AN: There are spoilers here for the Magic Book of Spells, as this story tries to imagine how an event mentioned in it could've come to be.
The Assignment
"Rhombulus. Situation report. Now."
Rhombulus gulped. He liked to think of himself as a proud warrior: no amount of hideous, screaming monsters coming at him would ever make him hesitate as he charged them head on. He was Rhombulus of the Magic High Commission! He would add them all to his personal crystal collection before they could even touch him, and even if one of them would manage to come at melee range, he would either be dispatched by his trusty snake hands or headbutted. Then turned into a crystal as well, of course.
But there was one living being in Mewni that was able to put Rhombulus on the edge from a purely strength-level point of view. He was thankful that he was on her side, of course, but that didn't help with the powerful aura that seemed to follow the woman everywhere she went—the glowing sword wand behind her back must have had something to do with it. When her eyes pierced through him, Rhombulus thought that the molecules of his crystal head were going to disorganize themselves. Even one of his two snake companions had to repress a hiccup.
After all, very few people could endure the stare of Solaria the Monster Carver without an effect.
"Uh… eh... yeah! Situation report! Of course!" Rhombulus quickly blabbered in an attempt to not rise the ire of the queen. It didn't look like he had much success, as Solara narrowed her eyes. Beside him, he could hear a sigh from Hekapoo, and when he quickly glanced at them, he saw that the other occupants of the war room weren't impressed by his reaction as well. Omnitraxus Prime, Alphonse the worthy, Reynaldo, Lekmet and at least ten other mewmans between generals and sergeants. The only notable absences were Glossaryck—Rhombulus still considered his stubborn 'apolitical' behaviour a betrayal of sorts—and Mina Loveberry.
Quickly recomposing himself, Rhombulus threw a look at the sheets lying on the table in front of him. He was never one to sit down and read, but right now he needed something to start from. The Queen's fury was not something he wanted to experience, alright… but even without taking that into account, Rhombulus didn't know if he would've been able to explain himself sufficiently. He definitely felt more at home right on the battlefield, where he and the queen were much more on the same level, talking the same language even.
"Right. Uh, just a moment, queen Solaria," he muttered, moving one of his snake hands towards the papers. The snake hissed once before moving them around, knowing what Rhombulus had wanted without the need of chit-chat. "Let's see. Uhm… Queen Solaria… I don't really know how to put it, but I don't think you'll like this…"
"Just… how bad is it?" Solaria's words were measured, but there was no hiding the anger behind them. Whether that was directed at him or the actual cause of the current predicament Mewni was in, Rhombulus wasn't sure, but he still mentally thanked her for giving him a push at least. Even if the news were not good.
"It's not pretty," Rhombulus finally confessed. "The monster horde doesn't seem to be packing up to leave anytime soon. Their numbers have been growing since the last meeting, queen Solaria… and they keep getting new warriors. Even right now, we hear of new fresh warriors joining the monsters' ranks. If you ask me, I'm surprised they've yet to try another run at the barrier."
Solaria closed her eyes, deep in thought. The entire war room was silent, no one daring to break the ice to address the matter at hand. "I wouldn't expect any better from such scum," Solaria finally uttered venomously. "They must know that we would completely destroy them if they were to charge at us with a head-on attack, so now the cowards are trying to starve us out. Reynaldo?"
The giraffe member of the Magic High Commission stood up. "What about resources in the castle? How long can we keep this up?"
"The siege is putting the castle to test, your majesty," the giraffe said neutrally. Reynaldo didn't seem to be disturbed by the queen's frown, but Rhombulus knew that he was just good at hiding emotions. "We'll have to start rationing food reserves next week if there's no new development from our current situation, and I've already heard reports of small signs of recklessness from the common folk. Orderliness is definitely at stake."
Solaria nodded, before turning her attention towards Hekapoo. Rhombulus coughed, trying to now show his nervousness as Solaria's gaze shifted near him. "Our allies?"
"Nothing from them yet, I'm afraid," Hekapoo's tone was as serious as Reynaldo's, but for different reasons. "Ever since the monsters set up the Tramorfidian web, communication has more and more difficult. It's been a week since we last heard from General Loveberry and the Solarian Army… and as for the other kingdoms, the last we heard from was the Johansen, and their last message spoke of a second monster army marching towards their stronghold. It's possible that the horde's leaders sent a splinter battalion to prevent them from coming to our help."
"But what about the others? They should've at least tried to contact us themselves by now, they have to know about the horde!" one of the generals suddenly roared. He stood up and glared at Hekapoo, as if she was responsible. "I fought to free the Sky Kingdom, I was there during the battle! I expect at least them to help us as we helped them in the past!"
