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coolcattime · 3 months

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Home and Free: Chapter Thirteen - Something There

Characters: Captain Capsize, Sonja Firefox, Skipper Redbeard, Jordan Captainsparklez, Tucker Jericho, Tom Syndicate, Martha the Mystic, Mot Screziato, Alyssa Countybat, Waglington, Farmer Steve, Prince Andor, Jeriah, Lady Ianite (mentioned)

Relationship: Captain Capsize/Sonja Firefox, Captain Capsize/Jordan Captainsparklez (onesided)

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As winter’s first snow began to fall, there was a very different atmosphere in the castle than there had been since the curse had begun. Though the days were growing shorter and colder, there was a certain brightness to the building that it had completely lacked in the years since they have all been transformed – and arguably that it had for years before that. Now though, something none of them had thought possible had happened. An uncursed person had come to the castle, and after seemingly all hope had been lost, she’d returned of her own free will. It seemed impossible, no one in their right mind should’ve returned to this place when they had the opportunity to return to their regular life.

She was the very hope that they needed to break the curse. They had known that since her initial arrival, but now it truly seemed that despite all the odds, there was truly a possibility of her doing so. That wasn’t to say that any actual courtship was taking place, much to the chagrin of Tom who still found the idea of this being a time-consuming affair beyond frustrating. However, what it was clear and simply to say was that Capsize had had a positive impact on the Beast. Or rather she’d had a positive effect on Sonja – as the cursed woman had finally allowed herself to be called by her name again.

It had been years since she had used her true name. It was only a few weeks after the curse began that she had started to lash out at anyone using it. It would be an understatement to say it was surprising to hear the name being spoken by Capsize. It still felt ever so slightly wrong to hear it being used after so long of it being forbidden, but everyone supposed that it took longer than a few days to get used to such changes. Honestly, everyone was quite lost as to what had happened that night when Capsize had fled then returned with an injured Beast in tow. What they did know, however, was that whatever had taken place between the two, it had brought a lightness to the whole building.

There was still a certain awkwardness in the interactions between the two. Though the fact that the two were interacting civically – not yelling through a locked door or avoiding each other entirely – seemed to be a miracle itself. Still, neither seemed quite sure of how to interact with the other. Capsize was, for her part, glad to no longer feel like she had to sneak around the place to avoid her… host? Calling her a capturer or anything of the like felt wrong now she had willingly returned to this place, but that left her unsure precisely how to describe her. Regardless, it was nice that she finally felt free to truly explore, even if she’d had to take that endeavour quite slowly.

As it turned out, the fall she had taken during her encounter with the wolves had been as bad for her leg as she had feared. The walk back certainly hadn’t helped either. Thankfully, it stopped being actively painful that same night, and the pain as she walked was steadily reducing. That meant, at least from her own experience, that she likely hadn’t done any further permanent damage. However, she was also more than aware that she did need to rest. So, she had been doing just that, while doing her best to hide that she had injured herself in the first place. She couldn’t help but wonder if hiding such a thing was illogical, but there was a pact of her – as there had been since she had been injured in the first place – embarrassed that she had to rest at all.

Sonja, meanwhile, was rather nervous about interacting with her. It was an odd emotion to see on the Beast. She had not been particularly delicate since the curse, mostly due to how she never quite got used to her own strength in this form. Yet, here she was, not sneaking around per say, but certainly being far more careful with her own movement than she ever had before. All in the effort to not run into Capsize. Not that she was hiding from her. Truth be told, Sonja just had no idea how she was meant to interact with the woman.

It had been so long since she had interacted with anyone without a base of anger. And she didn’t want to interact with anyone, particularly not Capsize, in anger anymore. Yet, lashing out had been her primary way of interacting with everyone for years now. She worried that she had completely forgotten how to interact otherwise. So, despite how she did truly want to get to know her, she found herself avoiding Capsize for quite a few days after their return. That was until today.

She hadn’t started the day intending to spend any time with Capsize. It was just, well, Tom had mentioned that she had been less active since her return and – after getting confirmation that this was true from some of the others – she just wanted to make sure she was okay. She wouldn’t call it worry, even if in reality that’s exactly what the emotion she felt was. Sonja would rather have called the emotion guilt, because if she had been injured, it would be entirely her fault. She had scared her enough to cause her to flee out into the woods, any injuries she had because of that were therefore her fault. And since Capsize had tended to her injury, it was only right that she made sure she hadn’t been injured in the encounter.

It took far more time to build up the courage than she cared to admit to knock on her door. However, regardless of how long it took, she still wound up standing in the woman’s room feeling extremely self-aware of herself. Said feeling, however, was forgotten, though only as it was instead covered with guilt as she realised that Capsize had indeed been injured that night.

“If you got injured so badly it still hurts now, you should’ve said something. I—”

“There was nothing to say. My leg being injured isn’t exactly news. Besides, it doesn’t ache anymore. No more than it normally does, anyway,” Capsize spoke almost flippantly, just baring looking up from her book. Her leg aching was, for better or worse, just a fact she was used to now. However, her words caused a soft frown graced Sonja’s features, and she remembered how short a time she had actually been here for. A few days ago, she would’ve reminded herself that she didn’t owe her any grace, but now? Her own features soften at the expression.

She seemed genuinely considered. That wasn’t something Capsize was particularly used to. It wasn’t as if her life had been completely devoid of those feeling concern for her. Redbeard obviously did. So did Jeriah, though he hid it better. And before Ianite had gone completely silent she too had shared such feelings. However, it felt different from Sonja, though the reason why was intangible to her. Being unable to explain such a thing felt strange in itself. Still, she swallowed down her defensiveness, closing her book and placing it on her knee. “I… Look – I promise you – I know my own limits. My leg wasn’t a pressing concern, and your arm was. I didn’t mean to worry you.”

“Obviously I’m—” Sonja stopped herself from speaking as she could hear her own tone turning argumentative. She didn’t even want to argue with Capsize, but it couldn’t define what the emotion she was feeling actually was. She trusted her judgement on her own injuries – obviously she did – but that didn’t stop her from disliking how dismissive she seemed about herself being injured in the first place. She was acting as if someone being worried was a problem.

It left Sonja more worried, now frustratingly about things that she could never know as she couldn’t help but wonder. Had the people in the town truly been so disinterested in her? Capsize had admitted herself that she had little love for the place, but Sonja had no idea if they had been the cause of her self-dismissive attitude. It was too large an assumption for her to make but also the sort of thing she knew she shouldn’t question, as much as her thoughts were desperately unhappy with the idea that Capsize seemed almost dismissive of herself being important. Even if it was appropriate to question, she certainly didn’t have the words to express any of the thoughts she wanted to. So instead, she responded as she assumed Capsize wanted her to. “You’re definitely fine?”

“As fine as I’m ever going to be,” Capsize said with a smile, attempting to sound reassuring. However, though unintentionally, her words felt uncomfortable in her own head. She hadn’t meant that, had she? She still had recovery to do. After all, that’s why herself and Redbeard had been staying in the town, because she could still recover more. These thoughts quickly became overwhelming, almost feeling painful as they scratched her mind. No, she couldn’t sit around doing this. She needed a real distraction.

She fumbled a little while standing up as she tried to move her book off her legs at the same time as she grabbed her cane. What was normally second nature to her became tangled and messy as she felt so overwhelmed and flustered by her own thoughts. She almost fell. She certainly stumbled, but before she could do anything more, a paw caught her.

It was the first time Sonja had really touched her since the first night. When she had grabbed her from behind and been promptly met with an elbow to the face. She fully expected Capsize to flinch away from her, but the opposite happened. The grip on her arm tightened and she was, at least for a few moments, fully supporting her. In these moments, they stood closer than they ever had before. A fact that Sonja was all too aware of as Capsize steadied herself with her support. And it made her all the more nervous as she worried that she could hear her heart beating wildly.

When Capsize finally stepped away, the woman looking down with pinked tinged cheeks, Sonja stood unsure of precisely what she was meant to do. Should she leave? It seemed that Capsize was preparing herself to, and she couldn’t imagine that she would want her to stay as company. However, despite that thought attempting to stick itself fast in her head, it wavered as she was looked up at with a smile. A small, somewhat embarrassed smile, but certainly a smile, nonetheless.

“Would you like to come with me on a walk?” She asked, trying to be as polite as she could. She had absolutely no idea if she expected Sonja to agree, after all she still felt more than a little unsure on where the two stood. She hoped that she would, though.

In some ways, learning her name had felt like a new start for the two. Capsize’s reason for being at the castle in the first place certainly wasn’t ready to leave her mind, but there was a difference in how she currently felt about Sonja versus how she had felt about the Beast. They were one in the same. She knew that. Yet, before she had been cruel, seemingly deliberately so. And now, well, she wasn’t sure of the word she’d now use to describe Sonja, but cruel certainly wasn’t it. She felt safe in her presence now, that itself was enough to mark the change in how she felt.

“I--! Do I--?” Sonja stumbled over her answer as she found herself dumbfounded by the invitation. Capsize actually wanted to spend time with her? It felt beyond unbelievable, though she certainly couldn’t refuse. Not only would Tom end up talking her ear off for hours if she even thought about avoiding an opportunity to move the curse breaking along, but she wanted to spend time with her.

She knew the pressing need to court her so the curse could be broken, she could never forget that, but that was not where her thoughts were ever focused when it came to Capsize. Yes, she wouldn’t have allowed her to stay in the first place if she couldn’t see the possibility, but putting in such a way felt reductive. If she had to put her thoughts into any sort of simple answer, it would be that she was fascinated by her. That was the sort of statement that she was certain would get her told off by someone – likely Martha – for not being an appropriate way to talk about a person, though she meant no offence by it. It was just, she had never met someone who interacted with her like she did.

It was like they were truly equals. Obviously, she’d meant people who were her equals and spoke to her as such. However – and again she could almost hear Martha and Mot chiding her about appropriate ways to talk about people – Capsize wasn’t her equal. Not in terms of class anyway. However, that had never affected how Capsize had spoken to her. And that felt so refreshing to Sonja. She wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. “Yes, I’d love to. Where did you want to go?”

“Just around the gardens. I haven’t really looked around any of the grounds yet,” Capsize said. She hadn’t explored most of the castle. The place was so large that she was sure that would be true for the foreseeable future. The beginning of the year’s snowfall, however, had gotten her curious about the grounds as the plant life hadn’t dulled in the slightest.

She’d been interested since her first night about investigating the magic in this place as she hoped that learning more about it would help her understand some of her recurring questions. The problem with this was that while magic was so clearly soaked into the very foundations of the castle, the obvious sights of enchantments she was used to were hidden. The only obvious signs of magic she had seen were when she was exploring the West Wing. The scrawlings, the trinkets, and that odd glowing rose, but she definitely wasn’t planning to re-enter that place anytime soon.

So, exploring the gardens with the unnaturally hardy plant life it was.

“Yes, that sounds…” Sonja trailed off as she watched her begin to grab and put on some outerwear. The cloak, the same one that she had worn the night she arrived, still looked far too much like the one that the disguised goddess had worn for her taste. Even so, that was not the reason that she had lost her train of thought. The reason for that was the red scarf she was tying around her neck. She had been wearing clothes that had belonged to the others prior to the curse. That was likely unavoidable as Capsize needed to wear clothes and these were the only ones available. It wasn’t as if Capsize was doing anything wrong, but that didn’t stop the melancholy that came from seeing her wearing Mot’s scarf. If she hadn’t been so terrible, he would still be able to wear it himself. Just another reason, however tiny, that she needed to fix things. She realised that she was staring, and that she actually needed to finish her sentence. “That sounds great. After you.”

They walked side by side through the halls, a comfortable quiet between them. Capsize found herself unable to ignore the differences she had been noticing in the Beast beside her since she had become Sonja. Obviously, she hadn’t physically changed, that wasn’t something that generally happened at least as far as she was aware, but she just had a different air about her. She seemed happier.

That was the way that Capsize saw it anyway. While this was the first time they had properly interacted since her return, Sonja hadn’t been completely hidden away in the West Wing as she had been for nearly the whole time before. She had been wearing clothes that weren’t in complete tatters and Capsize couldn’t help but wonder why she had been avoiding wearing the clothes she currently had on. She didn’t have an eye for fashion, but she could tell that the clothes were tailored for her, and she looked nice in them. That thought flitted around her head for a little while, as she tried to excuse that she had thought it. She was simply thinking about the design and craftsmanship of the clothes, she decided. In turn, she tried to ignore the fact that thinking about Sonja looking nice brought a certain warmth to her cheeks. She was just observing, that was a normal enough thing to do. And she didn’t have much time to linger on said thoughts as they arrived outside.

Capsize looked around, just trying to take it all in. The gardens, though undeniably overgrown, looked more welcoming in the daylight than they did at night. The snow was still falling, though only gently now. Enough had fallen in the night to leave everything with a thin coating. The roses were still in full bloom, their deep red petals still clear under the white. Undeniably it was beautiful, almost something like a scene that would be described in a book.

Yet, despite the beauty, Capsize’s steps outside were hesitant and careful. She knew how easily she could slip and fall. Snow looked nice, she couldn’t deny that, but it hid ice and frankly she hadn’t ever had the best opinion about the stuff. Back on the ship it had been a nuisance, something that made them have to be more careful with every action as the elements were always dangerous out on the waters if unprepared for them. In the town it certainly hadn’t posed the same danger, but when any fall could mean a setback in an already agonisingly slow recovery, ice went from a mere annoyance to something she’d call a nemesis if it wasn’t so embarrassing.

