Work Text:
The destruction of the Red Kingdom had been swift and merciless.
Queen Katie had been quick to act when the invaders attacked, commanding her knights, rogues, and mages to prepare their defenses. But the Blue Kingdom had struck in the dead of night when they'd least expected it, casting spells to crumble the stone walls and set the houses on fire. All the Reds could do was scramble to fight back.
Without the cover of buildings, the rogues had few places to hide. Frogue and Kitty tried to get behind the incoming army, ducking behind smoldering stone foundations in an attempt to flank the Blue Kingdom's fighters. But Mae trapped Frogue first, subduing him when he attempted to strike down the King. Having seen this, Kitty attempted to return to the castle to warn the rest of their Kingdom, but Owain caught sight of that familiar yellow scarf and cornered them in the remains of the stables, sword to their throat.
The mages were harder to catch, but they, too, made the mistake of splitting up. Sausage's hoards of the undead was incredibly formidable, but when the entire Blue army remained together, he could only lead them to be sliced down. He tried over and over again until he was blasted by a gust of powerful wind magic from El and slammed against a streetlamp, knocking him unconscious. Cam at least had the good sense to stick with Ser Bek, but Shan trapped the knight and her steed in a sphere of water, sending her into the moat while Cam was swarmed and overtaken.
By the time Bek had pulled Garnet out of the water, the Blue army had reached the castle, which was one of the only buildings still standing. There, Cherri and Apo were defending their Queen alone. The two Solunans refused to flee their post at the castle's entrance, despite being severely outnumbered. Cherri lifted their sword and Apo hefted her spear, but at the King's command, Graecie and Owain targeted only the princess. Thrown off guard, Apo attempted to come to her liege's defense, but was unable to reach Cherri before she'd been cornered, sword knocked aside.
With Cherri weaponless and unable to retaliate, Graecie turned all of her attention to Apo, and the two knights clashed, spear against spear. Both were highly trained and incredibly skilled... but Graecie had more than a hundred year's worth of combat experience, and before Apo knew it, she'd been pulled off balance and disarmed. Her eyes closed, ready for death. Thornhelm would not have hesitated to kill a weaponless knight, and surely these enemies would be happy to be rid of her permanently...
...but no blade slit her throat. The Blue Kingdom had other plans for them.
Garnet was shaken after their swim in the moat, so Bek left her horse behind, travelling on foot to the side of the Red Kingdom's castle. The approaching army was a unified force at the front, so the only way she could reach her Queen was to climb through a window. This was not an easy task to do in a full suit of armor, but Ser Bek was not deterred by a challenge. She raced into the throne room, spear and shield at the ready, reaching Katie with only seconds to spare.
"Stay behind me!" she shouted through gritted teeth as the Blue army breached the castle. Where were Apo and Cherri, Cam and Sausage, Kitty and Frogue? The rest of their Kingdom should be here, defending the crown. There was no point in dividing and conquering when the Blues were staying together. Did her fellow Reds know nothing about strategy?
Behind her, she heard Katie unsheathe her sword, but it was the two of them against the entire Blue Kingdom. King Nom led the charge, with Owain and Shan on his left and Graecie and El on his right. They would fight, of course, because the Red Kingdom never surrendered... but Bek had already weighed her odds. If she was lucky, Eloise would take pity on her and allow her some narrow window to escape, dragging her Queen in tow.
This did not seem likely.
"Cowards, attacking in the dead of night," Bek spat, unflinching. "How dare you enter this throne room? Have you no shame?"
The King did not seem deterred. "If you drop your weapons now, no one will be injured. If not... well, I cannot guarantee your safety."
"Nom, I can't believe you," Katie hissed. "You know this isn't right. Why are you so insistent on waging war? We could work to broker peace together, or find some common ground. I don't want to fight you."
"And you could have returned to Blue Kingdom," Nom countered. "Then you'd be fighting alongside me."
"You know exactly why I can't do that-"
"Drop your weapons now," Owain announced. "You are outnumbered. There's no point in trying to attack... you will only embarrass yourselves."
"Not a chance," Bek declared. "Queen Katie, prepare to fight. We will defend the Red Kingdom until our last breaths."
Nom sighed and clapped his hands twice, giving some unknown signal to his army. Owain stepped aside, allowing Scott to pass him, mage's staff in hand.
