thecurseoflife - Tumblr blog

[thecurseoflife]

AUTHOR NOTES :

I wasn't to do as much with this story as I wanted. This was supposed to be the end of arc 1 out of 6, but I've lost momentum, and I simply can't do everything I had planned ! But still, I am happy I was able to finish it, even if it wasn't how I imagined it.

Thank you so much for following along and reading the story.

See you in the next one !

[thecurseoflife]

CHAPTER 27 : Epilogue

Varian was having a great time.

His dad was saved, Rapunzel and him were on good terms, even Eugene was talking to him again. Of course, he was worried about Cassandra, but overall, everything was fine.

He had found Ruddiger when he got to his house, and his dad's hug had been just that much fluffier.

The alchimist had showered the raccoon in apples and cuddles, happy to see him safe and sound. He had missed his little rodent.

Now, he was in the castle, partying with everyone else, in a more quiet and subdued manner than what they did a few days before, with the kingdom wide party.

He knew he had work to do to gain back the trust of everyone in the kingdom. But something was off, in his perfect ending.

Someone was missing. Someone important, but someone he was still mad at. Someone that no matter how he felt about, should definitely be up there partying, because they owed so much to them.

Where was Camalia ?

He had asked Eugene first, because he was convinced he had let her out after he left with the princess, but froze in place when he was told they left her there.

He talked to everyone, getting vague answers and guilt ridden looks that couldn't bear look at his face.

As fear clawed up his gut, he was brutally brought back to his nightmare he had so long ago, and panic set in.

Varian ditched the party, running straight to the prison.

It wasn't the same as his nightmare ! People remembered her, they just... they just left her. He had no lessons to give, he left her too, but his throat felt tight and his stomach rolled uncomfortably. He always thought Matcha or anyone else close to her would set her free.

She had done so much ! The resistance knew that, the guards knew that !

So why wasn't she there ? Where was she ?

When Varian finally bursted into the prison, he was greeted by silence. He rushed to Camalia's cell, hoping to find her sleeping, or thinking, or knocked out, anything, just anything to explain why she was so silent.

But when he grabbed the bars and his eyes fell on the wooden bed, and the cold hard rock, nowhere he saw the music mage.

Camalia was gone.

FIRST | Previous | END

WHAT’S THIS ?

[thecurseoflife]

CHAPTER 26 : The End

Camalia woke up late. That night, she slept more than she had ever slept before. She didn't especially feel more refreshed. If anything, she felt sore, and groggy. Somehow, tired, despite sleeping in to late noon.

But it was new.

It was weird, something she never experienced before. It was like being tired, but without the tiredness. Her limbs felt heavy, like they never really woke up.

The first thing she did, after marvelling on the new sensation, was reach out for her guitar, and breath in relief when she touched the soft wood. Then, she looked around, still just as surpised as the night before of all the comfort she had.

She noticed new things, tiny details that were hard to see in the dark. The nice green of the blanket wasn't uniform. It was all dotted with little apples drawing, in a fun little pattern. The stars she thought were painted on the ceiling, actually looked glued, and were a bit squishy when she touched them. The curtains, that she didn't really pay attention to, seemed to be made of silk, such a rare and precious and valuable material, she was in awe that she could touch it in her little cell.

Cell that didn't really look like itself anymore. Or smelled. The nice smell of lavender filled it to the brim, even with the curtains open and letting the air of the corridor in, it never overpowered the lavander.

On the table, and that she was sure wasn't there the night before, was a plate, with a newly filled water cup, with a fork and a knife. The plate had meat, and some vegetables, and smelled how so tempting as her stomach growled. But it was odd.

Why did the guards bring her such a meal ? Why didn't they say anything about the state of her cell ? How could the lutin even come by at such a late hour ?

All the questions she didn't have the mind to ask the night before were spiralling in her head. She sat down on her bed facing the table. If there was more space, she had no doubt the lutin would have also made a fancy chair, but the cell was too small for that. She ate in silence, thinking of what to ask the lutin when they came by again. By the end of her meal, there were too much questions for her to remember.

Putting the plate aside, Camalia reached out for the quill, ink and one of the notebooks and started writing in it.

Halfway through the second page, she paused.

The lutin said they would come with a kid that was already under their care. It was a great opportunity to learn more of the actual living conditions, and the actual intentions of the creature.

Surely, it was lying. Like a mythological thing she read in her books, like her snakes. But she had to figure out what they really wanted.

She glanced to her guitar resting against her leg. She couldn't bare to not feel it after being separated of it for so long. Did she have a melody of truth ? It would be useful, but trying to find it right now would be too complicated. It took her a long time to find each new melodies with Varian...

Camalia sighed, closing the notebook.

Varian. She wondered how he was doing. Probably well, since he wasn't here. The princess seemed to like him, and she probably helped him out. Maybe, if she dared to dream, did he free his father at long last. If he didn't, she really hoped that the princess was helping him find a solution. He probably found Ruddiger again. Poor little guy, she really traumatized him with all of this. He probably was getting drowned in apple and love as she spoke.

She couldn't feel bitter, or betrayed. She was easy to forget, that was all. Forgotten by Captain, Stan, Pete and even Masha... By the king and the queen.

Anxiously, she looked through the window to see the sun starting to set.

By the lutin too apparently. Whatever they wanted out of her, she didn't say yes fast enough.

Feeling panic look around the corner, she grabbed her guitar and slipped back into the bed, hugging the raccoon plush and letting the heavy blanket ease her worries away. She was surprised by how well it worked. She felt the fear leave and her tensed shoulders relaxed, her breathing became easier. It was nice, but a bit boring.

The books on the table certainly seemed tempting.

Curious, she scooted over the side of the bed and reached out to one of the books. It had a nice cover, with a beautiful drawing fully colored, like nothing she had ever seen. The cover wasn't in leather, it felt lighter, easier to bend. A bit like paper, just a tad more solid.

The cover sported a bunch of characters, all looking rather young, falling into the depths of... something. Reassuring. The title didn't explain anything more. At least, it didn't look like a boring book.

Nestling into the covers, she started reading.

It's only when a small headache started to poke it's nose that she realized how dark it had become in the room. The torch in her cell wasn't lit, but the blue fireflies were already lazily floating around again She closed the book, letting it slide on the covers, and reached out to the desk. It had two small drawers, with a little chance there might be something to light the torch and keep reading. Even if she didn't, the dark made her uncomfortable. More often than not, it was at night that she had her crisis. It always felt like Witheria and Decaiera were looming in the shadows.

Camalia pulled out of the drawer something that might do the trick. A box of matches. It probably wouldn't be enough to light a whole torch, but she had to try.

Surprisingly. It didn't work. She must have tried all the matches in the box, and burned her fingers more than once. She almost set fire to the entire room too, and yet the torch was still unlit.

Well. It seemed like the reading session of the day was over. She plopped on the bed. She didn't feel tired either, so now what. Just stare at the fireflies dancing amongst the ceiling's stars ?

In such a tiny place, activities were pretty narrow. Blue fireflies it is.

Or at least, it was going to be when the torch suddenly lit itself up, basking the room in a nice glow. Camalia jumped on her feet, facing the smiling lutin on the other side of the bars, with what she could only describe as a bored teen.

The lutin didn't look much different, but the kid was new. She was tall. Well. No. She wasn't tall. But compared to the lutin, she was taller. She was around her size.

What grabbed Camalia's interest were the ears. Pointy ears, pointing to the sky. They were long, reminding her of elves' ears in the tales she read. Her hair was bright red. Or maybe pink ? The lighting made it hard to tell, but it was a inhuman color, or at least not natural.

She had sharp, bored yellow eyes. Again, weird, but what wasn't with the lutin. A big scar ran over her left eye, disappearing in short bangs. The kid looked young, way younger than her, maybe 12. But her eyes seemed older, way older than her. Weird again.

Her clothes, too, were different from anything she had ever seen. The shirt was short, showing her belly, and her pants were long, but with an odd texture. It looked a bit rough, and used. There were holes here and there.

Camalia looked the kid up and down, absorbing the new informations, curious as can be.

The most important things she noticed is how she held herself. And how she looked.

Despite the scar, she looked healthy. Well fed. Her hands were rough, but her skin was soft. She didn't look like a villager, but she didn't look like royalty either. She stood in a relaxed pose, all her weight on one foot, hands crossed. She seemed to trust the lutin, not ever sparing some fleeting looks of worry or trying to look good for them. She wasn't masking herself. That was a good point.

-Hello Camalia ! I hope we aren't bothering. Now that I think of it, maybe I should have mentioned that by tomorrow I meant during the night. We can't exactly visit during the day.

-Why not ?

-Ah, hum... well, it's-

-Because no one knows we're here.

The lutin turned an angry look at the kid, and she just rolled her eyes and shrugged.

-What ? Honesty is the best ally. I'm being honest !

-You can be honest with some tact.

-Pshhhh, tact... Not my thing, sorry.

The lutin groaned and ran a hand over their face. The kid just smirked in victory. Camalia watched over the exchange with acute attention. It felt safe. Normal. The kid at no point felt threatened by the creature. There was trust between them. interesting.

-So. Yes. No one knows we're here.

-Then how did you get here ?

-The stairs.

Pointy ears gestured to the door of the jail, and Camalia couldn't help but deadpan. The witty remarks were getting annoying and they hadn't been here for that long. She turned to her desk and picked up the notebook where she wrote the questions.

Turning back, she almost took a step back when she saw that they were both sitting in chairs that were definitely not there before. Right. Can make things appear out of thin air. Has to get used to that. Trying to gather some dignity back, she cleared her throat.

-I wrote down some questions I wanted to ask.

-Shoot.

Camalia stared at the lutin in confusion. Did she say something wrong ? Were the questions not included in their plan ? They seemed to pick up on their doubt and gestured calmly.

-I meant go ahead.

Weird dialect to add to the weird list. Right. Okay so. She couldn't help but feel thrown off by the creature's way of talking. She shook her head, trying to get the ideas in place. This whole situation was so weird.

-Hum... First of all, I wanted to know your name.

Their eyes grew big and the kid whipped to the lutin who's mouth had fallen agap, trying to hide it behind their hands. Laughters echoed in the prison as Pointy ears doubled over, holding her ribs. The lutin's face was flushed, embarassed as could be.

-I-I'm so sorry. I can't believe I forgot to tell you my name.

That only made the kid laugh harder, almost falling off her chair if it weren't for the lutin's quick reflexes, holding the chair upright. Camalia noted that on the back of her head.

They waited patiently for Pointy ears to calm down, still snorting under her breath. The lutin gave her a look and she waved them off. It was their turn to clear their throat to regain dignity.

-My name is Creator. This is Mia.

Mia wasn't unusual, she's heard the name before, but Creator ? That wasn't a name, it was a word !

-Creator and Mia.

She tested the names on her mouth. It didn't feel as foreign and off as she thought it would. It almost felt natural, and she wasn't sure she liked that. To wave off the uneasy feeling, she opened her notebook and crossed the first line.

-Okay, so, next I wanted to know why you are so short.

If it weren't for some self-restraint, Mia almost went back to a laughing fit. Instead she looked away with an irrepresible smile, trying very hard to suppress the bubbling laughters that were menacing to surface. Camalia looked at her with a lot of attention. The behavior of the kid was so new to her. So relaxed. When she brought her attention back to Creator, she was surprised to see them deadpan. They were always smiles and reassurance, it was the first time she saw anything else other than positivity.

-First of all, rude. Second, that's just how I like to look.

Camalia blinked. That was by far the weirdest answer she had gotten. She wrote it down next to the question with a bunch of question marks. She didn't cross that one when she moved on to the next line.

-Are you a boy or a girl ?

Mia didn't laugh this time, but a snicker did pass through. That kid was seriously starting to piss her off. Creator passed their hand over their face with a groan, much like how they acted during their little dispute with the kid. Well, come on, her question wasn't that annoying.

-I'm nothing. Not a girl, not a boy, I'm a... I don't know a mystery. Yeah, sure let's go with that. You can use she, or he, or they, or anything else you fancy.

-We ?

-Okay, no, not we, that's weird. Anything else.

-I ?

-Please stop.

-Oh yeah, I'd use I to refer to you, that's hilarious. Imagine the conversations.

-Mia, please-

Camalia squinted to the snickering kid. Alright, time to test her too.

-What about you then, uh ? What are you, a problem ?

-Sure am ! Soon going to be your problem too, buddy.

-Yeah no, I don't think so.

Mia squinted back, still smirking in that irritating way. She leaned forward, fully into the conversation.

-I doubt you'll stop them from bringing you home, and I'm there too.

-There to what ? Be annoying ?

-Myeah, mostly.

They held each other stare for a minute, neither wanting to back down. Creator didn't make a single move to break the tension. Camalia didn't know if she wanted to be thankful or not. She broke first, leaning back on the bed with an irritated huff.

-Yeah, well, I'm still not going anywhere.

-Why ? Is prison that nice around here ?

Mia leaned back on the chair to check the nearby cell and crunched up her nose.

-Doesn't look like it.

Creator finally made a move, putting their hand on the kid's shoulder, and giving her a stern look. The kid immediately stopped balancing the chair, mumbling under her breath as she looked away, upset. But she didn't look scared. It didn't feel like she thought she was in danger. She crossed a boundary and yet so far the only consequencies were a look. She didn't move from the chair, she still felt safe. It was noted in her mind.

-Did you have any other questions, Camalia ?

This pulled her out of her thoughts. She shuffled with her notebook, looking at the next line. How come the guards didn't mention anything in her cell.

She bit her lips. She wanted to ask, but she didn't even know if the guards came by. There was food on the table, sure, but it was inside her cell, and the food was way too good for it to come from anywhere else but the lutin.

What was the point of asking that ? Maybe they didn't even bother come down here today. Why would they ? The prison only had one prisonner, and she was particularly easy to forget about.

She crossed the question, and moved on.

-Where do you know me from ? Why do you want to take me, if it's not for my magic like you claim.

Mia whistled with one of her annoying smirks. This time, directed to Creator who was pulling a face.

-Wonder how you're getting out of this one.

-Why ? If you're not lying, then the answer should be simple.

-They're not lying, but nothing is simple with them.

-I'm not talking to you, Mia.

-Well I am, Camalia.

How could a person be that annoying ? Was this really how she was everyday, or did she just really not like her. While she was having another staring contest with Pointy ears, Creator seemed to struggle to come up with a satisfying answer. They were fidgetting, biting their lips and looking into mid-air.

Suddenly they sprung back up, like they found a solution. Camalia broke the stare, missing the triumph smile of the pesky little kid. This was more important.

-I want to help, Camalia, because I feel responsible. Because I am partially responsible for...

They gestured to her.

-This whole situation.

This time it was Camalia's turn to deadpan. She scoffed and disdain oozed through.

-Yeah. Sure. Responsible how, uh ? What are you my mo- My da- my uh...

-Ren.

-What are you, my ren ? Come on, this is ridiculous. Come up with a better lie next time.

The fidgets was back. They looked away from them, upset. She didn't feel any remorse. It was a stupid answer, and they needed to know it. But what she mistook for disappointment and annoyance, was actually worry.

-What I mean is, I am partially responsible for your curse.

The words punched her in the guts. If she wasn't already sitted she would have stumbled backwards. Pure stupefaction, nothing else for a moment was readable on her face.

Her mouth hung open, her wide eyes locked into Creator, no matter how they were trying to look away. Mia's behavior had changed, and she was sitting normally on the chair instead of leg crossed with an arm over the seat. She looked at Camalia with apprehension, and that only confirmed to Camalia that what the lutin just said was true.

Stupefaction was replaced by anger.

She got up from the bed, hitting the bars with her fists, making the kid jump and recoil a bit on herself. All it got from the lutin was their eyes settling on her.

-What does that mean ? Uh ? What so you freaking cursed me ? Is that it ? And you're feeling remorse 14 years later ? What, did you curse her too ? Are you trying to be forgiven or something ?

Creator didn't answer. They just looked at her as she let out her anger.

-Why aren't you being clear on anything ?! Why is all of this so shady and weird, uh ? Why can't you only come at night ? How did you get here ? Why are you so interested in me ?!

They just stared. Frustrated, Camalia hit the bars again.

-WHY WON'T YOU ANSWER ME ?! Or... or at least yell back, say something ! Tell me I'm wrong or to shut up or... or to calm down and stop being hysterical or something !

-I'm not going to say those things.

-AND WHY NOT ?!

-Because you're allowed to be angry. And to yell. To hit the bars. Although, be careful, I don't want you to hurt yourself.

Her anger was snuffed out like a flame. Her hands slowly uncurled around the bars, as she listened. She didn't miss the subtle sigh of relief that went through Mia.

She didn't stop looking at the lutin.

-I want to talk to Mia. Alone.

She didn't catch Pointy ears' reaction. Camalia's entire focus was on the lutin. On Creator. If there was a moment that was decisive to define these two people's relationship, it was now. If he recoiled, hesitated, told the kid something before leaving, whispered, anything, anything at all that would prove to Camalia that Mia was controlled in any way. It was now.

And if they didn't, then she would have the opportunity to talk to the kid alone, get the true informations out, truly understand what was going on, even if she didn't tell her everything.

At this point, Camalia was tired.

Tired of being forgotten, cast aside, moved on from. She loathed the idea of being left in that cell alone once again, with or without pretty trinkets in it. Despite how she acted and how much she distrusted the lutin -and that awful kid-, she wanted out. And that Creator was her way out.

She's always been the one to be used, maybe she could use someone for a change.

If everything as the lutin said, then everything would be fine in the best world possible. And if they lied, well... Giving her her guitare back would have been a deadly mistake.

-Okay. I'll give you 10 minutes, does that sound good ? I'd give you more, but... I'm a bit anxious by the idea of leaving Mia alone in a foreign wo- I mean castle too long.

The answer was near instant. No hesitation, no worried glances- Actually, there were a lot of worried glances, but not the one Camalia expected. It didn't look like the worry of someone spilling informations that weren't supposed to go out. It looked like genuine concern over the kid's well being.

...It still didn't prove anything.

Mia rolled her eyes at the lutin's sentence.

-What that sentence tells you, dear Camalia, is that little Creator over there is overprotective and overbearing. I could take on every guard in this castle and still come out unscathed but noooooo ! I have to be babysat like a 5 years old.

Creator just huffed and hopped down their chair, making it disappear in a snap of their fingers. It was just as impressive as the first time.

-Whatever. I'll be back in 10 minutes.

And then they simply poofed out of existence in a little blue cloud.

Camalia stared at the spot they were standing in for a solid minute. If Mia hadn't suddenly waved her hand in her field of view, it would have been longer.

-Earth to 'Lia, you're still with me ?

-Wh- what... Where did they ? How did they ?!

-Ahhh yeah that's one of the thing to get used to with Creator. The sudden poofing out of existence. Sometimes it comes out of nowhere it's really startling you know !

The music mage shook her head. It was- It was nothing. Just another weird thing done by the weird lutin to add to the weird pile. Sure. Time to accept it and move on.

-Okay it's- whatever ! I want to talk to you !

-So I've heard. Hey, so, you're not using your little notebook anymore ?

How could a single person be so irritating. Her 'little' notebook ! It was a great notebook. So what if it didn't exist two days ago ? It was still great ! And hers !

Camalia protectively pressed the notebook against her chest, glaring at Mia like she insulted her entire bloodline.

The kid lifted her hands in a pacifying motion, clearly trying to calm her down while hiding one of her stupid smirks by ducking her stupid head.

-Okay, okay, my bad. But, notebook or not, I'm listening. What do you want to know ?

-Have they been lying ?

-About the curse or like, everything else ?

-Both.

-Mnope. Everything's true. Granted, they're leaving a lot out, but it's a lot to understand and to squeeze in. We are trying to motivate you to come with us, not get a headache.

-Oh, so if you tell me everything, I'm not going to go with you ?

Pointy ears actually took a little longer to answer, looking deep in thoughts for a second. Was she recalling what she knew ? Wait, did her... adoption happen in similar ways ?

-Did they give you a half truth too at first ?

Mia threw her head back and barked a short laugh.

-HA ! No, not at all. They actually told me everything immediately and I have to say, it was way too much way too soon. It was like, "Hello, here's my name and the story of my life" ! Nah it was really weird and it really freaked me out.

-Is this why they're not answering anything I ask ?

-They're answering what they can to avoid you freaking out like I did. Imagine a stranger coming up to you and immediately saying, I don't know, "Hey, so I'm your missing mom and I have a castle, I didn't come to get you because we have a blood curse and I hope keeping away from you would refrain that to happen, but now the evil wizard Gargarnof is coming to get you." You know ?

-Do... you have an evil wizard that's coming to get me ?

Mia laughed again. Now that she wasn't doing everything in her power to piss her off, the kid was actually a really nice person to be around. Although, she definitely did not sound like a 12 years old. Another weird thing to the weird pile.

Camalia was feeling at ease. Comfortable. She even allowed a little snort at the silly name Mia threw for the wizard. Anything really, to distract her from the enormous revelation that the lutin had anything to do with her curse.

-Noooo, don't worry. Creator didn't lie, we're really just here to bring you to a safe place. What they did fail to mention, was that you can come back here anytime you want, for however long you want.

-In the cell ?

-No, in this wo- In this kingdom.

-The place you keep talking about is out of the kingdom ?

-Ohhh yeah. Really, really far from it. And yet, it's really easy to go back and forth. Another thing we'll be able to tell you if you accept.

That was... really interesting. She had assumed it was just a nice house, but they would still be under the rule of the two royals. So, she'd be hiding, always scared to get caught by guards and thrown back in her cell, but... This was an entirely new possibility.

Of course, the lack of honesty was bugging her, but again she could still use them both to escape and then ditch them if they were lying.

