1
…
Once upon a time, there lived a lovely, white-skinned beauty by the name of Alice Nakiri. Her eyes were like two glistening rubies. Her hair bore the softness and colour of freshly fallen snow. She was as kind as she was beautiful, and people all around the kingdom adored her. Where Alice went, graciousness followed.
Well, actually. It wasn't exactly like that.
Correction:
Once upon a time, there lived a beauty by the name of Alice Nakiri. True, she was dazzling in both intellect and beauty, and she was very well-intentioned, but Alice Nakiri was not perfect. She was a bit too spoilt, a bit too demanding, and just a bit too unpredictable. Of course, Alice bore noble blood, so people all around the kingdom were almost obliged to sing praises about her. However, in terms of popularity and grandeur, Alice was like the appetiser. And her cousin, Erina Nakiri, was the seven-course meal.
Jealousy was not something Alice familiarised with. She was quite happy with how things were now.
Erina, a meticulously beautiful goddess who boasted a genius intellect and the air of a true queen, was the victim of Alice's merciless teasing, mostly surrounding Erina's reheaded fiancé. Despite her constant taunting and nagging, Alice truly loved Erina. Well, perhaps "love" wasn't the most suitable term. She certainly admired the woman - hardly anyone didn't - yet, the albino always felt like the blonde wasn't quite proud of her. Alice presented Erina with all her findings and theories with a proud smile, but Erina only acknowledged it in the tiniest of ways, causing Alice to question just what their relationship was. Erina's half-satisfied nods and turning of the cold shoulder only seemed to suggest that she considered Alice a troublesome burden.
So, when Erina gifted Alice with a shimmering scarlet cloak, the bright hue matching Alice's rose-coloured irises, Alice couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. It made up for all the haughty sniffs and half-hearted pats on the shoulder that Alice had been showered with. She had grown to be exceptionally fond of the cloak, and wore it everywhere she went. At dinner parties with other noble officials, she donned a pure white ballgown and draped the cloak over her shoulders. On meetings with other leaders of molecular gastronomy, she secured the cloak over a well-shaped black dress. When out travelling in the winter, in search of some rare ingredient to present to Queen Rindou and King Eishi of the neighbouring kingdom, the red cloak provided warm, comforting stability.
This earned her the name, "Little Red Riding Hood."
In truth, Alice treasured the cloak because it seemed like the only thing tethering Erina and herself together. Erina had grown busier than ever, with her duties to become queen, as well as her duties of choosing a rightful king to rule alongside, and hardly had time to talk with Alice - not that they talked much in the first place. They had always been seperated by a gorge that neither girl was really too willing to cross. The chasm seperating them had been formed by Azami Nakiri. He'd locked Erina up in a little room and drilled his teachings into her. He'd destroyed all the letters that Alice had written to Erina.
Despite Azami's redemption, Alice had never truly forgiven him. The cousins' relationship was too precious a thing for someone to so easily destroy.
Alice put on a cheerful demeanour every day, ignoring the discomfort that had situated itself in her chest. Dutifully doing her work was the only way she could subtly assist Erina.
Alice was seated in the royal library, lying on a pile of intricately embroidered cushions and writing down her new theory on molecular gastronomy. The library was like a treasure cove - scattered with mountains of tassled silk cushions, shelves upon shelves of leather-bound books, historical displays, globes, maps, and draping tapestries that acted as privacy curtains. The walls were all a dark clover hue, and the floor was draped with rugs in every shape and colour. The library was so messily organised, as if everything had been haphazardly thrown together, that it was comforting. It was really the only room in the palace that wasn't meticulously laid out in ivories and whites and golds and reds.
The cloak was draped over Alice's legs, like a makeshift rug. Lady Jun Shiomi, a theoretical chemist, was sitting next to her, writing her own theory on spices.
"Have you decided on what to give Queen Rindou for her birthday?" Alice asked lazily, sketching out a diagram.
