Chapter Text
“Kneel before me”
A low, domineering voice boomed, echoing through the grand throne room, invading the ears of the many coven heads and important scouts witnessing the ceremony. Below the throne, two young figures gracefully dropped into low, identical bows that had been carefully detailed and practiced weeks in advance. Their bodies strained into stillness, though their hearts raced under the heavy clothes in excited anticipation. Though their uniforms were identical, and their frames similar, slight differences could be found if one looked close enough, including the several inches of height between them and the bundle of smoothed-out hair bulging under the shorter one’s cloak. Alice pondered these differences as her mind raced, noting, for whatever reason, the similarities that existed between her and her soon-to-be fellow Golden Guard: Hunter.
For as long as she could remember, Hunter had been both her source of solace and endless torment. The two had grown up alongside each other, sharing their- if you could truly call what they experienced this - childhood together, the only two children trying to exist in the gloomy, isolating castle belonging to Emperor Belos. While Hunter was the Golden Boy- genius teen prodigy nephew of the Emperor- Alice was simply an orphan lucky enough to be taken in by Belos, something she was reminded of daily. Not to say she didn’t earn her keep- rather, the two kept each other on their toes, constantly competing for the top spot in every class, training activity, and the game for the Emperor’s affection. They had learned to fight for everything they had, dedicating countless hours to get to the top of the Emperor’s Coven, the only life they had ever known. Throughout their tumultuous childhood, the only constant in their lives had been each other, even when they went months without contact. Their relationship was, according to Alice, altogether indescribable, as she never quite knew where they landed- were they friends, family, enemies? Simply two different people undergoing similar circumstances? Whatever they were, it held an intimacy that few could understand, yet was clear to see every time their identical magenta eyes met.
Alice considered all of this as her body strained to hold this pose, desperately wishing she could glance at her best friend and mortal enemy, yet the mental image of disturbing the ceremony she had worked so hard to get sent a wave of nausea through her stomach. Through all of her thoughts, she had mostly drowned out the Emperor’s droning voice as he recited the oath and command she had yearned to hear for her 14 years of life. Guiltily, she refocused, trying to take each ornate word he uttered to heart.
Now came her part.
“Do you accept this position as Golden Guard and the responsibility it comes with to faithfully serve, protect, and even die for your Emperor and the Isles for as long as you both shall live?”
Despite her nerves, her voice resounded strongly throughout the halls in perfect unison with her partner, completing the oath.
“Golden Guards, please rise”
She resisted the urge to clutch her stomach as she made eye contact with the imposing figure before her, yet relaxed as she caught a small hint of a smile underneath his mask. The Emperor nodded at her gently.
Suddenly, the hall exploded into thundering applause as the official part of the ceremony ended, allowing the two to finally relax from form. Hunter and Alice made a beeline for each other, almost falling into a crushing embrace before remembering their audience and settling for a firm handshake.
As the crowd celebrated, drinks were poured and music began to echo through the halls. Strangers came up to wish them well and curry favor with the Emperor’s new right-hand men, much to the two socially-awkward witches’ chagrin. After several minutes of nameless faces and empty words, the two felt hands on their shoulders, prompting them to look up at the man whom they both served devotedly.
“Make me proud, children”, he uttered in a low tone, his tone unreadable from behind his foreboding mask. His long fingers graced the top of her chest as he held onto their frames.
Alice smiled tightly under her mask, glancing down in search of her mirror eyes, yet found him still gazing at the Emperor with unyielding devotion.
There, on the happiest day of her life, she had a sudden, absurd thought. She wanted nothing more than the family she never knew.
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Over the past two years she had served as Golden Guard, she had entered the throne room countless times, but rarely with the feeling of dread that left her hesitating outside the grand doors. Alice furiously paced, nervously rubbing her cloaked neck as she considered her options.
“Ah, Golden Guard” An unwelcome voice broke her out of her thoughts, adding another complication to her situation. Alice whirled around to look down at the red-skinned demon who smugly glanced at her disheveled form.
“I see the mission was a failure? How much of it was your fault?” She asked gleefully.
