~Next day, after the Revolution~

Logan was thrown into the castle dungeon to await his trial. Bowerstone old town was in ruins. People lay dead in the street.

And Annabel was sobbing about a scar on her cheek.

"My face is ruined!" She sat in front of a vanity, her long blue hair shielding her tear-stained face from me.

I sighed. "It's alright Annabel." I said, gently lifting her head off the vanity so I could inspect the scar closer. Her hero blood had healed the wound quickly, but it would leave a permanent mark on her face. I enviously stared at the healed injury; I was wrapped like a mummy in bandages from burns and cuts. "A little bit of make-up can easily hide it."

She stopped her bawling, replacing them with an occasional sniffle. "Okay," she replied weakly, pulling her head up and allowing me to apply a light powder to the puckered line.

The coronation was in three hours, and everyone was busily preparing, leaving just myself to help Annabel clean and dress. Both of us were not exactly clean smelling, so taking a bath at the castle was a better feeling than winning the revolution.

I had grown rather fond of the soldier's uniform, and acquired a smaller, more formal version to wear for the coronation. The red coat was pristine, fitting round my body perfectly. I looked and felt like a true fighter. My hair was pulled into a tight bun – Jasper tried talking me into dying it auburn, but I chose to stay my normal brown colour.

Annabel's coronation gown lay on the bed, waiting to be put on. It was truly magnificent, a silk white dress with a royal blue trim, specks of gold glittering on the skirt. The sleeves finished at the elbow, finishing with a flowery lace. I stole glances at the fabric, anticipating the moment Annabel tried it on.

She must have noticed me admiring it, for she began to talk about it. "It was my Mother's," she said, "it was made in case my Father died before her, and she was made Queen. When she died, it was passed down to me. It's been left in a box in my wardrobe for years and years- it seems only right to wear it now."

She stood up and walked over to the dress, taking the fabric in her hand. "I'm really going to be Queen," She whispered quietly, stroking the lace on the sleeve.

We stood silent, unable to say anything out loud. It was finally sinking in; the fact that it was all over, and we could finally relax.

"It's going to be quiet, not having anything to fight anymore," I smile, reminiscing over the past few months, "But this is what we aimed for. We did it."

Tears sprang in Annabel's eyes. "Do you think he'd be proud of us? Elliot?"

The question took me aback. She hadn't said his name in so long. "Of course he would be," I took her hand in mine, "You are the one who can make Albion great again, and bring it out of its oppression- just like he dreamt it to be."

"But what if I can't?" I could feel her hands tremble. "There's so much pressure on us to do well, but what if it's impossible?"

"Then we do the best we can, that's all anyone can ask of us."

A small smile twitched on her face. "It would have been nice if he could have been here with us."

"It would have been interesting to see his drunken dancing again."

We fell into fits of giggles, remembering a night where we stole some cooking sherry and stayed up all night drinking merrily, watching stars and dancing to no music.

"Right," I said, clapping my hands together, "let's get you ready for a coronation."

The next hour and a half was hectic as I prepared Annabel, helping her into her dress. It took an agonising amount of time tying every ribbon in place on the gown. By the time I was finished, my hands were aching, but there was no time to rest. I wasn't an expert at styling hair, but I managed to get her dyed hair into a loose, braided bun. A little light make-up to match her colours, and she was finished.

Annabel stood in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection. She looked breathtakingly beautiful. "I think I need a moment to myself," She said, turning to face me, "I'll be at Elliot's grave." And with that, she left her room, descending the stairs to the garden, where Elliot lay buried.

There was still an hour until I needed to be ready for the coronation, so I went to search for Ben. The entire castle was hastily being decorated in whatever they could find- bunting, streamers, flowers... even the Christmas baubles were being hung from the chandeliers.

Ben was ordering the soldiers into place in the courtyard. Now that Swiftie was gone, the responsibility of Major fell to him, and he was taking it very seriously. He, like me, was wearing a more formal version of the soldier's uniform, with a crown sewn onto his shoulder. He looked different, but he was still the same old Ben.

