The knight, the shapeshifter, and the witch (Nimona x Reader)

Judgments clouded

Clouds cover the sky as people enter a small bar called "The Antlered Serpent".  Inside the old-fashioned bar, people barely touch their mugs of alcohol, their eyes downcast with a solemn look, not saying a word to one another as they think over everything that has occurred.

In one of the booths, a hooded Ambrosius is nervously looking everywhere, hoping to spot even a glimpse of Bal. As his fingers tap repeatedly on the table, he sees Bal coming by. As relief fills the golden knight, the dark knight is quick to sit down and stare into his eyes. "You have thirty seconds." He quickly says, leaving Ambrosius in bafflement. "Thirty seconds?!" Bal glared as he took a shot at the knight.  "That's a lot more than you've given me."

Ambrosius decides to go on, the urgency in his voice. "I'm here to save you and the girl," Ambrosius whispers, making Bal groan. "You are so full of-" 

A server cuts in, speaking in a chipper tone as he stands before the two. "Hey! Can I get you guys something?" The two frustrated men snap their heads to the boy and sharply say, "Nachos!" simultaneously, making the server jump. Ambrosius takes a breath and speaks more softly. "Please."

The server nods and walks off. Bal broods for a second before shouting, "And hold the olives!" He then speaks in a more teasing tone while holding his anger. "He's allergic."

Ambrosius continues. "Bal, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't important." Bal crosses his arms as he retorts. "And I wouldn't be here if you stood up for me." Ambrosius glares, not liking that. "That's not fair. " Bal ignores that as his attention goes to the TV. "We're done. So is she."

The TV announcer speaks up, changing topics on what's new. "We now go live to the Institute." Ambrosius keeps pressing while a man calls to the bartender. "Hey, turn that up!" To which the man at the counter does so.

The Director speaks into the microphone with the video playing behind her. "Citizens of the realm, that is not me in the recording. I know it looks like me and sounds like me, but it is not me. That was the monster working with the real queen killer, Ballister, and the rouge witch, y/n." A picture of the three attacking with a malicious look on their faces. "They are trying to trick you."

Bal's face falls and he shakes his head. "That's a lie." Making Ambrosius glance at him as the Director goes on. "We are under attack by something that can take any form. It could be anyone." It shows a video of Nimona turning into a little girl. "Your spouse, your child, your best friend, the person sitting next to you." People around the pub are giving each other suspicious glares. "None of us are safe so long as the villain, monster, and witch are still out there."

Bal watches this all with dismay. "She's twisting everything. Ambrosius, we are not the villains here!" He pleads with desperation, watching his plan fall to pieces. Ambrosius holds up his hands, a small smile on his face. "I know." He steadily takes Bal's clenched metal hand, squeezing it. "I believe you." As Bal looks at the golden knight, Ambrosius feels the tightness in his throat coming on. "I... I'm sorry...for everything." He could feel the tears coming as he looked at the damage he had done. "For your arm. She manipulated you. She manipulated both of us, but together with the kid, we'll take her down and prove it to the kingdom." He leans back and pulls out Bal's sword, his real sword, and sets it on the table. "You'll be a knight again."

Bal puts a hand on the weapon and smiles, relief swelling in his chest. "Thank you. The Director can't get away-" Ambrosius leans back in surprise. "The Director?" He sighs, realizing the two of them are not on the same page. "Bal, I'm talking about your sidekick. She set you up." Bal furrows his brows in confusion. "What?"

Ambrosius keeps talking. "This was all her plan. All of it. She's evil, Bal." The words snap Bal out of his trance, and he retracts his hand. "E-evil? No, you're wrong. We've been wrong about everything." 

"Wrong about everything? Then explain this." Ambrosius reaches into his cloak and pulls out a small scroll. "This scroll has been in the Institute vaults for a thousand years." He rolls it open, making Bal look with suspicious eyes. It was the battle of Gloreth and the monster. In the heart of the beast. It was the same girl Nimona turned into when she was comforting a child. "Look at it." Ambrosius insists as he sees Bal light up with realization. "It's her. She's Gloreth's monster. She's come back to finish what she started, and she's using you two to do it.

