#ivymare

My reasoning for why it looks so different from the 'original picture', alongside credits, can be found under the cut.

I mostly wanted to try out clothing folds with this drawing, I'm aware the shadows are rather poor. But. Oh well. Meh.

ALSO I HAVE NO IDEA WHY THE TEXTURE IS SO CRISP OUT OF NOWHERE?????

The Gardener, Emperor, and the Thief

Word Count: 4,986

With a sigh, Ivy fisted her hands in the skirt of her ball gown, feeling just about as ugly as a billy goat. Sure, it had not been that pricey, although it had cost every lunarian to her name, so it was expensive for her. The dress itself had seemed like the prettiest thing in Agni's shop when she had gone shopping. It was made from a light green fabric and structured to drape down like overlapping leaves, covered in glass beads arranged in various leaf shapes and combined with cloth flowers sprinkled throughout the skirt paneling. However, now that she had put it on and seen what all the other guests were wearing, well, she felt very out of place. While she didn't know what material her dress was made from, it certainly didn't look like the fine silks and expensive leathers everyone else had on.

It didn't help that her face felt itchy from the makeup she had begged one of the maidservants to help apply. She had to make a deliberate effort not to touch her eyes or skin so she wouldn't smudge anything. How people could stand wearing this stuff on a daily basis was beyond her since in her mind it could qualify as torture. She was doing her best to distract herself, although there were only so many times one could peruse the refreshments table before turning a few heads.

Someone like her would normally never get the opportunity to attend a ball like this. The help were meant to be invisible, not mingling with aristocrats like they were equals. This time, Emperor Nightmare had allowed some of his servants to attend, which included her, although he had done so with some reluctance. She wasn't about to question a good thing and had almost immediately rushed out to go buy a dress when he gave permission.

Ivy had recently been employed as the palace gardener, which she actually enjoyed, even if the plants had a hard time staying alive. This wasn't due to her lack of knowledge, especially since her magic was well suited for growing plants, but the Emperor's negative aura. She couldn't pretend to know why his soul seemed to leak so much mana, but since it meant her talents were always in demand, she couldn't really complain.

Before becoming a member of the palace staff, Ivy had been a wanderer, living off the bounty of the forest each day and sleeping under the stars at night. She bathed in babbling streams and warmed herself in the golden light of the sun every dawn. Some people would have thought her to be some kind of forest nymph, but that wasn't really the truth of the matter. She was a free spirit, a guardian of nature, and a protector of the forest she called home.

Unfortunately, her forest just so happened to be part of Emperor Nightmare's domain. Two of his generals, the ones known as Killer and Horror, happened upon her one day while they were out hunting and swiftly caught her. She had put up a hell of a fight, biting and scratching as they hauled her back to the palace, but quickly discovered that bones are a lot less fragile than skin. It was only when she realized that she could potentially be in a better situation by working for Nightmare that she calmed down and cooperated. The forest was nice, but a warm bed and proper food was far better after all. It also helped that she thought the Emperor was oddly handsome, despite his monstrous appearance and cold demeanor.

He had yet to make an appearance at the ball and Ivy couldn't help but wonder where he could be. Sure, he wasn't much for festivities or large crowds of people, but this was his own event. Everyone even remotely important was in attendance and the Emperor was nowhere in sight. She may not have the best head for politics, but even she knew it was in bad taste to ignore all these aristocrats and officials.

He had really put on a grand party. The food tasted amazing, and while she had tried, she couldn't manage to try everything on offer. Besides, some of the women standing nearby had given her disgusted looks the last time she went through the line, so for now she was standing off to the side with a drink.

While lonely, it offered a lovely vantage point of the rest of the room. The light from the chandeliers overhead reflected off the glassware and jewelry of the guests, making the whole room sparkle like morning dew. The room was filled with a cacophony of voices, whispered gossip, and above it all, a symphony of music played by the most talented musicians in the land. Ivy couldn't remember the last time she had witnessed anything so wonderful.

