This is one of the series of one-shots of what happens outside of the plot while Zarya is away. Enjoy kiddos!
The queen sighed as she walked into the throne room, reserving a warm smile for King Darius as she looked up at him.
"Good morning" she muttered.
"Good morning" he replied as he returned her smile. He watched as his wife took her place beside him on the throne.
"So..." the queen started. She groaned as her feet rested on the arm of her throne, her head managing to make its way into the lap of her significant other. "Is there anything that I need to be informed about?"
"Our son has been very lonely since we left. Every time I go in his room to see him, he won't allow me to leave" Darius whispered as he sighed.
"That's understandable. I'm sure he'll be alright. But... maybe we need to take him to a psychiatrist. All three of them too," Melody whispered. "Arkayna watched me get turned to bone that day. I never thought leaving our children would affect them mentally. I feel so bad, and... now I don't know what to do."
"Have you at least tried to talk to Arkayna?" Darius asked as his fingers softly brushed through the queen's hair.
"I never have the chance to. Nearly everything has been about Zarya lately, and... we just don't have time to talk about things," the queen said truthfully. "The only time we get to bond is in the middle of the night. And no way is she going to want to spend time with me now that she has Emerald and Piper."
The king sighed, "They're growing up. There's no way we can get back that time now."
"I know," Melody whispered. "I miss Zarya. And I know the girls do too. It's just... it's just hard to find things to distract them for a while. It's like everything we do traces back to..." She lost her train of thought as she heard a pounding on the door. She gulped as she sat up. She gave Darius a questionable look as he shrugged.
"Who is it?" she called.
"It's me" the grim voice behind the door muttered. The queen widened her eyes in shock as she seemed to recognize the voice behind the door. Her grip tightened on Darius's arm as she looked at him, whimpering.
"I forgot he was here," she said frantically as she looked at the king.
"It's okay, Melody. I was very astonished when Piper brought him home, but... I got used to it... eventually," Darius whispered. "He won't hurt us, I know that much. We'll be fine."
Melody sighed as the king gave General Bane permission to enter the throne. The skeleton man's feet pounded as he walked into the throne room. He grunted as his sword firmly hit the ground, and he smiled as he stared at the king and queen.
"Hello, Your Majesties. I must admit, it is rather lonesome in the Mysticons' Stronghold, and I have decided that since..." he started. He looked at the queen as a look of terror plastered onto her face. He frowned as he placed his sword in its latch before continuing. "I wanted to know if the queen would like to spend the day with me. That is, if she's comfortable, of course."
The king smiled as he looked at the queen. All color vanished from his wife's face as she stared at General Bane. He sighed as he stroked her chin, prompting her turquoise eyes that glimmered with mixed expressions such as shock, terror, doubt, and clear uneasiness to look at him for a moment, her hand jerked under his.
"He wants to spend the day with me?" Melody asked.
"Yes. Are you alright with that? He wants you to be comfortable, so it looks like he'll accept a 'no'. But, please... it'll only be for a few hours, I presume. I've been spending a lot of time with him recently. He's really nice once you get to know him. Will you give him a chance? Please?" Darius pleaded.
The queen looked at the skeleton man as she sighed. He seemed to be widely open to the idea of spending the day with her. Of course, he would; he was the one who proposed the idea in the first place. Still, her mind drifted back to memories of being turned to bone. She wasn't exactly going to trust the undead being that trapped her in an endless void of darkness with closed walls that taunted her for so long. But...
She sighed, "Okay. I'll... spend the day with Dreadbane" she muttered.
"General Bane," Darius corrected. "His name is General Bane."
The queen looked at the skeleton knight. "General Bane... I would love to spend the day with you" she said as she stood up. She smiled as she walked up to General Bane. She waved goodbye to her husband as the two exited the throne room.
Melody sighed as she parked her car in front of a bed of grass. She muttered selective choices of profanity before turning to look at the skeleton man that carefully yet uncomfortably laid in her back seat. The skeleton man grinned at her, glancing between her and the rearview mirror, and he stared at her suggestively.
"We're here. I told you I wouldn't let you suffer in that seat for long," the queen muttered. She watched as General Bane raise an eyebrow which she questionably returned. "What?"
