AN: And now we have Snatcher's backstory for this fic! Once again brace for sadness, angst, and fluff!
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Once upon a time there was a village that existed in a magical forest. The villagers were cut off from the world and very few left their secluded home, but they were happy with what they had. This village was ruled by a King, Queen, and their daughter, and while the kingdom was small, it was prosperous.
"That means the village was flourishing kid, it was successful in being a village."
Anyways, the tradition in this kingdom stated that rather than marry someone of noble blood, the heir to the throne would marry someone who had proved that they would be successful in keeping the kingdom and its inhabitants safe from any kind of threats.
Threats like monsters that might attack, crop failure, storms, and general public strife.
"Why? Well it was the kingdom's way of keeping the bloodline free of corruption, or something stupid like that. Now stop interrupting me if you want to hear this story!"
In this village lived a young boy who dreamed of the stars. He was adventurous and curious. He craved knowledge and wished to know how the world around him worked. He questioned everything and explored every nook and cranny of the forest, even the forbidden areas no one dared entered.
As time went on the boy grew older and his thirst for knowledge grew with him. He abandoned stargazing in favour of reading books. Political journals drew his interest and he quickly became immersed in studying the way political systems around the world worked.
"You might find it boring kid, but he loved it, and what did I say about interruptions?!"
But then one day disaster struck. While the boy found his joys in life, the village suffered as the King grew ill and died, leaving just the Queen and young Princess left to rule the kingdom. No one knew how their kind ruler had gotten so ill, or why the Queen and Princess were left unaffected by the deadly illness.
There were rumors though.
Some whispered that the King had grown greedy and corrupted in his position of power and the forest had grown angry, killing the man before he ruined everything around him. Others said that a dark magic had been cast upon him that had taken his life.
And perhaps the most troubling, and rare, rumor of all was that the illness was not actually an illness and that the Queen had grown jealous of the newest royal advisor. A young girl who was born on the edges of the village, poor in the materials that she owned but wise in her knowledge of the village's needs.
These rumors claimed that in a fit of jealousy and rage the Queen poisoned the King because if she could not have him then no one else could.
"Yeah, she was one crazy old lady, kid."
Anyways while the villagers felt sorrow at the news life continued on and the boy continued to learn. He wrote down notes, studied animals and their habits, and learned about the world that existed far beyond the forest that contained his home.
Soon his parents took notice of his studying and quickly questioned the boy.
"Why are you reading all those books?" Both of his parents had asked on different occasions, both extremely curious.
And the boy had responded. "I just wish to learn more about the world."
And then one night during supper his father had asked the question that would change the course of the boy's life.
"Do you wish to help people?"
The boy had stopped eating, surprised by the random question. He looked up at his father, a confusion colouring his face. "What do you mean father?"
His father sighed and leaned back in his chair, a wistful expression on his face. "When you were young I remember having to drag you inside after watching the stars for hours. You always were curious about the world around you and wished to know more, but I have to wonder why."
The boy blinked and cocked his head, hazel eyes narrowing as he thought about the question. He had never really considered why he wanted to learn, he just... did.
"Possibly." He answered before returning to the broth his mother had made. Silence reigned for a couple more seconds before his mother spoke up.
"I believe what your father is asking is if you wish to help our kingdom."
Help the kingdom? Him, the socially awkward boy who had an unrivaled thirst for learning? He shrugged and silence returned once more but this time the boy was thinking, wondering, planning.
The years rolled by and the questioning youth turned into a bright eyed man still eager to learn about the world he lived in, but he had never forgotten the question his parents had asked him.
He had seen the strife that would occasionally plague the village, mainly caused by their isolation. His studies had helped to provide answers as to what could help their small kingdom, such as reaching out and connecting with the other civilizations of the world they lived in, but he was not sure how to implement them.
Of course he could talk to the Royal Adviser, and already had, it just seemed as though nothing had been done since he last spoke to them.
It was deeply frustrating to watch the lack of progress.
