Holy Templar Sanctum (Aincrad)

[Apollymi]

As Renaud reclaimed his sword it seemed he understood why he'd been given a pass by Janessa this day. Another chortle left Olivier. "She did the same thing to me yesterday, we're all chopped liver when Ally is home~" she mused. "Well except Turpin..." she mumbled with a little wink aimed at Janessa who stuck her tongue out between her fangs. As for what she would or wouldn't forgive she was the Grand Inquisitor. The judgement on the guilt of that particular family was hers, to met out and deal with. And he was quite right she wasn't exactly as forgiving as Janessa was feeling today. "Well, those judgements were pretty sound and I came to the same conclusions myself. Even so, that's a bit of a loss of manpower for me. I'm not quite done setting up my room yet, you'll help me along with this thing I'm sitting on~" she said, while twisting herself into Roland's back as she resituated herself. She'd take a bit of physical labor out of the body of Renaud while such a thing was basically free. Her bed was quite heavy and her normal slaves weren't strong enough to move it.

And then the conversation was able to move on, and the nobles were able to calm themselves. Soon enough they were back to the moment at hand. No other nobles protested, after seeing other protests be shut down all were sure that there was nothing of real substance to offer as far as resistance was concerned. Many fathers wouldn't put themselves or their sons at risk for such selfishness so they were willing to let it all go. And thent here was the matter of the other Holy objects being conferred into the hands of Charles. He took them and Angelica looked at them, they had some extreme amounts of power within them. What was their union was blessed by her father. That was nice, he even managed to call her by the name she preferred.

She stood beside Charles seemingly happy to make her father happy in what had to be the last of his public appearances. "Hmph, I'm surprised you remembered, but thank you..." she said to her father. She really wanted this man to find some rest and maybe a less stressful life for his next endeavor. It was fine with her to accept Charles as her husband she wanted him over others anyway.

[Bloodedge]

"Oh?" Renaud said as if he suddenly had something to be interested in. As if her special greetings for Archbishop Turpin weren't obvious enough to everyone else, Janessa reacting to Olivier's words the way she currently did were the greatest tell-tale sign possible. "Should have utilized better judgment. She could have asked for his secrets that only us guys know. There's some juicy stuff in there," he said casually, yet clearly enough to be heard by Janessa. As for Olivier's remuneration for stepping into her territory, it seemed she desired manual labor to make up for her now-missing slaves. Both he and Roland, who would currently be found squirming in... pleasure? That might have been pleasure. It looked like pleasure. Whatever the case, she'd have use of them both for setting up her room. "Tch! You sure like picking the most boring thing possible. Anything else for her royal highness?" he asked sarcastically.

Angelica had been called to step forward, which she did to join Charlemagne before the sitting Father An. The old man seemed pleased. "Ah. How wonderful. Look at these two. It does my old heart wonders to see such potential. Join hands." As Father An spoke, he put forth his best effort to stand. Doing so required a bit of assistance from Turpin, but though he had a heavy slouch, An stood in front of the couple soon enough. Charlemagne held out his left hand as prompted. Once hands were joined, his scepter would begin the process of linking them. All present would see a golden ring on either party's wrist, each ring melding into the other twofold in an endless cycle of movement. "A union... is a promise. You belong to them, and they to you... from this day until your last. You..."

An seemed to be struggling. His breathing was labored enough already, and too many words spoken proved difficult. Seeing this occurrence, Turpin stepped forward to take over. "Easy, Father. Let it be known that Charlemagne of House Martel and Luviagelita Angelica Edelfelt are one heart, one flesh, one soul. Cursed be he who would seek to tear them asunder. In the sight of our Lord, I hereby seal these two souls, binding them as one for eternity. Look upon one another and say the words. Charles?" the Archbishop prompted. Charlemagne nodded, turning his attention to Angelica afterwards. He'd seen enough weddings in Aincrad to remember the lines. "I am hers and she is mine. From this day, until the end of my days." Hearing this, Turpin and An both nodded. "Well said. Angelica?"

