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A girl runs through a familiar meadow. The girl is not familiar, her hair so fair it is nearly white and cheeks slightly haggard, but she laughs openly, looking back at you before taking off on another run, followed by a cat and a white fox.
“Come on, mom!” She yells, turning back to you and waving enthusiastically for you to follow her. “I wanna see the ships!” She laughs, and, in your dreamy haze, you feel yourself laugh along with her. You do not notice you’re holding someone else’s hand until Chan squeezes your palm reassuringly.
But then you feel the dream slip through your grasp, launching you in the hazy darkness and, finally, back to consciousness. Your heartbeat is erratic, and you feel longing as you have scarcely felt before.
Your rustling makes the arm around your waist still, and then hug you tighter. “Are you okay?” Chan’s rough, sleepy voice makes its way into your ears, calming your heart.
“It’s her,” you whisper, and there must be something in your voice, because Chan makes you turn to face him.
“You’re crying,” he says, worried as he runs his thumb through your cheeks to wipe away the evidence of your distress. “Tell me, what happened?” Chan asks again, staring into your eyes.
“It’s okay, I- I had a prophetic dream,” you begin, your voice less shaky now that you are starting to make sense of the message you received. “My successor, I have seen her, I think I know where she is.”
His eyes widen, then soften as his mouth curls into a smile that makes your heart constrict. “You found her,” he whispers in awe.
“There’s a catch,” you say finally, one of his eyebrows shooting up in a silent question. “She is a child. An orphan, if my feelings are correct… She called me mom,” your voice is nearly undiscernible by the end and your cheeks warm up.
As the Witch, you had built a solid barrier between yourself and other humans. It was a safety measure. Even with your mentor, you had never allowed yourself to think of her as a mother. Now, everything was changing. You felt it, the turning point, the two paths you had laid in front of Chan once again.
But he doesn’t give you time to worry, or fuss. The king pulls you in for a tight hug and kisses your forehead, “if she’s your family, she is mine too,” he reassures you, kissing your lips.
“A fox?” Minho’s voice sounds in your mind, his cat form stretched in your lap, as usual. He still clings onto you whenever you are both in the tower, his distaste for heights apparent. “I don’t like foxes,” he continues, his paws digging into your legs.
“That is what I saw,” you agree out loud, “I believe you’ll like them, I felt kinship coming from you.”
The cat looks directly at you, his purple eyes disconcertingly human, even in this form. “I doubt it,” his haughty voice sounds at last. “Foxes are too energetic, and this one is a child,” he comments, and you raise his small body to face you directly.
“How do you know that?”
His tail curls, “the moment your connection to the new witch awoke, so did mine with her familiar. Now let me down, I was comfortable!”
You do let him down, allowing the cat to curl around on your lap once more. You absentmindedly scratch the space behind his ears, making him purr and stretch. “If you have a connection with it, do you know if the familiar is close to the witch?”
“The fox is looking for her, yes, but she has not yet awakened. Their connection is too thin. I don’t think it will find her until we do.”
You consider this, then you close your eyes, adjusting your position without jostling Minho from his space.
The God of Life has many forms. This time, he appears as a grandfatherly figure, his dark brown skin glowing golden in the dreamlike meadow you find him in. You consider your surroundings and smile. “A bit showy for a chat, no?”
He frowns, his long white hair and beard making him seem more grumpy than truly angry. “I hope your successor appreciates my commitment to establishing a mood,” he says honestly, and you can’t help the snort that escapes your lips. “Though I’m still a bit on the fence about having you raise her.”
“And Chan?” You voice the question that has been gnawing on your brain. He’s a king, and his lineage matters. Though he had agreed to this at first, you had to wonder whether it had been the right call.
But the god dismisses you with a wave of his hand. “I showed you the paths and he has chosen your companionship. I have more faith in him raising this child than you,” Lumina says, smirking at his own joke. “And that goes for all of your children.”
The plural catches you off guard and you turn fully to the god, only to have him laugh at your unspoken question. “Nah-ah, you will not be privy to this information. Let me have some secrets. Now go and find my grandchild.”
“Grandchild? You are not my father, Luminas.”
“Oh, child, you know that is not entirely true. Now go, you have lots to prepare for your trip.”
You open your eyes and you’re still in the tower, Minho’s still on your lap, now snoring softly, and the day is bright outside. You have lots to prepare indeed.
“You should be taking a better carriage,” Chan says, his fingers wrapped around your hand possessively. Minho, now fully human, rolls his eyes and enters the carriage, awaiting you inside.
“No. The child should not be deceived with riches, nor royalty,” you look at the carriage – comfortable, but simple – and nod. “Being the Witch is to agree to a life of service to the gods and service to life. She should not agree to it thinking she’ll be a princess.”
