"Time goes on even when we do not"
ERROT
"Rise and shine, sleepyheads" Tristian's voice startled me awake.
I flinched at his presence. For a second there I thought I was looking at myself, our resemblance exceptionally eerie.
Tristian titled his head to the side, his smirk frozen on his face while watching my every move.
Or rather, how Canton nuzzled his face against my neck sleepily, an unconscious action that must have driven Tristian insane.
I rubbed my thumb against my eye, my morning already destroyed by this rude awakening.
"We don't have all day, Cant."
Canton mumbled something under his breath.
"Why don't you have all day?"
Tristian rolled his eyes at me and replied without sparing me a simple glance. "because I'm positive Canton has a meeting with the Teals tonight, White. That means that the whole night is cancelled."
A frown replaced my sleepiness. "And how do you know about the meeting?"
He finally looked at me. "Word has spread." Tristian's smirk was long gone. The expression on his face caused shivers all over my body, making it hard to ignore this uneasiness I suddenly felt.
This odd pang in my heart.
I do not like this feeling. Something's wrong.
Canton exhaled through his nose and slowly opened his eyes.
He looked at me first, a tiny smile threatening to appear on his face.
But it fell completely when his eyes met Tristian.
He let an exhausted groan out and cursed a bit under his breath.
"Great. You're up. I'm heading to the lab. Don't be late." Tristian begun walking towards the door.
"We won't." I said and watched how he froze on his spot.
He turned around to face me. "We?"
"I have to say. I'm kind of curious as to how you guys are working on this cure, so from now on, I will be joining the team. Isn't that exciting?"
Tristian looked slightly taken aback at first but it didn't take long for his evil grin to get plastered all over his face again. "I'll see you both in a bit, then". He said and left the room in a hurry.
I glanced at Canton. "Something's wrong with Tristian"
Canton hummed sleepily. "I could name a lots of things that could possibly be wrong with Tristian" he mumbled, his voice hoarse.
"No.." I begun fidgeting a bit. "He looked in a hurry and he acted weird. And he didn't seem to mind that I would join you"
"Maybe he doesn't mind." Canton shrugged.
"I have a bad feeling. A really bad feeling"
"I have this same bad feeling ever since he arrived. He is a bad feeling himself. He screams bad feeling. There's nothing we can do about it. Stop overthinking and let's get this done and over with." Canton's calm demeanor made me feel calmer as well.
But not calm enough.
This sinking feeling won't go away.
♛♛♛
We walked inside Tristian's lab, hand in hand.
I looked and felt powerful having the king of Ink Blood hold my hand in his.
How did we get to this, I still don't know.
But Tristian didn't seem to notice it.
He looks distracted, like his mind is elsewhere.
He is already wearing his laboratory coat and his gaze is fixed on his notes. "Canton, I was thinking..-"
"Oh no." Canton deadpanned.
Tristian glanced at him and raised a questioning eyebrow. "What's wrong?"
"You were thinking." He stated.
Tristian scoffed but decided not to comment on it.
Weird.
I frowned at him.
"I was thinking that maybe we should attempt binding one of the tubes with a simple, harmless spell so we can ensure that dark magic can have effects on a chemical substance"
Canton removed his hand from mine and walked closer to Tristian and the testing tubes. "Why wouldn't it work? It's magic. It always works"
"You can't know for sure" Tristian mumbled, still scanning his notes. He kept turning the pages, searching and examining closely.
He looks on edge.
"Trust me, I do. This is stupid, we don't have to do that." Canton tried to reason with him.
Tristian closed his notebook shut in a sharp movement and snapped his head at Canton "Well, we will." He raised his voice a bit.
Canton raised his eyebrows at that. "Careful who you raise your voice to. I do not like this attitude".
Tristian looked down and ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry." He took a breath. "I guess I'm slightly stressed" he mumbled but I couldn't not notice this dark tone on his voice.
Canton rolled his eyes. "You will not die. If that's what you're stressed for. I wouldn't let my spy go like that" Canton was back at his old, cold self.
A version of him that I do not miss in the slightest.
Tristian chuckled humorlessly while shaking his head a bit. He looked at Canton and gave him a smirk. "Yeah. I know."
