Author's Note:

Hey guys! Sorry this chapter took a bit longer to post, but here it is!

In this chapter, you'll find our daring heroine locked in a dramatic date with the most mature darling within Story of Seasons: KLAUS. But what will they do when Witchie has a bit of fun?! Will they survive her meddling magic, or will they manage to ride off into the sunset on the back of a white stallion?! You'll have to read to find out.

Enjoy!

Chapter Six

A Magical Date

Witchie was bored. It had nearly been two full days since she had her last bout of fun, after all. She giggled to herself, remembering how humorous it had been to scare Nadi out of her lake (all it took was a few cleverly placed sound effects). Not that he could see her humble home atop the lake, of course. No mere mortal could—it was magic! She broke into a full laugh, dramatically spreading her hands out. She loved reminding herself what a magnificent witch she was.

The problem was, not enough people visited her lake anymore. If they did, they were too boring themselves to be of any interest to her.

"What to do, what to do?" Witchie tapped her small foot impatiently against the shingles of her roof. She liked being perched far above the ground—it made sightseeing a bit easier.

That, and it made the villagers look as tiny as she was. Up above on her rooftop, Witchie was an unstoppable force—a force just as large as regular humans!

"A-ha! There we go!" She cried suddenly, clasping her hands together. Just beyond her lake's clearing, she spotted a couple walking arm-in-arm. Upon closer inspection, she recognized the handsome perfumer and the amnesia-riddled newcomer. "The perfect specimen of fun."

Klaus, like Nadi, was definitely hiding a lean, muscled body underneath layers of clothing. Not that I cared or anything. Just making observations, you see. It felt as though I was floating along in a dream, just gliding along with my hand grasping onto the chiseled arm of the most handsome man. However, it was difficult not to imagine what it would feel like with that same arm wrapped around my waist instead.

Oh, and I was holding a gorgeous bouquet of handpicked flowers in my other hand, each meticulously chosen to ensure my utmost happiness.

I snuck a glance at Klaus, admiring what a smile did to his features for about the thousandth time. He truly was handsome. The dark, rich color of his hair combined with the luminous ivory tones in his skin…a strong jawline, golden eyes…the list could go on for a while.

When we reached the edge of the lake (which definitely looked completely different than on that hauntingly strange night with Nadi), Klaus pulled out a sapphire colored blanket for us to enjoy our lunch on. But just as we were lowering ourselves onto the material…it shrunk. What used to be a giant swath of comfortable material was reduced down to something the size of a bath towel.

I think we were both confused about the blanket situation, so we sort of collided against each other as we sat. I hurriedly tried to right myself, but ended up losing my balance and falling (very ungracefully) right back into him.

"Ah—sorry!"

"Are you all right?" Klaus teased, lightly grabbing my shoulders. "That was quite some fall."

This close, I could smell him—it was a luxurious and enigmatic scent, something that impeccably suited him. The fragrance itself was subtle though—it wasn't something you'd be able to clearly distinguish unless you were as near to him as I was. Which was really, really close. Our knees were even pressed together. Surely this nobleman wasn't the type to passionately touch strangers in the middle of the woods? I nearly laughed at the thought. Of course not. Klaus had no such feelings, especially not towards a regular girl like me.

But the way he was touching my shoulders—it was a lingering touch, something that didn't want to be interrupted.

"I think I'll manage to live. You were there to catch me, after all."

"You're absolutely right," Klaus said, hastily removing his hands as if he had just realized how long they had been touching me. A mixture of bewilderment and mild embarrassment flashed across his features. "Hmm. I thought that this blanket was a bit…larger in size."

"That was weird, though. It was like it shrank out of nowhere—almost like magic," I said, running my hands along the edges. I couldn't feel the missing material anywhere. Was that even possible?

"Well, I suppose we can at least enjoy our meal," Klaus replied, reaching towards the basket—and finding nothing. His basket had disappeared. "That's odd. I could have sworn—"

Klaus stood up, scanning the clearing. The path that we came from had vanished, too. Warped trees and brush densely covered the entire area in that general direction. I clutched the bouquet tightly, refusing to let it vanish into the air. What in the world was happening?

"I knew these trails could be a witch to travel, but it didn't cross my mind that they would be bewitched."

I nearly fell over again, but this time it was from laughter.

"Ahem, anyways, it appears that we won't be returning home the way we came. Quite peculiar, but then again, a lot of things in life don't always make the most sense." Klaus glanced at me, his golden eyes softening. "Such as me stumbling upon you in the middle of the woods."

Before I could make a fool out of myself trying to answer back to that, a brilliant white stallion suddenly emerged from the opposite end of the lake. A small path wound behind the creature, disappearing into the trees; it was just wide enough for a single horse to pass.

"Looks like we've got company?" I was uneasy at the strange turn of events, but with Klaus at my side it was nearly impossible to be truly afraid.

The horse circled us, melodiously neighing when Klaus reached up a hand to stroke its face. "It's already saddled. It seems as though fate wants us to go on a bit of an adventure."

"Do you ride?" I asked, admiring the way he was handling the horse. It was a beautiful thing, its coat unblemished by even a single speck of dirt.

"As a student I used to. I would go out quite often—the liberation I felt while riding was inexplicable."

"Where would you ride to?"
"Wherever my instructor commanded, mainly," Klaus answered, glancing back at me. His smile had faded. "But that didn't stop me from wandering time and again. My family's estate has plenty of acres suitable for riding, but none of that compared to riding in the true wilderness. I simply had to follow my intuition and seek it out."

His family's estate? Surely Klaus wasn't both handsome and wealthy?

Klaus pulled himself atop the stallion, reaching a hand out towards me. "Come, let us wander together. Perhaps we might even have time for lunch before the day is finished."

For a moment, I could only stare. Klaus was smiling again, truly smiling, looking at me as though he was thoroughly okay with whisking me away into the sunset (okay, noontime sun). If this man wasn't a prince in his current or past life… I grabbed his hand—his long fingers wrapped around mine, pulling me up onto the saddle and into him. The saddle allowed enough room for both of us, but the fit was tight. I could feel his entire body shaped against mine—his strong shoulders, chest, abdomen…I fit neatly between his thighs, which also meant I was pressed against something else in between.

My face suddenly felt very, very hot.

I could feel his chest move; his breathing quickened, his breath lightly touching against my hair.

"W-well—ahem—shall we be off?" Klaus stuttered, covering his unease with a quick cough. It was clear that he was nervous, but I wasn't sure why. I was definitely nervous, but it was for reasons along the lines of: Klaus was attractive, Klaus was charming, and I was tight against aforementioned attractive, charming Klaus.

I smiled, even though Klaus couldn't see. "Yes, let's be off."