Strength in Body and Mind

"Light in the darkness! A glittering bridge of ice! The mightiest tree in the forest! And the flames that burn it all to the ground!" As Luz hammed up her speech, she demonstrated each of these glyphs with even more than her usual enthusiasm. "These things and so much more are only the surface," she held up her finger with a wink, "of the wonders of glyph magic!"

"Welcome to day three of Luz's magic boot camp!"

"Glad to be here," Hunter said listlessly, though he couldn't hide a small smile at the antics of his human friend, now roommate.

"I knew it. Eda owes me ten snails," Luz chirped. "Now then, back to the lesson." She removed a cloth from the blackboard. "I've shown you every glyph I've discovered. So we're moving on."

"There seriously aren't anymore glyphs?" Hunter asked, his hand raised without thinking. "Wind? Earth? Oh-" He pointed at her with a near-manic look in his eyes, "-lightning!"

"Actually, no. There are no others," Luz revealed calmly. "The one's I've found came directly from nature or from a witch's spell. I haven't been able to find any others. Heck, King theorized that there aren't any more to discover."

Hunter turned that over in his mind. "So the combinations thing-"

"That is a later lesson," Luz interrupted, pointing at him with a firm gaze. "When I was teaching Eda and Lilith, Eda tried to go nuts with combining glyphs and a botched spell almost destroyed the Owl House. Luckily, Lilith had learned the basics and figured out how to properly combine glyphs to contain the spell."

"Stick to the basics for now," Hunter summed up. "Got it."

"Great! So, back to what I was saying before," she gestured at the blackboard and its contents, "we're going to study modifying glyphs for more specific effects."

Hunter looked at the board and drew a set of the four basic glyphs in his notebook. Luz had spent the first day of her "boot camp" — he couldn't bring himself to call it that with a straight face, having experienced basic training for the Emperor's Coven — drilling him in how to draw a perfect circle and then having him practice drawing the glyphs until his wrist felt like it was on fire.

Then he'd spent every subsequent night drilling himself even more until he could draw them without a single hesitant motion. His next step was to draw them perfectly without looking, but he'd get there later.

"So if we alter the fire glyph's inner dot …" Hunter thought out loud.

"Give it a try," Luz said, gesturing to the paper.

As Hunter did so, part of him was already planning out any number of glyph variations. What other singular effects could be achieved with a single glyph? And when Luz decided to teach him combos, what could he discover on his own?

He smiled to himself as he finished his first glyph variant, the thrill of learning about wild magic left unmuted by the shame and fear that he'd lived with his entire life back in the castle.

The possibilities were endless …!

He tapped the glyph and it glowed with magic …


Willow breathed deeply, counting down in her mind rather than counting on her fingers as she had taught Gus to do so long ago. She and Lady Feronia stood in the throne room with head witches Darius, Carrol, and Starlett, along with all their apprentices: Amity, Emira, and the Construction head witch's apprentice known only as the Bronze Mason who had been introduced to the court the week previous.

It was kind of strange not knowing who was behind that mask.

Willow breathed once again to keep her nerves in check. It had been four days since Hunter had abandoned the castle for the Owl House, and the fact that Belos had yet to address it to the coven heads — as Lady Feronia had kept her up-to-date on — was making her nervous.

The doors to the throne room burst open and two lines of coven scouts marched in to fan out around the coven heads and apprentices. "All kneel before Emperor Belos," Kikimora said, backing away from the door with a bow to usher in the Emperor. All of them knelt as ordered, though Willow and Amity traded a quick glance.

"The time has come to deal with a little pest in the castle," Belos said coldly. He revealed his staff, the mechanical parts clicking into place, and the red orb atop it in place of a palisman flared with magic. Horrific, clawed arms arose from the stone floor and converged upon the Silver Belle to hold her limbs splayed, caught in painful grips.

"Emperor Belos!" Lady Feronia gasped. "What is the meaning of-?!"

"Be silent," Belos snapped quietly. The Titan's bile sac sped its beat behind them all. "This one knows exactly why."

"Please, I don't know!" Willow said, barely keeping hold of her fear.

"Oh, yes you do … Ms. Park."

Willow's eyes flicked behind her mask at the coven scouts who all had their pointer fingers leveled at her with spell circles ready to unleash pain and death. She grunted at the monstrous arms tightening their grip. That would definitely leave bruises, assuming she lived through this.

'Hunter, I'm so sorry,' she thought.

And then the arms released her as Belos tensed, dropping his staff to clatter to the ground. The beat of the Titan's bile sac sped to an even higher rhythm than before, the sound almost frantic. Then it slowed again and Belos relaxed, though his breathing was heavy.

