VERSAILLES // Ranboo X Reader

24

Standing on the precipice of the portal, hand in hand with Ranboo - the chain dangling irrelevant between you - you felt strangely calm. 

The swirling night sky below your feet didn't scare you as much as you'd thought it would. You knew what was waiting for you on the other side more or less, and you were side by side with some of the best fighters in the land - people who had become close friends over the course of the trip. People who you trusted.

Arlow joined you in standing before the portal,  sliding their sword back into it's scabbard slung across their back. They peered down into the starry depths of the portal, that wild grin you had come to know growing on their face. Amber eyes flicked back up to yours. "See you on the other side." 

Arlow stepped into the portal and disappeared. 

You glanced down at you and Ranboo's conjoined hands before looking back up to his eyes. "Together."

Ranboo smiled. "Sure thing."

Taking one last breath, you stepped off the stone and into the portal, trying not to think about the pool of lava underneath. You fell for a moment, but then you were floating, only the feeling of Ranboo's hand in yours remaining. It was pitch black, and you could feel your stomach lurch at the strange movement, but then your feet landed in something stable and you could see stars again. 

You blinked a few times, and your vision came back to you, revealing a large expanse of sandy colored stone, the only blips on the horizon being tall obsidian pillars and the pillar in the center of the plain. Arlow was standing a few feet away, looking winded, but still excited, glancing around at the change of scenery.

You let go of Ranboo's hand, tipping your head back to the sky. The stars were different here, and they looked brighter somehow, like they were all the sun. Ranboo's black side looked more in tune here, but his white side stood out like a sore thumb. Still, the starlight made all of him shine brighter than he did in the Overworld.

Looking around, the oppressive silence of the place was unsettling. You were so used to the gentle background noise of the Overworld that it's absence was eerie. This place looked untouched - like no one had been here since Etienne had, all those years ago.

Not even the thieves.

You turned to Ranboo. He looked mildly confused as well, his eyes pinned on the bedrock pillar in the center of the towers, brows furrowed. You were about to ask him what was wrong when a gasp from Arlow brought your attention. 

They were kneeling down on the ground, gingerly prying something from the sand. They had a wide grin stretched on their face as they held it up, and the pink stone caught the starlight. A shard of an End crystal, the perfect size to be made into some kind of jewelry. 

"Take a look, captain!" Arlow said, holding the stone so that Brigand could see. "For my love, don't you think she'll... Brig?"

Brigand paid Arlow no mind, breezing past them and making a beeline for the center pillar. You hovered, confused for a moment - he had completely just brushed Arlow off without even acknowledging them. 

"Is something wrong?" You asked, starting after him. 

He was standing at the edge of the bedrock ring now, peering down into the portal back. Brigand looked up to the obelisk in the center, a serious sort of pondering on his face. Still no answer - it was like you weren't even there. 

"Brigand?" Ranboo tried. 

Silence. Until Brigand dropped his bag to the ground and it landed with a thump that rattled the stone under your feet. Unbuckling the top, he reached inside, dumping out supplies onto the ground like they were useless. It wasn't until he reached the bottom of the bag that he stopped, pulling out one of the smaller saddle bags that had dangled from the side of his horse. 

Inside the saddle bag, shiny purple scales glowed in the light. The egg. 

No wonder everything had looked untouched when you arrived. The thieves hadn't been ahead of you - he had been riding next to you the whole time. 

The slide of metal drew your attention to Arlow as they drew their sword. "Brigand." Not captain, not Brig - his real name. 

Brigand just chuckled, paying Arlow no mind as he busied himself with pacing around the obelisk, looking for a way to get the egg on top without accidentally stepping into the portal back. "For a bunch of the finest fighters in the land, you lot are pretty stupid."

"Well, you're a pretty good actor." Arlow said, their voice thick. They paused. "Was everything a lie?"

"A good sob story will make anyone sympathetic." He said simply. "Did you really think that someone like me would actually work for the king who's been slowly eradicating my people since he took the throne?" Brigand laughed. "The very existence of the guard is proof - their purpose is to kill us."

"Because you burn villages." Arlow said.

"Because that is the natural order of things." Brigand returned, his icy eyes finally making contact with Arlow's. 

For a moment, the world froze, and you saw your opportunity. 

You lunged forward, grabbing for the egg. Brigand tried to pull away, but you already had one hand in the saddle bag, pulling the egg out of it's leather confines. For a moment, you thought you had it, but then a heat burned through your hands and you hissed, dropping it to the sandy ground. 

The egg seemed to shine brighter in the dirt.

"Idiot." Brigand sneered down at you. "Humans can't touch the egg. You know why?" One of his hands gripped around the handle of his axe, the midnight sky reflecting on the metal. 

"Brigand, don't do this." Arlow said. 

But there was a glint in Brigand's eye as he hefted his axe. "Because you don't belong here."