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There were many myths and legends about an enchanted forest on the edge of a human kingdom.
There were myths and legends about mystical creatures, of people that manipulate magic and bend the forces of nature to their will.
Niki had heard of these myths and legends before in the past, but she hadn’t thought that much about them. When she was a small child, they certainly enchanted her, but as an adult she had let go of those stories. As wonderful as they were, she was the oldest child of the king, so she had many duties that kept her too busy to entertain the idea of going on a magical adventure and discovering all the secrets of the enchanted forest.
That didn’t mean that she didn’t occasionally wonder about the enchanted forest.
Especially when her father regularly went hunting in a forest nearby.
In hindsight, she should have considered the myths and legends surrounding the enchanted forest more seriously given that fact.
It had been late one night, Niki had been dressed in her long, pale blue nightgown with the intent of preparing for bed, when something caught their attention. If Niki hadn’t been paying close attention, it would have been something so easy to miss. A simple black feather that rested carelessly on her desk. It should have been easy for Niki to brush it off, but it still caught of her attention.
As soon as Niki brushed her fingers against the feather, gusts of wind whipped up around her and overwhelmed her for a moment. Niki had to lift an arm to protect her eyes from the rapid winds, and when she lowered her arm she realized she was no longer alone in the room. Clad in a long black and purple dress, with a black feathered cloak and wide-brimmed hat with a black veil. The woman’s eyes glowed a deep, rich red that left Niki unsettled.
Niki immediately began to inch her way towards her weapon rack, “Who are you?”
“Oh, aren’t you adorable? You look so much like your father,” the mysterious woman cooed, “You don’t want to try a weapon with me, dear. It won’t end the way you think it will.”
“Really?” Niki narrowed her eyes at the other.
With an almost tired sigh, the mysterious lady snapped her fingers and all of Niki’s weapons turned into nothing but a bunch of feathers. A small squeak of protest at the sight escaped Niki, at all those weapons she cherished getting destroyed. It took an embarrassing long moment for Niki to realize that she was also now defenseless against the stranger in her room, though the witch just tutted at that.
“Don’t worry, they’ll be restored lately. Now, lets get some introductions out of the way. I’m Kristin, what’s your name?” the witch asked with a smile.
“Why should I tell you anything?” Niki countered.
Kristin hummed, “Don’t be like that. I am trying to start things off well, given your father.”
“What do you want with my father?” Niki questioned.
“Oh, I want to marry him. He’s so handsome and charming,” Kristin sighed, “Of course, I know that me being a witch is a bit controversial to his people. But I have plans to get around that.”
Niki felt confusion grow at that, “… Which is?”
“Well, no one would blame him if he married in order to save his child, right? Don’t worry, I have no intentions of harming you, just… taking you, for a little bit.”
Niki didn’t hesitate – she bolted for the door.
It didn’t work that well, as soon as the witch realized what she was trying to do. Black feathers whipped around Niki, her vision consumed by darkness, and she felt her body suddenly shift. When Niki could finally open her eyes, she noticed she was smaller. And she was trapped in a black birdcage. She looked down at herself, and noticed that her body was now smaller and covered in feathers of crimson and gold, that glowed with small embers. It was obvious she was now a phoenix.
“Oh, you look so precious as a little phoenix! Don’t worry, I won’t keep you in the cage for too long. You’re gonna love the grotto, its beautiful, trust me,” Kristin gushed as she picked up Niki’s cage.
Niki noted that she very wisely kept the cage a little distant from her.
The two of them disappeared in a burst of black feathers.
“Welcome to the Enchanted Forest, this will be your new home until the engagement announcement.”
Niki didn’t bother to respond to that comment as Kristin lifted the cage to give her a chance to look around the Enchanted Forest – or, at least, the lake that she had taken Niki to. All she could think about was if there was a chance for her to fly her way back home. Even though she was trapped in an inhumane form, she could still communicate like a human, there had to be something she could do. She could figure something out, so long as she didn’t let this witch win.
Kristin didn’t seem bothered by the silent treatment, “Now, before I let you out, there is something I need to do first.”
With another snap of her fingers, magic shifted around Niki again. This time, Niki felt something settle around her neck. It was difficult for Niki to get a proper look at it, as she had to rely on her reflection in the water. Around her neck was some kind of collar or necklace. It was black, with a large purple gemstone that dangled from it. Despite the fact that it couldn’t mean anything good for her, Niki thought it looked rather pretty.
“That is enchanted to refuse to allow you to pass through the barrier that protects this place. If you can find the proper gates in the barrier, anyway,” Kristin gently explained, “It also is charmed to connect you to me. If you need to find me, it will take you to me. And if I wish to summon you, it will pull you to me. Understood?”
Niki said nothing, just glared as much as a small phoenix could manage.
“So, would you like to share your name now? You don’t have to, of course, but it would make things so much easier, don’t you think?” Kristin prompted.
The defiant glare only hardened.