Chan sighs and lifts your hand, kissing its back with the kind of familiarity you thought you would never achieve with him again. It makes your heartbeat quicken and your cheeks blush, all of which you find a bit ridiculous.
His aide – a recently hired blonde man called Felix, who you thought was an actual descendant of the fairies at first – looks away embarrassed when Chan pulls you in for a hug. The king kisses your forehead, then your cheeks, your lips, and finally smiles, “go find her.”
You do not need to ‘find’ her exactly, seeing as you knew exactly which orphanage the girl was at, but you found that you are nervous all the same. It usually took decades for a new witch to show up. A lifetime of servitude, that is what you had agreed to, and yet the gods were giving you an out, a family, and you were not entirely sure of how to react.
Chan releases you, and you climb aboard the carriage, sitting in front of Minho, who grabs your hand just as Chan had been doing so far. “It will be alright,” he says, and you smile at the fact that he’s trying to be comforting.
The orphanage stands at the edge of a small city to the west of the capital. It is old, but the group of priestesses that care for it seem to be trying their best. One of them – an old, matronly woman who’s short and plump – meets you at the carriage.
“I see the Witch of the Woods,” she says solemnly, and you wonder which gods they pray to.
You lower your head, “I thank you for your hospitality,” you reply, and then look around. “The children?” you ask, seeing as none are running around the front gardens.
The woman smiles serenely. “They are in the back; the garden is bigger back there and it allows them to play around. May I ask, why have you come to visit us, Your Grace? Your letter did not say much,” she asks just as you fall on step behind her, followed by Minho still in human form.
The priestess does not speak to Minho, and her eyes show uncertainty. It is always like this when humans are faced with a familiar. “A child,” Minho says in your stead, spooking the woman slightly. They are always taken aback by the fact he knows how to talk, for some reason.
You step in, “I believe one of the children has a calling from Lumina,” you say. “If so, I intend to offer them a chance to learn.”
The woman considers your answer, “we do not serve Lumina in our temple,” she confesses, crossing her hands nervously. “I could not tell you if a child is blessed by him, as we serve Sarafe.”
Sarafe, Goddess of Health and Fertility. You stare at the priestess anew. She is a healer, but the healers of Sarafe go through rigorous training and had been coveted in the previous reign. “May Sarafe bless your lands and your people,” you reply, imbuing your voice with power.
The front garden fills with flowers as it accepts the blessing, and the priestess smiles fondly. “Thank you, Your Grace. May the grace of Sarafe help you find the child you seek.”
She says it just as you reach the entrance to the large building. She opens a heavy wooden door, allowing you and Minho to pass through before following. Directly in front of you, you can see large glass windows, that show the outside, where about 15 children of various ages run, and play and yell.
You and your familiar are directed through a set of double doors and stare out at the children, who don’t pay you any mind until the priestess lets out a loud whistle. “Children, come say hello!”
She commandeers the group of children effortlessly, so much so that you are surprised by it. They quickly ready themselves in two neat lines, with the taller kids in the back and the youngest and shortest in the front. All of them say, “I see the Witch of the Woods” in unison.
It is a short, thin girl that catches your eye. Her hair is nearly white and her eyes glow with green and brown. She is not staring at you, like the rest of them are, but at Minho, her cheeks heating up instantly when he looks back.
You go to her and crouch, until you can see eye to eye with the girl. “Hello, child,” you say, vaguely wondering if you sound scary. “What is your name?”
She is taken out of her blatant staring and looks at you, gulping nervously. “Lucia, I’m six years old,” she replies in a whisper and Minho snorts behind you, making you throw a cautious look at him.
“Lucia, of Light, of course,” he replies, stretching out his arms.
The priestess quickly tells the other kids to go back to their fun, though it takes a while for them to go. Lucia wrings her hands, staring at her shoes.
For a moment, you believe her to be nervous about your presence, but then her small voice says, “are you the lady grandfather told me about? The one who’ll adopt me?”
There’s a sliver of hope, mixed in with fear and you offer her your hands, allowing her to place her palms against yours. “Where did you meet this grandfather?” You ask cautiously, already inwardly thinking you have a score to settle with a god.
“H-he comes to me in dreams,” she says, and then leans forward to whisper, “the sisters don’t believe me. But he is very nice. He said a nice lady was going to come and we…” she trails off, looking away.
“And we?”
“And we would have a nice family,” she finishes at last, and you can feel Minho’s distress behind you.
Huh. The cat likes her already.
“Well, Lucia,” you begin, unsure. “I am a Witch, do you know what that is?”
