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the witch of the wilds
Apr. 3rd, 2016 09:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
byakkomaru[ News of the tragedy reaches even the heart of the woods quickly. The princess cursed and the Ichinose family, the great knights of the realm sworn to protect the royal family from monsters like Shinya, dead and any hope of her salvation lost with them. The trees rustle with word of the Hiiragi's betrayal. The bitter scent of ash lingered on the air, made its way even to Shinya's home so deep in the woods that even sunlight can barely reach him. His cage, courtesy of the Ichinoses for as long as he could remember. A witch was too dangerous to be allowed in the kingdom, after all.
Shinya listens to the chattering of the birds, the gossip of the red fox that likes to sleep in his house when winter gets too cold, and he smiles.
So the princess was cursed and the Ichinoses have fallen. As far as h'ss concerned, it's as much as they deserved. He's only glad to hear that the princess and the rest of the royal family still live. It wouldn't do for his revenge to be stolen from him entirely.
When he steps out his door the next morning and nearly trips over Guren Ichinose, he almost kills the man. Not that it would be hard when Guren looks half dead already, pale and sickly, blood staining his shirt, and the dark webbing of a curse layered over him like a second skin. Shinya only recognizes who the man is when the lyrium tattoo, unmistakable proof of the Ichinose family, flickers, a weak attempt to fight off the insidious creep of the curse. It'd be a mercy at this point to finish him off, and that's the only reason Shinya doesn't. This is the heir of the family that's left him to suffer all these years, locked up alone and miserable in the middle of the forest. This is the man who's stolen his life from him.
No, a quick, easy death is more than Guren deserves.
The curse is easy for him to read, corrupted as it is. Guren must have tried to break the princess' curse and failed, had part of it transferred to him. He could break it easily. The Hiiragis aren't nearly as adept at curse work as he is. He leaves it intact for the most part, though. Leaves the seal over Guren's memories.
He can use this. How perfect is it, to let Guren Ichinose become the instrument of his revenge?
Shinya takes him in, treats Guren's wounds, leaves Guren in his bed. He even leaves Guren his sword and his armor, neatly stacked at the foot of the bed. Without his memories, Guren won't know who he is. Shinya can use him. As soon as Guren wakes up in just a matter of minutes, and he sits by the side of the bed, waiting, idly pulling apart the lethal parts of the curse. He has to make sure Guren lives long enough to kill the royal family for him, after all. ]
Shinya listens to the chattering of the birds, the gossip of the red fox that likes to sleep in his house when winter gets too cold, and he smiles.
So the princess was cursed and the Ichinoses have fallen. As far as h'ss concerned, it's as much as they deserved. He's only glad to hear that the princess and the rest of the royal family still live. It wouldn't do for his revenge to be stolen from him entirely.
When he steps out his door the next morning and nearly trips over Guren Ichinose, he almost kills the man. Not that it would be hard when Guren looks half dead already, pale and sickly, blood staining his shirt, and the dark webbing of a curse layered over him like a second skin. Shinya only recognizes who the man is when the lyrium tattoo, unmistakable proof of the Ichinose family, flickers, a weak attempt to fight off the insidious creep of the curse. It'd be a mercy at this point to finish him off, and that's the only reason Shinya doesn't. This is the heir of the family that's left him to suffer all these years, locked up alone and miserable in the middle of the forest. This is the man who's stolen his life from him.
No, a quick, easy death is more than Guren deserves.
The curse is easy for him to read, corrupted as it is. Guren must have tried to break the princess' curse and failed, had part of it transferred to him. He could break it easily. The Hiiragis aren't nearly as adept at curse work as he is. He leaves it intact for the most part, though. Leaves the seal over Guren's memories.
He can use this. How perfect is it, to let Guren Ichinose become the instrument of his revenge?
Shinya takes him in, treats Guren's wounds, leaves Guren in his bed. He even leaves Guren his sword and his armor, neatly stacked at the foot of the bed. Without his memories, Guren won't know who he is. Shinya can use him. As soon as Guren wakes up in just a matter of minutes, and he sits by the side of the bed, waiting, idly pulling apart the lethal parts of the curse. He has to make sure Guren lives long enough to kill the royal family for him, after all. ]
