Chapter 1: A Voice in the Night

A soft golden light fell from the castle onto the quiet grounds. Most of the windows were dark, but a few candlelit rooms were filled with restless silhouettes. Their shadows grew dim and indistinct as they traveled to the grass below, the small lights merging with the silver tint cast by the moon. The moon's glow spread beyond the castle, shimmering across the rippling lake and sprawling lawn. It clashed against the shadows of the Forbidden Forest and retreated, seeking respite from the wild tangle of life and its impenetrable darkness. Alone in the vast clearing of the castle sat a weeping willow, and the moonlight took shelter in its gentle boughs. It landed beside her, listening as her hummed notes floated across the dim environs

He couldn't see her as he walked toward the lithe form of the tree, but snatches of melody reached him. Her voice was unimpressive, if not entirely unpleasant. Her presence had drawn him deeper into the night, when saner thoughts beckoned him back inside. He never should have left his bed to begin with, but irritation and insomnia had won against his better judgment. A few broken rules always left him feeling triumphant and satisfied, but he had only meant to revel in the sensation for a few moments before returning to safety.

Intentions faded in the face of the unexpected and unknown. He wanted to know who was out there. With every step her voice grew stronger, until the space between them no longer stole the sound.

Willow, weep for me
Bow your tallest tree
Down to the infamous hands
Of someone no-one understands

This was just what he needed. A silly, entitled girl pouring out her heart because she thought she was alone. As he drew closer to the voice, her form began to separate from the tree. She sat where a thick branch met the trunk, lounging as though she weren't ten feet above the ground.

I'm not unique in this
It's based on none but my mistake
At night I lie awake
Thinking of all the hearts I'd happily break

He couldn't see her face, even as he reached the tree. The light faded too much as it filtered through the willow's branches, leaving her features in shadow. He felt certain that she would see him, that she would stop. He had the power to make her stop, just with his presence.

It's cruel, I know
At least they tell me so
Well someone lock me up
And throw away the key
Because I'm not ashamed, oh no
Oh, willow...

The shadowed form continued to gaze off into the distance. Surely she must be able to see him, must have heard the rustle of branches as he brushed past them toward the trunk. But she never so much as turned her head in his direction.

That I only write love songs
To those whom I don't love
I only reach for him
Who's tied to someone else's glove

He couldn't stand the thought of being so simply ignored. He always drew eyes toward him, whether those eyes were filled with envy or fear. This conceited girl thought he was beneath her notice, but he was better than a silly twit singing alone in the night.

That which I hold inside
Which I admire and deride
Which I protect and hide
Is yours

He'd had enough.

"What do you think you're doing?" He poured venom into his words. She could ignore an adder while it lay in wait, but he'd make her feel the pain of his strike.

Her shadowed face slowly turned toward him, her motions not betraying even an ounce of surprise. A stray moonbeam lit her brief smile.

"Whatever suits my fancy. What brings you to the Willow?"

"I'm not required to answer to you," he snapped. Her mild reaction felt like a slap in the face. She should have been shocked into near silence, embarrassed that she had been caught, mortified by his intrusion. Instead a sense of self-assured calm radiated from her, as though she belonged where she was and was merely indulging his interruption.

She turned away from him again.

Willow, weep for me
Don't think I don't see
This life I'm living in two
But still it's something I must do

She did not insist that he answer her. She did not turn away as an act of petulance, frustrated by his refusal. She simply dropped him from her mind in favor of the song.

He was not someone to be so simply dismissed.

I'm not unique in this
Nor am I special, sweet or kind
I court a thousand smiles
But I keep my own to hide behind
It's cruel, I know...

"Who do you think you are?" He was careful to keep his voice cold. She wasn't worth the irritation he felt and he refused to let it show. "There's one thing you're absolutely right about. You're not special."

She brought her attention down on him again. "Who do I think I am?" She repeated the question as though unsure of the answer. "I could be Rose Red. I could be Juliet, Rapunzel or Alice. But that doesn't sound quite right." She turned her body until her legs hung down from the branch. "So tonight... tonight I think I'm the Lady of Shallot, viewing the world through a mirror in her tower."

"You're loony."

A light giggle fell from her lips as she began to kick her feet back and forth beneath her. "That too. But who does that make you?" Her legs settled into a quick rhythm as she leaned down to examine him. "You must be Sir Lancelot, drawing me down to my death."

Her demeanor seemed to change as she shifted her focus wholly to him. Her posture seemed warmer and more welcoming, but her voice took on a wary edge.

He wondered briefly if this girl was actually mad. What kind of person would continue with such a silly charade? The thought was quickly discarded. No one that mad would be allowed to stay at the school. "You can drop the silly act. You're not some fairy tale princess, you're a girl in a tree. It's cute that you think you can pretend real life away, but in the end you're just an idiot."

