The first thing you noticed was the pain that coursed through your veins like half-molten lead, heavy and agonizing, but not to the point of searing. It was worst at your side, below your ribcage, and around your wrists. The second thing you noticed, as you opened your eyes, was that you were laying on a stone slab turned into a bed, a white blanket draped over you, covered in red splotches. You were disgusted for a moment, thinking that you were lying in someone else's blood, until your memories rushed back to you: Darkleer and his bow, the rebellion, falling asleep in Kankri's arms. All of it slammed into your head like a train. The stone bed was in a small room, the slab, about the size of a twin-sized mattress, nearly touching the other side of the wall. There was a single candle fighting noblely against the darkness of what appeared to be a large, damp cave. As your vision focused, you found that there was another patch of red, belonging to a sweater worn by a familiar face. Kankri, who was currently sleeping, his head lolled toward you as he snoozed in a cheap wooden chair.

Simply his presence made the pain coursing through you lessen, and then you frowned as you saw that he had a bandage wrapped around his forehead as well as a small cut on his cheek. Without really thinking, you went to touch it, simply tracing the red line across his cheek in a whispering caress. Even this, however, stirred the light sleeping lowblood, and soon your eyes were met with crimson orbs and a smile.

"You've finally woken up. I'll go grab you some food. The medic said that your wound is mostly healed, so you just need sustenance." He said, stretching and getting up before you could get your mouth to work. Now that he mentioned it, you did feel weak, and starving. As if on cue your stomach did it's best lion impersonation, and quite the inspirational quality in that the retreating red-blood heard it as he closed the curtain that quartered you from whatever population inhabited your current home.

As he left, you sat up; your entire abdomen feeling like there was a giant bruise. You lifted your raggedy shirt, looking more like a tunic from the medieval period of human history, threadbare and stained off-white. You're skin was pale and you could see ribs sticking out where a fighter's muscles used to be, back when you were a fencer in your high school's team. You were number one in every competition, and it had been this scholarship that had paid for your trip to Alternia. Now, you had lost every ounce of fat and muscle, barely alive. But then again, you had an arrow fired into your body, and had essentially survived crucifixion, a feat larger than most. You had large scars covering your wrists where the irons had been, pebbled skin rising up in the rough patterns only created by horrible burns. But they had not gotten infected. You couldn't even remember the pain of any of the events, simply that they had happened, merely the safety and comfort you had felt in Kankri's arms.

He walked back into the room, a tray with a large hunk of bread, some cheese, and various pieces of fruit, as well as a glass of water. You dug in greedily, offering him some, which he kindly refused. Instead of making any comments, god or bad, he simply watched you eat, and you simply ate, not really noticing the silence over the sound of desperate chewing, the kind only used by the starving. It wasn't until you were done that you were able to talk, and ask him questions.

"How long have I been out?" you asked, still swallowing the last of the strange, overly sweet orange he had brought you. The food had done you well, and you could feel energy returning.

"Almost a month and a half." He answered, causing you t choke as you swallowed down the last of it, coughing for a moment, while he had a distressed expression.

"An entire month? How does that even happen? How did I not starve to death?" You shouted, blue eyes wide and newly obtained energy going straight to aggression.

"We fed you some mush everyday. Well, I did. It takes a while, but it was that or let our leader starve to death while she was injured." He answered, becoming alarmed when you jerked up, throwing the blanket from yourself, and standing up even though the movement hurt like hell, and you felt like your own deteriorated body weighed twice as much as it used to.

"Dammit, why would you leave an unconscious chick as your freaking leader? Especially when I'm barely an adult, and you have plenty of people more capable than me?" You asked, leaving the room, though you had no idea where you were going. Outside the room, you were shocked to find a small group of people with more on their way. Karkat was one of them; his eyes sparkling with happiness, though his face kept it's usual scowl. While his eyes were still grey, the beginnings of his family's crimson was starting to show in them, as well as the fact that he now stood up straight, rather than his normal slouch.

"Why are all of you crowded here?" You asked, having no clue what would prompt them to do so, until a young girl, hair in black pigtails, her grub legs still disappearing, walked up to you with a bright, rusty blush.

