Lily gazed down the hill at her village with mixed feelings. On one paw, the small farming village with its straw huts and lack of color was still the most boring place she'd been to. On the other paw, the pokémon here meant a lot to her. Now she felt guilty about leaving so abruptly. Well, time to rectify it.
She made her way to the plot of land that her family was responsible for and quickly spotted her dad, an Umbreon, harvesting wheat as stoically as ever. "Hey, Dad," Lily called, jogging over.
The Umbreon's ears twitched, and he turned around, meeting the sight of his wayward daughter. "Lily," he breathed.
"Hey, um… I'm happy to see you!" Lily said sheepishly.
Her dad smiled. "We've been waiting a while for you to visit," he said. "I'm glad you're in one piece."
"Of course I am!" Lily asserted. "Nothing stands in the way of my adventures."
"Is that Lily?!" someone exclaimed from across the field. The next instant, a Jolteon came dashing straight at Lily with an excited smile. He leaped and tried to tackle her, but she swiftly hopped out of the way, and he nearly faceplanted into the wheat stalks.
"Nice try, Jonquil!" Lily laughed, sticking her tongue out at her older brother.
"You've gotten faster," Jonquil commented.
"Chasing down bandits has improved my reflexes!"
"Bandits?" their dad repeated, his yellow rings brightening.
"Yeah! I helped turn Kyukonais completely bandit-free!" Lily proclaimed.
"Whoa, really?" Jonquil gasped.
"And I was totally safe the whole time," Lily insisted in response to her father's tense stance. "My friend Max keeps us all safe with his psychic powers and we all keep an eye on each other."
"So you can be as reckless as you want?" Jonquil snickered.
"I promise I wasn't being too reckless…"
"You'll never learn," Lily's father muttered, shaking his head. "Well, let's go find your mother."
The three Eeveelutions found Lily's mom at none other than another part of the field. "Oh, Lily!" the Espeon cried, embracing her Leafeon daughter. "I thought we'd never see you again!"
"Lily's back! Yay!" Lily's younger sister Erica cheered, the Eevee leaping onto Lily's head.
"I was only gone for… um…" Lily stammered sheepishly while under her mother's death grip.
"You can't even remember," the Espeon scolded.
"Well, time flies when you're having- Ouch! Don't bite!" Lily cried when she felt a nibble on her leafy ear.
"I'm hungry," Erica snickered.
"Let's all go inside," said Lily's dad.
After their parents gave Erica a small piece of bread, Lily faced her family and took a deep breath, preparing a level tone. "I want all of us to move to Kyukonais together," Lily said.
"What?" everyone reacted.
"I want all of us to move to Kyukonais together!" Lily repeated excitedly.
"We don't need to move anywhere," Lily's mom stated.
"But life was so sad and boring here," said Lily. "Everything in Kyukonais is so much better. We can all have so much more exciting lives. Every day can be a new adventure!"
"That sounds great!" said Jonquil, with Erica nodding her head and hopping in place.
Lily's dad sighed and shook his head. "Adventures are dangerous. One of these days, you're going to get seriously hurt, Lily. And then you will regret it," Lily's dad warned.
"Okay, forget I said anything about adventures," Lily backtracked. "Kyukonais is such a better place to be. There's so much food that you'll never go hungry and it's way better than the bread we eat here!"
"We can't leave the safety of our village. W-what if we run into bandits?" Lily's mom brought up, her tail twitching.
"There aren't any bandits in Kyukonais. We defeated them all long ago already!" Lily cheered.
"And what if there are bandits on the way there?" Lily's dad questioned.
Lily's mom gasped with a sudden realization. "Lily, did you travel here all by yourself?"
"Um, yeah…"
"You could have been killed by bandits!" she screeched. "Oh my Arceus, you're still in one piece…"
"Mom, you're overreacting," Lily groaned. "What makes you think a gang of bandits will jump on you the moment you step out of the village?"
"I've seen the knights come back with scratches…"
"If we do run into bandits, I'll protect us from them!" Lily promised. "I bet I could beat the knights in a battle now anyway! Bandits aren't a problem."
"How are we going to get food? Where are we going to stay?" Lily's dad questioned.
"Well, the way it works is, you can work on a special kind of farm that grows expensive and tasty stuff," Lily started. "Then, you can give your stuff to a bunch of pokémon that come from far away, and they give you food in return! There's also money involved somewhere, but it's kind of complicated. In the end, you get way more food for way less work! In fact, you don't even have to work on your special farm every day, only five out of seven days!" Lily finished. She expected her parents to look excited, but they just stared at her instead. At least Jonquil and Erica looked eager to hear more about the wonderful world outside their village.
"As for where to stay… I have a house for us!" Lily continued.
"A house?" Jonquil asked, amazed.
"Yup! I think it's better than Lord whatever-his-name-is's house, too!" Lily said. "It's definitely just as big. The best part is I even helped build it!"
"Okay Lily, stop lying to us," Lily's dad cut her off. "What have you really been up to all this time?"
"Fighting bandits, learning how to read, and helping Helena build the best city ever!" Lily answered sincerely. "And now I want you all to enjoy it with me."
"I don't feel comfortable leaving our village…" Lily's mom lamented.
"But you haven't tried it!" said Lily.
"I'll go back to Kyukonais with you, Lily!" said Jonquil. "I want to see what you've been up to!"
"No, you're not going anywhere," their dad said sternly. "It's not safe outside our village."
"Ooh, I wanna go too!" Erica said, jumping on her paws.
"Absolutely not," their mom snapped.
Lily spent the next couple of days telling her adventures and explaining life in Kyukonais to others in the village. While others were absolutely interested in Kyukonais, Lily's efforts to sway her parents went nowhere; they were paralyzed by fear of the unknown. It didn't help that she was known to exaggerate, either. Her parents didn't even want her to travel back to Kyukonais alone, fearing bandits. Lily ended up leaving in the middle of the night with Jonquil in tow. They were going to take Erica with them, too, but decided not to be that irresponsible. On the long way back to Kyukonais, Lily told Jonquil all about her new friends and all the activities she'd done on her adventures.