"You're going to have to help me get out of here. I could have barely fit through the door, remember?" Dreadbane answered casually.
The queen stared at him as her eye twitched, her skin boiling with anger. Not she was angry at him; the bone knight couldn't have possibly chosen to take his position in the back seat much to her annoyance. She sighed as the roaring of the ignitions abruptly halted before she stepped out of the car. She opened the door to the back seat as she smiled maternally at General Bane.
"Are you ready?" she asked.
General Bane nodded as he wiggled his toes happily. The queen chuckled as she firmly grasped his feet, tugging him as she grunted.
"Use your arms, man," she said.
Dreadbane nodded as he tried to hoist himself up, holding his arms up to the car roof. He grunted as he slid his way to the front of the seat. He groaned as he tried to sit up, his head hitting the car door frame as he hissed in pain. He whimpered as he rubbed the back of his head, looking at the queen.
"Are you alright?" the queen said frantically. "I-I didn't mean to. I'm sorry."
Dreeadbane blinked as he groaned. "It's alright," he muttered. "I'm alright." He eased his way out of the car as he stood up. He scanned his surroundings. Birds chirped, bees danced around the nectar of flowers as the trees swayed in the cool breeze as children of all sizes ran around with their friends and their parents, not having a care in the world at the moment. Back... then... this place would be the perfect target to attack. To cause mischief with his henchmen. And here he would stand until the Mysticons came to "save the day". He rolled his eyes. Heroes are so cheesy.
"Dread... General Bane, sorry. Are you coming?" the queen asked as she raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, I... I'm right behind you" General Bane muttered as he started to walk. He frowned as small children stopped what they were doing to look at him. They squealed as they ran to their mothers and fathers. He winced in embarrassment as he walked behind the queen, reaching for her hand which she reluctantly took.
"Are you okay? Should we go back?" Melody asked as she frowned.
"No, I... I assure you I'm fine. It's just... there are a lot of people" General Bane muttered.
"Yeah, it's the park. What else would you expect?" the queen said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"But... they think that I'm a threat," the skeleton man muttered as he frowned.
Melody frowned. A man with a muscular skeleton for a body would most definitely be feared by the people around him. She wondered if the atmosphere would be too dangerous for General Bane.
"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea" she whispered.
"N-no. I... I wanted to spend the day with you, and that's exactly what I'm going to do. Please... don't let my insecurities get in the way" Dreadbane said.
"Your insecurities?" Melody repeated. "Dreadbane..." she bit her lip as she tried to correct herself. "I'm sorry. General Bane... You don't have to do this if you don't want to. I would never let you do anything against your will."
"But I'm the one who dragged you out here. I'm sorry" General Bane muttered.
"It's okay. I can kind of see why you wanted to do this. You just wanted to gain my trust, that's all," the queen whispered. "Just don't pay attention to them. We'll be fine."
General Bane sighed as he nodded. He took the queen's hand as they walked.
"There's a bench over there. Come on" the queen ushered as Dreadbane walked close behind.
General Bane sighed as he watched the queen sit down. She patted the bench as she urged him to sit down beside her. The skeleton man sat down as the bench jerked underneath him. He fiddled with his fingers anxiously, sighing as a tear sprouted out of his eye, one question clouded his mind with thoughts. It felt like it was going to eat alive if he didn't let this out sooner.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" he asked as he turned away from the queen.
That question alone seemed to have the queen deep in her thoughts, and General Bane studied her expression. She bit her lip as she furrowed her eyebrows, staring into space as she tried to come up with a reasonable explanation as to why she would agree to spend the day with General Bane.
"Because... I... I don't know. Because you wanted to gain my trust so I'm giving it to you, I guess," the queen said as she looked at Dreadbane. "But I didn't know you were such a softy" she muttered as she nudged General Bane's side.
"I'm not a softy" the skeleton muttered as he turned away.
"Yes, you are. And besides, you were the one who wanted to take me out today. I'd feel bad if I said no," the queen said truthfully. "And now we're out here. Just... looking at how precious nature is. How precious life is. I... I never realized just how much I had until you stripped it away from me. Ever since I came back, I... I don't remember going outside and just... enjoying all this. And even before that, I... it just feels so nice. Thank you... for making me... not take things for granted."
