This chapter has instructions!
Go to youtube and copy and paste the /watch;ja;lfkjd -anything like that behind .com
You had began to get pretty attached to Aradia, to the point where you were even okay with calling Tavros by Tav in front of her, and you were fine with Tavros saying your first name in her presence as well. She was almost the perfect slave, despite a few attitude problems.
So when the Grand Highblood had sent for you, you never would have thought in a thousand sweeps that it would had been for her.
But it had been.
Aradia apparently had been asked for and never showed up to her master's quarters. You had searched the palace high and low for her and couldn't find any trace of her.
No reminders that she had ever even been here.
Her possessions were gone from the slave quarters, her bed was made and clean, her chores completely done. Tavros had been sleeping the first time you had ventured in, but now things were getting serious. You grabbed him and shook him awake.
"motherfucker, i've been lookin for too long."
You sat on the bed next to him, avoiding looking at him. As you had done lately.
"HAVE YOU SEEN ARADIA? GRAND HIGHBLOOD CAN'T FIND HER ANYWHERE. and He's starting to get angry."
The Grand Highblood hardly got angry. It was dangerous for him. He was a very violent man, and when he got mad he got lethal. The fact that Gamzee was looking for Aradia and not him was because if he found Aradia at this point she'd probably die.
You were sent to make sure she didn't die unfairly if she had gotten injured to some extent and couldn't make it back to him.
—
You woke up with a grumble. No, Gamzee. It was time to sleep. You were tired. You rolled over, looking up him. Your hair was messy, and you didn't looked very pleased right now. You stretch. Wondering what was going on now. When you heard what he had to say… Your ears went down and low.
"i-i„,hAVEN'T," You looked really confused.
Where could she have gone? You stood up, and went to her bed, rubbing your hair a bit. Her bed was in fact made. You looked into her drawers, and it was as barren as a desert. You walk back over to your small room, looking at Gamzee, before going to your small dresser.
" „,m-mAYBE eQUIUS KNOWS WHERE SHE IS," You mutter.
You didn't dare speak of their relationship though. That was too dangerous. As far as Gamzee knew, they just spoke a lot. Though after Nepeta's death, Equius and her had been talking more and more alone. More secretive. You didn't dare say anything about this either. You pull out shirt, pulling it on. You had you back turned to Gamzee.
You back was marked with scars. All from that beating from what felt like so long ago. At first, they made you so upset. But now…You didn't really care about them. You turn to Gamzee, attentive. Waiting for an order.
—
You watch him look around, with his hair all messed up and disheveled and so cute and growl lowly to yourself. He looks displeased, but you're far past annoyed and more into the point of wanting to strangle every motherfucker who looks at you wrong. The look he gives you when he wakes doesn't sit well with you.
You watch him pull his shirt on, staring at the scars as they're covered. Scars on him were so odd, a brown tint to them as opposed to your purplish tint. Your face had been scarred completely over from the attack of Nepeta Leijon. You had learned her name for sure with Equius had finally confronted you about it.
And by confronted you about it, you mean shoving you against the wall and punching the area next to you multiple times and screaming at you for killing his moirail, before stopping midway with a freaked out expression and apologizing for his behavior.
It was very interesting actually, to see him get mad at you for once. It was the biggest shame it only lasted for so short.
Not even killing his moirail broke his blood caste ideals for very long.
You had sent subjugglators to attack him for this and he had taken the beating graciously, so you had forgiven him mostly.
Mostly.
"yes. equius."
You nod.
"LET'S GO TALK TO HIM."
—
You brush your hair until it's nice and neat. You nod at him, following him out of the door. You wave at some of the other slaves, stopping in the door way for a moment. You shout some things at them in Spanish, and they all nod, some nod and leave the room.
You said had told them that if you were done with your chores, go help with the search. You were sort of…Like their unspoken leader. They had seemed to all come to you for advice. For words of hope. You often wondered why for you didn't deserve much treatment like that. But, they did so anyway.
You really hoped Aradia was okay. You also hoped that the Grand Highblood had enough mercy in his black little heart to let her off easy. You follow Gamzee down the hall, walking calmly with your hands at your side. You were going down to Equius' room.
Down the blueblood hallway. Their rooms were nice. You would rather you and the other slaves have a nice hall like this. But that was impossible. As you and Gamzee make you way into Equius' room, you let a surprised expression cover your face.
He wasn't there. His bed was made. All the metal parts he kept around the room gone. His posters of musclebeast were gone too. All of it. They were both gone. And you mind began to piece together where they were.
Very slowly. Slow and terrifying. They hadn't been that stupid had they…Had they…tried to escape?
—
You follow him, watching Tavros command the other slaves. It was actually kind of interesting to watch him lead, very cool. You didn't understand what he said, but if you knew him it was probably something to do with what you and him were doing.
You get to Equius' hallway and nod. So disgusting, the blue bloods had such a terrible living area. At least compared to Indigo bloods. At least it was better than what the rusts had.
You know immediately what has happened when you enter Equius' room.
"no."
You punch a wall.
"MOTHERFUCKER, NO."
Why would they do that?
You're frustrated, you're endlessly frustrated and you don't know what to do with the frustration at all.
They ran away.
Don't they—
Don't they motherfuckin know what will happen if they get caught?
—
You gasp when Gamzee punches the wall. Then you lay a hand on his shoulder. This couldn't be true. This couldn't be happening. Don't they know that then can lose everything. Including each other? Well, you supposed being matesprits can drive people to do crazy things.
…You should tell Gamzee now. You figured if he wanted the bigger picture, you would give it to him. He would need to know to understand why they were doing this. And maybe talk some sense into the Grand Highblood
"„,gAMZEE, yOU H-HAVE TO UNDERSTAND," You pause.
"tHEY'RE MATESPRITS, yOUNG A-AND STUPID MATESPRITS„,"
You mutter the last part under your breath.
—
You grab his hand as he puts it on your shoulder. You take it in yours and turn, looking at him in complete shock. Sure, you knew that Equius was flushed for Aradia. He did nothing but creepily stare at her. The feelings being reciprocated?
"no fuckin way."
You stare at him, looking into his eyes for maybe the first time since that night you kissed him once more. He looks absolutely serious, and absolutely worried.
"SHIT, WE HAVE TO FIND THEM. tavros, if we don't find them first."