As the two Eeveelutions approached Kyukonais, Lily pointed out the newer berry farms. "Most of this land used to be forests. We cleared them for these new farms and used all the wood to build up the city. It's a win-win!" Lily explained. They passed by the original berry farm as they got closer to the city. "This was the first farm we ever made. I remember preparing the soil!" Lily recounted. She showed Jonquil the various berries and had him smell them and decide which one he liked best. Along the way, they ran into Eric.
"Howdy, Lily. Who've you got with you?" Eric asked.
"Hiya, Eric! This is my brother, Jonquil. I want my whole family to move here, but my parents won't believe anything I say about how awesome we made things here! So I'm showing Jonquil around so he can convince our parents. Hey, can my parents work here for you? They're good farmers."
"Well, we're always growing and needing more pokémon, but the positions fill up fast. Everyone must want to work here since we're much closer to the city than the newer farms."
"Nah, it's because you're the best owner!" Lily said.
"Couldn't have done it without Helena and you. I wouldn't be doing anything without your team, really," Eric chuckled. "I'd still be breaking my back for ungrateful Count Caden and running away from bandits. For that, I'll guarantee your parents have jobs with me, no problem!"
"Sweet, thanks!" Lily said.
They continued onwards to the city's outskirts. "Wow, so everyone lives in wooden houses like these?" Jonquil marveled. "Not just the knights?"
"Yup, everyone!"
"How come we don't have nice houses at home?" Jonquil wondered.
"Hmm, I don't know," said Lily. She thought for a moment. "Must be because we were always busy in the fields," she figured. "These do take a long time to build."
They came across a street with bigger houses than the rest; Jonquil strolled down the road, lost in fantasies of living in such comfort. Then he realized Lily was no longer in front of him. "Why'd you stop?" he called back. Lily just stood there smiling. "Wait a minute…"
"This is our house!" Lily proudly revealed.
Jonquil's jaw dropped. "Wow... it looks awesome!"
"I know, right? On the outside it's amazing. The inside is very empty though. There's no furniture yet. Actually, there's nowhere to sleep yet, now that I think about it…"
"Can we go inside?"
"Yeah, of course." Lily unlocked the door and went in. "Wait, what?" she gasped. There was suddenly tons of furniture! She trotted past the new couch and peeked into a bedroom, spotting a brand new bed.
"Surprise!"
Lily jumped and turned around, spotting Terry, who had been hiding behind where the door was when it was opened. "I got you furniture while you were gone," said Terry.
"No way! Thanks, Terry! This is awesome!" Lily cheered, darting over and giving him a hug.
"Glad you like it!" Terry chimed.
"Oh, Terry, this is my older brother, Jonquil," Lily introduced.
Jonquil smirked. "Nice to meet you, man. So you're the object of my sister's- MMPH!" he yelped as a vine whipped across his muzzle.
"Jonquil!" Lily cried. "Um, uh…" she stammered, her cheeks turning pink. "Don't call him an object! He's a living and breathing pokémon!" she accused on the spot.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" Jonquil whined.
Terry couldn't help but crack a smile at that wacky exchange. "Er, it's fine?" he unsurely reassured.
"Anyway, Jonquil, just look at this house!" Lily exclaimed. "Mom and Dad would love it, right?"
"For sure!" Jonquil agreed.
"Let me meet the rest of your family," said Terry, stepping outside. He didn't see anyone else, though.
"I couldn't convince my parents to come right away," Lily explained. "And my sister couldn't come without my parents. Let's show Jonquil around for a couple of days so that he can explain to them what it's like here since they don't believe me."
"Sounds like a plan," said Terry.
"First order of business," King Ludwig spoke, the Luxray seated at the end of the long table of dukes. "My uncle, King Leinster, has passed away. Now, my wretched cousin, Leinwig, is rising to the throne of Rentoshire," he growled, his claws screeching against the wooden table. "However, my father, the honorable Prince Ludwren, as the late king's younger brother, has launched a campaign to take the throne instead. As his son, it is my duty to support him in the civil war. I require money and knights from all of you to aid my father."
The dukes pondered the request for a few moments. "I suppose I can lend some knights," said Duke Kendrick.
"I am afraid I cannot provide for your cause," said Duke Qasimir.
"This Universalis is intended to discuss matters pertinent to the Kingdom of Solardie, not your personal affairs, Your Majesty," Duchess Madelyn harshly remarked.
"I will not contribute to some faraway matter which does not concern me," Duke Brennan said staunchly.
"I have to agree," said Helena. "Unless you come up with a way for Kyukonais to benefit, I cannot contribute to your request."
"How would you feel if your father was fighting for his life and you could not help? I have cut your taxes to me and I know you have all raised taxes in your provinces so you have funds to spare. Please reconsider," Ludwig begged. "Furthermore, this is a security concern," he argued. "My cousin is a warmonger at heart. He will attack us as soon as he is able to, family ties be dammed. Your home could go up in flames," Ludwig warned.
"Perhaps we will reconsider if there is a serious concern in the future," Duke Percival dismissed, sitting in the seat next to his nephew-in-law. "Let us move onto the next order of business, which is the serfs of Caenhaulais."
"Yes, the situation in Caenhaulais is getting out of wing," Duke Ulysses complained. "So many of my serfs have abandoned my farms to come here to Kyukonais. When my knights started enforcing the law, they were met with resistance. I need help from everyone to control the situation," the Unfezant requested. "Lend me your knights' strength to support my own."
"I am not supporting you for free, just like how I refuse to support King Ludwig for free," Duke Brennan pushed back. "Your province does not affect me."
"Unlike King Ludwig's request, mine affects everyone here," Duke Ulysses insisted. "If there is a successful rebellion in Caenhaulais, it will embolden angry serfs all across the kingdom. You will be in danger next."
"He has a good point," Duke Qasimir agreed. "We must crush this rebel sentiment before it spreads."