Sonja, now a few steps ahead of her, turned back to see Capsize’s hesitation. She was at first confused, before remembering that of course she was hesitant. It had been so long since there had been someone that didn’t know all the enchantments of the castle, it was almost strange to have it click in her head that she needed to explain any of them. She’d been stuck in this castle for so long, consumed by the very concept of magic for even longer, that she’d honestly forgotten that the magic she had done all those years ago was not commonplace in the wider world. She had been stuck in her own world for far longer than the curse had forced it, hadn’t she? Trying to ignore that slightly harrowing thought, she smiled what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

“You don’t need to worry about slipping. Not because of ice anyway,” She started, taking a step back towards Capsize in case she wanted physical support. She still didn’t move with any confidence, though the fact Sonja would be there to catch her was a little comforting, she supposed. She did want to trust her, obviously she did, but… her own thoughts felt stuck. Seeing her hesitance still present, she continued. “The path is enchanted – ice can’t form on it. All the beauty of winter without any of the inconvenience.”

“That’s…” Capsize hesitated to describe it as she didn’t feel like she actually had the words too. Sure, it technically wasn’t any different from the rest of the magic she had been experiencing in the castle. Much like all the enchantments, it was frankly basic compared to living furniture with full personalities, but the idea of it was just so curious to her.

She took a few steps forward, still testing the ground. It took a good number more before she actually allowed herself to fully trust what she had been told and walk as she normally would. Doing so when she could feel snow crunching under her boots felt odd, but she saw no reason for Sonja to have lied. Her confidence only grew the more steps she took without finding ice under foot or cane. Finally, her thoughts settled enough that she was no longer worrying about slipping and could focus on other things. “It’s great! This whole place, it’s…”

She paused briefly as a new question began prickling.

“Did you used to host guests?”

“Huh? Why do you ask?” Sonja had no idea where the question had come from, which left her with little idea of how to answer it. She could, of course, lie. It would almost certainly be better to lie. If Capsize learnt of the curse, everything would be over before it ever began. The best way to avoid such a fate was to lie and pretend she had always been a beast and everyone else in the castle had always been furniture. It was, without a doubt, for the best. However, she didn’t want to lie. It just felt so unbelievably wrong. So, she had to instead ask the question of what parts of the truth she could tell. And in order to do that, she needed to know why the question had been asked in the first place. Capsize looked up at her with a small but sure smile.

“I can’t see another reason for such an enchantment. You certainly don’t have anything to worry about with ice, and everyone else here who could come outside is small enough that snow would bother them just as much as ice. So, there must have been other people here at some point,” She spoke with a small amount of confidence that she had worked something out. Even if she found it odd.

In her first few days here, though she’d found more friendship than she had in the past few years, it was impossible to ignore the profound loneliness that permeated the whole building. It felt lost to time, as if frozen in one terrible moment. Though maybe that was just her brain being lost in the stories she had clung to for the past couple of years. What really confused her about that feeling though, about her sureness that human life had not touched the building in years, was that so much of the magic of this place was clearly designed for people. Not to say that those living in the castle weren’t people, she’d never say that, but they certainly wouldn’t benefit from things like a lack of ice and enchanted keys they had no way of turning in the first place. So, logically, there had to have been a time that the castle took guests. As much as that idea seemed so against her original impression of the building and its mistress.

“Yes, I hosted guests once… When I was younger, there were always so many people here. The whole place was always alive,” Sonja said, unable to stop the smile beginning to form on her face despite how bittersweet the memories felt. She had spent so long feeling spiteful about her previous life as she hated what she had become, but as she remembered the happy times, they were all so long before the curse had even begun. Memories from back when she was young enough to be a kid having fun rather than a teen filled with the need to feel superior by just learning more than anyone else possibly could. And it was a thought that she couldn’t really tell Capsize, not all that she wanted to anyway, but she could tell her some of it. “But I got older. Became withdrawn and angry and… people just forgot about this place.”

“That’s a terrible shame. This place is so magical, I wouldn’t think anyone could forget about it…” She trailed off as she realised that despite her words there was a tingling feeling in her head about the idea of forgetting this place, or maybe just forgetting in general. She still didn’t understand she hadn’t heard of this place when it was so close to the town. Why it wasn’t on any maps despite there being a road leading here. As with so many of her questions about memories these days, thinking about it made her head feel wrong.

Capsize’s words caused a cold pang in Sonja’s chest. Them being left forgotten was a part of the curse, that much was beyond clear, though she had absolutely no idea why. Frankly, it felt unfair. How was she meant to have someone fall in love with her if no one remembered where this place was? It seemed a miracle that anyone had shown up at all – let alone someone who she felt she could fall in love with. So, what had the goddess intended? Kidnapping someone from the town? She hoped not, though she was not exactly in the business of giving Lady Ianite the benefit of the doubt. The question wouldn’t stop pestering her, but as she watched Capsize, it at least quieted.

Capsize began to examine the overgrown gardens, a clear level of delight in her eyes. Sonja just couldn't help but smile as she watched her. She had walked up to one of the rose bushes and was examining one of the flowers. Her fingers carefully pushed apart the petals, so curious to see if she would see Ianite’s symbol on them as it had been on the glowing rose. She didn’t. For all appearances, it was a completely normal rose. Though a completely normal rose wouldn’t be in full bloom in winter. She couldn’t understand what magic the cause of it could be.

“You like roses, don’t you?” Sonja asked as she saw the way that Capsize was looking at the flower, though she phrased her words far more like a question than she intended. Her brother had taken a rose for her, that only really made sense if she liked them. Yet Capsize laughed. A laugh that was so filled with relief as she finally felt free from the moment that had left her so entangled with roses in the first place.

“No! Oh gods, no, I hate them!” She turned to face Sonja with an uncontrollable smile on her face as she just felt so relieved to finally be able to say those words. It was odd. It wasn’t as if she would have ever been in trouble for a preference, but she’d never really felt like she could admit such a thing before. It would’ve just been misconstrued, would’ve been made about him. To be fair, it was about him, but she’d never have to deal with him again. Realising that she now had nothing to worry about on that front felt like an impossible weight had been lifted from her. She felt almost childish just how free, how giddy, she felt from this revelation.

Sonja’s eyebrows bunched together, her ears pressing down against her head as she tried to make sense of her reaction. And Capsize noticed this, her own emotions tempering slightly as realised some kind of explanation was probably in order. “I mean they’re pretty, I can’t deny that, but… I was stupid. There was a man in town, he would never leave me alone. And he was well-liked and respected so I couldn’t tell him to leave me alone either. So, I gave him a rose with his name spelt wrong on the gift card thinking, mostly just hoping, that he’d realise I wasn’t interested. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t get him to go away.”

“Well, he sounds awful,” Sonja muttered, glad she’d never have to meet the man she was talking about. There was disdain in Capsize’s voice, definitely suppressed but not quite hidden. How could Sonja not dislike him? Though she was glad that Capsize smiled at least a little as she spoke. If her words could provide any comfort at all, she was doing something right. Seeing her smile, thinking of her words, Sonja thought to add. “I don’t like roses either.”

“You don’t like them? Then why are the grounds overrun with them?” Capsize asked, laughing slightly, almost unable to believe the words. She was stood surrounded by rose bushes, it seemed unbelievable that the mistress of the castle could dislike them. However, nothing about the castle was particularly usual. So perhaps it was just another oddity of this place. She couldn’t read the expression on Sonja’s face at her reaction, couldn’t tell if she had accidentally offended her, though she truly hoped that she hadn’t.

This was intentional by Sonja, as she knew she had to hide the actual reason for the roses being present. Capsize couldn’t learn that it was a part of a mocking curse from the very goddess she followed, but she still needed and wanted to tell her something. She didn’t want to keep her own life hidden from her. And, for a more current concern, she didn’t want a silence to fall and Capsize to believe she had done something wrong.

“I refused a rose once from an old woman. The next day the bushes had invaded the garden,” She said, speaking no lies, but hiding far more of the truth than she would like. “I can’t get rid of them. I’ve tried.”

“You must have rejected some vengeful witch,” Capsize said, and Sonja laughed. If only she knew who she was actually talking about. She couldn’t tell her, and even if she could she’d hesitate to. Yet, she couldn’t help but wonder: if she knew the truth, how would she react? Not wanting to dwell on such a question, she decided to get their attention away from the roses.

“There should still be other flowers here that aren’t roses if you’d like to see them,” She invited. Capsize perked up.

“If there are any, I’d like that,” She said with a gentle smile that spread across to Sonja’s features.

Sonja began to lead her through the gardens, trying her best to take them down the least overgrown path that she could. She knew the way through her gardens well enough, even in its overgrown and unkept state. It didn’t take her long to lead Capsize to the greenhouse.

The building, like most of the estate, was in disrepair. Ivy had grown over most of the structure, but Sonja found herself impressed that most of the windows were still intact. The building had enchantments of course, but she hadn’t come to visit it in so long that she hadn’t been sure that they were still active. Seeing that they were though, she found herself more optimistic about the survival of the plants inside.

Capsize found herself staring at the building. She’d seen one once before, when she was young. Her aunt had taken her to an estate… a memory that felt important but incredibly fuzzy as she attempted to recall it. That bothered her, as she distinctly felt like she should remember, that if she focused on it, she would remember. But the more she stared at the building in front of her, trying to see inside through the ivy, the more the memory faded away. There was the present to focus on, and that was following Sonja inside the glass building.

She couldn’t claim that she had ever been particularly interested in flowers, but still she couldn’t help but be filled with wonder at the sight as she entered. There were so many flowers, all in full bloom and in more colours than she had seen in one place before. She immediately moved further inside, eyes scanning over the countless plants and her mind thinking over the enchantments that must be placed on the building. Sonja found herself watching, unable to stop herself from smiling.

“Did you grow all of these?” Capsize asked as she began to gently run her fingers across leaves and petals, not yet having found any one flower to focus on.

Sonja shook her head, before quickly realising that she wasn’t being looked at so such an action communicated nothing. Despite how quickly she had done her unseen answer, she hesitated before giving an answer again. It was another situation where everything would be simpler if she lied. There would be far less questions from doing so. However, the young flowerpot already had enough complaints about her. She would not give her another one by taking claims for her work.

“No. This whole place is Alyssa’s work. She planted all of them. There used to not be a day where she couldn’t be found in here,” She said, hoping beyond hope that there wouldn’t be too many difficult follow up questions. She could still picture it, the young girl tending to the flowers with the same level of care she put into enchantments and research. Something she could no longer do in her current form, a state that Sonja knew she was solely her fault. “But it’s been pretty much abandoned for years now.”

“This is abandoned?” Capsize found herself shocked. Someone with an expertise in gardening, or really someone with any experience in it at all, would be able to see that the plants were overgrown and unruly. However, Capsize had no such experience. She’d spent the majority of her life on ships now having to worry about anything of the sort. Without thorns and brambles getting under her feet, she just saw beauty rather than overgrowth. And what a beautiful sight it was.

There were obviously questions. Namely, how a flowerpot with no arms could’ve possibly planted and tended to all these plants. It was the same sort of question she kept finding herself having. It kept happening, the questions about the living furniture. They didn’t make sense, not one bit. The questions danced around in her head. The ones that if she thought too much about, left a sickly feeling in her throat. There was a conclusion floating around, but it was one that she wasn’t ready to confront. So, instead, she focused on the flowers. “They’re all so beautiful.”

“You can take one, if you’d like. Alyssa always liked sharing them,” Sonja said. They were mostly planted for her magical experiments, but she did not use nearly as many as were planted. Seeing that Alyssa looked after the flowers, she had control over what happened to the rest of them. And that had resulted in flower crowns. Mot had barely ever been without one. Tom had been gifted a good number. Frankly, everyone had received one at some point even herself, though she had never worn it. She couldn’t imagine the flowerpot being annoyed at Capsize taking a flower.

“No, I couldn’t…” She said quietly. She struggled with the idea of just taking something without giving something back. It was silly at this moment, what could she possibly give given her now permanent residence here? However, it was difficult to shift her thoughts. Trading felt safe in a way that gifts didn’t. Still, despite her hesitation, she found herself transfixed by a small patch of orange lilies. She brushed a finger against a petal. It looked so beautiful.

Sonja walked to be next to her, so utterly aware of her size and strength as she reached towards the flower. Just be gentle. She kept repeating those words over and over as she needed to make sure not to destroy the extremely fragile flower. She was so sure if she didn’t keep concentrating it would end up ruined. But thankfully, she didn’t break the flower. She plucked one of the lilies and it remained as beautiful as it had been on the plant.

She offered it to Capsize, who hesitated to actually take it from her, but Sonja smiled.

“If it’ll make you happy, you should take it. It’s a gift and you deserve things that make you smile,” She said, avoiding actually meeting Capsize’s eyes as she didn’t quite feel brave enough to watch her expression. However, if she had been watching, she would’ve seen the blush-tinged smile that Capsize wore as she took the lily. She also missed the way that she was looked at with curiosity.

Capsize couldn’t help it. Sonja seemed so gentle when she certainly hadn’t before. She had been aggressive and frankly cruel, but now? Well, she was sweet. That thought was the main cause of her blushing, and she felt beyond glad that she was avoiding looking at her. Beyond everything though, she found herself looking at the flower with a small smile on her face.

“Thank you.”

The two spent the next few hours in the greenhouse, Sonja beginning to explain the various magical reasons that certain flowers were grown. Most of the explanations were baffling to Capsize, but she found herself intently listening to the passion that burned bright like a fire. By the time they returned to the castle proper, they were lost in conversation that would’ve – if a stranger had somehow been listening in – given the impression that the two were old friends.

