Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Prologue

MC

Groaning, I turned, reaching out for my partner, only to feel nothing in their place.

"Mi amour, come back to bed," I murmured, snuggling into the sheets, only to realize abruptly that they were not mine as an unfamiliar scent of lavender hit me.

Shooting up, I looked around in a panic, seeing a small room with wooden walls and an oddly large lion pelt covering the floor.

"She's awake," A voice crooned, and my gaze shot over to see a woman with long, silvery hair watching me.

Her vibrant brown eyes faded to a pale colour as another woman, the same in every way other than height, this one was shorter, came into the room, her own eyes brightening.

"Clotho, shouldn't you be weaving?" The woman beside me spoke, her gaze still on me.

Clotho, as I now knew her, huffed. "Atropos wished to know when she awoke,"

Clotho, Atropos, why did those names sound so familiar?

Then it hit me.

"The Fates," I whispered, my eyes widening at the realization.

The woman beside me, who I guessed to be Lachesis, laughed.

"Not many remember us, child," She mused, her eyes brightening once more.

I looked down at the blanket covering me, woven to look like the night sky.

"Come," She spoke, standing up and reaching her hand towards me.

Carefully, I pulled the blanket back and took her hand, standing as I did so.

She and her sister led me out of the room and down a set of stairs, into a room full of weaving supplies, with a lone woman sitting at one of the tables with a pair of shears, snipping away at threads.

Atropos laughed and turned to me, her eyes pale. "So the child is awake,"

She motioned for me to sit in the chair beside her, allowing me a moment to do so.

"Thirty years ago, the fate of the After was changed, when the link between life and death was murdered. We had to work quickly to correct the results of her death, and settled on separating her conscience from her soul, and leaving her abilities and knowledge with her soul and reincarnating it in a new life to continue what she was meant to do. Now that you have come of age, it is time for you to fulfill that duty,"

I looked at Atropos, my eyes furrowed in confusion. "What duty?"

She said nothing, reaching under the table and withdrawing a quilt, which she wrapped around my shoulders.

Lachesis smiled at me and patted me on the shoulder. "You'll know who you're looking for when you find them, child,"

She grasped my hands and placed a small satchel in them before the floor below me disappeared and I was falling, the Fates weaving room distorting and turning into a blood red sky as the quilt billowed around me while I tried desperately to keep it with me.

Catching a glimpse of what was below me, my heart leapt into my throat at the rapidly approaching ground and the people walking directly where I was about to land.

I opened my mouth to shout for them too look out, only for my words to catch in my throat as I fell onto one of them.

We both groaned at the sudden feeling and I immediately tried to scramble up, muttering apologies as I did so, only to trip on the quilt and fall back onto the concrete.

Or I should have, if I hadn't been caught by the other person.

"What the fuck?!" The person I had fallen onto spat as he stood up.

I scrambled back onto my feet and took a step back from the two, who towered over me.

The one who I had fallen onto was dusting his white fluff off with the top set of arms on his torso, muttering curses as he did so, while the other one watched me with a grin, and I noted the tattered suit that he wore.

"I am so sorry," I managed to choke out. "Are you alright?"

The male I had fallen on bristled, before he turned to me with narrowed eyes. "What's it to you?"

I lifted my hands, the satchel strap falling to the crook of my elbow as I did so. "I mean no harm, I'm just worried since I did fall on you,"

The sound of a radio abruptly cutting off came from the other male, who moved to wrap the quilt back around my shoulders.

"What's wrong, Smiles? Never seen any tits before?" The first one teased, and I was suddenly reminded that I was still in my pajamas, which consisted of a sports bra and a pair of booty shorts.

The one in the tattered suit turned to him, his smile becoming strained. "It would be rude of me to look at a woman that I am not married to, and I'm quite sure her intended would feel the same,"

As he gestured to the engagement ring on my finger, his companion raised an eyebrow at the silver band.

Feeling a bit uncomfortable at his stare, I bundled further into the quilt, watching the two of them warily, which only caused the latter to laugh.

"Why don't you come back with us? The princess loves taking in charity cases!" The one referred to as Smiles said, draping an arm across my shoulders.

I shook my head. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me who you are and where you're heading to,"

He laughed and began to steer me with them as they walked. "Why to the Hazbin Hotel, of course!"

I blinked. "Pardon?"

"A place where the scum of Hell try to climb to redemption only to fall into the fiery pits of failure!"

I furrowed my brows, trying to rack my brain about where I had heard of that name. 

