I apologize in advance for both the long wait, and the long descriptiveness of this chapter. But I had to do it. Accursed writer's block and vacations with no computer...
Monarchy
Change was slow; not that Danny thought everything would come together immediately. He knew that it would take time for affairs to be put into order, and after all - he WAS going to be around for a long while.
But while change was slow, it still happened.
The more powerful of ghosts held true to their promises, and worked together to fix the large gap between the Old Lands and the Dark Realm. Undergrowth had outdone himself by creating forests and valleys, keeping to the vision of how he remembered how the Earth used to be. Vortex helped Undergrowth by creating the perfect weather conditions for the plantlife to flourish.
Aside from the Old Land reconstruction, more of Danny's friends began to procure jobs within the Dark Realm, and even begin to make homes in Phantom's Villa, as it came to be called. The Ghost Writer, though having a home in the Villa, practically lived in the Ghost King's library, which he merged with his own to create a massive dimension of unlimited knowledge. Days and even weeks would go by before Danny would catch a glimpse of the librarian.
Johnny and Kitty also moved into the Villa, and Johnny opened a small mechanical shop for anyone and everyone to visit if they needed anything to fix. Kitty, ever the Ghost World gossip, went back and forth between the Dark Realm and the rest of the Ghost World to share news and bring feedback to the monarchs, which was extremely considerable help in expanding awareness to the Kingdom's furthermost regions.
Skulker mostly remained on his island, but occasionally helped with some guard duty to quell any uprisings from less-than-understanding ghosts, and acted as an intermediary between said ghosts and the new monarchs. He was done with war and violence, and strove to keep the peace between the pro-monarchs and anarchies.
Helping him in this crusade was Walker, who, as Clockwork had aformentioned, could only do so much himself to keep order in his sector. Pariah Dark had personally requested an audience with the warden, and listed off the new laws and rules to Walker, gave Walker more help in the form of skeleton soldiers who were under orders to assist Walker in anything he needed, and then presented Walker with the official title of the Ghost Kingdom's High Sherrif, with the added honor of one of the members of the Ghost Kingdom's Judicial Court.
The warden was speechless for minutes before humbly accepting the honors and titles.
Over the next few months, Danny and Pariah took trips into the Ghost World to personally talk to the ghosts, answer questions, assauge fears, and explain exactly what it was the new monarchy was trying to accomplish. Although the general masses were terrified at the mere sight of Pariah Dark, Danny's presence seemed to give everyone a sense of peace, as well as help them keep an open mind as to what they had to say. And while not everyone was completely convinced that the Monarchy was the best thing for the Ghost World, most of the ghosts accepted the fact that Pariah Dark was not a tyrant anymore, and that the Ghost King and Prince truly were trying to rebuild their world.
It wasnt long until October 31st was upon them, and that morning, Danny was outside on his and Pariah Dark's bedroom balcony, just watching the 'sunrise', when he spotted Fright in the courtyard below, practicing his morning swordplay. It then hit Danny that Fright's patron holiday was today; that, and Danny thought he'd heard Fright mention that Halloween was also his deathday.
Danny found himself thinking that Fright deserved something special today. Even though Fright had initially betrayed Pariah Dark in the past (albeit with the best of intentions), he had faithfully repented to the best of his ability, and had repledged loyalty and fidelity for afterlife to both his King and Prince.
Danny knew that Fright's innermost desire was to have his Knighthood back, and honestly thought Fright had earned it. And what better day to give it back, than on this day?
After making up his mind, Danny quickly threw on his day cloak, put his Crown on, and hurried out of the bedroom to find his husband.
The Prince waited with proverbial bated breath as Pariah Dark quietly and solemnly debated his request. Danny knew that what he asked wasnt something to be taken lightly; Fright HAD betrayed Pariah Dark in the past, and although the page had been faithful this past year, there could be no room for doubt if he was Knighted again.
Silence insued in the room for nearly ten minutes before Pariah Dark glanced over at his husband. Danny was staring at him expectantly, nibbling nervously on his lip and wringing his hands. He knew that Danny and Fright had become good friends - hells, even HE had become good friends with Fright these past months - and that he felt Fright deserved his Knighthood back.
