A howling, bitter cold wind blew over the Prince and the girl he carried on his back with a ferocity and strength so strong that Colette had to tightly clench her fists in the leather of Antoni's coat. The Prince himself clenched his teeth, his strength significant, but he was still but a mere child in front of an inhuman entity.
But his golden eyes remained fixated on the one in front of him.
The shadow who had just released the vile screech in his face, molten skin drooling over its form finally backed away as if it had been burned by Antoni's gaze, wiry looking limbs wrapping around its form as if caressing itself.
"..." The figure began making wretched, sobbing sounds. The noise made Antoni wince as he released Colette. The ginger girl fell onto her feet, pale eyes wide as she stared at what she was certain was an apparition. It was with that certainty that she gathered her light blue dress and took 3 steps forward, placing herself between the Prince and the shadow figure.
"Your Highness, you must step back-"
"Step away, Miss Colette." Antoni ignored her will, his sword poised in a position to strike.
"AAA!" The shadow screamed again, but this time, lunged directly at Colette, black slimy tendrils wrapping around the girl as the haunted creature embraced her, head poised at her shoulder. "W….why….."
Colette could barely breathe, the ghost wrapping its limb around her neck like a restrictive collar. Every time Antoni leaned forward or had a glint in his eye to strike, the creature squeezed.
"Whyyyyyy" The Ghost waned, shaking its head, a bitter icy feeling coating Colette's cheek every time it did.
"P-Prince Antoni…" Colette wheezed, gasping for air that only came back to her when Antoni hesitated or lowered his sword. The boy was conflicted- showing his true age in how he did not know how to save Colette.
[AP: 13]
This never happened in the original. Something severe had to have changed. But either way, Colette knew who she was dealing with, she just needed to succeed at the impossible task of making Antoni listen to her in a moment of danger.
"P-lease…I…you..ne…eed to st..and….down…NOW!" Colette pleaded, the look in her pale blue eyes desperate as the ghost strangled her, lifting the child into the air with dangling small legs. Antoni swallowed. He had never felt such humiliation- unable to fix a problem himself. But as his gold eyes met Colette's…her pale sky eyes that were fading fast as they rolled upwards from lack of oxygen- he knew he had to once again attempt to trust the strange girl who seemed to know everything.
He stood down, sheathing his sword and backing up with both hands in the air slowly.
"....."
The reaction was not immediate, but a few seconds later, Colette felt herself being lowered to the ground, her toes hitting the grass first, then her heels. She felt her airways open up again, her lungs greedily expanding and contracting. She looked at Antoni with gratitude, a slight nod with eye contact.
[Antoni is distraught, but glad he trusted Colette. AP: 16]
"....Why are you here?" The ghost spoke…voice raspy but still somehow clearer than any time it had spoken before. It was a saddened, very tired voice. The ghost still had Colette in it's grasp, still embracing her and hanging on her shoulder as it seemed to glare towards Antoni.
"I won't go back…you cannot take me back…" The ghost wailed quietly, almost shy. Colette finally gathered her wits into action, and acted quickly.
"You're the concubine. The one trapped here, right? We do not want to bring you back. Please let us leave." She spoke quickly but firmly. Her lips trembled. Antoni watched her with concern, his hand still on his dagger's hilt. But Colette shook her head, even as the ghost wailed.
"NO! He has those eyes….he has the blood…i smell it…. The eyes and the blood- they come for me…they seek to retrieve meee…like a…a….possession." The ghost squeezed Colette, but she had a feeling it was more for her own comfort than a sign of aggression.
Antoni's eyes…they were gold, like all the direct Imperial bloodline had. Colette caught on quickly that the ghost of the concubine must have thought Antoni was here to take her back to the palace, the very place she ran away from. And as for blood….
"Are you referring to noble blood?" Colette asked, making the ghost pause at the question. "I'm not noble. Do you hate nobles?" The Ghost seemed to stop withering, its form stabilizing.
"The blood of those wretched…they come to seek a reward for betraying me…not safe…not safe…I run away from the eyes and the blood…I run...I ran away from the west, I ran when I saw them enter the west....i went to the east- but they still come...but they always chase me…I…I have to fight back….I refuse to go back. I REFUSE." The ghost bellowed, a gust of wind whipping around the three, making Colette's hair fly upwards before settling.
Despite the display of power, Antoni seemed to have read the gist of the situation at hand, his fingers leaving the hilt of his dagger for the first time since he started chasing the ghost. His golden eyes closed, and the Prince took one knee, making Colette freeze up.
