༻❁༺

Something about having control over your life was just so entertaining to her. She'd pull on each and every string around you, so carefully yet recklessly – far enough to draw you to the brink of death yet just enough for her to arrive the at the last second, taking her place as the reverent knight in shining armor, when she'd been the very beast that held you captive.

It helped that she knew how important she'd become to you, not that you'd ever admit it out loud. From how you'd subconsciously look for her upon danger's approach, to the relief you'd breathe out at the sight of her; it told her enough, really. Only a dense buffoon couldn't see that.

She's well aware of the risk that her sick little hobby entails, that you'd eventually fall too far for her to reach for you, that she could one day slip up, and that you'd eventually sever all ties with her. But it didn't worry her, not even one bit. After all, it was the thrill of the game, and what fun would it be without a dash of danger to spice things up?

And if you did find out, there wasn't anything a little force couldn't solve, no? She practically knows your weaknesses like the back of her palm, and she's already carefully planned out every necessary move, even going as far as mastering every charade. Then again, it wasn't like you could fight back, because even if you did, Sway would always be one too many steps ahead of you, be it through physical prowess or wits.

She isn't very subtle about her following you. Not that she was terrible at hiding, she was just... bold as she'd like to put it. You weren't going to just accuse her of blatantly stalking you after she's rescued you so many times, no? It'd be careless of her to let you go off into this isolated island alone. And besides, she's just looking out for you, nothing more and absolutely nothing less. At least, that's what she'd hope you'd continue thinking.

When your inevitable resistance comes to show itself, her leniency fades away quicker than you could ever hope to react. One moment she could be your doting guardian angel, only for her to part your lips with the metallic taste of her gun in seconds.

She isn't the type to make empty threats when it comes to giving you a choice. Each word she'd utter carried nothing but her true intentions. So choose to deny the opportunity she has oh-so-mercifully offered to you, and she wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger just as she did with your strings.

Only this time, there'd be no valiant knight to save you. Only this time, you'd realize far too late that there'd never been a knight in the first place, and that you'd been mercilessly tormented by a lovesick beast in shining armor.

But you should know that she isn't as patient as you might think. If you fail to make up your mind on time, she'd simply take it upon her hands to choose for you.

The answer should've been simple, really. Surely, you wouldn't choose the cold hard ground over a life far more comfortable than your current one? She'd take care of you better than you ever did yourself, treat you as though you were a god, protect you like a priceless treasure too valuable to look away from even for the slightest moment. She'd be your picture-perfect lover, so as long as you'd be hers too.

It'd only be when you agree to her demands that she reverts into her more forgiving state. To any tourist or islander in Bélóstáin, you seemed like any other couple, but that was only because they didn't know any better. What they'd thought was a passionate woman who was madly in love with her meek and soft-spoken lover was, in reality, a domineering bird-keeper keeping her beloved nightingale in a cage.

She knows just as much as you do that your love isn't genuine, that every action done to gain her trust was merely out of the desire to escape. Your kisses were laced with enmity just as much as your trinkets or gifts were filled with loathing.

Try to report her to the authorities, that is, if you can even manage. You'd always be so close to sneaking away on your own, only for the woman to swoop you into her arms and apologize in your stead before you could possibly let out an ounce of the truth, more so step into the doors of your freedom.

Talking to other islanders or tourists wasn't on the table either as Sway would silence them one way or another. Perhaps it was the reason why Bélóstáin felt so empty, and why no one seemed to take you as seriously as they once did. They thought you weren't in the right state of mind, and those who thought otherwise would only wind up on the newspaper as, once again, another missing person.

After every attempted escape, she'd sweetly remind you of your place. That the cruise isn't arriving until five more weeks, that you're stuck with her on this island of flowers, whether you like it or not. But should you continue to be persistent despite her many warnings, she'd simply have to 'help' you change.

The weather forecast should have told you enough, and if you couldn't be persuaded that way, your friends' quick change of plans and warnings should have done the job. But you were hard-headed, and you wanted to make the most out of this trip by exploring every nook and cranny there was around Bélóstáin.

"I'll just take a quick walk!" you'd told your friends, only to let your feet carry you so far away that by the time thunder began rolling in the distance, you could only curse under your breath.

But by a stroke of luck, a grumpy man in blue came to your rescue. At least, that's what you wanted to think. You couldn't quite tell if he was there to mock your pitiful state or to escort you back to the lodgings. Either way, he seemed annoyed at something, or someone for that matter.

Dahlia, you figured from the flower he wore, cleared his throat before speaking with the most unamused eyes and gritted teeth. "The Oracle invites you to stay in her humble abode."

Your eyes narrowed in suspicion, and you recalled the pamphlet you'd read earlier in the morning explicitly stating that she was not to be disturbed. "What? really?"

