#charley toyonaga

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

Edana paused, looking at the restricted chambers before her. Strangetown's Royal Cemetery was a sight few people ever saw in their lifetime. It was a private property that even historical researchers needed strict permission to enter, deep in the original ruins of Old Strangetown.

If she wanted to sleep peacefully again, Edana needed to find out why her dreams were filled with her brother's screams. Only by confronting her past, would her future become clear. This was the closest she could get to Adam without dying herself. This plan had to work; Edana had no other ideas to fall back on.

Edana entered the chamber where notable, non monarchs were entombed. It had been a kindness she could never repay to have Adam resting here. King Charley had been gracious to her when she needed him most. She'd been a lonely teenager living in a ruin of her brother's own making with nowhere to go. Entombing her brother in a safe, isolated chamber where no one could intrude and cast spells with his ashes was a kindness she hadn't expected and Adam hadn't deserved. The rest of her fallen coven had been buried in a secret location, and their bones had been caked in salt to prevent supernatural discovery, including those of Adam's children's mother. There was no other way to think of the birth mother of her niece and nephew. She was the woman who had laughed in Edana's face when she pleaded for her to leave the cult she'd sucked Adam into. She had a name and presumably a family of her own to be disappointed in her, but Edana didn't care. She'd give the name to her niece and nephew should they ever ask her about that woman, but the less Edana thought of it, the easier it was to pretend that she'd never existed in the first place. Not a healthy coping mechanism according to the therapist Charley had made her visit once, but it was working just fine for her.

The tomb was filled with tapestries and paintings of the deities who Strangetown worshipped over the centuries, each more intricate than the last. Snobby Pleasantview thought themselves to be the center of the universe, while Strangetown remembered the old ways.

She trailed her fingers along the wall, lost in her memories. There was magic here so old and dark, she couldn't even begin to comprehend it. It was the kind of old magic her brother had tried to tap into before he died, and now it would seal him to this place, protecting the world from his wicked ways.

When she thought of that ancient magic, an old nursery rhyme came to mind, one that she had learned before she could even read.

Lukas and Death, a dance of fate

One guards life, the other, death's gate

In the tapestry of night where destinies weave

Lukas protects, the reapers retrieve

And Old Alpheus, a cautionary lore

Of power lost forevermore.

Demons had conquered the land long ago, driving the aliens from their home and decimating society as it stood. One demon with piercing yellow eyes ruled over the land, rebuilding it in the image of the void. Alpheus ruled for several centuries without a challenge and then, in an instant, he was gone. Defeated. His empire decimated and an entirely new royal family installed. The lesson was to never rest, never assume that you were safe and that people followed you blindly. Once you did that, you were done for. It was a cruel lesson to learn as a child, but it was one that was needed. Edana had thought she was safe and in an instant, she had nothing. She was lucky to still be alive.

I wonder what would happen if Alpheus was ever summoned? Could he reclaim his empire? Was he even still alive?

All of her musings died the instant she saw the familiar urn on the wall. How tightly she had once gripped that urn, sobbing into the smooth marble until all rational thought had left her. The portrait she had picked out herself. It was Adam as she chose to remember him, right after graduating and officially becoming a member of the Strangetown coven. Back before he broke their family.

"Mom, Mother, I apologize for not visiting as often as I should. Vrai goes on and on about the futility of visiting here, but I know you can hear me. I know there is a connection between us that death cannot sever. We are descendants of demigods and my heart is strong. Nick, Tristianne, I call to you too. I miss you more than words could say. Medora is growing up into a beautiful young lady and it's my privilege to protect her for you two."

Charley lit one of the many candles in the room, whispering a prayer as he did so.

"Mother, things at home are stable. We're prospering even. I take my oath to protect our kingdom seriously, just as my daughter will one day as well. I miss you. So do Vrai and Jasone, even though one thinks crystal witchcraft is the right direction for his life and one...worships the ocean, I guess? Give me the strength to guide them back to the old ways or at the very least, try to keep Life out of the castle if that is within your control. Please?"

