#but then I saw Madoka Magica in High School and the concept of Witches blew my Comsic Horror obsession through the roof

[magisdiary]

Girl help I'm hyperfixating on Cosmic Horror of all things /srs

[if-i-want-to-dance]

His Queen to Protect

Chapter 21

Hana stared down at her hands. Rem stared intently at his shogi board. "Are you sure you don't want to play?" "I'm happy to watch you, Rem. I'm exhausted. But thank you." "If you like. Do you want me to see if I can get you something to eat?" Hana shook her head. "When I'm stressed out and worried, I don't really eat. It's not that I'm forgetting to or even that I'm not hungry - I'm not anorexic or anything. I just... if I try to eat, I get sick on it. I get stomach aches and throw up. That's why I always poked at my food when I was with you." "And I tried to force you to eat before. I'm sorry." A knock sounded on the door. "They're knocking?" Rem frowned and stood. "Come in." A man in a blue coat entered. "Master Rem." Rem's eyes widened. "Holland?" The man bowed. Rem stood up slowly. "How long has it been?" "Too long. And this is Lady Hana?" Lady Hana? Rem put a hand on top of hers. "This is Hana." Hana blushed, but didn't pull her hand away. "It's an honor, Milady." He began to bow excitedly. "I would have come sooner, but I wasn't permitted to." Milady? Hana's cheeks felt hot. "I'm surprised they allowed anyone at all." Rem entwined his fingers in Hana's. Urie appeared behind this Holland person. He wore a long red brown coat and a back shirt. Hana took a step back. Urie gave her a bright, obviously fake smile. "Butterfly, I'm glad to see you're settling in. How would you like to go for a walk?" "A walk." Did he listen to himself talk? Ever? Obviously he heard himself talk - clearly he loved the sound of his own voice - but did he actually listen? "Wouldn't you like to see more of the castle?" Not really. "Alright." Urie and Holland stepped out into the passage. "You don't have to if you don't want to, Hana." Rem gave her hand a gentle squeeze. She pulled her hand away and gave him a soft smile. "Do you think I'm afraid?" "You'd be very foolish to not be afraid." "But they don't have to know that I am." He offered her his arm. She took it, linking arms with him and leaning her head on his shoulder. It would satisfy Urie for the moment. And it felt kind of nice... She walked out into the passage with him. Urie raised an eyebrow at her and gave her an approving smile. They walked through a maze of corridors, passing people - if that's what she was supposed to call them? - wearing strange outfits. They all turned and stared at her. She kept her eyes straight ahead on Urie's back. They didn't matter. Urie pushed open a door. The long hall was cold stone underneath her bare feet. People everywhere stared and stared. She clung to his arm. Whispers, whispers everywhere. "It's such a small human." "Honestly..." "Seriously, that thing is the thing that caught his attention?" Hana held her head high and looked the last speaker straight in the eye. She backed down visibly. Urie guided them down a hall. Wasn't this near the throne room where she had met Rem's father? "That's far enough," said Urie. "Rem, I'll wait here with you." "Wait, what?" Rem's eyes widened. "Glax wished to speak to her." "Alone!" "Well, without either of us in the room. That's what Holland's for." Holland looked none too happy with this announcement. "You didn't mention that." "He told me not to. I'm sorry, old friend." Hana's legs shook. "One day, Urie, I will find a way to get revenge for the times you've tricked me." He chuckled. "I look forward to seeing that day, Little Butterfly." Hana's knees shook. Rem put a hand on her arm. "You'll be okay." He leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Whatever you do, don't look afraid, and you'll be okay." Hana nodded. Rem wouldn't give her bad advice - she trusted his word. Since when had that happened? She shook her head. "Well, then. I might as well get it over with."