Canton held his gaze for a couple of seconds before he looked back at the task at hand. "So. The spell?"
♛♛♛
"Are you okay..?" I whispered to Canton who was sitting on his throne, his shaking leg and stiff posture betraying the unreadable expression on his face.
Canton looked at me and whispered back. "Where's Elvina?"
It was in that moment that I realised that I was actually standing at Elvina's position, at the right side of the king's throne.
I look around the room in search of Elvina but I don't see her anywhere.
Adan is at the back chatting lowly with Tristian, whose eyes are fixed on me.
The second I caught him staring, he gave me a smirk.
I immediately averted my gaze and saw Oda, standing alone a few feet away from them.
She waved at me and I gifted her a small smile.
I can see Santos' shadow right behind Canton, making sure that his king is safe at all times.
But Elvina is nowhere to be found.
"Errot. Where's-" Canton was ready to repeat the same question when one if his guards walked inside the throne room to announce Quinn's and Cress' arrival.
But Quinn and Cress weren't alone.
A familiar boy, whose name I can't quite recall right now, was walking behind them, his head lowered down and his eyes covered by his blonde curls.
Nora, the girl from that boat, was also hot on their trail.
The extremely sweet girl that tried to make us feel welcome and comfortable. All warm smiles and kindness.
Wrong.
That warm smile was replaced by a sly grin that made the hair on my arms stand out.
I noticed how she gave a brief look at Tristian when she walked inside and I decided to keep that information at the back of my head.
The Teals approached Canton who had just gotten up from his throne.
He looked at them dead in the eye.
Quinn and Cress didn't seem amused.
They looked angry.
Filled with grief.
"Alastair" Quinn said, his head held high.
Canton snickered. "Are we doing the last name calling thing, right now?"
"Why, does it bother you?"
"Yes." Canton said dryly.
"Too bad." Cress replied just as dryly.
I can see Canton struggling to remain calm, his fists clenched behind his back. "You asked for an audience. I'm listening" Cold.
"Oh believe me, you'll listen carefully enough. But we request Elvina's presence as well. Maybe if you could ask your friend over there to go find her and bring her here, that would be lovely" Quinn pointed at me.
Canton leaned a tad forwards ready to lose control of himself and attempt an attack against Quinn but I grabbed at his arm and held it firmly to stop him.
Canton snapped his head at me but the moment our eyes met, his whole body seemed to relax.
He took a brief breath. "Errot, go and inform Elvina of their presence"
I nodded at him. "Of course" I walked towards the door and out of the room, feeling everyone's eyes on my back.
I begun heading upstairs, her bedroom being the first target of my research.
I almost made it to the door when suddenly someone cupped my mouth with their hand with force and placed a knife against my throat to hold me still.
"I wouldn't scream if I was in your place" A voice I do not recognise whispered against my ear.
My body froze and pure terror crossed my face, making my racing heartbeat pulsate under my fingertips.
I begun calculating my options when I realised that I actually had none.
This floor is deserted and everyone else is gathered on the Throne Room.
Panic quickened my pulse and released a shiver down my spine.
I tried to reach for the emergency button right next to Elvina's door but I was immediately dragged away from there and thrown harshly into another empty room which resulted into me stumbling and falling face down to the ground with a small bang.
Cold sweat was now covering my palms and a part of my forehead.
I forced myself to turn around and face the person responsible for this, worry inevitably evident on my face.
A tall male figure carefully closed the door behind him, trapping both of us inside.
He greeted me with a serious nod of his head, his posture straight and still. "Very well. We meet at last, Errot White".
ELVINA
The sound of a door creaking open managed to startle me awake.
"Elvina"
I whined a bit at the louder sound and rubbed at my eyes hard so I could find the strength to open them.
The familiar voice spoke up again. "Come on, the Teals are here. We are all waiting for you"
Errot.
I frowned sleepily at the seriousness of his voice, my gaze meeting his.
"I must have overslept.." I mumbled.
When did I even fall asleep?
My body feels incredibly stiff.
Errot looked away from me, his expression stern and oddly..dark.
My frown grew wider. "What's up with you?"
A small yawn escaped my lips, unwillingly.
"We are just late, Elvina. Get up." Errot snapped harshly at me.
