P.O.V. Edd

Edd's heart thumped against his chest, as he watched Eduardo fall to his knees forcibly. Blood roared in his ears as the gun was placed to the back of his head.

Red Leader looked up at Edd, malice gleaming in his silver eye. He smiled smugly, his teeth gleaming.

"This is why you should've worked alone, old friend," Tord said smugly and icily, "so you have nothing, or in this case, no one to worry about."

"The Rebellion will still fight back, even if you kill him!" Edd shouted, hoping to try to change his mind. "Or if you kill any of us!"

Tord merely chuckled, but said nothing.

Edd felt utterly hopeless.

The Rebellion had come to execution unarmed, to try to reason with Red Leader. But he had shown no remorse. Red Soldiers were blocking them so they couldn't interfere with the execution. They could see the prisoners the Red Army caught from the Rebellion, all with guns to their heads, with their wrists bound behind their backs and on their knees on top of the amphitheater-like-stage.

Edd searched through his mind endlessly, searching for a solution to save them. But his intuition kept telling him that it was over; and that they were all going to die.

"The Rebellion will end," Tord's harsh voice cut through his thoughts, "no matter how long and how hard you fight." Tord was about to pull the trigger. Edd couldn't bear to see Eduardo's lifeless body falling to the ground.

"Wait!" Edd shouted, shoving past the blockade of the Red Soldiers. They grabbed him and tried to pull him back, but he resisted. "Wait! Please!"

"Let him talk," Tord said calmly, having the gun still in place.

"There has to be something I can do! Anything! I'll do anything, just please let all of them go!"

Tord stared at him, his single silver eye boring into Edd's brown ones. "Anything I say?"

Edd nodded. "Yes."

Tord smiled wickedly, and it made Edd's stomach drop. What had he just done?

"I want an alliance," Tord said calmly and simply. "But not just any alliance." He pulled the gun away from Eduardo's head and tapped his lips with it.

"Then what kind of alliance," Edd asked cautiously, narrowing his eyes.

Tord's smug smile grew wider. "I want one of the Rebellion leaders, only one, to stand by me, only until I successfully overthrow the world with no interference."

Edd's blood went cold. He stared at the Red Leader in disbelief. "W-What?"

"I'm sure you heard me, clearly."

Edd stepped back into the blockade of soldiers. He wanted someone by his side? Like...Like a bride!? This was unexpected, for Edd to think that Tord would ever accept someone. He turned to the eyes of Tom and Matt.

"Well that was a disaster," Tom hissed bitterly.

"What do you plan to do?" Matt asked Edd quietly. Matt himself wasn't a Rebellion Leader, for he had not chosen to. So it was only Tom, Edd, and Eduardo as leaders.

"Um, I'm not sure," Edd whispered.

"Can't we just give him Eduardo?" Tom said expressionlessly, though it sounded like a joke.

"Tom!" Edd hissed. "This isn't a time to make jokes, and no, we are not just giving him Eduardo."

Tom rolled his eyes.

Edd sighed. "We need to think about this. We need more time." Tom nodded.

Edd turned back to face Red Leader.

"Well?" Tord raised an eyebrow, waiting for an answer.

"We need more time to decide this," Edd responded.

Tord thought for a moment, tapping his lips with the gun again. "Very well. I will give you until tomorrow, just an hour after dawn. But I will still keep my prisoners until then."

Edd glowered. "Fine, tomorrow, we will have an answer.

Third Person P.O.V.

Edd paced around the table Matt and Tom were sitting at, his hands behind his back.

"Edd," Tom said lazily, "you're going to build us a groove around this table."

"Sorry, sorry," Edd sighed. "I-I just don't know what to do."

"Well, you heard Tord," Matt said, "we have to choose someone."

Tom narrowed his eyes. "Well it can't be you, you're not a leader."

"I never wanted it to be me," Matt retorted, "but I don't want it to be any of you either."

Edd sighed again. He had already made his decision before they came to talk about this. It had to be him. He was the main leader of the Rebellion. He shouldn't put that burden on Tom; or anyone for that matter.

"I'll do it," he announced.

Tom and Matt looked at him.

"I'll be the alliance."

"What!?" Tom exclaimed, standing up. "No!"

