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Chapter 29

How we will Change the World

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Soldiers and builders worked to put together the kingdom once more. Hours after the events of the overlord, order was set in place. As the fogs lifted from the demon's influences, the order in the castle was established thanks to Ada, the head magician, and Victoria, the head maid.

After half a day of gathering the troops, calming the minds of the people and severing the influences of lies and misinformation, the kingdom’s temperature lowered, allowing Goldie and Madalyn to set a meeting to follow up on the events that were going to take place.

Goldie and Maddy were offered a fantastic dinner hosted by Arnold to celebrate the events. Accompanying them were Ada and Victoria, invited by Goldie herself.

 

 

“My lady, you wished to see us?”

Victoria asked with a newfound respect for the princess. With Madalyn at her side, Goldie took the reigns and expressed her will for the land of Nora.

"As I explained the events of what happened and the reason for our downfall, I’ve decided…”

Goldie said as she took Madalyn’s hand.

“I will not be the princess any longer.”

The golden witch claimed, earning a gasp from Ada and Victoria. Her father stayed silent as his daughter, all grown up in mind but with the face of the little golden girl, Goldie spoke.

"My father will step down from his role as King of Nora. First, he will be punished for the crimes against Madalyn. Then once his sentence has ended... He will become my adviser and channel to the people. Nobody will speak with Madalyn or me without going through him."

Ada crossed her arms.

“The King... punished? Are you mad, princess?”

Ada said.

Goldie glared at Ada, her former teacher.

“Yes, I am mad. I’m mad with rage that I don’t have the heart to do more for my father.”

The golden witch stood up and met Ada face to face. The expert mage bit her tongue for the first time as she was forced to listen.

“You have no concept of the level of sacrifice that woman, my Madalyn, went through for your jewels and riches. Your happiness was crafted by the woman you scoff at. The only reason why you are here is that you are respected and will help enact change, Ada!”

Goldie stood up as the new queen and slammed her fist on the table.

“And if you wish to not, see to the door, and all of your belongings be stripped from you. I will throw you in the deepest dungeons until the world has forgotten your name. Then and only then will you understand what it means to have nothing. And even so, that would only be a fraction of what Manalyn endured in the Grimoire of Reason...”

 

 

Madalyn was entranced, seeing her soon-to-be wife defend her. She wrapped her arm around hers and pulled her back into the seat. Ada didn’t have a word to say. She was flabbergasted that the petite and seemingly useless princess... shut her down.

Victoria snickered, unbecoming of a head maid. 

With her hands locked to her partners, Goldie wrote into law by words.

“And Madalyn Manansala will be my wife. Her authority will equal mine from this day forth!”

Madalyn clicked her tongue.

“I have no want to lead this world of bumbling idiots, Goldie.”

 

 

Victoria and Ada gasped again. Even after hearing about this great woman's hardships, they were uncertain whether giving her this much power was suitable for the kingdom. Goldie calmed the minds of Ada and Victoria, though.

"As of today, Madalyn is saying this. But after we spend more time together… I'm sure my love for this place will transfer to her too."

Goldie leaned on Madalyn.

“Because without Madalyn by my side, I refuse to do anything! And if you don’t respect my choices, the door is that way.”

Goldie Kingsman spoke like her mother, strong-willed and even a tad hardheaded. But her reasons were sound. She knew what it took to keep the kingdom from becoming like it was before. And with a leader as strong as these two, Nora would be strong and healthy for the years to come.

The King, Arnold Kingsman, spoke up.

“I will respectfully leave my place as King. I… am not fit to be the leader you all wish for if even my sins almost brought this world to an end..."

He leaned back in his seat.

“I will take my punishment and prison sentence for as long as my daughter wishes. It... will never fix what Annastella and I did to our fellow Kingsman, however.”

The hunter's eyes grew soft as he stared at his once teammate. 

"Without Madalyn, the woman I shut away for eons in the Grimoire of Reason… we would not be here today. My daughter was forced to fight a war even I couldn't have won. Goldie and Madalyn have an unbelievable tale that we cannot fathom.

The king stood up from his seat and walked over to Madalyn. Arnold got on one knee and bowed to Madalyn, his former partner.

“Queen Madalyn, please take the throne with my daughter and show us the way… to a world run by a true Kingsman.”

Madalyn’s face was emotionless. The bitter hatred she had for that name festered within her. But just as she was about to rebuke Arnold… a light tear rolled down her cheek.

For the first time… her sacrifice was acknowledged and even Madalyn didn’t realize how much she longed for that. Ada and Victoria watched this marvelous sight as their once king bowed to Madalyn.

“You… how dare…”

At a loss of words, Madalyn turned to Goldie. Those brimstone eyes, full of hope, gazed back. The great witch rubbed her eyes and bitterly spoke.

“Fine. I’ll clean up your mess, Arnold. Like I always had to do.”

Madalyn turned to her lover, kissed her on the lips, and looked at the magician and head maid.

"Goldie gets whatever she wants. That is my first demand Queen. Second, I write the rules, and they must be followed. If you have any problems with my methods, speak with Goldie. Your argument is invalid if she can't convince me of your plight."

Madalyn blushed as she gazed away from the group.

"But… it's tough for me not to give in to Goldie's demands. So, your plight has to be really stupid for me to reject it.”

Arnold lifted his head… and laughed. Like a jolly old man, he huffed and howled like a coyote. The former king stood up and clapped as he sat back down.

“Alright, bring in the food! What an interesting day! Let's rejoice!"

The servants all rushed out of the kitchen at his command. It was the servants that were rescued by Goldie and Maddy earlier. The servants were excited to meet this mysterious Madalyn who saved their kingdom beside their princess. 

The food was brought out on the finest of dinner tables. Steak cut from the finest cows in all the land.

“These smells wonderful.”

Goldie’s appetite was back, and she was eager to taste the food after all those years. However, Maddy was different. She looked at everything as if it was a mystery. Ada, Victoria, and Arnold admired their food as they chatted about how to go about the rebuilding.

“Maddy…”

 

 

Goldie turned to see her soon-to-be wife… unable to grasp what to do. So, the new queen pushed her chair up to Madalyn’s and helped her. Together, they used one fork and knife to cut into the delicious meat.

"Here, like this, Maddy."

Goldie put the food up to Madalyn's mouth. But Madalyn didn’t open her mouth to eat it. She just stared at it as her stomach twisted. The new smells and sounds were bothering her. Everything… felt wrong.

“I…”

Madalyn looked around and noticed the stares of Ada and Victoria. She swallowed as she looked back at the woman she loved.

A soft tear went down her cheek. She was ashamed of what she was going to admit. It has been too long since Madalyn had to eat or drink anything. Such a natural human function wasn't proper, and the shame of understanding this broke her heart.

“I… G-Goldie.”

She whispered. The great witch looked up at Ada and Victoria. She felt their stares, unsure of what her plight was. Nervously, Maddy turned back to the only person who could understand her.

“I don’t… G-Goldie. I-I… I don’t think I can do that.”

Goldie rubbed Madalyn's back, understanding her irrational fear of the unknown.

“Father, I think this is too much for Madalyn after… so long within the Grimoire of Reason. We’re going to excuse ourselves and eat separately for now.”

Arnold nodded as they both stood up and exited the feast.

The former king ordered a plate to be brought to them. One full of simpler foods like peas and mashed potatoes to help ease Madalyn into normality.

“How… u-unbecoming of me. I must look… like a fool.”

With tears still rolling down her cheeks, they sat in Goldie's wonderful room full of books and clothing. On a small table, they sat on the floor, huddled together as they practiced how to be human once again.

"Take your spoon here… hold it like this."

In tears, Madalyn did as she was told. She shakily held the spoon and pushed it into the mashed potatoes.

