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Staring at the Nowhere King eyes wide in terror you slowly back up depsite knowing it's futile. Back pressing against a machine, it's terrible machine that made all the minotaur troops that were killing your people. You shiver, feeling tears slowly come to your eyes. Feeling the cool metal under your fingertips searching for a button to get you out of this situation you swallow as your hand tremors. The General had told you stories of this monster and the castle that had endless horrors within its walls. Of his old memories and all the lost dreams for his Kingdom that died here. His wife who'd been lost. Backing yourself further into the machine scratching your arm against a sharp piece, you knew you could never escape and yet every fiber in your being told you to run. The minotaurs and vile creatures around you surrounded you. They lowly growled and hissed, making awful noises as you covered your bleeding arm.
Closing your eyes listening as thunder boomed outside before a bright flash leaked through your closed eyelids you tilted your head back knowing your end would be painful. That you may be devoured by the darkness of the NoWhere King or be torn apart by his troops. Yet all you hear is silence other than the rain patterning against stone outside.
The evil noises had stopped and you were left in a deafening quiet. A suffocating silence. Opening your eyes slowly, confused on if you were dead or not you stiffened as the Nowhere King Floated before you. Your hands once again gripped at the cold metal behind you. Desperately you searched for something to pull loose and use as a weapon as you kept eye contact with the Nowhere King but there was nothing. Heart pounding in your ears and tears pricking your eyes as white puffs of air left your mouth, you trembled before him. He tilted his skull head leaning in close as quiet clicks escaped his jaw. Flinching back as far as you could go he threw his horns back as his eyes glowed a menacing emerald. Putting up your arms ready to die the next words surprise you.
"Leave us." Shifting away from the machine edging away from him you tighten the grip on your bleeding arm watching the soldiers and false King closely. Blank helmets and yellow reptilian stares greet your eyes as low hisses escape the troop that had cornered you. Metal creaks and weapons clank as the soldiers bow. They slowly move in a mechanical fashion, a cacophony of metal scraping and shifting noises as they back away in a controlled fashion before exiting the bleak room.
A loud creak is the last thing you hear from them as an ancient and rusted metal door swings closed, trapping and locking you with the Nowhere King. As the sound echoes around the mossy stone cavern you stare at the door. You will your legs to move, to run, but you're frozen in place. Your eyes dart between him and the door. His glowing emerald fire casts light over your trembling form in the dark room as he softly breathes. A whimper dies in your throat as the NoWhere King leans forward, his skull ridge brushing your nose.
His hand... if you could call it that, separated from his not body, dripping as it slowly moved towards you. Pausing as it looms over your face you blink in surprise as it caresses your cheek. Its touch was goopy and strange but not what you expected. You thought it'd feel like burning hot tar, but no. It was oddly warm, almost comforting. Not at all like the uncomfortable burning you had expected from the Generals story. It didn't sting or leave painful marks but if he kept it there too long you had the feeling your face would begin to tingle before it would hurt. Thinking it over as it moves away leaving some of itself on you, you swallow. Maybe not burning tar like you thought but it could be compared to hot wax.
"You do not remember me, my love?" He asks. His voice wraps around you and makes your very being ache. You begin shaking unsure of how to answer such a question as your hand lingers over your pulsing heart. His words pulled at you, you knew him and yet you didn't.
No you didn't remember whatever this was and you didn't want to either. However it knew you and that couldn't be good.
The General was always telling heroic tales, always explaining his war stories. Old soldiers beaten half to death who'd once sat at heavens gate warned you of this creature as you dabbed them free of blood and bandaged them as best you could. You guess you lied to yourself. Everyone knew it. They feared it.
And now it had YOU.
