𝓒𝓱𝓲𝓬𝓪𝓷𝓮𝓻𝔂 | Red Velvet x Fem!Reader

♠ For The Kingdom ♠

A/N: If you're squeamish or easily freaked out by vivid descriptions, I recommend skipping this one ^^' I'll provide a TL;DR at the bottom!

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Dawn of the fifth day.

You never thought this day would come. Honestly, part of you hoped it wouldn't. If it never came, then you wouldn't have to face the reality.

You'd have to fight him. Go head-on, and take the tower. Redemption was the only thing on your mind, especially after seeing him on the third night. He was no better than you, switching sides based on what fit best. To him, the grass was always greener on the other side, yet he rarely watered his own. But besides that.

Right now you were preparing yourself, putting on armor that was provided by the mercenaries at Madeleine's request. It was made of high-quality steel and covered all of your weak points, and everything except the chestplate and stomach protection fit well. You had to make do with what they provided, even if the stomach protection was too small to put on. After a lot of consideration, you decided that Fructose would be staying behind. A safer option for both of you, as mounted combat didn't quite fit with your objective. Madeleine had said some very specific words;

"Fight like hell, with no set target. Do not, and I repeat, do not set a goal. As long as we get it, all of us have completed a united mission."

What a load of nonsense.

You were going to get her. That was your objective.

You were going all the way to the top, greatsword unsheathed, and you were going to fight her head-on. You knew she was here. Something told you, something in your intuition gave away her exact location. You looked up. She was at the top floor. And you'd slice anybody in your way in half to get to her. As soon as you finished tying your boots, Madeleine rallied everyone. The mercenaries that arrived made you 500 strong; a generous donation of soldiers from Hollyberry's kingdom.

Madeleine was on horseback, while you walked next to him, in front of the whole army with everyone else who journeyed with you. You made it to the edge of the clearing, the tower before you, stretching its horrible tooth-like form into the sky. You counted in your head; 50 floors. A difficult road laid ahead. In your hand was a pocket watch, polished to a sheen. Before you left the kingdom to embark on the second journey, Madeleine had consulted the sisters of Pastry Cookie's church about possible lucky times, and the time to charge was decided. 11 AM. You looked down at it; 10:58. Almost.

The next minute was quiet, save for the soft birdsong all around and the shuffling of the animal next to you. You noticed there were no guards out. Peculiar, considering what happened two nights ago. You remembered what the courtyard in the center looked like; the first floor had a piece jutting out from the rest, a space in front of the oven. That's where Espresso had knocked down the box, and where you were caught. The first ten or so floors were hollow in the center to allow a high ceiling in the courtyard, which closed up at floor 11. The arched entrance was usually open to allow cake monsters in and out, however today a solid metal gate caked in rust sealed it shut. At the final minute, right before the charge, it crawled back into the ground with a horrid squealing sound. As soon as it was down, and the footsteps of the person exiting it sounded, you realized where the guards went.

Red Velvet. The army commander, the field paramedic. And now your true foe.

And yet, it didn't feel that way. When he caught eye contact with you as he scanned your forces, he looked just as afraid as you were. You looked down.

The hand shifted to the mark. 11 AM. Sliding the watch into your pocket, you drew in a deep breath, looking at Madeleine. There was a phrase you'd agreed on, and it had almost slipped your mind. You said it as he turned to you.