Chapter 20

The Emperor

Things were fairly calm one morning in Whitestone. Inside the castle, an energetic eevee ran with incredible speed throughout the hallways. She tried everything she could to suppress her giggles but failed nonetheless. She halted at the intersection and looked both ways. Putting a paw to her chin, she pondered which route she'd take. Ultimately, she ended up taking the path to the right.

Eventually, the young eevee came to a door in which she decided to enter. She hurried to the wardrobe and decided on hiding inside. She peeked out the door while still giggling to herself. Now all she had to do was be patient and wait to be found.

"Took you long enough to get here."

The voice scared the eevee to the point to where she jumped out the wardrobe with a startling scream. Looking back, she saw a meowstic sitting in the wardrobe wearing a smug grin.

The eevee pouted. "No fair, how'd you know I was going to be here?"

"I have been working on my psychic skills as of recent. Anyway," she said, hopping out the wardrobe, "I am in a way getting worn out playing these hide and go seek games. I mean, I just feel a little too old to be doing those kinds of things nowadays, ya know?"

The eevee dropped her ears. "Yeah, of course. It is pretty childish... isn't it?" She cleared her throat and attempted to change the mood. "So what would you like to do now?"

"Look, Crystal, I want to spend more time with you, I really do, but studying currently takes most priority before both friends and family."

"Mystic," Crystal whined, "you're always studying. Make some time for yourself and those around you."

"I will. Next season."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Crystal walked Mystic out of the castle and was once again alone to herself. She decided on going back to her room and possibly find something to do. On her way over, she heard humming coming from behind a certain door. She knew the room all too well as well as who occupied it. Her mind was now set, she deviated from the path to her room and now went towards the other. It would at least give her someone to talk to.

Crystal used her paws to gently push open the door. Just inside, she could see a familiar eevee. Both were similar in appearance, however, this eevee looked older and the tips of her paws were a darker shade of brown.

The older eevee hadn't even noticed that Crystal was in the room. She was resting on her bed with her eyes glued to a book while humming a soft lullaby to herself. Crystal donned a mischievous smile as she silently snuck into the room to surprise the unsuspecting eevee.

"What are you doing in my room, sis," the older eevee asked before Crystal could even take another step.

"Darn, I almost had you this time, Spectrum." Crystal hopped up on the bed next to her sister. "I was bored and wanted to see what my big sis was up to."

"Nothing new. Still just studying formalities and whatnot."

"Don't you ever get bored of studying the same old stuff? Or take breaks for that matter? Come to think of it, you're reminding me a lot of Mystic."

"Of course it gets boring. No one said it was supposed to be fun. I'm taking the studying as serious as possible though, one of us needs to step up to be ready for the throne."

"Ugh, you can have it."

Spectrum shook her head. "I still don't get why you have such a problem against being a princess."

"I don't like the royalty aspect of it all. I just want a normal life without the free hand-out to this luxurious lifestyle. I want to earn a living like this, but instead, I was born into it."

"Yeah, but then you'd be treated as a lesser, one of the common folk. And me studying all of this is me working hard to earn a spot on the throne."

"Maybe I want to be treated as a commoner. I'd like to go into town without attracting attention, thank you very much. Also, studying isn't hard work at all, there's no manual labor in any of that. I want to get my paws dirty, I want a stable income and a house of my own."

"I just can't help but disagree with you. Sometimes it's easier to say something than it is to do that thing. To me, it almost sounds like you don't appreciate anything you have here. In the end, it can't really be helped."

Crystal readjusted herself so that she was nearly curled into a ball. "Suppose we should just agree to disagree." She yawned. "So, any more thought on what you intend to evolve into?"

"About that... Last time I talked to Prince Scalibur, he implied that he'd prefer I evolved into a glaceon."

"You're still seeing that gallade?"

"It's what mom and dad wanted."

Crystal was completely baffled. "Spectrum, you can't be serious right now. Who you date and eventually marry should be your decision. Not only that but what you evolve in to. Those are both really big decisions in your life, and you going to let other people make those decisions for you?" Spectrum averted her gaze. "Do you even like this guy?"

"...not really."

