Chapter Text
Chapter One: Endless War
Maneuvering around tree branches and the uneven terrain, Rosaline struggled to keep up with her group as they seemed to know the path by heart. They ducked under branches and leaped over every small root like they’d done it hundreds of times before.
On the other hand, Rosaline spent most days huddled in her basement, making her less than agile. Tree branches smacked her face, random rocks made her stumble, and bushes scraped her arms. Rosaline only hoped nobody near her was judging her.
Pushing past the last tree branch in view, a small flickering light could be seen on the other side of a stream. A soft gasp broke the silence around them. She watched as the Light Potions hastily disappeared. Their reactions told her that they had reached the apex of the battle, and conflict was imminent.
A small hand motion was made from the dark silhouette at the front as Arthur led the group toward their destination. The group of witches quickly followed his steps, hiding behind a large piece of stone wedged firmly on the edge of the stream. Numerous chunks from the wizard’s mountain lay awkwardly around the forest after a witch exploded part of the wizard’s city.
“Are you guys ready to-” Arthur was whispering, but was abruptly cut off as a loud bang shook the boulder they hid behind.
Hearing a high-pitched ringing, Rosaline grasped her ears tightly, contemplating ripping them off. The battle had only just started, and Rosaline already wanted to surrender.
Closing her eyes as tight as she could, small white stars of her own creation began to appear. The ringing wouldn’t stop. Digging her knees into the soft dirt, Rosaline wanted to do anything but be there right now. Her fingers dug through her blonde hair as she pulled, hoping to ease her pain.
She opened her tearful eyes to see her best friend, Evelyn, weeping as she covered her ears. Her light brown eyes looked like small mud puddles on a rainy day. Short hair was tangled together in its own chocolate web, and her green shirt was in no better condition, with small holes and dirt littering the fabric.
Glancing over at Arthur, he held his head in one hand but swiftly grabbed a potion in the other, showing the group behind what he was about to throw. Rosaline knew that murky green color all too well: a Binding Potion, an effective but basic potion that sprouts a jungle of vines that grows tighter over time. Rosaline tried to nod, holding her ears, hoping that the high-pitched ringing would soon fade away.
Watching Arthur forcefully throw the potion into the group of wizards, the sound of glass fragmenting overtook the ringing momentarily. It was a short break, but enough time to wipe the tears from her eyes so her vision would become clearer.
Rosaline peeked around the stone, and with her newly cleared vision, she saw the distraught look on their faces as they slowly became entangled in the spell's effects. As wizards yelled and panicked, the vines only grew tighter and climbed higher up their bodies. She kept her body low as she watched the wizards try to pull and tug their way out.
This battle against wizards and witches has lasted over a hundred years, yet nobody remembers why. Maybe it's how they both use magic and how one's better than another, or the property connecting both territories is blurry. There are many theories, but nobody has a solid answer. Now, both parties kill without a word spoken between them.
“Fire!” A couple of the Vic's yelled, pointing their wands and staves toward the vines. Fire flew out like a tornado, heading for the destruction of the vines, making them no longer green but an ugly shade of red.
Almost as quickly as the fire embers died down, Evelyn threw a dark shade of green potion that barely moved in the thin bottle. Sludge is a potion that creates a big glob of dark, ugly green muck that makes you barely move. It didn’t take long for the effects to wear off. The potion took some algae, a dead frog, and some other basic materials.
The potion broke into a thousand pieces, and as a result, a sludge ball, looking like quicksand, covered their feet. It wasn’t exactly a sludge ball; it was more of an inch of thick, watery mud.
As the wizards struggled, yelling and squirming from the strange new mud, the air filled up with a stench as Rosaline forgot about the sludge’s side effect: the smell of death. She heard a couple of the wizards gagging as well as witches as they tried fanning the smell away. This was disgusting… Evelyn had to choose the grossest-smelling potion.
Unbuttoning one of the leather straps of a lavender potion hanging from her belt, the potion gently fell into the palm of her hand, and the weight of the potion was about the same as holding a full mug.
She never knew the official name of the light purple potion but everyone called it ‘Boom’, a potion that, when it hits a person, throws them back a couple of feet and can cause some to be knocked out. The potion was composed of gunpowder, a dragon’s tooth, and a few other materials. This advanced potion takes weeks to brew and can only fill up around three potions before the cauldron turns back into water.
Lifting the ‘Boom’ potion, Rosaline swung as hard as she could. The weight left her hand, and the potion inside the bottle flung around trying to find a way out as it fought for freedom. She was scared she might have thrown the potion too soon, as a witch should wait before the potion takes effect, so that other potions don’t mix and neither works.
As it made contact with one of the wizard's chests, the bottle shattered into thousands of pieces, causing him and a couple of others to fly far back into the darkness of the woods. Relief washed over Rosaline as she watched the potion go into effect. Good, I didn’t throw it too soon.