"This is the best you can do?" Bek scoffed. "You truly think little of me if this is who I am to fight. I'll gladly prove you wrong."
Scott took a deep breath, and then thrust his staff forward. Vines exploded from beneath the floorboards, writhing toward Bek and Katie with terrifying speed. Bek swung at one vine, chopping it apart before it could get too close. But five or ten more circled around her, trapping her in a cage of vines. Every time Bek sliced one, two more took its place. She didn't have to look at Katie to confirm that her Queen was trapped in the same situation, because Bek could hear her screaming and swearing at her brother.
"Thank you, Scott," Nom said calmly. He was so composed, so unforgiving. It almost seemed out of character. "Their monarch has been captured. The Red Kingdom is no more."
Katie was swinging her sword at the cage of plants surrounding her, but they were both completely surrounded. "Nom, I'll never forgive you for this!"
"Not my concern," he replied. "Knights and rogues, take whatever riches you can find. Once we've gathered everything useful, the mages will knock the castle down and leave this land a ruin. Let it be a warning to any Kingdom that attempts to fight against the might of the Blue Kingdom."
And with that, Nom turned and left. He hadn't even needed to lift his weapon.
------
After the Red Kingdom fell, life was very different for Katie.
Physically, she was not trapped in the Blue Kingdom. Her room was not a prison, the door did not lock, and there were no shackles on her wrists. When Katie left the castle, she did not have guards on her heels, watching her every move. There was nowhere she was barred from going... well, except to the cells in the basement, which she had to have supervision to visit. Everything else, however, was within her reach.
It didn't matter that she had all of the freedoms in the world. She and her brother both knew that she'd never leave. Katie had nowhere else to go, and even if she did, she had to be there for the prisoners in the basement. If Katie left... well, she didn't want to think about what might happen then.
Her days were, thankfully, mostly quiet and mundane. One might say she was lucky. She would disagree.
Katie was a morning person, a sentiment that could not be shared with much of the Blue Kingdom. She was glad about that, because it meant that she could roam freely without having to worry about running into Scott, or Mae, or Shan, or anyone else that she was avoiding speaking to. Usually, she grabbed breakfast from the kitchens and carried it with her as she took a morning walk around the castle. This typically went uninterrupted. But on that particular day, someone said her name.
"Lady Katie."
She instantly recognized the voice behind her... and besides, there was only one person who called her 'Lady' in the Blue Kingdom, anyways.
"Owain," she sighed, turning around to face him. She'd almost gotten out of the castle without any interruptions, but of course, the lion had to ruin it. "You know, you don't have to call me that."
"You are the sister of my King. That makes you a Lady of the Blue Kingdom." Owain stated, as if this was obvious. His golden mask reflected the dawn light. "Where are you off to, this early in the morning?"
"It's just Katie. I'm not a citizen of the Blue Kingdom, anyways," she sighed, turning around and walking away. To Katie's immense disappointment, Owain followed her, continuing their conversation.
"His majesty is planning a diplomatic envoy to Barrowhill tomorrow," Owain informed her. "He wanted me to tell you that travel there and back may take almost a week."
The lion knight was always like this, formal and loyal and straight to the point. Katie genuinely didn't know if he was so patient with her because she was the King's sister, or if Nom had ordered him to be respectful. It didn't matter which was the reason, though. She knew resentment simmered under the surface, just as it did with the rest of Blue's citizens. Katie hated that she was aware of this. It was worse than her childhood. At least then, all she'd been was a disappointment. Now, she was a constant liability, a traitor with an exception.
"Well, I'm sure he'll be missed while he's gone," she retorted, following her usual route through the trees that surrounded the castle. Katie had walked this path so many times that she'd started to wear a path through the grass. "Why does he have to go to Barrowhill, exactly?"
"To establish political communication as the sole ruler of these lands," said Owain. "There is some confusion about the fate of Bannerfall in the neighboring nations. The King must inform Barrowhill that the Blue Kingdom has defeated the Red Kingdom, and will be able to secure diplomatic relations from there."
She stopped in her tracks, hands clenched into fists. "Must you rub it in?"
"Excuse me?"
