Breaking Providence (Original Fantasy)

“Pardon me?”
 
The look she gives the old Cardinal sat across the desk from her is bordering on baleful, and decidedly icy. And yet, that doesn’t stop the man from offering her of all people a pitying smile. Dipping his head, Cardinal Matthews lets out a light laugh.
 
“Apologies, your Holiness, for speaking so crassly. Still, you know it must be done. The Destined Hero cannot be allowed to run amok. He must be dealt with. Soon.”
 
Serafina’s nostrils flare as she taps her index finger on the desk in front of her.
 
“Oh? Is that so?”
 
No doubt sensing her building fury, but still not backing down, Cardinal Matthews simply spreads his hands apart. The aged Cardinal has been a member of the Church for longer than Serafina has been alive. Just goes to show that age isn’t everything, seeing as she’s sitting in this chair right now and he’s the one who’s the guest in HER office. Even still, he clearly seems to think his seniority gives him more leeway than it does.
 
“You know as well as I what the people are saying, your Holiness. The Destined Hero has broken the Dark General out of her cell and spirited her away before she could have Divine Justice delivered upon her. The common folk are in an uproar at his treachery. The Nobility are demanding… refunds for their gold.”
 
When Serafina doesn’t immediately respond to his words, Cardinal Matthews lets out a low sigh, acting every part the grandfatherly figure in this moment.
 
“Serafina… I have always supported your rule. The Church has flourished under your leadership.”
 
Serafina tenses when he dares use her first name, as though they’re familiar with her. Especially when he’s spewing nothing but lies. Cardinal Matthews has long desired her position. If he had his way, he would be the Holy Pope and the Church would be his personal fiefdom. Marcus would likely be dead too, the man had never been as vocal as some of his toadies, but Serafina could read between the lines.
 
The proposition that Marcus be killed before he could become either the Destined Hero OR the Dark Lord had been one that had Cardinal’s quiet approval, if not his upfront support. More than that, even after Marcus had Awakened as the Destined Hero, it had been Cardinal Matthews who had tried to use Bishop Archibald to spirit Marcus away before he could be brought to her.
 
If not for Archibald’s selfish, small-minded desire to use Marcus to make in-roads with important individuals throughout the city, Matthews might very well have managed to get his claws into Marcus before she could get to him.
 
Serafina knew who her enemies were, or she’d thought she did. She’d also believed that she had a handle on her foes. Instead, sitting there facing down the Cardinal, she’s starting to wonder where it all went wrong. Still, his… comments demanded a response.
 
“The Church will continue to flourish under my leadership, Cardinal Matthews. Your support in this trying time is greatly appreciated. In fact, I appreciate that you understand the retrieval of the Destined Hero is best left in my hands.”
 
Her clipped, icy tone should have been enough to send the man scurrying. It had certainly been enough for many of the others she’d had to speak to today. But this time, it doesn’t work. Cardinal Matthews simply gives her another pitying look.
 
“I am not sure if retrieval is a possibility at this point. The Destined Hero has thrown in with a Dark General. He is tainted. Your predecessor-!”
 
SLAM!
 
Serafina’s fist comes down hard on her desk, cutting Cardinal Matthews off. She’s glowing with Holy Light, the only reason she didn’t break any bones with her hand with the force of that strike. Eyes shimmering with her power, the Holy Pope snarls.
 
“My predecessor is not here! I am! You speak of killing the Destined Hero, but to do so would only bring doom upon the Empire. The Destined Hero and the Dark Lord can only be killed by each other’s hands. To do otherwise is to cause calamity. Not to mention, we still don’t know where the Dark Lord even is! You want to remove our one defense against the greatest threat this Empire can possibly face before it has even revealed itself!”
 
Cardinal Matthews froze up a little bit at her display of power. Serafina takes some solace in that fact. But in the end, he doesn’t remain frozen or even fearful for long, turning any satisfaction sour in her gut as he shakes his head once more.
 
“We both know that the calamity is thoroughly overblown… even if it exists. Your predecessor had to make this same call all those years ago, Serafina. When it was discovered that the last Destined Hero and the Dark Lord were together, the decision was made and the die cast. There was no calamity then, there will be no calamity now. This situation is no different… except that it can still get worse. I represent a group of Cardinals that sees the situation spiraling towards what happened almost twenty years ago. All we wish to do is advise you on the right path forward. The only path for the good of the Empire.”
 
Serafina is shaking. Mostly from having to restrain herself from wiping the smug look from Cardinal Matthews’ eyes. Whether he notices or not, the bastard continues on with a shrug.
 
“Look at it this way, Serafina. The Dark Lord has not shown themselves yet. Perhaps they will not show themselves for a few years longer. If we remove this tainted Destined Hero from the board now, then a new Destined Hero might Awaken before the Dark Lord does make their move. One that is not… corrupted.”
 
Serafina just stares at the Cardinal.
 
“… It doesn’t work like that.”
 
