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"Delilah!"
My eyes flutter, trying to shutter out the bright sunlight. Shadows, like trees blowing in a summer breeze, come and go in such a way that the sun becomes tolerable for the briefest of moments.
"Delilah, wake up silly," the feminine voice calls out to me from a bit of a distance.
I'm trying.
My eyelids are heavy, unable to open. I can't even move my fingertips, merely paralyzed as I lay on a bed of soft grass and wildflowers. There's the scent of spring and fairytales in the warm breeze, lulling me deeper into the place I'm safest.
"Oh, Delilah!" The woman giggles playfully. Her voice is so familiar, yet foreign like a foggy memory from long ago.
A childish giggle comes from nearby my head. "Coming, mommy!" The little girl calls out. Little feet patter through the tall grass, pants leaving her lips through her endless giggles. Though I can't open my eyes, I can see the image in my head as clear as day - so distant and faraway, a memory from long ago.
A tall slender woman with obvious oriental ancestry stands at the peak of a grassy hill with picturesque blue skies and billowing white clouds behind her. She's not curvy, more willowy and slight like a gazelle. A red tunic dress stylishly hangs from her lithe frame, paired with wicker heeled sandals and a floppy summer hat with a bow. Her silken hair stays luxurious and perfect even in the windy weather.
Warm brown eyes look down at a little girl with messy dark hair that's tossing behind her as she runs towards the beautiful woman. The child is far less put together than her mother though they look very similar in the face. Mud streaks across her yellow summer dress and her stockings are torn. One of her tiny Oxford shoes are entirely missing.
The woman's face changes from pleasant to exasperated and condescending, " Oh, Delilah. What am I going to do with you? You're an absolute mess and we have to be at my photo shoot in less than an hour."
The little girl bows her head in embarrassment, " Sorry, mommy. I didn't mean to. I just wanted to play with the frog in a waistcoat ."
The woman puts her hands on her hips and raises a brow down at her daughter, " A frog in a waistcoat? Really, Delilah, sometimes I wonder if you're ever going to get out of that head of yours. You'll never amount to anything keeping your head in the clouds."
The little girl jolts in shock, putting her grubby fists under her chin as she cries out, " But mommy I wasn't daydreaming! He's really here and he said he'd show me where the tree spirits live!"
"That is quite enough, Delilah!" The woman snaps out, snatching her daughter by her arm roughly and dragging her behind. "I sacrificed my career to have you. The least you could do is behave for once while I try to reestablish it!"
I don't want to open my eyes anymore. No. I want to pretend mommy wanted to stay but couldn't. I want to pretend she loved me more than she loved the cameras.
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The Hawthorn Cottage
The mood is quite somber back at the cottage. The Hawthorns are entirely ignorant of what has befallen their bride. Instead they've been bickering back and forth about Delilah's fate. No longer is she a mere human girl with a penchant for daydreams and naps. All five realize the grave danger that awaits her in the shadows of the night.
The Briar King meddles rarely and the fact that he has in fact meddled with Delilah's fate, seeking her out in a very interesting method untypical of the deity, is concerning. The Briar King is notoriously arrogant, unafraid to confront mortals in the flesh. That he chose the dreamscape, in combination with the odd occurrence that happened at Delilah's residence, is telling on its own.
"We'll need to find The Hoot Owl. If anyone will know exactly what Delilah is, it'll be her," Christian says gravely. He's leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. He wears a white button up that's half way undone and tucked into black slacks. His pale hair frames his angelic face messily, a bit of green goo from his morning concoction stuck in his bangs.
Corvus stares gloomily out the window, more alert and hawk like than his usual owlish persona. His baggy black sweater hangs off his bare shoulder, skinny jeans on his legs, and his feet bare. The lone white lock of hair hangs in his stormy eyes that narrow at the tree line suspiciously. He feels a prickle at the back of his neck, foreboding and alarming. He barely hears the words the others toss around behind him, solely focused on his primal instincts whispering to him that something has gone very wrong with Delilah, his newest trinket.
Judas paces the cobblestone floors in the kitchen, shifting back and forth between man and beast. In both cases, a snarl curls his lips and his red eyes glow hatefully. As he turns into man once more, he bites out, " I'll be damned if I let anything happen to her. This is fucking bullshit! It wasn't suppose to go this way!"
