Rose kept her gaze fixed on the rich purple stone she was now kneeling on, teeth clenched tightly on the gag in her mouth, put there to keep her from using any more spells. This was inevitable, she knew it from the moment she had that vision. If only it had come sooner, she or Dirk could have talked the Queen into escaping with them. Now instead the Condesce had power. She had let her home planet get destroyed, how would the same not happen to Derse now?

Cold had long since seeped through the ground and into her bones, the tight ropes holding her had left her hands and fingers numb ages ago. They planned to take no chances with even gesture spells. After she'd been captured and bound she'd been left to wait in a side hall to the throne room on the ground, the two needed to capture her stationed at either side, one a paid off guard and another a highblood that hadn't gotten a better position in the coup. They'd been rougher than unnecessary, but then so had she. The third one was still laying just outside her bed chamber, unconscious after a spell to induce sleep.

Now all of them were waiting for the Condesce to finish more important matters, like finding the Prince and capturing the Queen. The door opened and the smell of blood flooded the small side room. With a grunt from the highblood scum Rose was pulled up to her feet and pushed stumbling out of the room. Only she and the highblood went in, the carapace not even daring to enter. She sagged as she walked, sitting for so long had left her legs weak. When she was pulled to a stop the Seer didn't need to look up to know who was now sitting in the Queen's chair, but she did anyway so she wouldn't have to look at the ground. The carpet below her feet made a soft squelching sound with every slight movement she made.

"Kneel in the presence of your betters." The highblood growled while giving a sharp kick to the backs of her knees and letting go of the bruising grip on her arm and she fell with a Squelsh onto her side. Robes already absorbing the different colours of blood on the ground. Rose tried holding her breath, not wanting to even think of who's blood might be among those she was laying in. It was difficult to sit up properly with her hands tied behind her back but after some struggle Rose managed it.

Shaking her rough cut hair Rose looked up at the Condesce again, half her blond hair soaked in blood and clinging to her face, a picture of defeat. Even her eyes were blank, no rage or even spark left in them. The hall was completely empty save for the Condesce, two highbloods standing on each side of her, no. The throne, and the two new arrivals. I could take them. If I wasn't bound like this, I could take them all right now.

You could you know. We could help you. You only have to ask. You'd have great power. You could. Rose bit harder on the gag to silence the whispers in her mind, a difficult task when she was this exhausted. She couldn't fight and she knew it. Her entire survival rested on the fact she had only tried to escape and hadn't actively fought anyone.

Her Imperious Condescension found a way to do everything with utmost regality and elegance. This included sitting on a throne wearing robes soaked in blood. She coldly regarded the girl escorted into the room. She looked like a mess, clothes ripped and bloody as well and her hair ragged and mussed. Bound and gagged, she looked a bit like livestock. She watched as she was pushed a the ground, told to kneel. She watched as the seer managed managed to sit up and look at her.

She wondered what she was thinking. Her face was expressionless, her eyes dull. She supposed she was spitting curses to her name, thinking about the safety of those she cared for.

Such meaningless, stupid thoughts.

She knew of this human's power. She supposed if her hands weren't bound and she was able to speak, there was a high chance she could have escaped. However, that same formidable power was what led her to believe she could prove useful in her efforts. That is, if she behaved properly. Seers were hard to find, but not impossible. She could replace the human.

"Rise," she commanded, uncrossing her legs and hopping off the throne
(wow, what was with this black queen that thing is high and it's a pain to get on and off).

She walked towards the human, standing tall. "Rise," she repeated.

Rose watched without moving as the Condesce lowered herself from the throne and came toward her, giving the order to rise. For the few seconds she had she contemplated not bothering. She was tired and knew now how weak her legs were. On the other hand, she didn't want to appear actively disobeying her. She had to appear to be on her side, docile.

So when She was just steps away from standing directly in front of her Rose sat up straighter, trying to rise. On her knees without any way to balance herself it was difficult but she manged to get one foot up and tried to stand, but when she moved the other to go with it she lost her balance, bare foot slipping on the soaked carpet.

