*BRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAH!*
*BRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAH!*
*BRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAH!*
"Ugh…" Luz groaned as she reached out with her left arm and smacked the demon shaped clock on her nightstand with her fist. She forced herself out of the bed, as she did every morning for the last four years. After throwing off the blankets Luz swung her legs over the edge of the bed and sat there for a moment. "Man…never gets any easier."
Luz, who was dressed in a tank stop and pajama shorts, rose out of her bed and stretched her limbs, getting the blood circulating. again, she glanced over to her nightstand again and smiled sadly as she gazed upon a photo. It was a photo of herself when she was fourteen, and along with her younger self were her mother and father.
"Buenos días mamá, papá," she greeted.
Four years ago, Luz lost everything in the Catastrophe. Her home, her parents, her belongings, all of it was gone during the Khaotic's attack. However, thanks to some memory tweezers, she was able to pull out an image from her mind of a happier time back before everything went to hell as a photograph. Her employers were kind enough to have it placed in a magically protective frame that would ensure the memory photo couldn't be harmed. Luz sighed and went to her closet, opened it, and gazed upon her uniforms. One was a black and white pristine suit. The other was her school uniform.
Such was her life now, Luz was a servant of the Blight family, personal attendant to the youngest daughter of the family, Amity Blight, and student of Hexside School of Magic and Demonics.
Today was a school day, so Luz got her school uniform ready. The sleeves and leggings were multicolored, representing her desire to learn magic of the nine different magic tracks. After taking out her uniform, she quickly made her bed and headed to her personal bathroom, getting a quick shower before drying herself off and putting on her uniform. Despite being a student, her duties as a servant of the Blight family didn't stop just because she was in school. Luz had to attend to Amity's needs whenever she was asked, even in school. To facilitate this, Luz had gotten into the habit of waking up before the crack of dawn, with the help of the alarm, so that she would be dressed and ready to take care of Amity.
Luz looked herself over in her body length mirror, making sure her uniform was neat and tidy. She was representing the Blight family, after all, so she needed to look her best. Luz still possessed the scar over her left eyebrow, a constant reminder of what she had lost, but despite her current situation, there were things to be happy about. Even though she was a slave to the Blight family, she was able to live in this luxuriously huge mansion, eat good food every day, and still go to school to study and see her friends. After all, it beat the alternative of just waiting around in an orphanage for some strangers to adopt her. Her friends' families, Gus and Willow, did try and convince their respective families to adopt Luz. But there was a lot of red tape for a witch family to adopt a human, not so much when it came to the slave laws, but there were protections.
Luz walked to her window and opened it up. The sun had finally peeked over the horizon, chasing away the darkness and ushering in the new day in the Boiling Isles Empire. The human teen took a deep breath of the morning air and closed the window before heading to the door.
"Time to go to work," said Luz to her reflection. Before she left her room, Luz glanced over her shoulder and stared directly at the photo. "Adiós mamá, papá. Te amo."
She closed the door once she entered the hallway and headed towards Amity's room. She had made the journey there so many times she could walk it blindfolded. And she can, literally, Odalia Blight had Luz memorize where each of their rooms were and then had her locate the rooms with a blindfold on. Amity had asked why this was necessary, to which Odalia Blight responded, "I don't want to hear any excuses of her not knowing where each our rooms are. She should be able to know where to go instinctively." Personally, Luz just believed Odalia wanted to mess with her, but despite all that, Luz managed to do it, and could now make her way to any of the Blight's rooms with her eyes opened or closed.
Luz stopped before one of the doors, Amity's door, and gave a couple of knocks before entering. Once inside, Luz closed the door and headed towards the curtains as she announced, "Rise and shine, Mistress Amity." At that moment Luz opened the curtains to let the sunlight in, causing her mistress to turn away from the rays of the sun and groan in annoyance. "C'mon, Mistress, you have to get up."
"This is an order…let me sleep for another ten minutes," Amity complained.
"I would follow that order, but Miss Odalia will be perturbed as to why you're not up and ready," Luz explained.
"She can bite me," Amity retorted.
Luz gasped. "My word, Mistress Amity! That's so vulgar, what would your mother say if she heard that?"
Amity peeked from under her blankets and replied, "Ask me if I care."
"Humph," Luz huffed as she placed her hands on her hips. "Well, I guess we'll have to do this the hard way."
The young woman reached behind her back and produced an artificial magic wand. She drew a spell circle in the air in front of her and flicked the tip of her wand in the direction of Amity's bed. The blankets were suddenly wrapped in a glowing yellow aura, and just as quickly were thrown up into the air above the bed, exposing the occupant underneath. Amity had let her hair grow out, compared to four years ago when it was neck length, her hair now cascaded halfway down her back. Amity was dressed in a pink nightie, which contrasted nicely against her flawless porcelain skin.
Once the blankets were removed, Luz smirked, and rushed towards the bed. She dropped her wand, which deactivated the levitation spell, and allowed the blankets to start slowly falling from the air. Luz jumped into the bed, and subsequently onto Amity just as the blankets landed on them both. Now Luz was on top of Amity, staring into her mistress' goldenrod-colored eyes. Normally, if a servant behaved in such a brash manner, they would be severely punished, but in this case…
"If you want to stay in bed another ten minutes, I'm sure I can help you pass the time," Luz offered with a husky voice.
"You're quite the brazen servant, Noceda. Throwing yourself atop your mistress, and then straddling me like I was some kind of street girl. You are just begging to be punished," Amity retorted with a smirk and a similarly husky voice.
Luz leaned forward and planted a kiss on Amity's lips, a kiss that Amity returned as she held Luz close. The two young women proceeded to make out for a full minute before breaking their kiss.
"Morning, hermosa," Luz greeted.
"Morning, batata," Amity replied. "Now get off me before you wrinkle your uniform too much."
"Hmm? Do you really want me off?" Luz asked teasingly.
"Don't start, if we do, we're going be here for more than ten minutes," said Amity.
Luz sighed in defeat. "Yeah, I know."
Reluctantly, Luz threw off the blankets and got out of the bed as she stood at the edge. Amity sat at the edge and drew a spell circle, levitating Luz's discarded wand and had it return to her. Luz snatched the wand out of the air and returned it to her belt.
"Excited for tomorrow?" Amity asked as she got up and headed to her closet.
"Yep, can't wait," said Luz.
Tomorrow was the Four Kingdom Alliance Celebration. It was the day marked as when the nations of Amphibia, Scientia, and Tír na nÓg, appointed their new leaders, and when the Boiling Isles Empire reaffirmed its pledge to assist the young rulers and their nations. The anniversary of The Catastrophe had come and gone, and even to this day was a bitter and traumatizing memory for many all across Gaea, the day that the Khaotic simultaneously attacked all four nations and caused a lot of damage and took many lives. Since then, the Khaotic had not made a move, but that didn't mean they were gone. Many believed they were just biding their time, waiting for the right moment to attack again and cause even more devastation and loss.
The Four Kingdom Alliance Celebration was meant to be a time of fun. A time for all the nations to come together and celebrate the leadership of their rulers, and the prosperity of their nations. Unity and harmony were the enemies of the Khaotic, so, things like this were said to keep the dreaded monsters at bay. As part of the celebration, the Scientist Supreme of Scientia, the Woman King of Amphibia, and the Queen of Tír na nÓg would come to the Boiling Isles Empire, where the Isles would play host to the three rulers and join Emperor Belos in a large banquet, followed some tedious talks between rulers.
"I tried to get you out of now having to follow me around, but as you probably guessed…"
"Odalia said, 'no', right?" Luz asked.
"Unfortunately. I'm sorry, I managed to get you time off for that day last year, but she was insistent that you were to stay with me during this celebration. Ugh, that woman grates on me," Amity complained.
"I like to think she cares, in her own Odalia way. I mean, she hasn't kicked me out yet, and she hasn't docked my pay or anything," Luz defended.
"And neither has she raised it either. You've made some mistakes in the past, but nothing big, and since then, you've done your duties well around the house, and with me." Amity's expression turned saucy as she added, "And oh have you done well with me."
Luz blushed. "Amity, c'mon."
"Seriously though, I don't think she has any intention of letting you buy back your freedom. Somehow, I can just feel she's putting something together to ensure you stay with our family longer than you're supposed to," Amity thought aloud.
Luz shrugged and asked, "Would that be so bad? I mean, I get to be around you more."
