CHAPTER 7 - Negotiations, Part 2
Pariah Dark took about two days to a) process the fact that Danny completely and utterly disrespected him and b) calm himself down after the fact. He knew he had to get these negotiations out of the way, so after procrastinating another day, he sent Fright to get his fiance.
He had a bit of a wait in the War Room, and he guessed it was because Danny had raised some Hell about coming. He was proven right when he saw Danny's annoyed expression and Fright's weary one. After Fright announced Danny's arrival and left, Pariah Dark gestured the halfa in and to the chair opposite his own. Danny sat down, and an awkward silence resonated for a few minutes.
"We need to complete the term negotiations," Pariah Dark finally spoke up. "Preferably before your eighteenth year."
Danny really couldnt tell if Pariah Dark was making a dry joke or not, but he went with 'not'. "Right," he replied. "So. What do we do today?" Pariah Dark ignored the almost mocking tone and opened his journal again, looking over his written thoughts.
"...Perhaps..." he began slowly, getting Danny's attention, "...we COULD try to find middle ground in our ruling methods." He glanced up at Danny, who blinked in surprise. "Perhaps we synergize our ruling methods depending on the situation, and see how that works out. It's just a suggestion."
Danny was still blinking at the Ghost King, incredulous to his sudden compromising attitude. Still, he really didnt want to push his luck today, and just nodded. Pariah Dark nodded back, and turned a page.
"Your second term was for me to stay out of the human world. This I can easily promise. However, for that to happen, I want assurance that humans will not come HERE." He gave Danny a level stare. "Which means all artificial portals are to be destroyed, and any future ones that are created to be immediately dispatched. It is only fair."
Danny thought about it for a moment and realized that yes; it WAS fair. Afterall, ghost activity escalated when his parents made the Fenton Portal, and if it was permanently shut down, as well as Vlad's, then ghost activity in the human world would continue in the natural portals as normally as before. That, and his friends and family would be safe. So he nodded. "It's fair," he concurred.
Pariah Dark nodded, and turned the page. "That will, however, cause problems with your third term," he said. "Unless you can find a natural portal into the human world, or create portals yourself, visiting your friends and family will prove difficult."
Danny sighed, leaning back in his chair. Damn hindsight... How was he supposed to ease around THAT clause? He racked his brain for a few minues for an answer, and his memory brought up three years back, when he faught his future self. Wasnt his evil self able to create portals? He may learn that in this future, so he saved that as a possibility, and turned his attention back to Pariah Dark. "Alright," he said. "I can figure something out later."
The Ghost King nodded again, glad he was getting through this quickly and without hassle. "Now your fourth term," he said, running his finger down his own writing, "leaves much to be discussed. I can understand that you want say in running the kingdom; it's only natural, what with you its future Prince, but I need to know that we will at least be on the same proverbial page on important matters. I would be most displeased if you made a major decision without my consent." He gave Danny a level stare, and Danny nodded back.
"I understand," Danny replied. "But I want the same from you." He sat up straighter in his chair. "Many ghosts here are my friends and allies. If YOU made an important decree that would hinder them, or wouldnt be for their best interest, it would reflect badly on ME." He stared Pariah Dark right in the eye. "I worked HARD to earn their trust and friendship, Pariah, and I DONT want to lose that."
Pariah Dark stared at his young consort-to-be, a bit surprised by the boy's sincerity. He knew Danny had allies and friends here, but he didnt know how close they were. If Danny was to become the Ghost Prince, the boy would be prepared to defend them no matter what. And the last thing Pariah Dark wanted was to be on opposition with his consort on an important matter.
"...I understand," he said, though not really thoroughly understanding at all. "And I am...willing to share the kingdom with you, as it should be. I assure you that we can and will collaborate on ruling the kingdom."
Danny nodded, but all the while thinking 'we'll see' to himself.
Pariah Dark nodded back, turning another page in his journal. "Now, I have a few clauses of my own, for your terms," he said, ignoring the barely-audible 'I knew it' groan from Danny's end of the table. "If I stop 'terrorizing' the ghosts, as you put it, I want your word that you will not aid them in an uprising against me."