The real thing that was still preventing her from accepting was her curse.

-They said... they were responsible for my curse.

-Partially.

-Yes, sure, partially responsible for my curse. Why would I trust someone that partially cursed me ?

-Because if they hadn't, you would have died.

She did not expect that.

-Look, I'm not supposed to tell you much, because you should definitely talk about it with them, but... What they did, it just saved your life, as a baby. Your curse, as bad and terrible as it is, was put there because it kept you alive when you were little. Without it, you would have died.

-I almost died several times BECAUSE of it !

-It was never supposed to get this strong, it... Gods, it's really not my place to tell you. Look, if you want to know more, ask Creator directly, okay ? Sorry, but this is just... too touchy of a subject for me to wing it.

Of course it was terribly frustrating. She finally got to know more about her curse, but oh no, it 'wasn't her place'. Camalia huffed and sink back in her bed a bit. The 10 minutes mark was around the corner, and she hadn't asked any of the questions she had truly meant to ask without the lutin there, like how it was, if the lutin was truly treating her well, if everything was as nice and cozy as that cell or if it was a trap. How her life was before, if it was as bad as hers.

She didn't have time, so she went for the short route.

-Are you happy ? There. With them. In your life.

Can I be happy too ?

-Very. I'm very happy. And... I'm not going to lie to you, they helped, sure, but it's not all thanks to them, you know. They give you a safe place to fall back on, but they don't, I don't know, magically scoop you up and carry you bridal style to happiness. They're not a savior, or... or a prince or anything. They help, but most of the work to be happy, to get there, you do it yourself. You get supported, by them -and by me if you accept-, by people you meet along the way, but no one can save you from yourself, except you. And let me tell you. It's really long, it's hard, it sucks, and you're going to fall back sometimes. It's going to hurt, but at least, this time, you won't be alone. There's many things they're not necessarily really good at, but I can tell you this : they won't give up on you. Trust me, I tried.

To that, Camalia had no idea what to say. So she didn't say anything.

-Alright girls, I'm back !

Instead of poofing back in, Creator simply walked down the corridor to them, with their usual smile plastered on their face. It probably wasn't because of her, but Camalia still felt grateful that they didn't confront her to another mindnumbing phenomenon.

Of course, just as she thought that, they snapped their chair back into existence and hopped onto it.

-How did it go ? Did Mia share some juicy gossip about me ?

Back to her annoying self, Mia just leaned back on her chair and smirked.

-Yep, that's all we did. But, well, now at least, you're a lot less scary and a lot more ridiculous than before.

The lutin frowned.

-Scary ? I didn't want to be scary.

They turned to Camalia.

-Was I being scary ?

-I want to go with you.

All three of them were taken aback by the sudden confession. Camalia slapped her hands over her mouth, eyes wide and mentally cursing herself. How could she be one step in front of them if she just blurted things out like that ! Creator and Mia looked at each other, all kind of relaxed and playful demeanor gone.

-Are you sure ?

-We don't want to pressure you into anything.

-I- Yeah. Yeah.

Well, the plan seemed to have gone into motion, so she might as well act on it now. Use them to get out, ditch them if they lied, and remake her life somewhere else. And if they didn't lie... If they didn't lie...

There was no use thinking about that, because it was obvious they had lied ! What kind of out of nowhere weird luting and pointy eared kid would just waltz in and help and support her and be with her and never leave her alone or forget about her ? That was just stupid.

-Really ? I kind of expected this to last longer.

-Yeah, me too. Maybe at least a week or two.

Creator shrugged, although the two of them kept looking back and forth between each other clearly surprised by the sudden decision. They both got up and the chair disappeared.

-Okay then, hum... We'll come back tomorrow to get you and then we're out of here, if that's okay with you !

-Actually, could we leave now.

They both stared at Camalia for a while, and for a second, she wondered if she was pushing too far. The truth was, she just couldn't handle being this nervous the entire night and day that were to come. She'd probably overthink, panic, or do anything else that would prevent her from being effective. Right now, it was mostly the adrealine keeping her going, and she had to ride the wave while it was still there.

She had to act now.

-O-kay ? I can do that. Gather whatever you want to bring with you and we'll be on our way then.

Camalia turned back to her beautiful cell, heart hammering and guitare clutched in her fist.

On their way. It was actually happening. She was leaving. It felt more final than before. More definitive. Already, she looked around and all the fancy trinkets made her cell feel foreign. Far and strange. Like she had already left it.

She walked around, simply keeping the stuff she had before Creator made the cell comfortable. Her diary page from her last crisis. Her guitare, obviously. And since most of her stuff was still out there, well... it was it.

Camalia felt scared, of course.

It was insane. What was she doing. She didn't know anything about these people. From all she knew, she was about to get cut into pieces and fed to porks or something.

But she was also excited.

These last few days had been horrible. Miserable. She felt alone and forgotten. Now she was leaving for good, turning to a future she never thought she would have with people she definitely still didn't know and could still definitely try to kill her, but she was excited to see what was ahead. However short it may be -not that she was going to let it be short-, it was going to be something.

She turned back to the two people that were waiting, now in front of a large, glowing white circle, emitting the same blue light the fireflies did. They were both looking at her, the surprise gone and replaced with smiles.

The bars of her cell disappeared, and she took a peek out, looking left and right to the empty prison, bathed in nothing but the strangely comforting cold light of the portal and the soft glow of her cell's torch.

Creator reached out, their hand held high above their head, but barely reachind Camalia's elbow.

-Shall we then ?

Camalia took a deep breath, pushed down a nervous swallow, and took their hands, letting them lead her to the portal.

It closed without a sound, leaving no trace of it's existence.

FIRST | Previous | Next

WHAT’S THIS ?

[thecurseoflife]

CHAPTER 25 : The little lutin

Camalia woke up to the sound of far away cheering, laughing and partying. She sprung awake, fear lingering in her stomach until her eyes settled and the annoyed faces of the Saporians. She wasn't alone.

Once that fact was confirmed, she focused on the noise. It wasn't coming from inside the castle, they would have more echoes of it. Or less, depended on where the party would be. Looking out the small window, she couldn't see anything, but the noise were clearer there. The kingdom was celebrating the end of the Saporian's reign.

-Shouldn't you be out there, music mage ?

Camalia didn't answer. Since her... mood swing the night before, she didn't feel like talking. She didn't want to. It felt like too much. She did bother to turn her head and glare at Andrew. His opinion never weight much.

She couldn't help the shiver of annoyance when he whistled slowly.

-Wow. Nothing ? Not even some quick burn ? A stupid sentence ? You're just going to stand there, listening to these idiots celebrate something they didn't earn.

-Shut up, Andrew.

-Oh, come now Maisie. You won't tell me her little scheme didn't bother you, mh ? That it didn't tear you apart ? That you didn't feel oh, oh so betrayed that your little protégé decided to go against you, behind your back ?

-That's none of your business.

Andrew through his head back and laughed.

-We're all going to be hanged tomorrow because of her, so I would say it is very much my business, and everyone else's.

Silence stretched in the jail. Camalia slowly turned around, staring at Andrew. She looked at the other Saporians. They all seemed defeated and didn't have anything to say back at him. He caught her stare, and cocked an eyebrow.

-What's with the look, kid ? Having regrets ?

Camalia just stared. Her eyes wide. Surprised, but with a hint of... horror ? Realization, maybe. Andrew started to catch on.

-Could it be ?

He tried to swim in the air, to get closer to the bars. Kai just lightly tapped him in the back, and he grabbed the bars with an insane smile.

-Could it be, that little Camalia, who grew up in a prison, who saw criminals after criminals go and never come back, could it be that you never knew what happened to them ?

That got the other Saporians' attention. They all looked at her. Camalia wanted to disappear.

-Could it be that despite alllll the books you read, despite alllll the Coronan friends you have, you never knew, that at the end, the villains always. Die.

She backed up against the wall. She read that before, but it was in books, in fairy tales. Not in... Not... That wasn't possible. Was it what was supposed to happen to Varian ? Was this what happened to all the people she got to know, all the ones that she didn't help ? No, no, that wasn't right. People that were down here they were... they were just people. People that got hurt, people that were trying to protect themselves, their families, people that had no choice, people that got forced... There were... There were so many people.

They couldn't have all just. Died. She refused it. It couldn't be.

She always assumed they just forgot about her. Moved on with their life. Had a house, a family. A life. What about Janita ? The little maid that got caught stealing bread from the king because she had a son to feed ? What about Boris ? The wood carver, who got mixed into the wrong crowd ? Who lost his wife and his friends and got crushed by grief ? What about Petra ? Who grew up in a bad world, but really wanted to quit and sail the world ? What about Heidi ? Tania ? Rudolph ? Marcus, Ludwig, Ilina... All those people. All those people.

The mad laugh of Andrew echoed against the walls.

The Saporians are gone. Camalia is huddled up against a wall, refusing to look at the empty cell across hers. She's alone again, in the middle of the night, darkness seething in every corner, menacing to swallow her whole. She's so scared, and alone. And eaten by guilt.

Guilt for what she did to the Saporians. To everyone she didn't help in the prison. Long gone were the hours where she wondered why no one had visited her yet. The guards giving her meals are not any she knows. She hasn't seen Captain, Masha or Varian, or even Maybe-Flynn. It's like everyone forgot about her. She probably deserves it.

It's subtle, at first. Some extra noise she barely notices. Then it becomes clearer. It's still soft, but it's noticeable. The sound of steps, of naked feet beating the cold rock as they went down the stairs to the dungeon. The sound of the door opening, however was everything but subtle. Loud, creaking, rattling. Impossible to miss.

Camalia doesn't look up. She burries her head in her knees even more.

The steps drew closer, and stopped. Right in front of her cell.

-Hi.

That makes her move. She never heard that voice before. And looking at the weird... child in front of her, she never saw that person before either. They were small, with a head way too big for such a small neck. The torches were barely lighting up their face, but she could see some glasses, a hood and unrully hair, if she squinted really hard. The body was small too. Some kind of grey dress drapped over them, black long sleeves and black short, giving to naked feet. They were missing shapes, like they were simplified. It was odd. A little bit uncanny, but somehow not scary. Everything about the little lutin was weird. Down to their voice, that didn't sound like it would belong to someone like this. And yet...

-You're Camalia, right ?

She just pressed her knees closer to her body, and the lutin kneeled.

-Hey, hey... It's okay. You don't have to talk, you're okay. Do you want a little bit more light in here ? It's a bit gloomy.

Camalia doesn't answer. She thinks they'll get bored and leave, or move on, but they wait calmly for her to react. After a moment that was a bit too long, she nodded. The lutin smiled and reached out her hand, slowly, letting her understand what they were doing. She appreciated that.

In the lutin's open hand, suddenly there were a myriad of tiny blue lights flickering, taking off and lighting up her cell and part of the corridor. Camalia gasped. She stood up, enchanted by the light. They looked like fireflies, hovering softly on the ceiling. Blue fireflies. She looked down to the lutin who hadn't moved.

-You...

Her voice was a little raspy, and she winced. What a way to make a good impression. She cleared her throat and tried again, going down to their level, curious.

-You're a mage ?

The lutin seemed to think for a moment, before shaking their head, chuckling softly.

-No, not really. I'd like to be.

-Yeah well... I wish I wasn't.

They didn't say anything back, and Camalia regretted her words. Did she say something wrong ? She didn't want them to leave. She didn't want to be alone again. And yet, something seemed to struck the lutin and they got back up, retreating into the darkness. Camalia smushed her face against the bars, desesperate.

-I almost forgot, I got you something !

They were gone in the darkness, but the sounds told a different tale. There was grunting, huffing, something grating against the ground. The fear of being abandonned got replaced by curiosity again. Got her something ? She didn't even know them. What could they possibly have gotten her ?

The lutin let out a yelp and the gift fell in plain view as it slipped from their grip and they stumbled backwards and fell on their butt with a grunt. They quickly got back up, checking on the gift anxiously, sighing with relief when they saw it was intact. They dragged it a little bit closer, even if they didn't need to.

-Sorry, I would have levitated it or something but I didn't want anyone to freak out and it's very big for my size... I-It's okay though ! It's not broken or anything don't worry !

All the answer they got was a chocked sob. Camalia shakily reached out and grabbed the gift like her life depended on it, sliding it in between the bars and holding it close to her heart. She sobbed on the gift, hugging it as close as she could, so close it started to hurt. her tears dripped down on the wood, around the carved snakes and released some soft notes when hitting the cords of her guitar. It took her some time, but in between tears, she was able to look up for a second, and with wet eyes and an unstable voice, mutter to the lutin.

-Thank you.

They hesitated, for what, she didn't know, and didn't care. In the end, they just smiled, and sat down on the floor, waiting. Camalia took her time. She needed this. She needed this time, and she needed to not be alone. She was so grateful for the fireflies, and for her guitar. But still, something was bugging her. After a few minutes more of reuniting with her guitar, she let it down on her lap, and stared at the lutin.

-Why are you here ?

-Ah, well, I had to give your guitar back-

-Did Ma- Did someone send you ?

-N... I-I mean... Well, it's uh... No. No, no one sent me. Sorry.

-So, why are you here ?

They seemed confused by the question. To Camalia, it was as clear as it could be.

-No one is being nice just for being nice. What do you want ? You're here for something, right ? What is it ?

-I... I'm here for you.

It was Camalia's turn to be confused. Her ? Who would want... Oh. Her confusion turned into disappointment and then disgust.

-You want my magic.

-What ?

-You want to use me because I'm a music mage.

-What ? No ! No, absolutely not ! I don't care that you're a music mage. N-not that I DON'T care, I meant I don't- It's not why I'm here, I don't want to- It's not about the magic ! It's about you as the uh... as the person. I'm here for Camalia, the girl that is lost and alone in a cage.

That didn't make any sense.

-That doesn't make any sense.

-Ah, yeah... sorry I know I ramble a lot...

-No ! It doesn't make any sense that you want me for me ! Why would you want that, I don't even know you... Do you want to sell me ? Are you buying me as a slave, did the king sell me ?

-What, no ! No, no, calm down, it's okay.

-Then, what do you want !

She was back to defense. Clinging onto her guitar, distrustful eyes pinned on the lutin. She had moved a bit away from the bars, a bit away from them. She couldn't trust them. The lutin sighed and moved a hand in their hair.

-Yeah, no that's... that's fair. That wasn't the best way to put it.

Their hand moved onto their face and they groaned.

-Gods, it was the worst way to put it actually. I'm so sorry.

The hand fell and they looked back at her. She tensed against the gaze.

-I want to help you, Camalia.

She couldn't help the eyeroll and the scoff that left her mouth. The lutin winced and held a hand, stopping her before she could talk. Not that she was going to.

-I'm here to offer you a way out. You don't have to take it, I get it if you don't. I want to give you a place, a safe space, where you could heal and rest and have nice clothes, and good food. Have your own room, that you can decorate however you want. I'd be there if you need to talk, or help, or anything.

-Why ?

-I... It's... complicated.

-That's not a great answer.

-Yeah, no... it's... yeah. I know.

She still didn't trust them. But in mist of her doubt, there was now disbelief. Adopting her ? Did she hear that right ? The weird lutin thing wanted to adopt her ? Out of the blue, coming out of nowhere ? What ?

-I'm not going anywhere with you.

The lutin's face fell. What were they expecting, seriously ?

-That's... that's fair.

They sat there. Camalia was still hugging her guitar protectively, glaring at the weird creature, and it didn't move. Sitting criss crossed on the ground, looking defeated. The blue fireflies still floated lazily in the air. The silence was comfortable. It was nice. It was so much better than when she's alone. She could still feel the heavy tension that was weighting down, but no matter how much she felt like she had to, she didn't feel in danger. She was scared of when the moment would end. When the lutin would get up, bid her goodnight and leave and forget about her. It was going to happen, anytime now. They finally moved, sighing deeply, moving a hand in their hair. A favourite gesture of theirs apparently.

-Okay.

They got up, and Camalia's heart raced. They were going to leave.

-If I... came back, tomorrow. Maybe with m- the kid that's already living with me, would you... like that ? I mean. Would it be okay with you ?

She nodded. She didn't want them to leave. But she didn't want them to drag her anywhere either, and they couldn't stay there forever. She was scared of being alone. So scared. The lutin looked up to the fireflies.

-Don't worry, they're going to stay with you. They'll keep you company.

Camalia was taken aback. How did they... She was always good to hide what she thought. She learned that with the snakes. How possibly could they...

-I can make you a nice blanket and some fluffy pillows too if you want ! Or hum... I don't know, anything that would make your uh... place. Look different. If you want to, of course !

-I'm still not going anywhere.

-I'm not bribing you, kiddo. Don't worry.

Camalia hesitated. Her guitar as a gift was normal, natural to accept, but them going out of they way ? That wouldn't be very polite... or nice. Well, it's not like she was trying to make them like her. Maybe she could indulge in some comfort... just for tomorrow. The music mage nodded.

-Okay, neat ! Don't move.

A pillow suddenly appeared beside her and she almost hit her head on the ceiling with her jump. She stared wide eyed at the fluffy, clean pillow, and jumped again when another popped into existence. She assumed they were going to MAKE the things for TOMORROW, not just... Do whatever this is ! Next to the pillows, the nicest blanket popped, with the prettiest shade of green. It was heavy, warm... She touched it curiously and quickly brought her hand back, surprised. It was such fine texture ! Worry punched her in the guts.

-Are you stealing this from the royals ?!

-What ? No, no, don't worry ! I'm just... I don't know. Making them as I go.

On the blanket appeared a little plush toy. It was silly, a little raccoon. Reminded her of Ruddiger. To the touch, he was almost as fluffy ! She was extatic of all the little things that appeared in her cell, slowly making it disappear and morphing it into a true little paradise of comfort.

The scartchy wood plank turned into a comfortable mattress, her shaky table turned nice, solid and clean, the rocky floor became fluffy and nice to walk on, the walls were dry and devoid of moss, and the window could be closed ! On the table, there were some books, and notebooks with ink and a feather, and even an apple on the side with a glass of water in case she got thirsty or hungry. The bars of the cells were hidden by two curtains, one of which was drawn up and laced there, as if it was a fancy window. A torch made it directly into her cell, basking it into a warm glow, taking over the blue fireflies, that didn't disappear anyway, much to Camalia's relief.

When she layed down with a giggle of excitement, her breath was cut short when she saw the glowing stars that were painted on the ceiling.

All of this made her a little coccoon, like she was a princess. Everything felt so nice and comfortable. She raised her head to thank the lutin, but her eyes catched a weird box that formed at the back of her room. It was all closed, with a door to get to it. Curious, she got up and opened it. It was some toilets.

She almost fell over. Personal toilets in her cell. She turned to the lutin. She didn't know how to express her gratitude.

-Thank you.

The words felt empty, or perhaps they were too full. They didn't contain all of what she was feeling at the moment, but how could she possibly express it in any other way.

The lutin, however, seemed to get it, and they just smiled. They waved goodbye, and when they left, even if Camalia felt a little pinch in her heart, she didn't feel nearly as scared as she was earlier. She still didn't want them to leave, but for a different reason this time.

-You are coming back tomorrow, right ?

She called out when she heard the door open, she couldn't help it.

-Of course !

The answer was simple, but it held so much. The door closed behind them, and Camalia drew the curtain. She turned to the room, and was taken aback again by all the fancy things the lutin made just for her.

Her hand mindlessly ran against the wood of the table, as her eyes drifted to the blue fireflies still floating. It felt warm. Safe. Comfortable.

They said they wanted to bring her to a safe place. Would all of it look like this ? It seemed impossible. Like a dream.

Her hand hit the glass of water at the end of the table, and she catched it before it could crash on the ground. Even the water was clearer than any she had ever seen. She took a sip. And better.

Putting the glass down, her eyes fell on the bed, to her guitar and the little plush. She smiled, sliding under the heavy and warm cover, cozying herself there, hugging her guitar against her. She made sure the blanket was up all the way to the head of the plush, so it wouldn't be cold either.

With a hum of content, she drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

It was okay.

FIRST | Previous | Next

WHAT’S THIS ?

[thecurseoflife]

CHAPTER 24 : End of New Saporia

20 minutes, it was all it took for the Saporians to put in place a gigantic flying ship, with 3 balloons supporting it, put the quirinium in and take off. Where did they even find that ship ? Camalia didn't remember seeing it before, but man it was cool.

Of course it was terrifying. They were still going to use it to blow up the city and everyone inside, but the boat in itself was incredible. Imagine using it for transportation between countries ? If it becomes regular, then people would invent ways to make it faster, design and make their own, and the sky would be filled with travellers sailing the clouds.

While the Saporians were loading the ship, the guitare girl saw Varian, Rapunzel, the horse (seriously what was up with that horse), Maybe-Fake Flynn Rider, his pal and a lady Camalia didn't recognize, sneak near the boat and watch. They seemed to be saying things but she was too far to hear.

Suddenly their attention seemed to be pulled somewhere else and when she looked, Camalia noticed a royal carriage she hadn't seen before, and they were putting their majesties the vegetables in. Andrew used a key to lock them in, and gave that key to Kai, that was the driver.

-Take them to the outskirts of Corona to watch their kingdom fall. Once it's done, get rid of them.

The carriage immediatly left, and of course, the princess asked Maybe-Fake Flynn Rider, his bald friend, the horse (she had so many questions about that horse) and the lady to follow him and free the royals. Meanwhile, she would sneak on the ship with Varian. It made sense, Varian probably being the only one able to disable it.

As soon as the bigger group left, Andrew raised his sword up and high from the ship, looking overconfident and smug.

-For Saporia.

