Just Give In

Chapter 38:

Philza's P.O.V.

Anchileous had thankfully let Tubbo go back with his family, which I'm really happy about. Knowing him, he would've required the young bee hybrid to stay just for the hell of it, just to piss off Puffy and her family.

When the wild changlings came in, I was really hoping that Tommy would be with them, but when I saw how compliant all of them were, I knew that he wasn't. I had known Tommy for a bit now, and I knew that he would never allow them to do this to him. His pride wouldn't let him.

A guard bursted through one of the side doors and quickly said something to Anchileous, and he responded with a thoughtful look on his face. I heard it, since vampires have pretty good hearing, but I was hoping that Tommy wasn't the one who did that.

I watched as he looking over them, evaluating if they were stable enough to go home with a family or back into the wild.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the hall, there are 5 changlings here that are in need of homes. Are any of you willing to adopt one and let it live with you until it has knowledge of how to keep our secret?" The king said, his voice booming around the hall. The crowd shuffled around for a minute, before four individuals stepped forward, all well dressed. I didn't know them, but I knew that they had houses or mansions of their own that they had acquired.

"Good, good. Now choose the changlings you want. Though I think most of you would agree that the older changling of the group should be let out on his own, yes?" He said. The said older changling's face turned into that of anger and fear, and he held tighter onto his younger sister.

"Your majesty, please! Our family was killed and Aspen is the only one I have left. Please, let me stay with her, please..." He begged, stepping forward. The king looked at him unimpressed, and I knew what was about to happen. A frown made it's way on my face, but I knew that there was nothing I could do for him.

"What did the guard tell you at the beginning? Never to speak unless spoken too. You have spoken out of line, and instead of letting you go, you are now subject to 100 years of training here to become a guard. You are not permitted to leave the premise, and if you do, you shall be killed. Do you understand, changling?" The king said, anger seeping into his voice.

The boy stumbled back, tears silently rolling down his cheeks, and he meekly nodded, before being led out of the hall by two guards dragging him by his arms. The younger girl had her hands covering her mouth as she watched her brother being dragged away.

Everyone was silent, before one of the ladies that had stepped forward went and confronted the crying 12 year old, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulder. The others took that as their cue to gather the changlings they wanted, and soon enough, all the new changlings had families of their own. I was happy that they all were able to go somewhere until they were ready, but I still felt guilty for the girl who lost her brother.

The king nodded once all the changlings had been gathered, and he walked back to his throne, taking a seat on it and setting his left leg on his right knee.

"Guards, bring in the rampant one. I want to get this over with before the moon sets completely." He said, sounding annoyed that he had to do this. I sighed, and turned to look at Wilbur and Techno, who were having a conversation with their eyes.

When they noticed that I was looking towards them, they both looked me dead in the eyes, and I froze, realization dawning on me. My wings puffed out in alarm, and Techno and Wilbur both began making their way down the stairs, trying to get to the center of the hall. 

I extended my wings, getting ready to take off at a moments notice, when the doors bursted open once more, two guards walking out slowly, back to the audience. They were holding some sort of taser that was on a lengthened pole.

Whispered erupted through the crowd when they saw the guards. A cold dread flooded into my chest and stomach, and if I had a heart, it would be beating very fast at the moment. A snarl ripped through the hall, silencing all talking that was happening. I saw Anchileous sit up in his throne, suddenly interested in what was going to happen.

Wilbur and Techno were pushing through the crowd, trying to get to the center, but they were having a difficult time with it. A zap was heard, and a howl of pain echoed through the hall, before the edges of a cage was revealed.

The cage slowly was pushed out, and what I saw inside broke my heart, but made other people gasp in shock and slight fear.

Inside the cage, Tommy prowled around on all fours, his clothes ripped and covered with leaves, sticks, and mud. His fur was matted in some places, and his tail was also covered in mud. His eyes were a bright red, still managing to glow in the well lit ballroom. His claws were elongated, but stained with what appeared to be blood.

When he saw the crowd that was making a path towards the king, he bared his fangs and started banging on the cage, trying to escape. I was able to see that his fang weren't a pearly white anymore, but were stained red as were his other teeth. He was on a blood high.

But what broke my heart was the muzzle that was wrapped over his head and caged his mouth. Not to mention the chains that continuously rattled on his wrists and ankles as he moved about. I saw that they were attacked to loops in in the floor of the cage.

They rolled the cage right in front of the king, before locking it there, and took the top off, fully revealing the savage vampire inside. I could clearly see what had happened to him when he ran off. His hair was stained with mud and blood, leaves and twigs entangled between the blonde locks. There was also a collar on him, the chain also locked into a loop on the floor. 

His eyes met the kings, and he snarled viciously, leaping towards the king and making people gasp in fear. The chains lifted with him as well, but brought him back down once he got to the fullness of their length. He crashed into the floor, a bark escaping his mouth as he landed on his side. 

Wilbur and Techno were on the edge of the crowd, frozen in place when they saw their baby brother like that. I was also frozen, and I could tell that everyone else was frozen or trying to back away from the insane vampire that was now still pacing, his eyes never leaving the kings.

Anchileous got up and grinned, slowly walking forward towards the savage changling. He stopped at the top of the stairs, right out of reach from Tommy's paws. Tommy snarled towards the king, his ears pressed flat against his head, and his tail swishing behind him, his fur stood up tall in alarm.

"And who might this monster be?"

1246 words

-Zia