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Chapter Text

"Stop! Thief!"

The tax collector looked up from loading gold into a sack to see a man running towards them, out of breath and red in the face. Oddly enough, the face in question looked exactly like his own. A peasant woman who had just been about to hand over a necklace looked at the one holding the valuables, about to ask what was happening, only to stifle a shriek when she saw him morph into a woman dressed like a court jester. The harlequin snatched the jewelry from her hands and bolted, sprinting away from the center of the village. She dodged the random townsfolk reaching towards her, ducking under their outstretched arms and barely breaking a sweat. These peasants couldn't stop her. She'd managed to escape royal guardsmen in nine different kingdoms, what chance could they have? If there was one thing that she was good at, it was surviving. And the best way to do that was to get as far away as possible.

Suddenly, she found her path cut off by a man on horseback. She skidded to a halt, nearly dropping her bag. Her eyes slowly panned up, taking in the coal-black steed, the long black cape, the ear-like points on his helmet, and the crest of a bat on his polished shield. She'd heard about this man, sure, seen him from afar, even, but seeing him this close was a completely different matter. The harlequin giggled nervously as she looked up at him. The Dark Knight himself.

She spun around, racing away from him as fast as her legs would carry her. The bag thrown over one shoulder as she indiscriminately shoved bystanders aside. He was gaining on her, she could practically feel the horse's breath as she turned a corner. She felt a leather-gloved hand swiping down towards her and ducked out of the way, freeing her head from the fool's cap that now hung uselessly in the Dark Knight's hand. That bought her maybe a second, but a second was all she needed to notice the thick brambles on the edge of the forest. He'd have to pursue her on foot there. She'd heard rumors that those who went into the forest never came out again, but that was a risk she was willing to take. Laughing, she launched herself through a small gap in the thorns and ran into the dark labyrinth of trees. She could hear the Knight dismounting and slashing through the foliage. If she could still hear him, he could still catch up with her. She turned her head, looking back as she ran. She couldn't be caught now, not now....

She promptly slammed into another person and fell to the ground, nearly dropping the bag of loot. She scrambled to her feet, twigs and bits of leaves caught in her two-tone hair, staring up at the figure. She wore a pale green dress of leaves and a cloak that seemed to be made of moss and flowers. Her long red hair was woven with tiny wildflowers and vines. There was an unearthly feeling about her. She looked scandalized by the harlequin's very presence, clutching the massive emerald she was carrying closer to her body.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed, hostility dripping from her words.

The harlequin smiled apologetically. "Can't talk. Dark Knight after me. Gotta run! Bye!"

"The Dark Knight? Here?" A note of panic slipped into the redhead's voice. She darted after the other woman, reaching one arm towards her. "Wait! This way!"

"Wha?"

"Trust me!"

Not having many other options, the harlequin followed her lead, dodging branches and bramble bushes on a convoluted route through the woods, suddenly being dragged under a small cliff beside a river. She stayed as still as possible as she heard footsteps up above, trying even to breathe as little as possible. Just move on, just move on... There was silence. Maybe he'd left. Maybe they were safe. She turned to her rescuer in hopes of an answer. "Red, d'you think he's—"

The strange woman clapped a hand over the harlequin's mouth, but it was too late. There was a rustling as the ferns hiding their location were brushed aside. The harlequin panicked. She had to think fast.

The Dark Knight looked around the small space. There was no sign of the fleeing thief, just a young blonde woman picking wildflowers in the shade. She looked down demurely.

"I'm sorry, sir, if I startled you." She plucked a forget-me-not from the mossy knoll, twirling it in her pale fingers. "I didn't mean to."

The Dark Knight looked at her suspiciously. From what he'd heard, the Harlequin could take on the role of anyone, indistinguishable from the original. He stepped towards her cautiously, gripping the shield. Before he could get much closer, a scream rang out back towards the edge of the forest. Without a second thought he ran towards the sound. The maiden watched him until she was sure he was really gone.

With a slight shimmer, her features changed back to that of the harlequin. "You can come out now, Red."

The second woman sat up, her cloak falling aside, releasing the breath she'd been holding. "That was insane."

"But it worked!" She grinned. "You can call me Harley, by the by. Ev'ryone does." She stuck out a hand expectantly.

"Pleasure." The woman shook it lightly, and Harley noticed that her dark skin had a faint greenish tint to it. "You may refer to me as Ivy."

"Nice t'meetcha! What d'you have the rock for? Where'd you get it?"

Ivy picked up the gem. "I liberated this from some truly unpleasant humans. Now, if you'll excuse my rudeness, you really should be going now."

Harley looked awkwardly at the ground. "Sorry, but where?"

"What do you mean? You left the human village to the west, didn't you? Go that way."

"Well, see, I sorta can't go back there.... Or to that entire kingdom, t'be completely honest... Actually, anywhere south of here is probably best t'avoid...."

Ivy sighed. "You can't stay here. I don't like trespassers. You're lucky enough to be alive right now."

"Where can I go, then?"

Ivy paused and contemplated for a moment. "There's a court of the Fae up north. I don't really care for them, but you probably aren't a wanted fugitive there." She stood up, ushering Harley out from their hiding place. "But still, I'd advise you to change the hair. It makes you too recognizable."

"I hear ya, Red, but where-" She was gone by the time Harley turned around. The harlequin sighed, picked up the sack of money, and started trudging in a direction that she sincerely hoped was north.

Chapter Text

"–And that's when I said, 'You really put the fun in funeral!'" Harley paused her routine for a moment to tepid applause. She could see a few whispered conversations breaking out amongst the Fae nobles assembled in the hall. She was rapidly losing their attention. That was confusing. This was one of her classics. Maybe they didn't hear the joke. Yes, that must be it. She decided to repeat herself.

