Emperor Belos stood at the edge of his balcony, even from here he could hear the celebration going on in the distance. His castle was decorated with ceremonial flags, emblazoned with the insignia of the Boiling Isles Empire. There were dozens of Coven Scouts marching down below, and around the outer perimeter of the chasm where the castle was built. As Belos stood there, clad in his mask with a bird-like beak and long curved horns, and white and gold cloak, he heard footsteps behind him. He briefly glanced over his left shoulder and spotted his righthand man, the Golden Guard. He wore a gold mask and was clothed in a white cloak with the hood drawn up.
"Ah, Hunter, any news on the three young rulers?" Belos asked.
"Yes, my Emperor. We received communication from Amphibia, Scientia, and Tír na nÓg that all three rulers entered their Guardian Shugods and are on their way to the Boiling Isles as we speak," Hunter reported. "Kikimora and Head Witch Clawthorne are on standby to greet them when they arrive."
"Splendid." Belos returned his attention to the distance. "Let us pray to God Titan that this year is yet another uneventful one. But stay ever vigilant."
"Of course, your majesty."
The day of the Four Kingdom Alliance Celebration had come, and every citizen across Gaea was flying the flags of the four kingdoms and celebrating their rulers. Shugods were flying around with banners, flying the colors of their kingdom. Bonesborough was particularly lively as it was the main road town that led directly to the palace. There were food vendors stalls, as well as stalls dedicated to games. Humans, demons, and witches were gathered in the streets, laughing, and having fun.
Among the gathered masses were five particular witches and one particular human. Amity, Luz, Boscha, Skara, Amelia, and Cat were going around the different stalls, playing games and treating themselves to the food that they provided. Of course, when they met up earlier, Boscha couldn't help but be ecstatic about the arranged marriage. Heck, she was practically clinging onto Amity every step they took through town.
"OMGT, this is the best thing that's ever happened," Boscha proclaimed. "We're engaged!"
"Yes, it was quite a surprise," said Amity truthfully.
"Looks like you're out of the running. Sorry, Skara," Boscha teased.
Skara rolled her eyes. "Not to burst your bubble, but as much as I like Amity, it's not like that. 'Sides, I already got a girlfriend," she replied.
"Wait, you do?" Luz asked. "Who are they?"
"Oh, someone strong, and caring," Skara stated.
"Anyone we know?" Boscha inquired.
Skara wagged her finger. "Yeah, no deets. You'll meet her when you meet her."
Boscha rolled all three of her eyes. "Whatever. Whoever she is, definitely can't hold a candle to Amity." The triclops reached out and grabbed Amity's left arm, hugging it close and sandwiching it in her chest. "Right, babe?"
Luz's left eye twitched a bit as she saw her girlfriend's arm being pressed between Boscha's breasts. Amity, while remaining calm, and putting on a fake smile, was seething underneath that façade.
Oh, you are soooo lucky we're in public right now! Amity thought.
Keep calm, Luz, resist the urge to slap an ice glyph on Boscha's back and watch her turn into a block of ice. Resist! Luz chanted in her mind.
"Well, let's reserve judgement until we see who she is," said Amity as she used her right hand to pat the top of Boscha's hands. "Let's move on, shall we?"
"Do lets."
Luz stayed back behind the group, as was her place, but Skara slowed her pace so she could walk alongside Luz.
"Hey, you alright?" Skara inquired.
"Just fine, Skar, just fine," Luz assured.
"Uh-huh…" Skara glanced between Luz and the couple that was Amity and Boscha. Her gaze returned to Luz, and she asked, "You're totally crushing on Amity, aren't you?"
"PFFFT! AHAHAHA! What? No! Why would I be 'crushing' on a girl who literally treats me a like a servant? Amity and her family own me. You'd have to be a special kind of messed up in the head to be crushing on someone who treats you like their personal property," Luz retorted.
"Luz, you can tell me the truth, I won't say anything. I've seen lots of other rich families and how they treat their servants. While some are treated as family, others are treated like property. But Amity…" Skara glanced at the green haired witch teen. "Her treatment of you is somewhere between those two. Not exactly harsh, but neither too friendly. It's like she's hitting that sweet spot between master and friend."
Luz forgot that Skara could be surprisingly observant. She was the team strategist for the Banshees Grudgby team after all. Despite the ditzy way she may act, Skara was quite the gifted strategist, and an excellent Bard witch. She was even scouted by the Head of the Bard Coven for an apprenticeship.
"…Let's just say…hypothetically mind you…that I might be crushing on Amity Blight. What would you think?" Luz asked.
Skara smiled and answered, "Actually, I think you two look cute together. Even if it's as master and servant, I think you two could make it work out. That is…until this whole arranged marriage stuff came up."
Luz looked back at the two witches in question. For a moment, Luz imagined Amity and Boscha in a relationship, imagined them being successful, and prosperous in a marriage together. "Skara…Do you think Amity might become happier with Boscha? I mean, like, maybe Boscha could help Amity fulfill her desires? Whatever they might be?"
Skara looked back at the group, at Amity and Boscha. "Luz, I'm a daughter of a rich family, same with those two. We like to think we decide what we want, but truth is, it's mostly decided for us. Could Boscha become less…Boscha…as time goes on? Probably, not likely, but probably. But Amity? I can see it in her eyes, she wants to break free. But it never showed this much until…"
"Until?" Luz asked.
Skara's smile broadened as she looked back at Luz. "Until you came into her life. You challenged her, made her rethink a lot of things just by being you. And I'm not going to speculate what your homelife with her is, but I can tell that you've helped her in ways I can't really put into words."
"But…do you think I'd be…a good girlfriend? Someone worthy of making her happy?"
"Do you think so?" Skara.
Luz stared intently at Amity and answered, "I want to be. Er – ahem – speaking hypothetically, of course."
"Oof course," Skara agreed.
Just then, a cacophony of cheers were released, and that signaled that they had arrived.
"The kings are here!" Amelia exclaimed.
"Let's go!" Cat shouted.
God Coinín and God Kaeru hopped along the air, creating small yellow and blue ripples with each contact they made with the air. God Tyranno was running at full speed, leaping over hills, and landing onto the pathway that led to the town. All three mighty Shugods stopped at the entrance of Bonesborough, where a ceremonial gateway was erected to welcome the rulers of Amphibia, Scientia, and Tír na nÓg. Many Coven Scouts were ready, getting into formation as they prepared to receive the rulers. The people were lined up on either side of the red carpet that would allow them a glimpse at the young King, Queen, Scientist Supreme.
