"A Knight King? Preposterous!"
"He's the king consort of her Majesty?! I cannot believe it!"
"There must be some kind of mistake. That languid looking person cannot be the same man her Majesty talked about!"
The crowd was in turmoil as mutters of disbelief filled the air. All of them seemingly unable to accept the declaration of Guinnevere.
If one was to listen closely, some words of blatant insult could be heard;
"Vagrant", "Arrogant", "Ugly" and all sorts of words could be heard here and there. However-
"Wow. They sure don't hold back in their ironic insults."
-Ashen, the target of such words, did not care in the slightest.
The crowd all looked at him with eyes filled with all sorts of thoughts such as but not limited to; scorn, trepidation, and disgust.
It was pretty obvious that they did not like him and he understands that perfectly. Afterall, the feeling is mutual.
Suddenly in the mood to mess around, he goes on and sits on the empty throne much to the surprise of Guinnevere and the other members of the Royal Family. He even sat cross-legged and rest his elbow on the armrest while resting his head on his propped-up arm in true 'Haughty Royal' fashion.
"What?"
He asked in a rather casual manner.
Guinnevere stared at him wordlessly for a good few seconds before finally returning to her throne, "I am quite surprised you did not make a fuss this time.", she remarked in a whisper.
"I just had a great idea come to mind so I just played along. Not like I can run away in the first place.", Ashen scoffed.
"And pray tell what that 'great idea' of yours is.", Guinnevere narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"Why?"
"Because I need to know so I can handle the aftermath properly later.", she whispered.
"Why?"
"Why you ask? I mean, you are technically my husband-"
"Correction. Betrothed. We were never married.", Ashen corrected her.
"Fine. Anyways, no one knows that and most of the nobles know me to be married already and as the proverbial 'husband' of mine, your authority is equal to a King's you know? What do you think would happen if their 'king' does something 'unkingly'?", Guinnevere asked worriedly.
"Dunno, maybe something close to a royal pain in the ass? Heck, I'm not even a king at this point."
However, Ashen unhesitatingly voiced his indifferent thoughts on the matter. Complete with a shrug and an exasperated sigh of total non-compliance.
"But-"
"Oi. Go address them first. We've kept them waiting long enough."
Noticing that they've kept to themselves for too long, Ashen urges Guinnevere to address the rather dumbfounded audience.
"Eh uh...", caught off guard, Guinnevere clears her throat with a cough and then faces the audience, "Well...um...please calm yourselves first.", she makes an attempt to get them to quite down.
Watching her speak, Ashen could not help but yawn while feeling stupid for thinking that his current situation would be troublesome as his instincts had predicted.
However, it seems he is just going to be decoration here so Guinnevere can assert authority as Queen Regent and the idea of him being just a tool for something that does not benefit him irks him but he decides to keep that to himself.
"I wonder if my instincts are also going haywire..."
*****
"First things first-"
Ashen watched Guinnevere continue to address the people in a way that was unexpectedly regal and dignified. It almost made him think that Guinnevere was an actual queen.
'Well, she was supposed to be like this in the first place so meh...'
"-the issue I would like to address today is that London is still under siege.", her words caused the audience to fall silent completely, "Though the fighting has recently abated due to our reclamation of the bridges within London, it is still too dangerous for you all to be willfully moving about even if you are with your respective guards. Lord Knight Calvin, your report.", she then calls out to one of the knights in the audience.
Stepping out onto the carpet upon the command, a man in his late 40s wearing white armor promptly genuflected and lowered his head.
"Your Majesty, with regards to your command, I have personally confirmed that while the enemy has retreated beyond the perimeters of all the bridges, they have taken a defensive position on all major points further into the city. For now, some civilians who were unable to evacuate to our side remain isolated and most of our modern military forces remain scattered.", he thus reported.
Hearing his words, everyone else started murmuring amongst themselves.
Ashen almost laughed out loud at the knight's report. It's already the 22nd Century so military technology should already be advanced enough to almost perfectly avoid situations where one's forces are scattered. Yet here comes a knight, a Lord Knight-one of the highest ranks a Knight of England could attain normally-reporting that they somehow managed to get their own forces scattered in their own turf. He could not tell if this particular knight was competent or not at this point which makes him laugh terribly in his mind. But for some reason, he also felt something odd about the knight's words.
