Hello birberoonie,
Of the three prompts you had given, I have chosen the third one, but I have tweaked a lot and mishmashed it with royalty+fantasy+plotless+fluff and things you like ASL and sibling relationship with Baby5. I hope you like it. In case you don't remember your prompts, I have added them here. Sorry for the typos and errors. I hope you like this fic. And let's become friends in future! Shishishi!
-royalty au: Law is stuck in a time loop where he is trying to take back the throne from Doflamingo in the kingdom of Dressrosa, but in each loop he seems to be getting it wrong. This try, however, he notices something out of the timeline, a man who goes by the name Luffy. Luffy claims to know how to bring Doflamingo down, and has been watching Law for a while now. Why is he offering his help? Simple, he thinks Law is cute.
-modern au: Law wants to ask Luffy to prom, but underestimates how many friends Luffy seems to have. Every time he tries, they get interrupted by someone who Luffy knows. Que operation help Law get a date, hosted by Bonney and xDrake!
Prompt chosen: Fantasy au: Luffy has heard the rumours of a mysterious witch who lives in the Dark(tm) woods, but he's never really been too concerned by the scary rumours, If he is even real. One day, he stumbles upon a lonely cabin deep in the woods, with a grumpy "doctor" resides. (witch/supernatural!law x Luffy, feel free to add any other fantasy or supernatural elements!)
And yes people again, I have written another Witch Law fic! hahaha!
THINGS to note:
I have broken the fourth wall as a writer.
I have addressed the witches as Witch Law and Witch So and So, so that to match it with Prince Luffy, Prince Ace etc etc etc.
Anything that doesn't make sense, apply fairytale logic okay?
Work Text:
It Is Time To Love Me Back, By Three Folds And A Half
As all fairytales began, this story too began— Once upon in a land Far-Far Away from the one which you, yes you, my dear reader are.
Once upon a time in a land, Far-Far Away called The King of Spade, there lived three princes.
The name of the Kingdom actually doesn't matter, or serves any purpose in the grand scheme of this story.
But— as you know, our protagonist Prince Luffy needs to belong somewhere before he ventures out on his adventure of love, so the place Luffy belongs to needs a name.
But why the Spade Kingdom?
It was named after the spade that pierced an old mythical beast called Kaido— a half-man and half-dragon, a terrible being that had terrorized the population of the continent for centuries.
Then again this story is set in a time of peace, when food was plenty, trade flourished, and travel was permitted which brought in knowledge from all over the continent and poured in wealth. The prosperity of every Kingdom in Far-Far Away storylands is always tied with magic and how the Kingdom treated its magical beings. The Spade Kingdom was surrounded by the mysterious woods where Kaido had been defeated, and his blood had nourished the soil, making it a natural fortress that kept evil and danger away.
And these woods were protected by witches. No one knew how witches protected the woods or its Kingdom. But currently, The Spade Kingdom has registered seventy-seven witch covens, working mysteriously in different locations to keep the magic flowing. Occasionally the witches arrived at border towns with a list of things they wanted from the population, and also sold their new medicines, tools, and potions to commoners. Sometimes they took away orphans who had nowhere to go with them, of course with the permission of the ruler, to raise them as witches and continue the cycle of protection. And rarely they took appointments to perform surgeries and amputations that regular healers couldn't or wouldn't perform.
The people of the Spade kingdom were happy and grateful to the witches, and for more than one-fifty years they had paid tributes in kinds and goods to them. Hence, that brings us to our current timeline, where the Spade Kingdom had prospered comfortably all thanks to witch magic which had kept it safe from floods, draughts, and other natural disasters or any magical beast!
So let's start from the beginning!
Once upon a time, in a land Far-Far Away called The King of Spade, there lived three princes who loved each other dearly.
The eldest son, the raven-head prince was called Ace, the blonde middle prince Sabo, and the third prince, who too was raven-head was called Luffy.
The three princes were the apple of the Kingdom's eye, though no one mentioned it, everyone looked fondly upon their brotherhood. Their love and trust were cited as an example to thrive for, as the three brothers were born from three different fathers to the Queen of the Kingdom Rouge.
The blonde Queen Rouge had arrived in the Kingdom of Spade as the young bride decked in a golden dress with a hibiscus tucked above her ear. She was happily married to the most beloved King of the Kingdom, Gol D Roger. But the beloved, raven-head king, died soon after his very raven-head son was born.
Legends say it was a disease of the soul, some whispered it was poisoning, others blamed his death on the curse bestowed upon the royal bloodline by the Kaido before he died. The thought of the generational curse was always a fear, as the Kings of this Kingdom died young, leaving behind their young widows who had to step up to reign.
Reasons known neither to the population nor the Queen ended the young King Roger's life at thirty-nine. And Queen Rouge found herself at the top of the seat of power.
Immediately, after the one-year mourning period ended for the Kingdom, the panicking court of well-wishers and schemers suggested a remarriage so that there existed another heir to the throne. For the fear of King Roger's mysterious disease had occupied their psyche.
A few years later, to keep her position strong, Queen Rouge found a new scheming husband of high birth for a consort and gave birth to another son called Sabo.
A year after Sabo's birth, Queen Rouge executed her second husband publicly when she found him conspiring to kill her firstborn to secure the throne. Not only her second husband's assets were ceased, but his family near and distant found themselves becoming the enemy of the public, and anyone who had conspired with him found themselves meeting a fate worse than death.
No one talks about it out loud, but the lovely hibiscus that she had adorned in honour of King Roger as a symbol of her happiness had overnight turned into a symbol of anger and revenge.
The eye sockets of her second husband became a vase of luscious hibiscus flowers on the day of his execution. Artists, playwrights and poets were found occupied in beautifying the re-renditions of the brutal events for the next few years.
Some began to question keeping Prince Sabo in the capital safe instead of sending him abroad. But Queen Reiju was not going to let seeds of rebellion or conspiracy germinate in her second son. She decided to raise him with awareness of his father's crime and her own love. She wouldn't punish her son for his father's crime, nor would she let anyone do the same. Luckily, the goddess of fortune favoured her, and her firstborn understood his mother's worry at the tender age of five.
Prince Ace adored Prince Sabo, so the queen stopped worrying about them growing up as rivals. She had further made sure only the good traits of her two dead husbands were encouraged. King Roger's love for the well-being of people, and the other dead husband's analytical abilities and planning skills.
Sadly, even in a land Far-Far Away from your world dear reader, patriarchy still has its roots corrupting everything it dug in.
A young queen without a man by her side always finds herself in harm's way. After a few years passed by, when Prince Ace was twelve and Prince Sabo was nine, talks of marriage began again.
There were always whispers of her youth, well she was eighteen when she had married King Roger, so of course she was still young, and hence her ministers believed she could still birth another heir.
A spare heir for an emergency.
Sick and exhausted of marriage talks and being treated like a broodmare, she decided to look for a husband who wouldn't be able to impregnate her and sent her chief-bodyguard Knight, Sir Rayleigh to the task! Using her diplomatic skills and Knight Rayleigh's fantastic charm, the Queen found herself the perfect husband—in Sir Crocodile.
After one year of marriage with the man, she finally found the true meaning of companionship— it was peace.
Sir Crocodile, a talented businessman of arms, agriculture, information and medicine, was an unusual choice. Everyone in the court cried against Queen Rouge's choice. Sir Crocodile carried no royal blood or lineage. One look at his background told a story of someone who had risen up the ranks of society from its underbelly by ruthless means. Queen Rouge ignored it all and announced it was love at first sight!
The truth was entirely different.
When Knight Rayleigh dropped Sir Crocodile's letter to Queen Rouge, he had told her the most important words she needed to hear: "Sir Crocodile had a bit of a predicament and wanted a fuss-free private marriage. He was willing to offer her a dowry that would solve half of her royal court troubles."
In reality, Sir Crocodile had a fallout with his former business and life partner. He was looking for a permanent way out of the toxic relationship. When his little minions ran to Knight Rayleigh, he immediately invited the man to his office. The Knight told him the Queen was looking for a man who couldn't father children, as she no longer wished to birth another heir, and the man had to live with the stigma of being known throughout history as Queen Rouge's impotent consort, and in-return for this marriage she would offer the man benefits of his requirements.
Once he learned of Queen Rouge's search for an impotent husband, he knew what he had to do to secure her hand in marriage. Not only did the information tickle Sir Crocodile's interest, but it also gave him clarity for his future. He told Knight Rayleigh that he had a better counteroffer, and he wasted no time— sending the letter explaining his predicament.
The moment Queen Rouge opened the letter, she understood why the man was willing to offer a dowry unlike any other.
