Once Upon A Time - Chapter One
Summary:Â Charles was never allowed to leave the castle, until one day he, and his best friend Pierre, decided to break the rule and leave the castle walls, only to bump into the well-known criminal, Robin Hood, who doesnât see them in the same golden light that they were raised within. But Charles decides to ignore her hatred and becomes the bane of her existence.
Song: Whistle Shop by Roger Miller
Quote:Â âYouâre invited to The Royal Leclercâs Masquerade Ball.â
Word Count: 9819
TW: A direct narrator (only at times, then switches to third person - give the feel of a book being read to you like someone usual did for us when we were children), mention of death, mention of murder,Â
A/N: Not proof-read or edited.
A/N 2: Taglist and detailed references found in reblog!
Masterlist//Main Masterlist
     ACT ONE, CHAPTER ONE
(Ah, where to begin? How about once upon a timeâŠ
âŠHow many times have you heard that to begin a story? Letâs do something else.
In a far-off land, where â what? Thatâs been done too? In fairy tales? Ha, no, this story is far from a fairy tale, in fact it isnât even one. Nor is it a legend or a myth, or even a bedtime story that you were grown and raised on as a child, this isnât a story that youâll know line by line, and this is not something that will be turned into a film or tv show.
No.
This is simply life.
With our Planet Earth that holds vast oceans, forests, and lands such as England, Greece, Monaco, Zosnurg and â youâre kiddingâŠyou donât have a country called Zosnurg on your version of Earth?
What about pirates? Mermaids? Sirens? Dragons? Fairies? Krakens? Vampire Mermaids? Chimeras?
âŠNone?
So, this would be like one of your stupid fantasy books then? OkayâŠwell, letâs just get some things straight then before we start this boo â these lives that Iâll be talking about.
(Which I suppose in some way is a story if Iâm talking aboâ I, as a narrator, will stop talking nowâŠ)
(I do apologise)
Rule One.
This is not a fairy tale.
Yes, we have witches and princesâ, and balls, and enchanted forests, and adult-eating witches, and even the children-eating witches too, mermaids of all forms, dragons, chimeras, and even werewolves and lycans, pukwudgie, and dryads.
And yes there is a yucky love story.
And yes there are sword fights, and war, and love and hatred, and death and â
Alright, I know this may sound like a âfairy-taleâ but isnât everything a fairy tale? You have two love interests who have to go through a lot to be together? Sounds kind of like one to meâŠOnly difference is that we donât need to battle a dragon, well talking to my mother sometimes feels like Iâm battling aâ
Anyways, life is a fairy tale, a rubbish one, but a fairy tale, nevertheless.
But this isnât the typical annoying fairy tale where the knight in shining armour goes and rescues the princess from her tower and shares a true loves kiss once the dragon is slayed.
No, thatâs just fucking lame.
Instead the prince befriends a dragon, and he doesnât save a princess, there are no princesses, well there are, but they arenât important, this isnât about them.
This is about the prince and the criminal and â what on earth are you talking about? Youâve seen fairy tales like this before? Get lost.
I told you once, and Iâll tell you again, this isnât a fairy tale â this is real, not make belief, but real.
This isnât so called Aladdin or Rapunzel â I mean Tangled â this is real life.
This isnât a fairy tale.
In fairy tales life is presented as blissful and magical and makes you want to gouge your eyes out because you know you can never live a life where birds will get you ready for the day. Whilst in other fairy tales you feel like you are on the spinning teacups, and nausea creeps up on you from what youâre experiencing.
(Cause Iâll come clean now, Iâve never had any of my grandmothers be swallowed up by a wolf or ever seen a man become blinded by brambles).
No, these lives Iâll be telling you about will either leave you crying or smiling or perhaps even laughing â but most likely youâll be crying, cursing my name for ever telling you about these people.
I am not sorry.
But just a pre warning â this is not a fairy tale.
Rule Two.
Donât worry, you wonât have to hear my lovely narration voice all the time, I chose not to.
(I donât get paid enough for that).
But when I do decide to talk with you I will do so in italics and in brackets (as so illustrated) â I have a few notes about these people for example how bloody stupid our main female character is and â
Rule Three.
We do not, and I mean, do not break out into a musical number, we donât do that here. Absolutely not. And no singing birds are going to help get anyone dressed either or clean their house â they arenât lazy â life doesnât allow anyone to be this lazy.
There are no such things as true loves kiss â a little kiss is not bringing anyone to life â unless magic is involved of course, but thatâs an entirely different story.
There is no happy endings too, that doesnât exist, never has, never will, people will die, we will cry, but then weâll move on and carry them with us.
Even she will diâ
Rule Four.
No spoilers.
(Now, thatâs all the rules I can read in my messy handwriting across this coffee-stained napkin that obviously didnât contain the pretty baristaâs number.
âŠ
There was no pretty barista
It was just Sue, the sixty-old woman who knows my order off by heart, but claims to dislike me â however, she did smile at me earlier after I spilt coffee all over myself, so guess she doesnât hate meâŠ)
Oh and â
Rule Five.
This is not a fairy tale.)
                       â„àčââââââââââââââââàčâ„
This is the story about a girl named Y/n and it starts with the sun.
Most are unaware how the once worshipped as a god by various of religions and cults ever came around, and just like the star thatâll burn the believers who venture too close, no one could remember how their King became King and when the Queen fell pregnant three times, gifting their world with three beautiful boys.
The first passed the crown down, the third shall remain a prince, and the second is deemed to be king one day.
To the world, this families beginnings felt like a fever dream â a gorgeous one though, and most carried such a strong love for them, but not all, some carried a strong hatred for them and had been wanting a revolution for ages.