“Kikimora, the Emperor has summoned me. Excuse me”, She excused herself curtly, steeling herself against what awaited her inside those doors as she pushed through them. Passing under the doorframe, Alice gripped her staff, squared back her shoulders, and set her jaw up, years of Coven training granting her the demeanor of a soldier to wear as a second set of armor.
Dropping to a low kneel, she waited for him to speak.
“Rise” He commanded, anger underlining even the simple word.
“Emperor, I know the mission did not go as planned, but I devised a plan to ensure the next one succeeds- See, I saw this human girl who the Owl Lady protected, and I think the key to getting to her is the kid-” She began, before being cut off by the sound of something slamming into the floor. Doing everything not to flinch, she lowered her head quickly.
“Did I ask you to speak?”
Ashamed, she shook her head.
“That’s right”, his voice hissed, dripping with malice. “First you fail to capture the Owl Lady, then you disrespect me. Alice, my dear, I do not understand what I did to deserve this.”
“My deepest apologies, Emperor, I was not thinking” She dropped into a kneel again.
“It’s alright, my dear girl. I am disappointed, but not angry. I could never be angry at you” He comforted her, yet her chest turned to ice. Disappointing him was the worst offense she could ever commit, and she had a sneaking suspicion he knew that. Besides this, his anger was clear to read, and his lies signalled that this was going to be one of those moments in the throne room.
“Please, let me make it up to you- I heard the human mention something about these two who she thought important to her affairs, Caleb and Evelyn-” She barely had time to react as the mass barreled into her stomach, knocking her onto her back and taking the breath from her lungs. Looming over her was no longer the Emperor, but a horrific amalgamation of wild magic that created an insidious beast whose eyes glowed an unnatural blue.
“What did you just say?” It asked, danger and rage behind its distorted, booming voice. She dragged herself back into a kneel as her eyes pricked with tears and her head swam.
“I-I’m so sorry, Emperor, I did not mean to offen-” She gasped, forcing the words out of her body.
“Offend me? Offend me?” The beast laughed, its voice distorting further as anger took over. It picked her up, flinging her back against the ground over and over again, each hit disorienting her further. The world blended into a swirl of dark colors, metallic tastes, and the sickening thuds resounding through the room that she could only assume were her body parts slamming into the cold ground.
“You could never offend me, little bunny”, it sneered, tossing her against the wall, sheer rage pushing each of its movements. Alice felt her arm collide with a sickening crunch, the white hot pain almost causing her to black out. Through sheer force of will, she clung to consciousness, fearing what would happen if she slipped away now. Finally, he paused, giving her time to force her body back into position at the base of his throne despite every part of her screaming in agony. Very rarely had she done something to invoke this much rage. She silently cursed herself for mentioning names she had heard from wild witches, knowing the reaction that anything related to unruly magic wrought from the Emperor she was so desperate to please.
“Leave. Now”, he commanded, voice changing as the man fought for control from the beast. Gratefully, she dragged herself up, stumbling outside of the room. Inside the mask, her swollen face made her vision blurry and her concussed brain slowed her thoughts greatly. She needed to get back to her room at the top of the castle, though the distance between the throne room and her solace stretched like an endless abyss. Steeling herself, she forced her body to stand upright, causing involuntary tears to roll down her puffy cheeks. Marching forward, she began the trek to safety, although found herself stopped every 5 minutes by coven heads and scouts demanding her assistance or asking endless questions about the day’s schedule and future events. Every word she spoke shot daggers through her head and she was pretty sure nothing she uttered made any sense, but most of those who stopped her let her continue without any follow-ups. So close to the stairs and losing her grip on the conscious world, she found herself stopped by one last black-haired witch.
“Golden Guard. I need you to run recruitment training tomorrow. This batch has reached their combat lessons, and all the normal experts are off dealing with missions for the Day of Unity. Get your little twin to help” the Head Witch of the Emperor’s Coven said disdainfully, her distaste for the two teen witches evident as per usual. Alice nodded, her eyes swimming and the world around her shifting. She prayed to the Titan that it was all hidden behind her heavy uniform.
