unhappilyeverafter | The Will o' the Queen ♛ for albannach

The Will o' the Queen ♛ for albannach

For a moment, the land was quiet, still, an utter serenity throughout the woodland. But then, the magic arrived. The ground shook, tearing itself apart in a violent swirl, magenta smoke whirling itself into a frenzy. Birds flew from the trees, and any animals with any sense, scarpered as fast as their feet could take them - not simply because something strange had appeared in their midst, but something evil.

From out of the smoke strides the Evil Queen, head held high as takes in the new land she's found herself in. It hardly looks any different to the place she just left, and she casts the trees a disapproving sneer. She had hoped the terrain would be a little less troublesome than this, but it's no matter for someone with magic. A twist of her hand, and she disappears in a cloud of purple smoke, reappearing miles away only to find.. more trees.

She lets out an exasperated scoff, throwing her hands up to the heavens. How is she supposed to find the stones if everything is hidden by such dense woodland? She supposes she's going to have to do this the peasant way, and look. With a sigh, she begins walking, determined to at least find herself on a path, or somewhere where she might find further clues.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Three years. Three years James Fraser has lived a half life. Barely a life at all in the cold and the dark. A cave on the Lallybroch estate, the walls damp and ground unsteady. He leaves once a month. Once a month to make his careful way down to the house and spend a few precious hours with his family. To shave, to try and feel human.

But he doesn't, not really, not any more. Just an emptiness that won't go away.

Redcoats still patrol these areas, now more than ever, and Red Jamie is a wanted man. The Highlands aren't a safe place for him any more. If he were found, he'd be shot on sight, and even with all that he's been through, that isn't an end he relishes.

He has to be alert, always alert, aware of any movement, any footsteps or the sound of hooves. It's footsteps he hears today, and he moves to the mouth of the cave, his back against the stone and the hilt of a dirk in his hand, just in case, not knowing who it might be that comes.

What new dangers might be heading his way. But he could never bank on this.

The description of how to find the Will o' the Wisp had been unclear. Unsurprisingly, that's what comes of making a deal with Rumplestiltskin. His argument that a circle of stones couldn't be hard to hide was falling particularly flat as she walked through woodland that felt as large as the Infinite Forest, and she was still yet to find any commoners she could threaten into telling her the whereabouts.

With a frustrated sound, the Queen stops, setting her hands on her hips and looking around her at the clearing. "You wait til I get back, Rumple!" she shouts at the trees, as if he can hear her. Usually, he can, and she wouldn't have been surprised to hear an impish giggle blowing on the breeze.

Sound carries strangely around trees; voices heard over great distance when they sound like they're mere feet away. But when Jamie hears this voice, the unfamiliar voice of a woman, he knows it's not far away.

Strange. Not an accent he recognises, something foreign no doubt. So what is she doing here?

He doesn't dare step out to find out. She'll go away. She has to.

The Queen is not going away. Not until she gets what she's come here for, and she'll raze down every village for miles around until she does. Nothing comes in-between the Queen and her revenge.

Glowering at the trees, she turns again to continue on her trek, leaves rustling underfoot as her dress drags over the forest floor. She gains only a few feet before she pauses, head turning slightly as she detects something not too far away. Slowly, her face lights up with devillish delight as she realises just what she's noticed. A living, beating, malleable heart.

"Why don't you come out where I can see you?" She calls, her voice unfurling across the clearing, seeking out its prey with poisonous charm.

There should be no earthly way that Jamie could be noticed, not unless someone has told where he might be, and none of his family would do that. But it's undeniable, this woman's voice is addressing him. Calling in his direction.

She's not an English voice, and certainly isn't a British officer, but that doesn't mean this is without danger. He's not so foolish enough to think that.

His hand sets against his trews, and the back of his palm rubs against the wool for a moment as he considers his options. Stay, perhaps, and allow her to make more of a commotion that could draw unwanted attention. No, it's not an option.

