‘Figures,’ Ronin said in response to Nykannis apparently being pleased with her expression. Expected, but unpleasant. Miko stayed around.
Some time later the two twins were going to confront Penny, wherever they could find time, and lift the Grief Seed for her to see.
‘This was the thing we received,’ Ronin said, presenting it. They’d already told how they received it over the phone.
‘What do you think it is? Can you tell us anything about it?’ Miko asked. They weren’t sure if it was bad for any reason, but they sure didn’t want to take the chance.
__________________
Mariette left the meeting eventually, having agreed to help out with the defense of the city and all of that. She’d start doing her scouting, and also took trips to the Wonderland world with some protective artifacts from Taihei. Two days was not a lot of time, but enough to get some scouting done. However, it was during these scouting trips that she made a curious discovery.
Sure, the inhabitants of Wonderland were, indeed, singing, and those closer to the capital were singing happily. But further away…
‘My dog done died yesterday, yesterday, had the rabies so put him down yesterday, yesterday.’‘I’d go to the river to drown myself, drown myself, drown myself! But my family needs me working so I restrain myself, restrain myself, restrain myself!’ Mariette did a double-take as she heard the lyrics they were singing. They weren’t positive. In fact, she kept listening, and they kept singing more and more terrible verses. But, here and there the truth came out…
‘The queen is not providing, I can’t keep my family fed! But if I complain at all, I would lose my head!’ There it was. Here and there, the lyrics complained about the queen. It was interesting to hear. In fact, inspecting the land itself, beside the curse that made them all sing, there was a distinct lack of living qualities. That… gave Mariette an idea. Despite her upbringing, she had seen a few movies, and as such she knew the flow of these songs. With that, she summoned a paper to her hand and started trying to write some lyrics…
So as a guard stood, singing about his own misery…
‘The queen is all to blame,’ Mariette whispered in his ear through a portal.
‘As long as she rules, it will all remain the same.’ ‘But noooo!’ the guard sang out.
‘I can’t possibly resist! I would simply add to the executioner’s list!’ ‘You would not be alone,’ Mariette whispered on.
‘Together, you can remove her from the throne.’ ‘All of you will meet in the vassal’s castle come next fortnight,’‘Bring what weapons you can. Together, we make this right.’ ‘Yes, perhaps there is a way!’ the guard’s eyes widened at the call to arms.
‘I will do as you say!’ Mariette kept doing this, individual after individual. Because of the “impairment” of the citizens, it was decently easy to find out the would-be traitors.
‘Oh, but I see a way out of this misery!’ a merchant sang with excitement.
‘If I warn the queen, she will reward my- AAAaaah-!’ And into the portal he goes.
However, more important than any of those were the vassal at the castle herself. As Mariette could tell, each area of the world of Wonderland was ruled by a Vassal Princess, which essentially was the same as any count or other landowner which someone with an empire too big to manage by oneself would have. It was trivial for Mariette to use portals and Absolute Direction to go to unrelated worlds and find tribute. And so…
Searching Wonderland via her use of portals, Mariette was witness to many strange sights. A gothic castle surrounded by a thick wood of black trees, fields of candy with gumdrops and lollipops replacing normal flora, sprawling cities surrounded by a great wall, a tower that seemed to pierce the heavens themselves, and more.
But focusing in on those she might be able to convert, she was drawn first to the Wonderland Coast. Scenic beaches meshed with rising cliff faces, scenic in its natural beauty. The landscape was dotted with gazebos and other structures to allow for visitors to partake in outdoor activities. There were a few people wandering about, but that was not where her Absolute Direction led her.
Instead it pointed below the waves, past a lighthouse jutting out into the sea. If she could figure out a way to keep the water from coming through her portals, she would find a watery civilization down below. Aquatic beings swam about, whether they be actual fish or water-adapted people. In the middle of the shimmery water rose a castle made of coral and stone, matching the rest of the landscape in its vibrant colors.
The Vassal Princess could be found swimming around in that area, ducking around little chasms and keeping active as she hummed to herself. For how oppressive this place could be, she did seem to be genuinely happy at the moment.
A sudden rush of water could be heard nearby, as parts of the ocean fell through a portal. There was always more water to replace it, of course, but that’s when multiple portals opened, creating a room that drained of the water. Multiple planes of glass that Mariette had stolen from a window-factory in Penrose slid into place, replacing the portals at the walls. Eventually, they formed a glass cage, in which Mariette trod forward. Standing now underwater, Mariette spoke.
