The story has elements of both Dark War storyline and DemonxBunny's Masters of the Multiverse, so all credit goes to both Impact Wrestling and DemonxBunny. I do not own the characters, only the OCs. The story is entirely fictional.
Characters may look and act different than they do in real life. This was done intentionally, and things will change over time in this story, so please be patient.
Rating: M, for violence, coarse language, and mature themes/events that will appear throughout this story. Remember, this is Femslash, so if that's not your thing, you may not like this story.
Pairings: Allie/Rosemary (DemonxBunny), others over time.
Aftermath of the Dark War Chapter 11: The Banquet, Part II: Etiquette and Emotions by Jurassicfatt
Allie's Pov, Pevonia, Royal Palace Banquet
As we go to sit down, I see that each seat has been preselected. Queen Madison sits at the head of the table, to her left is the brown-haired woman from before, to her right another royal woman. I'm sitting next to the brown-haired woman, Rosemary is next to me, and then there are a few more royals. A bandaged-up Kustin, his wife and two sons sit across from us.
I sit down and notice a plate in front of every chair with an array of forks, knives, spoons and… mallets? What the hell am I going to do with that? Break open something? As we sit, a green-skinned man with webbed fingers and feet wearing a large chef hat comes out, along with a handful of other chefs. The short mustached four-armed man from earlier tells everyone that forty-eight torches are being lit, to commemorate the deaths caused by the Warlords. When they are finished lighting them, a three-minute moment of silence is held. Queen Madison stands up, raising her glass.
"Thank you all for coming." she announces in a high-pitched voice. "I want to make a toast, to personally convey my sincere gratitude to the demon assassin Rosemary, Sub-lieutenant Kustin and all the other soldiers who helped stop those monsters. You are our heroes." she says, a string of cheers and 'Here here's' sounding out as we all clink glasses. I take a sip and Whew! Talk about some strong alcohol! Makes whiskey feel like orange juice. I almost do a spit take, but I keep my composure. The green chef from before snaps his fingers as many waiters come out with the food.
Everyone is served with the same plate. A small salad of purple and orange lettuce. A plate with purple potatoes, beets, and some kind of pork chop that was translucent. I mean it when I say that I can see my plate straight through it. We are also given a cup of what looks like tea. In the middle of the table was a tray of some sort of mussels in red sauce, as well as a bread basket with triangular buns. I look to my left and see a man with a fancy blue suit and pink shirt. He grabs the mallet and start hitting his pork chop. Rosemary turns to me.
"The mallet is there to tenderize it. They are serving bloodgrov steaks. Bloodgrov is like your Earth version of an ostrich, except they breathe fire." Rosemary explains. Now I've heard it all.
"Oh, I-"
"Don't worry. I'll handle it." Rosemary grabs my hand for a second, before calling over the waiter and speaking in a guttural tone. The waiter nods, then quickly goes to the chef to explain, who walks up to the table.
"Something wrong with the food?" he asks. Rosemary walks back to us, going behind my seat so he doesn't hover over me.
"No, it's not that. It's just, I'm a vegetarian." I tell him. Some of the guests start looking at me. I'm feeling really nervous, as if the whole ballroom is looking at me. A hand touches my arm. It's the brown-haired woman next to Queen Madison.
"Don't feel too bad. Can the caterers please bring this woman some veggie rolls? You do have some of the best in Pevonia." The chef nods and snaps his fingers again, as two waiters quickly run towards the kitchen. Rosemary smiles at her, before taking her seat. They quickly bring in three large red leaf veggie rolls, which, by the way, taste like the most incredibly flavorful stuffed pepper you could ever imagine. Filled with delicious rice, herbs, and carrots, and a sweet hint to the leaf, they were just perfection. I could only have two for how filling they are.
"Thank you for that. You didn't have to."
"No problem. Haven't seen you around here before. Glad you came to our little banquet. I'm Mickie by the way." she says with a Southern accent, holding out her hand. I shake it before introducing myself. She tells me that the salad is incredible, so I quickly indulge in the perfectly seasoned greens. "So, Allie, is it? What brings you to Pevonia?" she asks sincerely.
"Oh, I just accompanied Rosemary on her assignment." I respond. "Why do you ask?"
"Call me curious. It is just because Rosemary has always come to our banquets alone. You're the first person she's ever brought with her." Rosemary leans in to whisper in my ear and I feel a shiver run down my back.
