Footsteps In The Snowdrift. || Arlecchino x Fem!Reader.

the horns of the goat.

"Columbina I know this might not come as a surprise to you, but we're together already." Y/N abruptly spoke, switching between pitches frantically. "I'm sure it wouldn't be bad to try it out." Arlecchino smiled softly, Y/N turned her head to Arle giving her a squint. Her arms then crossed as she spoke, "Oh really?" She chuckled. Arle began to panic as she realized what she said, "If you're comfortable with it of course Y/N!!" Arlecchino frantically spoke, "Uhuh. Anywho, Columbina you'd have to give us time to think. After all, me and Arle are kind of figuring things out for ourselves. We want to be happy and in a world where she's ruled by my old... Uh, owner. I just don't think that's possible right now." Y/N nervously spoke.
"Speaking of which, you guys are in danger. The Tsaritsa is aware of your current location and who knows when she decides to advance. All i'm saying is, you both won't be able to go alone. You're going to be in who knows how much danger and I'm already worried for the both of you." Columbina softly spoke, Arle and Y/N stood there in disbelief, "Why can I say I'm not at all surprised. We might want to leave soon too." Y/N sighed and began to walk quickly off to gather her things and pack. "What about the orphans Bina?" Arle seemed more concerned about her children than anything else in the current moment. "Don't worry, we can take them with us. I know someone perfect for the job."

After a few hours, the couple and the remaining children gathered their things and began to trek through the harshness of the snow. Y/N kept close to Arlecchino, bundled up in her fur coat. Columbina was far far away by this point, guiding the children to the promised place that she informed Arlecchino on. Bina kept them tightly packed and warm. Hoping that none of them died from hyperthermia while they were trekking along. Y/N and Arle were both worried and concerned for everyone else inside the House of Hearth, but there was nobody they could trust. It was better them than Arle and Y/N. The two had spent all day walking in one direction. The weather was harsh and showed signs of not letting up. Arle began to pass out from the frost alone, but she kept her eyes wide open, she couldn't go unconscious for a second. She had someone to protect, if she messed up once and kept her eyes closed for even a few moments, she ran the risk of staying asleep for a while. Y/N was content in Arle's arms, even the slow steps in the snow was another inch away from the Tsaritsa and capture. She felt so much safer in Arle's arms, nobody could possibly rip her out of this lovely grip. However, when she saw how exhausted and cold Arle became, she immediately became worried. "Arle?" She spoke softly as Arle began to slowly lower to the floor. Y/N quickly caught her, holding her arms. She dragged her, the tips of her shoes dragging across the snow.

"Goddammit, I knew internally this would happen." She grunted as she kept the heavier female in her arms. Eventually, her arms grew tired and assaulted by the bitter cold. Memories slid in, how she'd always play in the snow with her brothers and sisters, how she'd hold their hands and get cold, attempting to huddle up with the family in the dead of night. Arlecchino's exhausted expression deeply worried her. She needed to find a place to rest, and she needed to fast. Arlecchino's blood had begun to run cold and she couldn't bear the thought of her lover dying here, with so much ahead of her. She wouldn't allow it. In a last ditch effort, she took off the heavy coat Arlecchino dressed her in and placed it over Arlecchino's shoulders. She walked on, her boots sinking in the snow, soft grunts emitting as she stumbled on the unstable terrain. It was difficult, attempting to do this on her own while keeping herself awake and holding the heavier woman at the same time. She wouldn't let herself black out, not for a moment, she couldn't let herself go for a moment, not taking a second to rest. If she dared, she could risk killing her and Arlecchino, or even worse, The Tsaritsa would have a chance to get even closer and eventually catch the two. She shuddered at the thought of what that vile woman would do once she had her filthy hands on her. She gripped Arlecchino's arms, feeling her slip away from her grasp for a moment. She resisted the bitter cold, she resisted the need to rest and relax, and she attempted to fight away the urge to just give up. She had so much to live and keep going for. She couldn't give up now.

Eventually, she reached the greenery of grass and the soft warmth of the sun's rays. She smiled just feeling it, and collapsed. She did her best to keep up her walking, but now, it was time to rest. During the period of rest she had, Y/N thought of comforting dreams of her family. She missed them, they weren't the most fortunate family, but they had something good. A happiness, a happiness that no rich man or woman could ever replicate. The female missed her mother's warmth, her father's loud laughter when a joke was spoken, and her siblings, her younger siblings that didn't know anything of the world yet. She wished for her mother's hand, she missed her family's aid once more. That pain ached, and caused her to sob mid-dream. The pain felt like wolves sharing their meal with a family of deer while the fawn can do nothing but run in pain, like a knife to the chest, ripping her heart out and crushing it on her arteries. She would eventually have to realize her family were the ones that wrote their obituaries. They were the ones that willingly sold her, I mean who would do that to their own child? She was only seventeen. She had to bite her tongue and follow orders while coping with the grief of her family. Why would she find comfort in their memories when they were the ones that sold her. She was angry, she would rip their bodies from the afterlife, a sinful creature awaiting the hellfire of revenge. The eternal vexing visage of hell's awaiting grasp. Death was catching up to her, it was only a blessing she lasted this long. She would live this life killing the people she wished to kill, and exacting the revenge deserved.

She would escape the horns of the goat, kill the devil that awaited her at the end of the tunnel. She jumped ship and ran away and now she would face the consequences of making a deal with the ice cold devil, with a knife, of course. This fawn grew up to know what a wolf's cold claws felt like, it grew up to have teeth, made to rip that same wolf's throat.

I hope you all have enjoyed the chapters thus far.
There are more to come.
Stay tuned.