Welcome to the Garden (An AVA AU)

Gold

"Darling, Gold... You're dead." Gold stared at Dandi. She didn't seem to fully understand what Dandi meant.

"D-dead...?" Gold stuttered. Dandi sighed and hugged Gold.

"You are no longer part of the living world. Your physical body has been erased from that existence. You're dead Gold." Gold processed the word. Dead. She knows she's heard it before. But she couldn't remember where. Then it hit her.

"Y-you mean..." Gold choked as Dandi's words finally dawned on her. Dead, no longer alive, gone. The ten year old's head began to spin as she finally understood.

"N-No!!! I can't be!!! I promised dad that I'd be with him forever!!! I can't be dead!!!" Gold screamed, pushing away from Dandi. Dandi allowed the child to step away. But once Gold lost the physical support of the older stick, she fell to the floor in despair. She broke her promise. She was gone. Just like her mom. Dandi watched with pained eyes as Gold had a panic attack.

"Darling-"

"I don't wanna be dead!!! I wanna go home!!! I want my dad!!! Dad!! Daddy!!!!" Gold wailed loudly. Dandi embraced the child and held her tightly. Gold weakly fought the older stick, she was confused, scared, and wanted to go home. Dandi held the little girl close and stroked her hair.

"Ssssshhhhh, it's ok darling." Dandi softly said as she pulled the girl into her lap. Dandi rocked her gently. Once Gold had calmed down enough, she spoke again.

"Why did I have to die...? I didn't want to die...." Gold tearily asked. Dandi sighed and looked down at the young stick in her arms.

"Sometimes, life's unfair, and it hurts really good people." Dandi said as she and Gold stood. Dandi held Gold's hand, keeping the child steady on her feet.

"How did I die...?" Gold suddenly asked. Dandi paused.

"When your after death amnesia wears off, you will remember your death." Dandi said as she began to lead the child to a big house. Gold gasped as she saw the house. Temporarily forgetting her despair, she became curious about the palace-like house.

"Whoa. Is this where you live, Miss Dandi?" Gold asked with wonder. Dandi let out a breathy chuckle.

"Yes, I do live here. And so do a few others." As if on cue, the door to the house opened, revealing a massive living room filled with sticks of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Gold gasped in awe.

"There's so many!" Gold gasped as she held onto Dandi's hand a little tighter. Gold's little hands trembled. She was nervous, but also excited to meet everyone there. Dandi walked into the house, leading Gold through the many other sticks. Some stopped and watched as she and Gold passed by, making gold nervous. Dandi then went to the front of the living room, pulling on a rope. As she did, a bell then rang. The whole room went quiet as their attention was on Dandi.

"Good evening everyone! I hope you all are doing well tonight. I know that this is very sudden, but we got a new arrival just a few minutes ago!" Dandi loudly announced to the room. The room cheered, asking many questions about the new arrival. Dani put her hand up and the crowd slowly calmed down.

"Now, our newest edition is on the younger side. So please, I want you all to be careful with her." Dandi then carefully ushered Gold in front of her. Dandi bent down and whispered in Gold's ear.

"Introduce yourself babes." Gold looked up at Dandi with an unsure look. Dandi smiled softly and nodded, gently squeezing the child's shoulders for comfort. Gold took in a breath and stared out at the expectant crowd.

"U-um, my name is Gold. I-I'm ten and uh... I hope that we can all get along...?" She stuttered.

"Hi gold! Welcome to our home!" The crowd called gold jumped a bit. The sudden wave of voices scared her, but she was also excited and happy to know that these people welcomed her with open arms.