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She hated it. It didn’t matter what her mommy said, she didn’t like this. The four-year-old pouted as her mother pulled her through the lavish gardens. She looked all around, her mismatched eyes finding a new bud, flower, or insect. She flinched when a butterfly landed on her shoulder and scooted closer to her mother. She felt her mother stop and bend down. The woman’s blue-tinted, lilac eyes stared at her daughter.

“Sweet little, there’s nothing to be afraid of,” Muse reassured her daughter.

Mavis looked around her, “Why are we here mommy?”

She felt her mother wrap her arms around her torso and pull her up, placing her in the crevice between her hips and waist. Muse continued walking, not minding how her daughter was crumpling up her satin, violet dress.

“We’re visiting a friend of mine. You’ll like her.”

“Mommy has friends too?” Mavis questioned.

Muse laughed and the sound was like a twinkle of bells, soft and airy, “I do, very few of them.”

Mavis wondered who this friend of her mother’s was. As far as she could tell, her mother spent a lot of time with either herself or her dad. She never associated with anyone who wasn’t a family member. Mavis placed her head on her mother’s shoulder and watched as the gardens passed her by. Slowly, she calmed down and just enjoyed her mother’s embrace. Then, she felt her mother pause.

“We’re here.”

Looking up, she looked around. A giant pavilion was in front of the girl and her mother. Its brown, circular roof had pink curtains hanging from the rafters. Green vines and trellises covered the wooden supports. A brown, wooden table with four chairs surrounding it laid in the middle of the pavilion. Coming closer, Mavis could see the table was laden with all sorts of treats. Cakes, pastries, fruits, tarts, scones, tea; all of the delicious things her mother kept her from eating too much of was at the table. Mavis reached for a scone but her mother grabbed her hand.

“Mavis, we can’t eat before our hosts arrive.”

Mavis pouted and lowered her arm, “…Okay mommy.”

Muse fixed her daughter’s appearance; going over her long, ombré hair, striped shirt, and shiny Mary Jane shoes, “Mommy’s friend is going to bring her son with her. He’s around your age. I think you’d be great friends.”

Mavis shook her head, “I don’t want any more friends. I already have Felix.”

Muse’s face morphed into one of amusement, “Felix is your brother. While I’m happy you consider him a friend, it would be good to have someone else too.”

Mavis pouted again. She wasn’t in the mood to meet a new friend. This wasn’t the first time her parents had tried to get her to befriend more people. Her dad made it a point to always bring her with him whenever he went to social events. And ever since her mother came back, Muse had tried to invite different children to encourage Mavis to socialize. But she didn’t like any of those events. Every child always wanted to know about her grandmother, or her aunts, or even worse, her mother. Mavis hated those kids and she hated being forced to meet them. Huffing, she climbed into one of the chairs and crossed her arms over her chest. Muse looked around for their hosts but Mavis was fuming silently. Soon, Muse’s face changed and she exclaimed.

“Ah, they’re here.”

Mavis looked up to spot a woman with long red hair arriving. The woman had on a rich purple outfit that showed off her midriff. A long, black jacket covered her shoulders. Holding on to her hand was a small boy. He looked to be around Mavis’s age with the same red hair as the woman. His eyes were a bright amber color and his hair was sticking out in angles. He was dressed in a simple grey shirt, jeans and a long blue jacket. Mavis scrunched her nose. Why did her mommy want her to be friends with this boy? When they got closer, Muse smiled and enveloped the red-haired woman in a hug.

“Lanie, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you. How are you?”

The woman, Lanie, returned her mother’s hug. A similar smile appeared on her face, “Muse, I’ve been well. I’m glad to see you’ve returned.”

Muse let go and the two women stared into each other’s eyes. Blue and pink. It was an odd sensation to witness. But soon, Muse broke eye contact and turned to the boy next to Lanie.

“And this must be your son, Oleander. Hello, I’m Muse, your mother’s friend.”

Oleander glanced at the pale-haired woman in front of him. He felt curious upon meeting this woman. He had heard her name before, when his mother talked about meeting her. Oleander nodded his head, at a lost for what to respond with. Muse simply turned towards her daughter who hadn’t left the chair.

“Sweet little, come over here so they can see you.”

Mavis hesitated before jumping down from the chair and walking to her mother’s side. Gripping her dress, she looked up at the woman and boy. Muse patted her shoulder.

“No need to be shy sweet.”

When Lanie placed her gaze on the small girl, her eyes widened and a giant grin erupted on her face, “Aw, you are adorable! You look exactly like your mother was when she was your age.”

Mavis leaned closer into her mother’s leg, feeling unease at the sudden jubilanance coming from the woman. Muse laughed at Lanie’s comment.

“I wasn’t nearly this cute when I was Mavis’s age. In fact, I seem to recall someone putting a bite mark on me back then.”

Lanie flustered a bit, “…that was years ago Muse…”

Mavis continued to eye the young boy. So what if he’s her age? She didn’t need to know him and she didn’t want to be his friend. She snuggled closer to her mother, prompting Muse to try to pry her off.

“Mavis, sweet, you have to let go of mommy and introduce yourself.”

Mavis unwillingly stayed by her mother’s side but she did open her mouth. In a small voice, she said, “….I’m Princess Mavis Etude Melodia….”

A squeal came from Lanie’s throat at the childish voice of Mavis. Calming herself down, she cleared her throat, “Hello Mavis. I’m Lanie Unversed,” She nudged Oleander, signaling him to introduce himself.

Oleander grunted a bit but complied, “…I’m Oleander Unversed…”

Now that introductions were made, the group could finally sample the exquisite desserts. Mavis focused on stuffing her mouth with as much goodies as she could while her mother and her friend conversed. She didn’t understand some of the things they were discussing so she ignored them. She also made sure to not pay attention to Oleander. Putting an eclair in her mouth, she relished in its sweet cream and chocolate topping. Then, she heard her name being called.

“What do you think Mavis?”

The young girl swiveled around and looked at her mother. Clearly, they had been talking about her but she wasn’t paying attention. Mavis nodded her head in response. Lanie responded with a smile.

“Excellent, than you and Oleander can go play in the gardens. Make sure you don’t wonder into the hedge maze and stay away from the fountain.”

Mavis stiffened. She glanced at her mother and Lanie, wondering if this was a joke. When neither looked like they were joking, she shook her head.

“But mommy! I want to stay with you.”

“But you just said you wanted to play,” Muse questioned.

Mavis pulled her mother’s dress, threatening to start whining, “But mommy!”

“No buts. Now go on and play, sweet little.”

Seeing that her mother wouldn’t let this go, Mavis pouted and left her chair. She noticed Oleander leaving his seat and turned his back to her. She followed the boy, glancing at her mother the entire time. Unfortunately, her mother paid her no mind. Soon, she and Oleander had ended up near a bench in the gardens. Mavis sat down on the bench, keeping her gaze away from the boy. Oleander simply admired the flowers. Neither of the children felt compelled to be near the other. Mavis had no desire to befriend the boy and Oleander was bored and wanted to go back to sleep. An awkward silence occurred before Mavis spoke out.

“How old are you?”

Oleander looked back at the small girl on the bench, “….four years old.”

Mavis grumbled, “We’re the same. When’s your birthday?”

Oleander grumbled, not appreciating the sudden questions, “October 4, why?”

At his answer, Mavis smirked. She raised her head in a tone of superiority and pride, “Mine’s is February 24. I’m older than you.”

Oleander scoffed and went back to his flowers, not wanting to give the girl the satisfaction of knowing she was older. Meanwhile, Mavis turned to look at her surroundings and spotted a fountain nearby. Getting up from the bench, she tiptoed her way to the large, obsidian fountain. Looking at her reflection in the clear, blue waters, she didn’t notice Oleander sneaking up behind her. Feeling a push, Mavis let out a screech as she fell headfirst into the fountain’s pool. Sputtering and quickly coming up, she glanced at the boy. Oleander was bent over and laughing, finding his little prank amusing. Mavis’s cheeks puffed with agitation as her hair ruffled and splattered in the water. She was right. She didn’t like this kid. She started to cry and soon, she heard footsteps approaching. Her mother and Lanie approached the fountain and Muse rushed to Mavis’s side.

“Mavis! What happened? Why are you in the fountain?”

Mavis continued crying as her mother picked her up. Lanie went to Oleander and eyed her son.

