Author Note:

I don't think I've said this yet, but I really appreciate you. For reading, voting, commenting, and anything else you do to interact with this story. It really means a lot to me and sometimes I still can't believe that people actually read my stuff, even after I disappear for ages without any update or anything.

Warning for potentially graphic death. It's brief, but it is unpleasant to think about or imagine.

_____

[ Etho Point of View ]

Once again Etho found himself in the nice black tailcoat that Bdubs had picked out for him. It didn't take him long to change. His hair was still decent from earlier this morning, so this freed up the rest of his afternoon until the party started.

As Etho left his room, he stumbled in on a conversation.

"–from the Cavern Kingdom." Grian was saying.

"I've been there a few times." The other voice, Martyn, added. "It's a bit far from the Moss Kingdom, isn't it?"

Grian halfway sat in the window, not quite deciding on whether he should stand or sit. He was dressed in a red tunic with puffy sleeves, a black belt, gray pants, and black boots. His arms were folded, on guard by Martyn's presence.

"It is." Grian replied, his eyes drifting to me. "That's nothing compared to Etho. He's from the tundra."

"The tundra?" Martyn raised an eyebrow. "That's far. What brought you all the way to the Moss Kingdom?"

"There wasn't really anything for me in the tundra anymore." Etho replied after some hesitation.

"Interesting." The blonde nodded.

Much like Grian and Etho, Martyn was all dressed up for the evening. He wore a black suit with a red rose peaking out from his pocket.

"Hey Etho." Martyn said. "When you get the chance, go out the garden."

"There's a garden?" Etho frowned.

How do plants grow in the sand?

"There's a small area off the left that has soil surprisingly un affected by the crystal curse thing." The blonde man explained. "Not sure how it came about; it's been a part of castle exterior for as long as I can recall."

"I saw a few times we I delivered here." Grian chimed in. "You should be able to find it if you if you just walk out the front entrance and go left."

"Thanks." Etho nodded.

"I'll see you guys around." Martyn waved before talking his leave.

Once he was gone, Grian let out a long, relieved sign.

"What was he doing here?" Etho curiously asked.

"He came to apologize for this." He moved to show off his broken wing. "A bit late, if I'm being honest."

"Yeah." Etho simply nodded. "Are the others getting ready?"

"Mhm." Grian nodded. "Those three have to make sure they look their best."

"Of course." He smiled underneath his mask.

* * *

Etho found his way to the garden, proud of himself for only having gotten lost once on the way. The garden area was an unusual sight, the outside covered in sand and dotted in rocks. A wall of large brushes leading to an inner area of grass and flowers. A big intricate foundation of pure quartz stood at the center of the Coastal Queen's garden.

Etho stepped onto the pathed grass, taking in the sight of the various shapes, sizes and colors of flowers. Oddly, there was a small spot beside an arrangement of lilacs and poppies that the sunlight shied away from. A clump of small white flowers grew there with nothing else in proximity towards it.

"Etho! How's it going, my dude?" An unfamiliar voice greeted him.

Ren, the queen's bodyguard, excitedly waved to Etho. The brunette had changed into a nice white tunic, black suspenders and red bow tie since time Etho had seen him. The protector also took note of the sword at Ren's right hip. That gave the man in black tinted glasses one more sword than Etho.

"Ren?" Etho questioned. "Did you want to meet with me?"

"Of course!" The brunette gave a toothy smile. "We haven't had any time to talk bodyguard to bodyguard and I want to change that."

"Alright." The man with light gray hair nodded, giving a light smile under his mask. "Where do we start?"

"Firstly, I need to tell you how spectacularrific you're looking, Etho." Ren told him.

Etho couldn't help but get all giddy from the compliment.

"Thanks." He managed to muster, before he attempted to repay the kind gesture. "You're outfit looks good too."

"Thank you!" The brunette grinned, before turning towards the fountain behind him.

Etho followed the other man's lead, peaking his head over the white fountain. Light reflected off the water and all the lilac petals that floated around inside it.

"The fountain is calming." Etho stated, letting himself relax as he towered over it.

