Antagonistic Appropriation

AN: Beta-read by @Nuew, @Vebyast, and @crystalcat .

---

The Rainbows needed to hastily fetch their belongings from their former lair, and I needed to explain my pivot to a platoon that — actually wasn't half as hostile as I expected? Quite the opposite, really. Those returning from overwatch and congregating back in the mess hall seemed, if anything, excited. There was still plenty of wariness and caution, yet an undeniable abundance of energy filled the room. Quite literally; excitement-infused umbra noticeably dimmed our surroundings.

'The end of a doomed war,' Joy murmured.

I tilted my head and recalibrated my expectations. I'd intended to take the fall for the rest of the platoon if necessary, yet they didn't necessarily know that. They also didn't know that literal miracles were available as a last-ditch backup plan, albeit one with dire consequences.

Our efforts were an undeniable success in comparison to other Imperial forces. We had nonetheless been losing. Day after day spent chasing foes that could flee any fights they could not win, being yelled at by aristocrats dissatisfied with the inevitable loss of their estates, seeing lands overcome by a nigh-unstoppable advance of sunlight and the citizens of those lands forcibly turned human. It was reasonable to assume that even the Spired City wouldn't, couldn't, stop the Radiant Rainbow Revolutionaries of Dawn. Not when the Shaded Court continued to view their neighbors as the greater threat, refusing to even send personal armies from their respective houses lest their neighbors attack them in turn.

Really, Topaz had been right to question whether I would've defected had they changed their goals earlier. I couldn't say the answer was a certain yes, not with Magentism's backers still unknown. And yet, the Rainbows-turned-Prisms were perfectly happy to completely uproot their preexisting plans within one day of learning about the logistical necessities enabling their rebellion. Accusations of 'treason' be damned, I should have explained, not just tuned out their naive claims as the product of brainwashing or willful, self-serving ignorance.

'You're rewriting history to blame yourself again,' Joy deadpanned. 'You did try to tell them, at least at first. It's not your fault that they appear to have been more focused on your weapons than your words.'

Hold on. If they weren't listening because I was trying to kill them at the time, then isn't it explicitly my fault–

'You are my perfect avatar that has never done anything wrong in your entire life,' Joy blatantly lied. 'More seriously, don't ever forget that you were primarily fighting so that people could keep their favored forms. Propping up the Empire came later, when the Revolution kept mysteriously producing funds from midair.'

I grimaced and ceded the point. In absolute military terms, the Shaded Empire might yet win this war — but if they refused to defend the rest of the Shaded Realm, what was the point? I could easily imagine foreign invaders claiming a full third of the Empire, stopping, and being effectively ignored as a rival's problem while those invaders consolidated. Then, a few years or decades later, invaders could repeat the process to take another big bite, and still be ignored.

I wasn't a competent leader. I was, however, not actively malicious, and understood just how miserable the greater populace was. Those factors alone would, should I take the throne, let me pose a greater threat to invaders than the current Imperial leadership.

'I do think they'll make a fine royal guard once we win,' Joy said, happily humming alien melodies of subsumption, repurposed resources, and dark deeps filled with glittering gemstones.

Unsurprisingly, our parley with the Rainbows hadn't even ended before Joy started plotting to put me on the throne. To her, it was absurd to think that a puny 'goddess' could truly command the loyalty of the Empire when Joy could, if Midnight's aether was crystallized into solid form, use said 'goddess' as a toothpick. How toothpicks were supposed to work when Joy's teeth were perfectly capable of moving to dislodge stuck food, I didn't know.

If we win, I pessimistically corrected.

'When,' Joy said firmly. 'There isn't likely to be a better opportunity to reveal me than this, and I don't intend to prioritize caution over their success. I don't know when, but sometime soon, I'm going to be discovered. These aren't exactly 'ideal conditions,' but frankly, waiting for those is unrealistic.'

I considered her mood for a moment before silently ceding the argument. Not because I was convinced that this would be the best time, but because Joy was the happiest she'd been since before the war started. She'd finished improving my body years ago, and without that to occupy her, there wasn't much that she could discreetly do to help me aside from provide company, a trickle of power, and regeneration. A little risk was a more than acceptable price to pay for her renewed exuberance.

Besides, Azure was blatantly less prepared than I was, backed only by the Prisms and a 'goddess' that could be replaced by a handful of mortal mages. Considering that Azure was trying this reckless scheme even after hearing the risks, my own reasons for wanting to keep hiding now felt woefully insufficient. If someone so timid could face the risk of assassinations with her head held high, what excuse did I have to keep my own head down?

A trio of waist-high forms in shimmering black suncloaks — our dedicated day-duty saboteurs, consisting of a disturbingly effective trio of goblin, dwarf, and gnome — finally shuffled into the Mess Hall, marking the last of the 1st Umbral Guard meant to be here. With just thirty-six soldiers and half again as many support staff in attendance, the room wasn't quite filled, but there were more than enough people to give the impression of being crowded.

