First of all, little disclaimer, this chappy may be a little dark, so be prepared. xD I can't decided if I like the creepy, eerie feel of a fairytale better than the silly, light 'everything is magicalll' approcah, so we're going to see who this lil' combination works. I mean, I like it, so hopefully you will too!
Second, thanks to Icanhazkingdomhearts for the amazing picture that the tiny multimedia box does NO justice (it was originally just a random image from google, which she edited the shit out of for me, so thank you lovebug, it looks awesome xDD)
Well, yeah. That's about it from me. Enjoy~!
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With a gasp, the world of consciousness returned to the silver haired prince of the Woodlands. Riku was laying flat on his back in the middle of a patch of wet, mossy, marshlands. The canopy of leaves and moss overhead made it impossible to see the sky, but he got the sense that it was nighttime by the sounds of the insects creaking, and the lack birdsong. He could have been unconscious for an hour, or it could have been six, or even a full day. His poor sister could be still trying to outrun the wolf and the huntsman, or she could be long dead by now. The only thing he knew for sure at the moment was that he was in a great deal of pain.
His head was ringing, and his forehead was sticky and slick in places where blood had rolled from the fresh cuts over his eyebrow from the huntsman hitting him over the head with a rock. There were also the stinging gashes across his chest and arms where the monstrous wolf had mauled him, and the ripping pain in his side where he had fallen on his dagger during the fight.
It hurt like hell, but he knew he couldn’t just sit there all day…especially if night really had fallen. There wasn’t a more inhospitable place in the kingdoms than the Woodlands at night. Even the Dark Forest, with its quiet, eerie calm and looming sense of danger, couldn’t hold a candle to the perils of the swampy woods. The Dark Forest was dangerous because of its inhabitants—witches, thieves, murderers, wolves, and beasts of the night—but up here the woods themselves were a threat. The trees and plants were alive, would move, and deceive. The paths would change as you walked on them, leading you in circles or deeper into the mess of swamps at the core of the woods. This place was a nightmare, and he needed to get out as quickly as possible.
He had to peel vines off of his arms to free himself from the ground. It was trying to envelope and bind him until he wouldn’t be able to get up, and eventually it would pull him into the ground and leave him there to become one with the moss he was laying on. These woods were alive, and they wanted him dead. He had to work to free his hand, but once he did he was able to reach for his dagger that was sticking out of the ground a few inches away from his fingertips. The blade itself was wrapped in vines and being pulled into the earth, but he was able to pull it free with relative ease. He then used it to cut the rest of his arm free, then his other arm, then his torso, and finally his legs. Once he was untangled from the mess of vines, he began the painful process of standing up.
The slot in his side where the dagger had pierced him earlier was so painful it was almost paralyzing, but he had no choice other than to press onwards. He returned his dagger to its sheath on his belt, and then grabbed a tall, sturdy fallen tree branch to use as a walking stick. He couldn’t go back home, and he had no chance of finding Snow White again, so he decided his best plan was to get to the nearest town and have his injuries looked at. He would decide what to do after, but for now he limped on.
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You were beginning to wake up, feeling comfortable and warm. You took in a deep breath and snuggled into the soft covers and pillows. You began to think of how very odd it was that it smelled so much like nature in your room this morning. It even felt slightly humid, as thought it had just rained. You were about to roll over to try to catch some last few minutes of sleep when the bed moved under you. Your eyes snapped open and everything suddenly came back to you in a rush. You weren’t at home, you weren’t in bed, and you couldn’t sleep on any longer.
Sometime during the night you had fallen over onto Axel’s lap, and his warm arm was resting over your back. You were literally draped over the lap of a werewolf. You jumped upright and scrambled cautiously away from him. His eyes drifted open and you gasped. They weren’t their normal emerald green.
“Good morning, lamb chop. Sleep okay?” He asked, stretching his arms into the air and tilting his neck to the side so it would crack. Oh. Now you remembered. He may be a magical monster sometimes, but for the most part he was just an unlucky, but normal guy.
“Well enough…” You said, a bit embarrassed for having had such cruel, suspicious thoughts about him. You didn’t know anything about werewolves, and he had proven himself to be nothing but helpful and a friend to you.
“Don’t worry, as soon as we get to a town the first thing we’ll do is find an inn to get you a proper rest.” He smiled tiredly at you as you tried to fix up your hair as best you could into a bun that would keep it all out of the way. As you struggled to get the unkempt mess up and out of the way, you noticed that he was staring at you with a soft smirk.
“What?” You asked self consciously, lowering your hands from your hair.
“Nothing.” He shrugged, resting his head on his hand and continuing to stare at you.
“Really, what is it?” You asked him after a few more painful seconds under his unwavering gaze. “I’m going to put those shoes on in a second.”
He looked stricken, like you had just reminded him of something terrible, ”That’s right, we’ll need to get rid of those…” He eyed them where they were sitting next to you.
“Wh-get rid of them? No. They’re mine.”
“No. No, no. They’re magic. You can’t keep them. Nevermind the dangers of those who could sense magic at work, or the attention it would bring from unwanted eyes. Magic is nice, but it’s addictive. It changes people. You cannot keep these.”
“I just want to be safe from those goblins. If no one can see me, no one can hurt me.”
“That couldn’t be further from the truth…” He sighed, “Goblins are they least of your worries. Just…just hand the shoes over, I’ll put them in my bag, then as soon as we get into town, we will find someone to take them.”
“Hang on, how do I know you don’t just want them for yourself?” You asked, keeping the shoes out of his reach.”
“Oh believe me, sausage, I would love to be invisible. You’ve been hunted for a few days, and you already fear the creatures of the world. I’ve been hunted my whole life, by man, and animal. I’ve been a slave, a prisoner, and left for dead more times than I can count. Truthfully, I shouldn’t be alive today. So yes. Yes I would like the shoes for myself. But I know better than to risk drawing the attention of witches, and being that can sniff out magic. There are worse things people can steal from you than your life. Much worse.”
He held out his hand and looked you in the eye.
“I think I liked you better when you were silly…” You sighed, thinking back to how he was acting when he first found you with the goblins. You handed him the shoes, and regretfully watched as he stuffed them into the cloth bag that hung from one of his shoulders.
“When the world is out to get you, you learn quickly how to lie, and hide your true motives. I wanted you to trust me, and I thought you were more of a fool than you are. I was hoping to earn your trust by getting you to think I was an idiot. But come on, let’s go.” He began to sit up, and lower himself down from the large leaf to the beanstalk.
“I more thought that you were crazy, but—” There was a loud cracking sound, and both you and Axel turned your head to look in the direction you heard if coming from. A beanstalk was falling, and knocking into others near it. It was a good distance away from you and Axel, but the beanstalks were so large that it was threatening to hit the beanstalk you were both on. It missed by a good thirty feet, but it shook the earth when it hit the ground with enough force that you were knocked off balance. You fell over onto your backside, and Axel, who was hanging from the leaf, lost his grip and went tumbling down to the soft, soil below. Once the earth stopped rattling from the falling of the heavy stalk, you scrambled down to where he was laying. He landed on facedown on stomach, then pushed himself up to his hands and knees.
