You spring awake, the sound of the small bed you lay on creaks as you do. As your eyes adjust, you notice you're no longer where you last were. In fact, you couldn't recognize this place at all.

The room was massive but looked half it's normal size as the rest was shaded with darkness. Small candles only illuminated your side of the room while the other end was pitch black.

From what you could see, it looked like you were surrounded by small beds that looked exactly like the one you woke up in. A hospital wing.

Another thing that catches your eye is someone lurking in a dark corner. You could make out the figure but as far as being able to tell who the person was, you couldn't. They were too hidden in the murkiness.

"Where am I?" You ask.

"You're safe. Don't worry about it." The shadow responses.

A woman.

Now that you matched the voice with the shadowy figure, it was much easier to point out their features.

The woman, with pale blonde hair thrown into a ponytail and icy blue eyes to match, stood in the dark corner with her arms crossed.

She was quite small but that didn't soften the energy she gave off. Her eyes were sharp, narrow and on target. She hardly ever blinked.

Even under her clothes, you could tell she was fit. Despite her height, she looked quite strong.

You raise your arm, the chain that was tied onto your wrist moves along with you. "Why am I chained up?"

The girl chuckles. "Because you're considered a threat now. You did just burn the skin off someone, didn't you?"

You remain still. You knew you wouldn't go without being punished for what you did but this wasn't the dungeon back home. In fact, this didn't look like home at all. "This isn't Eldia, is it?"

"Man, he was right. You sure do ask a lot of questions." She sighs.

"He?" You grow even more confused. "Who's he?"

She points her head to your left. "Just get back to what you were doing."

Now you had absolutely no idea what was going on. The last thing you remembered was telling Jean to go find your family and trying to heal Marco. Why couldn't you remember anything after that? How did you end up here?

You finally turn your head in the direction in which the mysterious woman indicted. There was another hospital bed beside you, but whoever was laying in it was partially covered by the curtain that separated your beds.

It then clicks to you. You hop off the bed. "Is that Marco? Is he okay?"

She finally steps out into the light. She was pretty in a haunting way. She had the constant look of disinterest.

On her jacket, right over her heart, the words A. Leonhart, were stitched onto the fabric. She grabs the key from her pocket and unlocks the chain that was holding you down. "You've been trying to heal him for three days now. You keep passing out."

"Three days?!" You shout, your voice booms through the empty hospital. "It's been three days? What happened since the bombing? Is everyone okay?"

She points at Marco's body. "Heal him first."

You look back at his body. From what you last recall, he looked much better. He was cleaned up now so he wasn't coated in blood and ash anymore.

The right half of his body, which was practically burnt to a crisp the last time you saw him, was now just a dark shade of red. He was almost completely healed. Minus a few fresh scars and the discoloration, he looked almost the way he used to.

You look around at all the other beds. Every single one of them was empty minus yours and Marco's. Was that a good thing? Did it mean know one else was hospitalized?

Or did it just mean no one else survived?

Before you lay your hands on Marco to finish the job, you turn to Leonart. "Can you please just tell me if my family is okay?"

Her mouth doesn't even twitch. Her face never moves an inch. She doesn't speak at all. Clearly, she wasn't going to say anything until you finished what she wanted.

You go around to the other side of his bed to get closer to where he needs more work. You rest your hands on the tender skin and try your best to get as much done as quickly as you can.

The heat from your palms was dull. Normally, it was much stronger. This time it was slow and inconsistent. This was probably why it was taking you three days to finish. There wasn't much left in you.

Was it temporary? You knew it was quite literally written in the rules that the flower would punish the user if they ever used their powers to hurt someone physically. However, it was also mentioned it would only be temporarily.

Depending on how many times you had been penalized previously, the punishment would last longer. Considering you didn't go around hurting people often, you didn't expect yours to last this long.

You look around at the gloomy room. There wasn't many windows but about maybe six in total. Each one was covered by thick, black curtains. Sunlight didn't even bother to waste its time trying to sneak in. Although, you had a feeling it wasn't sunny outside at all.

You felt weak. You weren't sure if you were possibly dehydrated or maybe malnourished. You highly doubt you had been eating properly these past couple days.

Maybe it was the lack of sunlight. The lack of fresh air. You had been chained to this bed for three days straight. The only time you were let loose was to heal Marco.

That's when it hits you. You sneak a peek at Leonhart who was watching you like a hawk. Since you had guards around you all the time, her watchful gaze and alert stance was all too familiar.

She was protecting him. Why? Who was this woman to Marco?

As your mind tried to piece the puzzle together all while trying to literally turn back time on Marco's deteriorating skin, you feel your head begin to spin and your legs grow weak.

"Don't tell me you're about to pass out again." She grunts.

You hold onto the side of the bed for balance and lower your head. You close your eyes for just a moment as you try to control the room from spinning. "I need you to open the window." You say.