General Bane looked at her. He hadn't realized that he had taken so much from her. All he did was turn her to bone so he could finally see Necrafa again. He never really understand how Necrafa could have been so cold-hearted and throw him into the portal where he spent months on end planting his flowers in the shape of his beloved's mask only for the undead lich to... not love him in return.
Looking back at it now, turning Gemina's only rulers to bone felt pointless. He realized he never gained anything from all time and effort he spent waiting in the shadows, waiting for the day that he could finally steal the Dragon Disk, and go on the quest of a lifetime searching for the Codex pieces. All that effort, all that pain and exertion, and what kind of reward does he get for it? He gets thrown into a portal, where Necrafa wanted him to rot, and later, he would become nothing but a memory.
What is love? he thought. How exactly does love work? Was he supposed to, send his beloved flowers every day and, make sure that she gets all the love and affection that she deserves? No, he did that, he's, always done that. That's why he wanted to destroy the Mysticons in the first place. But the real question remained: Was throwing him into a portal that, behind it, lied an endless wasteland full of sand and heat, and dead seeds that helped him to plant his garden of red roses and lotuses to perfection considered love? Was it beneficial to him or her in the long run? What exactly had he gained from loving Necrafa? And did the king and queen have to suffer because of it?
"I'm sorry" he muttered.
"What are you sorry for? You were the one that revived us in the end, and I... I couldn't be more grateful for that" the queen whispered as she smiled.
The bone man smiled along with her. But Necrafa still clouded his mind. He sighed.
"How... how do you know when someone loves you? Genuinely loves you?" he asked.
"I..." the queen started. She sighed as she bit her lip. "I guess... I don't know General Bane. You just... you'll know at that moment. The signs are going to be there, and... whoever your heart needs... they won't have an attractive necklace around with a red aura" she explained as she smiled.
"It doesn't make sense sometimes" General Bane whispered as he frowned.
"It doesn't have to make sense now. It never made sense to me back then. When I... transitioned from being gay to being straight, I thought that there was no way I'd like men. I always thought that they were kind of... weird, I guess," the queen said truthfully. "But I guess as you get older, your preference starts to change. Or maybe it's different for a skeleton man."
"Is love always this confusing?" General Bane questioned.
"Yes. There are some people that... no matter how much you love someone, no matter how much you pour your heart out to them, and try to give them the best you could possibly give... they break your heart because you... probably weren't good enough... or they see someone else who's rich and better-looking and moved on and forgot all about you," Melody whispered. "Those people are users. Necrafa used you. And you just need to sit down and think about how she used you. Once you have that, all you need is to try to go out there again. You have to show them that... under all that bone, there's a heart, and... and it longs to love. And it longs for someone to love it back. You'll understand what I'm talking about soon enough."
Dreadbane sighed. The queen's words swarmed his mind like bees as he tried to understand the meaning behind them. How could a human love a skeleton man? How could he learn to love when his own heart died out a long time ago? Most importantly, how could he learn to trust the people around him? He was afraid of being used by someone other than Necrafa, and he didn't want that for himself. He just wanted to be loved. But how exactly was he supposed to make that possible if he was so afraid of opening his heart to others?
"You don't have to worry about it now. You're undead, you have all the time in the world" Melody pointed out as she looked up at General Bane. Her smile turned into a frown as she looked up at the skeleton man. Tears sprouted from General Bane's eyes as he sniffled. Memories of his supposed love interest flooded his mind.
He looked at Necrafa with sorrowful eyes. "I love you!" he yelled.
He stared into Necrafa's eyes as he tried to find any trace of love and forgiveness. But the lich's eyes burned with anger. She stared at him as the portal started to consume the skeleton man. "I love you... not."
The words stung like a knife ripping a hole through Dreadbane's undead heart. Now having entered the portal, the skeleton man tumbled over in the sand, his skull cracking as he yelled in agony. There he stood, in his wasteland, taking months to plant his beloved beautiful flowers, hoping that he would one day return to her.