But if he managed to win the Princesses hand then he might be able to help his kingdom move forward in the world and join the rest of society rather than be left behind in the dirt.
Isolation had helped to keep his home safe but without any allies...
So the man had made his way to the main castle and approached the Royal Adviser with the wish to join the next group of suitors for the Princess. She was two years younger than him but had been unsuccessful so far in finding her future husband.
Anyone was allowed to express interest in courting the nobility as long as they had not been in trouble with the law before. It was a rule created in an attempt to keep the noble bloodline pure, free of any corruption that might occur when one specific family is in power for too long.
It also allowed for different perspectives to be in positions of power. Even the poorest beggar could express interest in courting thanks to these rules.
One the day that suitors could gather and attempt to impress the Princess he had borrowed his father's old red tunic, the fanciest one his family owned, and set out for the castle.
One of two, actually.
The castle the man was currently going to was used only for formal affairs and social gatherings, it also housed the rulers of the kingdom. The second castle had been created as an emergency shelter for the villagers who lived there as a way to protect them from threats.
It also served as storage for surplus food grown during the warmer months incase winter dragged on for longer than usual or if they encountered a food shortage.
So he made his way to the castle, encountering other villagers who had hopes to woo the Princess, mostly for their own gain rather than the betterment of the future of their kingdom. He was slightly disappointed, but not completely surprised.
It was why the courting process was so rigorous. To keep out those who wanted the throne for their personal gain.
Once he arrived the guards quickly checked him over for any weapons he might be hiding and when he was cleared he entered the stone structure. The walls held lit torches and the floor was covered by a royal purple carpet, leading him to where the Princess and his competition was.
The man walked through the courtyard, checking out the others who were there with him no doubt also vying to win the Princess's attention and hand.
And then he saw... her.
She had been standing off to the side watching the activities go on. Her ruby eyes ran over the various suitors that had already shown up with what he believed to be disdain. Her beautiful blonde hair shone in the afternoon sun and the man felt his heart lurch in his chest.
Like he was being led by a string, he walked over to the Princess, easily dodging anyone who got in his path. Her figure was captivating, mystifying, and her aura...
She radiated a strength only nobility could have, exotic and captivating.
On his walk he noticed another figure standing near the Princess, one worn with age but emitting the same regal air.
It was the Queen.
She looked very similar to her daughter, both having the same shimmering golden hair and pale skin but her eyes were a rich amethyst colour. Then the man noticed something a bit strange about her gaze.
It seemed blank and her eyes seemed to absorb the sunlight, giving them a dead appearance.
Before he could stop or properly process exactly what he was seeing, the Princess moved. She stepped towards him, the previous look on her face disappearing and being replaced by curiosity and... shyness?
Her blush was nearly as red as her eyes when she reached him. "Hello."
Her voice was soft and sweet, and he felt his own blush rising to his cheeks in response. "Hello your majesty."
His voice cracked during the greeting.
Shit!
"Snatcher! Watch your language!"
Uh, heck! He meant heck because he would never curse in front of a child.
"That's better!"
Anyways the Princess did not appear to be aware of his embarrassment and offered her gloved hand to him. He gently took it and shook, feeling his heart throb in his chest the entire time.
What was this strange feeling? The man wondered to himself. His mother had often told him about love and infatuation, how she and his father had met, but this seemed... different.
It was far stronger than the emotions his mother had talked about, and then there was that tugging sensation.
He shook off his thoughts and introduced himself to the Princess, a warm smile on his face while he spoke. She told him how nice his name was and then guided him to one of the tables placed within the courtyard. They both sat down and began speaking, talking about their families and interests.
They spent the rest of the afternoon together.
The Queen quickly dismissed the other suitors once she noticed how much attention her daughter was paying to the man, a smile appearing on her face as she took in how comfortable and relaxed they were with each other.
It was the first time she had smiled since her husband died.
The man continued to visit the Princess whenever he could, often escorted by the royal guards to make sure he did not harm the heir but once it was clear he had no evil intentions towards the Princess he was allowed to go wherever he pleased.
