Alleyne - The Headless Horseman (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ridesheadless) wrote2015-02-18 11:43 am
ridesheadless) wrote2015-02-18 11:43 am
Death has no Descrimination
Emma dropped to her knees, eyes wide and jaw open in shock. Clearly a scream longed to escape her throat but nothing came. Only choking, labored noises croaked forth. She trembled violently, the gravity of the situation setting in. Regina fared no better; she knelt beside Emma, tears running down her face, loud sobs piercing the night.
Henry was dead.
Alleyne stood a few feet from the three of them, waiting inevitably for the command from Regina to revive the boy. Her dark green eyes fell upon the lifeless little form cradled in Emma’s arms. Already his color had faded significantly, darkness forming beneath his eyes. As Alleyne focused on him, she realized that the order hadn’t come. They’d accepted the finality of death.
Alleyne sighed and pushed past Regina to kneel in front of Emma, arms outstretched.
“Give him to me.”
Emma looked up, eyes wider – if such a thing were possible. Regina leaned forward to put herself between Horseman and Savior. “If you think I’m letting you take my son anywhere-“
“Don’t argue with me!” Alleyne roared, roughly shouldering Regina aside. “We don’t have time, just give him to me!”
Emma hesitated once again, clutching her son closer to her chest. Reluctant, like Regina, to let him go. Alleyne held her arms out more insistently, wishing she could tell them precisely why – but obviously unable to do so.
“Trust me…please.”
The two mothers glanced between each other. Clearly Regina still had reservations, but Emma seemed more convinced – thanks to her ‘superpower’ no doubt. Despite a scathing glance from the Queen, Emma reached forward and carefully handed her son over to the Headless Horseman. Alleyne took Henry in her arms and glanced off behind her.
“Go find the others,” Alleyne ordered as she gently lay Henry down on the ground. Regina started to protest, Emma stiffened but Alleyne glared up at them both. “Trust. Me. I’ll fix this but you two have to go!”
Both women seemed puzzled by that, and Alleyne silently cursed herself for saying too much. But slowly they stood and left to find Killian, Mary Margaret and David. Once they were gone Alleyne stood up. She focused all her energy, picturing the little demon spirits of Death that harvested freshly-passed souls to deliver to reapers like herself. Alleyne pulled her machete from its scabbard and held it straight out to her side. Her green eyes rimmed red before burning completely so, like fire.
“I know you’re there.”
Darkness washed over them. They weren’t alone for long though – a hooded figure approached in a cloak of dark velvet. Alleyne’s eyes narrowed and she dropped her weapon parallel to her side.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of this little summons, Horseman?” The figure had a female voice, light and giggly, but with an edge of malice and venom that set Alleyne’s teeth on edge. She dropped her hood, revealing ebony curls that fell in a cascade down to her shoulders.
“…Gothel,” Alleyne growled with no small amount of annoyance. “I’ll make this quick, heaven knows I don’t want to be around you any longer than absolutely necessary. The soul that just passed here, this boy, I know you have it-“
“Well of course I do!” Gothel laughed haughtily, trying to upstage Alleyne after the insult she’d just been paid. “Silly goose – surely you didn’t forget that such was my deal with our Master? I get my eternal youth from the souls of deceased children, as long as I deliver the souls themselves to Lord Death.”
“Yeah, yeah, everyone knows and heard it a hundred times over. Whatever. That’s not why I’m here,” Alleyne snapped. “The soul of this boy. Give it to me.”
Gothel gave a surprised little look, a slow smirk playing across her face. “What possible interest could you have in one of my marks?”
“None of your blasted business.”
Gothel pouted, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth and wagging a finger at Alleyne. “Now, now, that’s no way to ask a favor, now is it? Naughty.”
With a wave of her hand, Gothel summoned a little blue ball into her palm. It almost resembled a heart, but soft blue flames surrounded it, though the one in her hand seemed to flicker weakly. Her eyes flashed up to Alleyne and she smiled wickedly.
“What’s so special about this soul to you, Alleyne?”
Without a moment’s hesitation the Horseman answered by bringing her machete up and aiming the tip right at Gothel’s face. “I already said it’s none of your business.”
“It’s one of my souls. That makes it my business,” Gothel snapped. Showing the faintest crack in her sickeningly sweet façade. “Besides, you’re already on thin ice with Lord Death. I want to know what’s so important to you about this soul that you’d risk angering the Master further.”
“You let me worry about Death. Whatever consequences he has for this, I’ll deal with, now give it up!” Alleyne snapped. “I don’t have time for this shit!”
“Ooh, so snippy!” Gothel laughed before haphazardly tossing the soul to Alleyne, who caught it and clutched it securely against her own chest. “Let it not be said that I never do favors for my comrades! You realize that you owe me for this, do you not?”
Alleyne didn’t respond, she simply dropped her blade to her side again and looked to Henry’s soul, examining it for damage and sighing in relief when she found it to be in order. Her dark green eyes flashed up to Gothel. “We’re done here.”
“For now, darling,” Gothel waved her fingers at Alleyne before she and the darkness surrounding them disappeared.
Alleyne and Henry were alone again.
She dropped down to her knees beside the lifeless boy. Alleyne brought the flickering blue soul up to her face, whispering soft words in a language not spoken nor heard in centuries. She then blew softly over it, rousing the flames a bit before positioning it over his chest. Alleyne took a deep breath, nervous, praying silently.
If this worked, she knew it would only be allowed this once. Death wouldn’t tolerate such disobedience a second time. God forbid anyone witness the ceremony and demand she revive more lost loved ones. Little did they realize that something like this could only work if someone had just passed – and even then it was a longshot, Alleyne had no guarantee that this would work.