“What happened here?”

Oleander shrugged, “She was playing near the fountain and tripped.”

Lanie didn’t believe that but she focused on comforting the crying child, “She can get cleaned up at the castle. I’ll get some of Lantana’s clothes for her.”

“That’ll be great, thanks.”

Mavis was transported to the large castle behind the gardens and into a room with bright wallpaper and lavish furniture. Muse left her in the care of the servants of the castle and went to talk to Lanie who had just finished telling Oleander to go to his room in punishment. Lanie sighed and turned to Muse.

“I’m so sorry Muse,I don’t know why Oleander would do that.”

Muse shrugged, “It’s fine, Mavis wasn’t hurt. Besides, it’s all childish fun,” Muse giggled upon remembering something, “In fact, it made me remember the crazy pranks we used to do to each other. We were a menace back then.”

Lanie grinned, “Not as crazy as the other ones.”

“I don’t know, I seem to recall that you were pretty loud back then.”

Again, Lanie’s ears turned red and her cheeks reddened. Muse gave a coy smile before looking at the room her daugther was in. Her eyes lowered as a quiet contemplation overcame her.

“She is so fragile. She doesn’t let anyone in and I’m afraid that’s my fault. I wasn’t there for her and now she’s blocked anyone else from coming close. Even her own father can’t get her to open up.”

Lanie’s face dropped, “It’s not your fault. You couldn’t stop what happened.”

Muse shook her head, her pale hair hitting her back, “I could have. Mother taught me to always keep it in check, to never let it take me. But I became naive and stupid. And it did whatever it wanted to in my weakness.”

Lanie placed her hands on Muse’s shoulder, soothing and supportive, “You weren’t stupid and you weren’t naive. We both know why it happened and it’s not your fault so don’t say that.”

Muse took in a breath. Her blue-purplish eyes started at Lanie, the emotion behind them raw and biting, “But what about her? Who is going to be there for her if…if I fall again? Junior is so busy being the reaper and the king of the Underworld and I can’t ask Rex to look after her. And she needs someone to be there for her.”

Lanie bit the inside of her cheek. She hated seeing Muse like this. It was very rare when Muse would break down and show her emotions. She spent so much time not being able to show anything that when she finally broke down, it hit hard. The red-haired looked at the door and an idea formed in her head. She looked to Muse, a grin starting to spread.

“Oleander can be there for her.”

Muse raised an eyebrow, “What…what do you mean?”

“You said Mavis needs someone to be here if you leave. Someone who can help her open up. Her and Oleander are the same age and to be honest, he needs a friend.”

“Mavis needs more than a friend. She needs someone who can be there for life, someone who doesn’t leave.”

“Than that’s even better. We’ll get them engaged.”

Muse blinked. She glanced over Lanie’s face to see if she was joking or something but nothing appeared. She was serious, “Engaged…they’re just kids.”

“Arranged marriages are common in our world. I mean, Junior had one with Nyx. So, we’ll get them engaged to each other, have them spend some time together. They may not fall in love but at least they’ll be plantonic life partners.”

“Like you and me?”

Lanie smirked, “Better than us.”

Muse looked at the door and could hear Mavis’s sniffles quiet down. Thinking back on how her daugther reacted, Muse nodded her head.

“Okay…yeah, let’s do it. I’ll have to talk to Junior about it but he should have no issues. We can discuss the plan better another time.”

Lanie squealed and hugged Muse who only laughed in return. Inside the room, Mavis sniffled as she looked at the yellow dress she was put in. Her hair was still wet and it wrapped around her arms in comfort.

“I hate him, I hope I never see him again.”

#

Unfortunately for Mavis, she had to see Oleander again. Actually, she had to see him every month. And every month was torture for the two children. They were always at each other’s throat. Whether it was fighting, yelling, kicking, screaming, or throwing things at the other, the two were always butting heads. They were too young to know they were engaged but everyone else knew. Junior initially thought it was a bad idea, having been forced into his own arranged marriage but after seeing how antisocial his daugther was and realizing how detrimental it was to her growth he agreed. Which is why he took turns with Muse and Rex to drop Mavis off at Lanie’s place for the week or so. If they weren’t staying in the same house, any event their parents attended, they had to escort each other. It was maddening and frustrating and terrible. A year after this arrangement came into play, Muse vanished. Without warning or without a note, she vanished from everyone’s life. Mavis’s family broke in two. Her dad, Rex, became depressed and found comfort in an old flame of his. He and his new wife started a family of their own with the birth of the twins Clio and Lux. Rex decided to move out of Castle Chaos and he took Felix with him. He offered to take Mavis too but she wanted to stay with her daddy. Mavis lost her only friend and brother. She moved in with her grandparents at Castle Grim where she was currently getting dressed for a ball in Aku’s Realm. As the servants fussed over her hair, her dress, and her shoes, Mavis looked down at her hands. She heard the door to her room being opened and didn’t even need to look up to see who had entered. The sudden shift in the air told her all she needed. Her grandmother, Queen Mandy, looked at Mavis’s dress. She then glared at the servants who quickly left the room. When the door was closed, Mandy walked up to Mavis.

“Do not dawdle child, you’ll make us late.”

Mavis huffed, “Do I really have to go? You’ll have everybody else there to represent us.”

Mandy’s eyes narrowed and Mavis flinched, “You know how important it is to attend this ball of Aku’s.”

The eight-year old girl sighed. How could she forget? After the disasterous war that started between her grandmother and the King of Hell, H.I.M., peace was very fragile in the dimensions. Every year, a congregation would be held to keep the dimensions in check. Her mother used to attend these events as the representative of the Kaos Dimension but since she left, it was up to Mavis to be there. Even if she didn’t understand anything they said. Mavis felt her hair coil around her leg. Then, she felt her grandmother’s arm on her shoulder.

“Surely, this can’t be because Oleander is your date for tonight.”

Mavis gagged and turned away, “No!”

Mandy sighed, “When will you two stop this childish game? You’re far too old to be playing naive.”

“It’s not a game! I don’t understand why I always have to be with him,”

“It was your mother’s request. Surely, you understand why Mavis.”

The girl lowered her head and bundled her fists in her pink tulle dress. Mandy ran her hands over her granddaughter’s hair, fixing the small tiara adorned on the top.

“Tonight will be the end of your little game. You had your fun and now it’s time to end it. Get everything out of your system for good. Do you understand me?”

Mavis looked at her grandmother’s reflection in the floor-length mirror. The woman’s red eyes bore into Mavis’s mismatched ones. Frigid, unwavering, undeniable. Mavis lowered her head.

“I….yes grandmother.”

“Good, let’s go now. The others are already waiting.”

Mavis followed her grandmother out of the room. As they were walking down, Mavis focused on not falling in her small heels. Reaching the ground floor, she saw her aunt Daniela and uncle Manny already waiting and dressed to the nines. Daniela’s face brightened seeing her niece’s beautiful appearance. She engulfed her in a hug.

“Aw look at our little grown up Mavis!”

Mavis squirmed in Daniela’s grip, “Aunty! Stop that!”

Daniela let her go and gestured to the hell carriage outside, “Ready to go?”

Mavis sighed, “I guess.”

She climbed into the carriage and looked outside as the carriage moved at high speed through the dimensional rift. Soon, she saw the tall, black skyscrapers of the City of Aku. The carriage landed in front of the largest building, a strange malformation of limbs and rooms. Stepping out of the carriage, Mavis glanced around. The castle was already pretty crowded, with denizens and citizens from other realms talking and chattering. She could see her great uncle and aunt, Jack and Sally, close by. She also spotted her aunt Micte and her cousin Maya. Maya gave an enthusiastic wave before being distracted by her boyfriend. She was so absorbed in taking in all the sights, she barely noticed someone coming towards her until it was too late. Someone stopped in front of her and Mavis looked towards them before her smile faltered. It was Oleander. He was dressed in a matching tux with a pink undershirt covered by a black jacket. His hair was styled away from his face to show off his golden eyes. But his mouth was in a scowl. Clearly, he wasn’t too thrilled about the predicament either. He looked towards his left where Mavis spotted his mother urging him on. Slowly, Oleander bent down and took Mavis’s hand. Mavis turned her face away and watched with horror as Oleander placed a kiss upon her hand. Immediately, Mavis fought the urge to gag. Oleander quickly let go of her hand.

