The Bird's Corner @the-birds-corner - Tumblr Blog

By The Witch's Grace

Chapter Three

A "Choose Your Own Adventure" Story 6.1k words

Click here for story description

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The next morning, the sun surprised everyone as it shone in through the windows, peeking through cracks in the hazy sky. It was still a frigid day, and the snow covered the ground in heavy heaps, but only flurries flitted lazily through the air. Things were looking up for the family. If the sun kept its warm gaze on them, they might be able to leave before the week was out. Just like they say, the coldest night comes right before the spring.

With the pestering of Wilhelm, wanting desperately to compensate her, Petra gave it serious thought as she got ready in the morning. The first step to knowing what they had to offer her was getting to know them better. Figuring out who they were and what they were capable of doing for her. If they were farmers, though unlikely, she could ask for livestock or seed. Though if they came from the riches shown by their clothes and armor, maybe they’re knowledge and status could give her something more valuable.

Petra set in her mind that this week with them would be as progressive as possible, to get to know who these strange folk were and how they ended up in a little place like this. The first to share anything about who they were was, unsurprisingly, Finn.

As she got ready to go out into the cold to do her morning chores, Finn stumbled out of the bedroom in his full armor, helmet tucked under his arm and sword on his hip. She almost forgot he came here in such a get-up; it hardly fit the soft, sensitive soul he proudly showed off to her.

“Hey! Um, since Percy went with you yesterday, I hoped I could go today?” He said in a question, like he wanted to take Perseus’ spot.

Petra fought a smile, tucking in her tail as she got dressed for the cold. “I don’t think he planned on it today, but you are more than welcome to join me. I might take a little bit. I need to make sure everyone is okay.”

“I am happy to,” Finn said, a giddy look on his face as he pulled on metal-covered gloves.

Petra sat with the barbed wire fence to her back as her small flock of sheep gathered around to check her out and get attention. She raised them from lambs and spent as much time as possible with them so they would be sociable and it paid off as she petted one’s face.

“So… where did you all come from? Because obviously,” Petra looked behind her to Finn who was surveying her land. “You didn’t come from anywhere near here. None of you are dressed the part.”

He laughed, taking his helmet off and giving himself a once over then looked back at her. “You really think so? I don’t know, I think we fit in pretty well with a little port town.”

“Ha ha,” She said with as much sarcasm as possible, “did you travel through Blackrock?”

“Is that what it’s called? No, we didn’t. I chose the port area on a map, but we didn’t have a chance to get to town once the weather got bad. We saw the smoke from your house and decided it was our best bet.”

Petra hummed a response, turning back to her sheep as a new one approached. The conversation fell silent, and she continued wiping snow off the sheep’s fleece, thinking about the tiny tidbit he gave her. He chose the area on a map, but from where and why? How long ago, even?

There were a long few minutes of silence, allowing for a couple of sheep to be comfortable enough with Finn standing there to lie down in the snow beside Petra. The sheep closest to the fence jumped up all of a sudden, but when Petra turned to look, it was just Finn settling down beside her on the other side of the barbed wire.

“We lived in Westdenn.” He said. It wasn't until he saw the confused furrow of Petra’s brows when they looked at each other that he elaborated with pride. “The capital, the most prosperous city in the country. Well… at least it was.”

“What happened?” She asked and turned toward him. A couple of the sheep jumped up but settled after a few moments. Finn let out a long sigh, looking up at the cloud-covered sky.

“A lot. We lived and worked in the castle. It’s all thanks to my dad, honestly, he was very close with his majesty and he was the top royal mage there. When he took Percy in, that gave him a big head start and ended up being captain of the royal guard. I was a castle guard, so not as important as him, but being family to him earned me a lot of respect. And Elias was in training to be a guard, all he would talk about when he was little was wanting to be just like me.” Finn explained with a nostalgic smile on his face but hesitated as he continued.

“It was all fine until his majesty, King Edison, died suddenly… We still don't even know what happened to him. One morning, he just… never woke up. It hit my dad hard, but Percy was taking it very personally, being by his majesty’s side so much and all.” He turned and met Petra’s gaze, spitting his next words in disgust. “We barely even got time to grieve before Lord Malcolum took his place.”

