Deviation Actions
Literature Text
in the most maniacal colors.
Although she was quite a beautiful flower,
ah, she was untouchable because of all her thorns.
Zatanna sat lazily on her chair, staring at the empty hall way before her. It was empty, except for her dearest brother, Richard. He was standing firmly next to her, holding her hand and also staring at the empty space. Zatannas palace was nice; it was large, decorated beautifully with the finest furniture and most expensive paintings. She yawned and turned her gaze to her brother.
“Richard, when were they supposed to arrive?” she asked, taking her hand out of his grasp and stretching.
“They were due to arrive any minute now” He replied, smiling at his beloved sister.
Richard had never loved anyone as much as he had loved his sister; she was his duty and reason to live. He must protect her, for he was the only supporting relative who still lived.
Just as he finished his thoughts, the big doors began to spread open. The heavy creaking echoing through the hall, filling up all empty spaces like a shadow of pure sound.
In walked Zatannas guards, holding Megan in their arms.
Megan’s eyes were wide with fear as she focused on Zatanna.
Zatanna, the evil Queen of the kingdom whom no one dared to face, for, despite only being 14, was a girl who was so mean.
Megan inclined her head slightly towards Zatanna.
“A-hahaha, Kneel before me!” Zatanna laughed at Megan’s fear.
Megan shook to her knees and bowed down.
Richard now stood a little behind Zatanna’s chair, his blue eyes looking over Megan.
Megan returned the gaze, feeling bad for having to serve such an evil woman like Zatanna.
Zatanna got up off her chair and walked over to Megan.
“Dear Megan, my favorite local” Zatanna began, her voice eerily calm, “I heard that you have not paid your rent yet? Is that truly so hard? I let you live on my property, yet, you still aren’t grateful enough to pay the amount I asked for?”
“My Lady, I am truly sorry, sales have been tough this month, not many people buy dresses this time of the year, I could not make enough to pay for this month! But I promise that next month I shall pay you for this month and that one!” Megan pleaded.
Zatanna thought. Richard knew she was only faking it, He knew his sister too well.
“Dear Megan, I’ve let this slip by too many times, I cannot let you continue to be this irresponsible” Zatanna said, with mock apology.
“But, even you yourself do not buy dresses at this time of year, surely you must have to understand My Lady” Megan’s eyes filled with tears.
Zatanna regarded her one last time; she then turned to the guards.
“Get her out of my sight, destroy her shop and make sure she never steps foot on my land again, I’m sure other peasants will find a use for her” Zatanna smiled, taking a rose from a nearby vase and examining it. After fully appreciating the flower, she tore the petals off and sprinkled them over Megan.
Megan only stared in disbelief. It was until fully observing her that Richard noticed how beaten she was.
Megan was bleeding from the mouth, and was bruised from one eye. She probably tried to pose a fight.
The guards turned away and dragged Megan out of the hall.
“Shall I pick up the petals My Lady?” Richard asked, looking solemnly at the rose petals that littered the floor, the floor in which Megan had been kneeling on a few seconds ago.
“Leave them there for a while, they are pretty” Zatanna replied quietly, sitting back on her chair.
“Oh, it’s tea time, isn’t it?” She uttered as her eyes noticed the clock.
“Hmm, yes, I had not even noticed, due to the past few minutes” Richard answered, leaning down to kiss his sister on the cheek softly. “What would you like to eat along with your tea today My Lady?”
Zatanna smiled, “I think today I will only want the Tea this time”
“Very well” Richard nodded and smiled. This was not a strange request, she had asked for just tea before, so he found nothing strange in it.
He turned towards the kitchen and left, the heels of his shoes clicking against the marble ground, slowly becoming fainter and fainter.
“Tomorrow I should make the appointment for my marriage” Zatanna muttered to herself, smiling to herself at the thought of Lord Wallace. She had seen him when she was 10, an age that was still too young for marriage, but now that she was 14, she intended on marrying him. She did not care that he was 16; she loved him none the less. Marrying was so common amongst other princesses her age, and since she was a Queen, she wanted to have an heir to the throne.
A flower of evil blooms sweetly
in the most brilliant colors.
Those pitiful weeds around her,
ah, will wilt away serving as her fertilizer.
The tyrannical queen was in love
with a person of blue on the other side of the sea.
However, he was taken at first sight
with a girl of green in the neighboring nation.
Richard stood in the kitchen, pouring the steamy water into a delicate cup.
He frowned as he noticed that they were running out of tea.
“Looks like I’ll have to go out to get Zatanna’s favorite tea” he said, to no one in particular.