"Ben," I called out at the top of the stairs, grinning. I ran down the steps towards him as he stepped away from the other men.

"You're late soldier," Ben teased.

"Oh stop it you."

I pressed my lips onto his, feeling the softness of them and hearing the hoots of the soldiers. I could sense him smiling, before turning back into Major Finn. "Alright men, settle down."

But nobody could settle that day; it was like the entire city was glowing. Children danced, minstrels sung and men drank merrily. Nobles and revolutionists stood side by side- a peculiar sight indeed.

I left Ben to his duties and set off to find Walter. Apparently he had kidnapped Jasper from the Sanctuary to the tavern in Bowerstone Market and was well on the way to getting pickled from ale.

And true enough there he was, with an equally as drunk Jasper by his side, singing along to the minstrels. Looking at the two of them, you wouldn't expect one to be head of the Albion Royal Army and the other one was the Queen's butler. I laughed at the messy pair. "You two!" I yelled. "Sober up and get to the castle- the coronation's in just over an hour and I will not have you two throwing up all over the place."

Walter roared an enormous laugh, came over and clapped me rather heavily on the back. "Don't you worry Emily, we old farts aren't going to mess anything up for the Queen today."

I trusted that he wouldn't, but nevertheless asked them to go back to the castle and clean up a little. As they stumbled up the steps to the entrance, I noticed two people in my periphery- Page and Kidd.

Page had been announced as Mayor of Bowerstone, as the previous mayor had been killed in the attack. He'd been a corrupt man, often associated with Nigel Ferret and his gang, so it was probably for the best.

I was about to say hello, but Page suddenly wrapped Kidd in her arms and kissed him, straight on the lips. As an audience of drunks cheered them on I joined in, clapping to the couple. They stopped to stare at the crowd, both blushing as hard as each other. They escaped to the castle, giggling as they ran.

I looked over at the clock tower; I still had an hour to go. Someone tapped me on the shoulder. Jack Timmins stood behind me, dressed in a royal army uniform. "Fancy buying a soldier a drink?" He said.

"You're in the army now?" I asked him.

"Yeah, as Major Finn's -well, as Ben's- lieutenant."

"Well then, I say we drink to commemorate."

We sat down in the tavern where Walter and Jasper had shortly been before and grabbed two ales. "So, Lieutenant Jack... The sound of that suits you. Although I dare say that Captain Jack may sound more exciting."

"Hey, don't get me demoted now for the sake of sounds!" he seemed flustered, like something was weighing heavily on his mind. "Ah, hell... It wouldn't matter if I was a captain or a lieutenant..."

"What do you mean?"

He stayed silent, his eyes watching the people dance outside the window. "Annabel's turning Queen today," he said finally, taking a large gulp of ale after.

Realisation dawned on me. "You love Annabel."

He didn't speak- he didn't need to. And so we sat in silence, drinking our ale and watching the time on the clock tower go ticking by.

"I don't know what to do," he whispered.

"You do your job, I guess. You talk to her, listen to what she says, and maybe she'll fall in love-"

"No Emily, she's a queen. Not even that, she's a woman who lost her fiancée because of her own brother." He finished his ale, and slammed it down hard on the table. "And I fell in love with her."

"Ladies and gentlemen, the coronation will begin in twenty minutes!" The Town Crier yelled.

"Crap!" I jumped out of my chair and dragged Jack with me. "Come on, we're going to be late."

There was already a huge crowd of people at the castle, and we had to push our way to the balcony, with a little help from some soldiers. Walter and Jasper had sobered up and were standing with Ben, Page, Kalin and Sabine.

"Oh, Avo," Jack muttered under his breath as he saw Annabel getting ready through the window to the castle, "she's beautiful."

I slapped him on the back. "It'll be fine; you'll be so drunk at the party tonight none of this will even matter."

I took my place next to Ben on the balcony, watching over the giant crowd. Walter stood opposite me, holding the crown that used to sit on Logan's head. I thought about him, sat locked up in his cage. The next few months would be hell, but it would all be alright in the end. I looked at Ben, and he looked back at me. "This is it, the Big Moment," I said.