With nothing to balance her or to stop the fall Rose hit the ground with her shoulder first, a hiss of pain muffled by the gag. She could have sworn she heard giggles as she tried to at least sit up again, but she was more focused on silencing the agitated horrorterrors offering her various pieces of advice. With this much sacrificed blood, they insisted they'd be happy to do anything she asked, a trick she knew but it was becoming more and more tempting.

The human was clearly extremely exhausted. The Condesce shot a stern glare at the chortling highbloods, and the silenced immediately. She reached a hand towards the human and didn't bother to wait for her to take it. Instead, she grabbed her by her wrist and pulled her up, supporting her. "I require a haindmaiden," she announced, not loosening her grasp on the Seer. "This human is weak, and will do us no good in this state. She requires rest and food." She released the human, letting her crumple to the floor before sitting back on the throne and glaring at a nearby attendant, who paled and rushed out to fetch someone.

She returned to giving her the once-over. Despite her current condition, she seemed strong. That was good. She liked strong people. She also noticed her once-long hair had been chopped off hastily, adding to her overall ragged appearance.

The attendant returned, a young troll girl in tow. The Condesce gestured for the attendant to wait at the side, and the handmaiden walked slowly towards the Seer, ungagging her.

"You're good at pulling stunts," the Condesce said softly, resting her chin on her interlocked fingers.

Rose managed to stand swaying a couple seconds and would have held longer, but decided it was better for appearances to fall. More controlled over herself this time the blonde dropped onto her knees with another sickening squalsh and adding another bruise to her now generous collection. She sat there with her eye shut and head bowed, thankful for the messy fringe that hid her eyes. In the short lull she drifted out of consciousness, awakened by a tug at the back of her head.

It took a second for her to realize what was being done, a second longer for horrorterrors to realize it, and a final second for the knot to finally be undone. Instantly there were shouts in her head, suggestions of spells to use that would leave everyone in the room writhing in agony. And then cutting through them clearly despite the lack of volume, was the Condesce's words.

She closed her mouth and swallowed a couple times, trying to dilute the taste of long unwashed rags from her mouth. The Seer looked up and licked her dry lips, locking eyes with the Condesce through her messy hair. She was back on the throne. The throne of Derse. The idea of it made her as sick as sitting in the blood of countless people, but she wasn't about to let it show.

"I... I do not understand. What do you.. you mean?" She asked, voice shaking. Let her think her foolish, in the dark of everything she had planned. "Where is the.. the Queen? What have you done?"

The Condesce's face remained unchanging. To tell the truth, she didn't trust the human, or really any member who was in or near derse nobility.

"Isn't it obvious?" she said, cooly. "There's been a coup. Don't pretend that you don't understand or know what it means. You're not as stupid as most humans..."

She swatted her hand to motion the handmaiden to move and leaned forward. "No matter, what do you know of what's happened?" She narrowed her eyes and said the words the human had already known. "The queen has fallen. This planet is mine." Saying the words out loud sent a chill of satisfaction up her spine. Trolls would be considered higher beings once again.

"Now, pray tell, how long have you known of this. Did you have any visions, any forewarning at all?"

"No, I know the meaning of the term." She said, voice still questioning and unsure of what the Condesce meant. She looked over at the handmaiden as she moved away from her, aware of it because of the thooooph as something was lifted or shifted. She girl was shaking even more than Rose was, twisting the scrap of fabric that was her gag over and over behind her back.

She turned her attention back to the woman on the throne and her face fell when the words reached her ears. It was one thing to see a possibility, it was another to have it actually happen. Even though she had convinced Dirk to leave, she had still hoped that somehow the guards would be able to hold off the coup. Turns out more than 3/4 of them had been paid off or promise of some better position. Which they were too foolish to know would all go to highbloods instead.

"I.. I only Saw after it began." Rose mumbled before shaking her head in an attempt to get the part of her fringe wet with blood to stop running into her eyes. "Barely at that. Before... before I could do anything, there was a scream and the door to my chambers was forc-" The highblood that had been standing just a few feet behind her walked forward and stopped just on top of her bare toes, cutting her off with a yelp before he started talking. Rose could just hear the smirk in his tone as he spoke.

