Chapter Twenty-Six: A New Queen Rises

Syphron:

Holding Gwyny and Luthy in my arms, Alice was getting bathed in the other room. Loving eyes glittered up at me, my chest swelling with pride. These were my girls, any predictions up to this point had been wrong. Kissing their foreheads, Gwyny shot me a death glare. So that was the one like her mother while the other one smacked her. Rubbing my eyes, this was going to be fun. Evergreen opened the door, a weary but clean Alice stumbled into the room, her long hair dusting the floor. Her emerald silk robe hung off a slightly too skinny frame. Judging by her appearance she had been malnourished for a while, my mind fell on how cruel her father must have been to her. Helping get on the bed, she fluffed up a pile of worn pillows for her. Focusing on her more, her muscles had remained intact.

"How are my girls?" She chirped cheerfully, crossing her hands. "I think Evergreen is going to make me some food. I didn't think that I was this underweight. Oh well. It is nothing that time can't heal. Am I right?" Seeing her genuine smile stopped time, the months of her torturous absence flashing in my mind. Crumbling to a sobbing mess, salty tears soaked our girls' faces. I couldn't hold it in anymore, the dam had burst.

"Don't you ever do that again!" I lamented desperately, her face falling. "I went nuts without you. I could barely eat while not sleeping a god damn wink! What the hell were you thinking! I want to let it go but I can't. Tell me why you did it." A lump formed in her throat, her shaking fingers tucking a wet piece of hair behind her ear. Shit! Did I go too far?

"I had the feeling he would have killed everyone around me. I didn't mean to hurt you." She answered in a defeated tone, her head bowing with shame. "I was going to find a way out to get to you. I won't do that again. I am really fucking sorry." Climbing into bed next to her, I had to trust her instincts. Letting it go for now, she had meant her apology. Sliding our girls into her arms, my arm wrapping around her shoulder. Resting my head on her shoulder, the way she doted over our daughters stole my breath away. Getting lost in the moment, a bell stole our attention. Evergreen walked in with a tray in her hands, her eyes flitting between the four of us. Tactical words rested on the tip of her tongue.

"Do you mind taking your daughters so your lovely wife can eat?" She asked kindly, watching Alice slip them into my arms. Setting the tray on her lap, she opened the silver cloche. A bowl of vegetable stew steamed away, Pumpkin's stomach growling audibly. Picking up the spoon, she struggled to hold it. Clattering to the tray, Evergreen plopped down next to her. Embarrassment colored her cheeks, an impatient expression met Evergreen's glowing face. Seconds from saying that she wasn't hungry, Evergreen struggled to find an excuse.

"The potion sometimes has a second wave. It will pass by the evening." She explained with a polite smile, picking up the spoon. "Then we should get you down for a nap." Fright rounded Pumpkin's eyes, her head shaking. Visibly shaking, the reaction shook me to my core. What the hell was wrong with her?

"I don't want to. I tend to remember things when I go to sleep. Everything he did to me when I was knocked out is stored in my memories. Please don't make me go there." She pleaded through a wall of tears, her lips quivering. "Please don't. I don't care if I never sleep again." Scooping up a spoonful of the stew, she held it up to her lips.

"Regardless, you need to sleep to function. I understand that insomnia is your best friend but you need sleep to recover from your birth. I only stopped the bleeding, not the minor damage." She asserted in a rich motherly tone, feeding her the bite of soup. "Honestly, I would hope you have nightmares to get it out of your system. Let it happen. Besides, your husband is by your side now. Be thankful for that." Rolling her eyes, she puffed out her cheeks. Awkward tension hung between the two of them, the stew had been finished in twenty minutes. Swaying slightly, sweet slumber stole her away. Taking the dishes out of the room, my eyes couldn't leave her. Watching her for a couple of hours, she jerked awake while gasping for air. Gripping the wool blanket, each breath grew shorter with every passing second. Clutching her knees to the chest, tears streamed down her cheeks. Clammy sweat drenched her skin, her eyes falling on Gywny and Luthy. Taking a couple of deep breaths, her trembling hands wiped her tears away. Swinging her feet over the edge of the bed, several cuts appeared on her skin. Looking for bandages to wrap her cuts, the cabinet doors clanging open.

