POV Narrator:
The year 2005 was coming to an end and the relationship between Croix and Chariot was starting there, as a friendship between the two girls, considering that in that year Meridies was very shy and Du Nord was just a little bit slow besides being a bit clumsy and without knowledge for these matters. In the middle of this some events happened, in the broom relay Croix won, but only by a little bit and she felt bad when she saw that they sabotaged Chariot's race that she could win in her first year, so much that she showed that she was not happy at all in the picture of the winners of that year, but in the Samhaim festival Du Nord shone and she could win with a wonderful presentation, although she showed that she was very clumsy,
Chariot was very far from the potential that Croix had in relation to magic, she was not someone who could do the spells very well and for that she even caused some explosions and arrests for the bad use of magic, since she stayed some years without practicing with Laura to perfect and to focus more in the artistic side for the career that she so much dreamed in one day being a stage witch entertainer, what in this she even managed to be good, showing that she was very free with the body and while she danced, besides knowing how to make good choreographies improvising, but that was not well seen by the teachers, unlike Croix, Chariot was the student that nobody liked and they always tried to move away, but with the presence of Meridies it was where she was shining and it was with that where she was starting to have more improvements, besides the visit that they made to the polaris fountain.
2006 starts, a new year, with more events, which was not very positive for Meridies reputation that was losing the reputation she had in the academy of witchcraft, much of this by helping Chariot, they started to provoke thinking that they were a couple and this reactivated the homophobic feelings of the teacher Finnelan that was starting to treat the witch with more disrespect and this was the point where the Italian was starting to feel the prejudice again, things would get much worse from now on in Luna Nova.
Croix remembers the advices that Woodward gave her and that was when she started to be more herself and to demonstrate what she wanted so much, which in this case would be the mixture of magic and technology, which was very much denied by all the teachers, even considering those inventions a sacrilege and with that the reputation that Meridies built was slowly fading, but she didn't care as she saw that Chariot was with her in this and also Laura, becoming more full of herself and confident that one day she could be the chosen witch. It was during this time that Croix started taking Du Nord also to Arcturus where they tried to see Woodward a few times, slowly managing to get some advice from the spirit of the witch.
The summer came and the two were able to graduate, having a great improvement when working together for this, Croix was already very prodigious, which facilitated a lot, while Chariot slowly walked towards improvement. This was well demonstrated when the broom relay of 2006 arrived, in this one Du Nord consecrated champion and this time managing to win the race even sabotaged, what made the whole academy of witchcraft swallow the words that spoke about her, besides the French woman became a more virtuous person, helping more the people around, mainly the citizens of Glastobury, this impressed Croix even more, but a day was to come.
Saturday 28 October 2006, Luna Nova
Croix and Chariot were already quite friends, what Meridies was doing was holding back the feelings she had for Du Nord, trying to avoid expressing herself about it, in that time they were going to Arcturus a lot where they had extra magic classes with Woodward, the day of the chosen one was getting closer and closer, the Italian was motivated and confident, she was sure that Woodward would choose her to carry the Claiomh Solais, since according to what she had been hearing from the witch, she thought she was doing the right thing to be the chosen one.
POV Croix:
I walk to Chariot's room, today we're going to pay another visit to the tower of Arcturus, who knows we'll finally get to Claiomh Solais, I get to the door of her room, I knock a few times and wait for her to open it, she jumps for a hug and I'm surprised by a sudden touch of lips, and then we pull away.
"Croix! So what's today's adventure going to be?" she asks and I blush, still feeling the touch of lips.
"Eh... Today we... We're going to... The tower of Arcturus, another day with Woodward learning new things" I tell her half blushing.
"What's wrong Croix? So nervous, she looks tense" She said after giving me a kiss and there's no way she couldn't be, I touched Chariot's lips with mine.
"It's a silly thing of mine, gee you look pretty today" I say trying to get away from the subject.
"I'm in my pyjamas Croix, my hair is still a nest, I'm just going to change and in a bit we'll go out" She said entering the room and pushing me into the room to wait, the good thing is that her two friends are not here.
Chariot starts taking off her pyjamas in front of me, I turn my face away in embarrassment and she notices it, it's always this thing, she changing in front of me with all the comfort of the world, although she also does it when the others are here, but I'm a bit embarrassed, mainly because I'm very different from her with these things.