A moment after the Guardian Shugods landed, a bright flash of white, azure, and yellow light went off in front of each respective Shugod, and when the light faded, the rulers made their appearance. King Anne was flanked by Sasha and Marcy, Queen Molly by Andrea, Libby, and Scratch, and last but not least, Scientist Supreme Lunella and her manager Casey.
Molly instantly homed in on her cousin and rushed over to greet her. "Anne!" The joyful teen quickly enveloped Anne in a bear hug, making Anne's eyes bulge for a second. "How are you, Cuz?!"
"J-J-Just fine! But you're gonna break my ribs, Molls!" Anne gasped.
Molly released Anne and chuckled. "Sorry, just glad to see you in person and not over a video call."
"Same," Anne agreed.
"Ahem," Sasha coughed.
"Oh, right." Anne took on a more regal stance and nodded at Molly. "It is great to see you again, Queen Molly."
Molly understood, protocol and all that. "And I am happy to see you, King Anne."
"Well don't act like I'm not here or anythin'," Lunella spoke up.
Anne and Molly blushed as they turned to face Lunella.
"Oh, uh, sorry, dude – er – I mean – Scientist Supreme Lunella! Of course, it's great to see you, too," Anne quickly got out.
"Seriously, sorry, Lunella, didn't mean to do that. I just haven't seen my favorite cousin face-to-face since last year," Molly apologized.
Lunella crossed her arms and chuckled a bit. "Nah, I get it. You guys are family, so it's natural to want to greet each other first."
Casey automatically locked eyes with Andrea, and Andrea did the same with Casey as sparks started to explode in the space between them. Molly and Lunella saw the looks of their retainers and sighed.
"Here we go," Lunella and Molly sighed.
"Andrea, so good to see you! I didn't think you'd actually be here," Casey stated through clenched teeth.
Andrea made it a point to not look fazed as she replied, "I know, but Molly invited me as part of her entourage. And like heck I'm going to say no to my BGFF."
Casey tilted her head in confusion. "BGFF?"
"Best GirlFriend Forever, duh," Andrea informed.
"What?! Y-You mean – are you two–?!"
"Yep," Andrea answered.
Anne blinked and looked at her cousin with surprise. "Molly, you never told me that you got a girlfriend." The King of Amphibia lightly punched Molly in the arm. "Dude, you should've told me sooner, congrats."
"Oh, sorry, I'm still getting used to having a girlfriend," Molly admitted with a slight blush.
"And on that note, Molls, can we do somethin' about this?" Scratch asked.
Anne and Molly turned to look at the ghost and watched as Marcy poked at his ectoplasmic body with fascination in her eyes. "Oh, for the love of – Marcy, c'mon, don't poke the ghost guy!"
"Ah!" Marcy snapped out of her "zone" and took a step back. "Sorry, sorry, ugh! Boundaries, Marcy! Boundaries!"
Casey looked at Lunella casually slid next to her. "Soooo, Lune, do you think…?"
"We are not becoming a couple just to increase views on the channel, Case."
"W-Wait, think about it! We could market it perfectly!" Casey pleaded.
The moment Andrea heard that, her happy expression fell a bit. Libby noticed this and asked, "Andrea, you okay?"
"Oh, uh, yeah, just fine."
Lunella looked ahead of them and said, "Heads up, guys. Here comes the welcoming committee."
Anne, Molly, and their entourages watched as small platoon of Coven Scouts marched forward, at the head of the group were two women. The first was a short demon woman with hair that looked like a claw was resting on her head. The second was a witch with pale skin, turquoise-colored eyes, raven hair, and held white staff with a raven Palisman.
"King Anne Boonchuy of Amphibia, Queen Molly McGee of Tír na nÓg, and Scientist Supreme Lunella Lafayette of Scientia. On behalf of Emperor Belos, lord of the Boiling Isles Empire, I'd like to welcome you to our kingdom. I am Lilith Clawthorne, Head Witch of the Emperor's Coven," Lilith greeted.
"And I am Kikimora, the Emperor's Left Hand. It is a pleasure to receive you," Kikimora added. "Are you ready for the procession, great rulers?"
Lunella, Molly, and Anne looked to their individual entourages who nodded their readiness. All three rulers turned to face Lilith and Kikimora and answered in unison, "We're ready."
"Begin the procession!" Lilith announced as she struck the ground with her staff.
The Coven Scouts parted and stood at attention as Lilith and Kikimora led the procession as the three rulers and their entourages followed behind them, the platoon of Coven Scouts reformed their lines and brought up the rear once they were on their way. The crowds let out boisterous cheers as they beheld the young rulers of the three nations, and as Molly thought, Libby was not enjoying the attention, even if most of it was aimed at Molly herself. Many in the crowd recognized Andrea immediately, her influencer status and popularity reached even this far into the Boiling Archipelagos. The further in they got, the less Coven Scouts there were. The crowd was respectful to not interfere with the royal procession and stayed on the edges of the red carpet. The three rulers each had their Ohger Caliburs, Lunella's hung loosely on a holster behind her back. Anne's was housed between her sash, and Molly's was in a holster that hung at her left hip. The symbols of royal authority, the weapons which were used to defend the people, it was rare that any get to catch a glimpse of them and here they were.
Andrea waved the crowd to greet her Fandreas, while Casey did the same for the Moon Girl Channel fans, and every once in a while, the two girls would shoot glares at each other before putting their smiles back on. Libby tried to make herself as small as possible, which was a herculean task all its own considering she was the tallest girl among the procession. Scratch was eating up the attention, waving back at the crowds and shooting finger guns at a few female spirits that were roaming around the crowd. Sasha and Marcy were waving to the people, and Sasha was occasionally wrangling in Marcy as she was very enthralled with the Boiling Isles' people, culture, and aesthetics.
Molly walked closer to Anne and asked, "How are you holding up?"
"I'm fine, Molly," Anne replied.
"You sure? You know, you don't need to hesitate. Just ask if you need anything, Tír na nÓg will be happy to help," Molly insisted.
"It's good, Molls…" Anne glanced at Sasha, remembering the incident yesterday. "We're good."
"Hope y'all are ready, I got something big in store for all of us when we see ol' Bel at the palace," Lunella bragged.
"Oh? Another new Scientia invention from Moon Girl herself?" Molly asked.
"Somethin' like that, you'll see."
The girls made it to the procession area, and managed to get right to the edge of the carpet where the kings would walk past. The crowd was a little packed, and Luz used that to her advantage. As everyone gathered near the edge of the red carpet, Luz "accidentally" got between Amity and Boscha, putting her girlfriend on the right, while Boscha was on her left.
"HEY! Noceda! What the hell?!" Boscha exclaimed.
