I got a fabulous amount of feedback from you guys! Thank you so much! ^_^
On a side-note, I listened to the Assassin's Creed song "Ezio's Family" like a million times while writing this...it just seemed to fit the mood...in fact it fits any scene of Danny and Pariah Dark having a tender moment...give it a listen, and see if you think so too.
Proposal
The sun had just set on the 24th of December, and the residents of the Ghost Zone were preparing for their annual Christmas Truce.
Even though the majority of them had been scared to another death of staying in the Ghost Zone at all, heavy security was posted at the two most active artificial portals; two in Amity Park, courtesy of the Fentons and Vlad Masters. So very few managed to slip away into the human world for cover when Pariah Dark rose to reign once more. Those who hadnt managed to escape lived in constant fear of what was going to happen to them.
Some ghosts had refused to leave; Ghost Writer was aminent about not abandoning his library, and even offered a few ghosts who had no real homes sanctuary; Johnny 13, Kitty, Box Ghost, and Ghost Writer's half brother Randy took him up on that offer. Walker outright refused to abandon the prison and all those inside, be it guard or inmate.
Skulker and Ember had tried to leave, but they were caught at the portal by the guards and sent back to Skulker's island home, where they barricaded the entryways and waited for something - ANYTHING - to happen.
Some ghosts, such as Dora and those in her realm, had been taken to the castle to work for the Ghost King, and since they never went farther than the villa, none of the other ghosts in the Zone knew that they were being treated kindly and fairly by the Ghost King.
So the Ghost Zone lived in fear, waiting for that day when Pariah Dark would expand his kingdom and eventually take everything over, destroying all they they knew and loved...
...That was until one of the cooks in the kitchen, who had told the Ghost King about a good friend of his who called herself Lunch Lady, would be a perfect addition to the kitchen staff, and was allowed to go find her. Which he did, and to get her to comply, told her about the upcoming wedding of Pariah Dark to Phantom.
Someone overheard that juicy piece of gossip, and within mere weeks, the rumor mill began running that the Ghost King Pariah Dark was wedding the Ghost Boy.
Naturally, there were sceptics; Danny Phantom had been the main antagonist to Pariah Dark's last attempt at control of the Ghost Zone, so why would the Ghost King want to marry the boy? Those who figured there was truth to the rumor began circulating more rumors that the marriage was a punishment; the very VERY few hopeful brought up the lack of activity beyond the Dark Realm, and suggested that maybe the marriage would be a GOOD thing. If Danny Phantom was going to be the monarchy companion, then maybe, PERHAPS, things would get better.
Everyone had their own theories, but no real facts to work more with.
...Until Christmas Eve.
The day that everyone dared to step out of their safehavens to extend invitations to get-togethers, to brighten up the bleak predicament, they were shocked when scores of guards and ghosts they thought were long-gone showed up at their doorsteps with small scrolls. Before any questions could be asked, the ghosts vanished off to someone else's domain to deliver the same scroll.
Inside the scrolls, the first line was a proclaimation that made a few ghosts almost have heart attacks:
I, Pariah Dark, Soon-to-be-King of the Ghost World, swear upon my name, honor, and gods, that I shall honor the sacred Truce of Christmas, and no ghost shall come under harm from myself or those who work in my name. So mote it be.
After getting over the shock of the proclamation of peace, they read on and suffered more near-misses in heart attacks that they were invited to the Dark Castle to witness the public proposal to their soon-to-be Prince, who was nameless (at least in the actual invitational part), and a few scrolls held a personal invitation to an after party in the ballroom. At the bottom of the scroll were two signatures.
One was the bold, thick, ornate signature of the Ghost King Pariah Dark.
The other was the slightly juvenile signature of one who hadnt yet gotten the hang of writing with a quill: Daniel Phantom.
Back at the Dark Castle on Christmas Day, Danny was getting dressed for the public proposal, getting some help from both Dora and Fright. Not that he normally would have needed help, but he was still weakened from the duel with Vlad. His ghost core had almost been drained from the sheer power he had exhibited, and now it had only just recovered enough for him to transform.
Pariah Dark had asked Danny if he wished to postpone the proposal to recover more. They could always do it another day. Danny had outright refused, saying that this was the one day out of the year that all of the ghosts would be under truce not to start anything, and that was the way it was going to be. So he was going to fight through his fatigue and put on a good face for everyone if it killed him, to which Pariah Dark replied dryly, "Not before the wedding."
Danny could tell Pariah Dark had just cracked a joke, and couldnt help but laugh through the dull ache in his ribs.
So there he stood, letting Dora fasten a festive green cloak around his shoulders. Embroidered around the hem in silver were poinsettias, Dora's personal touch that Danny found he liked. The rest of Danny's outfit was black, as usual, so the cloak really stood out for the festive occasion.
