Disclaimer: I do not own Pokespe or anything else
Poppy woke even before the sun did.
It was dark in the little room and Belle was still snoring softly. Poppy sat on the edge of the bed, feeling unwelcome still. Restlessly, she waited until light trickled in through the window before she set her feet down noiselessly on the floor. She hadn't wanted to wake anyone, but she didn't want to wander the house alone. She tried reminding herself that she would have to find a way to run away, but some sneaky part of her mind assured her that staying past breakfast was no crime.
Indeed, she grew glad that she stayed for breakfast. The family friend, Gold, was a marvelous chef and made sweet pasties for all of them. The smell wafted all through the house, as well as the noise of Gold clattering around in the kitchen and Crystal laughing good-naturedly at him. Poppy had waited for Belle to rise before leaving the room—which took quite a while, but the pasties were well worth the wait.
The older brother, Emerald, ate ravenously and stood quickly from the breakfast table. "Thanks much, Gold. I'll be going."
Belle looked at him curiously. "Where are you off to so early?" Poppy couldn't help a small smile at her; her face was completely serious and inquisitive while her mop of golden hair was mussed and fluffy from sleep. Poppy smothered that smile when she noticed Pearl looking.
"To do…things," Emerald grumbled lamely. He was clearly uncomfortable under all of their gazes. "Just…well, I'll be back later!" He shrugged his coat on with an irritated tug and shut the door hard behind him.
Gold cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well. Interesting holiday season we've had. Poppy, does your family have many traditions?" He was only trying to make conversation and could not possibly know how much Poppy hated personal questions anyway.
Still she thought about it. During her first few years at the manor, she'd been so horribly shy of seeing other people. She would peer around corners before walking in halls, glancing behind her in case someone was following. It was needless paranoia, but it was a problem most of the kids had had. She remembered her first holiday there. There had been so many more people rushing about, so many more colours and decorations and music that she had been afraid to leave her room. Black had come and gotten her then, holding out a hand to her, inviting her to join the festivities.
That was the best holiday she'd had. In the years following, there had been less of a hubbub, less magic in the conjuring of the ornaments, until it eventually all but stopped. Poor Clemont had asked why they hardly celebrated anymore, and N had shushed him, telling him that they were no longer children. Clemont never brought the topic up again.
She was about to answer, "No," when she dug deeper in her mind. She remembered the year she spent the holidays in the streets with her friends, and then way back to the years before that. She recalled flashes of a picturesque, snowy street, the voices of carolers, the smell of sugar cookies, and her brother. Her big brother who would tie a ribbon in her hair and take her to look at the toys in the windows of shops.
She looked over at Gold and nodded. "Yes. We have some. Decorating and baking…though not this year."
"Apparently not this year anywhere," Gold replied. "Usually I come to this house on the eve of the new year with Cheren, and we find it looking like a gingerbread house!"
Belle, probably sensing the discomfort of the villain beside her, turned the question on Gold's guest. "How about you, Crystal?"
"My brother and I always go sledding with our friend, Blue," she answered wistfully. "I wonder where they are right now…"
"Hold on, your uptight brother does that?" Gold raised his eyebrows, surprised.
Crystal crossed her arms with a huff. "Even he has to have fun sometime. Don't seem so shocked."
"I can't help it! Does he sing carols too?"
"I don't know that I've ever heard him sing, now that I think of it." Crystal tapped her chin, and then turned to Belle suddenly. "That reminds me, you play piano, right? I remember Yellow saying so."
Belle perked right up. "I do! Shall I play a carol?"
"No, January is but days away," Pearl cut in, shaking his head. "Just play something cheerful. Lord knows we could all use it."
Belle clearly had missed her piano and was just itching to play again, because she leapt right up and skidded over. No sooner had the lid been lifted than music poured out of the old, worn upright piano. Notes trickled out like rainwater off a leaf; an upbeat song soon filled the house.
