Chapter Text
Deep in the dungeons of Castle Town, the former King of Spades could do nothing but complain as the far more jovial Queen approached, her signature boots clacking against the tile of the dungeon floor as she sauntered into the room. This was the third time this week that she had visited, and he was starting to get a little annoyed, to say the least.
“Is there a reason you’re down here bothering me again?”
He practically shouted the words at her, teeth bared in a grimace as his hands tightly gripped the bars of his cell. If only those cursed things would bend or break, he thought. Then he could finally escape Queen and her infuriating speeches.
On the other side of those bars, Queen stood completely unfazed by King's rage. In fact, she was hardly even paying attention to him, instead busy glancing around the dungeon with a frown.
The place was just as grim as usual- and still lacking in pottery, she noted. She’d have to talk to the fluffy boy about that. If she was going to make a habit of coming down here to harass her fellow former monarch, the place needed a bit of extra pizzazz. Some vases would do nicely, and-
“Well?” Unhappy at being ignored, King was practically steaming by now, spade-whip lashing angrily around him like the tail of an angry dog.
Right. Speaking of King, he was awake at the moment, it seemed. Shame. It was hard to work on interior design with him around- the man had no respect for pottery.
Queen swirled her glass of acid, taking another quick sip before shrugging nonchalantly.
“A Reason? Asides From Enjoying Your Company? I Think Not.” Queen grinned up at her spade-shaped companion, her screen quickly flashing a mocking “LMAO” in his direction. Good save. It was better if she didn't tell him about the pottery- that could wait until he was asleep. Then she could really start jazzing the place up.
King shot her a withering look, his lower mouth baring its teeth menacingly. “Then leave. You’re wasting my time."
Queen chuckled at that, the regal sound echoing loudly through the dim stone room. Oh, this was going to be fun.
“As If You Have More Important Things To Do.”
She paused for a moment. “I Still Think It's Funny That You Got Locked Up When I Didn't LMAO You Must Have Really Upset The Lightners.”
Another laugh, even louder than the last. “I Accidentally Almost Destroyed The World And They Still Didn’t Do That To Me.”
King scoffed, the whip-like tongue curling out of his lower mouth to rattle at the bars angrily.
“That’s because you’re useless. You’re not a danger to them. You’re soft, Queen. Those Lightners have you wrapped around their fingers already, and you only just met. And here I thought better of you.”
He paused.
“I was going to make things right, and give those Lightners the hell they deserved. But you… you don’t have it in you to do that. You never will.”
An explosion rattled the room as Queen impulsively chucked her glass at the floor, laughing merrily as if he’d said nothing of consequence. He would never get used to that.
She grinned at him again, her screen flashing “True” in bold blue letters.
“ Yeah Of Course I Don't. Because That Was Never The Plan, Actually," she said cheerily. "I Never Meant To Hurt Them, Unlike Some People I Know LOL."
Queen stilled for a moment, looking quietly at the floor. “I Just Wanted Everyone To Be Happy. Lightners, Darkners… Didn’t Matter. Wouldn’t It Have Been Nice For Us To All Be Able To Be Happy? I Thought The Fountains Could Make It Happen. But… I Was Lied To. We Both Were. The Roaring The Fountains Bring… It Hurts Everyone. Even Us Darkners LOL We Aren’t Immune. So Yeah, Mission Status: Aborted.”
King sneered. “Did the Lightners tell you that?”
Was she expecting him to be moved by that? What idiocy. Though he wasn't surprised she'd fallen for the Lightners' lies- Queen wasn't an unintelligent woman, but she was too trustful of people sometimes.
“Yes. But You Know What? I Believe Them. The Knight… Never Told Me About The Roaring. At All. That’s Pretty Sketchy NGL. Kinda Important To Mention, I Think. Plus, Unlike You I Trust Those Kids They’re Nice I Like Them.”
Another grin, as brilliant and genuine as always. “I’m Glad They Stopped Me TBH.”
Forget the Lightners and their plan, King thought- what on earth did she mean, the Knight never told her about the Roaring, and what it would cause? The delightful havoc it would wreak on the Light? How odd. She clearly wouldn't have gone through with it if she'd known.
“The Knight… they never told you about the Roaring?"
“Yeah, And They Told You It Was Only Dangerous To Lightners So I Guess We Both Got Lied To Huh. Even If For Me It Was Only By Omission. Which Is Still Lying It Counts Okay.”
That actually made an uncomfortable amount of sense. The Knight was a smart person, he knew that well. If they thought they could use his hatred for the Light as leverage for their own plans…if they had ulterior motives, would he have known? Could he really trust them, strange as they were, to have his best interests at heart when they could possibly have something else to gain?
He was starting to doubt that the answer was yes. Perhaps he'd been too quick to trust them, for the sake of vengeance.
Perhaps the Knight was no more trustworthy than the Lightners, after all.
“...Maybe so,” he said, his anger melting by the second. Instead, a mournful uncertainty took its place, softening his usually stern voice. Had he made a mistake, in trusting the Knight?
“Regardless, that doesn't mean the Lightners are any better, Queenie. You know why I don't trust them. Watch your back.”
“I Trust Them More Than You LMAO You Clearly Hate Them For Some Wacky Reason.”
Her voice was dismissive- she clearly didn't believe him. As usual. She took a step away from the bars, turning to face the stairs to the ground floor. It seemed like this conversation was over for now.
“As Fun As This Little Chat Was It’s Lancer Time Now So I Should Leave.”
There it was. Lancer time. He’d found out through Queen’s last couple of visits that that was her new name for the times where she would care for the boy, while his lesser father took a break and went to do… whatever it was that that man got up to in his spare time.
“...How is he? Faring well?” King asked, begrudgingly. He missed Lancer a lot these days- not that it mattered, though. He wouldn't be surprised if the boy never wanted to see him ever again. Lancer had never understood what made the Lightners so cruel. He could only hope that it wouldn't disappoint him too much when their promises of peace between Light and Dark came to naught.
“Yeah, He Was Stone For A Little Bit But He Doesn’t Really Seem Bothered TBH. Other Than That Though? All’s Well. He Loves It Here You Know. Having Friends, Not Having To Worry About Them Being Murdered By You… Makes Him Happy. Who Knew It Was That Easy? No Fountain Required. Except: This One.”
Well. That was... definitely a response.
“Whatever. I assume I’ll be seeing you again some other day, then?” Lately, she’d started stopping by every so often. He didn't really understand why, but he couldn't exactly stop her, so... wasn't it better to just accept it?
“Yeah Sure Whatever K Bye.” And with that, she was gone, the sharp clack of her heels fading away as she mounted the stairs. The silence of the dungeon returned, and King closed his eyes, sighing as he sat back down against the bars.
It had been a while since the Cyber World fountain had closed. Even longer since his own had been shut down by that blue-skinned brat and their friends. And truthfully? He was sick of being down here, in the dungeon. Sure, it was comfortable enough down here, but… it was growing uncomfortable to be alone all the time. Not to mention, being trapped in a single room with little to do was an unpleasant experience.
But what was he really waiting for? If the Knight had lied, even if he ever was freed, his original plan would hold no water. Sure, he could kill the wretched Lightners, but asides from temporary satisfaction… nothing. Nothing would change.
His son, his throne, everything. Sacrificed for the plan of another, that hadn’t worked. And for what? An endless stay in the dungeons? A future where his only way to freedom was to side with the Lightners he despised oh so much?
He’d rather just stay down here. At least down here, he wouldn’t have to see their infuriatingly smug faces unless they decided to visit again.