"Just- follow me." He sighed, extending an arm, and muttering. "You're lucky that she seemed to be in a good enough mood to let an outsider like you into her residence..."

The castle was far larger than any building you'd seen around the island–even the abandoned manor that rested behind the mountains. It intimidated you, to say the least, and you felt more like a trespasser than a welcome guest.

"You!-" Dahlia furiously pointed at the tall masked man once you both arrived around the entrance, but he was silenced at the sight of a purple petal.

"It's a pleasure seeing you here, (Name)." He gracefully bowed, purposefully ignoring Dahlia, and causing him to angrily stomp away with his umbrella.

"I can just wait here, really." you fiddled with your fingers, looking at the muddy mess you'd made on the outdoor flooring. "I greatly appreciate the Oracle's generosity but-"

As if on cue, the low creaking of the large wooden doors interrupted you, and noiselessly peeking out of it was the Oracle herself.

You gulped.

Dinner was quiet, excluding the sounds of trees tapping against the window due to the harsh wind or the pitter pattering of the rain. And as it turned out, you'd have to stay far longer than you thought. The storm's conditions only worsened, so the Oracle–or Rosemary as she'd insisted–was considerate enough to let you stay the night in one of the guest rooms.

You declined at first, with much respect of course. Making an inconvenience in the life of such a revered figure was the last thing you wished to happen, and your friends were surely worried about you by now. But she shook her head and quickly jotted down what she wanted to say on a notepad.

"The rain and winds are too strong for you to resist with just an umbrella. Tell them tomorrow."

"It's really fine, I-" The sound of lightning striking the ground outside startled you. It was getting irritating–that everything seemed so deliberately planned, that even the forces of nature seemed to play along.

"Ah- I... alright..." you meekly agreed, accepting defeat.

Unsurprisingly, even the guest room was lavish. Nothing less was to be expected coming from the private estate of the uncrowned queen of Bélóstáin, after all. The view from one of the balconies surely would've made a wonderful sight had it not been for the heavy rain–you reckoned you could see the lodgings from it on a clear sunny day.

"This isn't so bad... right?" you sighed and blankly stared at the ceiling before drifting away and into your slumber.

You awoke to the sound of the heavy rain.

The storm didn't seem like it was going to die down any sooner, and knowing how insistent Rosemary could be, she'd likely invite–or more so demand–that you stay within her residence until the unforgiving weather were to finally dissipate.

Not that you weren't grateful, you wouldn't dare be, especially when you'd unintentionally interrupted the already busy Oracle of Bélóstáin. But something felt wrong about the special treatment you'd recieved, like it was simply a means of having your attention directed elsewhere, like eventually, the Oracle would never allow you to leave, even when the weather would eventually calm down.

Alas, it was simply a gut feeling, but who was to say that gut feelings only brought up the impossible?

As much as it was tempting to remain on the comfort of the bed, you'd managed to resist. After getting changed, you made your way to the door, but to your surprise, it wouldn't budge open. You tried peeking underneath it, but there was nothing blocking its way from the other side. Then again, there was also the possibility that you just missed something as the space was too small for you to take a proper look. Forcing the door open would only put you at risk for damaging Rosemary's property, so you concluded that it'd been locked from the other side.

But why?

You heard a voice coming from outside, so you took a look down from the balcony and saw two figures–Rosemary and Dahlia, the former holding an umbrella and the latter holding a shovel; he was drenched in the rain. They were standing by three mounds of dirt, all of which had flowers growing over them.

At first, you figured that the Oracle was just tending to a little garden, but you let out a gasp and your hand flew over your mouth when you saw an arm, then eventually the upper half of what looked like (Friend Name) desperately trying to crawl out of the mound and screaming inaudible words into the rain. From what you'd seen, their body was riddled with cuts and their eye had been pierced by one of the flowers, but you couldn't bear to watch any longer, so you turned away from the scene, sitting with your back resting on the railings.

'(Friend Name)?!' you could only hear the sound of your panicked heart. 'Was that (Friend Name)?! What are they doing here?! Where is everyone else?!'

You fearfully looked down from the balcony again.

Everything was back in place. There was no (Friend Name) crawling out of the mound nor was there any sign of struggle out of it, like nothing had happened at all, and like your paranoia had simply rehearsed the entire scene so realisticly. But Rosemary's blank stare told you the contrary, that you'd just witnessed an attempted murder.

She quickly signed a message to Dahlia, who just as immediately dropped the shovel before making his way out of your view. She looked back up at you before putting a finger over her lips, mouthing a "shhh".

Within seconds, the door to your room burst open, and Dahlia frantically bolted to you whilst fumbling open a messy note. He looked more terrified than as angry as when you'd last seen him, but your face fell when you understood why.

