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Yakko’s leg bounced up and down so quickly, it appeared to simply be vibrating. In truth, Yakko had to be forced to sit down, his pacing was driving the others in the hospital waiting room insane.
Dot had begun her surgery about an hour ago, and they should’ve heard something by now... at least Yakko thought. In truth, he hadn’t asked how long it was supposed to take, and even if he had he didn’t have a watch for which to keep track.
Either way, Yakko was anxious to hear if Dot was okay. A million things could happen during surgery, a million things his mind loved to jump around and explore while he waited. He tried his best to listen to the advice of his younger brother and Plotz (a sentence he never thought he’d ever form) and remind himself that this was necessary and Dot needed the surgery and that everything is going to be okay, but Yakko was Yakko and his anxiety continued.
His brother was right for calling him a ‘worry-wart’, but ‘worry-warting’ had kept them alive so far so he wasn’t exactly going to stop now.
After a while of that, however, Yakko just put his elbows on his legs to stop the shaking and just hoped for the best. All the pacing and shaking was tiring. Quickly after that though, none other than Doctor Scratchnsniff himself entered the waiting room, and Yakko and Wakko hugged each other nervously.
“Ze operation vas a complete success!” The doctor smiled and Yakko and Wakko practically jumped with joy as a wave of relief washed over them.
Finally, it was over.
“However... there is one thing we’d like to talk to you about, Yakko,” Hello Nurse said, appearing next to Scratchnsniff.
Well... at least, Dot’s sickness was over. They still had a lot more loose ends to tie everywhere else.
“But I wanna see Dot,” Wakko frowned and pulled on his brother’s arm.
“You’ll get to later, she’s just in recovery for now. Surgery is quite the tiring process,” the nurse explained. Wakko huffed and pulled down his hat.
“I’m gonna be boredddddddd,” Wakko groaned.
“I’m sure you’ll find something to do in that head of yours,” Yakko teased, standing up. Wakko huffed, but didn’t say much outside of that, so Yakko took that as his brother’s permission and he went off with the nurse and doctor.
“So... what’s this about? Is Dot okay?” Yakko asked once they were alone in a room.
“No, Dot is doing vonderfully,” Scratchy shook his head. “Zis is about... something else.”
“Yakko, do you know why you came to Acme Falls?” Hello Nurse asked.
“Well, my mom told us- why are you asking?” Yakko raised an eyebrow.
“Well, you see, your father actually grew up here, before he was a squire and moved away,” She said. “As such, Queen Angelina II and King William knew that you three would be safe here, in case anything happened to the two of them. We knew what to expect and more importantly, they knew we wouldn’t harm you or turn you in to King Salazar.”
Yakko paused a long moment.
“You mean... you guys knew?” Yakko asked.
“Vell... yah. Of course ve knew. Not everyone looks like your family, you know?” The doctor looked at him in a way that pointed out the stupidity of the question. Yakko facepalmed.
“Right, yeah,” Yakko cringed. “So... why are you telling me this now?”
“Well, as I’m sure you’ve heard, the people of Warnerstock’s hatred of Salazar has only grown over the years, and rumors have spread about the Wishing Star and you three’s survival of the attack and now people are suggesting that you three inherit your parent's thrones, and well... we have proof,” The nurse explained, showing Yakko their birth certificates.
Yakko’s eyes fell upon the familiar handwriting of his father, and he touched it carefully.
“I-i... I don’t know what to say,” Yakko managed to get out.
“It’s a lot to process, no?” The doctor said. Yakko nodded.
“I-i just... I don’t know... I haven’t thought about actually returning to our old lives in... a really long time,” Yakko set down the certificates and scratched the back of his neck.
“It’s one thousand percent up to you, we aren’t forcing you to do anything, we’re just... pointing something out, so to say,” Hello Nurse explained, feeling bad.
“Yeah, I get that,” Yakko said. “Still it’s... wow. I mean... my dad really used to live here? Why didn’t anyone say anything?” he questioned.
“Well... I suppose there was never a right time. We did our best to make sure the three of you were well, but with everything going downhill so fast... well, there was only so much we could do,” She did her best to justify. Yakko slowly nodded.
