Notes: AU was created by Loosescrewslefty in the Huntlow Discord (They help me out a lot with flora and their meanings).Therma (Kittynomore) and I loved their AU so much we just took off with it! In this AU, Willow is known as 'The Belleflower of Titan', her powers were noticed by the Emperor's Coven and she was taken in by Belos and the Plant Coven head just after Amity's parents forced their break up to happen. Willow, as a result, never went to Hexside and was raised with Hunter. After they grow older, Hunter's job before being Coven Lead was to be Willow's body guard.
"And so, with the exceptional support of the public heard loud and clear, we are pleased to announce the engagement of the Golden Guard and the Belleflower!" Kikimora announced to a cheering crowd. Hunter was glad that his face was hidden; he felt his eye twitching and his lips turned down in a scowl. Willow, with only a half-mask that covered her eyes, didn't have such a luxury. She forced herself to smile, to stay still and to not shake from the situation, even as Belos 'guided' them forward with a forceful shove that told them to behave.
The two swiftly interlocked their hands, a reflex that aided in the appearance of a happy, newly-engaged couple. But Hunter could feel Willow's hand trembling. Willow could feel how tense Hunter was. They didn't even know that this was, what Belos had been planning until just now! The coven didn't even think to warn them?! But the pair forced themselves to press on. Pleased public… pleased Emperor, after all.
Willow sat on her bed with her knees to her chest. Her private chambers had never felt more like a prison, and with how late the hour was she knew that if she tried to sneak out to go talk to Hunter she would just get into trouble. The two hadn't had a single moment of privacy since the announcement to even talk about the fact they were now arranged to be husband and wife! How was any of this fair?
She felt like crying; she deeply wanted to but tears never came. Maybe because of the shock of it all? The last month had been so difficult for her and Hunter both, with Hunter having to be sent on a mission that lasted longer than anticipated and Willow still trying to adjust to how alone she felt despite being escorted by five coven guards at all times… She wasn't allowed to visit her fathers, her friends at the Owl House… She was barely allowed to see Hunter, even when he was off missions.
But last week that all changed when the two of them made what they thought was just a simple gesture to each other. How could they have known that it would have such massive consequences? Hunter was returning to the castle from the long mission he'd been assigned, and just happened to pass where Willow was making her public appearance. The two were just so overjoyed and relieved to see each other that they couldn't help but run to one another for an embrace.
Hunter had picked her up, spinning her around in the air. She left a kiss on his cheek. The public display of affection was meant as a simple, innocent thing… but the public viewed it differently. The Golden Guard and the Belleflower were always by each others' sides until recently, after all! Why are they suddenly separated? Look at the grief it causing them! The public wanted answers, and Belos did not appreciate the unrest the two had accidentally caused …But marriage? What kind of solution was-?
Willow's thoughts were cut short by a knocking on her window. She raised her brow and quickly left her bed to peer out. The golden mask staring back at her was waiting patiently beyond the glass. Hunter gave a small wave to her as she gasped and moved to open her window.
"Hunter! You'll get into trouble if you get caught!" Willow whispered as she let him climb through her window. After his feet made contact with the ground, he stood and lifted his mask, turning to face her. The two acted again on reflex, embracing into a tight hug.
"Let me get in trouble then," Hunter said, burying his face into the side of her head. "I'm willing to take the fall for this."
"But-" Willow was about to argue before Hunter let her go, moving to cup her cheek with his hand as he stared down at her.
"Willow, there is nothing they can do to me that isn't worth seeing you." He gave a small smile, brushing some of her hair away from her face. "I just needed to make sure you are okay after… everything." He spoke as softly as down feathers. Willow felt the sting in her eyes she'd wanted finally starting to build. She lowered her head, closing her eyes as tears finally allowed themselves to fall. Hunter pulled her back in, tightly holding her to his chest.
