#either way why does she decide to marry Proteus?

[izzibeeb]

The Two Gentlemen of Verona is insane because if you read it without context you could reasonably interpret it as a well-written, thoughtful and cutting critique of patriarchal society and toxic masculinity. You could easily see it as satirizing the way women are objectified and dehumanized, and have their suffering swept under the rug when it’s not convenient to address.

I mean, it isn’t subtle. The second scene has Julia outright say that when women say no they mean yes. Proteus claims Sylvia is the sun and therefore shines bigger and brighter than Julia who is merely a star, even though we now know that the sun is just a medium-sized star. The only way for Julia to safely travel is to pretend to be a man. If Julia from Verona is traveling as a man, who are the “Two Gentlemen of Verona?” What does it mean to be a “gentleman?” Valentine tries to perform masculinity by lying that he’s killed a man (and “slew him manfully”). Proteus asks for a picture of Sylvia, which he sees as a valid replacement for Sylvia herself. Sylvia is the only person to show Julia true compassion. Sylvia & Julia are clearly set up to be romantic rivals, but Sylvia has such a strong distaste for Proteus that there’s no chance of that. “Her eyes are gray as glass, and so are mine.” Valentine is introduced essentially as “one of the good ones” but once it becomes convenient he tries to GIFT SYLVIA TO PROTEUS. Sylvia has NO LINES for all of the ending while the men around her argue over who gets to marry her. SHE IS LITERALLY SILENCED.

But no. William Shakespeare honest-to-god wrote that play as a regular comedy with a happy ending. Presumably did not think about the implications of any of that one bit. He just thought all of that was normal.

[dorkforty]

So I spent some time this weekend diving down the rabbit hole of Hix-Men Fan Theory. That’s theories on what’s really going on in Jonathan Hickman’s X-Men, of course, specifically the twin series House of X and Powers of X. And, hoo boy, is the speculation rife! In the process of reading all this stuff, I learned some things I didn’t know, was introduced to some ideas I hadn’t considered, and put some of my own personal theories into a new context.

It was all terribly interesting, and an awful lot of fun. I haven’t been part of a popular fan debate on anything in a long time, and I’d forgotten how energetic it can be. I mean… I was certainly engaged with other fans of Twin Peaks Season Three, but that’s the David Lynch fanbase, which tends to be more artsy and adult, cheering on Our Hero’s directorial excesses even when they come at the expense of story and common sense. But there’s a real exhilaration in simply engaging with a story, and talking about it with others who just can’t wait to find out what happens next. So I decided to spend this week’s column talking about that instead of doing my usual long-winded reviews. Hope you enjoy it, but be forewarned: SPOILERS lie ahead. An endless array of them…

So What’s the Big Deal Here, Anyway?

The big revelation of the series so far, if you don’t already know, is that longtime X-Men ally Moira MacTaggart is actually a mutant with the power of reincarnation. Or, rather, the power of rebirth. Moira lives her life over and over again, born each time with full memory of all her previous lives, and obsessed with finding a way to prevent the mutant genocide she’s witnessed so many times. She’s currently on her tenth life, which we’ve been lead to believe is X-Men history as we know it. There’s even a timeline showing what she’s been up to across all ten lifetimes:

(click to REALLY embiggen)

Close examination reveals… rather a lot, really. Moira’s tried many different variations on things, some happier than others, but it always winds up the same way: mutant genocide at the hands of humans and their robots. With that in mind, considering her several lifetimes of genetics research, it’s not much of a stretch to believe that she married Joe MacTaggart specifically to give birth to Proteus, a reality-warping mutant whose powers are essential to the resurrection process introduced in last week’s House of X #5. If your goal is the survival of the mutant race, after all, figuring out a way to bring them back from the dead would be a good start.

(We still don’t know what happened to Life Six, by the way. Though some have speculated, based on some black panels in the sequence of her lives, that she may have been stillborn. Even though it’s been suggested that her mutant power won’t really manifest each time until she reaches puberty. Hmm…)

There’s loads of other stuff in there, too, including a few significant ret-cons. The biggest (aside from Moira’s mutant status) is that she let Charles Xavier read her mind on the day he first had the idea for the X-Men. So Professor X has spent all these years knowing a lot more than he seemed to, planning (presumably) for the situation we’re in now.