I raised an eyebrow at him but dragged myself up from the bed, the sudden exhaustion making me dizzy.
I gripped at his shoulder so I could regain my balance and the moment I felt steady on my feet again, Errot begun walking away.
I furrowed my eyebrows at his back and wondered if I did anything to deserve the cold shoulder from him but nothing really comes to mind.
He must have gotten into a fight with Canton. I assumed.
Knowing my stubborn brother, an argument a day isn't really shocking, especially when Tristian is around.
Tristian.
Santos.
The Teals.
I exhaled, my heart heavy with a burden I didn't know I was carrying until now.
I'm desperately digging inside my head to remember why sleep took me away in the first place and when, in that matter.
I can't remember.
My mind is so hazy, I can feel a distant pounding on my head.
We reached the room in silence, everyone's eyes on us as soon as we walked inside and took our positions.
Me on the right side of Canton and Errot on the left.
Canton threw me a confused glance and I threw it back at him.
"Hello, Elvina." Quinn acknowledged me, his expression serious and collected.
Cress nodded at me, uninterested.
"Quinn, Cress." I cleared my throat. "My apologies"
Canton seemed to grasp the unsteady tone of my voice and the slow pace of my words and he turned to look at me once again.
This time his gaze lingered on me, examining me, so I placed a firm hand on his shoulder indicating that I was alright.
Am I really alright? I'm not entirely sure.
I feel like everything around me is a huge blur, my every word and every step exhausting me to the core.
Almost as if I'm drugged.
He redirected his attention to our guests with difficulty. He seemed troubled.
"May we begin, now?"
I'm positive Quinn begun his speech but I can't concentrate on his words.
His voice is basically a noise in my head, like a sudden wave of wind burst through my eardrums and left me deaf.
My grip on Canton's shoulder loosened.
The clarity of my vision got replaced by numerous white dots, which soon turned into the shade of black.
Black everything.
CANTON
I watched as my sister dropped unconscious on the floor next to me and I felt like the world around me stopped moving.
Like it only took a second for it to crumble down and cease.
But the dread I felt inside my bones brought me back to my senses.
I jerked up from my throne in an instant and was about to jolt her awake when an arm was placed around my neck, having me now in a chokehold.
I realised soon enough that this arm was clutching on a very familiar knife that was almost scraping the surface of my throat.
"If anyone moves, I'm slicing his throat open" Errot yelled out, his voice trembling just a bit.
Errot.
My heart sunk.
My back is pressed tightly against his chest and I can literally hear how his heart is racing, the noise too loud.
Too deafening.
At least his is beating.
I have to do something, anything, but I can't bring myself to move.
I feel paralyzed.
Elvina is still unconscious on the floor and Santos is standing next to her debating on whether to risk my life to try and save me or stay unmoving.
My eyes fell to Quinn and Cress who were sporting a satisfied smirk on their faces.
Planned.
This whole thing was planned.
Errot left a scratch right under my chin and it was in that moment, when my blood started rolling down my neck, that the memory of this specific knife registered on my brain. It's the one I gifted him.
"Order everyone to leave this room" he mumbled sternly against my ear.
The knife immediately worked its magic, my lips moving on their own accord. "Get out of here. All of you." I ordered before I could stop it.
"King Ca-" Santos started but Errot interrupted him.
"You heard your king, Santos. Out. "
His mouth dripped venom, reminding me of Tristian.
Tristian who was staring wide eyed at me, looking excessively worried.
And I hoped and prayed that they had somehow switched places, that Tristian was the one holding me at knife point, not Errot.
I feel nauseous.
I feel nauseous and Elvina isn't waking up and the hall is spinning around me.
I managed to catch Santos giving me a knowing look before I closed my eyes shut to prevent myself from collapsing.
When I opened them again, the room was steady and everyone that was supposed to save my life was gone.
Errot offered me another scratch.
His hold around me tightened. "Kneel before me, hands in the air. If you move from this position, you're dead" he removed his arm from me, setting me free.
I did as told and trembled my way down to my knees, my arms raised and my body frozen.
Numb.
I'm numb.
I glanced at my sister who was still laying on the ground, unmoving.
It suddenly felt incredibly hard to breathe. "Is- Is she dead" I whispered terrified of what his answer would be.