Then his eyes drift over towards the audience-particularly at the nobles and sees them murmuring anxiously amongst themselves causing him to narrow his eyes in recognition of such reactions.
'They're afraid of something that they themselves caused...feh. They would probably go and say it's the knight's fault in the first place. Typical.'
He thought to himself.
"You heard the Lord Knight's words, milords and ladies. The battle has yet to calm down completely so I implore you to lessen your gallivanting so that you will remain unharmed. I do not want to hear of a report concerning another dead noble who got too complacent and went around the city and even crossed one of the bridges."
Apparently, Guinnevere quoted a prior incident which told Ashen that this was not just some simple report-and-announcement-with-the-audience kind of thing as he had thought. It seemed to be a scolding session of the nobles instead.
"Eh? I beg your pardon your Majesty. But we have not exactly gone gallivanting as you have said.", one of the presumed nobles who had stepped out onto the carpet retorted.
At the said words Guinnevere sighed, "Milord, do you take me to be blind and deaf?", she asked.
"Wha-? I would never presume as such your Majesty! I just-", the man in question panicked.
"You just what? Need I remind you milord, that before I am Queen Regent-before being the Supreme Commander of the armed forces, I am Brynhildr. The foremost strongest combatant in the entire kingdom. As such, I am mostly in the forefront of battle or at the helm of a unit to lead a patrol of the city. Do you really think I would be remiss to not notice you and a certain number of your fellow nobles to be taking it easy enjoying tea with a hearty laugh while soldiers continue to bleed in the field of battle just to keep you safe?", Guinnevere's tone turned cold and a little menacing causing the man to visibly tremble.
"Your Majesty, that is not-"
"Hell. I was really not mishearing things..."
Despite the serious atmosphere however, Ashen was calm and easy-going as he interrupted. Completely feigning ignorance to the fact that it was a rather serious exchange of words.
"What is it?", Guinnevere looked at him in exasperation. Looking like he was the one thing she didn't want to speak up at this moment.
Not that Ashen cared anyways.
"You're the current Brynhildr? Really?"
He inquired in a lackadaisical manner causing Guinnevere to momentarily be shocked.
"I already told you as much, is that really what you wanted to ask about?", she shrugged.
"Of course. I mean, Brynhildr is a title that acknowledges the strongest and WISEST of all female warriors right?"
"What's your point?"
"Well, I was wondering whether blowing up an entire avenue and causing so much collateral damage you could practically call the area a new park is deemed WISE enough to warrant being called 'Brynhildr'. Just saying."
"Urk!", Guinnevere twitched at his words, "Why you-!", she stared daggers at Ashen as she grimaced.
"Nevermind me. Continue with what you were doing earlier. You were in the middle of scolding the poor man weren't you?"
Ashen on the other hand brushed such gaze away with a shrug and a callous wave of his hand. However, Guinnevere was disgruntled and her face betrayed her feelings of having forgotten what she was supposed to be doing at the moment.
Noticing that, Ashen could only sigh in exasperation.
"Haa~We're going nowhere with you.", he then turns his attention towards the noble in question.
'Might as well...'
"Oi, old man. Judging from how you responded earlier to the talking gummy bear here, you seem a tad bit desperate in your explanation. Everyone here can tell you're just spouting bullshit so shut up and follow orders."
The noble whom he was talking to was stupefied by his words and was unable to muster a reply and unknowingly retreated back into the crowd.
He then pointed at Lord Knight Calvin who remained in genuflect on the carpet, "You there. Knight. Before uttering the shitty specifics of your equally shitty report further, tell me the shitty reason why your forces were scattered in the first place."
"The report is only for her Majesty to-"
"Do you seriously think you can just avoid me with that you shithead?", Ashen interjected, "Explain to me why you shitheads just fucked up your job of protecting your capital from a group you refer to as 'simple terrorists' despite you having the home-ground advantage and better resources."
Lord Knight Calvin remained silent but Ashen was not about to stop talking,
"Granted, the enemy did employ unexpected assets such as high-end technology like the mobile armor on Lambeth Bridge and the mystical andromorphic wyvern this Gummy Bear and I encountered which then led to the destruction of an entire avenue. Still, for a supposedly ELITE force like yours-I presume you're the elite with your white armor, gaudy looking shiny swords and all that-to actually fuck up your one job of keeping the capital safe even with your super advantage, I can't call you anything but a total incompetent wacko. If you were able to determine the current status of those left behind, how come you never noticed that the enemy had already infiltrated?"
