Preparations

Slowly, Marco and Tom settled into their position as monarchs. Despite all their preparations, it wasn't easy. Their meeting with Troy had gone alright, with Marco managing to negotiate some terms with him and Tom using just enough intimidation to make him agree to start putting more effort into controlling the rampant crime in his hold. But there were other meetings that didn't go so well. They were often laughed at and shouted over whenever they tried to handle things peacefully, and more than once, they just had to put their foot down and use their position as the leaders of the Underworld to force their dukes and other politicians to do what was right. It didn't reflect well on them, and they were regularly being mocked as spineless and liberal.

They didn't let it get them down, though. They just kept on with their plans. After much discussion, Marco and Tom had decided that change was needed. They didn't want to run a dictatorship. So using Marco's knowledge of Earth government, they were going to transform the system into a constitutional monarchy. They couldn't do this quickly without resistance, but slowly and surely, they were going to accomplish it. They had years to do so.

Tom's parents had their concerns, as did Dreyak, and all the various dukes. But Tom and Marco laid out very clearly their ideas so the public would know, and welcomed suggestions and criticism. The people responded positively, taking advantage of the ability to provide feedback to their rulers, something they couldn't really do before.

One of the first big tasks they underwent was examining all of the current laws in place and deciding whether they needed to be adjusted or removed entirely. There were a lot of unnecessary and petty ones, things that could never properly be enforced, and ones that shouldn't be, such as a statute forbidding public decrying of the monarchs, laws regulating duels to the death, and more. Each law was picked over, and it took weeks of work and countless hours in the library studying and talking to lawyers, but eventually they were able to send in their revisions.

Then there were the judicial matters. Overseeing the courts, making sure all punishments were fair. Tom and Marco had to quickly institute a law against cruel and unusual punishment, as far too many demons were being executed in horrible, painful ways for even the most minor offenses. This was met with some outrage, but generally people were relieved. Maybe thievery wasn't a good thing, but the people who did it shouldn't have to fear death for it.

The two also discreetly had the duke Rancor investigated. But within days they had turned up enough evidence that he had nothing to do with the assassination attempts. They were back to not having any suspects. Yet the attacks continued, in various manners. Marco never fell for poison again, but he did nearly get ran over by a horse just as he and Tom were walking out of the gate to go into town. He had narrowly managed to leap out of its way, and its rider swore and hopped back, teleporting away before they could see them. A robber put him at knifepoint as he went on a walk and he was nearly cut before managing to fight them off and break their arm, at which point he was able to slam them into a wall and knock them out, calling for the guards. As he attended an archery show the guards were putting on, a "rogue" guard shot at him instead of the target, and her aim had been so flawless that if he hadn't jumped, he would have been impaled in the chest. As it was, he was still hit in the gut, and had to be quickly moved back inside so the arrow could be removed, as the leader of the unit apologized profusely and told him that this was exactly why they used dulled tips during shows. It still hurt terribly and Marco called off the rest of his duties for the day, choosing to instead lie down.

Tom's subsequent interrogation of the archer gave him nothing. Even when he had Archedon use a truth serum on her, she simply clamped her mouth shut and didn't even speak at all, which prevented her from spilling the truth. Her bunk was searched for clues. None were found. Frustrated, Tom had her locked in the dungeon, and returned to his room in a huff. And there were countless more attempts.

"I just wish I could find out who's behind it all," Tom lamented as he paced.

Marco sighed from the bed, where he was laying down, trying to ignore his growing headache. "Maybe they aren't all connected. Maybe some are just random attempts. People hate us."

"No... someone just has it out for you," Tom replied. "Nothing has happened to me. Nothing at all. I just want to stop the person behind it. I don't want them to succeed."

"Me neither. But whoever they are, they're good at hiding. They make everyone else do their dirty work."

Tom came over to sit on the bed, reaching down to rub Marco's back. "Maybe it's time that we took drastic measures."

Marco glanced at him, ears perking. "What?"

"I think we should start investigating our own palace workers. I know they all swore loyalty, and all seem to adore us, but... any of them could be doing this. Most of them certainly have the influence."

"I thought we did look into them?"

"Not as thoroughly as we could have. I'm talking... Searching their rooms. Privately interrogating them. Having them followed. It... will seem like we don't trust them. But what else can we do?"

Marco nodded slowly. "If you think it'll accomplish anything. But honestly... I had another idea."

"What's that?"

"Intentionally set myself up for a perfect attempt. Do something super public, where we can predict how someone could kill me as I do it. Then we can watch who orders the relevant supplies, and get a suspect list. And when the attempt comes, I can avoid it, and immediately capture whoever does it. And we'll force them to take that truth serum, and see if we can get answers. Someone's gotta spill the beans eventually, right?"

Tom blinked, then said, "That's convoluted but it could just work. But... the thing about truth serums is they only work as long as the person's compelled to talk. If they realize they can just close their mouth, they can keep from talking. No doubt everyone who's being hired to kill you is told that."

Marco smiled. "Then use a little compulsion magic on them."

"That's dark magic, I don't feel comfortable using that..."

"And I don't feel comfortable getting attacked all the time. I think forcing one person to talk is the least evil thing we could do."

"Guess so. It'd be hard to pull off though. Which of us should cast it?"

Marco sat up, setting his hand on Tom's shoulder. "I think you'd be better at it. Meanwhile, I can do the talking. We can get someone to talk."

