Co-written with miss mika namariya! We own nothing :)
Kyoko and Kuon stared blankly at the newcomer. The newcomer's smile faltered a bit as she looked between the two of them and took in the situation. Two young attractive people, sitting closely together by a fire in the woods. The young man was holding onto his companion's wrist. And, the newcomer noticed with a blush, the young man was shirtless.
"Er, sorry!" she said, quickly turning around and smacking directly into her companion.
"Ouch! Wait, why are you pushing me—!"
"This isn't the coven meeting—" the first one muttered hastily, trying to shoo her friend away.
"What?" The friend said loudly, peering around to get a good look at the young couple by the fire. "Oh. I see."
"Yes, quite," the first one said. She turned back around. "We apologize for… interrupting."
"It's bonfire night," the second one added, gesturing towards the campfire that Kyoko had inadvertently built into a beacon signal and trailing off meaningfully.
"Moonflower!" The other barked. "Get back over here!"
It was then that Kyoko and Kuon noticed a black cat that had silently made its way over and was now sitting directly in front of Sir Hoppington's travel tank, staring at the frog with its unblinking yellow eyes.
"Sorry about that," the woman said as she scooped up the cat. She rolled her eyes. "You know how they can be. So curious!"
"Mow," said the cat, flicking its ear. It looked meaningfully at Sir Hoppington.
Kuon glanced at his bodyguard, who looked like she was thinking very hard. Kyoko seemed to have some kind of sixth sense for danger, and given that she hadn't moved, the Prince felt reasonably sure that the strangers meant them no harm. But they were definitely odd. They were a good two days of travel away from the nearest village (that Kuon knew of), and the woods were dark and deep and wild. It was a remote enough place that anyone wandering through had to be there for a purpose, and the purpose was probably (at least a little) strange. And yes, Kuon was aware that this applied to him too— but in the Prince's defense, he had been forcibly dragged on this paradoxical search for his True Love by none other than the oblivious object of his affections herself.
Kyoko, who through all of this had been assessing the danger of these newcomers, narrowed her eyes. There was something different about these people, yet somehow… familiar. She didn't like it. But her minions had yet to go on the attack. That meant that they didn't sense a threat from these two. Still, she didn't like the way their cat was eyeing up Sir Hoppington.
"Mrow," the cat said, trying to squirm out of its owner's arms. "Mow!"
Kyoko slipped her wrist out of the prince's hold and pulled on Sir Hoppington's travel tank. There really was something off about these two… maybe, just maybe…?
"Sorry I'm late!" A third voice called out. Kuon turned to see yet another woman who had somehow mysteriously appeared out of the woods and now was gathering around their campfire. Like the other two, she wore a long hooded cloak and held a tall walking stick.
"Hoo," added the owl sitting on her shoulder. "Hoot-hoot hooooo."
"It's not -" one of the first two started to say, before Kyoko cut them off.
"Would you like to join us?" She was smiling invitingly, looking for all the world like she was offering for them to sit down to high tea instead of around a bonfire. "We have snacks!"
"We do?" Kuon asked, surprised. Why would she pack snacks? She always stayed on a strict meal schedule, and he never ate unless forced.
She looked askance at him. "Of course we do." She rummaged in one of their packs for a moment before emerging with candied and dried fruits, along with a tin of cookies. "Here, have a seat, there's plenty to share!"
"Mrow," Moonflower insisted, and hopped out of his owner's arms to twine around Kyoko's ankles.
"I…" the woman hesitated, looking at her companions. They glanced between each other knowingly, before one of them nodded. "Well, if you insist, that would be lovely," said Moonflower's owner. She sat down near the bonfire, and her friends followed suit. She glanced at them, then, as Kyoko turned her back to force Kuon to take a snack ("Even just one, really, you need energy!"), she nodded her head towards Sir Hoppington.
"Ribbit!" he said.
"Oh, of course! I'm sorry." Kyoko set him down and released him from his tank. He stared expectantly at her until she picked him up. When she had finished sharing their treats around and sat down, she placed him on her knee.
The three strangers shared another meaningful look. Moonflower meowed again; the owl hooted in response. Sir Hoppington let out a ribbit, and the three moved away from their people to gossip.
"So," the one that sat down near Kyoko said. "What's your familiar's name?"
