A Nightmare's Honor

In A Stew

{F} Sky POV:

"Crap...!" I muttered under my breath after helping the Yellow Apprentice out of his... cell? It's pretty high-tech considering this is a literally block game, but whatever. "He got away- and he must have taken Sabre! For the love of everything holy, why do we keep getting kidnapped?!"

With a groan-like sigh, I helped the Yellow Apprentice down into a sitting position. He gave me an inquisitive look that I understood immediately.

"A) not a swear, and b) we're staying here until the Red Apprentice wakes up. Luckily it looked like he was only knocked out, so we don't have to worry about any major injuries for him. The moment he's conscious and caught up on what's happening, though, he's going to take you to the Yellow Kingdom."

The Yellow Apprentice looked like he was wanting to ask me what "crap" meant if it wasn't a swear, but instead, saving that discussion for another time, he asked, "Yellow Kingdom?"

I nodded. "The Green Leader is bound to check up on the Nightmare King again soon, so he should be able to help you."

At these words, his eyes widened in pure, undeniable horror. "W-what"—he paused to cough—"what happened?"

I froze, unsure of how to answer his question delicately enough for him to not freak out. My hesitation seemed to only scare him even more. "It's... complicated. Let's just say that the Indigo Leader is a stupid blueberry."

The Yellow Apprentice merely gave me a puzzled look. "...'Blueberry'?"

I sighed. "Let me rephrase that: the Indigo Leader sucks at his job, and I almost poofed him with my sword." I then added in a quiet, muttering voice, "He's lucky I only bonked him with my hilt...!"

"You almost WHAT?!" The Yellow Apprentice broke out into a coughing fit before he could say anything else.

I shrugged casually. "I take my job as a guard very seriously."

He gave me an incredulous look, but before he could respond, the Red Apprentice sat up with a groan, rubbing his temple.

"Perfect timing! Red Apprentice, how do you feel?"

The Red Apprentice looked to me for a moment with confusion, then looked at the Yellow Apprentice. His eyes widened, horror and concern in his expression.

"Qu-Quill...! What- what did the Professor do to you...?!" the Red Apprentice asked in a small, quivering voice.

The Yellow Apprentice (I guess Quill is his real name?) stared back at him with a sad and tired expression. The Yellow Apprentice I knew was tall, strong, and pretty witty. This Yellow Apprentice looked quite the opposite- well, besides the witty. His golden eyes, not unlike honey, glimmered with intelligence as always, but he looked small, weak, and frail, like a small breeze could flatten him with ease. He had various bruises along his arms and face, and his hair, usually in a small and neat man-bun, was ruffled and unkempt. His clothes also looked unusually large on him, as if they had grown or he had shrunk. And even though his eyes had their usual glimmer, they had lost their glow(?) of normally bright and immense energy. His entire vibe was different, too. Very subdued, like that of a Red Steve; it was spread out and weaker.

"S-Sky?" the Yellow Apprentice spoke in a slowly-healing voice, his expression indescribable.

"Yeah?" I responded, curious to what he was going to say because I couldn't understand his expression. Wait a minute- the Red Apprentice is literally right there!! "Oh crap."

The Red Apprentice gave me a bewildered expression. "What does that mean?"

Promptly ignoring his question to avoid an awkward conversation, I leaned close to the Yellow Apprentice and, in a low voice, whispered angrily, "What are you doing?! You can't just go around saying my name in front of other people!!"