Anna paused, giving her uncle privacy with his loved ones. He truly was devoted to preserving the ways taught to him by his mother. Anna had been taught those same ways in the afterlife with her grandmother and she couldn't possibly interrupt his spiritual time. Vrai wasn't entirely right about his brother's faith. While people couldn't speak directly to their lost loved ones, her grandmother was absolutely sharing a connection with her son. It was more of a warm feeling that spread across a soul than actual words, but that connection was there. It was holy and sacred and natural.

She avoided the urn to her left, the one with her portrait as the young girl she'd been when she died. It was an unusual sensation to stand next to your own grave, but it happened to reapers from time to time. There was still a sacred connection between her reaper form and her physical remains. That connection had made her children possible and tied them to her family.

Communion with the dead was sacred in this hallowed place, filled with the bloodline of the Toyonaga family. This connection was protected and revered and was not the reason why she had been called there.

Something else was happening, something perverse and wrong. Anna wasn't here to reminisce, she was here to work.

"Why, Adam? Why did you have to ruin everything? Why couldn't you just listen to me?"

Tears rolled down Edana's face as she tried to reason why she was here. She had to figure out what was calling to her, but how could she even start when addressing her dead brother brought her to tears? Her brother had left a huge, gaping wound in her heart that would never heal, and the more she tried to ignore it, the deeper it cut.

"Eden, I'm sorry. Please believe me. I never wanted things to go this way."

A strange pressure on her shoulder jolted Edana from her thoughts. It was lighter than a bird would be, choosing her as a perch, but with an intensity that didn't make sense. Sensations of light and heavy, cold and warmth overwhelmed the witch as her brain struggled to comprehend the situation.

"W-what? Adam? How...."

Surprise instantly melted into anger as Edana whipped around to confront the source of the sensations.

"Turncoat! Traitor!"

Edana held her wand under the spirit's neck, daring it to move against her. She didn't personally know any spells to harm ghosts, as they were exceedingly rare, but she could easily bluff her way to safety, especially if this spirit were actually her brother. Out of the two siblings, Edana was the one who actually studied in school.

"Eden, it's me. I have to warn you of something. It's important and I don't have much time."

Edana bristled at the use of her childhood nickname. No one called her that. It was Adam's name for her and she'd destroy anyone else who tried to wield it against her.

"What could you possibly tell me?" she demanded of the spirit. "If you really are my brother, then I can't trust you! I watched you take in dark magic. You brought two lives into the world just to use their life-force to lure Death! Who does that? You're sick and a monster and I hate everything that you became! What could you possibly tell me that I don't know about you?"

The spirit hung his head in shame.

"Eden, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I just-"

"Are you even going to ask about them? Your children? The two innocents who I have to lie to every time they ask about you and that viper who stole away your decency? What am I supposed to tell them, Adam? Because of you, we have no family left. Dad is gone, you're gone and every other member of our coven is burning in eternal fire for your crimes against nature! I'm completely alone because of you!"

"There's actually no eternal fire," Adam replied, choosing the less emotional item to give an answer to. "Anyway, listen. You don't know how much it took for me for me to get this far. Tell the kids hi, if you have to, but listen to me first. You're in danger. Strangetown is in danger. The Darktide line can't fall, and I'm sorry, but it all falls on you. All I can do is warn you."

"Warn me?" Edana seethed. "Like you warned me about destroying everything we'd worked for? About following Charlotte into madness?"

"Could you please listen long enough to hear my message of certain doom for our family? You never understood me or what we could have accomplished. We could have been gods. We could have remade the world in our image, but you never could see past your own limitations. You always have to be right, even if you're proven wrong."

"Me? Wrong? Excuse me, but who's the ghost here, and who's the leader of the Strangetown coven?" Edana demanded, earning an eye roll from her brother's spirit.

"You mean the position you got by sleeping with the head of the Pleasantview coven and because there was literally no one else left? Yeah, you're a real star," Adam remarked. "I'm sure Dad's real proud to have Pleasantview Maricourt grandkids. They've always been wonderful to our family."

"You traitorous piece of shit!"

"Better than being the whore of a Maricourt!"

The two siblings quickly devolved into the same squabbles that had defined their relationship in their youth, completely lost in their anger. Neither one of them heard the slight flapping of black wings or felt the gaze of the undead creature that watched them.

"Charley! I finally found you! I need to warn you about something!"