[Apollymi]

Renaud's first word after noticing the jab at Janessa seemed to imply that he didn't initially appreciate the amount that the lass liked their resident Archbishop. From what she was now hearing, the Executioner might have chosen wrong when not asking for anything today given her current amount of power-drunkenness. "I could do that?" she mumbled seeming to take a moment to consider the thought. "Next time then..." she concluded, also sticking her tongue out at Renaud. Why? Because there would always be a next time... of the group at large hew as definitely the most likely to step into her territory and thus literally steal food from her plate. But with Astolfo around now, she didn't really have to rely always on the kindness of the others, he'd volunteer himself as a meal whenever he saw fit. Turpin was her future prized choice, but that was a matter of her personal like for the Archbishop. Moving on from that Renaud took issue with being used for manual labor instead of something more fun. A smirk crossed the face of the blue haired woman as soon as he said it. "Well of course I chose something what would bore you, it isn't a punishment if you aren't at least confused about whether you like it. It's more fitting that you obviously don't like it. Not to worry, if I think of something else to have you do, you'll be the first to know and I'm sure you won't hate all of it, especially since you're not making me babysit you~" she mused seeming to clear up how much of a sadist she actually was. Not that she'd stopped noticing the squirming of the man beneath her. She simply crossed her legs again and sat a little straighter.

Babysitting Roland was what Olivier counted herself as doing during the coronation/wedding ceremony. This was the obvious way to think about it, since that man was the most likely to make a fuss. Strangely, the blue haired woman considered this more of a gift to the bride and groom than anything else, even so she watched as the ceremony began. The pair was asked to join hands and Charles raised his left and Angelica did the same the golden ring appearing around her wrist as well. Though Father An was trying to give the ceremony himself, Turpin soon stepped in to do his more official job as the person who would conduct this wedding. She was happy her father got to see them together, but still she managed to have her face scrunch up slightly at the mention of her legitimate given name. She wouldn't fuss about it, because she knew it was necessary for the marriage but she wouldn't like it, either. When it was her turn she met the eyes of Charles and smiled. "I am his and he is mine. From this day until the end of my days..." she said as well. In truth she could think of no one else she would have shared those words with and that made it all the better for her. In the crowd Anais, had tears in the corners of her eyes which she began to wipe away. 'I always cry at weddings. I'm am actually happy for him... for them.' she thought to herself.

[Bloodedge]

Apparently, any reasonable demands had completely evaded Janessa's train of thought. That was fine. Surely she had little to ask of Renaud regardless of where her mind was. It wasn't as if he considered any request unreasonable, though, so he didn't care one way or the other. "Right. Next time. Clock's ticking," he commented before his attention was set on Olivier. What an interesting demand she had for him. Knowing her, there was a small part of him that expected to be in the same position Roland was currently in as recompense. He'd obviously make a better chair... but no matter. That was merely a better alternative to doing random manual labor. "If it doesn't give me a chance to practice or let loose in some way, I won't like it anyway. Not everybody can be like that one," he said, looking down upon Roland. The ash-blonde male was in the strangest of states. Each time Olivier moved, he squirmed as if turmoiled by the current position. At the same time, his facial expression belied the epitome of bliss. Whatever he felt, it was... a curious thing indeed.

Vows were exchanged as a magical binding unified Charlemagne and Angelica. Those things always sounded so very... final. Even so, there Angelica was, speaking the words with a smile on her face... And there Charlemagne was, somehow elated after already speaking them himself. Was any of this truly happening? All evidence said yes. Ideally, the only false occurrence would be the withering state of Father An, but Charlemagne doubted even that was unreal. "The vow has been taken. An oath, you swear to one another. Only God may intervene," Turpin said as custom. "And now... the final pledge," he added. Charlemagne knew what came next. No matter the wedding, no matter the custom, there would always be one final hoop to jump. "Right. With this kiss, I pledge my love," stated the new emperor. Hands still connected, Charlemagne leaned forward until his lips pressed against Angelica's. As if triggered by the simplest of mana transfers, that glowing spell binding them together brightened anew. It would continue doing so for the duration of a kiss, until... it snapped. Both Charlemagne and Angelica would soon be left with glowing circles around their wrists, shifting, spinning and shrinking until settling into the fourth finger. Though separated, those bindings would each hold the mana signature of both participants.

[Apollymi]

Definitely next time, Janessa would likely be drafting a list of questions to gain the fruitful kind of information. At least, gain the sort that would allow her to properly figure out how to approach the Archbishop more directly. Moving on from that topic, the elated chair beneath Olivier was one thing, the red haired man she'd call her friend beside her was another. Strange though it was, he admitted the sort of things he liked and explained why he didn't like the more menial tasks she laid out as the most likely of scenarios. "What an open-ended way of giving such information..." mused Olivier. No matter, eventually everyone would figure out that telling a sadist what you liked was a guaranteed way to either not get it or to get way too much of it. No matter which, the man would likely be satisfied if she wished to 'work' him a bit more. Perhaps she would.