"It is." Ren agreed.

They stood there. Admiring the fountain, the view, the garden. Sometimes taking a moment to appreciate what's around you is a nice way to anchor yourself in the world.

"What's it like being King Bdubs bodyguard?" Ren finally asked, looking up to Etho.

"It's pretty good." Etho stated. "It comes with a free food, a comfy bed, B—"

"Is that why you do your job, Etho?" He asked. "For material possessions?"

Etho didn't answer.

Why am I doing this?

Boredom? Entertainment? Maybe I really only do it for the benefits.

Etho closed his eyes, imagining himself to be back in the land of ice. The tundra. He shivered. Snow covered his clothing and darkness his surrounding, except for the rubble in front of him. The structure had been reduced to nothing.

Nothing.

Etho had nothing left in the tundra. No connections, no home. Everything he once had was gone, leaving him empty and lost and freezing in his own failures.

He wanted to sink to his knees and let himself be buried in the snow, but something inside him kept standing. Regret.

"No." Etho finally said, snapping out of the memory. He looked down, avoiding any eye contact with Ren. "Not exactly."

"Oh yeah?" Ren curiously turned to hear his answer. "Why are you the king's bodyguard then?"

"It started out as something for me to with myself, but now I want to protect Bdubs." Etho confidently stated. "I care about him and I don't want anything bad to happen to him."

"I see." Ren nodded, understanding. "I wish you luck with your mission."

Why would he wish me luck? Bdubs isn't in danger.

"You too?" The man with light gray hair fumbled for a reply.

"Thank you." Ren nodded, slowly walked past Etho as he left the garden.

Etho stood in the garden for a while. He didn't know what else he would even do to pass the time, so he spent ages starring mindlessly into the fountain.

"Hey!" An unfamiliar voice greeted him.

Etho jumped, whirling his head around to the ginger haired girl from the Wizard Coalition. Her braid fell her right side, over the white shawl and pale purple dress she wore.

"H-Hey." Etho replied, unable to fully compose himself.

"Your King Bdubs bodyguard, right?" She asked.

"Yeah." He nodded. "I'm Etho."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Etho! We never got to properly met at the meeting." The ginger said before introducing herself. "I'm Gemini of the Tay family, Wizard Appreciate to Leader Joel of the Small-Beans family. But just Gem is fine."

"It's nice to meet you too, just Gem." The man with light gray hair joked.

Gem laughed. Afterwards, she turned her gaze down to the flowers. Her emerald eyes widened.

"Lizzie's added more already?" Gem muttered.

"More flowers?" Etho questioned. "How can you tell?"

"Last time I was here, I only delivered a few of the hemlocks—the small white flowers." Gem explained. "They were a gift from Joel, weirdly enough. I'm not sure what the gift was for, but being the wizard leader's apprentice means I have to run errands like delivering flowers and letters."

"I think the flowers are a nice edition to the garden." The bodyguard stated before being taken aback. "Wait, are hemlocks poisonous?!"

"Only if you ingest it." Gem was quick to assure him. "The worst you can get from touching it is a rash and even that is pretty rare."

"What is the poison like?" Etho curiously asked Gem.

"It's brown or straw colored." She answered. "The poison is taken from inside the plant's stem. That's why its fine to touch."

That's good to know.

"You know, the Moss Kingdom's royal guard captain and I actually had a conversation about poisons once." He brought up.

Now that I think about it, Cleo and Gem look somewhat similar. Except Gem is more lively. And much nicer to me.

"Poisons are pretty interesting!" The wizard smiled, before fully realizing what she had. "But not because I think they're a good thing! I hear getting poisoned is actually really painful."

"I don't have much experience with poison." Etho stated.

"Neither do I." Gem admitted. "But it's nice to know about them just in case."

"Yeah." He agreed.

* * *

"How long has he been getting ready for?" Etho asked.

"Not long enough!" Bdubs called back. "I can hear you, ya know!"