"Um…W-will you sign my book?" She whispered, holding out a small book about a red butterfly that became blue. It was based on their class system, and was the closest thing to freedom to move classes that you had seen. You shrugged, and took her pen, writing your name on the cardboard pages. She smiled bigger than you had ever seen a child smile, and scampered off to her group of friends, all of them giggling in delight.

"Kankri what did you tell these people? Why are little kids asking for my autograph?" You demanded, assuming he had to have told them some kind of lie or exaggeration.

"They're just happy to see out leader is well again, _." He answered, smiling behind you, his hand twitching with the want to touch yours, or wrap around your hip, but not knowing where you stood.

"Well, someone fill the leader in, then. How did I end up in a cave, and where do we stand on the rebellion." You asked, figuring that whatever bullshit he fed them was there to stay at this point. To this question, a large, brown-blood stepped forward, his horns being nearly as big as you. He had a sword of proportional girth, and you were vaguely afraid of him, until you remembered that he was on your side.

"We won the original battle, but one isn't gonna win a war. We're still fighting, and we had to retreat to an underground base just outside town. By the way, you have to stay in this half of the building, or no one will be able to understand you. The translator gets iffy this far out." He said, grinning in spite of the fact that he had bandaged over the entirety of his right eye.

"I see. And who's been acting as temporary leader while I was taking my month long nap?" You ask, hoping the joke will lighten the mood, which had since dropped.

"Kankri has been tactical leader, with myself acting as the military leader. That is, when he wasn't sitting next to you like a puppy with a sick master."

"I was assuring that our leader as well as my Matesprit was well, of which there is no shame. I had ever right to do so, especially since I had nothing much to do with the military operations, seeing as how that was your job. All I ever did was give speeches that no one listened to." He said, scowling at the jesting warrior.

"Isn't that the damn truth? I mean your father could talk, but you just go on and on." He laughed, and everyone else chuckled a bit to, though at the mention of the name, the mood seemed to become even more somber.

"Where is your father, anyway?" You asked, hoping that the gloom surrounding him didn't mean what you thought it did. But nothing had gone as you thought since you got here, so why would it now?

"In the first attack, they singled him out as the leader, and he was shot by the Orphaner himself." Kankri spat, grey fists clenching white.

"I'll kill that son of a bitch myself." You growled, though your legs were starting to tremble simply from standing for this amount of time.

"You won't be killing anyone any time soon, fearless leader. You'll get well, get your strength back, and when I say, you can go into battle." The brown-blood said, smiling at you, and patting you on the head like a child.

"Don't treat me like a little kid, bastard!" You snapped, glaring at him.

"You've been with Karkat too long, with that mouth." He joked, and you just gave him the look that could have stabbed out his other eye.

The crowd slowly introduced themselves, though Kankri and your warrior friend stayed with you, as you sweated with the exertion of simply holding yourself up. As the last little child gave you a tight hug, you collapsed, both men catching one arm, and holding you up. You passed out, pale and gasping for breathe.

Time passed, nearly a year, and everyday you got stronger. You stood in the operations room, planning out various attacks with your two advisors. Kankri never touched you in public, and never did anything that crossed any sort of boundaries. When walking and running were no longer challenges, your warrior, whose name was Razian, decided that sword practice was in order. Kankri wanted you to learn guns; instead, so that you wouldn't be in the heat of battle, but after finding out that you couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, that idea was abandoned.

"Come on, is that all you got?" Razian taunted, both of you layered with sweat as you caught your respective breaths, blades in hand. He had his giant great sword, and you had a smaller, faster rapier.

"No, I have two eyes." You answered, knowing that he didn't mind the playful banter.

"That was harsh, for someone who's pink and squishier than the mush she eats." He retorted, coming at you with speed greater than that one would assume a man of his size possessed. You, being much more agile, however, avoided it easily, and lashed out with your smaller weapon, hitting the fencing vest he wore so that your faster movements wouldn't injure him.

"I win again." You gloated, grinning and grabbing the large bottle of water next to you. He frowned, doing the same.

"Yeah, yeah. Keep bragging. Just remember who taught you to fight in the first place." He said, and Kankri walked in, holding two bowls of heart stew. The two of you dug in, stuffing your faces.

"Sometimes I forget that females on your planet are supposed to be dainty." Kankri told you, and you raised an eyebrow at him.

