The Princess and the Ghost (A Fairy Tale)
Title: The Princess and the Ghost (A Fairy Tale)
Author: twilight_rush
Fandom: Cobra Starship; Paramore
Summary: Her new friend may be a ghost but she's better than her husband.
Pairing: Victoria Asher/Hayley Williams
Rated: PG-13
Warning: Femslash, abuse
Disclaimer: I am the great pretender. If you're the above people RUN AWAY.
Many centuries and decades ago, a King had a beautiful daughter named Hayley, whose hair resembled that of the sun and fire. He had her married off to a large brute named Chad, and though she did not want to marry him, she took it all in stride, assuming she would grow to love him, and did not want to displease her father.
She did not grow to love him, and her marriage was not a happy one. Every night she was forced to endured kicks in the stomach, yells in her ears, and spit in her face when he wasn’t in a good mood. Bruises covered her inside and out. She could not tell a soul, for everyone thought Chad a good man and would assumed she was lying to get out of the marriage. Since her father was on his deathbed, it was only a matter of time before her husband would be crowned King. They couldn’t afford to search for another husband, and thus this added to her depression.
Hayley sat on the window sill of her bedroom, of their new cottage her husband bought because he “wanted her to get a taste of the real world” so she could relate to her people more. Ha! He just wanted to isolate her even more than she already was. Make her even lonelier.
Hayley rubbed the rising hair on her arms, feeling chilled even though the sun vibrated warmly. She looked around the small room, identical to every room in the place. She hated this cottage - with its creaky doors and many spiders. She always felt like someone was here when it should only be her.
“Hello.” Hayley toppled off the sill, screaming as she clutched her ear into which the raspy voice breathed in. She grabbed the scissors that resided on her dresser and turned to face the invader behind her.
“Buh . . . W-who are you? What do you . . .” Hayley looked over at the girl, her mind trying to come terms with what she was seeing. The girl before her had short black hair and pale, metallic-like skin. But her body was translucent - almost see-through. Her feet were nonexistence, giving her the appearance of floating.
Hayley stumbled back, not understanding. “W-what . . . ?!”
“Surely you can say more than that?” The girl’s voice was wispy, her smile polite. She folded her arms behind her back and said, “I guess I’ll start the introductions. I’m Victoria. You’re Hayley, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” she answered pointblank. She waved the scissors at Victoria. “What are you? Am I dreaming?”
“You’ve been awake since eleven this morning,” Victoria said smartly. “And am I not like you?”
“No,” Hayley said sternly. “You’re not. I can practically see right through you. You’re floating.”
Victoria’s smile wavered. “Oh. I guess you’ve never seen a ghost before?”
Hayley burst out laughing without meaning to, clutching her stomach and snorting. “That witches’ talk! No such thing as a gh-“
A rush of cold wind hit Hayley, freezing her bones, as Victoria came up in her face. Stone blue eyes stared her down.
“But I am.” Nothing was funny anymore as Hayley fell backwards and landed on the floor, unconscious. But it only lasted five minutes and then she was awake, staring drowsily at Victoria, who was crouching beside her.
They stared blankly at one another. Hayley said, “You’re really a ghost?”
“Been a ghost for almost a month now,” Victoria gushed cheekily.
“Oh . . . um, okay?” Hayley smiled weakly, feeling herself relaxing around the ghost. Victoria was harmless, very friendly.
After that day Hayley was no longer lonely.
Victoria was everything Hayley ever needed. She was there to keep Hayley company when Chad left her alone for all hours of the day and night. She was there whenever he beat Hayley, causing her to have to lie in bed in pain. Even though Victoria could not hold Hayley, she would still sit by the bed and listen to her tears, all the while saying words to help her feel better. Hayley soon fell in love with her, and she told Victoria one day. The ghost said she felt the same way, but wasn’t sure she could do it.
“Why not?” Hayley cried, wishing she could hold Victoria.
Victoria held out her arms as if it was obvious. “Look at me! I’m dead. I’m a ghost. You can’t even kiss me without falling through.”
Hayley fought down the cry in her throat, and the tears, and called out, “There has to be a way for you . . .”
“To be human again?”
Hayley didn’t blink when she said, “Yes.”
Victoria was quiet as she thought, and the silence gnawed at Hayley until she stressed out the words, “Say something.”