He looked at the clock on the far end of the wall.
"Wallace should be arriving soon, possibly in an hour or two…I believe I have enough time to take a quick trip to the Green Market" Richard finished fixing the snacks on Zatanna's plate.
He quickly put everything on the tray and walked up to Zatanna's room.
"Here you are sister, your tea and crackers" he gave her a sincere smile.
Zatanna was sitting upon a mirror, combing her hair, she turned and smiled back.
"Thank you brother" she picked up the cup and took a small sip.
"I must make a quick travel to the market to buy some more tea dear, I will be back before Lord Wallace arrives" Richard bowed down.
"Very well my dearest Robin" Zatanna said. Richard smiled at the nickname that Zatanna had given him, since he was younger, he had been fascinated by birds, Robins in particular.
With that, Richard turned on his heels and walked out of his sister's room.
The green country town square was crowded, full of sellers and buyers and traders. Richard usually hated coming here, but his sister was important, and he wanted her to be happy all the time. And if tea from this specific market made her happy, than tea from this market she would receive. As Richard lowered his cap to shadow his eyes, he caught a glint of bright blonde hair, long, flowing. He turned his head to see who such wonderful hair belonged to. She was beautiful.
She was wearing a green gown, a green gown that complemented her charcoal grey eyes very nicely.
Her long blonde hair was put up in a pony-tail.
Richard had never really loved anyone else other than his sister before, but when he saw this girl, he felt something overwhelm him. A strange feeling of warmth and happiness that made his cheeks burn red.
His gaze trailed to the girls' side.
Another man was holding her arm; he was smiling and trying to make her laugh.
Richard recognized him as Lord Wallace, but surely they were just friends.
The girl seemed uninterested in him anyways, but she still smiled politely back at Wallace.
Richard held his head down again, and continued on his way for the tea.
As he walked out, he kept his eyes on the ground; he fixed his cap again, lowering it down more, his eyes nearly invisible to the others around him.
Caught in his own thoughts, he bumped into someone else.
He looked up and gasped as he realized it was the girl.
"I-I'm terribly sorry Miss" he stumbled upon his own words.
She smiled at him.
"It's fine, don't worry, this happens all the time to me" she laughed quietly.
Her laugh was divine.
"I would never imagine it from such a Lady like yourself" Richard muttered, his cheeks flushing pink.
The girl smiled at him again. "My name is Artemis, by the way" she introduced herself.
"My name is Richard" He bowed his head down.
"Richard? Are you Lady Zatanna's servant?" Wallace, who had been standing uncomfortably to the side, finally spoke.
"Yes, I am indeed, you are Lord Wallace, correct?" Richard asked, even though he knew exactly who he was.
"Yes, I am, I will be stopping by shortly to visit Zatanna, actually" he smiled and inclined his head towards Richard.
"We will be gladly waiting for you Lord" Richard smiled politely. "And good day to you Lady Artemis" he looked at Artemis one last time before turning and heading back towards the palace.
Richard was helping Zatanna fix her dress.
There were only minutes left for Wallace to arrive and she was excited.
"Very well, Richard, upon his arrival, I would like if you could leave us to speak" Zatanna told him, as she got up and headed to her seat in the main hall.
"Of course My Lady" Richard inclined his head.
Just as those words were spoken, the large doors opened, and two guards held the doors for Lord Wallace, clad in blue robes with yellow designs. On his neck, a pendant the shape of a lightning bolt hanging elegantly.
Richard gave one last smile to Zatanna and left the room.
Zatanna smiled at Wallace.
"Lord Wallace, welcome to my palace" she said brightly.
"My Lady Zatanna" He said, bowing down and kissing her hand.
"Why is it that you have called for me?" he asked, taking a seat beside her.
"Lord Wallace, I have sincerely thought this through, and I have invited you to declare this" Zatanna paused "you have been blessed with the honor to marry me and become king of my country" she smiled.
Wallace said nothing; he only looked past her, to a vase with red roses. The roses, brightly red, they were so beautiful, but dangerous, if you touch a thorn, you get cut.
He looked back at Zatanna.
"My Lady Zatanna, I regret to inform you that my heart already belongs to someone else, you are a very beautiful girl, but I cannot accept your country" He stood up.
Zatanna stared in disbelief. "Your heart belongs to someone else?" she whispered.
"A Lady of the Green Country….Artemis" he replied "I am sorry" He quickly walked out of the hall, closing the doors behind him.
