Protection

Gifts

-TW for possessive behavior and implied/referenced abuse- 

Scott paused outside of the door to the council room before pushing the doors open. The focus of the room was immediately on the young ruler. He felt uncomfortable, but he pushed the feeling down.

"Well, how did the meeting go," a gray haired elf snapped. Scott suppressed a flinch.

"It went well enough, the other empires are good," He paused, considering weather or not to tell them about the corruption,

"um, The Codfather mentioned that the Cod Empire was experiencing corruption as well."

The gray haired elf frowned, "Interesting, keep an eye on the situation, but don't let the other empires know that anything is wrong here."

His eyes glittered dangerously, Scott got the unspoken message

or else.

A little bit too late for that, he thought

—-------

Staying up late to work had become a habit for Scott. He couldn't sleep though, if he tried, then the nightmares would come, and he didn't want to deal with them tonight. He didn't realize he was nodding off until a tapping noise at the window jolted him back to reality. Scott considered ignoring it, but it felt like something was compelling him to open it, to see what had made the noise. Finally, he walked over and slid the window open. He didn't see anyone on the balcony,

How strange...

Something told him to look down, and there on the terrace was a necklace. The necklace had a crimson gem on it, the same color as the corruption.

I should just leave it here, for all I know this could be a trap to spread corruption inside the palace.

Despite these worries, he felt his body move on its own and pick up the necklace. It took all of Scott's willpower not to slip the cord over his head. As he stepped back inside, he shivered, he hadn't realized how cold his room was. The necklace pulsed with warmth, almost comforting. Scott yawned, why was he so tired?

It might be nice to get a little bit of sleep, just to close my eyes for a moment...

Before he knew it, Scott had drifted off with the necklace in his hands.

—-------

He didn't have any nightmares. Scott woke up feeling more rested than he had in a long time, he noticed that he had forgotten to close his windows from the night before. Strangely, this didn't bother him too much. He checked the mirror after getting dressed, he frowned slightly, noticing the necklace was now hanging around his neck, the crimson gem resting on his chest.

When did I put it on?

A knock at the door shook him out of his head.

"Come in." Scott's posture became rigid and practiced.

A nervous looking elf opened the door,

"U-um, sir, someone is here to see you."

Confused, Scott walked over to the door.

"I wasn't expecting anyone,"

"It's the Codfather, sir, he says he wants to talk to you."

"Well, let him in and bring him to the conference room"

He waved the servant away.

The young elf scampered back down the hallway.

Scott began to make his way to the conference room, wondering what the Codfather could want to talk to him about.

—--------

The Codfather stepped into the room hesitantly, almost seeming nervous.

"Welcome."

Scott gestured for the emperor to sit down. The other ruler slowly made his way to the table, sliding into the chair across from Scott.

"So, what brings you to the mountains?" He inquired.

The Codfather shrugged,

"I don't know, I was just worried about you after yesterday's meeting."

Interesting, I wonder why he came to check on me and not one of the other rulers.

"Well, I'm fine, and Rivendell has never been stronger"

The other emperor rolled his eyes and Scott stiffened.

"Ok, but I asked about you, not your empire, and I can tell that you're not fine."

Scott suppressed a growl.

It's none of your business Solidarity.

Of course, he couldn't voice these thoughts, or the council would have his head for potentially ruining an allegiance.

"As I said, I am fine," He paused, and in a softer tone added, "Thank you for your concern though"

The other ruler was still obviously concerned, but he dropped the subject.

"Just let me know if anything happens."

"I will inform you of any changes of relevance to you or your kingdom," Scott replied, slipping into a more formal speech. The Codfather straightened his posture, bowing stiffly.

"That was all I wanted to ask about, thank you for your time, I'll show myself out"

Scott nodded, feeling a faint spike of sadness as he watched the Codfather's retreating form. The necklace pulsed slightly and a wave of calm washed away the lonely feeling.

The cyan haired emperor didn't notice the crimson eyes watching him through the window. A distorted whisper could be heard if you listened close enough.

"Soon brother, just wait a little bit longer."

-Woo! The second chapter is finished! This has been so fun to write so far, and I am excited to see where this story will go! Once again, I am open to constructive criticism, but no hate please. If you notice that I forgot a trigger warning or something like that, please leave something in the comments and I will fix it. I hope you all are enjoying the story so far, thank you so much for reading!-