"I don't want to be it either! But I have to be the one, I'm the main leader! And I'm sure you don't want to be the one."

"Hahaha, no. I don't. Honestly I'd kill myself before i'd give myself to him. But...But I don't want to lose you." Tom looked deep into his eyes. He had hoped that was enough for Edd to change his mind, so that they could come up with a plan where they could save everyone.

Edd's eyes softened. "And the same for both of you." He looked to the floor. "But I've made my decision. It's going to be me."

Tom glowered. "I don't agree with this, and I never will." He whisked away, storming off. He hated this. He hated all of this. He wished Tord would've died in that explosion. Tom didn't like Edd's fateful decision, but...it was reasonable. Then, he would be alone. His heart lurched.

You've made your decision, Edd, he thought bitterly, and I've made mine.

Dawn-

Blood pounded in his ears, just as the day before. This the day he would sacrifice himself to save his soldiers. Tom and Matt walked beside him. Matt occasionally looked at him or touched his shoulder comfortingly.

They were headed to the place where the execution was being held yesterday. Edd looked at Tom in the corner of his eye. He was also adding to his nerves. Tom hadn't talked to him, or even looked at him, ever since last night. Would this be the way he would last see him?

"We're here," Matt said, interrupting his thoughts.

Edd tensed. This was it.

They jumped out of the car they were in and Rebellion soldiers, who were following them in other cars, followed them to the amphitheater.

As expected, Red Leader was already there, with his prisoners. And again, there was a blockade of Red Soldiers.

Edd led the Rebellion just a few feet away from the blockade. He looked at Tom. He looked back. Edd smiled sadly at him. Tom looked to the ground.

Red Leader stepped forward. "Well, have we made a decision?"

Edd inhaled sharply. Tord was looking straight at him, as if already expecting it to be him.

"Yes, we have." He had to fight to keep his voice steady.

He turned to Tom and Matt. "I'll miss you guys." He wrapped his arms around them, hugging them tightly, fighting his sobs and tears.

He finally mustered his courage and gathered himself up. He turned back to a waiting devil.

He stepped forward.

But mid-step, someone grabbed his shoulder and shoved him backward. He let out a yell of surprise.

"I'll do it."

Matt caught Edd and he widened his eyes as he saw Tom step forward. "What?"

Surprise plastered Tord's face. He hadn't expected this, at all. He had known that Edd would do it. But Tom?! This was a joke.

"Tom! No, what are you doing!?"

Tom didn't turn back to look at Edd.

"Well then…" Tord muttered. He looked at Tom skeptically. "You're going to be the sacrifice?"

"Yes," Tom snapped, "anything to save Edd from you."

Tord glared at him.

"Did you know about this?" Edd hissed to Matt. He shook his head, looking surprised as Edd. Edd turned back to Tom. "Tom, no, you can't do this. We didn't agree on this."

"You're right, we didn't," he responded icily, looking back at him. Edd stared at him. "A deals a deal, Red Leader; let the prisoners go."

Tord looked at him, expressionless. "Very well." He signaled with his hand to let the Rebellion soldiers go.

Tom took turns saying his goodbyes to his friends. Matt hugged him tightly and didn't seem to want to let go.

"You'll be okay, alright?" Matt cried into his soldiers.

"Can't promise that I will," Tom chuckled, "but I'll try my best."

Eduardo wasn't one to say goodbye, so they just nodded politely to each other.

"Oh yeah, tell Jon I'll miss his spiked fruit punch," he told Eduardo, smirking.

Eduardo smiled back.

Tom turned to Edd. "Edd, I-"

Edd lunged at him and hugged him fiercely. Tom blinked away the tears forming in the corners in his eyes. Edd pulled back and put his hands on Tom's shoulders, looking in his eyes deeply.

"Be ready, Tom," Edd said in a low voice. "We'll figure it out. We're going to get you back."

Tom widened his eyes, but before he could speak, a voice sounded behind him

"Sir, it's time to depart." It was a Red Soldier (with weirdly thick eyebrows), with a name tag that read "Paul."

Tom sighed. He followed Paul and he led him to where Red Leader was standing.

Tord looked at him for a brief moment. "Lets go," is all he said.

I'm going to regret this, Tom thought miserably.

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