Lady Shiomi shifted the slightest bit, and her royal purple gown made a loud scratching noise of fabric against fabric. "I'm sure she'd be pleased if I made a spice mix to compliment the salamanders that she likes."
"I'm wondering if I should present her with some exotic meat."
"King Eishi has owns many forests and fields. I'm sure that Queen Rindou has enough selections to choose from," Lady Shiomi pointed out.
Alice hummed in agreement. "Well, what doesn't she have?"
"Giraffes. Elephants. Antelopes."
"Anything that's within our kingdom?"
Shiomi furrowed her brows. "Perhaps birds of some nature…or bats."
"Gross." Alice made a face. "I'm not catching one of those."
The two returned to their theories, dipping their eagle feathers in ink that glistened on the parchment.
Suddenly, Shiomi straightened up, banging her tiny fist into her tiny palm. Her strangely loud dress rustled clamorously against the cushions. "Wolf meat."
Alice's eyes glimmered. "O-ho."
Wolf meat was considered an "untouched delicacy", which Alice interpreted as "it-sounds-like-it-tastes-good-but-no-one-has-ever-eaten-it." Which, all things considered, was true. Wolves were ferocious beasts, and in Totsuki, humongous black wolves, strong enough to take down ten horses and their riders, roamed the forests. Mostly why entering the forests were forbidden.
With a satisfied smirk, Alice said, "so it's decided. This princess is going to go hunt herself a wolf."
"That is a terrible idea, my lady," stammered Shiomi, who seemed to be already regretting opening her mouth. "The last time Queen Rindou and King Eishi tried to hunt one, King Eishi almost lost his arms and legs."
"Which is exactly why they'd be mighty impressed when I turn up with a char-grilled wolf." Alice turned to Shiomi, wiggling her eyebrows. "Do you deny it?"
Shiomi was silent for the longest time, before sighing. "I do not deny it, my lady." Seeing that Alice could not be reasoned with, she patted her on the hand and stood up, dress rustling in an extremely loud, attention-grabbing fashion. "I should return. Hayama will be waiting for me." She addressed the attendant standing there, bowing. "S-See to it that Princess Alice comes back in one piece. Please?"
Shiomi rustled off, muttering curses about the volume of the dress, as Alice leapt up, bounding between shelves and gathering all the books on hunting she could find.
King Eishi and Queen Rindou were not the only ones she intended to impress - Alice was sure that her cousin would also be awed.
Alice and Soma were strolling around the palace grounds, discussing their paperwork (and how to avoid finishing it). Winter had scooped up the country in its ghostly, frosty hands. Tiny snowflakes were drifting from the sky, like miniscule parachutes. The lakes were beginning to freeze over. Silence replaced the sound of warbling birds.
"My fiancée," Some began suddenly with great certainty, "has a silver spoon up her ass."
Though amused, Alice raised an eyebrow. "Where did that thought come from? Perchance you were thinking about it?"
"What? A silver spoon?"
"Her ass, I meant."
Soma glanced at her for a second, before fixing his attention on the gardens again. "Sometimes so much shit comes out her mouth that I can't tell the difference between her face and her ass." He paused. "Maybe that's how the silver spoon got there. Some poor maid made the same mistake as I did."
Alice snorted.
"For someone who's in love with her, it sure doesn't sound like you two skip hand-in-hand over meadows, watching the sunset," she commented dryly.
"Miss Queen just doesn't seem to have time for me. And she definitely doesn't think I'm good enough."
This surprised Alice - Soma carried everything out with a sense of (sometimes obnoxious) self-certainty. (It was this self-certainty that almost got him killed on various occasions, much to Erina's chagrin.) To hear him regard himself so unsurely made it feel like she was talking to a different person.
The sound of several pairs of hurried footsteps interrupted their conversation. The queen in question stormed up to Alice and Soma, with her many attendants and advisors in tow.
"Where have you been?" Erina scowled, shooting her hand up to grab Soma's ear. He caught her wrist before she could pinch his earlobe and drag him off. "Unhand me!"