"Why?" She questions. "So, you can try to escape again?"

Again?

You had no recollection of ever even being here, much less trying to escape. However, knowing the kind of person you were, it didn't surprise you.

"I need sunlight." You turn to her. "I've been in the dark for three days. You don't need to open the window fully. I just need the curtains pulled apart."

She sighs as she approaches the nearest window and pulls the black curtains apart. Dim, soft blue light pours out and only does so much to light up the room. It was gray and cloudy outside, like it had just finished raining or it was on the verge of happening.

You walk over to the window and allow the sun to shine the little light it had to give you. As you soak it in, you see the world outside was nothing like the one you were used to.

From where you stood, you could see huge, rigid rocks that lead to what looked like the ocean.

The ocean stretched on forever, the low clouds blurred the horizon so the water looked like it merged with the sky, making it impossible to tell where it began. Waves crash loudly against the rocks that lined up against the shore.

Could it be that you were in Cicily? Did the royal family bring you somewhere safe since Eldia was up in flames?

From how Phoenix and his family described Cicily, you weren't sure this was it. Cicily was an island where palm trees could be seen from miles away. Tropical flowers were everywhere you looked and all the houses were shades of tropical colors. The kingdom was full of life and vibrancy.

This place looked nothing like it. Instead of clear water and white sand, the water was a murky gray color which you knew was only because it reflected the gloomy sky. The sand was a dark tan and was mostly covered by sharp rocks that looked like they could impale you if you made one mistake.

There were no gorgeous flowers in sight. No palm trees neither. In fact, there was barely a patch of green anywhere.

"Okay, times up." Leonhart calls. "Finish healing him."

You turn to glare at her. She was really beginning to get on your nerves. First, she claimed you were somewhere safe and that you shouldn't worry. Yet, you've already tried escaping you weren't sure how many times, and you were also chained down to your bed. Not to mention, she was cold to you this entire time.

How could she blame you for being so confused? Considering what just happened back home, you think she'd be a little more sympathetic.

What happened back home. You begin to see flashes of it in your mind again. The horrible smell of flesh burning, the sound of bombs detonating, the screeches of people terrified for their lives.

"The sooner you heal him, the sooner I can let you out of here." She says.

"How do I know you actually mean that?" It was obvious she wasn't on your team. How could you be sure you could trust her?

She walks over to each of the windows and pulls the curtains apart. Little by little, more light comes into the room. "It's what I'm ordered to do."

"Ordered by who?" You watch as she unveils the last window.

She breathes deeply with irritation. "Like I told you, all your questions will be answered when you finish healing him."

Why was she so adamant on you healing Marco? Was she truly ordered not to let you out until you finished healing him? None of it made sense.

Even though the sunlight wasn't strong, you could feel it helping as you bring your hands to rest on Marco again. His breathing was no longer as rigid as it once was.

Eventually, his eyes flutter open and Leonhart immediately runs to his bed and grabs a pillow to put behind his head as he sits up.

He groans as he scoots back to sit in his bed. "Annie. Give me a mirror."

So that's what the A stands for.

Annie runs across the room and brings him a small hand held mirror. It was strange how she catered to his every need without hesitation.

He picks up the mirror and turns his face side to side. You watch as he glides his fingers against the scars on half his face.

"I can heal those for you too, but it's going to take much longer." You say as you watch him carefully.

He looks at you for the first time since he's woken up and smiles. Something about his smile looked different from how he normally smiled at you. "I actually think I'll keep them. They'll serve as reminders."

"Why would you possibly want to be reminded of such a traumatic event?" You ask with honest bafflement.

He sets the mirror down on the bed and brings both arms in the air for a big stretch. "I feel better than ever."

Annie steps forward, her hands behind her back. "I'm glad to see you're doing better, your highness. Is there anything I can get for you?"

You almost laugh out loud. Your highness?

Did you somehow swallow so much smoke from the fire that you burned all the brain cells you once had and ended up in some alternative universe?

"Bring me our guest." Marco smiles, all his teeth showing.

He didn't seem at all surprised by the fact she called him that. It was like he was used to it.

Marco? Royalty? You had to pinch yourself to avoid cackling in the quiet hospital room.

Annie's soft gaze on Marco fades away as her eyes go to you. They harden instantly. "Are you sure I should leave you alone with her, your majesty?"

MAJESTY?

This time you couldn't hold it in. This had to be some kind of joke. You laugh with your hand on your stomach and head tilted back.

They both watch you quietly. Annie looks like she wants to slice your throat with the sword attached to her backside. Marco, however, continued to just smile. "We'll be fine. She won't hurt me. Will you, yn?"

Yn? Marco had never called you by your name in the many years you have known him. It was always Princess or your majesty. Now all of the sudden the roles were reversed? This had to be some kind of dream.