"It's okay to tell her. Mickie's been through a lot herself. She is the least pompous person in here. Probably in all of Pevonia. She's good at keeping secrets and I trust her. She's betrothed to Queen Madison, so she's also very patient." She drops on me. I turn my head and see Mickie nod.
"And I couldn't be happier." she says with a smile. The stoic look Queen Madison has had all night softens and I see one of her lips upturn slightly. Mickie turns her attention back to me. "Go ahead. I'm listening."
I explain to Mickie what happened. Where I come from, the forest, Rosemary's rescue, the whole deal. It's nice, since she never once interrupted me, only listened with her full attention. "And that lead me here."
"Oh, that's just terrible. I thought Certrius was dead?" Mickie questions.
"Apparently not. Somehow he survived his injuries." Rosemary says, biting into her bloodgrov.
"I wouldn't worry too much about him while you are here. Pevonia has a charm on every major building, monument and market in the city. No sorcerer can ever use magic or even enter the city without Pevonian military being informed. You'll be safe behind our walls." Mickie tells me.
"Unfortunately, those charms doing nothing about beast Warlords." Rosemary says sarcastically.
"Oh, you just reminded me. Assassin Rosemary, my superiors have a few plans they would like you to look over to protect the sewer system from future attacks. Would you be so kind?" Kustin asks, slowly getting up from his seat with his one good arm. Rosemary begins getting up, but looks to me before. I nod my head and she stands up. She tells me she'll be back quickly before leaving with him.
"Excuse me Miss Allie, that dress looks very radiant on you." the royal woman next to Queen Madison exclaims. She is a small woman with blue eyes and blond hair wearing a shiny green dress.
"Oh. Thank you." I say.
"Almost reminds me of that dress Lacey used to wear. She and Talia were such stylish women. Their tast-"
"Do not speak of my sisters again!" Queen Madison says angrily, looking directly at the blond next to her. "Next time, I will have you removed from the banquet, Miranda. Are we clear?" The smaller woman apologizes and bows her head down. I see Mickie grab Queen Madison's hand and run her thumb over it. The Queen begins to take deep breaths to calm down. Just then, an obese demon with pale red skin, long black ponytail and blue eyes comes sauntering to the table. He wears a dark blue suit with a golden pin and red shirt, and has 4 rings on his right hand.
"Your Highness, I bid you good greetings. I am Jug of Nesfaria." he says formally, before bowing. Jug? Pft! What kind of a name is that? *Deep Breath* Allie, calm down. Don't laugh. This is a different world. It might be perfectly normal to name your child… Jug.
"Hello Jug." Queen Madison responds. "Thank you for attending. I believe you were here on-"
"On business, yes. Selling you Pevonians the finest ingots of Nesfarian steel!" he interrupts rudely. "I must confess, I come not for myself. A nephew of mine, Bin, is a very successful business man, and he has heard of your… 'arrangement'. He would like to meet with you." Jug explains. Bin? Oh God. I have to hold down my laughter at the ridiculous names.
"What for? And what 'arrangement' do you speak of?" Queen Madison asks him, clearly irritated by his arrogance.
"Why, to ask for your hand in marriage, of course? My sources have told me that no 'real' suitor has properly proposed you, so I thought it best to relay his message." The whole table has gone silent. What a bastard. Who does he think he is, saying such horrible things? Queen Madison blinks in shock. Mickie is looking down, an expression of sadness and anger clear on her drooping face. Madison rises from her chair, clutching her fan in a vice grip, her hands shaking slightly.
"How dare you!" she screams. The entire party goes silent as Madison continues. "You come to my Palace! In my Kingdom! Speaking out of turn and insulting me with your arrogance. And then you have the gall to question my loyalty to my betrothed in front of me!" She then slams the fan to the table, its crushed remains bouncing off of it slightly. "You tell your nephew to mind his own fucking business! And if you ever insult my betrothed again, I will have you whipped and banished from the kingdom." she speaks with venom, staring daggers at the fat Jug. A guard runs to Queen Madison.
"Your Highness!" he says out of breath.
"YES?!"
"One of the vendors came to us today, telling us that some of his metal stock was improperly balanced. Some of the Nesfarian steel ingots we were sold are fake. They are actually silver-painted bauxite." the guard tells her. Her head turns slowly to look at Jug.
"Queen Madison! Let me explain! Obviously, there is some kind of mistake, we can rectify this." Jug says, sweat coming from his brow.
