A/N: I didn't expect to have this story start out focusing on Jay, but it seems this is where my writing is taking me. I originally wanted this story to be Evie-centric, but as I began writing it, it turned out I was focusing on the reactions of other characters in response to Evie's OOC behavior. Mainly Jay, since I am a huge JayxEvie shipper.
*I got inspired to come up with this story after watching season 3 of DC's The Flash.
**The rest of this story will contain more adult themes, abuse, and death. So, I may bump the rating up to M.
The next few weeks went by the same; the black-haired beauty would meet with the Isle's best thief to exchange less than polite pleasantries and idle banter. Yet, the walk to and from Jafar's Junk Shoppe became less and less frightening and more and more familiar. Jay learned which pathways became shortcuts, which people lurked around the outside corners of the marketplace, how to make sure he wasn't being followed. Each time he visited the mysterious killer, he became more and more fascinated by her.
Sometimes her raven tresses were pulled back into an intricate bun, where her curls would gently kiss the back of her neck when she'd turn her head to the side. Sometimes her gloves changed colors ranging in different shades of blues and reds and blacks. Sometimes she kept the hood of her cloak covering her face which only added to his curiosity. And sometimes she would forgo the cloak completely, allowing his eyes to roam from the tips of her black heeled boots up her navy blue Victorian style dress to her alluring and mysterious baby blue eyes.
Pleasantries shifted into mutual greetings.
Idle banter turned into idle gossip.
The blue-eyed girl never demanded a jewel or stone or fragment again. So, he never came with anything more than a jerk of his head before she would begin their conversation. They would exchange harsh and snarled greetings (the villain forms of hellos and how are yous). Their greetings melted into neighborhood gossip (Harriet Hook and Anthony Tremaine were caught making out in Mother Gothel's classroom last night) that then somehow would cause her to hand over a bag full of a week's worth of food (stale but edible bread, moldy but not rotten fruit of various kinds) and a trinket (jewels, sometimes spare fabric paint was included) and then they'd part their separate ways. Each time the bag contained a scrap piece of paper and a different saying (something witty and clever and he'd chuckle on his way to meet Mal in their secret apartment).
However, the air on the Isle felt different tonight as he stealthily slid in between two dead sticks which were supposed to be trees. That ball of anxious nerves tugged at his gut and he felt himself swallow nervously as he continued to weave in and out of the trees on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest. Something in the air just felt...off...missing...uncomfortable. A shudder wracked his spine as he stepped over the familiar fallen tree branch that separated a twisted fork in the road. The hair on the back of his neck stood straight up and a cold sweat covered his arms in a layer of dampness. A humid twinge in the air only encouraged his body to tremble.
He stole a glance over his shoulder as the feeling of being watched stiffened his movements and forced him to halt his footsteps. Paranoia was never a good thing on the Isle. And a good thief was never paranoid. It made for sloppy work and overly cautious behavior. He was confident...cool...collected...calm.
The stillness of the forest only amplified his inner mantra as he willed his feet to move again once the feeling of being watched faded. He quickened his movements, his feet now running to bring him closer and closer to the broken gate of the Castle-Across-The-Way. He slipped under the broken rusty iron a few minutes later, only to slink onto the property without making a sound. The cloudy sky reflected what little light lingered behind the barred windows, the light giving a faint eerie hue to the normally blackened castle. Without warning, the door leading to the side of the castle wretched open and a shadowed figure stepped out of the doorway. Reacting just as quickly, Jay sunk into a crouch, the dead shrubbery providing a hiding spot just out of sight from the doorway of the castle.
"Come, child." A regal feminine voice came from the shadowed figure. The shadow extended a hand, beckoning for someone lingering just beyond the door frame.
A cloak black as the night sky stepped out behind the door. The regal Queen shut the door with a rickety clanging noise and secured the lock before royally stepping down the rotting wooden boards. The Queen waited impatiently for the black cloak to follow her movements. The cloak moved gracefully, poised and elegant like she was of royal status. Every movement was precise and calculated.
"A princess does not keep her Queen waiting." The woman snarled, her fingers curling around the younger girl's arm once the princess had descended the staircase. "It is impolite to keep our company waiting much longer."
"Yes, of course." The familiar voice of the mystery girl drifted through the shrubs until her soft whisper rang through his ears. Though her voice tonight held a different sound to it. Instead of cold and seductive, her tone tonight was a soft and delicate hush of words.
"They are only here tonight and I will not be made a fool."
"I understand." Again, her voice mirrored her delicate steps as she was tugged less gracefully behind the Evil Queen.
"You will not breathe a word about our arrangement. Am I understood?"
"Yes, Grimhilde." The princess slid into a curtsy, halting their movements for a minute.
"I gave you life. You will address me as mother."
"I will not make a mistake, Mother." The princess bowed her head in respect. Grimhilde let go of her arm then waved her hand dismissively, allowing the princess to stand.
"What I wouldn't give to keep you here...obedient and subdued...just like this..." Grimhilde sighed, fixing her posture. "We mustn't dawdle. Gods have the worst tempers of all royalty. And those two bumbling baffoons will not mess up our plans this time. They may have been unable to kill a God, but they did bring you to me. And we will not let them ruin you like they ruined him." Grimilde began walking again, the princess trailing a step behind her. "Your twisted brother better not be there. I can only handle one hot-headed masochistic male at a time and you are unqualified to help me." The Queen grumbled, causing the princess to sigh. "I hate today." The Queen continued to grumble, her voice getting fainter the farther she and the princess traveled into the Forbidden Forest.
Jay waited with baited breath as he waited for their silhouettes to disappear beyond the trees. His eyes almost missed the scrap of material lying on the ground in front of the stairs. It wasn't until he stood up from his hiding spot that the flash of lightning overhead brought his eyes to the red bundle of fabric half hidden under the railing. How he missed it, he didn't know. Perhaps he was too interested in the conversation between the queen and the princess.
The gray clouds overhead rumbled and shook with thunder, threatening to spill rain at any moment. Sparing a glance towards the sky, the thief darted out of the bush he had been hiding in and scooped up the scrap of fabric just in time. The first few drops of rain landed on his face as his fingers unwrapped the bundle. Pieces of bread were hidden inside along with a jewel the size of the fingernail of his pinkie. The size of the jewel didn't make him gasp, it was the rarity of the gemstone. Even in the rain, Jay could tell this trinket was of real value and that thought alone is what kept him from catching his breath. A gemstone like that would be able to feed him and him alone for weeks.
The temptation of even keeping this for himself was too great and he found himself yearning to keep the jewel for himself. Jafar did not deserve something so valuable. Biting his lip, Jay allowed his eyes to close as he heaved a small pained sigh. What was he going to give his dad now?
More drops of rain padded on his shoulders, staining his faded yellow beanie a darker color. Stealing would have to wait. He had to make it to the hideout first. He could think about his failures later. He opened his eyes and straightened his posture just as another roar of thunder trembled the ground. Brushing off his feeling of despair and fear, he stood up even straighter and set a familiar smirk upon his lips.
He mustn't keep a dragon waiting, after all.