Leo Toyonaga ran to his uncle, but the king could sense that something was off. Firstly, Leo usually addressed him as "Your Majesty" even when the king had pleaded with him to stop while not in the public eye. Secondly, the few times that Leo listened to his request, it was always "Uncle Charley". Leo's father had drilled lessons on etiquette and royal behavior into him growing up and the poor kid even called the mailman by the title on his palace employment contract. "Uncle" was still a title he could use, which meant that the person in front of him was not his nephew-at least not a nephew who was in control of himself.

"Something bad is coming. Strangetown needs to prepare. You need to give me clearance to speak with the army. You have to give me funding to prepare. I can feel something happening, you need to-"

"Lukas, enough with the games," Charley sighed, rubbing his temples. "Release my nephew. We had a discussion about possessing my family, along with all the other boundaries you promised to adhere to. Leo may be 'destined' to work with you, but as long as he's in my country, he's my subject, and you will cease your aggression against my subjects!"

"That's the thanks I get for trying to warn you about something big? Fine, enjoy your painful deaths, the afterlife's a great place to spend eternity. You'll love it."

"Lukas, what the hell? You promised not to possess people again, especially not me! We talked about this. There's ways to contact the royal office without stealing bodies."

"I came to warn you," Lukas repeated angrily. "Do you need me to fill out paperwork when something is wrong? I have a family of my own to get back to, you know."

Charley rolled his eyes. He'd heard this story before. The one time Lukas had submitted paperwork to the palace, it was a note signed from the former queen, telling her son to release a set of tiaras to the deity. Charley had firmly refused the demand easily enough, and no other posthumous notes had ever come his way.

"Then just the highlights are fine," Leo replied, shaking his head to try to shake off the psychic control. "I'm sure your family is missing you."

"There's something old coming," Lukas declared irritably. "There are currents in the Ocean, surely you can feel them too. Strangetown is right in the storm's path. The Islands too. You need to prepare for the worst. I don't think deaths have been scheduled yet, but that time is coming. As my eyes and ears in the living realm, I need you to be on alert, Leo. The ghosts of Strangetown cannot return, if that's what this is."

"Ghosts?" Leo repeated. Behind him, his uncle was nodding solemnly.

"As protector of this land, I will do anything to prevent that," the king swore. "That darkness will never return."

"Let's hope not. I'll be back when I have more."

With those words, Lukas vanished from view, leaving uncle and nephew perplexed.

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Spirit! You are not permitted to be in this realm! You will return with me this instant and submit to a formal review of your actions. It is forbidden to return to this realm after death. Do not speak with the living and prepare to be returned to where you have left."

Edana was startled at the sudden appearance of a reaper and even more surprised that she recognized the celestial being. Anna Goldman had her hands out, leeching the energy that made up Adam's form to drain him of his power.

While she had always known that Anna's job required her to guard and maintain the afterlife, Edana had never actually imagined how that might look in practice. The shy mother of three looked nothing like the woman Edana had met at a family dinner. This creature was eerily beautiful, strong and as infinite as the stars themselves. No wonder her brother had wanted that power for himself. It was intoxicating to see.

"Eden! Eden, look for a reaper named Atem! The one from the old stories! He's in Arkhelios, he knows what's going to happen!"

Edana frantically searched her memory for a story about a reaper named Atem, while trying to hold on as long as she could to the flickering image of her brother.

"He can help! If you want to find out who killed the Twikkii Island royals and make your idiot husband look like a hero, find him! That-that guy Dumbass Josh married, he's seen-"

"The lost son of the Grim Reaper? For god's sake, Adam, the Grim Reaper killed you and now you're after his son? The one who hasn't been seen in centuries? What's wrong with you?"

With an apologetic smile, Anna lifted her hand, directing Adam's spirit back towards the afterlife and then faded away herself, leaving Edana suddenly alone in the tomb.

"Adam? Can you still hear me?"

When her question was met with silence, Edana felt herself release the tension in her shoulders. Whatever had happened was now over. Adam was gone, and hopefully, her dreams about him would be too.

How on Earth had her brother snuck out from the afterlife? What unholy sacrifice had he made to yet again thumb his nose at the Grim Reaper? The next family dinner at the Goldman's was going to be awkward, that was for sure.

