She laid awake in bed, unable to get a wink of sleep, she tossed and turned, trying to find a comfortable position, but after finding none, she sat up. She peered around in the dark, as her eyes fell on the lump of her so-called partner, sleeping soundly from afar. It has been at least a week since her arrival, and yet Piper and her was still considering each other as acquaintances.
However, sleep was not on her mind, as she thought about wandering around again, but this time with Piper. That way, she won't get lost. Besides, it might be fun if they chatted for a while. Her curiosity drove her crazy, and urged her out of bed. She traversed the room, as quietly as she could, and hovered over Piper's body. "Hey," she whispered, he didn't respond, so she poked him in the cheek, hoping that would get him to stir. It didn't. "Yo!" she said a little louder, she watched him shifting himself over, still asleep. 'Fine, if you want to do it the hard way, so be it.' She raised her hand high, and let it fall loudly onto his back, the sound echoing the darkened room. Piper didn't react. "Damn, you're such a heavy sleeper!" she complained.
As if on cue, his body stirred and he woke up. Piper rubbed his eyes and blinked up at her. He didn't need his flute because it was plain to see what his eyes told her. 'What the hell are you doing?' or something like that.
"Come with me," Violet urged, as she tugged on his blankets. He jerked them back and recovered himself. "I want to go out and explore." No response from him physically, mentally, he was telling her that she would get lost. "If you don't come with me, I won't stop bothering you." She declared, and began poking his body rapidly.
"We shouldn't even be out here," Piper yawned. He trudged slowly behind her, as she bounced around. She poked at random things, distorted the pictures on the walls, and even dislocated the potted plants.
"You're such an old man," she quipped. "Don't you ever do fun things?"
"Not ever since the war broke out, no," he replied, now that he was fully awake. "And I'm not that old, actually, I'm about the same age as you are."
Violet halted, and faced him suspiciously. She eyed him up and down, and glimpsed a few wrinkles, but maybe that was the trick of the light. There was no way in hell that they were the same age, besides she knew that he was older because he may have mentioned that he has worked for Rumpel for several years, indicating that there was an age gap. "Liar," she smiled.
"It's true," he nodded, yet he hinted a smirk, thus, proving her point.
"Whatever," she smirked, "Let's get on with the exploring."
It was nearing morning, and the twosome could tell because, when they passed the windows, they could hear the morning crows calling out. They already searched many vacant rooms, and Violet swore that this was a sense of déjà vu.
"It's best that we turn back now," Piper gave an affirmative toot. She slowed her pace, knowing that he was right, however, she sensed a tugging sensation in the back of her mind, begging her to come closer. Violet recognized the feeling just it happened a few weeks ago with Merlin, that same idiosyncratic vibe she known was calling out for her. But, this time, it was slightly weaker. Before she uttered a word, she was drawn to a door not too far from them.
Piper hollered out to her, and when he didn't get any response, he ran after her, hoping to get an explanation. He finally caught up to Violet, who stood in front of a door. It was like any of another door in the hallway, plain and nothing special, but somehow, she saw it differently. "What has gotten into you?" he questioned.
"Oh," Violet looked up at him, as if she forgotten about his company already. "Sorry, um, I want to see what's inside, and then we will go." She promised. He shuffled his feet, weighing his options whether he should follow her or not. He nodded his head in confirmation, therefore, she yanked the door opened, surprisingly, it was unlocked.
As they walked through the threshold, they immediately noticed how dim-lit it was in the room. The only source of light was a giant, translucent bubble that floated inches off the ground. It glowed somewhat a somber-like that reflected their faces. Inside was a stooping figure, their hair all in a disarray, a pair of glittery wings dropped in such depression that both Violet and Piper inhaled a sharp breath.
The figure came into view, as the bubble allowed access for them to take a gander inside. Violet gasped, when she was met with a pair of dark, sage shades. Her massacre was ruined, her dazzling smile was broken, and the fact that she was originally wreathed in her magenta sparkles held such great woefulness. The Fairy Godmother sat in a daze, unblinking, but aware of some new company.
