Castle
Part Nine
(Bill)
I wake up with a major headache.
Strange vines are coiled around me, and slowly tightening.
I spot Mason on a cave wall, with purple vines wrapping around him.
"Mason!" I whisper-yell.
He groans as he wakes up.
"What...? Bill? Where are we?" He asks.
"I don't know, but I know we must leave as soon as possible."
Dipper looks around the room.
"My dagger... it's over there," he says, nodding towards a small pouch.
The vines suddenly tighten around us.
We both gasp for air.
"Can't... breathe..." I gasp.
"sTOp MoVinG HumANs."
We both freeze.
A humanoid figure slowly comes into the light.
Leaves and vines cover its body.
"yoU TwO ARen'T GOinG AnYWheRe."
"We're just trying to get back home! We didn't mean to-" Dipper states.
"yOUr ReASoniNG is PathEtiC."
"It's the truth!" My love yells.
The Monster hisses and tightens the vines around Dipper.
"Hrk!"
"I COuLD JuSt KiLL yOu... But... WhO wHouLD i PlaY wiTH TheN...?"
The Monster plucks a leaf from its own branch and holds it in front of Mason's face.
"EaT."
Dipper shakes his head.
The vines tighten around my torso.
"Ack!" I yell.
Dipper panics and yells, "OK!"
He eats the leaf.
His eyes instantly roll into their sockets and he passes out.
"What did you do, you bastard?!" I snap.
It cackles.
"YoU ShaLL SeE..."
Dipper's eyes slowly open, but they're black orbs.
"Mason!" I yell to him.
He stays silent.
"hE'S MiNe NOw... isN'T ThAT riGhT Dipper?"
My love nods.
"I am yours Master," Mason says dryly.
The vines release him and allow him to walk towards me.
The Monster retreats back into the darkness like a coward.
"It'S sO GoOD TO SeE YoU..." he whispers kissing my cheek.
I turn away.
"whAt'S WrOnG LoVE?"
"This isn't right. Something's is wrong with you... Something is possessing you."
"NoTHinG is WRonG..." he says.
"Something is, my love! You're not you."
Dipper twitches.
"i'M FiNE..."
I pull against the vines around my body.
"Let me go!" I demand.
'Dipper' smiles and snaps his fingers.
The vines disappear into the wall.
I fall to the ground and hold my wrists.
Dipper pins me against the wall with a wicked smile.
"ThEN WhY DoN'T wE HaVE SoME fUn?"
"No!"
I knee him in the stomach and mutter "I'm sorry" under my breath.
He falls to the ground, allowing me to escape the cave.
"biLL..." 'Dipper' groans.
You aren't my Dipper.
You aren't my Pinetree.
...You are not the person I love.
I turn back to see my love crying as the Monster holds a knife against his throat.
"I'd ReComMeND... YoU StAY..."
"Please don't kill him..." I beg.
I face Mason with tears ready to burst.
"Mason! If your can hear me... just know that I love you so much! I love you more than myself! I'd do anything to save you! ...I'm sorry... I let this happen to you... I dragged you into this... I just want you to be safe..." I say, trembling.
The Monster shakes its head and makes a 'tsk tsk' sound.
I glare at him.
"Why don't we make a deal?" I ask.
The Monster seems to smile.
"wHAt iS iT?"
"You let me take Mason home, I'll give you someone else. You'll have him to play with for eternity."
"wHO?"
"A demon that has done many sins."
The Monster ponders my offer.
...and lets Mason go.
The Monster slips into the darkness of his cave.
Dipper's eyes returns to their normal color as he violently vomits.
Probably relieving himself of the venom the Plant of Insanity/the Monster gave him.
Once Dipper is done regurgitating, he staggers towards me.
"This is all my fault..." he sighs, rubbing his head.
I take his hands and squeeze it.
"No. It isn't. Don't blame yourself. Blame me. I didn't recognize Zek-...Gideon's strange behavior," I say.
Dipper shakes his head.
"It's mine," he says.
"No. Mine," I say.
"Mine."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
I cross my arms.
"I think it was out of our control," I say.
Mason slowly nods.
"Then it is agreed," I say grabbing his hand for the second time.
I kiss his hand, making him laugh.
"JuST doN'T FoRGet ThE deAL..."
I turn to the Plant of Insanity's cave and nod.
"I promise we'll bring you back a demon," I say.
Dipper and I head to my kingdom.
I give his hand a squeeze.
"You've been quite silent my love..."
He sighs.
"D-Did you mean what you said back there? That you love me? And you'd do anything to save me?" He asks.
I stop walking and turn to him.
"Of course I did! I love you Pinetree," I say.
I see him relax as his nickname slides from my tongue.
"Well... I love you too. I just wished the world would approve of us," he says sadly.
I hug him tightly.
"I wish we could be open about our love, but they'll kill us. I'd rather us be alive and secretly in love than... dead."
He tugs at my shirt.
"Your are the love of my life," he says.
"The only one for me," he adds, looking up at me.
We both lean in slowly and share a kiss.
"Been awhile since we've done that," I say.
"What another kiss?" He asks.
I grin.
"Of course Pinetree."
To be continued...
Y'all ready for the last chapter??? (It's REALLY long... Sorry! 🤣🤣🤣 P.S. I promise it's worth it. :-D )