While Dora fixed his clothes right, Fright had taken the liberty of pulling Danny's long hair back into a low ponytail, tying it with a green ribbon that matched the cloak.
As Danny was getting primped for the occasion, he absently wondered what Pariah Dark would wear for the public announcement, and hoped it wasnt battle armor; that would REALLY send the wrong kind of message to the other ghosts. But he saved his energy by not voicing the questions, and instead rested up as much as he could for the big day.
Dora glanced out the window, then did a double-take before rushing over to look outside. "Oh my...!" she exclaimed, smiling. "There are so many who came!"
"No kidding," Danny replied, walking over to check as well. "...Wow...I didnt think that many would actually come!"
Indeed, there were over a hundred ghosts already in the villa, waiting for the guards to let them into the courtyard. Even from where he was, he could see a few familiar forms, a few of them being Skulker, Walker, and Ember (he could plainly see her blue hair from his window; she'd been growing it out, he noticed).
"How much longer until we start?" he asked Fright, who was also glancing out the window.
"...I'd say another ten...twenty minutes," the page replied. "Just enough time for anyone else who was invited to come, everyone to get themselves situated in the courtyard, and for you and Our King to head to the front pavilion." Danny nodded and sat down in a chair, massaging his temples. Dora noticed and knelt worriedly beside him.
"Are you feeling ill, Sir Danny?" she fretted, touching his forehead for signs of fever. Danny gave her a weak smile and shook his head.
"I'm just...a little overwhelmed," he admitted. "It's a big day with big things happening..." He sighed, leaning his head back to stare at the ceiling. "...It just...kinda hit me that this is really happening, you know? I mean, I KNOW I'm going to marry Pariah, but with a real proposal...it seems more real."
Dora smiled and patted his shoulder comfortingly. "Official proposal or not, Sir Danny," she said, giving him a quick motherly kiss on the forehead, "it IS real." She straightened the dress she had made herself for the occasion - snowy white and winter blue with small embroidered snowflakes on the hem - and tucked her hand behind Danny's back. "Let's head out, Sir Danny. The sooner it's over, the sooner you can rest again."
Danny nodded and stood up, heaving a tired sigh, and headed out for the courtyard with Fright in tow. Just as they made it to the back entrance, they saw Pariah Dark heading down the stairs from the west wing, and Danny blinked.
Pariah Dark was wearing black clothing similar to Danny's, only with more layers and was much more ornate. Black leather gloves replaced the gauntlets, and the same with thick leather boots. His helmet was gone, and was instead replaced with a similar headpiece that was black with no horns, and only came to his jawline. He actually seemed to have brushed his wild hair for the occasion, something Danny vowed to laugh about later, and instead of his usual black cape, a red cloak was fastened around his shoulders. Embroidered in gold around the cape in Dora's signature style were poinsettias that matched Danny's silver ones.
Pariah Dark had chosen his twelve-foot height for the occasion, something Danny knew the Ghost King would prefer, and actually didnt mind. It was still a very nice change from the battle armor, Danny had to admit.
Pariah Dark saw Danny and gave his fiance a small smile. Danny returned it, though his smile was much more apparant, and nodded his head as Dora and Fright bowed. "You look good," Danny said in his usual casual tone. Pariah Dark gave Danny the impression of rolling his eyes (which was kind of hard to tell, considering he had only one eye, and the one eye he had lacked definition other than glowing green) and tugged the end of his leather glove up a little.
"I had best," the Ghost King replied. "I havent worn anything like this since my enaugeration as king when I was alive."
"Wow," Danny said. "...That long, huh?" From her knelt position, Danny heard Dora stifle a snort. The twitching in Fright's shoulders indicated a similar response. Pariah Dark gave Danny a dry look, but Danny saw the corners of the Ghost King's lips twitch up slightly.
"Yes, THAT long," he said. "Now that we have established the fact that I am ancient, shall we head out to the courtyard?" Danny snorted and nodded.
"Yes," he replied, taking a moment to smooth out his clothes. He took a deep superfluous breath, let it out, and stood up straight. "Time to make a good impression," he said. He took a step forward, only to be halted gently with a large hand on his back.
Pariah Dark turned to Dora and Fright. "...A moment, if you please," he said softly, but his voice leaving no room for argument. With a quick bow, Dora and Fright quickly went on ahead, leaving Danny and Pariah Dark alone. Danny looked inquiringly up at Pariah Dark, who receded in size to his human-like 6"6 and hesitantly held Danny's shoulders in his hands.
"Phantom, this is not about making a good impression," he said softly. "This is about letting the ghosts know that I intend to make you my Prince. You told me that getting them to trust me comes first, and I do this for not only them, but for you." At Danny's blinking and blank stare, he elaborated. "I am going to be proposing to you," he patiently began again. "Public announcements were common in my day, but not official proposals. I had originally intended to make this an announcement of public knowledge, but after hearing from ghosts of a more modern age, I decided to reevaluate the announcement with more modern methods."
