requested by Exorprism

i used my current stress level from finals week and my sadness to write this one my friends so here we go

this is 5000+ words, just a warning for you

/ / /

You couldn't quite find your breath as the dust settled above your head. Beyond the stones, you heard the sounds of them crying your name. You choked on the heavy air and attempted to sit up. You felt the warmth leaking out of the back of your skull before you even heard the slimy sound of your moist hair peeling off of the rocky floor.

Every beat of your heart hurt. Every intake of breath ached. Every movement of your now broken body was agonizing.

But they were screaming for you. They needed you. 

Sobs racked through you as you dragged your body on your belly, shoving your fingers in cracks in the dirt. You opened your eyes slowly. Where you had fallen, there was only darkness. But directly in front of you was a crack that lit up slightly. It was enough to look like a light at the end of a tunnel and wide enough that you could squeeze your body through if you could stand. 

If you could stand. 

Can I stand?

You pulled your knees up closer to your chest. Your forehead pressed against dirt. Your palms dug into the ground as you forced your shaking forearms to lift up the top of your body. You gulped down a swallow of bile and pulled your knee up more. Your foot slid underneath your body. 

Okay, now stand.

It was easier to command than do. You managed to hold your weight on one leg and then you toppled over, smacking your head against the wall. You slid to your bottom with a cry of pain. Your arm circled around your torso. How many ribs had you broken?

Stand. Up.

They needed you.

You heard them scream out again. You gulped and put your hands on the rock wall behind you. You stood up slowly, inching your back up against it. Your feet spread as you used the toes of your shoes to search for the staff. You kicked it and picked it up weakly.

You heard him scream, and it broke your heart and pierced your ears all at once. You tried to use it as motivation to keep moving, but when you fell again, you knew you weren't going to get up.

/ / 

a few hours earlier

"You know what you could really use?" Barley pressed, your side gently. You rolled your head on your shoulders and looked at him questionably. "You could really use a classic adventurous quest."

"Eh... Barley, I don't really know," you said. "I'm not feeling up for one right now."

"Come on," he said. "You're sad, and I know you love it when we go somewhere cool. Plus Ian has been dying to go on another quest. It's our fault we made him so adventurous, you know." He sighed and crossed his arms. "We raised him too good, babe."

"He's just like you are, Barley. And I blame you for that one. Ian used to be as quiet as I am. But now look at what you did." You laughed a little.

Barley smiled. "That's the first time you've smiled all day."

Of course he noticed that. Barley always noticed the smallest things about you. He noticed the way you stir your tea with your straw before every single drink, or how you add a heart to the top corner of every love letter you left him on the windshield of his van. You always left them on the common yellow office stationary. 

Now that was one of his most favorite things. 

"I'm sorry," you said.

"Honey," he said softly, "come on. You don't have to apologize for having a tough day. As your boyfriend, it's my job to take care of you. We don't have to do a quest. We can do whatever makes you happy, okay? Even if it includes sitting in the back of Guinevere the Second reading those fantasy-romance novels you like so much."

You sighed and stood up off of the porch step. You stepped towards Barley and put your hand on his shoulder. His hands went to hold you as soon as you sank down to sit on his lap. "Let's compromise here. I read you some of my book while you drive us to where ever you want to go."

"That is pretty much the best sounding compromise ever," he said. 

"Yeah?" You intertwined your fingers at the back of his neck and leaned down. Your lips brushed against his softly. After your long, drawn-out kiss, you pulled your face back and kept one hand on the back of his neck. With your other, you pushed back your loose hair that had fallen over your shoulder. "What kind of story did you want me to bring?"

"Oh, I get to pick?" he asked. 

"Uh-huh." You crossed your ankles and grinned at him. "I'm taking requests."

His hands were on your waist, and then they were reaching over your legs and plucking a single purple flower from the garden. He rolled the stem with his fingers and then slipped it behind your ear. His voice was quieter than you had ever heard it when he said, "Whatever story will remind me most of you, milady."

You smiled and leaned in to kiss him again.

