Again, thanks for the reviews! Your critiques sustain me! That, and ginger ale. But anyway.
Hokai! To reviewer REBD who had questions:
Q. Is someone from outside the Ghost Zone is going to put their nose into this? I'm just wonding if it's going to be before or after Danny is married.
A. Yes, someone WILL put their nose into it. Later.
Q. How long is it to Danny 18th birthday?
A. About nine months.
Q. Is Pariah Dark really going to try to finish killing Danny?
A. The answer to that is in this chapter. Read on.
Now, on with the story, ja?
Chapter 8 - Negotiations, Part 3
It took three days for Danny's bruise to heal and the headache to go away, but then the newer headache of having to deal with Pariah Dark again set in, and he attempted to fake illness to avoid the inevitable.
And he would've gotten away with it too...if it werent for that meddling Dora...
The former princess had actually pulled him out of bed, pushed him into the bathroom, and after an hour of him sulking in the tub, had come in and stood by the tub staring at him with her arms crossed until he got so uncomfortable, he HAD to get out and get dressed.
When he asked her WHY he had to get up, she gave him a stern glare that looked both cute and frightening, like he was getting a glimpse of the dragon inside, and decided to shut up while she explained.
"You're going to become a PRINCE, Sir Danny!" she said, sounding like she'd been wanting to say this for a long while now. She took his shoulders in her hands and looked him in the eye. "You will become a ruler of all of us! Have you any idea how much hope you will bring to people when the engagement is announced? Even those who do not like you will stand behind you in this union." She paused, sighing, clenching her fingers into his tunic top.
"...Sir Danny...when I first felt the return of our King...I felt a hopelessness like none I have ever felt before, in life and unlife." He looked up at him with teary ruby eyes. "...But when I was told you were to be the King's consort...I felt hope. Hope for myself, my friends...for everyone in our world. I have already seen what your presence does to him...I believe that you are the balance to the King...to make everything peaceful in this world. To make his reign RIGHT this time around. So please..." She lowered her head, sobs hitching up her throat. "...Please...make it work...I've never asked ANYTHING of you, Sir Danny Phantom, but please...!"
Danny put his arms around her and hugged her tightly, clenching his teeth together to resist an outpour of unbecoming emotions that welled in his own chest. He knew Dora was right; the other ghosts in the Zone would look to him for hope in this seemingly hopeless situation, and he had to step up to that mantle and be a hero...a hero of a different sort this time. Selflessness, self-sacrifice, and a level head and temperment were what he needed to help his people.
...His people... He inwardly gave a weak laugh; he already sounded like the Ghost Prince, didnt he?
Danny pulled away from Dora after a few minues and smiled at her. "I understand," he said, looking her in the eye. Dora smiled back and wiped at her eyes with her hands.
"Oh, look at me, blubbering like a milk maid...!" she quipped to herself. She situated herself properly and sighed. I shall send for the page..."
"Dont bother," Danny said, hooking his belt arond his waist and pulling on a pair of black gloves. "I'll see to Pariah myself." Giving her another smile, he transformed into Phantom and turned and left his room on his own for the first time since arriving to the castle.
Dora watched him leave, and shook her head, a mirthful smile playing at her lips. Only Danny could call Pariah Dark by his given name out loud, she thought. This monarchy was certain to be entertaining, if anything.
Danny made his way through the halls to the King's Wing, not even looking at any of the ghost guards. He kept his posture upright and confident, to give the illusion that Pariah Dark had called for Danny to arrive by himself, like a big boy ghost, instead of having to be babysat by the former Fright Knight. It worked, obviously, and Danny found himself standing in front of the Ghost King's quarters doors. He took a moment to compose himself before knocking with the side of his fist to get the sound across to the other side.
It only took a moment for the Ghost King to bark out a curt "ENTER!", and Danny opened the doors, finding Pariah Dark sitting in his large chair in front of the fireplace, looking over scrolls and jotting down notes in that journal book he always brought with him during their 'talks'. He didnt look up when Danny entered, and Danny figured Pariah Dark thought he was Fright. After a few moments of silence, Pariah Dark spoke up irritably.
"What is it, Fright?" he demanded, sounding a little tired, to Danny's surprise. Danny took a needless breath and let it out.
"...I came to talk."
Pariah Dark's writing hand froze at the sound of Danny's voice, and the Ghost King looked up, his remaining eye widening at the sight of him, then narrowing at seeing he was alone. "Who brought you?" he demanded, putting the quill down. Danny held his fiance's stare.
"No one," he replied, stepping inside and closing the doors behind him. "If I am to be Prince, I cant very well be expected to be babysat around what is soon to be my own castle, can I not?" Inwardly, he gave himself a high-five at the regal tone he managed with the Ghost King. It seemed to catch Pariah Dark's attention, for the Ghost King stared at him for a moment before blinking and setting the journal down on the table.
"...You wish to talk," he said. It was a statement, but Danny heard it more as a question, and nodded.
"...I do," he said, boldly stepping further in the room and sitting down across from the Ghost King. "...I...realize I...reacted irrationally a few days ago..."