"Maybe the Spiderbites could lend some help," Omnitraxus offered cautiously from his glass sphere. "They have no army that could pose a threat to the monsters, that's true, but if they were to at least support us by sneaking in supplies as long as possible, we could prolong the siege and prevent a revolt among our own."
"Are you suggesting we should keep waiting?!" the general was barely keeping himself from leaping at Omnitraxus' orb at this point. "My men are been driven mad by this siege, and so do I! We need a sortie, now—we've left the monster do whatever they wanted for too long!"
Hekapoo's fire doubled in size. "Are you mad?" she shouted, "you can slash as many of them as you want, but you can take them when they outnumber us forty to one! This is not just a couple hundred ragtag bandits you're dealing with, those… things have numbers and experience! Did you even hear about the Septarians? They're almost undefeatable in a one-on-one fight!"
The general spitted on the floor beside him, much to the dismay of a few of the other mewmans, while others silently approved. "They can regenerate their limbs as much as they want, I'll just keep cutting them off until they stop doing it. And if that isn't enough, our Queen will make it so that they don't cause a problem anymore!"
"General—!"
"This is getting us nowhere!"
"We can't keep this up! We need to attack!"
"There has to be another way!"
"We don't have a choice—we can't do anything right now."
"What kind of idiot are you!?"
Feeling the heat rising around him, Rhombulus couldn't help but add his two cents to the fray. He knew that Hekapoo had a point, but what the general had said made him remember about his combat instincts, that he was still ready for battle despite it all. "I say we can face them, bring them on!" he exclaimed, jumping on the table.
"SILENCE!" the Queen's voice boomed in the chamber, silencing the gathering before the argument could escalate.
Of course, Rhombulus' shout had to be the last one to be heard. However, he couldn't help finding his position strange—although he was standing on the table and the others had stopped arguing, he didn't feel like all eyes were on him.
In fact, there was only person turned towards him, and she wasn't happy.
Rhombulus quickly climbed down before Solaria could incinerate. She opened her mouth while still watching him, then closed it, apparently reconsidering what was sure to be a hard reprimand. Then, he looked towards the crowd, much to Rhombulus' relief.
"I've not gathered you here to hear some bickering. I wanted opinions. Ideas. And yet here you are, arguing like a pack of five-year-olds."
"Queen, I just—" the general who had started it in the first place had grown bold apparently, perhaps believing that the Queen would have understood him better than anyone else, that she was willing to listen since she hadn't started shouting at them yet. He was wrong.
"I said SILENCE!" this time, Solaria's shout made even the table tremble. Behind her, her sword wand lighted up to life, illuminating the room with orange and red flashes. The general cowered up in fear at the Queen's fury, finally put in his place.
"You may… thank that the siege needs every working hand to handle a weapon, General," Solaria said slowly, "or I would've already made my decision about your destiny. Do not test my patience further. As for the rest of you… does any of you have any idea to propose? Something new… and not a suicide mission?"
No one spoke.
Solaria's face was literally contorted from one side to the other—for a second, Rhombulus thought she would explode and destroy them all. Then, as fast as she had lost her temper, Solaria relented. She put both hands on the table, letting out a sigh, and decided to glare at the large map that had been put on its centre. The red markings and arrows all around the walls of Butterfly Castle a painful memory of the state of Mewni.
"I will summon you again today, perhaps this evening, after the sun has set," Solaria calmly informed her subordinates. "We will discuss these matters again and decide how to plan for the days ahead. Try to use the time you have to think up a proposal. You are dismissed."
Rhombulus was almost happy that the war room meeting had ended sooner than he expected, but even he knew that he couldn't really enjoy the relative tranquillity as he followed his fellow High Commission members out of the chamber. Things were going bad, that was sure, and how they were going to solve the riddle that was the limitless horde of beasts beyond the walls was lost to him. The fact that even Solaria the Monster Carver seemed unable to come up with a solution of her own was even more worrying.
"We better think of a strategy to help the Queen," Omnitraxus said as Reynaldo pushed his orb's cart. "I don't know how well she might take another poor performance like this one.
Lekmet bleated his approval as Reynaldo nodded. Rhombulus simply grunted affirmatively, and turned around to look at Hekapoo, expecting her to do the same.
Hekapoo did not, though. She seemed distracted.
"Hekapoo?" Rhombulus didn't even know why his tone had come out like this, but he sounded sincerely surprised. He didn't even know when was the last time Hekapoo had looked like this… lost in her thoughts. She usually liked to have control, to see every dimensional portal fall into place and where she wanted it to be, and that needed attention. Now though…
She shook her head. "You, uh… go on without me and start discussing. I'll join you soon, I have one last matter to deal with."
"Matter? What would that be?" Reynaldo inquired. Hekapoo's glare was enough of an answer.
"Fine. If it's about your portals, I hope it'll help us in some way, Hekapoo."
