.-.
For Quinn, it felt like the journey back to the castle took no time at all, or perhaps she was just eager to return with her prize. It would be so easy from here on out. She had the star and soon they would have their freedom. It was all they had dreamed about since the beginning of their imprisonment. She fiddled with the tight gold band around her wrist, its weight feeling as heavy as ever. She knew it would be gone soon and that this would have all been worth it, but as far as Quinn was concerned, it wasn't soon enough.
They came to a halting stop inside the large fortress directly in from of Sue. She stood there with a sinister wide grin worsened by her distorted facial features.
The three girls instantly bowed down on one knee and greeted their master. Quinn looked up at her Queen, but she didn't meet her gaze. She only had eyes for the star.
"Welcome," she said with a cruel grin, ignoring the rest. Rachel cowered, struggling against Quinn's tight grip on her wrist.
"You leave us alone!" Rachel yelled indignantly, stamping her foot. "You despicable old hag! You should be ashamed of yourself!"
The Queen cackled with laughter over Rachel's tirade, the raucous sound reverberating throughout the large room, so terrifying that even the chandelier seemed to quake with fear.
"Quinn," the Queen said, as Rachel continued her pointless struggle, yelling a string of obscenities towards the Queen. She waved her hand and suddenly Rachel's mouth was snapped shut as if her lips had been sewn together, but that didn't stop the ever-determined star. She mumbled as loudly as possible and fought as fervently as ever, but the Queen simply ignored her. "Take whatever you have there to the dungeons. Dispose of it if you will. Just leave me with the star."
Quinn shook her head angrily. "No, we had a deal," she said pointedly holding out her wrist.
Sue laughed again. "And you failed me."
Quinn's eyes flashed red and she advanced on the Queen, ready to use all her might to take her down. Suddenly, a painful jolt coursed through her body, starting from the prominent band around her wrist travelling up her arms. At first, she tried her hardest to push through the pain, but as she swung forward with all her might, the cuff stopped her mid-swing, her hand suspended in mid-air. When she could no longer fight the jarring pain, she collapsed to the floor cradling her scalded arm.
Sue's cold eyes turned towards Quinn. "Are you quite done?" she demanded impatiently.
"We had a deal." Quinn said through gritted teeth, unwilling to let the Queen see just how much pain she was in.
"Relax," the Queen said dismissively. "You'll have your freedom once the ritual is done. I can't very well give up my greatest asset when I still haven't achieved victory, can I? Do you think I'm stupid? You could be poised to attack me while I'm in my weakened state." The Queen laughed at the absurdity of that idea, before turning back to her star. "Now go, before I change my mind."
Quinn growled at the Queen before nodding at Santana and Brittany. Together, they hauled away the still unconscious body of the soon-to-be dead guy. Just as they reached the stairway down to the dungeons, Sue's gleeful voice rang out again.
"Oh, and deal with our unwanted visitor, will you? Then I'll grant you your much beloved freedom."
.-.
Finn tried to creep through the castle as best he could, hugging the walls and trying to remain out of sight. It was difficult for him; it would be difficult for any person his size. In his human form, Finn was unusually tall, especially for a human, earning him a nickname among the stars as "Frankenteen". It was just a good thing that he had barely spent any time as a human before. He didn't like his cumbersome build, the awkward shuffle of his large feet, and his lanky arms which seemed to dangle like large tree branches, easily bumping into things as he walked.
The castle was mostly dark, save for the main hall. He could see a faint glow emanating from the large archway, serving as a connecting pathway from the hall to the foyer.
Even though he had never been there before, Finn felt like he knew these walls even better than the back of his hands, which was technically true since he'd spent so little time as a human. But he had spent many years watching over this place, waiting.
He stopped as he approached a well-lit staircase. He could hear the rumblings of Sue as she pretended to make easy conversation with her captive from the hallway while the loud screams of Rachel's new friend drifted upwards. From his position, he was able to peek around the corner. He saw Rachel, bound and gagged on the floor as she struggled against her bonds. Everything inside him wanted to go help her, to tear through the room and protect her against the so-called Queen, but he couldn't; not yet. He needed help first, help that he wasn't entirely sure he was going to get, but he had to try.
He tried tiptoeing across the entrance way, straining to remain as quiet as possible as he walked, helped by the thick layer of dust muffling his oafish movements. It was lucky for him that Sue's loud monologue coupled with the screaming coming up the spiraling staircase had drowned out the sound of his footsteps. He had never been the lightest person on his feet. As he descended towards the delighted cackles of the Trinity, his brow furrowed in concentration as he listened to their tortuous musing.