Annie leaves to retrieve whoever the hell Marco seemed to be referring to. Now, it was just the two of you alone.

"Why is that woman calling you royal titles?" You ask, unable to hold your tongue for much longer.

He turns his neck side to side and the bones inside crack loudly. He sighs heavily as he exhales all the trapped air inside him. Those hands of yours really do work magic." He ignores your question completely.

Instead of answering you, he walks over to the window that faced the ocean with his hands on his hips.

You approach him slowly but stand in front of the next window over. "Where are we?"

"Ember." The simple word sends chills down your back. He turns his head to the side. "I'm sure you've heard of it, right?"

Suddenly, all the puzzle pieces began to fuze together. You were in Ember. This was the hospital wing in the castle. Marco was royalty here. Annie worked for him.

It all made sense. Marco was the one person in the royal guard that you never had to "win over." He had always been nice to you from the very beginning, unlike everyone else who was too terrified to even come near you.

You had thought it was such a relief back then. That there was one person who didn't listen to the rumors and actually treated you like a human. He'd smile and greet you each time he saw you. Gave you flowers on your birthday.

And it was all for this. He played sweet and innocent so he'd never get suspected. You weren't sure how you didn't see right through him. You were the master at playing innocent. He had beat you at your own game.

That's the reason he was so compliant when it came to rescuing you and Jean. That's the reason why he didn't want you and Jean together romantically. That's why he was trying his hardest to persuade Jean to leave to Marley and start a new life.

He knew what was coming and didn't want Jean to be involved.

You couldn't move a muscle. It was like invisible hands sprouted up from hell and gripped your ankles so painfully tight.

You take a step back. "You... You're the traitor. Both you and Mikasa."

He howls with laughter. "Mikasa? No. She had nothing to do with it. Although, I'm grateful for your little stunt with her. If it wasn't for your distraction, I wouldn't have been able to kill your parents."

He said it so easily. So simple.

Any hope you had of your parents being alive was immediately shot down. They were killed.

And the man who killed them was right in front of you, merely a few feet away.

"No." You mutter. "You're lying. This...This doesn't make any sense." It did. You were just trying to convince yourself it wasn't real.

"Doesn't it though?" Marco brings his hand to his chin. "I think it makes perfect sense. I guess there's the reason why they say Elijah is the smart one. He almost had it figured out too."

He points at the scarred side of his body. "He did me pretty good. I could've swore I was a goner. But there you were, my angel in the night. The sweet, innocent princess who just couldn't help but heal someone in trouble."

Your stomach twisted terribly. It felt like some kind of sadistic nightmare. First, you created the perfect distraction for your parents to be easily killed. Then, you heal the person who killed them after your brother spent his last dying breath trying to avenge them.

Somehow, someway, everything always came back down to you.

He smiles as he comes closer to you. "Technically, this is all your fault. I mean, if you hadn't been born, none of this would've happened."

He's right.

Elijah sacrificed himself to kill Marco. He had succeeded in doing so until you showed up. Now, he was dead for no reason at all.

Flashes of his dead, limp body cross your mind again. Elijah, who had the best posture and always had his head on straight. It was so disillusioning to see him the exact opposite.

It was taking every ounce of strength not to run toward him and begin to hurt him in any way possible. Your brain was screaming at you to do so. But your body was so tired and weak that even if you did follow through, you wouldn't succeed in much.

You see flashes of Mikasa in your head too. The sound of her wailing in pain as you burned her skin to a crisp. Her blood and melted skin dripping onto the floor. All the agony you put her through because you were so certain she was the traitor. And you were wrong.

"If Mikasa isn't the one helping you," You ask. "Who is it then?"

He smiles, the apples of his cheeks turning pink like he's trying his hardest not to laugh. "You'll see soon enough."

He closes the curtains of the window he stands in front of. He does the same to the next window and the next.

As the room grows darker, you feel your knees weaken and it becomes harder to stand up straight. "Why? Why are you doing this?"

The final window was the one you stood in front of. As he approaches it, you take several steps back and the quick movement makes your head start to spin.

He watches you as you begin to slowly lose your balance. The sick bastard was finding amusement in it. "You might want to take a seat for this." He laughs. "Not that you have a choice anyway."

Stars twinkle in the room as you begin to doze off. Why were you fighting the urge to pass out onto the floor? Was it because he was shielding the light from coming in?

Before you fall to the ground, he catches you. "There, there." He sets you on the nearest bed and hands you a glass of water.

You stare at the glass with caution. He scoffs and takes a sip from the drink to show there was nothing wrong with it. "I'm not trying to poison you. I need you alive."

You bring your hand to your forehead and feel the intense heat instantly. You were burning up and your skin was damp to the touch. "If you need me alive, why are you shutting the light out? You obviously know I need it or else you wouldn't have that smug look on your face."

