Haley Thistle
patreon
Rocco the Guard: Part Two (rough draft)
🕑 Added 2023-03-15 20:00:02 +0000 UTCI had my new schedule all planned out so that Rocco and his guards couldn’t trace me so easily. It took some effort and time, but luckily, thanks to Kali and her friends, we didn’t starve or anything. But I was bored, and for me, that was almost torture. With my new schedule and plan in mind I went back into the market. After being cooped up in the house for so long, I was excited to stretch my legs a bit.
I stopped at a booth outside where a woman had set up a blanket with handmade jewelry. I knelt down, looking for something for Kali. From the corner of my eye, I saw a guard posted in the market.
“What’s going on in there?” I asked the woman. “How com the market has royal guards now?”
“Not sure, been that way for a while now,” she said.
“Are they looking for someone?” I slid her some coin, which she took with an eager hand.
“Oh yes. They’ve been waiting for someone all this time.”
I eyed the woman closely before looking back towards the bracelets. “Can you tell me who?”
The woman’s hand stretched out, further than it should have been able to. But by then the coin I had handed her exploded, coating her in dark blue smoke. Hands shot out from under her clothing, revealing themselves to be Rocco’s.
“That’s cheap!” I hopped onto my staff and flew up above the market as the guards began swarming out of every corner. More of Rocco’s hands came from the roofs, they bridged between the buildings, and Rocco walked out across them. As I flew overhead, Rocco jumped, grabbing the end of my staff.
“How dare you?” I snapped at him. “Let go Rocco, shoo shoo.” I started pecking at his fingers with my sharp nails. Rocco held on, no matter how I flew or tormented him. I couldn’t shake him, he must have enchanted his gloves or something.
It was getting dark, and still Rocco was hanging on. I knew I had to get home and take care of Kali. But I couldn’t take Rocco into my home.
“I feel sick,” Rocco finally uttered.
“No wonder, you goon! I’ll set you down somewhere if you-” Right as I was offering him a laurel branch, he slipped from my staff. He fell towards the woods.
I sighed heavily and cussed under my breath, swooping down through the trees and catching him before he fell through any more branches, or forbid, the ground itself. I held heavy ass Rocco in my lap, grunting as I tried to keep him aloft. Rocco groaned, and his body was trembling.
“Fuck you, Rocco. Now I have to do this.” I flew on home, with no other choice than to take care of this idiot behemoth.
As i dragged him through the door I was greeted by Kali and her friends gawking. Their wide eyed shock was not lost on me.
“Is that-” Kali’s words choked off.
“That’s the Queen’s Grand Warden!” Alicia exclaimed with a certain sadistic joy in her eyes.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, could you kids open the basement door for me?” I huffed as I got him inside and dropped him on the ground. “Chik, can you take care of this intruder!”
“Intruder in the house! Intruder in the house!” Chik started yelling. The ground below Rocco moved, and as Kizzy opened the basement door Rocco was dragged downstairs. “Intruder in the dungeon! Intruder in the dungeon!”
Kali glanced at me. “We have a dungeon down there?”
“Yeah,” I huffed, dusting off my dress. “I haven’t had to use it as a dungeon, per se, but we keep out linen in it.”
“Intruder locked up! Intruder locked-”
“Yes, yes, Chik! I get it!” I announced loudly. I then turned and glared at all the children. “You all breathe one word of this to anyone and I will grind your bones to make my bread, or whatever the rumors about me are. I’ll do all of it. Twice!”
Kali blinked and turned to look at her friends as they gazed up at me. Alicia seemed exuberant about the whole ordeal, Kizzy and Barley still looked confused.
“Are you gonna perform experiments on him?” Alicia asked.
“What?” I frowned. “No!”
“They used to date, I think,” Kali said. “I don’t think she’d hurt him or anything.”
My jaw dropped. “Kali!”
Kali stepped behind Alicia. “What? I found your old yearbook once.”
“How did you even catch him?” Barley asked.
I shrugged. “He tried to catch me. He hung off my staff all day and I guess he got a bit sick. I didn’t do shit to him,” I snapped at them, making sure they understood what was up.
“You dated the Grand Warden who then turned into your biggest hunter, that’s so romantic,” Kizzy suddenly sighed dreamily.
“Kali, you’ve got one ordinary friend.” I said pointing to Barley. I turned towards the kitchen to get something to drinks and settle my nerves.
The kids all peeked inside, watching me with curiosity. “So what are you going to do with him?” Kali murmured.
