Chapter Text
Horse hooves sounded against the dirt and rocks. Their clopping was something that had always eased Dave; that is what he grew up with. The sounds, brushing, taking care of them, cleaning their stalls; however, it wasn’t something he did much anymore.
Broderick didn’t let him. Or, well, stopped forcing him to and instead forced him to almost never see the horses unless they were riding them. It was a bit uncomfortable at first, to ride them, his legs weren’t used to the rubbing of his legs against their back and the motions of the horse’s muscles and bones moving would wear Dave down almost more than Broderick’s swordplay lessons. By now, though, it didn’t bother him as much anymore. He has had a lot more practice since then.
Dave kept his mouth shut as he continued to command the horse silently to follow his guardian. Both of their horses were white and sleek, clearly well kept, since other people hired to do that dirty work.
Broderick didn’t want Dave to do any type of work like that anymore. Yes, he was supposed to become an excellent swordsman, but it wasn’t because it was a necessity. As Broderick put it, it was a brilliant leisure activity the would only put his status above others in the village they resided in whereas other work was Dave submitting himself to a lower life.
It didn’t matter if Dave’s best friends did it; he couldn’t.
Broderick decided that when he gave Dave dark tinted glasses, like his own. It was unique, not many people knew how to make them, so many people gave them strange looks upon first meetings. Forever Dave was supposed to wear them; it was what his guardian did and it was what he wanted for Dave.
The scenery started to change and Dave’s thoughts melted away as he began to focus on his surroundings. Instead of the normal green, bright, lively plants, there was now darker, uglier ones. The trees were so high and old that no light that could reach the bottom, which left many of the young seedlings wilting and dying.
Dave had only been in this part of the forest a few times; most of them being dares from John. For some reason, that trickster was always obsessed with the Dark Forest and the decaying castle within.
The castle wasn’t always that way.
“Keep your horse directly behind mine from now on, David,” Broderick ordered.
Dave kept his face neutral as he got back in line, his horse nickering in slight annoyance. Yet, Dave continued to look around, accidentally steering the horse slightly out of Broderick’s shadow.
The birds had stopped chirping as they went deeper into the forest and now only the rustling of leaves and clopping of their own horses could be heard.
“Is this a new route?” Dave asked, “We never go this far into the Dark Forest.”
Dave looked ahead, waiting for Broderick to answer. Dave didn’t realize, but he was beginning to shiver. It was colder here. There was frost on the tree’s leaves, a light white coating every moss, branch, and crevice that it could find. Dave pulled the red cloak over his shoulder tighter, trying to keep the warm air inside.
There was no noise from Broderick and Dave once again fell silent, his head bowing in reluctant acceptance, as he had his horse continue to follow Broderick’s. However, it wasn’t long before his attention returned to his surroundings.
He could already see the outline of the castle, so faint, since the grey stone blended in with the stormy clouds. There were more shiverings and chills and for some reason the closer they neared to the large structure the colder and more dead the forest became. Instead of darkness, there was so much grey and white that Dave was happy to wear the glasses. It was almost blinding without them.
Then, the plants ceased to be and the hooves clicked onto the tile. Dave’s mouth gaped as he saw the castle fully, it was so large, much bigger than anything he had ever seen, and undeniably beautiful and grotesque at the same time. There was a layer of snow that covered the ground, tiles, and skeletons of the once green life.
He had never seen snow before.
Dave could see the horses kicking the white away and for a few moments he wondered what that would feel like if he did that too. There was a sense of surprise when he felt cold on his hands and nose; there were little patches of white, snowflakes, falling onto the fabric, yet when it landed on his skin it melted into clear water.
It was snowing here. Before Dave remembered what happened when he asked a question earlier it was already flowing out of his mouth.
“How could it snow here and nowhere else?” Dave asked.
Yet, even the past realization dawned on him, that Broderick would never answer, Dave was too much in awe of everything to care. He played with the snowflakes, putting his finger on the few that landed near his hand to watch them melt.
