Curse of the Goblin King
By: OtakuSailorV
". . .I move the stars for no one. . ."
She was such a normal girl, such a regular, set-in-her-place girl. There was nothing new or exotic about her. She was not strikingly beautiful; she possessed nothing that could have been called beauty. Or so I thought at the time.
She, she of all creatures had been chosen to set me free. Why was such a homely girl to release me from my curse? I would have much rather suffered under this curse for a thousand years if this woman was the one that was to free me. . .yet, a curse is not a pleasant thing, and I had longed for freedom from it for many a century. It was too good an opportunity to waste. Who knew when I might next find someone capable of breaking my curse? From my experience with such things – placing and receiving them myself – I knew that it was almost impossible for such a chance to ever present it self again.
And it wasn't like I would have had to go out of my way to catch this darling little girl either. The fool was wandering in my territory, and I had the notion of playing with her mind a little before I actually took her from the forest path. It had been many years since anyone had been brave enough to step foot into the forest, even if she was my only way out of this dratted curse, why not have a little fun while I was at it, hm? What harm could it do to scare her a little bit?
So I set about the task immediately, smiling to myself. Not only would I have a visitor in my castle, but also I would have my curse lifted in no time. This was all quite promising. Now, what to do to scare her?
Should I remove the forest path from her feet and get her hopelessly lost in the tangled brush? Should I conjure up the sounds of the night around her so that her heart beat faster and her blood raced through her veins? Everything sounded like so much fun, maybe I would try them both. Being lost and the sound of someone unknown following was always something that scared humans, especially weak human females like her.
I was quite pleased with myself and immediately set about the task.
Placing the tips of my fingers over the glass ball in which I watched her in, I slid them around in a circular motion before pulling all of the tips together and dragging them upward. Immediately, my other hand waved to the right and flashed back to my side as swiftly as it had come to glide over the ball.
A mist hung in her eyes, and I saw her check herself, seemingly confused by the sudden, and rather dense, fog. She narrowed her eyes and looked from side to side, but seemed to figure that she knew which way was the way she had been going and started off again.
The long dress swirled around her feet, pulling the mist in around her ankles and chilling them eerily. I could tell this unnerved her, but she was gritting her teeth in determination. I clicked my tongue at her, shaking my head. "Now that will not do, you aren't allowed to take the right path you silly girl."
I smirked as I waved my hand over the ball again and the path twisted away from her immediately. She would soon be lost deep in the forest, though still heading for my castle. All she need think was that she was lost for my game to work. She needn't actually get lost in the forest.
After a few moments, I let the noises of a pursuer ring in the bushes and tress around her. She immediately checked herself again as I allowed the fog to lift, revealing to her that she was set deep in the forest, with no clear view of a road, or of my castle for that matter.
She stood rather still, I could tell that her fists were clenched, and in her eyes shone fear, but still there was determination.
I smirked again, what a peculiar girl. Maybe there was actually something to her now that I had a better look. Though I really would have liked for her to be prettier if she were to lift my curse.
I was glee-filled when a sharp sound sent her fleeing toward my castle as fast as her legs would carry her. She obviously thought she was about to be attacked, and I was thrilled that she was playing so easily into my game. I chuckled to myself as I saw her long gown rip on branches, her hair flying out behind her, droplets of cold sweat forming on her brow. The anxiety in her gave new strength to her worn muscles and she was like a deer, her feet barely touching the ground as she fled away from her supposed pursuer.
Unfortunately, such haste always brings mistakes with it, and she eventually tripped over a root that she had not seen and fell to the earth floor.
I decided now was a good time to appear before her and announce who I was. I was certain she'd be surprised, and think I was her pursuer. And, in fact, I was looking forward to the frightened look in her eyes.
I had used a simply teleport spell, and now stood not but five feet from the gate of my castle, well in view of my soon to be captive. However, she could not see me yet, her eyes were still clouded with the fake mists and fogs I had created in her mind. I chuckled lowly to myself as I strode at a regular pace toward her. I didn't want to appear in too much of a hurry, dramatic effect was everything in moments such as this.
She looked up as I purposefully stepped on a nearby twig to catch her attention. Her eyes stared at me, squinting, and I had to chuckle again. For it is quite amusing to see someone squinting through imaginary mists when the other party cannot even see the mists to begin with.
I stopped not two feet from her, staring pointedly down upon her sprawled form with a small smirk. She glared up at me, not even the slightest bit scared, and if she was, she was hiding it very well. This disappointed me. I had hoped to see her face twist into a look of complete horror. After all, I was the 'Goblin King' that all those stupid villagers said lived in this forest right? She had a right – no, an obligation – to be terrified of me. The pallor of her face should have dispersed, she should have been shaking and mumbling, her eyes wide and distant as she inwardly tried to escape me to no avail. She should be begging for her life.
But another thought instantly struck me as I inwardly made a face at her lack of cooperation. She probably was not even aware of who I was, was she? I smirked wider and dropped the mist, light flooding through behind me and shadowing all my features. I was pleased when I saw a slight change in her face, but it was only to cringe from the sudden blast of light.