The urgency Sir Crocodile was facing was spelt boldly in the letter he had sent to Queen Rouge, and he offered a dowry she couldn't have ever imagined— the last remaining conspirator-partners of her second husband, and enough dirt and information on people in her court and council who were always creating difficulties for her. In-return, Sir Crocodile wanted a trading license, citizenship, and a marriage that established him as a man legally on paper.
Once he was declared man on paper he would make Queen Rouge his business partner, provide the kingdom of Spade, gold, water-extracting technology his private army, and his ten loyal spies who would do the Queen's dirty work if it was needed in future.
But he wanted the marriage fast because Sir Crocodile was carrying a child of their former partner and didn't want them to find out, as legally he was still vulnerable in his home-country. He was at risk of losing the unborn child's custody to the other father of the child.
Queen Rouge accepted the offer gladly and declared to her court and kingdom of her choice three days before the marriage. Hence, the room of protest was cut short.
The marriage was done privately. The only attendees other than the Queen, Sir Crocodile, were former King Roger's best-friend and queen's current bodyguard Knight Rayleigh, and the two princes Ace and Sabo. There was Queen Rouge's handmaiden and Sir Crocodile's ten spies were dressed in their best and of course the priest.
The news of Queen Rouge being pregnant for the third time a month later brought joy to the kingdom. But to make sure there was not another cry for a fourth heir, Sir Crocodile put his biggest assets to use— his intel and information collecting department. The news of a complicated and life-threatening pregnancy was spread far and wide, and the blame of difficult medical conditions was put on the court for making her life hectic and hostile because of their dislike for Sir Crocodile. The population was worried about the Queen and in support of Sir Crocodile, who brought them new technologies and jobs.
Soon the masses learned that to recuperate and relax, the Queen Rouge and her new consort Sir Crocodile went to another Far-Far Away land. In reality, it was the best way to give birth without worrying about anyone finding out.
While Sir Crocodile wallowed with his active unborn kicking his belly, Queen Rouge had the time of her life. She ate whatever she wanted, and slept as long as she wanted. She treated the seventh month of Sir Crocodile's pregnancy as a long-deserved holiday.
Prince Ace and Sabo found themselves very attached to the big belly and followed Sir Crocodile like two little knights. They didn't understand the intricacies of human anatomy then, but this new father carried their unborn sibling was a truth told to them by their mother. And it was their royal duty to protect the unborn.
Despite his pregnancy being a tough one, Sir Crocodile was glad, he had secured safety, and he would do everything to protect the peace they had carved for themselves. He had decided he was going to protect Queen Rouge and her two sons with his all. So when unborn Luffy was not kicking and playing with punches in his belly or begging for food, Sir Crocodile would lay on his bed like a penguin while Prince Ace and Prince Sabo sat beside to hear him read out books of history and explain how politics shaped the fates of Kingdoms.
In simple words, Prince Luffy was loved. He was loved even before he was born into his unusual family.
The day Luffy arrived, Sir Crocodile had flung every curse word he could recall at his former partner, who was in fact looking frantically for Sir Crocodile all over the continent.
That night, Queen Rouge learned that her third husband had never planned on getting pregnant! He blamed it all on the ex he was avoiding like the plague. One peaceful day by the beach with the man he had loved, a few cups of wine, and on impulse sex with no protection had landed him in this situation. For fifteen years he had been careful, and then kaboom, at the age of 39, he was pregnant with a naughty boy!
Sir Crocodile was certain, it was a boy. From the day of the wedding to the day of the labour, he was certain it was a brat.
Queen Rouge wanted a boy, she didn't speak it out loud, and she knew Sir Crocodile wanted a boy too. Not because, they were a bunch of misogynists, but because the life of a princess was never easy, who better than Queen Rouge to know this? And Sir Crocodile would never wish the curse of periods and puberty upon his baby girl. So their wish was granted.
The blonde queen sat beside her husband for the thirteen hours he was in labour. Praying, offering him water and comfort while Prince Sabo and Prince Ace patrolled the room like guard dogs.
Queen Rouge, did everything in her capacity to make the birthing process as pain-free as possible for her new husband. She also promised that immediately after the child was born, she would write a letter to Sir Crocodile's former partner declaring Luffy to be her son so that no harm would be done to them.
Hearing these words made Sir Crocodile at last rid of his anxiety. That was not the day they fell in love, but that was the day they had solidified their friendship. When the little wrinkled baby Luffy arrived, Sir Crocodile passed out of exhaustion and Queen Rouge broke into tears, she was his mother. She wrapped him in a white cloth after giving him his first birth and kissed the boy on her forehead. He was her miracle baby! And Prince Ace and Prince Sabo fought like cats and dogs to hold the infant.
After a month, when the couple returned to the capital, the Queen, who wore a crown of hibiscus to her blonde hair, raised her newborn from the highest tower like a lioness showing off her cub. She declared the third prince's born-day was to be celebrated as the day of the children in the Kingdom of Spade.
Her husband Sir Crocodile was found hugging her and kissing her cheek as a sign of gratitude. From that day onwards, the three princes were raised together like a pack of wolves.
Sir Crocodile had taken it upon himself to train the boys in everything they needed to survive; politics, society, wild, and love.
Yes, I know, dear reader, you want to read more about this unique family, but time passes and so does the focus of this story shifts upon our protagonist, Prince Luffy.
Prince Luffy, for lack of a better word, was pampered; he was raised with love, and he was always surrounded by so much love that no one noticed, the prince was slightly different for a long time. He had no interest in politics or the glory of war. All he loved was observing bugs, playing and trying to run to the woods. Hence, his lack of interest in anything remotely romantic was overlooked as a trait of a late-bloomer.
But before that, let's go a little back in time to Prince Ace, whose actions led to Prince Luffy meeting the Witch of the Woods; Witch Law.
Like every future ruler, Prince Ace was bound by the nature of politics to get a bride, since he was inspired by his mother and in awe of his third father. Actually, the only father he ever knew, he married a groom! A strange strong tall man with horns. When asked why he married this person, Prince Ace said, he is just like my father.
No one knew where this husband came from, but his husband Yamato bore him three children. Soon after the children stopped nursing on his breasts, he chopped off his long white hair, surgically removed his bosoms, and broke his horns in a declaration of his right to transition.
Unknown to the citizens of the Spade Kingdom, Prince Ace had made a deal with a Witch of the Woods. The woods belonged to the Kingdom, but there were generations of witches who were allowed to live on these lands in exchange for protecting the land from predators of all kinds and natural disasters.
Prince Ace was not supposed to meet any of them, but he did, when he was only nineteen, and when he had taken his seven-year-old baby brother Prince Luffy because he couldn't resist his puppy eyes and begging voice. Prince Ace decided to take just his baby brother on a ride against the advice of everyone, especially Prince Sabo. Since Prince Ace was carefree and cocky, he ran into the woods and found his future husband, injured and almost dying because of blood loss.
Though he denies it now, it was love at first sight. Despite being well-versed in basic magical healing and fast-aid, an open fermented wound was beyond his capacities. The man had tried to cut his bosoms off, or they were attacked. Unable to do anything, Prince Ace carried the tall man up his horse, while Prince Luffy did his best to stop the bleeding with his little hands and tried hard not to break into loud sobs.
The woods were dark and when they wanted to be, and when they willed to make their travellers lose their way, they could change their trajectories.
That's where they met, the Witch of the Woods, rather Witches of the Woods! It was the cottage of one of the covens registered in the Kingdom's payroll books. This coven had registered nineteen witches, and there were seven of them present that day— they just were beautiful, raven-heads, bronze skin, and beautiful.
Sitting inside a warm, well-lit cottage, they were truly beautiful beyond description of words. Was it glamour? Prince Ace didn't know. He was desperate. And Prince Luffy was busy holding onto the bleeding bosoms under his little palms while his tears were flowing down.
"Please save this person." Prince Luffy had begged first because his brother was overwhelmed by the presence of beings he hadn't thought about ever.
"Yes, please help us! We found an injured person in the ancient ruins."
"We will." The seven of them had nodded. "What do we get in-return? For we are creatures of bargaining magic?" They had asked in unison.
"Gold?"
"We need no wealth, we need love." The voice was no voice but whispers in a dream. "Love."
"What?" Prince Ace was stunned. "I can't love all of you, if it makes it easier, you can take my heart and save the injured one."
"But you love him, we can smell it. That's the last of Kaido's blood, yet you sought to save him, your blood enemy. It is love at first sight. Your ancestors died of hate, but you both will die full of love, surrounded by happiness. So why can't we have it a little?"
"But I cannot love you! Anything else. And I didn't know he was Kaido's blood, my horse went off trail and I ran into him." Prince Ace had begged. "Please, I cannot leave an injured person."
