Homecoming, Part 1
Princess Arkayna Goodfey held a fork in one hand and her phone in the other, In between bites of her breakfast, she looked over her itinerary for the day, which she had loaded onto her phone months earlier in an attempt to be prepared for anything at any time.
8:00, Breakfast. Well, obviously. She was doing that right now.
9:15, Politics and Diplomacy. She groaned. The most boring of all her lessons. Her tutor was pretty good, but even he couldn't make it any more fun. She hoped Gawayne wouldn't fall asleep in the middle of the lesson again.
10:30, History of Gemina. Tolerable, but history had become a lot less interesting since she'd faced some of those historical baddies herself.
12:00, Lunch. Good, a break.
Maybe my afternoon lessons wouldn't be as bad as the morning ones.
12:45, Court Day.
She groaned again. Or not.
Court Day had been the king and queen's solution to getting back in touch with their kingdom. After being turned to bone for several months, they were completely oblivious to a lot of the important things that had occurred in that time. On Court Day, which was held on the first day of every month, any citizen who wanted could request an audience with the royal family. Usually, that meant people giving extravagant compliments to all of them and not actually doing anything. Arkayna was expected to sit there and listen, but not contribute unless she was specifically asked.
Really, the day would be so muchbetter if her sisters could be here to share in the misery with her. Or even just in the palace, waiting for her day to be over so they could hang out. It wasn't possible, of course. After handing in her resignation as royal griffin wrangler, Em had taken an apprenticeship with a master smith, learning how to forge magic items. Originally, she had planned to live at the palace and walk to the shop and back every day, but only a few days in realized that wasn't feasible. Master Cloudwind gave his employees plenty of freedom on their personal projects, but his shop was open long hours every day, and he stayed after closing to give his two apprentices lessons without being interrupted by customers. Em had taken to crashing in the spare room over the shop, and Arkayna hadn't seen her in more than two weeks. Piper had gone back to her old street gang, saying that the kids needed someone who was used to the streets to look after them for a while until Neeko could take over. She popped into the palace every now and then for food or supplies, but it had been several days since Arkayna had last seen her. Still, at least both of them were still in Drake City. Zarya was stars-knew-where with the Pink Skulls, enjoying her freedom. None of them had seen her in the seven months since the final battle. The queen hadn't been too happy about her lost daughter leaving with a group of pirates before getting to spend any time together, but living the life of a princess would have suffocated Zarya, and Arkayna knew it.
Arkayna was shaken out of her thoughts by the door crashing open and a golden blur cartwheeling into the room. It stopped in front of her and was revealed to be a pigtailed elf.
"Piper, you're here! I was just thinking about you."
Piper Willowbrook giggled. "Awww, that's so sweet! I was just thinking that I could reeeaaally use some downtime. Mind if I crash here for a few days?"
Arkayna raised her eyebrows. "Since when do you 'need some downtime'? You're not telling me something."
Piper flopped onto the chair as she replied, "Okay, fine, you got me. The gang just pulled a huuuuge scam, and now we need to lay low for a while 'til the heat dies down. Probably just a day or two."
"Fine, but I can't spend it with you. I have"—she checked her phone—"seven minutes to get to my first lesson. You can go hang out in the game room until I finish, though." Arkayna started to leave, then turned and asked, "Have you heard anything from Zarya recently?"
Piper's eternal optimism dimmed a little. "Noooo… you know as much as I do."
Arkayna's shoulders slumped. "I didn't think so... well, thanks anyway."
Piper shrugged as she bopped out of the room, presumably to take up Arkayna's offer to use the game room until the end of the day.
Arkayna checked her phone again. Great, now she only had four minutes to get to Politics and Diplomacy, and her tutor did not tolerate tardiness. Sighing, she headed toward the classroom. It might not be the most exciting of days, but she'd made a promise to her mother and to herself that she would take her lessons seriously from now on. And Piper was here, that had to count for something… right?
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A few hours outside Drake City, a skyship was anchored alongside an island cliff. It was clearly a pirate ship, but the plain white flag on the second mast indicated that the pirates onboard didn't want any trouble. All the crew members were currently hovering around a table full of food, stuffing their faces. All, that is, except for one girl standing on the other side of the deck. She stood out from the rest of the crew, not only because of her distance, but also because unlike the rest of them in pink and black, she was dressed entirely in shades of blue, down to her deep indigo hair. A white foz sat on her shoulder and chittered at her as she stared out at the horizon.
"Not now, Choko," Zarya Moonwolf absently muttered to her furry companion.
"You're not gonna eat?"
Zarya turned to look at her best friend. "Not hungry."
Kitty Boon, captain of the Pink Skulls, just scoffed at her. "Right, 'cause you're not the girl who's been known to eat half her weight in Sky Pies in one sitting. Why don't you tell it to someone who hasn't known you your whole life? Or better yet, just tell me what you're worried about. It can't be seeing your sisters again, you've been excited about that for days."
