(I spelled courtesy wrong

No Mare this time

Yandere! Fic ha ha ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh what more did you expect from me)

Hey-o, here comes the danger up in this club

You step up in front of the rows and rows of Silvers dining. Your hands brush against the ground, feeling for the roots of the nearby trees. You wear a skintight suit of gold and green, showing your house colors proudly. The crowd of highhouses are amazed when you lift the trees out of the ground, spinning them around as leaves fall to the ground. You can only smirk to yourself, wondering how 'simple' Evangeline thinks you are now. 

When we get started man, we ain't gonna stop

As soon as your act starts, it gets better. You felt the undying need to show all of your capabilities, whether to prove yourself you are worth it or to prove Cal you are stronger than your opponent. With your clear ability to feel every part of nature, you begin stripping the branches and leaves off of the wood. It all moves way too quickly for anybody to make sense of what you're doing until you're finished. A polished dagger twice the size of you comes out, made of wood but as sharp as metal. Then, you take it apart and form multiple tiny daggers. 

Let's get this thing shakin' like a disco ball

Your familiars clap for you, and you look into the crowd for the first time. You falter as you see Maven, smiling at you proudly. You smile back. A smile that first was sweetly twisted into a deranged one as you shoot the daggers across the arena, making them go a full circle before returning to you. Thirty seconds haven't even passed before you put the trees back together, placing the two unwanted trees back into the ground. You bow, one leg crossed over the over as you throw your hands behind you. And then you turn, letting Evangeline knock into your shoulder as she passes you. 

After the Queenstrial, you watch over Maven as he walks down the halls. You can't see anything but his shadow as he heads your way. You rest your back behind the corner, watching as his shadow grows bigger. Maybe look like a stalker. And maybe you are. 

You step out from behind the corner, pretending to be surprised by his presence. His tall body leans over you, eyes widen. Your heart pounds faster and faster; this is him, you think, this is the one I want. 

This is the one I'll get. 

"Drat, I'm so sorry, my prince." You bow your head lightly, never breaking eye contact. His blue eyes swirl with thoughts as he looks down at you, piecing together the perfect picture of you in his head. 

In front of him, you stand tall. Behind your sympathetic voice and uneasy eyes, your body is stiff and intimidating. He takes in air, eyes wandering your body.

"It's okay," his laconic response fills you with joy. It's something about you that drags him in. He doesn't know what, but something about you is so deliciously poisonous.

This is your last warning, a courtesy call

You line up with your friends and your enemies, waiting for who is to be called as queen. You hold your fingers as you try to relax, unwanted nerves creeping up your body. What will life be like once you go home, alone? The thought goes away as you recall all of the ladies who challenged you. No, you are the best out of all of them. 

You look down, smiling. You know you're going to win. The serendipity of getting chosen was high on your sakes. You have no doubt that you're going to be crowned Cal's bride. 

You knew you were going to win, but not by choice. Not by Maven. You knew you wanted him for yourself but you never believed it would be that easy. You never thought he was just going to choose you. But it was his loss, not yours.

I am not afraid of the storm that comes my way

It's a month before Maven trusts you enough to let you into his room. It's a month before you trust Maven to be in a room alone with him. The both of you, always acting innocent but never truly being so, are absolutely perfect for each other. But neither of you know it. And you both are going to be a hassle to each other. 

"How delightful your room is!" You exclaim as you look at the gothly decorative area. Your green fingers intertwine with his as you turn to him, pulling his arms down and bringing his face closer to yours. "I love it so much," your tone left him on his heels as you stepped away from him. He smiles, absolutely stunned about how breathless you left him. He wanted to know more about you because, in your eyes deep, deep inside, he can see the rough edges of your true nature. 

"I still have things from my childhood lingering in here," Maven picks up trinkets off of his shelves and examines them. You smile, watching him, your touch hesitating as it drags on his shelves. 

"Do they punish you?"

Maven looks up, seeing a flash of madness in your eyes for only a second. He places the trinket down, his mind running. Are you a danger to him? Does he have to put up a mask for you? Will you make a good queen? Will his mother allow you to be with him?

He answers, "Not as much as they should."

You smile, stepping closer to him. Something in his body tells him to step back. It tells him to run away from you. But he doesn't. He won't. He only smiles as you place your body onto his, kissing his cheek lightly.

When it hits, it shakes me to the core

Maven was forced into a quid pro quo with his mother regarding if you were the perfect queen or not. Your life could have been thrown away like a little ant. He wants you to be queen, and you will as long as Elara is able to fix you. 

Maven still remembers how shaky his hands became after years and years of torment from his mother. Are his hands too shaky to hold? Will your hands be shaky like his? Will it be comforting, or a constant reminder of what he traded just to have you with him?

