Jabberwocky Boyfriend: Himgre Part One (complete)

I was abandoned in the woods as a baby - left alone, wrapped in soiled blankets. My father, the man who found me, was a disgraced white knight. He heard me crying, so he followed his natural call to come save the damsel in distress. He used to tell me that I was a miracle and that I was what ultimately saved him. For years, he had wandered around Miror, trying to find his purpose in the world again. Being a knight, a white knight, was all he knew, and it was all that was important to him. Finding me, he found himself again.

We traveled all throughout Miror doing good deeds. We helped rescue people, captured people with bounties on their heads, and sometimes even slew a monster or two. When my dad died, I decided to keep up the tradition, even though he wanted me to go to the royal palace and become a white knight for King Ludovico. I much preferred the life that I led with my father.

The town of Oyster Cove has placed a notice offering a great reward of pearls for anyone who can get rid of the Jabberwocky that keeps attacking their town. I’m heading that way, armed with my father’s sword, intent on vanquishing the beast.

Now, Jabberwockies are a lot like dragons - in fact, some might confuse the two. They’re both big, scaly monsters capable of flight and spewing destruction from their mouths. Unlike dragons, though, the Jabberwocky has fur along with scales. Also, unlike dragons, Jabberwockies possess some magic, and they can produce a plethora of destruction from their mouths, not just fire alone. A single Jabberwocky is just as bad as an infestation. In fact, there are those who would prefer lots of dragons over a single Jabberwocky. They’re a rare and strange breed, and only a few people knowing anything in depth about them. My father studied them while he was a knight, using the vast resources of the royal library to have the upper hand should he cross one, and he taught me everything he knew.

Oyster Cove is a quaint little village. It resides on the coast, and as its name implies, its main product is oysters. That is to say, really, pearls. Sure, oysters are all well and good as food, if you’re into that sort of thing, but the oyster farmers’ main goal is to produce pearls. They’re considered worth their weight in gold, as King Ludovico prefers them over jewels. As such, all of Miror have taken pearls as the fashion, and no longer use them just to adorn jewelry. If you see someone without a pearl - or mock pearls, which are another booming industry - then they must have just risen from the dead. 

In any case, Oyster Cove is quaint but affluent, and having a Jabberwocky on their hands is hindering their business by eating all of their product. No oysters, no cash. No cash, well, you get my point. 

I ride into Oyster Cove to seek lodging first, going to the Carpenter Inn. The lady at the front desk looks at me curiously. Her eyes linger on the scabbard at my hip before she looks at me and then my money.

“You here because of the Wocky?” she asks.

“The Jabberwocky?” I ask.

She nods. “Yeah, yeah, the Wocky.”

I sigh and roll my eyes. “There’s a difference, you know? Between Jabberwockies and Wockies?”

The lady stares at me blankly, so I bite my tongue and press my lips together to form an equally blank smile. “Where might the Jabberwocky be hiding?” I ask. “Anyone know where it goes when it’s not devouring oysters?”

“The Wocky has been taking to the water as of late. It hides in the ocean so no one can get to it, let alone find it,” she says. “Scares away the fish so that even the fishermen are right out of luck.”

“Guess it’s eating up all the clams then too,” I chuckle.

The woman looks horribly offended. “We don’t farm clams here, Miss. There is a big difference between oysters and clams, you know? A clam is-”

“Don’t care.” I snatch the key to my room up. “Thanks, anyway.” I scoff as I walk away with my bag. 

I go up to my room, setting my things aside and then glancing at myself in the mirror. I adjust the pins in my hair, making sure everything is in place. I place a few things in my tool belt, checking to see that some of the bottles are full and my stock of supplies won’t fail me as I hunt the Jabberwocky. Of course, the damn thing has chosen to go underwater. Brilliant of him really, but aggravating as hell for me.

Oyster Cove is high up on a cliff. To get to the docks and down to the water, one has to make their way down a precarious stairwell carved into the cliff face. There are several movable scaffolds built along the side of the cliff, so fishermen and oyster farmers alike can haul their catches up without having to trek them up and down those awful stairs. 

The dock is manmade, a floating island of sorts with a string of houseboats going out into the ocean, connected by floating bridges anchored to the ocean floor. The ocean is quiet and glossy. Even the sloshing of the tiny waves against the boats and houses seem whispered, so as not to call forth the Jabberwocky.

“Look what we got here,” someone laughs.

I turn to see a walrus leaning out of the dockhouse window. “Another one of ya coming to take care of the Wocky?”

I roll my eyes. “It’s not a Wocky! A Jabberwocky is-” I grunt and shake my head. “Yes, I’m here for the Jabberwocky.”