A passerby once told his children, after a trip to Eynsworth one spring, that he never had much thought of their sun being a star, he knew it was, but he never felt like it was. Not until he, after meeting the royal family, had the pleasure in holding their second born, a few months after his birth, and my, the passerby never felt so close to the sun, nor did he fear being burnt. In his hands he was holding something golden; something godly. Just like the sun. But it wasnât the sun, no, it was a gift from the golden beams above them, he was a star. He was their new star, their sun.
On the 16th of October a son was born. A prince. And he was given the name Charles. Â
Their future king.
Our star, our sun.
It was hard not to love the prince who found himself trapped within castle walls, barely venturing out into the world, but when he does heâs constantly close to his father as they enter new lands (for him at least) where all hand his gifts to his knights â his protectors â with flowers and gifts. Only soft smiles were what he was allowed to retrieve, no other gifts of any sorts should be handed to him directly.
(There were many soft smiles which later turns into flirty looks from those his age as he grew up).
Along with growing older, where falling in love was more on someoneâs mind, Charles never become blind in seeing how his best friend and his first knight-in-training, Pierre Gasly, wasnât shy of the extra attention that was given when Charles was allowed to see the world outside the castle walls. Little winks thrown around and bright smiles whilst the prince watched in disgust before taking a strong interest in the world around him, watching how the clouds glided through the sky, forming different works of arts for all to enjoy, and how the branches of the trees waved them off for their travels, knowing the next time they are seen a new image will be formed, quite possibly a picture of what they saw on their travels.
(All in all, one person stayed on his mind, the one he meets growing up, the other main character of our storâof these lives).
Once, at the age of seven, he saw the sea for the first time, and he wondered what it would be like to feel the salty air tickling his skin, embracing him in a warm hug where his cologne is replaced with the smell of the sea. He even wondered what life as a fish would be like, swimming endlessly through the waves as it dodged every obstacle in their way. He wondered if they felt lonely down there just as he does within the palace walls, hoping for a struck of bravery to hit him to just leave and see the world for a moment, even just for a second, just to go on an adventure without anything bothering him.
He wondered if the sea felt grateful to be holding such beauty in their arms, cradling it, kissing it, and bringing it deeper into their warmth, with some even grazing the sandy fingers of Poseidon. He imagines that the graze occasionally turns into a handshake, welcoming those to a new view, begging them to lie down in the pit of darkness to try and spot a single beam of light â they never do, theyâre in too deep.
Charles questioned his breathing ability, the young boy would hold competitions in the pool at home where he timed himself on how long he could hold his breathe as he sits on the bottom, he thinks maybe one day he could be like those aquatic animals that reach the bottom to shake Poseidonâs fingers. Poseidonâs âspot the sunâ game would eventually become to easy then, as the sun would be in his grasp, smiling brightly at him as he whispers, âI did it.â And all Poseidon would do is nod as he looks at the boyâs eyes that (of right now) resembles the colour of the sea on postcards that grandparents send to their grandchildren.
The sun child even wondered if the sun felt any different if he was elsewhere, maybe it feels warmer if he was in a place he loves instead in one of the many gardens of his castle or the small amount of times heâs with his father in a different country doing something of work â which his father calls father and son bonding.
Maybe his skin becomes painted in various shades of gold, letting him stand with a cheery smile whilst looking like a lost jewel in a faraway land. Where he watches the clouds shift and change like a personâs mood and observes the skyâs colour platter shattering from the phenomenon of the sun setting.
The Prince of England, Charles Marc HervĂ© Perceval Leclerc of many of the Grandale Islands (a group of various places, islands, and countries that the family have ownership over. One of the most recent ones that the Leclercâs took ownership of was when Charles was just five years old, after a neighbouring (and independent) country (Zosnurg) became littered with destruction, gore, and weapons as England battled them for land. (Charlesâ second home country, despite being born in Monaco, his father decided to move the family to England after the birth of his last son) The air of Zosnurg was filled with numerous of smokes that contributed to the deaths of many on the battlefields. An army of rebels and an army of warriors would once constantly fight each other to the death for the land that both kings desired. It was unclear of what side would win; it formed a tiresome fear for those nearby as they dreaded to think of the war becoming never-ending. The fighters were grimed with pain, exhaustion, and their spirits were broken. The war was soon ended by King RaphaĂ«l (the father of the Leclercâs) killing the King of Zosnurg with his sword.)
Charles recalls growing up with some of the kind souls around the castle, watching with a frown as the lower statuses had to clean the mess up, rebuild the economy that was destroyed by the war with the rich bossing them around. He remembers watching them nearly everyday from his bedroom window, or from the carriage as they rode through the towns like Aramore (a poor town that was mainly affected by the war as it was often targeted with bombs for a few months). Most of England was left undamaged though, only a small percentage of the country was damaged, it was Zosnurg that carried most of the destruction and those of Zosnurg had to rebuild their country like the first citizens of their country once did.
It was the Leclercâs property now.
He wasnât allowed to do anything about the mess, nor ask to help, or even ask his family about it. All he got told was it was not his business yet and that he was far too young to worry about such a thing.
So, growing up, trapped in the castle, and venturing out as little as possible, he watched as far as he could see get rebuilt, and become better than it once was. Soon, he was allowed out, it was about a year later, his godfather â his older brotherâs best friend â Eric Russoâ was given the permission to take him out karting in their city, Eynsworth. He grew to love the sport, later watching Eric, from the TV, travel the world to race.
Along with karting, the prince took up other activities to keep him occupied within the castle walls, even going as far as painting, but was quick to discover that was not his forte.
Charles was ten years old though when he first heard of a person who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. And it was a month after the discovery that he learnt how much his father hated this mysterious figure whoâs blacked out silhouette littered the tea-stained wanted posters that was flown to country-to-country, hanging round in various places.
Wanted for ÂŁ3000. Alive.