This abomination of shadows, and night, and everything evil in the world swirled into one being. You could feel him staring when you turned away from it racking your brain for unknown answers. Your fingernails dug into your skin as you tried to calm yourself down. Rapid breathing began to give you a headache as you searched his face for what it wanted but it was emotionless. How did you know this thing? You'd only heard stories... you'd never actually seen It. But it left you alive this long that had to mean something. What did it want? Your breathing comes out shaky as you feel very trapped as you slowly walk backwards on the uneven and slippery castle tile. If you said no, would it kill you? If you said yes would it do something worse?
"... I don't know you." There's a pause heavier than steel and titling your head to see if the thing would respond if he'd hurt you, you jump as he had leaned in close on your other side, twirling around the machine and you like a snake. You hadn't heard him do that. You couldn't believe something so large could be so quiet. It just reminded you how deadly the NoWhere King was.
Watching quietly as the black mass dripped, as it leered over you. You felt some of him ooze onto you. Shivering at the sensation listening to it snort and take in deep heavy breaths his skull hovered just above your head as his magic eyes peered into your soul.
"You will." Stiffening in fear clenching your eyes closed it shushed you softly. Mocking noises escaping its maw. Hands or whatever you could call it's hands grabbing you before pulling you close. Struggling against him as tears begin spilling down your face it whispers soft reassurances trapping you in its arms. Struggling harder, its hold gets stronger and eventually as you begin to sink into the warm tar of his abysmal form you just go limp, unable to do anything else.
"Sleep." He states and closing your eyes you plan on doing just that.
~~~
The NoWhere King stares at the person he had taken. A smidge of his goo remained on them and he wished he could wipe it away. Keep them clean from the vile parts of himself but all it would do is add more. Huffing and getting closer he lays on the tower's floor watching them closely. He takes in every detail as they sleep, obsessively focusing on their chest as it rises and falls showing their breathing and that their heart is beating.
He'd dismissed his guards and after being alone with you, he'd knocked you out slowly, suffocating you against his darkness. He had then brought them here. Here where she once brought him. Their astronomy and library tower where they would read books and tell stories and laugh and stare at the stars...
His jaw shifts and clicks in an uncomfortable sort of way as he stared at them lying peacefully in a pile of soft things he'd acquired for them. Their comfort. Their needs. He felt hard to explain things for them. Much like he had her.
As his black goo shifted and dripped off him he stayed back to keep it from getting all over them. He tilts his skull, jaw still clicking in odd ways as he hummed low and deep in his throat. He observed the things he'd collected for them and wondered why. Why was he doing this? Things he hadn't had in what felt like centurie. Blankets. Pillows. Books. And still even more supplies all for you. Things he himself couldn't enjoy. And yet as he watched them peacefully rest against what he'd gathered them he knew why.
That General got in his head. His other half... that wretched part of him that looked enticing but was poison. He loved you. And now so did the NoWhere King. The General couldn't have you though, you were his now. He could love just as much. Provide more. You would never want for anything because he'd burn the world to give you everything. He was poison on the outside, dripping delicious death. He was indeed a cruel and malicious fate but only because the general had made him so. He had once been sweet, once been soft. He felt these things for her and now he felt them for you.
"My love..." He murmurs as you soundfully sleep in the nest he made. Snuggling deeper into the pillows and softness you were so unaware of the world around you. Of his presence right next to you. "My love you make me whole." He would never give you up. Never. You truly did complete him. He'd destroy anything that tried to take or hurt you. He'd give his very unlife to keep you safe. The only thing he could never gift you was your freedom. No, you needed to stay with him. You needed to be his or at least be only with him.
Lovely precious fragile thing. That's what you were and the Nowhere King swore he'd protect you.
"If you love him you can also love me." He muses reaching out to touch a strand of your loose hair. Tucking it behind your ear your face shifts and he pauses as you reach for him. You probably mistake him for the General. That thought revulses him. Pulling away to not disturb you he simply watches in silent vigil waiting for you to wake.
You would scream and struggle like many before you but you would not befall their fates. He would take care of you. This he promised.
"... I love you." You do not respond in your sleeping state simply shifting and humming as you dream but he doesn't mind. He didn't need you too for the words to be any more or less true.