But for now, there was a wedding taking place, and given that it was that of their leader, she'd give it her attention, even as her chair squirmed and seemed to be elated to be beneath her. That magical binding as final as it always seemed was interesting to watch. Of course, Olivier had no feelings about such things either way, but assumed if one day she found the right man she might be willing to make such a sacrifice. All the while, Anais wiped tears from her eyes and the blonde haired Silent Knight handed her a handkerchief. How nice...

Irrespective of how everyone was taking the ceremony, some of the last of the binding words were spoken by Turpin. And when they were... One last vow was pledged by Charles, accompanied by a kiss. A pucker of lips and the briefest of exchanges would lead to their bond snapping in place. Of course, she was rather happy about this arrangement. And many would be considered happy for her. The ring now situated around her left ring finger was a symbol of their bond. And then by the time the kiss broke that same smile returned to Angelica's face. The deterioration of her father aside, she couldn't say her wedding had been a bad one. And she could be happy with Charles as her husband which was far more than she expected initially to get out of her life, and that was a calming thought.

[Bloodedge]

Olivier believed he'd given up information in an open-ended manner. Renaud, on the other hand, didn't care what she knew nor what she thought was abusable. This was not a group of secrets, and he was not a man of secrets. Besides... perhaps something interesting would come of it all. "If you say so. Do whatever you want with it; I don't care," he said with a shrug.

In another world, a single kiss at the end of a wedding was little more than a tradition. In this case, Charlemagne immediately knew how much more extreme it was. Even the previous night, even the morning of this very day, his mana hadn't flowed so smoothly. A union of souls was a powerful thing ─ that much was immediately obvious. By the time lips parted, he felt strangely... complete? No, that wasn't quite it. Something remained missing for reasons he couldn't fathom, yet there was a level of completion within that he'd not previously known. Father An took note of this as well, and that singular eye widened slightly to look upon Charlemagne. "That is the look of our Holy Emperor. You two... are now wed. Soon, Angelica will be blessed as Holy Empress... and coronated. Nobles, you may return for now. Angelica... go rest your swirling mana, my child. I will take audience with the emperor... and pass the torch properly..."

When these words were spoken by the Father, he took a seat once more. Charlemagne watched with concern, but ultimately sighed and looked toward Angelica. "Separated for work already, huh? At least you can see it's not my choice now. I guess I'll see you at... what, your coronation, Holy Empress Angelica?" Of all the times for another separation, this was not the one he expected. Charlemagne's understanding was that the bride and groom would take their leave of all others after a marriage, and here they were being separated immediately instead. What bitter luck. Oh well. He was now Holy Emperor, so he could concede to having a few additional formalities to go through. Maybe it wouldn't take so long. . .

[Apollymi]

What an interesting relationship this group of friends had. No secrets between them, deciding not to meddle in each others affairs unless they simply wanted to be involved. All things which culminated in the group at large existing as cohesively as possible. "Suit yourself. No complaining about it later... or do, it won't make much of a difference to me~" that was the final musing of Olivier. While the wedding went on without a hitch. No interruptions from Roland and only a few shed tears by the most emotionally stable of the group. Yes, it was quite a spectacle.

It seemed that even the Father had a lot to say, and was oddly expressive for a man who was falling apart at the seams quite literally. Still, nothing bad could be said about the pair, and as far as Olivier could tell from their current perch, the young emperor and empress already smelled like a harmony of scents. Yes. that pair would be fine as far as she could tell. Ah, but the wedding ceremony was mostly over. The Nobles were being instructed to go on about their day and even Angelica was being told to steady herself. There was work to be done for Charles apparently, but after their kiss had finished even Angelica couldn't really be mad at him for not spending enough time with her. "I can't believe you married me to him only to send me off on my own. The whole point of being married is spending time together," she scoffed at her father. Maybe it wouldn't matter long term but she really needed this kind of thing to stop when it could.

"Regardless, it can't be helped. Just make sure it's not like thirty years again. I'll do some yoga or something and wait for you~" she chimed leaning into Charles she'd kiss his cheek and give him the warmest smile she had to offer. "I'll see you later, Holy Emperor Charlemagne~" she said. Her own face had reddened slightly at the call of her normally used name as that of the Holy Empress. Pretty easy after that the girl would head off to her own floor as per the portal they'd entered through, as it was the only place she could go. No matter... everything was fine. Whatever little meeting that needed to happen would happen, and maybe, she'd even get to spend their wedding night together.

