This fandom practically faded away into the void. I can't let that happen. Please enjoy this AU (AU with similarities).
Running.
The trees are blurring, the sky is darkening, the temperature is dropping, and the storm is rolling in.
Her lungs burn.
But she can't stop. She won't stop. She has to get away.
She hears voices behind her, calling out her names through the trees. Just when she thinks she's far enough, the voices sound closer than ever. She has to keep running.
Everything looks the same. All the trees look exactly alike. The paths all look similar. She doesn't know if her mind is playing tricks on her or if she's running in a circle.
"Wilhelmina!"
"Wilhelmina!"
She shakes her head. She refuses to stop. She can't let them get close to her.
Her legs scream for her to slow down. Her lungs are begging her to take a break. Her fingers are numb from the cold. Her whole body hurts.
She doesn't know what cruel magic is keeping her going but she won't think about it right now.
It's when she enters into a clearing she's sworn she's seen twice before already do her legs finally collapse under her. Her body is senseless, heavy, dead feeling. The only thing she can feel is the trembles and pricks running through her.
The warm tears on her face are her only source of heat. Her chest hurts badly and the sobs racking through her doesn't help. Her breathing thunders through her ears, almost like a drum too close to her head. The wind beats her down, stealing any warmth away from other than her tears. It all hurts.
Things are moving in slow motion around her but yet it's still all too quick. It's disorienting and making everything worse.
"Mina Grimm."
Only one person calls her Mina.
She snaps her head in the direction of the name. She's met with blue eyes that stick out in this gray surrounding. She scrambles away from him, pulling her body into herself.
"No no stay away, I didn't do it," she says.
He steps closer to her and she holds her hands out trying to stop him.
"I didn't do it. It's not my fault. I don't know what happened, I swear. It's not my fault," she cries.
"Mina, I know it wasn't your fault," he responds gently.
But his words don't reach her.
"It's not my fault. I didn't mean for that to happen. It wasn't me. It wasn't me," she continues on.
She continues to cry and deny. Every time he tries to come closer, she just scurries back more. It's an endless cycle that he is trying to end.
"Mina you have to listen to me. We don't have a lot of time. I'll explain everything to you and help you feel better but you have to let me," he says softly.
If you asked her while she was in her right mind, she'd tell you that magic was lacing his words. He's never sounded so nice to her before. But right now, she doesn't know the difference. The soothing feeling that comes over her is as sudden as his arrival. Her cautious hesitation towards him slowly fades away.
"Teague?"
Her trembling doesn't stop but her tense body does loosen up a bit. She opens up a bit to him.
"Yes, it's me Mina. I'm here, don't worry," he says.
Her face feels stained which means her tears stopped. The drumming in her head doesn't feel as loud and her chest isn't as tight. The world comes back to a normal pace slowly and his eyes aren't the only thing that has color to her.
"Teague. Teague," she whispers.
His name is the only thing grounding her back to this world. It's the only thing that reminds her of the normalcy she's missing right now.
He slowly walks over to her, careful not to startle her any further. He almost makes it to her without trouble.
"Wilhelmina!"
The sound of her name, her real name, starts her up again. Thunder and lightning snap through the air at that very moment and the winds pick up again.
Teague curses under his breath as he sees Mina try to pick herself up again to run. Like a hunted rabbit, she looks around frantically for a way out.
"No no no, Mina don't run. I'm here remember. It's okay, you're okay," he says.
His soothing voice doesn't reach her again though. Her panic and fear outweigh his calming effect.
No, her powers are just blocking out his.
"I didn't do it. I won't go back. It's not my fault. I mean it, I mean it. I didn't mean to. I can't go back," she says, breathing picking up again.
She finally gets herself off the ground but her legs threaten to give out on her.
"Wilhelmina!"
Teague notices her body tense in preparation to run and he knows he has to do something before he loses her to the forest again.
He grabs her wrist and pulls her to him. She tries to fight against him and he can't seem to calm her down enough.
"I'll get you away. You don't have to go back. If you hold on to me then you'll never have to go back," he says.
He almost sighs in relief as he feels her throw her arms around his neck and practically jump on him. He repositions her slightly and when he's sure he won't drop her, he transports away.
Out of the forest and into his room.
The change in planes mixed in with the rushing adrenaline has a negative effect on her. She practically goes limp in his arms, making it easier for him to carry her to the bathroom.
He sits her down and bends down to her level.
"See, you're safe now. You're with me and you're safe. I told you I'd get you away," he tells her.
With the new setting, his soothing words can touch her again. Coupled with a gentle stroke of the fingers on her cheek, the frantic energy she has slowly begins to calm down.
"That's it, you're doing great. Now, I know you must be freezing. Let's get you into a nice warm bath," he says.
