So, I saw the SDCC exclusive Cerise Wolf and if things work out, my friend will be picking one up for me! And well, Cerise Wolf got me thinking...and now, here's this. I don't own EAH.
Monsters have their places.
Typically, they are killed by the heroes in the stories where they appear.
But, they're usually killed because they have attacked a beautiful damsel or have imprisoned said damsel.
However...that was when there was a difference between the damsel and the villain.
Cerise sighed and pulled up her hood that bore a faux wolf head. She then leaned against a pillar in the room she'd decided to seclude herself in. She knew that she'd tainted her family's legacy, that she could never live either story and that she was living some sort of abomination.
And with that, she was going to meet a worse fate than the Big Bad Wolf in her story usually met.
Death.
The Huntsman was going to arrive and slay her, thus protecting any innocents who chose to travel through the woods forever more.
Sure, Cerise could always change back to her whole human form, she could reject all of her wolf tendencies and just go back to hiding her ears but, she was still a monster.
Therefore, she was going to be in constant danger.
The fear of death had long since left her mind. She was no longer afraid because, it was only natural that death was her fate because she never had any right existing in the first place.
A familiar scent filled Cerise's nostrils. The Huntsman had arrived.
Hunter was following his destiny...sort of.
He was still with Ashlynn but, here he was, prepped to kill The Big Bad Wolf who was Cerise.
"Make this quick, would you?" Cerise wondered if it was even worth it to make such a plea.
This was going to be her end. It could be worse but, dying by the hands of a friend certainty wasn't so bad. She could end up killed in cold blood.
"Hunter?" She asked and then turned around.
Cerise's eyes widened at the sight before her, "You're not Hunter..."
The Charming prince before her removed the cloak that belonged to the afore mentioned Huntsman. That was why Cerise had thought it was Hunter, because of the scent of the cloak.
Underneath the cloak, the prince was soaking wet, most likely to throw off her sense of smell. If they were being honest, his scent was one that she knew very well and only masking it could prevent her from identifying it.
"No, I'm not," Daring finally spoke, "And I am not here to kill you."
Saying nothing, Cerise met his eyes. In her gaze, she was pleading for him to leave.
"Then, why? Why are you here?" Her pleading gaze became a sharp glare.
"Because you will not be a slave to any destiny!" Daring was glaring right back at her, "You had no plans to be so, why you're here off and alone in some corner on the woods is beyond..."
"It's beyond anything that you could ever understand. Everyone might know my secret now but, that's all the more reason to be away. I'm a monster and that's all I'll ever be. It's the Huntsman's duty to destroy me so..."
Daring cut her off, "So what?"
"So, he should do his job!" Cerise bared her fangs, "Don't you get it? This is what I am. I have no right..."
"No right?" Daring drew his blade and held it before him, not wanting to appear vulnerable, "Cerise, you have every right to do as you please but what you had no right to do was leaving without an explanation."
"You should be with a princess not with a fr..."
"Don't you say that word," Daring tightened his grip on his blade and was making sure to look down, "Do you even hear yourself? Our world is not set in stone. Raven never poisoned anyone and is about to marry my brother, Apple fell for Humphrey Dumpty and I...I had my heart stolen by the woman I stand before. By the woman who I am holding my blade out in front of because she is so convinced that she is some kind of ill-fated monstrosity!"
Cerise said nothing and while her gaze was down, the minute she lifted her head up, she caught Daring's eyes. Those bright blue pools were close to spilling over with tears.
This sight made Cerise's own eyes shake in her skull and caused her to think back to one of the more heated times she and Daring had made love.
There had been something about that day that Cerise couldn't quite put her finger on. She and Daring had seemed more in tune with each other than ever before. She had Daring's crown on her head for one reason or another and she was on top of him, straddling him while he sat on his throne. It helped that they had the castle all to themselves but, that was beside the point.
Daring's strong arms had held her tight, soft kisses lingered between them and Cerise had already come twice. Daring was amazing, more so than usual.
"Cerise," His voice was a low pant but he managed her name, "I...I think I...love...ngh...LOVE YOU!"
Finally, Daring lost it all in one intense eruption. How he'd managed not to lose it before was beyond explanation.
Cerise's nails dug deep into Daring's back while her breath hitched as she tried to breathe again. Once she was able to catch her breath, she spoke just above a whisper.
"I love you, too," She rested her head on his shoulder.
They held onto each other tightly, basking in their alone time together. Reveling in the feel of their bodies up against one another. Not wanting this moment to end...
But, that was the thing about moments, they never did last. After Daring said that he loved her, Cerise was so confused. He knew her secret and didn't seem to care all that much but at the same time, they were a secret.
Did Daring honestly think that going public was going to work out? What about their stories?
Not that everyone was following each and every story but, didn't this further complicate everything?
What about the whole fact of Cerise's existence? Had she actually found somewhere to belong or, was she just holding a place for any other woman and or princess who would come along?
Choosing not to stick around to find out led Cerise to run away. She ran deep into the forest, found an abandoned and deteriorating castle and had stayed there. She found that her wolf traits could come out to a more extreme extent and now she would wait here alone. Waiting for Hunter to kill her because her legacy was not one that was being preserved. Her existence had tainted the story of Red Riding Hood and should fade into oblivion. Just like she believed she should.
A low growl came from Cerise and she caught Daring's attention. Her eyes locked with his and with another growl her eyes went from their natural gray color to that eerie yellow they would sometimes turn and Daring was then on his knees.
"Cerise, what...what are you..." Daring felt weak, his consciousness was slipping from him.
Moments later, Cerise knelt by his side and caught him when he fell over. His head was in her lap now and she moved his hair out of his face.
"It's a wolf power I discovered I have, that's all," She leaned down and pressed her forehead to his.
This situation was such a mess. Cerise felt terrible for having dragged Daring into it. There wasn't much that she could do now except figure out a way to get Daring back over to where the forest began and as far away from here as possible. Lifting him however, was going to prove difficult if not impossible. He was certainly more muscular than the last time he and Cerise had been together and he had on heavy armor.
"I'm sorry," She said quietly when her tears fell down onto Daring's face.
Slowly but surely, Daring lifted his head up and kissed Cerise's lips. She hadn't intended to kiss him back but, she couldn't very well deny the feelings for him deep down in her true heart.
"Shh," Daring put a finger to her lips, "You are welcome to return to castle with me. If you would rather not, I'll stay here with you. Of course, this place is in need of renovations."
A trumpet sounded and Daring and Cerise stepped forward.
"Presenting the King and Queen of The Forest, King Daring Charming and Queen Cerise Wolf-Charming," A royal official called out.
Despite Cerise's fears having gotten the better of her, she had worked past that. She could be herself fully and that didn't make Daring care about her any less.
In fact, he'd called up his servants, had them make more calls and the abandoned castle Cerise once lived in by herself was now as good as new and she would now live here with Daring.
Pre-written stories were a thing of the past.
Monster or not, she now had forever after to spend with Daring and to build their own story with.
A/N: Can't explain it, everything seems to inspire me. Especially the SDCC Cerise Wolf doll and well, I just made things up about her wolf powers and went with them...Also, I love Darise, don't hate. Plus, this wasn't intended to be this long but low and behold, it was. To clarify, dogs can't pick up a familiar scent if that scent is wet, it throws them off or something. Anyway, I am hard at work on my multi-chap fic but again, I get these little one-shot ideas and yeaaaaah. But, I promise, updates are to follow! Hope you enjoyed!