Name: Robin Hood
That was the name the whispers would call them after the fourth robbery. It was a cool spring evening, and the robbery affected a close family friend, Mr Clive. They took anything that was valuable, and when discovered that there was a robbery, the bells of the townhall began to ring, people of Eynsworth then began to venture out and onto the streets in the early morning, sleeping dust prickling their eyes as they stood in the breeze. They were all dressed in their pyjamas as they watched Mr Clive â the man who was robbed â walk around in nothing but boxers as he stormed right towards the castle with his very young-looking wife begging him to do this at a better time.
No, the only good time was of right now. He demanded for the thief to be found, and the King agreed as he stares at the barely dressed man in the front gardens of his home from Arthurâs (his youngest son) bedroom window.
The following week new wanted posters were being sent out.
Wanted for ÂŁ10,000. Alive.
Name: Robin Hood.
Presumed Description: Professional man around the age of twenty to thirty, whoâs a skilled thief, fighter, and archer.
The days after Mr Cliveâs robbery, many more got robbed, some even finding arrows outside their houses or even watched how the thief dodged the thrown slippers, wooden spoons, chairs and even vases sent their way.
Many questioned on the presumed age of this criminal, but they never thought on the matter long as they presumed that due to everything happening so quickly they couldnât quite judge on how old this criminal may be.
However, at first thought they believed the criminal was too small to be of around presumed age, but as mentioned before, they never allow themselves to dwell on the matter long enough.
The week after new wanted posters were sent out along with a new wanted poster for Robin Hoodâs partner.
Wanted for ÂŁ30,000. Alive.
Name: Robin Hood.
Presumed Description: Professional man around the age of twenty to thirty, whoâs a skilled thief, fighter, and archer.
Wanted for ÂŁ5,000. Alive.
Name: Little John.
Presumed Description: Professional man around the age of twenty to thirty, whoâs a skilled thief and partner of the notorious Robin Hood.
It was discovered that the archer was partnered with someone after Mr Clive got robbed once more. After falling down his stairs, hurrying down to capture the intruders with a broken torch in his hand, he watched the moment he swung his front door open with a throbbing head, as the pair, already at such a great distance, carried sacks of money over their shoulders, laughing with their heads thrown back as they pushed the other around.
On his 13th birthday, the discovery of Robin Hood and Little John being children were uncovered. No one was quite sure who leaked this piece of information, some say that someone accidently let it slip, some even mentioned that perhaps the duo robbed them and then they caught sight of how young they looked, some even suggested that maybe the duo wronged the anonymous person and they wanted to get their revenge.
Charles believes none of the suggestion were the correct reasons.
Robin was 12, nearly 13, (an age that was incredibly shocking and was being slowly processed by the world) and Little John was just 15.
And once again, prices were raised.
âYour dad should hire them to be one of his knights,â Pierre suggested one night in Charles racing themed bedroom, all of his brothers, Pierre and Eric being locked in there whilst a meeting was being held right outside about Robin Hood and Little John after they easily battled and escaped the Kingâs best men â no injuries were occurred, nothing but bruised egos and dignities.
Lorenzo, Charlesâ older brother, scoffs whilst Eric shook his head in disagreement. âWhy would someone who sounds like they hate the rich, join them?â
âPeople change,â the young French boy tries to argue. âRight amount of money and he could be running to RaphaĂ«lâs side.â
âThe price over their head is a lot already. I donât think theyââ
âHe?â Charles arched a brow as he looked over at Pierre, who sat on his bed whilst Charles sat on the windowsill to watch the chaos below him. âWhat do you mean he? I donât think itâs a he by how people talk of their movements.â
âItâs a kid our age, Charles, theyâve been doing this for years, they arenât going to be noisy.â
âStill donât think itâs a he though. Doesnât make sense â maybe Little John is, but Robin Hood canât be.â
âWhat are youââ
âI think Charles is rightâŠâ Arthur looked up from the game device he was playing on, handed by Lorenzo to keep the 11-year-old entertained. âI heard whispers that it is a she.â
âYou went out?â Lorenzoâs firm voice came, laced with concern. âYouâre not supposed toââ
âNo way,â whistled Pierre. âImpossible.â
âCool.â Charles nodded. âMaybe she can give you all a tip or two on how to fight, shoot an arrow and not be as noisy as a Heffalump.â He teased as he looked at Eric, Lorenzo, and Pierre as he mentioned the skills theyâve been lacking most in.
âMate do not relate me to those things in the forest,â Pierre groaned. âTheyâre not cool.â
âHow are purple elephants not cool?â Arthur piped in, furrowed brows as he stared down the older boy.
âAre you trying to say you are cool?â Eric smirked as he folded his arms.
Heffalumps are said to be dangerous creatures, but Lorenzo had told Charles about the whispers among the caring citizens (the poor who lived in their lack of riches town; Aramore) that those hunterâs stories are all false, that these creatures were actually rather friendly, and they are cruel to the hunters as they are the ones trying to kill them.
He even told Charles the story of how he even was lucky enough to meet and touch a Heffalump with these three children of Aramore that was around Charlesâ age. It was a few years ago, but it was a memory Lorenzo would carry forever as for once he wasnât treated as a prince, or a knight in training, he was just treated as himself, as Lorenzo.
He felt free.
Charles and Arthur envied him for it, envied how he was allowed to go out and do what he wishes whilst they befriended the paintings on the walls.
Charles looked away from the group and turned to look back out the window only to find a butterfly pressed against his window, his vibrant coloured wings not at show, and Charles begin to hate the insect he was staring at.
Hated how it was allowed to sore the grey skies, hated how it was allowed to taste the sweet nectar of the plants around and he wondered if he would ever be deemed lucky enough to taste something as lovely as that. He wondered if he was beautiful like a butterfly, if someone looked at him like Aphrodite herself, and be able to memorise every part of him with their eyes closed.
Charles doesnât think heâll ever be that lucky, so he left himself wondering if a butterfly knew everything about flowers, wondered if they knew which one had the sweetest nectar, and which ones to stay away from, he wondered if they ever felt safe in those cocoons they break out of after the transmission from a caterpillar to a butterfly was complete â he wondered if they felt that change, if they realised they were now a beautiful and elegant insect that everyone admired from afar but were too scared that a simple touch would shatter them.