Amity sighed. "I know. But I don't want to keep being lovers under the guise of a master and her servant."
Luz walked up to Amity and cupped her lover's cheek as she gave the other side a kiss. "I know, I do too. But as it stands, this is the best situation for me. At least until other things pan out."
"You're right. On that note, better get changed." Amity headed to her walk-in closet, stopped in the doorway, and glanced over her shoulder. "So, are you going to help dress me or are you going neglect your duties, Noceda?"
Luz blushed but smirked back at her lover. "Perish the thought, Mistress."
Over the past four years, what began as a wanting to help on Amity's part, steadily grew into a friendship, and then that friendship turned into love. And so, their secret romance began. Luz made Amity promise that outside of their individual rooms that her treatment would be that of a slave and her owner, not a friend nor, in this case, a girlfriend. Amity was reluctant to abide by that, as her goal in convincing her mother to buy Luz was not to do her harm, but to save her from a life of hardship. Nevertheless, Amity agreed. And so, their double life began. While they would maintain the appearance of a master and servant outside the privacy of their rooms, when behind closed doors, they were more informal with each other. It was thanks to this that Amity managed to get closer to Luz, and Luz managed to open up more to Amity until their relationship blossomed into what it was now. Now their "behind closed doors" activities consisted of kissing, cuddling, and…well…other stuff.
Thankfully the rest of the family was none the wiser.
Alador Blight wasn't anything like Odalia. If anything, he was too busy with work to even bother with Luz. And from what Luz had observed, too busy for his children. At first, she believed him to be a neglectful father, at least when compared to her own father, he was the metric for how a father should be as far as Luz was concerned, and Alador didn't measure up. However, as time went on, Luz saw that Alador's indifference didn't stem from his dislike of his children or Luz. Heck, half the time, when she went to assist him, Alador would stop working and asked, "Who are you?" To which Luz would remind him that she was their newly acquired servant, and he would blink in surprise.
That's when Luz learned that Alador didn't even know Odalia had bought her. He seemed different, like herself, at least in the way they act and think. Alador didn't make cruel demands, nor did he criticize, if Luz did something wrong, he would correct her by showing her the proper way the task needed to be done, and then get back to the job he was doing after showing Luz how to do it right.
Odalia Blight, the matriarch of the family, still regarded Luz as little more than a servant, and believed that Luz should be grateful every day that she gets to live in a mansion and experience only the finest things in life, even as just a servant. Odalia was not above making demands of Luz and chastising her if she failed to complete a task or punish her. Unfortunately, thanks in part to Slave Laws of the Boiling Isles, Odalia was within her right to punish Luz as she saw fit, so long as said punishment did not lead to the death of the servant, and proper medical care was given afterwards. Thankfully, the laws did include some protections for servants, it wasn't always foolproof, but at least Odalia didn't resort to anything more than a slap across the face, or…a pain spell or two.
Again, thankfully, Odalia was the only one who did such things. Amity's older twin brother and sister, Edric and Emira Blight, were much nicer to Luz, treating her like a little sister rather than a servant. Something that Odalia frowned upon. They would often invite her to hang out with them, believing that they were helping her get away from their cruel mother and indifferent little sister. Luz didn't blame them for having a negative opinion of Amity, it was Amity who suggested bringing Luz in as a servant of their house, but she never did disclose the true reason why she did it and let her siblings believe the worst. In the end it helped make it easier to convince Odalia that Amity's motives were not a form of charity or kindness, but as a means of subjugating a rival.
Before all of this, Amity and Luz were rivals in school, and had butted heads on several occasions. So, the twins believed that Amity did this just to be cruel to Luz by having her be their servant. Luz had asked Amity on more than one occasion to tell Emira and Edric the real reason behind why she had suggested the servant thing, but Amity – as much as she disliked it – made it clear that their disdain for her made their arrangement more believable to anyone outside of their home that Amity was just being an alpha witch, and it made it easier to fool their mother as well.
Currently the two lovers were flying on Amity's Palisman staff to Hexside. There were other students just now getting in as well as they landed in the courtyard of the school, and many of the students were either heading in or gathering into their friend groups and chatting a bit before going inside.
"Ams, are you sure you don't want to tell them?" Luz asked.
"Luz, please, we talked about this. I don't tell my brother and sister, and you don't tell Augustus and Willow," said Amity.
"I know…I just don't like how Emira and Edric have pretty much stopped talking to you because of this. They've already graduated Hexside, and we're not far behind them. We should at least tell them before your relationship with them is completely ruined," Luz warned.
Amity sighed heavily. This was the price to be paid, she knew that. And she did indeed hate that her older brother and sister had basically started to ignore her more and more. But if it meant she could stay with Luz, then she was willing to bear that hate, and the hate from Luz's friends.
"I understand, but we have to wait. It's already been four years, we just need another seven," said Amity.
"Thankfully, you've bought whatever I've needed, so I haven't spent a single snail of the allowance I'm getting. You're kinda turning into my sugar momma," Luz teased.
"Enjoy it while you can, Luz. I'm expecting you to pay me back, with interest," Amity teased back.
"Oh, now that's a debt I'm more than willing to work on."
Amity faced forward and continued their flight. Luz's servitude under her family could be cut shorter if her mother paid Luz more. The required amount for Luz to buy her freedom was five-hundred thousand snails. And the bare minimum she was being paid was ten snails a week, not once in four years had Odalia Blight raised Luz's pay, not even when she did everything right.
"I'm starting to get the feeling that your mom doesn't want me to leave," said Luz.
"If she had her way, you'd be indentured to us for the rest of your life. I don't want that for you, for us. I want to be able…to be with you. As girlfriends, not as master and servant," Amity stated.
"Really? You seem to enjoy that dynamic in other ways," Luz teased.
Amity rolled her eyes and said, "I will have Ghost barrel roll you off this staff."
Luz chuckled.
"Heads up, we're almost there."
"Right, game face."
Luz and Amity landed in the courtyard. Both girls hopped off the staff, with Ghost disappearing into her pocket dimension. Luz was handed Amity's books and book bag as the Abomination Track witch kept her hands behind her back, carrying herself with a sense of superiority and poise as Luz brought up the rear behind her. As they walked, Amity spotted her friends group. Consisting of Boscha, Skara, Amelia, and Cat. Each of the girls had gotten older, with Skara having turned nineteen not too long ago. Speaking of Skara, her hair style had changed, with most of her hair now done in weaves that were brought together into a ponytail. Boscha had cut her long hair and adopted a short hair look reminiscent of Amity's old hairstyle. Ameilia had opted to let her hair grow longer, and Cat had cut hers short as well. As soon as they were spotted, the four girls went to greet the fifth member of their group.
"Amity, looking good as usual," Boscha greeted as she smirked.
Luz had to keep her expression as neutral as possible, because right now she could tell that Boscha was checking out Amity. Luz had been oblivious to the signs for a while, but ever since she and Amity had become secret lovers, Luz was able to spot the signs of a girl in love. And she saw those signs in Boscha, the triclops was crushing on Amity, and probably had been for a while. Luz wasn't sure if Amity knew of Boscha's crush or was oblivious to it like she was. Either way, Luz was a little afraid to bring it up. Part of her was afraid that Amity might forget about her and go out with Boscha instead.
Not like I could blame her if she did. Boscha and Amity are both from elite witch families, they were former Grudgby teammates, and out of all the witches in this school, Amity is the only one that Boscha respects and values Amity's opinion. She's strong in magic and physically strong as well. Plus…Amity wouldn't have to deal with the stress of having a secret relationship. Honestly, if anything, there's no way she has any kind of future if I'm–
"Hey Noceda," Boscha greeted.
Luz snapped out of her thoughts and sighed heavily. "Morning, Boscha."
"Ah-ah-ah, what was that?" Boscha corrected.
Luz growled under her breath and said, "Good Morning, Miss Boscha."
"That's better." Boscha smirked, she never missed the chance to have Luz use an honorific when addressing her. "Honestly, Amity, you really need to make sure Noceda remembers who her betters are."
Amity, still keeping her air superiority, replied, "She's human, Boscha, you can't expect her to keep up that much. So long as she remembers to call me 'Miss Amity', and uses proper honorifics with older elite witches, I don't really care if she uses them with you or anyone else. Don't forget, we're students while we're on this campus, but outside, I assure you, she will address you properly."
Boscha smiled, "Of course, leave it to Amity to have her servant well trained."
