Prince of Heart- I know I shouldn't, but I feel proud of every line I gave Cronus last chapter. Do you know how long it took to come up with all those pick-up lines? At least two, maybe three, seconds.

Eridan woke with a startled yell, flailing his head around to gain his bearings back. The last thing he remembered was being knocked out, his army allegedly in ruins and his second in command bleeding out on the floor. He couldn't believe it; everything he'd built over hundreds of sweeps, just gone in a matter of seconds due to his own pride. He should've known she had something up her sleeve; she was smarter than to just move into his territory with no second plans. Hindsight was a bitch that constantly plagued Eridan, it seemed.

He felt himself up, rubbing his bare chest, to make sure he was actually awake, and found himself relieved and slightly disappointed. Once sure of himself, he looked around his new accommodations to find himself trapped in a well-kept cage, which he guessed was in the Sovereigns personal prison. The place was surprisingly spacious and comfy; two queen beds sat at either end of the room, a curtain hid the bathroom opposite him, and a small television hung in the corner, currently playing some obscure channel Eridan was unfamiliar with. The golden walls were almost a tad too bright for him, and the diamond encrusted bars only added to the Sovereigns secret inner ego-maniac.

He slowly crawled over to the bars, still drowsy, and grabbed onto them with both hands. Outside the cell were two guards, both heavily armed in case of a breakout. So there went that idea. He sighed, frustrated, turned, and slumped down against the bars.

"Yeah, those 8ars are pretty strong, a8n't they?" he heard a female voice say, prompting him to look towards one of the beds, revealing a figure he initially hadn't noticed in his confusion. On the bed lay a woman, tall and athletic in shape, with her legs crossed and slowly kicking her feet rhythmically. A long coat covered most of her body, black with cerulean outlining's, with black pants tucked into a pair of equally black boots. She turned her head to face him, her long, messy hair falling as she rested it on its side, showing him her cerulean lips and eyeliner, and her blue eyes focused on him with curiousness.

Eridan stared at her for a few seconds, before making a waving gesture towards the bars. "fuck it i dont givve a shit. not like i havve anythin to go back to anywway."

"Yeah, when I heard they finally captured the infamous 'Kingdom Demolisher' Eridan Amporra, I couldn't 8elieve it! 8ut man, when they dragged you in here, I nearly knocked myself out I laughed so hard. How could you really 8e that stupid?"

"it wwas an honest mistake anyone could havve made," Eridan huffed in response.

"I just expected smarter from a Prince who 8uilt an army completely on his lonesome. I'll admit, in my younger sweeps I even had quite the crush on you. Oh, the days of reading about you, me and my friends swooning over the violet 8lood whom the papers painted in such a romanticized light. You truly were an inspiration to me."

"yeah youre wwelcome. wwell none of it matters noww does it? evverythins gone."

"What? You're just giving up, like-" She snapped her fingers, "-that?"

"and wwhat wwould you suggest?" Eridan snapped back, earning the half-hearted attention of a couple of guards. "i havve nothin left! and i dont evven knoww you howw am i supposed to begin to trust you?"

"Quiet down, you spaz! You're going to get us in trou8le with these ignorant guards!"

"HEY!" one of the guards shouted in a gruff,male tone. "$hut the hell up in there!"

"wwhy dont you come in and make me?" Eridan replied.

The guard growled, and fiddled in his back pocket for something, before then pulling out a set of keys. "That$ it I warned you." He jingled the keys, proceeded to open the cage door, and stepped inside as the other guard in the room watched on. Eridan gazed up at him angrily, feeling around his pocket, and found his object of desire. He pulled it out, revealing it to be a small, smooth stick, and pointed it menacingly at the guard, who tried to stifle a laugh. Eridan smirked, and the stick began to glow a bright, blinding even, white, prompting a mumble of confusion, before he blasted a hole straight through the guard with blinding white magic. The guard fell hard, a loud thump made as he hit the ground, and various tid-bits from his armor clinked around him as they were thrown from his uniform.

Smoke rose from the tip of the stick, and Eridan lowered his arm. "fuckin idiots nevver expect a science wand." He looked across at the other guard, whom was still awestruck at the feat. "you. ovver here. noww." The guard shook out of his trance, and complied with the Kingdom Destroyer's orders, rushing over to the cell and standing in front of him. "wwhats the quickest wway from this prison?"

"Do(-s it matt(-r?" The guard stumbled out. "As soon as you l(-av(-, you'll b(- on (-v(-ry watch list on th(- plan(-t!"

"id be more wworried about wwhat the angry prince is gonna do to the red blood wwho doesnt tell him wwhat he wwants."

"OK, OK! Th(-r(-'s a s(-w(-r syst(-m acc(-ss(-d from th(- barracks down th(- hall!"

Before Eridan could reply, the guard groaned, and suddenly fell to the ground fast asleep. Eridan looked visibly confused, but realized that it was the fault of his fellow prisoner. The girl was sat on her bed, placing a pair of gloves on, kicking her crossed legs.

"You had me going there for a second!" she exclaimed. "I never heard stories of you 8eing a wizard."

"a wwizard of science maybe," Eridan replied, getting up and dusting himself off.

The girl jumped off the bed bouncily. "So, where we going?"

"i need to find someone close to me. they havve to be alivve. then i guess ill go from there. i dont knoww wwhether youd be better comin along or goin a separate way."

"Fuck. That. Whatever operation you're planning, I want in. We'll 8e co-leaders of your second kingdom."

Eridan looked the girl up and down, before laying his attention directly into her blue eyes. "fine. if you wwere locked up wwith me you must havve really pissed off the wwrong people right?"

"How a8out we get out of here before I tell you allllllll a8out that?" She held out her hand. "My name, by the by, is Vriska Serket."

Eridan took her hand and gave it a couple of shakes. "a pleasure. i just hope to god the person im lookin for is alive."

"And if they aren't?"

"ill figure somethin out."

"what the fucks goin on here?" someone spoke up, shocking Eridan from his trance.

"Oh, Meenah!" Aranea exclaimed. "Crap, how long has it 8een? I completely forgot to 8ring this 8ooth to the set location."

"oh carp try not to let it keep you up at night," Meenah replied sarcastically, turning her attention to Eridan. "she rope you into this as well?"

Eridan shrugged. "not really i just wwanna hear about myself from your timeline."

Meenah gasped, "you reely like herring her stories? she even payin you?"

"No actually," Aranea mentioned, "he paid me."

"no shit?"

Eridan thought for a moment. "nope im completely searious."

The Thief looked at him for a moment, before a wide smile spread across her face and she wrapped one arm around him. "i knew there was somefin about you i liked!"

"Really?" Aranea said in disbelief. "I seem to remember you saying something like, 'that fishboys tryin to jack my style with all the HOT BLING on his body."

"i dont remember any of that and you cant hold it against me. you know what lets just get to business fore i krill myself."

"Of course. Eridan, it appears we may have to take a raincheck on that story for the time 8eing."

Eridan slumped his shoulders in disappointment. "oh come on really?"

"Don't worry, just come 8y in the next 8u88le. It's always a fun time to talk your ear off, Eridan." She gave him a reassuring and sweet smile. "Why don't you go and talk to your ancestor? I'm sure you and Cronus could get along fine."

Eridan let out a reluctant groan. "fine ill go find the douche. ill see you next time i guess."

He gave her a wave, and walked off to find his ancestor.