Danny blinked again, but nodded. "...So," he said slowly, "...this is like...an engagement, engagement?" Pariah Dark sighed; he really didnt understand emphasizing a word with the same word, but nodded just to move things along.
"Yes," he replied. "It is. This is to let all of our world know that you are to be the Prince, and not just a consort with a fancy title." He let go of Danny's shoulders and then held up his arm a little, offering it to Danny.
Danny felt his face grow a little warm, but he pushed his feelings down and tentatively took the offered arm, letting Pariah Dark lead the way out into the courtyard.
There was a loud buzz of murmuring about the visitors, all of whom were throwing out their opinions and theories, which were ranging from this being a public farce to Danny Phantom being forced to comply. The only ones who were really silent were the visitors who actually KNEW Danny.
Of the personal acquaintances of the younger halfa that received invitations, only Skulker, Ember, Walker, Johnny 13, Kitty, Ghost Writer, and Technus had actually come to see this. Most of them actually felt sorry and a little worried for their young adversary; the rest just came to see what was going to happen.
Out of all of them, Skulker felt the most sorry, and also felt the most worried. He had actually been out of his lair about three days ago to head to Technus' place for a body tuneup, and had seen a group of Pariah Dark's guards dragging an obviously-injured Vlad to the older halfa's personal portal. The man was crying out in agony, like every bone in his body had been broken, and that sent Skulker off on his way, wondering what the hell Plasmius could have done to warrant THAT much pain, and at the same time feeling a LOT of pity for his young prey who was currently in the Ghost King's clutches.
He had spread the word to his friends and allies, and they expressed similar concerns...except for Technus, who was coming just to see if this was for real, and actually finding the whole situation hilarious, the sick freak. But right now, he too was here mostly for the look-see, and he and the other main acquaintances of the half-breed brat had gotten in early and basically had front seats to this show.
Skulker glanced around a little, observing everyone else's expressions to evaluate their feelings on the matter. Ember looked like she'd rather be somewhere else, but also held a touch of concern in her eyes for Danny Phantom. She and the young halfa had never gotten around to being friends, but she never really fought him much the past two years, and they had a mutual respect for each other.
Walker had his arms crossed and was looking very agitated about something, but then Skulker heard him muttering about the illegality of underage marriage, and fought the urge to sigh. Leave it to Walker to worry about the rules, and less about the ones breaking them.
Johnny 13 and Kitty looked a bit upset; Skulker knew it was because those two and Danny had something akin to friendship between them. As long as they promised not to cause anymore ruckus than necessary, Danny often allowed them into the human world free of hassle. In return, Johnny 13 usually took it upon himself to defend Danny against human bullies that the halfa could have easily taken down himself, but didnt want to blow his cover for. Kitty sometimes repaid Danny for his kindness by giving him the inside scoop on happenings in the Ghost Zone and its inhabitants, which greatly aided the boy in his heroics.
The Ghost Writer had come for reasons unknown, but Skulker had a feeling it had something to do with the elaborate history behind the Dark Castle and even its inhabitants. Aside from being a total bibliophile, the Ghost Writer was also a history buff, second-only to Clockwork himself. But Skulker had also seen Danny heading to and from the library on rare occasions, letting him know that perhaps he and the Ghost Writer had become allies rather than enemies.
Technus...well, Skulker already knew why Technus was here. The insane techie was checking his watch every twenty seconds, an eager expression on his face. Leave it to the nutjob to get his kicks out of seeing potential misery and ectoplasmshed. Not that Skulker could really say anything; Technus was his personal mechanic, and he really didnt want to risk losing that.
After what seemed like forever waiting, two people walked out of the large double-doors, a man and a woman. The woman - who Skulker realized with a start was Dorathea - quietly stepped to the side and stood primly and patiently, looking...excited? The man walked to the edge of the pavilion and raised his hands for silence. Skulker briefly wondered who in the ghost world he was until his internal systems picked up on his ecto-bio signature. That was the Fright Knight!
"Ladies and gentlemen, of the Ghost World!" he called out, his voice ringing loud and clear. "You have all been summoned here today to witness the public announcment of the engagement between Our Lord Pariah Dark, and his intended, Daniel Phantom!" He paused for a moment to let the shocked and excited murmuring to die down. "As stated in your invitations, My Liege has taken your vow of peace on this Christmas Day, and expects you all to do the same!" He turned to the doors and made a gesture for the guards to open them. "I give you your monarchs-to-be: Our Lord Pariah Dark, and Daniel Phantom!"
