"Well, you can go tell whoever requested our presence to f-."

"We will be there in a few moments," Icarus quickly interjects. "We're just finishing up here." Seneca scowls at him but doesn't say anything.

"Very well, thank you." I internally smirk as the Soldier makes a quick exit.

"You can't do that, Seneca!" Icarus whirls around, eyes wide as he stares down his friend.

"Why not?" Seneca doesn't seem the least bit ruffled, instead continuing to eat as if nothing had happened.

"Brook is right, we can't go after the Amethyst Throne without Wolf and Dove. Until then, we can't anger the Guard or Soldiers- we don't need them coming after us... yet, that is. Once Wolf and Dove have returned, we can anger them all we want. There will be no mercy for the Amethyst Throne."

"Yeah," Seneca sighs. "You're right. But the second Wolf and Dove come back..."

She trails off, and Icarus mirrors the grin that spreads across her face.

"S-Seneca?" Clap asks.

"Yeah?"

"You k-kinda remind me of Phoenix."

"Phoenix? That fire-wielding one Brook told me about?"

"Yeah. Y-you both d-don't like K-King Garonda XIV c-cuz he's mean. A-a-and you both want t-to destroy K-K-King Garonda XIV."

"Destroy? Yeah, sounds about right. The Amethyst Throne's not making it out of the battle in one piece. More like a billion little flakes of purple dust."

A Guard comes over and takes our plates. It's so weird having them wait on us, treating us like visitors of King Garonda XIV. It was something I'd never get used to. As the Guard walks away, I don't miss the glare he sends us, though it's gone as quickly as it came.

By we reach the Earth Tree, a crowd has begun to form. I quickly realize the crowd is made up of people from the northern portion of the White Tent Sea, the one Clap and I live in and Seneca and Icarus are staying in for however long they remain in this dimension of Ragdon. And they'd blocked off a section earlier... My thoughts are cut short as a Soldier steps onto the makeshift stage and gets everyone's attention.

"Alright, everyone. Listen up! We are currently blocking off this section of the White Tent Sea. We're just going to go over some things real quick, shouldn't take too long. Once we're done, you are free to continue going about your day, just as you were before this. Any questions?" The Soldier's raised voice carries across the crowd.

"Yeah, I've got one." Seneca raises her hand, standing on her toes and craning her head so she can better see the Guard and Soldiers. The Soldier's shoulders fall as he sees who had been speaking.

"Yes?"

"What are you doing exactly? You were blocking off parts of the White Tent Sea and it was really affecting my day. So just give it to me straight- what the hell are you doing?" The Soldier's jaw clenches as his lip begins to curl, but he fights it back.

"This should only take a few minutes. Not too long, and then you'll be free to go about your business. Alright?" Seneca moves to speak again, but Icarus silences her with a shove from his free wing.

"Fine," she grumbles.

"Come here, Luke. Test run." Luke?

A hooded figure slowly makes their way onto the stage. Their head is lowered and their shoulders are hunched. Two horns gently curl from the back of the figure's cloak. A few thick locks of hair shield their face, and the rest of their body is obscured by the heavy cloak.

"Work your magic, Dust Devil," the Soldier states, leaving no room for argument. A smirk tugs at the Soldier's mouth.

"Ok," Luke murmurs, voice just barely audible.

"Remain calm, everyone. Luke here is just going to practice a few spells. He'll be done before you know it. Stay calm, there's nothing to worry about."

Oh, no he's not. I'm not being a test subject for who knows what spells, and Clap certainly isn't either.

"Clap, let's go." I nudge her into motion, and we squeeze through the crowd. I keep glancing back, watching the figure closely.

Luke turns, facing the crowd. Through the shadows hiding his face, I watch as a soft purple glow forms, and I see black veins creeping and spreading from his eyes and crawling up his neck.

His eyes. They're green, but they're tinged with red on the edges. I get caught up in his dull stare for a few moments. Luke's eyes hold a haunted look, one of someone who has seen more than their fair share of trouble. One of someone who has demons chasing them at every turn.

They remind me of Arcane. My chest clenches when I remember how he had shed the Midnight Tear so time would reset and this dimension of Ragdon's timeline would split into two. Luke's eyes didn't look too different- they were red and green. Clap once told me the colors looked like apples.

Luke's hands appear from beneath the cloak. He looks down at his hands sadly. Every movement he makes seems to take an extraordinary effort, and his shoulders slouch, holding up the weight every one of his memories and demons.

The tips of his fingers curl, and dust and sand from the ground rises into the air in curls. My heart rate spikes, and I take a short, sharp breath of air.

Oh, no.

I push Clap into a run. Her paws patter against the soil. Others begin to move, but the sand and dust from Luke spreads outward, shimmering darkly.

"Go, go, go! Run, Clap!"

Clap doesn't need to be told twice, as she quickly races off. Her form begins to blur when her speed nears that of sound, and I hear the familiar whistle sound as I run after her, but the clap never arrives.

A quick glance back shows the dust and sand Luke had conjured falling over the crowd, twinkling darkly in the sunlight. The crowd's chatter ceases.

While one Soldier begins to speak, telling the crowd a host of lies about how King Garonda XIV is good, another Soldier, the one who first spoke, leans in and tells Luke something. Luke nods silently. He looks up, and I push myself to run faster. My muscles burn.

You promised Freedom you'd look after Clap. You promised you'd keep her safe. You cannot break that promise, not now, not ever.