“Yeah, that makes sense,” He admitted. Looking back, he could see their acts of kindness and how they did try their best to have sympathy and help while the world went sour around them. The looking away when they borrowed food, the conveniently placed goods, the constant hiring of Wakko while they could. Acme Falls was good like that.
“Well... I’ll need to talk to my sibs about this... and do some thinking... a lot of thinking,” Yakko said.
“Of course, you shouldn’t rush a zing like zis, no?” The doctor agreed. Yakko bit his lip.
“So when will Dot be okay enough for guests?” Yakko asked.
“Oh, not for a little while. Don’t worry, we’ll be sure to keep you two updated,” Hello Nurse said. “Should give you plenty of time to think.”
“Yippie,” Yakko laughed pathetically. The doctor and nurse gave him looks of sympathy.
“You must be in your head often, no?” Scratchy asked. Yakko nodded. “Not fun.”
“Yeah, you said it,” Yakko said, standing up.
“Well... I’ll give what you said a thought... this should be fun,” He nodded at them.
“We’ll send for you if Dot wakes up while you’re gone,” The nurse suggested. Yakko nodded at that, and headed out of the room, pausing briefly outside of Dot’s room.
“Please recover fast. I don’t know how much more of this thinking I can handle,” He thought, before walking back to the waiting room.
“What’d they talk to you about?” asked Wakko.
“Oh just... things,” Yakko couldn’t think of a lie fast enough.
“What kind of things?” Wakko raised an eyebrow, painfully curious.
“Legal things,” Yakko said, deciding the truth was boring enough. Wakko groaned.
“Everything is so boring now,” Wakko complained. “Why can’t everything be death-defying and a mad chase for the Wishing Star?”
“There’s nothing boring about safety,” Yakko frowned, hoping his brother wasn’t already getting ideas.
Then again, becoming a prince again would be entertaining...
Yakko groaned as he felt a headache come on.
“I’ll be back, I have a lot to think about,” Yakko said.
“You’re gonna leave me again?” Wakko pouted.
“Look, it’ll only be a minute. I’ll buy us some food, that sound good to you?” Yakko asked. Wakko nodded and handed Yakko his remaining ha’penny.
“Just come back soon, Mr. Plotz is so boring... though now that he’s asleep...” Wakko looked at him, mischief gleaming in his eyes. Yakko snorted.
“You do what makes you happy, just don’t pretend I was involved,” Yakko winked and left the hospital, happy to get out and get some fresh air.
In truth, the day was still quite young. The Warners had gone to the hospital first thing in the morning, and after a quick, reassuring peptalk from Yakko, Dot’s nerves were soothed and she was taken into surgery. Now it was roughly two hours later, and the streets were full of people who were eager to spend the money that had been returned to them from the Baron, who kept his promise. Yakko couldn’t help but smile at the sight, reflecting on how it had only been two days ago the streets were barron and covered in snow, and the town lifeless and grey.
It seemed Acme Falls was welcoming a bright, new future.
A bright, new future they were probably all hoping was staring- well...
Him.
His sibs.
God, how their days of royalty felt like a million years ago.
Yakko used to have plenty of happy memories of his parents dancing around in his head, but nowadays it seemed they were all tainted. Any time he remembered his mother singing and kissing him goodnight, he’d remember the last time he saw her, all bruised and bloodied. Any time he’d remember a funny story his father read to him, he’d recall his father telling him he’d never let anything bad happen to him or his sibs.
He had made promises to his parents too: that he’d be able to protect them and keep them safe no matter what.
Yakko sighed, as guilt weighed on his back as it so often did. He couldn’t help but wonder if there would ever be a day the guilt would go away. It wracked his mind for as long as he could remember, whether it was about not being able to save his mother, the orphanage closing, Dot’s health, Wakko going away, or how he had failed to protect them and almost lost both of them in one day.
Determined to not dwell, Yakko quickly began to make his way to the market in the town square and filled up his bag with fruits and vegetables, as well as a loaf of bread, and couldn’t help but smile as he paid for it with the ha’penny.
That was one benefit if they decided to inherit the throne: he and his siblings would never have to be hungry again. They’d have a nice, warm home and never want for anything ever again.
