𝙎𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙩𝙤𝙗𝙚𝙧. - 𝙍𝙌/𝙎𝙇 𝙒𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙚 ✔︎

♔ 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗘𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻: 𝙆𝙞𝙣𝙜 ♔

𝙎𝙤 𝙄 𝙜𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙡-𝙩𝙮𝙥𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙮. 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙪𝙥, 𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙗𝙘 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙖 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙑𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙣!𝙎𝙖𝙗𝙧𝙚 𝘼𝙐 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙢𝙮 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙨, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚-

𝙃𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙣 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙩!

𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗱: 𝟭𝟬/𝟭𝟴/𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟭

𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: 𝗥𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗯𝗼𝘄 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁

𝗔𝗨: 𝗩𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻!𝗦𝗮𝗯𝗿𝗲

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: 𝗠, 𝗦𝗮𝗯𝗿𝗲, 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗼𝘄, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗱 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿

𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁: 𝟴𝟲𝟱

『••✎••』

"Well what do we have here~?" Sabre gave a wicked grin in my direction upon seeing me. "A red steve, I see~. What is it he's done to be brought to me, Shadow?"

"I found him helping a few red steves escape." Shadow spoke, his grip on my shoulder tightening. "He tried putting up a fight, but that was pointless."

Red Leader looked worriedly at me. "M..."

"I'm sorry, Red Leader." I looked to the ground. "The guards were falling like dominoes and I knew I had to do something to help. I thought they would be a good distraction while I helped some of the surviving red steves escape, but Shadow caught me..."

On the outside I made sure to show no fear in front of Sabre. Fear is what he wanted to see. I wasn't gonna give him that satisfaction.

"Bring him closer." Sabre ordered.

Shadow pushed me forward, making me stumble but not fall, then stepped back. When I looked up, I noticed I was within arm's reach of Sabre. Then, without warning, he grabbed my chin with one hand, tilting my face up to his.

Red Leader's eyebrows raised in alarm. "Don't touch him!"

Sabre glanced over at him. "Why can't I? You don't get a say here anymore."

The human then turned his attention back to me. "You seem to have some significance to your Leader over there. I wonder...who are you to him, dear~?"

"Who I am is my business alone." I told him defiantly, mustering up my last shreds of courage. "I'm not telling my identity to someone as evil as you."

It was important that Sabre didn't know who I was. If he did, he would surely take advantage of it. That, I knew, could never happen.

The human's eyebrows furrowed into a glare at my defiance. "I see you have spirit. But with your defiance, I should punish you. Yet you aren't like the rest of the people I've punished for rebellion. I can tell you're different. I think I may just keep you near me~."

The Red Leader's eyes widened at the last sentence. That would risk my identity being revealed, and Sabre, I know, would use it to gain total control over the Red Kingdom. Maybe even the world, too.

"I'm nothing like you, Sabre." I spat, glaring at the human. "I would never do the things you've done."

Sabre smirked. "And that's where you're wrong, 'M.' I think your identity holds something you and I have in common. I think I may know what that is now."

Sabre began to slowly circle me, his eyes never leaving me.

"All I need to know about you is your identity." He told me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "It's impossible for you to be leader, but yet your current one seems protective of you. Almost...in a mentor's sense."

Sabre stood in front of me now, a smirk on his face that made more fear seep into my mind. His hand never left my shoulder.

"You're his apprentice, aren't you?" He whispered in my ear. I stiffened, knowing he had figured it out. "You were the heir to the Red Kingdom's throne. But don't worry, little rose, nothing bad will befall you if you listen to me."

This whole time, the Red Leader has been watching me intently, and when I looked over at him, I saw worry in his gaze. I shook my head, indicating that the secrets we tried to hide were out.

Sabre glanced over at the leader, then looked to Shadow.

"Bring Rainbow and all the other leaders to a room within the castle where they won't escape." Sabre instructed. "There will be a feast in honor of my new reign tonight. I want them there for it."

Shadow nodded, then disappeared in a swish of Darkness with the Red Leader.

When they were gone, Sabre turned to me with his signature smirk.

"And as for you, little rose..." he murmured, his breath fanning against my ear. He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him, making my eyes widen and breath hitch in fear. "I'll be keeping you and Rainbow close. One of you will be mine eventually, but I still have to make my decision on which of you that will be."

"Take me," I spoke without thinking, "take me and leave Rainbow alone. I'm more useful as the heir to the Red Kingdom. Doesn't that make me more desirable than him?"

I didn't care that I would solidify Sabre's rule if he chose me over the hero; his safety was what mattered right now. After all, he's the only one that can put a stop to all of this.

Sabre thought for a moment while he made his decision. When he did, he grinned wickedly at me.

"Very well." He told me, placing his other arm on my waist. "You do seem to be more important than that weak little hero anyways. You're to be mine now, my little rose. Forever."

"As you wish..." I murmured, looking up at Sabre, then forced out two words I never wanted to say, "...my king."