With one swift movement, he cut the last rope tying them to the ground and the balloon ship started to rise. Camalia gaped at the massive ship being lifted into the air. From her point of view, it was impressive, and she was locked behind walls. How terrifying must it have been for the princess and Varian that were right under it.

-We have got to get on that ship.

Camalia blinked, and suddenly the princess that just spoke was gone, promptly lifting Varian in the air with her. Nevermind the ship, the princess of Corona using her mile long hair to attach herself to the ship as it flew was the most remarkable thing she had seen all day.

Soon, they were all flying over the city, and the main actors were merely dots in the sky. Understanding she won't be knowing more, Camalia slid back down on the ground, mindlessly reaching for her guitare, pulling her hand back with a sharp inhale when she remembered it was gone.

The new silence started to oppress her, and despite her search for a distraction, any distraction, all she could see was darkness, even the small flickering of the torches outside her cell not enough to bring her comfort.

Suddenly she was back in time, back when she was having her yearly crisis, all alone, in the dark, waiting for the next strike from her tormentors. The music mage felt her breath get short, each one getting harder and harder to inhale and exhale. The corner of her vision was filled with dark and the silence was filled with the thummering of her heart and soft whimpers. She had to get out, she had to get out.

She pressed her knees against her chin, wrapped her arms around her head but it wasn't enough to bring her comfort, to stop the panic swirling inside of her. She heard more than she felt tears dropping from her eyes to the floor, unstoppable rivers she struggled to wipe in order to see more clearly.

How come this cell that was once her home now held over her such fear ?

Her cell was suddenly bathed in a powerful green light as a deafening explosion occured right above the castle. Struggling to get up, surprised to see how weak she felt, she scrambled to the window, and, pressing her head strongly enough against the cold stone, she could see a gigantic green cloud slowly dissipating above her. A minute passed, and suddenly there was a bright yellow dot crashing through the cloud and plummeting down.

As the light subsided but the thing kept falling, Camalia's eyes widened when she realized it was the princess. How did she glow ? She had never seen this before, but if she had to take a wild guess, the yellow glimmer must have something to do with the yellow mile long magic hair.

She landed right outside the castle, and a short sigh of relief passed the mage's lips. She might hate her parents, but the princess hadn't done anything so far to deserve hate from her part. Except denying help to a 14 years old boy. And dragging him into a storm. And making him ennemy of the state. But well, that was Varian's opinion ! She could make her own.

Since there was nothing else interesting to look at, Camalia was about to let herself slide back down to the ground, but the brutal shot of fear coursing her body stopped her, and she gripped the rock tighter. If she turned around, she'd be faced with the silence and darkness of the jail, and as of right now, she needed the only distraction she could get : outside.

Shifting to get comfortable, the music mage let out a joyless laugh. She was free ! After all this time, she was free from the curse, and yet. And yet she didn't seem to be able to free herself for good from her memories. Gazing at the castle's courtyard, bathed in the soft moonlight, animated by some wind she could feel, and chirps of early birds and restless bugs, her heart squeezed. Was she free ? The curse was gone, but the memories were there. The hidden scars. Would they heal ? Can scars heal ?

The sound of the jail's door opening cut her off her brooding and she sprung around, almost expecting Varian to greet her, for some reason.

Instead, she saw Maybe-Fake Flynn Rider and his crew (the horse, the lady and his pal), putting the Saporians in the cell in front of hers. The sight was the weirdest she had ever seen. Kai was the only one standing, looking rather beat, with various scratches and a black eye, and an arm's bruises who's color was not signaling anything good. His famous mustache was missing, as if it had been cut clean. The others were... balloons. Quite the turn of tables, kind of ironic when you thought about it. Maisie and Juniper were stuck in the same transparent bubble, sitted against eachothers, looking quite annoyed with the situation. Behind them, Clementine was in her own bubble, while Andrew had... only his head in the bubble, but didn't seem to be able to pop it, making him float like everybody else.

To make sure they didn't float away, Kai was holding them all with a cord, each for each bubble, making them look like, well, balloons.

In any other circumstances, she might have laughed, pocked fun of them, gloat, perhaps. But instead, she just felt relief. So much relief that she wasn't alone anymore, that she had something to look at. She slid back on the ground, not wanting to talk, but staring at her past friends. And others.

Once the guards were gone, Maisie opened her mouth, looking like she wanted to say something, her eyes drifting to the girl, but at the last second, she looked away and kept silent.

The silence lingered, less oppressing than before, until Andrew cursed and started grumbling to his crew about their failure, and some banter started to rise. Camalia didn't say a thing, watching as they talked... Well more like argued to each other. How silly it was, that she felt comfort in them, in that.

God, she was pathetic. Pathetic and so alone. So desesperate.

As the night passed the silent came back, and everyone went to sleep. Everyone but Camalia, even if her eyes threatened to shut close every second, she had to keep them on the Saporians. She had to be sure they were there. That she wasn't alone. That it was okay. But despite her fight, her eyelids were too heavy, and she fell into the comfort of sleep.

Nothing was okay.

FIRST | Previous | Next

WHAT’S THIS ?

[thecurseoflife]

CHAPTER 23 : Liberation

The prison hadn't change much.

It was to be expected, after all, not so long had passed. To be fair, it was a bit more dusty than usual. And quieter, too. No sounds of boots clacking on the ground nor some clothes friction as a prisonner move around. No distant tumult of the activity in the castle, nor outside. Not even a bird chirping. Just silence. It would almost be relaxing if it wasn't so heavy.

Playing her guitare usually got rid of that uneasy feeling when the silent became too much, but it wasn't an option at that moment.

It was another source of stress, not having her precious guitare right by her side at all time. She did understand the reason that pushed the Saporians to take it away from her, but as a music mage, it was like she was missing a part of herself. They had her life in their hands. Well, Varian had her life in his hands. Again.

After all, it was thanks to him she was still alive and well.

Once she had revealed her position, a wave of indignation and betrayal overtook Maisie, Kai and Juniper. It was understandable, of course, especially for Juniper. She had taken the little girl under her wing, and was heartbroken to see that she didn't care at all. Camalia hated to see them like this, she knew they weren't bad people, unlike... As soon as they heard the news, Clementine had a twisted smile, and Andrew grew darker as ever, slowly pulling a dagger out of his glove. The reaction she was the most surprised by was Varian's. Until then, he always had a strong reaction when he discovered she was going behind his back, but this time he didn't seem as affected. Probably because they weren't friends anymore ?

Camalia was perfectly calm, displaying no emotion as her Saporians' friends yelled and cried at her. She didn't regret her choice, and would do it all over again. However, she did jump out of her chair and panicked when Andrew brutally rushed toward her, a knife ready to plant in her belly. The chair was completely destroyed by the man's assault, and she barely had time to land that he had already charged again. The music mage dodged again, quickly scanning the situation around them.

The other Saporians didn't seem to join him, hesitant on what they should do. Varian was reaching out to help her, and Clementine was simply sitted, observing with a twisted smile. And Andrew... Well Andrew had a closed face and the coldest stare Camalia had the misfortune to see. While she was processing, she tripped on a stone and fell. An easy target. She saw the metal blade dashing to her, unable to move. Juniper just had the time to put herself between the victim and her attacker, the knife cutting her skin like butter, blood splattering everywhere.

-What are you doing ?

Andrew's voice was deeper than normal, and his stare pierced through his subordinate. She held it.

-I'm not going to let you kill her.

-Why not ? She's the traitor, she said it herself. What do you have to gain by protecting her ? Unless there's more than one mole in here ?

As he said his sentence, he moved back, sliding the weapon back in his glove, not even bothering to clean it up. It made it clear that he didn't want to kill more than one person if he didn't have to. Juniper didn't answer, still looking dead in his eyes. Andrew ended up turning away, and sighed.

-Then what do you propose ? Letting her roam free ? No, wait, even better : she stays with us, free of her movement, where she can keep informing her little revolutionnary friends, mmh ?

The Saporian rolled her eyes, ah, what more than some good passive-aggressivity on this fine day ? Exactly what she needed.

-What if we just put her back to jail ?

They turned to Varian that just spoke, like it was the dumbest idea they ever heard. Maisie pushed his top hat back, as if it prevented him from hearing what the boy had just said.

-Do you by any chance mean the place where she already escaped from ? Several times ?

-Hum, well, yes. But if we take her guitare, the outcome will probably be different.

Oh. That was a very tentative alternative. No blood and corpse to clean up, and also a solution ? Perfect.

-But who will take care of her guitare ? We can't leave it, this kid would find a way to it... somehow. We need a guardian !

No one really wanted to have this job additionning with Andrew's crazy expectations. Until Varian raised his hand, like a savior, to everyone in the room, including Camalia. She was already very uncomfortable with the idea of leaving her guitare, but to one of the absolutely pissed Saporian ? Oh no. Oh no, no no no. She didn't really get Varian's position, but she was convinced he wouldn't try to hurt her in purpose.

Camalia gave him his guitare, not without a little struggle, still not liking parting ways with her most valuable object. But it was that or murder, so... They then proceeded to throw her in jail... actually, in her own cell ! How convenient. At least she wouldn't feel disoriented.

She did. It was weird, feeling like a stranger in the place she spent so many years. It simply felt like... it wasn't her life anymore. She had moved on, and wasn't about to lock herself again. The cell actually felt like a prison cell for the first time in her life.

Camalia was busy making a rock bounce on the wall, every time failing a little more, when she heard the prison's door open. While this would be pretty normal in her past life, it was quite odd at that moment. She was pretty convinced none of her Saporians friends wanted to see her face anymore, and except if Andrew decided to finish the job, she had no idea of the identity of whoever was closing in.

It was when she bumped on the wall of her cell that she realized she had been backing off. Hey ! No, no, no. If it's Andrew, she wasn't going to spend her last moments running away ! She stood up strong and proud on her wobbly legs, really hoping she wasn't about to die.

When Varian's face appeared behind the bars, the music mage couldn't contain the sigh of relief as she collapsed on the floor.

-Oh thank everything it's just you.

The alchemist looked confused for a second before shaking his head. He put down the plate of food he brought with him and slid it to his friend. He watched her taking the plate and starting calmly eating.

-Camalia I... I wanted to know why you admitted you were the traitor.

-Hum... Because you asked me.

-But why did you TELL ME ?

Camalia stopped dead in her track, looking at the alchemist with bewilderment. She slowly put down her food, feeling annoyance and a hint of anger rising in her chest.

-Because you asked me.

He seemed frustrated by the situation, starting to sigh loudly, and trying to stay calm. He inhaled and exhaled slowly, wanting to keep his composure.

-Okay, but why did you say you were the traitor in a room full of people ready to kill eachother ? Why did you talk in front of the Saporians ?!

-Because. You. Asked. Me.

The answer didn't seem to satisfy him. He brutally stood up, pacing in the hallway, muttering under his breath. Camalia was starting to be really fed up with his nonsense and was about to let him have a piece of her mind.

-Look, Varian. If you didn't want me to talk in front of the Saporians, you shouldn't have asked me in front of the Saporians. You've told me, repeatedly, while often screaming and getting mad, that friends should always tell the truth and have no more secrets, mmh ? Did you expect me to lie at that moment to tell you later ? You would have gotten mad. And now you're mad anyway. So look, I'm starting to be really annoyed with your toxic behavior and need to control me and that I should tell you everything because that's just... wrong. I'm allowed to withdraw some things, to have some privacy, and to make my own decisions without having to go through you. We're supposed to be friends, right ? Doesn't really feel like it.

Clearly offended by her declaration, the alchemist turned red.

-Well excuse me for saving your life I suppose ! Should have I just leave you get killed by Andrew ? Or maybe let the Saporians decide you fate ?

Camalia let out a sarcastic laugh, before slowly clapping her hands.

-Ohhhh, does the little alchemy boy wants a medal for not being a complete douchebag ? What so now that you saved me I owe you for the rest of my life and should be at your service ? Sorry bud, not happening. If that's what you wanted, might as well have left me for dead.

-What ? No, that's not- Urgh ! You're so annoying and full of yourself ! Do you really think everything is always about you ?!

-Oh, hohohoho, I'M full of myself ?! Wow, have you looked in a mirror ?! I'm sorry for trying to look out for myself, maybe you should try that sometime !

-I'm doing great, thank you ! Actually, I'm doing it right now, by making something that will fix everything !

-Open your eyes, Varian ! This isn't going to fix ANYTHING ! Have you seen the state of the royals ? Do you want to live in a kingdom full of vegetables ?

-I-I'll adjust the amount of... hum... of memory eraser !

-Even if you do ! Then what ? Everyone forgot about what happened, but it still happened. What are you going to do ? Heck, what is anyone going to do ! The consequencies will still be there, and if you use it on you, then you will lose everything you've learned, and it's bound to happen all over again !

-No ! You're wrong ! I... It's... It's perfect ! This is what's going to save it all !

The boy had backed down, refusing to hear what the mage was saying. He put his hands on his ear, trying to shut down her voice and his thoughts. He was right ! He was. This was the solution to everything. He glared one last time at Camalia before leaving. He had barely made it to the door that he heard one last sentence from the cell he left.

-They're using you, Varian ! Even I can see that.

He closed the door behind him, and did what -ironically- Camalia always did. He took the thoughts and feelings swarming inside of him. And he pushed them down.

A few days later, everything had calmed down. The Saporians were doing their things, waiting for Varian to finish the mind wiping alchemy thing. He was submerged in his work, refusing to leave and working day and night. Barely eating, or even taking breaks, completely focused on his objective.

And Camalia, well... Camalia was bored. After their fights, Varian didn't come down anymore, and it was Clementine that was bringing her meals, since no one else wanted to see her face again. Of course, the little rascal was doing her best to annoy the prisonner, and "torture" her when she could. She was emptying the food directly on the floor, or putting the tray just a little bit out of reach, and sometimes even giving her an empty tray. Fun times.

The music mage didn't really feel hurt by any of it, mostly jaded and a tiny bit bothered. She was rolling with it, and at least it was distracting her from the absolute silence and loneliness she felt in the cell. What an awful punishment, really, to be locked up. It was inhuman, and completely unnacceptable. She had never realized before that how much of a jarring situation this really was. It isn't the boredom in itself that made it horrible. It was the pure frustration of seeing time pass by, days, months being wasted as you sit here and are forced to do nothing. It wasn't the same as being sick, and physically not being able to move. The fact was that you could, actually, do anything. Even as small as taking a stroll.

All she could do now was getting lost in thoughts or making the impossible bet of bouncing a rock on the wall. So far, still unsuccessful.

Camalia was in the middle of trying again when through her small window she saw a glimpse of red in the sky. Curious, she stepped on her bed to take a better look. It was far, but... It looked like the balloon that escaped ! So it was back, and the princess was probably there too ! She really hoped the rebellion would be able to get to her before the Saporians. They probably saw it too.

It took a solid thirty minute before she saw the princess and her companions climbing the step leading to the castle's doors. How did she recongnize her, you ask ? Oh, well, it was quite easy. You see, the princess had 72 feet of blonde hair, and that was quite a detail to know who you're dealing with. Sadly, she didn't see any of the members of the rebellion with them. She really hoped it was going to be okay.

There was some distant voices, too far for her to grasp anything they were saying, and then the distinct sound of swords clattering together, and rapid steps of people moving fast. A battle was taking place. There was also some... explosions ? She wasn't sure what it actually was but it made a lot of noise. And was that the sound of horse hooves on floor tile ??? What was going on up there ?

Everything seemed to suddenly go quiet and then a deafening explosion made the entire castle shake. Camalia fell over, knocking her head on the bed.

-Ow !

She grumbled, easing the pain with her hand, before getting back on the bed to look outside. There was a huge hole in the castle, right where the throne room was. Standing in it was Varian, looking a bit sad, and that smug but gorgeous Andrew. Oh wow, he really did look amazing with his hair down. She followed their stare to the ground, and could more or less see the princess and her gang, in the middle of the wreckage. There was a bush hiding some parts of the scene from her, but she could make out the big lines.

It took a minute for them to wake up, probably shook by the detonation. The princess rose first, still looking a bit stunned. She coughed, looking around at the debris before calling out for, hum... Some guy named Pascal.

-Is everybody okay ?

To both the princess' and Camalia, it was a relief to see all her friends respond one by one.

-I've got the rope !

That was definitely Clementine's rusty voice. The music mage looked back up to the breach, and saw that the Saporians were getting ready to get down and finish the battle. Clementine threw part of the rope to Kai, that had a disgusted look on his face. He rolled his eyes before sliding down the rope.

Camalia turned her head, suddenly hearing a pretty familiar voice.

-Let's get out of here !

-What ?! We can't just leave ! We've got to stay and fight ! How do you think those Saporians would like a face full of frying... pan... ness.

Oh wow, the princess is feisty ! She didn't expect that from a pampered royal. Mmh, well to be fair, she had been kidnapped for 18 years and lord knows what happened to her then. The companion she was talking to responded, hurry in his voice.

-Blondie, trust me, sometimes it's better to leave to fight another day.

Strangely-familiar-guy had a point, princess. They already got blown up, it was wiser to flee. And hopefully find the rebellion. Annnd defeat the Saporians and Varian before he makes another royal mess because this plan was terrible, and doomed to fail, and it was going to be SO bad if he actually got to go through with it.

-Guys, come on, they're getting away !

Camalia rolled her eyes at Clementine's words. Yes, wow, well if you could see them, technically so could they. Useless stupidly annoying Clementine that once threw her food in the face. Everyone ran after the princess and her friends, quickly getting out of sight as they left the castle. She really hope they'd fall on the rebellion.

Only a few minutes later, she saw the Saporians return, empty handed. Ah-ha ! Good for them. They'll learn not to run around at night with only torches. Camalia slid back down on her couch, and let out a quiet sigh.

Well, the princess' return was official, but her attack was innefficient. But, well, to be fair, she did manage to escape, maybe she will come back more prepared next time...? She could only hope so... Not much else was going to happen anyway, so she'd better get some sleep, in case she could be of any help when the Coronans strike back. With that thought in mind, the girl got comfy on the plank of wood, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Until, of course, she was woken up by the sound of the prison door opening and some angry shouts. So much for quiet times. Curious, she got to the bars of her cell and saw the Saporians -and Varian- leading the princess to a cell not too far from hers. None of them even spared a glance to the traitor, except, of course, Clementine, that gave her an offending smirk, as she was used to. Since they weren't paying attention to her, the prisonner didn't realize she existed. The princess struggled fiercely, letting out some very creative swears, and asking for them to let her go, but there wasn't much she could do in Kai's grip.

Camalia couldn't see what was happening, since it was happening on the same side of the corridor as her, but she could hear everything. The creaking sound of the door closing resonnated in the prison, followed by the princess' voice.

-Varian. How could you do this ?

Oh wow, another grudge against the boy. Hilarious. Fascinating. Please tell me more.

-I want you to know, I wish it didn't come to this.

As he said that, Varian knocked on the metal cell. I mean, Camalia assumed he was the one to do it. It seemed coherent with what he was saying.

-But when someone trusts you, and you betray them, well... This is what happens.

Hoho, ouch. This one was directed as much to the princess as to her. Like to confirm that theory, she saw a quick glance Varian gave her as he stepped back to give some effects to his words. She simply rolled her eyes in response, but he had already gotten his attention back on the royal.

-My kingdom needed me. I couldn't do anything about the amber, and I had to stay. But I never meant to break my promise to you, Varian. We were friends...

-That's the beauty of my plan ! In the end, when your memory has been erased, we can be friends again.

Talk about running away from your problems.

-But you're only making it worse ! None of these people did anything to you.

-It's not what they did to me. It's what I did to them. And- And there's NO way, that they'll... they'll ever forgive me.

His voice cracked at the end, showing his internal conflict and intense guilt, the true remorse he felt about what he had done, simply trying to fix it. Camalia knew that, she knew all of it, but... This plan wasn't going to fix anything. Despite that, the girl stayed silent. She had already tried knocking some sense into him, maybe the princess would have more luck.

-How do you know ? If you don't give them a chance ?

-I took their Queen prisonner, I-I threatened their princess, I helped these guys take over their kingdom ! You think anyone is going to give me a second chance ? I don't think so.

Wow, what a bucket list indeed.

-No, making them forget... is the only way. To fix what I've done.

Camalia rolled her eyes again. No ! No it really wasn't ! There was SO much more he could do ! But no, oh no no no, Mister the Alchemist HAS to erase everyone memories, hmmm ? Why consider ANY other options ? Like, oh what, I don't know, TALKING TO THE PEOPLE HE WRONGED. ASK how to repay them ?? TRY to actually do good and prove to everyone you're not the monster they painted you to be ? Of course not ! Nonsense ! Let's brutalize everyone into being nice little brainless puppets ! Great plan ! It's perfect !

-Yeah... There's been a slight change of plan, buddy.

The music mage got closer to her bars, suddenly extremely focused on the conversation, and what Andrew the gorgeous bastard was saying.

-Now that she's back, we don't have time for you to get your memory formula right.

Oh that wasn't good. Clementine continued, with her annoying raspy voice.

-We are still using the formula you've curated, quirinium explodes ! It will turn Corona to ashes...

-Wh- No, no ! No, we agreed nobody would be harmed !

That was definitely not good. It was so not good, it was really really bad.

-Relax, Varian, you don't want to end up on the wrong side of history. You understand buddy ?

Camalia almost let out a laugh, but held it back at the last second. This was definitely not the time to make them notice she was there. But seriously ? This was his argument to get Varian to stay on his side ? Please, fear tactic, they never work for long. At least that's what she read. But pressure grew as the silence did. Varian was thinking, and she was really hoping this was what he needed to get away from them. She planted the seed in his mind that it might be wrong, this should be the push. Please, please let it be the push.

