We're back! And (hopefully) the email notifications are working again. I was not happy when the last two things I posted failed to trigger alert emails for you guys, I guess the website was buggy. But, fingers crossed, they've fixed that. You know the best way to let me know you got the update email? Drop me a quick review. I'd like that, a lot.
OCs! Again! Like I said, this whole series is packed to the rafters with them. I guess if you're this deep into the third story then you don't mind too much though. Expect there to be exponentially more action coming in the next few chapters too.
As ever, a huge amount of love to my wonderful and beautiful girlfriend, the lady I want to wife suuuuper hard and do lots of smooches with. Baby, I love you. *Smooches*
Content Warning: Reveals! Foreshadowing! Off-screen acts of war! Sneaking!
The court were unceremoniously dismissed for the morning. Bonnie watched them file out with discontented grumbles and more than one jealous glare at Victoria. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, she could imagine only too well the agony Stefan must be in since he'd insisted on taking her pain from her and she was more grateful than she knew how to express.
"Follow me, both of you. We have much to discuss." she commanded Finn and Victoria before sweeping from her throne and heading to the small study tucked unobtrusively away in the corner behind the twin banners hung floor to ceiling behind their twin thrones. Marceline followed too after a moment's hesitation, Bonnie shot her a look and the vampire nodded. She knew what was being asked and she sent a message down her Sire Link to summon Zoe from Matilda's sick room; the blonde vampire barely ever left her lover's side and wouldn't thank them for disturbing her but even with Stefan's influence on her mind Bonnie didn't know if she was strong enough to relive Victoria's creation without further help.
"Please, take a seat. We'll be joined by your Aunt Zoe in a second." Bonnie murmured after a confirmation glance to Marceline who nodded ever so slightly.
Finn and Victoria sat together on a low ottoman and clasped hands nervously under Bonnie's direct gaze. She was aware that she was probably intimidating the younger girl with her stare but it was hard to draw her eyes away now that the dreaded day had finally come. Bonnibel hadn't ever thought she'd be able to avoid Victoria forever, sooner or later they'd meet and she'd have to explain herself. While they waited for Zoe to arrive Bonnie took the time to examine her handiwork closely. It was ironic that Victoria was one of her best creations.
The girl was beautiful, there was no denying it. She had a feminine, oval face with a slight point to her chin and high, angular cheekbones that added a more adult feel to her otherwise soft, adolescent features. Just as her father had demanded her eyes were an unnatural sapphire blue and glowed in direct light beneath the soft arch of her perfect brow. Her nose was straight and short, a petite slope that lead down to the flawless bow of full sensual lips in a gentle lavender colour that were parted ever so slightly from anxiety. Her whole magnificent face was framed by a generous mane of almost-cream blonde silken hair that flowed in glorious untamed waves across her shoulders and halfway down her back, gleaming in an unnatural way that left no doubt about her ice magic abilities. She was physically perfect in every way, so unnaturally exquisite that it was almost hard to look at her. Bonnie reflected that she'd bene naïve to think that Finn wouldn't notice the girl. Everything about Victoria had been designed to radiate an absolute ideal of beauty.
The door opened and Zoe entered, looking careworn and almost dull by comparison to Victoria's radiance. She floated across and nodded to them all; a feeling of utter serenity fell across the room and Bonnie felt her shoulders unclench for the first time that day.
"So. Victoria Petrikov. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance. I believe you've already met my wife?" Bonnie began, indicating Marceline who shot a small smile in return to Victoria's eyes flickering to her for a moment. The girl nodded.
"I used to think she was my fairy godmother when I was a kid." she replied softly, and even her voice was as perfect and clear as the chime of a silver bell.
"Perhaps she was. Victoria, did you never stop to wonder why Marceline came to see you from time to time? Why your father called her during the Bella Noche crisis?"
The girl's eyes widened in sudden excitement.
"Are you my Mom?" she blurted out, turning to Marceline with an expression of innocent hope on her face.
"No, Victoria. Mother-in-law, maybe, but not your Mom. I'm sorry." Marcy replied with a regretful shake of her head.
"But then, why did you come to check on me when I was young?"
"It's a long story. It started a thousand years ago, when I was just a kid. The Mushroom War had just happened, I was all alone and scared, and your father found me and rescued me. And that's where it gets complicated."
