Following your pardon of my crimes – a pardon I remain grateful of to this day, my queen – I perused the library for ancient texts. Those are always the most interesting to read. It's like standing through a crystal mirror that shows fractals of the past, present, and future.
...
"Does this dress complement my figure?" Angella asked, pulling on an elaborate, pale blue gown.
Micah smiled, gazing down and buttoning his suit. It had taken him forever to learn how to wear these things, and back in Mystacor, Light Spinner had to help him for weeks. "Angie, every dress looks nice on you. Don't worry about it."
"That's quite sweet of you," Angella replied with a faint smile. "But Micah...things are different now. Soon, I'll look different."
"Not soon enough for Princess Prom," Micah said. "You're only a few months pregnant."
His wife's stomach hadn't begun to bulge yet, but according to Nell, she was due to give birth to a girl in around six months. Micah could hardly believe that soon, he would be a father. "You're lovely," he murmured, managing not to blush as much this time. Two years he'd been married to her, and the sensation of loving not just her heart, but her body too, hadn't become commonplace yet.
Angella grew a bit rosier as well. "Thank you," she replied. "I know you mean well. But I can already feel the effects."
"I know," Micah said. Angella had been struggling with morning sickness for several months, and once it subsided completely, the baby would become visible. Micah struggled with how he would hide Angella's pregnancy – and his daughter's existence – from Shadow Weaver. How could they guard against someone who could spy on them a whole country away? And what would Shadow Weaver do to baby Glimmer once she found out that the tiny princess existed?
Micah would need to stop her before then. To ensure she couldn't get to his daughter, or family.
...
They entered the Crypto Castle. Micah gazed up at the enormous palace, more an experimentation ground than anything else. Angella showed the bouncer her invitation; he nodded in Princess Talyn's direction. Although King Xenio was hosting the ball, Drylian custom was to take the guests in by the youngest princess. Unfortunately, Entrapta was nowhere to be found. Talyn's sister would likely be holed away, working on her inventions tonight.
Talyn walked them down the hall. "We are excited to have you here," she said with a smile. "It has been too long since we spoke, Your Majesties."
Micah still wasn't used to the title. "I agree," he said, listening to the loud metal music echoing in the ballroom. They had come to enjoy themselves, but he found himself always on edge. One lesson he'd learned in the past few years was that enemies lurked in every corner.
Talyn glanced at her holo-pad, then muttered a curse in Rjali. "Blasted corridors," she grumbled as they took yetanotherturn. "Used to be better at this, till Entrapta started renovating." She scratched the side of her head with her long, prehensile braid.
They continued down the corridors for an hour before they reached the ballroom. Great electric lights of violet and blue hung from the ceiling – a great luxury – and nobility from all over the world were here. Aizek, child of Tunar – known as Double Trouble on the stage – shifted through the crowd in their true body. The royal shapeshifter of Salineas would not miss an opportunity to dance tonight.
Micah smiled, surveying the crowd and recognizing all the royalty. He even spotted Princess Spinnerella, a Transcendentine angel. Angella, who'd grown up with her as an adoptive sister, would want to talk to her, and Micah equally wanted to meet her...
A hissing sound echoed behind him. Micah's skin prickled, and he gripped Angella's hand more tightly. Double Trouble moved away from where they'd been trying to antagonize someone, and as the crowd parted, Micah's heart dropped.
Shadow Weaver and her cronies had found a way into the party. And soon, she locked eye contact with him, a threatening look on her mask.
...
Shadow Weaver had expected Micah to be here, of course. She herself had to swipe Princess Scorpia's invitation to come here, for she was no noblewoman. As if the child would need it – she was only seven years old, and had no guardian to come with her. So Shadow Weaver had snatched up the invitation, attending the prom with Carmen and Tara.
She let her underlings wander off, but stayed in the area, surveying Micah. He held his wife's hand, but his eyes seemed far away. Yet in an instant, Angella followed his gaze and stared right through her.
Stars, that woman's gaze made Shadow Weaver feel cold inside.No matter,she told herself with a smirk as she engaged in a singles dance on the floor. Elegant, flowing, and never-ending – that was the way she moved on the dance floor as the first dance began.
But partners changed, and soon, she found herself dancing with her former student - whose face was paler than snow at having to hold her ice-cold hands. Shadow Weaver looked into his dark eyes amusedly.Do not be afraid of my dark power,she thought.I'd never use it against you.
She spun him around, and Micah gasped, nearly losing his footing. "So," he stammered once he'd regained his balance. "What're you doing here without a plus-one? And...uh..." He scratched behind an ear. "You're not a princess, are you?"
I'm more of a princess than he is.Shadow Weaver not only had the blood of the king of former Arxia, Chevalier – meaning she would be justified in claiming royalty at any point – but she had a runestone. Shewasroyal. Shedeservedto be here.