“Are you alright?” You asked, jumping the last ten feet of the way down the beanstalk, landing lightly on the balls of your feet before dashing over to him.
“Yeah…fine.” He stood up, and brushed himself off. “It’s a shame I’m not half cat.” He joked and you shook your head. Even after falling at a height that could probably break some bones or cause serious damage, he was making bad jokes. “I may not be a cat, but I’m just a bit more resilient than people like you.”
“People like me?” You raised an eyebrow as he began walking off in what you assumed was the direction of the nearest town.
“I don’t mean princesses, or even that you’re a women. I mean your species as a whole. Being half monster does that kind of ‘toughening up’ to a guy”
“Still…that did look like it hurt.”
“Well, I’m not saying you should try it.” He mumbled, rubbing his neck a little as he walked.
“Let’s just go.”
“Oh, so you want too be in charge now?” He asked you with a smirk.
“I don’t know the way.” You glared at him.
“Oh. Oh dear. What ever will we do then?”
“By all means. Lead on.” You bowed sarcastically at him, and he chuckled.
“Very well.”
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After breakfast and fulfilling his morning duties, and attending the meeting with the other guardians to decide a course of action on how to handle your disappearance, Genesis decided that he would search the castle. It was a slim chance, but a chance nonetheless that you were just wandering or hiding in some forgotten part of the castle. There had been guards sent out to search, but there were many parts of the castle that were so forbidden to you that it wouldn’t even make sense for them to go looking for you there, such as the dungeons, the old abandoned tower that once house the castle sorcerers and magic advisors. They were so heavily guarded that it would be a miracle for you to get into either of them, but Genesis knew you better than to think you would let a few guards get in the way of your adventuring.
He decided to check the dungeon first, thinking that it would be hard enough for him to get into that old tower. It seemed like there were more guards running around the palace, and less actually guarding the entrance of the stairwell that lead down to the dungeons; he only passed two the entire way down.
He spent around an hour checking each cell, looking in the dungeon masters quarters, and even talking to some of the less deranged prisoners, asking if any had seen a young girl. Of course, none had.
With a defeated sigh, he decided to leave to go check that old tower, but just as he was about to head for the stairs, he saw someone who didn’t belong down here. It wasn’t a lost princess, but it was still someone who was lurking in the wrong place.
“Master Zexion, what in the seven hells are you doing down here?” He asked, seeing that the castles bookkeeper and scrivener was stalking about.
“There is a missing prisoner, I thought that information should be recorded.” Zexion replied without so much as a pause. He was standing infront of the empty cell with a notebook and quill.
“Surely you have more important things to be doing.” Genesis eyed the empty cell, then looked back at the bookkeeper.
“Since it may be linked to the princess’s disappearance, the king has asked me to look into it personally.”
“And have you found anything of use?”
He clapped shut his book and looked into the empty cell again, “Sadly no. There’s little record kept down here, so it’s almost impossible to tell anything about it. The lock has not been forced, nor have the handcuffs. There’s little to be seen here. I will have to have a talk with the—”
“Very well. If you have no information regarding princess ≈≈≈≈≈≈, then I’m afraid I really must continue my search of the castle.”
“Then I pray your search goes well. Good day.” He dipped his head, then turned on his heel to go into the cell to continue his work, and Genesis made for the stairs, thinking that maybe the two bookkeepers were a bit more suspicious now than they were before.
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The two of you walked on of many hours, until the sun was high overhead. Axel didn’t ever seem to be looking around or checking the surrounding for signs that you were going to right way, and you were beginning to get impatient.
“Do you know where we’re going?” You finally asked, getting hungry and sore feet.
“Course.” He replied with a shrug, not bothering to look bath at you. You were slightly falling behind, getting a bit restless.
A few more moments of silence, and you crossed your arms over your chest, ”Alright…How do you know we’re going the right way?”
He looked back over his shoulder with a smirk, “Do you still not trust me?”
You tried not to glare at him, or bite his head off for potentially running you in circles, instead you growled a bitter, “Humor me.” And he chuckled at you.
“Little lamb, can you not show an ounce of faith?”
“Doesn’t the wolf generally lead the lamb astray? Or am I mixing up my stories?” You retorted, and he looked back at you with an amused expression.
“Very well...Fine. I’ll give up my secrets…I can smell the nearest town, about a mile ahead of us.”
“You can smell it? And you could from all the way back there?”
“Honestly at this point, if you can’t smell that meat cooking, I think we should get your nose checked.”
You shot him a look, then waited for him to turn around before smelling the air to try and see if you could smell what he could. You closed your eyes and took in a deep breath. He said he could smell meat, but you only caught what you assumed was the smell of bread being baked. It was faint, and far away still, but it made your mouth water to even think of food. You hadn’t eaten since your shared lunch with the prince two days ago. The goblins didn’t exactly see you as a guest, and you’d been on the run since your encounter with them. You hadn’t even thought about food for the most part, until you realized that you hadn’t eaten in two days.
“Please tell me we’re close.” You put a hand over your stomach.
“So you can smell that food. Don’t worry, it shouldn’t be long.”
Within the next thirty minutes, the town came into view. It was just like you had imagined a little town on the edge of a forest would be. Children played in the streets, a woman sang lightly as she swept the front of her bakery while her husband put fresh pies out in the windows. There was a fountain in the town center, and everything was built around it, and there was an outdoor market set up with vendors selling fruits, vegetables, and meats. There was even a man dressed in vibrant colors with pain on his face, putting on a puppet show to some younglings who were looking on excitedly. He looked up from his puppet and smiled at you both and winked, causing Axel to groan and roll his eyes.
“I hate this place already.”
“This place is wonderful.” You let out a content sigh, spinning in a circle to get a view of everything.
“It’s just a farming village…and not a very good one at that. I mean, you don’t get a very good harvest this close to the Woodlands…unless you’re trying to poison everyone.” Axel gave you a look over his shoulder, clearly not seeing the same wonder in it that you were.
“Don’t be so negative. Look at all the flowers. This place is beautiful.” You shook your head at him.
“Those are Woodland flowers. They’ll kill you in a heartbeat.”
“Would you stop? You act like the Woodlands are such a horrid place, but all I see is a beautiful town thriving.”
“Yes, well, all I see is a beautiful girl starving. Let’s just get some food. Not anything grown in the ground. You’re going to have to settle for bread and meat. No fruit. No vegetables. No wine or juice.”
You rolled your eyes, “You’re paranoid.”
“Well, that kind of thing keeps you alive out here.” He said, pushing open the door to a small cream-colored building with chocolate colored wood accents that had a sign reading ‘The Sleeping Fairy’. It was an inn that had a tavern in on the main floor where you could get some food before heading up to a room to rest. Neither of you had any money, but you gave the innkeeper one of your rings, which he valued so highly you didn’t have to worry about paying for the room or for food.
Axel forced you to keep your meal very simple, allowing you to only get a loaf of bread, with some meats and cheese, and a cup of water. However, you were so hungry that you didn’t even care. You felt it was the best food you had ever eaten.
Once you had fished, and eaten more than could possible stand to, you went up to a room and collapsed into the bed. Axel asked you for another one of your rings, or an earring, so he could try to go and make some money off it. You ended up giving him your golden bracelet, and he set off to either go sell it or gamble with it. You preferred not to know, and instead got some much needed rest.