He kept his face neutral and there was silence as they got even closer to the castle, right near the entrance. Broderick stared ahead at the structure, all of his attention on it. It was like he was searching the castle for something. Noticing this, Dave's wonder moved from the snowflakes to the stone details of the structure, stairs, and the windows. It was so detailed, with swirls, plants, and mythical creatures like fairies and gryphons.
However, those details were fading, some broken or chipped while others rusted away into nothing.
Then a movement caught his eye; it was in the window closest to the ground. Dave’s facade momentarily disappeared as he looked and tilted his head.
The castle wasn’t always that way.
There was something itching at the back of Dave’s mind, telling that he had seen that window before. He shouldn’t have, this was the first time as far as he knew; Broderick has never taken him this far and John never dared him to go this close, it was far too extreme.
But it wasn’t the first time he saw it.
Dave almost stopped his horse as he stared.
He could see it perfectly in his mind, the swirls in the stones that were broken connecting, with not only each other but with the living vines filled with purple and pink flowers climbing upward. There was also the sun to shine down on the brilliant window, which let the light flow in and reflect off of people inside.
There was a young boy, with dark skin, a mess of black hair, and a smile that Dave swore reflected the sun. His eyes were just as expressive, the red-brown filled with delight. So young, Dave barely remembered when he was that age. Thought it must have been less than a decade, it felt like a lifetime ago.
Dave had been thinking of that smile, so care-free, so wonderful, and now he felt something light up inside of him screaming that he saw the boy here.
Something startled Dave out of his thoughts and he turned to see Broderick looking back at him, a blank expression on his face.
There was an instant worry.
My horse is still moving, check, moving on the path, check, everything is fine. It should be fine.
However, something was telling Dave Broderick was still mad and if it wasn’t about that it was about something else.
“What are you thinking about?” Broderick asked.
Dave was stunned; however, he shouldn’t have. Broderick only speaks when he wants to, so often times it is his own questions or observations.
“Nothing,” Dave answered.
Reluctantly, Dave tore his eyes away from the castle to the guardian in front of him.
Broderick smiled, “Good.”
Once Broderick turned back around Dave frowned. He took the risk and glanced back at the castle one more time. There were longing and confusion in him… what Dave thought he remembered couldn’t possibly be true. No, it couldn’t.
And then Dave looked back ahead and made his horse go slightly faster to match Broderick’s pace.
“The trip wasn’t bad, we just went there with the swords, some people asked for customs, it was just the regular stuff, you know?” Dave replied to Rose.
Thankfully there weren’t any really hard swords that were ordered. Even though Broderick was a blacksmith, he hated doing the job nowadays. The only reason that business kept going as well as it has was because Broderick liked instructing people how to do it all (once and only once) and then paying them for a small wage for the manual labor.
Only the complicated orders of swords were the ones done by Broderick himself. Besides hating everything else about the business, that was the only thing he wanted to do. He wanted a challenge or nothing.
The two siblings were relaxing inside their house, Dave sitting on a couch as Rose sat at the other, knitting. A few days ago Dave and Broderick had returned home with the orders. Weirdly enough, when Broderick did lead the way back he didn’t go near the castle. Dave didn’t bother to ask why.
Dave was silent most of the trip, thinking about the snow and what he wanted to tell Rose… which was the trip there. Dave leaned forward in his chair, a slight face of wonder that made Rose pause in her knitting.
“But the interesting thing was when we went through the Dark Forest to get to the other village, you know, that creepy ass forest that John’s dared me to go into a couple of times?” Dave asked.
“Yes, brother, I am aware of that forest,” Rose smiled, “did you go and see the castle too?”
Dave stared at his sister with wide eyes.
“Oh my god, how did you know? You are just a mind reader, already guessing that shit- this is exactly why people look at you weird like you’re a witch. No, it isn’t the gothic and black lace look you always have going on, it’s the mind reading- but back to what I was really going on about- yes. We actually went and saw the castle!”
Now Rose was fully intrigued, her eyes more focused on her brother as she leaned closer to Dave.