She cleared her throat and spoke again, louder. "I said, 'And that's when I said, 'You really put the fun in funeral!'' Amiright?" She looked around for validation of her humor. There was silence. The Fae prince whispered something to his advisor, who nodded. They really didn't seem to be listening very well.

Harley practically screamed it the third time. "I said, 'And that's when I said, 'You really put the fun in funeral!'' The fun! In funeral! The word 'fun' can be found in the spelling of 'funeral,' y'see, and–" Her explanation was cut off by applause that was slightly less tepid and significantly more forced. She bowed over-dramatically, the points of her fool's cap brushing the stage.

Someone cleared their throat offstage, and Harley saw one of the Royal Guard signaling that her time was up. She turned back to face the crowd. "I'll be here all eternity, folks! Tell your friends!" Smiling wider than entirely necessary, she waved as she awkwardly shuffled away. An armored glove grabbed the front of her tunic and pulled her all the way backstage. Harley let out a small yelp.

The guard looked at her with something that would have resembled disgust, if she'd had respect for Harley to lose. "You were a mess today, Fool. The Prince will not be pleased if you keep up these lackluster performances."

Harley nodded slowly, trying to formulate an acceptable excuse as she stalled for time. "Well, uh, y'see, there was actually this real crazy and completely true story about why my material hasn't been working lately, Miss, uh..." She paused as she tried to recall the Fae woman's name. "...something with an E in it somewhere probably. So, y'know, there I was, wearing a fish costume and trapped in a barn with some of Cobblepot's enforcers, see, they had me cornered on some tax evasion, when outta nowhere, the Dark Knight shows up, and he's like, Wham! Pow! Sword noises!" Here Harley took it upon herself to act out the roles of herself, the Dark Knight, and each of the enforcers. "And the enforcers are all like, 'oh no, the pain, agh, my face!' And I was like, 'what, no, how did you ever find me?' and I'm real surprised, 'cause I thought I'd left him to be eaten by the wolves back in The Valley of Eternal Winter. You ever been to The Valley of Eternal Winter? Hear it's lovely in spring. Anyway, I started to run, right? But then I saw that he wasn't alone, and there was some sorta kid or somethin', or maybe just a really short and angry adult, it's all kinda a blur, but anyway this kid is all like, 'I am the true son of the Dark Knight, yada yada yada, something about you're an evildoer,' and I'm still trapped in that fish costume, mind, so I can't actually move my arms, but then–"

Something With an E in it Somewhere Probably stopped her before she could continue. "I don't care about your excuses. I simply don't want to have to find your replacement. You have no idea how difficult it is to get a good changeling these days, and volunteers are hard to come by. Regardless, I will not hesitate to leave you out in the Wilds. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes ma'am!" Harley attempted to replicate the Fae salute, which would have looked elegant and formal if she'd had wings or the ability to warp reality in small amounts, but in this case just looked like a rabbit attempting to flee a smallish boa constrictor.

Something With an E in it Somewhere Probably gave her a frustrated glance before nodding once, her dark hair remaining oddly in place. "This is your final warning to fix your act. We have no patience for mediocrity in humans."

"Yes! That is me! A human! Harley the human, that's what they call me!" Harley grinned in what she hoped was a non-suspicious manner and clapped her hands together. "So, time to go then! Think I hear the call of my fellow non-mediocre humans! Toodles!" She darted down the passageway and around a corner, collapsing panting against a flagstone wall. Keeping up this form so long was exhausting. She could feel a lock of hair reverting to its natural red and black and mentally willed it back to blonde. As soon as she got back to the storeroom she could relax. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Harley began to walk down the twisting corridors.

It had been nearly a year since she'd fled the Dark Knight and found herself in the Wilds with that strange woman, Ivy. After escaping, she had taken on the persona of Harley the human, a blonde jester with a heart of gold and a dream in her mind. The Fae were not perfect, but at least she was given a cot to sleep in, clothes to perform in, and all the leftover scraps she could eat. So what if Fairy food technically bound you in servitude to the Fae for all eternity and left you unable to leave their presence unless you could somehow get help from a sorcerer? It was free. Wasn't bad either.

She rarely thought about who she'd been before the Fae. The outlaw harlequin, wanted by every kingdom of Gotham and most of the lordships, plague of the common people, nemesis of the Dark Knight. Course, almost no one would've believed her. The Dark Knight was a myth, a legend, only ever seen by criminals and those he saved from aforementioned criminals. No one knew who he was, even those who saw him themselves. There were theories, of course, about who or what he was, ranging from the plausible (demonically possessed armor with a vendetta, a horrific hybrid of man and bat on the payroll of Lord Gordon, the restless ghost of a bandit's victim) to the less so (a human in scary looking armor). But to think that such an undefeated warrior could have been evaded by a girl in a jester suit and pigtails? She wouldn't have believed it either.

Occasionally Harley thought of the woman in the Wilds. She wondered how Ivy could survive all alone in there, how she knew of the Fae, and what she could possibly have needed treasure for in the Wilds. Sometimes she thought about how her deep brown eyes looked like the earth itself, staring into her very essence, and how her thick red hair stood out against her soft greenish-brown skin, before reminding herself that this was a stranger that she saw once a year ago and that she should let it go.

Harley saw the door to the storeroom ahead of her and quickly pulled herself inside. In the safety of her favorite hiding spot in the palace, her hair reverted to its two-tone state, her skin faded to a chalk white, and a tiny pair of demon's horns poked their way out from her bangs. She stretched, unfurling the useless and ragged white wings she had flown on so many years ago. It was always so soothing to take a break for an hour or two a day and just let go of her human form. Sighing in relief, she leaned back against the door, resting her feet on a cask of mead. That was when she heard the knob turn on the other side.