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“Roxas, will you hurry it up?” Ven sighed, seeing his brother was trudging along behind the rest of the entourage of guards and servants. The capital city as well as the castle of the Enchanted Dominion was now visible, and he couldn’t keep the smile off his face at the thought of meeting the princess Sir Illyn spoke so freely about.
“No. I don’t think I will.” Roxas grumbled. He didn’t share his brother’s enthusiasm, knowing that he had travel all this way only to find a castle with no princess. The knight Ven was convinced would help him win the princess over turned out to actually be the princess, and she was headed in the opposite direction, back to his own homeland.
“Oh come on. You might be meeting your future bride today.” Ven beamed, putting an arm around his grumpy twin.
“I seriously doubt it.” Roxas picked Ven’s hand off him, rolling his eyes.
They reached the drawbridge, and then a fanfare played as the great wooden doors to the castle opened.
“Oooo this is it.” Ven couldn’t keep the smile from his face as they were lead inside and taken to the throne room. There were gold and emerald banners hanging, as well as lavish decorations and marble statues. There were also lot of guards roaming around, but maybe that was just a precaution that needed to be taken with this kingdom since it was so close to the Dark Forest. The doors to the throne were shut, and there was a man dressed in elegant green and gold robes who stopped them.
“Dear lords of the Land of Dreams…I present the royal family of the Enchanted Dominion.” The doors opened and both brothers gasped slightly at the sight of the large open chamber. The ceiling was so high they couldn’t make out the detail work of the golden embroidery, but they could see the sunlight reflecting against it. Elegant suits of armor were placed infront of all the many pillars, and a lush green carpet was laid over the white granite floor leading up to the lavish jeweled throne, where the king was sitting, wearing a golden robe. On his right was a dark, grim looking man with several scars and a large sword on his back, and on his left sat two beautiful girls, both dressed in green, one with short blonde hair and a low cut dress flaunting her assets, and the other in a modest, long sleeved high necked gown with braided brown hair twisted in with a pink ribbon, and there was an older woman who slightly resembled the king dressed in a violet gown.
“Your highness.” Roxas bowed, remembering his manners. Ven was more concerned with where Sir Illyn was, and where the third princess was. Maybe they were going to have some fancy reveal, and she would walk out after being introduced? Roxas threw his elbow into his brother’s side, and Ven realized that he needed to bow as well.
“Eh…Your majesty.” He dipped his head as well before standing up again.
“My dear lords, I am afraid I have grievous news…” The king spoke, but Roxas feared he already knew what the news was. “It seems my youngest daughter has gone missing.”
“Missing? Has something happened to her?” Ven couldn’t restrain himself.
The king’s expression turned very sad, and he rubbed his tired eyes.
“Well you see, young lords,” Leblanc took over, speaking with a sultry tone, “my sweet sister is a bit of a lively young thing. We don’t know where she went.”
“Is it possible she was kidnapped? Or in danger?” Ven went on, getting excited. A daring rescue would be just the thing to win him favor with the king and the princess.
“Hmmm…well, I suppose anything is possible, but knowing my ≈≈≈≈≈≈, she just ran away for an adventure.” Leblanc continued, and Aerith scoffed and crossed her arms, not sure how you could live with yourself, always hurting your father like this.
“Of course, you are welcome to return home, but if you would like to stay here for a few days to recover from your journey here, you are more than welcome.” The king said, looking wearier than anyone who had made the trip from the Land of Dreams.
“If we may, my lord.” Roxas dipped his head in thanks.
“Especially if there is a chance the princess will return.” Ven added, bowing as well.
“I certainly hope so. Varric, will you take the young lords to the guest chambers?” The king asked the man standing on his left.
“Just make sure they are in the tower across the castle from my guest chambers. I have no desire to hear the chattering on of youths.” Lady Tremaine grumbled bitterly as she watch Varric walk off with the two princes.
“Auntie Tremaine, you really should try to—”
“’Lady Tremaine’ is my title, that is how you will address me.” The old woman snapped, not hearing a word out of Leblanc’s mouth after she was falsely addressed. She didn’t wait around for Leblanc to correct herself either. She got to her feet, and made to return to her chambers, her high heel shoes clicking every step of the way out of the throne room. Two princess brats were bad enough, now there were two prince brats around, and that god-awful werewolf had returned no news of the third bratty princess. There were too many young people in the world for her liking.
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You woke up hours later to the door rattling open.
“≈≈≈≈≈≈. Wake up.” Axel said, walking into the room with a sack of money.
“Axel…what’s going on?” You rubbed your eyes, sitting up.
“You are not going to believe what I managed to turn that little bracelet of your into. I must have over 500 gold coins.” He was excited, to say the least.
“500? I thought it would get you, 50, at least…500?” You gaped at him, getting out of bed.
“Well the bracelet itself only got 75, but there’s a group of gypsies on the outskirts of town, I managed to play one of them in cards until I made over 500.”
“Just by playing cards?” You took the sack of coins from him just to feel the weight of it before handing it back.
“Well, I cheated, but yes. Just by playing cards.”
“That’s amazing. I always used to play the guards at the base of my tower, but never for money.”
“I’ll have to teach you my methods one day….but first things first, we need to go by you some new clothes.”
“New clothes? What’s wrong with me clothes?” You glared at him, before realized exactly what you were wearing. When you set out on this journey, you wore only black leggings, a black long sleeve shirt, and a heavy set of long chainmail under your armor, and the goblins took your armor so you didn’t even have shoes, just your thick wool socks. You also had on Axel’s long, warm, purple jacket from when he gave it to you to cover your scent from the goblins, and he probably wanted his coat back. On him, it ended at his knees, but on you it was closer to your shin, and your fingers only just stretched out past the ends of the sleeves. All the same, it was a nice coat, and you’d miss it when he took it back, though it was a bit too big for you.
“Not to offend you, but you do look…a bit strange. And you should probably have a dress…and shoes…”
You sighed and nodded, “You’re probably right…Oh. Wait, what will we do about the magic shoes?”
“….Oh…” He sighed, “No merchant will want to buy those…We’d probably be better off burying them in the woods, but…The only ones I can think of that would take them are the gypsies. You up for a visit to the strange and mystic?”
“Sure.” You grinned like a child, and he smirked at you.
“Wipe that smile off your face. I was kidding. Weirdoes with obsessions with the unusual. That’s all they are.”
“You sound like you don’t like them, considering how much money you got off them.” You gibed, walking out of the inn room, still grinning.
“That’s because I don’t like them. Taking their money is the only thing that makes me happy.” He sighed, seeing he wasn’t going to be able to dampen your excitement.
Once you exited the inn, Axel led you to the edge of town where there were several cloth covered wagons stopped, with camp set up outside them. There were multiple fire pits with rocks for seats around them, as well as several stands set up with jewelry, stones, and cloth clothing. There was an older woman with completely white hair and tan, leathery skin sitting infront of one of the stands, and Axel walked up to her.
“Are you the tribe leader?” He asked her, trying to keep from making eye contact with her.
“You are not what you seem.” She replied, looking at him closely. “You walk on two legs, and four. Not fully a man, not fully a monster.”
