Chapter 3
Pandora watched as Lily made her way overto the window, her brown boots scuffing the floor as she begrudgingly propped herself onto the windowsill and sild the two daggers out from her pocket.
"Got to find your own way down if you want to see the lights, Blondie," she said, grunting slightly as she disappeared from sight.
Pandora took a deep breath and cast a look at Star who sat at her bare feet. He meowed softly and leapt towards the window. He'd find his own way down, she supposed. He always did. Pandora looked below as Lily struggling down the tall tower, her auburn locks whipping behind her in the wind. Pandora scooped her mass of blonde braids and looped them through the little hook at the top of the window- just like she had done for Walburga everyday- for a very long time now. She pressed her feet onto the window sill, and closed her eyes, breathing in- preparing herself as she clutched her hair.
In, out, in, out, in, out,
And....
Go.
She slid down the length of her hair, the cool air tickling her face as the skirts of her purple dress swirled at her ankles in the wind as she flew down past Lily, who had whipped her head around in shock.
Pandora's breath hitched as her feet planted onto the warm grass.
"Oh my gosh-" she gasped, her hands covering her mouth. She was out. For the first time in nearly eighteen years. The blades of grass skimmed her shins as she spun kn her spot, taking in the cool breeze and the warm glow of the sun on her face. Lily leapt down beside her and brushed off her clothes.
"It's- it's- how do you even begin to describe it?" Pandora sighed, turning to her, watching as Lily tilted her head ever so slightly, a strand of her auburn hair falling slightly over her perplexed green eyes.
"Describe what?"
"This!" Pandora said, gesturing to the world around her. Lily chewed on her bottom lip.
"You've never... been here before? Like... outside?" She didn't say it unkindly, just confused. Pandora regretted saying it immediately- she should have realised how peculiar it must be.
Pandora avoided looking at her, embarrassed she stared at her feet. "What way do we need to go?"
Lily hesitated, watching her curiously. "Just through the forest and into the kingdom. There's a day-long festival before the lantern ceremony. We should be there in time for that,"
Pandora nodded, strands of her blonde hair falling into her face. Lily watched her, a small, unfamiliar feeling of shame pooling in her stomach. She never usually felt guilty- she said how she felt, and that was that, but now, seeing that she had made Pandora... embarrassed- the thought of it troubled her. She couldn't place why, and it wasn't relevant anyway, she told herself, she hardly knew the girl- their strange girl cooped up in a tower- she was only doing this to get the tiara back, so she could find money to make a living for herself. She brushed away the thought.
"Alright, follow me, Blondie. Keep up- not my fault you didn't bring shoes," Lily muttered, walking past her. Pandora perked up, beginning to follow her, after glancing down at her bare feet- her sallow cheeks flushing.
Lily could feel Pandora following her, it was curios to her. She could hear the girl gasp and giggle at the flutter of a passing butterfly, or stop to pick a flower, all the while seemingly talking to the little black cat that slunked at her feet protectively. Lily didn't like the look of him, to be honest.
"So how come you've never left your tower?" Lily decided to ask, turning around to face Pandora as she walked backwards to watch her. Pandora stopped in her train ks, the black kitten glaring at Lily from Pandora's arms.
"You can't ask about that."
Lily raised her eyebrows. "Is that so?" Pandora nodded, glancing sideways to avoid eye contact. Lily smirked. "Alright, so what about your mother? What's her deal?" She asked, thinking of Pandora's mutterings to the cat; 'mother would kill me if she knew where I was now!'
Pandora's eyebrows scrunched together as she tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. "You're not allowed ask about that either."
Lily rolled her eyes and turned back around, continuing down the grassy path. "Did you say that she'd kill you if she knew you were here?" Lily asked, glancing back.
Pandora slumped against the tall oak tree and buried her face in her hands as she slid down to the ground. "I've betrayed her trust! I'm an awful daughter. All she's ever wanted was to keep me safe and I go and run away in return," her voice was mumbled by her hands. Lily stopped in her tracks and watched her. The little cat pressed a paw on her arm and meowed. Pandora peaked out from behind her hands.
"I'm an awful, awful person!" She turned and looked up to meet Lily's eyes.