You drop his hand, looking away and sighing. You thought about how Aradia's ancestor had died. The woman who schoolfed you most of your life, she'd tried to get away and managed to.
For a day.
"they'll kill her. WITH NO MOTHERFUCKIN REMORSE."
—
You nod. You knew this all too well. You looked sad for a second. She said she wouldn't leave without you. Or without telling you. What an amazing lie that was. Though…She might have done it to protect you. Even though you weren't worth protecting. You're useless. You have no real reason to be alive.
You're just the Summoner's second heir. You're not needed. You're just a slave now. Just a slave. You squeeze your eyes shut, then walk over to the window. You communicate with the crows on the outside, they go flying.
"t-tHEY'LL TELL ME IF THEY SEE THEM,"
You turn to Gamzee. Yes, a handy ability indeed. You walk out of the room. You walk down the hallway, to the door that lead to the courtyard…You haven't been there since Dave had died. You hold back that horrible feeling in your stomach. You really hope they'ed washed the red blood off the ground.
—
You watch the crows fly away, blinking.
"you know, EVEN IF WE FIND THEM BEFORE THE GRAND HIGHBLOOD, aradia is still probably going to get culled, right?"
You cross your arms, pinching your nose. Following him down the hallway, you blink as you get to the courtyard door. You had made sure everything here was cleaned up, but you didn't want him going out there. There was still a small reminder, even without any bodies or blood, that an execution had gone down in there.
"i'll check the courtyard. YOU GO THROUGH THE KITCHEN. get more of the slaves to look around. THIS IS THE GRAND HIGHBLOOD'S SLAVE WE'RE LOOKING FOR."
You push him away from the door, entering the courtyard. You look at the sky, the flowers, the few slaves who are working on the floral decoration. Their eyes whip up and stare at you in fear as you enter, and you glare at them.
"stop working. ARADIA'S GONE MISSING. we think she ran away."
They drop their tools immediately. One of them does it in determination to help you, the others do it in shock that a slave would actually attempt to run. They continue to stare.
"GO LOOK FOR HER."
They nod and run, and you pace around the courtyard a few more times, not finding anything out of the ordinary. You make your way back towards the kitchen.
—
You sigh, looking down. If you found them without Gamzee… You would probably run with them. You were going to be honest with yourself. You wanted out. You've been stuck inside since moonrise. And it seems like the only time you can go outside anyway, murder and violence happened.
When he orders you into the kitchen, you nod and proceed down the hall. You looked everywhere. Even in the skins. You called for Aradia and Equius over and over. Nothing. It seems like they might actually get away with it to you…Though that's not true.
You know that's probably not true. You look up, hearing the doors open. You see Gamzee in the doorway, raising an eyebrow at him. Then you look back down, shaking your head. Why were you getting too hopeful? That's not good. You shouldn't hope Gamzee of all people would find them.
—
Your tongue clicks, and you let out a yell for a slave who isn't looking very hard. As they come over, you grab them by the shirt and slam them against the wall. They look at you, terror in their eyes. You lean forward and whisper in their ear.
"where is aradia."
They flinch, hands going up and pushing at you. You knee them in the stomach and they cough up orange blood on you. You hiss at them, and their knees buckle. They look at you, apologetic. "I don't know sIr, I hAven't seen them." You punch the slave, hard in the face.
"AND THAT'S HOW I KNOW YOU ARE LYING."
A confused, scared eyebrow raise. They look more shocked than confused, actually.
"w-whAt?"
"i asked where aradia is. NOT MOTHERFUCKIN ZAHHAK. how do you know about him?"
… silence.
"ANSWER ME, OR I WILL HAVE YOU CULLED."
Another few seconds of silence, before they look up at you, with the most pathetic look you've ever seen, "she ran."
—
You watch him interrogate the slave. Not that good of a method but… It was better then Ms. Pyrope out there. You sigh. You wonder how Redglare's teachings never got to her. Well, she was middle classed anyway. She had nothing to worry about when it came to blood color. You wait for Gamzee to finish what he was doing.
So they did run. You could have expected as much. You frown. So much for never leaving you behind. You try to hide the disappointment on your face when Gamzee turns back to face you. But, when he does, it completely fades…. You…really don't want to leave.
Well…You do. But not as much anymore. And not without a good reason. You look at him, the expression on your face serious. Time to go back to wearing that tough mask. It's helped you so much in your time here though. And Dave's death left a harden shell around your heart and your mind.
—
The slave is looking at you with both eyes practically looking as if they're about to fall out of his eyes. You press your teeth to his throat, biting hard and ripping into his flesh. You lick at the blood, growling. He lets out a loud scream and tries to push you away again.
"SHAME I'M KILLING YOU ANYWAY."
He whimpers and digs his claws into your chest as he tries to push you away. Indigo blood drips down to the floor, and you bite him again, ripping out his throat with your mouth. Slaves in the room turn and scream and you shove him to the ground, spitting the flesh out.
"if any of you other motherfuckers know anything, you better tell me now, or you're dead too."
A young slave steps up, maybe only four sweeps old. She grabs your hand, as if she has the right.
"Theey weent out to thee ruins to geet somee things of Ara's beeforee they left, theey told mee not to leet you know, but I don't want anyonee eelsee to diee."
Brave little bitch. You pull your hand away from hers, kneeling next to her and grinning. Yet, she let you know exactly how things went down.
"I LIKE YOU. relieved of all chores for the afternoon." You kiss the top of her head before grabbing Tavros' hand and grinning. "LET'S GO TO THE RUINS."
—
You watch as Gamzee rips out the other slave's throat. You don't say a word. Your ears just go down. You watch as blood much like yours splatters onto the ground. Then you see the small child, walk up to Gamzee when he yells his demands. She has to do what she must to survive.
You understand this. When he grabs your hand, all hopes and thoughts of escaping leave you. You couldn't now if he was going to drag you along. Your expression still doesn't change. You just nod. You looked completely serious. Then you realize, Gamzee probably doesn't know where the ruins are.
Which is why he's probably dragging you. He knows that you know where they are. You also know your way around them quite a bit. He drags you out of the kitchen, leaving the other slaves to clean up his mess. You haven't had to clean blood for him in a while. You thank the Sufferer.
