#Imma go to sleep bye | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

starryserenade · 1 year

Text

Myth and Magic Ch. 12: Facade

Fic Description: When Tir Na nÓg--the fabled land of the fae--falls to a dark power, the destinies of two young mice are set in motion. As each struggle to make their way in an ever-darkening world, they must learn to trust one another, or risk forever losing that which they hold most dear.

Chapter Description: Minnie reunites with an old friend. Veils of illusion are torn.

Author Notes: There's a portion of this chapter heavily inspired by music. If you'd like to hear the song, click here!

Links:

AO3

Prologue

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter: Coming Soon

~~~

When the rabbit left, it was quite some time before Minnie could tear her eyes from the door. What he’d said echoed in her ears again and again, until she’d wrung her hands so many times they were sore by the time she finally managed to look away. He’d meant Mickey, of course. But what could this stranger know about him that she didn’t? He’d…he’d told her everything…hadn’t he?

She had hardly turned when the door swung open once again, and she whipped back to face it, hundreds of questions on the tip of her tongue. But it was not the rabbit who’d returned.

“Daisy…” she breathed, and as the duck closed the door slowly behind her, neither seemed able to move. Minnie swallowed, and the questions she’d wanted to ask turned to apologies in her mind. Daisy’s face was stone cold, and Minnie couldn’t read her. But she was certain she was furious after all she’d done. “Daisy, I’m so sor-”

But before Minnie could utter another syllable, Daisy had thrown her arms around her neck and was sobbing in a blubbering, shaking mess of tears.

“-ry…” Minnie finished in a stunned puff of air, and if her hands hadn’t been bound by chains, she would have hugged Daisy back then and there. As it was, her eyes had already begun to well, her heart twisted by relief and confusion. “Daisy, I don’t understand. I thought you’d hate me.”

Daisy let her go and held her by her shoulders, tears dripping from her bill. Somehow the fiery flush of red glowed through her feathers on her cheeks. “Oh, I’m furious with you!” she shouted. “You left your kingdom and your people and…and ME! But…but…oh…” She sniffed, and then crumpled all over again. “...I missed you.”

Minnie blinked a tear away, and smiled softly. “Oh, Daisy. I missed you, too. I…I suppose I have a lot of explaining to do, don’t I?”

Daisy drew a hand beneath her eyes, and then slipped a key into the cuffs around Minnie’s wrists. They slid to the ground in a metallic clutter. “That’s an understatement. But,” she sniffed. “Not now. As much as I hate to say it, we’ve got an engagement party to get you ready for, remember?”

“Ah…right…” Minnie’s relief was overshadowed by the sorry fate set before her, and she lowered her gaze.

She’d been so caught up in her thoughts that she didn’t notice the playful glare Daisy was casting her way. “Oh, wipe that dreary look off your face, Minnie. You don’t really think I’m gonna let you marry that melter, do you?” When Minnie stared at her blankly, Daisy laughed. She whirled away from the mouse and set to work studying all the dresses and shoes and things she’d arranged. “I’m still your best friend,” she asserted matter-of-factly, holding up a light pink gown against Minnie’s form the second she turned around. “It’d be a crime to let you do something so miserable. And besides…” She lowered the dress, and flashed Minnie a gentle wink. “That boy of yours is a fine thing, and I get the feeling he’s going to need you.”

The hope in Daisy’s eyes would have been impossible to miss, but Minnie knew it couldn’t last. She searched for the right words to explain that no, this really was her fate, as awful as it was. That Mickey’s life hung in the balance, and all that kept him from slipping was the choice she’d make tonight. It was then that Minnie got a good look at the room around her, and noticed with a pang in her chest all the little things her friend had prepared. They were all things only Minnie’d know, miniscule favorites she’d grown to love as a child. And Daisy had remembered them all. Even as she opened her mouth to speak, she hated the disappointment she was sure she’d bring, and she looked away so she wouldn’t have to see her friend’s reaction.

“Oh Daisy, that’s just it,” she whimpered. “I have to go through with this. If I don’t, Mortimer will kill him.” Her tail swept against the floor and she clutched the torn fabric of her dress in her palm.