Soma's half-bored, half-exasperated expression remained. "We were just talking about you, you know."
Erina narrowed her eyes, before waving a hand at her entourage to dismiss them.
Alice felt like an unwelcome spectator. For some unbeknownst reason, the first thing that popped up in her mind was to change the subject.
"Erina-chi!"
Erina yanked her hand out of Soma's grasp and turned to Alice. Her voice was thick. "What?"
"I won't be present for the annual meeting next week."
This earned Alice a look she wasn't expecting - pure disgust.
"Why?" The single syllable was laced with so much malice that she took a step back.
"I'm going hunting. For…wolf meat."
Erina and Soma looked stunned. They were silent for the longest time.
Erina spoke first. "Ridiculous," she muttered. "Completely ridiculous." Her voice grew louder. "Alice, what is wrong with you?"
"I—"
"Do you understand what it's like to have to be queen? It's like climbing a mountain with the entire kingdom on your shoulders! It's the most tiring, painful job there is in the world! And what makes it worse is the useless, worthless people who cling to you and do the most stupid, reckless things because they think it's fun!"
"Eri, stop," Soma pleaded.
Soma never pleaded.
"You!" Erina pointed an accusing finger in Alice's face. "You do nothing! Absolutely nothing! You're a burden to me! You're absolutely useless, absolutely meaningless! Your existence doesn't contribute anything at all!"
Alice felt like she was getting stabbed over and over again.
"WHY DON'T YOU JUST DIE?"
Her words echoed in Alice's head. Useless. Meaningless. Burden. Worthless. Stupid. Reckless. Nothing. Die. Like a mantra being chanted over and over. Her brain felt like she was imploding.
"Alice, she doesn't mean it. Eri isn't herself today."
Alice turned around and ran.
"Alice!"
She didn't want anyone to see the tears streaming down her face.
Alice kept running. And running. It felt strangely freeing, to run like this. Almost as if nothing could catch up with her. She ran out of the castle, her boots thudding on the cobblestone.
"My lady!"
Alice ignored Shiomi calls and sprinted down the alleyways.
"My lady!" For someone so small, Shiomi was fast. She skidded to a halt in front of Alice. "Where are you going?"
Alice slowed down and caught her breath, ignoring Shiomi's question. She ducked into the silversmith's.
"Mimasaka. Could I have my bow and arrows now?"
A hefty man peered out from behind the smelting furnace. "Of course, your highness." He daintily laid a silver bow and a quiver of arrows on the counter. Each piece of carefully fashioned silver was decorated with intricate floral design.
"And my sword, please." Alice picked up an arrow and lightly tapped the arrowhead with her finger. The tap alone was enough to draw blood. These arrows were extraordinarily sharp.
Shiomi watched with a look of disturbance on her face. "My lady…are you going to hunt for wolves?"
Mimasaka froze. "Your highness! You might die!"
"Then so be it." Alice's face was stony, as if she was a statue carved from white marble. "I have no use being alive, anyway."
Jun's face fell. "My lady, please don't! Or at least, let me send guards with you. What will her majesty Erina think? My lady, there are people who care about you! Yukihira and Yoshino and myself, and—"
"Don't waste your breath, Shiomichi." Alice provided Jun with one of her reassuring, devil-may-care smiles. "You can no longer say anything else that matters."
Shiomi looked as if she was ready to cry. Alice patted her on the shoulder and offered another smile. "I'm sorry."
"My lady!"
Alice grabbed her weapons, sliding her sword into her belt, and ran once more.
The snow was starting to grow heavy. Alice's heart was starting to grow lighter.
The forest was a looming, black battalion of prickly fur trees. This didn't faze Alice. A dozen warning signs surrounded all the possible entrances. Rusted armour stained with blood lay at the foot of one signpost, a warning sign of its own.
Even standing a couple of metres away, Alice could feel the dark energy undulating from the thicket of trees that seemed to stretch past the horizon.