“Is that… not his son?” Petra asked, getting an airy laugh from Finn.

“No, it’s his cousin. His majesty had yet to marry, so he was without an heir. The lord was the best option, chosen by his immediate family. Though why him, I couldn’t tell you.” Finn shifted around to face Petra as the aggravation was clearly building up from retelling this story. “Malcolum was not fit to rule. From day one, Dad didn’t like him. He warned the closest advisors that he wasn’t a good choice, but no one listened to him. Keeping the bloodline is important, and all.”

“After a few weeks of nothing but jacking around and getting drunk off his ass, my dad stood up to him. He told Malcolum to take his position seriously or the city would fall into ruin. All he got was drunken scolding in return. I could hear them from outside the throne room arguing, and eventually Malcolum just shouted, “You don’t like the way I rule? Then leave”, and Dad lashed out.” Finn sighed, letting his shoulders drop as he closed his eyes. Retelling the story seemed to be dampening his mood.

“The guards chose to be loyal to Malcolum, and when my dad resisted them, they tried using force. They tore out a few feathers when pinning him to the ground. I had run in once I heard a struggle, but I couldn’t do anything. I didn’t know what to do… but Percy killed the guards to save him. Men I grew up with… I mean, they were only following orders, doing the only job they have ever known. It’s hard to think they’re gone even after seeing them…” Finn trailed off, choking up as he looked down at the grass with watery eyes.

“Finn,” Petra reached through the fence and put her hand on the cold metal plate on his shoulder. “You can stop, it’s okay. You don’t have to relive all of this.”

“No. I want to. You deserve to know what happened, why we’re here. What we had to do.” He said with soft seriousness, looking over to hold Petra’s gaze. Grief was painted over his features, and he let out a breath to urge himself on. “Percy lost it. He has always been protective of my dad, so seeing his wing all bloody sent him over the edge. All I could do was help Dad up while Percy was… massacring them. Malcolm fled, and guard after guard charged at Percy. My dad was screaming for him to stop, but… it was like he was an animal.”

“Something seemed to snap him back to reality, maybe it was Dad yelling or me crying, I don’t know. But Percy came back to us, and we ran. We found Elias, and we were gone. It took hours to scrub all the blood off Percy in rivers. It’s been over a month since that happened. After living a life of luxury, it was hard for us out there.” Finn laughed softly, sniffling as he stood up.

“I chose a place, far away from Westdenn, and we never stopped moving. You can imagine the bounty on our heads, so we had no choice but to find somewhere where no one would know us. Someplace where if we showed up at a stranger’s doorstep,” He looked at Petra with a sad smile. “They would have no clue who we were. And we could live comfortably again.”

~

When next morning rolled around, and Finn wasn’t too keen on going out in the cold. Elias heard about her livestock and happily layered up to meet the chickens and sheep. Petra gave him the feed bucket so he could feed the animals.

“I heard from Finn that you guys lived in a castle before. That’s gotta be a pretty crazy change being here now.” Petra said thoughtfully while watching Elias pet the hen in his lap, now fast asleep.

“Holy hell, man- this is like a completely different life! In Westdenn, I never got to do anything but train, and I wasn’t allowed to see the animals. I did go into the stables with the horses one time. Only one time though. My friend Rowan and I got caught by Phebe, she took care of the horses, and yelled at us till we went back to the trainees' quarters.” Elias retold excitedly, though when the hen moved in his lap, he focused on her again with pets.

“Was Rowan in training too?” Petra asked, sitting in a spot of damp ground where the snow had melted.

“Yeah! He’s my best friend!” He said quickly, just to pause as he had a realization, talking quieter now. “He was. I’m a year older than him, but we started training together at the same time. Toby joined us recently, and he liked Rowan a lot. I liked him, but I liked Rowan better. He was too tall, and honestly, a try-hard… I guess I kind of miss him, though.”

Petra watched him, feeling sympathy for the boy having to leave everything he has ever known and ever loved. “I’m sorry. I wish you could have brought them with you.”

