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The Manacled Man rubbed his hand over his ruddy beard. "Understand me, what I do I do for the good of all. My Teacher has gone far beyond the bounds of good sense. I was silent when he asked me to collect the manacles. I said nothing when he sought out the pieces of the mystical chalice. But this talk of being God...this I cannot deal with. Exile will clear his head, focus him. When he gets bored, when he is ready to apologize, he will return to my arms."
The General who stood before him did not change expressions, his white hair flowing slightly in the desert breeze. "I care not. You called for us and we have come. You told us you had the artifacts of Scout power, of note to both Golden and Moon Kingdom, that you would have us take from you and your Master. And so the Siver Millenium has sent 30 pieces of its military forces to secure their chalice. With Golden Kingdom's gracious permission to trod upon our sovereign soil, of course. The Golden Kingdom has sent me." he turned slightly over his shoulder to look at the blonde Swordswoman in the lead of the Moon Queen's troops and gave a half-smirk. "Such a pity the Moon could not match the Golden Kingdom's contribution".
"Don't toy with me, General. I intend to bond with the Grail, that is why we are here. We'll see who wins then." said the Swordswoman. The General rolled his eyes. "Please do. Bond with it, let your cousin-lover bond with it, let Pluto bond with it. By my leave, even let both cats and the unicorn all bond with it at once. It will matter not to me nor to the outcome of any battle."
"She is not my cousin! Our dynasties have just closely bonded, being one of the few families on the outer rim, such that it only seems right to call one another's parents uncle and aunt."
"So you say."
"At least I'm not engaged to a child of ten and three."
"A suggestion of YOUR princess and of no interest to I, who has both his own male lover here and an adult female fiance in the future" he said, though adding to himself "...should she ever get over her stubborness and come to me."
"So YOU say"
"Yes, so I do say."
The Manacled Man coughed, redirecting their attention back to him. "I do not have much time. This must occur and it must occur at once. Seize him, bring him before the authorities, and let him be punished and exiled. Then these bedeviled trinkets are yours to take away from here forever."
The General nodded. "So be it. I know the Prefect of this land well, he is a just man at the end of it. He will deal fairly with your Master. Let us go to your Master now. Tap him on the shoulder or grasp his robes to indicate which is he, I do not follow local politics as closely as you seem to believe."
The Manacled Man sighed. "No, let it be tomorrow so we may have one last meal together. And it must be a kiss."
Both the Swordswoman's and General's eyes widened with interest and they spoke at once, leaning forward. "What?!"
"It must be a kiss. I will not send my Teacher to ruin without an expression of my affection for him first. He must know it was only this business of amassing power power, of what amounts to a declaration of war with you people, that I objected to, not him. Never him." he said, turning and walking back towards the garden from which he came, speaking no more.
The Swordswoman and General shared a look, leading their respective parties forward. The Swordswoman made her way next to the General and nodded gregariously. "For where two or three gather, all of them are homosexuals, it would seem!"
"Speak not to me nor my lover ever again" said The General, turning and teleporting away with a flourish of his cloak.
Now when evening came, The Carpenter was reclining at the table with his twelve associates. As they were eating, He said, “Truly I say to you that one of you will betray me.” Being deeply grieved, they each one began to say to Him, “Surely not I, Lord?” including Buridanus, the talking donkey which had been His loyal companion since his birth. And He answered, “He who dipped his hand with Me is the one who will betray Me. But definitely not you, Buridanus, who has been with me since the manger." He turned to the rest of his followers. “The Son of Man is to go just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born, but instead reborn.” And The Manacled Man, who had just come from betraying Him and was at that moment actively attempting to hide his wrists under the table, said, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” The Carpenter said to him, flipping his hair off his shoulder, “You have said it yourself.”
While they were eating, The Carpenter took some bread that was quite stale, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take this, all of you, and eat of it; for this represents of the power of the manacles, that, though stiff, can be broken and which will be given up for all.” And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, ““Take this, all of you, and drink from it: This is the cup over which much blood has been shed, it represents the old and once thought everlasting covenant between mirror, sword, and orb. Each must be hidden away once and for all so that sins may once more be forgiven. Do this in memory of Me."
"In memory of You, Lord? Where are you going, hee-haw? I need not remember You if You are right here, as has always been" said Buridanus, the only one who dared speak up, though all assembled, save one, was wondering the same thing. The Carpenter did not reply.