A private roleplay only for those invited by the first writer
"The Hunter King leaned into the boy's ear and sneered against it. You know belong to me and this castle forever. You are cursed to stay within these walls and you'll never be able to leave. And all those who once knew you will forget who you are. As you will be cursed to never remember who you are. And as for you sister."
"The Hunter King pulled away and with a snap of his fingers, one in his hunting party guided a girl from behind the group. But the form was transparent with a gaping hole in her chest where her heart had been. It was the ghost of his sister."
"The Hunter King pulled away and with a snap of his fingers, one in his hunting party guided a girl from behind the group. But the form was transparent with a gaping hole in her chest where her heart had been. It was the ghost of his sister."
"The Prince's eyes widened in horror as he cried out. No, we had a deal! He sobbed, sharp eyes turning to the king. You promised you'd let her go. My life for hers!"
"With a triumphant look on his face, the Hunter King stepped back and with a crossbow, shot a golden-tipped arrow straight into the little girl ghost's chest. Ghostly, sad eyes latched onto her brother's for one moment before her corporeal form disappeared."
"With a triumphant look on his face, the Hunter King stepped back and with a crossbow, shot a golden-tipped arrow straight into the little girl ghost's chest. Ghostly, sad eyes latched onto her brother's for one moment before her corporeal form disappeared."
"You LIED! The boy cried and surged forward, swiping his sword at the Hunter King. But the King just laughed as the sword went through him. Not piercing skin. I have let her go, he spoke down as if sharing some sort of twisted joke. Her soul belonged to me but now it's free to go onto the afterlife. Whereas yours will remain mine forever."
"There was a quiet thump behind the boy and he looked behind him."
"There was a quiet thump behind the boy and he looked behind him."
"His mouth dropped open in a gasp. His own body was behind him. And he was in a strange new form. Not a ghost an dead like his sister had been. But not quite living either. Cursed. Glancing down at his arm there was now a large hole where the arrow had pierced his flesh. It was still bleeding on his body but not this form. Then he felt it a tug in his mind. And with a blink, he looked at the strange body before him. Who was it?"
"And with a start, who was he?"
"And with a start, who was he?"
"The Hunter King's rich, dark laughter filled the hall as the rest of the hunters sneered and joined in. The young, cursed prince looked around wildly. He sensed there was great sadness here but he didn't know why. The curse will be lifted when someone speaks your name, boy, hissed the Hunter King as he returned to his throne, already looking as though he forgot the boy existed."
"MOMMY," Rose cried, little arms crossing and glaring up at her mother. "That is the most terrible story I ever heard?"
"Oh and why is that?"
"Because, the bad guy wins. The prince didn't even save his sister and now he's stuck there not remembering who he is? And no one else remembers who he is either?! I don't like it."
A quiet huff and another glare in the dreadlord's direction.
"Oh and why is that?"
"Because, the bad guy wins. The prince didn't even save his sister and now he's stuck there not remembering who he is? And no one else remembers who he is either?! I don't like it."
A quiet huff and another glare in the dreadlord's direction.
"Sometimes, child of mine, stories need to reach their lowest in order to start going up. And other times stories don't end how we would hope or expect them to. And sometimes, stories need time to finish before little girls interrupt them."
Rose huffed again.
"Well I just don't like that the Hunter King is winning. It's not right."
"That is noted. May I continue?"
Rose huffed again.
"Well I just don't like that the Hunter King is winning. It's not right."
"That is noted. May I continue?"
Rose gave an exasperated sigh and slowly started to relax her stiffly crossed arms. "Fine but I want to find this Hunter King and teach him a lesson. He can't get away with how mean he's being!"
"Umhm," Sierra indulged her.
"I also don't think he's been loved enough in his life. Not just from what his Queen Huntress did but real love. Like loving without expecting anything back. And maybe he just needs someone to love him like that to be better."
"Umhm," Sierra indulged her.
"I also don't think he's been loved enough in his life. Not just from what his Queen Huntress did but real love. Like loving without expecting anything back. And maybe he just needs someone to love him like that to be better."