“I tried to… but we didn’t have enough time to find Rowan and Wilhelm said we needed to leave as soon as possible. Rowan would have missed Toby though…” He trailed off, petting the hen and gently putting his hands beneath the soft feathers of her back before looking back up at Petra suddenly. “You know what? They would deny it every time, but I think they were dating and just not telling me! They flirted all the time, right in front of me! Almost like… like Wilhelm and Kayla! No… no, like Finn and Lily! Yeah, yeah those two were disgusting!”

“Ooh, who are Kayla and Lily?” She asked and leaned forward with her elbows propped up on her knees to hold her head in her hands. Seeing his excitement return brought a smile to her face. The poor boy had been through so much, yet his childish nature was still there. Still alive and still fresh.

“Finn didn’t tell you? Ohoho, well, don’t mind if I do then!” Elias adjusted himself around to face Petra, saying little apologies to the chicken, who was upset by his shifting around. “Okay! So, Kayla was Wilhelm’s wife, and basically my mum, she was like a mum to all the trainees actually, she always made us snacks and helped us when we got hurt. She baked really good too, but died a couple of years ago.”

“She did? What happened?”

Elias just shrugged, “I don’t know, she just got sick. But Wilhelm was really upset and spent a lot of time in his tower doing magic stuff. It helped him, I guess.”

“That’s terrible… You must miss her a lot.” Elias nodded, watching the chicken as she got up from his lap. “Did Lily pass away too?”

“Huh? Oh, no! Well, I don’t think so yet. She’s a pirate lady; she just showed up one day in a big group of ‘em. Wilhelm didn’t think they were a good idea to have in the city, but Finn really liked her. If he wasn’t standing guard, he was gone with her. I never saw him!” He explained with a groan and roll of his eyes, before locking back into the conversation. “But! After a couple of months, she was pregnant! Finn told me that after she found out, she ran away with her pirate group, just all of a sudden! We never heard from her again.”

“What!” She said, getting into the story with him to keep up his energy. “How did Finn take it?”

“Oh, he was heartbroken! I really missed the person he was before her. He used to be fun and hang out with me, but after that, he was just sad and mopey all the time. It’s been a couple of years, though, and he is getting better, I think. Especially since we got here.”

Elias went quiet, and Petra felt like it was better for her not to try to fill the silence with empty words. She couldn’t help but smile at the insinuation that she was helping him; her chest warmed at the thought of being a saving grace for the family.

“Thank you for that, Petra…”

~

By the fourth day of the family living with her, Petra got used to sharing the responsibilities of things and having near-constant company. This morning, however, Finn and Elias were still asleep when she was getting around to go out. Wilhelm offered to go with her, though Perseus pulled him aside to try and convince him otherwise. With quiet bickering on the stairs, Wilhelm shooed Perseus away and headed down to join Petra, dressed in his robes for warmth. He requested a walk in the woods once she was finished, craving the comfort of nature, he explained.

“The boys are really taking a liking to you, mate,” Wilhelm spoke while gazing thoughtfully at the surrounding trees and plants bathed in the morning glow.

“Speaking of them, I had a question,” Petra said, walking alongside him, looking at the partially melted snow along the worn deer path.

“Oh? Well, ask away, this must be a good one.”

Petra laughed a little and took in a breath, taking a second to think of how she wanted to word things. “So… not to sound rude, but there is no way BOTH of them are yours.”

Wilhelm burst out laughing, stopping his walk as he grabbed onto her shoulder for stability. His laugh was contagious enough to get her to laugh alongside him, her cheeks warming with embarrassment of having asked the question.

“I’m sorry, I just, I have to know!” She justified, but Wilhelm just silenced her with his hand as he calmed himself with a few breaths.

“Holy hell! That was not what I was expecting you to ask.” He laughed his response, but reeled it in. “No, you’re completely right, though. Finn is my flesh and blood, but I found Elias… well, and Percy.”

