Anybody But You

45

Chapter Forty-Five

Vibe: I Believe You by FLETCHER (song might be triggering for s*xual ab*se)

Some days were better than others. Some days Alice was plagued with invasive, hurtful thoughts that made her want to disappear. It was as if the spell had unlocked the memories—her brain digging them up from the dusty box in the corner.

She knew time healed all wounds, but somedays it felt like it made them worse.

She was so mad at Narcisse. Mad that he haunted her nights and mad that he made her have to go through it, all because he couldn't stand to be left out in the dark. His nature of needing to break things to figure them out was finally so clear. After months and months of feeling conflicted and weird things, he finally showed her his real face.

Alice supposed she owed him a thank you... for showing her what she knew was there all along. For clearing up any confusion.

Rubbing her face, she shook the thoughts out, looking at Lucy. She'd been quiet today, as well.

The redhead was playing with her hair, a frown etched on her pretty face as her green eyes dazed over in thought.

"Lucy," Alice grabbed her hand, startling her out of her head, "Is everything okay?"

Lucy gave her a small smile, her eyes clearly troubled, "I'll be okay, Alice—i've Just been in denial." She admitted as they sat in the palace's colourful garden, a picnic spread out around them on the green lawn.

"About what?" Alice's eyebrow knit together in concern as she squeezed her hand as a show of togetherness.

Lucy's lips pouted slightly as she looked down at her lips, "Marrying the prince..." she spoke softly. "I guess I compartmentalized it because he's never shown any real interest in me. Besides pleasantries, it's like we're distant siblings living under the same roof." Shrugging her face began to flush, "but... if I don't... with him... royal children..." she scrunched up her face as she shook her head. "Ew. No. I can't—how am I supposed to do that with him?" She hissed, clearly grossed out.

Alice empathized. She knew that feeling well.

Alice held her hand, frowning seriously as she caught Lucy's eye, "If Narcisse even tries to touch you without your consent, I will make sure he regrets it for the remainder of his life. Being his wife doesn't mean he gets a right to your body."

Lucy bit her bottom lip, "...that's not exactly the issue, Alice." She looked down, "Princesses are ridiculed if they don't produce a heir soon after the wedding—their families, too." She looked up, grabbing both of Alice's hands tightly—but Alice already knew this from firsthand experience, "I'm really so sorry, Alice. But for my family, I'm going to force myself to do it—to produce a heir." Her green eyes stared into hers with desperation, "Please don't hate me for it—please remain being my dear friend."

Alice was taken aback, blinking as shook her head, "Why in the world are you apologizing to me?" Taking back a hand, Alice gently touched the side of Lucy's flushed cheek. "Of course I wouldn't hate you for that." She smiled as if it were a ridiculous notion.

Lucy still looked so sad as she nodded, making Alice pull her into a hug. Lucy's arms wrapped tightly around Alice; burying her face into her blonde hair as she exhaled loudly.

Pulling back Alice cocked her head to the side, "Why all the sudden thoughts on this?"

Lucy rolled her bottom red lip into her mouth, shrugging, "I heard talk about the wed—" she suddenly lurched forward, her eyes widening in a stricken look of horror.

"Lucy, what's wrong?" Alice's heart thrashed against her chest as she watched Lucy start gagging.

Something was wrong—very, very wrong. This wasn't supposed to be happening—what was happening?

With Lucy's green eyes filling with tears, she looked at the blonde fall over herself, gesturing frantically for the knights on guard, "Alice—" as she squeaked her name out, a mouth full of blood spilled out of her red stained lips—staining her green dress as she kept coughing up more and more thick, black blood.

Alice couldn't see anything except for Lucy's crying eyes rolling back into her head as she fell forward in mid-reach for Alice.

Lucy's blood covered the picnic blanket.

~*~*~

🤭😱