"Sometimes I forget men on your planet are suppose to be taller than women." This was a jab at the fact that he was actually exactly the same height as you, and shorter than any troll other than his own little brother.

"Shut up! That's not something I can help!"

"Neither can I help being more masculine than you think I should be. I can't very well command a bunch of fighters if I can't fight myself." You answered between gulps of half-chewed food.

"I suppose so. By the way, you were both wanted in the operations room when you quite rolling around like greased up human pigs." He said, and you horridly ate the rest, before challenging Razian to a race, his long legs against your agility.

In the end, surprisingly, Kankri won, though he was not a part of the race, and yourself and the warrior were deemed a tie. You wondered how it was that Kankri had been able to outmaneuver you. From what you understood, he was just a teacher. He sat in front of the children and talked for a living.

"Kankri, aren't you suppose to be in briefing?" one of the others who ran the room with you, making sure that all of the signal suppressors were fully operational, seeing as how that was the only thing that kept your little base from being overrun with highblood armies.

"Wait, briefing?" You asked, and he slapped his palm to his face, glaring at the man.

"Yes. For the mission I'll be going on this afternoon." He sighed, and your brows furrowed.

"You never told me we were sending our fucking teacher, the only one who can educate our youth, on dangerous battle missions." You growl at everyone in the room, and the technology manager stood up, seemingly annoyed by this.

"Every man must pitch in. he eats, so he has to risk his hide like the rest of us." The other man spat back, the two of you standing breast to breast, glaring at each other.

"Fine then. I eat more than him, so I'll be doing double quotas. If he's not to essential to this operation, than neither am I."

"I've been saying that for months, you selfish bitch." He snarled, trying to use his height to intimidate you, seemingly not realizing that you sparred with the largest man in the compound for fun.

"You know what, I don't think I've ever seen you go out of the compound, either. Perhaps you'll be going on my first mission with me. A daytime mission, since that'll really hit them where it hurts." He grabs you by the collar of your rough tunic, and lifts you up off the floor.

"That's enough!" Razian shouted, backhanding the man. "You are a subordinate, so start acting like it."

"And there is no way that we'll be able to allow our leader into an average battle situation." Kankri said, grabbing you by the shoulders, and shaking you slightly.

"I'm going to rescue the prisoners of war, just like we had planned. The only difference is that I'll be with them, and I'll scout it out while the sun is up." You say in a voice that resounds finality.

"Dammit, why are you so stubborn?" He said, his voice no longer angry, but concerned.

"Because if I wasn't, I would be dead." You answer, storming out of the room to prepare for your first mission.

You were wearing the suit that you had been given the day you awoke. The uniform of your men with a few changes. Like theirs, yours was a long tunic with slits up to the hips, with silken tights beneath, having just enough slack to allow a full range of movement, but not nearly enough to cause drag. They wore a dark purple, with a crescent moon on it, whereas yours, being more ceremonial in intention, was bright yellow, with a sun on the breast. You pulled your hair back, and sighed as you looked at the black boots you would wear for the first time. The blade that you would carry not for the hell of it, but so that you could draw cool-toned blood with it.

You were thinking of what you would do, the jitters of voluntarily risking your life coming back for only the second time in your life. Because of your thought, you didn't notice when the curtain to your room was opened, reveling Kankri.

"You don't have to do this, you know." He said, making you jump a little.

"You remember that first day you took me to see the children?" You asked, avoiding his question.

"I do. I remember every moment I've ever spent with you like it was yesterday." He answered,

"Then you remember the adoring looks in there eyes; the fact that you were their role model, their favorite person in the whole world? You remember that you are a teacher, and a preacher's son. You are not a fighter, Kankri, so why would you go out and risk death? Why, when you mean so much to everyone around you?" You said, turning to face him with tears in your eyes.

"I could ask you the same question. When you walk in the room, simply having gotten to see you makes everyone's day. You're nearly a deity to these people, and yet you decide that you're going to go out on the most dangerous mission we've done since your little crucifixion fiasco." He said, wrapping you in his sweater-covered arms.

"I can't let them down. It's because they see me as great that I must prove myself. But you have something outside death, Kankri. You're their teacher, their inspiration and their healer. Blood is the only thing they see in me, in you, they don't see blood, of any color, and that is what makes you great." You whispered, and he simply wrapped his arms tighter in response.