She focused on the center of his chest, right over his heart. Suddenly she thrust the soul straight into his chest, focusing all her energy on bonding the boy’s soul with his body once again. Silently Alleyne begged Death to hear her, to let the boy live again – for the sake of others if not for himself.
Henry’s eyes snapped open and he gasped for breath.
Henry was dead.
Alleyne stood a few feet from the three of them, waiting inevitably for the command from Regina to revive the boy. Her dark green eyes fell upon the lifeless little form cradled in Emma’s arms. Already his color had faded significantly, darkness forming beneath his eyes. As Alleyne focused on him, she realized that the order hadn’t come. They’d accepted the finality of death.
Alleyne sighed and pushed past Regina to kneel in front of Emma, arms outstretched.
“Give him to me.”
Emma looked up, eyes wider – if such a thing were possible. Regina leaned forward to put herself between Horseman and Savior. “If you think I’m letting you take my son anywhere-“
“Don’t argue with me!” Alleyne roared, roughly shouldering Regina aside. “We don’t have time, just give him to me!”
Emma hesitated once again, clutching her son closer to her chest. Reluctant, like Regina, to let him go. Alleyne held her arms out more insistently, wishing she could tell them precisely why – but obviously unable to do so.
“Trust me…please.”
The two mothers glanced between each other. Clearly Regina still had reservations, but Emma seemed more convinced – thanks to her ‘superpower’ no doubt. Despite a scathing glance from the Queen, Emma reached forward and carefully handed her son over to the Headless Horseman. Alleyne took Henry in her arms and glanced off behind her.
“Go find the others,” Alleyne ordered as she gently lay Henry down on the ground. Regina started to protest, Emma stiffened but Alleyne glared up at them both. “Trust. Me. I’ll fix this but you two have to go!”
Both women seemed puzzled by that, and Alleyne silently cursed herself for saying too much. But slowly they stood and left to find Killian, Mary Margaret and David. Once they were gone Alleyne stood up. She focused all her energy, picturing the little demon spirits of Death that harvested freshly-passed souls to deliver to reapers like herself. Alleyne pulled her machete from its scabbard and held it straight out to her side. Her green eyes rimmed red before burning completely so, like fire.
“I know you’re there.”
Darkness washed over them. They weren’t alone for long though – a hooded figure approached in a cloak of dark velvet. Alleyne’s eyes narrowed and she dropped her weapon parallel to her side.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of this little summons, Horseman?” The figure had a female voice, light and giggly, but with an edge of malice and venom that set Alleyne’s teeth on edge. She dropped her hood, revealing ebony curls that fell in a cascade down to her shoulders.
“…Gothel,” Alleyne growled with no small amount of annoyance. “I’ll make this quick, heaven knows I don’t want to be around you any longer than absolutely necessary. The soul that just passed here, this boy, I know you have it-“
“Well of course I do!” Gothel laughed haughtily, trying to upstage Alleyne after the insult she’d just been paid. “Silly goose – surely you didn’t forget that such was my deal with our Master? I get my eternal youth from the souls of deceased children, as long as I deliver the souls themselves to Lord Death.”
“Yeah, yeah, everyone knows and heard it a hundred times over. Whatever. That’s not why I’m here,” Alleyne snapped. “The soul of this boy. Give it to me.”
Gothel gave a surprised little look, a slow smirk playing across her face. “What possible interest could you have in one of my marks?”
“None of your blasted business.”
Gothel pouted, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth and wagging a finger at Alleyne. “Now, now, that’s no way to ask a favor, now is it? Naughty.”
With a wave of her hand, Gothel summoned a little blue ball into her palm. It almost resembled a heart, but soft blue flames surrounded it, though the one in her hand seemed to flicker weakly. Her eyes flashed up to Alleyne and she smiled wickedly.
“What’s so special about this soul to you, Alleyne?”
Without a moment’s hesitation the Horseman answered by bringing her machete up and aiming the tip right at Gothel’s face. “I already said it’s none of your business.”
“It’s one of my souls. That makes it my business,” Gothel snapped. Showing the faintest crack in her sickeningly sweet façade. “Besides, you’re already on thin ice with Lord Death. I want to know what’s so important to you about this soul that you’d risk angering the Master further.”
“You let me worry about Death. Whatever consequences he has for this, I’ll deal with, now give it up!” Alleyne snapped. “I don’t have time for this shit!”
“Ooh, so snippy!” Gothel laughed before haphazardly tossing the soul to Alleyne, who caught it and clutched it securely against her own chest. “Let it not be said that I never do favors for my comrades! You realize that you owe me for this, do you not?”
Alleyne didn’t respond, she simply dropped her blade to her side again and looked to Henry’s soul, examining it for damage and sighing in relief when she found it to be in order. Her dark green eyes flashed up to Gothel. “We’re done here.”
“For now, darling,” Gothel waved her fingers at Alleyne before she and the darkness surrounding them disappeared.
Alleyne and Henry were alone again.
She dropped down to her knees beside the lifeless boy. Alleyne brought the flickering blue soul up to her face, whispering soft words in a language not spoken nor heard in centuries. She then blew softly over it, rousing the flames a bit before positioning it over his chest. Alleyne took a deep breath, nervous, praying silently.
If this worked, she knew it would only be allowed this once. Death wouldn’t tolerate such disobedience a second time. God forbid anyone witness the ceremony and demand she revive more lost loved ones. Little did they realize that something like this could only work if someone had just passed – and even then it was a longshot, Alleyne had no guarantee that this would work.
She focused on the center of his chest, right over his heart. Suddenly she thrust the soul straight into his chest, focusing all her energy on bonding the boy’s soul with his body once again. Silently Alleyne begged Death to hear her, to let the boy live again – for the sake of others if not for himself.
Henry’s eyes snapped open and he gasped for breath.