"w-wHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO WHEN WE FIND THEM?" Your voice is shaken. Unsure if you really wanted the answer.
—
You nod at the question, not actually anticipating that. You hadn't exactly thought about what you would do. If you helped Aradia, you would get yourself branded. If you didn't, you would probably get pretty emotionally fucked up about it. You were absolutely okay with killing people you didn't care about.
You blink and nod.
"I THINK, THAT WE SHOULD GET ARADIA AND BRING HER IN. and let equius escape. AS MUCH AS I FUCKIN HATE IT, there is absolutely not way aradia is getting out of this alive. UNLESS I INJURE HER TO CRIPPLE HER, WHICH I SUPPOSE COULD WORK. but if i get caught trying to help i will be branded."
You scratch the back of your head.
"I JUST DON'T FUCKIN UNDERSTAND WHY SHE RAN. there's a lot of poor treatment that goes to slaves."
You move your hand to your nose, pinching the bridge lightly. It'd become a habit lately.
"BUT SHE WASN'T TREATED THAT BAD, I DIDN'T THINK. she has been here for sweeps. HER ANCESTOR WAS HERE. i don't understand. SHE PROBABLY DOESN'T KNOW ANY LIFE OUTSIDE OF THIS."
—
You frown. Looking away from him. Suddenly, being a slave was making you sick to your stomach again. You continue to follow him though, trying to remember your last few days of freedom at this point.
Then you remember, Aradia had no freedom to begin with. She was born into slavery, you were born free. And you miss your freedom. At least you had it though. She was born with nothing but confinement.
When you hear that she wasn't treated that badly, you resist the urge to scoff. There were days when the Grand Highblood would hit her just to hit her. Just because he could. You kept your head down and said nothing until he was gone, but when he was gone you comforted her best you could.
Your expression twist into a bit of a offended, kind of angry one, then returns to normal. Wow, you were really beginning to come out of your shell now. You suppose it was because you've been here for so long.
"„,wOULDN'T CRIPPLING HER JUST MAKE HER USELESS TO YOU?"
—
You glare and lean forward, grabbing Tavros by the hair. His voice had a bit of attitude to it. You didn't really appreciate that in the slightest. You yank his head up so it's looking at you, and growl.
"I DON'T THINK YOU UNDERSTAND. if i cripple her, it can be passed off as that she just got injured. THERE'S A STILL CHANCE HE'LL KILL HER FOR BEING USELESS, but there's an also high chance she'll be spared since it isn't her fault. IF I DON'T, SHE'LL DIE NONETHELESS."
You let go of his hair, shoving him against the wall.
"so maybe you should appreciate when i'm trying to find a way from letting aradia die."
You pull off of the wall, sighing and kissing where you grabbed his hair. You didn't mean to hurt him, if you had.
—
He grabs your hair, you let out a bit of a hiss, but not much else. You look at him, but constantly avoid eye contact. One thing you don't want to do is look into a Subjuggulator's eyes. You grit your teeth but keep your mouth closed as he speaks. You wish you could think of a way to save Aradia, but you can't.
You shoves you against the wall, making you grunt. You quiver a bit. You wondered why he would even care if Aradia died in the first place. He probably on cared because you did. You look away, staying quiet. He lets go of you with a sigh. He kisses the top of your head.
This makes you flinch and turn away. Your right hand grabs your left forearm. You rubbed it a bit with your hand. Then look down. You've been so confused lately, and you just…didn't understand anything right now. You didn't understand your relationship. Your ears twitch down. You felt like there was a pressure on your chest.
But soon, you turn back to him slowly, your face expressionless.
"yES MASTER„," You whisper.
—
"where are the ruins?" You turn away from him, looking down at the ground. You can't face him, not right now. Not lately.
"I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHERE THEY ARE. i don't care about a dead town or anything of that sort."
You expect him to know, he has to know. He and Aradia were close, it probably shocked him that he didn't know she had ran. He was probably hurt. You know why she didn't tell him, she didn't want him to get killed if he were caught.
—
You sigh. You knew good and well were the ruins were. You and Karkat used to explore them while the Summoner worked. You gesture for him to follow you to the door. When you get outside, you point east. And start to walk.
"„,i-iT'S GOING TO TAKE US A FEW HOURS WALK„," You mutter.
You begin to walk on. Then you stop, walk back inside. You come out with some fruit in a small sack. Snacks are needed. You also had two canteens filled with water. You were journeying to the ruins of the Land of Quartz and Melody.
"wE'RE GOING BACK TO WHERE TIME ONCE FLOWED„,bUT HAS STOPPED„,"
—
You nod as he grabs all of the supplies and puts them into a small sack. You shake the canteen of water lightly. You didn't expect the travel to be long enough to warrent this, but you'd have to deal with it. You didn't care. Tavros knew where it was, clearly.
"holy fuckin shit, that's far away."
A few hours is pretty far away, though.
LOQAM was once beautiful, but now it is nothing but ruins of what used to be. It is a shell of the land it could had been. Aradia going there didn't make much sense to you, but you had heard that she was into archeology a few sweeps back. You had blown it off as a rumor. Slaves aren't allowed to have interests.
You used to be such a stupid child.
—
You walk on in front of Gamzee. You had packed a flat, inch think disc. It was a folded lance that you had earned. It's small and compact. Gamzee had given it to you with an attempt to have a weapon in case of emergencies. You may have to take your leg braces off and lean all your weight on it later.
As you continue on, and make it to your home, The Land of Sand and Zephyr. You have spent years studying all 16 lands on this planet. You know all about them. You can find your way around the world and back. This was your job, as a Page, as a Tamer, a descendant of the Summoner.
The Land of Quartz and Melody chilled you to the bone. But, you didn't think about it. All of it's dead people…All of it's stolen jewels…How the Subjuggulators destroyed it.
"„,tHIS IS WHERE i WAS HATCHED„," You muttered, treading in the sand.
"tHIS LAND IS MY HOME„,i-iF YOU DIDN'T KNOW,"
—
You blink and look around at the home, nodding. The Land of Sand and Zephyr was one of most underrated lands, in your opinion. Just a small area by LOTAM but with a certain beauty about it. You wondered if Tavros knew you had painted it when you painted the Summoner on your mural.
You shook your head, it did not paint you had used had been with blood of the people who lived in the land, so it was most likely not the greatest idea to bring that shit up.
"IT MAKES SENSE, I SUPPOSE." You put your hand on his shoulder, rubbing it gently. "… is there anything you want to do while you're here? SINCE WE HAVE A HEADSTART, MOST LIKELY?"
The last time the two of you had been here, you'd killed a rust and his friend Nepeta Leijon.
You owed him at least one visit to something.
—
You stop and turn to him. Looking a bit skeptical. You try your hardest not to flinch away from him. You look down. Then down the trail. You glance at him again. He must be messing with you. He had to be. You sigh, then keep walking.
"„,fINE,"
Until you make it to a small hive, with a windmill like structure spinning upon it. The door was broken open. Your ears go down at the sight. This was your hive, this was were they took you away. Where they killed your lusus. You look at him, you looked distort. You're half tempted to keep going.
"„,w-wELL„,"
You took a step forward.
—
You look at the hive, watching his ears droop. You flick your tongue out against your bottom lip, and then stop. You yell at Tavros for licking his lips so much, you really need to kick the habit for yourself. It is the smallest thing you have ever seen, raising an eyebrow.
"you lived here?"
The door was broken, probably because of the subjugglators. They hadn't bothered to fix it. You step forward as well, moving broken wood out of the door. You throw the broken pieces behind you, back into the neighborhood.
The inside wasn't much better.
There was brown blood all around, but luckily no sign of the lusus.
That would not have ended up well.
—
You nod, slowly, sadly.
You walk in, you close your eyes and bow your head for a moment. Tinkerbull's blood was everywhere. You couldn't stand it. You should hurry before you begin to get sick. You open your eyes again, some tears building in your eyes. Your little buddy was gone. It was hitting you again. The pain. You shook your head, then walk to your desk.
A cane rested against it, one made to help you walk with your limp. You took it, and leaned on it a bit. Still sturdy. You look and see a journal. Ruined by the blood. You glance at your old bookshelf, and walk over to it. You take Pupa Pan from the shelf. This made you smile a bit.
"i MISS„,i MISS ALL OF THEM„,"
You shared this hive with the Summoner, Karkat, and your dear lusus. You remember the days before all of this happen, and it was killing you on the inside. You look back at Gamzee, then look down to your feet.
"„,wHY ME?" You muttered to him.
You bury your face into one of your hands.
—
Why him?
You'd actually asked yourself that quite often. If Tavros had belonged to any other master, he would most likely be dead or beaten to a point where he would wish he was dead. You honestly believe that Tavros most likely wishes he were dead once in a while, but not as much as he could.
You didn't want to answer his subject, so you changed it.
You look at Pupa Pan, taking it from him and looking at it. You flick it open, looking inside.
"this is a classic."
You smile up at him, giving it back. You had learned about Pupa Pan when you were with the Handmaid. You hadn't really appreciated it, you still don't really appreciate it.
You just didn't want him to start crying.
—
You sigh. You really wanted to forget everything now. Ever since Dave's death, you haven't really felt right. Moonrise made if worse. It made everything had random bouts of depression here and there. Now was just one of those times you supposed. You sigh as he flips through the book.
"„,y-yEAH, a CLASSIC," You reach, and gently take it from his hands.
You put it in your sack. Then look around for any other books your may want to take with you. If he even let you. You look at him, waiting for an order. An Okay. A yes, a no. Anything. A machine couldn't do anything without someone controlling it, could it now?
—
He looks at you, with curious and waiting eyes. You sigh and close your own, nodding at him so that he can further explore the hive. "you know, when it's just us. YOU DON'T HAVE TO ACT LIKE A SLAVE. i thought we established we were friends."
You shrug.
"OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT."
You run a hand through your hair.
"wouldn't fuckin bring you here and not let you do anything with it."
—
You dust off a few of the books, putting them away in the sac you had brought with you. All your books for study mostly. Almost none for pleasure. You look around, and notice…foot prints in the dust? Odd. You shook your head. Maybe thieves? But, there seemed to be nothing missing aside from what few things the Subjuggulators took.
You turn to Gamzee, your expression was pretty melancholy at this point in time. You glance down at your feet, then look back at your hive once more. Just one last time. You probably would never be here again. Everything was finally hitting you. You were losing hope for any freedom at all.
For any hope in the Summoner succeeding.
Any hope for yourself. Was just…disappearing.
—
You nod and look at what he's gathered. Books, mostly books. You wonder briefly how boring it must be to be a rust blooded troll in this society. The only thing they had going for them was their education, which was something that most highbloods chose to go without.
You were well educated, as a future Grand Highblood, but most subjugglators were idiotic. That was the way they were meant to be, and you liked it that way. It allowed them to be more powerful in your army, mindless killing for the ones with the underdeveloped minds.
He looks upset, but lately that's all he has ever looked like.
You turn away from him, turning to the door.
"i'll be outside when you're ready to go."
—
You walk about behind him, not saying anything. You kept quiet, then stopped in the door way for a moment to survey your home once more. Then you noticed, candy red stained the wood on the desk. Your eyes go wide, but you keep silent, and walk behind Gamzee.
Karkat had came back. And not so long ago either. He couldn't have gotten that for had he? Maybe he was around your hive somewhere. But, you prayed that he didn't find you two. He'd probably do something stupid and get himself killed. Or quiver in the corner and wait for a smart way to take care of this.
It all depended on his mood. But, you kept your own composure, looking out for him. He could get you out of this. He just needed the right moment and…
And…
You're still not sure if you really want to leave Gamzee behind. Is that really what's best for him? Why did you continue to care?
—
You sit outside in front of his hive, not really thinking about anything. You just wanted to find Aradia, hopefully save her, and come home. You look at the sky, and watch it carefully. It really was a beautiful night. If Aradia had run on a more rainy day, this could have been bad.
Where would she even go after she ran? After she got away? She was branded, very clearly. It was almost idiotic to run off. If you were caught, you were as good as dead.
Honestly, if you ever got enslaved, you'd never run.
Never.
You'd never get enslaved, though, because you'd never help a slave— You briefly wonder if maybe you should hurry Tavros up, and turn your head.
"come on."
You stand up again.
"I'M SORRY. I JUST REALIZED. we're fuckin going after a troll who is running away with her huge muscle-y matesprit. THEY'RE PROBABLY NOT GOING TO STOP. he can just carry her if she gets tired."
