Abigail hauled out her white dress from the depths of the closet. Fortunately, and surprisingly, it still fit. Had it not, she'd be stuck wearing Marnie's old dress, with its poofy sleeves and copious ruffles and giant bow on the butt, all in satin so shiny that the other villagers could have seen themselves cringe in its reflection. Her dress wasn't perfect, but it was inconspicuous for a Flower Dance dress and it fit, so she threw it on.
"You look beautiful, honey!" Caroline cooed from the hallway. "But...are you really going to wear black combat boots?"
"It's that or gray sneakers, Mom," Abigail said. "I haven't had time to go shopping."
"You've been home for a week."
"I got home on Tuesday evening. Wednesday and Thursday, I put Charms of Protection and Hexes of Repulsion down on the people and the house. Friday, I was in the mines half the day and studying half the day. Saturday was my test with the Enchanters Tribunal. Sunday I slept all day because of the test. Yesterday I studied and did the tax form for the store. I haven't had time to go shopping," she said again.
Caroline stepped back. "Well...you're right." She paused for a second to gather her thoughts. "What about Emily? Doesn't she wear your shoe size? She might have an extra pair of heels."
Abigail was just about to shoot back a snarky retort. Instead, she bit her lip and nodded. "That's true...she might. I'm heading over there, I'll see what she has."
"Thanks, honey. I just want you to look your best."
"I know. See ya at the dance." Abigail left and headed toward Emily's house, with no intention of actually wearing high heels. Emily, always on the outer fringes of fashion, had white combat boots. Abigail had a bolt of sultry red cloth to offer her, to make the deal a little sweeter in case Emily was planning on wearing the boots herself.
The mood at the Flower Dance was tense and electric, full of whispers and giggles and blushing. The rumors had been flying for weeks, as they always did. Who would dance with who? Who would ask? Who would be turned down? Would this be the year that Maru finally asked Penny to dance? Who would the farmer ask to dance? Would Elliott and Leah finally do more than dance this year?
Abigail happily walked across the bridge, having scored Emily's white boots for the day. She stopped at the shop booth and said hello to her father, found Marnie and thanked her for offering her old dress, then found Sebastian and Sam.
Sam ran up to her, glomped her in a hug, and swung her around. "Abigail! I'm so glad you made it!"
"Me too! This is gonna sound weird, but I missed it last year!" She squeezed him and tousled his hair.
"We missed you last year!"
Abigail let go of Sam and walked up to Sebastian. The hug she gave him was softer and slower, coupled with a whisper in his ear instead of the yelling she was doing with Sam. "I'm glad you're here, Sebastian."
"I had no choice," he whispered back, "But now, I'm glad I'm here too."
Abigail stepped back, still holding Sebastian's hand, and waved Sam over. She took Sam's hand as well, and bowed her head.
"Are we praying?" Sam asked.
"Nope. Just stay quiet." With that, Abigail softly whispered the Charm of Protection. She felt heat and energy leaving her body as the charm was cast.
"Woah!" Sam laughed. He dropped Abigail's hand. "I just got really hot all of a sudden!"
"I put a Charm of Protection on you guys. It protects you from magical attacks. You're not completely immune, so don't do anything stupid."
"Why?" Sam asked.
"Why did I do it? Or why shouldn't you do anything stupid?"
"Yeah," Sam laughed. "Both."
"The witch has made it clear that she wants to hurt me. We've seen before that she'll hurt the people around me, to get to me. So, I'm doing what I can to protect you guys. And don't do anything stupid because you're not completely immune to magic. You have no extra protection against anything else, either." She paused, suddenly aware that she was still holding Sebastian's hand. She hoped that her makeup would hide the flush spreading across her cheeks, but didn't feel too optimistic about it. "Look. Hopefully I did this for no good reason, and nothing will happen today. But I want you to be protected, just in case."
"Thanks." Sam gave her a goofy smile. "So you're not gonna dance with me?"
There was no way to hide her blushing now. "That's flattering...but I'm gonna have to say no. Sorry."
Sam giggled. "Thought so. Not even mad!"
"Will you dance with me, then?" Sebastian asked. "Please?" His voice was soft, even softer than usual. "I thought I was hoping to stay out of it, but that was when I wasn't sure if you'd show up, and-"
"Of course! I was just about to ask you the same thing."