"Why all this Croix? We're all girls" She said and that silly girl has no idea.
"I know, but I get kind of embarrassed and I'm not..." She just covers my mouth with her finger and I try to avoid looking at her bra but it's so mesmerizing.
"Laura has told me for ages that you're a different kind of girl, but that's not something to be bothered about, you're still one and a pretty cute one at that, I have to admit, but that's okay I know it always stays that way" she said as she went back to change.
I just turned my face and she even smiled when I did that, when she finally finished putting the clothes on she put the Luna Nova uniform for the ceremonies as well as I am and together we were getting the brooms, we were going towards the Arcturus tower, I can't wait for what's ahead.
When we get close there's a strange glow at the root, so we decided to go towards the glow instead of reaching the tower, we decided to go lower.
"That's strange... That glow is all suspicious" Chariot said.
"I say the same, there must be something very strange around here, but let's see what you have more precisely, I'll go ahead" She agrees with her head.
I'm more apprehensive, a bit defensive, not taking many risks, Chariot also stays in the same position, until I decide to go to where the light is, with my arm in front of me and when we pass we arrive in a dark place, as if we were in the tree, but it's strange to be inside it, it's as if I had never passed through here, I even look around, how strange.
"What is it?" asks Du Nord.
"I'm confused too, it's like a new place, it's huge in here" I say scared until suddenly Woodward simply appears in front of us, which gives me a nice scare with her presence here.
She started appearing all shiny, more than the normal inside the tree, we were even admiring her, because it seemed that she was real at that point, so much that she stopped being huge to become our size, with her arms wide open she comes down and comes to us both, I'm in shock to see her like that, it's as if she were flesh and blood.
"You both have come very far, but my teaching journey to prepare you for that which your destiny is determined comes to an end, I have already determined who will be the witch that will carry the Claiomh Solais, but let it be very clear that even with the chosen one it is for sure that only a teamwork that will work well for all the words to be discovered, just as it was with all the other chosen ones that came before you" Woodward said.
I get very anxious, we will finally be the chosen ones, Chariot and I open our arms, Woodward is walking towards us very slowly, she goes first to the Du Nord, which I am finding very strange, she is putting her hand in front of her, a beam of light is coming out, it can't be... She's going to be the chosen one and I'm going to be left out, is that right? I hope it's just a silly thing.
The glow dissipates and it wasn't, Claiomh went into Chariot's hands, but her... Just her, I deserved that, I should be the one chosen for the staff and not her, that's unfair, that can't be real, why her and not me, why... Because... Ahhhh, I've struggled a whole life and Woodward does this for me, next thing Woodward comes to me, she expects me to do something, what I do is push her away.
"What's that Croix?" She said shocked.
"I trusted you Woodward, I did everything to be the chosen one and you do this to me? You chose her!" I say devastated and she looks at me with a frown, then disappears, quite cold.
I am furious, I try to go to her, I extend my hand, but nothing, all I really see is that look, my look of fury has become one of frustration and despair, I can't believe I didn't make it, after all I did to be the best, now she does this to me? By the nine witches, I look back and see that Chariot was half shocked by everything.
"Croix? Are you all right?" she asks and I walk towards her.
"How? How did they choose you? I've been waiting my whole life for this moment, I've dedicated myself Chariot, I was motivated to replace Laura in being chosen... You've ruined everything! You... I can't believe I got stabbed in the back like that!" I say furiously to Chariot who was starting to tear up.
"I had no choice, don't blame me, I just did everything you asked me to do, you can take it, it's yours..." She said giving me the staff already crying.
I'm even shocked by Du Nord's gesture, it's really noble of her to do that, to stop being the chosen one so that I could be in her place in this, I'm going to try to see what's going to happen, I touch it with my finger and it feels like something like a shock, so it must be the power of Claiomh Solais, but when I touch the whole hand I end up being electrocuted, what? What do you mean, I go trying again and the effect is exactly the same, it continues to be a shock, I go trying to pull it out of Chariot's hand, she even lets go, but the shock continues, I'm already frying, so much that I let go of the staff and sit on the floor crying.
"Croix..." Said the one who was chosen in my place all worried.
"Because... Because... Because... Because..." I say indignant at all this and even look at Chariot's face, she was tearful.