The other residents of the castle spent the night in excitement, discussing in whispered tones how the two were actually getting along. Everyone, that was, except for Alyssa. She had been at first, though she had mostly been excited to learn that her greenhouse hadn’t been completely overrun by roses. However, when she had actually briefly seen the flower that Sonja had given Capsize, she’d ended up excusing herself. Andor had gone after her, worried that they’d picked a flower important to her. He actually found her laughing to herself.

“What’s funny?”

“Do you know flower meanings?”

“I can’t say I do.”

“Well, clearly neither do those two because orange lilies represent hatred.”

Needless to say, both decided to stay quiet about this fact and keep it to themselves. After all, the two were getting along. Even if the gift was particularly entertaining to Alyssa, she wasn’t about to ruin the moment for the two of them when the Beast seemed to finally be making some progress.

🌹 🌹 🌹

Sonja had been growing used to there once again being the sound of life in the castle. Though the curse had not removed those living here, everyone had become understandably more subdued as the years passed. However, since Capsize’s arrival, everyone seemed to be regaining the energy they once had. Sonja had found the same effect on herself, as she no longer felt like hiding herself away – not from those in the castle at least. So, it wasn’t surprising for her to be walking through the corridors of the castle in the daylight hours. Nor was it surprising to her to hear loud conversation flowing down the hall. She followed the conversation, and the increasing sound of laughter, until she reached the drawing room.

The scene she found was one she had grown quite used to seeing. Capsize was sat in an animated conversation with Tom. The two had very quickly become friends and it wasn’t uncommon for the two to be found laughing and discussing seemingly any topic under the sun. It was always nice to see. Even if some of Tom’s words she overheard always came a little too close to revealing the curse for her comfort. And, of course, she couldn’t say anything about it. Saying something there and then with Capsize listening would negate the very point she’d be trying to make, and if she tried to talk to him privately, he’d almost certainly just get more brazen with his words.

She didn’t know if he did it out of spite or just for entertainment, but it made her find herself on edge whenever she first entered a room where the two were having a conversation. Today was no different, though she relaxed a little when she saw the two weren’t alone. On a desk on the far side of the room was Mot. She had the brief hope that him being present would mean that Tom was being a little more careful with his words. Said hope was quickly dashed when she heard the next words that left Capsize’s mouth.

“I just don’t see why you’re so interested in the people in the town. You don’t know any of them,” Her tone was prodding, and she wore a smile that almost gave the impression that she knew the truth. Of course, she didn’t. Though she knew more than most in the castle would like her to. Capsize was quite sure, as she had been for quite some time, that there was something more to the enchanted furniture than they were attempting to let on. However, her current guesses as to their nature – as vague as they were as she didn’t know the magical theory that would be required to form any fully fledged theories with them – were distant from the truth. It wasn’t as if the hints of the actual truth weren’t there, but rather that the actual solution was one that her mind was actively avoiding.

Sonja did not know this, that Capsize was not about to figure out the truth in the next few moments. So, the cocky smile she saw worn by the candelabra was enough to make her nervous.

“I’m just always curious about people. You keep mentioning that you had a friend, so maybe I just want to learn about how someone in that place managed to actually have good taste,” He said, just about managing to keep his tone joking. It was more challenging than he’d expected. He was quite annoyed that his friends had quite so heavily bothered her, but he had to keep that hidden. Not only from Capsize, who couldn’t learn that he’d ever had a life outside of the castle, but from Mot and Sonja, as he wasn’t ready to have a conversation about the fact that Lady Ianite seemed to have let her champion turn into a horrible piece of work without any repercussions.

Obviously, he knew that it had been years, people were subject to change after so long, but he just struggled with the fact that they sounded so alien to him. It didn’t dampen his enthusiasm for breaking the curse, nothing could do that, but there was a certain badgering question in his mind that he hadn’t had before meeting Capsize. What were things going to be like once the curse was broken and they remembered him again?

However, that frustrating question actually had very little to do with what he was asking Capsize. Rather, he had a far, far stupider plan he was currently putting into motion. He’d started to have his suspicions as to who Capsize’s friend was, and he’d been biding his time for the reveal. This was entirely because he wanted Mot in the room when she said it. If he was right about this – and gods, he hoped he was right – his reaction was going to be golden.

“Plus, if he’s friends with you and I’m friends with you, then he’s pretty much also my friend too.”

“He’d want you out of his house the moment you started talking,” Capsize said, unable to hold back a snort of laughter just thinking of the two trying to interact. While she certainly got along with both, she just couldn't picture either being able to stand the other. Tom wasn’t offended by her reaction. In fact, he was quite pleased by it as it was exactly the reaction he expected to get. He was right! He was completely sure he was right. “You’d annoy each other to no end.”

“Right. You said he was the town misanthrope or something like that,” Tom said as if he hadn’t been intently listening to every detail Capsize told him about the town. His loud, slightly flippant words were more than enough to properly catch Mot’s attention. He recognised that description. They caught Sonja’s attention too, though for a different reason to Mot as she had never actually been to the town and certainly didn’t know anyone of the description. She just liked hearing about Capsize’s life.

For her part, Capsize rolled her eyes. She could tell that Tom was trying to make some kind of point – though she had absolutely no idea what said point was. So, she just continued her conversation as if she didn’t have such a feeling.

“No, I said everyone acts like he’s the town misanthrope. I think Jeriah’s social enough, he just needs to be interacting with the right person which unfortunately would not be you,” She said with sureness and a slight joking tone to her last few words. While he could occasionally be gruff, she found that he was far more pleasant than anyone else in town. Frankly given how the townsfolk treated people who were different, she couldn’t blame the man for being so standoffish to them all. She didn’t really expect any reactions to her words other than perhaps Tom pouting. She certainly didn’t expect the reaction that did come.

Mot could not stop the half-strangled choke from escaping him. He wanted to assume he was hearing things, even though he knew that had heard her perfectly well. How on earth were they friends? Why was she friends with the world’s most boring man? Actually, why was Jeriah even still in town? As far as Mot was aware, the grumpy sod was only around in the first place as a favour to Conway, keeping an eye on Andor and Martha. With the curse having, for all intents and purposes, erased the two, why on earth would he have stuck around?

“Are you alright?” Capsize asked, not quite sure if her words were actually connected to his reaction. Though there was a curiosity that she could not hide as another layer was added to the ever-growing mystery in her head. It was a somewhat ridiculous notion that Mot knew Jeriah, but it was also the only idea that her brain could come to. Even so, she couldn’t exactly reason her way into Jeriah knowing enchanted furniture. More likely, she was just a little too lost in worlds of fantasy.

“I’m fine,” Mot said in an attempt to reassure and stop any possible question, but he sounded distinctly otherwise. It wasn’t as if he had caused himself any trouble with breathing. However, he was stuck without any real explanation for his reaction. He was a damn box. He couldn’t exactly say something was just stuck in his throat. He absolutely needed to explain it in a way that stopped her thinking he knew who Jeriah was. But how exactly he was meant to do that was beyond him. He desperately racked his brain for any words.

Surely there must be something he could say that could make his reaction seem normal. His mind was completely blank. He was going to kill Tom for this.

“So, how did you meet him?” Sonja spoke before Mot could come up with anything, drawing Capsize’s attention over to her. She questioned so softly, almost scared that her words would otherwise come off offensive. She was curious about Capsize’s friend as she was curious about every aspect of her life. She didn’t particularly understand Mot’s reaction. She supposed he must have met the man at some point prior to the curse. If she thought hard enough, she could vaguely remember him complaining about the man. Though she wasn’t wholly sure it was the same person and that she wasn’t just filling in the blanks. Regardless, she could question Mot any time and would have to do it when Capsize wasn’t present. Right now, she just wanted to hear about her life.

Capsize considered the possibility that Sonja’s words were just an attempt to get her to stop her from questioning Mot before she asked something she wasn’t meant to. It had been impossible to avoid noticing that every so often she’d bring up a topic and it would hastily be replaced with a new one, that there were certain truths that they wanted to keep hidden from her. However, with how Sonja had asked the question, she couldn’t attribute any ill will or hidden meanings behind it. She just seemed curious.

“It was just a chance encounter,” She began with a small smile. She was sure that had she not met him that day, she would’ve met Jeriah eventually. The town was small enough that she’d meet everyone at least once, but she was glad that met Jeriah so early on. She doubted she would’ve coped nearly as well – which to be clear was not all that well at all – had she not had him to talk to. And her appreciation for him had started there in that first meeting. “I was at the market with a man who made a hobby of… annoying me. I ran into Jeriah just going about his own business. Turns out he’s the only person in that town who’ll actually chase the prick off. I thanked him, then we started talking and frankly, he was the nicest person I met in that place. He comes across gruff sometimes, but he's led an interesting life. And he lent me books, which frankly stopped me from going insane.”

Her smile grew as she spoke. She had begun by picking her words carefully, not wanting to focus at all on Jordan as typically the less she thought about him the better her day was. However, even at the beginning, she had still worn a small smile, as she had truly appreciated Jeriah in that first meeting. She had been so glad that there had been someone else that didn’t have the fanaticism that the whole town seemed to hold for Jordan and Tucker. If she had to guess, she’d say the man just had little respect for the gods in general. Though he never had any problem with her and her own connection with Ianite, so she wasn’t about to judge him whether his opinions may be. He was her friend, and she had been glad for his company.

Mot couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He was able to keep his reaction on the inside now that the initial shock wasn’t there, but the idea that anyone found Jeriah interesting was frankly unbelievable. He doubted that his shock at the two being friends was going to fade anytime soon, but there was something that cut through that shock. Namely, the man she mentioned annoying her. It wasn’t normally a detail that would catch his attention. He already knew that her experience in the town had been incredibly negative, as sad as it made him, but her tone had been particularly strained when she said it. Again, maybe not something out of character for her, but what did catch his attention and give the moment importance was Tom flinching. He very clearly knew exactly who she was talking about, and Mot made a note in his head to question him the moment they were alone.

Sonja, meanwhile, looked at Capsize with fascination. The story was entirely ordinary, but it was so unlike anything she had ever experienced. She couldn’t help but hang onto every word. She wished so much that she could reveal similar details about her own life without revealing the curse. Maybe, if she carefully thought through the phrasing beforehand, she’d be able to tell a story of her own. She hoped that in the meantime Capsize would not mind the questions about her life without getting much in return.

“He lent you books?” She asked, curious about the detail. She knew that Capsize enjoyed reading. She would’ve had to have been truly oblivious to miss such a thing. She seemed to cherish the book she had brought with her. The smile on her face that she had when reading it reminded Sonja of her own feelings towards her magical experiments. So, that posed a question in Sonja’s head. “I thought you’d be one to own books.”

“Oh, I do. Just not stories, except for the one I brought here and that itself was originally Jeriah’s. I own a couple of natural guides as well as technical manuals that I use for work,” She said, her tone neutral enough that Sonja realised this was likely quite normal. She felt it a shame but decided that was something to think about later.

Capsize’s thoughts meanwhile flickered, her brain working on an admittedly wholly unrelated idea that had popped into it when she mentioned her work. She looked at Sonja and realised that she may hold the answers to something that had annoyed her for far too long.

“Speaking of my work, there’s actually a question you might be able to answer for me. You understand magical enchantments, don’t you?” She asked, sure enough that the answer was yes, but she had never actually had confirmation that Sonja was the one responsible for all the enchantments in the castle. However, the moment she asked the question an unmistakable glimmer of passion entered her eyes, and an uncontrollable smile took over her features.

“Yes! Why? What do you want to know?” Sonja had precisely no idea where this was going, but she still found it impossible to hold back her excitement at the idea of being able to properly discuss or focus on magic. However, she did find herself embarrassed, shrinking back at her own volume. She expected Capsize to do so as well. However, she did not meet her expectations. Rather than shrinking back or looking at all scared, Capsize’s eyes sparkled as she stood up and took a step towards Sonja.

“You’ll be able to explain it!” She said, unintentionally ignoring the questions posed to her, so excited to finally have a chance to get some actual answers.

Sonja found herself confused. There wasn’t exactly context for her to latch onto as to why Capsize was so excited. What was clear though was that she seemed excited to spend time with her, which left Sonja with a strange feeling. Not bad, just one she didn’t recognise. That feeling only grew stronger as Capsize offered her free hand. “There’s something I need to show you.”

Sonja hesitated for a brief moment. She obviously was not going to turn down this opportunity, but her chest felt tingly, and there were so many feelings that she couldn’t shift or even fully understand. She was always scared of embarrassing herself in front of Capsize, and it seemed to be a fear that she just couldn’t shift past. However, she wanted even less to disappoint her. The smile on her face was so beautiful, she didn’t want to have it fade for such a silly reason.

So, though it left her heart feeling like it was going to burst out of her chest, she gingerly took Capsize’s hand. And, with so much excitement, Capsize began to lead her outside.

As soon as the two were far enough away to be out of earshot, Tom burst out laughing. He knew that Mot’s reaction would be good given how much he used to complain about Jeriah, but the reaction was still far more entertaining to him than it really should be. As he laughed, Mot gave what was either a sigh or a groan. He couldn’t say that truly angry at Tom. Though he was certainly, and he definitely didn’t want to encourage him getting entertainment out of almost revealing the curse.

“Keep laughing, kid. We’ll see how funny this is when I tell Martha that you intentionally set up a situation where the curse could’ve been revealed,” He said, quite bluntly. Tom stopped laughing. He looked at the snuff box as if the man had threatened to ground him.

“Oh, come off it. You know she’ll take it way too seriously,” He complained. If she got even the slightest hint of what he had just done, she’d act like he had personally told Capsize every single detail of the curse. It wasn’t as if he’d actually done anything wrong. Mot was going to find out that Capsize was friends with Jeriah eventually, he just wanted to make sure he saw his reaction. Was it a crime to have a little fun? Mot rolled his eyes at his pouting.