Gray turned and loped toward me, clearly intending to either address me or stand by my side as I addressed the troops. Hendrick, the scout effectively outed as a Wraith just a couple hours ago, stood up and cleared his throat before Gray got the chance.

"Captain," Hendrick began loudly, and then waited for ongoing conversations to subside. "You've earned more than enough trust for the benefit of the doubt. That being said, there are a lot of doubts running around right now. Any chance you can do something for our nerves?"

"Speak for yourself, ghosty!" catcalled Sarah, the orc archer pretending to lean on her greatbow while carefully not doing so.

A surprisingly prevalent murmur of agreement met echoed from Sarah's claims. Even more people seemed intent on glaring at Hendrick. Nobody liked a snitch.

Hendrick, probably able to feel the angry auras of those around him, stiffened and held up his hands. Unlike Edmund, he at least had the good sense not to dissemble and pretend he was anything other than a Wraith. After all, after being effectively outed by the other agent, Hendrick's choices were effectively 'Wraith' or 'Rainbow spy.'

"Look," he said defensively. "We're up against people infamous for mind control. Having someone look out for that is only sensible. The only unkind reports I ever submitted were about our former COs, and given how many of them turned traitor, I think it's safe to say I was right to do so. If it makes you feel any better, view my asking as making sure the Captain has her answers straight, because these questions are going to be asked in the future."

The glares decreased in both intensity and number. They did not, however, vanish altogether. I still didn't trust the spy, and I clearly wasn't the only one. At least he gave me an easy stance to spring off of.

"While I'm glad for your show of support," I said dryly, "I'm afraid that this is the path demanded by both law and sensible strategy. While I would, of course, never dare to question Imperial royalty without their leave, Princess Azure's actions are not exactly helpful for the core Rainbow's 'former' faction.

"A siege of the Spired City might well do some damage, or at least inconvenience the Court. By bringing Princess Azure and 'Prism' to the Spired City, they are being removed from Majestic Magentism's area of influence, removed from the army that supports them, and removed from those who espouse the ideology that saw them take up arms against the Empire in the first place. More importantly, it simply isn't our decision to make. As Prism does not present a significant threat to the mighty warriors of the Shaded Court–"

Several people in the crowd pretended to cough to cover their laughter.

"–they do not present enough of an immediate threat for us to lean on that as justification for denying them passage. However, even that would be dubious. Do you wish to be condemned for placing our judgment above all three of Imperial royalty, law, and possibly even the gods themselves?"

Hendrick's expression started to relax as I relayed my logic, but he was still visibly troubled.

"And when we need to fend off a steady stream of assassins?" he stressed.

I gave Hendrick a level look.

"Assassinations are inherently against Imperial law," I said blandly. "I am confident that disposing of such filth can only benefit the Empire. However, you are correct: there will be assassination attempts against Princess Azure, and we are now duty-bound to stop them."

I turned my gaze to the greater crowd and sharpened my tone.

"For months," I called, "our task has been to delay and pin the core Rainbows so that they could not simply rush onward and decimate our armies via the destruction of Curtains and the devastating sunlight brought by their absence. Our first few captains were purified and/or removed in close succession, but after I took command, we successfully slowed the core Rainbows' advance to a crawl. And I do mean we. I could not defeat the Rainbows on my own, but I could delay them until the rest of the platoon could arrive and drive them away.

"By convincing the now-former core Rainbows of their folly, convincing them to change sides, and bringing them to the Shaded City, we will remove them from the field of battle altogether. That alone is a success by any metric.

"Magenta is, if only briefly, dead. By the time she returns, her former students and best allies will be well outside her reach. Without their support, the Empire has half a thousand years of thwarting her schemes — if not more, should we assume that certain folk tales referred to her. The rest of the army can be expected to hold the line just fine in our absence."

And if they don't, it is no longer our problem.

A cheer almost started. To my annoyance, Hendrick interrupted it before it could get too much momentum. Did he have any idea how hard it was to earn a cheer from this dour bunch?

"Nobody actually believes that the Rainbows have changed sides," Hendrick said sharply. "There will be talk, given how this is arriving just after the 'Violet' claims."

I couldn't help the disgusted noise that escaped my throat. I still didn't like how those claims might actually have merit.

"Quite frankly," I said, wrinkling my nose with half-feigned distaste, "I would be very surprised if Prism didn't try to dress me in violet clothing to satisfy their whims. I am, at this point, resigned to my fate; as far as royal whims go, assuming destiny based on a name I did not choose is relatively harmless. Any suspicion or distaste does not change the underlying problem: to place our own judgment above that of the legal Imperial heiress would qualify as treason. There are no exemption clauses disqualifying enemies of the Throne from becoming heir to it. Let none claim that we are not loyal subjects of the Empire."

