The next day, as Aidine prepared for her speech, she opted for a bright white dress with a fleural pattern drawn without magic. She asked for her hair to be lifted and decided to wear nothing but a white gold tiara as jewelry.
She was ready.
She was again standing in front of a bay window, contemplating the city now bathed in daylight, when the robot ushered Jeefol and his master into the suite.
The gournouk bowed to her, while the fallen prince only gave a slight nod.
"We take off in a quarter of an hour," Zeron informed her gravely.
She nodded.
"Very well, thank you."
The young Gaazal raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"What, you're addressing me with formality now!"
"Master!" warned his subordinate, but it was unnecessary.
"Yes, because you had been a prince!"
Zeron snorted contemptuously.
"Now that was a low blow."
She shrugged.
"What does it matter, you're not anymore."
Aidine pressed her lips together, then asked.
"Zeron?"
"Yes?"
He was sounding suspicious, the queen noted, amused.
"Since you were a prince, that means you had to become king or emperor, or whatever name the ruler of your former kingdom went by.
"I had to become emperor," he clarified, his tone neutral but his body tense.
"I see." She hesitated again.
"Did you want to become one? I mean..."
"Ruler?"
He waited before answering.
"Yes, I wanted it, but I knew I'd never become it. I'll never become the ruler of my original Empire."
Aidine gasped and looked at the young Gaazal with eyes that widened in amazement.
"Ruler? You're the crown prince of a nation!?"
""Was" would be more precise," he corrected, running a trembling hand through his night hair.
"I've never heard of you, and yet we must have known of each other's existences. But what's your home planet, where you were an imperial prince?"
He made a small but eloquent face.
"I prefer to keep it to myself first, and the others won't inform you either. I'll tell you when I'm ready to...Please forgive me for this."
"Oh," Aidine was obviously offended considering what they'd become to each other in such a short time, but she had to understand. She forced herself to. Putting Zeron on the back foot was the last thing she needed, and especially the last thing she wanted.
"All right, I understand. But you promise you'll tell me again!"
"Soon. It won't be long. You'll know everything."
Aidine nodded. She trusted him. In fact, she trusted him more than anyone else. But she certainly wasn't going to tell him. He was proud enough as it was. However, he wasn't done yet.
"Surely you must understand the reason for this lapse. How can you accept someone like me as heir of a very powerful and glorious people in the galaxy? Because they are, really. My former Nation certainly didn't accept it. Worse, they erased my entire existence from their history."
He forced himself to speak lightly, but she clearly sensed, as Jeefol must have too, the difficulty he had talking about it, the difficulty he constantly had in having to face reality, reality that was so abominable towards those who didn't have enough of value.
"That's life," he concluded with an eloquent gesture, "and you?" he resumed to vary the pleasures, "do you want to become Queen of Aedor?"
Aidine was surprised by the brusque question, but she'd expected it from someone like him.
"Of course I do. It's my destiny."
"That's not what I asked."
And his expression was such that the young queen felt her impatience return to her.
"And how much more! Do you really think I have the slightest chance of refusing!"
"You can always run away, or better still, give someone else the power."
"And let the death of my father as well as the death of all those people who perished during the signing event be in vain! And let that disgusting traitor of an earl and that hated Vardog win! Never!"
A long silence followed this virulent tirade.
"I suppose revenge is as good a motive as any to officially become queen."
Aidine wanted to reply, but Jeefol cut her short by informing them that it was time to go.
The ship in which the young queen made her declaration was that of Maldeos. The leader of Gaazal, Foyne and Tarias, through the screen, also attended the speech. Roune, who hadn't left Jeefol's side since leaving the healing center, seemed to be greatly disturbing Zeron. After all, the latter was finally in the presence of a being who was inferior to him, and yet this didn't seem to give him any pleasure.
"Dear people of Aedor, I survived the attack on our kingdom and the royal family seven years ago, orchestrated by mercenaries and traitors, the most repugnant and unforgivable of whom was Duke Caudron Vreik. I was only a child at the time. I had no choice but to run away while I grew up and honed all my weapons so that I'd be ready for the day when I'd return to Aedor to rid our kingdom of vermin and take back my rightful place. Together, we will restore honor, legitimacy and greatness to our wonderful nation. I hereby vow to do my utmost to ensure that such decay never happens again in Aedor.
When the speech was over, Aidine needed a few minutes to recover.
This time, it was truly a declaration of war against the traitors of her kingdom, which meant a bloody and inevitable battle.
The others congratulated her when Jeefol received a message.
He raised his eyebrows in surprise and showed the message to his master.
"No kidding!" he commented with a sneer that exasperated the young queen.
"What?" she inquired.
"The doctors who treated him tested his blood, simple protocol, and they found out."
"Your Roune is a transformer."
All heads turned to Aidine's companion, who wanted to confirm this news.
"Is it true, Roune?"
He nodded gravely.
"But why didn't you ever tell me?"
"Because you never asked. And I've never had to use this...gift!"
"You should have told me! That kind of rare talent is always useful in one way or another!"