"I love you," he mumbled into your hair, followed by moving your head so that his lips could reach yours. To your surprise, you felt his tongue probing at them, and as soon as the momentary shock had worn off, you opened them, heart speeding up as he yanked you flush against him, and dominated the cavern of your mouth. Your fists moved to his hair, longer than usual, and clawing into it, panting. He moved his mouth from yours, instead choosing to kiss down your neck.

"You. Are so? Beautiful." He said, in between kisses, stopping where your shoulder began and biting down hard enough to draw candy red blood from your skin. You gasped, and in doing so, bucked further into his body, which was fairly firm for a teacher of small stature.

"W-what brought this on?" You asked, shoving away from him, panting like a dog.

"The thought that I might lose you. I had always taken everything slowly, telling myself that we are young, and have plenty of time, but we may not. And I'm gonna use what we have to the fullest." He said, his voice lower than you remembered, and a predatory smirk on his lips. On the one hand, you had that it was the sexiest thing you had ever seen, and on the other, you had that this was completely unlike the composed scholar.

Without words, you spelled your agreement as you jumped into his arms, wrapping legs around his hips as he walked the both of you over to the stone slab that was your bed. His warm hand slipped beneath the tunic, lifting it over your head. Your pale pink skin blushing red, you gasped as he cut to the chase to fast. He licked a line of red saliva from your belly button, between your breasts, and up to the space between your collarbones, placing a small nip there.

"Damn, Kankri. How many girls did you have before I showed up?" You asked, wriggling at his seemingly expert movements.

"No one. What kind of troll do you take me for?" He replied, a bit out of breath himself. If there had been room, you would have flipped him over, but nearly any movement would have landed you on the floor. You sighed, deciding to simply sit up and take him with you instead. He was a little shocked, and was easily made to be laying below you, though he had to hold his head up lest it fall over the edge. You pulled his sweater off, reveling relatively chiseled muscles, and the strange fact that he had neither a belly button nor nipples.

You gave his left horn an experimental stroke, wondering if they were perhaps the replacement for the sensitive buds of human men. His eyes rolling back into his head, as well as the wanton moan confirmed your theory, and you smirked, happy to have control once more.

"Not…fair…" He panted, hips starting to move up into yours, ashen face bright red in the throes of passion.

"Neither is sneaking up on me. We're both dirty cheater."

"What your doing is dirty, alright…" He said, removing your arm, and twisting you so that you were facing the sky on top of him. His hands moved to cup and knead your breasts for a moment, before moving down to slid a hand in your tights while the other assisted in slipping off his own. As he started moving his fingers against your most private of areas, he smirked and you groaned, rubbing your battle-toned ass against him. After only a few moments of this, he moved you again, this time ending up back with him on top, and behind you. "But I can be far more obscene."

Your eyes went wide as you felt a wet, wriggling something against your sex, and you cried out in a mix of pain and pleasure as he jerked himself in. It should have been blinding agony, what with the size and your lack of experience, but the odd slime which covered the alien appendage as it thrust like a train seemed to keep you from feeling that pain, instead, causing you to feel release coming faster than you ever thought possible.

By the end of things, you had released three times, the final dragging him with you, red-tinted goo filling you up. As everything calmed down, the pain in your hips started to set in, but had no time to register fully as you passed out in his strong, but still naked, arms.

The next morning, you grumbled as your hips felt the pooling of throbbing pain, and you smacked Kankri on the head, waking him up. He jerked, falling off the bed, and into the stone of the floor. How you both fit in it to start with was a mystery anyway.

" You know that the mission isn't until three days from now. You haven't stopped me." You tell him, wondering if this was his reasoning.

"I could do it every night, then you'd be sore the day of." He answered, getting up and looking you in the eye with a small smile.

"As if. You're cut off until I come back. And what the fuck was with the biting. There is blood, Kankri." You stare at him accusingly.

"Trolls are a rough species. You're lucky you're my Matesprit, not my kismesis. They get pretty messed up sometimes."

"What the hell is that?" you asked, grabbing a towel from your small drawer. It was usually for working out, but it would have to work.

He explained the entire romantic system, including the fact that he was expected to fuck someone else.