"Then give him." Prince Ace couldn't distinguish who spoke, but he thought it was the oldest witch, a woman with a gentle smile but very purple eyes. "Give him to us."
"Who?" Prince Ace knew who it was. Still, he didn't want it to be true.
"That boy. That kind boy, he can help our little one. It is too late for us to leave the woods, but we have a little witch of our own. A healer, a rarity among us. His gifts are wasted in the shadows of these woods. We need love for him, love can liberate him." The oldest witch among the seven spoke as she pushed a skinny boy forward, he had equally brown skin dark hair, and beautiful golden eyes. It seems he was trying to protest but, his voice never reached Prince Ace. The young witch then looked at Prince Luffy, his golden eyes were pleading him off something the adults couldn't comprehend, but Prince Luffy seemed to understand that he was suddenly the topic of this bargain. In his uncomplicated mind, he understood there was a simple solution to this whole mess, which his brother was not seeing! So he smiled at the golden-eyed young witch boy despite tears trickling down his puffed face.
Prince Ace continued his plea, "I cannot promise him to you, he is a child and his own person. What kind of brother trades their own brother? Anything else?"
"Then offer us a child—"
"— I accept. You can have my love. I offer you my heart" Prince Luffy cut in the old witch's sentence and offered his bloody hands to the golden-eyed witch boy and grinned. Despite the waterfall of tears and fears gripping his little brain, he continued being brave. "Take my love and help this person. My brother is crying."
"Lu! Stop it! You don't know what you are doing!" Prince Ace rushed to his baby brother, who was still offering his tiny arms to the young witch, all in hopes of keeping Yamato alive. "Lu, you don't understand."
"Ace, you are crying! I don't want Ace to cry!" Prince Luffy tried his best to be brave and continued offering his hands. "You, golden-eyed witch, I will love you by three folds and a half, like my mom loves me, like my dad loves me, like Sabo loves me, like Uncle Rayleigh loves me and like Ace loves. I will love you. Please help my brother."
The oldest witch pushed the young witch boy with golden-eyes, who didn't want to take the prince's hands at all. But he had no say any more, the moment Prince Luffy said yes, was the moment the sacred bargain was put into place, the rest was just actions and gestures to keep the illusion of magic being magical. Soon there were little skinny hands that had held Prince Luffy's even tinnier hands and said, ' Thank you for loving me, you idiot.'
After that, memories for both the Princes were hazy. The two princes had returned with future Consort Yamato. Though it was certain they had met the witches, Prince Luffy had a throbbing cut mark beneath his eyes, and Prince Ace was suddenly overprotective of his little brother overnight.
Once the man with the horns had woken up, crying and screaming how he didn't feel like a woman, and chose to end it all after the failed attempt at self-surgery. Instead of meeting with scorn, he had met people who understood.
Queen Rouge and her loving husband Sir Crocodile explained to the young man how they would provide him with everything he needed to feel a little at ease. Over the course of months, Prince Ace and Yamato fell in love and got married, while Prince Sabo began to look for the best healers and doctors to help his brother-in-law and look into the matters with the witches.
Sir Crocodile knew Yamato's pain and spared no stone unturned to help the young man. But as you know dear readers, the fates had plans. They had grand and not-so-kind plans for Consort Yamato— who found himself pregnant, to Prince Ace's shock, he was certain two men couldn't father children. "But he is a man!" Prince Ace yelled!
To which Prince Sabo had replied, "My brother is an idiot."
"I still have a functioning uterus!" Consort Yamato yelled back while running around the castle in fear of pregnancy pain. "We are never having sex ever again, Ace!"
"But we are both men! Yamato!" Prince Ace continued being in denial.
"So am I! Did I not give birth to Luffy?" Sir Crocodile began regretting that he should've taught about the trans-reproduction process.
Queen Rouge was both worried and happy, as the problem of the heir was sorted. And Prince Luffy, who was sitting on her lap while she hid his ears with her gentle hands, was just excited to have a niece or a nephew.
Hence, the matter of the Witch of the Woods was forgotten, but not buried.
Until Prince Luffy's seventeenth birthday.
The letter for Prince Luffy, asking him to come to the Woods, came the night after he turned seventeen, the year the people of Spade Kingdom became legally adults. The youngest prince had forgotten about all the matters of ever getting lost in the woods or saving his brother-in-law from death's grip, let alone the promise of loving a witch at the age of seven when he had offered his heart. The letter lay on his bed, and for a day when nothing happened, he went to his brothers to show them the prank letter he received before the grand seventeenth birthday celebration happened.
Prince Ace and Consort Yamato's faces immediately ran out of colour, and soon they were worried sick to death, which was followed by apologies and more apologies. Prince Sabo again found himself running around the castle, from one library to another, in hopes of preparing arms and ammunition to protect his family; especially his baby brother.
As I have said dear reader, Prince Luffy, for lack of a better word, was pampered; he was raised with love, and he was always surrounded by so much love that no one noticed, the prince was slightly different. As he didn't understand fear at all! He was raised to be a golden boy, away from the politics of the crown and the pressures of society— love from siblings, care from parents, and adoration from the whole nation, he had been loved so dearly by all, and had experienced every possible version of loving that existed.
Hence, when the letter arrived, the words, It is time to love me back, by three folds and a half, made the third prince both bemused and excited. So he decided to love this mysterious witch back.
On a horse, he mounted with full armour and marched out of the castle at the break of dawn. It was on the day of the birthday celebration that he had galloped towards the woods, leaving behind a letter explaining to his family why he couldn't attend his own party.
The woods were like other woods found in the Far-Far Away story lands; so green that it almost felt like a dark endless evening, so cold that winter shied away in shame, and so confusing that horses lost their minds.
Prince Luffy continued without an ounce of fear or meeting any difficulties and found the cottage.
"You arrived!" A woman with long black hair sat perched on the branches, there was a lit rolled-up tobacco in her mouth. "And you dressed like a prince ready for a battle."
"But you are not the person I am meant for. And this armour is special, it gives me access to any and every place in this Kingdom!" Prince Luffy jumped down from the horse with a loud thud, and his metallic armour made noises of collapsing swords in very silent woods. "Look after my horse, she is Cherry, and you are Miss? Mrs? Mx? Mr? Master?"
"Witch Baby5. It was I who charmed your horse to here, hence you met no trolls or poison silk beetles!" The witch pointed to a tree ideal for tying the horse to.
Wasting no time, Prince Luffy tied his horse to the tree, and patted the horse, "I am Luffy. And I would've loved to beat some trolls up and collect poison silk beetles! I have the largest insectarium in the Capital."
"I know who you are, baby boy, I was the one who wrote and delivered the letter. And I didn't know you were a fan of bugs! Law will have great use for you, my baby sibling is terrified of them. But a healer witch needs to deal with insects a lot!" Witch Baby5 snapped her fingers and a large bucket of water and a tumbler of fodder arrived in front of Cherry, who gladly began eating her snack.
"I can help. I am good at finding things and bugs and people. My dad taught me."
"Thank you for arriving, Prince Luffy."
"And I have arrived. Who wants my heart, Witch Baby5?"
"OI LAW! Your prince is here."
"Law? Strange name! Who is this Law person?"
"You find his name strange and not mine?" Witch Baby5 laughed. "You are an odd one. Well, you always were, I still remember the day not only did you agree to give your heart, you actually— Anyway, you don't find my name odd, I am a little offended! I love saying my sad story."
Prince Luffy took off his helmet and offered a polite smile, "I can guess, why you are named so."
"Tell me! Tell me! I love a guessing game."
"Your parents ran out of names and decided to name you in numerical?" Prince Luffy offered a sympathetic smile. "And you most probably were sold as a witch's tribute to some village that didn't have their own orphans? My dad is stopping this practice, I mean he is trying, and my mom too thinks that this is a bad way to force people into a practice of witchcraft. People should become witches if only they want to be, not be sold or forced into because of unfortunate circumstances. My mom is talking with a few leaders of covens at the moment." Prince Luffy continued taking off pieces of his armour one by one.
"Ouch, that hurt!" Witch Baby5 pointed at her chest, "You are blunt! Law will love you. And our grandmother is talking with your mom next month, let's seeeeee if we can fix the issue of depleting numbers of witches without this evil practice of asking for orphans not wanted by anyone. But mind it, we are orphans and are loved, okay? I swear to you over my very alive adopted mother."
"I didn't mean to be blunt, but my dad is named Crocodile, his parents ran out of names, so they started naming people after animals. And he was sold to a fighting pit. So I am sorry."
"Is that the reason you are called Luffy? Like a puppy?"
"Now who is blunt?" Prince Luffy grinned without feeling offended. "Actually, it's Ace who named me Luffy! Because he is an idiot. He named me after his dead pet dog."
