𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕿𝖜𝖔
━━━━━━━ 𝐈 ━━━━━━━
The icy grey sky restlessly grumbled, sending an out pour in the woodlands. The sound of emptiness was disrupted by the loud gregarious boom of thunder, clashing with the screams and shrieks from the people of Kovir. The cold icy rain pierced her pale skin, but it was the mare that was most bothered, neighing raucously beside her.
❝Apologies, Luna, for dragging you into this,❞ she muttered, tugging it close when the rainfall intensified. The harsh rain obliterated the crystal reflection of the sky and turned it into an disorientated chaos. Thick icy sheets of rain obscured Estella's vision. The gods had picked a prime time to cry.
She looked around, hoping to find shelter for the night, but all she could find was a shack by the end of the hill. She felt a glimmer of hope. ❝Come, Luna.❞ She led the horse to the small shed where they saw nothing but a burned out lamp and a pile of damp haystack. Crooked and close to corroding, it appeared to be abandoned, and yet it was much better than any town tavern that held vile humans that put a target on her head. ❝Well, welcome home.❞ She watched the horse drop down onto the hay, shuffling around to find a comfortable position to doze off on. Estella found herself smiling. She sat by a corner and kept her eyes on her only companion, but then they grew heavy, slowly shutting, taking her into a whole new realm where she was safe.
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Cold.
For a moment, she thought that the rain managed to seep through the shack's frail roof and trickled down onto her skin. It caused her to shiver, even though she was never really one to feel it. She felt a droplet of rain land onto her forehead, as well as her cheek, then her breasts. That woke her from her slumber. Eyes part open to see a mop of dirty blonde hair hovering over her.
❝Magnus?❞ the blonde croaked out. She brought a hand up to rub jer eyes, hoping that her vision would clear up. ❝You found me...❞ But when it did, she realized that the man leaning over her wasn't Magnus. He wasn't even a man at all. He was just a boy.
As if it were a reflex, Estella quickly grabbed the nearest object she could find which in her case, quite unfortunately, was a pencil, and raised it against his neck. She pressed it hard enough for him to feel the pressure, but light enough that it wouldn't cause any real damage.
❝Who are you?❞ she demanded.
The boy, who looked roughly around the age of seventeen, raised his arms in the air. ❝Woah, woah, woah! Relax, miss, I'm just trying to help,❞ he said with a gulp.
Estella's eyes narrowed. She kept the pencil against his throat, seeing if he'd crack, but the boy didn't budge. He kept his arms in the air even when Estella lowered the pencil.
❝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.
She knew exactly what he was talking about, but what she didn't know was why he wanted to be a part of the Brotherhood. ❝I hate to break it to you, but these things are bogus. They're nothing but ordinary crap that could get you and your grandmother in a whole lot of danger.❞
❝I know,❞ he shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest. ❝You think I didn't know that when I brought you here.❞ Estella's brow quipped. Anthony's voice lowered. ❝I know who you are.❞
Her face remained calm. So far, the boy posed no threat. In fact, to her, he was more of a threat to himself by wanting to join an organization that was much more of a cult than a tribe.
❝Believe me when I say that that isn't possible,❞ Estella chuckled lightly. ❝Even I don't know who I am.❞
Anthony shook his head. ❝All the more reason for you to be exactly who they speak of.❞ He gave her a faint smile, then assured her, ❝It's okay. I'm not going to tell anyone that you're here.❞
Estella hesitant. For a moment, she stared at him, golden eyes blazing. ❝Why are you helping me?❞
The boy let out a sigh. He brought his hands together, and in a low voice, said, ❝Because I want to help. Not just you, you know, but in general. That's why I'm trying to study all of this. My parents died when I was just a kid. They were killed by rebels during the Southern War. I was left with a grandmother who could barely hear, much less see.❞
❝She's blind,❞ Estella whispered in a sudden realization. The boy nodded.
❝That's why I get to sneak in these things. She has no idea.❞
❝You seem like a smart kid. Why take interest in joining something that could give you the same fate your parents faced?❞
❝They're exactly why I'm doing this! The Southern War was a result of a sorcerer who ended up betraying his kingdom's troops, prompting a battle right there and then. There are way too many mages who have gone dark. Because of them, innocent people die!❞ His voice cracked upon telling a tale that damaged him. Estella was sure enough that it changed him.