“Obviously, I’m not going to actually tell her,” He said, wondering if Tom thought anyone in the castle wanted to hear the lecture that would come from him doing that. Even if he was absolutely sure that Tom needed to be more careful, he wasn’t going to make everyone suffer through that. He wasn’t telling Martha unless they got a soundproof room set up first.

Satisfied enough that he wasn’t going to receive yet another day long lecture from Martha, Tom perked back up. His typical smile reappeared as he almost immediately stopped sulking and he seemed almost giddy.

“Isn’t it hilarious, though? I mean she’s friends with Jeriah,” He laughed, trying to picture the man having a pleasant conversation with anyone. He mostly remembered him as a grouch who never seemed to have any patience for him, Tucker, or Jordan. He had always assumed that the man had a grudge against the gods that he’d extended to them as champions. However, now knowing that he was friends with Capsize, someone Tom was sure had a stronger connection to Lady Ianite than just being a follower of the goddess, meant that idea likely didn’t hold water. Not that it ever had, given that the man had always had a fondness for the Conway family with their connections to the goddess. So, did he and his friends all just do something to annoy Jeriah?

No, that was ridiculous. Tom decided to discount that idea the very instant it came into his head.

“Hilarious isn’t exactly the word that I’d use,” Mot muttered. He probably would pick ‘unbelievable’.

Now, he certainly wouldn’t admit it out loud – especially not when Tom was within earshot – but Mot didn’t dislike Jeriah nearly as much as his outward attitude would suggest. Yes, he found the man a bore and they’d had their arguments, but he’d looked out for Alyssa, had given her a place to sleep whenever she’d snuck off to the town for a few days. However, the idea that he was friends with Capsize still felt odd.

There was still the sticking point that he couldn’t fathom the idea that Jeriah had remained in the town. There was no way that he could remember Andor and Martha, no one outside of the castle could, so for what reason did he even think he had come to the town in the first place? Attempting to think about that hurt Mot’s non-existent head as the idea of being magically erased was not really something he’d really thought about the implications of. He was never going to figure out how any of it worked and it was frankly depressing, so he’d always prefer not to think about it.

Besides, the fact that Jeriah shouldn’t be around in the first place wasn’t the only reason that the two’s friendship felt weird. There was also the fact that Capsize had somehow been convinced that Jeriah was an interesting person rather than a wet blanket.

However, he didn’t want to get lost in that discussion yet. At least not before he asked the question that he knew if he didn’t ask now, Tom would worm his way out of ever answering. “But before you keep laughing for the rest of the day about this, who exactly was the man Capsize was talking about making a hobby of annoying her?”

“Oh, him? I…” Tom stopped himself from lying that he didn’t know as Mot’s crystal eyes bored into him. It was clear that the snuff box knew that he knew. And maybe, Tom considered, maybe he should just lie anyway. It wasn’t exactly any of Mot’s business, and it didn’t really matter now that Capsize was at the castle and never going to go back to the town. Yet, somehow, Tom realised that answer wasn’t going to impress the older man. So, attempting to make his words as inaudible as possible, Tom sped through his sentence as he continued. “She was talking about Jordan.”

“What?!”

🌹 🌹 🌹

Sonja was led outside by Capsize, unsure exactly what she wanted to show her. She looked so excited and that was enough for the Beast to continue following her without question, though her confusion was growing as she was led ever closer to the gate of the estate. For a moment she worried that they were about to leave, however it was not something off the estate that Capsize wanted to show her. Rather she pulled her over to a cart parked close to the gate. A cart that Sonja did not recognize. A cart that she embarrassedly and guilty realised that it must’ve been brought here by Capsize’s brother, full of the goods he was meant to be selling. And now it sat abandoned due to her actions.

Capsize wasn’t thinking of such things, her mind instead focused on where Red had put the damn thing. She pulled the tarp away, pausing for a second as she realised not a single thing looked any worse for wear despite having now been outside for a number of weeks. However, she already had questions in mind that she wanted answering, best not get caught up on any new ones. She didn’t want to get distracted.

She scanned the contents of the cart, knowing that what she was looking for had to be near the top. However, everything had clearly been shaken about in travel, leaving her searching through a mess. Surely it had to be there somewhere. The only time she wanted to find the thing it was— There it was!

Capsize made a quiet, affirmative hum as she reached through the contents of the cart. Sonja had no idea quite what she expected. She had learnt that Capsize and her brother made their business in restoring trinkets and furniture. She’d learnt as much when she’d walked into a conversation where Tom was demanding that Capsize tell him how much he was worth. And it had become clear when she joined that conversation that Capsize was remarkably talented, not that Sonja ever doubted that fact. However, it was also just as clear that she didn’t have any real magical knowledge. So, she had to wonder what precisely she was going to show her that involved enchantments. She had no idea how she was meant to react to the box wrapped in a sheer material that Capsize pulled out the cart.

“This thing has been a thorn in my side for months, I could never figure it out, but I think you might be able to explain what’s wrong with it,” Capsize began to explain. She leant against the cart as she had to use her hand holding her cane to unwrap enough of the material to show the bottom of the lockbox. She made sure to keep enough wrapped around so that none of her skin risked actually touching the wood. She still didn’t know for sure what had been causing the runes to reactive, but seeing that none were currently glowing physical touch was still certainly her best guess. “This lockbox, it… well, it has magical glyphs on it, so I assume it’s been enchanted. And the enchantment seems to be that it explodes.”

“It explodes?”

“Yes. Loud explosion, knocks whoever touched it flat, but doesn’t damage itself or its surroundings.”

“Oh, that’s…” Sonja was already trying to examine the thing at a distance. She obviously knew about such enchantments. They were honestly particularly easy as if any enchantment went wrong, it was likely to be unstable and explode. So, even if the enchanter did mess up somewhere along the way when creating an explosive rune, there was a good chance they’d get the result they wanted anyway. Of course, with the fact that Capsize at least seemed able to hold the thing, she assumed it wasn’t something so dangerous as a failed enchantment. Well, she wasn’t going to learn anything from this distance. “Can I hold it?”

“Be my guest,” Capsize laughed, happy that she might finally be getting a real explanation on the thing. However, as Sonja reached out, she quickly realised that there was a warning she’d failed to give. “Wait! You should touch the actual box. I think the enchantment is resetting when it's touched, and I’d prefer if you didn’t have to experience the thing exploding.”

Before Sonja could question precisely how Capsize had acquired the sureness that her tone held, the woman had stepped forward and was carefully placing the box in her paws to make sure the cloth stayed in place. Her hands touched her paws, and Sonja expected her to flinch, but she did no such thing. She just carried on as if she saw nothing wrong with touching a Beast like her. Sonja almost couldn’t process that fact. She couldn’t believe it. She certainly didn’t want to think any further into the action. So, she elected to ignore it.

Instead, she looked down at the lockbox that had been placed in her paws. It was not the sort of thing she would expect to be dangerous. It was utterly normal. The sort of thing that could just sit on a shelf ignored for years. However, the base which had been handed to her facing up, hosted a number of runes. Sonja recognised them, of course. Even if it had been years since she had been actively practising and researching magic, such knowledge was intertwined with her very soul, and there was one thing she was absolutely sure of as she stared at the object in her hands.

“This was done by an absolute amateur!” She found herself annoyed just looking at them. The runes all technically worked together. They did their intended function to create an explosion when touched by someone other than the owner of the box, but they had been chosen so poorly that the ‘owner’ of the box was simply whoever touched it first without a way for that person to ever be changed. That fact was annoying enough by itself, but she could also tell that the explosions were completely intentional rather than an accident when attempting an alarm or a sealing enchantment. It was so infuriatingly stupid. “It’s giving me a headache.”

“So, it’s frustrating even if you understand magic?”

“It’s horrible!” Sonja said, her exasperated tone contrasting with Capsize’s laughter. Frankly, it was the sort of thing that she would expect Tom to make. If she wasn’t absolutely positive that she’d never seen the box before she’d be heading back instead to confront him and make certain that he wasn’t responsible. As it stood, she instead just found herself staring at the mess the enchanter, whoever they were, had made. She had to fight the overwhelming urge to start scratching into the wood to fix it herself. “It clearly functions as intended, but whoever the enchanter was had barely even a basic idea of how enchanting works. They’ve chosen literally the worst kind of defensive method for an item that would sit within their own home. Not the mention, there isn’t a way to—”

Sonja cut herself off as she realised something about her own observations. This box didn’t have a way to reset the owner. The runes were designed to simply remain on and cause an explosion whenever anyone other than the original owner touched it. Yet, somehow, the runes were off.

Now, she knew that just because the glyphs that made up an enchantment weren’t glowing or obviously active, didn’t mean that they weren’t. She had used such methods throughout enchanting the castle and knew of a great number of them. However, given the mess of an enchantment she was looking at, she sincerely doubted that the box’s enchanter knew of any such methods. Even if, by some miracle, they did, she was familiar and attuned enough to mafic could feel it in objects. And, while the box certainly wasn’t devoid of magic, the enchantment certainly wasn’t currently active.

But, if it was inactive – and Sonja was quite certain that it was – and the enchantment didn’t have a reset function of any sort, then there was really only one thing that could’ve happened. She looked up at Capsize, who still looked beyond entertained that someone else was just as frustrated by the lockbox as she had been. She realised that Sonja’s gaze was on her and tilted her head ever so slightly.

“Did you turn the enchantment off?” Sonja asked. She couldn’t think of another explanation but Capsize herself had said that she didn’t know anything about magic. So, Sonja really had no idea if her assumption was correct or not. Capsize smiled.

“Yes, couldn't get it to stay off though. It kept turning back on. Honestly, I’m surprised those runes aren’t glowing right now,” She said. Sonja couldn’t help but notice how nonchalant her tone was. Well, of course she was, Sonja reasoned. She had no reason to know that she had done something that, to Sonja’s knowledge, shouldn’t have been possible without further enchanting. She should have been able to do something like this without magical knowledge? So, how had she done it?

“Do you remember the method? The only way I’d even think was possible with an enchantment like this would be adding more glyphs, which you obviously haven’t done. I doubt you’d have made this kind of mess even with no knowledge. So…”

Sonja started to ramble, losing herself in her own passion for the first time in years. Her eyes sparkled as she kept talking. Capsize found herself staring. She could so easily lose herself in the passion of those eyes. In those green, oddly human eyes. How could she not watch and just smile? She found herself hanging onto every word.

However, when Sonja herself realised what she was doing, she slowed down somewhat skittishly. She fell silent. She felt Capsize’s eyes on her, a terrible dryness developing in her throat as she was so sure that she had embarrassed herself.

As her mind flooded with the worst-case scenarios, Capsize stepped forward. Sonja hesitated to actually look at her, not wanting to see how she was being looked at. However, when she did finally look due to a hand gently touching her arm, she found Capsize smiling. Smiling so widely.

“I could definitely tell you what I did to turn the runes off. Depending what tools you have in this place, I might be able to show you what I did,” She said, excitement clear in her tone. She wanted an explanation. She wanted to keep hearing Sonja talk with the expression she just had been speaking with. And she had given Sonja an offer she absolutely couldn’t refuse.

The two ended up in Sonja’s old study, experimenting with the lockbox. Capsize showed her methods, ones far different than any that Sonja would’ve thought of as they were based on woodwork and lockpicking. She found herself so intrigued that she’d never come across such methods before.

And again, Sonja found herself rambling as Capsize asked what each of the runes actually did, as well as beginning to theorise why Capsize’s methods might have rendered them inactive. Capsize asked questions, curiosity burning as she got to learn about something new and mysterious. The discussion burned into the night as their passions fuelled each other, and both found themselves growing all the more comfortable and happy in the presence of the other.

🌹 🌹 🌹

“I want to do something for her,” Sonja said seemingly out of the blue one morning, interrupting the discussion that Martha and Waglington were having about the wizard’s latest attempt to break the curse via typical magical methods.

She knew that she was meant to be listening. While his powers had been significantly dampened by the curse, if anyone had the power to break the curse by simply overcoming the power of a goddess rather than the intended method, it would be Waglington. But Sonja had long since given up on finding any way to cheat the curse. She hadn’t admitted such a thing out loud, preferring to let those she had gotten cursed have whatever hope they could have. However, it did leave her rather unable to actually pay attention these days when such things were being discussed.

More and more, she found herself just losing focus on the world as she thought about Capsize. She couldn’t help it. She had brought with her energy and life to the castle that had been missing for so long. Whether Sonja was with her, she found herself so happy. She was able to be lost in her passions like she hadn’t in so long. It was like Capsize was a warm welcoming flame, one that spread to her and allowed her passions to burn bright. She hadn’t found herself as happy in years as she had been talking with Capsize about that lockbox.

She wanted to give such a feeling back to Capsize. It was the least that she deserved, but she felt so nervous about actually attempting to do so. She had never met someone who made her feel this way. She wasn’t even sure exactly what the feeling was. She was almost nervous to be around her, but at the same time absolutely did not want to avoid her. In fact, she wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. But what she did know was that she wanted her to know one thing for certain.

“I think I want to give her a gift. I just… I want her to know how much I appreciate her.”

Martha and Wag looked at each other. Or rather, Martha looked at Wag. For his part, his form lacked any facial features so looking wasn’t precisely something he could do anymore. His hood turned towards Martha, flopping slightly and making it clear that it was actually empty. Despite how actually looking at him had given her no insight into his thoughts, given the lack of ability to see an expression, Martha still looked as it allowed herself time to process her own thoughts.

While she had obviously been glad that Capsize had returned safe and unharmed, she had still been rather nervous about where she and Sonja had been left in terms of what little relationship they had had and the possibility that she would be the one to break the curse. It was a status she had been a little nervous about the whole time. She obviously knew they had little choice in hoping that she could, though she certainly didn’t hold Tom’s optimism that any random person who came through the door could break the curse.