"Oh, sorry, Miss Boscha. The crowds really packed, I didn't mean to separate you two," Luz (fake) apologized.
"Well, move it, I want to be close to my fiancée," Boscha ordered.
"It's fine Boscha," Amity retorted. "The crowd's packed, and besides, having her here like this makes it easier for Luz to get what I need."
"I am at your command, Mistress Amity," Luz responded with a slight bow of her head.
Boscha grumbled as she crossed her arms, annoyed by Luz's presence. She had no doubts that Luz did that on purpose, and it annoyed her that Amity just brushed it off like that.
"Look, here they come!" Skara shouted.
Indeed, the royal procession arrived. The two main leaders the Emperor's Coven were leading the procession, while the rulers and their entourages took up the middle, and a platoon of Coven Scouts followed behind them. The rulers waved along with the members of their entourage, causing the people to cheer louder.
"Whoa, look, it's Moon Girl! And there's King Anne, and Queen Molly!" Luz exclaimed in excitement. "King Anne's looking a little leaner, and that outfit she has on is beautiful."
Amity's left eye twitched. "I see, you fancy King Anne?"
"Oh, uh, n-not like that, I mean, she just looks cool. They all do," Luz clarified.
"For a bunch of humans anyway," Boscha snarked under her breath.
As the procession got closer, a wicked idea began to form in the triclops' mind. Boscha put her hands behind her back, but extended her right index finger and drew a spell circle. She waited just for the right moment when the three rulers were close enough.
If you love those rulers so much, maybe you should go to them!
Boscha flicked her finger towards Luz, and a moment later, Luz felt a strong force launch her forward. She stumbled forward, trying to catch her footing but failing miserably. That's when Luz managed to crash right into the procession, the crowd went utterly silent, even the music stopped. Luz managed to knock over King Anne, and in the process, as Anne reached out, she accidentally grabbed Molly's cape and brought her down as well, but Molly stamped her foot down and caught Lunella's coat, pulling the Scientist Supreme back and ending up with all four of them hitting the ground at the same time. The royals' entourages gasped when they saw the spectacle before them. Amity was shocked, along with Skara, Amelia, and Cat, but Boscha just smirked.
Lilith and Kikimora turned around and beheld the three rulers now lying sprawled out on the ground. Luz groaned, aching from the fall as she propped herself up, using her left hand to rub her sore head, while placing her right hand against the ground to prop herself up. Although for some reason the ground felt strangely soft.
"Uh…dude…you mind moving your hand?" Anne asked.
"What?" Luz opened her eyes and saw that she had somehow landed on top of King Anne. But it only got worse from there. As Luz looked further down, she saw that her right hand had somehow found its place right atop King Anne's left bosom. The teen human witch's eyes practically bulged out of her skull as she let out a series of spluttering noises and hurriedly backed off Anne. "AAAH! King Anne! I-I AM SOOO SORRY! I-I didn't mean to do that!"
Anne groaned as she got to a seated position and smiled. "It's all good. Molls, Lunella, you two okay?"
Molly sat up as well and shook off the fall. "Whoa, that was a tumble. But I'm okay!"
"Ugh, that was not fun. How did that even happen?" Lunella questioned.
The two royal advisors rushed to their king and helped her up. Sasha and Marcy looked a little perturbed at the fact that some random girl just copped a feel of their best friend but given that Anne didn't make a big deal out of it, for now at least.
"You sure you're okay, Anne?" Marcy asked.
"I'm fine, really."
Scratch flew over and picked Molly up, levitating her over the ground before setting her back on it, feet first. "There ya go."
"Thanks, Scratch," said Molly.
Casey ran over to Lunella and gave her friend a hand up. "Amiga, you good?"
"Yeah, I'm alright," Lunella replied.
"HOW DARE YOU!" Kikimora shouted. All eyes shifted to the half-pint demon woman, who looked positively livid. "Acoustic the royals in broad daylight!"
"I-I'm sorry!" Luz quickly turned around, got down on her hands and knees, and bowed before Kikimora and Lilith. "I-I must've lost my balance or tripped! One minute I was just standing there, and the next I felt like someone shoved me."
"Oh, so you are blaming others for your crimes now?" Kikimora scolded.
"No! I'm not blaming anyone, I'm just saying it was an accident, I promise!"
"Nonetheless, you put your hands on the Woman King of Amphibia in a lewd manner before everyone here. This act of humiliation against an allied nation and to this Empire will not stand!"
"Wait!" Amity cried out as she broke from the crowd and got in front of Luz. "My name is Amity Blight, of House Blight! This girl is my servant!" The green haired witch got down on one knee and bowed to the two witches. "I apologize for my servant's actions, and I promise I will take her back to my home and punish her accordingly for this egregious incident."
"Servant?" Anne questioned.
"The Boiling Isles Empire as a slavery system here, Anne. That means that girl is servant of that witch's family. It's not cheap owning a slave, so she must be rich," Marcy whispered.
"Wait, they can seriously own someone here?! Damn, now I wish I paid attention to Triple B's lessons," Anne whispered as well.
"That won't be good enough, Miss Blight," Kikimora stated. "She needs to be made an example of."
Amity raised her head and asked, "H-How and in what manner?"
Kikimora drew a spell circle. A moment after drawing the glowing ring of light, a ten-inch rod manifested and floated in front of Amity. "Ten lashes should do."
Luz, Amity, Skara, Amelia, and Cat's eyes widened when they heard the punishment. Heck, even Boscha seemed a taken aback when she heard that.
"T-Ten lashes…right here?" Amity asked.
"Yes, and as her owner, it is on you to deliver the punishment," said Kikimora.
"Kiki, that's a bit harsh, she can certainly do the lashes at her own private residence. There's no need to do it out here in the open," Lilith countered.
"We can't have people thinking that this is acceptable behavior. And we can't ensure that the punishment was given later now, can we?" Kikimora retorted.
Anne furrowed her brow and was about to say something, but Sasha quickly grabbed Anne's shoulder and stopped her from advancing. "Sasha, what the hell?!"
"Don't interfere, Anne," Sasha warned.
"Excuse me?! I'm not about to let them–!"
"This is a matter that they are handling. It's not our place to tell them how to treat their people, nor is it our right to stop this. As sucky as this is…we have to let it happen or risk causing an international incident," Sasha explained.
Anne looked to Marcy, hoping that her other best friend would agree with her, but it seemed Marcy was of the same mind.
"She's right, Anne. We have no authority to stop them."
Molly looked like she was about to step in, but Lunella held out her arm and stopped the Queen of Tír na nÓg.
