Never Ending Youth {Queen Ravenna / Reader}

07:

A few chilly days pass. I walk out into the courtyard as Ravenna talks to the Chief Knight. "What's going on?" I ask. Ravenna turns back to look at me. "Good morning, darling. The Knights are going out to get Snow White today." she tells me. I sigh. "Ravenna, I've already told you you shouldn't go through with this." I say. She rests her hands on my shoulders. "Y/n, listen to me. Everything is going to be fine." she says. "You don't know that." I say. She frowns but says nothing.

She removes her hands from my shoulders and turns around to talk to the Chief Knight again. I shake my head and start walking back into the castle. Ravenna turns. "Y/n, where are you going?" she asks. "Into the warmth." I reply, keeping my gaze fixed in front of me. Although the castle is cold, it's a fraction warmer than outside.

I enter my room. I had gotten someone to light the fire prior to now, and thank the lords they had. I sit on the chair in front of the flames and stare at the redish orange blaze. I don't bother heading down for breakfast. I have no appetite.

God knows how much time passes. There's a sudden knock at the door. I flinch a little as I'm ripped from my trance. I look towards the door. "Come in." I call. The door opens. As the person knocked, I half expected it to be a Butler or Maid. It isn't. "Y/n, darling, are you okay?" Ravenna asks as she closes the door behind her. I nod. "You didn't come to breakfast." she says. I nod again. "Not hungry." I reply.

She walks over to me and crouches down in front of me. She grabs my hands. "What's wrong? I want you to tell me everything that's upsetting you." she says. I look directly into her eyes. "Ravenna, I don't like this plan you have at all. Something is going to go wrong, I can feel it." I say. She shakes her head. "Nothing is going to go wrong." she says quietly. I rip my hands away from hers and stand. She stands and steps back. I walk around to behind the chair. Ravenna watches me.

"You're not listening to me, Ravenna! I've told you time and time again that something is going to go wrong, yet you won't fucking listen!" I shout. "How do you know something is going to go wrong?" she asks. "I can feel it! I felt when Faye made everyone forget me, and I can feel that something is going to happen now!" I yell, my voice cracking ever so slightly. She sighs. "Y/n-" she starts. "No, I don't want to hear it." I say as I walk to the door. "Where are you going?" she asks. "Away." I say simply.

I grab my coat from my bed quickly and leave, Ravenna watching me. She sighs as I close the door. I walk out to the stables and stop in front of Alice. She comes forward and nudges my arm. "Hey gorgeous." I whisper. I open the stable and lead her out. I get her ready then ride off into the fields behind the castle. I ride around aimlessly until I'm disturbed by the feeling of my empty stomach.

I head back to the castle just in time to catch lunch. I walk into the dining hall, expecting Ravenna to be waiting for me; she isn't. I take a seat and wait a while. She doesn't show. I eat then leave. The cold draws me back to my room. I sit in front of the fire once again, this time a book in hand. I manage to somewhat block out the anxiety attacking my mind.

A couple days pass and nothing changes. The Knights are yet to return. Ravenna has been trying her best to convince me everything is going to be fine, but I can't bring myself to believe it.

As I pass the throne room I hear talking. "Bring her to me, now!" Ravenna demands. I walk into the room and stop beside the entrance. The guard turns to leave. I catch his eye and he looks towards the floor. Ravenna looks at me. "Y/n, darling, hello." she says. I smile and walk forward. She rises from the throne and meets me half way. "What's going on?" I ask, part of me already knowing the answer.

"They've found Snow White." she answers. My heart skips a beat and a become suddenly dizzy. Ravenna grips my arm to keep me stable. "Y/n, you need to stop stressing. Everything is going to be fine." she says. I don't reply. We stand there, the only sound being our breathing.

The sound of several sets of footsteps catch both of our attention. We turn towards the entrance. Four knights walk in, the young princess between them. A wave of nausea hits me. I take a deep breath and step out of the way for Ravenna. My heart rate increases an abnormal amount.

"Snow White, how lovely it is to see you." Ravenna says, a passive-aggressive smile on her face. She walks towards the princess, her arms linked by her hands behind her back. I stand and watch, worry affecting my ability to move and speak. "I'm sure you remember me." Ravenna says, stopping a few feet in front of the girl.

"You killed my father!" Snow White yells. She starts thrashing about. One of the knights kick her in the back of the knee. She falls to the ground, the thrashing stopping. My stomach twists as I watch. I don't want to, yet I can't look away.

"I did, yes." Ravenna agrees. Hearing the words come from her mouth makes my heart stop. Did I already know she killed the King? Yes, of course I did. Does hearing the cruelty of her words shock me? Absolutely.

I continue to watch, the ragged pants from the princess filling my ears. Ravenna grabs her chin and forces the princess to look at her. "How else was I meant to be Queen?" she asks, her question rhetorical. Snow White grits her teeth in what I assume is anger.

"Do you know why you're here?" Ravenna asks. Once again, the question is rhetorical. "Because I'm going to kill you. I'm going to consume your heart so I can live forever." she says. After hearing those words I manage to rip my eyes away from the sight in front of me. I leave through the side entrance, my footsteps echoing on my way out. Everyone looks at me apart from Ravenna.

I hurry outside. Nausea rises in my throat. I lean against a pillar and shove it back down as I take deep breaths.

I sit outside, trying to keep control of my breathing, when I hear footsteps. I look to the side. It's Ravenna. "Are you okay?" she asks. I stand. "You're joking, right?" I ask. She looks at me, puzzled. "How can you do this, Ravenna? Do you feel no guilt?" I ask. She doesn't reply. I scoff and go to walk back inside. She grabs my arm. "Once she's dead we can live in peace, Y/n." she says. I laugh. "Peace, right." I say. I rip my arms from her grip. "What?" she questions. "Don't expect me to stay around after this, Ravenna." I tell her.

I walk further into the castle, blocking out Ravenna's calls. I head to my room and run a bath in attempt to clear my mind. I try, and fail, to relax.

Later, as I'm lying in bed, Ravenna walks in. I look at her. "What're you doing here?" I ask. She sits on the bed beside me. "I wanted to come see if you were okay." she says. I roll my eyes. "You know I'm not." I tell her. She sighs. "Don't fucking sigh. You have no reason to sigh. If you're going to sigh go do it somewhere else." I tell her sternly. She looks at me, a little shocked.

"Y/n, you know this is the right thing." she says. "Dont. Stop putting thoughts in my head and stop putting words in my mouth. You know how I feel about this, and in no way do I think this is 'the right thing'. You know this, Ravenna." I reply. She doesn't say anything. "Can you leave? I want to go to sleep." I say as I roll away from her. "Y/n-" she tries. "Good night, Ravenna. I'm tired. Leave." I say, cutting her off.

She rises from my bed. "I lo-" she starts. "Goodbye, Ravenna." I interrupt. She leaves the room, closing the door gently behind her. I twinge of guilt bites at me, but I force it away as I try to sleep.

I manage to drift off somewhat quickly.

A.N: It's been a stressful few days. Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong.