And so, I have returned! NeoShadows here and do I have a chapter for you!
So, lifes been busy lately. Been stuck working 11 days street since we lack people at the moment along with that nasty flu hitting some of us. Finding time to write nowadays has been a bit of a struggle. Yet, I soldier on! Thankfully this Special has been done for a month and been editing. I've actually been focused on writing V2 and A Jaune of All Trades. And it looks like we have one more chapter before we hit V2! And just when we finished V5. Now I got to wait another nine months for my fix of RWBY.
And yes, unlike others, I did enjoy V5. Did I love it? No, but that's mostly due to the lack of fights. If it had more fights, than yes, I would have loved it. Honestly, I don't see what many people are complaining about the volume for so much. I get some of things, some animation errors and slow movements and such, not to mention some fights could have been better. But its when it comes to the story that I have to put my foot down.
The story of RWBY is nicely done. Especially since Miles and Kerry had to work the story of the Maidens in during V2, I think? The world building is nice, the character development is well done, and the score is awesome. The only thing I have a problem with is the action, which they're still developing since Monty's passing. Animation, especially fight animation, is not an easy thing to do.
Sadly others have decided to drop RWBY after the volume, especially its finale. It was a nice finale, not awesome, but nice. What the volume suffers from the most, and Kerry himself even admitted and plans on improving, is that it has too many moments happening offscreen. They fix that, and the fights, and it would be golden in my opinion.
Anyways, that's enough of the mini rant. Let's get some reviews out of the way and get to reading.
Ssjzohan: Oh, Monika. My one and only. . .not like I have much choice either way. Gotta love dirty Belle.
GhostHornet: Oswald is a mystery. Nothing like Heart of God, but something.
TheHappyVampire: I might now that you mention it. Maybe I'll links and some other things concerning my Journal with the DLC of Fey.
Elithanathile: A crossover with RWBY and DDLC? I don't know about doing one myself, way too busy with my current works and future works to such a thing. I would love to see one well written, or just for shits and giggles. Sadly I got too much on my plate to be working on such a story. Poor Monika, gonna have to put ya on the shelf, ya sexy, sexy maniac.
The Immortal Doctor Reid: Sadly, in the far off future, maybe. Got too much in the works to be thinking of a plot for that. Can't just write a story if it has no well thought plot.
TalonIbnLaAhad: My ermano! How I've missed ya! Thought you were taken off back to our roots for a moment and died of alcohol poisioning. Been busy myself with work and live, so I feel ya. And don't worry, I can wait for eternity to get a taste of your crack works. Oh, ya got a PS4? So do I! I'm under SolNoche if you ever want to hit me up and play. I'm currently playing Monster Hunter World, so if you ever get it, hit me up! Rule 64 Adam, what was I drinking? Meh, she's hot. And Lost Fairy Tales isn't over, no. That book is an important part of this story. You'll see more, trust me. And I can forgive the lack of Omake. Do what you do and write when you can. I expect an actual story one of these days, my amigo. Until we meet again! With shots of tequila next time, eh?
Alright, that's enough. We got a chapter to read. So, let's get to it!
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY, all rights belong to RoosterTeeth. I only have the right to remain silent. Something I don't understand all that well when I find myself slammed to the ground with cuffs on my wrist.
I swear to fucking god, that dragon girl on my laptop is like a thousand years old! Chris Hansen's a fucking liar!
. . .Eh? The pink haired girl who looks like she's in elementary school? SHE'S A FUCKING TEACHER! SHE DRINKS AND SMOKES TOO! God damn it, back I go. As a certain high schooler always says, such misfortune.
Chapter 32: [DLC] To Be Loved.
Five long days. How time flies.
"Incoming!"
Jaune grunted as he ducked under a snowball heading right for the back of his head. His blue eyes spun around and found sheepish hazel eyes with an apologetic grin.
"Belle, please watch where you're throwing those things." Jaune grumbled before tilting his head to the left. Another ball of compressed snow missed him with some well-timed dodging. It wasn't that hard to dodge simple attacks when you knew they were coming and where they were coming from. His annoyed eyes glanced back to a groove of bushes, his eyes twitching as he noticed the person behind them fail at hiding in plain sight.
"Don't think I don't see you, Eve."
"Don't call me that!"
With the skill that came along with being a Huntsman and a Gamer, Jaune easily avoided the volley of cold snow balls from the ticked off cursed woman. He muttered to himself about unfair, short fused redheads as he evaded the next volley before frowning as he watched Eve jump out of the bushes high into the air. The cursed horned woman held a massive ball of snow above her head with an evil grin on her face.
"Dodge this, Shit-head!" Eve roared before slamming the giant snowball overhead to fly after Jaune. She laughed maniacally as Jaune simply stood there with an annoyed expression.
"Reflect."
Eve's eyes went wide watching a reflective dome of magic surround Jaune's body. The giant snowball fought to break through but found itself coated by its magic and sent back to its creator. Still airborne, Eve was left with no way to escape. The snowball crashed into her as she fell back to the garden below with a startled shout. A cloud of snow blew up from her landing as both Jaune and Belle winced. Eve laid under a heap of snow, her arm poking out with a faint twitch.
"Y-You bitch! Magic's cheating!"
"Says the girl throwing a wrecking ball of snow at an injured person!" Jaune shouted back with a twitch in his eye. He shivered as another chill of the cold air hit him. Even with the nice wool sweater Ms. Potts lent him, he was still cold.
He rolled his eyes as the arm poking out of the snow gave him the middle finger before chuckling as Eve's head popped out with a growl.
Where was he? Right, it's been five days since Jaune had arrived to the land of Fey from Lost Fairy Tales. With his lung still damaged and cursed from Gaston's attack, he was resting back in the enchanted castle of The Beast, or Eve as they liked to call her. The curse on his body prevented his aura from regenerating from the fatal shot and pretty much canceled out the use of healing items. As he was now, he was no better than a civilian. For now, he would have to take it easy and stray away from any form of combat until his aura was back up and running.
Thankfully he wouldn't have to wait long. On the very day Jaune had discovered his negative status, he had met an odd man who reminded him of a certain headmaster. Oswald, the so called simple traveling sorcerer who had been doing his best to help out Eve with her curse. Apparently, he had met the girl long ago when she had lost control of her anger and rampaged about the White Groove. It was because of him that she was no longer cursed with the permanent appearance of The Beast. What he had done did come with limits though such as her anger triggering the transformation and her body being cursed with horns and faint marks of her bestial form. The man was a bit of a miracle worker and had promised to help Jaune with his own curse.
All Oswald asked was what Jaune would need for the potion to cure him. The green themed sorcerer said he could synthesize the potion if he gave him some time to gather the ingredients.
Of course, Jaune was suspicious of the man. Oswald was as cryptic as Ozpin and was willing to help a complete stranger out from the kindness of his heart. Which was ironic seeing as Jaune was usually the one on the helping end. But Oswald did ask for something in return, a small favor that he would collect at some later point. Jaune wasn't so willing to ask for help if he had to repay some unknown favor, but he really didn't have much choice at the moment. Though Oswald did give him his word that his favor wouldn't have Jaune doing anything morally questioning. At least Jaune hoped not, Oswald had said it with an aloof smile.
So, now all Jaune had to do was wait for the cryptic sorcerer to find the ingredients and synthesize the potion. Which would take a couple of days, according to Oswald. Which left Jaune to continue his stay in the enchanted castle until his wound and status ailment was cured. His HP was healing at a ridiculously slow pace with Curse in affect. At most he would recover up to 10HP every hour! Safe to say he wasn't going out of his way to get into any more trouble.
In a way, that was more than fine with him. He had enough action packed into one day during his exam. And after all he had been through in his first semester, he could use a little vacation. He just wished that his little vacation hadn't involved curses and a blown-out lung.
With a dragged-out sigh, Jaune sat back on the snow dusted bench and scratched his head.
Thinking about how long he had been in the book world made him think back to his real home. How long was he gone from Remnant? How did time even work between the two worlds? Hopefully it wasn't too drastic. He dreaded the scolding Pyrrha would give him if he was gone for almost a week with no word back to her. And that also brought up the question on how he was going to go back. Jaune was given no objective when he entered Lost Fairy Tale, which wasn't new seeing as The Will never sent him any messages. Which was odd. He only ever recalled going back to his world after involving himself with the, let's say unique, woman of the world and losing his memory of what they did with him.