Her head tilted to one side as she said "The Lady isn't a princess, but I suppose that's irrelevant." Her legs extended beneath her as she slipped off her branch to one just below. "Am I a girl in a tree? Certainly. But I see no reason why I shouldn't be something else as well." Her descent had the fluid look of an often-practiced routine. As she landed on one branch she moved on to the next until she reached the lowest. She stood in the bend where the limb met the trunk, still six feet from the grass below. "I'm not the one pretending. Everyone else is pretending that they're only one person. But sometimes I get sick of playing that game, of acting like the world is that simple." She crouched and swung herself down the ground. Her voice gained heat as she continued, a note of derisive disappointment glowing like a lit coal. "It's cute that you think it is. Tell me, Lancelot, who do you think you are? You brought me down like you wanted. What's the next line in your script? Will you call me names until I cry? Threaten me until I'm too afraid to come here again? What will you do if your script fails you, Lancelot? If I don't give you the power you seek?"

That had been his general plan, of course. The balance had been thrown too far from his favor and he intended to fix that, but that was no business of hers. He certainly wasn't going to tell her she was right. "You think far too much of yourself. Why would I waste my time bothering with you?"

The smile she gave in response seemed far too indulging for his taste. "You've already spent your time on me, Lancelot. You came to me. If I weren't worth your time, you could easily have walked by without a word." Her hands hooked behind the small of her back as she took a few steps toward him. As she drew closer, he could make out a mass of dark hair around her head. "You can't admit your own motivation to yourself. Don't you see? You can't cram your entire being into a single persona."

"You don't know anything about me," he snarled. Fingernails dug deep into his palms, his shoulders tensed. She didn't know him, but still she knew too much. A small part of his mind screamed that this situation was wrong. He wasn't in control here.

"I know that you've constrained yourself. You could answer me, if you weren't so busy making sure you played the part you've set for yourself. But any response you could give doesn't fit your paltry sense of self." She spun and returned to the willow, choosing to settle herself against its base. "You brought me down but you haven't killed me yet, Lancelot. Perhaps you'll come back to the Willow with a new script. Then you might be able to handle the reality here."

"Do you expect me to leave just because you told me to?" More than anything, he wanted to leave. It was his pride that demanded he refuse.

"Did I tell you to leave, Lancelot? Do what you please. It's what I do here." The shadows around her face shifted slightly as she closed her eyes.

Slander and dissension
They're parlor games to me
Papers overrun with lies too mad to mention

In that short moment, he once again fell beneath her notice. He could demand that she acknowledge him again, but what would it gain him? Though he was loathe to admit it, her bizarre behavior left him speechless. Shielding his pride as best he could, he walked away from the willow.

You say they never hurt you
No consequence, I'm happy
We're much too far above it all
But oh no, that's not true

Even the triumph of sneaking outside undetected paled beside the strange girl. Her voice grew quieter behind him and he moved toward the warmer light of the castle.

These wicked pastimes take their toll
These tyrant vices break your soul
Deliver me from all I am
And all I never want to be

It couldn't end like this, walking away from a mad girl because there was nothing left to say. Such an outcome was beneath him. Despite this belief, he refused to turn around again.

Oh, Willow, doubt me not
Rewrite this plot
For all to see
And I only write love songs
To those whom I don't love...

She faded until she was just a melody, then a whisper, then a memory. He retraced his steps through the castle and to his room, resolving to forget what little was left of her.

Please Read (A/N)

Anything I really want you guys to read, I'll put here at the very end of the story. This will be important notices, credit for anything I borrowed (like the songs), and a 'Question of the Week' (a 'please review' gimmick I stole from DonJuana19). Anything after the next break is just me rambling, feel free to skip it.

This story is already fully written (it's 5 chapters long), and I'll be posting a new chapter every Friday. Hopefully in the morning.

My profile will have a link to playlist that contains the songs from the story. I also have a poll open about whether I should add all the songs to the playlist at once or add them as I add chapters.

The song used here is Willow by Emilie Autumn.

Question of the Week: Have you ever had a place you could go to get away from the real world for a while? What was it like?

According to , this chapter is written in a style similar to that of H.P. Lovecraft. You know, the guy who's responsible for Cthulu.

Whoohoo! It's finally done. I had this idea for years, but I never wrote it because I felt I should work on my other stories… but let's face it, I've grown up a touch since writing those and it's hard to get into those old ideas as much… especially since I see so many flaws.

So I finally gave in and wrote this. And to avoid making it so the story just fades away unfinished, I wrote the whole thing before posting it. And while I'm posting this, I can start writing the next one. And maybe it'll be done by the time Willow is done posting. That'd be nice.

Anyway, I sincerely hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Feel free to guess at the identities of the two characters (they are canon characters), but you have plenty of time to figure it out.

See you next week!