The library was one of the places he visited most often.
Typically the Princess, or Vanessa as he had to constantly remember to call her by her name not title, would join him on these excursions, cuddling against his side as he read either to himself or aloud.
The duo often went on trips, or dates as they were unofficially called, to the village and forest, smiling and laughing the entire time. A month after they had first met the man publically announced his intentions towards the Princess and she accepted.
The next step for the new royal couple was the courting process, a period in which the new Prince would begin to learn about taking care of the kingdom and how he would engage with the politics that ran it.
He was eager to learn and Vanessa, his Princess, was nothing but supportive during this time.
Of course this relationship was not perfect. There were many instances where misunderstandings were turned into fights, such as the "Bacon Incident", but the couple managed to sort them out and continued their courtship.
While this was going on the Queen began to grow weaker, an illness taking her body and forcing her to waste away.
Magic, medicine, nothing seemed to help.
And then four months after the Princess had found her Prince...
She died, leaving behind a mourning daughter and the man who did his best to comfort her.
This period of sorrow did nothing but make the connection between them stronger with the Prince often watching over his Princess to make sure she stayed healthy through her period of mourning.
The now empty throne was the catalyst for their courtship to proceed at an unprecedented pace. Their subjects needed a ruler, and neither Prince nor Princess could take the throne without being married.
The royal couple found themselves preforming all of the ceremonies needed for the new Prince to inherit the throne and join the royal family. They danced under the stars and pronounced their love, attended multiple royal duties together so they could properly learn what needed to be done, and visited their subjects, soothing any worries or fears they might have about the new couple taking power.
In an attempt to better prepare for his new position of power, and to make sure he could help his people to the best of his abilities, the Prince also attended school during this, focusing on law and political matters.
The Princess was not too happy about this change but she supported him nonetheless.
Through the rituals of the kingdom, the Prince technically became the King in all but name as the final step for the royal couple to properly assume power would be to get married. Both Prince and Princess, still deeply in love, swore themselves to the other and planned to marry in the summer, after his learning was complete.
Then everything went downhill.
The Prince soon found himself swamped with work, be it from preparing to take over the kingdom or from his schooling. Unfortunately this left less time for him to be with his Princess and while the Prince did not mind...
The Princess certainly did.
He was unaware of her obsessively checking to see if he had sent her any letters, of her frantic and crazed diary entries, of her deteriorating mental state until it was too late.
It was sad how quickly she crumbled and soon it was not just the Princess but the villagers who also eagerly awaited the return of the Prince.
They had noticed the... instability of their Princess and feared the worst if the Prince did not return.
Time passed slowly and quickly for all parties involved. For the Prince it seemed to move in leaps and bounds, but for the Princess and their subjects each day felt like an eternity of waiting and wanting.
It was in the spring with approximately one month left of his schooling that the Prince decided to surprise his Princess with a visit back to the castle. He had told as few people as possible so no one could accidentally ruin his plan.
He had reached the town square, wearing a hooded cloak so none of his subjects would recognize him, when the enchanting scent of flowers surrounded him.
Flowers, that would be the perfect gift to get Vanessa!
Petunias were her favourite and bellflowers were his own. The colour combination of white and purple would look lovely together!
He grinned and walked over to the flower girl, his smile growing even wider when he realized he recognized her. It was Christine, she had lived near his house while they were growing up.
"Hello Christine!" The man cheerfully greeted, giving his old friend a hug. Christine, a pale redhead with freckles spattered across the bridge of her nose, immediately hugged him back, a massive smile appearing on her face in response.
"Hey you goof, it's been forever since I last saw you! I hope you haven't forgotten about your subjects at that fancy school!" She teased, laughing when she noticed the blush appearing on his face.
"Christine, I would never forget about you!" He cried out, hugging his friend tighter and ignoring her laughter the entire time.
"Oh relax, I was just joking!" She said, playfully shoving him. "So what do you want?"