"I apologize for chasing you, Tatyana Dumont Orléan. You have my word, I will not force you to come with me. But please, allow this commoner girl to leave." Antoni humbled himself, right hand over his heart as he spoke these words. The ghost seemed to waver, staring at the young boy for a long moment before unraveling its limbs from around Colette. However, it still stayed partially behind the redhead, what seemed like hands on her shoulders weighing her down like a blanket.
"Not Orléan. No…just Dales. Tatyana Dumont Dales." The woman said softly.
Within the blink of an eye, the ghost had shed the filthy layer she had worn to scare off her pursuers. She still looked haunted, but more….human.
Her eyes were sunken in like the little boy Colette had helped earlier, her skin pale and grey, almost translucent. Her hair was pinned up perfectly in beautiful silvery blonde pin curls, and her red eyes…they reminded the children of the apples that surrounded them.
She was Tatyana Dumont Dales, the abused wife and daughter of the fallen Count house of Dales.
….
Antoni stood up, putting on his gloves as he watched the ghost. Colette winced as the concubine's ghost held her shoulders tighter.
"Your highness…if you would please not glare at her…" She said softly and as politely as she could request. Antoni blinked, seeming to realize his gaze held a bit too much weight, especially to the frightened ghost.
"My apologies. I will not look." He said, fixing his eyes on Colette instead which only gave the redhead a new problem for herself.
"Then…" Antoni hesitated, unsure of how to address the concubine who rejected the married name of the imperial family she died with.
"Countess Dales." The woman said.
"Yes, Countess Dales. Are you responsible for the disappearances of everyone who comes into the orchard?" He inquired, still staring at Colette and not her. The woman seemed to hum, and the previously icy cold of her presence became but a cool breeze to the ginger girl.
"I am not….I…guide the commoners back when they fall asleep." She said, "And I..I run away from the eyes and the blood. I run and I run. Back to my house." She nodded insistently, her head creaking eerily. Colette took deep breaths to not be so unsettled by her literally clinging onto her child form. Prince Antoni nodded thoughtfully, ears perking at the sound of the would house. Colette knew what to ask next.
"Countess Dales…would you…like to leave this place?" She asked, making the ghost tremble in fear at first before she explained further, "N-not back to the capital….Do you want to pass on?"
Tatyana stared at the ginger girl, and for a moment the children were not yet certain if the woman had even realized she was dead. But then her face seemed to…swell. As if hope had been breathed into the hollow parts of her flesh, she became…beautiful. Her dull skin glowed a pretty peach, and her lips were a soft pink like the pink lady apples they'd picked.
Antoni and Colette both realized why the past emperor ensured this gift was an apple orchard. As Tatyana Dales' true appearance reminded them every bit of the sweet, tart, lovely fruit.
….
...
.....
Manon was still not convinced following Remy obediently was a great idea due to Colette's instructions and her absolute disdain for the boy- but something told her that the system would find some way to force her even if she tried to stay behind.
Remy walked behind her to keep an eye on her. Something about making sure she didn't kill herself if he took an eye off of her. And then a joke about her only showing one eye. She didn't laugh.
Aside from that, Remy was rather quiet as they walked down the path.
The west orchard path had mostly granny smith apples. They were a bright, healthy looking green and large in size. Colette wanted to eat one, but Remy would glare holes into the back of her head every time her body swayed left or right towards a tree.
"Eyes ahead. Oh, I mean eye ahead." He would say and laugh maniacally, dimples deepening. No, Manon did not think he was funny. But she did imagine what would be funny. Such as shoving a granny smith down Remy's throat. Yes, she thought, that would truly make her day worthwhile.
Manon closed her eyes as she walked, daydreaming of all the ways she could make Remington eat dirt.
This action was not lost on Remy, who curiously but quietly advanced his stride to match the brunette's, staring at her from head to toe.
She was petite. Too small for a 7 year old. Thin arms and legs buried under a tailored dark blue chiffon dress and black fur shawl.
Even though she was clearly growth stunted and still so skinny despite the medicine provided at the orphanage for participating in adoption games, Manon still gave off a certain aura Remy could not explain. She carried herself…with….
Manon suddenly opened her eye after sensing something was weird, startling Remy enough to make the kid flinch just a little. She seemed smugly satisfied at the reaction, smirking devilishly in a way that made Remy raise a brow.
"What's this? She's got some bite to her?"
Manon ignored his comment, speeding up her pace. But it did not matter much as Remy was taller and caught up easily. Remy smiled and just looked ahead , maintaining his pace beside the girl.
"As I mentioned before, we are going to find something I need. The concubine's gift box has all the gifts the past Emperor tried to give to his concubine after imprisoning her here forever, begging for forgiveness. But she just threw them away, refusing to see him until the day she died. Isn't it sad?" He sighed, but Remy did not look sad.
