Work Text:
“What do you do when the stars look back at you?”
The question played on repeat in your head as you ran through the woods. Of course his house was on the other side of the forest.
Still you marched on as your thoughts raced. The sky grew darker each passing second… Night was coming. Usually you would be delighted at the thought of seeing the night sky and stars… not right now though.
Eyes pierced deep into your skin cutting even your bones. A bell chimes… and again and again. Each time it gets louder and louder as if it were mocking you. The stars glared down at you from their place above. Daring you to take one more step.
And you continued to run. Your breath hallowed, lungs to the point of caving. A calamity in the night as the shadows grew around circling like sharks. The trees stretched towering over you.
They were mad. He was mad.
You finally saw the apple trees when an arrow came into view… missing your face by mere inches.
You stopped dead in your tracks… “wh-what?” You could feel something damp run down your face, tears? Blood?
Wiping it off quickly you saw what it was… it wasn’t tears… it wasn’t blood.
You couldn’t stop the scream that erupted from your throat shattering whatever silence was left.
The stars screamed as well. A horrid choir of exquisite grotesquection. Voices that could have once comforted you shook your very core.
Finally you saw his house. The wind picked up, almost dragging you off the ground.
You banged on the old wooden door, “let me in! Epel! Please let me in!”
The wind picked up again as the star howled and laughed at your futile attempt.
Finally after what seemed like an eternity the door opened.
“Ya gotta be kiddin’ me,” a familiar voice said, pulling you in and closing the door. You could hear another arrow thunk against it. “What the hell happened?”
“Close the curtains!” You panted, you could feel your body shaking. At this point you couldn’t tell if it was from fear or the cold. “I-I went to see Flamme today.”
“Him?” Epel guided you to a chair near the fire before going to each curtain to close them… why was he taking so long? “After everythin’ you went to the guy who almost had you burned?”
“I didn’t have a choice!” You choked out, you finally felt tears sliding down your face. “Something is wrong, Epel, something is so very wrong.”
That’s when you finally noticed something off… “Epel… why do you have apples?”
Glancing over to the freshly picked ones in the basket near you.
The young man snorted and gestured to the door, “apple farmer. What did ya expect?”
Whatever was left in you sank to the very bottom… “o-out of season.” Was all you had left to say as you looked at your supposed friend then back at the basket of apples.
“Oh,” the boy blinked, seemingly disappointed. “I suppose I should have seen that coming, Dear.”
Epel would never call you that.
“Where is he?” Your voice shook as you tried leaning away, “where is Epel?”
The thing wearing your friend’s face smirked, “why, he ate one too many apples of course darling. Just like you shall be doing.”
It walked to the doorway, “time to let my huntsman in. I trust you two had fun?”
“Merci, Roi du Poison.” The man it let in spoke, “oui, much fun with the Trickster.”
It turned back around to face you, the face of your friend began to melt as its form elongated and twisted. Revealing something so painfully beautiful in a tattered gown and a ruined head piece, golden corset wrapped around giving it a distinct silhouette. “I must admit, going to that… man was quite a peculiar move. Something not even Draconia could have predicted. But we are always watching.”
“What do you want with me?” You croaked helplessly as you watched it grab an apple, “what did I ever do to you, to any of you?”
“Oh my sweet trickster,” the other… thing said dramatically pressing the back of its hand to its head. “We’re freeing you! Just like we did with Monsieur Cherry Apple!”
You didn’t know what it was referring to… you needed to find a way out…
“Settle down,” the thing once wearing your friend's face pulled back its dark almost black purple lips in disgust. “You are not running again and if you did then one of the others would deal with you.”
The huntsman opened the curtains allowing the others to peer in. And you saw the huntsman’s hands… so dark against his pale complexion. As if it was dipped into a vat of ink. Sparkling like diamonds. You knew if you looked at the other being he would have the same.
You couldn’t even feel your heart beating anymore. There was no escape. There was nowhere to run. No one to turn to but the stars themselves. And oh how far they have fallen. How they have been corrupted.
You could feel the coarse liquid rolling down your face again. Thick like honey… Why was it purple?
“Now then,” the blonde haired man said. Black tears ran down his face. He held up a bright red apple that had a green tint to it, “take a bite.”
The huntsman leaned in as his green eyes gleamed.
Outside the others danced in the sky.
They all knew your fate.
Accept it.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Then a blazing torch flew through the window.
The stars screamed one last time.
The apple fell.
And it all went back.