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The Fallen Raven

Rose followed along the left wall as he tried to ignore his rumbling stomach. Finally, he ripped off a handful of leaves as he walked along the hedge and stuck one in his mouth. He sucked on it a little bit and spat it back out. If it was poisonous, he would know within the hour.

He trekked on, clenching onto the leaves he still had in his hands near his rumbling belly. Suddenly Rose's stomach heaved and Rose bent over and regurgitated into the hedge. He tossed the leaves he had been holding onto away from himself while his empty stomach continued to empty itself more.

When Rose's stomach seemed to cease its convulsions Rose slowly stood up, light headed, and was about to start onwards again when he noticed something fluttering above the hedges. He craned his neck to get a better look at it and to Rose it looked a great deal like a butterfly. It fluttered down and it was a butterfly. A beautiful butterfly with glistening pink wings. In its six little legs it was holding a little grape.

"Beatrice?" Rose asked. The little butterfly bobbed up and down. "You flew all the way here to find me?" She bobbed up and down again. She then flew near his face trying to shove the grape into his mouth. Rose leaned back a little and held his palm flat below her. She gave up trying to force it into him and dropped it into his hand. "Thank-you, Beatrice.

She let out a sneezing/squeaking sound and started to flutter away down the maze.

"You know the way out?"

She bobbed up and down as she flew forward. Rose popped the grape into his mouth and ran after her.


Hawthorn stood atop the highest tower of her castle made of obsidian and silver. As she looked out the arched window of the tower she stared out over the woods wondering where Rose was. She had been alarmed when she saw the beanstalk shoot through the sky from the center of Grimwald's maze and she was certain it hadn't been Grimwald who had summoned it. Was her nemesis still in the maze? Could he be lost? She hoped he was lost. The longer he was away from Raven the more she could hurt Raven.

She twisted away from the window and started down the stairs. Perhaps she should install a slide to slip down on from her tower into the dungeon. She hadn't wanted it until now, but she also hadn't visited Raven until now. She had just left him to himself in his cell.

She huffed down the last few steps and let her catch her breath. No weaknesses. It might give him hope. Once she had composed herself, she slowly opened the door to the dark dungeon.

She didn't need much light to see the pale Raven chained to a wall behind bars. She had never thought anyone could be as white as Snow White claimed, but before her stood Raven. And she stood corrected. Being locked up in darkness as long as he had has certainly paled him even more than he was back at school. And he certainly was close to a snow-white now.

She looked down at her hand. She was as black as he was white. Her mother had always told her that it was a sign. A sign of evil. But Hawthorn knew better. After all, Mia was dark. Richard was dark. And even Hawthorn's hair was as white as Raven's skin. Though, she would never make that reference again. Relating her to a prince. A Good prince. Profanity. Anyway, she knew it's not the outside that counts. That's what they had been learning in the Blue Forest.

In the darkness Raven hadn't seemed to notice Hawthorn was there. She padded closer to his cell as quietly as she could. She looked at his gaunt face. She looked at his pale skin. She looked at his messy, oiled hair. She looked at the soiled stain below him. Oh, how princely.

"You're going to die," she blurted.

Rose startled and looked around in the darkness until his eyes found her white hair, "Rose will come."

"Of course he will. And he is going to die too. And being locked up, there is nothing you are going to do about it."

Raven frowned but said nothing. Was he already worn down? Had she crushed him already? That was no fun. Hawthorn grinned for a moment to herself before stowing it away and saying, "Rose did take out Grimwald. And I would presume he's on his way out of Grimwald's maze right this instant."

Raven grinned. Hawthorn tried not to grin herself.

"He's still going to die. He doesn't stand a chance."

Raven's eyes glowed with hope, "You keep saying 'Rose.' It won't just be him."

Hawthorn couldn't help herself. She busted out laughing. "Oh? The incompetent Lily of the Valley? Her powers are tied to a lake several miles away and leaving the lake leaves her weaker than she already is. The Cerulean Sorcerer? I suppose he might put up a fight, but it's nothing my minions wouldn't be able to handle. And your morgifs are a butterfly and a tree. Forgive me if I'm not quaking in my slippers."

Raven kept his face of hope. Oh, how fun it will be to destroy that hope. Over and over again.

"Well, I'll be leaving you now. I'd say make friends with the rats, but there are none. Enjoy your solitude. It's the last life you'll know."

She left the dungeon. He would be quite lonely. She hoped he loses his sanity.

Hawthorn huffed up the stairs back to her tower. Perhaps she would install a slide. Then at least it wouldn't be that horrible going down. She stopped halfway up and made a detour towards the great hall.

Corrin and Eustis had shoved the tables against the walls and were taking the giant orb Hawthorn had used to bring Raven here as a giant ball to kick around. "Corrin! Eustis!"

Both stopped and looked to Hawthorn as the orb rolled behind Eustis.

"Grimwald is in the land of the giants and now it is your turn to slow Rose down. I'm not done with Raven yet. I don't care how you do it. Just make sure no one dies. Not him and especially not you. Shoo."

The two glanced at each other before scrambling to the door. Hawthorn had no idea what they would do, but hopefully they could hold Rose back better than a mirror holding a door and a maze that doesn't allow magic.

Hawthorn continued up the stairs to the window and looked down where her two minions were spots crawling towards the maze. And as she watched them she began to wonder. What was it like to love like Raven and Rose did? What was it like to do anything; break into an old dark castle, travel through a maze made from the essence of evil, for each other?

She stopped. It was pointless to think of such trivial things. Evil commanded. She had her minions. She would leave the sappy, sickly love to the good-as-dead Good.