Chapter Text
When they arrived at Wilhelm’s study a few minutes later, they found the Prince of Sturmhalten facedown on his desk.
Athanasia sauntered over, sat on the corner of the desk then reached out. Grabbing a handful of her husband’s hair, she hauled him gently up so she could see his face. “Your glasses aren’t cracked this time, so whatever that was, it wasn’t so bad.”
“Rudolf just left,” Wilhelm said, straightening up, then slumping low in his chair, looking like he would like a brandy. “He’s brought some news from the High Council.”
“If you want, I can step out…” Barry offered.
“No, please stay. This is of interest to you and Agatha as well.” Wilhelm took off his glasses and began to clean them. “The short of it is, there are some impatient upstarts who want to replace you.”
“Eh?”
“Rudolf tells me that there is a faction of the Council that wants to start a long-term scheme with the end goal of putting Tarvek on the Throne of Lightning… and marrying him to the Heterodyne Girl.”
Barry stared at him, confused, then his eyes widened.
“No, no, nobody knows you’re here; my father and mother are keeping an eye on that, believe me!” Wil reassured him. “No, they’re planning on using a fake, carefully groomed, trained and raised to play a lost Heterodyne Heiress claiming the Castle, then have some ‘disgruntled rebels’ attack Mechanicsburg, have Tarvek ‘happen’ to be there visiting someone at the Hospital, and have him fight at the fake’s side, ‘fall in love’ with her, and marry. Then somehow it is discovered by someone that he’s Andronicus’ heir, and various kingdoms and principalities swear to him!”
Athanasia looked disgusted. “What brain-cored monkey with delusions of being a playwright came up with that tripe?”
“I don’t know, but von Blitzengaard likes the idea, and so does that test-tube experiment of Lucifer’s, Leopold.” Wilhelm scowled and looked at Barry. “What do you think?”
“That they’re raising sheep for the slaughter,” Barry replied once he was able to pick his jaw up from the floor. “A fake would never be accepted, and Tarvek would get killed.” He looked at them. “I rather like the boy, so I hope you refused.”
“I said I’d have to consult with my wife.” Wilhelm studied him. “You’re certain about this.”
“Absolutely.”
Athanasia looked troubled. “Might we ask why?”
Barry’s eyes flicked around the room in response.
“There are no Smoke Knights.” Wilhelm told him. “I asked them to establish a secure perimeter when you and Sisi reached the hallway here.”
Barry’s voice dropped low. “What I’m about to tell you is to go no further. Not even your parents, Wil.”
“Alright.”
“I’ve never exactly found out how he did it, but Faustus Heterodyne was able to ensure nobody but an actual blood relation would be acknowledged by the Castle. All of us go through the recognition ceremony.”
“Acknowledged by the Castle?” Athanasia echoed.
“Yeah. It’s… well, one can almost say it’s alive.” Barry grimaced. “It talks. You can give it orders. It moves and can observe and control everything inside the Castle itself…” he paused, hesitating. “And Mechanicsburg.”
Wilhelm sank even deeper into his chair, eyes wide as he considered Barry’s words. “Dear God. No spy could be safe in there, and nobody could ever conspire against you.”
“The lack of privacy was one of the reasons why our mother requested that we be raised outside of the city.” Barry looked pensive. “I hated the thing after it killed her, but the Castle was also the same reason why I was heading back to Mechanicsburg. Nothing could touch Agatha there. It is the safest place in the world for any Heterodyne. Relatively anyway. It will protect any Heterodyne to the very best of its ability… and that in of itself is incredible.” The big man shook himself like a hound shaking off water, as if to shake away the bad memories. “If Bill or one of our kin had a by blow, a descendant… yeah. It’d work. But as far as I know, Bill never left any illegitimate children behind, and neither did I. We’d have heard of it by now.”
Athanasia pursed her lips, looking worried. “We’ll have to be very, very careful about refusing.”
“Yes. Tarvek is at the very center of their plans,” Wilhelm looked just as grim. “I’ll ask Mother for a discreet increase in Smoke Knights, and I’ll subtly add more patrols.”
“Why?” Barry looked at the worried parents, his own anxiety rising in response.
“If we refuse outright, there will be more attempts to kidnap Tarvek… or kill him, because he’s the legitimate Storm King.” Athanasia looked fierce. “We’ve had a few attempts at kidnapping either child, for the bloodline.”
“I had some very public executions done, and that seems to have thinned them out a little for now,” Wilhelm said quietly. They all fell silent for several moments, the great clock ticking loudly to one side.
“I have some ideas about that, if you don’t mind.” Barry said suddenly. “It might avoid that problem.”
