Tomorrow

One would think that, having literally seen every second of William’s life play out once already, Bella wouldn’t feel the need to see it all again.

Somehow, though, that perfectly logical way of thinking didn’t stop her from going to watch practice again the next day.

Or the next. Or the next. Or… well, every day for the next week.

It wasn’t as if she were in any danger, even though she was waltzing straight into the heart of Ellerdale and hanging out with a bunch of humans who would like nothing better than to lob off her head. Mostly because they didn’t know it was her head they wanted.

The first spell any decent Witch mastered was one that would let them pass for human, and Bella was no exception, though she’d never really had any reason to use it until now. Still, she was confident in her abilities—William hadn’t even realized that she was one and the same with the Witch he confronted just before. In all likelihood, he’d been too focused on the parts of her that weren’t human to notice much about the parts that were. Though, admittedly, the sudden head trauma might’ve played a part, too.

That said, she didn’t doubt for a second that she could dispose of every single person in that courtyard with ease, were it to come to that.

And yet… it was odd. She’d never given humans much thought before—not anymore than was necessary, anyhow. They were akin to mice. Pests that you didn’t much consider until you found them scurrying about in your pantry—or kicking down your door. However, now that she’d gone to them instead of them coming to her, she found herself… intrigued.

She rarely interacted with any of them. Some still gave her curious, wary, or confused looks now and then, and the guards at the gate were always sure to greet her. Occasionally someone would try to make small talk, but she would always shut it down by being vague and noncommittal in her replies. So they learned to more or less leave her alone, and she sat in the shade and watched in peace, always leaving as soon as training was over.

It was mostly William that she watched, of course. He was doing exactly what the Seer had shown her he would, coming to practice every day and giving it his all, only taking breaks when he had to. She knew why he was trying so hard, too: to kill her. Something she also knew he’d never manage, though she didn’t need any spell to tell her that. It was amusing how he’d glance over at her more often than anyone else, never realizing she was his quarry. Sometimes he waved. She never waved back, simply watched.

Sometimes, though, particularly when William was doing the more repetitive parts of training, her gaze would wander a little, and she’d glance at what the others in the courtyard were doing.

It was a bored sort of interest at first. It was all the same stuff she saw William do, after all, only the people doing it were people she didn’t know nearly as well. As time passed, though, it was exactly because she didn’t know them nearly as well that she started to give them more thought. And the more she thought on it, the more it reminded her of translating that old tome, in an odd sort of way. A study of something hitherto unknown, a challenge of knowledge (if not Knowledge), the kind of thing that had been her comfort zone for a while now.

Azalea would be horrified to hear that she’d actually developed an interest in humans, of course. That did little to dissuade her—in fact, if anything, it encouraged her. Not that she wanted her sister finding out, mind. Though maybe that was futile. Azalea had an uncanny way of doing exactly what Bella didn’t want with remarkable precision. Still, she didn’t look forward to the day of that conversation, and would be sure to do absolutely nothing to speed up its arrival.

Especially since she knew her sister would undoubtedly bring up some very reasonable points, likely the selfsame ones that Bella was actively ignoring.

She pushed that thought away, content to leave it at that. It was a bright, warm afternoon. A few lazy clouds drifted by, too thin to block the sun, but tucked away in the shade of the wall, Bella was more amused than disappointed at this thought. Unlike William, whom she noticed cast a rueful glance at the sky before continuing on with his exercises nonetheless.

“Commendable,” she whispered, aware that the attendant, Alphonse, was standing not far away. It was just like the Seer had shown her; he wasn’t letting up in his training at all, and in fact seemed to be growing more enthusiastic with it by the day, even as he made little apparent progress. Perhaps that was what fascinated her so much, that stubbornness.

He sent another furtive look her way; he’d been doing that a lot lately. She wondered, idly, what prompted them. Maybe some instinctual part of him realized she wasn’t meant to be there, some lingering effect of having had his future looked at. Still, her presence didn’t seem to distract him at all from his training, so she didn’t dwell on it. The future would run its course, it seemed, whether she was there or not.