It really sucked that she didn't know anyone here. Maybe she wouldn't feel so self-conscious if there was someone else to spend time with, to gossip about all the dashingly handsome men or gorgeous ladies, or maybe just to distract herself from the many eyes that had been on her all night.

As if to drive the stake of her loneliness deeper into her beating heart, the music suddenly swelled, and the dance floor seemed to come alive with happy couples. Skirts rustled and suit tails fluttered in a mesmerizing flurry that made her feel slightly dizzy just watching them. It was amazing to see how they all moved so fluidly, but she knew in her soul that she couldn't join them.

Indeed, the gods had cursed Ivy with two left feet, and try as she might, she could never seem to learn how to dance. Now it probably would help if she had a partner to practice with, but there wasn't anyone she felt comfortable asking. She would probably step on their toes and turn them off from continuing to help anyways.

A woman in a gown that looked like it would swallow her whole gave Ivy a dirty look as she passed by. Ivy wrinkled her noise, briefly debating "accidentally" dumping a glass of wine on that stupid dress, but decided it wasn't worth getting potentially thrown out for disrupting the party. Instead, she downed the rest of her glass and moved to stand somewhere quieter.

The music suddenly ceased, and save for a few whispered voices, the hall grew very quiet. Curious, Ivy looked around for the cause, only to see Emperor Nightmare standing at the top of the grand staircase. His three generals stood by his side, surveying the sea of partygoers with various expressions of glee and mischief. Of course, the Emperor himself was dressed to the nines, as were his generals, and Ivy could hear a few hushed whispers about them from some of the ladies standing nearby.

Nightmare's outfit wasn't that different from his usual one, an expensive suit and silver circlet bearing a star-shaped diamond, although tonight he was wearing a new shoulder cape with a moon motif and a veil on the right side of his skull to obscure the eye socket. His face bore a look of disdain that seemed to be a permanent part of him, even as he began to descend the stairs to join the party. Ivy couldn't help wondering why he even bothered to hold these events if he seemed to hate them so much.

The room seemed to hold its breath as the Emperor stepped onto the floor, and even his generals hesitated to leave his side until he decided to dismiss them. Despite having everyone's rapt attention, Nightmare barely spared anyone a glance, save for a cursory glance towards the orchestra to motion for them to continue playing. With that, the tension in the air seemed to ease, but it didn't dissipate entirely. Every guest seemed frozen with curiousity and intrigue, the same question echoing in their minds.

"Do you think he will actually ask someone to dance this time?" one of the women standing near Ivy whispered to her friend.

Ivy couldn't hear the rest of the conversation, but it didn't matter. She knew the rumours just like everyone else. Nightmare hadn't asked anyone to dance in decades, and anyone who struck up the nerve to ask were coldly denied. Would tonight prove any different?

One of his generals, Killer, tapped the Emperor on the shoulder before leaning in to whisper something. Whatever he said clearly had an effect on the royal skeleton, since his sour expression briefly flickered before returning to a carefully crafted neutral mask. Nightmare shot the mischievous general a look before dismissing the three skeletons with a subtle wave of his hand.

The skeletons wasted no time in mingling with the partygoers, leaving their superior alone for the moment. Then, Ivy noticed two brave, or more likely foolish, souls approach the Emperor only to quickly scurry off when he glared at them.

With a sigh, Ivy turned away, noting the looping pattern in the carpet by her feet. There was no way she could hope to catch his attention, even though dancing with him was the one thing her soul longed for. He was leagues above her in every way conceivable, and there was no way she could prove herself worthy to stand next to him.

Why would a crowned royal choose a lowly gardener like her? Her desires were unwanted and would go unacknowledged even if she plucked up the courage to confess them. There were dozens of more beautiful, more talented, more worthy potential suitors for him to choose from while she wasn't even in the top hundred.

The orchestra began to play a familiar piece, and many of the couples around her began to dance once more. Ivy felt like she could drown in the sea of silks and had to step away to keep from being dragged under the wave of dancers. Oddly enough, the crowd seemed to part before her as easily as a knife through butter. While she had been receiving odd looks all night, now they were a mixture of shock and confusion, making her feel even more self-conscious.