‘The Little Mermaid. I would like to speak to you,’ she spoke, using some small portals to transmit the sound of her voice to the vassal’s ears. Said little portals leaked water through them, but she was confident the mermaid would be able to hear her.
‘I am Mariette… or, as the queen deigned to call me, “Alice”. She says I’m her daughter. What does this mean to you?’ she simply asked, standing a couple meters away, in a cage in the water.
The Little Mermaid paused in her frolicing as the new guest made themselves known. She watched with curiosity at the appearing panes of glass as Mariette made herself a box to stand in for her conversation. It might not be the most efficient, but it was undeniably effective.
Once Mariette had made her presence known as well as her identity, the girl clapped her hands together and gave a small bow, insofar as one could manage that with a torso that shifted to being fish rather than legs. “Hello, and welcome to my domain,” she replied happily. “I wasn’t expecting any visitors, otherwise I would have prepared some items to let you come in the water with the rest of us.”
She let out a melodious hum before addressing the question placed before her. “The Queen talked a lot about you, about how you had been stolen away from her and how precious you were to her. But nothing that the other Princesses haven’t also heard.”
‘Very well,’ Mariette replied. Okay, let’s see how she reacts to this. And, of course, Mariette’s light-spec means she would be able to tell if the one she spoke to was lying.
‘Having learned of my heritage, I decided to investigate this land. What I found… concerned me. The citizens do not seem to be as happy as their constant singing would suggest. Are the needs of the citizens being prioritized? How do you feel? I want to know,’ she asked. Of course, she was scouting for potential lies already. What was and wasn’t a lie could tell her things.
Another question, and one that carried with it a more serious subject matter. The Princess' smile only faltered for but a moment before returning, though not quick enough for it to escape Mariette's piercing eye.”I cannot speak for the people of the other Princess’ realms,” she warned. Some of the other lands were more difficult for her to visit than others.
“The Queen has protected us, kept us safe from monsters and Horrors and everything else. Though she can be unpredictable sometimes,” she replied, “But she lets me oversee my realm as I want, so long as she gets what she is owed.”
Mariette silently listened to the reply, gazing intently at the mermaid.
‘What is she owed? What does one need to pay for her protection?’ Mariette asked, keeping her question sharp.
“Typically resources like metals and gems, sometimes labor, sometimes whatever has taken her fancy,” the Princess offered. She would like to say that it was predictable, but the Queen could be erratic sometimes (which likely was not a surprise to Mariette)
‘…’ How very political of her. Mariette needed to see if she could catch her in a lie.
‘Are you happy with how things are? Answer with a single word,’ she instructed. Now, if “yes” was a lie… then she had something to work from.
The Princess paused for a moment, uncertain of the question once again. But nonetheless she answered. “Yes!” A lie, just as Mariette had hoped.
Excellent. Time to put on the pressure, then. Another question.
‘So you aren’t simply managing the best of a terrible circumstance where you’re doing your best under the constant threat of losing your head if you fail?’ Mariette asked, just checking how deep it went.
“O-Of course not! I’m sure the Queen would never do that to her loyal subjects,” the Princess insisted. A claim that was a lie just like her first answer.
‘I see. So you’re alright with things staying like this, unchanging, until the end of your days… or, more accurately, until your next mistake,’ Mariette concluded, intending to let the princess rummage on that one.
‘... Do you think you have a place in the queen's final design for this world?’ Mariette calmly asked, staring toward the princess. It occurred to her, she didn’t have to be entirely truthful, either.
That question seemed to take the Princess off guard, if her confused expression was any indication. “W-What do you mean?” she asked after a moment. It seemed Mariette had an opening that she could take advantage of, now that her seeds had fallen close to fertile soil.
‘I’m saying…’ Mariette said, taking a deep breath to focus her thoughts, before looking straight at the princess once again.
‘Your queen cares naught for the comfort of the people she rules, nor for those who also have power in her court. This speaks to me of someone who is using their people not as a people, but as the means to an end. So what do you think happens then, when she has accomplished her goal? When she no longer needs you?’The Princess tensed, her eyes widening nervously as Mariette drove her point home. She did not do the best job of hiding her worry or her confusion as her tail flipped in the water. “But surely she-no, she wouldn’t! R-Right….?” The hook was in. Now it was time to reel her in.