Daisy didn’t speak for several seconds, and Minnie didn’t look her way until the duck had approached her and set a hand to her shoulder. Even then, she was quiet for a few seconds and she stared at Minnie like she was searching for something that was no longer there. “What happened to you?” she breathed at last, and Minnie felt altogether ashamed. “The Minnie I know never would have given up so easy, especially where love was involved.”

“Well…that Minnie was a bit too selfish, I think,” she answered quietly.

Daisy frowned, and took her hand away. “ That Minnie knew that love was worth fighting for. Sure, she may have been a hopeless romantic, and a bit reckless…but that’s what made her so wonderful. She always believed that love could put things right.”

“And where did that get us, Daisy?” the mouse blurted out at last, her cheeks pink. She was embarrassed at her role in her kingdom’s destruction, and even more so to hear the qualities she’d thought flaws recited back to her as if they were some great strength. They had gotten her in this mess, gotten everyone in this mess.

Her friend stared back at her with unwavering eyes. “Right back here,” she answered plainly. “Back together, in a place where we can finally do something about all this.”

Minnie wasn’t sure how to answer that, so she didn’t at first. She wanted to believe Daisy was right, she really did. But the thought of Mickey in that cell, alone and injured, and ready to be killed if she made even a single mistake; it terrified her. “I can’t risk Mickey’s life, I’m sorry.”

Daisy snorted and rolled her eyes, and Minnie looked up at her in surprise. “See,” her friend muttered. “The other Minnie also had a little more faith in her friends.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means I’ve got a plan, Minnie! And saving, er…what’s his name? Mickey? Well, that’s kind of a major part in it.”

A flutter of hope alighted in Minnie’s chest, though still weighed down by uncertainty. “But Daisy…”

“Up-bup-bup!” the duck interrupted before her friend could utter even a word of doubt. “You’ve been gone a while, and I haven’t just been sitting here twiddling my thumbs. I know what I’m doing, and I know that this kingdom still needs you…free, not married to that sorry excuse for a king. So can you please trust me?”

“...Mickey will be safe?”

“He’s already got the keys to his cell. Can’t get much safer than that.” When Minnie still didn’t answer, Daisy pressed her once more. “Minnie… trust me. I can’t help either of you if you don’t.”

Minnie bit her lip, contemplating the options set before her. There was a part of her that feared Daisy was exaggerating her own capabilities…she did have a tendency to do that. But the look in her friends eyes was as truthful and as determined as she remembered ever having seen them, and so with a deep sigh she nodded. “All right. Just tell me what you need me to do.”

Daisy surprised Minnie with a wide grin. “Nothing!” she said cheerfully.

“What?! But you just sa-”

Daisy clicked her beak disapprovingly, and Minnie clammed up. “Ah, ah, ah…trust me, remember. I have a plan in motion. But until then, all you need to do is play along. Here!” She held out a dress draped in sunset pink and some fresh undergarments. “There’s a washroom just through that curtain over there, and I had a hot bath drawn for you not too long ago. No offense, but you’re a complete disaster, and even a fake engagement party deserves some kind of decency. Now,” she yawned loudly as Minnie rolled her eyes, and collapsed on a cushioned sofa. “There’s some tea cakes set out for you…perfectly safe, I made them myself. But I’m…going to try to get at least five minutes of sleep. Holler if you need me…or don’t…preferably don’t…I’ve been awake for…way too…long…”

And with that, she was snoring on the couch, leaving Minnie with a handful of clothes and an amused grin plastered on her face. Daisy hadn’t changed one bit, and she couldn’t be more glad of it. It was nice to have her friend back, even if it wasn’t under the most comfortable of circumstances.

With a quiet laugh and a shake of her head at Daisy’s comatose state, Minnie snagged one of the teacakes on the shelf and made her way into the washroom. There was a mirror there, too, and she let out a puff of air when she saw herself reflected in it. She really was a mess. Her fur was matted and clumped together and her eyes were shaded by dark circles beneath them. The light green dress she’d been so proud to wear was now in shreds and filthy, stained in part by Mickey’s blood. She swallowed and shook her head to clear the anxious thoughts that flooded her mind. He would be all right.