"The biggest," he replied.

And then the door opened.

Annabel stepped forward, with a small smile lingering on her lips. She looked utterly radiant in her mother's dress, her eyes sparkling like jewels. Her wavy, royal blue hair shone in the sun, and so did the gold on her dress.

She stepped forward, looking at all of us standing at her side, and her smile turned into a grin. She reached the end of the balcony. The crowds were screaming and applauding her, and flowers were being thrown everywhere.

Walter raised the crown up high, and the cheers became deafening. He placed it on top of Annabel's head.

"All hail, The Queen of Albion!"

The celebration of the coronation was held in the throne room, and everyone had dressed to the nines for it. I was dressed in one of Annabel's gowns that she left behind when we first abandoned the castle; she had grown so much that none of her clothes were even close to fitting anymore. It was an elegant red dress that flowed to my ankles, with sparkling jewels dotted all over the bodice.

Ben had changed too, into a charming black suit. By now everyone knew we were together as we entered the throne room arm in arm.

The orchestra in the background was playing a beautiful symphony, and people all around us were dancing. We walked over to the drinks table, where Walter and some pot-bellied nobles were throwing ale down their throats.

"Are you ready to get completely drunk, Miss Emily?" Ben murmured into my ear as I poured out a glass of champagne.

"Yes, and you're getting drunk with me," I handed him the glass, and poured myself another one. We downed the entire thing.

I watched on as others danced. I noticed that Tick and Grove had found some young, pretty nobles and were busy chatting them up. It was weird seeing them without Jammy.

"Hey, where's Jammy? Recovering from his 725th wound?" I asked Ben.

He frowned, like thinking was painful. "Jammy's 725th wound was his last wound. He jumped on a grenade, saved five other men."

We stood in silence, watching Tick and Grove dance with their ladies. There was nothing I could say at this point to make things any better, so I took his hand and we watched everyone dance.

Ben nudged me and pointed over at Annabel. "Look, look-" Jack was talking to Annabel, I could see him stammering from the other side of the room. I didn't blame him though, Annabel looked stunning in her indigo and gold gown, and her hair pulled into a blue updo. She was smiling shyly at Jack, then took his hand and gently pulled him to the dance floor.

I felt Ben move beside me and pull my hand. "Come on, let's dance."

I freeze, refusing to budge. "I am nowhere near drunk enough to dance. No dancing. Not for me."

"What are you so afraid of? It's just dancing."

I felt my face begin to burn, and I looked down at the floor. "...I can't dance."

He looked at me incredulously, obviously trying to hold in his fit of laughter. "It's not funny!" I shouted at him, but felt myself begin to laugh with him. "I just never learnt how, that's all."

"Well then I'll teach you."

The orchestra started playing a slow melody, and he began to show me the simplest steps. After several trodden toes and bashed knees, I finally managed to look like I was dancing, and not being dragged across the floor by Ben.

"So how come you're so good at dancing then?" I asked Ben, whilst still concentrating on my footwork.

He twirled me around, and pulled me back in, "Well, during my womanising times it was a rather useful tool, so I suppose I just picked it up along the way."

"Ah, the lucky ladies."

"Not as lucky as I am right now, dancing with you."

"I'm sure your throbbing toes don't agree."

"My toes aren't throbbing that bad."

"Liar."

The more we danced, the more tired I felt. My head was beginning to spin a little, and the edges of my eyes were beginning to blur.

He took my cheek in his hand, and looked at me grimly. "You look pale... Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine, I think... I just need..."

Everything faded to black, and the sound of screaming faded to nothing.

~Ben Finns POV~

Everything was going fine. I don't know what happened. One moment Emily and I were dancing, and everything was fine, and then it was like she'd suddenly seen a ghost. She collapsed in my arms.

"Emily? Emily!" I shook her, but she wouldn't wake up. She felt so cold to the touch, like Avo had sucked the life out of her. I checked for a pulse; still breathing. "Is anyone a doctor? Please, please somebody help her!"

