The Mushroom Prince // DNF

22/Fated

*TW: violence, blood, character deaths*

The day before the wedding, there was a party. All of the nobles and royals from both Rue's kingdom and George's were invited. It was a final parting of sorts, a last gathering to send the new couple off on a brand new journey together.

For any typical couple, the day would be filled with excitement and hope for a brighter future, the possibility of things to come. But for George, it only left him with an uneasy feeling in his chest, a darkness that had settled deep down in his very core.

He stood alone in his room, his fingers fumbling with the buttons of a white ruffled shirt, trembling slightly as he fastened them. He was nervous, not for the party, but for a reason he couldn't quite place; something that was looming over the day like a dark rain cloud, threatening to break open at any moment.

He fastened the last button, smoothing down his shirt with shaky hands as a knock sounded on his bedroom door.

"Come in," George called out, turning to face the door.

Holden appeared, a smile on his face as he said, "are you ready, Prince George? The party is starting."

George inhaled slowly, nodding as he answered, "yes, I'll be right out."

He watched Holden leave the room, allowing himself one final moment of quiet and calmness.

As he stood there, his eyes caught on something. It was the glint of his dagger, shining in the candlelight on his bedside table, sitting right beside the glass holding the white lily.

He made his way over, hesitating for only a moment before wrapping his fingers around the hilt and securing the dagger deep in his pocket.

~

The party was loud, the ballroom filled with a bustling crowd and buzzing with energy and excitement. The guests were indulging themselves with food and drink, spending the night conversing or twirling around the dance floor.

George stood with Rue by his side, nodding politely and providing short answers as guest after guest approached them with congratulatory words. Rue was all smiles and laughs, but George couldn't seem to shake the feeling of unease that nested deep within him; the words surrounding him falling flat, failing to provide him with any semblance of comfort or hope for his future.

As he listened to the sound of Rue's voice, sweet and laced with honey as she thanked yet another guest, George's eyes caught on something. It was a flash of long pink hair, neatly tucked into a braid as it emerged through the crowd, like a fleeting omen of what the night was yet to bring.

A lump formed in George's throat, the sound of the party and Rue's voice drowning out as his eyes flitted nervously around the room. It was only now that he realized something was wrong; the King's chair at the head of the room, which had been occupied all night by his father, now sat empty.

Without hesitation, George broke away from Rue, not offering any explanation as he pushed his way through the crowd, his vision going hazy at the edges as his heartbeat thumped loudly in his ears. He emerged at the other side of the crowd, exiting out of the main door and spilling into the quiet hallway, his eyes wildly searching in all directions.

He had no idea where to go or what to do; he only knew that something was wrong, terribly wrong.

But then he heard it, the sound of pained yells coming from the far end of the hallway, coming from the direction of the throne room. And Sapnap's words rang out in his mind, words that he now realized were meant as a warning, "I'll be seeing you again soon George, probably sooner than you realize".