"T-This is so unfair!" Willow sobbed out, moving to wrap her own arms around him. She buried her face into his shoulder, unable to hold back her cries now as her now fiance gently brushed her hair with his hand.
"It is," Hunter agreed, nuzzling his nose into the side of her head. It pained him so much to see her in such distress. How was he supposed to make this hurt go away?
"Don't get me wrong," Willow hiccuped, moving to step back as she wiped her eye with her wrist, "we always knew we wanted to get married, but… this soon? I'm not even a coven head yet…"
"Hey…" Hunter moved to lift her chin up to look at him. "Maybe it's just an engagement? They give any hint on a wedding date. Maybe they're going to wait until after you take over the Plant Coven."
Willow thinned her lips, moving to take Hunter's hand to press it into her cheek. Could he be right? Belos must know how ridiculous it would be to marry them! They could still be students at Hexside, after all! She sniffled again, sighing as she moved to rest her head back against his shoulder. Hunter frowned, his ears flattening as he moved his arms to wrap her tight again.
"What are we going to do if they do announce a date?" Willow asked, her voice defeated.
"…Well…" Hunter smiled to himself as an idea popped in his head. "Remember when we were little, those rare occasions we were allowed to actually be kids?" Willow shifted to look up at him, her brow raised. Hunter smiled a bit more, brushing her hair to the side again as he continued. "We had that pretend wedding, remember?"
"Yeah…" Willow smiled with a giggle. "I used an Emperor's Coven cloak as a dress." Her giggles grew into faint laughter. "You invited the whole coven to our 'wedding'."
"Only Steve and Magz showed up…" Hunter sighed, faking sorrow before his smile returned. "What if… we treat this wedding like that?"
"A-A fake wedding?" Willow asked, a small smile appearing on her own lips.
"Official on paper, but not in our hearts," Hunter agreed with a nod. "And in the future, when we are ready, we can have our real wedding…" He suddenly blushed. "Y-you know if you uh- i-if you still want to- you know… g-get mar-" Hunter was cut off as Willow stood on her toes to kiss him, quick and chaste. After she pulled back the plant prodigy smiled up at her guard.
"How is it that after all these years you still stutter like that around me?" she teased, making Hunter's cheeks and ears turn red as the latter started to flick and wiggle around. Willow put her hand to her mouth, giving a giggle as she watched him.
"Unfair! Unfair and you know it!" Hunter pointed at her face, trying to force his own smile away but failing. He laughed with her as he moved to rest his forehead against hers. They would get through this, together.
The dress was beautiful. Pure white, golden accents decorating the fabric in patterns of flowers and leaves, extravagant, and… perfect. And Willow hated it with every fiber of her being. Not just because it represented a union she didn't want to have so soon in her life… but every last detail down to what pair of eye contacts she was going to wear was out of her hands! Her eyes were not even going to show! Her and Hunter were still going to be wearing their masks!
This really wasn't her wedding… It was a public game, and she was trying to treat it as such like Hunter had suggested. But it was so difficult in practice. She was wearing a legitimate wedding dress, after all! One tailored to fit her perfectly, and with a train so long that she questioned how many times it would be stepped on. Probably zero, as she could imagine the two rows of scouts on either side of her making sure the train didn't get dirty.
She took in deep breaths, trying to remain focused on keeping her anxiety and anger in check like her mentor had taught her. The last thing she needed at the moment was to accidentally let the call of rage take over and cause the flora in the area to react, though she wished so fiercely to have it take charge. She had her head lifted up, giving the appearance that she was looking at herself in the mirror, but in reality she kept her eyes down, refusing to see her reflection on the dress.
"So, my sweet Belleflower, what are your thoughts on it?" the tailor asked with eagerness, waiting for her approval. Willow moved her head the tiniest bit, still refusing to look at herself as she gave a show to mimic the motions that she was looking at the gown, thankful for the mask that hid her eyes.
"It's absolutely perfect," Willow said, forcing a kind tone and smile.