The tears in her eyes began to flood her vision. Her sobs became louder. Her heart had been crushed, torn, demolished. She had never ever before experienced a heart break before. Not until today.
"Richard!" she cried out.
Richard quickly ran into the hall upon her call. His eyebrows creased in worry. "Sister! Sister what is wrong?"
He embraced her, holding her head against his chest, soothing her.
"I have a task for you brother" she said, her tears turning into anger. She balled up her hands into fists.
"Anything that you want, My Lady" he said softly.
"Kill Lady Artemis, from the Green Country"
The queen, frenzied by her jealousy,
assembled her ministers one day,
and said to them in a quiet voice,
"Annihilate the nation of green."
Countless houses were reduced to ashes,
and countless lives were lost.
The grief of the suffering people, however,
were unable to reach the queen's ears.
Zatanna sat on her bed, holding a small necklace in her hand. It was in the shape of a heart, and on the inside, two words were written out neatly.
Always, Forever
Wallace had been Zatanna’s childhood friend, he would always go to visit her, and despite their age difference, Zatanna loved him.
But apparently he did not feel the same.
“Kaldurahm, come!” she yelled out, not getting up from her place in bed. Her voice shaky, going from weak with tears, to strong with rage.
A few moments later, the tall, dark, Minister Kaldurahm walked in.
“You called for me, Your Highness?” he bowed down.
“Kaldur…I have a task for you” she whispered.
“What is it?”
“Arrange the armies….and Annihilate the Nation of Green!”
Richard kneeled behind some bushes. He looked solemnly to the blue sky above him.
How can something so beautiful be so evil? He thought to himself.
Suddenly he heard what he had been waiting for, the ruffles of leaves and grass being disturbed by a walker. And it was exactly who he had been waiting for.
There she was, holding a basket full of dirty clothes. Such a beauty wasted as a maid.
Her blonde hair, her dark eyes, her pink lips, her flawless face…
Artemis….
Richard felt tears welling up in his eyes as he took out his dagger.
He took a deep breath then walked out of the bushes.
Artemis turned, hearing the ruffles coming behind her, she smiled, “Richard-“
She immediately stopped when she saw his morbid expression.
He looked at her, his eyes red, teary, and clouded with tears.
“R-hngh” She gasped, her eyes widening.
Richard had taken a step forward and swung his arm out at Artemis’ stomach.
The blade had sunk into her stomach. Richard closed his eyes as tears streamed endlessly.
She let out a small sigh, as one hand fell loosely on his shoulder. Her body slumped down, and her eyes lost the glimmer that he had loved so much.
He gently put her down, setting her to lean against a tree trunk.
He looked down at his hands, both stained with red. His shirt, where Artemis’ stomach had been pressed against, was also soaked.
He looked up as he caught scent of something.
Burning wood.
Richard walked up the hill, away from the burning Green Country.
Zatanna was sitting in her throne when the large doors in front of her opened.
Richard walked in, looking at the ground.
“Richard? Are you well?” she asked, taking in his blood stained clothes.
He nodded, looking up and forcing a smile upon his lips.
“Yes, Everything is taken care of” The words coming out of his mouth causing a small stab of pain in his stomach.
Zatanna smiled at him. “I’m glad, my dear brother…” her eyes filled with a creamy sweetness that was rarely ever witnessed on a lady such as herself.
She got up and proceeded to give her brother a tight hug.
Richard hugged her back, indulging in the warmness that could be given by such a cold person.
Moments like these are what most likely let Richard know, that even though Zatanna was a rose full of thorns, she was a beautiful rose none the less.
A flower of evil blooms sweetly
in the most maniacal colors.
Although she was quite a beautiful flower,
ah, she was untouchable because of all her thorns.
You're the queen, and I'm your servant.
We're a pitiable pair of twins separated by our fate.
I'm willing to become evil for you,
if only so that I could protect you.
Richard lay in his bed, peaceful to know that his sister was safe and that she was sleeping soundly.
He just couldn’t get Artemis out of his head.
He had killed millions of people that his sister disliked, but never had he felt guilty about it.
Not as much as this.
I was actually crying when I stabbed her…why? He thought to himself.
He sighed when he heard a sudden noise.
He listened more closely.
It was getting louder, a roaring….no, the voices of people.
He quickly sat up, grabbing his belt and dagger in the process.
Strapping it around his waist securely, he walked over to his balcony and looked out to the town.
His eyes widened at the sight.
Millions of angry townsmen were gathered together, slowly making their way to the castle, many of them holding Torches and Spears. Richard squinted his eyes to get a better view of whoever was in the front of the crowd.