The wizards all yelled in pain, groaning from the force they were hit with. The one Rosaline hit in the chest was flung into a tree, his head making contact with the trunk near the boulder they hid by. He lay unconscious as a wave of guilt hit Rosaline. It felt as if a new tide washed in, and her heart was a beached whale that lay ashore.
No-No-No, Please don’t be dead. This was too far. I shouldn’t have thrown that potion; I should have used a basic one. Why did I choose that one? What is wrong with me? Why did I hurt those wizards? I don’t even know them…
Stumbling back away from the boulder, she watched as the other witches adjusted, taking up the empty spot she gave them willingly. Her heart throbbed as she wanted to rip it out of her chest, feeling like the worst heartburn in her life. Her lungs felt empty, almost like she wasn't breathing, as she gasped for air, repeatedly trying to fill her lungs and calm her racing heart.
Looking over at the witches as her tear-filled eyes blurred them together, she saw flames fly over the boulder as everyone ducked quickly. Rosaline slowed her breathing and saw them quickly stand up, and a few summoned their familiars as the bright white light overtook the darkness. The light left the image repeating every time she blinked, but she tried to ignore it, focusing instead on the injured witches clutching their burnt arms or faces. Charred skin filled her vision as she quickly turned away, now realizing why Arthur never left his house to see them when he first got his burn years ago.
“Lightning!” A female wizard yelled as a bright white lightning bolt shot right over their heads, causing Rosaline to squint, turning away from the bright light.
She watched as an owl swooped in and scratched at one of the wizards, ripping the skin off their arms and tearing the robe into shreds. The black owl returned with a few bits of hair stuck in its talons. Rosaline’s stomach turned with disgust as she turned her gaze back to the battlefield.
Green eyes connected to Arthur, who was on Fortis’ back, riding bareback, surprisingly, as Rosaline knew Fortis didn’t like his hair getting messed up. The black shire horse galloped around as Arthur held on tight to the horse's mane with his left hand, dropping a Binding Potion with his right hand that shattered in front of the wizards as the vines slowly wrapped up their ankles.
The wizards let out a panicked gasp, trying to untangle themselves, but it was too late. Fortis turned a sharp ninety degrees and threw out his back legs, hitting one directly in the chest and another in the shoulder.
Rosaline didn’t want to watch anymore, but with the sounds she heard, she knew Fortis hit two or three more people and came back with a gentle trot, almost like they were innocent and had just arrived.
Another witch threw a red bottle shaped like a sphere, shattering against the tainted grass as a firewall formed in front of them, making the remaining wizards disappear into the darkness of the woods
Releasing a tired sigh, Rosaline was happy that it was all over. Witches around her silently gathered their materials and potions they sat behind the boulder. An owl rested on one shoulder, and an elk stood beside another. Rosaline studied both of them, fascinated by how different they looked from regular forest animals.
The owl was all black with white rings around his eyes, and his eyes were bright green. Beside another witch stood the elk familiar, which was a normal brown color, but his eyes were bright baby blue, and his antlers were a bright white that seemed to almost glow in the darkness.
“Come on, Rosie, let's go back,” Evelyn told her with a slightly cheerful tone as the rest of the witches took off and high-fived each other, filled with pride.
Arthur dusted off his red uniform and adjusted the strap that held his drinking potions. Dirt covered his face, and bits of dried mud were like sprinkles on top of his hair. Evelyn, on the other hand, was somehow still hyper as she skipped around Arthur. Her hair was tangled in places, but her eyes were sparkling with pride.
“I-” Rosaline started, trying to think of something to say, “I dropped a couple of potions. I’ll catch up in a bit.” She lied, wanting them to go.
She tried not to lie to them, but it didn’t feel right to leave the wizard alone. The guilt consumed her as her chest began to ache again. What if she had killed him? What if he were paralyzed?
“Are you sure, Rosaline?” Arthur asked, stopping in his tracks, the look of concern covering his face.
She nodded, forcing a smile, and he nodded back as Evelyn grabbed his arm, talking about how awesome that fight was. Rosaline was glad Evelyn was happy, but it was wrong in her eyes to fight for something she didn’t believe in. She didn’t believe in this century-long war, and she didn’t believe that the wizards were bad. As the group left, Fortis followed behind them, not quite sure why he was still out.
Hearing their voices fading in the distance, she quickly got to her feet and dusted the dried mud off her tan pants. Rosaline slowly made her way to the wizard in the light blue cloak, the Vicsham emblem sewn in dark blue on his right shoulder. The ‘V’ symbol with the arrow on the right end of the ‘V’ looked like an object ricocheting off the ground and into the air. Her stomach twisted as all the warnings from the witches came back to her in the presence of the wizard.
Holding her breath, she walked closer to his body as Rosaline was now almost on top of the young male wizard. His dark brown hair drooped over his almost rectangular face, which had caked-on mud streaks and deep cuts on his cheeks and forehead. Blood slid down gracefully into the blades of grass, making her brain feel like it had been switched off.
He’s going to lose too much blood lying here; she needs to get him to safety. Rosaline started looking around for ideas, but then paused when she looked at the unconscious wizard again.