"Too bad we don't have Tanzanite or Emerald here to sing with us," Gold said.
Belle's hands slammed on the keyboard, ugly notes ringing out as she stopped abruptly. "Emerald was singing?"
"Indeed. And Pearl was dancing." Said boy flushed bright pink.
Belle giggled. "Well, everyone come in here and I'll sing for you!" Clearly, she had no stage fright. She apparently could sing before her family—as well as an assassin, though Poppy wondered vaguely if Belle had forgotten all about her as she gleefully shuffled her papers. "This is one of my favourites."
She started off on the intro, elaborately showing off her skill of the instrument. Her voice was high and clear, and while it was far from perfect, Poppy doubted she could make her own voice sound so sweet.
"Short-lived was something I called a perfect life, where nothing went wrong.
Before, I was on a winding road and I kept stumbling down.
The thing that stood in my way is the mirror that stared back at me to say,
'How can you be a person at all if you don't know who you really are?'
Out of the nightmare, into the dream.
The kingdom's road awaits for me.
My soul inside has eyes that can see
That the kingdom is greeting me,
'Your Majesty.'
Falling into an endless sleep, where I struggled to breathe.
Then I opened my eyes and saw who I was meant to be.
The thing that stood in my way is the mirror that stared back at me to say,
'How can you be a person at all if you don't know who you really are?'
Out of the nightmare, into the dream.
The kingdom's road awaits for me.
My soul inside has eyes that can see
That the kingdom is greeting me,
'Your Majesty.'
Keep breaking down the walls,
Keep tearing up the halls—
No matter if you fall, you will rise above it all;
Your own knight in shining armour, with your own shield, and your own sword.
Out of the nightmare, into the dream.
The kingdom's road awaits for me.
My soul inside has eyes that can see
That the kingdom is greeting me,
'Your Majesty.'"
Crystal was the first to clap, rather excitedly, and she sprang towards the piano afterwards. "How in the world did you manage to read that bass line?" she asked, pointing at the music. Gold groaned and muttered something like, "Crys and her constant need to know things…"
"Oh, it's simple once you can decipher the clef," Belle answered, and began helping Crystal understand the notes of the bass clef. Gold rolled his eyes at their rapid speech. Poppy, not understanding anything about music, found herself feeling uncomfortable once again, but she was saved from having to make conversation with Gold when a heavy knock sounded on the door.
"I'll get it," Pearl said quickly, also needing an excuse to escape the awkwardness. Later, though, he wished he hadn't unlocked that door.
He was shoved aside as soon as it was open, and five men stormed into the small house, clogging the parlour. They wore soldiers' uniforms—the dark green and blazing red colours of the bloodstone. Belle rose from her seat at the piano, looking confused, and shot a worried glance to Poppy. The assassin returned it, her heart pounding so loud she thought the soldiers would hear it.
Somehow they knew. They knew who she was and what she had done, and what she had been about to do, and they had come to drag her to jail.
But the soldier in front turned to Crystal. "Your Highness," he said, and all eyes were on her. Poppy could hardly believe it, but suddenly it made sense; after all, her name was Crystal, the name of the Johto princess, and Poppy had never seen the princess. Now that she thought about it, though, Crystal's features were very familiar, though she couldn't quite figure out why…
Crystal was standing, her back rigid, entirely frozen, when Gold leapt up and pushed the princess behind him. "You can't take her back against her will."
"Gold…" Crystal started softly.
Pearl somehow managed to navigate around the soldiers to stand in front of Crystal too. After a split second, he huffed and grabbed the arms of his shocked sister and Poppy to guard the princess as well. Poppy had the strong desire to run and hide, but that would probably call unwanted attention to her.
"We received word that someone had taken the princess, and other sources informed us that this was the home of Yellow Nympharum," another man remarked.
"Was?" Belle shrieked, horrified. "What do you mean by 'was'?!"