“Yeah, well, depending on the day, we’re all monsters. Anyway…I have something that might interest you.” He began to barter with her, and you began to wander around the camp, looking at the strange goods, all of them completely foreign to you. You had never read much of anything about the gypsies, other than they were nomadic people who traveled from town to town, village to village, making money by dancing, singing, selling their crafts, and cards. Many people considered them thieves, and murderers, as well as a people skilling in the practice of forbidden arts—namely magic—so you never were allowed to learn much about them. But from everything you had seen so far, you just saw beautifully made works of art in all of their crafts.
You stopped to admire some crystals on leather strings, and then a corset caught your eye. Leblanc and Aerith always wore corsets, but your father never let you wear one. He couldn’t stop you now, though, and besides, this one was even more beautiful than the ones your sisters would wear. Theirs were long, stiff, and made of tacky, brightly dyed colors, with metal frames that resisted all but the slightest movements. But this was made of a beautiful ebony fabric that almost had a shimmer about it in the sunlight. It was small, would probably only stretch from your breast to the bottom of your ribs, but it was a beautiful piece.
“You have a very keen eye.” A much younger woman than the one Axel was bartering with said, stepping down from the back of the wagon she just stepped out of. She had raven black hair that was thick and curly, as well as the brightest green eyes you had ever seen.
“Apparently not, I didn’t see you there at all…” You dipped your head, then realized you had no idea how to address her. “My…lady…” That was the common term used in your kingdom, after all.
She laughed, “There are no lords and ladies out here, sweet child.”
You blushed slightly, your lack of knowledge embarrassing you far more than you’d like to admit, “Then I must apologize, I do not know how to address you.” You bowed slightly, and she laughed again, putting a hand under your chin and pushing gently upwards for you to stand up.
“My people are addressed simply by name. I am Esmeralda.” She dipped her head, then looked at you with her striking eyes. “You’re such a beautiful young princess. It’s an honor to meet you.”
You took a step back form her, “I’m not a princess…”
She smiled knowingly and said, “You cannot hide yourself from me. I’m a fortuneteller. I can see the fates as they work around you. There is no sense in lying.” Her smile held no malicious intent, putting you more at ease. “Now then, you were looking at this? It’s a fine piece of work, that’s for sure. Made with the bones of a dragon, and the skin of its wing. Very rare, and very hard to come by, and very beautiful…just like a wandering princess.”
“Oh, I’m not wandering—”
“It’s okay. Not all who wander are lost. Come child, let me read you. In exchange, I will give you that corset.”
“Read me?” You asked as she took your hand and let you up to the wagon and inside, where it was dimly lit by candles, with fragrant incense burning, and gleaming crystals hung on the walls.
“Your fortune. Your palms. Your future. I’ve always wanted to read someone of royal blood.”
“Well, I wont stop you then.” You said with a smile as she sat you down on a plush cushion, then sat opposite you; a small table with a candle, a crystal ball, and a small clay pot being the only thing separating you.
“Before we begin, I need a lock of your hair.” She said, pulling out a dagger.
“Oh. Okay.” You leaned forward so your hair fell over your shoulder. She grabbed a small section of the underneath of your hair near the ends and cut it free. She took the small bunch of strands and took the lid off the clay pot and put the hair inside it, then took off her crystal necklace and held it by the leather string, circling it over the pot. She spoke in a language you didn’t quite recognize, then put her necklace back on and lifted the pot up, and asked you to hold out your hand. She turned the pot over momentarily, and the water, or oil, that was inside the pot mixed with your hair spilled out over your hand, pooling strangle on your palm.
“Place your hand on the crystal ball.” She instructed, and you did so, spilling some of whatever liquid was resting on your hand onto the table as you turned your hand over and cupped the smooth crystal. “Remove your hand.”
You pulled your hand back, and saw that the crystal began to get cloudy. Esmeralda looked in closely at it, and her eyes began to cloud over, the dazzling green becoming enshrouded by a gray mist.
“I see great danger lurking over your shoulders. Deception will be your downfall. A dirty trick, a finger prick. A curse bestowed, a kingdom woed. Death by sleep awaits you.”
You clenched your hands nervously, wondering if it was really possible to see the future, and if it was, was that really what she saw in yours.
“There’s more…You fall not in vain, the witch stands betrayed. Fear not remiss while you slumber, for you will be awoken with true loves kiss. A hearts birth by sleep redeems you.” Her eyes became their own color again, and she took in several deep breaths, as her trance was broken. She put a hand to her head and groaned slightly, then looked up at you, “Oh. I’m sorry sweet child, have I said something to frighten you? You’ve gone so pale.”
“I’m sorry.”
She chuckled dryly, “Don’t apologize girl. It’s not your fault or mine that you have such a heavy destiny resting on your soul. Come, give me your hand.” You extended you hand to her, and she took it and began to trace the lines on your palm.
“It has been a pleasure having you sit in with me. Thank you for this.” She said, handing over the corset to you.
“Thank you, the pleasure has been all mine.” You said, dipping your head, and graciously accepting her gift. You stepped out of her wagon, and saw Axel was waiting for you, his arms crossed and tapping his foot impatiently.
“≈≈≈≈≈≈, there you are.” He said standing up from where he was leaning against a tree.
“Sorry to make you wait, we were just—”
“≈≈≈≈≈…that man…” Esmeralda got a fearful look in her eyes, and Axel took you by the arm and began to pull you away. “≈≈≈≈≈≈! You must listen to me! That man is not what he seems!” She called after you, and Axel rolled his eyes.
“Gypsies. They get these silly little ideas in their heads sometimes.”
“She probably just means that you’re a werewolf. She’s not wrong.” You said back as the two of you got further and further from the gypsy camp.
“That man is your traitor…” Esmeralda mumbled softly, seeing that you were too far out of earshot to here her, even if she shouted.
You and Axel made your way back into town, and he took you inside one of the shops to get you a dress and some shoes. “So, you were able to part with the shoes?”
“Well, she made me give her some drops of my blood, the loony, but yes. She took them eventually.”
“That’s a relief. I’ve decided I don’t very much like magic and future seers. Oh look, free candies. And you thought this town was bad news.” You smirked, taking one of the sweets that was sitting out at the front of the store.
“Oh no, is that what you were doing up in the caravan? ≈≈≈≈≈≈, ≈≈≈≈≈, ≈≈≈≈≈. You have a lot to learn. That woman played you for a fool. How much money did she make you pay for her to tell you what a bright, happy future you have?”
“Nothing. She did it for free. In fact, she gave me something for it. And I may not believe her story, but I do believe she had good intent.” You said, taking another candy and putting it in your pocket for later.
“Her story? What did she tell you? No wait, let me guess…You’re going to have a long happy life, with 4 children, a loving husband, and die peacefully of natural causes…they just tell you what they think you want to hear. It’s not real.”
“Well, you’re wrong.” You shrugged, picking out a simple green dress and holding it out, “What do you think about this one?”
“Fine, then what did she tell you? …and I like this one better.” He pulled out a vibrant red dress.
“She said a lot of things I don’t quite understand…I think she told me I’m going to die…but I believe the future is what you make it, so I’m not worried….and that’s too expensive.” You made him put the red dress back.