As Harley hit the floor headfirst, she was dimly aware of a servant screaming and four or five guardswomen running over to investigate the source of the disturbance. She heard something about a demonic spy, and of a traumatized serving girl, and briefly wondered why the traumatized serving girl was continuing her side job as a demonic spy if it was so traumatic, before a boot collided with her skull and everything went black.

Harley came to in a small iron cage, her hands bound together with leather straps, and knew she was in trouble. Any nonhumans would burn on contact, so for the Fae to have gone to the trouble of placing her here it must have been bad. She could smell what was left of her wings beginning to sizzle and pulled them in and around herself like a cloak. She returned to the form of Harley the human and stood up slowly, careful not to touch the bars. The cage was covered by a thick green piece of fabric. Outside, she heard the muffled voice of Something With an E in it Somewhere Probably conversing with another guard.

"I'm telling you Q, the boss really needs to start doin' a better background check. Nearly a year and he doesn't even realize that his jester's working with the worst of the demons. Not even a half-demon like Al Ghul or something. An actual demon! Who knows what else he missed? Hell, anyone here could be a spy! You could be a damn Selkie for all I know!"

"Calm down, Echo," Harley mentally kicked herself. Echo. How was that so hard to remember? "We are going to get to the bottom of this. We just gotta take off her fingernails, maybe a whole finger if she's stubborn, and she'll sing, don't you worry."

Echo made a noise that sounded exactly as reassured as Harley felt after the thing with the fingernails. "I'm just saying, Q, isn't it a little bit concerning how many High Council meetings she could've seen?"

Before the other guard could respond, Harley accidentally let out a small yelp as her knee brushed the iron, leaving an angry red burn behind.

"Think our little guest might be awake," Echo growled, tearing the cloth away in front of the door. With a heavy glove that looked like a cross between a falconer's glove, a suit of armor, and a siege tower she pried the door open and pulled Harley out of the dark. Harley was shoved unceremoniously to her knees on the rough flagstones with a spearpoint to either side of her neck. As her eyes adjusted to the sudden change, she became aware of which rough flagstones in particular she'd been thrown onto. Her gaze travelled over the rich purple wall hangings, the stained glass windows reaching the ceiling, and the plush green carpet leading ahead from where she knelt, up a short flight of stairs, and to an enormous throne of wrought silver and thousands of shimmering gems.

Swallowing dryly, she returned her glance to the floor. "Your Royal Highness," she mumbled, careful not to look any higher than his polished green boots.

The prince looked at her disdainfully from his throne. Despite how unbelievably uncomfortable the chair appeared, he was lounging across it like a cat in a sunbeam. Behind him Harley could see the Fae High Council standing in a half circle, and to his left was his advisor. He leaned down, whispered something to the prince, and returned to his former position. It was almost certainly about her, Harley could tell.

"Allow the prisoner to stand." The prince's voice rang clearly through the room and he waved a hand at the two guards on either side of their captive.

"Prince Edward, are you sure this is wise?" the woman called Q asked cautiously.

"Girls, I told you to allow the prisoner to stand, did I not?" There was a hint of a threat in his words.

The guards nodded hurriedly and Harley felt a boot in the small of her back pushing her forward. She pulled herself to her feet, slowly enough to look nonthreatening to this room full of weapons. Edward beckoned her to step closer.

Harley kept her eyes fixed on the stones. "Your Royal Highness, I–"

"A traitor in our midst? I wish I was surprised." He sounded bored with the whole affair, twirling his scepter between his fingers. "And for... which one was it exactly?" The advisor whispered something to him. "A demon? That's new. Usually it's just one of Harvey's men. Al Ghul, I presume?" The advisor shook his head, whispered something else, and Edward's eyes grew wide with shock.

"If I may explain, Your–" She trailed off as she realized that the prince was suddenly much more engrossed in an argument with the High Council.

"In my court! One of you permitted a minion of The Joker in my court! Your incompetence could have killed us all! If it were within my power, I'd have you all bound in iron!" The advisor attempted to soothe him, but it was no use. "Did no one think to administer the iron test to see if she was really human? Did no one think to ask for records on her? No, you all just let The Harlequin herself stay here with free food and board! She barely even changed her name, you utterly inobservant imbeciles!"

Harley attempted to raise her hands. “Sir?”

Edward whipped around to face her, his face distorted by rage. “What?!”

“Your Royal Highness, while I get that I may look bad on paper, let me assure you that I am absolutely nothing to worry about anymore.” She averted her eyes, too late, to avoid confrontation.

“You are a known outlaw and follower of none other than The Joker, of course you look bad!” Each word dripped with sarcasm he made no effort to conceal. Harley knew he wasn't wrong. "I should have your head on a pike!"

She placed her hands in front of her, turning her palms over as much as she could in an attempt to convey innocence. “Please, while I admit that I may not be the best person, and I may or may not have managed to anger every other kingdom and most lordships in Gotham, and I definitely have at least three bounties on my head, let me assure you, I have nothin’ to do with Mistah J anymore.” She realized too late that the accidental slip of the nickname was not helping her case. She squeezed her eyes shut and she felt the two speartips digging against her back, awaiting a signal. Her hands unconsciously clenched into fists as she accepted the announcement of her execution. She'd always known it would end like this, but she'd usually imagined herself as being guilty.

“Wait!” An unfamiliar voice, slow, calm, and with some trace of an accent came to her defense. She opened her eyes to see the advisor, heretofore silent, holding a hand up as a sign of caution to the two guards. The tall man slowly put his hand down, seemingly waiting for the full attention of all present long after he'd gained it. “Put down the spears. She does not lie.”

The prince quickly turned to the guardswomen. “Query, Echo, you heard him! Do what he says!”

The guards obeyed, putting their weapons by their sides in perfect synchronicity. They bowed their heads in respect.

Harley took a cautious step forward, careful not to get back on his bad side. “So, um, now that's all done, can I go? Also, what happened there?”