Kitty had always been able to read her like a book. "Not about that. Nervous and excited, yeah. But I'm worried we're gonna get shot out of the sky. We are a pirate ship headed straight for the royal palace, after all."
"Wasn't that the whole point of the flag of truce?"
"Yeah, but I'm not sure how much good it'll really do. Once Arkayna hears about a pirate ship approaching the palace, she'll probably guess it's us and order the royal guard to stand down. At least, that's the hope." Zarya turned back to the horizon.
"Sure it is. Also, you're changing the subject. How about this: I'm not giving the order to raise anchor until you eat something. We'll sit here all day if we have to."
Zarya turned around again. Kitty had her arms crossed and was giving her a don't-argue-with-me-on-this look.
"Oh, fine. I'll eat something if it means that much to you."
The crown over at the food table had mostly dispersed. Zarya grabbed an apple, a biscuit, and some coffee, then looked over at Kitty. "Happy now?"
"Yep. I'll be even happier when you actually eat all of it. Then we can raise anchor and be on our way."
Zarya didn't respond to that; she had shoved half the biscuit into her mouth while Kitty was speaking. It only took a few minutes for her to finish the apple and toss back the rest of the coffee. Uck, stale. She was looking forward to being able to eat some snorg balls almost as much as she was looking forward to seeing her sisters.
"All right, Pink Skulls, let's fly some sky! Raise anchor and full speed ahead to Drake City!" Kitty yelled out.
Zarya looked out over the rail again. I'm coming home, girls.
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Arkayna's morning hadn't gone well. Gawayne hadn't fallen asleep, but it had been a close call. She'd been starting to nod off herself during their tutor's lecture on greeting ambassadors. Who knew pixies were so particular about how people bowed to them? The lesson was over now, though, and she could enjoy her well-deserved lunch break in peace.
It had become her habit to ask the royal chef for "whatever's easiest" instead of ordering something that would require a lot of time or effort. This saved him from having to make elaborate creations for two members of the household (Gawayne still hadn't gotten the hint about trying to make the servants' lives easier) and also saved her from having to wait while it was being made. Today, though, she wished she'd been a little more specific. The limp vegetables on her plate had apparently been intended for her mother, but the queen had decided to skip lunch after the plate had already been put together. Arkayna pushed the vegetables around her plate, occasionally taking a bite. "I miss street food…"
"I bet that's the first time a princess of Gemina's ever said that."
Arkayna looked up to see a stocky blonde leaning on the door frame. "Oh, yeah? I bet Zarya's been saying it for months."
Emerald Goldenbraid pondered that statement for a moment, then answered, "True enough. I just have a really hard time thinking of her as a princess."
"Also true." Arkayna did sometimes envy her twin sister her anonymity; she couldn't even buy herself some snorg balls without being recognized as the princess. "Did I know you were coming by today?"
"Nah, I finished up this project I've been working on for a while and Master Cloudwind told me to take the afternoon to myself." Em turned around to see a guard carrying a large box. "Do you know where my rooms are? You can set it down there and I'll deal with it later."
"Well, I'm sorry you came all this way, but I've got Court Day all afternoon. Oh, but last I knew, Piper was in the game room; you could keep her company!"
Em winced in sympathy; she'd heard all about Court Day in plenty of detail before.
"Maybe it won't be so bad this time." Although Arkayna didn't believe her own words.
"Yeah, maybe… Anyway, I think I will go hang with Piper. See ya." Em headed off down the hallway. Arkayna watched her go, then decided that the only thing worse than Court Day would be Court Day on an empty stomach, so she went back to her food. She'd managed to choke down most of it (it had gotten colder while she'd been talking to Em) before the steward summoned her to the throne room.
It won't be that bad. Maybe if she kept repeating it, it would actually happen. After all, Em and Piper were here now! This day was already better than it had been this morning due to that simple fact. It won't be that bad…
She revised her opinion on that as soon as the first petitioner was shown in. It was the merchant that Zarya and Piper had dubbed "Fat Cat" because… well, he was a fat cat. She knew he was one of the undercity's biggest crime lords, but nobody had ever been able to pin anything on him. His expensive suit was probably meant to convince people to trust him, but Arkayna had never gotten past the mismatched eyes. She wondered why he was here; most criminals tended to stay far away from the royal family, for obvious reasons.
Fat Cat had started speaking in a gravelly tone. "Good day, Your Majesties. I trust it has been a pleasant morning?"
The queen wasn't having any of it. "Sir, if you've come here only to make small talk, the guards will show you out now. There are many others who wish to speak with us today, and I will not keep them waiting while you waste our time."
"Yes, yes… Ahem." Fat Cat paused. "In that case, I feel you should know that one of my shipments was stolen overnight. I would like to request the use of some royal guards to ensure that the shipment I have coming in tomorrow does not fall prey to thieves as well."
Arkayna resisted the urge to face-palm. Fat Cat had been one of Zarya and Piper's favorite targets; apparently that hadn't changed when the gang leadership had. So this is the "huuuuge scam" Piper was talking about. Please don't do anything to get yourself arrested, Pipes.