"GUARDS! REMOVE THIS PIG FROM MY BANQUET! NOW!" Queen Madison shouts, pointing to the fat demon. The guards grab him by the arms and pull him towards the exit. Queen Madison leaves with them, a handful of guards escorting her. Mickie sighs and wipes her eyes, her tears smearing some of her makeup. I put a hand over hers.
"Hey, don't cry. That guy was a jerk, you shouldn't cry because of him." I tell her. I can feel the anger when she responds.
"Yes, he is, but it has been this way since Madison asked for my hand. No one wants to believe that I'm not marrying her for money. I am sick and tired of people questioning our relationship." Mickie says.
"But I thought people liked her? Respected her decisions as a ruler? Rosemary told me that on the way here."
"They do. They judge me because I use to be a housekeeper. They think I'm some sort of slut only in it for the riches, just because I'm from Grevert province, a southern city-state the Pevonian royal council founded. Fucking bastards." she asserts, her saddened tone simply breaking my heart.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know you were treated so poorly. But wait, if you are from Grevert province, how did you meet Madison?" I ask, genuinely curious.
"When I was younger, I moved to Pevonia for more opportunities. I did housekeep work from early morning to late afternoon. I worked for a royal in the South District. The shady district, as it was once called. It was hard work, but I managed. One year, revolts started because of the high number of Warlord attacks on our kingdom. Two warlords kept circling Pevonia, eating whatever citizens and transport animals they could catch. The walls were closed for months. Money got really tight, since a lot of far-off traders were afraid to come with those beasts constantly roaming around the walls. The assassins could escort supplies, but even teams of them couldn't take down those creatures. It got to a point where I couldn't afford for my rent. I asked for more hours, but my employer refused. One of the elderly maids heard my pleas, and joked I try cage-fighting downtown." she explains. I nod for her to continue.
"Well, I tried out one weekend. Pevonian cage-fighters believed that everyone was a winner. You win, you get money. You lose, you get food. First few days, I got beaten and brought home some apples and pears. But I needed Pevonian currency to pay rent. A trainer, Trish, agreed to help me, on the condition that she get 45% of all I made." she took a breath, looking at her hands. "I agreed. I trained with her and eventually became a pretty good fighter. I was so good, that I won women's championship five times and another championship belt three times. I became a junior trainer under Trish."
"Fast forward. Money's taken care of, somewhat. Two Warlords are mysteriously gone, not that anyone missed them. I'm working two jobs and doing pretty well. One day, this pretty young woman comes in. Ashley. By this time Trish was gone, so it was up to me to teach her the ropes with a few other trainers." she explains. "She was feisty, with a hell of a temper, but she was kind too. First girl I'd ever met at the ring who'd polish her gloves before a fight. Hehe. Ash really stank at first, but after a few sparing matches, she got better. We became really good friends, and talked about everything. Later, Ash and I began splitting our profits and even shared personal aspects of our lives. She told me she worked at the Palace, but that it was 'too boring' and she wanted some excitement in her life. We'd flirt with one another every so often, but I always thought it was innocent." she says.
"One day, this big brute named Tara 'the Black Widow', gets me on the card. She beat me senseless, almost breaking my arm and laying bruise after bruise on me. I could hear Ash screaming for them to stop the match before I finally went down." I can see her shaking as she relives the moment. "Healers patch me up. Ash was crying, her cheeks covered with tears. She told me that she liked me way more than just a friend, and that she didn't want to lose me. She kissed me hard, before leaving the arena. I thought the beating made me dizzy, but that kiss…" she closes her eyes with a smile.
"Either way, I needed a break from fighting for a while. I rested up and kept on housekeeping. Towards the end of the week, the King was giving a speech in Pevonian centralis, the center of town, and the royal families were invited with some of their staff. I was chosen to go. I remember saying 'Huh, been so busy with work over the years, I've never seen the King in person before. Might as well.' Imagine the shock I got when I see Ashley in a frilly pink dress on stage with three other women. Turns out 'Ashley' was actually Princess Madison the III, fourth daughter of King Devris, ruler of Pevonia. The minute our eyes met, we froze, unable to look away. We met up later, while the crowd was celebrating the deaths of the 2 Warlords plaguing our kingdom. She told me she had wanted to tell me numerous times, but that she didn't want the secret to get out. I was hurt. I told her I thought we were close and that we'd promised we wouldn't keep secrets from one another. She grabbed my hand and told me that she wanted to protect me, that I was the most important person in the world to her. I pushed her away, not wanting to believe it. But she wouldn't give up on us. Damn stubborn bitch." she then shakes her head.