Amelia and Cat had steadily grown uncomfortable around Boscha but stayed close to her due to her status and their being on the same team. Skara, while remaining with the group, often shot Boscha a glare of disapproval when she did such things. Strangely enough, out of the four, Skara had become someone that Luz had grown friendly with. Come to find out, the Bard Track witch was sweet when she was left to her own devices.
"Now then, Noceda." Amity drew a spell circle in the air and summoned an Abomination golem. "We have separate classes today, so I'll take the books. You're free to move about as you see fit but be at the entrance of the school by the time your last class ends. Understood?"
"Yes, Miss Amity," Luz acknowledged with a slight bow.
The human teen handed over the pile of books she was holding, placing them in the arms of the Abomination golem before giving one more bow and heading off to meet with her friends. After leaving Amity and her friends behind, Luz spotted her two best friends. Willow had slimmed down some, replacing the "baby fat" with muscle, and trimming her hair to make it short. Gus had changed his hairstyle and now sported dreadlocks, while still a bit on the scrawny side, he too had gained some muscle over the years. Both of Luz's friends were at the top of their respective crafts, and Willow had created and was captain of Hexside's first ever Flyer Derby team. Which had won many competitions.
Luz was there for the minor fallout when Skara announced she was going to join Willow's team when Grudgby was in off season. The human teen remembered Boscha was not pleased, but begrudgingly accepted t so long as Skara didn't quit her team.
"Willow, Gus, hey!" Luz greeted.
"Luz, what's up? Ready for tomorrow, or is 'Miss Blight' going to give you a break at all?" Gus asked with a slight indignant tone regarding Amity.
"Sorry, Gus, but I have to accompany her during the celebration. I mean, unless she decides to give me that time off, but I wouldn't count on it a second time," Luz lamented.
"Tch…" Willow hissed. "I'm so tired of this, Luz. It's been four years, you're a legal adult now. Maybe we can consult a lawyer or something about this?"
Luz sighed. "If we did, they'd have to be the best of the best of the best. You guys know how wealthy the Blight family is, and how influential they are. And after the…Catastrophe…Blight Industries weapons sales have boomed. So, now they're even richer, if that was even possible." Luz walked up to Willow and Gus, placing a comforting hand on their shoulders. "I promise, I can make it. A few more years and then that's it."
"…Fine, but afterwards, you're coming to live with me," Willow stated. "I don't trust Amity or her mom to just send you off with snails in your pocket."
Luz giggled as she replied, "That sounds nice actually."
"And given your writing flair, I could have my dad put in a good word for you with the Bonesborough News, at least it'll be something until you can find what you actually like," Gus offered.
Luz loved that she had such caring friends, best friends really. They've stuck with her all through this trying period of her life, and never once felt intimidated by the Blight name nor did they treat her as less than because of her servant status. Unfortunately, Luz had seen many like herself, human, demon, and witch alike, who were in the same boat as her become shunned by their former friend groups because they were servants to a wealthy family.
But in actuality, her time in the Blight household, while stressful at times, wasn't all bad. Especially considering she had a girlfriend, and the eldest Blight children practically treated Luz as a little sister rather than a servant. Alador Blight, well, she was more like a lab assistant. Odalia Blight however…yeah…she didn't hesitate to remind Luz of her place.
"Well, that is one thing, but there's still the…other thing," Luz mentioned as they continued walking the halls.
"Oh, right. Graduation," said Gus.
It wouldn't be long before their class would graduate, and they would all be branded with Coven Sigils. Emira and Edric had already been branded with the Illusionist Coven Sigils since they were upperclassmen at the time and graduated before them. Gus and Willow didn't see it as a problem for them anyway, but they knew it would be for Luz. The human girl made the declaration to learn all nine magic types, and Principal Bump graciously allowed her to do so, along with at least five others, which included Emira and Edric. But they didn't really have much of a choice, so they chose what was easiest and what they knew. Luz would have to make that decision soon, out of the nine Magic Tracks she was currently enrolled in, she had to make the decision which of the nine she felt was best suited for her.
"Your Oracle skills are…so-so," Gus admitted.
"What? I not that bad," Luz countered.
"You predicted that Bria was going to ask Gus out, but she only did so because she needed his help to find the Galder Stones," Willow mentioned.
"Ah, but Bria did ask Gus out! It just wasn't for the reasons we thought…"
Gus crossed his arms and replied, "Point."
"You could join the Plant Coven with me or the Illusionist Coven with Gus?" Willow suggested.
Luz smiled but shook her head. "Thanks, you guys. But no. I already told you what I plan on doing."
Gus and Willow glanced at each other, a look of unease appearing on their faces.
"Luz, you've tried out for the Emperor's Coven numerous times now," Willow reminded.
Luz had declared that she would become a member of the Emperor's Coven, the most elite Coven in the empire. They were allowed to wield all forms of magic, without restriction, and acted as both the enforcers of the Emperor's will, and as soldiers to protect the people. During the last four years, Luz had tried out for the Coven again, and again, and again…to no avail. Amity did try out for the Emperor's Coven and managed to snag a spot due to her impressive skills – not like Luz had any doubts – but it meant that upon graduation, Amity would be on her way to the Emperor's Coven to begin her training.
"I still have one more chance, after the celebration this weekend, they'll hold tryouts again, and I'll do it then! For sure!" Luz declared.
Willow and Gus smiled in support but were still worried. The third option was for Luz to become a Wild Witch, basically an outlaw who refused to be branded with a Coven Sigil. The punishment was harsh for such a transgression, and with her status as an indentured servant, Luz couldn't feasibly even become a Wild Witch if she wanted to.
Luz could tell her friends were getting worried about her, so she hooked an arm over each of them, and said, "C'mon, guys, everything'll be alright! I promise."
(The Kingdom of Amphibia)
The air whistled as Anne swung her Ohger Calibur. With practiced grace and technique, she transitioned from one form to the other, not wasting any energy as she slashed, thrusted, and parried her imaginary foe. The training room echoed with the thumping of her footfalls, and the occasional exhale upon completion of an attack. It had been four years since the Catastrophe, four years since Anne was crowned as the Woman King of Amphibia, and since then she had been training, honing her skills for the day the Khaotic would show themselves, so that she might take revenge for the people they lost on that day, for the deaths of her parents.
Anne was so focused on her training that she didn't notice that she was being watched. Marcy Wu, Anne's Royal Advisor, was currently watching her best friend from the entrance to the training room. She was eighteen now, her formerly short hair had grown out, and she sported some stylish piercings in her ears that were at least suitable for her role as an advisor.
Advisor…heh…right, Marcy thought.
The pact the three made long ago still weighed heavily on Marcy. While Anne was the official ruler and crowned king of the nation, the ones who were really making all the decisions were herself and Sasha. Anne was devastated when her parents died, on top of already having anxiety over becoming a worthy ruler, it was just too much for Anne at the time, and Marcy understood why Sasha suggested it. However, four years later, and now they seemed to have gotten into a routine. Anne seemed more comfortable with allowing them to make the big decisions for Amphibia, and at this point was relegated to a mouthpiece for her and Sasha.
Anne, I know you can be a great king, you just need to have more confidence in yourself.
She wished the Anne she was seeing right now would be the one taking the reins of the kingdom. Marcy couldn't help but admire how focused and strong Anne looked right now as she trained. Her long curly hair that was tied into a ponytail, her lean muscles that dripped with sweat, how elegantly she moved with her sword…
"You know, you could just take a pic Mar-Mar, it lasts longer."
"Mmm, a pic wouldn't be able to catch all of her movements in the right waaaaaaaaaah! Sasha!" Marcy exclaimed as she jumped back.
Sasha had become a little muscular over time, she had increased her training with Captain Grime, as she wanted to make sure she was strong enough to protect Anne. In addition, she also cut her hair so now it was short and neck length. She had also gotten a heron tattoo on her back, and the only reason why Marcy knew was because Sasha showed it off to her and Anne. Something that Marcy found very…exciting to see.
"Hey," Sasha greeted with a smirk. "Caught ya staring."
"I-I just – I-I wasn't – I mean, I was watching her – b-but it wasn't–!"
"Chill, Marce, chill," Sasha urged. "You really should just tell her how you feel already."
"Ugh, Sash, please, don't bring that up. I can't," Marcy stated.
"And, again, why not?" Sasha pressed.
"You know why."
Sasha rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Marcy, just because we're still in our pact thing, doesn't mean you can't ask Anne out. I know you wouldn't be doing it with ulterior motives."