"Dreadbane," the queen called as she shook him. General Bane blinked as he looked at Melody.
"Are you alright? You blanked out again" she said as she furrowed her eyes.
General Bane sighed, "I'm sorry. I'm fine, I just..." he muttered. He turned away from the queen as he stared into the bushes as they swayed from side to side. The only thing that would cause the bushes to move would be the breeze. And sadly, for anyone who lived in Drake City right now, they had the opportunity of a lifetime to walk outside in 90-degree heat. So what would cause the bushes to...
Dreadbane suddenly heard a shot ring out, and before he could fathom the unforeseen events in his mind, he watched as the queen stood up in front of him, yelling in agony as she collapsed to the floor, sticky blood running down her side as her hands covered the wound. The citizens that flooded the park ran toward them, but their voices were drowned out by General Bane's thoughts as he looked down at the queen. She groaned in pain as she held onto the undead man for support. Blood covered her hands as she gasped for air, the slightest movements she made caused pain to her abdomen. Her other arm wrapped itself around the skeleton man's back as a crowd of people swarmed the two.
He was aware that he had to act fast. He heard a citizen yell that he was going to call an ambulance, another man taking the Queen from his arms.
Something in General Bane's mind clicked spontaneously as he no longer felt the presence of the queen. He turned to the man who rocked the queen in his arms, muttering gentle whispers in her ear as he tried to reassure her. General Bane stood up and turned to the stranger.
"Where's the nearest hospital?" he asked.
"A couple of blocks from here" the man muttered.
"The ambulance is already on its way!" another civilian yelled.
General Bane gasped as the realm seemed to pierce a ginormous, magical hole decorated with stars in front of him. Through the portal, came a van with a red plus sign on the side, paramedics coming from both doors as more doctors came from the back. He watched as the doctors took Queen Goodfey from the civilian's arms, placing her on the stretcher. He ran to her as they locked the doors, taking their own places in the front as the engine roared, a puff of smoke covering General Bane's body. He stood there as the portal gradually condensed into the most miniature hole before disappearing into the Cosmoverse.
There he stood almost dumbfounded as the citizens continued with their day. How could they not have been left in so much shock as he was? For some reason, his heart seemed to ache for the queen's current condition. Was she going to be alright? Would she possibly leave her children behind in a few hours? General Bane's undead stomach churned just thinking about the possibility.
He sighed as he started to walk. He had to inform the royal family so they would be able to see her in person.
The queen's vision seemed to be nothing but a blur as she rubbed her eyes, the sharp pain in her stomach returning once again. She whimpered, holding the scream that threatened to escape her larynx. She ran her fingers against the most delicate piece of fabric, laying in what seemed to be a hospital bed.
She gasped as the memory of what took place most likely an hour ago repeated in her mind. She had protected Dread... General Bane from getting shot by a man who displayed reckless disobedience. If she wasn't so lucky, she most likely would have perished for the skeleton man. She smiled as her heart swelled in her chest; she had protected the man who had turned her to bone so long ago. The thought of that alone made her forget about the immense pain she was feeling and the call button on the side of the bed.
She sighed as sweat poured down her face, drenching her loose ends as they gently rested on her shoulders. She wanted to see General Bane and his friendly smile. The short moments she had with the skeleton man made her realize that both she and General Bane went through both emotional and physical struggles. And that was what made General Bane her... her friend.
She looked up as the hinges of the hospital door creaked, revealing a young woman in a lab coat, reserving a warm yet relieved smile for the queen.
"Hi. I'm Dr. Laura O'Neil," she muttered as she walked up to the queen's bedside, placing her warm hand on hers. "First off, the police caught the man who shot you. You don't have to worry about him any time soon."
The queen sighed in relief as her hand brushed over her stomach, hissing as she relaxed in the sheets. She looked off into space as she remembered the gunman's target, and she looked up at Dr. Laura.
"He didn't want to shoot me at first. He was aiming for Dread- General Bane. I had to protect him" Melody whispered.
Dr. Laura widened her eyes in utter shock, clearly dumbfounded by the queen's statement. "But he... he turned you to bone a couple of months back. You guys are... friends now?"