"Well, good thing we don't do that in our new order." You said, putting your clothes on and throwing him the towel, "I refuse to share, and in my culture we only have one. You belong to me, and only me, my cute little teacher."

"Actually I'm pretty sure that I gave the dominance mark, the biting, so it is you who belongs to me." He argued, walking over to his own clothing. You scowled and walked up to him, biting his shoulder just hard enough to leave a small mark, though not draw any blood.

"There."

"No, it doesn't work that way. I did it during intercourse, and I did it first, and this is the most pathetic mark in the history of dominance marks. No one will even see it." He said, and your temper rose.

"Are you fucking judging me on the fact that I can't do the kinky troll things you do? People on my planet don't DO that shit."

"You know how I feel about cursing."

"And you know how I feel about bleeding, but you didn't give a fuck about that, did you?"

"Calm down. It's only once. Then it'll scar, and we're together."

"Wait, it's supposed to scar?" Your voice squeaked out. He had basically given you a permanent hickey, and it made you want to bash your head against the cave wall.

"Of course. It's similar to a human wedding ring, I suppose. It shows you as being unavailable. Of course, some won't respect that, seeing as how it is possible to break up a matespritship, but it is very unlikely, and will ward off most rivals." He explained, and you almost passed out. Again.

"SO WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST GET ME A FUCKING RING, YOU DICK?" You shouted, hands twitching with the urge to punch him.

"Where am I supposed to get one? We don't even have gold on this planet, so it would have to be imported, and would cost more than the entirety of this revolution's budget. And either way, most trolls don't know this practice, and all we need is people hitting on you." He defended, and you sighed, trying not to have a rage stroke.

"Fine. But help me find something to cover it up with, it's embarrassing." You said, still equating it to earth standards. Only whores went around showing off hickeys, and you were not one.

"Are you embarrassed of me? Do you regret last night then?" He looked like he was about to cry, and you sighed again.

"What, no, but you can't just walk around with a hickey. It's indecent, perhaps even triggering, as you would put it." You tapped your foot, and he pouted.

"Well, they can deal with it. I want everyone to know that you're mine, and that mark is the only way that they will know for sure." He said, like an indignant child, even stamping his foot.

"So it means more to you than political correctness? Fine. But I'm kicking anyone who makes a snide comment in there, whatever that thing you got going down there is."

"Fair deal." He said, yawning, as you walked out, limping really.

You were once again suited up in your room, this time ready to go. You had your blade in your hand, and your boots on your feet, ready to head out. It would be just you and Razian, and the prisoners once you had freed them. Because there were roughly twenty men you were going to save, you didn't feel the need to bring a large party with you. You gave Kankri a quick kiss before heading out, your warrior following you out.

The trip to the city was easy enough, seeing as how it was nothing but bare field, sparsely covered in grasses among dunes of coarse sand. The sun was high in the sky as you stood on the outskirts, looking at the guarded entrance. You grinned as you saw the two moons starting to move in front of it, a rare double solar eclipse. It would be to your advantage in that you and the lowbloods were much less sensitive to the light; however, any highblood caught out in it would be blind in no time. Holding the cloak tightly over you, just in case, with grey make-up covering you, and false horns upon your black-died hair, you walked up to the guards.

"And who are you?" A man with green blood asked, and you scowled at him, blue eyes glaring.

"Someone of much higher blood than you, so step aside, so that I can bring in this dangerous criminal, unless of course you'd rather me set him free?" You had Razian chained up, and growling, to look like a prisoner.

"But…"

"Hurry up before that blasted eclipse, unless you want to be responsible for a highblood death, and meet your own, filthy moss-blood." You growl, and he lets you through. You yank at the chains, and your warrior reluctantly followed you. You moved quickly, going for the keep in the center, where you had been held prisoner. You knew that they relied on the thick doors to keep them safe, and that they would give the keys to any highblood who seemed to have a semi-legitimate reason. It would be all too easy, really.

You walked in, taking the cloak off, and walking up to the desk, where a blueblood sat, his eyes widening in shock as you approached.

"How did you manage to catch this one?" He asked, and you smirk, trying to look as confident and cocky as you could.

"I have my ways. Now give me the keys and the bounty, so I can lock this bastard up." You said, and he nodded, hanging you the key ring.

