vilimp🍎💜

It turned out your uncle was very happy that you had taken in the wild and stray centaurs. He had applauded your kindness, giving permission to bring back as many as you desired. He would pay for all expenses of course, as he was so gracious. In return for his kindness, he made you responsible for all the pets you brought in. You didn’t plan on taking in anymore you were fine with what you had. However sir oh so gracious fancy pants had other plans.

About half a year after Malleus and Sebek came your uncle showed up out of the blue with three merfolk for you to care for. At the time you had been out buying groceries, so you had no idea what you were coming home to.

“Hello my beloved nepiece!” Crowley greeted you as you came into the living room. He had just finished setting up the tank and was introducing himself to your current pets. After a quick explanation he left, saying he had business to attend to. He left a letter explaining how to properly care for your merfolk.

When you walked down the stairs to see what your new pets looked like, you found that your basement was now over three acres large (according to the letter) and filled with ocean plant life. You stared bug eyed at the sight before you, how the hell did he get this done in less than an hour.

You were so preoccupied with your thoughts you failed to notice a pair of curious eels swimming over to get a closer look at you. A fin-like hand hitting the glass jolted you out of your thoughts.

The two eelmer stared at you with big eyes filled with curiosity. From how closely they resembled each other you assumed they were related. They appeared to be about a foot long each but were still tiny. Your thumb was bigger than their head.

They followed you as you began circling the tank, curious about what you would do. At some point one of them got bored and swam away. The one that stayed kept his eyes on you, continuing to follow you on your little walk. The way his eyes studied you gave you chills. It was like he was observing you for your weak points. Creepy.

Another knock on the tank caught your attention. The little mer beckoned you forward, an innocent smile on his face. You inch closer, unsure of what he would do. He points up, and you turn your face upwards just in time to see the other mer jumping out of the tank. His body collides with yours with a wet splat. You stumble backwards and fall on your butt with a yelp. Pulling him off, you hold him by his waist. He’s laughing at you, and in the background you can see his brother also laughing.

Great, a pair of troublemakers. Just what you needed.

~~~~~~

“I was told there were three of you, where’s the third?” Jade and Floyd were their names. The twins were currently flopped over your thighs while your legs were lazily kicking in the water.

“Tako-chan? He’s shy, been hiding ever since his pot was set down.” Floyd answered, curiously fumbling with the zipper of your jacket. “He’s weary of humans,” Jade spoke up, “can’t blame him though. They were the ones who snatched us from our home.” you frown, was this how all merfolk were acquired? That’s messed up bro.

“If you wanna meet Tako-chan you’ll have to go for a swim~” Floyd chirped, tugging at your shirt, “The water’s enchanted so you can breathe without having to drink a potion. Your uncle mentioned you’d have to have someone else renew the magic though, why can’t you do it yourself Shrimpy? Are you that bad at magic?~” what a little shit.

“Where’s the pot?” you ask using a finger on his forehead to gently push him off. He let out a hiss of protest, trying to cling to you by digging his claws into your pants. Jade took notice of the slight change of your mood, and let out a trill. Floyd pouted at his brother, letting go after a bit of back and forth.

Taking off your jacket, you toss it to the ground. Sliding into the water you shiver. Holy shit was it cold. You probably should have expected this to be honest though. Regretting leaving you jacket behind, you follow the twins.

~~~~~~

The proclaimed octo pot was more of a cauldron rather than a pot. Squatting down, you peek inside. Two beady gray eyes stare back at you for a moment before a cloud of black ink comes shooting out at you. Thankfully you were far away enough to where it wouldn’t hit you. You make a mental note about the ink spitting, best you don’t wear any light or nice clothing when around him.

Floyd swims into the pot as soon as the cloud clears, chittering at his housemate as he tries to pull him out. Soon distressed squeaking can be heard from inside the pot, getting progressively louder. Jade has settled himself on the top of the pot, peering in with a grin.

A particular loud squeak was suddenly heard. Floyd was tossed out of the pot by a chunky tentacle. A nasty looking bite was on it and bleeding. You grab Floyd by his torso to stop him from going back in.

