BitterMint
Chapter 7
Author Notes: Happy halloween boys and girls! School is pain in the butt, however I come to bring fantasy, mystery and magic. Good thing we got this chapter locked and loaded. I do not own Cinderella Phenomenon.
3rd P.O.V
Time passed rather quickly, though that didn't help with the exhaustion Lucette felt as she sat down on her bed. Forced to watch as her favorite companion hopped all over the damn floor. Back and forth..."Please calm down Pepper...you're going to reopen your wounds at this rate."
At this point Pepper would rather it happen...she was a jitter of nerves. It was either her hop around on the floor or chew on something...and sadly there was a lack of safe things for the rabbit girl to chew on.
Still regardless of her overabundance of energy she still made her way towards the princess, allowing her to pick her up with ease. "What's wrong Pepper? You've been acting strange for hours now." Honestly Lucette was worried.
As the moment Pepper and her spoke with Delora, she was silent. No witty comment, no snarky insult...just pure silence unless it was to answer a question. Answers that she had asked Lucette to translate for her...
It was the first time that the crowned princess had no idea what her surrogate sister was thinking. "I'm sorry Lucette...but the Lucis bearer was a royal shock to see." Golden eyes peer down, meeting tired red. "Why? Did you know her like you knew Delora?"
Oh did she ever, and that was the problem. "That woman Parfait? She's my mother." It was a good thing the two of them were sitting on the bed. Otherwise with how the princess choked, Pepper would've fallen for sure.
"You're moth-but you didn't recognize her name! She said she had no children!" It took everything in the furry mammal not to wince. Both from the volume and from the actual words.
Things were starting to get complicated and Pepper was really not liking it. "Parfait wasn't the name she was going by when I was around. She must've changed it at some point. And...technically i'm adopted. I'm not her actual blood kin. The Lucis crystal is inherited by blood relatives."
Though Pepper wouldn't be surprised if Parfait assumed she was dead after all these years... "But still...she's your mother? Why didn't you tell me to speak up when she was questioning us earlier? Don't you want her to know?" Now that was a hard series of questions to answer.
When Parfait and Delora started asking about Pepper, all she had told Lucette was to not reveal her full name and that she was cursed a long long time ago. Nothing more...nothing less. Now Lucette knew Pepper up until now had no desire to return home.
At the time when they first met, Lucette was told that she had gotten into an argument with her family that lead to her running away, and getting cursed from a friend of hers who died. And of course the child never questioned it.
More concerned with the fact that there was a talking rabbit that was actually listening to her and cared for her. What the argument was...why her friend cursed Pepper, all of it was lacking in details that Lucette never felt she had the need to ask.
However that felt like a mistake now as the red haired girl found herself dealing with all sorts of surprises, the biggest being the fact that Parfait was Pepper's mom. The two personality wise were nothing alike-which is probably what sparked a lot of arguments during her childhood.
"Guess it's time for me to fully come clean Lucette..." The teen could feel her tremble beneath her fingers. All the more making Lucette bite her lip in guilt. She didn't want to force anything out of her friend.
After all that she's done for her, it's the least she could do. "You don't have to-" Before she could finish Pepper raised a paw. Giving the girl an affectionate pat on her leg. Making it seem like she was the one comforting Lucette instead of the other way around.
"It's fine. Truth is my real parents gave me to Parfait when I was a kid. I was considered a failure as a fairy due to my lackluster magic capacity and more...negative personality. Parfait cared about me, hell she loved me, but I was constantly looked down upon by my fellow fairies...and it lead to a lot of anger and anxiety for me."
They were hard days. "I was always getting along more with the witch children my age, but I never truly belonged. When I got older, it was a lot harder to ignore how people criticized me and to an extent my mother for taking me in. But it never bothered her..." It was annoying sometimes.
If there was anyone who truly represented what being a fairy was all about it was Parfait...for better and for worse. "She symbolized goodness, and was a-ok with anyone, even those who chose to insult or question her. She couldn't hold a grudge...it was the opposite for me. And I felt like a disgrace." Shame.
Scorn. Spite...that defined Pepper perfectly. "Then Grim-er Hans came around and wrote the fairytales, sparking the witch hunts. And it was there factions began forming. Those who fought with the witches, those who sought to escort the witches out of Angielle, and those seeking to make peace with the humans."
Automatically the seventeen year old could guess which faction she belonged to. "You tried sneaking the witches out didn't you?" At that Pepper nodded. "Correct. I had seen many of my friends and their families die." It truly was the dark ages. For many reasons.
"Though I honored the code of not killing humans or using my magic for malicious purposes, I was sick of seeing the humans causing so much harm. So me and several others started hiding witches requesting sanctuary. Sending them to Brugantia which was neutral to this whole thing." It was fine at first.