"In fact, how did Roune become your companion?" interjected Zeron, regarding the creature with disdain.
"Please, stop looking at him like that. And to answer your question, my father told me it was a gift from my mother just before she..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but it was already clear to everyone.
"Oh, I'm sorry." made Zeron, contrite, "but getting back to your...companion, he's going to be useful after all."
"How so."
"Transformers are so rare that it's impossible to detect their transformation."
Zeron turned to Roune.
"Take Aidine's appearance."
Roune felt he couldn't refuse. Zeron wasn't strong, but there was something about him that made it impossible to disobey him, and no doubt Jeefol sensed it too, the primary reason why he agreed to follow him.
Roune flamboyantly took on the appearance of the young queen with perfection. The body, the voice, even the aura and presence. Everything was ideal.
"I admire it, but it's still weird," Aidine remarked with a light laugh as she circled her creature.
Zeitok left to return to Maldeos to get ready, while Foyne returned to Yzvalthes to do the same. As for Tarias, she promised to open a rift for them to arrive on Aedor, while the rest were to go to a planet called Kereum, one of Gaazal's hidden bases, to gather weapons for battle.
But they couldn't follow the plan, at least not immediately, as they were suddenly attacked by enemies who appeared out of nowhere, and who didn't wait to spread a magical, repulsive mist over the illuminated city.
"A new assassin," guessed Aidine, shivering despite the presence of his strong, unyielding ally.
"Take his highness, young master, we'll do what we have to do here." Advised his Gournouk, trying to reassure the heiress as best he could.
"Very well, Jeefol. I'm counting on you," Zeron nodded as she took the pilot's seat in the mini-ship.
Securely aboard in their craft, the young Gaazal, the heiress, and Roune quickly made their way to one of Yzvalthes' private platforms.
"Time to leave the winged empire," whispered the fallen prince, a hint of disappointment in his voice.
"Too bad." remarked Aidine, slightly sarcastic but sincere. "I loved this nation, even if I will always hate its leader."
""No, we're not going back to that discussion, and certainly not now. He didn't kill your father." Said Zeron, falsely impassive. "He didn't kill your father."
"Perhaps he didn't." she admitted painfully and snappily. "That indeed remains to be proven. But that doesn't change the fact that he did nothing to save him."
"But as you said, you were only a child, you didn't know what really happened in that dark fog."
"That's true, but the Emperor was with my father. That's all that matters."
"Ah, hatred is terrible." Concluded the loyal flying beast in a dramatic tone which earned him a murderous look from his sovereign.
When it reached a large area, the fog became particularly thick, acidic and suffocating. Those present screamed in fear and pain, and those who could not flee fainted. The mini-vessel carrying the three young people melted like metal thrown into the lava, and they had to abandon it without delay.
"This fog is very dangerous." Roune remarked, trembling with fear at the morbid liquefaction of the ship.
"Thanks for pointing that out, you idiot," the young Gaazal replied dismissively.
Aidine had no time to protest such disdain, for soon growls were heard from the ocean of mist. Shapes materialized, and then a being, unmistakably the leader, emerged from the suffocating world, a tall, sturdy man in a black and red battle uniform, accompanied by his beast, a huge creature of mist.
"It didn't take long to find you princess," the newcomer said in his clear, scathing voice.
"Another new face," she exclaimed with eloquent hand gestures. "Don't tell me you're a brother of Tirom?"
"It's an insult to link me to him, even though we were sent by the same omnipotent group." complained this one, falsely hurt.
"It's a bond, whether you like it or not." Zeron insisted, deadpan. "I'm sorry."
"Maybe." Admitted the mercenary, opening his arms wide. "But as long as all of you die today, the rest is fine with me. Or maybe not you, young man. Who are you again? Actually, it doesn't matter."
And he turned to the real enemy, standing against him.
"I see you're really sure of yourself," the young Gaazal pointed out, ignoring their opponent's contemptuous remarks, "when it's my beast you're dealing with."
"Yes, I have heard, as well as anyone, of the prodigious beast of Gaazal. Lonely and as arrogant as an immortal. Well, it's time to put an end to that legend. And it is I, Ladak, leader of the Night Assassins, who will make it happen."
The misty beast snarled and lunged at the bright Gournouk, claws out and mouth full of sharp teeth, but its opponent, unperturbed, raised his arm and pinned the monster down before hurling it away with a violence that made boss Ladak shudder despite his strength and experience. Immediately after this attack, waves of violent magic blows fell on Jeefol and his two companions.
Zeron's beast quickly created a gigantic spherical shield to protect them.
"Ah, I want to blow it up! " he exclaimed with an annoyed grimace. "But the stupid, futile people around me won't let me. It's so frustrating!"
And indeed, the place was, despite the obvious danger that was occurring, still filled with people. Only a few had the decency and intelligence to flee, but most, hiding behind makeshift shelters that were of little use, were filming or watching the incredible incident that was taking place.
"Calm down, young master," Roune advised as he ducked behind his back. "Or we are all dead."
"I'm dreaming, some idiot is giving me advice!"
$Chapter
***
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