"I guess. He offered to take me to the park today. I agreed to give him a chance, and we... We spent the day together" the queen informed.
"Umm... okay. Well, umm... while you were asleep, we cleaned you up, but we didn't want to start stitching until you woke up. So we'll do that soon, and get you something to eat," Dr. Laura whispered. "And we informed your family about your situation. You should be back home by tonight, okay?"
Melody nodded as she smiled, "Thank you," she whispered.
"You're welcome," the doctor whispered as she turned away from the queen, closing the door behind her as she left the queen alone to listen to her thoughts. After all the stories she'd heard about the bone man while she was growing up, it seemed so surreal that she would risk her life for him. She couldn't even fathom the events herself much less General Bane. If she had to be honest, she had no idea what she was doing at that moment. It seemed as though all logic flew out the window for her when she stood in front of General Bane. And for some reason, risking her life for General Bane could never top the imbecility of leaving her daughter in this very same hospital. It didn't feel like carelessness to her now, nor when the event took place. She wished that she would be able to see General Bane so that he could help her sort out her emotions.
She looked up as she heard the doorknob turn, and there stood her two children and beloved husband, as well as...
"General Bane," she muttered as her family walked up to her, the bone man sheepishly trailing behind as he waved at her.
"Mom," her daughter whispered as she sat down beside her. "Are you alright?"
The queen nodded, "It still hurts, but... I'll be fine. The doctor said they stitched the wound while I was asleep."
"Thank the stars," the king muttered as he planted a kiss on her forehead.
"We were so worried when General Bane called. I couldn't even move," Arkayna whispered as she chortled.
"Yeah," the queen whispered as she sighed. "Does Kitty know?"
Arkayna nodded as she smiled, "Everyone knows. Kitty was really worried about you especially."
"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have scared you guys like that" the queen whispered.
The king's face softened as he spoke, "It's okay, Melody. It's not your fault. You were just trying to protect General Bane." He turned to the skeleton man who stood in the corner of the room. "And we couldn't be more proud of you." His gestures beckoned General Bane over to the queen's bedside, and he knelt on the ground as he held her palm in his.
"I'm so glad you're okay," he whispered. "Thank you... for protecting me."
The queen smiled, "You're welcome General Bane," she said softly.
Arkayna's smile faded as she retrieved her cellular device from her pocket, "I told Zarya I'd call once I found out you were alright. She's worried too."
The queen nodded as the phone's ringing sounded in the room, the Ranger's voice coming from it shortly after.
"Is she alright?" Zarya questioned, the panic indicated in her tone.
"She's okay. The doctor had it stitched and she's laying on the bed right now" Arkayna whispered as she handed the phone to her mother.
The queen stared at the screen as tears sprouted from the Ranger's eyes.
"Mom," she whimpered. "Are you sure you're alright?"
Melody's heart completely fragmented like shards of glass as she stared at her daughter. She was definitely aware of the sacrifices she made. But seeing her daughter in a wheelchair, her reddened face covered with tears as they continuously rolled down her eyes, made her feel absolutely guilty. But for some reason, she didn't want to take away that moment in the park.
She looked up at her husband as he stroked her hair, comforting her as her hand rested on her abdomen. She whimpered as she began to speak.
"Zarya. Please don't cry, sweetie. I'm okay, I promise. I..." she muttered. Tears pricked from her eyes as well as she spoke. "I'm sorry. I just didn't know what to do. I didn't think, and..." She looked up at General Bane. "I know that you said General Bane sacrificed himself for us, and... I guess I just wanted to return the favor... and to do that one brave thing in my life."
"It's okay, Mom. What you did, was the most selfless thing I have ever seen someone do. Gygax knows what would have happened to General Bane" Arkayna whispered.
"Yeah, Mom. No one would ever have the courage to do what you did," Zarya said as she sniffled.
"And I have to thank you so much for that" General Bane said as he smiled.
King Darius brushed his thumb against the queen's palm as she looked up at him, "We'll be right outside waiting for you, alright?"
"Okay," the queen said as the trio left the room. She sighed as she lifted her shirt, staring at the hole in her stomach. After all that happened to her today, a little rest could never hurt.