"I would like a bouquet of petunias and bellflowers please!" He replied, a large smile appearing on his face as he spoke.
Hesitation suddenly appeared on the woman's face and he paused, concerned by the change in her demeanor. "Christine are you-"
"Are you sure you want both of those flowers together?" She interrupted.
"Of course," He replied. "Petunias are Vanessa's favourite kind of flower, and you know I love bellflowers! Besides the colours would look gorgeous together. Why do you ask?"
"Just because something looks beautiful doesn't mean it works." She cryptically replied.
The Prince opened his mouth but did not know what to say, thoroughly concerned and confused by her behavior. What in the world was she talking about? Beauty and how well something functioned might not always go together, but these were just flowers!
Or was she talking about something else...
Christine sighed and shook her head, dispelling the troubling aura that had surrounded her. She quickly got to work creating the bouquet, knowing where the flowers were right away. "Never mind."
His mouth was still open, trying to figure out what to say, when the flowers were shoved into his hands. He jumped, nearly dropping the beautiful bouquet in the process. "Oh! Thank you very much!"
"And," She started to say, a smile returning to her face as she looked up at him. "Please don't work too hard."
He grinned, tilting his head to the side as he spoke. "I would never Christine, now I believe I owe you some money."
Christine chuckled, shaking her head at his naturally goofy behavior, and held a hand out for the payment. The Prince placed the golden coins in her hand, holding them there for an extra second as how much she had been paid registered in her mind.
"You don't need to pay me extra, dummy!" She scoffed, but that smile on her face never faded.
He laughed and then heard what sounded like a gasp coming from the alley he had walked through to get here. Confused, he looked to the side and noticed a familiar green dress vanishing into the darkness.
Well it looked like his surprise was ruined.
He hastily waved goodbye to Christine, unaware of the worried look that had appeared on her face when she also caught sight of the fleeing form of the Princess, and swiftly made his way to the manor he knew Vanessa would be staying at.
Since her mother had died it had been difficult for her to continue living in the castle. The many memories she had shared with her mother had practically been embedded into the very foundation of the structure. It was torturous having to be constantly reminded of the loss.
So they had decided to move to the manor and stay there until their marriage.
During his flight back to his home his hood had fallen off, exposing his face. Of course he greeted as many as his subjects as he could during his sprint, but his main focus was on getting back to Vanessa.
When he reached the manor he rushed up the stairs and through the main doors, bouquet still in hand. He quickly entered the main room, panting as he did so. There he found his Princess, facing away from him and radiating malice.
"My love are you alright?" He asked, walking closer to her. He reached a hand out to her shoulder, but before he could touch her she flinched, harshly shifting away.
"As if I could be alright after what you did." The Princess hissed. "After everything we've been through how could you do that?!"
"Do what?" The Prince cried out, not understanding what she was talking about. What had he done to hurt her so? Was it how long he had been away for? But she had been so supporting-
"YOU CHEATED ON ME WITH THAT, WHORE!" She shrieked.
Understanding bloomed within his mind, but before he could speak up Vanessa issued her command, damning him to a fate he did not deserve.
"Guards," She said, her voice devoid of any warmth. "Take him away."
They arrived suddenly, as if they had appeared from the shadows of the room. The royal guards marched forward and each of them grabbed one of the Prince's arms, bruising the delicate limbs in their harsh grip, forcing him to drop the bouquet.
"Vanessa!" He had screamed, voice cracking as tears poured down his face. "Vanessa please, this is all just a misunderstanding! Listen to me!"
But the Princess did not, for the same sickness of the mind that had taken her mother had also consumed her. What remained of the shy, compassionate girl he had fallen in love with was gone, replaced by a beast corrupted by jealousy and hatred.
The monster that his love had become told the guards to lock the Prince up in the basement, chain him to the walls so he could not escape.
He was dragged down the stairs, struggling the entire time, and carried over to a wall. From there the guards cuffed his arms and legs against the freezing stones and then added extra chains around his torso to further pin him down.
