#merlin eventually taking on an apprentice of his own to take over for him as court physician | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

malibix · 3 years

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Pillow Forts & Fairy Lights || One-Shot | Hisirdoux Casperan x GN!Reader

Summary: What’s better to relax and celebrate making it through another week of living than a cozy pillow fort, snacks and movies with your favourite person?

Word Count: 1501

Warnings: None!

Taglist: @furblrwurblr @moppetwithamanbun @tales-of-hisirdoux @alovesongshewrote @yagirlcheesely @daydream-believin

Douxie's had a closing shift at the café again and it being a Friday meant he had the weekend free, so you decide to start the weekend off like any not normal normal couple would.

Pulling the cushions off your couch and stacking them up with blankets and bedsheets with chairs holding it all up from the sides, you found that you’d made a pretty stable fort base if you did so say yourself. Next, you pulled out some fairy lights from your room and strung them up around the inside of the fort to the best of your ability. A little bit of tape and some twist ties got you a long way.

The fort itself stretched off the couch and over the floor, your kitchen island bar stools holding up the later.

Once you'd moved into the apartment, your inflow of blankets had come with you, so there never really was a shortage. Douxie had always complained about being cold. You’d sure solved that problem. You used them to build a sort of platform or mat on the floor off the couch on the floor, and on the couch you did the same. It was already beginning to look and feel like a cozy little warm igloo in there. The "top floor" of the fort had a mountain of your favourite blankets, as you had not been willing to sacrifice them to the floor.

You checked the clock and your text messages to see that Douxie was just finishing up closing at work now, which meant you still had a little time before he got home. You clambered out from the opening of the fort and took a step back to admire your handy work. Nodding in satisfaction at its interior and deeming it acceptable and some quick adjustments to fix the exterior to your liking, you set off to the kitchen for your next mission: snacks.

Rifling through the cabinets, you settled on some Doritos and Smartfood, as well as some candy bars and gummies you'd bought earlier. You scooped all the goods into your arms and shuffled back over to the fort, trying your best not to drop anything on the way there. Multiple trips were for suckers.

Was the couch right in front of the tv? Yes. Did that mean you could be in the couch fort while watching said tv? Not particularly.

Having planned this, you pulled out your laptop and strung it's cord through the mass of pillows and blankets to sit on the top level of the fort on the only neatly stacked pile of blankets. Next, you hauled all the snacks that you’d promptly dropped at the entrance to the fort, into the lower level blanket lair and turned off the lights to save them for the grand reveal of your evening plans for when Douxie got home.

Archie made himself comfortable inside, which you didn't mind one bit. He was always good company, so even though you thought it to be like a little date night, you had no problem with sharing the space with the familiar.

You didn't plan to watch any specific movies or show, you just figured you'd both decide together and figure it out later when he got home. You also ended up leaving the drink choices alone for when he got back. You assumed he'd want tea after a long day at work, but you could never be too sure.

It wasn’t much longer until you heard footsteps outside the apartment door and the jingling of keys as Douxie unlocked the door. It wasn't a rare occurrence for him to step into a completely dark apartment. Sometimes you’d fall asleep somewhere while the sun was still out and just hadn't turned any lights on before it set. Other times he'd just find you in your room hunched over your device and lit up by only the glow of your phone or laptop. Once in a while though, he'd find a little glowing orbs of your magic to light the way to your room, where he’d find you reading surrounded by a handful of them. Almost like you sat in a field of oversized fireflies.

He much preferred the last one as it made him worry less about you damaging your eyesight. Not to mention you always looked so peaceful reading there in your magical light, mind in another world as you read the story you held in your hands.

Today however, he was greeted with the first option. Pitch darkness was the only thing to welcome him home. Not even Archie came to greet him. Some friend he was.

Of course the wizard wasn't aware that his familiar was currently snoozing away in a fort hidden by said darkness, but still.

He heard a faint shuffling from somewhere in the living room, followed by your voice welcoming him home and asking him how his day was.

"Sorry for the darkness! I made us a surprise though! C’mere,"

He felt your hand grab his and you pulling him slightly to lead him across the room.

"Just oneee second-!"

There was a bit of a pause and a little more shuffling before little lights sprouted up under the roof of the fort. Their brightness dimmed by the bed sheets made them look like a bunch of glowworms in their living room. The fairy lights illuminated the room just enough for Douxie to be able to make out the fort and the shapes of everything inside it.

"I thought a couch fort-movie night was a good way to celebrate the weekend and making it through another week of customer service."

The glow from the fort now gave enough light for him to make out the grin on your face.

He couldn't help but smile back at the thoughtful gesture, "Thank you love, it's perfect."

"Archie's already in there and made himself at home by the way, hope you don't mind."

You crouched down to crawl through the entrance and into the fort. "You gonna stand out there by yourself all night or what?"

Douxie smiled again as the lights lit up your silhouette under the sheets, just enough for him to see you waving him in.

"Oh wait almost forgot, sorry hold on," You crawled back out, heading for the kitchen to get drinks. "Tea?"

"Sure thing, darling."

You smiled back as you filled the kettle with water and set it to boil. “Oh go on, don’t be shy. Make yourself comfy and I’ll be right over.” “I’m going, I’m going.” He chuckled lightly, putting his hands up in defense as he crawled into the fort.

You may or may not have magicked your way to boiling water to save time, but soon enough you poured your cups of tea and returned to the fort in the living room. What? Magic may not be a permissible shortcut to hard work, but it wasn’t you who was Merlin’s apprentice after all.

You dropped bags of your favourite tea into travel mugs, just to be safe, and poured in the hot water before bringing them back over to the fort in your living room.

“Do me a favour and hold these for me for a second please?” You stuck your arms into the fort, holding the travel mugs out to Douxie who chuckled and took them from you as you’d asked.

“No problem,” he said.

“Thanksss,” you said, shimmying your way into the fort with various noises of struggle. To which, your wizard simply laughed at in amusement.

“You alright there, love? Having trouble getting into your own fortress?”

“Ha ha, very funny.” You made extra effort to take up as much space as possible once you’d reached him.

Archie protested slightly as you both shuffled around trying to make yourselves comfortable, but eventually settled back down once you'd done the same. As you discussed movie options, you'd eventually settled on a new fantasy release and curled up at Douxie's side. He wrapped an arm around you while you pulled up a blanket and buried yourself further into his chest, making yourself cozy.

Douxie wasn't one for confined spaces, but having you right next to him in a fort you'd made with love for him made him feel much more at peace. You shared the snacks you'd previously brought in while sipping your tea and enjoying the movie together.

The movie however, was rather long. And though it was good, that didn't help keep the two of you awake after a long day of work. You fell asleep in his arms probably just after halfway through the movie, and he fell asleep not long after.

Archie had made his way onto your lap by the time the movie credits rolled around and promptly curled up where he sat, glad that his wizards were home. The three of you stayed like this the rest of the night, in the company of each other and under the cover of bedsheets and artificial stars.

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bitsandbobsofwriting · 3 years

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Soulmate AU part 3: The teenagers slowly become adults;

Leon is endlessly proud of his kids (he’s long accepted that he’s a dad of three unruly teenagers now, and shares custody with Gwen and Hunith, the only other sensible ones), and Morgana and Merlin are abruptly made aware of their new... role(s).

Part 1 Part 2 Part 4

All of their birthdays pass in the next few months. Of course, Arthur’s and Morgana’s come with big celebrations, insisted on by Uther (I mean... Morgana had just come of age, and Arthur was the Prince, can you blame him?), but the gang put on mini celebrations just for them in the evenings.

Everyone got everyone gifts, and they spent as much time together during the birthdays as they could, even Gaius and Hunith joining them when they had time.

Leon was quickly climbing the ranks within the Knights, and was the youngest to be granted the title of captain at just 23, which gave him little more control over his own schedule. He worked incredibly hard, was a good teacher, and never took advantage of his post, so his fellow knights didn’t mind so much when he gave himself the occasional day off, for his kid’s birthdays.

The other knights had definitely picked up an Leon’s... older brother instincts when it came to The Prince, The Ward, The Servant, and The Physician’s Apprentice, and ribbed him mercilessly for it, but he didn’t really mind too much. Said kids certainly found it hilarious.

Morgana coming of age also meant an influx of potential courters, both foreign royalty and local nobility.

Much to Uther’s annoyance, she rejected every single one before even meeting them, insisting that she would marry for love, not because some old man wanted to suck up to The King.

It didn’t take long for him to give up on finding her a suitor to be honest. She wasn’t heir to the throne, so it wasn’t too important, and he knew how stubborn she was; the more he tries to set her up, the more she’ll resist.

Merlin’s sixteenth birthday came a few weeks after Arthur’s seventeenth, and Uther begrudgingly gave Morgana and Arthur a day off from lessons and meetings. Frankly, he knew there would be no point in trying to enforce anything, they would just ignore him and sneak out to see the boy anyway.

A couple months after Arthur’s seventeenth birthday, it came time for his official Knighting (he talked about it endlessly when it happened, being one of the youngest to ever be officially knighted, most aren’t knighted until they’re closer to 21. Leon had been very young as well, at only 19).

Much to Uther’s chagrin, Arthur and Morgana insisted that Hunith and Merlin have a front row seats.

He gave in eventually, after Arthur threatened to not turn up to his own ceremony, and Morgana pointed out that the only people in attendance would already know about the whole soulmate thing.

It was a momentous occasion, that involved huge public celebrations (which Arthur and Morgana, of course, snuck out of the castle to join in on, with Gwen and Merlin), and a large feast in the evening.

Hunith finally got a chance to wear one of her nicest dresses, and Arthur even managed to wrangle Merlin into some smart clothes (just a touch of red and gold, to subtly compliment what the Prince was wearing, of course).

Though Uther did insist on having them introduced as “Family of the Court Physician” to anyone who asked, which annoyed Arthur to no end. But he’d agreed to not go public until he turned 18, so he was just going to have to put up with it.

They had a great time, and even Uther loosened up a bit once he’d had a little to drink. He still avoided Hunith and Merlin like the plague, but did get tipsy enough to clap Arthur on the back, and tell him he was proud “Of both your achievement today, and the happiness you found with your soulmate.” which Arthur definitely did NOT tear up at, thank you very much Morgana, and which Uther will deny happened until the day he dies.

Despite having to hide their respective soulmates, the gang had fun. Once the food and tables where cleared away to make way for music and dancing, things livened up a great deal.

Morgana dragged Merlin to dance, despite his insistence that he didn’t know how. Arthur, Gwen, Leon, Hunith, and Gaius watched on in amusement as Morgana tried to teach him the steps in the middle of the floor, no one in the hall daring to complain (she was the King’s Ward, after all).

Morgana made her way through the group, insisting that Arthur danced with her next, then Leon, and then, much to Uther’s annoyance, Gwen and Hunith.

Everyone soon forgot about their worries, maybe it was inappropriate for commoners and servants to mix with royalty and knights, but this celebration was for Arthur, he could bloody well do what he wanted.

Thankfully, by the time Morgana managed to force Arthur and Merlin on the dancefloor together, everyone else in the room was too drunk, and too wrapped up in their own dance partners, to notice The Prince dancing with the Physician’s Apprentice.

Overall, despite the stress of feeling like Uther was glaring a hole in the back of all of their heads, they enjoyed the night. Hunith and Merlin felt, even though it was obviously much fancier, the celebrations were similar to the ones they had back in their little village.

They had greatly missed the Yule celebration that had undoubtedly happened at the end of last year in Ealdor, but this more than made up for it, and by the end of the night, their spirits were lifted, so much so that they weren’t nearly as homesick as they used to be.

It was just days after the celebrations, that Arthur and Merlin (choosing to sleep in Merlin’s bed tonight, so they could have breakfast with Hunith the next morning) woke with a start to the sound of frantic banging on the front door. It was very late, still hours before sunrise.

Arthur woke immediately, his instincts kicking in as he grabbed his hidden sword and made his way out of the bedroom before he was even fully aware of himself. Merlin woke up a little slower, but still grabbed his own sword and crept out of the room after Arthur, meeting a worried Hunith in the corridor.

Arthur gestured at them to be quiet and raised his sword a little higher as the banging started again.

Merlin ignored him however, as he widened his (now golden) eyes and dropped his sword. He rushed to open the door before Arthur could stop him, only to find a distraught Morgana shivering on the front step.

She was still wearing sleep clothes, with a cloak and shoes hastily thrown on. He eyes were red and she had tear tracks down her face, her hair a mess.

The moment Merlin threw open the door, Morgana falls forward into his arms, the Warlock only just managing to catch her as she begins crying again.

It takes Arthur a moment to recover form his shock, but he quickly gathers his and Merlin’s swords, dropping them on a side table, before mouthing “tea?” to Hunith and stepping towards his soulmate and his sister.

Hunith nods slightly, and with one last worried look to the girl who had become like a daughter to her, she busies herself in the kitchen; lighting the fire, boiling some water, and gathering together some tea leaves, the type that help with sleep.

Arthur manages to pull the other two inside, so he could shut the door, and he guides them to the living room. Merlin settles in a large, soft armchair, and Morgana follows closely, falling into his lap and continuing to cry into his shoulder, clutching desperately at his sleep tunic.

Arthur sits himself on the armrest, and Morgana gropes blindly for his hand, which he quickly takes, before looking to Merlin and raising a worried eyebrow.

Merlin just shakes his head in confusion. Morgana hadn’t said anything yet, just cried, and he had no idea what could’ve brought on such hysterics so suddenly in someone who was usually so calm.

He wipes all thoughts of his own nightmares from his mind as he strokes Morgana’s hair and whispers gentle words to her. She finally calms down a little as Hunith walks in with four cups of tea, and Merlin asks quietly:

“Would you like Gwen? She only lives a few streets away, Arthur could fetch her and be back in only a few minutes.” Arthur gets up, moving to put on shoes and a cloak, but Morgana croaks out a desperate:

“NO! No, I don’t want to worry her.”

She goes to stand up, but Merlin pulls her back down, settling her comfortably in his lap, as she fiddles with her hands and refuses to meet anyone’s eyes.

Merlin just frowns, still stroking her back, and Arthur speaks up quietly:

“What’s wrong ‘Gana? Are you hurt?”

Morgana shakes her head and looks up at Arthur, then Hunith, before finally looking back at Merlin. She gulps before she begins to speak:

“I... I had a nightmare-”

Merlin gives her a sad smile, knowing how terrifyingly disorienting they can be, but before he can say anything, Morgana continues:

“-but not a normal one. I’ve always suffered with night terrors, and Gaius makes me sleeping draughts but they never work. This one was so vivid. Like it was real.-”

She looks down to her lap, and Merlin begins to frown again as she continues:

“-I never really noticed before, or I just wrote it off as coincidence, but all of my dreams... they come true. And this one...”

Arthur speaks up as she trails off:

“Are you sure, Morgana? Maybe you just got a little muddled up, perhaps you dreamt about them after, and got confused?-”

Morgana looks up sharply, somehow still managing to look a little intimidating despite the messy hair and tears:

"Do you remember when you got caught by that mace during training last week?-”

Arthur frowns slightly, nodding as he rolls his shoulder automatically, still feeling a dull ache:

“-well the night before, I dreamt about it, that’s why I came to watch that morning. I just wrote it off because in my dream, it was Leon that hit you, not Sir Kay, but that was the only difference. Even the bruise looked exactly the same.-”

The other three look surprised, but before they can say anything she gulps and continues:

“And when we got attacked by those bandits? I dreamt about that a few days prior. In my dream, Leon was with us as well, and there were three more attackers, but again, other than the slight difference, everything was the same. Even how Merlin ended the fight, and the memory charm.”

Arthur collapses in the chair behind him, looking thoughtful, and slightly worried, as Merlin breaks himself out of his train of thought:

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

Morgana bites her lip, before saying timidly:

“I almost did, but I just thought I was being paranoid; seeing connections where there weren’t any. But tonight...”

Arthur looks up sharply, frowning (not accusingly, just... worryingly) as he says:

“What was your nightmare about ‘Gana? I’ve never seen you this scared before.”

She looks up and meets his gaze, tears gathering in her eyes again:

“We were in a cave, me and Merlin. It was dark, and we were... not quite scared, but confused. And then a dragon appeared, huge, angry. It spoke, I couldn’t understand it, but Merlin obviously could, and they talked for a while. Merlin got angry, and then the dragon looked at me, and reared up and started spitting fire. I woke up just before... just before it burned me. I snuck past the guards and came straight here.-”

She looked to her lap again, before mumbling:

“Honestly, I didn’t even know you were here, I just wanted to see Merlin, because he was in it.”

Merlin pulls her close again, and she settles with her head in the crook of his neck as he strokes her hair, worrying his lip at her description of the night terror.

Hunith looked worried, and Arthur was deep in thought for a few minutes, before speaking up again:

“I suppose you two just... stay away from big caves? And if you find one somehow, come find me, and Leon would probably be good as well, and we’ll see what’s going on, together.”

Morgana looks up at him through her lashes, and mumbles:

“It felt... evil. Not the dragon or the place, but... me. Like it was justified in attacking me, like I wasn’t supposed to be there.”

Merlin tightens his hold on her, and his eyes flash gold as he grinds out:

“ ‘Gana, anything that tries to hurt you, will have to go through me first, dragon or otherwise.”

Arthur smiles comfortingly as he says:

“Exactly. As if I would ever let the two of you explore a dragon’s cave without me anyway.”

She looks up as she laughs, just a little, and Hunith speaks for the first time since Morgana had appeared:

“Would you like to stay here for the rest of the night? I can move in here and you can take my bed.”

Merlin shakes his head:

“No, she can stay with Arthur and I, the bed is big enough for the three of us. That way we can wake her up if she gets any more nightmares.”

Arthur nods and pats Morgana’s shoulder before going to their bedroom. He lights a candle, pulls the covers back, and places the swords back in their hiding places.

Morgana sits up straight and looks down at Merlin:

“Are you sure? I can make my way back to the castle easily enough.”

Merlin shakes her head, smiling at her:

“No, it’s fine. I’d prefer you to stay with us anyway. We can talk to Gaius tomorrow about the dreams. I was born with magic remember, it’s not impossible for it to have happened to you as well, we’ll just have to be careful, ok? Everything will be fine, ‘Gana, promise.”

Morgana smiles, and wipes her eyes as she stands up. She gives Hunith a quick hug, thanking her for the tea as she picks up her an Arthur’s cup. She follows Arthur into the bedroom, and Merlin gives his mother a worried look, before grabbing his own cup and saying goodnight, telling her quietly:

“Make sure your door is shut. Hopefully she won’t have anymore nightmares tonight, but I have a feeling she’ll wake up loudly if she does.”

Hunith nods, before whispering:

“Do you think she’s right? Is she some sort of... seer?”

Merlin sighs, looking towards the bedroom, before looking back and replying:

“I don’t know. Maybe. I’ve never exactly met any other magic-users, I only have Gaius and my own experiences to go off.”

Hunith nods, and the two separate, heading to their own rooms and shutting the doors behind them.

Arthur and Morgana were already settled, having finished their tea. Arthur was back where he was earlier, and Morgana sat in the middle of the bed, her head resting on his shoulder.

Merlin walks around to sit on Morgana’s other side, abandoning his undrunk tea in favour of laying straight down. Morgana and Arthur follow him, and Morgana turns over, curling up under Merlin’s arm, and whispering a quiet, teary “thank you”.

Arthur settles an arm over Morgana’s back, his hand intertwining with Merlin’s on the pillow, and Merlin’s other arm settles over her waist, holding her close.

The boys share a worried look, before closing their eyes. They fall into a shallow sleep, prepared to jump awake at even a twitch from Morgana, determined to keep her safe.

Morgana wakes the next morning having slept surprisingly well through the rest of the night.

Merlin is sitting up next to her, one hand protectively splayed on her back, the other holding a book in his lap. She can hear people bustling around in the next room, and she can see the sun start to peak through the curtains.

Merlin looks down at her when he feels her wake, and puts a finger to his lips, before whispering:

“Gwen and Leon arrived earlier to join us for breakfast, we haven’t told them you’re here.-”

Morgana frowns in confusion as she sits up, and Merlin continues:

“-I think you should tell them what happened, they can help, like they helped me, but we still thought it should be your choice. You can sneak out the widow and head up to the castle if you want?”

Morgana shakes her head, and murmurs:

“No, you’re right. They should know, I don’t like keeping things from Gwen, and Leon can always tell when we lie, anyway.” She says the last bit with a weak smirk, and Merlin chuckles:

“Come on then, I think breakfast is almost ready. Plus, some of us have semi full days today, so we should get going before we all start running late.”

Morgana nods, and moves to stand in front of the mirror, grimacing before trying to straighten her hair a little, and washing her face in the fresh wash-bowl.

Merlin chuckles a little before following her up, and throwing a jacket on over his sleep clothes. He waits for Morgana to finish, and allows her to nervously take his hand as they exit the room.

It takes a few moments for anyone to notice them when they first enter the kitchen, Arthur and Hunith cooking, whilst Gwen and Leon play cards at the table.

Arthur is the first to notice, and gives Morgana a smile, before looking to Merlin with a raised eyebrow, meaning “the truth?”. Merlin answers with a small nod, and Arthur smiles again, before saying loudly:

“Morning, you two certainly slept in, didn’t you?”

Everyone looks up at that, Hunith briefly smiling before going back to the food, and Gwen and Leon widening their eyes in surprise. Gwen jumps up to give Morgana a hug, which she enthusiastically returns:

“ ‘Gana! I thought I felt you close, what are you doing here? Did you stay the night?” There’s no accusation in her tone, just concern, and Morgana gives her a brief smile before nodding, and saying:

“It’s... a long story. Let’s sit, we can tell the both of you.”

Leon packs the cards away, and moves up the bench so Merlin can settle next to him, Gwen and Morgana opposite them, and Arthur and Hunith hurriedly serve up food before sitting down at the ends of the table.

Morgana explains timidly what had happened just a few hours previously, and Gwen grabs her hand as she describes the feeling of being deserving of the flames.

(The way she words the sentence does make Merlin tense slightly, but only Arthur notices, and he squeezes Merlin’s knee under the table.)

Leon listens intently, and when she’s finished, he leans across the table to clutch her hand briefly before looking to Merlin:

“Is that possible? Could she be some sort of seer? I know there are lots of them among the druids, but I’ve never actually met one.”

Merlin shrugs slightly, and replies:

“I’m not sure, it’s possible. We were going to talk to Gaius, he knows more about this sort of thing than me.”

Gwen and Leon nod, and Hunith speaks up:

“Me and Arthur are busy today, and I’m assuming you are as well, Leon?-”

He nods, though reluctantly:

“-But why don’t you two go with Merlin to see Gaius? He’ll probably be more able to understand if you can explain it directly to him.”

