Quiet Council meetings often proved tedious and irritating for Emma Frost. Between the disgusting Sinister’s attempts at humor, Charles’ constant hypocrisy, and the stench of arrogance around every man seated at the table, they could be unbearable. “Hell is other people” indeed. If nothing else, she at least had her faithful kitten at her side, and she could take comfort in knowing that all the headaches were in the name of something greater than herself. There weren’t many things Emma could truly say that about, but Krakoa was one of them.
With the day’s interminable work done, Emma strolled underneath the beautiful night sky back to The White Palace. Kate would generally accompany her back to Hellfire Bay, but tonight she was alone. Magik had teleported into the Council chambers and stolen the Red Queen away for a night of “drinks, drugs, and beheadings.” She swore the beheadings would not be of humans.
As she arrived at her not-so-humble abode, all too ready to hop in the hot bath which was currently being prepared for her, she noticed something out of the corner of her tired eye. A young woman, probably in her mid-20s, dressed in an all-white outfit which could fool the average observer into thinking it was a lesser look from her own closet, stood on the edge of the cliff where her palace resided. She was tall and broad shouldered, possessed short, golden-blonde hair, and held a dress box underneath her arm.
At this hour, most Krakoans, especially of her age, would either be home or at one of the multiple endless parties the island nation had become known for. Emma ran through the possibilities in her mind. Given her attire, she likely wasn’t running an errand, and with the package in hand, she probably wasn’t thinking of jumping so she could experience Resurrection Protocols. Perhaps she was on her way somewhere and stopped to admire the view, but with how common it had become for fans and admirers to bring her presents, she felt reasonably sure she knew why she was here. Generally, Emma would have one of her staff accept offerings to her at the front door, but she was in a charitable mood, and so decided to do the stranger the honor of accepting her gift personally.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Emma asked as she approached the woman from behind.
“Yeah, it’s…” the woman trailed off as she turned around. Her eyes widened, her lips curled, and Emma didn’t need telepathy to tell that getting to see her up close and in person had already made this the greatest night of this girl’s life. “You.”
Emma smiled with her mouthful of diamonds. “Would I be correct in assuming what you have there is for me?”
The girl stumbled over herself as she nervously held out the dress box. “Yes! My name is Lily Tasler. I’m your biggest fan!”
“I hear that a lot,” Emma said, softening her flawless grin ever so slightly. She looked down at the box. “What is it?”
Lily took a quick, but deep breath in and out as she rolled her shoulders back. “I’m a designer. Run a decently successful luxury brand, and, well, you were one of my inspirations for it, so I thought, “I should make something special and one-of-a-kind for Emma Frost to show my appreciation”, and, well, I did.”
Emma gently took the box from Lily as she continued to observe her. She was a youthful, awkward little flower who didn’t quite fit into the outfit she’d presumably designed for herself, but she enjoyed her energy, and could respect her as much as she did any young woman with entrepreneurial spirit.
Opening the box, Emma found a short and slinky white dress with a black diamond pattern and small cape, made from surprisingly high quality silk, which she could immediately tell would show off the physical features she’d paid so much for quite well. The girl had a long way to go before she was on Jumbo Carnation’s level, but for what it was, she was impressed.
“Thank you for this, Lily,” Emma said. “I love it.” “Love” was a strong word, but flattery had helped Emma get where she was.
“Wow. I’m so glad. Thank you!”
“Of course,” Emma said, putting the dress back in the box and closing it up. “If you don’t mind me asking, does your Mutant gift play a role in either your business or designs?”
Lily’s posture and entire demeanor shifted. She straightened her back, held her head up high, clasped her hands in front of her, and smiled with as much confidence as Emma.
“Actually, Ms. Frost, I’m a human.”
Emma’s eyes popped out of her skull as her smile vanished in an instant. “Excuse me?”
This was why Emma missed reading someone’s mind the instant she met someone. She’d quit over the silly little morality issue, at least on those she thought to be Mutants, but it had always kept her from being taken for a fool. Like she had been now.
“Is it really so surprising?” Lily asked.
