Dukes and counts across the kingdom of Solardie traveled to the capital to pay their respects to the late prince. Even the late prince's aunt and cousin from the Luneland royal family north of Solardie attended. The death of his heir shattered King Nigel. His son had admittedly been somewhat of a deadbeat, spoiled by palace life and its luxuries. Still, that did not excuse the knights who were supposed to protect the prince on the bandit-hunting mission. The knights were supposed to prop up his son's weak image, not let him die! The king swiftly imprisoned all of those worthless knights, but what good did it do? His heir was dead!
While every other pokémon listened to Eugene giving a eulogy with their heads down, Duke Percival stalked in the back with a subtle growl emanating from his throat. "The death of the Kyukon prince is incredibly concerning," Duke Percival muttered.
"Be still. Have you no respect for this moment?" an Unfezant hissed.
"Can you imagine having to bend your knee to Helena Kyukon? Bah!"
The Unfezant jerked his face towards Duke Percival, his head ribbon nearly smacking the Pyroar's mane. "No, that must not happen," he hissed. "Having to answer to her would be my undoing."
"Then we must plot to ensure that girl never sits upon her father's throne," Duke Percival growled.
"What do you think I have been doing? Now hush." The Unfezant resumed staring at the ground.
Once Eugene's excessive recount of all of the prince's supposed "accomplishments" concluded, and conversations began, Duke Percival poked the Unfezant in the side of the bird's rotund body. "Any ideas?"
The Unfezant narrowed his eyes even more than usual. "I do have an idea of how to undermine the princess's claim." He subtly pointed his wing across the crowd.
Duke Percival followed with his eyes and landed on a Luxray. "Who am I looking upon?" he asked.
"Prince Ludwig, the nephew of King Nigel," The Unfezant explained. "The king's younger sister was married off to a prince of Luneland a generation ago. Prince Ludwig is her son, the king's nephew, and therefore the king's oldest male relative. Prince Ludwig does not possess much of a claim towards Luneland's throne, for it is his uncle who is the current ruler and his cousin who is the heir. I believe we, and other dukes, can convince King Nigel to appoint Prince Ludwig as his new heir."
"Excellent… that will stick it to that dreaded Princess Helena," Duke Percival grinned.
Duke Percival marched over to the Luxray, his Unfezant acquaintance waddling after him. "Greetings, Prince Ludwig," the Unfezant said with a slight dip of his neck (any further, and he might tumble). "My condolences for the sudden loss of your cousin."
Prince Ludwig yawned. "Eh, I barely knew my cousin," he said with a shrug. He eyed the Unfezant and Pyroar. "Who are you?"
"I am the great Ulysses Kenhallow, Duke of Caenhaulais! And this here is Duke Percival of Lyonnais."
"Do you own a lot of land?" Prince Ludwig asked.
"Why, of course," Duke Ulysses responded. "Caenhaulais is an expansive, rich province to the east of Kyukonais, all under the control of my magnificent wings."
"My province of Lyonnais has been growing," said Duke Percival. "Other than some recent minor setbacks…" he mumbled darkly. "And how about you, Your Highness? Care to relay to us the land under your name?"
Prince Ludwig's spiked fur bristled. "My uncle has only earmarked a tiny village on the outskirts of Rentoshire to my name upon his death," the Luxray grumbled.
This is going much easier than I thought, Duke Percival thought to himself with a grin. "An absolute shame," he remarked, placing a paw on his chest and giving a moment of silence. "A prince such as you deserves so much more to his name than a mere fringe village. How would you like… the Kingdom of Solardie?" he suggested with a wide, wicked smile.
"The Kingdom of Solardie," Prince Ludwig repeated, grinning as the words rolled off his tongue and departed his lips.
"Well, you are in luck, my friend!" Duke Ulysses squawked. "It just so happens that with your cousin's passing, you are the oldest male relative to King Nigel Kyukon. Should he also come to pass, the throne shall belong to you, my boy," he said with a firm nod. He then spread his wings, one towards Ludwig and the other pointing to the palace behind them.
"Is that so?" Prince Ludwig said, standing up straighter. "That sounds suitable for me," he said with a nod. "My blasted cousin has mocked my lack of a kingdom to my name ever since we were born. I deserve more than that rotten rat. The Kingdom of Solardie would be a suitable first step."