Are you crazy, Rosaline? That is a wizard! You know, the thing they’ve been fighting for centuries… Yeah, that thing. What if he woke up when she started to heal him?
She grabbed her head, pulling on her hair as her braid started falling apart. Her head throbbed as the overwhelming thoughts came all at once. Taking deep breaths, Rosaline closed her eyes to calm her brain down.
Okay, Rosaline, it is wrong to leave this wizard alone. What if it were a witch? You wouldn’t be hesitating like you are now.
She looked at the wizard noticing a large gash on his forehead that ran into his hairline; it was at least two inches long.
Crap, she would rather not staple or stitch that… Maybe she could get away with gluing that; it doesn’t look too wide, it’s just deep. Ugh, it needs to be done now, but witches will probably come back here…
Biting her inner cheek, she thought of how to get him to her house from this place. She can’t use two drinking potions on him; he would be passed out for days on end, and he needed food to increase his blood after losing his much. Maybe if she uses the drinking Invisibility Potion.
She paused, eyeing the young man. Rosaline bit her cheek harder, feeling the metallic taste fill her mouth as pain blossomed on the personal injury. How would a wizard react to witch-drinking potions? Would it kill him? Poison him? Cause him any pain? Or would it be normal, like a witch drinking it?
Clutching her right temple as a newborn headache stung, she decided she would rather try to save him than leave him there. Rosaline could deal with any further consequences in the future. She just hoped she was making the right decision for him and was not being irrational with her choices.
Rosaline pulled a small cylinder-shaped bottle from the strip of leather on her chest that held all of her drinking potions of different colors. The Invisibility Potion was almost clear but barely light blue. Please work.
Rosaline started opening Vic’s mouth slightly, using the bottle as the smooth, light blue potion slid into his mouth. Suddenly, he disappeared, but when she touched the ground, she felt his broad body.
Invisibility, they were hard to make, but after a couple of weeks, a witch can make four small bottles with one cauldron full of the potion. All potions have the limitation of how many bottles they can fill. Once the witch gets all they can, the cauldron switches the potion to water.
Hm… How to transfer him over the bridge and through the town? There was a pause. That’s it, Levation!
Rosaline quickly rummaged through her leather bag that was sewn onto her belt and pulled out a fuchsia potion. She held the triangular bottle, not wanting to use another advanced potion on the wizard.
Staring at the bottle, she watched the potion inside shifting back and forth, almost taunting her with the decision she had to make. Bye-bye phoenix feather that took her three weeks to get… Grabbing the wizard’s wrist with her left hand, Rosaline poured the last Levitation Potion she had onto the Vic.
Holding onto the wizard's wrist like a balloon, she navigated around the forest, making sure that he didn’t get scratched up anymore by branches that hung low. With the moon high in the sky, a beautiful white light glowed from it. Rosaline smiled at the enchanting sight.
The lovely glow from the moon was enough for her eyes to adjust and see perfectly, without the fear of tripping over a tree root or other forces of nature trying to prevent her from performing treason.
Soon, the dancing flames entered her vision as the Solonogvy Bridge lit up everything around it, whether it was the forest or the ocean. Her heart skipped a beat as she noticed ten or so witches walking across the bridge. Crap… This is going to be a challenge.
Pulling her arm down, she felt the weight of the wizard follow with it. Rosaline adjusted his body, tying part of his cloak onto her belt so that it would remain beside her.
After a few test runs as she walked back and forth on the forest floor, she knew that it was now or never, as the potions would wear off in half an hour or less.
She held her breath as both of her hands started to sweat, feeling like the bridge was a lot smaller than before. Both male and female witches walked in front of or behind Rosaline, with a few passing her. The ones passing her unexpectedly gave her the worst anxiety she had ever had in her life.
Rosaline tried sticking to the edge of the bridge, but with the witches who walked both ways, and the ones that passed her because her speed walk wasn’t fast enough; there wasn’t enough room. The few witches that bumped into the invisible wizard she thought were too tired, or weren’t in their right minds to notice.
Walking home was quiet and less stressful, only bumping into two or three witches on the main road and a few more on her road. Arriving at Rosaline’s stone house with the log roof that her dad made forever ago, she noticed once again that the wood was slowly starting to rot and would need to be replaced soon. She didn’t have the time or the potions to change it at the moment or anytime soon.
Pulling out her keys from her belt, they quickly slipped out of her shaking hands. Come on! Calm down, you idiot!
Crouching down, Rosaline grabbed the keys once again, but with a tighter grip and fiddled with the keyhole until the key for the house slid in. She quickly turned the handle and pulled the key out, opening her front door as she untied the wizard from her belt. Rosaline maneuvered him into the doorway as she walked in behind him, locking the door.
“Should I put you on the couch?” She asked herself in a low tone, “No… The two windows are too much of a risk. Let’s get you visible before I even attempt to get you downstairs.”