Dust swirls around me, but I don't stop. Don't let it get to your head. Footsteps thunder behind me as the dust begins to take on an angry, dark purple color. It sparkles under the burning sun. 

"Stop right where you are!"

No, I'll never.

Seething bitterness washes over me. Dirt sprays into the air as I skid to a halt, but only to whirl around and impale a Soldier on my horn. Blood drips into my eyes, and I shake my head to clear my gaze. The Soldier groans, hands wrapped tightly over his abdomen, when I jerk back to lash out at the Guard next to me.

Get away from me.

They try to stay in my blind spot, resulting in me turning in circles. A Soldier's sword lands a deep gash on my haunches, and I cry out, twisting in a tight circle to kick at him with my hooves. I hear a satisfying crunch of his armor and he falls, grasping at his throat and choking as blood pours from between his fingers.

"G-GET AWAY F-F-FROM BROOK!" Clap yowls, leaping into the air and crashing into a Guard. They tumble to the ground. Her face is contorted into a look of fury I've never seen before. She pummels the guard, and her paws become blurs.

"Clap, go."

What is she doing here?

"No."

"I'm not debating this. Go."

"NO!" She snarls. "Th-they hurt you. They d-don't do th-that. I-it's mean."

Her claws continue to rip and tear at the back of the Guard's head and neck as she sits, perched on his back. His skin is torn into ribbons, and the ground around him is stained red.

I take a quick survey of those left, leaving Clap and the Guard alone. There are still four left, three Soldiers and a Guard. Two of the Soldiers draw their swords. Clap's head snaps up at the sound, and she frowns. "Hey! What d-did I-I-I say? Don't d-do that!"

"I'm following My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV's wishes. He wished everyone to be present for the opening acts of Luke. You two have left and are putting up a fight about being present, so we are trying to return you both so you can witness Luke's acts. That was My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV's wish, that everyone be present, and I will faithfully carry out each of his wishes to its full extent until the day I die."

"L-leave us a-alone. You're mean." Clap's nose wrinkles as she pouts angrily at the Guard and Soldiers.

"Return to see Luke's opening act, and I promise we will leave."

"N-no! Go away!" Clap bares her teeth, trembling as she glares at the Guard and Soldiers.

"That one can go. She's going to be too problematic. I was told to... dispose of those who wouldn't comply with the new vision for the White Tent Sea." Rage burns in my body. My promise to Freedom is will not be broken. Not now, not ever. Over my dead body will they lay a hand on Clap. I take a step in front of Clap, lowering my head and keeping my right side facing the Guard and Soldiers.

"Make that two," the Guard says.

"Go. AWAY!" Clap screeches, leaping up onto my back. Tears brim in her eyes, and I feel the pricks from her claws as they curl out from her toes.

"It's ok, Clap," I murmur. "They're not going to hurt you."

One of the Soldiers makes the first move, and I quickly take a step back and impale him on my horn. Blood burns in my eyes, but I ignore it. No one can hurt Clap. I jerk my head back. The Guard shoots me an icy glare.

I glare back at him, keeping eye contact and daring him to look away first. When he does, I internally smile.

The remaining Guard and Soldiers rush toward me and Clap, weapons drawn. My ears remain pinned to the sides of my head, and I wrinkle my nose.

"Stay back," I tell Clap before I close the distance between me and the Guard and Soldiers. The two Soldiers react fast enough when I rear up to lash out with my forelegs. When I slam my hooves down, the Guard gets flattened to the ground, and I hear a crunch. My stomach twists. I turn away without looking back; the Guard is dead. And the Soldiers are getting too close to Clap.

I cry out when a Soldier's sword cuts a deep gash on my left flank. Curse you, blind eye. My nostrils flare as I try to breathe through the pain. I stumble several steps to the side, grimacing. While I try to regain my balance, the other Soldier manages to get a small cut just beneath my ear.

"GET A-AWAY FROM BROOK! I-I TOLD YOU TO S-S-STAY AWAY!" Clap screeches the words, and I see her dig her claws into the soil and leap forward out of the corner of my eye. I don't hear her namesake clap until she passes me though.

No, stay back. You can't get hurt. I promised Freedom, and I can't break that promise. She tackles one of the Soldiers to the ground, and her paws fly in a flurry of attacks. The Soldier falls still, blood oozing rapidly from his face.

I can't keep letting her do that. I have to keep her safe. She doesn't know how to fight, not like the others do.

I turn my gaze to the other Soldier. His sword is coated in a thin sheen of blood. My sides heave with breath, and each time my lungs fill with air, pain sparks and lances through my ribcage. 

"And the lead Guard said you were a force to be reckoned with." I don't reply.

I am, though. I made a promise to Freedom that I'd always protect Clap. I'm not about to break that promise. You may have gotten this gash on my side, but it's going to take an awful lot more than that to get between me and Clap.

Adrenaline courses through my veins, taking the edge off the pain.

Come on, Brook. Just a little longer. Just one more Soldier. I stare down the remaining Soldier, and he returns it by looking at me evenly.

Thanks for reading! I hoped you enjoyed the latest chapter of The King's Remorse! Please comment and consider a vote!

Brook's been injured. Pretty badly, it seems. What's going to happen?

What do you think of Luke, the Dust Devil?

Dove and the rest of the group still haven't returned! When, or will, they return to the White Tent Sea?

I hope you are all staying safe!

-Werewolf14-