Victoria listened with wide, horrified eyes as the whole story unfolded. Finn held her hand silently, squeezing it to comfort her when she appeared overwhelmed. When Bonnie took over and described how she'd been kidnapped and tortured by the Ice King, how she'd feared for her daughter's life she whole time, Victoria's hands unconsciously flew to her own stomach and the tiny life growing there. That was good, Marcy decided. It was a maternal instinct and it probably meant the girl wasn't about to start screaming at Bonnie for how she was created or the circumstances around it. As much as she felt a sense of duty to the ice princess Marceline wasn't about to sit back and let someone abuse her wife simply because the world hadn't been how they wanted it to be. But Victoria took it all pretty well considering she'd discovered she was a child created from kidnap, torture and blackmail.
"I think I knew deep down that I didn't have some beautiful and mysterious mother waiting to meet me one day." she announced quietly when the story was finished. "But I have a creator, which... it's not the same thing though?"
"No, definitely not. I'm not your mother, Victoria. Not in any sense. Which I suppose is a good thing since you're in a relationship with my son and it would make things very awkward if you two were related." Bonnie added with a small smile. "So what we need to do now is decide what to do about this baby."
"I'm keeping it." Victoria immediately announced, frowning around like she expected them to rush her and somehow remove the embryo from her body by force. "I forgave Finn for running away, he got scared and I know how that is, but I'm not going to give away my baby or, or... kill it, or whatever. No. If he wants to be a part of their life-"
"I already said I did, babe." Finn interrupted.
"You also said you wanted nothing to do with it and you wanted me to get rid of it, I'm gonna need to see some actions to prove that you mean it." she replied with a scowl. Finn sighed and tugged his braid.
"Fine. I can do that, I'll prove it to you. I'm sorry I ran away."
"You said, and I appreciate the apology. But I'm still gonna be a little cautious about trusting you."
"I understand."
Finn's mothers exchanged a glance as the younger couple talked, both secretly glad that Victoria wasn't about to just let him away with running out on her. That was a good thing, he probably needed to be with someone who could call him out from time to time.
"Will you stay in the palace?" Marceline asked, drawing their attention back to her.
"Not for now, I want to be there for my Dad and I need to explain to him about the baby. I don't think he'll be mad but sometimes it takes a while for things to sink in, you know? I... I suppose it's because of the crown." she finished with a sad frown.
She left with an armed guard, just in case, because Bonnie wasn't taking any chances with the safety of her unborn grandchild or her newest family member. It would take a lot of getting used to but she thought she was beginning to quite enjoy Victoria's company, the girl had a spark to her personality and a hungry curiosity that Bonnie appreciated; it even reminded her a little of herself centuries ago when she'd been brand new in a strange world full of mysteries to discover.
"Can I go now?" Zoe asked quietly as the calm aura faded.
"Of course. How is Matilda?" Bonnie asked softly. The blonde vampire shook her head.
"Tired. She sleeps a lot, and she doesn't talk so much. I'm scared she blames me, you know, for what happened. I've gotta get back to her."
She swept from the room with slumped shoulders and a quiet despair in her face; once the calming Talent was gone Bonnie could feel the stress and panic beginning to spread through her again. There was too much to do and barely any time, she needed to do anything but be met at the door by a horrified looking Peppermint Butler.
"Your Highness, we have a... situation. There was an attack in the night, the refugees are arriving in the courtyard now to seek sanctuary."
Vampires. There was no need for him to say it because she already knew who must have attacked.
"Which kingdom?" she asked in a tight voice.
"Goblin City, your Highness. They were a soft target, the rebels simply strode in and killed anyone who they came across. They didn't know not to let them in, they had no idea. It looks like the rebels have garrisoned the city. We'll need to get some reconnaissance and see how many we're up against. Hundreds at least, by the witness accounts." Peppermint replied hurriedly.
"Send some of the Grimmalks then, they're all about stealth, right? We need to hurry forward this Grand Council meeting and find shelter for the survivors." Bonnie ordered. He hurried away to follow her commands and Marceline slid a cool hand into hers with a brief squeeze of solidarity. But there was no time for more comfort than that, the first blood had been drawn in the war and they were on the receiving side. Time to mount an offensive of their own.
...
"Wait!"
The four Grimmalks who had been about to be dispatched from the courtyard stopped and turned at the command, falling to their knees almost in unison when they saw who was addressing them. Lady Evil was not someone any demon ignored a summons from.
"Take these. Let me know when you return if you needed them or not." Marceline ordered, handing them four crossbows and an unusual bundle of bolts.
"Silver tips?" Gal'no asked in surprise. "What kind of trouble are you scared we'll run into?"
"Just... let me know if you need them." Marcy repeated with a frown. She wasn't keen on the necessity of speaking to fucking Grimmalks either but she wasn't about to let them walk into a rebel held city unprepared even if she despised their species with a passion. Still, it had been four hundred years since she'd had direct contact with any rebels so perhaps things were different now. She hoped for their sakes that the silver wasn't needed.