“Well good for you. Most people fall for all their mumbo-jumbo. This one?” He held out a gray dress made with a simpler fabric.
“After what I saw, I do believe she saw something, but the future can changed. I don’t believe in fate. Let me see it.” You took the dress form him, looking it over with a scrutinizing eye. You didn’t mean to be snobbish, but you were just accustomed to more fanciful, silk dressed with a bit more embellishment than the plainer dresses you were seeing here. That’s not to say the change from the thick, hot velvets and silks that would stick to you wasn’t welcome, but the wool of some of these dressed just seemed itchy, so you wanted to make sure you didn’t end up buying one that would drive you crazy.
“How practical.” Axel raised his eyebrows at you and you gave him a look.
“What? You don’t believe so as well?”
“My life hasn’t exactly panned out the way I was expecting it so, so yes, I’d like the believe in fate. It gives me something to blame.”
“You’re very bitter.”
“You would be too. Anyway, why don’t you go try that on, I’ll go find us some bags and supplies for the road home.”
“The road home?”
“Well, I did promise to take you home.”
“I don’t want to go home.”
“≈≈≈≈≈≈…please, don’t make this any harder. Go try your dress.” He sighed, waking out of the clothing shop to go find a merchant that could get him some essential travel equipment, like a lantern, some cooking pots, skins of water, and a few nonperishable foods.
You grumbled to yourself as you took the dress to the back of the shop where a curtain was hung for modesty while changing. There was a woman standing by the curtain, wearing a beautiful red and gold dress with sheer crimson sleeves, who had curly blonde hair that had almost a greenish tinge to it, and kind blue eyes.
“Hello dear, are you looking to buy this?” She asked once you approached.
“I thought I’d like to try it on first.” You shrugged, and she smiled sweetly.
“My name is Terra Branford, I’d be happy to help you…though, I will admit, there really isn’t anything in here that would suit you very well…oh, by that I mean that none of these clothes would flaunt your beauty like it deserves, not that you don’t suit the clothes.” She giggling slightly, afraid you might take her words the wrong way.
“Oh…well, I don’t really mind, I don’t want to draw any unnecessary attention to myself. This will do just fine, if it fits right.”
“No, I insist. I own this shop, but my best work is back at my house. I have just the dress that would be perfect for you. And it would go well with that dragon skin you’ve got there.” She said, eyeing the corset that was poking out of the small sack of Axel’s that he let you carry after he got rid of the shoes. “Please, I think I have just the right thing in your size, just follow me.” She beamed as she took the gray dress, set it on a shelf, then led you out of the shop, talking the whole time about how she was a seamstress who loved creating elegant gowns, but couldn’t sell them around here because the people were all so simple. Farmers didn’t exactly need fancy dresses. She had to design simple cotton and wool work clothes, the likes of what was in the shop, but her dream was to design gowns for nobility.
“I live a ways out in the woods, but that’s only because it’s far too expensive to live in the town, especially when your only trade is sewing and no one wants to buy your clothes. But don’t worry though; it’s not expensive at all…as long as you promise me you’ll tell everyone where you got it. Branford’s Boutique. Don’t forget it.” She winked at you with a sly smile, then sighed contently as at the quaint wooden cabin came into view. It was decorated with ribbons, and seemed to be extremely bright despite the eerie green Woodlands lurking behind it. It seemed like the sun was able to push its rays through the tress in just this one part of the forest, just to light up her house.
“Ahh, home sweet home. My husband built this cabin for me a few weeks before our wedding. At the time, we were sure that the town was going to expand back this way, and that we’d be able to avoid having to pay the cost of a town house…but, well, things don’t always pan out.” She shrugged, taking a rock that was near the door and turning it over, retrieving a small, golden key. She put the rock back into place, then walked up to the door, unlocking it. “Please, come in. Make yourself at home. I’ll get my kit ready!” She gushed, unable to conceal her excitement as she rushed into a brightly lit room with dresses and fabrics lying around.
“Now…what color do you prefer?” She asked, threading a needle.
“You know…I’ve always admired the gowns they wear in the Enchanted Dominion. Greens and gold?” You wanted to feel a little piece of home while you were out here. A little something to remind you of home while you were out adventuring.
“Oh, I just love the Enchanted Dominion. I went once when I was girl, it was so beautiful. Not like here. There weren’t…forests and bugs everywhere, with fairies and poisons…there, the flowers were sweet smelling, and there was real grass, not this moss. Such a lovely place. I’ve always dreamed I’d get to go back one day. They’d appreciate my dresses.” She said while pulling out an emerald green cloth, and some silky gold fabric. “Would you mind putting this on? I’ll sew the fabric on this base, then tailor it to you.” She said, putting the fabric aside, and taking a black dress that was on a mannequin off the metal frame and handing it to you.
She turned her back to you and began cutting strips of the gold silk, and you took off Axel’s jacket, and your chainmail, leaving your leather leggings and shirt on, knowing you’d need them if it got cold. You slipped on the black dress, and Terra came over and helped you to fasten all the little buttons on the back. It was a bit loose around the waist, so her pinned it then sewed it to fit you tighter.
“Okay, how does that feel?” She asked, once she finished sewing the black dress to fit you perfectly.
“Great. You’d never be able to tell this wasn’t made specifically for me.” You said, turning slightly so the soft black fabric billowed around you. She brought you over to her workstation and began to sew on long green panels of fabric, using the gold strips every now and again to give the dress more detail. She worked astoundingly fast, and had you a completed dress within thirty minutes. It was a long, sturdy dress suited for the outdoors, with lots of layer of fabric to keep you warm, As a finished touch, your dragon skin corset was put on, and she laced it up and added some gold silk embellishments to it.
“It’s so beautiful. I don’t know how to thank you for this.” You said, looking into the mirror at the dress.
“Please, let me put some makeup on you, I want you to go back into town looking stunning, and show all those old farmers and their wives my talents.” She beamed, grabbing some makeup tools.
“…Well…Alright.” You agreed, thinking she was very much like Aerith, using you as her dress up doll.
She put a stain made of crushed berries on your lips, and put a gold powder on your eye lids, the used the remaining berries as a rouge for your cheeks.
“You can have these old shoes too, they aren’t very fashionable, but they are better than your socks, you poor girl.” She chuckled lightly as she got out some black shoes with a slight heel. They looked slightly old and plain, but that was about all you could see that was wrong with them. “Oh, and these lovely jewels.” She put on a necklace that was a gold chain with several red stones on it.
“No, I can’t take your jewelry.” You said, trying to take the necklace off, thinking that she was just being a bit of a pushy saleswoman now. Her hands swatted away yours, her fingers colder than you would have expected as she pushing your hands away and laid the necklace flat against your sternum again.
“Please, I insist. I never wear them, and they look so pretty on you.”
You were about to argue, when you began to smell something strange. “Say…are you…cooking something?” You asked thinking it was getting stronger and stranger.
“Would you like a piece of candy, dear?” She asked, picking up a small dish with more of the candies you found in the store on them.
“No, no thank you…I feel a little…strange. What is that smell?” You looked around for the kitchen, wondering what could possibly be cooking that smelled that bad.