Though, of course, she knew that Capsize was not just a random person. She was the messenger of Lady Ianite. Now, the idea that she had appeared by coincidence seemed farfetched. The messenger of the goddess that had cursed them just happened to show up, how could she believe that? Which is precisely why she had not told the Mistress – or anyone else for that matter. Because, despite her own logical thoughts on the matter, she could not believe that Capsize knew anything about this place or had any inkling about the true reality of it all. There was no part of her that thought Capsize knew what had been done to them by her goddess. Yet, that didn’t exactly quell her mind.

However, she supposed she should not dwell on any of those thoughts. The Mistress was making an effort in curse breaking, that was something she should encourage.

“She seemed to like the flower that you gave her. You could always give her a bouquet, that would be traditional,” Martha suggested, not quite wanting to suggest anything too large. She was glad that the two were getting along, but she wasn’t Tom. Grand romantic gestures weren’t exactly her thing, and she wasn’t going to suggest one while they still had time to play things slow. It was surely better than risking ruining what was already developing.

“No, that’s not…” Sonja wasn’t particularly being argumentative. It was rather that she just knew that something so small just couldn’t cause the feelings that she felt when she interacted with Capsize. A bouquet was something that you could give to a stranger. She couldn’t do that. “It needs to be something just for her. Something so she knows that she’s special. I just don’t want to mess up.”

She didn’t know the particular feeling that she was looking for as she had no idea what it was that she’d been feeling around her. She knew at least part of it was excitement, but it was also so much more than that, which meant she had no idea how to inspire it in Capsize. She switched her gaze to Wag, hoping he’d have some advice.

“Don’t look at me. My main strategy for dating was swooping in when a couple was arguing.”

“That’s absolutely terrible!” Martha said, her attention thoroughly dragged onto the wizard. With him having no facial features, it was impossible to tell if he was being serious. Somehow, despite sincerely hoping that he was, she had the distinct feeling that he wasn’t joking. That thought was so utterly distracting that she completely forgot where she was and that she should probably be aiding the Mistress in this. She turned her attention back to her, finding her looking beyond confused. Martha just sighed. “Well, typically these kinds of gestures are meant to come from the heart. You’ve been spending more time with her. You surely must know enough about her interests to know something she’d like. Though, if you do want suggestions, she mentioned to Steve that she was from Ianerea, so culturally there’s…”

Martha continued talked, giving some suggestions based on the knowledge she had of the island. Her knowledge was admittedly tenuous. She had only visited once decades ago, but the traders from there did quite often visit Dagrun and she’d met a good number of the higher ups of the island when they came to visit her father. She reasoned that some things were intertwined enough that they likely hadn’t changed in the years it had been since she’d learnt them.

However, Martha needn’t have worried about the truth of her words, as Sonja wasn’t actually listening. She was aware that the clock was still talking, and wasn’t ignoring her to be rude, but rather her first statement about Capsize’s interests had been latched onto and Sonja’s thoughts were working overtime as an idea formed in her head. It seemed so obvious now, as her brain was unable to stop thinking about the thing that she had scarcely seen the woman without.

And in that moment, she knew exactly what she could do for Capsize. A gesture she was so sure that she would appreciate. It was, ever so possibly, too large a gesture, but she was so sure that this was something that would bring Capsize joy. Beyond anything, that was her aim. So, she was decided.

🌹 🌹 🌹

It took a couple of days for Sonja to actually feel ready.

The first day was physical preparations as she feverously worked to make sure the room was up to a standard that she felt was actually deserving of Capsize. Perhaps she was overly stressed about it, but she needed to make sure the place was presentable. The room hadn’t exactly fallen to ruin. It, like every room in the castle, was enchanted to be self-cleaning so dust and the like had been kept away. However, that wasn’t good enough. It needed to be beautiful. That was the least that Capsize deserved.

The second day was just her working up the courage to actually approach Capsize. She knew such nervousness was silly. The old version of herself, the princess consumed by research and magical pursuits, never would have had such nerves. However, she was also acutely aware that said version of herself never would’ve spoken to someone like Capsize. A commoner with no real knowledge of magic never would have caught her interest, not with the dismissiveness she had had by the time of the cures. That thought, that terrible thought, felt like a sharp stab through her chest.

That unnerving stabbing feeling had taken a good few hours to work through. As it turned out, it was rather difficult to tell herself that her past didn’t define her when it had literally changed everything about her life and quite literally defined her current form. She was so utterly ashamed that there was any version of herself that would’ve ignored Capsize. By the time she had broken free of her own self-loathing, she had realised it was far too late an hour to present the surprise as Capsize had almost certainly already retired for the night.

So here she was the following morning, still a couple of hours before noon, lingering outside Capsize’s room. She still could not bring herself to knock. She was as presentable as she could be in this form, something she had been trying to take more awareness of these past few weeks. She still didn’t like looking at herself, at this beastly form that wasn’t her, but she was trying now. Her clothes felt grounding in a way she hadn’t expected them too. She had thought that she’d feel like a pantomime of her previous self, but that wasn’t true at all.

Interacting with Capsize had truly changed everything. That was why she needed to do this. Whether it had been her goal or not, she had without a doubt made her a better person. She needed to thank her for that. So, attempting to quell her own nerves as best as she could, she finally approached her door and knocked.

In reality, it was only a few moments before Capsize opened the door. However, to Sonja, it stretched on for far, far longer. The negative, illogical thoughts began to overwhelm her again as she waited. Despite what progress she had been making, they were still remarkably hard to shift. It was not as if she genuinely believed that Capsize may hate her, but that did not make her fear the possibility any less as it flitted through her head. Yet, despite how loud and inescapable the thoughts seemed, when Capsize opened the door, a warm smile on her face, they all quieted.

“Sonja!” She greeted. For a moment, Sonja worried that she’d disturbed her, before she quickly looked over her and realised that was clearly not the case. She was just relaxed, wearing a soft, powder blue shirt decorated with embroidery – clearly Martha's – and a pair of work trousers that were either Mot’s or Steve’s. It was an odd combination, and Sonja’s mind always lingered on who the clothes were meant to belong to, but none of her thoughts about the clothes were louder than the one of how Capsize looked pretty in them. Said thought left her unbelievably flustered as she tried to fight her mind away from it.

“Capsize. I… Can I show you something,” Despite all her preparations, all her nerves had returned at full force. She was truly considering running away, pretending that she had never made this plan at all. However, she knew that she couldn’t give in to such thoughts.

Capsize noticed the way she was acting, and was curious about it, but elected not to point it out. It would be rude, after all. Instead, she just smiled. She couldn’t believe how quickly her life had changed, as she found herself beyond excited at the prospect of Sonja wanting to show her something, the exact opposite of her first night here.

“Of course! What is it?” She asked, already taking steps outside of her room.

“It’s a surprise!” Sonja’s smile was wide as she suddenly felt all the surer of herself. This was for Capsize, if she was excited, then clearly she was doing something right. Then she thought of when she and Tom were kids, when he had set up a surprise for her. She couldn’t remember what it was, though she was sure it was something silly, but she remembered being so incredibly excited. However, the reason the memory had come into her head was what Tom had said when he had first talked to her that day. “Aren’t you meant to close your eyes?”

Capsize laughed, not mocking but a little confused. Still, she supposed if she was trusting Sonja, she should fully trust her. She stepped up so she was next to Sonja and offered her left arm.

“If you insist, but I think I’ll need some guidance towards the surprise in that case,” She said, though only offering her arm rather than taking Sonja’s as she didn’t want to force her to do anything that may make her uncomfortable.

Sonja hesitated. Maybe it was silly of herself to do so. It wasn’t as if Capsize was something fragile that she could easily break, even if her own strength made her fear that she could, but they hadn’t touched for such a prolonged period of time before. She worried about Capsize regretting her decision, even if she knew if that happened, she’d say so. However, she still couldn’t get over that thought, that Capsize would hate the idea of touching her.

Capsize, worried by her silence, frowned slightly. Was her tone wrong? “You don’t have to if you aren’t comfortable, but I trust you to lead me.”

With that reassurance, Sonja allowed herself to take Capsize’s arm. She still didn’t feel entirely confident, still had so much of her mind focused on being gentle. She wanted to make sure that she could pull away if she so desired, though there was no reaction of discomfort from the woman. Rather, Capsize found herself entirely comfortable closing her eyes and allowing herself to be guided.

They walked slowly. While Capsize was confident enough that Sonja was not going to lead her astray, walking with her eyes closed was an incredibly odd experience. For her part, Sonja found herself vigilant for anything that might trip her up or cause her to stumble. She had, as far as Sonja was aware, been recovering from her fall in the encounter with the wolves. She wanted to avoid causing her another injury. Yet, despite the slow progress or perhaps because of it, Capsize found herself getting more and more excited.

“Can I have a clue?” She asked, unable to stop her mind from trying to figure out precisely what the surprise was. Obviously, she was sure it would be nice. She trusted Sonja more than enough to know she would not lead her to something unpleasant, but that was nowhere near enough to satiate her curiosity. She heard Sonja laugh quietly.

“We’ll be in there in a minute.”

“So, it’s a place rather than a thing,” Capsize questioned, hearing another quiet laugh. Sonja was glad that she sounded so excited. Just hearing the tone made her chest flutter. She hoped that her rapid heartbeat couldn’t be heard by the woman, though they were so close together that she was almost sure that it could be. She wasn’t even sure if she should be embarrassed by such a thing, as her mind seemed to be overthinking everything.

In a way, the nerves felt good as it was another emotion she hadn’t truly felt in years that she had been regaining thanks for Capsize. She first felt it the first night that she had been here, though it had been mixed with guilt, self-loathing, and anger. She hadn’t felt the same then as she had as she had been interacting with Capsize since her return, since she had once again allowed herself to be Sonja. Now, despite how she didn’t particularly like feeling it, now she couldn’t deny that it did somewhat feel positive.

The nerves now were because they had something, something she couldn’t let be snuffed out due to some mistake. So that surely meant that they were a good thing. She shouldn’t worry herself about them. She shouldn’t worry about her rapidly racing thoughts. She didn’t need to worry about what Capsize’s reaction was going to be as the doors came into view.

“Can I open my eyes?” Capsize asked as she sensed they were slowing down. She was nervous and excited, and generally overwhelmed by the uncontrollable giddy feeling of wonder she had always experienced when she had been exploring some new place. She had no idea how long she could keep her eyes closed for as so much energy was welling up inside her.

“Just a few more moments…” Sonja said as she guided her inside. She knew there was little she could do if she did spot anything wrong, but she still couldn’t stop herself from running her eyes over everything for anything she might have missed. She couldn’t see anything. Of course, that didn’t mean that she’d done a perfect job as her thoughts wouldn’t stop reminding her, but it did mean there was no point in stalling any longer. She took a breath, trying to push excitement to the forefront of her mind. Even if this went terribly wrong, at the very least she had tried. “Okay! You can open them!”

Capsize opened her eyes. She felt her breath taken away. She had all but forgotten about the library that Tom had mentioned. Her exploration of the west wing had ended so terribly that the place Tom had attempted to distract her with had completely slipped out of her mind. Now she was actually here, she couldn’t believe that she had waited so long to visit the room. She walked further in, eyes lighting up as she took it all in.

“This is more books than I’ve seen in my whole life,” She said, knowing it was an understatement. It was more books than she’d even imagined. The room itself was bigger than any she had been in outside of the castle, with shelves built into the walls that were all filled, stuffed, with books. It was overwhelming, but in a way that felt thoroughly brilliant.

Sonja watched her smile with a growing elation in her heart. Her nerves had washed away as Capsize turned on the spot in the centre of the room, her eyes sparkling as they scanned over everything. The wonder was so obvious and clear on her features, and Sonja felt herself lost in it. She’d done it.

“This library, it’s yours now,” Sonja said. Capsize turned to her, heart leaping into a suddenly dry throat. She must’ve misheard, she must have done. However, Sonja was smiling, and she knew she had actually heard perfectly well. Her mind was split in two, conflicting thoughts clawing at it. Because, oh she wanted to say yes. How could she want to say anything else? However, it was not the positive acceptance that she desperately wanted to be able to say that came out of her mouth when she finally fought through her shock and hesitance to manage to speak at all.

“No… No, I can’t. I don’t deserve—” Were the words that spilled out. She didn’t want to refuse. More than anything, she wanted to say yes, to accept the library was her. Of course she did, it looked like something from out of a dream. However, every instinct she had was screaming that she’d never be able to live up to such a gift. Her sense of balance felt so thrown off.

“You deserve more than I could ever give you,” Sonja breathed, not intended to be heard. Despite her intentions, however, she was. Her quiet words echoed through Capsize’s thoughts. Even if so many of them were screaming that, regardless of if there was any actual cost, she’d never be able to repay something such as this.

Seeing her face, the indecision laced on her features, Sonja tried to think into words why she had done this. How was she meant to phrase the feelings that Capsize had ignited inside her when she didn’t even know what they were? The words she ended up deciding on were ones she had said before, now even more sure of them as she had been then. ““If it’ll make you happy, you should take it. It’s a gift and you deserve things that make you smile.”

Capsize had no idea how to define her current feelings. She wouldn’t say they were unpleasant, rather an unfamiliar form of nice, but she felt so reluctant to allow herself this. She had always felt so secure in the balance, a careful equilibrium she maintained and that kept her steady. Could it really be okay to let it tip? She thought of Ianite, her Lady, her friend! Even when she’d been silent for so long now, Capsize couldn’t imagine breaching her faith in such a way.