"Before I commit to granting Duke Ulysses aid, I demand a guarantee that I will receive the same aid when I require it," said Duchess Madelyn.
"You will have it," Duke Ulysses promised.
"Your word is not enough," Duchess Madelyn said. "I propose that we draft a formal agreement to come to each other's aid in the event of a peasant uprising."
"I agree," said Duke Kendrick. "Now is not the time to distrust one another. We must work together to ensure each other's safety." The dukes had some detailed discussions on how they would determine how much money or soldiers to provide and what events were worthy of triggering a call to arms.
"I do not feel the need to enter into this agreement since I am confident I will not have a rebellion on my paws," Helena stated. "This agreement should be optional."
"On the contrary, I believe that you should be held most accountable for contributing since you are the root cause," Duke Ulysses accused. "You have encouraged my serfs to illegally vacate my fields for yours."
"I have not step foot in your province or interfered," Helena responded. "You should look a little deeper for the root cause, for it lies with yourself. Why do your serfs want to come to my province? Because my province has better living conditions; all your province has is higher taxes. You should work on modeling your own province after mine rather than taking measures against mine."
"We will not undermine our loyal counts and knights as you have done yours," Duchess Madelyn declared.
"Well, if you choose to do nothing but wish to retain your population, surely it is your responsibility to enforce it yourself?" Helena suggested.
"Since Kyukonais is the source of the disruption, there should be an additional tax on the owner of Kyukonais to fund campaigns against rebellions," Duke Kendrick proposed, ignoring Helena. Nearly all the dukes immediately agreed and started writing down proposals.
Helena held back a snarl, eying around the long table at the six other dukes. She knew Duke Percival would never side with her after she stepped on his mane. Duke Ulysses was the one who suggested to Helena's late father that she marry into the Haxburgs ever since she was little because closer ties would bring more riches. Helena would never see eye-to-eye with that fat bird. Helena could tell that Duke Brennan didn't like her, but at least he didn't like anyone. The other three dukes held no ill will that Helena could think of, and she had to keep it that way. Her place in the Universalis was worthless if she had no allies. If she antagonized them, they could turn on her and expel her, then pillage the rich city she had built for themselves. She had to preserve her position and good standing while she could.
Maybe I have to pay them to get them off my back. Ugh, but then they'll just demand even more next month. I can't make concessions; I need to gain their trust instead. They want soldiers to help them quell their rebellions, right? No, I can't do that. None of my citizens are going to agree to put down others who are trying to come to Kyukonais, and I don't have any knights loyal to me. What else can I do to gain the dukes' trust?
"You wish for me to provide fourty knights?" Duke Qasimir complained. "I cannot disturb so many of my subjects for so long. They have their own domains to tend to."
"We must crush every pocket of unrest with overwhelming force!" Duke Ulysses squawked. "Surely you do not wish your serfs to think they have a chance to escape your laws?"
"I believe you are looking at the problem from the wrong angle," said Duke Percival. "Instead of stamping down the symptoms, let us snuff out the source of the disease - the fact that Princess Helena is accepting these illegal migrant serfs. I propose we put King Ludwig in charge of Kyukonais instead."
Helena's head snapped up, and all her tails twitched violently. "You do not want to set a precedent of replacing a duke," she immediately said to the table. "You could be a target one day," she warned.
"Only one who brazenly disrupts their peers will become a target," Duke Percival stated.
"I would hardly call the conveniences of Kyukonais's market a 'disruption,'" Helena said. "You have convenient access to a wide variety of luxuries at a lower price than ever before. None of that would be possible without me."
"She speaks the truth," Duchess Madelyn admitted. "My subjects and I have made great use of Princess Helena's market. That is undeniable."
"I do not support ousting Princess Helena, but I am still in favor of a tax to compensate for future damages caused by wayward serfs," Duke Kendrick said.
"Our provinces are ours alone. This body shall not interfere with the ownership of any duke's province," Duke Brennan declared. "I support a tax on Kyukonais if it means I can commit less of my knights towards another's province."
Helena took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts. "You do not want to start a precedent of a law being issued unequally from one province to the next," she started off. "You could also be the recipient of the next decree. So, instead of disgracing the harmony of the Universalis, I have an alternative proposal. How about I lead the army to curtail the rebels in Caenhaulais? I have experience hunting down unlawful pokémon."
"And what if I do not see results?" Duke Ulysses questioned.
"Then you can determine if a new law must be passed next month," said Helena.
"This will be a good test of the princess's loyalty to the Universalis," said Duke Qasimir. "I support it."
"It is only fair that Princess Helena cleans up her own mess," said Duchess Madelyn. "This proposal has merits."
"Not only will I clean up, but I will only require ten knights from each of you, a quarter of the forces mentioned in earlier discussions. You need not dedicate yourselves and so many of your knights."
"I am sold," said Duke Brennan.
"Hmm. Very well, it is fitting for Princess Helena to do the dirty work they she brought upon herself," Duke Percival decided, sending a glare Helena's way.
"I do not trust her," Duke Ulysses huffed. "I will not put the fate of my province in Princess Helena's paws."
"Either I lend you ten knights with Princess Helena in charge or none at all," said Duke Brennan.
"If Princess Helena says ten knights from each of us is enough, I will start there," said Duke Qasimir.
"We can always change the terms next month if progress is not made," said Duke Kendrick.
The dukes voted in favor of Helena's plan six-to-one. Helena sighed in relief, being able to stay in the other dukes' good graces and preserve her funds for her province's growth, only for one extra task on her plate.
Terry caught Helena as she left the palace. "Helena!" he called.
"Hey Terry," said Helena. "Have you seen Chadwyck?"
"Um, no, but I finally found you," Terry laughed. "Wanna go on a journey with me and Lily and her brother to bring the rest of her family here?" he asked with a grin, tail wagging.
Helena's ears shot up. "Lily's family isn't here yet?"
"She was only able to convince her brother right away. We're showing him around the city so that he can convince their parents too," Terry explained. "I'm going to go with them in a few days. You should come too!"