Alice's slim build was an advantage point. She squeezed in between two signposts. As she crawled forward, something tugged her back. She glanced behind her - her red hood had gotten stuck on one of the nails on the sign.
Alice paused - she suddenly felt greatly conflicted.
Finally, she took off her cloak and left it lying limp in the snow.
Immediately, she left lighter. She'd never realised how heavy the cloack was.
When she exhaled, puffy clouds of air erupted from her mouth. She stood up and let her eyes wander. Every direction seemed to be…just trees. Silhouettes were enveloped in shadow. It was silent, far away from the clamour of the kingdom. When she looked up, the sky were obscured by the spindly arms of pines and oaks.
Alice began moving forward, hoping she would find a wolf by sunset.
Alice had stepped into a small clearing, carpeted with snow. She'd been wandering around, with no wolf in sight.
A twig cracked.
She spun around, just in time to see a shadow shifting between bushes and trees.
Another sound.
There were two wolves - no, three. Four. Five. Her eyes darted around, catching glimpses of a tail here and a pair of glowing red eyes there. It was almost impossible to count the number of wolves, as they seamlessly melded back into the shadows.
And they were all circling Alice.
Suddenly, it seemed like the shadows had melted away. The wolves could now been seen clearly - monstrous, black creatures with stiff fur and snarls full of sharp canine teeth. Their eyes were red, the colour of blood.
And they were enormous.
The largest wolf came to about shoulder-height. The smallest was chest-height. They continued circling her like a flock of vultures waiting for their prey to collapse.
Alice fumbled for her arrows.
A wolf beat her to it.
She let out a short, guttural scream as one of the creatures latched its teeth onto her arm, wildly shaking it like it was trying to tear it off. Another tore the quiver of arrows off her back and discarded it in the snow. Her arm was starting to bleed. Pain coursed through her body as a third bit down on her leg.
A few tears escaped her eyes. She internally apologised to Shiomi. So this was it. Alice Nakiri was going to be wiped from the face of the earth.
"Stop."
Her cracked open one eye. And then another.
A tall man was standing in front of her. Red eyes, black hair. Alice could have sworn that he looked like the largest wolf, the one who hadn't moved in to attack her.
"Down. All of you."
The wolves suddenly let go of her and scattered. Alice fell onto her knees. The snow was stained red.
"What are you doing here? Princesses like you don't belong in this place." He bent down and stared at her eye to eye.
Alice let out a strained, breathy laugh. "Hah. Like I belong…" she winced at the pain in her arm. "…Like I belong anywhere."
A flicker of recongition crossed the man's face. "We'll fix you up. But then you have to leave."
He slid his arms around Alice and lifted her like she was made out of feathers. "What are you—"
"Shut up. It's not like I'm doing this out the kindness of my widdle heart." He rolled his eyes.
Alice was still. She heard the snow crunching under his feet. "What's your name?"
"Kurokiba is fine."
He's warm, was the first thing that passed Alice's mind. Her eyes fluttered shut. So warm.
"Alice! Come with me!" Six-year-old Erina's laughter wavered in the snowflake-doused air. Her snowboots left small footprints in the snow. She beckoned cajolingly. "Come on, come on!"
Alice ran after her. "Hey, slow down!" she laughed. Warmth bubbled up inside of her. "Where are we going?"
"We're going to visit Rindou-chan! Hurry, hurry!"
Erina weaved between quaint cottages and shops adorned with Christmas lights - bright, glowing squares amongst the darkness of nightfall. Erina darted between trees and potted plants. She was fast - she'd always been fast.
"Wait, Eri-chi, slow down!" Alice called, losing sight of the mane of blonde hair. She paused her running and took some time to collect herself. Every heavy exhale produced a blast of visible warm air. "You're too fast. I can't run that fast." She lifted her eyes, half-amused and half-tired.
Erina was nowhere to be seen.
