A/N: We're back in business, mates!

So, first off, the polls. Basically everyone who voted said that I should leave the title as it is, and so it shall be! It would be confusing if I changed it, anyways. And it's the original title, the one it was given in September of 2012, when I wrote the first four chapters. I changed the picture, though, from that random castle picture to one of Gold and Crystal. Because Gold is adorable /

And as for Silver and Lyra's child, I got a lot of different answers, so I was a little conflicted about having to pick just one. Actually, I got a couple people who suggested other constellations, which made me super duper happy because I really like astronomy *glances at all the stories which include stars prominently* and I knew most of the constellations & their myths! Though the votes were super close, boy beat out girl by one, and I decided that though there were some wicked awesome constellation suggestions, since Aries is a constellation like her mother, I figured I better go with a metal for Silver. But, of course, Igneous and Iron were TIED, so you shall see what I have chosen (mwuahaha.)

I love all your reviews, because they give me new ideas and encourage me to keep going. Thank you all :) as promised, here is Part III!
Rant over! Read on!
-Silvia

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokespe or anything else.

Misunderstandings of Monarchy

Part III—Bellum et Pax

Immediately following the events at the end of both Part I and Part II…

"I don't like you," the man said for the fourth time.

She cringed, not replying. She was not bound—no, she could have gotten up and left, but she did not. She felt as though she owed it to say something to the man. He was strange and unfamiliar, with sharp blue eyes and a Unova accent. She was surprised he was even in Kanto. Then again, if he was hiding out in alleys like where they were, she supposed no one would notice his dialect.

"Who are you, anyways?" he asked her suddenly.

She flinched. Didn't answer.

"Is your name actually Yellow Nympharum?" It felt worse than being interrogated. She felt so guilty when she did not even know what had just happened, or anything about that blonde girl. But she remembered then, what had started her mess. A memory that had once been so gleeful, of the day she had been truly woken up, truly saved, had turned into one big jostling mess.

The streets of Viridian City were filled with strange people, and Amarillodel Bosque Verde had no clue where to go.

Once again, she had run away from the orphanage. She had tried to tell them so many times that her uncle lived in Johto and they should contact him, but nobody ever listened to her. Typically she ran into the ViridianForest, to which she had become quite accustomed to. However, she was utterly frightened by the winding, unfamiliar maze of city streets, and had gotten herself lost.

She didn't know how to get back to the orphanage, and there wasn't any other place for a young child such as her to go to. For a long while she wandered the streets, afraid of speaking to anyone to ask for directions, simply hoping to stumble upon a familiar area so that she could navigate back. But eventually, clouds turned to rain and Amarillo had gotten quite weary and hopeless.

As the minutes stretched by, she had taken to sitting and watching the market stands, the shops, the townspeople. Every now and then she would find a group of kids splashing in puddles, but not many children were out in the rain, and she was too bashful to go to any of the groups, even though she longed to.

When she glanced round after what seemed like eternities, she found a pair of bright ruby eyes standing out in the grey of the rainy day and saw it was a tall boy, a frayed brown cap over his raven hair. She wasn't sure what possessed her to do so, but she found herself going to where he was. Once there, she stopped herself, unsure of what to do or to say to him. She tried to fade back into the crowd, but the boy spotted her and smiled brightly. Suddenly, she was very conscious of her smudgy appearance, her dull clothes spotted with the drizzle. The boy's cap looked old and worn, but he didn't appear to be very poor.

"Hi," he greeted simply, not awkward or intimidated at all compared to shy Amarillo, who couldn't even find a word to respond. After a while the boy must have seen how timid she was, because he laughed good-naturedly and stuck out his hand. "I'm Red." It was a name that wasn't common, and yet it sounded so familiar.

She hesitantly shook his fairly large hand with her own tiny, grubby one. "I-I'm Amarillodel Bosque Verde!" she spluttered spontaneously, unsure why she said her whole name.

Red raised his eyebrows so that they shot into his bangs. "That's long." He tried to pronounce it for a moment, but couldn't quite get it. She was used to that though. Nobody at the orphanage ever could say it or remember it. "Any way to shorten it?"