"Hopefully. That was my intention, anyway. " Cold.
I tried my best to hold on to my tears but they were burning my eyes so much, screaming the words I couldn't utter outloud. I had to blink them away. So, as soon as the first tear was set free, the rest followed in an unbroken stream.
I'm losing control of my self, I know I am.
My whole body is shivering and my lungs are shutting down.
My breathing is now uneven.
I dared to look at him in the eye, his own piercing gaze already on me.
But my tears kept blurring my vision, so the only thing I managed to make out was a gun that was aimed at me and Errot's unreadable face.
Or at least I assumed it was unreadable. Maybe it's unreadable but only to me. Maybe I'm about to let a panic attack take me over completely.
Errot crouched down in front of me and placed his gun against my temple, the cold metal sending more shivers down my spine. I closed my eyes shut, my mind desperately wanting to erase everything and start all over again.
"I never really loved you, Canton." He paused for quite a while "all I ever wanted to do was to kill you. "
As if to torture me further, he continued talking, each word leaving a deeper wound on me. "I'm not the person you were looking for. You were wrong, the curse wasn't about me"
He loaded his gun, shattering me completely along the way.
"It's time- " Errot took a brief, quivering breath. "-for you to go"
"Oh and Canton." It was Cress who spoke up this time, her tone harsh. "Be careful of who you fall in love with." She scoffed. "And of who you hire as a servant. It wasn't difficult for our undercover spies to convince Errot to go against you. Undercover spies that live inside this castle of yours, months now."
My throat is slowly closing up on me, my never ending tears drenching my shirt.
And in this particular moment, I was back at my one hundred years.
Desperate.
Alone.
Excessively broken.
Full of scars that can't be healed.
And betrayed.
I can feel the oxygen gradually running low, my whole life coming down at me in shambles.
Every moment, good or bad, every torture. Every memory, every experience. Every tear and every smile.
Every single person that played their part in shaping me into who I am.
My mum and dad.
Elvina.
Res and Elle.
Tristian.
Errot.
...Errot.
The pain is excruciating.
With Elvina unconscious next to me and Errot holding a gun against me, I'm already dying.
"Kill me" I managed to whisper only for Errot to hear. "Please"
My hands dropped to my sides, giving up on me as well.
He was silent. He wasn't uttering a word.
I forced myself to open my eyes, the action terrifyingly strenuous.
I gathered all the strength I had left to raise my gaze up and face Errot when an exceedingly loud noise pierced through my ears making me jump a bit in shock.
I didn't have time to process this when dust covered the whole place from head to toe, immediately making me erupt into a coughing fit, my eyes forced closed.
I manically begun searching for Elvina's body next to me when suddenly my hand made contact with her arm.
My fingers trailed down to her wrist right away, desperately trying to feel her pulse which, to my relief, was actually there.
She's alive.
That gained me more strength than I was expecting to.
Amidst the chaos, I managed to grab Elvina into my arms and carry her towards the exit but I couldn't open my eyes and the need to cough every other second was slowing me down.
I led us a bit further away from my throne until a full face respirator mask was placed on mine and Elvina's face.
I got to open my eyes at that and look around me but one of my guards rushed me inside another -clean off dust- room, Elvina still on my arms.
I pulled our masks off and laid my sister down gently, her head resting on my leg.
She still had her eyes closed.
"Your highness are you oka-" the guard tried to ask, a bit out of breath.
"Elian. Bring Elian here now." I ordered and he instantly begun talking to his earpiece, passing my order around.
I looked at my sister again and removed a bit of hair that was falling to her face, my fingers still on her wrist, making sure she won't stop breathing.
"Please El" I whispered. "Wake up, don't leave me" the tears had dried to my face and I didn't have the strength to shed any more.
The same guard spoke up again. "King Canton, king Elian is on his way and Santos is taking care of Errot White. Unfortunately, king Quinten and princess Cressida had already escaped when Santos planted the dust bomb"
My eyes remained on my sister's pale face, emptiness gradually replacing my emotions. "I want him captured alive and I will deal with his punishment later" the coldness I had become so accustomed to owning, was crystal clear on the tone of my words.
"Of course, your highness"
The guard moved away from me to bark my commands to someone else.
