heir was announced. Only four people knew the babe was not made naturally (myself, the mother, the doctor, and the nurse), and only we four knew from the beginning the infant would be a prince. I saw everyone's preparations for the birth. They all hoped for a boy, but none knew for certain. Despite his initial feelings, Nicolo was quite anxious about becoming a father again, and he was ecstatic at the thought of holding a son in his arms once again. The news finally came months later. Sanc had a new heir. Katrina had a little boy. At the first quiet moment (Nicolo became the proud father once again and displayed his son as often as possible), Katrina had me hold the lad. I never knew why, but she was dead set on my holding her firstborn. I hated looking that child. I knew he would have a horrible existence, and it would be my fault. I was not the only one to blame, but I knew I would be part of the cause for his life. They named him after Katrina's beloved grandfather, Milliardo.