Years later, you’ll notice, they also let Magneto in on the plan. I really wasn’t sure when they did that, but people who are bigger X-Men fans than me have pegged it (based on the island base he’s living on when it happens) to sometime not long before X-Men #150. That’s where Magneto started his long turn toward heroism, refusing to kill Kitty Pryde in battle and fleeing to the peace and safety of Asteroid M. Fifty issues later, he’s pardoned by the UN, and not long after that, he’s the new headmaster of the Xavier School.

A few years after that, the timeline mentions a “schism” between Moira, Xavier, and Magneto. We don’t know when that happened or what might have caused it, but some are speculating that it happens just before the beginning of the Jim Lee “adjectiveless” X-Men series of the early 90s, when Magneto returns to being a villain. Which makes sense, I suppose. That Magneto seems lost and aimless, and easily lead back to villainy by his own acolytes. A split with the architects of the mutant master plan might well leave him that way.

But my money’s on it happening just before the beginning of the Grant Morrison run. There’s been a bit of a mutant population explosion, and they’re starting to form a distinct culture all their own. Xavier’s methods change in response, as he opens the school up to many more students than it’s traditionally hosted, and publicly comes out as a mutant. That’s a significant moment in at least one of Moira’s earlier lives. Hickman even copied the speech verbatim.

The Morrison Scene:

And the Hickman Scene:

So if the other two thought he was moving too soon, I could see that causing the split. It might also explain why Magneto strung himself out on power-enhancing drugs to better-disguise himself as Xorn, with the goal of eventually joining the faculty at the Xavier School and destroying it (and all hope of peaceful human/mutant relations) from within.

A few years after that, we’re told, Moira faked her own death using a “Shi’ar Golem” (whatever that is). And that, much to my surprise, is a total ret-con of a story in which Moira was assassinated by Mystique. So Moira’s been dead in-story for some time now, and is presumably still considered dead by most, if not all, of the cast.

And that begs a rather important question…

Where is Moira MacTaggart?

We’ve seen plenty of Moira in this book, in flashbacks and scenes from her previous lives. Some think that we may have even seen her in the future, in scenes from the X-Men: Year 1000 sequences in Powers of X (more on those in a minute). The one place we haven’t seen her is in the present-day (designated here as X-Men: Year 10). We’ve seen plenty of Xavier, forging a new mutant nation and recruiting every single mutant on Earth to join him there. We’ve seen Magneto in close conspiracy with him, discussing the ins and outs of the plan. We’ve seen them, together, sending a core X-Men team on a suicide mission. But no Moira. So where is she?

We don’t know. But there are theories out there, most of them revolving around another important question…

What’s Up With Professor X?

This is a natural question for a book like this. Hickman’s pulled enough swerves so far that virtually everything is worth (or seems worth) second-guessing. Some of the fan theories get pretty far out there. But questioning Xavier’s current actions seems entirely worthwhile to me. He’s embarking on an incredibly ambitious plan that, in some ways, goes against his core philosophy of “Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?” He’s suddenly arguing for mutant separatism, for one thing, and gathering as many mutants as he can onto a single land mass.

(A single, sentient, mutant land mass known as Krakoa, which has been known in the past to trap other mutants within itself and feed off their life force. It doesn’t do that anymore, of course, but still… You’d think somebody would be at least a little worried about how this is going down. Especially the part where they help Krakoa spread itself around the globe, and even onto other planets. But, nah. That couldn’t possibly be a problem…)

Now, all Xavier’s really arguing for at this point is for mutants to be governed by mutants, instead of by humans. And considering the multiple genocides committed against various mutant populations over the years…

…that doesn’t sound entirely unreasonable. It’s sort of like Mutant Israel. But in this case, it’s also rather elitist. Unlike Israel, the establishment of Krakoa puts mutants not only outside the bounds of human law, but also above it. And while nobody’s arguing for mutant rule of the human race yet, more than one prominent member of Xavier’s inner circle has expressed opinions in that direction.