"Not too long after, her father fell ill. The normal staff were needed to tend to him, leaving openings for new housekeepers. Madison had the entire staff of my workplace hired just so she could speak to me. Even then I was always avoiding her, hiding the way I felt. Yeah, I knew I liked her, but I was too damn stubborn for my own good. King Devris then announced that Madison would succeed him on the throne. This didn't sit well, considering she's the youngest of the four children. Her sisters Talia, Angelina and Lacey, outraged, were contacted by an evil sorceress named Winter, who wanted to rule Pevonia all to herself. She killed the King with poison, and promised to put them in power once Madison was killed. She was the one who led those Warlords to our kingdom, but she failed to starve our city into submission. So instead, she staged a coup. It was now left to Madison to defend Pevonia from Winter and her sisters in a brutal civil war."
"Weeks passed. The fighting was brutal, but Madison's army had the upper hand against Winter, since most people knew she had attacked the kingdom before, and thus sided against her. Madison came to my quarters hours before she was going to attack Winter's fortress. I wouldn't let her in, still being difficult. She told me she loved me. She said that the reason she fell for me was not for my looks, or even my strength, but because I was the first person in her entire life who was genuinely interested in her and not her wealth. She was afraid that if other people knew, they'd try to take me or hold me for ransom, just to get to her. She told me she knew she couldn't convince me to love her, or forgive her. She was going to lead the army into the fortress, and she wanted me to know that no matter what happened, she'd always cherish the time we spent together over the years. I ripped open the door and grabbed her, kissing her with all I had. I told her how I felt, tears flowing freely, and practically ordered her to come back to me."
"Wow. That must have been so difficult." I tell her.
"It really was. I didn't even know… if we'd see each other again." she claims, then pauses. "*Deep breath* Madison, along with the Pevonian military, launched an assault against Winter and her demon army, as well as Madison's sisters and their guardsmen, in a battle over Kashtek district. Many lives were lost in the battle, Madison being forced to kill the soldiers loyal to her sisters, earning her the nickname 'Killer Queen'. Winter realized she couldn't win. She became so enraged that she used her magic to burn the sisters alive. Madison saw this and cut off her arm with her sword, but Winter opened a portal and escaped. The kingdom took months to rebuild. When Madison came back, she was devastated, still coping with the loss of her father and treachery of her sisters. She cried, stayed in bed, refused to eat. It took her time to heal, and I was there with her every day to console her. One night, she asked me to dinner. She tried to make me a home-cooked meal, determined to be romantic. Unfortunately, she ended up burning most of the food, causing the head chef to quit. She told me she appreciated everything I'd done over the past months, and that as long she had me, she'd never feel alone again. She gave me this bracelet as a symbol of our union." Mickie says, showing a gold bracelet on her left arm. "We've been together ever since. But that doesn't stop others from always judging my intentions."
"Well, it doesn't matter what those people think. It only matters what you and Madison feel." I tell her.
"I know. It's not east dealing with all this bullshit, sometimes, but I'll move past this. I love her. I've always loved her. I spend every day of my life trying to make her smile and laugh. Being Queen has many responsibilities. I know since I've been filling in for her while she's been gone. But I know Madison wants a perfect wedding, just to make me feel special. But I just want her." She smiles. Suddenly, the band begins playing some sort of slow music. "Oh, looks like they've included dancing at the banquet. You should find Rosemary and ask her to teach you our customary dance. I'm going to go find Madison. Thank you for listening and being so understanding." she says, hugging me. I hug back.
"No problem. You did the same for me. Go find your girl." Mickie smiles and leaves her seat. Now its time for me to find my girl… Woah! Hearing Mickie's story must be fooling with my head. Rosemary isn't my girl. She's just a friend, I repeat, that twinge returning to my chest as I say it.
Author's Note: Hey everybody. Hope you've been alright and that you enjoyed the new chapter. Thank you to everyone who followed, favorited and reviewed. So, looks like Allie's first banquet is off to an interesting start. And she made a new friend in Mickie. Couldn't resist putting her in. She was there for Allie to vent, and Allie did the same after the horrible incident. Got to see Queen Madison's fury, and hear how she and Mickie met. Hope you enjoyed the little cameos from other familiar faces in the story. But now the question is, what kind of dance Allie will learn from Rosemary? And how will the two feel about it? Find out next time.
Please do review if you can. It shows me that people enjoy my writing, which is always nice. Thanks again for reading and have a great day!