Toms Pov

The inky darkness engulfs the frail light that was my hope, diminishing all happiness and bliss that had risen with it. Now only silence lingers in the air.
It was wrong of me to count on him I guess.

I had been waiting for Yellow Leader to come back into the room. I had watched him walk out before, answering a call to a frantic and stern voice.

I pray to fuck that is was Tord.

I flinch at the slamming door, the leader re entering the room.
He stood a few feet in front of me, holding his phone out for a picture.
"Smile, princess." His voice made me squirm with discomfort.

He turned back to the door, tapping away on his phone.

I'm the bait.

•••

Tords pov

I had been talking to Yellow Leader for hours now, trying to get anything out of him.

I know he had him. He even sent me a picture.

Pa paced behind me, grumbling profanities the whole time.

"Pa! Will you knock it off! I can't focus!"

"Oh so now you're gonna blame your lack of focus on me? It's your damn fault he's gone Tord! Don't go pointing fingers at me!" Pa got in my face.

I rolled my eyes and turned back to my laptop. I continued to reload the page until I would see a new email.

There was one. With just a single sentence.

'I'm calling you'

I moved around frantically, closing the door and throwing all papers to the floor. Pa gripped my shoulder and paused me.

"What?! What's going on!"

I pushed him off of me and went back to my desk chair.
"He's calling me!"

A video call notification came up on the screen. I fixed my posture and answered.

"Oh goodmorning~"

"Cut the bull fuck. Where is he?"

The camera moved an inch to the left. And there he was. My poor Tom..

He couldn't see me. A blind fold was wrapped around his face. But he still turned his head my way.

A quick image of the last look he gave me flashed in my head.

I shook pa next to me, frantically pointing at the screen. Seeing Tom like that...really cut me deep. It's my fault he's being treated like this right now. Like a prisoner.
Patryk pulled me away from the computer as I finally started choking up.

"Happy to see I finally found a weak spot"

My fist slammed against the desk.
           "HE IS NOT A WEAKNESS. HES NOT PART OF THIS." My voice cracked at the end and I started pacing the room once more.

I can't let anything happen to him. Or my army.

"What kind of deal are you looking for then? You want to hear about the next expansion yeah?" I look at pa, studying his confused face. "I'll tell you all about it if you leave him alone."

This was something we'd been planning on for the past 8 months. To give it up like I was...is really hard.

"Actually no. I was gonna bargain for more than that..." FUCK.

"Well what! Go on then!" Patryk asked, annoyed. The impatience of my father is gonna fuck this up, I swear.

"I was actually hoping for your men." I stood still, my heart stopped. There was a long awkward silence.

"....my soldiers?"

Out of all the things that could've been asked for...he wanted my army. The one thing I've dreamt of having every night since being a kid. This was once the most important thing to me, its to hard to let this all go.

I know over the past couple of months since being with Tom that I've not been the best leader to them. But that doesn't mean that I don't want my men! That doesn't mean that I don't want to rule the world with them.

After a long while Yellow Leader got fed up with the silence.
"So what's it gonna be then Red?"

More tears welled up in my eyes.
"I....I can't do that."

I walked back around the desk to face him.

"Oooo~ did you hear that Thomas?" The camera moved right in front of him and I bit my lip to hold back everything. "He said he wouldn't trade his own army for you! How sweet it that?" He pinched Toms cheek and he flinched away.

         "Tom... it'll be alright." I tried my best to sound reassuring. But I myself don't even know if it'll be alright.