Helena grimaced, staying silent for a long moment. "I… can't. I have some serious business to attend to…" she finally said, averting her eyes.
"Aw, come on! You need a break from all this hard work. An adventure like old times will be good for you," Terry insisted.
"I know, I know, but now's just not the time," Helena sighed. She stood up straighter. "More importantly, listen up. The other dukes are angry at me because their serfs are coming to Kyukonais. They say the serfs belong on their turf, and they're ordering their knights to stop anyone from leaving. You two need to get Lily's family here as soon as possible."
"An element of danger added to the journey, huh?" Terry remarked. "We better get going tomorrow then! Are you sure you can't come?"
"I'm going to be busy," Helena groaned. "I'm sorry."
"Didn't you give tasks out to other pokémon so that you're not always busy?"
"Yes, but… things always come up, you know? Now I gotta go find Chadwyck." She paused, her expression lightening up a bit. "Enjoy your trip with Lily!" she said with a wink before dashing off.
Over the past few days, Lily and Terry had showcased the food at the market, checked out all the exciting jobs, and looked at the newly built school and library. They spent some time at a new concert hall with pokémon playing exquisite music with fancy instruments. Next door, the music store sold cheaper versions of the instruments and gave lessons so that anyone could enjoy playing music for themselves. At Quest for Chesto, a Delcatty immediately caught Jonquil's eye, much to Terry and Lily's amusement.
"Do we have to go back now?" Jonquil complained as he loaded a crate of rice into their cart.
"Helena said the nobles are getting annoyed with everyone leaving, so we need to hurry up," Terry said.
"Besides, you'll have all the time in the world once everyone is here!" said Lily.
The three took off with their cart from Kyukonais to Lily's village in Lyonnais. To get there, they had to travel through the province of Caenhaulais. By the end of the first day, they reached the village in Caenhaulais closest to Lyonnais. They passed through most of the village and set up camp on the outskirts facing Lyonnais. While cooking a nice dinner, a familiar Swanna from the nearest farm spotted them. Since this was the third time Lily was passing by, and she had stopped for the night around the Swanna's farm the past two trips, the two were familiar by now.
"Hello again, Lily," the Swanna greeted, flying over and landing gracefully.
"Hi Skyla!" Lily greeted back.
"I see you've gone from one pokémon, to two, and now three," Skyla laughed.
"Yup, this is my friend, Terry," Lily introduced. "When you see me come back next time, I'm going to have my whole family," she declared.
Two young Duckletts flew over, drawn by a fantastic smell. "Mom, what smells so good?" one of them asked.
Skyla peeked into the large boiling pot that was over a fire. "What are you cooking?" she asked.
"It's curry," Terry revealed. "Rice, potatoes, and veggies mixed with lots of amazing spices!" He smiled as the Duckletts waddled over to the pot and took in the wonderful aroma to their heart's content. "Would you like to try some?"
"A-are you sure?" Skyla asked.
"We brought plenty of extra food," Jonquil said.
"Thank you so much," said Skyla. She brought her husband over, and the group had a fantastic dinner. Skyla was ashamed of how rapidly her kids ate, but Lily and Terry insisted they eat as much as they could.
"The nobles have started taking even more of our bread these days," Skyla sighed. "Now I can see why so many others are moving to Kyukonais. Maybe it's time we move to Kyukonais too."
"Oh yeah, there's plenty of awesome places to work and the markets are filled with food imports so that no one in Kyukonais goes hungry!" Terry explained.
"If you do come to Kyukonais, come find us!" Lily said.
"Alright, we certainly will," said Skyla. "Have a safe trip!"
Lily, Terry, and Jonquil slept soundly in their tents and resumed their journey the following day. When they finally reached their family's farm around sunset, Erica spotted them first and dashed towards them.
"Erica, where are you going?" her mom hollered.
"It's Lily and Jonquil!" the Eevee squealed.
"Hey, Erica! Sorry we had to leave you behind," Jonquil apologized, giving his little sister a hug.
"Is it real? Is Kyukonais real?" Erica asked, her ears flapping in the air as she bounced up and down.
"Absolutely!" Jonquil answered with a wide grin.
"Jonquil! Lily!" Their parents marched over with the largest frowns the kids had ever seen. "Dear Arceus, why did you two disappear?" their mother cried.
Lily felt her breath catch in her throat. Perhaps I didn't think this through…
"I had to see what Lily got for us," Jonquil said.
"Do you have any idea how worried we were?" their dad whined.
"Lily has a house for us," Jonquil continued. "And she has jobs for you two on her friend's farm, too. We'll never go hungry, either. I'm sorry I worried you, but I had to find a better life for our family. I'm sorry." He sighed and bowed his head down.
"You're serious, Jonquil?" their mom asked. She had never seen her son like this before.
"One-hundred-percent serious. Lily has done everything for us," Jonquil said.
The parents gave each other a glance. "How are we going to fit in? We won't know anyone…" their mom lamented, the Espeon's ears lowered.
"It'll be okay, Mom," Lily said. "Everyone is new at the start. Everyone is nice, too. We can even get some of our friends to move as well. And we can visit."
"Let me show you the food we brought back," Jonquil said, leading their parents around the cart.
"Oh, and this is my friend, Terry. He came to help us move!" said Lily. "I-If you agree to, that is."
"Hello!" Terry greeted cheerfully.
"Hi! I'm Erica!" Lily's little sister said, bounding up to Terry. "What smells so good?" she asked, her tail wagging, pointing her little snout towards a bag in the cart.
"These are cookies," said Terry, taking one out for Erica to try.
"It's so good!" Erica praised, her ears perking as she savored the sugary treat.
"Yup!" Terry chimed. "Careful though, you can't eat too many cookies."
"Look at all of this food that Lily brought," Jonquil said as he showed their parents the week's worth of food in the wagon. "We can afford all this food from just one day of work. The markets are filled with endless amounts of food as far as I could see."
"You'll never go hungry again," Lily promised.
"Hmm… that does sound good…" their mom contemplated. "Especially after the latest round of bread taken…"
"You kids better not be lying," said their dad.
