Phil stood in the middle of the town square, wearing a long dark grey coat and hood to hide his identity.

Gods, I haven't done this since I was young...

Technically, there was no reason for him to conceal his identity, he was the king after all, but he figured that it'd be better this way. At least nobody could determine where the king was or where he was going, which was good for avoiding rumors. So, why was he in the town square in the first place? Simple.

He had an announcement to make.

He was sure Scott was about to make the same announcement to the villagers of Rivendell any moment now. Phil was sure to wait a week to finalize preparations.

Hesitantly, he flew up in the sky and flew high. This already got a few bystanders' attention because nobody flies straight up like he just did, not without reason. Then, he shot himself straight down, bringing himself upright before he made contact with the ground. When he saw everyone's eyes on him, he landed on the nearby gallows and made sure he looked presentable. His crown wasn't present due to the hood and the fact that he was planning to do this stunt, but aside from that, he looked like the king he was.

"Dear citizens of the Antarctic Empire," Phil started.

Tommy, Tubbo, and Ranboo watched from Tommy's bedroom balcony. It was harder to hear, but they could hear a bit due to the king's shouting.

"One week ago, I met up with the king of Rivendell, Scott Smajor,"

Wilbur watched his father from Schlatt's window. No, he wasn't necessarily banned from the castle, but Phil didn't exactly care whether or not Wilbur was there anymore.

"And after plenty of consideration, we have decided on an ultimatum."

Techno stood nearby, dreading the next few words his father was about to say.

"Either the murderers of Queen Kristen turn themselves in or else..."

A nearby magpie scoffed. Techno recognized him as the owner of a nearby bar. "Or else what?!"

Phil glared at him. "Or else all magpies and cassowaries are imprisoned and promptly executed."

Naturally, the crowd shouted various responses of anger, confusion, and shock. Especially the people who were said birds. Techno gaped at him and, without hesitation, flew to the gallows.

"Phil, what the fuck are you doing?" Techno asked in a hushed voice. "Need I remind you that the captain of the royal guard is a fucking cassowary?"

Phil glared at him. "I said what I said." He then turned to the crowd. "You have one month to turn yourselves in! If they aren't in prison by then, well, the population will decrease by a good margin."

And with that, Phil flew off to the castle while the crowd started freaking out.

~<•>~

Techno looked back towards the crowd. No, there weren't many magpies or cassowaries, most of them are further up north, but there was still a decent amount. And if Scott had the same ultimatum, there'd be even more casualties.

He looked at the bar owner, who looked weirdly unbothered at the situation as if his life wasn't on the line. He walked back to the bar, completely unbothered. Techno scoffed but ignored him. He had a panicked crowd to settle, after all.

~<•>~

Upon Tommy's balcony, the three boys were freaking the fuck out. Especially Ranboo.

"Gods, what's gonna happen to me if they don't find the killer in time!?" Ranboo worried as he paced around the balcony. "My mom is dead, my dad is going to die, I don't have any other family. Gods, what am I gonna do!?"

Tubbo shrugged. "You seem really close to Sapnap. Maybe he could adopt you?"

Ranboo chuckled. "Honestly? It'd be more of me babysitting him."

Tommy looked at his friend sympathetically. "Listen, we have a month until the execution. We have plenty of time to figure this out."

Tubbo frowned as he looked at the blond. "Are you sure? A month is no time at all."

Tommy glared at him while Ranboo stopped at the door leading to Tommy's room. Ranboo looked back at the younger two.

"Hey, Tommy," He said, earning the blond's attention, "didn't you say that you were going to Rivendell?"

Tommy grinned at the older boy mischievously, while Tubbo looked shocked.

"W-what!?" Tubbo asked dumbfounded. "Do you know how much trouble we'll be in if we leave!?"

Ranboo shrugged. "No offense, Tubbo, but we both know that the grownups aren't gonna do shit about this. As he said, we have one month to figure out who killed the queen, and our first clue will be in Rivendell."

Tommy grinned, hitting Ranboo on the shoulder. "I don't know what happened to the old Ranboo, but I like this new you."

Tubbo gaped at them. "Oh yeah? And what are three fifteen-year-olds gonna do!? I mean, I look like I'm twelve—not to mention I can't fly because I have one fucking wing—and Tommy's the prince and surely someone will notice that."

Ranboo hummed contemplatively. "You're right, but we have to do something. I can't just sit here and let Phil kill like ten percent of the kingdom's population!"

Tommy shrugged. "I say we just leave. I mean, the fuck are they gonna do?"

"Um..."

"I mean, Father wouldn't dare kill his youngest," Tommy continued.

"Um, Tommy..."

"And Techno wouldn't let anyone throw me in a dungeon." Tommy finished his ramble.

"And what about your oldest brother?" Tommy paled when he heard Wilbur's voice behind him.

He turned to see Wilbur leaning against the balcony door, his arms crossed and his face smug. He was wearing his royal outfit, which shocked Tommy because even Techno doesn't wear his royal outfit unless he was forced to.

Tommy frowned. "How long have you been there?"

Wilbur shrugged. "Just long enough to hear your ramble."

Tommy made himself smaller. "Are you gonna tell Father?"

Wilbur snickered. "I wouldn't even tell the old man the time of day, let alone whatever you three are planning."

Ranboo walked up to Wilbur—it was then that Tommy realized just how tall Ranboo was, considering that he was about a head shorter than Wilbur, who was about 6'6. "Wilbur, could you take us to Rivendell?"

Wilbur hummed contemplatively. "Under one condition..."

"Anything." Ranboo and Tommy said simultaneously.

Wilbur walked over to Tubbo and crouched down so he was eye level—as humiliating as that was. "Do I have permission to marry your brother?"

Tubbo blinked. "...what?"

"I love your brother, and I couldn't even imagine my life without him," Wilbur explained, "but if you're not comfortable with that, that's okay. I love you as much as I love my brothers, and the last thing I want is to make you unhappy to make me happy."

Tubbo thought about it for a moment. "As much as I think it's gross that you two basically tongue-fuck each other in public," Wilbur chuckled a bit, "I do know how much my brother loves you and how happy you make him, so as long as he's happy, I'm happy. Plus, that means that Tommy and I would basically be brothers, so it's a win-win."

"So I'm assuming that I'm good to propose to him?" Wilbur confirmed, and Tubbo nodded. Wilbur grinned and hugged the teen before standing up.

Wilbur turned to Tommy and Ranboo. "Alright, and with that settled, when do you guys need to be there?"