“Krakoa’s human population is in the single-digits and I’ve never heard of you, so yes, actually, it is.”
“Krakoa’s been more lenient about human visitors for months now from what I’ve heard. I’m friends with a bunch of Mutants on Discord, and all of them said they’d be happy to take me through a gate so I could meet you. Am I really the first person to do something like that?”
Emma scoffed. “You either have the arrogance of a man or you’re simply naive. I should have figured you out when you didn't introduce yourself with a Mutant name.”
Lily laughed awkwardly. “Well, I’m definitely not a man. And, it’s not a Mutant name, but I did pick it myself.”
It was only at this point did Emma realize Lily was a trans woman. Embarrassment went down her spine over her comparing her to a man a moment ago. Emma was well aware of how beloved she was by both humans and Mutants in the trans community, especially with Escapade now under her wing, and considered herself an ally. Not her proudest moment.
With a quick, shallow, and non-invasive scan of Lily’s mind, Emma found that she was telling the truth. She was indeed friends with the siblings Ordeal and Nostalgia, along with several other Mutants whose names she didn’t recognize, the former having been the ones to ask for permission and bring her here. She was no threat.
Emma put her smile back on as she recomposed herself. “Apologies for my rudeness, but I’m sure you can understand my trepidation. You are indeed the first human civilian to my knowledge to come here with a friend for the express purpose of meeting someone else. Between those who hate us, those who dangerously worship us, and those without hate who are nonetheless intimidated in one way or another by what we’ve achieved, the former X-Men among us don’t have many human fans running up to us these days.”
“It’s no big deal. I understand.” Lily lowered her head. “Hmmm.”
“What is it?”
Lily picked her head back up. “Oh. I’m sorry. I was just thinking about if it was a good idea to ask you something.”
“Fortune favors the bold, Darling.”
Lily’s face lit up. “Right! Okay. Well, in that case, I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind putting the dress on and letting me take some pictures. The dress will remain one-of-a-kind and I couldn’t afford to pay you for a professional photo shoot even if you were interested in something like that, but I’d love to take some quick snapshots. Show that my brand is Mutant friendly through the most beautiful Mutant alive.”
Emma smirked at that. The girl knew the value of flattery.
While under most circumstances Emma wouldn’t have agreed to something like this, supporting a human brand for nothing in exchange, Lily was an ally who seemed like she had potential, with most other luxury brands still not only owned by cisgender humans, but very much not “Mutant friendly”, and helping her in this small way would extinguish the tinge of guilt she felt over her earlier remark.
“I’ll make you a deal,” Emma said. “My daughters are around your age. You may come inside and, while I take my bath, show your designs to them. If they like them, you may take your pictures. I warn you though: they will tear you to shreds if they aren’t to their taste.”
A grin spread across Lily’s face. “I’m not afraid at all. You have a deal, Ms. Frost.”
“Splendid.”
*
An hour later, Emma stepped out of the bath. After towling herself off and blow drying her hair, she went to her room to try on her new dress. It fit her perfectly, it emphasized her best features just as much as she thought it would, the fabric felt better against her skin than she’d thought it would, and seeing it on her flawless form, the design itself appeared even more impressive.
Emma reapplied her makeup and went downstairs to her home’s conference room, where she’d asked Lily to wait. On her way there, she checked in with her girls.
"What did you think of her work?"
"She’s talented…for a human", the Five-in-One telepathically answered in unison. "We purchased a few pieces."
Emma smirked. "Thank you, girls."
When Emma arrived in the conference room, Lily was sitting up straight, sipping a glass of wine, and no doubt hopelessly bored. Emma knew the younger generations couldn’t live without their phones, but human guests could not be allowed to bring cameras here for obvious reasons.
“Well?” Emma asked, posing in the doorway. “What do you think?”
Lily set her wine down, clapped her hands together, and grinned. “Breathtaking. Your daughters are very sweet, by the way."
"No, they're monsters, but thank you for saying otherwise." Emma walked further into the room. “Would you mind if I had a nightcap of my own before we begin?”