“Bad!” you lightly smack him on the head, “do not bite him!” Floyd lets out an angry hiss, biting your finger and thrashing in your grip. You grit your teeth, bringing him up to your face. “Do not cause any unnecessary trouble, I was already looking after six pets before the three of you arrived. If you can’t behave I will rehome you!” Floyd growls, sinking his teeth further into your flesh. Jade quickly swims up next to his twin, grabbing him by the shoulders to pull him off. He’s letting out distressed chittering the whole time, eyes blown wide with fear. Floyd eventually lets go with a growl, still glaring at you. He speeds off as soon as you release him.

Jade grabs your hand. His eyes are shiny as he pleads, “please don’t be mad! I’ll talk to him, he’s really good I swear! Please don’t separate us!” he clutches your finger, tail wrapping around your arm desperately.

You sigh, bringing your other hand up to stroke his back. He shivers at your touch, tensing but doesn’t pull away. Guilt fills you as he continues to plead for you to not get rid of his brother. That was a bad move on your part, they had been essentially kidnapped before coming here. The only familiar things they had were each other, separating them would give them a one way ticket to depression land.

“I spoke in the heat of the moment,” you try to reassure him, “I won’t separate you… I promise.” Jade’s grip on your finger tightens, though he relaxed the rest of his body. After a few minutes he releases you, going to find his twin so you could both apologize.

Now you turned your attention back to Azul. Taking a seat, you lean back on your hands. After some thinking, you sigh. Taking a deep breath, you speak.

“You’re scared, I get it. You were yanked from your home suddenly and then treated as if you were an object instead of a living being. I can relate to what you went through. My parents got rid of me as soon as they found out I didn’t have a drop of magic. I was put into foster care but only people who needed physical labor would take me. They assumed I would be stronger to make up for my lack of magic. When they found the opposite was true, I was sent back. I have never stayed for more than a month in one home, they always found an excuse to send me back. At first I tried to make myself stand out, but now I know it’s pointless. A magicless human shouldn’t exist, it’s against the laws of nature. It’s best to keep your head low and out of the spotlight.” you stare at the ceiling, for if you didn’t you feared tears would flow. This was the first time you’d ever spoken these thoughts out loud. It felt… nice. Like a weight had been lifted from your shoulders.

Azul listened to you, slowly inching out of his sanctuary and closer to you as you spoke. When you were done, he was a few inches from you. He paused when you saw him, tense and ready to withdraw if needed. His face was round and body chubby, he looked quite squishy. You wanted to poke him if you were being honest.

You stay still and wait for him to make a move first. He ponders for a minute before coming to a decision. He crawls towards you, slowly making his way into your lap. You sit completely still, not wanting to spook him.