"You know, like how you and Ceecee love each other. I think then maybe he'd start being nicer," Rose continued her monologue and Sierra just nodded politely. "Or what if someone just got him a present on All Soul's Day? One he wasn't expecting. But I guess then if he continued to act like a mean poopy head then he'd have to be stopped. Maybe his heart was as black as the Queen Huntresses. I mean he did kill those children. Ugh, MOM!"
Rose flopped one arm on the bed.
"I don't know. What if he did eventually have remorse but he still had a lot to answer for."
Rose flopped one arm on the bed.
"I don't know. What if he did eventually have remorse but he still had a lot to answer for."
"Would it be right to kill him? Think of all those families that lost their kids? What if he wanted to work off his guilt? Would it be better to let him live, if the villagers didn't kill him first for all he had done? Or all those magical animals, if they didn't want to murder him and his hunting party too?"
Another arm flopped on the bed.
"But is death the only answer for bad guys?"
Another arm flopped on the bed.
"But is death the only answer for bad guys?"
"These are all good questions," Sierra leaned forward with a serious expression on her face. "And I want you to keep asking them. Keep thinking about them."
Rose looked flabbergasted. "Okay I guess."
Sierra leaned over and smoothed some of Rose's dark hair away from her face. "As it so happened, the night sky felt as disgruntled as you did when Daisy finished her story. But a wish was a wish. And as Daisy stared up at the starry sky, a single golden star streaked by. Daisy sat up and clutched her hands together, tightly to her chest and silently made her wish."
Rose looked flabbergasted. "Okay I guess."
Sierra leaned over and smoothed some of Rose's dark hair away from her face. "As it so happened, the night sky felt as disgruntled as you did when Daisy finished her story. But a wish was a wish. And as Daisy stared up at the starry sky, a single golden star streaked by. Daisy sat up and clutched her hands together, tightly to her chest and silently made her wish."
"Okay but are we going to find out what she wished for?" Rose asked.
Sierra tried to keep her face serious as she shook her head. "Maybe by the end of the story."
Rose lifted her hands in the air before letting them flop back down to the bed. "Ugh, fiiiiiiiiine."
With a shake of her head, Sierra continued. "No sooner had Daisy made her wish, there was a rustling noise in the dark wood behind her. She slowly turned and froze as she saw..."
Sierra tried to keep her face serious as she shook her head. "Maybe by the end of the story."
Rose lifted her hands in the air before letting them flop back down to the bed. "Ugh, fiiiiiiiiine."
With a shake of her head, Sierra continued. "No sooner had Daisy made her wish, there was a rustling noise in the dark wood behind her. She slowly turned and froze as she saw..."
"That golden set of eyes staring back at her. The same one she thought she'd seen earlier."
"Oh yeah," Rose murmured, remembering that part of the story from a night or so ago.
"This time when Daisy blinked, the eyes didn't go away. The girl shook her head and pinched her arm. Just to make sure she wasn't sleeping. Then ever-so-slowly, she stood from the ground and began wading through the tall grasses of the field toward the line of dark wood. Toward those glowing-golden eyes."
"Oh yeah," Rose murmured, remembering that part of the story from a night or so ago.
"This time when Daisy blinked, the eyes didn't go away. The girl shook her head and pinched her arm. Just to make sure she wasn't sleeping. Then ever-so-slowly, she stood from the ground and began wading through the tall grasses of the field toward the line of dark wood. Toward those glowing-golden eyes."
"She remembered the treaty. She was not allowed to cross the border into the dark wood. Growing up she remembered the games the children would play. Daring each other for who would get the closest. Who might actually breach the border!"
"No one ever did. There were stories of a boy named Gurgilden who was rumored to have reached over and touched one of the trees. Some stories said that he disappeared from his bed the next night, never returning. Other stories said that he started getting a strange rash on his arm, a black growing moldy-sickness until they had to cut his entire arm off before it got to his heart."
