News All Around

Two Weeks Later

“Thank you all for gathering for this kingdom announcement. There have been many rumors about two members of my inner court, my mother and Head of State, Brenda Newman, and her personal guard and aide, Yuria. Well, we have gathered here to address those rumors. Well, the rumors are true! My mother and Yuria are pregnant! And I am the father!” John said with a certain amount of pride. He then waited for the gasping faces and silent murmurs of shock. The reality, however, was far more amusing for everyone but him.

“Called it!” said someone in the back.

“Honestly I’m surprised it took this long!” another voice admitted.

“Like how aren’t all of them girls knocked up yet?” pondered another voice.

Meanwhile, John’s various companions were holding back laughs as they all predicted this response. It seemed that only John thought there would be some big shock or surprise to his subjects. His face, once stern and ready for the potential backlash, instead now wore a flabbergasted look. This was not playing out anything like how he expected.

“You, like, tots thought they would be surprised, eh boss?” a giggling Sam asked John.

“Now, now Sam, our king may be good at fucking, but he can be a bit dense when it comes to common sense,” Fran pointed out between laughs.

“My lord, we must make this a national holiday! All should know when the first royal babies were conceived!” decided Gali. John’s other companions and lovers all chimed in on what they thought about the announcement. John took a few deep breaths as he absorbed all this information and decided on what to do.

“SO, ON THIS DAY,” started John in a booming voice to quiet down the various conversations and make sure all focus was on him, “I HEREBY DECLARE THAT WE SHALL HAVE NOT ONLY ONE WEDDING, BUT A DOUBLE WEDDING!” declared John as he stood up from his throne. A stunned silence fell over the crowd. “I shall wed my mother and Yuria, the first mothers of my children! And, after the two have planned out the wedding and got everything set to go, not only will the day of our marriage be a national holiday, THE ENTIRE MONTH SHALL BE A NATIONAL HOLIDAY OF CELEBRATION!” John finished with a booming voice that had brought all attention to him.

An eerie silence had fallen over the crowd as they were all stunned by the sudden announcement of their king. John just stood there, proudly, awaiting the response of his subjects. He knew the announcement caught them and his women off guard, as they stood behind him with a look as if their brains just stopped working. His eyes scanned the crowd in an attempt to see any sort of sign of what they were all thinking of his announcement. John’s confidence did not waver as the stunned silence continued on for more seconds then he thought it would. John felt a rush of relief wash over him as the crowd suddenly exploded in excitement as cheers, clapping, and whistling echoed through the throne room. John’s heart swelled with pride as the crowd began to chant “Long Live The King!”

“If I may, sweetie?” asked Brenda as she whispered into his ear. His response was to just give her a kiss on the cheek.

“My dears, I would like to say something!” Brenda said over the cheers of the crowd. Once they realized it was Brenda who was speaking, who had been given the moniker “Mother of the Kingdom” for her motherly attitude to any and every subject she encountered, the crowd quickly quieted down. “Thank you, all, for showing up. I am happy to share this news with all of you! You are the lifeblood of this kingdom! We may make the decisions and fight our enemies, but it is you all, we do that for! A kingdom cannot survive without its subjects. You should all know this important news. While a national holiday was not discussed before the announcement, I do think it is a great idea. It shall be a month of us celebrating our kingdom! As one people! I am sure that High Priestess Gali has some great ideas for this holiday. Yuria, myself, and Gali shall begin preparations for the wedding, to which all of you shall be invited. A royal wedding is a wedding for every member of the kingdom! Let us celebrate this new life that is growing in myself and Yuria, as well as this new union between myself, my son, and Yuria, as one people!” Brenda finished her speech with her, at this point, signature warm and embracing smile, to which the crowd once again burst into cheers.

The rest of the week, the Kingdom of Tenebris celebrated the joyful news of the impending nuptials of their king and his mother and her guardian. The kingdom was also relatively peaceful since John performed his raid against the Nazi base on the outskirts of Springfield. The story picks up a week after everyone is celebrated out.

“My lord, it seems to be true. For a week straight we have seen no sign of the Nazis. It seems they have fled the city after your raid,” the scout informed his king. “All known bases are empty, any tech or files they could not take with them have been destroyed. Our people are going over it, but we doubt we’ll find anything important,” he continued.

“Even well, it is best to be thorough. Let’s make sure there really is nothing recoverable before we write off all that we found. My hands,” said John, to which Miho and Mikuru appeared next to him. “Escort Sasha to their HQ. Perhaps her knowledge of both information gathering and her captivity with them may glean some information as to what the Nazis are up to,” commanded John.

“Of course, my king,” replied Mikuru, who was as cordial as ever.

“Sure thing, boss!” said Miho, her normally aloof attitude still in full ****. John could not help but smile. It was nice to have his Left and Right Hands back. They were two of his earliest companions and he did miss them when they were off helping Sylva.

“Glad you two are back. Now go and make my will done!” commanded John. Miho just rolled her eyes as she walked off while Mikuru gave John a slight bow before she followed her younger sister. John did enjoy watching their asses as they walked away. Once they were gone, John continued. “So, anything else to report?” he asked the scout.

“Well...there is one thing, my lord,” he started. “We have been hearing...strange tales from refugees,” informed the scout.

“Refugees? Strange tales? Tell me more,” he ordered.

“Of course, my lord. It seems that a large portion of Abyssal humans and creatures have fled to Springfield because of the rumors and tales that have spread about you. It seems that the tales of your defeat of the Golden Rose and now the Nazis have made many believe you are the protector of the city and have come here hoping that your reputation will keep those that have attacked them in their homelands away. As for what is attacking them…” The scout went silent for a few seconds, as if he himself had to process what he was about to say. “Dragons, sire. Dragons are attacking the country.”

“Wait...what?” was all John could say. “I thought dragons went extinct centuries ago. Between the Dragon Hunters, glory seeking adventurers, and the Golden Rose, I thought they were wiped out?” asked John.

“As have the rest of the Abyss population. That is why people are panicking. Abyssal organizations have forgotten how to hunt dragons or even defend against attacks. Apparently they are causing massive damage with minimal damage done to them. I think we should prepare for an eventual draconic attack,” finished the scout.

“I concur. I will assemble a war council with all my allies. Rest for today, but tomorrow bring me your fastest and most trusted scouts. They will convey my message personally so they can see the importance of the meeting,” commanded John.

“It will be done, my lord,” said the scout before he got up and left. Before John could even process what he had just heard, another scout, a cute young elven girl, came rushing into the throne room.

“Myyyyyyyyyyyy looooooooooooooooooooooord! Myyyyyyyyyyyyyy looooooooooooooooooooooooord!” yelled the girl as she ran towards him. She stopped in front of him and panted as she tried to catch her breath.