She shakes her head vigorously. “Yes! It means you can do magic, like the sisters when someone is ill.”
Your eyes flash green and she gasps when the ground around the two of you sprouts flowers, “my magic is a bit different from the sisters. And it means I have to work with…. Grandfather,” you explain. “Lucia, magic can be very dangerous at times. It can-”
“Hurt and it can heal,” she says automatically, and it dawns on you that Lumina had been teaching her long before you arrived. “Grandfather says I can learn magic, but it will be a lot of work.”
“Yes, it will,” no point in sugarcoating it. “Would you like to learn magic? Even if it is a lot of work?”
She nods slowly, and Minho sighs contently behind you.
“Repeat after me,” you say, keeping her hands in place. “I, Lucia.”
“I, Lucia.”
“Vow to never harm another creature, nor to commit evil acts. I vow to learn from my mentor and serve Lumina until the time comes when I must pass my knowledge forward.”
The girl repeats word by word, the wind around you picking up speed, making her blonde hair whip around. Light bursts forward from your palms and she looks on in awe as a small golden sun shows up in the back of her hand.
The fox shows up in the middle of your journey back.
Your carriage stops so that the horses can be fed, and Minho’s cat form stretches out in Lucia’s lap. The moment he had transformed, you could have sworn the girl was going to pass out from happiness, and since then he had refused to leave her side.
But now, you were outside of the carriage and a small white fur ball with pitch-black eyes stared at you. You could sense his magic, expectation mixed in with fear. “Show yourself, familiar, and give me a proper introduction before you speak to my ward,” you say.
The fox turns into a young boy, and you realize he is matching his age and appearance to Lucia’s. You narrow your eyes, and he opens a cheeky smile, showing his fangs. “Hello Witch! I’m Jeongin,” he says, his voice filled with mischief.
Before you can reply, though, Minho is back in human form, standing between the fox boy and the carriage’s door. “Disrespectful,” he sneers, making Jeongin reply with a quiet whine.
“If the girl allows you to become her familiar,” he says haughtily, “you’ll need to respect her mentor. And me. And the king, I suppose,” he adds that last part with a hint of doubt, making you roll your eyes.
“Why should I respect the king?” is the answer the fox chooses, and Minho opens a wide smile, showing his own fangs.
“Because he is to be the girl’s father.”
Jeongin considers this, walking in a semi-circle before nodding. “Fine, old cat, can I meet my friend now?”
Minho nods, yet you feel the annoyance emanating from him. He opens the carriage door and extends a hand to Lucia, who appears and stares at you and then at the boy in front of you.
“Hi, I’m Jeongin! Can I be your familiar?”
You hide your smile behind your hand as Minho silently loses it at Jeongin’s complete disregard for etiquette. You turn to face Lucia, and she is looking at you with a silent question.
“A familiar is a protector,” you explain. “Minho is my familiar. It is his duty to help me. They are very powerful.”
“So, he’s also a kitty?”
Jeongin takes personal offense at that, frowning. “I’m much better than a cat!” he declares, transforming into the small white fox and then back into a boy. “I’m a snow fox!”
She seems too stunned to speak, so you feel it is your duty to intervene. “Fine, young fox, you may come with us. But you may not become her official familiar until she is older. Lucia is much too young to sign a pact.”
He grumbles about pacts and transforms just before he jumps inside the carriage and takes a place besides Lucia.
It is high evening by the time you arrive in the palace, and all of your companions are fast asleep. You carefully wake up Minho, who dutifully picks up both Lucia and her fox, carrying them out.
Chan waits for you, looking at the small child in Minho’s arms and then at you, “Felix will take you to her room,” he explains lowly, allowing the familiar to take both new occupants of the palace with him.
You come down after him, allowing Chan to help you down the carriage steps. “So?” he asks eagerly, and you cannot help the smile that unfurls in your lips.
“Her name is Lucia, and she is six years old. She is quite charming, but still very jumpy, and I suspect she’ll be delightfully smart.”
Chan continues to hold your hand as you make your way inside the palace, under the watchful eye of the Icarus guards. They do not understand why there is a child in the palace, that much is clear, but none have the desire to raise their questions at you or the king.
“She managed to charm Minho and calls Lumina grandfather, so you can guess how he feels about her,” you eye Chan and he’s looking at you with poorly disguised adoration.
“You like her,” he mockingly accuses, squeezing your hand slightly.
It takes exactly two months for Chan to fall head over heels in love with Lucia.
During the first month, she is still in silent awe at everything in the palace. Her orphanage-issued uniform is replaced by a collection of simple and complex child-appropriate clothes, and the maids fuss over the child to make sure she’s eating properly.