"Then stop seeing him. For fuck sake, the guy nearly looks like a pedo when he's around you."

"I wish it were that simple, but you know that father has the final say in who each of us marries. That's what every king has done for their daughters here in Mardol."

"Huh, it's almost like that life I was talking about earlier wouldn't sound so bad right now, having freedom of choice and whatnot." That received a small chuckle from Spectrum. "Look, if you don't want to see that gallade anymore, I've got an idea."

Spectrum perked up. "What is it?"

"Do what you want for once. Just evolve into whatever you want to be. If he wants you to be a glaceon so bad, then become something else. If you're lucky, he'll lose interest in you. If not, then at least you had a say so in one of those two decisions."

"Thanks, Crystal, I'll consider that." Spectrum ruffled the top of the younger one's head. "Oh, by the way, I think father was looking for you a bit ago."

The happiness Crystal had been feeling almost immediately died down. "He's... back already?"

"Mhm, he's been back since this morning."

"O-oh, okay... I should probably go find him. Any idea where he's at?"

Spectrum put a paw to her chin in thought. "I'd try the common room, if not there, then try asking mom." She noticed the concerned face of her younger sister. "Crystal, everything will be fine. I know dad can be... well, you know. I'm sure it's nothing serious, he had just asked for you was all."

Crystal nodded and made her way out of the room. She now walked the halls of the castle alone. Each step she took closer to the common room sent a chill throughout her body. Her breathing was uneasy, but she tried everything she could to control it.

Crystal had a bit of a different bond with her father than the rest of the family. He seemed to favor her the least and she couldn't find out why. She hadn't done anything to upset him and tried her best to avoid upsetting him even more, yet he always found a reason to be upset with the young eevee.

She now stood before the doors of the common room, her heart pounding heavily against her chest. She felt light-headed and everything around her felt like it was spinning. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself down a bit. She slowly exhaled and opened her eyes. Crystal cautiously opened the door and peeked her head through the other side.

She felt relaxed a bit seeing that her father was not present, but was still cautious because of the other figure sitting in the room. Sitting in one of the guest chairs was an aggron, his face was stern and his eyes were glued to the fire burning inside a chimney. He must have heard Crystal walk in because his eyes almost immediately darted to her. She quickly hid back behind the door.

"Don't be frightened, little one," he spoke. His voice deeper than a canyon, yet as gentle as a stream. Crystal slowly peeked back over the door. "I didn't mean to startle you, that was not my intention." He had walked over towards her and rested on one knee as to look the least threatening to her. "What is your name, young eevee?"

"Cr-Crystal," she hesitated.

"Crystal... what a fine name for a lass like you. You can call me Azrith. I presume the king is your father?" She nodded. "Your father... he's a great man. He and I have known each other since we were kids. We had a great bond, your dad and I. We were almost inseparable. Always caught up in some childish actions and adventures... those were such great times.

"Things of course changed and the two of us kinda went our own ways for a while in life. Your father found someone who changed his heart, changed him from the man he used to be. Your father at one point was mixed up in some... well, some stuff you don't need to know about at your age. Anyway, this person saved him from that past life, that person was your mother."

Crystal kept listening to Azrith speak, though she had no clue where he was going with any of it.

"I never found that sense of solitude... not for a while, anyway. I did eventually find a significant other in this world and it just made me reflect on the past just wondering how I had lived most of my life without this sort of affection. As you know, since your father married your mother. He eventually became the king of Mardol. I too rule over my own nation.

"There's a third nation out there though, one no one wants to deal with, but they need to be put to a stop. You see, my nation and this nation have different viewpoints on things and it's hard for us to look past these differences to stop this other nation. I'm here because I seek unity with Mardol, and with your father in power, there was no better time to act."

"Azrith?" Crystal meekly said, but still caught the aggron's attention. "Why are you telling me all of this?"

He lightly chuckled to himself, which confused her. "Perhaps you're still a little too young to understand the full effect of everything right now. Or maybe you don't quite know how we intend to make unity between our two nations."

She had no idea what he meant by any of that. Suddenly, footsteps and talking could be heard just outside the room. The door had opened and Crystal could see two forms. The silhouette of a gabite and an eeveelution that was all too familiar for Crystal.