"Look, this can all be solved. I take you back to your tower, you give me back my satchel, and you can repair a mother-daughter relationship on love and trust and all is wonderful and rainbows and magic," Lily outstretched her hand to help to pull Pandora up, but Pandora crossed her arms, staying put on the ground.
"No, I am going to see those floating lights."
Lily groaned. "Hurry the fuck on then. We don't have all bloody day!" The cat hissed at Lily as Pandora sprung up from the ground and walked past Lily.
"Hurry up and show me where we're going, Evans," she called as she stormed past her, her blonde hair straying in the wind slightly. Lily blinked, watching her, replaying her words "show me where we're going, Evans,".
Evans.
Lily shook her head and jogged up next to her. "The Ugly Duckling- turn the corner here and there's a pub- I need a drink."
Lily, Pandora, and Star made their way to the crammed little cottage of a pub in the middle of the woods a short while later. The poster nailed to the tree glared back her Lily, her own face. She tore it down before Pandora noticed and stuffed it in her pocket. Fucking royal guards.
"Let me do the talking, here, Blondie," she muttered as she swept past Pandora and swung open the door, watching as the chatter died down almost instantly as every head in the pub turned and faced her. Lily glared as Barty Crouch glared at her from the counter.
Barty Crouch- a nemesis of Lily's. Born into a wealthy, privileged family, best friends with the Prince of Corona, Evan Rosier. The boy never seemed to have lived a day of trouble in his life- in fact, he seemed unaffected by the murder of his father the previous year. Lily had her bets that it could potentially be Barty at fault for his murder- although, he seemed fair too much of a wuss to actually take any matters into his own hands. Barty slipped something from the counter and strided over to Lily.
He towered over her, glaring down at her with piercing green eyes and ruffled dark brown hair. He held up the slightly crinkled poster, the one with the black and white sketch of Lily's face, full of freckles and determination.
"They've got a fine price for you going in the Palace, Evans," Barty sneered. Lily resisted recoiling. Her last name didn't have that same ring to it when he said it compared to when Pandora did earlier.
Barty nodded to two other men. "Call the royal guards." The two men hurried out the door, shoving past Pandora as she stumbled forward with a soft 'oof'.
"Oh- sorry," she said shyly after bumping into Barty slightly. Lily physically cringed and tugged her back.
Barty raised his eyebrows at Lily's tight grip on Pandora's arm.
"Who are you?" He asked.
"I'm Pandora," she smiled, reaching out her hand for him to shake. Barty grinned- it was a grin Lily had never seen before. If she hadn't known and hated Barty so much, she would have thought it was genuine.
"Barty," he grinned, shaking her hand, much to Lily's surprise.
One of the men from before came rushing back. "The guards are on their way, sir."
Pandora's face dropped. "No- wait! Please don't get the guards!"
Barty turned to her, eyebrows knitted confusedly.
"No- please, Lily may have done some bad things but she's going to take me to see the lights! The floating lights! Do you know how long I've dreamed for this day?"
Barty watched her expectantly.
"My whole life! My whole life have I waited to see those floating lights- and- and now you're going to call these royal guards and take away my tour guide and- and I won't be able to see them! And- and then I'll be lost! And- and I can't go back home because Mother will be so angry! And- and- these lights are my dream! Have you ever had a dream?" She cried. Everybody in the pub watched in surprise at her little outburst.
Barty's eyes softened. "Yeah, I've had a dream."
Pandora's eyes widened. "Yes! Dreams! You'd want to live your dream, wouldn't you?"
"More than anything."
"Aw! Let me live my dream, please, let Lily show me to these lights."
Barty cast a look at the man at the door, looking defeated, he gestured for Lily and Pandora to follow him. He slipped open a hatch in the floor, opening up a trap door. Star hopped up onto Barty's shoulders and meowed softly. Pandora knew he would find his wasmy back to them eventually.
"Go live your dream," Barty grinned.
Lily's mouth dropped open in shock. Barty threw her a dirty look. "Not you. Obviously."
"Oh, thank you! I'll never forget this. I truly hope you get your dream, Barty. I shall wish it on a floating light tonight," she smiled, and grabbed Lily's hand, racing through the underground, dimly lit tunnel, running from the sounds of Palace horses above land.