Kristin hummed absentmindedly, “I suppose I could just give you a nickname. That could be cute, it could be a special thing between us! A little inside joke between mother and daughter.”
When Niki looked back on this moment later, she realized that it was likely that Kristin had been bluffing just to get a reaction.
In the moment, Niki fell for it hook, line and sinker.
“Niki. My name is Niki.”
“Wonderful!” Kristin gave her a smile, “Now, have fun exploring your new home.”
The cage disappeared around Niki.
Niki was able to catch herself in the air and then take off.
Despite the warning Kristin had given her, Niki still tried to escape the Enchanted Forest.
The barrier was impossible, a magical maze that had her turning around in mist even when she was certain she just flew in a straight line.
Even when she eventually located an exist, the necklace pulled her back and away from her freedom, like she was trapped on a leash.
Niki spent the entire night looking for a possible escape, and her efforts went unrewarded in the end.
But Niki still had tried, despite it all.
All Niki could do was try.
Niki refused to be the type to mope about a terrible situation. Even if she was hurting and upset, she refused to just do nothing. She would find something to do, plot out revenge, or otherwise try to be productive in some way. The fact that Niki lacked hands didn’t stop this mindset, it only made her more determined to either fix her situation or enact some form of revenge against the witch her cursed her.
The Enchanted Forest wasn’t a completely isolated place, and there were plenty of different creatures and beings that made the place their home. Niki had recently befriended a small group of gnomes, they had been kind to her and provided her with food so she didn’t have to hunt (she was still unused to no longer having hands). As such, Niki was happy to use the fact that she was phoenix to help them out when they needed it, as just a small way to repay them.
Still, Niki was surprised when she a very odd looking butterfly.
The butterfly looked like it had been crafted from crystal or glass, so fine and delicate. It glowed slightly, despite the light of day around them. The butterfly was a soft rosy pink, and didn’t look natural at all. Niki curiously followed it, and found more and more butterflies in different colors – red, pink, blue, purple, yellow. It was suddenly like she was surrounded in a swarm of beautiful crystal and glass butterflies. It was a gorgeous sight when the butterflies wings caught the light.
When she discovered the source of the butterflies, she felt like her breath was taken away.
There, seated in a flower wrapped swing, was the most beautiful woman Niki have ever laid eyes on.
The woman was dressed in a long pink gown, with a deeper pink corset wrapped around her. A large, pink witch hat rested on her head, making it clear what this woman was as a glance. Roses were wrapped around one of her legs and one of her arms, with some roses decorating her hat. Her emerald green gaze was cast downwards, focus on a book that she was writing in. Or maybe drawing? It was hard to tell at the angle Niki watched her from.
Niki’s presence wouldn’t go unnoticed for very long.
“What do we have here? A phoenix?” the mysterious witch tilted her head as she looked at Niki, “I’ve never seen a phoenix in the forest before.”
There were two choices for Niki to pick between. The first option was for Niki to talk to the witch and learn what she could, perhaps even getting help from the witch. The second option was for Niki to wait this out and see what she could learn, pretending that she wasn’t as aware as she was. There was every chance that this witch was an ally of Kristin and wouldn’t help her. There was also the chance that this witch would have more sinister motives than Kristin, and it would be dangerous for different reasons for Niki to trust her.
With that in mind, Niki chose to keep quiet.
“You’re such a beautiful little bird, aren’t you? I should get a little sketch of you,” the witch hummed as she flipped to a new page.
Niki debated on whether she should allowed this witch to draw her or not. In the end, the princess-turned-phoenix decided that she didn’t really care if the witch drew pictures of her as a bird or not. Perhaps she should have been concerned, but she couldn’t see any way for this to be used to harm her. Instead, Niki just patiently waited as the witch sketched away.
The butterflies turned out to be a result of the witch’s magic, as she summoned them casually at a whim. They didn’t appear to have a specific purpose, the witch used them to hold certain items, provide the right lighting, to hold her hair back from her eyes – it didn’t seem that specific at all. It made Niki curious, but she couldn’t question anything without revealing her own intelligence and abilities to speak.
When the witch finished with her drawing, she held open her book for Niki to see, “Well, what do you think? Do you like it?”
Niki only answered with a curious tilt of her head.
It was a rather beautiful drawing, and if Niki had seen it before now, she would have been entranced by it. But now, knowing that was supposed to be her, the princess didn’t know how to feel about the whole thing. Niki wasn’t truly a phoenix, it wasn’t nice to be reminded of the curse she had been put under. But it was still a beautiful drawing.
“Will I be seeing you around, little bird?” the witch asked.
Niki didn’t know how to answer that question.
So, Niki did what she had gotten pretty good at these past few days, and flew away.
With no knowledge of the Enchanted Forest, of mythical creatures, and different magical beings, Niki wasn’t sure what to do with the knowledge of the existence of another witch in the forest. So, rather then sit around and wonder what she should do, Niki sought out her gnome companions to see if they knew anything and could offer advice.