“That must mean my darling husband is home.” She sighed, happily, then she looked at you with a strange glint in her eyes as she called out in a singsong voice, “Kefka, she’s ready for you.”
“R-ready for him? What do you mean?” You asked, the strange smell becoming almost putrid.
“You poor dear. You should never have left your friend.” She said with the same sweet smile and soft tone she had been giving you this whole time. You heard footsteps coming from the other room, and decided you needed to leave. You turned to make for the front door, but as your hand came around the knob you felt the strange texture of cobwebs against your skin, and the door was firmly locked. There was a gust of wind coming from inside from seemingly nowhere inside the house, blowing out all of the lamps and candles. It was completely dark inside, and as you slowly turned around, you saw Terra still standing there, smiling at you. She began to crumble, as though she was made of sand until her clothes were left in a pile of ash. As she crumbled to the ground, and in her place, a man stood in the shadows, approaching slowly. Finally, his boot landed in Terra’s ashes, and you looked up from his feet to see his face. His painted, terrifying face.
It was the same man that you had seen in a crazy costume with his face painted white with red. His blonde hair was still slicked back, and you saw now that his small irises had slit pupils, like a snake, or a demon. He had been entertaining children with a puppet show, but at the time, he seemed much less sinister.
“Oh, my little bird…you can’t fly away now.” He said as you turned around and began pulling on the doorknob, “Not after all my hard work.” You heard him take a step closer, and you decided that you could dive through the glass window to get out. You were about to do just that when his cold, clammy hands landed on you, one resting on your shoulder, freezing your blood in your veins, and the other on your hip, to stop you from running or jumping, or getting away. He wasn’t holding you tightly, and you ripped yourself away, and made a dash for the window, but before you could jump through the glass, something hard hit you over the back of the head, knocking you to the floor instantly.
You weren’t knocked unconscious, but you were seriously disoriented, and unable to stop the man from grabbing you and throwing you over his shoulder.
“I have been waiting for this day for a long time. I was just about to give up hope on finding someone, but then, I see the most beautiful girl in the kingdoms just…walk on by. More breathtaking than any I’ve ever laid eyes on, just walking into town, as if it were fate. I had made up my mind to just take a girl from town, one that wouldn’t be missed, but oh…when I laid my eyes on you…I knew you were the one.” He took you over to the cellar entrance, and knelt down to open the doors that lead to a hidden stairway. The smell that came out of the cellar when he opened the doors made you gag, and you thought for sure that you would loose your lunch.
He inhaled deeply, and let out a sighed, “Ahhh, you see. I love my dearly departed wife, but the smell is becoming a bit of a problem.” He took you down the stairs, then dropped you into a chair, and chained you to the rotting wood so you couldn’t escape. Once you were locked in, he turned the chair around, and you came face to face with a rotting corpse, flies swarming it, bloated skin barely clinging to the skeletal frame, and maggots crawling around in holes in the flesh. The same black dress that was used as the base the outfit you were wearing now, as well as the red stone necklace hung around a half intact neck. You let out a blood-curdling scream, and the man, Kefka, put his hand over your mouth, smearing the berry lipstick down the side of your mouth. “Quite now…you might wake the dead.” He said, smelling your hair, and brushing his nose against your neck. It was only after a moment of contact that you realized it wasn’t his nose on the skin of your neck, but his tongue.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Axel had returned to the dress shop where he left you, a new travel back loaded with goodies slung over his shoulder.
“≈≈≈≈≈? Hello? Where are you?” After glancing around the shop, he became slightly suspicious, “Is there anybody in here?” It was like the place was completely deserted. He exited the shop and walked up to the fruit vendor who was set up directly facing the shop.
“Excuse me, have you seen a girl leave this store?”
The woman running the stand giggled, “Oh dearie, if it’s a girlfriend you want—”
“No, no. A very specific girl; _______ hair, ______ eyes. I walked in with her just a half hour ago?”
“I did see a girl like that…she left with that strangely dressed woman, with curly hair, and—W-wait where are you going?”
Axel began walking off, not even bothering to hear her finish, muttering “Fucking gypsies.” Who else had strange clothing and wild, curly hair?
He half walked, half ran to the gypsies caravan. He found the woman who he saw you with earlier and walked up to her brashly, “You have some nerve you know.”
“I beg your pardon?” The gypsy girl asked, looking up from the necklaces she was arranging on the display table.
“Where is she?” He crossed his arms.
“Who? The girl you’re going to murder?” She spat, glaring at him intensely.
“I’m not killing anybody…yet”
“No, maybe not. But you’re going to betray her, which will lead to her death.”
“So you kidnapped her. Where is she?” His eyes went yellow, his temper slipping out of his control, and his wolf attributes coming out. It was all he could do to keep his nails from turning to dark black claws as he lunged forward and flipped the table of jewelry she was arranging.
“What’s wrong, the big, bad wolf can’t smell his meat?” She snapped at him, trying not to let him intimidate her. She knew that the scent of dragon skin would cover yours up to the point where you were untraceable, but anything. You didn’t know it, but you stumbled by chance on the one thing that would keep your presence hidden form all but the cleverest magical beings.
“You’re using your gypsy magic to cover her scent, I haven’t been able to smell her since we left this camp. You’ve taken her, and I will find her. Now tell me where she is.” He leaned in on her, his teeth becoming longer and sharper.
“Or. What?” She snarled, her upper lip twitching in disgust. This time, when Axel charged forward, the only thing to hit the ground was the gypsy woman.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Riku had been limping in hopes of finding something, somewhere that could help him. It was nearly impossible to tell what way he was going, or towards what kingdom. It was entirely possible he was walking in circles, but he had to believe that if anyone could escape the depths of the Woodlands, it was him, even in this state. It had been hours, and it was beginning to get dark again. There was water in the marshes all around him, and he was dying of thirst, but knew better than to have any water from there. There were laws to surviving these woods, and the first three were don’t drink the water, don’t eat the mushrooms, and don’t fall asleep. He had already been knocked unconscious and almost became apart of the forest floor, so he wasn’t going to take any more chances. In some parts of the woods, he was able to see the sun, or the moss on the trees, and was able to use those to help him get an idea of where he was and where he needed to go, but the sun had set, and in these parts everything was covered so thickly in moss there was no way of telling anything from it.
There was also no way of telling if he was getting closer to the perimeter of the woods, or if he was just getting sucked in deeper. It seemed like he wasn’t getting anywhere, no matter how far he walked. He was about ready to sit down and just let himself bleed to death, sick of holding the wadded up sleeve he tore of his arm against the still bleeding wound in his abdomen, when he heard a scream, coming from his right.
“Snow…” He mumbled, finding his strength and limping in the direction he heard screaming. It was possible she got away from the huntsman. Or that he let her think that, then tracked her down again and was trying to attack again. He had to know, so he forced himself to keep walking until he saw a small cabin shrouded by trees and marsh. There were many old, abandoned homes in the woodlands from witches, and freaks that thought they could handle living in this hell. It was entirely possible that Snow found an old cottage or cabin, let herself in, the found some old bones from the house’s long dead owner.