-You're right. So I'm gonna have to ask you...

Please. Please, please, please...

-... to step inside that cell.

Oh thank lord, and royals and most importantly Andrew for making such an idiotic move and the princess, of course, for being absolutely awesome and great, thank you, thank you.

-Are you betraying us, boy ?

As the Saporians stepped back, she could see Clementine unnerving grin, as if she had planned this all along. But they were slowly backing out ! Maybe this was the chance, Varian was a pretty good alchemist and a decent fighter, with his weird alchemy magic balls thingies, he could win if a battle had to take place !

-I'm getting on the right side of history.

Ho ho ho, yes, finally ! Ohhh that was such a relief. And she could see now, they were far enough from the cell ! Oh this was great, great sight, absolutely magnificent, to see Andrew and Clementine get back like that, really, a balm to the heart. Seeing her Saporian friends doing the same thing, not so much.

-Take him out !

As Clementine shout this, Varian quickly threw the ball at them, where it exploded- Into bubbles. Completely harmless, soap like bubbles.

-Ohhhh, sorry guys, that was uh... yeah that was a bath bomb.

What an absolute idiot.

The Saporians quickly threw him in the same cell as the princess, as they should. They were still covered in bubbles, which, if the situation hadn't been so grave, would have been hilarious. Except Maisie, of course, that quickly got rid of the soap to preserve his clothes. When they will have to pass by her to get out, she will have to be extremely cautious not to draw ANY attention to her. Now that Varian was in jail, no one was protecting her guitare, and stealing it to hurt her would be ridiculously easy. Not to mention, that they weren't going to wait to use the quirinium (wow the thing to erase memory but science has a name) on the city. They had to be stopped, but how...

-He made his choice, move ! We launch the airship in 20.

Ah, well. Here we go. Not waiting. Great. 20 minute to get out of jail, find her guitare, eventually also release Varian and the royal, find the princess' friends, get to the airship, stop them, and save everyone. Yeah this is... This is fine. This is a good day. A good day.

Quickly after they left, thankfully not even glancing at the girl, she heard the princess trying to force the bars open. She really was a tough woman ! Ready to break metal with her bare hands. Definitely not going to work, but she was determined, that's for sure.

-All I ever wanted was for my father to be proud.

The sound of metal being pulled stop, just as Camalia's thoughts.

-'course, if he was freed of the amber now... saw everything I've done... We'll he'd be ashamed.

The silence lingered, neither of the women wanting to lie to him, but knowing he needed comfort. It's the princess that found the words first.

-You know, standing up to Andrew just now was... pretty brave.

She sighed, her voice soft and easing.

-Look, I can't say I know how much it hurts to have someone you trust, let you down. But... I think after what I've seen, I can imagine it. After you go through something like that, how can you trust anyone again ?

-I don't know. That- that's why I thought maybe if I can make you forget everything that happened, you know, we could be friends again ! Learn to trust again. But I guess life doesn't really work that way...

The royal didn't answer, but Camalia could feel something was happening, the tension dissipated, peace seems to have been restored. Somehow.

-Okay, this is very sweet, but honestly, I'm offended. I can't believe you were going to break in something and you didn't even ask me ! It's kind of my thing.

It was a third voice, one that was eerily familiar. The music mage pushed against the bars, trying to see who passed her legendary vigilance, but the person was too close to the wall for her to have a good angle. She heard the click of a key turning and the bars open. Ah, so it was a good guy at least.

-Thank goodness you're here !

Oh, so according to the princess, it was rescue ! Well that was really fast, that's for sure.

-And where do you think YOU're going, little man ?

She definitely did not know this voice, and was that a horse noise she heard ? Did she really not see a whole horse pass by her cell ? Was she blind ? Was this it ??? Camalia could assume the person was talking to Varian, since he was locked up in the same cell. It would make sense if they didn't want him out, he did attack them. Several times.

-Guys, we're going to have to trust him.

Wow, princess, that's an uplifting speech. The familiar voice responded, slightly angry.

-After everything hair strip here has done, you're going to trust him ?

Hair strip ? Ohhh now that was a nice nickname. She'd definitely take note of that.

-Yes. He's the one that made the formula that the Saporians are about to drop on Corona. We need him. Oh, by the way, where's Cass ?

-She's outside the prison, making sure we don't get disturbed. She was really insistent about it.

The girl heard the quick tapping of feet running and saw the princess and Varian pass by her cell, the latter looking really hopeful and happy about the situation. Which was great ! He was finally getting his old friends back, she was delighted for him. They were followed by their walking companions, and that was. That was definitely a horse. Wow, she really did miss a horse. And she was finally able to put a face on that familiar voice ! It was Flynn Rider, the only nice prisonner she met. Although, he didn't seem very locked up at the moment. Camalia passed an arm through the bars, effectively gaining their attention.

-Wow, and who are you supposed to be ?

-Clearly an highly ranked guest of the court. And who are you ?

The man that was with Flynn and the horse was really tall and buff, but with a playful smile and a pretty great beard. His head, however, was completely bald. And yet, it really fitted him ! He was also the second person Camalia ever met to be of color. His skin was way darker than hers, but it was still something for her to see it. Flynn himself was medium hight, pretty handsome with a goatee -or was it a goatee ? Who knows- and some great hair. He was not as gorgeous as Andrew but that man was something else. White, brown hair, pretty normal guy, surprisingly dynamic. The horse was. A horse. White with a blonde mane and a saddle. But most importantly, how did that horse get there. First of all, this was really weird ! Second, there's supposed to be a spiral staircase leading here. Staircase that was SPECIALLY made so horse couldn't go down or up it. But that was a mystery for another day.

-I'm not the one behind the bars, kid.

The tall guy knocked on the bars slightly, as to prove his point. Camalia huffed, but, well, he was with Flynn, and she trusted him at least a little bit. Even if, well, he didn't seem to recognise her anymore but it's not like she's not used to it.

-My name is Camalia. I'm a Coronan, and as you can see, I'm trapped in here. Would you mind using your weird key to get me out ?

-Well, shiny eyes, good try, but I doubt any Coronan would dress like that. You look more saporian to me.

Flynn Rider definitely didn't remember who she was. Great. Splendid. She did know him, though. Maybe she could prove she was legitimate.

-I'm Coronan ! You might not know who I am, but I know you ! You're Flynn Rider, and you used to get locked up in here a lot. I helped you escape a few times, but well, I guess I'm not someone worth being remembered.

-You know that kid, Eugene ?

Wait, Eugene ? Did she really get the wrong guy ? Maybe-Flynn squinted his eyes, searching in his memory.

-I know Varian ! We met when he was thrown into jail, too. Maybe he could... Wait, no, nevermind, he wouldn't.

-Wow, wow, wow ! If you know Varian, then you're definitely bad news !

-No I'm not ! I can prove it ! I'm a mage, a music mage, I-I've been helping the rebellion, I was a spy in here, that's why I'm locked up !

-Ah ! Yeah, right.

She glanced at Maybe-Flynn, who was still thinking. If he didn't remember her, there was no way she was getting out. But, with Varian gone and the Saporians gone in a purge, her guitare might get it. She had to protect it. The goatee man finally seemed to snap out of it and shrugged.

-No, really, never met you before, sorry ! But nice try.

They left, not before she shout at them to protect a weird guitare if they found one. Now she only had to hope they'd do so.

FIRST | Previous | Next

WHAT’S THIS ?

[thecurseoflife]

CHAPTER 22 : A traitor in the ranks

-What a night to raid a forge, right ?

Andrew's allies sighed. Ah, how they hated this man. But yet, they were here, late at night, ready to charge at his command.

-I don't think there's such a thing as a nice night to murder people.

-I mean we could be covered in blood and rain ! Now it's just blood.

-Great.

Camalia was slightly feeling ill. Her eyes glimmered a bit at the mention of murder. She hated talking about hurting people, and killing them was the worst kind of pain to give. But she couldn't show it. Suck it up, push it down, and forget about it forever. A very healthy coping mechanism.

-So are we going to stand around all day or are we going in ?

-In a second Juniper, be patient.

The warrior groaned.

-I've been patient for the last 15 minutes ! I don't understand what we're doing right now.

Suddenly Andrew tensed up and hold up his hand, effectively shutting everyone up. He waited a few seconds, then signaled everyone to move. They slowly made their way to the door, making sure to be invisible from the few windows in the building.

Kai was first and once everyone was ready, he burst the door open, shards of wood being splattered everywhere.

They all ran in, weapons ready, prepared to fight and maybe kill... no one. The forge was completely empty. Well, completely would be an exageration. There was blacksmith's tools laying around. They all turned to Andrew, back to them, wondering what to do next. He brutally threw his weapon on the ground and turned to them, furious. Despite his frantic gestures and terrifying expression, his voice was calm and low.

-There is no way they could have known. We have a mole.

Everyone tensed, and Juniper stepped forward, carefully.

-Wait, Andrew. Don't jump to conclusion, maybe the informations we got were wrong or-

The beautiful yet bloodcurdling man violently slammed his fist on a nearby table, effectively shutting her up, and making his allies jump a little.

-No. I know what I am saying, Juniper. Don't... contradict me.

He raised his fist a little, and all could see the mark his hand left on the wood. His gaze slowly analyzed his crew, judging their sweat, the trembling of their legs, any sign that could make him understand which one betrayed him. However, he didn't seem to find what he was looking for, and in a fit of rage, threw all the content of the table on the ground, making it fly everywhere. He left the forge fuming, enraged, feeling worse by the second.

It took a while for everyone in the forge to regain their composure, before following him silently, suspicious of everyone. No words were exchanged. They got back to the castle, went into their separate rooms and hopped to bed. No comments about the situation, no accusations, nothing.

Camalia was terrified. She knew this mission would be the one to compromise her the most, but she didn't expect such a strong reaction. She didn't regret anything, and would do it again, but she was afraid. What if someone saw her room empty ? What if someone had been onto her this whole time ? What if that someone tell on her ? Would she die ? Would anyone care ? She was so scared. So, so scared. Her guts were wrapped uncomfortably, her throat was tight and her nose tingly. She could feel her eyes burn, ready to let out tears, but she prevented it. She couldn't. What if...

In his bed, in the dark, staring at the ceiling, Varian knew. He was mortified, but he knew. And he didn't know what to do.

The next morning, they weren't woken up before the sun for a fruitless meeting. Good, they really needed that sleep. Especially since they all had trouble finding it. Except, of course, Clementine, that slept like a baby, right after convincing Andrew she couldn't be the spy and antagonizing the rest of the crew.

So, in the middle of the morning, they were in the kitchen, groggy and with dark circles under their eyes. The leader put his hand on the table, and all the attention turned to him.

-As you all know, we have a mole.

Juniper let out a groan, flopping on her chair.

-Andrew, PLEASE. There could be thousands of other ways they could have known. Or maybe they didn't and simply change location every so often.

The fabulous man slowly closed his eyes, his shaking breath slowly coming out of his mouth. Clearly containing his anger, Andrew spoke slowly, devoid of all emotions, and flat as can be.

-I am sure. Juniper. That we have. A. Mole. I don't have to explain myself to you.

Juniper rolled her eyes, clearly thinking he should, but said nothing. Starting a fight with with egocentric man would lead nowhere, and it would be more productive to simply search for the traitor, and once they don't find anyone, he'll admit he's wrong. He looked at her dead in the eyes, expecting a comeback, but once he was sure nothing would ensue, resumed his speech.

-That mole is dangerous. They probably already warned the rebellion of our plan, and is keeping tabs of our every move. Soon enough, they'll gather enough information to lead the rebellion in an attack against us. An attack that, with enough informations, they are sure to win. To avoid that from happening, we need to find that traitor. Right here. Right now.

Gazes were exchanged. Curious, suspicious, uninterested, worried... That meeting was going to split the group. Inevitably, hurtful things will be said, accusations thrown, and trust will break as soon as one start to speak. So, no one was saying anything. What a great way to prevent things, avoiding them altogether.

Annoyed that things weren't moving along, Clementine threw the first accusation.

-I have come to notice that both Maisie and Kai haven't been very present in the castle.

The two men immediatly stiffen, shocked.

-Excuse me, counter-attacked Maisie, but we have not seen much of you either. We simply do not cross path in this gigantic palace, is it really that suspicious ? Juniper can testify that we are very much present in the castle, to use your words.

-Yes, what he's saying is true. I often barge into their room unannounced and they're always there or working on something in the castle. I always find them relatively quickly.

Clementine gritted her teeth.

-Oh, what a convenient excuse for you Juniper. And who can "testify" of your whereabouts between those times then ?

Juniper's retribution was nothing but a muffled sound for Varian. He didn't need to think very long, throw random insults, or any of this to know who was the traitor. Well, to have a good idea of who it might be. But what if he was wrong ? What if it wasn't her ? He had to make sure. He had to know.

But how ? His throat was tight, his body was sweating, his mind was foggy. It should be easy. Ask her, just ask the question. In the middle of the commotion, of the screams and the shocked gasps. They were the only one still seated on their chair, Varian staring at her in hesitation and dread. What if he is right then, mh ? What would he do ? Was this really another betrayal ? How come it didn't feel like it at all. No. No, no, no. Don't... overthink before knowing the truth. Come on. Just open your mouth, and...

-Camalia...

It was soft, hesitant, almost whispered. Yet it catched her attention immediatly. She looked up from the ground she had been staring it, her eyes wide in fear. Droplets were running down her face, crashing down on the chair, beside her hands tightly gripped to the wood.

-Are you...

He stopped, once again doubting, questionning whether he actually wanted to know or not. But her expression had brutally calmed down, and she seemed determined...no. She seemed accepting.

-Are you the traitor, Camalia ?

-Yes.

Glass shattered, and they turn their head to the noise only to see all the Saporians staring at them. Juniper, Maisie and Kai seemed horrified, while Clementine had a wicked smile and Andrew's face fell as dark as ever. Camalia felt the oh so familiar tingle of fear travel through her back, but she didn't mind. She closed her eyes, and with a faint smile, waited for her sentence.

FIRST | Previous | Next

WHAT’S THIS ?

[thecurseoflife]

CHAPTER 21 : The raid

As soon as the rulers ordered for the people to start mining and exploiting them, the rebellion grew. Friedborg, a strange maid Camalia knew, had joined, alongside some ruffians Camalia had seen in the Ducking tavern thing. There was also this guy named Monty, that was apparently a big deal because he was a nice candymaker. Forsome reason.

Meanwhile, Varian was working day and night to replicate the powers of the wand of Oblivium. And something bugged Camalia about it. Varian knew he couldn't make magic with alchemy, but thought that with a correct reference, he could maybe change that. But Camalia knew it wasn't the case. And she refused to believe that Clementine didn't know it too.

She didn't even try to bring it up with the Saporians but did try to talk to Varian about it. Since they were trying to reconnect, she spent a lot of time in the lab/kitchen with him. They talked a lot, and she messed a bit with him when she was sure it wasn't actually going to ruin his workflow or make him angry and not just annoyed. She also took that time to plant the grain in his mind that all of this might be wrong, through some carefully placed remarks and suggestion about his work.

They were slowly building up their friendship again, and they were both thrilled about it. They were careful, but they each made efforts to make it ok again. It was slow, painfully slow, but necessary. It was like a recovery process after a really bad wound. For now, they were near the "pal" steps, struggling in the "acquaintance" one. They could wait.

When Varian was kicking her out, she usually went to Kai, Maisie and Juniper and hang out with them too. They usually went to the library or just go talk in one of their room. However, she always refuses to follow them when they go to the city. For her cover, she said she just didn't want to see any of the maids that lied to her all those years, and they believe her. In reality, she just really don't like to see them walk and act like bullies. She knows that it's part of who they are and that they're just making up for the lost years lurking in the shadows, but she still doesn't like it.

As for Clementine and Andrew they were probably alive doing things but Camalia didn't care to know what.

If she didn't really ressented the people for her emprisonment, she did particularly hate the rulers for it. Even if their memories were gone, she couldn't bare even talking to them without feeling sick. The rebellion tried to make her understand that they were just too overwhelmed with their daughter's disappearance, and she had aged up a lot, but Camalia refused to listen. She was a kid too, why did she deserve this but their daughter not ? They didn't have an answer for that. Not one she'd like, anyway.

The rebellion had been slowing down the mining and exportation of the magic rock, necessary for the making of the replica of the wand of Oblivium. Camalia's intel had been a precious help in their operations. Of course, it didn't go unseen by the Saporians. And soon enough, they decided to make an operation of their own.

It was in the late evening, and everyone, except the rulers that weren't present for most of their decisions anyway since they were vegetables, were in the kitchen, around a map of Corona. Camalia more or less knew what was going on, but she secretly hoped she was dead wrong.

-As you all know, Andrew started, the rebellion has been slowing us down and growing for a while now. If we don't want them to overthrow us, we need to shut them down once and for all.

The music mage showed no expression, but she winced inside. So, she was right. And this. This operation. She had to make sure no one gets hurt, from either side. If there was any moments her cover could be blown, it would be this. Clementine nodded at his word and pointed to the blacksmith's place.

-Thanks to the reports of Kai and Juniper, we know where they hide. All we need to do is take them down.

-But should we ? Countered Camalia.

Everyone turned to her like she said the most stupid thing, and she had to make her brain run really fast to come up with an explanation. She answered spontaneously and put her own back against the wall like a fool.

-What I mean is, she clarified, the people are upset, right now. With the labor and the brutal change of atmosphere in town that they don't see an end to. Which makes them mad at us. If we squish the rebellion, the last hint of hope will be gone and when people feel like there is no escape, they tend to revolt faster, bigger, stronger. Because they have nothing to lose.

There was a silence. It was actually a really good point. No one expected her to have made such an analysis of the situation and of the reaction of the people. It was surprising to say the least, and only secured her place in the group. For now.

-What do you suggest then ? Asked Varian.

-Well, we shouldn't crush it, but we could try to control it. Keep it at a low level until you figure out how to make the replica. Since it shouldn't take long, it is possible.

Clementine was boiling. The little mage was making some great suggestion and input, and they might go along with it. And she hated that. She had to make sure they didn't, but with most of them wrapped around her finger, it was useless to try and convince them now. Clementine turned to Andrew. He seemed fine, but she could read him better than anyone else, and he didn't like the fact that she was leading the discussion. She had a quiet smile. Yes, he was someone she could easily convince. And anyway, crushing coronans had always been her favourite things to do.

-Mmh, you're right princess, this is the best course of action. What do you think, Andrew ?

Camalia hated that Juniper wasn't able to make her own decisions without reporting to Andrew. Even if Andrew was the nicest guy ever, which he is certainly not, it was a form of codependancy that was extremely unhealthy. Plus it's not like they couldn't take care of themselves without that beautiful jerk.

It took her a second to realize Andrew had yet to answer. Usually he would have already thrown in one of his own ideas with a snarky comment for her. But he was bizarrely quiet.

-Andrew ?

Maisie's call seemed to bring him back to reality, and he shook his head.

-I need to think about it. We'll see in the morning.

And with that oddly short finish, he left the room with Clementine, leaving five very confused people.

-Alright, well have fun kids, if that's all then I'm going to bed.

Juniper left too, soon followed by Kai and Maisie that wished them goodnight. Camalia didn't really know what to do, as she had been mentally preparing for the meeting, but it was cut short. A light punch on her elbow decided for her. Varian smiled at her.

-Hey, that was really good insight you gave there. I didn't know you were such a strategist, heh.

She blushed, not expecting any compliments, and clutched on her guitar's straps like she was used to doing in stressful situation.

-O-oh well I... It's not really strategy ! It's more like a mix of empathy and hum... knowledge I guess ? I read a lot of historical and ficitional books where they made that mistake.

Varian shrugged and moved his stuff back on the main table.

-Whatever it came from, it was a good point ! Don't underestimate yourself, few are the people that would think of that. Why do you think they keep making that mistake in books ?

A night of compliments ! She wasn't used to that. Even if it was to cover for her true intentions.

-Oh... Thank you.

There was a short silence until Varian got back to his work. Camalia didn't feel tired, so she hadn't anything to do. Oh well, she could stay for a while, what did she had to lose ? She watched him work in silence, not even tampering with his measurements or mixtures. He ended up taking his gloves off.

-Alright, what's wrong ?

She rose her head, surprised.

-What ? Nothing's wrong, why ?

-Oh come on.

Varian rolled his eyes and got around the table to sit beside her.

-You've been watching me work in silence for a full hour now, creepily staring at nothingness...

-I was just thinking !

-Ah well I hope you were doing so ! Or else what ? Your brain just... Stopped for an hour ? That would be so much worse actually.

The music mage let out a giggle, then slopped on the side, acting like a brain-dead, her tongue dropping out of her mouth in a really silly position. Varian snorted and playfully pushed her.

-Hehe, alright, I get it. But seriously, is something bothering you ?

Camalia thought a bit before answering. She was bothered by a lot of things, on a daily basis. But right now, she was mostly weirded out by the way their meeting went. She shared her thought with her friend, and he sighed.

-I have to admit it was pretty odd. But maybe the decision was a bit too tough to make ? I don't know, I haven't really felt the problem of the rebellion first hand.

These were words Camalia didn't expect to hear. She frowned.

-Wait, weren't you slowed down because of the constant stealing of the rocks you need ?

-Well, not... Not really ? I mean, it would be a problem if I had figure out the formula already but... Right now I don't need that much. I don't know why Andrew insists we have to get more.

That was another kind of weird. She absolutely had to report that to Stan and Pete as soon as she could. Seeing how troubled Andrew was, she should act fast before he takes a rash decision. She will try to sneak them a message tomorrow. Mmh. But come to think of it, it was out-of-place, but would it really be a good report ? If she figured out what all those rocks was for, it would be way more helpful.