Cleo, Etho, and Grian chuckled at their king. The three of them had already gotten ready for the ball, with Cleo sporting in a sleeveless deep blue dress that ruffled at the end. Black gloves went down from her elbows to her hand. A thick black choker lined her neck to match the gloves. Due to the nature of their dress, the deep scars that went from her neck to her shoulders were now visible. Her long orange hair was pulled up into a bun, curly bangs decorating her cheeks.

"Hey, Scar?" Grian knocked on the door him and Scar's room. "How much longer are you going to be?"

"Just a few seconds!" Scar replied, before dramatically opening the door.

Grian's face turned as a red as rose.

Scar was dressed in a purple swallowtail coat vest with a white button up shirt underneath. He his bottom half was matching black pants and boots. His brown hair was freshly slicked back, the right of Scar's face—the scarred side—was on full display without his bangs in the way.

"You look good, Scar. Really good." Grian told Scar, frozen in place as he eyed the other man's outfit.

"You're looking quite handsome this evening as well, Grian." Scar charmingly said, only causing the two of their faces to be the same shade of red.

Following Scar's grand emergence, was an unsurprisingly about of public displays of affection from both himself and his hybrid friend. This left Cleo and Etho awkwardly standing off the side of the two, awaiting the emergence of the Moss King to go to the ball.

It didn't take Bdubs much longer to get ready. Upon on his entrance, Etho was nearly taken aback by the king's shiny hair. He likely used some kind of gel to shape it, scoring himself an inch or so of additional height. His crown was perfectly placed upon his head. The king wore a white silk tunic, with quality brown pants, and spotless black boots. His non negotiable moss cloak fell halfway down his back. This was likely to make it easier to dance at the ball, since a long cloak would be mercilessly stepped on.

Bdubs looks really good... I'm flabbergasted by how he's presenting himself. Much like Grian when he saw Scar's outfit.

"How do I look?" Asked the Moss King.

"Great." Etho was first reply. "Amazing, actually."

"I am amazing." Bdubs agreed, holding his hand over his chest.

"You look spectacular." Cleo smiled.

No word from Scar or Grian. They were probably preoccupied.

"You're looking nice tonight, Cleo," Bdubs said.

"I'd like to think I look nice every night." She smirked.

"You know what I meant." The royal crossed his arms. He turned to Etho, pausing for moment before going back to moving his hands around while he talked. "You're looking good too, Etho."

"Thank you." Etho softly blushed from underneath his mask.

"I can hardly tell that you're the world's messiest person right now." He teased.

"I retract my former 'thank you.'"

* * *

"The ballroom is this way." The blonde maid informed the Moss King and his entourage.

Even the kingdom staff was dressed up for the ball. Case and point, the blonde maid now wore a cherry red sleeveless dress with long red gloves. Her blonde hair was pulled into a high ponytail and googles sat atop her head. Her blue eyes carefully watched as the group of five entered the ballroom.

Upon entered the ballroom, they were all met with the sounds of elegant string instruments playing a peaceful tune. Tables were set up with food and snacks, others were left empty to simply sit if desired. Various palace servants wandering around with platters of pristine orange wine. The drink was a dark orange, and the possibility of mistaking for brown at first glance was high.

Much like the rest of castle infrastructure, the ballroom was comprised of quartz and sea blue prismarine as an accept color. Above the wide open ballroom, hung a sea blue chandelier that illuminated over the room. Along the back wall was a series of open windows that let the moonlight peak in the ballroom to further light up the room without the need for candles or torches.

"Do we have one of these in our kingdom, Bdubs?" Etho spun around to ask.

"My kingdom." Bdubs corrected, before giving his answer. "And n-no. There is no ballroom."

How are there so many people in one room? How many people are going to be all this ball? How do I know when to dance?

I don't even know how to dance!

"First ball?" King Bdubs guessed.

"Yeah." Etho nodded. "I don't even know how to dance."

"That's alright!" Cleo interjected. "Scar and Grian can show you."

"I don't know." Grian squint at the more open section where people danced.