Azul settles down in your lap, his tentacles wrapping around your legs. He took up your whole lap space, his limbs very chunky and long. Lord you wanted to squish him so much no do not that might scare resist the urge I say RESIST IT R E S I S T.

~~~~~~

Hoisting yourself out of the tank, you pause to take a sniff of your shirt and scrunch your nose, it stank of raw fish. Dropping down you head for the stairs, thinking about what you should make for lunch. Sushi immediately comes to mind.

Malleus hummed, as you nodded slightly. The way your eyes seemed to glow with curiosity and excitement. It was perhaps the fist time since he had officially met you that he had seen any spark in your eyes.

,,Oh yes, I suppose you could say that he was cursed three thousand years ago. He had pricked his finger on the magical spinning wheel and he had fell into eternal slumber…”

Malleus’ voice trailed on for a brief moment, as he wondered how much he should tell you. It wasn’t the truth he was serving you. Well, not the exact truth since he couldn’t lie given his Faerie lineage.

As Lilia liked to phrase it; it was a significant part of the truth.

After all, the spinning wheel existed and the Sleeping Prince had indeed pricked his finger causing him to be cursed to sleep for eternity until someone could wake him up with true love’s kiss. However, this whole situation seemed a tad bit more complicated than it appeared.

,,I heard that, well, it is possible to meet the Sleeping Prince in your dreams. Although, I suppose it is just a fairytale human kind came up with to colorize the story”

You responded, finally gracing Malleus with a gaze. Your eyes stopped on his form, as you titled your head waiting patiently for his response. You could see the way he briefly hesitated. You raised one of your eyebrows questioningly.

Perhaps, it wasn’t just a silly fairytale if the Faerie King was hesitant to confirm or reject your statement.

After all, he couldn’t lie, so maybe he was desperately searching for the right choice of words in his head.

You stopped playing with the hem of your gown, finally feeling a tad bit more comfortable. Malleus Draconia had finally showed a brief moment of vulnerability in front of a mere human and that thought made you slightly happier with your current predicament. If he was willing to serve you the actual truth about the legend of the Sleeping Prince, then perhaps he was taking this arranged relationship quite seriously.

Perhaps, you could manage to slightly manipulate him in the future to your liking.

A small smile crept on your lips, yet it disappeared just as quickly as it appeared, as you composed yourself and your quite excited heartbeat. Lilia Vanrouge, however, didn’t miss it, as he leaned down to whisper something to Malleus. You didn’t show any emotion, at least you hoped that your face stayed neutral and filled with slight curiosity regarding the legend.

Even though, the only thing you were interested in, was how much the King would tell you.

After all, you knew already the truth.

The glint in the eyes of Malleus’ first hand Faerie should spell the looming disaster for you. You were aware that you were slowly playing a dangerous game, stepping on the thin line between your doom and survival.

,, Well, it’s not entirely a lie, Your Highness. There’s a faint chance of meeting the Sleeping Prince in your dreams. After all, every person has a chance to walk once upon a dream with someone”

Instead of Malleus, Lilia Vanrouge responded with a playful smile dancing on his lips. You were aware that the two Faeries were planning something. Yet, you decided to play along with it. Your eyes slightly widened, as you feigned slight surprise.

,,Is it really possible ? To walk once upon a dream with the Sleeping Prince ?”

,,Oh, but of course”

This time Malleus was quick to give you a response.

A response that you had already known was true.

But it didn’t matter. You had nothing to lose and you could risk everything during this particular talk. You slightly shifted in your seat, leaning a bit forward. It wasn’t enough to cut significantly the distance between you two, yet you wanted to show how engaged you were in this conversation. You could see Lilia trying his best to stop a chuckle from slipping past his lips, as he stood still behind Malleus who only smiled slightly at your reaction.

Perhaps, you were slowly warming up to him.

,, Do you think it would be possible to be walking once upon a dream with the Sleeping Prince and not be aware of it ?”

You asked, leaning even closer to him. You wanted to curse the fancy tea table that was significantly separating you both. The wood was slightly pressing on your skin as you leaned forward, as close as you could. Your fingertips gently brushed over the hand of Malleus, who seemed to quite content with your current attitude.

While he may have been easy to fool given how touch-starved he was and how badly he craved any sort of attention, Lilia Vanrouge wasn’t falling for your act. He was giving you a playful, yet condescending smile that seemed to be a warning on its own. Meanwhile his magenta eyes had never left your form; not even for a brief moment.

,,No, I suppose not. Why would you ask ?”