She zoned back in and changed the subject of the conversation. They were finally stepping out of the "pal" zone, she was not going to mess that up again.

The next morning, she was woken up by Juniper bursting into her room.

-Get up princess, we have an emergency meeting.

-Uh ? Wha ? Where ? When ?

-A meeting. Right now. In the kitchen.

-Oh. Okay. I'll be there.

-Good. Hurry.

She slammed the door behind her, effectively making a physical apparence of the "Hurry". Camalia got dressed in less than a minute and ran out to the kitchen. This was worrying. Awfully worrying.

She was the last one to get there, and Andrew welcomed her with his disgusting sweet smile.

-Ah, finally. Please sit.

This was too suspicious. He never asked them to sit. Yet, they all were, except him and Clementine. She slowly sat down, quickly glancing at the other and seeing they were as groggy and lost as her as to the meaning of that meeting.

She didn't like it.

-Hello to you all. Good morning, I hope you had a marvelous night of sleep, because this is going to be a busy day.

She really, really didn't like it.

-I've taken in consideration all your opinions, however we... I mean it'll be more benefic for everyone if we take down the rebellion.

-When ?

Camalia couldn't help it, she blurted out the question. The stress and fear that rose up so quickly in her veins, like a punch in the stomach, took the better of her. Andrew looked at her for a few seconds before answering.

-Today.

The music mage froze, her breath short, her vision going dark, feeling like drowning in the air. She stayed stoic outside, but the panic overwhelmed her inside. She would never have the time to warn them. They were going to die, and it's because she butted in last night. If only she had kept her mouth shut, like she's used to ! What a fool she had been. The only exterior sign of her inner tornado was the slight shimer in her eyes.

-...an idiot, Andrew ! We don't have enough time !

-We will. Everything is planned.

-Oh so now you even does plan without us. We're not your minions, Andrew. We're supposed to be a team.

-She's right. We came together as a team and yet as time passes it seems it's becoming more the boss and the bossed. Or, shall I say, the bosses.

Maisie coldly glared at Clementine as he said these words. He didn't like the mage. She was odd and always seemed to have an idea behind her head. Kai lend a calming hand on his partner shoulder and the top-hat man mumbled, still mad.

-Look, we've already discussed this last night, and as a boss does, I simply took the decision. I had your input and I listenned.

-It doesn't look like you did.

Kai doesn't talk a lot. He thinks that unless it's necessary, it's a waste of time and breath. The fact that he spoke up about that matter showed how important it was. Andrew sighed, and Varian spoke up next.

-Why don't you tell us what made you decide this ? I'm sure it's reasonnable, and we'll all agree to it.

The irritably gorgeous man nodded and was about to speak when something seemed to hold him back. He muttered under his breath, surprised and confused, and shook his head, his silky hair shining in the morning light.

-We... Don't have time for this. Let's prepare for the raid.

This was probably what made everyone suspicious. Camalia had been for while, and so was Maisie, but this time everyone caught up to it. Andrew wasn't acting like himself. He didn't tend to make short sentences and to dismiss anyone so bluntly. Especially if he can take the opportunity to slyly manipulate them to be on his side. He didn't try to calm their worries or to assure they'll be on his side. Andrew would have never taken this risk. At least the Andrew they knew.

They were suspicious, and of course the suspicion landed on Clementine. Always in the shadows, silent but always there. She was Andrew's right arm, his second in command, his advisor. Whatever she did was always for her own benefit. She never thought as a team, and this was the thing that got her into many fights with Andrew. She needed the man to lead the team, to have a broad enough party to take on anything. But only when necessary. And Andrew wanted to include the team in everything. To him, a team is a team. They should be integrated in every decision, make suggestions, discuss and don't play the authority card if not absolutely necessary.

The way Andrew acted, last night and that day, it was exactly how Clementine would act if she could. It didn't feel like the leader they knew. As irritating as he is, it was one of his best quality.

Juniper, Kai and Varian's eyes fell on Clementine, as Andrew's were foggy and lost in midair. The little hunchback mage was undisturbed. She stared back. No guilt or fear in her eyes. Only utter boredom.

Camalia didn't buy it. She, too, was able to conceal her real intentions really well.

Andrew snapped his fingers and everyone's attention went back to him.

-Don't space out now, we have work to do. So, I think we should start here...

He started unravelling his plan, and if the music mage was listening, her thoughts were clouded with plans upon plans on how to warn her allies of the threat. Too focused on both the Saporian's plan and her own, she failed to catch Varian's worried gaze on her.

After the meeting, it had become very clear that she would get no occasion to warn them before the attack. So she had to do it while they attacked ? It was impossible, she must find another way. Were any member of the rebellion patrolling near the spot they went to meet during the day ? No, probably not, it would be too suspicious. A pigeon ? Well, is there even any pigeons in this palace ?! WHY WOULD THERE BE PIGEONS IN HERE WHEN YOU HAVE A TRAVELING POSTMAN ? And where is that wretched postman when you need him the most, uh ? Not here ! To be fair, he probably had been expulsed along everyone else, or he was on a world tour delivering letters, but still !

No, no, you're right. She's being stupid. Camalia sighed and leaned on one of the castle windows. It's weird that wether it was golden or iron, a cage was still a cage. She wondered if there was a moment in life where you weren't in a cage. You always have something you must do, and it binds you, along all those other little things that forms bars, and then a cage. Once she'll be out of this mess, will she be free ? Or will she be stuck in yet another invisible jail ?

The music mage shook her head. This was no time to bum herself out. She had to figure out a solution. In a cage or not, she wasn't letting anyone die.

-Okay Camalia, how do we do this ?

She resumed her stroll around the castle, looking for an impossible solution.

And ran straight into Kai. When I mean "straight into" I mean she literally crashed into him, bounced off and rolled on the floor. He looked as surprised as her and helped her up, looking concerned.

-Ah, don't worry Kai, it's okay ! Thank you, but I'm alright.

He nodded then seemed to remember something. He was holding most of the Saporian's weapons and strangely enough some kind of a green bubble ? She wasn't sure what it was, but assumed it belonged to Varian.

-You're off duty for now.

Camalia looked up, stunned.

-Really ? Why ? I thought I had to make up the details with Andrew, because I knew most of the members of the rebellion ? Is the raid not happening ? Did I miss something ?

The big man held up one of his hand to shush her.

-He said Clementine would help.

Clementine... There was something awfully off about her. Camalia hesitated, thinking of investigating it, but this was a golden opportunity, and she couldn't miss it.

-Oh, hum... okay. Well, if that's so, then I'm going to go to bed to take back the hours of sleep I lost. Could you tell the other not to bother me ? I'll wake up by myself before the attack, don't worry. I just... oof, yeah I really need this.

She stretched and yawned as she said so, and gave him a little smile to finish. He roll his eyes then shrugged and left. Okay. She didn't have much time and this was really risky. Andrew was... unstable, let's say, and maybe he would be crazy enough to raid sooner if he could discharge her so easily. No, stop. She had no time to think. Whatever the consequencies for her.

She walked back to her room despite every muscles in her body begging to run, and calmly closed the door behind her. As soon as she was alone, she grabbed her coat and jumped out of the window, easily reaching the ground, and running for it, careful to be out of view in case everyone had any time on their hands to glance out of the window.

Varian was very glad to be free. He was working in the kitchen/lab when Maisie barged in, telling him he had to give the meeting place back to Andrew for the details of the plan. Since he didn't have much else to do, and he learned through Kai that Camalia had been discharged as well, he thought they could take that time to talk a bit. Of course, Kai did also specify that she wanted to rest but hey. Everyone had to wake up early, and he didn't see why SHE would get some extra sleepy time.

Already gloating at the idea of scaring her awake, he was making his way down the corridor, skipping. He arrived at her door, giggling to himself. Varian threw it open, the slam of the wood against the wall resonnating in the completely empty room.

His smile slowly faded away, and he pushed the covers over, only to reveal absolutely nothing. Worried, he glanced around and it's the sound of the wind caressing the open window that told him what he needed to know. The alchemist looked down, his throat tight. Okay, okay. It's fine. She probably... Went on a walk. Alone. In town. When they were in the middle of planning a raid for the night coming. To-ta-lly fine. Nothing suspicious to see here. He shook his head. No no no, don't go and assume things again. He took a few steps back and breathed slowly to calm down. It's okay. It's fine.

He was surprised to realize he didn't feel that betrayed. Yet. Maybe he would once she told him face to face. Maybe it was because she didn't really hid it to him.

He stopped on that thought. Camalia didn't hid her change of heart to him. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was a point where her behavior about the Saporians and the plan changed. But only when they were alone, just the two of them. Maybe that's why he didn't feel betrayed, because she didn't betray him.

Okay stop. It's no time to think of that. And once again, he didn't have any actual evidence. It was useless to think about this for now ! Varian was about to leave the room, his mind in shamble when his eyes fell on the obviously empty bed. Mmh. That's not a really smart way to sneak out. But if he put a pillow here... And positioned another one here...

He took a step back. Yes ! Perfect. It looked like a sleeping person. ... Wait. What was he doing ?! Why- What ? Enough was enough, he had to leave.

He slammed the door behind him, maybe a bit too loudly. He winced, but hey. What is done is done. And on this thought, he went on his merry day to tell the Saporians Camalia had kicked him out and they should definitely stay out of her room.

FIRST | Previous | Next

WHAT’S THIS ?

[thecurseoflife]

CHAPTER 20 : Planning the Rebellion

Camalia woke up feeling rested and refreshed. Yesterday was a big step for her, and it seems that the night settled her doubts and confirmed her path.

Unaware of the change, she jumped on her feet, put the blanket and pillow away, settled her guitare on her shoulders and left for the kitchen. Since they were in a castle, it was huge. There was food scattered everywhere, testimony of the panic the cooks must have felt. Clementine and Andrew were already there, obviously not even trying to tidy up the place, having only cleaned up one side of the table they were eating on.

They barely even lifted their eyes to greet her, and Camalia did the same. If they actually left all the food on the floor, it might rot faster and the room would become paved with some weird goo and filled with a horrible smell. She picked eveything up and carefully put them back to their place, going as far as even dusting the place.

Once she was happy with it, she sat to eat as well, the two Saporians long gone by now. The girl was starting to feel a bit lonely when a merry, and very loud group of people entered.

Camalia turned around to greet Varian, followed closely by Juniper that was busy messing with him. Behind them, Maisie and Kai were quietly laughing at some inside joke they made.

The music mage was kind of surprised to see that her friend was still in his torn clothes, and not the shiny, new, better-then-hers ones he promised. Catching her curious look, the alchemist immediatly defended himself.

-It isn't ready yet. After all, such a masterpiece, it takes some time to be made, heh. What about you ? I don't see any new fabric on you either.

-Well, uh... It isn't ready either ! What do you think ? Mine is, hum... really cool too !

Varian gave her a look of disbelief and smiled.

-Mmh, yeah you don't sound very convinced. Good ! Not that I feared that your clothing would be better than my gorgeous, manly one, but hey ! Nice to know.

Camalia mumbled something under her breath, red with both embarrassment and irritation, before stuffing her face with some salad. The boy chuckled and sat beside her, Juniper, Maisie and Kai, that had followed the interraction with much interest, sitting on the other side of the table. They all had their breakfast as a noisy, happy mess before splitting up to finish the clothes.

Juniper stopped in her track, turning to Camalia that hadn't moved yet.

-What are you doing, princess ? Don't you want to win the bet ?

The girl stretched and grinned.

-Of course I do ! But I would really like to take a walk first. I never could in my cell, but I've always dreamed of just taking a morning walk after some good breakfast !

What a weird dream to have. But Juniper couldn't care less and shrugged before leaving the kitchen.

-Alright, do what you want. But I'm not doing it in your place, I'll be waiting in the princess' room when you're done.

She wasn't lying when she said she dreamed about it. Taking a walk. It was such a futile thing. A thing she could've so easily done with her key. And she wasn't lying when she said she really felt like taking a walk right after eating. She didn't lie, that's for sure. So, Camalia left the kitchen and did exactly as she said. She strolled around the castle, literally, around it. She took a quick glance out of every single window. If she met anyone, she would slow down her track and gaze outside for longer, as if she was lost in thought and something had caught her eyes. The person would look too, but seeing nothing, would shrug and pass.

It took a little while, but she finally saw it. It was really discreet, still in the shadows of the morning, hidden to those that don't search for it. A quick glance was all it took. It was written with water, and would be gone by midday, evaporated by the sun. 6PM, uh ? Well. She had time to win her bet.

She finished her walk, more peacefully, truly letting her mind wander and calm itself. Camalia got to the princess' room feeling fresh and ready to work. She opened it and was greeted by Juniper, that closed her book and they resumed the sewing process.

2 hours later, and the clothes were done ! Once Juniper was out of the room, Camalia stripped and changed to the new clothes. It was made of a light red scarf with some spikes, matching with a darker red open on the sides dress. From the same fabrix, there were gloves that went up to her elbow. She was wearing some tight black shorts under the dress, for obvious reasons. To complete it all, she had found a bunch of jewels that clashed with the red. One golden belt that was surprisingly confortable to wear, two gold bracelets, 4 anklets, two on each foot, and some weird skull shapped hairclip. She swirled around, admiring herself in the mirror. It was the first time she had been wearing anything other than her cell clothes since she was a kid.

Juniper knocked lightly, checking if the kid was done.

-Come in !

-Oh, well look at that ! Fit you like a glove ! We really did a good job on that.

The woman looked up and down, appreciating their hardwork, and her eyes fell on Camalia's bare feet. She pointed at them, intrigued.

-What about that ? I don't know how to make shoes. I guess we could steal some from-

-No no no ! No need ! I actually feel really comfortable like this, it's fine.

Juniper rose an eyebrow.

-Are you sure, princess ? You could cut yourself and get an infection or something like that. Shoes are not just there to be pretty.

Camalia smiled and nodded. It just felt right. Per usual, Juniper brushed it off and inspected her hair instead. She suggested changing the style, as it wasn't really fitting with the three hairclips pressed against eachother in her single braid. She muttered about how her hair was remarkably strong, and may not need protective hairstyle.

-Say, how long does it take you to wash your hair ?

-What ? I-I don't know ? It's uh... I don't know ! It depends, I guess !

-You don't have to give me a precise time, just guess.

-I-I would say, hum... Between 1 and 2 hours ? I suppose ? I don't know. I feel stupid saying that. It's probably less.

Juniper nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer. She shuffled the kid's hair a bit, while still muttering.

-Mmh, and do you straighten it ?

-No ? Why would I do that ?

Juniper made the "I don't know" sound and kept feeling her hair for a bit before nodding.

-Your hair is completely different from mine, I don't think a more traditional way would suit you anyway. Or would actually hold your hair in place for a while.

Camalia stayed silence, letting the Saporian's thoughts unfold. And mostly because she had no idea what the woman was saying, so it was better to just, let her talk.

-I'm thinking a hairstyle a bit like your braid, but maybe cut in half, and braided on the side ? What do you think ?

Oh no she had to answer. But she had still no idea what was going on. What's braided on the side ? What do you mean cut in half ? She couldn't visualize it, so didn't really had any opinion.

-Oh, hum, yeah, that sounds... cool !

Juniper made a satisfied huff and took her own comb out of one of her pockets. Then her own brush. And her own products, if you could even call it that. She took out an absurd amount of hair ustensiles and put it on the table.

-Couldn't you just use... these ?

Camalia was pointing at the princess' own absurd amount of hair product, resting on another shelf. The Saporian quickly glanced at it and groaned.

-Yeah, no, I don't think so. Do you have 7 feet long silky shiny blond hair ? No ? Great, we're on the same page. Let's go.

She sat Camalia on a chair and spun it around, making the girl face the gigantic mirror while she was behind, tons of unidentified, very sharp and scary objects in hand.

-W-wait Juniper, I don't think that's necesser-

-Don't be stupid. Now shut it and let me work.

Feeling she didn't understand enough to have some convincing argument, Camalia did exactly that for 1 gruesome, very painful hour. Usually, it was either Masha or herself that did her hair, and it was always very gentle and sweet. Boy did she not expect so much brutality from just hairstyling. She didn't complain, having had to deal with way worse, but still, not a very pleasant experience. Especially when she went to look after all that pain and there was barely a difference. Juniper explained how she nourished the hair and helped it's volume, and how she relaxed it, and a bunch of other fancy words to say how good of a job she did.

Camalia politely thanked her and they split ways, Juniper leaving for the library to finish her book, and the music mage excitedly going towards Kai's and Maisie's room, where they were finishing Varian's own ouftit.

She still kept an eye on the clock, but it wasn't even lunch time. She had plenty of time.

She was surprised to pass Kai and Maisie in the hallway, and learned that they had just finished the ouftit and Varian was currently putting it on. Not kin on watching her best friend naked, Camalia decided to wait by the door. There was no way he wasn't going to get out of the room gloating, ready to rub his victory in her face. Little did he know, SHE was going to win. Her ouftit was simple, but perfect. There was no flaws, from the idea to it's execution. Of course, Juniper did say Kai taught her everything she knew about sewing... But still, she definitely had the upper hand. Creativity and crafting was always her thing. She was so going to win this.

Well, he sure was taking his sweet time. Camalia didn't really feel like playing, so she let her thoughts wander a bit more instead. How would the meeting go, tonight ? She feared Stan and Pete would ask her something she wouldn't do, like poison the Saporians. She knew they were in the wrong, but still related to them. Plus, most of them were just really hurt nice people. And even if they weren't, even if they were all like that Andrew jerk and the glyphs mage, neither she or anyone else should decide who should die and who should live. It was simply wrong. On the other hand, maybe they would ask something she could do, but could be pretty dangerous. It didn't scare her as much as the other option. It was kind of exciting to be honest. But she still had to be careful.

... It was weird. Being able to think freely like that. No walls, no insinuating voices piercing her brain. She was alone in her own mind. It was weird, yes. But not unwelcomed. It was calming. Soothing. Relaxing. Nice. Yes, it was nice.

She wondered where was Ruddiger. If he was okay. She hoped so. It was wrong of them to put him in the middle of all that. Once they find him, she will give him so many seeds and apples ! She will spoil him like there's no tomorrow.

And on that note, the door slammed open to reveal Varian, gloating as planned, in a brand new ouftit. There was so many layers to it she wondered how he could be walking around without sweating. It was the polar opposite of her's. Although, they did have a similar bandana. Even is his was currently over his nose.

His white pants and boots reminded her of Andrew's, and made her a bit nauseous. He had a long black coat with red accents, a pair of huge red gloves with... things on it. A surprising amount of belts around his waist and one going across his chest. She couldn't she clearly through the forest of belts but he had a grey-ish shirt under that. Of course, his famous goggles on top of his head as well. It looked good on him, no doubt in that. Maybe they will have to call it a tie in the end...

The alchemist finally noticed her and put his bandana down to talk. He probably said something along the line of "hey, what are you doing here ?" or, "woah you're done too ?". But Camalia didn't hear that. Her eyes and mind were entirely focused on a fake goatee, clearly drawn with a pen, on her friend's face. It looked. So. Stupid.

She probably should've suck it up. Well, she tried. She tried really hard to make a poker face. Camalia burst out laughing in the middle of the corridor, seconds after Varian put his bandana down. Varian blushed, slightly embarrassed.

-It's the belts isn't it ? I told Kai it was too much. Maybe a few less ?

The music mage could barely breathe, even more so that her friend thought it was the belts. The belts ? Seriously ? Have you not looked in the mirror ? It took her a moment to catch her breath, then pointed at the ridiculous lines on his chin.

-Oh this ? Doesn't it look neat ? Makes me older, don't you think ?

He really seemed to like it. And it did make a him a little bit more confident. She still thought it was and looked dumb as hell, but it's not because she wouldn't do it that he shouldn't. If this is one of the pieces that would help him get back together, then so be it. She sighed and let her arm down.

-No, you look stupid and it make it seems as if you're playing dress up. So, in a way... it actually makes you younger.

Camalia promised she wouldn't lie to him anymore. And she wasn't. Stung to the core, Varian violently blushed and hid his face with his arm. He mumbled something under his breath. Suddenly he was feeling really stupid and silly. All his layers seemed really heavy and unecessary, but also a protection, a shell toward the outside world.

-But, if you think it looks neat, then it does. If you think it makes you feel older, then it does.

The alchemist lowered his arm a little, curious to see where she was going with this.

-I mean, Clementine can pull her look off, so honestly, if this goes, anything goes. The whole thing is about confidence. Maybe you won't need it tomorrow, but for now, you are comfortable with it, and that's what's important.

He put his arm down, the layers back on his shoulder where it made sense for him, and his confidence renewed. He offered her a grateful smile and finally took the time to check what her clothing looked like. The first thing that hit him was how different it was from his. There were barely any layers, and a lot of her skin was uncovered, especially the arms and legs. Her accents were gold on red, whereas his was red on black. They still had the red to link them both. He liked how her hair looked different, a bit more... lively ? In a way. Ah, they had similar bandanas. It was like frienship bracelets ! Even if they weren't really back to this stage yet...

Varian had to admit, it was pretty ! And it did look good on her. He didn't really thought much of the bet anymore. They both looked cool in different ways. It might have been a bit silly of them to act like that. Still, it was fun. And the competition spirit they got into was fun too !

-Camalia... I wanted to say...

He took a deep breath.

-I'm sorry. About what I said, before we start the plan. I-I mean after the breakout but before the... the thing, you know ! With the wand. Of Oblivium. I shouldn't have said that, and I realize it now. It was crossing a line. I'm really sorry.