"No," Pariah Dark interrupted in the same tired tone Danny heard earlier. He leaned back in his chair and sighed. "You reacted perfectly rationally for a boy who was just told he was to die on his eighteenth year. My choice of words were unwise, and I wish to correct any misconceptions."
Danny found an undertone of a question, and nodded. "...I'm...willing to hear it," he replied, his fingers clenching the chair's arms slightly. Pariah Dark gave him a quick glance before nodding to himself.
"On the day we marry," he began slowly, to avoid any aforementioned misconception, "you shall drink of a wine that will stop your heart and make you completely ghost." He gestured to a few scrolls on the table. "I have done research in ways of which you will become a pure ghost with the least possible pain or trouble, and this particular rare wine - The Drink of the Dead - will merely stop your heart from beating. If you drink it in your ghost form, then you will merely feel your heart cease beating...and you will no longer have a human form."
Danny listened with rapt attention, and was surprised that that was all Pariah Dark had planned to do to 'kill' him. It didnt even sound all that painful, to be honest; sure, having to feel your heart stop couldnt be a picnic, but it was better than, say, getting it run through with a sword, being strangled, or drowned, or any other of the hundred scenaros that had run through his mind three days prior. Just drink a ghost wine, and his heart stopped. That was it. Granted, it was technically poisoning, but Danny wasnt really in the mindset to split hairs at the moment.
"...I got it," Danny replied after a moment of thought, nodding to Pariah Dark. "Thanks for...eh...clearing that up." MAN, this was awkward...
Pariah Dark nodded back curtly, tapping a finger to the arm of his own chair. "As for your terms," he said after a moment's pregnant pause, "I am willing to let you visit your human family and friends for one week to sort your affairs in order. You may choose the time of your visit, perhaps around this 'Christmas' I have heard some ghosts talking about. After your return, all artificial portals will be destroyed."
Danny nodded, feeling a rush of joy at the prospect of seeing his friends and family again; then he felt a trickle of cold dread slip into his gut. What was he going to tell his PARENTS? Alright...calm down...cross that bridge when we come to it, Danny... He took a deep breath and let it out. "Sounds fair," he said. "Anything else?"
Pariah Dark nodded. "I intend to announce the engament within the next three months, " he said. "I wish of all who can to be there at the annoucement.
That was code for 'make a public specticle out of it', Danny knew, but he saw the significance in it; the public knows, the public prepares, and Danny can give the ghosts some hope for their future. He got a sudden flash of inspiration.
"What about Christmas Day?" he asked. Pariah Dark looked up, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"Why that day?" he queried. Danny blinked.
"...The Truce?" he asked, gesturing a little with his hand. Blank stare from Pariah Dark's end of the room. Danny sighed. "It might have been after your...last reign...but anyway, all ghosts form a truce on Christmas Day, and take a vow to not fight or cause another ghost harm. Parties are usually held, and everyone is a friend of everyone else for a day." He shrugged. "If you wait until Christmas Day, then most of the ghosts will be in the Zone, and if you take the Truce Vow too, no one will fight, and everyone can be there with no trouble."
Pariah Dark nodded, his expression thoughtful. "Wise choice, Phantom," he said. "What day, precisely, is Christmas Day?"
Wondering just how old this ghost was, Danny answered, "December 25th. Truce officially starts sunrise, and ends sunrise on the 26th. That gives you plenty of time to rally who you can for the...erm...public announcement."
The Ghost King nodded in thought, giving Danny the closest resemblence to a smile the halfa knew he would probably ever see. "Very good thinking," he said, picking his journal book back up. "...If that was all the questions you had..."
"There is...something I've been meaning to ask," Danny replied, getting the Ghost King's attentions again. Pariah Dark looked up, and Danny took a moment to gather the wits to ask. "...Is there anything I can do around here?"
Pariah Dark frowned. "What do you mean?" he asked. Danny gave him a deadpan stare.
"My rooms are nice enough," he said, "but quite frankly, I'm bored. I've read nearly every book in English there is in the sitting room, and there's, like...NOTHING else for me to do." He leaned back in his chair, slumping, and looking for all the world like, indeed, a bored teenager. "Are there...any other rooms in this place I can visit?"
Pariah Dark stared at Danny for a few moments. "...Are you asking me permission to explore your own home?" he asked. Danny gave him a 'duh' look back, and the Ghost King set his quill down, pinching the bridge of his nose. "...Boy, I havent had you restricted to your rooms since our last dinner in the dining hall. That was meant for the night, and you were free to roam about - supervised - as you chose. Didnt you know that?"
Danny stared back at Pariah Dark, feeling a small tick above his left eye. "...Apparantly, I never got the memo," he replied tersely. He blinked and sat upright when Pariah Dark actually snorted.
"Well now you do," the Ghost King said, picking his book and quill back up. "There's plenty in this castle for a boy to amuse himself with. Have Fright supervise you, and you are free to go anywhere. Just do NOT go past the villa wall, or I will be SORELY mispleased."
Danny nodded, standing up. "Thanks," he said, turning toward the door. As he left the room, he completely missed the minescule, amused smirk on his fiance's face.
Yeah, the wine to stop his heart thing was borrowed from Corpse Bride. Same concept, really.