Then they left, trapping the Prince in darkness and despair.
Days passed and the Prince still could not move, weighted down by both the chains attached to his body and the pain in his heart.
There was only one time when the Princess visited him in his cold, damp prison, and she had changed since he had last seen her.
Her eyes had that same blank look in them that the Queen's had when he had first met her. Cold, unresponsive, uncaring, like voids that would rip his soul apart.
Dead, her eyes looked dead.
An oddly dark aura surrounded her body, another thing that had changed since he had last seen her, and she looked a bit... unhinged. He struggled to think of something, anything to say in order to get her to release him, but came up with nothing.
She approached him, ungloved hands covered in a black and red haze, radiating power and reeking of evil. He struggled against his bonds in an attempt to back away, terror rearing up in his heart.
What was she going to do to him?
Then her magic seared into him, locking the chains even tighter against both his body and the wall, drawing blood from where they touched his flesh. The icy magic burned more than a fire, destroying any coherency that had been left in his mind from the raw agony.
He shouted, tears leaking out of the corners of his eyes and turning to ice in the cool air.
"VANESSA, PLEASE! MAKE IT STOP!" His screams for mercy tore through the frigid air.
But there was none and after her magic had sealed him against the wall she left, not saying a word to her former lover.
Unknown to him, his subjects had sent out multiple search parties once they learned that their Prince had gone missing. Unfortunately they could not find him no matter how hard they searched and even though a few suspected the Princess, they did not have the power to confront her.
The trapped Prince suffered a slow death. Dehydration, starvation, and hypothermia were his only visitors in that damp space.
He tried to lick the water off of the stone walls around him, twisting his head to the side and forcing the chains around his neck to harshly rip his skin apart, but found little relief in his attempts.
His stomach ached, having not eaten for days, and he could taste blood. The lack of water was making his throat dry out, tearing it whenever he tried to talk.
And then there was the cold.
Biting through his soaked attire. Digging deeply into his flesh. He was so cold it felt like his body was burning.
It seemed as though the Princess had forgotten about him, too busy dealing with the distraught subjects of the Prince, her own fractured mind, and the dark aura that had begun to take over her. More time passed...
And one day she reached her breaking point.
Fed up with the constant meetings with her subjects, tired of the "searches" for the missing Prince, the darkness that lingered in her heart finally consumed her. The transformed Princess, now a true husk of her former self, attacked, striking out at everything around her.
And in this case it was the kingdom that quickly suffered.
Ice began to incase every structure, moving swiftly and soundlessly to consume everything in its path. What few villagers noticed the encroaching substance were barely able to flee with their lives, narrowly escaping across the bridge that connected the main part of their kingdom to the forest.
The ice stopped once it reached the bridge but the few survivors did not feel safer. They had lost both their Prince and Princess, and now they had no homes to go back to. The kingdom had been destroyed, they had lost everything. They cried out, the sounds of sorrow and grief bouncing off of the trees around them, echoing through the forest.
And then a set of yellow eyes opened, lighting up the gloom of the leaking basement.
The frozen body of the Prince shuddered as it moved for the first time in days. His skin tore apart and ripped open, thick blood oozing out of the new cuts.
What had awoken him from his deadly slumber?
The screams of his subjects shot through his mind, their begging and pleas tearing his fragile soul apart. The ice... the ice.
How dare she?
His chest heaved with each breath. Eyes narrowed and dark shadows danced around his form, so close to completely consuming him.
How dare she?
Anger, rage, and hatred pounded through his heart, heating up his dying body.
HOW DARE SHE!
The Prince roared.
It was a sound no human should have been capable of making, a shriek of damnation and rage that promised pain and suffering for all who heard it. His anger at the world, at what Vanessa had done, manifested and lashed out at the chains binding him.
The shadows around him struck, sinking into his flesh, changing him!
The hatred that had consumed his every waking thought and the magic that had awoken within him continued to viciously break the binding spell Vanessa had placed on him.