That carapace you put us with had the key to her room, as I'm sure your Imperiousness knew. Some lowblooded wench was in the way, we cut her down. There was a desk pushed against the door, of course it was little of an obstacle. This little trollop had tied bedsheets together and was trying to lower herself out of a window. Pulled her back in by that ridiculous braid." He said, grabbing a fist full of her hair and pulling her off her knees but not enough to stand before he let go again.

A muttered insult escaped her lips but the highblood was too busy continuing his boasting to hear it. "While we were taking her out of the room the tramp put Caldin to sleep and ran off. We found her in a store room a little later, hacking off the ratty thing. Couldn't even manage to cut the whole thing off in time." Again with the hair pulling, this time the bit in the back she hadn't managed to reach properly. He found the low whine she made amusing and pulled a people times more as he continued. "Seems no one bothered teaching this peasant to fight, barely even nicked either of us. Of course I taught her a little lesson for even trying, didn't I you miserable quim?" The highblood said to her at the end.

The Condesce listened to Rose's story silently, completely unmoving, but started to sneer when the highblood cut in. However, she let him tell the whole story, nodding and shooting a rare fleeting glance at the Seer's direction. She wanted to know the truth, most preferably pried from her own reluctant lips.

She, of course, believed his version of the tale. It certainly made more sense. She didn't trust the human's bewildered and innocent act. His story would explain her lopped-off hair.

She cut in at the end, raising her hand and pinning the highblood with a skull-piercing glare. "That's enough," she said authoritatively, her voice resounding in the stone walls with a deep timbre. "No one else is to lay a hand on her. How is she to speak when others speak for her?" She gazed back down at the Seer, showing quite clearly that her words weren't coming from her sympathy and concern for her predicament.

"Now, Seer. Will you speak the truth now, or will your mouth spew more pathetic lies? "

The highblood dropped Rose's hair right away and it fell down onto her back, the blood that clung to it causing another wet patch on her robe. The pain from her toes was lifted as the troll moved quickly back, all wounded pride. She sat up straight as she could regardless of how much the bruised muscles of her back and abdomen protested the motion. Inwardly she was glad that the look that the Condesce gave her was one that swore no sympathy. She'd rather anything than have that witch's pity.

"It was the truth." She said speaking clearly now though she still visibly shook. As she spoke, her voice began to sound more like the authoritative and calm tone that her position as Seer demanded. "I did only See it after it began, trolls attacking carapaces. I didn't have a chance to do anything before that poor girl screamed. There was, however, a good minute to do something before they reached my door. I'd have gotten to the rest, if I hadn't been interrupted." At that she resisted the urge to look back at the highblood and give a glare of her own.

"Call me a witch, a bitch, a trollop and a tramp, Peixes, but do not ever call me a liar."

There was something very proud and fierce about this human. Deep within her, the Empress felt the smallest bit of respect-no, more like approval- stir within her. She despised mewling weaklings, and the Seer was thankfully acting quite differently than the pitiful, wide-eyed, innocent mask she had donned moments ago.

The Condesce's expression remained unchanging. If the situation had been different, she might have even rolled her eyes. "So that's your story, hm?" She rested her chin atop her twined fingers, eyes either seeing everything or nothing. "Either way, the question of whether or not you knew beforehand isn't one of pressing concern. Not right now, at least." Her voice suddenly became harder, it resembled a stone hitting cold flint with no sparks igniting.

"Do you know the current location of the human prince?" she asked, and her voice was suddenly much too soft, much too even.

And fast as Rose had built up she broke again, the hushed but cold words from the Condesce the single well placed blow needed to break apart an entire iceberg. But was it relief or despair? Had a plan worked, or had her only possible plan been faulted? Her mouth hung open, pale lips quivering without and sound coming from them. It felt like ages that the silence stretched through the throne room, but it could have barely been more than a minute.