Sorry, Anna, my idiot brother broke the rules again to probably harass your boss in some way. For some reason, I thought being dead would stop him.

But what was so important that Edana needed to be warned about? The explosion that had made Maura queen had happened over six years ago now and no one still had any real clue as to what had happened.

She would research this further then. There wasn't a nursery rhyme to memorialize Atem in Strangetown history, but she had enough of a memory to start with. He was the Grim Reaper's son, she remembered that much, and he hadn't been seen since what, the Demon Wars? Maybe longer? Had he been involved with the destruction of Alpheus? She couldn't remember. A trip to the archives was in order.

She needed time to unpack all of her feelings. Ewan would help talk her through this. He was good at breaking things down to a simple point and seeing through someone's lies. He also might understand Adam's insistence that his half-brother had seen something relevant to the threat. Leo had a lot of weird beliefs and stories, but as far as Edana knew, he was harmless. Connected to a sociopath deity, but otherwise harmless.

"Oh Adam, what have you gotten me into now?"

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

"Greetings, Your Grace. Welcome to the Royal Estate of King Charles Toyonaga I of Strangetown."

Leo Toyonaga and his little sister, Venisha Toyonaga, greeted the visitors to their uncle's estate with rigid formality.

"Hey, Leo! I brought that game over you wanted to borrow. Edana's doing witch stuff, so I can hang out with you until I have to pick up the kids."

Duke Ewan Goldman forgot to bow to his half-brother and instead greeted him with the casual gesture well known in the islands. His wife just sighed. Ewan was never one for formality, especially when it concerned his family, and it drove Edana up the wall. Formality had been drilled into her by her parents and her old coven until it was second nature. Her brother in law was never upset if Ewan was relaxed around him, but Edana knew that Leo knew the formalities Ewan was ignoring.

"Awesome! Josh is taking the younger kids to magic lessons later, so we have all afternoon," Leo exclaimed, returning his sibling's gesture. "Venisha was just leaving, I was going to see her out. Gee is meeting her boyfriend for the first time."

Ewan chuckled at the thought of that poor kid.

"Does he know that his future father in law is the Grim Reaper, or is that going to be a surprise?"

"I told him," Venisha huffed. "Daddy promised to be nice. He loves everyone who is madly in love."

Even Edana had to raise a disbelieving eyebrow at this.

"Does he feel that way about the person you're sleeping with, or just generally people in love?" she laughed. "Has he met Lukas yet, or God forbid, your grandfather? I think he might have a change of heart if both the Grim Reaper and Death itself came over for family dinner."

"Hey, Lukas is fine, once you get to know them," Leo protested. "I gotta defend my boss here. I'd be more afraid of what my dad thinks of him. Josh is still terrified of my dad and we've been married over a decade now. Either way, Gee's expecting her, so let's get a move on."

Ewan and Leo made their way to the living room, while Edana set about her own agenda.

Leo smiled as he passed a familiar picture in the hall. All this talk about the Grim Reaper and Death reminded him of his half-sister Anna. He'd grown up resenting the infant sister who had died and broken their shared father in a way he was only now starting to heal from. It wasn't Anna's fault their father, Vrai, had been an absent, resentful father to Leo growing up, but he'd still spent years blaming her all the same. Ever since she suddenly appeared to them as a reaper, Vrai smiled more, and being a father now himself, Leo understood. It was no excuse for Vrai to parent him like he had, but it was an explanation at least.

Leo and Anna had bonded the instant they met. They shared many traits regarding their spouses, their parenting styles and their opinion on their parents. He and Josh frequently met up with the Goldmans for dinner or games. Their family was a complicated one, but Leo wouldn't trade it for the world.

"So, how are things?" Ewan asked, opening a beer and handing one to his brother. "Josh is doing okay? I heard he had some coven meeting with the Maricourts. Edana wasn't thrilled with how it went."

"It is what it is," Leo replied. "Edana and Josh are never going to be friends. She was the worst bully to a man just trying to overcome a magical learning disability while supporting his pregnant husband. He tried to hide how he was feeling from me, but he can't. I know the things she said to him. Her brother too. I'm not sure who was meaner."

Ewan shrugged.

