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Chapter Text

Seraphim follows their queen everywhere. They are her ever-stalwart and loyal guard, appointed not long after their nation was established. Never do they stray far from her side.

This is why they are one of the first to hear the special news—from their own queen's lips.

“You wish…to wed the Emperor of Westhelm?“ Seraphim asks dubiously as they stand behind their queen's shoulder.

Jophiel, as radiant as the golden sun their kingdom worships, turns and smiles at them. Her fingers tap absent-mindedly on her desk, nails flicking across the numerous scrolls and parchment paper. All of them, Seraphim suspects, are the various drafts of a marriage proposal to the most powerful leader of Yggdrasil.

Only mere days ago, Tricolor hosted a meeting to discuss Pandora's plans for when the border inevitably falls. Majority of the representatives present, including Queen Jophiel, voted to send aid to and make peace with Yggdrasil, despite the disturbing rumors and propaganda posters that have managed to float their way across the sea. Only a handful of attendees—most notably, the Vice-President of Luminara, Fluixon—questioned the plan's efficacy and voted against it, even suggesting a more…aggressive approach to the matter.

Privately, Seraphim themself is also skeptical of Yggdrasil's civility and placidity, and silently questions their queen's plans.

Thus, they nearly jolt when Jophiel replies firmly, “Yes, I do. I hope that this union will unite our two islands—and silence those who do not believe in peace.“

Seraphim nearly squirms beneath their queen's gaze, even though they know Jophiel can not read their mind or know their beliefs. An unbidden sense of shame swells inside their chest, threatening to spill past their lips as confessions.

“Gods willing, Tricolor and Westhelm will pave the way for world peace,” Jophiel continues. A hopeful smile stretches across her fair face as her eyes curve into crescent moons.

Then, Jophiel calmly returns to her slew of paperwork. Determination and elegance flow through each of her movements. To her, this decision, though monumental, is rooted in certainty and logic; there is nothing to doubt about it.

But Seraphim does.

They doubt. They worry. They fear.

They've heard of and even read the scavenged propaganda posters from Yggdrasil. They've seen the pictures and the threats, calling for Pandora's death and destruction.

Surely, their queen has seen them as well? Surely, she understands how fruitless this endeavor for peace is? Surely, she is not so willfully ignorant?

One of Seraphim's hands instinctively clenches around their sword's hilt, while the other fists the hem of their brigandine. Their mouth opens and closes repeatedly as they struggle to formulate a question that won't come across as disrespectful to their queen and her authority.

Eventually, Seraphim cautiously asks, “Are you…certain, Your Majesty?“

Jophiel glances behind her shoulder to raise an eyebrow at them.

“Of course I am,” she starts. Then, she gestures at one scroll on her desk in particular. Upon closer inspection, it is more extravagant than all the rest, embossed in gold and tied with silk ribbons; it must be the lastest, if not last, draft. “This proposal will be sent to Westhelm as soon as the border drops. If necessary, I will even stick it into a bottle and fling it into the sea so it may reach Westhelm sooner.“

Jophiel smiles playfully at her own joke. But Seraphim knows their queen, and they do not doubt her stubbornness and willingness to turn her joke into a reality.

What they do doubt is the idea of a marriage—a signed piece of paper and empty words spoken at an altar—ever being enough to unite Pandora and Yggdrasil.

Not to mention…

“There have been…rumors of the Westhelm Emperor's demeanor,“ Seraphim says slowly and recalls only a few of the words used to describe the man in the waterlogged newspapers that wash up on the shores of Pandora.

Unstable.

Cruel.

Tyrannical.

“Will a marriage truly be wise?“

Finally, their queen pauses and considers their words.

“Does it matter?“ She asks in lieu of a response.

“Of course,” Seraphim says immediately, hand tightening around their sword's hilt. “Trihelm's safety—and yours—matter greatly.“

Jophiel only chuckles and shakes her head. “If the Emperor of Westhelm is as…unreasonable as rumors say, he will refuse the marriage and Trihelm and I will remain safe. If he isn't, then all the better!“

Seraphim's persisting suspicion must be apparent on their face because Jophiel soon reaches out to lay a gentle hand on their arm.

“There is nothing to fear, Seraphim,” Jophiel reassures them. “Words are but wind; none of the rumors are guaranteed to be true. It is better to hope for peace than to destroy its birth with our paranoia.“

Seraphim sees the optimism and courage written across Jophiel's face and…

Their grip loosens off their sword, and they sigh lowly.

“Yes, Your Majesty.“

True or false—all answers will be provided once the border drops; Jophiel is right about that.

For now, Seraphim shall trust their queen. Even if they don't necessarily agree with her decisions.

They are loyal, after all.

Chapter Text

It's no surprise that the news spreads.

People are always curious and eager to gossip. Even servants and nobles, regardless of the rules.