It’s not just a philosophical change, either. His demeanor and body language are also quite different than what we’re used to from the staid, professorial X-Mentor. I suppose it could be explained away by his finally being able to stop pretending. He’s finally carrying out the master plan he and Moira cooked up so many years ago, and I could see how that would be freeing to him. So freeing that he’s got this “holy man” vibe about him at times. Which is appropriate, I suppose, considering how the resurrection process was sold to the mutant masses.

Yeah… Xavier’s not building a nation. He’s building a cult.

But he’s also more touchy-feely than we’re used to seeing, with more delicate gestures. To the point that some have described his movements as “feminine.”

Also? He’s only taken that damn helmet off once. And when he did? He was totally dressed up like his evil twin sister.

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So, yeah. What the hell IS up with Professor X?

As you might have already guessed, there seem to be two dominant theories. One is that his body’s being inhabited/controlled by the not-dead Moira MacTaggart. Or that her consciousness was placed in an Xavier body grown as part of the resurrection process. I mean, the official documentation we’re shown explaining that process does SPECIFICALLY SAY that nobody’s had their mind put into another person’s body yet. But that documentation might also be lying. And considering that just two paragraphs before that, it describes how they’ve solved the problem of Proteus burning out his bodies by making him a bunch of stand-by husks MADE FROM XAVIER’S DNA… There’s clearly a loophole.

(Alright, so Proteus can move his own mind from body to body without the need of the resurrection process. So TECHNICALLY it’s true that they haven’t mixed up mind and body as yet. But, yeah. That’s one hell of a loophole.)

The other dominant theory (and the one that I personally hope is true, just because it’s really cool) is that Xavier is actually his evil twin sister Cassandra Nova. Now, Xavier clearly has a male body, and even Cassandra’s emaciated stick of a frame wouldn’t look that male in a skin-tight outfit (black body socks don’t leave much to the imagination). But she’s jumped bodies AND implanted herself in Xavier’s mind before. So there’s precedent. There’s also a reference made to a “progerian mutant” in the Mister Sinister gossip column from Powers of X #4, and progerian might very well describe Ernst, the aged little girl form Cassandra was put into after her initial defeat.

Yes, yes. I know Grant Morrison’s original intent there was either completely misunderstood or purposefully ret-conned after he left the book, and that Ernst and Cassandra have since been established as two separate people. But screw it. The original idea was a lot better, and I’m holding out hope that Hickman’s going to ret-con the ret-con.

So, yeah. That one’s probably just a red herring.

But a man can dream, can’t he?

At any rate. Whatever’s going on with Xavier, this represents a real sea-change from his original dream, and it’s one that many people may have a hard time accepting. Which brings us to another often-asked fan question:

So the X-Men are Villains Now?

Well… Not villains, really. It’s more complicated than that.

I mean, sure. They welcomed some real nasty customers into the fold in last week’s House of X #5. A collection of genuinely evil mutants, including Apocalypse himself. But the idea is that they’ll agree to live by Krakoan law, or suffer the consequences of mutant justice.

So, yeah. It’s complicated. We haven’t seen everything of how they plan to interact with the human world. Emma Frost did, admittedly, work some mind control on a UN delegate or two to get Krakoa recognized as its own sovereign nation, and Xavier acknowledged that without damning her for it. But he also warned her of the dangers inherent in such things, and toasted her sacrifice.

And alongside that, there’s the miracle drugs they’re offering humanity: cures for cancer and dementia that can only be produced on Krakoa by mutants. Those are bargaining chips to convince other nations to recognize Krakoa, of course, and probably also function as some small deterrent to another genocidal attack. Who wants to give up a cure for cancer, after all, just to get rid of some people who simply want to be left alone? But, still. Those are genuine boons for the human race, and shouldn’t be forgotten.

Also, I’m pretty sure that Marvel Comics wouldn’t give Jonathan Hickman carte blanche to just turn one of their biggest franchises into a villain book. So I’m sure that, going forward, the X-Men will still be getting up to all manner of heroic deeds. They’ll just be doing it in front of a more morally-complicated backdrop.

None of this deals with another major fan question, however, this one most often being asked by people who aren’t completely on board for Hickman’s storytelling and the new status quo.

Why’s That Year 1000 Stuff Even There?

