Actions

Work Header

Rating:
Archive Warning:
Categories:
Fandom:
Relationship:
Characters:
Additional Tags:
Language:
English
Stats:
Published:
2021-12-28
Completed:
2021-12-30
Words:
368
Chapters:
2/2
Comments:
18
Kudos:
60
Bookmarks:
13
Hits:
864

A Legacy of Syllables

Summary:

Centuries after the Zero Requiem, a historian unearths a series of poems between Nunnally vi Britannia, the Last Empress, and Kaguya Sumeragi, First Chairwoman of the UFN. Publicly, they were reluctant allies, and at times, bitter enemies, yet within, they hint at something more.

Chapter 1

Notes:

Normally, I put my AN's at the end, but this work uses footnotes for our "historian's" various annotations, which makes it slightly impractical.
I wanted to write something in iambic pentameter this year, which takes the form of a sonnet that Nunnally writes. Kaguya meanwhile writes in Tankas (5-7-5-7-7) which are similar to Haikus. Whether I succeeded in writing poetry is up to debate, but voila:

(the poem's actual word count bc annotations mess it up: 156)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Does your heart tremble?[1]
In forgotten memories
Of a man, a king
An emperor, a demon
A dead brother to nothing?[2]

Enemies, leaders
On the precipice we stand[3]
Warm flesh beneath masks[4]
Tears without a warm touch stain[5]
Light a black candle with me?[6]

A raging typhoon whirls in my grey heart
The thunderous applause rings in my ears[7]
Dead demons tell no tales; shall only part
A heavy crown leaves no room for my tears[8]

Wind whistles through empty halls, hear my call[9]
In ghostly shadows amethyst raindrops
Waves surge, currents pull, bring me to my fall
From afar I stood, watching from hilltops[10]

My empire, bought in blood, what shall she reap
When our turn ends at our sudden decease?[11]
Shall they crumble, shall they rage, shall they weep?
I wonder at our bloody price of peace

The sacrifice was too great, I despair
Bring light and chase the darkness from my lair[12]

Notes:

1Some accounts claim that the Demon Emperor, as a child, was warm and kind. A few of the Last Empress’s accounts seem to corroborate such statements, but more likely, this line refers to her imprisonment and treatment at the hands of her brother. [return to text]

2 Here, Chairwoman Sumeragi’s cleverness comes to light as she both refers to the Demon Emperor’s waning influence in the years after his death, to his assasination at the hands of Zero, and with it, the complete destruction of the current political system.[return to text]

3 The beginning years of what we now know as the Golden Era were rather tumultuous, as the world was still reeling from the Demon Emperor’s reign. Both Chairwoman Sumeragi and the Last Empress faced numerous challenges to their positions, mostly due to their young age. Not only did they have to defend their own power, they also had to guide the world into a new age and overcome centuries of totalitarian rule. While the UFN and Britannia were too often politically opposed, it’s not that surprising that Chairwoman Sumeragi and the Last Empress formed a more personal relationship behind closed doors and in their numerous private meetings.[return to text]

4This further corroborates the idea of differing public and private personas. What is surprising that Chairwoman Sumeragi insinuate with, "Tears without a warm touch stain"[return to text]

5that they must drop the mask and comfort another.[return to text]

6For Zero Day, it has become custom to light a black candle in his memory after the Last Empress began the tradition, yet this poem is dated before. Where Chairwoman Sumeragi came to the idea is unclear.[return to text]

7Judging by context, this refers to the Demon Emperor’s death. Archived footage from the event shows the crowd cheering as they go to rescue the prisoners. That the Last Empress appears to feel conflicted over the event showcases her famous compassion.[return to text]

8Often forgotten, the Last Empress was only sixteen when crowned, mere days after her brother’s death. Supposedly, Princess Cornelia pushed for this, which has been speculated as being the reason behind heightened tensions between the two.[return to text]

9The rebuilt Imperial Palace functioned on the bare minimum number of staff possible, and in the first five years of the Last Empress’s reign, she entertained no personal visits, even for family.[return to text]

10 Once again, this seems to be suggesting some great regret. Perhaps, the Last Empress blamed herself for not preventing the rise of the Demon Emperor and his great evil?[return to text]

11Astonishingly, this line suggests that the Last Empress planned on being the last monarch, even in the early years of her reign. She shows a stunning level of foresight and maturity for her age.[return to text]

12 This poem is dated a few weeks before Chairwoman Sumeragi made an official state visit. These meetings soon became regular, all officially for business, yet it seems there was a far more personal reason. Soon after, Empress Nunnally officially came out of mourning. She was the only one besides staunch loyalists of the Demon Emperor to observe the traditional rites for him. [return to text]

Chapter 2

Notes:

Now should I continue? That is the question.
Word count: 188

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The squabbling fatigues
Some sanity, a respite[13]
From the inveigling[14]
A pleasant song on your breath
An hour, politics aside?