Gnomes were such mysterious little creatures, and Niki had to resist the urge to coo and gush when she saw them because they were just so cute. There were three gnomes that the phoenix princess had befriended – Wilbur, Technoblade and Tina. Each of them wore a mushroom hat – Wilbur’s was blue and shiny, Technoblade’s was red with white spots, and Tina’s was white, fluffy, but with ink-like dripping forms around the rim. With large pointed ears that reflected their moods, Niki was overwhelmed by how adorable they all truly were. Despite their cuteness, they were valuable source of information.
If anyone know about a mysterious witch in the forest, it would be these three.
“Yeah, there are a few witches in the forest, but I can’t say I recognize this witch,” Wilbur had his arms folded as he tried to think about Niki’s words.
Technoblade shook his head, “A witch that wears pink, likes roses and summons butterflies? That’s pretty specific, but not ringing any bells.”
“You haven’t even seen a hint of these butterflies before?” Niki asked.
Tina looked sheepish, “Well, I guess we never really thought to look that closely at butterflies before. We have definitely seen some butterflies around, but…”
“Yeah, noting what kind of specifically magical butterfly isn’t something we thought we’d need to do,” Wilbur continued.
“That’s a fair point,” Niki conceded, “So you don’t know if I can trust her?”
“Even if you could, it’s not a guarantee that she’ll actually be able to help. Lady Kristin is called Lady Death. Some folk here even worship her as a goddess. She’s quite powerful,” Tina explained.
That wasn’t the answer Niki had wanted to hear, but she kind of expected it. Her days here had been spent flying, exploring, failing to escape, and listening to the gossip from her new, adorable little gnome friends. And almost all the gossip revolved around Kristin. Kristin was powerful, terrifying, and kinda popular around these parts because as powerful and terrifying she was, she was also hilarious and a bit quirky.
No one was surprised to learn that Kristin thought kidnapping someone’s daughter was a good way to start an engagement.
“So, should I risk it? Should I try and trust this witch and hope that she can do something?” Niki questioned.
“It’s a really risky move to make. I don’t know which one is right,” Tina said.
“I’d take the chance – it might be your only shot,” Wilbur chimed in.
Technoblade shook his head, “I wouldn’t risk it. You should play it safe until you know more.”
“Great, so we need a tie breaker,” Niki sighed.
“Well…” Tina shifted nervously, “While you are Lady Kristin’s prisoner, you are also under her protection… you might be able to take a risk since she’ll probably want to keep you safe… in her own way.”
“Exactly!” Wilbur grinned.
“If this backfires, I will loudly let you know that I told you so,” Technoblade said lowly.
“Thank you for your support,” Niki sighed before she spread her wings, “Alright. I guess I’m going to go talk to a witch. Wish me luck.”
Niki spent a few days watching the mysterious pink witch from a distance and avoiding detection.
The witch was an interesting one. It appeared that she liked roses a lot, given the amount of spells and such she did that were rose based. The butterflies seemed like a unique spell by the witch as well. They weren’t familiars, they more like magical tools, and Niki had watched them work wonders – from healing injured animals, to tearing up vines that got in the witch’s way. It was interesting for someone so unfamiliar with magic to witness.
The witch didn’t seem like she was a weak one.
The phoenix princess hoped that she would be strong enough to help break the curse.
It was a full moon on the night Niki chose to seek out the mysterious pink witch.
There wasn’t any real reason behind this choice, it just felt more appropriate for Niki to approach the witch with such a request during the night. Perhaps it was because she had been transformed into a phoenix at night? It could be an important part of the spell. Either way, Niki found that searching for the witch at night had its perks – the enchanted butterflies the witch summoned acted as floating lights that guided Niki to where the witch was.
The witch was seated on a rose covered swing, casually swinging as she was surrounded by her butterflies. The sight was a gorgeous one, and Niki found herself perching on a tree nearby. However, it appeared that the witch was expecting Niki. As soon as Niki landed on the branch, the witch’s gaze snapped up to where the phoenix was with a confident smile.
“Not hiding anymore, little bird? You’ve been watching me for a while,” the witch commented.
Niki tried not to look embarrassed at being caught, “I… need your help.”
“Finally decided to speak to me as well, Your Highness?” the witch laughed, “It’s about time. I’m Hannah, by the way. The rose witch.”
“How did you know who I am? When did you find out who I am?” Niki asked.
“I have my ways,” Hannah replied.
With a wave of her hand, one of those butterflies landed on her finger. The butterfly’s light dulled, and the butterfly almost went transparent. Niki could make it out, but only because she was really looking for the butterfly. It was very obvious what the rose witch meant and how she learned what she learned.
“Right,” Niki shifted on the branch, “Then, you know why I’m here, right? What I want?”
