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It was a long day of doodling and projects for Queen. Her kingdom was coming out nice!…in her head, at least. It’s gonna be hard to make it into an actual thing. Maybe, if she had someone with her…to at least encourage her…She imagined this large megalopolis as its capital. Inhabited by Cyber Darkners like her…
“Cyber…” She mumbled. “A Dark World…Full Of…Cyber Darkners…I Got It!!” Queen got up from her seat. “I’m Gonna Call It: Cyber World!!” She beamed with excitement and joy, looking at her projects, walking back and falling on her bed while giggling up a storm. “I Can’t Wait To Get Out Of This Kingdom” She really, couldn’t wait. For once she wanted to run free of any restrictions and fear, she didn’t want to live in fear anymore. For once, she…could create a place she could call home. Nobody would call her a robot or an obedient machine anymore. Nobody would belittle her and deprive her of her capabilities of feeling emotions anymore.
In her fit of happiness, she heard a little chime come from her chest speaker. Huh.
She tapped her visor and it displayed a hologram: a System Update.
“…I Thought Lightners Wouldn’t Patch Me Anymore?” She mumbled. “Mmh…Might As Well…” She reached for her bedside table, opening a drawer which contained her charger. She had a nifty little battery-acid power bank - the size of a food thermos - that Lightners provided her with before they were all banished from the kingdom. She got up from her bed to drag it nearby. Then, she walked to her vanity, turned around to look under her head with the mirror and plug the charger in. Off she was on the bed again, now plugging the USB port to the charger, and powering off to start the update.
A few hours went by, still no sign from Queen. Her son, Lancer, noticed her absence, and decided to go check it out. He knew his mom sometimes had what his dad calls “Meltdowns ‘cause she’s crazy” but they usually don’t last that long…
Lancer was a bit too short to reach the doorknob, so he learned something new on how to open it by himself. He climbed up on a chair, and opened the door by himself. When the door opened, Lancer quickly ran up to Queen.
“Girldad!! Are you okay? You’ve been going beddy-bye all day!!” He asked.
…No response.
“Girldad, wake up!!” Lancer shook his mom. Again, no response. He looked at her with a careful eye and he noticed, a cable was sticking out of his mom’s head and was going in a welrd box with green stuff in it!! Was she getting brainwashed?? Surely, she was a strong Girldad, but someone wanting to brainwash her?? So not happening!
When Lancer gripped the cable to pull it out, he heard a voice.
“Lancer!” Oh, it was Lesser Dad. Lancer looked back at Rouxls, frowning.
“Vice Father…Someone’s brainwashing mom!!” He whined worriedly. Rouxls looked at Queen and then at the power bank at the foot of the bed, and smiled.
“Pft- Lancer, nobody is brainwashingst thou mom…She’s just charging…” He walked to the bed, and sat down next to Queen, looking at her visor before he placed something wrapped in a tissue on the bedside table. “Actuallyeth…She’s updating her system.”
“What does that mean…?” Lancer frowned.
“Mmm…” The Duke of Puzzles stopped in thought. “Well…It’s liketh…She’s learning new thingst! She’s uh…getting smartereth!” He replied, in an attempt to explain the situation in the easiest way possible, and it looks like Lancer got the message, even if he’s still frowning. “But I wanna play with her…”
“Thou can playeth with me.” Rouxls reassured, but Lancer shook his head.
“No, I wanna play with her…” He mumbled, now snuggling between his mom’s arms, and leaving Rouxls to sigh. Lancer and his tantrums…he knew very well what his tantrums meant.
“Can I…at least stayeth here?” He asked, and the Spade prince nodded. Rouxls leaned down on Queen’s bed, sandwiching Lancer between his mom and his vice father.
Rouxls reached for Queen’s hand, holding it in his. Even though her hand was bigger than his, it still felt so fragile. He let go of her, now pressing on her visor to snap it off and remove it. She voiced multiple times that sleeping with her visor on would mark her face when she woke up, so Rouxls felt like doing her a favor.
She had no eyeshadow or mascara on, her eyes furrowed by bags. She had become thinner as well. Truth be told, Rouxls had no idea how a ro- He shook his head. - a computer, could get thinner or fatter. She was made with such advanced technology…
He was getting worried for her…She stopped eating and sleeping, she was under constant stress. At least he got her something to eat, a fresh fruit from the forest.
Ding! Oh, she was done updating! By the sounds her body was producing, she was booting up. Rouxls swiftly grabbed her visor and snapped it back on her face. Slowly, Queen wrapped her arms around her now sleeping son, and looked at Rouxls.
“Oh Hey Rouxls”
“Hey…” He started. “I got thou someth fruit…” He grabbed the fruit wrapped in tissues on the bedside table, and gave it to Queen. He watched her sit up and unwrap it.
“A Glowfruit?” She looked at Rouxls. “It’s: My Favorite Fruit, Heh…But I Don’t Think I Can Eat It”
“Can thou at leasteth try?” Rouxls asked.
“…” Queen looked at the fruit.
“For me?” Rouxls continued in an attempt to convince Queen.
“…Okay, For You…” She sighed, and took a bite from the fruit, glowing blue juice dribbling down her chin. Rouxls smiled at the sight, and Lancer just stayed smushed into his mom’s abdomen.
“It’s Been A Bit Since I Last Ate” Queen said between bites, she was quick to eat the fruit, it must’ve sparked her appetite back.
Then, they heard the door open. Queen’s smile turned into a blank stare. Rouxls instinctively grabbed her hand. “Katie…” He mumbled, looking at the door. It was King.
“Katarzyna. I need to tell you a thing or two.” He simply said, leaving to go in the throne room. Queen looked at Rouxls as if she wanted him to do something about this.
“I…can’t do anything.” Rouxls dropped his accent. “You have to go by yourself…”
“I Don’t Want To” Queen’s voice wavered.
“I know…” He hugged her. “I’ll get you out of here one day. I promise. Now go, don’t keep him waiting or he’ll get even more mad…”
Rouxls let go of Queen, which reluctantly got up, and walked out of the room.
Rouxls held Lancer, which poor boy, he was all ruffled from waking up so suddenly, pulling his hood off of his head and gently plugging his ears. Not even a few minutes in and the two monarchs were already fighting very badly. By the sounds of it, Queen was standing her ground and talking back for once. That was gonna cost her a lot.
“Vice Dad…What are they doing?” Lancer looked up at Rouxls, who hid his face. “Um…” He spoke with a knot in his throat. “They’re…discussing…of royalty. You’ll understand when you’re older…”
Rouxls hoped Lancer would never understand.
After fourty harrowing minutes, Queen came back. Rouxls shot off the bed and went to check if she was hurt, taking her visor off and checking her eyes. She was okay physically…but certainly not mentally.
“C’mon, let’s…sit down.” Rouxls accompanied Queen to her bed, letting her sit down. Lancer went over to her, frowning. “Can we play now, Girldad…?”
“Not Now Sweetheart” Queen mumbled softly. “We Can Play Later Okay?” She looked at her son, clicking the visor back on her face.
“…Okay…” Lancer rested his fluffy head on his mom’s lap, his tiny gloved hand placed on her leg. She placed her own hand on her son’s, letting out a deeper exhale. She was tired already…
Rouxls scooched closer, hugging the two.
“It’ll get better, someday…” He whispered to Queen. She glanced at her project-filled desk.
…she hoped his words would come true.