The Deck of Destiny - A Caraval Oneshot Collection

Part of His Script

Setting: during Legendary
Inspiration: a short fanfic called "A Secret Undone" by @juliabcqj (go check it out, it's really good.)

TRIGGER WARNING: this one shot mentions sexual assault, an overlooked thing that happened in Caraval. If you think this topic triggers you or might disturb you in any way, go ahead and skip this one shot.

Scarlett sat in the flying carriage next to Julian with an excited grin on her face. The fated ball was starting soon, and she would be meeting Tella in fifteen minutes. She was early (as usual), as she had insisted upon not wanting to be late.

Scarlett had the most lovely afternoon with Julian. He took her around Valenda, treating her to lunch and exploring the different districts. He slung a careless arm around her shoulders and she leaned into him as they rode the carriage, and soon, it came to a stop.

"Are you ready to finish our adventurous day with a dance?" Julian outstretched his hand, helping Scarlett out of the carriage.

"More than," Scarlett smiled, accepting his hand and he began to lead her to the stone garden.

If Scarlett wasn't so blinded by love, she would have noticed the shadow lurking around them, stalking them.

"Hello, Love."

Scarlett froze, as did Julian.

The count smiled cruelly at them, but he did not look quite the same as he did when Scarlett had met him. He was missing his eye patch. In fact, his eye looked completely fine. He still had that horror-stricken look to him, though.

She sunk into Julian, her eyes widening. Tella would be here soon, what if he told their father? All of that work for nothing. She needed to get out of there.

"You look scared. You do too, Julian. We've known each other for so long and you look like a ghost; like you don't even know me." The count tilted his head as if he was amused. "I'm not going to hurt you, Scarlett. I just want to tell you the truth."

We've known each other for so long.

Confusion flooded Scarlett's head. The truth? About what?

"I'm not a count. I'm not your ex-fiancè. In fact, all I am is an actor a part of Caraval. My name is Armando. Julian knows all about that. But by the look of your face - and his - I'm assuming he hasn't told you?" The count - The actor Armando continued.

Scarlett felt as if she had been punched in the stomach. A new emotion filled her; pure red hatred. She remembered him popping the buttons off his shirt, the look on Armando's face, the things he would've done to her.

Scarlett didn't even think as her arm raised, slapping Armando as hard as she could muster across the face. His grin faded very quickly.

"Get out of my sight," she seethed, her hand burning from the slap.

Armando's hand rubbed his jaw from the contact, his skin already bruising, "Have fun at the ball, love birds." He stalked back into the shadows as creepily as he had crept out of them.

"You knew?" Scarlett asked quietly, her back facing Julian.

"Crimson, I can explain-" Julian was quickly cut off.

"Explain how you promised not to lie to me, to keep secrets from me, yet you couldn't even keep that promise for twenty-four hours?" Scarlett's voice was shaking, undeniable anger laced into it.

"Crimson-"

"Do you know how important that was to me?" She turned to face him. "Or are you that oblivious? That was one of the most major secrets you could have kept from me. What did it benefit you? Why did you keep this from me, Julian!" Her voice began to rise as she spoke each sentence.

"I thought I was protecting you, Scarlett! I knew you would have sought out the real count if you would have known, and Dead Saints only know how bad that could have gone." Julian was desperate. "I'm so sorry, Crimson. I just want you to be safe."

"You don't get to make that choice for me, Julian! I grew up with zero choices. And when I finally realized that I could make my own decisions, you... you keep this from me." Scarlett's voice broke.

"It- it was a part of the script. I just went along with it," Julian tried to explain.

Something in Scarlett snapped. "Was him almost raping me a part of your script? Because the show must go on! Right?"

Julian's face froze. Before, his voice was pleading and helpless. Now, it was laced with the anger of a thousand suns. "He tried to do what?!"

Tears flooded Scarlett's vision and her throat started closing up. "If I hadn't gotten that elixer of protection or that fire poker, he would have followed through with Marcello's wishes. He was already half undressed, and he was trying to ease me into it. Calling me sweetheart and telling me we could take things slow." Scarlett couldn't say anymore, she felt as if her chest was constricting.

Julian's fists clenched at his sides, his eyes full of pure loathing. "I swear, Crimson, I didn't know about that. He wouldn't be able to walk if I did."

"Well, apparently your word doesn't mean much seeing as you're always lying!"

Julian flinched, tears of his own welling up in his eyes, though his didn't fall unlike Scarlett's. "I am truly sorry, Crimson."

Scarlett clenched her jaw. "I'm going back to the palace. If you could do me one last favour, tell Tella not to wait up for me."

One last favour. It sounded final, and perhaps, that was how her mind was made. Final.

"Can we talk later?" Julian asked defeatedly.

Scarlett shrugged, not wanting to see much of anything that had to do with Caraval in the slightest.

Legend knows everything that happens in Caraval.

She wondered if that was true. She wondered if Armando had continued with what he started, would Legend have stopped him?

Legend has a sense of justice that way.

Both statements stated by Julian. Both statements easily could have been false senses of security.

Scarlett sobbed as she sat in the carriage that departed Idyllwild Castle alone. She should have known that any happiness that life allotted her wouldn't last. She threw vases and glasses at the walls when she reached her room at Elantine's Palace, tears streaming down her face. Life never seemed to treat her fairly.

Each breakable object she picked up felt like a piece of her heart shattering into tiny pieces.

Scarlett wanted to yell, scream, shout.

She flopped back onto her bed, her eyes sore from the number of tears she shed. Her throat hoarse from yelling. Her heart aching.

She wondered if Julian had left the ball too.

She wondered when he would stop telling her lies.

She wondered if she would ever get over him.

A/N
I should be preparing for my 90-second speech that I have to present tomorrow in front of my online class. Instead, I'm writing an angsty one shot that made me ball my eyes out. As I mentioned before, I feel like a lot of people overlook what almost happened to Scarlett. The first time I read Caraval, I even overlooked it. The more I read it, the more my heart breaks for her in that scene.