“Really? How was that?” she asked, her voice gentle, the way she always was when you start to ramble about something.
“It was! It was…” not normal. Strange. I remembered something, but not. I couldn’t have remembered it. It couldn’t have been real...
Despite the conflicting feelings Dave was having about the castle, that wasn’t what stopped him from continuing his sentence. It was the way Broderick looked at Dave when he asked him what he was thinking about. It hadn’t bothered Dave then, but it did now. Broderick asked Dave like he knew what Dave was remembering something, that he knew Dave would be acting like that when they came.
But it was crazy, Dave couldn’t have possibly remembered anything because everyone knew that the castle had always been like that. It had always been decaying, snowy, uninhabitable, and what most of the people suspected in the village: cursed.
Dave’s whole life has been Broderick and everyone else telling Dave to never go there, to never be there. So… no, Dave acted the right way. Broderick couldn’t have possibly expected Dave to remember anything because there was nothing to remember.
But. Dave did feel something. See some things.
The castle wasn’t always that way.
No, he’s just imagined them. The way he was enraptured by the snow, Broderick would have called him a child, a kid who never grew up. A person Broderick would say he didn’t raise. And remembering false memories? Broderick would have said that person belongs with all the other crazy people.
“It wasn’t bad,” Dave finally said, “but Bro was really weird when he walked by it. He was checking it out and then he was just acting, like, hella weird. It was just…”
Dave tried not to focus on Rose’s intense purple eyes as he continued to think about Broderick's look again. It was seared into his mind, the casual glance, and yet all of his attention was actually focused on Dave and Dave alone. It was so unlike Broderick.
There had to be a reason, Broderick was expecting something, waiting for something. But what? What could it be?
“Really weird,” Dave repeated, gesturing with his hands and somewhat physically threw the topic away.
Rose once again was looking at him with intrigue. She appeared like she wanted to say something, her mouth somewhat opened and her eyes showing that she clearly knew something else happened.
However, she didn’t pry. Rose knew when Dave didn’t want to talk or couldn’t go on. He felt like he had won something when Rose kept her mouth shut, but another part of him wished she had asked anyway.
“What to go see Jade and John?” Dave suggested.
Rose instantly smiled.
“Of course.”
The village was bustling, like it always did during the mid-day, especially since the sun was out without a cloud in the sky. People were calling out what they were selling, jostling to get into a line first, or ramming into people because they had a job to do.
Unlike Dave and Rose.
Dave wore his regular clothes, a white baggy shirt, red belt, and fitted long black pants. That is what Broderick wore and that is what he wanted Dave to wear. As for Rose, she wore a pink and black dress, some make-up, with a parcel in her hand. Broderick had told her to wear better clothes when she went out now. As a deal, the dress could be any color, as long as it was a dress.
Rose had figured out immediately what Broderick was trying to do; he wanted to make her a bride. It wasn’t hard, not with the audible whispers among the other neighbors and sellers. But Rose wasn’t going to let that slide. As a bark back to Broderick she wore the weirdest and most intimidating black dresses she could find.
“For being so beautiful, she is so... peculiar,” someone muttered as the two walked past, their eyes glued to Rose’s black dress.
It was the baker, a mean old man that Rose had already put on her list. What would happen to him while he was on the list, Dave didn’t know and didn’t care.
However, the two twins didn’t think about that as they walked to where they knew John and Jade would be: the only cake shop in town. Rose was melting under the sun in her long black dress, but there was a smile on her face as she heard those comments.
She always seemed to win against Broderick.
When the twins entered the bell rang and John immediately turned from the counter, a large grin on his face. He was wearing what he normally wore: a blue shirt, dark brown pants, and square spectacles on his face. Of course, everything was covered in flour.
“Why, it wouldn’t be the most famous duo! Rose and Davey!” John called.
Dave huffed, “What are you, an old man? No one says Davey except an eighty-year-old man.”
John frowned and rolled his eyes.