The first guard ignored her. "Princess, we must return you to the palace, even if it means by force. Gold Schuyler, you are also under arrest."
Though there was great protesting, it didn't take long for the soldiers to maneuver around the sorry bundle to seize Crystal and Gold. Even as he was dragged from the house, Gold struggled. The soldiers gave the three remaining pitying looks, but said nothing as they left the residence.
Emerald was having his own troubles, and a considerable amount, in fact.
He hitched a bumpy carriage to CeruleanCity and found it in utter chaos. It bore a resemblance to the horror stories he'd heard of Sinnoh's cities. The poor bloke driving the carriage was given quite a fright when Emerald hopped off and tossed him some coin, plunging right into the madness. The streets all looked the same to him—unfamiliar and frenzied—but he only needed to find the right place. He'd forgotten where he was supposed to meet the others, so he stumbled from one area of the sprawling city to the other, hoping to see a familiar face.
That is, until he got too near to some of the brawling of the riots. He was almost clobbered by two taller men, when suddenly a small figure dropped down from above on top of the fight, flipping and kicking with the agility of a cat. It didn't take the short girl long to shove the men backwards, grab Emerald's arm, and run from the site.
"Were we even supposed to fight those two?" Emerald asked, aggravated. It was so difficult to tell who was an enemy and who was an ally on a battlefield sometimes.
The girl shrugged. "No clue!
He sighed. "It's nice to see you too, Tourmaline."
"You're late," she replied, speeding ahead and winking, "the fun's already begun. We've set up camp over this way." He followed as she darted expertly through the alleyways.
Tourmaline Diem was by no means the tallest, skinniest, or prettiest girl that Emerald had ever seen, but she seemed content with being the toughest. He'd known her for more than a year, and the only reason he remembered this was because the first time he met her, an autumn breeze had blown a fallen leaf on her head, and she'd waved it off aggressively. It was a good foreshadow to the next year; Emerald soon found that she was rather hyper and belligerent, but that only made her a good match for him.
Yet today she looked a little different. "What in all the seas are you wearing?"
She hardly even glanced down at her dress as she ran. "What? I'm not allowed to look like a lady for once?" She huffed. "I left as soon as I could and I didn't even have time to change clothing. Ignore it." (Unfortunately, the gown suited her and he couldn't ignore it, though he would never admit so.)
Tourmaline tugged him sharply into a building. It looked like it had been abandoned or evacuated when the rioting started, but it surely wasn't anymore. All of their friends had indeed set up a base within it. It was dark inside, but Emerald could still recognise Brock and Bugsy as they rushed over. Emerald clapped his hands together. "Let's get this over with, boys." Bugsy and Brock were already armed, but Tourmaline wasn't, so she and Emerald made their way over to where their companions had brought the weapons.
Bugsy clearly had not seen Tourmaline earlier that day. "Do you honestly think we're going to let you fight?"
She spun on him instantly. "You think I can't fight because I'm a girl, don't you?"
"Good grief! Emerald, control your dame!"
Emerald groaned. It was only midday and she'd already blown a fuse. "We don't think you can fight because you're wearing that fancy dress. In all fairness, I don't think Brock or I could either."
Brock considered it. "I definitely couldn't, though I would look marvelous."
Tourmaline threw on a belt with sheaths and holsters aplenty attached. She pulled a dagger from the belt and slashed at her skirts. By the time she was through with them, the dress was cut jaggedly around her knees. She shoved the dagger back in its sheath and began grabbing ammunition. "There. Happy?"
Bugsy rolled his eyes, but all of them knew not to anger her further as she grabbed a rifle. "You and your guns…" Emerald muttered, opting for a bow and arrow. "Let's get to higher ground and see what we can do." They left Bugsy, Brock, and the shredded remains of Tourmaline's skirts down on the first floor of the building and jogged up the stairs as high as they could.