"Excellent. We must begin by introducing you to the other dukes of Solardie so you can begin making your claim to the throne."
"What? But I am King Nigel's oldest male relative like you said. What claim must I make?"
"Princess Helena stands in the way," Duke Ulysses warned. "I have spent the last decade demanding that she be married off to the Haxburgs to bring closer relations and more riches to Solardie. I will not allow her to take our throne and take those riches away from us. If you want those riches, you must stake your claim now."
"Come now, young prince. There is much for you to learn from the Solardian Dukes if you are to become king," said Duke Percival with a smirk. He could feel the beginning of a long, fruitful partnership with much to gain for the naïve prince… and especially for himself.
Terry knocked on Helena's bedroom door with Lily at his side. After waiting two seconds with no response, he opened the door anyway. He saw Helena sprawled across her purple velvet bed solemnly, staring at the ceiling. "Helena?" Terry voiced. No response. The pushy Torracat hopped onto the mattress and shook Helena's shoulder to get some sort of response from her.
"What?" Helena groaned irritably.
"Uh, I dunno. Seeing you all spaced out is concerning," said Terry.
"What's on your mind?" Lily asked, lying down next to Helena. "You can talk to us."
Helena sighed, her muzzle sinking into the velvet as she flopped her forelegs all the way forward. "I don't know, I just… can't believe my brother is just… gone," she mumbled, the words coming out muffled. "How could that stupid brother of mine get himself killed by bandits? He was offered all the training he could ever ask for from any of the knights."
"Were you two close?" Lily hesitantly asked. She tilted her head, trying to recall the one time Helena had mentioned having a sibling in passing.
"No, we always went our separate ways," Helena said with a sigh. "Perhaps I should have helped him get serious about defending himself and running a kingdom instead of letting him lounge about, but it's too late now…"
"It's not your fault," Terry argued. "He would have refused your help anyway. Come on, cheer up!" he said with a playful nudge.
Helena smacked Terry away with a tail then slumped her shoulders. Terry and Lily tried to cheer her up with random things for a while until Count Ignatio showed up at Helena's door.
"Princess Helena," Count Ignatio said to get her attention. He took note of his son's presence, which made him wrinkle his nose, but decided he would address his disobedient son later.
"Yes, Count Ignatio?" Helena sighed.
"Why the somber tone?" the Incineroar questioned, a somewhat crooked smile crossing his face. "Quite frankly, I expected you to be overjoyed. With your older brother out of the picture, the future of the throne is yours to revel in."
"I am not going to celebrate the death of a family member."
Count Ignatio shrugged. "You rarely interacted with the prince and always protested the privileges bestowed upon him but denied to you, so I presumed you would not bat much of an eye at his passing. Anyway, I believe you will be a fantastic queen. You have the power and determination that your brother did not."
"Did you come here just to pass along some empty praise?" Helena groaned, facing her shoulder to him. "And as a royal advisor, I thought you are not supposed to speak ill of the royal family."
"You will defend your family despite your dislike of them? How honorable of you, Princess. You have indeed matured from the feisty and disobedient Vulpix of the olden days," Count Ignatio chuckled.
"You taught me that family is everything…"
"Yes, of course. Now, I did just speak with your father about various things…" Count Ignatio said, shifting from one foot to the other. "One of the things he instructed of me was to inform you that in lieu of your brother's accidental death, you are not to leave the palace walls until further notice for your absolute safety."
Helena rolled her eyes. "Great to see my father is looking out for me. How is he doing?"
"His current state is quite concerning, to be frank. He is not taking your brother's sudden death well at all. Last I spotted him was with a barrel of whiskey and a mistress to cope."
"I am going to pretend I did not hear that," Helena said, her neck stiffening. "Did my father at least mention any measures to curtail the bandits roaming the countryside? Did you ask?"
"Well… no. I did ask, and His Majesty said as long as he is safe inside the city walls, he could not care less. All he did was order all the guards to take longer shifts so that more guards would be present at each city gate."
"My father is hopeless," Helena remarked through gritted teeth. "Anything else I need to know?"
"Yes… I asked His Majesty about the royal marriage, and he is still intent on marrying you off to the prince of Haxony-"
"That's absurd!" Helena cried. "Who is going to rule Solardie once he dies, then? We'd practically be handing the kingdom to the Haxburgs!"