The prince made an expression that was half contempt for her lack of knowledge and half satisfaction at knowing something she didn't. “Jonathan here is a truth-seer. It's a very rare ability to find in a human these days. I doubt you would have heard of it.”

She was still confused. “But why’d the Fae need a truth-seer? Isn't your whole thing not being able to tell lies? That and th’ immortality thing, also the flying, and the reality warping, also I think some of you can shapeshift or something it was never quite clear, but, uh, mostly that first thing I just said.”

Edward looked smug. “You'd be surprised how many things don't count as lies.”

Harley smiled and nodded like she understood, despite having only thought of more questions. “So everything’s good now? Back to normal?”

He laughed condescendingly. “No, you're banished. Take whatever meager possessions you came to this place with and be out before sundown. Goodbye.”

Jonathan whispered something to him again and he groaned in irritation. “Right, the food. I always forget about the food.” He turned to the High Council. “Does anyone have a nearby sorcerer?”

The Council responded with silence.

Edward glared at them bitterly. “I have to do everything myself around here. Jonathan, do you know if the Cat is still operating?”

He nodded.

Edward stood up with what looked like great effort and walked down to where Harley was. He sliced through the bonds on her wrist with a flick of his scepter. She flinched. It looked much sharper up close, more closely resembling a sickle than a question mark. He looked at her with unmasked resentment.

“According to Fae law, any and all bound by the Fairy Food must remain in my presence and servitude unless freed by a particularly powerful sorcerer or enchanted item. Do you know anything of the Wilds?”

Harley nodded, holding her hands close to herself.

“We will be going in shortly. If you endanger the safety of my people or myself, I will personally see to it that you are bound in iron chains and dropped down a well.” The prince kept walking past her, followed by Query, Echo, and the advisor. He turned to face her one last time before the door closed behind him. “You will either end up dead or gone from my kingdom forever by sunrise tomorrow. Pack lightly.”

Chapter Text

Harley felt an immediate sense of regret for every action she had ever made in her life that led to the moment her foot crossed into the Wilds. This wasn't like the last time she'd been here. Last time she had been fleeing the law, her only focus on getting away. She'd managed to walk away unscathed. Now, she was all too aware of how unlikely it was that she'd be so lucky twice.

It is only when one is expecting to be attacked any second that one becomes acutely aware of how conspicuous one looks. Although Harley had returned to her human form, she was still wearing the clothes of a court jester, a red and black tunic over tight-fitting leggings, the two-pointed hat, and pointed shoes with bells on them. In retrospect she probably shouldn't have worn the bell shoes, which jingled softly with each step. Too late now.

At least she could take comfort in the fact that the prince himself seemed to be competing with her for the title of most conspicuous. He wore the same thing that he'd had in the palace: a green and purple doublet, a green cape, and the golden crown of the Fae. His boots were still as polished as they'd looked in the palace. They somehow repelled the dust and debris of the forest floor. Harley couldn't help but be a combination of disappointed and impressed that this was what the Fae used magic for. Although he carried himself with pride, there was an unsteadiness in his step. Upon closer inspection, he seemed to be forcing himself to keep up a stoic exterior. His eyes were darting around their surroundings. He flinched slightly at the smallest sound before immediately collecting himself. Harley was concerned. What could possibly threaten the ruler of the Fae?

The others hadn't planned much better. Query and Echo were not wearing the armor of soldiers, but of the Royal Guard. They wore matching violet and green shirts with leggings, overlaid with chain mail, slits cut in the back to accommodate dragonfly-like wings. The only plating was on their gloves, shoulders, and snow-white boots. While intimidating in the court, out here the only thing Harley could notice was their many weak points. Query had at least had the foresight to wear a helmet.

The prince had insisted on bringing the two guardswomen to act as extra muscle. While at least their presence could be excused, there was no particular reason why that advisor had to come too. The tall man, quite frankly, gave her the creeps. Maybe it was how little he spoke, or the way that he always seemed to be judging you, but something about him seemed off. How could a human have worked their way to the top of Fae society? She shuddered to envision how many bodies he must have had to climb over to get there. There were rumors, sure, but the only thing certain was how those who questioned him always seemed to disappear sooner or later. He was the truth seer. In the whole kingdom, only he could truly keep a secret.

A bird cawed somewhere. Harley looked up, but little more than outlines were visible in the darkness. Something felt wrong about this place. It hadn't been this bad the last time she'd been here. Maybe it had just seemed more welcoming earlier in the day. She walked slightly faster to catch up with the group.

"How far is it?" she whispered to Query. The blonde guardswoman gave her a look of silent panic. She swiftly dropped her spear to the ground and covered Harley's mouth with one hand. Slowly, she mouthed two words. Don't speak.

Taking the hint, Harley nodded her understanding.
Query let go of her and picked up the weapon from where it had fallen. Harley walked as quietly as she could after that. They all seemed to fear something would find them if they made any noise. She didn't want to find out what.

The Wilds were only getting darker. The outlines seemed to be fuzzier, less defined than they had been only minutes prior. Something howled. Harley realized with a jolt that it was sundown. This wasn't good. They had to turn back. Things would only get worse with sundown.

She tried to signal her apprehension to the others, waving her arms and making over-the-top frightened expressions, but all she got in response were looks of irritation. This wasn't working. Maybe they just didn't care. The Fae shouldn't have anything to fear, she repeated to herself. They could handle themselves. It was going to be okay.

That was when she walked directly through a cobweb.

Approximately half a second after that was when several things happened at once.

Harley forgot the one rule and let out a scream as she flailed wildly. Jonathan hissed at her to be silent as he turned to look at the others to evaluate if anyone was in any danger. Query and Echo ran to either side of the prince, ready to defend him from anything Harley had alerted. Edward, startled by the sudden scream and the rush of the guards, stumbled back, nearly falling backward into a patch of ferns, but he managed to catch himself on a tree branch. The dry wood snapped in his hand.