“I am trying to be more welcoming, ya know!” John said as he playfully nudged Dave, “So, when are we going to hang out? When are we going to explore the Dark Forest?!”
“What is with you and that creepy ass forest?” Dave asked, laughing a little as John walked around Dave in circles then waved at Rose, who, in return, smiled.
“Because, Dave,” John whined, “Because.”
Dave rolled his eyes.
“JOHN!”
Everyone turned to see Jade come rushing out from behind the counter, the back door swinging behind her, her long black hair pulled into a messy bun, wearing a long green dress with a blue dusty apron over it, and flour on her round glasses.
She looked a little mad as she punched John. Dave laughed at John’s undignified yelp and Rose smirked.
“How could you not tell me they were here?!” she yelled at him, yet once she turned to the twins her smile brightened like a thousand suns, “Hello Dave, and hi Rose!”
Dave nodded at her and Rose smiled back at Jade.
“You look very nice Jade, I see you are trying to not ruin your dress and took my advice?” Rose motioned to the apron.
Jade groaned, “Yes, getting flour out of clothes is awful and I am tired of doing it.”
“I knew you would,” Rose answered.
As they began to talk another friendly face came into view; it was John’s father, Mr. Egbert. Dave's happiness faded a little. He knew what Mr. Egbert was going to say, he seemed to always be there after a few minutes of talking.
“I hate to interrupt this friendly banter, but I need to take my employees back; we have a lot of orders to fill out,” Mr. Egbert said.
Instantly, John and Jade groaned.
“We don’t even have that much! Come on!” Jade complained.
Rose smiled a little at their childishness and Dave couldn’t help as his own lips moved slightly upward.
“Nope, there is one customer I know is going to order some, so we need to start making them,” Mr. Egbert replied, not at all bothered, then he looked to Dave and Rose, “it was very nice seeing you lovely folks again, don’t be afraid to come back later.”
“We won’t,” Rose answered.
As the twins left they could still hear the complaining from inside and Dave still smiled as he heard it once the door closed.
“But c’mon, dad! You talk about this customer and we always end up making extra cakes!”
Dave already knew where they were going as they walked out of the shop. Most of the time Dave and Rose try to bring John and Jade, but when they couldn’t they went on their own. People waved and greeted them, or rather Dave. Most people still regarded Rose with mild confusion and uncomfortableness, whereas Dave was still the cool silent type they had grown to love, especially since he was the son of their amazing and well-mannered blacksmith.
Dave assumed it was because of the wealth and influence they had gained that made people like him so much because it obviously wasn’t his personality. The only people that really knew him were Rose, John, and Jade. Broderick liked it that way, for Dave was his one and only heir, so he had to be the best.
And the best wasn’t what Dave really was. At least, to Broderick.
Dave continued to nod to people until the two made their way out of the town’s center. Fewer people stopped him, in fact, there were fewer people in general, especially as they got to the very edge of town. Bricks and stones had ended and beyond was a vast grassland.
They continued to walk and Dave quickly bumped into Rose, smirking as he leaned near her ear while putting a hand over his mouth.
“Oh, I don’t think you should marry her, everyone knows she’s a witch!” Dave mocked in a high voice.
Rose smiled mischievously back; the parcel in her hand was put away and down by her side.
“Yes, I mean who wears such dark colors? Only a goblin I’d say,” Rose replied in a matching tone as she smirked, “and how much she reads, unnatural! Nonsensical! Who needs to read when there are plenty of children to bore and raise, a house to clean, and meals to make?”
The two laughed and continued to make jokes until they went to the highest point on top of the hill. It was so high, they could see the town and the distant castle. Rose sighed with a smile as she looked down at the village.
Out there it was so small and the people were so tiny. Along with the people, their problems seemed to shrink into nonexistence. It was their favorite place up here. Picnics were wonderful, Dave still cherished the times where he would tear the grass from the roots to carefully pull them apart. He remembers doing it so much, that it was what also made this place magical. It was the only place where he would get lost in the memories, of being carefree, of Rose spending more time doing what she wanted, of Broderick not being around as often.
