My first fic about the Owl House. Thought a lot about it before posting it here too. For those who want to spoiler themselves for a few chapters: I have uploaded more chapters on AO3. Hope you enjoy it
Eda usually wasn't someone who got worried over anything. Years of running away and hiding from the emperor only boosted her confidence in herself. With every passing day she became craftier. Sneaking around and doing her own thing was what she was known for.
But since Luz came into her life, things seemed to change. For the first time she understood how parents must feel. How her own parents must've felt when she first got her curse. Sometimes she was still angry and Lillith for that. But she learned to live with it.
She even found a way to cooperate with the owl- beast. Even if the conditions weren't the best. Sure, getting closer to Raine again was awesome, but that didn't mean she hadn't been worried. And a bit confused as to why the beast even cared about that.
Now though, it had been almost a week since Luz came home last. The human girl wanted to go after a clue that Phillips diary gave her. But she hadn't come back yet.
King seemed worried as well. He wasn't sleeping as much. Sometimes standing on the windowsill and looking out like a dog waiting for its owner. Usually he slept with Luz, but since she was gone, he would sneak into her nest when he thought she was already deep asleep.
Eda noticed, of course. But she didn't mind at all. They had all grown used to the noise in the house since Luz came into their life. But now it was quiet again. And it wasn't a peaceful silence either. It was an eerie silence that spread through the house.
Not even Hootys cries seemed to help. It was more annoying than anything. The mood was down.
She was fine, Eda told herself. Maybe she had no way of contacting her, wherever she was. Maybe she had to hide from the emperor's coven for a while. Maybe they caught up with her. There were so many possibilities.
After pacing around the living room for an hour or so, Eda finally made a decision.
"That's it. I'm going to find her even if I have to break into the castle!" she declared, pointing at the ceiling but still looking forward.
"AGAIN!" King exclaimed.
The owl lady nodded and grabbed a bag with glyphs Luz kept around just in case. She herself could deal with the guards, even without her magic now that she and the owl-beast had come to an agreement.
But Luz would probably need them, when Eda found her. No matter what happened, the girl probably ran out of them by now and needed more. Eda wasn't sure how much paper she had taken with her or if she even had the chance to use them.
"Owlbert! We're heading out!" she yelled.
Immediately, her staff came flying around the corner. She grabbed it with her right hand, twirling it around before smashing it into the ground. King crawled onto her shoulder and into the carriage-bad she had clasped around herself. Time to get serious!
"WEH!" the little demon cried out. To him, a kind of war declaration this time.
Eda nodded. She strode towards the door, about to yank it open, when Hooty did it for her.
"OH FRIENDS! LOOK WHO'S BAAAAACK!" the worm-demon cried out with joy. He moved in every possible way, coming out of the door an inch with every word he said. "AND SHE BROUGHT A FRIEND!"
"Huh?"
Eda was prepared for a lot of things in life. What she didn't expect though, was a teenager carrying Luz on his back. She was unconscious, or maybe asleep. She couldn't tell.
The teen looked exhausted. He was panting while walking over to the house. A red cardinal was flying by his side. It was tweeting with concern. Eda didn't understand the words.
In front of the door, in front of her feet, the teen finally collapsed. Taking a closer look, Eda was ready to attack. He was wearing robes from the emperor's coven. The worst of the worst. He was from the castle, no doubt. But he looked to tired to defend himself, and he did bring Luz back.
He carefully let Luz slip from his back onto the ground, trying to catch his breath. He stood up and straightened his back, taking a deep breath, which he immediately let go again. To exhausted to keep in any air.
His lungs were obviously screaming for air. Keeping in too much at a time would just hurt.
Eda and King exchanged a look, before she spoke. "Kid, are you okay?"
The teen held up a finger, signaling her to wait just a few more seconds. And she did. Whoever this boy was, he had made a hell of an effort to bring the girl back home. And in Eda's eyes, he deserved at least a bit credit for that.
"Eda the owl lady" he finally spoke, still struggling to breath.
"I bring you back Luz, the human. I do not expect any gratitude or anything else in return. You will shelter her once again and never speak with anyone of this incident" he said.
Eda raised an eyebrow. The hell was wrong with that kid? Who talked like that? She didn't understand one word.
"What?" she asked bluntly.
"The hell are you talking about man?" King complained.
"I-uh" he stammered. "Luz?" he pointed at her.
"Yeeeaahh?" Eda stretched.
He brought her back, she got that much. She didn't know why though. Or what he meant by not telling anyone.
"You-you did know that she was missing…right?" he was getting red from embarrassment.
"Why do you think I'm dressed like this?" she motioned to herself. Cape draped over, the backpack and a bunch of potions in a belt around her front. She could only hope that they didn't poke King in the back.
"I don't know! You're the owl lady, you're weird" he exclaimed.
"You're weird!" King shot back, pointing a claw at him.
"You're the one hanging from a carriage for babies!" the teen yelled.
"I will make you bow to me!" the demon threatened.
"King" Eda shushed him. "You mind bringing her in kid?" she asked.
The teen looked at her for a moment, then sighed and picked the human back up.
Eda watched him carefully as he placed the girl onto the couch. The palisman followed him. He tweeted something now and then and the teen answered in a whisper. She didn't listen. Not like she really understood.
"So, unconscious or asleep?" she asked
"Something in between, I think? It's been a hard day" the teen sighed, running ha hand through his hair.
