Chapter Text
“Do you remember the plan?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“You know what you have to do?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“You’ll be a good boy, won’t you?”
“Yes … Sir …”
Night had fallen over Krat and it felt as though the entire kingdom had descended on the Estella Opera House to celebrate the young king’s birthday. Nobles from far and wide had come out in their droves for the special occasion, including one Lord Giuseppe Geppetto and his retinue. The nobleman may have developed a reputation as one of the more isolated members of Krat’s high society, but tonight was a special occasion; an event far too important for him to risk missing out on. The extravagant parties and gathered crowds had never been to Geppetto’s taste back when he had made more of an effort to mingle with those of his class, but it had been so long since the inventor had made his presence felt that he was beginning to feel the chill of his own reputation. It had been too long since the kingdom had seen what he could do and had, appropriately, hailed him as an innovator. Geppetto’s gloved hand tightened around the head of his cane as the carriage rumbled down the road to the opera house. Yes, tonight the kingdom of Krat would remember who was the true king of puppets.
Sitting across from Geppetto in the carriage, willfully ignorant of the petty machinations of their benefactor, sat his faithful retainers. One was a young man who’d been in service of the Geppetto family for many years now. And one was a puppet.
A steady stream of comfortable chatter spilled from the taller man’s lips as he spoke about everything from Geppetto’s work, to the party, to getting a glimpse of the king himself. Gemini had been with the family long enough now to know when to fill the silence, lest they all go mad. He wasn’t looking for a response, receiving none for most of the carriage ride, but his presence provided the perfect buffer between the other two people in the carriage. Geppetto only offered the occasional grunt or hum of agreement whenever Gemini spoke of something relevant, while the puppet at Gemini’s side remained silent.
Rather than engaging with the cold Geppetto or the chatty Gemini, the puppet had kept his gaze fixed solely on the world outside of the carriage window ever since they’d left the Geppetto Estate. The streets were bathed in lamplight and speckled with rain from earlier in the day. The air outside was clear and the puppet could almost convince himself that he could see for miles across the rooftops of Rosa Isabelle Street. Before today, he’d never left the Geppetto Estate and he wasn’t going to let the blanketing night stop him from drinking in the sights of the unfamiliar kingdom. After all, if everything went as planned tonight, he could be seeing much more of Krat soon. It was one of very few pleasant thoughts the puppet used to keep himself from feeling too anxious about his upcoming debut. Looking out over the kingdom helped somewhat, but every so often, his gaze would slip and he would catch sight of the worry reflected in his own manufactured eyes.
With a head of soft, dark curls and two, bright blue eyes, the puppet could tell he had been made to look pretty. A delicate dusting of freckles across his pale skin added to the permanently youthful look of the puppet. Everything about him had been carefully designed to look delicate, like fine china, so as to distract from the true strength within the puppet’s body. The only hint that was on show was the finely crafted and well equipped prosthetic that he had in place of a left arm. The dark metal stood out against the light blue of his tailcoat, but the sleeves were long enough to hide most of it. He’d been surprised when Geppetto had presented him with the fine garments he now wore. The inventor had never given the puppet such finery before, but tonight was different. Important. The puppet’s fingers went to the cravat at his throat, set with a sharp red stone, and indulged in the feeling of the silken material while trying to recall the finer points of his maker’s last minute lecture.
“Don’t mess up our clothes, boy.” Geppetto’s sharp tone sliced through whatever breezy comment Gemini had been halfway through making. The puppet’s hand dropped like a stone into his lap. He didn’t turn to look at his maker, but he could feel the old man’s eyes on him.
“Don’t you worry about Pino, boss! He still looks pretty as a picture. Perfect for the party.” Gemini beamed as he complimented the puppet. Geppetto took little notice.