Despite the witch hunt search parties growing in number and power, there were several witches that were spared from death. "One friend I had named Cocua...she lost her parents and brother to the hunts, and was pleading with me to talk to my mother. Figuring she would be able to protect her."
Pepper's mouth twitched at the memory. "Back then, mother was doing several meetings among the fairy council, royal family and the nobles of Angielle, figuring she could convince them to stop the witch hunts." A huff escapes her as she hops off Lucette's leg.
Padding gently on the bed for a moment, collecting herself before returning to the princess's side. Unable to look her friend in the eye as she lifts her paw onto her leg to continue her little story.
"Despite being an adult at that point Parfait was always disregarding me, treating me as if I were still a naïve, ignorant child. She had no idea I was doing escort missions across the border day and night." That night was still raw...painful.
Still Pepper kept going. "I had hoped that for once she would listen to me. I wanted her to actually talk to me, so I could tell her about Cocua's plight, but of course she had a meeting and had to leave. I...felt that I couldn't trust her to help Cocua, so we snuck out in the dead of night."
It was a mistake. "While getting close to the border we were spotted. I had told her to go ahead of me. Once she crossed, they would've been unable to touch her, but I chose to stay behind, figuring I would use my magic to stall for time. They had injured me...thinking I was a witch." She was ready to die back then.
Dying to help a friend? It probably would've been the best way to go. "Before they could finish me off, Cocua summoned her magic and started attacking the humans. Cursing me during the chaos. She knew we had no chance surviving, so she cursed me to save my life." It was her last spell.
"I was forced to watch as she was slain with a small smile on her face...and well, to say I was Not ok was an understatement. I didn't dare go home and face my mother's worry and disappointment. I didn't think I had a right to pretend that things were fine after her sacrifice." Her greatest failure and regret.
One that to this day still sticks to her soul. "It didn't take me long to figure out what fairytale I was cursed with, as Cocua before the witch hunts enjoyed the stories. But I had no desire to break it. I stayed in the forest in self banishment with my curse as punishment."
Without realizing, years passed. "Once in a blue moon I would venture into town, taking note of the changes over time." She had long given up on trying to help others, knowing she would only repeat her past mistakes.
"Then...one day I was in town, and found a little girl crying all alone." Lucette knew exactly where this story was going. "I didn't know why she was alone or so upset, but I felt a pull to her. I wanted to cheer her up in anyway I could. So I spoke to her, successfully startling her, stopping her tears." It was the start of theirs.
Immediately Lucette shifted her fingers through soft fur, a gentle smile on her face. "I promised to be her friend and protector for however long she would have me. A promise I have no intentions of ever breaking. Never." Pepper lifts herself up on her hind legs.
Making sure she meets her friend's gaze so she could see her sincerity, to know that there was no lie or alternative motive. "Pepper?" She was here because she wanted to be. Because she cared about Lucette.
"What happened in my past was my past. I have no intention of mending my burned bridges. However...if it would make things easier for you, I will do what I must. I only want you happy Lucette." And that was the truth. Pepper had no desire of wishing for her own happy ending.
So the least she could do is help her friend get hers. "Do you think I can trust Delora and the others here?" A small sigh escapes the little mammal as she plops her head on the girl's knees, relishing on the fingers rubbing her sore scalp.
It felt so nice. "I want to say yes. Though I don't approve of their decision to curse you. They wouldn't have done it without feeling like they needed to. There was a logical reasoning behind it. However they're absolutely wrong and dumb for believing you to be cruel...but we can change that."
The princess raises an eyebrow. Easily able to hear that mischievous tone in her voice. "What are you planning?" Her furry friend nuzzles further into her companions dress, giddy with all the plans she has cooking up.
"Well, as hard as it would be, I think it's time we show them who you truly are. Prove them wrong." It was a sound idea. In theory anyways. Lucette has hidden her true feelings for so long, it was hard to break her mask.
Especially since she could tell some of them only wanted to friend her for her status or disliked her for whatever reason. "Do you truly think I can break my curse?" At that Pepper raises her head.
Scoffing at her question. "Definitely. But we don't have to rush to break your curse. I think going out into town and taking in the sights without most of the people recognizing you will be good for you." At the very least it can't be any worse than it was before.
Still there were quite a few people on Pepper's shit list who deserve a good biting. "Now I think it's a good time to give me a run down of all the people currently living here. I need to get used to our new roomies after all." That tone was back, but Lucette only sighed with a smile.
The night was still young. "Alright...well you already know Parfait and Delora. Next is..." Plans were most definitely forming in the little rabbit's mind...and frankly the red head wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing for those here at the Marchen.
to be continued
Author Notes: Well that was a very long chapter. A long awaited story time between our little ladies, and some...mischief is promised in the future as grudges don't die easily. But that is all it for today.
Everyone thank you so much for reading my story. If you like what you see so far please feel free to fav/follow/review as it would mean a crap ton to me. I will see you all next time. Tchao for now.