Morgana looks a little tense at having to explain it for a third time, but Gwen nods her head:

“That sounds like a good idea, maybe we could... get into contact with some druids somehow? If they do have seers, they might be able to help.”

Leon looks troubled at that, but Arthur speaks up first:

“That could work, but only if we absolutely have to. I don’t want to put them in any unnecessary danger, by potentially exposing them. Plus it would be a long journey, we’d have to come up with excuses. I don’t think my father would accept any reason we gave for needing a few days off to leave the kingdom.”

The others nod in agreement, Morgana looking even more worried, but Hunith sees her expression and speaks quietly:

“I’m sure that won’t be necessary. Gaius knows a great many things, and if not, I’m sure we can figure it out ourselves.”

Morgana smiles at her gratefully, and with that, the conversation comes to an easy end.

After they clean up, and a round of goodbyes is had, Hunith rushes off to the tailor’s, and Arthur and Leon reluctantly head back up to the castle.

Morgana wraps herself in a cloak, with the hood up, and Merlin quickly gets dressed. In the end, they had decided that Gwen and Morgana would head to Morgana’s chambers, so she could get washed and changed and run a brush through her hair, and Merlin would head straight to the Physician’s chambers, and explain the situation to Gaius.

He was indeed troubled, when Merlin explained what had happened, in as much detail as possible to stop his best friend from having to recount it again.

He knew of her nightmares, and had been making sleeping draughts for her for years, but she had never talked about the similarities to real life events before.

Gaius mentions not knowing much of her heritage, passed her parents and grandparents, but even if it wasn’t an inherited gift, it’s possible for the occasional, naturally magical child to be born. As proven by Merlin.

Morgana and Gwen arrive shortly after, and Gaius gives the King’s Ward a comforting pat on the shoulder, before saying quietly:

“Merlin has explained what has happened, it does sound potentially magical, but beyond that, I’m afraid I can’t be of more help. I think the Prince’s suggestion of just being careful where you go is currently the best course of action. Might I also suggest that you stop taking sleeping draughts for a while? It might be that they are interfering with the process, making them more or less vivid, accurate.”

Morgana looks a little scared at that, but Gwen squeezes her hand and Merlin speaks up:

“That might be a good idea, it’ll be easier to figure out exactly what we’re dealing with if there isn’t any interference.”

Merlin’s confirmation gives Morgana a little more confidence, and she nods firmly. She’s never run away from things before, she’s not going to start now, especially when she has her soulmate, best friend, brother, and knight in shining armour beside her.

Merlin gives her a smile, and Gaius gives him the day off, encouraging the three of them to take the day to relax, and recover from last night’s ordeal. Merlin gives his mentor a grateful smile, and takes Morgana’s other hand, dragging the girls out the door, before saying with a cheerful grin:

“Fancy going to watch Arthur get his arse handed to him on a silver platter during training?”

During everyone’s lunch break, they explained the plan... or lack thereof.

Leon was a little... tense, at the idea of stopping the sleeping draughts and just seeing what happens, but in the grand scheme of things, there weren’t any other options.

A few days passed, getting less and less tense as each sun rose and set. Morgana slept peacefully, no more nightmares or... visions. It was still a worry in the back of all their minds, but it was no longer a pressing issue that they lost sleep over.

Until the fourth day.

It had been exactly a year since Hunith and Merlin had moved to Camelot, and they were having a mini, evening celebration at the house, with the whole gang there.

Morgana had gone into the garden to cool off a bit (seven people all in one small room at the beginning of summer... yeah it got pretty hot, pretty quick).

Merlin joined her and they chatted quietly, reminiscing about all the ridiculous things they had gotten up to in just one year, laughing about how many grey hairs they had given Leon.

The conversation halted when Merlin straightened his back, and took in a gasp at a voice echoing through his head:

“Emrys...”

Morgana frowns at Merlin’s sudden reaction to seemingly nothing:

“Birdy, what’s wrong?”

Merlin looks at her in surprise:

“Did you not hear that?-”

“Emrys!”

He gasped, and took a step away from the house, peering into the dark:

“There it was again, can you not hear it? Who is that?”

Morgana looks troubled, and takes Merlin’s shoulder, pulling him round to look at her:

“Merlin there’s... no one there. I didn’t hear anything. Are you alright?”

Merlin looks at her, confused, but tenses, and whips his head around again when the voice echoes again:

“Come and find me, Warlock, I’m waiting. Come alone.”

Morgana calls desperately for Arthur, but Merlin pays her no mind as his eyes strain to see something that isn’t there. After only a second the Prince appeared with a pop by Merlin’s side:

“Merlin, what’s wrong?”

Merlin doesn’t answer him, and he looks to Morgana, worried. She has the same troubled expression on her face as she replies:

“I don’t know, he keeps hearing something that isn’t there.”

Arthur looks back to Merlin, and shakes his shoulder roughly, finally getting his attention:

“Merls?”

Just then, the others walk out of the house, looking worried at Morgana’s scared call, and Arthur’s sudden disappearance. Merlin looks over the group, before glancing once more out into the dark street, before looking back to Arthur:

“It’s a voice, someone’s calling for me. They’re calling me the wrong name but... they’re definitely calling for me.”

Everyone looks troubled at that, and Merlin shakes his head when Gaius asks if he recognises the voice.

Leon lifts his head in sudden thought before speaking hurriedly to Morgana:

“In the dream, you said Merlin and the dragon spoke to each other, but you couldn’t understand them, right?-”

Morgana gives a nervous nod, and the group looks to him, confused, as he speaks again:

“Well, maybe it’s... like that. Maybe that’s how you and Merlin find the cave, you follow the voice.-”

The others look doubtful, but he continues anyway:

“I know it’s far fetched, but how else were the two of you just going to stumble upon a cave big enough to hold a dragon?”

Arthur nods at that, mumbling that it makes sense, and Morgana looks scared. Gwen grabs her hand, and Gaius and Hunith look to each other nervously.

No on really knows what to say, but they all look to Merlin as he groans, bringing a hand up to his forehead, as the voice echoes louder:

“HURRY Warlock, I find myself running low on patience this night.”

Arthur pulls him close, and Gwen takes his other hand, Merlin mumbles:

“Whatever it is, it’s telling me to go find him, alone. I have a feeling he’s not going to stop until I go.”

Leon scoffs before saying:

“Like hell are we letting you go alone, but we should see what this is all about. Lead the way, Birdy.”

Arthur steps back and tells everyone to wait a minute, before popping away. He reappears moments later with his and Merlin’s swords, and three spares, for Gwen, Morgana, and Leon.

Leon just raises an eyebrow, taking the offered sword, and Arthur shrugs:

“Pays to be prepared. There are at least two more still in the house-”

He looks to Gaius and Hunith:

“You two wait here, we’ll try not to do anything too stupid.”

They both look worried at that, but Arthur rolls his eyes, and says:

“Leon and Gwen will be with us.”

At that, Gaius and Hunith relax slightly, which everyone would find hilarious if they weren’t focusing on bigger things.

Arthur turns back to Merlin, taking his hand, and gesturing him to lead the way.

The Warlock leads them up the main road, towards the castle gates. The others are confused at that, they had expected him to start walking out of the city, towards the wilderness, not further in.

They follow him though, getting tenser and tenser, as he allows his feet to carry him through the castle, going further and further down. Towards the dungeons.

They duck out of the way when people pass, and thankfully manage to avoid being seen by everyone. No one notices them even as they move through the dungeons to a hidden, back staircase that falls deeper and deeper into the earth.

All of them frown at this, none of them had been aware of this section of the castle, all having thought the dungeons were the lowest level.

They reach the bottom, seeing a great metal gate in front of them, that opens to a large cave. Morgana gasps, and mumbles that this is the cave from her dream as she grips Gwen’s hand tighter.

Leon takes a deep breath, before stepping in front of the group, and walking slowly forward, pushing the gate open easily, and stepping into the cave, sword raised in defence.

Arthur and Merlin follow quickly, Gwen after them, holding a fearful Morgana behind her protectively.

They gather on a ledge, staring in wonder and fear at the huge cavern that stretches out in every direction. After just a moment, a deafening roar echoes from somewhere near the roof, and the group collectively gasp before huddling closer together.

That is, apart from Merlin, who steps forward, a frown on his face as he yells:

“Like hell I was coming alone. What is this?”

With that, a blizzard like wind whips through the cavern, and everyone takes a step back, looking fearfully up at the giant dragon that descends from above.

Merlin holds his ground, automatically gripping his sword tighter, as the beast lands in front of him, gazing at him impassively.

Arthur speaks up loudly, but his voice shakes as he says:

“Merlin... step back... come here. Please.”

Merlin doesn’t move, but the dragon absentmindedly moves his gaze to the group, making direct eye contact with Arthur before tilting his head downwards, slightly reminiscent of a bow, before looking back to Merlin.

The group moves slowly towards Merlin, unprepared to leave him alone, and the dragon grumbles again, in a language that Merlin doesn’t realise isn’t even English:

“I let you have your year of fun. Now you must grow up, and learn of your destiny. There are bigger things in motion that you could ever hope to imagine.”

Merlin frowns, and the group looks to him in confusion as he replies:

“You let me? What does that even mean? And how did you call me down here? What destiny? And my name isn’t Emrys or whatever, it’s Merlin, always has been.”

The dragon narrows his eyes, before replying, the deep rumble of his growling unnerving to those who can’t understand him:

“So many questions. You are the great Warlock, known as Emrys, the most powerful magic-user to walk the earth. Arthur is the Once and Future King, destined to unite Albion.”

Merlin tilts his head in confusion:

“...right.”

The great dragon appears to huff in frustration, before continuing:

“He will face many threats. It is your destiny to protect, and guide him on his way to unite the land, and bring magic back into balance.”

Merlin furrows his eyebrows. He was already sort of expecting the whole “bringing magic back” thing, but the official “destiny” thing is definitely news to him:

“And how do you know all of this?”

Kilgharrah takes a great step back, ignoring his question, once more looking over the group stood just behind Merlin. His nostrils flare, smoke swirling out as he huffs, and narrows his eyes:

“You should not have brought the witch. In another life, she was destined to become a monster, the hatred to your love, the darkness to your light. The risk is too high, she must be destroyed, before she falls once more.”

He rears up, and takes a deep breath as Morgana stumbles back fearfully, the group gathering around her protectively. Merlin rushes back, standing between the dragon and the group before he can exhale. He falls back down onto his front claws and growls, but Merlin shouts before he can say anything:

“NO! You want to hurt ‘Gana, you’ll have to kill me, and I suspect your precious Once and Future King, first.”

With that, Arthur steps further forward, to be in line with Merlin, and the dragon turns angrily, whipping his tail to the floor with a bang, before turning back and glaring at him:

“Her destiny is inevitable, none of us choose our destiny, and none of us can escape it. She must be destroyed before it’s too-”

Merlin interrupts him:

“I don’t give a FUCK about your destiny. No one’s future is set in stone, and I will never let you hurt her, especially not for something she hasn’t even done yet.”

The dragon growls once again, before leaning close to Merlin, he speaks in English this time, so the group can understand, his voice deep and gravelly, filled with anger:

“On your head be it, or more likely, your precious soulmate’s head.”

With that, he gestures a giant claw briefly at Arthur, before flying off once again, disappearing into the shadows of the cavern.

Merlin blinks a few times, and the anger on his face fades to confusion as he looks back to Morgana, gazing at her assessingly.

She looks terrified, and gulps before saying:

“What is it, what did he say?”

Merlin shakes his head roughly, and walks forward, gathering her in a hug, before pulling back, his hands still on her shoulders. He gives her a small smile before looking to the others:

“Let’s get back to Hunith and Gaius, we don’t want to be gone too long. I’ll explain as best I can when we get back-”

He lets go of Morgana and shrugs briefly:

“-though to be honest, I’m not sure even I fully understand.”

With that, he leads the group out of the cavern, holding Morgana’s hand tightly, and refusing to look back.

Leon and Arthur bring up the rear, and they quickly find themselves back at the house, having made the whole journey in silence.

Hunith and Gaius hurriedly stand and look nervously to the group as they re-enter the house, and grimly settle around the kitchen table without a word.

Merlin and Arthur look stuck deep in thought, and Morgana quietly sniffles whilst Gwen comforts her, so Hunith and Gaius look to Leon for explanation.

He bites his lip and takes a deep breath, before beginning to explain:

“Well... we found the dragon.-”

Gaius gasps at that, and Hunith frowns, worrying her lip between her teeth:

“-Though none of us but Merlin could understand what he was saying. Something about destiny, and Kings, from what we could hear Merlin saying. It wanted to hurt Morgana, and got angry when Merlin and Arthur stepped in the way. Then it... flew off I guess, and we came back here.”

The others, apart from Merlin, had started to pay attention as Leon explained, and when he was finished, everyone looked to the young Warlock.

He still had a deep frown on his face, and was sat exceptionally still, staring at his hands folded on the table.

Morgana gulps and takes his hand, shocking him out of his internal deliberation:

“Merlin, why did it attack me? What did it say about me?”

Merlin takes a deep breath, and stares at her, a slight frown on his face as he noticed the reappearance of tears.

He pursed his lips, trying to decide what to tell her. Risk terrifying her even more, by telling the full truth, but being able to work together to combat it? OR, only tell part of the truth, lie, and save her from the heartbreak, trying to help her avoid her so called destiny from the side-lines?

He clenched his jaw, before giving her a small smile and looking around at his family; the decision was much easier than he first thought:

“He told me about our... destinies. Apparently my real name is Emrys, and I’m a powerful Warlock, destined to help Arthur become The Once and Future King, whatever that means, so he can unite all of Albion, and bring magic back into balance.-”

The others frown in confusion at this, and he looks back at Morgana, squeezing her hand once more before continuing:

“-He said that... in another life, Morgana was destined to become a monster, to fight against mine and Arthur’s destiny-”

Morgana let out a breath at that, and a few more tears fell as everyone else around the table tenses at the accusation:

“-he said that the risk of it happening again, in this life, was too high, and she had to be... destroyed, before she got in the way.-”

Arthur stands abruptly in anger at that, and Leon has to put a hand on his shoulder to calm him before he started angrily yelling. Merlin gave Morgana a reassuring smile before saying:

“-I, of course, told him to fuck off, that he would have to go through me before I let him punish you for something you hadn’t done, and have no intention of doing.”

Morgana shakes her head quickly, like she feels the need to convince her family that she isn’t some sort of beast (that breaks all of their hearts a little bit), before putting her hands over her mouth, and tightly closing her eyes.

Merlin stands and quickly walks to the other side of the table, pulling Morgana up and gathering her in a tight hug. He blinks away the tears in his eyes at her distress, and pointedly ignores the painful stares of everyone else in the room.

Gwen puts a comforting hand on Morgana’s shoulder blade, as she once again finds herself crying into Merlin’s shoulder.

The Warlock tries not to sound angry (he feels the urge to go back down those steps and yell at the bastard, but he figured that probably wasn’t such a good idea) as he murmurs comfortingly to her:

“Don’t you worry ‘Gana, you’ll never be a monster, not to us. Pre-written destiny is a load of crap, our lives are whatever we make of them, dig your own path. I’ve got you, and I’m never letting go. You aren’t alone.”

She looks up at him with bleary eyes, and the others crowd closer as her next question comes out as just a whisper:

“Promise?”

Merlin smiles at her, and wipes away her tears, but before he can answer, Arthur speaks up, in a strong voice:

“We promise, ‘Gana.”

Leon gives her a reassuring smile, and Gwen nods her head firmly as she speaks:

“We’re in this together, destiny or no.”

Gaius and Hunith take the beds that night, as the other five fill the living room with various blankets and pillows. They crowd in together, Morgana held protectively in the middle, everyone else silently making oaths to themselves that they would never let her down.

That’s the end of part three!!

I reckon there’ll be two more parts to the story, but again, that depends on how many different ideas I want to fit in. I also haven’t started writing part 4 yet, so it might take a little while longer for it to arrive.

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whimsicallyenchantedrose · 3 years

Text

Dead Man’s Cell Phone--Chapter 2

Summary: When Emma Swan starts getting phone calls and texts from an unfamiliar number, she decides to check it out–only to discover the number belongs to a Killian Jones, who was killed in a robbery gone wrong six months ago. With some help from a medium, Merlin Emrys, Emma hopes to find out why a dead guy is contacting her–and why she feels such a strong pull to someone she has never met before.

Rating: K+

Tagging a few people who may be interested (Let me know if you want to be added or taken off the list): @sailormew4 @annaamell @flslp87 @emmateo26 @bethacaciakay @ultraluckycatnd @effulgent-mind @ilovemesomekillianjones@kat2609 @brooke-to-broch @missgymgirl @galadriel26 @the-lady-of-misthaven @charmingturkeysandwich @jennjenn615 @laschatzi @kimmy46 @snowbellewells @iamanneenigma @daxx04 @nickillian @a-rose-for-a-savior@in-spirational @gillie @britishguyslover @ginnyjinxedandhanshotritafirst@kmomof4 @linda8084 @golfgirld @captain-swan-coffee @searchingwardrobes @hollyethecurious @laughswaytoomuch@allyourdarlingswans @winterbaby89 @facesiousbutton82 @cssns @therooksshiningknight, @lfh1226-linda @tiganasummertree @eastwesthomeisbest @dreamingdreamsalways @xsajx @justren21 @laughterandbooks @cocohook38 @therealstartraveller776

Welcome to my entry for the Captain Swan Supernatural Summer! A big thank you to @cssns, the ladies on the Discord! Thank you also to @eastwesthomeisbest, my artist and my beta @veryverynotgood!

Other Chapters: Prologue 1 3 4 Epilogue

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"So after the phone calls, the text messages started coming," Emma said, settling into her best friend's plush sofa.

"Texts?" Mary Margaret asked curiously before taking a sip of her tea. "What kind of texts?"

It felt like Emma had known Mary Margaret forever. Both girls were placed in the system at young ages-Emma, because her parents abandoned her on the side of a road as an infant, and Mary Margaret, because her parents both died of illness. They ended up in the same group home, and quickly became the best of friends. They were closer than sisters until the day Mary Margaret was adopted by Cora Mills, and then eventually, Emma was fostered by Ruth Nolan.

Even after being placed with other families, Emma and Mary Margaret kept in touch-letters, phone calls, even the occasional visit. On one such visit, Emma's foster brother, David, was home from college, and as soon as he and Mary Margaret met, it was love at first sight.

They were so in love it was honestly a bit nauseating.

When they got married fresh out of college, Emma couldn't be happier. She'd always considered Mary Margaret her sister in all the ways that counted, and now they truly were.

There was no doubt about it - Mary Margaret Nolan was the person Emma was closest to in the entire world, and so it was only natural that when the weird stuff with the cell phone started happening, Emma decided to discuss it with her.

"Weird ones," Emma answered, taking a sip of her own hot cocoa with cinnamon. "Stuff like Help! or You're the only one who can save me!. And then some of them were even stranger. Just...random letters and symbols, almost like someone was randomly pressing buttons on a keyboard."

"So what did you do?" Mary Margaret asked, sitting on the other side of the sofa and turning toward Emma.

Emma shrugged. "I tried answering at first. You know, you hear about people who are abducted and, like, stuck in a basement for years and stuff like that. I kept thinking, what if someone really needed help and I just...ignored them?"

"And what happened when you answered?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Nothing," Emma answered before taking another sip. "No answer, just another cryptic text several hours later. Finally, I decided I'd had enough. Either someone needed help, or someone was messing with me. I decided I'd call the number, decide whether I needed to help them or tell them to go f-" She stopped, glancing over at Mary Margaret's toddler playing with blocks nearby. "Well, go do something not at all child-friendly to themselves."

"Let me guess, your call didn't get through."

"Nope," Emma confirmed, "but it was even weirder than that. I dialed the number just after receiving a text, but it went directly to voicemail."

"But that's not possible!" Mary Margaret exclaimed.

"Right?" Emma said. "So I tried to ignore the whole thing. Maybe the phone was just...I don't know..glitching or something, although I don't know how a technological glitch could make phone calls and text someone. Anyway, for some reason, I just can't let go. Even though I don't know him, somehow I feel a...connection...to this Killian Jones. I just-I don't know what to do about it."

Mary Margaret was silent for a moment, taking several sips of her steaming beverage, before turning back to Emma with a cautious look in her eyes. "There is...there is another possibility, if you have an open mind."

"Just how open are we talking?"

"Pretty open," Mary Margaret said. "What if-and just hear me out, I know this is crazy-what if Killian Jones is contacting you from beyond the grave."

"What, like a ghost?"

Mary Margaret shrugged. "I mean, I know it sounds crazy, but why not? One of the other teachers I work with was talking about this medium. His name is Merlin Emrys. Supposedly he can contact the dead and see ghosts and stuff like that."

"A medium? Seriously?" Emma asked, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow. "Mary Margaret, you know those people are frauds. It's all about researching their marks ahead of time and then cold reading them. They're only in it to bleed as much cash out of vulnerable people as possible."

"I know it sounds crazy," Mary Margaret conceded, "but what if it's not? I've thought about going to him myself. If I could just talk to my parents one more time-make sure they're okay, make sure they've moved on, or whatever happens after someone dies. Well, it would provide a lot of comfort."

Emma's heart turned over, and she took her friend's hand. She knew how much Mary Margaret missed her parents. It was different for Emma. She'd never known her parents, only knew they'd tossed her out like garbage. She wasn't sure she even wanted to find them.

"I know you miss them," Emma said.

"I do," Mary Margaret said, "but that's not the point. The point is...what do you have to lose? Maybe this Merlin is just a quack like you said, but maybe not. Maybe he could be the key to unravelling the whole mystery."

Emma was silent for a moment. It was crazy; she knew it was. A medium wasn't going to give her the answers she needed if all her bail bonds tricks had failed her, but what the hell?

"Fine. I'll go see Merlin," Emma caved.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Emma's eyebrows rose as she took in the small, ranch-style house Mary Margaret had directed her to. She was skeptical before seeing the place, but now-now red flags were going up everywhere.

There was a huge, gaudy sign out front that read "Merlin, the great and powerful. Wizard of the unknown and medium of the great beyond." The sign-indeed the entire front of the house-was decorated with all kinds of astrological signs and symbols.

Was this guy even for real?

Emma seriously considered turning around and getting back in her car, but she'd promised Mary Margaret she'd at least check this Merlin out and give him a chance, and Emma was a woman of her word. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

A moment later, an older man with longish, thinning gray hair and a rather unkempt gray beard opened the door. He was wearing long robes. Really playing the part, apparently.

"Merlin Emrys, I presume?" Emma asked as the man welcomed her inside with a sweep of his hand.

The man chuckled. "I'm afraid not. I'm merely his apprentice. Who might I tell Merlin is calling?"