His body began to move as the darkness seeped into him, fighting desperately against the chains that kept him bound to the wall and the war that raged in his heart, conflicting emotions battling within him.
He hated her. He loved her. He despised everything she had done to his subjects. He hoped she was alright. How dare she do this to him? Why hadn't she trusted him?
Alas, this torment was too much for his worn down body, brought so close to death due to his horrible treatment.
And with that the Prince died, alone in the darkness, hating and loving the woman who had forced such a fate upon him.
But this was not the end.
As his frozen corpse hung from the wall the magic that had gathered within him continued to grow and swell, fed by the emotions that lingered in his heart.
This power continued to grow until...
CRACK!
An explosion of shadows erupted from the still body, completely snapping the chains that had kept the body bound and allowing it to drop, landing with a splash into the water below. There it lay, partially submerged.
The shadows above the body began to twist and turn, changing shape until they resembled a sinuous, ghostly form. Those burning yellow eyes opened once again and the shadow took in his new form.
The tail, the hair around his neck, the talons, everything was foreign to him, and he could float!
He was mystified for a moment, and then he remembered exactly what had led to this new... development.
The shadowy Prince snarled, wishing with all of his new power that he could make Vanessa pay for what she had done, but he had other matters to attend to before he could begin to plan his revenge.
His subjects were out there, lost and confused. He had to help them first. His subjects would always come first, it was the duty of a Prince-
No.
A king took care of his people, was in control of the kingdom. Vanessa had proven herself mentally unstable, unfit to take the throne and rule which meant the duty fell to him and since he was king in all but name...
A glimmer of light in the frigid water caught his eye, and the shadow floated down to get a better look at it.
It was a crown, his crown. It must have been knocked off of his body when it fell.
He reached a clawed hand down and picked it up, admiring how the gold glowed in the near darkness. A sinister grin appeared on his face as he considered the object in his grasp.
And a king needs a crown, after all.
Before he could put the glowing item on, he sensed footsteps approaching the entrance of the basement. It had to be Vanessa, she must have heard him breaking out of his chains, and he had to escape.
He would not let her torture him again!
With that the shadow phased through the walls that had kept him prisoner for so long, somehow bringing his crown with him, and entered the frozen wasteland that the area around the manor had become.
He swiftly made his way to the forest, knowing that was where all of his subjects would be by pure instinct alone. It was like he could sense every one of them, knew exactly where they were because of the bizarre magic he had gained after his death.
As he floated through the air thoughts raced through his mind. There was so much to be done, his subjects needed new homes, what remained of the kingdom was extremely vulnerable and defenses had to be created...
He had a new kingdom to rule, one to create from the ground up so it could support and protect its subjects. He would be their ruler, their protector, their king.
The King of Subcon Forest, he liked the sound of that.
The shadow smiled.
"The end." Snatcher sighed, feeling drained after telling his tale. "So, what do you think kid?"
Hat Kid cringed slightly, ducking underneath her blanket. "I, uh, kinda already knew some of that."
What?!
"How?!" Snatcher wheezed, slightly clawed hands trembling. When had the kiddo learned his secret? Was it during her trip to the mansion?
Hat Kid then began to explain the properties of the Time Pieces and what breaking one might do. She then focused on what Time Pieces that had broken on people would do, the stories that would be created based off of their memories.
"Well it didn't land on me." The shadow said once the explanation was complete. It might have landed on one of the Subconites, but none of them had reported anything like that happening.
Perhaps it had been a Dweller, their minds were fragmented from the traumatic events that had happened so long ago, but their memories might be intact enough to remember the incident...
"Do you still love her?" The child in his lap asked, starling him out of his thoughts. Snatcher glanced down at her, confusion marring his features, and she explained.
"The creepy old lady. Do you still love her after everything she did to you?"
Did he? The shadow thought to himself. Did he still love the woman who had shown him such warmth, such love in life? The one who had encouraged his passion in studying law?
