Chapter Text
“This… is the story of how I died~” A voice speaks softly. “Hey~ Don’t worry, this is a fun story! And it ain’t even mine, ehee!” The voice laughed in a raspy cackle. “This is the story about a little goldfishie named Riddle~ And it starts with the sun~”
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As the golden sun slowly set over the horizon, it painted the sky in lush hues of purples, oranges, and pinks. “Once upon a time, a single drop of sun skipped its way all across the ocean, eventually settling down on a nearby shore~ And from this small drop of sun grew a magic, white rose~” Sprouting up from the earth, the rose's petals shone brightly in the growing darkness; a beacon of hope if you would. “It had the ability to heal the sick and injured! The wounded and the not-so-wounded!”
Approaching the flower, an old lady hobbled forward, lantern in hand. “Oh! See that old woman? Keep her in mind! She’s a little important~”
“Anyhoo~ Centuries passed, and just a hop, skip, and boat ride away a kingdom grew and grew under the sun’s light~ And this little kingdom was ruled by a beloved king and queen!” Inside the palace, the king sat next to his wife, who lay weak on her bed. “Oh yeah! And the queen was about to have a baby! Shame she got sick, ehee~!”
“Now, humans are weird~ Even though they could’ve just let the queen to her fate, they got desperate~” Boats sailed out in the dead of night, many lanterns held high above heads as they approached the shore. “And when they get desperate, they start looking for miracles~ Or, in this case, a magic flower~!”
“Oh, hey! Remember that old lady~?” Stalking up to the flower, the old lady grabbed hold of a covering, peeling it away to reveal the magic rose underneath. “Told ya she’d be important! Ya see, instead of sharing the sun’s gift like a decent human being, this woman, Mrs. Rosehearts as she called herself, decided to hoard its healing powers for herself! Using its magic to keep herself young for hundreds of years! And funnily enough, all she had to do… was sing a little song~”
“Flower gleam and glow~ Let your power shine~” The old woman sang, prompting the rose to glow a brilliant pink light. “Make the clock reverse~ Bring back what once was mine~ What once was mine~” Taking a deep breath in, the old lady suddenly transformed from a grandma to that of a respectable-looking lady with her red hair done neatly in a bun.
“Aight, you get the gist. She sings the flower and de-ages… creepy.”
Hearing voices in the distance, Mrs. Rosehearts quickly covered up the rose with the vine covering before rushing off… however, she accidently knocked the covering off with her lantern in her haste.
Coming up over the hill, the guards peered over the shore, their eyes landing on the beautiful rose. “We found it!” One guard cheered, quickly making his way down towards it to dig it up. As one would suspect, a certain mother was none too pleased by this.
Returning to the castle as swiftly as possible, the palace doctors added the rose head to a bowl of warm water, allowing the magic to seep into the liquid. “The magic of the white rose healed the queen, hooray! And…”
“Waa? Ehee!” A small baby cheered, reaching out towards his mobile. “A healthy baby boy was born! With hair white as snow~ You could mistake him for an old man~”
Reaching down, the queen smiled brightly as she held her son in her arms. It truly was a miracle that he was born safely. “I’ll give y’all a hint~” Placing a crown upon his son’s head, the king joined in embracing his new baby boy. “That’s Riddle~”
“To celebrate his birth, the king and queen decided to launch a flying lantern into the sky! I wonder who cleans all those up afterwards~?” With their baby in their arms, the king and queen smiled upon their people before gently sending the sun-adorned lantern up into the air. “And for that one moment, everything was perfect~”
“Only that moment though!” As night fell, the winds blew sharp, and a door on the palace balcony jostled open.
“Flower gleam and glow~” Mrs. Rosehearts sang, watching as the young prince’s hair lit up a vibrant pink. “Let your power shine~” Reaching down, she held the magic hair in her finger, feeling the magic absorb into her skin once more. “Make the clock rever–” Cutting the hair from the baby’s head caused the magic to stop, and the hair to turn a vibrant red.
“Wahhhhh!” The baby cried out as he was stolen from his crib. “Rosehearts broke into the castle, stole the baby, and just like that, poof! She was gone!”
“Oh, how the kingdom searched and searched, but they couldn’t find their lost prince~ For deep within the forest lay a hidden tower~”
“Save what has been lost~ Bring back what once was mine~” The boy sang as Mrs. Rosehearts brushed his ever-growing hair. “Rosehearts raised the boy as her own.” “What once was mine~”
“Rosehearts had found her new magic flower~ And this time, she was determined to keep it hidden forever~”
“Why can’t I go outside?” The boy questioned, looking back at his mother with big eyes.
“The outside world is a dangerous place.” Mrs. Rosehearts answered without so much as a breath wasted. “Filled with horrible, selfish people. Worry not, my flower; you are safe here. Do you understand?”
“Yes, mama.” The boy answered, but he was still a little boy.