"That is precisely what I articulated to him," Count Ignatio said. "I do not think anything will get through to him in his current broken state, so I will repeat it again in the future, I promise."
"Why did you say I would make a good queen if you knew my father still wishes to marry me off?" Helena complained, slapping her tails against the bed. She whirled around and stared him in the eyes. "How can you let him do this?"
"I do want you to be queen," Count Ignatio rebuffed. "You are like a daughter to my wife and I, so I wish to see you rise above all. I did not raise you and send you to school for nothing."
"Alright," Helena relented with a sigh. "Sorry."
"Take care of yourself, Princess," Count Ignatio said. "When your father is stable again, I will talk with him. Now… Theodore," he said chillingly, crossing his arms and glaring directly at his son, who had been fidgeting behind Helena.
"Y-yes, Father?" Terry responded, his ears and whiskers drooping.
"Why are you not at home attending to your duties? How am I supposed to bestow you control over our family's holdings if you have spent all your years fooling around and are ill-prepared?"
"I'm keeping Helena company," Terry argued. "Her brother just died. She needs someone to keep her company."
"I do appreciate Theodore's presence," Helena added.
Count Ignatio looked from Helena to Terry and back before shoving his head in his paws. "I suppose I cannot argue with that," he grumbled. "Well, what about your new friend?"
"Hi! I'm Lily!" said Lily with a beaming smile. "Shame on you guys for not introducing me to Terry's dad earlier," she added.
Helena gave a nervous laugh, twiddling her forepaws. "Sorry about that..."
"Where are you from?" Count Ignatio asked.
"Oh, I'm from- OW!" Lily cried when Terry bit her tail.
"Theodore, what kind of unruly behavior is this?!" Count Ignatio roared. He leered at his son, studying the Torrcat's forced smile and twitching whiskers. "It must be because you do not want me to know where she is from. Do not tell me she is a serf," he said with crossed arms.
"She is not a serf," Helena attested. Count Ignatio raised his eyebrow. "Because I already paid the count who owns her village," Helena mumbled, cringing. "But Lily was the best fighter in all of Lyonnais!" she praised. "And she has Chlorophyll, which goes perfectly along with my Drought."
"Hiring that foul-mouthed mercenary was already a bit much, but this? Bringing along a peasant girl? If you are going to be taken seriously, Princess, you must have more honor and nobility."
"I don't care what others think about my team," Helena shot back. "Lily and Chadwyck aren't going anywhere."
"If you are to be queen, you must win the favor of the nobility. Remember that," said Count Ignatio. He left without another word.
"Yowch!" Terry cried when he felt sharp teeth crunch down on his tail.
"A little payback!" Lily smirked. "Soooo… I guess your dad doesn't like me?"
"Yeah… sorry about that. We should've made up a fake noble identity for you," Terry said.
"I doubt it would've held up for long anyway," Helena said. "I hope you weren't too offended, Lily. Judge a pokémon not by their standing, but by their merits alone: that is what Terry and I learned in school in Miloa. The pokémon of our kingdom could learn a thing or two from that. Whatever contempt you hear from uptight nobles, ignore it. I promise I don't think as they do. Even though we were born differently, we can still be best friends," she said with a smile.
"Yay! I'm happy to hear that," Lily said gleefully.
"I thought I was your best friend," Terry complained.
"Don't be ridiculous," Helena laughed, giving him a light punch to the shoulder. "We can all be best friends." She smiled, her ears perked and her tails brought back to life. "Thanks for being here for me, you two. I guess I never needed a supportive father," she said ruefully. "I knew he doesn't care about me other than to marry me off, but I would have thought he would want to hunt down the bandits who killed my brother instead of continuing to do nothing. If my father is rotting his brain with alcohol and fooling around with a mistress, then he does not deserve my respect or compliance. I will clean up all the bandits from Kyukonais, whether he likes it or not," she declared.
"Yeah, let's do it!" Terry agreed.
"We'll avenge your brother!" Lily cheered.