"I didn't want to be the chosen one Croix, I couldn't choose, I swear it's not my fault" She gives me her hand I stand up leaning on her, I see those red eyes, which brings up an anger as I look at the staff.
"Why you? Why not me? What did I do to not be chosen, I have worked hard for years and dedicated years of my life for this, I who should be doing the witches revolution, what did you do to deserve that I did not do!" I say holding Chariot by the collar and watching her freaking out so much I let go.
I start to put my hand to my troubled head, I don't know what to think about this anymore, I honestly don't know how to go on, I just go for my broom next, I see that Chariot touched my shoulder but I pushed her back with an elbow, I saw her falling to the ground and I'm flying out of there.
"Croix..." Those were the last words I heard from her.
I'm having my mind destroyed now, I'm trying to walk forward, to get to Luna Nova, I go to my room, where when I get there I throw myself on the bed with my head all collapsed, I put my face on the pillow and start to cry, I'm deeply devastated, I don't understand why she was the chosen one and I wasn't, just her...
Damned Woodward, I did everything to be the chosen one, now the staff is in the hands of a child who will see it as a toy and not serious thing, I am widely disgusted by all this, seriously, how could they have allowed something like this, the world of magic will live in crisis because of all this, it is not diminishing Chariot, it is that Claiomh Solais something serious.
POV Narrator:
For a long time Chariot and Croix didn't speak more, Meridies simply avoided any contact with Du Nord, getting quarrelled for practically three months, while Du Nord alone was trying to show that she had the potential, when she could find the words until quickly, a lot due Laura's help, arriving until in a time that the difference of a word to another was of a week only, What was impressing Meridies that was discovering that her friend exceeded the expectations when looking for word for word, and this talent also reflected in the way they were more impressed by the street presentations of Chariot, where she was called by her manager Alan to start performing in small stages.
2007 started and Croix was still kind of fighting with Chariot and she was creating a very strong envy for her friend, mainly because Laura always emphasized how Du Nord managed to find five words of Claiomh Solais in 3 months, being much faster than the previous chosen one, But this is due to the fact that the French girl dedicated herself to the maximum to Claiomh Solais, it was her focus to find and understand all the potential of the staff, so much that she was getting attention for her presentations and little by little earning some money, but in this time Chariot had been dealing with a manager that was very abusive to her.
Friday 19 January 2007, Luna Nova
Chariot went to the enormous tree of Wagandea, where the buds had already blossomed a while ago, she would dedicate herself to find one more word and she found this dedication when Laura told her that there is a tree that no witch climbed, Chariot's stubbornness spoke louder, she went to this tree to climb it.
In this Laura appears to warn Croix about what happened and in that moment Meridies was not paying much attention to what happened with Du Nord, since after she was chosen things got worse in their relationship.
POV Croix:
Now everything is ready, one more machine of mine prepared, now the roombas reached the perfection, it is possible to fly without spending so much magic and still has a load in case it finishes, this is genial, I perfected one more model of my roombas, they will fly in the best possible way, I am without a doubt genial, when finishing I leave it in a table and I am surprised by Laura entering in the window of the room.
"What is it Laura?" I ask her.
"Quick Croix go to Wagandea, help Chariot, she might die" She said quite desperate.
"She screws up and I have to run after her..." By the time my mum shows up, I didn't know she came with April.
"Croix Meridies Jordan! Where did your humanity go!" Said April holding me by the arms now making a press with me, I was really shocked by her presence.
"Did you bring her?" I ask Laura.
"Did you bring 'er? No girl I came on my own, I hear from Chariot and Laura 'ow it's getting worse just for not being chosen, wake up a bit Croix, it's not going to be de end of de world because Woodward dedn't choose you" Mrs Jordan said and I never got a telling off from her like that before.
"Mum... You know Claiomh Solais is important, not just a shiny scepter as she loves to call it, a real witch and..." She puts her finger in my mouth until.
"Croix, look at de way you are talking, dink about de way you are acting, you are equaling those people you hate, do I need to remind you dat Laura was not de most fucking awesome witch in the world? Bernadette was evidently de ideal witch by your logic and de one who was chosen was Laura and do you dink Laura's wife stayed dere moping like you? No, dey both worked together... By de way, look at you, do you really dink dat you could achieve Chariot's feat? She reached Laura in three months, she reached de previous chosen one, you 'ave to be too blind not to see de potential, she not only knows de words, it is a matter of she understands de meaning of everything, now get off your ass and go save your friend" She said letting me go and I really felt the power of the words.