But she made no reply. It was true that her tongue grew stone-cold around Micah, as if it couldn't muster a word in her defense. Being mute wasn'tentirelya lie, was it?
The first dance ended, and Micah frowned, ripping himself away from her as soon as possible. "See ya," he said, waving to her from behind as he went to convene with Angella.
Shadow Weaver's smilehurther scarred face. The plan was underway. And neither of them knew what to do to stop it.
...
I looked very hard for a copy ofThe Crystal Mirror –the most reliable source on the Spell of Obtainment – but I failed to recover it. I am unsurprised – it's a banished text in Mystacor, and I have no reason to believe your mother would have it copied. I must rely on memory to recount the history of the Spell without this crucial scroll.
...
Angella knew Micah wasn't the best dancer in the world. More bluntly, Micah was clumsy. Two hundred years ago, that alone would have disqualified him as a husband; a man who couldn't conduct himself with due grace did not deserve a queen as a wife.
But there was a certain charming grace as Micah let her lead the dance. Normally, he would have made light of his poor dancing abilities, and laughed up a storm as the other royalty gazed with a mix of disdain and pity. But tonight, he was oddly tense; a small smile rested on his face, but his dark eyes glinted with worry.
Angella felt it too – the way the air suddenly grew cold around them, the uncomfortable sensation on her skin. She looked back to where Shadow Weaver and her servant were dancing, only to find the Horde's second prancing alone daintily.
Her stomach grew cold. "Where did the felinetta go?"
Micah tensed further. "I don't know," he murmured. "Want me to go and talk to Shadow Weaver, try to get information out of her?"
"Isn't she mute?"
"Yeah, but she signs to me...sometimes."
Angella locked eyes with Shadow Weaver. She wore a beautiful ballroom gown, red and black, something thatcommandedrespect. In her own sparkling blue dress, Angella felt almost...small next to the Fulminate.
Micah wouldn't get killed, would he? Shadow Weaver sent the two Force Captains on an errand, perhaps, and was just using herself as a distraction.
Micah hugged her. "Go find Carmen," he said softly. "I'll handle Shadow Weaver."
Angella's hand shot to her stomach, and her heart raced. What if Carmen kicked the baby?
It couldn't be worse than tangling with Shadow Weaver. So she nodded numbly, separating from Micah as he went to dance with his rival.
…
"Damn it, Carmen," Tara huffed from Carmen's earpiece. "Couldn't you've donesomethingto make this heist easier?"
Carmen crawled through the vents with a smile; she'd devised this plan precisely so that she and Tara wouldn't be trapped in close quarters - not that the beefy Silaxian could fit here anyway.
"Nah," Carmen said. "I ain't the one who came up with the plan. I come from above, you come from below, so we got two exits on hand. That's what my lady said."
"Your lady –"grunt –"sucks worse than a flipping vortex," Tara gasped.
"Hush up," Carmen said. "We're here." Flipping open her multipurpose tool, she unscrewed the vent lid and dropped down into the room. "You got that auto-alarm disabled?"
"Sure did, pussycat," Tara called back. A silver tile rumbled, and her fellow soldier popped up from underneath. Smoothing her buzzcut, she looked over the battery. "This it?"
"Yep," Carmen said, yoinking the thing into her pocket. Wiping her grimy hands on her uniform, she smiled. "Got the decoy?" she mouthed, just in case the room was bugged.
Tara snorted, nodding and rolling her eyes. "Yeah. Ready to go?"
"Hold it right there!" an old-Meyan accent called from across the room. Carmen jumped, hissing as King Micah's wife stood at the door. Angella conjured two handfuls of moon magic, scowling at both of them, unsure who to strike at.
Carmen crossed her arms. "We both got a battery," she said. "One's fake. One's real. Which one d'ya think has it?"
"I don't care," Angella snapped, scowling. "In five seconds, I will fire, unless you relinquish the property of Dryl."
Carmen stared the queen down, heart pounding. Of all the masters she could've had, she was serving a lady whoencouragedadventure. If there was anyone in the world who could've inspired her, it'd have been Shads.
Angella began counting down. Carmen bit the inside of her cheek, hard. "Awright, guess I should give you a hint."
Then she pointed at Tara. "Get outta here! You got the real thing!"
Tara thankfully took the hint, dropping back into the passage. And Angella fired at Carmen's chest. Her body felt like it was on fire, and she grunted as she smacked the wall, the world becoming woozy around her. She never knew moon magic could make people so sleepy...
Angella banged on the alarm, and a piercing noise sounded in Carmen's ears. With a hiss, she pointed her death ray at Angella. But before she could fire, Angella gasped, hand going to her stomach. And in an instant, the queen teleported away, leaving her alone in the security room.
...