But at the same time, Acme Falls had become a home to them. They knew most everyone around town, and it would feel strange not to see them. These people had done so much for them over the years, it wouldn’t feel right to leave them.
Yakko thanked the grocer, and decided to stop by their home before going back to the hospital.
It would probably do wonders for them to have a nice, warm home without giant holes in the roof that let in piles of snow and rain, and to have nice, warm beds that were stuffed with feathers and cleaned every day by servants instead of the uncomfortable bare-bones wooden ones Wakko and Yakko had. Goodness knew his back would probably appreciate it.
Still... as he looked around he recognized it as home. He had lived there for a whole year- the longest he’s lived anywhere since before the attack. It would be really hard to say goodbye.
Yakko sat down on his bed and groaned, annoyed as the headache flared. He really thought his mind would be used to all of this over-analyzing and stressing by now, but it wasn’t.
He then figured it was best he delay thinking about it until he was ready to discuss it with his siblings. For now, he’d head back to the hospital and wait for Dot to wake up. He had ignored Wakko long enough anyway.
Turns out, Yakko didn’t have to wait much at all, as Dot was already awake by the time he had made it back.
“Yakko! Do you like my scar?” Dot beamed when he entered her room and showed off the scar on her chest where they had operated. Yakko laughed and nodded, feeling his headache disappear entirely.
“Very cool,” He said, setting down the bag of food in the corner of the room.
“I think it’s faboo,” Wakko grinned with his tongue sticking out like a puppy.
“How’re you feeling though? Do you feel well-rested?” Yakko asked, going to the side of her bed and stroking her head.
“I feel fine Yakko, really,” Dot reassured.
“Yeah, she feels fine. You’re such a worry-wart,” Wakko teased him.
Yakko rolled his eyes. “It’s kept us alive this long, and you can’t argue with that.”
“Yeah yeah,” Wakko mumbled. Sometimes Yakko swore his brother was still four years old.
“Anyway,” He said, giving his brother a look, “I was wondering if you’re okay enough to have a long and kinda tough conversation.”
“What do you mean? Are you gonna yell at me again?” Dot blinked.
“No, no. It’s not like that conversation,” Yakko said, feeling a pang of guilt. “I mean... well...” He sighed, not knowing how to say it other than to outright say it. Instead, he patted for Wakko to sit on Dot’s bed and he did.
“Well... you two know how Mom and Dad were once king and queen before King Salazar, right?” Yakko asked. His siblings nodded.
“Well... you see, now that Salazar is on the way out, now the people of Warnerstock are looking for the true heirs to the throne... us,” Yakko explained, his sibs taking a moment to process what he was saying.
“You mean they want us to rule the country?” Wakko tilted his head.
“I mean- basically, yeah,” Yakko nodded.
“I’d get to be a princess?” Dot beamed.
“Well- yes, but it’s a lot more than just fancy dresses and a castle,” Yakko warned.
“What do you mean?” She frowned.
“Well, for starters, it’d mean we’d have responsibilities, and big ones. We’d have to make sure to take good care of Warnerstock, and its citizens,” He explained.
“Psh, we can do that,” Wakko blew it off.
“Oh? And what makes you so confident?” Yakko raised an eyebrow.
“You’ve taken care of us two for six years now, and you’ve done just fine,” Wakko said plainly.
“Yeah right, you two almost died countless times,” Yakko rolled his eyes, but decided not to get into it.
“A whole kingdom is a lot more than just two people,” Yakko said.
“How would the people even know we’re the heirs to the throne?” Dot tilted her head.
“Outside of looks? The hospital has our birth certificates,” Yakko said. “They’re signed by our parents and everything.”
Wakko and Dot blinked.
“Can we see them?” Wakko asked.
“Uh- okay,” Yakko nodded and asked for the nurse to bring them over. She did, and Yakko handed them to his siblings, surprised to see how much they captivated them.
“Wow- my name is really long written down,” Dot remarked.
“Well yeah, what else did you expect Princess Angelina Contessa Louisa Francesca Banana Fanna Bo Besca III?” Yakko joked.
“I honestly have no idea how you remember it all. I get them all mixed up,” Wakko commented.
“Yeah, your name is nice and short, Wakkorotti,” Dot teased.
“Dad’s handwriting was really neat and curly,” Wakko said, tracing the cursive with his finger.
“That’s because it’s cursive and he was trained in calligraphy,” Yakko explained. “Which- if we decided to claim the throne- would be one of our responsibilities.”
“I wanna learn how to write curly letters!” Dot bounced up and down before wincing.
“Take it easy Dot, no need to overexert yourself. Don't forget you’re still recovering,” Yakko warned.
“What else would we do?” Wakko asked.
“Well... we’d make laws, sign treaties, keep people safe and happy, throw parties, and take a lot of classes that will probably be really boring for things like maners and such,” Yakko tried to recall what he could of his past for reference, but very little came up.
“Would we still be together?” Dot asked. quieter.
“Of course,” Yakko frowned with concern. “I’d never let them separate us.”
“We’d get a big fancy castle? With nice warm beds? And warm food?” Wakko quizzed. Yakko nodded.
“O-of course, but it’s not that simple Wakko,” Yakko said, frustrated his worries weren’t getting through.
“Then I don’t see what the problem is. Sign me up,” Wakko officially declared his support of reclaiming the throne.
“Me too!” Dot agreed, and declared her support as well.
“Well- I-... okay,” Yakko rubbed the bridge of his nose. In truth, he knew his siblings would be ecstatic about hearing that they could become royalty again, and that he’d be the only one with any problems.
Well, he promised he’d listen and ask them, and that he did.
“If you guys are one hundred percent sure then... I’m sure too. Let’s go reclaim the throne... however, you do that.”
.o0o.
After about a week of planning, they had finally done it. Salazar was gone and was never, ever coming back, Yakko made sure of that.
He was amused by how scared the king had looked, knowing that he had been beaten by literal children. It was pathetic really, but Yakko enjoyed kicking him out nonetheless. After all, now he’d be rotting a cell for the rest of time. Yakko could finally rest easy about that.
However, as he watched people redecorate the castle around him to become more and more as he remembered, he couldn’t help but feel like a ghost, viewing things that had once been. He had been dazed as he watched old tapestries get hung, and he had been left speechless when they asked for suggestions on flowers or colors.
Thank god he had Wakko and Dot, otherwise, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to do this.
Yakko smiled softly. Wakko and Dot had been so excited during the whole ordeal, only getting sad when they had to say goodbye to Acme Falls. They loved their new rooms (though they always ended up sleeping in Yakko’s room out of habit) and all the foods and dressing up and preparation for their coronation.
Oh god, their coronation was today. Yakko was standing and getting his pants fitted for the ceremony which was in an hour. He was wearing a crown.
He still couldn’t believe any of this was happening.
“Now... how does that feel?” One of the seamstresses asked him, stepping back and giving him a good look up and down.
“Feels weird to have pants that fit,” Yakko snorted, but admired himself in the mirror.
He looked regal, almost. If he smiled and puffed out his chest, he looked like the epitome of confidence and charm. Thank god, he needed that or else everyone was going to realize he was just a scared kid.
“But I like it. It looks great, thank you so much,” Yakko smiled and nodded at her. He then stepped down and decided to go looking for his sibs, noticing it had been a while since he had seen them and he needed to make sure they hadn’t destroyed anything.
“Yakko! These halls are so long, and really good for racing!” Dot said, nearly crashing into him as he turned the corner to see them.
“Dot, what did I say about running around? You’re still recovering, take it easy,” Yakko shook his head and chuckled. As much as he warned against it, it filled him with joy to see her running around like a little kid again. After all, it had been over a year since she had been healthy.
“Lame,” Wakko rolled his eyes as he slowed down to join them. Yakko copied his motion as he scooped Dot up in his arms.
“So, what’re you two doing in this hall? I think this is the one part of the castle I haven’t seen yet,” Yakko said.
“A bunch of old art and stuff. The maid ladies said they haven’t decided where to put them up yet,” Wakko said, catching his breath.
“Really? I thought I’d seen it all by now,” Yakko commented, now wanting to see them. Dot bobbed her head.
“Oh yeah! They’re a bunch of old dresses and suits and stuff too, though a lot of them are really dirty,” She remarked. Yakko furrowed his eyebrows, not knowing what to think, as he started walking.
