Isis watched as things started to fall into place over the next couple of weeks. Her dad, thoroughly motivated, did just as he said he would do. The castle wall was lined with guards and it seemed like hordes of them patrolled the castle grounds. As she walked through the halls, running into the fifth guard that day, Isis wondered how her father was paying all of these men. After all, wasn't the Ice Kingdom practically bankrupt? She pushed her musings aside as she tracked down her brother. It was late evening and it was her favorite time of the night. The moon was just high enough that the entire Kingdom sparkled like a giant star. It was beautiful and oddly symbolic.

Opening the door of Luke's bedroom, Isis was delighted to see that he had already drank half of the bottle of gin that she had given him an hour ago. As if on cue, she heard Luke throwing up in the bathroom and she smiled softly to herself. There was no way his body could recuperate after such a heavy dosing of poison. It was already running through his veins, each beat of his heart speeding up the process. Her brother stumbled out of the bathroom and leaned against the doorframe, swiping his wrist across his mouth to get rid of any stray body fluid.

"Isis…I don't feel so good. I think I drank too much." Isis immediately put on her doting mother persona and rushed over, murmuring soft assurances as she guided him to the bed.

"I'm sure you just need some rest, dear Brother. Just sleep it off. You'll be fine in the morning." He seemed to relax as Isis spoke, as if her words were the very medicine he needed. Isis didn't doubt that Luke thought he would die from alcohol poisoning one day, even the whole kingdom thought so, and he had been right to worry. Though she was sure he didn't imagine it happen quite so literally. Not that he was aware of it.

Luke settled into a deep sleep and Isis brushed a few stray hairs from his face. "Goodnight, Luke. Sweet dreams." She said for appearance purposes before leaving the room, shutting the door behind her.

It was really too bad that all stars fall.

xxXXxx

Isis was thankful that it was a known habit of the King to sleep into the late hours of the day. It gave her plenty of time to deal with her father. That morning, Isis tracked down the former King and poked her head inside his study.

"Morning, Father." She said cheerily and her father's face seemed to light up at the sight of her. Isis was shocked at the expression on his face for a few seconds and resisted the urge to look behind her shoulder to see if Luke was there. As she had been growing up, that look on her father's face had only been directed towards Luke. Isis then realized that the tables had turned once again. Luke was now the failure. He had been unable to rule the Kingdom effectively and had lost their father's love and appreciation, but she had obediently gone to the Candy Kingdom for her marriage and ruled a prosperous kingdom. In her father's eyes, she had been the successful child, and therefore, deserved his love. Isis tried to ignore the pleasure that fact brought her. Luke was no longer the favored one. She was.

"Isis! Good morning! What can I do for you today?" He beckoned for her to take a seat and Isis obediently took one.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go on a ride with me this morning? I haven't ridden with you for so long now…could up indulge me? Pretty please?" Her father smiled and slowly rose to his feet.

"Of course, my little Snowflake. I shall meet you in the stables in a few minutes. I have to gather some guards to travel with us." Isis nodded eagerly and was practically out the door before he had finished his sentence. She heard her father's laughter and smiled to herself. It was exhilarating to know that he didn't even suspect a thing.

"Your Majesty!" A guard called after her and Isis stopped so the man could catch up with her. He seemed out of breath and Isis refrained from wrinkling her nose. How could a guard who couldn't even run down the hall without getting tired protect the castle? Isis made a small mental note to hire a new batch of guards when she was Queen as she patiently waited for the man to relay his message.

"Your Peppermint Maid is here." He told her with a rather pathetic salute. Isis nodded and asked where she was. He pointed down the way he had come and she nodded her head in thanks before walking there. Pepper, looking on edge, was sitting in one of the waiting chairs in the foyer. The old maid fidgeted constantly until she saw Isis, immediately straightening in her seat. Isis had already lost track of how many times Pepper had come to the Ice Kingdom to receive the antidote for the poison that ran through her veins. She also gave her reports of the ongoings of the Candy Kingdom, a likely reason for her to traverse from one kingdom to the next so often. No one questioned Pepper's presence because no one suspected why she was really here. It was beautiful really. Isis loved it.

"Hello, Pepper." She smiled while Pepper just glared up at her. Isis pouted. "Now that's no way to treat your Queen. After all, your life is in my hands." Reaching into the folds of her gown, she pulled out a small vial of liquid the color of lavender. Pepper's eyes widened before she slowly forced herself to smile and address her Queen properly. Isis smiled. "That's a girl. Now, what's going on at the Candy Kingdom?"