Bal shakes his head, not believing this. "But she's my friend. She treats y/n so nicely." Ambrosius frowns at this. "Aren't I more than that? And look..." He taps on the leftmost side of the scroll. "Recognize this?"

Bal looks and sees a familiar symbol of a person. "Is that...a witch?" The symbol was of a woman with a witch hat on, a drawing that seemed to show the energy of the witch being taken by the beast, weakening the woman to lay as the color fades at her feet to show she was dying. "It was told that they found the woman deprived of not only her magic but her soul. That monster could do the same thing to that girl. We can slay this monster. We can go back to the way things were."

Bal gets up swiftly and heads to the door. "This was a mistake." Ambrosius shoots up from his chair and is about to follow after until he realizes he's about to leave the sword behind. "Bal, please." He pleads, but Bal is refusing. "I can't do this! I'm done!" Ambrosius does not give up as he grabs the blade. "Listen to me! She's using you to destroy the kingdom!"

As Bal stomps off, Ambrosius is rushing to him. "Why won't you admit it? You're both in danger?!" He grabs at Bal's arm, who pulls away sharply. "Why can't you just leave me alone?!" Making Ambrosius back up and drop the scroll and sword to the ground. Ambrosius takes a moment to gather himself and looks Bal in the eyes. "Because I love you."

Bal's face softens and the two stare at each other helplessly, not noticing Todd peeking around the corner with a smirk on his lips, his brow raised with smugness oozing out of his mediocre face as he watches Bal rush off with Ambrosius reaching out for him. With that, he follows after Bal.

After a while, y/n and Nimona wake up with a yawn, the young witch still on the shifter's lap. Nimona smacks her lips as she speaks. "MMh. I have not slept like that in forever." As the two look over, they notice Bal standing over them with a serious face. Both of them could feel the tension in the air. "Why do you have your cloak on?" The with notices, slipping out of Nimona's lap.

The both of them flinch as Bal slams a hand down on the table, showing the scroll. "Is this you?" He asks, his glaring gaze fixed on Nimona.

The girls carefully examine the paper, one confused and the other terrified. Nimona's voice comes out shaking as she tries to get answers. "Where did you get that? Who have you been talking-"

Bal snaps in a demanding voice. "Tell me this isn't you." Nimona has a face of oncoming betrayal. "You think I would do that? That that's who I am?" Bal shakes his head. "I don't know. You're the one who told me not to trust anybody. question everything." 

Mimona is quick to jump on this. "That's right! Even now, with this, think about everything we have been through together." Bal leans to her. "I'm thinking about everything we've done. Broken out of jail, stolen cars, kidnapped people, manipulated people."

Y/n jumps in, grabbing Nimona's hand. "She was helping us!" She insists, but Bal shoots back. "She was using us! She wanted them to see a villain. Someone else to hate so she wouldn't be alone To have us rely on her, thinking she's the only one we can rely on." He points at Nimona, who backs up.

"Because you're not a sidekick. You're a m-" Bal is interrupted by y/n. "Sir Ballister!" She warns, but Nimona continues. "What? I'm a what?" She hisses, demanding to know. Bal only hardens his glare at this as he says, "You know what you are." Nimona shakes her head. "No, I want to hear you say it." Bal says nothing, making Nimona more frustrated. "Come on say it." She growls and flips the table, her body getting bigger as y/n backs up. "Say it!"

Nimona's eyes glow, and her teeth become sharper. "Say that I'm a mon-" Her voice cuts off when she sees Bal pull his blade a bit out of his sheath. Bal's glare is gone as he is shocked by his actions as well. Nimona's eyes wander to y/n, seeing the witch clutch her hands over her chest, her eyes wide and her breathing heavy with panic.

Nimona turns back to normal, her face full of disbelief. Bal tries to say something, but an annoying voice from outside cuts in. "Surround the place. You two with me." Light floods into the building and the door is kicked open. Bal and y/n turn to see Todd walk in, missing Nimona escaping with a pink light.

Todd smiles maliciously as he saunters in, a smirk on his face. "Your door is broken."