#shipswap

"I'm afraid it's too late, my boy. It's just too late." He then gave a small, sad smile as his son's gaze shifted to the floor nervously. Suddenly there came 4 loud bangs that shook the whole room. This caught everyone's attention as the room stood and faced the source of the noise. It was the entrance to the room, two large rounded wooden doors that were barricaded with a single plank of wood. The room grew tense as everyone stepped closer to the door. Two of the three guards in the room cast the king a look once they reached either side of the doors, to which the king nodded. Together the guards lifted the wood, and slowly opened the doors as they creaked. Nothing. No-one was there.

There was a collective sigh of disappointment as the guards began to close the doors again. Then, however, a new voice chirped up. "Well, that was disappointing." Quipped the voice. The room swirled to face the new voice, the guards and the king's most trusted knight drawing their swords in preparation. When the group had turned, they were faced with a what appeared to be a young adult, but nothing about her seemed human. Her skin was a sort of shade of dark green and gold, scaly but nearly impossible to tell, and peppered with something unidentifiable, but whatever it was it shone when face with light. Her hair was long, dark, and somewhere between curly and wavy and her nails were black and pointed, like they could serve as a weapon if need be. She also wore enough leather to replace livestock, as her boots that went up to her knees were leather, as were her pants and vest. Her shirt was some sort of cotton, but was a black as the rest of her clothing. Resting above all that she wore a large jacket covered in scales and spikes, unmistakably from a dragon.

On top of all that she sat in the king's throne like she had been there the whole time, her left leg resting on her right knee, and her elbows resting on the arm rests. The knight walked closer to the stranger with a careful judging expression, and sword pointed at her. The mystery figure smirked as she stood and slapped the blade as if it were a child's toy and the knight looked offended, which made her smile grow. She then began to walk around the room, looking around and judging most everything in sight. "You called for me?" She asked, casting a glance with a raised eyebrow to King Richard, who paused being shocked to nod in response. She smirked again.

"You're The Dark One?" He asked, to which she also nodded. She finished circling the room and sat upon the table in the center of it. "We've sent you a promise of gold." The kind explained hesitantly. The Dark One scoffed and chuckled. The king and knight seemed confused, but The Dark One seemed pleased with them being lost. She shook her head and waved a hand dismissively, "No, no, no. You see, I make gold. Simply unacceptable."

The king became despaired once more, and began a statement, but was cut off by the master of magic currently resting on the strategy table, who was scanning the room once more. "I will, however, take," she pointed at various people in the room, pretending to make a random choice, "Eenie, meenie, mineie, that one." She ended her statement pointing at the king's son, smirking evilly. The knight stood in front of him, resting a hand on the handle of her sheathed sword.

"No. He is engaged to me, I cannot allow it." Spoke the knight.

"Well, if you insist," The Dark One gave an overly dramatic shrug as she stepped off the table, and slowly began to exit the room.

"No!" Shouted the prince, which made the wizard stop in her tracks. She didn't turn around, but she did smile victoriously. The prince stepped in front of the knight, closer to The Dark One. "Can you really do it? Can you save our kingdom?" He asked. She finally turned to face him and nodded, giving her most convincing smile. The prince sighed, "Then I'll go."

"No!" Exclaimed the knight.

"Peter, you can't." Said the king.

Peter turned to face them both, taking a deep breath, "Father, Gwendolyn, I have to. What other choice do we have?" Peter pointed to the window, outside the reddened sky was filled with smoke, sparks, and the sound of screams. "Our people are suffering. I can make my own choices, and I can't let this continue. The orcs cannot be allowed to continue." Though they still didn't seem satisfied, they didn't stop him this time. Peter turned back to The Dark One before asking, "If I go, can you promise that the kingdom and everyone in it will survive?"

She looked him up and down before answering. "Yes."

Peter sighed, "Then I'll go."

The Dark One grinned wickedly and stated simply, "Deal."

Peter wished his father and fiancee the best of luck as the king attempted to protest one last time. Peter gave him a sad smile as he turned and left the room one final time, being led by The Dark One.

The rest of the day for Peter was spent travelling to the home of his new captor, often called The Dark Castle. Throughout the journey The Dark One informed him on his new role and it's duties. "You are to be the caretaker of the estate," she explained, sounding like she wasn't entirely used to speaking so formally. "You will have daily chores like dusting, cleaning, cooking, and preparing tea. You are also forbidden to enter the tower in the west wing."

As she spoke Peter's gaze rarely left the carriage's window. When she mentioned the tower he broke the cycle by giving her a questioning look. "Why not?" He asked, genuinely curious.

She wasn't looking at him, rather she was picking at her nails, "It's forbidden." She stated simply. He started to ask again but she cut him off by repeating, "It is forbidden." With this, Peter shrugged and looked out the window again. They didn't speak much for the rest of the ride.

They finally arrived at the building around sundown. As he stepped out of the carriage Peter understood why it was called The Dark Castle. The building was huge with multiple spires erupting from the top and entirely midnight black. The building was covered in cracks and vines as well, and the garden they stood in was filled with long dead plants of every sort. He gulped nervously at the sight of it all, maybe this hadn't been the best decision. She, however, was completely unbothered as she nonchalantly climbed the steps and opened the enormous doors. She gestured inside with a single arm, so taking a deep breath, Peter entered the castle after her.

She directed him around the castle, showing him the lounge, kitchen, dining area, master bedroom, and waiting area. He wasn't sure who would be waiting here, or for what, but he never got the chance to ask. As they approached a hallway of cobblestone she said, "And finally, your room." Peter almost smiled, she was providing him with a room. He wouldn't have to worry about sleeping in the garden or anything. As they trod down the stairs he began to feel uneasy. He couldn't fully tell why, but something about the now cold and dank space unnerved him. At the end of the new hallway there was a wooden door, The Dark One opened it before him as he stepped inside.

Once he did everything seemed off again, the room was empty aside from a plank of wood on the wall held up by chains and a barred window on the left wall. "I thought we were going to my room." He murmured.

"Well, it sounds nicer than dungeon." said The Dark One. Peter's eyes widened as he suddenly realized what was happening. He swirled around and raced to exit the room, but he wasn't fast enough. The heavy wooden door slammed shut before he could reach it. He then heard the click of the door being locked from the other side. In a sudden state of panic he began to hit the door with his fist.