"She's changed alot over the years," he replied, immediately defensive of his wife. "When I met her, she was a different person. I was a different person. I mean, I used to be-"

"An entitled deadbeat dick?" Leo laughed. "Yeah, I remember. I wish I had recorded you demanding Dad hand over his title to you while he was still alive so you could seduce more people."

"Well, I do have the footage of you running out of your expensive arranged marriage with your fiancée's best man, almost making Vrai miscarry Venisha with a broken spell," Ewan teased, illiciting a laugh from his brother.

"Oh god, last year was the first year that Dad actually let me mention Josh and my's anniversary on Venisha's birthday," Leo groaned. "I wasn't allowed to talk about it still, but I think I might be making some progress with him. I hope. The man knows how to hold a grudge."

"Tristianne was the best of us," Ewan said solemnly, bowing his head. "If she was still here, she'd have our parents eating out of her hand. Even when she fucked up, she was still better than us."

Leo nodded sadly, raising his beer to the memory of his late sister.

"To Tristianne," he declared. "May we live lives worthy enough for her not to kick our asses when we die."

"And may Medora give you enough of her mother's attitude now that she's a teen," Ewan laughed, clinking their bottles together.

"Don't remind me. It seems like she's always up to something these days. She has a new boyfriend and Josh has been obsessed with making sure he's worthy of her. The poor kid's probably going to be scared away at this point."

"How's our favourite deity doing by the way? Things have been quiet in royal court meetings. Maura’s collection of tiaras hasn't been raided in months, or so the security report stated."

"Well, Lukas is obviously busy somewhere," Leo sighed. "They're always busy with some scheme. Varia and I haven't heard a peep in weeks. Just because we're the newest members of their chosen heritary line of champions, doesn't mean that I get reports from them. Even the reapers get status reports and compensation from Gee. Working for Life can be a pain in the ass."

Leo looked over his shoulder at the portrait of three of the deities worshipped by Strangetown. He'd tried to explain to his uncle that Lukas was the only valid deity in that picture, and that the demigods the Toyonagas had descended from weren't around to hear their descendants' prayers. According to both Lukas and Gee, the Toyonaga ancestors had vanished without a trace centuries ago. Still, the king didn't try to force his beliefs on Leo, so Leo extended the same courtesy to him.

"Ah, man, you know it's going to be epic whenever they do surface," Ewan teased. "Stolen jewelry, fire raining from the sky...I'm glad 'destiny' never chose me for anything more complicated than staying awake when Maura launches into one of her speeches."

"The Ocean will reign them in," Leo replied, earning an eye roll from his sibling. "There is always balance."

"Are you sure that you're not in a cult?" Ewan asked, only partially joking. "You, Vrai, and Varia all talk like you're in a cult passed down from parent to oldest child. You would tell me if Lukas ever asked you to drink the kool-aid, right? I don't want to lose another sibling to something stupid."

"I'll be sure to let you know the instant they ask. Didn't you say you brought that game over? Why are we wasting time when we could be playing? We only have a few hours before Josh is expecting me."

"Your Majesty."

Edana sank into a curtsy before the king. Charley only laughed in reply.

"Get up, you know that you bow or curtsy to no one here," he insisted. "You're like a daughter to me, an unofficial princess in my eyes."

Edana could feel her face flush despite her best efforts. It was true that he told her the same thing every time she bowed in his presence, but it still felt wrong to her. The Darktides were an ancient family, but one descended from piracy and dark magic. They held no land or titles; their name was all they had. Everything she had, she worked for. She didn't need anything material from the king, only his friendship. She and Ewan had everything they needed in each other and their kids.

"What brings you by? Not that I mind, of course. You haven't stopped in for awhile now. How are the kids?"

"Oh, up to their usual antics," Edana sighed. "Adam has a boyfriend that he's convinced that he's going to marry, and Remy is poorly trying to pretend she doesn't have a girlfriend. Elowen's report card was fairly good though. As long as they're not all failing or pregnant, I guess. Ewan says I'm too hard on them, but my dad was hard on me and I turned out fine."

"You should bring them next time," Charley insisted. "Leo's kids get bored easily and they could always use new friends."

