A Path to a Different Happy Ending (Flower Husbands Empires Fic)

Chapter Eleven: Lily Pads

Joey's Fire Temple looked rather grand from the bottom. Not as grand as Sausage's iron farm, but maybe he was biased. He was also rather annoyed at Joey at the moment.

Sausage sighed and started up the steps. At the top, Xornoth was sitting in Joey's throne, and Joey was standing next to him.

"Hello, Sausage." The demon said, voice distorted, as usual.

"Hello, Xornoth. I came to pledge my loyalty to you, in exchange for some power, of course." Sausage smiled, covering his anger that he had to stoop to this and get partial power, instead of just doing a ritual and taking all of Xornoth's powers.

"Hm. Maybe I'll let you do that... But first, why didn't you break the crystal before Joey got to it? I need to ensure I can trust your loyalties." Xornoth's smile stretched across his face, unnervingly wide.

"Oh, don't worry, I know you do. I didn't break it because I wanted to get the perfect situation. Of course, if it had taken another few days, I'd have freed you early." Sausage had actually just been preparing the power absorbing ritual.

"Alright, then. You can serve me. I do need a few allies in this. You shall have some of my power, and your people will survive, as long as they don't fight against me."

Sausage smiled. At least he got part of what he wanted. "Thank you, my lord."

~*~

So much was happening these days. Jimmy longed for the peace of just starting up their empires, when they didn't know about demons, or past lives, or other dimensions. He was heading to a meeting at Rivendell to figure out how to deal with Xornoth. Joey and Sausage weren't invited.

He hit the ground and stopped to admire the beauty of the elven kingdom. It was cold, but beautiful. He headed up to where the Rivendell feast had been held (ah, what good times... Even if it ended with murder) and saw that he was one of the first emperors to arrive. Joel and Lizzie were there, and it looked like Lizzie was trying to convince Joel of something. Probably the existence of demons and corruption.

Scott was also there. When Jimmy saw him, his heart skipped a beat. He didn't know why, but he was starting to suspect... But no. He didn't need that on top of everything else. He shoved his suspicions and thoughts of how pretty Scott looked, with the backdrop of sparkling snow and the light shining off his hair, to the side. Not now. Maybe after Xornoth, but not now.

He walked up to Lizzie just as she turned away from Joel, frustrated with his refusal to believe.

"He thinks that Joey or Sausage is just pranking everyone! I think I'm close to convincing him, but I can't think of- Gah! Sorry, I'm just frustrated." Lizzie laughed slightly.

"I'll talk to him. Maybe I can convince him." Jimmy suggested.

"Yeah, you do that. I can't anymore." Lizzie sighed.

Jimmy walked up to Joel. "Hi."

Hi. Question: do you really believe this demon stuff? Or is this some sort of mass prank you're all playing on me, 'cause Lizzie's trying really hard to convince me it's real..." Joel said.

"Do you really think we could all plan this, and that it wouldn't disintegrate within two minutes?" Jimmy said. "If so, you have way too much faith in us."

Joel laughed. "That's a good point. However the alternative is a demon attacking my home, and that of my friends, and I'd rather not believe that."

"Avoiding it isn't getting rid of it. We need your help, Joel." Jimmy said. "We're already down two emperors because Joey and Sausage got corrupted. We need you."

"I... I'll help. I'd rather not believe it, but I'll help." Joel sighed.

During this conversation, the others arrived, even Rarran from all the way in Pixandria.

"Right, everyone's here?" Scott asked.o "Right. Quick summary of what has happened: Shubble was kidnapped by Joey, who's possessed and had the Xornoth crystal, which he took from Sausage and then broke. Xornoth's back, but we can all trust each other again. Love that for us. Now. Our empires are falling apart and corrupted. What are we gonna do?"

"Our people come first!" Katherine said. "They are the most important. We need to find somewhere safe for them while we deal with this."

"Rivendell has partial protection, on the side with the stag statue. Some people can come here. I'll build houses, but there won't be much room. I have to fit everyone in my empire on this side. We'll need at least one other place." Scott responded.

"My empire. The ocean keeps the corruption at bay. I can build more lily pads to accommodate everyone else's people, but I'll need help." Lizzie glanced around.

"I can." Pearl offered. "My empire is small, it won't take a lot of effort or time to move the people." Lizzie smiled at her.

"I can too. I have a path directly there, which will make moving people easy, and I should participate if my people are staying there and I have the time." Jimmy reasoned.

"Most of my people are already on the side they need to be on, so I can help." Scott said.

"I'm close, with a path there, so I can help too." Joel said.

Lizzie looked to the others. "These guys are probably enough, but more help would be appreciated if you can get away from organising your people."

"The rest of us have bigger, farther, or more chaotic empires to deal with moving, so I don't think any of us will be of any help." Gem smiled apologetically.

"Five emperors will probably be enough anyways." Lizzie turned to Scott, Jimmy, Joel, Shubble, and Pearl. "You guys, grab all the materials you can carry and get to the ocean empire."

They nodded and flew off to their empires.

~*~

Scott landed on the upper steps of the Prisma Palace just as Jimmy came running up them, so they crashed into each other.

"Crud! Sorry." Jimmy said as he stood up, then leaned down to help Scott up. His wet suit clung to his muscles and Scott could feel himself blushing. Stupid crush.

"It's fine." Scott let Jimmy help him up, then brushed himself off. "Let's go meet up with the others." Scott walked quickly into the main room of the Prisma Palace, not wanting Jimmy to see him blushing.

"You two are here! Finally." Lizzie said. "Okay, use one block of grass and the rest of dirt with green terracotta edges for the lily pads. You can use the shapes of the other ones for reference. Then just build residences on top from whatever supplies you have, but try to make them look nice, okay? I don't want an ugly empire."

Scott nodded and headed off, pulling out shulker boxes of supplies. He started his construction by placing an actual lily pad so he didn't have to build from elsewhere. Then he placed dirt in the shape of a lily pad with a single grass block in it. He lined it with terracotta, but not the little triangle taken out of it. He then built a large Rivendell-style house on top, with lots of beds, and at least three furnaces and one crafting table. Rinse and repeat.

For hours.

And hours.

Scott was pretty sure he'd be building lily pads in his sleep by the end of this.

"Scott! Sorry, I didn't mean to keep you this long. You can stay in one of the new houses, or one of the older ones. The sun's setting and Pearl doesn't want to be out after dark with the corruption. She's staying. Jimmy and Joel are also staying 'cause it's a little less work for them to stay than to go." Lizzie said.

"I'll stay, thanks." Scott put his materials back in his shulker, then headed to one of his newly built houses.

~*~

"Oh, no..." Lizzie murmured as she pulled back her warped vine curtains.

The ocean wasn't an ocean anymore. It was a lava lake, except small circles around her lily pads.

Hey! Here to say: If you aren't currently watching BigB's secret life, you are missing out. It's hilarious.