Royal Disaster

the disastrous endgame

a.n. as promised, here is another update (two days early!!!) again, i'd like to thank all of you who participated! it really does mean a lot to me and the data is very useful to my paper. and i'm sorry these recent chapters aren't very long. good night and good day. for everyone in the u.s. please know that if you need someone to talk to, i'm always here to lend a helping hand or support. all of you matter so much and no matter where you come from, who you love, what you believe in, you matter so fucking much. don't let the results of this election bring you down, instead, speak up!

love you all. stay safe, stay happy. you matter.

also, this is the real disastrous endgame. the other was wrongly titled.

Pain seems to be like an effective blindfold if you wanted to drag someone around a prison and make sure they couldn't make a plan for their escape. At least, that was how it seemed to me as Gabriel dragged me around one corner to another and up several flights of stairs. I was slightly dizzy but it was gradually wearing off.

Second by second, the scenery around me began to change. The blurs began to straighten out, the colors separating and falling into their beings. All around me was the color red in varying shades. The walls were a deep burgundy, with garnishes of dark brown that were striking. The furniture was made of auburn wood, with designs on the legs and handles so intricate that they must have been customized. The carpets held the same vibe as the walls. It covered the dark, dark wood paneling of the floors and spread out all throughout the pathways almost linking everything to their positions. Beneath me, the carpet felt soft. I might have described it as almost cushiony were it not for the fact that Gabriel was dragging me across it that I was getting some burns from its bristles. Above the wallpaper, hung paintings, portraits, and photograph collages. The center themes ranged from hues of red to purely black and white. Nothing brighter than the brightest red colored the place.

Frankly, I was surprised that they hadn't had the lights tinted red.

"Such a fucking drag," Gabriel grumbled from above me as he abruptly let go of my arm. I collapsed behind his feet and onto the carpet. My face collided with the floor, hitting my nose immediately and making another curse slip from my lips.

"Wow, someone seems to be in the mood for puns," I smarted after spitting out some blood that had pooled in my mouth.

While I pushed myself up, he stepped forward to a large set of double doors a good two feet taller than him. The handles were brass, lined with a subtle auburn around the edges. After rolling his eyes at me, something I more sensed than saw given my current state of vertigo, he rapped a pattern onto the door. I guessed it was some kind of code of theirs because as soon as he finished, the doors began to groan as they were pulled open.

I pushed myself up onto my knees, struggling to do so without having to put pressure on my hand. As I was getting up onto my feet, the resounding thud of the doors hitting the walls echoed through the hall. Gabriel placed his hand on the back of my neck and tugged me up, my head hanging back as he shoved me forward.

I was forced to stare up at the glass, domed ceiling, stinging jolts of pain running through my head and worsening my vision. "Do you really have to fucking do that?" I grumbled through gritted teeth. In response, his grip moved upwards to my hair and tightened. "Fuck."

Then I was pushed back onto my knees and hands, the contact sending another bolt of pain running up my arms.

"You don't have to be so violent, Gabriel," Leland's voice commented from above, amusement lining the words.

I didn't see Gabriel's response, but whatever it was, it made Leland chuckle. Digging my teeth into my bottom lip, I once again pushed myself up so that I was sitting on my back legs. Tears pricked at the corner of my eyes, but I held it back, thinking it was enough that the tears from before were still drying on my face. I didn't need to waste anymore in front of him.