"At this point in my life, can I even say I'm a virgin?" Jaune mumbled to himself with annoyance. He had no problem with that. He just wished he could remember losing it! And enjoying it.
"Hmm? You say something, Jaune?"
Startled, Jaune nearly jumped up from his seat as he found Belle's curious gaze on him. Without even noticing the girl had walked over and sat down next to him. Her big questioning hazel eyes were right in his face. He had come to the realization that this girl didn't understand personal space.
Sweating nervously, Jaune laughed the matter off, "No, it's nothing! Just, uh, thinking about home is all!" he grinned weakly.
Belle's mouth opened in realization to his words. Home? Now that she thought about it, she never did get his story on how he made it to their neck of the woods. Just thinking about the new tale was making her giddy!
Jaune scooted back a bit as he found Belle's star struck eyes back in his face again.
"Where are you from? From a look of your clothes, you don't seem to be from around here. And you carry a weapon with you that you seem to know how to use well and know how to use magic." she said recalling what she had seen from Jaune's fight against the Brisk Wolves. She leaned in closer to the blond, her body practically shaking in excitement at Jaune's origins, "Are you some kind of knight of the kingdom? A roaming Hunter in search of evil? A Warlock trying to hide his power from the world? Or some kind of prince out to prove himself to as a hero?!"
"None of the above." Jaune replied dryly. Was it that hard to believe he was just some normal guy? Other than his family ancestry of warriors, there wasn't much about him that was out of the ordinary.
Shaking off the pile of snow she was buried under, Eve went over to the two with a scoff.
"I believe that. Just because a maggot carries a sword and shield, doesn't mean he's anything more than dirt." Eve said with a smirk while taking a seat on Jaune's right.
Belle pouted at Jaune's answer as he turned to glare at the cursed woman.
"Boo! I was hoping he was some kind of prince charming. Maybe than he could sweep Eve off her feet and break her curse."
"Pffft! As if!"
"Hey! I'll have you know that I'm charming in my own right! And what's so good about Prince Charming? I knocked him out with a single punch."
Belle giggled at the two bickering friends of hers, "Oh well, I suppose I'll just have to substitute as the charming one here." she said to herself with a smug smile.
Jaune and Eve stopped their arguing to glance flatly at the suddenly blushing brunette bookworm as she went off into her own little fantasies again.
"There's nothing charming about you." they both blurted out, popping Belle out of her less than pure thoughts. Belle pouted at the two, showing anger that came off cuter than threatening.
"Are you saying I can't seduce anyone? Because I can!" she shouted childishly as she flailed her arms around. "Why else would Eve keep me trapped in her castle for all eternity?! It's because she couldn't stand to let such a fine thing as myself go." she said with pride as she stuck out her modest chest. "I'm a catch."
"Not a single day goes by that I don't regret that decision." Eve muttered with a twitching brow. Her hopes of making the human girl fall in love with her to break the curse went null and void once she got a gander at Belle's unique personality. At this point it was her stubborn pride that kept her from releasing the girl back to her town.
At least that's what she kept telling herself. Eve looked away as Belle wiggled her chest at her with a smug expression and a wiggle of her brows. Oh, how she hated the slight rise in beat in her unloving heart.
Jaune hid a small smile at the reaction, thanking the sudden change in topic from his origins. Revealing too much of his world was a big no-no. Who knew what would happen if people learned that their world was simply a fabrication of an old dusty book.
In the time he spent in Eve's castle, Jaune was happy to notice the changes the cursed woman was going through thanks to Belle's company. In just a few days, Eve's transformations had been cut in half. She was less angry than before and had even, dare he say, softened up? Hell, she had only gone Beast mode once all day! That was a giant improvement compared to Jaune's first day in the castle. Slowly, he believed that the cursed beast woman was beginning to open up her heart.
Hopefully that change in heart would happen soon. Turning his head away from Eve and Belle's antics, Jaune looked up to a certain tower in the castle in the upper levels with a small frown.
The Enchanted Rose. A rose that signaled Eve's dwindling time before her humanity was lost to her forever. He hadn't seen it up close, just a sketch Belle had shown him when she had seen it. The rose would continue to wilt until Eve's twenty-first birthday, its death signaling the curses affects ingraining into the castle dwellers' bodies forever.
And it just so happened that the day was fast approaching. By the stroke of midnight Saturday night, all hopes of breaking Eve's curse would be impossible. Today was Friday.
A sudden thud caught Jaune's attention as he turned back to Belle and Eve. He chuckled, finding the beast woman wrestle Belle into the snow as the bookworm made kissy faces.
'I wonder if they even realize how little time they have left? By tomorrow, I'm not sure they'll be able to mess around like this again.' Jaune thought sadly.
All Eve had to do was fall in love, and that love to fall in love with her. Honest and true. That was the conditions for breaking the curse of the vain beast. So simple, yet so difficult. Love like that after all couldn't be born on purpose. Even in a fairy tale world.
Sadly, there wasn't much he could do in helping in that regard. He wasn't some love expert. He never even had a girlfriend! A goof like him wouldn't be much help.
Pain lanced through Jaune's chest, causing him to deeply grimace as he held his bullet wound. It seemed thinking about everything was causing some undue stress, and he wasn't in any condition to be dealing with that. He swallowed back a small cry as he steadied his breathing.
Belle and Eve stopped their messing around when they heard a stiff grunt. They looked back to Jaune to find the blond knight buckled over and holding his chest with his eyes shut tightly. Immediately the two jumped to their feet and rushed over to him.
"Jaune, are you okay!? Did your wound open up again?" Belle said in worry while running her hands over his chest.
Eve growled as she brushed Belle's hand away and picked up the scraggly blond and threw him over her back. "Dumbass, I knew you were still too fucked up to be out of bed. I can't have you kicking the bucket because you wanted to play in the garden like a child. Do you know how hard it is to get rid of the smell of a corpse from a castle?" she said in annoyance before running towards the door. Belle followed closely behind, quickly grabbing the basket lunch she brought before following after the two through the corridors in haste.
'Jaune Arc, Heart of The Gamer.
3,646HP/8,800HP[Curse].'
'Damn, another five-hundred-point drop.' Jaune sulked as the pain began to slowly subside. Every so often the cursed wound would remind him of his blown-up lung struggling to function. His HP would take a small dive and he would be in pain. It was the reason why his Health wouldn't stay above half for long. He was pretty sure that his Aura was responsible for his ability to breath in his current state.
Slamming through the infirmary doors, Eve ran over to Jaune's bed and dropped him down. She then moved to search for the doctor before she was stopped by a hand holding her wrist back. She snarled, ready to shout at whoever was stopping her.
"What the fuck do y-"
"It's fine, Eve."
Eve glared at Jaune, and his hand holding her back. Fine, he said. As if a boy with a punctured lung was close to fine.
"Shit-head, let go! If you're having more chest pains we have to get Dr. Decor over. I can't have you-"
"I won't die, trust me." Jaune cut her off with a strained smile, "I just had a small pang is all. I'm fine, really. You don't have to be so worried about me." he chuckled, earning a scowl from the hot-tempered redhead.
"As if I'm worried about you of all people!" Eve scoffed with a flick of her hair. She spun around to avoid anyone seeing the annoying red dusting her cheeks.
"Is this what you call a 'Tsun-Tsun'? Belle leaned over to Jaune in a whisper as he nodded.
"She definitely fits the bill."
Eve craned her neck back to send a pissed off glare at the two snickering idiots.
"You bitches wanna die?"
Jaune shook his head while letting his laugh die off. He looked at the two women before he gave them a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I think I might have overstayed my little outing. I should get some more rest." he said with a yawn.
Belle nodded with a gentle smile. Reaching into her basket, she set aside a plate of small sandwiches and a bowl of soup before easing him back into his bed.
"You do need your rest. Take a small nap, and when you're up, eat your lunch! It's important that you stay fed, so don't forget!" she chided with a wagging finger.
"Yes, Nurse Belle." Jaune mumbled before getting comfortable in his bed. With all the sleep he was having, he was worried he'd begin to take after Ren.
Sleep came quickly as Jaune's breath grew steady and he closed his eyes. He wasn't lying, he really did need his sleep. He body was too damaged to be moving around so much until Oswald came back with his Purity.
"Is he getting any better?"