You were out by the garden when Cal killed his father. You did not work on any of the flowers you planned to; all you did was stand still and stare into the trees. The roots were shaking, uneasy in Norta. All you could do was wonder why. And then you realized, by the sound of multiple sentinels running in the halls, you realized who they were chasing before you could make it through the doors. 

The trees began to scream, becoming a chorus in your heart as you could feel the vibrations of both grass and oaks. It sent you off of your proper rhythm. It made your mind spin with conspiracies. 

You wish you understood what it meant to you at the time. You wish you had the mindset to figure out that Evangeline would have been knocked off the pedestal and you were going to be queen. Because if you knew, you wouldn't have screamed the way you did. 

And makes me stronger than before

Maven held you tightly in his arms the moment you two were alone. He knew everything you didn't, and it made him mad. He wished he was just allowed to dance alone with you and not worry about the future. But the world is unfair.

You were already shaking before Elara made her way into Maven's presence. She shadowed behind him, watching embrace your scared form. When she first saw you in the Queenstrial she thought you would be emotionless, a trained soldier. You were the exact opposite, and somehow that intrigued her more. If this was another world in another time, Elara would have gotten to know you better rather than changing you to her liking. 

His mother whispers to him, "the end is where you two begin." And he releases his grip on you.

It's not a question about trust

You run into Maven's room, smiling like a maniac. 

Elara learned years about you through your head. She saw you, and the inner core of you. She decided that making you a queen like Evangeline wasn't what she wanted, not with this canvas. She took away your feelings of despair and melancholy. She took away every chance of anxiety and replaced it with an automatic need to constantly be royal. She made you the perfect queen but also the perfect protector for her son.

You hug Maven, smashing your head into his torso. He's confused at first, looking outside the open door for any explanations. All he got was the end of a light blue dress as Elara steps away from the perfect couple. 

Maven steps away from you, seeing your grinning face. You look up at him like he's the last human on Earth; like he was the only one for you. He never felt more special with a single gaze. 

He places his hands on your cheeks, his touch soft. He can't believe you're real. He can't believe he finally got the perfect spouse. 

"I'll stay with you forever," you pledge. With your crazy eyes and empty head, it almost sounded like a threat. Maven runs his fingers against your soft skin, savoring the touch. He felt a sense of possessiveness like you were a present for his good behavior. He laconically responds, "yes, you will..."

But will you stand with us?

Elara stands behind you as Maven sits, watching the execution of his brother. He feels nothing, just like he was meant to. You only feel happiness, like you were meant to. You had a soft grin on your face as you can feel Elara's hand resting on your lower back, almost holding you in place. The motion, meant as a sense of control, comforted you more than anything. And yet, you tensed in her presence, not wanting her to go away. 

That was the moment you realized this is where you belonged now. You looked around at the two Silvers by your side, noting the last two family members you had left. And for a moment, it was enough. You were happy like this, and you were fine with Maven and Elara. 

Can you feel it?

"Is it just me, or are you the most beautiful person on this Earth?" Maven whispers in your ear, swaying with you silently in his room. The only music is the rhythmic tone of your breathes as you rest your head on his shoulder. You dreamed of nothing more than this moment; putting your heart in a gambol with Maven. It was the Heaven you always dreamed of as a child; a boy who's trust was never questioned or dared. Your life was perfect for only a second, but Maven's love for the crown was thicker than his love for having you as his bride.

I think it might wash away tonight

He brought home somebody else when you had your eyes closed. It all happened too fast, and you were too trusting to question his trip to the Lakelands. But even as he threw you away like his brother, you still couldn't deny loving him. Maven still kissed you every day and reminded you he loved you, but none of it felt the same. You were too distracted by the pretty face of Iris Cygnet. 

Awakened from this never-ending fight

Iris squints her eyes at you, almost consuming you in her undying gaze. She almost questioned your authority with her sly smile. Who do you think you are, you want to yell, you're a guest in my house. Your hands begin to shake as you turn away from her and Maven. She watches you walk back, and so does Elara. Your godmother keeps an eye on you, wondering why your head is so dangerously empty.

It takes more than meets the eye

You stare at Iris, your eyes empty but shaded over by your needle bangs. You don't look away when she stares back at you. You stare, unblinking, weirding her out. She looks at Maven, wanted him to save her from your glare.

Maven looks at you, but you change your eyes. You smile at him, eye sparkling with purity and love. He smiles back before shrugging to Iris. She looks between you two, not hiding her surprise. 

This war we're fighting is not just writing

You give one last evil smile towards Iris before turning around, fists white from clenching them. Elara follows you don't the hall with her hands behind her back, watching your brain to see if you ever change. You remain empty and envious, making her mind spin. She thinks about all of the things she did to change you and how she went wrong. 