Because she felt like this would be betraying her, even if she couldn’t put her finger on precisely why. She had kept the balance because it was important… because it made her feel safe. Then she looked at Sonja, at the soft smile on the Fox’s features and all her thoughts quieted.

Here she was standing in a room that could have literally been pulled from one of her dreams and she was trying to justify a reason to be unhappy. For what? Because it was new and strange to allow herself to be happy? And looking at Sonja, she realised how foolish she was being as she allowed herself to feel her heart flutter.

“Oh Sonja. Thank you so much, it’s wonderful!” Her anxieties, the tangled mess of duty and self-control, didn’t disappear, but she pushed down the thought of the scales and the balance and instead looked at Sonja with a barely controlled smile. She allowed herself to feel every positive emotion, almost wanting to cry as she felt a freedom she hadn’t in oh so long.

A warm feeling spread through Sonja’s chest as she watched the sheer joy Capsize experienced. She would be lying if she said that said feeling didn’t grow stronger as Capsize ended up hugging her, her overwhelming excitement and thankfulness resulting in the act. However, she didn’t need that, or any thanks really. It was rewarding enough just to see her happy.

#mianite #mianite fanfiction #cat's fanfiction #sonja firefoxx #sonja firefoxx/captain capsize #captain capsize #mianite batb au #foxxsize #tom syndicate #mot screziato #martha the mystic #alyssa screziato #prince andor #this is literally 16000 - i hope you all enjoy

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coolcattime · 6 days

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Home and Free: Chapter Fifteen - Wait and See, A Few Days More

Relationship: Captain Capsize/Sonja Firefox, Captain Capsize/Jordan Captainsparklez (onesided)

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A few days later, Sonja was doing her best to sort through the mess that her old workshop had become. She knew it was beyond far too late to regret the state she had allowed the west wing to fall into but ruining the cleaning enchantments in her initial rage and frustrations had been in retrospect a stupid decision.

The whole wing was currently covered in dust and broken glass and her workshop was entirely disorganised after being used as a den rather than a study for far too long. How had she been fine to let it fester like this for years?

However, she was not allowing herself to linger and focus on such self-loathing thoughts at the current moment. She was instead thoroughly focused on clearing some space in her workspace.

The room already looked far more welcoming than it had when Capsize explored it. Though the place was still damaged, she’d managed to at least clean up a bit. And she’d gotten the lights working. With warm lighting it didn’t seem nearly as much of a horror show as it had previously. Though, Sonja was only really concerned with making it a good space to work in.

It had been a good long while since she had created a magical item from scratch. Honestly, she was beyond nervous of actually beginning the process, which was a large part of why she was still trying to clear up and make the space look nice rather than actually beginning. This had to go well.

She knew that at this point she was just procrastinating, but even if she did feel ready, she didn’t want to start while being watched. That was proving to be a problem as currently with her in her study was Martha and Mot. She had no desire to work in front of them, mostly out of fear of what had become of her skills, but she also didn’t particularly want to ask them to leave when they were in the middle of a conversation.

“So, you don’t care that she’s Ianite’s messenger,” Martha questioned. As much as Sonja bristled at it, she could exactly blame the clock for asking. The idea of what would’ve happened if she’d learnt of Capsize’s title in those first few days came into her head in terrible bursts. She’d just been desperately trying not to think about it. Still though she bristled.

Obviously, she didn’t care about her title. She wasn’t that anger-consumed monster that she had been. She wasn’t going to ruin everything because of a detail that didn’t matter. Capsize was her friend and she trusted her. If Lady Ianite had sent her here, she would’ve said so. All her confession had done was confirm that the goddess had hurt yet another person that she cared about.

“No, she’s my friend. Her title isn’t going to change that. Besides, it isn’t as if Lady Ianite has been kind to her,” She replied, muttering the latter part. Though, it was an unnecessary addition. She wouldn’t have cared even if she was still on good terms with the goddess, or at least she desperately hoped that she wouldn’t have. Not that it mattered, hearing how distressed Capsize had been by her goddess’ actions, it was impossible to be upset by her title.

“Yes, it is rather unbelievable how the goddess seems to be acting,” Martha said. As Sonja looked at her cursed form, she could also see her nonchalantly playing with hair that she didn’t currently have. There was something she was hiding. So much was incredibly obvious, but Sonja wasn’t particularly in the mood for a long and confusing conversation.

“You only just started thinking that?” Mot said dryly.

Sonja wasn’t able to stop herself from snorting. Even with her head turned back to her desk, she could sense Martha’s eyes rolling. The conversation felt so ordinary, like how it felt before the curse though somewhat softer than they were towards the end. No one was actually snapping at each other. No one seemed exhausted.

“Of course not. I’m not oblivious,” Martha retorted. To one unfamiliar with the woman, this would sound like the start of a fight. However, both Mot and Sonja knew her well enough to know this was simply how she spoke. She might be agitated, but not at them. Rather at someone who could not hear and likely did not care. “But to actively ignore her own messenger after an injury is still… It feels worse than what she did to us.”

“I don’t think we should go around saying it in front of the others, but you’ve got a point,” Mot knew that objectively speaking, the curse was worse. However, hearing all that Lady Ianite had been doing with her own followers since left a particularly bad taste in his mouth.

She was seemingly letting her own champion do whatever the hell he wanted, given how much Capsize seemed to dislike the man. That was enough to make the goddess a hypocrite in his eyes, given how she had judged Sonja for an act of cruelty. However, the fact that Ianite had seemingly just abandoned her own messenger sparked a different kind of distaste. It left the same bad taste in his mouth that Dianite having not spoken to Tom since the curse had begun.

The curse was cruel in the way that one expected of a god: world shaking and terrible but not a betrayal. It certainly felt personal and an extremely over the top punishment to inflict on a teenager, but Sonja hadn’t had any thoughts on the goddess previously, hadn’t expected anything from her. The abandonments, though? They felt far too human a cruelty.

It’s because she didn’t do anything to deserve it. Sonja thought, though she didn’t dare to actually say the words out loud. She didn’t want to imply, even accidently, that anyone but herself had done anything to deserve this terrible fate. However, it didn’t stop her from knowing that truth. The reason what Ianite had done to Capsize felt different was that she hadn’t done anything to deserve her abandonment meanwhile she had deserved at least some punishment for what she had done that night.

“Just another thing to confront her about when the curse is broken,” Sonja muttered. It was not a statement intended to be heard, her voice barely even audible. But her words were heard.

The clock and the snuffbox looked at each other, unsure if they should voice their shock out loud. Never had they heard Sonja say the word ‘when’ in relation to the curse being broken. At best she said ‘if’, but more typically when talking about it, they’d receive a pained look that portrayed her disbelief of the possibility of the idea.

Mot smiled. It was half hidden by the jewels that adorned him in this form, but it was a true moment of heartwarming joy. The princess finally seemed to have hope.

“Ah! Here they are,” Sonja said as she finally found her tools. They, of course, had been doing nothing but gathering dust, but this was hopefully one of those things that she hadn’t forgotten. Well, at least she had some time to practise if it turned out her skills at crafting magical objects had faded over time.

“Are you sure that you really need to give her another gift?” Martha questioned. It felt a little backwards to Sonja. Surely, Martha should be encouraging her to get closer to Capsize in any way possible.

Though, she supposed that none of what she was doing was in any way close to traditional courting methods. Sonja obviously still remembered all the rules of courting that had been drilling into her head when she had been becoming a teenager. She knew all the ways that it was supposed to work.

But Capsize was not a noble and seemed to have neither knowledge of nor care for said rules. As such it seemed utterly pointless to follow them, especially given the ever-dwindling time limit. However, now was also not the time to be petulant.

“It’s for the solstice. She’s giving me a gift too,” She said. It was different from the flower and the library. It was a holiday. Gifts were both expected and a traditional part of it. “But if you think it’s too much, you can be the one to tell Tom.”

“Well, just make sure it’s small. You don’t want her to get overwhelmed,” Martha said, rather more softly than she typically would.

She still feared this all falling apart. She knew that, at this point, that was a rather illogical fear. The two women had clearly been making progress with each other, and quite clearly saw each other as friends. But rather unfortunately, friendship was not enough in their current circumstances, and as such her nerves were stuck.

She knew that being discouraging would not help matters, though. Progress was being made and spirits were far higher than they had ever been, so she was doing her best to bite down her worries so as to not dampen the mood.

“Of course, it’ll just be a traditional sort of gift for the solstice,” Sonja said with a smile. Her tone was so calm that one could almost be convinced that she was merely doing this to keep Tom happy.

This satisfied Martha enough, though she had a feeling that it would not merely be a traditional gift. Arguing about it would get her nowhere and if they were serious about celebrating this holiday, there were things she needed to make sure were in order.

Mot watched her leave, but did not follow after her. He did have his own plans to help set things in place for the celebration, but he didn’t want to leave Sonja just yet. Not when it was infinitely clear that she was not planning on creating something small.

“Really? You’re making a traditional solstice gift?” He said with a slight chuckle. She was pulling out tools and materials to make a magic item for the first time in years. There was absolutely no way that any project she was planning was small or simple.

“It’ll be handmade and be easily held in her hands. That’s the traditional description Tom gave me,” Sonja said, turning to him with a look that he hadn’t seen from her in well over a decade. She was smirking, an actual smirk. He almost laughed. Beyond the progress of the relationship that they were all watching with bated breath, he was seeing another type of positive progress.

Even if she was still stuck in an inhuman form, he could look at her and see her true self. It would be enough to make him cry if he still could. “It’s her first time celebrating, she deserves something special.”

“I’m sure anything you could give her would be special,” He said, expecting an eye roll. Instead, he saw a tiny smile that was quickly hidden.

It was a reaction that bloomed as much hope as it did worry. Clearly, whenever she was actively trying or not, Sonja was closer to breaking the curse than she ever believed herself capable of. And Mot knew that he should see that as an inarguably good thing. However, this curse required two to break.

If someone asked Mot, he would without question say that if anyone was going to break the curse, it would be Capsize. He did not have the unending confidence that Tom possessed but he was optimistic, and he saw how the two were beginning to look at each other. However, he could not stop his worry from festering.

He had always known that, in the worst world where the curse was not broken, that the night where that final petal fell would be terrible. Now though, it had become even worse. The idea of Sonja needing to deal with heartbreak on top of failure would be more devastating than anything he ever wanted her to suffer. He could only pray that his fears would not come to pass.

Thankfully, Sonja was not privy to these thoughts. Indeed, she had only heard the words that he had actually said out loud, words that had finally given her the confidence boost she needed to stop procrastinating. Though, there was one more thing she needed to do within her preparation, the part that she was by far the most nervous about.

She took a breath. She still heavily disliked having to use the mirror, needing to look at herself was still somewhat painful, but she could do it for the few moments that she’d need to.

She picked up the mirror and once again found herself looking into it. Once again looking at a face that wasn’t hers, that wasn’t human. Her hatred for it still hadn’t left, and she doubted that it would ever fade. However, if Capsize could look at her and smile, maybe it wasn’t so terrible.

But she wasn’t using the mirror to look at herself.

“Show me Capsize’s ship.”

🌹 🌹 🌹

Across the castle, Capsize sat in the kitchen absentmindedly preparing ingredients. It was the sort of thing that she no longer needed to focus on, especially with the aid of a sentient stove doing the bulk of the hard tasks of cooking, which was good. If she did need to concentrate, the way that Tom was talking would be impossibly distracting.

“How come you’ve never mentioned this before?!” The candelabra exclaimed as he hopped across the countertop. He had already been overly excitable these past few days as he got closer to once again celebrating the solstice. The fact that it was going to be Capsize’s first time celebrating only grew his excitement all the more. Every small detail he got to help to plan and set up did so too. He felt more alive than he had in years, and Tom had never particularly lacked energy.

His excitement had once again increased when he had learnt that Sonja and Capsize were making each other presents. Even if he couldn’t join in with the tradition, he was going to do anything he could to help them with making their presents for each other. And now he knew what Capsize was going to give as a present. Needless to say, his excitement about the holiday was now mixing with the excitement of the potential he saw for the curse breaking into one giant energetic mess.

Steve could already tell that he was going to be insufferable for the next week.

“It just never crossed my mind,” Capsize shrugged. Obviously, she had shared a good amount of her life with Tom and Sonja, but certain things just hadn’t come up yet. While, admittedly, some of those things were things that she had little want to share, this one was not one of them. She just hadn’t thought about it until the concept of a handmade gift came up. “I haven’t sketched in years. I hadn't even thought about it until I needed to make a gift.”

In all honesty, she was quite nervous about the idea. That was why she was currently cooking rather than actually attempting any art. Her sketches weren’t things that she had shared with people before, and she honestly felt odd calling them anything even close to art. Yet, she quite liked the idea of drawing for Sonja. Though, no matter how warm a feeling it gave her, she couldn’t stop herself from completely overthinking the idea.

“Well, still think you should’ve told me. You could’ve drawn me!” Tom said in such a tone that it was impossible to tell if he was being serious or not.

Capsize shook her head but continued to smile, giving Tom the notion that she might actually be considering his not-quite request. This only increased his excitement, as he hopped closer to Capsize. “Wait! You should draw me! I’ve never had a portrait done!”

“Ah yes, I’m sure that a portrait of you is exactly what Sonja wants as a present,” Steve muttered in a deadpan tone.

Tom looked at him with a frown, or rather a pout, on his metal features.

Steve just rolled his eyes.

For all his investment in getting romance going, it seemed that Tom had immediately forgotten about said goal now that a holiday involving his god had come up. While Steve could hope that meant that romance was progressing so well that they no longer needed prodding forward in that regard, he doubted that was why Tom was suddenly no longer fixated on it.