“You want me to try and break a curse that was placed on you by Lady Death. Multiple curses, actually. You’re hoping I’m strong enough to rival someone regarded as a goddess,” the rose witch answered.
“Are you?” Niki questioned.
Hannah laughed and shook her head, “Sorry, but I don’t think I’m quite that powerful. Lady Death isn’t a small witch, and she’s very clever – she wouldn’t have tried this if she wasn’t completely confident she would succeed.”
“Oh.”
“But,” Hannah continued, “I might be able to adjust the curses. It wouldn’t allow you to escape, but it might grant you some freedom you otherwise wouldn’t have. Are you interested?”
Niki landed in front of the witch, “Yes, please, anything!”
Hannah offered Niki a smile, before she raised a hand. Niki felt her body grow warm, and then a whirlwind of pink and red rose petals enveloped her. Niki felt her body shift, she lost her warm phoenix feathers and instead gained more height. When the light faded, Niki nearly collapsed from relief at the sight of her human body again. And then she felt embarrassed at the fact that she was standing there in her nightgown still.
The rose witch chuckled at that, and a few butterflies suddenly swarmed Niki. Her clothes changed in a bright flash, and instead of a nightgown, Niki was in a new dress. The dress was more functional than a ballgown, but it didn’t lack any flair. It was beautiful themed around phoenixes, with feather-like patterns and shimmering gold accents. In terms of main colors, however, the dress was colored black and purple, as if to match the collar that had shifted into a necklace around her neck. Niki checked out her dress with a simple twirl, and noticed that she had also been granted some comfortable yet stylish boots.
Niki sighed in a relief, “Thank you, thank you, really. I don’t know how to make it up to you.”
“Well, that’s good. I never said I was going to help you for free,” Hannah added.
“What?” Niki’s smile dropped.
“Oh, don’t worry too much, I’m not going to be cruel about it. But I did run the risk of pissing off someone very powerful, I should get something out of it since my life could be on the line,” Hannah explained, “I don’t know what to ask you just yet, but I’m sure I can come up with something.”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
“I could always undo what I’ve done?” Hannah offered.
Niki glared, “No. Thank you.”
“Of course, of course. Anyway, the spell isn’t completely broken, as soon as the sun rises you will return to being trapped as a phoenix. When the sun sets, so long as the moon is in the sky, you will regain your human form. But only from dusk to dawn,” Hannah elaborated.
“That’s not ideal, but it’s better than nothing,” Niki looked at her hands, “Is there really nothing that can be done? We can’t do anything?”
Hannah shook her head, “Nothing that I can do tonight. This attempt only worked because rather than try and break the curse, I merely… persuaded it… convinced it that this was how it was supposed to work.”
“But… if you worked on it a bit more?” Niki prompted.
“I’d need to try and look into it more. Maybe over time with consistent attempts to break the spell – but that’ll only work if Lady Death doesn’t realize what I’ve done and undo it herself,” Hannah replied.
Given that Kristin often ‘invited’ Niki into cottage regularly to ‘catch up’ with Niki, or for ‘mother-daughter bonding’, Niki doubted that she could get away with something like that. Her expression must have said it all, as Hannah nodded before she waved her hand. A few butterflies gathered around her, and Niki watched in awe at the sight.
“There are legends of a hidden library somewhere in the forest, full of magic more powerful than most witches could dream of. I’ll have my butterflies look into it, and if they find it we can see if they have anything about breaking curses,” Hannah offered.
“Will that cost me more when you’ve decided on payment?” Niki asked.
Hannah laughed a little at that, “Why are you so worried about something like that? Just because its payment, that doesn’t mean its something you would be so unwilling to part with.”
“Sorry if I come across as defensive, the last witch I encountered cursed me,” Niki replied sarcastically.
“So touchy. You’d be surprised just how gentle that curse was,” Hannah teased, “Do you know what kind of things she could have done? She could have had you trapped inside a tree, unable to breathe, all alone, no light, no sound, no nothing.”
Niki shuddered at the image the other witch painted.
“Again, no need to worry so much. I won’t ask for anything from you that you won’t be willing to part with,” Hannah added with a smile.
“Right…” Niki still felt unsettled.
“Now, why don’t we do something more fun? You just got your human body back,” Hannah offered.
“Did you have anything in mind?”
Hannah tilted her head, “Well, I imagine there was a lot of food you couldn’t eat when all you had was a beak. How would you like it if you got a nice meal?”
That was an offer Niki couldn’t refuse.
It turned out that, despite the offer, Hannah wasn’t that good of a cook.
Niki wouldn’t say the other was terrible, but it was obvious how little experience the other had with making their own food by hand, rather than by using magic.
But Niki was desperate to use her hands to really make food. She loved to bake when she could, and found chances to sneak into the castle kitchens when she wasn’t attending her royal lessons or training with the soldiers to improve with her spear. It was just nice to really, truly, make something tangible when she hadn’t been able to do so in so long.
The witch may not have been able to cook.