He walked off first with the cart with Omnitraxus, followed by Lekmet and Rhombulus. The latter gave a last side glance to the demoness-lookalike High Commission member. Perhaps, she had a solution, perhaps not.
At least, he still had his snake hands, and fists. He knew that, sooner or later, his fight abilities would be tested once more.
With everyone gone, Solaria had been left alone. Or, at least, she would've liked to be left alone—right now, her head was throbbing, and a moment of silence to calm her irate thoughts would've been welcomed. At least, she didn't end up aggreging with the defiant general and marching into the monster encampment with no one but her wand and her warnicorn.
But of course, he wasn't going to leave her alone. The complete fool.
"When I said that you were dismissed, I mean it to all who were here… you included," Solaria growled, raising her eyes to glare at the man. Yet, Alphonse the Worthy wasn't fazed in the slightest. Unlike the other occupants of the room, he never looked like he was afraid of the queen. That was just the way he acted when he was around Solaria.
He didn't reply, but he didn't move either, and Solaria returned her gaze to the map, taking in another long breath. "We can't keep this up, Alphonse. That, I agree with Reynaldo."
"Huh-uh," Alphonse agreed.
"Any suggestions?"
"I had a couple of ideas, but I discarded them before coming here, my queen. There are many variables involved in the siege, and a lot of them are based on conjecture from our end. If it's of any use, I don't feel like we can trust recklessness at the moment."
Suddenly, Solaria's mind replayed a bad memory in her mind, a recent one even. She saw her daughter, her precious little daughter, while a monster, a size-shifter, the size-shifter, clutched her in his arms. She remembered the chaos that had followed, the battle and subsequent retreat of the Butterfly bodyguard from the monster camp. She remembered the bawling of her daughter the most out of everything else.
She wasn't going to let it happen again.
But then, what was she going to do? She had barely enough forces for a sortie, and even if she was successful with an attack and did some damage, her only result could be provoking the horde into taking on the magic barrier and the walls. She knew the Butterfly army could inflict much damage to the monster armies, but if they were to attack relentlessly, it'd end up being only a matter of time before they succeeded. Her mind played tricks on her again as she saw the silhouette of a lizard in the distance. Seth of Septarsis, one of the most influential Septarian warlords and self-proclaimed leader of the Septarians in the monster horde. He had Eclipsa, somehow, and he held a septarian scythe to her throat.
Solaria shook her head, shooing the image away. She couldn't let it distract herself. She had a job, to defeat the monster horde, chase them back to the hellhole from where they came and save her kingdom. Her long for battle had to wait, and fears needed to be put aside. The monster menace had to be dealt with, possibly for good, but first they had to make it through the siege.
Alphonse had meanwhile approached the queen in silence, waiting patiently for Solaria to address him first when she wanted to. For a couple of minutes, they just stood, Solaria watching the map and Alphonse looking at her in wait.
Then, they heard footsteps, and a door open behind them. Solaria looked at whoever had decided to join Alphonse in disturbing her, and when she saw the newcomer, she couldn't bring herself to frown.
"Hekapoo. I didn't expect you of all people to reappear here," Alphonse greeted her without proper manners, but his neutral face had turned into a weak smile.
"Huh, that's strange, because I on the other hand expected to find you here… still beside the queen," Hekapoo rebutted, and Alphonse couldn't help letting out a chuckle.
"Shut up. Both of you," Solaria proceeded in having both people close their mouth… even though they probably were the most loyal persons she knew among the lot that had populated the war room moments before. That, excluding her daughter… who knew nothing of war and monsters, as far as she knew. She then looked at Hekapoo, waiting for her to state her intentions.
"My queen… Solaria," Hekapoo addressed her informally, and Solaria didn't give any sign to be offended. "I need to speak with you."
"Alone?" Solaria finally moved her gaze away from the map. It was obvious who she was referring to with the question.
"I trust Alphonse, but that's it," Hekapoo explained. "I think I have something, Solaria. Something to get us out of this mess."
Solaria looked at Hekapoo thoughtfully, then she leaned against the table's edge. "I'm listening."
"Our allies… I mean, the ones that we haven't heard from for a while. I believe that their lack of action is not out of a betrayal. The Ponyheads have not forgotten about the battle for the liberation of Sky Kingdom, of that, you can be certain. They may be stubborn and go overdrive every now and then, but they do not turn their back that easily."
"Then, why haven't we seen a single pony head warrior coming down at the monsters from behind them yet?"
"I think I know why. They fear the power of the monsters, Solaria."
Solaria arched an eyebrow, but Alphonse beat her to it before she could argue. "It's possible. The invasion of Sky Kingdom must have left a mark on them. I wouldn't find it hard to believe that they are wary to engage in another battle so far away from their lands. If they… we were to lose, the monsters may decide to invade the Sky Kingdom again, and this time, there would be no Solarian Army to save them."