Wilhelm smiled at her when she gave him a confused look. He waved for her to follow as he continued walking, holding his hands behind his back. The attention placed there by his hands let Petra get a look at his wings; she could finally see the spots where long flight feathers were missing. Seemingly feeling her eyes on him, he shook his wings and looked back at her expectantly till she joined his side.

“So, Elias, he was abandoned, right on my doorstep. Luckily, he showed up during my high time at the castle. Finn told you about everything, yes? So you know I was a royal mage. It paid quite well, and I was able to give my boys the luxuries of royalty, something I am very thankful for.”

“He’s adopted then. Do you know anything about his blood family?” Petra asked.

“Unfortunately, no, I assume they couldn’t take care of him or needed to flee the capital for one reason or another. He was only a few days old. Same as Percy.”

“Really? Why is Perseus any different? That would make him your son too, right?”

“You would think that, but his situation is a bit more… complicated.” Wilhelm looked to the side at Petra. “You mess around with magic, I know. I can feel it radiating from you. Plus, you don’t hide that dragon eye very well.”

At the mention, Petra instinctively reached to grab it, stepping away and growing wary. Although it was a simple mention of the crystal, not a threat or demand, something in her grew suddenly protective of him knowing of its existence. With limited knowledge, she didn’t know what else it could do or what someone could do with it. Wilhelm knowing about the object and that she had it was an instant red flag. However, instead of making a move to take advantage of her, he put his hands up, some sort of stand off between them.

“I’m not going to hurt you, mate, I thought that much was clear. Besides, you are doing worse to yourself with that around your neck. Curse of binding. A nasty one indeed.”

“How do you know that?”

“I can see it. Petra, I don’t think you understand what royal mage implies. My life has been dedicated to magic. I am among the most powerful in the country. I can tell a lot about a magic user just by their look alone.” Wilhelm narrowed his eyes, a subtle threat to tell her he isn’t afraid to defend himself. “Please, let us continue our walk.”

Wilhelm put his hands down, keeping a steady gaze on Petra until she lowered her hand from the crystal and relaxed. Once again, he motioned for her to walk with him despite the tension that remained.

“Where was I… ah, right. You have to know a little bit about the origin of magic. Tell me, what do you know about the Infernal Domain?”

“The-” Petra laughed in disbelief, “The old myth? I’ve read hundreds of stories about it. The portal to a fiery, hostile dimension that somehow harbors life.”

“Exactly. Can you tell me what all lives there?”

“I mean… I have read about the boar creatures and the hellhounds. I know there were rumors of the undead too. Again, it’s obviously fiction, though. Magic comes from the dragons.” She said, gesturing to her chest where the crystalized dragon eye sat.

“You aren’t entirely wrong. This dimension did get its ability to use magic from dragons, but where do you think the dragons came from? If it was natural for our kinds to have it, why do we have to work so hard to use it? If the Infernal Domain was a myth, tell me how Perseus is here with us?” He gave her a knowing look, but her disbelief wouldn’t allow her to comprehend.

“Well, he… Wilhelm, are you telling me the Infernal Domain is real? Hold on, are you telling me Perseus is from there?!” Petra stopped suddenly, grabbing onto Wilhelm’s sleeve to halt his leisurely walk. The bemused smile on his face made it difficult for her to tell if he was playing a trick on her or not. “Wilhelm.”

“Percy isn’t human. Not even partially. I’m sure that didn’t take too long to catch on to; tusks and pointed ears are hard to conceal. You would know.”

“What is he?” She asked impatiently.

Her interest in Perseus brought twinkle into his eye as he reached over to make her release his sleeve, affectionately moving aside some of the stray hair that fell into her eyes as he went. “A Flampri, the boar creature, as you put it. Though not fully. We still aren’t sure what his other half is, but we settled on a shapeshifter for convenience. Being a half-divine being was too much for both of us to consider.”

“But I thought flampri were like eight feet tall and covered in fur. They don’t even resemble humans other than being bipedal.”