❝I'm very sorry,❞ Estella uttered, growing rather remorseful. ❝However, I'm sure that the last thing they want is for you to want to live like this. No amount of magic could bring them back.❞
But the boy was already shaking his head.❝That's where you're wrong. You could.❞ Estella couldn't help but snort. Before she could deny it once more, he began, ❝They say that the White Witch is capable of conjuring more magic than we could ever imagine.❞
❝That's the thing, kid. I could barely even conjure magic myself.❞ Saying this caused Anthony's face to drop. His hope was turned to dismay. ❝I'm not who everyone thinks I am. By the gods, I wouldn't know what I'd do if I were.❞
To her surprise, the boy believed her this time around. He huffed out a sigh and walked over to his desk where he took a silver medallion with a rough etch of a man carrying a child. The man had a thin outline of a circle around his head which Estella identified as a halo.
❝This will help you find what you're looking for. He will help you find what you're looking for,❞ the boy said with a smile, handing Estella the medallion. She turned it around to see small words carved out onto the medallion's back face. Anthony of Padua: Saint of Lost Things.
Estella grinned. ❝Anthony, huh? Thank you.❞ She bowed her head as another gesture of thanks and said, ❝And I hope you think about what I said.❞
Anthony nodded, understanding that she was referring to their talk about the Brotherhood.
.❝Your grandmother isn't downstairs, is she?❞
The boy shook his head. ❝She's out in the village, I'm afraid. The old bag's lost her sight yet she still finds her way out.❞
Estella chuckled. ❝Well, I'll be on my way. Would you know where I could pass if I wish to go to Redania?❞
The two headed outside so that Anthony could show her the path. It was rough and narrow, but he said that it would lead her right to the Kingdom of Redania. Once she was bale to fetch Luna, she hopped on its back and smiled once more at the boy.
❝I thank you once again Anthony of Kovir. May you find what you're looking for so that one day, you'll quit collecting clutter.❞
Anthony laughed, playfully saying, ❝May you find what you're looking for, too.❞
With that, Estella led Luna around and sped off. She was already nearing the tree line when she heard loud noises coming from where she had just left. She looked over her shoulder to see an army of Nilfgaardian guards approaching the cottage. Anthony was still right outside, looking just as shocked as Estella was.
Even though she was feet away, she could hear the strange men's voices, loudly demanding, ❝We received an anonymous tip of the White Witch sighting on this property. By order of the emperor of Nilfgaard, we order you to bring her out now.❞
Anthony stood there, looking confused. ❝Nilfgaard? Listen, I don't know what you're talking about. You can tell your anonymous tip to bug off! There's no White Witch here.❞
One of the larger guards approached him closer. He had a mean demeanor that matched the rest of his army, all staring down at the boy like wolves.
Estella could tell that Anthony was doing his best to hide his fear. She was just about to charge at them when he briefly looked her way, giving the slightest shake of his head, telling her to stop. He returned his attention to them and calmly stepped aside. The guard that had stepped forward earlier was the first to hop of his steed. He was just about to enter his home when Anthony pushed him back with all his might, causing him to land back on the ground. With his hand, he drew a symbol in the air that Estella couldn't quite make out. What's he doing? She thought to herself. He did it again, but fear soon clouded over his face when he realized that it wasn't working. He was trying to cast a spell, but it was already too late. The guard stormed at him.
Everything else that happened next happened all too fast. The guard moved at such a quick pace that even Estella took some time to register everything. His hand wrapped around the end of his sword, pulling it out of its scabbard. He raised the heavy weapon in the air and gave it a quick twirl before plunging it into the boy's chest, leaving him gasping. Estella found herself yelling, though not a single sound came out of her throat as she and Luna stumbled back into the woods. A single tear flowed down her cheek as she watched the boy take his final breath.
❝Take his body someplace else and make sure he stays hidden. We wouldn't want to start a war with Kovir before we find her,❞ the guard ordered. He gestured for the two others to take his corpse away.
Estella had to hold the rest of her tears back so she could see them clearly. Blood boiled through veins, anger clouding her mind. She knew she could take them down, but then Anthony's death would be for nothing. It took every last bit of her strength to stand down. She'll eventually find a way to make them pay.
With that, she yanked Luna's halter and dashed away from the cottage, revenge set in her heart that slowly crumbled away.
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𝕬𝖚𝖙𝖍𝖔𝖗'𝖘 𝕹𝖔𝖙𝖊
hello, everyone! first off, i'd like to apologize for taking so long to update, but the second chapter is finally here! i want to thank everyone for all the love and kind words you've been leaving. it truly means a lot, and i promise that the next updates will come in a lot faster. but for now, i hope everyone enjoys this new one! let's all gather around and have a moment of silence for anthony of kovir. may he rest in peace 🥴