Over the next few weeks, Helena and her friends patrolled the villages around Kyukonais. They wiped out any bandits they caught with a ruthless efficiency as intense as the rays of Helena's Drought. Chadwyck's Solar Powered Flamethrowers and Fire Blasts struck fear into the hearts of the bandits. Terry would annoy the hell out of anyone with some dastardly combination of Substitute, Scary Face, and Roar, while his Flame Burst caused mass chaos. Lily would gleefully chase down anyone who tried to escape and strike them down with her Leaf Blade. And, of course, Helena's Flamethrowers and Solar Beams burned with power and determination, while Max's psychic abilities kept everyone safe and alert. Helena also tried to teach both Chadwyck and Lily Solar Beam, but they needed more practice controlling where they were aiming before they could be trusted.
"What is this?" a Camerupt grunted, scrunching his large tan nose at the cart with three defeated pokémon outside his front gate.
"Bandits I caught stalking your village, Count Caden," said Helena, holding her snout up high.
"Your interference on my land is not necessary, Princess."
"What are you talking about? Bandits are everywhere, stealing from your village. Have you neglected everything beyond your walls?" Helena asked, pointing her tails at the tall stone walls with spikes on top that surrounded Count Caden's estate.
"Do not leave your trash at my gate."
"It is up to you to imprison the outlaws that plague your village. Is it really your village if you do not defend it?" Helena asked.
Count Caden snorted and retreated to the comfort of his estate while two knights dragged the cart of bandits away.
"Why are nobles so grouchy?" Lily asked.
"Beats me. If I had all of that guy's riches, I'd be pumped forever!" Chadwyck declared, beating his wings.
"Until you run out," Terry snickered. "It wouldn't take long, I'd bet."
"It is highly likely Count Caden grew up with no challenges, no tribulations," Max remarked. "Now faced with very real problems, hiding, ignoring, hoping the problems disappear are all his kind may know."
"H-hey, Your Highness?"
Helena saw an Excadrill approaching them. "Hello. Who are you?"
"I'm Eric," said the Excadrill. "I saw you take down those bandits, and… it was awesome!"
"Thank you!" Helena smiled.
"No, thank you! My family and friends keep getting robbed all the time and the knights don't do anything about it, so we really appreciate that you're here."
"No problem. I'll be hunting bandits from now on as long as they show," Helena said. "I need to prove that I'm useful here," she quietly added, kneading some dirt with her paws.
"I was wondering if I could return the favor… by helping you fight? The only thing is, uh…" Eric looked down at his claws, brushing off some soil from them. "I don't know much about fighting. None of us peasants do…"
"Not a problem, my friend," said Max. "We will teach you everything you need."
"Yeah, and if you know anyone else who could help, bring them too!" Helena encouraged. "I can fix this province up with all your help."
Weeks passed, and the number of thefts steadily dwindled. Helena's group of supportive villagers expanded. Soon, Max and Helena started tracking down bandits at night with their psychic powers since no bandit was emboldened enough to rob the villages during the day anymore. Villagers across Kyukonais's six villages got to see their princess in action.
"Stop leaving bandits at my doorstep," Count Caden bleated, smoke rising from his back.
"I am merely keeping my countryside safe," Helena said, smirking. With a swish of her tails, she left the count and his knights to deal with her haul and met the team at the village center. She raised her eyebrows when she spotted a sizable crowd with Chadwyck in the center.
Terry leaped onto Chadwyck's head and hollered, "Hey, everyone! The lady of the hour is here! Ack!" he yowled as Chadwyck clawed him off.
"What is everyone doing here?" Helena asked.
"We gathered everyone just for you!" Lily chirped.
"We took a break from work to thank you, Your Highness," an older villager said. "Thanks to you, our hard work is protected."
Helena traversed the crowd with a spring in her step, reveling in each pokémon's praises for her. "Thank you, everyone. I am honored to be a worthy princess," she said. She spotted a crate, stood up tall on it, and raised her voice. "I'm way better than your knights or those useless city guards, right?" she asked the crowd.
"Yeah!" the villagers cheered.
"I want to know… how would you feel if my father married me off to a faraway land?"
"Boo!" several villagers shouted while others gasped or shook their heads.
"I'll make sure that doesn't happen. I'm the defender of Kyukonais!" Helena promised. Her supporters went back to loud cheering.
Max hopped onto Helena's crate. "Is this necessary?" he asked, crossing his little arms.