“Hmph, I am not surprised, Mercenary Megan and Lord Wallace” he muttered to himself angrily.
He gripped his dagger, considering whether or not he’d go out and fight the crowd. But he thought a little more.
Be realistic Richard, you cannot possibly defeat so many people, and I must protect my princess, he thought desperately.
Somehow, Richard knew this would one day come. He knew that the kingdom would soon revolt against the unfairness of his sister, but even if the whole world turned against her, he would always stand by her side. Even if it meant being a Servant of Evil.
We were born into the world carrying others' expectations,
and blessed by the sound of the church's bells.
By the adults' own convenient arrangement,
our future was split into two.
“When will I get to see my sister?” a young 9 year old Richard asked his mentor, Bruce, a knight from a faraway country.
“Only when the king of the country of Yellow allows it, Richard” he answered. “Now, back into position” Bruce raised his sword.
Richard positioned himself accordingly to how Bruce had taught him, and simultaneously, they began clashing swords.
“News from the Yellow Country has arrived, the king has died” the Messenger said, Richard recognized him as Roy, the kings messenger, or now, the queens.
Bruce’s eyes slowly flickered to Richard, who was sitting nearby.
Richard was now 12, he was old enough to understand that the reason he was withheld from the Yellow Kingdom was because of the Kings preference in his sister, Zatanna. And due to greedy adult consequences, they were separated at birth.
“Bruce…does….does this mean I can go back with my sister, with Zatanna?” Richard asked, quietly.
Zatanna had changed.
She had changed a lot.
She was beautiful, with her long black hair, and bright blue eyes. But she was greedy.
When Richard walked into the great hall, and their eyes met, they both stopped breathing for a few moments. Her eyes watered and she immediately ran to him, embracing him in the warmest and tightest hug he had ever felt. He began to cry along as he held her in his arms.
Finally, with his sister.
Even if the entire world
should become your enemy,
I will always protect you,
so you just be yourself and smile.
Richard suddenly got an idea. An idea he knew would save his sister. He quickly began sprinting towards his sister’s room, making sure to keep quiet as he entered. To his surprise she was awake, staring out the window at the commotion. She made no movements at his entering.
“Richard, go quiet down that revolt, I cannot sleep” she said flatly.
“My sister, Zatanna….I am sorry….but…I fear that this is not a revolt” he paused as she turned to face him, her eyes wide, and questioning.
“It is a revolution”
Her eyes widened. “No….what do we do!?” she exclaimed.
“Run” His response was quick and stern.
“Run? Run where? This is my country! I should not run from its people! They should run from me!” her hands balled up into fists.
“Zatanna” He placed a hand softly on top of one of her fists, her hand loosening to his touch. “Run” He repeated slowly, looking directly into her eyes.
They held each other’s gaze for a few moments; two pairs of identical blue oculars staring deeply into each other. Richard regarded his sister once more…blue eyes the same shade as his, the same raven black hair, which was set loose, the tips of it reaching just below her earlobe…..
If Richard removed his own hair from the small ponytail at the back of his head, their hair would most likely be the same length….
And he did just that.
He let his hair hang loose, fixing it to look like hers.
Zatanna only stared at him what is he doing? She thought as he removed a pin from her head and placed it in his own hair.
He then moved behind her, taking her hair in his hands and placing it into the small ponytail that normally he’d be putting on himself. After that, he ruffled her hair at the front, letting strands of hair become messy bangs on her face….just like his were a few moments ago.
“Richard….” She had an idea of what he was doing, but resisted to acknowledge it. “Now is not the time for games”
He shook his head. “No, it is not” he agreed, walking to her closet and taking a dress “Don’t look” He muttered as he began changing into it.
Zatanna faced the wall, turning her back to him and shutting her eyes. “I won’t do this, I will not switch places with you!” she stated, gripping her night gown.
“I’m not asking you too, I’m making you, this is for your safety” He said, putting a hand on her shoulder. She turned around at the warm touch, eyes widening slightly at her brothers new appearance.
He looked exactly like her.
In his hands he held his own clothes. “Put them on” he handed them to her, swiftly turning around and giving her privacy to change by doing what she had done earlier.
Zatanna stared at the clothes in her hands. She had no idea how to put on pants and a shirt….
She slipped out of her nightgown, putting her legs in what she hoped were the designated holes. She then successfully pulled on the shirt over her head, careful to not undo her new hairstyle.
After sliding into the last piece of clothing, the coat and boots, she turned to the mirror to see her brother.