This took the music mage by surprise. It didn't change her objective at all, but she was still glad he acknowledged it. Before she could accept the apology, Varian started talking again, about the bet this time. It was a tie, like she thought, and it was probably for the best.

They went to the kitchen for lunch, and then they all went to do their own things. The plan was still going, but the aftershock of losing all their memories were still very present on the king and queen, so they had to let them rest for now.

As planned, Camalia discreetly left the castle around 6pm and went to meet Stan and Pete at the rendez-vous point. What a surprise it was to find Masha there too.

The music mage immediate reaction was to ask her to leave. This wasn't like in the castle, this wasn't safe, and she shouldn't be there. Of course, Masha's immediate reaction was to scold her, reminding her that she was a responsible adult that knew of the danger and decided to come by themself. If it bothered the kid, she could go and fry herself an egg.

-And what are those clothes ?! What happened to your shirt and your pants ? You're going to get cold running around like that.

-No, no ! Don't worry. I just wanted to change since the other ones were a bit... dated.

Masha didn't seem really convinced, and gestured vaguely.

-Yes, well, it does not do at all. Why so much red ? I thought you liked orange better. Did these ruffians force you to wear this ? Were you molested ?

-Masha please, interrupted Stan, you promised you wouldn't intervene with our work.

-Have you seen this girl ? How can I not intervene ?! Don't worry, sweetie. I'm going to make you some much better clothing, that'll fit you like a glove. Unlike these... things.

-Ah, don't bother Masha, I don't want to-

-Nonsense ! You are not going to walk around in these forever, are you ? Don't answer, I don't want to hear it. Have you been eating well, too ? Where have you been sleeping ?

-Oh well, I felt a bit uncomfortable taking someone else's room so I just kind of... slept on the floor.

Masha let out a shocked gasp.

-Dear ! That is quite unhealthy, especially now that no one is cleaning it ! Tell you what : you can take my room. I don't mind at all, and you will even be able to keep it organized so I don't come back to a mess !

-Masha-

-Yes, yes, I'll stop. But that won't stop me from coming next time, Pete !

The captains sighed in perfect sync, followed by Camalia's giggle. She made the report of the day, which was pretty quick, since there wasn't much to say about it yet. They explained that a lot of the citizens are just going on with their daily lives. Of course, they're worried, but since there isn't much they can do about it, they just ignore it altogether. Some decided to go against the Saporians, and created a rebellion. The people included the captains, Masha, one guard, Xavier the blacksmith, Mrs. Crowley, and a few other Camalia didn't need to know about. They took Xavier's forge as their base, and are talking strategy there.

The music mage explained again that Varian was soon supposed to start making a replica of the wand of oblivium, on a larger scale. They needed the rulers to recover first so they could make them believe they gave the order. Other than that, they didn't have much more of a plan.

-Ah, yes ! I almost forgot ! A huge balloon escaped the night the Saporians took over. They asked me to shoot it down but I managed to purposefuly miss.

-A balloon ? How do you escape with that ?

-A hot hair balloon, Masha.

The handmaid blushed and pretended she knew all along.

-Did you see who was on board ?

-Sadly, no. It was way too high up. But we probably can guess.

-Mmh, you're right, we'll look into it.

FIRST | Previous | Next

WHAT’S THIS ?

[thecurseoflife]

2024 vs 2020

I made a physical book of my Tangled the Series fic, and I remade the cover :D!

I made the entire thing from start to finish by hand, it was hell, it looks like it is 10 years old, but ! It looks somewhat like a book. Which is what I wanted. Since it's not for sell, I guess it's good enough. Another day, another thank god I'm not a perfectionist.

@thecurseoflife

[thecurseoflife]

When Varian, Hugo, Yong and Nuru first arrived in the Light kingdom, to finally finish the trials and open the Eternal Library, they briefly saw the princess and her friends. Even if it lasted no longer than a couple of minutes, Hugo had that weird feeling like he knew the man beside the princess of Corona. And judging by that guy’s face, so did he.

But the feeling was too quick to think about it, and what happened next immediately put Hugo’s mind elsewhere (like, for a very random example, the near death experience of his new boyfriend).

Once everything settled down, and Yong and Nuru went back to their kingdoms and life (with the promise to come by often), Hugo finally had time to think about what happened.

He saw the man again, quite often actually. He never seemed to be very far from the princess. To be fair, Hugo was never very far from Varian either.

They didn’t talk, just glancing at each other every time they passed a corridor or Varian had to talk to the princess. He could see in the man’s – he learned his name was Eugene, which surprisingly didn’t help – eyes that he was also searching where he knew him from.

It was very annoying, and that little game persisted for a while, neither of the party wanting to start a conversation before knowing if the other was a threat.

It was the middle of the night when it clicked.

Until Hugo and Varian got their own home, they were both living with Quirin, who made clear at the very beginning that the two won’t sleep together under his roof. So they waited until he fell asleep and sneaked into the other’s bedroom.

That night Hugo was in Varian’s room, and the smaller boy was peacefully sleeping by his side, comfortably snuggled against him.

But he couldn’t sleep. Once again the thought of Eugene and that oh so familiar face and mannerisms… it reminded him of someone. Someone he had worked with. Someone really annoying, and selfish and arrogant… It reminded him of…

Hugo jolted in the bed, struck by a revelation. The alchemist beside him nearly fell out the bed, brutally awakened.

-W-What’s going on ? Hugo, are you okay ? Was it a nightmare ?

Still processing the thought, Hugo turned slowly towards him, staring into the void. Which only freaked out Varian more.

-Hey, Goggles… Is Eugene Flynn Rider ?

Varian looked at his boyfriend in disbelief. Did this guy really just woke him up, in the middle of the night AND from a very nice dream -for once- to ask him that ? Varian scoffed in indignation and layed back down, rolling over, making sure to take the whole blanket.

A moment passed and the small scientist assumed the idiot had come to his senses and decided to sleep. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

-Sooo… is he ?

-HUGO !

-C’mon Hairstripe, it’s important…

Varian stayed silent for a little while to let him think about how he woke him up then mumbled a yes when he heard Hugo get up to leave.

The taller boy smiled fondly at the angry gremlin and went back up in bed with him, happily snuggling with him and kissing his neck, which seemed to calm the other boy down a bit.

-Can I have some of the blanket now ? Hugo joked.

All he had for an answer was a pillow in the face.

The next morning, despite his teasing and humorous reaction, the fact that Eugene, the princess’ boyfriend and apparently his own boyfriend’s close friend was the traitorous, awful, thief Flynn Rider wasn’t really easy to wrap his mind around.

To be honest, it was mostly stuck in his throat. And it did not leave a very good after taste.

As soon as he got a moment alone with the vile serpent, Hugo confronted him about it.

Eugene was about to ask a question about the boy’s weird behavior in the last few days, thinking that the other finally knew why their presences  felt so familiar, when Hugo cut him off.

-You are Flynn Rider, aren’t you ?

The captain froze. The snarky tone of the kid pronouncing his name… Everything snapped into place.

He slowly pointed at Hugo, a small smile of victory for finally figuring it out creeping on his face.

-Waiiit… I remember you now. You were that kid with the weird name from when we did that heist back in Ingvarr ! What was that stupid nickname again… Ch… Cherry… No, no, more like…

Hugo’s cheeks flushed slightly and he cut the man again.

-You’re one to talk with « stupid nicknames », Flynn Rider.

Eugene scoffed, looking offended, and rose his voice a little, more hurt in his pride than anything else.

-Well at least I didn’t run away with the treasure !

-Oh, sorry, I didn’t know we were pointing fingers ! Did I steal the map and leave like an idiot to face traps all alone, and eventually got stuck, because the whole purpose of being group was to get past those traps ?! At least I was smart enough to let you guys to do the dirty work for me to get the jewels at the end !

-Excuse me ? If I recall well Crook got you and stole the jewels back ! And don’t you dare calling me stupid to my face.

-Or what ? You’re going to steal the crown ?

Hugo struck a nerve this time and Eugene tensed, making the other smirk.

-What are you going to do, arrest me ? Because I hurt your delicate heart ?

-Well I would be doing my job, putting another thief and traitor behind the bars.

-Funny, that’s precisely what people called you not so long ago.

The captain of the guards was about to give that kid some time in a cell to think about that he had done when the door suddenly opened, revealing Varian and Rapunzel, alerted by the fight.

When they saw the two guys glaring angrily at one another, fists closed and teeth clenched, they immediately understood what was going on and they went from “oh-my-god-are-they-okay” to “you-need-scolding-right-now”.

They both took their respective boyfriend by the ears and dragged them away from the other. Varian let go of Hugo’s ear, that was seriously hurting, and crossed his arms.

-Hugo, what in the name of… of anything was that ? You’ve been ignoring Eugene since you got here, and suddenly we leave you ten seconds alone and you’re already at each others throats !

-Look, Goggles, I don’t expect you to get it but… This guy is Flynn Rider ! I know him, he is not… he’s not trustworthy. Believe me.

Varian stared at his boyfriend in disbelief, eyebrows frowned. He looked hurt, and upset. Like he was about to cry and spat anger at him at the same time.

-Eugene is not Flynn Rider. Not anymore. I don’t know where you guys met but it was a long time ago. He has changed. You can’t… you can’t judge him for what he did in the past. Y-You can’t.

Hugo was about to argument further but stopped. The young alchemist was avoiding his gaze, clenching at his arms, like he always did when he felt upset. Hugo’s heart sunk a little bit and all trace of anger left his mind. He gently cupped his lover chin and made him look into his eyes.

He had never really been great with words, especially in emotional moment like this one.

He didn’t know what to say to make his boyfriend feel better. But all that Varian needed was one look into his heart, through the windows of his eyes to hear the thousands of words he was struggling to say.

Varian went in for a hug and Hugo hugged back tightly, passing his emotions through his gestures and action rather than his words.

The tall scientist felt stupid. Of course it would make him think about that. He didn’t mean it that way. He didn’t mean to say that Varian, his sweet, strong, smart, adorable Varian was not trustworthy, was not perfect. He didn’t mean to say that he didn’t deserve love nor friendship. And he knew he didn’t say it. He knew he was talking about that filthy traitor and pathetic excuse for a thief, but… if it made his alchemist feel better to… tolerate Flynn, then he would. For his Varian.

-Okay, I… I will try not to argue with him and I’ll try to… Well the point is I’ll try. Okay Goggles ?

It wasn’t enough. It really wasn’t but… Varian couldn’t force them to be friends or to like each other. If Hugo said he was going to try… then he trusted him. With all his heart. But knowing him, and knowing Eugene, the peace probably won’t last long. Maybe if he could just nudge them in the right direction…

Varian pulled away from the hug and was about to say something when the door slammed open, showing a very happy Cassandra, overwhelmed by an insane amount of things. Rapunzel immediately stopped talking to Eugene and jumped into her best friend’s arm, effectively making them both fall on the ground. All of Cass’… stuff scattered on the ground, but neither of them cared. Eugene helped them both up and smiled at his friend.

-Welcome back, Cass.

The woman smiled back and went forward to Varian who hugged her tightly with a big smile. Which  made a spear of jealousy and spite enter Hugo’s heart, like every time he saw the woman who caused so much pain to his love.

-Cassandra.

-Hugo.

Fortunately, the feeling was mutual.

Cassandra came back from time to time to Corona, giving away things she gained during her, no one doubted, numerous adventures. During each one of her visits, everyone was overjoyed to see her whereas Hugo felt the complete opposite. Thankfully she never stayed long, going back onto the road, which made each of her visits really valuable to Rapunzel. She always spent as much time with her as possible, doing all sorts of activities and forgetting for a while that she was the princess, just enjoying her friend’s company.

And oh, was it a great moment for Cass to be in town. Now Hugo had two people he wasn’t allowed to be upset against. Great.

Saying the boy wasn’t fond of the former lady-in-waiting was an understatement. But to be honest, he definitely liked Flynn way more than Cassandra.

At least one of them didn’t commit an attempted murder on his alchemist.

Since Cass was into town, it seemed the conversation was over, and after a quick chat with her to catch up, she went with the princess and the thief and left. Varian and Hugo went on with the tasks of the day, taking care of the Eternal Library, fixing some stuff and checking if everything worked fine…

That night, Varian sneaked inside his lovely boyfriend’s room. Hugo was already in bed, reading a book about the history of Corona with the dim light of a candle, surprisingly not using one of the lamp they made together.

When he heard Varian enter the room, he slightly tensed up, knowing what was coming.

The boy sat beside him in the bed, gently taking the book from his hands.

-Look, Hugo… I… I know that Eugene used to be… different to say the least, but I promise you, he is not the man you met long ago. He’s… he’s a good guy, he saved me and cared for me numerous times, and he’s my friend. I don’t expect you two to suddenly be all rainbows and teddy-bears but just… give him a chance. Give Eugene a chance, not Flynn. Can you do that for me ?

Hugo hesitated, his protective side acting up. He looked away, and Varian interpreted that as a “no”. The smaller boy gently took his boyfriend’s hand into his and stroke it slowly. Hugo sighed and turned to face Varian, looking conflicted. He met his lover’s puppy eyes and tiny smile, and he was defeated.

-Okay, okay, fine ! I’ll do it, I promi- I swear I’ll give him a shot. But Goggles, if he picks on me then I won’t hold back.

The royal alchemist chuckled softly and Hugo’s heart did a flip. He always loved his laugh. Not the big, loud ones. The little, precious giggles or snorts that always made him feel overwhelmed with love.

Hugo brushed Varian’s cheeks and leaned in, kissing his wonderful boyfriend with all the love he could put in it, he kissed him back, smiling and holding him close.

Three days later, you would be surprised to learn that Hugo’s and Eugene’s bickering was endless. They couldn’t even just look at each other without getting annoyed and complaining about the other to their partner.

Partners that had just enough of it.

Like they agreed on, Varian sneaked into Rapunzel’s room, without either of their boyfriends noticing. It was night, and the stars were shining and giving a dim light to the princess’ dark room.

-Rapunzel ? Whispered the alchemist.

The door shut behind him in a small clap, and a voice behind startled him.

-You weren’t followed ?

-What ? No no no, relax Rapunzel, we’re just going to talk, not go on a secret mission or something !

Rapunzel scrunched up her nose and lowered the pan. Her serious expression was replaced by her cheerful smile and she grabbed her friend’s hand to lead him to her bed, where they sat and lit up a lamp. Pascal, who was peacefully sleeping until then, groaned a bit and turned away from the sudden light.

-Sorry Pascal ! Winced the princess. So, Varian, do you have a plan ?

The alchemist fell back on the bed and sighed.

-No, not at all. That’s why I wanted to talk to you. I know you’ve had enough as much as me, and honestly I think we have to do something about this ! It’s unbearable !

Rapunzel flopped by his side and they both looked up at the ceiling in silence for a while.

-Maybe we could… I don’t know… Make a gift and give it to Eugene and pretend it’s from Hugo or something ?

Varian threw the idea into the air, not really convinced, more to stimulate ideas than an actual solution.

-What about a road trip ? Suddenly said the brown haired girl.

-A road trip ?

-Yeah ! We did one when we were looking for the moonstone, and I think it really helped us to bond together ! I learned a lot of things about Eugene and Cassandra ! Maybe it’ll be good for you guys to go too !

-”You guys” ? You wouldn’t be coming ?

Rapunzel sat up, looking a bit embarrassed, tangling her short hair between her fingers.

-Well, I was thinking that I could be spending some time with Cass before she leaves again…

Varian nodded. It was fair, but… the perspective of sharing a trip with two quarreling old ladies wasn’t appealing to say the least. To be fair, if he could just throw them on a bonding trip and rest in Corona during a month or two, he would.

But he still wanted to see his friend and lover in one piece when they returned…

-Hey, Rapunzel… Hugo has been complaining about Eugene and he told me where they met. Maybe if we could get them back there it would help to solve things ?

-You mean in Ingvarr ?

The alchemist snorted.

-I see Hugo wasn’t the only one whining around.

Rapunzel groaned and pouted, crossing her arms. They looked at each other and laughed, trying to stifle the sound in their hands.

Sadly it didn’t seem to work that well since a guard knocked on the princess’ door soon after, forcing Varian to hide on the balcony.

Once the guard was gone, the boy sneaked out through the door to his home.

Right before he disappeared in the hallway, Rapunzel whispered.

-So that’s the plan ? A bonding trip to Ingvarr ? Are you sure it’s going to work ?

Varian looked around, making sure he wasn’t going to be spotted and then bowed to the princess, winking at her as he ran away.

Guess that meant he got it.

It took some convincing -from both sides- but here they were, on the caravan that Rapunzel insisted of giving them, Varian holding the reins of the horses, squished between two mean looking friends.

Great. This was going to be a great trip.

Ingvarr, the Iron kingdom, also known as the “Bad kingdom”, was notoriously known to be poor. The city was mostly houses built over other houses, which made gigantic towers of houses one on the others, and a very very tight main street. There were strings of laundry hanging from a house to another and ladders going in between the streets.

Everything was dirty. The houses, the street, the people. Everyone was just trying to survive, and travelers were very rare. So whenever someone came, ten minutes was usually all it took to be stripped down of everything you ever owned.

The children were mostly living on their own, being smart or being dead. They built, made groups, gangs if I may, stealing to be able to eat and caring about one another, as long as it was in the gang.

The nickname “Bad kingdom” came from the fact that only criminals lived there, as it was the only way to survive. It was also just a poorly ruled kingdom. Because, you see, people in the street were starving, and if you continued up that street, the mountain of houses were less and less high, until you got to the industrial part of the kingdom, that provided polluted air and horrible diseases to the inhabitants. Do I really need to describe that horror vision that you all have ?

I do not. Moving on.

After you passed by the factories, you had to go up a hill. The hill was surrounded by thick smoke and toxic gas that the industry was releasing all day long, and it was impossible to know what was at the end of the hill until you passed the pollution barrier.

Then, the bright daylight that you haven’t seen since you entered the town might blind you. The fresh air and wonderful scent of flowers could make your head spin. But mostly the sight of the gigantic, rich, wealthy and healthy castle could make your heart swell and your anger boil.

At that point, guards would have caught you and thrown you back into the smoke, away from the castle and away from life.

Ingvarr wasn’t a happy kingdom. It wasn’t the kingdom you talked about with a smile on your face, and if you did mention it, bad memories would be resurfacing in your mind.

That explained the frown on both Hugo’s and Eugene’s faces as they were all happily heading to disaster.

Of course, it might be related to the fact that they both assumed the other was a horrible traitorous thief about to hurt Varian.

Ingvarr was two weeks away from Corona, and as Hugo let out a snarky comment that started a fight, the royal alchemist was wondering how long he was going to be able to put up with this.

A week. Varian had been able to put up with this for a week. The constant fighting and bickering, the childish behavior of his two “companions”, the oh so annoying “Varian, you can tell him that...”.

He had regrets. Maybe just throwing them in a close space and let them fight until exhaustion would have been better.

Instead he was getting late on his royal scientist duties and babysitting two morons who were getting on his nerves.

Right now, he wished he was at home, drinking some delicious hot cocoa Ruddiger just made…

He missed Ruddiger too.

Varian didn’t want to bring him into this so he left him with Rapunzel, convinced that she would take good care of him. He wish he didn’t have to bring himself into this.

-Crook would have you kicked out if it weren’t for me !

-Oh well I’m sorry then your honor. And don’t bring Crook into this, who knows what he would do to you if he found you again !

-Ah, well joke’s on you, Glasses, I just stole the map. You stole the entire treasure !

-HE TOOK IT BACK !

Ah yes. Another subject of argument. That guy named “Crook”. From what Varian understood, he was the one who put the entire operation up. He asked help from Donella who suggested Hugo could help. He understood that Crook wanted to steal the jewels from the castle, but surprisingly, he didn’t understand why. From what he heard, that guy didn’t want the jewels for himself. Neither Hugo nor Eugene actually knew why. It was kind of off-putting, but the alchemist had other worries than why the guy who hired his boyfriend and half of Team awesome was stealing some stupid jewels 10 years ago.

When he heard something crash in the caravan where the children were fighting, Varian abruptly decided he needed to go for a walk. He pulled on the reins and the caravan came to a sudden halt that threw the two arguing men on the ground. They opened the door to see Varian angrily walking away in the forest.

Hugo and Eugene looked at each other, feeling bad about putting the boy in a bad state.

-Okay, look Glasses. We both want what’s best for Varian. I think we can both agree that our… differences clearly upset him. So I’ll tell you what. We’ll keep the arguments to a minimum and just… actually try to get along ?

Eugene held out his hand with an encouraging smile. He seemed sincere. Hugo looked suspiciously at the hand, expecting some kind of trick. He looked back at the forest where Varian had disappeared. The tall alchemist hesitated. On one hand, he absolutely did not want to “befriend” that traitorous thief, but on the other hand, he would do anything to make Varian happy. And if being less… annoying around Fly- Eugene would make that happen, then…

Hugo reached out and shook the man’s hand. The grip was a little too firm, but it was undoubtedly a step forward. They let go and faced the forest. Hugo took a glance at Eugene that just shrugged and leaned on the caravan. The alchemist narrowed his eyes and with that, left on the trail of his boyfriend.

Varian was sitting at the bottom of a tree, facing a river, and throwing rocks in the raging waters. He looked lost in his thoughts, not immediately hearing Hugo’s footsteps behind him. He was startled by his lover’s hand gently landing on his shoulder.

He turned and relaxed a little when he saw who it was.

Then got back to angrily throwing rocks.

Hugo sat beside him, silently observing as the rocks hit the water and broke it’s flow into a splash. It was relaxing, in a way. A way to feel like you’re in control. You are the one who makes the stone interact with the water. 

