"It looks like both the prince and princess are having sweet dreams"
Blue jewel eyes shifted to look at the two toddlers that had curled up on his side, "...she did sing a song that chases bad dreams away."
Not missing a beat, the familiar voice responded cheerfully, "Yes, the fairies must have heard her song and gifted them both with the most sweetest of dreams."
"You're full of nonsense these days."
A chuckle rang in his ear, but he didn't mind. His own words had no heat in them. His focus remained at the small beings that peacefully slumbered away.
The frivolous one shifted closer to his pinkie, face scrunching. 'Sensitive to surroundings, despite being asleep,' he noted, '...a good sixth sense for a royal.'
His jewel blue eyes shifted to the other one, the wary one. It made him curious that despite being near-paranoia when they had first encountered, the child was now sleeping peacefully, forehead resting against his index finger.
He brushed his fingers over the frivolous one's platinum blonde hair, just like hers, "so troublesome, sleep."
Waiting until the child's facial features relaxed, he took off his hand before hovering above the wary one. For a moment, he stared at the familiar facial features.
It was obviously his, but at the same time, the discrepancies were obvious. The child had longer lashes, a tad lighter shade of hair under the light and the child's eyes were rounder, much like hers had been.
His fingers brushed against the golden locks, and felt himself freeze when the boy whined.
As he stared at the two toddlers, for a moment, he had expected someone else. Wincing at the sudden headache, he leaned back to rest his head against the wall. Staring at nothing, memories he had wanted to forgot nudged upwards to the forefront of his mind.
The same memories the two toddlers were dreaming. The memories he remembered just a few days ago after the wary one had fallen into the water.
Feeling a shift, his eyes glanced down, only to find the younger one had reached out and took his sister's hand in his. Their grips had tighten around each other. He ran his free hand through his own golden locks. Aiming to leave his bed space to continue on his pending work, but he froze as he took note of one thing he hadn't immediately noticed.
Twin small hands had gripped on his fingers— his pinkie by the frivolous one, and his index by the wary one. Frowning, his shoulders lost its tension as he leaned back once more.
-♕14♕-
'Huh? Where Am I?'
Blue jewel eyes turning to the familiar staircase, blonde brows furrowed in confusion, 'Ruby Palace?'
Indeed, eyes running through the familiar open area, Athanasia could discern that she really was in the Ruby Palace. 'Then why does something feel... off?'
"Noona?"
Hearing the familiar voice of Ardy, she jumped. Trailing the location of the voice, she couldn't help the gasp of surprise that escaped her lips. Ardy was going down the stairs, wearing a cute brown suit and shorts that made her lips curl upwards unconsciously. But what really threw Athanasia off was the fact that her baby brother looked older than five.
Even if he still looked tiny.
"Noona, where are you?"
'Over here, Ardy!' she wanted to cry out, but much to her frustration, she could only watch. 'Am I inside another dream?' she couldn't help but wonder, a frown forming on her face.
The boy continued his search, and Athanasia trailed after him, much like a ghost. How was she seeing an older Ardy? He seemed to be... seven? No, Ardy was on the small side, so she supposed that he was around eight. Yeah, eight.
Is this one of those predictive dreams of the future?
No.
She critically eyed Ardy's clothes and condition. This Ardy was much thinner than her own baby brother. Although this little prince wore the most adorable brown suit (anything her brother wears is absolutely adorable!), she knew her own brother like the back of her hand.
Sadly enough, her Ardy would prefer to wear lose and cool clothing rather than these suits. He rather disliked heavy wears and would rather move freely.
Her fingers twitched at a sudden revelation. Suddenly feeling parched, she tried to lick her lips to reduce the dryness of her throat, to no avail. The rustling sound filled both the searching boy's ears and Athy's ghostly ones.
"Noona?"
A muffled shriek entered both their ears at the same time. Athanasia could only watch, dread pooling in the pit of her stomach as her younger brother immediately ran at the direction of the sound.
The shriek came from one of the many empty rooms of the Ruby Palace.
Ardy stopped, a frown on his handsomely angelic face. He stood still outside the slightly ajar door. There were voices. Voices Athanasia never heard in her life.
"... It's fine, there be two of 'em, right? Then it ain't a worry if we get this and sell 'er eyeballs! 'Sides, Ol' master just told us to get one of 'em outta picture, yeah?"
A shudder ran through the observer's body at the rough laugh that followed after the exclamation.
"It ain't like yer daddy cares 'bout yer pretty lil' head of yers!"
"Ye, aint it better to leave the male as the heir"
"don't 'cha mean spare"
There was a another muffled shriek followed by quiet sobbing.
Ardy peeked inside before gasping. She could only watch in fear as the voices suddenly died down, obviously hearing the loud gasp.