It took her a few moments to realize it was her. She touched her own face, giving a small gasp. “I never realized how alike we were…” she whispered.
Richard took her speaking as a sign that she was done getting dressed, his eyebrows twitching at how true the statement was. They both stared at each other once more, each of them believing to be looking at a mirror image. They were interrupted by the sound of the main doors in the hallway downstairs crashing open. They both tensed, shivering slightly at the sound of things being thrown around, yells of hatred calling for Zatannas name, the smell of smoke growing more intense.
“Now run, we are twins, they shall never find out, we have the same blood, surely I am evil as well” He said, taking her hand and giving it a light squeeze.
She felt tears welling in her eyes, and she took a step forward, quickly wrapping her arms around her brother, holding him close.
He reacted a few seconds later, also wrapping his arms around her; she began sobbing into his shoulder as he whispered to her.
“You are my Queen….and I am your servant….If it’s to protect you…I will become evil for you”
He released his sister, pushing her lightly towards the direction of the secret door behind a curtain; a secret passageway set there in case of an emergency such as this.
“Come with me!” she whispered as the sounds of footsteps began to resound ominously up the stairs.
“No, If we both leave they will be on the constant search for us, you would be in too much danger…GO!” he said.
She shakily walked towards the secret door, her vision hazed with tears, her eyes never leaving her brother. She put her hand on the doorknob as the other doors began to get abused, she could hear people throwing their fists at them, kicking it, trying to get in.
She stared at Richard before opening the door and slipping inside the passageway, He looked back at her, his eyes filled with something that wasn’t sadness….but…Happiness?
He smiled at her.
“I love you” he whispered.
“I love you too” she answered, closing the door the same instant that her room doors were swung open.
Richard looked to the doors that had been violently swung open, his smile still spread on his lips.
Just as he expected.
The people who had barged in were none other than the same people who led the mob, Megan and Wallace.
“Zatanna” Megan started, showing no respect whatsoever, swinging the sword she held up to Richards throat. “You have ruled this kingdom for far too long, your tyrannical ways have lead this country to the destruction of families and the kingdom itself, it is time you pay for your crimes”
Richard smiled, making the best imitation of Zatanna voice that he could.
“Oh really?” He kept his phrases short, his voice sounded perfectly like his sisters, but he did not want to risk it.
“You’ve killed people for your own greedy benefits; you burned down the Green Country, killing millions of innocent people!” Wallace shouted, his eyes watering.
Richard felt a small stab, not from the sword being held to his throat or any other weapon, but a stab of pain in his heart.
Artemis.
Her face flashed in his mind, but still, he kept his charade going.
He feigned a yawn “There are plenty of more people in the world” He muttered.
Both Wallace and Megan’s eyebrows creased in disbelief. Egan sunk the blade slightly.
Richard did nothing, simply continued smiling, ignoring the soft stinging of the cold metal.
“My, aren’t you a rude one” He uttered, before being abruptly hit on the head.
His world turning pitch black, the floor beneath him disappearing.
Zatanna crawled out of her castle, turning back to look at it one last time. She sniffled, wiping the tears from her eyes. She sat behind a large rock, curling up in a fetal position, images flashing before her eyes.
Memories of her and Richard.
She remembered the night that she was able to see him again clearly. They had been separated due to her father’s preference in her, sending Richard away to train with swordsman Bruce and the hunter Conner. As a child she was what would be considered evil, she longed for her Father to disappear so she could meet with Richard again. Her father was very strict and mean, she hated him, everyday wishing that his death would approach him quicker.
At the age of 10, she had announced that death would fall upon all those who had ever tried to hurt her. Her declaration had been directed at her uncle, who had actually tried to murder her to try to take over the throne, luckily, she was saved by one of her servants.
Ever since that day, they began to nickname her the “Daughter of Evil”. And she didn’t mind, she wanted people to know who she was, she wanted them to know her by a name that would inflict fear upon them, she wanted to control the land, and she wanted to control it correctly.
The night her father passed away, she quickly sent Roy, the messenger, to go to the Red kingdom and tell Bruce, who she knew was currently with Richard.
Richard arrived immediately the next day.
At first she could not believe her eyes; he had certainly grown to become a very handsome young man. They both had the same soft facial features. Deep blue eyes, pitch black hair, both lean and their height was exactly the same. They really were twins.
She remembered how long she had held onto him, crying the entire time, enjoying the sensation of finally, after so long, being in her brothers arms once more.
From that day on, they were always together, always talked about everything, including their romantic interests. Richard was the first person he told about her love for Lord Wallace of the Blue Kingdom, and Richard had sheepishly confessed his mild attraction towards Lady Barbara of the Red kingdom, whom he had met during his training.
