Disclaimer: I don't own Blood+.
Claimer: This fan fiction and its theme are mine.

I glanced back at him. And as my life crumbled before me, I knew he had betrayed me.

He was my chevalier.

Without any hesitation, I shared with him everything.

I told him about my past. I told him about sister Saya. I told him my fears. I told him my dreams. I sang him my song.

I was his queen – the most important person to him.

He was my favorite, simply because he was his own person. He was not afraid to speak his mind. He was not afraid to scold me. He was not afraid to go against the decisions of Amschel.

He was not afraid of me.

That in itself was new to me. From the very beginning of my existence, there had been only two kinds of people who approached me: people who wanted to kill me, and people who kneeled down before me.

It was surprising to find one person who was neither.

He was who he was. He followed my wishes because he wanted to, and not because he was bound by duty as a chevalier. He followed my wishes not because he wanted to use me for his own purposes, but because he wanted to. He protected me, because he cared for me.

He wanted to serve me, his queen.

Even then, I knew that he knew so much more than he told me. He knew so much more than I did. He knew so much more than Amschel did. And, quite possibly: He knew so much more than anyone else.

Yet he never uttered a word. He never told me anything of what he knew. He never interfered with my decisions, even when I told them to him beforehand. He never went against them.

And more importantly – he never went against me.

He remained silent.

I thought it was a sign of respect that he didn't go against my wishes. I thought he obeyed me because he knew that I knew what I was doing. I thought he obeyed me because he trusted me. I thought he obeyed me because he knew that it would be good for me.

And I trusted him. I trusted him more than I trusted Amschel, or any other of my chevaliers. I trusted him more than I trusted anyone in my life. I trusted him because he understood me. I trusted him because I thought he was different.

It was not until my final battle that I learned he was just like them – just like everyone else. Just like everyone else – he was a traitor.

I had planned the battle perfectly: I would kill my sister Saya. I would rid of her for all eternity. I would finally get rid of my twin. I would finally be rid of that person who stole everything from me – that same person who showed me what I didn't have, and what I wouldn't have.

It was such a beautiful sight – watching sister Saya's face twist into an expression of astonishment and fear after she and I had thrust our swords through each other. I had been surprised, too. Dying wasn't part of my plans. I still had my children to take care of. I had planned to watch them as they grow up, and not allow them to experience the same fate I had been given.

Yet the knowledge of taking my sister with me to the grave somehow… pleased me. I hated her more than anyone or anything in the world we lived in. I sincerely hated her. For her to die would be my dreams come true. At least I know my children would be safe. At least I know that she wouldn't be harming them.

But something horrible happened.

As I watched her stare back at me, there was a sort of creeping common sense which told me she was not crystallizing.

And she wasn't.

It struck me wordless, just as I noticed the cracks appearing on my fingertips. Why was my blood not killing her? Why wasn't it? Weren't our blood poison to each other?

It was terrible, seeing myself crystallize like an ordinary chiropteran. It was terrible to see my sister agape at me as we both realized that I was going to die, but she was not. "W-Why… why is it only me?" I whispered, my voice revealing the pain of being betrayed by my own blood. I leaned back, seeing the cracks spread to my arms. "I don't understand…"

It was just terrible.

And as sister Saya recovered from her shock and ran to me, making a futile attempt to save me, I glanced back at the only chevalier I was with.

I glanced back at the only chevalier who still had my trust.

In a flash, my trust shattered to tiny pieces.

I saw it in his eyes: that knowledge he never told me.

He knew, even before that moment, of this.

He knew.

Yet he had never said anything.

He had remained silent.

He had let me go on with my plans, even when he had realized that my blood had already lost its potency.

"Diva!" my sister moaned as she tried to help me. "Diva! Please – take me with you!"

Yet I knew it was already too late.

It was already too late for me.

As I stared up at her, I wanted to weep.

Because she was my sister.

Because I envied her.

Because she had a better life than I had.

Because she would never be betrayed the way I had been.

I turned my head and saw my chevalier, carrying my children in his arms. He was quiet, his lips without the usual trace of mirth they had.

I met his gaze, and saw no remorse in his eyes. They were empty, soulless orbs which had no idea what I was feeling. Why? Why didn't you tell me? I wanted to scream at him, to ask him just what drove him to not tell me.

Yet without asking, I knew it was all clear to me.

So clear to me.

As my life crumbled before me, I knew he had betrayed me.

As my life crumbled before me, I knew Nathan Mahler was a traitor.

…traitor…

My question is this: Why didn't he tell Diva about her blood's potency? From his hints, we can safely presume that he isn't her chevalier (Diva and Saya's mother, perhaps?). However, at that specific time, he was posing as Diva's chevalier, protecting her and giving in to her wishes and everything. So why didn't he say anything to her?

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading. Please review. I certainly would like to know your thoughts about this.

Thanks.

Hilaire
05.06.08