So he takes a breath, and steps out from the mouth of the cave, one hand set to the stone as he steps out. The woman he sees? Is anything but what he expected.

He looks worn, tired, clothes dirty and tattered, his red mop of hair darkened and unclean, his facial hair unkempt and the start of a beard.

"Are ye looking for someone?"

The sound of movement causes her to turn, eyes pinpointing on the figure that emerges from the cave. He's hardly what she was expecting either, and she looks visibly offended by the state of the man. Pulling a face, she looks almost exasperated by it. Why does she always seem to attract those who don't know how to bathe?

Still, it makes her hold herself a little straighter, looking down her nose at him at the stark differences between them - in which she is every inch a Queen, and he, little more than a cave troll.

"I'm not looking for someone. I'm looking for something. Perhaps you can help me." Her nose wrinkles slightly, yes, she's getting a whiff now.

Jamie's hand stays firmly gripped around the hilt of the dirk. He has no desire to draw it, least of all on a woman, but if he must then he must, and he has to be prepared for such things.

"I doubt it. But if it's directions ye're looking for, tell me what and I'll show ye on ye way."

Anything to make her leave. Though he knows anyone knowing his presence here is a risk. Too much of a risk.

Directions would be better than what she has right now, and that's nothing but a wild goose chase thanks to Rumplestiltskin. She sighs, doubtful as to how helpful this ruffian could be, but he's the first person she's come across and if nothing else he can direct her to the nearest village so she can start to work threatening peasants.

"There are stories from this land about a circle of magical stones. I need to find them. Do you know where they are?"

If he can just give her some piece of information then maybe he can see her on her way. But a voice in his mind tells him that's not true. Simply looking on her it's clear enough to see that she's hardly from around her. Gowns like that aren't even found in Paris. It's like nothing he's seen before.

But even such oddity couldn't prepare him for the question. It's one that has him visibly stiffen and almost falter where he stands. His breath catches in his throat a moment before he recovers and shakes his head.

"I canna help ye."

Not knowing where they are, or what they are, is one thing, but refusing to help her is another. Her eyes narrow suspiciously at his answer, which reveals far more than he perhaps intended.

"But you have heard of these stones?" she questions, taking a step towards him, studying the expression on his face. "I suggest you tell me the truth, dear."

Jamie bristled uncomfortably where he stands. He's seen danger enough in his life to know when to sense it, and he senses it now, the hairs on the back of his neck raising in alert.

"There are a lot of stones in Scotland," he tells her, not a lie. "Many of them wi' legends and stories attached to them. I canna help ye past that."

His hand grips tighter on the hilt.

Scotland? So that's where she was. That's one question answered, at least. But she needs far more than that, and she senses this man knowns far more than he's letting on.

"Oh, these stones are very particular. You see, this isn't a legend, or a story I'm chasing. This is real magic. Powerful magic. And there's no mistaking it." She smirks slowly, waving her hand in front of her before with a sudden poof of purple smoke, his dirk appears in her grip. She looks down over it, considering the size and style of the blade before her gaze lifts back to him again. Just to make it clear that she knows what she's talking about, and too that she's not about to be taken for a fool.

In his life, Jamie has seen all manner of things, some of them truly unbelievable. He has been faced with the impossible and known it to be true, and yet even with that he's barely prepared to be faced with a magic so real he can see it manifested before him.

For a moment it has him truly speechless. He glances down, wondering if he hasn't gone mad. It shouldn't be possible, no way he can understand it. And yet there it is, and how can he deny it? It makes the bile rise up in his throat.

"Are ye a witch, woman?" he asks, considering his options in his mind. The weapons he might find.

Twisting the dirk in her hand, Regina gives a delighted chuckle at the reaction. She much prefers to see a flash of fear in people's eyes when she confronts them, they much easier to control that way.

"A witch? Oh, no, dear, I'm not a witch," she says, her voice soft, almost tender, as though reassuring him of this foolish notion, but then her smiles turns dangerous. "I'm a Queen." Her gaze flicks back towards him, studying his expression, trying to gauge what he might do next. He's made himself useful to her, and there's no hope of him escaping her now.