She set down her snack on a place near the tub and slowly slid her dress and undergarments from her body. Then she slipped into the bath that had been drawn for her. The warmth was divine, and she sighed deeply as she settled into the waters and reveled in the life that flooded back into her veins. When she’d become almost entirely submerged, her tail appeared. She found this to be a bit annoying but there wasn’t much she could do about it, so she chose instead to focus on the fact that at least she couldn’t feel the ache in her legs anymore.

When she’d sat for a few minutes and scrubbed the dirt and grime from her fur, she took her cake and began to contemplate certain things. Daisy, unlike everyone else in the castle, remembered her. Did that mean she remembered everything? As far as Minnie could recall, Daisy was the last one she’d seen before she….well, she couldn’t remember that much. All she could picture was the forest they’d ridden to together. After that, there were only flashes, like the fairy looming over her as she’d fallen into the lake. She took a bite of cake. His face still escaped her but…strange, how it almost seemed to be coming back.

A piercing headache suddenly thrust itself into her brain and she gasped, accidentally dropping the cake in the tub. She cursed and, grumbling, managed to pull herself out enough to let her legs reappear so she could stand off to the side and begin to fish for the drowned piece of food before it altogether ruined her bath. After a few minutes, during which she spotted several crumbs rising to the surface, she declared it a lost cause and sighed. She didn’t want a long one anyway.

She snagged a towel and dried herself off as best she could before wrapping it around her and consulting the mirror once again. The headache was ebbing now, though it still lingered somewhat, a strange tingling in the back of her mind. It was useless to focus on it, though. So she grabbed a brush that had been set out for her, brought it through her fur until it was smooth and free of knots, and then finally turned to the clothing that Daisy had left.

The dress, as she slipped it on, was comfortable. It was thicker than her last, with a pink, silky texture to the fabric. She’d preferred her other one but…she wasn’t exactly keen on being stunning at this affair anyway. Even so, she couldn’t help but do a little twirl, and giggled at her reflection as the fabric swirled around her legs. What would Mickey think of it, she wondered?

With a lonely sigh, she tore herself away. Whatever Daisy had planned, she hoped it would be quick. Every second that passed was one she spent fearing for Mickey’s safety.

When she made her way back into the main room, Daisy was still fast asleep on the couch and while Minnie couldn’t do much else to get ready without her, she was loath to wake her friend. There was a small nook beneath the window draped with several small cushions and pillows, so Minnie decided to sit down and look out at the world she’d been away from for so long. It wasn’t as clear a view as she would have liked–the window itself was shielded by bars–but it was enough.

Outside, surprisingly, the clouds were sparse and the sun was shining. There was a fog that settled over the castle town, but it was bathed in golden light and seemed itself far brighter than the dreary storm Minnie had arrived to just last night. The villagers below, at least the ones she could see through the mist, seemed perplexed by it as well. But the children were happily playing in the sun, and Minnie couldn’t help but smile as she watched them acting out their own adventurous little fairytales. Even in the worst of times, the smallest souls always seemed to be the ones to find all the tiny things life had to enjoy. She hoped with all her heart she could find a way to make that sunlight stay, for their sake, and bring a bit of hope back to the kingdom for good.

She yawned, her eyelids growing heavy in the warmth of the light that streamed through the glass. Sleep had largely evaded her that night, plagued by nightmares and fear, so she found herself growing drowsy as she leaned up against the windowsill. Before she knew it, the feeling had overtaken her, and she fell into a deep sleep.

When Daisy woke her, the sky was an entirely different shade, and Minnie drowsily blinked her eyes open in the twilight glow. “Hm?”

“It’s time,” Daisy spoke quietly. Minnie’s eyes widened, remembering where she was and what she was about to do, but her friend put a gentle hand to her shoulder and smiled before reaching out to help pull Minnie to her feet. “Don’t worry, it will be okay.”

Minnie swallowed, then drew in a breath and nodded. “I trust you,” she breathed, though her voice was shaky.

Daisy helped her with the finishing touches to her ensemble, smoothing out the wrinkles in her dress, fastening a golden necklace around her neck, and straightening a jeweled tiara atop her head. “Remember,” she instructed quietly, as she tied a ribbon behind Minnie’s back. “Just play along.”

“How will I know when your plan has started?”

“Oh, you’ll know,” Daisy grinned with a wink.