“Despite the height, the walls of the tower couldn’t hide everything~” Sneaking his way downstairs, the boy crept past his mother’s bedroom and opened the tower window. “Each year, on his birthday, the king and queen released thousands of lanterns into the sky! Hoping that it would act as a guide and bring their little prince home~”
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As the sun rose over the vast grove walls, a small chameleon scurried his way out onto the tower’s edge, blending into a nearby flowerpot. “Aha!” The window slammed open, revealing a boy with white hair. “Hm… I guess Trey’s not hiding out here~” He cooed, taking a few steps away from the window.
Taking a few breaths, Trey couldn’t help but laugh to himself… until his tail was grabbed and he was yanked out of hiding. “Gotcha!” Riddle cheered, holding poor Trey in the air with his hair, startling the poor chameleon halfway to death. “Let’s see, that’s 22 for me. How about 23 out of 45?” Riddle asked, setting Trey back onto the window’s ledge and putting his tiny hat back on. However, his suggestion was met with a grumpy face instead. “Ok, then, what do you want to do?” Riddle asked, sitting down on the ledge himself as Trey eagerly pointed out into the open air of the grove. “Uh-uh, I don’t think so. Going out is against the rules~” Riddle mocked, picking Trey up by his tail once more. “I like it in here, and so do you.”
Pfft
“Oh come on, Trey, it’s not so bad in here~” Riddle cooed, setting the chameleon down in his palm before swinging himself back inside.
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(Running around the tower’s floor, Riddle eagerly made his way over to the ladder leading to the rafters, his hair dragging across the floor in his wake as he scaled the ceiling to open the sun hatch)
“Seven a.m., the usual morning lineup~”
(Using his hair as a belay, Riddle slid back down and helped Trey onto his shoulder before rushing off)
“Start on the chores~ And sweep till the floor’s all clean~”
(Sweeping the floor, Riddle kicks his hair out of the way to brush the dirt and dust into the pan… and Trey’s face)
“Polish and wax~ Do laundry and mop and shine up~”
(Rushing from chore to chore, Riddle smiles through it all. How could he not?)
“Sweep again~ And by then~ It’s, like, 7:15~”
(Leaning against the wall, Riddle looks up at the clock, breathing a sigh of exhaustion when he sees the time)
“And so I’ll read a book~ Or maybe two or three~”
(Scooping all the three books off his shelf, Riddle gleefully carries them off to reread them for the billionth time)
“I’ll add a few new paintings to my gallery~”
(Dangling precariously from his hair, Riddle fills in the last sliver of his latest self-portrait)
“I’ll play guitar and knit~ And cook~ And basically~”
(Going through the motions as he always does, Riddle pulls a fresh pie out of the oven, taking a big whiff before something catches his eye)
“Just wonder~ When will my life begin~?”
(Looking up, Riddle holds out his thumb, measuring the far wall that had yet to be adorned with his paints)
(Flipping open his paint case, Riddle eagerly slid the partition to the side and parted the curtains blocking his canvas before slathering on a coat of navy blue)
“Then after lunch~ It’s puzzles~ And darts~ And baking~ Paper-mâché~ A bit of ballet~ And chess~”
(Y’all get the picture by now. I mean, there’s only so much you can do when stuck inside all day… every day)
“Pottery and ventriloquy~ Candle making~ Then I’ll stretch~ Maybe sketch~ Take a climb~ Sew a dress~!”
“Then I’ll reread the books~ If I have time to spare~”
(Passing by his shelf again, Riddle begrudgingly grabs the same three books he read earlier, bringing them back up to his room)
“I’ll paint the walls some more~ I’m sure there’s room somewhere~”
(Even with his palette in hand and his paints ready, Riddle couldn’t find a single inch of wall that had yet to be decorated with his daydreams)
“And then I’ll brush and brush~ And brush~ And brush my hair~”
(Picking up his brush, Riddle starts combing through the long stands of white he’s been gifted with)
“Stuck in the same place I’ve always been~”
(Up in the rafters, Riddle finally combs the ends of his hair, able to take a quick breather as he leans against the wooden beam)
“And I’ll keep wondering~ And wondering~ And wondering~ And wondering~”
(Tossing his hair about, Riddle lets it fall in a spiral around him, his face falling as he realizes… nothing’s happening)
"When will my life begin~?"
“Tomorrow night… the lights will appear~ Just like they do~ On my birthday~ Each year~”
(Walking over to the window, Riddle leans over the side, looking up at the clear sky as he pictures himself watching the floating lights like always)
“What is it like~? Out there~ Where they glow~”
(Turning back around, Riddle looks solemnly up at his newest painting… that of the floating lights)
“Now that I’m older~ Mother might just~ …Let me go~”
(With one final stroke of white paint, Riddle sat back as he looked at the small version of himself… happy… watching the lights… outside…)
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