Fairytale Fate: The Legend Begins

♚ C H A P T E R • T W E N T Y - S I X ♚

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"At every moment in our lives, we all have one foot in a fairy tale and the other in the abyss." - Paulo Coelho
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Four days passed as the quartet rode towards the town of Orrinshire, the twins silent most of the way. The three girls had agreed to skip stopping at the camp after seeing Robin's discomfort in the possibility of seeing Marian again. Bailey led them towards her hometown, eager to see her family once more before they attempted to retrieve the Letters of Destiny and fix the Stories.

Carolyn's eyes were glazed over as she watched Sherwood Forest pass by. She and her sister had cried more times in those few days than they would've liked to admit, their thoughts flooded with the memory of Felicity. They had just gotten the chance to meet their mother before they were once again torn apart by Onyx.

Was she even still alive? Was Felicity shown mercy in imprisonment, or would she be executed like the other rebels?

The twins would shudder every time those thoughts popped into their heads.

Aura had reminded Carolyn to stay optimistic, but she seemed to be convincing herself more than anyone else.

Carolyn leaned against Robin in front of her in exhaustion, feeling his muscles relax at her touch. She tried to focus on the bright forest around her to distract from the cold thoughts that took residence in her mind, but her attempts proved futile. The pained look on her mother's face indented itself into her brain, continuously flashing before her eyes as if taunting her doubt.

Squirrels, rabbits, and deer frolicked through the woods around them, chasing one another playfully and making the foliage dance as they rustled through it. Cicadas chirped in the distant wilderness, relishing in the summery heat of the day.

As they traveled farther down the secluded path, their surrounding grew quieter. Birds' songs resembled echoes from a memory as the forest creatures' rustling came to a deadly halt.

Aura's eyebrows frowned as the blue sky above her began to be clouded in a grey mist. "That's weird, I've never seen fog during this time of the day before."

Robin breathed in deeply as the sky pumped out dark, charcoal shadows. "I think it's smoke." He coughed as small, black particles filled the air around them, their horses slowing their pace as they neared Orrinshire.

Their view of the town was obstructed by choking, black smoke. Bitter ash fell around them like corrupted snow, covering the lush green ground. The smoke held their throats in a tight grip, weakening their ability to breathe.

Bailey's heart raced anxiously, her grey eyes burning as the smoke poured over them. Her stomach dropped at the scene before them, tears rushing down her cheeks before she could even feel the deep despair. She urged her and Aura's horse forward without a second thought, racing towards the bright orange glow of Orrinshire's town square.

The remaining trees in their path parted, presenting piles of ash and torn-down stone in the place of buildings. Most of the houses had collapsed in on themselves, leaving few scraps in their wake. Only a few people remained in the town, most on their knees crying as the flames roared on. The fire picked apart the last of the buildings brave enough to stand against it, tearing them to shreds at the seams.

Bailey nearly fell off her horse as she dismounted it, sprinting as soon as she hit the ground. She passed by numerous buildings alive with an amber heat before reaching her home. The girl stared blankly at the collapsed mountain of blackened wood, soot covering anything left unharmed. "No no no," she rushed out before tearing through the wooden beams with her bare hands. Bailey ignored the blood that dripped from her splintered palms, adrenaline pushing her forward, numbing the pain. Her eager digging came to a screeching halt when she moved a plank of wood, revealing a small, burnt heap. A raw, heart-wrenching scream erupted from her throat as her chest tightened. Bailey's sobs turned her face a vibrant red, the vision in front of her so painful she couldn't breathe.

"Oh my God..." Aura murmured as her friend held the soot-covered lump in her arms. She turned her gaze from the horrific scene, burying her face in her sister's shoulder as tears fell from her misty blues.

Carolyn gasped at the sudden realization of what Bailey clutched in her arms. "Tristan."

Bailey continued to scream painfully as she cradled her baby brother. He was nearly unrecognizable, his skin red and blanketed in ash. She pushed the black powder from his features, gazing at his delicate, lifeless olive face. "I'm so sorry." Bailey profusely apologized in a crazed misery until she gasped for air. She rocked Tristan back and forth as she wept uncontrollably. "I'm so sorry, this is all my fault."

Robin rushed to her side, pulling Bailey away from her brother's body and into a tight embrace.

"No," she cried out, her face twisted into a distressed sob. "This can't be happening," Bailey squeaked out through shaky gasps for oxygen. Her grey eyes darkened as she looked to the center of her home.

Planted in the dirt beside a pile of rubble was a black, metal pole. At its top flew a crimson red flag, with golden script reading "Dìottas." Under the cursive lettering, the letter "H" was delicately signed.

"Revenge," Robin whispered.

Aura warily looked around Orrinshire, her eyes flickering to the tattered red flag that flapped in the wind. Hunter's warning rang through her mind as the small fires raged on, bringing the rest of Orrinshire to the ground. You'll regret this.

The twins' hearts broke as they walked towards the boy's corpse. They kneeled beside Bailey, doing what they could to comfort her.

Bailey continued to rock back and forth, holding Tristan's body close to her chest. The echo of his infectious laughter rang through her mind, his gap-toothed smile flooding her memory. All of the times she would sing to him, when she would sneak a small trinket from Earth to him when she visited, when she would dance with him crashed over her in unforgiving waves. He's gone.

This is a dream, she thought, just a terrible nightmare. I'm going to wake up any second.

No matter how many times she pinched herself, Bailey was not convinced that this was reality. It couldn't be.

Then that flag came into her view again. That damn flag. Bailey's blood boiled when the thought of Hunter's smirking face flashed before her eyes.

With the fire of pure rage, Bailey tore her eyes away from the flag and looked to Robin. In a dark, raspy growl that sent a shiver down his spine, Bailey said, "I'm going to kill her."

Hello lovelies!

PLEASE DON'T KILL US, WE'RE SORRYYYYYYYY

So...yeah, THAT happened. These guys just can't catch a break, can they? Just one more item, and then they can finally fix the Stories!!

Until next chapter!
♡ Melody & Rebekah ♡