/ / 

With your feet pulled up on the seat, Barley's right hand on your lap, his fingers intertwined with yours, a crown made of wildflowers on top of your head, and a heavy hardback book with a worn cover on your lap, you made the most of the uncomfortably bumpy drive across the road. 

"Indeed," you read aloud, "they soon becameso friendly that she vowed she would marry noone else, and confided to him that in three daysher father would be off to the wars, leaving hissword in her room. If any man could find itand bring it to him he would receive her handas a reward. At this point a cock crowed, andthe youth jumped up hastily saying, 'Of courseI shall ride with the king to the war, and if I donot return, take your violin every evening tothe seashore and play on it, so that the very seakobolds who live at the bottom of the oceanmay hear it and come to you.'"

You turned the page with your free hand. Barley smiled as you continued to read, his eyes on the dirt road ahead. 

"Just as the princess had foretold, in threedays the king set out for the war with a largefollowing, and among them was the youngprince, who had presented himself at court asa young noble in search of adventures. Theyhad left the city many miles behind them,when the king suddenly discovered that hehad forgotten his sword, and though all hisattendants instantly offered theirs, he declaredthat he could fight with none but his own.'The first man who brings it to me frommy daughter's room,' cried he, 'shall not onlyhave her to wife, but after my death shall reignin my stead.'"

"At this the Red Knight, the young prince,and several more turned their horses to ride asfast as the wind back to the palace. But suddenly a better plan entered the prince's head, and,letting the others pass him, he took his preciousparcel from his breast and wished himself a lion---"

"I can't believe the prince can turn himself into a lion," Barley scoffed, shaking his head. "That's insane."

"And a bear," you reminded him, glancing at his face. 

"Right. A bear, too." He sighed. 

"What?" 

"You would definitely leave me for him," he joked.

You gasped. "Barley! I would not."

He snickered and you shook your head at him before continuing. "Then on he bounded, uttering such dreadfulroars that the horses were frightened and grewunmanageable, and he easily outstripped them,and soon reached the gates of the palace. Herehe hastily changed himself into a bee---"

"He turns himself into a bee too," Barley muttered, shaking his head. "The man really can do anything, can't he?"

You struggled not to laugh as you finished, "---and flewstraight into the princess's room, where he became a man again. She showed him where thesword hung concealed behind a curtain, and hetook it down, saying as he did so, 'Be sure notto forget what you have promised to do.'"

"Play the violin at sea if he doesn't return, right? That's what she has to do?" he asked. 

"Right." You read on: "The princess made no reply, but smiledsweetly, and slipping a golden ring from herfinger she broke it in two and held half outsilently to the prince, while the other half sheput in her own pocket. He kissed it, and randown the stairs bearing the sword with him.Some way off he met the Red Knight and therest, and the Red Knight at first tried to takethe sword from him by force. But as the youthproved too strong for him, he gave it up, andresolved to wait for a better opportunity."

"Ah, a betrothal!" Barley exclaimed. 

You smiled at the words and tipped your head to your side. "Yeah, I guess you're right. That is a betrothal. Isn't that romantic?"

Barley nodded, smiling happily. 

You sighed and the van came to a slow crawl. "I think we have come to the end of our trail," he said. "It looks like we'll be walking from here on out, milady."

You closed your book and let go of his hand. He stopped the van and climbed out of his side. You opened up your door and stepped down, and as you did, Barley scooped you up with his arms thrown around you and lifted you out of the van. 

"Barley!" you laughed. 

He spun you before he set you down on the sand and kissed you hard on the lips. You gripped the front of his t-shirt as he dipped you down slightly. When he broke away to breathe, you let out an airy laugh. 

"What was that for?" you asked.

"I have no reason other than I love you," he said. "Isn't that a good enough reason?"

Your eyes searched his. "That is the only reason I could think of wanting."

The back of the van opened. You and Barley broke apart as a half asleep Ian plopped down on the sand. "Did you guys just forget that I came with you?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. "Did you just not think to wake me up?" 

"Uh..." You glanced up at your boyfriend, who scratched the back of his neck and nervously laughed. 

"Oh, Ian, uh... no, we didn't forget about you. How... how long were you asleep?" He crossed his arms. "I totally didn't think that we left you back at home or anything." 

"I fell asleep when she started reading that boring story about the bee prince!" he said, gesturing to you.

You gaped. "H-Hey!" 

"Well, I'm sorry, but it was boring!" Ian exclaimed. "And I knew I would end up just third-wheeling with you guys on this dumb quest. What quest is it even?" 

"For one, we are the best couple to go third-wheeling with, because we are so fun," Barley said, poking his brother in the chest. "And two, legend has it that there is a secret cave just up there that could lead us to a single treasure."

"What kind of treasure?" Ian asked. 

"A crown made of pearls from the deepest part of the sea," he said. "I once read a story that Poseiden himself had given it to his wife, Amphitrite."

Ian sighed. "I'm pretty sure that was probably a fanfiction. All you ever read is fanfiction."

"Actually---" Barley held up a finger and pressed his lips together. He bit his lip. "Maybe it was a fanfiction. I don't know. Point is that there is a crown made of pearls left somewhere in the cave, and I intend on retrieving it for my very own goddess."

Barley's arm snaked around your waist and you blushed up at him as he smiled down. You couldn't believe how lovesick you really were. You had fallen absolutely in love with this elf.

Ian rolled his eyes and stuck the end of the wizard staff in the sand. He groaned, "I can't believe I came along on this quest to get a lousy gift for your girlfriend."

"Hey," Barley said. 

You blinked. "That actually wasn't as mean as I thought it would be. I thought he was going to call me a lousy girlfriend."

"He'd better not," Barley said.

Ian groaned and picked up his staff. He shuffled his feet through the sand. "I wasn't going to call her anything! Come on, the sun is setting. Let's get this quest over with." 

You let Barley take your hand and walked behind Ian. "You know, he's pretty cranky today."

"Yeah." Your boyfriend nodded. "He gets that from you."

You gaped. "Barley---"

/ / 

It didn't take long to find the cave, but the three of you spent hours inside of the cavern you entered. The walls were moist and saltwater dripped from the top. It smelled of the sea. The sounds of the waves echoed from outside, where they crashed against the entrance. 

Barley led the way, gripping a single lit torch in his hand. Ian walked alongside you. He hugged his staff to his chest as if he were afraid a wave would come wash it away.

"If there was water inside of the cave, I would suggest we make a boat," Barley said. "But it seems to have been drained."

"Drained recently," you added. "Everything is dripping wet."

He nodded, observing the roof of the cave above him. Green plants were stuck to the walls as well. 

"I really hope this doesn't fill back up while we're in here," Ian said.

You and Barley silently agreed. Barley reached back to take your hand again. With his fingers between yours, you walked a little faster so you could catch up with him. You drew your jacket tighter over your shoulders. 

"Are you cold?" he asked, concerned. 

"No," you said. "Just creeped out."

"It shouldn't be much longer," he said, shaking his head. "I have read a lot of stories on this place and the walk to the back of the cave is long, but I know we must only have halfway left to go. I'm sure of it." 

"That's a lot of time," Ian said. He dragged his hand across the wall of the cave, collecting drips of water on his fingers. He yanked his hand back when he almost touched a slug-like creature that had suctioned itself to the wall. "Yuck!"

"What is this crown inside of? A treasure chest? Does a creature guard it?" 

Barley fidgeted nervously, letting go of your hand to scratch the top of his arm. "Well, no one knows for sure..."

You blinked. "Barley."

"There's this myth, you know, that there's a huge, uh..."

Ian threw his arms up. "A huge what?!" 

"A huge snake," he said. "You know, a serpent thing. That guards the crown."

Your blood ran cold and your feet stopped moving. Barley turned and Ian dropped his face in his hands. 

"You couldn't have told us this to prepare us!?" Ian exclaimed. "Barley, this whole time we've been making a ton of noise and not at all prepared to take on a challenge like a giant serpent!"

"To be honest with you, I am not so sure the snake is real at all. I have heard two accounts where it is but three accounts where there was no snake! So I think we have the benefit of the doubt."

"I don't think that is how it works really," Ian whispered. 

"Barley," you half whined, half whispered. "I'm scared of snakes. Why did you drag me directly into a mission about snakes?" 

"I know you are, babe," he said, "but you've been really wanting to break out of your fears. Remember the giant scorpions on the walls of the hidden tunnel we found?"

"Yeah," you sighed, "but still---"

"I know I should have warned you guys, I know," he said. "But I didn't want either of you to get scared. Sometimes you both get so afraid that you choose not to do things. I don't want fear to get in the way of you trying new things or living your life! Things are scary. The world is scary." He smiled encouragingly. "But I know the two of you are so much stronger than you think."

You sighed again and crossed your arms. You didn't want to do the quest anymore, but you also didn't want to disappoint Barley. He was so excited and so ready.

"Okay," you said. 

The walk ahead was silent for a while. You didn't hold Barley's hand as you walked somewhat behind him. After a while, Barley gave Ian the torch and he chose to hang back with you as you shuffled your feet across the rocky floor.

"Honey, I'm sorry," he told you. He sighed and dropped his head. 

"It's okay," you said. 

"No, you didn't want to come anyway, and then I scared you." He shook his head. "I get too caught up in these fantasies of mine where everything is easy and every quest is dangerous and that's what makes it a quest." He looked at you with tear-filled eyes. "I'll protect you, you know. No matter what is in front of us. Whether it's a snake, or a shark, or a freakin' huge starfish. I'll beat them all up. I don't care."

You laughed a little. "I know you will."

"I mean, I'm getting mad just thinking about it," he said. "A starfish threatening to steal my girl away from me? No way. I'll kill it."

"Babe, there's no starfish," you said. 

He sighed. "Right. I just keep thinking about it now."

He glanced behind him as if one could be sneaking up behind you at this very moment. You laughed and shook your head before you found yourself staring at the side of his face for a very long minute. You'd already made up your mind, you'd decided. You'd made up your mind back at the van.

"Barley," you said, "give me your sword please."

He gave you his sword. It was a "toy" for his Quests of Yore character, but it was actually a real sword that he had specially made. Or you did, for the first anniversary together only four years ago. He handed it to you and you gripped it with your dominant hand. With your other hand, you slipped off the gold ring you had always worn as a teenager and even now as an adult.

You looked around for a good stone to sit it on top of. When you found one, you rushed over to it. "Bar, some light, please?"

Barley brought over the torch and looked at his brother for possible answers when you laid the ring down on the rock. Ian wasn't even paying attention; he was practicing spells somewhat down the cave. 

Your ring was a double-ring, with the very thin band wrapping twice around your finger. You positioned it carefully and then lifted the sword high. You brought it down on the piece of jewelry. 

Cling! Cling! Cling!

On the fourth hard tap, it was severed in two. You picked them up and held out your hand for Barley's. His eyes lit up when he realized what you were doing. 

"I'm not proposing," you said, "because I know that when we've discussed it, you made it perfectly clear that you wanted to do that the old-fashioned way. But I also wanted to do something the old-fashioned way. I want to give you this ring, Barley, so that you our betrothal is official. I will marry you one day."

You had to stretch the ring out to fit him, but it still worked well enough for right now. Eventually, it would be replaced with a wedding band. You slipped the ring on his finger and smiled up at him. 

"Do you accept it?" 

"I do," he said. He handed the torch to you and slipped your finger on your own hand, then he just held it. He shook his head in amazement. "How?" 

"How what?" you asked, smiling.

"How did I get so lucky?" 

"Hm... well," you said, placing a hand on his chest. "Like any other prince or brave knight, you have won my heart over, Barley Lightfoot. I am forever yours."

"You have won my heart a hundred times over," he whispered. "Every part of me is yours, my princess, if you want me." 

You leaned in. "You know I do."

As you kissed Barley, everything around you faded away. You melted against him, holding the torch far out so you wouldn't burn either of you. He kissed you slowly, savoring each and every movement of his lips against your own.

You were yanked out of your fairytale moment when a wave of cool water knocked against your ankles. 

You and Barley pulled away and looked down in confusion. At first, you were afraid that it was the tide coming in front the entrance of the cavern. Then you realized that it was coming from where Ian was. 

The boy turned around and looked at you and Barley. "Did you guys feel that?"

Neither of you said anything as you watched a creature slither in from the deeper part of the cave. It raised high above Ian, his jaw slacking open to reveal to long, sharp teeth. You gasped and fell slightly against Barley, who caught you. 

"Ian!" you both screamed in terror. 

At the same moment, the snake whipped its tale, knocking his staff from his hands. He yelped and ran towards you and Barley, trying to meet you halfway as you took off towards him. You grabbed Ian by the hands and pushed him back behind Barley. The snake raised higher, wriggling back and forth as if it were tantalizing you. 

"The staff!" Barley said, pointing at the water directly in front of it.

You looked at it and swallowed hard. You didn't waste any time to think. 

You sprinted forward, directly into the ankle-deep water that the snake was sitting in. Barley's arms lunged for you but he missed. 

"___, no!" he screamed.

"I got it!" You grabbed the staff from the water and the snake darted around to circle around you. 

"___, get out of there!" 

You spun in a circle, seeing that he was wrapped around you in every direction. His tail inched closer to you. 

You couldn't get out. You were terrified. 

The snake hissed at you and suddenly you were terrified it was going to lunge---

You held up the staff and desperately called out---

"Voltar Thundasir!" 

Lightning shot out of the staff and struck the rocky ceiling above the snake. The world seemed to freeze for a single moment. 

You didn't know that you were capable of magic. 

The snake recovered and hissed. It curled backwards as if preparing to strike. 

"___---!" Barley screamed. 

You squeezed your eyes shut. "Voltar Thundasir!"

When the lightning struck the rock again, they came crumbling down. At first they crushed the head of the snake, and then the body. You gasped, half shocked and half terrified. You looked at Barley and Ian, who were rushing towards you. 

"Why did you do that?!" Barley was asking, but all you wanted to do was grin and say Isn't it great that I did it? I'm not afraid anymore!

"Barley," you started, "I can't believe I just---"

Barley reached his hand out and you laid your palm in his. At the same moment, the floor beneath you shifted and lowered. You gasped, teetering backwards as the water rushed up with a whoosh and washed over your legs. You fell backwards and the ground swallowed you and the snake and the bottom of the cave whole. 

"No!" Barley shouted, reaching for you. 

In the split second when you could see, you reached your fingers out for him before you fell all the way down, a pile of rocks falling right over you.

/ / 

The water rushed down the gaping hole in the ground. Barley's knees and hands met the floor as his body collapsed forward. 

"Oh no," he rasped. "No! Oh God, no---!"

"Barley," Ian sobbed, grabbing his brother's shoulders. He was afraid he would jump in after you. "Barley, come on, back up." 

"___! No!" He ripped one arm free and used it to shove his brother back. Ian stumbled. "I have to go in after her." 

"Barley, that's stupid!" Ian said. He grabbed for Barley again, gripping his shoulders tight. "Stop! Don't. If you go down there, you'll die, too." 

He blinked twice as the realization set in. 

You'll die too. 

His knees started to shake. His shoulders raised and fell quickly as panicked breaths rose from his chest. He turned away from his brother.

You were dead. Just like that. Torn from his life forever. 

Barley collapsed on his knees. He wrapped his arms around himself as he went lower and lower. His forehead pressed against the ground. Loud sobs that Ian had never heard before echoed across the cave. The younger brother broke at the sound of them. He put his hands around his brother and looked at the part of the cave that had fallen in. 

He started to cry, too.

/ / 

The police came. Ambulances came. Barley and Ian were told to sit in the back of an ambulance and were given blankets to warm up with while they searched for the body. Barley had to describe where you would be found. He had to describe where the cops might find the love of his life, lifeless and cold and lost somewhere in a cave. 

Ian stared at the dark waves washing over the beach, shivering in his blanket. Barley just stared forward at the entrance of the cave.

"It's my fault," he said, voice empty. 

Ian shook his head. "It was an accident, Barley."

"I knew the snake was in there," he said, "and I took us in there anyway."

"You didn't know," Ian said. "You even told us that."

"How could I have been so stupid?" he whispered. A sob started to break out of his throat. "If they come out with a --- with a body... and she's..." He sucked in a shaky breath as the tears spilled over his eyes. "If I killed her, I won't be able to live with myself."

Ian stared at his brother. "Barley, you didn't kill her. She rescued us! If it wasn't her, then it would've been you!"

"It should've been me," he said. He didn't say it loudly, he didn't say it with anything in his voice except for anger. "I should've been protecting her like I told her I would."

An officer approached the two young men with a notepad in hands. She glanced over the state of the two before she said, "Officer Bronco said he will be driving you two back home," she said. "It'll take us a while to search before we find anything. You should go home now, get some rest. You need it."

"What about my brother's van?" Ian asked.

"It'll be returned to you after it's looked over," she said. 

"You mean for evidence?" Ian asked. 

"We're just trying to find answers," she explained. "As to what went on in there and why you three were in that cave to begin with."

"We told you. There was a huge snake in there and it attacked us. She saved our lives! And we were in there on a quest."

"Do you realize how odd that story sounds, Mr. Lightfoot?" the officer asked, narrowing her eyes. She put her hands on her hips. "We'll be checking the van just to be sure there wasn't any other motive for this accident. If we understand correctly, you have a record, don't you, sir?"

Ian scoffed and the anger bubbled up inside of him, "A record for what?! Chaining himself to a fountain to protest? You are seriously suggesting that my brother purposefully got his girlfriend killed!"

"There are a lot of couples that do this, sadly," she said, shaking her head. "It's just something we have to check for and make sure it wasn't a possibility." 

"It wasn't," Ian insisted. 

She ignored him and looked over Barley. Her eyes locked on his ring finger and the gold band that was there. "Are you married, sir?"

"No," he said weakly. He swallowed hard. "Betrothed."

"Betrothed?" she questioned. 

"Engaged," he said. His eyes shifted right over the police officer and at his van. 

A couple of detectives were standing in front of it. He saw one black rubber glove reach up and pull back a windshield wiper. They plucked a folded yellow piece of paper. 

Barley's eyes widened and his ears lifted. They started to unfold it. 

"No," he whispered. He got up and sprinted towards them. They jumped in shock, the officers warned him loudly, and yet he grabbed the letter from their hands and ran towards the water away from them. They thought he was running away, but he wasn't. He just wanted to read the letter. "No, this is mine. It's from her, it's---"

In the dim blue light of twilight, he looked over the words. 

"Baby," he choked out, seeing your familiar handwriting on the page.

Barley --- 

You asked me for a fairytale most related to ours with one that reminds you of me. I can say with great happiness that I have yet to find one. Our fairytale is my favorite one. You are my favorite hero, my favorite prince, my favorite warrior, and my favorite knight, all wrapped up into one. 

Oh how I love you.

We are about to go off on a dangerous quest. You know these are my favorite ones to go on with you. I love how your eyes light up when you are faced with any challenge, and maybe that's why I'm brave enough to go on even this quest. And much like the hero of the story I am about to read you on our trip, I will say: 

Be sure not to forget what you promised to do.

(I hope that after we read it, you say it back to me. Always wait for me by the sea, just as I would wait for you.)

___

At the top corner of the page was a tiny black heart, colored in with ink pen.

Be sure not to forget what you promised to do crushed his entire chest. The single sentence stole away his breath. He thought of the princess playing the violin loudly by the sea just as she had promised she would. You never got to finish that story for Barley, but he knew that they must've had a happy ending.

Barley's knees met the sand as his grief finally washed over him and consumed him for good. No one dared touch him as Colt stood his ground in front of his stepson, watching with sadness as he grieved the loss of someone too young to go.

Barley just looked out at the sea. 

/ / / 

what was requested was a super sad angst story and then this came out and i was like ok 

i know some of you don't like angst so don't worry, tomorrow i will be updating a spin-off where there is a happy ending :-) bc even i need one

also the fairytale i used for this story was the fairytale titled, The Mermaid and the Boy. please read it, it is very cute and one of my favorite fairytales.