It was a month after his birthday that two faces were placed onto the wanted posters after they attempt to rob from Eynsworth Castle. Failing to do so due to the amount of protection these places were gaining over the years, his home being the most. A knight caught them, and after a difficult battle that ended with an arrow in the Knightâs thigh, he was able to give the King and Queen a detailed description on their Robin Hood and Little John.
No name was given, and no name was being found out any time soon. But his parents and those of riches were ecstatic with this newfound information.
Wanted for ÂŁ50,000. Dead or Alive.
Name: Robin Hood.
Age: 12 approx.
Gender: Female
Above the silhouette changed to a drawn picture of the girl and the presumed personal description was ripped out and in came her age and gender. And after the attempted Eynsworth Castle robbery, King RaphaĂ«l and Queen Anna agreed that they didnât not care how this archer was handed in.
Death may even be better as there was no way she would be able to escape.
Wanted for ÂŁ10,000. Alive.
Name: Little John.
Age: 15 approx.
Gender: Male
And just like Hoodâs, his silhouette was changed to a drawn image of him.
Everyone was still in shock about the age, but now their shock grew at the thought that it was a female who was causing them so many problems for so many years. Charles and Arthur were the only ones who werenât shocked as they collected their packets of chocolate buttons from those around the castle who all disagreed with the idea of Robin Hood being a female.
âItâs not really criminal though, is it?â Pierre asked as he, Eric, Lorenzo, Arthur, and Charles laid on the grass in one of the many gardens of the castle. âItâs more deviant, no?â
âI wouldnât say it such a bad thing,â Lorenzo muttered, arms under his head as his eyes stayed on the stars above them.
âHow bad is it out there? For the poor?â Charles asked curiously, never truly knowing how bad it was for them, only seeing small sights of it when he did go near those areas.
âThey have it bad,â Arthur muttered, eyes closed as he too rested his folded arms behind his head. He could feel Lorenzoâs eyes burning into the side of his head at the mention of his little trips outside the castle walls without anyone. âItâs like dad forgets they exist and just shoves them to the side.â He shifts to French casually as his mind thought on the way they live.
âOh,â he nibbles on his bottom lip as his eyes counted the stars.
He loves the stars, truly does, he wishes he could join them for a moment and just sparkle and dance up there as they guide people home, forming little imagery onto the sky too. He wouldnât want to stay forever, would find it too boring, but heâll like to know what being a star was like.
He even wanted to know how to find these constellations, he reads books and searches the web for tips on how to spot them, but still, as night passes he still finds himself struggling to even find the beginning of one.
âWhen Iâm King I wouldnât push them to the sideâŠweâll be equals.â
âCute vision,â Eric utters in French. âBut that isnât as easy as you make it out to be.â
The boys laid in silence as they watched different things. Like for Arthur he was seeing those weird dots you see when your eyes are shut. For Lorenzo, he was still admiring the stars along with Charles. For Eric, he was watching the trees wave in the gentle breeze. And Pierre was sat up, knees brought to his chest as he pulled out strands of grass and twisted them around his fingers to act as a ring.
âSheâs quite pretty, no?â Pierre whispered in French, loud enough for them to hear, but they knew the question was more aimed towards his best friend than any of the others.
âWho?â Charles asks, responding back in the same language, oblivious to what Pierre was getting at as he connected the dots his own way to form a future for himself. Â
âThis âRobin Hoodâ girl.â
âDoes it matter?â Pierre sighed as he looked up from the strand of grass, only to stare at his friendâs side profile as he babbled on in French and avoided a simple question. âIâd prefer if sheâs a good person than if she looks nice.â
âBut sheâs pretty, no?â Pierre arches a brow, corner of his lip pointing up into a smirk as he hears his friend sigh and close his eyes.
âOui.â
                           â„àčââââââââââââââââàčâ„
               Present Day â February.
 Leather boots walked among the cobblestones, dressed in a cream shirt, dark trousers, and a navy hooded jacket, with the hood over their heads, the two now fourteen-year-olds moved beneath the ever-blue sky with lacy, white-edged clouds that formed a perfect line-up in the blue, as if they were boats safely moored in a celestial harbour, with the singing birds soaring above as they acted as the fishes of the skies.
Across the cobbled streets, critters ran across, dodging the horses trotting down, nodding their heads side-to-side. One of the fourteen-year-olds had to resist the urge to stroke the horsesâ head, as they didnât know what would happen if they were caught outside the castle.
The two made their way towards a concluded alleyway and as they grew closer to the towering brick wall at the end, they decided they would climb over it once they reached that issue. The taller one of the pair, kneeled down first, linking his hands together as it hovered over his propped up knee, the other placed their foot on the other hands, feeling them boost them up for them to be able to grab ahold of the top edge of the wall, their hand brushed against a tea-stained paper hanging on the wall, but before it could move up any further, an arrow whistled past them, skidding the side of the shorter oneâs fingers as it hit and wobbled in the poster beside him.
The action made the pair pause, the kneeled down one looked up whilst the other looked over his shoulder to try and find the one who shot the arrow. The taller one let the shorter one down before he takes a watchful step in front of him as they watched the alleywayâs self-crafted shadows in front of them carefully.
Approaching out the shadows was a slightly shorter, and hooded figure, the bow in their hand was still raised whilst the other was over their shoulders, plucking out another arrow from their brown quiver. They stepped into the light more as they nocked their arrow, drawing the string back as they made the pair their target. The archer was dressed in a dark forest green cape with black cargo trousers and ruined boots. Their clothes were already covered in mud, and they watched as the figure instructed with their head for the two to lower their hoods and raise their arms.
âMoney, now.â The hooded figure demanded.
âYou can shove that arrow right up whereââ
âThatâs not very princey of you,â they smirk under their hood. âDid the King never tell you how dangerous it was out here?â
âPrincey isnât even a word,â the tallest of the pair folded their arms, muttering.
âMoney, now.â They released the arrow; it skimmed past and shot threw the first arrow they released.
One of the two threw a small satchel of coins and the hooded figure just sighed as they placed their bow over their head, nestling it at a safe angle across her back.
âYouâre Robin Hood.â The Prince breathlessly says as he watches her pick up the small satchel of coins.
She hums, bowing down dramatically as she grins up at the pair. âIt is I,â she then raises from her bowing position and places a hand on her chest as she takes a step closer to the two. âAnd you two are Prince Charles Leclerc and hisâŠPierre Gasly?â The figure now stands a few feet away from them now, pushing down her hood for the pair of them to look at her. âShouldnât you two beâŠI donât knowâŠanywhere but here?â
Pierre mouth fell agape at the sight of her.
âYou must know,â she continues, âwe donât like your type very much?â
âAnd what is our type?â Charles arches a brow, arms mimicking his best friends as he folds them across his chest.
âRich pricks,â she offers them a fake smile, as she rounds them, ripping the poster off from her arrows as she inspects it, the two boys didnât dare to make a run for it. They knew the stories already, even if they ran she would still catch up with them.
Her brows raise. âStill just ÂŁ50,000? Is that all Iâm worth to you guys,â the corner of her lips quirk up. âSuppose I should do something soon to make that go higher, ay?â The pair stayed silent as she span on her heel and moved closer to the wall to take down the other poster from the wall.
Their eyes were on her back as she looks down at both posters, they hear an airy laugh leave her lips.
She now turns back to face the two as she presented the two posters to them, as if it was the first time they ever saw them. âAt least they can get my nose right,â she comments as she peers over at the other wanted poster. âUnlike Dannyâs.â
âYou justââ
âTold you Little Johnâs name?â She looks up, a smirk still playing at her lips. âThought our little rat told the royals that already?â They shook their heads as she hummed in surprise. âWell, it be rude to not introduce ourselves, no? Considering weâll be the ones who will take down your type of people.â She scrunches the posters up in her hands before stuffing it into her trousers pocket, she then holds out her hands for the pair to shake. âIâm Y/n â Y/n L/n, and my mate is Daniel Ricciardo.â She awaits for them to shake her hand, but their pair just stays staring at. âSuppose you donât shake a peasant hand,â she puts her hand down, âproves to show why we donât respect you.â She spat out before shrugging her shoulders as she too mimicked the way their arms were crossed against their chest. âDo what you wish with our names, no doubt that little mole be telling that King sooner or later.â
âYouâve got quite the reputation.â Pierre couldnât help but say.
âReputation?â She tilts her head, smirk still playing at her lips, they thought it was painted on as not once have they ever seen it fall, except the small falter of it when neither of them shook her hand. âI have a reputation?â
âYeah, the steal from the rich and give to the poor reputation.â
She lets out another airy laugh.
âIâm just doing what the King canât do.â Y/n half-shrugs as she pulls her hood back on. âWe arenât lucky like you, Princey.â Her eyes shifts to just focus on Charles.
âItâs still not a word,â Pierre comments next to Charles.
âStill donât care,â she rubbed her dirty hand down her face. âWe donât have people running us a bath and we donât have someone baking my bread, but at least I know that I earned that bread; and my god do I deserve it.â
âThey say youâre a common theft.â
âCanât be common with that price over my head.â She teased, sniffling her nose slightly as she looked around before looking at Charles again, the one who was mainly speaking to her now.
She noticed how clean the pair looked and how well put together they were. They didnât look as slim as she did as they were able to get the food they needed. Their hairs were slightly longer than she expected it to truly be, she thought their highly paid hairdressers would be there giving them a nicer cut, but instead they looked like two teens who were just experiencing different styles for their hair.
The thirteen-year-old girl looked at the two fourteen-year-olds curiously, examining every difference they had over her. They held themselves tall, but their eyes held a sense of disorientation in them, it was like they were a lost puppy, not knowing what to do or where to go.
âDo you think Iâm a criminal?â She questioned. âIt wouldnât matter if you do. Weâre not going be friends,â she rambles. âJust curious to know how you see uââ
âNo.â Charles answered over her short rambling, and she stopped and looked over at them. âI donât think youâre a criminal for trying to keep everyone alive.â
Y/n titled her head to the side.
âYou donât know what itâs like do you?â She asked quietly, and for once in their meeting she wasnât carrying that smirk. âYou really donât know how bad it is, do you?â
They just shook their heads.
âItâs best you donât,â she cleared her throat. âDonât need to save anymore of you guys.â
Pierre raises a brow. âWho have you saved?â
âEric and Lorenzo,â she purses her lips, âmore times than I can count on one hand.â
âMy younger brother, Arthur,â Charles begins, âhe hasnât been around here, has he?â
âWhy? Scared weâll do something?â She rolls her eyes. âI havenât seen him, but I hear heâs with Wyatt and Lando a lot.â
âWho are they exactly?â
âGood kids that you wonât ever go near,â she narrows her eyes at them. âIn fact, it be best if the pair of you leave Aramore and donât come back. Tell those three that too. Stick to your little rich friends and the things you know, alright? And Iâll go home and tell my folks that I hit the jackpot, that I robbed the Prince and his knight in training.â She takes one more step closer to them. âIf this was a story, Iâll die in the end. You know, with being wanted and all. They know enough and Iâm surprised they havenât caught me at least once yet.â Y/n shook her head as she walks past the pair. âGo back to your little castle.â
âHuh,â Pierre unfolds his arms. âShe really donât like us.â
Charles shakes his head, âbut perhaps we can change her mind.â He states as he too puts his hood back on, Pierre copying before they walk out of the alleyway. Despite her leaving mere seconds before them, she was nowhere in sight when they exited the one-way alleyway.