He smirks. "I said I need you alive. Not strong. I need to keep you weak or else you'll escape." He takes a seat on the bed across from yours. "And I can't have that. This plan won't work without you."

"What plan?" You groan. You couldn't fight it any longer. You grab at the glass and begin to chug the water like your life depended on it. Technically, it did.

You tilt your head all the way back to ensure every last drop goes down your itchy throat. When the glass is empty, you look around for a pitcher of some sort to fill it up again but there's nothing.

Marco grabs the empty glass from your hands and places it was far away from you as he can. "I'm sure you know the story already. I won't bore you with all the details."

The water seemed to help slightly, but not by much. His words seemed distant like he was standing across the room when in reality, he was just a few feet away.

"I am the third son of King James of Ember." He begins, his posture cool and relaxed. "Celestite, your mother's kingdom, sent bombs to Ember and ruined our lives. Killed our people."

"I already know all this." You stop him.

He crosses his legs. "Then you already know that the flower was promised to us to help recover from that tragedy. Yet, they gave it to your mother, who was the daughter of the man who caused us the pain in first place."

Your head falls forward and your hands catch it. "I know."

"I went to Eldia and saw everyone so healthy, smiling and thriving in a land that was rich with harvest." He says. "All while the people where I'm from starve to death and suffer with illnesses we can't cure."

He throws his arms up in the air and laughs. "It's enough to make anyone a villain."

You pick your head up, his story finally beginning to make more sense. "So you plotted to get revenge."

He sighs. "Well, it definitely wasn't that easy. Since I'm not the first in line for the throne, I have a lot more freedom than my family does. So, I took a little vacation for a while." He does air quotes when he says vacation.

He stands up from the bed and begins to walk around the room. "I told my family I was going to travel for educational purposes. They're far too stupid to even question it so that part was simple."

As he walks, he studies the scars on his right hand. "I went to Eldia fully intent on getting revenge. I knew I had to get close to the royal family and the only way to do that would be to work for the royal guard. They wouldn't let just anyone in there unless they were residents of Eldia and went to school for it. So I did."

"You pretended to be a student. That's how you met Jean." You realize.

He sends a smile your way for catching on. "Exactly. At first, he was useless to me but then he told me his mother used to work for the royal family and that he grew up with the royal children. After that, we became the best of friends."

"You used him." You sink your nails into the bed.

His smile drops. "Only at first. I just needed his connections to get in." He faces you again. "But someone so charming and chivalrous with such a sad backstory, who couldn't eventually fall for that? I began to care for the poor bastard."

Your anger only made your already boiling body temperature rise. "You've had this planned from the start. You wanted to get close to us and you did. You got your revenge and killed my parents. Aren't you satisfied?"

"Satisfied?" He repeats. "Not even close."

He walks over to your bed. "But I have to admit, killing your mother was pretty satisfying. I wish I could say it was quick and easy but I'd just be lying. I made sure to make that bitch suffer like she made us suffer."

Fever be damned, you stand up on your wobbly legs and scream as you lunge toward him. He falls backwards as you wrap your hands around his neck as hard as you can.

The rambunctious sound of your yelling and his body hitting the ground alerts the guards behind the door and they come rushing in. They pry your hands away from Marco'a throat and tie your hands behind your back.

On your left, there was a blonde man who was triple your size. He was the definition of brute strength. The name on his jacket read R. Braun. The man on your left had dark hair and was much more slender but very tall. His jacket read B. Hoover.

You try your best to wiggle out their grip but they had you beat. Not only were they stronger than you but the fact that you were at your weakest didn't help either.

Marco sits up and strokes his neck. "Wow. I'll be honest, I didn't think you had that in you." He coughs.

He stands up again. "You can let her go. She can't hurt me." He looks at your weak body that hangs from their tight grip. "Even if she wanted to, she couldn't."

You fall to your knees as they release you. Now you were being punished for hurting Marco. You didn't think it was even possible to become weaker than you already were.

Marco squats down before you to be eye level. "I read that book. I know you can't hurt anyone without hurting yourself in return. You can't kill me either because you'll lose those pretty little powers of yours too."

He grips your chin. "It's almost too easy. Like taking candy from a baby."

You swing your face in the other direction to move away. You didn't think anyone else besides you and Jean read that book, but considering that Ember was supposed to inherit the flower in the first place, it made sense that they read it at one point too.

You felt helpless. Marco knew everything there was to know about your powers so it wasn't like you could catch him off guard with something. And he was right, you couldn't hurt him even if you wanted to.

So what now? How do you escape? How do you fix the disaster your life now was?

"Where are my brothers?" You say toward the floor.

Marco shrugs. "Probably dead too."

You snap your head up to face him. "You're lying!" You scream. "They aren't dead!"

His eyes move to the brunette beside you. "Bertholdt, bring me the list of the deceased."