"No one ever did. There were stories of a boy named Gurgilden who was rumored to have reached over and touched one of the trees. Some stories said that he disappeared from his bed the next night, never returning. Other stories said that he started getting a strange rash on his arm, a black growing moldy-sickness until they had to cut his entire arm off before it got to his heart."
"But those were just village tales. Daisy knew better than to believe them. Still, her booted feet paused in the grass, a good foot away from the edge of the wood. The forbidden border. As she got closer and closer to the golden eyes, they seemed to retreat further and further back. Now she felt as though she wasn't any closer than when she'd first seen them across the field."
"A frustrated sigh escaped the tip of her nose. And her voice whispered into the night. I won't hurt you."
"A frustrated sigh escaped the tip of her nose. And her voice whispered into the night. I won't hurt you."
"If the bearer of the eyes heard her, they gave no indication. And Daisy stared right back, determined. Another shuffle forward. Then another. Until the toes of her boots pressed just against that invisible border. She took a breath and then another. Are you even real?"
"She called into the dark wood and stared at those golden eyes. Waiting."
"She called into the dark wood and stared at those golden eyes. Waiting."
"The golden eyes slow blinked at her through the darkness. Ah-ha, Daisy cried! I knew you were real. And you can hear me. I can't...I'm not supposed to go in there. She frowned and risked a glance over her shoulder. But no one else was out there but her and the starry sky. She could see the flickering candle light back in her home way across the field and on the small hilltop. Fingers clenched into fists at her side."
"Can you come closer? A question to the night."
"Can you come closer? A question to the night."
"Another slow-blink of the golden pair in her direction but it made no move to come closer. It also made no move to go further away. Daisy lowered herself down to the ground and sat cross-legged. Making no move for either, herself. Fingers fiddled with uneven blades of grass. Are you a magical beast or are you an agent of the Hunter King?"
"The golden eyes blinked again in her direction. Daisy sighed."
"The golden eyes blinked again in her direction. Daisy sighed."
"You know, the Hunter King is just a story. I don't really believe he lives in this dark wood. Another blink at Daisy. I suppose he could but then that would mean I remember the prince. The boy who is cursed to be in that castle and I bet I could remember his name. Breaking the curse. Daisy shrugged her shoulders as she watched those eyes closely."
Rose began closing her own eyes. All her energy from before leaving her. A small yawn.
"As Daisy stared, the eyes seemed to vanish completely. Wait! She called. Please come back! She waited."
Rose began closing her own eyes. All her energy from before leaving her. A small yawn.
"As Daisy stared, the eyes seemed to vanish completely. Wait! She called. Please come back! She waited."
"But the eyes didn't come back and Daisy truly was alone now," Sierra's voice tapered off as she stood and pulled the blanket up around Rose, tucking her in gently. Turning off the nightlight, she eased out of her chair and made her way back to the doorway.
"Sweet dreams," she called to her daughter and eased the door mostly closed, leaving it a crack open. Always a crack open for Rose. Turning, she went down to the kitchen and in search of Cillian.
"Sweet dreams," she called to her daughter and eased the door mostly closed, leaving it a crack open. Always a crack open for Rose. Turning, she went down to the kitchen and in search of Cillian.
The next night, Sierra was kneeling by the tub trying to scrub Rose’s paint covered hands clean. And she found herself pausing out of gratitude. This was her life now. She got to see her daughter grow up in a safe place.
No worry or threat to be taken or dragged off into some army.
She could truly be something Sierra never got to be: a kid.
No worry or threat to be taken or dragged off into some army.
She could truly be something Sierra never got to be: a kid.
Sierra had to wonder what the water nymph, Ariel did. And she felt a cringe of guilt at how much time they took for Rose. Then again, she hoped if Ariel was truly busy, she would say something.
Sierra wondered how long Cillian had lived in this protected grove. She’d never asked how old he was. A part of her didn't want to know. Jed alluded he was thousands of years old and that was enough for her.
Sierra wondered how long Cillian had lived in this protected grove. She’d never asked how old he was. A part of her didn't want to know. Jed alluded he was thousands of years old and that was enough for her.