Seeds + Other One-Shots and Short Stories {A Gravity Falls Royalty AU}

Seeds

Once upon a time two brothers ruled over their kingdom of Gravity Falls: King Stanford and Stanley Pines. King Ford enjoyed studying the natural anamolies within the kingdom while King Stan enjoyed working on his boat and had a knack for conning the elites out of their money (to their dismay). They were both happy, and their kingdom, albeit weird, was safe.

However, as time went on, they realized something. Neither Ford nor Stan had heirs. If something were to happen to them, the kingdom would fall into anarchy. With no government, Ford predicted a local armageddon. The brothers decided they would have to find heirs to prevent this.

Yet, the two didn't know how to go about this. Ford suggested a test and to choose the kids who had the highest score. Stan quickly put this idea down, as he didn't think it was fair to choose the heir based on their intelligence.

Stan had his own idea of simply having the children fill out applications to be the heirs as if they were filling out job resumes. "Stan, that could take ages to go through!" Ford countered. "Besides, I don't want to just pick and choose. These kids will be the future of our kingdom!"

After a long discussion, and much debate, the kings decided exactly what they would do.

"You will each get a flower seed," Ford explained as Stan distributed the seeds. "The two of you who grow the most beautiful flowers will become our heirs. This will show Stan and I which kids can take care of the flower, and the kingdom, the best!"

"We will judge the flowers in a month's time," Stan explained.

Among these kids were twins Dipper and Mabel. They were orphans and their home village was wracked with extreme poverty. Most of the kids in it had little to no education due to having to work. Despite this, they had each other and they were happy. Still, they both longed for more. Mabel wished for someone to share her fun-loving attitude while Dipper was desperate for respect. Both of them were tired of using rocks for pillows. When it was announced that the kings were looking for heirs, it seemed like a dream come true.

Determined to become the heirs, Dipper and Mabel took care of the seeds the best they could. Dipper did his best to find easy to understand books on gardening to give his flower the best care. Mabel showered her seed with lots of love, sunlight, and water.

But... something was wrong. By the end of the second week, neither Dipper or Mabel's seed had began to sprout. Not even a little bit.

"What are we gonna do, bro bro?" Mabel asked in a panicky state. Throughout the kingdom, it seemed like every kid had stunning buttercups, daffodils, or lilies. Even some roses and violets. All Dipper and Mabel had was an empty pot.

Dipper flipped through the pages of his book, "There has to be something! M-maybe I read this wrong?"

"The kings would never want you two as heirs!"

"Why would the kings want a jar of dirt?"

"I have the prettiest flower in Gravity Falls. You guys have nothing!"

Dipper shook his head. Mabel and him were already made fun of badly enough within their village, they would be the laughing stock of Gravity Falls if they were to show up with nothing.

"Why don't you guys cheat?" The kids looked up to see Wendy, a close family friend. "Just grab a different seed!" The twins looked at each other, and quickly came to a conclusion.

"No," they both stated. "Cheating's bad!" Mabel exclaimed.

"I don't think we should cheat in front of the kings," Dipper added.

Wendy shrugged, "Alright then. You do you I guess..."

After a month, it was time for the kings to judge their flowers. Mabel's cheeks burned bright red and Dipper kept his gaze on the ground when they walked in with still, nothing but an empty pot.

"I can't believe you and your sister came with nothing. What losers!"

"An empty pot? That's a joke right?"

Dipper sighed as he glanced at the dirt. The other kids were right. King Ford and King Stan would never want them as heirs. It was a dream, but now it was nothing but a dream.

The twins watched as the kings looked at all the other flowers. When they arrived where Dipper and Mabel were located, neither of the twins could look them in the eyes.

"Excuse me," Dipper glanced up. He was expecting to be yelled at. 'Why didn't you take care of the flower correctly?' 'Did you even try?'

Yet, the kings didn't seem upset. In fact, they both had soft smiles on their faces. "What is your name, son?" Ford asked.

"D-dipper...?"

"And you, m'lady?" Stan asked.

"Mabel..."

The kings smiled at each other, and nodded, "Thank you," they replied before walking away.

The younger twins weren't quite sure what to make of this interaction. Why did the kings ask for their names? Were they in trouble?

As the day came to a close and the sun was setting, Ford and Stan took a stand, "We have an announcement to make," Ford began. Stan continued, "We have found two heirs. Their names are... Dipper and Mabel! Congratulations!"

The young twins glanced at each other, "Call me crazy, but I think he just said our names..." Mabel said as the Ford and Stan walked over to them, smiles on their faces.

"Uh... King Stan... did you just say that my sister and I are your heirs?"

He nodded, "Pretty sure I did, kid."

In a fit of joy, Mabel rushed to hug Stan with tears in her eyes. The man quickly hugged back. Dipper was a bit more reluctant. This didn't seem real, "I don't understand. Our seeds didn't even grow!"

Ford gave a chuckle and placed his hand on Dipper's shoulder, "All of the seeds were fake, my boy. You and your sister were the only two who didn't cheat."