Summary: Victorian AU: Garfield Logan was going to a ballet with his parents, when he noticed something odd with the duo in the dance. The girl seem off and full of anger and sorrow, while the man looked to be more of a man of power than a partner of dancing. However when Garfield meet the dancer girl in person, he learns there's a lot more in her than a dancing puppet.
Chapter 1: A Raven Angel
Garfield, Victor, and Richard had been playing cricket in Gar's back yard, when Lillian, one of the servants, came with a message to Garfield. "Your parents wish to speak to you, mister Logan." Lillian was a short woman with long blonde hair tied up in a tight bun at the back of her head, her eyes were amber with a slight darker shade to them. Her eyes held a mystery, some of the other servants would say.
Garfield was the son of Mark and Marie Logan, his father was a famous merchant while his mother wrote classy romance novels that Garfield would never understand. His family hadn't been as complicated as his friends, and he never claimed it was, however he had little communication with them, as his mother was either writing or reading, and his father seem to always be busy with some trade with another city.
Victor was the son of a well known engineer, Silas Stone. Victor's mother had sadly died in a trainwreck on her way home from Steel City. The death had taken a lot on Silas as he had considered quitting his job, however when Victor had asked his father where his mother was. It was then that Silas had realized, Elinor may not be around anymore but he still had Victor to care for.
Then there was Richard, the adopted son of Bruce Wayne. Bruce was a famous detective around Jump City. Richard Grayson's, as he still called himself, parents had been murdered under a theatre many years before. The boy had started to wander the street when Bruce had stumbled upon him. And not having the heart to leave him, the man had taken him in as his own son.
Garfield looked at his friends before turning back to the very serious servant. "Did they tell you or do I have to go to them?" He asked.
The servant blinked before saying, "Your parents wished to speak to you, what they wished to talk about is not for me to know."
"It's okay, Lillian." Garfield smiled, "could you please get my friends something to eat while I speak with my parents?" Lillian gave a short nod before walking back to the white mansion behind them. Garfield turned to his friends and apologized before walking back to the mansion himself.
The light blue hallway seemed endless as he walked past painting after painting, all of famous people, family, or himself. There was one painting in particular that his mother had hung up, even after thousands of pleas from Garfield. A baby painting.
Garfield cringed as he walked past it, trying to cover his eyes from it. It was a painting of him when he was a small baby sitting with his mother by the swing under the oak tree in the garden. What was embarrassing about it was that he was wearing girl clothes. His grandma had been visiting, and she had heard wrong when his parents told about him.
Grandma Logan had mistaken him for a girl, and so bought a few dresses for him.
His mother found it amusing. No matter what Garfield did, she would not take the painting down.
Arriving at where Lillian had told him to go, the living room, Garfield knocked on the door before opening it. His mother, Marie Logan the chestnut haired colored hair and bright blue eyes, was sitting in one of the white sofa with a book in her hands while his father, Mark Logan the blond brod man with equal bright blue eyes, stood by the window looking out at his friends as they continued to play cricket.
"You wished to speak with me?" Garfield asked, getting his parents attention. Even though Garfield had gotten his appearance from his father, his personality was much more like his mother's.
"Yes, dear." Marie placed the book on a nearby table and asked him to sit down. An Angel with Broken Wings, was the title of the book. Of course his mother was reading her romance novels.
Mark walked up behind his mother, making the scene look more dramatic than it needed to. "Your mother and I have noticed our lack of communication over the past few months…"
"Try years…" Garfield muttered just low enough for his parents not to head.
"We have decided to have a family evening." His mother declared with a bright gleeful smile. "Your father and I have planned a wonderful evening with no work," She glared at Mark, "and no writing, " She frowned at herself, "And no one else but us." She said that because she knew Garfield would want his friends to come if it were boring events.
"What exactly are you planning?" Garfield asked with a curious stare.
"First: We're going to the theater, there's a ballet that I have been dying to see." Garfield groaned a little, and so did his father. "Don't be like that, it's just three hours. Second: We're going for a dinner, where you two want to go since I get to decide the first." Garfield gave a slow nod before his mother finished. "Then, we find something else to do." It sounded okay, except the ballet, that sounded boring.
"Okay, when?" Garfield asked.