Helena peeked down at Max and grinned. "And your well-being would not be possible without one true defender, who kept us all safe in battle," Helena added, placing a tail across Max's shoulders. "Everyone praise my good friend, Maximilian Nyaonix!"
The villagers began a new round of cheers for the Meowstic. Max blushed, rubbing the back of his neck with his paw. "T-thank you, all. N-no need for such overblown praise. Seriously, no need…" He snuck a glare Helena's way but got only snickers in response.
"Wait, seriously? The king wants to marry you away?" Eric asked from the front of the crowd.
"I think that is still his plan…" Helena said, frowning. "Hmm, honestly, I can't remember the last time I spoke with him."
One evening, Count Ignatio approached Helena accompanied by two of his knights while she was on her way back to the city. "Ah, Princess. How are you doing this evening?" he asked.
"Doing well, Count," Helena chirped. "I took a trip through half of the villages and not a single report of misdeeds. Everyone was glad," she said with a smile.
"Good, good. You are making quite a name for yourself among the common pokémon... However, do not neglect your standing among the upper class," he said sternly. "My peers have risen complaints, although your father has refused to meet with anyone. Anyway, the king asked me to find you. He has arranged a royal dinner for your family."
"My family?" Helena said in slight confusion.
"Your cousin, Prince Ludwig has paid us a visit along with his mother. His Majesty wishes for you to join them for dinner," Count Ignatio explained.
"Er, okay. Sure," said Helena. "I'll go. Thanks." She tried to remember when was the last time she spoke to her cousin or aunt.
After returning to the palace and washing up, Helena headed for the royal dining hall. When she arrived at the dinner table, two infrequently-seen faces and one even more unfamiliar face greeted her. "Great to see you again, Aunt Nina, Ludwig," Helena said with a respectful bow. "Nice to meet you, ma'am," she said to the (Alolan) Ninetales sitting next to her father.
"Helena, this is my mistress, Alaia."
Helena flinched and opened her eyes wide. Did she just hear that wrong? Did her father just say that to her with a straight face? She looked towards her aunt and noticed her averted eyes. Meanwhile, Ludwig, her Luxray cousin, was staring intently at his plate the whole time, as if in his own little world.
"Alaia, this is my daughter, Helena."
"A wonder to finally meet you, darling~" Alaia chimed. "I cannot believe this is the first time I have seen you!"
I hope it's the last time, too, Helena thought, her tails subconsciously clenching.
"What have you been up to, darling?"
"Cleansing the countryside of bandits," Helena muttered.
Alaia blinked a few times. "Come again?"
"Helena, just what have you been up to?" King Nigel growled. "You are supposed to be staying put in the palace!"
"What have you been up to that you are not aware of my deeds?" Helena shot back to her father. Then she took a glance between her father and Alaia. "Actually, I do not want to know." Helena looked as if she was about to leave.
"Let us have a nice dinner together as a family," Aunt Nina said through gritted teeth. Then she gently patted the seat next to her with her tails. "Helena, it has been far too long."
Helena looked into her aunt's wet eyes. With a cold feeling in her chest, she decided she couldn't leave her aunt alone with her father and his mistress. "Alright," Helena said with a sigh. She settled down and tried to enjoy the dinner as best she could.
"Uncle Nigel," Ludwig spoke up halfway through the meal. Helena jolted, not expecting the quiet Luxray to speak.
"Yes, Ludwig?" the king asked.
The Luxray took a deep breath, abruptly stood up from his chair, and bowed to his uncle. "I have a request, Your Majesty. As your only male relative by blood, I wish to be your heir."
"Excuse me?" Helena blurted out. "I am the king's child. That makes me the heir!"
"As the only unmarried princess of Solardie, Helena needs to be married with the prince of Haxony for the alliance. Is that correct?" Ludwig said to the king, ignoring Helena.
"That is correct," said King Nigel.
"No, that is insane!" Helena snarled. All her muscles tensing, she leaped out of her seat and tackled her cousin, shoving her paw into his mane. Ludwig's eyes widened in shock as his head hit the ground, and he instinctively released some electricity in self-defense. Helena jumped back, shaking off the sparks, her body temperature rising. Her tails flared out, and fire bubbled at her muzzle.
"Stop!" Aunt Nina cried.
"The princess is violent," Alaia quietly remarked.