Manon didn't ask though, and wished that was a multiple choice option to reply with. The girl shook her head, keeping her brown eye trained on the seemingly endless path ahead of them.
"But, we can make it less sad by getting some of those goodies. Tell you what, Mummy. I'll allow you to keep one if you don't cause any more trouble the rest of the way there." Remy promised. Now this got Manon's attention. Who was Remy to tell her what she could and could not take from a box that was not his own? Her right brown eye glared at the boy- lips curled in a loose snarl that contorted her features. She simply couldn't even hide it if she wanted to.
But Remy, who was on her left, only looked annoyed at her expression. Or rather- her face. His eyes narrowed and he tapped his left eye.
"You should remove that eyepatch. Your blue eye isn't nearly as offensive as this ugly garment." He proclaimed. Manon agreed, she really did. But she did not like Remy and out of pure spite, did not want to do that. Unfortunately for her, she could not just ignore him this time as she saw that damned blue window of choices block her vision as they walked.
[A. Yeah, I think you're right.]
[B. Yeah, okay. Help me take it off?]
[C. That's okay, it's more comfortable this way.]
Manon nearly gagged at the second option, swallowing tightly. But she was eternally grateful at the option of refusal, even if it was a lie.
"That's fine, Remy. I like wearing the eyepatch so I don't offend people." Manon twitched. The system was making her sound like a whiny self pitying little girl, which is who she imagined the original Manon was. But she was not, and she was disturbed. Remy did not even respond well to this. In fact, Manon's worries tilted elsewhere as he clicked his tongue.
"I know damn well it isn't. Stop lying and take off the patch, freak." He snapped, annoyed for a reason Manon did not know. Why in the world was he so concerned with her accessories? As if Manon hadn't suffered enough, yet another window appeared from Remy demanding her answer.
[A. It's really okay, I'll be okay.]
[B. Okay…I'll remove it.]
[C. Are you sure it's okay?]
Manon's hands twitched, and she wished she was the one with a satchel so she could hide her whole head in it right now. Even the answer she was going to choose had a stupid whiny tone to it.
"Really, it's okay, Remy…but thanks for worrying about me." She was forced to smile sweetly with that one, a beat afterwards, her face grimacing terribly. Remy seemed disturbed but not by her expression, at least, not the grimace expression.
"Stop grinning like an idiot and take it off. I'm not worried about you, I just hate dumb kids who don't listen." Remy snarled, and it was with great weariness that Manon checked his AP.
[AP: 13]
It had dropped 5 points….5….just from her not doing as he told her.
Or because she did it in a whiny, seemingly pitiful way that was annoying which she could agree with. Still, none of it was her. None of it was Manon's will aside from the act of rejection. Manon could feel the tips of her fingers tingling with an unbridled frustration and rage. She was unable to even answer this time as Remy had stopped expecting a response.
He expected her to just do it.
No questioned asked, not even an "okay".
Just why was Manon being treated this way? Because of a stupid affection point system? Because she said no? Or because she was in a dating game and made the wrong choice- coming off whiny? Why did she have to do this?
The girl bit her lip, her stride slowing as she contained the boiling kettle within her psyche threatening to explode. It was then that Remy noticed she still had not taken off the eyepatch.
She could see the moment his eyes hardened and his jaw clenched, the comical but still frightening sight of a child who was pissed off. The boy immediately halted and turned to fully face Manon, glaring at the side of her face.
"I've had enough of your childish dramatics. Take. It. Off. I will not pity you." He spoke angrily, though his mouth was twisted in an evil lopsided grin, his eyes vindictive and disgusted.
[AP: 10]
Colette was going to kill her. Remy was going to kill her. Manon could not escape the torment that plagued her head and she was becoming overwhelmed.
And of course, the system did not care.
[A. Sorry Remy, I'll do it.]
[B. Okay…..If you want me to]
[C. Please don't be mad…I'll take it off..]
Her right brown eye seemed to go dead.
….
"...."
"What? Speak up, Mammoth."
"...ay…"
"I said speak the fuck up, are you mute as well? Speak."
Manon opened her mouth, her brown eye staring at Remy as she prepared to allow her words to be controlled once more. To recite the lines she was given once more.
…
But as she did so, as the first words left her lips, Remy reached a hand towards Manon's face and ripped the eyepatch off, the straps stinging her skin as they broke and retracted.
"Okay…if you- FUCKING TOUCH ME AGAIN I WILL RIP YOUR MOUTH OFF YOUR STUPID MOTHER FUCKING FACE YOU FUCKING PRICK"