Shutting the door behind them, Eve passed by the worried brunette as she made her way down the hall. Her footsteps echoed against the walls and Belle followed close behind to wherever the cursed woman headed to.
Eve grunted at the question, "Who cares? All I know is that I won't have to deal with that idiot much longer. The old man sent a message the other day, he should be back some time this weekend if all goes well. Once the maggot's cured, he's out of here. And I'll have one less headache to deal with." she said with a smirk in her voice, her face facing forward and away from Belle.
Hearing that Belle smiled happily, "Ah, that's a relief to hear. Now he can get back up on his feet and we'll all be able to enjoy a nice picnic together!"
"He's out of here the moment he's recovered."
Belle frowned at the firm tone in Eve's voice.
"Eve, you're not serious, are you? Haven't you grown accustomed to him yet? He's a nice guy, and he doesn't seem to have a home. Maybe-"
"NO, MAYBE'S!" Eve roared furiously, stopping in place to stare down the frowning brunette, "I don't need some useless human overstaying his welcome! I don't need anyone else but you! And that's final!"
The bestial darkness crawling over Eve's skin meant little to Belle as she stood up to her friend. She had already gotten use to her tempered-out bursts. Even her Beast form wasn't able to intimidate her anymore.
"He's your friend too, you know? Even if you won't admit it out loud, I know you've started to care about him. Otherwise you've wouldn't have gone to so much trouble to keep him well or even talk to him. You would have locked yourself in your room instead to stare at that dumb rose of yours!"
Pure rage devoured Eve's body, spitting out the wrathful Beast in her place a second later. The Beast snarled down at its eternal prisoner, its claws tensing as it held itself back from doing anything drastic. Its plate sized pure white eyes reflected Belle's stubborn frown, only further angering it.
"Know your place, woman! Do not forget that you are my captive! A role I find losing its meaning. Since you've been here, I've seen little progress in my condition and time is running out! Tomorrow's the final day and if you don't love me, then my curse won't ever be broken!" The Beast roared viciously, its body trembling with anger.
Belle's eyes grew sullen at the towering monster clad in darkness and wrath. Still consumed by her own anger. Nothing had changed then. Even after she felt the two of them growing closer it seemed Eve hadn't made enough progress. She sighed as her shoulders dropped.
'And I had just begun to...' the thought was left hanging as Belle bit down on her lip.
When Eve was like this, blinded by her own anger and unable to think clearly, there was no talking to her. Her friend was out for the moment.
With a disappointed sigh, Belle turned her back to the beast and stepped away.
"And where do you think you're going?" The Beast growled with narrowed eyes.
"To my room. I'm a prisoner after all, I shouldn't have the freedom to walk about as if I was free." Belle muttered bitterly before turning a corner out of sight.
The Beast's eye twitched before it roared and slammed its fists into the wall next to it. The wall shattered against its blow with a boom. For a few moments, it stayed still, breathing heavily and leaving its arm through the wall. Its shoulders fell once it regained some sense and sighed deeply. The darkness receded soon after with its rage draining away, leaving Eve staring at the floor with a grimace.
"God dammit, I fucked up, didn't I?" she laughed bitterly.
"Sadly, yes, mademoiselle. And it appears you've broken another wall. I'll have to notify Cogsworth so he can send some staff to patch it up."
The amused chuckle of Lumiere caused Eve to turn back to find the animate golden candlestick standing behind her. It looked like he had seen just about enough to know what was going on. Lumiere sighed at his master's behavior as it hopped over.
"I had thought you'd finally gained control of that horrid temper of yours, but it seems you're back to where you started. We were starting to enjoy not having to clean up after your rampages along with not having our ears ring from your usual roars." he said amusingly.
"Now's not the time for jokes! If you haven't noticed, my time, our time, is up!" Eve spat in frustration. She looked down to her servant with a seething scowl, "Tomorrow's the final day. If I don't get Belle to love me, then we're done. Our humanity will be nothing but a distant memory we'll never get back!"
"And?" Lumiere rose a brow casually to his master, "We've already told you, everyone in this castle is prepared to stay the way we are. We've lived like this for ten years! At this point we'd live the rest of our lives as such. But what we really worry about is you." In the years since the castle's servants were cursed as objects, they had grown accustomed to their lives. Most of them even found some happiness in their new forms, though they too longed for their human bodies. But since their master's birth, they had sworn to look after her and cater to her every need. If she wished to live with the curse, then they would as well. But they knew she found no joy in her condition, no happiness with her anger, and was the one who held the most hope in regaining her former self, "I know you're miserable. Even with all that monsieur Oswald has done to treat your curse, it's still not enough. You wish to return to being human, and we all do as well, but forcing someone to love you and keeping them captive isn't the way to go."
Eve grumbled under her breath and laid back against the wall. This wasn't the first time the once carriage rider had talked to her about how wrong it was to keep Belle under lock and key. But what other options did she have? Her time limit had been a week away and here comes this woman out of nowhere wanting to free her father. Eve had thought it was her last chance.
"Then what do you suggest I do, Mr. Love Expert." Eve said sarcastically with a roll of her eyes, "Like I said, tomorrow's the last day and it doesn't look like I can make her fall for me in a single night."
"Or could you?"
"No, I can't." Eve said flatly as Lumiere stared up at her with an odd grin. She narrowed her eyes at the mischievous candle-man, "What are you planning?"
Lumiere was more than happy to explain, "Mademoiselle, you are truly thick headed, aren't you? Have you not noticed how close you are to winning Belle's heart? She already sees you as her best friend along with monsieur Arc and we already know that she has no problem with such relations." he chuckled knowingly. By now they all knew that Belle didn't really see anything wrong with Eve being a woman, she was very open minded. "But she's still not ready to honestly say she's in love with you, not yet of course. No, there's something missing. A moment, a memory, the revelation that you are the one! And while being in each other's company is fine and dandy, it's not enough to solidify that love! What you need is to show her how much you've changed, a night of passion and fun!"
Despite herself, Eve found her curiosity peaked by her servant's words.
"What are you going on about? You think that one of your plans will make Belle fall in love with me?"
"Make? No, no, no! I believe that a simple little night of dance will be what you all need to prove that your love is pure and honest."
Eve quirked a brow at a certain part of the candle-man's words, "All?" she said suspiciously.
Lumiere waved off his master's suspicion, "Just a slip of the tongue! But I do truly believe that what I have in mind will be your answer to your curse. Might as well give it a shot, we don't really have much else going on." he shrugged.
A dance? Lumiere thought that a dance would make Belle fall in love with her? Eve mulled it over seriously. The plan wasn't bad and it wasn't like she had any other options. With time running out it looked like it would be the only option available to her. A last-ditch effort to break her curse. Without any reasons to deny it, Eve nodded towards Lumiere's idea.
"Alright, if you believe that it'll work, then go ahead. Take whatever you need and get things ready for tomorrow night. Inform the staff as well, I want everything to go perfectly." she said with a satisfied smirk.
Lumiere bowed as he nodded to his master's request. This truly was their last chance at breaking the curse. No mistakes could be made. Luckily, he had already shared his plan with everyone else and preparations were already under way. By tomorrow the castle will be aglow with hope.
"Of course! We will make it a night to be remembered for years to come. But this also means that we'll have to get you and Belle dresses for the event. Not to mention monsieur Arc."
"The maggot?" Eve frowned lightly at Jaune's mention in the events, "Why involve him? For all we know, he'll be gone before tomorrow night." she said in almost a whisper.
"Exactly! If it's to be his last day in our humble castle, why not let him enjoy the festivities? Just a way to repay him for all the trouble you caused?" he suggested as the cursed woman scoffed.
"What trouble?"
"Mademoiselle?" Lumiere stressed with a flat stare.
Eve fought back a pout as she looked away. Okay, so maybe she might have caused Jaune some trouble.
"Fine, let the maggot enjoy the party. Might as well, who knows how long he'll be here with that cursed lung of his. Haven't gotten word from Oswald yet."
With nothing more to say, Eve left her trusted servant with a scoff. A weight fell on her chest from a hidden pocket on her dress. A light swish of liquid caused her to grit her teeth.
Lumiere stared off after his master, sighing tiredly at the cursed woman.
'Mademoiselle, you should really be honest with yourself. Love cannot be born from captivity.'