“I trust that you are ready for tonight’s meeting, boy?” The puppet nodded. For days now, Geppetto had asked him that same question before grilling him about what was supposed to happen at tonight’s party and beyond. All of Geppetto’s planning and tinkering and meticulousness would finally pay off, but only if the puppet played his role correctly. Brief bouts of worry and concern had tormented the puppet ever since he’d been told of Geppetto's plan, he was a puppet after all, not an actor, but his maker had had little patience for the puppet’s feelings, limited as they were. The single fact that had kept the puppet somewhat focused, however, was that tonight would be the night that he would finally meet the king of Krat. He’d seen pictures of course, paintings and drawings, as well as having read numerous articles and stories of the king’s exploits in the papers. Gemini had even told the puppet a story or two. But none of it would compare to tonight. Whenever Geppetto had spoken of the young king, he’d done so with a sneer or a scowl. All of Geppetto’s stories had painted the king in a less than favourable light, in stark contrast to everything else the puppet had heard. Every harshly worded anecdote or cutting remark from his maker had only stoked the fires of curiosity within the puppet’s heart.
“Of course he’s ready. Ain’tcha, pal?” Gemini knocked his shoulder against the puppet’s in an attempt to change the energy from stifling to friendly. “You’ve got the look. You’ve got the training. What more could the king want? Everyone in there is going to love you, pal.” Gemini nodded back towards the window the puppet had been staring out of. It was only then that the puppet could see the grandeur of the Estella Opera House coming into view.
The carriage looped around a dominating fountain in the courtyard of the opera house and gave the puppet a long look at the building in all of its splendour. The Estella Opera House was a grand structure of white marble and shining windows. Yellow lamps glowed from within and their light spilled out onto the cobbles outside. The main doors had been thrown open wide and a steady stream of well dressed partygoers were flooding the building. Geppetto’s carriage was far from the only one pulling up to the front entrance and the puppet stared, enraptured, as all kinds of people were dispensed out into the courtyard. Men and women of all kinds, wearing gowns, suits, top hats, and jewellery of only the finest quality. So this was what high society looked like, the puppet mused as their carriage approached the drop off point. The carriage came to a sharp stop, drawing mutters from Geppetto, and the three of them spilled out onto the cobblestones. Geppetto assumed the lead while the puppet and Gemini trailed him by a few steps. He strode inside the opera house with purpose, ignoring everyone around him, but the puppet could see just how many people stopped to stare or whisper amongst themselves at the sight of the reclusive lord.
Unfortunately for the puppet, Geppetto was on a mission and had no time for sight seeing. The sights of the inside of the opera house flashed by the puppet’s eyes as he and Gemini fought to keep up with their benefactor. There were finely dressed people absolutely everywhere and the entire building was bedecked in party decorations. People were rushing to and fro with drinks and food on silver trays, but not a single one approached their little group. They only stared or averted their gaze. As Geppetto approached the heart of the opera house, the crowds parted to allow him and his followers to pass unobstructed and the three of them stepped into the main hall of the Estella Opera House.
Most of the guests had gathered in the main hall for drinks and dancing. At the far end of the room, the stage had been set for a grand orchestra that was halfway through its current piece. The stage curtains had been pulled back and the backdrops had been arranged to make it look like the orchestra were playing amidst an ethereal woodland. A space had been cleared below the stage for dancing and a handful of tables had been arranged around the edges of the room for people to rest at. More food and drink were being served to the guests, a fact Gemini took immediate advantage of when a tray of wine glasses passed him by, and there was a giant birthday cake set to one side on its own table.
It was in this part of the opera house that the puppet finally saw some people he recognised. He’d not met many of them in person, given Geppetto’s penchant for privacy, but they’d all come up multiple times in his maker’s lectures. They were all nobles from across Krat that dominated every field worth having an iron grip on. All of them were loyal to the king and all of them were savvy enough to stay on top. Only two of the men in the room had ever actually visited the Geppetto Estate in all the time that the puppet had been there and he identified them easily. The top hat and extravagant overcoat of the great Lorenzini Venigni was unmistakable, as was his faithful puppet companion, Pulcinella. A gaggle of men and women had gathered around him to hear what the visionary had to say. The puppet liked Venigni. The inventor had always spoken to the puppet as though he were a real man and not something merely in the shape of one. It was a friendship Geppetto had tolerated rather than encouraged, but it had been hard for him to keep Venigni away, especially during the puppet’s creation.