"Pardon?" Kyoko asked, blinking at the woman before her. She had long, dark hair that fell in perfect waves that could only be called tresses, thick lashes, and a smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks. In the firelight, the woman's dark eyes sparkled and glittered like starlight. She was undeniably gorgeous, and Kyoko felt a spark of hope. This could be the Prince's True Love!
"That's Blathers," the woman said, gesturing to the owl. "I'm Celeste, by the way." She held out her hand for Kyoko to shake. The bodyguard took it reverently, wondering if she was shaking the hand of the future queen. Perhaps she should kiss it?
"I'm Kyoko. And that," the guard said, gesturing to the prince, "is Pr— Kuon."
"I see," said Celeste, glancing over at the young man briefly.
"He's very handsome, isn't he?" Kyoko asked, looking eagerly at her new acquaintance.
There was only one polite response. "Oh, er— yes, I suppose he is," Celeste replied.
"Yes! And he's very nice, too," Kyoko added, with all the subtlety of a meddling aunt.
"He looks like a very nice young man," Celeste said agreeably.
"May I ask— how old are you?" Kyoko couldn't keep the hopefulness from her face or voice.
Celeste looked back and forth between the young man and the guard's hopeful face, and seemed to understand something. She laughed. "I'm a hundred and seven," she said with a wink. "And while he seems very nice, he's not quite my type."
"Oh," Kyoko said, with poorly concealed disappointment. Perhaps not the Prince's True Love, then. Although the guard didn't quite see how Prince Kuon failed to be anyone's type. If there was anyone who could be considered universally attractive, it was the Prince. But perhaps it was for the best, given the age gap.
Meanwhile, Prince Kuon was having an interesting conversation of his own. He was sitting in between two women who had introduced themselves as Juniper and Fern. The women quickly dispensed with the pleasantries and started peppering him with questions.
"Your friend over there," Fern said in a conspiratorial whisper. "Is she attached?"
"What?" Kuon asked, taken aback by the forwardness of the question.
"You know, does she belong somewhere? Or is she perhaps a free agent? We have open spots, you know, and it's so hard to find the raw talent these days," Juniper added.
"Yes! Quite! I was saying as much to Merriweather the other day, you remember—"
"Yes, yes, I was there you know—"
"It's been a while since my last apprentice," Fern said, a bit wistfully. "I really should see how she's doing."
"You are rather bad at keeping in touch," Juniper admitted, but in a kind way, as she reached for another biscuit.
"Well, I've just been so busy, you know." It was then that Fern seemed to remember there was another person in the conversation. "Oh, right— so, your friend. Is she looking for a spot?"
"I— I hope not," Kuon said at last. He was too overwhelmed by the women's chatter to say anything but the truth. Sitting in the middle of the two of them reminded him of being a young lad, stuck between his two nosy aunts at a family reunion. "I'm hoping that she'll stay with me," Kuon admitted.
"But you're not a warlock," Fern pointed out. "There's no reason for her to stay with you."
Kuon looked (politely) affronted, but Fern was too busy brushing stray crumbs off her lap to see. Juniper, however, noticed and attempted to smooth things over.
"What Fern means," Juniper said hastily, laying an apologetic hand on Kuon's arm and glaring at her friend, "is that there's no reason for her to stay with just you. I mean, surely if you are her friend, you support her gifts… you must want her to learn, and of course she needs proper guidance from a proper teacher, if she is to reach her full potential." Juniper looked over at Kyoko, studying her coolly for a moment before turning back to Kuon. "I would suggest," Juniper added in a low voice, "that you tell your friend to find a mentor other than Fern. She's lovely, of course," Juniper acknowledged, "but Fern's of an age where they tend to get a bit batty, if you catch my meaning…" she trailed off.
"I heard that," Fern groused. "Just wait til you turn two-hundred-fifty, see how much you like it when they try and take your broomstick license—"
"You did crash into that tree—"
"Oh, like you've never had a little too much brew at a meeting before," Fern said with a dismissive wave of the hand. She leaned in closer to Kuon. "We're not trying to take her from you, sonny— no need to fret," the woman patted Kuon's hand. "You'd be welcome to come with her, of course."
Kuon wasn't sure how to respond, as he still was rather unclear on what was being offered. The only thing that was clear was that the women were much more interested in Kyoko than in himself (which Kuon, as someone who was also very much interested in Kyoko, found completely and totally natural). It was also clear to the Prince from the look on the bodyguard's face that Kyoko was waiting for Kuon to kneel down in front of one of them, declare her his True Love, and propose.