Holding onto his wrist, Rosaline used her other hand to find the darker blue drinking potion on her leather strap. Sliding out of its containment, she maneuvered the cork out of the bottle and used the bottle to open his mouth slightly. She watched as the wizard started to appear while small drops of the potion slid onto the floor. Okay, the easy part is done. Rosaline pushed her bangs up, sighing at her headache.
Mr. Wizard, let’s get you to your temporary bed. Opening the basement door, she gazed down the fifteen stairs, feeling as if they were hundreds. Okay, deep breaths, Rosaline.
Pulling the wizard in front of her, his shoulders in her hands, she started slowly walking down, his legs were hitting the ceiling, but Rosaline couldn’t move his bottom half down. She watched as drops of blood fell onto the floor occasionally, making her feel sick to her stomach.
Rosaline pulled him over the bed as red drops soaked into the clean white blanket. She bit the inside of her cheek as her free hand pulled out a light pink potion that was contained in a triangle-like bottle.
Rosaline pulled off the cork with some of the potion splashing over her shirt and the blanket. Crap… Good job. The taste of iron filled her mouth as Rosaline poured the remaining potion onto the wizard. Luckily, it was enough as the wizard fell onto the bed, a bit faster than she expected.
Quickly pulling the leather bag off her shoulder, Rosaline started placing the required supplies beside the wizard. Gauze, medical tape, a healing potion, and her least favorite, supplies for stitches… Rosaline wanted to glue the gash, but with the panicked reaction he was probably going to have and the other opportunities for him to reopen the gash, stitches were the safest option. She bit the other side of her cheek that was not already bleeding as she sanitized the gash and supplies.
Doing the stitches was a blur as her sleep-deprived self flooded over her. Rosaline only realized she had finished stitching as she started placing gauze and taping the gauze with medical tape as it would stay in place.
Opening the Quick Heal potion, Rosaline gently poured small amounts on each scratch and bruise he had recently gotten or had for a while now. Quick Heal worked wonders for many people; the only downside was that it only heals external injuries. The potion used a lot of werewolf blood and a rare flower that was found growing by the pixie’s home. The last bit of the potion she poured on his now stitched-up gash as the gauze soaked it in willingly.
Grabbing the light brown leather pouch on her belt, she pulled out a light orange rock that was polished, placing it on the edge of the nightstand. Calcite, a rock used for its healing, nurturing, and cleansing properties. It will help you heal, wizard. Rosaline smiled at him, feeling proud of her work. Being able to use minerals was nice at times, but most of the time it was hard to see the magic working.
“I bet the Quick Heal will do more than you,” Rosaline said, taunting the small polished calcite. She watched as it sat sadly on the nightstand. “What am I doing? I am losing my mind… Arguing with a rock.” She groaned, grabbing her destroyed braid.
Collecting her supplies, Rosaline took one last glance at the wizard and the grimy basement. It was small, with a spare bed that the wizard laid on, a bookshelf full of a variety of books, and a cauldron that she used all the time. A simple bathroom in the corner had a toilet and a sink. It was livable but not the nicest. It would be a doable living space for the wizard until he had healed completely.
She went upstairs, blowing out her candles as only the moon's glow lit up the house and the faint orange of the sun. Getting in her small twin-sized bed she covered up with her thick-clothed blanket and quickly fell asleep.
…
Thump… Thump… Thump… The sounds stirred Rosaline awake but not enough to get her out of her comfortable and warm blanket. She grabbed the corner of the tan blanket, pulling it closer to her body.
Quickly shutting her eyes, she let her mind go blank. Allowing her brain to drift back to its fantasy world, Rosaline started going back to the last dream she remembered until she realized that the sounds she heard were coming from her basement.
Almost immediately, Rosaline jumped up out of her small bed, fighting the dizziness that came as she quickly opened the basement door. Rosaline stood for a few seconds, letting her mind think about what to do next and also letting herself wake up properly. The wizard… Okay… So, she hurt him but maybe he forgot about that…
She didn’t let her mind overthink as she started walking down the steps. It didn’t take long for her to come into view of the wizard who was standing in front of the mangled sheets that were ripped away from their previous spot.
Gazing at the wizard with wide eyes, Rosaline noticed all of the small cuts and bruises were scarred up or almost completely gone. Luckily, he kept the gauze on his head as the stitches wouldn’t be healed by now. Cracking a small smile, feeling proud of the work she did last night, especially since Rosaline was sleep-deprived. Her stomach dropped as she took an involuntary step backward, noticing the wand was pointed straight at her.
“Whoa... Okay there, Mr. Wizard. As you can see I have no potions on me, so, uh…” Rosaline gazed at him with a pitiful expression, “Please don’t hurt me?” Mr. Wizard? Idiot!
Watching as he scanned her over, making sure she was right with the no potions comment, she started picking apart his appearance. His eyes were an icy blue, his face was rectangular and the wizard’s hair was two or three inches in the front that faded into a half-inch trim. He was tall but not as tall as Arthur as the wizard must be a couple of inches shorter. She didn’t let her mind nitpick all the details as she felt him staring.
“You…” The wizard spat, “You were the one who used that potion and threw my friends and I across the forest.” He wobbled in place weakly as he stood in front of the twin-size bed.