A knock came at the door and Minnie flinched, eyes darting toward the sound. Daisy drew in a deep breath beside her, then moved to the doorway. “You’re going to be just fine,” she whispered with a final glance over her shoulder, and then she swung open the door. Pete stood there, looking gruff and grumpy as ever. “Hello, Captain,” Daisy greeted him briskly, and Minnie awed at the skill with which her whole demeanor transformed. “The girl is ready.”

Pete harrumphed and scowled at Minnie as she approached. “‘Bout time,” he growled, slapping a pair of cuffs back onto her wrists. Minnie cast a fearful look at Daisy, but if the duck noticed she didn’t show it. The act was on, Minnie realized with a bit of nervousness. She’d get no help and no sympathy until Daisy’s plan was set in motion. As Pete took her away, Daisy went the opposite direction.

This walk through the halls was a bit less painful than the last, and Minnie found herself overcome by nostalgia. Though her family portraits and brightly colored decor had long since been replaced, she could still remember running through these hallways playing all kinds of make believe as she’d grown up. Her father had told her story upon story about magic and fairies and all sorts of enchantment, and despite all his royal duties, he never once failed to regale to her any tale she requested of him until the day he’d fallen ill. Not one of those stories had prepared her for the crueler side to this magic, and she wondered how the stories might have changed if he knew where those things had gotten her now.

Her headache returned, and with a light hiss she urged it to go away. She wanted to be ready for anything tonight, and that persistent echo of pain was not helping.

Before she knew it, they had reached the banquet hall, and Minnie swallowed, wishing she could disappear. The guards flanking the doorway saluted to Pete as he approached them, and without a word of warning, the doors were flung open.

The room went silent, echoes of conversation still bouncing off the walls as the guests all turned their heads. Minnie’s cheeks burned red. Years ago, she had been used to this sort of thing, but her time in solitude had changed her. It had taken her quite some time to even get used to the company back in Goofy’s village, and this was nowhere near as welcoming a place. She scanned the crowd of people to see if even one showed a hint of recognition, but none did. They all glared at her with suspicious eyes, wondering why this tiny girl had been chosen to invade their royal ensemble.

“Ah, Minnie!” Came the weaselly voice, like nails on a chalkboard to Minnie’s ears. Mortimer stepped out from the head of an elegant table, set on a separate level above the rest, and made his way over to her, his robe dressed in all sorts of gaudy jewels and chains. She suppressed a scowl as he approached, and when he grabbed her chained hand to place a kiss upon it, it was all she could do not to slap him across the muzzle.

“Mortimer,” she nodded stiffly, avoiding his eyes. He glared and shooed Pete away, and then grasped Minnie by her shoulder.

“Everyone!” he announced in that sickly, slimy tone as he dug his fingers into her skin. “Welcome my honored guest!”

The other guests applauded, out of obligation more than pleasure, Minnie could tell. And as Mortimer led her through them, she shrunk against the weight of their stares. They glared with unkind, haughty looks, and Minnie couldn’t remember having ever made contact with a single one of these individuals during her time as princess. They were Mortimer’s own sleazy acquaintances, no doubt.

When they reached the table at the top of a short flight of stairs, Mortimer gestured to a seat beside his own. He didn’t move it for her, and so Minnie was left to wiggle into it on her own, trying her best to mask how difficult that was given the limited movement her chains allowed. When she’d finally gotten settled, blowing a stray strand of fur from her eye with a puff of air, Mortimer leaned in far too close.

“I assume you’ve made your choice,” he sneered, and Minnie wrinkled her nose against his breath.

“I…have,” she stated nervously, worried her voice might give her away. Mortimer seemed ready to announce it to the whole room, but Minnie stopped him with a sudden lean against his shoulder. “Oh, but..!” she hissed, plastering a sweet smile on her face. “... Don’t you think it would be best to save such…exciting…news for later in the evening? You know…to liven things up?”

Mortimer grinned and brought his arm around her, and Minnie did her best not to wretch at the feeling as his fingers brushed her neck. “Hm, good thinking, toots,” he chuckled, taking a large sip of wine. Minnie managed to wriggle out from under his arm as he did, and laughed lightly.