Emma cocked an eyebrow. "You mean your all powerful boss didn't see me coming with his second sight or whatever?"

Emma stepped inside and the apprentice shut the door after her. "My master isn't clairvoyant. He merely has the ability to speak with the dead."

"Right," Emma said, not even trying to tamp down the skepticism in her voice. "I'm Emma Swan, and I'm here to-"

He stopped her with a raised hand. "Don't say too much. Merlin does not wish to be influenced by his clients. He wishes to sense the energy around you for himself."

Emma shrugged. "Sorry."

"It's quite alright," the apprentice said, moving toward large drapes at the far end of the room. "I'll be just a moment. Please, make yourself comfortable."

Emma looked around the room while she waited, and it took everything in her to keep from rolling her eyes. This guy was really playing up the whole "psychic" thing. It felt like she was in some sort of fortune teller carnival tent. All the signs and symbols. This guy even had a crystal ball. An actual crystal ball.

This trip was a massive waste of her time, but maybe it would at least prove to be entertaining.

"Emma Swan, welcome!"

Emma looked up at the handsome black man who made his way through the curtains. He was dressed in much the same way as his apprentice, only he wore a sorcerer's pointy hat on his head.

"Uh, thanks," Emma said, stepping forward and offering her hand. "Full disclosure. I'm more than a little bit of a skeptic, so if this is one of those 'it can only work if you truly believe' deals, we might have a problem."

"My gift can withstand the doubts of the skeptic," he chuckled before reaching out and taking her hand.

No sooner had his hand touched hers than he gasped, taking a step back, eyes going wide. "Would you-would you care to follow me back to my private sitting room, Miss Swan? It's far more comfortable back there."

Emma cocked a brow again, wondering what this odd man was on about. Still, she didn't sense any overt deception in him, and he didn't seem to be any threat to her, so she shrugged before following him through the curtains.

This backroom was far more ordinary than the room they'd just inhabited. Emma took a plush armchair, and Merlin sat on a sofa across from her.

Merlin pulled off his hat and sat it beside him. "I apologize for all the theatrics, Miss Swan," he said, reaching for a pot of tea and then raising an eyebrow in question. Emma declined the beverage with a small shake of her head, and Merlin proceeded to pour himself a cup. "I attempt to play up to what most clients expect from a psychic. Unfortunately, most poor souls who come to see me are out of luck. The loved one they wish to contact has passed on. For most, all I can do amounts to smoke and mirrors. I could tell the moment I shook your hand that you were different."

Emma inwardly scoffed. She knew enough about cons not to be fooled by a clever con man. Made sense he'd use a different tactic with a skeptic than he would with some poor, grief-stricken sap who was a true believer.

"No offense, but I still think you're full of crap," she said.

Merlin smiled. "It seems those with the most energy surrounding them always do."

"So, what?" Emma asked. "Are there ghosts all around me or something?"

"There are a few spirits here with us today," Merlin confirmed. "There's one who's quite insistent. It's a man; looks as though he died rather young. I don't sense he's family, but you were close. Maybe coworkers? Perhaps friends?"

Emma took a deep breath, a face coming to mind. Surely he couldn't mean-

"I'm getting a G in the name," Merlin said slowly. "Greg or Gray….no. Graham."

Emma's heart turned over. Graham. Sweet, slightly dorky Graham Humbert. They'd worked together on more than a few cases, and they'd become good friends.

In fact, they'd been teetering on the precipice of possibly becoming more than friends when he died suddenly.

"How did you know to mention Graham? How did you know that name would get the biggest rise out of me?" Emma demanded, voice hard.

"I don't choose the spirits who come to me," Merlin explained calmly, "I merely give them a voice. Graham is pleased to see you again. He's glad you're doing well."

The anger came then, spurred on by the pain the memory of Graham's death brought back. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"He died quite suddenly, didn't he?" Merlin asked, ignoring her question. "I'm feeling a tightness in my chest. Something with his heart?"

"Heart attack," Emma confirmed tightly. "He had a heart attack right in front of me and died in my arms."

"He's sorry, so very sorry you had to go through that," Merlin said, putting a comforting hand on her arm. "He never wanted to be a source of pain for you."

Emma felt the tears at the back of her eyes and had to take a deep breath to keep them from falling. "Yeah, well, he didn't exactly have a say in the matter. Look, I don't know how you knew to bring up Graham, but I'm still not buying it."

"He apologizes he couldn't bring you a bear claw today," Merlin continued with a smile. "Oh, and he asks if you remember the day he thought he saw a wolf. He wants you to know he wasn't drunk. It really was there-in spirit at least."

Emma gasped, remembering the night she and Graham had gone to the Rabbit Hole for a drink after a long shift and Graham swore he spotted a big, gray wolf right there on the main street of town. Emma had made fun of him for that, telling him he'd clearly imbibed a bit too much that night. There's no way Merlin could have known about that incident. He couldn't have found it in any newspaper or online article about Graham's death.

Was it...was it possible this guy was the real deal?

"Okay, I admit, it's weird you'd bring that up," Emma said. "Let's say I believe you, can you ask Graham if he's okay? If he, like, moved on or whatever?"

"You just asked him," Merlin said. "He's here with us and can hear you. He wants to tell you that he is okay. He's more than okay; he's happy. He's moved on, and he's at peace, more than he could have ever thought possible."

Emma smiled, feeling comfort at the thought.

"There's someone else here with us as well," Merlin said. "Another male presence, but I don't believe you know this one. This one seems angry, desperate."

"Um...should we be scared?" Emma asked.

Merlin shook his head. "He doesn't mean us harm, only wants his story told. He's too indistinguishable to speak now, but I sense he'll be accompanying us on our journey today as well."

Wonderful. An angry, desperate ghost guide. Just fantastic.

"So, Emma," Merlin said, after a moment, "what brings you to me tonight?"

Emma pulled out her phone and laid out the entire story for Merlin. She told him about the calls, the texts, everything. Merlin took her phone in hand and gasped as soon as it touched his hand.

"There is a huge amount of energy here," he said. "There's no doubt a spirit has attached itself to you-or at least your phone."

Emma felt a chill. "My phone is haunted?"

"Not precisely," Merlin murmured, turning the device over in his hand. "Someone wishes to get your attention; wishes for you to help him, but there's something odd here, something I can't quite place."

"What do you mean?"

"The spirit is...indistinct," Merlin said, "hazy and just beyond my reach. I've never experienced anything like this."

Emma waited, her curiosity more than piqued at Merlin's odd reaction to her cell phone.

After a moment, Merlin's eyes widened. "Your friend Graham cleared up the mystery for me."

"What?" Emma asked. "What does Graham say is going on?"

"The reason I can't get a clear read on the spirit attached to your phone-this Killian Jones-is, well, because he's not dead."

Notes:

-So there you have it. For those of you who have wondered how this story could possibly have a happy ending since Killian is dead-this is how. He's not actually dead!

-Up next: With Merlin's help, Emma finds out how this is all possible-and she finds the not-dead Killian Jones.

Next Chapter-->

#cssns21 #captain swan supernatural summer #my franfiction #cs ghost story au #dead man's cell phone

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scarletemeterio-thesecond · 3 years

Note

hello, i heard you wanted a douxie request! headcanons for jim’s kinda grumpy foster sibling being a witch who also trained under merlin, but left after killahead. douxie has been looking for them and they run into each other every few decades or so, and most recently in arcadia. jim is just horrified when he finds out that his sibling is best friends and maybe more (definitely more, jim is just dense(it was a slow burn on douxie’s part, reader kinda just accepted it)) with his rival.

FINALLY SOME DOUXIE CONTENT! i absolutely LOVE that boy with all my heart, he's just so nsoxkgowkcroso. anyways, thank you so much for requesting! i hope you like it!

(also this is a bit long hehe)

•••

Jim's sibling dating Douxie

Reader uses they/them pronouns!

You first met Douxie back in Camelot. You were also Merlin's apprentice, so your paths crossed pretty often.

There was always something between you two, an unspoken thing because neither of you acted on your feelings. With everything going on in the kingdom, there was no time for dating.

After the battle of Killahead, you decided that there was nothing else for you in Camelot, and the one person who could've made you stay there, had already much on his mind.

Over the centuries Douxie and you ended up running into each other, always taking some time to catch up a little, and both of you would realize that your feelings were still there.

When you last separated, Douxie made it his personal mission to find you again, and finally tell you how he felt. But it would take him a long time until he saw you again.

After travelling the world, you ended up in a town called Arcadia Oaks, living with Jim's family.

You were like an older sibling to him, and once he became the Trollhunter, you knew it was time to tell him what you really were.

He was amazed, honestly. His own sibling was a wizard! He asked you about all kind of things from the past, and you happily told him about your adventures.

One day at school, this new boy came around. He wasn't in high school anymore, though, and the first time he saw him, Jim felt a little threatened.

He knew Claire liked him and wanted to be with him, but after seeing every single person completely mesmerized by him, he couldn't help but be a little afraid.

So of course, he asked you for advice. You only reminded him what he already knew, that he had nothing to worry about because Claire really wanted to be with him, and no one else.

Jim knew you were right, but still didn't like stumbling upon the mysterious boy.

You spent a lot of time in Trollmarket, so you still didn't know who this new boy was.

But one night, you decided it was time to take a little break, and you all went to the cinema.

It was already a little dark outside when you got out, and then you all went to Claire's house to have dinner. When you left the girl's house, you, Jim and Toby walked over to your houses.

As you were walking, you slightly turned your gaze to this one boy that was closing up and cleaning the diner. You thought that his movements were familiar, and then you let out a gasp.

Jim and Toby looked at you a little worried, thinking that you'd seen something scary.

"Douxie?" You half-yelled at the boy. When he heard his name, he turned to where you were, and immediately had the biggest smile on his face.

You ran to him and wrapped your arms around his neck, and he quickly let go of the broom he was holding to hold you.

"I can't believe it! I've missed you so much, (Y/N)!" He told you once you two pulled away.

You still had your arms around his neck, when suddenly you heard someone cough a few meters away from you too.

You saw Jim was a bit confused, and even though he didn't say it out loud, you knew he wanted to know what was going on.

"Oh! Jim, this is Douxie, we've known each other for centuries, literally. And Douxie, this is Jim, he's my brother," you introduced them to each other.

"Yeah, we've met before," you heard Jim say.

Before you could ask him about it, Douxie talked again, asking what you'd been up to.

"It's getting kinda late, maybe we should just go and you two can catch up later!" Said Jim, grabbing your arm and trying to get you away from there. You just waved at Douxie and told him that you'd see him the following day.

"Why did you just dragged me out of there, Jim?" You asked your brother once the two of you were home.

"Drag you out of where, (Y/N)?" He was trying to play dumb, but you wouldn't let him get away with it.

"You know what I'm talking about, James Lake Jr.! I haven't seen Douxie in decades and I could barely say hello to him!"

"It's just that- Why didn't you tell me that you knew him? I'm not a big fan of my sibling just hanging out with that guy," he mumbled the last part, but you still heard him.

"I didn't know he was here! Or that he was this new boy in town! Plus, Douxie's not like that! He's a good guy and super sweet and nice, and also-."

"Woah, I didn't know you liked him, (Y/N)," said Jim. You immediately blushed, knowing it would be useless to hide it.

"I do like him, a lot, actually. I think I even have feelings for him," you admitted out loud.

Even though Jim still wasn't a huge fan of the idea, he encouraged you to talk to the boy and tell him how you felt.

"It's not that easy, Jim. After living so many years, you learn to not get too attached to people, and Douxie's learnt it very well. Me, on the other hand, not so much."

"What? You're kidding, right? The guy is head over heels for you, (Y/N)!"

You didn't believe him, and even though you were a bit nervous, you were happy to see your friend again the next day.

The two of you spent the entire day just catching up, like you always did whenever you saw each other.

He was staying in Arcadia for a while, so the two of you started spending a lot of time together. Your feelings only grew with time and even though you didn't know it, so did Douxie's.

Eventually, it was impossible to hang out and pretend that you were only friends, but you two decided to take it slow.

Douxie knew you were immortal too, but he was so used to losing people that it was hard for him to understand that you weren't going anywhere.

He knew you'd both agreed to take it slow, but he just needed to tell you how much he loved you.

And he did, and you obviously told him that you loved him too.

And in that moment you both promised to each other that you'd always be together, no matter what, because neither of you could stand the idea of being apart ever again.

•••

omg i freaking love douxie so much, and i hope i get more requests for him in the future! this was so fun to write!

#douxie casperan #hisirdoux casperan #douxie #douxie x reader #douxie imagine #douxie fanfic #toa douxie #toa hisirdoux #toa wizards #toa x reader #toa imagines #toa fanfic #toa headcanons #hisirdoux imagine #hisirdoux x reader #hisirdoux fanfic

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fantasy2739 · 3 years

Note

Could you write a fic with baby Douxie and Merlin??? Like it just seems like a cute idea!

She’s back!!! I hope this works for your request, can always do Merlin finding Douxie as a baby if you like.

Also some of you may have seen that I’ve posted my works onto ao3 so people can find them easily!

The baby garbled at him. Merlin stared at it with something between disdain and concern. He didn’t know what Hisirdoux had done. Whether it was a potion, magical accident, or one of Morgana’s pranks, he didn’t know. And he didn’t want to know. Well he did, so he could reverse it. And have his normal, gangly, bumbling apprentice back. He didn’t seem to be having much luck. The baby made another noise. Merlin sighed and picked the... thing up. How did one even hold a baby? They seemed so fragile. What if he dropped him? Would it leave permanent damage? Would Hisirdoux be okay when he went back to normal? What about food? Did babies eat normal food? Merlin tried to hide the resounding panic. He considered if babies were like dogs and horses. Could they sense fear? Would this small form of Hisirdoux know he was absolutely terrified? Merlin tried his best to hold the baby close. He remembered how he’d seen some mothers hold their children and attempted to duplicate it. Luckily Hisirdoux seemed to be an intuitive child and wrapped pudgy arms around his neck, snuggling into his shoulder. Merlin patted his back a little in what was meant to be a soothing gesture. Fortunately Hisirdoux seemed to like that and let out a noise that could be considered happy. Maybe content. Oh who was Merlin kidding he didn’t know anything about children. He’d have to go commandeer a wet nurse or someone like that. Was there even a wet nurse around? He couldn’t recall seeing many children in the castle so maybe he would have to go to town. There was a scuffle and Archie came in to view.

“Oh my, what’s happened to Douxie?” The cat asked. Merlin almost rolled his eyes, but Hisirdoux had heard Archie and was now flailing small arms at him with excited noises. Perfect.

“Watch him.” Merlin ordered, settling Hisirdoux on the ground. The baby immediately started scrambling towards Archie. He clearly couldn’t walk yet. “I’m going to find a wet nurse.” Before Archie could protest, Merlin swept out the room.

He returned an hour later, wet nurse less and unamused to one of the most adorable things he’d ever seen. Not that he’d ever admit it. Hisirdoux was curled sweetly into Archie, big eyes following the cats tail as it whipped back and forth. Pudgy hands would occasionally dart out to try and catch it. Accompanied by a giggle. Merlin smiled before smothering it.

“I take it you couldn’t find anyone to help?” Archie said, batting his tail out of Hisirdoux’s reach. Merlin gave the cat a deadpan look, he was awfully sarcastic without Hisirdoux to mind him.

“I spoke to one who found this funny.” Merlin grumbled. Actually she’d laughed in his face and mumbled something about karma. “She told me how to handle this so you can shoo.” He reached down to pick up the baby. Hisirdoux started crying the moment he was pulled from Archie’s cosy embrace. Merlin’s eyes widened as the sobs grew louder. He tried pulling Hisirdoux close. Patting his back. Rubbing it. Nothing seemed to be working until Archie hopped onto his other shoulder. He batted his tail around and Hisirdoux began to giggle again. Small hands grabbed the appendage and rubbed it happily. Archie suppressed a hiss. Merlin rubbed Hisirdoux’s back.

“You clearly know exactly what you’re doing.” Archie quipped. Merlin rolled his eyes.

“I consulted with a wet nurse and she told me what to feed him and how to get him to sleep. The back rubbing should have worked.” Merlin said pointedly.

“What did she say about taking away his favourite toy?” Archie asked, eyeing the baby now gnawing on his tail. “Or did you leave before she could tell you?” Merlin puffed up his chest.

“I’m a Master sorcerer. I can manage a baby.” He said haughtily.

“So you left.” Archie confirmed. Merlin sighed.

“I left.”

It took a while but Merlin managed to extract Hisirdoux from Archie’s tail by tempting him with some milk. Hisirdoux guzzled it.

“Slow down Hisirdoux, you’ll get sick.” He chastised, tugging the milk cup back. Hisirdoux’s eyes began to well up with tears. Merlin sighed and gave in, letting Hisirdoux guzzle away. Now if he could put him down for a nap, Merlin could get some work down. After Hisirdoux finished his milk Merlin tried his best to soothe him. It took a while and lots of rubs, but Hisirdoux fell asleep clutching at Merlin’s hair. Gently, Merlin lowered him into a make shift cot with a baby blue blanket and tucked him in. He shuffled off to get back to work. Not a few minutes had passed when.

“Waaahhh. Waaaaaahhhhh!” Came from the crib. Merlin hurried over. Hisirdoux’s face was scrunched up like he was in pain. Merlin checked him over for injury and couldn’t find any. The wailing was louder and louder. Merlin was beginning to panic. What could be wrong? He searched the brief conversation he’d had with the wet nurse.

“Sometimes if babies consume too quickly or they swallow air with their meals they need to be burped. If they aren’t it can be quite uncomfortable for them.” She had said, still snickering. Maybe Hisirdoux needed that. He lifted the small thing up and began patting his back. The first hit was clearly too hard and Hisirdoux cried louder. Merlin reminded himself that this was a baby and he needed to be gentle.

“There, there.” He mumbled as he lightly patted Hisirdoux’s back. “Let it out.” It took a minute but eventually Hisirdoux let out a little burp. What Merlin wasn’t expecting was the spit that also came up. It dribbled off his shoulder, sticking to the armour. Merlin pulled a face of disgust. Still Hisirdoux couldn’t help it. He tried to put him back into the cot but Hisirdoux was having none of it. After tussling with the child Merlin realised he wasn’t going to win.

“I hope you realise this is a big compromise.” Merlin said sternly to the baby now settled in his lap. Hisirdoux looked up at him with big eyes and smiled. “Don’t give me that look. This won’t keep happening.” Hisirdoux giggled. “Just sleep would you.” Hisirdoux snuggled closer and quietly napped while Merlin got some work done. A few hours in and Hisirdoux started to get restless. Merlin paused his workings and began to rub his back. Maybe it was a nightmare. Did babies get nightmares? Could they comprehend fear? Or did they just want something? Was it the lack of contact? Merlin pondered all this as Hisirdoux settled down again.

“Heh, you’re almost cute when you’re sleeping.” Merlin muttered at the slumbering bundle. This wasn’t so bad. Of course right at this moment he was painfully reminded that Hisirdoux was a baby. And babies couldn’t control. Well anything. Now dripping, and smelling slightly, Merlin used magic to clean them both off. Hisirdoux woke up to giggle at the green magic wrapping around him. He tried to catch the strands.

“Oh like that do you.” Merlin cooed. “Well then.” He floated some objects in front of Hisirdoux and the baby clapped wildly.

“Aah aaaah.” Hisirdoux babbled. He reached up and captured one of the objects in his own sky blue. It floated and Hisirdoux cheered. Merlin was so surprised that the others things clattered to the ground. The object dropped and Hisirdoux looked at it with a big pout. Merlin picked it up and placed it on the table. He poked Hisirdoux’s check, distracting him.

“Aren’t you full of surprises my little apprentice?” He said. Hisirdoux gave him a warm smile. He made a grabbing motion towards Merlin, who obliged. Lifting him to his chest. “It would almost be a shame to have you turn back.” Merlin sighed. He did miss his apprentice. He missed the stumbling, grumbling, and even the lute playing. The baby was cute but his apprentice was special to him. He sighed again. Hisirdoux looked at him curiously. He reached one tiny hand out and patted Merlin’s cheek.

“Aagghh aggooo.” Hisirdoux babbled. Merlin smiled. He was sure it made sense to Hisirdoux; and it was sweet that the baby tried to comfort him. He cooed at the baby.

“Changing you back can wait a bit longer.” He mumbled as he rocked his charge.

#toa #tales of arcadia wizards #tales of arcadia #Douxie #hisirdoux #hisirdoux casperan #Merlin #fluff #merlin isnt winning dad of the year #Merlin is Douxie’s dad #Archie #gratuitous misunderstanding of babies #seriously I’ve not seen many babies #fanfiction #submission #asks

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sergeantsporks · 3 years

Text

Can You Die of a Broken Heart?

Teen

Gen

When Nari said "the order will rip your soul to pieces," Douxie thought she meant literally. Turns out, they can do it figuratively AND literally.

Ao3

Series: I Can Make RotT So Much Worse

Based on this post by @spellcasterdouxie

“Why don’t we try to get a little information out of him, first?”

Douxie’s head jerked up. He couldn’t betray his friends—but if they were interrogating him, it meant they wouldn’t have Nari for just that much longer.

Bellroc rolled their eyes. “What information could he possibly have?”

Skrael shrugged. “A secret weapon? An idea left behind by Merlin? I think we should take a look around inside of that stupid, stupid head of his. Since he’s around, anyway.” His hands glowed with magic. “You made a mistake, wizard. You put your soul in the body of another. That makes it… vulnerable. Exposed.”

Magic pulsed out of Skrael’s hand, striking Douxie’s head. At first, it seemed like nothing had happened. Then hundreds and hundreds of glowing strands erupted from his head, stretching out.

Bellroc’s eyes seemed to light with a cruel glow. “Memories…” they hissed, reaching out.

When their hand touched a glowing strand, it erupted into a scene Douxie knew well—a lecture from Merlin. Over something he’d broken, of course.

“Useless,” Bellroc growled. They seized the glowing thread, and with a flick of their wrist, it snapped off.

Douxie felt a tug in his gut, and an overwhelming feeling of something being… missing. He’d just seen the memory—and he knew there was something that he’d remembered before, but it was gone, and no matter how he tried, he couldn’t find it.

The order tore through memories like a wildfire, pulling up and discarding them. Planning the subway trap with the other guardians of arcadia—gone. Krel’s designs for the amulet—Bellroc and Skrael watched for a bit, then ripped those away, too. The empty pit in Douxie’s stomach grew wider and wider, and the missing memories left him with a spinning head. It didn’t hurt, per se, it was just… disorienting. He knew he should feel upset—but it was hard to feel upset over losing something you didn’t remember having.

“Remember when I told you magic is mastery over life?”

