A Tale of Wilis and Wizards
Drabble Title: A Tale of Wilis and Wizards
Word Count: 462
Rating/Warnings: T for death
Pairings:
Summary:This is the story of how a man changed his name.
A Tale of Wilis and Wizards
The last thing the man remembered was wandering through the dark woods at night. He had gone to visit the grave of the woman he loved, to talk to her privately, to apologize to her. Two other women had agreed to guide him out of the darkness once he had said his piece, but… but then what?
“Looks like we have a live one, Myrtha,” a voice said. It belonged to a man.
“Oh?” said another. It seemed to be a woman. “How rare; usually my Wilis do a much better job at dealing with trespassers.”
The man wondered if it was safe to open his eyes. When he did, he saw a tall man with a great black beard.
“Ah! You’ve decided to join us, lad! I am Von Rothbart. This is my wife, Myrtha. Welcome to our kingdom of the dead.”
The man grew pale. “Dead? Then Giselle is…”
The woman smiled. “Ah, yes, that one. Currently, she’s a swan.”
“Swan?” the man asked, looking around. There was a lake full of them. They swam peacefully on the surface of the water. Most of them were white colored. So Giselle was among them.
The woman hid a laugh behind her hand. “Yes, my dear Wilis need to rest during the day before they hunt, so my husband changed them into swans. If they choose to travel, it allows them to see some of their old world. Tell me, what is your name, boy?”
“Hilarion,” the man said.
“Hmm, she never mentioned you. The only one she wanted to save was the prince.”
“I know. It doesn’t matter. As long as she is happy,” he looked over by the lake, where the swans were swimming. “You are happy, right?”
“Hilarion. Why don’t we make a deal, hmm? You serve us as our go between in the living world and in return you can have anything you want from us,” Von Rothbart said.
“From each of us, but only one thing a piece,” Myrtha added.
“And if I say no?” Hilarion asked.
“Then you die,” Myrtha said, “and not a soul will know of your death. It will be as if you never existed. My Wilis will dance with you eternally for the role you played in Giselle’s death.”
“Why would any man refuse such a generous offer?” Hilarion asked with a laugh. “Though I will say, dear Queen, you do have a good sense for tragedy. I like that.”
The queen smiled warily. “From this day forward, the man Hilarion is dead. We shall bestow upon you a new name.” She turned to her husband. “Make it official, darling.”
“We grant you the new name of Drosselmeyer.”
Drosselmeyer, huh? He liked the sound of that.