Chapter Text
Hunter wandered down the halls of the Emporeur’s pristine castle. After his recent demotion and Kikimora taking his place as head of the Emporer’s Coven he hasn’t been sent on any missions. Hunter’s not even allowed to stay in the coven head meetings, even though he did before becoming a head himself. Technically he’s still the Golden Guard but if people disregarded him before, they blatantly ignore him now. With everyday he grows increasingly bored.
The only people who don’t completely give him the cold-shoulder are Raine and Darius, well Raine more than Darius. The two usually met at the top of the castle after dark, which is where Hunter is heading now. Hunter wanted to ask them about a door he had found while cleaning the lower chambers.
Hunter climbs the steps to the roof, hoping the two coven heads will be in their usual spot. At the top of the stairs Hunter peeks his head out of the door. A sigh of relief leaves him when he sees that the bard and abomination master are present. Darius and Raine were sitting close while Darius made a small abomination dance around.
“Darius, Raine?” Hunter called their names. The two quickly moved away from one another, Raine blushing wildly.
“Shouldn’t you be in bed, little prince?” Darius called out, looking obviously annoyed. The witch has always seemed to hold some unspoken grudge against Hunter, the younger has learned not to take it personally.
Raine stood, elbowing Darius and telling him to not be rude. Raine was a perfect foil to Darius in this way. While the other treated Hunter with thinly concealed contempt, Raine treated Hunter warmly and with genuine kindness.!“What do you need, Hunter?”
“I found this door in a closet of the lower chambers. I want find out what’s on the other side but it’s locked, and I don’t have a key.” Hunter wasn’t quite sure why he went to Darius and Raine for help, but they were his only companions within the castle walls as of late.
Darius pinched the bridge of his nose, “that’s all? You interrupted us for that?” Raine tilted their head at Darius and pulled a sour face, letting him know of their dissatisfaction with his answer. Darius sighed, seeming to relent. “Fine. Where is this door?”
“I’m sure we could get it open together.” Raine offered kindly, giving Hunter an encouraging smile.
Hunter grinned, “I’ll show you where it is.” The boy wisked the two adults through the castle and into the lower levels. This part of the castle is obviously much older than the rest, because it’s got more ghost hanging around and it’s not as elegant as the rest. “Here.” Hunter directed them to a mostly empty closet. On the inside, a small door was clearly visible. Previously it was sealed off with wallpaper and hidden behind boxes but Hunter cleared them away earlier.
Darius clicked his tongue, thinking. The abomination master shook his head. “I remember this door.”
“Really?” Hunter asked, intrigued.
“Yes,” Darius answered, “Emporer Belos had me keep the key safe. He said it was dangerous.” Now this probably should have been a red flag for Hunter and in hindsight he’d wished he’d noticed it, but Hunter is oblivious so…
“Oh.” Hunter’s spirits quickly fell, he’d spent an hour clearing this closet out and cleaning the dust all for nothing.
Raine quickly pitched in, “But I’m sure Darius would unlock it for you. So you could explore and we could get back to the roof.” They lifted their eyebrows at Darius. “Right?”
“Of course, Of course.” Darius smirked then spoke to Hunter, “but you have to promise that once I unlock it you will leave us alone for the night. And this has to be a secret. I’m disobeying direct orders for you, so you must keep your lips sealed, little prince.”
Once Hunter agreed Darius pulled a key out of his pocket and knelt down. He stuck the key into the lock. Darius slowly opened the door to reveal…
To reveal nothing. Just a wall. And a doll. A doll that Hunter would later note looks just like himself. Darius pinched the arm of the little stuffed doll between his forefinger and thumb, lifting it. “What is this?”
Hunter ignored him, clearly upset, ”No, there has to be more than this! I spent hours cleaning this closet out!”
“Doesn’t seem like it.” Darius said standing to wipe the dirt off of his pants. He dropped the doll by Hunter’s foot.
Raine looked at Hunter sympathetically. The bard patted him on the shoulder. “I’m sorry, buddy. Better luck next time.”
Hunter didn’t hear either of them, there was something about this doll, something enticing. “I want it.” Hunter said, although he wasn’t sure why he wanted it, or why he felt the need to state that he wanted it. “I’m keeping it.”
“I don’t care, little prince, all I care about is you leaving us alone.” He put his hand on Raine’s shoulder. “Run along now, I suggest that you go off to bed. Growing boys need their sleep.” Hunter was so taken in by the doll that he didn’t even notice Darius’ jab.
***
Hunter plopped down in his bed. He thought he’d found something worthwhile, maybe even interesting. But no, it was just some doll. Why did it seem like everything he does ends up going wrong?
He didn’t even realize that he was crying. Tears streamed down the sides of his face and into his ears. He couldn’t stop thinking of all his failed missions. That’s what this felt like, another failed attempt at doing something meaningful.
Hunter laid the doll on his bedside table near Flapjack and a portrait of him and Belos. “Why can’t something just go right for once?” Sounds of tearing met his ears and he turned back to the nightstand where he saw flapjack aggressively tearing at the doll’s button eyes. “Hey! Stop it! It’s mine!” He got it but not without a fight from the palisman. He slipped the doll inside of his robes to protect it. “Leave it.” He told the bird. Flapjack tweeted angrily at him. “Shut up, dumb bird.”
Hunter was fighting a growing sense of unease in his stomach. He was nervous for tomorrow. Following Hunter’s demotion Belos had said that he would need to appear for follow up meetings every few weeks. During his last meeting he’d almost been stabbed with a tendril and his uncle had threatened to lock him in the dungeon for not finishing the extensive list of chores assigned to him. In spite of this, he still found his eyes closing as sleep claimed him.
***
“So if I’m hearing you correctly,” Belos trailed, “you still haven’t finished the list of tasks I gave you, Hunter?”
“I apologize. It’s just so much, if it was just lightened a little or if I just had more time to complete them-“ Belos put up his hand to silence the boy.
“Spare the excuses for someone who cares.” His uncle groaned, Hunter saw his body start to convalesce. “Seeing you act so irresponsible upsets me. Do you see what you’re doing to me? It’s almost like you don’t care, or that you want to see me like this!”
Hunter’s eyes welled with tears, he didn’t want this to happen, he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. No one wanted his uncle’s recovery more than he did. “No! Of course not! I want to help you!”
“You can help by growing up a little and being responsible.” The Emporeur scoffed, slamming his fist on the chair of his throne. “Honestly, Hunter, you’re acting like a child again. Go to your chambers and think about how you’re acting before I have another outburst.” Hunter opened his mouth but Belos cut him off again, “Go. When you’ve decided to act your age you can come out again and work on the new tasks I’ve assigned you.”
Hunter’s cheeks burned as he stood to leave. “Yes, Emperor Belos, as you wish.” He didn’t think he was acting like a child. In fact, on multiple occasions, when Raine had consoled Hunter after he was scolded they told him that he was acting perfectly normal for his age.
A hand landed on his shoulder, his uncle’s. “I know you think that I’m being unfair but be… careful, Hunter. I know you’re upset, but I was speaking to the head of the oracle coven, he foretold…” he acted as if the words hurt him, “he foretold danger in your path. I want you so stay safe, please don’t do any dumb or get yourself in trouble.”
“I won’t.” Hunter promised.
***
Later that night, as Hunter laid in bed, he heard a noise. Music. At first he’d figured that some bard had gotten drunk and started playing on the roof (wouldn’t have been the first time such a thing had happened) or that he was dreaming, but as he sat it got louder and louder until it sounded like it was right beyond the door.
He opened the door, “What are you doing?” He yelled, but there was nothing there. The music moved down the corridor. Hunter followed. Maybe Raine was throwing a surprise for him? His birthday was right around the corner.