The man does as he's told immediately and exits the room. While you wait for the list, you eye Marco carefully. He was a compete other person here.

Back home, he was shy and sweet. He was the type to turn red every time people looked at him and he honestly was clumsy at times. He usually kept to himself and faded into the background compared to his much louder coworkers.

But here, he was bolder. He was cocky and stood with a presence that seemed untouchable.

You couldn't believe this was him the entire time. A prince to a kingdom that despised yours. All these years, he had everyone fooled.

But there was one person that you knew he fooled the most.

Jean.

You wondered where he was right now. You prayed he wasn't on the list of people whose names Marco was about to read out loud.

You had already lost your parents and quite possibly all three of your brothers too. You couldn't bear to lose the love of your life as well. It would be your final straw.

Bertholdt returns with an envelope and hands it to Marco who wastes no time taking the list out from inside it. He clears his throat and looks at you to make sure you're listening.

"The following is a list of the deceased." He says loudly like he's announcing it to an entire crowd and not just you. "King Hendrix of Eldia. Queen Solana of Eldia. Prince Malakai of E-"

You stand up from the ground. "No!" You rush up to Marco before either one of them can stop you. "I don't believe you! Show me the bodies!"

He steps backwards but gestures at the guards to leave you be and they fall back. "I don't just have them on hand, you know."

"I don't care." You snap. "I don't trust a single word that comes out of your mouth. I want to see the bodies. I want proof that they are dead."

He stares at you, completely unmoved by your theatrical behavior. "When my mother died, I didn't want to believe it either." He admits. "I thought it was impossible. There was no way my mother could be dead."

His eyes then grow dark and dull. All light from them disappeared. "I asked to see her body too but there was no body. It was blown to pieces. Your family killed her in the bombing."

"That has nothing to do with me!" You cry. "I wasn't even born yet!"

[play Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake Op. 20 here!]

His harsh face softens. "I know it isn't your fault. Your grandfather sent those bombs. Historia is the one who changed her mind about the flower and gave it to your mother instead. They are the ones who will pay for what they did."

He looks up at the ceiling as stars twinkle in his eyes. "I'll get my revenge one by one. I got your mother and next is Historia. If you thought what I did to Eldia was horrible, you haven't seen what's going to happen to Paradis and that stupid bitch of a queen. Then finally," He smiles wide. "I'll go to Celestite and burn it down to the ground."

Now it was your turn to laugh. "So that's your big plan? Kill thousands of innocent people because of something that happened years ago?"

He side eyes you. "All these years, my people have took loss after loss. We suffered while everyone who did us wrong thrived with no consequences."

He looks down on you. "I may be the villain of your story, but I'm the hero in mine."

"Hero?!" You force yourself to stand. "A hero doesn't kill innocent people! You killed people who had nothing to do with it! You killed my parents!"

"Please," He snickers. "They're hardly innocent."

It drove you insane how he seemed so heartless about all of it. "You killed my brothers!"

"Aht." He stops you, one finger in the air. "As much as I would love to take credit for killing Elijah, that wasn't me."

You step closer to him, your hands clenched together to avoid choking him again. "Then who the hell did?"

"I did." You hear a voice say behind you.

That's when your heart stops moving along with everything else. Time seemed to have stood frozen.

That voice.

It couldn't be. There was absolutely, positively no fucking way.

You're too terrified to look back. You knew that voice all too well. You could pick it up in a crowd full of people. It was hard to miss.

You slowly turn your head and your whole world comes crashing down when you see it's exactly who you dreaded it'd be.

"Ambrose?" Your voice breaks.

He was really there. Six feet tall and as healthy as ever. There wasn't a single scratch on him.

"I thought you were dead." You face him fully now. It may have been unwise to turn your blind back toward Marco but you couldn't help it. You were too stunned by the person in front of you that you didn't care about anything else.

He steps forward, closer to the candle light as the flame lights his features. "It wouldn't be that easy."

You shake your head slowly. "No. This doesn't make any sense. Why would you..." You spin around back to Marco and grab him by his shirt. "You! You manipulated him into doing this! What did you tell him?!"

The blonde guard with R. Braun on his chest springs forward and pulls you away. He holds your arms behind your back in one of the most uncomfortable ways possible so you won't move.

"Actually." Ambrose speaks up as Marco fixes his attire. "I did it of my own free will."

"No." You whine. "No. You wouldn't. You wouldn't kill Elijah. He's your brother. He's our brother. You love him."

His expression was blank. He didn't look remorseful in the slightest. His family was dead and his kingdom was in shambles. And he didn't care. All he does is respond with: "He was in my way."

You stutter with disbelief. "Is that what this is about? You killed Elijah to be king?!"

"I DID IT FOR US!" He screams in return.

You were shaking with rage now. "Us?"

"This was the only way everyone could get what they want!" He shouts. "Don't you see?! I did it for us!" He had a crazy look in his eye. He was unrecognizable.