Edana smiled. Leo and his husband Josh lived in the Strangetown castle by invitation of the king. The king himself had three children, Nick, who died years ago, Arthur, who had moved to Arkhelios with his wife Alicia to help the coven and Anneken, the heir to the throne. After losing so many people from his family, the king seemed desperate to keep his castle filled with guests and extended quarters to his nephew, Leo, and even to Edana herself. Everyone secretly wondered what Edana had done to earn her suite in the castle and truthfully, she had no idea. The king was lonely and she was alone, the last of the Darktides. The monarch had seen a trembling, pregnant young adult, holding the body of her dead brother and taken her in as a surrogate daughter. There were times that she caught him watching her with a sad expression, likely remembering the son and daughter in law he had lost, just as she did when she caught a glimpse of her parents reflected in her children.

Anneken had been overjoyed to have a sister figure and Leo was happy to see his grieving uncle make an attachment to someone again. Josh still held her at bay because of their...complicated college years, but even he was cordial whenever she came over.

"I came to ask a favour," Edana replied. "I...I want to visit my brother. If you allow it that is."

"Your brother? You don't need to ask my permission to visit the royal cemetery, you've always had it," Charley said. "It's not open to the public, Edana, and you are not the public. You can go there anytime you wish."

Edana's eyes fell to the floor as she thought about how to phrase her request.

"I know, I just...just thought that maybe, someone would have to accompany me. As part of protocol. So I wouldn't be alone."

Charley nodded, finally understanding her request.

"Well, I could send a guard with you, but you know what? I haven't paid my respects to my mothers or Nick in a few months. I'll come with you and visit them while you visit your family. I would rather not go there alone either."

Edana flushed with gratitude, smiling at the king.

"Thank you. I asked if Ewan wanted to come visit his sister in her tomb, but he declined."

"Well, we all grieve differently," Charley said softly. "My brother would go every month to visit his daughter's grave like clockwork, but now that she has returned to us as a reaper, the cemetery is far too quiet. We need to lead Strangetown by example and visit our ancestors and lost ones regularly while also leaving offerings to the gods."

Edana nodded enthusiastically, but said nothing in reply. He was right, she didn't do nearly as much as she should for the gods and rarely thought of her ancestors outside of her immediate family. The only family she ever thought about was her husband, her kids, and her brother. Maybe that was the reason for the dreams she'd been having. The ones where Adam screamed her name over and over until she woke up drenched with terror. It was probably nothing, but the intensity of the dreams frightened her. It never hurt to double-check that nothing was wrong.

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios University

“Duke Goldman! How lovely to see you again.”

Maura kept her tone polite as she’d been trained to do since birth. The day had already been incredibly long, and it was barely over. After the duke’s visit, she still had several more appointments and a meeting to go through that she was dreading. It was a beautiful day out and despite ruling a country, Maura wasn’t free to go out and enjoy it. While other people got to swim or take long walks on the beautiful beaches of Twikkii Island, Maura would be reviewing graphs and approving budgets. No wonder her grandmother had been miserable to her family; the job as monarch felt more like a prison than anything and it took all of her strength not to run out of the castle in defiance. This was her job. She had a nation to protect and she knew it. It was all up to her.

“It’s great to see you again, Your Majesty,” Ewan Traver, Duke Goldman said with a smile. “I know you’re busy, but I had something I wanted to discuss with you. A close friend of mine thought he might be able to help with your initiative to update the palace gardens. I know you’re looking to maintain security while still having the garden look impressive and I thought....”

Maura tried to retain the smile on her face while still looking interested in talks about the back gardens. Couldn’t any of her family members just come to her like they had in the past? Did she really need to listen to a grand proposal about lawn care? Ewan had fun; she often saw him at the family cottage laughing and playing with his wife and kids. He had a small estate to run and all the time in the world to do what he pleased. When she and Ulyssa had children would she ever have time to play with them or would she be stuck in meetings all day?

“King Charley and Prince Vrai of Strangetown have arrived, Your Majesty,” a voice behind Maura interrupted. “Security is just clearing them now.”

“Thank you.”

What was the Strangetown king visiting about? Maura could hardly remember. Something about their shared security treaties? The upgrades to the ferry service between their two nations? Whatever it was, it would undoubtedly be tedious.