The roof of the building was crowded with other archers and gunmen. Tourmaline seemed content to squeeze in on the edge, but Emerald stopped her. A rare, wonderful, mischievous grin graced his lips and spread all the way into his bright green eyes. After a moment's hesitation, Tourmaline returned it and followed him as he wove through the crowd as swiftly as possible. He didn't slow as he neared the edge. A few people called out to him, but he leapt across to another building. Tourmaline followed, and when she landed, he caught her against him.
They went on like that, scaling the buildings until they figured they were far enough away to have a different perspective of the fight than the others on the roof. Then they surveyed the mess that the city had become.
What had started as a riot in just one street had turned into a complete brawl. Emerald knew that ever since the attack on Unova's capital city, democracy supporters had been sneaking into Kanto and possibly even Johto. He knew many of them only blindly followed their nation, unaware of the corruption of the democracy even as it grew. Still, his aim was to stop this fight, not to fight for Kanto. That was the mission of their entire force; to end the battle.
The noise of the fighting was deafening. Emerald grit his teeth, positioned his bow, and began sending arrows to land just near a fight, hoping to break some of it up. All of the bows were engraved with the word "pax"—peace. Of course, Tourmaline's rifle was far more effective; once people realised there was a shooter from above, they usually fled. The two had done this before, and yet on that day, Emerald felt like he was just a sitting duck, waiting for something to happen. He had never had any desire to be on the ground, in the midst of fights, before. He'd never wanted to be in the center of the commotion, where he was in the most danger—not even in the smaller riots they'd quieted in Lavender and Saffron, not even in training. He wondered what Tourmaline would prefer. Since he'd befriended her, she usually followed loyally after him.
He decided to make conversation "Why are you such a raging feminist anyways?" he shouted over the clamour. "You're no better than us men since you are doing all the same things as us!"
"Ah, but I'm doing it all in a corset!" Tourmaline called with a wink. She shot, and her bullet went right through a shop window, spraying glass everywhere. Not that the streets weren't littered already.
"I feel like we're not making any difference," Emerald told her.
"We're probably not!" She offered him a smile and scooted closer so that he could hear her better. The cold of the roof was less harsh with her leaning against his side. "However, we're not doing nothing, and we're not down there dying."
Yes, Battle of Cerulean City resulted in many deaths, but Emerald's was not one.
They were trying to talk to her again.
"Do you think there is any way out?" Marlon asked. He was about to reach out and poke her, but Falkner slapped his hand away. White stayed silent, staring at her dirty knees.
"Quit messing with her."
"Can either of you two break that grate?" Whitney asked, pointing to the window of their cell.
Marlon shrugged. "It would be helpful if we had something to pry the bars apart, since they look old, but there's nothing in here. Not even a pebble, as far as I can find."
"What about this?" Whitney, who was standing, scuffed her foot against the ground. "There's a drain down here, for the rain."
"Well, I hardly think any of us could fit down there," Marlon replied, rolling his eyes.
"I didn't mean it like that! I just thought we could pry the lid off and use it," Whitney explained.
Falkner considered this. "Though round, we could sharpen it against the stone wall, but I don't think it could end up being of much use."
Whitney shrugged. "It's better than nothing." She crouched and began investigating the rusty drain.
Marlon rolled his eyes with a look that said stubborn girl and stalked to the other end of the cell. Falkner followed, and they continued their debate about an escape.
White knew it was pointless. Deep down, she suspected they knew too. They had been in there for so long that White had already forgotten if it was just one day or more. Though she didn't exactly like the idea of sympathizing with these three strangers, they seemed worried sick for their friends. She felt anxiety swelling within her as well—mixing with the biting hunger and making her nauseous.
She worried for Wally, Black, and Belle. Somehow, the fact that they weren't in the cell beside her was a great relief, but not enough to rid her of nerves. They could have been anywhere, and she wouldn't know. They could have been dead. Her worries stretched as far as Hoenn and Kanto, absurdly, to her two sisters, even if they weren't in any danger.