"Well, alright." Tom smiled, leaning in to brush his lips over Marco's forehead. "We can try it. Now let's get some sleep, alright? We're holding audiences tomorrow morning and I'm sure we'll have to talk to a lot of people."

"Yeah... I'm sure we will."

They weren't able to get started on Marco's plan right away. Work was piling up. There was a lot to keep track of and they were struggling to maintain their schedules, as much as Dreyak hurried them around and reminded them of what they had to do. It was stressful, and they had to prioritize their duties. But there were small victories. Marco took on a project to redistribute funding, and called for more focus on education and healthcare, taking away from the vast spending of the military and prisons. The media tried to spin this negatively at first, running stories about soldiers and prison workers losing their jobs, about criminals roaming the streets... but the results spoke for themselves. Crime rates went down. Employment went up. The military became a little smaller but more streamlined and better-trained, their resources managed more efficiently. Prisons didn't have to retain inmates near as long before reforming them and returning them to society. Marco nearly perfectly sorted out all the taxes required, and received praise from the accountants he worked with, though he simply replied that he's always been good with math. This won him some adoration.

And Tom worked to investigate noble corruption, finding out that a significant number of politicians, even ones within his very court, were falsely reporting their profits, taking money from their programs to line their own pockets while leaving the citizens with the bare minimum. People were starving without need and Tom was furious at just how many shipments of food were being reported as less than they really were. He came down hard on the ones responsible, immediately removing them from their positions and hiring more trustworthy individuals. This raised some brows, as many weren't royal, but people stopped caring once the new hires proved to be better than their predecessors.

The days were hectic but productive, and finally, Tom and Marco were able to catch up on their work, and get into the groove of things. They stopped having to rely on Tom's parents as much, and were getting less complaints from their subjects about neglecting this or that. They enjoyed being able to relax more, and after about three months, began their plan to locate the one behind the assassination attempts.

Tom and Marco were going to, very publicly, attend a parade in a nearby city. They made it known where they would be standing to watch it and which events they planned on going to afterward. They decided to mention this to the media the day before it started, leaving almost no time for someone to enter the lineup of floats and performers. Yet, through keeping tabs on the lineup, they found out that a single person was able to buy their way in last minute.

"A swordsman using the stage name Gallant," Tom stated from his laptop, having hacked the chamber of commerce's server. "There are very few details on them. Their act involves showing off swordfighting techniques as they march along, spinning and slashing as if fighting an invisible foe. Sounds cool, huh?"

"Oh yeah," Marco agreed. "And I bet they're gonna go wild, jump over the fence, and skewer someone in the crowd. That someone being me."

Tom leaned back in his chair. "There isn't gonna be a fence. We're just going to be along the side of the road. Whatever happens, happens."

"Yep. But we'll be ready. Does it say where they'll be?"

"Undecided. They'll fit them into the lineup tomorrow, wherever they fit best."

"I hope this works," Marco said. "I really don't want to deal with this any longer."

"I know you don't. I don't want to see you put at risk either. But we'll get them. We'll make this person talk. I've been practicing the compulsion spell and I think I've got it down."

That got Marco's interest. "Really? Think you could show me?"

"That requires me to tell you what to do. Are you sure?"

"Yeah. You have my permission to practice it on me."

"Alright." Tom turned toward him, focusing and murmuring a spell as he gazed at Marco. He saw the other's back straighten, and said, "Do a handstand."

With no question, Marco got down and attempted to stand on his hands. He was able to do it, and he held the position, despite how his arms started to shake.

After a few moments, Tom quietly said the counterspell. Marco immediately pitched forward and fell onto his back with a grunt. Laughing, Tom went to help him up. "I guess it worked."

"Y-yeah, there's no way I would have done that otherwise." Marco rubbed his back. "That was... weird."

"How'd it feel? The spell, I mean?"

"Hard to explain. It feels like I just kinda... blanked. I was cool with doing whatever I was asked to."

"Yeah, that's pretty much how it works." Tom turned back to his computer. "Okay. So tomorrow, we go to this parade. We keep an eye out for Gallant. Since we are the king and lord, odds are a lot of the participants are going to slow and speak to us. Our guards, which we'll probably only have a few of, are going to be standing back so we don't seem defensive. Which is the perfect opportunity for a swordsman to just whip out their weapon and stab one of us. Be ready."

"What happens if I'm not fast enough and I get stabbed?"

Tom took his hand. "That won't happen. You're too quick. But I understand your concern and I took the liberty of getting you body armor. Completely discreet, no one knows I have this." He went to open his closet, pulling out a thin vest. "Doesn't look like much, but I promise, it's impenetrable. Go ahead, try." He tossed it to Marco. It was heavier than it looked, woven from coarse strands of material. He tried to scratch it, rip it open, and could do nothing to it. Not even when he took a knife to it. Satisfied, he set it on his dresser. "Just put that under your clothes and you'll be good to go. Imagine the look on their face when they can't stab you."

Marco laughed. "Yeah."

Tom turned off his computer and went over to the bed, tugging off his clothes and stretching. "Hopefully this will all be settled tomorrow."

"Hopefully. And I hope we see a good parade while we're at it," Marco agreed, following his lead and climbing into bed with him.

Tom snuggled close to him, stroking his side. "I've been to it before, it's fantastic. No matter what happens, we're still gonna have fun."