She knew that he was ready to bail out but ordered Hooty to keep the door shut. It was the middle of the night, and he wasn't going anywhere. Not without an explanation.
"Now then, I have a few questions" she said.
The teen looked uncomfortable. Maybe he wasn't ready yet, but she couldn't wait.
"Let's start with your name" Eda hummed.
"Hunter" he said immediately.
"Okay then, Hunter. Who are you and why did you bring her back" she demanded, crossing her arms.
"That is kind of a long story" he rubbed at his undercut with discomfort.
"We have all night kid" Eda said.
Hunter hesitated. Whether it was from the lack of information or the fact that the answer would displease her, Eda didn't know. What she did know, was, that Luz looked more than just unconscious.
She seemed to be asleep. The fact that the humans chest was moving calmed her though. Did Hunter put her to sleep, or did he find her like this? He said it was something in between. But how much did he know?
Someone from the Emperors coven in her house was rare. Actually, Lilly was the only one, until now.
There were a few possibilities as to why he brought her and where she had actually been.
Her best guess: Luz got herself kidnapped, something something Emperor and Hunter got her out.
"Wanna sit down and tell me everything?" Eda asked.
"Uhm…." Hunter looked towards the couch where he had placed Luz. Her body was taking up all the space. The only free place seemed to be the ground right now.
"Oh right. Follow me" Eda gestured for him to follow.
She went to the kitchen. They could sit there for now. Once she entered, Eda took of the backpack and her potions, throwing both into the corner without much concern. Maybe she should be though, since those potions could explode. Thankfully, they didn't.
"I'll make some hot chocolate. You okay with that?" she asked, reaching for cups in the upper shelf.
"What's chocolate" Hunter asked, utterly confused.
"What's chocolate? WHATS CHOCOLATE!?" King burst out, totally loosing it. "What do you mean 'what's chocolate'? What the actual hell is wrong with you?"
And now the teen looked disturbed. Great.
"King" Eda hissed. "You'll wake her" she pointed towards the main room.
"Sorry" the demon said, climbing on top of the kitchen counter.
"I'm sorry. Is chocolate a human thing?" Hunter asked.
Eda hummed. It kinda was. The boiling isles did have chocolate. Not perfectly the same as the one from the human realm, but similar. The one from the human realm was sweeter and they had many more flavors.
"It's hard to describe" she shrugged, stirring the pot. "It's sweet so I'm sure you'll like it."
The teen hummed in response, finally sitting down at the kitchen counter. The red cardinal had taken his place on the teens right shoulder. It tweeted every now and then but remained silent otherwise. Hunter only nodded at his palismans tweeting.
"Care to tell me why you have a palisman with you?" Eda asked over her shoulder.
Hunter stiffened. "Why are you asking?" he shot back.
"Well" Eda started, taking some whipped cream out of a cabinet. She had taken some with her on her last trip to the human realm. Before the portal exploded. And it was one of the things the humans had she couldn't get otherwise.
"You are coming from the castle. The emperor's coven even. He usually doesn't allow people to keep their palisman" she said.
"Yeah…." Hunter trailed off, carefully stroking the feathers of his palisman. "He….. doesn't really know about him" the teen muttered.
That didn't really surprise her. Beside her sister, Eda didn't know anyone in the emperor's coven that still owned their palisman. She never found out why Lilly did keep hers.
Finally, Eda poured the hot liquid into two cups, decorating it with whipped cream in a spiral pattern. She added the straws that Luz loved so much. They were rainbow-colored and spiral shaped. A little childish, she thought in the beginning, but didn't mind by now at all.
Actually, Eda was starting to like the quirks that Luz had. That flowery speech in her books. Her humor and still childish wonder for the boiling isles.
She sat one of the cups down in front of Hunter, the other for King, who immediately started drinking with glee.
"None for you?" the teen asked.
"Na" she waved her hand in dismissal. "Found out that human chocolate doesn't go well with apple blood."
"When did you have the apple blood?" King asked
"When do I not?" she shot back.
Hunter raised an eyebrow at her. He looked at the cup in front of him with suspicion. Even if that demon creature was drinking it, didn't mean that it was safe for him. Especially when the owl lady refused. But that wasn't the only one that disturbed him.
"I'm not a child" he grumbled, pushing the colorful cup away from him. Even if he was interested in trying it out, he wasn't going to drink ANYTHING like this. Like some six-year-old.
"Yeah, you are. At least in my book. You're at least thirty-I mean twenty years younger than me" Eda retorted, barely catching herself.
Hunter raised an eyebrow at her. He wasn't going to argue with that. He didn't even know how much older Belos was. He always knew that the emperor was older than Eda, considering that the coven system existed before her birth. But still.
How old was the owl lady? Hunter didn't dare to ask. That wouldn't be very wise of him.
"Look kid, you can drink it like that, or not at all. Leave it for Luz for all I care, but you are going to tell me why you are here and what exactly happened" Eda demanded.
Hunter considered his options. He wasn't going to get out of the house for the night. Running out wouldn't help. That weird demon-owl-worm thing would stop him. And that demon, King, would probably jump at him as well.
He was too tired for this. With a deep sigh, he took the cup back for himself as King was about to steal it.
"Well, where do I start?"
There we go. First chapter here. I don't have a picture for the Story yet. If anyone has an idea or is maybe an artist, I would lvoe to hear ideas from you.
See ya in the next chapter