The Grimmalks nodded and turned back to the road, strapping the crossbows to their shoulders and sashaying away with deadly grace. Marceline watched them go with a deep frown on her face.
"You really think they're still using the day-guardians?" a voice asked behind her. Marceline turned and found herself face-to-face with another damn Grimmalk. She bared her teeth; they'd do well not to sneak up on her or generally be around the royal family in any way.
"It never hurts to be cautious." she replied through her fangs. One glance at his regalia revealed that this must be First Commander M'iol; a large, muscular cat with short dense orange-rust fur patched with the odd splash of snowy white and a deceptively soft face. She supposed that in Grimmalk circles he'd be considered very handsome, certainly he'd be quite the catch given his rank alone. But Marceline didn't know that much about Grimmalks beyond how to kill them, she'd never wanted to. Not after Ja'an.
"What are your orders, Milady?" the Commander asked with a smart salute. Marcy sighed, considering. If the rebels had established a garrison in Goblin City then they were within a night's flying from the Candy Kingdom and potentially the grasslands to the south.
"How many spare soldiers do you have who won't be on watch tonight?" she asked.
"Plenty, we're not expecting to use more than half our forces in rotation on the palace and the town." M'iol replied confidently.
"I want teams of five from the rest, out patrolling the grasslands. Arm them with stakes, crossbows, and garlic along with their standard issue weaponry. And dispatch a team down to the cabin on the shore of Lake Butterscotch to retrieve Betty Groff, if the vamps catch the scent of a human they'll come from miles around. She's in just as much danger as Prince Finn and she doesn't know it yet. And if you still have spare troops we'll need extra security for the Grand Council meeting, they'll be arriving soon. I'm sorry it's short notice."
He simply nodded and saluted again before springing away to follow her commands. As much as she despised Grimmalks there was no denying that they were the final word on organisation. As M'iol hurried away a carriage pulled into the courtyard, she immediate recognised the entire Slime royal family as they disembarked. Hot on their heels came the Duke of Nuts and his children, then the King and Queen of Lumpy Space. So they'd gotten the messages about the meeting being moved forward, at least. Marceline hurried forward to receive their guests and hurry them safely into the meeting hall.
"Marceline, it isn't true is it?" Slime Princess asked the moment she approached.
"I'm sorry, SP. There are rebel vampires roaming Ooo, they overran Goblin City in the early hours. We need to fortify your kingdom, you're closer to them than we are." Marceline replied with a sigh, eyes downcast beneath her sunhat.
"Let them come. We don't have blood for them to drink so they're not going to find any food in our kingdom, and we have plenty of troops. I can't see them getting far past our defences." she replied confidently.
"Don't underestimate them, it's the last thing you'll ever do. They're cunning and savage. SP, your people are in danger just for existing. They won't just kill for food, they'll do it for sport. Just... please take every precaution you can. You know you can trust me though, right?"
"With my life, Marceline. We'll show ourselves inside, I know the way. Look after yourself. And your wife, we all know how Bubblegum gets when she's stressed."
Marcy watched Slime Princess and her younger sister out of sight before turning to greet the Duke of Nuts and exclaim over how much his two boys had grown. Little Brazilliam was almost as tall as his older brother Macadamien, the young Marquis of Nuts. They were immediately sent to the children's room where Viola, Charlie and Jake Junior were playing under the watchful eyes of their older brothers. Then the King and Queen of Lumpy Space were received and directed into the palace as more and more guests arrived. The Grand Council meeting would probably run well into the night so they'd be playing host to the Royalty of Ooo until dawn when it would be safe for them to leave. Marceline just hoped the rebels hadn't gotten wind of their emergency meeting or the leaders of the whole of Ooo would be in danger. But nowhere seemed safer than the Candy Palace, at least for now. She could only keep watch and hope they remained uninterrupted until morning.
...
Darkness fell and the Grand Council meeting continued. The Grimmalk guard changed rotation and as the day shift were busy being relieved by their colleagues nobody noticed a slender grey shape slip away from the palace and hurry off to that same spot in the candy forest where an exposed outcrop of rock bore a strange circular pattern, almost like it had been melted by some massive heat and then left to cool. By the time intense, bright light flared around the rock an hour later nobody was looking in that direction and the lesson could continue undisturbed.