"Okay mum..." She turns my face to look in those pairs of purple amethysts, really she wants me to understand her.
"It's not ok mum, don't do dis because I'm telling you to, do dis because you have empathy and humanity, look at de cruelty you 'ave put yourself, if Chariot loses 'er life?" She said and I was still left with that hammering in my head.
"Danks for turning up April" Laura said and I went pale, I grabbed my broom and I need to save her.
"Dank you, I can't believe my Croix got like dat" said my mother and I'm going out the window.
Chariot, please don't die until I arrive, I go starting to fly to Wagandea, I go full speed, I see that Chariot was climbing manually, she wasn't flying with the broom, less bad, she didn't try to do that with the broom so it would be risky, she was with the staff at her waist and I went to reach her who stopped climbing to support herself and look at me.
"Croix, what are you doing here?" I ask her.
"What are you doing here! You could die! Wagandea's tree doesn't have a top, you'll be climbing for eternity" I tell her who just ignores me.
"Now you know everything and you want to get in my way? Three months ignoring me because of a staff and you want me not to be able to advance, you're going to hinder me, isn't it already enough that everything
happened? Croix I had a real friendship for you, I was falling in love!" She said to the point where I froze and was even more shocked.
"I..." I say half-heartedly.
"You were already mocked for being who I am, you started hanging around with those people who make fun of me, on top of that you ignored me when they humiliated me, you were worse than those girls, even teacher Finnelan started to respect you again, you know that if that woman respects someone it's because she's a tremendous red flag, don't you understand?" She said giving me the biggest scolding.
"I realised that, I don't want to be that person anymore, please Chariot, give your hand to me, you will not reach the top of Wagandea" I tell her who ignores and continues to climb.
I try to follow her, she keeps going up, I look at her worried, I don't want her to fall, I don't want her to suffer anything, I follow her as far as I can, I am sure she will give up at some point, I hope so, she stops again and looks at me furious.
"Would you please stop following me?" she said.
"I'm not going to stop staying by your side now, I'm not going to let you fall, until you leave I won't leave" I say to her who even hits the trunk of the tree.
"I'm not giving up" She said and turned her face away.
The stubbornness spoke louder, she was continuing to climb quickly, until it became more intense, I was watching everything, she going from branch to branch I on the side watching her who was trying to ignore me as can, until she stepped in false on a branch that ended up breaking and she leaned on another starting to slip, but I could save her from a fall taking her by the arm, which led her to a much thicker branch above where we stood and she looked very angry.
"Ahhhhhhhhh, why did you do that Croix? The legend said that the witch who climbed this with her own strength would receive a great reward, don't you realise you've ruined it again? Satisfied with that" she said, walking towards me and starting to push me.
"Chariot, I didn't mean to..." I say half feeling bad.
"You must have weakened that branch on purpose, you always being a toxic manipulator who wants everything to your liking, now I do" On the spot I push back angrily.
"Oh yeah, now I'm the one who's angry, it's one thing to call me everything and I can take it, but telling lies about me I don't accept, you're the one who's careless as always, Woodward must have been defective when he chose you" I shout back at her who hits me with a punch right in my face that catches my nose, it was too strong.
"That's why you weren't chosen! You are a selfish person who only thinks about yourself, you don't think about your fellow man, Woodward saw that in you, it's all always Me, me, me, but it's never about the greater good, do you think I wanted to be chosen? Do you think I wanted to have lost the friendship with someone I love? Of course not! I didn't choose any of this and you keep throwing it in my face" She said and I went still trying to defend myself.
"You didn't make the least effort compared to me, I deserved to be the chosen one, it's not a matter of me being the best, it's a matter of you being nothing but a dancer and that's all, you don't dedicate yourself to be a real witch, if you did you wouldn't be being called a..." She punches me again and this time it was strong enough to stun me, my nose was already bleeding and I walk a little dizzy, to the point that I slip on the branch and fall, well I think I deserve it after that.
"Croix!" Said Chariot despairingly.