Malleus responded with a question, wanting to prolong this conversation between the two of you. He certainly appreciated your efforts and attempts to warm up to him. If you continued, you knew you would have him wrapped around your finger after few more meetings.

Yet, your goal was different.

,,Oh, for no particular reason, I’m quite interested in that legend. My sister used to be obsessed with it and she would come up with various theories. I was simply curious which of them are true”

Malleus hummed in response, quite satisfied with your plausible answer. It also wasn’t the truth nor the lie. It balanced somewhere on the thin lie between blatant lie and actual facts. However, you weren’t bound by the magical laws and you could freely lie in the company of two Faeries.

,,Oh really ? What other theories did your sister come up with, hmm ?”

Malleus asked, amusement audible in his voice. He leaned forward, cutting the distance between you two even further, as his chin rested on the palm of his hand. You smiled in response, as he was clearly falling for your bait.

,,She thinks that he must be quite old. That his body has aged or it is even rotten as we speak”

You stated firmly and Malleus only blinked in response, sharing a quick glance with Lilia, before he chuckled slightly. Just as if it was the funniest thing you had said throughout the whole day. Maybe it was. It’s not like you had spoken a lot to him.

,,Oh no, no. That would be quite offensive to our magical abilities. Sleeping Prince’s body is preserved in his natural state, of course”

,,Oh, really ? Seems quite unbelievable”

You retorted and Malleus raised an eyebrow. He could hear it in your confident voice full of disbelief that you were challenging him. Tempting him to give in and show you what you desired. He could feel the threatening stare piercing through his form. He knew Lilia was quite displeased. Yet Malleus couldn’t care much.

Even if Lilia’s doubts and suspicious were correct and you had indeed walked once upon a dream with the Sleeping Prince, it didn’t matter.

As long as they could keep a close eye on you and deter you from gracing Silver with true love’s kiss, Malleus had nothing to worry about. After all, he was sure that you didn’t know the whole story since there was no way the Sleeping Prince was able to figure it out throughout the three thousand years he had spend plunged into eternal sleep.

Besides, Malleus felt rather generous and gracious today. After all, you had displayed any sort of affection towards him for the first time. Even if, in the back of his head, he knew you did it, so he could give you what you really wanted, Malleus supposed he could ignore it for the time being.

,,Alright, my dear. I suppose I can show you the Sleeping Prince”

Sleeping Beauty.

It was quite understandable why he was given such title. After all, he was beautiful even in his sleep. His form looked so peaceful and calm, despite everything that had happened to him. Silky strands of silver hair gently adorned his fair-skinned skin that seemed to slightly glow in the sunrays falling on him.

The Sleeping Prince was simply gorgeous as he layed on the soft bed in the highest tower in Malleus' castle.

You tried not to stare too much. After all, he had seen his face multiple times in your dreams and you were aware of the careful gaze that seemed to follow you throughout the whole walk to the chamber.

You briefly wondered whether Lilia Vanrouge figured you out. You assumed that he probably did and was just waiting for your first move, generously giving you such opportunity.

You slightly shook your head, as if you were trying to get rid of such thoughts, as your gaze fell once again on the sleeping prince before you.

You met him once upon a dream.

Much to your surprise, he wasn't sleeping back then. No, his eyes were wide awake and focused on your form. His soft smile danced on his lips, as he extended his hand towards you, slightly lowering his head.

,,May I have this dance, Your Highness ?"

His voice was quite soft and pleasant to hear. You didn't hesitate for long, as your hand gently rested in his warm one. The mysterious prince lead you to the middle of the snow-white ballroom you were currently visiting in your shared dream.

His fingers intertwined with yours, as his other hand gently wrapped around your waist, pulling you closer. He smiled in your direction, almost as if he was waiting for your confirmation that you're ready. You slightly nodded your head in anticipation, gripping his hand a bit harder.

And then the faint sounds of music resonated throughout your dream; as invisible instruments played a soft and slow melody.

,,What is your name, Your Highness ?"

You asked him, while trying to keep up with the dance he was leading. You weren't familiar with the steps he was guiding you through. You assumed it must have been some ancient or Faerie dance that you weren't familiar with. After all, you had spent countless hours in the ballrooms practicing every, single royal dance when you were younger, since your parents deemed it necessary for you.

,,I suppose that you can call me Silver"

You raised your eyebrow questioningly, as he twirled you around, before pulling you close once again.Silver had remarqued your surprised face and only chuckled in response.

,,What is it ?"