Fat Cat had left while she'd been lost in thought. She hadn't heard whether or not her parents had decided to grant him the guards. She supposed it didn't really matter; if the gang had just pulled one scam overnight, they probably wouldn't target the shipment tomorrow. Part of that whole "laying low" thing Piper had been talking about.
The next petitioner was a dwarven woman who wanted to know if her book club could use the royal courtyard for a charity event. The king and queen granted that request on the spot.
Between the third and fourth petitioners, Arkayna started to tune out. She wasn't sure if they'd seen seven people or eight when a guard burst into the room, looking harried.
"Your Majesties, Your Highness, please forgive the interruption, but there has been a pirate ship sighted in the sky on a direct course for the palace. We must evacuate you immediately."
Arkayna's breath caught in her throat. She had to make sure she'd heard right. "Did you say… a pirate ship?"
The guard's expression turned into a patronizing smile as he looked at her. "Don't worry, Your Highness. We'll protect you from the pirates."
"I don't need protecting. Believe me, I've faced worse than a bunch of pirates." It irked her to no end that the royal guard coddled her like this. She was the Dragon Mage, for Gygax's sake! It wasn't like she was defenseless. "Tell me… what does their flag look like?"
He stared at her. "Their… flag?"
"Yes, their flag! You know, the piece of cloth attached to the mast that flutters in the breeze? Is it the profile of a pink skull on a black field?"
"Y-Yes, Your Highness." He was still staring. She ignored it.
"In that case, I order all guards to stand down. Anyone who attacks that ship will be fired immediately." She started walking toward the balcony. "The Pink Skulls and I have an agreement. Please go find Piper Willowbrook and Emerald Goldenbraid and have them join me on the balcony right now."
"Arkayna!" her mother called. "What makes you so sure these pirates won't attack you on sight?"
Arkayna kept walking. "Because there's only one sky pirate in Gemina fearless enough to approach the royal palace like this… And I'm so glad she's home."
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Piper and Em were engaged in an epic battle against a troll. Piper was out front, distracting him with the giant axe she was using as a weapon, while Em tried to sneak around and hit him in the back with her sword. It wasn't working; the troll had caught on to them and was keeping his back to the wall. He swung his mace at Piper. She would have been smashed if Em hadn't gotten in front of her with her shield out. The mace clanged off of it, but Em was definitely feeling the hit. Seeing her hesitation, the troll swung again and Em went flying into the wall…
…and "Game Over" flashed across the screen in large red letters.
Piper tossed away her controller in disgust. "Seriously? That's the fourth time we've gotten our butts handed to us by Troll Dude, and we've used a different strategy every time! What gives?"
Em shrugged.
"Maybe it's time we started looking up cheat codes on the etherealnet. Then we can give this guy a nice trip to Defeatsville!"
"I don't really wanna win that way, Pipes," Em replied.
Piper pouted. "Zarya could beat him with her eyes closed!"
"Probably," Em agreed.
They lapsed into silence. It only lasted for a few seconds before Piper went to retrieve her thrown controller. "Wanna try it one more time?"
They had only made it to the opening screen when the door opened and a royal guard walked in. "Excuse me, Miss Willowbrook, Miss Goldenbraid, but the princess has requested your presence on the balcony immediately."
Em blinked at him. "Uhhm… okay. Did she say why?"
The guard replied with a head shake as he added, "To be honest, I don't even know why she's out there, with that pirate ship on its way here."
Piper's pointed ears perked up at the mention of a pirate ship. "What's the flag look like?"
The guard stared at her. "It's a pink skull on a black field. Why is everybody so interested in it?" But at this point he was talking to an empty room. Piper and Em had bolted as soon as the words "pink skull" had been spoken.
Piper was cartwheeling through the halls as Em sprinted beside her. They didn't waste any time talking and simply made for the balcony as fast as they could. When they burst through the doors, they found Arkayna holding up a magic spyglass. It was definitely the Pink Skulls coming in for a landing, but they hadn't really doubted that.
Em collapsed on the ground, wheezing; she had definitely let herself get out of shape since starting her apprenticeship. She shot a dirty look at Piper, who was still fresh as a daisy, bouncing around the balcony, squealing.
Arkayna frowned as the ship drew closer. "Something isn't right… they're too high. What's Kitty doing?"
That question was answered a minute later. The ship suddenly banked sharply to the left and a voice yelled out, "Let's go, Choko!" A speck of blue detached itself from the railing and began falling toward them. As it came closer, it resolved itself into a teenage girl holding a rope, her face split into a grin so wide it threatened to tear her face in half. She let go of the rope about fifteen feet up, did an acrobatic flip in midair, and landed on her feet on the balcony, bending her knees slightly to absorb some of the impact.
Zarya straightened up and surveyed her three sisters with her signature smirk on her face.
"So… Did ya miss me?"