[Incomplete/Abandoned] Eyes Like Stars || A Heartless Marissa Meyer Story

Chapter 4- Too Fast

"...and so the queen stood. She remembered her bargain. She told the sisters to go on and take her heart, she had no use for it now. And so they did, and plunged a silver knife into her chest. The black line running across her heart when it was pulled from her chest was terribly sad. But the sisters left, and with no heart left in her the queen stared at the pumpkin farmer. Only anger and hate reigned in her face, with no room for mercy. Her words were sharp and cruel: off with his head."

Jack was shell shocked. It had been a long story compared to the anecdotes he was used to from the sisters.

Jack heard a sniffle from beside him, and he looked down to see Jill with tears shining on her face. She wasn't used to this, he realized. She usually fell asleep before the tale turned foul, but this time...

This time she had heard the heartbreak. The mistakes, the loss... the truth to the story.

"I have to help her!" Jill cried, "that girl shouldn't have such pain!"

"Jill..." Jack started, trying to soothe her. But then he noticed the sister's faces. They were approving, twisted, hard to read smiles showing that Jill had done the right thing, used the right words.

"Warnings don't always work," Elsie said.

"Children don't always want to stay safe," Lacie said, directly to Jack.

"Not all paths are meant to be followed," Tillie finished ominously, giving both of them a meaningful look.

"I'm going," said Jill.

Jack turned to her, astonished.

"Going where?"

"I'm going to follow that man. To Hearts," she said, "I'm going to find that queen, and fix her heart."

"Jill, you heard the sisters, they have her heart, it's what sustains them," Jack told her, "besides, it was already broken anyway."

"Who am I if I don't try?" Jill's voice sounded so broken, Jack would have done anything for her. He couldn't stand his sister being so upset. But this was only one story! He had heard many a tragic tale from the sisters and stood by. Couldn't she?

Apparently, no.

"How do I do it," Jill faced the sisters, the eight year old demanding answers was intimidating, "how do I make it right?"

Jack desperately wanted the sisters to tell her she couldn't make it right. That it wasn't something she should be worrying by about. But they didn't.

"By trying," Tillie said simply.

"I'm going," said Jill resolutely, jutting our her chin.

"Then make sure to go prepared," Lacie told her.

Jack didn't want to go. It wasn't worth it, they should stay here. Or if anyone had to go it should be him, and Jill could stay here, safe. But Jack shook that thought from his head. Just minutes ago Lacie had told him that children wouldn't be protected.

If Jill was going, Jack was too.

The sisters saw his resolve.

"Come here, and pull from the well what you will need for your adventure," said Elsie.

Jack still didn't want to. This whole thing was an over reaction on Jill's part.

But Jill stepped up to the well, still resolute. She seemed like she knew what she was doing.

Jack watched the eight year old brace her small body against the stones of the treacle well. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and she was obviously expending a lot of effort. What was she trying to do?

Jack was rather lost. He knew he shouldn't be, because he was used to things happening fast, but this was too much. His sister was going on some sort of adventure to save a queen with no heart? How on earth do you regrow a heart? And why did Tillie say that all they had to do was try?

Ugh.

Jack absently watched his little sister. Her eyes were shut in concentration and she was her body was pressed against the stones of the well, hard. As he watched Jill gave a grunt and with a great effort yanked a glowing oblong ball of treacle out of the well. It hung suspended in front of her.

Jack watched as his sister's forehead began to shine with sweat from the effort.

The treacle began to fall away back into the well, sliding off an object that was still hanging suspended in front of Jill.

Jack watched his little sister's hand stretch as the still floating object came towards her. Finally, it landed in her grasp and she tumbled back, away from stones of the well.

In her hand she held a simple, uneventful metal bucket.

A/N: Heyyyyyy. Sorry it's been a while, I've actually had this chapter written for a while and didn't realize it. Hopefully I'll publish some more soon!