"Come on, Mom, come on, Dad! Lily already got a house for all of us!" Jonquil exclaimed. "It's built with wood and bricks and has a stone fireplace to keep us warm and has so many rooms. The door even has a lock for keeping intruders out. It looks nicer than our lord's house!"
"I helped build the house with my own paws and vines," said Lily. "I worked with Helena's construction team from start to finish, from digging out the foundation to installing the last window," she explained.
"You don't owe us a house, Lily," her mother said, patting her daughter on the back. "We understand that you have your own life now. Go find a nice husband to share your house with," she said with an encouraging smile.
Lily sighed. She glanced over at Terry, and he gave her an encouraging smile. She took a deep breath and made firm eye contact with her parents. "I love my adventures with Terry and Helena and everyone else," Lily started. "But you're right; the world out there can be scary," she said, waving her tail across the vast landscape. "That's why I went through the unknown, conquered all the bandits, and built the perfect home so that you don't have to," she said with a cheeky smile. "Now, all I want to do is to share it with my family!"
Lily watched as her parents contemplated it, looking taken aback. Please let this convince them. We worked so hard to come up with that speech…! she internally begged.
"Maybe we need some more time to discuss this seriously as a family," Lily's dad finally said.
"So you'll consider moving?" Jonquil asked, his eyes shining.
"This is not easy for us," their mom said. "It's not something we can just decide in a second like you kids can."
"Let's seriously talk about everything you have planned and then we can decide if we can do it," said their dad.
"Yes! I promise, Mom, Dad, I'll tell you everything there is to know," Lily promised.
"You always were one to exaggerate," her mom chuckled. "But alright, I'll try my best to believe you two."
While Lily's family discussed everything they needed to know about Kyukonais, Terry set up a large metal pot with a fire underneath and cooked pasta with Leppa sauce seasoned with a little Petaya. He made way too much, though, so he, Lily, and Jonquil gave the rest to other families they knew, spreading the word of how great the food opportunities were in Kyukonais. "Hey Terry, thanks again for helping me come up with the speech to convince my parents," Lily said. "I couldn't have done it without you. My parents would've never trusted me enough to give my plan a chance without you."
"You're welcome!" Terry chimed. "I know it's hard to be serious when you need it to count, but you did great! My parents still don't listen to my side!"
The following day, Lily's family packed up the cart with what little items they had in their small hut, said goodbye or "see you soon" to their village peers, and began their two-day journey from their village in Lyonnais to the city of Kyukonais. Lily's parents were still stalling at first, simply nervous about taking such a bold move even though they had agreed. Lily had to remind them about Helena's warning that the nobles were getting more and more annoyed with villagers leaving. Surprisingly, her parents took deep breaths and went through with it. Now Lily was on her way out of her village with her whole family in tow, and she couldn't be happier!
"Hey hey hey! Where do you folks think you are going?"
Lily's parents stiffened upon seeing the Druddigon in front of the path. "Sir Dirard, uh…" Lily's dad stammered.
"We're moving out to Kyukonais!" Erica cheered. Lily's mom gasped and covered Erica's mouth.
Sir Dirard crossed his bulky, spiky arms. "Hahaha!" he guffawed. "No serfs shall depart under my watch. I carry out Count Fraolin's orders, on behalf of Duke Percival."
"You can't tell me what to do!" Lily declared, standing in front of her family. She kicked her hind paw back a couple of times, gesturing for her family to back away.
Sir Dirard brushed Lily off. "You can do whatever you please, young lady," the Druddigon said.
"...Huh?"
"Your exemption from the law was paid for by Princess Helena Kyukon long ago. You may pass. Everyone else must stay!"
"Oh, so can I pay for them?" Lily asked.
The Druddigon smacked his knee and bellowed out another laugh to the heavens. "You amuse me, peasant!" But when he calmed his chuckles and looked down, he saw Lily sorting through a stack of pokénotes. His jaw dropped.
"How much?" Lily energetically asked.
How in Arceus's name did my former serf get her paws on that much poké? Am I truly considering a parley with a peasant? No, Count Fraolin's patience already wanes thin. A grin spread its way across his entire jagged head. I shall send these wayward serfs back AND take the money for myself!
"Helloooo…?" Lily voiced, waving her paw in front of Sir Dirard. "Ow!" she cried when Sir Dirard suddenly backhanded her. She scrambled several pawsteps back.
"Why accept some payment when I can take it all? Hahaha!" Sir Dirard cackled, stomping forward. Then his eyes widened as two bright green vines grabbed his horns, pulling him forward as he took another step. The knight let out a howl as he faceplanted into the ground.
Lily rocketed off of her hind legs towards the Druddigon and created a Leaf Blade extending out of her front paw. Sir Dirard quickly stood back up, and his claw glowed purple as he used Dragon Claw. He brought it up to deflect Lily's Leaf Blade, sending her back through the air. He then spotted a Torracat sneaking up on him from the corner of his eye and faced the new attacker with a growl. The Torracat squeaked and started backing away. Sir Dirard charged forward on his heavy legs and chased after the Torracat, finally catching up and slugging the Torracat with Dragon Claw. However, his target faded away!
The real Terry, hiding behind the cart, fired a Flamethrower at Sir Dirard's back. The Druddigon stumbled over from the surprise attack but was able to brush off most of the flames with his protective dragon scales. Terry just needed to distract the Druddigon because he saw that Lily was charging up a Solar Beam, her tail and leaves glowing bright yellow-green as she slowly gathered sunlight. Terry created another Substitute and had it harass Sir Dirard while Terry distanced himself further. Sir Dirard destroyed the second Substitute with a vicious Crunch.
Lily released the Solar Beam from her body, the energy rising up into the air as a green ball of light. She tried to command the beam down towards the Druddigon, but she wasn't very good at aiming it, and the Solar Beam began to strike the ground several feet away from her target. However, Terry leaped to a spot opposite the beam and let out an ear-splitting Roar. Sir Dirard cringed and tried to cover his ears, stumbling backward and into Lily's Solar Beam just as the full might of the attack struck down from the sky. Dust went flying everywhere from the impact. When the Solar Beam ended, Sir Dirard struggled to his feet with a groan. Lily dashed up to him and slashed him with Leaf Blade, knocking him onto his back, fainted.
