76 Fear and Cowardice

Before the Chapter starts - a huge shoutout and big thank you to everyone continuing to read and support me with comments and power stones. Especially SnowGod and greenruby!

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Quick Recap:

Emperor Leon had an unexpected visit from someone claiming to be his Grandmother's (Hilda Cottonwood) butler. The butler was, in fact, a trick by Gideon, and Leon was barely able to see through the scheme. Leon's parents (Jessica Cottonwood & Alexander Lapuzi) are still captives of the former Crown Prince Thomas Vinzent - who is still in hiding with his powerful ally Bethany Garner and her foreign army.

Leon is a puppet in Gideon's hand. Gideon has no intention of saving Leon's family - using Thomas and the threat he poses to solidify his power over a divided Shadow Council.

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Gideon was towering in the room as Leon looked at him with aggressive eyes. Leon turns towards the smirking man who was pretending to be his grandmother's butler. Part of him was tense and part of him was relieved that he didn't slip up. Trusting the 'butler' and accepting to work against Gideon would've made his life under Gideon significantly more difficult. Proving that he is somewhat loyal is a far more valuable move to make.

"Relax, Leon, you seem far too tense." said Gideon with his deep voice that consumed the room

Leon kept silent.

"It's more convenient to have an Emperor that I can trust, to a certain degree. As opposed to an Emperor that I must continuously make sure behaves. It seems my trust in you was not in vain, you are far too clever to make the mistake of turning against me, given your current situation." explained Gideon

"So this was the reason for this little theatre?" asked Leon

"Yes. As Emperor, you'll need to make public appearances, take interviews, sign off on laws and plenty of day-to-day activities to make it seem everything is as it should be to both the public and the Shadow Council. I need to know whether I can trust you to do these things obediently."

"I'm merely weighing my options, a mutiny is simply not in my best interest, but do not misinterpret my current stance for everlasting loyalty. I will obey so as long as it is in my best interest to do so." said Leon looking up at Gideon with sharp eyes

Unquestionable loyalty would be unconvincing, Leon must show to Gideon a realistic image of his motives - otherwise, Gideon would be suspicious.

"Do not worry about that Leon, you have only gained a fraction of my trust." said Gideon as he looked at the butler, then back at Leon.

The 'butler''s smirk is wiped off as he looks at Gideon with confused wide eyes.

Leon froze. He almost forgot the man he was dealing with, the man who bested the most powerful people in the country, the man who stands atop the country, the towering Gideon Faraday. He must've noticed that the actor broke character for a split second during his conversation with Leon. If Leon picked up on the actor's slip up, then Gideon must've noticed it too. Gideon must be asking himself if Leon stayed loyal to Gideon because he believes it's in his best interest or because he figured out this man was not Hilda's butler.

"Regardless, my obedience will not be completely free." said Leon trying to quickly change the subject. Staying silent and frozen would have given away too much.

"Within reason, of course." said Gideon inquiring about what Leon wants.

Gideon then commands the 'butler' to leave the room. The 'butler' quickly scurries away like a petrified cat.

"First, I require freedom of movement within the facility and second, I require the complete safety of the Tundra Family - specifically Veronica and Justin Tundra." said Leon

"The Tundra Family?"

"As my half-siblings, they have a direct claim to the throne and thus are potential targets to Thomas Vinzent." said Leon

"I wouldn't expect Thomas to know about that, though if anyone in the country would find out about it, it would be Bethany Garner." said Gideon

Gideon ponders about the proposition for a quick second.

"That seems fair. I don't need to use scare tactics on you Leon, you're smarter than that. Stay under me, do as I say and I will groom you into the greatest King this country has ever seen." said Gideon as he moved closer to Leon with one large step

"From the day we met at your father's rally I saw something different in you, and you will come to realise that sooner or later. And when you do, you'll understand how much you are in need of me." continued Gideon

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At the Tundra mansion, a large envoy of the police and army arrive surrounding the entire estate. Hearing the roar of the helicopter blades, Kevin Tundra (Veronica and Justin's father), came out of the estate. Veronica, locking herself in her room, watched from the window with unimpressed dead eyes and Justin was knocking on her door asking to be let in. One of the soldiers entered through the gate and made his way to Kevin Tundra who was wearing nothing but a plain black shirt, pyjama trousers and white slippers.