"Ivy."

A chill ran down her spine at the unmistakable voice of the Emperor, and she stopped in her tracks. Turning around, Ivy could feel her heart thudding in her chest as she met Nightmare's gaze. His cool cyan eyelight looked her up and down for a moment, almost as if he was seeing her for the first time. His scrutinizing gaze made Ivy feel insignificant and self-conscious all over again about her choice of outfit. If only the floor would open up and swallow her whole.

What could he possibly want? Surely he knew that she was rubbish at dancing. Had she forgotten to finish a job? She had triple checked that everything in the garden was done before getting ready for the ball. So why had he approached her?

"Y-yes sir?" Ivy asked, cringing internally at the way her own voice betrayed her nervousness. It really didn't help that she could hear hushed whispers and tittering giggles from the guests.

Evidently, Nightmare noticed the tittle-tattlers as well, and he frowned ever so slightly although it didn't do anything to stop their subdued chatter. Sure, the Emperor ignoring the more prestigious guests and instead choosing to associate with a common servant was scandalous, but did they really have to gossip about it now? Ivy couldn't even begin to imagine how quickly the rumour mill would spread this around.

"May I have this dance?" Nightmare asked, extending his hand towards her. While not immediately obvious to outside observers, Ivy noticed his cadence sounded slightly less frigid than usual.

Ivy didn't know whether she should feel honoured or horrified that he had chosen her. In her natural domain of the forest, she could find ways to make herself appear graceful and even beautiful in an ethereal sense, but here, surrounded by finery and lamplight, she felt she looked like someone had put a nose ring on a pig. Besides, how was she supposed to pretend that she knew how to dance, especially with this many eyes on her?

Still, she couldn't possibly refuse a request from the emperor without a good reason. The fact that he had asked her, acknowledged her presence, was a great honour. To turn him down would be nothing less than an insult, like spitting in his face or mocking his efforts to make her feel included since it could just as easily be an act of pity as it was a kindness.

The room seemed to be filled with ravenous wolves as Ivy meekly accepted Nightmare's request. His phalanges closed around her hand, his claws pressing against her skin but not piercing the delicate flesh, even as he led her towards the dance floor. Pausing only to motion for the orchestra to resume, Nightmare turned to face her. Keeping hold of her hand, he let his other rest on her hip, choosing to lead her into a slow waltz.

Now on paper, it was a simple dance with only a few steps to remember, but with her nerves wound tight like a coiled spring, Ivy felt her mind go blank. When did she need to step forward? How far was her foot supposed to move when it came time to slide over? In her mind's desperate scramble to remember how she had seen everyone else moving, she stumbled, nearly tripping over her own feet.

Thankfully, Nightmare had anticipated this, and before Ivy could make a complete fool of herself, he was there to steady her and even swing her around slightly to make her little misstep seem purposeful. Ivy gave him an apologetic smile as they resumed dancing, although her heart was thudding heavily against her chest as if at any moment it might burst into a million pieces. She felt like she could hardly look at him for fear that if she wasn't watching where her feet were moving, she might mess up again.

Despite her good intentions in order to save face, Nightmare didn't seem to like that and leaned in, close enough to whisper in her ear. "Look at me, Ivy," he murmured.

While firm, his tone hadn't been harsh, just straight to the point, and Ivy found herself unconsciously doing as she had been told. Her heart seemed to skip a beat the moment her heterochromatic eyes met his lone cyan orb. His near permanent sneer lifted ever so slightly when she managed to make eye contact, making him almost look...happy.

Ivy felt her heart swell at the sight. She had always thought he looked attractive, but seeing him like this, carefree for possibly the first time since meeting him, she wanted to see more of this side of him. He never looked at anyone the way he was looking at her, and Ivy couldn't help but wish she could be the only one to make him feel happy.