It makes little sense. All evidence tells him that she must be a witch. The only possible explanation. There are no queens, not on these shores, and Jamie has had enough of royalty to last him one lifetime.

Still, whatever this woman might be, there's no questioning that she's clearly dangerous, and Jamie isn't a foolish man, even if he's reckless at times. His eyes flick towards the cave, knowing there's a sword a few feet away.

"Aye well. Whatever ye might be, I can offer ye no help. Inverness is a few hours ride. Maybe they can help ye there."

While the man becomes all the more wary, she's seems utterly relaxed. Clearly, threatening strangers to tell her the whereabouts of something is part of her daily activities. However, that also makes it rather tiresome, and she rolls her eyes when he again dismisses help. Right now, he's all she has, and she's not about to give him up.

"Maybe is not good enough for me. So, I'll ask you nicely one more time, dear." She smiles, showing her teeth, but only in the way a snake bares its fang at it's next victim.

"The next time? It won't be so pleasant."

Edited 2016-12-10 21:52 (UTC)

This is dangerous, he knows it. He can't fathom the hows or the whys, but only that it is, and he knows that's all that matters.

So he makes a decision. Not one he likes, but little choice otherwise.

"There's a circle of stones, up Inverness way. A mile or two south. But ye'll no' find anything there. No magic, if that's what you're after."

There's a smile of satisfaction when he gives her some form of answer. Him believing there's no magic there is by the by, he's already made it quite clear he has no real grasp of such power - so she'll not be placing too much value in a peasant's opinion.

"There, that wasn't so hard now, was it?" She says sweetly, tilting her head at him. "Now, I do hope you don't have any prior engagements because I intend to find it before sundown. Not that I suspect you have many guests in that.. home, of yours."

His jaw sets a little. He has no desire to help this woman, least of all because he knows how dangerous it is out there if he gets seen. There won't be any waiting, he'll be killed on the spot.

"I'll direct ye," he informs her. "Point ye in the right way. But I canna do any more than that."

A glance back towards the cave. Hardly a home. An existence, nothing more.

"I'm no guide. I'll draw attention to ye. Attention ye dinna want. Trust me."

"You'll draw attention to me?" she laughs, holding her hands out slightly as if he needs to take another look. She's a woman dressed far too supremely for such travels, and she hardly doubts he's more interesting than she is.

She dismisses his concerns and continues. "You'll be accompanying me to this Inverness, and from there, you will direct me to the stones you speak of."

"No," his voice is firm and certain. "I won't. Ye might draw ye own attention, aye. But it wilna be the same ye'd draw if I was beside ye. There are British soldiers that roam hereabouts. They wilna stop a woman from roaming."

Or they might, but that's not for him to concern himself with. He knows what would happen if they found him, however.

Regina scoffs slightly at the mention of soldiers, so easily dismissing the thing that had kept him hidden all this time.

"That's what you're so scared of. Oh, please. If any soldiers happen to come across us, they won't be a bother." With that taken care of, she gestures ahead of them. "Now, come, I don't have time to waste. I need to be back for the portal by sun set tomorrow."

Taken care of for her, perhaps. Jamie on the other hand shows no inclination to go anywhere.

"No," he reiterates. "I'm sorry but you'll have to be on ye way. Find you're own way there. I canna be taking ye. I won't." A line under it. He has no intention to go, no matter how many times she asks.

"I'll be leaving ye now. I hope ye find what ye need."

She rolls her eyes when he seems to think she's the kind of woman he can say 'no' to. That's the problem with not being in the Enchanted Forest, nobody knows who she is. Really, her reputation as the Evil Queen is very useful in getting things done.

"I'm sorry, dear, but I seem to have put you under the impression you have a say in the matter." She laughs lightly, like it's a silly little misunderstanding she's clearing up. "Did I say I was a Queen? I meant to say, I'm the Evil Queen."