Dave watched with the soft happiness of his own before he glanced back to the castle. There was a dark menacing cloud hanging over it, always threatening anyone who came close.
Despite the fact that everyone always talked about the ever there cloud, Dave remembered a time when he could twirl around and see only the blue sky. But, he shouldn’t. It was always there, at least that is what everyone said.
The castle wasn’t always that way.
The edge of his lips turned downward.
“Rose?”
“What is it, Dave?” she asked, still looking out at the view.
“Do you ever feel like we’ve been doing the same day for forever?”
This time Rose looked over at Dave. Her eyes were once again curious. However, he didn’t look back at her; Dave stared down below at the town as he continued.
“Like time has stayed still for a long time and we’ve been doing the same old meaningless shit for forever?”
When Dave glanced at Rose beside him. Her eyes didn’t have their normal piercing quality, instead, it was soft and round. Rose was worried as she stared at him, with a little frown on her face. And for once, uncertainty.
“Sometimes.”
Before Dave could say anything more there was a loud whistle that pierced through the air; hair instantly rose on Dave’s arms and even Rose stood up from her position on the ground. Their eyes both gazed down at the village.
It was Broderick’s whistle for whenever he needed Dave. Just like all the other times before, he had to go. Dave knew what happened if he took too long.
“Looks like I gotta go, sis,” Dave said, with a hint of disappointment in his voice.
A month passed quickly for Dave, nothing different had happened. His normal activities such as learning how to fight with a sword, lessons on manners, and making more connections with different villagers made it blur together into all the other days since he was ten. There was only mild interrupting, such as when John or Jade had spiced up his life. Of course, Rose too, but… only when they were alone.
Dave was sitting with Rose, checking off people in the village who had given him more customers to sell swords or other weapons to. He also began to take into account where the new customers were interested in and their location, scribbling away on a table as Rose knitted in a nearby chair.
That was when Broderick came into the room from the right. His boots were loud on the floor, almost shaking Dave’s heart with each step, and together the twins waited for Broderick to speak. After all, Broderick never bothered them unless he wanted something done. Awful enough, Broderick only spoke when he was standing next to Dave, leaning over to see the handwriting on the paper.
“I heard from Thomas that his daughter came home the other day, upset,” Broderick said, monotone as he looked over Dave.
Dave hesitated as he wrote down another name, pausing at the A in Dean, but finished in a moment.
Alice? Why would she be upset? Maybe it was that time she stormed out of the bar, I don’t know what I said, but surely it was nothing. Besides, I haven’t even been to the bar since. No point on going there if it was going to be terrible anyway… For some reason people always had to bother me…
Why does Bro care?
Even as Dave tried to guess he glanced up to see that Rose was almost seething, her mouth in a frown as she stared at Broderick. She obviously figured out what Dave had not. Broderick began to walk around Dave, almost encircling him, before continuing over to a door frame on the left side. He stopped momentarily, his hand resting on the wood.
“And then he told me how a few other boys, all sons of Gaston, had started to converse and taunt you and you left, is that correct?”
Dave didn’t notice Rose’s increased scowl and unease with the situation, his only eyes on Broderick.
“Yeah, I was tired,” Dave answered as he slowly let the pencil onto the paper, “and they were only annoying me.”
Maybe honesty would be good…
They were annoying him, Gabriel and his goons were always annoying him. Ugh, they wanted him to go on hunting trips and lounge around and do nothing with them. Dave would rather be alone than hear them talk about John and Jade again… Always insulting them. Better to leave than punch them, Dave thought.
There was a brief moment of silence.
“David, get the horses and bring your dagger; we are going on a ride,” Broderick simply said, then walked out.
Broderick gave Dave the dagger when he was ten; it was a small and silver blade, with almost no design expect for it to be easy to carry. Dave had it secured to his hip and then Dave left with what he always wore: the plain white shirt and black pants. There was no point in changing it, the combination was perfect for the kind of heat within the village.
