History Has Its Eyes On You ~ A Hamilton Fanfiction (Book 1, Act 1)

A Magician's Finale

(Y/N POV)

My neck ached, but not because of the scrape inflicted across it. I could barely remember it when I awoke. Why had I fallen asleep? I wasn't tired, I wasn't nauseous, I wasn't sick... From what I could recall, I was with Co-

...Cornelius.

Somehow, that man had discovered my name and was entirely confident in saying it aloud, no hesitation to whether it was correct or not. He must have known me for some time now. I was certain that I didn't know him; never in my life had a stumbled upon a Cornelius until I joined the war. He would be instantly recognisable, too, as he stood for one of the tallest, if not the tallest person that I had ever met.

If he were a relative of some sort, I should know. None of his features resembled mine or Emily's... like David's had. That cruel man, I still had his drawing stored beneath my clothing drawers. I should have considered finding him when I took my trip to England, although he could have fled to anywhere in the world by now.

Alas, Cornelius was undeniably unrelated.

Fluttering my eyelids, I perceived an army of trees surrounding me. Some were stumps, whilst others stood tall. It was night, based upon the encircling darkness and campfire to my side. A campfire lit by whom? My mind had not fully engaged with my state of consciousness just yet, but peering to my right, Cornelius sat on another stump within the wood, clasping his hands together for warmth and eyeing me down.

My head had been resting on, again, another stump, supported by the neatly folded jacket that he had taken off. Now all that was left of him was his white shirt and breeches. I scrambled backwards, still fearful of him.

"Don't be afraid." He held one hand out, commencing with his stare. Curiously.

"...Here." He pulled out a pocket sized mirror and offered it out. I fancied reaching for it, asserting my trust into him once more as I had for so long. But my hand refused, frightened at the thought that he would strangle me as he did.

"It's okay, don't worry." His smile was good natured; it was a rarity that Cornelius smiled. It had a distinctive hint of cheerfulness, a persuasion that he was a threat to nobody. I quickly snatched the mirror away, half of me still anxious that he would clasp my hand.

He sat back as he was, permitting me to flip the mirror. I looked to him for guidance, and he placed his hand onto the side of his neck. His gesture made me check the scar:

It was gone.

"...How did you do that?" my voice croaked.
He sniggered to himself. "A little... remedy of some sort."

There was not even one trace of its existence.

Pale skin, blended in with that around it.

"Drink this." Cornelius took a flask placed by the fire. "I filtered water from the river." I inspected the contents inside of it, giving it a small swirl. Cornelius chuckled once I proceeded to hold my nose to it. "I haven't tainted it! Look." He took a sip from the flask himself. "See? Water."

I tasted it for myself: he was right. Purified water, some of which I hadn't tasted for a long time. I rapidly gulped it down, brightening his smile. "You appeared dehydrated. I wanted to help."
I gave him a subtle nod. "...Thank you."

Despite his help, he still left many questions unanswered. "H- How... How do you know my... my-"
"There are many things that you do not know, Miss L/N. Much more than you could imagine." he confessed. It was almost surreal to hear someone use my real name, after being referred to as Sophie Hamilton for so long. With a long sigh, Cornelius got to his feet.

"Come. I would like to show you something."

~

Cornelius led me to the midst of a field. At first, I felt terrible unease going out there where Redcoats could be anonymously lurking about anywhere we turned. However, Cornelius was able to reassure me. "I searched the area when I went to collect water." he'd said, "The British are far from near now."

He sat down on the grass, beckoning me to sit beside him. I did as he insisted, figuring that it were to be for a reason. "Up there." He tilted his head up to the sky; unlike in the trenches, the stars traced patterns across the ebony sky in a variety of vibrant colours. "Aren't they beautiful tonight?"

The way he gazed at them was like how any man nowadays would gaze at a woman. They were his own, personal enchantress to feast his eyes upon. Consistently, he appeared as a newborn, discovering new elements of the world by the second. He even giggled like a child.

"They are wondrous creations, truly wondrous..." Cornelius admired in awe. A moth hovered above our heads.
"Why is it that you love them so?" I questioned, for I had so long been intrigued by his fascination.
He only smiled. "This world barely knows of their elegance and refinement. Damn if I even knew it for myself. But then are always little details that you can reach out for-" He crushed the moth suddenly into his fist, waiting momentarily to open it back up and reveal a butterfly. "-And make it into something beautiful." The butterfly fluttered away in a carefree motion.

Hardly believing in what I saw, I halted my breath. "A- Are you a magician...?"
"You could say that." he chuckled. "Though I am afraid that magic is not my speciality, Miss L/N."
"Then what are you? An- And how do you know my name?"

After all this time, he chose to answer.

"I'm just like you." he responded in a simple form. "A barren outsider stuck at the edge of their own existence." Cornelius put his hand upon mine. "We need each other, Y/N. As you need little Miss L/N, as Mr Hamilton needs you both."
"You... know my s- my-"
"Longer than you have known."

I narrowed my eyes. "You're a spy?"
"I think we'll stick with 'magician'. Has more of a catch to it, don't you agree?"

Cornelius sighed, peeking his head up again. "There is a universe out there, Y/N. A universe that neither of us will be able to reach. A replica of our very own universe, but... untarnished. It's inevitable that I cannot exist there, but you? Well you are probably looking down upon us right now. Catching every word that we say, or at least... every word that we want you to hear."
"I don't understand, Corne--"
"I wish to be there one day." he admitted. "Perhaps that is where we go when we fade away."

He left the stars, studying me finally. "You will shape this universe, Y/N. You will make it a better place for those on the other side to look down upon with joy. You will be their saviour. And I cannot wait to see it happen."

"...Maybe we should find the others," I distracted him, "we shouldn't be out her-"

"Y/N." Cornelius gazed at me, piercing his blue eyes into mine. He didn't grin- he couldn't. But he stared.

"You have her eyes."

My vision flickered, and sending me back to consciousness, he had gone.

...He...

...

...It...

...

...Wait...

...

...Who was I talking to...?

~~~~~~~~~~

Just discovered that I am an alto.

Altos uNITE.

Also I have recently became engrossed into Les Mis; despite that I have watched the movie 10,000 times, only now do I truly adore it for the masterpiece that it is. If you haven't watched it, I seriously recommend that you do, it's phenomenal