"Ludwig, I appreciate your offer," King Nigel said hollowly. "However, it is not necessary. I have another son," he said, his muzzle curling into a wretched smile. "He is currently in Alaia's womb."
"What?!" both cousins shrieked, ending their attack preparations in pure shock.
Aunt Nina shook her head a few times. "Tell me I misheard you, Nigel," she croaked.
"I have a new heir. He will be born soon," said the king, loud and clear.
"And how do you know your child will be a boy?" Aunt Nina questioned.
"I had a psychic type appraise the child," the king said matter-of-factly.
There was a dreadful silence for a few moments. Then Aunt Nina muttered, "Unbelievable. I can hardly sit next to my brother who has committed such carnal sins." She turned her back to her older brother and covered her face with her paws in shame.
"It is not your place to condone me, Nina," the king growled. "The need for an heir goes beyond the need for forgiveness."
"Father, you would take an unborn bastard child over your grown daughter?" Helena snarled.
"Or your only nephew?" Ludwig added. He flinched and took a step back upon receiving a death glare from Helena.
"Helena, you are going to be married to the Prince of Haxony. I have just renewed the deal with King Haxburg, thank Arceus. And Ludwig, you belong in your own kingdom. Go back to Luneland."
Helena let loose a tiny ember, setting fire to the fancy royal tablecloth. Alaia shrieked, and Helena gave her a death glare too. Then she stomped away. Far away.
Helena stomped straight out of the palace, through the streets of Kyukonais, and trudged her way towards the city walls. The guards stationed at the gate recognized her and tried to stop her, but she barreled right past them. She marched into the forest path to escape the city then abruptly lit a tree on fire. Red-orange light cut through the night's darkness as the bark crackled and popped from the flames. Helena stared into the fiery destruction, imagining the outline of a decrepit, vile Ninetales.
The sudden burst of orange light caught the attention of two pokémon in the forest. They quietly traversed the treetops to take a look at the disturbance. "Wait, that's the Ninetales who's been hunting everyone down," one of them whispered to the other.
Helena's ear twitched as she thought she heard something through her fire's crackling. The next moment, a figure descended from the trees above her and hit her with a Night Slash. Helena cried out as she hit the ground, her side stinging from the dark-type attack. She shook her head and focused in the direction of the attack, the light from the burning tree revealing a Shiftry who was readying another Night Slash. Helena quickly prepared a Flamethrower to retaliate, but she was suddenly hit in the head by a weak telekinetic force.
Wait, what? Where did that come from? Helena wondered as she rubbed her head, confused. She darted her eyes across the treetops looking for the perpetrator while gathering up her flames again. "Ack!" Helena yelled as the Shiftry charged at her with Night Slash again. She coughed out several flames from her muzzle but dug her paws into the ground to avoid getting knocked over this time. Because of the embers that had escaped her muzzle, she caught sight of the Shiftry retreating and unleashed her Flamethrower at him.
"AH!" the Shiftry cried, making a run for it.
Helena scanned the trees again, spotting a pair of glowing purple eyes this time. She quickly jerked away from her current position and avoided the next Confusion attack. Next, she swiftly set the tree below those purple eyes on fire, revealing the figure of a Noctowl. The startled Noctowl leaped off of her branch and flapped her wings harshly, sending multiple Air Slashes Helena's way. Helena hopped around on her paws, trying to dodge Air Slashes while preparing her own Psychic in her mind. When it was ready, she whipped her head towards the Noctowl, her eyes glowed light blue, and a blast of telekinetic force pummeled the bird, eliciting a sharp hoot. As the Noctowl plummeted, Helena growled and fired a closing Flamethrower.
That felt good. Let me find some more bandits to unleash my anger on, Helena thought darkly. She took a few steps further into the forest, then winced from several aches where she'd been hit. Shaking her head, Helena scurried away from the burning trees, not wanting to attract the attention of more bandits while she was out alone. She still wasn't feeling like returning to the palace, though, so she continued through the dark forest to the other side.
Helena tiredly dragged her paws into a quiet village and to the front door of the large estate at the center. She knocked her paw against the door fervently.
A Persian opened the door. "Princess Helena?" she asked, eyes widening.
"Hi, Countess Penelope," Helena greeted hastily, her eyelids drooping. "May I come in…?"
"Of course, dear. What are you doing out this late, if I may ask?"