"Look, I know you want to do something, but don't. We're in their house, and we have to respect their rules…" Lunella clenched her jaw. "Even if I we don't like it."
Amity took hold of the rod, shifting her gaze between it and the two women in front of her. Her heart was pounding her chest, she didn't want to do this. She didn't want to harm the person she loved, and even more so not with so many people watching. Amity's mind was trying to come up with some kind of excuse or plan to try and get Luz out of this. She looked through the crowd and spotted Willow and Gus, the former looked ready to charge into the fray and stop Amity, and Gus glowered at Amity as if daring her to.
Maybe I can have them get her out of here? We can all run away?! No…that'd only harm Willow and Augustus, I can't do that to them…What do I do?! What do I do?! Amity feverishly thought.
"Mistress Amity…" Amity snapped out her inner turmoil as she watched Luz walk from behind her and got her knees before the green haired witch. Luz's back was in front of Amity, and the human teen glanced over her shoulder. "I'm sorry for causing you all this trouble…"
Luz pulled off her shirt and bunched it up to cover her front and left her back exposed.
"I…I'm ready to accept my punishment."
"L-Luz–!"
"I-I'M READY, MISTRESS AMITY!" Luz yelled as she clutched the shirt in her arms.
Amity swallowed hard, doing her best to not show her true emotions in this moment. She had to remain stone faced. Luz knew what she had to do, that was the only reason why she exposed herself, there was no other way around it. The green haired witch stood tall and pressed the button on the rod. An angry, orange, crackling beam of light appeared from the top of the rod, it curled downwards until it formed an eight-foot whip. Amity gulped hard again and raised her left hand.
"I'm sorry…" she whispered.
"Begin!" shouted Kikimora.
Amity swiftly lashed with the hip, creating a sickening crack as the whip slashed across Luz's back.
*CRACK!*
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Luz screamed as she gritted her teeth.
Amity flinched, as if she was about to run to Luz, but she managed to keep herself anchored to her spot.
"One!" Kikimora announced.
The green haired witch raised the whip again and cracked the whip.
*CRACK!*
"AAAAAAAAH!"
"Two!"
The crowd winced and flinched with each strike, some looked away, unable to watch. The children that were present had their eyes and ears covered by the adults to spare them this sight, even just a bit of it.
*CRACK!*
"AAAAAAH!"
"Three!"
Lunella and Anne had furrowed brows as they watched. Marcy, Libby, Andrea, and Casey had to look away. Sasha was clenching her fists, and Scratch watched on as he placed a hand on Molly's shoulder to try and keep her composed.
*CRACK!*
"Four!"
*CRACK!*
"Five!"
*CRACK!*
"Six!"
*CRACK!*
"Seven!"
*CRACK!*
"Eight!"
*CRACK!*
"Nine!"
*CRACK!*
"Ten!"
Luz's throat had become raw from the screaming, her eyes still spilling fresh tears as the pain radiated from her back, along with the feeling of warm blood trickling down from her wounds. Her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath, but each intake of air only served to make her expand her back and aggravate the wounds.
"Excellent work, Miss Blight," Kikimora praised as she drew a spell circle and made the whip disappear. "You may take your leave so that we can continue the procession."
Amity was furious with the little demon, every single part of her wanted to summon a massive wave of Abomination slime, wrap Kikimora in it, and bury her so deep in God Titan that not even God Dragon could retrieve her. That or use the slime to tear her apart from the inside out. But right now, she had more pressing matters to take care of.
The Blight girl quickly rushed to Luz's side and asked, "Luz, can are still with me?!"
"It…It hurts…so much…" Luz croaked.
"I'll get you to a healer, but I need to move you. It'll hurt, but please bear with me." Amity drew a spell circle and summoned a mass of Abomination slime that molded around Luz's legs and chest but left her back untouched. "We're going to move now."
"G-Go ahead…"
Amity used her Abomination slime to raise Luz off the ground, and of course the even the slightest motion caused her to hiss sharply from the pain. Amity reformed the goo to create a canopy over Luz to hide her from the crowd of onlookers. This was humiliating for Luz, and she didn't want her girlfriend exposed any more than she already was. Amity had the Abomination carriage walk with her, as she approached the spot where her friends were, they parted, along with the rest of the crowd to allow Amity to pass by. Skara, Boscha, Amelia, and Cat followed after Amity, with Willow and Gus making their way around the crowd to go after them.
"I apologize for that display, your graces, but assaulting royals in the middle of a procession by a slave is a punishable offense," said Kikimora.
"Dude, it was a freakin' accident! You didn't have to–"
"That was excessive," Sasha cut off. "Is what my King is saying."
"Again, my apologies. Please, let us continue, the Emperor is waiting."
Kikimora turned around began walking, although Lilith paused for a moment, glancing in the direction the human girl and her witch owner went. It was hard to determine what she was feeling at that moment, but her face didn't give any hint as she turned around as well and caught up with Kikimora. The procession started again, but the jubilation had dampened considerably thanks to what just happened, the music played, but no one looked like they were in the mood to dance around or anything. The whole mood had been soured, and it was obvious.
Anne glanced at her cousin from the corner of her eye, Molly saw Anne's look and noticed how she nodded her head in the direction that the teen girl and witches left. Molly didn't need words to know what Anne was asking of her, because she was of the same mind as well.
"Scratch," Molly whispered.
The spectral being heard her and moved closer.
"What's up, Molly?" Scratch asked.
"On my belt, behind my back, take the Panacea Potion to that girl. But be discreet," Molly ordered.
Scratch's face hardened with determination as he shifted to his invisible state, when Molly's cape fluttered, he saw the vial and slipped it from its holster before quickly ascending into the air and flew in the direction that group went.
"All good now," Molly announced.
"Thanks, Cuz," said Anne.
Lunella smirked, having noticed what Molly and Anne did, but kept silent about it.
Amity moved them through alleyways in an attempt to keep Luz from being seen, but the whole way was painful for her, which only made Amity want to rush her even faster.
"AAAAAH! Amity, please, stop for a minute, it hurts!" Luz begged.
The green haired witch stopped and willed the Abomination slime to stop as well. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! But we just need to get you to the hospital as fast as we can!"
"J-Just g-give me a minute…please," Luz pleaded.
"Okay, okay, but the sooner we can get you there, the sooner you can be healed," Amity urged.
Skara, Boscha, Amelia, and Cat managed to catch up with Amity. The Bard witch quickly knelt next to the goo platform that Luz was on, her eyes watering at the sight of Luz's injuries. Around that time, Willow and Gus rounded the corner, having finally found them. The Plant witch teen growled as she marched into the alley and grabbed Amity, getting a fistful of Amity's blouse as she slammed the witch against the wall.