The other guests seemed to fade away as they danced, completely lost in the moment. Ivy felt her vision narrow until the only thing she could focus on was Nightmare's face and his touch. In the same vein, he seemed almost entranced by her presence, and his lone eyelight occasionally flickered with an emotion Ivy couldn't quite place. His grip tightened ever so slightly, as if he was afraid she would disappear from his sight if he didn't.

~ ~ (⁠･⁠ω⁠･⁠)⁠つ⁠⊂⁠(⁠･⁠ω⁠･⁠) ~ ~

Nightmare let out a heavy sigh as he leaned against the stone balustrade. Laughter and music from the party petered through the halls and out onto the balcony he had since retired to after dancing for the first time in many years.

It had been a spontaneous decision to ask Ivy to dance, and now he found himself wondering if it had been a good idea at all. He knew tonight would be talked about within the circles of nobility for months to come, but he couldn't bring himself to care. The moment had been simply magical for lack of a better word. It was a wonder he had managed to keep a straight face throughout and not betray how starstruck he had felt.

Maybe it was the way Ivy had looked at him, how the glow of the chandeliers reflected off of her eyes like a thousand glistening diamonds, and how her face seemed to light up with glee as the tension lifted from her body. Her joy seemed almost contagious, stirring up ancient feelings in his cold, dead soul that he couldn't remember how to handle anymore.

Was...was this love?

Nightmare grit his teeth until they ground together and gripped the railing so tightly that his claws left shallow scratches in the stonework. As if he could feel love for any creature, let alone a lowly gardener like her! No, that part of him had died a long, long time ago. Even if he was capable of love, he knew in his soul that Ivy deserved so much better than a bitter monster like him.

She was the opposite of himself in so many ways. While he acted ruthless and cold, Ivy radiated kindness and warmth everywhere she went. It was clear that she didn't think much of her appearance, but he couldn't understand why. In his eyes, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and he had met many conventionally attractive ladies in his time. However, if anyone were to ask what her most attractive feature was, he would have to admit that he liked her spontaneity and easy going demeanor the best. Her personality felt like a breath of fresh air compared to the stuffy aristocracy he had to deal with on a near daily basis.

Maybe he should make her aware of his feelings. In his experience, a monster like him had no business entertaining fanciful things such as love, and it would be better to bury his feelings as quickly as possible. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her after all.

He was just about to march back into the ballroom and get it over with, when he heard a soft thump from behind - almost like something had fallen off the roof. Could it have been an animal? Or an assassin who managed to get past his guards?

He turned, only to make eye contact with an unusual creature. He couldn't immediately distinguish their gender thanks to the lack of light and the rather non-descript brown cloak or dress they were wearing. They had fluffy white fur, pointed ears, a short snout, grayish-purple irises, a wide tail, and digitigrade hind legs. They were certainly not human but didn't appear to possess any distinguishing features from any particular subspecies of monsters either. Could they be a hybrid?

While he had been surprised by the appearance of the stranger, Nightmare soon recovered, feeling a wave of anger well up in his soul. This was no would-be assassin or they would have already attacked him. Clearly, they were nothing more than a trespasser, a petty thief interrupting his festivities.

The creature grinned mischievously, clearly amused by his reactions, despite having been caught in the middle of their break in. "Well, well, well, hello there, sir! Who are you supposed to be?"

Their voice had a strong yet lilting tone, practically oozing with self-confidence, which felt rather polarizing given their current situation. They looked Nightmare up and down before shrugging in a nonchalant manner. "Eh, it's not important. Don't mind me, I'll just be squeezing right inside." The thief gave a short bow and turned towards the door, completely dismissing him like he was the third son of some obscure merchant.

As if Nightmare was going let anyone disrespect him so blatantly. He caught the furry stranger by the arm, not even caring whether his claws ruined their clothes or not. They reacted faster than he expected, whirling around and lashing out at his face with claws that had been previously sheathed. Despite their size, those claws felt like little knives as they slashed through the ink-like corruption coating his bones, ripping the veil from his skull that he used to hide his damaged socket. Simultaneously, they roughly shoved him back against the balustrade, causing him to release his grasp on their arm.