"The Red Kingdom has been burned to the ground. My home is gone," Katie snapped. "I see it every time I go past the gates, the ruins of houses that I helped build. And here you are, bragging about it being gone-"
"Not bragging," Owain interrupted. "I'm simply informing you of the King's mission. I'm sure he'd typically tell you himself during dinner. But he wanted you to know now, so that you could prepare to-"
"Well, I don't want to hear about it. Why should I care?" she huffed, starting forward again. "Leave me. I want to be alone."
The lion did as he was told, heading back to the castle without another word.
She needed to get away from this. It was still morningtime, but before she knew it, Katie found herself heading to the Rue Bar.
It had not been targeted after the Red Kingdom fell. Katie had been worried it would be destroyed, since it had been a gathering place for both Kingdoms, but the bar had been left untouched. Katie was thankful for that.
There wasn't a single customer inside, and the bartender wasn't even at the counter, but Katie wasn't there for a drink. She just needed to be somewhere that felt safe, and she certainly wasn't going to find that in the Blue Kingdom. Katie picked a seat in the corner, tucked away from any windows, so that she didn't have to see the prospering Blue Kingdom or the ashes of Red.
It was nice here. Relaxing. She hadn't been to the Rue Bar in a while. Katie had fond memories of this place, from before it had all gone wrong. She missed it.
But Katie missed a lot of things. Missed the Red Kingdom, missed her friends, missed the way things were, missed her armor. She'd asked for her gear back several times, thinking this was a reasonable request, but nobody would give it to her. All of the supplies that Katie had found, from the swords to the shields to the chestplates, were engraved with the Blue Kingdom's emblem (which shouldn't be a surprise, since their King was a blacksmith, after all). She refused to wear anything with that symbol unless she absolutely had to.
"Katie?"
Her head shot up, baffled. She's assumed that voice was gone, far away from here. Rumors had spread that there was a confrontation, then a fight, and that now, the rogue was banished with a bounty on his head.
"4c?"
Frantically, Katie looked around until she spotted him. There was a figure up in the rafters, perched in the darkness. He was missing his cloak, and the side of his head was wrapped in bandages, but he still managed a smile and a wave.
It made sense that he'd be here. This was the safest place he could be, with the Red Kingdom destroyed and the Blue Kingdom putting a target on his back. 4c had helped build the Rue Bar, after all, so of course he'd take refuge under its roof.
"Oh, it's so good to see you!" Katie could have cried. "It's been so long... have you been hiding here the whole time?"
4c hopped down to the Rue Bar's loft, feet dangling off the side. "...yeah, for the most part. At first, I was going to go back to the swamp... but I couldn't show my face there without my cloak. So I came back here, looking for you, and well... news travelled fast about the fall of the Red Kingdom."
She took a deep breath before responding. "They attacked in the middle of the night. We... we tried our best."
"I'd heard rumors that you weren't trapped like the rest of them," 4c continued. "Is it because of..."
"Of course it is," Katie muttered, crossing her arms. "He's... Nom is different, 4c. I don't know how to explain it. Sometimes we talk and he's my brother and I forget everything he's done... and other times, it's like he's a stranger. Stiff and quiet and unreactive..."
"He's angry, Katie," sighed 4c, touching the bandages on his face. "I saw it firsthand. He struck me with his morningstar. I never thought Nom would hurt me... look how wrong I was."
"It's not just that, 4c," she insisted. There was nobody else that she could speak to about this, and now that 4c was here, it was all spilling out. "There's something wrong with Nom. He's changed, and sometimes I wonder if it's even him. My brother... he might declare war, but I don't think he'd ever wage it."
4c looked sympathetic. "It's hard to process. I'm still struggling to come to terms with it myself. I never thought he'd change for the worse like this."
"No, it's more than that," Katie huffed, "listen, I know it sounds unbelievable, but-"
"Let's not talk about Nom right now," 4c interrupted. "I missed you, Katie. How have you been?"
And, against her better judgement, Katie let herself get distracted. Because, god, it was nice to talk to 4c, not only because he was her friend and she'd missed him, but also because it was an immense relief to speak with someone who wasn't Blue or behind bars. 4c told her stories, and made her laugh, and assured her that he was there for her (which was something that she desperately needed to hear).
"There are people approaching," 4c warned after some time, glancing out the window. "Just some Blue civilians, but I can't risked being seen. Come back soon, okay?"