How disappointing. I had gone to all this trouble to frighten her, and it had barely worked. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. Stupid girl.
Well, nothing else to do than to proclaim to her who I was and hope that that alone would make her shake in fear.
I smirked at her again. "Hello." I greeted in a casual yet you-know-I'm-the-villain type of tone.
Her glare deepened. I was again disappointed. I had adopted the tone of my voice so that it might scare her. What was wrong with this child?
Slowly, she got to her feet and stood before me, brushing the dirt from her dress and frowning at the tears, though she didn't seem too distraught at the ruination of it. "Hello." She greeted in an equally casual tone. Though I could catch some I'm-not-interested-in-talking-to-you and Get-lost-weirdo-I'm-not-impressed undertones in the simple phrase.
How dare she!
"May I ask what you are doing out here all by yourself? And so close to the Goblin King's castle too?"
She looked at me through half-lidded eyes, as if trying to tell me that I still was not worth her time.
"I could ask the same of you." She answered almost immediately, still giving me the strange look.
I chuckled good-naturedly at her words, but was burning with fire inside. Damn this girl. If she were not the one to break my curse, I would have broken her into pieces by now.
"Why, I happen to live around here." I replied. "And it's many days that I get visitors."
She looked went from exasperation to disbelief and confusion. "In the middle of the Forest of Nightmares?" She asked of me sarcastically.
"Yes." I answered curtly.
"And the Goblin King hasn't killed you yet?"
"No."
"Then you're either extremely smart, or extremely stupid."
She decided this with a dismissive wave of her hand. Hmph, what a childish brat. Damn this curse; damn this girl.
"Care to answer any of my questions?" I prompted when she seemed to lose interest.
Her eyes immediately met mine again, and I was glad that I at least had her attention. "What are you doing in this forest all alone, good Lady?"
"I'm here to slay the Goblin King of course." She replied matter-of-factly.
My mirth at this statement could not be withheld. I chuckled for a long while as she watched me through half-lidded eyes again. "What?" She demanded crisply as my laughter subsided slightly.
"Oh, I'm sorry good Lady, that was quite rude of me. But what you just said was so funny that I could not hold it in."
She crossed her arms over her chest; I had obviously offended her. "Well if you think it's because I don't have a weapon then you're sorely mistaken. I have one, but it is concealed."
I chuckled again, my lips curling into a smirk as I saw that she had provided a perfect cue for me. "No, I do not doubt what you say M'Lady, but I highly doubt you could defeat the Goblin King."
She raised an eyebrow. "How's that?"
I lifted my head to her, my rippling hair falling over my shoulders as I gave her a small smile. "For you see, I am the Goblin King."
Her eyes widened in shock, and I waited for her cry of recognition, for her terror. But she only looked at me in bewilderment before breaking into large laughs right in front of me. What was the matter with this girl?! Was she crazy in the head?!
"Y-you!" She cried in between bursts of laughter. "You're the 'Goblin King?!'"
She continued to laugh hysterically at me. What a fool, she would find soon enough that I was no one to be laughed at. Stupid girl.
"I am." I replied sternly, standing tall and proud.
She stopped and stood back up, her laughter dying as instantly as it had started. "You're really him? You're the Goblin King that rules over this land and destroys all that dare enter his kingdom?"
I smirked. "Now, I haven't killed everyone that ever entered my kingdom. Who would be there to tell the stories if I didn't let one or two get away with what was left of their lives?" I asked in a pompously sincere tone.
She gave me a strange look, as if deciding something in her mind. She chewed on the inside of her right cheek and tilted her head to one side, the red-brown hair spilling over onto that shoulder as she watched me steadily.
I felt quite angered by her scrutiny. None of this was going according to my brilliant plan! Stupid, stupid girl! Angrily, I crossed my arms over my chest, knowing all the time that my face had contorted so that I looked like a pouting child rather than an angered Lord of Death.
She finally smirked and reached for something at her side that seemed to be concealed by the dress. "Well, if you're really the Goblin King, then prepare to die!!!!" She proclaimed loudly as she ripped a sword from its sheath right through her dress. It glowed slightly, and I could tell she was a sword-master.
The fabric of her dress gave an ear-splitting sound akin to the noise that one's claws make on a chalkboard as it ripped. The remains of the once beautiful - if not slightly muddied - dress fell from her, revealing a knight's clothing and some armor that had been hidden underneath. I blinked slightly, for this girl's hair was short enough for her to be mistaken for a man instead of a woman. If I were not quite sure that she was female, I would have fallen to the same presumption.
She did not notice my reaction however, for she was smirking with amusement. She seemed to think that my shock came from her power that she had showed and her threat to my life. I laughed inwardly as I took in her image. No, I was not afraid of this woman. She could not hurt me.