They had both vowed to be at each other’s weddings when the time came, both giggling about what they would wear and what they would feast on.
As they spoke on and on, they lay in the grass outside, staring at the stars and moon above them, their hands entwined together, the tops of their heads touching slightly.
Zatanna could ask for nothing more, she wished to lay there with him forever, until the sun came out and then hid under the mountains once again.
But never again would they get the chance.
Zatanna was broken away from her thoughts as she heard the commotion at the front of the castle. She peeked out from above the rock, just in time to see Wallace and Megan carrying a seemingly fainted Richard in their arms. She gripped the rock, digging her nails into it when she saw the large gash at the back of Richards’ head, his hair hanging loosely, sticking to his face with sweat.
Is he…. She thought reluctantly. She stared at his chest, waiting for it to move.
And slowly, but surely, it did. Good, he was breathing, she sighed in relief.
As the crowd began to walk farther away, she followed soon after, throwing on the hood of her coat to hide her face, even though she knew she did not look like herself.
As they passed the town square, she paused to see what they were setting up.
A Guillotine.
Her eyes widened.
“No…no…no….no” she whispered to herself.
She turned back to the crowd in time to see Richard being thrown into one of the many dungeons she herself had paid to get built around the kingdom.
“Have a taste of your own creation, Oh great and mighty Queen” Megan taunted.
And even though it wasn’t her being thrown into the dungeon, Zatanna did.
I am a lady
You are a fugitive.
Destiny divided sad twins.
If you are proclaimed as evil, then I also have the same evil blood running through these veins
Richard awoke with a great headache, a searing pain at the back of his head, running down to his neck every time he tilted his head. He looked around to realize that he was in one of the many dungeons his sister had put up. He sighed and leaned against one of the brick walls, staring at the one ray of sunshine that entered through the barred window. He closed his eyes, knowing what awaited him. On its own, his mind began to travel off to his memories. Him and Zatanna holding hands, lying in the grass, watching the stars, and talking about their futures. He smiled to himself, remembering their vow to be present at each other’s weddings. Then, a particular memory sprang up in his mind.
He and Zatanna were at the beach, standing close to the water, letting the waves hit their feet in a soothing manner, their hands locked together, like always. He heard both their voices, playing out like a familiar song, as If reliving that moment.
“Robin!” Zatanna called him by the nickname she gave him. “Look!” she held up a white seashell in her other hand, smiling proudly.
“That one’s beautiful!” he smiled back at her, taking it in her hand and pulling it close to his ear. “They say that if you try hard enough, you can hear the life of the underwater” He said, handing the shell back to her.
She put the seashell against her ear, her face twisting into a determined look. After a few moments she gasped and smiled. “I can hear the waves!!”
Richard laughed “yes, there are many more legends of the sea” he said, looking out into the setting sun.
“Can you tell me some of them?” she sat down, bringing him down, both their legs stretched out so their toes touched the water.
“Well, my favorite one is the wishing bottle” he said, reaching behind him to the basket where they had carried lunch, which they had already eaten.
He held out an empty glass bottle, the bottle where Zatanna had previously drank water from.
“They say that if you write a wish down on a piece of paper, roll it into the bottle, and send the bottle out into the sea, the sun will grant you your wish” He said, handing her the bottle.
“Does it work?” she asked, looking at the bottle in her hands.
Richard shrugged “I do not know, I have never tried it, maybe you should try it”
“But what should I wish for?” she asked.
“Hmm, I don’t know, maybe a bigger chest?” He laughed.
“Ah! Richard!” she softly smacked him across the shoulder. “How improper!” she said, trying to sound mad.
Richard continued laughing until eventually Zatanna joined in.
“I was only joking!” He said, his laughter fading, but leaving him with a smile on his face.
“I know” she also remained smiling.
They stayed silent after that, staring at the sunset, with their smiles never faltering.
Richard awoke, not realizing that he had drifted to sleep again and that he had dreamt one of his dearest memories.
There was a loud noise, and he soon realized that the noise was the sound of his cell being opened. He turned to see it was Megan.
“You’re times up, highness” she said, thrusting her finger upwards, motioning for him to get up.
“It’s not polite to keep me waiting” this time, his voice bubbled with true hatred towards this woman.
Megan’s eyes slightly widened, feeling the venom of each word, but said nothing, simply throwing her head to the side, alerting him to follow as she began walking away.
Richard followed, keeping his head low, his eyes on the ground.
