I have a bit of a challenge.
What if the boys met a Witch reader? We're talking potion-making, spell-casting, and the very cute owl (Or Noctowl in this case) as a little helper.
Charmed
AFAB!Reader x Submas
This is fucking perfect because I actually have a witch-doctor OC, so I happily take your challenge, but with some changes. For this, I'm going to borrow my fantasy setting, plop them there and tweak them a bit to fit in.
The mission was simple.
Scout the neighboring forest of Veilland.
Seek the Witch.
Return and report.
Undula Forest was an enigma. It felt like a jungle, a maze of trees unheard of from the kingdom with twisting vines, bracken and bushes. It was terrifyingly easy to lose one's way in those woods. Rumors say that the entire place was cursed - alive and cursed to doom unfortunate adventurers.
There are some lucky ones who manage to leave - these would always find themselves spat out from the same path they began from. No one has ever managed to make it to the other side. No one has managed to even reach the heart of the woods.
Not unless you truly sought her out.
"I highly doubt we will find her," Emmet admitted as he maneuvered his way around the gnarling roots on the forest floor. "I heard only the pure in heart can find the witch."
His twin, Ingo, glances over to him as he gently moved some of the bracken out of the path. "What makes you think we are not worthy, brother?" He asked. "We are the Knights of the Holy Realm, are we not?"
Emmet's grin tightened. "Well, if you asked me, our mission is neither holy nor pure at all," he began. "There's only one reason why the King would appoint his best Paladins to such a mission."
Ingo grimaced. He did not want the reminder. His Majesty, Kamado the III, was not explicit about it, but it was widely known that he saw the unwanted residency in Undula as a threat. While the locals feared her and she made regular appearances in children's bedtime stories to scare the young ones to sleep, she was - mostly - harmless.
Harmless and actually, quite helpful. Known to be able to cure any indescribable disease there is, even ones that studious doctors who've spent years perfecting their craft, were all baffled by this one woman who secluded herself from civilization.
All for a price, of course.
Which was why the twins were very hesitant about going through with the mission. They were Paladins, the best of Veilland, with sworn oaths to protect the innocent and bring justice to the Kingdom. To bring back the head of one who had yet to have any solid allegations against her felt..
Wrong.
"The worse that could happen is that we find ourselves back to the start," Ingo murmured.
"Or die," Emmet shrugged plainly.
"Just cast your Evac spell," Ingo growled irately. "There is no need to be so pessimistic."
"Hm-hm, about that.."
".. What?"
"I'm out of mana, actually."
"Huh? How?" Ingo spun around. "How are you out of mana? We barely did anything when we arrived."
"I dunno!" Emmet shrugged again. "I've been checking and checking and whatever force is in these woods--"
Ingo watched his twin spin a finger around their surroundings with crazed eyes.
"It's verrry hungry!" he continued. "You try! Cast Heal on me."
Ingo reached out confidently, his fingers tingled within his armored gloves as he focused his mana upon them. His mind hummed, magic coursing through his veins until..
Nothing.
As mana flowed from his fingertips, it was drained the moment it left them.
"Dragons above," Ingo cursed, flicking his hand as though he were shaking off a leech. "Is this the curse the locals speak of?"
"Not really."
The twins spun around, weapons drawn at the ready. There you sat upon one of the tall trees, bare feet decorated with beaded anklets dangling off the branch as you lazily took another puff from your long, slender pipe. You eyed the heavy broadsword in Ingo's hands before shifting your gaze to Emmet's spear.
"Those are some pretty big toothpicks," you drawled. Herbaceous fruit smelling smoke streamed from your nostrils in long exhales, the excess puffed between your lips.
"How dare you," Emmet straightened up, the corners of his mouth twitched. "The Heavenly Arms were bestowed to us from our ancestors!"
"Ah," you blinked down at them. "Hand me downs. I see."
While Emmet glared daggers at you, Ingo was stunned. He wasn't sure what to be in awe first. The fact that the vines seemed to move and slither around you or the fact that you were doused head to toe in green.
Forest green skin.
Swamp green hair.
But your eyes. Your eyes were a stormy, foggy grey that held a story. A long, sad and tired story, far different from the piercing pale ones he and his brother were blessed with. Your clothes were exotic with designs he'd never seen before, robes of rich Merlot red lined in goldenrod and burgundy. You stretched yourself across the branch as though you owned the place.
"Who are you?" he began, gripping the handle of his sword tightly.
You blinked owlishly down at him, hardly threatened. "I am the one you seek," you sighed before your lips wrapped around the tip of your pipe for another hit. More smoke billowed out, the scent of hops and fermented herbs misted the twin's trains of thought. "I am the Witch of Undula. Healer of the Unknown. The One Thing the King you serve fears."
The two don't even realize when their weapons fell to the grass in dull thuds, or even the moment they themselves sank to their knees.
Something felt nice.
Something felt warm.
Something felt oddly fuzzy. Like feathers and fluff in their chest, warming them to their cores.
"Try again next time," they heard you say as you hopped down the tree with a graceful leap, their vision blurry as their faces hit the forest floor. "Maybe come visit me without all this extra weight. Maybe then, I'll make room for an appointment with you two."
The last thing they heard was a snap of fingers, followed by the spine-chilling sound of a rattling snake. Something slithered up to the side and their vision blackened as they were pulled away by the ankles.
.
.
.
Emmet was not sure how much time had passed which was, incredibly annoying to him. He liked being aware of the time. He liked getting things done on time. So when he finally came to at the edge of the forest with his spear at his side, he questioned to himself - why were the stars out at this hour already?
"Brother, wake up," he nagged Ingo, jabbing his twin sharply at his side. He gives Ingo time to groan before stabbing his fingers into his ribs again. "Brother, we've been had. We've been magicked out!"
Ingo rubbed the sleep from his eyes, his ghostly gaze glowed upwards to the stars.
The younger twin peered down at his sibling with an arched brow. "Are you hurt?" he asked, concerned with Ingo's quietness. "She didn't curse you into Silence now, did she?"
"No," Ingo shook his head. "No. I'm alright."
But he was definitely sure he was spellbound by something, judging from how fast his heart was beating just from remembering the sight of you.
"What do we do, Ingo?" Emmet fussed as he crossed his arms together. "What can we even do now?"
"We try and try again," Ingo placed his hands on his stomach as he stared up at the stars, carding them together in thought. "This is a serious matter after all. And if it's not serious.."
His brother widened his eyes and grinned down at him. "Then it is not fun!" Emmet finished.
Oh, yes.
They were going to get their hands on you soon enough. One way or another.