Micah sighed in frustration as Shadow Weaver sat down at the bar. The woman was clad in an almost-opaque veil when she ate. He tried prodding her for information, but she refused to communicate with him. Not that either of them were that good at it – her signs were confusing, and she was frustratingly brief.
Micah waved for them to bring him some grape juice. Shadow Weaver cast him a glare behind the veil, and when she looked pointedly at him, he saw two shining spots behind it.Her eyes,he thought numbly as she donned her mask again. He couldn't see the rest of her face, but all he had to do was blow on the fabric with kinesis magic –
The alarm screeched, a piercing sound, and flashing red lights sang throughout the area. Ballgoers screamed, ducking for cover. The sirens let out a howl so loud that Micah's ears were deaf to all other noise, and he spotted Double Trouble shapeshifting into a monkey wrench to avoid danger.
Micah's head was a mess of rage and panic as he tackled Shadow Weaver, bringing her to the ground. She let out a grunt as her head smacked the metal floor. "What is your plan?" he snapped.
Shadow Weaver breathed deeply beneath him, clenching her fists. The Horde badge on her ballroom gown blinked.Too late,she signed dizzily.
Angella burst into the room. "Micah, the thief escaped!"
Princess Talyn had risen from her throne, and now stood above him and Shadow Weaver. "King Micah," she snapped. "Did you not read the invitation to the Prom?"
"No," Micah said honestly. "It was way too long. Surely tradition isn't worth –"
"Silence,"Talyn commanded, her voice crystallizing. "This ball was held on neutral grounds. We may be a part of your alliance, but while you are in my kingdom, you will obey the ancient laws. We will deal with the thief on our own."
Micah looked back at Shadow Weaver, who had a smug expression on her mask. "Fine," he muttered, rising. He itched to lash out at the Horde's second, to force her to tell him where her felinetta went and what she stole. But Micah had to stay put. Otherwise, nothing would get solved.
"We will take the second-in-command into custody," Princess Talyn said primly, her prehensile braid moving as she gestured. "She has no reason to hurt you anymore."
Micah looked down at where Shadow Weaver had been lying. But she was no longer there. Instead, she was perched on one of the metallic overhangings, a bolt of dark magic in her hand.
No more time for games,Micah thought.
I. Must. Protect.
...
Shadow Weaver stood at the top of the rafters, unhooking her staff from the folds of her dress. A new challenge presented itself to her: buy time for Carmen by dueling Micah in a ballroom gown.
She grinned, scars stretching behind her mask, and dropped down. Scarcely had Micah taken out his sorcerer's staff when Shadow Weaver struck, bringing her weapon in for a risky jab.
Micah parried the strike, twisting their weapons; Shadow Weaver kept a firm hold on her staff. Red lightning crackled beneath her fingers, but as she tried to overtake his weapon with the runestone's energy, light shone from Micah's scepter.
It wasblindinglypainful. Shadow Weaver heard herself cry out, and she was momentarily blinded, everything in her vision a pale pink. Her gut grew violently ill; she had to get away...
Micah stepped on her ankle. "Yield to me, and leave this kingdom, or I will hand you over to Dryl," he commanded. He sounded like an adult. Like aking.Shadow Weaver could barely hear – all noise was replaced by a dull fuzz.
But she could still sense his signature in the midst of the blindness. The Spell allowed her to feel the thumping of the magic he'd ingested before coming to this fight. She could even suck him dry of the trace magic that was in his system.
She hadn't attempted this since she killed Master Norwyn.Since she killed Norwyn...
Shadow Weaver needed his power to escape. So she concentrated, focusing only on the magic he'd drawn in from the outside. The power reached her, and as she flared it, her vision cleared. Micah sank to his knees, his face pale and sweaty. This skill could be useful with practice.
Shadow Weaver rose to a stagger. Their mission was accomplished; she had nothing more to do here. They needed to report to the Fright Zone and deliver their findings to Lord Hordak.
...
Did you know...
- Shadow Weaver being a crownless royal is very important to Seraphite.
- I sometimes like using Shadow Weaver's scars in conjunction with her grotesque faces, but I actually later hone in on how she truly feels. I don't think scars are always cool, and sometimes they can be super hard to live with.
- Every so often, an illustration was made by one of my readers. As a side note, if you make some high-effort fanart, please share it with me! It will be added to the Wattpad version of the story with credit.
- I tried very hard to have references to how Norwyn's murder haunts Shadow Weaver, but unfortunately, when I tried to go into detail I ended up having issues with the story's "center of gravity," so to speak. But I hope these little flashes of remembrance will suffice.
Tell me what you think...
- Is Shadow Weaver a natural at blending in with the royalty?
- What do you think Carmen and Tara are up to?
- Why does Shadow Weaver still respect Micah in spite of all he does to thwart her plans?
- How long will her respect for him last?