The one who had tormented him and trapped him in that basement, the one who had starved him and let him freeze to death down there.
"No." He answered truthfully.
Snatcher would never be able to love her again after everything she had done not just to him but to the innocent people who lived in Subcon. Her actions had cost so many lives and destroyed their home.
If Vanessa had truly loved him then she would have confronted him rather than made an assumption.
She had never been willing to fully communicate with him.
Hat Kid smiled and patted the arm closest to her, comforting the shadow in the best way she could. Normally she might have tried to hug him, but the child was feeling a bit worn out from everything that had happened.
For a moment she wanted to ask Snatcher what had happened to his parents and the other people he had mentioned by name during his tale but decided not to after thinking about it.
Surely if his parents were still around she would have learned that already, or Christine...
Had Vanessa...
The shadow gently ran his fingers through her hair, murmuring words of comfort to her for some reason. Confusion ran through her mind as she tried to figure out why he was doing this. His talons carefully passed over her cheeks and came away stained with a clear liquid.
She was crying.
Hat Kid sniffled, tears falling faster as the weight of her grief sunk in. It was horrible learning more about Snatcher's past, but it also helped her understand his behavior better. The abrasiveness when he met someone new, the various traps he had laid out around the forest, and even why he used contracts so much.
He had been hurt so much in the past by someone he was supposed to be able to trust, it was better to be safe than sorry when dealing with someone he had never encountered before.
And clearly that safety net involved the use of contracts and stealing someone's soul to make sure they were not trying to hurt the Subconites.
Her tears subsided and she let out a loud yawn, rubbing her eyes as exhaustion began to pull her under.
"Sleep, kiddo, we'll talk more when you wake up." Snatcher said, gently running his talons through her hair.
The child offered him one last smile and then curled up, huddling both under the blanket and against his chest. It was an adorable sight the way she smooshed her face against him. Now hopefully she would not drool on him again...
Snatcher carefully moved the blanket so it better covered the sleeping child in his arms. Once he was certain she was at no risk of getting uncomfortably cold he leaned back in his chair, more than ready for sleep to take him.
It had been a long, tiring night. Hopefully they would be able to take it easy tomorrow and give the kid a chance to recover from tonight. The shadow sighed and drifted off to sleep.
Or he would have if not for a familiar, smiling figure.
Moonjumper arrived with a burst of magic and light, immediately waking the duo up.
Hat Kid jumped up with a yelp, blanket flying off of her thanks to the sudden movement. Snatcher sat up, not just from the noise but also due to the uncomfortable sensation of the kid's boots digging into his chest.
"Hello there!" The corpse cheerfully greeted, ignoring the glares Snatcher was sending him. "I sensed everyone felt better so I decided to visit!"
"Moonjumper!" Hat Kid cried out, a smile swiftly appearing on her face, happy to see her "uncle" after such a rough night. For some reason the goofy corpse never failed to put a smile on her face.
He had such an infectious, happy aura!
Moonjumper grinned and floated forward, eagerly scooping the child up into his arms and cuddling her close. "Hello, o hatted child!"
"I believe you were upset earlier, which is why I decided to visit." The smile fell from her face as Hat Kid recalled her previous state of distress. "But I have a plan to cheer you up~"
Huh?
The child glanced up at Moonjumper, tilting her head to the side in confusion. The creature holding her smiled and what he said next made her eyes light up and a grin return to her face.
"Let's get some ice cream!"
Hat Kid let out a cheer and hugged the smiling creature. Ice cream! She had not had any ice cream from this planet before! She wondered how good it would taste. Eating ice cream in the winter had always been a guilty pleasure of hers, especially when Tim would get some with her!
The CEO of Time always got ice cream headaches and it was hilarious to watch him freak out over them.
"I don't think so!" Snatcher shouted, floating up out of his chair so he could look Moonjumper in the eye.
"But ice cream makes everything better!" Moonjumper cried. "Or it does unless you are lactose intolerant."
He glanced down at the child in his arms. "Might you happen to be?"