The brisk morning air greeted the large gathering of knights in the middle of Wilhelm's square. Today was the day. After gathering all the information that was needed to march to the The Beast's castle and awaiting more men from Snow White, the army at the command of one of the Queen's most trusted comrades was prepared to hunt. They were equipped with the best weapons and armor for whatever may await them in their assault against the enemy. Nothing would get in their way.
"I still think they would look better in yellow. All the gray just makes them look menacing and mean. And is that really the kind of message we want to send to our enemies?"
With an irritated twitch in her left eye, Goldi Locks stared down to meet the always cheerful gaze of Hap, the happy go lucky dwarf in charge of Snow's knights before she took over. Behind the busty gang leader stood the awaiting knights armed to the teeth and awaiting further commands. The knights didn't dare say a word as they watched the beautiful woman with an impressive bust stare down the terrifying menace known as Hap.
Goldi pinched the bridge of her nose and began to mentally count to ten. Now was not the time to be losing her head and pumping a small man full of explosive shrapnel.
"Captain Hap, we are not wasting any more time with a paint job. The armor is fine. And in case you didn't know, they're knights!" she gestured incredulously to the men decked out in plates of metal, "They're supposed to look intimidating and mean! It's half of their job!"
"Not my good boys!" Hap argued with a stubborn shake of his head, "They're polite and always smiling! Ain't that right, boys!" he shouted gleefully, causing every knight to stand erect with a salute.
"SIR, YES SIR!"
Goldi wasn't sure to make of what she was seeing. Looking at the knights, it was obvious that they were trembling underneath Hap's attention. Why, she wasn't sure.
"What the hell did the little twerp do to you chumps?" Goldi whispered in fascination as one of the bigger, bulkier knights whimpered.
"S-So much glitter! He wouldn't stop, he just kept giggling!"
Okay, that was a line of thought she found herself not wanting to continue. Either way, she had more important business to continue.
"Look, we've made all the preparations we need for now. Queenie herself said we were ready to go, so now all we have to do is wait for her to get ready for the march. Do you think she'd be happy if we're messing around with paint now of all times?" Goldi questioned with a cock of her hip.
Hap pouted, knowing she was right.
"Fine, you win. Besides," he smiled widely with the innocence of a child, "I can always paint the boys when we get home. OH! I can even give them stickers too!"
"OH GOD, NOT THE STICKERS! NOT THE GUMDROP STICKERS!"
At the sound of the terrified shriek, Goldi was ready to ask what exactly the men had gone through to earn a reaction like that, but found herself shutting her lips as the click of heels cut through all the noise like a knife. All of the knights stood up straight and took a knee as Goldi turned around to find stern blue eyes walking over.
The Queen of the residing half of Fey, Snow White, had arrived. Trailing behind her were two Great Knights armed with lances and snow themed armor. The queens usual attire of a royal gown made of the richest of materials was nowhere to be found, swapped out instead for a sky-blue gown underneath a silver chest plate that fit her lithe body, silver rich gauntlets, and a blue leather padded skirt. And strapped to her waist was a fine crafted rapier that put all the weapons around her to shame in appearance.
Goldi smirked as the dark-haired queen stopped a few steps away from her and the army at her command.
"What? You deck yourself out like some kind of warrior princess, but you're still keeping the heels?" she jeered with a small grin.
Snow's blue eyes narrowed at the comment, her silence speaking more than she ever could at the moment. Goldi's shoulders slacked and sighed lowly, her energy leaving her under Snow's cold presence. The royal woman was never one for jokes considering all that happened.
And honestly, she couldn't blame her.
Goldi's fingers gripped the edge of her cowboy's hat and brought it down to shadow her face as she spoke softly.
"All our men are ready at your command, your highness. Just give us the word-"
Glaring past the shadows of her hat, orange eyes full of fury stared back at Snow along with the sound of an uproar of metal scrapping of swords drawn behind her.
"And we'll burn down whatever lays in your sight without further notice." Goldi seethed with a fire in her eyes.
Snow nodded simply before gazing at all the knights gathered before her. All eighty-two-armed knights, the most she could give up at the moment. Despite how much it meant to her, she couldn't be selfish enough to call up every man and woman under her rule to fight today. She had borders that needed watching, crimes being stopped, criminals to be kept under guard, and her own castle to be held. But this was enough, enough to topple whatever force spurred her ire.
Roaming her cold blue eyes over the assembled knights, Snow grew irritated at the lack of a certain individual. She turned to Goldi with a frown as she spoke.
"Where is the huntsman you spoke of? The one who shared the demise of my love? Gaston, was it?" Snow said coldly.
"Oh? Did someone say my name? My ears are burning, so that must mean a beautiful woman is searching for me!"
Breaking through the ranks of the knights, Gaston walked over to the queen of the land with a wide grin and sparkle in his teeth. Before the queen, he bowed courteously to show his manners, his grin never leaving his face.
Snow rose a delicate brow at the muscular man with handsome features before resting her hand on the hilt of her rapier.
"You are the man who was the last to see my love?" she spoke tersely as Gaston rose back up and nodded.
Gaston sighed deeply, showing regret, "Sadly, yes. I do believe his name was Juan, my Queen. He was a chivalrous man, compassionate, willing to help anyone in need for no cost, and had a heart of gold. I considered him a good friend until the very end."
Snow's jaw tightened, fighting from showing any visible signs of her grief.
'So, his name was Juan? Why did I have to learn his name now of all times? Just how cruel is fate?' Pain and sorrow gripped Snow's heart like an iron vice. But she had to remain strong. Just as her knight did.
Swallowing back the emotion in her voice, Snow continued questioning Gaston.
"And you personally witnessed my love's death with your own eyes at the hands of The Beast?"
Gaston's eyes fell as he held his hand to his heart, "Yes, your highness. I-I tried to save him, but I was already wounded. Knowing that, he shouted at me to run away and warn the others of The Beast. His bravery saved my life and is the reason I still stand before you." he looked at Snow with guilty eyes and a pained voice as he spoke, "I'm sorry that I lived and he died. I wish I could switch our fates so you may have the love of your life back in your arms."
Snow narrowed her eyes dangerously at the crestfallen man. The hand on her rapier moved, causing Gaston to flinch in wait of the queen's vengeful lash.
"Do not feel regret, Sir Gaston. My love would not be happy to see such a face."
Opening his eyes warily, Gaston was surprised to see the cold queen looking down at him softly with a sincere smile on her icy features. It was then that he noticed her delicate hand touching his cheek in comfort.
"Sadly, I knew Juan for less than a day. But he was the one to break me free from my eternal sleep with true loves first kiss. And in that short time, I saw the kind of man he was. He was a hero, and he died a hero." Snow's voice cracked a bit as she spoke before hardening, "So, do not talk so lightly of your life, to do so is to insult his sacrifice. There is still need of you here, Sir Gaston. I wish for you to lead us along to The Beast's castle to end that monster's reign and make it suffer for taking Juan away from us!"
Gaston stood up straight and nodded firmly to the royal woman, his eyes full of determination for the task in hand. Inwardly though, the handsome huntsman smirked.
'Oh, Juan. Who would have known your death would buy me so much respect and credibility? Truly, you did not die in vain.'
"It would be my honor, your highness." he said smoothly with a suave grin.
Happy to hear the conviction in the man's voice, Snow turned back to Goldi as her eyes grew cold as ice again. Absently, her eyes trailed the sun above the sky. The giant star that illuminated the day moved across the sky slowly to the human eye, going at a snail's pace to reach the other side of the world.
"We strike once the sun sets. Handle all necessary preparations before night falls." she commanded Goldi, receiving a firm nod from the blond outlaw. "Everything must be perfect for our attack, down to the very last detail. Do I make myself clear?"
The snow themed queen received nods from all those gathered before they moved on to follow her order to the letter. Left behind as the knights cleared out, Gaston turned to Snow with a curious question in mind.
"Pardon me, your highness, but why not march now?" Gaston asked with a charming tilt of his head. If they were ready, why not move onward now?
Snow briefly glanced at the man from the corner of her eye before staring ahead of the village gates leading to the White Groove. To the entrance of The Beast's domain.
"Simple, Sir Gaston. It is true we are now ready to defeat that retched beast and all those who serve it. But that is not what I want."
Not what she wanted? Gaston was lost for words for a moment.
"I'm sorry, but isn't that what you wish? That's why you gathered yourself an army!"