But Niki just offered the full meal as part of the payment.
It… was a nice way to spend her night.
Niki had learned very quickly that Kristin hadn’t been joking when she mentioned the summon necklace.
Though the necklace didn’t choke Niki when she tried to resist its call, it was still impossible to ignore it. Rather than continue to try and resist the necklace, Niki flew exactly where it directed her, and knew that she would end up in Kristin’s cottage.
Kristin’s cottage seemed rather cute, all things considered. It was made from dark colors, with purple being a primary choice for detailing and decor. The flowerbed was full of black and purple flowers, most of them harmless but Niki knew at least one of them was a black rose that would inflict a nasty withering curse on those that touched them directly. It wasn’t the first time Niki wondered exactly why ‘Lady Death’ was the moniker everyone had given to Kristin, but it was the most unsettling reminder of the moniker.
“There you are,” Kristin smiled as she opened the door to let Niki in, “I was hoping you weren’t too far away.”
It may have been petty, but Niki still kept up the silent treatment as much as possible.
Kristin titled her head at Niki, “Still not talking? Or did you hurt your voice talking to your new friend?”
Niki went very still at that.
The witch in purple and black hummed absentmindedly as she wondered through her cottage. While Niki was seated on the table, Kristin seemed to busy herself with crafting some kind of potion. Niki hadn’t paid any attention to it before, but now she watched intently just in case. There was no telling what went on in Kristin’s head, and Niki didn’t want to play around like that.
“Oh, don’t worry you’re little head, I’m not mad. It was such a clever little trick too!” Kristin laughed heavy and loud, “You can’t go home in the state you’re in either way, so I don’t mind.”
Niki narrowed her eyes.
Kristin sighed and shook her head, “Don’t look at me like that, I’m just happy you’ve found a friend. I’ve been really hoping you haven’t been lonely.”
“Letting me go home would fix my loneliness,” Niki muttered.
“You’ll get to go home soon, don’t worry. Now, since you’re having fun with a little witch friend, would you like me to teach you some spells?” Kristin offered, “I’m sure you would be a wonderful witch, and I would even ease up the curse to allow you a human form in the day so you don’t have to spend less time with your new friend.”
“Pass.”
“If you’re sure, that’s fine, but you can always change your mind. You have a lot of natural potential, you know?” Kristin teasingly tapped the end of Niki’s beak.
The witch didn’t take up that much more of her time, letting Niki go after she made sure Niki had a filling breakfast.
Niki was reluctant to admit that she enjoyed the food Kristin whipped up with magic.
There hadn’t been any kind of schedule to Niki’s meetings with Hannah. Though they met up at night pretty regularly, so that Niki could enjoy her human form with someone else, there was no set location or anything. There didn’t really need to be, given how efficiently Hannah could keep an eye on everything in the forest through her butterflies. So, it came as no surprise to the princess when she noticed the witch waiting for her by a tree just before dusk.
Niki landed in front of the witch, just as the sun set. Magical settled over her, and in another burst of pink and red rose petals, the princess found herself back into human form. Hannah offered a little smile as Niki took the chance to get her bearings – the transformation still left Niki a little off balance and surprised, no matter how many times it happened.
“I have a little surprise for you,” Hannah said instead of a greeting.
“Did you find the library?” Niki asked.
Hannah shook her head, “Not yet. It’s a legendary, enchanted library, if it could be found so easily there is no way it would be able to hold so many powerful spells so easily.”
“Right… so then, what is it?” Niki questioned.
“Well, I figured since you were human at least half of the time now, you’d probably want a home to stay in that isn’t mine? Even if you only spend five minutes in it, it still would help, right?” Hannah said.
Niki nodded, “You… want to give me a house?”
“I can use magic to make you a small house, just while you’re trapped here,” Hannah offered, “It won’t be the same as your home in your castle, but it would make staying here a little nicer.”
“I… if you’re sure,” Niki didn’t know what to say in this situation.
The rose witch gave Niki a fun little wink before she lifted her hands and summoned her magic. Whatever the spell was, it wasn’t a simple one, Niki could feel the pure power in the air. Eventually, Niki had to turn her eyes away and close her eyes from the bright light. When everything settled, a cute little pink cottage sat there waiting for them.
With a casual nod at the princess’s silent question, Niki was granted permission to explore the little cottage. The new home was rather simple, it had a living room with a comfortable couch to rest on and some shelves lined with books, a kitchen that Niki had been more than happy with and was excited to cook in, and a door that lead to a bedroom. The bedroom was large, with a luxurious bed that was nicer than the one that she had in her room at the castle, though Niki didn’t intend to sleep while she was in her human form so it was unlikely that it would be used.
“This is amazing, Hannah. I can’t believe you were able to do all of this,” Niki gushed as she ran her hands over the books, “How did you manage to do all this?”
“It’s not necessarily difficult, just… complicated. It does require a lot of preparations, and definitely not something a beginner should try,” Hannah explained.