"How- you just convinced Barty Crouch to help us. How the fuck did you do that?" Lily asked, shocked, she was looking at Pandora with a trace of something in those deep green eyes, but Pandora couldn't place what it was.
Pandora crossed her arms. "Maybe because I'm not a criminal."
Lily's mouth dropped open, but she closed it again before knitting her eyebrows together. "I have my own good reasons- you don't get to judge me for something you know nothing about," Lily spit, crossing her arms.
"I'm not judging you, but I would have liked a heads up before we got flooded in a pub with people yelling to get royal guards," Pandora replied.
"It was none of your fucking business!" Lily snapped.
"It is if it would have stopped me from seeing those lights! What did you even do?! Did you kill someone?!"
"Fuck- no! I didn't fucking kill somebody! Are you crazy?!"
"Well, how am I supposed to know if you don't tell me?! What did you do?"
"I don't get why you care so fucking much! I stole a tiara. A fucking useless tiara that belongs to a princess who doesn't even exist! And now the whole bloody kingdom is after me and I would have been gone far from here by now if you didn't demand to see those stupid fucking lights!" Lily yelled, her voice loud, echoing through the dark tunnel.
"Why would you even steal a tiara in the first place? Genuinely why? A tiara of all things? You're getting yourself into this mess. It's your fault the kingdom is after you. Why did you steal a tiara?!" Pandora cried.
"There they are!" A voice bellowed, Lily and Pandora whipped around to see a crowd of royal guards sprinting through the tunnel after them. Fear rippled through Pandora. She needed to get out of here- fast. She turned her head and saw a smaller entrance to another tunnel, blocked by a bundle of large rocks. Quickly, hands trembling, she tore them away from the entrance to the tunnel as Lily stood watching the guards get closer and closer. A royal guards was galloping on a tall, intimidating black horse through the tunnel, he reached out to grab Lily as he raced past.
A scream reached from Pandora's throat as his hand grazed Lily's arm, so near to taking her. She smashed the boulder straight into his face as he fell off the horse, blood oozing from his face as the tunnel filled with a metallic aroma. Lily stood in shock, her mouth dropped open, shaking. Pandora grabbed her hand and pulled her into the small tunnel before the other guards caught up. Inside the tunnel, she built back up the rocks over the entrance to ensure the guards wouldn't find them. Her heart was racing in her ears, her breath shaking as her trembling hands placed the last boulder on top of the entrance. She turned to Lily, who's mouth was hanging open, trembling slightly as her auburn hair fell in wisps over her face.
"Are you alright?" Pandora whispered, suddenly aware of how narrow the tunnel was, she was mere millimetres away from Lily, she could feel her shaky breath on her face.
Lily nodded slowly. "You- he was gonna take me- probably kill me," her voice was shaky, nothing like her usual snide confidence Pandora had grown familiar with.
Pandora stayed silent, unsure what to say. Was the man outside the tunnel dead? There was an ungodly amount of blood. Lily closed her eyes and inhaled softly.
"Thank you," she whispered, her eyes fluttering open again. Pandora smiled softly.
Lily grinned. "You've got blood on your face."
"What?"
"Blood, splattered on your face," Lily's lips pulled into a small genuine smile as she pulled her sleeve over her hand and brushed under Pandora's eye, then just below her lip, her hand lingering a little longer than necessary as Pandora held her breath.
"Thanks," her voice was quiet.
"Where are they?" A voice bellowed from outside the tunnel. Lily's eyes flickered in panic to Pandora's.
"I can't see them! They've hidden somewhere in the tunnels!" Another voice responded.
"Flood out the tunnels! We'll fond them that way! Everybody exit!" The voice bellowed. Footsteps and galloping hoovesteps sounded in the tunnels as they exited.
"Shit- they're going to flood us out-" Lily said, combing her flyaway hairs back. She looked down the tunnel end and rubbed her hand down her face. "Dead end. Dead fucking end."
Pandora's heart rate picked up. "We can just remove these rocks and-"
"Quick, we've barely got any time."
