Prince of Heart- I swear I'm going insane trying to balance my personal life, but after everything, I'll always find ways to write this fanfic. I'm finishing this damn thing, even if it KILLS me.

Eridan felt the wind whip around him as he fell, the world moving around in a blur, when suddenly he felt the lower part of his body collide with a soft material on the ground. His impact, wherein he landed on a hand and knee, crouched over, had broken the cart below him and caused it to fall further down, the wheels flying off and numerous feathers surrounding him. He looked up, just to see his target- the Thief –skid past the corner of the alley ahead. He groaned, jumping up and sprinting after her down the dirty and crowded alley, full of garbage and glass around him, making it to the end of the alley and feeling the blazing sun hit him. He raised his arm to block the sun, though a gigantic floating galleon blocked it out for him, the Sovereigns disgusting sludge she called an insignia painted on the front left of the largely metal, grey ship. He scowled as he noticed a series of pods fly down from the sides of the ship, disappearing under the horizon of skyscrapers and other such buildings.

He continued far behind, though his strides slowly but surely catching up with the Cerulean blood, whom was trying her damndest to lose Eridan, to no success. She traced a corner around a concrete building, formerly a grocery store now reduced to utter rubble, and Eridan continued to follow, the streets full of broken buildings and shattered glass crunching under his boots. As he rounded the corner, same as his pursuit had, he felt a hard presence attack his neck and felt himself completely fly up, and fall to the ground with an audible thump. He felt his back collide with the ground, causing instantaneous pain and making him let out a strained groan. He clutched his back, his hand worming its way under his cape, as he heard a series of slow, clacking footsteps taunt around him. He sighed, propping himself up on his hands and knees slowly, before he felt a finger form it's way underneath his chin and lift him up to his knees, giving him view of the ever elusive Thief.

"You're a persistent 8astard, 8n't ya?" Vriska asked, parting her blue lips and gritting her teeth, a slight grin on her face. Eridan took a couple of deep breaths, opened his mouth as if to say something, and then moved his head forward quickly and head-butted her directly in the forehead, sending the athletic troll woman back. He stumbled up, his legs shaking before he found his ground and raised his fists at his former matesprit.

"back you fuckin wwrench!" Eridan yelled.

"Oh Mr Ampora, how positively rude!" Vriska replied, regaining her positioning.

"wwhy? WWHY? i wwas wwillin to givve you evverythin! i DID givve you evverythin!"

Vriska scowled. "I only have nightmares Ampora. Nightmares from all your fucking pillaging and murdering! I 8elieve you when you say you want to restore our culture, 8ut all this just was NOT how I imagined it!"

Eridan scoffed, "and so you betray me? i thought you cared about me that you had genuine red fuckin feelins!"

"Once may8e, 8ut feelings change Ampora."

"so wwhat? you tell the sovvereign she kills me and you get a fuckin payout?"

Vriska slowly began to circle around Eridan, taking short strides, whilst Eridan followed her movements with his own. "Are you kidding? They want me dead just as much as they want you dead. I didn't sell you out as much as I turned your own soldiers against you, and gave a tip off to her majesty so she could take care of you herself. What I DIDN'T count on was you having the 8ulge to jump out after me."

"youre fuckin chum scrape you realise that right?"

"Oh that is rich coming fr-"

A loud horn was sounded from above them, prompting the pair to gaze up above them and towards a bombed out building to the left of them, where a figure stood triumphantly. In his flowing gray robe, it was the candy blood Threshicutioner, posing with the Sovereigns flag in one hand and his sickle in the other. He glared down at the two, and Eridan made a side glance to Vriska, whom had a blank slate across her face as she stared up at the soldier. A flag was planted in the ground beside the Threshicutioner, and he jumped down from his high ground, landing on his hands and knees.

