WHITE WITCH ━ The Witcher

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕿𝖜𝖔

❝That still doesn't answer my question, boy. Who are you?❞ Her voice spoke with less threat, but it still had an icy demeanor, one that told him that she still didn't keep her guard down. She kept the closest thing to a weapon beside her, eyes sealed on the shaking lanky boy.

❝I-I'm Anthony,❞ he stuttered, backing up towards the edge of the bod only to fall and stumble over the loose floorboards, dust erupting from within. ❝S-sorry. I didn't mean to wake you.❞

Estella gave him a stern look before looking around. She realized that she wasn't in the old shack anymore. She was in what appeared to be the attic of a cottage, transformed into a small room with old posters and books scattered around the tiny space. She compelled herself to stand up. When she walked over to the small window, she saw Luna outside. She smiled, glad to see that the mare was safe. It happily galloped around the the fenced out fields, only stopping to delightedly munch on lush tall grass.

She turned around, wanting to thank the boy, but all of a sudden, she collapsed.

❝Hey, I got you.❞ She felt Anthony slide his arms underneath hers, helping her up then guiding her back to his cot.❝You must be starving. Here, my grandmother had some left over porridge from last night. I hope you don't mind.❞ He handed her a small wooden bowl filled with a thick mixture of milk and grain. It's aroma alone made Estella smile. It felt like months since she last held a meal that she didn't have to kill.

❝Thank you,❞ she whispered out before taking a bite. It was cold, but she didn't mind. It was delicious and it was food. She needed it. In just a few minutes, she consumed the entire bowl.

❝I'm sorry, by the way, for how I woke you up,❞ Anthony abruptly said, proceeding to explain what happened.❝I found you out in the old stables. Your wailing horse almost woke the whole town up. I assumed that you needed a place to stay, so I brought you here. You were also covered in filth, that's why I was cleaning you up earlier.❞

What she felt earlier weren't raindrops at all, but a cloth wiping her down. She nodded. She stood right up when she knew she could and walked around the tiny space of his cruddy room.

There was clutter everywhere, as well as pendants and talismans of all sorts hanging on a single nail by the door. Empty round bottles of different dimensions laid beside old ageing tarot cards. Books with languages Estella didn't even knew existed laid about, all of which having some sort of magic labeled onto it.

She brushed her fingers over a card that looked awfully familiar, realizing that Magnus owned the same set which they used for her training sessions.

❝Where did you get all of these?❞

❝Everywhere, really,❞ the teenager responded. He gave her a pitiful look. ❝I like to find lost things and bring them back here.❞

❝I'm not lost.❞

❝Then where are you going?❞

Estella remained silent. She didn't know at all, but a voice in her head told her that she chose not to respond to him because the lesser he knew, the more he'd be safe.

❝Why do you have all of these? I doubt that these pieces of junk need company,❞ she commented.

❝They're not junk.❞ Anthony grew defensive.   ❝They're what I need to be a part of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers.❞

Estella straightened up at the mention of the Brotherhood. The Brotherhood of Sorcerers was the oldest organization of mages in the Northern Kingdoms. It was formed in the aftermath of the non-aggression pact by the Novigradian Union established in the 8th century. It united and had control over most of magic users, magic academies and institutions.