"Be grateful, Willow Park, for it seems the Titan still sees the chance for redemption in you." He flicked his hand and his staff rose back to his grip, the monstrous arms dropping her to the ground and retreating into the stone. "But from this day forward, you are banished from my castle. And should you return, I will handle your petrification myself."

"Y-Yes, Emperor Belos," she stammered.

"Did I misspeak, girl?" Belos asked rhetorically, head twitching to the side. "Why are you still here?"

Willow fled the throne room as fast as she could, her stomach clenching as she passed the Emperor himself to get away. She ran as hard as she could, terrified tears trailing her face as she passed by coven scouts and guards until she made it to the massive front doors of the castle. Without breaking stride, she summoned a barrage of vines that pried the great doors open and spanned the moat of thorns to let her cross and finally escape the castle grounds.

And she kept running.

She ran until she couldn't breathe and then stumbled to the base of a tree to curl into a ball and weep with fear.


"What was that, Emperor Belos?!" Feronia thundered.

"Did I give you permission to speak, Feronia?" Belos asked neutrally. "I do not recall granting such a thing." When Feronia stepped back and lowered her eyes, Belos snorted a self-satisfied chuckle. "As I said, your apprentice knows very well why this has happened. I suggest you speak with her about it. We cannot have our highest accolades consorting with wild witches, after all."

"I will speak with her," Feronia said evenly.

"Good," Belos said, moving up to the throne platform. "Now, on to further business. This year's Coven Day is in mere days. How go our preparations?"


Luz watched from afar as Hunter experimented with glyph "variants," as he had taken to calling them, with half-a-dozen projects going on at once. It was interesting to note that he seemed to favor the fire and plant glyphs, the very last she had discovered. Maybe it had something to do with his upbringing in a combative coven, and so he favored ones that seemed outright suited to violence?

Well, that explained the fire glyph, but the plant glyph … He seemed to be working on growing flowers, so that interest was fairly obvious. He'd seen the power of plant magic up close and personal with Willow.

She couldn't wait to show him that the light glyph acted as an amplifier for combos and see how he ran with that.

"So, how's our newest resident handling glyphs?" Eda asked as she approached with King on her shoulder.

"He's adjusting better than you did," Luz teased.

"Well, to be fair, he's always had certain limitations," Eda noted. "I had them thrust on me later in life."

"Yeah, so did Lilith," King said dryly. "And she took to 'em like a selkidomus to water."

"Meh, still though."

"Honestly, though, he's picking it up really well," Luz said, crossing her arms with pride. "And with the success of all my students, it makes me wonder if I have a future in teaching."

"Don't tell me you wanna bring glyphs to the conforming factory of Hexside," Eda drolled.

"I think the place could use another touch of wild magic," Luz said with a grin. "Don't you, Owl Lady?"

Eda snorted and cackled. "Okay, great point. And hey, it'll give kids the chance to use magic outside of covens if they choose it. Imagine the wondrous chaos that would bring to Belos's precious coven system."

"Yeah. I bet your mom would be proud too, eh, Luz?" King said, elbowing her playfully.

Luz's eyes widened at the thought of her experience in the In-Between, as she'd peeked through reflections to speak with Vee and her mother. The flawed portal door on its own was a problem, but the promise she'd made to her mom …

"Eda, King," she said, fiddling with her hands as she looked up at them with misty eyes and bit her lip, "there's something I need to tell you."


"Let's try this one more time."

Gus took a deep breath to focus his thoughts and traced a spell circle with both index fingers in a "following" motion, one finger moving downward to the right and the other moving upward to the left to meet at their respective ends — the points sparking as they completed the circle.

Gus grunted and willed his spell to begin, hissing as the coolness of his magic seeped into his own mind before drawing out and coalescing into an illusion of a slim woman with dark skin and curly hair, a single dimple in one cheek and a pair of half-moon spectacles, dressed in indigo robes of a healer. Someone he'd barely known: his mother.

Geneva Porter, nee Polecat, had been a talented member of the Healing Coven before she died when Gus was three. Geneva had, according to his father, been an advocate of both self-healing through traditional methods and the relaxing of restrictions on Healing magic within the covens. She had been killed while helping the people of Bonesborough take cover from a gorenado that had encroached upon the city, her shielding spell costing her all of her magic bile and leaving her to die a hero.

"Hello, my little Augustus," Geneva said kindly.

"Hi … Mom," Gus replied, his throat tight.

It wasn't really his mom. It was an illusion strengthened by a dash of Oracle magic to directly invoke his memories. But that fact didn't keep his heart from hurting at the fact that she was right there.