"Do not misunderstand me." Snow's voice was cold, colder than the snowy weather that hung over the port town. Despite her small size, her turned back intimidated Gaston as he felt his skin grow goosebumps. Her eyes were still honed on the far-off castle only a few hours away, refusing to lose sight of her target.
"I do not wish to defeat it, I will annihilate it. I will reduce everything it holds dear to nonexistence and leave not an ash behind our wake. And in its final moments, among the hell fires around it, I will rip out its heart so it can feel the same pain as I have. After all, this isn't a hunt, it's an execution."
Gaston gulped in fear of the chilling woman. Stepping away from the deathly aura surrounding Snow, he went on his own way to ready himself for the final battle. Thank god, the grief-stricken queen's wrath wasn't focused on him. What a terrible thought it was if she knew of the knight's real killer.
'Oh well, all that will be over at the break of dawn. And in that new day, they will all be thankful to the dashing hero who led them all to The Beast's demise and shower me in their love! I will be loved by not just the town, but the kingdom! Surely even Belle will fall for me, how could she not?'
A smug grin stretched across Gaston's lips. He couldn't help but chuckle openly as he stared down at his hand, watching as a luminescent glow engulfed it.
'And if not, then why not give her a little push? Love is magical after all.'
Suits were not Jaune's thing. He wasn't Mr. Formal as one could tell from his choice of wear with his favorite Pumpkin Pete's hoodie and torn jeans. Clothes didn't make the man, action did! As his father said. If it was up to him, he would always go around in his comfy hoodie with a pleased smile on his face. But unfortunately, tonight's events called for more formal wear.
With a grunt of frustration, Jaune fought with the strip of cloth around his neck in another ill attempt to tie it around his neck. A round of snickers could be heard from the helping staff turned household items as they watched him fumble with the simple art of bow tying.
"Simple my ass! This is a lot more complicated than they make it look!" Jaune grumbled to himself before losing more of his temper as his fingers were knotted into the loop. How was it he could defeat creatures of darkness but couldn't tie a fucking Windsor knot!?
From the side of the red velvet dress room, Lumiere snickered. The blond knight wouldn't be having so much trouble if he simply asked for help. But he was proving to be the stubborn type. As amusing as it was to watch, Lumiere had to step in once he noticed the blond knight stretch out his arm in an attempt to summon his weapon.
"Monsieur Arc, let me help you with that. We don't need you causing any damage on such a beautiful night."
Stopping himself from calling Crocea Mors in anger, Jaune quirked a brow at the man turned candlestick.
"No offense, Lumiere, but I think I can do it myself. Pretty sure you would only light my tie on fire."
Lumiere shook his head with a wry grin. The candle-man waved his arms around as they gained a magic glow, the energy he was calling took over Jaune's tie. With a few simple gestures, the tie followed the will of Lumiere to tie itself elegantly around Jaune's neck.
"One of the very few perks of our cursed existence is the art of magic. The curse is a magical force, so it stands to say that the power seeping in our bodies can be used for a few tricks of our own." Lumiere explained as Jaune marveled at the magic trick.
"Thanks, Lumiere." Jaune smiled gratefully. One of these days he was going to learn how to tie a tie himself, but that day wasn't today. Flicking the blue knot, Jaune turned to look himself over at the tall slender mirror by him, earning a whistle from the mirror being.
Gone was the simple villagers vest and shirt he had grown accustomed to these days, replaced by a dark blue three-piece suit, shined black dress shoes, and said annoying tie. That wasn't the only thing that had changed, his hair had been nicely combed and straightened from its usual messy locks to fall over his headshot scar. He sniffed his suit, grimacing slightly from the overpowering whiff of cologne. He had to say, being stuck in a suit felt kinda restraining after all the muscle he had gained from his training.
"Kid cleans up nice, Lumiere!" The mirror admired with another whistle.
Lumiere agreed as he hopped over to the blond knight.
"I knew behind all that grime was gold! I dare say you look like a noble yourself, Monsieur Arc!" Lumiere grinned in praise.
A noble? Jaune nearly broke out in a laugh. As if! He was just a village kid who wanted to play hero and found himself in a larger than life game.
A rough cough erupted from Jaune's mouth, nearly knocking him down as he covered his mouth. He grimaced deeply, finding a few drops of blood smearing his hand from the small fit. Lumiere's face showed a displeased frown at that.
"I see you're still not well. The curse upon your body is still grasping at your life force." Lumiere said somberly.
Jaune wiped away the blood on a cloth one of the servants handed him and eased Lumiere's concern, "It's alright, I'm more than strong enough to stand on my own. I can't just stay in bed all night." Jaune said with a weak grin.
Tonight was the night, the last night for Eve to find her humanity in love. Lumiere and the rest didn't need to tell Jaune of their plan, he had caught what they were hoping for when they had told him of the big dance. It was still a little shocking to believe that they were putting all their hopes on the two women falling in love, but love was love. And at least he wasn't being the one forced into it like a certain group of little men had done to him. From what he could see from both Eve and Belle, the two genuinely liked one another. The only problem was that one was too stubborn to admit her feelings and the other was... too affectionate. Yeah, that was it.
This dance meant the world to all those cursed within the castle. Not only would their humanity be returned, but their master would be free from her own curse. And being the good guy he was, Jaune had decided to help them to make sure the night went along smoothly. Might as well, it beat lying in bed with a healing lung.
Still worried about Jaune, Lumiere thought back to what his master had told him earlier in the day.
"If I recall correctly, Monsieur Oswald was said to be on his way with the potion needed to cure you. I hope he arrives before the end of the night, we don't need you fainting on the dance floor, now do we?" Lumiere sighed as he patted Jaune's leg.
"Dance floor?" Jaune said slowly, earning a nervous smile from Lumiere, "Why would I be on the dance floor? I thought I was going to help in catering the event."
"Catering? To who?" Lumiere scoffed amusingly, "That was just a white lie to get you into a suit. No, you'll be enjoying the fun along with the two beautiful ladies! Why else would you be participating?" he said as if it was plainly obvious from the start.
Jaune gaped openly at the literally beaming candle-man. Was this some part of Lumiere's plans? Jaune wouldn't put it past him.
"But-but-but-"
"No buts, monsieur! The festivities have already begun! Now let's not keep them waiting any further!"
Ignoring Jaune's protests and stammers, Lumiere forced Jaune on his way to the ballroom with the help of the more heftier servants. The door was slammed behind Jaune as he stumbled out with a surprised cry. Annoyed, he could only grumble under his breath as he moved on to the ballroom.
Left to his own thoughts for a small moment while he traversed the halls, Jaune wondered over his temporary stay. If Lumiere was right, then his cursed wound would be healed by the end of the night and he would be free to leave the castle at last. Eve had made it very clear that once he was well he would have to leave. She detested humans after all, and she had only kept him in her home on Belle's favor.
Well, it wasn't like he had any reason to stay. While he had some fun despite the rocky beginning in the fantasy world, he still had to find a way home. His friends and family were still waiting for him, not to mention he still had The Game to finish.
The Game. Jaune stopped suddenly as he remembered his own curse and the responsibilities he was stuck with. That was the one blessing he had found in the few days within Lost Fairy Tales. The Game's messages from The Will had come to an abrupt stop. Actually, there were a few times he had almost forgotten his life had become a game since he woke up in The Emerald Forest. It was nice. To not feel that burden that affected not just him but the others around him.
In the deepest parts of his mind a stray, soft and quiet voice whispered.
'What if I didn't leave? Would it be so bad to stay here?'
The traitorous voice was squashed and his brow furrowed deeply in anger with himself. He knew he couldn't stay, despite the appeal it presented. The thought of escaping the machinations of The Will was tempting, more so than he was even willing to admit. But he couldn't, no, he wouldn't abandon those on Remnant. He had made too many promises to turn his back on those he'd grown to love. He wouldn't condemn them to such a fate, he would finish what he started.
The large twin mahogany doors engraved with golden roses greeted Jaune as he broke out of his thoughts. Nervousness entered Jaune's being. Funny thing was that while he was a great dancer, he wasn't so great at dances themselves. He would always find a corner to hang around in whenever his parents would drag him to one and just mess around with his Scroll. He was always too nervous to ask any girls to dance and they would see through his false confidence more times than none when he worked up the courage. And now he was expected to dance with not just one woman, but two. One of which was cursed to turn into a King of Beasts and the other was a smart yet dirty minded girl.