"H- he- you-" Rose stopped and swallowed, the sound louder to her than it should have been. "You mean that he... he's gone?" She asked without daring to speak above a whisper, hardly able to believe the words coming from her own mouth. "Out of the palace? Or hiding somewhe-"

She silenced herself, only then realizing that though the words meant that Dirk was gone, she was being asked what she knew. The Condesce wouldn't tell her anything, as prisoner she was entitled to no information. "No... I don't know where he is or may be."

The Condesce did t allow her face to change as she felt slight contempt at how easily Rose broke. Her face spelled relief, for the shortest of moments, before shifting to worry and finally desolation. Children changed so easily, she noted, and she couldn't help but wonder how long it had been since she herself swung between moods as constantly as the rising and falling tides. Nowadays she felt stuck in a dull rut of slight annoyance and anticipation for something more. It wasn't the best state to be in, but it sharpened her senses, honed her ambition, and ambition was certainly useful. It, along with manipulation, were her tools and with them she strung people along, twined their puppet strings twixt her fingers, and let them pull her to the top.

She stared back at the Seer's face, bloodstained, bruised, half obscured. She curled her upper lip. Pathetic. She didn't need her. Seers were rare, but still replaceable.

And to be completely honest, she had a nagging tug in her fingers, an itch she couldn't scratch. It was the urge to raise her trident and--

"Thank you for you time," she said, dragging out the silence just a second too long before turning to one of her guards, motioning them forward so she can whisper a few muted words in their finned ear. "Gag her, dispose of her."

Eridan comes in the room, walking confidently. He gave a little glance to the seer, on the floor, and then he get back to his thought. Now was the time. The time when he would become the Prince. The time when it will only be a matter of time before he marry with Feferi. The time when everyone will finally recognize him for what he is.

The sea dwellers finally have what they rightly deserve. The best position. The control. The liberty to do what they want... And now, the right ruler was on the throne: A tyrian purple blood, her Imperious Condescension! And she will make him the prince, like that must be. And since the princess will be Feferi, nothing will be able to prevent the marriage between them.

And after that, he will rule, if her Imperious Condescension happen to die, even if he doubts that will happen in his life, with her extraordinary lifespan, due to her blood. And it is not one of these miserable humans or carapaces that will be able to kill her. He then ask:

-Oh, your Imperious Condescension, you wwanted to see me? Can I ask wwhy? And wwhy the "Seer" is here as wwell?

Will the sea dweller was thinking he was knowing the answer of the first question, he truly didn't know the one of the second. And now, the only one missing was Feferi. His dear matesprite (at least, dear for him, since she wasn't even knowing he has flushed feeling for her) will surely arrive quickly now...

Feferi's mother had died 8 days ago. The riots had started up, and a Tealblood with a rusty knife had nicked her chest. Feferi had fussed her to go to a hospital, but her mother had refused, citing that the Hospitals were too full already to deal with such a 'silly inconvenience'.

The wound got infected and the Carapace had died a slow death over the course of a week.

Feferi didn't leave the house in those 8 days. She didn't wash, she didn't change her clothes, and she scarcely ate. She spent her days crying by the corpse of her dead mother, holding the cold hand.

At the orders of the Condesce, 3 Subjugglators broke down the door to her home, before scouting around looking for her. The shouting and rummaging scared her, but by then she had crawled under the covers and hugged the body for comfort, as lifeless as it was.

When they found her, they weren't quite sure what to do at first. She was dirty and she quite frankly didn't smell particularly regal. They couldn't present her to the Condesce like that. One of them filled one of the house's baths with cold water, and they forced the Heiress in, ignoring the screams she unleashed as they took her away from her dead mother. Cackling all the way.

By the time they pulled her out of the bath, she was silent again, though now with her clothes and hair completely drenched and plastered to her. They forced her to walk to the shuttle they had been given, though they were unable to get her to move faster than a shuffle. Thankfully for them their vehicle was a lot more impressive than Feferi's footwork.

It wasn't much longer until they were at what was now Her Imperious Condescension's new Palace. This time they had opted to carry her, holding her up with a Subjugglator on each of her arms, with the third opening doors. They arrived just as Eridan was asking questions, 3 skull faced titans. Their front man moved to the left, and his two comrades put down the soon-to-be Princess and left without a word.

