Dying Embers
(An OUAT Fanfiction)
By
Fantasy Writer
Disclaimer: Please note that while I own this plot and OC. The rest belongs to their respectful owners.
It was nighttime and the only sound was the wind howling through the trees. Might seem normal to you and me but this place was far from it.
This location…?
The Underworld.
The place of purgatory where all the souls of all who had passed came to rest until their unfinished business was complete.
This entire operation was run by one man (God) called "Hades".
A vein and vindictive person when crossed, who liked to have his way. Loving and caring for almost no one except a select few.
Nowadays his attention was based firmly on the intruders of his domain: A Cluster of "Heroes" accompanied by a reluctant Dark One. (Who was already in his debt as it was.)
As they search for the recently deceased Killian Jones. Known to most by his infamous nickname "Captain Hook" intending to bring him back.
Well Hades couldn't have that, he had big plans for the newest addition to his dead Kingdom.
His first attempt to get them to leave was to send Cora "the Queen of Hearts" with a message for her daughter, Regina
(Formerly the Evil Queen) via black mail.
That didn't work. Instead, the soul of his leverage resolved his unfinished business and moved on. Angering Hades. The longer the "Heroes" stayed, the more souls left and the less control he had. The one thing you should know about Hades is:
He hates to lose!
Realizing that Hades was an unavoidable obstacle the Heroes searched for his weakness after they had recovered their friend.
Their first helpful clue came from Liam, Hook's long deceased brother.
About the underworld version of a magical storybook containing character information. Unfortunately for them, Hades beat them to it by way of having Liam destroy his pages out of the book in exchange for keeping "the secret" of his unfinished business.
That failed to a degree as said brother finally came clean and moved on as well. Among the heroes was an author named "Henry" who'd decided to find out his story and re- record it.
In the meantime, deep underneath the town in his underground lair. Hades glanced over the pages he recovered from the water coming to rest on the photo of his former lover and partner in crime: Zelena, the Wicked Witch of the West!
What nobody counted on was a seven-year-old girl who happened to stowaway on the boat down there.
Upon arrival she'd made herself scarce.
Not being a people person, she much preferred her own company. Only revealing herself when needed, she wandered restlessly around town and in the woods.
The venom from her snake bite getting worse as she walked until finally, she collapsed on her knees to the ground in pain. Throwing her head back, she let out a piercing scream echoing throughout the forest.
Then surprisingly answered by the high pitched whimpering of a suffering animal.
Curious, the girl dragged her tired and weak legs along as she crawled towards its direction.
Behind a tree to the north laid the enormous body of a three headed dog. While she didn't have much pity as far as humans were concerned. Her heart went out to the giant beast as it cried.
"Shh!- Shh!" she tried to comfort him despite her own pain. It looked like all three of the heads had been dealt a hard blow. Wanting to ease what could be his final moments. She calmly petted him speaking softly as she recited a section of one of her favorite stories:
"There were once three brothers who were travelling along a lonely, winding road at twilight. In time, the brothers reached a river too deep to wade through and too dangerous to swim across. However, these brothers were learned in the magical arts, and so they simply waved their wands and made a bridge appear across the treacherous water. They were halfway across when they found their path blocked by a hooded figure.
And Death spoke to them. He was angry that he had been cheated out of three new victims, for travelers usually drowned in the river. But Death was cunning. He pretended to congratulate the three brothers upon their magic, and said that each had earned a prize for having been clever enough to evade him.
So the oldest brother, who was a combative man, asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence: a wand that must always win duels for its owner, a wand worthy of the wizard who had conquered death! So Death crossed to an Elder Tree on the banks of the river, fashioned a wand from a branch that hung there, and gave it to the oldest brother.
Then the second brother, who was an arrogant man, decided he wanted to humiliate Death still further, and asked for the power to recall others from Death. So Death picked up a stone from the riverbank and gave it to the second brother, and told him the stone would have the power to bring back the dead.
And then Death asked the third and youngest brother what he would like. The youngest brother was the humblest and also the wisest of the brothers, and he did not trust death. So he asked for something that would enable him to go forth from that place without being followed by Death. And Death, most unwillingly, handed over his own Cloak of Invisibility.
Then Death stood aside and allowed the three brothers to continue on their way and they did so, talking with wonder of the adventure they had had, and admiring Death's gifts.
In due course the brothers separated, each for his own destination.
The first brother traveled on for a week or more, and reaching a distant village, sought out a fellow wizard with whom he had a quarrel. Naturally, with the Elder Wand as his weapon, he could not fail to win the duel that followed. Leaving his enemy dead upon the floor, the oldest brother proceeded to an inn, where he boasted loudly of the powerful wand he had snatched from Death himself, and of how it made him invincible.
That very night, another wizard crept upon the oldest brother as he lay, wine-sodden, upon his bed. The thief took the wand, and for good measure slit the oldest brother's throat.
And so Death took the first brother for his own.
Meanwhile, the second brother journeyed to his own home, where he lived alone. Here he took out the stone that had the power to recall the dead, and turned it thrice in his hand. To his amazement and his delight, the figure of the girl he had once hoped to marry, before her untimely death, appeared at once before him.
Yet she was sad and cold, separated from him as by a veil. Though she had returned to the mortal world, she did not truly belong there and suffered. Finally, the second brother, driven mad with hopeless longing, killed himself so as truly to join her.
And so Death took the second brother for his own.
But though Death searched for the third brother for many years, he was never able to find him. It was only when he attained a great age that the youngest brother finally took off the Cloak of Invisibility and gave it to his son. And then he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, departing this life as equals..."
Just as the girl finished, she was met with sound of clapping before both she and the dog were engulfed in blue flames
only to reappear in the center of Hades' domain.
Looking up from the animal, she met eyes identical to her own reclining in his lounge chair.
She remained silent, daring him to say something. Finally, when he did speak: he spoke the one word that shook the core of her being.
He said her name…
"Persephone" Immediately her hair fired up in bright crimson flames ,as she glared.
"Excellent story by the way, just needs a little work on the ending…" Taking a sip of wine from his glass on the table.
"How do you know my name?"
Standing up he smirked, his own blue flamed hair igniting.
"A father should know his own daughter…"