*Author's Notes* Hello. Well, I decided to keep writing this story, because it was just sitting in my computer. Plus, I really liked this idea. Anyways, thank you for that one review, nicoleterry101. I really appreciate it. *AHEM* If you want me to write more and quickly, you should review, otherwise I'm just going to think that nobody cares. Anywho, time for a *DISCLAIMER* I do not own Skulduggery Pleasant, Or TNBC. They belong to Derek Landy, Tim Burton, and the Disney Company. Thank you, (Anybody out there?) for reading and remember to review, if you want me to continue. Thank you, and remember: THIS IS HALLOWEEN! -ThinkChimerical
Chapter 3: Princess Gothica Horrifica…What?
Valkyrie awoke, several hours later. Her head ached so much. She was lying in forest of some kind. She groaned. Her wrists burned from the rope that bound her hands together. She saw the small, hunched form of a girl a few yards away from her. Her memory came rushing in. she rushed the girl.
"YOU!" she shouted. The girl looked back at her, unfazed.
"Oh. You're up." Something in the girl's empty gaze set Valkyrie's anger to boiling.
"And you're a master of the obvious. What are you doing, kidnapping innocent people?" The strange girl smiled, her pointed teeth glimmering in the darkness.
"You're hardly innocent, Valkyrie Cain. You've done terrible things to people." Valkyrie recoiled.
"How do you know my name?" she asked.
"I know everything about you, Valkyrie Cain." She whispered. Valkyrie frowned. She couldn't help being creeped out. Stalk much? She thought.
"Since you know everything about me, who are you?" asked Valkyrie hoping to get her given name.
"Of course, Miss Cain." The girl paused slightly. "I am Princess Gothica Horrifica Jacqueline Everrose Deadbloom Annabel Lee Darknesse Morgan Ghostly Sally Alyss Luna Mollynor Skellington. But you can call me Molly." Valkyrie looked at her, strangely impressed. How she even knows her full name is a miracle.
"Well, um, Molly, I want you to release me." Molly looked at Valkyrie with a confusedly.
"What are you trying to…?" Her expression cleared, and she laughed, a lovely and strange laugh, kind of like the rustling of leaves. "Oh, you hope to use my given name to force me to do what ever you want. Oh, I get it! Well, I suppose I could take that rope off your hands." Molly drew a knife out of thin air. Valkyrie gaped at her. How did she do that? How did she know about names? Just who is this girl? Molly took her expression to be one of confusion.
"Prestidigitation, Miss Cain. Simple prestidigitation. I have no powers, only sleight of hand." Valkyrie sighed.
"Don't call me Miss Cain. It makes me cringe. Call me Valkyrie."
"Okay, Miss Valkyrie." She sliced the rope off Valkyrie's hands. Valkyrie conjured fire. That girl is gullible. Molly froze. Her eyes got about ten sizes bigger. Valkyrie held it front of her face.
"Where is my ring?"
"I don't have it." Valkyrie narrowed her eyes.
"Who does?" She demanded. Molly grinned, looking a little insane.
"Oh… you know… They go where I go! Lock, Shock, and Barrel!" Anger consumed Valkyrie.
"If you play any more games, I will burn you." She said coldly, moving the flame even closer. Molly's smiled faded. "Now…. Were are they?"
"They ran off as soon as they gave you to me. They were afraid to get punished, if they got the wrong one, you see."
"Punished?" That girl doesn't look strong enough to break a twig in half.
"Not by me. By Jack. He would beat them black and green, if they got the wrong one. But they shouldn't worry, if you're here, he'll follow."
" Who will follow?" asked Valkyrie, but she had a sinking sensation that she knew who it was.
"Your friend. What was his name again? Skulduggery? But, anyways, we better head to the Town Square; we'll probably find those tricksters there. Besides, Jack wants to meet you…."
Somehow, Valkyrie found herself walking to "Halloween Town". She burned with questions as they walked, hurriedly, through the leafless, dead forest. Finally, she asked,
"What the heck are you?" Molly glanced back at her. She stopped.