âGet your Daily News right here!â A voice yelled as he held a stack of newspapers whilst the boy next to him waved one in the air, holding his cap out for change to fall into. âGet your Dailyââ
Charles hits Pierre in the arm, nodding his head towards the two, what he presumes, are twelve-year-olds. They swiftly make their way towards them, standing in front of them as Charles places two coins into their cap.
âBonjour,â Pierre greets with a smile as he takes down his hood, watching as the boys faces drop at the sight of his hood falling, their eyes then switch to Charles, who also pushed down his hood. âWeâll like a paper, sâil te plait.â
The boys looked between one another in confusion before they handed the dark-haired boy a paper.
âNot to be rude but what you doing here?â One of the British boys asked as the other elbowed his side.
âLando!â He whispered loudly.
âWyatt â they shouldnât be here. What if Y/n and Danielââ
Pierre and Charles looks at one another at the mention of the boys names. These must be the ones that Arthur sneaks out to hang out with.
âOh,â Pierre smiles, âweâve met that Robin Hood friend of yours. Robbed us and everything.â
Wyatt looks into his hat with a frown, âclearly not well enough.â
Charles tucks the paper under his left arm.
Lando carefully looks around to see if anyone else has noticed the Prince and his Knight in training with them, he then leans forwards slightly to speak with them quietly. âAramore doesnât like your family very much, your highness,â Lando quips.
âBut our Robin Hood and Little John have always held the highest of hatred for those in Eynsworth and spits at the names of the Leclercâs who has wrong us all,â Wyatt continued off from Lando.
âMy father is a good man,â Charles tries to convince the boy, perhaps even try and convince himself, but the two Aramore boys just shakes their heads with laughter.
âSuppose she is right after all. All you rich folks are as stupid as it comes.â Charles and Pierre share a look.
âBut you met her?â Lando speaks up again. âLike you actually met her?â
They both nod.
âAnd she didnât knock either of you out?â He watched the pair freeze. âOh,â Lando pauses, âI only asked because of how much she hates your â your type. But Y/n isnât a bad person. Sure, sheâs made mistakes â but sheâs a good person.â
âThought you be more careful with sharing otherâs names like that.â
Wyatt shrugs at Charlesâ pointed look. âDonât need to when the whole city now knows it,â he nods his head to the newspaper under Charlesâ arms. âItâs the headline today â Y/n L/n and Daniel Riccardo are the Robin Hood and Little John. The King doesnât want this shared with the whole world yet though, perhaps thatâs the smartest thing heâs ever asked.â
âSo the mole has already told my father?â
Wyatt only shrugs.
âYou two should really leave though,â Lando stutters out slightly. âAramore wonât be safe for either of you and when night comes it will only become even more dangerous.â
âIt is a full moon,â Wyatt smiles and now Lando elbows his side.
âDude!â
âWhat?!â
âYou saying that werewolves be out tonight?â Pierre laughs slightly. âAh, werewolves donât exist.â
Lando and Wyatt share a look.
âJust,â Lando starts again, âjust return to your castle, your highnessesâ.â
                       â„àčââââââââââââââââàčâ„
(As long as anyone could remember, it has always been the Leclercâs throning their land, but it is to be known that they arenât all as bad as RaphaĂ«l and Anna, in fact, they are the only two that anyone could remember being so terrible. His father was a good man â a good King who died far too soon, and then there was RaphaĂ«lâs older brother, but no one can remember what happened to him, one moment he was there preparing to be King himself, and the next thing they heard was that he left and wouldnât be returning and that RaphaĂ«l shall be King instead.
Many things crumbled when RaphaĂ«l become King, our Robin Hood was about two years old when life become worst, never seeing what life was like before, only knew them from the stories others would tell her, and those stories sketched the idea of revolution into her brain, one could argue that itâs always been in her blood and all she needed was a single lit match to guide her to see it.
So, for as long as she could remember, she always had a desire for revolution, to overthrow RaphaĂ«l Leclerc in any way possible and bring back the life that only her ears were ever blessed with hearing. Bring back the world where one shouldnât be afraid that in a matter of a second they could be stabbed, or questioning if that snap of a twig was a person following them instead of an innocent deer, and even bring back the world where everyone isnât just waiting for another war too happen.
She wants to bring back the world where others were seen more as equals, the world where the poor was being helped and werenât clinging onto their last seconds of life, and the world where the rich werenât so greedy and treacherous and kissed the ground for a man who usurped the crown.
Robin Hood was the peopleâs only hope. She robbed from the rich to feed the poor. She was beloved by all people from England, and by the age of twelve, she was known and loved in other countries. Robin and her best mate Little John â also known as Y/n L/n and Daniel Ricciardo â are found hidden in Aramore, one of Englandâs poorest townâs.
King Raphaël has heard rumours on this information, but it is yet to be confirmed to the rich if it she truly awaits in Aramore.
You know, thereâs been a heap of legends and tall tales about our Robin Hood. All different too. Well, fellow readers, here is the true version).
                        â„àčââââââââââââââââàčâ„
âThis is the story of how I died.â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
âY/n!â Daniel shoved the younger girlâs shoulder who was left chuckling at the frozen states of youngsterâs with their mouths wide open.
âHow can you be dead?â One questioned, tilting their head. âYou look alive.â
âBecause she is.â Daniel gave a short glare to his best friend before turning his head to beam at the kids. âShe just messing with you,â he elbows her side. âJokester this one.â The children looked between the two. âNow, Y/n, tell the real story.â
âFine,â she rolls her eyes, âthis one is more boring though â Once Upon A TimeâŠâ
(Y/n L/n and Daniel Ricciardo werenât originally from Eynsworth, instead they were from a town called Neverland â which was a small island in the region of the Harsano Islands. They were both raised in an orphanage that was ran by some very cruel people. They all evacuated though when their country got overtaken by RaphaĂ«l.