She thought for a moment. "It…amarillo translates to yellow," she offered.

"That one's easier," his eyes flashed with a sort of happy recognition.

A woman—Red's mother, no doubt—turned round and beamed. He'd certainly inherited her smile. "Made a new friend already, Red? We've barely been out an hour." She caught sight of Amarillo's wide eyes, the way her limp hands shook at her sides, and seemed to comprehend. "Are you perhaps lost?" she inquired, just an average question to ask a city kid, but it hit home. Amarillo nodded.

Red's mother gazed down at her son. "Well, Red knows these streets like the back of his hand. You could show her back, couldn't you? I've just got to pick something up, but I'll be right behind."

"Yeah, sure!" Red replied, grinning. He linked arms with Amarillo and whisked her away, as if he had known her all his life instead of having just met her. She shyly told him she lived in the city orphanage and they set off, Red maneuvering through the tricky streets like an expert.

"Sometimes," Red started, staring at the streets in front of him, "I wish I could live in the city. In a neighbourhood with lots of kids or an orphanage where you can always play with someone."

Amarillo didn't have the heart to say that in the orphanage most of the kids kept to themselves. Instead, she asked, "But you don't live in a place like that?"

"I live in the biggest house in the city," he replied with no enthusiasm. "The castle. It's big and fun to explore, but it gets lonely." Before Amarillo could close her jaw or ask any questions, Red suddenly turned to her and his smile came back. "You should come sometime! Just ask for me, and I'll let you in."

All Amarillo could conjure was, "Y-you're…" Now she knew where she had heard the name Red before. It was the name of the prince of Kanto.

When he got her back to the orphanage safely, she watched him walk away through the dirty glass of the window. A few other kids called out to her, not really saying her name but yelling "Hey you!" or "Girl by the window!"

She turned round and introduced herself as Yellow.

Soon after, she had come into contact with her uncle, who had not realized her parents had died. He had been in Johto, after all, but he took her from the orphanage and helped her. Amarillo del Bosque Verde, Yellow of the ViridianForest, was the name that her parents had given her. But her uncle's surname was Nympharum, so she had become Yellow Nympharum. She had become a lowly lady's maid at the palace, and so her uncle had returned to Johto.

But Amarillo del Bosque Verde, the bastard child of the ViridianForest, had never truly faded away. She'd only stolen and harboured criminals and who knows who else. All along, she'd convinced herself she was living an honest life, but to create a new family for herself, she had taken people away.

"Yes," she whispered in reply. "I'm called Yellow Nympharum."

"Coincidence." He flicked his bangs out of his eyes. "But I guess it's not a totally uncommon name." He paused, looking pained. "I used to call her Yellow. For her hair, I mean. Her name was Elesa. She was beautiful and she knew it, so I guess I liked bugging her. Saying she was a straw-head, you know? Must have been fate she found someone called Yellow to take the place of. I mean, if she had shown up out of the blue, they would have found out who she was, and then they would have found me and all our siblings. But taking the place of you worked better. Even when she was stupid she was smart…"

"Y-you're speaking of her in past tense," Yellow observed.

"Because they'll kill her," he deadpanned. "I guess that's what she wanted. She wanted a clean slate. She was tired of committing crimes for our stupid family. I am too. We were ordered to do these things, but they're just so awful. I mean, I didn't want to burn that church. But I will never retreat from any battle." He glanced at her warily. "My name is Grimsley, by the way."

Yellow averted her gaze. That girl, Elesa, had taken her name and the responsibility of countless crimes. Even though Elesa's sacrifice had not gone to waste, Yellow still wasn't safe. There was still so much danger ahead. "I…I am so horribly sorry."

"For what? The crimes were ours, she just took your name. Trying to be brave after all that she's done." He sighed. "As I always say, a beautiful loss is still a loss, and an ugly win is still a win." His eyes slid to hers. "You should go, then, Yellow Nympharum. Before they realize that although she did commit those crimes, you've got a bit of explaining as well. Something about an amulet, I think?"