"Oh! Thank you." He squeezed her hand.
The scramble for partners continued. Maru asked Penny to dance, so she promised Sam a dance next year. Before Harvey had a chance to feel bad about losing his usual partner, the farmer had asked him to dance. It was obvious that Leah and Elliott would dance together; they'd already started, waltzing around the dance floor to the music on the loudspeaker.
"Attention, please!" The mayor had grabbed a microphone, and stood in the middle of the floor. "The Flower Dance is about to begin. Please line up with your partners; men-I mean, those dancing the leading part," he said, giving Maru a sideways look, "on the south side of the dance floor. Those dancing the following part, line up on the north side." Abigail lined up. She looked up just in time to see Sam and Vincent lining up off the south side of the dance floor, across from Jas on the north side. Sam was teaching Vincent the steps.
The mayor stepped back, nudging between Emily and Haley to get off the floor. "Remember your cues, and happy dancing!" The music started.
Abigail came to the embarrassing realization that she hadn't practiced the dance in two years. "Five, six, seven, eight, step, step," she mumbled to herself, hoping she'd remember that finicky part in the middle, glancing over to make sure she was in sync with Penny beside her.
She heard that ominous cackle in the air. It was the witch, in broad daylight! Judging by their reactions, the other dancers heard it, too.
Twin beams of void energy knocked Sam and Sebastian down. The witch swooped low toward Abigail. Abigail ducked, reached up, and grabbed the witch's leg, causing her to fall from her broom.
The music stopped. The dancers ran, with the exception of Sam and Sebastian, who were groggily trying to sit up. Abigail held the witch down by her shoulders. She had a decision to make. She could cast a Hex of Binding. She could cast a Transformation Hex. She could call out across the forest for her magical mentor's help.
Instead, she punched the witch in the jaw. "How dare you!" Abigail yelled.
The witch yelped in pain.
"You should be ashamed of yourself! You could have hit a child with that Void Beam!"
"Oh, you mean other than those two?" She gestured toward Sam and Sebastian. Sebastian was on his knees, but they were both still moving slowly and stiffly.
Abigail turned to look. The witch disappeared from under Abigail, leaving her to fall on her hands and knees. In an instant, the witch was back on her broom, floating above the festival, shooting fireballs into the nearby trees.
"NO! Guys, knock her down!" Abigail scrambled to her feet. She stood her ground and crossed her arms in front of her chest, whispering a spell to heal her friends. As soon as she felt the spell leave her body, she sprinted toward Pierre's booth.
Sebastian sprang to his feet. He grabbed a rock from the ground and hurled it as hard as he could, right at the witch. He only got the tail end of the broom, but that was enough. She spiraled out of control and headed for the ground. Sam grabbed the broom by the bristles and pulled it out from under the witch, who fell flat on her face on the dance floor.
Abigail ran full tilt toward the floor, yelling at the top of her lungs, with a Rarecrow slung over her shoulder. She slammed it down on the witch, right between the shoulder blades.
"AUGH!" The witch screamed and squirmed. "You have no honor…" Abigail couldn't see her face, but she could hear the sneer in the witch's voice.
"Don't talk to me about honor!" Abigail's voice was practically a roar. "You're the one lighting the forest on fire! You're the one shooting Void Beams at non-magical people! You're the one trying to lay waste to me and my town for no other reason than a grudge against Rasmodius!"
The witch whimpered.
"Calling you dishonorable would be an insult to thieves and liars and cowards!" Abigail stepped on the witch's back. She caught Sam and Sebastian's eyes, then gestured toward the witch's broom. "You are petty! And evil! And..." She took a deep breath, then let out a barrage of raunchy insults in the language of the Shadow People. Caroline had to stifle a laugh.
Sam held the witch's broom at an angle. Sebastian stomped it, breaking it in half with a jagged edge. Sam took the top piece, ran a few steps, then hurled it at a flaming tree. Sebastian grabbed the end with the bristles. They were tied with a length of twine, which he used his pocketknife to cut.
The witch squirmed under Abigail's boot.
"Do not move!" Abigail dug in her heel. She waved to Sebastian and gestured toward the Wizard's tower. Sebastian took off running.