"Oh, there you are. I've been expecting you, Crystal." Her father spoke. "And I see you've met my friend."

"Crystal," Azrith spoke, "I'd like to introduce you to my son, "

Suddenly, Crystal had returned to feeling nauseous and uneasy, the light-headedness returned as well. She suddenly felt like she understood very well what was going to happen, and her heart didn't agree with it one bit.

"Princess... it's been a while."

"Not long enough," she spat, taking an available seat. Flint took the next one adjacent to her.

"Who's the growlithe?"

Flint cleared his throat before answering. "I go by the name Flint, your highness."

"And what's your role working for the Princess?"

"I help with the economics for Whitestone. I oversee trade routes and establish connections with neighboring cities and towns to acquire more of their unique textiles in service of our own. I help with the financial balance towards what Mardol's spending goes towards, whether that be military purposes, for commercial or residential construction, or for more industrial regions."

Azrith stared at Flint for a moment, perhaps to see if he were lying about anything. Flint would be lying if he had said the aggron didn't intimidate him.

"Fair enough. I don't want to assert any pressure on the two of you, so make yourselves comfortable. Do you want any drinks or food?" Starshine gave him a questioning stare. Azrith rolled his eyes. "What kind of host would I be if I didn't treat me, guests?

"Is that why my pamchum and joltik are still locked up in that cell? I'm sure that's exactly what a good host would do." Starshine had asked.

"I would gladly have had them up here too, but knowing you, Princess, I feel like you would have had an escape plan in mind."

"Oh, are you challenging the fact that I might not already have one in mind?"

Azrith roughly exhaled through his nose, "cocky brat." Azrith cleared his throat. "I suppose we might as well get down to business. I presume you already know why I'd have such a meeting?"

"Yeah, kidnap me and get me to agree to this whole unity bullshit. Sound about right?"

"I take it you're still a little pissed?"

"A little?! Oh, that's gold. I just gotta ask, since I'm curious, how did you know we would be testing Mardol ships that day?"

"Truth be told, we didn't. It was just our luck I suppose. Had things been different, I would have arranged dates for a private meeting-"

"To which I would decline."

"Princess, please calm yourself, I'd like to address all of this while we're all still level-minded."

Starshine was about to say something but bit her tongue. She sighed. "Fine. Elaborate more on your ideas."

"As I was going to saying, yes, I believe in the necessity of strengthening an alliance between our two nations."

"And what could it possibly benefit? We've talked this over in the past, and I still hold to my idea that Mardol is capable of taking care of Zerith without the help of the Jagorii."

"Your overconfidence will be a great downfall for Mardol. Zerith is more prepared than you know, and they are still expanding their army ever day. How do you intend to fight an entire nation if less than half of your population is in your military?"

"Zerith is more focused on quantity rather than quality. They may have numbers, but most of their troops aren't even trained; fear tactics are used to force them into their military. My soldiers, on the other hand, are well off and are sent through rigorous training to ensure they are capable of fighting."

Azrith gave a dry laugh. "Trained? To ensure they can fight? Don't make me laugh, Princess. My soldiers took down your flagship and were capable of bringing you here to me with little to no effort."

"Well, we weren't expecting-"

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that? Not expecting it to happen? What, you think Zerith is going to send you a letter telling you they'll attack in one week time? I don't give a fuck how your soldiers are trained, if Zerith attacked Whitestone right now, they'd be royally fucked. Even if their soldiers aren't trained, they still have strength in numbers and Zerith still has some of the most dangerous members on their side."

"Alright, so they do outnumber us, and they do have some dangerous members - I'll give you that. But what happens if and when Zerith is out of the picture?"

"How do you mean?"

"The main reason you've wanted this alliance is because Zerith currently stands in the way of your goals. If I'm not mistaken, the Jagorii was formed by members who left the Dark Legion to start their own faction. You're both one of the same things, just slightly different viewpoints. The reason Mardol is the main attraction for forming an alliance with is because of the quality of our military. Add that with the power of the Jagorii, and you create a practically unstoppable force altogether.

But what happens when the Dark Legion is no longer a threat to you? Do you not intend to continue your mass chivalry to expand your borders and your army? What happens to this alliance then? What do you have in mind for Mardol?"