Holland gripped her elbow, guiding her to the door. He pushed it open. The strange figure sat on the throne, single eye fixed on her. The door groaned closed. Hana's heart pounded and she bowed. Best not to make him angry. She kept her expression impassive. "Hana Soma, do you realize exactly what you've done?" Hana bit down a snarky remark. "I spend a hundred years shaping Rem. He was a perfect pawn. Obedient, intelligent. One look at you and he threw it all away. He was exactly how I wanted him, a loyal pawn to his king. What did you do to enchant my pawn? You're no sucubus." She had no idea either. Hana stood very still for a moment. Her eyes stung with tears for a moment. This was Rem's father? This was all his father saw him as? "I did nothing consciously, Lord Glax. I would like the answer to that question myself." She kept her eyes directed on the ground. "You're not beautiful, and you have no charm to speak of." Hana kept her face on the ground to hide her rage. "I suppose many would agree with you." "Your personality, then?" "I would think Rem would be a better candidate to ask than I about that." Holland looked distinctly uncomfortable with the conversation. "You turned my pawn into a liability. You're lucky I don't just kill you." A roar filled Hana's ears. "Your pawn. If I may continue with the chess motif? In American chess,  a pawn can only move two spaces. Not so useful, is it? But if gets to the other side of the board, it becomes a queen, a far more powerful piece." Holland studied her with guarded interest. "And?" Glax sounded almost interested despite himself. "What you put a person through changes them. He put me through a lot, and he changed me. But he's gone through a bit, and it changed him too." "Rem should never have cared about anything but the family name. Not about himself, or his friends, or you." This Glax Arlond was Rem's king, not his father. Hana's fists clenched. A roar filled her ears and she straightened up. "Shouldn't he have?" "You insolent little - " Any thought of being afraid was swept up in her anger. "A good chess player knows to respect the power of all his pieces, and how to use it. He doesn't belittle them." "Silence, you impudent pawn!" Hana's back hit the wall. Her legs dangled several yards above the ground. "I am not a pawn. I've crossed this stupid board half a dozen times." "How did you charm my pawn? Are you a witch? Are you part sucubus?" "Neither." At least she hoped not. Her back seemed to press harder against the wall. "All I wanted was to join my school's student council! It just sort of snowballed from there." How had her life come to this? The pull  released. Hana fell to the ground. Pain shot upwards through her ankles. "It's because of you I don't have the Grimoire. What do you have to say to that?" It was because of Ritsuka Tachibana he didn't have the Grimoire. "I had nothing to do with it." She limped forward. "You failed to get the Grimoire because its vessel used its power for herself." Because she was a thinking, breathing, feeling person, not just a pawn. "I had nothing to do with it." Aside from asking Rem to leave Ritsuka unharmed. "You're either brave or very, very stupid, little Human." Hana straightened up. Poor Rem had to live under this creature's thumb for his childhood? No wonder he'd ended up so cold. "If you leave now, I'll make you and your family rich beyond your wildest dreams. You can be anything you want to be, do anything you want to do. And all you have to do is leave." Hana's fists clenched, her fingernails digging into her palms. "A literal deal with the devil?" She glanced over at Holland. Judging by his expression of shock, he wouldn't be much help. "I'm too familiar with Faust to consider that a good plan." Black Butler and Madoka Magica had made her familiar with the concept of Faustian contracts, even if she'd never seen the play. "Why don't you just kill me?" "Are you asking to be killed?" "It would be far easier for you to kill me than make such an offer. So why are you making it?" Perhaps Urie and Mage had some influence that made it difficult. Or their families did. "No matter. But if you are making it, you can't kill me for some reason." This creature didn't deserve to have what he wanted from her, or from Rem. "And no deal." "WHAT!" Hana walked foward towards Glax. "I haven't yet made up my mind about your son. But I won't allow anyone to sway it with a deal that I would be a fool to take. If you have any concerns as to how I would treat your son as his mate, I will be happy to answer them. Otherwise, I don't believe we have any other other business to discuss." The eye went even bigger, staring at her. Hana unclenched her fists and forced a smile. "No more, then?" "I'll kill you." "That remains to be seen." The gust of wind blew her against the wall, her shoulder slamming into the stones. "Holland, take her out of my sight." She sank to the floor. Holland stood frozen for a moment, then rushed to her side. "Alright, let's go." He helped her out the door. Hana's legs trembled and gave out. He hadn't called her bluff. Good. "You're very lucky to be alive right now." "I guessed." Rem dashed forward. "Hana, are you alright?" Hana collapsed to her knees. "Rem..." "Are you hurt?" Rem gripped her arms, checking her over for injuries. He cupped her chin. "Holland, what did he do to her?" Rem helped her to her feet. "What happened?" Hana's heart pounded against her ribs, the sound filling her ears. "Rem..." How was she still alive? "Are you hurt?" Hana's voice seemed frozen. Rem tucked several strands of hair behind her ear. "Holland, what did he do to her?" "I'm okay." People were staring - she couldn't look weak. Not here. She straightened up. "I'm okay." Rem gripped her hands. "I think that's enough." Urie steered them out of the hall. Hana's legs shook underneath her. Rem clung to her waist. The familiar room looked very, very inviting, with its blazing fire and bed. The lock clicked behind them. "Do you want to talk about it?" Rem walked her to the bed and sat her down. He took both her hands in his, carressing the backs of her hands with his thumbs. Hana shook her head. "Nothing that's important." That creature had been Rem's father. ... How had Rem turned out even remotely kind? "I'm sorry." "Don't apologize for things out of your control. You can't stop your father from being horrid." Rem let go of one hand and put it around her back. Hana flinched and squealed in pain. Rem's eyes widened. "He did hurt you. What did he do?" "He made me fly up against the wall." "Let me see." Rem let go of her and scrambled behind her. Hana unlaced a few inches of the back of her dress. Each movement hurt. "He threw you against the wall? It's a good thing you didn't hit your head. Oh, there are bruises on your shoulder too now." Hana groaned. "It doesn't look too serious. Should I see if I can get some ice to put on it?" "Ice?" echoed Hana. "Isn't that what your supposed to do for human bruising?" "This is Hell. How on earth do you keep ice?" Rem stared at her for a moment, then chuckled and shook his head. "Good point. I got too used to the human world. Try lying down on your stomach. Just rest for a while. There's not much else I can do.”