What little light remained seemed to turn red, like firelight. The forest seemed to have moved closer, the oppressive trees pressing in on them. The thicket seemed to grow before their very eyes. If Harley hadn't known better, she would've said that he forest itself was angry.

"What are you doing here?!" The voice came from all sides, inhuman and echoing, fury clear in each syllable. The group moved closer together. Harley grabbed a stick from the ground to use as a club. Query and Echo drew their spears, ready for a fight.

Query turned her head left to face the part of the woods the voice seemed to be coming from loudest. She walked forward,her hands tightly gripping the end of the spear. The sharpened stone was as far away from her as possible. She yelled at their general surroundings. "Show yourself!"

With the force of a landslide, a vine slammed into her, pinning her arms to her sides as she struggled to escape. Harley saw the guardswoman lifted from the ground and into the treetops within seconds. She screamed, but her voice was cut silent. There was a moment of stunned silence before all hell broke loose.

More vines began erupting from the thicket and from the earth itself, attacking the group from all sides. Harley managed to bash some of the tendrils that got too close to her with the stick. More kept coming. She ripped off one that had wrapped around her ankle. For every vine she destroyed, another would come up behind her. She struck a particularly thorny one that was getting dangerously close to her face, only to have it slash her arm on the rebound. They were everywhere. It was a losing battle.

Across the clearing, she could see Echo was struggling with a vine that had bound her to a tree. Her spear lay useless on the ground. Edward was doing an impressive job holding them off with his scepter, but any fool could tell that he couldn't  keep them away forever. Soon a vine dragged him to the ground and held him there. Jonathan was nowhere to be seen. As the vines turned their attention fully on her, Harley realized that she was alone.

She looked up, towards where she'd seen Query had been taken. There had to be something controlling the plants. Something moved up there, only a hint of a shadow, but a hint was all Harley needed. The club was quickly tucked into her belt. She pulled herself up onto the nearest tree branch, kicking away the vines, and began to climb. That thing up there was trying to kill them. It wouldn't stop until someone was dead. Harley dragged herself to the top branch. The being sprinted across the boughs of the canopy, jumping across them as easily as if they'd been stepping stones. She attempted to follow, only stepping where she'd seen her quarry stand. By some miracle, she managed to keep pace with the attacker for a few branches, but nearly stumbled over a motionless figure left tied to a limb. Harley caught herself on the tree trunk before looking at the thing she'd nearly fallen to her death over. Beneath the vines, she saw blonde hair and a military helmet. Query. Harley paused for a second to check her pulse. Still alive. She stood up and resumed the chase. The figure knew the terrain better, but Harley was faster. She was breathing hard, her face and hands covered in small scratches from the twigs, but Harley was relentless. Every second of pursuit was another second for someone to die. She was close to the attacker now, nearly close enough to touch. Harley took the club from her belt. Gathering all of her strength, she launched herself at the thing in a flying tackle. It turned around and Harley saw dark brown eyes.

The vines wrapped around her midair, jerking her back from her quarry. The club fell through the leaves and out of sight. Harley hung there, swaying from her momentum, one arm bound to her side. The figure stepped closer, letting her more clearly see its features. Despite the fact that her access to air was being rapidly constricted, she laughed with the recognition.

"Red! Red, it's me, Harley! How've you been? !" Harley waved with her free hand and allowed her hair to shift back to the red and black it had been when she'd last encountered the nymph.

The strangling vines stopped their relentless tightening as Ivy's eyes widened with recognition. "Harley? What are you doing back here? I told you to leave!"

Harley began working on freeing her other arm. "Well, y'see, Red, I did what you said, I went clean and got legitimate work with the Fae, right?"

Ivy looked at her with genuine bewilderment. "I never said that."

"Well, anyway, I did that." She pulled out the arm, the sudden weight shift causing her to flip upside down. She tried to reach up for the vines entangling her legs. "I could probably explain better if you let me down."

"Oh! Right. Sorry." Ivy waved a hand and the vines receded. Harley briefly smiled in relief before crashing through the layers of tree and hitting the ground with what was definitely a cracking sound. Her arm was twisted under her. It felt like it was on fire and also going through a mill. There was blood. Were arms supposed to do that? She couldn't remember. Ivy dropped down to her side. She made it look so easy. Graceful. Harley looked up at her and smiled weakly through the pain. Her arm was definitely broken. The other woman said something Harley couldn't quite make out. All she could hear was ringing. Harley nodded blankly, hoping that whatever she'd said was a yes-or-no question. Ivy knelt down next to her. Her dress was nice. Pale green, nearly transparent. Her face was close to hers. Harley noticed green flecks in those brown eyes.

Suddenly Ivy's lips were on hers. This was unexpected. Harley decided not to question it. Her lips were soft and tasted vaguely of mint and rose. Before Harley was even sure of what had happened or if she'd imagined it, she pulled away. Harley stared up at her. The ringing in her ears was gone.

Ivy brushed some of her long red hair back behind her ear. "That should speed up the healing process. I'm sorry I dropped you."

Harley stared at her, stunned.

Ivy looked at her with confusion for a moment before realizing. "Oh. That. Well, I'm a forest nymph. I can heal or I can poison. I decided to heal you. Try sitting up?"

Harley obeyed and noticed only a slight ache as she moved. The cuts on her hands from the thorns were gone. The place where her arm had been bleeding only had a thin pale line where her injury had been. As far as she could tell, she'd been healed completely. She stood cautiously.

Behind her she could hear movement. She turned to see Echo untangling herself from the tree before working on Edward's bonds. She could hear Query faintly mumbling for help up in the trees. She'd almost forgotten about them.