He didn't have to run far. Rasmodius appeared in a flash of light before him. "Yoba, what the-"
"Good show," Rasmodius mumbled, scooting Sebastian out of the way. He jogged over to the witch.
She reached out a hand to curse the Wizard. Abigail stepped on that hand, causing the witch to cry out in pain.
Rasmodius calmly and silently encased the witch in what looked like a glassy crystal. He took both of Abigail's hands. "Abigail, let's summon the Water Elemental."
She nodded. In unison, they began to chant. Clouds formed over the forest.
The chant continued. The clouds grew heavy and dark. As Abigail and Rasmodius raised their voices, the clouds let loose a deluge of rain. It doused the fires.
Not only that, it destroyed the loudspeakers with a sickening electrical buzz and a puff of gray smoke. It ruined the girls' perfect coifs, muddied white dresses and shoes, and turned Sam's spikes into a floppy mess.
Once the last tree stopped smoldering, the rain let up.
"Well done!" Rasmodius took a step back, admiring the flooded river.
"What's next for her?" Abigail asked, gesturing toward the witch.
"She stays like that. She will be frozen in exactly the state I found her, until I release her, most likely under the orders of the Enchanters Tribunal."
"Oh, Yoba, even the pain?" Abigail cringed.
"She can be healed through the crystal, but she cannot move-"
Abigail had already bowed her head and crossed her arms. She was casting a healing spell. As the magic left her body, Abigail fell to her knees. The crystal glowed quickly, then stopped.
"Dear!" Rasmodius helped Abigail to her feet and handed her a bottle of potion. "Why did you do that?"
Abigail downed the bottle in one swig. "'Cause I just hauled off and beat the hell out of her…?" She shrugged apologetically. "I don't want her to suffer, I just want her to stop being a threat."
"Spoken like a good witch," he said. "I was about to do the same. An old grudge is no reason to allow someone to suffer. And while her crime was heinous, being locked away with no movement or freedom to speak of is punishment enough."
"Abigail!" Mayor Lewis was stomping back over the bridge, soaking wet and looking angry. "What just happened? What is the meaning of all this?"
Abigail shrugged. "Which part do you need explained? Witch attacked. I defended. Witch started fires, Sam and Seb knocked her off her broom. I stopped her and held her down, Rasmodius immobilized her, we put out the fires."
"What did you do to provoke her?"
"Got trained by Rasmodius. She has a grudge against him."
"Why did you make that rainstorm? It flooded the river! It ruined my equipment!"
"We summoned the Water Elemental to put out the fires. Not even Rasmodius can just make fire disappear."
"Why did you beat her so brutally?"
Abigail laughed out loud, mostly out of shock. "Okay, did you see those beams that she shot at Sam and Seb? Those were Void Beams. Those can kill people. I'd put a Charm of Protection on the guys earlier, but she didn't know that. She attacked them, and nearly missed Vincent, with an attack specifically used to kill people!" Her voice became louder and more shrill, to the point that she was nearly screaming. Rasmodius put a hand on her shoulder.
Lewis fidgeted. "Oh. I thought they just...knocked Sam and Sebastian over."
"Your eyes do not deceive you, sir," Rasmodius said. "We're very fortunate that the Void Beams didn't kill them. Since Abigail had protected Sam and Sebastian, the Void Beams only knocked them to the ground and drastically slowed them down. Based on the spell she used, it seems that the witch's intent was to kill Sam and Sebastian. And since she lit fires after returning to her broom, we can safely say that she did not care who or what she endangered after that. While Abigail's methods were unexpected and honestly uncouth, she prevented the loss of life-and possibly the loss of the entire town. Do you understand now?"
"Yes, sir," Lewis said quietly. "Thank you for explaining. I can only hope that acts of magic are covered by my insurance policy."
"Oh come on!" Sam laughed. "If you really need an amp and some speakers that badly, like, if insurance won't cover them, just borrow mine next year! I'll hook you up!"
Lewis nodded.
"By the way," Sam asked, "When's Abigail getting her Stardew Hero Award?"
"Talk to me after I wring out my underwear," Lewis grumbled. He walked off.
Sam, Sebastian, and Abigail dissolved into giggles. Rasmodius pressed his lips together and looked down, trying to stifle his own laughter.