His name was Yrran and he was bored. Patrolling the empty courtyard of the Candy Palace was not the detail he thought he'd be assigned to as Gal'no Fullclaw's personal assistant. But the Captain and his team hadn't returned from reconnaissance and weren't expected until the morning at the very earliest so Yrran had been roped into guard duty. He was still salty about being treated like some common foot soldier when he was a scribe and scholar, a personal assistant to the captain himself.
If a Grimmalk had one particular element that they felt most at home in, it was darkness. Yrran's sharp eyes scanned the deserted courtyard from his hiding place halfway up a wall beneath some overhanging ivy. Even another Grimmalk would struggle to spot him. Yrran had had more than enough practice at hiding from the other demon kids growing up, he knew how to avoid being noticed. He shivered as a breeze cut through his hiding place and wished for the thousandth time that night that he hadn't been too ashamed to pull on one of the fleece sweaters he'd brought; it was bad enough having no fur without his fellow soldiers laughing themselves stupid at his outerwear. Tomorrow he'd wear it and rip the throat out of anyone who so much as grinned at him, he was the captain's assistant, the average dumb infantry had no reason to even meet his damn eyes let alone make fun of him. He'd clawed his way up from the lowliest of beginnings and Yrran wasn't about to be disrespected by the kind of grunts they'd recruited just to make up numbers.
His yellow eyes narrowed at the tiniest flicker of light slipping silently around the corner of the building below him. Someone was trying to sneak into the palace. Yrran's heartbeat began to race; this was the sort of action he'd been itching for. His claws unsheathed silently and his whole being quivered like an arrow tip towards the movement. He knew that he should alert his captain, it was what he was trained to do. But Yrran worked alone. He'd only joined up with the Third Grimmalk Battalion as an excuse to visit the grasslands he'd heard so much about, perhaps meet his hero Lady Evil. Instead of sending the signal for aid he bunched his muscles silently and resisting the instinctive urge to wiggle his butt in anticipation. Any second now, the almost invisible figure would be within range-
He pounced fast as a snakebite, landing with all four paws full of razor sharp claws pressed bodily against his prey, letting out a little chatter of excitement when he felt her struggle against him. And it was a she, her scent told him that. Female, around his own age, she smelled like wood fires and old books and she was so amazingly warm. Almost feverish. As they landed in a tangle together on the courtyard floor with a pained grunt her hood was thrown back and Yrran shrunk away from the unexpected glare of blue light.
"Get off me or I will boil your blood in your veins!" she hissed against his ear.
"Try it and I'll open your throat and see what colour your life runs out." he snarled back. "Nobody gets in or out of the palace, by order of the queens."
"By order? The queens are my mothers you doofus. Get off me, now."
He rolled to one side, still breathing heavily and ready to pounce again if the strange blue fire girl tried to run. Instead she shot him a dark glower and fished a pendant out from under the dark grey robes that had been almost completely covering her flames. She held up a small light blue stone on a thin golden chain, glinting in the light of her fire.
"That's a Royal Gem!" Yrran accused. "Where the hell did you get that? Did you steal it from the princess?"
"My mother gave it to me when I was a baby. Because she's the queen? And I am the princess. And you're a moron, apparently."
Yrran was about to do- something, he wasn't sure what. Stare at her in shock or apologise and grovel or leap on her again accuse her of being an imposter, he hadn't quite decided yet. But before he could arrange his thoughts in order a black shape dropped silently out of the air overhead and wrapped their arms protectively around the girl, suddenly his world was filled with razor sharp fangs and furious hissing.
"Get away from my daughter, Grimmalk!" the newcomer snarled. Yrran immediately dropped into a deferential bow, claws retracting hard back into his paws, shivering with the shock of hearing that terrible voice.
"My apologies Lady Evil, I was just escorting her safely inside the palace." he murmured to the ground, bent so low his whisker stubs almost brushed the paving stones.
"Keep to your watch and do not come near her or me again or I will turn your guts into violin strings." the dark haired queen hissed, before swirling away and lifting the flame girl bodily from where she still sprawled on the floor. As they swept off back into the building he heard the start of what was probably going to be a long parental lecture.
"Mom, I'm not a kid, you don't need to-"
"What were you thinking, Phoebe? There are vampires out there, they would just love the opportunity to abduct you! I thought you were the sensible one, after everything we've been through with your brothers, you just wait until your Mama hears about this..."
They disappeared into the palace and Yrran stared after them, rubbing his paws distractedly. That girl had been so warm, and she was the princess? And Lady Evil's adopted daughter, he'd heard about her if he thought about it. Princess Phoebe, as beautiful as she was clever, the powerful and mysterious foundling taken from imprisonment in the Fire Kingdom as just an infant. He shivered again and shook his head, returning to his hiding place under the ivy contemplatively. For the rest of the night he distractedly wondered about blue flames and burning eyes, feverishly warm skin against his paws.