The one X-Men time period that seems utterly detached from everything else that’s happening is the far-future world of the X-Men: Year 1000. Mutants and machines have come together to overthrow humanity (keeping the last remaining Homo Sapiens in zoos), and now seek Ascension with the Phalanx, some kind of cosmic machine intelligence that either absorbs or destroys every culture it comes into contact with.

Hickman’s really getting out there with this sequence, tying together all the various Marvel machine races into one vast hierarchy that includes the Kree Supreme Intelligence, the Xandorian Worldmind, Warlock’s people, the techno-organic virus, and (somewhere way out at the very far end of things) the Celestials.

I only caught maybe half of this, you understand, and had to have the rest explained to me by people who’ve read a lot more X-Men comics than me. I had no idea, for instance, that the Phalanx had even appeared before. But they were evidently the subject of an entire X-Men storyline, and had something to do with the story that launched the modern version of Guardians of the Galaxy, too. Here, they just come off like one of those awesome Hickman-Riffs-On-Kirby things that he does from time to time. I didn’t need to know any of that to understand the story, either. It’s just interesting to me.

Anyway.

From my perspective, the Year 1000 stuff speaks to two very important questions about this story. First, it’s the ultimate payoff on all the Sentinel stuff Hickman’s been developing. Though the machines seem to be mutantkind’s doom in the short term, they may turn out to be its salvation in the end. Which may mean that Moira’s life experience, prodigious as it may seem in human terms, is too short-sighted. It may be that, in preventing Nimrod from going on-line and destroying the Orchis Mother Mold, the X-Men have doomed themselves to eventual destruction at the hands of machines far more advanced than anything Moira’s even dreamed of.

Second, though, the Year 1000 stuff also speaks to one of the series’ bigger metaphysical tangles: when Moira dies and is reborn, do the timelines of her previous lives just… end? Or do they keep going on past her, developing and growing without her? Is Moira MacTaggart just caught in an endless loop, or is she somehow taking the whole damn universe along with her every time, dooming it to end unless she can find a path to immortality?

I hadn’t even considered the latter possibility until I ran across it on a forum somewhere. Now, I can’t get it out of my head. And I guess the answer hinges entirely on whether the Year 1000 sequence is the future of Moira’s tenth life, or (like the Year 100 sequence before it) if it’s simply the far future extension of one of her previous lives.

We haven’t necessarily seen Moira in the Year 1000, by the way. But there is an Elder who’s masterminding everything we’ve seen, who has a helmet much like Xavier’s current Cerebro jobbie. And considering the effective immortality Our Heroes have developed… Well. It’s not completely out of the question, is it?

Something that probably IS completely out of the question, though, is covered by our final query:

How Could I Have Forgotten About Fan-Kink?

As I said at the outset, I haven’t been an active participant in any truly popular dork fandom in a very long time. And somehow, I had forgotten how horny certain elements of the fanbase really are. I mean, I’m aware of things like shipping and erotic fan fiction, but I haven’t personally run across it in ages. At least, not until I started digging into X-Men Fan Theory.

It’s only natural that X-Fans are into kink, I suppose. It’s baked in. Chris Claremont, the granddaddy of modern mutant adventure, often worked out his own personal sexual fantasies in this book. That’s why there’s so many dominatrix outfits. And I don’t even wanna THINK about Claremont in relation to the adult baby stuff from the very first X-Men comic I ever read.

No wonder this comic freaked me out when I was ten.

So, yeah. X-Fans do seem to love their kink. And Hickman seems to have set them off with a passing comment that a group of mutants should be called an Orgy. Which is a funny line, but wow. Some people have gotten REALLY into the idea. I’ve seen fantasies of mid-air threesomes and couplings involving all manner of mutant genitalia (and a few tails). And I haven’t even made the dive into any actual X-rated fan sites. This is just in regular funnybook forums, mixed in with theories about alternate timelines and how this character or that came back from the dead.