The crowd went dead silent as Pariah Dark and Danny walked out onto the pavilion, shockingly together. Danny Phantom was holding the arm of the dreaded Ghost King, who looked...not so dreaded. Instead of the enormous monstrosity some of the other ghosts had expected, having witnessed him before, they saw a normal-sized, 6"6 male in kingly garb, gently leading a young man with long silvery-white hair to the edge of the pavilion.
It took everyone a long moment to realize that it really was Danny Phantom who was holding the arm of the Ghost King. And what was more shocking was the unharmed, healthy state the boy was in. There wasnt a mark on the young halfa, nor was there any sign of distress or desperation to get out of this situation. Instead, there was an air of gentility about him, with a touch of nervousness, which was perfectly reasonable. The boy really did look like a proper prince-to-be.
Danny let out a long breath and glanced around quickly, seeing familiar faced right in front. He actually gave them a quick smile, as though to tell them it was alright, and please, dont all rush up and save me at once.
Next to him, Skulker heard Ember let out a slightly sobbing sigh of what sounded like relief. Walker was still glaring at the two, unapproving. Kitty hugged Johnny 13 tightly, looking close to tears. Ghost Writer blinked in surprise, precognitions being revamped. Technus actually looked disappointed.
The Ghost King came to a halt at the edge of the pavillion and gave a quick glance out at the masses, who all gave a collective, visible flinch. Resisting the urge to sigh, Pariah Dark stepped forward, and saw a few other ghosts take a step back. He then addressed them all.
"I am here," he began, using the softer tone he usually reserved just for Danny, "to share with you all the public engagement to my intended...Daniel Phantom." He gestured to Danny, who remained at his side. "At first, I had all intentions of merely announcing it to the public...but I have recently found that it was not sufficient enough. Not for myself, not for you all, and most certainly...not for Phantom."
There was still a dead, heavy silence. He continued. "In the beginning of our courtship, Phantom bestowed upon me four terms of the marriage, all four of which I am honor-bound to uphold. The First Term of the marriage was to you all. He refused to allow you to live in terror within your own world. His First Term, in his words, were for me to stop terrorizing my subjects. And thus...I have, and will continue to do so."
There were several people who were daring to murmur about now, and the shock was palpable. Pariah Dark, terror and scourge of the Ghost Zone...vowing to stop terrorizing them? It was almost inconceivable!
"I should point out that his First Term was to you all," Pariah Dark continued, gesturing out to them. "Not to himself, nor the human world from whence he came. To you. He has put his subjects-to-be before himself, and that is why I shall do whatever it takes to make his Fourth Term, a promise to have equal say in the running of the kingdom, come to full fruition."
He turned to Danny now, who looked a bit paler, and surprised, even, that Pariah Dark had publicly brought up his terms of the marriage. He had expected Pariah Dark to keep those terms between them. But he kept his expression free of as much surprise as he could and only took another deep, calming breath. Pariah Dark looked Danny right in the eye and reached into a small belt satchel, and brought out a tiny, ornate wooden box.
Danny now realized what Pariah Dark meant when the Ghost King said he was taking a 'modern approach' to the engagement. From the crowd, he heard exclamations of surprise. Pariah Dark inhaled deeply and knelt down on one knee in front of Danny, his cloak spreading and settling elegantly behind him, and held the box up to Danny.
"Daniel Phantom," Pariah Dark said, his voice controlled and clear as always, "I ask you here, in front of these witnesses of our world..." He opened the box, and Danny felt the sudden urge to pass out, choke on his own tongue, or slap both hands in front of his mouth like a girl - or all three! - at what he saw. "...Will you marry me and become my Prince?"
It was the Ring of Rage. PARIAH DARK'S Ring of Rage. Dora, Fright, the guards, and all those with a front-row seat all gaped in ill-repressed shock at the sight of the Ring. Danny almost began hyperventilating, but then remembered that a little more than half of this quadrant of the Ghost Zone was watching, and forced his eyes away from the Ring to look at Pariah Dark.
He was surprised to see the expression on the Ghost King's face; it looked highly expectant, but at the same time...anxious. Like Danny would say 'no', or refuse the Ring. And with sudden realization, Danny now knew that Pariah Dark meant everything he had said before. That he would do whatever it took to earn Danny's trust, and the trust of the subjects. That he would change. That he...CARED for Danny.
Pariah Dark truly meant it all.
"...Yes," he said, the word slipping from his lips before he could even think of saying it. He blinked and brought himself back to the present, managing to actually smile wholeheartedly at the Ghost King. "Yes, I will marry you."
He was further surprised when Pariah Dark gave him a full-watt smile and took the Ring out of the box and slipped it onto Danny's left ring finger, and then held Danny's hand in both his own, squeezing gently, as he stood up. They both turned sharply when they heard someone let out a cry of indignation, and saw that Technus had fainted against Walker, almost knocking them both over.
And Danny couldnt help but to burst out laughing.
I know, I'm terrible for leaving it there...but I have more on the way!