"Sorry!" Witch Baby5 smirked. "Still a funny name! LOOOFY!"
"It is a funny name!" The prince agreed. "But Law is the strangest name."
"The letter he was carrying with him, had his name, but when we found him, half of its contents was gone because of the rain. We could only salvage a part of his name."
"Interesting. Better than numerical and dead pet's name, right?"
"Exactly my point, Luffy!" They had an honour of oddballs within themselves now. "LAW, BRING YOUR FUCKING ARSE HERE! YOUR PRINCE IS HERE!" As the witch screamed, everything around Prince Luffy vibrated, as if a torrent was preparing to ravage the land.
With awe in his eyes, the prince praised her, "You are a witch proper! Like a storybook witch. But who is this Law?"
"Your intended witch, the one you promised your heart to like an idiot! And he is the proper storybook witch! He has a sharp nose, messy hair, shrunken magical eyes, skinny like skeletons and dirty clothes. The real definition of an ugly witch." Witch Baby5 grinned, finally she stood up from her dainty branch and jumped to another branch just above the cottage entrance. Prince Luffy watched her in awe, he was impressed by her branch walking and jumping skills. "Do you know, witches all over the continent still talk about your sacred bargain? Two halves of a whole idiot."
"Sacred bargain?"
"Yep! Law, come here, you damn idiot! How long do you wish to make him stand outside? You know I can't invite him inside any more! You have to do it!"
"Tell him to get lost!" A beautiful, husky, but irritated voice yelled from the cottage. "And stop feeding him gossip. He shouldn't be here."
"I thought he wanted me to be here." Prince Luffy raised an eyebrow. "What is going on?"
"I invited you, according to the codex, the moment you become an adult, we send you the first letter of reminding you that you have a sacred bargaining agreement with us. Actually, it is a threat..."
"And that beautifully written letter in cursive was meant to scare me?" Prince Luffy got rid of the last of his armours. "Are you kidding with me? I slept on the letter for an entire day, thinking it was a prank!"
"Yeah? Blame mom, she taught us to write beautifully." Witch Baby5 walked towards the protruded part of the cottage with a shut window, jumped on top of it and kicked the roof. "But I wrote you a polite one. Because I am a nice elder sister. Unlike the grumpy hiding here. GET OUT!" The witch continued jumping on the extension of the cottage roof.
"Baby5, I am really confused, am I not cursed? Did Law not curse me?"
"WHAT, WHO SAID YOU WERE CURSED BY ME?"
Out of the cottage window came a tall man. Elegantly, he had jumped out, making Prince Luffy's mind bleep for a moment. The man was at least a foot taller than Prince Luffy. His black hair was tied in a messy bun, his light yellow shirt was crumpled, and his dark trousers were hugging his long shapely legs as if they were his skin! What caught Prince Luffy's fancy was that he had a little rebellious goatee. Then Prince Luffy's eyes saw his golden eyes and lost memory resurfaced briefly. Currently, the golden eyes were sunken into the sockets thanks to not sleeping for days and the cheekbones were too sharp, beautiful but unhealthy. Witch Law's first impression made Prince Luffy's desire to feed this man a seven-course meal intense. "And it was you who wrote to him didn't you?" The tall witch looked at his sister with accusing eyes. "And like an idiot, you arrived! Did you not grow a single hair of self-preservation in the last ten years?" Witch Law turned his face entirely on Prince Luffy and yelled at him like a mother duckling. Instead of feeling bad, the third prince of Spade Kingdom found himself full of affection for the witch. He wanted to hear him yell at him until his last breath. While the tall golden-eyed witch yelled at him, Prince Luffy found his heart beating at the speed of a racing horse— loving Witch Law was going to be as easy as breathing for him. It was the task of winning the witch's faith in him that was going to be a challenge.
It seems, dear reader, that all of Queen Rouge's sons were bound by the same fate as their mother— be the first one to fall in love. The Rouge Family always fell in love first with an overthinking, grumpy cinnamon roll. And Prince Luffy like his brother fell in love at first sight.
Though technically, it was love at second sight for her third-son, Prince Luffy was stunned by this man's striking features and voice— but it was the concern his features evoked in the prince that sparked the first flames of love. He wasted no time and decided to express his heart's thoughts with his honest mouth. "You are gorgeous!" The honest words did the intended task of stupefying Witch Law, who forgot the angry sentences he had prepared for days to rain upon his dumb prince. "Baby5 if you call this gorgeous man ugly, that means your eyesight is terribly suffering. I think I will get your eyes tested at the royal infirmary." Prince Luffy reprimanded Witch Baby5 who found words absconding from her mind.
Prince Luffy immediately strode up to the man, fell on his knees, took his bony palms into his, and kissed them. "My witch Law, I don't exactly remember the promises I made to you as a seven-year-old, but I intend to fulfil it all. I will return you my love by three folds and half, and more."
Witch Law tried to pull his hands away, but the prince was stronger than he looked, he was raised to be the best version of everything without the need to prove to anyone that he was the best. And physically he was the strongest of the three brothers.
"Shooooo!" Witch Law snapped his very bound slender fingers and splattered a glass of water on Prince Luffy. "Shooooooo!"
"LAW!" Witch Baby5 yelled from the top of her branch. "Mother! Law just dumped a bucket of water on his prince. He is being difficult!"
"SHUT UP, YOU MEDDDDLING BRAT! AND IT WAS A GLASS"
"Not any more!" Witch Baby5 snapped her fingers and the glass that had fallen on the ground from nowhere was now replaced with a metal bucket.
Instead of being fazed or hurt or offended, Prince Luffy peeped up from behind his wet curtains of hair, "Does it look like I am a cat? Clothes and hair will dry, you know." He tightened his grip on the witch's wrist and pulled him by the waist.
"Is he really here?" A beautiful woman who appeared to be a peer to Queen Rouge in age, with equally black hair arrived, "I am Violet, their mother. And my dear son is this how you treat a Prince! We live on their land. You don't drill in the plate you feed on! *" Instead of snapping back like he did at his sister, Witch Law averted his eyes. "Welcome to our little coven. My sisters, nieces, and mother are travelling down the water to meet the other witches of the continent. So it is just three of us."
"Hello Ma'am," Prince Luffy didn't let go of the hands of his witch but bowed like a proper prince. "Your son is prickly! I thought he wanted me here, but now he treats me like a stray cat."
"Would you like to come in for a cup of tea and some toast?" Witch Violet smiled, "Law here makes the best breads! Law, do I need to teach you basic magic manners?"
"I hate bread" Witch Law, grumbled.
"Doesn't mean the loaves of bread he makes taste bad, right?" Prince Luffy asked Witch Baby5, who jumped down from the window top and stood opposite the third prince.
"He is an amazing baker!" Witch Baby5 patted Prince Luffy's head. "He bakes the softest pieces of bread in all the seventy-seven covens! Last year, his bruit cake won the Blood Moon Baking contest!"
"Shut up, you brat!"
"OOOOO! I can't wait for his cake, and you witches are so tall!" The prince was impressed by Witch Baby5's towering figure as she continued playing with his hair.
"His bread tastes the best! I am not lying at all!" Witch Baby5 whispered into Prince Luffy's ears while her brother glared.
"Law" Witch Violet called her son. "Invite him."
"Prince Luffy, please come to our cottage, have some tea and break bread with us and accept our hospitality." Witch Law gritted his teeth as if he were chewing stones. "And please accept my request with an open heart. This is a sincere request of hospitality."
Once seated inside the warm drawing room, Witch Baby5 left Prince Luffy and Witch Law alone while their mother brewed some tea and made toast.
For the next five minutes, Prince Luffy tried to strike up a conversation with the witch, whose skinny wrists were hostages to the prince's sturdy hand. Witch Law refused to look at the prince and observed everything in the drawing room— from the curtains to the cushions to the rings on the table.
Witch Violet arrived with four cups of tea and crispy toast. She took the seat beside in Witch Law, making her son caged between the prince and her.
Prince Luffy finding the situation of Witch Law slightly tragicomic let his hands go. "The toast does smell great, Law! I shall help myself until I pass out shishishi."
"Eat the toast and leave." Witch Law was back to being snappy.
"Why should I? I was invited! See the letter!" Prince Luffy slammed his invitation. " And your mom offered me tea! I am not leaving until I understand what our sacred bargain is."
"My sister invited you! Not me."
"But she invited me for you, my brothers also invite others on behalf of me too. That's what siblings do! You think I invite people to my birthday party." Actually, dear readers, Prince Luffy does invite people to his birthday party. Rather, his brothers took the task to stop him from over-inviting anyone and everyone who moved. But they made him believe, it was more princely to let others do his bidding.
"Meddling siblings do that!"