"Are you implying that we have ill intentions towards you after this?"

"Kinda hard not to think that."

"I assure you that this alliance would benefit both of us. I feel you're still under the assumption that I have the same ideology I had those many years back. I've realized that I can not achieve those goals any longer and that it would be best to have control empowered by multiple ruling nations rather than just an Emperor ruling over many nations. With this alliance, we help with not just this war, but many future wars that will inevitably transpire. Not only that, but this could help out economically too, we could open up our borders to allow trades of our goods as well as yours. Mardol people could live peacefully within our borders just as ours could yours."

"That's all it is to you, though. Power, control, money. Mardol is a safe haven for those who want nothing to do with this war."

"You're a fool if you think war isn't controlled by power and money."

"Even if - and that's huge if - we were to agree to this alliance, I wouldn't agree to it unless all of my ally nations and all of your allying nations agreed. And good luck with that, because I doubt the Peace Guild would want anything to do with you tyrants."

"What would you say, Flint?" All eyes were now on him. "What are your opinions about an alliance between our two nations?"

'Flint, think this carefully,' Starshine said telepathically. 'Don't lean towards them in any way, hold your ground and defend your ideas on Mardol.'

Flint was nervous as all hell. He gathered his thoughts focusing on what Starshine had told him and the new information he had just learned. He then took a deep breath. "I'll be completely upfront and honest with you. I don't know you and therefore don't trust you either. Money and power are both a large culprit of greed, and that greed you have seems to be the fueling force for your nation. I've only seen your troops in action once, but I can tell from that one incident that the cost of your military isn't exactly cheap.

"I feel another reason you wish to make abundant alliances is to have a better flow of income to help support your fragile military. As a way to avoid inflation, you'd rather rely on borrowing coins from your neighboring nations with no intention of paying back the over accumulating debt you'll eventually come across. And what better way to get rid of debt than to get rid of the problem itself?

"I feel a very disloyal vibe from you. I think your main goal is to remove Zerith from the picture thus making you think that you're the larger fighting force, or rather, the biggest threat. With that much power, it would be pretty easy to tie off some loose ends. Suddenly an alliance no longer feels like an alliance, just a piece of paper with words on it. And that's all this nation is founded by - lies."

Flint had no idea where any of that had come from. Starshine was completely baffled, as were the mienshao and bisharp. Out of everyone in the room, Azrith was the one who wore a face of anger. His nails dug into the table, his teeth clenched hard enough to the point they almost shattered.

"That's quite a huge leap of logic you have. Tall words for a short mutt. Explain to me then, if I intend on using these nations to just backstab them in the long run, what exactly is stopping me from killing the two of you right here right now?"

"Because you still need Mardol as an asset to rid of Zerith. Killing the nation now would weaken your chances against them."

"Stop pretending that Mardol is the key to defeating this nation. Whether there's an alliance or not, Zerith will be defeated. They're an enemy to literally every country in the world. Do you think this just about Zerith, Mardol, and the Jagorii? No, there are plenty more players in this game who are not going to let them have their way. One way or another Zerith will be stopped. I only wished to make amends to make this battle easier for all of us. For someone in a position relying on economics, you too fail to see the economic and militaristic benefits of this alliance."

"I already gave you my opinions and I don't intend to change them. I still don't trust you. My mind is set on that."

Azrith's eyes narrowed. "If that's it then, I think I've made my mind up too. I tried being reasonable, but both of you have shown that you won't compromise." He glared at Starshine. "Lost in the traditions of your nation's long-forgotten ways." He then glared at Flint. "So certain that I'm just using Mardol as a pawn. You two have made me realize, Mardol has people in power that are quite incompetent."

"What are you getting at?" Starshine asked.

"I should have had these beliefs ages ago, back when I first met you in Whitestone. The idea of unity was rejected then and you still reject it now. It's almost like you never really were your father's daughter."

"Dad and I were never that close."