“Good luck with that. Damn thing stays underwater most of the day, only comes out when it needs to shit,” the walrus guffaws.

I shake my head and walk along the edge of the dock. Another thing that separates Jabberwockies from dragons is the fact they can live just about anywhere. Dragons tend to like warm places - they’re cold-blooded after all - but a Jabberwocky can survive in below-freezing temperatures, and even in volcanoes if it desires a balmy vacation. Most people are afraid of the ocean as is, and afraid of drowning as well. Not many people know much about what lies in the ocean anyway, so a Jabberwocky could live quite happily there.

I touch the necklace around my neck, gliding my fingers down the chain until I rub the black vial at the end of it. I lift it to my lips, giving it a kiss. “Give me strength, Father.” I tuck the necklace away again as a surge in the water rocks the dock and the bridges between the houses.

The walrus gasps, ducking into the dock house again and slamming the window shut. The water surges again and beyond the stream of houseboats, I see a great bubbling like a pot boiling over. I race ahead along the bridge, nearly toppling over it a few times. I finally reach the last house along the bridges, and face the dome-like bubble rising from the water. It bursts, and the force from it knocks me into the houseboat wall. 

The Jabberwocky rises, water spilling from its great maw. The sharp, blunt incisors on its top and bottom jaw click a warning as it turns to look at me. The great bulging eyes twist this way and that, surveying everything around them. There are three on each side of its head, and they look like small jewels. Two more eyes on the front of its head remain closed. It hisses as it breathes, steam flowing from its nostrils, looking very much like a kettle.

I ready my sword and its eyes finally turn, focusing on me. Its long neck cracks as it moves, its head moving back and forth, swaying as its massive hands rise up to push against the rocks of the cliff. The long trail of blue fur that goes down the back of its neck bristles to attention.

I lunge off the boathouse, swinging at him. The Jabberwocky grabs me in midair and tosses me into the ocean. I grab hold of his tail before I hit the water and as it swings upward, I let go, landing on the creature’s neck. It rears back, roaring out loud. I remove one of the bottles from my belt, cracking it over my sword. Then I stab my sword into the Jabberwocky’s neck, and a cascade of black blood pours from the wound. 

The Jabberwocky swings its head back and forth, clawing itself up the cliff. I stab again and more blood spills. The Jabberwocky tosses me around as it charges into the trees. Then it takes off in flight, carrying me through the thicket of trees, hoping to knock me off. I hold on as it goes vertical into the air, then crashes down.

After a while, I emerge from the woods, bloody, exhausted, and eager for a good drink. I show off one of the large teeth from the Jabberwocky’s mouth and claim my reward. After  receiving free drinks from the bar and a hearty meal, I go to bed.

In the middle of the night, I pack up my things and go back into the woods. I travel in deep, following the same path I had coming back to Oyster Cove. I find the cave and walk into it, turning on my lantern to see the Jabberwocky before me.

“Alright, let’s get out of here,” I huff.

The two eyes in the front of his head open up. “I need to wash off,” he growls.

“Yeah, yeah,” I grumble.

“All that fake blood you use - it itches when it dries,” he snarls at me.

“Fine, Himgre.” I sigh and take off my necklace. I hold the black vial at the end in my hand and pour my canteen over it, and when I do Himgre is washed clean. “There. Happy?” I put the necklace back on.

Himgre shakes his big head, letting the blue fur on his neck and around his head fluff up. “No,” he growls.

“Too bad.” I attach my bag to his side, then climb up on his back. “Let’s get out of this shithole. The people here are fucking morons.”

Himgre steps out of the cave and spreads out his leathery wings. “You’re the one that wanted to come here.”

I lean forward on his back, resting on my stomach. “For the pearls,” I chuckle. “Do you know how much money I made from these idiots? Not to mention what I was able to steal from them while they got drunk off their fat asses?” I laugh. “Every rich bastard in this place must have grabbed my ass tonight,” I grimace. “Joke’s on them, I have their wallets.”

Once we’re clear of the trees, Himgre flies up into the air, using the cover of clouds to hide us. “Where to now?”

“Home,” I huff. “I have plans for Tea Country, but I need to hammer out all the details before we do anything.”

Himgre growls in his throat, and the vibrations of it rumble against me. 

“What?” I scoff at him “You have something to say to me?” I sit up on his back and place my hand on the nape of his neck. “Speak now, monster. I know you are rolling your eyes at me.”

Himgre scoffs. “Tea Country is a dangerous bet. It’s all flat land, nowhere to hide, nowhere to perform your tricks,” he chuckles. “Sure, it is a rich land, filled with even richer people, but you are taking a risk attacking there.”