Niki laughed a little at that, “Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Still, thank you so much. This is far more than I expected.”
“Well, I think you deserve to be a little spoiled, given the circumstances,” Hannah teased.
“You really know how to spoil someone who has been kidnapped,” Niki joked in return.
Hannah grinned before she gestured around the side, “Well, I didn’t just create something for you when you’re like this.”
Curiosity piqued, Niki followed to gesture to see what other surprise the rose witch had in store for her, and found herself laughing at what she saw. There was a large birdhouse added to the side of the little cottage, it was nicely built with a little platform for sunbathing on one side and a birdbath on the other side. Inside the birdhouse there was very nice and shiny decorations, which complimented a very nice nest that a small park of Niki wanted to test out as soon as possible. She refused to acknowledge why there was a part of her that was eager to nest.
“Thank you, thank you, it’s wonderful,” Niki said between her laughter.
“I know. That’s all I wanted to hear.”
It was obvious as time went on that Hannah liked to surprise Niki with magic.
The phoenix princess wasn’t sure why the rose witch liked to surprise her so much, but it wasn’t like she wanted to complain. From using magic to grow things for Niki to bake with, allowing her more experimentation than she had been able to before, to creating Niki an entire wardrobe of magical outfits that flattered her figure, to growing her a wonderful garden of roses for the sake of a nice place to have tea. It felt nice to have such thought put into gifts for her.
That night, Hannah waited for Niki by the lake near the cottage she had made for her. She was dressed differently this time, and it took the princess’s breath away. The witch was dressed in a stunning pink gown, no hat this time but she did wear a crown of roses. With the moonlight framing her, with her glowing crystal butterflies perched on her, Niki could have easily mistaken her for some kind of flower goddess. A part of her was almost convinced she was actually a goddess of some kind, despite knowing better.
“There is something I had planned for tonight,” Hannah said softly, “Do you trust me?”
“Of course,” Niki answered easily.
Hannah offered a smile at that, and waved her hand. Once again, Niki found her clothes changing under the rose witch’s careful magic. The new gown was equally stunning as Hannah’s own, easy to move in, but still formal and nice. When Hannah held out her hands, Niki didn’t even hesitate to place her hand in the other’s and allow her to lead the princess away, no matter where it was.
The princess couldn’t deny that she wasn’t curious when the witch lead her to what appeared to be the middle of nowhere. It was a beautiful clearing, but Niki didn’t see anything special about, especially given how dark it was. Then, Hannah used her magic to fill the air around them with brilliant glowing butterflies. It certainly made the clearing far, far more beautiful than it originally was. To add to the atmosphere, faint music started to fill the air around them, though Niki didn’t know where it had come from.
“I thought that it might be nice to have a dance tonight, if you don’t mind?” Hannah whispered sweetly into Niki’s ear.
Niki shivered at the suggestion, “… Alright…”
Hannah pulled the princess in close, an arm around her waist and hand clasped together. Niki felt a little breathless as the witch led her though a dance. They started slowly, and Niki followed as well as she could. But then, magic shifted in the air. The glowing crystal butterflies fluttered around them, circling them, and the magic had them slowly floating. Their dance had taken to the sky, with the moonlight spotlighting their dance.
It took a moment for Niki to get adjusted to dancing in the air, so weird for her to be stepping on nothing and yet feeling supported enough to rest her weight. But once the two of them had gotten more used to it, the danced stopped being so simple and they started dancing with more confidence. Twirls and spins, stepping away from each other only to be pulled back, every move graceful and elegant and purely them.
They lost themselves in the dance, the entire world melting away into a blur of pink, red, yellow and blue lights floating around them. Niki could only focus on Hannah, on her scent of rose and sandalwood, on the way her emerald eyes reflected the beautiful lights around the two of them, on the way her hands felt as they danced along her body.
The dance lasted for hours before either of them got tired.
“I think the rose witch is in love with me.”
Niki was seated on a low branch, to buzzed from the previous night to properly sleep yet as her mind worked overtime to process what just happened. Every touch and smile Hannah gave her played back over her mind on repeat, it was impossible to banish. With no one else to turn to, Niki sought out her gnome friends once again.
“Well duh, anyone could tell you she’s clearly in love with you,” Wilbur gave a her look that suggested she was oblivious.
Tina just nodded, “I think we all had a hunch she was. She has been doting on you for a while now.”
“I don’t think you should be happy with this. She’s technically stalking you with those weird butterflies, isn’t she?” Technoblade pointed out.
Niki ignored that last point, “What do I do? I think I like her, but I can’t be with her, can I? I literally spend half my time as a phoenix.”
“You seem to have a pretty good system already, don’t you?” Tina pointed out.
“Yeah, I think you’ll be fine. Confess, don’t confess, do whatever you want,” Wilbur shrugged.
“Am I the only one who is worried about the fact that she likes to spy on others?” Technoblade questioned.