"Hmm… is it, though?" The wedding planner asked, again. Willow had lost count on how many times the woman had asked that very question.
"W-What do you mean?" the tailor asked, looking between the Belleflower and the wedding planner.
"Do not misunderstand," the planner said, "she does look lovely, but… Something really does seem to be missing…" The wedding planner began to circle Willow with a sharp, critical eye.
"I have no clue what that would be, Miss," Willow said cautiously, just trying to get this session of planning done. She wanted nothing more than to dive head-first into her mattress. "The dress is already so lovely."
"Hmmm…" The wedding planner paused, then pointed to a nearby coven scout. "Turn off the lights."
"Um… what?" Willow couldn't help but ask.
"Turn off the lights," the planner repeated, "I wish to see something." The scout dutifully turned and lowered the lights in the room as another scout crossed to a window to close the curtains…
"…Well, now that we are in pitch darkness, what do you see?" the tailor asked, tone polite but clearly growing annoyed at the wedding planner's antics.
"Exactly my point!" the wedding planner stated. "I see nothing! Add light spells around the inner skirts of the dress! The Belleflower should be glowing with ethereal beauty that even the darkest of night cannot snuff out!"
Willow bit her lower lip hard, grimacing before forcing herself back into the polite and small smile she'd held for hours as the lights were turned back on. The tailor sighed before bowing to the wedding planner and stepping back up to the Belleflower, who was screaming in her head to just let her go about her life in peace.
The Golden Guard stood like a statue in front of the mirrors, not even flinching as the same needle poked at his rough skin for the umpteenth time. But under the mask, Hunter bore a scowl and had his glare fixed on the elderly man whose shaking hands kept prompting the small, silver dagger to penetrate his skin. At least that insufferable wedding planner wasn't in here.
Probably because she was bothering Willow… Hunter hated that thought. The wedding planner had been treating the both of them like dolls instead of witchlings. Instead of teenagers! It was always something that needed to be changed, someone's behavior needed to be adjusted, and this, that or the other thing was not good enough. This was the third tailor this week that the wedding planner had hired to make his suit! He was by far the worst in Hunter's opinion.
The suit looked like something a clown would wear to their wedding. A large ruffled shirt, ruffles at the end of his sleeves, ruffles around his neck! Hunter was so close to tearing this damn suit apart! Surely they wouldn't expect him to get married looking like this?! It was made worse by the fact that on a nearby mannequin the 'wedding mask' rested. Gold and white, and almost a half-mask. It would expose his lips and clean cheek, but hide away the scar that marred half of his face.
"There we go, young man!" The tailor stepped back, and looked at the Golden Guard in the mirror with a smile. "Just like I was back in my heyday. You know my wife was once a-" Hunter quickly blocked out the man's voice as he went on about his life… again. Normally he would politely listen, but today he just was not in the mood. Knowing Willow was currently going through the same as he was, if not even worse, was grating at his mind.
As much as he tried to tell her to pretend this wedding was fake for them, that they just had to act along with it… he knew that Willow wouldn't be able to fully accept that mind-space like he could. She was emotional by nature, quite literally. Her brain wouldn't be able to force her to feel like it was fake. And that wedding planner was certainly not helping, at all. Hunter could only guess that if he went through these many tailors, how many would Willow have to go through until that crazed woman was satisfied that the precious, beloved Belleflower of the Titan was wearing the absolutely perfect dress for her wedding?
Maybe that's why the woman was going so insane? He had to admit that it would be a lot of pressure, even on Kikimora, to be in charge of the most highly regarded event in the Boiling Isles. The marriage between the Golden Guard, leader of the Emperor's Coven, right-hand man to Belos, mystery in the eyes of the public due to never showing his face and rarely speaking… and the Belleflower of Titan, future leader of the Plant Coven, bringer of hope in the eyes of many, who even at her age had bested her mentor on many occasions in their craft. The wedding would be a once-in-a-lifetime event in the eyes of many citizens, and made even more so by the fact that the Golden Guard and the Belleflower had almost never been seen apart until he was put in charge of the Emperor's Coven.