Then Dave went out and gathered the two same horses that they took on their previous trip. He was slow, greeting the mare, Mouse, and colt, Dally, as he always did until they relaxed, then dressed the horses for the ride. He sighed as he adjusted the reins to the mare. As he looked into the large black eyes of the horse Dave thought of Rose’s face as he left.
Her lips were in a thin line, but she didn’t have to say anything for Dave to understand what she wanted to say to him. Maybe it was the way her eyes were filled with suspicion as she watched Broderick leave or clarity that she didn’t want Dave to go.
It will be something bad, she seemed to say to him.
“Why do you think he wanted me to go, Mouse?” Dave asked the mare.
Her black eyes focused on him and merely blinked.
You know exactly why he wants you to go.
Rose had always teased him that he was the horse whisperer, but he wasn’t! He wasn’t, he just knew that… a lot of things could be said without saying it. Especially the eyes… it wasn’t called the windows to the soul for nothing.
After a moment, Dave continued to talk to Mouse.
“I mean, it's probably something normal. Maybe strife or talking to, nothing I can’t handle, right? What do you think?”
Once again, the horse didn’t respond. However, Dave still watched her eyes.
You’ve said that before. And there was a disappointing glint in Mouse’s eyes, the same as Rose’s when he left.
Dave frowned. He had seen their disappointed looks for a long time… it was like deja vu.
“I knew I should have asked some of the other horses for advice,” he muttered as he led the horse out of the stall.
Mouse nickered and playfully pushed her head against his own.
Within minutes, Dave was outside and holding the two horses, Mouse and Dally, ready.
Broderick didn’t talk the entire ride, so just like before Dave admired his surroundings. The plants, the way sunlight hit and reflected off of the brilliant green, and the ever-present sound of birds chirping and bugs buzzing. That was when he began to recognize the path: they were going to the Dark Forest.
Just as Dave opened his mouth to confirm his suspicions he closed it. By now, Dave and remembered what happened, so instead of speaking or asking questions he just stared at the plants before him. Once again, he could almost see a visible line where there was the dead and the living. There was one tree split down the middle, a healthy glow of brown on one side and then a dark black on the other.
Soon the snow began to fall onto Dave and the horses. Dave felt himself shaking and shivering as water began to dampen his shirt. His teeth chattered, but after a few minutes he stopped himself, his shoulders, legs, and arms almost numb and his fingers bright red. His sunglasses had also so many droplets, it was impossible to see through them.
I should have brought something, maybe this was all a test. A test to see how prepared I am for what can happen, maybe we’ll turn around an-
“David, I am worried about you surviving out in the world.”
Dave’s mind stopped.
“It is hard world out there… Sometimes you have to fight and win,” Broderick continued, “When you didn’t stand up to those boys… Well, you know they are going to keep on doing it, don’t you? I don’t want to be worried, but I am, especially with that.”
Dave stopped his thinking and glanced over to Broderick, whose attention was still ahead. His guardian’s first words since this whole trip were so surprising that Dave almost thought he had made it up in his head. However, Broderick continued.
“I want you to do something to show me I don’t need to be worried anymore,” and right as Broderick finished, his horse, Dally, stopped.
Dave quickly pulled on his reins; Mouse whinnied in protest and moved to the side of Dally in annoyance, but thankfully not forward into Broderick.
“What is it?” Dave asked.
Snowflakes still began to dust Dave and by now his sunglasses had water running down in small rivers. Broderick turned around and the same was for him, snow and water had piled onto his glasses in a heavy coat. However, Dave could still feel Broderick’s heavy stare.
“Get off of the horse, David.”
Dave had a moment of hesitancy, yet, as Broderick waited patiently Dave slipped off of Mouse. His boots hit the snow with a small crunch and the white, cold fluff reached his ankles. The temperature already began to nip at his toes and fill the shoes with a blanket of cool. Dave tried to hide the confusion and reluctance, but it was no use, his lips pointed downward slightly as he looked up at Broderick, waiting for the next order.
“Give me the reins.”