Finally, Pariah Dark let out a soft sigh and gave Danny a small smile. "Very well," he said, seeing Danny's eyes brighten considerably. "I shall give Fright his Knighthood back."
Danny resisted the urge to whoop and instead grinned at Pariah Dark brightly. "Thank you," he said, walking up and settling down in the unmeltable ice throne next to Pariah Dark's own. He glanced up at the ceiling, obviously having more to say.
"What else did you have in mind?" the Ghost King asked. Danny gave a one-shouldered shrug.
"...Not to take the spotlight off of Fright or anything," he replied, "but I'd also like to award a few others myself."
Pariah Dark snorted softly, recalling how Danny had pestered him about awarding the ghost Skulker with the Royal Guard position. "So you wish for tonight to be something of an award ceremony, is that it?" he inquired. Danny glanced over at him, a slightly mischeivous smirk on his face.
"Something like that, yeah."
The Ghost King halfway rolled his eyes before catching himself doing something so plebeian, and sighed, shaking his head and smiling softly. "Very well," he said again. "We will have the ceremony tonight. You had best write up the invitations to whomever you wish to attend so they may be sent out before noontime."
"On it!" Danny jumped up and practically sprinted for the study, leaving his amused husband behind in the throne room, almost laughing aloud at the Prince's antics.
Halloween parties werent very common in the Ghost World; ghosts rather preferred to go into the human world to either good-naturedly scare the living, or visit living relatives. Since the closing of the artificial portals, ghosts had to wait for a portal to open up to their desired destinations nowadays. But Halloween and Day of the Dead had portals open to exact locations of the ghosts' choosings so they could celebrate in the human world.
So naturally, a few select ghosts were surprised to recieve invitiations to the Dark Castle for a ceremony/celebration, signed personally by both the King and Prince. Out of those chosen were Skulker and Ember, Johnny and Kitty, Technus, Walker, Ghost Writer, and Amorpho. In a post script written by Prince Daniel, they were instructed to 'dress in their best'.
'Night' fell over the Dark Realm, and the invited arrived and were escorted into the Castle. Skulker was dressed in the best clothes Ember could find for him (which consisted of anything non-leather or combat-related), and Ember was wearing a tasteful black dress. Johnny and Kitty wore semi-casual clothes; Johnny in a plain button-down shirt untucked over black denim jeans and Kitty in a short-cut but long-sleeved red dress. Technus and Amorpho wore their usual attire, the Ghost Writer wore a black turtleneck under a purple coat and grey slacks, and Walker dressed up in a classy black and white three-piece suit with his prized High Sheriff badge pinned to his lapel.
Inside the Dark Castle, Danny greeted them all happily and led them through the foyer and into the large throne room, where the guests murmured to themselves in awe.
In the hours leading up to this ceremony, the servants had hung up the tapestries depicting the symbol of the Dark Monarchy, lit the torches, polished the thrones until they shone, rolled out the black and red carpets, and called upon the swordsmith to make a rush-order of ceremonial blades. Said swordsmith was standing up near the thrones, looking weary but pleased with himself for his work.
Pariah Dark was sitting on his throne, wearing his ceremonial clothes and armor, including a new helmet (with both horns intact) under his Crown and bone beads braided into his hair. When he stood, the guests immediately bowed and curtsied until he gestured for them to stand. Danny walked over to stand next to his husband, his ice armor materializing smoothly over his clothing.
"Honored guests," the Ghost King began, his voice soft but strong, "you have been summoned here, on this All Hallow's Eve, to be given special honors and rewards for your loyalty to your Monarchy." He glanced at Danny in the subtle underlying meaning that most of them were being given rewards for their loyalty to Danny in particular. "Your Prince has deemed you worthy of these honors, and ergo, as have I."
He reached down to his side and unsheathed his ceremonial sword before presenting it to Danny with both hands. Danny bowed his head and took it before stepping up to the red carpet, smiling at his guests. "Johnny and Kitty."
The couple spoken of exchanged quick, nervous glances before stepping forward, holding eachother's hands tightly. Danny nodded to them, and they both knelt down, Johnny on one knee and Kitty on both, her choice of dress somewhat restricting her movements.