"What, pray tell, do you want?" she sneered, but it was a pathetic attempt to act so mighty, yet she was angry that she was disturbed by two mere interlopers.
"Fairy Godmother?" Violet stammered. She was at a loss for words for that she has never seen her former boss in such a state that she felt a twinge of guilt. The Fairy Godmother snapped her attention to Violet, which startled her.
"Who are you?" She crawled to her feet, and pressed herself up against the bubble's walls, taking a good look at the girl with a strange hairstyle. However, she parted herself from the barrier between the two and wandered aimlessly in her limited space. "Ah, whatever, it doesn't matter anymore. Now that I'm deprived of my magic, everything is utterly pointless." She wailed.
Violet glanced at Piper if he was making sense of this messy situation, though, she found him gaping at the fairy in sheer dumbfoundingly. She has always believed that Piper knew about every secret that the kingdom kept, she was deeply mistaken. She thought back to the night when he educated her about the war, and the fact about of how each individual were different to their original self in her world. Piper did not explain any other important details about who lived in the resistance, besides the ogres and the Sirens, Violet mustered up her courage and ask the one question she has been dreading.
"Where is Prince Charming?" Violet asked. Back in her world he was the villain, and he has threatened many lives, including her friends, now, she was uncertain about his whereabouts.
"And if I don't answer?" she queried. The Fairy Godmother took a seat and slumped against the walls, hurdling back into a world of depression.
"I'll stay here until you tell me." Violet avowed. Both the Fairy Godmother and Piper shot their heads at her; their expressions vexed by her response.
"Violet, we can't stay here forever." Piper declared from his flute. He cast her a dubious look, begging her to come back with him. Violet stood still, her focus still transfixed on the floating bubble.
"You should listen to that man there," the Fairy Godmother nodded. "It's best to leave or you will be punished by the witc-" she was cut short by Violet's curt voice.
"Let them come," she plopped her rear to the floor, stating her point, "I won't leave until you tell me. You can leave, Piper, I know you have work earlier today. For me, I have all the time in the world." She lamented for a bit.
For Piper, he was up against time, he could go off and do his mission and leave her alone. But that could cause some trouble for not only her, but him as well. Violet was his responsibility from the start, whether he liked that or not. As for Violet, she rolled up herself in a ball, as she continued staring at the monstrous blob. She didn't hear anything else from Piper's flute, instead, he knelt down beside her, flashing her a smile.
"Oh fine," the frazzled woman finally gave in, and began her tragic tale of the loss of her son. "My dear Prince Charming, as the war broke out, I told him to go to the resistance in order to have a better life. Of course, he refused, and promised me that he would protect me with his life. But, I would not have him have it, so I cast a spell upon him before sending him off. For his protection, I enhanced his sword. Well, now that I'm finished, leave!"
The twosome stepped into the hallways once more. None of them uttered a word to each other, even on the way back to the room. It may have been quiet between them, but their thoughts were loud and vociferous, like little voices questioning and answering each other; that they were clawing at the walls, and making a collision with one another. Violet couldn't make up with her inner voice much longer, and broke the silence by asking her friend a question.
"I thought that since you worked here longer than me, you would've known about her, or any other secret that would be useful."
Piper stopped, turned, and stared intently at her. "I may work for the man, but please understand that I'm only here because of a contract. If I had the chance, I would run far away from here as possible and never look back. But for right now, I am bound to this place, whether I liked it or not. Your case might be different, and who knows what will happen. Let's get some rest. It has been a long night for the both of us." He nodded. Violet opened her mouth to object, but thought against it.
As they reentered their suite, Piper fell onto his bed. He didn't have the energy to take off his shoes, or bury himself under the covers. As for Violet, her racing thoughts kept her awake, as she lay over her bed, hands behind her head, she stared at the ceiling.
'So even Prince Charming has his place in this world, huh? At least that takes care of the Fairy Godmother who was locked away in her own magical bubble. But that still left many other unanswered questions.' Violet, soon, fell to sleep, her thoughts still at the brinks of her mind, talking amongst themselves, quietly.