“Not at all. As a matter of fact, there was one more thing I was hoping we could discuss.”
“Darling, I like you, but I can’t do anything else for you without a great deal of compensation,” Emma said as she poured her drink. “You understand, don’t you?”
“With how generous you’re already being, I wouldn’t dream of asking for more,” Lily answered as Emma sat down next to her.
“Then what is it?”
Emma picked up a strange, but familiar sensation from Lily’s mind as the girl’s lips curled up her face. Once again, her entire demeanor had shifted in an instant.
“I’d like to serve The White Queen.”
Emma cocked her head to the side with interest as she sipped her wine. “Elaborate.”
Lily folded her hands on her lap. “I mentioned that I’m your biggest fan and that your fashion inspired my brand, but the truth is that you’ve inspired everything about how I’ve lived my life. I’ve read your autobiography cover to cover more times than I can count and I’ve scoured the web for every interview you’ve ever done. From your takeover of Frost International to the birth of Krakoa and beyond, I know about everything you’ve accomplished.” Lily flipped her palms up and stared down at them. “When I was still a kid, you made me see what I wanted from life. Not just the style and the power, though those are fabulous, but to play this horrible world’s games and win at them for the sake of my people.” Lily looked up at Emma with a light in her eyes. “You helped me see who I was when my family and the rest of the world told me I was someone else. So please, let me work for you. Allow me the honor of being your assistant and learning everything I can from you, like so many lucky kids have before. I’ll do whatever you require, no questions asked, and I’ll never fail you. I swear.”
Emma softly smiled back at Lily as she gently took her hands and held them. “I’m genuinely glad I’ve been able to help you find your path and your self. Your lofty ambitions are commendable, and I wish you all the luck in the world in achieving them.” Emma’s face fell as she pulled away. “But my answer is no.”
Lily was devastated as Emma stood back up, taking another sip of her drink. She dug her nails into her legs as her body trembled.
“I don’t understand!” Lily shouted, shooting up to meet her. “Why not?!”
Emma rolled her eyes. “Calm yourself. Being emotional will get you nowhere here.” Emma sighed as Lily steadied herself. “You’re talented, enterprising, and bold, you have flawless taste in role models, and your claim to be willing to do anything for the sake of your brothers and sisters is one I wish more ascribed to.”
“Then why?” Lily asked, tears in her eyes.
“Because I have no need for an assistant, if I did, I would choose a young Mutant, and even if I was willing to open my choices up to humans, I promise you, Lily, there are many human girls more impressive than you.” Emma looked at Lily with an icy stare as Lily struggled not to cry. “I’m not going back on our deal. You may take your pictures, and then I’ll have someone escort you home. I have every confidence you’ll be able to succeed and thrive from there, and when you do, I’ll--”
“You’re wrong.”
Head held down, tears running down her face, and nails digging into her palms, Lily cut off The White Queen, something Emma was surprised Lly would have the impertinence to do.
“Is that so?” Emma asked, Lily beginning to become irritating. “What part of what I just said is wrong? That I don’t need a dedicated assistant with the vast teams of people I have working under me, that I shouldn’t prioritize mentoring my own people, or that there aren’t more impressive young humans than one who’s brand couldn’t even gross a million dollars this past year despite operating for four? Please, enlighten me.”
Lily held up her head. Despite being taller than Emma, she could feel her looking down on her.
“Maybe you don’t know it yet, but you need someone like me.” Emma laughed. Right in her face. Lily held up two fingers. “Second rule of Krakoa: Murder No Man. You can’t kill humans. Any Mutant working under you would be likely to be loyal to Krakoa first and you second, and thus unwilling to kill them either. And you’re right that I’m far from the pinnacle of what humans have to offer, but I challenge you to find someone better than me who’s as dedicated to you as I am, who will never get paid off or waver, and who’s willing to get blood on her hands.”
Emma showed no response to Lily’s words, but they hadn’t gone one ear and out the other. Someone who could anticipate her needs and get the dirty work done without her being connected was actually something she lacked which could prove helpful. Not having to throw a Mutant under the bus in the event they were caught was also preferable. And for as many human and Mutant girls look to her, Lily was the first she’d met who actively sought to emulate her and could possibly follow through on the dark deeds she believed she was capable of committing.