But Cardinal Matthews isn’t having it. He shrugs, spreading his hands apart.
 
“We live in unprecedented times, your Holiness. Why, we may just have a Princess inherit the Throne any day now. Who can say what will happen next?”
 
The implicit threat is obvious, at least to one as savvy as Serafina. She’s thrown her weight behind Queen Lisanna and Princess Elsenthia more times than anyone can count. Her and by extension the Church’s backing has almost singlehandedly propped up the Royal Family all these years since the King’s death. If not for Serafina’s efforts, Queen Lisanna would probably have already been sent back to the Higher Plane, and one of the Nobility closest to the Royal Bloodline would have been elevated to King.
 
What would have happened to Elsenthia in all of that, who could really say? The High Elves had already declared her unfit to join them. But so long as she remained in the Holy Empire, she would have been a threat to the rule of whoever was made King. If they didn’t decide to… use her in unsavory ways.
 
By bringing Serafina’s support of the Royal Family up in the way he just had, Cardinal Matthews was making it clear just how shaky he thought her foundation truly was. He truly thought he could get away with threatening her in her own office.
 
“… No.”
 
Cardinal Matthews frowns, but at the same time Serafina can see something triumphant in the old man’s eyes, even as he furrows his brow.
 
“No, your Holiness?”
 
Shaking her head, Serafina rises from her desk.
 
“That’s right. You will do nothing to the Destined Hero. You will not lay a single hand on his head. He is not tainted. He is the best of us. He will be retrieved. The Dark General Roka-Ra will be executed. Everything will be set to right and we will begin preparing to face the true threat… the Dark Lord you seem to think will be oh so willing to let us all sit on our thumbs instead of striking when we’re at our weakest.”
 
“Your Holiness-!”
 
“That will be all, Cardinal. You may go.”
 
Cardinal Matthews stands now, looking decidedly irate. When he opens his mouth to speak again, however, Serafina wastes no time in shutting him up with another flare of her power, her eyes glowing with golden light.
 
“I said you. May. Go.”
 
He gets the hint this time and leaves her office in quite the huff. The door closes behind him her Shadow locks it shut. For a moment, Serafina stares blankly at said door… and then slowly, she collapses back into her chair. Her face falls forward into her hands. A moment later, her shoulders begin to shake with sobs.
 
It has been… a long day. A long series of days, even. Ever since Marcus absconded with the Dark General, racing away from the city in the dead of night, Serafina’s life has been much, much more difficult.
 
“W-Why? Why Marcus?! Why?”
 
Thankfully, the Holy Pope’s office is soundproofed, and her wailing is heard by none but her Shadow. Slamming her fists down onto her desk, she cries out.
 
“Why?! Why?! WHY?!”
 
With each progressive smashing motion, Serafina’s hands glow brighter and brighter, until finally her tantrum yields results. The great big desk, made of strong wood, shatters beneath her. As it splinters into a dozen large pieces, collapsing to the floor, Serafina is left gasping for breath and staring down at the destruction. The destruction SHE’S caused.
 
Dropping her face back into her hands, the Holy Pope goes back to sobbing. In the end, she knows why Marcus did what he did. Just as she knows… this is all her fault. She’d thought it would be fine, so long as he never found out. It was no less than the Dark General deserved for nearly killing Marcus in the first place. Her and her kind were monsters through and through. Orcs were scum and would always be scum.
 
Not Marcus, of course. He was different. He had all of the best parts of his father in him. That’s why she should have seen this coming. She should never have let the Cardinals talk her into this little fundraising scheme. Divine Justice had used to mean something, but in recent years it had become… twisted. Darkened by the greed of men and women. By HER greed, even.
 
In the end, it all came back to money. If she had just a bit more gold, she could open another Chapel where the Capital needed one the most. If she just had some more funds, she could spread the Holy Light far and wide and bring all under its banner in truth. The Most Holy Light was technically the primary religion of the Holy Empire, but the truth was, there were large swathes of it where there wasn’t even a Church presence, and she wasn’t just talking about the wildlands.
 
It was Serafina’s second fondest wish to see the Church’s reach spread to all corners of the Holy Empire, so that everyone could live in the peace that the Holy Light was supposed to provide.
 
… It was her fondest wish that Marcus stay safe at all costs, however. And she felt as though she’d just made things worse for him. Eyes narrowing, Serafina finds herself replaying that conversation with Cardinal Matthews in her head again. As she stares down at her destroyed desk, she snarls in anger and disbelief.
 
“The Cardinal was recording me, wasn’t he?”
 
There’s a moment of silence, and then her Shadow finally speaks up.
 
“More than likely, your Holiness.”
 
Only too late does Serafina see the scheme. All day long, she’d been inundated with these damnable appointments. Out of all of the days since Marcus had absconded with the General and his party into the woods, this day had been decidedly the most taxing. She hadn’t thought anything of it… until now.
 