"Thanks, Terry. My aim still sucks," Lily said sheepishly, trotting back to Terry.
"That's what I'm here for!" Terry laughed.
Lily's family cautiously returned from where they had retreated to. "Lily…" Jonquil mumbled, dumbfounded. "That. Was. Incredible!"
"I'm having second thoughts about leaving…" Lily's dad whispered, frantically turning in place to glance in every direction. "The knights… Are they after us?"
"There's no going back now," Lily's mom lamented. Her husband took one last glance at their village before nodding solemnly.
"Um, let's keep going before anyone else tries to stop us," Lily suggested to her family.
"A-are we going to be safe in Kyukonais?" Lily's mom asked.
"Mom, we went over this already. Lily said once we're in Kyukonais, no one's going to force us out," Jonquil reminded from their talks last night.
Alright. Let's get going," said their dad.
Erica hopped on top of the cart and looked back down the path. "Bye-bye, village!" she said, waving her paw back and forth as her parents pulled the cart away.
To go from their village in Lyonnais to Kyukonais, they had to pass through Caenhaulais. The family had left Lyonnais behind by sundown and approached the Caenhaulais village closest to the border.
Lily spotted the familiar Swanna flying over a fork in the road. "Skyla!" Lily called, smiling upward.
The Swanna took notice and flew over, landing gracefully. "Hello again, Lily."
"I have my whole family now, just like I said!" Lily cheered.
"That's wonderful, but-"
"We'll be staying here for the night and we'll be off to Kyukonais in the morning! Hey, have you decided to move too?"
Skyla's expression turned worrisome. "We were thinking about it, but then we ran into some trouble. So many pokémon have been leaving Caenhaulais that the nobles have started stopping us."
"Aw, no big deal. Just sneak past them or rough them up a bit and you'll be good to go!"
Skyla shook her head. "That's what pokémon were doing before, but the nobles have gotten serious. I flew out here to warn you. A whole army is here to keep pokémon from leaving!"
"A whole army?" Lily's dad cried.
"Yes, apparently knights from all across Solardie came to help Duke Ulysses. In fact, you shouldn't even go through my village or take the main route through Caenhaulais. There are already new knights stationed there. You're better off taking the long way around, through the forests," she urged, pointing her wing towards the path not leading towards her village. "Even though you're not from around here, I don't think you should walk past any knights with your cart. They might assume you live here and are abandoning your farm here."
"Lily, what have you gotten us into?" her mom moaned.
"I'm sorry, Mom. Don't worry, we'll be fine," Lily brushed off. "It's just a little detour. Might take an extra day to get home, that's all. We have plenty of food!"
"Let's get moving, then," Lily's dad sighed.
"You're not mad, Dad?" Jonquil quietly asked.
"We can't go back," their dad simply stated, beginning to pull the cart.
"Stay safe, Skyla," said Terry, waving goodbye.
"You too, all of you," said Skyla. "Hopefully I'll see you again if we ever make it. Or maybe you can visit. Good luck!" she wished, flying back to her farm at the edge of her village.
"Our village won't be able to make it to Kyukonais?" Lily's mom worried.
"I'm sure they'll be able to come eventually," Lily promised.
Although the group was supposed to rest near Skyla's farm for the night, they kept going down the alternative path for much longer into the dusk to get away from Skyla's village and the knights supposedly stationed there. Along the way, Terry collected water from a nearby stream, heated it up, and brewed some coffee to keep everyone awake (except Erica, who was dozing off on the cart). Soon, the path led them to thin woods that spread out as far as the eye could see. It wasn't as thick as the forests that used to be around Kyukonais, but it was still darker than the open plain with the sun and the stars partially obstructed.
"I don't like the idea of staying here," Lily's mom said, her tail and ears shuddering. "Can't we keep going until we leave these woods?"
"This path is pretty long," Terry said. "I remember coming through here when Helena and I were little. It's very beautiful during the day, though!"
"What's the point of this random path through the woods, anyway?" Jonquil asked.
"To get to the other side, silly!" Lily answered.
"Shh, don't wake Erica up," her mom whispered.
"But why would anyone go this way instead of the road we took last time?" Jonquil asked.
"It's to get to the other provinces without having to go around. Don't worry, this path is perfectly normal and safe," Terry reassured.
"What if there are bandits?" Lily's dad asked.
Lily was about to tell a joke but stopped herself, seeing that her dad was very serious. She thought for a moment. "I can stay up and watch over us," she offered.
"Maybe I should stay up. I may be better suited for it…" the Umbreon said. He was supposed to be nocturnal, after all, but being a farmer was pretty difficult without sunlight.
"No, I insist," Lily asserted.
"Are you sure, Lily?" her mom asked, concerned.
"Mhmm. It's my… responsibility. I brought you here, right? So I'll make sure you're comfortable here, Mom," she promised.
"How are you going to stay awake all night?" Jonquil inquired.
"With coffee, of course."
"I can cover half the night," Terry offered.
Lily looked over at Terry's smiling face, feeling so grateful for his help. She took a deep breath and shook her head, though. "You don't have to, Terry… It's my responsibility for my family."
"You can take Terry's offer," Lily's mom suggested with a smile. "Terry, thank you for helping Lily."
"Thank you, Lily," her dad said, patting her back with his tail. "Maybe you've done a little growing up after all."
Lily watched the dark forest around her while occasionally sipping from a warm coffee mug held between her paws. This was incredibly boring, but she had to do what she promised. It was almost a relief when she heard some movement somewhere around them. Sure, it could be someone trying to steal from them, but at least driving them off would be exciting!
She didn't want to wake her family up and worry them, though. She quietly went up to Terry and shook him awake. Terry started mumbling as he got woken up, but Lily gently covered his mouth with her tail. "I heard some pokémon trying to sneak up on us," she whispered into his ear.