Douxie lifted his head. “N-no,” he gasped, trying to pull back, “That’s—that’s—don’t—please—”

“My, Hisirdoux, what a life you’ve lived.”

Bellroc grabbed one of his horns and yanked him up. “What a pathetic life you’ve lived.”

“What a wizard you’ve become.”

“P-please—”

Skrael seemed to take special delight in ripping that one away.

“N—” Douxie’s heart hurt, but he didn’t know why, he just knew that he’d lost something, something important to him.

“A wizard does not make mistakes. He makes unexpected—”

Douxie screamed as the Order ripped through memories, until he wasn’t sure why they were important anymore.

A gentle purr—nothing but stone.

Smiles and laughs—a circular room

Moments with his student—train tracks and darkness.

A being made of ice tilted his head up, sharp claws tracing his face but not breaking skin. “Have you ever heard the Egyptian’s theory on the soul? They believed it was made of several parts. One was the ren—the name. But it was more than the name—it was memories.”

His head was spinning, and spinning, and he couldn’t remember anything but this room of stone and darkness. He managed a guttural moan—he wanted someone, needed someone so badly it hurt, but he couldn’t remember who—

The ice being jerked on one of his horns. “Your memories are an important part of you, wizard.”

Wizard? What…?

“Experience makes you who you are—without your memories, you’re just a sad, sad husk.”

A fire being spat. “Enough. We have spent long enough on this creature. Return it to its body. Without its memories, it would not even know to attack us.”

“I’d rather not take the risk.” The ice being leaned back. “When you see its soul…”

“We’ll get Nari back. But he… he will not go home.”

What… he was too tired, too sick, too lonely to figure out what they were talking about.

And then the two beings started chanting, and the world dissolved into pain, soul-crushing pain.

At least, he’d thought it was soul-crushing. Until he felt himself tearing out of his body, and the ice and fire being grabbed hold of his soul and pulled.

Turned out, there was a feeling worse than soul-crushing.

Soul ripping.

They tore at his being, and even though he was out of a body, he somehow still felt it, in every fiber of his being, that horrible, horrible tearing sensation, like taffy that had been pulled just a little too far.

Some instinct, some nagging voice in the back of his head screamed at him to end it! End the spell now, before they destroy you!

And he didn’t know what that meant, he didn’t know what spell, but maybe the little voice in the back of his head took over because he was waking up in a completely new place, in a body that was different, but felt… more familiar.

“Wha—huh—I—”

“Douxie!” A cat barreled into him, and he instinctively hugged it. It just felt… right, but he didn’t know why.

Some kid with scars on his face stared him meaningfully in the eye. “Douxie, do you know where they are?! Where’s the order, where do they have Nari?”

That sure was a lot of words that probably meant something. He shook his head. “I—I’m sorry—I really am—but—who’s Douxie?”

Xxx

“I can lock onto Nari. We’ll get her.”

Jim glanced back at the vacant Douxie, who was patting Archie, apparently with no clue of who he was. “We might need his magic.”

“We can’t take him along like this! It would be murder!” Claire twisted around to look at him, shaking his head. “Besides, I… I don’t know if he remembers how to do magic. Jim, what if we lost him?!”

Jim brushed her cheek with one hand. “Hey… look at me. Look at me. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Douxie, it’s that he always finds a way to come back. He died, remember? And he still came back to us. He’ll get better.”

“He doesn’t remember who he is, who we are! What if he can’t come back?!”

“Then we’ll find a way to bring him back. We’ll find a spell, or Krel will be able to invent something—we won’t leave him like this. I promise.”

Xxx

Douxie—apparently that was his name. That’s what they kept telling him. He didn’t know. All he knew was the last hour of his life—the last horrible, painful hour of his life.

He hadn’t known it was so bad—not until he came here, where there was light, and everything was soft and kind, instead of harsh and painful.

And there was Archie, the cat.

Jim and Claire approached. “We’re heading out,” Jim said quietly to Archie.

Archie jumped up with a hiss. “Douxie’s not going. He needs to recover.”

“We weren’t planning on it,” Claire soothed, “No taking Douxie into dangerous situations right now. Promise.”

Archie leapt into Douxie’s lap. “I’m staying with him.”

“But what if we need—”

“Douxie needs me more. Go.”

Claire and Jim exchanged a glance, then left without a word. Archie snuggled down further in Douxie’s lap. Douxie absentmindedly stroked the cat. “Who’s your owner?”

“I don’t have one.”

“Then… who takes care of you?”

Archie gave him a look that was just so deeply sad it made Douxie want to cry, although he wasn’t sure why. “I… have a friend. My familiar.”

Douxie settled back, petting him. “What happened to him? Why isn’t he here?”

Archie started to shake a little bit. “He… didn’t come back from a fight.”

Douxie gave the cat a little squeeze. “I’m sorry.” They sat in silence, then, “Tell me about him?”

And Archie did.

He told Douxie about a wizard. About all of the adventures they’d shared. All of the hardships they’d endured—but all of the good times they’d had, too. He told him about a strict master who’d eventually given his own life for his apprentice. About how his familiar had taught Claire magic. How he’d saved the world, at the cost of his own life—then had come back from the dead.

He told him about how strong the wizard was. How brave. How kind. How clever, even if sometimes his “cleverness” backfired in his face.

Douxie’s heart ached for the cat and his familiar. It was obvious how much Archie had loved his wizard—and he’d lost him. Would have to live without him. “I’m sorry,” he said again, “He sounded…”

Archie buried himself in Douxie’s jacket. “Yes. I have to believe…”

“Believe what?”

“I have to believe that he’ll come back.” Archie twisted out, his eyes desperately searching Douxie’s. “That you’ll come back.”

An eerie sense of familiarity swept over him, the worst déjà vu.

Those stories.

They were… his stories?

He was the wizard?

What had the order done to him?!

Tears for his lost life sprang up in his eyes, and he hugged Archie, mind whirling in a thousand directions at once. It was like the Order was shredding his soul all over again—he’d had a whole life, 900 years of it, and it had been taken away. He didn’t know who he was—the only thing he had was stories of who he’d used to be, echoes of friendships he used to have. And now? What was he supposed to do?

“Douxie?” Archie asked quietly.

“I want to be him. I want to be him again, I want to be your familiar, I want to be Douxie again.” He scrubbed at his eyes. “There has to be some way to get back the memories they took, please—I… I don’t want to lose you.”

Archie purred. “Memories or not, you will always be my familiar. Nothing will change that. You won’t lose me.” He tilted his head at Douxie. “I know the world might be ending soon and all, but… how would you feel about going on a different adventure?”

“What?”

“I don’t know if we can get your memories back, Douxie. But we can certainly make new ones.”

#honestly this is a concept i want to explore more in-depth-- plus y'know fun torture and whump #but right now my brain is spitballing angsty ideas at lightning speed and i'm just spitting them out on paper #so maybe later #when i finish shattered timelines (ignore my loud laughter)#rott #rott spoilers #toa #tales of arcadia #toa fanfic #my writing #douxie

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crafty-light · 3 years

Note

Hey so I saw that your requests were open and I have a headcanon for our beloved douxie.

What if he fell in love in Camelot to this poor baker apprentice. They fall in love but as she ages he doesnt. And he tries to find a way to make her immortal but she dies before he can.

Skip like a century and he meets someone new. Turns out to be the baker reincarnated. This new person doesnt know him but douxie works hard and they fall in love again. And it's just a rinse and repeat he meets the reincarnations. Tries not to fall in love. Fails miserably. Tries to talk them into immortality. They say no, they die, douxie mourns and then finds the new incarnation.

Hes never angry at them for not wanting to be immortal and takes them on adventures and they fall in love over and over again. And he stays with them until they die.

I think it would just be this cute but heartbreaking thing that hes trapped himself in but because hes been in love with them for so long he doesnt care.

He'd rather suffer then be without them.

Sorry about rambling, but I thought maybe you can do a thing were he meets the new reincarnation who happens to be a friend of Jim's family and one day bumps into douxie and they have this instant love at first sight. But shes confused and scared but douxie still finds a way to earn her affection and it's really sappy. And I just want some happy douxie to be honest.

Sorry if this sounded demanding or if it's too much. Or if it doesnt make sense. I just wanted to get it off my chest. Thanks and I love your work.

(Author’s note:Thanks for sending in your request!Sorry for the wait.Hope you like it.)

Douxie x female!reader:

It started when douxie was on an errand for merlin.Merlin wanted him to get some supplies from a person from town and told him it was near a bakery.

He got the supplies that merlin wanted from said person but while walking back he smelled in the air something baking.Douxie went towards the smell seeing the bakery that merlin mentioned.The bakery was small but it had some sweets on display the window being opened to let the air cool them off being freshly baked.

“Hi, do you want anything?”you asked after hearing the bell ring as someone came into the bakery.That someone being a boy who was merlin’s apprentice from what you’ve heard.

“Oh no I’m just um...looking.’’douxie said, stealing a quick glance at you as you were holding a tray of cookies with mittens on.He thought you looked pretty even if he just met you for the first time.

“Oh alright if you need anything just ask.I’ll just be putting these away.’’you told him before walking away to put the cookies into a jar making sure they didn’t break.

“Um if it’s alright can I ask you your name?If not that’s fine also do you like baking?”he asked you seeing all the different kinds of treats there were in the bakery

“Oh my name is y/n and yes I really do I’m actually a barker’s apprentice.Though we don’t get a lot of people who come here so it’s nice seeing you.’’you said smiling at him taking a small break since you were working all day.

“That’s amazing oh I forgot I got to go somewhere um my name is hisirdoux by the way.You’re very pretty!’’he said before rushing out the door holding onto the supplies for merlin.

Leaving you blushing since you’ve never been complimented before.You shook your head a bit before going back to baking trying to forget that.

But you couldn’t by the end of the day which you hoped to see him again even if it was a brief moment.As you went to sleep and woke up as the sun started shining through the window.You got ready for the day as opening the bakery.

You had a few people come in and buy something from the bakery but none being the boy you met yesterday.You didn’t want to think more about it.

Until it was when you were closing up the bakery and heard the bell ring.”Sorry we’re closed you’ll have to come back tomorrow.’’you said before turning to see who it was.I t was the boy you met yesterday standing there with some flowers.

“I wanted to come back but I didn’t have the time to so i’m making it up right now.Here I picked them as a sorry for making you wait.’’he handed them to you

You and douxie talked about each other’s lives as how you ended up in that place.As some of your favorite things to bake or things you want to bake but don’t have enough money for the ingredients.

After that day douxie made sure to come and visit you even if it would mean getting into trouble with merlin.As those moments you two would get closer as you would also age.

Douxie knew that you would eventually die as he noticed the changes of you while growing up.While he stayed the same he wanted to see a way to make you immortal which he found after reading some books from merlin’s library.

He did everything it told him to do as you had to just drink it.The next day he went to visit you but couldn’t find you.Turns out you died during the night from what the baker told him.Douxie was devastated after finding out what happened to you and left keeping the potion with him.

Skipping ahead to a century and douxie meets someone new.The person was someone who worked at a cafe adding new things to the menu but douxie wanted to get to know them better.

As he had this strange feeling he knew them before.He starts talking to you which you didn’t mind since it would be during your break.You got to know more about him as he got to know more about you.Hearing about your passion for baking and wanting to open your own barley or cafe.As other hobbies you do and some things you like.

After hearing that it hit him as you were the same person from a long time ago just reincarnated into someone new.The more time you spend with douxie you start getting feelings for him as he had the same way with you.

As he would try to do the same thing with the immortal potion he still has.Only doing it with your consent of wanting to be immortal and being with him.But in the end it doesn’t work as you said no after douxie explained it to you.

It’s just the same throughout time as he meets the new reincarnations of you each being in different times.He tries not to fall in love with you but he can’t help himself with you and all the things you do that give him butterflies.Tries talking to you about being immortal but you always say no and end up dying.

He mourns visiting you at your grave and leaving the flowers he first picked for you.The flowers from your second met and the night were you got close to him as taking about yourself as he did with you.

Douxie meets the new reincarnation of you as doing the same.But he never gets mad at you for not wanting to be immortal with him as going on adventures with him.As he doesn’t even get mad for falling for you over and over again.He feels like he’s trapped himself in but douxie doesn’t care since he loves you so much for a very long time.

He even has told archie about you as telling him he would rather suffer than being without you in his life.Telling archie all the reincarnations of you he has met details he would always notice about you and the things you would do that make his heart speed up a bit.

As the dates you two would go on.Some of them being baking dates as you would do these cute baking dates with douxie there being one or two food fights while baking.The treats were so good after baking them as douxie’s baking skills were improving with your help but you and him liked doing them not just for improving baking skills but for memories.

Now let’s go to the present

Okay so you’re just walking towards jim’s house holding a container that has chocolate cream puffs you made since you were visiting him.As your family knew jim’s family while growing up as you two became friends for a long time.

Your family moved away for a bit but then moved back to Arcadia.You wanted to visit jim to see what had happened while you were gone.As making one of his favorites that he told you after seeing how much you liked baking as you would show him baking as he showed you cooking.Since you were amazing with baking but with cooking you were okay but you wanted to know more about it.Sharpening your cooking skills with jim as he was really good at cooking.

You made it at his house ringing the doorbell hearing a “I’ll get it!’’ as the door opened to a boy who looked about the same age as you though having his hair tips dyed a dark blue.As he stood there looking at you.

“Hey you must be the person jim’s been talking about.Oh by the way i’m douxie i’m a friend of jim’s nice to meet you.’’he said holding his hand out for a shake.

“Hi it’s nice to meet you too.I'm y/n I-I like your hair.I always wanted to dye my hair but don’t know which color to do.”you said while shaking his hand for a quick second before letting it go.

“Thanks love I think you’ll look good with purple but that’s just my opinion.You do whatever you wanna do.”he said before letting you inside as you walked inside to see jim in the kitchen cooking something

“O-Oh thanks um I’ll do that when I have the time.Hey jim!’’you said before walking into the kitchen holding the container in your hands.

“Hey y/n it’s great to see you after all this time.Oh are those the cream puffs you promised making?”jim said looking at the container you were holding see some of the chocolate cream puffs

“Yep!I baked them before I got here so they’re still warm hope you like them.’’you said to him giving him the container

“You’re baking is always the best y/n I missed it when you moved away.Oh my friend douxie came by I see you have met him.’’jim said since he could hear you and douxie talking to each other at the door.

“Yeah about him I don’t know why but I get this weird feeling from him.I know I just met him and I should give him a chance but I think i’ll stay somewhat far away from him.’’you whispered to jim as douxie was in the kitchen grabbing one of the chocolate cream puffs you made wanting to try it

“He’s a good friend of mine y/n but if you feel that way I won’t push you to be friends with him.Since I don’t want to make you uncomfortable with him.’’jim whispered back to you.

As the three of you talked about what each of you’ve been doing.Mostly you talking about the friends you made at the place you moved to with your family.Some details you would say douxie would say something that you would do or something that connected to that which it made you feel weirded out by maybe even scared.Since the details were so specific and you barely met him as ‘how would he know’ you thought.

After that day you had some run ins with douxie which you would try and make an excuse to leave him.Sometimes working other times not so much which douxie understood why you were kinda scared or weirded out by him.

He actually gave you space which you appreciated as you had a clear mind.You made the first move with him asking him if he wanted to hang out which douxie said yes.

It was fun and nice hanging out with him.As you had some things in common as hobbies you two did.

You wanted to learn how to play guitar which douxie was so happy hearing.As he told you he knows how to play it as he has a band that does covers.

After that hang out you and douxie were close which made jim and claire say that you two were more of a couple than just friends.From how you two would act around each other and how happy you made each other.

Heck douxie made sure you had front row seats and a backstage pass for his concert.As he invited you to it after wanting to hear his band play.

After some time you and him do end up dating each other with the help of jim and claire.Douxie was so happy when you said yes to being his girlfriend.

You always make sure douxie has lunch when he goes to work.If not you pack one for him after writing down some of his favorite dishes.

You write notes in them to encourage him to keep up the good work.As you've seen how much he works you sometimes deliver them to him.

You kind of spoil him with treats since you love baking.He finds a recipe that he wants to try and boom there you made it for him.

Oh cute baking dates for sure.You even make sure you make something for archie.

You have made themed treats for him when he has told you about a song he is writing for.Another one being dates you've been with him.

Douxie has made a cake for you before it was decorated with something from all the dates with him.The details were able to be eaten and it was sweet when you came home to find him holding it out for you.

For pda he's alright with it but he wouldn't make you do something you don't want to do.But when it's somewhere private you surprise him.

Douxie makes these sappy messages in your food which you don't mind.Since you're like "aww😊"after reading them but you feel bad for eating it.

He did it on the pancakes he was making for breakfast.In syrup he wrote "you're so beautiful even I wonder how I ended up with someone like you"

He writes some songs about you and performs them for you.If you don't want that douxie would understand and stop.

So many cuddles

You better be ready for a douxie that wants to cuddle for a long time.Even if you wanna get up for something, douxie will try to convince you with kisses of staying with him a bit more.

It was a dark day for the cookies you made that got burnt.

#douxie x reader #hisirdoux x reader #request #wizards of arcadia #tales of arcadia #cute #baking

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troublesometrollhunters · 3 years

Text

~ Douxie is a lowly street urchin. He's the lowest class you can get and he's barely considered a person none the less a commoner. He has no place being near the castle or being offered by the Merlin to learn magic at the side of Morgana. He doesn't fit into the world of Nobility surrounding Camelot or the Royal Court. And yet as Merlin puts his hand on the young boys shoulder leading him to the castle as he holds a sleeping Archie close, Douxies never felt more at home.

~ When Douxie meets you it's love at first sight. You just looked so healthy and clean and kind. Almost angelic. With rosy cheeks and a bright smile he couldn't help but stare at you as your mom talked to Merlin about something. You were in the most beautiful clothes he'd ever seen and your hair was recently brushed and done. He swallows trying to find his words but you don't seem to mind as you fill the silence with your sweet voice. Archie stirs in his arms and as you leave with your mom waving a goodbye Archie gives him a knowing look as Merlin smacks his head.

~ "Absolutely not Hisirdoux." Merlin is firm on that point. Douxie is allowed many freedoms now that he lives in the castle but there are also many new rules. One of them is that he apprentally is not to talk with the Nobel he met his first day as Merlins apprentice. Or any Nobles he meets unless he is with Merlin and they address him first. His rank may be higher now that he is Merlins apprentice but it will never be high enough to truly intrest someone of your stature or decorum. At least that's what Merlin tells him.

~ So of course he may not be able to "talk" to you but Archie can. So the ten year old Douxie comes up with a plan! While he's working besides Merlin he sends Archie off too learn more about you. The familiar seeing Douxies interest in you is quit keen on gaining knowledge for his young master. So the cat sneaks off to ask you some questions.

~ Your alone in your room studying when he finds you. You're reading and when he appears your eager to pet him. I mean he is a small fluffy cat. However when he speaks you seem hesitant to talk back at first, afraid that a fae is tricking you or you might get cursed. But a talking cat is so exciting and he seems very well mannered so you end up answering all his questions in exhange for some of your own. When Archie comes back that night Douxie learns everything about you Archie had learned. Apprentally you're the child of a Dutchess or perhaps a distant cousin of King Arthur but whoever you are Archie confirms you're way out of Douxies league. That in no way stops them however.

~ Merlin said Douxie is not to court you. But he isn't intrested in marriage (yet) he only wants your hand in friendship. After all your his age and you live in the castle and you seem super nice. He may be a middle class mage but he does live in the castle which means little Douxie often has free riegn of it. He's worried about guards spotting him near your room so he sends Archie too you with questions he has. Sometimes he's brave and he'll catch glimpses of you throughout the castle. He always gets a dopey smile on his face after he's seen you.

~ One day as he sits at his desk looking at the window waiting for Archie to come and tell him more about you he gets a surprise. His face lights up seeing his familiar and he notices something in the cats mouth. Archie smiles as he hands over a letter.

'Hisirdoux I've heard a lot about you from your familiar. Archie says you should give him more treats for his troubles and I agree he's a good cat who often visits me when I am lonely.

My name is (Y/N) and although we haven't formally met and talked alone I remember you. Merlins apprentice learning magic! That must be so exciting! Much better than my dull tasks in the court! I am always with escort or guard or parent otherwise I assure you we would've met and talked again. I often catch you in the corner of my eye and it always bring a smile to my face. You seem very kind and many of my friends sadly are not. So I have come up with a plan. For now I can not meet you in person but someday soon I will find a way.

Until then lets write letters. It'll be an adventure.

- Love (Y/N)

~ Archie doesn't mind being a messanger. He finds your friendship with Doxuie endearing and soon comes to care for you as much as the boy. Douxie immediately gets excited at the idea of writing you a letter and responds as soon as he finsihes reading yours.

~ Dear (Y/N),

Merlin said I'm not supposed to talk to you but he never said I couldn't write too you! You're brilliant for thinking of this and I don't listen to everything he says anyways. Merlin is a great teacher and I am grateful to him but he is also a hard enforcer. Learning magic under him is difficult and I do a lot more cleaning than actual magic.

But that's okay! I enjoy working under him. What must your life be like I wonder? A Royal in the Court? What do you do? What are you Royal duties? I mostly mop, sweep, and write endless hours of boring homework nothing exciting like this!

P.S I gave Archie lots of pets and treats just like you asked!

- Your friend Hisirdoux Casperan

~ Soon starts a game of back and forth. Every night or every other night you write letters to him and he writes back. You exchange smiles in the hall and nod at each other in passing. It's the biggest secret either of you have ever had and sometimes it takes everything not to giggle at the sight of each other. You may not be able to hang out properly but as you begin to get to know each other more intimately Hisirdoux takes more risks too see you and you in turn do the same.

~ A year goes by and Douxie starts adding in small things to your letters. He loves giving you little gifts and trying to catch a reaction in the hallway, as dangerous as it might be, he loves seeing your smile whenever you receive something. Pressed flowers, poetry he read in old books, and knick nacks he found in town being some of his favorites to give you. In turn you give him sweets, books you like to read, small sketches, interesting facts from your studies, pretty crystals, and anything else you think he'll enjoy.

~ As teenager's Archie had been your letterman for years. Acting as a middle ground since it was almost impossible to meet alone. You and Hisirdoux had become closer despite not being able to meet in person much and as you both were given more freedom as you got older you found ways to meet and talk, Archie acting as a look out as you snuck moments alone.

~ You both find out the castle has secret passages throughout the walls when your about 13. Douxie and you are now able to meet in secret and have free reign of the castle at night when everyone is asleep. Some nights you both sneak into the kitchens stealing tarts and other sweets, other nights you spend in the library reading together into the early hours of the morning, and other nights are spent wandering the castle learning all it's secrets. Sometimes you even sneak to the roof or observatory and stare out at the stars talking about your dreams and what you wish to be and do.