Harley recomposed herself. "Right! Um, the explanation. Where was I? Anyhow, things were going great, but there's this teensy issue with my past, I might've sold my soul to a demon about a thousand or so years ago, technically I could've been considered a spy, I won't bore you with the details."

"You did what?"

"Boring, right? So I get found out, and the prince— that's him over there, wave hello Eddie— thinks I'm a spy, 'cause of the thing with the demon I just told you about and me not actually being a human like I said I was. But I manage to clear up the whole misunderstanding, and now I'm exiled. I may have been exaggerating when I said the whole misunderstanding. I got most of it though. But y'see, I’d been eating their food in the Fae kingdom, so I'm technically bound to his presence now, so they were escorting me to some magic cat lady so the spell can be broken and I can be properly exiled. That's when you attacked us. How've you been?"

"You're looking for the Cat?"

"Yes! That's probably the same magic cat lady. Unless there's more than one in the area? I don't really know, you're the boss. You live here. Well, in all technicality Eddie's the boss, but y'know what I meant. So, uh, couldya let us get there and back without dying maybe?"

Ivy sighed, but nodded anyways. "You clearly need help not getting yourselves lost or killed on the way there. I suppose I could escort you there and out of the Wilds, but that's it."

Harley squealed in excitement. "You're really gonna come with us, Red? This is gonna be so much fun! We can talk, and complain about stuff, and look at plants or whatever it is you do here, and—"

She was cut off by Edward loudly clearing his throat. He stood up indignantly, brushing dirt off of his clothes and straightening his crown. "While I appreciate you not killing us, as the crown prince and ruler of the Fae, I am not in need of help from some common wood nymph. Now, if you'll excuse us, we will be leaving for the Cat."

Ivy watched him as he began to walk away before speaking. "You're headed too far east. You'd be lost if you kept going that way. You need a guide."

Edward turned back to scowl at her. "I still would have had one if someone hadn't abducted my advisor. Do you know how rare truth-seeing humans are? I should demand compensation."

Ivy looked confused. “Wasn't me. Only person I took was that blonde with the helmet.”

Almost as if on cue, Jonathan emerged from the thicket, Query leaning against him. Echo ran to her and let her put an arm around her shoulders for support. Edward glared at Jonathan.

"What happened?" the prince demanded.

"I found her in the trees. She'll be fine with a bit of rest," he assured them.

"No, I'm asking how you got away. I was nearly certain you'd been killed. By all logic, you should be dead." Edward sounded more bitter than relieved to see Jonathan alive. Harley couldn't help but think that it was a bit suspicious that he'd gotten away so easily. Maybe Edward had some semblance of a point.

Jonathan shrugged. "I was just lucky. I see you've found a guide in my absence. Perfect. Shall we go?"

Edward nodded at Echo, who hurried to catch up to where he was standing, slowed down by her semi-conscious partner. Ivy began walking away, leading the group towards what Harley could only hope was, in fact, The Cat.

Chapter Text

The manor was ancient, standing here for nearly as long as the forest could remember. Ivy's worshippers had built it for her nearly three thousand years ago. She'd had worshippers once, millennia ago, at least before the humans had come, conquering and slaughtering all that stood in their path. Her temple had been claimed by the Fae before they had gifted it to a human lord. Ungrateful swine. They were little better than the humans they claimed superiority over. The crumbling stone building had passed hands between kingdoms dozens of times since, its history fraught with blood and betrayal. It had come to its current owner recently, less than two hundred years ago. Ivy couldn't help but admit she liked what had been done with the place. The towering stone walls were almost completely grown over with moss, birds nested in gaps where bricks had been, and most original furnishings had rotted away long ago. Amazing what centuries of disuse could do to a place. To Ivy, it was perfect.

Behind her Ivy could sense the invaders growing anxious. Good. Fear wasn't as good as worship, but she'd take it. Anything to keep outsiders from further destroying her home. She stopped walking and lounged across a stone bench overtaken by plant growth. The others stopped awkwardly around where she rested. None of them wanted to be the one to disturb her. A smile crept unbidden across her face.

They stood in confused silence for nearly a minute before someone broke. It was the Fae woman with dark hair who was the first to attempt to say something. She cleared her throat. Ivy opened one eye to look at her. "Yes?"

The Fae averted her eyes. "You promised to take us to the Cat. Where is she?"

Ivy gestured vaguely at the distant darkness of the passageway. "She's close."

Almost as soon as she spoke those words a small light was visible in a faraway part of the hall. Ivy sighed. Here it came. The distant candle slowly grew brighter, coming closer and closer by the second. There was no accompanying sound of footsteps. The light was nearly upon them. Suddenly, it vanished. A faint sound of something dripping became audible.

"Why, I've been right here," a soft voice purred above the group. Selina materialized around the candle. Blood poured from a knife wound in her throat, forming sticky red pools on the stone below. She smiled with a mouth of unusually sharp teeth. "Forever."

Ivy rolled her eyes as the screams echoed. Lifting herself from the bench, she walked to a place below Selina. "You always did love a dramatic entrance."

Selina shrugged as she let herself descend to floor level, her long black dress billowing around her. She always looked as if she was standing in the wind. "You'd have done the same and you know it. Was it at least a good one?"

Ivy shrugged. "It was alright."

"Just alright?" Selina looked deeply offended for a moment before changing the subject. "Anyways, I assume that you brought them here for a reason. Care to tell me, or do I need to pull it out of them?"

Ivy crossed her arms. "As much as I wouldn't mind that second option, I suppose I'll explain." She turned to the tall man, who seemed thoroughly unimpressed with the ghostly display. "Something about breaking a spell on your fool, yes? Go find her." He nodded once before going to extract Harley from an alcove where she'd hidden.

With a smile, Selina looked over the group. "Not like you to associate with Fae, Ivy. I'm surprised."

She crossed her arms. "Believe me, I'm only here so I can get them out of my forest."