,,It's just...I'm pretty sure I'm familiar with names of every prince, available or married"

You responded, a bit timidly, uncertainty quite audible in your tone of voice. You titled your head, looking in his auroral eyes that seemed to glow with amusement.

Malleus hummed, as you nodded slightly. The way your eyes seemed to glow with curiosity and excitement. It was perhaps the fist time since he had officially met you that he had seen any spark in your eyes.

,,Oh yes, I suppose you could say that he was cursed three thousand years ago. He had pricked his finger on the magical spinning wheel and he had fell into eternal slumber…”

Malleus’ voice trailed on for a brief moment, as he wondered how much he should tell you. It wasn’t the truth he was serving you. Well, not the exact truth since he couldn’t lie given his Faerie lineage.

As Lilia liked to phrase it; it was a significant part of the truth.

After all, the spinning wheel existed and the Sleeping Prince had indeed pricked his finger causing him to be cursed to sleep for eternity until someone could wake him up with true love’s kiss. However, this whole situation seemed a tad bit more complicated than it appeared.

,,I heard that, well, it is possible to meet the Sleeping Prince in your dreams. Although, I suppose it is just a fairytale human kind came up with to colorize the story”

You responded, finally gracing Malleus with a gaze. Your eyes stopped on his form, as you titled your head waiting patiently for his response. You could see the way he briefly hesitated. You raised one of your eyebrows questioningly.

Perhaps, it wasn’t just a silly fairytale if the Faerie King was hesitant to confirm or reject your statement.

After all, he couldn’t lie, so maybe he was desperately searching for the right choice of words in his head.

You stopped playing with the hem of your gown, finally feeling a tad bit more comfortable. Malleus Draconia had finally showed a brief moment of vulnerability in front of a mere human and that thought made you slightly happier with your current predicament. If he was willing to serve you the actual truth about the legend of the Sleeping Prince, then perhaps he was taking this arranged relationship quite seriously.

Perhaps, you could manage to slightly manipulate him in the future to your liking.

A small smile crept on your lips, yet it disappeared just as quickly as it appeared, as you composed yourself and your quite excited heartbeat. Lilia Vanrouge, however, didn’t miss it, as he leaned down to whisper something to Malleus. You didn’t show any emotion, at least you hoped that your face stayed neutral and filled with slight curiosity regarding the legend.

Even though, the only thing you were interested in, was how much the King would tell you.

After all, you knew already the truth.

The glint in the eyes of Malleus’ first hand Faerie should spell the looming disaster for you. You were aware that you were slowly playing a dangerous game, stepping on the thin line between your doom and survival.

,, Well, it’s not entirely a lie, Your Highness. There’s a faint chance of meeting the Sleeping Prince in your dreams. After all, every person has a chance to walk once upon a dream with someone”

Instead of Malleus, Lilia Vanrouge responded with a playful smile dancing on his lips. You were aware that the two Faeries were planning something. Yet, you decided to play along with it. Your eyes slightly widened, as you feigned slight surprise.

,,Is it really possible ? To walk once upon a dream with the Sleeping Prince ?”

,,Oh, but of course”

This time Malleus was quick to give you a response.

A response that you had already known was true.

But it didn’t matter. You had nothing to lose and you could risk everything during this particular talk. You slightly shifted in your seat, leaning a bit forward. It wasn’t enough to cut significantly the distance between you two, yet you wanted to show how engaged you were in this conversation. You could see Lilia trying his best to stop a chuckle from slipping past his lips, as he stood still behind Malleus who only smiled slightly at your reaction.

Perhaps, you were slowly warming up to him.

,, Do you think it would be possible to be walking once upon a dream with the Sleeping Prince and not be aware of it ?”

You asked, leaning even closer to him. You wanted to curse the fancy tea table that was significantly separating you both. The wood was slightly pressing on your skin as you leaned forward, as close as you could. Your fingertips gently brushed over the hand of Malleus, who seemed to quite content with your current attitude.

While he may have been easy to fool given how touch-starved he was and how badly he craved any sort of attention, Lilia Vanrouge wasn’t falling for your act. He was giving you a playful, yet condescending smile that seemed to be a warning on its own. Meanwhile his magenta eyes had never left your form; not even for a brief moment.

,,No, I suppose not. Why would you ask ?”

Malleus responded with a question, wanting to prolong this conversation between the two of you. He certainly appreciated your efforts and attempts to warm up to him. If you continued, you knew you would have him wrapped around your finger after few more meetings.

Yet, your goal was different.