"Not a word to Evergreen." She growled through gritted teeth, holding a roll of gauze over her head. "I will talk about it when I get home or never. I hate it when my nightmares come to life." Wrapping up her cuts, her slender fingers picking the scissors off of the desk. Pulling her hair to the front, she glided them at different levels. Settling around her shoulders, her hair fluttered to the dirt floor. Adding layers, a satisfied sigh escaped her lips. Gathering her hair, she tossed it into the nearby trash can. Laying back, her head rested on my lap. Something was eating at her.

"I can't wait to go home." She exhaled irritably, her eyes falling on me. "Maybe we can sneak out. I can't stand doing nothing. This is the best I've felt in a long time. " Evergreen wandered in, a smug grimace plastered itself on her face. Holding her tongue, the stress wore on her face. Setting down a frilly ruby dress, her revenge had been served.

"I only have clothes from back then. I enjoyed serving you, your majesty." She commented serenely, shaking off her frustration. "Please have a nice journey home." Confusion dawned on her face, Evergreen looked upon her in disbelief.

"Of course you wouldn't know. You were sleeping. He abdicated his throne the day you escaped. He said something about hunting a girl down. You are his daughter, aren't you? If you don't claim the throne, a war will break out. Just think you would have the whole army on your side." Sitting up, she shook her head. Disbelief mixed with frustration, the whole thing infuriating my wife further

"I would have a room full of moles. How in the Hell is that plan safe? I was supposed to make him king, not the other way around." She protested hotly, rising to her feet. "I am in no shape to fall into his trap. Surely, you know that if-" Evergreen placed her hands in the air, her head cocking to the right. What was she going to say next? Curiosity peaked in my mind, wondering if her plan would actually work.

"The castle is gone. He officially left the throne. Is Sy not a king by association?" She retorted sarcastically, flipping her hair behind her shoulders. "You would decide on the new capital. You can keep your home and have the crown. Is that not what you worked for? Your names will be cleared. The solution is in front of you." Circling Evergreen, her eyes narrowed. Her lips curled into a snarl, her impatience coming to the surface.

"Making my home the capital would put a target on my back. Let's pretend that I want to be Queen already, although the lack of bloodshed has officially stunned me. How would I go about that?" She questioned with a quiet fury burning in her eyes. Evergreen snatched her by the shoulders, the wall crumbling the moment she pinned her to the wall.

"You would announce yourself at the ball tonight, you fucking idiot. They will have the crown on display, and something else. The scepter was jammed into a stone. Only one of his children can pull it out. Do you get what I am saying now?" She grumbled under her breath, rubbing her forehead. "Now let's get you ready." Unsure of what to think about the plan, it would go a lot better than her original plan. Glancing back at me for any protest, I shrugged my shoulders. The ball was in Pumpkin's court, not mine. I was fine with the decision either way.

"Let's do it together." I agreed cautiously, her face softening. "Then we can hunt your father down. Our home can become the new castle. I don't mind becoming king this way." Buying my response, she barely noticed the fear hiding underneath my crooked grin. Ripping off her robe, my eyes examined her cut up skin. Snapping her fingers, a midnight black corset hugged her body. Black leather cascaded over the floor, her sharp eyes adjusting the top of her dress. A portal opened, a second snapping of her fingers landed me in a simple scarlet tuxedo. Fluffing up her hair, a pair of raven masks appeared in our palms. Pulling her mask over her head, she was ready to go. Accepting a golden invitation from Evergreen, she burned the envelope in her palm. A starry portal swirled in front of us, Evergreen flashing me a sympathetic smile. Pulling my mask over my face, Pumpkin placed our twins into the slings hiding underneath my jacket. Hooking her elbow into the crook of my elbow, we marched through the portal. Shoving her way through the crowd, she hopped onto the rock in the Eternal Garden. Everyone's eyes fell from the endless sea of flowers to her trembling form, a nervous grin twitching on her lips.