“So happy you arrived…Mavis…” Oleander grunted out.

Mavis noticed that a few people were watching them. Some were her family, others curious paparazzi. She put on her brightest smile and took hold of her skirt, bending forward slightly.

“I’m happy to be here with you…Oleander…”

The awkward atmosphere could have threatened to make everyone choke but Mavis quickly took hold of Oleander’s arm and hauled him towards the entrance doors.

“Look, I don’t want to be here with you and you don’t want to be here with me. But our parents have forced us to be like this. So let’s do like we’ve always done and put on a show then never speak of this again, okay?” Mavis offered.

“Agreed.”

The two children made it to the room where the ball was being held. As the servants opened the large, double doors, Mavis and Oleander were bombarded with many sensations. The low lights with the occasional green spotlights, the guests lingering around the large space dressed in muted colors and extravagant accessories, the smell of exotic cuisines being brought out by the waitstaff. The master of ceremonies noticed the two children and cleared his throat.

“Presenting Princess Mavis of the Kaos Dimension and her intended Oleander Unversed.”

A small hum of whispers and conversation occurred as the guests turned their attention to the two. Mavis felt self-concious and she kept her gaze solely on the visage of the city from a large window. Oleander sighed, already used to the attention and fame. The children descended down the stairs and kept up their smiles even though they wanted desperately to lose the other. Flashes went off as the paparazzi took photos and Mavis was sure the headlines tomorrow would read: Childhood sweethearts attend the ball hand-in-hand. She tried not to recoil in disgust at the thought. Once they were at the end of the staircase, they looked at each other and Mavis promptly let go of his arm.

“Thank you for escorting me, Oleander.” Mavis said through clenched teeth.

“It was my pleasure, Mavis.” Oleander responded, his voice strained as well.

Mavis turned and stiffly walked away from her worst enemy, glancing around for her father. When she finally spotted the tall, bony man, she approached him. Junior noticed his daughter and gave a smile.

“There you are, you did wonderful up there,”Junior complimented her.

Mavis huffed and crossed her arms, “Must we do this at every event? Can’t you escort me?”

“You’re too old for your father to escort you. Besides, having Oleander escort you will prepare you for the future.”

Mavis scoffed. Right, that wonderful future where she will be married to him and therefore must spend every second with him. Mavis shivered and looked around. These types of events bore her. There was nothing but gossip, cruelty, and vanity here. Nothing excited her and she wanted to leave and go back to the comfort of her room.

“I wish mom was here. She knew how to handle this better than me,” Mavis said absentmindly.

Junior’s smile faltered, “…I wish your mother was here too. She would have loved to see how well you can handle this. She’d be proud.”

Yeah right. Mavis was used to her family giving her platitudes to ease the pain her mother’s absence left in her. And she knew they meant well but she couldn’t stand it. She hated their pity and empty words. Swallowing hard, Mavis looked towards the balcony. She pointed to it.

“I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed, can I go over there?”

Junior looked at the place, “Sure, but make sure you don’t stay too long,”

“I will, I promise.”

Mavis walked slowly to the balcony, politely excusing herself when she needed to squeeze through someone. Finding herself at her goal, she took in a breath of air. There was the smell of something sharp and burning but Mavis ignored it. Leaning against the ledge, she looked at the moving metropolis. It resembled her home a bit, the roads with cars and the pedestrations walking the streets. The Kaos dimension was more vibrant though thanks to the ever-changing scenery to mimic the Surface World. Thinking about her home made her think about her mother. And how she would walk the streets unabashed and with no worries. She was the ruler of the place but she valued the people’s opinions. In some ways, Mavis thought her mother felt guilty for all the things she’d done to them. Her mother was a person of guilt and Mavis didn’t want to become like her. She heard the soft pattering of footsteps and groaned.

“I swear if it’s you Oleander-!”

She turned and realized the person behind her was not Oleander. Far from it. It was a boy, maybe a year or two older than her. He had dark strawberry-blonde hair that fell down his shoulders in waves. He was dressed in a crimson haori and black hakama. A deep red veil prevented Mavis from seeing his eyes. Mavis tilted her head.

“Can I help you? Did you want to use this balcony?”

The boy crossed his arms and said nothing. Mavis felt uncomfortable and a bit curious about what the boy’s deal was.

“Sorry, I’ll get out of your way.”

When Mavis made a move to leave, the boy’s mouth opened.

“Wait.”

Mavis stopped and looked at him, her eyebrow raised, “What?”

“You’re the granddaughter of the Bitch Queen, right?”

Mavis’s eyebrow ticked and she gave a heavy sigh. Here we go again. As always, a person who wanted to know about her grandmother. Mavis glared at the boy.

“Why do you want to know?”

The boy cocked his head and Mavis could tell he was judging her, “…whose child are you? Are you the bonehead’s kid or the lunatic’s? No…neither of them have your hair color. The only one with hair as pale as yours would be…” The boy placed his hand on his chin, “…the unhinged princess.”

Mavis flinched and an ugly whoosh of rage and hate entered her vision. She balled her fist, “…What did you say?”

“The unhinged princess. The princess who inadvertently caused the war, the princess who lost her mind and disappeared for years. I had heard she had a daughter but I thought that was just my mother talking.”

Mavis was barely paying attention. How dare this boy come and call her mother psychotic! He knew nothing about her or what her family has been through. Mavis’s hair twisted and started to sharpen into points, ready to pounce on this child. She took in a breathe, she did not want to cause a scene here. Not with all these onlookers. Mavis counted to twenty in her head, trying to quell the anger in her veins. Then she glared at the child.

“Who are you? What realm do you belong to?” Mavis asked.

The boy’s head cocked as if he was confused on Mavis’s inquiry, “What do you mean? This is my realm.”

“I didn’t know Empress Chi had a son.”

“She does. Let me introduce myself.”

The boy pulled back his hood a bit, finally letting Mavis see his eyes. They were odd. With a pitch black sclera, his iris was the color of cinnabar. A vivid, glowing red pupil illuminated his orbs and a red flame resembling Empress Chi’s erupted from the center. The power within his eyes reminded Mavis of her aunt’s; mystical and disorientated. Chaotic.

“My name is Prince Odin Delgado, firstborn of Empress Chi and Empress Atë.”

Atë. Now Mavis knew why his eyes were like that. He was a descendent of Chaos. Still, despite knowing that Mavis hated him.

“It seems the empress has forgotten to teach her children basic etiquette. Your rude remarks about another denizen were inappropriate.”

Odin crossed his arms and smirked,”Why should I give basic courtesy to a freak like you?”

Mavis stilled. Her heart started beating in her chest at a wild pace. A…freak. Odin continued talking.

“All the people in your family are abominations. Always going around hurting anyone you want, stealing and pillaging people. I guess you inherited it from your grandmother.”

This kid was pissing Mavis off. He has done nothing but disrespect herself and her family. Mavis could feel her body starting to morph, her skin disintegrating off her bones as a glowing mark flickered into her orbs. She should just rip his foul tongue off and make him regret what he said. Witnesses be damned. But just as she was about to lunge at this rude child, a voice rang out.

“You’re insulting a family that has been invited here as guests so brazenly. Do you wish to cause another war?”

Both Odin and Mavis turned to see Oleander standing at the balcony entrance. The red headed boy was glaring at Odin and his shadow seemed to twist. Odin raised an eyebrow.

“And you are?”

“Oleander Unversed,” Oleander’s voice sounded strained.

“Ah, I had heard that a bounty hunter was creating an alliance with the ruler of the Kaos dimension. I did not expect them to attend tonight’s gathering though, you rarely do.”

“My mother wanted me to escort my fiancée today.”

Oleander walked past Odin and stood beside Mavis. Mavis wanted to roll her eyes but she was too busy grinding her teeth to stop herself from biting his throat out. Odin looked between Oleander and Mavis then grinned widely.

“I see, well I should excuse myself. My mother would be wondering where I wondered off to,” Odin turned but just before he left he looked back, “I’ll see you again freak princess.”

Mavis raised her arm to attack him but she felt a hand on her arm. Looking next to her, she saw Oleander’s gaze was still on Odin and his smile was still polite. But he was gripping Mavis’s forearm tightly. Mavis could do nothing but watch as Odin left and disappeared in the crowd. Once he was gone, Mavis yanked her arm out of Oleander’s grip and whirled on him.

“Why did you stop me?”

