Three Forces Empowered | Dream Team

Bonus: Two Parallel Paths - Act One

Skeppy rolled the diamonds around in his hand, humming to himself as he headed down the hallway. Being the official gemstone caretaker was a boring job, but he enjoyed it nonetheless. No one bothered him. No one tried to talk to him, except for the knights when they brought in the king's precious gems. Everyone left him alone. It was just him and the trinkets.

The king trusted him. After all, you had to be trusted to be the one handling the king's gemstone currencies. Skeppy was that man.

He wasn't all that special, though. The younger prince of the kingdom didn't really care for him, and Skeppy had spotted him glaring angrily at him many times. The older prince was nicer. When he wasn't busy jousting or running away, he'd spend time with him, listening as he rambled on about rubies and emeralds. Times like those were peaceful, as if Skeppy actually belonged with the royalty.

Of course he didn't. Alleto --- the younger brother --- made sure that he knew that.

The older prince was gone now, too --- probably travelling the kingdom, honing his skills and avoiding responsibility. There was no one left to help Skeppy. He was even more lonely than before, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Skeppy sighed and frowned to himself. "Stop," he murmured. "It's fine. Just do your job, be happy, and it's fine. It's fine."

You can't convince yourself. You know Alleto hates you.

He's the prince. He can do anything, and you can't retaliate. Besides, you don't have the power or skill to fight back anyway. Not like Techno does. Not like all the knights do. You're just the diamond boy.

His hands clenched. The edge of the diamonds he was holding bit into his palm, despite being sanded down earlier, the pain sending a jolt through his entire body. He sighed as he eased open his hand, staring down at the blood coating the once-pristine surfaces of the stones. Great. More work to do.

The door of his workshop was already in sight. The king had given him his own room to work in so that he could have a quiet space while he examined the gems, polishing and cleaning in peace. It was a kind gesture. One he sure didn't deserve.

He pushed open the door --- or at least, he tried to. Something was blocking it. Skeppy grunted as he pushed harder, forcing the something out of the way. He slipped into the room and turned around, taking in the thing that had been blocking his path.

No, not thing. Person.

The body of the king lay on the floor in front of him, glassy eyes staring up into his own.

***

Skeppy gasped and flinched back, his eyes widening as the realization hit him. The king. The king. Dead, right at his feet. He couldn't see any visible lacerations, but he was sure that they were there. Someone had killed him and dumped him in Skeppy's workshop. The king must've been alive at the time, too, or else how could he have been pressed up against the door like that? He must've tried to escape in his last moments.

The sound of the diamonds clattering on the ground as they fell out of his hand brought him out of his shock. He knelt down hurriedly and picked them up, his hands shaking as he slid them into the pockets on his loose brown pants. It had been a fashion style Techno had introduced to the kingdom, and seeing how he was the prince, nobody had argued. 

Diamonds were special to the king. He loved them more than anything, and Skeppy sure as hell wasn't going to disrespect his memory by disrespecting the diamonds.

He reached out a hand and timidly touched the king's side. His hand came back covered in blood. Skeppy stood up quickly and stumbled backwards, quickly wiping off the blood on his shirt and cloak. His heartbeat was starting to speed up, threatening to leap out of his throat and run off into the distance with his sense of self control. He wanted nothing more than to lay down next to the king and curl up into a ball, waiting for someone else to discover the body. With Techno gone and the king dead, the next to ascend the throne would be Alleto. Sarcastic, angry, Skeppy-hating Alleto. Skeppy would be better off dead.