Dave’s slight frown increased and he walked over to Broderick, placing the reins on top of Broderick’s open palms. His guardian’s fingers closed around it and pulled the horse away from Dave. Mouse wasn’t too pleased, but followed the command and watched as she walked next to Broderick’s horse. The snow still fell on them softly, starting to cover up where the hoof tracks were.
Dave watched Mouse with an intense yet soft gaze. Please, please do as he says. You know what happens when you don’t listen.
Only once Mouse was by Broderick’s side did Dave finally look at him. His guardian still had the same stoic look that he always did, his mouth a thin line without any crinkle on his face to betray an expression. It was like a sculpture, the way he stayed the same. Then Broderick spoke and crinkles showed up, yet the lack of liveliness was still there.
“Now, I want you to be strong enough to come back.”
Dave’s mouth opened in surprised at those words and then Broderick kicked back at the horse’s hind legs, forcing Dally and Mouse to run forward. Dave felt time slowed as the horses brushed up against him, warming him slightly before they disappeared and the wind came through and swept the cold back into him.
There was too much shock for Dave’s voice to work and soon the two horses disappeared in the white and black blanket of the dead, snowy forest.
The castle was the first and only thing Dave thought of; it was the only place he could think of to get out of the cold. Dave had learned long ago shelter was the first priority in survival. Surprisingly the one thing Broderick told him to bring, the dagger, which was against Dave’s hip, wasn’t helping whatsoever. In fact, as Dave troughed through the snow, which was surprisingly light, the dagger would only dig into his legs and slip the warmth out of his skin. Despite the worthlessness his sunglasses had become, he kept them on, cleaning them every so often. It was better than being blinded by the vast stretch of pure white.
What could have only been a few hours, or a few minutes, felt like forever. It was the same dead trees all around him as he got closer and closer to the large, grey castle. Thank goodness Dave was almost there because his mood was getting worse and worse as the cold numbed his skin until something caught his eye.
Dave frowned at the broken branch. It was a large one, still somewhat attached to the main tree by only a few splinters, and long enough that as it was broken the tips of the branch still touched the ground. Something tugged in Dave’s mind and his eyes narrowed at it.
The castle wasn’t always like this.
Suddenly Dave saw the branch when it was upright, reaching out to the sunlight coming from the sky, and covered in lively green leaves. The bark was brighter, brown, and covered in lichen that was light teal, like splashes of paint.
As Dave blinked the image remained the same and as he looked around all of the trees were covered in leaves and golden light poured in through them, leaving patches of bright rays reflecting off of the ground. The air was thick and warm like an invisible blanket surrounding him.
“Dave, there is this kid you have to meet, he’s hilarious!” John’s higher voice exclaimed and Dave watched as the smaller and younger version of his best friend was perched on the large branch that was once broken, nearly jumping with excitement on it, “I just have to see if he’s on his break!”
The young John grinned, almost brighter than the light itself. His square glasses wasn’t covered in flour and, instead, it was covered with dirt. A nice blue shirt, black pants slightly ripped and lived in, and shoes roughed up from wear.
But, the Dark Forest… it wasn’t ever alive in our lifetime. It was always like that, wasn’t it?
“You know how much Bro doesn’t like me near the castle, I can’t go there,” Dave said, his mouth moving without any thought or command at all. Yet, his voice was higher, happier.
A younger me… but, I was always allowed to go to the castle, I just never wanted to… right? Why wouldn’t I be?
“But you’re going to love him, I know it!” John answered, jumping to look, his chin out as his eyes scanned, “I see him, I see his bird’s nest hair, I see he isn’t-AHH!”
In an instant, the branch broke beneath him and young John fell to the ground. Dave rushed forward to catch him, there was a slamming sound, and the pain blossomed on top of his head. Dave forced his eyes closed as he gritted his teeth and more waves of pain flowed through and from his cranium. Cold snow fell onto his head and slid down his neck and back. Abruptly he flipped backward as he tried to get away from the shocking cold, his butt going onto the freezing, wet ground.
