#the rest of the bosses aren't too bad with a bit of trial and error

[laziarteest]

Ys I&II Chronicles+ my beloved It’s time once more for Nightmare mode to kick my ass

[alice-after-dark]

The Red King and the Unicorn - Homecoming

Heavily inspired by The Last Unicorn, Howl's Moving Castle, and Beauty and the Beast.

Guys wake up, @hiemaldesirae dropped epic art and I got hella inspired to write more for this AU

Vox doesn't remember falling asleep. He doesn't remember leaving the carnival and he definitely doesn't remember arriving at this lovely little house.

His sits up slowly. The room is nice and well furnished and there is a neatly folded pile of clothing resting on the end of the bed. Vox has never been human before, but the clothes are easy enough to figure out...with a little bit of trial and error.

He grips the railing to the stairs as he makes his way down. It's bad enough that he's never walked upright on two legs before, but it's only made worse by how atrophied - how weak - his body has become from being confined to that small cage for so many years. It feels inevitable when he loses his balance and starts to fall. An arm closes around his waist.

"Easy there, kid."

The manticore helps him to a seat at the table. The downstairs is simply one large room with the kitchen, dining area, and sitting room all set to different corners. It feels...cozy. The cat creature is lighting a fire on the stove and sets about grabbing food from the icebox.

"Bacon and eggs sound good to you? I don't really know what you guys eat."

"What's bacon?"

"Meat."

"Oh. That's fine. Thank you."

The manticore blinks. "So you guys really are carnivors. Thought that was just a rumor."

Vox shrugs. "Some are, some aren't. We don't need it to survive, if that's what you mean."

"Huh. Good to know."

The cat - Husk!, Vox remembers. His name is Husk! - grabs a cast iron pan and soon the house is filled with the wonderful smell of cooking food. Husk hums to himself as he cooks and Vox lets his gaze wander around the room. There's a small side door just off the kitchen and what he assumes is the front door is situated closer to the sitting room. Outside, he can hear the bustling of life. They must be in a town.

Husk opens the side door. "Hey, Niff! Give the laundry a break and come eat before it gets cold!"

He holds the door open as a young goblin girl bounces into the room, scrambling into a seat at the table with several books stacked on it. Her single eye locks onto Vox.

"Ooh! The pretty horse is awake!"

Vox blushes. "Mm not a horse..." he mumbles.

"Be gentle with the guy, Niff," Husk says, placing a plate of the promised food in front of the tiny woman. "He's had a rough time of it."

If Niffty hears him, she doesn't show it, already tearing into her eggs with gusto. Husk shakes his head but he's smiling and he puts another plate before Vox. The unicorn mumbles a soft "thank you" and the manticore returns to the stove to finish plating his own food.

When Husk covers a fourth plate and sets it aside, Niffty stops eating to frown. "Is Alastor not joining us?" she asks. She glances forlornly at the empty seat at the head of the table.

Husk shakes his head as he joins them. "Nah, sorry, Niff. The boss is out running some errands. Said he'd be back before noon though and he promised he'd cook dinner cause he knew you'd be disappointed."

The woman instantly brightens. "Yay! It's been a while since he cooked!"

Husk only nods in agreement.

Vox stares at them. To hear these two address the Red King so casually...it feels surreal. He'd been expected to join them for breakfast and now apparently he'd be cooking for them, specifically to appease the little one. It's too strange and too removed from everything Vox knows of the Red King to make any sense.

"Everything good, kid? You're looking a little lost."

Vox jolts back to attention, noting both Husk and Niffty staring at him. He flusters.

"I-fine, I'm fine." He tries to grab the pronged thing next to his plate like the other two are doing, but his grip falters and it clatters back to the table.

"Oh!"

Niffty leans across the table, her tiny hands curling his fingers around the piece of metal. "There you go!" She sits back in her own seat and shows him how to use the edge to cut into his eggs. Husk seems to have predicted his struggle as Vox notes his bacon is already cut up into smaller bites. Considering how awkward his handling of the (fork, Niffty calls it) is, it's probably best he not use a knife just yet.

Unfortunately, Vox knows all too well what those are. He resists the urge to touch the scar over his left eye as it tingles with phantom pain and remembrance. He distracts himself with his food instead.

Husk is a very good cook and once they've cleared their plates, Niffty returns to the laundry while Vox helps Husk with the dishes. When the last of them have been dried and put away, the manticore helps him to one of the couches in the sitting room before wandering away to tend to something else. Curiosity overtakes him and Vox pushes the curtain aside to stare out the window.

The streets are alive with people and carriages and chatter. Vox has never been in a town properly before. He's hung on the outskirts, watched them from afar, but he's never entered one. It was too dangerous...not that it mattered in the end.

The front door opens suddenly and Vox starts as the Red King sweeps inside, trails of shadows around his legs. He looks different again, more human than he had on the night Vox was rescued, but still distinctly...not. Confusion hits him. From his vantage point by the window, he has full view of the door. How had the Red King approached without Vox seeing him?

His thoughts are interrupted.

"Ah! You're awake!" The Red King taps the end of his staff against the floor. "Lovely! You gave us all quite the fright when you fainted like that!"

Vox remembers now. The rush of dark power. The swirling shadows. The unforgiving pressure coming at him from every angle. The Red King had used his magic to move them and Vox had fainted during the travel.

"My apologies," the abyssal being continues. "I should have expected you to be vulnerable to such things, given your captivity. No matter. We'll build up your resistance yet."

He crosses the room and takes the covered plate from the counter before settling into the one chair that had remained empty during their meal. He uncovers the food, still steaming and piping hot as though freshly pulled from the pan, and tucks in. Husk enters not long after and the two strike up a conversation as to the details of the Red King's outing. It's...startlingly domestic and Vox finds himself even futher confused. And one question plagues him more than anything.

Why am I here?