Solaria's opinion on the Ponyheads didn't improve one bit as she heard Alphonse's words. However, his logic was impeccable. She knew how it felt like to have your home raided by monsters… she had personal experience on the matter, and even before that she had the words of her mother, Skywynne. Ruthless beasts… she could only partly blame the Ponyheads for their sluggishness.
"So, what do you propose?"
"I think I can make an arrangement to let the Ponyheads know that this is not a hopeless battle, that the monster Horde is not invincible. If I were to convince them personally, you would have a mobile army of floating magic pony heads before even your own Solarians could arrive. Mina would probably hate me for helping in winning the battle before her arrival, but I think we all know that without dimensional portals she is highly likely to arrive too late to help us."
"You mention the portals, and I take you intend to go parley with the Ponyheads yourself. I remember you saying that the disruption web was still active, Hekapoo," Solaria inquired.
"Yes… but it's not fully effective, not yet. I can use my personal scissors to cut through the weaker part of the Tramorfidian perimeter and then sneak my way out of the monster lines. Once I'm out of range, with my scissors getting to the Ponyheads should be easy."
Solaria entertained the thought. She trusted Hekapoo the most out of all the Magic High Commission, but the thought of her going alone somewhat worried her. She was a formidable warrior, but alas, they all were… and she doubted Hekapoo could take on one-hundred Septarians in full armour, if she were to be discovered.
"I'll go with you, Hekapoo."
Solaria knew that Alphonse was going to voice his opinion, but she didn't expect him to offer himself. For a moment, her glare changed into a surprised look and she eyed him with wide, worried eyes. Alphonse managed to get a glimpse of it before Solaria could realize it and turn back into her serious self.
Whether Alphonse had actually noticed it or not, he didn't mention it and looked back at Hekapoo, who had raised her eyebrows as well. "We can watch each other's back if we go together. Besides, I heard you have quite a temper. Maybe I can handle the talking."
Hekapoo snorted. "As if. You've been talking too much with your sailor friends, 'sea-captain'."
"Maybe that's the way I've managed to master diplomacy even with the rudest of people," Alphonse replied. His face turned serious again. "That said, I still believe that you could use a hand in your mission."
"If you insist…" Hekapoo didn't show too much resistance, and Alphonse seemed satisfied. Together, they turned back their attention at the Queen.
"Solaria?" Hekapoo tried, wanting to know her opinion on the plan. But Solaria had already made her mind up.
"I can trust you, and I can trust Alphonse, and I see where you're going with your plan," she said thoughtfully. "For all we know, it may be the only option we have to battle the scum outside the walls. We need help, and the Ponyheads can give it. However, there's one last hole in your plan. How do you intend to convince the Ponyheads that aiding us is for the best? If what you said about their cowardice is true, then it may be hard to have them reconsider."
Hekapoo glanced at Alphonse for a moment, then she looked at Solaria straight in the eyes. "I have an idea. It's… a wildcard, but one that might work if we play it right, Solaria. The Lucitors."
Lucitor. Solaria wasn't expecting to hear the name in this discussion, but thinking about it, she should have. It would have worked: the Lucitors had the manpower needed to field an army, and they had powers to be reckoned with, though of very different kinds compared to the Butterflies. The Butterfly Kingdom had good diplomatic relations established with them since the rule of Skywynne, and even if they had yet to participate in the war against the monsters, they had no sympathy for the beasts either.
She had only one problem with them… the Lucitors were demons. Much of the conflict between the predecessors of the current Lucitor king and the first Butterfly Queens came from disputes similar to the ones who had ignited the conflict with the monsters. They had overcome them long ago, but to say that allying with them left a sour taste in Solaria's mouth was an understatement.
The Lucitors could be valuable allies, though. Alphonse and Hekapoo had the diplomatic ability to deal with them, that she knew, and in the event they managed to get their help they would have a demon army and a pony head army coming down on the Horde—at that point, even she was sure the pony heads would come to their senses. It was the perfect plan, if only they could be sure to get the support of King Lucitor.
Solaria conceded herself a moment to lessen her constant frown. "You never cease to surprise me, Hekapoo."
"Thanks, my queen," Hekapoo said without further words.
"Queen Solaria, you should know that getting the Lucitors to join our cause will be a challenge in any case. We've known each other for a while as kingdoms, but this would be the first time they'd come out of Underworld and enter Mewni."
Solaria nodded. "They would expect something in return, I suppose."
"Not in my knowledge," Hekapoo said. "As far as I understand, the current King of the Lucitor has no desire for more power in Mewni. Yet, Alphonse may be still right. The problem is… they might not take us seriously."