Elara puts a hand to her head, wondering if she should try again and see if she can change something. Make you less empty and more in love and simple. 

"Hey, (Y/N)," she forces out with a smile. You turn around, giving her a fake grin. Your hands began to shake, knowing already what she is going to do and how much it's going to hurt.

Hey-o, here comes the danger up in this club

You trail your fingers down the hall, your nails scratching lines into the wallpaper. You have a sickening smile, your heart racing at the thought of Maven Calore. You feel a strange desire for him, something that filled the emptiness you grew into. Your emotions, or accouterments, weighed your heart and almost slowed your footsteps. But you continue to drag yourself down the hall, breathe quick and eyes droopy. 

When we get started man, we ain't gonna stop

You can feel your skull pulsating, tired of thinking and making your body move. But you feel determined. You feel safe in these walls, and no Lakelander can take your throne from you. Your feet only moved because of your hatred for Iris. Your organs continued motoring because of your absolute hatred for the tattooed girl. 

You walk towards her room, waiting for the strength to lift up your fist and knock. The twigs and leaves wrapped around your leg from under your dress begin to twitch in anticipation. 

This is your last warning, a courtesy call

One of the twigs grows under the door, climbing up to the doorknob and turning it for you. You sneak in, closing the door behind you. You can barely see anything other than the dark moon of the night. The door makes no noise as you close it but the clicking of the lock as you turn it echoes through the room. You freeze, almost too scared to move. 

You crouch down to the floor, hiding in the shadows. You can't hear the shuffling of sheets or the sound of bare footsteps. You look at the bed, seeing Iris still there laying on her back.

You lift up your hand, a long branch crawling to the tip of your finger and growing out, sprouting leaves as it tries to head towards Iris. It gets stopped by a fountain you only noticed then. You grovel close to it with caution laced in your movements. One step and you could die quicker than a bullet could kill you. 

There's a rumble in the floor

You put a hand up to the fountain and use it as support as you stalk under Iris. Her bed is only mere feet away, and you wonder the quickest way to kill her without a fight. Placing a seed near her eye or nose? Choke her with your roots? One quick growth through her skull? Your heart begins to race.

You stand, looking down at her sleeping form. She looks so peaceful with her slow breathing and beautiful face. You almost want to stroke her midnight hair. You smile, your eyes tired and hopeless but your heart active and loving. This is for Maven, you assure yourself, this is for the greater good of your relationship.

It's the sound of water dripping that knocks you out of your lovesick daze. 

So get prepared for war

You raise your hand quickly, a root growing thick and heading for her throat. She springs up and grabs it, breaking it with both of her heads as the water covers your head. You hold your breath, vision blurred as you try to navigate yourself through her room. Your brain spins, trying to reincarnate itself into working again. What happened to your quick thinking and hopeful dreaming?

Her long fingers creep around your throat as she falls on top of you, making you fall to the ground. You take a deep breathe of oxygen before getting submerged into the water again. You swing your nails, aiming for eyes and her throat. She moves against your fingers and dodges you easily. The roots under your dress begin moving up, extending away from you and Iris.

But survival is a must

You can feel your head spinning, and you get an urge to suck in the water. You fight it. Just a little longer, you promise yourself, this is for Maven. Air bubbles escape your mouth as you scream, scratching her cheek. The roots that now spread across the room turn around, ascending faster and faster as it heads towards Iris. She heard the sound when it was too late. She turns her head, and the roots pick up speed before going through the other side of her head. She twitches until collapsing next to you, bleeding silver through both wounds. 

You cough, the water sinking into the carpet of her floor. You can breathe again. It's over, just like a bullet. 

You can finally breathe again.

So will you stand with us?

Can you feel it?

With your hair drenched and your dress was torn, you approach Maven. You smile, reaching over your silver fingers towards him. His breathing quickens, not wanting to know how the battle between you and Iris ended. But deep inside, he knows, that you were the only one who came out alive. 

"Baby," you whisper as you collapse into his arms. He sits on the floor as you match his breath, trying to sleep peacefully in his arms. 

Elara creeps up from behind him, watching her son as he cradles you back and forth. He's whispering something she can't hear - and doesn't want to hear. She bares guilt and pain, but she knows it's not going to last. This is just something Maven's going to learn to overcome, she convinces herself.

She crouches next to him, putting a hand on your cheek.

"(Y/N), honey," she coos. You open your bloodshot eyes, seeing spots of silver in your vision. 

She placed her fingers over your eyes, shutting them, "It's time to go to sleep now. We'll be with you when you wake."