As he walked, he noticed a lot of the furniture in this hall was covered in white cloth, so he set Dot down and pulled them off before snorting.
He remembered this one. It was a painting of an orchard from one of his Dad’s stories. It had been about a knight returning to his home village after years of being away, and falling for his childhood sweetheart before having to defeat a giant and saving the day for everyone. His father’s words had been so descriptive and precise, Yakko could recognize the painting in a flash. He was pretty sure it had been a birthday present to him when he was seven, though paintings were hardly what he’d consider a proper gift for a seven-year-old.
Still. It felt nice to see it again.
“What’s that? Who painted it?” Dot asked.
“It’s a painting from one of Dad’s old stories. I’m pretty sure the royal artist did it... Pappy... Pabby... I don’t remember his name,” Yakko shrugged, not caring.
“Can we have a royal painter? I wanna get a portrait done of me. Cuteness like this should be preserved,” Dot posed in her big pink dress.
“I’ll think about it,” Yakko snickered, before moving to one that was much bigger than the others. Tilting his head, he pulled off the heavy cloth and took a step back as a layer of dust got into the air. After coughing and clearing the air, he looked at it and his body froze.
“Woah, so realistic,” Wakko remarked, wanting to touch it.
“Who are those people?” Dot tilted her head.
“Th-thats... th-that’s them,” Yakko said, unable to take his eyes off of it.
It was a portrait of them, their whole family. It had been done a few weeks before the attack, and Yakko had never gotten to see the final product. But here it was- and it was so... so lifelike. Yakko wanted to reach out to it and touch it, hoping that he could feel his mother’s soft gloves and or his father’s fur cape.
“Them?” Dot looked up at him. Yakko gulped hard.
“M-mom and Dad,” he struggled to say.
“Why are you shaking?” Dot asked. Yakko paused. He hadn’t noticed he was.
“S-sorry sibs... it’s just... It’s really, really lifelike,” Yakko shook his head, trying to force himself out of the trance. “I can’t believe it survived. There’s no way any portraits of them should’ve made it. Most of them were burned or torn to pieces.”
“Wow... that’s what they looked like?” Dot asked, looking at it closer. Wakko nodded.
“I only have one or two memories of Mum and Dad, but that’s them alright,” Wakko smiled a little, and Yakko wrapped an arm around him, before feeling himself start to shake again.
“Oh god- what am I doing?” Yakko let go and took a step away from Wakko. His sibs looked back at him, equal parts concerned and confused.
“I-i should be happy to see that a painting of them survived. I-i... I’ve missed seeing their faces a lot. B-but here I am, shaking like some idiot,” Yakko ran his fingers through his hair. He tried to gain control of his breath as he looked in the eyes of his parents in the painting, and felt another wave of emotions go down his spine.
“I-i just... seeing them again, I-i...” Yakko tried to analyze his feelings, but it was proving to be very difficult.
“It’s hard?” Wakko suggested. Yakko nodded slightly.
“Y-yeah...” He sighed. “They just... they look so... regal. In control. They always knew what they were doing. They knew just how to protect us. No matter what happened, they had a plan to keep us safe, even if that ended up costing them,” He said, crossing his arms, as he felt guilt crawl into his throat and his eyes begin to fill with tears.
“I just... I don’t think I’ll ever be able to match up to them,” He admitted, feeling a rogue tear escape.
“God, I’m turning into such a cry baby,” Yakko muttered and wiped his eyes.
“There’s no shame in crying, Yakko,” Dot frowned. “You should know that. You’ve told me all the time.”
“Yeah, it’s okay,” Wakko said, stepping closer, clearly wanting to hug him.
“Of course you two would say that,” Yakko sniffled, laughing a little.
“Of course we would, we love you,” Wakko said, running to hug him. “And I know Mum and Dad loved you too.”
“I-I’m sure if they were around, they’d be proud Yakko. I mean- look at you. Somehow, you kept me and Wakko alive in Acme Falls for six years, and you’ve kept us safe and gave us food and protection, all while putting on a brave face to keep us happy,” Dot pointed out, joining the hug. “That’s incredibly brave and regal, if you asked me.”
Yakko patted her head softly. “Thanks, sis.” Dot just smiled in return. Taking in a deep breath, Yakko tried to regain his composure.