"Johnathan and Katherine," Danny began in a ceremonial tone, "I have decided to reward you with the titles of Liasons to the Worlds of the Living and Dead. What this entails is you have free, unrestricted access between the two Worlds; you will assist new subjects of the Ghost Kingdom with integration to our World; you will act as messengers, ambassadors, and peace-bringers to those not yet in our Kingdom."
He gently touched their shoulders with the flat of the sword, almost smiling at the incredulous looks they were shooting each other.
"In addition to this," he added, "I induct you both into my personal service as a Lord and Lady of the Prince's Royal Guard." He turned and nodded to the swordsmith, who walked up to Johnny and Kitty and presented them with small, gladius-like ceremonial swords. The couple took them with shaking hands before daring to look up at their Prince, who was smiling at them.
"Rise, Lord and Lady of the Royal Guard," he said, and Johnny and Kitty stood up, still looking shocked to the core with their new titles. Danny nodded to them, and they bowed to him before stepping back into their crowd of friends, staring at their swords with almost comical numbness.
"Nicolai Techus."
The tech-ghost stepped up, looking a bit paler than normal. Danny had a sneaking feeling that Technus was feeling a little guilty for initially wanting him to feel miserable about the wedding, and repressed a 'ha-ha-in-your-face' smirk. Instead he waited until Technus was kneeling in front of him before speaking.
"Nicolai, I am no stranger to your genius. You are a brilliant scientist, and one of the brightest minds in our Kingdom. To not have your intelligence in our services would be foolish." Technus stared over his lenses at Danny, looking shocked at the compliments his Prince was giving him. "Therefore," Danny continued, "I reward you with unlimited resources, study materials, and access to the human world for research purposes, as long as your research and powers are to be used for the good of the Ghost World, and not just for yourself."
Technus's mouth moved silently as he tried to find words to speak, and finally, he blurted out, "I, Nicolai Technus, agree to those terms!"
Ignoring the snorts of amusement and the temptation to do so himself, Danny smiled and touched Technus's shoulders with the blade.
"In addition to this, I also induct you as a Lord into the Prince's Royal Guard." Technus's eye began to twitch slightly as the swordsmith presented him with a gladius ceremonial blade. He took the blade and stood before bowing and turning to stand with his Lordmates, muttering nonsense under his breath increduously.
Danny made a mental note laugh about this later, and called out, "Amorpho."
The faceless ghost glided forward and knelt down in front of Danny, taking off his hat in reverence and holding against his chest.
"Amorpho, your power of taking the form of anyone of your choosing is of great value to the Monarchy," Danny said. "There are those in our World that would wish harm upon the Monarchy and those who support it. Therefore, I give you the title of Spymaster, with the mission of keeping our Monarchy strong and informed." He touched the blade to Amorpho's shoulders, and added, "In addition to this, I also induct you as a Lord into the Prince's Royal Guard."
Amorpho took the offered ceremonial gladius blade from the swordsmith and stood before bowing to Danny in graditude and gliding back to the others.
"Andrew Riter."
Blinking at the sound of his real name being heard for the first time in decades, the Ghost Writer walked forward and knelt in front of Danny, who smiled at him. "Andrew, in addition to unlimited access to the Dark Monarchy's collection, I give you the title of Royal Scribe and Keeper of Knowledge." He touched the Ghost Writer's shoulders with the blade. "I charge you with the task of keeping accurate and detailed documentation of this Monarchy, and," he said, on a wild whim, "the request that you never make my rhyme again."
The Ghost Writer blushed hard, ducking his head down lower. "I solemnly swear I will never make you rhyme again, my Prince," he said, barely managing not to stutter. Danny fought down the urge to laugh and gestured for the 'Writer to stand. The Ghost Writer stood, bowed, and stepped back into the group.
"Dorathea."
Dora, who had been standing off to the side with the other servents, looked up with a start, caught completely off-guard at her summoning. But she dutifully stepped forward and knelt down in front of her Prince.