A familiar pink hair woman came into view. Lizzie slide across the floor in a pale pink dress with long sleeves. A faint glimmer of her crown and necklace outlined them amongst the low lighting. Her pink hair was no longer in two buns, but instead left long enough to fall to her lower ribcage, pulled into a low small partial ponytail in the back. Her hair danced along with her as she took the hand of man dressed in green.

That man was Joel from the Wizard Coalition. His dark brown hair was nearly obscured in the low light, the red steak being what stood out in his hairstyle. The wizard leader wore a dark green suit with a long black cape that barely hung above floor. The cape spun in sync with the queen's long pink hair.

Near the end of their dance, Lizzie gracefully spun into Joel's arms, before allowing him to dip her. They nuzzled upon returning to their feet, giggling playfully in each others arms.

Grian and Scar slowly looked from the sea of people before them to one another. They both nodded, before staring at the queen and the wizard.

"Scar." Grian said, sounding determined. "We can't let them show us up."

"Agreed." Scar nodded. "Let's show everyone here how to really dance."

Scar stepped forward holding out his hand. Grian took it with a not a second of hesitation. Some people cleared out of way for the two to get to the main dance area, others got bumped by Grian's large lavender wings as the two made their way through the sea of people.

Once Scar and Grian began dancing, their movements were enough to mesmerize the most uninterested of people. Grian's movements were light like feather, which perfectly complimented Scar's heavy as iron steps. The two took turns leading and following, ending with Scar dipping Grian.

The two held their pose, before the hybrid could no longer handle the feeling the breathe of the other man, without passionately kissing him.

"They're an item?" Etho asked with wide eyes.

"Obviously." Cleo snarked. "What else would they be?"

"Friends?" The man with light gray hair awkwardly guessed.

"No those two!" Bdubs laughed. "I'm shocked you're just now figuring this out."

"They didn't tell me." Etho frowned.

"They probably didn't think they needed to tell you." The orangette added.

"Well now you know, Etho." Bdubs recapped, struggling not to laugh as he spoke. "Scar and Grian are a couple."

"I'm happy for them." Etho said. "I just wish they had told me..."

King Bdubs, Cleo, and Etho made conversation for bit while Scar and Grian found themselves dancing to their hearts content. Various people stopped by to speak with the Moss King, though the most notable of night (so far) was Prince Jimmy of the Coastal Kingdom.

Jimmy was dressed in a nice blue suit with an open blazer a white tunic underneath. His silver crown reflected moonlight off of it.

"Are you having a good time, King Bdubs?" The blonde prince questioned.

"I am." The Moss King smiled.

"That's good." Jimmy said.

Jimmy didn't have the guts to turn away and leave, so he inched himself away from the three until he was far across the room. Martyn, wearing his black suit, could be seen awaiting him with a platter of drinks. Ren was nearby in his nice suspenders, though he was significantly less enthusiastic about everything.

"Excuse me?" A vaguely familiar voice came from behind Cleo.

"Yes?" Cleo turned around.

The blonde maid from outside the ballroom door, likely being on temporary break from her duties, stood behind Cleo. She seemed nervous, though after a deep breath, her eyes creased with confidence.

"Would you like to dance with me, Cleo, Captain of the Moss Kingdom's Royal Guard?" The woman asked, offering a hand to the orangette.

"Oh my," Cleo gasped, excitement and astonishment both on display at once. "I would love to."

"Thank you, Captain Cleo," The maid said as she received Cleo's hand.

"There's no need to be so formal," The orangette stated, as the two drifted away. "Call me Cleo, please."

"Alright, Cleo!" The blonde nodded.

Cleo and the blonde ponytailed woman got lost in all the dancers, leaving Bdubs and Etho alone.

"Hey, Bdubs?" Etho leaned in.

"What is it?" The king asked.

"Can we go to the food table?" He glanced over to the table multiple times.

"Why do you want me to come with you?" Bdubs questioned, confused.

I don't want to be alone with this many people.

"I've never been to one of these events before." Etho said. "I need to stick with the expert."

"Alright, I suppose I am the expert," Bdubs agreed. "Let's go try the Coastal Kingdom's cakes."

* * *

There were five different cakes on display at the food table. Etho tried all of them. Twice.

