The Guardian of Halloween [A Disney Fanfic]

𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔳𝔦𝔩 𝔎𝔦𝔫𝔤 [𝔓𝔞𝔯𝔱 1]

☆.｡.:* 🕷️ *:.｡.☆

The Evil King [Grimwald] x fem! reader

☆.｡.:* 🕷️ *:.｡.☆

A flash of lightning illuminated the lone castle and the vultures circling the highest tower. The spire twisted into the sky like a thorn, its top capped with a roof like an arrow. It was the only part of the castle flickering with the glow of a fire this late at night. The moon had risen high over the horizon and had it not been for the storm brewing outside the castle, it would have hovered directly over the castle, revealing the twisting and winding path leading through the forest to the gates of the castle.

But even more terrifying perhaps than the castle itself was the king who lived within the castle walls. A man who was said to have incredible power and a temper to match.

And yet, Y/N had no choice. She could not be afraid. Not when the well-being of her little town rested on her shoulders to secure a stolen artefact, hidden in the deepest vaults of the king's castle. A rare gem that could end this icy winter and bring spring to their little village. Normally, Y/N wouldn't have resorted to thievery, but all avenues of negotiation had been severed by the chilled blizzard guarding the palace during the day and the thunderstorms that shook the earth as night fell. No doubt the result of the king's magic. After witnessing the death of another one of her friends, Y/N gathered her courage and headed to the castle. She would not return without the gem in hand.

Y/N stepped down from her carriage as it pulled to a halt in front of the winding path leading in the direction of the castle. She could not see it from where she stood, concealed behind blizzards and storms, but she could feel its terrifying shadow forever looming over the village that had been unfortunate enough to fall into the king's rule.

Her driver left with a quiet goodbye, not daring to hold out even a fraction of hope that the magical young woman would succeed in securing the artefact. Y/N watched as he left and sighed. She couldn't help but blame herself for what had happened. After her defeat of Winter's stepmother – the queen who had held onto the kingdom with a tyrannical hold – her brother had been left to mourn his sister's demise. Yes, it had been by her hand that she had fallen from the cliff – her life cut short a moment later when the boulder slipped from the peak and crushed her – but Y/N had failed to take it upon herself to see to it that the brother was properly taken care of, whatever that meant.

He had chosen a dark path. A path consumed by hatred and tyranny, almost as if he hoped to keep his sister's memory alive in his stolen place of power. Y/N had only ever known the village to be full of sorrow and biting cold, but the villagers had told her that once, many, many years before her arrival, the village had been one of the most prosperous in the land. It had been a place of joy and beauty, where travellers flocked for festivals, markets, and rest. Now, the village was hardly able to scrape by, their taxes increasing with every passing day and no hope of saving.

Y/N felt that she had caused this mess by not properly dealing with the brother. And now, she had to face the consequences of her actions, even if it meant her death. There was no escape for her. No magical jewel to whisk her away should danger rear its ugly face, and no prince in shining armour to ride in on a horse and save her from her demise. But if it meant releasing the villagers from their ruler, she would do what it took. She had caused this mess and she would fix it.

She pulled on her gloves – a simple leather pair stitched for her by the leatherworker in town – and tugged her cloak a little closer to her shoulders. She had hardly been standing there for five minutes and already she felt the threat of frostbite creeping in on her. The villagers had warned her about this and she had packed accordingly, but she could only hope that she would reach the summit before her rations ran dry.