Masked (A Hat In Time)

The Darkest Depths

I just wrote probably the most angst-filled chapter (this one) in the story in Comic Sans.

Anyway! Arc 4 truly comes together :)

---

Bow Kid stared, frozen and slack-jawed with horror. Her memories of the prince flashed before her eyes.

Looking over Snatcher's storybook and realizing what happened to him.

Finally meeting the prince, though not recognizing him.

Their fight.

Snapping Moonjumper's control.

His warm, anxious smile.

Sitting above the trees, gazing up at the sky.

Saying she'll take him to see the stars. Promising him that she'll show him the stars again.

And now, she wouldn't be able to fulfill that promise.

It was only when the Outlander turned toward her and raised his bloody blades that she remembered to move. She charged at him, swinging her umbrella wildly with rage. "GET AWAY FROM HIM!" she yelled.

He only cackled, easily dancing just out of reach of her weapon. "You know what, I'll do you a favor!" he chirped. "I'll let you say goodbye for a moment, okay?" And then he ducked right under her umbrella and slipped into Bow's shadow.

She stopped swinging, panting hard with exertion and fury. Then she whirled around and sprinted over to the prince on the ground, sliding to her knees by his side.

Quickly she looked him over. His eyes were closed. The blood was spreading quickly through his shirt. Maybe he couldn't be killed by being stabbed since he was a doll!

But he wasn't breathing. Fear shot through her until again she reminded herself he was a doll. He never needed to breathe.

It was frightening, though, since she had no way to tell whether or not he was dead. "Prince?" she asked, her voice shaky and rough with suppressed tears. "Please tell me you're still alive..."

She waited for a beat. Then, to her great relief, the prince's eyes cracked open. He smiled up at her, but he looked like he was in a lot of pain. "Hey, kid," he mumbled. "Don't worry about me. I-I'm sorry I couldn't protect you..."

"It's not your fault!" Bow Kid said in desperation. "I'm the one who's sorry I didn't protect you!" The tears welled in her eyes, but they didn't spill yet. All of this was her fault. She should've prepared the prince for the Outlander and told him what he was capable of. And how evil he was.

"You're going to be okay," she told him, more to assure herself than anyone else. "You and me- I-I promised you we were gonna see the stars together!"

The prince slowly lifted a hand, but Bow shoved it down. "No, no, save your energy," she told him. "I-I'm going to save you, okay? You're going to be okay! We're going to be okay!"

She had to help. She had to save him. She wouldn't be able to bear the guilt if she didn't.

There was no way she was going to lose a friend! What would everyone think? That they wasted their time saving him from the dungeon just to have Bow go screw it up? What would Hattie think of her?

What would Bow think of herself?

Again, the prince's hand raised. Before Bow Kid could lower it, he pointed at the sky. "Look," he whispered, his arm shaking.

Confused, Bow Kid turned her head up to the sky.

There wasn't a cloud in the sky. The dark night sky wasn't entirely black but streaked with purple and blue. The ghosts of distant clouds were visible. The moon shone through, illuminating the area.