"Still…it doesn't feel right, not now at least."
The blonde teen sighed as she patted her best friend on the head. "Okay, well, as much as we're enjoying the eye candy that is Boonchuy, we still need to have her get ready for the meeting."
"Oh, shoot! I spaced out!" Marcy gasped.
"Yeah, that's why I'm here. HEY, ANNE!" Sasha called out.
Anne stopped after completing an attack and turned in the direction of her two best friends. "Marcy, Sash? Sorry, didn't notice you there."
"No worries, but you should clean up and get ready for the meeting. We need to get some things done before we head out to the Boiling Isles Empire tomorrow."
"Oh, shoot! I totally spaced!" Anne exclaimed as she ran off towards the showers.
Sasha glanced at Marcy and asked, "Wanna join her?"
"Sasha!" Marcy shouted as she blushed.
"Okay, then I will."
"WHAT?!"
"Kidding, kidding." Sasha began to laugh as Marcy puffed out her cheeks in a pout. "You are so fun to tease."
"I'll get you back, Sashy," Marcy warned.
"Promises, promises, my dear Regina," Sasha teased again.
After hurriedly getting showered and changing into her royal attire, Anne, Sasha, and Marcy headed towards the meeting room. The toad and newt guards that were standing outside the doors saluted Commander Sasha, and then gave a bow to their king before opening the doors. Inside was a long, polished mahogany wooden table. At the head of the table was an ornate chair for Anne to sit on, and two less ornate, but still fancy, chairs for Sasha and Marcy to sit. Once Anne was seated, Sasha took her seat to Anne's right, and Marcy to Anne's left. Only Sasha and Marcy were allowed to sit side-by-side with the Woman King, as they were her Royal Advisors and trusted friends.
Sasha had risen through the ranks of the Amphibian army, showing not just her strength of combat, but also her charisma and organizational skills. Together with Captain Grime and General Yunan, whom she both trained under, Sasha was given the rank of Commander, and was now Amphibia's Minister of Defense.
Marcy had also risen, showing her vast intellect in the ways of finances, politics, agriculture, and science. She was already on an accelerated grade progression, and by seventeen had graduated top of her class from Neutopia University, and with high honors. With this, she was given the dual titles of Minister of Internal Affairs and International Affairs.
The table was filled with a number of representatives around Amphibia, each of the different provinces and towns were in charge of their own celebrations, but Neutopia's was the biggest. Which wasn't hard to imagine given it was the capital, but that didn't mean the everyday affairs of running a kingdom took a backseat during a festival. Among the gathered representatives were Captain Grime and General Yunan, who were in charge of security for the celebration tomorrow, some of the reps were there in person, while others were virtually present via holographic displays.
Okay, Boonchuy, remember your lines, Anne thought.
"Now, then as you all know, the Four Kingdom Alliance Celebration will take place tomorrow, and as such we need to make sure that everything is ready before I have to leave for the Boiling Isles Empire." Anne nodded to her right. "Sasha."
Sasha nodded back and looked to Grime and Yunan, "How are the security preparations going?"
"As usual, the celebration will be thoroughly protected. We'll have air patrols monitoring the skies on Shugods, and we'll have a number of ground patrols scouring outside the city to ensure the safety of the capital," Grime informed.
"In addition, thanks to Scientia's aid, we've employed their latest Khaotic Detection System. Per your orders, we have set them up in strategic locations around Amphibia, including one here in the city proper. We will not," Yunan struck the table with her fist, causing some to flinch, "be caught off guard again."
The Catastrophe still loomed within their minds and hearts, especially Yunan and Grime. Anne later found out that they felt responsible for the deaths of Anne's family, feeling that they had failed in their duty to defend the royal family. Although she never blamed them, it still didn't mean that Grime and Yunan didn't blame themselves.
Sasha nodded in approval and sat down.
Anne then nodded to Marcy, silently telling her to go next. Marcy stood up and took up some papers as she said, "Now, regarding our economic affairs, the King is proposing…"
Anne sighed internally. Things were going as scripted. To not seem like Marcy and Sasha were the ones giving orders, Anne would say a few words, and then default to Sasha or Marcy depending on the question or situation. All she had to do was sit there in her fancy chair and look as regal and confident as possible. It was strange, Anne wanted this, this was what they agreed upon. To have her best friends act as the shadow rulers of Amphibia while leaving Anne to not have to shoulder the responsibility of fully running the kingdom. She was a king in name only at this point. And at the time when their pact was made, she was fine with that. Yet, over the last four years, a kind of melancholy had befallen Anne regarding their pact.
I'm so useless…Mom and Dad must be cursing my name from the other side right now. I'm not even a ruler, I'm just window dressing.
Anne briefly glanced at her Ohger Calibur that was sheathed to her right.
I have no right to this sword…the sword that Mom used to defend this country…but I swear, the moment the Khaotic show themselves, I'll cut them all down! And then…
"On that note, your Highness," said a frog rep. "I have been getting reports of some crop yields lessening in the southern region of Amphibia, and I was wondering if it was going to be looked into."
That caught Anne's attention, as she snapped out of her thoughts looked to the frog rep. "Wait, say that again?"
"The crop yields have lessened in the southern region of the kingdom," the frog repeated.
Hop Pop never told me about that, thought Anne. I've called the Plantars a few times, but they never…
"I–"
"Thank you for bringing that up," Sasha interjected. "We'll have a look into that, but after the celebration." The blonde teen glanced to her left and asked, "Sound good, my King?"
"…Yes, we'll look into it afterwards," Anne agreed, reluctantly.
"But some of the farmers in the region are–"
"Kind sir, please, we have much to get through, and the King says she will have someone look into it. End. Of Discussion," Sasha stated with finality.
The frog representative gulped and went silent.
The meeting continued for another hour or two before everyone was dismissed. Anne, Sasha, and Marcy moved onto the next meeting, and with no escort. And once they were far enough from potential eavesdroppers, Anne said, "Sash, you didn't have to be that harsh on him. I am worried about that, and why didn't anyone tell me until now?"
"Because, Anne, we're trying to keep things under control," said Sasha. "While each of the four kingdoms has their own food sources, Amphibia stands head and shoulders above when it comes to the quality of our crops. And if word gets too far that there's something wrong with our crops, then the rest of the kingdoms are going to stop trading with us."
Anne looked to Marcy and asked, "Is this true?"
Marcy rubbed the back of her head and answered, "Sasha's not wrong. While we do export some precious gemstones, textiles, and other things, our main economic export is our crops. Even compared to a kingdom like Tír na nÓg, we have the best crops in the world. Scientia has a lot of mineral deposits, making it much easier for them to create their technology, but it makes it harder to actually farm there. So, they are kind of reliant on us."
"And if word gets out that our crops are having problems, they might start renegotiating our trade agreements or try to question your leadership," Sasha added. "So, to avoid that, I've had a gag order placed on the region."
"What?! When?!" Anne inquired.
"For the last six months or so," Sasha stated.
"It's been going on that long?! Has anyone found out why that's happening?!" Anne questioned more.
"Look, Anne, I've commissioned some of our best newt scientists to look into it on the down low, we don't need to have this broadcasted," Sasha insisted.
"Why didn't you guys tell me sooner?" Anne asked her friends.
Sasha turned to face Anne fully as she gently placed a hand on her best friend's shoulder in a reassuring manner. "Because we're already handling it, Anne, don't worry, right Mar-Mar?"
"Yeah, we're handling it, I promise," Marcy assured with a smile.
Anne still felt uneasy about it, but this was the way of things right now. Sasha had essentially kept this a secret from her, she didn't like that. The Plantars lived in the southern region of Amphibia, they were the only other family in Amphibia she had left, and if something was happening with their livelihood, then she needed to know. Anne tightened her fists, and was about to tell off Sasha for not informing her sooner–
"Yeah, go right ahead. Go ahead and step up and be a king for once, Anne. Guess you're ready to take the reins, huh?" the voice of her self-doubt echoed.
Anne paused as her heart rate went up.
"You invoke your right as king here, then you might as well continue from here. I mean, aside from this, everything's been alright. But hey, go ahead, have Sasha and Marcy step down, be the big cheese you were supposed to be. I'm sure you can't ruin Amphibia – oh, wait, you still can. So, you ready, Anne? Ready to take the weight of the entire kingdom onto your shoulders?"