"Dorathea, though you were stripped of your title of princess, you have never lost the gentility and pride of one. It is beyond my power to restore your former title, but I offer to you instead the title of Dame Dorathea, of the Knight's Court."
Dora gaped at him as he touched her shoulders with the sword, and slowly stood up as she was presented by the swordsmith with a blade of her own. She curstied to Danny, her eyes shining with utmost thanks. "Thank you, my Prince," she said as she walked over to stand with the rest of the honored group, her head held higher than it had been in months.
"Richard Skulker and Emily McLaine."
Wondering how in the world Danny learned of their real names, Skulker and Ember stepped forward and knelt in front of Danny. "Richard," Danny said, mentally reeling at the fact he was actually calling Skulker that, "you have proven your worth and prowess in the hunt and battle. You have shown unrivaled war strategy, ambassador skills, and upholding of the laws of our World. You show great chivalry and loyalty to the Monarchy, and I therefore Knight you Sir Richard Skulker, Captain of the Prince's Royal Guard."
Skulker remained speechless as Danny touched his shoulders with the blade, and the swordsmith present him with a larger, more elaborate claymore-styled sword. Skulker took the sword and stared at it, not really beleiving that Danny really did make him part of the Royal Guard, let alone its Captain.
As Skulker was enamoring over his sword, Danny turned to Ember. "Emily, these past few years, you have shown great loyalty to your fellow ghosts. You share your chosen mate's ability to form alliences and think for the betterment of everyone else, instead of just yourself." He touched her shoulders with the blade. "I induct you as a Lady into the Prince's Royal Guard."
The swordsmith presented her with the gladius blade, and she and Skulker both stood before bowing and turning back to the group.
Danny turned to Pariah Dark, his eyes catching Fright's form and noticing that the page was looking incredibly jealous and put out by this point, and Danny nodded to Pariah Dark, who took the sword back into his hands.
"There is one last title to give," the Ghost King spoke up, "and I have decided to personally give this one to its intended." He turned and nodded to Fright, whose eyes widened. "Saigremor, step forward."
At the sound of his own name, Fright shakily did as he was told, and fell on both knees in front of his King, his head lowered, hardly daring to think what he'd hoped what would happen WAS happening. Pariah Dark stared at Fright's submissive form for a few moments before speaking again.
"My former Knight, little more than a year ago, you were stripped of your rank of Knight for high treason and consipriacy. I allowed you to live and let you work as a page in my service. Since then, you have dutifully performed even the most minial of tasks with the thoroughness of a Knightly duty; you trained your Prince well in armed combat; you defended your Monarchy-to-be, and provided advice and company to myself and your Prince.
"As you have served in life, Saigremor, you shall once more serve in death as my Knight." Pariah Dark touched his blade to each of Fright's shaking shoulders. "As well as my Master and Commander of the King's Knight's Court." Pariah Dark sheathed his sword before turning and picking up the last of the swords, only this one was not new, but rather very familiar to Fright: The Soul Shredder.
"Arise, Sir Saigremor, my Fright Knight."
As Fright rose and took his sword from his King, Danny gave him a smile and led everyone in the room in applause in celebration of both Fright's deathday and the day of his reKnighting.
The celebratory banquet in honor of the newly-titled was loud and merry, lasting well into the night. At the stroke of midnight, everyone felt a small pulse of ghostly energy from Fright, and saw that with his title back, his power had fully returned on his patron day. The Knight's black armor reappeared, and his purple aura flared back into full power before he suddenly vanished in a swirl of purple flames.
Danny blinked and stared at the spot where Fright had been before turning to Pariah Dark. "...Um...what just happened?" Pariah Dark smirked to himself and took a sip of wine.
"As a Knight, Fright is the patron ghost of All Hallow's Eve," he said. "His spirit was invoked, what with the humans seeking fear and the desire to scare one another..."
Danny shuddered a little. "Creepy." The Ghost King just snorted and didnt deign to reply to that.
As the banquet came to a close and everyone was leaving, Danny kept receiving thank-you after thank-you from his friends (mostly from Technus, who was still incredulous at the fact that Danny had chosen to gift him, of all people), until he finally told them to stop bowing before they sprained something. As everyone was filing out, Skulker was last to leave, and spoke to his Prince.