During that time, Chan is much too occupied assuring the council that yes, you will be marrying soon enough, no, Lucia is not a threat to the throne, yes, he intends on adopting her officially as soon as you are wed.
But then the second month rolls around and, like everyone else, he is charmed by the young girl’s awe. She loves magic, truly and fully, and even you have to admit she will be a perfect Witch of the Woods one day. The girl seems to consider all life precious, all animals endearing, all humans worthy of respect.
When Chan notices it, he becomes instantly fond of her, making time to read her fairytales, and checking in on her whenever possible.
You cannot help but laugh silently every time the maids fuss over who gets to accompany her. Even Felix, who’s usually busy with paperwork, slips out of Chan’s office now and then to attend Lucia’s tea parties.
You have to admit, you’re a bit charmed yourself.
Your latest class – an outdoors event that included introducing Lucia to the best ways of procuring the right flowers – ends with a picnic.
Minho is chasing Jeongin around the lawn in front of you, but Lucia is not smiling as she watches them. Her mouth is curled into a soft frown, that looks entirely incongruent with her lovely face. “What is wrong, child?” You ask, and she turns to you, crumbs of cookies stuck to the sides of her lips.
The girl opens, then closes, then opens her mouth again. She looks conflicted, and you patiently wait until she settles her feelings. “Are we a family?” she voices at last, and the question dislodges something in your heart.
You do not think of yourself as motherly. In spite of Lumina’s teachings and your duty, it still feels unnatural to care about others. And yet, you cannot bear to deny her, so you look away from her and towards the meadow. “Yes, I believe you we are, dear,” the endearment catches you both offguard, and your cheeks heat up in twin shows of embarrassment.
“May- uhm- may I call you mom?” she practically whispers, and the tree you’re under becomes filled with plump pink flowers.
An encouragement from Lumina, apparently.
You consider your own lack of mother. Yours had passed too soon, gone too early for you to truly understand that emptiness. But now that well in you is suddenly filling up – with Minho, Chan, Mira, the whole Kingdom – and it threatens to spill over now.
You look at the girl’s green eyes – practically identical to yours and a mark of her powers – and nods mutely. Your words escape you, but then she is hugging you and it’s okay.
Chan cries when he hears her calling you ‘mom’, much to Minho’s amusement.
Chan walks into the room you now share. He is wearing the same overly embellished clothes he usually does, and yet there is something about him that has you unable to look away.
You realize it’s because he’s staring at you with an intensity he very rarely employs, and you vaguely wonder what that is about, until he kneels in front of where you’re sitting on a small couch.
“She calls you her mother,” he says, and you smile as you nod. “You think she will be a good successor?”
“I think she will be a far kinder witch than I am,” you reply truthfully, prompting Chan to pick up your left hand and kiss its back.
“Then, will you please give me the honor of marrying me? I have loved you for two decades, and I wish to love you for so many more. I wish to raise Lucia and however many children you want to have. I wish to spend the rest of my days making you happy and want you to spend the rest of yours driving me crazy,” he says, his eyes never leaving yours, even when your heart feels close to bursting.
The tears leave your eyes unbidden, and light emanates from your entire being, enveloping both of you in soft golden glow as you nod.
“Yes, human King, my Icarus, my Chan. Loving you has been the greatest gift Lumina has allowed me, and I would be delighted to become your wife,” you respond, your voice faltering through the tears.
His lips are on yours the moment you finish accepting his request. He’s laughing and tearing up, but none of that matters when you can feel the pressure of his mouth, the taste of lips, the familiar hands winding around your back.
You love him. You’ve loved him since you were seven years old and an orphan apprentice, you’ve loved him through war and separation and you love him now, as he’s within an arm’s reach.
That loves reverberates throughout the palace, the invisible blessing covering every creak and creature, every maid, and every knight, as Lumina laughs in delight inside his realm.
It is said that, the evening King Chan proposed to his beloved, the entire kingdom felt peaceful. They call his reign blessed, because he managed to capture the heart of two witches: his wife, and his oldest daughter.
The Witch of the Woods made for a surprisingly good queen. Her husband was known to be fair and just, while she commandeered respect and adoration. She was generous with her blessings, and careful with her curses, and she knew when to resist and when to yield. She raised the first new Academy for witches, and invited all of those who could, from near and far, regardless of status, to attend it.
Lucia would go on to become Lucia, the Good. She was charming and beloved, and, with her help, her father and sister would launch an era of unforeseen development and peace. She became one of the greatest witches of all times, a symbol of goodness, diplomacy, and respect.
The story of the King and the Witch is told in the kingdom to this day, as a tale of unwavering love, undying loyalty, and undeniable faith. And they became known as the harbingers of the second great era of magic.