'RUN, THE PLANTS ARE HER EYES AND HER EARS, YOUR FRIENDS, THEY'RE UNDERGROUND, BURIED ALIVE, BY ROSEMARY. SHE WANTS TO-' were all you properly read before blood splattered over the crumpled note in your hands.

You looked at Dahlia, but to your horror, blood dripped out of his mouth and he'd been impaled by a rose-gold spear. Behind him stood none other than Rosemary herself, who looked heartbroken at your frightened face.

Jumping off the balcony was your only choice of escape, and although you were more likely to die than to survive and run away, you took your chances; however, Rosemary followed with no hesitation whatsoever. She caught you right before your impact on the ground, but began strangling you in an attempt to make you pass out.

You struggled to breathe, and your vision was already getting blurry, but you swore, moments before you fell unconscious, you heard the familiar voice of (Friend Name), and a warning hoarsely uttered too late.

"(Name).... run.."

'you weren't supposed to see that, you- but i had no choice...' rosemary finally let go of your neck and was relieved to know that you weren't dead. '(name), i- we can still have our happy ending, can't we...? you'll forget about it... for me, won't you?'

➴ SURVIVORS ༻¨*:·.

"False words are better left asleep, on thy lips, than spoken."

◇ Anne Lester - THE TOY MERCHANT - ✧˖*°࿐

⇴ Once Upon a Dream [Yandere! Hidden! Anne x GN! Reader]

◇ Demi Bourbon - THE BARMAID - ✧˖*°࿐

⇴ How Endearing [Demi x GN! Reader]

◇ Emily Dyer - THE DOCTOR ✧˖*°࿐

⇴ Lovesick [Yandere! Emily x GN! Reader]

⇴ La Vie en Rose [Firefly! Emily x GN! Reader]

◇ Fiona Gilman - THE PRIESTESS - ✧˖*°࿐

⇴ Dornröschen [Yandere! Fiona x GN! Reader]

◇ Martha Behamfil - THE COORDINATOR - ✧˖*°࿐

⇴ Abaddon [Yandere! Sway! Martha x GN! Reader]

⇴ Yandere Sway [Headcanons]

◇ Melly Plinius - THE ENTOMOLOGIST - ✧˖*°࿐

⇴ Cryophobia [Yandere! Sophia! Melly x GN! Reader]

⇴ La Mort [Yandere! Datura! Melly x GN! Servant! Reader] soon

◇ Orpheus - THE NOVELIST - ✧˖*°࿐

⇴ Letters From No One [Orpheus x GN! Reader]

➴ HUNTERS ༻¨*:·.

"Lamentation and woe, peace never shall I know"

◇ Ann - THE DISCIPLE - ✧˖*°࿐

⇴ Uncanny Resemblance [Yandere! Ann x GN! Reader]

◇ Bane Perez - THE GAMEKEEPER - ✧˖*°࿐

⇴ Until We Meet Again [Bane x GN! Gardener! Reader]

⇴ Bane Perez w/ a Gardener from the Manor S/O [Headcanons]

◇ Galatea Claude - THE SCULPTOR - ✧˖*°࿐

⇴ Captivate [Yandere! Galatea x GN! Nurse! Reader]

◇ Grace - THE NAIAD - ✧˖*°࿐

⇴ Heavy Rain [Yandere! Rosemary! Grace! x GN! Reader]

◇ Hastur - THE FEASTER - ✧˖*°࿐

⇴ Follow You [Yandere! Hastur x GN! Reader]

◇ "Mary" Antoinette - THE BLOODY QUEEN - ✧˖*°࿐

⇴ Yandere Lady Bella [Headcanons]

◇ Michiko - THE GEISHA - ✧˖*°࿐

⇴ Monster [Yandere! Lady Thirteen! Michiko x GN! Assassin! Reader]

◇ YIDHRA - THE DREAM WITCH - ✧˖*°࿐

You wanted to confront her, to tell her off and quit whatever she was plotting, but you couldn't find it in your heart to do so. After all, she'd happened to be the only reason you weren't stuck resting in your bed and full of injuries. She was probably just looking after you, albeit a little too much for your comfort. But you hoped that at the very least, she'd leave you alone, even for just a moment, when you talk to the young man who had asked you to meet him somewhere behind the mountain.

A loud bang followed by birds fearfully flying away from the scene immediately cut your train of thought. Panic-stricken and paralyzed in fear, you nervously looked around in a cold sweat, subconsciously searching for your little stalker only for her to be nowhere in sight, much to your surprise and dismay.

To be fair, you asked for it, but fate seemed to heed your calls at the worst time to be left completely alone. It made you irritatedly and regretfully scratch the side of your head. "Ugh, she must have heard me complaining, somehow..."