“Nothing good will happen if you attack him here. All it would do is damage your family’s reputation and do you really want to make a scene with your grandmother in attendance?” Oleander reasoned.

Mavis huffed and walked to the ledge. Gripping it, she felt her hair swirl around her arms to help alleviate her rage and she leaned into it. She felt the fury ebb out of her and could feel tears pricking her eyes. She wiped at them, disappointed in their appearance. Her grandmother wouldn’t like it if she saw her crying. Especially not over something a stupid, spoiled prince who’s never had any problems said. But the tears kept flowing. She felt Oleander walk up to her side. He was gazing at the stars because that’s what he always did when she cried. Mavis sniffled.

“…Why are you here?” Mavis questioned, her voice small.

“Your father noticed you were gone for a while and sent me to find you,” Oleander stated, “Why’d you come out here?”

“I needed some space…I felt uncomfortable here and it reminded me too much of my mom. I didn’t think I’d run into anyone here. Guess I was wrong.”

A silence surrounded the children. Then, Oleander rustled his hair, messing up the perfect hairdo, “You shouldn’t mind what he said. Lots of people say things about our families because of past events, it’s just gossip.”

“I know that but some of the things he said were right. My mom did leave us and no one will tell me why. Only that she needed to. It’s hard to hear others say it was because she was crazy.”

“That’s not true! Your mom isn’t crazy. My mom says she’s fighting something and needs time by herself.”

Mavis snorted, “Fighting what? What could possibly be so hard that she left her children for years? Minuet has never met our mother and Felix doesn’t remember her face. It’s like she doesn’t even exist sometimes. She’d be better off dead!”

Those words escaped Mavis’s mouth before she could comprehend them and she gasped at the realization that she said that. The tears came freely as the emotions collided within her. Loneliness, pain, agony- all the emotions pierced into her heart. She lowered her head and tried to quiet her sniffles. Suddenly, she felt arms awkwardly surrounding her body. Oleander patted Mavis’s shoulder in comfort. Mavis blinked before a sob erupted from her mouth. This was humiliating and terrible and the first time someone has tried to comfort her over this. Everyone else would tell her that it was okay and that she should be strong for her mother. This was the first time someone just let her cry. And it came from her worst enemy. Mavis felt ridiculous but she buried her head in Oleander’s shoulder either way. It took a few more minutes before Mavis’s tears dried up. She pulled back from Oleander’s embrace and wiped her eyes. A different sort of silence overcame them, not awkward like before but lingering with something unspoken. Mavis decided to break it.

“…Thank you…”

Oleander shrugged, “No problem.”

Mavis glanced up at the darken sky, “…I wonder why we started fighting.”

“Huh?”

“We’ve been at each other’s throats for years and I can’t remember why.” Mavis explained.

Oleander thought for a moment, “I don’t either…maybe it was all just childish antics.”

“Well….maybe we should call it a truce. We can’t be kids forever. And it looks like we’re stuck together so we might as well try to be civil.”

“Hmmm, that’s not a bad idea,” Oleander turned to Mavis and held out his hand, “So, call a truce?”

Mavis glanced at his pale hand for a while before grasping it, “Truce.”

#

She was trapped. In that small room, her hands and feet bound. She was unable to move, unable to break free. The walls continued to grow smaller and smaller, encasing her until there was nothing left anymore. She huddled closer, her hands covering her head as the pain coursed through her body.

Someone…please help me…

There was no reply. She let out a cry as the walls were now squeezing her, making it hard for her to breath. Reaching her hand out, she grasped nothing but air and loneliness. She opened her mouth and screamed, so loudly and harshly that her throat began to ache.

Someone…save me! Someone!

As the walls continued to suffocate her, she struggled against her prison, desperately reaching her arm out.

Anyone…please save me…

Just when her strength was ebbing away, just when the last of her breath was exhaled, a dim light glowed. With her fading vision, she watched the light change form and huge wings emerged out of it.

Who…are you…

The light reached out a glowing hand and she reached towards it.

Are you…the one who I’ve been looking for…

As her hand touched the savior’s, Mavis jolted up from the comfort of her bed. Her chest heaved as she tried to gather as much air into them as she possibly could. Sweat rolled down her forehead, arms, and neck and she felt unbearably hot. Blinking at the sudden awareness, she glanced around. She was in her bedroom, the iridescent glimmer of the moon lighting up half of the large space. Mavis took in a breath.

“So it was a dream…”

She’d been having these dreams ever since she was ten. Dreams of that person coming to save her. But try as she might, she could never recall their face. Only that they were there. Mavis pulled back her bed’s lavender covers and planted her feet on the floor. Walking to the floor-sized double doors leading to her balcony, she grabbed the fluffy robe hanging from her coat rack and slipped it on her arms. Turning the intricately carved handles, Mavis opened the doors and a gust of wind entered the room, rustling her hair in the process. Stepping onto the balcony, Mavis gazed longingly at the moon.

“Who are you…Why can’t I remember your face…Why did you save me and then left me alone?”

She reached her left arm towards the moon, almost as if she wanted to caress it, “Why would you leave me here to fend with this by myself? At the very least, you could have given me your name. This is too cruel. I…I don’t know if you’re an angel or a demon…”

She could feel a burning behind her eyes and her vision blurred as the tears welled up. She was longing for them so much so why could they not hear her? The smell of pine carried on the gentle breeze. Nights like this were the toughest. Mavis couldn’t stop the hurt that spilled from her chest. Suddenly, she felt arms engulf her entire being. Flinching, Mavis was about to turn and push the assailant away when she heard a voice mumble into her hair.

“Don’t do that.”

Mavis’s mismatched eyes softened as she recognized the voice. Lowering her arm, she placed her hand on the person’s forearm.

“…What are you doing here Oleander? Did Morrigan let you in again?”

“I felt that you were suffering in your dreams. Did you have that nightmare again?”

Mavis’s mouth curved into a tiny smile, “Can that be called a nightmare? Sure it’s painful and scary but…but I always see them in it.”

“I hate when you do this,” Mavis did not reply. Why should she, she knew his concerns, “When you get like this, it’s almost like you’ll fly off into that moon, never to be seen again. Or that the moon will swallow you up and keep you there for eternity.”

“Eternity…I doubt I will live that long,” Mavis joked.

Oleander’s grip on her body tightened, “…Promise me you won’t leave. Not yet.”

Mavis closed her eyes and leaned into his embrace. She adored when he got like this. It reminded her that she’s not back there anymore, that someone was here to take her hand. But…sometimes…when she was lost and afraid..sometimes she wondered if he was enough for her. Turning slightly, she caught sight of tears streaming down her fiancée’s freckled face. At least for tonight, she could pretend it was enough. Mavis cupped Oleander’s cheek and raised his gaze to meet hers. His yellow eyes stared longingly into hers.

“Oleander…it hurts. Can you help me get rid of the pain?”

Mavis moved his hand circling her waist to rest above her breast, urging him to cup it. She leaned forward and captured his lips in hers. She licked his bottom lip and forced her tongue into mouth. Oleander was at the complete mercy of her passion as she ensnared his tongue into her own. She laid claim to everything she could; his tongue, his teeth, his mouth. Everything was hers. Pulling back, a string of saliva connecting the two, Mavis smiled at Oleander’s golden gaze that showed adoration, desire, and want. His cheeks had redden with the kiss’s intensity and Mavis placed her forehead on his. Panting, she whispered.

“I won’t go anywhere. Not now, not when you’re here.”

A wide and goofy smile spread across Oleander’s face and Mavis chuckled at his adorable reaction. Pulling back, she led him back into her bedroom and slowly to her bed. Pushing him down on the covers, Mavis kissed him again as her hair coiled around his arms and restrained him. At times like these, she can truly forget about the pain, the terror, the desperation, and the relief. She forgot about the winged savior. And she forgot about her gaping heart. It was just two bodies, an unbearable heat, and an itch that could be satisfied. Well…almost.

A story detailing the complicated relationship between Mavis and Oleander. I wanted to explore more on this relationship to give a basis for some of the events that happen in the next generations’ stories. So, here you go. I’m spending a lot of time on Mavis’s story lol.