~ As he becomes better at music he finds himself sitting beneath your rooms balcony or practicing outside your room so you can hear his music. You only encourage his craft and your encouragement makes his heart soar. He loves singing silly ballads to you and has even snuck in some romantic lyrics.

~ He loves showing off his magic. He's so proud of his craft and he's proud of how your eyes light up when you watch him do a spell. He enjoys watching your reactions as he casts his latest mark and often does spells he probably shouldn't to try and impress you. His favorite trick is summoning a flower and tucking it behind your ear. Your blush is always so pretty as he places it for you.

~ He sneaks into your library or places you go throughout the day to leave you things to find. Pressed flowers became a common occurrence in your books, or bits of a song he'd wrote slip into your school notes. Sometimes drawings and other small assorted things will appear through out the day as you do your duties as well. Unknown to Casperan you keep everything he gives you in a box under your bed in your room. All the letters he's written to you are safely tucked away in a large hollow book you made.

~ It becomes easier for him to sneak into your room or you to sneak into his as you get older. There are secret tunnels in the castle walls you use to meet up.

~ As you grow older you know your hand will soon be given to some other Nobel family but you dream of a life with Douxie. One where you could be yourself and you could live a life of love, magic, and adventure. He made you happy and although it wasn't practical you often daydreamed of running away together or becoming a mage yourself just so you could marry him.

~ One night when Archie goes to check up on you and say goodnight he runs back to Hisirdoux worried. Apprentally the ball of furr had heard you crying and ran back to tell young Casperan. He of course ran to your room doing his best not to be seen. You were waiting for Archie to come say goodnight but you'd fallen asleep and then woken from a terrible nightmare. Your door opens and looking up you sniffle and stare at Casperan with scared eyes. He lays next to you and you lean against him closing your eyes and taking in his comfort. Holding you close he uses his magic to play you a song staying with you until you drift asleep.

~ You're both more than friends. You both know it but neither of you have admitted it. The Royal Court would never allow you to love each other. You could never be married officially and eventually you'd be forced into a loveless life with someone else. However tension is rising in Camelot and things are changing. Magic may soon be banned and with it Douxies passion. You're idea to run away becomes more and more appealing as the world around you slowly dissolves into choas.

~ One night while everyone was asleep you sneak into his room. Shaking him awake you put a finger to your mouth and drag the sleepy boy to the stables. Under the moonlight you both ride out of Camelot to spend one night together. One night where you can just be who you both are. You explain your plan. What you should do and although Douxie does not want to leave he agrees it's unsafe.

~ You pack. You know you can't take much but you've arranged for a carriage with two horses so you and Douxie can at least start with something. All your jewellery and valuables along with pouches full of gold, silver, and copper from the Royal Treasury are put into a large satchel you hide under your bed. You pack a few of your least fancy dresses and steal pants from the stable boy. All of your favorite books, drawing supplies, and poems are shoved into a different satchel. You hide the hollow book of letters and all the gifts Hisirdoux wrote you in the stable and you prepare to leave.

~ Packing the carriage late at night under the stars Douxie and Archie meet you. Douxie has a satchel full of potions, a purse full of magic scrolls and books no one will miss, the letters you wrote him, and his lute. He also grabbed dried meat from the kitchen, biscuits, and canteens of water.

"Love are you sure?" He's so tender so soft and so full of love. You know this is meant to be.

"Without you Douxie life is not worth living. You love me not for my riches. Not for looks. Not for my status but for me. No matter what happens I love you."

~ That's all Douxie needs to hear before he takes the reigns and you both leave. Fleeing your life from Camelot and going on a new adventure. One of adventure, magic, and love. You know things will never be the same but that's alright. You have him, he has you, and you both had Archie. As you flee under the stars avoiding trolls and traveling several towns over you know this is meant to be.

(Comments and feedback appreciated :D)

#hisirdoux casperan #hisirdoux x reader #douxie x reader #wizards x reader #noble reader #morgana #merlin #archie #hello!#i read way too much douxie fanfiction #so heres the boy #i love him #fair warning still havent seen wizards 😬😬😬#hope this is good!#cannon divergent #in which douxie finds someone he loves and leaves Camelot before everything goes to hell #douxie #long post

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twinkleton · 4 years

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how abt a douxie x reader fic where douxie and the reader are enemies to lovers back in camelot, but merlin, being able to glimpse into the future, knows they’ll be together in the end, so he pushes douxie to be nicer to the reader! I love your writing btw! your douxie imagine was so precious 💗

hello! thanks for your ask! and thank you so much! it was hard to think of a reason as why douxie would hate the reader, but then I rewatched the first episode of wizards and got my inspo for this fic :) hope you enjoy!

tw: blood

“Don’t be afraid, I’m here to help you,” said Morgana, as she held out her hand to a girl with her back against the wall, tucked away in a back alley. The girl had just been caught performing magic by a guard, which was strictly forbidden in Camelot. To avoid being thrown in a dungeon, she sprinted off towards the nearest alleyway, however luckily for her she was spotted by the only person who could possibly help her.

“Please don’t turn me in, I swear I’ll never do magic again. Please just let me go-” Morgana cut her pleas.

“Not practicing magic is the last thing I want from you, dear,” she assured. Morgana handed the girl her cloak, prompting her to wear it. “What is your name?” she asked.

“Y/N. I’m afraid I have no family name.”

“Never be ashamed of that, Y/N. Be proud that you have no legacy to follow. Your destiny is entirely your own,” Morgana placed her hand on her shoulder. A sigh of relief came from Y/N. She felt safe enough to let her guard down and trust this woman. Trust being something she hadn’t given anyone in so long.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“To the King’s castle, you’ll be safe there,”

“But the King hates anything and everything involved with magic!” Y/N exclaimed.

“True,” Morgana led her out of the alley and towards the path to the castle. “However, his sister makes the exception,” Y/N gave a soft gasp. She’d never known the King had a sister. This calmed her worries as they headed to what would be her new home.

-----------------

Adjusting to life at the castle was pretty simple for Y/N. She got along great with Merlin, King Arthur never threw her into the dungeon, and Morgana introduced her to magic beyond what she ever thought she’d be capable of. There was only one person who kept it from being perfect. Hisirdoux.

“For the last time, will you please stop touching my belongings?!” Y/N snapped, grabbing her spellbook Hisirdoux was trying to read from his hands. In her opinion, he had been doing absolutely anything to get on her nerves the past few weeks she’s been here. She went to take a seat at the desk in Merlin’s study that they were both in.

“I don’t understand why Merlin and Morgana trust you with magic but not me! I’ve been here much longer than you have!” Hisirdoux complained. Here he was, tasked to sweep the floor for the thousandth time, while Y/N is practicing spells he hasn’t even heard of yet. He didn’t even recognize the spellbook Merlin gave her. He sat on top of a pile of books in a corner.

Y/N scoffed. “Maybe it’s because I have some things called discipline and control. Things you clearly lack,” she spat, flipping a page in her book.

“I do not lack control!” The broom he had tried bewitching earlier whacked him upside the head, as if in response.

“Even your broom agrees with me,” Y/N teased.

That was enough to set something off in Hisirdoux. Unbeknownst to her, he managed to read one spell from her book before she took it away. Now, he has the bright idea to test it.

Y/N was too focused in her reading to notice Hisirdoux switching his bracelet to the rune needed for the spell. He planted his feet, took a deep breath in, and held his hands out towards him.

“Ortum obumbratio, ortum obumbratio, ortum obumbratio,” he repeated over and over, and all of the light in the room darkened. There was suddenly a chill in the air.

It was his second repeat that Y/N recognized as one of the spells from her book. It was definitely the worst spell for Hisirdoux to be doing. She shot up from her seat.

“Hisirdoux! Are you insane?! This book is shadow magic, it is way too dangerous for you!” Her hands came to her side, glowing scarlet with her magic.

He gave no response, still repeating the spell again and again. It seemed the shadows were taking over him, with streaks of black starting to form all over his skin, and his eyes turning back as well. Slowly, dark phantoms came creeping along the walls of the study. One came up behind Y/N, reaching to grab her. She felt the presence and quickly backed away from it. She wasn’t, however, fast enough to avoid another shadow, which slashed at her. It striked her all along her chest to her left shoulder. She let out a cry from the pain. Blood immediately started spilling from the wound.

“Hisirdoux, you have to snap out of it!” she yelled. Still nothing from him. She saw no other choice.

“I’m sorry,” she warned, as she shot her magic towards him, causing him to fly across the room, slamming against a bookcase, causing it to fall. Y/N pulled him away from the bookcase before it landed on him. The shadows suddenly vanished, with the light flooding back into the room. Hisirdoux awoke with a gasp.

-----------------

Merlin had been at his wits end with the two apprentices. The constant bickering and fighting made absolutely no good environment for him to create the amulet needed for the upcoming war. Y/N was a talented and bright witch, but her attachment to Morgana could lead her on the wrong path. Merlin needed something to keep that from happening.

An idea had come into his mind earlier to use the time map. Hisirdoux and Y/N were taking residence in his study so he decided to move to another room nearby before opening it. He sat down on the bed inside, and opened the map. He scrolled through time, what he was searching for he wasn’t entirely certain. However, he eventually found it in the twenty-first century. The map showed Hisirdoux and Y/N in a tight embrace, then letting each other go slightly only to pull into a loving kiss, over and over again in a loop.

He let out a small chuckle, staring affectionately at the image.

“Love will always conquer evil, won’t it Hisirdoux?”

A loud bang abruptly came from his study. He quickly hid the map away and ran towards the sound.

-------------------

“WHAT THE DEVIL IS GOING ON IN HERE?!” Merlin bellowed.

It was a justifiable response to the sight he held. His study was a mess, books and trinkets scattered all across the room. Pieces of glass were shattered and all over the floor. One of his bookcases was entirely knocked over, where a dazed and confused Hisirdoux laid beside it. Y/N had collapsed to the floor, leaning against the wall. She was covering her wound with her hand, albeit unsuccessfully as blood was seeping through her fingers.

Morgana had burst into the room as well, wide-eyed and appalled at what she was currently witnessing.

“Hisirdoux, Y/N, explain yourselves this instant!” she commanded.

Hisirdoux was at a loss for words. The idea of having to explain what happened mortified him.

“I-I didn’t mean, I didn’t mean for this-Y/N I’m so sorry-”

“I’ll tell you what happened,” Y/N rose up from the ground, grimacing from the pain coming from her injury.

She made direct eye contact with Merlin. “Your apprentice thought it’d be a good idea to perform shadow magic, something he has never been able to accomplish. I’d congratulate him on achieving it this time, if I didn’t have to save him from it consuming him due to his lack of control,” she throws him a nasty glare. Hisirdoux retreats his eyes to the floor.

“Hisirdoux, is what she’s accusing of you true?” Merlin questioned. He had no benefit of doubt in his tone however.

It takes everything in him to look up at everyone. All of their faces are brimming with disappointment.

“Yes. It’s true,” he confessed.

“Y/N,” Morgana calls. Y/N walks over to her. “Let’s deal with that wound before it gets infected.”

She glances towards Merlin. “Deal with him, or I will.” With that threat hanging in the air, she and Y/N leave.

Merlin says nothing to Hisirdoux, which fuels his anxiety more than him speaking ever would.

“Master, please say something.” he pleaded.

“Do you realize the destruction you have caused?” Merlin spat.

“Yes I-”

“You’ve destroyed my study.”

“I know I-”

“You almost brought dark shadows that would wreak havoc on Camelot.”

“Yes! Please-”

“And worst of all!” Merlin shouted. “You almost got Y/N and yourself killed.”

Hisirdoux sank at that. He was ashamed of all of it, but what he regretted the most of all was putting Y/N in danger. He wouldn’t have been able to live with himself had he gotten her killed. They had their differences and petty arguments, but the last thing he wanted was her death. She didn’t deserve that.

“I-I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I just wanted to prove for once I was capable of something greater. That you could trust me with more than just sweeping.” He looked over to where the broom was, walked over and picked it up off the floor. “I was wrong, all I’ll ever be capable of is clean up duty.”

Merlin let out a big sigh. “Hisirdoux, I know you are capable of far more than sweeping. Your skill will undoubtedly match with Y/N.”

Hisirdoux looked up at Merlin, with eyes almost pleading for him to continue.

“I’m afraid it’s my own fear that is holding you back. The stronger you become, the greater the threats you will have to face. However, running errands for me and Morgana keeps you safe and away from harm. I owe you an apology, had it not been for my trepidation, none of this would’ve happened.”

Of all of the possible responses he could’ve gotten, Hisirdoux wasn’t expecting that one. He has never seen this caring side of Merlin before, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t like it.

There’s a moment of silence again, only this time it’s ended by Merlin giving Hisirdoux two strong pats on the shoulder. Hisirdoux grins.

Merlin continues, “Now, about dear Y/N.”

The grin on Hisirdoux’s face vanishes. “Please don’t tell me I have to apologize right now.”

“Go apologize to her right now. And don’t-”

“But Master!-”

“But Master me. And do something about this mess.”

And with that, Merlin leaves the study, leaving Hisirdoux alone with the mess and his thoughts.

-------------------

A few hours later, Y/N was resting in her room when she heard a knock at the door.

“Who’s there?”

Hisirdoux opened the door, poking his head out sheepishly.

“It’s me, may I come in?” he asks.

“That depends, are you going to try to kill me again?”

“Not today, maybe next week?”

That earns a small laugh from Y/N.

“Come in, you fool.”

He walks in, immediately noticing her chest and shoulder wrapped up. Some blood has soaked through the gauze. The feeling of guilt invades his heart.

“Y/N I am so, so deeply sorry. I should have never tried that spell. You were right, I had no control. I let my ego get the best of me. Please, forgive me.”

She takes a deep breath in, then out, and finally smiles at him.

“Mind helping me switch the wrappings?” she asked kindly, apology clearly accepted.

He’s grinning from ear to ear, excited at the chance of helping her for what could be the first time since they met. He sits down beside her on her bed, taking out the gauze from the dresser next to the bed.

Y/N has already started unwrapping the gauze from her shoulder, wincing once it becomes too hard to do the rest on her own. Hisirdoux takes over from there, slowly and carefully undoing the rest for her. Once the wound is revealed, another twinge of regret hits Hisirdoux.

“I’m so sorry,” he says, his words laced with remorse.

“You’ve already apologized, really it’s my turn to apologize to you,” Y/N replies softly.

He begins wrapping her shoulder up again, “Whatever for? You were right about all of it. I’m a screw up.”

“Hey,” Y/N uses her good arm to raise a hand to his cheek, moving his face towards hers. He looks into her eyes, realizing for the first time just how vibrant they are.

“You’re not a screw up, you just haven’t reached your full potential yet. Besides, I’m not perfect at all. You’re lucky you’re not there when I train with Morgana. It can be a real hot mess sometimes, literally I almost burned Morgana’s hair off one time,” she joked. Hisirdoux laughs, wishing he could’ve been there to see that.

“I’m sorry for not being fair to you these past few weeks.” Y/N says remorsefully. By now Hisirdoux has finished wrapping up her shoulder.

He replies, “How’s the idea of starting over sound?” She beams at him, clearly agreeing with the idea. “Sounds perfect, Douxie.”

He smiled, liking the new nickname she’s given him. Y/N realizes she still has her hand on his face, and lets it fall off. Douxie catches it instead, and they hold each other’s hand, gossiping and poking fun at their masters for a while.

#douxie x reader #hisirdoux x reader #douxie #hisirdoux casperan #tales of arcadia #trollhunters #merlin #morgana #toa douxie #toa #douxie imagine #ask prompt

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daydream-believin · 3 years

Text

you’ll never have to be alone

summary: you just can’t wait to see your best friend again, but your master has other ideas