The Queen had to contain a swear from leaving her mouth. "Take us seriously?!" she exclaimed in bewilderment. "How would they even dare do this?!"
"The king is said to be a distrustful demon lord. He won't lead an army of his demon people out of Underworld without something to demonstrate that we mean every word and we're not taking advantage of him. Proof, maybe… or at least, something to show him that we are not lying about the direness of the siege and the power of the monster horde."
Solaria thought about it for a moment after calming down. It seemed easy enough. The question was, what would have made sure that King Lucitor would pay heed to Hekapoo's and Alphonse's words?
"Huh, there's some ringing in my ears. It almost feels like you three are thinking about me."
Hekapoo, Alphonse and even Solaria were taken aback. They had not heard anyone enter the room, and when they heard the remark their reaction was swift. In a moment, Alphonse had his fists tightened and was ready to leap at the invader, Hekapoo had both sharp scissors open and Solaria's sword wand was unsheathed and buzzing with energy.
Then, they realized who had interrupted them.
"Hey, what's with the faces? It looks like you've not had a proper break in a while. Trust me, you should cool off every once in a while, it makes wonders for your mood."
Jushtin Butterfly. Her brother. What was he doing here? Why was he here? She thought he hated everything related to war, and here he was, boasting about how they should have taken a couple of minutes off… during a monster siege.
Solaria had personally never felt ill will towards Jushtin, but that didn't mean that she tolerated his antics, especially when the matter at hand was serious. "Jushtin, this is not the time…" Alphonse tried to stop things from escalating any further, already feeling the tension rising in the air. "We're in the middle of something important."
"That, I heard," was all Jushtin said, and he suddenly changed in mood. The turn was so sudden that Solaria forgot about being mad at him. She had grown accustomed to see Jushtin hang around the castle, trying to lift the spirits and maybe even improve his own reputation as a 'cool guy'… with little results of course. A flamboyant smile was always on his face even in the rare moments she had seen him during the siege, and upon appearing he seemed like his usual self. But here he was, staring her down, almost challenging her in a game of glares. It wasn't something she would've expected from him… he looked determined, and yet he was still wearing an over-the-top cloth, purple being the dominating colour, and high-heeled footwear. And the hat. She couldn't forget about the hat.
Solaria knew that something was up with her brother, and she had to admit she was both interested and unsettled by the prospect of discovering whatever it was. She had never seen him act this way. "Enlighten us, Jushtin," she eventually questioned him.
"Simple, sis," Jushtin said nonchalantly, though he wasn't smiling. "You said you need something to convince the Lucitor dudes that you mean your words. Well, wouldn't you know… here I am. Ready for duty."
What in the flying f—did she hear that right?
"Are you volunteering to go with Hekapoo and Alphonse?" at this point, Solaria took it for granted that Jushtin had eavesdropped them or stood in the room without them noticing for at least the part of the conversation that referred to the Lucitors. She would have to chide him for that… after she got over the shock of him wanting to go on an important mission, by his own accord.
"Jushtin Butterfly!" Hekapoo was basically yelling. "We don't have time for your games, this is not a trip to have yourself known around the kingdom, this is a serious mission for the good of Mewni!"
Jushtin turned towards Hekapoo. "I know that, little miss flame-shine," Jushtin retorted. "How about you try to at least give this man a chance, H-Poo?"
"H-Poo?! Why you little-!" Alphonse grabbed Hekapoo before she could leap at him and use her scissors to behead him. Jushtin couldn't help grinning, but he relented when Alphonse glared at him as well.
"Hekapoo is overreacting, but she has a point in not understanding why you are here, Jushtin. You owe us at least an explanation for your, uh, offer," Alphonse said warily, half-expecting the Butterfly family member to throw in a jab for him as well. But Jushtin simply smiled and bowed a little, as if thanking him, then directed his attention back to Queen Solaria.
"As I said, it's simple really," the brother of the queen started to talk. "You said that the Lucitors would be more likely to not shut the door in our face if we were to convince them that we're indeed in a dire mishap. Well, I believe that I am who you need to convince old man Lucitor. I'd even say, 500 percent more likely of success after approximation, considering Hekapoo's diplomatic ability of course."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Hekapoo protested, but Jushtin raised his hands defensively.
"I didn't specify if your contribution was negative or positive, but if you keep acting this way, I may have to revise the formula…"
Hekapoo scoffed but stayed silent, deciding that she didn't need to argue with an idiot who was also a genius at math for some reason. She looked at Alphonse, expecting him to give voice to her doubts, but instead Alphonse had taken off his sailor hat and was scratching his head in thought.
"I don't know about the way you have with people, Jushtin, but I'm starting to believe you could help us even if you let me and Hekapoo deal with the formalities. Lucitor wants proof that the Queen means it? There!" he pointed at Jushtin. "The queen's own brother travelled all the way to Underworld to tell him that Mewni needs his help!"