“Correct, he doesn’t look like one right now. That’s his… human form. Well, as close as we can get to it. When I first found him, he wasn’t so human. That’s why we are thinking his other part is some form of shapeshifter, because he can take either form at will. We had to work on it quite a bit, oh man, was that a struggle.” Wilhelm chuckled to himself with a sigh. “He prefers staying human, though it used to be very costly for him; he’s grown a lot. He hardly ever transforms back, unless emotions are high. It affects him just like it affects our magic use.”

“When was the last time he transformed?”

“Um… right before we left the capital. Finn told you that story. It was… yeah. Perseus can tell you that story.” He said shortly, and Petra got the hint as she nodded and kept on with the walk, kicking some snow.

“How did you find him in the Infernal Domain?” She asked as Wilhelm followed her.

“Well, I was there collecting materials for his majesty, rare herbs and such. I just stumbled upon him, left on the dirt. Crying and alone. I assume the other flampri sensed his difference and wouldn’t take him in, or his parents were killed, or both. I found him just a few years before Finn was born.” He explained, going quiet for a moment before he chuckled. “That realm is unbelievably hot, so bringing Percy here was a huge shock to his nervous system. He was sick for months, constantly shivering. I had to dress him in layers of clothes, giving him steaming baths just to barely help him. I eventually had to make a special potion for him to drink to help with it. But over the years, he has grown quite accustomed. He was working overtime while being a trainee because of his condition.”

“I’m surprised he’s doing so well with the cold here. I can’t imagine how cold it feels to him,” Petra said, and Wilhelm hummed back. She watched the woods ahead of her as she took in this information, forming a mental picture of the story in her mind. “What about Finn?”

“He’s from his realm.”

Petra laughed at his quick reply, earning a chuckle from Wilhelm. “No like… He’s your son, so shouldn’t he be like you? You know, with the wings?” She asked and he took in a deep breath, a conflicted look passing over his features.

“They had to um… remove them. When Finn began his training, they gave him a choice. Keep his wings or continue training. You can imagine, they saw it as too much of a hazard, but he chose to follow his dream of being a guard alongside Percy.”

“That’s horrible… I’m so sorry I shouldn’t have asked.” She said quickly, with guilt over getting such personal information. She assumed it would have been a simple response, like he was born without them.

“It’s alright mate, it was a long time ago. I can’t help but think about it sometimes, though… wonder who he would have been with them.” He said quietly. “How about we head back, ey?”

~

The next day, Petra was alone with her chores, and Wilhelm was teaching the boys to cook since they never got the chance. It gave her time to think, alone, about each of them and their pasts. The story of how they arrived and the life they lived was all laid out and bare, but part of her felt like she didn’t truly know them yet.

The day after, Petra was getting ready to head out, expecting to be alone, when she heard hushed talking at the top of the stairs from Perseus and Wilhelm. Wilhelm was prompting him to join her, “just one more time,” she heard from him, and Perseus grumbled in response. A few minutes later, he came downstairs with his armor on. It looked just like Finn’s, except with more engravings and gold detailing on top of the silver plates. He told her plainly he was joining her only to “keep an eye on her,” he said.

They didn’t chat. He merely escorted her along the muddy ground. Much of the snow had melted by now, and the sun was shining brighter, allowing for a warmer day. Petra knelt to her chickens, letting them eat out of her hand as Perseus stood a pace behind her, watching over her like she was royalty.

“Finn told me that you know all about the incident at the castle now.” Petra was surprised by him sparking up a conversation with her first, and glanced back at him.

“Yeah, he told me about it. I’m sorry about what happened. I hope you all are comfortable here though.” She said shortly.

“How’s it feel?” He asked, something in his voice sounding condescending.

“How does… what feel?” Petra couldn’t place the nerves growing in her chest. She and Perseus hadn’t had any time alone since the first full day they were here, though she preferred it that way with how ready to pounce he was if she made a wrong move. Everyone else was relaxing around her, but Perseus was strung high and tight. She felt as he stepped closer to her, right behind her, and nearly touching.

“You’re housing a murderer, and you know that. You’ve known for a few days now. And yet, you sit there with your back to me.” A shiver of fear went down her spine, her body freezing up at his cold, harsh tone. “You know what I am, what I’ve done, and yet you still let me sleep in your home. You let me cook for you. You trust that I won’t take my sword from its sheath and kill you too, so that we can have your home all to ourselves.”