a/n: this is such a mess lmao might turn it into an actual fic when i have time. also that last sentence is not a tswift ref i just like that word and if anything it’s a beauty and the beast (2017) ref. but the title is in fact a tswift ref yes

~~~~~~~~~~~~

• you’re just a humble magician’s assistant, doing your best to stay safe and hidden in Arthur’s realm

• your master has just sent you on a trip to into Camelot to get her a few things

• you’re so excited. you’ve never been out of the forest, let alone the big city before and is that a castle???

• while fetching your master’s things, you run into the most beautiful boy

• and i mean run into, like ow your head

• he sees you wince in pain and panics

• he is so sorry pretty person, he did not mean to body check you, here let him fix it with a healing spell he learned last week

• you’re so caught off guard by the magic

• you throw yourself in front of him, and hiss “do you want to get us both executed?!”

• he laughs and assures you it’s okay, he’s the king’s personal sorcerer’s apprentice so the guards won’t pay him any mind

• you’re amazed at your new friend and his freedom but also his cute laugh

• he offers to help you with the rest of your errands to make it up to you, he has the day off after all and he was bored, so why not help out a cute new friend

• soon it’s time for you to start on the journey back to your master, you bid goodbye to Hisirdoux

• he catches you at your cart, stopping you from taking off before you can slip away. he takes your hand

• “please, i just want to make sure i see you again, can we meet overmorrow?”

• you smile “i’m sure i can find some excuse to come back”

• one meeting led to another, and now you two are meeting in the marketplace every free afternoon you both have

• or at least you two make them free, either by getting chores down early, procrastinating, or just straight up lying

• one day your master tells you to pack her bag and grab your cloak, you two were going to camelot to “make an audience with someone who i’d rather i’d never have to talk to again if not for the troubled times” whatever that meant

• you find yourself in the study of Merlin Ambrosious himself. it’s so cozy here, with the paper covered desk and stained glass windows

• you see your crush buddy Hisirdoux and quietly make your way over to him

• you two have a fun litttle conversation while your master waits for Merlin to arrive. it’s so nice to get to see each other again this week.

• your master raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t say anything to you or ask any questions. that’s strange. normally your master wants to know all about your friends. they think you don’t get out enough

• Merlin enters, making a face, and starts to talk business with your master. it was soooo boring and it was all you and Doux could do not to snore. at least all’s going good righ—

• annnnddd now suddenly you and Douxie are on the sidelines of all out shouting match

• 0 to 60 real fast

• so 🙏 turns out your master is Merlin’s ex wife. damn

• whatever they were supposed to be working together on has been thrown out the window, along with any pretense of civility

• so many insults being hurled. hell, you and Douxie’s innocent ears had never heard half of these words they spat at each other

• you and your best friend looked at each other. neither of you would dare try and calm the two master wizards down, lest you get caught in the crosshai— !!!

• oh! apparently words aren’t the only things being thrown oh dear

• your master snatched your arm and pulled you towards the door with force

• “AND DONT EVEN THINK ABOUT LETTING YOUR LITTLE URCHIN NEAR MY SWEET Y/N AGAIN! I KNOW WHAT YOURE TRYING TO DO! I WONT HAVE IT!”

• come again?

• “ONLY IF YOU KEEP YOUR APPRENTICE AWAY FROM MY URCHIN! THEYLL TAINT THE NOBILITY IVE MADE HIM”

• you weren’t even sure what to make of that one

• before you knew it you were back on the cart, camelot drifting farther and farther into the distance

• you could see Hisirdoux, watching you leave from the balcony of the tower, getting smaller and smaller

• well, if your master thinks she can keep you away from him she’d have to try a little harder. it’s not like she could stop you from going to the market

• she turns to you as if reading your thoughts “i don’t want you going to the marketplace alone anymore, i’ll have to come with you now.”

• okay so maybe she could

• a few weeks pass, and you are dying to see Douxie just one last time

• it was like you were mad. all you can think about is trying to find ways that you might be able to get back to him

• you were cleaning out the donkey’s stall when a bird landed on the post near your head

• or at least you had thought it was a bird. looking up, you discovered that it was in fact a small dragon

• a dragon with a scroll in it’s mouth. he motioned for you to take it

• you gingerly took the slightly damp scroll and unfurled it

• well well well, it looks like mr. casperan has been thinking about you too

• the scroll urged you to sneak out as soon as your master fell asleep and meet him where else, but your regular rendezvous spot at the market place

• the dragon then burnt the message while it was still in your hands. smart? you guessed? you supposed this was to make sure your master didn’t find the note but was burning it really necessary

• needless to say it was a no brainer, and you were out of the house by your master’s first snore

• you had your cloak drawn over your head. it wasn’t hard to find Hisirdoux in the night market. he may have also had his hood up, but he was right where you always met, standing awkwardly in a very Douxie fashion

• you came up behind him and tapped his shoulder, and he about jumped out of his skin

• and then he was immediately enveloping you into a bone-crushing hug

• you two have some fun walking around the night market, never letting go of each other’s hands. Douxie’s face is highlighted so perfectly in the orange light of the torches and cooking fires. you can feel the heat on your own face

• you two stayed around for as long as you could, talking about everything and nothing, but even night markets sleep eventually.

• as you lament to Douxie about having to go back home when all you want to do was have a little more time with him, he stares at you intensely. he could feel his palm sweating while clasped in yours. he took a deep breath

• “we should run away”

• ... “run away?” “just you and me. then we can stay together. even for only a little while. if you want”

• “lets do it”

• and so you were off to who knows where on the back of a horse Hisirdoux most likely stole. or at least skipped getting permission to use it. there was no destination in mind, just to get far away fast. none of that mattered though, as you cling to Douxie’s back in your getaway. he wasn’t very good at it, but at least you were getting somewhere

• you got lost pretty fast

• but no matter, anywhere with Douxie was better than being lonely up in your room

• the sun was just starting to rise when you two finally stopped

• the sunrise coming up over the cliff is the most gorgeous thing you’ve ever seen. you look over at Douxie and reconsider. the sunrise is the second most gorgeous

• you two are very sleepy, having stayed up all night, and you crash lying in the meadow grass, locked in each others arms

• but your sweet slumber does not last long

• you are awoken to the sound of your name being said very angrily

• you and Doux scramble to sit up. you two are face to face with two furious master wizards

• “YOU STOLE A HORSE?!”

• needless to say your master rarely lets you out of her watchful eyes nowadays. it was worth it.

• your master was summoned to help with the cause at the battle of Kilahead. apparently they were short on forces for some reason. that reason being that they were all dead. you dred having to join the fight but follow your master nonetheless

• maybe the universe just wanted to give you one last treat before you left the plain of existence, but there was your beloved Douxie, all geared up for the fight

• your master ordered you to stay with the main fight to do your best in healing the knights while she went off to who knows where. which was fine with you. now you could be by Douxie’s side

• fast forward and suddenly your master is gone. who knows what happened to her. definitely not you. Hisirdoux’s master is out cold and will be for centuries.

• as devestated as you both are at being without your beloved mentors for deya knows how long, there is a brightside

• now you can stay with each other for as long as you two liked

• and you did

• for almost a millenia

• and will for evermore

#douxie x reader #hisirdoux casperan x reader #hisirdoux casperan imagine #douxie casperan x reader #douxie imagine #toa douxie #douxie #hisirdoux casperan #douxie casperan #tales of arcadia #hisirdoux x reader #hisirdoux imagine #my writing

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danceworshipper · 3 years

Text

Ida Sommer - HPHL MC

Info subject to change as more game information is released. All of my HPHL ocs exist in the same universe

[profile template by me]

Personal

Full Name: Ida Marie Sommer

Gender: Female (cis)

Sexuality: Pansexual (closeted)

Birthday: August 20th

Birthstone: Peridot

Zodiac Sign: Leo

Age: 14 (at beginning of game)

Blood Status: Pureblood

3 Positive Traits:

- Charming

- Spiritual (nature oriented)

- Resilient

3 Negative Traits:

- Childish

- Uncommunicative

- Vain

Usual First Impression: When first meeting Ida, people often assume she is immature, ignorant, and easy to take advantage of due to her sheltered nature and cutesy appearance. This impression is highly incorrect

Location

Birthplace: Germany (exact location TBD)

Current Home: Her father's estate in one of the richest areas (Germany)

Future Home: A beautiful cottage secluded from the world, near a mountainside (Germany)

Favorite Place: A cliff overseeing the sea in Japan, close to the little shop where she got her wand

Disliked Place: Her maternal grandparents' home, simply because she doesn't enjoy their company

Appearance

[image created using the Live Portrait Maker app]

Face Shape: Roundish jaw, soft features with a strong brow bone

Eye Color: Yellowish green

Hair Color: Light blonde

Hair Style: Ida wears her hair down or in a single braid. Her hair is mostly straight with side bangs, and is parted in the middle

Skin Tone: Light

Freckles/Spots: A few freckles on her cheeks, more visible when she's been out in the sun

Scars: None during her schooling. After graduation, Ida marks her arms with runes only she and Sebastien can make sense of to strengthen her connection to the world around her

Piercings/Tattoos: Single earlobe piercings.

Final Height: 5'9"

Final Weight: 137lbs

Physique: Thin with long legs, slightly wider than average shoulders

Clothing Style: Ida is a rich kid, so her clothing is always of high quality material and her jewelry is noticeably unflawed. She dresses modestly until she turns seventeen, when she stops caring what her parents think. Her favorite colors to wear are pastels

Carried Items:

- her wand

- a locket with a picture of her and her parents in it - not worn, but kept in her satchel

- a silver pocket watch stuck at 11:18 pm, handed to her by the same Seer who told her where to get her wand

- a handful of candy

- extra quills for her roommate who keeps forgetting hers

- a book from the Restricted Section about Elementals, written by Elementals and charmed so no one other than an Elemental can ever figure out what it says

Magic

Wand: 12 inches of firm Ebony wood with a koi-mer hair core. A pitch black, rounded wand with a pattern of scales carved into the handle. This wand was custom made in a small, almost unknown shop in Japan after a Seer she bumped into on the street told Ida that her perfect wand would be created there. It would seem foolish to go all the way from Germany to Japan on the word of an unknown Seer, but it was Ida's turn to plan the summer trip, so she picked a place in Japan close enough to the mentioned shop

Animagus: Loon

Boggart Form: A headless figure easily recognizable as herself, crumbling away into dust. A failed attempt to merge with nature resulting in her demise

Riddikulus Form: A statue of her like the one in her parents' back garden, over glorifying her features, that has been attacked and is crumbling away. She hates that statue

Amortentia (to others): Someone smelling Ida would smell lime juice, fresh water, and static electricity

Amortentia (to her): TBD

Patronus: Ida has never been able to cast a Patronus. Not for a lack of happy enough memories, but because of her powerful soul. The Patronus can never escape her magical core

Patronus Memory: N/A

Mirror of Erised: A tree so big it grows up an entire mountainside. The tree bark is covered in swirling patterns Ida recognizes as Elemental runes. She doesn't yet know what exactly this tree is, but she feels an undeniable longing for it

Family Spells: The Sommer family has no special family spells

Inherent Magic: Elemental

- Ida has all the magic of a normal witch, but on top of that has a deep connection to the earth and the magic stemming from it, even beyond the earth into the universe. If not properly trained (or if driven to a great enough temptation), an Elemental could vaporize the entire planet, or bend it to their will. They could also leave humanity behind if they so wished and become nature itself

- Elementals are theorized to have fragments of Merlin's soul fused with their own, hence why they feel strong connections to each other and can't ever fatally harm one of their own. Most Elementals also fall in love with each other as well, and the connection is thought to be stronger than a normal human's love could ever be. These connections help ensure no Elemental gives in to whichever temptation has the strongest pull on them. Only one Elemental has ever yet gone evil, and this is how it was discovered that they cannot kill one another

- This special magic is not hereditary. In fact, no one knows what causes someone to be born an Elemental, only that there have been less and less of them in the recent centuries. There are only two known Elementals left: Ida and Sebastien

Family

Mother: Lina is a warm hearted woman who wants the best for her daughter, misguided though she might be. She often has to shout at her husband to trying to hold Ida back, or discourage Ida's dreams. She noticed Ida's growing power long before her husband did, and was the one to finally contact someone for help when Ida grew so strong and uncontrolled she couldn't stop floating

Father: Elias is a business oriented man who, though he loves his daughter, up until her reveal as an Elemental wished she was a son. He's the reason Ida was homeschooled for so long, as he didn't think a girl was worth the tuition money. He refused to believe that Ida was anything other than ordinary until a man in a high position told him otherwise

Sisters: None

Brothers: None

Pets: A screech owl named Goldig, meaning 'cute'

Other Important Family: Ida's paternal aunt, Ingrid, is one of the biggest influences in her life as a child. Ingrid is an independent witch who lives fabulously by herself with her dead husband's fortune. Ida used to yearn for a future where she wasn't tied down by a man and could do as she pleased

Family Values: The Sommer family as a whole is mainly concerned with two things: remaining pureblooded, and growing richer. Most of the Sommers are decently good people, but they have period-appropriate prejudices and are willing to leave someone behind to save themselves, metaphorically and literally

Opinion on Family: Up until entering Hogwarts, Ida really only knew her family, so she loved them and thought very highly of them. As she becomes more socialized and learns more about the world, she starts to notice her parents' many flaws and though she never stopped loving them, she does resent them for homeschooling her and ignoring the signs of her being abnormal, because she used to think she was broken when in reality she's nearly a god

Friendships

Introverted or Extroverted: Extroverted

Best Friend: Sebastien Parr - another mc of mine who is also an Elemental, and an exchange student from Beauxbatons

Worst Friend: TBD

Friend She Didn't Expect: TBD

Who She Wishes Was Her Friend: TBD

List of Casual Friends:

- Sophia Burton @gcldensnitch

- Charlotte Grant @weasleysandwheezes

- canon friends TBD

Romance

Current Crush: None

Current Partner: None

Past Partners: None

Future Partners: TBD - will likely be picked from the game's characters, but could possibly be someone else's mc

Her Type: TBD

Hogwarts

House: Slytherin

Prefect Status: No

Quidditch: Never played, but loves to watch

Clubs: None

Organizations: The fake Headmaster's Apprentices organization that she and Sebastien use to hide what they're really doing

Favorite Class: Herbology

Least Favorite Class: History of Magic

Favorite Professor: TBD

Least Favorite Professor: TBD

Timeline

Young Childhood: Ida is kept at home. She knows no children her age, and spends most of her free time roaming her father's land. No matter how far she wanders, she never seems to get lost. Ida has strange dreams where she watches the world as an outsider. After being told by a Seer that her ideal wand would be created at a small shop in Japan, Ida convinces her father to spend a month there over the summer, and her mother takes her to the shop to get her wand. Ida sneaks out one night and climbs a cliff that looks out over the ocean. In later years she can't remember whether rising up over the waters and hearing the stars call to her by name was a dream or not, but she knows the moon smiled at her.

First Year: N/A

Second Year: N/A

Third Year: Ida's uncontrolled Elemental magic reaches a breaking point, and Ida explodes her little study room as she lifts up in the air, unable to come down. Her mother sends for help: two healers, a historian, and three government officials later, Ida is brought down and informed that she will be enrolled in Hogwarts the following year. She is not informed why, though her parents are

Fourth Year: Ida enters Hogwarts with no social skills. She meets Sebastien and they're both informed of their true nature. As Ida struggles to catch up on her studies as well as train her Elemental magic, she also learns just how wonderful having friends her age is

Fifth Year: TBD

Sixth Year: Ida grows suspicious of Sebastien's "friend" Dorian. Other details TBD

Seventh Year: TBD

Post Graduation: Ida marks herself with ancient Elemental runes and her father gifts her the cottage. She spends a year and a half where almost no one hears from her, before appearing back in her friends' lives as if nothing happened, looking healthier and happier than ever

Career(s): Ida doesn't live long enough to have a career

Marriage and Children: Ida marries (TBD) from school, someone who had always had a crush on her that she eventually returned the feelings for. They spend a beautiful three years together before her end. Ida manages to give her love a son, but only after she's gone

Death: Ida sacrifices herself to stop Sebastien and Dorian from destroying the world. Ida's biggest temptation as an Elemental was always to leave her humanity behind and become nature, so she does. She traps the two men inside of a ridiculously large tree that grows out of the mountainside near her cottage. This tree forms from her body, and has a notch where her favorite necklace can be inserted to be allowed entry to the chamber Sebastien and Dorian are trapped. However, she hid the necklace in Japan, where no one will find it until a century has passed and her friends have passed away. Ida can occasionally gather her spirit into a physical form to communicate with her love and child that she left behind

Notable Facts Not Previously Mentioned

- Ida is the ancestor of my main hphm mcs, Gracie and Tessa Chiva, on their father's side

- The reason Ida is sent to Hogwarts and not Durmstrang is the fear of bad influences. No one wanted to risk her being corrupted

- Ida does feel guilty about leaving her love behind, but since she couldn't kill Sebastien and she still loved him and wanted him to be happy, this was the only way she could think of to stop him

- Her love watched her leave humanity behind. As they wept, Ida's spirit gathered to say her goodbyes, and point them to their son, who had been born from Ida's final breath at exactly 11:18 pm

- Ida thinks very highly of herself. This is both from being praised so much as a child and hearing so much about the good she can do as an Elemental

- She throws a graduation party so extravagant that it's talked about for decades after her death

- No one but her love knows what truly happened to her. All anyone else knows is that she and Sebastien disappeared at the same time

#hphl oc #hogwarts legacy #ida sommer #character profile

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writings-of-a-daphodil · 4 years

Text

Fire Keeper: Chapter 19

Douxie x fem reader

Masterlist in Bio!

Series Summary: You are Jim’s older sister who is taking a break from college and has moved back home to Arcadia. You end up joining Jim and his friends on their adventures.

Chapter 19 summary: The past gets messy. It's got a very fluffy ending.

A/n: It’s finally here and it's 7,547 words, yay!!!

“Death to all trolls!” Called Arthur as he rode towards the forest.

“Death to all trolls!” His knights repeated.

“Let's get out there, boys, and rip their faces off!” Galahad cheered and you wrinkled your nose at the violence.

“Medieval Bessie, go! Ho-ho! Cow-ho!” Steve prompted his cow forwards and you decided to do the same with your horse. Past Douxie was supposed to be helping you ride, but he was overly excited to be going on a mission.

You tried to steer the horse in the right direction, but he just went towards the left. You huffed in frustration when he wouldn’t move. You knew it wasn’t the horse's fault, but that didn’t stop you from getting a little irritated.

“Would you mind helping me?” You asked Past Douxie, but he was in his own world.

“What a beautiful day for a ride. It just makes you want to-“ he stopped talking and suddenly you noticed that he wasn’t on the horse anymore.

“Huh?” Steve asked. You looked to see your Douxie moving past Douxie back inside the gate.

He came over to you. “Would you like to help me?” You asked as he got onto the horse.

“Gladly,” he responded, taking the reins.

“You do know that repeated sleep spells can cause memory loss permanently,” Archie informed, soaring past you.

Douxie shrugged. “Huh, don't remember that. No matter. Let's go! The king needs us!”

You held onto Douxie as he sped up the horse. It was both exhilarating and terrifying to be on one, but it calmed you to know that you could catch yourself with magic.

~~~~

Eventually you had to abandon the horses and while you had enjoyed riding him, you were glad to be on your own two feet again.

You went to walk with Merlin so you could distract him from Douxie’s plan. You silently followed the old wizard, doing your best not to irritate him, while also trying to keep him away from Claire and Douxie.

Your job was going well, Merlin seemed to be content with ignoring Douxie and just focusing on protecting the king. He occasionally talked to you, inquiring after your name and whether you had magic or not. He seemed satisfied with your answers, but he warned you about using your magic.

“Arthur has never been fond of magic and he also doesn’t like strangers. You’ll need a good excuse if he notices you,” Merlin was saying.

“I was just going to say I was hoping to be your new apprentice,” you said and Merlin considered it.

“That should be fine,” Merlin eventually responded.

You looked over to Douxie as you and Merlin settled into vigilant silence again. He looked tired and you frowned. He was putting too much pressure on himself. He had been stressed before you had gone into the past, but now you didn’t know how he was able to function.

When he saw you staring at him he gave you a small smile and a wave. You waved back, focusing on a knight as you felt your face heat up.

“No sign of them, sire. Trail's gone cold,” the knight announced. You looked past him and saw the trees swaying gently. You would have expected a place called the wild wood to be more creepy, but it seemed like a nice place.

Douxie began to walk over to Arthur who was looking into the woods. “Say, my liege, didn't you used to spend time in this wood?”

Arthur sighed wistfully. “Yes. As a boy. Much time was lost in this accursed forest. I often fled to these woods to escape from my growing responsibilities.”

Douxie gave you a bright smile, full of hope before waving his hands discreetly. Bright Blue magic bloomed around you, bringing to life three children. You smiled as they laughed, remember it when you and Jim were carefree and could just play together. Now he was somewhere in these woods and you were supposed to be hunting him, not that you’d ever harm your little brother.

“On your guard, men! We've been bewitched!” A knight called and you rolled your eyes, they were so scared of magic.

“What's happening? It's coming for me!” Another painicked. “It's dark magic!”

Merlin scoffed. “Stand down. We're not in danger. Uh, my lord...”

You turned your attention to Arthur, who seemed to actually be bewitched. “Gwen,” the king breathed. “My betrothed. My beloved. She was the heart of me.”

Morgana came over. “Mm, we loved these woods. The freedom they offered. The wood showed us kindness for our courage. Gwen and I were never scared. Arthur, however...”

You smiled as a creature that looked like Nari offered the two girls a gift. However, your smile faded when a much younger Arthur pulled a dagger on her.

Arthur scowled. “I knew what danger lurked in the darkness.”

“Gwen! Away from her, demon!” Young Arthuer yelled, scaring Nari away.

“As we grew older, and duty kept me inside, Morgana encouraged Gwen, brought her out when she should have stayed safe within Camelot,” Arthur explained.

“Arthur always blamed me for our moonlight trips. But that night, it was Gwen pulling me out of the door. We'd stumbled into a Stalkling nest,” Morgana said sadly.

“Gwen!” Past Morgana yelled as a Stalkling growled.

“It was afraid,” Morgana said and you looked away as you heard the illusion scream. You recalled that a Stalkling had hungered your brother on his birthday, it was scary to think of what could have happened to him.

“That night, Gwen went into the woods and never returned.” Arthur sighed. “You, sister, should have known better.

Morgana looked away. “You never forgave me. And when my own gifts blossomed, you saw yet another abomination. Ordered Merlin to teach me to control that part of me... though Gwen loved magic as I did.”

“Yes. Yes, she did. I... I miss her terribly,” Arther whispered.

“As do I... brother,” Morgana whispered back. You felt a tear slip down your face. It was so sad what had happened to Gwen. Having lost friends, you knew how hard it was to come back from it. You couldn’t imagine losing Jim or Douxie or anyone.

You hadn’t known Douxie for as long as Arthur knew Gwen, but just thinking of losing him made the tears fall faster.

Lancelot snapped you out of your thoughts. “Troll! We found one!”

Arthur growled. “I will lose no one else to those creatures. To arms!”

Douxie sighed. “No, no, no, no, no! Not now!”

Claire looked over to you. “Oh, no! Jim!”

“Steady, men! Remember your training. Kill the beast!” Lancelot ordered.

“Wait, kill? I thought this was catch-and-release!” Steve yelled as he ran off.

“Using magic? On the king? Are you mad? Come, we must protect Arthur,” Merlin hissed at Douxie and you followed him silently.

Douxie fell into steps beside you. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying.”

“Oh...their story really got to me,” you mumbled.

“It’s gonna be okay Y/n, Jim will be safe.”

“I hope so,” you replied. You ran over to another clearing where you saw the knights take down a gumm-gumm. You couldn’t say you were too heartbroken over it, but Morgana didn’t seem too happy.

“Take the beast down!” Arthur ordered.

“Arthur, no!” Morgana cried out.

Lancelot threw his sword to Steve. “Squire Steve, will you do the honors?” Steve hesitated and the gumm-gumm tried to attack him. You got ready to use your magic, but Arthur stepped up.

“Careful, young squire. Show these beasts no sympathy.” Arthur killed the gumm-gumm and the knights cheered.

You watched them, but when a scream sounded behind you, you whirled around to see Bular by Steve. Protective sister mode kicked in and your hands glowed orange as you got ready to fight the gumm-gumm prince to protect Steve.

Bular grabbed Steve by his collar and threw him aside. You ran over to the poor boy and caught him with magic. You were honestly grateful that you didn’t have to take the beast on. You had seen how hard it had been for your brother to kill him.

“Thanks, Y/n,” Steve rasped. You helped him to his feet and went over to help deal with Bular. He couldn’t die or the future would be changed drastically for you and your brother, but you also couldn’t let him hurt anyone here.

“The Gumm-Gumm prince himself!” Galahad laughed “Oh... Come on, let's see what you are-“

Bular threw Galahad to the side and with that Arthur charged. “For Camelot!”

“I'll drink your blood out of a goblet made of your skull! I'll carve you open, let your guts spill out!” Bular snarled. You ran over to the knights with bows and got ready to redirect any arrows as Douxie and Merlin went to help Arthur.

“My king!” Galahad cried.

“Arthur!” Lancelot ran over to help. Bular raised his hand for the finishing blow, but Douxie stopped him.

“There's no spilling anything today!” Douxie grunted as he did his best to keep Bular from killing Arthur. Merlin used his own magic to create a seal on the floor and when Douxie dragged him to it, a bright green net of magic trapped Bular.

Arthur stood and walked over to the troll. “Finish it, then, fleshbag!” Bular taunted.

“The spawn of Gunmar. I won't dull Excalibur's edge with you,” Arthur snarled. “Drag this monster back to Camelot! I have plans for him. The rest, with me! My blade hungers.”

“As you wish, milord. Onward!” Lancelot called.

“Who's the monster here?” Morgana asked.

None of you knew how to answer, so when you continued walking you went back to your respective posts. Merlin walked by Morgana, so you got the chance to talk to the sorceress. It was pretty interesting getting to know this side of Morgana.

Once you told her you had magic she gave you tricks, asking if you could do shadow magic. When you said ‘no’ she was understanding and told you about this tea recipe should you ever need it. Douxie already had the recipe, but it was kind of Morgana to think of it.

As you talked you began to wonder how Morgana could have possibly turned evil. Of course you had never met her back in your time, but you had heard horrible stories about her.

You heard Arthur shouting ahead and you all ran over to the clearing.

“Wait!” Douxie yelled.

“My king, it's not safe!” Merlin tried, but Arthur ignored them.

“Oh, no,” Claire muttered and you nodded your head in agreement.

Morgana waved at you and Claire to follow her. “Come, handmaiden. Not a moment to lose.”

“What are you gonna do if we catch them?” Claire asked.

“Whatever I have to.”

With that the three of you ran over to another clearing.

“This way!” You whispered, trying to guide Morgana away from Jim’s aura. But suddenly you heard a clatter and panting. Morgana ignored your advice and went the other way. You had no choice but to follow her and help Jim.

“There you are,” Morgana shouted, jumping off a ledge. You followed her, ready to use your magic.

“Morgana?” Jim asked.

“Jim! Jim!” Claire called. She hadn’t made it to the clearing yet, but you would do your best to battle Morgana. You went to stand between Jim and the sorceress, ready to protect your little brother at any cost.

“You will not hurt him!” You growled, your hands already lighting up, ready to fight.

However, Morgana surprised you. “Don't be afraid. I won't hurt him,” she promised, kneeling next to Jim.

“Jim! Don't kill him! You said-“ Claire cried, not yet in the clearing and seeing what was happening.

“I'm sorry you were ever in a cage,” Morgana apologized.

A knight shouted in the near distance, “Down in the clearing!”

“Go. I will draw away the others. Go!” Morgana ordered, helping Jim up.

“I'll find you,” Jim promised. He gave you one last look before going to run. You got ready to face the knights when you heard Jim cry out behind you. Now it was Arthur about to kill him.

“Arthur!” Morgana yelled.

You didn’t care about being inconspicuous anymore, you had to keep Jim safe. You raced over to him, ready to fight King Arthur himself if it meant saving your brother.

Claire followed you. “Jim!”

“So, sister. Your true loyalties stand revealed at last. I warned you not to return with a clean sword,” Arthur growled. He brought the sword down, but yours materialized and was right there to meet it. Unfortunately, Arthur was stronger and you began to struggle.

“Can’t. We. Talk. This. Out?” You gasped. Suddenly, when you were sure your arms were about to give out, Morgana took your place, using the staff to keep Arthur’s sword off Jim.

“What? What are you doing?” Arthur asked, addressing his sister, completely ignoring you.

“What I should have done years ago,” Morgana retorted.

“You dare raise arms against your king?” Arthur asked, shocked.

“Run, Jim!” Claire cried, helping you get him to his feet.

“Get back here, you gravel-eater!” Lancelot yelled, shooting an arrow at you. Both of your hands were holding Jim, but thankfully Claire took care of it, blasting the arrow aside with her purple magic.

“No!” Claire screamed.

Lancelot stared in shock. “What the...? She's a wit-oh!”

Steve hit him on the head with a rock. “Oh-ho, man! That troll-that came out of nowhere! Right, guys?”

Lancelot got up again and Steve hit him. You winced and turned back to Jim.

“Go!” Both you and Claire ordered. He gave you and Claire a quick hug each before running off. You watched sadly as he faded into the forest. You hated letting him leave. You were so very worried about him. It just wasn’t fair that you couldn’t be there to protect him.