And I was left all alone, empty and with a broken heart once again, holding my only piece of hope on my arms and praying to everything I own that Elian won't arrive too late.
No one's POV
A few minutes later, Tristian burst inside the room along with Elian, both rushing towards Canton who was still latching on to Elvina for dear life, never letting her go.
Elian approached them first, wide-eyed and utterly shocked. "Canton-"
"Save her." Was all Canton said.
Elian got to his knees and pulled Elvina towards him and off Canton's lap.
He placed his palm against her heart and closed his eyes in order to concentrate completely on saving her.
Tristian ducked down beside Canton and looked at him even though Canton's blank face was glued on his sister.
"Cant.." Tristian gently rested his palm on his shoulder. "She'll be okay."
Canton didn't react in any way. It felt like Tristian was talking to a statue instead.
"Elvina will be just fine and Santos already arrested that bitch" Tristian tried again.
Canton remained frozen and unblinking.
A while later and Elian removed his hand from Elvina, panting. Sweat was dripping down his forehead continuosly.
Elian whipped the sweat off his temple with the back of his sleeve and looked at Canton. "She was heavily drugged. But she won't die. She will wake up in a few hours. She will be slightly exhausted but fast recovery is expected."
Tristian gave Canton a small smile while Canton closed his eyes shut for a few seconds, still expressionless.
"Canton, a word, please" Elian said and gave Tristian a reserved glare.
Tristian's face fell into a grim expression and he moved a bit further away to give them space.
Elian turned his words into whispers. "She wasn't drugged today. I can't pinpoint the exact time she got under the influence but I have a reason to believe it's been over twenty four hours. They told me she fell unconscious right in front of everyone, is that correct?"
Canton nodded once, the action almost mechanical.
"That means that it didn't manage to kill her but it exhausted her to the point of a short-lived coma. She shouldn't have walked or moved at all when she woke up the first time. That was a mistake."
Canton was simply staring at his sister the whole time, not a word coming out of his mouth.
Elian then paused a bit in hesitation. "Canton. Tristian told me that Errot was behind all this. Errot."
Absolute silence.
"I can't seem to believe this. Especially coming out of his mouth." Elian pushed.
"It's true." Canton uttered coolly. He then got up and lifted Elvina up and back to his arms in a very careful way. He started walking away and towards his own room upstairs, when he came into a stop a few feet away from the door. "Thank you, Elian" he mumbled lowly without turning around to face him, his voice strained and dark.
Soon enough, he was out of sight.
ODA
I don't even know how many hours I've been curled up into this exact corner of the hall outside of the Throne Room.
I'm just frozen there, refusing to move and refusing to believe anyone that's not Errot.
I can't bring myself to cry.
All I know is that I have to see Errot. To talk to him.
He's not a murderer.
He would never intentionally kill someone.
My fists are clenched.
I won't relax until I talk to him.
But now he's locked away into some dark cell, all alone and god knows what Canton has in mind for him.
I'm dreading the thought of something bad happening to him.
Why.
Why would he do this.
"Come on, Oda. Go back to your room" Santos' calm voice managed to snap me back to reality.
I glanced at him. "I don't want to"
"Until we capture the rest of the Teal spies, it's not safe for you to be alone"
"I don't care. I wanna see Errot."
To my great surprise, instead of lashing out on me, he sighed and took a seat next to me against the wall.
"Errot made his bed and now he has to lie in it."
"No. Errot would have nev-"
"He still did. " Santos snapped coldly. "He almost killed Elvina and king Canton"
"No." I shook my head. "Let me talk to him, Santos. He's innocent."
"He admitted to it, Oda"
"Errot is not an Ink. He can lie"
"I know he's your friend. But you need to accept the fact that he's not who you thought he was. He fooled everyone. He fooled you."
I gulped and stared at nothing, refusing to look at Santos in the eye.
"If it's any consolation to you, king Canton won't order his death. I can guarantee that"
A simple tear broke free before I had the chance to stop it.
Santos rolled his eyes, a wave of uneasiness passing through him.
"King Alastair used to give death sentences to Inks who commited treason. But king Alastair is dead. And king Canton is not his father. It annoys me to say that he would never kill Errot. But Errot's death will not be on the king's hands and I could even bet my life on it."