"Where will you go?" she asked.

"I must help my family," he answered with a sigh, rising. "In the end, that's all I've got. And it's on my head if something happens to them. I've got to save them from the awful life we've had thus far."

"I could help," she offered. Her baby sister, Belle, was off in Unova. Yellow could go there and find her, as well as Tanzanite and Cheren. She could help Grimsley and escape Kanto just long enough for people to forget she was a suspect. After all, "Yellow Nympharum" had already given herself up. "I have a sister in Unova. If all else fails, I'll see her, and I can do whatever I can for your family."

Grimsley shrugged. "You're welcome to come along. I could use a new partner in crime." He scoffed at the irony of it all. "A Yellow for a Yellow. I'll take you to your sister, and in return, you and I will look out for one another."

"It's settled." The dark deal was struck.

They emerged from the alleyway into the scorched city. The bomb had gone off after the guards had taken Elesa, and people were rushing frantically about the city. They made sure their loved ones were safe, and gathered by the church where the tragedy had taken place. They needn't have worried, though; the bomb only affected the church and the surrounding buildings. It hadn't spread too far, but casualties were already being counted. Yellow gazed mournfully at the building and turned to Grimsley, perfectly prepared to take off at any moment.

"Can I find someone first?" she pleaded.

"Be my guest. You might as well, since now only God knows what will befall these poor nations. Now that this grand wedding is torn to pieces, I'm certain both sides of the war will spring to attack."

Yellow didn't mention that he caused this. She wove expertly through the crowd, her tiny frame able to get through to the heart of the commotion. Guards were managing city folk who were too close around—why did people gather towards disaster like moths to a flame?

It was certainly not a pretty sight. Soot hung in the air and she coughed as she got closer. The sun was just finished setting, the burning orange still hanging in the sky like the fire that still raged and clawed at the church. All tries to extinguish it were in vain. ViridianCity slid into a dark night, illuminated only by the fire and the stars that laughed and mocked the people below.

Yellow found herself darting through the crowd. She had to get closer to the church. She had to find out if Crystal, Blue, and Tanzanite were alright. She had to find out if Red was alright. But the crowd was almost as suffocating as the smoke, filled with frantic and flailing figures that swam through Yellow's vision.

That was when she saw him. A great distance from her, towards the edge of the scene, surrounded by people, but he was there. He was cut somewhere and covered in ash but he was there.

Yellow cried in relief. She shouted, "Your Highness!" but Red did not appear to hear her. She supposed other people had been yelling that out as well, surprised to see him. She took a breath, smoke tightening her lungs. She needed him to see her. To know she was there. To come to her. So she yelled out, "RED!"

Red turned around and spotted her, small and golden amongst the crowd. He realized it was the first time she had ever said his name.

"Yellow!" he called out to her with a laugh. But he couldn't wade through the crowd. He couldn't see her with so many people around, fretting over him and the church and the princess, who was no where to be seen. So many people were lost to that fire. He was lucky to make it out with his life.

She didn't look like she could get any closer, so she stood where she was and waved to him. He noticed tears trailing down her face. He wished he could run to her, but he would have to find her later. He was just glad she was there. His best friend. He grinned. She was alive and well.

But then the next moment, she was gone. She'd slipped away in the crowd. He scanned for her, but she had disappeared among the mass of people.

He dusted himself off and announced to the workers fretting over him, "I need to get back to the castle." They nodded in shaky agreement and he was ushered away.

Yellow was heading away to find Grimsley again. She was nearly away from the mess of city people crowded around when she saw a path clearing for a man who carried a woman who had been caught in the fire bridal style. Her dress was scorched and ripped, her hair a mess, her face caked in ash, but Yellow recognised her. She made a split-second decision and bolted to the man. The woman he had rescued was unconscious, so she was forced to tell him.

"Pardon me," she panted, short of breath from all the running and the lack of oxygen. "But, please, it is important." She didn't wait for him to say anything. "Please, if you will, when she wakes, tell that woman, Blue, tell her that Yellow has gone to Unova. Please, tell her." The man nodded solemnly, understanding that even the strangest of things can be urgent in such chaos. She sprinted away.