A growing panic seated itself in Alice's chest. "Eri-chi! Eri-chi!" The darkness seemed to swallow her whole. She felt shadows caving in on her. Where was Eri-chi? "Erina! Where are you?" She stood up and took a darting step forward, before stopping herself. No - Erina would come back for her.
So Alice waited.
And waited.
And waited and waited and—
"Alice-chan!"
Alice's blinked furiously to clear her vision. A pair of warm hands cupped hers. "Alice, you're freezing!"
Erina's concerned, panicked eyes met Alice's. "I'm sorry!" she wailed, flinging her arms around the startled albino. "I thought you were running behind me. I looked everywhere for you!"
Alice opened to mouth to speak, but she felt numb. So numb that the pinpricks of cold didn't reach her. How long had she been waiting in the snow?
"You came back for me," she said at last.
"Of course I did, silly billy!" Erina beckoned behind her, and a familiar red-haired girl stepped forward and draped a blanket around Alice's quivering shoulders. "I got Rindou-chan too. Let's go, slowly this time." She gently helped her cousin to her feet.
"Ali-chi! We're making crocodile soup! It'll warm ya right up!" Rindou smiled, flanking Alice's other side. "Eishi-kun is also coming! And Momo-nyan!"
As Rindou babbled on about all sorts of absurd recipes, the familiar, comfortable feeling replaced the distress in Alice's chest.
It was warm, was what Alice was thinking. So warm.
Alice regained consciousness and was met with reassuring warmth, a soft bed, the crackling of fire, and mellow light tinting everything a slight gold. It was a tiny cottage, small but well-lit and well-maintained.
The second thing she registered was the strange sensation she was feeling on her arm. she glanced to her right to see Kurokiba licking up the last droplets of blood from the bite wound.
"What are you—"
"Shut up. I'm malnourished, and our saliva has healing properties," he grumbled. "It's either we deal with this and we both live, or we're self-conscious idiots and we both die. Go figure."
"You're malnourished?" she eyed his figure, something that Totsuki's strongest knights could only dream of achieving.
"Doesn't look like it, but I am." He straightened up and bandaged the wound on Alice's arm.
"How does it taste?"
"What?"
"My blood."
"Bitter, but sweet. Not too bad. As would be expected of a pampered, spoilt princess," Kurokiba responded expressionlessly. He stood up. "Now sit up."
She did as she was told.
"Now that you're all fixed up, you can leave now. And don't come back."
Alice winced a little as she stood up, regaining her balance.
"But first…why did you come into this forest?" He glanced up at her, and she immediately felt incriminated underneath his heavy stare.
She shrugged nonchalantly, eyes darting around. She spotted her sword, bow and arrows stacked neatly on a shelf. "I just thought…if I wandered in, the kingdom wouldn't be so burdened anymore." This was partly the truth.
Kurokiba rolled his eyes. "Ha. We don't want Totsuki's measly leftovers." He paused. "That's the only reason?"
"Of course."
He shifted with a single movement, so fast that Alice couldn't register what was happening until he had pinned her against the wall, one of her dangerously sharp hunting arrows poised at her neck. "Because someone hoping to die at the hands of us would bring hunting weapons into the forest. Right." His voice was thick with sarcasm and menace.
"Us?" What does he mean?
Alice panicked and attempted to move, but she was weak compared to him. She abruptly moved her head. Her neck made contact with the point of the arrow, a movement so sudden and quick that it was almost painless. A trickle of blood made its way down her collarbone. He moved in to lick it.
"Hey, gotta question. What are you?" she asked, slightly strained.
"So you're a moron as well as a terrible liar." He have an eloganted sigh as he lifted his head up. "I'm a wolf, you idiot."
AUTHOR'S NOTE
After much thought, I have decided to make this a multi-chaptered story as opposed to an elongated oneshot.
I apologise for making some characters OOC. I also apologise if I depicted them in a particularly biased manner. This is my first fanfiction, and I'm not a terribly eloquent writer.
If you would like to see more, please leave a review. Comments are more than welcome.
Thank you for reading.
- undulating echo