“And if I had even a limited contract, I’m sure that I could improve those statistics in as early as three months.”

Maura focused again on the man eagerly awaiting her response and smiled.

“Submit that proposal in writing to my office and I’ll have someone evaluate it,” she replied politely, completely unaware of what had just been proposed. “It certainly sounds promising. Thank you for your time.”

Ulyssa happily played on the drum set in the ballroom, feeling her frustrations leave her. She was supposed to be en route to the home of the recently revived Duke Siew, but his estate wasn’t far from the castle and Ulyssa would simply teleport there instead of drive. Teleporting meant that her security would teleport with her and she wouldn’t have to spend twenty minutes in a car, staring out the window while four armed guards watched her. It wasn’t as if there were any real threats to her safety. Most of the recent “threats” had all been fraudulent- bored people looking for attention or teens who underestimated the reaction of the castle. And her doctor’s appointment after seeing Adrian? That would be a breeze to get to; what would be hard was protecting any conclusions of that appointment.

“King Charley. Prince Vrai. Welcome to Twikkii Island.”

Maura forced a smile. It wasn’t like the two brothers from Strangetown were difficult people. Maura usually enjoyed their company at balls or formal events, but did they really need to visit and add one more appointment into her schedule? Surely a secured phone call or email could have been just as effective and she could have read or spoken to them in more comfortable clothes and without a heavy tiara.

“Your Majesty,” both brothers replied in unison, Vrai quickly bowing to the queen with higher rank.

“Shall we sit down to discuss your business with Twikkii Island?” she asked, gesturing towards the comfortable chairs in the throne room. “I can have some drinks brought in if you’d like.”

Maura watched the prince’s eyes dart around the throne room, clearly uncomfortable with standing in it. That made some sense to Maura as Vrai was once married to her now deceased grandmother and had probably spent countless hours in the throne room with the woman he loved. As far as she suspected, Vrai had been the only person her grandmother had ever loved, though Maura’s mother would have angrily corrected her if she were still here. But her mother wasn’t there. She never would be again.

“On second thought, let’s move our meeting to my office upstairs,” the young monarch said tactfully. “It would make my security team much happier and I’d much prefer the change in scenery from this room I’ve been trapped in all morning.”

Both men nodded their approval and followed Maura out to the hall towards the staircase. Vrai paused briefly, looking very much like he was evaluating something in his mind. After a moment’s pause, he cleared his throat and looked sheepishly toward Maura.

“Before we do have our meeting, there’s something I should mention,” Vrai announced quickly. “Someone is here- someone I didn’t bring, you have to know that. They usually follow me around -long story- but I didn’t bring them here. They’re not a threat-or at least they’re not usually a threat, but you should still probably know that they’re here all the same.”

Maura raised an eyebrow, suddenly interested in where this conversation was going. Beside Vrai, his brother groaned, massaging his temple.

“Oh god, here too?” he groaned. “Where?”

“The visitor entrance near the parking lot,” Vrai replied. “I couldn’t be sure until I saw the kid. It’s definitely him though.”

“Him? That’s against the treaty!” the king sighed, looking towards the door they’d just entered through as if it could explode at any second. “Why did we ever sign the agreement if they never intended on following it?”

“I told you that you can’t make a deal with a tornado. Order is against its very nature. You can’t order a god to listen to you.”

Maura stared at the brothers, completely lost.

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand,” she said diplomatically. “Are you saying that we’re in danger?”

“No,” the king replied. “But your jewelry might be. Usually their husband makes them return it within a week, but they’re like a magpie, always on the hunt for shiny objects to hoard. How lucky for me that they’ve chosen my brother as their newest pet.”

“What?”

“Smile, Davis! Daddy will want to see all the pictures from our tour of the castle. We’ll get him a keychain from the gift shop when we go for ice cream.”

“No need. Daddy can come along with you for ice cream, after we all do the tour.”

“Daddy!”

 The pale, stereotypical tourist groaned, realizing that they’d been caught.

“Who told you?” he demanded, holding his arms defensively. “I brought our son, I’m not going to do anything with Davis around.”

“No one needs to tip me off; I just wanted to spend some time with you. Although, the red hair and glasses you use in most of your disguises certainly helps.”