There was a crisp, metallic sound of Perseus unsheathing his sword and a whoosh behind her head of him swinging it. He knelt in the mud beside her, putting a foot on the end of her tail, smushing it into the mud and making her wince. He rested his sword lightly on the other side of her neck as he spoke into her ear, slowly and gravely enough to make his voice sound like an animalistic growl.

“You know I can. I can smell how much you fear me. So, why are you still gracing us with your kindness? Are you planning on using us, or selling us out for the sake of the hefty bounty on our heads?” Perseus questioned, but with her heart and mind racing, speaking felt impossible. He pushed the sword against her neck when she stayed silent. “Speak, Witch.”

“I-I don’t know!” She spoke quickly, shutting her eyes tight when feeling the burn of tears. He let out an amused breath at her response. “It’s been… nice to have company, I guess. I was enjoying it, so I didn’t care how long you had to stay.”

“Too easy… You let in total strangers, armed strangers. Pathetic, risking it all for the sake of attention.” He spat the words out.

“Well, what the hell did you want me to do?” Petra snapped at him, “Did you wish I had left you to freeze? By what Wilhelm told me, you would have been first!”

At that, Perseus grabbed her shoulder, shifting his foot off her tail, and shoved her into the muddy earth. In an instant, he was on top of her, an armored hand on her chest, and digging the crystal eye into her skin while he held the tip of his blade right below that. He held her there, jaw clenched as he stared at her with a snarl. The mention of his vulnerability clearly touched a nerve.

Petra took short, heavy breaths as she clutched Perseus’s arm with shaking hands. Her mind was bouncing back and forth between searing his arm and giving him a chance to let her go. Just as she was flowing mana into her hands and her veins began to glow a soft orange beneath her skin, he glanced back and forth between her eyes and sighed. Perseus lowered his sword and took his hand off her chest, sheathing the sword while still towering over her.

“I don’t understand your willingness… but I suppose I don’t need to.” He got up and extended a hand to her. “Sorry… I won’t do it again. I just wanted to… test you, I suppose. If you didn’t care what happened to us, you would have lashed out. But you didn’t.”

Petra was on edge, not sure if this was what he wanted, so he could make another advancement on her. She looked between his hand and his face a couple of times before he growled in annoyance and gestured for her to take his hand.

“Come on, Petra. I’ll play nice, I promise.” He said. She studied his expression, seeing how the guardness wasn’t there, and he looked earnest. She grabbed onto his hand, and he gave her a small smile. He yanked her up with enough force to make her stumble, but he caught her with the other arm. “You alright?”

“Yeah… just, don’t do that again.” She quipped, stepping away from him, rubbing her chest where the crystal dug in. Petra grumbled, flicking her tail, which was now covered in mud along with her entire back and hair. When she cast a look at Perseus, he looked a little guilty, assessing the damage and glancing away.

“Since you know about what we’ve been through.. Would you mind telling the big ol’ Perseus what you’ve endured?” He inquired, walking over to grab her feed bucket while she was brushing out the mud on her tail. “It’s only fair, right? You know us, but we don’t know you.”

Petra told her sad tale to him, waking up in a burning mess, getting taken in by the people of Blackrock, then discarded once she discovered her aptitude for magic. Then, having to live hidden away, afraid to show her face or move away after a bounty was placed on her and the “witch hunters” started prowling.

She recounted having to hide and scurry around whenever she had to sneak into town to restock her supplies from the only vendor who trusted her. She briefly mentioned that when she was cursed by binding the necklace to herself till death, though it was more in passing than anything. Perseus was listening closely as she spoke, surprising her with his engagement.

“Have you ever had to take a life?” He asked solemnly, eyes focused on a few passing hens and the rooster watching over them.

“I have. Four actually. And I have injured quite a few more, but it was all in defense. Frankly, I regret it every day.” She laughed a little in sad amusement. “It sticks with you… really makes you think.”