Feferi wiped some of the hair out of her eyes and looked around the room. Her eyes still maintaining their constant look of shock and terror as her gaze moved from the Condesce, to the guards, to that bastard Eridan, and finally to the bloody human on the floor. It took a moment to realise that some of that blood wasn't hers, and she slowly turned her gaze to the wet carpet. She lifted a show and examined its sole.

She returned her foot to the ground and clamped a hand to her mouth as she began to heave slightly.

"Oh cod..." She whispered, despair dripping from her words.

Rose didn't need to hear the words that the Condesce whispered to know what they were when the guard started moving toward her. She'd missed her chance and now she'd pay for it with her life, unless she somehow managed to bait this fish. "Wait!" She said to stall, trying to think of something she could say other than the one thing she didn't want to say at all. The guard was still coming closer, of course following the orders of his new Queen rather than the preteen prisoner. " I might not know where he is, and I don't lie. Considering the situation at hand trying to lie to you at all would be, frankly, in very poor choice."

Shit. She was going to have to say it. "However both of us are aware of what I can do." Was she starting to get annoyed with Rose's rambling? It was hard to read her clearly, she had looked at her apathetic and nonpitying since she'd been brought in. "I can... I can try to-" The door to the hall cut off Rose and also stopped the guard who was now just a few all too short steps away from her.


Surprised as anyone who'd just been trying to avoid death would be, Rose turned as best as she could to look at the door. It certainly wasn't anybody that she knew, but nonetheless she was grateful for the brief distraction even if it was caused by a highblood looking to get payment for helping the take over. A slight hiss left barely parted lips in the general direction of the troll boy, who looked barely older than herself.

The hiss was drowned out by another set of doors opening and three Subjugglators entered the room. They left, leaving a second troll behind. The girl looked like she wanted to be in the room as much as Rose did and her state only looked marginally better. Sure she wasn't bleeding or bruised, but she was dripping wet, clearly unhappy, and very likely exhausted. Not to mention her reaction to the blood that was all over the room.

The guard she had ordered stepped forward, hand already moving to the dagger hanging from his belt. He made no attempt to hide the malicious smile already growing wide on his face. However, at very moment his hand was about to yank Rose up by her collar, the doors flew open with a dull thud and he quickly turned his attention to what might be an immediate threat, only to find a young male troll at the doorway. The Condesce's lips, which had already started to part to repeat the order loud enough for all in the room to hear, pressed into a thin line when she saw the future, no, she assumed she should call him the New Prince, strut into the throne room as if he already owned it. She couldn't help but feel mirth at his confidence. His lack of muscle, his silly expression, he was barely a wriggler. But his arrogance meant he was an easily manipulated piece. A pawn.

She knew why he was there. The coup was successful, he had helped organize some of the more stubborn highbloods, she was on the throne, his side of the deal was complete. It was unfortunate he had picked this exact time to appear, even if she had summoned him. No matter, it was understandable. He now wished to claim his new position, his prize. Ambition was a good trait, it pushed people to success. It was one trait she was proud to say she wasn't lacking in.

Speaking of his prize, there was one of them, her new heiress, surrounded by hulking subjuggluators and looking thoroughly drenched and utterly frightened. It was nearly enough to strike pity into the Condesce's heart... nearly. Instead, she felt indignation that the troll girl had been treated poorly. She would have a stern talk with the subjuggluators later about the proper treatment of their superiors.

Either way, the room now had two younglings that didn't need to see another execution. She would have to attend to their matters first. She beckoned Eridan forward and addressed him. "Good evening, wriggler. As usual, your timing is excruciatingly impeccable. Nonetheless, you're here."

The seer, after he asked his questions, gave him a slight hiss, which it seemed he was the only one to notice. He answered to that with a grin to her. She was quite cute, and Eridan was sure she could make a good kismesis. Sadly, it seems humans can only have flushed feelings... But even then, justly, she was human, not deserving a sea dweller like himself. She could be dangerous, but like that, she was barely a threat. However, he will need to watch out for her power, later, is she was ever released.

