Hey guys! Guess what. I HAVE ANOTHER CHAPTER FOR YOU!
*bows to the cheering crowd* Thank you, thank you very much!
I know I said I wouldn't be on much, and it's still not for certain, but I'm trying. I'll go into more detail at the end of the story. I don't have much to say... Except to apologize. I'm going to say sorry now instead of later, because I feel like a truly horrible person for writing this. But it had to be done. I'm sorry. I regret nothing.
Warning: slight mention of self-harm, but it's very minimal. And it's not the main character doing it, so... Also a bit of implied suicide mentioned. I will not take responsibility for the tears I cause! (Sorry about that, Naomi-chan. I regret nothing.)
Disclaimer: This is really getting old... No, I sadly don't own rotg or the story of the ugly duckling. Yes, it is a very depressing thing. But you know what? These OCs are mine. So don't use them. Unless I give you permission. Which you have to ask for.
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Jabez kept to his promise. He spent years helping the humans in any way he could. True, they could not see him, but that was fine. They didn't need to see him for him to work his magic.
He quickly learned how to guide people, lead them to each other, and he used that knowledge to his advantage. He may not be able to help people feel like they matter, but the people they cared about could. He guided them in knowing what others felt deep inside, and helped them see the true beauty in others.
He also learned quickly that humans were forgetful creatures. Only weeks after he brought this knowledge to life in a person, they would forget it and not see the pain another being held deep inside. It was difficult to watch and deeply upset him, but he pushed through it. He'd learned over the one year of his past life that the only thing you can do is keep moving forward and never give up. To try again and again until things went right. Eventually they would, even if they didn't happen the way you expected them to.
Throughout his first year as a spirit, he consistently felt cold, having no feathers to warm him. He flew as a swan as often as he could, but it really was easier to spread his kindness to the humans as one of them.
After a few more months of this, he found a clothing store and ventured inside. He'd noticed the day before that only the people who seemed to live very luxurious lives went into the shop, and he'd watched with anger as the shop keeper literally kicked a child with dirty clothing out. He'd quickly gone and found a nice old couple to take care of the child, and influenced the boy into allowing their help. He'd only come here again after making sure the boy was being well-cared for.
His hand slowly ran over the rich, fine fabrics. They looked very warm, and Jabez was tempted to grab a handful and start distributing them to the poor, but he knew he couldn't. The poor people would be accused for stealing, and their lives would get a million times worse.
Still, they looked so warm. His eyes scanned over all the racks and landed on a particular set of clothing. Hanging on a rack in the far corner was a full silk suit that looked as if it had been there for a while, and it was quite obvious why. The top half of the outfit was made up of a yellow vest and white frock coat, which seemed extremely odd and out of place. No man would wear an outfit of those colors unless they were trying to start a new trend, which was not very common, especially in this town. Not to mention the white trousers that made up the bottom half of the outfit and yellow shoes.
The clothing was so incredibly preposterous that Jabez couldn't imagine anyone wearing it. Anyone... Except him. No one could even see him, so it didn't matter if they thought he looked like an dolt. Plus, he loved the color white, and that was the main color of the outfit.
His hand stopped an inch away from touching the fabric as a wave of doubt came over him. This was stealing. Stealing was wrong. Hadn't he stopped many a child from doing such a thing over the past year? But at the same time, he had no other way to get warmer clothing. No one could even see him. He had no choice. He had to steal, and what better place to steal from than this rich place that kicked out poor children?
With that thought in mind, he pulled the clothing off the rack and quickly changed into it. He kept his white shirt on underneath the vest, as well as his necklace. Surprisingly, the outfit fit perfectly. He pulled on a pair of white gloves to finish the look and studied himself in a mirror. He couldn't help the grin that grew across has face.
He looked good.
With a quick nod to himself, he left the shop through an open window in the back and changed into a swan, flying away to another town.
That was not the last time he stole something. In fact, over the many years to come, he'd steal so often that it'd become a habit and he wouldn't even feel guilt for it. He'd come to think of everything as being his for the taking, the payment for his unseen help.
More years passed. By the time he was about thirty years old in this lifetime, he had become a master thief. It was surprisingly easy to steal when no one could see you. He'd also gotten into the habit of talking to the humans, even though they couldn't see him. He didn't really try to have conversations with them, only threw short comments their way.