The world around her blacked out for second, as if a shadow was cast upon her. When she looked up, Anne saw the entire continent of Amphibia looming over her. It's giant mass slowly descending upon her, threatening to crush her with everything that came with her title as king. The mass crept closer, and closer, and closer, until…
"…Y-Yeah, you're right. Sorry for getting all worked up like that, Sash."
The continent disappeared, replacing the world with what it should be, and returning Anne to that hallway with her friends.
"No worries, that's what we're here for. We don't need you getting stressed out. Remember, the people are looking to their Woman King for strength, and so long as you keep projecting that confidence, they'll feel safe and happy," said Sasha.
Anne nodded, sighed, and proceeded forward towards their next destination.
Once Anne was out of earshot, Marcy got closer to Sasha and said, "Sasha, I told you not telling Anne about this wasn't a good idea."
Sasha crossed her arms and replied, "It is a good idea, Marcy. We need Anne to keep looking strong and happy. The people need to see her that way. You were the one who said we'd get in trouble if anyone found out, and Anne's reputation as a king would be ruined. In order to keep all that from happening, we don't need to bother Anne with every little detail. So long as the two of us handle it, she doesn't need the added stress."
"Still, you know how she feels about the Plantars, if they're in trouble because of what's going on, then she would need to know," Marcy stated.
"They're the ones who have limited contact with her, and same for Anne. If things got too bad there, we could just sneak the Plantar family away to the capital, and that's that. Now, let's catch up with our King."
"But–"
"End of discussion."
Marcy sighed dejectedly and followed Sasha.
(The Kingdom of Tír na nÓg)
"Looking great there, Charles! Keep it up, Enesia, watch we're your flying! More glitter!" Molly exclaimed.
The Kingdom of Joy and Good Health, Tír na nÓg, it was here that the young Queen Molly McGee was busy getting things ready for the Four Kingdom Alliance Celebration tomorrow, personally walking the streets of the capital city, Cathair an Aoibhneas (The City of Joy). Spirits, fae, and humans alike were working together to make the annual celebration a success. Obviously, everybody still had some PTSD regarding large scale celebrations ever since the Day of the Fae was ruined by the Catastrophe. Luckily, ever since then, the Khaotic haven't been seen, but people were still nervous about celebrations like this.
Thankfully, Queen Molly stepped up and made sure that the people's spirits were still uplifted. Since ascending to the throne, Molly was true to her word about "enhapifying" her people's lives, dedicating everyday of her queenship to helping the people, human, spirit, and fae alike.
"Wow, everything's looking so good!" Molly exclaimed as she looked down from the top of a shop. "Hyup!"
Molly leaped off the building, flipped in the air, and landed on top of a haybale.
"Stuck the landing!" Molly hopped off the haybale and whipped out her clipboard as she began checking things off. "Okay, banners are hung. Check. Stalls up and ready for tomorrow. Check. Food…" Molly sniffed the air and sighed in delight. "Check! Scratch!"
The moment after calling his name, Scratch appeared, and it looked as if he had been called midway through eating something. After realizing where he was, the ghost deadpanned.
"Molls, I love ya, but we gotta work on this communication thing," said Scratch.
"Sorry, Scratch, we'll definitely work on that. But in the meantime, what's the status of the castle decorations?" Molly asked.
"Oh, yeah, doin' good. Totally, and amazingly fantastic," Scratch assured.
Now it was Molly's turn to deadpan. "Uh-huh. You got a little pudge there going, Scratch."
Scratch began to sweat. "Uh, well, I actually I was checking the kitchen! And the chefs insisted I taste test the food for tomorrow. So, not wanting to be rude, I went and did just that! And once I gave them my completely unbiased review, they begged me to try other dishes. And who am I to say no to such hard-working cooks such as them?"
"Uh-huh." Molly sighed as she shook her head. "So, how's Darryl doing?"
"Oh, he's fine, just fine."
"You didn't Wraith him did you?" Molly asked.
"No, not again. But, uh, listen, Molly. Maybe you should–"
"Okay! Imma go see Libby!"
Before Scratch could finish his sentence, Molly was already halfway down the street and running off to another of her best friends, Libby. As Molly ran down the street, she turned the corner and stopped when she saw the statues of her deceased parents. After their deaths, the people petitioned for a statue to be erected in honor of their memory, and Molly agreed. She missed them dearly, seeing this statue made her heart grow heavy, and her eyes began to sting. But Molly quickly pushed that sadness down, swallowing hard as if she was physically choking down the sadness and preventing it from coming up. Molly rubbed her eyes, and then slapped her cheeks. After a moment, the Queen of Joy put on her normal enhapifying smile back on and returned to going to see Libby.
I can't be sad, I'm the queen, I can't be sad. I have to make sure everyone's happy, thought Molly.
Molly kept up her pace until she made it to the station. There were many people in Tír na nÓg who either had family in the other nations who were either leaving to go visit them or were coming to visit family here. As she ran there, Molly spotted her best friend, Libby Stein-Torres. The shy girl had grown into a beautiful woman, she kept her long hair, and still wore frumpy looking clothes, mostly to hide her physique and because she was comfortable in it. Which was a shame, because in Molly's opinion, Libby could be a model if she really wanted to.
"Libby!" Molly called out as she rushed towards the station platform.
"Molly?" Libby squeaked as she got hugged from behind by her smaller best friend. "Shouldn't you be inspecting the decorations before you leave tomorrow?"
"Yeah, but everything's looking good, so I decided to head here instead," said Molly.
As Molly hugged Libby, the shorter girl frowned as her arms bumped up against two something's under her friend's sweater.
"Libby, did these get bigger?" Molly interrogated.
Libby blushed as she spluttered, "W-W-What?! N-No! They haven't! Although…that might explain why it's kinda hard to breathe lately…"
Molly groaned as she looked down at her own assets, "Not fair…"
Just then a buzzing sound caught their attention. Both girls looked up and watched as a God Hummingbird was descending from the skies and landed before the station. Once the God Hummingbird docked, the panels on its sides opened and allowed the passengers inside to disembark. Among the many people who disembarked, one of them was spotted right away. Her name was Andrea Davenport, a resident of the Principality of Scientia, and one of the most famous social media influencers around. Her outfit consisted of a stylish pink hoody that was unzipped down the middle to show her bright white tank top, some shorts that accentuated her curves, and a pair of platinum-colored boots. She had a suitcase in her left hand, and with her right hand, she was making a phone gesture and talking, but her irises were glowing as she did so.
"Okay, we just landed in Tír na nÓg, I'll talk to you later…Okay, byeeee," Andrea's eyes stopped glowing and she stopped making the gesture with her hand. "Molly! Libs!"
"Hey, Andrea," Libby greeted in her quiet tone.
"Andrea, glad you could make it!" Molly replied.
"Like I wouldn't. I still can't believe you're inviting us as your entourage for the celebration tomorrow," said Andrea as she walked towards them.
"Neither can I," Libby gulped. "I-I don't know if I'll like having all those eyes on me."
Andrea stopped before her tall friend and replied, "Embrace it, girl! You're hot and you know it, so show it! And besides, people's eyes will be on Molly more than us. She is the queen, after all." Andrea looked at Libby up and down for a second before asking, "Libby, did your chest get bigger?"
"Even you, b-but how?! Molly had to hug me to figure that out!" Libby exclaimed.
"Don't underestimate my discerning eye for cute girls," Andrea winked.
Libby blushed further and made the collar of her sweater rise to hide her face, like a turtle retreating into its shell.
"Speaking of, Molly, you're looking regally cute as ever." Andrea walked up to Molly and threw her arms over her shoulders and gave her a half-lidded gaze. "I missed you; you know."
"S-Same here," Molly replied.
Andrea leaned forward and gave the queen a light kiss on the lips. Molly blushed but kept her smile.
Libby was resigned to allowing herself to remain in the background, she felt more comfortable like that, and as a result, it allowed her to observe others, and see things that other people might ignore or overlook. For one thing, she could tell just by their body language that this was off. Libby had seen many couples, some that had come into her family's bookstore, and while she was out and about in the city. And during those times, she had seen many couples act when they were together. But this wasn't exactly like that.