The other lord in the room that the puppet recognised was a much closer friend of Geppetto’s, one that always sent a shiver down the puppet’s spine whenever he visited the estate, Lord Simon Manus. He was a major player within Krat, not that the puppet had ever managed to pin down what he did exactly, and was the second brain behind Geppetto’s current plan for getting closer to the king. The puppet had overhead Manus speaking with Geppetto about his own inability to ingratiate himself to the young king. Such a thought brought a smile to the puppet’s face. One that quickly vanished when Manus caught sight of him and the unflinching details of Geppetto’s plan forced the puppet to come back down to earth.
“Lord Geppetto, I was beginning to think you’d had second thoughts.” The nobleman greeted Geppetto easily and without looking in either Gemini or the puppet’s direction. Not that the puppet minded. Lord Manus had a tendency to let his eyes wander whenever he visited the estate to ‘inspect’ the puppet. Geppetto smiled at his old friend.
“I am as aware of tonight’s importance as you are, Manus. Everything is in place.” Geppetto’s hand tightened around his cane and the puppet’s eye twitched at the action.
“So long as your … toy knows what to do.” Simon’s eyes flickered to look over at the puppet.
“Hey, boss, mind if I show Pino around?” Gemini interjected himself into the conversation before Simon’s staring could go on too long. The puppet knew that Gemini felt similarly about the nobleman and Gemini was well known for struggling to feign interest in the idle chatter of nobles. The puppet expected resistance. Gemini showing him around the opera house hadn’t been a part of Geppetto’s plan. However, tonight, the older man smiled and gestured to the extravagantly decorated hall.
“Stay close. No leaving the opera house. We’ll be meeting with the king soon enough. I will not keep him waiting on your account.” Geppetto’s words were the usual level of curt, but he was wearing a curious expression that the puppet found hard to read. Geppetto’s eyes were shining with an unnatural light that forced the puppet to look away. Gemini grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the dancing guests.
“Ugh, that guy gives me the creeps,” Gemini groaned as he pulled the puppet along. They approached the dance floor and the crowd grew even thicker. With Geppetto no longer leading the way, Gemini was forced to squeeze through any space he could find, the puppet close behind. Gemini ignored the guests turning up their noses at his apparent lack of respect and focused solely on pushing the puppet forward so that he could see the entirety of the dance floor.
“What were you going to show me?” The puppet spoke for the first time since they’d left the estate. His maker would rather the puppet be seen and not heard. Gemini didn’t agree.
“Just you wait, pal. You'll love this!” Gemini grinned as they finally made it through the crowd. “I remember you saying how excited you were to see him for real,” Gemini whispered into the puppet’s ear. The puppet blinked a few times as he tried to puzzle out who Gemini wanted him to see, but then … then it became hard to see anything else.
King Romeo Lampwick Monad of Krat was gliding across the floor with a smile on his face and a beautiful woman in his arms. He held the woman tenderly, but left enough room between them to still be seen as gentlemanly. The puppet tried to take in as many details as possible about the man’s face as he twirled across the dance floor. The king was wearing clothes not too dissimilar to the puppet’s own, but instead of Ergo blue, he was clothed in black, slashed through with red. A blade hung from the king’s hip in a scabbard so black it blended into his clothes. All of the dark colours made the king’s pale skin and hair stand out like he was made of light. Long, blonde hair fell in strands about the king’s face, but most of it had been tied back with a blood-red ribbon for the occasion. The puppet knew that the king was usually pictured with the left side of his face hidden by hair and now he could see why. A cluster of scars cut across the king’s face, starting at his forehead, travelling over his eye, and scoring all the way down his cheek. The puppet presumed it could be considered disfiguring to some, but to him, it made the king even more interesting to look at. He was unable to tear his eyes away. It wasn’t until Gemini nudged him that he realised his mouth was hanging slightly open.
“Like what ya see?” Gemini shook his head with a smile. “Prince Romeo, well, King Romeo Lampwick Monad now. All those fancy titles. I haven’t seen him in person since his parents …” Gemini trailed off. After a moment he patted the puppet on the arm. “I just hope he lives up to your expectations, Pino.” The puppet didn’t trust himself to answer Gemini without tipping him off to something he wasn’t supposed to know. Geppetto had been very clear about Gemini’s level of involvement in the plan.
