Chapter Text
This is a rough draft. An extremely rough draft enjoy.
Chapter 1
A slender figure made its way through the rough abandoned path that lead to a long forgotten castle. It would step carefully around the rumble caused by the crumbling walls, the castle belonged to an ancient bloodline whose name was never spoken of.
There was a scratching sound of a match being lit, with it the person lit up a lantern. The light would reveal the figure was female, her body adorned in common horse riding gear, her long merlot toned hair pulled back into a tight dutch braid. She cleared her throat and made her way to what used to be the front gates, they now lay rusted and bent on the ground half or more of the metal having been eaten away with the passage of time.
She stumbled and fumbled a bit as she ventured forward, the fallen cobblestone scattered all around her causing the ground to be difficult to walk along. A crude word fell from her lips as she reached out to catch herself against the stone walls, biting her lip as the chillingly cold rock sliced into her palm.
“I will have to pay that crazy hermit a visit later..i was meaning to go there anyways.”she would look at the cut and freeze when she heard footsteps behind her.
“You called?” a smoky toned voice sounded from the dark, with that a breathtakingly beautiful woman stepped forward with a smirk on her lips.
Her hair fell in dramatic waves over her shoulders and down her back. The normally powder white hair took on an ivory tone in the shining moon light. Her eyes, a pale reddish purple, twinkled with a hint of mischief. Thin lips drawn into a playful snarl, stalking forward she took the young female's hand in her own, tsking softly under her breath.
“My my, I see you have not changed. Still a clumsy little thing aren't you?”
The redhead pulled her hand away as if the beautiful woman was poison herself.
“How did you-”
She was interrupted by twigs snapping as a third girl came running up.
“Ezra!You told on me?”
The youngest of the three was a short blonde girl, no older than 17.her skin was smudged with grim, twigs and leaves poked out from the now messy bun of honeyed hair. Her eyes were mousy brown, soft and delicate looking just like their holder.
“No!I just got Belladonna in case you got hurt.”Ezra said quietly while looking down at the ground, ashamed almost.
“Which indeed the lady did.” Belladonna chuckled with amusement at the sister’s encounter.
“Yvaine.. You can venture here another night, for now come back to my cabin, i can clean and bandage your cut”
The outsider spoke again, all playfulness and mystic dropped, her voice was soft as a whisper.
Yvaine bit her lip, possibly a little too hard as she could feel the skin start to give way, she knew she had to fight the urge to peel the skin away.
“Fine..it's not like there is actually anything here..it's all been stolen or lost by now.”
She heaved a heavy sigh and turned from the ruins of the old fortress.
Reluctantly Yvaine followed the strange woman and her younger sister.
It didn't take the trio to reach the witch’s cabin, stepping inside yvaine was hit with a comforting warmth and the pleasant scent of fresh herbs.
As she glanced around she was amazed by how much it had changed since the last time she was here.
Only a couple months prior, this cabin had been abandoned and fallen apart, Belladonna had taken it upon herself to fix it up for her to live in. Her old family home had been burned to the ground for accusations that Belladonna was a witch. Which she is but not a magical one, just one that takes herbal healing a little too far sometimes. They never spoke of the incident though, the witch was too closed off about it. It would just end in a large argument.
Yvaine took a seat on a wicker stool, shifting awkwardly on it as it creaked under her. When the white haired lady walked up to her holding a tinted glass bottle of liquid she held out her injured hand and looked away.
Her eyes trailed the walls, all filled with strange decor. Bones and teeth of animals, some stringed together others on their own. Pieces of burnt parchment, with odd ruins scribbled on it in what Yvaine was hoping was just rusty coloured ink. She was most disturbed by the large gashes in the wall that couldn’t possibly be made by a knife. A shiver ran down her spine as she tried to imagine what type of snarling furious beast could have been in this tiny hut.
“Did you hear me Yvaine?”
Belladonna’s voice cut through her thoughts like a blade.
“I’m sorry..I got distracted, what were you saying?” Yvaine blinked a few times before looking into the deep pools that were the woman’s eyes. She was intrigued with how they moved. Shaking ever so slightly even when she was looking directly at something.
“I said, you were lucky it was rock and not the metal gates that you were cut on. You most definitely would have an infection.” She seemed irritated with having to repeat herself..it was something else. The redhead couldn’t quite ever tell what she was thinking or feeling.
Ezra interrupted the encounter by knocking something onto the wooden floor, the liquid spilled open and instantly stained the surface, it’s brilliant indigo blue lapping at the fur carpet Belladonna had in front of the bed.
“Oh no I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to, I'll clean.” She looked so worried about the mess dropping to her knees using her own jacket to mop it off.
“No dear child, it is all right. You’ll ruin your clothing.” Belladonna kneel down and helped her up and looked at the jacket sighing as she saw the fabric was already dripping.
“I will try my best to fix this I can’t promise it’ll be the same.”
Yvaine narrowed her eyes and stood up. She grabbed Ezra by the arm.
“Come on. We better get back home, father will be worried.” She led her to the door and ushered her out into the night. Turning back she glanced back at Belladonna who was standing there a little stunned holding the wet jacket.
“Thank you, Ms Lang. next time we meet I will have money for your service.”
Yvaine didn’t even wait for a reply. Closing the door hard behind her she held Ezra by the hand and practically dragged her all the way back into the town to their father’s home.
She couldn’t understand why she felt weird about Belladonna getting close or being kind to her sister. Something was off about it.
——
Yvaine laid awake staring at the ceiling her injured palm rested gingerly on her tummy. She had ripped off the bandages that the silver hair hermit put on it. She was suddenly disgusted with the idea of anything of hers touching her skin.
The lady groaned loudly and looked to the side, out the window at the twinkling stars. She sighed softly to herself closing her eyes.
Her dreams were plagued with lavender red eyes and soft flowy silvered hair, sickly sweet herbs and gentle fingertips against her throat.