His fingers tap at her clothed shoulder in a way to ask if she needs help undressing.
Though something in her head tells her that she knows the offer is nothing but him being a gentleman and that he would never try anything, she shakes her head no. She can manage to undress on her own.
He nods and stands up to go get the water running. He puts sweet scenting oils in and makes sure the water is a perfect temperature.
When everything is set, he turns back towards her.
"I'll be right back. You can go ahead and undress and get in," he says.
He leaves the bathroom, closing the door behind him.
She begins to slowly strip off her clothes, internally surprised that she can function well enough to do so. It takes her longer than usual to get all of her clothes off but when she does, faint satisfaction courses through her. She walks over to the gigantic bath and carefully lowers herself into the water.
Again, if she was in a more stable mindset she would tell you that even the water was laced with some form of his magic. But she's not and she won't. The calming effect it has on her causes no caution for her. Instead, she just sinks lower into the water, letting it rise to her shoulders and not caring if her hair gets wet.
The warm temperature makes her feel good, erasing the painful trembling she had only minutes ago. The sweet scents bring her breathing down to a snail's pace, letting the oxygen properly flow through her body this time. It's as if the water just steals away all of her tension and replace it with serenity.
Teague does come back as he said he would and with him is a bottle and two wine glasses.
"I know on your plane you are too young for such pleasures but here is a bit different on such an idea," he says, holding out a glass to her.
She sluggishly takes the glass. He sits on the floor next to her, placing his own glass down.
"I never had any before," she says quietly.
He pours the red liquid into her glass, filling it halfway before filling up his own.
"I figured. This, however, is not one of your plane's spirits. I find this to be much better and not as strong for someone who's having it for the first time. We can develop your taste preferences another time but for now I brought something on the sweeter side for you," he responds.
He clinks their glasses together and takes a sip of his drink. She copies him hesitantly.
The cool feeling on her tongue surprises her but it's replaced with a warm feeling in her chest as the sweet liquid goes down. She likes it, she decides, and takes another sip.
"Satisfactory?" He asks.
She nods.
"I like it. Thank you," she replies.
"I'm glad you do. I'll remember to keep a bottle of it here in case you are in the mood for a drink another time," he says.
They drink their drinks in peace, Mina politely refusing when he offers to refill her glass. While she enjoys the influence it has on her nerves, she doesn't want to find out what's her limit is quite yet.
"I believe the water will become cold soon. Shall I go grab you clothes to wear now or would you prefer to stay in a bit longer?" Teague says when he finishes up his second glass.
She almost doesn't want to think about getting out of the comforting water. A part of her fears that the tension and fear she lost in the water will come back to her the second she dries off. But she also doesn't want to be in anything cold.
"I'll get out now," she says.
"Alright then, I'll bring clothes in for you. You can dry yourself off in the meantime. I shouldn't be long," he responds.
He gets up from his spot next to the bath and leaves once again.
When the door closes behind him, Mina stands up from the water and steps out from the bath. She grabs the towel near her and begins to dry herself off. She lets her hair continue to drip as she wraps the soft towel around her body. Due to the size of it, it only covers the essentials and leaves her shoulders and legs out for display but she can't find it in her to mind.
As she waits for Teague to return, she begins to look at herself in the mirror.
Her cheeks are sunken in from the deprivation of nutrition she's had. Her skin is paler than usual thanks to the dark room she was locked in for so long. Dark circles sit under her eyes due to the lack of sleep that plagued her. She's sure that if she looked at herself before she took the bath she would see wild hair, wide eyes, and flushed cheeks; that is if blood could properly reach her cheeks anymore.
How did they study her while she looked like this? When did she start looking like this? How does Teague stand to look at her like this?
A knock on the door snaps her out of her thoughts.
"May I enter?"
The sound of Teague's voice settles somewhat comfortably in her chest. It's much different than the voices she used to hear. Has it always been that way?
"You may," she says.
He enters in with folded clothes in his hands. He stops briefly when he catches sight of her smooth shoulders and legs. She swears something flashes in those blue eyes of his but disappears as quickly as it appeared.
"We unfortunately do not have women clothing that would fit you style wise. Royalty tends to overdress the females and I wouldn't put you in a servant's clothes. I hope it is okay that I brought something of mine for you to wear. I felt it would be less constricting for you to wear. Of course, I did find you women shorts to wear under," he says.
She gratefully accepts the clothes in his hands.
"It's fine. Thank you for your consideration," she replies.
"Glad to be of service. I'll wait for you out there dear," he says.
He leaves before she can comment on the name.
Dear? He's never called her anything like that before. Was it a slip of the tongue or is he trying to make her more comfortable or something like that?
She tries not to think about it as she puts on the clothes he gave her.