You let yourself rest for a moment, and once you'd managed to catch your breath, you anxiously made your way back into the safety of the lodgings and company of your fellow tourists. For a destination renowned for its vacations of a lifetime, the islanders and staff would surely be on their toes for anything that may be a hindrance to everyone's comfort and enjoyment, right? You'd at least like to comfort yourself that way.

A miasma of unpleasant thoughts that narrated how you might meet your doom kept you distracted as you continued your trek back. So much that you failed to notice the sound of a loose branch breaking off of a tree directly above you, only realizing your mistake when its shadow loomed over your now-widened eyes.

"Watch out!" a hand forcefully pulled you out of danger's way.

This was the second time, or third, if you counted the mere sound of a gun, you were put in danger on this accursed island. You wondered if you were truly on a vacation or if you signed yourself up for an island survival show.

After realizing that you'd been harshly gripping on your savior's clothes, you looked toward their direction only to find that it was, once again, the lady that had been following you for the past few days.

"Oh... it's you." you blankly stared. The lady was taken aback by the way you looked at her, almost worried that she'd done something she wasn't supposed to do.

"You're most welcome, but allow me to escort you back to the lodgings. You must be frightened after hearing the loud gunshot." she offered, not really giving you a choice when she started pulling you away from the path and through the woods. Upon seeing your tight-lipped glare, she assured you. "I know a shortcut, don't worry."

As promised, you arrived safely and relatively quicker than you initially thought. You immediately felt relieved at the sight of the lodges, but you couldn't help but worry about that man. Surely, he must have heard the gunshot too, and he was probably on his way back. Perhaps you could just apologize about it later, you thought before graciously giving the woman your thanks once more.

"I have some urgent business to attend to." She adjusted her hat, and her eyes immediately darkened at the mention of urgent. "If you perchance want me to keep you company before you sleep, I'll most likely be back here by seven."

You nodded and glanced at your watch–it was five in the afternoon, so she'd be gone for around two hours. With the threat of a gunman or gunwoman on the loose, you'd probably be looking forward to her offer.

The next day, news regarding the incident had spread around the island. Unfortunately, it had only worsened the turmoil within Bélóstáin.

The supposed culprit responsible for the the gunshot had been discovered; however, he'd been found dead, sprawled over the grass with a single fatal gunshot wound on his forehead. In his hand was the gun in question, and scattered around him were flowers of varying shapes and sizes. It didn't help that this was the same man you'd intended to meet, and that he'd been discovered in the same spot that you two had agreed on prior to the incident.

But it didn't end there. Along with the discovery of the culprit came news of another dead body. According to word of mouth, the victim was last seen just this morning, around two hours before her body was found resting against a tree by the abandoned manor. Like the previous victim, she too had a single gunshot wound on her forehead, but strangely, not a sound was heard.

You hated to believe it, but you were one of the last people to see her alive. It was the yesterday noon, right after you'd prepared for your walk. She'd made a simple request–to have her photo taken. And since you figured it wouldn't take much of your time, you agreed to help, not knowing that it'd be the last you see of her.

'I might as well be next...' You paced around your room, failing to calm yourself down as you found yourself more intrigued yet horrified with the case at hand. 'that man died after asking me to meet him somewhere, and that woman, she-'

"(Name)!" the door slammed open, and there stood Sway, who seemed panicked. But before you could scold her about knocking, you were suddenly engulfed in a tight embrace. "I heard the news- I'm so glad you're still safe..."

'Could it be her? Where did she suddenly disappear off to that day...' you shuddered as the thought crossed your mind. 'and why is she so persistent about guarding me...'

You pushed her away, hiding your fear behind a fierce glare.

"You killed them."

Not that you were confident in your accusation. It wasn't like you had any means to prove it, but what was the worst that could happen if it really wasn't her? She'd be angry, sure, but she'd finally give you some space, if anything. However, things didn't turn out quite like you'd expected.

She laughed.

And the longer she went on, the more you lived to regret your decision. You were by no means capable of self-defense, and with the true killer standing by your now locked door. There was no running nor crying for help in the soundproofed room.

"You're awfully perceptive." Sway admitted when she finally regained her composure. She knew better than to try and play innocent.

"And you're an awfully terrible actress." you retorted.

She smirked. Quietly, very carefully, and very slowly, she reached for something inside of her coat–it was a gun. But of course, with no other target in the room, it was directed at you.

"Go on. Do the deed. You aren't all act, aren't you?" you spat.

"Perceptive AND bold." Sway lowered the gun and chuckled. "I love that about you, you know? But..."

In an instant, she knocked you off balance, and pinned you to the ground. The pepper spray you'd been hiding fell along with you. She saw right through you, as though your intentions were foolishly hidden behind nothing but glass. Your chin was held up, and you were forced to watch her crush the can with her gloved hands before she tossed it to the side.

"...I'm a little perceptive myself, don't you think?" She whispered into your ear.