(A/N) PLEASE READ - Hey guys, I'm back! I think it's been around two weeks since I've written anything, and I'm REALLY sorry. If I haven't been reviewing your stories, it's because I was gone. I'm catching up on reviewing right now. I do have an excuse, though. The first week I didn't write was because I caught a horrible case of the stomach flu and honestly, I just didn't want to move out of the bed. (I write on a computer, not a laptop) The second week was because I was taken on a surprise vacation to the beach. My mom didn't allow technology, so I couldn't bring any -.-
ABOUT THIS STORY:
This is an AU. It is not in the past. It actually takes place in the future, so it will have some futuristic features to it later on. Along the future the world turns back into a sort of Medieval time-ish thing. That is why they live in castles and wear old style clothing. The poor people do not have access to the futuristic gadgets, which is why they have really OLDY stuff. The kingdom this takes place in has no humans, just everafters. Now, this is really hard to explain but if you have any questions feel free to ask. I will try to further explain this in the story or another authors note.
P.S. I will slowly get to updating ALL my other stories. Please leave a review asking me which you want updated first. Majority rules. Reminder of which stories you can choose from: Never Grow Up, Basket of Apples, Surprise, Hues and Shades.
I DON'T OWN THE SISTERS GRIMM! All I "own" is the plot :D
Get to reading!
Preparing a proper meal using a limited amount of sources was no easy task. Yet, Sabrina along with many other families of her level, attempted to achieve this every day. Sure, it tasted dull and old; and sure, it was gross and dirty. But hey, it was food. It kept them moving and alive.
Fetching the rusting metal bowl from the hanging cupboard in the kitchen, Sabrina began to gather the ingredients. She dumped some maggot-infested rice into the bowl and plopped in some diced tomatoes.
Grunting, she threw the remaining wood into the fireplace. The wood promptly sparked and warmed the cold room. She would need to fetch more wood later.
Hurrying over to the food, she hovered the bowl over the fire until it grew hot enough. Wiping off spots of accumulating sweat from her forehead, she carried the bowl over to the table. The table was basically a large barrel her family had picked up from the streets. Her family would gather around the table to eat while sitting on old cushions she stole from the local store. No, Sabrina felt no shame in stealing. How else would she keep her family alive? Exactly, there was no other way.
She heaved a long sigh and wiped her hands on her ratty dress. It was worn out and its old shade of blue had long ago become a faint grey. The sleeves clung tightly to her arms, and the hemline had shrunk reasonably. It was better than being naked, though! At least, that's what she convinced herself.
Sabrina peeked out the door towards the field where her family worked. "Dinner's ready!"
Her little sister, Daphne, dropped down her shovel and ran toward their little cabin. "Mmm, smells good," she said, giving Sabrina a hug.
Giving Daphne a faint smile in return, she waited for her parents to come inside. They usually took a bit longer to come in since they had to work at the other side of the field. Daphne, being fourteen, was a Dirt Filer. She would dig holes, fill holes, cover holes… you get the point. Her mom was a Harvester, she would take care of and harvest the plants. It left her with horrible back pain every night from bending over the whole day. Her dad was a Builder, he would make whatever the field needed to function. Lastly, Sabrina was a Planter. She would plant, well, the plants. It didn't seem very hard until you experienced it. These plants were magic. Meaning, they could cast spells, bite, scratch, and a lot of other harmful stuff.
Finally, her mother came limping in, followed by her father. "Hey Mom, Dad."
"Hello, Sweetheart," Mom murmured, placing a peck on her cheek.
Turning to her dad, Henry, Sabrina asked, "Hard day?"
Henry rubbed his head and gave her a side hug. "Ah, you know work. Every day is a hard day."
The worn out family sat down onto their designated cushion and munched down their meal, quietly. Occasionally, they would have conversations, but usually they were too tired to do so. Gulping down her cup of water, Sabrina glanced at her dad, he looked as if he was readying himself to say something.
Clearing his throat, Henry spoke, "There's going to be an announcement at the Center today."
Veronica let out a little gasp and Daphne bit her lip. There hadn't been an announcement at the Center for ages. The last known announcement had been when King Oberon had died years ago from an unknown cause. Sabrina raised her eyebrows, what could be so important?
Henry continued, "They're asking for only people ages fifteen to nineteen to come. Meaning Sabrina will have to go," he let out a large breath.
Standing up, Sabrina threw her cup onto the ground. "I'm not going. They can't force me."
"I don't think it's a request Sabrina. I think it might be a demand," Veronica whispered from her seat.
Daphne wrapped her arms around Sabrina's waist, "It can't be bad, right?"
It most definitely can! What if the Queen plans to kill all the people who are dumb enough to come? What if they capture the people for their own wicked reasons? The kingdom was not to be trusted. They treated their workers horribly, the dogs received better treatment. No way was she attending. But, she didn't tell Daphne that. Instead she hesitantly nodded and gave Daphne's shoulders a squeeze.
"So you're going," Daphne stated plainly.
Sabrina reeled back from her sister. "No I'm not."
"Yes you are."
"No. I'm not."
"Yes, you are."
"Fine!" Sabrina exclaimed, throwing her hands up in defeat. "Fine, I'll go." She flipped her head around towards her parents. "When is it anyway?"
Checking a stolen watch, Henry responded, "Right about now. Better get going or you'll miss it."
Groaning, Sabrina stormed over to the door. "If I die, I just want you to know that it's your fault."