The Golden Guard had always been the Belleflower's bodyguard until Lilith's betrayal and desertion. Hunter gritted his teeth at the thought of Lilith. It was her fault that all this was set into motion in the first place… wasn't it? Lilith had simply to capture the Owl Lady, get her door, and be on her merry way…
Hunter lowered his head lightly as he frowned. No, it was unfair to blame Lilith or anyone from the Owl House, really. They had been nothing but helpful to him and Willow, and had been a massive crutch to the latter when Hunter was forced into his separation from her. And Lilith was just… doing her best. The only person to blame was-
The door behind Hunter flew open with a bang, jerking Hunter from his thoughts and making the tailor stop his yammering. The wedding planner marched in and paused as the pleased look on her face slowly turned into one of horror and disgust… Oooh boy.
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" The woman screeched. "Do it again! I will not be having the Golden Guard looking like this next to the Belleflower!"
Hunter scowled under his mask as the tailor shriveled slightly away from him… this session was supposed to end an hour ago… This was going to take up the rest of his day, wasn't it?
Willow was thankful that the pedestal she was on allowed the tailor to stitch as she sat down on a stool given to her, the dress draped around it to allow the woman freedom to work on adding the light spells throughout the skirts. The Belleflower was… honestly very bored. The dressmaking process had now taken up more than three days simply because the wedding planner was never satisfied. Willow yearned for nothing more than to go tend to the plants in her coven's greenhouse or to just read a book.
She glanced at the clock and frowned. It was already well into the afternoon. Her day was completely wasted, again, by sitting here doing nothing while a dress that could be worked on without her was being tended to. She wondered if Hunter was going through the same dreadful day as her. He was always better at gritting his teeth to bear through situations both similar to and different from this. Of course, his having the cover of a full mask helped. She was stuck with her partial mask that was shaped to appear like a hummingbird, her lips and smile always being forced to show.
The tailor stepped back to get more thread, allowing Willow the chance to let a soft sigh escape through her nose before the woman stepped back to continue work. The thought of Hunter was bittersweet at the moment; he was able to convince himself of the nature of the 'fake' wedding, but she knew he dealt with stress in other ways. Splitting headaches, bouncing knees, skin that had been scratched tender and raw. Willow had her little remedies, of course. Pulling him to her shoulder, resting her hand on his, a salve made to sooth the irritated patches of skin… but they only work so well for so long. Eventually, if Hunter's stress didn't find a way out, he would become more self-destructive…
It hurt her so much to see him in such a state.
The last few times she had seen him without his mask, she couldn't help but notice that the bags under his eyes were only getting darker. He was obviously not getting enough sleep… and she couldn't blame him. Willow knew that it was unhealthy how much they used each other as crutches, but… it was all they knew.
"Pardon for the intrusion." A familiar voice broke through Willow's introspections; she had not even noticed the door had opened and Kikimora appeared. "This session has gone on long enough, in my opinion. Could the Belleflower please be released so that she may join her husband-to-be?"
"W-why yes, of course!" the tailor assured, jumping up to begin helping Willow out of the layers and layers of fabric that constricted her. Willow mouthed a 'thank you' to the hand-demon, who noticed and gave a small nod.
"Very good. Belleflower, when you are ready, please meet with Golden Guard at the entrance to the throne room," Kikimora instructed before turning and heading away. Well… Willow was unsure if that thanks should have been given. What would Belos have of them this time, anyway?! She was getting so sick and tired of this wedding crap.
The Golden Guard waited outside the throne room at the end of the hall, as he waited for the Belleflower to appear. He was eager to see her, to rant to her after Belos spoke with them, to tell her all about how the wedding planner fired yet another tailor by screaming 'If you want it done right, you do it yourself!' and quite literally shoving the dress shirt the old man made over his head… He honestly felt bad about that last part.