From close confidants to the average Tricolor citizen, the news reaches them all. And once it catches the eyes and ears of nearby media outlets—it explodes.

The birth of the first international alliance?

—Sunset Media

Sunset Media has recently met with an informant from Tricolor, who claims that Queen Jophiel of Tricolor intends to propose to the leader of a Yggdrasil nation once the border falls. This leader is suspected to be the Emperor of Westhelm, the strongest and largest nation on Yggdrasil.

From scavenged Yggdrasilian newspapers, it is confirmed that the Emperor of Westhelm is named Schpood. He is often mentioned to be rash, rude, and ruthless. However, it is also worth noting that none of these newspapers hail from Westhelm.

Will the marriage between Queen and Emperor succeed? Will this lead to the first international alliance the world has ever seen? Will this union finally quell the animosity between Pandora and Yggdrasil?

Subscribe to Sunset Media and read all of our latest updates on world affairs!

BREAKING NEWS: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TRIHELM!

—THE DAILY BREAK

Recently, Queen Jophiel of Tricolor has stirred everyone's curiosity when she officially announced during an address that she intends to wed the Emperor of Westhelm. This union has been popularized and nicknamed as 'Trihelm'.

When questioned on the status of the marriage proposal, Queen Jophiel stated, “(…) I have not yet been able to send the proposal to Westhelm due to the border's presence, but once it falls (…) I will personally sail to Yggdrasil to propose to Westhelm's Emperor.“

She went on to also discuss a second plan to send the proposal to Westhelm even sooner, without having to wait for the border's disappearance. “I have already ordered (…) for the construction of numerous sturdy containers to carry copies of my proposal across the sea and through the border to Yggdrasil. (…) Hopefully, one will reach Westhelm.“

As all know, only inanimate objects are allowed to pass through the border—and all must be carried naturally by the waves. Should the proposal safely make its way into Westhelm hands, it could be approved by their Emperor and lead to an official alliance between Tricolor and Westhelm.

“It is my intention to bridge the differences of our two islands with this marriage,” Queen Jophiel claimed. Though the marriage is not yet confirmed, fear of Yggdrasil has begun wavering ever since this announcement. Many feel empowered by the Queen's bravery and willingness to go to such lengths for world peace.

(…)

Luminara

For the first time in weeks, 3BelowZero is happy.

The reason? The various newspapers held in his hands and scattered across his table. The headlines speak for themselves, printed large and bold across the pages.

Finally, another nation—Tricolor, the largest nation on Pandora—is taking action to build peace with Yggdrasil.

Though all Pandora nations did technically agree to send aid to Yggdrasil at the meeting in Tricolor, 3BelowZero knows their minds can change easily. By the time the border drops, Luminara and now-Tricolor might just be the only ones still going through with the plan.

Action now is better, more trustworthy than promises of action later.

Luminara has their bridge, and it seems Tricolor has a potential marriage alliance with Westhelm on their hand.

3BelowZero can't be more glad.

He has always believed that, once the border drops, most Yggdrasilians will turn out to be peaceful, regular folks. Because, at the end of the day, the propaganda posters from Yggdrasil are just that: propaganda.

The people creating them are likely in the minority. At worst, it might be a ploy by a Yggdrasilian leader to gain power by uniting their nation against a common enemy. Most likely, they are mean-spirited but ultimately harmless artworks.

All the scattered printed media from Yggdrasil have confirmed that it is little more than a barren wasteland and its people are struggling to survive, much less live. 3BelowZero won't be surprised if the propaganda posters are simply the way Yggdrasilians are coping with their harsh lives.

But he knows that not everyone sees things the same way he does, or are willing to give Yggdrasil the benefit of the doubt.

Not long ago, 3BelowZero had to demote his own Vice-President, Fluixon, for this very reason. The other man had attended the Tricolor meeting on 3BelowZero's behalf, only to blatantly go against his orders and Luminara's beliefs by suggesting a war against the entire island of Yggdrasil.

Demotion was the only option.

But that didn't make it any easier to look Fluixon in the eye and unpin the badge from his chest.

It only left a cloud of unease and sorrow looming above 3BelowZero's head for weeks on end.

In the darkest recesses of his mind, 3BelowZero would question—how could he have misjudged Fluixon so greatly? How could he have failed to notice Fluixon's differing, dangerous views? Why did he ever trust Fluixon with so much—his hopes, his dreams, his bridge?

But now…

Now, 3BelowZero is laughing and smiling giddily to himself in his office.

His dream of world peace has never seen more possible.

Maybe this will finally be enough to soothe people's fear of Yggdrasil. Maybe the combined action of Luminara and Tricolor will convince more nations to take direct action toward world peace.

(Maybe now, Fluixon will change his mind and they'll no longer have to argue or be at odds. Maybe now, things can go back to how they once were…)