A/N: I present the second half of the split chapter! I hope that you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure (the game, its characters, its plot, any in-text dialogue that has been, is being, or will be used, etc.) belongs to Atlus and its respective owners. I own this humble fanfiction and anything included that is mine (such as Hans, Franz, and the other OC guards and captains, etc.), but please rest assured that no money has been, is being, or will be made off of this fanfiction. No copyright infringement is intended. And since I haven't always mentioned this, threetimes' transcription of the dialogue on GameFAQs was referenced gratefully.

Rhapsody: The Princely Chronicles

Chapter Twenty-One

"The Marjoly Family?" Franz echoed. "Aren't they, like, ancient? Why are they so young?"

Prince Ferdinand looked closer. Franz was right—they did look young, a decade older than himself at the most. Such skill in hiding age could only be a testament to their level of magic. He glanced backward toward Hans and Franz and then toward the other guards poised around the room and then up to the four women near the dragon.

It pained him to think it, but he didn't think that his guards were up to fighting witches. Was even he up to fighting witches? He had only fought the dragon last time—and a smaller one at that—not the witch herself—

Another shout rang out from the group, and they quietened. Miss Myao took a step back, and the blonde turned around to face the ballroom, brushing dust off of her cloak. Ferdinand didn't know about his guards, but he had to fight to keep his eyes on her face. (He hadn't known such scanty clothing existed in his future kingdom! Perhaps she had conjured it herself.)

The blonde cleared her throat as she viewed the thinned crowd before her. She frowned. Clearing her throat a second time, she extended her arms out beside her and said, "I greet you, ladies and gentlemen of the Marl Kingdom court." Her voice carried easily over the silence of the ballroom, but she raised her voice anyway. "I am Marjoly, the Mistress of Magic of the Marjoly Family."

Ferdinand's breath stopped. This really—

"Normally, we would not be having this conversation," Marjoly continued. "You keep to your domain and us to ours and all that, but one of your number has… disrespected… a member of my family."

—it really was—

"Now, as I heard it, it was a member of the royal family." She tutted as she leaned forward slightly, shaking a scolding finger at the crowd. "Now, that just won't do for our political relations, would it? However, as I do not consider myself a violent person—"

A cohort snorted loudly.

"Shut up!" Marjoly hissed over her shoulder, before replacing her smile for the crowd as quickly as it had left. "As I was saying, I am a kind person. I have no desire to start a war with Marl Kingdom. I wish only to settle this matter with the one responsible." Gesturing to the witch in pink beside her, she said, "I am looking for the member of the royal family who disrespected Miss Myao in the Wonder Woods a short time ago."

She scanned her eyes over the silent crowd expectantly. When no one stepped forward, she cleared her throat again and said, "I've gone through all of the trouble to see this person, so they should come forward and admit their guilt at this time, please."

The silence was deafening, and she frowned, her hands on her hips. "Unless anyone else here knows of whom I speak and would be willing to direct me to them? I acknowledge that said person might have fled the castle in fear of my wrath ahead of me and therefore is not present for you to deliver to me."

Prince Ferdinand's heart raced. Leaving was not an option. Marjoly was there for him and him alone—and if she didn't find him, there was no telling if she might harm any of those present in the ballroom, regardless of her "I'm not a violent person" speech. Given her reactions with her subordinates, she clearly could change emotions at the drop of a hat. She might claim that they were "defending" him, even if they didn't know that it was him. No one knew that he had fought Miss Myao in the Wonder Woods… except his mother.

His mother would never turn him in—but what if they harmed her in his stead?

Ferdinand's heart raced. Nervously, he fingered the handle of his father's sword. He took a deep breath.

Marjoly threw her hands in the air exasperatedly. "You people either have no idea what I'm talking about or are defending the miserable miscreant, so I'll ask you a simpler question: Who's the current king or queen?" Snapping her fingers, she said, "Quickly! Who is it?"

Prince Ferdinand's heart stopped when he saw his mother rise from the floor on the far side of the room. Her voice unwavering, she said, "I am Queen Siegrind. What business do you have with me, Marjoly?"