—
You nod and walk fully out of the door, looking back at your hive for one more moment. You were worried now. At least you knew there was a chance Karkat could be alive. You walk on. As Gamzee talks, you nod, and try your best to pick up your pace.
You trudged through the sand for the next day or so. When the sun came, you both hid in near by caves. And slept. You stayed awake, but kept you eyes closed. The sun was harsh here. Though to humans it seemed to have no effect, you trolls have sensitive eyes.
You had to huddle up with Gamzee slightly, his arm draped over you so you won't escape. Like you would try in this heat and with the risk of the sun anyway? You were tired, but couldn't bring yourself to sleep.
Even as the peaceful zephyr blows.
—
It was really tiring, but you didn't mind the traveling that much. You were a bit worried for Tavros with his leg braces, but you didn't care. You talked about a lot of things. Nothing of any importance, just small talk to pass the time. The sun hurt you a lot, so you had to hide out quite frequently.
Tavros seemed to be more tired, but you didn't force him to sleep. You made sure he ate and drank but that is all you made him do.
In your newest cave stop, you run a hand through his hair gently, nudging him.
"how much longer do we think we have left?"
—
You sigh, staring up at the rock ceiling. A few bats were sleeping above you. This made you feel more at home at least. You glance at him when asks you the question. You haven't really…well…Showed any expression for days.
You actually wanted to keep it that way. You've been trying kind of hard to distance yourself from him. Make him loathe you in the platonic sense. Nothing was working. You really didn't want to make your 'relationship' worse than it already was. And by worse, you mean better. But worse for your health.
Anyway, you look away from him.
"„,a FEW MORE HOURS A-AFTER THIS„,wE PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT A CAR WITH US„,mAYBE A HOOFBEAST OF ANY KIND EVEN?"
—
You move away from him, standing up and brushing your clothes off from the ground. You rub your eyes, and look out at the cave. "i think the sun is finally goin down. WE SHOULD HEAD OUT AGAIN."
You wish things were like how they were before everything happened. Tavros was distancing himself from you, it was completely obvious. You weren't going to let it happen, though. You kneel by him and pull him up, kind of forcefully. He should expect such a thing.
You watch his eyes, they're looking up at the bats on the ceiling. You wave at them, as if they understand.
You can't commune.
"and we probably could have. BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE NOR RIDE A HOOFBEAST. so it would probably be a setback, even to make things go faster." You freeze. "EQUIUS WOULDN'T TAKE A HOOFBEAST, WOULD HE? he would understand that those are highb100d property?"
Then again, so was Aradia.
—
He pulls you up. You sigh when he does. He likes to make too much skin to skin contact to you. He was always patting your back, pulling you along, holding your hand. And sometimes when he would make you sleep in his bed, you would feel him caress your cheek when he thought you were sleeping.
Of course you weren't. But you weren't going to let him know. Yes, the sun going down is good. You pull away from him, taking a careful step outside. The sun didn't burn, for it was too low. You hear him respond to your question and you simply nod slowly. Staring at the ground.
You stand by the entrance and wait for him. You pull out a loaf of bread for you to split, waiting for him so you can eat and walk on. You don't say a word though. Because you know he hates that.
—
You reach out and take some of the bread as you make your way towards the entrance. You step out into the sunlight and stretch your arms, smiling at the night sky. Little things like this were miracles in their own aspect, tiny small insignificant things like the beautiful stars being out in the night and not disappearing within the daylight hours.
You still had a few hours of travel, and a lot of the next hour is quiet. Tavros is obviously deep in thought about a lot of things, what sorts of things, you have no idea. You ask him a few questions, and he answers the way he always does, with a detached answer.
You're tired. Walking is so tedious, he was right. You should have taken a hoofbeast. You still had to go back. You groan inwardly at that idea.
—
Finally, after hours of nervously avoiding questions, you step onto a ledge. Below, a barren land of blue stone. All the quartz taken from the ground. Giant ruins of great castles and other buildings ahead, most of them built with speakers. The symbol of time marked over most things, with the symbol of the handmaid in the center.
All painted in a beautiful shade of maroon. Some bones and horns remain in the streets, some wearing armor, some wearing rags. Some so tiny their lives had barely begun. Here you were.
The ruins of the Land of Quartz and Melody.
"„,wE'RE HERE,"
You take a deep breath, and begin to lead Gamzee to the old entrance of the kingdom. It smelled of dust and old yellowed books.
—
You look around the place, eyes slighting widening at everything here. You don't really want to admit it, but this place kind of sickened you a bit. It was a kingdom that rust bloods built up, and a kingdom that got its rightful destruction.
Yet.
It was so beautiful.
Corpses and ruins and a completely dead land, destroyed just because it wasn't a Subjugglator nation.
You wonder why no one has taken advantage of this land yet, why it was just left to rot and be a ruin instead of taking the opportunity to recreate it as the Subjugglator nation it never was.
First rule of business when you become the Grand Highblood, is to fix this place up. Fix it up, make it your own, claim it for yourself. You decide that first of all.
"WHERE DO YOU THINK THEY WOULD BE?
—
You draw your lance, stepping forward with caution. Crouched down a bit low, stepping carefully past the gate. Spirits
were abundant here. And seeing a Subjugglator might set the off, so you have to keep on your toes, and be careful. As soon as you mutter a few words in your language, just asking for the Signless to watch you while you were here.
You turn and gesture for Gamzee to walk on, then continue down the main road. You stop at the first building, several big nobs attracted to it. They looked like the type that you turn to start a music box. They all had writing above them. You turned one at the top. The speakers ring out gently ( /watch?v=Axi_uA8Ls6s&feature=related ) , but with a low rumble because of their size.
"fOLLOW THE MELODY, "
You move your hand, laying it upon one of the speakers and closing your eyes. The writing above the knob had read "To the Main Temple." which is possibly where they are. You open your eyes again, and follow the sound.
—
You follow after Tavros, listening to the music around you. You think of what melody was playing when the Subjugglators destroyed this place. You wonder if it was eerily beautiful like this one. You wondered how such a majestic place could have fallen so easily.
You notice Tavros has drawn his lance, so you draw your clubs as well. You walk and each step seems to move with the little note drops and the musical tone seems to work around you.