Hekapoo grunted. "I hate to say this, but he's right. A Butterfly family member may be of immense help with the Lucitors, especially if he's the brother of the queen herself."
Solaria Butterfly nodded to her two loyal subordinates, then focused her eyes on Jushtin. Her brother was still trying to hold her gaze, but Solaria had looked through the lies of dozens of monsters before cutting them to pieces. She knew when there was fear and malignancy behind the feign courage of her foes just as she knew that, behind the feign determination of Jushtin, there was the feeling of uncertainty.
Right now, uncertainty was not what she needed.
"I don't need a 'cool guy' as a diplomatic envoy, Jushtin," Solaria affirmed. "I believe you can understand that."
"It wouldn't hurt, though," Jushtin replied lightly.
Solaria gritted her teeth. "It would hurt!" her fiery voice was almost close to shouting, even if to herself she had just raised it a little. "I never would've thought you would even think of taking part in this, Jushtin, but if you wish to help, you must get in your head that this isn't a party game, a night out or even one of those equations of yours. This is war!"
Jushtin made a step back in surprise. For a moment, it looked like he would turn on his heels, literally, and get out of the room before he could become flambé at the hands of the queen. Instead, he stood his ground.
"No, Solaria," Jushtin addressed her by name only, challenging royal etiquette, "I've already realized that there is no more space for hanging around, not here and not anywhere else. What do you think I am, blind? I've even spent an entire night working on an equation to help me, or heck, even you, in assessing the siege stuff and all the variables related to it, and every result I came up with was lower than zero, that is, negative. It meant that I couldn't find a way out of this mess… until I heard you discussing with Hekapoo and , if there is at least one way I can help, to take that result and make it positive, if there is any way… then I'm going to be there!"
Jushtin was being honest, of that Solaria was certain at this point, even if she had to interpret the math-speak he had inserted in between. However, she felt like something was still missing from Jushtin's vow to join the war effort, and if she was going to send him, she wanted to know everything. She continued to glare at him, her arms crossed, and waited for Jushtin to cool down and realize that the Queen was still waiting for him to finish his reasoning.
"A way… to do what I should've done, a long time ago."
Those words once again made Solaria's mind go back in time. Suddenly, she had gone back to when she was fourteen years old, specifically her own fourteenth birthday. She had yet to shave off her air, and she was in the throne room. Skywynne Queen of Hours was there, and she was giving her the wand.
Solaria had held the wand high as it transformed into a menacing sword. The public present in the room—even her mother—was baffled by the sight, but Solaria didn't care about them, not in the heat of the moment. With the power in her own hands, she knew that she would've been able to pursue her aim as a future ruler: defend her people and rid them of the only menace that had not let them live in peace for so long. The monsters.
She looked at the crowd as she took a swing of her sword, the blade already perfectly fit to her physique. She imagined seeing the head of a Septarian rolling off the floor, and she felt determined more than ever to do what she felt was right. Then she opened her mouth to speak, to express her resolve. But she hesitated.
Because she had seen Jushtin, hidden in the crowd. And she had seen him turn around the exact moment she had seen him.
Jushtin's voice brought Solaria back to present time. "I understand why things went the way they went, now. But I'll be damned if I just ended up sulking 'till the end of my days… I am still the brother of Solaria Butterfly, after all. Can't get wrong with that, huh?"
And just like that, Jushtin was back to his old self. He relaxed, the tension lifted away from him, and he even had the cockiness to wink at the queen said to have a higher kill count than the previous five queens combined. Alphonse and Hekapoo both stared at him in shock, ready to depart in case Solaria exploded, which they expected to happen anytime.
Instead, they heard a chuckle, and their shock multiplied. Solaria passed a hand over her face, exasperated… but her frown had disappeared. "Have it your way then, brother," she declared with finality. "You'll take part as my Royal Envoy, a secret one at that, and together with Alphonse and Hekapoo, you will be part of my Butterfly Representatives."
She took a step back and took in the view of the three of them. "Hopefully you will not let me down… me, or the kingdom for that matter. We will not surrender to the monsters, whatever the cost is!"
Hekapoo's front teeth glinted as she smiled, and Alphonse simply nodded with conviction. Only Jushtin seemed to not share their resolve, as if she had said something that had left him speechless. He then shook his head, fixed his hideous hat, and exhibited himself in his most proud smirk.
Solaria was not going to say it out loud, but deep down, at least right then… she was happy.