He blinked a couple times, adjusting to the brightness of the sunlight, his ears ringing with the shouts of the villagers surrounding him.
“Death to the Daughter of Evil!”
“End her!”
“All hail the Queen of Evil!”
People chanted and called and spat.
He then held his head high, looking straight ahead him, to the large guillotine in front of him, keeping a stern face. His sister would not cower, not ever, not even in times like this. He ignored the yells, he ignored his fate, he ignored the pain, and he only focused on one thing.
Zatanna…
You are my lady.
I am your servant.
Destiny divided pitiful twins.
If it's to protect you, I'll become evil for you.
He walked up the steps to see Wallace standing there, waiting for him to approach the blade.
Megan stood behind him, waiting, giving “Zatanna” all the time he needed to finally step up.
He walked up to the death mechanism, his gaze finding what he was looking for.
Zatanna, her black hair hiding under the hood of her jacket…his jacket, her eyes were red, her face set in a pained expression.
“Tu ești regina mea” He mouthed the words to her in Romanian, their native language. You are my queen…
She quickly understood, giving him a sad smile and answering.
“Și tu ești robul Meu” And you are my servant…
“Te iubesc” they both said at the same time as Richard set his head down.
Wallace pulled the lever, the blade coming down quickly. Zatanna turned away, her tear filled eyes pouring out as a million images of her and Richard flashed before her once more. The time they met again for the first time, holding hands and watching stars, watching the sunset, playing in the beach, eating together, their laughs, their smiles, their tears, their pain. She reimagined his warm embrace, his protective arms wrapping around her shoulders, her chin resting on his shoulder. He had always been there for her. As everyone cheered, she sank to the floor, hugging her knees, rocking back and forth, repeating those last words over and over.
I love you.
If I could be reborn
At that time, I'd like to play with you again.
“You are Richard, correct?” Zatanna was broken out of her pained state; she looked up to see Wallace holding out a hand to her.
She nodded, not sure if her imitation of Richards voice would be enough believable. She stared at his hand for a while, not sure if it was correct to take the hand of the man who she wanted to marry, the man who rejected her…the man who had slain her brother just a few moments ago.
Wallace took this hesitation as guilt towards all that “Richard” had done under the orders of Zatanna.
“Do not worry Richard, you are free from her rule now, You are forgiven for all your crimes since you were not committing them under your own will” a voice said behind them, Megan was standing there, her armor stained slightly of blood, probably from carrying the body away.
Zatanna took Wallace’s hand, standing up straight, wiping her tears.
“Why is it that you shed tears?” Wallace asked.
Zatanna quickly searched for an answer in her mind. “I have nowhere to go now” was the only thing she could think of.
Wallace chuckled. “Do not worry, here, take this, and go on to explore the world, I am sure you will find what you are searching for” He handed Zatanna a small bag with money.
“We wish you good luck on your journey Richard” Megan said, wrapping a cloak she had been wearing around Zatanna. “I’m sorry it’s a little stained” she apologized.
“No, it’s fine, thank you” Zatanna said, surprised at how convincing her voice was.
She then turned away, walking towards no particular place.
Once she was out of the city limits, she began running, she had no idea where she was headed, but she continued running.
Her brother’s boots hurting her feet with each step she took, she was not used to wearing these kinds of shoes. As she ran, she recognized where she was, the familiar path bringing up yet another memory with Richard.
The beach.
She kept running, stopping when her feet began touching sand, and stumbling because of the lack of stable ground. She stumbled down a hill of sand, landing exactly on the shore, the waves hitting her softly. She lifted her head and got to her knees, staring down at the water, imagining that her reflection was Richard. She smiled at him, reaching for him, and he smiled back, reaching back towards her. She broke out of her fantasy when her fingertips touched the cold water.
She looked up from the water at the setting sun, and the memory from earlier came up again, this time more clearly. It was one of when Richard was telling her a legend of this particular side of the sea.
She turned around and ran to a spot under a tree, a spot where she remembered she and Richard had left something long ago, the voices in her head began to recite what had been said that way.
After a long while of being silent, Richard got up, taking Zatanna with him to a large tree by the sand.
“Here, why don’t we leave this and this in here, and then one day, we can come back and make a wish” He smiled at her, digging a hole in the sand with his hands, and setting the glass bottle into it, along with a small piece of cloth that he had torn from one of the napkins.
“What about a pen?” Zatanna questioned.
Richard thought for a while “We can bring one along next time” He said after a while, and closed the hole with more sand.