"AMITY BLIGHT HOW COULD DO THAT TO HER?!" Willow yelled.
"Willow, I'm sorry – I–!"
"NO! There's no excuse for what you did to Luz! As much as I hated you and your family for taking her, I felt some relief that your brother and sister treated her more like a friend than a servant! And even though you do treat her like a servant, at least your orders weren't unreasonable…most of the time! But THIS?! THIS was too much!" Willow berated.
As she kept going, Willow's eyes started to glow bright green, and the ground shook a little as vines started to slowly pierce through the stone pathways and creep upwards like angry vipers ready to strike.
"Willow, calm down! You're magic is about to rampage!" Amity warned.
"Oh, trust me, if it does, it's only going to be you I rampage on!" Willow stated.
"HEY! Get away from fiancée, Park!" Boscha warned as she conjured two fireballs.
Willow's eyes glanced in the triclops' direction as she replied, "Oh, you want some too, Barbtalone?! I got plenty for both of you!"
"STOOOOP!" Luz yelled with all her might, causing the witches to look her way. "Just…Just stop…Willow, Amity did what she had to do…I didn't resist, I told her to do it. Otherwise, she would've gotten in trouble…I…I couldn't risk messing up her future."
Amity's eyes widened as tears began to form. "You idiot…"
"Luz…"
Boscha, still holding her fireballs, smirked as she added, "See, even Noceda knows what's important. I got you all wrong, human. You do know how to serve your betters."
"OH, SCREW OFF, BOSCHA, THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" Skara yelled.
Everyone paused as all eyes were now on the Bard witch.
"Skara, what are you talking about?" Gus asked.
"At the procession, I saw her. I saw Boscha put her hands behind her back. I saw a spell circle being drawn, I didn't know why she was casting a spell until it was too late, Luz got thrown into the procession, and into the royals!" Skara stood up and glared at the three-eyed with as she pointed an accusatory finger at her. "I know you never liked Luz, Boscha, but you took it too damn far this time!"
Amity pushed Willow off her, making the normally physically strong Plant witch teen stumble backwards. Willow was about to say something but stopped when she saw the fury in Amity's eyes. That look alone made Boscha's blood run cold as her fireballs fizzled out in her hands.
"You did this? You're the reason why I had to hurt Luz? You're the reason why we were put in that difficult position?!" Amity shouted.
"A-Amity, what's the big deal? Y-You're her master, you're allowed to whip your servants, so long as you don't kill them and give them proper treatment – which is what you're trying to do – then it's okay! A-Also, it was an order from the Emperor's lefthand woman, you couldn't say no! No one's going to fault you!" Boscha reasoned.
Amity drew two spell circles, and immediately after, both of her hands ignited with raging purple and pink flames. The shadows cast by the flames only added to her fierce visage as she drew closer to Boscha.
"Do you think I enjoyed that?! Do you have ANY IDEA how much my heart was breaking each time I did that?! You've tiptoed close to the line before, Boscha, but today, you took one God Titan sized step over it!" Amity bellowed.
Boscha backed away, but soon found herself with her back against the wall. Literally. "A-Amity, c-c'mon, I-I'm sorry, I didn't think it would go that far! I-I just wanted to embarrass her; I didn't think that uptight bitch was going to actually make you whip her in public!"
"Well, she did, and now, I'm considering doing the same thing to you!" Amity threatened. "Only this time, I'm going to make it hurt ten times more than what Luz is feeling right now!"
There was definite fear in all three of Boscha's eyes as the enraged teen witch got closer to her. The others were feeling conflicted right now. Amity was completely justified in her rage right now, and Boscha did deserve some kind of punishment for her actions. And at the same time, they were afraid that Amity might kill Boscha in her fit of rage. This was kind of confusing to Willow, Gus, Amelia, and Cat. Until today, Amity hadn't shown the least amount of concern for Luz, always having a stoic expression when addressing the servant of her house, never once smiling at the human girl. Yet, right now, Amity was showing so much raw emotion that it was puzzling them.
Skara, on the other hand, had already put two and two together. She had confirmed with Luz that the human had feelings for Amity, but now, seeing how enraged Amity was, Skara was sure of it. Luz and Amity weren't just master and servant, they were more than that. This was the kind of fury that only came out when someone you loved was hurt.
"A-A-Amity! STOP!" Luz cried out.
Amity ceased her encroachment on Boscha and snuffed out her flames as she turned in her girlfriend's direction.
"It's…It's not worth it…b-besides…it'll take more than…something like this…to get me down…heh-heh," Luz laughed, but regretted it a moment later as her back erupted with pain again. "AAAH!"
Amity forgot about Boscha and rushed back to Luz's side. "Okay, fine, God Titan have mercy, we need to get you to the hospital before these get infected."
"Uh…I might be able to help," Cat spoke up. "I don't think I can close the wounds, but I might be able to cast an anesthetic spell to at least dull the pain long enough for Luz to get there."
"Fine, make it quick," Amity ordered.
Just then, there was a "ding" sound, like glass hitting stone. Everyone looked around and that's when Gus spotted a vial on the ground in front of where Luz was. It was a sparkling blue-green color, and had a kind of luminesce, but Gus was sure that it wasn't there before.
"Oh, woe was me!" Everyone looked up and noticed a ghost now floating above them with a large blue nose. "I seem to have misplaced my very valuable vial of Panacea Potion. The best and most sought-after healing potion in all of Tír na nÓg. I fear that I will never find it. Oh well, I can only pray that someone who really needs it will find it and use it to heal themselves! Now I must be off, oh woe was me!" Scratch exclaimed in a melodramatic fashion.
His eyes shifted from the group to the vial on the ground, and constantly did it again and again as if silently telling them, "PICK IT UP!"
Gus picked up the vial.
"And now I take my leave! Oh, woe was me!"
The ghost vanished from sight, leaving everyone confused, but that's when Gus realized something. "Hang on, that ghost, he was with Queen Molly's entourage!"
Willow looked at the vial in Gus' hands and said, "There's no way. An actual Panacea Potion is insanely expensive! They're only distributed to hospitals and are only used for the worst cases!"
Amity rose to her feet and snatched the vial out of Gus' hands before turning around and presenting it to Cat. "You interned at your mom's hospital, right?"
"Y-Yes," Cat answered.
"So, she must've taught you a spell that can verify certain healing potions. Cast one now and verify if this is Panacea Potion," Amity ordered.
