Raven’s origin: Souls and Roses 🫧🫀

*This story is underneath my folder titled “Souls and Roses”. Gacha Club character designs are under this forum: https://www.youngwriterssociety.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=116005&start=1230. Enjoy!*

“Mommy, is your eye going to get better soon? Because it looks really bad.”

Raven was lying in his parents’ bed, between his Mommy and Daddy. He had his own room, but he didn’t want to sleep in it. Not when Queen Cordeila’s soldiers were out and about. Queen Cordeila didn’t like weak or sick people, so she sent soldiers out to kill them. He didn’t understand why she did it. He just thought that it was very horrible.

“It will, sweetie. Eventually. Now go to sleep.” Mommy said with a small smile.

He didn’t think it would. Her eye wasn’t really much of an eye, but bumps and grooves where it used to be. It got so bad that white-yellow pus started pouring out and she had to go to the fairy village for a healer. The healer tried her best, but the eye didn’t change, so she gave Mommy a bottle of clear liquid and an eye patch.

Daddy had bumps and bruises on his skin too and Mommy had them all over her body, not just her eye. None of them knew how they got sick or where it came from, but they were both scared of Raven getting their sickness too. They both told him not to sleep in their bed with them.

But Raven didn’t care. Everybody in their town was dirty. They were all poor and covered in mud and getting sick was the least of his concerns. He just wanted to be with his parents.

Mommy’s one good eye was halfway open, fluttering into sleep. He supposed that he should start sleeping too, but he didn’t feel like it. Closing his eyes felt more final to him, so he stared at his parents, watching them sleep, hoping that they would get better, wishing-

Raven flinched as he heard the front door slam wide open. He heard the footsteps rushing, getting closer, but his legs wouldn’t move. His hands were gripping the bedsheets tightly, thoughts racing in his head as they…those people…the soldiers…

“Get out right now!”

Mommy had yelled those words to him as she pushed him off the bed, throwing the boots he left in there one time at him. Her one eye was wild with fear as she kept pushing him to the window. Daddy was running to the door, fighting the soldiers, who held their spears, who…who…

Raven stumbled as she pushed him out the window. As soon as she did, he heard the spears dig deep into their flesh, their screams in the night and then, because he hoped that maybe, they survived and that maybe, they didn’t die, he-he glanced at the window.

They lay on the ground, silent, bloody and still.

He ran.

…………………………………………………………..

Raven’s legs felt strangely heavy as he walked throughout his home that was Rosesilk, where everyone, humans, vampires, fairies, and elves all lived together in harmony and happiness…until Queen Cordelia.

She was a human, like him, but she seemed to hate everyone more than a demon could. Why else would she send soldiers to kill sick people if it wasn’t from hatred? Why else would she send soldiers to kill his parents?

That was why he needed Elizabeth. Elizabeth was his parents’ friend and she was a very nice woman. He waved to her and showed her worms he found before.

He just had to find Elizabeth’s house. It had a light blue painted roof. Most of the houses had brown or red roofs, but hers was blue. She liked bright colors.

As he walked, he remembered words mixed in with the screams. They were voices he didn’t recognize, voices from the nameless soldiers, pleading with him to not run away. That they wouldn’t hurt him.

But monsters in fairytales always lied to make people trust them and he wasn’t going to fall for it. He needed to find the blue roof. The blue roof…blue roof…blue roof…blue roof! There it was! The blue roof!

Raven ran towards the house and knocked on the door, hugging his arms close to his chest when he was done. He was wearing long sleeves, but it didn’t do anything against the cold fall air. His clothes were mostly rags. His parents made them for him. They both worked so hard on them and Raven knew it. He could see it in how they stitched it, how they threaded it. He couldn’t let go of it. He needed the clothes and not just to protect from the elements. It was all he had left of them.

The door slammed open and then, he began:

“My parents got sick, so Queen Cordeila…she sent soldiers to kill them! They said they weren’t going to get me, but…but-“

“Be quiet. You don’t know who is listening. Go upstairs. I have a spare room, you can sleep in there. I’ll be down here, making sure no soldiers come. Now, you-“

“I don’t want to go upstairs alone.” Raven said.

Elizabeth sighed, her brown eyes holding hints of worry. It was the same kind of worry his parents had when he asked them if they would ever get away from the soldiers, like they didn’t think that it would be possible.

But she was just a friend of his parents, standing in front of him in her vibrant purple nightgown.

“I can come upstairs with you, but then I have to go back downstairs. You-you know what, you’re right. My room is right next to the spare room. I’ll be right next door if you need me for anything. I won’t be too deep in sleep. You, though. You need your rest.” Elizabeth said with a soft smile.

Raven ran into the house and up the stairs, a bit of his unease crawling away as he made his way to where the spare room would be.

Maybe Queen Cordelia and her soldiers were still out, but at least he had Elizabeth. She would be there for him.