"No, he didn't like you because he knew. He knew how much you would screw things up. You've already fucked up Whitestone. You've made your enemies. And you continue to make mistakes. I've been meaning to return the favor to your father for a long time. If you're so certain my intentions are ill-willed, then allow me to oblige you. Tomorrow, all four of you Whitestone captives will be sent to the Dome. Death is more than likely to follow, and once the Princess's blood stains the sand, only then will Whitestone truly be fucked."

After the meeting, Flint and Starshine were escorted back to their cell. Flint could feel the hostile energy radiating from the espeon, she clearly wasn't happy. The second they walked into the cell and the door was shut behind them, Starshine pursued Flint and shoved him against a wall. She pinned him down with her forelegs and forced eye contact between the two.

"What the hell was that back there? I told you to defend your ideas of Mardol, not piss off the Emperor."

"What the hell did you want me to say?"

"Anything but that. I told you I had us taken care of, all you had to do was do what I said and everything would have been alright."

"Yeah? Well, I was under the impression you had my back and would be telling me what to say using your telepathy."

The arguing grabbed the attention of the joltik and pancham, both walked over to address the scene the two were making.

"What the hell's going on?" Asked the pancham.

Starshine let her grip loose, thus causing Flint to fall. "Why don't you ask Flint, I'm sure he'd be happy to tell you how everything went."

"Stop acting like this is my fucking fault!"

"Oh, then please, by all means, explain how this isn't your fault."

"Will you two please stop arguing?" The joltik interjected. "Constantly being at each other's throats isn't going to get us anywhere. Just take a deep breathe and explain what happened at the meeting."

And so they did. Starshine explained how Azrith intends for an alliance to be made and how she was opposed to the idea and then explained how Flint insulted the Jagorii and accused the Emperor of being a liar. Then they discussed the rest of the argument and the end result of how they were all going to the Dome the next day.

"So that's it, huh?" Asked the pancham. "I was right, we are going to die. At the Dome, no less."

The joltik stood petrified. "Princess... please tell me you have a plan. You have a plan to get us all out of here? We have Mardol troops on their way, right?"

"Look, we're not going to die. I have a plan that has been in action since we were captured. It's been set back a little now because of the events that happened at the meeting tonight. Yes, we are going to the Dome. I don't know what to expect, but I assure you I will keep all of you safe."

The pep talk did cheer up the joltik if only a little. The pancham didn't believe a word of it. He crossed his arms and walked away from the group. Flint was left with his thoughts, though he still had one thing to ask.

"What's the Dome?"

Starshine beckoned him to follow her, and he did. She took him to the only window in the cell. It was now night, and Trithix was lit with lanterns. Starshine pointed her paw towards the dome-shaped building that Flint remembered seeing earlier.

"That's the Dome. Something Jagorii is somewhat famous for having. It's a source of entertainment for the residents and it's a training ground for newer soldiers. Tomorrow... will be a bit different. Not only are we prisoners, but because of who I am, the event will be a lot more important. They intend for us to die, and they will send as many opponents our way as possible to ensure we die."

Flint could feel his gut fall and his body went cold. A sense of guilt washed over him and he now felt this was all his fault. Starshine began walking away, but Flint put his paw on her shoulder.

"I... I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she said while shrugging his paw off her shoulder. "You were only doing what you thought was right."

"I wasn't though." Starshine looked back at him with a confused face. "I have no idea where those words even came from. For years... I've usually been really reserved with my demeanor and quite level minded while in discussions, but at that moment, it felt like I... wasn't in control."

Starshine could feel an emotional aura radiating from the growlithe. "Flint, something is bugging you, and you've been bottling it up for a while. You know what I'm talking about, just tell me."

"It's not that simple. It took a huge toll on my pride and I don't like thinking of myself from back then. Back in my tribe, I was a different person."

"You need to talk about it eventually or your actions will speak for you - if tonight wasn't example enough."

Flint looked down, she had a point. "I'm just not comfortable talking about it right now. But would you mind if I asked you something about your past?"

"It's a little bit of a touchy subject as well, but go on and ask."

"From the conversation, I could tell you and Azrith had met at one point in the past. I'm curious as to how you two know each other."

"Right, probably should have explained that. I was just an eevee at the time..."

Starshine continued to explain how she had met the aggron. She even went further and discussed why she had bad blood with the Emperor.