Victoria looked at her, hope radiating off her, and if she could she would hold Hayley’s hands as she said, “I think I know how I can be human again.”
“Well?”
“If you find my body,” she said slowly, “I can come back to life and then we can truly be together.”
She has never mentioned to Hayley how she died, now that Hayley thought it about. There were times when she questioned it, and all Victoria would say is, “The past has passed,” and that was that. But the way she said if you find my body made it sound as if she was murdered.
Hayley calmly asked her, and though she did not want to, Victoria told her.
Victoria had fallen in love with a jester named Gabe. She had not known that he was married. When his wife found out, she posed as a poor beggar girl, and Victoria had let her into her house, thinking she could give her some food to eat. The girl poisoned Victoria’s drink when she wasn’t looking. When Gabe had come over to see Victoria, he saw his wife smiling over a dead body. Now Gabe, he never truly loved Victoria, and he did not want his wife to get in trouble, so he helped her dispose of Victoria’s body.
“And that’s all I know,” Victoria said. “My spirit self woke up here. This is my home after all. I do not know where those two haughty pigs are, so I can’t haunt them until they show me where my body is.”
Her face was soaked with angry tears and it made Hayley’s heart fall. A surge of energy shocked Hayley, and she was more than determined to find Victoria’s body.
When Hayley voiced this Victoria protested. “But how? It could be anywhere! They could’ve dumped it in the river, buried it in some unmarked grave - anywhere!”
They quarreled over this until nighttime came, and at that point they had to stop for Chad had come bustling in. For the first night in the longest, he did not smell of rum - not much, at least.
He and Hayley sat at the table, he gobbling down his food and Hayley merely picking at hers.
“Why aren’t you eating?” he questioned.
“I am not hungry,” she stated, trying not to smile. She could feel the faintness of Victoria’s hands on her knee.
Chad only grunted. “Suit yourself. Been a hellish day today. You know that Sierra girl, the crazy one? She came running up to me swearing there was a body in a well!”
“Body? Well?”
He nodded. “Some old one no one uses, outside the town somewhere. I told her, ‘Get away from me!’ and yet she still continued to yell that a body was down there . . . that girl should be rid of! Hearing voices, seeing things . . .”
Hayley only nodded, not truly listening anymore. From the corner of her eye she could see Victoria’s blue orbit bouncing around happily. That body could very well be hers - and tonight she would find out.
Tonight they would visit Sierra.
When Chad finally fell into a heavy slumber, Hayley and Victoria snuck out to the Kusterbecks’ household. Through the window they could see Sierra laying her baby sister to sleep. Hayley knocked on the door and Sierra answered it, her eyes widening as she fumbled around.
“Oh-oh, Princess Hayley!” she cooed, curtsying. Hayley shushed her, touching her arm, causing the girl to swoon.
“Now, Sierra, you talked to my husband today, no?”
“Yes, and he was very mean to me.”
Hayley smiled feebly, agreeing. “He’s mean to everyone. But Sierra, you told him you saw a body in a well?”
Sierra became flustered, feet tapping and cheeks flaming. “Aye and it was terrible! Down there in the well, a girl! And no one believed me! She was dead. I know because she wouldn’t answer me when I said hello, or a dropped a stone on her head.”
“Okay, okay. That’s fine! It’s really important to me that you show me the well where you found her.”
Sierra chewed furiously on her bottom lip, wringing her dirt-covered hands. “But it’s far. And it’s dark. And Mother -“
“It’s important to me Sierra!” Hayley reasoned. “Surely you won’t deny me, a princess, your future ruler, help?”
Her lips turned a nasty pink, her body swaying to in and out of the doorway. “N-no, I guess not.”
“And if you help me, I’ll give you anything you want, okay?”
“Anything?”
“Anything.”
A minute later, Sierra had gently closed the door behind her, a lantern in her hands, ushering Hayley to follow her.
It had been a long time since Hayley had been out of her cottage. Everything around seemed to mystified her. Being able to walk among the stars, with the village behind her, was a pleasure.
Among a line of trees was a broken down well, with the bucket hanging up, waiting eagerly for someone to use it.
“A group of mean boys dared me to go down there,” Sierra whined. “And I saw the body. The boys said I was lying but they were too scared to see for themselves! I can’t see it from up here, but it’s down there.”