'Maybe there is punch bowl I can hang around until Oswald arrives with the Purity potion? Because I don't like my chances of dancing with either one.' Who was better? The kind and gentle pervert, or the wrathful woman with gouging horns and claws?
Standing around in front of a door sadly wasn't going to get Jaune anywhere though. Swallowing the nervous jitters, Jaune pushed open the doors with a creak. Light blinded him for a moment as the ballroom's bright interior greeted him as he stepped in. Obviously the first thing he noticed was the bright yellow golden interior of the large ballroom. It was big enough to house a house for crying out loud! Several finely furnished tables were set up to the far side of the dance floor, a balcony could be seen overhead on the second floor with a view of the night, and a crystal chandelier hung overhead, further illuminating the bright magic lights above. The ballroom floor was polished like a clear mirror, its illustrious surface clicking with his dress shoes stepping over it. And to finish it off, he could hear a literal orchestra playing thanks to the reanimated musical instruments on the far side of the large room.
When Jaune had entered, he wasn't sure why, but he had pictured a beautiful scene playing out in front of him. He would see the normally wrathful Eve dancing along with Belle to some magical music in perfect sync, both looking into each other's eyes longingly with the budding seed of love finally flourishing. A literal scene from a fairy tale.
"One and two, one and tw-OW! I THINK YOU BROKE MY BIG TOE!"
"YOUR TOE!? WHAT ABOUT ALL MY TOES, BITCH!? I THINK MY ENTIRE FOOT IS SHATTERED!"
What greeted Jaune instead was the sight of two awkwardly stumbling women hand in hand in the center of the dance floor stepping over one another's feet. With how many times Belle was accidentally stomping onto Eve's foot, Jaune was surprised and impressed that the cursed woman hadn't gone Beast yet. Her face despite its wheat color was red.
"Why am I not surprised?" Jaune said dryly as he watched Eve howl in pain again. It was kinda sad in a way. Sad, and funny.
Ears perking up at Jaune's voice, Eve stopped her poor dancing to spin her head around to find the blond knight standing away from the show. Following Eve's sight, Belle grinned as she waved over to Jaune.
With the two fully facing Jaune now, he was able to see what the two were wearing. Belle wore an extravagant gold yellow gown that seemed to shine like gold bars and revealed a modest amount of her chest, her hair had been tied back with a golden ribbon, and she wore gold silk gloves that reached her elbows along with heels. It was like she had been picked off of a treasure chest.
As for Eve, the fiery red-haired woman was dressed opposite of what her friend was wearing, wearing a navy-blue dress suit that struggled to fit her impressive chest, vest with gold buttons, and black dress pants and dress shoes. Her fiery mane was tied back like Belle's with a similar bow that reminded Jaune of a tail swishing behind her.
Eve growled lowly at the sight of Jaune and what looked like restrained laughter on his face.
"Maggot, just what do you think is so funny?" she hissed and cracked her knuckles.
"Jaune!" Belle happily clapped with a bright smile before a worrying scowl appeared on her face, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in bed, mister?" she chided with a pout.
"And miss out on this?" Jaune chuckled, earning another mad growl from the clumsy footed redhead beside Belle, "I wouldn't be better off laying back anyways. I think I can move about just fine for one night without spitting blood out."
Eve rolled her eyes at Jaune, "Let's hope you do. I really don't feel like having the staff clean up after your bloody mess again."
Ignoring the comment, Jaune went on to walk over to the two women as the music playing over them paused. It seemed that that the moment was ruined, which in his opinion was already ruined before he stepped in.
"You know, I was picturing a more romantic scene when I walked in, not two left footed girls stepping over the others foot like drunks." Jaune said amusingly.
"It's a lot harder than it looks, Shit-head!" Eve shouted in annoyance as she crossed her arms over her chest.
Belle nodded along with a pout, "It's true! I'm the daughter of a brilliant inventor! Not some fancy dancer. I only know how to dance by myself when no one's looking."
"And I never saw any reason to learn to dance like some sissy! What use is dancing to a beast anyways?" Eve scoffed to the side as she looked away from the two. "It's a useless practice in my opinion. Only nobles are dumb enough to learn how to twirl around another like flails."
"I wouldn't put it like that. Dancing is actually really fun once you get your feet going along with the beat. You just have to have patience and someone to teach you. And I'd be more than willing to help with that!" Jaune smiled. He found himself more amused as the two girls only continued to look away with huffs, refusing to listen to anything he said. Between the two of them, he oddly saw an image of a young boy with blond messy hair standing in the middle, refusing to listen either with a stubborn pout.
'I don't want to learn how to dance! Everyone will just laugh at me and call me a girl if they saw me dancing! Besides, real warriors don't dance! So, why should I?!'
Embarrassment, that was what Jaune had felt when his older sister had begun teaching him how to dance as part of their time together. The kids in his village had already made fun of him for being a coward and always playing with his sisters, learning how to dance would just give them more ammo to tease him with. Of course, he had eventually given into his sister's pleading and found that he had some talent just like her. Learning how to move along with the music and performing those complicated steps had actually been easier to learn than fighting. And it had been fun, especially when he was dancing with his older sister.
A fond sigh escaped Jaune's lips before taking a deep breath to gather his courage. What he was about to do next might just send him back to his Reset point.
With a startled gasp, Eve's wrist was taken from her and pulled along to follow Jaune. Her yellow eyes were wide in anger as her muscles bulged and darkness crawled over her skin. She moved her fist back to punch him right in the face with a monster sized fist, only to be stopped as Jaune intertwined his fingers with her beast claws. The simple action took her back completely, pausing her transformation just as half her face had been taken over by the darkness of her curse. Jaune's gentle blue eyes stared into her monstrous amber yellow.
Tilting his head back, Jaune yelled over to the servant's turned instruments with a grin, "Play us something gentle and heartwarming! Something that reminds us of Home!"
Eve snarled at the blond even as her curse sunk back into her body, "Just what are you playin-"
"Just trust me, okay?" Jaune cut her off with a soft smile before firmly gripping her hands and taking a simple step back.
Eve didn't mean to, but her foot followed along and stepped forward as Jaune stepped back. Then he took another, and another, and then took a step forward. She wasn't really sure what was going on, but every time Jaune made a move she would move opposite of him. She was completely puzzled at the development as the blond's feet began to step along with music and followed along.
Jaune couldn't help but chuckle at the honest confusion on the cursed woman's face as he led her along in a simple dance step.
"The first problem that comes along when two people are learning how to dance is that they're both trying to lead without knowing what to do. If two people are leading, then you're bound to step on each other's feet. So, you're just going to have to follow along at first before you can takeover!"
"And I'm just supposed to let you lead me along like some helpless chick?" Eve growled before missing a step and stepping over Jaune's foot. A smug grin met his grimace as Eve twisted her heel.
"Oops."
The twisting foot hurt, but Jaune soldiered on as he continued leading the stubborn woman around in a few simple steps. He took it a bit further, surprising her as he swung her further away and let go of one of her hands before twirling her in a flourish. Eve's heart fluttered against her better judgement and Jaune pulled her back, chest to chest and held her firmly.
"No, but if you want to make it a night Belle will always remember, you'll follow along and listen." Jaune grinned as he craned his neck back to Belle. Eve frowned lightly and set her eyes on Jaune's line of sight before finding a star struck Belle watching their every step with a giddy expression. It was a little frightening in the beast woman's opinion.
Tonight, it was her last night, her last night at regaining her humanity. Eve wasn't sure what she would do if their plan failed, but she knew that no matter what happened, it wouldn't be either Jaune or Belle at fault. Funny thing was, she was sure that no matter what became of her, they would stick by her. Even if they had to continue their roles as prisoner and cursed. The thought of which made her grind her teeth. A phial swished against her chest, hidden from the cursed blond boy.
But whatever shred of humanity Eve still had, it demanded for the night to be special. Because while she wasn't the love of Belle's life, she was her friend. She wanted to leave behind a memory of her before she became a monster through and through. To at least have one person who knew her as something more than an unloving beast.
With a begrudging sigh, Eve began to follow along with Jaune's steps, doing her best to memorize the steps he was teaching her. She listened to every snippet of advice he would softly add, fighting back her spikes of anger as she made a mistake and crushed Jaune's foot, and opened her ears to the music in the background. Through it all never once did Jaune chastise her for her mistakes or grow angry as she stepped over him or grow frustrated. He was patient and just responded back to her with that damn smile of his.