"…and that will be your assignment." Solaria finished the briefing, which had mostly been a review of the plan they already knew. Jushtin, Hekapoo and Alphonse were ready for travel, each one of them with a proper clothing for the upcoming trip. Alphonse the Worthy was wearing a simple uniform with his classic sailor hat and a bag vaulted over his shoulder, while Hekapoo wore one of her peculiar large dresses with a purse full of documents that could help quicken the diplomacy process. And Jushtin? Naturally he had to chose one of his best clothing combinations, that is for him: if he were a warrior in a battlefield, he would probably be as visible as a giant archery target. Energetic purple coat, giant belt, heels.
And the hat.
"If King Lucitor were to let you in with that thing on your head, the mission would already be a success," Solaria couldn't take it anymore, she had to let his brother know that she didn't approve about his attire habits.
"Fortunately, I already met the king when I was younger, and I can tell you he has far better dressing habits than you," Jushtin retorted. Solaria snorted, hiding a bit of mirth behind a frown. Alphonse did not hide it though, releasing a loud laugh, while Hekapoo simply limited herself to look away grumpily.
"That's good. Now, if we're done here, I guess we can say your—"
"Mom?"
Everybody turned around, believing that a monster spy had just imitated the voice they had just heard. Yet, there was no mistaking the view of the heir for anyone else.
"E-Eclipsa!" Solaria stuttered, slowly moving over the surprise. Her voice grew stern quickly: she wasn't supposed to be here. No one was. "What are you doing here!?"
"I'm sorry," Eclipsa's gaze fell down immediately once she felt the beginning of another, angry lecture. "I should not be here, I know, but I wanted to see Alphonse! And Uncle Jushtin! They are leaving, and you didn't tell me anything!"
Solaria couldn't bring herself to argue back with her daughter. Eclipsa had taken an immediate liking in Alphonse as soon as she met him for the first time, and the man had always enjoyed spending time with the child. Jushtin had been nothing but kind to her as well, once or twice even taking over as a guardian when Solaria, Alphonse and the Commission were away.
She decided to conserve her ire for later, when she was going to ask the guards who were supposed to watch her daughter what in tarnation they were doing. For now, she loosened her facial expression but kept the sternness.
"We talked about this, Eclipsa. You can't go around the castle by yourself—it's dangerous."
"I just wanted to say goodbye…"
Solaria sent a glance to the three travellers. She had asked the three of them to keep their mouth shut and they had complied, even Jushtin who had a bad reputation of accidentally spilling secrets around. Their mission was important to the point that she had not dared to reveal it to anyone else in the war room council when she called the second reunion three hours ago.
She had no idea whether the monster scum had managed to stain the mewman ranks with their own spies. Hekapoo's powered scissors could bring them out of the walls and some space away from the castle, but they would still need to sneak through the monster lines, and Solaria knew that it would've been possible only if the monsters didn't expect it.
Alphonse and Hekapoo were great warriors, but they couldn't do anything against the might of the entire horde. And then there was her brother.
Solaria closed her eyes. Thinking wasn't exactly for her—if she had something in common with Rhombulus, it was that the heat of battle was more of her element. But she needed something to say right now, like it or not.
"Eclipsa… I am sorry. I made a mistake, I should've told you about it. It was just… important. We had to keep it secret."
Eclipsa nodded, walking slowly towards the group when she believed her mother had postponed her plans to scold her. Solaria kneeled down and when Eclipsa was right in front of her, she caressed her head with surprising care.
"I'll let you say goodbye to Alphonse and your uncle, but then they'll have to go. Make it count. Understood?"
Eclipsa nodded weakly, and as soon as Solaria raised her hand, she walked up to the travellers. Her eyes looked first at Alphonse, who she proceeded to jump over and hug.
"Wow! Slow down here, princess!" Alphonse protested, but he was laughing all around. Beside him, Hekapoo's face seemed to darken, if only for a moment, before huffing, drawing out her scissors and starting to inspect them.
"Try to not get hurt, Alphy, okay?" Eclipsa whispered.
"I doubt I will, princess," Alphonse reassured. He gently pushed himself away from her grip and looked at her in the eyes. "Besides, I've been in the sneaking game a long time ago. Unless I'm rusty I'll be alright, which I won't."
"Sneaking game?" Solaria had never heard Alphonse mention that.
The man seemed to bleach for a second, before recomposing himself. "Stories of a long time ago, my queen. Nothing important."
"Right…" she decided to postpone interrogating the 'sea-captain'… for now. Eclipsa sniffed—apparently, she didn't take kindly the idea that Alphonse was going to leave her for a dangerous mission. She rubbed her eyes with her forearm and looked at Hekapoo, who however didn't seem to want to part from her with a proper goodbye. Solaria wasn't surprised: she had not failed to notice that all the Magic High Commission members seemed to dislike Eclipsa for some reason. During the war, they were among the people who had helped educate her during the queen's long absences, since as far as she knew Glossaryck tended to not leave the book even when she was away—the traitorous blue man always keeping his word about his absurd stance on the monster matter. She made a mental note to interrogate them about it later.