"Tomorrow, the ballet is tomorrow night." His father answered. "You should probably tell your friends."
Garfield nodded before running back to the garden and he swore he heard his mother yell after him, "Don't run in the hallways!"
xXx
It was little to say that Victor and Richard laughed, of course they did, however they stopped when Garfield explained it was for family bonding. They just couldn't imagine Garfield going to a ballet willingly.
Especially "A Raven Angel"
The ballet was world famous across the world, however there was only two that played in it. The story was of a lonely sorceress that hid from the darkness of her heart, when an equal powerful sorcerer finds her. The male sorcerer takes in the girl and train her as well as fall in love with her. It was very cliche, thought Garfield, but his mother wanted to see it so he'd get himself together and be there.
Garfield dressed in his navy blue suit and looked into his mirror. It was, to say the least, an expensive suit he had gotten for his birthday, and he thought he could use it that night. He tightened his green tie and stuffed it into his white shirt before straightening and walking out to his parents.
His mother was dressed in a fancy beautiful cream colored dress with many long layers from the waist and down. She wore beautiful pearls around her neck, and she had also got makeup on.
His father wore similar to Garfield, with a navy blue suit, a yellow tie for himself, and white shirt.
"Are we ready then?" Marie asked, Garfield and Mark nodded with a smile. "Okay, the carriage is right outside."
And she was right, outside stood one of the white carriages, the one floral decorated with gold. Four white horses drove the carriage and Jackson, the stable man, seem to be driving the horses.
The family settled into the carriage and let Jackson drive them to the theater. The drive was long and boring, and yet Marie managed to fill the silence with pleasant conversation.
"I have never seen Diana fight over a puppy like that before." She laughed, her best friend Diana was a well known puppy lover to say the least. Sometimes it was said that she loved puppies over people. Yet she was a caring and loving soul, she cared about everyone she came across.
The carriage stopped for the family to walk out, the theater was huge and a long line of people had gathered to see the performance. The Logan family was lucky to have exclusive tickets and were let in without having to stay in line. Garfield wasn't surprised that they had gotten balcony tickets and sat on one of the front balconies.
They sat still for a few moments before the huge hall full of people began to darken. Garfield seem to be the only one that noticed the lack of musicians and stage workers as the curtain rose and the music began to play.
The curtain rose and a purple haired woman stood ready with a dark purple ballerina dress and a black cloak. She wore a mask that covered half of her face, the mask seem to be raven inspired, as it was black with feathers, pearls, and beads were decorated along it. From what he could tell, her eyes were glowing with a purple glow that shone bright as she began to move across the stage.
The woman on the stage began to dance as shapes appeared around her, forming a stage of its own. Garfield's eyes narrowed as he had never seen such stage performance, usually it was clear that the stage workers pushed at stuff, but here, it flowed with every movement she made.
However, when her voice started to sing across the stage, it was then that Garfield fell into the trance of beauty that the woman possessed. It wasn't a song like he expected, it was more like a tale with music to it.
"A young maiden chased from her home,
Possessed magic with a power of its own.
A young maiden chased from her home,
Her life was wild and free.
A young maiden chased from her home,
Was hunted to the sound of a hunter dog."
Another man danced onto the stage, he wore a black suit decorated beautifully with a white shirt and a black cloak. He too wore a mask over his pale face, one that looked more like a dragon. The man had long white hair that moved gently with his movements.
"A prince with the power of gods,
Rescued the maiden in fear.
With magic of the forgotten gods,
He chased off the hunters of hundreds.
A prince with the power of gods,
He took the maiden in as his own."
"The maiden of the dark,
Fearful and small,
fell in love with the prince.
The maiden of the dark,
So strong, yet so weak.
Fell in love with the prince."
"The power they had,
Was not enough.
The power they had,
Was too little.
The power they had,
Was too dangerous for us."
"Alone in a world of evil,
The two hid in the castle of lost.
Alone in a world of evil,
The prince wed the maiden.
Alone in a world of evil,
The two lived their lives alone."
"And so, they still do."
Garfield didn't actually believe that three hours passed during that simple song. But he snapped out of his trance when the two dancers bowed to their audience. Garfield took in the look of the dancers, the girl seem to have burning eyes. Not of passion or joy, but of anger. However it was hard to see as he sat a good distance away. Yet her eyes seem to hate, hate everything that was going on around her.