Danny gaped at the Ghost King, his expression screaming 'are you kidding me?'. "What?" was all he could manage to let slip through his comprehension sieve. Pariah Dark sighed.
"You are to be my consort," he explained slowly, as though talking to a child...well. Anyway. "My spouse. My Prince. We are to be two parts of one figurehead of the kingdom, and if you break away to aid the subjects in an uprising, then you would have betrayed the sancitity of our marriage. It would be unfaithfulness, high treason, and above all, betrayal to me. None of which I will tolerate in the LEAST."
Danny could understand that; he knew that good marriages were based on faithfulness and trust, and he put that in a mental note aside to look into later. Seeing that Pariah Dark wanted a response, he nodded. The Ghost King nodded shortly and went back to his notes.
"The clause for your second term is, as I stated before, the destruction of all artificial portals, and prohibiting the use and possession of human-world items in our world. Ghosts are ghosts, and humans are humans; if ghosts happen to find a way into the human world and choose to remain there for some reason, then fine. But I will not tolerate humans or their contriband in our world. At ALL."
"Is that why you had Dora burn my clothes?" Danny deadpanned. Pariah Dark nodded, ignoring the sarcasm.
"Exactly," he replied. "You are a ghost, and you are to be royalty. You shall dress as such, in ghost-made clothing, NOT human clothing...what is it NOW?" he asked, exasperated, when Danny gestured to cut in.
"I KNOW that it hasnt escaped your memory that I'm only HALF ghost," Danny said. He paused, seeing Pariah Dark's eye twitch. "And as half human...I still have...roots and connections to the human world. I cant just...leave it behind like 'that'!" He snapped his fingers in emphasis. "I mean...what am I supposed to do once we marry? Die completely?" He snorted.
Then he was shocked, frozen to his core, when Pariah Dark nodded.
"Of course," the Ghost King said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You are to be the Prince of all the Ghost World. Which means you would have to be a pure - ." He was cut off by Danny shooting out of his chair, hyperventilating.
"WHAT!" he screamed, backing up. "YOU'RE GOING TO KILL ME! WHAT THE FUCK!"
"SIT DOWN!" Pariah Dark shouted back, immediately seeing the error in his wording of his proposition. "I DID NOT MEAN IT LIKE THA - !"
"FUCK THIS MARRIAGE!" Danny hollered, running toward the door. "FUCK THIS! I AM NOT GONNA BE KILLED! I WONT! PERIOD!"
"GET BACK HERE!" Pariah Dark yelled, bolting after Danny, who was shooting down the hall like the living half of his life depended on it, which did, in a manner of speaking. "BOY, I AM NOT GOING TO TELL YOU AGAIN - !" When Danny didnt heed his warning, Pariah Dark held out his hand and shot a blast of white-hot red ectoplasm at Danny.
It struck head-on, and Danny crashed into a wall, knocked out cold. When Pariah Dark finally caught up, Danny's transformation rings sprung forth and Danny turned human again.
The Ghost King stared at the boy for a few moments. It really didnt sink in until that moment that Danny Phantom wasnt JUST half-ghost...he was half-human, too. And humans, on the whole, were fragile, scared creatures, frightened to the bone of death. Cursing vehemently under his breath at both his horrible timing and wording of his most important clause of the marriage, he bent down and easily picked Danny up, noting that the boy was definitely going to have a hell of a headache when he woke up.
He carried Danny back to his rooms, where Dorathea was straightening up, and didnt miss the horrified look on her face; not because he was there, and she feared for her afterlife, as such the case was with ghosts in his general vicinity, but rather because of the sight of Danny, who looked quite pale for human standards and had a large bruise on the side of his face.
Pariah Dark laid Danny down on his bed and turned to the former princess. "Tend to his wound, and instruct him to stay in bed until it's healed," he commanded. Dora barely gave him an affirmative nod before rushing to the bathroom to run some water for Danny.
When he was sure Dora had his consort-to-be situated, Pariah Dark left Danny's room and headed for his own rooms, cursing it all to the deepest recesses of Tartarus en route.
Romantic, innit? *sarcasm*