"I am going to be the new queen, so you had better listen up. My old man left the throne and I am here to claim it." She proclaimed confidently, hiding her fraying nerves underneath a bright smile. "Apparently, I have to remove this rusty scepter from the stone." As rusty as it was, blood rubies glinted in the pale moonlight. Curling his fingers around the middle, it popped out with ease. One by one the sea of masked demons bowed down, a slow clap echoing in the shadow. A wicked grin curled on her lips, many thoughts coursing through her mind.

"Not much of a trap is it, father?" She taunted cruelly, fright rounded her eyes. "You wouldn't dare. That would se-" Her old man stepped out of the shadows, his own blade aimed for his own head. Maniacal laughter thundered in his throat, his hair hung wildly in front of his face. A numb expression haunted his gaunt features, one last sentence was all we heard.

"Let's see if you can endure the madness of my powers, my darling daughter." He warned her icily, jamming an angel's blade into his head. Dropping forward, his body decayed to black ash. The rest of her hair darkened to an inky black, her veins bulging. Collapsing to her knees, shrill shrieks shattered the night. People watched on, Renkin and my old man rushing to the front of the crowd in rich velvet suits in a couple of different shades of red. Glancing up at the crowd, inky sludge poured from her eyes. Clawing at the side of her face, the crazed look caused sharp whispers to pass in the crowd. A pair of violet snake boots entered the room, a tall slender demon sauntered up to her. Violet leather armor covered her body, neon green cat eyes glittered with adventure. Raising her hands, steel claws covered the dark gray skin. Long ginger waves cascaded down her back, her black lips curling into a wicked grin. Her ginger ears pinned back, her ginger tail wagging away. Picking her up the top of her head, a defiant grin twitched on Pumpkin's lips. Her body twitched like a broken animatronic, her inky eyes meeting the twinkling cat eyes. Blinking once, her eyes returned to normal. Shaking off the darkness, the old Pumpkin had returned. Exhaling once, black smoke drifted into the air.

"She worked through the darkness. How peculiar?" The cat demon mused darkly, lifting Pumpkin up to her face. "I am Ginger Violet, your worst enemy. You have what is mine. Since you can't give it back, I will have to kill you." An inky blackness dyed the scepter, the one foot difference not mattering the moment she slammed the heavy item into her gut. Sending Ginger into the fountain, she tossed the scepter aside to welcome her pitch black blade. Blood poured from her nose, the blade hanging over her shoulders. Ginger's claws extended into long swords, a violet glove covering her slender hands. Charging at Pumpkin, my eyes fell on the crack forming over Pumkin's right inky black eye. So that was the scar left by her father's powers, my drifting thoughts were shattered by the sheer force to their weapons locking.

"Back down!" Pumpkin demanded furiously, leaning into her attack. "You have no business attacking me here. I will lay down my life to protect my people." Kicking her in the chest, the heel of her boot smashing Ginger into the fountain once more. Struggling to her feet, water dripped off of her dress. Flicking her wrists in Pumpkin's direction, steel claws whistled in her direction. Blocking them with her blade, her hand raised in the air. Gaining control of the claws, they hovered in front of her.

"As if you can make those work in your favor." Ginger teased cruelly, fright rounding her eyes at the claws shifting into metallic raven feathers. "How did you do that?" Lowering her hand to the level of her face, her fingers snapped. The rain of feathers tore at Ginger's skin, the wounds healing instantly. Panic gripped Pumpkin's face, her dress fluttering as she leapt over the balcony. Ginger followed after her, their blades clashing violently. The two of them looked like balls of light, the crowd gathering at the edge of the balcony. Crashing to our feet, Pumpkin trembled at my feet. Fresh cuts covered her skin, her healing abilities not matching Ginger's. Holding her hand over her left eye, an inky blackness dyed it. Cracking her neck, the brick crumbled underneath her launch back into the battle. Spinning in the air, black balls of energy spun underneath her feet. Dancing in the sky, a net of thick strings held Ginger in place. Sauntering towards her, her clouded thoughts prevented her from seeing the claws heading towards her flat stomach. Sharp gasps echoed behind me, my old man and Renkin clung to my side at the splatter of blood painting Ginger's face with the viscous stab in Pumpkin's stomach. Walking closer to her, the net began to falter. Blood soaked the net, her trembling hands gripping Ginger's throat.

