Once upon a December - The invitation- Walter Deville x reader

once upon a December

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Dancing bears, painted wings, Things I almost remember
And a song someone sings; Once upon a December.

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"It's-it's the original Deville home, Carfax Abbey castle"

"it's gorgeous" you whispered, feeling Walter's hand on the small of your back as you leaned over the moss-covered stone railing, looking up at the seemingly abandoned castle, covered in plant life but looking just as beautiful as it used to be.

...used to be?

The castle was incredibly familiar to you, it-it felt like....Home. you felt another tug at your heart, pulling you towards the iron gates. You obeyed that tug, Walter's hand trailing from your waist to your hand as you walked into the courtyard. Walter looked a bit nervous, glancing around as you took in the abandoned castle.

"How old is this place?" you whispered, but you felt you already knew that answer "it was built in the tenth century, it actually belonged to a different family before the Deville's were married into it." Walter answered, licking his lips as you pulled him towards the grand doors, one of the large rotted wooden doors broken off its hinge and leaving the main hall open to the elements and you. "but it was abandoned in the thirteenth century after...after the lady of the castle disappeared."

You looked back at him, seeing a deep sadness within his eyes. You smiled, squeezing his hand before continuing into the castle "Who owned the castle before the Deville's?" you asked, glancing back at Walter as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, doing his best to remember the family name "The uh-Godkin's, they were a noble family if I remember correctly" you hummed at his answer, Godkin....that was very-familiar, almost as if...no-not possible. you slowly went up the cracked stone steps, admiring the faded paintings on the wall as the moon beamed through the broken windows. "This place is amazing" you muttered, and Walter hummed in agreement.

"yeah, I come here every once in a while, just to get some alone time. Being a lord is basically translation for; never getting any proper privacy" Walter joked, smirking as you laughed. You both walked down the stone halls of the castle, the tugs on your heart telling you where to go; until finally, you reached the ballroom.

You gasped as you and Walter pushed open the grand doors, your breath stolen as you looked upon the moon-lit room, the floor grand and wide, the walls decorated with paintings and carved detailing upon the stone pillars "holy shit" you muttered, stepping up to the balcony that overlooked the ballroom, two sets of stairs leading down to it on either side. "This place it's-"

"Amazing, I know." Walter muttered, his eyes soft and sad, as if just being here was a painful memory. You shook your head, the feeling of being twirled and the echo of laughter resounding in your mind "-it's like a memory from a dream" you whispered, slowly making your way down to the ballroom floor, fiddling with your necklace as Walter followed close behind.

You closed your eyes as music began to play within your mind, swirling and elegant, those ocean blue eyes and lazy smile laughing into your neck as he took you about the room, either alone or surrounded by your guests.

You opened your eyes to see those very eyes you had just seen within the darkness, Walter holding his hand out to you, nodding back towards the ballroom "May I?" he whispered, and suddenly; you knew him, if only for a moment, you knew him. He had said those words before, within this very ballroom, on the docks by the lake, in the clearing within the forest, in your bedroom as the full moon illuminated your dance floor.

"there's no music" you whispered back, but you took his hand and let him lead you out into the middle of the ballroom, his right hand taking the small of your back as the other was planted firmly behind his own. "we never needed it" he laughed, absentmindedly, as if he didn't mean to say 'we'. But you smiled, taking a deep sudden breath as he looked into your eyes and began to sway to the music playing within his mind.