Rosaline noticed the sound she heard from upstairs was the bookshelf as the books were scattered across the floor. The colorful display of books on the floor and the knocked-over bookcase made barely enough room to get to the bathroom, she would have to clean that up later.
Rosaline took a deep breath, trying to calm down her racing heart, “Listen, I did do that but…” The wizard seemed to stand up straighter as she clenched her fist, turning her gaze towards the ground. “I don’t want to fight in this stupid war!” Rosaline yelled almost too loud, she realized how loud she had gotten and clenched her fist tighter, feeling embarrassed. Her bangs covered her fearful eyes as the uneven rocky floor filled her vision.
She wasn’t quite sure who she was yelling at when she let out her outburst, maybe herself or the town hall leader who forced her to fight. All Rosaline knew was that she held this in all too long, she needed to tell somebody, who that was she didn’t care. This wizard would have to be the victim of her rant, not like he could go anywhere anyway.
“This war, I was drafted into it, probably like you, but I’m not sure about wizards since this town is full of rumors. I stitched up that gash, and even used a Quick Heal on you. I’m sorry I hurt you, stay down here until you healed up properly. With the windows upstairs, and the streets being filled with witches, this is the safest place. I’m going to head out, so I’ll be gone for a while.” Without another word or glance at him, Rosaline left. She shut the basement door behind her, and took a deep breath. Okay… I think I did well. I didn’t get shot by lightning or fire. I didn’t know how to deal with that situation at all…
Letting out a loud sigh, Rosaline quickly changed, and put on her potions. As much as her body wanted to collapse to the floor, she knew it would be best to clear her mind. Locking the door behind her, she realized how tired she was from last night. Her body ached with every step she took, her eyelids could barely stay open, and her brain was already hurting. Rosaline felt like her life was draining from her.
Rosaline subconsciously started to walk to the market, noticing she was walking down the same alleyway that she was in yesterday. The fresh air and familiar environment released the tension from her body that Rosaline didn’t know she was holding. She saw only ten or so people in the marketplace which was a huge sigh of relief for her. She didn’t feel like holding any long conversations. Taking notice of the soldiers unpacking wooden crates, Rosaline noticed a familiar pink scar.
“Hey Arthur, I didn’t know you did this as a side job,” Rosaline commented, approaching Arthur and two other older men who held gray in their hair.
Arthur placed the wooden crate upon the others as he cracked a small smile, the one that knocked all the young witches to their knees. His eyes shined in the sunlight, turning them into a lovely chocolate brown.
She tried to knock back every idea of the wizard and push them all in the back of her mind before she accidentally said something like, “Hey, did you know there’s a wizard in my basement!”
Instead of thinking of the wizards, she focused her attention on every detail that was put into her vision. The small, almost unnoticeable scars on Arthur's arms and face. His buzzed hair was so short any witch would be able to see his scalp that was dripping sweat like a faucet that wasn’t shut off completely. Arthur’s red, overused tank top had pools of sweat already built up. Rosaline felt bad for him just seeing him. She looked up to see the sun wasn’t in the center of the sky, it wasn’t even noon yet.
Arthur pulled out a rag that was tucked in his shorts pocket and wiped off his face of any stray beads of sweat. “Hey Rosaline, it seems like you got plenty of sleep last night.” Arthur cracked a small smirk and in response, Rosaline rolled her eyes. In the corner of her eye, she noticed Fortis who eyed from afar as he stood under the shade of a makeshift canopy, eating some fresh hay.
She started braiding her blonde hair. “Very funny, I didn’t sleep well. Anyway, how's work?” Rosaline asked, quickly changing the subject. The witch didn’t want any part of last night to slip. She was not the best liar, and he would be able to tell if Rosaline was.
The smell of fresh bread cooking in a nearby store made her stomach plead as she ignored its cries wanting to speak to Arthur to get her mind off of her overwhelming night.
“Pretty rough on a September day like this but the pay is good. It’s nice to have something to get your mind off of the war, you know? Teaching children helps too, but they stress me out,” Arthur tucked the rag back in his shorts pocket as he took a drink of water from his canister.
Rosaline nodded in response to his question, pushing her braid behind her, “Well Mr. Brenton, I’m glad you found a decent job. You must be tired working three jobs,” Rosaline stated as she stretched, almost giving in to the urge to yawn.
Arthur nodded but also shrugged at the same time which made her return a questionable look. Arthur must have realized her confusion as he let out a small chuckle. “It gives me something to do so I’m not that worried about losing some sleep.” Arthur tucked his hands in his shorts pockets and looked over at the two other boys hard at work. “Well, I better get to work, I don’t want to get fired already,” He gave Rosaline a wink as he turned to the two boys.
Smiling, Rosaline watched as he gave a small glare at Fortis who in return kicked the dusty road making a dust cloud form in the air. She giggled seeing Fortis irritated as she waved him goodbye and he lifted his head in response. Man, what I would do to have familiars instead of minerals. Rosaline turned away walking back home, hoping she had some leftover food.