Suddenly, a stone hit the water with much more strength than the other ones and the blondie rose an eyebrow, looking over to a fuming boyfriend.

-Why are you here if it’s just to sit by and-and do nothing, SAY nothing ?! Don’t you have Eugene to argue with or something ?

There was a small silence. Hugo sighed and scooted over to his boyfriend before swinging his arm over his shoulders and hug him close. Much to Varian’s discontent.

-W-what ? Hey, no ! Let me go, I’m mad at you !

Despite the tiny gremlin struggles, Hugo didn’t let go. Varian finally gave in, not really wanting to push his boyfriend away. Maybe, if he was being honest with himself, had he been a little -very very little- bit jealous of the attention Eugene was getting instead of him. Night like days, all that Hugo was talking about was “the awful smug Flynn Rider”, all his concerns, all his thoughts were about Eugene. And it was very unnerving and hurt Varian quite a lot. 

So having that sudden affection after weeks of being touch-starved was… very welcomed. Even if he was incredibly upset. With those thoughts in mind, Varian stopped fighting and melted into his boyfriend’s embrace, enjoying the care while it lasted. Without really thinking he tangled his fingers with Hugo’s, and they stayed like this a while, looking at the river, enjoying each other presence and love, in silence.

The wind was brushing in the trees, taking some leaves as it went, sometimes landing it on the water or the head of a squirrel that wasn’t looking. Sometimes a bird would catch it, hoping to find a quick snack, singing along the other of his kind. In the flow of a river, a fish would jump now and then, following the current or going against it, the most unlucky being caught by a bear or other predators.

It was calm, and yet active, like the nature always have been. And in the middle of that, Hugo and Varian were snuggling against a tree, listening and observing, butterflies in their stomach while real ones were passing by.

The sun slowly setting was giving it’s last warmth, and as Varian was savoring his boyfriend’s scent, he felt his eyes grow tired of being open. When the sun disappeared behind the trees, Varian was already asleep.

At that point, he leaned more over Hugo than on the tree. The blondie looked over, with a fond smile. He grabbed his boyfriend and put him on his lap, his head resting on his chest. He looked so peaceful, the complete opposite of his tantrum a few minutes earlier. And he was beautiful.

His chest was rising in rhythm with his steady breath, his slow heartbeat soothing Hugo to sleep.

The tall boy had to focus on not dozing off as well, leaving them at the mercy of any bears or wolves passing by. He brushed one black strand of hair out of his alchemist’s face, gazing lovingly at him, letting his hand go over his face, caress his lips and hold him close.

-God, I love you Freckles.

When Hugo returned to the caravan, Varian still napping in his arms, the door flew open and a very anxious Eugene jumped out.

He opted for a quiet voice at the sight of the alchemist asleep, but scolded the blondie anyway.

-Where have you been ?! I was about to go in the forest to find you, you’ve been gone for hours, I thought you’d gotten kidnapped or worse !

Hugo rolled his eyes and smirked.

-Sorry old man, not everyone is as vulnerable as you.

The captain of the guard turned red, about to kick that impudent brat’s butt, holding off at the last second, remembering his… their decision. He took two big breaths, trying to calm himself down, with little success. So he turned his attention to the person they both cared about.

-Did you tell him about our agreement ?

-No. I don’t think words would work better than actions.

Eugene hummed. Even if actions were better, he learned with Rapunzel that words and communication were as important. But maybe this time it wouldn’t be necessary.

A few days later, Varian had indeed noticed an abrupt change in his friends’ behaviors. Whenever they were starting a fight, one of them -usually Eugene- would cool things down and it never got as heated as before.

Since they could come to neutral ground more quickly, they were less and less bickering, but not getting along either. They weren’t there yet but… it was a start. Yet another one.

However when it was HUGO who conceded something, it was always an event in itself. The boy had pride. A lot. And it was very unusual for him to admit he was wrong or to let someone have something especially if it meant he would have less. Varian liked to think that he was actually really trying to get closer to Eugene and even that maybe, if it wasn’t too far of a stretch, he already liked the guy.

It was great. And they weren’t even in Ingvarr yet ! Maybe, hopefully, they wouldn’t have to actually get in the kingdom.

Varian had read about it before deciding to put two people of his inner circle there, and he had to admit… it wasn’t exciting. But it was the place where it all started. Yet again it’s what convinced Varian. If there was one place where things could be solved… that was it.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, the two giants walls made of houses appeared in the horizon. It was in a valley, surrounded by huge hills, not high enough to be mountains. It was always disturbing to see the Bad Kingdom for the first time. The almost unreal green field surrounding it and then it’s thick smoke and grey theme. Varian felt a knot form in his throat. 

Not for the first time in the trip, he thought that this was a bad idea.

Ingvarr is the Bad Kingdom, the kingdom of thieves and criminals. A kingdom badly run and with a sickening poverty rate. It would be stupid and inconsiderate to bring the royal caravan of Corona in the city.

What first assaulted Varian when he walked in wasn’t a child or some poor soul trying to survive. It was the smell. It was atrocious. It even made his gag reflex act out, and he had to rest a moment to catch his breath and stop coughing and choking.

And let’s remind everyone that this boy right there went to PRISON. It doesn’t smell nice there either.

The streets were disgusting, trash scattered all around, the ground so soaked with the toxic smoke you sunk in it, people doing their duties then and there, some rats rotting in a corner.

As Eugene and Hugo expected, everyone was staring at them. Without him realizing it, they were in tight formation around Varian, sending death glare to keep people away. It seemed to work for a while, but they knew it was only a matter of time. Thankfully, they knew the good addresses…

When they pushed the door of the only decent inn in all of Ingvarr, and slammed it shut behind them, Hugo and Eugene felt like they were about to pass out. But it was fine now, everything was alright, they were okay, Varian was safe.

They stood by the door for a couple of minutes, trying to relax and calm their furiously beating heart. The tension was strong out there.

Varian didn’t have this problem. On the contrary, as soon as he stepped in the inn, his nausea disappeared, the gruesome scent replaced by a wonderful mix of orange and butterscotch. He had been completely oblivious to the danger they were in, overwhelmed by the strong smell.

He walked around a bit, surprised to see such a fine building in the middle of the city of horror. Indeed, the hotel was as clean as can be. It was lit by warm torches on the wall, not leaving one place to the hazards of shadows. The tables were elegant and hygienic, carved and polished from some beautiful trees. Surprisingly, there were no windows, and Varian assumed it was to help the calming atmosphere of the room.

Which was true, but it was mostly to prevent anyone to burst through them and steal everything and everyone. In fact, the inn was on the ground floor, and even if it wasn’t obvious for any coronan passing by, that was extremely dangerous, especially for an establishment so well maintained.

A round man, all smiles and joyful vibe came out of the back door and greeted his guests with a firm shake.

-Why hello there dear customers ! Greetings young man, and it certainly is a pleasure to see you again, Flynn Rider and Cheesy Cherry !

Eugene was about to correct the innkeeper, but stopped himself. Team awesome slowly turned to Hugo, hilarious. Varian was only able to wheeze out his thief name before bursting into laughters.

Standing there, his cheeks burning and his pride destroyed, Hugo was trying to dissolve in his clothes, refusing to look at anyone.

Immediately realizing the uncomfortable situation he had put one of his client in, the host changed the subject, averting the boy’s friend’s attention away from him.

-My apologies if I mispronounced your names, messire. It’s very unusual to see people again around here.

Eugene winced, not really liking what he was implying. He shook it off and smiled.

-It’s alright, don’t sweat it. But I go by Eugene now and this fella goes by Hugo. The boy is Varian.

The innkeeper took note of it and bowed before them.

-Well then, it’s a pleasure to meet you again, Eugene, Hugo, and Varian. My name is Gast, Gast Wirt. I run this tavern all by myself, and I serve some of the finest food and wine you can find in miles around. My services may seem cheap to you but I assure you it’s a treasure in those parts.

-We know Gast, don’t worry. Anyway, we’ll take the usual, although maybe a separate room for the kids. Uh, breakfast and dinner, I don’t think we’ll be around during lunch, and uhh, yeah, that’s it.

The usual being the royal suite. It was the most expensive room and yet would stand for a cabin in the woods if it was in Corona. The first time they came here as a group about to steal some jewels, they were already baffled by the low prices and took the suite. The establishment was shining but Gast never took any pleasure to rip off his customers. He always offered fair prices and nice shelter.

Breakfast and dinner wasn’t much more expensive, but they were succulent and delectable. Eugene could almost… no he could say it was even better than the finest dishes on the royal table in Corona.

The inn was empty at that time, the occupants usually busy wandering in the city and trying to not get assaulted.

Once they got their bags down in the suite, they decided to visit the city for a while, this time not to steal or judge but to actually see Ingvarr from another angle.

Well, Hugo and Eugene had made the decision. Varian wasn’t really keen on getting his nostrils destroyed by the horrendous smell.

The two men hesitated to leave him alone. Even if that inn was probably the safest place around, it wasn’t exactly foolproof either and they were, after all, in the Bad kingdom.

It took some convincing, but Varian was finally able to kick them out and have some alone time at last.

He heard a tap on the counter and turned around to see Gast with two drinks and some soft alcohol. He had a warm smile which Varian returned.

They talked for a while, about Hugo, Eugene, Corona, himself, Gast, Ingvarr, and even at some point the commercial value of making spices travel by sea instead of land.

Varian was still on his still first drink, and Gast on his twentieth. And yet they were still completely sober, joking around and chatting.

It was nice, and Varian was glad to be there.

Suddenly the door swung open, making Varian turn around and Gast to have a big smile.

-Oh, what a nice surprise ! Hello Crook !

Eugene and Hugo had been quite surprised to say the least. The city seemed to have… grown. Not in size, thank god, but it looked better, cleaner in a way. Even if the first impression didn’t give it off, the people seemed happier and way more proper and healthy. It was weird, they didn’t hear that the king had died, but maybe he had learned to actually take care of his people now. They quickly realized that their death glares might have not been the only reason they didn’t get attacked. It was possible that the people simply didn’t need it anymore.

The houses were nicer, painted and clean, the ladders safer, the roads leading to the castle had been covered with stone to avoid any more dirt and filth or disease to enter. To be honest, the closest they came to the castle, the better everything was. The smell, the people, the buildings, the entire atmosphere…

When they got back to the inn, a couple hours later, they had a much better view of Ingvarr.

They were greeted by Gast and went to the suite, only to find -to their relief- Varian reading on the bed.

Hugo jumped by his side and kissed his hair. Eugene simply put down their latest purchases in the chest at the bottom of the bed.

-Whatcha reading Goggles ?

-It's a book about Ingvarr's history. It's really interesting ! Did you know that it used to be a very prosperous kingdom, with a lot of influence? It's actually under the reign of Elendig Iort 1er that the kingdom collapsed. While the king was diving in his wealth, he let the people die of hunger and stopped caring. Which is kind of funny since his father, King Dobro was the best king of Ingvarr.

-Who's in power now ?

-Elendig Iort's son, King Stor Iort. Apparently he's doing even worse than his dad.

Eugene and Hugo both gave him a surprised look.

-Really ? That's not what we saw. Ingvarr seems to be getting back up.

Varian shrugged it off. Books don't have all the answers. Eugene plopped beside them.

-Honestly, it's heartwarming to see smiles on children faces and friendly conversation in the city. Compared to what we experienced ten years ago… Brrr, yeah that's a change.

-Yeah it's not like you really helped anyway, Flynn.

They hadn't fought during their walk, too busy admiring the city, and two hours were as much non-fighting as they could take.

But Eugene didn't seem offended. He even seemed delighted that Hugo attacked first. Which scared the boy to the bone. What was the captain planning ?

He slowly turned his head to the blondie with a grin.

-But you didn't either, CHEESY CHERRY.

Hugo felt his cheeks heat up and he hid in a pillow while his boyfriend was cackling and Eugene smirking.

Soon Gast called everyone down to dinner, a funny move that associated the inn more to a household. Varian chuckled to himself and went downstairs with his friends and the rest of the clients.

They sat down and waited merely minutes before succulent plates were being put in front of them. They didn't have a menu to choose from, another unusual aspect of the inn, but no one could think of complaining upon seeing the meal. Everyone was already happily eating, "mmmh" and "hum" fusing behind Varian.

But he couldn't bring himself to try it and break the presentation.

-You want me to feed you, Freckles ?

Even if the tone was sarcastic, Varian knew that if he said yes his boyfriend wouldn't hesitate. He felt flustered and took a bite of the meat.

It was absolutely delectable.

He felt his eyes lit up at the taste of the food. He was vaguely seeing Eugene and Hugo staring at him with big smiles, taking in his reaction. But the taste, oh wow. It was… it was the best thing Varian had ever tasted. Better than hot cocoa. Better even, than ham sandwiches. And everyone knew ham sandwiches were the best thing on Earth !

It took minutes for the small alchemist to finish his plate.

Once he was done he noticed that everyone in the inn was as delighted as he was. Of course. He had a refined palate after all.

The dessert was just as good, but after the discovery of the wonderful taste and the surprise had passed, he was able to hold a conversation with his companions while eating the cake and not just… swallow it up in one bite.

One by one, each client or group of clients were leaving to go to sleep. Soon there only was the coronans and some guy at the bottom of the inn, covered by a cloak.

They talked for a bit before the yawning was more present than actual words. Hugo and Eugene went upstairs to sleep, while Varian promised to be there soon, wanting to enjoy the last bit of his cake.

Soon even Gast went to sleep, blowing out most of the torches, leaving Varian and the guy in the cloak only enlightened by one torch, darkness taking over.

Minutes went by, and Varian was almost done. At that point, he thought he was all alone. He hadn't noticed the man.

The guy in the cloak got up, silently, and walked like a ghost over to the kid, until he was right behind him.

There only was one crumb left.

Varian took it and savored it as much as the others.

He got up, ready to head to sleep in his boyfriend's arms.

That trip to Ingvarr had been a good idea after all.

Nothing bad happened.

Varian never made it to the top of the stairs.

The door of the suite almost got out of his hinges and slammed violently against the wall, waking Eugene up in a fright.

-EUGENE !

It was Hugo's voice. He seemed terrified. He propulsed himself to the edge of the bed and shook the man vigorously.

-EUGENE WAKE UP !

The captain was about to say he was awake when Hugo properly slapped him and Eugene simply pushed him off.

-HEY ! Hugo, what is wrong with you ?!

But the alchemist didn't even seem to mind and got back up, looking straight at him with wide eyes full of distress and panic. Nothing would scare him that much except… Eugene felt his shoulders stiffen and all blood left his face.

-Hugo… Where’s Varian ?

At that moment, the captain was certain that the boy was about to cry. But he didn’t. He shook it off and explained that as soon as he went to bed he passed out and when he woke up, Varian wasn’t there. And Varian was ALWAYS there when he woke up. He said he loved to see his sleepy face in the morning. So he immediately knew something was wrong, but he tried to not freak out right away. He searched the entire inn and couldn’t find him. He knew he wouldn’t go outside without a very good reason.

So he went to interrogate Gast.

And he said that right before he went to sleep, he was finishing his cake.

And another man was in the room.

And they knew that man.

It was Crook.

Hugo’s eyes watered, and his hands started shaking as much as his voice.

He was convinced that Crook saw them together and kidnapped Varian as soon as he was alone, to get back on them.

Eugene moved closer to the distressed kid, massaging his back with a soothing hand, even if he was as worried as him. He tried to keep his head cool, it wouldn’t help Varian if they both broke down. He felt sick. He was part of Team Awesome, and the captain of the guards, for crying out loud ! And he couldn’t keep Varian safe. It was his fault, and he was sure Hugo was thinking the same.

-Okay, okay, relax kid. Breath in, breath out. We have to think. If Crook took Varian to get his revenge on us, then where would he take him ?

They thought in silence for a short moment, the tension only cut by Hugo’s small hiccups.

Then it hit them.

The place where they were both betrayed.

The traps.

The secret passage blew open, revealing two very angry and determined men ready to throw hands. But neither Crook nor Varian where anywhere to be found.

Suddenly the entire corridor -full of traps- lit up. Crooks’s voice started resonating against the wall, but it didn’t have the time to reach their ears that the horror of the situation came down on them.

-Hello there, Flynn and Cheesy ! Or should I say Eugene and Hugo as the nice boy told me…

The voice was coming from everywhere and nowhere. No matter where they looked they couldn’t see the criminal. Left, right, ahead or behind, he was nowhere to be found. So they talked to the emptiness, hoping to get an answer.

-WHERE’S VARIAN, CROOK ?!

-The boy ? Oh he’s quite fine, enjoying a cup of tea while I talk to you.

Eugene gritted his teeth, hating to be lied to and played around like some stupid toy.

-Don’t lie to us ! He screamed back. Where is he ?!

You could hear Crook’s sigh as clear as if he was right beside them. Instead of answering them, he decided to expose their challenge to get to their prize.

-I believe you are familiar with this room.

-A little too much.

-Hmm. Well then, you know how to cross it safely. Team work. And also, I suppose, good memory.

And on that note, the voice went silent in a click, leaving the two men all alone to face their fates.

They looked at each other, checking if one of them actually remembered what happened there but… nothing. Head empty. But Varian was on the other side, with the terrifying Crook, doing who knows what to him.

They swallowed their fears and stepped forward.

In terms of survival, they were horrible. They had to save each other numerous times, and everytime they were on the verge of death. Once it was Eugene who grabbed Hugo by the collar before he would dive to his death into the hole full of spikes, or Hugo pushing the captain out of the way of poisoned arrows. They kept on jumping, dodging, running, and almost-dying. It took them an entire hour to get to the other side, and they were completely washed up. If Crook suddenly decided to battle them once in the room, they were doomed. But for the sake of Varian, they would fight to the death.

They pushed the gigantic door, exhausted, trembling, arm in arm, holding the other up. When they looked up, ready to wrestle for the small alchemist, what they saw struck them with an horror they thought they would never experience.

How could this be happening before their eyes ?

Around the table where there used to be the jewels, sitting peacefully enjoying a nice cup of tea were Varian and Crook, happily chatting together, sharing some cookies.

Hugo and Eugene stood there, mouth agape. Then the enormity of the situation exploded to their faces just as Varian turned and greeted them with a big smile.

-Hey ! You made it ! And it looks like it worked.

-Wo wo wo, hold it right there, kid. You’re telling me that you’ve been completely safe this WHOLE time while we were almost dying trying to save you ?!

-No no, not “almost dying”. Bonding !

-Excuse me ?

This time it was Hugo’s time to be bewildered and definitely lost. The look on their faces was certainly entertaining and Crook couldn’t help but let a snicker out. He glanced over to Varian who nodded.

-Well, you see, it all started when you were out visiting the city. Varian was chatting with Gast and I got back early from a job I had to do. I had been sleeping in the inn for a couple of days. You know Gast, he greeted me like he always does and I saw the frightened look on the lad’s face, which meant he knew me. Well, the old me, I mean, heh, no one had given me that look in years.

The small alchemist cleared his throat and drank a bit of tea, warning Crook that he was going off topic.

-Mmh, well anyway. I walked over to him and I thought for a moment he was going to run away. But he didn’t. So we talked for a bit, and once I realized he knew me from you guys, I was so excited ! It has been years since I last saw you and I wanted to pull some kind of prank on you. And the kid wanted you to bond together. Those two things seems to be very far apart but see, they ain’t so much ! We finally figured out what to do, and here we are !

-Wait what do you mean here we are ? You mean us half dead and you out here just… drinking and eating ? And what even is that plan ?! Are you serious Goggles ?

-Yeah, I agree with Glasses on this one. That does not sound like you Varian. Putting us in danger that you have no control over ONLY for us to bond ?... Actually now that I say it out loud it kind of gives off a “you” vibe.

-But how did you pull this off ? I don’t understand how you could reset the puzzles and… I just don’t get it.

Varian took another sip of his tea, which only brought Hugo closer to the edge of a breakdown. He thought for a moment, until some kind of decision was made and he jumped on his feet.

-Of course, you couldn’t know. This is King Crook of Ingvarr.

-WHAT ?

The screams resonated in the giant room, as if to empathize the shock the two men were in. The shocks, even. Crook cleared his throat, looking at the alchemist beside him, rather irritated that he revealed his big surprise so easily. But maybe it was for the best. They really looked like they couldn’t take much more revelations.

-Back in the days when you helped me steal the jewels from King Douchebag -as I like to call him-, I sold them to Neserdenia, and made ton of money out of it. But instead of keeping it to myself I shared everything with the rest of the people of Ingvarr, and I am helping rebuild the city to be a better place. It ended up with the entire kingdom turning to ME instead of the king. And without people, the king can have all the land or money he wants, he isn’t a king. As you know, neither Elendig Iort nor Stor Iort for that matter ever cared of the health of its people. I don’t think they even realized I took over. Yet it has been ten years. Anyway, the thing is, now the ambassadors or other newcomers to the city go to me instead of being endlessly rejected by the Douches. So yeah. I’m the king now. I guess.

That was too much. Both Eugene and Hugo’s brains decided to shut down, and they could only stare back and forth to Crook and Varian looking completely overwhelmed and making incoherent sentences.

Varian hopped down the platform where the table stood and walked over to them. He may have tricked them like a master and absolutely be gloating about it, but he still cared about them.

-Anyway, I guess Team Invincible struck again ! And won with quite success I might add.

That reached Eugene’s brain. He straightened up, looking insulted.

-Excuse me, Team Invincible ?

Crook let out a heavy laugh and stood as well.

-Yeah, Goggles there thought of the name. ‘is pretty good, right ?

-Goggles ???

Varian grinned from ear to ear and faced his very offended lover and friend, hands on his hips, looking very smug.