Mariette stayed quiet, looking intently at the princess. She was but silent, providing no answer, letting the princess herself come to whatever conclusion she wanted. However, if the princess in question looked miserable enough after some time, Mariette looked away from her, as if perceiving something from far away.
‘There is… a way to avoid this fate,’ she said, with just a slightest touch of warmth in her tone.
Mariette’s offer was yet another lure, this time in the form of a lifeline. And while the Mermaid wasn’t necessarily concerned for herself, she was concerned for what fate would befall her people without her. “What is it?” she asked, doing a decent job of keeping the worry from her voice but not entirely succeeding.
‘In a few days, your people are going to rebel,’ Mariette stated as a fact.
‘They will do so regardless if you get involved or not. Without your help, they will surely be vanquished, and you'll be asked how this came to be under your charge,’ she said, inspecting the mermaid's reaction closely.
‘With your help, it could go better. You have knowledge they do not, and the ability to manage an operation. And… you wouldn't be standing alone.’ Mariette paused there, to see how the mermaid would react.
The Princess’ eyes widened as Mariette warned her of the seemingly inevitable uprising that would soon occur. Her reaction spoke of concern and a bit of panic, either for her people or for her own fate. Based on what Mariette had observed so far, probably the former more than the latter.
“W-What do you mean?” she asked in response to Mariette’s hent. White she had not directly committed, that she even asked in the first place spoke volumes towards her wavering feelings.
‘I’m saying, the people of Penrose don’t like being attacked, and would be willing to help work towards a better future together,’ Mariette stated simply. She hadn’t actually talked to anyone in Penrose about it, but she did think it would be decently simple to put her into contact with Penny.
“A-Ah, the Queen’s latest attempted conquest,” the Princess observed with a small nod. She didn’t really know much about Penrose, aside from what the Queen had said about the subject and the fact that someone had thrown a bomb into the party during their last big event. Had that been them? She wasn’t sure. “Are they really strong enough to fight her?”
‘If anyone does, it’s them,’ Mariette told with absolute conviction.
‘They’ve already defeated another invasion by a different magical queen,’ is what she’s deciding Justine was,
‘dealt with a horror manifesting in the midst of town,’ that’s totally what that was
‘and they’ve managed to spark change in how Beacon handles monsters, which is something nobody has done before.’ As far as Mariette knows.
‘What are you thinking?’ Mariette asked. Because, depending on if she lies or not, Mariette might have to make the princess disappear after telling her all of this.
It would have been very unfortunate for Mariette if she invested all of this effort only for the Princess to refuse. She’d probably win that fight, but it would have meant all of this effort and time was wasted.
Luckily for her, it was not to be the case in this particular instance. “A-Alright, I’ll do it,” the Princess agreed with a hesitant nod. “For my people. Just don’t leave us to do it all on our own, please?”
Mariette nodded, not showing her relief and elation at this working.
‘I’ll give you what you need to get started,’ she said. The details could be sorted out later.
‘I was intending on making contact with more princesses than just you. The more the merrier, after all. Would you have any recommendations, friends? Or, perhaps, anyone who I should be staying away from?’ Mariette asked.
“Thank you Princess, you are kinder than I deserve,” the Mermaid replied with a small bow.
After a moment she addressed Mariettes remaining question. “Sleeping Beauty can be difficult, not that it's her fault. She just sleeps a lot, so it can be hard to find time to do stuff with her. Rapunzel is very distant from the rest of us, and Scheherazade’s realm is… unique even by our standards.”
But then she brightened up once more. “Snow White is a good friend though, you could try talking to her! There's the Lilliput Princess too, I know she's had some disagreements with how the Queen manages things.” She let out a musical hum as she thought it over. “The Brave Princess and the Frog Princess are also pretty open about their opinion on things, they might be worth contacting.”
Mariette nodded.
‘Good. I have some places to look at, then. In the meantime… Promise me you will not leak any information about this to someone who would not want this to happen.’ Just as a precaution. Nothing so far had been a lie, so.
“I promise,” the Princess replied with a sincere smile.
Mariette nodded, satisfied.
‘Then that will be all for now. I will put you into contact with Penny, and then we can arrange this further. I’ll also see if we can recruit some more of you. I will see you again later. Goodbye.' With that, Mariette would exit through a portal and leave the princess to consider what had been spoken about. Mariette would later supply her with coordinates and valuable information, but that’s for later.
For now, their little revolution was taking shape.
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