Uncouth these men are
Not a regard for our peace[15]
Give me a reason
To bolster my watch and stand
Impervious to the tides[16]

Our memories cry, sweet as red bean paste[17]
Listen to my heart as fools congregate[18]
An ocean divides us, I warn of haste
With scurrilous whispers, closed is the gate

Temptation, you always bring, sweet on lips
Nor pious we are, no approbations[19]
Whither my heart, I long to gather ships
And torch this tedious congregation[20]

Only my brother’s memory stays my
Hand.[21] Madness flows in my veins. Wish upon
A crane.[22] World descends. Those who loved: mayfly
What heavy crown, so like a mastodon

Alone we must stand. This is my penance[23]
I must devote myself to prevenance

We’re ephemeral
Spare me but a sweet moment
Your crime is mine to
Bear as well. Rumors, whispers
Matter naught if together.

Tomorrow I come
Under the whisper of night
Prepare the guards and
Bid my cousin’s dear shadow
Farewell.[24] A kiss seals the peace?[25]

Notes:

13At the time of this poem, the UFN had been in deadlock for over two months regarding how to handle the decolonization of its various member states and whether it should go to war with Britannia if they refused to cede all its Areas. The Last Empress was staunch in her position that the respective territories required a majority vote to cede and that it should be a process done over years, not immediately as the EU was doing. Compared to former European territories, the Britannain territories nowadays flourish.[return to text]
14Once again, Chairwoman Sumeragi is suggesting that she and the Last Empress had a much more candid relationship than they had with others. [return to text]
15As the years passed, more and more nations began to gaze outward, seeking once again, colonial expansion. While unclear as to how, a mere half year later, Chairwoman Sumeragi managed to cow the member states, ushering in a more stable era of peace.[return to text]
16While Chairwoman Sumeragi has always been the staunchest defender of democracy, it is troublesome for her to express such doubts, especially with the leader of a country that was still an absolute monarchy.[return to text]
17The Last Empress’s connection to Japan has been a matter of hot historical debate, undoubtedly her reference to traditional Japanese sweets will fan the flames. It shouldn’t be considered to be of note as she might be trying to better connect to Chairwoman Sumeragi.[return to text]
18Here, the Last Empress pleads for Chairwoman Sumeragi to trust her intentions as her constituents clamor for war with the UFN after the latest breach of their territorial waters. Yet she contradicts herself later, talking of a desire for war herself. Her public persona always sought peace.[return to text]
19Here, the Last Empress refers to them both, insinuating some amoral act to them both, or something at least which will not be approved of.[return to text]
20Two centuries later, the parliament of the UFN would be bombed by pirates of Britannian descent.[return to text]
21Many world leaders expressed similar hesitance to engage in war, fearful of recreating the desolation seen under the Demon Emperor’s reign. His legacy has borne one good fruit: a lesson of prudence.[return to text]
22A possible reference to the Japanese tradition of folding 1,000 cranes and being granted a wish.
23Chairwoman Sumeragi clearly knows of their supposed respective crimes.[return to text]
24The reference to her cousin would be Suzaku Kururugi, the Knight of Zero, and former knight to the Massacre Princess. By asking to say farewell, she suggests a previous relationship between him and the Last Empress. This is corroborated by the historical record which shows that Kururugi was her personal guard on multiple occasions and rescued her from Zero after the first Black Rebellion. Kururugi's corrupting influence is well documented, and it’s a miracle she escaped his influence unscathed. His memory would undoubtedly haunt her as much as the Demon Emperor’s.[return to text]
25This line should silence the naysayers who somehow believe this is a purely political correspondence or a purely platonic friendship. Both were clearly interested in something more.[return to text]