The Mysticons' old-fashioned Stronghold's atmosphere seemed so comforting to her as the lights shined in the passageway, the foundation of the stonewalls protecting her and her new wound as she walked. She looked at Arkayna's friends, as well as Kitty and Kasey, as they looked back at her, relief replacing the worry that was once coated in their eyes.
Emerald, Arkayna's long-time companion, stood up to greet the Queen first. "Thank Gygax you're alright. Don't you ever scare us like that again" she whispered as she chortled, wrapping her arms around the queen gingerly.
"I'm okay, Emerald," Queen Goodfey whispered. She looked past the dwarf as Mysticon Striker looked up shyly at her.
"Hello, Piper," she whispered.
"Hi. General Bane told us what happened. I honestly didn't know what to think," the Striker muttered. "Are you okay?"
"I'm okay. I have a hole in my stomach, but I'll manage," the queen muttered. She turned to General Bane as she smiled. "I have to protect the ones I love. Even if it means sacrificing my own life."
Kasey smiled as he let a tear slip from his eyelid. "That was so beautiful," he whimpered before bawling into his sister's shoulder. He soon walked up to the Queen and wrapped his arms around her as he sobbed into her shoulder.
"Hi... Kasey," Melody stuttered as she gasped. "I'm okay, I... He's a softy, isn't he?"
"Yeah, I'm the reason for that" Emerald muttered as she pried Kasey away from the queen.
Melody grinned as she faced General Bane again, his own smile widening before he walked up to her, scooping her up in his arms as he planted a kiss on her cheek. "Your Majesty, I... I love you" he whispered.
Queen Goodfey sighed as she looked into the skeleton man's eyes for evidence of romantic love for her. She smiled as she stared at his bony, melting cheeks, the same ones he had been giving to her all day. Now she knew she had made a friend in General Bane.
"I love you too, General Bane" she whispered.
She laid on her back as she stared at the ceiling, her daughter's chandelier hanging above her. Her head pounded as her thoughts swirled on her mind. She just couldn't seem to get over the fact that she had risked her life to save a person that was technically already dead.
She sighed as she sat up, turning around at the slight ruffling of the sheets. Her daughter looked up at her as she squinted her eyes.
"Are you okay?" she questioned.
Melody nodded, "I'm alright, kiddo. Just... can't sleep. I'm gonna get some water."
"Alright. Em and General Bane are outside. Be careful not to wake them up," Arkayna told her as she turned away from her, sighing as her hair brushed against the pillowcase.
"I'll try not to," the Queen whispered as she stood up and walked out of the room, the gentle closing of the door sounding in the hallway as she started to walk. She smiled as she walked past a familiar sleeping foz on the medieval stony ground, making a note in her miniature mind to pick him up later. She looked up to the sound of snoring coming from Malvaron and Doug. She smiled as she stared at the black-haired boy, his lips pursed together while he slept. Maybe he isn't so bad.
A soft purring sounded in the distance, and she turned to see Mysticon Knight's wolf-like state. She smiled as she walked up to the alpha, brushing her fingertips against the hairs on her body as the creature leaned into her.
"Hello," she whispered. "You wanted to take a walk too, didn't you?"
"I feel awful knowing now that the spell didn't work." She turned to the direction the words came from, frowning as General Bane looked down sympathetically at the werewolf.
She walked up to him as the alpha trailed behind her. "It's okay, General Bane. I"m sure she doesn't mind."
General Bane nodded as the alpha nudged his side gingerly. He smiled as he petted her before turning his direction back to the queen.
"We need to talk about what happened today," he whispered.
Melody nodded, "I was just scared. I didn't know what to do."
"I never should've taken you out there. I should've kept you safe. I'm sorry" General Bane whispered.
"It's okay. I'm fine, really, I... I understand why you feel guilty, but... things happen General Bane. We just have to learn to deal with it when they do," the queen whispered.
General Bane nodded as he looked down to the ground. He gasped as he felt a pair of petite arms wrap themselves around his waist. He sighed as he stroked the queen's hair, the jovial howling of Emerald Goldenbraid sounding behind him. He let go of the queen as she walked up to the sink, water flowing from the pipe as the sound of gentle ruffling filled the room. She turned to General Bane and Emerald.