[Bloodedge]

Just before the moments of parting, Angelica expressed her displeasure about the situation. True, one should expect to be with their betrothed immediately after the ceremony. This, however, was a very special case. "Hah. Forgive me. Just as you must prepare yourself... I must prepare him. You will not be without your husband for long, my child..." said the Father. Moments later, Charlemagne was exchanging farewells with... his wife, apparently. Ah, that felt strange. He'd only learned about the engagement yesterday. Now he was married and... oddly accepting of it. "I'd rather thirty minutes than thirty years. I'll see you soon. It's a promise," he said while Angelica's lips were against his cheek. Part of Charlemagne felt as if he was living a dream he'd soon enough wake up from. How much truth was there to that train of thought?

Well, all would become clear soon after Angelica and most of the nobles departed. Charlemagne approached Father An. The old man beckoned him closer and closer still, placing a hand upon his shoulder once he was in range. "Holy Emperor. Hah. It's a good title, isn't it? I'm sure things will be..." The man fell silent. Charlemagne fell silent, his eyes visibly wide. Archbishop Turpin, who stood nearby, seemed confused. "... Father?" he questioned, assuming the old man had tired himself out again.

On the other side of Father An, there was one man with the proper line of sight to discover why Father An was silent, and why Charlemagne looked the way he did. That man was Ganelon, the eldest of the Twelve Peers. Raising a mighty spear, he shouted to the remaining masses. "To arms!" he yelled. Few nobles remained on Floor 100 at this time, all of whom turned to discover what was being spoken of. "Wh─... what?" Charlemagne asked in a near whisper. Somehow, his left arm had moved and... plunged a dagger into the abdomen of Father An. How? It was no conscious effort of Charlemagne's. As the elderly male's mouth produced a spurt of blood, Ganelon's spear was held against Charlemagne's neck. "The Emperor has turned against the Holy Father! Seize him!" Ganelon continued.

"... WHAT?! Wait, no. I didn't even... I don't even know where this knife came from!" pleaded Charlemagne, who attempted to step away from Father An. Alas, he could not retreat. The Holy Father somehow had strength enough to grasp Charlemagne's left wrist, which held that knife. He kept the lad close in his state of shock ─ close enough to whisper words into his ear. "I like you, boy. But... like the last one, you are a necessary sacrifice for the good of all."

[Apollymi]

Angelica was told she wouldn't be without her husband, and that was enough for her. She'd left happily knowing that Charles would be coming along soon after. But that wouldn't be happening as soon as she might like. No, instead something very strange would be happening and it would not be directly witnessed by any of the knights at the wedding. No, Ganelon would be shouting that Charles had stabbed the Holy Father. Everyone would be called to arms and immediately everyone was standing. Olivier, Anais, Janessa, Bradamante and the Silent Knight all had weapons drawn and were ready to fight. But who would be the first to move?

Charles didn't have a mean bone in his body, he wouldn't just stab the Holy Father. Even so, there was much to be said for what they could see before them. One person however would be already in motion. At the moment the cry went out her sword was being drawn and she was moving forward. She'd just barely heard the lad claim he'd not known where the knife had come from and she would be the one to run up and separate the lad from the Holy Father, the blunt side of her sword attempting to force space and separation between their two bodies. Ah, yes... that was a thing to do. Technically, if he was to be seized it should be the job of Olivier, but the person who reached him first was Isabella Valentine. "You know the deal Charlie. I will carry out my duty in both letter and spirit..." she said, in a manner that might just sound threatening. Like she was daring Charles to try her, and in truth... she was. Ah. That was a quote about ethics. One she'd once mentioned directly as her brand of law and order came into question. In another life, Ivy had been a law student who would rather do the right thing, than get paid to do the wrong thing... this was something she'd carried with her for quite some time. This of course included how she chose to interpret rules and regulations and who she was willing to believe in disputes. Here and now, she had every reason to believe that Charles hadn't done anything wrong regardless of what it looked like, because of her understanding of both history and television, but there was no way to clear it up in the moment. If he understood he'd lunge for her, and if he did... well... he might stand a chance, eventually. That quote of hers would have ended, 'But you haven't done enough reading to have this argument with me,' basically calling Charles out for his lack of understanding of whatever little debate they were having at the time. But was a solid memory for her, and maybe it was one for him as well.

[Bloodedge]

Whatever was going on, Charlemagne hadn't a single clue. He'd never been so confused in his life. How had Father An been stabbed? How was he the one to do it? None of that would become any clearer as An whispered to him about being a sacrifice to the greater cause. Wait... what he said... 'like the last one'. Last one? Could that have meant...?