Cat nodded and drew a spell circle. A moment after doing so, the vial glowed even brighter, making Cat jump back in surprise. "Holy, God Titan, this…this isn't just a Panacea Potion, it's a high-quality Panacea Potion! This is the kind of stuff that could only come–!"
"Good enough!" Amity returned to Luz's side and popped the cork off the vial. "Luz, you need to try and drink this."
"Got it…"
Amity placed the vial to Luz's lips and tilted it back. Luz struggled, but she managed to down the vial's contents. The effects were immediate. Luz's expression shifted from one of agony to one of invigoration. The gashes on her back started to glow, and in the next moment, all ten bloody gashes instantly healed, even the blood that was on her back had disappeared, like nothing had ever happened. Luz immediately straightened her back and leaped off the makeshift chariot that Amity created, and thrusted both arms into the air, dropping her shirt.
"OH YEAH, I FEEL GOOD! I FEEL LIKE I CAN RUN THE ENTIRETY OF BONESBOROUGH TEN TIMES WITHOUT BREAKING A SWEAT! I FEEL–!"
"Exposed," Willow cut off as she slapped her hand over Gus' eyes. "You're exposed."
Luz's left eyebrow rose, and that's when she looked down, blushed, and quickly snatched up her shirt. After putting it back on, she nervously chuckled. "Heh, sorry about that."
Once she was clothed, Willow removed her hand. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Seriously, I feel amazing! I feel like even I could wrestle you to the ground right now, Willow!" Luz joked.
"Heh-heh, you can certainly try," Willow teased.
Gus tilted his head as he pondered this situation. "Then that means that Queen Molly was the one who gave you the potion, but why? Not that I'm ungrateful, but…"
"They didn't exactly like what happened," Skara answered. "Even if they wanted to protest it, and are royals, they're still just guests in our country. They're authority doesn't overwrite that of the current ruler of our nation or our laws…This was probably the only way they could help. Wow, I knew Queen Molly was a gracious ruler, but I didn't think she would go so far as to use a potion that powerful for a commoner."
"I don't think they're as hoity-toity as they appear. Despite the fact that they're rulers, judging by the company they keep, I say they're real nice people," said Luz.
"Okay, everything is fine now. Noceda's back is healed, like nothing ever happened," said Boscha.
Amity rounded on Boscha and glared daggers at her. "The hell you say! Just because Luz's injuries are healed, doesn't erase the fact that you caused it in the first place!" Amity took a deep breath as she pinched the bridge of her nose. She hated doing this little habit, as it was reminiscent of her mother's actions when she was frustrated. "Luz, we're going home."
"Suraaaah!" Luz exclaimed as she was suddenly placed in an Abomination wheelchair. "Uh, Amity, I can walk just fine. Like I said, I feel amazing."
"I'm not taking any chances; we're going to the hospital and getting you checked out. Then we're heading home, and if you even so much as sneeze funny, we're going right back," Amity stated with finality.
"W-Wait, Amity, you don't have to – I mean – we can still hang out! I said I didn't mean for it to go that far, I'm sorry, okay?" Boscha apologized.
Amity kept her back turned to Boscha as she retorted, "Boscha Barbtalone. I don't want to be anywhere near you right now. And if you come to my home for whatever reason, I swear to you, I'll do to you what I was planning on doing to that Kikimora woman!"
Boscha took a step back, utterly shocked by the amount of venom in her fiancée's words.
With that said, Amity started wheeling Luz out of the alley, but stopped before Luz's friends. "Willow, Augustus, if you want to accompany me that's fine. Skara, you as well. Amelia, Cat…do whatever you want."
Willow and Gus shrugged and decided to go with Amity.
Skara walked ahead, paused, and glanced over her shoulder at Boscha. Her eyes narrowed, and it looked as if she wanted to say something to her. But in the end, Skara decided not to waste any air talking to Boscha and caught up with Amity and the others.
Boscha turned around and watched as Amelia and Cat started to walk away. "Wait, you two too?!"
"Bosch, the day's kind of ruined now," said Amelia.
"And I don't much feel like having fun after all that, so we're out," Cat added.
Boscha watched as her two other friends left down the opposite end of the alley, leaving the triclops all alone.
The procession eventually reached the palace. Across the extending bridge was Belos and his righthand man, the Golden Guard. Waiting on the plateau on the other side of the deep chasm were the three royals, their entourages, the Coven Scouts, Kikimora, and Lilith. The stone bridge thumped thunderously against the connector on the other side, and once secure, Emperor Belos walked the rest of the way, his arms outstretched as he spoke to them.
"Greetings my young rulers of Gaea, we are once again gathered in celebration of prosperity and unity," Emperor Belos announced.
"Hold up," said Lunella as she raised her hand in a stopping motion. "Before we start anythin', we gotta address the incident that happened earlier."
Belos hummed as he asked, "Oh dear, what incident might that be, Scientist Supreme?"
Anne stepped forward and answered, "Your lefthand woman here had a one of your citizens whip another ten times in front of everyone!"
Belos lowered his gaze at Kikimora and said, "Kikimora, explain yourself, now."
"Sire, during the procession, a commoner broke through and accosted the three royals. She even went so far as to violate King Anne. The commoner in this case was a human slave, and her owner came out to beg forgiveness for her insolence. I ordered her to dole out proper punishment for all to see, so that no one would dare try another stunt like that again."
Lilith sighed as she said, "That's a bit of an over dramatization of the events, sire."
"Then please, do offer your view, Lilith," Belos ordered.
"From what I witnessed; it appeared as if the human girl was pushed from the crowd. It was quite packed, so there's no reason to doubt that someone behind her might've accidentally pushed her forward. As a result, the human girl lost her balance, stumbled forward, and crashed into King Anne, then in trying to stop her fall, she reached out and accidentally pulled down Queen Molly, and in trying to stop her own fall, Queen Molly stamped down, but dragged down the Scientist Supreme. In the end all three royals, plus the human girl, were thrown to the ground. The 'violation' of King Anne came when the human girl tried to get up, but the accused found her hand precariously placed upon…ahem…King Anne's chest," Lilith explained.
"For the record, dude – er – Emperor Belos, I wasn't angry about it," Anne stated.
"None of us were, actually, it was an accident," said Molly.
Belos' eyes started to glow through the eye holes of his mask as he glared down at Kikimora. "For an accident, you saw fit to initiate a public flogging?"
"Uh…well…"
"Were the servant and master contrite?" Belos asked.
"They apologized, and the witch said she was going to punish the girl later, but your sub here didn't find that agreeable," Lunella snitched.