It's beautiful.
It's scary.
Tavros seems to know what he is doing, far more than you do. This isn't normal, him leading you, but for now, you're okay with it. You feel watched.
As if you're disturbing something by being here.
—
You make your way past all the old buildings. Hives, shops. Portraits of the Handmaid still here and there. She was a beautiful troll. A graceful leader. You see some Subjugglator symbols over the faces of the portraits.
:o)
While others are still intact. You dare not touch them. This was a haunted land. Which is why nothing will grow here. Nothing would flourish. Everything that has tried to settle on this land since have died. That includes Subjuggulators. A part of their history they erased for so their future generations wouldn't know.
You wondered if Gamzee knew. You shook your head, and made your way to a grand, gated stair way.
You needed a quartz key. You had one, luckily. You and Karkat had debated over opening the temples the first time you've been here. You disagreed on opening them. But, it seems you don't have a choice this time. You reach in your pocket, and pulling the quartz from it. As you drew closer to the lock, it began to illuminate. It slides in like a key.
The gate begins to glow. The previous melody is just finishing. A new one begins ( /watch?v=HXHgevdBaWU ). The cogs in the gate spin in turn. Lights at the top of the gate glow with each note. It opens, and the lights continue to glow. Up the stairs.
Guiding you. You hum along. Hopefully this will please the spirits. You reluctantly take Gamzee's hand to keep him on the right path, until you find your way at the temple doors.
—
You see pictures of the Handmaid and smile slightly to yourself. You absolutely despised her when she was still around, but when the Grand Highblood had her executed you did kind of miss her. She was your tutor for most of your growing ages.
You watch the temple open, watch the gates light up the sky. New music begins, and you're honestly understanding why this place was called the Land of Quartz and melody at this point.
The temple opens, and you stand back.
"DO YOU THINK THEY'LL BE IN THERE? or is this just a pretty light show?"
—
You nod at his question, and begin to climb the stairs. Each step illuminated with your step. You pull him along, nice and gently, until your at the top at the main temple. You start at the ground, then back up, you see another set of knobs.
You turn them a certain order. Carefully, slowly. One beat starts first, the other next. Combining into one song. The knobs glow too. The door to the Temple creek.
The cogs you see inside of it turn. A giant clock at top lay silent. That was what made time flow through this land, where the trolls all reside. On the trolls side of the planet. The clock has long stopped flowing.
You pray Aradia hadn't tried to fix it. You know like Dave, she has temporal powers. She has the power to restore it. But that just might anger the Subjugglators further. The door opens, and you walk in.
States of Gods and deities abundant. You see one of the Signless in the center. The Empress of the Sea Dwellers to his left, the Disciple to his right. The left side represents evil in maroon blood culture. The right, good.
You go to the right, and look up at the statue. The Disciple…She was just as beautiful and as much of a figure to you as the Handmaid was. She is the one who taught the Summoner after all.
—
You move to the left side of the room as Tavros moves to the right. Looking up at the statue of the Grand Highblood, you step back and look at it in awe. It is a beautiful statue, for a man that you can hardly stand, and yet hardly despise. You respect him greatly, for multitudes of reasons.
Your relationship with him was conflicting. You reach out and touch the cold surface gently, genuinely looking a bit freaked out. You'd never been able to touch the Grand Highblood without him lashing out and hurting you about it. You glare at him, let out a loud honk at it.
"YOU DESTROYED EVERYTHING. i can't stand you. WHY DO I EVEN GIVE A SHIT. i could easily fuckin kill you. AND YET I DON'T. why? DID YOU MESS WITH MY DREAMS TOO? am i that much of a puppet to you?"
You're yelling at a statue. You flinch and lower your voice, realizing you're not alone.
You quickly move away from it, going to Dualscar. You always though sea dwellers were interesting looking. You'd rarely seen them, but when you did you always found yourself looking at the fins.
"AND YOU. you died so easily. AT HIS HANDS." You gesture to the statue. "pathetic wastes of deities."
—
You look at him. Your face filled with curiosity. Was he really conversing with a statue at the moment? He truly was a clown. You sigh, then walk over to him and gently grab his shoulder. No need to get worked up over the past. Or the current order of things. It'll come to an end one day anyway.
"gAMZEE„,wE NEED TO MOVE ON," You say.
You take the quartz key, then insert it into a little slot below the statue of the Sufferer. Everything began to move and shift. Until, the sides were switched. There was a door. You walk through it, glancing back at Gamzee. A sign for him to follow.
They probably went down to the main worship room. Somewhere you've only been twice before. Hopefully, you still remembered your way. You begin to guide him down the hallway, taking his hand so he wouldn't fall pray to getting lost. Didn't want him getting hurt. Or did you? No…You didn't.
You really wished you could learn how to hate this man.
—
You shove his hand away from yours, still slightly angry over the Highblood and Dualscar. You glare at the fucking statue over your shoulder before reaching out and finally lacing your fingers within the spaces between his. You couldn't stand this place, not with things still fully in tact back in there.
You wonder where you're going, you honestly had no idea what was going on. Tavros seemed to know his way around the place, and you briefly find yourself wondering how many times he has been hiere over his life.
You find yourself wondering if you took that opportunity to do things like this by making him your slave.
You find yourself trying not to care, and it works.
"WHERE THE FUCK ARE THEY AND HOW MUCH TIME WILL THIS TAKE? it's getting late and the Grand Highblood is going to get angry if we take much longer."
—
You keep a grip on his wrist, making your way down the dark, very large, hall. Everything was neat, crisp, dusty though. Some of the dust interrupted by large hand prints and random shapes. They've been this way. The wall was slightly cracked under the print, a sign that Equius had been down this way.
The man couldn't control his strength, that made him easy to catch. You finally made your way down to the last room, a secret ones where the Handmaid and her court, the Felt, would meet. They were easy to spot, Equius had tried to get her to come along and hide, but Aradia turned to look at both you and Gamzee.
She gasps, then looks back at Equius. He looks between you and Gamzee. They had been caught. But there was still hope to save them. You glance at Gamzee, waiting for an order, something. Anything.
Hopefully he'll see it in his heart to just let them go.
They seemed happy together. This is what they wanted. You know Gamzee isn't completely incapable of compassion, he couldn't be. He of course, tried to show it to you quite a few times. So, if he didn't let this happen, wouldn't he be showing that any relationship he could have with you would be doomed?