He finally found the small cottage, made of old, rotting wood that was half overtaken by moss and vines, and seemed to be sinking into the marsh it was built over. There were no lights on inside, and he kept trying to force himself to hear anything. Any noise that would confirm that Snow was still alive.
He tried to look in through the windows, but he couldn’t get very close to the building, since it was half sunk in the marsh. He circled the cottage a few times, trying to see if he could see anyone inside, when he noticed a window that was nearly all the way covered with swampy marsh water. He got as close as he could before his feet started sinking in, and he began to hear a voice talking, though he couldn’t make out any words. All he could tell was that it was a man, and that he was laughing quite a lot. Loudly and wildly.
He walked over to the front door, and tried to open it, but found it was locked. He had walked around the place enough times to know that there were no other ways in to the house, so he hoped that everyone was cozy in the basement as he wrapped his right hand in his already torn off sleeve, then he smashed his hand into the window enough that he could reach inside to turn the lock. However, rather than immediately try to open the door, he broke more glass, hoping to make enough noise to get someone to come out of the basement. He ran as quickly as he current condition would allow him to, and he hid behind a large willow tree. A man came to the door to investigate, his face painted madly, and smeared around his mouth. He looked around for a moment, not seeing Riku at all, then he got stepped completely out of the house, locked the door behind him, then hid the key under a rock, and began to walk down a path that had been made from being walked on frequently.
Riku had no way of knowing how long that man would be gone, but if his sister was being kept in the basement, he would have to risk it. He came out from his hiding place, took the key, opened the door, put the key back, then went inside, locking the door behind himself, hoping that from the outside, it wouldn’t look like anything had changed. As soon as he got into the house, he had to cover his nose. Something foul smelling was hanging on the air, but he needed to find a way down to the cellar.
He couldn’t find any way to a lower level, and was about to call out to see if anyone was in the hose, when the door began to rattle.
The man had come back home.
Riku dove down silently on the floor, and hid under a table with fabrics hanging off it. They obscured him from view, but he was still able to peek out from the fabrics to see the man walk over to the corner of the room, and pull up a hidden ring in the floor, that opened up two little doors. He began to stomp like he was going down stairs, and Riku figured he had just discovered the way down to the cellar. Luckily, the man hadn’t shut the cellar doors behind him, and he might be able to sneak down unheard. He didn’t hear the wood creak for the other man when he went down, so there was a good chance he would be able to get down there and sneak up on the him.
He took one of the strips of fabric lying around and tired it around his waste to put pressure on his stab wound so he could focus on the task at hand.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“It still fells like such a shame to get rid of my beloved, even if I have fresh flesh now.” The man said as he returned to haunt you, his hand brushing your exposed shoulder, sending chills down your spine. “Look at her. Still so beautiful.” He reached forward and you clamped your eyes shut as his hand brushed the rotting corpse infront of you, causing the limp girls neck to fall slightly towards the right. “But you see, the problem is these limbs.” He stood up and walked over to the corpse, leaving you to watch horrified as he grabbed at one of the arms, and stroked her skin from the wrist to the shoulder, causing the dust to fall off her skin, and onto the black dress she was wearing. It was defiantly the woman who had made the dress for you, but you couldn’t tell how long she had been dead.
“She doesn’t…move the way she used to. Her knees wont bed, and her arms can no longer embrace me as I so desire them too.” He brushed the little hair the woman had left on her head with his fingers, wafting a rotting, muddy smell through the room, “And her affections have turned so sour…” he leaned in and kissed the dry, cracked lips, causing you to shut your eyes and whimper softly, “No mater how…gentle I am, she only answers to my kiss with a rotten tongue.”
You opened your eyes and started back at the black pits where the corpses eyes had once been. Maybe there were still there, you couldn’t rightfully tell, and you weren’t sure you wanted to know.
“All day, I promised to stay by my beloved’s side. But death has made its claim for my beautiful bride.” He stroked her cheek, then turned to face you, “But fear not. The same will not happen to you.” You felt the slightest hint of relief until he continued his thought, “I’ve learned so much form my sweet Terra. I know how to preserve you, so you’ll last twice as long.” He made to touch your cheek with the hand he had been touching the body with, and you tried desperately to turn your head away, but his fingers made contact with your cheek nonetheless, stinking of death.
You tried to stifle a scream, and he began to smile and stroke your cheek, “You skin is so cold…But it’s only going to get colder. Don’t you worry. No death will tear us apart. No matter how cold your bones may get, my love will always ignite a flame between us.”
You cried quietly, and he wiped away your tears, “Cry while you can. It’s so nice to see a reaction on a lovely face. My Terra hasn’t cried for many months now. She was always a wistful girl, longing for adventure and romance. I’ve always been a puppet master, I’ve had a gift for manipulation my whole life. Just like with you, I was able to lure the sweet girl here, where we fell in love…until she…displeased me. Now she’s so good to me. Never complaining, or asking to leave, or see her family. Only she’s cold now, and hard. But that’s I have you.” His other hand rested on your knee, and grabbed at the fabric of your dress, beginning to slide it back along your thigh, causing you to begin hyperventilating. “You’re still so warm to the touch comparatively, and your skin is so…soft…” His hand moved from the fabric of the skirt of your dress to the leather legging that was covering your thigh, just above your knee. Thank god you decided to keep them on. You thought you were going have a heart attack when, out of the corner of your eye, you saw something moving in the shadows. It had to be Axel. He had found you. You were safe. You just needed to keep Kefka distracted until Axel made his move.
“W-wait! Wait!” Your voice was so shaky your words came out barely intelligible, and he looked at you with narrowed, beady eyes, “Why…why are you trying to rush this, my love? S-sure you’d rather have my keeping you company, still alive, and at your command, our wills working in harmony, forever?”
He closed his eyes and let out a deep, throaty groan at your words, forgetting how soothing a sultry voice was to his soul.
“Our love is like a story. It’s…it’s poetry. You can’t rush poetry. You need to savor it.” You said, watching form the corner of your eye as Axel crept closer in the shadows, still mostly hidden from your view. You saw a weapon in his hands, or at least the outline of something big, and hoped that he would just kill the man kneeling before you.
“Yes…Yes, we will savor this.” He repeated your words, his voice sending ice through your veins, and his hand began to slide up your thigh to the waistline of your leggings, and began to tug down slightly, when something swung from out of the shadows, nailing the man in the side of the head. He fell to the ground, slumped over, completely unconscious, and a man stepped out of the shadows. It wasn’t Axel, but at this point, as long as it wasn’t Kefka, or someone with similar interests, you were relived to see someone else.
“Are you alright?” A calm voice asked, stepping into the moonlight that was flooding in from the window. You saw silvery white hair, but that was about all you could make out in the poor lighting. “Can you stand?”
“I-I’m chained down.” You said, pulling your arms up, causing the chains to rattle slightly.
“Is there a key around?”
“…Around his neck…”
He took at look at the shackles that held you and then at the man slumped on the ground. “The wood looks rotten, and these chains are old…sit perfectly still.” He pulled out a knife, and your heart stopped, thinking that maybe you had been saved from one insane man only to be in the presence of another, this one with a knife. He swung the dagger at the wood, slicing through it fairly easily. He pulled the rotten wood away, and you were able to wiggle your arm you of the chain now that the wood wasn’t keeping you still. He did the same for your other arm, then for the chains around your ankles. You still had the shackles around your wrists and ankles; the chain connecting your hands behind your back was long enough that you could more comfortably enough, for now at least.