"I don't care what you do but I am giving you one last chance to get your ass out of here. If you don't leave, I will mince you into ribbons and feed you to a sea of hell hounds." She threatened darkly, long claws extending from her fingers. "I don't want to kill you." A twisted sneer curled on Ginger's lips, her claws gliding across Pumpkin's throat. Crying out, my old man and brother held me back. Black roses bloomed along the string, an energy buzzing to life.

"Big mistake." Pumpkin uttered simply, the cut across her throat sealing shut. "Roses of Death, devour my enemy." Clapping her hands, Ginger disappeared in a puff of smoke. Leaping onto the balcony, an explosion of black rose petals stunned everyone. Healing the stab wounds to her stomach, cheers erupted behind her. Flashing them a bright smile, the subjects were hers to rule. Shrinking back at the sudden admiration, her eyes refused to look at them.

"I am afraid I put you all in danger. I am sorry." She apologized sincerely, bowing in their direction. "I am a little tired. I am going home to the new capital. I apologize for the sight of seeing your former king kill himself. I suppose I should expose my face, so you can have a bit more faith in me." Tossing her mask to the side, the jagged onyx crack shaped scar caught my eyes once more. Fluffing her hair, it hasn't grown back yet. Curiosity twinkled in her eyes.

"I am Alice, your new queen." She announced proudly, scooping up the scepter. "Now let's begin a new reign of peace. Are you with me!" Raising the scepter in the air, louder cheers and whistles echoed in the air. Smiling warmly to myself, my brother nudged me in the shoulder. A gust of wind blew the rose petals, turning them into a type of confetti. Inky blood dripped from the corner of her mouth, concern for her slowing down time.

"Please excuse me. I must head home." She choked out, fighting the urge to cough up blood. Tucking her scepter underneath her arm, a trail of blood followed her to my side. Clapping her hands, a portal opened up next to us.

"One more thing. Lord Renkin will now be my second in command. Please send any messages to him." She declared sternly, a Cheshire Grin spreading cheek to cheek on his face. "Come along you two." My old man and brother followed us through, her jaw dropping to the ground. A whole market buzzed with life, different vendors lined the street. Fields of crops lined the outer edge of Halloween Street. Tears of joy flooded from her eyes, her body sinking to her knees. Covering her mouth, her eyes fell on our pumpkin castle. Several midnight pumpkins were stacked upon each other, a couple to stem towers stuck out of the sides. Gazing up at us, her genuine smile brightened her face.

"You did it." She wept adorably, wiping her tears away. "I am so proud of you, Sy. All of this is why I love you. Oh, shoot. You guys haven't met our daughters." Popping to her feet, she moved my jacket. Scooping them out of their slings, she placed them in my old man's arms. The corner of his lips twitched, his wet eyes meeting hers. Pulling her into a warm embrace, even Renkin began to sob with joy.

"They are so beautiful." Renkin blurted out awkwardly, ruffling the top of her head. "Good job, little sister." Chuckling softly to herself, my old man was at a loss for words. The bleeding trickled to a stop, Pumpkin began to visit each stand. Allowing them to shower her in gifts, the three of us hung back. Still stunned by her words, Renkin nudged my shoulders.

"You married a keeper. Good job, little brother." He chimed gleefully, spinning me around. "Turns out you can make something cute." Rolling my eyes, my old man's thunderous laugh stole everyone's attention. Seeing her in her leadership role pleased me, the skills coming to her with ease. Picking up a guitar, she began to strum a song from upstairs. The demons she rescued gathered around, the shadow children plopping down at her feet. Getting lost in the music, everyone was mesmerized by her angelic voice. Pressing my palms together, I prayed to fate that this all stays.