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“Yes, Alpha De Luca!” they replied.
“I’ll be back. Keep Willow and Aura warm,” Ruby emphasized.
“How did you get the pistol from the vault in the secret service office?” I was taking a guess that Dimitris was the one to ask that question.
“Who do you think I sent to retrieve it?” Roberto countered.
“Viktor.”
“Then you have your answer,” he huffed.
“Why is she declining like this?” It was Neo who asked the primary question. “You’re acting like you knew this was going to happen.”
“Of course I knew this was going to happen. It's why I informed Willow to tell Queen Elphaba of her intentions of entering Faerie,” Roberto quipped with a bit of annoyance. I felt like he was trying to hide his concern. “Not every land is welcoming of new royalty. The royals in Faerie are well aware that Willow was inching towards claiming her birthright. Being a part of the Phoenix family means she has assets in Faerie. Those assets aren’t simply in one place. They’re in multiple sections of Faerie, and some kingdoms may not wish for her to claim what’s obviously entitled to her.”
“But this kingdom is Auraleia’s, meaning the Clementines once ruled this property, correct?” I caught onto Jayce’s voice.
“The Clementines were allied with you guys for centuries. Why would they wish harm on Willow?” Saint further questioned. The dip in his voice made me wonder if his Dark Lord state was activated.
“All I can explain here and now is that King Amos, who owns these lands, overtook the throne from those who didn’t have the best interest of anyone. This goes beyond the Coven. This is deeply rooted drama that shouldn’t involve Willow or any of you, but some grudges last for generations and there’s very little we can do about it,” Roberto explained. “Willow was supposed to see Elphaba so she could give her a ring of protection. It would nullify whatever spellwork was done to negatively impact her.”
“Is this fixable?” Arthur’s voice held a lot more worry than I’d ever heard from his usual excited voice. “And why is it affecting Auraleia?”
“It’s fixable,” Roberto acknowledged the first part. “Auraleia is bonded to Willow like how all of you carry a connection with her, but since this is his land specifically, it's having a heavier impact on her. It may also have to do with the two of them being pushed into Faerie as you explained. That had to be done on purpose to get a rejuvenated blueprint so this spell would be more effective.”
“Meaning the person who plotted such spellwork is clearly alive and trying to harm Auraleia,” Milo summarized. “Which could also be why Aurelia’s being framed. What if they’re the same person?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Dimitris noted in frustration. “It only proves Aurelia’s innocence. Neo? Are you ready?”
“I am, but I think I need one more person to help,” Neo confessed. “I’ll be holding Willow’s hand while I paint what she sees, but I believe we should do the same for Auraleia. They were both abused by the same individual, who we’re hoping is the Vile Queen. If we have evidence from two individuals, it could strengthen the case. Especially since Willow only knew Auraleia shortly in comparison to Aurelia. They can’t use that against them, especially when they only met for a brief period of time as children.”
“Should I get Viktor?” Jayce suggested.
“Viktor can’t draw for his damn life,” Milo pointed out.
“I can do it?” Arthur offered hesitantly. “If it’s for Sweet Domino’s sake, I can make it happen.”
“Does that sound reasonable, Neo?” Dimitris questioned the artist.
“Yeah. Arthur could handle it. Let’s get one more canvas and a set of supplies.”
“We’ll set up the chair, easel, and such,” Saint declared.
“Make sure Willow’s head is facing North and Auraleia’s South,” Roberto ordered.
“I’m not even going to bother asking why,” Dimitris summed up.
“They need to be in opposite directions so the channeled magic doesn’t clash,” Milo revealed. “They’ll still hold hands. Both of their left hands will be connected, which are their dominant hands.”
“Willow’s a lefty?” Arthur questioned.
“She can use both but her left is what she deems dominant,” Roberto disclosed.
“You know, for a father who doesn’t give a shit about his child, you sure know a lot about her,” Arthur brought up, which had to be what silenced the room, but Roberto didn’t seem offended by it.
“Sometimes you have to appear as though you don’t care about your child so the real monsters hiding in the dark don’t destroy what you define as most precious.”
With that came a soft kiss on my cheek.