“Come on, let me dream,” Tom said, though he had no idea if Steve would play along with him. It had all been a bit more random since the curse. The stove still certainly had a soft spot for him but given his current form and the circumstances behind him being in the kitchen the night of the curse, he also got annoyed at him far more than he used to.

But still, he still liked Tom enough to not drive him out the kitchen anytime he entered, so it seemed it was still very much in Steve’s good books.

“I think you’d be disappointed if I tried,” Capsize said with a light-hearted enough laugh that her words almost didn’t sound self-deprecating. She certainly wasn’t trying to be, she was just nervous about any potential skills she might have.

She hadn’t sketched since she had come to the town. She’d considered it, but her sketches had always been a part of her travel journals. Doing them when her ability to travel had been ripped away from her had felt frankly depressing.

That and it was truly a private hobby to her. She hadn’t even told Red about it, so the idea of sketching where people who she’d have to see every day might see her doing so scared her far more than it logically should.

She also would’ve needed to ask Red to get her supplies and that had always left her distinctly uncomfortable for a reason she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Just an uncomfortable mix of anxieties. A little from the mere idea of having to tell him of her hobby which would lead to questions as to how he hadn’t known in the first place. But mostly from the idea of having to ask for something just for her own happiness.

Anxieties had eaten away at her until she had decided to especially abandon the hobby instead. Though, being out of practice wasn’t the reason for her words.

“I’ve only ever drawn landscapes. I imagine if I tried to draw a person, it’ll turn out a mess.”

“I mean, I’m more landscape than person in terms of art, aren’t I?” Tom prodded, just about managing to keep his tone sounding cocky and carefree despite his nerves from her statement.

He knew, undoubtedly, that Capsize was growing suspicious of them just being enchanted objects. But he needed to know how close she actually was to questioning about their true forms.

In a way, he was fine with her finding everything out. It’d make everything easier as they’d no longer have to watch everything they said. But he knew the truth was a story that Sonja needed to tell, so he had to hope that Capsize wasn’t about to ask the question he was sure was building in her mind.

He just had to hope that it had been a slip on her end. Or he was missing something about art. That seemed likely. It wasn’t exactly something he was knowledgeable about.

Capsize found her words frozen on her tongue as she tried desperately to contemplate them carefully. The statement had spilled out so naturally. After all, appearances aside, the residents of the castle were people. The idea that drawing the majority of them would be more akin to a still life than a portrait felt utterly wrong.

Though, as she looked at Tom’s grin, she realised he himself may not even believe his words. He just wanted her to draw him.

“Fine. I’ll consider it,” She said, still more happy than exasperated. Tom counted that as a win, though he could sense that she still had more to say. “But there won’t be any sketches if I don’t find supplies. If you want to be drawn, you can help.”

“Oh! Absolutely! There’s…” Despite his immediate enthusiasm, Tom actually had absolutely no idea where he might find art supplies.

There had been portrait artists that had come through to paint Sonja throughout the years, and they’d always paint her in the same room. There was half a chance that they had left behind some supplies, though he sincerely doubted it.

Capsize quietly sighed at his floundering. It was almost certainly a no.

“Maybe I could just use ink,” She considered out loud, slowly chopping as she thought. It wasn’t a material she particularly wanted to use, with how nervous she was and how permanent it was. But it was at the very least available in plentiful supply.

Steve looked between the two. He knew that there was an obvious answer to this issue. But he certainly didn’t actually want to actually suggest it. He tried to just stare at Tom, as if that would somehow force the candelabra to suggest it for him.

But as he looked at the two of them, he saw them both wearing the same expression. Clearly neither had any idea how to proceed. Unfortunately, it seemed that Tom was not going to remember the solution to this problem.

He bit back his frustration. It’d get him back to being a human. Anything was worth that.

“Waglington should be able to summon art supplies for you,” Steve said, it being surprisingly hard to keep his voice level.

Immediately, Tom did a double take.

“Do my ears deceive me?” He asked in mock shock.

Steve groaned, already not in the mood and regretting saying anything at all. However, no amount of groaning was going to stop Tom from milking this for every ounce of entertainment he could squeeze from it. “Did you, Steve, actually just recommend that we go and talk to Waglington?! Is the world ending?!”

“Look, you need art supplies. The bastard robe should still be able to summon simple objects if he’s got any intelligence left in him. You can light him on fire afterwards for all I care.”

“There’s the Steve I know,” Tom laughed, receiving yet another glare from him.

Capsize ended up watching as the two began to bicker. A small smile grew on her face as she continued prepping her meal. It reminded her of the days on the ship that she missed so much.

She did, as was typical of her time in the castle thus far, end up with more questions than she already had. What precisely the objects were had been on her mind more and more lately. She had begun to consider a terrible possible reality that she really didn’t wish to.

But she didn’t need to consider that right now. Later, certainly, she did want some answers eventually. But eventually was the key word.

For right now, she could just allow her questions to quiet and enjoy the moment.

🌹 🌹 🌹

When the winter solstice came, it was truly picturesque. Snowfall was light, present to make the holiday ‘feel right’ in the words of Tom but light enough that everyone was easily able to go outside. The perfect weather for the holiday if you asked Tom, and even those who didn’t ask were hearing his excited rambling regardless. All his excitement that had been building in the lead up had combined into one giant whirlwind of energy. Needless to say, he had been insufferable for most of the day.

Thankfully, he had in no way put a dampen on the holiday for anyone. After all, if there ever was a day to indulge the champion, it was today. Hence most of the castle’s residents were just smiling through it. It had been a while since they had gotten to celebrate anything, they should let him have his fun.

Meanwhile, his excitement was nothing less than infectious to Capsize. She honestly had had no idea what to expect, but she had spent the day unable to contain her joy. Even without the infectious excitement from Tom, the day felt special in a way that one hadn’t in a long time.

Red decorations had appeared throughout the castle overnight that reminded her of celebrations back on Ianerea. It was so easy to just allow herself to be taken in by the excitement and whimsy and just simply enjoy herself.

Everyone had truly gone all out. After all, it had been so long since they had had anything to celebrate, now that they did, they were going to make the most of it. They could easily justify it with the idea that’d help with breaking the curse, but they were truly just celebrating to celebrate. And that just made the atmosphere all the warmer.

Sonja had been with Capsize the entire day and had been similarly lost in the joy of the holiday. Lost in the joy of finally celebrating something again after so many years of hiding herself away from everything and everyone. Though her mounting happiness wasn’t entirely just due to the holiday. Rather, it was from watching the sheer joy that Capsize was experiencing.

The joy of someone who deserved it more than anything else. It was near magical.

The short day was, as many of their days, mostly composed of Sonja and Capsize feeding off each other’s happiness. But, of course, the day was only a small part of the winter solstice. The true celebration had started once the sun went down.

Sonja and Capsize were now sat outside staring at the fire burning before them. Capsize lent against Sonja’s arm as the two listened to Tom tell the story of the holiday. It was the one he used to tell at the town’s festival, still well practised despite how long it had been since he had told it.

He wondered who had taken over telling it in the town now that he had been forgotten. Tucker? Jordan? Or someone else entirely? He had no idea, and likely was not going to get an answer, but his mind was currently so far from such melancholic thoughts.

How couldn’t it be when he was watching Capsize smile as she lent closer to Sonja? The curse was closer to breaking than ever. He could taste it. Dianite had truly blessed this day.

“And with that flame, the champion restored the sun, finally putting an end to the endless night,” Tom finished the story, feeling truly like a champion as he told such an important story of his Lord.

While he had been quite reassured of his own position when Capsize had unknowingly confirmed that he hadn’t been replaced, he still wondered and feared that Dianite may have forgotten about him due to the curse. In this moment, though, he knew his god was watching him and just hoped he was doing him proud.

Still, he couldn’t stop now. This night was going to be perfect. He’d made sure of it. “And on this night, we light our own flames and wish on them with the hope that the great Lord Dianite will grant our prayers as he did long ago.”

Tom snuffed out one of his own candles somewhat theatrically. This was the bit he had been looking forward to the most. The tradition he had always secretly looked forward to the most. Presents were good, sure, but nothing had more potential than wishes. It helped that as Dianite’s champion, his wishes were surely the most likely to be granted.

Sonja gently nudged Capsize causing her to straighten herself up. As she did, she almost questioned if she should be asking Lord Dianite for anything, but Tom was smiling, and she decided it made sense for the god to be more generous on a day of celebration for him. Even if she didn’t follow him.

As she took a hold of her cane that had been resting beside her on the stone bench, Sonja produced two candles from her pockets. They were thick old things, the kind that she used for rituals. She had been worried at first that they’d be a particular type of candle that was meant to be used, but both Mot and Tom had assured her that the type really didn’t matter. She handed one to Capsize, the candle looking far larger in her hand than it had in her paw.

“You brought them great! Now just light your candle and make a wish,” Tom said. He himself brought his two candles that now acted as his hands together, lighting the one that he had snuffed out. As he did, he wished for the curse to finally be broken.

It was the same wish he had made every year since the curse had begun. Though every year previously, he had been wishing quietly on his own. This year, however, he wasn’t making the wish with a dull hopelessness. He could see it so close to being granted in front of him, he was just asking for a little push.

He smiled up at Capsize, beckoning her closer. “Come on, I’ll light yours.”

“Thank you,” She said quietly. Seeing that Tom was stood on a stone bench like the one she and Sonja had been sat on, she didn’t need to crouch for him to light her candle.

The flame spread from his candle to hers and a new flame began to burn. The candle suddenly felt oddly heavy in her hand, as if its purpose added weight in some way.

“Now just make a wish and leave the candle on the bench. As long as you leave it to go out naturally, the wish’ll come true,” He explained.

Capsize didn’t quite believe that anything could ever be so simple, but she’d spent the day so happy that whether the wish could really come true or not didn’t matter. What was the harm in wishing after all?

As she placed the candle on the stone, she wished with all her heart for Redbeard to be okay. She was safe here now, happy despite everything. Even if there was still some lingering sadness, it was far less than when she had been living in the town. All she wished was that her brother would know that she was okay here and move on with his own life without guilt or worry for her.

It seemed a futile thing to hope for, but she still did.

Sonja looked at Capsize, saw her expression turn serious for the first time that day. She closed her eyes and almost seemed to be praying, a tear blossoming in the corner of her eyes. The Beast reached out, placing a paw on her shoulder. Though, she didn’t dare ask the reason for the tears. Wishes were private things after all. Still, she would offer any comfort that she could provide.

Capsize leaned close to her. Sonja considered wrapping her whole arm around her but thought that felt far too much for the current situation. She just wanted to comfort her, not take advantage of her sadness.

She had no idea how long they stayed in this position. She knew it could not have been an overly long time, but it truly felt like hours before the moment was eventually broken by Tom.

“Ready for your wish, Fluffles?” He said with a softly joking tone. She chuckled, finding comfort in it. It truly felt like everything was normal.

She leaned down, Tom lighting her candle as he had lit Capsize’s.

Sonja took a breath as she thought of her wish. She had no idea if she believed that any of the gods would grant any wish that she had. But she was not wishing for herself, so perhaps they would listen just this once.

Sonja wished for Capsize’s happiness. For Capsize to have all that she wished for and more. For her to have all the answers that she desired and deserved.

Maybe it was selfish of her to not wish for the curse to be broken when it affected so many people. But here in this moment, she could not imagine wishing for anyone else but Capsize.

The two candles were placed next to each other, burning brightly. Neither knew what the other had wished for and neither wanted to know. Wishes were private things, but there was still comfort in knowing that they had not been made alone.

“Well,” Tom said, finally breaking the silence after a number of minutes. He’d done all he needed to and frankly all he could. It was time to leave the two lovebirds to their own devices and hope. “I’m gonna head inside, help anyone in there who wants to make wishes. You two should stay by the fire, enjoy the night. It’s what Dianite would want.”

He didn’t listen to their calls after him as he hopped away, not wanting to be tempted to remain. Because as much as he would like to stay, to continue with the festivities, he knew that any opportunity for the two to bond was ultimately good. Maybe the curse would even break tonight!

With that wishful thought, he entered the castle. He would end up joining Mot and Martha at a window looking out at the two by the fire. Everything had to go well.

Capsize and Sonja had no idea that they were being watched, of course. Nor did the idea so much as broach either one of their minds as they sat back on the bench. For once, Sonja felt no nerves as she sat alone with Capsize.

“Today has been wonderful. I hope the holiday has been enjoyable for you, too,” She said, unable to keep herself from smiling, especially as she watched a similar expression grow on Capsize’s features.

“Of course it’s been enjoyable!” She exclaimed. She had truly had a better time celebrating than she had at any point since she had left the ship. They had made this day beyond wonderful. “But don’t act as if it’s over. We still have the gifts for each other before it can finish.”

“How could I forget?” Sonja said with a slight laugh. The nerves were back again. She’d worked tirelessly on her gifts and though there was a sureness in her that Capsize would enjoy it, that somehow still did not calm her nerves.

Why was she so consumed by nerves whenever she worked to make Capsize happy? Even when she felt so confident, when there weren’t any voices of doubt, there were still butterflies in her stomach. It made no sense to her, none at all. However, she supposed it didn’t need to. She just needed to push past it.

Capsize, though? Capsize struggled to ignore the doubtful voices in her own head. She could do nothing but wonder if the gift she had created was good enough. However, even if she could not ignore them, she was so tired of listening to them.

“If I’m being honest, I’ve been so nervous about giving you this. I’ve… I’ve never shared this particular hobby with anyone before,” She said, her nerves clear in her voice. She took a hold of the wooden box that Tom had insisted she put her gift in and hoped that the nausea she felt was not visible on her face. Her heart was beating in her ears as Sonja took the box from her.