“You can go underground, can’t you?” I sneer. “Ruin a few fields? Eat a few rabbits?” I lean back again. “Make a hole, burrow, and create a labyrinth like in The Garden.”

“That was not too long ago. You want to risk it?” Himgre growls.

“Who holds the reins here?” I bark at him. “I have your heart, and you do as I tell you to do. You got that?” I shake my head, rolling my eyes in the process. “I make sure no one else lays a hand on you. I keep you safe so only I have a chance at fighting you. Whose idea was it to go underwater on this one? Huh?”

“You and I both know that didn’t take much genius to come up with that plan, Lady Ida,” Himgre chuckles.

“Hold your tongue, vile beast!” I snap at him. “Lest you want me to actually take one of your teeth as prize next time.”

“It will grow back. Your threats don’t scare me. I know you need me,” Himgre snarls under his breath. “The two of us are chained together. Miserable with each other and yet helpless without.”

I clutch the black vial in my hand, looking down at it. “You killed my father. I’ll never let you go. You’re mine forever.”

“Your father died of his own ignorance,” Himgre rasps.

We land outside the stone tower that serves as my home. The cellar beneath serves as Himgre’s hiding place. I take my bag from his side as he settles down onto the floor. Inside, I have all the wallets, jewelry, and finery that I stole from the people of Oyster Cove. I also take the bag of pearls that served as my reward for ‘slaying’ the Jabberwocky.

Himgre coils into a spiral, wrapping his neck and tail around and around himself. In the center, a shape pushes forward and out of it comes a human form. Himgre steps from the shell like a snail who has decided to become a slug. His blue hair breaks out of the shell and flows down around his back and shoulders. His skin is the same smoky green as his scales and along his back, where his spine is, there are strange hook-like protuberances. He takes a coat down from the wall, covering himself. His long, strange fingers have multiple joints, and they scurry up along the buttons quickly. He then looks at me, two eyes in the center like any normal human, but then two on his forehead and three more along the temple. The coat hangs open on his chest where there is a ticket of blue fur, save for a small patch where there is a gnarled and ghastly scar.

Yes, Jabberwocky are very different from dragons. Because Jabberwocky can often hide in plain sight. 

“I’m hungry,” I tell Himgre as I start to ascend the stairs. “Make some tea and see if there is any bread and jam left.”

“I doubt we have any reserves left, Lady Ida,” Himgre grumbles as he climbs the stairs behind me. “If you’re planning on staying here for a while, I suggest you give me some money and I will go shopping tomorrow.”

I scoff. “Fine, whatever.” I look over my shoulder at him. “Stop getting shit with blueberries in it! I hate blueberries!”

“I know,” he says with a sniff.

I open up the door and climb into the next level of the tower. My room is here with my bed, desk, weapons, and supplies to make my battles with Himgre look real. Himgre keeps going up the stairs to the next level, where the kitchen is. 

I sit down at my desk, emptying out the wallets and counting all the money. I have been doing this since I was little. Hell, even when I was a baby, I was doing this. There was a reason my father was a disgraced white knight. All his valiant acts, everything that made him a legend, were frauds. Even after his exile, he continued to set up schemes in order to earn money. As a baby, he used me to distract people and he would rob them blind. As a little girl, I would run screaming into villages begging for money so I could save my father from vengeful bandits. As I got older, we were able to go so much bigger and earn much more money.

My father was never satisfied though - he had much grander schemes in mind. His greatest goal of all was to capture a Jabberwocky. He discovered in his studies that a Jabberwocky could be controlled if you could take its heart. My father dreamed of one day having a Jabberwocky and being able to make it storm a village, then rush in and save everyone, reaping the benefits of his ‘heroism’. Ultimately, it was what got him killed, but I succeeded and have carried out his greatest plan.

For years, Himgre has been in my hand, and together, we have made a small fortune. He’ll go in, cause some damage, ruin a few choice lives, and I’ll ride in as the hero, slaying the vicious Jabberwocky to the applause of the masses. I’ve ‘killed’ him about two dozen times - I’m not sure of the exact number, I lost count after a while.

My father’s goal was to eventually return to being a white knight for the royal family. He had hoped I would carry on that dream as well, but serving the royals or any other rich piece of shit held no allure for me. I’d much rather have Himgre burn the palace to the ground.

Himgre came down the stairs, carrying a tray with my tea and a snack on it. He sets it on my desk and I thrust a wad of cash at him. “Supply money.”

“Do I get to buy myself something pretty too?” Himgre sneers as he counts the bills.

I turn back and glare at him. “I’ll give you a pretty fat lip.”