Mavis, Muse, Atë, and Odin belongs to me
Oleander, Lanie, Lantana belongs to MirrorGhosty
Nyx(who was mentioned) belongs to Nightshadow143
Grim Tales belongs to bleedman

Description
She hated it. It didn’t matter what her mommy said, she didn’t like this. The four-year-old pouted as her mother pulled her through the lavish gardens. She looked all around, her mismatched eyes finding a new bud, flower, or insect. She flinched when a butterfly landed on her shoulder and scooted closer to her mother. She felt her mother stop and bend down. The woman’s blue-tinted, lilac eyes stared at her daughter.

“Sweet little, there’s nothing to be afraid of,” Muse reassured her daughter.

Mavis looked around her, “Why are we here mommy?”

She felt her mother wrap her arms around her torso and pull her up, placing her in the crevice between her hips and waist. Muse continued walking, not minding how her daughter was crumpling up her satin, violet dress.

“We’re visiting a friend of mine. You’ll like her.”

“Mommy has friends too?” Mavis questioned.

Muse laughed and the sound was like a twinkle of bells, soft and airy, “I do, very few of them.”

Mavis wondered who this friend of her mother’s was. As far as she could tell, her mother spent a lot of time with either herself or her dad. She never associated with anyone who wasn’t a family member. Mavis placed her head on her mother’s shoulder and watched as the gardens passed her by. Slowly, she calmed down and just enjoyed her mother’s embrace. Then, she felt her mother pause.

“We’re here.”

Looking up, she looked around. A giant pavilion was in front of the girl and her mother. Its brown, circular roof had pink curtains hanging from the rafters. Green vines and trellises covered the wooden supports. A brown, wooden table with four chairs surrounding it laid in the middle of the pavilion. Coming closer, Mavis could see the table was laden with all sorts of treats. Cakes, pastries, fruits, tarts, scones, tea; all of the delicious things her mother kept her from eating too much of was at the table. Mavis reached for a scone but her mother grabbed her hand.

“Mavis, we can’t eat before our hosts arrive.”

Mavis pouted and lowered her arm, “…Okay mommy.”

Muse fixed her daughter’s appearance; going over her long, ombré hair, striped shirt, and shiny Mary Jane shoes, “Mommy’s friend is going to bring her son with her. He’s around your age. I think you’d be great friends.”

Mavis shook her head, “I don’t want any more friends. I already have Felix.”

Muse’s face morphed into one of amusement, “Felix is your brother. While I’m happy you consider him a friend, it would be good to have someone else too.”

Mavis pouted again. She wasn’t in the mood to meet a new friend. This wasn’t the first time her parents had tried to get her to befriend more people. Her dad made it a point to always bring her with him whenever he went to social events. And ever since her mother came back, Muse had tried to invite different children to encourage Mavis to socialize. But she didn’t like any of those events. Every child always wanted to know about her grandmother, or her aunts, or even worse, her mother. Mavis hated those kids and she hated being forced to meet them. Huffing, she climbed into one of the chairs and crossed her arms over her chest. Muse looked around for their hosts but Mavis was fuming silently. Soon, Muse’s face changed and she exclaimed.

“Ah, they’re here.”

Mavis looked up to spot a woman with long red hair arriving. The woman had on a rich purple outfit that showed off her midriff. A long, black jacket covered her shoulders. Holding on to her hand was a small boy. He looked to be around Mavis’s age with the same red hair as the woman. His eyes were a bright amber color and his hair was sticking out in angles. He was dressed in a simple grey shirt, jeans and a long blue jacket. Mavis scrunched her nose. Why did her mommy want her to be friends with this boy? When they got closer, Muse smiled and enveloped the red-haired woman in a hug.

“Lanie, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you. How are you?”

The woman, Lanie, returned her mother’s hug. A similar smile appeared on her face, “Muse, I’ve been well. I’m glad to see you’ve returned.”

Muse let go and the two women stared into each other’s eyes. Blue and pink. It was an odd sensation to witness. But soon, Muse broke eye contact and turned to the boy next to Lanie.

“And this must be your son, Oleander. Hello, I’m Muse, your mother’s friend.”

Oleander glanced at the pale-haired woman in front of him. He felt curious upon meeting this woman. He had heard her name before, when his mother talked about meeting her. Oleander nodded his head, at a lost for what to respond with. Muse simply turned towards her daughter who hadn’t left the chair.

“Sweet little, come over here so they can see you.”

Mavis hesitated before jumping down from the chair and walking to her mother’s side. Gripping her dress, she looked up at the woman and boy. Muse patted her shoulder.

“No need to be shy sweet.”

When Lanie placed her gaze on the small girl, her eyes widened and a giant grin erupted on her face, “Aw, you are adorable! You look exactly like your mother was when she was your age.”

Mavis leaned closer into her mother’s leg, feeling unease at the sudden jubilanance coming from the woman. Muse laughed at Lanie’s comment.

“I wasn’t nearly this cute when I was Mavis’s age. In fact, I seem to recall someone putting a bite mark on me back then.”

Lanie flustered a bit, “…that was years ago Muse…”

Mavis continued to eye the young boy. So what if he’s her age? She didn’t need to know him and she didn’t want to be his friend. She snuggled closer to her mother, prompting Muse to try to pry her off.

“Mavis, sweet, you have to let go of mommy and introduce yourself.”

Mavis unwillingly stayed by her mother’s side but she did open her mouth. In a small voice, she said, “….I’m Princess Mavis Etude Melodia….”

A squeal came from Lanie’s throat at the childish voice of Mavis. Calming herself down, she cleared her throat, “Hello Mavis. I’m Lanie Unversed,” She nudged Oleander, signaling him to introduce himself.

Oleander grunted a bit but complied, “…I’m Oleander Unversed…”

Now that introductions were made, the group could finally sample the exquisite desserts. Mavis focused on stuffing her mouth with as much goodies as she could while her mother and her friend conversed. She didn’t understand some of the things they were discussing so she ignored them. She also made sure to not pay attention to Oleander. Putting an eclair in her mouth, she relished in its sweet cream and chocolate topping. Then, she heard her name being called.

“What do you think Mavis?”

The young girl swiveled around and looked at her mother. Clearly, they had been talking about her but she wasn’t paying attention. Mavis nodded her head in response. Lanie responded with a smile.

“Excellent, than you and Oleander can go play in the gardens. Make sure you don’t wonder into the hedge maze and stay away from the fountain.”

Mavis stiffened. She glanced at her mother and Lanie, wondering if this was a joke. When neither looked like they were joking, she shook her head.

“But mommy! I want to stay with you.”

“But you just said you wanted to play,” Muse questioned.

Mavis pulled her mother’s dress, threatening to start whining, “But mommy!”

“No buts. Now go on and play, sweet little.”

Seeing that her mother wouldn’t let this go, Mavis pouted and left her chair. She noticed Oleander leaving his seat and turned his back to her. She followed the boy, glancing at her mother the entire time. Unfortunately, her mother paid her no mind. Soon, she and Oleander had ended up near a bench in the gardens. Mavis sat down on the bench, keeping her gaze away from the boy. Oleander simply admired the flowers. Neither of the children felt compelled to be near the other. Mavis had no desire to befriend the boy and Oleander was bored and wanted to go back to sleep. An awkward silence occurred before Mavis spoke out.

“How old are you?”

Oleander looked back at the small girl on the bench, “….four years old.”

Mavis grumbled, “We’re the same. When’s your birthday?”

Oleander grumbled, not appreciating the sudden questions, “October 4, why?”

At his answer, Mavis smirked. She raised her head in a tone of superiority and pride, “Mine’s is February 24. I’m older than you.”

Oleander scoffed and went back to his flowers, not wanting to give the girl the satisfaction of knowing she was older. Meanwhile, Mavis turned to look at her surroundings and spotted a fountain nearby. Getting up from the bench, she tiptoed her way to the large, obsidian fountain. Looking at her reflection in the clear, blue waters, she didn’t notice Oleander sneaking up behind her. Feeling a push, Mavis let out a screech as she fell headfirst into the fountain’s pool. Sputtering and quickly coming up, she glanced at the boy. Oleander was bent over and laughing, finding his little prank amusing. Mavis’s cheeks puffed with agitation as her hair ruffled and splattered in the water. She was right. She didn’t like this kid. She started to cry and soon, she heard footsteps approaching. Her mother and Lanie approached the fountain and Muse rushed to Mavis’s side.

“Mavis! What happened? Why are you in the fountain?”

Mavis continued crying as her mother picked her up. Lanie went to Oleander and eyed her son.

