Chapter Text
Neither party wants to shatter the fragile silence that falls around them. Whether this is a dream or a nightmare barely even matters- No one wants to wake either way.
The rhythm of the Princes’ heartbeats seems to rocket out of their chests as they stare at a lost friend, a trusted advisor and companion for so long. Bodies ramrod straight, tensed like a cloverstag getting ready to bolt from a hunter.
They all look so different from when they saw each other last. The Teal Prince looks oddly metallic, light shimmering off his shell in ways that don’t happen on a real carapace. His antennae are gone, replaced with an odd, spiky halo that seems to pierce his skull in a way that’d surely be beyond painful for any bug. His counterpart looks rather the opposite- Where one prince is far too shiny, the Green Prince is far too dull. His shell is scuffed and battered, tattered wings neatly folded behind him to hide them, age and grief taking a heavy toll. The advisor is the least changed, but time has made its mark on them too. Stress has carved lines onto the shell of their face, neatly covered by a mask of bone like those the skarr wear.
Leif stood unblinking at the duo, mouth gaping in a complete, dumbfounded sort of shock. They were almost afraid to blink- Afraid that the Princes would disappear if they did. Slowly, they reach out a little, as if to check if they were really there- but they catch themself, yanking their hand back like they’d touched something hot.
Clover reaches out instead, voice impossibly soft as he asks again. “Leif?”
“Highnesses?”
The two simple words are enough to shatter the invisible barriers keeping either party frozen, and the Teal Prince starts to laugh, delight coloring his tone as he crouches down to the elated escalion. His partner follows suit after a beat of hesitation, and Leif shakes off their shock, wasting no time in leaping at the both of them.
“You’re alive-”
“I can’t believe-”
“You’re really-”
All three start at the same time, then stop. Then they burst into giggles, holding each other with a desperation utterly unmatched. Another air, one of a more joyful silence follows the trio, though it’s quickly broken by Leif snapping out of their stupor. They stare up at the Teal Prince with the most baffled expression imaginable, for no reason apparent to the princes.
Clover tilts his head at them.
And to the ruler of their kingdom, their lost friend presumed dead and one of the two most important people to their lands, Royal Advisor Leif of Verdania asks: “Prince Clover, why the fuck are you so cold.”
Oh, and how The Teal Prince wants to laugh and cry at the same time. “Always’, he thinks, ‘you can count on Leif to do the most ridiculous thing imaginable.’ He does neither laugh nor cry, instead giving the smaller bug an impossibly fond smile. “It’s… Gods, Leif, it’s such a long story. But- Whatever, we can tell you later, how in the name of the void did you make it out of Verdania? We were so sure there was no one left.”
“I could ask you the same question! Actually,” They pause, a bit of guardedness creeping into their tone, ”I thought you were the first to die, we saw the mockeries they made of your corpse. How do I know you two are actually my Princes?”
Clover pauses, unsure of how to respond. Technically, Leif isn’t wrong. He is, technically, a Citadel machine designed to destroy their homeland and people. Despite the aesthetic design being his own, the ones who built and edited the design of his tomb made it to destroy the kingdom of Verdania. There’s nothing he can say that won’t be an untruth or break their heart.
Luckily, his partner notices his distress, swooping in to cover for him as he always does. Gently, for all their sakes, he explains. “It’s… The Citadel used his soul to power the machines they used. It was only with the help of a passing hunter that he was able to regain consciousness. I’d implore you not to fault him for… For what happened.”
The smaller bug pauses, digesting the words. They knew whatever the Citadel must’ve done was unimaginably horrific, and yet, “...Stag and Stars, Clove. Your soul?”
He can do nothing but nod as his partner continues. “And as for me, I was… imprisoned, after the march on our home. I was unable to go find him, or you, or anyone. ”
“Imprisoned?”
The green prince looks away, shame closing up his throat as it did to his love. Subconsciously, his wings tuck further away behind his back, left arm moving out of sight- Both of which draw attention to the damage he was hoping to hide. He hopes Leif didn’t notice anyways. The pain and humiliation of his captivity wasn’t something he ever thought he’d need to explain, nor one he ever wants to. “...yes.”
Leif hesitantly reaches out to the Prince, who ducks his head a little in a half-flinch. Their hand quickly pulls back. Different comfort method then. Luckily, Leif is a master at knowing how their friends work. Hopefully they haven’t changed too much. “...By the Palestag, I’m glad to see you two. I mean, it was inevitable, of course- Knew they couldn’t keep us down forever!” Their voice goes up in pitch a little, emphasizing some of the words to make them sound as ridiculous as possible.
And indeed, it brings smiles to both Princes’ faces. The antennae on top of the Green Prince’s head twitch, brushing up against the crown stuck to his love’s head in place of his own.
“Aye, seems you were right. You are, as it seems, normally correct about things. Seems hiring you was the right choice after all- I was a bit unsure, remember?”
Their chest puffs out, the three falling back into a rhythm that hasn’t been played by the Verdanian royal court for decades. “I’m always right, Prince Viridian. Dunno why you keep forgetting that.”
Clover bats their shoulder gently, ever-so careful of the metal that now makes up his body. One wrong move could shred his old friend to pieces. Leif notices, but carefully keeps from reacting as the prince admonishes them: “Keep that ego in check, Advisor.”
They immediately snap into a cheeky salute with the most over the top motion they can make. “Yessir, Mr Teal Prince–Highness-Clover–Prince–destined-ruler–stagslayer–ruler–warrior-prince–sir!”
Clover scoffs fondly, shoving them again. “Oh, fuck off, i can still fire you.”
“You really wanna rebuild a whole royal court from scratch, Highness? I don’t think it’d be much fun.”
The lighthearted joke quickly sours the mood again, reminding the Verdanir of what they’ve lost. “...So you’re the last surviving member of the royal court?”
“Me and Lily, yes, as far as we know. But we didn’t know you two were still alive, so it’s…” Leif trails off for a moment, as if afraid to bring the idea to light. “It’s possible we missed other survivors, too?”
The green prince looks away. “...I’m too scared to hope for that.”
“Me too. But we can never discount a possibility because of fear.”
The prince chuckles softly at the admonishment. Placing one claw on the shoulder of his friend, the other threading through his partner’s hand, he couldn’t be happier right now.“You’re right, you’re right. Knew there was a reason we kept you around, despite the ego. Now, really, tell me how you’ve fared all these years. We missed you.”
The way he says it, it’s clear he’s not referring to just the lost advisor. Rather, right now Leif is all of the Princes’ hopes for their kingdom, a beacon of their surviving people.
The advisor is happy to rekindle that hope, both in them and themself.
And yet, as they open their mouth to speak, the ground rumbles beneath their feet, cutting them off as a deep dread starts to sink into the very souls of all who feel it.
The Verdaniar look upwards in horror as a piercing scream echoes throughout the lands, the air seeming to twist and turn darker.
Silken strands around the moor stain, inky blackness enveloping them. Quieter shrieks start to echo the first, echoes bouncing along the walls and amplifying the noises till the only thing audible is nothing but a cacophony of terrified screams.
The dead begin to stir.