Seeing into those blue eyes, that saw her as something more than the rumored Beast and held her like she was some normal woman, made the small phial in her chest pocket grow as heavy as iron.
"Oh, oh, oh! My turn, my turn! I want to learn how to dance too!"
With one last dip, Jaune brought Eve back up and turned to face Belle as the bookworm ran up to them with excitement. It already looked like she was dancing as she waited on bouncing feet for him to take her hand in his. Seeing that, Eve rolled her eyes and nodded at Jaune as he looked to her with a weak smile.
"Go ahead, I don't want her breaking my feet now that I've started to get a handle of this." Eve said with mirth. Letting go of Jaune's hands, she stepped back to the side of the room by the tables as she watched Belle happily grab the blond's hands. A small smile made its way to her lips as the first step resulted in another crushed foot to the knight.
"Well, it seems that everything is going along smoothly, don't you think?"
A clatter of porcelain brought Eve's attention to the table beside her, finding Ms. Potts hopping on with her son Chip. The little boy turned teacup stared with stars in his eyes after Belle and Jaune dancing in the middle of the ballroom with awe as his mother looked up at Eve with a small smile.
Eve gave the teapot a small glance and grunted as she turned back to the dancing, Feeling a tad envious at Belle's quick grasp of the steps, "Right, smoothly. Sorry to let you all down, but nothing's really changed. All we've been doing is stumbling around with sore feet. I don't think I'll be capturing anyone's heart today." she said with weak grin.
"Bah, never mind all that curse business! Are you having fun, young miss?" Ms. Potts asked with a shake of her head.
Eve quirked a brow at the question. Fun? What did that have to do with anything?
Seeing that her mistress didn't understand her, Ms. Potts turned back to the dancing pair, smiling widely as Belle giggled as Jaune dipped her low.
"You know, no matter what happens at the end of the night, we all only care about your well-being. If it is our fate to remain cursed in these bodies, then so be it. I've actually come to enjoy it." Ms. Potts said fondly, "But we do wish that you too can find happiness in whatever may befall you. Be you human, beast, cursed, or blessed, I believe that you can find happiness and joy in whatever form you may take. The only thing that's truly stopping you from finding such peace is you."
"Me?" Eve scowled deeply at the words from her trusted servant.
Ms. Potts nodded, "Yes, You. It's your heart after all. There is no other master to it than you, you stubborn girl." she chuckled warmly.
No other master than herself? Eve found her hand touching said heart, feeling the beat of the unloving container to her emotions. Absently, her fingers grazed the glass phial held in the inside of her breast pocket for safety. Ms. Potts followed her hand with a knowing stare.
"Be honest with yourself, Eve. There are no wardens or prisoners here, just friends enjoying a lovely night together. Don't let something as silly as some fool's curse stop you from being you."
'Being me?' Eve stared off into nothing as something resonated with the pot's words. Again, she felt the weight of the phial grow, weighing against her conscience. She grit her teeth inside her mouth, shutting her eyes as her thoughts began to cloud.
To be herself was to be The Beast. The monster that was blamed for all the trouble of one village. A monster that could only snarl and howl in rage with eyes of pure hatred. A being that held no love for the world around it, only violence. A creature doomed to be left alone.
"Now, let's you and I try, Eve!"
A warm, giddy, energetic voice snapped Eve out from her thoughts as her eyes opened to the sight of gentle hazel. Eve was lost for a moment, forgetting her surroundings before her wrist was taken from her again. Belle didn't wait for her friend to respond, taking her by the wrist and dragging her back to the dance floor as the music in the air began to rise in volume and beat. Taken by surprise again, Eve was left speechless as she was led along to several steps they had just been taught. The beast woman's feet moved along with Belle's, already familiar with the movements she was being led along to as her hands were held firmly in the bookworm's own.
"Aren't I suppose to be the one leading?" Eve couldn't help but ask as Belle twirled her around.
"What, you don't like being the damsel for once?" Belle grinned cheekily before bringing in the red horned woman close to her chest. She smiled cutely at the tall woman with wheat skin brought upon by her curse, bringing a light blush to Eve's cheeks.
Her a damsel? Wasn't that a joke. And yet, Eve couldn't say another word as she let Belle lead on in their dance. If anything, she found her heart beating faster as she stared off into her friend's beautiful brown eyes. A lump formed in her throat that she swallowed nervously.
With one last twirl, Belle came to a stop, confusing Eve greatly as the brunette grinned widely with mischief. That didn't bode well.
"Now, let's try it with three partners! I've always fantasized about doing it with more than one!"
"Wait, WHAT!?" Eve blushed madly at the implication. Her mind had shut down for a second, struggling to deal with the lewd images brought up by her friend as Belle left her side. A moment later and a grimacing Jaune was led up to her.
"You too, huh?" Jaune said sympathetically, his own face bright red after what he heard. The strange bookworm's dirty mind seemed to have rubbed off on the both of them sadly. But before Eve could nod in agreement and bark at Belle for the dirty thoughts, both their hands were taken from them and brought together. They blinked, growing confused as their free hands were gripped by Belle as she grinned widely at the two of them.
"If we can have this much fun with only two, why not make it even more fun with all of us together? I think we've gotten the hang of it to the point we won't be stepping over each other's toes." she said brightly before her beautiful hazel eyes fell on Jaune with a wink, "Do you think you can keep up with two newbies at the same time, Monsieur Arc?" she said playfully with a roll of her tongue.
Jaune nodded with a playful bow to the two ladies, his face stretched back with an amused grin. He had seven sisters, dancing with two partners was child's play!
"It'll be my pleasure! An Arc never turns away from dancing with beautiful women such as yourselves after all!" he said proudly before gripping the hands of both woman tightly and leading them on with the rhythm of the music.
The music in the air fell to a soft beat as wind instruments were brought out and the melody turned gentle. Eve's blush refused to leave, growing brighter as Jaune's strong hand pulled her close along with Belle. Warmth grew inside her and she felt faint as the two people she had trapped in her castle stared at with beaming smiles. Her heart was going crazy! She bit her lip as her heart fluttered in the face of the knight who had saved her and the bookworm who had stayed with her by her own will.
Something strange began to grow inside her blistering, cold, and unforgiving heart. A burning seed that shone like a beacon. An emotion that struggled to fully form, fighting against the chains around her heart. Chains that were created by no one other than herself. Eve's usual furious amber eyes, narrowed and stern, melted as laughter from her two friends filled the air and mixed with the music. Her lips twitched, slowly lifting up in a small sign of happiness.
That feeling, that emotion, what was it? It felt so familiar. Her lips trembled, struggling to form the single word. Her heart beat rose, her cheeks felt warm, her eyes had grown soft, and for once, she forgot about the bestial markings on her body as Jaune spun both her and Belle around him in crossing spins before holding them back with his annoying simple warm smile.
Jaune's face grew a worried frown as he stopped their dance. Eve's face had lost its usual sharpness and suddenly looked so frail. The cursed woman full of rage was gone, leaving behind a conflicted woman who appeared to be fighting without even speaking. Even Belle had lost her upbeat smile and grown worried as her hands slipped from Eve's.
"Eve, are you all right?" Jaune asked as he let go of the redhead's hand.
The loss of both their hands left Eve feeling emptier than ever before. She bit the bottom of her lip as she brought her clawed hands to her chest, feeling her heart continue to beat rapidly. For once, she felt vulnerable.
The word, the one just out of the reach of her tongue, she knew it. It was a long-forgotten emotion, one she thought she'd never feel again. She knew its name, she always did. The music came to stop as her sudden quiet presence brought the worry of all her castle staff running over. Her eyes lost all their fire, growing gentle as she stared at the many faces suffering from her curse. From Lumiere, always staring at her with his smooth features and charming ways, to Cogsworth and his uppity and formal nature, Ms. Potts and her motherly aura and words, Chip and his innocent curiosity and happy smile, to even the many staff always at her beck and call with never a complaint. Everyone standing in front of her looked to her, to Eve, and not The Beast.
Eve knew that word, that emotion, that feeling that was held in all hearts. And she was now ready to speak its name.
A warm smile blossomed on Eve's lips as she focused onto the two people in front of her, the two who had called her friend, the two idiots who put up with her wrath and abuse through her curse. To Belle and Jaune, the two who saw a heart inside her. Eve's lips parted slowly, gathering the strength to finally speak.