Once Yellow had found Grimsley again, and they left the scene of his crime as quickly as they could, heading off towards the road to VermillionCity. Grimsley noticed her tears. "Did you find them?" He asked no other questions.

She nodded. "Yes. Now we should leave." She knew she was leaving behind Crystal, Blue, Tanzanite, Emerald, Pearl, Cheren, Gold, and everyone else. She knew she was leaving behind Red, but she couldn't stay where she was.

Green was witness to everything.

He was standing by as a huge explosion rocked the church. Fires sprang out of no where, devouring anything in their paths. Everything went too fast; the chaos following the explosion, the frantic scurrying, the screaming as wedding guests and courtiers and officials were burned or injured by the initial blow.

Green was lucky. He didn't get hit at first, and he was able to dodge flames before they caught him. Somehow, all of the quickness of the moment affected him too.

And then he watched his sister's suicide.

It was so much like Crystal to fall like that. She was always doing things her way, and so she must have figured that if she was going to die in that church, she would die on her own terms. She stood facing the church's interior, in the gaping hole of a former window, not appearing to see anything that was really happening. Blood was trailing down her temple. Had she gotten a concussion?

Green tried to get to her in time, but there were too many people rushing about, too much havoc. "Crys!" a desperate voice called out to her. It took Green a few seconds to realize it had been him. He had never heard his voice sound so scared. He didn't want to lose his little sister.

But he was too late. The little girl that had once laid in a pink bassinet he had peeked into fell back, her spoiled wedding dress flowing around her. She pitched backwards and out of the church. Green didn't try to get any closer. He didn't want to look out the window and see his baby sister's corpse lying broken on the ground.

Instead, he ran and pushed through the mobs of guests to help the men lift the beams from the ceiling that had collapsed over the exit, so that nobody else had to die. His sister's groom was right there as well, doing much of the heavy lifting for the innocent people trapped.

Finally the way out was cleared, and people clambered down to the first floor, spilling out the building. They poured into the street to find firemen and medics waiting for them. Green loathed himself for feeling relieved that he had made it out alive. He waved off the medics that approached him, telling them to care for the people that actually needed aid, rather than the foreign prince.

Citizens of the city were crowding the area as well, held back by a force of guards. They pressed in to see the wreckage, or search for loved ones. As Green walked aimlessly through the area, unsure of where to go, he heard a poor young girl crying out for someone.

Then, as he seemed to get closer to the source, the girl's sobs halted abruptly and she began shouting anxiously, "Oji!"

Then he caught sight of her in the crowd. Her messy brown locks and bright, pleading grey eyes. He rushed over and lifted her up, worried she would be trampled by the crowd.

"Aries! Why are you here?" In his mind, he tried to imagine the street she had been on when he met her, so he could return her to her home if need be.

Aries clung tight to him. "We can't find Oba-chan…"

His eyes widened. Her aunt. Blue. Though he raised himself to his full height and scanned the entire area of the wreckage, he couldn't locate her either. She must have still been inside the chapel.

Green set the little girl down beyond the guards, where there weren't as many people. "You stay right here," he ordered the young girl, who sniffled and nodded. Green turned and ran back towards the church. A fireman pushed him back when he approached the doors.

"You can't go in there!" shouted the man over all of the noise.

Green didn't listen. He pressed on, plunging back into the church. Smoke filled his lungs, so he tried to keep his head low and not breathe, shoving debris aside and yelling Blue's name. He noticed other men, firemen, inside, scouring the rubble for people left behind. Green didn't see Blue with any of them. He kept on, even when he felt dizzy and sick, trying to find her.

Finally, on the second floor, where the fires were raging impressively now and the beams and pews of the chapel had made a mess of the floor, he saw a woman trapped beneath a beam. Her face was hidden, but he recognized her dress as it stuck out. Remembering what a struggle the beam over the exit was and thankful that this one was more broken and easier to move, he heaved it off of her.