Terry blinked a few times, then stared in the direction Lily was pointing with his luminescent yellow eyes. With his acute night vision, he noticed a Snover and Croagunk inching towards their food cart. Terry and Lily snuck over, keeping their pawsteps light, then Terry used Scary Face, creating a glowing red projection of his face but with deep red eyes and very elongated fangs. The robbers yelped and jumped back in fear, then started running.
Lily chased after them, sprang forward, and made a Leaf Blade. However, the Snover whirled around and fired a Powder Snow at Lily. She cried out as she flew straight into the cold snow while the Snover and Croagunk hustled away.
Terry couldn't do much, not wanting to set anything on fire since the light would attract more attention in the dark forest. He offered a paw and pulled Lily up. "Are you alright?" he whispered.
"Brr, it's cold," she complained. "Let's go back…"
However, when they approached the food cart, another pokémon was there; a Poochyena scuttled away with a sack of potatoes in its maw. "Hey, you!" Terry hissed.
"Eep!" the Poochyena cried, dropping the food. "I'm sorry, leave me alone!" she whined.
Terry frowned at how skinny the Poochyena looked. "Um… you can have those, if you need them…" he offered, averting his eyes.
"T-thank you. I won't bother you anymore. I'll disappear now!" She snatched the bag in her jaws and ran off before Terry could introduce himself or ask what her name was.
Terry headed to Lily's side; she was shivering and gave a long yawn. "You should go to sleep. I'll watch," he whispered, taking her coffee away, warming it up with his bell-shaped flame, and taking a sip.
"Thanks," Lily whispered, her teeth chattering slightly.
Terry saw Lily using her tail to try and flick the snow out of her pelt. He laid down next to her and wrapped one leg around her back to melt some of the snow. Lily gasped in surprise, her eyes widened, and her cheeks turned red. He squinted at her confusedly. "Geez, I'm not that hot," Terry quietly laughed.
Lily was in pleasant shock for a moment before she could say anything. "Yes you are," she giggled, slowly snuggling closer and enjoying his fire-type warmth. She sighed contently, closing her eyes and letting her ears rest. "Thanks, Terry," she said softly.
They traveled through the beautiful central forests of Solardie for most of the second day, arriving at the edge of Kyukonais by nightfall, although they were still pretty far from the city. The family had a good night's rest in the open plains and resumed their trek in the morning with high spirits. They passed by Eric's berry farm around noon, where a group of pokémon chatted about the farm.
"Mom, Dad! This is Eric!" Lily introduced. "He has a job on his farm for you!"
"Oh really? I guess I do now!" Eric laughed.
"Lily!" her dad exclaimed. "You can't just demand a job from someone!"
"I'm only joking around. We already agreed on it," Eric reassured. "But even if we didn't, Lily just needs to say the word! I owe everything to her. She's a hero around here."
"Really?" Lily's mom gasped, ears and tail perking.
"Oh yes," Derek chimed in. "Without Lily to take down the bandits, we'd all still be breaking our backs all day harvesting wheat. Now we're all rich berry farmers!" Several others cheered in unison.
"Woooow…" Erica said with sparkling eyes, awestruck.
While Terry and Lily's friends poured their praises for Lily on her parents, a Persian in the group made herself known. "Terry, you are finally back," she said.
Terry turned towards the Persian and raised his eyebrows. "Petunia? What are you doing here?"
"Looking for you for the past day," Petunia huffed. "You utterly disappeared! I finally obtained a lead towards your whereabouts from Eric and have been waiting ever since."
"What's up?" Terry asked.
"Father requires an audience with you."
Terry grimaced, his ears flattening. "Um… that can wait. I'm going to help Lily's family move in, you see…"
"Go on, Terry," Lily's dad urged. "You've done so much for us already, and we couldn't thank you enough."
"You stuck with us for an extra day and a half. Your parents must be worried sick," Lily's mom added.
"Yeah, but-"
"Come on, brother," Petunia groaned, tugging Terry's tail with a clawed paw.
"...Fine. See you, Lily…"
"Thanks for everything, Terry!" Lily chimed, trotting over and giving Terry a hug. "See you soon!"
Terry smiled, returning the hug. "Yep! You bet!"
Before he knew it, Terry sat with his head down beneath his father's strict gaze. "Where have you been for the past week?" Count Ignatio demanded.
Terry cast a nervous glance towards Petunia. "Um… you know, helping Helena collect taxes, and stuff… it's a very busy job-"
"False. I know that is not the case."
Terry grimaced, ears folding down and forelegs retreating close to his chest.
"Do you wish to know how I know?"
Terry peeked upwards meekly. "How…?"
"Because I am collecting taxes on behalf of Princess Helena. She is not even present in Kyukonais."
"Oh…"
"Where have you truly been, Theodore?"
"I was helping Lily help her family move to Kyukonais…"
Count Ignatio's belt of fire flared up. "You must cease investing untold amounts of your time on that Leafeon peasant. I will not permit my only son to marry such a lowborn," he growled with a stomp of his foot.
"What are you talking about? When did I say I wanted to marry Lily? And don't call my friend a lowborn!"
"Stop trying to court that peasant." Count Ignatio glared down at his son. "You need to marry Princess Helena."
"What…?" Terry asked, even more confused.
"I did not spend all the time and money to raise Princess Helena and educate her just for my ungrateful son to marry some serf girl instead! You are supposed to be king, and I, royalty!" Count Ignatio yelled, pointing his finger down at Terry.
Terry gasped, his jaw dropping. "F-Father… all this time, you never cared for Helena except for her status?" he accused, claws gripping the carpet.
Count Ignatio's eyes widened. "Well no, of course I-"
"And I bet you care even less these days since she's not in line for the throne anymore," Terry growled.
"She can still wrest control of the throne back from her cousin," Count Ignatio asserted, curling his hand into a fist. "King Ludwig is weak, driven only by material wealth and familial grudges. I will restore the throne to Princess Helena, and when that happens, you will marry her!"