I look up seeing my fall, I think I'm going to be the one to fall here, I hope I understood things, well at least I'm useless for all this, I'm not a person she can trust, I see that Chariot suddenly transported herself in front of me, she takes my arm and I slow down as I see my broom falling on the ground.
She puts me on the broom and I get a little confused, until I get down there and I see her kind of crying, we were kind of in the middle of the forest, I take her face.
"Thank you..." Those are just the only words I can say and she seems to have had something that made her head light up.
"That was it" She said changing her expression.
"What?" She picked up her staff and stood up.
"Lyonne!" At that moment some lights pass between us, I go feeling the pain from my bleeding nose ease, as well as the one from the punch I was punched in the face, it's like a healing, I see that Chariot was getting a more emotional expression.
So that's the power of Claiomh Solais? Is that what the great staff can do? Interesting... Chariot, I'm really sorry for who I was these last few days, I lost my humanity, I shouldn't be treating you like this, I promise I'll help you with whatever it takes - I tell her passing my hand over her face and she looks back at me crying.
"Croix... It's good to see you back, I've missed you" she said emotionally and I'm getting up.
"You know... I was also kind of in love with you, but I was afraid to show it, I ended up being too commanded by envy, but I'll do my best to work with you to change the world" I said to her.
Our faces are getting closer and closer, quite a lot, to the point that I feel her breathing, what comes next a kiss well given in her mouth, with right to much love, a sensation that I am being healed all inside, the Chariot and the love, it's as if we were one, all this will give me a huge relief, when we separate from the kiss we look at each other very deeply.
"I love you Chariot" I tell her smiling.
"I love you too Croix" she said hugging me.
"I promise I will do everything to make you feel better and I will come to all your performances" I say all happy.
"I will also help you with whatever you are going to do" She said stroking my head.
"Now let's go to the bedroom, this place is a bit chilly for both of us to kiss" I tell her who then looks at me with a bit of a mischievous look.
"I have a better place, it's not as hot as the bedroom, but you can leave a little warm" I blush at the time and she seems to be thirsty as she looks at me.
A good few hours later in the tower of Arcturus, the two were getting dressed, looking at each othermore romantically...
"What was that? Did we really do this thing in the tower of Arcturus? A sacred place like that?" I say, shocked.
"Because our love is sacred Croix, tell me you don't like it, by the way you looked when I put my hand here it looks like you loved it" She got it right down there and I'm still a little sensitive here.
"Chariot..." I say half groaning.
"You're a cutie, now we're really going back, or they'll miss us hahaha, what do you say we play a 64 in my room?"She said in my ear.
"I hope the 64 is really the video game and not a code for other things" I say half shocked.
"What thing love?" she said teasingly.
"I would have sworn you were a silly little innocent, you really surprised me" I tell her who keeps laughing.
"I don't know that much about these things, I just went for what I thought I could do, I know that making love is when we get undressed and pass our hands or other places through our bodies, that's all, so I made sure to do it, but anyway, we just won't tell anyone, not even about our dating, you know how Finnelan is with these things" She said touching my nose and I even gave a little laugh.
POV Narrator:
The necessary push for Croix to take notion was given, from that moment on the couple was blossoming, but the last word didn't come, both Laura didn't know and Woodward didn't reveal more, what needed a lot of teamwork from both of them to try in some way to get close, but that was the least of the worries for both, since they started to focus on getting along better since they had been through a lot in these last 3 months.
In Luna Nova, Croix despite being dating Chariot still kept half away from his girlfriend to avoid thinking about other things, which was also being another plan that Laura and April would talk to Meridies about the boss, since they could be closer than ever to meeting him, but for that Chariot wouldn't get to know about what went on under the curtains, only when the time came.
Croix went on to tell Chariot only that she would pretend to be behaving the way the witches want her to be in that time until graduation so that she could provoke more attention and get the boss somehow to be revealed due to Croix, which Du Nord even understood that intention, but then she was clueless about the rest.
In the middle of these days Chariot's career was having an ascension but after the spring it was giving a fall, because Alan didn't want to spend so much with effects and more elaborated stages, he saw himself in only doing that in case Chariot accepted conditions that she refused to accept for being very intimate besides she was dating Croix, This caused Alan to lose patience and to start doing low budget performances. It was at this point that Croix started to intervene to stop this and she would get more involved with the future performances that would come from Shiny Chariot.
See you, chosen witch...