Hayley wasn’t listening; she was too busy looking at Victoria, whose outline was just a bit brighter, a bit fuller.
“Hayley,” whispered Victoria, “I think that’s my body. We have to get it!”
Hayley swallowed the fear and nervousness in her. “. . . Sierra, I’m going down in to get the body. I need you pull me down and then back up.”
“But what are you going to do with it?”
“We’re . . . going to bury it properly,” Hayley lied, and Sierra believed her, nonetheless.
Hayley sat in the bucket, praying it wouldn’t break, and holding the lantern so she could see. Grunting, Sierra began lowering her. The well was deep, reeking of dirty water and waste. Anticipation wacked at Hayley, until finally she was able to yell, “Stop!”
Lying hunched over in knee deep water, was Victoria’s body. Her hair was wet and her dress soaked and dirty. But her skin was in perfect condition; her body hadn’t rot and it astonished Hayley. Still, with tingling fingers she grabbed and pulled Victoria onto her lap. The bucket creaked lightly.
“Pull us up!”
“I-I can’t! You’re too heavy!”
Hayley howled out, “You have to try --!”
With a whoosh they were suddenly jerked up. It wasn’t until she was up that Hayley saw, with her body so close, Victoria was able to grasp the rope and help Sierra pull them up.
Hayley laid Victoria’s body on the ground, marveling over it. She looked at the ghost Victoria, who was burning fiercely.
Sierra noticed it too. “Your Highness, what’s going on?”
She ignored Sierra, in favor of watching Victoria’s tears run down her face as she kneeled over her body. Her hands touched her chest, and her spirit slowly dissolved into her body, leaving a blue, warm glow.
Her face was colored bright pink, her heart thumping loudly, her skin wet with sweat. Victoria opened her eyes and the first person she saw was a crying Hayley.
“Victoria!” Their bodies connected in an embrace, tears flying. They kissed hopelessly and shamelessly.
Poor Sierra continued to stand in confusion. “But I thought she was dead . . .?” When they separated Hayley jumped up and kissed the blushing peasant on the cheek.
“Thank you! Thank you, Sierra. Remember what I told you before? I meant it, you can have anything. What will it be?”
Sierra mumbled a jumble of words, mouth hanging open awkwardly. “I, um, don’t know. I don’t know.”
Hayley stared at her for a moment, before smiling and taking off her necklace, putting it around Sierra’s neck. It was heat-shaped, pure gold with rubies and emeralds encrusted in it.
“You have it. But if you decide to sell it -“
“Oh no no no! I’ll keep it forever! I’ll never take it off. Thank you!”
Hayley pecked her on the cheek once more, and while holding Victoria’s hand, they walked her home.
“. . . We’ll sleep in the attic, you and me. He won’t notice I’m not in bed, he never does,” fussed Hayley as they snuck back home and up to the attic. They lay on the disheveled bed, kissing all the way. It was all perfect and loving until the door slammed open and Chad stood there, seething.
He stormed over to them, yanking Hayley by her hair. He slapped her across the face, leaving a pulsing red bruise.
“You dare cheat on your husband?” He hit her again and threw her to the ground. “You wh -“
“Leave her alone!” cried Victoria, but her pitiful hits to his back did nothing. Chad gave Victoria a smack to her face, leaving a split lip.
“I’ll kill you like I’ll kill her!” Chad shrieked as he got on top of Victoria and choked her. Face turning blue, heart slowing; Victoria couldn’t do anything as she slowly started to go back to Death.
But then he stopped, and a gush of air filled her lungs. She watched as Chad fell over, and she saw the blade sticking out of the back of his head.
Hayley breathed heavily, her right hand twitching. The bruise on her cheek darkened.
Victoria held her, and all night long they cried.
That was how the Herald found them in the morning. Before announcing it to the public, he was sent there to tell the princess firsthand that the king had passed away last night. But when he entered the home, and found himself in the attic, he discovered a dead man and two sleeping girls.
The whole story was told, the abuse, Victoria, everything. Hayley had feared she would be prosecuted, her intentions found meaningless, and being thrown in jail for bringing a dead girl back to life. But her people loved her too much, and they found her actions justified.
She was crowned Queen Hayley, and soon after she married Victoria, crowing her queen as well.