“Haha…ha…thanks,” she stammered, and sat trying to block out every little unwelcome touch and comment as he sat bragging about her to the rest of the room like she was some sort of shining trophy.

After what felt like hours, the dining hall’s doors swung open once again, and Minnie perked up as she spotted a familiar figure enter. “Your Majesty!” Daisy called loudly, and she cast a knowing glance Minnie’s way. “Your entertainers have arrived.”

For the first time since she’d set foot in the banquet hall, Minnie saw the guests look genuinely interested. They all sat up in their seats, eyebrows raised and forks lowered. Even Mortimer seemed excited, if only to flaunt more of his wealth and status.

“Yes, bring them in!” he called back, and Daisy smiled ever so faintly.

“Of course, sire.”

The two figures that entered were finely dressed, and moved with an air of mystique as they bowed and swept across the floor towards a raised stage beneath one of the enormous windows that loomed over the hall. Their dresses, a deep forest green, glittered in the moonlight as if they were flecked with stardust. It was only then that Minnie realized she’d been wrong about their numbers. One more, a tiny chipmunk with an hourglass frame and a sultry gleam in her eye, sat gracefully atop the tallest member’s shoulders, a horned bovine with a fiddle cradled in her arm. Their very presence captivated the audience and when they’d taken their places near the stage, the final member stepped forward and curtsied once more.

“Your Majesty,” she spoke, her bill curved upward in a mischievous grin. Minnie leaned forward, and couldn’t take her eyes off her. There was something about the way she moved, her fingers poised and flared with purpose, that spoke to something hidden beneath her veins. “We are honored to join you for such a momentous occasion,” the woman continued, her jet black hair spilling like a waterfall over her shoulders. Streaks of gray rushed through the strands like whitewater through the waves. “May we have permission to begin?”

Mortimer nodded and waved his hands dismissively, then nudged Minnie roughly as they took their positions. “Best in Ireland,” he hissed proudly. “Cost a fortune to bring them in…not that that was an issue for me. ”

Minnie rolled her eyes, and let out a puff of air. “Of course not, Your Highness.”

A hush settled across the room. The three girls stood still as stone, eyes closed as their audience stared with captivated anticipation. At first, there was nothing, and Minnie began to think their skill had been perhaps a tad overrated. Then a light sound fluttered towards her ears, a gentle hum that floated just above silence. Her heart shook within her chest and she found herself holding her breath and leaning into the sound. The melody grew, transforming into something rhythmic and playful, with a hint of haunting that swam within the river of notes.

Minnie’s eyes widened. She knew this feeling. Knew the tremor that shook the air and the whispered rush of intrigue that swept through the room. Her own voice had brought it forth, to keep a forest hidden and a village safe from harm.

Stunned, her lips formed the word, but she didn’t make a sound.

Magic.

When the fiddler lifted her bow to the strings, it was as if that single instrument held within its sound an entire symphony. No one else seemed to notice this. Minnie did, and she listened with bated breath as its melody snaked through the crowd, roping them into the depths of its song.

When the leader opened her mouth to sing, the spell began to take root. She sang with a powerful, though whispered voice, as if recanting a great secret. Upon the shoulder of the fiddler, the smallest girl echoed the leader’s refrains with a birdlike voice that echoed like windchimes within the vastness of the room. Minnie glanced around her, and noticed the guests’ eyes were clouded, staring endlessly upon the trio of musicians as they wove their intricate melody into the depths of their souls.

The music continued to grow. In time, each of the girls stepped apart, floating down the stairs to make their way into the crowd. Their spell over the people heightened as they came to each table, each guest taken with every move they made. Mortimer himself seemed about ready to leap from his seat…though Minnie noticed he still seemed less taken by their performance than the others. She narrowed her eyes. It could have been a trick of the light, but it seemed to her his crown was glowing.

The fiddler reached the center of the room and, in an elegant twirl, lifted her bow once more. The other girls fell silent as she drew it across the strings in a rapid stream of notes, and in a rush of rhythm, the guests all stood, silently staring her way. The smaller bard leapt off her shoulder and into the outstretched palm of the leader as she made her way towards the base of the stairs where Mortimer and Minnie were seated.