He'd say to a baker when he took a sticky bun off his shelf, "These are delicious! You are excellent at your job, keep up the good work!"
Or to a boy in the school house who'd answered a question correctly, "Good job! You are very intelligent, I can see great things in your future!"
Or to a woman sewing together a quilt, "That's absolutely beautiful! It's sure to keep whoever uses it warm, not to mention the amazing display of colors!"
And it seemed as if, every time he said something, the person would smile just a little wider and sit just a little taller, as if they could almost hear him. And it would make him smile and know that everything would be alright. He could keep going, keep surviving, because he was helping people, even if they didn't know it.
When he was about fifty, he met another spirit for the first time.
Now, it's not like he didn't know there were other spirits. The moon had told him all about them over their many conversations (or image-sending on the moon's part), and he knew all about them. He just hadn't really expected... Well, he didn't actually know what he had expected. He'd just gotten so used to being invisible that it was a very strange thing to be seen.
Also, the fact that the spirit he met was a swan was a bit surprising. She was unlike any swan he'd ever met before. Her skin was as pale as his, but it looked even paler in contrast to her jet black hair, feathers, and clothing. In fact, the only things not black or white about her were her blood red eyes and lips.
Just looking at her gave Jabez shivers. Everything about her was scary. The fact that even in human form she looked like a weird bird mutation, the pure black version of what could have been an absolutely astounding dress that she wore, and those red eyes... He couldn't get past those red eyes. All he could think of upon seeing them was evil.
They were standing on opposite sides of a square, people weaving around them, but both were making sure to stand in spots that people would not go through them. Jabez had thought that he'd seen her first, but then her eyes turned his way and didn't seem surprised in the slightest. He felt himself shrink in her gaze. He didn't want those eyes to look at him, not in a million years.
Then suddenly, she was in front of him, again in a spot that no one would go through her, but close enough to speak to him. He yelped and jumped away, then chided himself for his fear. He was chosen to be a spirit for a reason, to take care of the children! He'd gone through unimaginable horrors, a creepy black swan couldn't scare him!
"Who are you?" He asked, trying to make himself as tall as possible. It didn't work to well. The black swan was about a head taller than him, and was quite obviously older.
The swan fixed him with an unemotional gaze. "Black Swan." She said in a soft voice that seemed to slice like a blade, chilling him to the bone.
His eyes widened slightly in surprise at the obviousness of the name. Did she not have an actual name? He quickly schooled his expression back into something strong and powerful, or what he hoped was that way.
"Well, Black Swan, you can't be here. You need to leave. Now." He added, trying to make himself sound authoritative.
Black Swan raised an eyebrow, somehow making her face look even more daunting. "Really? And why do you say that?" She asks, and it almost sounds like she's taunting him, though her tone of voice hasn't changed in the slightest.
It was getting really difficult to keep the fear out of his voice. "Because children live and play here, and I won't let you hurt them."
Black Swan nodded slightly, turning her face away from his as she examined the square around her. "What is your name?" She asked, seemingly out of the blue.
Jabez's eyebrows knit together in confusio ,the relevance of the question flying over his head. She seemed slightly insane. He would definitely need to keep her away from the kids. "Jabez. Jabez Duckling."
Black Swan nodded again, walking over to a fruit-vendor's counter. "Well, Jabez Duckling, who do you think you are to send me away? What gives you that power, hm?" She asked nonchalantly, choosing a blood red apple and taking a bite out of it.
Jabez's eyes narrowed as anger and pride took over. "I was chosen by the moon to be a spirit after living a year of pain and remaining kind and virtuous no matter what was done to me. I was an ugly duckling then, beautiful on the inside and horrid on the outside. But now I am beautiful inside and out. I protect the children and teach them to see their inner beauty, as well as that of others. I help them in making others feel special, and guide them to see the pain that others hide inside. I see what is on the inside before I see what is on the outside. I am a protector of children, and with this power given to me, I demand that you leave!"
Black Swan just stared at him, face emotionless and arms crossed. For a few seconds, she was quiet, and Jabez found himself again feeling nervous. Just as he was about to try to think of something else to say, maybe attack this dangerous spirit, she spoke.