The illusion placed her hand against Gus's cheek and he leaned into the touch, even if it was chilly like a spectre. "My beautiful baby boy," Geneva said. "I know you'll grow up to do amazing things, Augustus."

Then the illusion faded away.

Gus rubbed the back of his hand against his eyes and sat down on his bed. Technically, he was trying to perfect this spell for Luz. She hadn't talked to any of them about how finishing the portal door went, and this was a kind of unwanted contingency for her to preserve her memories of her mom.

"This was stupid," he groaned.

'No, it was heartfelt,' Shimmer peeped, fading into visibility on his desk. 'Probably not healthy, but it came from a good place.'

Gus offered a wane smile and held out a hand for Shimmer, who waddled to the desk edge and hopped off to land in his palm. Gus drew her close and let her grip his shirt over his heart, where she nuzzled him with the groaning trill she was known for.

"Thanks, Shimmer," he said, placing a hand over her.

'Anytime, Gus.'


"I can't believe that slimy- Gah!"

Amity threw her mask away, pacing around Darius's office in her newly redesigned uniform that had a lighter skirt with a wide slit up the side for greater ease of movement after her duel with Gavin. Her face was red again, with anger rather than infatuation, and she breathed through her teeth to keep from passing out and to feed her frustration.

"How could he treat Willow like that?!" she raged. "What could she have possibly done to piss Belos off? She doesn't actually use wild magic! She's joined the Plant Coven younger than usual! She's served him as much as she could without hurting anyone and actually done the jobs, too!"

"I would think it has something to do with the Golden Guard," Darius interjected from his desk as he looked over reports.

That idea stopped Amity short as everything clicked into place. Based on what Willow had told her about Hunter's upbringing, she'd long thought that the Emperor was similar to her mother: controlling, manipulative, and with such impossibly high standards that it wrecked one's self-worth. And if those parallels reached further … then Belos must blame Willow for Hunter defecting.

"What is it?" Darius asked.

"What do you know about the Golden Guard as of late?" Amity asked, deciding to gauge the situation.

"Belos claims he's on a mission ferreting out wild witches on one of the Hands," Darius said, then his eyes widened and he stood up. "But I didn't think it was the truth." He walked around his desk to stand before Amity. "What really happened to him?"

"He left," Amity said, looking Darius straight in the eye. "He set up some blackmail for Belos and left the castle."

Darius looked at her for a few long moments before he turned away and began to pace. His bun of Abomination clay writhed like an agitated serpent in contrast to his measured steps. He scratched his bearded chin, his lips tight, and Amity could almost see the cogs turning in his head.

"Whatever Hunter did must be working," Darius decided. "Belos does not take treason lightly, and I doubt even his nephew would be spared in the wake of the 'Titan's will.' Which means he's safe. Or at least safe enough, for now."

"But that doesn't explain why he wouldn't inform the coven heads," Amity noted.

"You're right, it doesn't," Darius agreed. "Which means he has another plan in motion. A cover-up of some kind."

"A new Golden Guard?" Amity asked.

"Perhaps," Darius said. He sighed and ran his hands over his hair. "I suppose we will just have to wait and see, won't we?"

Amity nodded. And then she pulled out her scroll and messaged Hunter about what happened.


Deep in the bowels of the castle lit by candles burning bright blue, Belos placed a bowl of stew on the bedside table of a healer's cot. The figure on the cot and shrouded in the blankets groaned and removed them, their features still hidden by deep shadows cast by the candles, to gingerly take the food and begin eating.

"How do you feel?" Belos asked gently.

"Like I got kicked by a snake horse," the figure replied in a familiar voice, if a little deeper and raspier.

"Yes, those wild witches planned the ambush carefully," Belos said, carefully hiding a smile.

"Wild witches?" the figure asked, groaning again as he clutched his head. "I remember something about … actually, I can't remember anything later than bits of the palisman mission." He gasped. "I failed! Emperor Belos, please forgive me, I-!"

"It's alright," Belos said, placing a hand on the figure's shoulder. "I've managed in the weeks since."

"Weeks?"

"Yes. The Owl Lady's apprentice and her allies ambushed you. The coven scouts were barely able to get you out alive, though they were quite enthusiastic about how you fought the wild witches off. They chose to save their commander rather than the nest of palismen."

"My apologies," the figure said. "They should have taken the palismen."

"Well now, I wouldn't say that," Belos crooned. "My right hand could certainly secure more palismen in the long term. And with the Titan's big plans for him, I'd say the scouts did indeed make the right choice."

The figure gave a shuddering breath and placed his long-fingered hand unmarred by scars on Belos's gauntlet. "Thank you, Emperor Belos. I won't let you down again."

"I'm certain you will not," Belos said, unable to hide the barest hunt of a growl. "So we must get you up and ready. The Day of Unity is fast approaching."

The figure threw off their sheets and shakily rose to their feet, a lean, masculine physique outlined in the candle light. Belos removed a cylinder from his belt and pressed a release catch to have it expand into a staff for artificial magic, its golden wing standing proudly and the focus gem catching the blue light. He passed it to the figure to use as a support and led the way toward the staircase of the upper floors.

"There is work to do," the figure said resolutely as he plodded along.


Hunter felt his stomach twist as he landed so close to the castle, but Willow was there and she needed him. He looked around in sheer habitual paranoia before settling his nerves and slowly, carefully approaching the tree Willow had curled up under. Clover, who had been perched on her shoulder, looked up with hope in her eyes and flew to perch on Hunter's other shoulder opposite Lil Rascal.

"Willow?" he asked.

Willow looked up at him, her mask discarded and her cheeks red and blotchy with tears. She opened her mouth as if to speak before looking away, her hair freed from its bun to fall and shield her eyes. "How did you find me?" she whimpered.

"Oracle magic," Hunter said. "Amity messaged me and said something happened at the castle." His hands closed into trembling fists before he knelt to oh-so-gently brushed the tresses from her face. "Did he-?"

"I'm fine," Willow said, though she looked away from his gaze.

"No, you're not," Hunter said simply. "Willow, if you don't want to talk, I'll respect that. But please don't lie to me. I got enough of that from him."

Willow gasped and placed her hand against his. "That's not all you got," she trailed her other hand over the scar on his face, "is it?"

"What are you saying?" Hunter asked.

"He hurt you," Willow said. "I always suspected, but after seeing that-" Another tear fell and she drew him into a hug. "I'm so sorry, Hunter."

"Don't worry about me," Hunter said, returning the embrace.

"I will always worry for you," Willow replied, her voice resolute in a way that made Hunter's heart flutter.

"What did he do, Willow?" Hunter asked. "I'm asking. It's your choice to answer."

"He captured me with these awful clawed arms," she said, trembling in his arms, "and then he seemed to change his mind. He banished me from the castle."

Hunter was silent before he began to … laugh? Willow drew back in surprise to find Hunter stifling his laughs. "What a punishment, huh?"

Willow blinked at him uncomprehendingly before she realized what he meant … and she gave a shaky smile and giggled. "I won't have to see him or hear his awful voice again," she whispered.

"You're amazing, syphara," Hunter said, brushing her hair from her face again. "It took me years to get away, and you did it in, like, a week."

"Hunter, that's not funny," Willow chided, though laughter bubbled behind the words. Then she drew him close to rest her forehead against his. "Can we go back to the Owl House?"

"Of course," Hunter said, gently taking her hands in his and drawing her to her feet with him. "Maybe I can show you some of my progress with glyphs?"

Clover fluttered from Hunter's shoulder to Willow's and nuzzled her partner's cheek. "I'd like that very much," Willow sighed.

Good tidings to all, and welcome back to the "Love Between Ash & Ebony" saga. We're on the last leg of it folks, the third and final installment. I hope that this was a gripping beginning, because it will only grow from here! Fair warning, as I began this saga during the s2 hiatus, I was free to explore canon. But since s2B premiered and gave us so much wonderful content, I will be transitioning somewhat from exploration to adaptation. NO! This will NOT be a play-by-play of canon, as I have changed too much for that. But I will be referencing events from canon when I am not putting my own spin on them. And many of these adaptations will use head-canons I carried from the time this saga began - many of them have been disproven, but I will still use them for inspiration.

*Geneva, the name I gave Gus's mother, is Germanic and means juniper tree. I named her that because it resembles the name "Ginerva" - a play on Ginny Weasley from "Harry Potter" as Gus's dad's name, Perry Porter, could be seen as an homage to the main character. Geneva is also the name of the well-known peace accords, the Geneva Conventions, and Mrs. Porter was devoted to peace. Her maiden name, Polecat, is an animal related to weasels (Weasely) that are sacred to Hecate, the Greek goddess of magic, crossroads, and many other things.

*Shimmer's "groaning trill" can be heard by Pascal in Disney's "Tangled" and more obscurely by the monster books in "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban."

*I personally think that Belos really is narcissistic enough to think being expelled from his castle and from his plans is a severe punishment.

*Yes, Gus is still mixing magic. He won't be multi-tracking in this story, it's more of a hobby.

As always, thanks so much for reading and I hope it was well enjoyed! Leave a review if you can - I enjoy them more than ever. And may your muses inspire you like never before!