♛Shadows Lurk♛ Darkiplier x Reader

« ♡ » Chapter 10 - The Garden

James paced his office, wringing his hands as he thought. These past few days had been extremely stressful for him, especially with the added pressure from the board.

The rebellion was independent, yes, but it was overshadowed by a 'board of directors' of sorts. They certainly didn't fund the rebellion, no- they were more like curators of the whole operation. The board was supposed to be an unbiased group of individuals who made decisions on behalf of the rebellion and signed off on any important missions. Supposed to be.

They were in an uproar over Flare's capture, and James' position was on the line because of it. The board believed that he was to blame. They always did. The board didn't much like the general, and nearly everyone knew that they had their own separate agenda.

James needed to figure out a way to keep them at bay, at least until he could fathom a way to get Flare back safely.

The door to the office flung open suddenly, making James jump.

"General," Reef huffed, "General, I-"

"Dammit, Reef! What have I told you about knocking?!"

"I'm sorry, General," Reef finally caught his breath. "But something really important is happening."

Before James could inquire further Reef added, "It's the King, there's a video-feed transmitting straight from the castle!"

James' eyes widened. "We haven't had a broadcast in months!"

"We think it might have something to do with Flare, sir-"

"Let's go!" James interrupted him. "There's no time to talk, we have no way of knowing anything about that telecast standing here!"

By the time Reef and James had made it to the screen room- a large room in the rebellion base where teams monitored communications and newscasts- a large image of the King was displayed on all screens.

Every inch of the room was covered in displays from all walks of technology; from tiny retro computer monitors to large TV screens; every surface presenting the same image in varying sizes, all of them moving in unison and synced with the same audio.

"Good evening, my subjects," The King spoke.

"How long has this been live?" James turned to one of the many technicians in the room.

"Only a few seconds, sir," she replied.

"And good evening to the rebellion. My has it been a turbulent past few days for the both of us." Dark was sitting behind his desk, his hands placed neatly on the flat surface in front of him.

"You might have received the prisoners from my dungeon, but I still hold captive someone I'd consider very important to you. Your dear old Commander Flare." He tilted his head to the side slightly. "I wonder what lengths you'll go to just to get her back? Well, that's exactly what I wanted to address you about."

Dark straightened, standing from his chair as the camera panned out to keep him in frame. He walked around to the front of his desk, leaning back against it.

"I propose that you decide that. What do you think is worth the life of your pathetic companion? The surrender of half your troops? The location of your establishment? Perhaps even your general?" small gasps rang out through the room as everyone turned their eyes to James.

"Rebellion plans, someone else's life..." Dark continued, waving his hand. "Whatever you see fit to be exchanged for your commander, you can decide. You have five days to choose, so choose wisely." More gasps rang out, followed by hushed conversation. Everyone went silent when Dark began to speak again.