"Zarya's room is vacant. We can stay there if you'd like" she whispered.
General Bane nodded as he walked amongst the queen and the werewolf, his feet lightly tapping on the stone-cold floor. He watched as the queen opened the door for Mysticon Knight, the soft purring coming from the wolf as her tiny hairs landed on the floor. He stared in awe at the decor as he walked around. The blue aura shone on the street signs that hung up on the walls, the mysticon's dresser filled with small lotion and perfume bottles stood off to the side. A small lavender cage hung from a string where he assumed the Mysticons' foz slept when it was time to turn in. To sum up, the room looked loud and he assumed that it fitted Zarya's loud personality.
He watched as the queen laid on the newly installed mattress, beckoning him to do the same. He timidly walked up to the bedside as he sat down, his weight bringing down the mattress as he felt the sheets. He seemed to relax as he rested his feet and head on the bed, and he sighed as he looked at the Queen of Gemina.
"It's not bad," he whispered as a smile formed onto his lips. "I like it."
"It's certainly better than the floor, isn't it?" the queen asked as General Bane nodded. She smiled as the skeleton man sat up to pull the covers over her, the mattress sinking underneath her once again as she giggled.
"Thank you," she whispered. "Are you cold?"
"I don't have skin so I can't feel whether it's cold or hot. The weather doesn't affect me that much," General Bane whispered as he frowned.
"You... can't feel a bullet penetrate through your ski- bones," Melody muttered as she bit her lip. "Fuck. Well, now I feel dumb."
General Bane chuckled, "Yeah, I was wondering how long it would have taken you to figure that out."
"Sometimes, things aren't that self-explanatory for me," the queen whispered. "What's it like not being able to... feel anything?"
"Well, it was pretty useful when I was evil, but... now all I do is sit here and eat... and watch Twinkly Mare" General Bane whispered.
"Who put you up to that?" the queen questioned in between giggles.
"Doug Hadderstorm. I'm convinced that boy is too old to be messing with those childish imitations of the horse of Great Troy" General Bane whispered.
"Huh?" Melody muttered as she cocked an eyebrow.
"It's... an Earthian thing. I had to do years of studying on Earth to know about the Great Troy" General Bane said.
"Oh. Well, umm... my guess was Piper, so... guess I was wrong" the queen whispered.
General Bane chortled, "The point is, it's what a lot of people don't understand about a bone man. My former lackey, Tazma, complained about how I could never feel whether it was hot or cold, and... Tazma being Tazma said that it annoyed her to some extent."
"So, she misjudged you?" the queen asked. General Bane nodded as he fiddled with the sheets, frowning deeply as he closed his eyes.
"That must have been awful" Melody whispered.
"It's not that bad with Tazma. It was clear that she wanted to overpower me. Thinking about Necrafa hurts though," General Bane said truthfully. He looked up at the queen as he furrowed his eyebrows. "Did Mysticon Ranger ever tell you about this... Estel person?"
Melody nodded, "Yeah. Why?"
"She said it was Necrafa before she was corrupted. Do you think it's true?" General Bane questioned.
"Yes, I do. Zarya wouldn't lie about things like that... Or, at least... I don't think she would," the queen muttered. "But Arkayna told me she was in the hospital with Zarya. Why did they put them in that place?"
"They're... afraid... that something might happen... and someone might get hurt" General Bane muttered.
Queen Goodfey sighed, "I think we've all been through enough for three weeks. I think we just... need to relax... if that's even possible. I just hope Estel will be alright. Imagine being trapped inside Necrafa's soul for so long only to end up in a hospital basement for wearing a corrupted mask."
"It's probably for the best," General Bane whispered. "What if she lashes out?"
"What if they both lash out?" the queen muttered. "Does the mask have any side effects?"
"None that I know of," General Bane murmured as he sighed. "Have you... have you heard from them at all? I'm worried about... Estel, is it?"