"No way," said Terry, shaking his head. "I don't want the responsibility of being a king. I don't even want to be a count."
"Then it is time I start whipping you into shape. You are going to have to start managing our family's lands. I will no longer tolerate your slothful practices and disloyalty beneath my eye!"
Terry laid exhausted on his bed after a long afternoon and evening of work under his father against his will. He heard a knock on his door. "Can I come in?" Petunia asked.
"Yeah," Terry acknowledged.
The Persian came in and closed the door behind her. "You are this exhausted?" she asked pointedly, seeing her older brother flopped across his bed.
"I don't understand why Father has to make me do all this work. You're already handling it just fine," Terry complained.
"Must you give Father so much trouble? He only wishes for the family legacy to carry on."
"Yeah, at the expense of being a decent pokémon. Didn't you hear what he said? He only cared about Helena because he planned to marry me into her status, no, use me to seize her status."
"I do not understand. What is so wrong about marrying Helena?" Petunia asked. "You two are best friends."
"Helena would want to marry someone who shares her ambitions as passionately as she does," Terry explained. "I'll be there for her when she needs my help, but I want to be with someone who's carefree and actually around to spend my nights with," he laughed. "I'm not even sure what business she's up to right now, that's how busy she is."
"You should just be grateful that Father chose a friend for your marriage," said Petunia. "I will most certainly be married off to some faraway land in due time."
"Just don't agree to it," Terry laughed.
"That is easier said than done."
"You can't get married off to a faraway land," Terry asserted.
"What makes you so sure?"
"Because you need to stick around to inherit and manage our family's land, of course! I'm certainly not going to. You can tell Father that."
Petunia shook her head. "Why must you go against all of Father's wishes? You should listen to him for once. Show some respect. Be grateful that you did not grow up poor."
"I can still be happy without our family's riches," Terry argued.
"Would you? Would you truly?" Petunia asked, looking her brother in the eye intently. "How would you be able to do anything that you enjoy without our status? We would have no food, no warmth, no visits to Miloa. You would not have learned how to read. You have Father to thank for all of that. That is why I do what he asks of me... and why you should too."
Petunia departed after making her point, leaving Terry with a cold, clenching feeling in his chest. He plopped his head on his pillow and tugged his covers over his face, contemplating his sister's words. What Petunia said is not true, he asserted to himself. Lily was born poor, but now she has plenty of food and a comfortable home. She gets to read and enjoy books too!
I don't want to let Father arrange my marriage. I want to find who I want, someone who's carefree and there to spend my nights with…
…
Terry suddenly jolted up in bed from a sudden, pleasant thought. It reversed the sensations in his chest and brought a smile to his muzzle. He stood up and paced around his bed, his paws feeling lighter and lighter. No, he couldn't sit still or fall asleep anymore. He created a Substitute, opened his window, and hopped out of his father's estate. He made his Substitute close the window from inside and curl up in his bed while he jogged off with a huge spring in his leaps.
There used to be a forest between his father's village and the city of Kyukonais. It used to be teeming with bandits; Terry and Helena weren't allowed to go there without a knight when they were little. Now, the land had become berry farms as far as the eye could see, the largest of which was Eric's. As Terry went down the path towards the city, his mind buzzed with all the pleasant times he'd spent with Lily. Heck, if even his father thought they were a "thing" to the point where his father tried to stop him from hanging out with her, then this had to be the right course of action. Terry traveled down streets of well-built houses on the city's outskirts until he reached Lily's place.
The windows were all dark except one on the second floor that glowed with candlelight through which one could spot a Leafeon reading a book. Terry made another Substitute and had it climb the front of Lily's house and knock on her window. Lily jolted in surprise and laughed, seeing the Torracat's face in the corner of her window. When the Substitute pointed down, Lily spotted the real Terry sitting patiently at the front door. She quickly went downstairs and opened the door for him.
"Hey Terry, what are you doing here this late?" she asked, keeping her voice down to not wake up her family.
"Lily! I, uh…" Terry suddenly stammered, fiddling with his paws and looking down.
"Hmm?" Lily pressed, tilting her head.
Terry caught a look at her pleasant smile and couldn't help but smile too. He decided that words were only getting in the way. With a step forward, he darted his head forward and kissed her.
Lily's eyes widened for several seconds, warmth spreading across her form and intense heat rushing to her cheeks. Then she sat down on her hind legs and wrapped her forelegs around Terry's back, pulling him close and kissing him back. The most fantastic feeling ever raced through her heart.
"Terry…!" Lily whispered breathlessly after withdrawing, nuzzling him joyously.
"Love you, Lily," Terry whispered, equally as breathless. He smiled at her warmly and hugged her close. "Couldn't find the words earlier, but, yeah-"
"I love you too!" Lily squealed in delight. The two held each other close, smiling like two bundles of joy.
A/N 5/2/22: There's a random EU4 event that can happen from time to time called "Growth of Cities attracts Serfs." You're presented with two options: "We have to accept this," which moves tax income from a random province to the capital and lowers the nobility's loyalty, or "The serfs belong on their turf," which increases the nobility's loyalty but raises corruption. It's a pretty insignificant event, but "The serfs belong on their turf" is so catchy and memorable!
I swear I wrote most of this chapter before I knew about and got the game "Triangle Strategy," but wow, the seven dukes debating each other just screams like it's inspired straight from the voting and persuasion you do in that game. Triangle Strategy is an awesome tactics game that came out recently, featuring a medieval world on the brink of conflict. From a gameplay point of view, it's super fun, strategic, and challenging. From a story point of view, I like it because there's no mighty deity pulling the strings behind the scenes; it's a narrative driven by the greed, ambitions, and morals of normal people. On top of that, the 3D pixel art style and soundtrack are straight fire! Playing the game has also given me a refresher on medieval speak which is helping me write my nobles.
And finally, a ship has sailed! This story of mine has gone far too long without enough romance for my tastes, so get ready for fluff levels to rise!
Next up, Chapter 11: "Run like the Wind."