“Not too much, Madalyn… start slow. There’s no rush.”

Goldie took her own spoon full of mashed potatoes. She demonstrated by tasting the food. After finishing it, Goldie watched Madalyn struggle to put it in her mouth. To Madalyn, the strangeness of textures she hadn't felt in eons stopped her from eating.

The smells were foreign and overstimulating. Madalyn… wasn't used to the everyday struggle of being alive.

“I… I’m not hungry, my love.”

Madalyn attempted to escape, but Goldie held her hand.

"Maddy, you'll die if you don't eat. You have to try… Okay?"

Goldie reminded her… that she wasn't immortal anymore. Maddy had to breathe to stay alive and drink water to live on. The days in which time would flow endlessly without any way to sustain herself were in the past, but mentally, Maddy was still trapped within that world.

“Here.”

Goldie took her spoon and put mashed potatoes on it. In tears, Maddy opened her mouth and tasted it. At first, she was confused by the texture, which upset her stomach. The great witch covered her mouth and expended the food to the floor.

Horrified, Madalyn cried into her lover’s arms. Ashamed and confused, Goldie witnessed a new side to the woman she loved. In a way, it brought them closer.

“I’m… I’m so sorry, Goldie. It… It shouldn’t be like this.”

In tears, Madalyn struggled as she realized her humanity was stolen from her. Goldie shared her pain and cried with her.

“Shh… it’s okay. You don’t have to feel bad… it’s okay, Madalyn.”

Goldie consoled her.

“T-This isn’t normal.”

In her mind and body, the simple act of being human was wrong. As much as she tried to force down her food, instantly, her body rejected it.

“Stop! Stop it, Maddy!”

Goldie stopped Madalyn and held her hand. Eventually, Madalyn calmed down as she sank deep into Goldie's brimstone eyes. Instead, Goldie offered her some water. Something less heavy than the food that upset her stomach. Still crying, Maddy attempted to drink the water.

“You sip that for now. And when you’re ready… we’ll try again.”

At first, the water went down easy… but eventually, even that came up as everything unsettled Madalyn's stomach.

“T-This isn’t right. I… want to go back home.”

Madalyn cried into Goldie's arms… and her lover did the same. After cleaning up, Goldie asked the maids to take away the food and apologized for the mess. Together they cleaned up and lay in bed, consoling one another.

"It's… too bright, my love."

 

 

Maddy begged in whispers. The strange noises of the night were frightening her too, and Madalyn couldn’t sleep well. The eons within that dark, starlit world were lonely but peaceful to Maddy. But everything about this brand new world to her was frightening. Madalyn only wanted to be with Goldie, the last piece of the Grimoire of Reason.

“Here…”

Goldie hid her lover underneath the covers, and it calmed Maddy down. Eventually, she fell asleep, holding Goldie in her arms.

“It’s okay… were together, Madalyn. And that’s all that matters.”

Madalyn's soon-to-be wife said as she stayed by her side. Maddy was grateful but ever so ashamed. Together, they cried as they worked to get their humanity back. Nobody told them that life would be easy to assimilate into. Even Goldie had to get used to the daylight after years in the dark. The concept of day and night was foreign to both of them, even scary to Maddy.

As the weeks went by, the soon-to-be-married couple's confidence grew though. They trained their bodies to eat small portions of food to sustain themselves for tomorrow. Occasionally, they'd walk the gardens to try and acclimate to the changing weather and times.

Maddy had a hard time hearing new sounds, they gave her a headache, and she would go to sleep, crying in Goldie's arms about wanting to return. But Goldie knew this wasn't true…

 

Madalyn was just frightened in a world she didn’t know.

But as long as they stayed together, Goldie felt everything would be okay. Occasionally, Maddy would dream of that world and wake up confused and afraid of this new one. But her soon-to-be wife would soothe her broken spirit, assuring her that the only world she needed was the one with them in it.