“Y-yes, sounds satisfactory. We will report to the fields at 6 tomorrow”, Alice stumbled through, hoping it resembled an appropriate response. She went to walk down the hall, just needing to turn the corner and launch herself up the stairs to finally be able to tend to her screaming wounds.
“Wait-” Lilith called, grabbing Alice’s broken arm, causing her to gasp in pain and black spots to cover her vision. The older witch let go, perplexed.
“Please excuse me, Lilith, I am exhausted from the attempted raid on The Owl Lady’s hovel today”, she spat venomously, fighting herself to stay upright as she stalked forward, her arm hanging limply at her side, leaving the elder witch watching confused.
Desperately, she started to run to the stairs, not realizing how much of a mistake it was till her body buckled underneath her. Dragging herself the last few feet, she collapsed onto the stairs, unable to hold off any longer as the world got dark.
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Blinking, her vision of the dark room was fuzzy at best. As she awoke, her first sensation was the pounding of her head, which was reduced from earlier yet still present. The witch attempted to sit up yet was immediately nauseated and turned to the side, about to retch. Strong hands rushed a bin to her mouth and swept her mass of reddish-brown curls out of the way as she hurled stomach bile. Weakly, she looked up through swollen eyes and smiled at the blurry yet familiar figure. Ash-blonde hair, crooked nose, gap-tooth smile and a matching set of exhausted magenta eyes. Her best friend, the only person she had, and yet somebody she barely knew.
Hunter.
Laying her back on the bed, the witch boy sat down next to her, gently touching her face with one of his scarred hands. She closed her eyes again, scrunching her face in an attempt to relieve the pain. Quickly, she felt something cold touch her lips and opened her mouth slightly, drinking the healing potion he had concocted for her. Instantly she felt relief, her headache rescinding and her vision clearing, allowing her to see the concern etched across the face she knew so well.
“Hunter”, she croaked out, smiling, trying to reach out to brush his stubborn hair off his face yet stopped by the physical realization of her bandages, which covered the majority of her naked torso. She, as she just realized, was also almost entirely naked, save for her bandages and a thin pair of underwear. A light blush dusted her cheeks and ears, which he noticed, and averted his eyes.
“I’m, um, sorry- I couldn’t take you to the Healing Coven Head, so I did my best, but I had to do all, um, that..”, he trailed off, coughing into his fist and gesturing to her bandaged chest and torso. She laughed, struggling further to sit up and take in her surroundings. Around her were the familiar views of her room- a simple wooden desk covered in notes, books, and miscellaneous magical items that she had collected. A wooden wardrobe filled with simple tunics and dotted with a select few personal items. A stain-glass window covered the wall perpendicular to her bed, displaying a breathtaking view of the Isles assisted by the sheer height of her tower bedroom. A more recent development, her bedroom was covered in many of Hunter’s clothes and study materials as well, which mingled with her personal items to the point where she often found herself wearing his slightly too big uniform without realizing the mistake she had made in the morning. Hunter’s pillow lay next to her, closer to the wall where he liked to sleep.
For the last half-a-year, Hunter had practically moved into her bed and bedroom, sleeping with her every night they were both in the Castle.
Starting one night after a particularly haunting raid on wild witches, Alice heard a knock on the door that linked the two Golden Guard’s bedrooms. It was well past appropriate hours for conversation, yet neither of them were asleep, reliving the horrifying events of the day and the blood they had spilled. Stepping away from her perch on the window, the young witch padded towards the door, opening it tentatively, revealing her small sleep tank top and ragged shorts.
There stood Hunter, still in uniform, covered in blood that was not his. Without a word, she pulled him in, his defeated posture haunting her and striking an extreme contrast from his public attitude. She quietly took off his mask, revealing his magenta eyes staring at a point into the distance. Silently and quickly, she shed him off his cloak, pulled his wet tunic from his head, and even went to take off his pants before he stopped her and did it himself, leaving him in nothing but his boxer underwear. Then she grabbed a towel, wet it, and slowly cleaned the blood from his body, passing gently over his myriad of scars that mirrored her own skin. Without another word, he climbed into her bed, shaking slightly. He had done the brunt of the work during the attack, pushed by the promise of praise from his Uncle that left him in a state of hollow shock. Alice turned to leave, but was stopped by his quiet voice asking her to stay.