"Ignore this grumpy, I am surprised you arrived!" Witch Violet pushed the plate of toasts towards Prince Luffy and smiled nervously. "You really surprised us—" The eldest witch paused, "Again."
"Again?"
"Generally we need to send letters of warning multiple times, then some dead bird or animal the person cares for to make them afraid." Witch Baby5 spoke from some corner of the cottage, while the noise of rummaging for something followed after.
"Why will I be afraid? I intend to keep a promise that I made, maybe I was tiny, but a promise is a promise, you all saved my brother-in-law's life! Indirectly, you saved my brother from heartbreak and my parents from grief! I owe you."
"You see, um, Prince Luffy—"
"Is there a problem?"
"You see," Witch Baby5 finally arrived at the table out of thin and dropped a thick codex. "Promises made to a witch are based on the law of equivalent exchange. Here it is written in our sacred language."
"Did she just—"
Witch Law cut Prince Luffy short, "What can disappear, reappear too, IDIOT! The basics of the law of equivalent exchange is transferring of values."
"Sabo explained that to me, like if you cure my pinky of frostbite, I owe you something like a goat?" Prince Luffy grinned. "And the grander the cure, the grander the payment, so what did I pay for my brother-in-law's health? My heart right? Do you want it physically or metaphorically?"
"Yeah." Witch Law sighed. "You paid with something too grand"
"Then what's the issue?" Prince turned to the grumpy Witch Law, who was crackling internally. "Is something hindering the contract because of my end of the promise? Eh, Law! Tell me! Tell me!" Prince Luffy nudged the witch on his skinny waist with his elbow.
"Well you see, generally the sacred bargain— it's all part of the set of three or sevens, as in we ask you for something vague like your heart or your soul, and then you, you as in the person asking our help gets confused." Witch Baby5 dramatically enacted the scenes. "We were doing a set of sevens with your brother, we were actually going to ask for three firstborn orphans of high birth from the Kingdom to get to teach new witches." Witch Baby5 continued, "But you! You surprised us when we said we wanted your love, you said yes! You agreed immediately!" Witch Baby5's pretty head thumped on the table.
"So you guys actually bargained for nothing!" Prince Luffy broke into a peal of laughter. "Shishsishishi!"
Witch Violet hid her face in her palms, "No, it's not nothing, but it's not tangible either."
"See, I told you he was intelligent, I knew it when I made the promise years back!" Witch Law yelled at his mother and sister. "I told you we need to cut out on the theatrics! Just ask what you want! This riddling is what has led us to this trouble!"
"Soooooo?" Prince Luffy asked, "So there are no promises or curses between us?"
"I didn't curse you!" Witch Law grabbed the prince by the collar and slammed his forehead on Prince Luffy's. "I was nine, I didn't know better, you promised me your heart— you dedicated your heart to me, in-exchange for saving your brother-in-law's life. So now your brother-in-law's life depends on how you show your devotion to me. If you don't sincerely love me, your brother-in-law will die, because I am the witch who healed him."
"So to save my brother-in-law's life, I agreed to have a love life with you." Prince Luffy smiled, pulled his head away, and took a bite of the toast. "Damn, Law, you are a good baker. Let us fall in love, then?"
"He is too intelligent!" Witch Violet was grinning. "So you are okay with this? Are you willing to take him with you? You both have to settle on the meaning of the promise you made, whether it is the love of life-partners, love of friends one-sided devotion, or mutual devotion— this is too vague. Even my mother can't help here." Witch Violet took a toast, and chomped on it. "My mother should stop talking in riddles. I think I will meet Queen Rouge and discuss our issues." Witch Violet spoke absent-mindedly.
"You should meet Mom, she is the best! And if you want help with gaining new witches; talk to my brother Sabo and my Dad! They will help you! So I have to concentrate on Law here? Right?"
Baby5 clapped her hands, "Will you take my brother with you? Only close proximity with Law will keep you keep your brother-in-law alive, and my baby brother thriving."
"Yeah, my parents will be glad to have a witch in the castle, and my brothers will be so jealous when they find out my partner is so tall!"
"When did I agree to be your partner?"
"Ten years back?" Prince Luffy blinked and took another bite of the toast, "You totally should meet my friend Sanji, he runs the biggest bakery in the capital, and he will teach you how to make bread!"
"I HATE BREAD!" With these, the tall witch vanished from everyone's eyes.
"Oh, he has learned the vanishing spell like me." Witch Baby5 mused.
"Your aunts and grandma will love this news, let me write them a letter. We should prepare for his departure." Witch Violet disappeared too.
"Hey," Witch Baby5 poked Prince Luffy, "Do you intend to take my brother away?"
"Yes! I promised."
"I understood that, what I mean is, we have been raised to live in the dark since our consciousness formed, as in we can remember very few things of our lives before the witchy life. We have never, I mean again metaphorically, stepped out of the woods and settled back into regular civilization. Mom and I do go to towns and other kingdoms, but this grumpy has not left the woods in the last seventeen years. There is a reason we are here. So—"
"I think I understand, a bit, my father has been running away from someone for ages, and staying behind my mother's shadows has protected him, so staying in the woods protects you too, right? And Law likes being in the protection of the familiar environment and people?"
"Fuck! Law was right, you are intelligent."
"Nah… I failed all my subjects, and my father chased me with a sword!"
"Lies! Your eyes! You are different." Witch Baby5 knocked on Prince Luffy's forehead with her knuckles.
"I cannot lie." Prince Luffy sighed. "I tried and get caught, hence I wore the elaborate armour to escape questioning from guards. And carrying my father's bonds helped."
"Since you are here, why not stay here for a few days and hang out with us."
Witch Law slammed his bony hands on the table loud enough, spooking Prince Luffy by arriving in front of him out of thin air, "I veto against this." Then he turned his head to look at his sister,"When will you stop meddling in my affair?"
"You mean try to make Law warm up to me?" Prince Luffy smiled at Witch Baby5 and ignored Witch Law's protests.
"Yes. Warm up to each other!" Witch Violet nodded, who too appeared out of nowhere, "Stay with us."
"I have all the time in the world." Prince Luffy grinned. "Hello Law, may I become your friend first?"
Witch Law, immediately vanished from Prince Luffy's vision and hid somewhere in the cottage. But his screams could be heard clearly from the drawing room.
"He is still mastering the disappearing spells." Witch Violet explained. And her daughter nodded.
To Witch Law's despair, over the course of the next three days, he learned Prince Luffy indeed had a lot of time on his hands and energy in his skinny feet. He was very stubborn at heart and excellent at finding people who wished to stay hidden and avoid attention.
The first night his mother extended the prince a warm welcome, he immediately made himself a guest of Witch Law's room while the golden-eyed witch was screaming in some part of the cottage. Prince Luffy observed the miraculous birth of another bed in his witch's bedroom. The new bed, too, appeared out of nowhere, and the dimensions of his object of interest's room rearranged itself to accommodate a troupe of twelve dancing clowns and a bed.
At dinner time as Witch Law was missing, his sister and mother fed the third prince the best of what they had, slices of wild boar smoked for three weeks, fried lotus roots, barley bread baked by Witch Law, and more tea. Though the youngest witch refused to show his face, his ears were keenly following the conversation his family had with the guests. That's how he was found by his sister after dinner when he was trying to figure out what his mother's plan was when she handed Prince Luffy, her son's old clothes.
Witch Baby5 had pushed her brother into his own room against his wishes. With anger in his feet and hunger in his belly, the nineteen-year-old witch stomped inside and flopped on his bed. To make the message clear that he had no interest in the prince, he picked a book and buried himself inside it. Or at least pretend to be.
"So, what happens if I don't love you?" Prince Luffy asked immediately after the witch had settled into a comfortable position. Curiosity was part of Witch Law's blood, so he had to look at the younger one. Prince Luffy had changed into comfortable blue pants and a yellow t-shirt that had belonged to fifteen-year-old Witch Law. Once the prince found the best angle to hold his conversation on the new bed, he propelled his chin on his hands, to the witch's horror— adorably. He couldn't stop himself from admiring the beautiful eyes that resembled a dumb innocent cute golden retriever puppy and his scruffy black hair reminded him of an alsatian dog. The witch couldn't stop but pause reading to have a look at the prince's face.
"Your brother-in-law dies, your heart will be in constant pain, and you will never be happy. Denying a witch a promise is the beginning of a tragedy."
"Sooooooo?"
"Soooooooooo?" The witch copied the prince's expression in the same tone. "Spit it out."
"Why are you angry about it? I don't have any problem with honouring the terms of our magical contract."
The witch decided to answer him back as politely as he could, "I am not angry! And it's called a sacred bargain, not a magical contract."