The music led him down the corridor, through a few halls, and into the stairwell. He went as fast as he could, down the stairs and through one last door till he was back in the room with the small door, the room where he’d found the doll… the doll! Hunter realized that he’d kept the thing in his cloak the whole day… strange.
There was this flourescent blue light coming from the cracks in the door. “Please be something, please be something…” he opened the door to reveal a long, glowing blue crawl space. “Bingo.”
He can hear the music louder as he crawls. Now that he is closer he can tell that it is someone singing… someone familiar, but it’s still not loud enough for him to figure out who. “Hello? Hello?” He calls, but no one answers.
He emerges in… no, this can’t be right! He is back in the room he came from. “Hello?” Still no answer. He notices that the room is cleaner, somehow, brighter. He exits, it’s not just the room that is nicer, but the whole castle.
“What the titan?” His first though was that he had somehow made it to the human realm but as he looked outside the trees weren’t green and the sky was still pink. He also noted that it was still evening here.
He continued to follow the music. The castle was so much prettier, so much more welcoming here. He could now tell that it had to be an older man singing, he almost didn’t realize that he was passing into the throne room. His uncle stood… his uncle… singing. The man stopped to greet him. “Hello, Hunter.”
He began to backtrack, “Oh, uncle, I apologize, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I’ll go back to my chambers.” This had to be an illusion… the dustless castle? His uncle singing? This couldn’t be real.
“No, no, come in. I wish to speak with you, my boy.” The man, his uncle, turned, except it wasn’t his uncle. This man had no scar on his face, and where his eyes should have been… “Don’t be shy. Come to your uncle.”
“I-uh, I think I should be going.” Hunter stumbled back. “I don’t think I’m in the right place… my uncle, he doesn’t have, well he doesn’t-“
“Have buttons for eyes? I know about your old uncle, do you like the buttons? Don’t be afraid my boy.” The man’s smile was warm, Hunter couldn’t help but to be pulled in. “Well, don’t keep me waiting, come here.”
Hunter cautiously did as he was asked, walking to his uncle’s dopleganger. “Where is your scar? My uncle has a scar.”
The clone laughed at this, not scoffed or chuckled, but good heartingly laughed. “Well, my-my, what an observant young man you are. I don’t have a scar because I am your other uncle, your better uncle.” He placed on Hunter’s shoulder, the boy flinched, “He doesn’t treat you very well, does he?” Hunter, looked down, but didn’t respond. “Poor boy, I’ll treat you better. I’ll take care of you better.” His hand stroked Hunter’s hair.
Hunter in return dodged the hand. “My uncle treats me just fine, and I am not some child. I don’t need to be taken care of!”
The man only frowned, “He told you that didn’t he? He keeps ignoring your needs, keeps ignoring you.” The hand again rose to Hunter, and again the boy flinched, but the man only stroked his cheek. “You even flinch when I go to touch you. He not only verbally berates you but physically as well? Let’s go on a walk. I have something I want to show you.-“
“I-I’m okay actually!” Hunter stammered, I gotta get out of here! “I’m actually quite tired, d-do you think that I could head off to bed? This is all so new a-and my head is killing me…”
“You can’t go to bed with out dinner. You haven’t even ate today.”
“How did you… you know what? It doesn’t matter, I’m fine.” Hunter nervously laughed. “I’ll be off now, uh, thank you for the hospitality. Wouldn’t want to overstay my welcome.”
“My boy, you’re always welcome here. This is your home.” There was something strange about how he said home, like there was a double meaning to it. “Why don’t you go to the roof and get Darius and Raine, they’ve been dying to meet you.”
“Darius and Raine are here? Is this some kind of prank? An illusion?” Hunter took a step back to survey his surroundings.
“No illusions here, I’m talking about the other Raine and Darius, they’re like tbe Raine and Darius you know, but better. Now off you go.” The man, his ‘other uncle,’ gave Hunter a light push. “Don’t keep me waiting too long now, dinner will be ready when you’re back.”