“An eloquent, well-reasoned argument,” Emma finally said after a few moments of thought. "Perhaps it wouldn’t be the worst idea to give you a trial-run and see if you can show your value. However, before I can officially offer you a job like this, you’ll have to submit to a complete scan of your mind. I have to know for certain you believe everything you claim to. Would you be okay with that?”
Lily nodded, her face now showing a weak, nervous smile. “Of course. You have my full consent.”
Emma nodded back at her and looked into Lily’s mind. It took only a minute to see all that she was. She found the truth behind her words, she found her insatiable hunger for power, she found pain and a desire to keep others from suffering it, and she found darkness.
Most importantly, she found lies.
“Well?” Lily asked. “I pass?”
Emma sneered at the girl, insulted that she’d ask that.
“Did you really think I couldn’t see what you were trying to hide?”
Lily was confused. “Hide? I wasn’t hiding anything.”
“You expect me to believe you wanted me to see everything I did? Unless you’re a bigger fool than I ever could have imagined, you wouldn’t have willingly shown me how you really feel about Mutants.”
Lily had shown several faces since meeting Emma Frost. The sweet, awkward, fangirl, the confident, everyday businesswoman, the overly-emotional child, and the crusader ruthlessly dedicated to her cause. Only now, though, did she reveal her true self.
Lily sneered back at Emma as she folded her hands behind her back. “I don’t have one bad thought about Mutants in me. My problems are with Krakoa.”
“One in the same,” Emma spat.
Krakoa was deeply flawed. Emma knew this well, and her former student Firestar, as well as her current student, Escapade, were more than happy to point out all the ways the fledgling nation fell short of being a utopia. But there was a big difference between a Mutant criticizing her home and a human doing so.
Lily sighed. “You saw in my head that I’m Jewish, didn’t you? I’ve been told more times than I can count that I hate my people for not supporting Israel.” Once again, Firestar came to Emma’s mind. “As if I’m just supposed to ignore all the heinous crimes it commits on mass.”
“Krakoa is not Israel.”
“I never said it was. I’m just making a point.” Taking a breath, Lily ran her soft hands through her slightly curly hair. “There are similarities though. Israel keeps nukes pointed at the world to dissuade other countries from attacking them, while Krakoa threatens to take away life saving drugs from the people of the nation’s who’d cause it harm. Both countries push a singular identity over all others. There’s a staggering amount of--”
“I’ll stop you right there,” Emma said, cutting Lily off. “Krakoa is not an assimilationist state. We do not stop anyone from exploring and expressing all parts of their identities. And while it would be unfortunate to take away our medicine from innocent people on account of their government’s actions, we do what we must to keep our home safe. With the persecution we’ve faced, over sixteen million killed, that should be more than understandable.”
“You may not stop anyone, but from what I hear, making fun of and looking down on humans is commonplace around here, even by those who are members of other minority groups. And no, I don’t think I can understand that.” Lily steeled her eyes. “After all, 16 million is a much bigger number than 6 million.”
Cute. Insulting, but cute. It was obvious to Emma that Lily had prepared for this discussion in advance, but the fact she thought that remark was some form of “Gotcha” was foolish.
“Your core stance since introducing yourself has been your respect for and dedication to me,” Emma said. “How can you stand here now and make me out to be a monster who doesn’t care about or understand what other peoples have faced?”
“I hoped you did, but that just makes the way things are here even worse.” Lily cracked her neck, not breaking eye contact with Emma. “I already had a million reasons to be scared and millions of people around the world, many of whom in power, who’d be happy to see me dead. Then one day, I had friends moving away telling me they’re going to Krakoa permanently, all excited about how they’re gonna be gods and how it's their destiny to inherit the Earth. “Later, Flatscan” they said. I was happy they were happy, some of them had just the worst home lives they were getting away from, but it didn’t take me long to realize what this all meant. Krakoa is the most powerful nation on Earth, bar none. And from what I’ve heard, Mutants are being born at such a rate that humanity will be gone in just three to five generations. Toss in Krakoa’s Mutant-first mentality and the immortality you all have now, and I hope you can see where I’m going with this.”