Unfortunately, Kyoko was getting the sense that the conversation Kuon was having wasn't quite flowing in a romantic direction. The Prince didn't look smitten by the two women surrounding him— he looked overwhelmed. And not in the 'so overwhelmed by the beauty before me that I must burst out into song or ask a complete stranger to marry me AT ONCE' kind of way. Kyoko turned to the lady beside her again.
"I was wondering," Kyoko ventured cautiously, "you and your… companions? You seem to be very— you have—" The guard couldn't quite find the polite way to ask the nice, friendly, gorgeous, apparently 30 going on 107 woman in front of her what her deal was.
Celeste smiled encouragingly. "Of course! You can feel it, too," the woman said. She readjusted her walking stick, which Kyoko only then just noticed was not actually a walking stick but a broom. "You know, it's so rare to find a fellow Sister these days!"
"I'm not sure…" Kyoko said, flushing a bit under the woman's gaze. "I don't think—"
"You have a very special gift," Celeste said warmly, laying a hand on top of the guard's. Kyoko felt something cool and tingly run up her arm. It was surprising, but not bad. Celeste frowned in concentration. "Oh! Hmm," she said, biting a lip. She looked back up at Kyoko. "No need to be alarmed," she said, giving the guard's hand a comforting pat that made Kyoko feel like she was sitting with a kind grandmother. Which perhaps, if Celeste was 107, she was. "I wish I could tell you more, but unfortunately, it's not my speciality. You'd have to ask Mercuria, I think." Kyoko glanced hopefully over at the two women sitting with the Prince, but Celeste shook her head. "Fern and Juniper are both hedge-witches," Celeste explained. "But you know, Fern's seen quite a lot — perhaps she might know. Fern! Fern, love, could you come over here for a minute?"
Kyoko blinked. Celeste had definitely just said hedge-witches.
"You're witches? Like witch witches?"
Celeste laughed as she gestured for the stunned bodyguard to scoot over on the log to make room for Fern. "Of course! What else would we be? I assure you, I might have wonderful genes, but it takes more than that to be over a hundred and look this good!"
"Surely someone like yourself can't be alarmed at the idea of witches," Fern said, plopping herself down and wasting no time inserting herself into the conversation.
Kyoko wasn't quite sure what they meant by someone like her. People said that to her a lot… a bodyguard? An LME academy graduate? Something else?
"Someone with magic," Celeste supplied. "Someone else with the gift."
Kyoko whirled. "You can READ MINDS?!"
The witch called Fern, who appeared to be a bit older than Celeste, cackled in a friendly but decidedly witchy manner.
"Oh, honey, of course not." She wheezed, wiping tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes. "I don't need to read minds to understand the look on your face." Fern waggled her eyebrows, then gave a very inconspicuous wink and jerked her head in Kuon's direction. "Just like I don't need to read minds to understand what he's thinking about, either — right, Cel?" Fern elbowed her friend in the side, chuckling.
Kyoko lit up. She clasped Fern's hands in both of hers, shaking them up and down as she thanked the witch profusely. She was so glad she'd trusted her minions and invited these wise women to join them. Perhaps they weren't the Prince's True Love, but with the witches help, Kyoko was certain they would find her.
"Wonderful! Perfect!" Kyoko exclaimed. Celeste and Fern exchanged a glance, but Kyoko began to ramble. "Perhaps you can help us? I've done my best to search for her, of course, but I've failed every time. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, but maybe, with the both of you, and your knowledge, you can see what I'm doing wrong!" Kyoko was excited, her eyes practically glowing.
"Wait," Fern said, now much less certain than she'd been a minute ago.
"Or perhaps you have a potion?"
"A potion for what?" Celeste asked.
"For finding True Love!" said the guard excitedly. She didn't bother to keep her volume down. On the other side of the fire, Kuon looked over and caught Fern's amused look.
"There's no such thing as a Love Finding Potion," Fern said, shaking her head at Kyoko. "Especially not for True Love. Even if you asked Venusia, the best you could get might be some sort of locating charm— but they're not very precise." Fern's eyes twinkled. "But if you ask me, dearie, I think you'd be better off trying champagne."
Kyoko blinked. Perhaps she shouldn't have been so dismissive of the King's last-minute additions to their packs after all. Apparently Kuu had been onto something. Still, she was disappointed to know there was no such thing as a Love Finding Potion. Kyoko sighed. That would have been too easy, she supposed. But still, it would have been nice.