Athanasia felt fear from the deepest part of her heart. Fear for the little boy's well-being. Fear as she already knows what would happen. 'Watching too much K-dramas in your past life does that to you, I guess,' she thought bitterly.
The door slammed open, and a thick arm yanked her brother up to the air from the collar of his shirt. "Gah!"
"Well lookie here, we got'ta rat in our midst, eh?"
'Ardy! Argh, these bastards! Let my brother go!'
"Oh, ain't this the other one?"
Stepping out in the light, Athanasia could finally discern the intruders. There were two of them, one had a nasty scar from his cheek down to his chin, whilst the other one had no discernable features except for his jaggy yellow teeth.
'Ew'
"Ardy!"
Feeling herself jump once more, she felt herself rooted as she noticed that there was another version of herself. 'God, this is confusing.'
The older Athanasia was struggling from the grasp of yellow teeth, tears falling down her chubby cheeks as her jewel blue eyes were focused on the choking prince in the grasp of scar face.
"Noo...na?"
"Ardy!!" the captured princess shrieked desperately
"Ah, shuddup!"
Smack
Everything happened at once.
Yellow teeth slapped the princess in the face, and Ardy, who saw it all, grew livid and screamed. Unbelievable power warped around the small room, and scar-face flew back, grip forcibly released from the prince exhibiting such power.
"Let my Noona go!" the young boy snarled, eyes glowing bright, the room filling chilly despite being a mere apparition.
'What... is this?' she had to wonder, confused and amazed that her brother could do such a thing.
Yellow teeth fell on his back, eyes wide in fear and surprise.
"Ya lil' bastard!" Scar face raged, dashing towards the prince who had his back turned.
Ardy glanced back, and ghost Athy felt a shiver ran down her back at the absolute livid stare of the young boy. The man heeding no fear from the look, continued his charge, but as Ardy rose his hand, the man flew back once more.
Crack.
She held her breath at the ominous sound. Her eyes remained wide at the messy scene.
Scar-face remained in the ground after that.
"Kya!" The captured princess winced as her platinum blonde hair was suddenly yanked, halting her from her silent escape.
"Noona!"
"Ya'll think you so good huh?! Well say bye bye to yer precious Sister!"
"NO!"
'ARDY!'
"ARDY!"
The boy flew forward, eyes desperate to stop the blade the desperate and angry man had unveiled a sword from the nearby décor. As if in slow motion, she saw how the boy's hand glowed bright in power, she saw how the giant blade passed through the small body as the boy's own hand jabbed within the man's torso.
The explosion of light blinded her for a moment. What she saw after that made her wish that the light never receded.
Blood... so much blood splattered across the carpeted floor. Three unmoving bodies sprawled.
Scar-face who never stood up after his raged charge.
Yellow teeth whose body had raptured, leaving only his head intact.
And a young boy, the wound she had expected on his body, gone, without lifeless blue jewel eyes— focused on the sister who he had tried to protect— she would have thought he was just sleeping.
Finally, she saw the princess who was a victim of it all, staring, frozen in shock.
"PRINCESS! PRINCE!"
"Ardy..."
The princess' jewel blue eyes remained wide with frozen shock, hands trembling as they gripped her dress. "No... Ardy..."
The lifeless eyes of her brother stared at both princess' souls.
The familiar voice of Lily filled both princess' ears, but neither could turn to the door as it slammed open, and shrieks of surprises echoed. One woman with brown hair and warm sky blue eyes dashed forward to the princess' side, pulling her to an embrace, shielding her from the carnage.
Although, they both knew that whatever the princess saw would forever be engraved within her memory.
"L...Lily.. Ardy..."
"..."
'A...rdy...'
Lily didn't reply, only tightening her embrace around the princess as silent tears fell down the Nanny's face. The princess moved her small arms, struggling from the embrace as her own tears trailed down her young face, "Lily! Where's Ardy?!"
The demand was ignored as Lily tried to stop the struggling princess from seeing even more.
"LILY! GIVE ME ARDY!!"
The desperate shriek pierced through everyone's ears and hearts. The maids who had watched everything could only bow their heads as their princess shrieked and wailed for the prince who will never answer.
"He can't... Ardy...!"
Through it all, Athanasia who could only watch with frozen horror felt her chest tightening.
Because her worst fears was affirmed. She knew which Ardy and Athanasia this vision showed her. She knew and she loathed it.
Because..
'Ardy...'
Because Ardy died, and it was all her fault.
ლ
👀 Cliffhanger~ mwehehe
Well, not really ^^'
How's the plot for you guys? :D Got any idea of what's going on so far? :3
I also thought of a fun thing :D Imma post some random fun facts (both canon to wmmap and to my fic, lovely twins)
Fun fact: Ardy likes sour things the most because he never got to try it out in his first life :P
Anyways, see y'all next week Monday~!