"The Pride Ring," I muttered, remembering a past conversation I had overheard.

I blinked. "Then that would make you staff there, wouldn't it? Or at the very least someone observing the outcome,"

His companion huffed as we came up on a towering building. "All it is is a free place to stay,"

Ushering me up the steps, the two followed me into the building, and I clutched the quilt closer to me.

Peering around the room, I took in my surroundings as the duo casually strolled through the lobby and towards the front desk.

Or was it a bar? I couldn't tell between the banner reading 'Welcome!' and the bottles of alcohol sitting on the shelves behind the desk.

"Husker! My good man!" Smiles preened, walking up to the desk and knocking on the surface of it. "We have a guest!"

A grumble could be heard from behind the counter as a cat-like creature with wings displaying the four suits of cards begrudgingly stood up, sending a scowl towards the man who greeted him.

"The fuck you want, Alastor?" He grumbled, swiping up a bottle from below the counter and popping it open.

Alastor, as I now knew his name to be, gestured to me, and I tensed as Husker looked towards me, choking on the contents of the bottle when he saw me.

Slamming the bottle on the table and wiping his mouth, he turned to Alastor.

"The fuck is this?" He scowled, narrowing his eyes, only for the deer-like man to grin even more.

"A guest!" He exclaimed, striding towards me and placing an arm around my shoulder.

There was a sudden stop in the music emitting from him as he turned towards me. "Now where are my manners! I haven't introduced myself!"

I blinked and removed his arm from my shoulder, fixing the quilt yet again. "No, you have not,"

Husker glowered at the two of us before turning back to his bottle and chugging the contents. "The grinning bastard is Alastor, the sex freak is Angel,"

The white furred male suddenly appeared from out of nowhere with a bundle of clothing in his arms, pulling me away from Alastor and steering me towards a hallway. "Tell Charlie she's in my room once you find her," He called back over his shoulder, guiding me up even more steps and to a door, which he opened with a flourish. 

"Alright bitch, what brings you here?" He questioned as he pushed me into his room.

I blinked at him. "I honestly have no clue,"

Angel laughed, tossing the bundle onto the bed. "Sure. What'd you do while you were alive? Drugs, murder, manipulation, overwork yourself and shut everyone out?"

I furrowed my eyebrows. "I'm not dead. I just woke up in a cabin with three women, they gave me what I have on me, and the next thing I knew I was falling onto you,"

Angel froze from his position at his wardrobe, looking over at me. "Yeah and we don't have a yearly extermination,"

I sighed and sat down on the bed as he sifted through his wardrobe for something, deciding to rummage around in the bag.

Untying the flap, I noticed a small silver key with a rose handle in one of the back pockets. Picking it up, I noticed how the handle of the key was decorated in silvery vines that seemed to move the moment I picked the key up.

Angel let out a shout of triumph and I barely had enough time to put the key back into the satchel before a pile of clothing was tossed at me.

"This looks like it should fit ya!" He said, motioning to the pile of clothing now resting in my lap.

Picking up the first piece of the clothing, I furrowed my brows at the lack of cloth on the shorts he had given me and immediately put it to the side and picked up the top, which admittedly did cover a lot more than the sports bra I had on.

Carefully setting the satchel down and shrugging the quilt off, I slid on the red off shoulder sweater and tugged it down over my stomach.

"Thank you," I spoke softly, causing Angel to stiffen.

"The fuck are you so polite? This is hell! Shit like that ain't gonna get you nowhere," He snapped out, closing the wardrobe.

I opened my mouth to respond as a knock sounded from the door.

Angel scoffed and walked over to the door to open it, placing a hand on his hip and leaning his other arms on the doorframe.

"Alastor mentioned you two ran into someone on the way back?" A feminine voice asked, resulting in Angel opening the door the rest of the way and motioning to me.

"She fell on me," He spoke in a matter of fact tone, crossing his upper arms and placing his lower hands on his hips.

The owner of the voice stepped into the room, her brows furrowed in confusion as she looked at me.

"The River didn't send any souls to this side recently," She said softly, walking over to me. "How did you manage to fall without a warning?"

"A warning?" I asked softly, bringing the quilt and satchel into my lap.

The woman sat down next to me on the bed and lifted her hand for a moment as she decided on something, before placing her hands into her lap. "When a soul falls into Hell, the River let's out a sound that's pretty similar to a cannon being shot off to let sinners and dwellers on this side know that a soul is going to fall,"

I nodded, looking down at the quilt and taking in the pattern of roses and vines on the cloth.

"I'm not dead. I woke up in a cabin with three women and they told me I had some business to finish, and that I'd know what I'm looking for when I found them," I spoke softly, looking up at her and watching her expression.

"You met the Fates?" She asked in disbelief, an excited smile spreading across her features. "Then that must mean they sent you to us for a reason!"

I laughed softly. "If only I knew what that reason was,"

The woman, who I guessed to be Charlie, furrowed her brows as she thought about something, before her gaze caught sight of the satchel and she perked up.

"Why don't you stay here with us while you're down here?"

She gently grabbed my hand and led me out of Angel's room and up another flight of stairs, to a room with a mahogany door with what looked like a bare tree carved into it with gaps between the back of the door and the carving.

Pulling a necklace from beneath her suit top, she pushed the key from it into the lock and opened the door with a flourish.

"This room was made for an old friend when the hotel was first built. She-" Charlie trailed off, her demeanor dampening. "She never got to use it after the hotel was finished. But I'm sure she wouldn't mind you using it now!"

Charlie smiled, but I could see the sadness in her eyes as she ushered me into the room. "I think there are still some of her old clothes left in here that should fit you!"

She bustled over to an armoire on the side wall with the same design as the door carved into it and opened the doors, revealing a closet of blues, blacks, silvers and white.

In one side of the armoire was various skirts, shorts, pants, tops and dresses, paired into outfits with small carvings attached to each hanger, and the other side was filled with shelves stacked with corsets and several jewelry cases carved from the wood.

Charlie shifted through the outfits before pulling out a hanger with a white v neck top with bell sleeves and frayed jean shorts, looking at the carving, she handed me the outfit and pulled open the top drawer, pulling out a pair of black flats and handing them to me.

"Sorry if it's a bit revealing, Snow never was one to cover up much," Charlie laughed softly.

I smiled. "It's alright, thank you for this, Charlie,"

Charlie grinned at me and headed back towards the door. "I'll let you get settled in. Once you're ready, feel free to head downstairs,"

With that, she stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her.

I let out an exaggerated sigh once I couldn't hear her footsteps anymore and looked around, my fingers clasped tightly around the strap of my bag.

"What am I even supposed to be doing here?" I questioned softly, placing the outfit back into the armoire and padding over to a very lively desk made of oak with leafy branches stretching up the walls, with small crystals held at the end of each branch.

Lacrima.

I don't know where the word came from, but as soon as I saw the crystals I knew what they were called.

Placing the satchel down on top of the desk, I ran my fingertips across the flat top, feeling the wood quiver as I came into contact with it.

Jerking my hand back, I jumped and furrowed my brows in concern as I watched the leaves on the desk quiver and shake, seemingly excited.

"Okay then," I muttered softly, stepping away to a doorway with a leafy covering.

Raising my hand to move them, the leaves pulled back to reveal a bathroom that looked straight out of a roman style movie.

The floor was tiled to look like a mosaic of a willow tree, with white roses painted on each of the branches, the walls had various carvings of flowers with little stone pegs up near the ceiling, and the ceiling had more of the lacrima embedded into it, giving it a starry look.

Not to mention the bathtub, or what I guessed to be a bathtub, nestled into the corner, which was designed like a small pool, with a small hatch halfway up the wall in place of where a shower head would be, and the sink, which was a basin in the center of the back wall that had a similar hatch in place of the faucet.

The only thing that didn't look ancient was the toilet, which looked relatively modern.

Backing out of the doorway, I turned to another door, which opened into a storage closet holding a wall of instruments on one side and a shelf with file boxes on the other, each file being written in what I guessed to be Latin, from what little I knew from my own interest in quotes and from my dad's summer class from highschool.

Pulling one of the file boxes from the shelf, I set it down on the desk next to the satchel and pulled a leather bound book from it. 'Rosa Virginum,' was what the cover read.

"Rosa, that's rose, and virginum," I paused, trying to wrack my brain for the meaning. "Maiden! That's it!"

I paused. "Rose Maiden? That's a weird title for a book," Shaking my head, I set it to the side and pulled out another.

Opening the first page, I saw a small paragraph of words, written as some sort of poem, with a small note written at the bottom of the page.

To be read aloud.

I blinked and looked back to the wording in the center of the page.

Cum hoc votum, ut mihi dici agitur

Qui ante magica

Et votum ut praesidio mortale est vinculum ad vitam et mortem

Agitur de me in scientia mea clamium, qui perdidit vitam

Ita ut uti ad vitam eorum melius est circa me

Agitur mihi in me clamium quod Matriarch

I slowly read the wording out loud, trying to see if I could find some sort of meaning from the note in the corner, thinking that it was some joke from whoever wrote it.

As soon as the final word left my mouth, the lacrima above me began to glow, and everything in the room seemed to pulsate as the energy seemed to drain from me.

Something held me steady and guided me to the bed, allowing me to lay down on the bedding before everything went dark, completely unaware of the surge of magic that had surfaced.

Chapter Text

Something was tickling my face.
Groaning, I swatted at it, only for it to continue tickling my face even more.
Shaking my head, I opened my eyes to see what it was, only to find a white rose sitting beside me on the bed.
"Did someone put this here?" I muttered tiredly, sitting up.
Blinking to clear the grogginess that I felt, I suddenly remembered that Charlie was wanting to talk to me after I got settled in.
"Oh shit! How could I forget?" I panicked, standing up and picking the outfit that Charlie had grabbed the night prior, slipping into it before running into the bathroom and brushing my teeth and pulling my hair from the now messy braid that I had pulled it into before this whole ordeal began.
Running a brush through my hair, I worked my way up as I paced through the room, noticing how there seemed to be more plants in the room, and that the rose that had been on my bed was now up on the wall, intertwined with several dozen others.
Blinking at the flowers in confusion, I braided my hair into a four part braid and slipped on the black flats before hurrying to the door, only to jump back as the rose that had been on my bed came towards me, the vines twirling on various pegs and hooks as it came closer.
Blinking in horror at the sight, I froze as it got closer, only to adjust itself to reveal the key that had been in the satchel, as if it were offering it to me.
Shaking my head to clear my shock, I cautiously reached for the key, only to let out a shriek of surprise as it twined around my wrist, the vines dissipating from the walls as it latched onto me.
Footsteps were heard and moments later Charlie and another woman burst into the room, the latter clutching a spear and looking on edge.
"What happened?" Charlie asked in a panicked voice. "Is everything okay?"
I could only blink at the rose now twining itself up my arm, completely frozen in shock.
"Charlie. . . ." Her companion called cautiously, pointing a spear at the rose. "Is that what I think it is?"
Charlie visibly paled at the sight of the rose, going into a panicked state as she rushed to the desk and opened the drawers, rooting through them as if looking for something.
"I thought they were dormant!" She shrieked, pulling out a small vial of silvery powder.
Her companion went to stab the rose with her spear and a sudden protectiveness of the blossom filled me, causing me to move it out of the way and cradle it close to my chest.
As it burrowed into my hair, seemingly frightened, the two women balked at me, looking from the rose, to me, and back at the rose.
"You-" Charlie started, only to cut herself off when she noticed the open book on the desk.
Shaking her head and laughing softly, she picked up the book and looked at the cover, tracing the snowflake imprinted into the leather. "Snow, you madwoman,"
She turned to her companion and smiled sadly, the book still in her hands.
"I'm sorry if I scared you guys," I softly apologized, absentmindedly stroking the petals of the rose. "I'm not used to flowers being able to move on their own,"
"Well isn't this a sight!" Alastor's voice chimed from the doorway, as if waiting to be invited in.
I glanced in his direction, only to see a shadowy figure hovering behind him, watching me with an intrigued gaze.
Charlie's companion seemed to bristle at the appearance of the man, and, shooting one last look in my direction, stalked out of the room, muttering in what I could only imagine to be Spanish.
"Sorry about Vaggie," Charlie said as she walked over to me. "She's a bit stressed out,"
"Everyone here is," A new voice chimed in. "Even Alastor here, even though he refuses to show it. Things have been horrendous down here since Ms. Bloom was killed,"
I blinked in confusion as the shadow stepped around Alastor, walking over to me.
It(?) held out a hand towards me, which I timidly took.
"Call me Orpheus," the shadow spoke, shaking my hand.
"As in the son of the Muse?" I asked, tilting my head to the side. "Calliope?"
Orpheus chuckled. "You made that connection rather quickly,"
I shrugged sheepishly. "I'm hellenistic. Greek mythology is my forte,"
I paused and blinked in realization. "Wait a minute. You're actually him, aren't you?"
He nodded before returning to Alastor. "It's a long story,"
I nodded as my brain tried to comprehend everything and the roses on the walls moved to help me sit back down.
Charlie seemed to notice that I had become lost in thought and placed the book back on the desk before ushering everyone out of the room.
"We'll be downstairs when you're ready," She said, sending a small smile my way.
I smiled gratefully at her as she shut the door, before leaning my head in my hands.
"I wish they were here," I muttered softly, thinking of my partner back home. "Everyone must be so worried,"
My gaze trailed down to the engraved bracelet that my partner and I both had, tracing my finger over their name and our anniversary.
Suddenly, the book from earlier was set on my lap, a few of the roses nudging my hand to get my attention.
"I'm not sure what you want me to do with this. It's in a language I don't know," I said softly, gently petting the blossoms.
They seemed to become even more determined and pulled my hand to the book.
"Okay, okay," I said with a laugh, picking up the journal and opening it to the second page. "I don't know why you guys want me to look at this so badly, I can't even read it,"
I trailed off as I looked down at the first page, squeezing my eyes shut for a moment before looking at the wording again.