Great, I got myself even colder. The mastermind is really me, isn’t it?
Dave shook his hair like a dog, groaning as he rubbed his head. Hesitantly Dave opened his eyes and once again he was in front of the tree with the broken branch. The forest was dead and covered in snow once more. Dave sighed as he stood up, now all of his soaking wet clothing clinging tightly to his skin, and his teeth began to chatter. When he tried to stop the chattering, he couldn't.
“Wha-what the-the h-hell?” Dave struggled to say.
Uncontrollable chattering. Hyperthermia.
Dave turned to see the castle, blinking as the grey figure focused and re-focused ahead of him. He forced himself forward, his feet now becoming heavy as he tried to walk. As he did, he kept his eyes closed as he kept on moving forward, slowly but surely.
Dave didn’t remember how he got so close, but he finally got the point where his fingers were running along the title and broken stone, but all he cared about was that he was there.
Once Dave got to the door his legs stopped working. Exhaustion, soreness, the cold, it didn’t matter, his knees buckled Dave fell onto the doorstep with a loud thud. He didn’t even feel the pain as he landed, not even a sense of pressure.
His fingers clawed at the snow and he still tried to crawl forward, but there was so much dead weight… he couldn’t go any further.
This is it, isn’t it? Dave thought as his head laid down onto the snow, exhaustion taking over. He couldn’t feel the cold anymore, just numbness and nothing. Only the tip of his nose, fingers, and toes felt suddenly warm, but he knew it was just his brain lying to him. Dave’s eyes barely stayed opened as the snowflakes began to cloud his sunglasses.
I’m this close and I can’t even make it, Dave thought harshly to himself as he stared at the splintered and dark door, I wasn’t ever going to make in this world, was I?
Dave laid there, dread and emptiness began to fill him. Just as his consciousness began to fade the dark door opened. Dave didn’t have the chance to feel the joy before he saw two red glowing eyes were peering down at him and his whole world suddenly turned from white to black.
“Dave, Dave!”
He jerked away frowning as he looked to find the person calling him. It was a black figure shrouded in white. For a second he thought the figure had red eyes and Dave blinked. They didn't have red eyes, no, it was his sister, Rose. She was leaning close, watching as he started to wake. Right as Dave began to move Rose smiled, pure joy on her face.
“Dave, you are okay,” she said, putting some of his hair out of his eyes, “I was so worried… I was so worried Broderick did something to you. When he said he was teaching you a lesson I knew it couldn’t be good, you shouldn’t have followed him…”
“What, why would you be worried?” Dave tried to say, somewhat messing up his words as he woke up, pulling a very soft blanket just under his chin.
Dave’s eyes fluttered once more as he focused on Rose, trying to process what she was saying, but failing to do so as he stared at her. There was something off about her; Dave had never seen her so worried. Her blonde hair was not as neat as it normally was, a little ruffled and around a purple dress was a large black cloak.
“He must have left you out there in the cold,” Rose said, concern leaking from her voice, “you've been gone for a day and it looks like you almost got frostbite… But you patched yourself up from the cold. Thank goodness you at least did that when you got the blanket.”
Dave’s eyes widened as he remembered. The snow, Broderick leaving, everything.
He looked down to see his fingers were wrapped up brightly and warmly. Not only that, he could feel his toes were covered in the hotter material, as well as his nose, and his ears. What? What happened? Dave’s eyes darted as he studied his surroundings.
The room itself, was large, details of painted fairies and vines that encompassed most of the high ceiling, and the supports were amazing looking, with even more sculptural wings and flowers. Yet, all of the paintings was chipped and some of the sculptures had cracks or entire pieces missing. All that made this a wonderful place was falling apart.
As far as Dave looked, it appeared that the long lounge chair he was sitting on was the only furniture that was held in this hollow home. For size and the darkness, it appeared like the decaying structure could go on forever. What was once most definitely magnificent was now just a sad, eerie, and empty place.
Wait, this is the castle.
“Come on, Dave, we should get home,” Rose said, helping her brother up.