The song ended and the dancers paused to applaud the orchestra. The puppet could feel his springs tighten as he watched the king bid farewell to the lady he’d been dancing with before being quickly approached by another young woman. The orchestra started back up and the king was whisked away by the dance before he’d even had a chance to look over in the puppet’s direction.
“How old is he today, Gemini?”
“The boss didn’t tell you? He’ll be twenty-five now. Eight years as king and he ain’t even thirty yet.” Gemini shook his head again. “Crazy, but he’s a decent king. He’s got his puppets helping to clear out all those corpses too. He might not be able to do much against the petrification disease, but he’s not just taking it lying down.” That was another of the many things that had intrigued the puppet about the young king. Ever since the petrification disease had descended upon Krat like a miasma from which there was no escape, the king had been the one to send his legions of puppets after the creatures haunting the darker parts of the kingdom. At first it had just been the Monad Palace puppets. Then other puppets from public buildings. Soon enough, every puppet that could be spared fell under the king’s spell and joined the fight. All without having to be programmed or trained. No one knew how he was reaching out to these puppets or why they obeyed him so readily, but it drove the puppet’s maker mad. When the papers started to call the king ‘The King of Puppets’ Geppetto had gone into a frenzy. Single-handedly, the king was managing to do just as much work as all of the Stalkers roaming Krat combined. Gemini had even passed on a rumour that the king had had Stalker training before his parents had passed and that, on rare occasions, he could even be seen joining his puppets on the hunt. The very thought sent shivers throughout the puppet’s body. Every new tidbit of information he learned about the king had the puppet falling prey to a deeper kind of fascination.
By the time the next song ended, the puppet had been so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn’t noticed that Gemini had been drawn into a nearby conversation. He’d been left alone to watch the king finish the dance and bid farewell to the young woman on his arm. This time, instead of another woman running up to grab the king’s attention, he held up a hand to the crowd to signify his defeat for the time being. The puppet’s smile grew at the sweet, friendly gesture from the king to his people, but it vanished the moment he realised that the king was heading straight for him. No! Geppetto had been crystal clear! The puppet was to be presented to the king later, in private. Not yet! The puppet started to move, but he was already in the path of the king and the crowd was too thick for him to squeeze through unnoticed. Geppetto’s plan had been specific …
Hazel eyes bordering on green turned from the gathered dancers and settled on the sight of the puppet now in his way. The king paused and the puppet suddenly feared the worst. Already he’d managed to mess with Geppetto’s plan and now he had no idea what he was supposed to do. Fear rooted the puppet to the spot. Yes, there were stories of the king’s affection for his own puppets, but this was far different. A meeting that had sounded so good on paper was now sending the puppet’s clockwork heart into overdrive. A sick look of recognition and confusion morphed the king’s features in such a way that the puppet was beginning to regret letting Gemini pull him off of the path Geppetto had laid out for him. In three quick strides, the king walked over to the puppet and grabbed him by the shoulders. The puppet tried not to flinch.
“Carlo …” the king breathed, his eyes wide and frantic. “Carlo … it’s you … but … how?”
“Ahem.” An unfortunately familiar voice broke through the haze of confusion as Geppetto appeared at the puppet’s side. “Not quite, Your Majesty.” The puppet recognised his maker’s tone. Dangerously polite and confident that he had the upper hand. It didn’t matter that one was a king and the other his subject. The old man had his own kind of power.
“You …” The king did not sound pleased to see the lord. “I wasn’t aware you’d been invited.” His eyes narrowed at Geppetto’s smug smile and his grip loosened on the puppet’s shoulders. One hand fell away from the puppet’s jacket, while the other trailed down his arm to loosely bracelet the puppet’s wrist.
“Why, of course, Your Majesty. I even brought you a gift befitting such a celebration.” Geppetto’s stiff touch replaced the warmth of the king’s fingers on the puppet’s shoulder. The king finally relented and let go of the puppet’s arm as the brief spark of hope in his eyes faded, only to be replaced with childish annoyance. “I thought you’d enjoy another puppet for your collection. I do hope you like him, King Romeo. After all, I made him just for you.”