She heard Whitney curse and glanced over. She'd cut her finger and now held it in her mouth. White almost allowed herself a sigh, but instead just rolled onto her knees and scooted over to the drain. Wordlessly, White dug her hands under the lid and began trying to lift it.
"Nice to know someone will listen to me." Whitney offered her a smile, and White tried to box away her prejudice. Just because someone had a thorny past didn't make them a completely bad person. Whitney was at least trying to make conversation. "So you're Black's best friend?" White nodded without thinking. Together, they had just managed to lift the lid slightly. "Right. So you're in love with him?"
White jolted, and the lid slammed back down.
Whitney raised her eyebrows, and then smiled sheepishly. She glanced over at the boys, still talking, and leaned forward, as if this was not for them to hear. "I apologise for being so forward. I just can't imagine being best friends with a boy and not fancying him. I mean, if a boy was always by my side through thick and thin, I would think I wouldn't be able to help it." She sighed dramatically. "Of course, my best friends are Elesa and Poppy, and the only male company I've got are those sorry morsels plus some others." She gestured with her head towards Falkner and Marlon.
White stared hard at her fingers, fumbling with the drain. She had fallen in love with Black because he was always by her side. He was always making her laugh and talking with her. It was a blind sort of love, but true nonetheless.
And there she was, farther from him than ever, and still so weak. Her face turned a scorching red in shame when she felt a tear trail down her nose and drip onto her hands. She could feel the older girl's eyes on her and hissed through her teeth, "Well, unfortunately, I'm just the same as you, Whitney. Be glad you aren't in my place, for look what a pitiful mess my heart has made me."
Whitney was busy giving her a look of—what? Pity? Empathy?—so she jumped when the lid to the drain finally popped off with a shrill squeak. Whitney turned the disc in her hand. "Well, maybe I can make this so sharp it'll cut Morty's fingers off when he brings in the food next!"
White returned to her corner, where she leaned her head against the cell wall. The entire time she had been within its confines, her rest had been fitful. So, weary as she was, she dropped off into sleep.
It didn't seem like long before she woke again, though, probably due to the pain in her neck and head. She'd been leaning against the hard wall at an awkward angle for too long. To her right, Whitney had joined the two boys, and the three of them sat in a little circle. Judging by Whitney's rapid, hushed tone, this was not a plan for escape. No, they'd be much louder if it were that. White knew better than to pry, so she glanced up at the window.
She hadn't been asleep for long—the sun was just setting outside. White could just see Musha's paw. Loyal now that he was being given bread regularly, she often spotted him lying by the bars. Not exactly hoping for more food, but not missing a chance anyways.
However, Musha snapped to his feet so suddenly that White started as well. He began barking gruffly—an old, hoarse huff that wasn't actually threatening, though he sure thought it was. White rose and tried to get a better look of what might be outside, but Musha had started off after it.
Clearly, Falkner, Marlon, and Whitney had noticed this too, for they now stood as well. But what could be out there? Musha had never barked before, so it couldn't have been just Morty. Was someone coming to permanently silence them?
They could only lie in wait, though, to see the outcome. There would be no running or hiding now. All they could do was listen as, a few minutes later, they heard Morty shout, and then the sound of a body hitting the ground. White exchanged wide-eyed, frightened glances with the three other prisoners. Someone swore outside the door, then came the jangling of keys, and then the door swung open.
To White's utter shock, a small young woman poked her blonde head through the opening. She looked behind her. "They're just fine." The door opened wider to reveal a dark-haired man wearing a smug smile.
Whitney raced forward and flung her arms around him. "Grimsley! I thought you were in Kanto!"
The man—Grimsley, apparently—only chortled. "Now, did you think I'd really let you rot in here? I'll admit, it wasn't too fun knocking Morty out like that, and N will probably give him hell when he wakes, but I can't have those two causing trouble. Who else has sided with them?"