"Helena!" Terry cheerfully interjected, bounding over to the door. "Wait, did you get into a battle?" he asked with a frown, noticing her disheveled fur.
"Yeah, I got attacked by two bandits in the forest on the way here…"
"Oh my goodness!" Countess Penelope cried. "Are you alright?"
"The bandits weren't a problem," Helena said. "The real prob-"
"You could have gotten killed, Princess," Countess Penelope breathed out.
"Where was your bodyguard?" Count Ignatio suddenly spoke up. "Is this not the point of hiring a bodyguard? I knew that Charizard could not be trusted…"
"Oh, I didn't even think of grabbing Chadwyck to accompany me. I was just so angry. I stormed out of the palace and the city without thinking," she admitted, kneading her paws against the welcome rug.
"What made you come all the way here all of a sudden?" asked a younger Persian, Terry's little sister Petunia.
"My father impregnated his mistress and is going to name the unborn child as his heir instead of me," Helena growled.
"His Majesty did what?" Terry's mother shrieked, the graceful Persian's whiskers twitching in disbelief.
"He's had a mistress this entire time since my brother died. I didn't think much of it, but today at the dinner table with my aunt and cousin, my father said… he said his mistress is pregnant with a n-new s-son." Helena scrunched her eyes. "He said, s-straight to my face, that his unborn son w-will be his heir, i-instead of me," she cried, her whole body shaking.
"And how does he know his new child will be a son?" Count Ignatio questioned, arms crossed.
"He… he claims he had a psychic type appraise the child..."
"Oh Arceus, imagine if the child were a daughter…" Countess Penelope shuddered.
"Y-yes, my father would discard his current mistress and find another one within a day. Just like how he is replacing me… He still wants to marry me off to Haxony," Helena murmured, staring down at her trembling forepaws, her tails draped across the ground.
"You aren't replaceable," Terry said, giving Helena a hug to cheer her up.
"At least it is not the worst situation," Petunia added, giving Helena a comforting pat on the back.
"What could be worse?" Helena moped.
"Getting murdered by bandits, as your brother did, would be worse…" Petunia hesitantly offered.
"I can defend myself…" Helena tried to say it with some pride, but her chest was too constricted.
"It cannot be that bad with the Haxburgs. At least you will still have a comfortable life," Petunia tried to reassure.
"The Haxburgs are not what I want in life at all…" Helena whined.
"My son is correct on one thing," Count Ignatio said. "You are not replaceable, Princess Helena. I will do something about this," he declared.
"Thank you, Count Ignatio," Helena sighed. "M-may I stay here for the night? I-if I spend another minute at the palace tonight… I fear I may burn it all down..."
"Yes, of course, dear," said Countess Penelope. "Let me make you some warm soup."
"The king really went all the way and made a new heir, huh?" Duke Percival remarked.
"I am afraid I will not be able to support your goals any further," Ludwig said with his head bowed.
Duke Percival grabbed Ludwig's shoulder with a forepaw and looked him in the eyes. "Do you want to be king or not?"
"Of course I want to be king." Ludwig retreated a step back and glared off into the distance. "My cousin will have Luneland handed to him when his father dies. I deserve a kingdom too, not a measly village."
"Well, child, not everything will be handed to you. But if you are still willing to work for the throne of Solardie, I will still back you," said Duke Percival.
"How?" Ludwig asked.
"I will summon several other dukes and we will have a discussion on how. Are you in?"
Ludwig's somber look molded into a grin. "Yes."
A/N 2/4/22: "Carnal Sins" is pretty straightforward :) It's an EU4 event that can happen when a ruler has no heir and gives them an heir with a weak claim to the throne.
You may have noticed Solardie's province names sound vaguely French. Well, I blatantly copied Lyonnais from real life because Pyroar is a lion… Kyukonais is from Ninetales's Japanese name Kyukon and the French -ais suffix. Caenhaulais is a mashup of Unfezant's Japanese name Kenhallow and the French province Caen (with very severe Anglicanized butchering of both Japanese and French pronunciation, I now realize…) and Nuohnais coming from Quagsire's Japanese name Nuoh. Solardie is a mix of sun and the French province Picardie. Also, a lot of my noble pokémons' last names are just their Japanese names (Kyukon, Gaogaen, Nyaonix, Kenhallow).