Without a word, she slipped under the covers with him, settling against his body, radiating heat that warmed him from the inside. For the first time in a while, the two slept through the night, waking up to find their bodies intersecting. He had thrown an arm around her and pulled her close to his chest, while her legs tangled with his. Ever since, the two have shared a bed, finding solace from only each other, desperately needing a defense against the isolating, horrific nature of their day-to-day lives. They did not talk about it with anybody else in fear of breaking the spell they were seemingly under.
Alice considered how empty the bed now felt without him as he gave her room in fear of damaging her further.
“How did this happen?” He asked softly, knowing the answer, his eyes unreadable.
“I brought up two names I was informed of at the insipid Owl House” She lamented, cursing her own stupidity weakly. He gently flicked her forehead, smiling softly.
“It’s alright, he will get over it. I’ll probably piss him off worse within the day”
“I feel awful that I aggravated the curse so much. It must’ve taken him forever to regain control”, she groaned, the stretched out skin of her face struggling to display the emotions. He considered her for a moment, eyes flickering over her nearly unrecognizable face.
“I thought you were dead for a moment”, he began, his voice strange and unfamiliar. He blinked, stopping himself.
“Disappointing I’m not, right? Then you could’ve been the favorite forever”, she teased, her voice falling as she saw his face did not budge.
“Alice, please be more careful”, he said with an intensity she had not seen before, gripping her uninjured hand as he spoke. Unsure of how to respond, she laughed and shook him off, though the reaction felt awkward even to her. Somehow, she felt like she had let him down, though she did not understand what he had wanted her to say.
“Lie down with me, please”, she pleaded, pulling him with her good arm towards the bed, attempting to diffuse the tension that had somehow entered their little room.
“Alice- it’s almost 5:30.. You can sleep in today, but if I miss our morning exercises too it’ll look suspicious”, he said lightly, pulling her fingers off him one by one. He was so gentle with her always, a respite from the endless fighting she faced outside their bedroom each day. Abruptly, she sat up, earning a wave of dizziness. The blonde witch boy tensed, suddenly alert.
“5:30? Shit, shit, shit! Lilith asked us to lead recruit training at 6 today, oh titan…” She groaned, attempting to push herself out of bed.
“What? When did she do this?” Hunter asked, shock and frustration edging his voice as he considered how this would throw his already packed schedule further off balance, using one hand to keep her firmly in place. Frustrated, she glared at him.
“Yesterday, right before I collapsed. And let me get up, I have to get ready”
“Alice, don’t joke. You can’t do anything like this” He scoffed, gesturing to her heavily damaged body. Breathing was difficult, her head ached, movement sent fresh waves of nausea to her stomach, her left arm hung uselessly in her slung, and she was pretty sure her face resembled an Abomination, but she knew she could not afford to skip her responsibilities. Just as she was about to argue with him further, they heard a voice coming from down the stairs leading up to their rooms. A voice belonging to a certain black-haired coven head.
“Golden Guards? Are you two okay?” The voice became urgent, and the sound of running echoed up the stairs.
“Shit”, Hunter muttered, putting his head in his hands. “I forgot to clean up your fucking pile of blood”
“WHAT?” Alice yelped. Hunter quickly scurried around the room, throwing their clothes more artfully, then rushing back to cover up her injuries with the blankets.
“Turn your face to the side facing the wall” He instructed, staring at her with intense eyes. “She can’t see the bruises”
Quickly, he rushed to the door, taking on an arrogant yet relaxed demeanor as he slammed a concealment stone behind his ear that transformed him, removing the harsh raised scars from his skin. Leaning against the doorframe in his sleep shirt and shorts, he slowly opened the door, yawning.
“Alice, are you okay, I saw ‘blo-”, the older witch began, her pristine face etched with concern quickly changing as she took in the sight of the disheveled witch boy in front of her. Quickly, she glanced at her surroundings, making sure she was not in front of the wrong room.