A year ago, Andrea had confessed her feelings to Molly. And in Libby's opinion, Molly accepted them a little too quickly. It's not that she was questioning Molly's sexuality or anything, Libby herself considered herself pan, and Andrea has always considered herself queer, not choosing to label her sexuality. And while she hadn't quite figured out Molly yet, she could see there was a slight unease about it, but neither did she seem to dislike the show of affection entirely. But with Andrea, as much as she seemed to show enjoyment over this relationship, there was always this aura of melancholy, as if something was preventing her from completely enjoying this relationship.
You're so eager to please, Molly. And you never really had the time to properly grieve…I don't think you even cried one since your mom and dad died…
"Libs, you okay?" Molly asked.
"Oh, uh, yes! I'm okay, just thinking is all," Libby assured.
"Heh, sorry if the PDA makes you uncomfortable," Andrea sincerely apologized.
"No, Andrea, it's okay. I get flustered seeing couples act like you two do. But I'm fine with you two."
Molly nodded. "Okay, so long as you're happy and okay, that's what matters. Now, let's head to the castle, we need to be ready to leave early tomorrow!"
(Principality of Scientia)
Scientia, the land of scientific innovation, where technology flourished, and the intellect of its people was impressive to say the least. But even among a nation of geniuses, there was one that stood above them all. Her name was Lunella Lafayette, and she was the leader of this great nation, the Scientist Supreme. The ruler of Scientia was currently flanked by the Council members as she walked through the halls of the Ministry of Science, and right at her side was her best friend and personal PR person, Casey María Eva Duarte Goldberg-Calderon. Her eyes were glowing blue as she was currently using her ARL (Augmented Reality Lenses) to answer questions on the "Moon Girl" channel and while swiping this way and that with the aid of her cyber gloves that allowed her to interact with the images in front and around her.
Lunella's coat fluttered about as she walked with purpose and authority; her eyes focused on the path before her as she listened to the Council Members' list off all the different things that were being prepared for the celebration tomorrow.
"And how's the mining operation going in the western plains?" Lunella inquired.
"It's on schedule, thanks to the God Moles we were loaned from Tír na nÓg. At this rate, the survey team suspects we'll hit a new mineral deposit in the next couple of days,"
"Good, make sure they're not breaking their backs over this. Remember, work smarter not harder," Lunella stated. "How is security for the celebration tomorrow, have the Shugods been geared up along with the soldiers?"
"Yes, they have."
"And the Khaotic Detection System?"
"Up and running, we've also verified that the other three nations have brought theirs online as well."
Lunella nodded. "Good, those assholes won't get the drop on us a second time. Alright, you guys have your assignments, too. Get to it."
"Yes, Ma'am," the Council Members replied in unison before heading off to do just that.
"Alright, Case, what's next?" Lunella asked.
"Uh, uno momento – let's see – Ah! – You got a challenge to get through in the next three minutes. After that – Oh! You're mom called, probably should call her back. Aaaand, uh, another challenge after that, and then another challenge, and another…and another…"
Lunella rolled her eyes. In Scientia, the right to rule was decided by competition. The one who proved themselves to be the smartest was dubbed the Scientist Supreme. It was a method to ensure that Scientia wouldn't get bogged down with just one person's ideas, but instead, fostered the ability for anyone to lead, and to allow new ideas to flourish and make the nation better and stronger. However, even after a ruler was chosen, that didn't mean the right to challenge the Scientist Supreme ended. The Scientist Supreme was still subject to constant challenges, this secondary function was to keep the leader of the nation on their toes. Sharpening the sword of their mind upon the stone which was the people.
"Ugh, I know this is how things have been for centuries, but this is getting annoyin'. Okay, let's just do it this way then."
Lunella threw on a pair of cyber gloves and tapped the sides of her glasses. The glasses began to shift and change, transforming into a pair of high-tech goggles. With the help of her Hyper Link WiFi Network, she was able to connect to her personal computer in her private lab. With the connection established, she turned around to face Casey.
"Okay, broadcast this on the channel," Lunella ordered.
Casey brought up a panel that she could see with her ARLs, and pressed a button that read, "Deploy Camera Spheres". Upon pressing it, about five camera spheres exited from hidden panels in the hallway and floated around her. Casey started to count down with her fingers, and when she reached one, she began live streaming.
"Hey, Scientia, this is your Scientist Supreme, aka 'Moon Girl'. Now I have a busy day today, and I won't be here all day tomorrow. So, here's what we're going to do. In order to save time and get some work done, I'm issuing a challenge to all of you. That includes the people I currently have scheduled for challenges."
Lunella swiped her hand through the air and brought up a light-screen panel that showed an IP address.
"This IP address connects directly to my computer, where I store all my personal info, as well as my inventions, notes, and lists of my current and future experiments. The first person who manages to hack into it will be declared the winner and take my place. However, at the same time, know that you'll be leaving yourselves open for me to hack. It's a race against time. Either you hack me, or I hack all of you and shut you down with a press of a button. The time begins…NOW!"
One hacker had already begun trying to get into her system, but Lunella scoffed. With only one hand, she began counter hacking the hacker, and within seconds managed to infiltrate their computer and forced a shut down, and subsequently locked them out of their computer.
"Oh, forgot to mention, in addition to hacking your computer, I'll be shutting it down and locking you out of your accounts for the next twenty-four hours. You might want to keep that in mind before you start. Next."
A second one attacked, but they were easily dispatched by Lunella.
"Geez, this is taking too long. I said, 'ALL of you'! Come at me all at once!" Lunella exclaimed.
No sooner had she made that announcement did her screen light up with several hackers trying to break through her security at the same time. Casey was starting to get worried, it one thing to deal with only one hacker, but from what she could see, there were at least a couple hundred of them attacking Lunella's security at the same time. But despite this, Lunella looked as calm and collected as she always did. There were about thirty seconds left, and everyone was trying desperately to win the right to be Scientist Supreme.
"Alright, time to end it." Lunella swiftly typed away at the holographic keyboard in front of her, and with one more keystroke, all two hundred plus hackers instantly disappeared from the board. That's when the timer reached zero, and the game was over. "Looks like no one managed to get in. With that being said, say goodbye to that IP address, 'cause it's now officially changed. Good effort Scientia, but now let me get some work done for today and enjoy the celebration tomorrow."
Casey ended the live stream and had the camera spheres return to their ports. "Chica, that was loco! What if one of them managed to get in?! They could've gained everything you've been working on!"
"Pssh, unlikely. The computer I linked to, that was a decoy, which would've been the second part of the challenge, locating the real one. Did you really think I'd make it that easy?" Lunella smirked.
"Should've known," said Casey as she rolled her eyes. "B-T-dubs, since you took care of the challenges for today – and tomorrow – how 'bout calling up your folks?"
Lunella's expression fell as she tapped the side of her goggles that switched them back to glasses. With a flourish, Lunella turned around, making her coat flutter in the process. "I don't have time for that right now, Case. Remember, we have something important to get to."
Casey sighed, she then brought up a screen and typed a message before sending it to Lunella's mother.
The two girls continued their walk until they arrived at a large research facility at the back of the building. Inside, God Tyranno was resting, but came to life when he sensed Lunella's presence in the room. The Guardian Shugod rose and stomped towards Lunella and Casey, lowering his large head as he made a few sounds that resembled a dog asking for attention from their master.
"Not now, Devil," said Lunella as she walked past the giant mecha t-rex.
God Tyranno whimpered, but stopped when Casey came up and gave the dino robot a pat on his snout. "It's okay, big guy. You know how Lunella gets…or how she has been. So, what's the big to do? You've been working on something, and you haven't even told me."
Lunella stopped and swiped her hand through the air, using the cyber gloves to bring the various computer systems online. A big monitor shined to life as displays of God Kaeru, God Tyranno, God Coinín, and God Dragon appeared on in all four corners. And at the center of the monitor was their combined form, that of King-Ohger itself. There were various data streams opening and closing, running calculations and scenarios in the background as Lunella put on a smile.
"Tomorrow, we're goin' to announce to Emperor Belos that we can awaken God Dragon, and form King-Ohger!" Lunella announced.
"WHAT?!" Casey gasped.
God Tyranno's jaw hung open when he heard this as well.
"T-That's not – I mean – how?! The only way for King-Ohger to form is if God Dragon wakes up, and it's been asleep for hundreds of years!"
Lunella pushed her glasses up with her right index finger, her smile persisting. "Right, and the protector of Gaea cannot be formed without it. But I discovered a command that should wake that sleeping Shugod, and in the process, give me the ability to combine them into King-Ohger!"
