Marilyn's Resolution

After sending Philip Trousers floating away in the bubble of Goo-Lacka-Goo, she didn't hang around for the celebration. As far as she knew, Yookia and Zookia had narrowly avoided mutual destruction; until a few weeks later, she was unaware of their peace.

She had her own thread to tie up.

Please be safe, baby , she said to herself.

Once she was clear of the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, Marilyn bolted through the Zookia streets. In one of the houses on the country's border, her love was waiting for her.

At long last, she reached her doorstep. She rapped her knuckles on the wood.

"Sweetheart! Thank Seuss you're alright!"

Marilyn smiled at her partner. However, once the thought dawned on her, she asked, "Why weren't you in the Zookery?"

"I was about to head out, but I saw the rockets go up. I was afraid there was no time to get there, so I braced myself in the cellar."

The magenta vixen calmly shook her head with a smile on her face. "Whatever. I'm just glad you're safe, babe." A single tear rolled down her cheek. Then the two of them kiss.

"I love you, Marilyn."

"I love you too, Gia."

In a haste, the couple packed their suitcases.

"Your mission. Was it successful?", the blonde Knox asked.

"In a way. The Moo-Lacka-Moo ended up in Yookia, but the Dookess still got her own bomb put together."

Gia looks down briefly, then up again. "Where are we gonna go now?"

"I don't know. As long as we're as far away from here as possible. If you don't mind the cold, honey, maybe we can live in LaGlamma?"

Gia smiled.

——

A few weeks later...

Marilyn and Gia lived in a quaint little house on the outskirts of LaGlamma. At this time of year, the snow only came down in moderation. They kept warm by the fireplace and ate hot meals thrice a day.

The young Queen Valkyrie was a great leader to her people. Far more level headed than the Dookess, although that was in due part to not having a feud with another nation. This gave Marilyn plenty of room to breathe; at least she didn't have to do missions for her for a long time. Besides, what could a fourteen-year-old queen have in mind for her?

"Honey!", Marilyn called out as she came in through the front door. "Got the groceries!"

"Wonderful!"

"Get ready for a beef stew and kneezelberry pound cake feast."

Gia blushed. "You know me so well."

——

The following morning, the couple was awoken by a loud knocking at the door. Marilyn answered somewhat disheveled and half asleep.

"I apologize for waking you up so early, Miss Blouse, but the queen has requested your presence."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Captain Van Itch. As you probably remember."

"Van Itch? I thought you worked for the Dookess!"

"You're not the only one who wanted out of there. I requested a transfer and Queen Valkyrie was the next best option."

"That reminds me. What does Her Majesty need?"

"Come to the palace and she'll tell you."

——

After getting herself and Gia ready, Marilyn was presented to Queen Valkyrie herself. In her small stature, she barely took up space in the throne. Like the national flag, Her Majesty's primary colors on her formal wear are deep purple or bright red.

"Good morning, Marilyn Blouse. And Miss Gia Maxwell, correct?"

"Yes, milady", the violinist confirmed.

Queen Valkyrie began. "I asked you, Miss Blouse, here today for a proposal. Captain Van Itch tells me you used to be a spy on the Dookess of Zookia's payroll."

"Right."

"I believe I have a perfect job where you'll feel right at home."

"Is it more spying? Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I came here to start anew with my wife."

"No, it's not spying. The captain did submit a beauteous letter of recommendation on your behalf,"— Marilyn glances at Van Itch — "says you can handle yourself in a fight and your strive to protect your nation was truly an aspiration that set an example for everyone."

"Not to sound rude, but what are you getting at?"

The queen stood up. "How would you like to train to be part of my secret service?"

Marilyn's eyes widened briefly. She took Gia's hand in hers.

"While it's up to you, I would just like to add that we, the various leaders of our world's largest countries, in our latest UR conference, have heard speculations about an unrest in Ovlock. While we would care to get to the bottom of this, we also don't want to spend too much money and resources on what could be a wild buckoose chase."

"How can there be unrest in Ovlock? It's a frozen desert with no hope of supporting life", Marilyn tried to rationalize.

"That's what we're hoping for, but we're trying to account for small flaws before potentially tackling a larger issue. So...what do you say?"

The queen and Van Itcn were right about one thing: Marilyn was strong willed in her drive to protect Zookia. But the one thing about that was that everyone was aware of their conflict with Yookia and it would reach its tipping point at a certain moment in time. Obviously, it did, but since they found peace, Marilyn figured another war was near impossible. And now, in her effort to find peace, she's being offered a chance to protect a teenage queen?

On the one hand, she could tell her no and live a quiet life with Gia. On the other hand, she could say yes and help ensure peace for as long as she could commission.

She looks into Gia's eyes. She gives her a smile of reassurance.

"In the name of LaGlamma, I accept, Your Majesty."