As the fiddle sang a piercing note, the leader raised a hand to quiet its melody, and the two girls lifted their own voices once more, their words uttered like a secret command. The leader stared firmly at Mortimer, who didn’t seem to notice the oddity of her glare. A small grin crept across her face, even as her lips formed the words of her song, and the king leaned into her words.

Minnie had been so caught up in the song that she was surprised when she felt a hand at her shoulder. Startled, she whirled around to face the culprit, but breathed a quiet sigh of relief when she saw her face.

“Daisy!” she mouthed wordlessly, and the duck shot her a wink as she slipped a key into Minnie’s chains and freed her from their grasp.

A nervous glance back at Mortimer revealed he was still captivated by the siren, and so Minnie slid back her chair as quietly as she could. By now, the entire crowd had joined into the song, dancing freely about the room as if nothing else existed except the sound of music and the strange world it created around them. But Mortimer seemed more difficult to incapacitate completely. Daisy and Minnie gasped when, just as she was about to rise out of her seat, he slipped his arm around Minnie’s shoulders. She bit her lip and glanced at his face. He didn’t seem to notice her trying to escape, not really, but that crown atop his head still glowed with an eerie light. It was enchanted, Minnie realized with a start, and was fighting the spell the sirens were trying to cast upon him.

“What do I do?!” Minnie looked at Daisy, who threw up her hands in frustration and indecision.

“I don’t know!”

The smaller siren seemed to notice something was amiss, and with a brisk nod to her counterpart, she leapt off her palm and clambered up the tablecloth and onto its surface until she was mere inches from Mortimer’s face. Her singing became more focused, crisp and clear like a bell as she fought to undo the protection that swirled about him. It seemed to work at first, and his grip on Minnie loosened. But when Minnie tried to move again, the crown glowed more brightly, and his hand dug into the fabric of her dress.

Minnie whispered a curse, spotting the sweat that dripped down the little siren’s fur. The fog in Mortimer’s eyes was clearing fast, and she realized it wouldn’t be long until the spell over him was undone completely. They needed more magic, even just a hint…

In a brief beat of silence, the answer became clear. When the next chorus began, she joined in.

The sirens all looked her way, their eyes widening as they felt the presence of another voice. Minnie grinned, her whispered song weaving alongside their own enchantments. The glow of Mortimer’s crown flared, then flickered. It wasn’t strong enough to stop all four of them. Daisy watched with a gaping mouth as Minnie, still singing along, slipped out of Mortimer’s grip. She shrugged with a look that said “ I’ll explain later!” and then gathered the smaller siren in her palm and made her way down the stairs into the chaos of the dancers below.

The three musicians, accompanied now by Minnie and Daisy, slowly slipped towards the exit. Their song had reached its peak, all of their voices now dancing together as wildly as the royal guests before them. As they reached the doorway, they looked to each other and, with a glance of understanding, nodded. Their voices pooled in a final rush of energy, a speedy cacophony of running notes meant to echo as long as they could in the depths of the room.

And then they ran.

Minnie couldn’t keep herself from laughing as they bolted through the castle halls, her cheeks pink with excitement. “That…was…amazing!” she gasped, and the other girls grinned widely. “Who are you?”

“Clarice!” the smallest one, who’d perched upon her shoulder piped up.

“Clarabelle, at your service,” the fiddler winked.

“And I’m Morgana,” the leader answered with a grin.

“Well…I’m Minnie!” Minnie gasped. “Thank you for your help!”

“Thank your friend,” Morgana laughed. Even when running, she seemed as elegant as ever.

When Minnie turned to Daisy, the duck winked and chuckled loudly. “I told you to trust me!”

Tears of relief and excitement streamed from Minnie’s eyes, and she laughed. “I know, I know!”

They ran towards the entrance to the castle, and burst outside in a rush of gasps and laughter. The guards were little problem; the leader of the sirens sent them all to sleep with a brief flick of her wrist and the stream of magic that sprung from her hands. They reached the gates, and magic once again flung them open with ease. Warning bells had begun to ring from the castle, so the group didn’t dare slow their pace.

“Keep running!” Daisy called. “I’ve got a way out, but we have to get outside the castle’s borders before we can use it!”

Everyone nodded briskly, but Minnie looked to her in a rush of panic, and her sprint slowed to a jog. “What about Mickey?”

