Royal Pain

Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to Marvel or Sunbow Entertainment. I own Farrah/Persiana and Leon/Crisis.

Chapter 1: A Matter of Taste

Crystal was a bubbly teen princess of a race of people called the Inhumans; humans who gained powers from the Terrigen Mists. These mists were the result of Kree experimentation millennia ago, and, once an Inhuman is born, they are exposed to the mists to gain fantastic new powers. For Crystal, it was the power of earth, fire, wind, and water. Though she could not master any one particular element to the extent of someone like Avalanche or Pyro, she could certainly hold her own.

Crystal was petting Lockjaw, an Inhuman who got turned into a dog, but gained fantastic teleportation abilities. The two were waiting for some other members of the royal family in the palace in the Himalayan Mountains. Crystal shook her head,

"I wonder what Medusa wanted to see me for."

It did not take long for that thought to be answered when the doors to the palace opened and, escorted by royal guards, appeared a woman with a striking figure and long, flowing red hair that flowed down to the ground. It seemed to move on its own as the woman came toward Crystal. She smiled warmly,

"Crystal."

Crystal waved back,

"Hi, Medusa."

Medusa was Crystal's older sister and married to Black Bolt, king of the Inhumans. Medusa was also a guest amongst the Fantastic Four, even going so far as to become a member when Susan Richards, the Invisible Woman, had a difference of opinion with her husband on a personal issue. It was through this connection that Crystal was introduced to Johnny Storm. However, Crystal had her sights set on Quicksilver now.

The red-headed monarch asked,

"Crystal, how is it in the land called California?"

Crystal smiled,

"It's great! It's so warm and gorgeous and my friends are all there for me."

She sighed happily,

"It's the perfect place to raise a child when I marry Quicksilver!"

Medusa swallowed at that and walked with her younger sister,

"Crystal, I have to talk to you about that…infatuation."

It was a difficult subject to talk about in Attilan, the city of the Inhumans. There was no doubt that the idea of Crystal and Quicksilver courting was a controversial one, especially considering that Quicksilver was not like the Inhumans. There was a fear of the royal blood being contaminated with that of a lower being. Medusa addressed this concern,

"There are many here that fear that this infatuation will be fleeting, like the time Johnny Storm was courting you."

The blonde spun around, almost shouting,

"He and I are through! He dumped me for some Skrull witch when I was trapped here!"
Her shouting echoed throughout the halls of the palace, which caused some of the royal guards to wince. Medusa shook her head,

"All I am saying, dear sister, is that you find a man in your life that is more…regal. What about the prince of Atlantis?"

Crystal wretched,

"Namor? Medusa, I know you are just looking out for me, but Namor? Why him?"
Medusa explained,

"He is of royal blood, as you are. Quicksilver is not."
The elementalle shook her head,

"No, I've made up my mind! Quicksilver is the man for me, and Leon says when we get married, we're having a daughter."

She turned to Lockjaw and said,

"Let's go, Lockjaw."

As the two vanished away, Medusa sighed, shaking her head,

"Oh, this will not be good."

Meanwhile…

In the depths of the ocean, a lone figure stood watching over a monitoring device. He had a bored expression on his face. He was the teen prince of Atlantis, Namor, the Sub-Mariner.

The Sub-Mariner's history extended back to World War II, where he, along with Captain America and others known as the Invaders, fought the Nazis and won. Namor returned to life in the ocean, spending time amongst the sea life. He shook his head, saying out loud,

"And, why would you have me watch this?"
A caped figure wearing a cowl over his head answered,

"To show you that, to survive the surface world dwellers, one must create a child with them that can survive both on land and in the sea, my lord. Perhaps, if one were to be strong and have prestige, then that one woman could sire a generation of powerful children to rule both the land and sea."

Namor's new 'advisor' was shady and devious, but the prince could not deny he was right; the surface world dwellers were infringing on his territory every day, and it was only a matter of time before they would take over Atlantis. Namor nodded,

"I see. I should attempt to take this Crystal and make her my bride."

The 'advisor' nodded,

"Of course, sire."

The black-clad wearing Atlantian then stood up and, wielding his trident, took to the ocean currents.

If only Namor realized with whom he was conversing with. It was a devious shadow and the insidious god of trickery Loki…

Next Chapter:
Let's take a look at some more insanity with the West Coast Avengers! Stay tuned, fellow readers!