When Feferi entered, Eridan gave an exasperated look to her. She had clearly resisting to the subjugglators, when they were only taking here to the place where she should be. She looked awful like that. But even then, the sea dweller couldn't forget his feelings for her. Even wet and angry, she looks wonderful to him.

When the Condesce began to talk, a little shudder distort Eridan face for a second, when she treated him of "wriggler". Nobody has the right to call him something degrading, even his superior. And he clearly expressed it:

-Please don't call me a wwriggler, your Imperious Condescencion. I passed that state a wwhile ago. And it is noww the state wwhere I'm one a your allies. So evven if you're thousands of swweeps old, evven if you havve a blood superior to me, please don't call me like that.

The new prince paused for a moment, hoping that the Condesce will understand. He wasn't able to shut his pride, even to the Condesce, this is one of his default... After, he said:

-Also, you didn't answwer my question. Wwhy the "seer" is here? Wwhat are you findin so interestin in her? I knoww she can be useful, but evven then...

He then waited for what will happen next.

The Condesce looked down upon the three children standing-and in Rose's case, kneeling- before her. The heiress was an utter mess, completely unregal. The Seer was bloody and battered. And perhaps the most pitiful of all was the petulant prince looking haughtily up at her. Utterly pathetic.

She wanted to go off on the young troll. He seemed to be under the false impression that they were equals, that he perhaps even in par to a commander when he was really just a tool (In both definitions of the metaphor). It was one thing to be prince, but it was definitely another to see yourself on the level to even dare to talk back to your Empress. "What the Seer is doing here is none of your concern," she said cooly, pinning him down with a sharp look with fuchsia eyes. "It has almost nothing to do with yourself, and there's no benefit of you knowing. Now, wriggler," she put special emphasis on the word. "Stand to the side and close your mouth. It would do you well to get used to doing so. I shall speak with you in due time, but for now I wish for you to see this."

She then looked down at Rose. The Seer had tried to cover up for herself, but frankly she no longer cared. She was not useful. After witnessing such a pathetic display, letting the human live would put the nearby highbloods under the impression that she was lenient.

No... at this point, the human's death was a must. A pity, but not much of one.

"Get the human out of my sight," she hissed, weaving the perfect amount of disgust within her voice. The same guard she had ordered before stepped forward again, this time whipping out his knife and pulling Rose up by her collar.

Feferi said nothing for a while, but she watched. She watched the blood covered human on the floor beg for her life, or another chance, or something. Feferi wasn't sure, and her mind was whirling at a million miles per hour, too fast for anything in front of her to make much sense.

Then she watched her moirail talk, standing up to Feferi's own ancestor like an equal. He considered himself an equal to the orchestrator of this massacre. She inhaled sharply to herself and tried to hold back a sob. He really had done it. He had become a murderer. The guilt was overwhelming, like a hundred hands gripping at her and trying to haul her down to a deep dark bit. She should have done better, she should have been a better moirail, she could've helped.

But then he never listened. He was so sure he was right, and he was so sure THIS was right. Feferi wasn't sure anyone would've placated him.

And then the Condesce ordered the human to be taken away by the knife wielding highblood.

"NO!" The new princess screamed, as if the knife had gone in her and uttered long before she herself knew what she was doing. She dashed forward before dropping to her knees and protectively wrapping her arms around the other girl.

"N-no more!" She demanded, staring at the Condesce with a horrified face, her little eyes beginning to water again behind her own goggles. Her grip on the human tightened a fraction, as she went from protective to needy. She had had no one to comfort her for days, since the riots, since her mother died, and now this.

"No more killing..." It was less of an order this time and more of a whimpering plea.
"No more killing. No more killing. Please, no more killing." She muttered under her breath as her gaze lowered to the floor. If she could save just one person from the slaughter, she'd have helped.