"The Orphaner himself will want to congratulate you." He said, and you smirked wider.

"Good. Nothing better than an audience with the Emperor." You said, dragging your "prey" behind you into the cellblock. Down in the prisons, two stories below ground, you let Razian go, sticking your rapier through the single guard posted there.

The others were shocked, until they recognized your face. You told them to be quiet as you started unlocking all the doors, and noticing that chains were now placing in them. Those were soon gone as well, and you had a group of twenty-four behind you when you wiped the make-up off, and removed the horns. You couldn't do much about the dye right now, but they should recognize the skin tone, which was your intention all along.

You went back up, and the day watchman was shocked as he led his monarch into a room full of enemies.

"And here you said that she had captured a rebel leader. She is THE rebel leader, you dunce." Dulscar said, pulling out his gun. A sharply aimed rock from one of your companions got rid of that plan, bending the muzzle to leave it unfireable.

"I'll be taking my friends back, you crazy fish." You snapped, drawing your sword and standing in front of them, wishing you could have come up with a better heroic one liner than that, but figuring that it would have to work.

"I don't think so. If you're under the impression that I would let the leader of the biggest thorn in my side of them all go, you've fried what little was in your pathetic human mind." He said, laughing in spite of the fact that his weapon was gone.

"I don't think you have a choice here."

"I have an army, and you have twenty half-starved prisoners." He said, and you stood a straight as you could, pointing a blade at him.

"How about we settle it much easier. A one on one, Oh Great Emperor?" You suggested, and Razian simply looked alarmed, but didn't speak out.

"Very well. Fetch me my blade." You stood there, staring at him as the watchman ran out, returning a few moments later with a long, sharp blade. There was a dragon decorating the hilt, in fierce battle with what looked like some kind of octopus, perhaps the horror terrors Kankri had told you about.

"Then let's go. You win, we all die, I win, you let us all go as your purple blood stains this pretty white floor." You say, and he nodded, coming at your with lightning speed. You sidestep him, and scowl as you realize that you were both speed fighters.

You shot out your foot, nearly tripping him on the ridiculous purple cape he insisted on wearing. He responded by landing a kick to your face, sending you flying into the wooden desk, breaking it apart. He walked up to you, and you blocked the blow of his sword, your own rapier digging into your hand.

"And you even have a Matesprit, do you? Wonder how much they'll cry when I throw your mangled body from the city gates, my sign carved into the body he thought was his." Dulscar taunted, and you did what you told Kankri you would do to anyone who made a snide comment. You kicked him in the crotch, causing him to step back, eyes watering in intense pain.

"Don't even mention him." You growl, your attacks growing faster with each passing second. The violet clad monarch was clearly on the defensive, until he drew a small dagger from his belt, shoving it into your stomach.

"_!" Razian called, but didn't interrupt.

"Thought that I only had one weapon, did you? Of course I carry a belt dagger, perfect for smiting filthy peasants." He gloated; laughing so hard he threw his head back, and closed his eyes. You took this opportunity to flick your rapier out, and sever his over inflated head from his body, purple blood gushing everywhere like a demented fountain.

"Thought I'd sit there and let you gloat? Should have asked your predecessor how well that works out." You say, falling to your knees. At this point there is no doubt that you've won, and the bluebloods around you drop their weapons in surrender. You smirk, telling the others that there is no need to return to the base, other than to tell the others that you've won.

You heard Kankri call your name as he ran into the room where you stood as one of the ex-prisoners who were a medic was putting fresh bandages on your nearly naked torso. You saw the glare that Kankri gave her, but you gave him a look that told him not to start.

"So we finally won, then?" He asked, and you smiled big.

"Yup. I only had to kill two friggin' emperors for it to happen, but the other highbloods have agreed to give up, with the Grand Highblood himself signing the treaty."

"I knew you could do it." He said, giving you a kiss on the cheek.

"Uh-huh. Sure." You rolled your eyes, but kissed him as well.

"Okay, so I was a little worried…" He rubbed the back of his neck.

"So remember that democracy thing I told you about?"

"Yeah?"

"Wanna try it out?"

"Why not?" He smiled, nuzzling into your neck, wrapping you in his arms from behind, and making you feel safer than ever before. Victory was sweet.