Marjoly frowned. "Have you not been listening to what I've been saying?"

"I'm sorry, the explosion made me faint," Queen Siegrind replied. "I've only just come to."

"Well, then," Marjoly said, waving off the excuse. "I'm looking for a member of the royal family who has mistreated a member of my family. You wouldn't happen to know of whom I speak, would you?"

Queen Siegrind's gaze met Marjoly's stoically, and neither's shifted. "No."

"You look like the type to defend them."

"I am a queen who does whatever necessary to protect my kingdom. Are you acting differently, Marjoly?"

Marjoly shifted. Then her eyes narrowed. "So you're defending him."

"Either answer I give, you will think so," the queen answered smoothly. "Therefore, I offer a solution."

Marjoly raised an eyebrow. "And what is that?"

"You've come seeking blood. For peace, I offer you mine instead."

White noise rushed in Ferdinand's ears as Marjoly turned to Miss Myao, conferring. Miss Myao frowned, her eyes narrowed as she hissed something. Marjoly shook her head. Miss Myao beat her staff against the floor as her hissing rose in pitch if not discernibility. Marjoly shook her head firmly. Miss Myao stepped forward, her voice rising, but—

"Enough!" Marjoly exclaimed. Miss Myao stepped backward quickly, and Marjoly returned her gaze on the queen. "We have conferred—"

"Overruled—"

"Shut up!" Marjoly snapped. Taking a quick breath, she said, recomposed, "We have conferred on the matter..."

Ferdinand's blood turned to ice.

"And as much as I would prefer to see the members of my family satisfied with the one responsible, we who rule over domains, kingdom and family, value the lack of war more. You may substitute yourself for the guilty party, whoever the guilty man is or was."

Ferdinand's heart stopped.

Captain Linus rushed in front of Queen Siegrind, sword drawn. Queen Siegrind stepped beside him and placed a delicate hand upon his sword arm. "My queen, I cannot!" he protested. When she gently pushed the sword aside, he protested, "But—my queen—"

Queen Siegrind shook her head. She stepped around the captain. Taking several measured steps forward, she stopped a short distance from Marjoly, her head held high.

Marjoly smiled, neither cheerful nor gloating. "You are a brave one."

Queen Siegrind matched Marjoly's smile. "I do what is necessary for my kingdom."

"So we have established, in our way of kinship," Marjoly said.

Ferdinand felt the hilt of his father's sword burning in his gloved hand, and he leaped forward to attack Marjoly. Hands pulled him back from behind and covered his mouth when he attempted to shout, and he struggled as he watched.

Raising a hand, Marjoly murmured some words, and a white light danced upon her palm. "I am sorry to see that wasted."

The hands pulled Ferdinand back more insistently, but finally, with a great force, he threw them off. He ran forward, his sword extended.

"I'll make it quick for—"

"No!"

Marjoly stopped, turning from Queen Siegrind to the crowd and demanding, "Who stopped me?!" a second before she dodged Ferdinand's sword.

Ferdinand steadied himself, his sword held in front, between Marjoly and his mother.

"Ferdinand, what are you doing?"

Ferdinand shook his head slightly but didn't dare take his eyes off of Marjoly, who had steadied herself a short distance from him. "Captain Linus," Ferdinand ordered. "Please protect my mother." Approaching armor clacked behind him and then his mother protested, but he was grateful for the captain allowing his order to override his mother's.

Miss Myao pushed her way forward and shouted, "It's him, Marjoly! That's the one who attacked me!"

Marjoly looked over Ferdinand with interest. "Did you really?"

Ferdinand swallowed quickly, and then he said, "I did. I defended one of my subjects in the Wonder Woods who ran afoul of your subordinate, and in so doing, I killed her dragon. Your business is with me, Marjoly, not Queen Siegrind."

Marjoly said nothing. Instead, Ferdinand shivered as he felt her gaze travel from his face to his boots and then back up toward his hairline. She looked away, her face reddening as the magic in her hand fizzled away, but Ferdinand didn't feel significantly different. What kind of spell did she cast on me?

As Marjoly stood frozen, beet red and alone in her thoughts, her cronies began muttering. Ferdinand thought that one said, "She's dead," but he must have misheard.