Nightmare groaned and clutched at the right side of his face. He had been careless and let them get a cheap shot in, but since they hadn't taken further advantage of his weakened state, he now knew for certain that they were no assassin. He pulled himself up, having to lean against the stonework for support as he frantically searched for the irritating creature.

They had apparently paused long enough to see whether he was in pursuit, but the moment their eyes met, the thief snickered. "Nothing personal, sir!" they called before scurrying down the halls and out of sight.

Nightmare cursed, something he generally refrained from doing in proper company. He was injured, and an intruder was loose in his palace who would ruin the festivities if not caught. Hurrying inside, he ran after the fading footsteps of that strange monster, only pausing to shout at a passing guard about rallying others to catch the would-be thief.

~ ~ (⁠･⁠ω⁠･⁠)⁠つ⁠⊂⁠(⁠･⁠ω⁠･⁠) ~ ~

It didn't take long for the news to spread. A shapeshifter had crashed the party, which enraged Emperor Nightmare so much that he had her thrown in the dungeon. Most of the staff were doing their best to avoid being around him for fear of agitating him further. While Ivy debated if she should try to see him, she decided to give him a bit of space to cool off first. Besides, the garden had been damaged when the guards captured the shapeshifter, and Ivy would have her hands full for a while fixing everything.

She was curious about the shapeshifter though. They were a rare subspecies of monster that, as the name implied, could change their form into whatever they chose. The actual process of shape changing required concentration, and more complicated or drastic changes took a lot of practice to get right. One interesting aspect that set them apart was their weakness to jade. Ivy wasn't sure why jade specifically blocked a shapeshifter's magic but didn't affect other monsters in the same way. Evidently, the guards had had some jade on hand when they captured the shapeshifter, although she hadn't made things easy for them even after being caught.

After working in the garden for most of the morning, Ivy decided to see what this shapeshifter was like for herself. There was a good chance the guards would turn her away as soon as she entered the dungeon, but it couldn't hurt to try, right?

As Ivy descended the stone stairs, she felt a shiver run down her spine as she remembered when she had been held here. Granted, it had not been for very long since Nightmare had offered her a job pretty quickly, but being confined to a cell had been far from pleasant.

She was surprised to find Horror stationed outside the cells, sitting on a sturdy wooden chair that he must have brought in himself. He wasn't wearing any armour, although his axe was leaning against the stone wall next to him. Ivy thought he looked like had been there for a while since he was lounging with his skull tilted back at an awkward angle.

The giant of a skeleton cracked open his good eye socket when Ivy approached but made no attempt to get up. "curious about the shifter?"

"It's all anyone is talking about," Ivy responded.

Horror chuckled quietly. "she's firey, keeps tauntin' the guards an' claimin' she'll break out when we're not lookin'." His permanent grin widened as he added, "almost reminds me of you actually."

Ivy huffed, choosing to ignore the comment. "Is that why you're the only one down here? Did the others get fed up, or did the emperor personally assign you?"

The skeleton took his time sitting up straight before answering. "bit of both maybe?" He scratched the back of his skull as his cheekbones turned a soft red tinge. " 's not so bad. no one bothers me, an' she's pretty adorable when not tryin' to bite you."

Horror had always seemed more down to earth, more honest, than the other generals, but Ivy was still taken aback by his admission. Out of all people, he had a crush? The quiet, unassuming skeleton who could snap you in half like it was nothing? He wasn't the most conventionally attractive person, but some people liked scars so maybe he had a chance? It would be interesting to see how things played out at least.

"Well, that's good, I think?" Ivy cleared her throat awkwardly and started to walk by. "I'm just gonna go say hi, real quick..."

"sure, sure," Horror responded and waved her off. "just don't stick your fingers between the bars if you want to keep 'em~"

Ivy took a deep breath and continued walking to the cell at the end of the dungeon, where the only occupant, the shapeshifter in question was being held. Everything Ivy had heard had made her seem almost feral like a wild animal, but Horror had apparently seen something else in her.