You look into his eyes and no longer see your brother anywhere in them. "You're sick.."

He clasps his hands together. "Please yn.."

He gets closer to you and considering you were held down, unable to move away, you spit right in his face. "GET AWAY FROM ME!"

He gasps and wipes the spit off his face. Marco bellows with laughter. Ambrose sends him an ugly look before he looks back at you. "Let me explain."

"I don't want to hear shit you have to say!" You fight. "Nothing you say means anything to me anymore!"

He steps closer anyway. "I have reasoning behind my actions."

You wanted to kill him. You wanted to kill both of them. If you had the energy, you might've done so. Your rage would've blinded you from any common sense and killed them in an instant. You knew you could do it. Even if it meant losing your powers forever, you would've done it.

Luckily, you were weak so you didn't make such a hasty decision in the heat of the moment. Lucky for both of them as well. There was a reason Marco knew it was best to keep you this fragile.

"What possible reason do you have to kill our brother?" You ask through gritted teeth.

[play all for us by labrinth]

He was hysterical now. His eyes were wide and shaky. His hair was all over the place and now that you pay attention, he had bags under his eyes. "I didn't kill him! I saved him!"

His arms were swaying wildly in the air as he tried to make sense of his actions. "I saved him from the life he was doomed to have! I did it for him! I did it for us!"

"Are you fucking stupid?" You hiss. "Do you have any idea how insane you sound?!"

He held his arms out wide, similar to how Marco did earlier. It was like they were in church, praising some holy being. "I saved us all from misery!"

You try to wiggle out the guard's grip but he doesn't budge. You look at Marco and he's smiling with amusement. He was completely entertained.

"Elijah didn't want to be king. He was forced to be the second he was born!" Ambrose explains. "He was miserable! You've seen it! I saved him!"

He just kept repeating the same absurd thing over and over. He sounded like a drunk slurring wild conspiracies out on the streets. "Me! I did it!"

He keeps going, completely clueless to how he sounded. "This was for all of us. Don't you see?" He was like a broken record.

He falls to his knees before you. "I have it all figured out. I'll become King of Eldia. You'll marry Marco and become Queen here. Marco wants to create a strong army. You can heal how many people you want! We all get what we want!"

You kick him as hard as you can right in the face and he falls backwards. "I don't want this! You're fucking crazy if you think I'll marry that psychopath! I rather die along with everyone else!"

It seems the kick knocked his consciousness back into place because he finally stops rambling. When he sits up, a stream of blood flows out his nose. He stares at the blood on his fingertips before he stands up again. "You don't really have a choice. I already sold you to him."

The guard finally releases you and your body gives out and you fall to the floor again. "Sold?"

Marco hands Ambrose a tissue to clean up his nose. Your brother takes his sweet time cleaning the blood before elaborating any further. "In exchange for killing our parents, I told him I'd let you marry him."

Your hair covered your face as you kept your hand toward the ground. You couldn't bear to look at either of them anymore. "I refuse." Your voice barely makes any sound. You could feel yourself start to fall asleep.

Ambrose crumbles up the tissue and tosses it in front of you. The white ball stained with red sits there by your hands. "It's too late. The deal was made and since mom and dad are dead, and so is Elijah, I'm king now. My word is final."

He walks away and claps his hands together. "Ah, it was a lengthy process but we finally made it."

"I'M FINALLY KING!" He yells loudly and the words echo in the hollow room.

His arms come down. "I wish I could see their faces. All my life I was told I wasn't good enough to be king. Constantly compared to Elijah. Now look at me. I proved them all wrong. I'll be the greatest king ever known."

He turns to face you. "You heard the way they would talk about me, like I was useless and a waste of space, but look at me now. I'm the last man standing! I WIN!"

He laughs wildly. "I win! I outsmarted everyone!"

You slowly force yourself to stand up, your legs trembling as you do but you do it anyway. "Congratulations, you're king to a kingdom you helped burn to the ground. All it costed you was the life of your own family."

He scoffs. "Please. You were willing to forget all about us for Jean. You were going to take those cute little train tickets to Paris and disappear forever."

"DO NOT COMPARE YOURSELF TO ME!" You get as loud as you can be. "I would never in a hundred years be like you. You sad, disgusting excuse for a human being. I can't even stand the sight of you."

You balance yourself to walk forward. "You're nothing remotely close to me. You are not my brother. You are not my family."

You were just inches away and you could see himself slowly starting to tense up as you get closer. "You are nothing." You say. "In my eyes, you died in the bombing along with everyone else."

You now stand face to face with him. "And you're right, you did prove them wrong." You look him right in the eye. "You're an even bigger disappointment than they thought you'd be."

His euphoric smile drops and now it's him who seems like he wants to kill you. "Say what you want but I won."