“What happened here?”

Oleander shrugged, “She was playing near the fountain and tripped.”

Lanie didn’t believe that but she focused on comforting the crying child, “She can get cleaned up at the castle. I’ll get some of Lantana’s clothes for her.”

“That’ll be great, thanks.”

Mavis was transported to the large castle behind the gardens and into a room with bright wallpaper and lavish furniture. Muse left her in the care of the servants of the castle and went to talk to Lanie who had just finished telling Oleander to go to his room in punishment. Lanie sighed and turned to Muse.

“I’m so sorry Muse,I don’t know why Oleander would do that.”

Muse shrugged, “It’s fine, Mavis wasn’t hurt. Besides, it’s all childish fun,” Muse giggled upon remembering something, “In fact, it made me remember the crazy pranks we used to do to each other. We were a menace back then.”

Lanie grinned, “Not as crazy as the other ones.”

“I don’t know, I seem to recall that you were pretty loud back then.”

Again, Lanie’s ears turned red and her cheeks reddened. Muse gave a coy smile before looking at the room her daugther was in. Her eyes lowered as a quiet contemplation overcame her.

“She is so fragile. She doesn’t let anyone in and I’m afraid that’s my fault. I wasn’t there for her and now she’s blocked anyone else from coming close. Even her own father can’t get her to open up.”

Lanie’s face dropped, “It’s not your fault. You couldn’t stop what happened.”

Muse shook her head, her pale hair hitting her back, “I could have. Mother taught me to always keep it in check, to never let it take me. But I became naive and stupid. And it did whatever it wanted to in my weakness.”

Lanie placed her hands on Muse’s shoulder, soothing and supportive, “You weren’t stupid and you weren’t naive. We both know why it happened and it’s not your fault so don’t say that.”

Muse took in a breath. Her blue-purplish eyes started at Lanie, the emotion behind them raw and biting, “But what about her? Who is going to be there for her if…if I fall again? Junior is so busy being the reaper and the king of the Underworld and I can’t ask Rex to look after her. And she needs someone to be there for her.”

Lanie bit the inside of her cheek. She hated seeing Muse like this. It was very rare when Muse would break down and show her emotions. She spent so much time not being able to show anything that when she finally broke down, it hit hard. The red-haired looked at the door and an idea formed in her head. She looked to Muse, a grin starting to spread.

“Oleander can be there for her.”

Muse raised an eyebrow, “What…what do you mean?”

“You said Mavis needs someone to be here if you leave. Someone who can help her open up. Her and Oleander are the same age and to be honest, he needs a friend.”

“Mavis needs more than a friend. She needs someone who can be there for life, someone who doesn’t leave.”

“Than that’s even better. We’ll get them engaged.”

Muse blinked. She glanced over Lanie’s face to see if she was joking or something but nothing appeared. She was serious, “Engaged…they’re just kids.”

“Arranged marriages are common in our world. I mean, Junior had one with Nyx. So, we’ll get them engaged to each other, have them spend some time together. They may not fall in love but at least they’ll be plantonic life partners.”

“Like you and me?”

Lanie smirked, “Better than us.”

Muse looked at the door and could hear Mavis’s sniffles quiet down. Thinking back on how her daugther reacted, Muse nodded her head.

“Okay…yeah, let’s do it. I’ll have to talk to Junior about it but he should have no issues. We can discuss the plan better another time.”

Lanie squealed and hugged Muse who only laughed in return. Inside the room, Mavis sniffled as she looked at the yellow dress she was put in. Her hair was still wet and it wrapped around her arms in comfort.

“I hate him, I hope I never see him again.”

#

Unfortunately for Mavis, she had to see Oleander again. Actually, she had to see him every month. And every month was torture for the two children. They were always at each other’s throat. Whether it was fighting, yelling, kicking, screaming, or throwing things at the other, the two were always butting heads. They were too young to know they were engaged but everyone else knew. Junior initially thought it was a bad idea, having been forced into his own arranged marriage but after seeing how antisocial his daugther was and realizing how detrimental it was to her growth he agreed. Which is why he took turns with Muse and Rex to drop Mavis off at Lanie’s place for the week or so. If they weren’t staying in the same house, any event their parents attended, they had to escort each other. It was maddening and frustrating and terrible. A year after this arrangement came into play, Muse vanished. Without warning or without a note, she vanished from everyone’s life. Mavis’s family broke in two. Her dad, Rex, became depressed and found comfort in an old flame of his. He and his new wife started a family of their own with the birth of the twins Clio and Lux. Rex decided to move out of Castle Chaos and he took Felix with him. He offered to take Mavis too but she wanted to stay with her daddy. Mavis lost her only friend and brother. She moved in with her grandparents at Castle Grim where she was currently getting dressed for a ball in Aku’s Realm. As the servants fussed over her hair, her dress, and her shoes, Mavis looked down at her hands. She heard the door to her room being opened and didn’t even need to look up to see who had entered. The sudden shift in the air told her all she needed. Her grandmother, Queen Mandy, looked at Mavis’s dress. She then glared at the servants who quickly left the room. When the door was closed, Mandy walked up to Mavis.

“Do not dawdle child, you’ll make us late.”

Mavis huffed, “Do I really have to go? You’ll have everybody else there to represent us.”

Mandy’s eyes narrowed and Mavis flinched, “You know how important it is to attend this ball of Aku’s.”

The eight-year old girl sighed. How could she forget? After the disasterous war that started between her grandmother and the King of Hell, H.I.M., peace was very fragile in the dimensions. Every year, a congregation would be held to keep the dimensions in check. Her mother used to attend these events as the representative of the Kaos Dimension but since she left, it was up to Mavis to be there. Even if she didn’t understand anything they said. Mavis felt her hair coil around her leg. Then, she felt her grandmother’s arm on her shoulder.

“Surely, this can’t be because Oleander is your date for tonight.”

Mavis gagged and turned away, “No!”

Mandy sighed, “When will you two stop this childish game? You’re far too old to be playing naive.”

“It’s not a game! I don’t understand why I always have to be with him,”

“It was your mother’s request. Surely, you understand why Mavis.”

The girl lowered her head and bundled her fists in her pink tulle dress. Mandy ran her hands over her granddaughter’s hair, fixing the small tiara adorned on the top.

“Tonight will be the end of your little game. You had your fun and now it’s time to end it. Get everything out of your system for good. Do you understand me?”

Mavis looked at her grandmother’s reflection in the floor-length mirror. The woman’s red eyes bore into Mavis’s mismatched ones. Frigid, unwavering, undeniable. Mavis lowered her head.

“I….yes grandmother.”

“Good, let’s go now. The others are already waiting.”

Mavis followed her grandmother out of the room. As they were walking down, Mavis focused on not falling in her small heels. Reaching the ground floor, she saw her aunt Daniela and uncle Manny already waiting and dressed to the nines. Daniela’s face brightened seeing her niece’s beautiful appearance. She engulfed her in a hug.

“Aw look at our little grown up Mavis!”

Mavis squirmed in Daniela’s grip, “Aunty! Stop that!”

Daniela let her go and gestured to the hell carriage outside, “Ready to go?”

Mavis sighed, “I guess.”

She climbed into the carriage and looked outside as the carriage moved at high speed through the dimensional rift. Soon, she saw the tall, black skyscrapers of the City of Aku. The carriage landed in front of the largest building, a strange malformation of limbs and rooms. Stepping out of the carriage, Mavis glanced around. The castle was already pretty crowded, with denizens and citizens from other realms talking and chattering. She could see her great uncle and aunt, Jack and Sally, close by. She also spotted her aunt Micte and her cousin Maya. Maya gave an enthusiastic wave before being distracted by her boyfriend. She was so absorbed in taking in all the sights, she barely noticed someone coming towards her until it was too late. Someone stopped in front of her and Mavis looked towards them before her smile faltered. It was Oleander. He was dressed in a matching tux with a pink undershirt covered by a black jacket. His hair was styled away from his face to show off his golden eyes. But his mouth was in a scowl. Clearly, he wasn’t too thrilled about the predicament either. He looked towards his left where Mavis spotted his mother urging him on. Slowly, Oleander bent down and took Mavis’s hand. Mavis turned her face away and watched with horror as Oleander placed a kiss upon her hand. Immediately, Mavis fought the urge to gag. Oleander quickly let go of her hand.