No, it was all too much to process. Worse still, one of Charlemagne's own trusted companions had been the one to call others to arms. Surely they all knew he'd never do something like that, right? Apparently not. "No. no, I..." An attempted plea couldn't even be finished. There was no interruption just yet; he simply couldn't process all the goings-on at the time. Suddenly, the Holy Father was speaking louder as well. "I will not have this! Your memory will be preserved in its purest form...through me," he said.

Just then, a proper interruption came ─ albeit all too late. Charles felt as if something was leaving him rapidly. It was almost like the transfer of mana into Angelica, but nothing was returning his way. Before it became totally unbearable, Isabella beat all the other Peers to his location. It looked to Charlemagne, in his periphery at least, as if she thought to assassinate him on the spot. Charlemagne leapt away from Father An and the white-haired woman on pure instinct. He looked around, noting that others appeared at the ready as well. The only ones who weren't up at arms were the anemic Astolfo and the mentally broken Roland. "Wait, wait! I─" Nothing still. Charlemagne had the Holy Grail in one hand, and a bloody knife in the other. For some reason, he felt as if he was growing weaker by the second, like he could fade from existence moments later. In the meantime, anyone paying attention would note the rapid restoration of Father An.

Ivy spoke of her duty. As she'd said many times, she'd uphold that duty in letter and spirit. Wait... that was a bit too familiar. Could she have meant what he thought? Perhaps. If that were the case, he knew what had to happen next. "That's the deal, isn't it? I guess it's in your hands then," he responded. Charlemagne did try to lunge at the woman, but upon doing so... his left leg stopped cooperating. He buckled, nearly falling to one knee in the process. "What the hell is going on?!" he wondered. Just then was the time Father An's laughter could be heard just faintly. . .

[Apollymi]

And there it was, the Holy Father planned to preserve what Charles should have been through himself. And just like that... several new questions popped up in the mind of Ivy and maybe some of the others would realize the potential problems of this. She'd always told Charles he was a bit too trusting of this entire situation, but she wouldn't be the one to say I told you so when this was obviously going so badly. If she was being honest, she was somewhat relieved the bride hadn't had to experience some serious trauma associated with this entire situation. Just the same Charles had moved of his own accord as Ivy arrived, this was for the best. Perhaps he thought she'd try to assassinate him, perhaps he felt his own mana draining rapidly, whatever the case, it was good that he and the Holy Father were physically separated.

Her words to Charles had been heard and he lunged at her, his leg collapsing in a strange way. The use of Ivy's unique set of skills gave her the only real option she could run with. All of the knights were armed except two and most were drawn on Charles even now. But it would be that sword of Ivy that whipped up and separated into long mana enhanced segments. They separated and snaked whipping up wild winds which would spread with immense force. They were backed by the strange power she possessed and kicked up enough concussive wind to send Charles flying back, slicing into chest deep enough to seem real. It was precisely enough that he, Anais and strangely Astolfo would be the ones caught up in the breeze and ejected from a hole created in the side of the building by the movements of her sword and the combined wind. In most cases, many would see it as an accident, an overestimation of the amount of power that Ivy put in. But in truth, she'd made a snap decision, that Charles would need help so she sent their healer and someone who could protect him potentially out of the hole with the gust as well. Anais would be shouting as she fell but, it wasn't as if she wasn't used to Ivy doing such a thing to her. If it worked out those three alone would be blown out of the hole as Ivy's sword shrank back into its normal size.

[Bloodedge]

Unable to make it to Isabella, Charlemagne's attempt at a real-looking assault was for naught. Luckily for him, she was just rude enough to assault him anyway. He couldn't miss the look on Father An's face, though. That man looked so much younger than he did minutes, days, even years ago. Worse yet, he was still regressing in age and progressing in musculature. Was that the strange feeling Charlemagne had moments ago? Was the Holy Father using his energy to sustain himself? Whatever he was seeing, there wasn't much time to consider it.

Isabella was on the offensive in a way he knew would be quite painful. That blade of hers whipped about and summoned the wind. It was with great ease that a weakened Charlemagne was blasted away, resist though he might. Ah, but he wasn't the only one affected. A spaced-out Astolfo and an innocent Anais seemed caught in the backlash. All three were thrown against a wall which wouldn't survive. While crashing through, Charlemagne only had physical and mental pain as company. Something was very wrong with his body and soul. He'd even been betrayed at least twice in one event, on the day of his wedding even. He may have had the answer to a thousand-year old mystery, but there was no point to that now. It was even possible that he wouldn't survive the fall, as he wouldn't be landing anywhere on Aincrad after Isabella's attack.

Well... at least two of his most trusted were falling with him. Hopefully, they could survive and maybe bury his mangled body after the landing. . .