Chapter 2

Some Days are for Soot and Screaming, Some Nights are for Secrets

Witch

I felt it when he entered my domain, of course, but I didn't pay it too much attention. That over-active person was the only one that really came into my forest anymore and he rarely came in very deep. He hadn't reached my grove since he was very, very small, and I had simply sent him toddling home with magic when his parents came crying into the woods looking for him. So I ignored the boy and turned back to my brew, unsure of whether this one would turn out or not. That tingling feeling at the back of my neck never went away like I was expecting it too though. In fact, it got somewhat stronger as the day wore on. He was getting closer. I grumbled as I went about my work, unable to get rid of the prickling feeling and therefore unable to focus fully on my research. I would have turned him away with my magic but I was too absorbed in my work to consider the solution that was right in front of my face.

I didn't notice that my cauldron was boiling dangerously as I reached back and grabbed the bat wings, the last ingredient for my brew. Obviously, the pot exploded right in my face when the leathery material broke the roiling surface of the potion. For the third time that day. I shrieked in anger and stamped my feet as I looked at the sooty black mess that now covered me and the great majority of the living room. The sight of the single clean space on the wall behind me - shaped like my body - pushed me over the edge and I threw my hands up in the air, cursing the Goddess for sending that wretched boy into my forest today, and stomped out of the house.

Messes made by magic can't be cleaned by magic so I threw myself into my swamp before I lost my nerve and scrubbed myself roughly. The water around me turned a sickly gray and the frogs nearby croaked in protest. I stuck my tongue out at them as I exited my swamp and used a quick spell to dry myself before stomping my way down the path to find the source of my annoyance. Oh I was beyond peeved. Magic was difficult enough when mortals kept well enough alone.

He was standing in the clearing just outside my swamp, spinning in slow circles and rubbing the back of his head with his hand. I eyed the axe that he tapped absentmindedly against his boot and crossed my arms, preparing myself for him to spin around again and see me. It took a little bit of focus to keep myself from shaking, but I was bigger than this. He was armed, but I was still a Witch!

Then it happened – he faced me fully and caught sight of me, stopping dead in his tracks. Oh he was handsome. I'm not certain what I was expecting but I hadn't exactly been expecting to be faced with a fully grown man. The years had escaped me. He was long and lanky, perhaps even taller than the Wizard, but muscled in a way that made up for what might have looked like awkward preteen growth spurt otherwise. His face was well defined, with a high brow and sharp cheekbones. But what really caught my eyes were his – yellow, like my own. More years had passed since my last direct social interaction with the mortals of Harmonica Town than I would care to admit. I stayed my blush by flipping my long hair over my shoulder and putting my hands on my hips. "And what do you think you're doing in my woods?" I said haughtily, drawing on my carefully cultivated desire to be apart from the humans.

Where I might have expected him to stammer or try to make an excuse, the buffoon actually grinned. I fought the urge to quirk my eyebrow and continued staring the boy down. "Whoa!" He said with a laugh. "Hey lady, I had no idea all those stories about the Witch in the Woods were actually true!" I harrumphed at that, tossing my hair again. "Well, truth is I kind of sat down for a nap and now I've got no idea which way is home! But since you came from that way, I must have come from this way." He laughed again and gestured towards the direction that would, in fact, if he managed to stay straight, lead him right back out of my forest. At least he wasn't a total idiot, but I had my doubts about anyone that would dare to fall asleep in my woods.

"It's Witch Princess to you! Well, be gone with you then, fool." I said, knitting my eyebrows together and allowed my voice to grow louder with each word. "Your little nap distracted me so much it cost me three potions today! Keep out of my forest if you aren't going to do anything productive. Next time I'll do more than shout!" I immediately regretted telling him that I had messed up my potions, it instantly destroyed any perception of me as infallible and scary. I cursed myself internally for my rookie mistake; it really had been too long since my last conversation. I stamped my foot and pointed towards the exit before turning on my heel and storming back towards my swamp. I could feel his grin growing wider as I retreated and I clenched my fists in frustration. I felt like a child, but I wasn't about to contradict myself.