Emma could see Lily’s point crystal clear and it was far from being a new thought in her mind. For Krakoa and, by extension, Mutantkind, to have any chance at survival, the nation had to be a powerhouse on a global scale the likes of which the world had never seen before. And after being hated and feared and kept at the bottom of society for so long, they’d pushed Mutant pride to its furthest extent, both to strengthen unity around the country, and to help individuals love themselves. At one of the first Quiet Council meetings she’d been able to attend, Kate had been the one to raise the issue of what all these factors mixed together would eventually result in: Before Mutantkind inherited the Earth, they would inevitably dominate it, and humans would be forced into the position they’d spent so many years crawling out of themselves.
In a near unanimous vote, it had been decided that if this was the price they had to pay for Mutantkind to thrive, then so be it. A chance had been given for anyone interested to raise an idea for how this future could be avoided, but no one had any. The discussion had been tabled, and they’d moved on to discussing the matter of “human rights” on Krakoa, which had ended on a similarly unfortunate note. While they could do everything in their power to make sure the nation’s minimal human population was treated well, giving all the same rights exclusive to Mutants to human family would only create more problems than it would solve, as public reactions to their immorality had shown.
In a way, it was the humans of Krakoa Emma worried most about. If any given Mutant were to be killed, they could bring them back through Resurrection Protocols, but if a tragic fate were to befall Shogo or Kyle, she could only imagine the rash actions Jubilee or Northstar would take in the hope of getting them back.
Continuing to stare Lily down, she took a third, deep, but more focused look into her mind. Lily had been taught to hate as a child, but she’d rejected the family that raised her, embraced all aspects of herself they’d loathed, and become an activist for both her own community as well as several others - including Mutantkind. When Krakoa was unveiled to the world, she felt nothing but joy for a fellow persecuted group rising up and claiming independent power. It was only in the following days that fear began to fester from feelings shared even by some Krakoans, and only when Krakoa’s greatest secret was revealed did she feel anger and jealousy. All of this was helpful and relieving to know, but there was one stray thought which hit Emma harder than she could have expected.
*Millions of reasons to be scared. Never thought Mutants would be one right alongside Conservative bigots.*
It hurt. She wouldn’t say that and she wouldn’t show any pain, but it hurt to be put in the same box as those monsters. And much as Emma knew that they were right for everything they were trying to do, she couldn’t just wave off the girl’s concerns as nonsense either.
Emma’s face softened as much as she’d ever allow it to in the presence of someone she wasn’t intimate with. “You have been through so much. No child should be forced to go through what you have, and it isn’t lost on me that millions of other humans share a similar experience. I apologize if it seemed I didn’t understand and empathize with your experience.”
Lily looked at Emma skeptically. “Thank you?”
“However, I unfortunately can’t assuage all of your concerns. Our best political and philosophical minds have thought about it long and hard, and with the hand we’ve been dealt, our only two options are to become the dominant species or die out. And we refuse to pick the latter.” Emma rested a hand on Lily’s shoulder. “What I can tell you is that we are not like the people who’ve put you and your sisters through so much. Yes, Earth will be a Mutant world, and no, Mutants and humans will not be equal in all ways, but you have my word that the world we make will be better for everyone. We are not here to be oppressors, we are not here to hurt anyone, and you will be able to live more freely than you ever would be under human rule.”
While Emma smiled, her words failed to make Lily do so.
“You came up with a prison system as inhumane as any other despite initially telling people there wouldn’t be any prisons here, and Mutants here are treated differently based on how much power they’re born with. My friend Donut was in Resurrection Protocols for months because all she can do is cough up donuts, while some guy named Quentin gets brought back every other day. I’m supposed to believe humans will be treated fairly when Mutants don’t even see each other as equals? That humans will have a fair chance to succeed when your Communist utopia has a class system? I’m supposed to believe that your rule won’t be just as bad? Make it make sense, Ms. Frost.”