“Get some sleep, idiot!” Arthur yelled as she walked away towards the alleyway. Rosaline waved her hand out but kept her gaze forward as she didn’t feel like tripping on something. He was a great friend with a calming attitude. He was someone who you could vent without even realizing you were venting.
Rosaline unlocked her door, and quickly locked it behind her then, checked the handle to make sure she did lock it. She would go to Evelyn’s, but her energy would wear her out more than Rosaline already was.
Walking to the pantry she found some two-day-old bread, not as good as fresh bread, but it would do. Rosaline then went to her fridge pulling out some cheese and ham. She made a quick sandwich, and then sliced it in half, placing each on two different plates. She bet the wizard was starving right now…
She bit her lip, thinking of what to do with the wizard situation. Taking a bite out of her ham and cheese, her stomach finally felt satisfied. The wizard can leave whenever he wants, he doesn’t even need to ask. She just put him here to make sure she didn’t murder someone.
Rosaline finished her sandwich, washing the last bit down with a mouthful of water. The realization hit her within seconds. She would get sent to the Council if they found out what she was doing.
Her eyes widened as thoughts of the centaurs taking her to the Council flooded her brain. Her stomach twisted as she placed the sandwich back on her plate, no longer feeling hungry any longer. She imagined them busting through her door, getting chained up, and getting dragged to a place nobody knew how to get to. She would be alone, she would starve, and get punished for treason. Everyone would believe she was a dark witch.
Rosaline took a deep breath in, careful not to get too overwhelmed with her newfound information. Letting in the damp wooden house smell, the sickness in her stomach slowly faded. Grabbing an apple from the counter, she placed it in her leather bag that hung loosely on her shoulder. Finally making her way toward the basement.
The eerie, rotting steps mocked her as they led down into a brightly lit room. Rosaline placed down the plate with the wizard’s sandwich in front of the doorway as she slid off her leather sash that held her drinking potions and unbuttoned the six throwing potions, placing them near the sash. If he was going to trust her, she would have to trust him. Taking one last shaky breath, Rosaline picked up the plate and started her way down the steps.
Creak… Creak… Each step groaned as if it were in pain. Taking her final step to the cobblestone floor, she was face to face with the wizard she had saved.
The Vic's hair looked a lot tidier than before as it was pushed up and every strand was in place. The scratches were all scabbed up making her want to see the condition of the cut underneath the gauze. His face had small scars that embedded his sun-kissed skin from previous battles, and his cheekbones stood slightly from his face as he looked at her with a serious expression.
As he sat on the edge of the bed, face to face with her, Rosaline’s brain melted on the spot. Her mouth opened to speak but the words came out as a jumbled mess. The wizard’s lips formed into a small smirk, but quickly faded as her panicked state was quite obvious to anyone in the room.
“I got food,” Rosaline managed to blurt out, holding the plate out in front of him. The wizard's face looked at the plate for a few seconds and then gently pulled the plate towards himself.
He lifted the plate as Rosaline saw his shaky hand, he was still very weak. Her stomach flipped, and guilt absorbed into her body. She hated this feeling. The wizard lifted the sandwich and examined it, looking at it as if she had poisoned it. Rosaline let out a small broken chuckle and the wizard’s sharp gaze landed on hers.
“It’s not poisoned, I promise.” He gazed at Rosaline with an unbelieving face and in return, she glanced down to break the tension. “Poison is pink so it would be hard to camouflage in a ham and cheese sandwich, especially since it’s very watery so it would be better in a soup or something,” Rosaline bit her lip, letting a moment of silence settle in the chilly basement.
“N-Not that I would poison any- anyone, I took you in to save you after all…” Her face quickly heated up but her eyes remained focused on her dark brown boots that still had a layer of dried dirt, leaving a small circle of dust on the floor.
You’re such an idiot Rosaline, you just told him what color poison is? Like that’s going to convince him to eat the sandwich. “Oh? It’s pink? Well, now I can finally eat this sandwich.” Ugh, sometimes I’m so disappointed in myself.
The wizard let out a deep sigh making her jump as she looked up to face him. “Yeah, you’re right. You would have killed me already if you wanted to,” He took a bite as she tried to read his face but couldn’t find any emotion showing.
Rosaline nodded, hearing his voice clearly for the first time as she took note of it. It was slightly deep but smooth as if he planned every word that came out.
She noticed that he wrapped his hand with some blanket he tore off. Rosaline found it strange seeing that she was sure she got all of his cuts that were visible but shrugged it off seeing that she was sleep-deprived that night.
Rosaline decided to break the silence again, “I’m Rosaline,” she thought for a moment if she should say her last name or her fake last name. “Rosaline Ivirne, my best friend, calls me Rosie but you can call me whatever you like.”
Saying ‘Ivirne’ made her feel giddy and nervous as if she just told a secret. Rosaline held back a big smile as she messed with her long blond braid watching the wizard eat his sandwich.