The prince blinked like a mischievous cat now, "Potato or Poteto! Same thing, different terms! And you are very very very Angry, Law! I can feel your anger on my skin!"
"I am not angry. Why will I be angry!"
"Yes, you are angry!" Prince Luffy pouted. "Just because you changed your tone doesn't mean you're not angry! My dad does this, his brows knit up together like an earthworm in the centre" The prince pointed at his own forehead to demonstrate the example, "And his voice goes really low like the waves before the high tide, and when he is trying to show he is not angry, he repeats that he is not angry! But actually, he is very very very angry! JUST LIKE YOU! Shishishishishi!"
Witch Law didn't like feeling so exposed, especially being stripped of his defences by someone like Prince Luffy, whose birth he remembers was a celebrated event throughout the continent, and not just Spade Kingdom. Though ever since he became part of the witch family, he had not stepped out of the woods. His little two-and-a-half-year-old self still remembers the celebration of this idiot prince's birth.
Witch Law was in someone's arms, catching flower petals being showered in honour of the third prince's arrival. He was happy, he doesn't remember the details of the day, but he remembers the name, Prince Luffy being chanted everywhere, and everyone seemed happy that day. Why did Witch Law retain that particular memory, you may ask dear reader, it is because when you experience hardship as an infant, your little self latches onto the very few glimpses of happiness you witness. Though he doesn't remember it all too well, his life was harsh. He remembers that day in bits and patches because he saw a wide grin on the face of the person who abandoned him.
That was the last and most probably the only happy memory from his brief life as a regular human toddler. The name Prince Luffy was the name of the sad spell that connected him, that one memory of the life he had.
The next thing he remembers after that is when he was left in the woods with a handful of dried flower petals from the day of the celebration and a loaf of bread tucked into his waist. Witch Baby5 and Witch Violet had found him on their way from the celebration of the third prince's born-day. The third prince's birthday had a different meaning for Witch Law; it was the day he was abandoned by his own blood.
As he grew up in the woods, away from civilization and in the care of his new family, snippets of royal gossip and stories always flowed into his corner of the hut. Mostly it was his sister and grandmother who told tales of the three princes from their travels. One thing was certain from all these talks, Prince Luffy was loved dearly by his family and deep down, Witch Law was envious of him. And in his heart, the current adult Witch Law couldn't accept that his nine-year-old self had tied his heart to this person— the definition of the sun walking on Earth. Finding the sunshine prince looking at him with no malice and just adoration irritated the witch more and more, "Are you always this talkative?"
"I only talk with people who I like!"
"You like me?" Witch Law scoffed and waved his hands, "Let's see if you like me after I don't let you talk for an entire day."
"What do you mean?"
The witch pulled away the hair-tie from his messy bun and let it fall all around his lean face, making the prince fall further down the rabbit hole of love, "Try talking now!" Witch Law smirked as he saw the prince open his mouth and flap his lips. That's how Prince Luffy found himself, spellbound in silence. He opened his mouth a few more times to be certain, but words dried up before they could even begin to form on his tongue. The witch was hoping for a show of protest on his cute face or possibly a physical struggle, but the prince quit after half-an-hour later and decided to just stare at the witch reading his book.
He was not expecting this, so the witch decided to re-confirm, "You! So you are going to stare at me?"
"…" The prince nodded with an enthusiastic smile and gestured to him to carry on reading. The witch decided to do so and turned his back on the prince to teach him a lesson, or he thought he could. But as you know, dear reader, this witch was very much attracted to the person rolling on the bed opposite to his. He was a witch, he was trained by his mother to be hyper-aware of every new change and movement and shift in the pulse of the universe around him.
So how could he not feel the concentration of two eyes on him?
When the prickly feeling of being stared upon was unbearable on his slender neck, the witch decided to call it a night and shut his book with a huff and the lamps as well.
On the second day, the tall witch realized the silent menace he had unleashed with the spell. No matter what he did, or what spells he pulled, he was unable to get rid of Prince Luffy.
Like a bee in search of nectarine flowers, the prince was beside him. He didn't need words to bother him— his heartbeat was loud enough to buzz near the witch, who was busy collecting the fresh herbs and flowers of the day. Witch Law didn't venture out of the woods— out of hurt and spite, but his mother and sister and extended family of aunts, grandma, and cousins did travel out to sell medicines, potions, ointments and rare herbs. They travelled to other parts of the continent a lot and met people all the time, and there was always demand for healing potions because Witch Law possessed a rare ability of magic, he could understand the source of the pain of a living being and try to cure them or at least put them at ease. Everyone wanted him to become part of some kingdom's royal clinic or apprentice to a master healer, but the witch had no desire to leave his nest. So he contributed to the world by creating potions and ointments for his fellow witches to sell everywhere, and occasionally agreeing to perform surgeries.
Witch Law hated the idea of travel so much that anytime his family arrived with a carriage to leave, he would vanish without using a spell. He knew the woods like no one, and realizing that Prince Luffy found him in every hiding spot, hurt the witch's pride. His pride was hurt most when the third prince entered the grasslands and collected numerous silk spiders and filled his basket, Witch Law was forced to raise silk spiders so that he could grow threads that he needed during his surgeries, only silk spiders webs created the best stitches and patched skin fine.
As Prince Luffy galloped into the grasslands and collected the spiders with glee in his eyes, the witch couldn't stop himself from looking at the prince. He was enjoying this push and pull with the brat. "That will be enough for today!" The witch yelled and the prince stopped. Even years after training Witch Law couldn't overcome his fears of insects, he didn't hate them but he was not fond of them, unlike the third prince. The witch found his skin crawling and his heart twitched when he saw bugs and insects move around. People would've thought living in the woods would've made him immune to the existence of tiny creatures, but no. It never got easy. Or maybe it was the instinct of the toddler who was left alone in the woods amidst the crawling ants and bugs, who were climbing up his arms to get a bit of his bread, the witch would never know why he disliked bugs, but he did. Now he was glad to have the prince do his dirty work, but he was angry too.
With the anger of an injured leopard, the witch went into the lotus pond, while the prince followed after him with a basket full of spiders. Soon, Witch Law found the prince again beside him in the dirty pond, gladly collecting lotus roots. "You are a prince, how can you dirty yourself? Did you not roll enough with me on the grassland while trying to collect the silk spiders? How can you continue being here in these dirty ponds?" He tried to pull the shorter raven-head out of the pond.
Because Prince Luffy was banned from uttering words, the third prince of Spade Kingdom shrugged his broad shoulders, broke away from the witch's grip and continued fishing out the plumpest roots. Witch Law was left speechless as he watched the man fill his second basket with the white pump roots. They worked silently until the sun was high in the sky and their backs began to burn. The youngest witch of the woods was surprised to find how fast his morning tasks were completed because of the silent shadow that had followed him. Though he refused to be less angry about Prince Luffy, it became clear the prince was not going to be scared by being spellbound or dirty ponds or spiders.
The royal helping hand didn't stop at lotus root plucking, either, he followed the tall witch everywhere.
Seven steps behind him, guarding him from bird excretes to wasp attacks, his senses were so enhanced that Witch Law was almost convinced that the third prince was magical too. The third prince was simply raised to be hyperaware about everything since the age of three. After the hazy incident he met at the age of three, his parents left no stone unturned to make him a person with unsurpassed observation skills. Magic to Prince Luffy was simply a culmination of extreme willpower, observation, and desire of the soul. The stronger your heart, the better your magic. He didn't understand the spells, but it was not anything unusual for him that he couldn't wrap his head around. Witch Law had only one way of life that was full of magical logic, but the man who was following him had many ways of upbringing, all forged with one intention— love that protected.
When the dirty pair stopped for their final stop of the day— another pond for bath, both Witch Violet and Witch Baby5 arrived, one with lunch and the other with a pouch full of rolled tobacco. "Want one?"
Witch Law decided to take one, he took a puff on a stressful day. Today was the most mentally stressful but physically the least strenuous day of his life. The tobacco never reached his lips, Prince Luffy took the entire pouch and the one stick meant for Witch Law, dunked them into the pond, and glared.
Witch Violet broke into a burst of laughter while her daughter complained to her brother, "Law, your man is scary! I am never offering you another puff."
"He is not my man!"
Prince Luffy didn't stop glaring. "And nor— will I take a puff ever again?" Witch Baby5 tried to cajole her way out of the situation, but Prince Luffy still didn't stop glaring. "Fuck, he is too intelligent Maa," Witch Violet nodded to her daughter's complaint— without an ounce of sympathy for her. " I promise to never ever smoke another puff of tobacco or offer one to my brother Law or anyone. Happy?"
"You got scared by a seventeen-year-old?" Witch Law laughed, but when his eyes met Prince Luffy's, he too fell, a chill running down his spine. He was never going to smoke again.