Fakir rolls his eyes from his perch on the kitchen table. He leans back on it, putting his weight on his arms. His legs are crossed regally, his head lazily falling to one side. "None of us will let anything happen to her. She's not just yours, Judas."
Judas shifts back into a black dog and snaps his frothing jaws at the fairy before storming in the other direction to continue pacing.
Indigo sighs heavily before focusing solely on Christian, " Do you know where she is?"
Christian shrugs noncommittally, " She tends to appear when she feels like appearing. But she's a powerful being by her own right. She may be able to help us help our bride."
Indigo hums in thought. His skeletal fingers - ungloved for once and ragged from not feeding - pet his jaw while he thinks it over. It's as he's pondering their next move that he finally realizes Corvus hasn't said a word the entire time they've been debating back and forth.
Indigo steps towards him only once and in his haunting voice that projects without force, he says, " What is it, Corvus?"
Corvus' eyes narrow on the garden, " We have a guest."
Christian and Fakir share a wary look, Judas growling under his breath at the window before continuing his angry pacing. Indigo alone walks over to stand beside Corvus and stares out the window.
"How peculiar," Indigo murmurs. Fakir perks up at this, breaking his gaze away from Christian's to bark out at him, " What is? Who is it?"
Indigo straightens his coat as he turns around to face them once more, " Fakir, would you prepare a treat for our messenger. He looks quite road worn."
At this, the other three all share a shocked look. Corvus remains standing watch at the window, that ominous feeling in his gut growing stronger.
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Hopping, hopping, through the thick forest of briar and shade. The fat toad with warts and lumps and big bulging eyes pushes onwards, wary of the looming Knights of Nevermore. His journey has been a long one, trampling through lands not often trekked just to avoid detection.
On occasion, the slashing, cutting edge of a black blade can be heard from somewhere in the woods and little screams of terror cut off abruptly after. The ghoulish moans the haunting armor they wear makes, is the only forewarning given before they strike.
The toad is indeed in grave danger, for the Knights of Nevermore are mindless servants without a soul - following the orders of the Council of Evermore. If they are ordered to kill, they will kill. If they speak a name to the Knights of Nevermore, that name will be struck from existence.
The toad leaps behind a tree stump and quivers in fear as heavy metal boots, black as coal, stomp past in a slow and meticulous manner. They creak and groan, sending chills down the toad's spine. He gulps heavily just once as the boots move onwards.
Quick as a hare, he darts forward, scurrying towards the tree line where formidable hosts await in their wonky cottage away from prying eyes. The fairy had grown a grove of outlandish thickness, securing them in a haven of greenery and briar. The Gnome gave him the strictest of instructions, warning him that his failure could result in the death of a bride - a most heinous crime in their world.
Though the toad is often told to do and not to think, he can't help pondering why the Knights of Nevermore had dared to endanger a bride to begin with. It's quite strange indeed.
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"Welcome, messenger," Indigo's deep voice reverberates as he greets the bulbous toad. His hands are gloved once more - something's he's been more careful to do since they've acquired a new member in their home - and they hold the door open for the tiny guest. Indigo gestures towards their entryway, " Come in and rest a bit. We have refreshments for you in the kitchen."
The toad thanks him graciously with a bow and hops inside. Indigo waits for him to fully enter before shutting the door once again. Christian, who had been leaning against the kitchen doorframe, pushes off of it and eyes the toad with emotionless menace, " This way, Toad."
The toad does not miss the venom behind the beautiful man's words. He gulps and hops towards the scary creature, hurrying past him and onto the kitchen table. Fakir sets down a porcelain teacup full of water and a plate of creamfly tarts - a flaky pastry with a cream cheese and housefly filling.
Judas eyes him menacingly as he stands beside Corvus who remains watching out the window. Judas made it his duty to be the first to know so that he may be the first to react. Hence, why he's not irritating the Magpie as per usual.
They all impatiently allow the toad to refresh himself, sinister eyes glinting in the sunlight as they stare at the scroll tied around his neck by twine.