And there she was. It had not fully collapsed on her body; she had just been unfortunate enough to be trapped. Her head didn't seem to be injured, but he worried that her body had been crushed. Not wasting another second in the blazing hellfire, Green carried her bridal style and rushed from the building. Luckily, the trip out was quicker than the one in since he didn't have to search for her. She was safe in his arms, whether she was alive or not.

Aries had been waiting for him, but not where he'd left her. She had drawn dangerously close to the church, but he didn't spare a moment to scold her. Instead, he found a medic instantly to discover whether he had been rescuing a cadaver or not.

The medic announced first that she was alive, and Green let out a sigh of relief. Aries was hysterically happy that her aunt was alright. The medic did everything he could for Blue, but finally he had to help others.

Green held her in his arms once again and Aries began walking, leading the way back to Blue's brother's house. Just as they were reaching the edge of the scene, a short girl approached them quickly. Green recognized her as the shy maid usually trailing his sister, but she didn't appear to know who he was, for she sputtered quite boldly, "Please, if you will, when she wakes, tell that woman, Blue, tell her that Yellow has gone to Unova. Please, tell her." Green nodded, confused but recognizing how serious and frantic this young woman was. That was all she said before she sprang away again.

Green went on through the streets, following Aries. He wondered if she was getting them lost, but she seemed determined to get her aunt home safe. The sky above was changing from the bloody red sunset to a burning twilight. The normally beautiful deep ultramarine that took over the sky now seemed sinister as it cloaked the city in darkness.

At last, Aries leapt up the stairs of a little city house and rapped fitfully on its door. A woman with wide brown eyes answered. On her hip she held a baby who seemed to be about a year old. He had her same inquisitive brown eyes and someone else's auburn hair.

As soon as the woman saw Blue she gasped in horror. "My stars…Blue…" Her eyes flickered to Green for only a second before she opened the door wider for him to step through.

Green laid Blue as gently as he could on a sofa in the parlour. The woman approached, her eyebrows knitted together in concern. "She's my sister-in-law," she explained. "As soon as we heard the bomb go off and found out it was at the church, my husband ran off to look for her. Aries wouldn't stay inside and went after him…" She sighed and put a hand on her baby's head. "At least Iron listens to me. For now." As if it were an afterthought, she added, "My name is Lyra. Who are you?"

Aries, who had scurried in by then, pointed to Green and said simply, "Oji." Uncle.

Lyra's eyebrows shot into her bangs. "Oh, I wasn't aware Blue was involved with someone like that." She smiled in amusement and set down the infant. "I know Silver won't give up until he's found Blue, so I'll send for someone to find him." She quit the room.

The little boy tugged on Aries's dress. "Nee-chan…"

Aries tried to lift him, but already he was too heavy for her to hold. Instead, she pulled him to her and pointed to Green again. "Look Iron, Oji."

"Why are you calling me that?" Green snapped, not really meaning to sound so unkind.

Aries, unaffected, tilted her head curiously. "Don't you love Oba-chan? I can tell by your eyes."

Green ignored her, and spent a few minutes in silence by Blue's side, worrying if he was getting the floor beneath him dirty as Aries fussed over her younger brother. In what probably was record time, Lyra was back with her husband, out of breath from his search. Green wondered how he ever could have gotten back so quickly, but he figured that he could cross entire kingdoms in mere moments if his sister were in trouble. He pushed the thought of Crystal out of his mind. He didn't need to worry about someone else leaving him.

Silver speedily made sure Blue was alright before turning on Green. "Who are you?"

Now it was Iron who tugged on Green's arm and announced, "Oji!" Silver blinked in surprise and glared at Green in what could have only been accusation.

"I did not teach them that," Green replied flatly. "My name is Green Oak."

Ah, how that magic name did wonders. Both Lyra and Silver started in shock. Silver's mouth was pressed in a hard line, while Lyra curtseyed lightly. "Your Majesty, I wasn't aware…" She didn't finish.

"She's my sister's best friend," Green elaborated, gesturing to Blue. "If you don't mind, I'd like to stay with her."