As it was she deepened her glare at him, holding back another growled hiss of anger. But even then what, fish breath? She questioned mentally. If it wasn't for her condition, she'd have smirked when the fishbrained young highblood got himself told off by the Condesce. But the last sentence of it sent a chill through her and Rose looked back to see the guard still in front of her, hand on the pommel of his dagger and leering down at her, knowing what was coming as well as she did.

She wasn't going to beg again. Not in front of these people. If they thirsted for her despair their cravings would be left unsatisfied. They weren't worthy to know how scared she was. They didn't have the right to hear her plead for her life, and to hear the sudden silence that'd come after all the words were ignored. They wouldn't have the honour of getting her life stolen from her. What was given willingly couldn't be snatched away.

Rose shut her violet eyes for what she was sure would be the last time and breathed out slowly as the order was given. It took everything not to struggle or try to pull away while ignoring the now jeering in her mind. Someone weak as her shouldn't hold all the secrets to their powers if she wouldn't use them in a moment this crucial, they said.
The sadistic fuck pressed the blade to her cheek and slowly dragged it down to her neck, leaving another superficial cut now along her face. In her mind's eye they offered her a clear view of the moment at hand that she'd tried to avoid looking at, the dagger coming to her throat all too quickly.

She couldn't do this. She wouldn't die as a martyr. The Dersite parted her lips to either beg for her life or shout out the first spell the Far Ones could spend through her body, but a different voice came first. Not the one that comes when the Far Ones communicated through her, not her's, but some completely unknown sound.

A spell did come from her, but in the shock of even the Far Ones it was only an immature useless spell that was inaudible but she knew it had been said. The guard's bootlaces snaked through the blood on the ground and tied themselves together as an unknown force crashed into Rose's side and warped itself around her, pulling her down and away from the guard with a tearing sound as part of her collar remained in his hand. Rose opened her eyes and looked at what was holding her, what had either saved her or gave them both only a few more minutes to live.

This was... one of them? One of the seadwellers, in fact the new princess, was trying to save her life? Rose's expression didn't change from it's solemn acceptance of her fate, she refused to get her hopes up for either of them.

When the Condesce chastised him, Eridan closed his eyes. He was knowing that if he continue on that way, he would lose more that he can afford. This battle was lost in advance, so it was better to surrender before he would be crushed. After, when she order that the Seer was executed, he asked himself why she would do that... She was able to help them, if they put a constant security on her.

When Feferi screamed, the new prince opened his eyes, just to see her throw herself on the human to protect her. At that moment, Eridan thought:

*Fef... Wwhy... I wwill nevver understand you...*

Yet, she was the only one able to stop the execution. The purple blood too was thinking it was useless to kill the seer, but after that he stood again her Imperious Condescension like he did, try to save her would have been dangerous for his integrity...

After that, for the first time, he asked himself if what he was doing was right. Feferi was against it, and even if she miss a lot of ambition, he still love her. He wonder if that could change one day, but he doubted it... He has the feeling that they were fated to be together... Maybe he is wrong, but the new prince hopes so hard that he is true...

-Your Imperious Condescension, Feferi is right. Too many wwere killed today. And also, the seer could maybe provve herself useful? She wwould be vvery useful against Prospit, if wwe wwant to conquer it, or to maintain our grasp on Derse. She is an undeniable tactical advvantage.

Now, he only hoped that he didn't cross the line...

What exactly was the new heiress doing? She was holding the human,pleading for her life, tears in her eyes. How odd, she had never seen such a sight. She didn't know whether to admire her spirit, be humoured by her fire, or be disgusted at her touching the human. She wondered what moved her. Was it the fact that she had seen too much destruction for her young age? Did she feel some sort of pity for the human, battered beyond belief? What caused her to cry for such filth?

The Empress's heart stirred with a lingering curiosity. Should she allow the human live for the young heiress?

Perhaps it would gain her trust if she did.

She was about to give a tentative verdict, but the prince, seemingly emboldened by the other's movement, piped up.

The stupid wriggler, it was obvious he wished to get in the Heiress's good graces. His red desperation for her was clear in everything he did, in every movement he made and in every expression in his face. It was utterly pathetic. He was a fool, letting something as meaningless as romance conquer his actions.