I sighed as I took the bottle from my lips. “At this moment, I really don’t know.” I leaned back against the counter and Piglet started gnawing on my hair from behind. “Guess I better go make sure he’s not dying or something.” I chugged the rest of my drink. “You kids should head home. Kali, stay upstairs.” I swung my hair out, slinging Piglet off it and into her hands. “Take that with you.”
I went down into the basement, going towards the dungeon which was lined with sheets and blankets and pillows. Rocco was laid on a pile of them, moaning and taking shallow, loud breaths.
“Hey, can you hear me?” I said from the bars.
He wheezed and let out a cough.
“What’d you do Rocco?” I asked evenly. I crossed my arms against chest, watching him as he laid there, still. “All those hands, you couldn’t do that much last time I saw you. What’d you do to yourself.”
Rocco coughed and he grabbed at his chest.
I rolled my eyes. “My whole house was made to protect me. You lay one hand on me, and it’ll get you.” I opened the dungeon cell and walked inside, kneeling down over Rocco. His hand was clawing at his chest, so I inspected where he was clutching. There, embedded into his skin, was a strange, dark crystal I had seen before.
“My sister,” I muttered. With my nail I drew a circle around the crystal. “This will burn for a moment.”
The crystal glowed and began to sizzle. Rocco let out a cry of pain and his back arched up off the ground. I put my hand above the crystal, watching as it melted and evaporated away. Rocco flopped back down to the ground, his breathing easing back but he still trembled.
“Idiot.” I huffed.I went to stand up but Rocco grabbed hold of me.
“D-don’t go,” he breathed.
I rolled my eyes. “You’re my prisoner, idiot.”
Rocco shook his head. “No. Stay.”
I furrowed my brow, kneeling back down beside him. “You’re fine, you big baby.” I pushed back his hood and undid the straps to his mask. “Sleep here and I’ll poof you back home in the morning.”
Taking off his mask revealed the giant maw that made up his head. Large, sharp teeth protrude out, and inside was a deep purple tongue that tensed and slipped further into his mouth. I smoothed my hand over the back of his head where I felt more crystals planted.
“She’s really got her hooks into you,” I muttered.
“I don’t notice those anymore,” he grunted.
I frowned. “Sure.” I decided to leave those alone for now. “Just go to sleep.”
“She’ll find us,” Rocco wheezed.
Every hair on my body stood on end. My guts churned cold as I gazed at his teeth. “You’re fucking kidding me Rocco.”
Rocco’s chuckle was weak. “You want to keep your home safe? You’re going to have to take care of every crystal on me.”
I narrowed my eyes and smiled like a crazy person. “That could kill you.”
Rocco shook his head. “You wouldn’t let me, Kaireni. Not in a million years.” His laughed turned into coughing and he flopped back against the ground.
I scratched at my neck, letting out a heavy, exasperated sigh. “How many have you got now, Rocco?”
Rocco sat up weakly, taking off his robe and tunic, revealing the velvety deep wine colored skin, along with the jutting crystals implanted all over his body. They were down the back of his head and back, along the back of his hands. Probably all over his legs too. His body was strong, but showed signs of softness around his belly and arms. He had been such a skinny kid, now he was so thick and burly.
“Alright.” I cracked my fingers then wiggled them in the air. “Let's get to work.” I started drawing onto his skin, around the crystals my sister had made. I melted them away, sealing back up Rocco’s flesh. He writhed and whimpered through the night, he grew sweaty and thick, jelly like drool dripped from his mouth that wrapped around the back of his head and down his neck. It made me feel awful, because I knew that was how he cried.
“Is this what you were really after?” I murmured under my breath. I drew a circle around a deeply embedded crystal that made him jerk and cry out. I smoothed my hand over his chest, coaxing him. “Just a few more, champ,” I huffed. I needed to keep my sister away from this place, away from Kali. Maybe now, I needed to keep her away from Rocco as well.
It was extremely late by the time I was done. I was so exhausted and there were so many comfy pillows and blankets around that I just fell asleep there.
“Good morning, Mom!”
Kali’s voice woke me from a sound slumber. I sat up like a shot and looked at her as she brought in two plates of breakfast food. I looked over at Rocco still asleep and waved Kali away.
“Get out of here! I told you to stay upstairs.” I hissed at her, scrambling over pillows and blankets to get up.
“I figured it would be okay to come down. Besides, Kizzy brought over some of tha-” I cupped my hand over Kali’s mouth before she could finish.
I stared deeply into her eyes and nodded at her. “Go upstairs now, kid. Do not come down here again, got it?”
Kali’s eyes flicked behind be for a brief moment then she nodded. As I moved my hand back she took a step aside. “Do you still want the breakfast?”