"I will," Katie promised, and left the Rue Bar without another word.
This gave her time to eat an early lunch, thankfully. And the sooner she did that, the sooner she could head down to see her friends.
A portion of Katie's time in the Blue Kingdom had been spent building a good relationship with the castle's kitchen staff. So as soon as she finished her own meal, Katie headed to the kitchen, where a paper-wrapped parcel full of leftovers was already sitting on the counter. She took it, thanked them profusely, and headed to the basement's entrance.
There was always a knight waiting for her at the top of the stairs. Some days, she got lucky and it was a face she didn't recognize, someone that she could ignore. But once again, her luck today was particularly poor, because the knight taking her down to the cells was none other than Graecie.
"Hello," Katie said stiffly, clutching the parcel of food to her chest.
Graecie's face was neutral, spear in hand. "Is it time?"
"It is, yes." Katie shuffled her feet, feeling the tenseness between them. She never thought she'd be uncomfortable to stand next to Graecie, of all people. "Is there any point in asking if I can go down by myself?"
"You know I'm not allowed to let you down there alone, Katie," said Graecie. "I won't say a word. I'll just stand guard."
It would have been so nice if Katie could be calm and unbothered like Graecie in that moment. But she couldn't help it. She started down the stairs, then sped up, and then suddenly she was running down to the cells in the basement, unable to contain herself any longer.
"Kitty!"
The rogue had hurried up to the front of their cell at the sound of her footsteps, eyes bright with shades of blue and green. Katie wrapped them in a hug through the bars, blinking back tears. It was so, so good to see her.
The hug lasted almost a minute before Katie finally pulled away, turning to face Bek in the next cell. "Are you all okay?"
"We're as fine as we could be," Bek said gently. The knight was sitting against the bars of her cell, shoulders slumped. "Considering the circumstances."
"I brought extra food," Katie said, unwrapping the parcel from the kitchen to reveal bread, smoked meat, and leftover pastries. "I keep telling Nom that your meals are inadequate, but he doesn't listen to me about anything. Here, take this."
She began to hand the food out, starting with Cam, who had been pacing in the cell next to Bek's. The healer managed a smile. Across the hall, Frogue wasn't quite as chipper, but he still said his thanks.
Apo, who brooded in the cell next to the rogue, gave her a curt nod. She hadn't spoken much since Cherri had been sent back to Soluna. Nom had negotiated with King Ren for two weeks, until he eventually agreed to withdraw his troops if his daughter was returned to him. The Blue Kingdom kept Apo, however, as leverage. Soluna couldn't retaliate on the Red Kingdom's behalf with the moon knight behind bars.
The final cell contained Sausage, who didn't stir. Katie missed talking to him. One of the Blue Kingdom's mages - Scott, she presumed - had placed him in a magically-induced trance after his capture. The necromancer was too much of a liability, she'd been told. Unafraid of dying, and perfectly willing to slaughter the entirety of the Blue Kingdom. No matter how much she'd begged and pleaded, they refused to allow him to wake.
"You seem distracted," Kitty noted, when she'd finally circled back around to the rogue's cell. "And you look worried."
"I'm fine," Katie sighed, taking a seat next to Kitty's cell and leaning against the bars. "It's just been a strange day. Owain made me so frustrated early this morning."
"What did the lion do?" asked Kitty, though his voice grew tense at the mention of this particular knight.
"He bothered me on my morning walk," Katie explained. Kitty took her hand through the bars, and she squeezed it, grateful for their touch. "Apparently, Nom's going to Barrowhill to inform them that the Red Kingdom is gone... and it just made me so mad to hear him talk about it."
"It is because you care," Kitty reassured.
"I'm sure Nom will mention it at dinner," she continued. "And it'll be the same as every time. I'll get mad at him, and he'll just sit there while I yell, and I'll insult him, and he'll just say he's doing what's best for me, the prick. Maybe I should start refusing to sit at the same table as him again. That'd at least throw him off."
"Do you actually want him to be mad at you?" Bek asked.
Katie shrugged her shoulders, feeling Kitty playing with her hair. "I'm mad at him. I've never stopped being angry. He could at least have the decency to react in kind."
Cam nodded. "So I assume he still won't let Sausage out of his trance?"
