He had known for a while that Beast didn't share the same feelings. She loved him as brother, not a lover. Beast had her heart set on Joker, who played with her emotions jokingly. He was sick of that. Joker didn't appreciate the beauty Beast had, and she blindly accepted that.
So, he wasted his nights away from them in the tavern close to the circus. 

"You come here almost every night. Why is that?" It took him a while register that someone was talking to him. 

Dagger set aside his empty rum glass, pushing it towards the bartender. He looked at who was speaking to him.

"I'd say it's more strange that a woman like you is in a pub like this one. You shouldn't be in here alone." He flashed her a friendly smile to show her that he had no bad intentions.

"Oh, no. My father owns this place. We live upstairs, you see. Now, if you don't mind, will you answer my question." She sat next to him on the empty stool. 

She had this persuasive aura that captivated the heart and mind of Dagger temporarily.
"It's nothing really important. My sis doesn't like me, and she prefers to be played by my brother. I'm drinking my sorrows away, but I don't mind it. It's more time to myself." Joker had his rum glass refilled, and he ran his index finger around the rim of the glass.

"Interesting... You work at the circus, right? The one over the hill?" The tavern owner's daughter pointed west.

"You've seen it? Our shows are great, aren't they?" He smiled to himself.

"I do like them. I went with my brother and sister once, and then, I went by myself to see it again."

Dagger stood suddenly and tossed some coins on the counter. Grabbing her hand, they walked out of the pub together. "If you'd like, I can take you over the hill and see the circus closer."

They stumbled on the back grounds of the circus, laughing and giggling. "Come, come. There's a lot I wish to show you." Dagger grabbed her hand, and they wandered until they stumbled across Joker and a few other members.

Joker waved at Dagger. "Where have ye been? Ye've been gone for quite some time, Dagger. That's not very 'sponsible, I'll say."

"This is our biggest fan, Joker. She's very excited to meet everyone in the circus!"

Joker smiled at the unexpected guest. "My darling, what is yer name?" Dagger felt embarrassed. He should have asked for her name when they first met.

"[Full Name]. My father runs the pub over that way." Joker grabbed her hand and gave her a slight peck.

"I'm glad that you've come to visit. Follow me, I'll show you around." [Name] blindly followed Joker, hand-in-hand, because she was swept off her feet. Joker was so charming and suave.
Dagger was left in the shadows again. He had already dealt with Joker stealing Beast's heart from him, and now it was [Name]. He began to grow more frustrated the further Joker and [Name] walked.

Hot tears flowed from his eyes, and he rubbed them furiously. Wendy and Peter were out on their usual night walk. They noticed Dagger crying and asked him what was wrong.

"Oh, it's nothing. Everything's all right." He flashed a smile at them, ensuring that he wasn't going to do anything malicious.

"I've had such a wonderful time with you, Joker." [Name] grinned brightly at the circus manager. Joker patted [Name]'s shoulder.

"I should be sending you off on your way; it's quite late, and that's not good for your health." He let his hand trail down her arm, grabbing her hand, and pulling it into a kiss. 

[Name] blushed. "Oh, thank you..."

Dagger came out from one of the tents, smiling. "[Name]? Shouldn't you be going back? But, before you do, I'd like to show you something." 

He grabbed [Name]'s hand rather harshly, almost yanking her away from Joker's grasp. Joker was slightly astonished, but shrugged it off. Dagger was always like this.

The air became colder, and the night became darker. "Dagger, it really is late. You can walk me back to the tavern, but my family is going to get worried."

Dagger shook his head. "It won't take long. I promise. I just wanted to show you how a real circus performance went." He opened the flap of the main circus tent.

Most of the equipment was put away except for Dagger's wheel. "I'll show you a bit of my performance. It won't hurt; I promise."

[Name] nodded, slightly scared. Next to the wheel was a small table of Dagger's daggers. They were dull, or she hoped. And, she knew that Dagger was a professional. He wouldn't hurt her.
Dagger coaxed [Name], making her feel relaxed as she was strapped in. "I'm not gonna spin you because you might become sick, but I'll throw my knives at you, so that you can experience what most of the audience wouldn't."

He gathered the daggers into his arms, walking backwards little by little. He closed one of his eyes, aiming at spots that would alarm her before he finished with a grand finale.

The first knife whistled through the silent night air and headed straight for the top of [Name]'s head. It sliced a thin strand of loose hair. [Name] watched as it fluttered down.

The second one came flying near her, landing a few centimeters next to her ear. She winced, craning her neck a little bit away from the knife protruding form the board.

The third struck under her arm in a quick second, hitting the wood with a loud and frightening thud. "Dagger! I'm scared. Please hurry!" she pleaded.

Her eyes were closed, and he knew that this was perfect. "Don't worry," he called back. "This is definitely the last one."

He aimed at her chest. His heart was already wounded from Beast, and [Name] only ripped it apart. It was time for him to finally let [Name] feel how he had felt for many, many years.
With a strong flick-of-the-wrist, the final dagger shredded through the silent air and straight into the delicate chest of [Name]. The only sound that broke through the night was the gurgled shriek as [Name] choked up blood.

She couldn't make out any real words, but made incoherent groans as blood spewed out of her mouth. Tears flowed from her eyes, staining the matted dirt around them. "Why?" she choked out.

Dagger approached her, frowning. "I've been hurt for a long time, and this was the last time someone played me. You're a harlot, and I'm done with screwing around!"

He yanked out the knife from her chest and tossed it on the ground. "You're just gonna stay here and suffer what I've suffered for years!"

His anger flooded his eyes and burned his heart out. He picked up the dirt covered knife and drew more blood from [Name]'s chest.

With it, he wrote a simple note on the wooden wheel.

"My, my... This is a mess. We better hurry and leave soon to another place before the tavern folk find us." Joker furrowed his brow just a bit before clapping his hands.

He motioned to the crowd behind him, the first-tier performers. "Jumbo, Wendy, and Peter. Tell everyone that the show is cancelled due to the sickness of a member. Lie. Beast and Doll, tell everyone at the camps to prepare to move. Snake, please clean the blood-mess. I'll find Dagger."
Everyone began their duties. Snake studied the corpse. Her eyes were pure white, and there was a large hole in her chest. " 'How will you search for him?' says Emily." he asked.

Joker chuckled. "If you look at that message, he wrote, 'O'er the hills and far away.' I'm sure he's stolen her heart and gone somewhere where he won't be caught with it."

Joker managed to steal one of the performance horses. Mumbling to himself, he sang the rhyme he'd known for a while. 

"Tom, Tom the piper's son... Stole a pig and away did run... The pig was eat, and Tom was beat... And Tom went crying... Down the street."

~End~

Author's Note: I have a new schedule for updates. Please take note of this.

https://www.quotev.com/27684097/journal/3440882/Schedule-as-of-91016

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