"Surge," Falkner answered, stepping forward. White could only guess that this man was another of their companions, but who was the woman?
Grimsley clucked. "That's not good."
"But how did you find us?" Marlon asked.
"Maps," the woman answered, speaking finally with a voice like honey.
Grimsley nodded. "Right. When I left for the monarchies, I took maps of Kanto and Johto, and I accidentally swiped one of Unova. When we spied on the manor, I noticed you three gone and we overheard N tell Drayden that he'd lost a map of some important site, and when we took out the Unova map, we realised it was his. N had marked this place. Also, do any of you know why Poppy shot N? Unfortunately, he's fine."
White raised her eyebrows. "Poppy was supposed to kill the former prince of Unova. We tricked her into following N, but we didn't think she would shoot him."
"Right. And…who are you?"
"This is White," Marlon replied. "She's Black's friend."
"And who, if I may ask, is your new friend?" Falkner questioned, watching the blonde woman suspiciously. "I thought you were on a mission with Elesa."
"Oh, my name's Yellow Nympharum, and I'm a completely impartial third party," the woman deadpanned.
Grimsley sighed remorsefully. "Elesa couldn't handle it any longer. She confessed to her crimes and allowed herself to die."
Whitney gasped audibly and staggered back, tears immediately springing into her eyes again. "No…no, she couldn't have…"
"Nympharum…I know that name," White thought aloud. "Nympharum…" She halted and stared at Yellow, with her long, golden hair and questioning gaze. "You're Belle's sister!"
Yellow's eyes went wide. "You know Belle? Do you know where she is?"
"Not anymore," White admitted. "I'm sorry. I'm her friend. I last saw her before I was thrown in here, so I am not sure where she would be now, but I know she was safe then." Yellow nodded in understanding, her worry evident.
Grimsley clapped his hands together. "Yes, yes, it's wonderful that now we all know each other, and you're all looking just swell and half-starved, but we ought to skedaddle before Morty comes to or N finds us. I hardly think you'd like to stay here longer anyways."
Grimsley was correct. The four prisoners practically tore out of their cell and up the winding stone stairs. They just wanted the dank dungeon to be behind them, though an entirely new horror came about when they realised where they had been. The walls were crumbling and many had collapsed, but as they left the building, they could still tell just what it was.
"That whole time, we were within the old castle?" White spluttered. She hadn't known, of course, since she had been unconscious when she was taken inside. It seemed a cruel sort of irony that N was plotting with the men who had had this place destroyed, and yet he used its dungeons for his own purposes. White felt sick just thinking that that was Wally's old home.
"Horrible, I know," Yellow murmured. "But you're out now."
Marlon whooped. "And we ain't never going back in there!"
Before they fled the site, White was sure to grab Musha and take him with her.
Nearly immediately upon his arrival in Johto, it was suggested that Green's coronation should be sooner rather than later. He hardly even had to agree to it before preparations were being hastily made. It would be much easier for the kingdom to maneuver through this wartime if they had an actual king.
There was one thing he had to do before he became the ruling regent of Johto, however. He had been debating this decision for a while, though it still felt hasty to him. He finally reasoned that it would be a mistake waiting any longer.
He knocked on the door to Lorelei's chambers, dispelling any hesitation left. He knew that if he did this, he could not take it back. That didn't bother him as much anymore.
A maid opened the door and let him into the main room of the chambers, where Lorelei was sitting with her back to him. He had thought that a woman like her would fight with tooth and claw to keep what she had claimed hers. But by the resigned expression she gave him when she turned round, he realised she had probably seen this coming.
He sat across from her. "I am to be crowned king today."
She nodded. "It seems soon, but only fitting for this time." She was not becoming queen. After all, King Samuel Oak's death was still fresh on the minds of Johto's citizens, and they only needed a king at the moment.