"So, allow me to piece together the events thus far. An accident occurred in the middle of the procession. One that led to no injuries to the royals, and one that the royals themselves felt that they could brush off despite the rather embarrassing incident with King Anne. Despite that, you saw fit to escalate the situation, and have one of the citizens flogged before everyone and our esteemed guests." Belos looked at Lilith and asked, "Can I assume that the morale of the people after the incident was lacking some?"
"Although the music was playing, the cheers and excitement the people felt had more or less evaporated," Lilith answered.
"If it wasn't for fact that our guests were already subjected to a vulgar display, I might be inclined to throw you off the side of this chasm, Kikimora," Belos threatened. "Today is a special day, a day of celebration and jubilation for our citizens. And you went and marred it with your actions."
Kikimora immediately fell to her knees and bowed her head. "F-Forgive me, my Emperor! I acted too harshly!"
"Indeed, you did." Belos' eyes stopped glowing as he sighed heavily. "I will deal with your conduct later. For now, I must ask, do we know the names of the parties involved?"
"The human's master was Amity Blight of House Blight, the girl I scouted as an apprentice, and who is set to join our Coven by this time next month," said Lilith.
"I see. My Golden Guard," Belos summoned.
"Sire?"
"Go to the residence of House Blight and invite them and the servant who was harmed. If she is well enough, inform them all they are invited to the banquet today."
The royals and their entourages' eyes widened.
"I must make this right. And if the human servant is still unwell, have her brought to the nearest hospital and have it ordered she is to be given the best of care, by my order," Belos stated.
The Golden Guard bowed and answered, "Yes, my Emperor." The Golden Guard rose and walked towards one of the airships that was docked on the plateau. "You there, make ready, we are heading for House Blight immediately!"
As the Golden Guard left, Belos approached the other three royals. "Again, my sincerest apologies for what you witnessed today. This should not have happened. I'll understand if you wish to take your leave."
"I'm staying, we're already here anyway. And besides, there's something I want to talk to you about with the others here," said Lunella.
"Intriguing," said Belos.
"It was a bummer what happened, but we'll stay as well," said Molly.
Anne glanced at Sasha and Marcy, honestly, she hated seeing what had happened, and wanted to leave. But a look from both her friends told her that it would be in bad taste. So, with a sigh, Anne said, "So will we."
"Excellent, come this way."
Unfortunately, news of what happened at the procession had reached the ears of the Blight family as a whole. Amity, Luz, and their friends were the first to arrive at the mansion after going to hospital and getting Luz checked out. After a physical examination was done, Luz was cleared by the healers, verifying that she had no physical injuries to speak of, internal or external. Not too long after their arrival, Edric and Emira arrived with worried expressions.
"LUZ!" they exclaimed in unison. They rushed into the living room, where everyone was seated, immediately knelt in front of her. "Are you alright?!"
"Yeah, I'm okay, seriously – whoa now!"
Before she knew it, Luz had been forced to stand up, and then Ed and Em pulled up her shirt to check her back. The twins released a joint sigh of relief when they saw that Luz's back was completely healed, and then put her shirt back down before turning the human teen around. Then their ire turned onto their little sister.
"Amity, what the hell?! How could you do that to her?!" Emira shouted.
"That was messed up, whipping her in public like that!" Edric shouted as well.
"Ed, Em, stop!" Luz exclaimed as she moved in front of them. "Listen…" The human witch began to explain what occurred at the procession, including Boscha's hand in making all that transpired happen, and of course, the intervention of Queen Molly's ghost friend providing her with a Panacea Potion. "And that's it. Amity didn't have any choice, I knew it would mean trouble for her and you guys, I made the decision for her."
The twins sat down on the couch as they released long sighs after hearing Luz's explanation.
"Jeez, I knew I didn't like that little brat," said Emira.
"Definitely on my prank list," Edric stated.
"Need a hand?" Gus asked.
"Oh, the more the merrier."
"Sweet!"
"Soooo…are we going to address the giraffe in the room?" Willow asked.
"That being?" Amity asked.
"The way you went off on Boscha. It completely goes against everything I've seen from you up 'til now. You were nearly about to murder Boscha, and the way you were attentive to Luz…" Willow rubbed the back of her head as she just decided to come out with it. "Are you in love with Luz?"
Skara winced. Ooh, guess the cat's kinda outta the bag here. She might be able to get away with just being concerned for Luz's wellbeing as her master, or she–
"I am and have been."
…Or she could just admit it, thought Skara.
"AMITY!" Luz exclaimed in a panic.
"Luz, after the way I acted back there, there's no point in hiding it. At least with them." Amity stood up and took her place at Luz's side as she wrapped her left arm around the human teen's waist. "I am in love with Luz, we're both in love with each other. We've been keeping it a secret for the last three to four years. Luz suggested that we keep appearances up when in public. I treat her like a servant, but when we're alone, that goes out the window."
"And you're sure you're not being forced into something?" Gus asked.
Luz shook her head. "I know it's kind of messed up. We were rivals, and then she became my mistress, and then we became lovers. I'm going to go on record and say that this isn't one-sided. I do love Amity, and she loves me. Behind closed doors we became closer friends, and then…one thing led to another, and, well, heh, a kiss here and there and we became secret lovers."
"Hold up," Emira spoke up. "You let me, and Ed, believe you were indifferent towards Luz just to maintain this cover? Why didn't you tell us? You know we wouldn't tell Mom about this."
"I have to agree with Emira here," Willow added. "Luz, why didn't you tell me and Gus? We would've kept it a secret."
Both girls winced a little, they knew this was coming.
"If we did, we ran the risk of you guys treating us differently. Luz has no place else to go right now, if my mom figured out that we were together, she might do something to Luz. Having you all out of the loop and believing I was a coldhearted bitch was the best option. It made it more believable, and Mom was less likely to suspect anything," Amity explained.
"I wanted her to at least tell Ed and Em, I didn't like how you two were shunning Amity because of how she was treating me, and I didn't want to be the reason why you three don't get along," Luz confessed. "But Amity insisted on it, because Odalia believed that you two were more lenient and treated me more like family, it made Amity's actions look less questionable."
Skara was giddy at this point, squirming in her seat at the sight of the two girls before her. It was like a romance novel come to life. A master and her servant, once rivals, but are now in love. Although they must keep it secret, their devotion to each other is strong! Skara sighed dreamily. Hmm, I'll have to talk to Viney about a few things later.
"WHERE IS SHE?!"
CRAAAAAAP! The teens thought at the same time.
Luz and Amity instantly separated, with Amity taking her place on the couch, and Luz standing on the right side of the couch. Odalia Blight stomped through the front door, slamming it behind her as she marched herself into the living room where the rest of the teens were seated. Everyone gulped when they saw the fire in the older witch's eyes, she was definitely angry.