She takes a step closer, a threatening one, especially when she still holds the dirk. "You might not know who I am, but I think the clue's in the name, don't you?"

The smile falls from her face, her theatrical performance replaced with a dark and dangerous glare. "Now, you'll be doing what I tell you, if you plan on returning to your pathetic little hovel anytime soon."

Edited 2016-12-10 23:44 (UTC)

Jamie cares little for her theatrics. The evil Queen means nothing to him, a moniker he doesn't much care for. But he's not an idiot, and not stupid enough to think this woman isn't dangerous, perhaps even more so with her spouting such ridiculous things.

His eyes flick to the dirk, that's his concern. That and whatever skill she used to obtain it. She's an unknown quantity, and that fact alone makes his skin bristle.

He's no small man, though he doesn't have the strength he once did, the years here taking their toll on him. He rolls his shoulders back a little, standing tall.

"I dinna follow orders. Especially from you."

Regina raises an eyebrow at his response, impressive, but utterly foolish. Anyone back in the Enchanted Forest would know, following orders is exactly what you do around the Evil Queen - whether you want to or not.

"Oh, but I think you will," she tells him, a smirk twitching her lips before her eyes harden and she brings up her hand to punch it hard and fast into his chest. Her hand disappears, inside his body, wrapping her fingers around the vessel she uses to control her servants. Her smile widens with delicious satisfaction, eyes upon his face to see the reaction to this turn of events.

She goes to tug, to rip the still-beating heart from his chest and show him exactly how he would be following her orders, but the pull does nothing but jerk his body towards her. She tries again, and still the heart won't dislodge, despite her hand being tightly clenched around it.

"What is this?" she snarls, a sudden anger overcoming her.

For all the things Jamie might expect, any manner of pain or harm anybody could cause, it would never be this. For a moment his breath catches, uncertain what's going on. He feels a blow to his chest, and his heart feels tight, as though it's caught in a vice.

To say it's painful would be quite the understatement.

He heaves in a breath and before he can truly catch up with himself he finds he's jerking forwards. Only then does he glance down and see her where her wrist disappears into his chest. It makes him feel sick. It makes no sense, and it's utterly terrifying.

"How..." it's all he can manage, eyes wide and suddenly aware that pain around his heart is her hand gripping tight, making him feel weak. Oh she's a witch all right.

Heart magic is Regina's magic. It's her supreme power, and her belief in her ability is why she gives yet another forceful tug, pulling him towards her again. By now, his heart should be out of his chest, tightly under her grip and under her command. Her lips curls in her anger, and she releases the heart, pulling her hand back out of his chest and glaring upon at him like he's mortally offended her.

"I don't know what tricks you're using, but believe me, I can still cause unimaginable pain." She takes a step closer to him, that anger still radiating off her, fury and disgust in her eyes. "You will do everything I tell you, or I will destroy your heart, and the heart of everyone you love."

As soon as her hand leaves his chest, both of Jamie's move to cover where it had been. More than simply winded, he struggles to find his breath, chest heaving heavily.

He buckles forward a little, moving one hand to brace against the stone wall. But his head lifts, looking towards her. He doesn't claim to understand what witchcraft she weaves, but it's clear that she does, and hearing her threaten his family has heat burn a little behind his eyes.

He's already brought his family enough pain, he won't do it again.

"Fine," he grits between his teeth. "I'll take ye. But no' while it's light. I'll take ye, and then ye leave me be."

Her rage is fuelled more by her failure to rip out his heart than anything he's said or done, but it's earnt him an unfair wrath that will simmer for some time, seen in the blazing blacks of her eyes.

She looks over at him with thorough distaste, unable to comprehend how a man of this state could even refuse such powerful, dark magic. It makes him a problem, but also a very intriguing one.

"Did you listen to a word I said?" she then retorts, staring at him, like she can't fathom his stupidity by purposely infuriating her. "I'm not a patient woman, and I don't have time to waste! We're leaving now!"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The Will o' the Queen ♛ for albannach

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject