Eret looks up from his book and quirks a brow, a smile slowly forming on his lips. A pair of dark shades rest on his nose, that slip slightly when he sits upright, revealing a pair of pure white eyes.

Closing the book, he rests it on a knee and addresses us in polite tones.

"Hello there, Mr J Schlatt." He says, his deep voice doing all sorts of weird things to my insides. I don't know whether to swoon or lie down and roll over. Maybe both..? I've always been a sucker for men with deep voices, and it would appear the king is no exception.

"Your majesty," Schlatt smirks, glancing back to me and my rigid form with amusement, knowing exactly what I'm thinking. "I thought I'd come have a chat. You don't mind, do you? You don't seem..." he glances around the empty room, "busy."

"Not at all. I always have time for a talk." Eret says, opening his arms wide in a welcoming manner.

"I'll give you guys some space," Hbomb says, closing the doors behind us. It's now just the three of us in the throne room.

"Ares, why don't you step out too," Schlatt suggests, his eyes trained on the king.

"Sir?" I look between the two men, reluctant to follow orders. I want to stay here...

"Ares, now, please. The president and the king need to talk."

"Yes, sir..."

With a final glance to Eret, who is gazing at me with something akin to intrigue, I turn and move back to the door, pulling one open and slipping through into the long hallway.

"That was quick!" Hbomb chirps. He's stood next to a statue, just a few feet away.

"The men are talking," I say in way of explanation, crossing the room to stare at the statue alongside him. It's of a winged being draped in robes, their gender indiscernible.

I reach out and poke at a quartz feather, sighing deeply.

"What's it like?"

"Hm? Sorry?" I turn to Hbomb. He's also gazing at the statue but meets his gaze with mine. His dark eyes are warm and cheerful, like hot chocolate on a cold day. They make my sadness melt away.

"Working for the president. Is it hard? Eret hardly does anything, not that he doesn't want to. But the SMP is pretty quiet since Dream takes care of crowd control. Have you met Dream yet? He's the scary guy in the mask."

"Yes, I have met him." I laugh lightly, entertained by H's childlike enthusiasm. "And I enjoy being with Schlatt. He's an important person to me, president or not."

"He sounds lucky to have you."

"Mm, we do make quite the pair."

More like I'm lucky to have him. I know exactly where I'd be right now if Schlatt hadn't saved me that day. Somewhere dark and empty. Somewhere cold.

"You asked me about Dream. Does that mean you've met him already?" I question, curious to know more about Dream's interactions.

Hbomb sweat drops, "uhhh, you could say that. Dream has come by the castle a few times to talk with Eret. I don't know what they say since I try to stay out of sight when he does. For someone so young he sure is intimidating. I'd rather not get in his way. I hear he's merciless to those he doesn't like. I'm not a fighter, so I'd rather not get mixed up if possible."

"Ah, that's fair enough. It is better to be safe than sorry." I nod along, in complete understanding of Hbomb's fears. "Does Eret get many visitors?"

Hbomb's expression drops, a sad smile on his lips. "No...not really. Dream is his most regular visitor, but sometimes Niki will come by. Or Bad or Callahan."

I don't know who the last two names mentioned are, but at the sound of Niki's name I immediately perk up.

"Has she been by recently? Niki, I mean. When did she last visit?"

If I sound a little desperate to see the woman, it's because I am. I haven't seen her since the flag burned down, and I've been growing increasingly worried. Not that I haven't tried seeking her out. I've visited her bakery almost every day since the incident, but I've been repeatedly met with drawn curtains and a locked door. I just want to make sure she's in good health, both physically, and mentally.

"Oh, Niki? Yeah! She came by yesterday, actually. It was great seeing her again, though she looked a little sad when I said hello to her. She didn't want to say what the matter was though, and went straight to see Eret."

"Other than looking sad, did she...did she look well?" I press, my hopes rising.

"Yeah, I guess. Again, she just seemed sad."

I breathe a sigh of relief, the weight on my chest lifting. Good. Niki is alright. Or as alright as she can be after all that's happened.

A door bangs open and we both start, whipping our heads around to see Schlatt stalking from the throne room. His shoulders are tense and his hands are balled into fists.

"Schlatt?" I question softly, watching as he walks past me and Hbomb. His expression is stormy, and his eye is twitching.

"Waste of fucking time..." He grumbles under his breath, ignoring me.

A moment passes and he backtracks to us. His eyes roam over the statue for a brief second before he announces, "I'm taking this with me," and hefts the quartz figure into his arms.

"Wow, he really just did that." Hbomb marvels, more impressed than offended as we watch Schlatt then try and waddle away with the statue.

"He doesn't handle rejection well," I mumble, a hand rubbing at my eyes. What did the king say to upset him so much? I'm going to have to go in there and apologise, aren't I? And here I was thinking this trip might actually be easy.

"It seems my honesty offended him." Eret's baritone voice echoes through the hall, accompanied by the clicking of a pair of heels as he approaches.

The man is even prettier close up.

Soft, brown curls bounce beneath the weight of a thick, golden crown, bejewelled in all the colours of the rainbow. His legs are long, made even longer by the pair of black, platform heels he wears. Heels that I could never pull off. And to pull everything together, I discover with a gleam of pride that the underside of his red cloak is striped in the colours of the bi flag.

I like the man the more I see of him. No wonder Dream made him king of the SMP. He's an icon for every representation.

Stopping beside us, Eret raises his brows at the empty podium between me and Hbomb.

"Sorry about your statue." I apologise awkwardly, pulling my trident in close, "I'll return it if he doesn't end up breaking it."

The sound of something shattering has us all flinch, followed soon after by a loud curse from Schlatt, echoing down the halls.

"Nevermind..." I mumble, beyond embarrassed.

"No, don't worry about it. I had a feeling something like this would happen. It usually does with Schlatt around."

That's what I always say! I think with a twinkle in my eyes. It's such a relief to find someone who actually understands Schlatt's temperament.

"You are Ares, aren't you? I remember hearing Schlatt brought someone along with him to the elections."

"Yes, that's me. It's nice to meet you, your highness." I nod hastily, unsure if I should bow as well. Do people still bow to royalty? I have no idea.

"Please, call me Eret." Eret smiles, "there's no power behind my title, so there's no point in pretending I'm proper royalty. Just treat me like you would anyone else."

"Okay...Eret."

A distant call from Schlatt, yelling out my name, has my shoulders tense, and then a sigh escapes my lips.

"I think it's time I leave...before Schlatt has the chance to break anything else in your lovely castle," I say, flashing a smile to both men before turning and walking quickly in the direction I'd last seen the horned man.

"Ares."

I pause, glancing back to Eret. He has a serious look on his face. It has the spot between my shoulders itch. Why is his expression making me so nervous?

"Yes?"

"Be wary of Schlatt. Your loyalty may be rewarded now, but the future around him is a dark one. Betrayal is never far behind that man. So I suggest you guard yourself. Being betrayed by someone you trust is not a pleasant thing to experience," his voice drops to almost a whisper, and I just catch the words, "I should know, I've betrayed more than my fair share."

I don't know what to say to that, so instead, I nod, and then continue down the tiled hall, my boots squeaking with each stride.

And suddenly I'm struck with a memory.

Wilbur, with his feet on a desk - the president's desk - strumming a guitar.

"You see, what I'm trying to say is, Ares, is that I don't know why I was even surprised. The amount of betrayal I've had to put up with these last few months is laughable. First Eret. Then my son. And now Schlatt? Who next? Tubbo?" He shakes his head and laughs. It's a bitter laugh.

Right, the conversation I had with Wilbur after Schlatt announced he was running his own party. Wilbur mentioned the name Eret, but I didn't know who he was talking about at the time. I told him I'd never been betrayed by Schlatt, and he'd laughed.

"Ah, it's just a matter of time then." He rolls his head back, gazing up at the ceiling. "You want some advice? Leave him while you still have a good head on your shoulders. Betrayal isn't a nice thing to experience. Take it from me."

Eret betrayed Wilbur at some point. Is this what he was talking about? That's three separate people who have warned me now. All three men of power. Dream. Wilbur. Eret. I'm starting to wonder if I should be wary. Dream's words I'd ignored. Wilbur's I'd considered. But Eret...is Schlatt really going to betray me someday? Should I start preparing myself for the worst?

No. I decide.

If betrayal is in my future then so be it. I know my loyalties. Schlatt may betray me, but I will never betray him. I will not give in. I owe him that much, at the very least, after all he's given me. I will follow him till my final breath, just as I've always planned to do.

I am his. And I will die his.

-----------

Well that got intense...

And now for fanart :D

Thank you PhantomStar44 for our first winged depiction of Ares! Very pog. And no I will not admit that Ares has wings. You will just have to keep on speculating.

Also I did genderbend Ares and I regret nothing