As Hekapoo didn't seem to be interested, Eclipsa turned around to look at her Uncle. "Uncle Jushtin," Eclipsa said. "Are you a warrior like Alphy and Hekapoo? I didn't know you were."
"Well, to be fair, not really, little one," Jushtin explained. "Monsters don't seem to recognize the value of coolness and lookin' good, I'm afraid."
Eclipsa opened her mouth, then closed it. "I… I hope you'll be okay, uncle Jushtin."
Jushtin approached the child with a wide smile. "Once we'll be out of the monster camp, the rest of the trip is going to be a breeze, so don't worry about that. I can always charm them with a few well put words, if it comes to that."
"Do your equation-things work against them?"
The question seemed to take Jushtin by surprise, but he nonetheless laughed. "No, I'm afraid that's not the case, though it's a pity they don't. Maybe I could try to see if I can do some math about that… hmm, now that I think about it, if the roads to Underworld are not frequently raided, we may have at least 30% of probability to encounter merchants. Which, given the mean quality of merch sold by said sellers, may give us enough metal mass to make something half-decent to defend myself. If I were to want a weapon, I'd probably need something able to put and sustain a force of at least, how many Newtons? Mmmh, perhaps one-hund—"
"Jushtin."
Jushtin blinked. "Oh, right. Sorry about that, sis," he simply apologized, then returned his attention to Eclipsa, who was confused by whatever her uncle had just said. "Anyway, Eclipsa, what I mean is, don't lose yourself thinking about us. Me and my crew can handle it no-prob!"
"Did he just call us 'crew'?" Hekapoo's scissors twitched. Alphonse seemed more amused than annoyed.
"Okay…" Eclipsa agreed without conviction. Jushtin simply got to her level and let her come to him for a hug. She may have not leaped at him like with Alphonse, but Solaria knew that her daughter cared for him as well, and it showed. When Jushtin released her, Eclipsa's had failed to stop herself from crying.
"Come here, Eclipsa," Solaria affirmed. Eclipsa ran to her and hugged her legs for comfort. Huffing, Hekapoo raised her scissors and brought them both down together, opening a bright yellow portal.
"We're already late on the roadmap, so get going!" Hekapoo said curtly. Alphonse and Jushtin nodded and started to walk towards the portal, with Eclipsa and Solaria looking at them in silence for a moment.
Suddenly, Solaria felt an urge, and before she could stop herself, she uttered, "One last thing!"
The three travellers looked at her interrogatively. Solaria tried to find the right words to express what she wanted, but she had never been a master of language—she was way better with her sword wand. Even Eclipsa looked up to her face, wanting to know what her mom was going to say.
"…try to not get yourself killed," she eventually managed to declare.
Hekapoo managed to produce the first reassuring smile since the appearance of Eclipsa, while Alphonse removed his hat and bowed in respect, his way to showing that he had full intention to respect the will of his queen.
Jushtin had a different reaction. He shifted his expression, only slightly but enough for her to notice that he wasn't sure how to respond.
"You included, brother," Solaria added to get his attention. "I can use a math expert in the council, if you'll want to keep doing your part."
Jushtin and Solaria had grown distant, year after year: first, due to their mother's tendency to favour Solaria, then due to their differences in personality and lately due to the war. Yet, when Jushtin looked at her, he immediately understood that her sister's words were just her way to saying that she wanted him to stay safe as much as she did for his two travelling companions.
"You won't get away from my magic theorems that easily, then!" Jushtin finally said. Eclipsa laughed, amused by the reply, and Jushtin smiled sincerely at both her sister and her niece.
Then, five seconds later, he was gone, and so were Hekapoo and Alphonse the Worthy. The portal closed, the bright light disappearing, and the lower area of the castle suddenly became dark. It was late in the evening, as appropriated for the first part of the mission, where stealth was key.
"Come on, let's get you back to your room. I have a couple of things to say about the guards… and even you," Solaria said, much to Eclipsa's worry. As a mother Solaria thought that a little bit of discipline wouldn't have hurt her daughter, at least as long as the war raged so close to the capital. Her grip on Eclipsa's shoulder remained soft, though, and eventually Solaria decided that maybe it was better to ask her how she knew about the Hekapoo Assignment in the first place rather than scolding her for doing it.
The thought brought back the image of the three travellers she had just sent on a mission, and Solaria frowned.
The monsters had to pay for what she had been forced to do… but for now, all she could do was hoping the best for the three of them.
She glanced at her daughter again, and for once she let herself daydream, if only for a second.
Hopefully, Eclipsa wouldn't have to face the same demons that she had to.
THE END