The king's bodyguard made sure to eat other foods as well, but his snacking mostly consisted of desserts. A plate full of dessert was a dream come true for Etho.

"Ah, King Bdubs," A familiar pinkette greeted the king with a bow. "It is my greatest pleasure to have you as a guest of honor in my kingdom."

"Thank you, Queen Lizzie," Bdubs replied.

"I'm glad we could reach peace and have this ball." The queen stated, giving a small smile before briefly glancing around.

"Me as well." Bdubs answered, hesitantly.

From the other side of the room, Joel waved to Lizzie with a face full of cake. He sat at an empty table eagerly awaiting her return.

"I have to go." Lizzie sighed, before he felt lit up a faint red. "I hope you're enjoying the Coastal Kingdom's refreshments."

"I actually haven't had any of the wine yet." The ravenette king admitted.

"You've got to try it!" Lizzie exclaimed, waving someone with a platter over. "I heard it was fresh squeezed today."

"From what?" Etho asked.

"I don't know. I don't prepare the drinks." Lizzie shrugged, grabbing a glass.

Martyn had walked over with a single glass on his platter, now being handed to Bdubs by Lizzie. The dark orange of wine was much more brown than it probably should have been, the color unchanging as the glass moved towards a horizontal axis.

Wait. Brown...

Bdubs, no!

Etho slapped the glass out of Bdubs hand, glass shattering and brown liquid spilling all over the floor.

Lizzie had taken many steps back in advance, Ren protectively rushing to her side. Bdubs starred at the ground, before looking up to Etho with a face of pure rage.

"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?!" Bdubs demanded, closing the space between himself and his bodyguard.

"Your drink–" Etho started to say, to over to be shouted over by the shorter man.

"It's all over the ballroom floor!" The king complained, making a fist of anger. He leaned in to whisper to Etho. "Do you know how embarrassing you're being right now?"

Etho froze.

Maybe I saw the wrong color? The orange was so similar to brown, maybe I got scared and overreacted...

"Queen Lizzie, you should do something about this predicament." Ren nudged the queen.

"Y-Yes, of course!" Lizzie agreed, coming back to reality. She brought up her hand to point at Etho. "That man is dangerous! Apprehend him, Ren!"

Ren did as he was told, quickly holding Etho's wrists behind his back. Etho reached for his sword that he did not have, hopelessly sinking into Ren as he glanced up to an angry Moss King for something.

"Does your bodyguard normally act like this?" Lizzie leaned over to Bdubs.

"No. I have no idea what's gotten into him." Bdubs said with his teeth gritted.

"Ren, escort him to the dungeon." The Coastal Queen commanded, waving Ren away. "I'll Martyn bring you another drink."

As Ren pulled Etho away, he looked at the puddle. It was a brown liquid with glass pieces surrounding it. Brown liquid.

"Bdubs your drink was poisoned!" Etho shouted, struggling against Ren.

"What?" Bdubs frowned, glancing to Lizzie.

"Wh-What?!" The pinkette spun her head around in a panic. "I don't know what's going on either!"

"You were unsatisfied with his food offerings, so you tried to poison Bdubs!" Etho accused.

"I– I didn't!" Lizzie protested. "I didn't know about the poison or even where it came from!"

"It came from your garden." Etho said. "You have hemlock in your garden."

Lizzie froze, before spinning around to Martyn who was slowly backing away.

"It was Martyn!" Lizzie pointed out the blonde to everyone. "He's been serving drinks all night, so he must've noticed the difference when he brought yours out!"

"Martyn tried to poison me?!" Bdubs gasped.

"You should execute him for that." Cleo chimed in.

"Hey, hey!" Guards began to swarm and capture Martyn. "I didn't do this! I'm just a simple servant for the Coastal Kingdom!"

"Yeah, Lizzie," Jimmy agreed, stepping up to her. "He couldn't have done this."

"You're right. He couldn't have done this alone." Lizzie agreed. "That's why he worked with you!"

"ME?!" Jimmy screamed. "I would never poison Bdubs!"