They were good rulers, until finally, they passed away happily.
Author: twilight_rush
Fandom: Cobra Starship; Paramore
Summary: Her new friend may be a ghost but she's better than her husband.
Pairing: Victoria Asher/Hayley Williams
Rated: PG-13
Warning: Femslash, abuse
Disclaimer: I am the great pretender. If you're the above people RUN AWAY.
Many centuries and decades ago, a King had a beautiful daughter named Hayley, whose hair resembled that of the sun and fire. He had her married off to a large brute named Chad, and though she did not want to marry him, she took it all in stride, assuming she would grow to love him, and did not want to displease her father.
She did not grow to love him, and her marriage was not a happy one. Every night she was forced to endured kicks in the stomach, yells in her ears, and spit in her face when he wasn’t in a good mood. Bruises covered her inside and out. She could not tell a soul, for everyone thought Chad a good man and would assumed she was lying to get out of the marriage. Since her father was on his deathbed, it was only a matter of time before her husband would be crowned King. They couldn’t afford to search for another husband, and thus this added to her depression.
Hayley sat on the window sill of her bedroom, of their new cottage her husband bought because he “wanted her to get a taste of the real world” so she could relate to her people more. Ha! He just wanted to isolate her even more than she already was. Make her even lonelier.
Hayley rubbed the rising hair on her arms, feeling chilled even though the sun vibrated warmly. She looked around the small room, identical to every room in the place. She hated this cottage - with its creaky doors and many spiders. She always felt like someone was here when it should only be her.
“Hello.” Hayley toppled off the sill, screaming as she clutched her ear into which the raspy voice breathed in. She grabbed the scissors that resided on her dresser and turned to face the invader behind her.
“Buh . . . W-who are you? What do you . . .” Hayley looked over at the girl, her mind trying to come terms with what she was seeing. The girl before her had short black hair and pale, metallic-like skin. But her body was translucent - almost see-through. Her feet were nonexistence, giving her the appearance of floating.
Hayley stumbled back, not understanding. “W-what . . . ?!”
“Surely you can say more than that?” The girl’s voice was wispy, her smile polite. She folded her arms behind her back and said, “I guess I’ll start the introductions. I’m Victoria. You’re Hayley, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” she answered pointblank. She waved the scissors at Victoria. “What are you? Am I dreaming?”
“You’ve been awake since eleven this morning,” Victoria said smartly. “And am I not like you?”
“No,” Hayley said sternly. “You’re not. I can practically see right through you. You’re floating.”
Victoria’s smile wavered. “Oh. I guess you’ve never seen a ghost before?”
Hayley burst out laughing without meaning to, clutching her stomach and snorting. “That witches’ talk! No such thing as a gh-“
A rush of cold wind hit Hayley, freezing her bones, as Victoria came up in her face. Stone blue eyes stared her down.
“But I am.” Nothing was funny anymore as Hayley fell backwards and landed on the floor, unconscious. But it only lasted five minutes and then she was awake, staring drowsily at Victoria, who was crouching beside her.
They stared blankly at one another. Hayley said, “You’re really a ghost?”
“Been a ghost for almost a month now,” Victoria gushed cheekily.
“Oh . . . um, okay?” Hayley smiled weakly, feeling herself relaxing around the ghost. Victoria was harmless, very friendly.
After that day Hayley was no longer lonely.
Victoria was everything Hayley ever needed. She was there to keep Hayley company when Chad left her alone for all hours of the day and night. She was there whenever he beat Hayley, causing her to have to lie in bed in pain. Even though Victoria could not hold Hayley, she would still sit by the bed and listen to her tears, all the while saying words to help her feel better. Hayley soon fell in love with her, and she told Victoria one day. The ghost said she felt the same way, but wasn’t sure she could do it.
“Why not?” Hayley cried, wishing she could hold Victoria.
Victoria held out her arms as if it was obvious. “Look at me! I’m dead. I’m a ghost. You can’t even kiss me without falling through.”
Hayley fought down the cry in her throat, and the tears, and called out, “There has to be a way for you . . .”
“To be human again?”
Hayley didn’t blink when she said, “Yes.”
Victoria was quiet as she thought, and the silence gnawed at Hayley until she stressed out the words, “Say something.”