Sonja could feel her eyes boring into her. Not intense but she seemed utterly unable to turn away. Nerves, Sonja recognised, though they felt somewhat wrong on Capsize. After all, there was no chance that she could be disappointed by anything given to her by the woman. But still, there was nothing she could do except open the box.

What greeted her inside the box was a leather-bound book. A journal, she supposed. The sort of thing that mere weeks ago she would’ve been scared to hold for fear of tearing it apart. If she was being completely truthful, she still feared it tearing apart in her claws. But it was a gift, she couldn’t be scared to touch it.

Capsize was struggling to keep her breathing steady. Her nerves felt beyond overwhelming.

So, she carefully took it into her paws, hoping beyond hope that it would not tear. She felt Capsize’s eyes still on her. However, as Sonja opened the book, she found absolutely no reason that Capsize should’ve been nervous at all.

The gift was a sketchbook. Each page had a beautifully detailed sketch she knew must’ve had passion and soul put into. She was beyond terrified to touch the paper, knowing how easy it would be to ruin the whole thing. However, that fear was not nearly large enough to stop her desire to see every image Capsize had created.

There were sketches of things and places she recognised, different rooms in the castle, flowers in the greenhouse, statues that she knew were dotted about the grounds. The view from Capsize’s room also made an appearance, the detail beautiful and intricate.

There were sketches of the other residents of the castle too. Tom, the first to appear, sketched in a moment of pure excitement on a page with one corner lightly singed. But then the others quickly appeared too. Alyssa smiling next to Mot. Martha and Steve together. Andor and Wag had their own sketches too. Despite how none of them were themselves, they all looked so happy to be drawn by Capsize.

She was close to tearing up as she turned to the later pages, to less detailed sketches of places and things she didn’t recognise. Leaves in shapes that didn’t match any of the plants in the area, in the kingdom if Sonja remembered correctly. There were buildings in styles that she knew would not be suited to the kingdom’s climate. Though the sketches were undeniably less detailed, they were still so beautiful.

The final sketch was what was either a sunrise or sunset over an ocean. It, like every other image, was wonderful and she had to note that it was far more detailed than any of the other sketches done by memory.

Was this an image that Capsize dreamed of?

“Capsize, it’s beautiful,” She said, wanting to say so much more by finding herself breathless. She couldn’t even begin to fathom the amount of time that she had put into this book.

What she was holding was far more precious than anything she had ever held before. And it had been made for her.

“You like it?” Capsize asked, relief flooding into her bones. It was such a relief that she almost wanted to cry.

Her sketches had always been private. A small thing to keep for herself, and that she frankly feared anyone finding out about. She had had little idea if she actually had any skill.

Sure, she had shown Tom the sketch of him once she had finished it, an action that had nearly ended with the book set alight. Yet despite how overly excited he had been of the sketch, she had still found herself filled with doubt. She’d managed to convince herself that he was just excited to be drawn.

But now Sonja was smiling at her, smiling at her sketches. She couldn’t help but think how stupid she had been being, but such negative thoughts were quickly washed away by sheer relief.

“Of course I like it,” Sonja replied. She felt so honoured to be given something that felt so personal. “I didn’t even know that you were an artist.”

“I wouldn’t go that far… I just used to sketch in my free time. But I haven’t done so in a long time, and I’ve never shared my sketches with anyone before,” Capsize admitted, still a little self-conscious about it. This was a part of herself that she had always kept private, she felt vulnerable sharing it now. “…I wanted to share with you though.”

“Thank you. I… I’ll treasure this,” She truly, truly meant her words. Never had she held something with no magical properties at all that she still knew without questions was precious. That fact was just confirmed with how bright Capsize’s smile was. That beautiful smile. “I hope my present is just as meaningful to you.”

“I can’t imagine a world where it isn’t,” She said oh so quietly. Quiet enough that her words were barely audible over the flames, hidden the same that the cold hid her blush. Sonja had no idea if she even intended them to be heard, but she smiled at them, nonetheless.

And they were still more than enough to give her the confidence to produce her own box. All she wanted was to make Capsize happy. If she did that then she had succeeded in every way that mattered.

Capsize truly had no idea what to expect. To call Sonja talented would be completely underselling her abilities. So, she was sure that whatever she would be given would be truly brilliant. Somehow, none of her expectations had prepared her for what she found when she actually opened the box.

She was left utterly speechless, her breath taken completely. A ship in a bottle. No, not a ship. Her ship.

She could barely see the details with it still in the box, but she recognised it immediately. She was terrified as she picked it up, it was surely so fragile, and she was sure she was shaking. But the moment it was actually in her hands, she felt a joy that she hadn’t in years.

Inside the bottle, her ship was still sailing as waves moved through the glass. The closer she held it, the more she could hear them crash and smell the salt air.

“It’s just like I remember,” She said as she took in every last detail, unsure whether was about to laugh or sob. The very thing she had missed for so long, that infested her dreams with longing, had been recreated in her hands. A physical dream, that was what Sonja had gifted her. “How… how did you learn all the details?”

“Magic has ways of seeing things that are faraway,” Sonja said, resisting the urge to infodump every detail of the process but she knew that wasn’t what Capsize was asking about. She was looking at the ship, that was what she was asking about. Telling her the basic function of her mirror was good enough for now. “I used one of these ways to see your ship. That’s what it looks like currently.”

“What it looks like…” Capsize found herself unable to finish her sentence as she suddenly found herself looking even closer. She could see the tiny differences now. To most they would be so impossible to see on this scale, but she could see them and recognised wholly what they were. Signs of repair.

They’d repaired it.

Now she was crying.

Despite having sold the ship to Rupert, she had never been completely sure that he was going to be able to properly repair it. But he had, he absolutely had. It was still sailing.

“He repaired it. He actually… Thank you!” She looked up at Sonja, sure that she looked an absolute mess, but not caring in the slightest. Beyond just being beautiful and far more precious than anything she had ever held let alone owned before, this gift had given her knowledge. Even if it hadn't been an intentional part of the gift, it still meant far more to her than she could put into words. “I never thought I’d see it again.”

Sonja was about to reply when Capsize hugged her, holding her tight as she could. They stayed embracing for a minute, Sonja’s arms wrapping around Capsize as she cried from happiness. She may be unable to express in words how grateful she was, but she hoped she was good enough.

Every time she thought that Sonja was done surprising her, she was met by something else from her that was so bright and brilliant that made her appreciate her all the more. She was so glad to have her as a friend.

When the two did finally pull apart, reluctantly though it was, Capsize was no longer crying, her tears replaced with a smile. A smile that Sonja wished could remind forever.

If only they could remain forever in this moment. This wonderful, magical moment. The two of them sat next to a fire with their two candles still burning. With snow felt lightly around them, it looked truly like a moment from a story, the sort to be frozen forever in illustration.

But no moment remained forever. They always fleeted and turned right into the next.

“Truly Sonja, thank you so much. This is a treasure beyond anything I could have imagined,” Capsize was the one to finally break the silence. There was absolutely no way she could say anything that would amount to all her feelings. What words she could muster would just have to do. “Knowing that my ship is still sailing… it’s something I didn’t even realise I was desperate to know.”

“I’m glad it made you happy,” Sonja said. Truly her happiness was its own reward.

Though there were questions that had come from Capsize’s reaction. Questions that she was terrified of asking for fear of the answers that they may bring. Though, what good was keeping more and more lingering questions between them going to do?

“When was your ship damaged?” She asked, trying to be as delicate as possible. She obviously didn’t know much of the vessel, just what she had observed through the mirror and what Capsize had told her. She hadn’t heard of it being damaged. Though, she knew from Capsize’s surprise of it being repaired, she knew that there was only one time it could’ve been damaged.

Her true question was something far more sensitive, something she had no idea how to ask. However, she was not exactly subtle despite her attempt at being so.

Capsize grinned her cane, knuckles turning white. And Sonja’s thoughts suddenly turned to terror as she realised this may ruin all the good of the day.

“You don’t have to— I—” She completely fumbled for any way to fix this, but as she did, Capsize just raised a hand. Sonja quieted.

For a moment, she was concerned, but there was a soft smile on Capsize’s face. That gave her at least the mildest reassurance that he hadn’t ruined everything.

“You don’t need to apologise. I think we’re friends enough that you can ask me what happened to my leg,” She said, feeling far more comfortable than she ever could have imagined before telling this story.

The moment of her life that utterly changed everything in her life. The moment that she tried so hard to not think about. The moment that even if she had wanted to discuss before, she hadn’t because she knew too well the way that guilt flared in her brother if he so much as thought of it. But she didn’t want to keep it as some terrible memory that she dare not touch.

She wanted to share it with Sonja. Even if it would be hard to get the words out, she wanted to be able to share this with someone. And she felt comfortable with Sonja in a way that she had never felt with someone before. If she couldn’t share the story now, she doubted that she ever would. “It was, gods, it was closer to three years ago now. The largest storm I think I’d ever seen in my life, and we were completely stuck in the thick of it.”

As she told the story, it was almost as if she was back there on that night. She always called it a night because of how dark it was, but she knew logically that it had been something during the day. The storm had just been so thick that it had completely blotted out the sun. The only light cast at all being from their own lanterns that were barely managing to fight against the ever-worsening wing and the lightning strikes that were appearing far too frequently and at the same time as their thunderous counterparts.

It was the sort of storm that drove any close enough fleeing to ports for the best chance of safety they would have. Her crew had not been so lucky to have that option. The closest port to them was against the wind. There was no chance that they’d make it. Not a chance in hell.

So, the option they were left with was to batten down the hatches, head below deck, and just hope that they made it through to the other side. How were any of them to know that their luck had run out?

The reason though that she called it a moment was that it did truly sit in her mind as one. Everything leading up to it was all business as usual, things she had done countless times before. All that changed in one single flash of light and deafening crash.

She had whipped around, just catching the image of the strike against the mast. She didn’t know if the splintering and cracking of the old wood was actually audible over the storm. Given how no one seemed to react to it like she did, she imagined not. But even now sitting here retelling the story in safety, she could hear the wood falling apart.

She remembered seeing far too large a section begin to fall. That’s when the world froze.

In the path of the fall was Redbeard. Her brother was going to be crushed. She had to make a decision and what other decision was she ever going to make?

“I ran. Don’t think I’d ever run so fast in my life. I certainly won’t ever be sprinting that fast again,” She said with a hollow laugh.

All she had been able to think about was that she had to get him out the way. Not a single other thought had breached her mind. Especially not her own safety.

There had not been a single ounce of self-preservation as she pushed her brother out the way. The moment such thoughts had entered her mind, it was too late anyway. Her split-second decision had combined with the conditions of the storm. She’d tripped as she’d shoved him, ended up flat on the deck. Only a second left to fruitlessly panic before she was hit.

She remembered the crash and the instant panic that came with it. The worst pain that she had ever felt as she was completely pinned to the deck by the fallen wood. She knew in the minutes that she had managed to keep herself conscious that she must’ve been screaming, but she truly didn’t recall any sound she herself made.

She just remembered Red’s screams, his yells for the rest of the crew. That horrible look of self-blame on his face. However, she was not awake for very long.

“I woke up once we’d made port,” Another laugh, this one more bitter than the last. “They called it a miracle.”

From the story the crew told her, the moment she fell unconscious the storm had cleared. They had managed to make port within hours despite the damage to the ship and the wind being against them. One big miracle.

“I should’ve lost my leg really,” She admitted. The amount of damage that had been done to it, it seemed the inevitable action. Her leg had looked horrible and felt worse. She hadn’t needed the doctor to tell her that they’d assumed she’d need an amputation.

Still, that was not something she had wanted to hear being called a miracle when she felt as though her life had been ruined. “But that’s the whole story. I wasn’t going to be able to sail again for a long time, so Ianite recommended that I move to the town for a safe recovery. I sold the ship to a willing crew member and that was that.”

She fell quiet having said all she needed to. There was more that she could share she knew, but they weren’t things that she particularly felt necessary to the story.

She didn’t need to say her cane had been a final gift from her crew. She didn’t need to go over every detail of her injury. All she’d wanted was to finally get the actual story out and stop it from eating away at her. Truly what she had shared was such a weight from her chest.

Sonja, who had been doing nothing but listening the whole time, knew that she had to say something. That was without question. She had prompted the story to be told in the first place.

But what was there to say? Nothing was her first thought, she should just stay silent until Capsize spoke again. Though she knew that was a coward’s thought.

“You’re beyond selfless,” She finally said, quiet and ashamed of herself. She had already known this fact. Her first meeting with Capsize had been her giving up her own freedom for the sake of her brother. Then she’d returned to this accursed place when she could’ve escaped to a normal life to make sure that she, a monster, didn’t die in the woods.

Capsize was so utterly selfless, she had always known that to be true, but to learn that the turning point of her life was because of such an act put reality into stark perspective. Because Sonja was the complete opposite.

She couldn’t keep living with this secret.

“Are you okay?” Capsize asked, worried that she had been a little too intense in the retelling as she saw the pained expression on Sonja’s features.

Immediately the Beast shook her head, tears beginning to spill.

Capsize took a hold of one of the paws, squeezing it to try and ground her. If her story had gotten her this panicked, then she’d just need to remind her that she was okay now.

“You don’t need to worry about me. I’m fine here and now.”

“No, it’s not… There’s a story I need to tell you,” Sonja’s voice cracked through sobs. She could tell the story without revealing the truth of herself, but she couldn’t keep pretending to be a good person. “Please just promise me that you’ll listen to the end, no matter how terrible it sounds.”

“Of course, Sonja, I’m not going anywhere,” Sonja wished her smile could give her any comfort.

“It was a bitterly cold winter’s night.”

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