[Automatic] (An Aarmau AU)

A/N- The song above it what I listened to when I wrote The Song of The Void, it's what I imagined that song would sound like.

I hope you enjoy the longest chapter of this story!

"The party is in two day, and Shad and his daughter arrive tomorrow", my father told me as I sat in his office. "You can not call off the treaty now, not when so much is a stake!"

"You told me she would be safe", I yelled. "And yet she has been missing for almost a week. You've done little to nothing to help find her, and the guard has been practically ignoring me"

He sighed, obviously thinking the same this as the guard. "How long did you even know her Aaron", he asked. "A little over a month? Maybe she was just some poor mechanic who thoughts she hit it off with the Prince, and once she found that wasn't the case she fled"

I could feel almost feel steam pouring out of my ears. "She wasn't like that", I screamed. "She was never in it for the money or fame, all she wanted was a friend"

My dad stood up and walked over to one of his many bookcases. "That's what I thought when I was your age", he started. "I thought people were my friends just to be my friend, but I was wrong"

He turned to me. "Your mother was the only one who ever treaty me like a person"

"And that's what Aphmau is like to me", I pleaded. "I'll go forth with the marriage treaty, but please just find her"

My dad almost looked sad for a moment, like he suddenly remembered something he didn't want to. "Very well", he concluded. "Until the girl is found the marriage treaty is off, but you're the one who gets to deliver the news to Shad"

He walked out and I was left alone with my thoughts. Even if we did find Aphmau, would she still want to be my friend? I hurt her so badly, even when I promised her I would always be there. Maybe that's why I needed to find her so bad, I had to make sure she knew I was sorry.

It was almost pathetic, but it was all I had left. I could feel myself actually going insane from lack of sleep and stress. I knew I couldn't do this much longer, that's why she needed to be found as soon as possible. If that meant putting off the one thing that could unite our countries, then so be it.

Katelyn had told me awhile ago that Aphmau had secrets, secrets that destroyed her. She had told me I was one of those secrets, and that phrase that still echoed around in my head. I didn't understand what she meant by that at first, but now I do. We all have something that tears at us from the inside, and for Aphmau that was me.

Yet strangely enough, she is also my secret.

Xx

The music was gone, and the terrible sound of voices replaced it.

When I opened my eyes there were two people staring at me. Two people with red eyes and red armor. One was a boy and the other was a girl and unlike the shadow I had seen in my apartment, they looked exactly like humans.

"The princess finally awakens", the boy says. "Or should I say, almost princess"

The girl slapped him on the arm, and looked back at me. "Come on now, get up. You over slept and we have a lot of work to do"

The boy unlocked the chains on my arms, and I cried out in pain when the girl pulled me up. "Oh don't be such a baby", she sneered. "We could be doing so much worse right now"

The boy laughed. "You're just lucky the boss wants you in one piece for the wedding"

I tried not to cry again when they started pulling me down the hall. I'm not sure how long I had been asleep but my legs did not want to work at all. The two practically dragged my lifeless body down the long hallway.