The Perfect World
Sparrow watched as Lucien's gun pointed at him like it did all those years ago. Half of him embraced his death, the other wasn't ready yet as Lucien still lived. Was it here on Hero hill that he would die, or would he escape death's cold grasp like he did the first time? Lucien's gun rang out as he fired and Sparrow fell to the cold, stone ground with a dull thud.
Sparrow awoke to Rose calling his name and he nearly cried with joy. The dream had been so real and it terrified him. He was a child again and Rose wasn't dead. They weren't even living in Old Town; so how could it have been so real? "Come on little Sparrow, mum and dad are in town and they won't be back for ages," she said as they exited the house.
He spent the day kicking the chickens back in their pen, killing beetles, and shooting bottles. And still in the back of his mind the dream lingered. Sparrow shook his head. It couldn't have been real, he's lived with Rose and his parents in this house for as long as he could remember.
That night was a restless night, woken up by the sound of a music box. He stood at the window as he tried to place where he's heard it before. "Go back to bed little Sparrow." Finally, it stopped and he slowly made his way back to bed, a hollow feeling swelling up in him. Where had he heard that before?
The next morning, he woke up and Rose said the exact same thing as the day before. Not being one to not take advantage of no parents he went out and kicked the chickens back in their pen, killed beetles, and shot bottles like he did the previous day. When night fell, he and Rose went to bed.
Again, he woke up to the music box. He stood at the window with Rose behind him telling him to go back to sleep. Finally he placed it. "THE DREAM! Rose, I heard the music box in my dream!"
He fell silent as he remember what it brought. "I don't like the music box, Rose. In the dream, we were orphans and we did odd jobs to get enough gold pieces to buy it. When we used it and made our wish, Lord Lucien called up to his castle and killed you!" He was nearly in tears now, but he felt compelled to finish telling his sister about the dream.
"I'm not going anywhere little Sparrow, I'll always be with you," Rose told him as she held Sparrow in her arms as he sobbed. They may be five years apart, but Rose cared deeply for her younger brother. He fell asleep holding onto her, afraid she would disappear.
In the morning he awoke in his own bed, and just like the other mornings, Rose was telling him to get up. "Rose, I don't want to play today. When will mother and father be back?"
"It'll be a while little Sparrow. I've set up bottles around the farm to shoot, there are beetles in the garden, and the chickens need rounding up."
"I don't feel like doing anything, Rose. I'm going to sleep some more," was all Sparrow said before turning his back on her and facing the wall. Did she not remember him telling her about the dream?
It was night when he woke up, the music box playing loudly. He got up and put his shoes on. He needed to find answers and he knew the music box would have them. Rose tailed behind him, telling him to go back to sleep, that mother and father would be angry. Sparrow hesitated for a split second before he continued on his march.
It wasn't until he got to the gate when Rose's words stopped him cold. "Please, I don't want to be alone anymore!" He turned and nearly ran to her. Her face twisted in pain and grief.
"Rose, I'll come back, I promise. Or you could come with me!" She shook her head and backed up slightly. "Then I'll be back, I swear." Sparrow walked past the gates and Rose screamed and the sky turned blood red. He turned to look at her, but couldn't find her.
"Rose? Rose?!" He ran to the house, but she wasn't there. "Oh gods, did I kill her?" he thought. Tears pricked at his eyes and he wanted to cry so badly, but he would not let himself, not yet. Not until he got to the music box.
He ran past the gates before stopping, eyes wide in horror. All around him and up the path were dead bodies either impaled or burning. He shook his head; he had to move on. "Just focus on the road Sparrow. Don't look, just run," he whispered to himself as he forced his body to move.
He slowed down as he reached the music box, reaching out. He stopped himself from touching it. Did he really want to? His mind flashed to Rose's scream. It was the same scream as when Lucien shot her.
Sparrow sank to the floor, unable to control his tears any longer. The longer he sobbed, the more real the dream seemed until finally he couldn't tell what was the dream and what was real.
He sat there for what felt like days. And as his sobbing subsided, a determination settled over his soul. He knew he needed to pick up the music box. He needed to quiet its song; he needed answers.
He picked himself up and reached for the music box again. Suddenly he was enveloped in darkness. After a moment, scenes from Sparrow's past began to play out. He watched his last morning with Rose and her death. He watched as his 18-year-old self enter the Chamber of Fate. He watched all the important steps in his journey, watched how he changed from bad to worse. He watched until he was staring down the barrel of Lucien's gun again.
"The last time I killed you," he said, "it tore my heart out. Of course, you were only a child… But then… so was I."
Blinding white light filled his vision and he covered his eyes; the music box no longer in his hands, but in his bag.
Rose's voice fluttered through the air. "You have passed the test. Your rewards are the opportunity to confront your enemy… and the means to destroy him. Take the box and go to him."
Sparrow nodded. "I will Rose. Lucien will die tonight." The Hero took a shaky breath as the light faded away. "I miss you," he whispered before it all went black again. When he awoke, he was in the Spire's dock in his adult body. A calmness settled over him and determination shaped his features. This ended now.
A/N: Thank you so much for reading this fic. I wrote this a while back and posted it on my tumblr, but I feel like it's time to post my short little fics (drabbles depending on which definition you believe in) other places. If you liked the story or think I could work on some things, feel free to leave a review. Thanks, and see you next story!