Years of practice let me keep a straight face while spouting nonsense. I doubted that more than a fifth of the people in the room actually believed me. What was important that I could give us a plausible excuse to feed to others.

"Either way," I continued, "I intend to go escort the Rainbows to their temporary lodgings while we prepare to depart. While I sincerely doubt that they intend to betray us at this juncture, it would be irresponsible of me to leave them alone. Not merely in case I have misjudged, but because we have now been ordered to act as Princess Azure's Royal Guard. The demise of the heir to the throne would reflect very poorly on us, and it would not surprise me if we were subsequently called to answer for our failures. You may consider yourselves dismissed; Gray will issue further orders as necessary."

I spun on one heel, a theatrical flare of umbra echoing the motion, and began stomping away.

"You know, she has a point," Gray remarked behind me. "I think it's important that we steal a march before the Rainbows — oh, I'm sorry, Prism — can dress her themselves."

…Hold on. What?

I stopped dead, hesitated for several moments, and reluctantly turned back around. Immediate regret set in at the sight of nearly everyone in my platoon examining me with gleaming eyes and an Empire-encouraged lack of mercy. I took an unconscious step back.

My show of weakness promptly proved to be a mistake. My subordinates smelled blood in the air, and were only too happy to pounce with great enthusiasm. Seemingly everyone simultaneously began plotting my downfall, thoroughly shattering any semblance of formation and calling to be heard over the suddenly disorganized crowd. The entire hall dimmed to near-nighttime levels as excitement-infused umbra filled the air.

"Edmund was skimming an unreasonable amount of money, most of it from the Captain's equipment budget. Seems only fitting that we dedicate it back toward the political version of armor."

"A few of my poisons could make good dyes if we first neutralize them in sunlight."

"Don't they end up closer to lavender than violet? Try the local apothecaries and seamstresses, they might have something or at least know where to look."

"Anyone else able to help me tutor Prism in etiquette?"

"Of course. We cannot have them disgracing our Captain."

"I can't start designs to save my life, and I'm not half as skilled as my sisters, but I can at least continue a repeating embroidery pattern."

"I'm told I get stuck on all the finicky little details. This sounds like the start of a beautiful partnership."

"You lot are not outfitting her without me, do you have any idea how many sleepless nights I've spent mourning her need for armor instead of a proper Dread Dress–"

"I'm sure we can fetch a few 'donations' from the Countess's manor to help speed matters along."

"I'm useless here, so I'll just stay on watch. Someone has to."

"I've got a near-finished pair of tights I can complete on our way to the capital."

"You will hide those gorgeous legs over my dead body."

"Do you really want some noble sponce leering at her?"

"...I'll kill them for this. Fine."

"If we stop by a farm on the way, I can fetch the sacrifices for twinned Mending and Integrity enchantments."

"I'll come along and help preserve the extra meat. Farmers might be hesitant to sell their herds with winter coming on."

"Oh, try to find darcows if we can swing it. She'll need shoes—no, dammit, I'm not a good enough cobbler. We'll probably have to outsource there."

"I accept your challenge."

"Oi, Keli! You know how to redye gems, right? I've been saving Magenta's jewelry from the times we've killed her."

"Oh, no, don't waste pre-attuned gems like that! We should transfer them to shoes."

"That is just awful. I love it."

"Don't worry, Captain," Gray said smugly, black eyes gleaming with malice. "Prism won't know what hit them."

I wasn't sure I knew what had hit me, either. I felt fairly confident that my face matched Crimson's own color scheme, yet my platoon's actions also felt oddly nice?

'Oh, there's an idea,' Joy murmured, and did not elaborate.

The 1st Umbral Elite would never have dared tease any of their, our, prior captains. That they were doing so now, even after I'd arguably risked us all by humoring the Rainbows — I liked it. Especially since it acted as an accidental repudiation of the Rainbows' prior claim that I looked like a noble. Embarrassing a noble was a good way to get killed.

"I don't suppose I get any say in this?" I tried, suspecting I already knew the answer.

"""""No!""""" everyone cheerfully denied, before going right back to their plotting.

'I'll bless the finished product,' Joy added mischievously.

You don't even know how to 'bless' things. You've tried. Repeatedly.

'I can at least try and you can't stop me.'

I sighed, closed my eyes, and indulged in resting my head in one hand.

Traitors, all of you.

'Oh, don't be so melodramatic, Miss 'I'm jealous of what the Rainbows get to wear without fearing censure.''

That was where Joy was wrong. I couldn't drop the mask until my continued survival was no longer contingent on keeping the Shaded Court happy.