Scouts went about their business around him, some idly chatting and others silently standing as they waited for something interesting to happen. The Golden Guard was just happy to be there as he waited for his… fiancee. Hunter let out a silent sigh to himself. He knew that the reality of the wedding was slowly sinking in, but was trying to force it out of his mind. He had not noticed how he tapped his fingers roughly against his leg in thought.
"I didn't keep you waiting too long, did I?" the Belleflower asked as she approached, her smile tired, but true. The Golden Guard felt a rush of relief flow through him by simply seeing her… it always caught him off guard how her presence was so soothing.
"Not at all, my dear." The Guard turned, reflexively offering his arm out to her, which she took. He gently led her down the hall, like he had so many times before… but this felt different. It wasn't a bodyguard looking after his charge. It was a husband-to-be leading his… his wife-to-be.
"Any idea on what he wants?" the Belleflower asked in a whisper, thankfully distracting the Golden Guard from his thoughts.
"I assume something about the wedding," he groused. He hated having to mention the event directly, even more so to her. He didn't have much else to say, though. He noticed her hand gripping him tighter as her nerves reared their head. The walk down the hallway to the throne room felt far too fast as the doors opened and allowed the two inside.
The Golden Guard and the Belleflower quickly took their usual positions when they were requested at the throne, walking to the center of the room before kneeling down and removing their masks as they kept their eyes lowered from the Emperor. They waited for him to speak first, Hunter was glad that with the presence of the abomaton soldiers that the faint sounds of shifting goo and mechanical whirs kept the throne room from being to silent, save for the heartbeat of Titan that always put him on edge when he was not next to his uncle.
"I have to admit…" Belos started, and it took a lot for Willow not to clench her jaw when he spoke. The self control she'd had to learn over the years aided her to not give away her nerves to the Emperor. "I was not… expecting how the wedding was going to affect other scheduling."
Hunter and Willow couldn't help but glance at each other before returning their eyes to the floor, waiting for Belos to continue on why he called them. The two could also say with surety that they had not expected the wedding to take up so much of their lives either, and not just because they were being forced into it. Kikimora had originally set it up so that only five to six hours a day every few days would be used to get what the planners needed from the Guard and the Belle, to continue on until the actual wedding date. But today the session ran over time yet again.
"So in light of how this has been affecting your personal schedules," Belos continued, cold and calm, "I have decided to temporarily put Kikimora in charge of the Emperor's Coven until after the wedding, as well as have Lady Feronia take over the duties you are in charge of, Willow." Hunter looked up at Belos, eyes wide and about to argue, until Willow quickly moved to place her hand on his. Hunter looked to her, her expression telling him not to fight before she looked up to Belos.
"This is a relief, sire," Willow said. "But if I may ask…?" Willow gave a pause until Belos made a small motion with his hand, permitting her to continue. "…Why is the wedding so crucial as to require such a change?" Willow had always been better with talking than Hunter, even to his own uncle. He was grateful that at least one of them was.
"An excellent question, little Belleflower," Belos said with a small hint of warmth in his voice; they could practically sense the smirk on his lips. The Emperor pushed himself to his feet, descending the stairs and motioning for the two to stand, to which they obliged. "Willow, you know as well as I do the importance of keeping the public satiated."
Willow frowned to herself, offering a small nod of agreement as she glanced to the floor. A lot of her public appearances were simply for her to be… ogled at, for a lack of better term. She knew that her fame drew people into the coven system, while also keeping would-be rebels from acting up. When a wild witch attacked her while she was in the middle of making an appearance, she had defended herself so easily that the numbers of witches wanting to join the Emperor's Coven and the Plant Coven had spiked. Everyone wanted what she had, and most were willing to actually try to work for it. But what did a wedding like this have to do with keeping the public in check?