The best of this stuff has to be the things people have been saying about the Mister Sinister rumor column. Without going into detail, I’ve read theories about various characters reuniting for the lesbian/gay/interspecies love affair they were always meant to have but never did, or speculating on various dom/sub combos implied by rumors that I thought were fairly innocuous (or is “red shoes” code for something I’m not aware of?). My absolute favorite, though, is the (apparently long-running) theory that Wolverine, Jean Grey, Cyclops, and Emma Frost are all involved in a polyamorous relationship. This idea has inspired long treatises on the new mutant morality, and how they might be tossing aside all manner of human rules on Krakoa, especially the ones about sex and romance.

I’m not knocking it, you understand. No kink-shaming here. People should get into whatever they’re into, as far as I’m concerned, and more power to ’em. It’s just weird to go from posts detailing the events of “The Phalanx Covenant” to rapturous fantasies about the joys of telekinetic free love.

And since I couldn’t possibly top that, I think it’s time to shut up…

X-Theory: Fan Thoughts On Jonathan Hickman’s X-Men So I spent some time this weekend diving down the rabbit hole of Hix-Men Fan Theory. That's theories on what's really going on in Jonathan Hickman's X-Men, of course, specifically the twin series House of X and Powers of X.

[kurtty-drabbles]

Swan au (intimidation)

N/A: The animals are very bitter at Kitty, she´s clearly Evil Wizard Kurt´s favourite. As for their relationship baby steps.

@djinmer4 @dannybagpipesarecalling @discordsworld

The sound of children gushing at the circus´s attraction is actually the only sound to be heard if someone really pays attention, as parents indulge in their kids' imagination. A nice woman with curly hair and a kind smile(and a graceful way of speaking and move resembling the most beautiful swan) captivate the hearts and minds of everyone who enters in the circus.

"Lady, Lady," one of the kids asked free from their parent´s supervision "you´re very pretty, like a swan" the kids replied in unison.

"Oh, that´s cute, would you said I´m the most beautiful swan ?" the kids' nods and the woman identified herself as Kitty smiles pleased and gave two tickets, for free, to the kids, but make them swear to not spread this little fact to anyone else.

She can´t give free tickets. That´s not the job of a ticket office. The kids' solemn swear. Happily to being able to see more of the circus.

Once the kids are out of her view, lost in the crow of people gushing and talking excitedly about the attraction of the moment, so much, that no one seems to noticed a blue fur little creature bamfing next to her. Playing with her free lock of hair absently to the world.

"Hello, little one, " Kitty replied using her middle finger to caress his fur and chubby belly. "Does Kurt has all he needs?" the creature nods affirming her question and Kitty let a lazy smile reaches her face, her job is done now, "So, if your part of the job is over, do want to come with me to the city? I want to buy more milk and ...I´ve seen enough of the main attraction, what do you say?" the little creature readily agrees to jump in her shoulder. As Kitty is leaving the circus she can hear the screamings. _____________________________ Kitty returns later with milk and the bamf as Kurt explains, in such tender and soft way, what really happened. Kitty nods and pipes a few questions here and there as Kurt does answers honestly. A pair of eyes look at the scene with anything but fondness for this new guest.

Their names hardly matter now, but, they go for what they used to be. A wolf, a snake, an owl and a possum. All caught Kurt´s attention in a way or another and they must all obey and live with their consequences.

Yet, Kitty is treated so gently and kind. Offering free tickets? She can do it with no repercussion. Kitty can take as many days offs she pleased, she can win presents too.

The snake remembers oh so vividly the time Kitty´s feet were burned because of the inane creature didn´t comprehend that some places have an amount of heat which can burn the skin of her feet. Kurt was tender and kinder with HER. The snake did have to improve once she experiments with the burning sensation.

Wolf, Snake, Owl and possum know Kitty is a Swan, never was a secret from the circus, but, is a secret why Kurt cares so much for this little Swan. A free Swan chooses to be here.

"Who does she think she is?" Snake replied letting her tongue be the only indication she is not fully human. Wolf eyes the Swan as now she is walking side by side with Kurt and his minions.

"A swan needs to know this is not a place for her kind" the word was spoken with utter disdain as his cup is being filled by the possum.  The owl decides to throw her two cents as well.