"What was the one thing I asked of you, human?! And here you go and do the exact opposite of what I asked of you!" Odalia shouted in anger. "You humiliated our family and Amity!"
"Mother, it was not her fault. Boscha shoved her into the procession, and caused that entire thing to happen," Amity retorted.
"It's true, Mrs. Blight, I saw her use her magic to purposefully push Luz into the procession," Skara defended.
"Regardless, the damage is done! There're people saying that House Blight can't control its servants, UGH! The reputation of our family is at stake here!" Odalia ranted. "…That's it, as of today, Luz Noceda, you are no longer a part of this house!"
"W-What?!" Luz gasped.
"You're to leave, now! Don't bother packing your things, what is in fact yours will be left on the front porch!"
"MOM!" Amity shouted as she rose to her feet. "That's too extreme! It wasn't even her fault!"
"We cannot let people know that we condone such behavior from our servants! An example needs to be made here!" Odalia argued.
"BUT–!"
Luz gently placed her hand on Amity's shoulder and said, "I-It's okay, I mean, at least I'll have some money to rent an apartment for a while."
"Did you really think you were going to get that money?" Odalia asked incredulously. "You're not receiving a single snail after that scene you caused!"
Now Luz began to panic. "W-Wait, Mrs. Blight, then where am I going to live?!"
"That isn't my problem anymore, now get out of my–!"
*Knock!*
*Knock!*
"Oh, for the love of God Titan!" Odalia stamped her way to the front door and threw it open. "Whoever you are, get off my property!"
"Are you sure you want me to do that, ma'am?"
Odalia paused for a moment and looked at who was at her doorstep. That's when she gasped and took several steps back. The teens in the living room stood up when they saw the shocked expression on the older witch's face. And soon they too had the same expressions as the visitor entered the Blight home. It was nonother than the Golden Guard, the Emperor's righthand man. This was bad.
Word must've gotten to Emperor Belos about what happened! What if he's here to punish Luz?! I-I don't know if I can even beat him! Oh, who am I kidding, he's the Golden Guard, he was chosen by the Emperor himself, there's no way he's a pushover! Amity thought.
This is bad, this is bad, this is bad! What if he's here to punish Amity and her family for what happened?! I know I was the one who stumbled into the royals, but Amity's family are my masters, and if he's here to punish me, then that extends to them as well for owning me! Do…Do I use the glyphs now?! There's no way he could see that coming if I did, it would take him by surprise, but then what…?
Odalia bowed graciously and asked, "Golden Guard! To what do we owe this happily unexpected visit?"
"Word has reached the Emperor of the incident that occurred with your servant and your child, Mrs. Blight, and the Emperor is much displeased," said the Golden Guard.
"A-As well he should! But I promise I am in the process of correcting–!"
The Golden Guard raised his right hand, making Odalia go silent. "First, I want to confirm, are Amity Blight and the human girl here? If not, what hospital is she at?"
"No, no, my daughter and the human are here! See!" Odalia directed the Golden Guard's eyes to the living room.
The Emperor's righthand turned his head and spotted the two in question. "Ah, excellent, this saves me a trip." The Golden Guard walked into the living room and stood before the two girls he was looking for. "Human, you seem well. Are your injuries healed?"
"Uh…y-yes…they are," Luz answered.
"Do not hesitate to speak truthfully, if you are in need of further medical attention, I am authorized to take you to the nearest hospital and have them provide you with the best of care."
The anxiety in the room lessened as confusion settled in. The Golden Guard was offering to have Luz healed, why was that?
"Uh, no, no, I'm good, really. My back is all healed, no scars," Luz repeated. "Miss Amity took me to a hospital, and they took care of me."
"That's good to hear." The Golden Guard motioned for Odalia to join them in the living room. Once she was there, the Emperor's righthand man began his explanation. "First off, I am here to offer apologies on behalf of Emperor Belos. My colleague's, Kikimora's, actions were uncalled for, especially for such a small accident. For that, the Emperor has assured me that Kikimora will receive all due punishment for her actions. I know you have suffered great humiliation and pain Miss…?"
"Uh, Noceda, Luz Noceda," Luz answered.
"Miss Noceda. You were forced to disrobe, and your young mistress was ordered to inflict harm on you for no good reason multiple times before a large crowd." The Golden Guard gave a light bow that made the others gasp. "The Emperor would like to help restore your names, that of House Blight's and yours Miss Noceda. You and your family are hereby cordially invited to the Royal Banquet."
Eveyone's jaw dropped in that moment as silence loomed heavily over them. The Blight family and Luz were being invited to dine with Emperor Belos and the visiting royals, no family in all the Boiling Isles had ever received such an honor before.
"Uh…I…I don't know what to say," Odalia gasped.
"It would be wise to say 'yes'. The Emperor doesn't make offers like this, and when he does, it's not to be taken lightly. So, what is your answer?"
"YES, YES! OF COURSE! WE'LL CERTAINLY GO!" Odalia yelled.
"Yeesh," the Golden Guard had placed his hands against his ears, nearly having his eardrums blown out by how loud Odalia was. "Okay, in that case, I'll be waiting in the airship outside. Please get ready."
After saying that, the Golden Guard left the house. Everyone now looked to Odalia, remembering her words from earlier, and now after receiving that invitation, there was no way Odalia could throw Luz out of the house now.
"Well, Mom, what are we going to do?" Amity asked.
"We…We are going to get ready to dine with royalty," said Odalia.
"And Luz?" Emira asked.
"What about her?"
"I thought you said you were going to kick her out?" Edric questioned.
Odalia's expression changed, and asked in confusion, "When did I ever say that? You must've heard me wrong, right, Luz, dear?"
There was something unnerving about the sweet tone in which Odalia said that. However, Luz was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth right now. "Yes, Mistress Odalia. I guess we're all still a little rattled by everything that happened earlier, so we must've heard you wrong. Emotions running a high and all that."
"Of course, dear. Now then, let's get ready, we don't want to keep the Emperor waiting!"
With that said, Odalia quickly rushed upstairs to her bedroom, leaving the teens alone downstairs.
"Sooo…what now?" Willow asked.
"I guess me, and the Blights are going to a party."
Next Time on Disney TVA Royal Sentai King-Ohger:
Luz and the Blights attend the royal banquet, where Luz gets to meet the four rulers of Gaea. But a foe from long rears its ugly head once again and seeks to destroy the peace of Gaea.
The kings mobilize to face the evil at their doorstep, but in the midst of the chaos, Luz uncovers a shocking secret that threatens the stability of Gaea and its people.