“Of course I do.” I snatched the plates from her.
Kali’s eyes drifted back over to Rocco. “Wow, so that’s your type.”
I glared at her while she smiled at me. “Stop being like me. Go upstairs and do whatever it is you normally do.” I put the plates aside and led her towards the stairs, taking her to the top.
As Kali opened the door she turned back and looked at me. “What’s he doing here anyways? I mean, he’s been trying to capture you since before I was born. Why bring him here?”
“I’ll tell you later,” I spoke with a hushed tone.
Kali gave me one of those shit eating smiles. “Is he my dad.”
I smiled the same way at her in return. “If that were true, my darling little annoyance, you would have a lot more teeth.” I pushed her through the door. “Only get me if there is an emergency.”
“Will do,” Kali giggled as I shut the door behind her. I walked back down into the basement, crossing the cold floor to stand before the linen dungeon where Rocco was still sleeping. I snatched the bread from the breakfast plate and took a big bite.
“You can stop pretending,” I said as I chewed. “Any time now. I’m a busy woman with busy things to do. Chop, chop,” I snapped my fingers.
The pillows under Rocco’s head swept themselves away and he hit the cold ground with a dull thud. He grunted, slowly easing himself up off the ground.
“So, that’s why you were in the mortal realm so long.” He sat down, folding his legs then putting his hands upon his knees.
“I’m not talking to you about that,” I snipped. “Or anything you think you might have seen or heard.” I snatched the second piece of bread from the other plate. “I removed all my sister’s crystals from you. That’s not free you know.”
Rocco bowed his mouth head and sighed. “Thank you.”
“So you did want them removed,” I snickered. “You could’ve asked me.”
“It’s not so easy. Not for the guard. We aren’t like the rest of those employed at the castle. Especially not when-” Rocco hesitated, he wasn’t used to not being listened to.
“Unless you got a crystal shoved up your ass, I got all of them.” I handed him one of the breadless plates through the dungeon door. “My sister can’t hear you.”
Rocco took the plate, placing food inside his mouth rather than biting it. “She knew I joined the Guard for you, Kaireni.
“I didn’t ask you to,” I sneered.
“To protect you. I knew why you left! I understood why you abdicated your place as heir. I wanted to make sure you wouldn’t be hurt, or worse, dragged back into that life.” Rocco lifted his head and I could see some food stuck to his teeth that jutted forward from his maw.
“That was a bad risk to take. My sister wasn’t going to tolerate any of my sympathizers.” I looked away, gritting my teeth tightly together. I laughed it off in a second, putting on my usual bravado. “That explains why it was so easy to escape you all those times at least. You old softy.”
Rocco grunted, rearing himself back towards the bars. “Ha. That’s why she kept me so full of her crystals.”
“If she didn’t trust you then why keep you on at all?”
“Isn’t it obvious, Kaireni?” Rocco scoffed. He lifted his head towards me, rubbing the back of his neck with his great big hand.
I frowned, having thought the reason for a long while now, but still felt the need to hold on to the hope that my sister wasn’t entirely malignant. “No. Yes. Ugh-” I rubbed the bridge of my nose while holding my head down.
Rocco stood, coming up closer to the bars of the linen dungeon. “I can’t go back now either, Kaireni.”
I kept my eyes downcast upon the dusty floor. Kali and I really didn’t clean up enough down here, I will say that. I couldn’t quite look Rocco in the teeth at the moment. All these years beingGrand Warden, and he had been held prisoner to my sister’s cold ambitions because of me.
Rocco let out a soft laugh. “We’re being watched.”
I spun around towards the door just as the crack closed and I could hear feet skittering away. I let out the sigh that only a parent could make and I turned back to Rocco.
“If it makes you feel any better, we never knew about her,” Rocco murmured.
“I know. I kept it that way myself!” I glared back at him, fearing there was a chance they thought I could have a child. “Was it ever suspected?”
Rocco shook his head. “No. Never!”
“Never?” I was even more offended at that.
“Kaireni!”
I pressed my lips into a firm line, grumbling under my breath. “Chik, unlock the dungeon for me.”
“Intruder in then dungeon!” Chik yelled.
“He’s a guest now! Just open the door.” I watched the dungeon door open and Rocco stepped out. He pulled his tunic back on, smoothing it down over his broad chest and soft belly.
Rocco pointed up. “What’s that?”
“Security system. Something I learned about while with the mortals.” I could almost read his mind, all the questions he had. “I had to use a weak demon for mine, so that explains some of the buggy parts.” I coughed and looked up towards the door again, expecting to see eyes peeping from under the crack at the bottom.