"If the master favour her, then, it would be best to let it go, if he gets tired of her...she´ll get the same fate as the others, for the time being, let us not make any hasty decision as this will backfire for us" the owl lift her cup as possum pour more beverage for the owl. The group as an odd dynamic, Possum is more of a servant than a true member of the group, yet, they still let the creature roams in their territory and sometimes offer protection. The keyword here: sometimes.

"You´re a symbol of wisdom, Owl, how come you ended up in this situation?" mock the snake lifting her cup to the possum to fill again, "I said ...it won´t hurt to just introduce ourselves to the new girl" the snake now drinks her beverage pleased with herself.

Wolf take the lead role as speaks with a final tone in his voice "yes, Snake is right, let´s have a chat with the Swan"

Possum is the only one who didn´t contribute to the conversation.

_____________________________ One day, Kurt informs Kitty he needs to go to the city to gather more supplies for the living a few materials for his....plans. Kitty nods and bides him farewell, she spends part of her time helping the human(a small percentage on the circus) and gets to know them a little better.

Once their chore is over. Kitty is walking by the tents used for the attractions. Her elegant fingers touch the fabric of the tent, the red with yellow lines, gingerly. The fabric seems so soft but at the same time, it feels impossible to rip.

Of course, Kitty realized that she´s not alone as a pair of eyes make itself know in the darkest corner of the tent. Wolf, Snake and Owl all show up ready to have a small chat with the Swan.

"Hello, little Swan" Wolf shows his canines in his small talk and Kitty let go of the fabric to gaze at his eyes "we see you walking around, thinking you own this place and we don´t like this"

"Oh, really?" Kitty crosses her arms " I don´t think I ever walk as if I own this place, if I do, I would employ wolfs and snakes that love to get drunk each night, I would fire you if I was the owner...but, of course, Kurt is and if you have complains go after Kurt, not me"

She makes a motion to walk away but the wolf hurls and groans as his kin did when asserting dominance. His fangs are visible and Kitty has the flashback of her encounter with the Fox. Her reaction was noticed by the Wolf who primes himself as being the leader of the pack and continues.

Steady steps. He wants to teach her a lesson. A swan needs to know who is in charge, where she is in the hierarchy.

"I´d think I dislike you, but, as a kind leader of this pack, I can help you. First" wolf is getting closer and closer of Kitty, "I think you need to learn, humility and the first step for that is ...." Wolf jump to bite Kitty or to hurt her or even scared the poor Swan. That was the plan, however, the reality was not kind with the wolf as Kitty take from her pocket a knife and stuck on his right eye hard. The knife practically enters from his eyeball in such a way that the knife is stuck there.

Wolf scream with anger, fear and pain. Kitty takes the Wolf and throws at the Snake. By the sound of "crek," something was broke to Snake or Wolf. Kitty takes another knife, from her other pocket, and aim to the owl who is too fearful to move.

Owl was sure the Swan would either run away or someone would come to her rescue.

"Owl! we´re birds here, right? So, let´s be friends, Owl...because I don´t have to hurt another bird, but I´ll if that happened again, got it?" Kitty replied with the knife in hands. Owl nods and Kitty leaves the other animal behind.

Later, when Kurt is back, the only questioned made was why she is cleaning bloody knives.

"...Kurt? your wolf has an accident and now lost an eye, will that be a problem?" she asked now facing him. Kurt shurgs mentioned he could either heal him or get a new Wolf.

"Am I replaceable to you? There´s many birds and women out there....if you want ...There´s a peacock" she speaks but trails off in her sentence and Kurt takes her face, tenderly, as his golden eyes gaze into her brown eyes. "I know you´re evil...so if you want to replace me"

"Who said I want to replace you? I can get any wolf without a problem, but you? Is a rarity that I want to keep to myself, so, don´t think I can get another you like you. That´s impossible and never gone to happen"

"Good to hear that"

"Katzchen, are you the reason for my wolf have an accident with his eye?"

"Yes"

"Ok, just checking"

___________________ In Xarxon, the new king regent is named Proteus. In a short period of 6 months, Xarxon morphed into a new place, get a new social-economic status and get an upgrade in their political affairs.  Good news for the people of Xarxon that does not want to see the old king not even painted in gold. Another good news is that princess Illyana Rasputin is finally back.

They may hate Piotr, however, they love the princess and her presence back makes be akin to a white pigeon of peace.