“Lilith, we appreciate your concern, but it was simply blood left over from the raid on that bird shack your wild sister calls home. Seems there were some injuries..”, he trailed off, grinning at her wolfishly. “Anyways, if you’d excuse me, I apparently have to get ready to lead scout training this morning”, he continued pointedly, glaring at her as he began to close the door. The coven leader’s hand shot out to stop the motion, peering her head into the room.
“Where is she?”, she demanded, stopping as she spotted her in the messy bed complete with two pillows and clothes scattered around the floor. Slowly, she glanced back at the boy’s sleepwear, connecting the dots as her pale face took on a heated redness.
“Are you two- This is, this is outrageous, you’re both far too young and this is an irresponsibility I can’t even fathom, do you even understand what it means to be safe, how could you-”, she ranted, her movements growing increasingly erratic as she spoke. Hunter simply waved her off.
“Relax, Lilith. We are both extremely safe on our missions. And I’ve never heard you concerned with our age before now, are you doubting the Emperor’s competence in appointing us?” He spoke innocently, gazing at her with fake curiosity.
Growing redder, she exploded. “THAT IS NOT WHAT I MEAN AND YOU KNOW IT! WHY IS SHE LIKE- THAT!”, the flustered witch gestured, unable to articulate her implication.
“Sleeping?”, he asked, looking back at her. “Well, she had a long, long night”, Hunter finished, grinning at her knowingly. Lilith stood there silently shocked. “Anyways, I need to get her up and get ready. See you later!”, he said cheerily, slamming the door on her and firmly locking it. Instantly, his arrogant demeanor vanished as he took off the concealment stone, revealing his raised, angry red scars. Alice threw a pillow at him, a motion that left her winded.
“Dumbass! Now that’s just another problem to deal with!” The young witch girl groaned as she slowly swung her bruised legs out of bed, placing sensitive feet on the cold ground and immediately feeling dizzy. Her ash-blonde companion rushed over to help her stand, strong hands holding her up.
“What was I supposed to do? At least now she’ll be thinking about that and not the alarming pile of blood”, he remarked, rolling his eyes as he walked her over to their wardrobe. “Alice, you can’t make it through the day. You need more time to heal and you can’t handle another potion till at least lunch.”
“What am I supposed to do?”she asked, frustration edging her voice as she struggled to dress herself. “After that catastrophe, I cannot afford to drop any of my duties” He turned as she replaced her tank top with the plain slate long-sleeved shirt she adorned beneath her Golden Guard uniform. Struggling one-handed with the straps of her protective vest, she stewed internally. He knew better than any the stakes of their role, yet somehow expected her to be able to sit back and relax for a day over some simple injuries? Irritated, her slow fingers abandoned their task as she turned to face him. “Well, Hunter? What do I do?”
Looking up at his unreadable expression, she paused, recognizing in him the same emotions he had earlier when they spoke. Nothing about the way he was acting was familiar, leaving her momentarily forgetful of her anger.
“I don’t know, bug”, he spoke softly, the childhood nickname he made for her slipping gently out of his mouth with the impact of a bomb. All of her frustration left her body as she realized he was simply concerned. Concerned about her. Despite their closeness, the relationship they had often blurred the lines between enemy and friend. This was a firm step into friendship, solidifying the strange intimacy they shared.
Gently, she reached her good hand out, landing slightly awkwardly on his arm. He glanced down at it, the intensity of his magenta gaze landing on their point of contact. Beneath her damaged fingertips she felt the raised, angry skin that covered his limbs, feeling such a strong sense of connection it felt overwhelming.
“I promise I will be okay”, she began, an awkward cadence to her words, marching into foreign territory as she finally acknowledged the complex swirl of emotions between them. His eyes shot sharply back to hers, finding their twin set. “We can do the day together, right?”
Hesitantly, he nodded, wrestling with unspoken words. Something seemed to end the conflict within him as his eyes darkened.
“Well, hurry up then. We’re already late”. Turning away, he swiftly donned his mask and cape, wielding his version of the artificial staff they had made for them as he charged across their room. “I’ll begin training”, he called out, not glancing back as he practically fled the room. As opened the door, he paused, slowly looking back at her. “Don’t do anything stupid, kay?”
The door shut, leaving the reddish brunette standing alone, half-dressed.
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