Casey looked up at the screen and then to her best friend and asked, "Not that I don't believe you, and not that I wouldn't feel better about having the great protector back, but…if you did, wouldn't that just invite the Khaotic back? If they see their greatest enemy return, they might strike again."
Lunella's brow furrowed at the thought of the Khaotic. "We can't keep living with the constant fear that they'll attack again. Ever since the Catastrophe, they've gone dormant. I know they're just biding their time, waiting for the moment to launch another attack. And since then, each country has increased their military readiness, and thanks to Scientia, we created a detection system to alert us if they rise again. We won't be caught off guard…not like last time. If we have King-Ohger, we can take the fight to them!"
Casey still felt some trepidation regarding Lunella's plan. It all sounded good on the surface, but they usually did until it was applied. "Okay…but what if Emperor Belos doesn't agree to this? And worse, what if he sees it as an attempt to seize control of their Gurdian Shugod?"
"Pfft. Belos isn't a fool. He knows that King-Ohger is our best shield and sword against the Khaotic. Just because he managed to survive the Catastrophe, doesn't mean he's going to be lucky the second time around," said Lunella.
"Eh, just so long as you don't phrase it like that." Casey looked up at God Tyranno, who was staring intently at the monitor. "What do you think, Devil?"
God Tyranno titled his head to the side for a moment, and then shook his large head in negative response.
"What?" Lunella questioned. "You're saying it won't work?"
God Tyranno responded with a few growling noises, as if trying to talk to her verbally, and added a nodding of his head to her question.
"Sorry, buddy, but the data doesn't lie. This command will work, so be ready to show your stuff tomorrow."
If he had the ability to roll his eyes, God Tyranno would've done it. So, in his place, Casey rolled her eyes for him. Lunella had been throwing herself into her work since day one of becoming the Scientist Supreme. Barely stopping even for a minute. And what was worse, she really wasn't spending as much time with her family. It was understandable, she was the leader of the entire nation, and constantly had to fend off challengers. Even so, Casey tried to schedule time for Lunella to go and see them. However, Lunella would always say, "If I have time for that, then I have time to be working on something."
"You'll see, Case, tomorrow, the legend returns, and we'll finally be able to make the Khaotic pay."
(Boiling Isles Empire)
It was nighttime in the Boiling Isles, and the Blight family were at the dinner table, enjoying their meal while Luz went around getting refills or bringing out the dishes from the kitchen. Odalia and Alador Blight sat at the head of the table, with Odalia enjoying her meal, while Alador fiddled with some new machine of his. And occasionally taking bites out of his food.
Amity sat on the right side of the table, alone, while Edric and Emira sat across from her on the left side of the table. Luz was currently standing at Amity's right side, standing up straight with her hands behind her back, and wand tucked neatly into her jacket holster. It had become routine for Luz to stand in the dining room in case they needed anything. But as a result, she was not allowed to sit down, so she had to stand for the entirety of the time that the family was sitting and eating. Luz had gotten used to it, not that she liked it. And despite how delicious the food smelled, as per her duties, she was required to eat beforehand so that she didn't have to suffer watching her masters and mistresses eating in front of her.
Edric and Emira were still an attractive pair of twins, sought after by many young suitors. Of course, they played the part of teasing and fluttering with them, and Luz had been subjected to that once or twice before the twins settled on treating her like a little sister. Luz briefly glanced at Odalia and then sighed internally.
Why is it that Odalia has to be hot and such a–
"Noceda," Odalia called.
"Yes, Mistress?" Luz asked.
"A refill, now," she ordered while holding her glass up.
"S-Sorry, Mistress!" Luz took out her wand and drew a spell circle. She wrapped the wine bottle in her aura and levitated it towards Odalia where she poured the matriarch a glass before setting it back down.
"Luz, be more vigilant," Amity stated. "Until otherwise told, keep our glasses full. Understood?"
"Yes, Miss Amity," Luz responded.
Edric and Emira had a scowl show on their faces briefly before returning to their meals.
"So, then, tomorrow is the celebration. Your father and I will be busy at the factory as usual. And Edric, Emira, I'll expect you there as well," Odalia stated.
"Yes, Mom," Edric and Emira responded in unison.
The Four Kingdom Alliance Celebration pulled in a lot of visitors from the other three kingdoms, and as a result, it granted Blight Industries chances to spread their influence and create new alliances with trading companies, suppliers, and of course, customers who sought the kind of magic-based weaponry the Boiling Isles Empire was able to produce. As part of that, Edric and Emira had the job acting as – more or less – greeters/hosts, using their Illusion magic to dazzle the newcomers.
"Amity, what are you going to be up to?" Odalia asked.
"Oh, Boscha invited me and our friends to go to the celebration. It'll probably be the last time I'll be able to enjoy this before I join the Emperor's Coven," Amity replied.
Odalia smirked in satisfaction, she couldn't get enough of being reminded that her daughter was part of the most exclusive and most respected Coven in the Empire. "In that case, do enjoy yourself, splurge some. Although, I do wish Boscha had only invited you. You two look so good together, Mittens."
Amity did well to hide her revulsion at the insinuation, and Luz tightened her fists behind her back. The young heiress of the Blight family knew full well why her parents set her up to be friends with Boscha and Skara, it wasn't just to help gain more influence, and create alliances. It was also a method to have either one of them be Amity's future wife. Skara had shown to not have much – if any – romantic inclination towards Amity, but Boscha…ooh Boscha…she was not secretive about it. Even less so as the years have passed.
Luz remembered when she had to bite her tongue whenever the triclops openly fluttered with Amity. And Amity had to restrain herself from slapping Boscha with an Abomination coated hand when her "friend" put them in compromising situations. Like a hand precariously placed on certain parts of Amity's body, or tripping and somehow landing on top of Amity. Hell, even slumber parties nearly got a little too risqué for Luz and Amity's liking. Thankfully, Amity managed to wrangle in Boscha's antics and rebuff her advances in a way that didn't make her think she was saying "no" to the triclops, but for her to tone it down.
"I suppose we do. Boscha is a strong witch, both in magic and physical ability. Anyone would be lucky to have her as a wife," Amity responded as she ate her dinner.
"Oh, I'm so glad you think that, Amity. Because I've spoken with the Barbtalone, family, and we've come to an agreement of sorts."
Amity stopped eating, and so did her siblings. Luz slightly turned her head in Odalia's direction, not liking where this was going.
"What do you mean, Mom?"
"You're already eighteen, Amity. Legally an adult, and able to get married. As such, I have made arrangements with the Barbtalone family to announce a formal engagement with Boscha," said Odalia in a nonchalant manner.
"WHAT?!" Amity exclaimed in shock, but quickly composed herself so as to not seem indignant about the arrangement. "B-But I'll be in training with the Emperor's Coven, and that takes months to complete basic training. I don't think I'll have time to properly conduct a wedding."
"Oh, I'm well aware of that sweety. It's not official-official, yet. But we'll have the announcement done after you've completed basic training and attained a good rank. Which I have no doubts you will have upon completion. Head Witch Lilith would be a fool to not recognize your talent and promote you, after all, she is your master. Oh my, please don't tell her I called her a fool," said Odalia as she sipped on her wine and sighed in delight.
"I…I see," Amity answered. "Has Boscha been told?"
"I'm sure she'll know when you see her tomorrow. So, don't be surprised to see her all abuzz with excitement," Odalia mentioned.
"Noted. And of course, Noceda will be accompanying me as usual," Amity added.
Odalia sighed dejectedly. "Must you? You should take this time to be with your future fiancée and with your friends. She can stay here; I'm sure we can find something for her to do around the house to occupy her time."
"The celebration brings in a lot of different vendors from out of the country, I'll need help to carry my things, and those of my friends'. And I'd rather not waste my magic having to summon an Abomination to do it," Amity countered.
Odalia hummed in thought for a moment, and in the end conceded to her daughter. "Very well. But, Noceda, you had better not do anything to embarrass Amity or our family! Remember, you are a servant of House Blight, and any folly on your part reflects on us as well."
"Understood, Mistress. I promise, I won't do anything to embarrass Amity or the family," Luz responded.
"Good girl."
Dinner was less talkative after that. Once dinner was done, Luz was left to clean up the dishes and bring them to the kitchen for the other staff to wash. Once she had done that, Luz removed her jacket and headed upstairs to change into her nightclothes, but before she could get there, she was called.
"Luz!" The teen girl turned and saw Emira. "Can you come to my room? I need your help with a task."