On the third morning, the silent spell broke. Witch Law expected, the prince to begin yapping again, but he didn't. At breakfast, he munched on his toast and the smoked boar meat like it was the most heavenly food in the world. After breakfast, he continued following the witch to his daily tasks, and just like the day before, he muddied himself and rolled on the grass to get the herb shoots and roots. And not once did he utter words, he gestured and postured and expressed with his eyes. Like a shadow, he was following the witch.
When noon was high, Witch Law lost it and grabbed the shorter raven-head by the collar while the younger was preparing to bathe. The witch dragged the prince to the centre of the pond and forced open his mouth to check if his spell backfired. Finding no traces of his spell, he barked, "WHY HAVEN'T YOU SPOKEN A SINGLE WORD?" Witch Law pushed the prince into the water. "WHY HAVEN'T SAID A SINGLE WORD!" Prince Luffy didn't try to stand up and decided to float and stare back at the witch with a cocky smirk. "ANSWER ME DAMMIT!" The witch wanted to punch the cocky smirk until the cute face was bleeding.
The third prince spared him from committing acts of violence and replied, "I thought you hated me talking!" Thanks to the ban, his voice was raspy.
The witch gritted his teeth, "I never said that."
"You spellbound me shut. And looked like you were enjoying my company."
"You were asking hard questions!"
A cheeky smile formed on the prince's face, "You did a hard bargain with me! SO? What did you expect? Hi Law, how's the weather up there?" The prince splattered water at the witch. "So what now, I am talking back. Why are you still angry!"
"What do you want from?"
"How about you call me by my name first, Law?" Prince Luffy offered his hand to the tall witch. "I will not get up if you don't pull me up this pond. I will keep floating here like a lonely, unloved lotus." Prince Luffy pouted.
Unable to tolerate any of these, the witch offered his hands, "Get up Luffy, enough is enough." Hearing this, the prince gladly held the witch's hand, and he pulled the shorter man up and drew him closer. Witch Law's hands wrapped around Prince Luffy's shoulders and sighed. "What do you want, Luffy?"
"You."
"Stop joking!"
The prince coiled his arms around the witch's waist, "Woah, you are so skinny, Law! Now how about you tell me what you want Law?"
"I don't know. Why did you return? Why!"
"To fulfil our promise? So that my brother-in-law can live peacefully up to old age, my nephew, and nieces can grow happily with loving parents and my parents and brother can watch the Kingdom be peaceful."
"I hate it!" The witch spat. "I hate it."
"Then what can I offer to you instead of my heart, so that none are hurt."
"There is no way."
"Then let me stay here, and love you."
"Is it that easy? Do you want to waste your youth on me? Why did you rush here after receiving the first letter? Why couldn't you wait?" The witch tightened his grip on the prince's shirt and buried his head in the crook of Prince Luffy's neck. "Why are you so kind, you should be selfish and stab me in the chest, it all ends with my death, I bet your brother Sabo found out about it. Death of a witch solves all the problems! That's why we live in the shadows."
"But, I like you."
"You lie."
"I am incapable of lying." Prince Luffy wrapped his strong arms around Witch Law's waist. "It's not a curse or a blessing, I was born this way."
"Lies."
"Place your hand on my heart and listen. I know you can hear a lying heart." The royal hands around Witch Law's waist tightened. "Tell me, Law, why should you die? When your powers kept my family happy."
There were tears drenching the prince's shoulder. "Because I am jealous of you." The tears didn't stop! Nor did the suppressed regret, "Why did you take the knife so gladly and hurt yourself when my grandma tried testing your resolve? Why did you, a child, have to promise me something so grand? Your heart, you are stupid! You idiot! Why couldn't you just stab me, the way you stabbed your own face!"
"Is this why you had asked for my heart at the age of nine? Yes, it was your grandmother's words, but she wouldn't have asked for something so obscure out of nowhere, your grandmother must've sensed something."
"I hated you. My nine-year-old self hated you!" The witch sobbed into the prince's arms. "I wanted you to feel my pain, I wanted all the love you received from everyone for myself." Witch Law wanted to tell everything to the prince now. "I hated you. I hate you so much. No one could see it, but I could see it. Your brother and you were not blood-related, yet he tried to protect you. And you did the same" The years of pent-up anger that had remained sealed in the heart of an abandoned child were unleashed in the arms of the prince. "Why did you, so gladly, offer your love to someone like me?"
"Maybe—" The prince patted the witch on his back and patted his messy bun-ed head, "Maybe, it was your lonely heart that had called for me?"
"This will not be an easy relationship, Luffy."
"You think, I am here because it will be easy?"
"We are like magical debtor and creditor to each other."
"Law, tell what you want us to be?"
"I want to be loved like you are loved."
"I will love you back by three folds and a half! I promise."
That evening, when they returned, to the cottage after talking their hearts out under the shade of the trees. Prince Luffy was holding Witch Law like a fragile flower that needed loads of sunshine and water. Witch Violet, finding the two joined at the hips, let go of a deep sigh. "Thank you, Luffy!" Then she hugged them both at the door like she wanted to hide them in her soul, "I will miss you, my boys." She kissed their cheeks and forehead and blessed them with spells.
"Are you kicking me out? Already?" Prince Luffy scratched the back of his head with confusion painted on his adorable face. "But Law here just agreed to warm up to me! I can't leave him now! Can I take him with me then?" Before he could talk more, Witch Baby5 jumped at the two of them and hugged them harder. Her kisses were more aggressive and suffocating. Both Prince Luffy and Witch Law did their best to push her away.
"I will miss my baby brother."
After a lot of struggle, the third prince broke free, stretched his neck away from the hug and asked, "What is going on?"
"Your brothers are here." Witch Violet announced and stepped aside to reveal her new guests.
"Hey, baby boy? I didn't know those young ankles grew feathers." It was Prince Sabo who walked out first from the witches' library, his blonde hair was dishevelled, and his smile was both polite and scary. And behind him stood the future king of Spade Kingdom with folded hands and mouth full of smoked boar meat. "You are in trouble, young man." The second prince reminded.
"Is dad here too?" Prince Luffy asked, breaking away from the hugs. He was grinning, despite the fear of his father chasing him with a broom, he was not that bothered.
Prince Sabo laughed, "Be happy, it is just us. You sir are extremely bold; you stole a horse, not just any horse, mom's horse, you stole armour, again not any armour but Reyligh's, and you stole dad's royal deeds! Commendable job!" Prince Sabo praised his younger brother. "Boy can't lie, but boy can steal things just fine! Yamato taught you well, didn't he? Royal deeds was a stroke of a genius move. It can only be traced back to one person; Dad!"
"But I found my witch, brothers meet Law, Law meet my brothers." Witch Law tried to hide behind Luffy, sadly dear readers, because he had no frame of reference, he forgot that he was the tallest one in the cottage. One of his aunts Okiku was the tallest witch in the family, Law dreamt of surpassing her as a child. Not any more.
Prince Ace gulped his meat and nodded, "I remember you." He walked in front of his baby brother and his witch who was digging his fingers into the prince's arms out of extreme awkwardness, "You used to be tiny. Are you as bold as you were back then? Asking for this idiot's love. Where is that grandmother's of yours? She put us in a lot of trouble!"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Witch Law offered a courtesy bow. "You look the same, just shorter now." The witch couldn't help but be snappy, slightly!
"He still growls like a kitten. You are perfect for my brother! Luffy, don't bully him!"
"Isn't he gorgeous, Ace? And he is taller than Yamato! SHISHISHI, SHISHISHI! But he says he regrets asking for my heart. I thought it was love at first sight!" Prince Luffy copied Witch Baby5's theatrics and expressions, poorly should be used before the word copied here.
"I didn't say that!" Witch Law tried to bonk Prince Luffy's head. But the elder princes' didn't wait, they grabbed their brother by the arms and lifted him.
"PUT ME DOWN! I HAVE SERIOUS BUSINESS WITH LAW! IT IS A MATTER OF OUR MARRIAGE!"
"The—" Witch Law was stupefied.
"Congratulations!" Witch Baby5 offered a sincere bow. "We hope, my brother will be happy with you. Please take care of him." With that, Witch Law found himself pushed out of the cottage while the two older princes carried out a protesting young adult.
"We shall retrieve our missing Prince now. Thank you for your hospitality, Aunt Violet! And Baby5, you should seriously join us! You are amazing!" Prince Sabo bowed. "Mother will visit soon, to discuss the matters of land, and lack of new witches, and take she will take the necessities belonging to Law here."
Prince Ace waved, "And don't worry, your son will be looked after dearly. He is one of us now."