“Heh, you could say that again. I am… sorry you have to bear that kind of weight, though. It’s a hard thing to deal with.” Perseus sounded incredibly sincere, a gentle giant kind of feeling to it, which made Petra smile. It made her wonder if that was his true colors shining through.

~

A few days pass with ease, and Wilhelm begins to hound Petra, insisting he needs to repay her. With the ground drying and a plan to travel in the works, he was begging her for something.

“We will do anything you need; that is a promise.” He always adds. His pestering was working as she was thinking in any downtime she had about what in the world the family could do with her. They have been displaced, they have nothing to their names anymore other than the clothes on their back. An impossible idea came to mind, letting them live with her, but she always shook it away. That was a cheesy thing to ask, and she knew Wilhelm wouldn’t see it as doing her any good. As she lay in her bed in the morning, Poppy curled up at her side, and an idea finally came to mind.

“Hey, boys! Good morning, get up and meet me in the kitchen. We need to chat!” Petra yelled from the kitchen, making coffee and smiling to herself.

After a long 20 minutes, the family filed in. Wilhelm was wide awake and dressed. Perseus looked like a tired mess, but dressed as well. However, both Finn and Elias came upstairs in pajamas, looking groggy. She couldn’t help but giggle at their state.

“Thank you all for so kindly joining me.” She hopped up onto the counter as Elias took a seat on the floor in front of her, Wilhelm seated at the table with Finn, and Perseus, rubbing his eye, stood against the wall across from Petra.

“You’re awfully cheerful this morning.” Wilhelm happily noted while Elias scoffed.

“A bit too much, I’d say. I’m too tired for this,” Elias complained with a huff.

“Suck it up, big man,” Finn muttered,

“I know, I know, I’m sorry. But I have been thinking for a while. Wilhelm has been reminding me that he wants to repay my kindness in whatever way possible. I’ve finally come up with something I want from you all, and I’d like your thoughts.”

They all went quiet, four sets of eyes expectantly on Petra and waiting for what she had to say. She stayed quiet, looking at each one, a smile slowly growing as she kept them in suspense, Elias looking like he wanted to burst from his growing anticipation.

“Wilhelm, I would like you to teach me the magic that you know, as much as possible. Elias, Finn, and Perseus, I want you three to be my personal guards. Not all the time, but if someone threatens my life, I would like you to be there to protect me. You would, in turn, live here with me. If you all aren’t opposed to the idea.”

Without a second more to think, Elias jumped up, suddenly wide awake and full of excitement. “Fuck yes!! Oh my god- this is perfect. No, that is so great, right, Finn? Percy?” He looked between the two with shining eyes and bouncing on his feet.

Wilhelm cracked up laughing with everyone slowly joining in before he looked to the other two for an answer. They both nodded, Finn smiling and Perseus trying to hide a smile. Wilhelm turned to Petra and grinned at her.

“Absolutely. Petra, we are more than happy to stay here with you. Honestly, I feel like this arrangement will be doing much more for us than you, but thank you regardless.” He joked a little before excited conversations floated around, Elias raising everyone’s energy with his bubbliness about this whole situation.

After that, the day flew by with everyone making their rooms more comfortable since their stay was permanent. Before they knew it, it was dark, and everyone went to bed. The start of a new life, for all of them, was solidified tomorrow.

Petra woke up with a snuggly cat as usual, but didn’t hear any ruckus in the home. She got up and got dressed, realizing she had slept much later than she meant to, but quickly saw that morning chores were taken care of for her. The boys were all out of the house, and breakfast was saved for her on the stove. It was a nice day, sunny and warm, so she didn’t blame them at all.

After eating, Petra tied half her hair up in a bun, then stepped outside. Looking around, she noted where everyone was on the property, except for Wilhelm, whom she knew was in the woods. Taking in the warm sunshine, she sighed with the lightness in her chest and thought about who she should go visit.

----

(routes coming soon...)

Meet up with Elias at the sheep pasture

Go find Wilhelm in the woods to ask him about magic

Go meet up with Perseus, who is training by himself

Talk to Finn, who is sitting next to the house with her guitar

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