Victoria looked at her, hope radiating off her, and if she could she would hold Hayley’s hands as she said, “I think I know how I can be human again.”
“Well?”
“If you find my body,” she said slowly, “I can come back to life and then we can truly be together.”
She has never mentioned to Hayley how she died, now that Hayley thought it about. There were times when she questioned it, and all Victoria would say is, “The past has passed,” and that was that. But the way she said if you find my body made it sound as if she was murdered.
Hayley calmly asked her, and though she did not want to, Victoria told her.
Victoria had fallen in love with a jester named Gabe. She had not known that he was married. When his wife found out, she posed as a poor beggar girl, and Victoria had let her into her house, thinking she could give her some food to eat. The girl poisoned Victoria’s drink when she wasn’t looking. When Gabe had come over to see Victoria, he saw his wife smiling over a dead body. Now Gabe, he never truly loved Victoria, and he did not want his wife to get in trouble, so he helped her dispose of Victoria’s body.
“And that’s all I know,” Victoria said. “My spirit self woke up here. This is my home after all. I do not know where those two haughty pigs are, so I can’t haunt them until they show me where my body is.”
Her face was soaked with angry tears and it made Hayley’s heart fall. A surge of energy shocked Hayley, and she was more than determined to find Victoria’s body.
When Hayley voiced this Victoria protested. “But how? It could be anywhere! They could’ve dumped it in the river, buried it in some unmarked grave - anywhere!”
They quarreled over this until nighttime came, and at that point they had to stop for Chad had come bustling in. For the first night in the longest, he did not smell of rum - not much, at least.
He and Hayley sat at the table, he gobbling down his food and Hayley merely picking at hers.
“Why aren’t you eating?” he questioned.
“I am not hungry,” she stated, trying not to smile. She could feel the faintness of Victoria’s hands on her knee.
Chad only grunted. “Suit yourself. Been a hellish day today. You know that Sierra girl, the crazy one? She came running up to me swearing there was a body in a well!”
“Body? Well?”
He nodded. “Some old one no one uses, outside the town somewhere. I told her, ‘Get away from me!’ and yet she still continued to yell that a body was down there . . . that girl should be rid of! Hearing voices, seeing things . . .”
Hayley only nodded, not truly listening anymore. From the corner of her eye she could see Victoria’s blue orbit bouncing around happily. That body could very well be hers - and tonight she would find out.
Tonight they would visit Sierra.
When Chad finally fell into a heavy slumber, Hayley and Victoria snuck out to the Kusterbecks’ household. Through the window they could see Sierra laying her baby sister to sleep. Hayley knocked on the door and Sierra answered it, her eyes widening as she fumbled around.
“Oh-oh, Princess Hayley!” she cooed, curtsying. Hayley shushed her, touching her arm, causing the girl to swoon.
“Now, Sierra, you talked to my husband today, no?”
“Yes, and he was very mean to me.”
Hayley smiled feebly, agreeing. “He’s mean to everyone. But Sierra, you told him you saw a body in a well?”
Sierra became flustered, feet tapping and cheeks flaming. “Aye and it was terrible! Down there in the well, a girl! And no one believed me! She was dead. I know because she wouldn’t answer me when I said hello, or a dropped a stone on her head.”
“Okay, okay. That’s fine! It’s really important to me that you show me the well where you found her.”
Sierra chewed furiously on her bottom lip, wringing her dirt-covered hands. “But it’s far. And it’s dark. And Mother -“
“It’s important to me Sierra!” Hayley reasoned. “Surely you won’t deny me, a princess, your future ruler, help?”
Her lips turned a nasty pink, her body swaying to in and out of the doorway. “N-no, I guess not.”
“And if you help me, I’ll give you anything you want, okay?”
“Anything?”
“Anything.”
A minute later, Sierra had gently closed the door behind her, a lantern in her hands, ushering Hayley to follow her.
It had been a long time since Hayley had been out of her cottage. Everything around seemed to mystified her. Being able to walk among the stars, with the village behind her, was a pleasure.
Among a line of trees was a broken down well, with the bucket hanging up, waiting eagerly for someone to use it.
“A group of mean boys dared me to go down there,” Sierra whined. “And I saw the body. The boys said I was lying but they were too scared to see for themselves! I can’t see it from up here, but it’s down there.”
