Total Eclipse of the Heart (Royal AU Wally x reader)

Chapter Fifteen

Throughout the race tracks were carefully placed sorcerers, using spells to create obstacles such as covering the ground in ice, making it move in waves and making pillars appearing and disappearing out of the ground. With each lap the riders made, they would become a little more intense. There was also a part of the tracks that passed through the woods, towards the end of the lap.
Naturally, the use of any magic was prohibited for the chariot riders, which wasn't such a problem to the High Council of Spades, since – ironically enough – the Kingdom of Spades has the lowest rate of magic-users in the Land of the Four Kingdoms.
The Spades champion had a rough start. Yet with each lap, he slowly but surely made his way to the head of the race. Every Spades person in the audience was on the edge of their seat. Lady (Y/n), seated between Catherine and Gwendolyn, held their hand tightly. The riders were now on the last lap. The Diamonds and the Hearts were going back and forth between first and second place, while the Spades was close to third.

"Come on..." Gwendolyn said under her breath. "Top three."
"Bronze medal... Could it be?" Catherine looked at (Y/n), who was intensely staring at the race while chewing on her bottom lip.
The chariots passed through the patch of trees, out of view. Only a few seconds later, everybody gasped when the chariot harboring the colors of the Spades Kingdom came out first. The High Council members jumped out of their seats and simply (shamelessly, some might say) screamed, the volume of their four voices equaling the entire audience's. (Y/n) had to keep herself from crying victory in the old Spades language. The crowd gave shocked applaud after a moment.
But from the highest seat on the bleachers, Wally's eyes narrowed.

A short moment after, the chariot dashed through the finishing line, which was right in front of the bleachers, and the applauds suddenly stopped. (Y/n)'s heart dropped.
The chariot was empty.
The people grew concerned as the other chariots arrived as well, the empty one had to be stopped since the horse kept running. The audience whispered amongst itself, confused. The King of Hearts stood up and said – shutting everyone up as soon as he spoke – that he shall personally look into this matter, along with his sorcerers. In the meantime, he invited everybody to move to the afterparty, nearby the race course. As everyone was leaving, (Y/n) sent him a worried look. He noticed her and nodded with a reassuring smile. She smiled back, though she did have a bad feeling about this.
The guests moved to another outside area, with tables, food, music and decorations. A space made to celebrate the winners of today's race, today's event, as well as the Shuffling overall. But in this moment – although happy for those who have come second and third – all that everyone could express was worry, intrigue, they'd glance at the High Council members.
"What do you think happened?" someone once asked.
The four of them knew that it was a question of bad faith, which would lead to the assumption that it was the work of some 'dark Spades magic'. They have by now learned how to respond to such things, though Arnold of course was being the most aggressive about it. (Y/n) did ask them if they knew anything, but they were as clueless as everybody else.

Finally, Miss Partridge walked to the center of the area, so that everyone could see and hear her. Other sorcerers were behind her, along with the chariot rider of Spades. He was covered in dirt.
"Ladies, gentlemen, and other esteemed guests of the Shuffling," Poppy spoke. "I'm afraid that this mystery has the simplest and most unfortunate of answers." she gave the Council member as apologetic look.
(Y/n) didn't like the sound of that at all.
"We have found this gentleman at the edge of the woods." she continued. "He claimed to have fallen off his chariot. But as I inspected the said chariot I found this." she raised a wing, she was holding a crystal the size of a walnut. "Not only in the chariot but also on the horse's harness. There were also one just like this on the end of the tree patch. These are teleportation crystals."
There were shocked gasps in the audience. The chariot rider looked down in shame.
"It would seem that he had placed the third one during the race. Since no one can see in the patch of trees, he wanted to take advantage of that by teleporting from the entrance to the exit, turning the minute it would normally take into seconds and gaining precious time." she faced the rider. "One key detail that you missed, sir, was that just because you are on it, you are not part of the chariot. You should've had one on yourself as well."