Hat Kid shook her head. "Nope, we're good to go!"
With that Moonjumper gathered his magic and got ready to teleport, but before the duo could start their search for ice cream the shadow made his move!
Snatcher lunged forward, talons outstretched to take the child back. There was no way in hell he was about to let Moonjumper run off with her to some obscure place just to get some ice cream! An exhausted hat brat with a sugar rush would be an absolute nightmare!
But it appeared as though Moonjumper had already predicted Snatcher's line of thought since as soon as the shadow got close red strings appeared around him, swiftly tying him up and preventing any movement.
In the process Hat Kid's hat was knocked off of his head, but before it could hit the ground a string swiftly caught it and brought it back to the child, gently placing it on her head.
"Do you have anything to say to Snatcher, child?" Moonjumper asked, a mischievous grin on his face. She took a moment to think about what to say to the one who had already helped her so much, it would be nice to say thank you or something along those lines, but it would be so much more satisfying to tease him.
She could just imagine his loud shrieking, the flustered look on his face, the way his hair would puff up and make him look like an angry cat!
Teasing it is then!
"Bye dad!" Hat Kid shouted, a massive smile on her face as she waved to him.
Snatcher, still tangled, sharply looked up and wheezed when he realized what the child had said. He squirmed even more in an attempt to reach the escaping hat brat and figure out exactly what she meant by that.
Had she been joking or serious, the shadow did not know.
"Hey kid, get back here! What the heck do you mean?!" He shrieked, wiggling back and forth in the air with all of his might.
Rather than respond Hat Kid stuck her tongue out at the trapped shadow and then gently tapped Moonjumper's arm, telling him she was ready to go. With that the duo vanished in a burst of magic, a shout following them as they disappeared.
"MOONJUMPER!"
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Meanwhile in a manor not too far from Snatcher's home the only inhabitant of this frozen wasteland was not doing good to put it mildly. Her mental state had been deteriorating since she had locked her loved one up, essentially murdering him, but now it was breaking down even further.
Ice covered large portions of each room, completely coating much of the furniture and leaving the ground a slippery mess. Perhaps the most disturbing part of this new development were the sheets of paper that were buried under the ice.
Each one had words frantically scrawled in black ink. The words themselves were messy, consisting of jagged lines that cut into the paper, scattered thoughts that had been recorded in an attempt to remember them.
But there was one that stood out from the rest.
The writing was far neater and seemed to have been created during a period where her mind had been a bit more put together. The words almost seemed prophetic in nature and absolutely reeked of magic.
To you I give my heart and soul,
For strings of fate unite us, bold.
Our connection is great, our love is strong
For you my magic will sing its song.
But beware if you test my heart,
Malice will arrive with dark art,
Sorrow, rage, jealousy, pain.
Blood shall soon paint the stage.
Fragile heart, weakened soul.
Without you I will never be whole.
Mind corrupt from the pain inside,
Love is needed to bridge the divide.
Gnarled fingers covered in a dark, smoky substance traced each word with care, not feeling the biting cold that sunk into each digit from the ice that covered the paper.
She had not been able to feel anything for years, after all.
A pained noise escaped the hunched figure, recalling all the memories she had shared with her Prince. The warmth, the love...
It had been just as her mother described, for the first time in her life she felt whole when she had met her Prince.
Her Prince...
HER PRINCE!
The ice shattered beneath her grip and a whirlwind of snow was thrown up around the outside of the manor, magic lashing out in response to the maelstrom of emotions that bubbled beneath her skin.
She needed him, she loved him, she wanted him, he belonged to her and nobody else!
She would be whole again.
She had to be.
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AN: I haven't written about Vanessa in a while so I decided to give her a small segment here.
Best uncle Moonjumper will always make everything better (I can't wait to write more of him)! Well the angst is done (for now) so the next chapter will consist of our regularly scheduled fluff! Please leave a review telling me what you think of this chapter!
Also, I love flower symbolism ;)