"...This is...almost too much of an honor to accept, my Liege," he began, but Danny held up a hand to silence him.
"Skulker, it's no less than what you deserve," he said firmly. "I knew that I could depend on you the day you saved me from Vlad, and I WANTED to reward you for it. There isnt anyone else in the Ghost World I'd want as my Captain of the Royal Guard than you. And I mean that."
Skulker looked about ready to start groveling, but Danny fixed him with a stern glare. "And enough of this 'my Liege' crap," he said, making sure Pariah Dark was out of earshot. "I get enough of it from the servents." He gave Skulker a smile. "You're my friend, Skulker. I'd much rather be called 'whelp' than 'my Liege' by you." At Skulker's dubious look, he added, "You either stick to friendly banter, or I start calling you 'Richard'. Your call."
At the horrific prospect of being called THAT, Skulker quickly replied, "Alright, alright." He glanced back at Ember, who was waving at him to hurry up, and tightened his hands around his claymore. "...I guess I'll see you in the Royal Guard meetings, or wherever the hell these things take place..."
Danny snorted. "No doubt. We'll meet Monday and go over your duties as Captain, alright?"
Skulker nodded and gave Danny a quick bow before turning to leave. "See you then, whelp."
"Much better," Danny said to himself as he turned to find Pariah Dark. He found the Ghost King in their sitting room, in the process of taking off his cumbersome armor. "Why dont you just phase it off?" he asked at random as he receeded his own ice armor. Pariah Dark paused, as though the thought has JUST occured to him, then sighed and continued taking it off manually.
"Force of habit," he replied, unstrapping his shoulder plates. Danny snorted and sat down on a chair, then heaved a heavy sigh of contentment.
"...What a day," he said, mostly to himself. "I'm exhausted, I tell ya..." Pariah Dark took off his helmet and set it down carefully on a table nearby.
"It was a productive day," he commented. "We officially created our special forces, and took a major step forward in rebuilding the Monarchy to its former glory." He went silent for a few moments to pull off the rest of his armor and stretch his restricted muscles. "...But I concur." He snapped his fingers, the armor falling into formation onto a stand for later wear. "Are you coming to bed?"
"...In a minute," Danny said in a contemplative tone. Pariah Dark nodded and walked into the bed room, shutting the door behind him to give Danny some private thinking time.
Danny sighed and rubbed the heels of his hands into his eyes tiredly. Pariah Dark was right; today HAD been productive, and a major step HAD been taken. But it only served to remind him of just how much work there was left to be done. Not only did he and Pariah Dark have to rebuild the Ghost World, but they had to take special measures and work even harder to preserve it. It was times like this that he thought it was just too much work to be done all at once...
Almost unconsciously, Danny's hand found the pocket watch Clockwork gave him and opened it. He glanced at the cover and watched as words began to form.
Rome wasnt built in a day.
Go to sleep, Daniel.
Danny stared at it for a moment before snorting. "Wiseass," he muttered, but smiled and closed the watch before getting up and going into the bedroom, strangely enough indeed feeling better at Clockwork's words of 'wisdom'.
*collapses* Oh, the pain...
Anyhoozles, the EPILOGUE is next! And then it's THE END. Rejoice, then sob.
Also, name references:
Johnathan and Katherine: Perfectly reasonable full names for them, ja?
Andrew Riter: Any of you who've read my other fanfics knows that I coined 'Andrew' as my personal-canon name for the Ghost Writer. Yep, that was me.
Richard Skulker: From me and a friend's RP sessions, Skulker is his last name, with his first name being Richard, or 'Rick' for short. Dont ask. Or do.
Emily McLaine: Last name the same, but I figured 'Ember' would be a stage name, so awhile ago, I made 'Emily' her personal-canon name.
Saigremor: 'Saigremor' was one of King Arthur's Twelve Knights, and was known as 'Saigremor the Foolhardy'. Since Fright was kinda foolhardy for betraying Pariah Dark, I figured it'd be a neat real name for him.
And there we are. Enjoy that, and see you in the epilogue.