"It is, but, I... I didn't think of calling. I just got distracted, but... it looked like Zarya was fine when Arkayna wanted me to talk to her," Melody muttered. She leaned into General Bane's chest as she sighed. "I'm sure they're fine. They're in good hands."
"Okay, I... I guess I'm okay with that response," General Bane whispered. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but... I can't wait to meet her."
"I'm sure Estel would love you," the queen whispered as she closed her eyes. "Good night, General Bane."
"Good night... Queen Melody" General Bane whispered.
Melody chortled, "You're the second person who's called me that this week. I like the title. People should start calling me that more often."
Silence started to fill the room along with the occasional chirping coming from the foz in his cage. He stared at the two in admiration while they slept, and he soon leaped out of his cage and trotted into the passageway. He gingerly opened the door into the Dragon Mage's room, the soft, rhythmic breathing coming from the girl as she slept. She gasped as the foz leaped onto her stomach, and she groaned as she looked at the foz in the darkness.
"Choko? What's wrong?" she questioned. She watched as Choko waved his paws in the air as he jittered excitedly, his grin growing increasingly wider as the Dragon Mage stared at him tentatively. His right paw pointed to the door, and Arkayna stood up as Choko scurried up her shoulder.
"Is it Tazma? O-or maybe one of the Vexicons?" she questioned as she gradually walked out of her room. She looked back at the foz as he shook his head. She watched as the foz jumped off her shoulder and scurried to her sister's room. He cracked the door open as the footsteps of the Dragon Mage lightly tapped on the floorboard.
"So then what...?" Arkayna muttered as she pushed the door open, and she gasped as she stared at her sister's mattress, the pair of bare-skinned and bone-like feet hanging from the edge of the bed as the soft breathing from the queen could be heard. She gradually walked up to the Ranger's bedside as she stared at her mother in General Bane's arms. Memories of how her mother was turned to bone now swarmed her mind as her thumb gently stroked her mother's cheeks. She drew back as the queen whimpered, and she watched as General Bane gingerly ran his ginormous fingers through her tangled strands, lulling her back to sleep.
"Holy fuck" she muttered, looking back at Choko as he chirped in excitement. She stared at the queen and the bone man before she trotted out of the room. She opened the door to the right as she stared at the Striker resting peacefully in her bed. She walked up to her bedside as she shook her awake.
"Hmm?" Piper muttered groggily as she opened her eyes. "Ugh, what do you want, Arkayna?"
"Come look" the Dragon Mage whispered as she grabbed Piper's arm, pulling her from her mattress. Piper rubbed her eyes as she groaned, dragging her legs lazily as the antsy Dragon Mage held a tight grip on her wrist. She squinted as her vision was now somewhat blurred. She whimpered as a bright light shone in her eyes, and she shook her head as she stood tall beside the Dragon Mage. What she was being shown? General Bane and the queen of Gemina resting peacefully on the Ranger's mattress.
Piper was wide awake now. "But... b-b-b-but he turned her to b-b-bone. Why... How... What the actual fuck?" She stuttered. "Holy shit."
"That's what I said," Arkayna whispered. "But look at them. They look so... peaceful."
"Yeah..." Piper muttered. She pulled out her phone as a light flashed from the camera. "Your mother isn't in the group chat, but I want to... send it to everyone right now."
"692-233-7218," Arkayna whispered. "Holy fuck."
"Are you gonna be saying that all night?" Piper questioned as she chortled. "Come on, Em, let's get you something to eat" she whispered as she walked away, her alpha companion trailing behind her.
Arkayna sighed as she gradually followed her fellow mysticons in the shallow hallways. Her sister just had to see what she had witnessed. But little did the princess know that Zarya wouldn't see the message...
And that's it for this chapter. Not only would I like to do a one-shot with the king and queen, (I have a ship name for them, but it will be revealed with the chapter's out) but I also think that a chapter with Queen Goodfey and Proxima would appropriate as well. My only problem is that I've never written Proxima's character before, and it's not like I can make it up like what I do with the queen. I don't really want her to be shy around the queen because she is very outspoken when it comes to certain things, and I don't want to... dumb down her character if you know what I mean. So anyway, what do you guys think I should do? Please, vote, comment, and share. Peace! And stay safe!