“So happy you arrived…Mavis…” Oleander grunted out.

Mavis noticed that a few people were watching them. Some were her family, others curious paparazzi. She put on her brightest smile and took hold of her skirt, bending forward slightly.

“I’m happy to be here with you…Oleander…”

The awkward atmosphere could have threatened to make everyone choke but Mavis quickly took hold of Oleander’s arm and hauled him towards the entrance doors.

“Look, I don’t want to be here with you and you don’t want to be here with me. But our parents have forced us to be like this. So let’s do like we’ve always done and put on a show then never speak of this again, okay?” Mavis offered.

“Agreed.”

The two children made it to the room where the ball was being held. As the servants opened the large, double doors, Mavis and Oleander were bombarded with many sensations. The low lights with the occasional green spotlights, the guests lingering around the large space dressed in muted colors and extravagant accessories, the smell of exotic cuisines being brought out by the waitstaff. The master of ceremonies noticed the two children and cleared his throat.

“Presenting Princess Mavis of the Kaos Dimension and her intended Oleander Unversed.”

A small hum of whispers and conversation occurred as the guests turned their attention to the two. Mavis felt self-concious and she kept her gaze solely on the visage of the city from a large window. Oleander sighed, already used to the attention and fame. The children descended down the stairs and kept up their smiles even though they wanted desperately to lose the other. Flashes went off as the paparazzi took photos and Mavis was sure the headlines tomorrow would read: Childhood sweethearts attend the ball hand-in-hand. She tried not to recoil in disgust at the thought. Once they were at the end of the staircase, they looked at each other and Mavis promptly let go of his arm.

“Thank you for escorting me, Oleander.” Mavis said through clenched teeth.

“It was my pleasure, Mavis.” Oleander responded, his voice strained as well.

Mavis turned and stiffly walked away from her worst enemy, glancing around for her father. When she finally spotted the tall, bony man, she approached him. Junior noticed his daughter and gave a smile.

“There you are, you did wonderful up there,”Junior complimented her.

Mavis huffed and crossed her arms, “Must we do this at every event? Can’t you escort me?”

“You’re too old for your father to escort you. Besides, having Oleander escort you will prepare you for the future.”

Mavis scoffed. Right, that wonderful future where she will be married to him and therefore must spend every second with him. Mavis shivered and looked around. These types of events bore her. There was nothing but gossip, cruelty, and vanity here. Nothing excited her and she wanted to leave and go back to the comfort of her room.

“I wish mom was here. She knew how to handle this better than me,” Mavis said absentmindly.

Junior’s smile faltered, “…I wish your mother was here too. She would have loved to see how well you can handle this. She’d be proud.”

Yeah right. Mavis was used to her family giving her platitudes to ease the pain her mother’s absence left in her. And she knew they meant well but she couldn’t stand it. She hated their pity and empty words. Swallowing hard, Mavis looked towards the balcony. She pointed to it.

“I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed, can I go over there?”

Junior looked at the place, “Sure, but make sure you don’t stay too long,”

“I will, I promise.”

Mavis walked slowly to the balcony, politely excusing herself when she needed to squeeze through someone. Finding herself at her goal, she took in a breath of air. There was the smell of something sharp and burning but Mavis ignored it. Leaning against the ledge, she looked at the moving metropolis. It resembled her home a bit, the roads with cars and the pedestrations walking the streets. The Kaos dimension was more vibrant though thanks to the ever-changing scenery to mimic the Surface World. Thinking about her home made her think about her mother. And how she would walk the streets unabashed and with no worries. She was the ruler of the place but she valued the people’s opinions. In some ways, Mavis thought her mother felt guilty for all the things she’d done to them. Her mother was a person of guilt and Mavis didn’t want to become like her. She heard the soft pattering of footsteps and groaned.

“I swear if it’s you Oleander-!”

She turned and realized the person behind her was not Oleander. Far from it. It was a boy, maybe a year or two older than her. He had dark strawberry-blonde hair that fell down his shoulders in waves. He was dressed in a crimson haori and black hakama. A deep red veil prevented Mavis from seeing his eyes. Mavis tilted her head.

“Can I help you? Did you want to use this balcony?”

The boy crossed his arms and said nothing. Mavis felt uncomfortable and a bit curious about what the boy’s deal was.

“Sorry, I’ll get out of your way.”

When Mavis made a move to leave, the boy’s mouth opened.

“Wait.”

Mavis stopped and looked at him, her eyebrow raised, “What?”

“You’re the granddaughter of the Bitch Queen, right?”

Mavis’s eyebrow ticked and she gave a heavy sigh. Here we go again. As always, a person who wanted to know about her grandmother. Mavis glared at the boy.

“Why do you want to know?”

The boy cocked his head and Mavis could tell he was judging her, “…whose child are you? Are you the bonehead’s kid or the lunatic’s? No…neither of them have your hair color. The only one with hair as pale as yours would be…” The boy placed his hand on his chin, “…the unhinged princess.”

Mavis flinched and an ugly whoosh of rage and hate entered her vision. She balled her fist, “…What did you say?”

“The unhinged princess. The princess who inadvertently caused the war, the princess who lost her mind and disappeared for years. I had heard she had a daughter but I thought that was just my mother talking.”

Mavis was barely paying attention. How dare this boy come and call her mother psychotic! He knew nothing about her or what her family has been through. Mavis’s hair twisted and started to sharpen into points, ready to pounce on this child. She took in a breathe, she did not want to cause a scene here. Not with all these onlookers. Mavis counted to twenty in her head, trying to quell the anger in her veins. Then she glared at the child.

“Who are you? What realm do you belong to?” Mavis asked.

The boy’s head cocked as if he was confused on Mavis’s inquiry, “What do you mean? This is my realm.”

“I didn’t know Empress Chi had a son.”

“She does. Let me introduce myself.”

The boy pulled back his hood a bit, finally letting Mavis see his eyes. They were odd. With a pitch black sclera, his iris was the color of cinnabar. A vivid, glowing red pupil illuminated his orbs and a red flame resembling Empress Chi’s erupted from the center. The power within his eyes reminded Mavis of her aunt’s; mystical and disorientated. Chaotic.

“My name is Prince Odin Delgado, firstborn of Empress Chi and Empress Atë.”

Atë. Now Mavis knew why his eyes were like that. He was a descendent of Chaos. Still, despite knowing that Mavis hated him.

“It seems the empress has forgotten to teach her children basic etiquette. Your rude remarks about another denizen were inappropriate.”

Odin crossed his arms and smirked,”Why should I give basic courtesy to a freak like you?”

Mavis stilled. Her heart started beating in her chest at a wild pace. A…freak. Odin continued talking.

“All the people in your family are abominations. Always going around hurting anyone you want, stealing and pillaging people. I guess you inherited it from your grandmother.”

This kid was pissing Mavis off. He has done nothing but disrespect herself and her family. Mavis could feel her body starting to morph, her skin disintegrating off her bones as a glowing mark flickered into her orbs. She should just rip his foul tongue off and make him regret what he said. Witnesses be damned. But just as she was about to lunge at this rude child, a voice rang out.

“You’re insulting a family that has been invited here as guests so brazenly. Do you wish to cause another war?”

Both Odin and Mavis turned to see Oleander standing at the balcony entrance. The red headed boy was glaring at Odin and his shadow seemed to twist. Odin raised an eyebrow.

“And you are?”

“Oleander Unversed,” Oleander’s voice sounded strained.

“Ah, I had heard that a bounty hunter was creating an alliance with the ruler of the Kaos dimension. I did not expect them to attend tonight’s gathering though, you rarely do.”

“My mother wanted me to escort my fiancée today.”

Oleander walked past Odin and stood beside Mavis. Mavis wanted to roll her eyes but she was too busy grinding her teeth to stop herself from biting his throat out. Odin looked between Oleander and Mavis then grinned widely.

“I see, well I should excuse myself. My mother would be wondering where I wondered off to,” Odin turned but just before he left he looked back, “I’ll see you again freak princess.”

Mavis raised her arm to attack him but she felt a hand on her arm. Looking next to her, she saw Oleander’s gaze was still on Odin and his smile was still polite. But he was gripping Mavis’s forearm tightly. Mavis could do nothing but watch as Odin left and disappeared in the crowd. Once he was gone, Mavis yanked her arm out of Oleander’s grip and whirled on him.

“Why did you stop me?”