Her eyes on the vial, Pepper started to relay the information like her life depended on it. Isis resisted a smirk. It kind of did. "The Candy Kingdom is doing well under Gumball's rule. He has settled any unrest that the subjects have experienced and no one suspects that he is not J.R. Everyone thinks that J.R. has turned over a new leaf and is suddenly interested in the Kingdom and devoted to his wife." She had said this in a soft whisper to prevent anyone from overhearing and Isis nodded along before handing Pepper the antidote.

"Good. Now hurry back to the Candy Kingdom and send J.R. my love. Thank you for being so dedicated to the royal family." Pepper glared at Isis before snatching the vial from Isis's hand and stalking out of the castle doors. Isis laughed before heading off to the stables like she had promised her dad she would do. When she reached the stables, Isis found her father already waiting on her.

"I'm sorry I took so long, Father. Pepper had just arrived and I didn't want to keep her waiting when she had traveled so far to relay a message." Her father nodded amiably.

"No worries, Snowflake. Would you like to ride Skye?" He gestured towards her mare and Isis beamed.

"Of course! Lets go!" She was delighted that her horse, and her father's, had already been saddled, so they were on the trail in a matter of minutes. Besides her and her father, there were six people riding. He had gathered four guards to escort them on their trip. Isis kept up conversation with all of them as they rode, her eyes glancing up at the trees every so often. She did it often enough that her father questioned her about it.

Isis just laughed it off, saying that she was just nervous, remembering all the stories her servants had told her to keep her from running off into the forest. As they were all comparing stories, they ran into a body.

"Hold!" Her father called and they all stopped. The former King slid off his horse, as did the guards, before they all walked over to the corpse. "Isis, stay on Skye." Her father called out and Isis nodded warily, gripping Skye's reins tightly. This hadn't been part of the plan. What was going on?

Her father and the guards were examining the body when people seemed to materialize from the tree foliage. Understanding dawned on Isis as she saw the assassins and she turned to her father. "Father! Look—" An assassin jumped from the tree and knocked her off her horse. Isis fell hard as the other assassins leaped out of the trees and descended upon the group.

Her father, looking up at her warning, saw Isis fall and then drew his sword with a cry of outrage. The guards did the same as they began to combat the intruders. They fought valiantly but they were clearly outmatched. The guards were dispatched quickly and her father was slowly backing up towards Isis as they edged closer to him.

"Isis, get up and get on Skye. Ride back to the kingdom and tell everyone what happened here. I'll hold them—" He stopped midsentence as a searing pain erupted from his back. He saw white as he staggered forward. He knew the mark had hit home for the blade had missed bone, sliding between the ribs of his rib cage and piercing his organs. It was a mortal wound, without question.

"I-Isis…get…out of here…" He craned his head to where Isis had fallen but saw nothing. Where had she gone? He cried out in pain as the assassin twisted the blade to finish the job. He fell to the ground and looked up at his attacker, gasping when he saw Isis standing over him with a triumphant smile, blood dripping from her hands. "Isis! How could…" His eyes lost their life as the words died in his mouth. Kneeling, Isis closed her father's eyes and kissed her father's temple.

"I'm sorry Father, but it had to be done." It was true. There was no way she could ascend to the throne when Luke was gone without her father interfering. He would want to be placed back onto the throne while trying to find another male heir and Isis couldn't let that happen. She had to be the one to save her home. It was her destiny.

Isis got to her feet and the assassins circled her. She cocked a hand on her hip and stared them down before they slowly fell into line in front of her. "Thank you." Isis told them before yanking the knife out of her father's back. "You have done well, and I thank you for your service." She walked towards them, going through the motion of sheathing her knife when the assassins began to bow towards her. Seizing the opportunity, Isis then slit the throats of the men before her. The three men fell to the ground as Isis sheathed her blade without cleaning it. She couldn't afford to leave loose ends and those men were the only people who knew what had really happened here. Isis then mounted her horse and galloped back to the Kingdom as if her life depended on it.

Reaching the castle, Isis, hidden, slashed the top of her thigh and nicked her head with the blade along her hair line so blood seemed to gush down her face. She then staggered out into the open and up the castle steps. Servants and guards, seeing her, immediately set into a panic, taking her inside while blockading the castle. Isis made herself rigid and acted frightened, screaming and kicking when people tried to pick her up.

"The poor girl. She's traumatized." One said.

" Grab her legs and arms!" Another said gruffly. She had knocked someone in the head, Isis absently wondered if that had been the person the second voice belonged to.

She was brought to her room and refused to speak. Her eyes were wide as she huddled in a corner in her room, utterly convinced that the assassins would come get her. She brandished her knife and slashed at anyone that came near. Eventually, people left her alone so she could recover, assuming the worst since she had come back alone.

A couple hours later they discovered that Luke was dead.