She wondered how far he'd go for her.

It was a fascinating question, and she knew we would have to test it out later.

Finally, she motioned for the highbloods guard to back off. He did so with a disappointed frown and pocketed his knife. He looked condescendingly down at her form, so weak and defenseless, having to let someone else cry for her life to be spared. After a moment of consideration, he yanked her out of Feferi's embrace and redid the gag around her head, effectively rendering her mute once more.

The Highblood yanked the human captive from Feferi's grasp and she was not pleased. She smacked the highblood's hand as hard as she could, and then again, and then again. When the highblood refused to respond, the desperate girl bit him. Hard. The large shark teeth in his skull, recently aligned properly thanks to modern Dersite dentistry, sunk deep into the hand's muscle.

The highblood, naturally, screamed bloody murder. He withdrew his hand and yanked it straight from Feferi's mouth, clutching it as it spewed his noble blood, where it mixed with that of lowbloods in the carpet.

Feferi recoiled almost as much, as she spat out the blood in her mouth onto the floor, but she didn't leave too much time to fret, before quickly pulling the gag off of the Seer, as she was being called. Then with a display of the unnerving strength in her tiny arms she snapped the bond holding Rose's arms together. She then turned to the highblood again.

"I said NO!" She shouted, glaring at Rose's would be killer. "If the hemospectrum is so glubbing important, then you have to lisfin to me! And I say STOP!"

The new Princess turned to face the new Queen, and then the determination dropped from her face. A screaming highblood was one thing, but the malicious grin of her ancestor's was another horrifying level altogether.

"I said no..." She whimpered, both bite and bark gone.

Rose Lalonde was getting tired of being pulled around.

She couldn't say anything about it, especially when the gag was put back into her mouth. So her life was safe, but she didn't know for how much longer nor how well she'd be treated even if the Condescension didn't get tired of keeping her alive after a month if not a week. The gagging didn't last near as long as it did the previous time, the princess erupting at her side a second time and actually bit the other troll, inches away from her face.

She was exhausted, beaten, abused, and had had fear for her life several times in the last few hours. It had been about evening when the coup began, now she was sure it was somewhere around early morning. The ropes finally gone from her wrists Rose moved her arms slowly so she could see her hands and get some of the ache from keeping her self in an awkward position for too long to cease. There were thick red groves on her arms where the ropes had been and she spent a good few seconds running her finger in them. No longer bound in any way Rose removed the gag herself while the cerulean blooded troll tried taking fast steps away from the two girls.

Tried of course, because when he tried to lift his foot and take a single large step back he lost balance and fell into the large puddle of blood, splashing both the girls. The Dersite rose to her feet, now having much less trouble as she was able to balance properly with her hands, and wiped the few droplets that had hit her face off her cheek while sending death glares at everyone in the room including at the back of the head of her savior. She didn't really want a savior after all. Her legs felt like mush and static but ignoring the feelings she stood straight, just slightly behind the troll that was speaking for her sake. Strangely, she was jumping between emotions faster than even Rose had been.

The Condesce let her glower reach her full intensity, her feral grin stretched across her face just a tad more. "Don't assault the guards now. You can always do that later, when the time is more appropriate." Yes, this child had fire. She had a soft heart, once capable of wanting to protect a human, but she had fire all the same. With some training, she could be become a grand empress. "Either way, I don't want you to misunderstand me. It's a shame you removed the gag. With a few choice words, the Seer could have your pretty blood leaking out of your ears." Her eyes searched Rose's face, lingering and menacing. "But... I doubt she'll do it. A good thing too, it'd be a sight most disconcerting."

She looked at the guard, whose pride looked more injured than his hand. She despcided she had no use for such a squealing coward who allowed himself to cry like a grub when bitten. She would relieve him of his duties later.

"The Seer will live," she finally decided, sending warning looks to the few guards who looked displeased at the order. "She will be sent to retire in the guest quarters. Have someone tend to her wounds, bathe her. Her current state is... not to be desired."