“I think I’ll wait a little longer. At least until after I know what her price for helping her is, that could be a deal breaker,” Niki decided.
“Nice to see I’m the only one with common sense.”
Kristin was apparently determined to push the ‘mother-daughter bonding’ thing on Niki as much as possible. Regular meals, attempts at banter and getting to know each other, she really tried anything and was just extremely confident that Niki’s father was going to marry her. That wasn’t what Niki wanted to hear, but she couldn’t claim it was the worst thing she ever experienced. It was just rather annoying, given the circumstances.
“So, I know you had a special night recently,” Kristin said in a tone that was pure teasing.
Niki tried not to let her feathers ruffle at it, “I really don’t want to talk about this with you.”
“Oh, come on, don’t be like that. Young love is nothing to be ashamed of or secretive about,” Kristin gave a wistful sigh, “You should be excited.”
“It’s not like that,” Niki shifted awkwardly.
“Of course not. Since you’re interested in courting a witch, would you like any advice? I can still teach you some things,” Kristin offered.
Niki wasn’t surprised about the offer – it was something Kristin offered rather regularly. Once, Niki asked Hannah what she thought about Kristin’s consistent offers of teaching her magic. The rose witch suggested that it could be another of factors. Many witches enjoyed having an apprentice to carry on their legacy, others simply couldn’t resist allowing talent and potential to go to waste, for Kristin it could simply be another way to try and push the mother-daughter relationship she desired.
The phoenix princess wasn’t sure what to make of the constant assertion that she had a lot of untapped potential in regards to magic and witchcraft. Hannah even commented that if she had more experience with magic, Niki likely wouldn’t have been able to be cursed the way she was. Niki had asked if it was possible for Hannah to teach her some magic, but apparently whatever magic she naturally possessed didn’t play well with Hannah’s own magic. That wasn’t ideal.
“You know if you teach me magic, I’m just going to use it against you, right?” Niki pointed out.
Kristin laughed, “I know you certainly will try. You will be disappointed by the results, but trying will help you grow and improve.”
Niki sighed, “Fine. I guess I wouldn’t mind learning some things.”
“Excellent!” Kristin clapped, “Now, are you aware of what your natural magic type is yet?”
“Is it similar to your own?” Niki questioned.
Kristin shook her head, “Not quite. There is a reason why I had to choose a phoenix for you when I changed you. You’re a natural at fire magic.”
“Oh.”
“I found it.”
Those three words were everything that Niki had been waiting for. Hannah’s little butterflies had finally found the lost enchanted library. The two of them didn’t even wait for sunset before they started to make their way to the library. It was a long journey, though parts that the princess had never seen despite her many attempts at escape. It was hidden behind a powerful barrier, but that was no match for the power of the rose witch. She tore it down with roses and butterflies, while Niki watched on in awe.
The entrance to the library was a large door built into a mountain, and even when it swung open it didn’t reveal anything but darkness. Niki and Hannah looked at each other for a moment, before they decided to finally head inside. It was a blind plunge into pure darkness, with the only comfort being their hands held together and the faint glow from Hannah’s butterflies.
Once they were far enough inside, magic sparked in the air and torches that lined the walls lit aflame. It took a moment for their eyes to adjust, but when they did their breaths were taken away. The walls were lined with rows and rows of books, bookshelves towered over them, and Niki wondered how much knowledge was truly trapped in this library. And then her stomach sunk, when she realized just how long it would take the two of them to try and search for what they were looking for.
“You’re butterflies… they can read, right?” Niki questioned.
Hannah laughed, “No, but they can help us search if that’s what you’re wondering.”
“Good. That’s good. This is going to take forever otherwise,” Niki sighed.
“There has to be some form of structuring, some way they were categorized the knowledge, it can’t just be a random mess,” Hannah nodded.
More butterflies fluttered along, and Niki watched as they made their way through the stacks and shelves. With no other options, the two women got to work investigating the books. The rose witch was correct in her assumption that there was some kind of order to the library. A few books down one shelf revealed nothing but magical recipes (which had Niki tempted to abandon her goals out of excitement), another shelf appeared to be nothing but protection spells, so the two of them knew they just needed to find the right section.
Of course, that goal was easier said then done.
“Why wouldn’t they put the books on curses right near the front of the library?” Niki whined.
“Please think about that for more than a minute,” Hannah said dryly, “And consider how dangerous books all on curses could be.”
“Books on breaking curses, then,” Niki countered.
“Fair point. But it’s just just curses, transformation spells are usually counted as their own thing, so we might need to find that section. That necklace binding could be counted as so many different types of magic as well, so it’s not quite that simple,” Hannah explained.
Niki sighed and pushed back a few strands of hair from her face, “Why can’t anything just go well for me?”
“Because that would be boring?” Hannah suggested.
“Thank you for still helping. This is tedious, but thank you,” Niki added.
“Of course.”