Though knowing him, he probably didn't care about their happiness. Just his own. And maybe yours now and again. You glance at him again, this time your eyes more pleading. But then, before anything could happen, your ears twitch.
Footsteps. Honking. Laughing. Down the hall. You gasp and turn around. They've followed you here!
—
You hear the honks stare back at Tavros. You were followed. You aren't particularly surprised, a prince can't escape without being noticed. He's terrified, though. Your rust is terrified. You reach out and stroke his hair, sooshing him lightly. You turn to Equius and Aradia.
They're scared.
You seem to be the only one here who isn't flipping his lid over a few subjugglators. You go over to Aradia and grab her arm, pressing a finger to your lips. "you're going to die, but you can still save the blue blood." You mutter lowly. She looks between you and Equius, and they lock eyes. He is standing protectively over you, as if confused on whether to push you away from Aradia or obey the b100dcaste.
You let go of her arm, turning to him and glaring at him hard. You look up at him, he's taller than you. "IF YOU WANT TO KEEP YOUR OWN GODDAMN LIFE, YOU WILL RUN."
"I refuse." He states, clear and hard.
You reach up and grip his throat. He holds his prideful look.
"they will make you a slave. THEY'RE NOT GOING TO KILL YOU. they are going to turn you into someone with less than a life."
He's not listening, he has always fucking listened.
This frustrates you.
—
You watch as Gamzee tries to talk to him. Your ears go down. The footsteps and honking grew closer and closer, it was driving you mad. They could still run. Right? They could be together and they could be okay. God this was so stupid, this is all your fault. All of it.
Aradia was going to die because of you. Another one of your friends would die right before your eyes. Another one. And yet again, it will be your fault. You turn away from them, Everyone, even as the Subjugglators began to storm the room. Mad honking and laughing everywhere.
One grabbed your shoulder, shoving you around so that he could look at you before letting go with a large snort. He saw the symbol on your shirt, and began to back off, still giving you dirty looks and glares. All of them did. They were disgusted by you. Because again, technically, you were higher than them.
They all crowd around Gamzee and Equius, one of them already had Aradia in their grip. She squirmed and writhed, but couldn't get free. She used her powers to slam him against the wall, but another came from behind her and slammed a club into the back of her head to knock her unconscious. You gasp, reaching out, but one stands in front of you so you won't interfere.
—
Maroon blood. That's the first thing that smashes against the wall. They didn't hit her hard enough to kill her, no. They'd do that in front of the Grand Highblood himself. It still was a pretty hard hit. Equius looks at them in shock, and instead of fighting, crouches down and allows himself to be cuffed.
Idiotic.
After all of this, he throws in the towel soon enough.
You hold up your head, turning to a subjugglator. They nod at you. You nod back. You clear your throat harshly, shoving one out of the way and going to Tavros. You press a hand to his shoulder.
You have to be the prince in this situation.
Or you and Tavros are going to get hurt, too.
"TAKE THEM BACK TO THE PALACE."
—
You watch as the Subjugglators march Equius out of the room, one carrying Aradia over their shoulder. You stare at the ground. Then look back up at Gamzee. You wait for him to step in front of you and lead you out of the room. A few of the Subjugglators throwing you dirty looks.
They suspect you had something to do with the escape. Of course they did. They would do anything to kill. Especially you it seemed. A few other highbloods had made attempts at your life, but Gamzee would catch them, they'd be executed or enslaved themselves.
Most of them truly hated you. Not that you were fond of most of them either. But, you held no grudge. You walk so that you're behind Gamzee a little, bowing your head down low and frowning.
You were too upset to deal with them. Another one of your friends were about die. And again, it's your fault being the sniveling coward that you are. As soon as all the Subjugglators have left the room, you take Gamzee's hand, and try to sigh back the tears. The sigh comes out as a bit of a choked out sob.
You didn't want any tears to fall right now. Be strong. You have to be strong.
—
You pull him forward, following behind the subjugglators who are holding Equius and Aradia. Equius is being threatened in multitudes of ways from them. They leave the building, and you see they did what you didn't. They took a form of transportation, using hoofbeasts. It explains how they were able to catch up to you so fast after you had run.
There's a carriage ready for you. You are given special treatment. It's a fairly grand one, if not a bit intimidating. It is to be expected of your blood kind and title to hold such threatening atmosphere, however. You pull Tavros along, and the carriage driver steps aside for both you and him to get on.
"siR."
You scoff at the title, nodding at him and letting go of Tavros' hand to get into it.
You know you wouldn't have been referred to as 'sir' if they knew you were on the side of Aradia and Equius deep within your mind. You are given privacy in here. You are a Prince, you expect the best and you are given the best.
You sit down and cross your legs in front of you, papping the seat next to you to sit. The prisoners won't have as good transportation as the one you have been given.
It feels good to be royalty.
Yet, it feels sick.
You don't care, you suppose you've always been a sick man.
—
You followed, your head down low. All the way down the large staircase you kept your gaze at your feet. This continued on until you were invited into the carriage. You sit down next to Gamzee, clutching the seat. You stay quiet, not knowing what to say.
You still held back tears. You kept them hidden, inside. You weren't going to cry anymore. You needed to save your tears for something valuable. But, you…You wanted to cry so badly. All at once. You wanted to be strong, but you wanted to cry. Crying shows weakness.
You wait until the carriage door is closed, then you lean your head on Gamzee's shoulder, whining softly. You really hated life right now.
—
You move your hands to his back, rubbing gentle circles into it. You press your palms against his shoulder-blades, and then grip his shoulders and turn him so that his back is to you. You lean forward and press tiny kisses behind his ear, whispering. "everything is going to be okay, motherfucker."
You don't really think it will be. He's losing a friend, you're losing a positive acquaintance. You will have to watch because you helped 'capture her', but, "I WON'T MAKE YOU WATCH THE EXECUTION. you can stay in the quarters, if you want."
You gently massage his back, trying to get him to calm down a bit. Even if a little bit, it'd be better than the distressed state he is very clearly in at the moment.
"and you'll get to spend a lot more time with equius." You chuckle slightly, though it's very clearly halfhearted. It was a bad joke. Misplaced. "HE'S PROBABLY GOING TO GET ENSLAVED. if he's not killed."