Eventually, you turned and ran back over to the clearing. You heard the clanging of swords and raced over to Merlin.

The old wizard gasped. “Morgana? She takes Arthur's life?”

“No, no! No, wait, wait! We don't have to figh-“ Douxie ran to stop them, but Merlin blasted him to the side. You went to help him up.

“Are you alright?” You asked.

“Yeah, I just don’t get why they won’t listen to us. They’re supposed to be the adults, but all they do is fight.”

“We’ll figure it out,” you promised.

“Defend the king at all costs!” Merlin ordered.

Morgana glared at him. “You, too, old man?”

“I do what I must for the greater good!” Merlin yelled.

“Traitors!” Morgana yelled, flying into the air. “You throw us in chains, fearing what you cannot control, but we of magic are not lesser creatures, we are more!”

That was when you realized that maybe Morgana wasn’t right. You believed that everyone should get along, it wasn’t right that one species was better or something. They should be equal. Morgana and Arthur were on opposite sides of the spectrum; he believed that humans were better while she believed that magical creatures were better. History was on Arthur’s side when it came to people and trolls finding peace, so you would have to side with him if you couldn’t reason with Morgana.

“Stop! We found another way!” Claire yelled, coming into the clearing.

“We did, this doesn’t have to get any worse!” You cried.

“We can do this peacefully!” Douxie added.

Morgana sighed. “The time for peace ended long ago.”

Morgana continued to attack Arthur and you and Claire went to stop her. “Morgana, he's not the enemy,” Claire yelled.

Morgana scoffed. “I trusted you! Now you side with my brother over your own kind? You're one of them. You're all against me, but I am more powerful than you know. Ortum obumbratio!”

Gold and black shadows of Morgana rose from the ground and you screamed. You looked to your own shadow and you saw it rise to fight you.

“Oh, buckets,” Douxie cursed and you backed over to him. The shadows chased you all out of the forest to a cliff.

Had you been there in any other situation, you would have stopped to admire the beauty; the sun was setting and the ocean was magnificent, but now you had to fight for your life. Once Morgana had deemed you a traitor to her cause, she was ready to end your life.

“Your cruelty towards magic-kind knows no bounds! You have taken and taken, and now we take back!” Morgana cried.

“Protect the king!” Merlin ordered again. You blasted your shadow in the stomach and went to help Arthur. However, his shadow sent him tumbling to the edge of the cliff. You raced to use your magic to help him up, but he ignored the offer. He climbed up on his own and stood his ground.

“Enough!” Arthur yelled, raising Excalibur to the sky. The clouds parted and a beam of light came down, enchanting the sword. Arthur brought it to the ground and a ball of magic exploded from it, knocking you to the ground. You flew away from the king, hitting the ground hard.

The air was knocked out of you and you struggled to get up.

Morgana cackled at him. “You outlaw magic, but fight with an enchanted sword! You snuff out any power that isn't yours, but I won't go so quietly.”

“I denied your true nature for so long because you are my sister. But when I look at you now, all I see is a demon! A witch!” Arthur roared and he and Morgana continued to fight. You watched in horror as the time map showed the timeline deteriorate. It flashed red and blue, but red seemed to be winning.

“And all I see is a little boy driven mad by hatred and prejudice! Goodbye, brother.” Morgana cried. She waved her arm to do a spell, but Arthur got to her first, cutting off her hand. Morgana gasped.

“Morgana! No! No, no, no!” You and Douxie yelled.

Arthur hesitated. “No...”

“Brother?” Morgana whispered, she took a step back, underestimating the distance between her and the edge of the cliff. You watched in horror as she disappeared.

“Morgana!” Douxie yelled.

“No!” The rest of you echoed. You watched as Arthur took a step away from the cliff. He eyed his sword and smashed it against the ground. Pieces flew everywhere and you created a shield as a piece of shrapnel almost hit you.

You let your shield down and looked over to Douxie. He looked absolutely beaten and hopeless. You didn’t know how you were gonna fix this.

~~~~

After a while Merlin convinced Arthur to leave and you walked home in silent defeat.

“Now magic has truly taken everything from me,” Arthur muttered angrily.

Claire looked over to you. “She's gone. We failed.”

You opened your mouth to say something soothing and optimistic, but nothing came out. Instead Douxie spoke, “No, I failed. Master I-I'm so sorry.”

“This is why you don't meddle with time,” Merlin said.

“But I tried. I tried to fix it,” Douxie argued.

Merlin sighed sadly. “Don't you see, boy? There is no 'fixing' anything. Every change has consequence. Knowing the future is a responsibility to bear with caution, lest you cause worse things to happen.”

Douxie sank to the ground, staring at the flashing time map. “Morgana's dead, Excalibur's broken. That never happened.”

You and Archie went to go and comfort him. “We are in uncharted territory.”

~~~~

You couldn’t believe it was only a day ago that Merlin was vowing to save the king. He had accomplished his goal of course, however, he had failed to save Morgana. After you had spent time with her in the wild woods you felt awful about her death, but there was also the fact that she wasn’t in her right mind. It was all very complicated.

Now you were about to go with Merlin to help fix Excalibur. You huddled up in a jacket that Douxie had found for you. It was freezing and the fog wasn’t helping.

Archie sat by you on the rail of the boat, gazing at the sea. “I try to avoid water.”

Steve came over to the two of you. “Personally, I always pack my swimsuit. Extra-personally, it's actually my birthday suit.”

You rolled your eyes at him then looked at Merlin. “When are we going to get there?”

“We’ll get there when we get there,” Merlin stated harshly.

“I was asking if I had time to check on my brother,” you responded, giving him a dead look. You had the patience to wait, you had taken a trip to the moon that had lasted forever without complaining after all.

“Ah, yes,” Merlin said and that was all the confirmation you needed before closing your eyes. You felt the shift and focused on what you remembered Jim’s aura to be like. When you opened your eyes you were no longer on a boat, but in a room.

You looked around and saw Jim, his friend, and...Blinky.

“Clearly he’s delusional,” Blinky was saying to Dictatious. He suddenly raised his hand and slapped Jim. “Snap out of it!”

“Ow!” Jim yelped as Blinky continued to slap him. “Blinky, it’s me, Jim!”

“‘Blinky’? For the last time, that’s Blinky’s Gakadrigal to you, outsider.”

“And my nightmare’s real,” Jim muttered.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance,” Dictatious said, shaking Jims hand. “Forgive my brother. Your traveling companion was a little more hostile upon waking up.”

“I startle easy. That’s on you,” the other troll said.

Blinky began to rant and you snuck over to Jim. “Are you okay?” You whispered.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. How are you?” He whispered back.

“I’m alright, I’ll try to check in daily okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll see you then. Stay safe.”

“You too.” You gave a small smile before returning back to your body and to the freezing cold boat.

“How is he?” Claire asked.

“He’s fine.” You chuckled. “He just met a very irritated Blinky.”

Claire smiled. “Good, I’m glad he’s safe.”

You were cut off from saying anything more when the boat turned the corner. You walked over to the edge of the boat by Douxie and saw a bunch of wrecked ships.

“Whoa, it's a ship graveyard,” Steve marveled.

“We've arrived,” Merlin announced.

“Huh. The Lady of the Lake is real! I thought she was just a myth,” Claire said.

Douxie smiled. “Oh, no, the Lady's very much real. Though, only Merlin's allowed to meet with her... until now.”

“Because her power is beyond your comprehension. It was from her mystic waters I helped Arthur first retrieve Excalibur and unite the kingdom. Hisirdoux, the sword please,” Merlin requested.

“Yeah! Quest, quest, quest, quest!” Steve chanted.

Merlin hopped off the ship and began to walk towards two face carvings. “Watch the ship. I shall return shortly.

“What? We have to wait in the car?” Steve whined.

“But I thought we were doing this together,” Douxie protested.

Merlin sighed. “You should be thanking me. I got you out of Camelot. Arthur's unstable and the people are afraid. And not only that, Y/n practically committed treason, so the less Arthur sees her the better.”

You smiled sheepishly as Douxie tried to go after Merlin. “I thought you trusted me. I won't just sit here without making things right!”

“And I will not lose another apprentice!” Merlin shouted and it echoed throughout the cave. Douxie took a step back and you grabbed onto his hand in silent comfort.

“Who dares to disturb my slumb-“ the door on the right asked suddenly asked and you jumped. Douxie chuckled at you and you gently elbowed him.

Merlin cut the door off. “It's me, Merlin. Open up, you idiots.”

“Oh, it is you! All right, walk in,” the other door said, sliding apart so Merlin could enter.

Douxie ran after him, but the doors slammed shut before he could get through.

“Lake's closed!” Righty said.

“None but the master wizard shall pass. No amateurs. That's you,” Lefty taunted.

Douxie stood back. “Causa crepitoose!” He yelled and a blue blast hit the doors, doing nothing

Righty laughed. “Is that all you got, punk?”

“Come on, get close so I can bite your legs off!” Lefty howled with laughter and you rolled your eyes.

“Come on, ignore them,” you said, leading Douxie over to Claire and Steve.

“Ugh! Merlin's magic is so annoying!” Claire groaned.

Douxie sighed. “The talking door is right. This sorcery's uncrackable.”

“Well, at least we don't have to see Steve's birthday suit,” Archie said optimistically.

“Too late! Whoo!” Steve yelled and you were glad he was by the water where you couldn’t see him.

“Oh, no! My eyes!”

“Oh, I can't unsee that now!”

The four of you minus Steve walked over to a grassy area and Archie helped you collect sticks. Once you assembled them he set them on fire.

“Thanks, Archie,” Douxie said, giving a small smile.

“Jeez, how long is Coach Wizard gonna take? It's been forever!” Steve whined, walking back to you.

“What if the old man needs our help?” Archie asked, curling up onto your lap. Even with the fire and your jacket you were still shivering.

You watched as Steve stood and charged at the doors, trying to scare them open. You weren’t surprised when it didn’t work.

“Uh, Open Sesame! Abracadabra! I'm begging you, man!” Steve tried after violence failed. “Hey, door dorks, open up!”

“Why don't you open up?” One of the doors mocked.

Steve huffed. “Maybe I will! So, I'm-I'm really scared that I won't be a good knight.”

“Well, you won't be, but don't be scared about it. You know, then you worry about, like, what is your purpose on this planet?” Lefty said.

You turned away from Steve to face the fire again. Douxie scooted close to you and wrapped his arm around you.

“Thanks,” you mumbled, trying to hide your blush.

“You seemed cold, so...yeah,” Douxie explained.

You faded into silence, the only noise in the cavern was Steve’s therapy session with the doors.

Claire opened up her book on shadow magic and Douxie stood up excitedly. “Merlin doesn't know shadow magic. Claire! You could make a shadow portal and slip us right through!”

Claire hesitated. “I don't know, Douxie. I don't have my staff.”

“I've seen you do magic without it,” Douxie said.

“But Merlin said-“ Claire started.

“Merlin's not here,” Douxie countered and you noticed Claire’s aura twist with fear and anger.

You were about to tell Douxie to drop it when Claire yelled, “I don't wanna become her!”

She went to sit on the log by the fire. “What if the darkness takes over, like Morgana?” She asked. You walked over to her and gave her a hug.

“Claire, you are nothing like Morgana, you are way better,” you reassured her.

Douxie sighed, coming over. “Claire, look, I know you're scared, but you're not her. You can make the magic your own. I never had the gift for shadowmancy, but you do. You can do great and wondrous things. I've seen it.”

Claire sighed and nodded. “Okay, Douxie, I'll try. But I need you to walk me through the spell book, Teach. I don't speak Wizard-ese.”

Douxie shook his head and backed away. “You want me to teach? I'm not even a good student.”

“You've got that right.

“The worst!”

You glared at the doors. “Back off!”

“Quit it!” Claire snapped.

“Who asked you, knobhead?” Archie growled and you smiled a bit at how you all defended Douxie.

“Why are we yelling?” Steve cried.

You turned to Douxie. “Some of my favorite spells are the ones you taught me in Bulgaria, you’ll be a great teacher.”

Douxie laughed. “Right. Put your hands out like this. Beyond there is your destination, your emotional anchor.” He put his hands out and Claire mimicked him while you levitated the book in front of them.

“Got it,” Claire said.

Douxie nodded. “Then pull the magic around you. It will be your door to the Shadow Realm. That's it, that's it. Steady. Focus. Eyes on point, mind on anchor. You got this.”

“I'm scared,” Claire cried as the portal began to form. You saw how her aura twist and you began to sing a lullaby.

“Magic is emotion. Don't let fear control you. Use it! Stay true to yourself. That will protect you from the shadows,” Douxie encouraged and you saw Claire’s aura slowly start to go back to normal.

“Uh, Doux?” Claire asked, her aura suddenly twisting again.

“Don't be afraid, Claire. This is your magic. You can control it,” Douxie reassured. “Keep your eyes on point.”

Claire started panting and you tried to sing louder, but suddenly the portal rushed at her, taking her.

“Claire!” All of you screamed in unison.

“Doux, how do we bring her back?” Archie asked as Douxie flipped through the spell book.

“Hold on. I can figure this out. It's gonna be fine,” Douxie said, sounding anything but fine.

“Fine? Shadows just ate her alive, man! What are we gonna do?” Steve asked.

“We will figure something out,” you promised, already trying to hold your hands out like Claire had done. You may have not had the tolerance for shadow magic, but that didn’t mean you couldn’t perform it.

“Whoa, whoa, Y/n, stop,” Douxie said, rushing to stand in front of you. “You can’t do this, you’ll get sick again! There’s got to be another way!”

“I’m going to get her back,” you said. Your heart was racing with panic and you tried to take that fear and use it to bring Claire home. You focused and just when you felt the portal expand in front of you, Claire made her own. She dropped back into reality, right on Douxie and Steve.

“Are you hurt?” Archie asked Claire.

“Claire! Claire, are you all right?” Douxie asked, rushing to get up and help her.

“Give her some space,” Archie ordered.

“I saw her-a vision of Morgana!” Claire exclaimed.

“Oh, hot dang,” Steve whispered.

“Was it really her? Or was it guilt, or fear, or...“ Claire started.

“The Shadow Realm is a place of mystery. We understand if you don't want to go back in,” Douxie said.

“Yeah, shadow magic is nasty stuff,” you mumbled, swaying on your feet before crashing into Douxie.

“Y/n? Are you alright? Talk to me, Y/n,” Douxie begged.

You let out a string of coughs as Douxie helped you sit down by the fire. “I’ll be fine,” you promised.

“What happened?” Claire asked.

“Y/n used shadow magic again,” Douxie said and you could hear the disappointment in his voice.

“I’m sorry,” you apologized. “I wasn’t gonna let Claire get stuck in the shadow realm. I knew what I was doing and I will be fine with a little rest and tea.”

“Mhmm,” Douxie mumbled, but he still seemed upset with you.

You sighed before turning to face Claire. “How do you feel about getting us past those doors? You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“No. It's okay. I'll be all right. Thanks for talking me through it, Teach,” Claire said. “And thank you, Y/n, for trying to go in after me.”

You coughed. “Of course.”

Claire stood up and got ready to open a portal.

“No way this works, witchey!” Righty taunted.

“True.”

“Not your fault your teacher's a dunce.”

Douxie ignored them and you glared at them even though you were sure you just looked like an angry puppy with your watery eyes and runny nose wrapped in a large jacket.

“There is your anchor,” Douxie said, using magic to send a glowing blue orb towards the doors and past them.

“Let go of the fear,” Claire mumbled.

“No, no, don't do that,” Lefty said.

“Uh, no, no, no! Not good! Bad, bad idea!” Righty cried as a large shadow portal formed.

“Yes, yes, yes! Claire, you did it!” Douxie cheered.

“Yes! That's what I'm talking about! Shadow magic!” Claire celebrated.

“Whoo-hoo!” Steve shouted.

“Nice job Claire!” You smiled before coughing again.

“Wow, she picked that up fast.” Douxie grinned.

“She had a stellar teacher,” Archie praised.

Douxie smiled even wider. “What are we standing 'round for? That magical sword won't repair itself. Let's go! To the Lady!”

“Gentlemen, after you,” Claire said, gesturing for them to go into the portal. You went to walk into the portal, but Douxie stuck his hand out, blocking you.

“What are you doing?” You asked.

“Are you sure you should be traveling through a shadow portal right now?” Douxie asked.

“I’m fine and I’m not letting you go alone,” you argued.

Douxie opened his mouth to counter, “You’re sick and I’m plenty capable o-”

“I never said you weren’t capable, I’m just saying it doesn’t hurt to have back up. If you guys don’t come out later it will be a suiside mission for me to go in alone, but if I go in now we have each other's backs.”

Douxie slowly removed his arm and you felt bad about arguing with him. You walked through the portal and shivered, Douxie was right, it did make you feel worse and so, when you were out on the other side, you threw up. Thankfully Douxie didn’t see and so he didn’t force Claire to send you back.

“We made it!” Claire exclaimed as she walked through.

“Thanks to you.” Douxie smiled at her, creating a magic light.

Steve sniffed. “Ugh! This lake stinks like butt thunder!”

Douxie frowned. “I'd say we've arrived.”

“Yeah, but where's Merlin?” Claire asked.

“Gah!” Steve yelped as you heard wood creak near you. Douxie shined his light on a boat. It would have been already scary for an old piece of wood to be floating in the creepy lake, but this one had to have Excalibur on it, putting it on a whole other level.

“Uh, he can handle himself. L-Let's just stick to the plan and find the Lady. And everything will be fine,” Douxie reassured, not sounding at all confident. You walked over to him and he helped you onto the boat. You shivered and coughed and Douxie put his arm around you. You looked up at him, but he was looking ahead.

You knew you had worried him when you made the portal. You felt really bad that he seemed to be upset with you.

“What the...?” Steve screamed as lanterns on the boat posts lit up and you began to move. You huddled closer to Douxie who thankfully didn’t protest.

“Come on, Steve. Get it together. Knights don't scare,” he whispered to himself. You watched as the water in front of you began to glow and up rose a turquoise lady in an odd veil.

“It's... It's her!” Claire marveled.

“I am the Lady, Nimue, Eldest of Oracles. Why do you seek me?” She asked in a clear voice.

“Okay, everyone, just be nice to the goddess. I'll sort this,” Douxie cleared his throat. “Oh, mighty Lake Lady... we are here to request your aid.”

“And we're missing an old wizard, if you've seen one,” Archie added.

“I can give you what you seek,” Niue said.

Douxie took this as a sign and continued. “Only you can help us on our quest to fix Excalibur and save Camelot.”

“That is not which you truly desire.” She gestured to Douxie. “You seek redemption from a scorned mentor.” She moved to Claire. “Escape from guilt.” She went to Steve. “Validation of knighthood.” Finally she moved to you. “Safety for you and your friends.”

You sighed in relief when she didn’t say ‘Douxie’ or something embarrassing. You had half expected her to say Mao, though, you really missed the kitten.

She moved on to Archie next, but she seemed to hesitate with him. “And you seek...roasted salmon?”

“Guilty,” Archie admitted.

“What? Come on, Arch!” Douxie glared at his familiar, but turned his attention back to Nimue as the boat rocked.

Nimue moved away from the boat. “You are not the first to try and deceive me. You are not worthy!”

“Uh, guys…” Claire panicked as the water around you began to bubble.

“Uh, Mr. Magic Man?” Steve asked.

“That is no lady!” Douxie yelped as tentacles came out of the water.

“You seek, you take, and all receive their final reward,” Nimue rasped in a gravelly voice.

“Time to prove my knightly skills. I'll protect thou-thee. Uh, huzzah! Huh?” Steve screamed as Nimue picked him up and dropped him in her mouth.

“Steve!” You all cried.

“Now, onto your rewards,” Nimue threatened.

“Y/n, get out of here now, you’re not fit to fight,” Douxie said, trying to persuade you.

“Not without you,” you responded, shielding all of you as one of her tentacles whapped the boat.

“Such puny creatures make tasty meals,” Nimue laughed, a tentacle wrapped around Douxie and you yelped, doing your best to blast it without hurting him. Douxie reacted though, cutting her with what was left of Excalibur.

“I hate to say it, but perhaps we should've stayed in the ship!” Archie called as he flew around breathing fire on Nimue.

“We need to subdue her so she'll fix Excalibur!” Douxie said. Once Archie was back on the boat you and Douxie worked together to send the boat backwards, rocketing away from Nimue. Archie helped by sending fire.

“We need to get Steve out of this seaside freak show!” Claire countered.

“Oh, fuzz buckets.” Douxie cursed as the Lake Lady rose up infront of your boat again. Douxie sent a blast at her. She retaliated by ripping a piece of the ceiling off and hurtling it towards the boat. Thankfully you and Douxie reacted fast. The chuck of ceiling glowed orange and blue and

“You've been a very bad Lake Lady!” Douxie yelled as you rammed the pillar at her stomach.

You watched as Merlin and Steve fell out and you did your best to cast a spell that would slow their fall.

“Oh! Hey, I-- I did it. I'm a hero,” Steve slurred before collapsing.

“My revenge tasted so sweet,” Nimue groaned.

Douxie scoffed. “Wait, revenge? What revenge?”

“You attacked us, lady!” Claire yelled.

You opened your mouth to add your own retort, but you stopped when you noticed symbols around the cavern. They were written in green magic, Merlin’s green magic.

“Long ago, I gave him the blade, but he imprisoned me here in this cave without hope,” Nimue explained.

“Wait, Merlin trapped you here?” Douxie asked, shocked. You went to grab his hand.

Nimue roared. “Now my prison will be your tomb!”

“Take her down, man, or we're all gonna get dead!” Steve cried.

“But who'll repair Excalibur, Douxie?” Archie asked.

“Well, she's not going to! What do we do, Douxie?” Claire asked and you sensed Douxie begin to have a panic attack. You smiled at him and squeezed his hand and he smiled back.

His decision was made and you watched as he raised the broken Excalibur and blue lightning coursed up it. “Tenebris exilium!” Douxie shouted, throwing the sword at the wall. It shattered, creating a way for Nimue to leave.

“Wait, you let that tentacle lady bounce?” Steve asked, you looked back to him, he was clutching a tooth next to an unconscious Merlin.

“And destroyed Excalibur?” Archie stated.

Douxie looked away. “What are you waiting for? Just go! I may not know how to fix this...” he sighed, “but I do know that you shouldn't be stuck in here.”

Nimue hesitated. “You are... different. You are kind. This gift must be repaid. The sword was meant for those worthy. Do good with it.”

The way the lady phrased that made you pause. Nimue never said he should give it to Arthur, she told Douxie to ‘do good with it.’ You put that thought aside and focused on what was happening.

“I shall return it to its rightful place. Thank you, Scary Monster Lake Lady,” Douxie said.