“Nothing good will happen if you attack him here. All it would do is damage your family’s reputation and do you really want to make a scene with your grandmother in attendance?” Oleander reasoned.

Mavis huffed and walked to the ledge. Gripping it, she felt her hair swirl around her arms to help alleviate her rage and she leaned into it. She felt the fury ebb out of her and could feel tears pricking her eyes. She wiped at them, disappointed in their appearance. Her grandmother wouldn’t like it if she saw her crying. Especially not over something a stupid, spoiled prince who’s never had any problems said. But the tears kept flowing. She felt Oleander walk up to her side. He was gazing at the stars because that’s what he always did when she cried. Mavis sniffled.

“…Why are you here?” Mavis questioned, her voice small.

“Your father noticed you were gone for a while and sent me to find you,” Oleander stated, “Why’d you come out here?”

“I needed some space…I felt uncomfortable here and it reminded me too much of my mom. I didn’t think I’d run into anyone here. Guess I was wrong.”

A silence surrounded the children. Then, Oleander rustled his hair, messing up the perfect hairdo, “You shouldn’t mind what he said. Lots of people say things about our families because of past events, it’s just gossip.”

“I know that but some of the things he said were right. My mom did leave us and no one will tell me why. Only that she needed to. It’s hard to hear others say it was because she was crazy.”

“That’s not true! Your mom isn’t crazy. My mom says she’s fighting something and needs time by herself.”

Mavis snorted, “Fighting what? What could possibly be so hard that she left her children for years? Minuet has never met our mother and Felix doesn’t remember her face. It’s like she doesn’t even exist sometimes. She’d be better off dead!”

Those words escaped Mavis’s mouth before she could comprehend them and she gasped at the realization that she said that. The tears came freely as the emotions collided within her. Loneliness, pain, agony- all the emotions pierced into her heart. She lowered her head and tried to quiet her sniffles. Suddenly, she felt arms awkwardly surrounding her body. Oleander patted Mavis’s shoulder in comfort. Mavis blinked before a sob erupted from her mouth. This was humiliating and terrible and the first time someone has tried to comfort her over this. Everyone else would tell her that it was okay and that she should be strong for her mother. This was the first time someone just let her cry. And it came from her worst enemy. Mavis felt ridiculous but she buried her head in Oleander’s shoulder either way. It took a few more minutes before Mavis’s tears dried up. She pulled back from Oleander’s embrace and wiped her eyes. A different sort of silence overcame them, not awkward like before but lingering with something unspoken. Mavis decided to break it.

“…Thank you…”

Oleander shrugged, “No problem.”

Mavis glanced up at the darken sky, “…I wonder why we started fighting.”

“Huh?”

“We’ve been at each other’s throats for years and I can’t remember why.” Mavis explained.

Oleander thought for a moment, “I don’t either…maybe it was all just childish antics.”

“Well….maybe we should call it a truce. We can’t be kids forever. And it looks like we’re stuck together so we might as well try to be civil.”

“Hmmm, that’s not a bad idea,” Oleander turned to Mavis and held out his hand, “So, call a truce?”

Mavis glanced at his pale hand for a while before grasping it, “Truce.”

#

She was trapped. In that small room, her hands and feet bound. She was unable to move, unable to break free. The walls continued to grow smaller and smaller, encasing her until there was nothing left anymore. She huddled closer, her hands covering her head as the pain coursed through her body.

Someone…please help me…

There was no reply. She let out a cry as the walls were now squeezing her, making it hard for her to breath. Reaching her hand out, she grasped nothing but air and loneliness. She opened her mouth and screamed, so loudly and harshly that her throat began to ache.

Someone…save me! Someone!

As the walls continued to suffocate her, she struggled against her prison, desperately reaching her arm out.

Anyone…please save me…

Just when her strength was ebbing away, just when the last of her breath was exhaled, a dim light glowed. With her fading vision, she watched the light change form and huge wings emerged out of it.

Who…are you…

The light reached out a glowing hand and she reached towards it.

Are you…the one who I’ve been looking for…

As her hand touched the savior’s, Mavis jolted up from the comfort of her bed. Her chest heaved as she tried to gather as much air into them as she possibly could. Sweat rolled down her forehead, arms, and neck and she felt unbearably hot. Blinking at the sudden awareness, she glanced around. She was in her bedroom, the iridescent glimmer of the moon lighting up half of the large space. Mavis took in a breath.

“So it was a dream…”

She’d been having these dreams ever since she was ten. Dreams of that person coming to save her. But try as she might, she could never recall their face. Only that they were there. Mavis pulled back her bed’s lavender covers and planted her feet on the floor. Walking to the floor-sized double doors leading to her balcony, she grabbed the fluffy robe hanging from her coat rack and slipped it on her arms. Turning the intricately carved handles, Mavis opened the doors and a gust of wind entered the room, rustling her hair in the process. Stepping onto the balcony, Mavis gazed longingly at the moon.

“Who are you…Why can’t I remember your face…Why did you save me and then left me alone?”

She reached her left arm towards the moon, almost as if she wanted to caress it, “Why would you leave me here to fend with this by myself? At the very least, you could have given me your name. This is too cruel. I…I don’t know if you’re an angel or a demon…”

She could feel a burning behind her eyes and her vision blurred as the tears welled up. She was longing for them so much so why could they not hear her? The smell of pine carried on the gentle breeze. Nights like this were the toughest. Mavis couldn’t stop the hurt that spilled from her chest. Suddenly, she felt arms engulf her entire being. Flinching, Mavis was about to turn and push the assailant away when she heard a voice mumble into her hair.

“Don’t do that.”

Mavis’s mismatched eyes softened as she recognized the voice. Lowering her arm, she placed her hand on the person’s forearm.

“…What are you doing here Oleander? Did Morrigan let you in again?”

“I felt that you were suffering in your dreams. Did you have that nightmare again?”

Mavis’s mouth curved into a tiny smile, “Can that be called a nightmare? Sure it’s painful and scary but…but I always see them in it.”

“I hate when you do this,” Mavis did not reply. Why should she, she knew his concerns, “When you get like this, it’s almost like you’ll fly off into that moon, never to be seen again. Or that the moon will swallow you up and keep you there for eternity.”

“Eternity…I doubt I will live that long,” Mavis joked.

Oleander’s grip on her body tightened, “…Promise me you won’t leave. Not yet.”

Mavis closed her eyes and leaned into his embrace. She adored when he got like this. It reminded her that she’s not back there anymore, that someone was here to take her hand. But…sometimes…when she was lost and afraid..sometimes she wondered if he was enough for her. Turning slightly, she caught sight of tears streaming down her fiancée’s freckled face. At least for tonight, she could pretend it was enough. Mavis cupped Oleander’s cheek and raised his gaze to meet hers. His yellow eyes stared longingly into hers.

“Oleander…it hurts. Can you help me get rid of the pain?”

Mavis moved his hand circling her waist to rest above her breast, urging him to cup it. She leaned forward and captured his lips in hers. She licked his bottom lip and forced her tongue into mouth. Oleander was at the complete mercy of her passion as she ensnared his tongue into her own. She laid claim to everything she could; his tongue, his teeth, his mouth. Everything was hers. Pulling back, a string of saliva connecting the two, Mavis smiled at Oleander’s golden gaze that showed adoration, desire, and want. His cheeks had redden with the kiss’s intensity and Mavis placed her forehead on his. Panting, she whispered.

“I won’t go anywhere. Not now, not when you’re here.”

A wide and goofy smile spread across Oleander’s face and Mavis chuckled at his adorable reaction. Pulling back, she led him back into her bedroom and slowly to her bed. Pushing him down on the covers, Mavis kissed him again as her hair coiled around his arms and restrained him. At times like these, she can truly forget about the pain, the terror, the desperation, and the relief. She forgot about the winged savior. And she forgot about her gaping heart. It was just two bodies, an unbearable heat, and an itch that could be satisfied. Well…almost.

A story detailing the complicated relationship between Mavis and Oleander. I wanted to explore more on this relationship to give a basis for some of the events that happen in the next generations’ stories. So, here you go. I’m spending a lot of time on Mavis’s story lol.

Mavis, Muse, Atë, and Odin belongs to me
Oleander, Lanie, Lantana belongs to MirrorGhosty
Nyx(who was mentioned) belongs to Nightshadow143
Grim Tales belongs to bleedman