"Don't be discouraged," Celeste said. She looked at Kyoko. "We may not have a Love Finding Potion, but I'm getting the feeling that his True Love is much closer than you think."
Fern snorted.
"Really?" Kyoko asked hopefully.
"Oh, yes. Certainly. I can feel that much," Celeste said.
"Do you think you could help me scry for her?" Kyoko asked quickly. "I've tried before, but for some reason it never works! It's like it won't even let me look," Kyoko explained, frustrated. "Nothing happens, it just shows me."
"Shocking," muttered Fern. The old witch shot Kuon a sympathetic look.
"Are you sure you don't want to join our coven?" Celeste offered, looking at the dejected bodyguard. "You're quite young, and very gifted — we could make a proper witch of you, yet!"
Kyoko shook her head. She appreciated the offer, but duty meant she must decline. She was honor bound to protect the Prince and to find his True Love. And even if she hadn't been bound by her sworn oath as his bodyguard, Kyoko wasn't about to abandon Prince Kuon for her new friends. Even if the new friends were three delightfully meddlesome, magical ladies. Perhaps, Kyoko thought, if she hadn't ever gone to the palace, she might have been tempted. But her mind was made up — she was staying with Kuon. At least, until she found the person that could stay by the Prince's side for good and make him happy. Kyoko felt a pang in her chest.
The witches took Kyoko's declining of their coven offer very graciously, and happily agreed to stay for supper. The familiars, who had been off having a conversation of their own, rejoined the group by the fire. Moonflower jumped into Kuon's lap. Kyoko busied herself with making soup and toasting some flat bread for dinner. She insisted to the guests that she needed no help with cooking, for which Kuon was grateful. The Prince was certain that the witches meant well, but he had no desire to try their cooking. While Kyoko tended the cookpot, Fern and Celeste sat together and listened as Sir Hoppington jumped into Fern's palm and rapidly let out a series of croaks. Every so often the frog would pause and turn to the owl perched on Celeste's shoulder, who would translate into a series of hoots that both witches listened to with fascination and the occasional interject.
"Well," Fern said emphatically, when the familiars seemed to finish. The witch glanced between the two young people. "I certainly can understand how you feel."
"CROAK!"
"Hooo-hoot!" Blathers translated.
Celeste nodded to herself. Kuon looked at his frog knight, then back at the witches.
"I don't suppose anyone's going to fill me in on what's going on?" The prince asked, somewhat plaintively.
"Shush," Fern said, waving a hand in Kuon's direction.
"Ribbit-rib rib-ribbit roob croak!"
"Hoo-hoot hooo hoot-hoot hoot!"
Celeste sat back and nodded to herself.
"Thank you, dearie," Fern said, accepting a bowl of soup and a small loaf from Kyoko.
"Your familiar is quite remarkable," Celeste added, gesturing to Sir Hoppington. "Blathers here tells me you haven't been together for long, but your bond is quite extraordinary. And I must say, that travel tank is quite something — I can think of several of our acquaintances who would be interested," she added, eyeing Sir Hoppington's bag enviously.
"Sir Hoppington is the smartest frog you'll ever meet!" Kyoko said proudly.
"He seems quite observant," Fern said dryly. "As opposed to a rather oblivious someone."
Kyoko lit up, nearly spilling her own soup bowl all over her lap. "My best friend said the same thing!" Kyoko looked at Kuon eagerly. "You remember, right? Moko said that the Prince's True Love was cursed with obliviousness! Moko is the smartest person in the world— I knew she was right!" Kyoko said fondly. Then, realizing the implications, she sighed. Clearly the Prince's True Love was incredibly dense.
Fern, Celeste, and Juniper exchanged a brief glance. In sync, they all turned to stare pointedly at Kuon. The Prince gave a helpless shrug in response.
Naturally, Kyoko — who was still pouting into her soup over this piece of information — missed this whole exchange.
"True Love," Fern tutted. "I'm not saying it's not worth it, mind you— but it can be such a headache."
"She's definitely worth it," Kuon said immediately.
Under her breath, Kyoko grumbled, "She'd better be."
Celeste dropped her spoon. Juniper, who had attempted to stifle a laugh with her soup, nearly choked. Fern, of course, made no attempt to conceal her mirth and cackled.
Sir Hoppington gave a loud croak, before deciding he could take no more of this two-legger nonsense and retired to his tank for the night.