Steve waved goodbye as Nimue left. “Good-bye! Sorry I almost slayed you, Monster Lady!”

Merlin coughed. “Hisirdoux, what have you done? Uh... oh. Is that Excalibur?”

Douxie smiled proudly. “Indeed. I've resecured Camelot's stability, just as you'd planned.”

Merlin looked around, getting his bearings. “Ah. We must return to Camelot, where we will discuss your blunders later.”

Claire nudged Douxie. “Nice work, Teach.”

“And I got a monster trophy! Whoo! Quest!” Steve whooped.

~~~~

It was a day later when Arthur threw a ball. The next day there was to be a tournament. It was supposed to be a ball of mourning and everyone was dressed up.

When you had gotten back from your quest Douxie had given you some tea and you were feeling much better, though you knew you and your friends were still in trouble. One of the many things troubling you was how Douxie seemed upset with you. It was hard to tell, but you could sense some sort of underlying anger or something at you. But it could just be all in your head. After all, He had found the gorgeous black dress you were wearing.

It was stunning, with silver embroidery along the skirt and over deep black silk. You felt absolutely amazing, you just wished the dress wasn’t for a funeral. It was your first ball and it was one of mourning.

You looked at the crowd at the courtiers. Many of them didn’t look to be in mourning. You had stopped reading their auras long ago, but those you had read didn’t seem too upset by the death of Morgana. They were only excited about the return of Excalibur and what that meant to them.

You were only at the ball because Arthur wasn’t going to be there. Merlin was still concerned that you’d get in trouble if Arthur saw you.

Many people tried to talk to you. It was the court gossip that Merlin had taken a new apprentice, and people wanted to know everything about you. It was kinda funny watching people fawn over your lies.

You looked around for Douxie, maybe less people would ask you to dance if you could find him. Steve was off doing knight stuff and you didn’t know where Claire was.

You made your way through the room, eventually realizing that Douxie wasn’t there. It made sense, even though he was proud of himself for getting Excalibur, he was upset that he hadn’t saved Morgana.

Once you were out of the ballroom, you began reading auras again. It would be easier to find Douxie that way.

It was like deja vu searching for him through the castle just like you had done on your first day in Camelot. It felt like forever since then, so much had changed.

You finally found him in the gardens, an area of the palace that you had never been to. “Hey,” you called, walking over to him. You could hear the music from the ballroom and you realized that you were right below it.

“Y/n,” Douxie said and you took a step back, he still seemed to be kind of upset with you.

“Douxie, I know you’re not happy with me,” you started, “but I made the choice to use shadow magic. I knew what I was doing.”

“I’m sorry if I came across as upset. I was just scared and it’s terrifying to see you so sick, it’s like I could lose you any second.”

You gave an understanding smile. “I’m sorry about that, but you know what, you need to relax. You have so much on your shoulders, you should have some fun tonight. This is my first ball and I want to enjoy it.” You grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. Grabbing his other hand you began to dance. The song that was playing was clearing one that you would waltz to and you were glad you knew how.

“I’m so sorry I pulled you into this,” Douxie said, twirling you.

You shook your head. “You do know I had magic long before I met you and that my brother was fated to be the Trollhunter, right?”

“Well, yeah, but I got you stuck in the past.” He lifted you in an arch and you smiled brightly.

“No...a piece of ice from the Arcane order did that. You need to stop blaming yourself for everything Douxie. I know things are bad, but we will find a way to fix them.”

Douxie looked ready to argue with you, but instead he leaned forward, it was a good second before you realized what he was doing and you moved to close the gap.

It was definitely something to be kissing Hisirdoux Casperan, something wonderful. It was so full of love and you smiled into it. It was a sweet little kiss, filled with the promise of more. And it was all too soon though when you broke apart.

“So, uh, that happened,” Douxie stuttered.

“I’m glad something happened,” you heard Archie mumble and you twirled around to see the familiar sitting on the bench, you hadn’t known he was there. “It’s been painfully obvious that you two like each other from the moment I met you.”

You laughed a little. “Huh, that obvious?”

“Very.”

****

Tada! I really hope y’all liked it and are excited for more. I have no clue when more is gonna happen, but it will happen soon. I have a fun idea for chapter 19.5! Anyways, thank you all so much for all the kind comments and I hope you have a fantastically safe and wonderful day!!

P.S. if you want to be on the taglist feel free to ask. I hope it works and please message me if it doesn’t.

#douxie x reader #douxie imagine #hisirdoux casperan x reader #hisirdoux x reader #wizards imagine #trollhunters imagine #toa imagine #tales of arcadia imagine #douxie #toa douxie #wizards douxie #hisirdoux casperan #trollhunters #trollhunters douxie #toa #tales of arcadia #tales of arcadia douxie #wizards #fire keeper

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fantasy2739 · 4 years

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Hi! Fic request for Douxie and his parents? Is he orphan? Was he abandoned? What do you think? (It could be based in the 21 century as a memory or in the 12, your choice) I read the others, they’re very good!

Sorry this took a while, but I’ve written it. You got flashback! Thank you for reading the others I’m glad you like them.

I went with abandoned Douxie because I think it’s more. Angst.

Here it is, a bit long:

After everything that had happened, Douxie wasn’t allowed to just take Nari and fly away. Claire insisted that at the very least he rest and pack for the journey. Douxie had tried to argue but was shot down by everyone reminding him he had technically just died and could barely walk five feet. Ha agreed, only to stop their pestering. They went to the Lake house, Krel steering the ship, while Steve had to help Douxie walk. Jim took a deep breath before knocking. Strickler answered, looking ready to stab anything that moved. Douxie could understand that, given the recent alien invasion and even more recent ship falling from the sky. Strickler stares at the now re-fleshed Jim in shock.

“Barbara!” He called, before sweepings his gaze over the rest of them. “You’d better come in.” They stumbled into the house. A loud crash told Douxie that Krel had found somewhere to park. The blue boy came hurrying in.

“Sorry I’m still trying to get the hang of it.” He said sheepishly. Steve lowered Douxie onto the sofa, where he flopped uselessly, while Nari hopped around to sniff everything.

“Oh Jim.” Barbara said weakly, having just arrived at the foot of the stairs. She pulled Jim into a tight hug and Jim was hugging her back just as hard. She pulled away and stroked her son’s face. “It’s good to see you.”

“And no longer troll either.” Jim said. Barbara smiled but shook her head.

“I wouldn’t care what form you came in.” She said. “I’m just happy to see you.”

“I’ve been calling and texting.” Jim defended.

“It’s not the same.” Barbara said, finally seeming to notice everyone else. “Walt, call the other parents. You can tell us everything when they arrive. I’ll look you all over.” She greeted Toby and Claire with a hug and Blinky and Aaargh got smiles. “Who’s the worst?” Several eyes fell on Douxie, making him duck his head. Barbara day next to him after grabbing the first aid kit.

“Good to see you again, Dr. Lake.” Douxie greeted, flashing his most charming smile.

“Douxie right? From the cafe?” She asked and he nodded, trying not to jostle his injuries too much. She was frowning as she checked him over. “You’re badly injured.”

“He fell.” Tony answered the unasked question for him. Claire rolled her eyes.

“Yeah only a few thousand feet.”

“From that height you should be...” Barbara trailed off.

“Dead.” Douxie supplied. “Decided I didn’t like it so I came back. Wizard.” He added.

“A wizard? Like Merlin?” Barbara said coldly. Everyone cringed while Douxie tried not to sob.

“Sort of. I’m no where near as powerful.” Douxie managed.

“I dunno Teach. You manage okay.” Claire said with a warm smile. Archie cleared his throat.

“Douxie was Merlin’s apprentice, now he’s a master wizard in his own right.” Archie nuzzled Douxie. “Merlin died recently to protect us.” Barbara blinked at the talking cat but gripped Douxie’s hands.

“I’m sorry for your loss.” She said, letting them lap into silence.

When the other parents arrived, Nana, Claire’s parents and Coach Lawrence, the kids launched into the story. Douxie didn’t say much except for his fight with Bellroc and Skrael, which he tried to downplay. The adults were hugging their children, leaving Douxie feeling... lonely. He felt a pang of longing. They were all so close and he was just an intruder. No one noticed him slipping into the back garden. Everything hurt. Not just physically. The toll of losing his mentor, his keepsakes. Of dying. It was hitting him hard. He wanted so badly for someone to hold him. At 919 he shouldn’t need parental comfort but he did. And Merlin had been the closest thing to a parent he’d ever known. He wasn’t the best but he’d at least tried. He’d been a scrawny ten when his magic had shown up properly, leaving his parents to only look at him with distaste.

Douxie didn’t want to keep carrying his father’s cloths. He wanted to go and play.

“On the bench Hisirdoux.” His father told him absently, trying to find a dropped stitch. “There’s more by the door.”

“Can I go play after?” He asked.

“No. There’s more work to do.” Douxie tried not to pout. He wanted to go and explore. He’d felt something the last time he’d been out exploring. Something different. Exciting. Freeing. Not that he’d tell anyone. He wasn’t stupid, different was bad. Douxie scrunched up his nose at the next batch of cloth. He wished it would just fly to wherever. That would be quicker. He didn’t expect it to actually start floating, encased in a lovely sky blue.

“What the!” His father yelled, startled by the sudden floating cloths. “Stop that. You... you... stop that right now.” Douxie didn’t know how to. He didn’t understand why his father was so angry. The floating cloths weren’t hurting anyone. His mother came in.

“Is everything...” She trailed off at the sight of levitating clothing. “He... he has magic?” Douxie blinked at his mother, trying to see if she was angry. She didn’t seem angry. Just cold.

“What are we going to do with him?” His father asked, low and panicked. His mother seemed to mull it over, giving her son the coldest look he’d ever seen.

“He’ll have to go.” She said eventually. Douxie’s eyes widened.

“Mother?” He asked uncertainly.

“Don’t!” She snapped. “You... you have magic. You’re dangerous. You’ll put us in danger.”

“No I won’t!” Douxie exclaimed. “I won’t Mother.” She shook her head, muttering.

“Abomination of my flesh. Evil sullying my own blood. We’ll be killed for harbouring a mage.”

“Leave.” His father said. “Pack up and leave or we’ll call the guards.” At that Douxie squeaked. He knew what the guards were like. They got mad if you played in the wrong part of town. He’d be thrown in some dark dungeon. He ran to his room and grabbed what little he could fit in a bag. His mother shoved him out the back door.

“Don’t come back.” She warned, ignoring the tears in her only sons eyes. “You are no longer my child.”

“Douxie?” Jim called, waving a hand in front of his face. Douxie jumped back.

“Sorry mate. A million miles away.” He said, flopping onto a rock. “Something wrong?”

“I could ask you the same question.” Jim said, sitting next to him. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Douxie insisted. Jim raised an eyebrow and damn those blue eyes. “Just thinking about my parents.” Jim frowned before looking back to his house with dawning realisation.

“I’m sure they’d be proud of you.” He said. Douxie managed not to snort.

“Doubt it.” He muttered. Jim’s frown deepened and Douxie knew he’d have to explain. “When my magic turned up. Well you saw Camelot. People aren’t fond of it. So they sent me away.” Sent away sounded so much better than kicked out.

“They didn’t have magic?” Jim asked. He must have thought it was hereditary. “Maybe they just wanted you to be with someone who knew about magic.” Douxie didn’t reply, staring at the night sky intently.

“Go back inside Jim.” Douxie said, managing to sound his 900 years. “Your mother has missed you.” Jim stood up, giving Douxie a squeeze on the shoulder before heading in. Douxie felt a tear fall. He tried not to hate that there would be no more pats from Merlin. No hugs, pride, telling him how well he’d done. In the dark, Douxie wept.

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sergeantsporks · 3 years

Text

Douxie Appreciation Week Day 2: Found Family

“How about New Jersey?”

Nari jumped. “No. Not New Jersey.”

Douxie frowned at the map. The time ship was parked, hopefully not where anyone would notice, and they’d stopped to, well, to figure out where they were going. He’d just sort of gotten on the ship with Nari, Archie, and no plan to speak of. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. But they’d need to touch down eventually, to get supplies. Maybe find a place to stay for a while, so they weren’t on the time ship all of the time. “Why not? There’s a troll colony there—they’d probably at least give us a place to start.”

Sparks of magic flew off of Nari. “There is… a coven of witches.”

Douxie frowned. “A—a coven? Like, just a group of wizards?”

“Careful, Douxie,” Archie remarked, “Your Camelot upbringing is showing.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Nari jumped into the air, floating cross-legged. “Many use the names for magic users interchangeably. Arthur and his knights were especially guilty of this, and Merlin was not much better. But there are fundamental differences between them— especially between witches and the rest.”

“Spellcasters use, well, spells,” Archie jumped in, “It’s the most basic level of magic—you say a spell to channel the energy, and magic happens. Almost any person can cast a spell, if they have even the barest spark of magic in them. Some are much better, and have a natural aptitude for magic. Those are spellcasters.”

“Wizards have an item that amplifies or helps their spellcasting,” Nari interjected, “Like your staff, or your bracelet. They still use spells, but the magic effect is greater.”

“You were born a spellcaster,” Archie continued, “Once you got your bracelet, you became a wizard. Your staff made you a master wizard. Sorcerers cast spells without a magic item, and without a verbal spell.”

“Like Claire,” Douxie offered, “Or a lot of Morgana’s magic.”

“Precisely. Witches… well, someone who is fully a witch cannot cast a spell on their own. They can capture the arcane energies, but cannot express them. So they use potions to create an expression of the energy, or a talisman. They capture the energy and store it in an item that can use it. No one really practices one form of magic over the other—Morgana practiced sorcery, but also used a staff. Merlin was most certainly a wizard, but to make a staff, or the amulet, a degree of witchcraft was involved—the different forms of magic are closely linked. A few, though, they can be separated. There are spellcasters who are only spellcasters. Like I said, it’s a beginning step. And…”

“Witches,” Nari said quietly, “Practicing some witchcraft, as Merlin did, doesn’t make you a full witch. But only being able to practice witchcraft does. Sometimes, a group of witches will bond, form a community where they all share their particular specialty of magic-item-making with others. Their weaknesses are covered by another member, and their strengths cover the others’ weaknesses. That is a coven.”

Douxie leaned against the side of the ship. “So, why are we talking about witches like there’s something wrong with them?”

“There’s not,” Archie remarked, jumping up on the railing, “Being a witch is perfectly respectable.”

“So… New Jersey?”

Nari shook her head. “No. The coven there… like Archie said, being a witch is perfectly respectable. They are an important part of magic. But like any other type of magician, there are… bad oranges?”

“Bad apples,” Douxie informed her.

“It is all fruit. The coven in New Jersey… they have not always been in New Jersey. Like much of the magic in America, they traveled over from Europe with the colonizers. And while they were in Europe, I… had a rather bad interaction with them.” She sank a few feet lower in the air. “It… took time to recover from.”

A spark of anger crackled in Douxie’s chest. “What happened?”

“They caught me,” Nari said, and it was obvious, so painfully obvious that she was trying to be flippant about it. “Witchcraft is about storing the arcane energies of the universe, like other forms of magic are about harnessing that power in the moment. The universes’ supply replenishes itself, usually so quickly there is no discernable difference. However, the most powerful of magics can drain the energy to the point where there is no arcane energy in the area for a time.”

“In anyone but a witch, this usually manifests in fatigue on the magician,” Archie commented, “It’s the universe’s way of making the spellcaster stop so it can rejuvenate. Harnessing that much energy tires the conduit, your body, out, so you stop casting, giving the universe time to replenish the energy. It’s not always the reason for magic fatigue—that also depends on the amount of energy you can handle, which is what separates magicians from regular people casting spells and beginner magicians from long-term magicians. But witches… they don’t use their own body as a conduit. They use an item. So they can pull and pull without any consequences.”

“Except the consequences that using that much energy will have on the world around them,” Nari snapped.

Douxie blinked. “Nari?”

“They… used a stasis trap,” Nari said quietly, “They used a stasis trap to catch me, and then they used me as a power source. Bellroc and Skrael found me eventually, and the coven scattered before they could attack.” Nari rubbed her arms. “It took nearly a century for me to heal, and I lost my staff to them.”

The spark of anger fanned up. Usually, Douxie was pretty good at staying positive. But that—that was disgusting . “Okay,” he said finally, in a voice that was just a bit too cheerful, “How about New York, then?”

Nari gave him a bright smile. She was trying too hard, too. “Sounds wonderful.”

Xxx

“Douxie?”

Douxie felt a small spark of panic. Nari sounded worried—and there wasn’t too much that could get her worried. “Yeah?”

“I think I saw someone I know today.”

“Bellroc? Skrael?”

“No.” Nari glanced back at the door, like whoever it was might have followed her. “One of the coven witches. I—I think she came up from New Jersey.”

Something cold and steely seemed to solidify inside of Douxie. “Okay,” he said carefully, “Okay, don’t worry. I’ll strengthen the apartment defenses. Stay inside until I get back, alright?”

Nari nodded, and Douxie slipped out the door, locking it behind him. Right. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply, feeling for any signs of magic. There. A knot of it… very close. The witch had followed Nari.

Douxie stalked outside, following the feeling to see a young woman—or, at least, she looked young. But if Nari remembered her from before… She was walking the direction of the apartment. Right. That wasn’t going to happen.

Douxie strode towards her, tapping her on the shoulder. “Hey.”

She whirled around. “Who are you?”

Douxie held his hands up defensively. “Relax. I’m… like you.” He let a small spark of magic turn his eyes blue. The witch relaxed.

“Yeah? What do you want, I’m busy.”

Douxie held up the wrist with his bracelet. “I’m having a bit of a… malfunction, and I’m new in the area. You know where I could find a witch who can fix this?”

The witch held her hand out, and Douxie hesitantly unbuckled the cuff, dropping it in her hand. She turned it over. “Hm. Wizard item, huh? Can’t help you myself, but someone in the coven might know what to do.”

Douxie snatched the cuff back. “Great, can you take me to them?”

The witch sighed. “Yah, look, I’m busy tracking this insane magic energy, could keep the coven in business for CENTURIES—”

An asset. A tool. That was all Nari was to them—that was all she was to the Order, all she was even to Merlin. Did anyone care about just Nari ?!

“It’ll still be here, and uh…” Douxie gave his wrist cuff a little smack. “I’m kind of worried this thing is going to blow up the next time I use it.”

The witch threw her hands up in the air. “Gah! Okay, okay, I’ll take you. Geeze. C’mere.” She linked arms with Douxie and twisted a ring on her finger. There was an odd twisting feeling in Douxie’s gut, and then they were standing in a living room lit by candles. The witch dropped his arm like a hot potato. “Hey, anyone home?”

A few other witches filed in, glaring distrustfully at Douxie. “You brought a wizard in?!”

“Not a wizard,” Douxie’s witch corrected, “A customer .”

One of them eyed Douxie. “Oh? What for?”

Douxie summoned his staff, thumping it on the ground. “Have you heard of the wizard Merlin Ambrosius?”

The witch snorted. “Who hasn’t?” he asked.

“I was his apprentice. I am his successor. He appointed me master wizard.”

Douxie’s witch rolled a hand. “Get to the point!”

“Right. Now, tell me if you’ve heard of this person; Nari of the Eternal Forest.”

“That’s… what I… was tracking…” Douxie’s witch replied, her face paling.

Douxie thumped his staff again, sending out a pulse of blue magic that knocked most of the witches off of their feet. “She is under my protection.” Another thump. “You will not chase her.” Thump. “You will not attempt to capture her.” Thump. “And if I see you near her ever again…” one more thump. “I know where your coven base is. I will protect her at all costs, do you understand?”

Douxie’s witch staggered to her feet. “You-!” she grabbed a nearby crystal and sucked the fire from the candles, throwing it at him. Douxie twisted the magic, grabbing the fire. It smoldered in a ball above his hand, and tendrils reached out, burning a hole through the witch’s skirt, close enough to heat-sear her, but not enough to actually burn her.

“You will leave Nari alone,” he said in a low voice, “She is my responsibility. And more importantly, she’s her own person and shouldn’t be treated like nothing but a tool!”

The witch gave him a glare. “Really? You really think you aren’t using her as a tool?”

A surge of magic pulsed through Douxie, like the arcane energies had decided that they’d like to be a mood ring today. “I,” he growled, “am apparently the only friend she’s got.” He stalked towards the witch. “And if you ever try to lay another one of your fingers on her I will personally make sure you regret it.”

The witch looked up at him, and something that might have been fear flashed in her eyes. “What are you doing?!” she hissed, “the talismans, why…”

“If you choose to use your magic to hurt others, then you don’t deserve it,” Douxie growled, “And if you ever try to harm Nari again, I will take away your magic permanently.” he had no idea how to do that, but they didn’t need to know that.

“O-okay! We’ll leave her alone! Just... put the magic back.”

“Swear it.”

“I- I swear. We won’t. Don’t take away the magic, please.”

“Good. It’ll come back. This time.” Douxie slammed the door behind him, making it down the street before his legs wobbled and gave out and spots danced in front of his eyes. What was it Archie had said about conducting too much magic?

“That was impressive,” his familiar’s voice said in his ear.

Douxie chuckled breathlessly. “Thanks, I think I’m about to pass out.”

A fly flew off of his necklace and shape-shifted back into his cat. “I didn’t think you were just going to strengthen the defenses. I figured I’d follow in case you’d like any help. But I think you handled that quite well on your own. The looks on their faces were priceless .”

“Thanks. Glad you’re here, Arch, because I don’t think I can make it back home on my own. I feel like pudding.”

“Sure, you sucked up all the energy in the area and just held it. The universe is probably wondering what in the seven rings you’re doing.”

“’m protecting Nari.”

“Oh? Looked like a bit more than just ‘protection.’”

Douxie chuckled again. “Okay. Maybe it was a little itty-bit revenge for her, too. Shame I didn’t see her staff.” A wave of dizziness swept over him. “Oooookay. We need to get home before I pass out.”

Archie shifted into a horse, and Douxie hauled himself up, clinging tightly to his familiar as they raced up from the small New Jersey town back towards New York City. They stopped outside the city, Archie shapeshifting back into a cat and the two of them getting on the subway. They made their way back to the apartment, where Nari was waiting, pacing. “What took so long? I feared...”

“Good news!” Douxie said cheerfully, “You don’t have to worry about the coven anymore! They will stay well away from you.”

Nari’s eyes widened. “What did you do?!”

“Paid them a little house call.”

Nari let out a startled laugh. “Why would you do that?”

“Because,” Douxie said seriously, “It’s about time that someone started caring about you for you.”

@moppetwithamanbun@einahpetsyarcip@ohfuzzbuckets

#toa #tales of arcadia #Douxie #douxieappreciationweek

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