“Whatever you want… you can have it, you’ve helped me so much,” Niki continued.
Hannah paused her browsing with a smile, and lifted a hand to gently tilt Niki’s face towards her own.
Niki felt her face warm under that gentle touch.
“I think we both know that I have exactly what I want, and that you’re not going to regret giving me more,” Hannah whispered teasingly.
“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,” Niki blushed and tried to turn away.
Hannah laughed at that, “Of course you don’t. Just like you don’t talk about me with gnomes.”
“… So, Techno was right…”
“Well, he’s got a point that I do like to spy on everything,” Hannah shrugged, “I’m not sure why you’re surprised, I haven’t been hiding that I spy on everyone I can.”
Niki sighed and turned back to the books.
Hannah’s laughter echoed throughout the library as they browsed.
The two of them searched for hours, only aware of how much time truly passed when Niki transformed back from a human to a phoenix.
Niki tried to insist that they continue searching throughout the day as well, but Hannah insisted they go back and try later.
The butterflies could continue the search while Niki caught up on her sleep.
There wasn’t anything Niki could do but give in.
Throughout the weeks that Niki had spent while trapped in the Enchanted Forest, she had wondered what it would be like to see her family again – her father and brother. It was the worst part of this whole experience, that she had been stripped away from her family and didn’t know how they had been fairing since she had been whisked away from them. Where they worried for her? Scared? Had her father tried to rescue her from her fate?
Niki didn’t expect to find out anything for a long, long time.
So, it was a surprise when one day, while wondering through the forest at night, she saw her father on a horse approaching her.
King Philza wasn’t dressed in the usual regal attire he wore around the castle, but instead the noble hunting gear that provided more movement. It was all in rich green and black, which meant his golden hair stood out in contrast. Niki’s heart ached at the sight of him – she knew that her and her brother both looked identical to their father, golden hair and sapphire eyes. It made her nearly tear up to see him once again.
“Phil!”
Niki ran forward towards her father, as Philza pulled his horse to a stop. Without waiting a moment, he dismounted from his steed before he moved to pull Niki into a tight hug. The princess felt herself crying into her father’s chest as she realized just how much she had missed him, missed her family. From the way her father shook as he held it, it was obvious that he missed her just as much.
“Are you alright?” Philza asked.
Niki nodded, finally pulling back, “I’m fine! I’m so glad you’re here!”
“Good, that’s good,” Philza smiled warmly at her, “You don’t have to worry anymore, you’ll be back home soon.”
“Are you here to fight the witch? You should be careful, she’s really powerful, I don’t think you’ll be able to handle it all on your own,” Niki said.
Philza went quiet for a moment.
The moment of silence stretched out heavy and thick between them.
“I’m… not planning on fighting Kristin,” Philza quietly admitted.
“You’re not? Then what are you planning? If you’re looking for a way to break the spell, I’ve been trying and it’s not easy,” Niki said.
Philza sighed, “Niki…”
“You can’t marry her,” Niki said sternly, “She kidnapped me. She cursed me so that I turn into a phoenix during the day. You can’t marry her. You can’t make her my stepmother.”
“I know you’re not exactly fond of the idea…”
“Absolutely fucking not, Phil. No. You can’t marry her.”
“Kristin is an incredibly powerful witch, that’s incredibly useful for our kingdom—”
“Phil, no—”
“— She’s also funny, charming, incredibly beautiful—”
“Phil!”
“I can’t believe my father actually fucking married her. He actually did it.”
Niki was back in the castle gardens, her head rested on Hannah’s lap as she made flower crowns out of roses she grew with magic. The rose witch didn’t leave the Enchanted Forest entirely, but she had agreed to meet up with Niki when she could. In return, Niki made plenty of trips to the Enchanted Forest to visit her whenever she could. Since the wedding, it had been more common for Niki to visit Hannah than for Hannah to visit Niki, but there were still moments where Hannah visited her.
It turned out that Niki’s many, many protests against her father’s marriage of Kristin had gone ignored for a variety of reasons. The main one was that her father was absolutely smitten with the witch, and there was no hiding how attracted he was to her. But it didn’t hurt that they bounced off each other well, and complimented each other. The royal council protested a little, but upon being shown just how powerful Kristin truly was, they caved instantly. There was nothing Niki could do.
“Niki, dear, I think its pretty obvious you’re not that torn up about this and you’re only protesting on principal,” Hannah said sweetly.
Niki gasped, “How dare you? It’s more than just the principal of the matter.”
“You regularly take magic lessons with her,” Hannah pointed out.
“That’s different, we’re ignoring that,” Niki waved her off, “I am here to complain, not to listen to logic and reasoning.”
“Ah, I see. How tragic for you, to be forced to endure this. No one suffers as much as you do,” Hannah giggled.
“Thank you for finally seeing my side,” Niki said.
“You are so adorable, you know?” Hannah laughed.
Niki blushed, “Flatterer.”
“Only to you.”