They all escaped to England; Y/n was just nine).
The Orphanage â The Lost Boys â were a worldly known orphanage that many thought to be a good, well-run place, instead, for the children that lived there, it was like a game of survival. Y/n L/n and Daniel Ricciardo were always trouble, even back then, both being secretly taught how to survive by a woman who was only meant to teach them English, but instead she was their mentor for fighting, how to use a bow and arrow, and basic survival skills.
It happened away from eyes that would hurt them terribly if they ever discovered the truth, whether that was children that will tell on them or if it was Peter Pan and Cruella De Vil themselves catching sight of this little self-made club.
Growing up, they were taught on how to be everything wrong â in the eyes of the owners it was everything right â with being raised with the wrong thoughts of the poor and how they should be mistreated, that creatures out there should be killed, and even the fact that if one isnât hurt then they will never learn.
Children shouldnât have parents, and they shouldnât grow up either.
They shouldnât know how to survive in the real world, and they shouldnât be able to protect themselves.
Y/n was told she was wrong in the way she thought, that children have a mind of their own, and that they will all grow up and leave Pan and Cruella here in this huge building alone â Pan didnât like what the six-year-old was telling him, not one bit, so in front of everyoneâs eyes, he bashed a rock into the side of her head until she fell unconscious, only waking up at the feeling of a cold flannel being pressed against her head by Daniel and their mentor â Tania â checking her over.
She still carries that scar on the top of her head.
She was six years old when Peter Pan and Cruella De Vil saw her as their main target to hurt, Y/n didnât mind though, as long as the other children were left unharmed, then sheâll carry as many scars that will tell her tale.
âMy mother wasnât a good person,â Y/n mentioned one day in her training, when she was just seven years old, Tania raised her brows in surprise that Y/n knew this, she wasnât meant to know but here she was talking about it, âShe â it was mentioned in my file.â
âYou read your file?â
She nods. âI just wanted to know more aboutâŠI just wanted to find outââ
âNo,â Tania shook her head. âYou shouldnât have looked at that.â
âI didnât think it be bad,â Y/n frowned, looking down at her feet as she kicked a piece of gravel from the ground away. âWhy did you agree to do this after what my â what she did? I could be the same, you know.â
âYou arenât,â Tania was quick to mention. âYou arenât the same and you never will be. Your mother was a bad person, I know this to be true. I know this as she was the one who slit my daughterâs throat. But if Iâd seen even an ember of that cruelty in you I never wouldâve agreed to mentor you,â Tania took a step forwards, rubbing a gentle thumb across Y/nâs cheek before holding her hands in a motherly hold. âShe may have given birth to you, but she doesnât get to decide who you become â you do that.â
âWas my father a better person at least.â
âHe was one of the greatest men I have ever met, he just, he fell for the wrong person and death caught up with him sooner than we would have liked.â Tania squeezes the youngsterâs hand. âHe would have loved you and would been so proud of you.â
âMaybe not,â Y/n shrugs, âmaybe not because if he was still alive then I wouldnât be here, I would be living with him and I would be a different person.â
Y/n was still seven years old when there was news that Cruellaâs new fur-coat belonged to the creature that she yells to all on how she believes theyâre all bad, and all should be skinned alive, she never was quiet on her hatred for werewolves. It was still the same day when a friend of hers questioned her opinion on werewolves â Wyatt Poitier.
âAre they bad?â The girl shoots them a confused look. âWerewolves? Are they bad? Cruella says they are â says they deserve nothing but painful death. She always said that when she finds one, she will kill it, and wear it as a fur coat.â
Y/n doesnât think they are. Not all at least. She knows a few, all nice and all just scared humans who have extreme attributes that the average human do not carry, and perhaps their even more terrified of themselves than others are of them, because each time the moon is full they must go through the painful transition that causes others to call them a monster.
However, she was never clueless on the horrifying one that lived over in England.
Her werewolvesâ friends never asked to be who they are though, they never asked to be something people find only in their nightmares. Where once someone discovers that secret, most will treat them differently, will want their death to full upon them, and some will begin to silently judge them before a simple hello is ever spilled again. Â
âNo,â she shakes her head. âI donât think they are. Theyâre just people who also happen to be wolves. Some are good. Some are bad. Just like people.â
âPan agrees with Cruella.â
âWell,â Y/n sits up, and leans her back against her headboard of her bed. âThey would say that when theyâre just the same as the bad wolves.â
The two days before they evacuated to England, Y/n and Danielâs mentor was found dead, the news the next day insisted she died from the fire of the orphanage burning from the children â but Y/n knew it couldnât be right as she knew no one was left in the building when she lit the match to start the amber glow.
Y/n carried the belief that it was Pan, Cruella, and the King â who was seen in Neverland earlier that week.
Y/n was just nine when she escaped to England, and she was still only nine when she become the Robin Hood who had revolution fogging up her brain.
 âAnd just at that moment, the ugly little frog looked up with his sad, round eyes, and pleaded, âoh, please dear princess, only a kiss from you can break this terrible spell.ââ Y/n spoke to the kids as she told them a story she had memorised in her brain due to the amount of times the children of the orphanage read it to one another. âAndââ
There was a sharp three knocks that echoed throughout the small, stoned room, all the kids that sat cross-legged on the ground whipped their heads round to look at the door, whilst only Daniel and Y/n had to lift their heads up a little. They all await for the handle of the door to be pulled down, but yet, it never does, not until Daniel calls out a âcome in,â did the handle move and the door was pushed open ever so slightly, enough for young Wyatt to nervously poke his head in as he looked at the duo.
âEr,â he looked over his shoulder at something, âyou two wonât like this but,â he looks at them again, âthereâs a visitor for you,â he mutters before moving away and slamming the door shut.