"What is all this commotion?" asked Kevin shouting through the roars of the helicopters.

"Mr Kevin Tundra, under the orders of Emperor Leon, your family has been classed as a Level 3 Asset - that must be protected under all costs. We have reason to believe your family may be targeted by the terrorist Thomas Vinzent." said the black vested solider

Kevin was still frustrated by the unnecessary commotion and noise caused by this sudden wave of the police and army. Though his frustration was slightly quenched by the fact that it was Leon who was behind it.

"You couldn't have given us a heads up? What's the situation then, are we to evacuate or will we constantly be bombarded by this noise and disturbance?"

"We apologize, once a Level 3 Asset is declared, immediate action must be taken. As for how we proceed, we may provide a perimeter of protection around the estate with surveillance, or we may escort you to a safehouse, Emperor Leon has given you the choice." said the solider

Kevin looks behind him at his wife who was standing by the door with a worried look. He then looked up at the window where Veronica was looking down from.

"Open up!" demanded Justin as he kept knocking at Veronica's door

Veronica slowly moves away from the window and walks to her door and unlocks the door without opening it. Justin hears the door unlock and swiftly enters the room.

"This isn't a time for you to be closing yourself off and keeping up with your little act. Do you see what's happening?!" complained Justin

Veronica simply walked back to the window.

"Why are you so worried? He's finally come for us, I knew he would" she said with a slight smirk

"Who?"

"Leon."

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In the suburbs of the capital city, lived two dark-haired young men. They were twins that had sharp blue eyes, small noses and plump lips that were perfectly round. One of them was in the bathroom fixing his short hair, making sure it was perfectly aligned and combed. The other was dressing up in the living room. The house was vast and perfectly decorated as if for a nuclear suburban family.

"Why are you obsessing over your hair when we have to wear these helmets anyway" said Hilly

"You think I do this for others? It's for me, I can't think properly if everything isn't perfectly sorted" said Dila as he kept working on his hair

Hilly picked up black nail polish and started painting the nails of his index fingers.

"Stop wasting time, we're gonna be late. Hilda hates waiting" complained Hilly from across the living room

"-aaand done." said Dila as he came out of the bathroom only to find Hilly painting his nails

"Are you serious?" complained Dila

"What? I thought I might as well if you were taking all that time. Put on your helmet and let's get moving."

The two got on their separate matt silver motorbikes with black leather jackets and sleek silver helmets that they never took off when on duty. They were on their way to the furthest outskirts of the city, to a small town called Fieldday. Although Fieldday was technically part of the country, it was almost considered its own country, given who the owner of the town and lands was - Parson Quinn. He was a retired real estate oligarch, who was once Hilda's closest aide in the Shadow Council. Staying away from politics for the past several years, he has confined himself to his own world spending his time fishing, collecting stones and hunting. He hated travelling and he hated the buzz of the city.

Upon arriving at the make-shift 'border control' between Fieldday and the rest of the country, the twins were able to pass through without any stops. They were expected. They made their way through the modest town, driving carefully on rubbled roads until arriving at the estate of Parson Quinn. The estate was located on the shore of the sea with vast empty grasslands surrounding it. They parked their bikes in front of the white marble mansion and instead of entering from the front door, went around the mansion straight to the backyard. The backyard was a short cliff, close enough to the sea to allow for fishing.

On the edge of the cliff was a short old man wearing a brown fishing hat with a fishing rod in his hand. Next to him were a plethora of state of the art fishing equipment, all kinds of baits, hooks and rods. As the twins Hilly and Dila moved closer, they noticed the fishing-bucket already had a few fish inside. They stood beside him on either side. Unphased, the old man, Parson Quinn, continued to fish as if there was no one around him.