The ghost spread her arms in a non-confrontational manner. "Hey, I'm not questioning you. Who's in charge here?"

Ivy gestured at Edward. "Technically, it's him."

"Of course, of course." Selina flicked her wrist, pulling two chairs from across the room, and sat down. She called out to him, waving. "Edward, what a pleasant surprise. What possessed you to come see me after all these years? Please, have a seat."

The Fae prince carefully seated himself across from her. He held the scepter tightly, white-knuckled, laid across his lap. "Hello, Selina. Long time."

She smiled the fakest smile Ivy had ever seen. "Indeed. It's been, what, thirty? Forty years? We have so much to catch up on. I assume you must be very busy running a country." A cellar door flew open and a bottle of wine found itself in her translucent skeletal hand. "Drink?"

He shook his head. "I'll have to decline."

"Pity, it's vintage. Have any new hobbies?Are you still doing that thing where you make people answer three riddles correctly or else you kill them? That was always a laugh."

"I'm only here because I need something."

She scoffed. "Typical."

The advisor reemerged from the dark, holding Harley by the arm. She thrashed like a wild animal trying to get free. He looked unfazed. "I found her."

Harley looked at the ghost woman with anger for a brief second before her expression softened. "Kitty!"

Selina looked taken aback. "Harley? I thought you must've died."

Harley beamed. "Nope, I'm back! How've you been?"

Selina gestured at the bleeding wound in her neck. "Dead."

Harley seemed not to notice. "That's nice. You shoulda told me you'd still be around in a hundred years so we could team up like old times! It woulda been great!"

Ivy inserted herself in the conversation before Selina could reply. "Wait, you two know each other?"

Harley nodded fervently. "Course! Me an' Kitty were an outlaw duo for a while! We were feared! You should've seen it, Red. Real legendary stuff."

The poltergeist smiled, leaning back. "So you're the fool. Of course. You want me to deal with the whole curse thing? I've got you." Her eyes drifted to the prince. "For a price."

Edward stood up, crossing his arms. "Prove that you have what I need."

Selina floated up from the seat. "Touchy. Follow me." With a wave of her hand, the candle began to float ahead of them, lighting their way. Ivy and the others followed her.

Ivy walked in silence. Behind her she could hear the two guardswomen talking. She eavesdropped for a moment, but gave up listening when it became clear that they weren't discussing anything of interest to her. The prince and his advisor weren't much more riveting. They seemed to be discussing what they could give Selina as payment. It was altogether too many numbers to hold her attention for long. She watched Harley and Selina speaking ahead of her.

Selina turned to Harley as she glided. "So, what've you been doing these past," she paused, silently counting, "one hundred and twenty-nine years? You finally dump that clown?"

Harley nodded. "Sort of! Let's not talk about that! Point is, lately I've been doing stuff without 'im, even! So I was an enemy of the Dark Knight for a while— you heard of him?"

Selina grew quiet for a second. "I know of him," she said tactfully.

"Yeah, so I did that, but I'm thinking I'm doing a bit of an antihero thing now. Not sure though. It's neat. Change of pace. What 'bout you? Whatever happened to that Holly girl you were always hanging with?"

"She died peacefully at the age of ninety."

"Good for her!"

They reached a door that swung open before them. Below them was a spiraling staircase leading down. In the candlelight, something down there gleamed.

Harley looked back at Ivy and waved. "Red! Wanna talk with us? We were just talking about her best friend who died!"

Ivy looked down and away. "I'm good." The two continued talking while Ivy mentally and physically distanced herself. No good getting attached to anyone. By morning, they'd be gone and she could wash her hands of this entirely.

She glanced down below. The mountains of treasure had increased since she'd seen it last. Selina had been a thief when she'd lived, and as a ghost, existed solely to continue her unfinished business. Her unfinished business seemed to be that there were things she had left unstolen. This was clearly a mistake she was determined to correct.

They reached the bottom of the stairs. Selina promptly walked through a stack of gold coins twice her height and vanished from view. They waited for her in silence. Several long minutes passed before she retuned, an unassuming wooden box in her hands.

"What do you wish to offer me?" Selina asked.

Edward untied a small bag from his belt. It jingled slightly as he moved it. "I would be willing to give you fifty gold coins as well as one item of your choice from my treasury."

She narrowed her eyes. "Any item?"

He sounded uncertain. "Yes?"

"Deal." The bag flew from his hands and into one of the piles. She handed the box lid to Harley. "Be a dear and hold this, okay?"

Ivy looked over her shoulder as Selina removed and opened a drawstring bag from inside the box. Within appeared to be iron filings and some sort of crushed yellow flower. Selina took a handful of the mixture. She swirled the powder around in her hand, mumbled a few words, and threw it at Harley.

She hissed in pain, the iron leaving small red marks where it touched her skin. The shapeshifter appeared to lose control of herself for a second. Ivy saw horns and broken wings for a split second before they melted back into her more human form. Breathing heavily, Harley fell to the ground. Ivy winced on her behalf.

Selina looked on with curious detachment. "That's odd," she mused.

"What's odd?" Harley demanded, pulling herself back to her feet. The burns were stark against her ivory skin.

There was a pause before Selina spoke. It seemed as though she was looking for the best way to put this. "I can see enchantments. That's how I know how to break them." She took a deep breath. "The magic binding you to the Fae is gone, but it was the least of your problems. There's a curse eating away at you. A demon's curse."

"Couldja make it not do that?" Harley asked hopefully.

Selina shook her head. "I'm sorry. It's beyond my power. This can only be reversed by a real sorcerer. I can provide you with a map to find one if you so wish."

"Yeah, that'd be good." Harley seemed almost too casual about this. Ivy wondered how she could have been so unsurprised with the revelation.

Selina took the candle from the air. "As it is too late to travel, I can offer you all lodging for the night. There are rooms upstairs. If you will come with me?"