Crystal came running out the main doors of the castle into the night. The young eevee scampered through the crowd in a dazed state. All she wanted to do was to be away from everyone. She eventually ran to the top of the cliff that hung over the city and found a large oak tree that was covered in scratches.

She could barely make out the tree with the tears blurring her vision. She clenched her eyes and tackled the tree, though it barely did any damage. She reared back and tackled into it once more. She reared once again and landed a third tackle. She kept her head against the tree and slowly let her tears flow forth. She fell to the ground and sobbed at the base of the tree.

"It's not fair!" She yelled.

She cried for what felt to her like hours before her tears slowly died down. As she lay on the grass next to the tree, she felt a paw rest on her shoulder. She was startled at first but turning around, she saw her sister, a gentle look of concern on her face.

Seeing her sister only made her cry more. Spectrum opened her arms to which Crystal gladly accepted them and buried her face in her sister's mane. Spectrum rested her chin on top of Crystal's head and stroked her back.

"Shh, everything is okay."

Crystal pulled back from the hug and looked up at her sister. Spectrum wiped the tears from her eyes and gave her a smile.

"What's going on, sis?"

"It's dad," Crystal said, followed by a few sniffles. "He-he had this big pokemon in the common room and he began talking to me about his nation making unity with ours. Dad wasn't there, but that's what this guy was talking to me about. Next thing I know, dad and a gabite come walking through the door."

"Okay? And then what," she asked, raising a brow.

"They're arranging a marriage between the gabite and myself."

Spectrum gasped a little. "That sudden?"

"That's what upset me even more. At least you saw Prince Scalibur a few times prior to your marriage being arranged. I don't even know what to do now."

"Why not follow the advice you had given to me then? Make your own decisions while the marriage is already arranged."

An idea popped in Crystal's head. "Wait, you're on to something."

"It's literally the same advice you had given to me."

"No, it's more than that. My advice was about making your own decisions. What if... what if I ran away?"

Spectrum's eyes widened. "You can't be serious."

"I'm dead serious. I am not going to marry him!"

"Crystal..."

"As a matter of fact, I could leave right now."

Spectrum put a paw on her shoulder to grab her attention. "Crystal, you're not thinking straight. You're still too young to make decisions this drastic. Everyone at home would be sad if you left." Crystal gave her a questioning stare. "Okay, I would be really sad."

"Then just come with me. You're older and you could take care of me. It could just be the two of us. No one else to tell us what to do."

Spectrum looked down at the kingdom. "I can't leave. Whitestone still needs someone to watch over it when father passes the crown. You need to realize, Crystal. It's not about just you and I, it's all of us, all of Mardol. I don't want to marry Prince Scalibur, but I have to. The marriage wasn't arranged for the sake of it, but because father trusts Scalibur as a leader in the future. It's almost the same with that gabite. Marrying him will strengthen our bond with the Jagorii. Being a Princess isn't about doing what you want, it's about doing what needs to be done, and what needs to be done is strengthening our nation and our relationships with our allies. That is our birthright."

Crystal couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was as if her sister was betraying her in a way. She was encouraging the ideas in such a way that sounded unfair to her. She didn't want to listen to any of it. Spectrum had to be wrong. Crystal did the only thing that made sense to her and retaliated.

"I'm not going to cave in as you did and I won't be brainwashed by those books like you have! None of this is fair and I refuse to let father make these decisions for me! I made my intentions clear, as did you. I won't follow you back to the castle nor will I talk you out of what you've already set your mind on. I don't want to be part of this family anymore. I don't need you holding me back either!"

Crystal turned on her heels and ran away as fast as she could. Spectrum tried chasing after her, but the smaller eevee was just too fast. Crystal looked back one last time at her sister while running. She could feel her gut nearly yelling at her to stay, but she ignored whatever it was trying to tell her. She looked back forward and continued running until she eventually disappeared into the night.

Here we are, 20 Chapters! Sorry if it feels like a huge list of names, there should be roughly 5 - 7 more people introduced later on.

Fun fact: Crystal was the first character introduced to the story when I was planning it all out. The name felt a little typical and was later changed to Sunshine to who we now know as Starshine.