"Oh, uh, sure, Em," Luz responded.
Luz headed to Emira's room, and when she did, she saw Edric sitting on the bed. The moment she crossed the threshold into the room, the door closed behind her, making Luz turn around and spot Emira standing there.
…I had a fantasy that started out like this, Luz thought. Although Amity was here when it happened.
"Um, soooo…what can help you guys with?" Luz asked.
Emira walked to where her brother was sitting and said, "Luz, Edric and I have been talking."
"About…?"
"About how to help you get out of this whole servant thing," Edric clarified.
Luz blinked as she asked, "What do you mean?"
"We looked into the laws regarding slave ownership, as well as stipulations that allow a slave to buy their freedom. And I think we found a loophole," Emira stated with a triumphant smirk.
Luz was genuinely surprised to hear this, enough to make her drop her jacket and move closer to the twins. "Seriously?! This is – wow – how?! I mean, what needs to happen or what do I need to do?"
"Us."
"Pardon?"
"You need to do us, me and Em," said Edric. "Apparently, there's a clause that states if the servant sleeps with the eldest siblings and satisfies them, then the slave is entitled to their freedom and hefty compensation."
"But it also stipulates that you need to marry one or both of us, but, hey, win-win on all sides, right?" Emira added.
"Ha, ha. What's the real way," Luz deadpanned.
"Eh, worth a shot," Edric admitted. "Anyway, the loophole is that you have to be paid by the family in order to buy your freedom."
"However, it doesn't say that you need to be paid directly from Mom or Dad, just so long as you are paid by the 'family'. In other words, if – say – me or Ed decided to give you a few extra snails, that would count to your overall total," Emira explained. "Do you get it? Ed and I can give you some extra snails! We can essentially help you get out this faster!"
"We'll have to do it in secret. But between me and Em, and what you already have, you can finally get out of here, and not have to deal with Mom and Amity anymore!" Edric exclaimed.
Luz was happy, shocked, and…worried. She had resigned herself to being the servant of the Blights until she was in her mid-twenties, at the least. But Edric and Emira were offering to put some money aside to help Luz get out of her servitude a lot sooner than she was expecting to. It was great news, wonderful news, and yet…
"Wow, Ed, Em, this is great! I…Thank you! You didn't have to do this," said Luz.
Edric and Emira walked up to Luz and gave her a hug.
"Of course, we did. We can't stand seeing Amity and Mom treating like this, not after everything you went through," said Edric.
"We'll get you out this, and you can live your own life away from this place," Emira added.
Luz hugged them back; she really did feel emotional about how much they cared about her. She just wished they knew the truth.
After a couple of hours, Luz had changed into her nightwear and made her way to Amity's room. She knocked on the door and waited for Amity to answer.
"Come in."
Luz opened the door and found her secret girlfriend lying on her bed, reading a Good Witch Azura book. When Amity saw Luz she smiled and said, "Come in, and close the door, Noceda." The human teen did as she asked. Amity watched as Luz closed the door, walked towards her bed, and then sat at the foot of it. The witch teen put down the book and crawled towards her secret lover, getting on her knees behind Luz and draping her arms over the human. "Luz, what's wrong? You're quiet."
"…"
"Luz?"
"I talked to Ed and Em earlier."
Amity raised an eyebrow. "And?"
"They said they were saving money. Once they have enough, they're going to give it to me and help me buy my freedom," Luz explained.
Amity's eyes widened as she released Luz, got off the bed, and stood before her. "Are you serious?! How?!"
"Apparently there's a loophole. There's nothing in the law that says that I can be paid by only one member of the family. It says the family whom I'm in servitude to has to pay me. Which means…"
"Any of us can pay you…" Amity facepalmed herself. "God Titan, why the hell didn't I figure that out sooner?!"
"To be fair, there were other things that were going on at the time," Luz mentioned.
Amity had to admit, there were a lot of things going on back then. All the things that Luz had to learn in order to be a good servant for their family, the first few nights when Luz would wake up screaming and crying when she relived seeing that tragic scene of her mother dying in her nightmares. Amidst all of that, a detail like that was bound to slip through the cracks. Amity took Luz's hands as she got down on one knee and looked up into the human teen's dark brown eyes.
"This is great, Luz. This means I can start saving up as well, it may not be much right now – damn it, if I'd known sooner, I would've saved up my allowance. Either way, I'll be getting a paycheck even in basic training. If Ed and Em have saved up a good amount, then maybe what I can scrape together can get you over the top," said Amity.
"But…are you okay with that?" Luz asked. "If that happens, I'll leave. I won't be able to stay in this house. I won't be able to be near you."
Amity's expression fell. "I know…but I'd rather have you free and as my girlfriend, than bound to servitude. Plus, it feels a little wrong to have you as my girlfriend while I technically have ownership of you."
Luz chuckled as she replied, "Oh, hermosa, no seas tímida. Se que te gusta. (Oh, beautiful, don't be coy. I know you like it.)"
Amity rolled her eyes. "It's fun in other scenarios. But not for a healthy relationship."
"True. But speaking of which…Boscha," said Luz.
"Ugh, Boscha." Amity released Luz's hands and sat next to her, leaning forward, and propping her head up with both hands. "Damn it, I can't believe my Mom went and did that! She arranged a marriage to Boscha behind my back!"
"I'm sure Boscha's doing backflips right now. That girl has been thirsty for you for a while," Luz mentioned.
"Tough toenails, I don't give a crap. I love you, and not her," Amity retorted.
Luz looked down at the floor as she sighed wistfully. "I mean, how long did we think this was going to last? I do love you, Amity, but…let's face it…your mom would never allow you and me to be together. If she did, we wouldn't have to hide it like this."
Amity sat up and slapped her knees as she said, "Okay, then let's elope."
"WHAT?!" Luz shouted as she stared at Amity with wide eyes.
"Why not? We're both legal adults, we can do whatever we want."
Luz rose from her spot on the bed and faced Amity. "Batata, we cannot do that! Eloping now…you'll be cut off from your family!"
"I can live with that."
"We won't be able to go to Hexside anymore."
"We graduate next month, not a loss."
"And what about Coven Sigils? Graduation means we get Sigils, and if we don't, we'll be labeled Wild Witches!" Luz argued.
"Like you have a problem with that?" Amity questioned.
Luz rubbed the back of her head. "I mean, it's fine for me, but, Amity, babe, you have so much more going for you than me! Eloping with me could ruin your future!"
Amity chuckled dryly as she stood up and poked Luz in the chest with her left index finger. "In case you forgot, my future was already decided without my input. I was told to become part of the Emperor's Coven, and I did. I was told to be the best witch in school, I am. And now I just found out that I'm already engaged to someone whom I don't have the faintest romantic feelings for. Tell me, Luz, what part of this did I choose? My 'future' was already written for me by my mom! Falling in love with you, caring for you, that was all my choice."
"Amity…"
"And if I have to elope in order to be with the person I chose, then that is what I choose, not my mom, but me. If that path leads to me becoming a Wild Witch and an outlaw, fine, so be it. We'll run away! We'll go to Amphibia or Tír na nÓg! Or even Scientia! We have options, Luz. True, we won't be able to come back again, but really, what other choice do we have here?" Amity questioned.
Luz had to admit, Amity made some good points. Her family was gone, and while Gus and Willow were the closest thing she had left to family, there really wasn't anything tying her down to the Boiling Isles. She was happy around Amity, and Amity was happy around her. They could start a new life in another country. Luz sighed as she reached out and gently placed her hands on Amity's shoulders.
"Amity, I love you, and I get what you're saying. But we should think about this. We don't have the means to just leave like that. I have all the snails I saved up. Let's think about it for a couple of days and figure out what we're going to do. Alright?"
Amity released a long exhale as her shoulders slumped. "You're right. Sorry, I got heated, but it's just so frustrating."
Luz brought her lover into a hug as she said, "I know, we'll figure things out. C'mon, let's get you into bed. The celebration is tomorrow after all."
Amity was released and allowed to head into her bed, but then she reached out and grabbed Luz's wrist. "As your Mistress, I order you to stay with me tonight."
Luz smiled. "Okay, but no funny business."
"Pfft, that's my line, Noceda."
Next Time on Disney TVA Royal Sentai King-Ohger:
It is the time of Four Kingdom Alliance Celebration!
But an incident occurs that will put Amity and Luz in a difficult position and may force the witch to reveal the depths of her feelings for the human girl.