"I can't tell, is this a good day or bad one?" asked Hilly as he looked at the fishing-bucket

"One, two, four, six fish. I count six fish." said Dila pointing at the bucket

"Something is scaring them, they're far too scattered and the bigger fish are nowhere to be found." said Parson

"So a bad day?" said Dila

"Maybe it's the cosmos telling you it's time to pay what you owe." said Hilly knowing Parson was a superstitious man

"I've paid my debt to Hilda long ago. Regardless, I am of no use to her now. I only allowed you here out of respect to her." said Parson

"We wouldn't be here if you weren't of any use Quinn, don't forget, her blood runs through us. When you speak to us, you are speaking to her." said Hilly

"Do you two freaks of nature ever take off those helmets?" asked Quinn still waiting to catch a fish

"That's rude, Quinn - don't discriminate against us just cause we're different" said Dila

"We know you're not the greatest fan of how we were created, though you must understand, these are Hilda's wishes. In her absence, we will move swiftly to re-establish her position." said Hilly

"You seem so sure of yourselves that she is still alive." said Parson

"If she's alive, our mission is: rescue, if she's dead, our mission is: revenge. Either way, you will play a critical role in this game." said Hilly

"Do not forget Philip Hunt, Quinn. During his revolt, even your faith in Hilda was shaken, but where is he now?" said Dila

"Gideon Faraday is a different beast." said Parson

"They're all fishes in the sea, with the right bait, they will always bite." said Hilly

"Fish? You would be greatly mistaken to think of Gideon as a simple fish. In a sea of fishes, Faraday is a shark." said Parson

"That's what they said about Philip Hunt."

"That overconfidence and grandiose self-belief. Every word you utter I can hear her. You monsters truly are her children." said Parson reeling in his empty fishing hook

"You know very well we are not her children, Quinn. We 'are' Hilda Cottonwood." said Dila

"Well then, get over with it." demanded Parson

"In exactly one weeks time, you will invite the entire Shadow Council for a large party to celebrate the new Shadow Council leader Gideon Faraday. The party will be right here in your estate." said Hilly

"And for what purpose? And do you really think Gideon would not be suspicious that I, of all people, is celebrating his treacherous rise to leadership?" argued Parson

"He most definitely will be suspicious. You will tell him that he will be allowed to have full control of movement in and out of the estate, control over the security and even the logistics of the party. Gideon is under fire from the Shadow Council, even if he suspects you, this party, especially coming from Parson Quinn himself, is something he cannot refuse. And since you will be sending the invitations before informing him, it will be painfully difficult to stop the party from occurring." said Hilly

"As for the purpose, that is for us to know alone." said Dila

"Hilda will greatly appreciate your service when she reassumes her rightful position." said Hilly patting Parson on the back.

The twins walked away before Parson could even confirm his agreement - his silence was enough. Although nothing was worse than having his estate invaded by the ruckus of the Shadow Council for a long night of farcical celebration, his loyalty to Hilda was overwhelming.

"This is the final time. Next time Hilda's neck is on the guillotine, keep me out of it." said Parson to the backs of the twins as they walked away.

On their way to their bikes, they took in the estate and its awe-striking views.

"Do you really think that Thomas will make the right move?" asked Dila

"Even if he is incapable, that foreign witch Bethany will be smart enough to figure it out." said Hilly

"Our only problem is Gideon must be expecting it too." said Dila

"I'm sure he's losing sleep over it, but at this stage, he's standing in front of a speeding truck with no chance to jump out of the way. He can see it coming, but he can't do anything about it."

"Quinn is right though, we shouldn't underestimate him, look at what that did to Hilda."

Hilly stopped and looked at the vast hills at the edge of the landscape. Dila stopped shortly after doing the same.

