Chapter Text
Chapter 1
Rose didn’t like to cause trouble.
She was a good girl from a well-off family, and she bore her title with grace and propriety. Of course, this didn’t mean she was stuck up, in fact, she was quite the opposite. Wherever she went she did her best to show everyone kindness and fairness, and as such, she had friends in many different walks of life. Working women, nobles, and even a few peasants for Rose never really saw herself as being above anyone else given the circumstances of her birth, and she sought to treat everyone with respect.
It made her one of the most well-liked bachelorettes in town, and many sought her hand in marriage, though she had yet to find a match that suited her. Most tempting was a prince in a neighboring kingdom, but she was reluctant to leave behind her friends and family, so she had declined him for now. They still wrote each other letters from time to time and remained good friends.
It was a rather bemusing situation that she found herself in with so many men asking for her hand in marriage and yet none of them quite convinced her to take the plunge. How could someone so eligible have such a hard time finding love? She absolutely adored the idea of being with her true love, but the truth of the matter was that she just hadn’t found that person yet, not that she let it get her down. No matter how bleak her love life looked, Rose strived to live every day to the fullest, brightening as many faces as she could with kind words and service. She’d come to know everyone in town quite well this way, and new faces didn’t go unnoticed by her. Which is why when a mysterious new girl moved to town, she was the first to know.
Rose first spotted her in the market picking up some herbs and fish, and after a moment, she realized that it was a face she’d never seen before. It was against her personal code of conduct to allow someone to go ungreeted, so she approached her with a sunny grin.
“Hello,” She said, stepping in front of her as the girl sifted through the fresh sage.
“…” The girl seemed to startle a little upon being addressed, and she mumbled what Rose supposed was a greeting.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around before. My name is Rose; are you new to town?” She asked, and the girl flicked her gaze around as if looking for an escape route. Coming up empty, she simply nodded, hoping to appease her. “That’s so awesome! Do you need help carrying your groceries home? Which direction do you live in? I’d be happy to walk with you.”
“Ah…” She averted her gaze, covering her mouth with her fingers a little.
Why was she so interested in Juleka’s life? Had she been acting suspiciously? Did she suspect Juleka’s secret? She wasn’t used to people talking to her so much, and she suddenly missed her quiet village back home where most people left her alone in peace. Moving to this town was already risky enough, but Juleka couldn’t stay at her old home any more. The people there had become too wary and had she stayed longer, things could have gotten dangerous.
This girl seemed nice, but Juleka knew that underneath her cheery smile was someone that could never accept her for who she truly was, and when you lived a life like hers, it was better to keep your head down and avoid making connections with people. Doing so would only cause her more trouble in the end, and the last thing she wanted was to be discovered.
“I’ve got it. Thanks,” She said quietly, but Rose didn’t seem to hear her because she took the bag off Juleka’s arm and draped it over her own.
“So tell me about yourself. Where are you from?” Rose continued as Juleka debated just leaving her purchases and making a run for it, but she really needed that lavender for her latest…project as she’d call it.
“It’s a small village. You’ve probably never heard of it,” Juleka replied, attempting to distract herself with shopping to no avail. Rose was quite persistent much to her annoyance.
“I have friends from all over the place just try me,” She insisted with a proud glint in her eye, and Juleka suppressed a sigh knowing that it would be easier to just cooperate until she was satisfied.
“Étoile,” She answered finally, and Rose tapped her chin in thought.
“I think I have heard of it actually,” She said thoughtfully. “Isn’t that the place where they burned a witch coven 15 years ago?”
Juleka felt her blood run cold at the mention of that day, but she hid her fear behind an emotionless mask. She’d learned a long time ago how to conceal her true feelings to save her life, but that day was a particularly sore subject.
“Yeah.” She said flatly, examining a potato and concentrating on remembering the things her brother asked her to pick up. “I don’t really remember it much cause I was just a little kid.”
“It must have been awfully frightening, but I bet you felt safer once they were dead.” Rose shuddered at the thought, and Juleka trailed her thumb over the ring on her finger with a frown.
“I really don’t remember.” She shrugged.
“Oh, I guess it’s for the best then,” Rose pursed her lips but didn’t stay down for long. “Do you need someone to show you around town? I’d be happy to give you a tour!”
“No thank you,” Juleka shook her head and quickly added, “I’m actually staying with my brother who has lived here for a while, so he’s already shown me everything I need.”
“Oh really? That’s awesome! Who’s your brother?” Rose was really beginning to grate on her nerves, but she knew better than to let her temper flare up after what happened last time, so she played along throughout the rest of her market trip until they made it back to her brother’s apartment.
“Hey, you should come to my house for tea some time,” Rose offered, handing the rest of the bags off to Juleka.
“Uh, I’ll probably be busy for a while, settling in and whatnot,” She said just wanting this interaction to be over.
“Oh, right.” Rose winced, knotting bits of her dress in her fist. “Well, don’t be a stranger, okay?”
If Juleka had her way they’d likely never speak again, but she offered a nod and pushed the door open with her back effectively closing the door on that relationship as she made her way up the stairs. Luka was napping on the couch when she entered, but she made no effort to be quiet as she slammed the bags down on the table in the kitchen and began rummaging through the cabinets to put everything away.
“Julie, you’ve always been the quiet one. Why all of the noise now?” He groaned after a while, shifting onto his side.
“Sorry, I’m just annoyed,” She mumbled, and he sat up with piqued interest, stretching an arm above his head.
“What happened? Are you okay? Do you feel like you’re gonna-”
“No.” She cut him off abruptly, stuffing the vegetables into the fridge and slapping a fish down onto a cutting board. “I’m fine just some chatty girl at the market.”
“Yeah, there are a lot of those around here,” Luka said dismissively, retrieving the carton of milk from the fridge and taking a swig.
“She brought up the night mom died,” Juleka stated as she cleaned the meat off the bone for her lazy black cat who laid in the window in the living room, and Luka paused momentarily before closing the milk and returning it to its spot.
“And?” He cocked a brow. “How’d you handle it?”
“It just reminded me that I’m not exactly welcome here,” She growled, eyes burning, and Luka placed a hand on her shoulder. “You’re lucky that you ended up mortal like dad. You don’t have to worry about hiding your secret from the world.”
“No.” He nodded, pressing his lips into a firm line. “But I do have to worry about my baby sister being burned at the stake for something she can’t help.”
Luka placed his hands over hers and gently removed the knife, setting it aside as Juleka buried her face in his chest. He held her tightly, petting her hair and whispering soothing vows of protection until her shaking ceased. Penny left her perch to join them, rubbing against Juleka’s legs and purring until she stooped to pick her up.
“I’m surprised this old hag is still alive,” Luka remarked, scratching behind her ears.
“Familiars live as long as their masters do, so hopefully she’ll have many more years left in her life,” She said matter-of-factly, kissing her forehead and setting her on the counter next to the plate of tuna she’d cut up. “Besides, she’s one of the last things I have that Mom gave me.”
“Are you going to practice in the woods tonight?” Luka asked, rubbing an apple on his shirt before taking a bite.
“Just a few protection spells to cast on the house,” She said with a nod, leaning against the counter while Penny munched away happily.
“Be careful,” Luka instructed solemnly with a pointed look, and Juleka flashed him a sardonic grin.
“Aren’t I always?”