He did not mince his words and simply let out the idea that had been bugging him since hearing the report and since the Lord Knight was still unwilling to speak,
"Knight Captain Albert! You are here aren't you?", Ashen calls out to someone in the room.
"Yes, Milord! I am here.", a man in his early mid-30s walked out of the crowd wearing a different set of armor, genuflected right beside the Lord Knight.
"From what Guinn had said to me during the battle of Lambeth Bridge, I have surmised that you are the one most knowledgeable of the incident that led to this siege. Care to tell me the details? That shithead beside you seems unwilling to tell me afterall.", asked Ashen.
He could see that the Lord Knight was getting angry and no doubt, it was directed at him but he just ignored it and focused on Knight Captain Albert who was being more civil.
"Milord, with your leave, do you mind if I ask her Majesty for permission first before divulging the information you request of me?", unexpectedly, Captain Albert humbly made a request which surprised Ashen.
"Oho? Color me impressed. Hey, Guinn, so you do have at least one decent knight with you.", Ashen was impressed. The sudden show of chivalric loyalty somehow made him smile in awe.
"Hmph! Of course! What do you take me for?", Guinnevere who did not expect to be praised reflexively responded with a smug expression.
"Ahem!", one of the butlers on stand-by near her throne called her attention.
"Ah!", Guinnevere noticed that and she quickly realized that she had reacted in a willful manner and thus recomposed herself on her throne.
Ashen wanted to tease her about that but then he would just be wasting time and so he returned his attention to Captain Albert, "Very well. I don't mind. She is your superior not me so go on.", Ashen agreed.
When Captain Albert turned his eyes towards Guinnevere, she made a light nod in acknowledgement and so Captain Albert returned his attention to Ashen, "Milord, this is what happened-"
*****
"Let me get this straight, you guys were all doing different stuff before everything happened?"
"Yes, Milord."
"You and the Saint's Guard Assistance Force were busy trying to pinpoint the location of the nitwit who is sitting over there beside our Mother while this shithead and his lackeys were busy attending noble parties and accompanying said nobles in their misadventures in the city?"
"Yes, Milord."
"And you Guinn, what were you doing when all of that was happening?"
"I was busy handling the diplomats from the United States and Indonesia. Plus, I was also busy looking after Eva when I got back to the palace."
Ashen felt his head ache in utter exasperation.
"Ugh...what a headache. Suspicious foreigners sighted constantly going around vital weakpoints in the city's structural design and you guys never bothered investigating them? Furthermore, strange mechanical parts being shipped here and there from foreign sources is already strange as hell...how did you guys not notice the damned signs?!", Ashen continued to groan. Even he was dumbfounded by the absurdity of the reason.
"For the record, I sent an order to go investigate them.", Guinnevere interjected.
"And to whom did you give that order to?", Ashen asked. Completely expecting an cliched answer.
"Him."
Just as he had expected, the order was given to the seething Lord Knight before them.
"Haa~That's the same as being too careless you idiot.", Ashen groaned.
Thinking about the replaying the words of Captain Albert one more time in his mind, Ashen found something strange.
'The movements of the nobles sounded really strange as well...for what reason would they-'
He immediately cuts the thought short as he noticed something flash from within the crowd and in an instant-
"Look out!"
-he grabs Evaline and pulls her away from her seat while he kicks Guinnevere off of hers just as a flash of light pierces both seats.
"Aaaah!"
The nobles suddenly panicked and then started screaming and running around.
The black knights who were on stand by immediately sprung into action and moved to secure the civilians and apprehend the assailant. However-
"Tsk! Nitwit! Get down!!!"
-there was more than one and they were also targeting Rosseweisse.
Two people dressed as nobles and wielding what looked like tactical knives rushed towards Rosseweisse unimpeded as the black knights were swamped by the panicked mob.
Luckily, Kallen was right beside Rosseweisse and so she was able to notice and respond. However unluckily, Ashen noticed a red dot snaking up Rosseweisse's face.