"You certainly tried." Joel stated, glancing at the puddle. "Luckily for us, you failed."

"I didn't!" Jimmy argued. "You don't even know if there was even poison in that cup!"

Lizzie waved over an unfortunate servant and pointed at the puddle. They got down and drank the brown liquid. After some painful waiting, they dropped to the ground wheezing and eventually suffocated.

"That's hemlock, Liz." Joel confirmed, stepping back from the recently deceased.

I... I was right...

I wish I wasn't after having to watch that.

"Jimmy." Lizzie turned to her brother and Martyn. "I can't believe you would try to ruin such an important night for our kingdom."

"I'm telling you Lizzie, I didn't—" The prince attempted to protest.

"Guards!" She waved her hand, turning her back on her brother. "Get him and Martyn out of my sight!"

"This is all your fault Timmy!" Martyn's yell was the last thing anyone heard from the two before they were gone from the ballroom.

Bdubs stood with a hollowness to him, trapped in the moment. He finally managed to turned away from everyone, gesturing for Ren to let Etho go. He did so, and the two met up with Cleo at the king and his bodyguard's side. Scar and Grian weren't far behind them, quietly watching everything unfold.

"The Moss Kingdom won't be sending any food to the Coastal Kingdom." Bdubs informed Lizzie, turning his back to her and walking away.

"Wait, wait! Bdubs wait!" Lizzie ran after him, holding her dress up to run. "Th-This was all an accident!"

"I can't let an accident like this side, Lizzie." Bdubs frowned, stopping to turn around to her. "My life was threatened."

"But you can still uphold your agreement to send my kingdom food, right?" She desperately pleaded.

"No." Bdubs simply, walking away.

Lizzie screamed for the Bdubs, her guards, an apology, everything. None of it stopped King Bdubs and his entourage from leaving that room.

"I WILL DECLARE WAR!" The Coastal Queen called out in hopes to stop him. "You're going to regret making an enemy of me, Bdubs! I will destroy you're entire stupid moss kingdom for this!"

Finally, Queen Lizzie was out of earshot.

"Everyone get your things." Bdubs said, no emotion in his voice. "We're leaving."

* * *

Etho, Bdubs, and Cleo did a quick wardrobe change for the journey home. Scar and Grian couldn't find the time, especially since guards began blocking the carriage. Cleo had to do some light threatening and give a guy a black eye in order for the guards to clear out.

Just like on the way there, Etho and Bdubs rode on horseback while the other sat in the carriage.

Etho's chest was heavy. He know Bdubs was angry with him, but he too was afraid to say anything. He sat on his horse, breathing in the thick, tension filled air as quietly as he could.

"About earlier," Bdubs started, before closing his mouth. "I..."

The king fell silent. He opened his mouth to speak, but the sounds that came out were not words. They were noises of guilt and regret.

"I'm sorry." He finally managed to say. "I'm sorry for yelling at you and calling you an embarrassment."

"It's okay." Etho assured him.

"You aren't an embarrassment to me." Bdubs stated. "I want you to make sure that you know that."

"I forgive you, Bdubs." Etho replied.

"You saved my life today." The king reminded. "I can't thank you enough."

...

"My life is in your hands, Etho. I have full trust that you will protect me from whatever comes my way in the future."

I hope I can do that for you, Bdubs.

_____

Author Note:

I might take a little itty bitty break from Protector for 3 reasons.

1. I'm getting close to my burnout point. I don't want to get burned out, because then I'll disappear for a year again and I don't want to do that. 

2. I want an update schedule so badly, but I'm not confident I can work on a deadline. So I decided to give stockpiling a couple of chapters a try and then posting them weekly or biweekly.

3. Kinda similar to point 1. Protector a long fic (by my standards, anyways) and I know I'm going to be writing it for a while. I've already been working on it for a over a two years, I think we'll be pushing three or have gone over three when it finishes. I just want to write a little fic that's less than 10 chapters, you know? Something smaller to while I take a break from my second biggest fic ever.

Anyways, I hope you guys (gender neutral) enjoyed this chapter! I know I did. 

Also, happy early New Year!