Green let a silence drift over them, pondering what to say. Apparently, he was taking too long, for Lorelei sighed impatiently. "I understand that you do not desire a queen. Or, rather, you would not desire me as your queen."
"I don't love you," he admitted.
"We both knew this was never about love. Royal marriage will never be. They're nothing more than business deals."
He shook his head. "Not if I can help it." He could understand her bitterness, though. Their marriage was a business deal, and she was being cheated out of it. She probably could tell by his distance, by the sullen look he was wearing.
"If that is what you wish," she replied. He nearly swore he saw her blink back tears. "Yes, if you wish for love, I wish you luck. I hope you know it comes with a price."
"I do." It was the reverse of his wedding vows.
"Then it's settled."
He was surprised it had been so easy and clean. They hardly even had to say it in literal words. He had expected her to put up a fight, like she used to, but these past few months had seen her resolve crumbled. "So you consent to the divorce?"
"Honestly, Green, did you think you were the only unhappy one?" She let out a harsh laugh, but beneath the sourness there may have been just a bit of humour. "That, Green Oak, is where you are wrong. I can tell when I am not welcome, and I hardly think that I even wanted to be greeted into this. But perhaps you and I can both cheat this life into giving us happiness one day."
He rose and gave her a half-smile. "Either that, or we'll have to steal it ourselves."
Green quite liked the idea of stealing from life, and he thought about it during the entire ceremony of his coronation. It had already taken so much from him. If he wanted to be happy one day, when the war was far behind him, what better way to attain that joy than to take it for himself?
When the crown was upon his head, he rose and gazed down upon the crowd that had gathered to watch. The ceremony was outside, and citizens of Goldenrod were on the outer rings of the crowd for as far as his eyes could see, watching their new king. He had been supposed to write a speech, but he had not gotten around to even writing one, much less memorizing one.
So, instead, he stood before his people and spoke his mind. "These past months have seen even greater tensions between our neighbouring nations. Each of these nations—including our allies and ourselves—have faults. I would be lying if I said otherwise. For we are all only human, destined to destroy one another. But this is our single chance to live, and no war, no law should ever bind our hearts. I may not have the grace nor the consideration of my grandfather, may his soul rest harmoniously, but I will lead you to the greatest of my ability. I will guide this kingdom through this dark age, and we will stand strong. That is not to say that we will not have losses. Though it pains me, we will have our fair share of sufferings. But while our opposing nations may sometimes be victorious, they can never extinguish our hearts. We are the Kingdom of Fire, and our spirits can never be imprisoned!"
The crowd answered his speech with a cry of their own. This was what they needed to hear, Green knew, and he was happy to deliver. He would gladly fight for his kingdom.
A/N: This chapter is dedicated to two of my friends: girls with beautiful voices and ingenius lyrics who graciously lent me their fabulous song!
I'm actually REALLY glad I took so long writing this chapter, because if I didn't, I wouldn't have heard the song before I posted it. I'd been wondering what song / poem to put in (because I don't want to put too much in, but I like adding little blurbs of songs) and I was taking a songwriting class and ALL OF THE SUDDEN, my two friends had this gorgeous song having to do with KINGDOMS and called "YOUR MAJESTY" and so I HAD to use it!
And, so, here goes the first appearance of my third OC, Tourmaline! As you can see, she's the spunky love interest I devised for Emerald. Sure, she's a bit obnoxious, but aren't we all? XD I hope you guys like her...at least a little...'cos I think Emerald needs a nice hug every now and again and this hyperactive munchkin might just be good for him. I haven't written as much about her, so she's a bit shaky. Not as much as I've written about Tanzanite and Poppy. Maybe after this, I'll write more with Tourmaline, just to get her bugs out.
Green is now king! God save the king~!
Ah, so the war is really unfolding. Keep calm and read on, my friends!
(Rant over!)
-Silvia
P.S. Today marks the SECOND YEAR I have been haunting Fanfiction like the little ghostie I am! Time flies! ^-^