"No luck there," Katie sighed. "I've tried to ask Scott as well, but he absolutely refuses to talk about it. And I mentioned to El that she should petition for your release, Bek, and she sounded tempted, but she keeps backtracking when I tried to get her to speak to Nom. I think she's worried that word will get back to her parents."
"It is okay, Katie," Kitty said, leaning as close as they could. "We know that you are trying very hard. But do not let yourself be let down by the Blue Kingdom. We all know why we are here."
Six prisoners, trapped indefinitely in these small cells. Constantly within Katie's reach, but always separated by metal bars and solemn guards. They were perfect leverage, because if Katie ever tried to leave or attack or rebel in any way, she knew exactly what would happen to them. There was no other reason to keep the Red Kingdom's best and brightest alive, after all.
"You don't deserve this," Katie muttered, feeling herself tear up. "None of you do. I wish I could do something, anything... I wish I could be in there with you, instead of out here. I hate being here, I hate this Kingdom, I hate what he's done, I hate-"
"Katie."
Kitty reached a hand out and wiped the tears from her cheek, and Katie leaned in to the rogue's touch.
"You are doing the best that you can," Kitty insisted. "It is not your fault. You have been very courageous, Katie, and you must continue to be brave. Until Cherri can send aid, or until the spirits allow a new monarch... and then perhaps things will be different."
"But Soluna isn't able to combat the Blue Kingdom without risking Apo's life," Katie sniffled. "And the spirits have been silent ever since the attack on Red Kingdom. Surely there must be something we can do..."
Kitty smiled at her, but even he was unable to muster a response. Their last hopes had been laid out before them, and even those were incredibly shaky.
"There is one thing."
Apo's voice surprised Katie so much that she jumped. All of their eyes were suddenly on the moon knight, who rarely contributed to the conversation.
"Anything," Katie insisted.
Apo nodded, choosing her words carefully. "You could write to Cherri for me. Not about the war. Just... to reassure her. Let the princess know that I'm thinking of her. And remind her that I was proud to devote my life to protect her. Tell her that I have fulfilled my purpose."
"Apo," whispered Katie, voice low. She glanced at Graecie, who had stayed guard at the base of the stairs throughout her visit. The knight had not acknowledged Apo's statement, but there was no doubt that she was listening. "Are you sure?"
"I think she'd like to hear from me," Apo said lightly. "Will you write to her, and give her my message?"
Kitty squeezed Katie's hand one again, reassuring.
"I will."
When her time was up, Katie wrapped Kitty in another hug before following Graecie back up the stairs. Some days, she left this place crying. Other days, she stormed into the throne room and screamed at Nom, who never gave her a reaction. Often, she left in stunned silence and locked herself in her room until dinnertime.
Today, she needed to find a pen and some paper.
"I'd be careful, if I were you," Graecie muttered as they reached the main floor of the castle. "Don't do anything reckless."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Katie shot back.
Graecie glanced down the hall, seeing no one approaching. "I know this is difficult. But you're capable, Katie. Just be smart."
"Why are you doing this?"
"Hm?"
Katie crossed her arms. "Why go along along with Nom's plan? Most of the Blue Kingdom, I'm not surprised about. But you? I never thought you'd follow along with something like this."
"You're not the only one with people to protect, Katie," Graecie responded, her voice dangerously quiet. "Good luck."
Technically, there was no need to rush, but Katie found herself running to the library, grabbing a piece of paper and scrawling out a message in dark blue ink. She rolled up the letter, brought it out to the dovecote, and tied it to a carrier pigeon's leg before sending it off, watching the bird grow smaller and smaller in the sky until it was out of sight.
There was nothing worse than anticipation, Katie thought. For the rest of the afternoon, she paced around the castle, thinking about that pigeon. All she could do was hope that Blue Kingdom spies didn't intercept her letter, and pray that the pigeon survived the trip. The only thing that distracted her from her worrying was a servant tapping on her shoulder, come to summon her for dinner.
This happened every day. For the first two weeks, Katie had refused to eat with her brother, storming out of the room or refusing to show her face at all. But the summons continued to come, and eventually, she accepted, staying for dinner so that she could chastise her brother, calling him every cruel name she could think of. And when she ran out of things to complain about, he began to make casual conversation. Slowly, it had become more and more normal, which Katie hated, but...
