A/N: Holy crap, Witch Knight Daisy! It's such an honor to have you read my fanfic! I hope you like it! Do you have Skype? Also, thanks to the anonymous reviewer!

"Come." The cybug king had already started walking, and Calhoun followed him wordlessly. She wondered if she had much of a choice, given the necklace she wore. She jerked her foot back to test it, but the virus took over and she was vaulted forward. She fell, her Kevlar armor hitting the candy ground with a dull thud. "Are you all right?" He asked gently.

"Fine," she hissed as she stood up. "Don't do me any favors."

"Sergeant, I only asked if you were all right."

Was he genuine?

"Please," the sergeant said. "Let me go back. Let me-"

"If you go back, it will only be a reminder of what transpired. You'll remember Brad Scott, you'll remember Felix. But I'm giving you something new."

"Why save me," she said. "Why not drag me out to another game and execute me?"

"Because I admire your power, honestly," he said. "And I need a queen."

Her blood ran cold. "Okay, you know what, that is it. Get me out of this-" Then her vision went cloudy. She still saw the cybug before her, though he was covered in a film of red.

"Now, now," he chided and snapped his fingers. Her vision cleared. "Is that any way to repay your host?"

She followed him to the candy castle. But where was-

"Vanellope?" She questioned the child's name aloud.

"I'm sure she's out practicing drifts with the other racers," the cybug said. "She doesn't know I've returned yet. I'm waiting for the right moment."

"You won't hurt her, will you?"

"I see you're warming up to me. You have your infection to thank for that." He cleared his throat. "No, Vanellope will not be harmed, so long as I do not meet resistance. Do you remember the licorice clearing where you found the cybug nest?"

"Yes," she said quietly.

"She never goes there – it's near the platformer section. That you were there was a complete fluke. Anyway. When the invasion started, some eggs hadn't hatched. I'm not sure why, but when I respawned, I went back and they had. They've been hiding under there ever since. But back to Vanellope. If she crosses me, she'll be taken to another game, with my cybugs, and eaten."

"Is that what happened to Felix?"

"Yes."

"And you did this so you could have me as your queen, didn't you?"

"Yes. It was the only way I knew how."

They reached the throne room. There was the smell of vanilla and of grapes. She felt a pang of hunger, but didn't say anything. The cybug king gestured to a chair.

"Sit down, make yourself comfortable. You're hungry. Here," he said as he handed her a bit of white chocolate. "It's from my kart. I can't drive it in this body."

Hesitantly, she nibbled at the kart. "I'll be able to go back to my game eventually, won't I?"

"I'm sure," he said. "When I've amassed an army large enough to take on Hero's Duty. You'll be by my side. I'm going to end that wretched game. And even though you'll be a cybug, your men won't attack you."

"A cybug? What? You're insa-"

"Calhoun," he said in a measured tone. "You may be my queen, but I am your king, and you will hold your tongue. I can control how far this virus goes. I know you want to die. It's very much your only thought at this point in time."

He wasn't wrong.

"But I have no intention of killing you. In fact, you're the only one in this arcade worthy of surviving at all." He turned around.

Be strong, she told herself. Get him. Make the bastard pay. Fuck the virus. Don't let it hold you back. She reached for her knife, her movements slow and labored as the virus tried to protect its master. Don't make a sound, she thought.

The king whipped around just as she'd unsheathed her knife from its holster.

"You are strong," he affirmed, then snapped his fingers. Calhoun flinched as she saw the outline of her body glow red again and she was lifted in the air. This time, the pain was not a warning: it was a full-on attack on every cell and bone in her body. "I thought you'd learned your lesson. I suppose not," he hissed. She felt her body be tossed back into a side room. She heard the door lock. "Sarge?" She heard a small voice, the other occupant of the room.

"President," she murmured, still glancing at the door. "Are you all right? He said you-"

"He lied, Sarge. It's what he does."

"Are you all right? He hasn't hurt you, has he?"

She heard the clinking of chains and turned to glance at the once-again usurped ruler of Sugar Rush Speedway.

"Just my pride," the little girl said with a weak smile. "But you're here to protect me, aren't you. That's why he put you in here, 'cause you kicked his butt."

"I wish, kid," she said. There was no need to address her as President, the title had been stripped from her.

"Can you come sit by me?" Vanellope asked.

"Sure, kid," she said softly and went to sit by the girl.