"Are you having fun now?" Santana asked, an evil lilt to her voice. "Don't you wanna touch, big boy? I think you do…"
As stealthily as he could, Finn looked through the stone door way. He saw Santana, her pinky fingers linked with Brittany's as they both leaned closely to the squirming Puck as he tried to get away from their forms invading his personal space, but Quinn was nowhere to be seen. The boy already had several long gashes along his torso, and dark bruises covered his chest, shoulders and neck. His cheek was also red and swollen from whatever infliction the girls had caused, and yet he still struggled against his binds.
Finn had to give it to this one; he sure didn't give up. He watched as Puck swore loudly at Santana, spitting the words angrily at her face.
Slowly, both girls stood up, and Finn could just picture the identical taunting smiles gracing their lips. Santana waved her hands and Puck's mouth snapped shut, magically gagging him, approaching ever closer as she moved her face in for a kiss; a kiss of death.
Finn knew he had to act quickly. With no real plan in mind, he stepped out from the darkness, ready to confront the girls when suddenly, a well-aimed kick landed at center of his back, sending him flying forward. He stumbled as he hit the far wall, bracing himself against it as he staggered to keep his footing. He didn't need to turn around to see who it was.
He turned to face Quinn as she glowered at him darkly. He tried to open his mouth to speak but Quinn instantly cut him off, magically silencing his voice as his mouth flapped soundlessly.
"Shut up," she commanded. "You don't deserve to speak."
Finn closed his eyes, summoning enough power to break Quinn's spell on him. "No," he voiced clearly, causing her angry glare to intensify. "Quinn..."
"Shut up!" she shouted again. This time he could feel a vice like grip around his throat, forcing his voice to disappear, but once again he fought off her attack.
"No!" he said again, this time more forcefully. "I will not."
Her eyes flashed with rage. Within a split, second she was physically at his throat, strangling him, with her fingers squeezing tightly. He struggled against her firm hold, but he still managed choke out his speech.
"Quinn – you – don't – have – to – do – this!" he said, his words disjointed.
She laughed at him. "Yes, I do." She swung his body upwards as he hit the ceiling, before falling with a heavy thump to the floor.
He slowly clambered to his feet again.
"You can hurt me all you want Quinn. It won't change a thing," he said, surprisingly calm. She growled again, springing forward and landing blow after blow at him. She yelled in frustration as time and time again, his wounds healed instantly. He just stood there, waiting until she tired herself out, watching as her hands slowly turned bloody from the impact.
"Quinn, stop!" came a small voice, and Brittany was suddenly separating them, barring Quinn from continuing her assault.
"Get out of the way, Britt," she said, her voice snarled.
"No!" It was rare for Brittany to stand up to her friends, choosing to stand back and let them make the decisions, but she wasn't as heartless as one might think. She may not have cared about other people's lives, especially not the star in front of her, but she cared about her friends, and she could tell how shaken her old friend was at that very moment.
Finn stumbled to his feet again, and watched as Quinn's hands took time to heal, Brittany trying to remain between them. "It's okay, Brittany," he said, steeling himself for whatever else Quinn had simmering inside her. "Let her go."
Quinn's eyes narrowed at him suspiciously. "You think I won't kill you?" she asked, daring him to answer.
Finn shook his head. "No, I think you want to kill me with every fiber of your soul, or rather what's left of it, but this isn't you Quinn. This isn't who you want to be."
Her eyes glinted red as she launched herself at him once more, but as her arm swung forward, it stopped short of connecting with his face. She stood still staring into his boyish face, her already healing hand poised in mid-air.
"You don't know anything," she barked, lowering her hand before turning and walking away.
"Yes, I do," he insisted, his own bruises already gone. He turned towards the guy struggling on the floor as he stared at them in a daze, his mouth still bound shut, effectively silencing him. It was obvious he didn't understand what was happening, but he seemed to be using this chance to work harder at escaping. "Let him go. Help me save her."
Quinn laughed and half-turned to look at him. "And why would I do that?" she asked in a mocking tone.
Finn's gaze turned to meet hers and he looked at her sadly. "Because you've done it before."
She growled again, moving quickly to grab him around the throat again. "And look where it got me. Look where it got my friends. Letting you go cost me my life. My freedom. I won't let this opportunity slip through my fingers. You were a fool to think you could just waltz in here and change all the rules." A triumphant grin graced her lips. "Girls, it looks like we have another star for the Queen." She announced, her hand tightening around his throat once more.
"You – know – that – won't – work." Finn struggled out. "You – know – I'm – use – less – to – her. And – you – know – why."
Quinn shrugged and swung her free hand around, delivering a harsh knock-out blow to side of Finn's head. "I told you to shut up."
.-.
