It has been a long and exhausting night. It was late and Bigby was sent out to investigate a noise complaint that had been called in. Something about shouting and something heavy being thrown. Nothing seeming too out of the ordinary. Bigby had made his way to the location. A series of buildings owned by the richer folks in fable town.
He could hear shouting in one of the taller buildings. He just barely reignited it. The Riding hoods owned it and used it as one of many vacationing homes when they got tired of their money. As he walked up the steps the shouting grew louder and louder. A woman and a man. He let out an exhausted sigh and knocked on the door. Nobody had answered.
He waited for a moment and knocked again. This time he heard running and he could just barely make out the shouting. Before the door swung open and there he saw his brother in law, Redfern, swearing, panicking, and crying. Bigby would have been lying if he didn't think it was entertaining to see his dumpster fire of a family member scared shitless. "Bigby! Please, you have to help!" Red's voice was horse and shaking. It took. A lot to scare a Riding Hood.
Bigby raised an eyebrow and looked behind him. He was shocked to see a woman in a red cloak brandishing a rather large kitchen knife. The house was dark, the only light really coming from the bright moon leaking in from the windows and door. He could clearly see her eyes though, they were pale and glazed over like had just woken up from a long sleep. They had subtle hints of a warm chocolate brown.
It was a matter of time before one of the Riding Hoods many enemies came to kill one of them. He pushed Red aside and slowly began to make his way to the women. "Ma'am, I'm gonna need you to put the knife down." Bigby said gently. The women stepped back and lifted the knife ever so slightly. He could tell she wasn't afraid of him, he could see it in her eyes.
She was curious. By then he could hear Red make a run for it out of the door. He'd have to deal with him later. Bigby expected the women to run after him, make a mad dash to catch him before he got too far, but she stayed in place. She was memorized by Bigby. Her curiosity was more demanding than her wanting to kill Red.
Finally, when Bigby was close enough to her, he gently grabbed the knife from her hands. Once that was out of her reach he had looked back at the women and slowly, ever so slowly, took off her hood. He understood now why Red was so frightened. Why he was crying when Bigby had arrived. He was staring at the face of someone he thought he had lost long ago.
Her skin was pale and looked cold. Her once gorgeous long brown hair had been cut short and begun to grey, there were large bags under her eyes. It was Ryder. He felt the air leave his lungs when she tilted her head. "I...know you," she said softly. Her voice was like a cold wave hitting him.
This had to be a glamor, or a spell, hell an illusion. Bigby dropped the knife and placed both hands on her cheek. Hoping that she was an illusion and just disappear, and hoping that he really was starring in the eyes of his dead wife. When he did he could feel just how cold her skin was, and she welcomed the new found warmth like an old friend. A ghost of a smile crept onto Ryder's face and said "yes, I know you..."