Daisy flinched. “He’s…on his way,” she hissed, and Minnie knew at once she was lying.

“Daisy!” She cried out, anger flaring within her as she stopped in her tracks. The others all skidded to a halt as well, glancing back in confusion. By now, villagers had begun to emerge from their houses and stared with shock and panic at the group that was gathered, wondering if this strange clump of people were responsible for the warnings ringing from the castle. Daisy glanced around herself nervously.

“Minnie, we don’t have tim-”

“No!” Minnie hissed, blinded by her rage. “You promised me he’d be safe! Where IS he?”

“I don’t know!” her friend gasped at last. “I…I tried to find him back in his cell! I told him to stay there, but he was gone when I went back. He…probably escaped on his own! Probably…but, Minnie, we have to-!”

Across the open sky, an ear-splitting sound raked through the night–a roar, garbled and pained. Even in the midst of the chaos and confusion, every single person silenced and froze, their faces paling. Everyone but the bards. Minnie heard them gasp and when she looked back, they were swaying dizzily. Clarice nearly fell off her perch on Minnie’s shoulder, but the mouse caught her just in time. Morgana took a knee and held her hand to her forehead, while Daisy leapt for Clarabelle to keep her head from hitting the ground.

“Morgana!” Daisy gasped, looking towards the leader. “What’s wrong?”

“I…” the woman breathed, and brought her hand to her cheek, furrowing her brow in confusion. Tears stained her feathers. “...I don’t know…”

In the distance, a flurry of dark spots rose up into the sky. Minnie squinted and then her heart dropped to her stomach. “No…” she gasped, taking a few steps backward. “Sidhe…”

Daisy heard her and looked her way. “She what?!” she hissed, then followed Minnie’s line of sight and gasped. The duck scrambled to her feet after a moment of paralyzed terror and helped her friends do the same before rushing over to Minnie and pulling her by the arm. “Minnie, we have to go NOW.”

“No…no, Mickey…” Minnie uttered, dazed. If they were here, could they have..? No. No, she refused to think that way. But she also refused to leave him behind. When Daisy yanked her arm again, she whirled around with a fiery determination in her eyes. “I’m not leaving without him!”

Daisy stumbled backwards and shook her head, at a loss for what to do. A quick glance towards the castle revealed that soldiers were already on their way. In a minute or two, they’d be surrounded by the Sidhe and Mortimer’s army. She closed her eyes and cursed, then looked back at the bards. “Get out of here,” she hissed. Tell the others that if I’m not back before dawn, I won’t be back at all.”

“You don’t have to st-” Minnie started to argue, but then Daisy interrupted.

“I’ve waited years for even a chance that you might return,” her friend hissed, pulling a pair of daggers from her belt. Minnie could see the anger across her face, but there was a deep loyalty there, too. “I’m not about to leave you again.”

Though guilt plagued her, Minnie smiled. “Thank you,” she whispered, and Daisy only nodded back.

The bards hadn’t moved, and after Daisy had spoken they straightened themselves and gathered around the two friends. “We might not have much to offer without our songs,” Clarabelle spoke with a grin.

“But we’ve got a bit of other magic, too!” Clarice cried, her bright voice ringing bravely.

“We’ll fight with you,” Morgana resolved, laying a hand to both Minnie and Daisy’s shoulder.

“Thank you,” Minnie murmured, and as she shifted to stand her ground, she let her own cursed magic race through her fingertips. Dark clouds rolled across the sky.

The Sidhe arrived first, and the villagers all clambered to get back indoors when the creatures approached. Minnie bit her lip. They would have to be careful of bystanders in this fight. She doubted her enemies would care much if there were casualties along the way.

“Hello, Princess,” one of the Sidhe hissed, and Minnie jumped. She’d never heard them speak before. But Morgana shifted uncomfortably beside her, and Minnie wondered where that flash of recognition in her eyes had come from. “Seems that wretched little king got a bit distracted… I’ll be having a word with him about that. But for now…” The figure and her followers summoned spears to their hands and pointed them her way. “You die.”

There was no moment of hesitation that the group might prepare, and the Sidhe attacked with lightning speed. Minnie barely escaped the first thrust of their spears, knocking them out of the way with a stream of water she’d summoned from a nearby trough. The others fought bitterly as well, each of the bards using their own brand of magic to either fight back or deflect the creatures’ attacks.