Illyana is currently in her room. The First Born princess of Genosha is visiting Proteus, a royal courtesy as Xarxon is a neighbour of Genosha. Princess Lorna, the middle child and second princess(Pietro and Wanda are twins) have the task of making a polite talk with the beloved princess, Illyana Rasputin.

Illyana is with her faithful friend, Rhane Sinclair, getting dressed to talk with the princess. No, in fact, they already are ready. Yana just wants to make a few points clears before going to the meeting.

"Are you sure?" Rhane asked for the last time. "I mean, Genosha has some flaws, I think we all know what I´m talking about"

"I know, but, they are best as allies than enemies" Yana assured her friend "Proteus is a student from the necromancer...you can be sure my brother´s insanity was caused by him...well, my brother was never sane or a nice person...But his sudden case of wanting to marry a swan or hurt a swan and then Proteus being the regent...has his finger" Yana respond putting her royal crown " I know that our mines produce gems and the Necromancer, that son of a bitch" Rhane speaks about language " Is getting a fair share of gems for free. Sure as payment"

"But you won´t do anything against Proteus ....?"

"No, because he´s useful to me ...for now" Yana´s tone is sombre and in moments like this Rhane remembers she was raised by Belasco and his wife.

"Well, you sure won´t do this alone, me and the New Mutants are here to help, you can count on us" Rhane declares fierce

"Thank you" her tone is soft now "I´ll need all the allies I can, I send letters to Dani, Sam and Paige, Roberto and Amara and Doug"now she ponders for a moment "he´s with Excalibur now and I think I would like to meet them, if they are trustworthy maybe they can help"

Rhane nods and opens the door for the princess to go. Both girls are now ready to face Princess of Genosha, Lorna Dane.

Lorna Dane heard many tales about Princess Illyana from Wanda. The girl is sharp like a sword, don´t cross her or you won´t have a second chance.  Wanda is one of most powerful witches Lorna knows(not being biased here) so, if Wanda is speaking highly of Yana...then Lorna is expecting great things from this Princess.

Except, the fearsome Illyana is still a child. Still has baby fat on her features. Lorna can´t believe this is the deadly witch from hell Wanda speaks so highly. She is just a child.

Then again, Lorna was just a child when she killed for the first time.

"Princess Illyana Rasputin is an honour to finally meet you" Lorna make the right measures and bows to this occasion. The other Princess laughs amused and dismissed the formalities "I´m here to express my sorry for the condition of your brother and to offer a friendly hand to Xarxon"

"Are you sure?" Illyana speaks calmly and amused at the same time " Because Genosha never offered a friendly hand to Xarxon before" she speaks and walks like a prey seizing his victims and Lorna is impressed and terrified that this girl can´t act like her age.

Actually, Lorna never could act like her age.

"Yes, we never offer a hand before, that was because of old politicians and rules, now, we have a new start ahead of us, new possibilities" Lorna replied politely.

"Yes, the possibility of an alliance to help dethrone Magneto" Rhane answers and Yana calms Lorna´s spirits telling they are inside a magical barrier of her. No one can hear their conversation.

"In that case, yes, there´s this possibility as well" Lorna speaks now understanding why Wanda is often praising Yana. "I suppose that if you didn´t kill me now or snitch me...you want to enter in the rebellion?"

"Is very convenient for the first Princess to talk with the king regent, instead of Yana, no one will suspect our talk" Rhane explained joining the conversation " Proteus is a former student or still is a student from the Necromancer and the payment to be able to sit in the throne is a good share of gems...half of what the mines produce goes to the necromancer" Rhane finishes and Lorna now can understand where this is going.

"Help Genosha may open doors to me as well, I want a few favours in return, we all deal with the Necromancer in a way or another. Our sister made a terrible....lack of judgment many years ago and now, Genosha has a tie with him...I want to explore this tie. I want to get rid of any trace of the Necromancer"

"You´re extremely powerful. Powerful enough to defeat him?"

Yana looks at Rhane then at the ceiling. The image of the founders of this kingdom seems a copy-paste to Yana. She remembers Belasco, she remembers her time in Limbo, the New Hell.

"Yes, I´m"