Himgre tucks the money into the inner pocket of his coat. “You can try to,” he sniffs. “But I suggest you finish up here and go to bed.”

I mock him under my breath as I take a sip of tea. I nearly spit it out. “This is blueberry!” I roar at him.

Himgre smirks. “It’s all we had.” One of his thick brows raises up. “I told you we needed supplies, Lady Ida.”

I glare at him. “Why do we even have it?” I seethe. “You know I hate anything and everything blueberry! Why would you even buy it then? If it came with a set, then why not just throw it away?”

Himgre shrugs. “Why not?” His reply is simple and yet devastating. If it had been a blade, I would bleeding out onto the rug. His words are effective against me, and as much as I hate to admit it, he is a more cunning adversary than I could ever be. I am lucky that our fights are not real.

I sink back down into my chair, my eyes locked with his as his smile becomes smug. He takes in his victory, savoring it like candy. I wipe my bottom lip as we look into each other’s eyes, neither of us wavering, neither of us breaking. I drink my tea, to spite him, but all it accomplishes is Himgre spiting me. 

“Blueberries are good for you.” He’s hitting me below the belt. “You can at least take that into consideration.”

I try to ignore him. I turn back to counting my money and chucking the wallets and things I neither want or need into a basket. I separate the money into piles, stuffing one stack into a leather satchel that I will deal with tomorrow.

“It’s growing later,” Himgre sighs behind me. “You should go to bed before it’s too late. You don’t want to miss your beauty sleep.”

I glare back at him. “I’m beautiful enough,” I sneer at him. 

Himgre shrugs. “If you say so, Lady Ida. After all, some say that crow’s feet on a woman show character and intelligence.” He hides his smile behind his hand, chuckling to himself as he walks away. “So maybe it will work for you.”

I clench my jaw and take in a very slow, deep, exasperated breath. “Perhaps you should take your own advice, Himgre,” I grumble after him. “After all, you have ten eyes to deal with. That’s a lot of crow’s feet for a man.” I fan out my fingers along my face to mimic the effect.

Himgre tilts his head. He has not been wounded at all. “A man, exactly,” he clicks his tongue. “They look handsome on me.” He then sighs and shrugs. He gazes off out the window with a contemplative look. “Too bad I don’t age like mortals do. I suppose I will get by with the looks I already have.”

I click my tongue and rise up from my chair. “Clean up this mess,” I huff at him. “And be quiet about it.” I start taking off my clothes, tossing them here and there so they are scattered all over the floor. I look at myself in the mirror, running my hands down my naked body. I touch my dark hair as it falls around my shoulders. 

I catch Himgre’s reflection as he stands behind me. He’s watching me, his eyes shifting from black to purple before he turns his head away and picks up my clothes. I smirk to myself, taking my minor victory while I can. 

Himgre is correct. We are miserable together, but I think without him I would be lost in this world. I would be like my father, forever aimless and lost in his dreams. I didn’t want to be like that, so I keep Himgre’s heart around my neck. He is mine and I am his.

I rub oils into my skin, making sure to cover every inch of my body. I massage my breasts with the oils and slick it down to my stomach. I rub between my thighs and watch as my skin glows in the candlelight. I then smoothe a fine cream onto my face and down my neck. I suppose there is an easier nightly routine, but I enjoy the pampering. I tuck my hair into a silk wrap to keep it protected, then crawl into bed. I lay there, listening to Himgre shuffle about as he cleans up the room. He eventually trots up the stairs to the kitchen, slamming the door behind him.

I wonder how long we can keep this up, how long we will be fighting each other while working together. It’s a strange balance of power between us. I hold him, but he knows I need him. He gets away with all the things he says, all the blueberries he feeds me, and I get to control him. My father died so I could obtain his heart, the fool.

In all his studies about the Jabberwocky, all the knowledge he obtained to reach his goal, there was one thing that had eluded him. While he knew that he could charm a Jabberwocky and subdue it to get the heart, he didn’t know the specific way of going about it.

We located Himgre in the Ivory Isles and tracked him to the Glistering Caves, where my father met his end. He didn’t know that the only way to get a Jabberwocky heart was a rather tricky situation. I figured it out, and was able to steal Himgre’s heart. For you see, the only way to get a Jabberwocky’s heart is to seduce it. In the Glistering Caves, I approached Himgre as naked as the day I was born. 

He was my first, and up until that point, my only. It was a worthy cause, because while he moved inside me, I was able to take his heart and seal it in the special vial my father gave me. Ever since, Himgre has been in my hand, cursed with the knowledge of how easily he was taken by a beautiful woman.