Everything happened suddenly. Connor yanked you away from Micah and Aiden pulled Micah over to him. You saw panic flash in his eyes and you struggled against Connor.

"Aiden! Don't hurt him!" You yelled trying to push Connor away from you.

Aiden had one hand on the hilt of his sword, the other holding Micah by the collar of his shirt. There was no emotion in his eyes.

"I knew you would be a problem." Aiden sneered as he slowly pulled the sword out.

"Aiden! Stop it!" You screamed. "Connor make him stop!"

Micah looked at the sword warily, "Prince Aiden I-"

"Don't 'Prince Aiden' me. We tried so hard to make (Y/n) realize she loved us and then you come in and ruin it. You've ruined everything." Aidens tone was dark.

You clawed at Connors grip, "I said stop! Why won't you listen!"

Aiden glanced at you before throwing Micah to the ground.

"Oh thank god I-" Your eyes widened as Aiden put his foot on Micah's chest and held the sword to his throat.

"(Y/n) dear. He can't live. We've lost so much progress to him." Connor said softly as he gazed at Micah in hatred.

"No! You guys are insane! Don't hurt him!" You reached out for Micah, but Connor yanked you back.

Aiden pressed the sword firmly against Micah's neck. A small trickle of blood fell to the floor and you saw him wince. Micah looked at you, his face filled with fear.

"Who'll make my dress!?" You cried, hoping to find something to reason with them.

Aiden turned to look at you, indifferent. "We can hire someone else."

You shook your head, "Not as good as him! Please Aiden!"

He scoffed and turned back at Micah, "Pathetic. The only thing you can offer us is a dress. Do you have anything to say?"

Micah went to say something but immediately shut his mouth as Aiden pressed harder.

"Hm, guess not. Well, if you're not going to give me an excuse I'll just have to..." Aiden placed both hands on the sword.

"No!" You screamed. "Stop-!" Connors hand covered your mouth and you shook your head violently.

"Say goodbye to your angel." Aiden mocked as he looked down at Micah crazily.

You screamed and managed to move your mouth away from Connors hand. You saw Aidens weight shift.

"I hate you! I'll hate you forever!" You cried as you sank into Connors grip. "I hate you...I hate you..."

Aiden froze and looked over at you, "You don't mean that dear."

"Yes, I do!" You screamed, your (e/c) eyes filled with fear.

"Why?" He asked innocently.

"You're going to kill him!"

"Doesn't he deserve it?" Connor asked, looking down at you.

"No! No one deserves it! I hate you!" You squeezed your eyes shut and tears rolled down your cheeks.

Aidens eyes darkened and he lifted the sword away from Micah, coming over to you. "You don't mean it." He growled.

You opened your eyes and panicked at his close distance. You could see Micah in the background staring at you in horror. You pleaded silently for him to go.

Connors grip on you tightened and Aiden ran finger down your cheek. You flinched and turned your head away from him.

"Say it dear." Aiden said softly. You saw Micah get up and silently come up behind Aiden. Your eyes widened and you shook your head, causing him to stop.

Aiden took it as you being stubborn, "Say it." He snapped. Micah looked at you, broken, before he turned and opened the door. I'll be back. He mouthed and then he disappeared.

You sighed inwardly and focused back on the person in front of you.

"I'm not hearing any words." Aiden growled.

"I have no words for you." You shot back and glared. The impact of his hand on your cheek sent you reeling.

"(Y/n). Make it easier on yourself." Connor said. "Just say you love us."

You grimaced, "I hate you."

"Wrong answer." Aiden snarled and you shrank away from him as much as possible.

"Why...Why would I love you after you almost just killed someone in front of me?!"

"He's a problem dear. We said you only need us. Not the stable boy and definitely not him." Aiden's finger brushed your red cheek, "It's love dear."

You shook your head, "I want to go home. I want to leave. I want my parents, I want my friends. I don't want you!"

They went silent and suddenly you were lifted off the ground. "What are you-"

"Be quiet." Connor snapped as he stepped out into the hallway, carrying you. Aiden opened the door to your room and Connor threw you on the bed.

You sat up and looked at them panicked. Aiden stood in front of the door, his eyes closed, and arms crossed. Connor's gaze was on the fire, his jaw tensed. You sat there watching them for several minutes. Tentatively, you stood up and took a step towards the door.

"Sit down." Connor commanded, eyes still on the fireplace.

You flinched and sat down, "What are you two doing?"

"Thinking." Aiden stated.

"About what?" You hesitantly asked, fearing the answer.

Connor sighed and turned to you, "(Y/n). The masquerade is in 4 days. You'll be ours in 4 days, and yet...that lowly assistant tried to take you. And you defended him. You defended him and said you hated us."

Aiden opened his eyes and looked at you angrily, "Do you realize how much those words hurt? You seemed to really mean it dear. I don't like how much it seemed real..."

You crawled to the far end of the bed, trying to leave as much distance between him and you as possible.

"And then comes the question: What's your punishment? This behavior can't just be let go dear." Connor said, his eyes cold.

You looked at him pleadingly, "Do what you want. Just don't hurt Micah."

Aidens fist connected with the wall next to the door frame, "There you go protecting him again. What does he have that we don't (Y/n)?!"

You stared at the hole in the wall, shocked. Aiden stood in front of you, "What. Does. He. Have. We have money, we have a palace, we have the looks so why..." He stopped at your fearful expression.

Connor glanced at Aiden, before sighing. "Brother come here for a second." You watched as Aiden walked over to Connor and they whispered a few things. You strained your ears to hear the conversation, but you couldn't make it out.

"But that's-!" Aidens eyes were wide and Connor shook his head.

"No. It's fine." Connor turned to you and smiled. "Dear. Would you come here?"

You shifted on the bed uneasily before you slowly stood up. You couldn't afford to anger them, so you'd listen for the time being.

Connor reached out and pulled you into him, burying his face in your hair. "We love you. So much (Y/n). We're sorry we startled you and tried to kill your friend."

You stood there, shocked. Did he just apologize?

"Why are you-"

"Shhh. We said we're sorry." Aiden said and you felt him wrap his arms around you. "We won't hurt Micah okay? We'll let it go dear."

"Do you promise?" You whispered as you grabbed Connors shirt and looked at him worriedly.

He nodded solemnly and you sank into their touch, relieved. "Thank you."

"Of course, dear." Aiden murmured. The three of you stood like that for a few moments before you tried to pull away from them. Their grip on you tightened.

"Guys...Stop." You said.

Connor sighed, "We only have one request from you for us to uphold our promise."

You stopped struggling, "What is it?"

Aiden smiled, "You don't see him anymore and never say you hate us again. You're only meant to feel love for us."

Your brain tried to process what he'd just said. Never see Micah? How were you supposed to leave the palace then?

"What's wrong dear? You're not answering." Connor asked softly as he looked down at you.

"I-I...I guess that's fine." You agreed and their arms fell away. You'd figure something out.

"Good. Now let's get you some dinner." Aiden said as they pulled you out into the hallway. You passed the fitting room door and glanced at it, an uneasy feeling building in your stomach.

If you hadn't agreed, they would've killed Micah. What else could you have done?

A/N: 4 days until the masquerade! I even went back and counted because I can't remember my own story hehe...Anyway, updates might be coming out at weird times because I'm trying to write A LOT of the story so that I can update while I'm at a camp! Writing this beats writing psychological breakdowns on dystopian societies too (-_-;). Don't follow in my footsteps and actually do your schoolwork children! ^-^ Hope you're enjoying the story!