It's one of his shirts along with a pair of shorts to go under. She puts on the shorts first. Her fingers fumble with the buttons as she tries to undo them. When she finally gets them all undone, she's about to put the shirt on normally. A brief memory flashes in her head though as she almost puts one arm in a sleeve.
A memory of when everything was normal.
'Though I doubt that you'll ever take the chance, if you ever get the opportunity to wear a guy's shirt, never wear it the normal way."
'Then how am I supposed to wear it?'
"You don't put your arms in and you only button it up to the top of your chest. Then you take the sleeves and tie it like a bow. You got yourself a cute off-shoulder top. He won't know what hit him when he sees you.'
Her hands absentmindedly move as she buttons up the shirt on her and ties the sleeves the way she was shown.
What was her name? Who showed her this? She remembers she was friendly, loud, pretty. Everyone seemed to like her. She called Mina's real name with such excitement. Mina actually called her a friend. Why can't she remember her name?
Everything blurred in her mind during those days in that dark room. All those shouts and looks became the same. Friendly faces became hostile or afraid. Friends became captors. Family disappeared or at least that's what she was told. She doesn't know what really happened.
But she didn't do it. It wasn't her fault. She didn't mean to. That's the only thing she's absolutely sure of.
She looks at herself one last time in the mirror etching in her appearance into her mind.
This is what that room made her look like.
She leaves the bathroom, peeping her head out first to make sure she's allowed to. When she isn't yelled at for doing so, she takes it as her permission to leave.
"I see you were creative with the shirt I gave you," Teague says, looking up from the book on his desk.
Mina nods, feeling docile and timid just like that room tried to make her into.
"Is it okay? I can wear it properly if you want me to," she says.
"It's perfectly fine dear. Glad to see that you made it to your comfortability," he replies.
There he goes again with the name. Did he always call her that? She remembers sharp tongues and sarcasm filling conversations with him, or at least in the letters they sent to each other they did. He is called the Dark Prince so surely they didn't always get along. But he was always the only one to call her Mina while everyone close to her always called her by her dreaded full name. She secretly liked being called Mina but she couldn't say so. That's all she can really remember about him personally. She knows everyone warned her about him. He means nothing good. Is that what she is supposed to think of him?
But she's already experienced the devil, and Teague isn't that.
"Would you like to talk now? I feel that it's best we do it sooner than later," he says.
She nods and he stands up from his seat at his desk. He goes over to her and put his hand gently on her shoulder, leading her to his bed.
His hand is warm on her skin. It's different than the cold touches she would feel in that room.
They sit on the bed together facing each other, Teague staring directly at her while Mina keeps her gaze slightly below eye level.
"I know it's difficult but you have to tell me what happened exactly before anything," Teague says.
"It wasn't my fault," she replies quickly but quietly.
He brushes his hand over hers softly to keep her calm. There goes that fleeting thought again that he's using his powers on her secretly but just like the other times, she doesn't last on it for long.
"I know it wasn't, I just need to know what led up to it. I know you didn't do anything wrong," he says.
She peaks up at him through her eyelashes with hesitation.
"You won't be mad at me?" She asks softly.
"Of course I won't be. You've done nothing wrong remember," he replies.
She did nothing wrong. He won't switch on her like they did. He knows she's different. Wait no, she's not different to him. She's on the other plane now; she's not different here.
"They wanted to find out what I was, what I am I mean. I was underwater for too long. I healed too quick. They took me away to study more about me."
First, her brother went missing. Then her mother. Then Nix, the only person other than her family she can remember clearly. It wasn't long until they took her, until those closest to her gave her away. And she was taken far far away.
"Did they find out who you were?" He asks.
She shakes her head no.
"Something prevented them. They slowly became more and more frustrated when nothing went right. They took it out on me. They fed me less to see how long I could go and what's the bare minimum I need to survive. They kept me in the dark, finding it fascinating that I could stay so long without getting sick quickly. They did find out that I need to drink more than I need to eat but that didn't do much for them. They would ask me what I know but I didn't know anything. I don't know anything," she says.
They asked her what she was but yet she doesn't even know herself. Her mother always said she was different but never explained what she meant. What made her different? What is she?
She doesn't expect it when his fingers lace between hers and he squeezes her hand.
"You're a siren. A rare siren, one that should be viewed in awe. No one is as special as you are and those filthy humans had no right to touch you. You're precious," he says.
His eyes sparkle with something she can't identify but it makes her chest feel warm just how the liquor did. She doesn't want to look away from him. But that's not right, right? Would he ever say those words to her? She can't remember too well.
"They call me a monster for what happened. They blame my escape for it. I didn't do it. I just wanted to see day again. I just wanted to find my family and my real friend. I wanted to be normal again. I didn't mean for anything bad to happen. It wasn't my fault. They kept trying to hold me back. I don't know what happened," she says, anxiety rising again as she thinks of her escape.