When Marjoly had stood frozen for almost half a minute, Miss Myao stepped forward and mimed slapping her back to attention. "Marjoly! What happened to my revenge?"

"Shut up! We've changed plans."

"Changed plans?!" Miss Myao exclaimed indignantly. "I flew us over here all day on a dragon for one reason and one reason only—because you promised to get even for me! I refuse to leave here without—"

"Silence!"

Miss Myao steamed silently, glaring at Marjoly. Ignoring it, Marjoly said, "I've changed the plan, and that's all there is to it. I'm serving the revenge, not you, so I can choose how it's orchestrated."

Miss Myao pouted petulantly and grumbled, "I want his blood."

"I have something better in mind, Myao." Turning to Queen Siegrind, Marjoly said, "I can see why you'd want to hide him. Is he yours?"

Queen Siegrind met Marjoly's flippant glance with an emotionless stare.

"He must be, for your willingness to die for him."

Queen Siegrind's mouth tightened, but she said nothing.

"Were you acting as a queen? Or were you acting as a mother?" Marjoly laughed, flipping her hair out of her face and making it increasingly difficult for Ferdinand to keep his eyes upward. "Although you didn't technically lie to me, I still need to punish you for withholding such a dish from me."

The queen's eyes widened.

"He's so handsome that I could just eat him up."

"No!"

"No?" Marjoly raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Then you would prefer that I kill such a handsome little princeling?"

Queen Siegrind's hands rose to her face as she murmured, "No, please…"

Marjoly laughed. "Make up your mind, queen or mother, but choose quickly. I don't have much time to offer you."

Queen Siegrind's mouth opened, but no words escaped.

Marjoly smiled. "All right, then." Pointing to Ferdinand, she declared, "I claim you for love!" Flipping her hair again, she stepped toward him.

No time to argue this, then, Prince Ferdinand thought as his muscles tightened. He gripped his father's sword tightly.

Marjoly stopped directly in front of him, and he tried to keep his eyes from traveling southward. Their gazes locked. Marjoly leaned in so that her face was near his, and then she tapped his cheek gently with a hand. "Hi, handsome," she purred. "You're coming home with me. Don't worry, you'll have some fun, too."

How dare you—you're older than my mother! Growling, Prince Ferdinand struck out with his sword. "What are you up to, witch?!"

Clang!

Ferdinand started. His sword had collided with a wall of blue, shimmering light. He shouted as he pushed against the shield, but it didn't budge, only glowed brighter. He pulled it back.

Laughter in his ear. "Playing hard to get, eh? I like that in a man!"

Ferdinand raised his sword for a second strike—

"Goodnight for now, Prince!"

—the briefest touch against his arm—

—his body spasmed—

—Ferdinand screamed.

Queen Siegrind's heart stopped at the sight of her son. Had Ferdinand—

Marjoly screamed. "No! I've turned my beloved to stone!"

Stone.

The word echoed groundlessly within Queen Siegrind's head.

Her son had been turned into stone.

Ferdinand had been turned into stone.

The laughter of Marjoly's cronies rang faintly in Queen Siegrind's ears, as well as the witch's rebuttal.

How could they be laughing—

"All of you, just shut up and take the prince to the castle!" Marjoly screamed. "I'll fix him then!"

My son—

One of the witches—the crow—prepared a spell. Before they disappeared, Marjoly turned to the queen and said, "Consider your punishment paid with your son. Your son will pay for his shortly, and I'll enjoy extracting his!"

My son—!

Queen Siegrind heard a faint echo of "Your Highness!" as the world darkened around her.

A/N: And thus ends the Miss Marl's Contest! Marjoly won. :P

Speaking of Marjoly though, I made her scene a little darker. I thought she was too much of an in-game comedic antagonist for this adaptation, but nor did I want her to be demonic. I hope that the balance rendered here (including Siegrind's appearance) is to your approval, despite the shift from the game script again.

The next chapter is planned so far as an interim. Please bear with me as we approach the end. Thanks for all of your support and sticking around this far, and please leave a review and share your thoughts!