The white haired man took the girl's hand and lead her out. And he swore he saw a tear roll down her cheek.
xXx
When the family were walking to the carriage, his mother wouldn't stop talking about the beauty of the dance and the tale that was told, Garfield noticed someone running out of an alley.
Curiosity taking over him, Garfield walked over to the alley. He saw someone cloaked stand there looking back, before turning and crashing right into him.
"I'm sorry!" She cried, before looking around, like she was expecting someone to jump at her.
"It's nothing, but what are you-" He stopped when he noticed the girl's eyes, bright purple, like the dancer. "You're that dancer." He whispered, in slight shock.
"Shh! He'll hear you!" The girl hissed. She began to walk away, when she began to hiss in pain.
"Are you okay?" Garfield asked as he stepped up to the girl again.
"Yes…" It didn't sound like it as she moaned in pain. He noticed how she was rubbing her wrists while hissing. "I apologize sir, but I have to go." She started to walk away again.
That was when the back doors of the theater bursted open. The girl took one glance behind her before starting to sprint away into the foggy evening.
The white haired dancer appeared out of the alley, his eyes were bright blue as they scanned the area around him. "I apologize to interrupt, sir, but have you seen a purple haired girl run from here?"
Garfield considered lying at first, but maybe he could press. "Maybe, why? Who was it?"
The man sighed, "She's my dance partner, she's not supposed to run around alone. It's dangerous for her." He sounded worried, but the girl had seem so afraid. "Please, tell me where she ran."
Garfield pointed to the direction and heard a quick thank you before the man sprinted down the road into the fog. Garfield wasn't exactly sure why he sold her out, but the man seem to care about her. He shrugged and ran back to his parents ready for dinner.
xXx
Malchior dragged his partner into their own carriage. The small wooden "house" they had. Raven, as his partner was named, cried out as he chained her back into her place. It was a small cage that she had to sit in, while Malchior chained her ankle to the wall. The chain was made of iron, silver, and salt, magic resistive.
"This is what happens when you try to run away." Malchior hissed.
Raven turned away from him, wrapping herself in her cloak. "Do you blame me?" She muttered.
Malchior kicked the cage, making Raven jump slightly. "You're lucky you're immortal, or I would've killed you by now!" He spat. Shaking his head in frustration, he bent down on his knees and reached into the cage, grabbing her chin. "Raven, we are some of the last living magical beings in this world, I won't you get away this easy." He smirked.
Raven broke free from his grasp and began to rub her wrists again.
"They hurt?" She nodded. "Give them to me, I'll loosen them." She did as told, and so did he. "Do you see now? I need you alive."
"Why did you make a lie into a song?" She asked. It was a question she had been asking for a very long time, but she had never gotten answer to.
"A lie can be better than the truth, in many situations." Malchior rose from his spot and walked over to a small kitchen. He poured a few potions into a cup and handed it to Raven. She knew what it was, it was to make her fall asleep. He did that everytime she tried to run away, it gave him a sense of control.
When Raven didn't drink the cup, he forced it into her. Holding her nose so she was forced to swallow the liquid. It wasn't long after that she fell asleep in the small cage.
Malchior didn't feel sorry for her. It was true that he needed her alive, but she didn't seem interested in staying with him anymore. After hundreds of years together, she had always tried to run away.
Malchior guessed that she blamed him for the murder of her parents and the hate that occurred in her village so sudden. And it was true. He forced hate upon her so she had nothing but him to shelter herself under.
The ballet and the song was mostly just a hobby for Malchior. But when he found out he could earn massive amount of money from it, he made it into their job. The thin threads around Raven's wrists were for control, and only he could remove them.
It had been way too easy to get them on her. She was weak to sweet talk.
Malchior smiled at the sleeping girl in the cage under his own bed. The little bird was special in many ways, she was sweet yet dark, but he didn't love her. She was merely something of power, something he needed. Without her, he'd be dead a few hundred years ago.
It felt great to have power over someone more powerful than him.
xXx
This is a story to go alongside with "A heart of Ice and Shadow" It's a thing too, I promised that I'd make another BBRae story after that one, and here it is…