"Captain! Your sword!", Ashen quickly commands Captain Albert to toss to him his sword which the understanding captain understands and quickly draws the sword by his hip and tosses it towards Ashen.
Ashen then jumps to receive the sword and with one haphazard swing of his arm, deflects a bullet that was meant for Rosseweisse.
As soon as he landed however, another troublesome opponent appeared and it came in the form of someone he was just talking about.
"Die!!"
"Whoa!!"
*Clang!*
"Geh! Seriously?! You were one of them?!"
He grimaced as he struggled to keep his arm up as he held back Lord Knight Calvin's sword.
Ashen was visibly surprised that the person he'd been calling a 'shithead' was actually a member of the 'terrorists'. It seems like his instincts predicted right that his current situation was indeed troublesome.
"Tsk! Just a few more steps and this would have all been over!!", the Lord Knight muttered in frustration.
"I take it, you were supposed to kill the Brynhildr and the nitwit here?", Ashen asked. Fully expecting that he won't be answered.
"You who wears the Lotus Crest! An apprentice of 'that' man!", the Lord Knight continued to pressure Ashen as he gritted his teeth, "If only you did not appear!! To think that even after a century, that man still haunts us to this day!! Grraah!!"
"Whoa there old man!! Keep still!!", Ashen was a little confused as to what the Lord Knight meant.
It was clear that he recognized the lotus crest embroidered on Ashen's surcoat, but what confuses Ashen is the bit about being an apprentice of an unknown man.
'For all I know, only I, in the entire world uses a black lotus as my crest...'
It was a thought that piques his interest but for now, he has to focus on the fight going on before him lest he gets himself killed.
"Captain! Cast magic on me quick!", he orders Captain Albert.
Hearing him, the captain proceeds to cast a spell but is then interrupted by yet another enemy disguised as a noble who tackled the unsuspecting captain to the ground and knocking him out.
"Ah Damn it!"
Just as he was complaining, his body starts to glow white. His body felt suspiciously light and strength seemed to now course throughout his entire body.
Recognizing it as familiar magic, he disengaged from Lord Knight Calvin and then jumps back.
"Hmph! Took you long enough stupid Gummy Bear!"
"No thanks too you kicking me off my throne you moronic Knight King."
Guinnevere retorted in displeasure as she walked up to Ashen's side while holding in her hand, the golden lance Rhongominiad.
"Lord Knight Calvin Brighte. Care to explain yourself? I shall give you this chance only to confess your crimes.", she gives the Lord Knight an opportunity to explain himself.
However-
"Shut up! You incompetent girl!"
-he was obviously not planning on explaining.
"Any last words then old man?", Ashen asked.
"I do not-"
*Schwing!*
The moment the Lord Knight started speaking, Ashen had thrown the sword in his hand at the careless Lord Knight and instantly beheaded him much to the horror of the one disguised as a noble beside him.
"Whoops. I am sarcastically sorry for that.", Ashen drawled. Completely bored of the result.
"You really are the worst...at least let him finish...", Guinnevere scowled while looking at him tepidly.
"Oh lay off...I'll leave that horrified nutjob to you. I'll go get Evaline to safety.", he pointed at the fake noble trembling before them.
"You are not going to take the Saint as well?"
"Hm? Hell no. Evaline comes first."
"Mother Nature is not going to like that..."
Guinnevere's words somehow made Ashen feel like some king of flag was raised but he quickly dismissed it and saying, "Hah. What can nature do while we're inside the throne room with lots of people inside? Not like it can just collapse parts of the building to block me form-"
*Boom!*
Something big suddenly dropped right in front of Ashen. Effectively making him stop in his tracks and to his surprise, it was a large piece of the ceiling.
"..."
"Told you."
"Damn it."
He had spoken too soon and now Mother Nature is telling him to do what it wants.
"I swear...", Ashen could feel himself getting angry again, "Tsk! Oi! Knights of Ash! Forget them useless nobles and go secure my daughter will ya!", he calls out to the black knights who immediately sent two knights to take Evaline to safety.
After confirming that his daughter had safely left the scene, he then heads for Rosseweisse whom he cursed in his mind;
'Why the hell are you standing there looking at me like a lost sheep you nitwit! I hope you at least get hit by a rock or something!'
It seems the day was never meant to end peacefully for him.