"For now." You step even closer to him so that you can whisper by his ear. His disappearing smile seemed to have wandered onto your face. "You should've killed me when you had the chance."

He grabs your arm harshly. "If you ruin this for me, I swear to—"

"I think we've had enough story time." Marco yawns. "I'm bored now." He looks at the guards. "Bertholdt, Reiner. Take her to her room."

As the two guards approach you, Ambrose yanks you closer to him. "I'll take her. You may be done talking but I'm not."

His big hand wrapped suffocatingly tight around your arm and you can feel the pain before it faintly fades away.

It occurred to you that he just didn't want them to touch you. That's normally how Ambrose would be. "No one is allowed to hurt us but us." He would always say. It seemed that even though his mind was far gone, a small part of his brotherly instinct still remained somewhere.

"Very well." Marco says. Before he sends you two off, he says, "Oh and Ambrose. Do go easy on her. I'm not a fan of damaged goods."

You stare in disbelief. It amazed you how someone could go from treating you with the upmost respect for years and then suddenly treat you like you were merely a piece of property.

"Don't tell me what to do." Ambrose responds before he walks out the hospital wing with you forcefully beside him.

He walks with persistence down the hall, dragging your nimble body behind him. You trip and fumble over your feet trying to keep up. "Is this the part where you tell me you're playing the double agent and you're actually on our side?" You ask him.

He scoffs. "I'm done playing that."

"So that's it?" You try to walk as fast as he is. "I'm nothing to you? You just sell me off like cattle so you can get the life you want?"

He doesn't say anything. He doesn't look at you at all.

"I know you hear me, Ambrose." You speak.

Still nothing.

He finally stops in front of a room and digs through his pocket for the key. "You may not see it now but I'm doing this for your own good."

You try to keep your laugh in. He sounded so much like your mother. "How exactly is this for my own good? You said you saved me from a life I didn't want but I don't want this either."

He unlocks the door and swings it open. Inside was a sad little room with just a bed in it and a small closet. There was one window that was far too small to escape from. "Get in there."

You force your legs to the ground. "Tell me. If you did this for us, how is this beneficial for me?"

"You didn't want to marry Phoenix, right?" He reminds you. "I saved you from that."

You bat your eyes with confusion. "I rather marry Phoenix than Marco!" You don't even bother keeping your voice down. "Phoenix didn't fucking murder my parents!"

He looks around frantically as you shout. He tugs on your arm to bring you closer. "Look, once you and Marco become king and queen, you can get rid of him if you want and have the kingdom to yourself. You can marry anyone you want after that. You'll be queen so no one can tell you no."

"Queen of Ember?" You match his hushed volume. "Why on earth would I want that? These people hate me! They hate us! You're practically feeding me to the wolves while you go back to Eldia."

"Don't act coy, yn." He rolls his eyes. "I know you've always wanted to be queen. The idea of us being closer to the throne than you'd ever be drove you crazy. It wasn't just me. I saw the way you looked at the crown. You wanted it for yourself."

Suddenly, a memory comes flooding into your mind. The first time Elijah ever wore the King's crown, you, Ambrose and Kai stood beside him and watched.

Kai had his head somewhere in the clouds and wasn't paying attention. But Ambrose, he was watching very carefully.

You had noticed it back then but didn't think too much of it. He had the look of intense jealously. He looked at his brother like he wanted to rip the crown off his very head.

There was a reason you didn't point it out back then. You had the exact same look. You envied him.

"I wanted to be queen of Eldia." You clarify. "Not anywhere else."

He still doesn't budge. "Ember, Eldia, same thing. By the time you're done with this place, no one will be able to tell the difference. As for the people, you'll win them over eventually. You always do."

You hated how he was beginning to make more and more sense. He was insane. You knew that. But he was just far too good at making his insanity seem pretty reasonable. It was his hidden talent.

"Wait." You realize. "How is Marco going to be king if his father is still alive and so are his two older brothers?"

Ambrose doesn't say anything.

"Oh my god." It finally clicks. "He's going to kill them, isn't he?"

He pushes you hard into the room and yo go crashing onto the floor. You immediately stand up and rush toward the door but he closes it shut before you even get the chance.

You try the door knob but he already locked the door. "Ambrose, open the door." You beg. "Please don't do this."

Nothing.

You knew he was still standing behind the door because there was no sound of footsteps. You also knew this was probably your last chance to somehow get him to switch over to your side even though you knew he was too far gone for that.

You bang on the door. "Don't do this to me. I've spent my entire life locked in the room. You know that better than anyone. Please don't make me relive this again."

Nothing.

"Amby." You cry. "Please. It's me. I'm your little sister. I know I annoy you and get in your way but you love me. I know you do. I love you. I love you so much. Please let me out."

Nothing.

