Loyal Servant (Crossmare) (Rewrite)

Pretty Little Terrors

Cross peered out each window he passed, admiring the vast landscapes of silver moonlight and diluted forests that surrounded Nightmare's towering castle. Somehow, the lack of color brought a sense of comfort and clarity. Perhaps it stemmed from the scattered memories of his past. His world had been rather void of color as well, but unlike here it had been dazzlingly bright. Nightmare would have hated that place. Even if he'd have been gorging himself on its endless feast of corruption and sorrow.

Cross merely walked to entertain himself, tired of his own quarters. No one pestered him as he passed them by, keeping to their assigned stations or continuing on with their rather repetitive tasks. At one point he had paused to peer into a candlelit room and watch a pair of monsters as they weaved equally beautiful banners. He recognized the symbols they skillfully crafted upon the fabric, having seen the spirally winged creatures upon the tapestries within the throne room.

He continued on, faintly aware of the dull tingling that stemmed from his wound. The pain wasn't as strong as it had been the day prior. It was merely an irritation now, though Zoie shook her head sternly when he insisted so.

He stepped out onto one off the balconies that overlooked Nightmare's garden in a ring formation. It wasn't beautiful in the traditional sense. The trees carried no leaves and instead shiny and intricate spider webs nestled between the outstretched limbs. Below them, thorny brambles lined the gravel pathways that swerved between scatterd patches of vibrant purple nightshade and foxglove. He wondered if Nightmare knew how stunning his terrors could be.

"Ah, you've woken from your slumber," Nightmare suddenly spoke up right behind him. Cross startled, though he gave no physical reaction other than swiftly looking back over his shoulder. The king sensed that little flicker of fear anyhow. "I didn't mean to surprise you, though I can't say I'm sorry I did," Nightmare said with amusement.

Why is he amplifying his voice? Are we not alone? Cross fully turned, his pinpricks darting to stare past Nightmare to where he caught a glimmer of shiny black armor. A woman stood a small distance back, and although her helmet obscured most of her face, he was certain their eyes met. Right. Irritation bubbled up inside him. My damned replacement.

One of Nightmare's tentacles swished up, obscuring his view for just a soulbeat. It broke his momentary trance, allowing him to once again meet the king's gaze. Has he sensed my annoyance? Cross gave him a respectful nod while he tried to recall what he had just said a moment ago. "I've hardly been sleeping," He admitted. "And I'm not letting a sore arm keep me caged up in my room."

"Excellent," Nightmare replied with a hint more of a smirk. Although most couldn't read the king's body language, Cross learned how to use the tendril's movements to guess what he could possibly be thinking. All four of the slick appendages now curled slightly with a twitch. Cross gave his head the slightest tilt. What are you being mischievous about? "I wish for you to return to my side tomorrow. We have much to discuss, especially with Dust. I've been waiting to have you interrogate that fool. Thoroughly," He told him.

Cross dipped his head to hide his faint smile in the curve of his turtleneck and the surrounding fluff. Ah, so he's hungry, is he? "I'm also eager to put a stop to Ink's insufferable tinkering," He told the king.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow," Nightmare said before he waved a tendril at his guard. She straightened her posture- Which Cross jumped to call imperfect. "Killer is watching the perimeter of the castle for any signs of portals. Find him, and tell him to check the crypt instead," Nightmare said, using a codeword only known to the highest ranked servants amongst them. He and Killer knew what he meant. He wanted someone guarding Dream's well hidden statue.

The guard nodded and turned away. As she did so, Nightmare's form vanished and that goop of his zipped off into the shadows as he teleported elsewhere. Cross kept his gaze locked in the guard. To his surprise she glanced back to look at him one last time as well. Was that jealousy he caught in her gaze? His stare hardened further, anger causing his vision to darken as his pinpricks blacked out. I'm Nightmare's guard. Not you. He thought bitterly as he eyed the woman. When she left his line of sight and marched off down the hall, he allowed himself to settle.

He didn't maintain peace for long, as a new voice chimed in from somewhere behind his back. "Wow, Cross. You were glaring daggers at that poor girl."

Instantly Cross whipped around, catching sight of Zoie. He had zero idea how long she had been watching from that other balcony, perched upon the railing with little regard to how her legs swayed high above a thicket of razor sharp brambles. She looked far too smug. Cross let out an exasperated sigh, narrowing his eyes on the rabbit. "How is it you manage to witness every event that I wish you wouldn't?" He asked.

She gave a light shrug. "Practice," She simply replied.

"If you don't clear me for tomorrow, I'm going to kill you," He warned, though he wasn't serious. "I need that interrogation with Dust. It's his fault I had to throw my blade away just to-" "Save your Master?" Zoie cut him short to say teasingly.

Almost like it was instinct, he waved his hand and summoned a sharp piece of bone up from the floor behind Zoie's back. He hadn't aimed it to stab her, as Nightmare would probably be furious, though the sound of it bursting up through the tile spooked her anyhow. She flinched and for that, she slipped forward off the railing. "Cross!" She yelped as she began to fall. Oh, right. The thorns. Upon remembering there wasn't a regular bush there to soften her fall, he reached out again and this time grasped her soul with his magic. She stopped falling, and he placed her back down on the balcony.

"Take that lesson into consideration the next time you wish to refer to Nightmare as my Master," He told her. Her eyes shifted, staring straight past him. Oh, please no. He glanced back. Immediately Cross looked away again as he saw Nightmare standing there, just staring blankly. "Welcome back, my lord," Cross greeted through gritted teeth. He kept his face well hidden as his cheekbones flushed black.

"Master has a ring to it," He noted. Cross's embarrassment only doubled. Oh great, he heard that. "I sensed your burst of anger and got curious," He explained. Using his tendrils to swing himself, he easily traversed over to Zoie's balcony without the need for magic. The healer gave him a respectful bow. "You damaged my floor," Nightmare pointed out, staring where the sharp bone had been summoned. It had faded away by now, but still left the broken tiles in its wake. "Is Zoie that much trouble for you?" He asked, turning his gaze her way.

"No, my lord. I lost my temper over something trivial," He told him. Nightmare didn't look displeased, merely flicking a tendril and letting it go. Zoie, who probably could have weasiled her way out of a confrontation with her charming magic, looked relieved by his dismissal anyhow.

"Leave my floor out of your skirmishes," Was all he said before he vanished once again.

"He sure did come running when you got upset. He really keeps an eye on you," Zoie noted.

"Shut up," Cross said in a monotone mumble before he turned away. He wanted to rest now so he could hurry up his healing and get on with interrogating Dust.