Once Upon A Time... (EddMatt)

The Red Leader

Edd shifted nervously in his seat, trying not to make eye contact with anyone else in the room. Tom had taken him to his group saying it would feel just like home.

That was a lie.

Everyone there scared Edd. They all looked twice his size, piercings and tattoos covering their bodies. He let sunk into his chair as a tall man with sandy blond hair and green eyes stared him down. Edd felt like he was being ripped apart by his gaze.

"Give the poor kid a rest Dean." Tom chuckled, leaning against the back of Edd's chair.

Edd let out a sigh of relief as 'Dean' turned away to talk to another man with long brown hair.

"You doing ok?" Tom asked.

"Does it look like I'm doing ok?" Edd whispered harshly.

"Not really." Tom replied, smiling as Edd glared at him. "Just relax. No one here will hurt you... on purpose."

Tom tried to suppress his laughter, turning away from Edd's ridiculous shocked face. Edd crossed his arms and grumbled something that sounded like 'not funny Tom.'

"Relax Edd. Would it make you feel better if I introduced the captains?" Tom asked, resting a hand on his shoulder.

Edd nodded meekly. Tom smiled down at Edd, before suddenly looking very serious. Everyone suddenly jumped to attention, lining up.

"Whoa..." Edd quietly let out. "Are you the leader?!"

"Co-Leader, actually." Tom smirked, leading Edd towards the first man. It was the same one that had been glaring at him previously.

"Edd, this is Dean, the Green Captain. Dean, this is the newest member of our team, Edd." Tom said a bit more formally then Edd thought he was capable of.

Dean just let out small scoff, before the taller man next to him stepped on his foot. Edd turned to study the other man.

He had long brown hair, hazel eyes, and was probably the tallest person Edd had ever seen. The man also vaguely reminded Edd of some type of animal.

"The giant's name is Moose." Tom smiled, amoosed at Edd's reaction.

So that's what animal he reminded Edd of...

"He's the Yellow Captain, but don't worry about him. Moose here is a big softy." Tom said, elbowing Moose lightly.

Edd looked up as Moose smiled kindly at him. He nervously returned it and moved to the next person.

The next one was a girl with short blue hair and interesting shoes. Tattoos ran up and down her neck. She was chewing something that Edd assumed was bubblegum.

"This is Laurel, the Purple Captain." Tom squinted his eyes at her, and she returned the gesture.

Edd gave her a small smile, before moving to the last person. The last man was the most intimidating. He had messy orange hair and an eye patch over one eye with a large scar running under it.

"This is Redd." Tom had an amused grin on his face. "Believe it or not, he's the Orange Captain."

Edd snapped up upon hearing the name. "You mean like-!"

"Different Redd." He sighed.

Edd just squinted his eyes.

"Give the man a break." Tom grabbed Edd's shoulders and led him back over to the chair. "See? They're not so bad-"

Suddenly, the double doors burst open as smoke poured out of the opening. Edd gasped quietly as Tom just rolled his eyes.

"Drama queen." Tom muttered.

A short man with two strange tuffs of hair and a smirk on his face walked through the door. Edd's eyes widened.

"You!" Edd exclaimed.

The man just stared blankly at Edd, his face showing hurt for a few seconds, before twisting into a sad smile.

"That's all you have to say Edd..?" He asked in a thick accent.

"What..? Should I know something else..?" Edd asked, his voice filled with confusion.

The man had a strained look in his eyes, but smiled regardless. "I can't believe you haven't figured out who I am Edd. It's me, Tord."

"TORD?!?" Edd exclaimed, leaving his mouth hanging open.

"Hello old friend." Tord smiled, before Edd rushed forward and hugged him.

"It's so good to see you." Edd whispered. "I-I thought you were dead."

Tord laughed and pulled away. "You can't get rid of me that easily."

"So..." Tom strolled up to them. "You two know each other?"

"Edd and I go way back." Tord smiled.

"I can't believe you're here!" Edd exclaimed, trying to resist the urge to hug Tord again. "I-I thought you were a servant..?"

Tord waved his hand dismissively. "It's a fake position. My job is to go undercover to keep an eye on the royal family."

"Why didn't you contact me!?" Edd asked, his voice still loud from all the excitement.

"I couldn't just go and blown my cover, now could I Edd." Tord winked at him.

Edd smiled nervously, not noticing how Tom stiffened next to him. "So what's your part in this whole thing?" he asked.

Tord smiled widely and puffed out his chest. "I am the brains of the operation, the Red Leader!"