If you are reading this, then I am most likely dead.
My name is Snowdrop Cordelia Bloom, the twelfth Matriarch, and you are my successor.
Once I finish writing the last of this journal, I plan to serve an execution warrant against two demon overlords who managed to assassinate both of my parents, the king and queen of the Winter Court, and attempted to assassinate my brother and my sister-in-law, all in an attempt to get to me.
If I do not return, then the plans I have made with the Fates will come to pass, and my problem may very well become yours, and I must apologize for that, but if I am unable to bring them down, then the task must fall to you.
Over the next few months, my powers and abilities will awaken in you now that you have read the claim on the first page of this book, beginning with my knowledge of languages in the order I learned them.
Alongside the language comprehension, you will have gained the Matriarch's Gift, which allows you to come into contact with a very specific breed of rose, one we call the Medusa's Gaze. They are a lovely flower, but they are just as deadly, managing to petrify a full grown mortal within fifteen hours unless the antidote is given in the first twelve. Over the next few days you will gain the ability to commune with the flora and control them.
Once you've mastered that, you'll begin to gain my ice magic. I am not sure how to explain how to best control it, other than the fact the ice is connected to your emotions. The calmer you are, the better your control is. At least that is how my brother describes it.
The third ability will depend on how much you sang before you read the claim. The more you sang, the faster it will attach to you. Your voice will enhance your magic, and it can also be used to charm others with what we call a Lure.
There is much that I have to tell you, but I am running out of time before the Extermination begins and I lose my opportunity to serve the warrant. Search through the library, the works in Druidic will guide you, and remember;
Do not trust the Storytellers.

I blink softly, soaking in what I just read before feeling a notch in the side of the book. Almost like a keyhole.
Turning the book, I see that it does have a keyhole, and I immediately think to the key from my satchel, which is unceremoniously plopped into my lap by the roses.
Thanking them, I gently unlock the book, revealing a folded piece of parchment as well as a silver snowflake pendant with a blue lacrima in the center, and a pale white crystal that looked like a quartz.
Fiddling with the clasp on my own necklace chain, I undid it and pulled it off, noticing that my usual pendants weren't on there. Suddenly, one of the roses swooped down and took the chain from my hands while a second dropped another chain, shaking with excitement.
Raising a brow, I slid the two pendants onto the chain before clasping the necklace around my neck, immediately feeling more relaxed.
The roses wiggled a bit in excitement as I sat there, taking everything in and combing through my thoughts, trying to collect myself before I went to meet up with Charlie.
Sighing, I stood up as the two roses weaved themselves into my braid.
"I'd better get going," I said softly, brushing my fingertips against their petals before padding out of the room.

Elsewhere

A man slammed his hands on the desk in front of him as he stood from his seat, scattering papers and other items flying.
"What do you mean she isn't there?" He sneered at the men in front of him, pressing in a button on a switchboard in the corner of the desk.
"Her housemates haven't seen her, my lord," The taller of the two spoke in an even tone, his eyes facing the male.
The man scowled before stalking towards his followers.
"Well you had better find her. She's of age, and knowing that blasted Matriarch she'll have set up some sort of fall back with her reincarnation, and we all know what would happen if her magic awakens, don't we?" He snapped, his eyes narrowing at the two men, who nodded.
"Yes, Master," They spoke in unison before leaving the room, the doors slamming shut behind them.
The raven haired male leaned down and picked up a small box that had fallen from his desk, opening it to reveal a ring with a blood red diamond in the center.
"You won't be able to escape us for much longer, my dear. I can't wait to see how you've grown in the past eight years," He grinned, his eyes glinting in the candlelight.