I looked around, but never expected to see two other bodies lying on the ground- Queen Annabel and Walter. I could barely see through the crowds, but they looked as white as a sheet too.

Grove and Tick came running over. "Shit! What happened Ben?" Asked Grove.

"I don't know- one minute she was fine and then she just fell-"

"Let's get her to a room, away from the crowds," said Tick, who turned to run towards Jack holding Annabel.

I picked her up, and pushed the chaotic crowd to the side. Everywhere I looked there were people yelling and moving, trying to get out of the way. I saw Grove help Kidd pick Walter up and drag him out of the throne room.

We hurried to the nearest bedroom- Logan's old room, and moved them to the bed. Grove and Tick went to control the crowd, leaving just Jack and I to tend to the sleeping three.

"This has to be something to do with the Crawler," I muttered.

"How do you know?" Jack asked, clutching Annabel's hand and stroking it with his index finger.

"The same thing happened in Aurora, this can't be a coincidence that they all collapsed at the same time."

"...will they be okay?"

That was indeed, an excellent question. A question that I didn't have an answer for.

Kalin ran into the room. I say ran, it was more of a hurried walk. She looked at Emily, Walter and Annabel, and I could tell from her eyes that it wasn't good news.

Emily screamed out in her sleep. I ran towards her and gripped her hand. "It's all right, it's all okay," I smoothed the hair from her forehead and kissed it lightly. I looked over at Kalin. "What do we do?"

Her voice was soft, and quiet. "We can only wait and pray for their return."

"That's not good enough!" Outside, thunder began to roar. A storm was coming.

"Even if they do wake up, they will not survive. I'm sorry, Major Finn- they will be dead in a year." Her eyes glistened with tears, and I knew she wasn't lying.

"Why?" Jack's voice cracked with emotion.

"All shall be explained when they wake up. I will send for Priestess Mara in Aurora to tend to them, but for now do not let them be alone." She walks to the door and open it. She pauses, "I am so very sorry." And then she left.

Lightning cracked and flashed through the window. Rain pattered on the glass, and Jack and I sat in complete silence.

~Normal~

My dad was standing in front of me. He looked just like he had when I was ten, before that witch came into our home. He had a smile on his mouth, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Dad?" I whispered, feeling my voice quiver in fear.

He stayed still, a smile still fixed on his lips. I kept staring at his eyes, there was just something... Wrong with them. Like they weren't his. I stepped forwards, looked closer and then I realised- my father's eyes were green, not the stormy grey they were before me.

But he was still my dad.

"Father," I said more confidently.

Something clicked this time, and his smile turned to a frown. "I'm sorry, who are you?"

I took a step back: his voice was nothing like my fathers. I had heard it before, but I couldn't quite work out how. It felt like it had frozen my heart.

"You look so familiar, perhaps we were at a party together," he took a step towards me and I took one back. Whoever this man was, there was no way he was my father. Just somebody who looked like him.

"You must meet my daughter sometime."

Did he mean me? But I was right there, how could he not have recognised me? Wait, no, not my father-

A girl appears from behind my father's imposter- The same little girl that ran towards my dad in Millfields. The man smiled at the little girl, eyes and mouth combined. He never smiled at me like that. He never held me in his arms, like he was doing with the little girl.

"Isn't it interesting? How easily replaced you are? Nobody needs you." It was the same voice, but it didn't come from the man's mouth. It was just there, floating.

I collapsed to the floor, and curled up into a ball. The voice kept whispering to me, over and over...

"Please, stop..." I cried, but the voice kept whispering.

The floor opened up beneath me, and suddenly I was falling.

I woke up with a scream. Ben was immediately at my side, holding me whilst I sobbed.

"It's alright love..." His thumb brushed the top of my head reassuringly. I slowly began to calm down, my heart rate lowering back to normal.

"How long have I been asleep?" I asked him. I was in one of the guest bedrooms, and changed out of my ball gown into some cotton pyjamas. It was sunny outside, but Ben didn't look so cheerful. It looked like he hadn't slept for a while.