—
Your ears twitch at the kisses. You half flinch, giving another whimper. You enjoyed that. You enjoyed how he was trying to comfort you. And God, you couldn't stand the fact that you enjoyed it. But you didn't care about that right now, you guess. You cared more about how you were feeling.
More about the fact you were getting any kind of comfort. You lean on him, wrapping your arms around him, giving up on keeping it all in. You cry again, like you have so many times in front him. You feel trapped, but welcomed and warm all at once.
You grab at the back of his shirt lightly. No sobbing, no more whines. Just tears. Brown, rusty tears going down your cheeks. You looked up at him, at his face. Your ears back, your expression twisted in regret.
—
You laugh slightly, sadly, when he starts crying. He's looking up at your face, and your reach out and pap it gently. You stroke his chin with your fingers, leaning forward and pressing your forehead against his. You look into his eyes. Brown with Indigo.
Fingers still on his chin, you move them up to cup his cheeks. His eyes are bloodshot. Tinted brown due to the blood in his veins. You smile, reassuring.
"WE'RE GOING TO GET OUT OF THIS OKAY. aradia might not, but we tried our fuckin best. STOP PITYING YOURSELF SO HARD. i'm doing that enough for the both of us."
Equius Zahhak and Aradia are being captured, shoved and cuffed and probably beaten. Blue and maroon blood is probably being spilled on the beautiful ground of this abandoned city. On the ruins of the already dead city, the maroon blood being spilled for probably one of the last times.
One of the last times before her death.
Yet, all you can think about is your fucking slave. It's starting to eat you inside.
You lean forward and kiss him again.
—
And again, his lips are pressed to yours. For the third time. Why were you even keeping count? Why did you even care? You cared. A lot. And that of course in turn, hurt you just as much. His lips on yours, felt more right then wrong. A fact that terrified you.
You felt comfort, you found a bit of peace. You as well found yourself kissing him back, gently, unsure of anything. Hesitant, you let a hand clutch at his hair. Which has once again become thick after a few months without a cut. You made a note to ask him if he wanted you to later.
But, that gets pushed back into the back of your head. You don't care right now. All that mattered was you two right now. You and him. All you can think about is how this is all going to fall apart later. The way you felt for him, the pity you felt for him. That you've been denying all this time, it was slowly dripping from you.
And everything became clear and covered in fog all at once.
—
This is so stupid. You're in the back of a carriage, with your slave. All you can think is he'skissingbackhe'skissingbackhe'skissingback, when in reality the idea of getting caught is an almost undeniable probability. You're not thinking that, the idea hasn't even crossed your mind.
The danger doesn't cross your mind.
He's kissing back.
Of all of the times you've kissed him, three times now, he hasn't kissed back. He pushed you away, refused to, said it was wrong. He said it was dangerous, and he was right. He was absolutely right. These subjugglators are already mad enough at Aradia and Equius.
Masters had sexual relations with slaves sometimes, but they were mostly abusive.
The tender stroking of your thumb on his cheek as you tilt your head to kiss him deeper is not abusive. The gentle movement of your hands from his back down to his hips to pull him closer is not abusive.
No part of this is abusive.
Feelings you've had to hold back for so long all go into this kiss. You can't think, all you can think of is right now. Right now, with this rust blood.
Your rust blood.
—
You sigh softly, going to cup his cheek. You were gentle. For God knows why. You caress his cheek, down to his chin. You felt something in your chest. You don't know what it was. Nervousness, your breathing acting up, you didn't know. You didn't care. You only cared about him right now. About all the relief he's giving you.
You pull away softly, slowly, with a light smack of the lips. Your big, dark brown eyes glance up at him. Looking confused. Not upset, not worried, just confused. Then, the confusion softens into understanding, pity. You keep your hands on his chin, letting out a heavy breath out of your nose.
You bite your lip. Realizing, you'd just kissed a highblood. One that you were to call your master, the one that owned you. You felt shame and sadness pool in your stomach, and try your hardness not to let it show. You didn't know. If this was good or bad.
You felt, so very, bitter-sweet right now.
—
You look at him, slightly less wide indigo eyes staring into his. You're reminded all at once what you were just doing. You glance up, pushing him to the side and looking to the door of the carriage. It's closed, still. You look out the window, no peeking civilians or angry subjugglators.
Excitement shoots up your heart. You just kissed him.
You just kissed a slave. You just kissed a lowblooded, rustblooded, dirtblooded, shitblooded slave. You pressed your lips against his, and he kissed back. You wonder if he did it because he felt obligated to, because he was your slave.
You didn't care.
You felt disgusting. You felt absolutely disgusting. You knew you pitied him, but the fact that he actually kissed back was disgusting you. You had been raised for so long to despise these trolls with lesser lifespans, lesser reasons to live, and you had just kissed one.
Yet, at the same time, you felt fantastic.
You lean forward and capture his lips again, for a short amount of time.
"that just happened, right?"
—
You nod slowly. Looking back down at your feet. Your expressions disappear again. It just hit you, your kissed the troll that killed Dave. Branded your skin. That owned you and the entirety of you are. You were okay with it though. For God knows why, you were okay with it.
You felt a little bit sick, but, God you liked it so much. You liked him so much. You pitied him so much. You look at your hands. Your wrist. Your brand. His mark. Biting your lip. Then you shake your head a bit.
You have to let it go. Let everything go. One way or another. Let go of your regret, your pain, and your sorrow. Let it all go. He wants you. He pities you, and you pity him. You don't know if he wants to truly act on it, or if he's just using you, your feelings weren't any different.
Your ears go down, and you take his hand, squeezing it gently.
You wanted to trust him. So bad.
—
You squeeze his hand back, and hear the door rattle a bit. You move over so that your hands are covered, making it seem like you're just protectively hovering over your slave. A subjugglator comes in, one you don't recognize but don't really care to recognize either.
"arE you rEady?" She asks, eyebrows raising at you in honest inquiry. You nod, looking out the window behind you. There are rows of hoofbeasts, about four two pair rows. She nods back, and you watch her tense and wonder what to do through her facial expressions .
She must be new.
"do you nEEd anything to makE your stay morE comfortablE?" She finally asks, and you scoff, pointing to the door.
"privacy."
End of Act 4: Part 1.