Death stared at his spouse kindly and Lukas sighed dramatically in response. This was a game they frequently played together, a playful game of hide and seek of sorts. Lukas would frequently get into trouble among the humans, and then wait for Death to come “stop” them. The living mortals were often frightened by the game, adding to the legend of Life and their constant struggle against Death. To the two deities however, it was simply how they flirted with each other.

“Dearest, you know the agreement you made with the living,” Death continued. “I’ve caught you fair and square, now you must use the form their security officers have been made aware of. I’m certain that you’re not going to try to steal their throne for yourself, but you know how they worry. The children need a positive role model while they’re young.”

“You steal a throne once and they judge you forever,” Lukas grumbled, waving their hand and transforming into their feminine form. “Here you go, right down to the clothes in the security alert. You ruin all my fun. The queen has the most beautiful set of earrings I wanted to try out.”

“Next time,” Death promised with a laugh.”I’ll try to arrive a little slower if you promise to put more effort into your disguise. For now though, let’s just have a nice outing with our son. I may even try to consume the mortals’ desserts that you love so much.”

Ulyssa wandered through the hallway of the living quarters listlessly. She had a long list of places to be and people to speak to, but she struggled to find the energy. She was just so tired and there was just so much to do. At least she had a reason to be so tired, aside from the long hours she kept. Her doctor’s appointment had confirmed what she had been hoping. She was pregnant.

She tried thinking of romantic ways to tell Maura know this news, but she struggled. The way things had been between them since Maura’s coronation, a text might be the fastest way to tell her this news. Before Maura’s coronation, Ulyssa could have planned a romantic dinner or made a card or surprised her with a box of baby clothes. But now? Maybe she could tell Maura when they went to bed together. Maura was usually first to fall asleep though. Maybe a note left on her pillow?

Ulyssa sighed at the thought. How unromantic. She stared at the many photographs on the castle walls with new respect. A small piece of all the people who had lived in this castle before her was now living inside her. Ulyssa carried both Twikkii Island’s past and future inside of herself which was an overwhelming thought. All of these people had made Maura and walked down these same halls. She was bringing the Durant family into this crowded bloodline in a way that she hadn’t understood until this moment. She was going to be a mother.

“There’s not a lot of new pictures posted here. I figured that Maura would have the walls covered with all of the pictures she takes, but I guess she’s busy now.”

Ulyssa turned around to find Trent alone, standing behind her. Cindra wasn’t anywhere that she could see, but if Ulyssa knew her sister, Cindra would be down in the kitchens, grabbing the pastries Ulyssa had smelled baking earlier.

“She doesn’t take a lot these days,” Ulyssa replied, grateful to see a friendly face. “Plus it feels wrong to take these pictures down. They’re historical. This whole place is historical.”

“These are my grandmother’s pictures,” Trent insisted. “These are all the people she knew and loved. There’s not even a single picture of me up there, or even your wedding photos. It’s time for you to make the space your own. This is your home now; we just live here. Have some fun in your life. I promise you, Grandma’s not going to come haunt you if you change the lamps in the hall.”

Ulyssa smiled at her brother in law fondly.

“You’re right,” she said. “There has to be some upsides to living here. You’re a good guy, Trent. If you hurt my sister though, I’ll have you murdered. Don’t think that that’s a joke. If I don’t, then my dad will.”

The two laughed together and Ulyssa could feel the slightest bit of peace flare up inside her. She had a loving wife and would soon have a child that they would love together. She had so many good things to look forward to and a family that would support her through the rough patches. For the first time in months, the future looked bright.

[luverofralts]

Loki and Thor are adopted by the king of Strangetown, Charley Toyonaga to protect his family and be good playmates for his grandkids. They train hard to be calm and dependable dogs and go to meet their new family.

Charley and Casper are almost elders and their house is almost literally bursting with kids, grandkids and nephews that they refuse to let move out. @jasperskywalker added a bunch of new rooms to the castle which is helping

It's really less of a castle and more of a badly run daycare at this point. I wanted to get everyone in the picture, but had to leave out the son who did manage to move out and his two kids, Charley's two brothers and the ex-zombie that lives in their renovated attic.