"A few days. Annabel and Walter collapsed too, but they've woken up now."

"All three of us collapsed? But that means..."

"It had something to do with the Crawler, we think so."

Suddenly, the dream and the voice all made sense. "The Crawler talked to me in my sleep," I whimpered.

Ben looked at me with surprise. "Well, you're awake now, that's all anyone could have asked for." He kissed my lips, lingering like he didn't want to let go. I didn't want him to either. But eventually he did, and he moved to the door. "I'm going to get Annabel, Walter and Kalin. We have a lot of discussing to do."

He returned as promised with the three of them. Annabel and Walter looked awful- if they collapsed too, then the Crawler probably talked to them too. Avo knew I felt shit and probably looked like it too.

"Hey, it's good to see you awake," Annabel smiled weakly. She and Walter went to sit on the armchairs next to my bed, and Kalin and Ben elected to stand.

"I am afraid that I must tell you some distressing news." said Kalin. "I didn't tell you before, as I prayed that it would not happen, but your fates were already decided. You have been poisoned by the Crawler."

"How?" I asked.

"When attacked in sleep, the Crawler can see your darkest fears and secrets, and his darkness feeds on them, slowly killing it's victims as they fall into madness. We have lost many good people to this curse."

"Right," Walter said, "So what's going to cure this thing? Some herbs in a potion I suppose?"

Kalin shifted uncomfortably. I had never seen her do anything like that before. So I just knew. "There's no cure, is there?" I said, looking straight into Kalin's eyes.

"There used to be, many years ago, but it has been lost in time. The chance of ever finding it is almost impossible."

"How long do we have?" My voice cracked, and I blinked back tears.

"...a year, at the very most."

We were in complete silence. I was going to die in a year. Annabel and Walter too. I couldn't even look at Ben, it would break my heart.

"Ben and I shall leave you to talk," Kalin muttered, and the two of them exited.

My head felt empty, like I was already dead. The sun didn't seem as bright as it had before. It was as if the world had been drained of colour slightly in those few minutes.

"Did you have nightmares too Emily?" Annabel asked.

I nodded. "My father didn't recognise me, and said I was replaceable."

Walter told of his nightmare next. "Mine was more of a memory, of being trapped inside of a cave with two other men, with no food or water. I was the only one to make it out alive. I've always thought there was more I could have done to save them, and the Crawler mirrored that."

Annabel ran her fingers though her limp hair. "I was forced to shoot Elliot. And I did." A tear slid down her cheek, and she let it fall into her lap.

"I don't want to die," Annabel said suddenly.

"Me neither," I replied.

"Then we won't," Walter jumped up out of the armchair and grabbed some pen and paper from the desk. "Kalin said something about a cure, and we're going to bloody find it. We didn't get this far get Annabel on the throne only to die a year later." As he spoke, he wrote on the paper hurriedly.

Once he was finished writing, he handed the paper to me. It was an agreement between the three of us.

This letter declares war on the Crawler, for actions against the crown. We will not rest until the bastard is dead in the ground, and the darkness has been destroyed. No stone will be left unturned in our search for a cure and a weapon.

There were three lines at the bottom of the paper for us to sign our names. Walter had already placed his signature on the first line, and I put my name on the second. I handed it over to Annabel, who read it and signed it.

Sure, the agreement was silly and not exactly an official royal document, but it was special to us. We had started the next fight. What we thought was over was just the beginning. And we were going to be ready for it.

~Author note~

Hello! Hope you enjoyed the chapter, as you see it's starting to move away from the gameplay, which is super exciting to write.

I just wanted to say that some of you may or may not have noticed that some of my previous chapters had become unreadable because of some code error or whatever. I had been going through some previous chapter changing some awful typos and I don't know what went wrong, so I'm sorry you couldn't read some! It should all be fixed now. Hopefully... Let me know by PM or review if any other chapters can't be read.

Thanks for reading, and see you next chapter!

MM.