“What should we wish for next time we come?” Zatanna asked him, helping him close the hole.
“How’s about we wish to be happy forever?” Richard replied, smiling to himself.
Zatanna smiled back “Yes, that sounds perfect!” she giggled, hugging him.
Richard hugged her back, and they stayed like that for a longer while.
Zatanna began to desperately dig a hole in the place where she remembered they had left the items.
And just as her memory had assured her, they were there, the bottle and the piece of cloth, both resting side by side. She took them out, and stroked the cloth, doing the same to the bottle.
“I need a Pen” she said to herself, looking around.
She took a nearby twig, using the edge of it to pierce a small hole in her finger.
“This should do” she said to herself again, wincing a bit at the slight pain.
She used the tip of the twig to write the words on the cloth, using her blood as ink and the tip of the twig as a pen. She finished up her wish, blowing on the cloth to dry out the blood, and rolling up the cloth, pushing it into the bottle. She stared at the bottle, with the slight feeling that something was missing. She looked down at the cloak Megan had given her, and at the small piece stained with Richards’ blood. She tore the small piece off, also stuffing it into the bottle. She tightly sealed up the bottle, putting the cork in as deep as it would go. Her gaze went back up to the sunset, its orange reflection shining on the calm water, a few waves disturbing it every now and then.
She made her way to the shore, bending down slightly and setting the bottle adrift.
She watched it float away slowly, tears falling endlessly down her face.
The words she had written were still fresh in her mind.
She sat down on the shore, in the same exact place she and her brother had been sitting in a long time ago, her hand resting in the spot where his normally would have been.
She stared at the horizon, determined to not move from her spot, she would sit here forever, she would sit here forever until he returned.
Until they could once again hold hands and laugh together.
If we could be reborn.....
Richard opened his eyes to see absolutely nothing.
It was cold, pitch black, and he couldn’t hear anything. He tried to call out, but he had no voice.
He curled up in a fetal position; he could feel his arms and feet bound by something.
Suddenly his gaze found something, a large hole at the top of wherever he was. He stared up at it, trying to see if there was a way to reach it.
But like before, everything around him was dark.
Suddenly, he heard something, a voice….a soft voice singing a lullaby.
He had never heard it before, but as the voice continued to coo the lullaby, he realized that it was the song his mother used to sing to him and his sister before she passed away.
Then he heard something else, it was a laugh, a laugh so familiar that it could only be his sisters.
Everything continued like this, voices and sounds that he had heard at least once in his lifetime.
Suddenly, he was able to see what it was that was binding his wrists and ankles. Red cuffs on his wrists, and blue on his ankles.
A voice he had never heard before began to speak.
“Red for the blood that has been spilled…..Blue for the tears that have been shed”
He desperately searched for the source of the voice, suddenly able to speak again.
“Who are you?”
Everything was silent.
A single glimmering light began to fall from the hole in the ceiling. He got up and tried to walk the best he could towards the light.
It was a bottle with a note inside it.
He reached out, the red chains disappearing as the light protruding from the bottle gleamed on them.
The bottle landed in his hands, and as he made contact with it, the chains on his feet disappeared as well. He stared into it for a while, trying to read what was on the note.
A single voice rung in his head.
“If we could be reborn.....”
At that moment
At the harbour
I saw an illusion
I wonder who was that boy?
“Wally! Give it back!”
“No way Artemis, it’s my turn to choose what we watch!”
“In your dreams Baywatch!”
“Guys, really?”
“Come on! Bat’s is calling us for training!”
“Zatanna Zatara A-03, authorization: Zatara 1-1”
“Zatanna this is the Team, Team, this is my daughter, Zatanna” Zatara introduced the girl with long black hair and cerulean eyes, her eyes looked around, her expression shy. Robin looked at her, the name ‘Zatanna’ seemingly familiar. He had probably heard it from Batman somewhere.
He suddenly felt it, the strange sensation that he had already met her. But then again he had felt the same thing with the rest of the Team members when he had first met them too.
“Hi I’m-” the ever so friendly M’gann began to say, flying over to Zatanna, when she was abruptly interrupted by Robin.
“Robin! I mean, I’m Robin!” he introduced himself, jumping in front of M’gann. He went on to introducing the rest of the Team.
Robin…something about that name reminded Zatanna of something…like if she had met him before, but he was Batman’s sidekick, he was pretty famous, so she shrugged it off.
If I could be reborn
At that time, I'd like to play with you again.
~
“What should we wish for next time we come?”
“How’s about we wish to be happy forever?”
“Yes, that sounds perfect!”