"I… am a … Well, I suppose you would call me a monster."
"That's not obvious."
" No need to be sarcastic, Miss Valkyrie. I am the offspring of the dead and animated. I do not need to breathe, and yet my heart still beats. A revered outcast, as it was. I am one of the heirs to the throne of Halloween, yet still a freak in almost everyone's eyes. My father is respected, revered, even worshipped in my land. My mother was an experiment who ran away from her creator, and therefore marked disloyal, a traitor. A monster, really, in an emotional sense."
"Great sob story. Who's Jack?"
"Have you not heard of him?" Asked Molly.
"Eh… No. Unless, I've kicked his… I probably don't know who you are talking about." Molly frowned.
"He's one of the greatest king Halloween ever had. He freed us from the rule of Oogie Boogie. He's a true Frightsmaster. He could've been a Fear, or even a Nightmare if he wanted to. But he's king, because he defeated Oogie Boogie, but then Jack banished him, and then defeated him once again."
What the…? "It sounds like you're a little obsessed with him." Said Valkyrie. Molly looked at her, disgust evident on her face.
"Gross! I'm not obsessed, they force us to memorize it at school. Like I need to memorize it anyways! Jack is my dad! Oh, and we're here." They had reached a dismal town, shrouded in mist.
"Come on! We got to get to the town square!" she yelled and began jogging at a brisk pace. Valkyrie tripped on a very uneven cobblestone. They reached the Square, were expectant creatures, or rather monsters, of all shapes and sizes waited for… something.
Valkyrie glanced at Molly, and what she saw made her stop in her tracks. Stitched ridges had appeared on her face and visible, her eyes seemed to grow darker, and her skin had grown paler, if possible. Bones jutted at odd angles out of her skin, and her pointed teeth now looked so sharp, Valkyrie was surprised that Molly had not cut her self on them.
"Molly… what's going on?" Molly did not answer Valkyrie, but kept striding to the center of town.
On the steps of a main building, maybe a town hall waited four figures. At the center was a somber faced woman, who had large eyes and was wearing a strange floor length black dress that appeared to be made of patches, ranging in color from pitch black to dark gray. On closer inspection, the woman appeared to be stitched up, all over her pale blue body, just like Molly. On her head she wore a tarnished gold circlet.
"Who's that?" asked Valkyrie. Molly waved her off. You think she would at least answer some of my questions, thought Valkyrie. Besides the stitched up woman loomed a hooded figure that was staring at the floor, hunched over as if it wanted to disappear. But it was near impossible, as it was huge, nearly seven feet tall.
Besides the giant of a figure was a tall blonde. She too was thin, but normal skinny, and only had a few scars on her beautiful complexion. In fact, she would've looked almost normal, except for her breath-taking beauty, and until she smiled. When she smiled her red eyes glowed, and her mouth was full of several rows of razor sharp teeth.
Next to the strange girl was a boy, maybe about fourteen, of fifteen, who was fiddling with what looked like…a rough version of a bomb. He had chestnut colored hair, and looked like a small, more masculine version of the crowned, scarred woman. As Valkyrie watched, fascinated, the scarred boy took a small bottle of… something, and poured into a tube in the complicated bomb.
"Valkyrie! Up here!" Molly was at the top of tree… with the hanging remains of dead men on them. Gross… Thought Valkyrie.
"Hurry! It's about to start!" Valkyrie swallowed her disgust and began to climb. Molly was grinning excitedly. Maybe it was her imagination, but it appeared to get darker… and now it was pitch black…
"It's starting! " whispered Molly. The wind picked up. And then… soft voices began whispering in Valkyrie's ear.
Boys and girls of every age
Wouldn't you like to see something strange?
Come with us and you will see
This our town of Halloween…
This is Halloween!
This is Halloween!
Pumpkins scream in the dead of night
This is Halloween, everybody make a scene
Trick or Treat 'till the neighbor's gonna die of fright
It's our town, everybody scream!
In this town of Halloween…