,,Oh, for no particular reason, I’m quite interested in that legend. My sister used to be obsessed with it and she would come up with various theories. I was simply curious which of them are true”

Malleus hummed in response, quite satisfied with your plausible answer. It also wasn’t the truth nor the lie. It balanced somewhere on the thin lie between blatant lie and actual facts. However, you weren’t bound by the magical laws and you could freely lie in the company of two Faeries.

,,Oh really ? What other theories did your sister come up with, hmm ?”

Malleus asked, amusement audible in his voice. He leaned forward, cutting the distance between you two even further, as his chin rested on the palm of his hand. You smiled in response, as he was clearly falling for your bait.

,,She thinks that he must be quite old. That his body has aged or it is even rotten as we speak”

You stated firmly and Malleus only blinked in response, sharing a quick glance with Lilia, before he chuckled slightly. Just as if it was the funniest thing you had said throughout the whole day. Maybe it was. It’s not like you had spoken a lot to him.

,,Oh no, no. That would be quite offensive to our magical abilities. Sleeping Prince’s body is preserved in his natural state, of course”

,,Oh, really ? Seems quite unbelievable”

You retorted and Malleus raised an eyebrow. He could hear it in your confident voice full of disbelief that you were challenging him. Tempting him to give in and show you what you desired. He could feel the threatening stare piercing through his form. He knew Lilia was quite displeased. Yet Malleus couldn’t care much.

Even if Lilia’s doubts and suspicious were correct and you had indeed walked once upon a dream with the Sleeping Prince, it didn’t matter.

As long as they could keep a close eye on you and deter you from gracing Silver with true love’s kiss, Malleus had nothing to worry about. After all, he was sure that you didn’t know the whole story since there was no way the Sleeping Prince was able to figure it out throughout the three thousand years he had spend plunged into eternal sleep.

Besides, Malleus felt rather generous and gracious today. After all, you had displayed any sort of affection towards him for the first time. Even if, in the back of his head, he knew you did it, so he could give you what you really wanted, Malleus supposed he could ignore it for the time being.

,,Alright, my dear. I suppose I can show you the Sleeping Prince”

Sleeping Beauty.

It was quite understandable why he was given such title. After all, he was beautiful even in his sleep. His form looked so peaceful and calm, despite everything that had happened to him. Silky strands of silver hair gently adorned his fair-skinned skin that seemed to slightly glow in the sunrays falling on him.

The Sleeping Prince was simply gorgeous as he layed on the soft bed in the highest tower in Malleus' castle.

You tried not to stare too much. After all, he had seen his face multiple times in your dreams and you were aware of the careful gaze that seemed to follow you throughout the whole walk to the chamber.

You briefly wondered whether Lilia Vanrouge figured you out. You assumed that he probably did and was just waiting for your first move, generously giving you such opportunity.

You slightly shook your head, as if you were trying to get rid of such thoughts, as your gaze fell once again on the sleeping prince before you.

You met him once upon a dream.

Much to your surprise, he wasn't sleeping back then. No, his eyes were wide awake and focused on your form. His soft smile danced on his lips, as he extended his hand towards you, slightly lowering his head.

,,May I have this dance, Your Highness ?"

His voice was quite soft and pleasant to hear. You didn't hesitate for long, as your hand gently rested in his warm one. The mysterious prince lead you to the middle of the snow-white ballroom you were currently visiting in your shared dream.

His fingers intertwined with yours, as his other hand gently wrapped around your waist, pulling you closer. He smiled in your direction, almost as if he was waiting for your confirmation that you're ready. You slightly nodded your head in anticipation, gripping his hand a bit harder.

And then the faint sounds of music resonated throughout your dream; as invisible instruments played a soft and slow melody.

,,What is your name, Your Highness ?"

You asked him, while trying to keep up with the dance he was leading. You weren't familiar with the steps he was guiding you through. You assumed it must have been some ancient or Faerie dance that you weren't familiar with. After all, you had spent countless hours in the ballrooms practicing every, single royal dance when you were younger, since your parents deemed it necessary for you.

,,I suppose that you can call me Silver"

You raised your eyebrow questioningly, as he twirled you around, before pulling you close once again.Silver had remarqued your surprised face and only chuckled in response.

,,What is it ?"

,,It's just...I'm pretty sure I'm familiar with names of every prince, available or married"

You responded, a bit timidly, uncertainty quite audible in your tone of voice. You titled your head, looking in his auroral eyes that seemed to glow with amusement.