The two of you began to make for the stairs, when something grabbed a fistful of your hair. “Don’t….leave me…” Kefka called out, pulling you back towards him by your hair. Your savior raised his dagger once again, this time cutting through your hair, then plunging a foot into Kefka’s chest, kicking him back into the chair where the corpse was sitting.
“Go!” He commanded you, and you didn’t wait for a second command before running up the stairs and out the front door into the woods. You were going to keep on running, thinking it was very nice that you were rescued and all, but you just wanted to be away at the moment. However, fate had other plans. You ran into someone, and were knocked to the ground. Whoever you hit was as solid as a rock, because they didn’t so much was wobble after you rammed them full speed. You rolled over and sat up so you could see who you hit, and you came face to face with a large, snarling, gray wolf.
“≈≈≈≈≈≈?” A voice you recognized but were too terrified to place asked, and a strong hand came around your arm and pulled you up. “What happened to your hair?” He asked, touching the uneven strands that were now just above your shoulders at their longest.
“Z-Zack? Fang…I-I don’t believe it….” You collapsed forward, and he caught you against his chest.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The gypsies camp had been all but destroyed as Axel searched for you in their caravans and wagons, but there was nothing there that gave off any indication that you were near. There was no scent, and no physical trace of you being there.
“Where is she?” He snapped at the gypsy, now that the whole camp was torn up.
“She’s not here…” the gypsy woman, laying on the ground, said, bloody from stretches on her arms, and trapped by a broken ankle.
“Then where?”
“I don’t know. But as long as she’s away from you…good.” She spat, and Axel was about to just kill the girl, when he caught his own scent on the wind. Of course. He couldn’t smell you because you had been wearing his coat. He hadn’t noticed it before because he wasn’t looking for his own scent, but as soon as he had it, he transformed into a fully wolf and took off running.
Esmeralda watched as the red wolf sprinted off, and she found in the wreckage of her wagon the clay pot she had put your hair in earlier. Because of you her home was destroyed. Because she decided to try to protect you, her whole life had been destroyed. She grabbed the clay pot and bitterly began to circle her enchanted crystal necklace over the top of the pot.
“Stretch it, twist it, make it grow, like a river let it flow, make it pull, and pinch, and tweak, make it grow ‘til she grows weak, let her moan and scream and cry, make her wish that she would die. Ten times fast shall this hair grow, this is my will, so thus it be.” She placed her curse on you, knowing she had no better way of getting back at the wild animal who attacker her home than by hurting you. It was a shame, she liked you, but gypsies and werewolf’s would never mix. Not since the weres started blaming the gypsies for the origination of their curse to being with.
Still, she didn’t like to resort to petty discrimination, but after what the wolfman had done to her home, she didn’t care anymore.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“≈≈≈≈≈?” Zack lightly began to hit you on your cheek, trying to wake you, when he realized that there was some sinister blackish sludge on your cheek the smelled like death.
“You…You dare touch my beloved!?” Kefka bellowed from the entrance of his house, his eyes looking like those of a man possessed by a demon. In his fist, there was still the handful of your hair clenched in between his fingers. Zack saw this and his eyes narrowed.
“Fang.” He said, letting you drop from his arms, falling forward. The wolf ran up behind you, catching you on his back, so you were laying face down on it.
Zack drew his sword, and began to walk towards the mad man, when a new wolf howling caught everyone attention, causing them to turn and look at the reddish colored wolf that was snarling just down the path. Everyone was so distracted by the red wolf running up, and no one noticed the boy with silver hair sneak out of the house, and get behind Kafka. His dagger was at the ready, and he pulled Kefka against him, then drew the dagger across the demons throat, spilling his blood.
“You….” Zack seethed, seeing the prince he had left for dead in the woods a few hours ago. His grip tightened on his sword and he continued to walk over to the house, ready to run the prince through when a voice stopped him.
“No! He saved me.” It was weak, but it was unmistakably yours. Zack stopped and looked back at you.
“Do you know who this boy is?”
“My rescuer?” You shot back, trying to get back to your feet, Fang helping you to steady yourself. Zack’s glare intensified. He knew that this prince was going to be the one that could save you when he couldn’t. It made him hate the boy.
“He’s my target. Well. He got in the way of me getting my target. I have to kill him.”
“No!” You ran forward on shaky legs, dragging your chains behind you, and you grabbed his arm to stop him from advancing.
“≈≈≈≈≈≈, I’m not who you think I am.” Zack said, not taking his eyes off the prince as he knelt down over Kefka’s body and took the key that was around his neck.
“You’re the huntsman…I know that…but you don’t have to do this. You don’t need to listen to the witch. You’re a good man.” You pleaded with him, and his eye turned very cold.
“I need to deliver a heart to the queen of the Woodlands. The heart of the princess, Snow White, and this boy will get in my way.”
“How’s she going to know who’s heart it is? Take a deer’s heart, or better yet, I know of a body that no longer needs its heart.” You stepped infront of Zack and gestured to Kefka’s lifeless corpse. The boy grabbed you from behind, putting the dagger to your throat as well.
“Leave us now, huntsman, or I’ll kill this girl too.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” A new voice, coming from where the red wolf had been said darkly. Axel stood there, his clothes slightly torn and a little bit bloody, but he still looked threatening and deadly.
Zack looked at you, then the body, then Axel, and lowered his sword. “Leave. Your sister is still alive. I was called away before I could finish the job. She disappeared inside a cottage out in the woods, I’ve been searching all known houses out here, trying to find her. I will give up my hunt, take the queen this vile man’s heart, and leave you in peace…So long as you don’t harm that girl.”
“She’s alive? My sister is alive?”
“Not if you don’t put that knife down.” Zack threatened the prince, who then held the blade out, putting his hands up. Axel ran over, snatching the key from him, and began to unshackle you. Once you were free, you turned to Zack, who wouldn’t look at you.
“Go.” He said coldly, knowing he would never be the hero he wanted to be for you. He would only ever be the villain.
Axel ran inside the house, grabbed his coat, then returned seeing that you were staring at the huntsman with a hurt look on your face.
“≈≈≈≈≈≈≈…It’s been a long day. Let’s get a move on. We can’t stay in this town.” He said, putting an arm around your and pulling you off towards the woods, leaving the prince and the huntsman having a stare down.
“Get going….Before I change my mind.” He said, Fang snapping his jaws and snarling to enforce Zack’s words.
“If you come after us again, I will kill her.” Riku said, trying to make it clear to the huntsman that he didn’t want to be followed.
“You have no idea who she is. Your threats are meaningless…But you have my word that so long as my master does not command it, I will not go after you, or your sister again, as long as that girl stays safe. You had best hope your mother is fooled by this man’s heart.”
Riku looked at the huntsman as he kneeled over the bloody corpse of the man with the painted face, then he decided he didn’t need to see the demons heart cut out, for fear that it was as black and twisted as the man’s mind was. Instead, he set out after you and the redheaded wolf, to figure out who you were, and why you were so important as to make the huntsman hesitate.