He shushes her worries calmly and runs his fingers down the side of her face.
"It's not your fault. They were messing with your powers. The Lure is strong and they used it on their own selves. It wasn't anything you were in control of. But I can help with that. I can help you with your abilities so nothing ever happens again," he says.
He could help her? Could he really help her with her abilities? Would that mean she could be normal again? Well, she could never be normal on her plane anymore but maybe here she could be. Would he do that for her?
"Would you make me normal again? Will I be able to fit in properly?" She asks, hope flooding into her eyes.
He brings the hand he is holding up to his face and places it on his face, letting her smooth skin touch him. Like all his other movements involving her, it's gentle, not forcing in any way. It's calming and comforting.
"Oh Mina darling, you don't have to be normal. Those considered normal were the ones who gave you up to those terrible people. You're special for a reason Mina, that is your normal. We can be different together," he says.
He nuzzles lightly into her hand and it feels different to her. She hasn't been this close to a person in so long. Especially not a person like Teague.
"Different? Together? She told me that you don't like people. You don't like me. You're dangerous and manipulative. She says you don't want anyone with you," Mina says as she stares at her hand on his face, thought suddenly popping into her head clearly.
Maybe she's imagining it but his soft look disappears for a second. Something violent flashes in his blue eyes and it reminds her of the lightning she escaped. Though he still nuzzles into her hand, his eyes changed while doing so.
"Who said so? Who told you such lies?" He asks.
Mina doesn't remember the girl's name, her moment of clarity fading fast. The girl was unfriendly, prickly to those who didn't know her. She would tell Mina that her rough personality was a tough love and that she was just looking out for those she cares about. She constantly warned Mina about the Dark Prince and in a different way than Nix ever did. While Nix would say that the prince had more to him than what was known, the girl would tell her horror stories. She would say death and destruction followed the prince and he meant nothing good. She would be mad anytime Mina left the house without someone along with her. She helped give Mina up to those people saying that it was for her safety.
She remembers about the girl but not who she is. Or what she is. Why is she having so much trouble remembering certain things?
"I don't know her name. I can barely remember her face. I just remember what she would say to me. She was adamant about staying away from the Dark Prince and got mad whenever the topic was brought up. That's you, isn't it? She was talking about you?" She replies, genuinely not sure.
In an instant, her body seems to relax. Even she can't ignore the idea that that was his doing this time. He clearly used his powers to cause her body to relax this much and didn't hide it very well at all. But this time, she just can't do anything about it due to how her body feels.
"She speaks lies. Fae call me the Dark Prince because of actions that happened ages ago when I wasn't in control of my powers. Just as how they view you as a monster for something you couldn't control, it is the same for me. You mean more to me than she or anyone else will ever understand. They don't understand us but that's okay; we're monsters together," he replies.
He pulls her closer to him and she ends up wrapped in his embrace. She can't help but feel safe and protected. It's as if she belongs in his arms, they fit so perfectly together.
Maybe that girl was wrong. Maybe she's the one who doesn't know Teague well. Teague doesn't seem evil to her. He's been nothing but kind and accommodating to her since he's brought her here. If she remembers correctly, which she can't be too sure of now, she's only met him face to face about three times before today. He never seemed dangerous then. His letters to her always addressed her as Mina, the name she cherished. She thinks they said things to each other before but weren't they always nice words? She thinks so.
"Everything is so mixed up in my head. I'm sure she's told me things about you. I-I can't remember clearly. Who was she?" Mina says, slowly resting her head in the crook of his neck and feeling more and more comfortable near him.
He strokes her hair lovingly.
"It's okay, love. I'm sure it's just a result from the trauma you went through. I'll help you get better and then your memory will become clearer. For now, you don't have to worry; I'm here," he says.
Yes, he's here for her. She's safe. Hasn't it always been safer with him? He wouldn't act this way if he didn't really care. He's looking out for her. It's always safer with Teague.
She wraps her arms around his neck and her legs around his torso, trying to pull herself even closer to him. Closer to security.
"Thank you Teague," she says, eyes closed and content being in his arms.
He tightens his hold on her in response.
He looks down at the newly acquired dagger in his hands. He finally have both pieces he needs for more power: the dagger and his other half, his other part of his soul, Mina. Every king needs a queen and his queen is the key to his revenge. After years of planning, he can finally make a move in this game.
He rests his head on top of hers with a sinister smile.
"No, thank you Mina."
I hope you enjoyed it. I want to keep this fandom alive, even if I have been away for a long time.
Maybe I'll have another one shot idea for this lovely book series sometime in the future.
Until then.