Emma unhanded Lily and crossed her arms. They weren’t getting anywhere here.
“Lily, Darling, we’re both very tired, and neither of us is convincing the other of anything. Unless you somehow see a solution to these problems none of us could, we’re done here.”
Lily looked down at the floor, then back up at Emma. She reached for her wine and chugged all of the remaining contents in one gulp, before setting the glass back down.
“When I started my business, people were confused. “You’re a socialist, but you’re using a factory in China for cheap labor? How does that work?” I hate capitalism, but it’s the way of the world, and even Mutants taking charge isn’t going to change that. So if that was the game I was stuck playing, that I needed to win at to make the life for myself I wanted and help others, then so be it. That was the same conclusion you came to, and it was the conclusion Krakoa came to. And it’s also the answer to, not all, but the biggest issues.”
“Is that so?”
Lily nodded. “My hope tonight is to leave Krakoa as your assistant and apprentice. That was the truth; you know I have not lied once since I got here. But I don’t just want to grow a fashion brand. I want to build a trans Krakoa.”
Emma groaned. “Just as I thought, you have nothing but dreams. You could become as independently successful as me, and you still wouldn’t be capable of accomplishing that goal. Krakoa is one-of-a-kind.”
“Krakoa as in a Mutant island which produces all possible necessities and life-saving medicine? Yes. Krakoa as in the dream? No. Here’s what I’m thinking: You mentor me. Other Krakoan leaders and X-Corp executives start mentoring other humans under 30 with potential who are a part of persecuted groups. Once we’re ready, Krakoa uses endless funds and influence to help establish separtist, sovereign nations for every single group. Black, Latinx, gay, trans, disabled, Jewish, Muslim; we all get homes. And those who belong to multiple groups get multiple homes, with a zero tolerance policy on bigotry toward each other. Using what you teach us, we cement our nations as powers, we earn the money to pay Krakoa back with interest, we learn from each other and work together, minority Krakoans get more places to call home and be safe, you all get a clean conscience in the future, no more children are killed, and the only ones who suffer…”
“Are the ones who’ve always held privilege and power, crushed by the very systems they created,” Emma finished for her, not needing to read Lily’s mind to do so.
Lily put a hand on her hip as she swayed and smirked. “What do you think?”
Emma wouldn’t admit it, but at this moment, she could see some of her younger self in Lily. The scale of what she was after was gargantuan, and yet, after Arakko, it seemed foolish to say the idea would be implausible with Krakoa’s backing. While Lily’s ambition was more selfless on the surface than Emma’s had been in her youth, the girl was just as motivated by her lust for power and luxury, come up with a plan that get her as much as she could ever want, and she’d used Emma’s weaknesses, both those she’d exposed in the conversation and those which were public, against her without hesitation. Thinking about the arguments Lily had made earlier as well, it was obvious what she had to do.
“You start on Monday,” Emma said flatly, Lily’s fangirl side popping out for just a moment as her face lit up. “Still on a trial period, and I’ll only bring up your proposal to the Council if you complete the trial, go on to perform two years of flawless work under me, and prove you have what it takes to be a queen.”
Lily grinned from ear to ear as her breath became heavy. For all the confidence she’d been acting with, she had not actually thought she’d get this far.
“Thank you, Ms. Frost. Thank you so much. I won’t let you down, and, together, we’ll make a world that truly lives up to Krakoa’s ideals.” Still filled with joy, Lily pursed her lips. “I never said I wanted to be a queen though.”
Emma put an arm around Lily’s shoulders and guided them out of the room, the former still desperately wanting to get to bed at a reasonable hour.
“You didn’t have to,” Emma said. “All three times I went into your mind, that desire was the dominant thought being screamed at me.”
Lily giggled. “Can’t really blame me. Little girls dream about being princesses. I only embraced that I was a girl a few years ago. Only makes sense that I'd want to be a queen.”
“Queens are born, not made,” Emma said. “We’ll see if you were meant to be one.”