“Magnus,” He paused, swallowing the food in his mouth. “Magnus Bane.” The wizard finished as he looked at Rosaline.
Wait… She stood staring at him, trying to figure out where she had heard this last name before. I heard Bane somewhere before. Was it in class? Yes, it was in class, he-
“My father is the town hall leader of Vicsham,” Magnus spoke as if he had planned each word as he placed his finished plate beside him, putting the untouched apple on the nightstand.
Her heart started to pick up speed as her inner cheek became her newest victim. The familiar iron taste filled Rosaline’s mouth as her head turned to the stairs, wondering if it was too late to run back.
Magnus let out another sigh but this one was quicker as he got straight to the point. “Listen, I don’t know who you are but you don’t seem to be a threat. You, Rosaline, was it?” She nodded as he carried on, “You seem to be more afraid of me at the moment which, I’m not going to lie, is a bit funny. Seeing that you,” Magnus held out his hand which was in the form of a fist,” Knocked me out, almost caused me to bleed out and die, kidnapped me, trapped me in a basement, and I’m on enemy grounds.” Magnus looked at her unamused as he held out five fingers.
Rosaline stopped biting her cheek as her stomach was the first to react, doing gymnastics on its own accord. The embarrassment washed over her face making her want to scream at the top of her lungs.
A small chuckle escaped Magnus as Rosaline looked at him surprised. “You’re scared of me holding out a wand but I’m too weak to use magic,” Magnus found this fact extremely funny, so much so that he couldn’t stop laughing.
Anger boiled up under her skin as his laughter made her irritated, not in the way that makes her start yelling, the kind that makes her mad at herself for getting irritated. He was rubbing salt in the wound and Rosaline was taking it wholeheartedly, well, for a short while.
“Okay, listen,” Rosaline spoke with sudden confidence that she didn’t know existed as Magnus wiped the corner of his eyes, “I have no idea what you are capable of so I feel like I get a free pass.”
Magnus snorted as he gazed daggers in her direction. “Well if you saw all the injuries and the witches that keep dying in battle, maybe you would get an idea of what we can do.” His tone was bitter, like spoiled milk that had lost its sweetness. She was upset that somehow she expected friendship right away but instead, she was given something rotten.
“What?” Rosaline exclaimed in disbelief at the topic he so freely brought up. She wasn’t ready for this conversation, all she was going to do was introduce herself today.
It stung her skin like acid and she wanted to wash off the words he spoke. Everyone saw the witches who fought in the war, no matter their age. The children’s parents are all soldiers, and if they weren’t there were plenty of soldiers who patrolled the streets. If Rosaline had the choice of forgetting those images, she wouldn’t hesitate to trade her house.
She also saw the graveyard by the beach, hidden far away from the town. She’s passed by it many times but all the names etched in stones seemed to blur in her mind. Rosaline wasn’t trying to ignore that part of the war. It was just something she would rather not see.
A smirk landed on the wizard's lips as red filled his icy blue eyes, “ You heard me. I am not repeating myself.”
Anger, rage, and everything in between filled her bones. It’s what was driving her now. How dare Magnus have this attitude when she saved his life? Rosaline was committing treason and the wizard didn’t seem to be the least bit grateful. He seemed more upset with her actions if anything.
“You don’t know a thing about me!” Rosaline spat as her fist balled up beside her. “Don’t act as if you know me! You know nothing and will never know a thing about me.” Green eyes connected to blue as a mutual glare was shared.
Rosaline wished she had her potions on her, she knew she was being spiteful but in her mind, it seemed to be the only enjoyable thought at the moment. She wished she had one to turn him into a rat or a frog, something so small and annoying that would portray Magnus perfectly in her mind. Luckily, those didn’t exist and she had left her sash and belt upstairs by the door or else there would be another rat running around on the streets.
Magnus scoffed as he glanced at the crimson apple on the nightstand, “I never wanted to get to know you in the first place.”
She stood flabbergasted for a moment before regaining her previous posture. “Well good, ‘cause you won’t.” She spoke bitterly, flicking her braid off her shoulder as Rosaline walked up the steps, quickly shutting the door behind her.
As Rosaline made it up the stairs she shut the door behind her, sliding down the door as she grabbed hold of her braid, almost like a lifeline. She needed to calm down as she so desperately looked away from the potions beside her.
This was a bad idea. Why did I save that stupid wizard? He’s just ungrateful and spoiled. This is how I’ll get kicked out of the town or worse, taken to the Council.
She squeezed her braid tighter as she let her adrenaline drain into the floorboards. Rosaline needed to get out, maybe speak to someone to get her mind off the topic. Evelyn. The image of a hyperactive girl jumped into her mind. That’s a big distraction.
Getting off the dirty floor, she got up and locked the wooden door behind her as Rosaline started heading down the familiar street. As she took each turn almost subconsciously, she let her gaze lock with the pastel sky and she couldn’t help but smile at the incomplete moon, always watching over witches.