Rachel watched helplessly as the Queen worked around her, cursing herself for being so foolish. She desperately needed to make sure Noah was okay. She had been forced to endure hearing his screams from below, but not too long ago, all had fallen ominously silent. She cried at the thought of him being hurt, or worse, dead. This was all her fault. Her selfishness had led them here.
She struggled silently against her bonds, her own mouth still magically bound shut.
"Don't worry," Sue said, looking down at her, mistaking Rachel's tears. "It'll be over quickly, and the process is relatively harmless." She cackled merrily, before lowering her face to Rachel's level. "I lie. It's going to be very, very painful. Excruciatingly painful. So painful, in fact, you'll wish you were already dead."
Her evil laughter continued to fill the large hall, and Rachel could to nothing but whimper from her place on the floor. She tried to summon as much power as she could muster, but Sue easily quashed her attempts. "Look," she had said, angrily. "If you continue to waste my power like that, I'll have them kill him right in front of your eyes. Or better yet, how about a kiss?"
She had fallen silent after that, desperately trying to think of a way to escape as she searched for the right opportunity. Rachel turned her head towards a commotion coming up from the dungeons, and she held her breath as the Unholy Trinity soon emerged, carrying a struggling Noah and a sluggish...
Finn?
She tried to voice her surprise, but the magical gag Sue had bestowed upon her effectively muted out any of her concerns.
"Ah, it looks like you've given our guest the appropriate welcome." Sue said with a wide grin, baring her crooked grin. "And you..." she turned to look Noah in the eye. "It was foolish of you to think that you could steal my star like this. I should kill you where you stand."
She turned to look at Rachel, taunting her. "What do you think, my star?" she snarled, before commanding in an equally harsh tone, "Speak!"
"Don't!" Rachel gasped out from her position on the floor, her voice suddenly returning as tears streamed down her face. "Please don't. He has nothing to do with this. He was just an innocent bystander."
Sue laughed cruelly. "Who was trying to steal my star! Tell me, star, if he was just an 'innocent bystander,' as you say, then you won't mind if I destroy him. Maybe that'll finally get you to give up."
"No!" Rachel protested. "He means nothing to me!" She could feel the tears running down her face, as Noah's struggling paused. "He means nothing! Just let him go! Just let them all go!"
Sue's face darkened. "Now why would I do that? You're not exactly in a bargaining position here."
Rachel sobbed loudly. "Just let them all go, and I'll grant it to you willingly." At her words, Finn who had now recovered, pulled himself forward against Santana and Brittany's hold, trying to voice his objection.
Sue snorted in distaste. "What difference will that make? I already have you in my grasp."
"You and I both know my magics are ten times more potent if given willingly."
"So?" Sue said, shrugging her shoulders. "I will have power no matter what."
"For how long?" Rachel retorted. "Three, maybe, four hundred years?"
"It's longer than you'll ever have!" Sue yelled angrily, growing frustrated with the conversation.
"True. But then you'll be powerless again, locked in this fortress until another star falls from the heavens. And who knows how long that will take." Rachel reasoned. "But if I give my power willingly, then you will finally achieve what you've always wanted: true immortality. Your magics will never run out," she finished, her voice slow and even.
Sue eyed her calculatingly, mulling over the offer in her mind. Everyone in the room seemed to be holding their breath. Only Finn struggled in protestation, knowing the full extent of Rachel's bargain and the unacceptable repercussions.
But Rachel didn't care, her gaze shifted and she stared apologetically into Noah's eyes. She tried to convey in that one look all her sorrow and regret for letting this happen. If she hadn't been so selfish, if she had taken the threat of the Unholy Trinity seriously, if she hadn't come here in the first place, then none of this would have ever happened. Noah would have lived his life as a normal guy, unhindered by the troubles of the magical world.
He shook her head at her, pleading her with his eyes, but Rachel couldn't let anything happen to him. That was her promise. And if she had to sacrifice herself, then she would do it. She would do it for him.
"Deal!" Sue shouted grandly, cutting through the silence. Rachel jumped at her words, almost forgetting why she was there. For a moment, it seemed like the rest of the world had disappeared, and all that remained in it was her and Noah.
She closed her eyes as Sue waved her hand. A loud clanking of metal against stone sounded from the Trinity, and they each looked at their bare wrists stunned, their gold binds laying desolately on the floor.
"No! Rachel!" Noah yelled, running towards her, his voice now returned as Sue relinquished the Trinity's hold on him.
She reached out towards him, but as their fingertips grazed, Sue waved her hand again. The five of them suddenly flew towards the castle doors, the hard-wood oak opening on its own accord, allowing them to pass through before closing with a loud thunk. And just like that, they were alone, with nothing but the echo of Noah's protests ringing throughout the empty hall.