She was the queen of a lonely island. The sole remaining royal that still lay claim to her crown. She was Henrietta. Queen of Tristan. The last bastion of order within the chaotic world that was Halkeginia.

It hadn't always been that way. In fact the world's descent into madness had started quite slowly.

First the demons had laid siege to the elves.

Then she had asked aid from them, with a rebellion that had overtaken Albion.

The king of Germania thought to use his marriage to her to try and order the demons to do his own bidding.

Months later a former classmate of her childhood friend brought news to her about treachery in Gallia.

To top it all off, His Holiness the Pope himself lead a crusade against the demons for all they had done.

In the end the Pope, the kings of Gallia and Germania, and the leader of the Albion rebellion became mere decorations. New human shaped gargoyles that now stood upon the Fearamid, the home base for the demons, that could usually be found floating in the heart of what was once the Elven holyland.

All around her tiny country, the world had fallen into a form of controlled chaos. Powerful rulers fell to forces well beyond their imagining. Their resources twisted and taken. Their people dead, enslaved, or worse. Yet Tristan wasn't just surviving. It was thriving. New exotic materials were available at markets. Unimagined creatures were now available as pets, familiars, and even food sources. Weapons and armor well beyond that of normal smiths and even noble mage-smiths were bought, sold, and produced.

And all this happened when the Demons were still content with staying in Halkeginia. Before they used the same methods they had used to arrive to leave and start to spread their influence to other universes. Bringing back even more with them when they inevitably returned.

However, why did they keep returning? Why was Tristan not only standing, but treated like a favored ally? The answers were simple. When the Queen was still a princess an empress rose to power, and the princess made a deal.

It hadn't seemed like much at the time. Both sides had been quite shrewd, but when compared to the sheer power that Louise had shown while making the demonic beings bow before her… it was a rather anticlimactic end. A very relieving end of course, but anticlimactic all the same.

That same deal had been expanding, changed, and agreed to many times over the years. The demonic empire stretched out its talons and grabbed all before it. Feeding its hunger for entertainment. Behind it Tristan slowly grew. It's borders expanding as nobles and commoners alike took up arms, and explored familiar lands twisted into unfamiliar wilds.

Over the years metal and glass became more common. Firearms started overshadowing blades as the weapon of choice. Even magic changed. With the introduction of new dimensions and slaves came varying ways to call upon one's willpower. Some of those ways were achievable even by previously magicless commoners. The world changed all around them, and Henrietta made sure that her kingdom changed with it.

However it was a seemingly never ending job to keep everything in one piece. To keep all the gears spinning.

It wasn't that she feared for her position. She still had the love of her people, and had grown in power herself in embracing many of the changes to her lands and how they were run.

However that didn't mean there weren't idiots amongst her subjects, or even in her own court. Fools who would take the smallest of opportunities to doom themselves and many others. Just today she received half a dozen requests and pleas to claim lands ruled by the demons since they were currently elsewhere. Not taking into account that the demons were gone because they were CONQUERING another dimension at the moment. She knew how great their wrath would be if she betrayed them at this moment. Especially Louise who despite her rise as an empress stayed her close and dear friend.

Oh how she wished Louise was here now. Typically she would show up as Henrietta was wrapping up her audience with the people for the day. Much like she was doing now. Henrietta knew it was common for Louise to be gone for days, weeks, even a couple of months while she was off spreading her influence and chaos. However, now it was getting close to a…

Between one blink and the next a table appeared before her throne. Another blink and a pot of steaming tea next to a chessboard with pieces ready for play sat upon it. The queen smiled to herself as arms reached around her throne to hug her from behind. "It's been almost a year Louise. I was starting to get worried."

"Yeah, I was a bit too curious about this latest conquest. That and Bill REALLY wanted to take his time with this one. I normally would have reigned him in, but he has been on his best behavior recently." Her friend explained as she slid around the throne without releasing the hug, or taking a step. The hug lasted a few seconds more before the demon empress pulled back. "I'm here now though. So, tea?"

Henrietta nodded with an affectionate smile as she took in her friend's appearance. He friend hadn't aged a day over all these decades. Though her appearance had still changed. Her hair literally flowed and moved seemingly at its on accord reaching out for pot and cups in order to serve tea. The girls eyes glowed pink and shined with mirth as she took her seat opposite the queen. Her yellow and black dress flowed easily as she sat upon the air itself.

Henrietta accepted her cup with one hand as she made her opening move with the other. "So where did you go this time?"

"Oh, just a little town in the middle of nowhere." Louise replied as she moved her own piece with a strand of hair as she 'reclined' in her seat, holding a cup and saucer in her hands with a broad toothy smile on her lips. "An odd little place called Gravity Falls."