The shapeshifter was chained to the wall by her wrists, although the chains were decently long so she could move around somewhat and lay down on the pile of straw in the corner. There was also a thick band of jade fastened around her neck to prevent her from using her powers to escape or attack anyone. Otherwise, her cell was very bare, and besides the clothes on her back, there was nothing that could be used as a weapon or tool to break out.

The shapeshifter had been laying on the stone floor as close to the door as she could get when Ivy approached. Her mismatched eyes met the shifter's gray-purple ones and for a second they only looked at the other.

"You're blocking my light," the shapeshifter said before Ivy could open her mouth.

"Huh?"

"Could you move? You're really throwing off my feng shui here..." There was a sarcastic edge to the shapeshifter's almost blasé tone.

Ivy stared at the shapeshifter for a moment before taking a few steps to the side so that the torchlight wasn't casting her shadow directly into the cell. "Is that more harmonious for you?" she retorted.

The shifter closed her eyes and hummed. "It will have to do for now," she responded before sitting up. "So what brings someone like you down here? Have you come to gawk at me?"

"I wasn't planning on gawking-"

"Meh, look all you want. I'm a pretty infamous character around these parts, and after last night, it seems like I have yet another tale to tack onto my repertoire." The shapeshifter made a show of examining her claws in the dim light. "The name's Irene if you didn't know."

Ivy frowned at the mention of the previous night. "You'll be lucky if you get out anytime soon. Last night, you assaulted the Emperor, frightened his guests, and caused a lot of damage to the gardens that I work hard to take care of."

Irene feigned a bored yawn. "Oh, that's who that guy was? I always thought the Emperor would be..." She paused for dramatic effect, "...taller~"

Ivy couldn't believe what she was hearing. Nightmare had executed people for less severe crimes countless times, and yet Irene didn't seem to care that she would likely suffer the same fate. She obviously wasn't naive, but her self-confidence seemed so strong that she must have completely dismissed the idea of consequences from her mind. Could there be something she knew that no one else did?

Irene tilted her head and grinned, her sharp fangs flashing in the torchlight. "Sooo, you got a name? Or should I give you one? You look like a Daisy...or maybe a Hollyhock?"

"My name is Ivy actually."

"Ooh, I was close. I'm guessing you must really like plants?" Irene grimaced slightly before adding, "I'm sorry if I killed any of them. I wasn't exactly watching where I was going before the guards caught me."

Ivy shrugged. "I suppose so, although looking after them can be pretty tiring, especially because the Emperor's aura tends to kill them. Compared to that, the damage you did isn't too bad."

The shapeshifter appeared slightly relieved to hear that, although she quickly looked away from Ivy in an attempt to hide it. "So, how did you even get past the big guy?" she deflected. "I mean, I get why you would want to see me, but he's scared off everyone who's tried so far today."

Confused, Ivy glanced down the corridor to where Horror was reclined in the chair again. He hadn't put up a single fuss about letting her visit, nor had he given a time limit. She wondered if he would demand some sort of payment when she left, or if he had just been feeling generous today. Well, whatever the case, she wasn't about to waste this opportunity to chat with someone from outside the mansion.

Ivy sat down on the floor in front of the bars, not caring that she would definitely need to wash her clothes later. "I'm not sure why he let me past, but he's probably got his reasons. What do you think of him anyways?" she asked as innocently as she could manage.

~~~

Empire!Ivy & Empire!Nightmare belong to @superbfirnacho

Empire!Soul aka "Irene" belongs to @prehnite-soul

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Based on this drabble and this one too that my friends wrote. They are really good and I would recommend giving a read if you want some more context for things that happened in this oneshot.

Some Accursverse doodles! *i didn't have sketchbook I drawing in notebooks for a while*

Ivy blogs to @superbfirnacho

Accursverse blogs to me

I mixed some of my own headcanons in here and there with Nightmare, I’m pretty sure I got Ivy right but I’m not sure :S

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@superbfirnacho sat on this for a long time, but finally finished! This was fun, even though it was literal hell to try to draw something other than sans lmao.