"The name's Luke! See you some other time, Princess!" He called at me before jogging off down the path, whistling some happy tune. How dare he take the threats of the Witch Princess lightly! I slammed the door to my little cottage behind me, fuming as I plopped myself down on my love seat. The blush I was fighting finally burst onto my face and I shrieked.

"UGH! HOW DARE HE, HOW DARE HE!" I cried at the walls, at the crickets and the frogs outside, at the trees of my forest themselves. He'd cost me far too much concentration today, and I'd even made the embarrassing mistake of admitting it! Oh, how unlike me. I seethed as I sat there, although I couldn't bring myself to blame the kid. Luke. He seemed to be a bit of a doofus but he hadn't meant to cause me trouble. Hell, he hadn't even known that I really existed. My stomach turned at the thought of people thinking I was just a myth, but I guessed it saved my trouble in terms of them coming looking for me. Being a witch wasn't always easy, people could be… unaccepting. I began to cool my emotions some as I reflected on my encounter with Luke. It was certainly less eventful than some of the other times someone had found me in the forest. Flames flickered behind my eyes and screams echoed through the centuries as I sat there. Being laughed at certainly wasn't so bad, but it was terribly embarrassing.

When I'd finally calmed down to an acceptable level, I walked out into the forest. Darkness was falling and I had something to do that night. The shifting of the balance of natures had increased in pace as of late and I was growing concerned. The scales had tipped, and it wasn't a good thing. I didn't normally pay much attention to such matters because the majority of the forest was wrapped in my own enchantments to maintain its state but Wizard had contacted me about changes in the rest of the peninsula. While he and I weren't exactly on speaking terms, we had both agreed that it was a problem that we ought to investigate. Being the magical custodians for a bunch of mortals wasn't exactly my cup of tea, but the Earth was a necessary part of my life and I wasn't about to let it be run into the ground. Something was definitely up with the Harvest Goddess, the deity that controlled the balance of nature for our little corner of the world. The weather of early spring was brisk and I felt invigorated, confident even, by the time I met the Wizard at the path towards the mining district. In fact, I felt so confident that I thought I might just give the Harvest Goddess the little shove towards recovery that she needed all by myself.

He was waiting for me there. The moonlight caught on the little silver clasp that held the single long braid in his short gray hair and on the necklaces he wore layered on top his purple cloak. The man's sense in style had changed very little in the time I had known him. "Good evening." Gale said to me after one of the long pauses that had become so characteristic of him lately. He'd been spending too much time growing stagnant with his nose in a book, I thought distastefully.

He fidgeted slightly at my silent approach, clasping his hands behind his back. It had been several years since we last spoke, a blink of an eye for people like us. I smirked and did a little hop of levitation as I passed him, placing a fleeting kiss along his cheekbone before I turned away fully and led the way up the path with long, confident strides. I giggled privately at the way I had felt him stiffen slightly underneath my lips, he still hadn't forgotten out most recent spat. It was something about the value of constellations versus knucklebones in fortune telling, or something of the sort. It would pass soon enough I was sure; it always did.

"Oh, a wonderful evening it is indeed." I said smoothly as he caught up to me with those long legs of his.

Author's Note: Ah, two wonderful things coming together in one story: Luke and the lovely immortals. You'll see a lot more of my headcannon for the Witch and Wizard coming into this story, and it'll be pretty much the same as what you've read in Stardust, for those of you who have read the story. Of course with slight differences since I'll be writing as the Witch this time around. Told you I'd get this chapter up fast! There's more to come, I can't wait to share it with you all. On a side note, bummer that my super long and amusing chapter names won't all be able to fit into the chapter title box. They'll still be shown in their entirety at the head of each chapter!

Please leave a review! Your comments are indispensable.