"You claim to see what's on the inside before you see what's on the outside?" A dark chuckle slithered past her lips, wrapping around the two of them and constricting Jabez's airway. "If that is true, then why is it that you saw me as evil before I even spoke? You fear me, I can see it in your eyes. But it isn't how I act or who I am that makes you think that way. It's how I look. I'm different, and so you fear me." Her eyes fixed to his and he found that he couldn't look away from those deadly eyes. "You lie to not me, but to yourself. You judge before you know anything. It seems that you know nothing about yourself."
A fierce anger beyond anything he'd ever felt shot through Jabez, and suddenly he found himself in front of Swan, gripping her neck in one hand as he held her aloft. She began to choke, tearing at his arm in an attempt to get free, but to no avail, his hand only gripping tighter.
"You know nothing about me, but I know much about you. I don't need to look deep inside you to know the evil that lives there." He threw her to the ground, and disn't even flinch at the loud cracking sound and cry of pain that followed.
He knelt next to her curled up form. "Your image reflects the evil that lies inside of you." He whispered threateningly. A hand shot out and gripped her chin, turning it so that her red eyes met his. He didn't see them as scary anymore. He saw them as weak, even if they were still a threat. "You are more worthless than I ever was. Now LEAVE!"
Jabez threw her head to the side as he let go, turning around and looking the other way. He could hear Swan's wheezing breaths behind him, but he didn't turn around or ask if she was okay. He pushed down the wave of guilt that was churning inside of him and kept his eyes on the distance. After a few moments of struggling, he heard the sound of feathers weakly moving in the wind as Black Swan flew away.
He knew he wouldn't see her again for a long time. Good, he thought. The children will be that much safer.
And he didn't see her again. Either she was still licking her wounds, or she was too afraid of him to to anywhere near him. Jabez felt a bit bad about what he'd done, especially the making her feel the same fear he'd felt for her. But it was alright, because he was protecting the children. Plus, he'd felt so... Powerful. Sure, there'd been that wave of guilt, but surely it was a good guilt. That power had chased away an evil woman. It couldn't be bad.
More years passed, and he met many more spirits. Never again did he such intense evil in a spirit, but he did make sure to assert his power. It actually wasn't too difficult. Every time he met a spirit, he couldn't help but feel like he was so much better than them. I mean, none of them had been chosen for the same reasons as he, and none had been created with the same purpose as his. Everything about his story seemed better than theirs. He quickly got into the habit of looking down upon others.
The only ones he didn't look down upon were the Guardians. They were actually equal in supremeness to him. As time went on, he was gradually more and more surprised that he wasn't chosen as a Guardian. I mean, it was the moon's choice, and the moon knew he was at the level of (maybe even slightly better than) the Guardians.
Speaking of the moon, it'd spoken to him less and less as the years went on, but Jabez couldn't bring himself to care. He had better things to do than worry about the moon and its reasoning.
Jabez reached the age of about a thousand. Much more had happened over the years, but all they did was confirm his reasoning that he was better than everyone else and could have whatever he wanted. But he'd never forgotten his former life. No, his former life just helped to sustain his reasoning.
The moon hadn't spoken to him in years. Jabez didn't really know when it had stopped, but it had. In fact, it had been at least a hundred years since they had last spoken. That's why he was so surprised when, while walking through a dense forest at night, the trees parted to allow the entrance of a single moonbeam.
He stared up at the moon for a moment, blinking in the sudden light, before his face contorted in anger. "Oh, so now you talk to me? It's been a long time, old friend. Why did you leave me alone?" He yelled, not even trying to hide the fury in his voice.
An image appeared in his head, showing him, and then a beating red heart. The heart was glowing with a luminescent light, beating with the force of something alive and filled with love. Slowly, the heart began to shrivel up, blackening and drying out. The glow disappeared, leaving the heart to look like a distorted version of itself.
Jabez gasped and glared at the moon with a heat he'd never felt before. There was a burning in his stomach, and his throat was just itching to scream. "I have NOT gone down the wrong path! I am the same person I've always been, if not better!" He yelled as loudly as his voice would allow.
Another set of images appeared in his head, these showing various moments where he stole items from stores and rich people, but also from poor peasants. These images were followed by times where he acted like an arrogant prat around other spirits, turning away from them because he felt like they weren't worth his time.
His eyebrows knit together as he looked at the moon in confusion. "Yeah, so? What's so bad about all that?"