Pandora and Lily rushed to the blocked up entrance and with trembling fingers, began to tear the rocks down. Lily ignored the gash of blood oozing from her hand from the rock taht just dug into it. A flurry of water hit her back and she and Pandora whipped around in fear to see their little tunnel filling with water.
"Faster, faster," Lily muttered. The top half of the rocks broke down and Lily didn't hesitate with wrapping her hands around Pandora's thin, cold waist and lifting her over, Pandora shook with cold from the freezing water, but took Lily's non bleeding hand and helped her over as the water filled the tunnel.
The water was filling up the tunnel at rapid pace, water went past their waist as they struggled to find the exit.The tunnel went black, water surpassing their necks as Pandora and Lily grasped for air.
"We're gonna die, oh my god, I'm going to die in a tunnel," Lily cried, squeezing her eyes shut, gasping for air.
"Oh no, no, no, no, no," Pandora whimpered.
"I stole to tiara to sell it and buy a home to turn into a real orphanage for the children in town because the real one in the kingdom is abusive and horrible," Lily gasped, "That's why I stole it. It's worth millions. That's why the kingdoms after me."
Even on the verge of death, Pandora's heart warmed. "I was locked in a tower all my life because I have magic hair that glows when I sing," she confessed, prepared to die with the secret.
"What?" Lily cried.
"I have magic hair that gl- oh!" Pandora cried, realisation hitting her. If she sang, her hair would light up the tunnel and show them to the exit. She gulped in the last breath of air and sang, "Flower gleam and glow let your power shine-"
It was enough, her hair lit up in brilliant gold, just before the water covered their heads. Lily's eyes widened in shock, Pandora grasped her hand and pushed through the water- finally seeing an entrance.
Pandora and Lily burst through the exit in the tunnel, collapsing onto the grass, clothes and hair soaking wet. In one hand, Lily held Pandora's tightly, and her own in the other, stopping the blood. Pandora gasped at the air and sighed, smiling.
"We're alive!"
"Your- hair- your hair glows." Lily's eyes were wide. Pandora grinned.
"That's not all it does," Pandora smirked, she sat up on the grass and glanced around at her surroundings. The Palace guards were gone, must be around the other side of the tunnel. But just to be safe, Pandora and Lilg walked into the forest near by and found a small clearing. It wad dark by now, the stars twinkling in the snippets of the sky visible between the branches of the tall trees. Pandora took a seat on a soft patch of grass beside Lily, who still clutched her bleeding hand. Gently, Pandora took it as Lily let go.
The cut was deep, blood crusted along the outside of the wound.
"Just- please don't freak out, alright?"
Lily looked at her, both confusion and amusement in her eyes. Pandora slowly wrapped her blonde hair around the wound and slowly snag the song under her breath, watching as her hair lit up, she could feel Lily's gaze on her. Slowly, she took away her hair to reveal the palm of Lily's hand sealed over, as if nothing had happened.
Lily's eyes flickered between her hand and Pandora. "What- how- oh my- shit- what-"
"You said you wouldn't freak out," Pandora smiled.
Lily closed her mouth, her eyes still wide as she stared at Pandora. "I'm not freaking out. So not freaked out."
Pandora raised her eyebrows.
"How- how did you know it could do that?" Lily asked, then her mouth shut. "Never mind," she blushed, "forgot I couldn't ask about the hair."
"Nah, it's alright, I'll tell you," Pandora shrugged, shivering slightly from her cold, her hair still wet. She wrung it out softly and slumped against the tree they were sitting in front of, her head falling slightly onto Lily's shoulder. She felt exhausted.
"When I was born, somebody tried to cut my hair- to sell it or use it for something bad, I'm not sure," she slipped the light brown strand from behind her ear, running it through her fingers, "Mother knew then it wasn't safe for me to just... be. I would always be hunted- always wanted... what I have isn't normal. Its a power, and with power comes greed. I've been in that tower for just about eighteen years and I've never left. Mother says its for my safety, but... I don't know, I guess it gets kinda lonely. I hand that a proper human interaction with anybody besides my mother until you came along."
Lily stayed silent for a moment. "I'm glad I was your first human interaction."
Pandora grinned. "Yeah, me too."