...
Mom wasn't going to interrupt an emergency Grand Council meeting to tattle on her and Phoebe knew it. And Marceline knew she knew and was pissed about it but also had no intention of adding to Bonnie's burden of stress by informing her that their daughter had been sneaking around in the middle of the night. So in the end she lectured Phoebe for a while then ordered her to bed tersely before returning to her watchful hover over the palace grounds. Phoebe watched her go from the staircase window before she turned on her heel and skipped quietly back down the stairs and along the deserted corridors to the library. There she went about gathering an armful of books about physics, thermodynamics and military strategy. Phoebe had a plan. She'd been thinking about it on the ride back on Garm and she was completely certain it would work brilliantly. Mostly. At least eighty per cent certain, anyway.
As an afterthought she paused and turned back to the towering shelves of books before hurrying across to the section on anatomy and psychology. After a few minutes of searching she added a heavy tome titled Cats Of The Underworld: Inside The Mind Of The Grimmalk. She then fled to her bedroom before anyone else could catch her and began reading by the light of her own flames. The physics books confirmed what she'd already suspected, what she'd spoken to Daven about that night. The thermodynamics books were just to make sure she hadn't missed anything and she was pleased to see that she hadn't. She tried to focus on military strategy but her eyes kept sliding to the book about Grimmalks and in the end Phoebe found herself opening it curiously and almost immediately being absorbed by the text. Even the introduction was fascinating and it didn't really go into much detail, it was just an overview of the history of cat demons and their interactions with the surface world.
Of all the demons to walk the Nightosphere none are so deadly nor so misunderstood as the Grimmalk. Part apex predator, part adoring kitten, a Grimmalk possesses the potential for a full range of cat-like behaviour. Their reputation is fearsome and well deserved but there is a lot more to these magnificent creates than meets the eye.
Little is known of the origins of this fascinating species although they are hypothesised to be descended from the ancient offspring of human mortals and elder demons shape-shifted into the form of great cats, particularly the ancient 'grods' Tezcatlipoca and Bastet. Little is known of these pre-Mushroom War deities except that they occurred independently across the ancient world and clearly show Grimmalk-like qualities.
It is true that Grimmalks retain many cat-like behaviors whatever their origin; from their single minded hunting drive to their often misunderstood courtship and affection rituals. Many scholars have noticed the almost perverse appeal of poor opinion to a Grimmalk's affection. There is no more certain way to attract their romantic interest than to show them indifference or even distain. And yet despite this reputation a bonded Grimmalk is often bonded to their mate for life; however this bond should not be mistaken for any guarantee of fidelity as a Grimmalk female in heat will seek out any available male if her mate will not oblige her carnal needs. Fights over mates and parentage are common and can be fatal.
Phoebe yawned and tried to focus on her book but the words were beginning to blur into one long streak so she put it to one side reluctantly and lay down in her bed. The book had said nothing about Grimmalks with no fur and piercing eyes, about why they might wear a thin blue metallic earring high in one long ear or why their paw pads felt like the softest fine leather against her skin. She fell asleep with the information from the introduction to the Grimmalk book still running through her head; that the best way to engage a Grimmalk's affection was to show him indifference and distain. Maybe by calling him a moron, perhaps that would do it, Phoebe reasoned as she slid onto the wrong side of sleep. She dreamed of deep purring and a direct, unblinking yellow gaze assessing her.
At first light there were hands shaking her awake and Phoebe shoved them away moodily. She hadn't slept for more than a few hours and she really didn't want to be woken for no reason.
"Up you get, your little Highness." Peppermint Butler's unwelcome voice announced. "All hands on deck, the Queen has summoned everyone down to the breakfast room."
"Huh? Wh'v I gotta go?" Phoebe mumbled grumpily.
"Because your mother says so and you are the princess, she wants to know you're safe and close by."
"Mama's dumb and overprotective, tell her I'm sleeping in." Phoebe replied, closing her eyes again and trying to pull the blankets over her head. She snarled angrily when her mother's annoying little butler pulled them away again.
"Your other mother, little Highness. Queen Marceline has summoned everyone, she insists you be brought directly to her."
Phoebe opened her eyes and frowned at him, Mom was summoning her at the break of day? Why? Almost as if he could read her mind Peppermint Butler added;
"We have visitors. There is a contingent of vampires loyal to your mother in the breakfast hall and she is going to assign you a personal bodyguard."