Hayley wasn’t listening; she was too busy looking at Victoria, whose outline was just a bit brighter, a bit fuller.
“Hayley,” whispered Victoria, “I think that’s my body. We have to get it!”
Hayley swallowed the fear and nervousness in her. “. . . Sierra, I’m going down in to get the body. I need you pull me down and then back up.”
“But what are you going to do with it?”
“We’re . . . going to bury it properly,” Hayley lied, and Sierra believed her, nonetheless.
Hayley sat in the bucket, praying it wouldn’t break, and holding the lantern so she could see. Grunting, Sierra began lowering her. The well was deep, reeking of dirty water and waste. Anticipation wacked at Hayley, until finally she was able to yell, “Stop!”
Lying hunched over in knee deep water, was Victoria’s body. Her hair was wet and her dress soaked and dirty. But her skin was in perfect condition; her body hadn’t rot and it astonished Hayley. Still, with tingling fingers she grabbed and pulled Victoria onto her lap. The bucket creaked lightly.
“Pull us up!”
“I-I can’t! You’re too heavy!”
Hayley howled out, “You have to try --!”
With a whoosh they were suddenly jerked up. It wasn’t until she was up that Hayley saw, with her body so close, Victoria was able to grasp the rope and help Sierra pull them up.
Hayley laid Victoria’s body on the ground, marveling over it. She looked at the ghost Victoria, who was burning fiercely.
Sierra noticed it too. “Your Highness, what’s going on?”
She ignored Sierra, in favor of watching Victoria’s tears run down her face as she kneeled over her body. Her hands touched her chest, and her spirit slowly dissolved into her body, leaving a blue, warm glow.
Her face was colored bright pink, her heart thumping loudly, her skin wet with sweat. Victoria opened her eyes and the first person she saw was a crying Hayley.
“Victoria!” Their bodies connected in an embrace, tears flying. They kissed hopelessly and shamelessly.
Poor Sierra continued to stand in confusion. “But I thought she was dead . . .?” When they separated Hayley jumped up and kissed the blushing peasant on the cheek.
“Thank you! Thank you, Sierra. Remember what I told you before? I meant it, you can have anything. What will it be?”
Sierra mumbled a jumble of words, mouth hanging open awkwardly. “I, um, don’t know. I don’t know.”
Hayley stared at her for a moment, before smiling and taking off her necklace, putting it around Sierra’s neck. It was heat-shaped, pure gold with rubies and emeralds encrusted in it.
“You have it. But if you decide to sell it -“
“Oh no no no! I’ll keep it forever! I’ll never take it off. Thank you!”
Hayley pecked her on the cheek once more, and while holding Victoria’s hand, they walked her home.
“. . . We’ll sleep in the attic, you and me. He won’t notice I’m not in bed, he never does,” fussed Hayley as they snuck back home and up to the attic. They lay on the disheveled bed, kissing all the way. It was all perfect and loving until the door slammed open and Chad stood there, seething.
He stormed over to them, yanking Hayley by her hair. He slapped her across the face, leaving a pulsing red bruise.
“You dare cheat on your husband?” He hit her again and threw her to the ground. “You wh -“
“Leave her alone!” cried Victoria, but her pitiful hits to his back did nothing. Chad gave Victoria a smack to her face, leaving a split lip.
“I’ll kill you like I’ll kill her!” Chad shrieked as he got on top of Victoria and choked her. Face turning blue, heart slowing; Victoria couldn’t do anything as she slowly started to go back to Death.
But then he stopped, and a gush of air filled her lungs. She watched as Chad fell over, and she saw the blade sticking out of the back of his head.
Hayley breathed heavily, her right hand twitching. The bruise on her cheek darkened.
Victoria held her, and all night long they cried.
That was how the Herald found them in the morning. Before announcing it to the public, he was sent there to tell the princess firsthand that the king had passed away last night. But when he entered the home, and found himself in the attic, he discovered a dead man and two sleeping girls.
The whole story was told, the abuse, Victoria, everything. Hayley had feared she would be prosecuted, her intentions found meaningless, and being thrown in jail for bringing a dead girl back to life. But her people loved her too much, and they found her actions justified.
She was crowned Queen Hayley, and soon after she married Victoria, crowing her queen as well.
They were good rulers, until finally, they passed away happily.