"Delilah is missing," Corvus says suddenly.
The other four jolt in their skin, heads snapping towards Corvus unanimously.
Rrrrrriiiibbet
Everyone pauses, halting their panic to glower at the Toad.
"What?!" Judas bellows, nearly foaming at the mouth like a rabid beast.
The Toad's eyes bulge as he gulps loudly, the rock of air he swallows bulging out his belly. Trembling, he reaches up and takes the scroll from around his neck. He holds it out towards Indigo, refusing to make eye contact. A single drop of perspiration trickles down the back of his head as the monstrous being with empty soulless eyes snatches the scroll from his puny hand.
Indigo's massive fingers somehow unroll the message with relative ease seeing as its mere inches in size. He seems to scan the words carefully, contemplating them until his shoulders tremble from the rumbling growl that comes from deep within his chest.
Christian hurries over to him, entirely focused and seething, and looks over his shoulder without even asking what it says. Within moments, Christian's entire demeanor and face changes. Gone is the carefree facade he's worn around Delilah. Gone is the contemplative malice from moments before. His face transforms into something out of a nightmare, from beauty to beast.
Violet eyes glow with luminescence. Teeth sharpening like a shark's. Black claws emerge from his fingers, menacing and glinting in the light. A thick forked tongue is revealed when his jaw opens to roar like the terrifying monster he is. Indigo places a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him before he transforms entirely.
"Remain calm, Christian. Delilah is terrified already from her recent experiences. Today can't have helped much. If she sees you like this...," Indigo trails off but he need say no more.
Breathing heavily as he tries to relax his hunching shoulders, Christian snarls under his breathe whilst his beastly features retreat to hide behind his beautiful facade. A hiss still escapes his throat though as his teeth return to normal.
"Forgive me," he says monotonously with murder in his eyes.
Judas has had enough. He's been looking from Corvus, who dropped a damn bomb on them out of nowhere, to Indigo and Christian, who aren't revealing the bomb in their hands.
"What the fuck is going on, Indigo?"
Indigo's fingers crush the scroll as he looks Judas in the eye and growls out, " It seems the council is up to no good, trying to snatch our bride from under our noses."
Fakir steps towards him but halts after a few steps. His face is dumbstruck, wide eyed, and yet expecting. "What do you mean," he whispers like a summer breeze.
Christian locks eyes with him and growls out, " He means the Knights of Nevermore tried slaughtering our Delilah. They don't kill without an order, but they sure as hell tried today."
Fakir stumbles back until he falls into a kitchen chair, suddenly unable to remember how to breathe.
"No," is all he can manage.
Judas is quivering with anger, near bursting at the seams with his fury. "Where is she? Better yet, why the fuck isn't she in the good damn yard?"
Christian regains his composure at his proclamation and stand up straight, shrugging off Indigo's hand from his shoulder while he fixes his shirt, " A good point, Judas. I believe we need to set some ground rules else I'll have to deal with the naughty little creature myself."
Judas scoffs in disgust at him, " Sick fuck. Where is she? I'll go get her myself!"
Indigo sighs, " No need. A gnome has her hidden away in his home. Only Fakir will be able to retrieve her as her size is a bit less so than it usually is."
Blandly Judas replies, " That's a nice way of saying she's the size of my thumb."
Indigo actually looks at his thumb as of seriously contemplating the size she'd be, " Perhaps smaller. She is a tiny little thing even at her normal proportions."
"That's not the point," Judas deadpans.
Ignoring him, Indigo turns to Fakir, " Can you leave now?"
Fakir stands you and nods fiercely, " Of course."
"The Toad will lead the way. Judas will lead us and follow your scent."
Everyone nods and moves immediately into action. Fakir closes his eyes, the chiming bells ring around the room as he begins to glow a yellow color not dissimilar to sunlight. His wings, like golden autumn leaves, appear just as he shrinks in size. Fakir zooms over to the Toad, getting on his back like a horse, " Alright, lets go!"
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(A/n: Okay so Wattpad screwed me over the last two months. I couldn't post shit. It was a stressful and tedious situation to fix but it's resolved as far as I know. I know the chapter is a bit short, but it's something. Let me know what you think🖤)