"AMPORA!" the soldier shouted, slowly rising up. "THE SOVEREIGN HAS MADE THE DECISION TO PLACE YOU AS WANTED DEAD, AND I, HER MOST TRUSTED SERVENT, SHALL ENACT HER WRATH UPON YOU! THE WRATH OF A MILLION TROLLS, ALL THEIR BULGES ERECTING IN AROUSAL AS THEY SEE YOUR HEAD ON A PIKE PARADING THROUGH…"

Eridan raised an eyebrow, sighing and looking over to Vriska, who now had a similar look on her face. "uh should wwe leavve and do this someplace else?"

Vriska shrugged. "I dunno. I kind of want to see where he goes with all this? 8ut what's with him talking a8out 8ulges and arousal really? What's this guys' deal?"

"does he evven plan on attackin anytime soon? like what the fuck is goin on here anyways?"

"I hope, I'm just intrigued enough to wonder."

"… FOR I, KARKAT *MOTHER FUCKING* VANTAS, WILL BRING YOUR SOUL TO THE GATES OF HELL, WHERE YOU SHALL BE JUDGED FO-"

"O)( MY GOS)( KARKAT WILL YOU S)(UT IT?" A feminine voice said, appearing from further behind the Threshicutioner. "I sent you to kill Eridan, not monologue )(im!"

Karkat quickly took a knee, and placed his hand close to his chest. "I'M SORRY, MY SOVEREIGN."

Feferi sighed, and waved him off. "Well, at least t)(ere's a brig)(t side to t)(is. Ms Serket, I )(ave been looking for you as well. I must t)(ank you for the information, my troops s)(all soon take t)(is city."

"Uh, I never gave my name, 8ut whatever, I guess you're welcome?"

"T)(at is w)(y I officially extend my )(and to you in co-operation. )(elp my warrior, dear t)(ief, and all your sins s)(all be forgiven in my eyes."

"You mean I kill Eridan?" the Cerulean blood chuckled. "HA! Easy! Done and done."

Eridan scoffed in a high pitch, "i should havve fuckin known you wwould do this. wwith all this i hoped wwe could havve put it all aside to fight the sovvereign together."

Vriska smirked, pulling her curved scimitar from her strife specubis, whilst her newfound partner circled to the other side of Eridan. "Sorry Ampora, 8ut to 8e honest, you always had this coming ever since you 8urned down that first village. There's a difference 8etween thievery and destruction, and I didn't like how far you descended into destruction."

"then so fuckin be it," Eridan said, pulling his wand out, and readying himself for battle with the Threshicutioner and a Thief.

"LAND AHOY!" Eridan heard from above, interrupting his intense listening of Beforus' story and startling Aranea a little bit. He looked above him, at a spiderweb of ropes that led to a small cubby at the top of the ships middle mast, where Vriska stood against them with one hand and arm gripped onto it, whilst one leg dangled off in the breeze and the other hand held a telescope.

"land aready?" Eridan asked, "wwell that wwas awful-" Eridan began to turn to face the forward of the ship when suddenly the ship came to a commanding halt as it hit solid ground, throwing both Eridan and Aranea off their feet. The Sylph managed to grab a hold onto the railing on the back of the ship, but Eridan fell over head over boots and landed on his back with an audible thud.

He took in a deep breath, as he heard the clacking of boots approach him. "Oh my goodness, Eridan!" He saw the vague features of his matesprit as his eyes adjusted, leaning over him with the light forming around her short, wavy hair. "Here, let me get you up!" He felt Aranea grab his arm, and easily pull him up to his feet. Vriska above him made a delighted yelp, and jumped from the spiderweb of ropes onto a lonely single rope leading the deck of the boat. She slid down, her gloves taking most of the rope burn, and landed next to him, though didn't stop long enough to check if he was okay.

"Come on you two, last one onto land has to fight Lord Skullmonster himself!"

Aranea gazed at Eridan as he shook his head, grabbed his hands, and pulled him in the direction of all the others that were headed towards the land.