“I’m all ears,” Athanasia urged.
“Don’t quite reject it. Play along. Tell them you want to see how their planned fake Heterodyne girl is going to be like, to see if the girl will be a suitable Heterodyne Princess… and if she’ll suit Tarvek. A girl who isn’t a good match, visually or otherwise, won’t work for the overly dramatic play they’re pushing.” Barry’s smile was gentle but also vicious at the same time. “It’ll waste a few years. Then I’ll return to Mechanicsburg and crush their plans from the sky. It will be glorious.” Then he grinned, clearly savouring the thought of wrecking other people’s plans. “I might not be one of the best Heterodynes ever, but Mechanicsburg is mine. Nobody, and I mean nobody is going to be able to steal it away from my niece.”
Wilhelm and Athanasia stared at him, then they began to laugh; soft wicked laughter that had Barry been their enemy still, would have had him worrying about poisoned food.
“That’s evil,” Athanasia purred. “I like it.”
Barry shrugged modestly. “Heterodyne, remember? Just because I don’t like being nasty doesn’t mean I can’t think of how to be. Helps plan counter-moves.”
“Goodness, we may well be better suited as allies after all,” Wilhelm knit his fingers together and peered at Barry over them, his eyes shining with sinister delight behind his glasses. “Our ancestors wasted so many decades!”
“Their loss,” Barry chuckled. “Our gain.”
Athanasia raised her fist, an almost Madgirl-wicked grin on her face. Barry and Wilhelm reached out and bumped their fists to hers, as their soft laughter rippled around the room. If there had been any Smoke Knights or spies around, they would have fled in terror.
⚄
Wilhelm was staring out the window, his arms crossed across his chest, when his wife came back into his study some hours later.
“Wil?” Athanasia’s brow furrowed. She knew her husband’s body language well enough to know that he was deeply disturbed by something. She closed the door and signaled that they were to be left alone. She waited for the presence of the Smoke Knights to become distant, and moved forward to touch Wilhelm’s shoulder.
“Where’s Barry now?” Wilhelm asked, as he reached up to twine his fingers with hers.
“Anevka asked him to tell them a bedtime story, and he’s telling the children about one of their adventures - something about giant mechanical squid in the Castle cisterns.” Athanasia turned him around enough so she could see his face. “Why?”
“I’m…” Wilhelm frowned. “He agreed. I didn’t have to even argue to convince him. With his agreement, Tarvek will become the Storm King. And all of Barry’s arguments make sense. He’s even trying to fit in with us - scheming like that earlier this afternoon. Yet…” He took a deep breath.
“Yet…”
“I am deeply uneasy. The Barry Heterodyne I remember would have tried all things than to have tied one of his kin to something that wasn’t her choice - unless it was his last option.” Wilhelm gently wrapped his arm around Athanasia’s shoulders. “In that, he is very much a Heterodyne, devoted to their freedom.”
“You’re suspicious that he’s lying?” Athanasia eyed her husband carefully. She herself hadn’t gotten that impression from Barry at all.
“No. He’s telling the truth… but not all of it. I can tell.” The Prince of Sturmhalten took a deep breath. “I suppose he has good reasons for being cagey with us. But if he's anything like the Barry Heterodyne I knew back in my university days, he’ll spill the beans eventually. It was Bill that was so honest it hurt sometimes. Barry’s trying to fit in… and it’s a little unnerving, because it looks like he can plot like one of us, given a chance.”
Athanasia looked toward the general direction of the nursery, her gaze sharpening as if she could see through the walls and through the closed curtains of the children’s bedroom windows.
Wilhelm recognised the look and patted her shoulder soothingly. “The children are safe. Barry could never hurt children. The Heterodyne Boys never could. Frankly, I thought I was more cold-blooded than they, but when the time came I couldn’t do it.”
“Dietrich’s son is no serious threat; as long as they follow their traditions, and as long as they respect Tarvek the von Blitzengaards will stay their hand - and remain in their place in the Order.” Athanasia’s eyes glittered with predatory light for a moment longer, before they softened once again. “That said, Martellus is quite the little bear, so he will be formidable once he’s grown.”
Then she turned Wilhelm to her and rolled her hips against his in a way that sent a sizzle through his veins. Athanasia’s smile and the heat of her gaze wiped any thoughts of anyone but her from his mind. “Barry’s gotten us a nice early night… so I think we should definitely take advantage of it, hm?”
“My spicy darling Sisi, it would be a crime not to.” Wilhelm chuckled, before lifting her into his arms in a bridal carry, and kissing her.
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Counter-scheming Heterodyne plans <--- in case the image below fails to load