...she missed spending time with him. Even if Nom was different, and even if she felt horribly betrayed by him, he was still her brother. Katie was so incredibly mad at him, could never forgive him, wanted to take what was important to him like he'd done to her. But when he said something clever, or reminisced about their childhood, or made a lighthearted quip, she couldn't help but laugh, or smile, or continue the conversation.
She hadn't stopped insulting him, though. That remained ever-consistent.
"It's good to see you, Katie," Nom said when she entered. He'd already begun to serve himself dinner, not even looking up as she stepped into the room. "What've you been up to?"
"None of your business," she said back, quick as a whip. "Enjoying the power trip of your phony crown, dictator?"
The golden crown on Nom's head was hard to miss, but otherwise her brother looked the same as usual. Even as King, he still wore his knight's armor, his hair constantly windswept, with his glasses framing sharp, watchful eyes.
"That was harsher than usual," Nom noted, though his expression remained calm. "What are you mad at me for today?"
"Destroying my home, imprisoning my friends, ruining my life," Katie listed as she took her seat across the table from him, "and being a general thorn in my side. Also, I hate seeing your stupid face."
"I'd like to think I have an intelligent face, personally."
"Nope. Very dumb," she insisted. "And you're a terrible King."
"I could have told you that," said Nom, shrugging. "Did Owain tell you the news, at least?"
"What, that you're travelling to Barrowhill? If you're wondering if I'll miss you, then the answer is no."
Her brother sighed. "So Owain did not tell you everything."
Katie blinked. "What?"
"I'm not travelling to Barrowhill alone. You'll be coming with me."
"Absolutely not," Katie hissed. Their entire conversation had been light so far, but suddenly, the air in the dining room felt heavy. "I'm not helping you or the Blue Kingdom with your diplomatic bullshit."
"I'm not comfortable leaving you here alone," Nom explained, as if that solved everything. "We leave tomorrow morning. Owain was supposed to give you time to pack, but I assume you can still prepare your things tonight?"
She stood abruptly. "You clearly don't understand, Nom. I'll sit at this table with you every night and pretend that things are fine, but I'm not about to go travelling to Barrowhill to declare the Red Kingdom's defeat."
"Katie-"
"I will not be doing you any favors," Katie insisted. "You are not my King. I don't have to do what you say."
"This isn't a debate, Katie. You're going with me, or else-"
"Or else what?" She stamped her foot on the ground. "You'll lock me up with the rest of the Red Kingdom? Or maybe you'll exile me like 4c? Go on and threaten me, Nom. I know you want to."
Surely this would get him angry. Katie had thrown insult after insult Nom's way during his time as King, but she'd never mentioned 4c in his presence before. She expected him to yell, or swear, or something, anything-
But her brother did not react. "We will be informing Barrowhill that the Red Kingdom is no more. As Red's final monarch, you'll be confirming that. All you'll need to do is say a single sentence, telling them of your official surrender. There will be no other comments or disruptions. You're smart enough to figure out the consequences if you try anything."
He was so infuriatingly calm. Katie wanted to smack him. "Why are you doing this?"
"I'm doing what I must," Nom said flatly. "I have responsibilities as the monarch of this Kingdom. I need to do what's best for my people, and securing diplomatic relations with other nations is essential."
"What is wrong with you?" She found herself saying. "This isn't you. You're so different, so cold and unyielding. You used to be kind. Why don't you care anymore?"
"I already explained-"
"And it's more than just today," Katie continued, "because you've been like this for a while. Ever since you got the crown, you've been so distant... what changed? What happened to you?"
Nom stood, arms crossed. He regarded her, still expressionless and unbothered.
"Look me in the eyes, Nom," she insisted, "and tell me that this is actually what you want. That you're fine with me being your political puppet, that it doesn't bother you to threaten the lives of my friends to get me to obey. Because my brother would never do that to me."
He stepped forward, and she followed suit, and suddenly they were face to face, and-
-and then she was stumbling back, confused.
"What happened to your eyes?"
Nom raised an eyebrow, looking unconcerned. "I'm the same as I've always been."
"No, you're-"
Katie blinked, hard, but when she looked at him again, they was still different. Her brother's eyes, usually dark brown like hers, were... orange. Distinctly and utterly wrong, completely unnatural, the color of...