Things grew more complicated when Mortimer’s army approached. The soldiers at first circled the area, unsure of whether or not to get involved when there were so many civilians in the nearby homes. But then Mortimer, sitting safely in a carriage near the back of his men, shouted furiously. “What are you waiting for?! ATTACK THEM! If that mouse won’t join me, then I want her DEAD !”

Minnie gasped a little when she heard that last bit, but before the soldiers could enter, a rush of power surrounded the square in which they fought.

“NO, MORTIMER!” One of the Sidhe shouted. “YOU’VE FAILED ME ALREADY TODAY. THIS ONE IS MINE! ”

Minnie leapt out of the way of a furious barrage of spearheads the Sidhe had summoned, and cried out as one tore through her side. Daisy shouted as Minnie hit the ground, the mouse clutching her waist as the Sidhe approached, but was kept from reaching her by her own opponent.

“Valiant effort,” the Sidhe above Minnie laughed, and raised her spear to finish the job. But before she could bring it down, she was tackled by a small figure who held back her arms with all his strength.

“Get…away from her!” he shouted, and Minnie thought she might cry.

The Sidhe screeched and stumbled back, but wasn’t incapacitated for long. With a rapid swing of her arms, she flung Mickey from her back and shouted furiously.

“Mickey!” Minnie screamed as she watched him hit a wall and crumple to the earth. He gasped and groaned, then pushed himself up slowly to glare at the Sidhe.

It began to rain.

“Stupid mouse!” the creature hissed, and Minnie was helpless as it moved towards him with spear in hand.

Ironically, it was Mortimer who saved them. Though he certainly didn’t mean to do so.

“Those two ruined EVERYTHING!” he shouted furiously, taking a jewel from his crown. “I was promised my revenge on that spoiled little princess, Magica, and I’m going to get it! No more of your useless magic !”

The Sidhe looked his way and, seeing the jewel, screamed. “No, you FOOL! Not now!”

But it was too late. A power pulsed across the battlefield, and everyone caught within it gasped. The barrier vanished, but so did the Sidhe’s spears and the light in their eyes, and they collapsed limply to the ground.

The bards gasped and screeched momentarily, and Minnie watched as their forms shimmered and changed, and wings sprouted from each of their backs.

But it all seemed like a strange dream, or a nightmare. Because she felt something too. She couldn’t breathe. Not out of shock or of fear, but because she was simply unable to do so, like there was water clogging her lungs. If she could have screamed, she would have done so. For in that moment, it was like she was back in the lake. She sputtered, clutching at her chest as it burned for air. Daisy rushed to her, frantically trying to figure out why her friend was coughing up oceans worth of water.

The present and past collided in an eerie vision within Minnie’s mind. She remembered sinking into the depths of that lake, and the overwhelming feeling of loss that consumed her. And most of all, she remembered the fairy who had sent her there. His face still escaped her, but it was almost within reach.

Through the blur, Minnie found Mickey, and reached for him desperately. She needed him. Needed his touch, his comfort. She watched as he stumbled for her, reaching with all he had despite his own pain. And when he had her, when he’d gathered her in his arms, she thought herself safe. If she could only fall asleep here, even should she never wake, she would be forever satisfied with her lot in life.

But then she saw them . And her heart shattered.

From his back arched a canopy of feathers. Wings. She blinked, and failed to see the fear and confusion in Mickey’s own eyes. If she had, she might have questioned the memory that returned to her so suddenly, almost as if by…magic. But only one thought raced through her head, and with it came a fear and heartbreak unlike any she’d felt before.

If she’d had the strength, she would have pushed him away, would have screamed for him to release her. But she had hardly any strength left in her bones and no breath with which to speak. So she writhed painfully, hoping that Daisy or….or anyone, might see and rescue her.

It was him. It had always been him. He’d lied to her and betrayed her, and even now, she was sure she was dying because of the curse he’d brought upon her.

Her vision started to go black. Daisy shouted a garbled sentence, and Minnie felt something like a rush of wind surround her.

That was all she felt, before she lost consciousness entirely.

14 notes · View notes