"I know you two feel resentment toward the wedding." Belos' voice cut through Willow's mind and she quickly looked back up at him as she shifted on her feet, feeling Hunter do the same next to her. "To tell you the truth, I'd rather not force this marriage so soon. But after that little display you two shared, the public grew restless." Belos sighed in clear annoyance. "The resultant uproar, in spite of the knowledge that you both have full schedules and are oftentimes only able to meet in private was… exasperating on many levels."
Belos gave a short pause and Willow took the chance to speak up. "So to make sure they were soothed, a public display of us getting married, despite how young we are, is needed to keep the public from thinking that a rebellion is needed on our behalf."
"Precisely, Willow," Belos said, a smile in his tone.
"A… rebellion on our behalf?" Hunter repeated, half shocked by the choice of words. "But that's insane! Wouldn't us being engaged simply be enough for them? Why do they need this show?"
"Because if we got engaged but nothing changed, the people would still act out," Willow sighed, turning to look up at her champion. "With the titles come assumptions. People will just assume we are together more out of the public eye as husband and wife than… not…" Willow thinned her lips, the words still so strange to her.
"I just-" Hunter sighed, rubbing his head. "I just can't wrap my head around this."
"And do not worry about doing so, Hunter," Belos said, unruffled by the topic. "Just have faith that this path is one that will help bring about the Day of Unity without trouble. Now, you both can take the rest of this day off. It is too late in the evening to try to salvage the time the wedding planner has taken. Dismissed."
Hunter looked from Belos to Willow, then back to Belos before nodding and offering a bow, Willow following suit before turning, her one hand on reflex going out for Hunter's already waiting arm as the two placed their masks back on. They swiftly left the throne room and quickly made their way to the private chambers of the castle before deciding to go into the Emperor's library. After a quick check to see if they were alone, Willow quickly summoned vines to make sure no one could enter before she collapsed into a seat. Hunter moved to sit on the arm of the chair, resting his hand on her head as he took his mask off again to look her over with concern.
"How is it that I feel even more exhausted now than I did with a full schedule?" Willow asked, removing her mask in turn before moving to lean into Hunter with a sigh. He thinned his lips, sighing through his nose as he gently brushed her hair with his fingers. She looked as exhausted as he usually did, it unsettled him greatly to see his Belle like this.
"I'm… sure that things will go back to normal after the wedding." Hunter forced a smile, watching as Willow in turn looked up at him with her exhausted stare but also forced a smile as she reached up to cup his cheek in her palm. In his usual fashion, his ears wiggled around at her touch.
"I'm hoping for a new normal where we do get to see each other more," Willow sighed, before taking her hand back and folding her arms in his lap, resting her head against him. Hunter returned to gently brushing her hair with his fingers, a small frown on his face. 'Don't worry about doing so, Hunter.' The words of his uncle rang through his head. 'Just have faith that this path is one that will help bring the Day of Unity without trouble.'
Hunter thinned his lips, glad that Willow had closed her eyes so she wouldn't see his expression… She looked so tired. What about this would help bring the Day of Unity? His brain started to bombard itself with questions, and he looked up through a nearby window as he let his mind wander…
He loved Willow, and he hated seeing her like this so often. He wanted to end this suffering that she was being forced through, that they were being forced through! It was getting harder and harder for him to push past the fact this wedding was far more real than they wanted to believe. It was his job to make sure Willow was happy, too, right? As her champion, and her future husband… it would be easy to just get on the airship and leave…
Hunter blinked a few times to himself at such a thought. Running away? Could… would that work? He looked back down to Willow, who was lightly snoring in his lap. Yes… Running away could work. Screw the Emperor's Coven, the Day of Unity, and Belos himself, for that matter! All he needed was a plan…
And he could make all of this pain go away.
AN: And that is the last of Huntlow Week! Thank you guys for reading!