"What have you done?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Nom stated, and his calm, unbothered tone was suddenly so much more concerning than she'd realized, borderline robotic and forced. "Nothing about me has changed."
"You're not my brother," Katie hissed. "What did you do to him? Who even are you, how dare you-"
Nom clapped his hands twice, and the door to the dining room opened. Owain entered, golden armor gleaming, sword at the ready.
"My sister has threatened to spread lies and damage our diplomatic relationship with Barrowhill. She will be spending the night in the basement with the rest of the Red Kingdom traitors. During our trip, Owain, you will make sure that she does not step out of line. Thus, you will bring that rogue friend of her along as well. If anything goes wrong, execute them on the spot."
It was often hard to tell what Owain was thinking, what with the golden mask and perfect posture, but his voice betrayed his confusion. "...Understood, your majesty."
"Make sure that this change is kept private. Inform Scott if needed, but do not tell Graecie or the others about this. They will be better off not knowing, lest it worry them."
"Yes, your majesty."
"Take her now. I'll see you tomorrow morning, sister. Do not make this difficult."
Katie bolted for the door, but it was locked, as if her outburst had been anticipated. She tried to stay away from Owain, but the lion secured an iron grip on her arm and dragged her along like an unruly cub. Katie tried to break free when he unlocked the door, but the knight was too strong. When they reached the stairs to the basement, she yelled for help, but no one was there to hear. Owain pulled her down the stairs and led her into the empty cell that had once housed Cherri.
The door locked behind her, and the knight left without a word.
"Are you okay?" Kitty's voice broke the silence once the lion had disappeared up the stairs. "What happened? Did they hurt you?"
Katie started to respond, but then she realized she was gasping for breath, panic coursing through her. It'd all happened so fast, and Nom- no, not Nom, that wasn't her brother, that was a doppelganger or a spirit possessing him or something even worse- whatever it was, it had said so many shocking things that she was only just starting to process.
"Katie!" Kitty was trying and failing to squeeze through the bars of her cell. "Please say something, anything!"
"...'m fine," Katie gasped, slumping to the floor as she continued to hyperventilate. "It's- give me a sec..."
"If he hurt you, I swear I will-"
"Kitty, I'm okay," she said weakly. "But that's not Nom. I don't know what happened to him... but that's not my brother."
"What do you mean?" Bek asked, and Katie realized that all of her friends were up against the bars of their cells, straining to see her. Even Frogue and Apo were visible, looking varying degrees of angry and concerned.
"His eyes... they're not the same. They're the color of resin," Katie told them, trying to slow her breathing. "I think... somehow, the Creaking King got him. And now that I know, he doesn't have to pretend that he's my brother anymore, at least not to my face."
"...so you think he's possessed?" Cam questioned.
"Yes. It may look like Nom, but that's not my brother in there," Katie insisted. "He said something about... about not telling Graecie. I think he's been keeping up pretenses so that the Blue Kingdom doesn't suspect that their King has been hijacked. And Graecie knows that Nom wouldn't hurt me. She'd realize something was wrong if she learned I was behind bars."
Kitty had finally given up on his attempts to escape their cage. "So he is- he is actually leaving you here with us, now?"
Katie nodded. "But I sent the letter. Cherri will get your message, Apo."
"So Soluna will be coming to our aid," Apo confirmed, smiling. The moon knight did not look afraid. She'd already accepted her fate. "Thank you, Katie."
"So what do we do now?" Bek asked. "Just wait for Cherri?"
"That's all we can do." Katie took a deep breath, looking right at Kitty. Things were bad, and they would continue to get worse. But at least she still had Kitty, and her friends were still alive, and they still had some semblance of hope. "She'll come for us. The Red Kingdom's not dead yet."
------
Dear Cherri,
Your brave guard, Apo, wishes for me to inform you that she is thinking of you. She wanted me to tell you that she was glad to devote herself to you, and that she has fulfilled her purpose. Apo knows what this might mean and is willing to take the risk. She cares so deeply for you.
I, too, am thinking of you. Every day I regret the decisions I made. I should have defended my Kingdom properly. I wish I could have been a better Queen. But the past is unchangeable, so all we can do is try to make things better in the future. This is why I write to you.
We need your help. The Red Kingdom needs you. Please.
Signed,
Katie the Brave