"I didn't consent." Witch Law screamed at his sister and mother, who waved at him too happily. "You can't kick me out. I am still learning."
"You did consent. Here is the deed of the bargain you both did to save my husband." Prince Ace pulled out a paper from his boots. "I am glad I still had some sense in my head back then!"
"We signed a deal?" Prince Luffy was still being held above the ground by his brother Sabo, when Witch Law looked at him with equally confused eyes. "I don't remember, I just know I gave you my heart, Law."
"That you did." Prince Sabo nodded. "But Ace here had some brains, it seems!"
"I made Law sign it before we returned with a half-awake Yamato. You both forgot because you were too busy crying after this idiot stabbed himself. I remember I was occupied with Yamato's health, so when I returned I must've given the deed to Sabo. Because he fished it out." In no time, Prince Luffy and Witch Law found themselves being put inside a cosy carriage.
"You see Law, our dad is a great businessman, he taught us, to always sign deeds." Prince Luffy explained as he scooted near the witch. "So now that we have legal documents in order. What is stopping you? We have receipts! Who will stop you from becoming my life-partner? SHISHISHISHI!"
"You, being a practical teenager, for starters!" Witch Law finally landed the bonk he wanted to land on the Prince's head. "LIFE PARTNER IS A RESPONSIBILITY! A signed deed will not make us life-partners or sacred bargains! IDIOT!"
"Ouch. I am seventeen! An adult!"
"Well—" Prince Ace stopped himself from climbing inside, as he was trying hard not to laugh.
"Well, what?" Prince Luffy asked. "What did mom do?"
"Mom saw this coming, so she tweaked the law! " Prince Sabo added. "Not your Law here, but the one in books!"
Colour drained from the youngest Prince's face, "She can't do that. Come on! I was waiting for years to be an adult! I want to go on an adventure!"
"She can, she is the ruler."
Prince Sabo patted his younger brother's head, "You only become an adult at twenty."
"The fuck!" Witch Law hissed, too. "I am already an adult."
"Your mom disagrees! She wants you to study in the castle and hone your skills. Your grandmother bragged about your medical skills! SO YOU ARE JOINING ROYAL INFIRMARY!"
"I regret the day, I bewitched your paths." Witch Law confessed and tried to run away from the carriage. Yes, dear reader, you might think, why didn't he just cast the disappearing spell? He knows how to vanish after all, but as you can clearly see, Witch Law was very much attracted and head over heels in love; his heart knew it but not his brain, not yet!
"I knew it! I knew it! You had bewitched our path when we found Yamato! No way, a trained army horse would lose its path! You really are something, witch!"
"I was trying to help that idiot husband of yours! He had visited my grandmother, begging to alter his body. It was a dangerous magic. She refused, and my skills were still poor, and your stupid husband decided to stab his breasts! He should thank me! Fortune was on his side, and I was practising divination that evening, when I spotted his ancient magical blood! I couldn't let him die!"
"And I am glad, you saved him, stupid boy, you should've just asked for help without the theatrics! You witches are weird!" Prince Ace flicked Witch Law's forehead, just like an elder brother does to their sibling.
"I did it beca—"
"He ' because he was jealous,' let him believe the lie he tells." Prince Luffy pouted.
"I was jealous!"
"You know, if you were jealous, you could've offered to be a changeling or just cast a spell to wipe everyone's memory of me. You didn't, what you asked for was my heart. You wanted to be loved like I was loved by family. I know why you hate bread, why you don't step out of the woods. I know it all. You were hurting, and then you saw a foolish idiot like me and got angry, if I can be loved so much, why weren't you loved by your blood family? I don't know what happened in the past, but you should remember this, I will love you. I will!" Prince Luffy pulled Witch Law into a hug and pulled him inside the carriage. "Let me love you! Let me. Let us find the common ground of this sacred bargain! Okay?"
The witch stopped protesting and hugged him back, "If you abandon me, I will kill myself and bring misfortune upon you and your family, Luffy."
"Wow, our Luffy is so mature!" Prince Sabo patted his elder brother's arms. "Dad will love to whoop his arse."
"So, can I kiss you, Law?" Prince Luffy offered his most adorable puppy eyes. But none fell for it. "Can I?"
"NO!" The answer came in unison.
"Hand-holding?"
"Only if Law permits you!" Prince Sabo sighed, "Dad will beat you if you try to force anything upon Law here."
"And you are too young to think about kissing! Until a week back, you were not even interested in looking at anyone romantically! Now all you see is Law!" The eldest prince mounted on the carriage last. And he chose to ignore, Witch Law, offering his hand to Prince Luffy.
No, dear reader, the story doesn't end here.
Eventually, these two will fall in love, albeit slowly, at the speed of two snails gliding down from the opposite ends of a thin wet creeper. Not every heart is made with the same ingredients. And their love story was not meant to follow the set pattern to the happy ending, well endings are always happy in Far, Far Away Storyland, but the journey is what matters. And the journey has just begun!
But here is a glimpse of their first official date. After a year of being reverted to the role of non-adults, the two were permitted to go out of the castle to have an ordinary date. Though the odd-couple had been very happy at holding hands and stealing cheek kisses now and then, they were still unsure of how to take the next step – the peck on the lips.
On their first date, Witch Law's first-ever visit to the capital city was carefully planned by the entire castle, from their first spot to the last, from the choice of beverages to the entertainment. Prince Luffy, was not a liar but an exceptional stealthy person. With entwined fingers, the couple found themselves going far from the set route. The hide and seek was thrilling, but the food eaten off the vendor stalls was delicious as the adventure of spice was sprinkled on it.
"Do you like this?" Prince Luffy had asked his tall partner as they ran through the busy streets like two pauper lovers.
Witch Law was still not used to being in the presence of so many people and royal eyes following him. This date of being ordinary lovebirds suited him fine, when no one spared them another look, "I do."
"You will love the next place."
"Where?"
In no time, the two of them had hidden under the archway of an old footbridge in the less frequented part of the capital. Years back, Prince Sabo had mentioned this place as an ideal private spot for touchy couples. Prince Luffy hugged Witch Law and pressed his ears to his chest. "OOOOOO! Someone is nervous."
"So are you!" Witch Law placed his palm on the prince's chest. "I can feel your heart beating like a drum! It is a set of three! Du-du-du, Du-du-du, Du-du-du!"
"My heart beats for you." Prince Luffy looked up, his lips were half parted with his bunny teeth peeping out, and his hair was sticking to his forehead. The witch gently removed the hair and cupped his face. "My heart beats only for you."
The witch touched his forehead against the prince's "May I kiss you?"
"Yes please."
Witch Law gently puckered his lips and kissed his short lover, and the younger pressed his lips back and hugged the taller raven-head's waist. They pulled away after a few seconds with full hearts and giddy hands.
"That was our first kiss!" The witch blushed and hid his face in the prince's crook of the neck, and took a deep breath." I can't believe it! I had my first proper kiss!"
"Shishsishi it was a nice kiss right?" Prince Luffy squeezed his lover hard. "I can't wait to try again, shall we kiss again?" The third prince was blushing equally hard.
"I want to kiss again too." The witch nodded and looked up, and offered his lips again, but stopped when he saw someone looking at them with an irritated frown.
"Why did you stop Law?"
"And you both will go into sex-education classes together!" A voice roared from the top of a bridge opposite their archway. "From tomorrow!"
"Dad!"
The witch pushed the prince away, and with a panicking voice, he tried to explain, "Sir Crocodile. We just kissed, I swear! We don't plan to have sex anytime soon!"
"Dad, you are ruining my second kiss! Law, come here and kiss me again!" Prince Luffy tried to pull his lover by the collar for a second kiss. "It is his fault for looking at us! Peeping tom!"
The witch wanted to bury himself in a flowerpot and become one with the earth. "Lu—"
"Shut up brat!" Sir Crocodile turned his face around. "I can't believe this!"
"I will complain to Mom!"
"This is embarrassing, all my children are so embarrassing, if that was a kiss, your mother and I should be charged with obscenity! I was worried about nothing. Don't return home before sunset. I have to tell your mother of this disgraceful behaviour of affection!" Sir Crocodile was gone in seconds from the area.
"Dad why? What do you mean? Dad answer me!" Prince Luffy called after, while Witch Law slid down the wall to his knees, he couldn't bear the knowledge of his lover's father having watched them kiss and called it embarrassing.
As I said, dear reader, these two will find their meaning of sacred bargain at the speed of two snails gliding down a wet creeper and a lot of push from people around them.
THE END
Note:
You don't drill a hole in the plate you feed on!*: It's a literal translation from Hindi, जिस थाली में खाना उसी में छेद करना!
P.S: Comments, follows, favourites and kudos make me very very very very happy!