Again, he saw the shriveled up heart, and his hands clenched. "Seriously? Do you know nothing?! I know who I am and who everyone else is, and I know for a fact I'm better than all of them. And I'm not stealing, I'm collecting payment for my services!" He rebuked, crossing his arms stubbornly.
Images swarmed through his head of children. They were similar to before, but there were differences. Different children in different places, but in the same situations.
In one, a little girl in tattered clothes was curled up against the wall of an alleyway. He didn't know why the moon was showing him this, seeing as he was known for helping children exactly like this, until he caught sight of an older boy walking down the alleyway and passing the little girl by. His face darkened and he readied himself to find the man and make him pay, until he caught sight of the face.
Another scene, this one of a boy who couldn't be more than twelve with fire raging around him. He wore a solid helmet and held a gun, but that wasn't what caught his attention. It was the bloodied body he was clutching to his chest, shaking desperately. Sounds of gunshot continued to ring out around him, but he didn't seem to notice. He noticed another young man — the same young man — in the corner of his vision, and walked as he watched the battle with fear on his face before turning and running away.
Another image, this one of what looked to be an older girl with a knife in her hand. Blood was slowing crawling out of multiple slits in her arms, and Jabez was appalled to realize that it was the girl who did this to herself. She was now staring at the knife with something in her eyes he knew all to well: pain, undiluted pain, and a horrible need to just get away from everything. The knife started moving of its own accord and positioned itself to do a horrible deed. Jabez looked out the window and saw the same older boy just walk by the house, eyes darting in the direction of the building, but making no move to walk into the house.
Always the same boy. The same face.
His face.
Jabez stared at the moon in something akin to fear as more images flashed through his head. As they ended, he quickly schooled his expression and stood taller, turning his gaze back into a glare.
"I never just walk away when I see a child in need." Jabez growled, eyes so sharp they could kill. "You're making up stories in an attempt to control me. But I know the truth. I know I'm doing the right thing."
Jabez turned away from the moon and stared into the dark forest around him, debating his next words for a moment before steeling himself. His voice betrayed his emotions as he whispered so silently, "I expect you to stay away from me. I want nothing to do with you."
And then he was running away, disappearing into the shadows of the night.
The moon watched, its heart pinging with sorrow for its child. He'd just wanted to bring him back onto the right path, but the boy was too far gone. He wouldn't listen to it. The moon knew its son was just afraid and didn't want to admit to his wrong-doings, because that would mean he'd actually committed them. It would mean he'd done wrong and disappointed the one thing that had always been there for him.
But the moon wasn't disappointed. No, it could never be disappointed. It loved its child, so very much. More than (did it dare think it?) every creation it'd ever made before. And all it wanted was for its child to see that. But he couldn't, he was too afraid. He needed someone to guide him back to the light, but it wouldn't be the moon. It couldn't be. The child wouldn't let it be.
Slowly, the forest recovered itself, hiding all evidence of what had happened on that fateful day.
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Yay! I got a story out two weeks in a row! Woop woop!
No, I am not in the clear yet. Still a lot going on, grades are still bad, school is still up... But I've been writing during any free time I can find, even during class. It seems to help calm me down and focus, which is exactly what I need. Which means I'm likely to post more often! You know, as long as I don't fall into writer's block.
Which I shouldn't, because you guys are amazing! It's scary how many character ideas I have now! I'm going to try to get around to all of them, as soon as I complete the character profiles (traits, personalities, looks, backgrounds... You know) for the.
COOKIES FOR EVERYONE! *gives sprinkles888 special snicker doodle cookie* You deserve that girl. Thanks for all the support, it means a lot!
Now, what I would like are some actual story ideas! I can't JUST make characters. I need stories for them, adventures that they go through! I've tried thinking of some, but I'd rather like to get some requests for ideas. I'm good with creating characters, but not so much creating stories. I most likely will be doing one-shots, but I will do longer if need be.
Point is, I would love to get some STORY ideas from you guys! I love all the character ideas and would love to keep getting those, but if this is to be a good story, I need actual... Well, stories. I'm not saying I won't continue making characters. These are those forgotten, and there are many who are forgotten. I just need to take story requests as well. So if you could so kindly give me some...
So! Please review! Make sure to give me some ideas, tell me what type of cookie you like, and how about you tell me your favorite color. Try to guess what mine is, and I'll tell you if you're right next time.
Ta for now!
~*Fantasy Forger*~