Sleeping Beauty [WMMAP Fanfiction]

Chapter Twenty Nine: Abnormal

It was years ago when he first saw the palace. And only a day ago, he was moving in as some "attendant". The very suggestion of him being someone else's underling made him snort. But the look that the Robane heir always faced him with, even if he tried to hide it, was amusing enough.

So full of irritation hidden behind a stoic facade, he had no idea about the truth. That thing he befriended was the real villain, not him.

He wasn't the one who killed many like her. He wasn't the one that caused him to become like he was now. He was born because he was wanted.

She was literally a legend for her ruthlessness. She was the one who broke laws that would warrant her having a hand chopped off for even one of them. She was born from insecurities and darkness, not him.

So don't glare at him. Don't feel sick looking at him; that was how he felt over the Ice Demon. They should've been glad, that she was asleep forever. He was the one who caused it. No one ever woke up from that curse. Not even her mother did. 

Athanasia, seeing Alice's dad ― Xeno, apparently ― could see there was a difference between him and Alice. She was worried she wouldn't be able to tell, like when she first saw him, but Felix was right; they looked completely different. He always looked... disgusted. At everything. It twisted his face, and his eyes just.. their auras were completely different. Alice was more calm, and her posture showed it. She was more content with her life, and had a somewhat more approachable face. This man looked a second away from calling a manager, with his face ruined by angry wrinkles.

Speaking of Alice, she wanted to see her. She hadn't visited her in a while, and Felix moved her to one of the Robane houses. And she couldn't go out to see her much. Felix could keep quiet when he wanted to, so no one really knew what Alice was up to; even she didn't know what house she was in.

Felix was intimidating when need be. So maybe the phrase 'birds of a feather flock together' did relate to him and Alice; they were drawn to each other for some feeling of similarity that could've been ruthless strength and similar levels in war. Or it was just opposites attract, because Alice definitely wouldn't go and start a friendship; she was the one who had to be taken in. Thinking about the two was always amusing, but now that one was missing, it was just... it hurt.

She sighed. She wanted some time away from paperwork. She understood why Claude didn't like the nobles, and why he basically took naps rather than properly timed sleep. Sleeping as long as Alice did was appealing sometimes. But her work would pile up.

Alice may have looked the same as always for the last handful of months, but she was dreaming, Athanasia was sure. 

***

"Robane. Robane Robane Robane," she said quickly, her mouth running as she pressed her face close to his. Gone was her resting flat face, replaced by wide eyes and energy. "I think I drank a weird thing."

"But you just drank juic-"

"No time no time no time." She leaned back, bouncing on her feet. "Quick, you gotta stop me Robane."

"Stop you from wha-"

She sneezed. Felix stopped in his tracks, with a shard of ice manifesting from the ground right next to him, grazing his hair. Any closer and he would've lost an ear. 

?!?!

***

Athanasia was tired and wanted sleep. But the nobles demanded her attention to waste and try to see Claude, despite the noble heads that stood at the top of the kingdom all signing an acknowledgement of her. And all definitely being freaked out by Anastacius, although no one was mentioning that conference right now.