The air around her was starting to become chilly as sundown was coming in a few hours. Rosaline watched as small cotton ball clouds sprinkled the sky, slowly and gracefully floating in the same motion. She wished she was one of those clouds…
Rosaline knocked gently on the familiar, broken door. “Coming!” Yelled the girl she was raised with, it wasn’t uncommon to think they were related. She heard the quick steps dash up the basement stairs and reach the doorway. The door swung open as she was greeted with a large smile and then quickly pulled into a hug.
“Rosie! I’m so glad to see you! You're just in time, I’m working on a new potion,” Evelyn closed the door behind Rosaline as they made their way into the basement.
“What potion?” Rosaline asked, remembering once again the large list of potions she needed to finish tomorrow night. Rosaline gently clenched her fist, careful not to open her mouth as she listened to every word the shorter girl said.
Evelyn walked to the cauldron, “The potion is called Water Sphere.” Huh, never heard of that one. She must be working on an advanced potion.
Rosaline walked over to the open book, reading the long list of ingredients that were written in Latin and a few unknown symbols. The small printed English translation was put on the side and looked like it was with fresh ink.
“I have most of the ingredients but I’m missing parsley, yeti fur, and a papaver nudicaule flower, also known as Iceland poppy,” Evelyn said looking at the book with her.
Looking up, Rosaline watched her short, uneven hair sway with every motion she took. Her freckles seemed to be more prominent today as they stood out from her cheeks almost as if they were drawn on.
“Oh!” Rosaline said, bringing Evelyn’s attention to her. Rosaline quickly rummaged around in the leather bag that was attached to her belt. Pulling out a small glass bottle that was only an inch or two tall she gave it to Evelyn.
“Here’s some dried parsley, I think Irene has some spare yeti fur from her Snowstorm Potion, and I’ll have to ask about the Iceland Poppy,” Evelyn smiled wide as she pulled Rosaline into another hug, thanking her. Rosaline hugged her back as Evelyn released her, and went over to the cauldron, putting the parsley in.
Watching as the parsley fell in floating for only a moment until the water turned crystal clear again. Rosaline smiled, happy that creating spells gave a cool effect, the spell always remains clear until the last ingredient is added. The effect made it so no witch could copy a spell another witch was very useful when lazy witches didn’t want to create their own spells.
“Man, I can’t wait to use this in the war!” Evelyn yelled with glee as her cheeks became bright pink from her excitement.
Rosaline bit her tongue from saying anything she shouldn’t, instead, she smiled and nodded in response. Evelyn’s smile didn’t fade as she stirred the cauldron as her giddy movements rubbed off on Rosaline. She turned to the dusty basement window, seeing the incomplete moon peek over the cotton ball clouds.
“I should head back before it gets too late. I just wanted to check in on you,” Rosaline walked over to the steps. “Goodnight Evelyn!” She yelled heading up towards the front door. The few lights in the hut made her hairs stand as she felt like anything could jump her in the darkness. It was better than the basement as the one small light bulb lit up only small amounts of the room.
Evelyn yelled back in her usual cheerful tone as Rosaline opened the front door, “Thank you again, Rosie, goodnight!” Rosaline shut the door behind her, heading back home with only the lanterns in the roads lighting the way.
Arriving home, she quickly locked the door behind her, scared that someone would randomly appear and find the wizard. Instead of going to the basement, Rosaline tried to stall as much as possible by doing small tasks like washing the dishes but with each minute she was just delaying giving Magnus dinner.
Feeling her stomach growl, she realized the only thing she ate today was the ham and cheese sandwich. Rosaline opened her fridge and saw the leftover spaghetti from the other day, her stomach growled in agreement as Rosaline reheated it. Making two full plates of spaghetti and a slice of buttered bread on the side. Though her feelings towards Magnus were sour, Rosaline knew he would be as hungry as she was.
Biting her lip with a plate in her hand, Rosaline wrapped up all the courage she had, and walked towards the basement door. This time she didn’t take off her potions since she knew he trusted her now and she trusted him. Though they had argued, they both had a mutual understanding of peace between them.
Balancing the plate carefully in her hand, Rosaline opened the basement door. Adjusting the plate slightly in her grip, she gently walked down the steps, knowing fully he could hear her head down. Her stomach twisted with discomfort but the smell of spaghetti brought her back to her senses. This needed to be done, she couldn’t hide from him forever. He is literally in her basement.
Taking her last step down, Rosaline brought her eyes up towards the bed where they connected with icy blue eyes. Magnus showed no emotion which was something he seemed well with doing, almost impossible to read. His blue robe was unbuttoned, showing his white shirt underneath and his chocolate-colored pants.
Taking a deep breath in, Rosaline fought her nervousness as she placed a plate on his nightstand. Making quick eye contact with his sapphire eyes, she decided right then and there to leave the basement, heading back upstairs to give him his peace.
Rosaline knew whatever tension they had before was still there, maybe tomorrow they could fix that but today wasn’t the right moment.
Instead, she ate her plate of spaghetti and got ready for bed. After some quick chores, she then called it a day, covering up in her thick blanket and letting her worries dissipate for the day.