You rest your head on the door. "If there's any part of you that still cares about me, you let me out. I forgive you for Elijah. I forgive you for everything. We can go home and start over. Please don't do this."

You finally hear the sound of him walking away. "Ambrose?"

You begin to bang on the door like crazy. "AMBROSE!!"

You shake and shake the door knob but it never opens. The door rattles but never separates from the wall. You were really locked in here with no way out.

You spin around to the window behind you and immediately pull the curtains apart. Four steel bars block the window and you wrap your hands around them and try your hardest to pull them off.

[play no time to die by billie eilish]

Nothing.

You felt like you were going crazy. You couldn't bear to be locked up again. Not after all those years of staring at the same four walls. You couldn't do it all over again.

You grab anything you can find and begin to lunge it at the door. Chairs, books, nothing worked.

You scream and scream as furniture goes flying across the room in any direction you can throw it in. The items make minor dents and nothing more.

You fall to the floor and place your face in your hands and begin to sob. After everything you did to try to give yourself the most freedom possible, you were back to square one.

It was foolish to think you could break the cycle. You ended up just like everyone else who inherited the flower. Kidnapped and alone.

History was doomed to repeat itself. There's a reason you had the flower in the first place. The person before you failed.

A part of you truly believed you'd be different. All this talk about you being born to do this and it being your destiny was all nonsense. You were just like everyone else on that long list. A failure.

You never would've taught that the one to bring you to your downfall would've been your own brother. Your own blood.

The only remaining family member you had left is the person who was rooting against you. The one person you expected to always have your back is the one who stabbed you in it.

The betrayal was devastating. The heartbreak  couldn't compare to anything else. It was almost too much to bear.

You spent your entire life beside this person. Since the moment you took your first breath. Same womb, same home. It felt truly unfair.

Had it been obvious all this time? How long had he been secretly micromanaging your entire life for the exact moment?

For the first time since that horrible day, you allow yourself to cry your hardest. You cry for your mother and your father who you'll never see again. You cry when you remember the  last conversation you had with them. You cry for the fact that's the last time you'll ever speak to them again and it ended that way.

You cry for your brothers who were just caught in the crossfire. You cry for the fact that they were both so young and had so much more to give to the world than just being another body in another grave.

The pain was too much. The flower was punishing you for hurting Ambrose so it wasn't taking away your pain like it normally always did.

The heartache was killing you. For the first time ever, you felt actual pain. Your hand comes up to your chest as you try to tame the sharp pressure stabbing right at the center but it doesn't go away.

Shortly after, the sensation of not being able to breathe follows. You choke on your sobs as you keep your hands clutched over your chest. It truly was one of the worst feelings ever.

Your body refused to help you. You were all in alone in this time. Marco was right, you couldn't hurt anyone without hurting yourself much worse.

The sound of his name in your mind fills you up with rage again. Your eyes come open finally and the first thing you see is a huge crack on the ground from where you sat, all the way toward the wall. The crack even climbed up the wall and stopped midway.

You move your legs to the side and see that the massive cut in the surface came from you. It started on the exact spot you landed on.

When you fell to the ground and began to cry, the earth beneath you spilt in half from the power. You stand up and follow the line up to the wall. Small, green leaves sprout out from the now open area.

You bring your finger to the leaves and they bounce against your fingertips. They were freshly sprouted and as green as can be.

It was like a mini earthquake, the room was spilt right in the middle. It was easy to forget how powerful you really were.

You look down at your hands. All this power yet after all you've done to persevere, two men are what put you back into a corner. Back into the shadows once more.

You needed a plan and a good one. The game wasn't over yet. Let them think they've won for now.

The need for peace was gone. Everyone before you played that role and ended up just another name in a book. So that only meant you'd have to be different to avoid the same twisted fate.

You wouldn't choose peace. If it was a game they wanted to play, who were you to refuse?

"I may be the villain in your story but I'm the hero in mine." Marco's words repeat in your head.

He clearly would stop at nothing to save his people. He had succeeded in his plan thus far without fail. He was winning.

If you wanted even a chance to win, you had to stoop to his level and match his energy. You had to think the way he thinks.

But how could you? How could you stoop down to a level as low as a mass murderer? You couldn't murder anyone period.

And then it hits you. If you kill someone, you lose your powers instantly. However, if you wound them, your powers temporarily disable.

Gradually, you could suck the life out of Marco. Slowly make him sicker and sicker until his body eventually gives up. Technically, it isn't murder.

You weren't physically killing him, just guiding him in that direction.

Even as you grow to feel bad, you remind yourself he is the reason your parents are dead. Why everyone was. Did he show your family mercy? Was he showing you any?

His smug face appears again in your mind. The way he graciously held his arms out and said, "It's enough to make anyone a villain."

He was right. Losing everything makes people turn into something sinister. Watching the people you love suffer awakes something in you that's never the same again.

You understood him.

And that's all you needed to win.