Lyra nodded. "Yes, of course." She was refreshingly dotty and didn't make too much commotion over Green's status, which he appreciated. Instead, she rattled off about making tea or something and scampered away, Silver stalking out of the room after her. From their conversation in the kitchen—which they thought Green couldn't hear—Green could tell that Silver was just overprotective of his sister.

Night was falling fast, and Green was overcome by exhaustion. He was tired of thinking and talking and feeling uncomfortable in this strange house, so he let himself be amused by the two children, who brought in their toys to show Green and their sleeping aunt. He didn't even notice when he fell asleep as well, in the chair beside Blue.

He was still in the harbour. He'd never left and he never would.

He was swimming through the water, thick and dark. He couldn't even see the blood that was evidently spilling from him and staining the sea. It probably billowed around him in clouds of dark red, but the funny thing was, he didn't even feel his wound any longer. He only felt sick to his stomach, dizzy and dying. As time dragged on, he wondered why he wasn't drowning. He knew he didn't have the strength to claw his way to the surface, but maybe he didn't need it. Something was pulling him up, by his eyes and his mind, out of the thick, inky darkness.

And then he realised he was no longer in the water. He hadn't been, not since it had pulled him down into the dark that turned out to be unconsciousness, not the deep of the sea. Now the world was blindingly bright and loud, attacking him.

"Black!" a voice exclaimed as soon as he began glancing around frantically, blinking. He turned to find Wally at his side, beaming widely. "Blimey," Wally sighed in relief, "I thought you were a goner."

"You don't believe in me," Black groaned, managing a smile, trying for some good humour before everything really hit him. "What's going on?"

"Everything," Wally answered breathlessly, getting worked up. "The entire world's gone to chaos. The royal wedding that was supposed to link Kanto and Johto literally blew up. Someone planted a bomb there. The princess of Johto is dead, along with a bunch of other people, but I think I heard her brother and the prince of Kanto are still alive. Monarchy supporters everywhere have gone bonkers."

Grimsley and Elesa have been on a mission in Kanto and Johto for a long time, Black thought to himself, stomach churning. He tried to sit up and winced when a sharp pain spread across his side, reaching out and stinging his torso. He hissed and looked down to find bandages wrapped all around the wound on his side. If Surge had aimed just a bit more to the side, it only would have grazed him. He had had no such luck, but at least he was alive. "Did they get the bullet out of me?"

Wally nodded. "They patched you up real nice. Can't expect anything less for the president's son." His expression darkened. "Speaking of that, you've made the papers. Word's got out that you were shot. There are tons of headlines like 'Son of President Miraculously Survives Attempted Assassination' and stuff. There are a million conspiracy theories, none of course damaging the reputations of you and your father. The reporters aren't idiots. Of course, police won't find Surge guilty, but they'll still look for other possible culprits, no matter how absurd the stories are."

"Great," Black noted dryly, "just what I need. Everyone knowing I was shot." He stopped, suddenly remembering the day he was nearly killed. "Wally, how long was I unconscious?"

Wally shrugged. "I don't know. A day? I haven't been keeping track of time."

"What's become of the others?" Black asked nervously, now extremely awake. "Where are Belle and Prez?" Immediately, he wished for Wally so say something like "they're just outside in the hall," but some cruel part of him knew that would not be the answer.

"I haven't the slightest clue," Wally answered mournfully. "After I got you here—"

"Wait, you got me here?" Black asked.

Wally stared at the ground, looking sheepish. "Yes. I played dead and Surge dumped me in the water with you, so I pulled you out. It didn't take long for people to realise that I was carrying around the sopping-wet and near-dead son of the president. When I got you to the hospital and they started operating, I ran straight to the fountain to tell Belle, White, and Poppy what had happened and that we couldn't trust N or anyone, but no one was there. Black, I'm worried something's happened to them."

Black sunk back into his pillows, feeling a cold sweat break out. Wally saw this and his eyebrows shot into his bangs. "Rest, now, Black. We'll figure out what to do when you've recovered."

Black nodded, silently noting the irony that Wally—who had always been rather frail and sickly—was now caring for him. He drifted back into sleep, and though he was no longer drowning, worries still filled him.