"Belle, Jaune, I-"
BOOM!
The castle's walls suddenly trembled and the floor underneath all who resided within shook violently. Above those inside the ball room, the chandelier began to shudder as cracks formed at the chain holding it up. Whatever Eve had been about to say was lost to the sound of an explosion rocking the entire enchanted castle as several more booms hit its structure. Bits of the ceiling began to break, raining down onto the ballroom floor. The beautiful moment was shattered along with the chandelier above as the next resounding boom broke it off to fall onto people below.
Jaune wasn't sure what was happening, but his body moved on instinct as he threw his hand up at the crashing ornament from above, "Reflect!"
The crystal piece shattered as it made contact with Jaune's magical barrier, sending its remains shooting in several directions. Panic and confusion consumed the staff as the world around them was filled with the sounds of explosions and screams from the other staff within the castle.
"What the hell is that!?" Jaune shouted as another explosion nearly brought them falling back. He flinched as the action aggravated his cursed wound, whispering a foul word as his HP fell a bit.
Belle shut her eyes as her ears rang. It sounded like one of her father's creations failing and blowing up. Opening one of her eyes, she looked towards Eve for answers. But instead she found herself growing even more worried as the cursed woman's eyes were wide in shell shock.
"Eve?"
A midst the rocking explosions, the wide door to the ball room was slammed open with the sounds of metal clanking rushing in. Jaune formed another Reflect as more rubble fell upon them and turned towards the new presence, frowning in confusion as he was met with several suits of empty armor.
"Who are they?" he grunted as he fought to keep up his spell.
"The castle guards!?" Ms. Potts gasped in alarm, the sight of the dozen armored servants taking her by surprise, "They were originally responsible for protecting the castle from unwanted attention and bandits. But once they were cursed, they fell into silence and would only ever show themselves in times of trouble."
The head of animated suits of armor rushed forward to the huddled group under Jaune's spell, stopping still with a salute as it addressed the still shocked form of Eve.
"Madam! We are under attack by an armored force at our bridge! We currently have a small party battling against the enemy trying to make its way to our doors, but we are under fire by their ballistics! I'm afraid we don't have the numbers to combat them, so I suggest we make haste and leave the castle!"
Eve lightly scrunched her face at the knight's words, struggling to make sense of what she had heard. The words 'under attack' and 'castle' struck to her, causing her eyes to widen in panic.
"My Rose!" Eve shouted in worry, forgetting everything else even as part of the ceiling above was blown apart. A flaming wrecking bolt of a burning ballista flew down from above the wrecked ceiling, crashing through the room with a deafening boom that sent whips of wind flying past all those in the room. But Eve didn't pay it any mind as Jaune's Reflect shattered and ran past the knights for the open door. The floor under her trembled and cracked as whatever forces outside her castle kept on the assault. She didn't care though, too focused on the rose that represented her dwindling humanity.
Several more hellfire ballista shells fell down upon them, crashing onto the ballroom and setting the area on fire. Squinting past the gales slamming into them, Jaune looked after Eve's running back as he held Belle protectively. The damn idiot! Didn't she know that now wasn't the time to be worrying about some cursed flower?
Another aching stab dropped Jaune's HP as his Curse reminded him of his still weakened state. Of all times to be low on health! A larger than normal explosion caught Jaune's attention as the ceiling was completely demolished by an iron spire of burning rubble falling through. His eyes flew open wide in panic and fear as he caught the direction the ballista was heading for. Any sense of tactic knowledge flew out the window as his feet moved before the words left his mouth.
"GALE SPEED!"
Just a few steps away from running out the door, Eve suddenly stopped as the way out was blocked by blazing debris falling in front of her. She cursed loudly, her yellow eyes wide in utter rage as her body began to morph into The Beast. But just as the darkness of her curse crawled over her jaw, her attention was suddenly drawn to the loud sound of snapping fire and falling debris. She looked up, her eyes frozen in shock as the tip of a burning ballista shell appeared only seconds away.
Then pain.
Red liquid gushed from a newly opened wound to form a pool around Eve as her eyes trembled and teared up. A weak grin greeted her as she laid on her backside from a shove, staring up at the tired and fading blue eyes of her savior.
"J-Jaune?"
Standing before her, Jaune stood with his arms spread out wide to protect her from further harm. A burning, rusted bolt ran through his sternum cleanly, its point stabbing into the ground before Eve's feet. His well-tailored suit bled red from the spraying of his lethal wound.
Jaune released a rasped chuckle, spitting blood onto Eve's dirtied and singed suit.
"I-I made it. Thank g-god." Jaune stuttered happily.
Wasn't this a familiar scene? What was this, the second time he died protecting someone?
Jaune Arc, Heart of The Gamer.
-8,534HP/8,800 HP [Cursed/SVRE Bleeding].
'Blood Oath isn't going to save me this time, huh. Just my luck.' Jaune grimaced as he felt his thoughts begin to slip past him. His arms lost the last of his strength and they fell by his sides limply. His eyes fought desperately to remain open, blinking rapidly as dark spots began to eat away at his vision.
Dying in a world that wasn't even his own. Go figure.
Taking a potion now would be useless, even an Ambrosia wouldn't help him with his status still Cursed. If only Oswald had arrived as he promised, maybe he would have had a chance of surviving.
Legs finally giving out, Jaune's body slid along the lit bolt to fall to the golden floor with a meaty thump. He grunted lowly as he felt his body begin to become numb to the intense pain. With the last of his remaining strength, he looked up to Eve, finding the cursed wrathful woman's eyes filled with tears and horror painted on her face. Her hands hurriedly flew to her chest pocket for something before moving it to his mouth, only to fumble in her panic and drop the phial of clear liquid.
Purity. The cure for all ailments befalling a Gamer. Sorry to say that wouldn't be of much help now.
Again, he was leaving someone behind with his sacrifice. He couldn't even leave them with any words of encouragement to keep them going. All he could give the redhaired horned woman was one last smile.
Then darkness welcomed him back to its arms.
Whispers filled his ear, hushed and arguing as three... people? Argued with one another about something he couldn't understand. Was it important? Where was he?
Who was he?
Bleary eyed, he opened his blue eyes to see nothing but pure white. A plane of white, empty and devoid of any form of life. It was like it didn't exist. Was there air to breath? Would he die of suffocation?
Die.
...Was he... dead?
The three arguing voices stopped, confusing him greatly as he tried to find the voices owners. He made something out, three bodies floating in the nothingness, their features blurred.
An odd fuzz of wavering blue, like fire. A red coat and funny hat. And was that a bag on their face? The final one was harder to see, he could only make out what look like skin colored like light dirt, raven hair that flowed and wavered like a night sky, odd fluff that looked like clouds around their head, and weird tattoos constantly shifting on their skin. Suddenly the voices cut themselves off, growing ominously quiet. In the blank plane of existence, a gold light shined and appeared in the center of the three. A figure stepped out, radiating like the sun as the three figures became still like statues.
Jaune frowned, squinting as the radiating figure looked at him and smiled warmly. Was he seeing things, or was that-
ERROR. PAGE NOT FOUND. A GLITCH HAS APPEARED. SCRIPT CORRUPTED. A NEW FILE HAS BEEN ADDED TO JOURNALS.
B $E 6^4.
The dance has come to a close. Death has come and taken what you've cherished. Your heart. . .what does it fill with? Rage, anger, hate, sorrow? What monster is left behind?
ERROR. ERROR. ERROR. Something has intervened. A greater will. What lies under the surface of your reality?
The clock is ticking. Midnight is drawing close. A heart is drowning in negativity. Abandon the visage of prince charming, and FIGHT! For you are a Huntsman.
And that's a wrap for now. Chapter 33 is already underway with editing and will be published next Monday at the latest. And A Jaune of All Trades should be uploaded again next week as well. So, look forward to those.
Multiplayer Journals has been updated! And I've got two pages of Monty's Missing Journal up as well. Oh, and I've got something special too. A Glitched Page, corrupted by The Game. I've left a hint at the end of the chapter on how to decode it, but ya got to decode the hint as well. I laugh maniacally. That missing passage is special in a way, so good luck finding out what it is.
Now, off I go. I'm going to be playing Monster Hunter World on my PS4 for a while. If any Hunters are out there, my gamer tag is SolNoche. Would love to chat with anyone on a hunt.
Remember to Read and Review. It's common courtesy.
NeoShadows fading in and out.