The pair moved away from the self-crafted beanbags as they moved towards the door, ignoring the pleads from the children as they asked them to come back and finish the story. Daniel was quick to reassure them that they be back after they see who was outside. Slowly, the children moved from the floor and went off to play with some of the toys in the room.
The two slowly moved out of the door, but a hand was quick to land on Danielâs chest as they tried to push him back into the room before he could even close the door behind him.
âWyatt what are you-â
âChange of plans, they only want to see Y/n right now.â Wyatt whispers as he pushes Daniel back into the room whilst Wyatt followed closely behind, closing the door as he goes, leaving Y/n outside, hands on her hips as she squinted to try and find this visitor.
âThis is ridiculous where is,â her eyes fall on a slightly taller figure standing in front of her, her face scrunches up in disgust. âWhat are you doing back here?â
The figure removes his hood.
âIâll keep my hood up if I were you, donât want anyone to pass by and see who you are.â She utters as she takes a look around to see if anyone was close by whilst he pulls his hood back over his head. âI thought I told you earlier that you should return back to your castle. And whereâs that friend of yours? Not out here is he? Better not be causing any trouâ â
Charles rolls his eyes. âHeâs with the horses.â His fingers nervously reach to the side of his cloak, running up and down the steam of it as he looked at the girl in front. âI wanted to come back and apologise.â Y/n raised a brow. âLook, I just think we got off on the wrong foot.â
âWell, I think we did too.â
âOkayââ
âBut I appreciate your apology.â
âApology?â Charles breathlessly laughs before scrunching his face up. âWho said anything about an apology? I was just sayingââ
âPlease donât talk anymore, okay?â She crosses her arms over her chest as she turns to look away from him. âItâs only going to upset me.â
âWell you have already me upset soââ
âIs this about robbing you?â She turns to look at him, hands dropping to her side before raising her right hand to gesture towards him. âCome on, like thatâs going to hurt your bank account.â
Charles chose to ignore this as he put his hand into his pocket and pulled out an envelope, he held it out for Y/n to take.
âSo you wouldnât shake my hand, but youâll happily hand me things?â
âYour really annoying, has anyone ever told you that?â
She pinches the other side of the envelope, leaving it to dangle down as she held it from a corner. âWhat is this?â
âReal matureââ
âHey if you didnât want to shake my hand, then I donât even want to touch you.â She eyes the golden colour of it, it almost matching her reward posters. There was no cursive writing addressing to who it was for, but it did have the blue royal stamp sealing it shut. She had to resist the urge to roll her eyes at it, but she should have guessed it was an envelope from the Leclercâs due to it being handed to her by one. Â
As she ignores the colour of the envelope, she notices, without much surprise, that it was made of high-quality paper with a slightly rough feel to it â it wasnât like the recycled stuff with bits in it like the people of Aramore use. It was just thick and heavy like letters from hundred of years ago.
Well, it be no shock if they were still using material for letters that they once did many times ago, the rich liked the traditional, they werenât ones for big changes, so it should come to no shock that their paper felt like a rich metal, or that they werenât even with the times and recycling their paper.
âI wanted to give you one,â Charles shrugs. âI thought it be a nice thing to do andââ
âThis isnât going to be the leading cause to my death is it?â
His eyes widen, âI hope not.â He responds in French, watching as Y/nâs face scrunches up from not understanding a word he just said. âOh,â he frowns slightly, âI said I hope not.â
She clicks her tongue at the root of her mouth as she continues to eye the envelope and the boy in front. âCan you go now?â She questions, and before she could even watch if he does leave this time or not, she was already heading back inside to the small room she once was in, coming face-to-face with an annoyed Daniel and a Wyatt wouldnât stop shifting on his feet.
âWhatâs that?â Daniel points to the thing that was still pinched in between Y/nâs thumb and forefinger.
âPoison,â she mutters, still eyeing it up in disgust.
âO-Oh, Y/n,â Wyatt stutters, âYou must go,â The duoâs brows knitted together at Wyattâs wording as they watched his eyes lit up at the sighting of what she was pinching. âYou must! It be an amazing opportunity for you and, oh, Y/n, you canât run forever; heâll find you one day,â Wyatt warned. âJust go and have some fun and do what you do best; steal.â
âWho says Iâm running?â Y/n lets out a scoff, which was slightly merged into an airy laugh too, âIâve been here for the last five years, and if he ever gets the courage to come for me, Iâll still be right here.â
She understood that Wyatt must have figured out that this was from the royals, and by he, he must mean the King, and perhaps Wyatt thought this was a letter personally from the King, and maybe he believed this letter was going to mend everything.
But it wasnât â that only happens in fairytales.
âBut Y/nââ
Her finger slides underneath the lip of the envelope, tearing it open. She watches how the royal blue stamp that had a golden rose engraved onto it and is then surrounded with an aureate circular frame, splits into a near perfect half.
She tugs the folded black card out; she then holds it in one hand whilst the other crushes the envelope into a ball.
With her other hand, her thumb slips up from the bottom of the card, pressing down on the lined spine to open it up. Swiftly falling down like snow on a winterâs morning came two glistening silver and black tickets. The silver glitter littered across it shimmered like those elegant mirror balls found hanging from those darkened ceilings, producing thousands of different circular lights around the room.
She ignores them, but Daniel doesnât as he bends down to collect them, eyes widening just like his friendâs as they read the same word, however one read it from the tickets, and the other read from the letter itself.
 Youâre invited to The Royal Leclercâs Masquerade Ball.
References (in order of appearances): reference to chicken little || reference to tangled || reference to swan princess || reference to robin hood || reference to robin hood || reference to tangled || reference to robin hood || reference to tangled || reference to peter pan || reference to peter pan || reference to peter pan || reference to 101 dalmatians || reference to the princess and the frog || reference to anastasia ||
Detailed References and Taglist found in reblog
Likes/Reblogs/Comments always appreciated along with any ideas one may have as this very long series proceed.Â
Act One Masterlist//Character Profiles//Playlist
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