-I know, maybe he should call me Freckles and we’d be Team Awesome but I mean, that’s kind of our thing you know ?

After the different kind of awe and scare and whatnot, the situation finally cooled down and the two very newfound friends felt the joy -and a lot of anger- to know that their alchemist was alive and well to come crashing like a wave. Their next move might have been contradictory, but it was the best they could do at the moment.

They launched themselves to Varian and tackled them into the ground in a bear hug while screaming at him about how much of an idiot he was.

Here's the zine piece we were allowed to post although the zine isn't out yet (??)

This artwork is linked with a fic I also wrote ! Hopefully you'll be able to check it out once the zine gets out

[thecurseoflife]

I think the zine never ended up getting out, and I don't think I actually shared the fic anywhere, so let me so that now X)

Here's the zine piece we were allowed to post although the zine isn't out yet (??)

This artwork is linked with a fic I also wrote ! Hopefully you'll be able to check it out once the zine gets out

[thecurseoflife]

CHAPTER 19 : Life in a castle

AUTHOR NOTE : I am back ! Hoping not to put it back in hiatus too soon, but I am having a lot to handle back home, soooo we'll see ! The illustration each chapters was giving me more anxiety than anything else, so it won't be there everytime. Might come back when I feel like it tho :)

After the bitter taste of defeat the balloon left behind him, the Saporians went on with the occupation. They each chose a room, leaving to Camalia the choice of Varian's, since he was still knocked out. For a moment, she really really wanted to put him in the worst room of the entire castle, something like a cupboard or under some stairs. But she was way too nice for that.

So instead she simply putted him in the worst maidden room of them all. There was insects crawling in the bed, and the window was broke, letting the cold air of early spring in. There was spiderwebs everywhere, and the dust rested in every inch of the room. There was a wardrobe in the corner, broken of course. The mattress of the bed was hard and discontinuous, ready to give a stiff neck or a painful back. In other words, it was perfect.

The music mage laid the inconscious boy there, already savoring his disgust and horror the next morning. She couldn't wait to see his wrinched nose when he would appear for the breakfast. Ah, sweet revenge.

But for now, she had to go look for her own room. She walked past the Saporians, and was not surprised, but really grossed out when she saw that Andrew took the princess' room. Maisie and Kai were tempted to take the royal's room, but it wouldn't really fit the plan. Instead, they took a one bed bedroom, for a reason Camalia couldn't really grasp. Juniper took a small, round chamber, with only one bed and one window. She said it made her feel safe and comfy. It made Camalia uncomfortable and kind of panic, but if it fitted the woman, good for her ! Clementine took a pretty regular room, nothing too tiny but nothing too fancy either.

And Camalia was still looking. No matter where, she always felt out of place. She felt like she was invading someone's privacy, and hated it. And everytime, her thoughts ran back to her old room. Her cell. As more and more time was spent looking for a room she knew wasn't there, her legs and soul wanted nothing more than go back to what she was used to.

She entered one last room and sat on the bed. It was quite a weird room to be honest. It was pretty big, and there was swords and weapons stack in one barril. No, actually, when she looked more, she realized there was weapons everywhere. On the wall, beside the window there was two crossed swords, and beside the door a huge wooden shield with the Coronan's emblem on it. And even beside that there was some kind of a very long and weird axe ! Intrigued, Camalia stood up and opened one of the two wardrobes, the one beside the bed. She couldn't help a small shriek of surprise when she was almost pierced by a knife, that happened to have fallen of the... collection of weapons there was in there. But she was in the maids quarter. Why would one of them happen to have so much swords and axes and knifes and other unidentified pointy things in their room ? Was that the room of an actual spy ? Of a murderer, even ! She was about to hastily get out of there when her eyes catched a glimpse of blue in there. She expected to see more red than blue, but reached out anyway and grabbed the... dress. It was a maidden dress, but really well made, and with ornaments and expensive material. One like she never saw on any of her friends. Well, maybe it wasn't a murderer's room after all. Still, she felt as uncomfortable in there than in the other room. She put the dress back in it's place and was about to leave when the door cracked open.

She jumped backwards and hit her back against the very dangerous barril. Which made her stumble and fall on the bed.

-Hey princess, you in there ?

-Uh... uh yeah ! Yeah, sorry, you scared me.

Juniper got in and whistled when she saw what kind of room it was.

-Wow ! Not the kind of room I expected you to end up in, but it is totally my style ! You're much more fierce than you look, kiddo.

-Wha- No, no ! I don't think I'll stay in here. Or in any of the other rooms to be fair.

-Oh, really ? Why is that ?

Camalia rubbed her head and sighed.

-I don't... I don't really know ? It's like I, uhm... It's as if I just took out a piece of the person's soul when I live in their room ? It doesn't make sense but I-I don't know how to explain it.

The woman strolled around the room, brushing off a thin layer of dust off the table, lightly touching the sharp end of some swords, stopping in front of one of the windows, to finally turn around and speak.

-I'm not sure what's wrong in this, but I do know how to cheer you up !

-Cheer me up ? I'm not feeling down !

-It's not because you're not crying on the ground that you don't need it ! Come on princess, come with me.

Juniper catched the music mage hand and dragged her outside. She ran to the princess' room, pulling Camalia behind her. She casted Andrew out, that didn't comprehend what was going on and sat the girl on the gigantic bed.

-Alright ! Now get rid of those clothes.

Camalia felt her cheeks heat up and she instinctively wrapped her arms around her.

-I-I... I'm... Excuse-me ? Wha-...I don't...

-Because we definitely need some new clothes for you ! How long have you been wearing those ?

The music mage could barely contain the sigh of relief that threatened to cross her lips. That was definitely not how she imagined her first time. She thought for a while. Clothes weren't really her top priority, so she never actually payed any attention to it. Maybe a year ? No, probably way more. But it's true that she had gotten taller so they had to change them... And they were getting a bit short already.

-I don't know ? A year ? Maybe a little less. Wait no, I didn't change after Varian got here. So hum, I guess at least a year.

She bit her lips as Juniper was thinking. It was embarrassing, and maybe not what the woman was used to, but she had to say it.

-And... I'm sorry but I'm not... really very comfortable with the idea of... undressing... here... with you... sorry.

She muttered the last word, almost more ashamed to say that than actually doing it. But Juniper was already head in the princess' wardrobe, and waved dismissively at her.

-Mmh, yeah, whatever... I'll just leave. Hey, what do you think of this ?

Her confidence renewed by the validation of the Saporian, Camalia was almost glowing. She looked at the redish dress and shook her head.

-I'm not really into dresses. I like pants a lot better. It's more comfortable and easier to fight or run in.

-Ah, that is true... Well, what do you think of the color at least ?

She lightly touched the fabric, trying to make an opinion.

-I'm more of an orange type of girl, but I have to admit that is a very pretty red, maybe we could-

A scream cut her off. Juniper immediatly tensed up and was about to dash out to fight whatever was scaring Varian like that until a hand grabbed her skirt, stopping her movement. She turned around to see an absolutely exhilarated Camalia. She was laughing to tears, trying to speak but failing times and times again. Around five whole minutes of laughters later, she explained that it wasn't anything to worry about. Juniper was already relaxed. As soon as she saw that the girl didn't worry one bit, she knew the boy was safe. She shook her head in amusement and rose the dress back up.

-As I was trying to get to, maybe we could use that dress as fabric to make some other clothes. What do you think ?

-Oh, I would love that ! But I don't really know how to sew...

-Don't worry, I do. I can teach you, it's fairly easy.

Camalia was about to nod when the door suddenly burst open, and a disheveled, very upset Varian appeared.

-Camalia ! Why did you put me in that gross, cockroaches infested room ?! It was disgusting !

-Well, as one might say, I didn't expect you to, you know... understand.

The alchemist froze for a second there, then it clicked. He became as red as the dress Juniper was holding and stepped closer to his friend.

-What ?! Are you seriously still on that ? That is such a stupid thing to be angry about !

-Not it's not ! You're stupid !

-Well I'm not the one that grew plants and hang myself upside down in a closed space !

-Oh yeah ? Well I didn't blew up my entire village !

-Hey ! I can't believe you're bringing this back now ! Why did I tell you those things ?!

-Because you're STUPID !

-AM NOT !

-SURE ARE !

Juniper stepped back to the entrance, the dress safely folded in her arms while the children were fighting. Kai and Maisie, that had followed Varian to the room after trying to rescue him from the cockroaches, were now watching it unfold in disbelief.

-What... are they doing ?

-They are very clearly deciding how to make some cupcakes. What do you think, Tophat ?

Maisie scoffed and scowled back in his very peculiar but very stylish hat. Kai chuckled and pointed at the dress.

-Oh that ? We were planning on making other clothes for Camalia, since she looks like a hobo. But she doesn't like dresses, so I wanted to sew something in that fabric, what do you think ? You're the one that taught me everything after all.

But before Kai could answer, Varian, that heard everything, yelled again, covering the big man's voice.

-Oh so YOU'RE getting nicer clothes now but I'm not ?!

-Not my fault you can't make that kind of decision for yourself ! You can't even sew !

-I CAN for your information ! Better than you I bet ! And, and you know what ?! I'm getting more clothes too ! And they're going to be BETTER THAN YOURS !

-OH YEAH ?!

-YEAH !

-Well I bet MY clothes will have better stitches and better style and better everything because yours will be TERRIBLE !

-WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT !

-WE SURE ARE ! We'll see how POOR your taste in clothing is !

-Not it's NOT !

As a response, Camalia sticked out her tongue and turned her back on Varian, signaling the... "conversation" was over. The alchemist was boiling, ready to throw hands. But, what she said last burned his mind. He took Kai and Maisie by the arms and dragged them outside. Before closing the doors, he shouted one last time.

-I'll have the best clothing and there's NOTHING you can do about it !

The doors slammed close and Juniper and Camalia were alone. The Saporian wasn't really sure how to engage the conversation, but to her surprise, it was the kid that went up to her and grabbed the dress to examine it. She reached out to take it back but one look of Camalia was enough to make her back off.

Oh so there was actually a bet. And that kid wanted to win it for real. Mmh. Why not ? It could be fun.

Juniper smiled widely and taped the dress with a wink.

-You know princess, before getting sewing, we need to figure out what we're going to make. You got any ideas ?

The music mage thought for a minute, before grabbing a paper and some ink to draw, very shakily, what she had in mind.

Juniper took the sheet of paper and nodded. She added some corrections and suggestions, then handed it back to Camalia that smiled.

-Yeah, this can work, kid.

An hour later, they were in the middle of sewing when someone knocked on the door.

-Come in !

Andrew pushed open the door, not even bothering to step in, with his signature disgustingly sweet smirk.

-I think you might want to check this out, Camalia...

She eyed Juniper that just shrugged and resumed her work. The music mage sighed and grabbed her guitare to follow the man. To her surprise, he guided her to the royal's bedroom. They weren't there yet, and she felt offended at first, thinking that he took their room, until he walked passed the huge bed. Curious, she followed him into the next room. It was small, with one window and a lantern sat on a wooden desk. Andrew was in the corner of the room, smirking to her, in that one way she hated. Why did he lead her here ? She noticed the large wardrobe that was taking most of the room, but was on the wall next to the door, and in the shadows. Intrigued, she opened it slowly... It was no wardrobe, it was a bookcase. There was a lot of books, most of them looked old or overused. She turned to look at Andrew, not really getting the point there. He simply pointed at the books.

-Why don't you check one out ?

She took one, her heart pounding in her chest. It was one of those books with no writing on the cover. She opened it. It was a book about magic. Camalia dropped it, shocked. Then took another one. And another one, and another, and another... They were all, all of them, all of those books, all of that knowledge was about magic. She always thought how weird it was that Corona's library was lacking so many magic's book. There was some, but they were usually about artefacts and weren't really actually teaching much. Suddenly it reached her, as fast and violently as a punch in the guts. She shuffled in the pile of books at her feet, and opened the first one she took. She only had to go to page 10.

It was an incantation to get rid of curses.

She turned the page and it was a potion... Then a spell, a rune, an object... All of them were ways to get rid of curses. Camalia felt sick.

-Corona was never very fond of magic... There isn't much of it around here, and not much knowledge about it either. Actually, I think all of the kingdom's books about magic are in there ! The king and queen didn't like or were interested in magic either, but when the queen got sick... And when, you know... The princess got kidnapped because of her magical hair... Well. They found ways.

Andrew slithered toward her and grabbed one of the last book on the shelf and handed it to her. He tapped it with his very own sweet smile.

-It's weird, isn't it ? How you had to live when all that knowledge was right here... But in here, there's something even weirder...

The Saporian let out a laugh, and left the room, whistling to himself as if he got the most wonderful news of his life. And Camalia was left there. Stunned. Astonished beyond words. Her eyes stuck on the cover of the book. And more specifically it's title.

"History of the Music Mages : Cultures and Traditions"

A long moment passed before Camalia even thought anything else than just about that title over and over again. It was hard. This was hard. It was horrible. She didn't feel any guilt about what she did to the king and queen anymore. She didn't feel mad either. She was just profoundly disgusted. Mostly by Andrew, of course, for the way he brought that up to her. But also by the royals. She just felt disgusted. This was disgusting.

She took a deep breath. If she didn't do anything about it now, she would take it out on Juniper or Varian or worse, Masha and the people. So she did what she knew best. She closed her eyes and focused on her feeling. And she pushed it down.

Juniper was starting to get impatient. She had been sewing, alone, for a full thirty minutes and was getting really tired of it. She was just about done with the scarf, and wasn't really invested enough to start another piece of the clothing. She sighed and threw the scarf on the ground, stretching and gazing at the night sky outside. Maybe it was time to go to sleep. They had a big day, after all.

A crack on her left made her turn her head to Camalia, that stepped into the room. She smiled apologitically to her companion, and Juniper shrugged.

-So, what did M.Bun wanted to show you ?

-Oh, just something dumb that he thought would hurt me.

-And... did it ?

The music mage just smiled and picked the glove she was working on up, before resuming her sewing. The Saporian didn't like the lack of answer, and decided she was done with that mess for tonight. She got up and wished Camalia a goodnight before leaving. Around five minutes after she was gone, Andrew came in and kicked Camalia out, ready to have his own beauty sleep.

She picked up the piece of fabric he threw out with her, and stood up. She didn't know where to go. Which was kind of ironic in a giant empty castle. She was back at where she started. Alone, without a place of her own. With her guitare. She began to stroll around the palace, not sure where she was going.

Camalia was heading toward the prison, mecanically, when a hand grabbed her shoulder and she jumped. She turned, ready to punch and fight her way though, only to face Varian. She had a quiet sigh of relief.

-What are you doing here ? Shouldn't you be sleeping ?

-Well, I was about to ask you the same question !

His eyes fell on the red tissue mess she was holding and smirked.

-Wow. This is the way superior and better at everything piece of clothing you promised ? If I knew it would be so easy to win...

-Hey ! It's a work in progress ! And anyway where is yours ? I can win if you forfeit.

-I'm not ! It's in Kai's and Maisie's room ! We'll finish it tomorrow, I was looking for a room to sleep in.

Camalia was taken aback. She didn't expect anyone else to have trouble with that.

-Most of these are empty. Why can't you just... I don't know, walk in one and sleep there ?

-Why can't YOU ?

An uncomfortable silence took place, neither of them wanting to explain their choices. Camalia wasn't liking lying to her friend about her support, and didn't want to do anything more than she was already doing. She wasn't on his side, but she was by his side. It was the most important thing. She was carrying her promise. Camalia sighed and walked away, breaking the tension.

-Well, good luck to you, Ball. And if you don't find anything, you can still go back to the cockroaches room, I'm sure they miss you.

-I SURE WON'T !

The music mage let out a laugh and left. In the end, she hadn't found anywhere she felt comfortable with, so she just slept in the throne room, beside some plants. For some reason, having nature close to her made her feel... safe ? No, it was deeper than that. It made her feel like home. And it was all she had been looking for.

Tomorrow, she will have to sneak out to meet Stan and Pete. She wasn't too worried, Camalia had learned how to be discreet and not raise any suspicion. And on this thought, she fell into a welcoming sleep. A sleep that, for the first time in forever, was neither a black void or a pit of nightmare, but calm, fun, and peaceful. FIRST | Previous | Next WHAT’S THIS ?

[thecurseoflife]

Medieval Dance by Andrey Vinogradov

[thecurseoflife]

How to write kids, if you don't remember being one or haven't lived with any

1. Kids never feel as small as you see them. A three year old thinks a one year old is a baby and a six year old is grown up. A six year old thinks a three year old is a baby and a twelve year old is an adult. Age is about perspective. One year is a huge age difference to a little kid.

2. Little kids might not be conscious of their physical limitations, but they can still be frustrated by them. A seven year old might see an adult do something relatively simple, like draw a straight line or perfectly crack an egg, and try to do the same thing, only to be frustrated when it doesn't work.

Imagine suddenly having an injury that makes a skill you use every day become difficult- you feel you should be able to do the thing, and you understand the thing should be easy for you, but it isn't. It can be immensely frustrating to have a brain that grasps a concept that language or fine motor skills haven't caught up to.

3. You know when you forget a word, and have to make something up on the fly to describe the word? That's pretty much exactly what learning your first language is like.

You know what you intend, but you don't have a way to express it, and it can move you to tears with frustration when everyone around you is suggesting the wrong thing, or seems completely certain they understand what you mean, and they don't.

You don't have a word for "Later"? You might try saying "next time", or, "after", or, "before tomorrow".

This might result in saying, "Are we going to the park next time?", "Are we going to the park before tomorrow?", or, "Are we going to the park after?", all of which can result in different answers.

4. Kids feel like adults are a different species. They don't get why we do certain things, and they don't understand why we don't want to run around with them all the time.

If sitting still is boring, coffee tastes bitter, and long conversations only happen with weird-smelling strangers who talk to them like they're stupid, then they truly will not understand why anyone would *want* to be left to have coffee with a friend without welcome distractions to make it bearable.

Aren't you bored? You aren't doing anything. How could you possibly be stimulated without any food or toys or music or anything? Why don't you just leave? Do you *have* to be there, the way you had to go to work? Adults are weird.

5. Children have complex social relationships that are just as varied as yours.

A room full of third graders might look like indiscriminate chaos to an adult, but pick a well connected kid, and they'll tell you that Megan is the fashion icon who can do hair really well, Thomas is the athlete, Gray gets mean when he has to share so nobody wants to play with him, Paisley can't read and the boys make fun of her for it so don't make her work in a group with Anthony, Dillon put a bug in their food once so they'll never trust him again, and Matthew's parents let him watch family guy so he says bad words and makes grown-up jokes that make other kids uncomfortable.

You don't see this stuff because you aren't inside the society. They are, and they do.

6. Time. Moves. So. Slow. Five minutes really does feel like half an hour. Sit still for five minutes? That's like you sitting in a waiting room at the DMV for an hour. Wouldn't you get annoyed and impatient? They haven't learned to hide their irritation yet. That's really the only difference.

7. "Reading in your head" requires understanding that you have a Voice, which people can hear, and Thoughts, which are audible only to yourself. This can be a difficult concept to grasp. If a kid is reading out loud, and you tell them to read quietly, there's a good chance they're going to whisper or mouth the words instead of going totally silent the way you might. Splitting the self into multiples like "Internal monologue VS public perception" or "What I look like VS how I think I look" is alien and bizarre. If a kid thinks they look like a Dragon and you laugh at them? Ouch. They might be mad for a while.

8. Repetitive chores make no sense when your awareness of time doesn't extend beyond a week or so. Why should I wash my blankets? They don't look dirty and I don't smell anything bad. Blankets don't get dirty unless you put dirt on them. If you put a blanket in a washer, you can't use that blanket AT ALL the ENTIRE TIME it's being cleaned. That might be an hour, but it will *feel* like a week. And you have to do that every two weeks?? That's overkill. Why even bother?

9. Kids have opinions about adults. They will have a sense about whether an adult is "real-kind" or "fake-kind". An adult who listens respectfully to what they have to say, asks thoughtful questions, and takes their concerns seriously? That's a good adult. An adult that oversimplifies their struggles, ignores their complex social rules, and gives bullshit advice like "just walk away from bullies" and "turn your chores into a fun game"? That's not a trustworthy adult. That's an Adult™. An Adult™ doesn't consider them to be a real human being with thoughts and emotions. An Adult™ sees them as an inferior, amusing pet. And they will actively sabotage An Adult™ like that.

10. Emotions are physical at a young age. Joy might make their body buzz until they can't help but wiggle or jump around. Sadness might be a huge physical pain in their throat and heart. Everything they experience is still relatively.New to.them, so there is very little frame of reference to decide if this is a "big hurt that will last forever and ever and never go away", or a "small hurt, that can be fixed easily and won't matter in five minutes". If someone lies to them about getting a cookie, that very well might be all the betrayal of your best friend sleeping with your husband.

Fortunately, a child probably won't be able to burn all your clothes in the yard without your notice.

[thecurseoflife]

this took me far too long to learn, so I’m going to tell you something that you need to internalise.

you don’t have to tell people anything you don’t want to tell them. it’s not rude or disrespectful to be private about things. you don’t owe anyone that information, so how could it be wrong to withhold it?

queer but don’t want to come out? don’t!

have a trauma disorder but don’t want to tell people what your trauma was? don’t!

disabled but don’t want to talk about it? that’s right, simply do not!

practice telling people to go away when they ask invasive questions.

the responses I’ve been using in particular are “that’s between me and my therapist/doctor”, and “why does it matter to you?”

you don’t need a “reason” to want to keep things to yourself. you don’t need to tell someone your entire history so that they can label you as “valid”.

don’t tell people information you don’t want to share.

[thecurseoflife]

Unmute !