“You know... I’m really lucky to have you two,” Yakko said, and he meant it. He couldn’t imagine how his life would be if he didn’t have Dot or Wakko with him, especially right in this moment.
“Really?” Wakko asked, his tongue now sticking out, as it so often did.
“Of course,” Yakko ruffled his fur. “You two are honestly the best siblings and co-rulers a prince such as myself could ask for,” Yakko smiled.
“Thanks, you’re not so bad yourself,” Dot winked at him. Yakko snorted.
“Seriously though, I couldn’t imagine doing this without you guys. You guys are probably the only thing keeping me sane right now,” He said, only half-joking.
“It’s okay Yakko, we aren’t going anywhere,” Wakko laughed a little.
“Yeah! We’re a team, we all agreed on that. You’re never gonna have to worry about being alone ever again,” Dot said with a big smile.
“Good,” He said, hugging the two of them a little bit closer as he wiped away another tear. With a breath, he looked at his watch and gasped.
“Brain is gonna kill us if we’re late, we have to hurry. It’s almost time,” Yakko said, and Wakko and Dot nodded.
“You gonna be okay?” Wakko asked.
“Yeah, I’ll be okay,” He nodded. “I got the best team ever. And if all else fails, I’ll improvise a little, that’s always worked out, right?” He said, in reference to the speech he was going to have to make to the kingdom. He had written cue cards, but in all honesty, he thought those ideas were garbage and he’d figure it out when he got there, which was probably a terrible idea, but if he could improvise a way to keep the three of them from being killed by Salazar, he could probably improvise an acceptance speech to the kingdom.
“We believe in you,” Wakko and Dot gave him big thumbs up.
“You two are dorks. Go finish getting ready, I’ll be there in a minute,” Yakko said. Wakko and Dot nodded, scurrying off to get some final touches done (mostly redoing their hair since they had just spent goodness knew how long running around).
Once they disappeared, Yakko sighed and turned back to the portrait.
“H-hi Mom... Hi Dad,” He gulped.
“I-it’s me. Yakko. I-i don’t know if you recognize me, it’s been a while since you’ve seen me,” He said, cringing at how stupid he must’ve sounded. Still, he felt... better talking to them, so he continued.
“I-i just want to say... thanks. For everything. You’ve left some really big shoes to fill- well... not shoes exactly, we’ve never really worn shoes, but... you know,” He joked.
“And I just... thanks for giving me Wakko and Dot. Seriously. If you were still here, you’d be so proud of them, I just know it,” He said.
“I wasn’t kidding earlier: I really don’t know if I could’ve made it this far without them... They’re so much like you two in so many ways, you’d be surprised. Dot as your kindness and your strength, while Wakko has your optimism and your courage...” Yakko smiled weakly.
“I guess despite everything, we did turn out okay,“ He said, feeling a wave of comfort and relaxation wash over him.
Despite all the hell they had been through, they were okay, and right where they were always supposed to be.
Yakko had done a good job after all. He truly had kept his promise to his mother. He had protected and watched over them and kept them safe and sound.
“Yakko! Brain said to come and get you before he kills you!” Wakko called from the other end of the hall.
“Be right there!” He replied, before returning to the painting.
“I miss you a lot... but it’s okay now. I’m okay,” He said.
“I have my sibs, and no one is ever going to separate us ever again. Not even death itself.”
Yakko took a deep breath and smiled. “I have to go now... but I’m sure I’ll be back. I just gotta go rule a kingdom, I’m sure you understand,” He joked, before shaking his head. He waved goodbye to the painting and ran to go join his siblings at the tower where the balcony where they were going to give their speech was.
“You two ready?” Yakko asked, adjusting his cape.
“Born ready,” Dot gave a toothy grin. Yakko snorted.
“Ready to go when you are Yakko,” Wakko grinned as well.
“Are you ready Yakko?” Brain asked.
“With a team like this? Of course,” Yakko nodded at the mouse. Brain accepted the corny response, nodding at a guard, who then opened the doors wide.
Yakko then held Wakko and Dot’s hands and gave them a tight squeeze, before together, they stepped out into the rest of their lives, secure in the knowledge that no matter what life threw at them next, they’d always have each other.