"You're not going to die," Veronica pointed out. "You're being overdramatic. Make sure to tell us everything when you come back," she walked over and gave her a hug. "Stay safe."
"Yeah, yeah," Sabrina muttered and made her way out the door.
Other teenagers with the ages required to attend were also hustling out of their houses and toward the Center. Sabrina caught sight of a familiar black braid and hurried over to its owner. "Hey, Miki."
Her friend, Miki, turned to face Sabrina. "Hey. This thing is weird, huh?"
Nodding, Sabrina agreed. Miki was the daughter of Snow, and she was neighbors with the Grimm's. Being seventeen as well, she also worked as a Planter. Like Snow, Miki had midnight black hair and pale white skin. On the other hand, her eyes were a sea green coloring.
They walked in silence until they arrived at the Center. A crowd of teenagers had already formed and more were swarming in. A podium had been set up in the middle, complete with a guard at each side. The queen stood off to the side, along with her obnoxious son, Puck. Hovering near the two, was the youngest prince, Mustardseed.
"Wow this is full," Miki gaped. Then, eyeing a diamond etched into a piece of wood, she whispered, "Do you think it's easy to steal from here?"
Sabrina studied her surroundings. Only four guards, and a nice large crowd to hide the action. "As easy as stealing candy from a baby."
Chuckling, Miki gave Sabrina a mischievous grin. "Dibs on the diamond."
"Okay, I'll settle for the slice of gold I see peeking out of the bottom plank of wood," she agreed.
Before they could take action, the microphone sent an ear shattering sound across the area. The crowd covered their ears and winced. Queen Titania tapped the microphone twice and eyed the crowd, beckoning them to show respect.
The boys bowed and the girls curtsied, some more willingly than others. They knew whoever disobeyed would be punished.
"Welcome to the Center. I presume you are wondering why you have been brought here?" Titania didn't wait for a response before she continued. "As you know, my dear husband passed away a while back. My eldest son, Puck, will be turning eighteen in a few months. Therefore, today, I will crown him king."
Prince Puck strode towards his mother as she placed a jewel embellished crown onto his head. Taking the microphone, Puck gazed around the crowd. "Hello, my subjects."
The crowd muttered a low 'hello'.
"Today I will choose some of you to join me in the palace for… purposes I will not address in the presence of the unchosen." He scanned the crowd again. "If I tap you, go onto this stage. If you are not tapped, go to your homes and keep working."
Sabrina watched as boys and girls got tapped on their shoulders and hobbled onto the stage. The reactions were mixed, some squealed in glee while others complained under their breath. From far across, Puck met her eyes. Smirking, he slowly made his way over to where she stood.
Once directly in front of her, he tapped her shoulder. "You will make a lovely recruit."
Her breath hitched a bit and she growled under breath. "Spoiled brat," she whispered under her breath, stalking toward the stage.
A strong hand stopped her. "What was that?" Puck seethed.
"Nothing," Sabrina said through gritted teeth, shoving his hand away.
Her heart elated a bit as Miki joined her at the stage.
"He's a real charmer," Miki said sarcastically, motioning towards Puck.
Sabrina let out a little snort but stiffened as Puck addressed the chosen teens. "You have been chosen to fight in an upcoming war. A neighboring kingdom has shown signs of starting a fight. I will personally train you. Any questions?"
There was a deadly silence as the teens gave eachother nervous glances. A war! The royal family thinks that they can just sweep up some teens and force them to fight in a war? She would run away if she knew she wouldn't be killed.
A lanky boy raised his hand.
"Yes?"
"Where will we stay?"
Puck let out a fake smile and raised his hands into the air, "Here in the palace."
"Awesome," the boy responded, gawking.
A guard came up and whispered something in Puck's ear. Nodding, Puck shooed him away. "Follow me everyone."
The teens followed Puck as he moved across the floor. Sabrina and Miki stayed back, ready to steal some valuables. Just as Sabrina greedily reached out a hand towards the slice of gold, a loud snap was heard from behind her. She quickly straightened herself and turned around to face an amused Puck.
He raised an eyebrow and snatched the two girls by each arm. "What do we have here? Hmm? A couple of filthy thief's, that's what. You two will be walking with me," he snarled and pulled them along with him.
"Everyone else is already in their rooms, for your information," Puck told them as they entered the palace.
Sabrina let her jaw drop open as they entered, she saw Miki do the same form the corner of her eye. It was enormous. The floor was pure white with tiny diamond pieces making it shine. The walls were crystal clean and seemed to radiate across the room. Servants hustled around the castle off to perform their separate duties.
"This must seem like heaven to you pigs," Puck commented, giving Sabrina a sharp tug.
"Hardly," Sabrina growled angrily.
After many twists and turns, they were shown to two separate rooms. "You with the black hair, this is your room," Puck said, shoving Miki into a bedroom before Sabrina could say goodbye.
He glided to the next room with Sabrina in tow. "Blondie, this is your room."
Sabrina stumbled into the room as Puck shut the door hastily close. "Stubborn mule," she complained as she jumped onto the bed. The room was huge and well decorated. She felt herself melt into the comfy bed. Ah, this was kind of nice.
She wondered what her family would think when she wouldn't return for the night. Or the next day. Or the next. Who knew how long she would be in here.
But for now, she let herself drift off into sleep. Letting her dreams carry away any worries clinging onto her skin like mosquitos.
Till Next Time! :)
~M