I cleaned my face off the tears that escaped and glanced at Santos, a hesitant smile forming on my face.
He raised an eyebrow at me, looking slightly annoyed. "What?"
"That's the most I've heard you talk"
Santos huffed. "You should go to bed" he took his back off the wall and got up.
"Santos?"
"Mhm?"
"You must really hate Errot now"
"I do" he simply said.
"But you still tried to comfort me about a person you'd rather see dead"
"You're not responsible for someone else's actions"
I stayed silent at that.
"Go to your room. I won't say it again" he mumbled and decided to walk away.
No one's POV
The sunrise found the king's close circle and an enhanced group of guards at the Throne Room once again.
Elvina was wide awake now but the look on her face resembled Canton's icy-cold one, her upbeat attitude nowhere to be found.
Adan and Tristian were standing next to each other on the sides, both of their expressions indecipherable.
Oda was positioned a few steps away from the boys, anew, the anxiety radiating from her.
Two of Canton's personal guards suddenly dragged a handcuffed Errot inside the throne room and dropped him afore king Canton.
Errot's head was hanging low, his clothes and hair disheveled, while dark bags were covering the skin under his eyes.
He didn't spare Canton a simple glance.
On the other hand, Canton wouldn't let his gaze wander anywhere else. It felt like Errot was the only person in the room.
Adan turned over to Tristian and leaned in close to his ear. "If looks could kill.." he whispered.
Tristian simply smirked.
Silence filled the room for a good amount of seconds until Canton spoke up.
"I've lived a handful of years and I can safely assure you that treason was never an act that could be forgiven." the tone of his voice could freeze a whole kingdom dead.
Errot remained still and expressionless.
Elvina crossed her arms against her chest, her glare directed at Errot.
Oda was cupping her mouth with her hands, her eyes already watery.
"However." He continued just as coldly. "I've decided that you will not be executed"
Canton used a second of silence.
"You made an attempt on my knights' life by drugging her and aimed a gun at me with the intention of killing me. For those exact reasons, you are getting exiled. You may not return to Ink Blood ever again unless you are pardoned by the crown. If by any chance you decide to go against my decision and trespass into my dimension, I will gladly forfeit your life" Canton sounding brutally unfriendly was an understatement.
Errot wasn't putting any effort to defend himself or raise his eyes upwards.
He stayed on his knees and waited for Canton's next order to come.
Oda was silently crying, not being able to contain her tears anymore.
Canton rose from his throne. "One last thing. I desire to have a private conversation with him before he gets taken away"
Elvina snapped her head at her brother. "What are you doing?" She asked through gritted teeth.
Canton disregarded her.
When nobody budged, Canton tried again. "Move." This time he sounded more authoritative and almost on the edge of losing his temper.
The room was empty in an instant, Elvina and Oda being the only ones that hesitated.
Errot glanced at Oda and regretted right after. He tried to give her a somewhat comforting look but that only resulted in Oda shedding more tears.
Elvina walked to Oda and guided her out of the room before gifting Errot a murderous glare.
Canton approached Errot and looked at him dead in the eye, an action that Errot didn't return. "I'm giving you one last chance, Errot. Did you mean what you said? Did you really want to kill us?"
Errot gulped. "Yes."
"Were you perhaps forced to do this? Did someone threaten you? Errot, I need to know" Canton begun sounding slightly distressed. "Please" he whispered.
Errot's breathing became slightly audible. "Nobody forced me to do anything, it was my decision and I'm taking responsibility for it" he voiced lowly and looked at Canton for the first time that day.
Errot watched as Canton's eyes gradually turned from desperate to lifeless, his own burning with tears that wouldn't fall with Canton present.
He was mentally begging Canton to see the truth behind his lies.
To see the truth behind his silence.
He waited.
They both waited.
But it was useless now.
Canton finally nodded at him, the hatred he felt towards him clear while considering him for the last time.
He then turned to his guards. "Get him the hell away from me"
His words were empty.
Harsh.
And they left no room for arguing.
And with that, Errot was gone, taking with him an entire chapter of memories, sadness and happiness, pain and laughter, everything he needed to remember and all he longed to forget.
♛