I stared at the sword-tip that she had pointed at my chest menacingly. I investigated it with slight disregard, showing her that I was not afraid of her weapon or her. Taking one finger, I pushed the tip away from me slowly and lifted my eyes to her, my mouth slightly open as I regarded her. "Can you not tell me for what you want to take my life?"
She had watched as I had moved the sword from myself, and looked back up at me with a steady glare. "There is a great bounty on your head, and you killed a great many of my young apprentices – though fools – who came to claim it." She growled out at me. "Now I claim your life so that they may rest in peace."
I sighed wearily, looking away from her in my impatience. "Oh dear, another one of those self-righteous people again." I gave another withdrawn sigh, looking her over out of the corner of one eye half-lidded in boredom.
"Do you want to die fast or slowly?"
Both statements seemed to irk her, the effect I had been going for, and she raised her sword angrily before jumping into the air. "That's my line you dolt!!" She cried.
Without another word, she brought her sword down, intending to strike me straight through, though I don't think she was aware that if I dodged she would be wide-open for a lethal attack from me.
I stood, staring up at the blade, letting her presume she had me. Then, when it was within a breath of my face, I dodged to one side congenially. I didn't smirk or smile at my small triumph, for it hadn't been a hard feat to do. Rather, I still watched as if I was bored, knowing that this would draw out more anger than if I was laughing madly at her attempts.
"Woman, what is your name?" I asked casually, my head leaning into one hand, while my other hand rested on my bent arm.
She watched me with an enraged look. "Why should I tell you?!" She demanded, jumping into the air and trying the same attack again.
This time, I didn't let her assume I was going to be hit, but instead dodged almost as soon as she swung her arm downward in an arc toward me.
As she landed, I moved forward toward her and brought one hand up to cup her chin. Tilting it upward, her face came an inch away from mine, and I smirked, knowing that my eyes were dancing with smugness as they peered into her enraged orbs. "Because I wouldn't want to capture you without knowing your name first." I said.
She growled angrily and slashed upward with her sword, only to find that I was gone. Her face was red from embarrassment, anger, and exertion. Chuckling at her, I pulled back before the blade had even a chance to hurt me.
"You bastard!" She cried. "If that's the case then I'll never tell you my name. To be captured by you would be worse than death by your blood-soaked hands!" She pointed her sword definitively at me, her eyes flaring with so much anger I thought fire might shoot from the depths of her eyes.
I chuckled at her again, floating up into the air and leaning back, looking down on her. "Would it be? I guess you'll pray for death then." I replied.
"Goblin King, I'll kill you before you can even blink this time!" Jumping higher than she had before, she came over my head, a dot in the bleary orb that should have been the sun. So, she was hoping to trick my eyes by jumping into the sun's glare and come down on me, eh? I smirked; smart girl, but that would hardly work on me.
I moved backward and onto the ground, waiting for her to come down. And she did indeed fall from the sky, but not with her sword in the arc that I presumed it would be in, but instead at her side, in a slightly bent arm. One leg was also bent and as she hit the ground with the one foot, she bounced off swiftly and darted straight toward me, bringing the sword out in hopes of striking me through the middle.
Ah, a different technique. . .
The sword pierced through me, blood seeped over the blade and onto the ground. These clothes were ruined now, stupid girl. I frowned at her after investigating the newly implanted sword. "You think that works?" I asked, smirking darkly at her before bringing a fist into her stomach at a swift, almost unseen motion.
She gagged, her eyes wide and features drawn against the harsh blow. She crumpled over the hilt of her sword and fell to the ground unconscious. Growling to myself, I pulled her sword from my middle and wiped the bloodstain onto the grass. Looking down at her hunched form, I sighed again and pulled her blade's scabbard from her side. Then, after securing the blade at my own side, I picked her up gently.
I looked her over thoroughly for the first time. She was not a beautiful girl, but she was not ugly either. She was the kind of girl that one would marry out of love for her instead of out of love for her looks. She was skilled as a fighter, as far as humans went, I could tell, and she seemed to be intelligent enough. Not brilliant, but learned in what she needed to know.
Her red-brown bangs were plastered to her forehead with sweat, while the rest of her hair spilled around my left arm. Smirking to myself, I turned back to my castle and without a word, disappeared to the inside.
So, this was the girl who would break my curse. . .
Ah, finally, I've written this idea out. I do hope that I left Erutis and Krayon both in character, I was worried that they were getting out of character every time I had them speak.sweatdrop
I noticed that there aren't very many of these stories out there at all, Eru/Kra fics, I mean. That's strange, since I find the pairing absolutely kawaii.
At any rate, this is an AU fic, and I haven't decided on whether I'm going to have Raenef or Eclipse in the story yet or not. Chris will be making an appearance for sure, but I'm not positive on the others yet. Hmm. . .
As for the curse, don't ask since it won't be explained until I see fit. stern nod It's so that there is no kind of. . .dramatic irony to the situation. You know – so that both the reader and the character of Erutis are guessing at what is going on att he same time. smile
Yes, well, it's time for me to go. Thanks for reading this far, minna-san, I appreciate it.
Ja'ne!
Review please!!