The spirit drifted back the way they had come, her long black dress trailing behind her. The others followed her upstairs. Ivy had no desire to accept the offer, but she didn't want to leave the intruders unsupervised where they could do all kinds of damage. She at least had to wait until they were asleep before she returned to her forest.

They climbed another flight of stairs. Ivy could see the faint glow of the moon scattered through a broken window. Illuminated by its light was the Wilds, the trees silhouetted against the night. She could hear them calling for her to come back to them. Her forest cried for her. She mentally blocked their voices. Soon, she told them.

They reached the top of the floor. Selina stopped and gestured at a long hallway lined with at least two dozen doors. "Take your pick. I will be around if anyone needs me." Without another word, she vanished into the air, leaving them alone.

Ivy cleared her throat and drew herself to her full height. Someone had to assume leadership, and it might as well be her. She put on what she hoped was an intimidating expression. "You heard what she said. Go." She turned and walked to the end of the hall, leaning against a suit of armor. The sooner they were gone the better.

The Wilds called for her, their protector. She closed her eyes and put a hand to the stone wall beside her. The voices were clear below her. Slowly, a thin tendril of vine rose through the cracks in the floor. She closed her eyes, pulling it towards her. The creeping plants curled around her ankles in greeting. Ivy opened her eyes. She smiled at them. They grew over the armor, forming a tiny corner of wilderness in the stone hall. Relaxing, she let the vines lift her and set her in a makeshift hammock that they'd formed close to the ceiling. She closed her eyes. 

Almost as she was about to drift off, she heard voices coming from beneath her perch. She opened her eyes bitterly before looking down over the side.

Beneath her she saw the Fae prince and his advisor. The prince looked as if he'd much rather be anywhere else, arms crossed as he leaned against a wall. The advisor seemed to be arguing with him.

"I don't see how this is supposed to help," he complained, looking disdainfully at the advisor. "Cobblepot still threatens war, and I can't imagine leaving would improve that situation."

The advisor spoke with an accent Ivy hadn't heard in centuries. She briefly wondered where it was from. "Edward, your kingdom is divided enough that many would side with his Empire if he invaded. The humans in particular believe that he could improve things for them. A, for lack of a better word, quest, would certainly improve your approval ratings. Your mother still has her loyalists–"

"Don't bring that bitch into this!" he snapped. "The throne was abdicated to me centuries ago. I am the rightful leader. Any who disagree can go look for her, see if it turns out any better for them."

Jonathan remained calm. "You need to prove that you care about the common citizens. If you can secure their approval, we can form a single united force. The invasion will not trigger another civil war if you can gain complete loyalty." He paused, letting his words sink in. "That was merely a suggestion. You may do what you wish."

"A publicity stunt. You expect me to risk my life for attention. That's what you've been saying?"

"That is an accurate summary, yes."

There was silence. Despite the flippant remarks, Edward seriously appeared to be considering it. Jonathan watched him, his face unreadable. Ivy could almost feel the quiet weighing down on the air. Why were they still here? She mentally willed them to leave.

Almost like an answer to a prayer, Edward turned to the nearest door. "I will think it over. Goodnight."

Jonathan simply nodded at him as he closed the door behind him. He waited a few seconds to be sure he was gone before looking up. "Hello, Ivy. Do you remember me?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. There was undeniably something about him that felt familiar, but she couldn't place her finger on it. It felt like a threat. "Do you intend to tell me how I should?"

His mouth curved into a smile, but his eyes remained unchanged and emotionless. "I thought I must be more than a historical footnote around here."

Ivy crossed her arms, putting slightly more of a barrier between them. "I have no idea what you mean."

He shrugged. "You will recall soon enough. When you do, I ask that you keep it to yourself. Are we agreed?"

Before she could reply, he began walking down the hallway, vanishing into the darkness. Ivy watched him go. He was certainly hiding something. She stepped down to the ground. Although she had promised to at least lead them out of the Wilds, after that conversation she had come to the conclusion that it would be better to leave them to their own devices. Selina could see them out.

She walked the other direction, towards the window. A tree that had likely not been there before was waiting to catch her if she jumped. She sat on the sill and put her legs over the side. Its branches spread out towards her, welcoming.

"Ya leavin' already?"

Ivy turned around quickly to see Harley standing behind her. She wore a look of utmost betrayal. "That was always the plan," she responded coldly.

Harley sat down next to her on the sill. "That's too bad. I was kinda liking havin' ya around." She absentmindedly brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, turning it from blonde to red as she did. "I felt safe with you."

Ivy looked at the tree. Don't get attached. Don't get attached. "I could stay a bit longer." Shit.

Harley grinned at her. "For real? You're gonna help me break the curse an' everything?"

Ivy pointedly didn't look at her. "I'm not promising anything. I just want you out of my hair as soon as possible, and if helping you does that, then–"

She was immediately enveloped in a bone-crushing hug. "Awww, thanks Red!" Harley was stronger than she looked. Ivy struggled to escape to no avail.

After what felt like far too long, she was finally released from the embrace. Ivy gasped for air the moment she was released.

"I'll escort you no farther than the Wayne border," she determined. One did have to establish boundaries when negotiating. "Then I will return to the Wilds. Are we settled?"

Harley smiled and nodded. "I'm just glad you're coming with me." She stood up, the bells on her shoes jingling with the motion. "See you in the morning?"

"See you in the morning," Ivy echoed as the sound of bells retreated down the hall. She watched the tree lower its outstretched limbs. I'm sorry, she told her forest. Carefully, she swung her legs back over the sill before returning to her vines for the night.

Sleep did not return to her so easily. Her eyes were open, staring at the stone above her. The harlequin's plea had been unfortunately effective. Her eyes haunted her. Ivy tried to block them out. However much she insisted otherwise, she had far more sympathy than she cared to admit.