“So your child is-”
“Mostly me.” I want my gaze to cut daggers into him. I’m still on high alert for if this is a trap. “Got that?”
“That wasn’t even a question,” Rocco chuckled.
I nodded my head towards the door. “Come on up. We might as well talk where our little spies can listen.”
Kali didn’t even try to hide the fact she had been listening in. She opened the door as soon as we were at the top and watched with wide eyed eagerness as Rocco and I stepped into the kitchen.
“Can I get you anything, Mr. Rocco?” Kali followed alongside him like a puppy.
“No, young lady, I’m fine for now.” Rocco chuckled.
“So that’s what you look like without your mask! My friends and I were always guessing. We figured you had a big nose. But you really don’t have one, do you?” Kali spoke in fast paced bursts of excitement and childlike wonder.
“Kali,” I gave her that warning, hoping she would back off.
“I use my tongue to smell,” Rocco fed into her line of questioning.
Kali gasped. “Like a snake! So then, how do you see?”
Rocco chuckled. “How would you guess?”
Kali thought for along while as I poured myself a cup of coffee and watched her over the edge of the mug.
“Echolocation!” She was so proud of her answer.
Rocco chuckled then tapped the side of his skull. “Kind of. But more liek a type of telepathy. I can see through the eyes of those around me, and use their vision to see where I am going.”
“No wonder you’re the Warden!”
I stepped in. “Was, Kali. He’s now a fugitive, like me.”
“Good choice,” Kali grinned at Rocco.
I still kept Rocco in the linen dungeon, although I turned it into a bedroom for him. I gave him chores around the house, just to test him and make sure he wasn’t going to turn on me. He did the things Kali and I didn’t like, which included the yard work, chopping wood, etc. He worked hard, slowly earning his place within the home. I also noticed he was taking up writing again, which reassured me greatly.
One evening, as I was getting ready for bed, I noticed an envelope upon my pillow. The strange and sudden warmth of nostalgia wrapped around me, and I felt like a girl again spotting a similar envelope in my spell book. Once again, I found a poem.
“I have seen the green on hills and mountains far
Tree limbs and mossy passages that bear this mark for life
The green I see on daily, does not match what I see in you
You have brought to me greener pastures than what I thought I knew
Eyes so green, so vivid, so bright, have not dulled in the absence of this blight
Torn far apart, ripped to shreds on my bed
Green eyes I have missed in my own lonesome dread”
I stopped reading for a moment as I smiled through small tears. I went downstairs, finding Rocco at his desk. He looked back towards me, standing up from his chair.
I held out the poem. “Really? You’re still on this?” I tried to tease, my voice kept choking up. “Haven’t we become too old for this nonsense?”
Rocco came towards me, stepping out of his former dungeon room. “Why does age have to stop it?”
I smiled at him, slowly uncrossing my arms and sighing. “I don’t really know.”
Rocco reached out, touching my face and smoothing away my hair. “It worked the first time for me. I figured I would try it again. Unless…Kali’s father-”
I closed my eyes and shook my head. It left a bitter taste in my mouth. “I came back here because I lost him. I thought, it would be easier to live here without his memory, than to life in the mortal realm and be reminded of him every second.”
Rocco pulled me into a tight embrace, holding me fondly. “The greatest witch who ever lived, I never would have imagined you could open your heart so big.”
“That’s why Kali is here,” I whispered. I clutched his hand and gazed up to his teeth. “That’s my morning star star now. Now longer greatness. Just her.”
Rocco nuzzled to my cheek and ear, reminding me of the dark closets we hid in when we were young. Being the supposed heir to all the Isles, I wasn't exactly allowed to pick my suitors. Perhaps that is what started my rebellion, I’m not sure.
I giggled and placed my hands upon Rocco’s chest. “That still tickles.”
Rocco’s hand slipped down from my back and cupped around my waist. A grilish rogue came to my cheeks, tingling my skin just like it used to. I smiled, giggling even louder as we came closer together. I nuzzled my face into his shoulder, sighing deeply and with relief.
“Trust me again?”
I nodded against him. Burying my face into his warmth. He smelled like he used to, a slight hint of skin, salt, and dark leather, with just a touch of fresh ink. I was comforted and eased by that familiar bouquet. I didn’t want to let him go.
“Good,” Rocco breathed. “Because now that I have this chance again, I’m not letting you slip through my fingers.”
“I knew it. I am just like candy to you,” I teased.
Rocco chuckled, hugging me tight. “Rotten candy,” he jabbed back.