"Well regardless, even if this fails, we still have the tape." said Hilly

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Thomas Vinzent was sitting crossed-legged on a dark red couch. His shiny brown leather shoes were facing Bethany Garner who had a glass of water in her hand looking through the window at a dimly lit street. Bethany and her army are scattered across strategically selected locations in the city and in its outskirts. Thomas and Bethany, along with the captive Cottonwoods, were in a remote unknown location far from the city.

"We played right into his hands. That tip that we got about the Cottonwoods' escape routes came from Gideon himself." said Bethany

"We have all the chips in our hand, but they're worthless." said Thomas

"There's only one play left" said Bethany

"I know." said Thomas as he uncrossed his legs "but it's too dangerous. How can we release a lion once we've caged him up? Only to have him hunt us down once he's free?"

"The decision is yours. Gideon needs us healthy, which means he won't come hunting us down anytime soon. But the more time he has, the stronger he gets and the weaker we become." said Bethany

Thomas got up and made his way towards the door. He opened it up and told a command to the guard nearby. He then went back to his seat and crossed his legs again.

"No, you're right. If he expects us to stay quiet, we must make as much noise as we can - disturb his flow and turn everything on its head." said Thomas

After a few moments, there was a knock at the door, followed by an immediate opening of the door. As the doors slowly opened two guards moved forward with Hilda Cottonwood slightly behind and in between them. Her piercing eyes were directed straight at Bethany Garner, who didn't give Hilda any face and continued to look outside the window. She was ushered forward and made to sit directly in front of Thomas. There was a short silence.

"I'm scared of you." said Thomas

Bethany turns her head at Thomas, questioning the unusual remark.

"I would be lying to myself if I didn't admit it. Having you here, under my custody, I feel safe - one less thing I have to worry about." continued Thomas

Hilda continued to stay silent.

"But let me be clear, this fear is not cowardice. A smart man knows when to fear, a coward is afraid all the time." said Thomas

"I agree. And if you were truly a smart man, we wouldn't be here." said Hilda calmly

Thomas smirks at Hilda's little dig. Hilda wasn't throwing a cheap insult at Thomas calling him a fool. Rather using his own remarks against him. If he was truly afraid of Hilda and thus a smart man as he claims, he would've never thought to take power from her in the first place. In other words, he didn't know when to fear and thus is in a difficult situation.

"I suppose. However, we have to conquer our fears one way or another." said Thomas throwing the ball right back at Hilda. He may be afraid of her, but he won't sit around quietly in fear.

"Which is why, after much deliberation, I have decided to set you free." said Thomas.

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Author's Note:

Our new characters - Hilly and Dila are twins. If you notice their facial features they are exactly the same as Hilda's and that's on purpose as they're male clones of Hilda. Essentially the male versions of Hilda. The Lore behind this is that during her time in politics Hilda was putting massive funding into the genetic engineering field - it's one of the reasons why many children born to the richer families today are designer children, since using sperm donors was no longer normal, and Leon's generation is the last sperm donor children. During this time, she experimented creating two male clones of herself and later trained them to be her secret army of two - not even Gideon knows about them. We already know Hilda is obsessed with her bloodline and really believes her blood is somehow divine. And some extra lore, in order to normalize the use of sperm donor children, Hilda was the first woman to undergo the procedure and that child was Jessica Cottonwood (Leon's mother). That's why we don't ever see Jessica's mother (Leon's maternal grandfather) in the story, according to records he was an anonymous sperm donor - chosen by Hilda herself.

As for why Thomas is setting Hilda free - it's simply because as he said, he has all the chips but they're worthless since Gideon isn't interested in negotiating for them. The plan is to disrupt Gideon's plans by throwing Hilda in the middle. If Hilda regains power, she will do everything in her power to get back her daughter and Alexander - meaning Thomas now has bargaining power. The problem with this plan is now he's up against Hilda Cottonwood and as he's already said, he's scared of her (and who wouldn't be).

Thanks so much for reading - I really hope this slightly longer chapter makes up for my delayed release! If you have any questions about the story make sure to let me know!