“Cardinal Matthews was my final appointment of the day, wasn’t he?”
 
Her Shadow looks pointedly down at the shattered remains of her desk.
 
“I should hope so, your Holiness.”
 
Snorting dryly, Serafina just shakes her head, the red-haired Pope snarling at her own stupidity. The Cardinal had set his supporters on her, sending them ahead so they would wear her down all day long. Then, he had come in for his own appointment, not to convince her… but to record her intractability. Her unwillingness to listen would be spread among the Cardinals he claimed to represent by the end of the night, further weakening her position within the Church.
 
The bastard… no wonder his eyes had seemed so pleased even as he’d scowled on his way out.
 
“Fuck.”
 
It comes out quietly at first, but doesn’t feel like nearly enough, so Serafina says it again with more feeling.
 
“FUCK!”
 
Her hands are shaking and her mind is racing. Her eyes dart back and forth as she considers what the Cardinal will use his recording of her for. The answers are obvious. Dethroning her will come eventually, but first and foremost…
 
“They’re going to go after him. Without my approval, against my direct orders, they’re going to try to kill him.”
 
“It seems likely, your Holiness.”
 
Her Shadow’s dry answer sees Serafina’s hands clenching into fists.
 
“I can’t… I can’t let them kill him. Not like…”

Serafina trails off, the ‘not like Caleb’ left unsaid. Still, it doesn’t need to be said for her to feel it with every fiber of her being. She cannot let Marcus does. No matter what he’s done, she won’t lose him too. In truth, all that talk of the Dark Lord to Cardinal Matthews was Serafina talking out her ass. She only cares about the Dark Lord in so much as she wants to keep Marcus from being corrupted by whoever it is. She wants… no, she NEEDS to keep Marcus safe.
 
“What would you have of me, your Holiness?”
 
Her eyes snap to her Shadow. Yes… yes, that would work.
 
“What else? Keep him safe. Protect him at all costs. We cannot afford to lose him. I cannot afford to lose him.”
 
Rather than immediately leaving to carry out her will, her Shadow steps forward, surprising Serafina. Stepping lightly through the destroyed remains of her desk, Serafina’s Shadow kneels before her, grabbing hold of her shaking hands and making them stop their trembling.
 
“And is sending me to him the best way to protect him, your Holiness?”
 
Her Shadow’s tone is gentle but chiding. Serafina stares for a long moment, blinking.
 
“The threats to the Destined Hero… the true threats… are here in the Capital.”
 
Serafina’s breath hitches at that and in that moment, she knows her Shadow is right. More than that, she realizes there is only one path forward now. For both her and Marcus. The old men of the Church, the aged Cardinals who have been here long enough to remember her predecessor’s decision regarding the last Destined Hero and Dark Lord… Serafina has long listened to their counsel. She has long tried to placate them.
 
She’s played this political game for far too long now. And she’s played it well too. But now is not the time for appeasement. Now is not the time for half-measures.
 
“You’re right. Sending you to Marcus’ side… is not the way to truly help him.”
 
Her voice is raspy, breathless in a way as she realizes what must be done. Her Shadow, meanwhile, squeezes her hands gently but firmly and nods.
 
“Then what would you have me do, your Holiness.”
 
“I will… I will send a message to Marcus by way of Angelina. The Holy Light will allow me to reach out and contact the Priestess. I will warn her and Marcus of the threat.”
 
She’d been upset to learn Angelina had gone with Marcus at first. And yet, had she not said right in front of the girl that the Destined Hero was above the Church? Heh, her own words coming back to bite her in the ass. Except, perhaps it was for the best. Angelina would be a much-needed conduit between Serafina and her childhood friend’s son. Yes…
 
“Your Holiness.”
 
Her Shadow’s soft but firm tone pulls her out of her thoughts as her hands are squeezed all the harder.
 
“You must give the order. I cannot act on my own.”
 
… Yes, of course. Looking into her Shadow’s eyes, Serafina slowly nods.
 
“The Church has an infestation, my Shadow. And I know no better exterminator in the entire Empire than you. Please… allow me to count on you to clean house for me.”
 
There’s barely a flicker of amusement upon her Shadow’s face. And then, a bowed head.
 
“It would be my pleasure, your Holiness.”
 
Only then does her Shadow vanish from her office, disappearing without a trace. Serafina has just signed the death warrants for dozens of men and women of the Church, if not hundreds. And yet… she can’t bring herself to care all that much. The Church has been her life’s purpose for as long as she can remember. But Marcus? Marcus is her heart and soul. When the two found each other at odds, it was only natural that one would be found wanting, and it wouldn’t be Marcus.
 
Letting out a shaky breath, Serafina forcibly calms herself down and schools her features. Then, she begins preparing a message to send to Marcus via Angelina. It has to be perfect, of course. And besides, it’s much too late for her to send such a message anyways.
 
… That means she has until morning to get it perfect. A measly eight hours. She’ll make use of every last second.

-x-X-x-

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