That said… She paused, distracted by that thought. What good was a spell that showed her an unchangeable future?

She pondered on that, turning it over in her mind, and soon lost track of time. Thus she was surprised when the call for the end of practice sounded throughout the courtyard. She rose to her feet slowly, still distracted, and didn’t notice William jogging over until he was only a few steps away. She’d been trying not to interact with him, yet as he greeted her she was only wary and not worried. She just needed to avoid getting too involved with him, like she did with everyone else—fortunately, she didn’t need to pretend to be distant, as she already had things on her mind.

William cleared his throat, a finger tapping on the hilt of the practice sword he still held. “I was wondering if you might be willing to stay and chat for a bit? I was curious about—”

“Can’t,” Bella interrupted. “I really should be getting back home before it’s too late.”

“Oh… I see. Probably smart, with all the talk of a Witch going around.”

“Mm-hm.”

“One can’t be too safe, eh?”

“Mm-hm.”

“Well… would it be alright, then, if I walked you home? Y’know, help keep an eye out in case anything dangerous is out and about?”

“Mm-hm.”

“Oh, really? You’re sure I won’t be a bother?”

“Mm-hm.”

“In that case, great! You know those bushes just outside the gate? Wait for me there, I’ll be out in just a second.”

“Mm-hm.”

Looking cheerful, William dashed off toward the mansion.

She was halfway across the courtyard before Bella’s brain caught up with her ears, and she finally realized what she’d just agreed to. She’d been having a rather profound debate with herself on the intricacies of fate, but it all flew out the window quite abruptly as she stopped dead.

Wait wait wait wait wait. What did he say? She half-turned back, but William was already long gone. She swore under her breath, then, hesitantly—casting a glance at the few people still in the courtyard—carried on as if nothing were the matter. Inwardly, though, her mind was reeling.

She could ditch him. She pushed away that thought as soon as it occurred to her, then paused and actually took a moment to consider it. Yes, she could. He’d said he’d be out in a minute, hadn’t he? Well, she didn’t have any obligation to wait for him. Still… for whatever reason, she didn’t like that option. She thought on it a little more, then decided it would make coming to watch training tomorrow awkward as hell, which sounded like a pain. So that meant… actually waiting?

She wasn’t sure about it, but all the same, once she’d passed through the gate, she found herself standing next to some bushes. She didn’t know if they were the ones William had meant. A part of her hoped they weren’t. As for the other part, she had no idea what it was thinking.

Actually—a sudden realization struck her—couldn’t I just… explain what actually happened tomorrow? That I was distracted, and didn’t hear what I said? It seemed so plainly obvious now that she could, in fact, do just that. She sighed at herself. What am I getting so jumpy for?It’s not like—

A rustling in the bushes behind her made her jump, and she whirled around just in time to see William stumbling out of the wall of leaves.

“Sorry to make you wait,” he said, sounding slightly vexed. “That route didn’t work quite as well as I’d hoped… Oh.” Following his gaze, Bella saw the two guards posted at the gate staring over at William, looking baffled. “Dammit,” he muttered, “I’d thought this would be far enough away… Well, whatever, I’ll talk to them when I get back.” He waved at the guards, gave them a thumbs-up—whatever that was supposed to mean—then turned to Bella and smiled. “Shall we?”

“Er… yeah.” What in the world have I gotten myself into?

They walked in silence for a while. She pretended to be interested in the buildings they passed, though occasionally she stole a glance at William. He seemed to be bracing himself for something, and so she found herself bracing for something, too.

Finally, he cleared his throat. “Nice weather we’re having, eh?”

She eyed him, a little miffed. That was what all that tension had been about? “Too warm, I’d say.”

“Yeah, I suppose so…” He trailed off. Bella waited. That, however, was apparently it.

She sighed, not particularly caring if William heard. What on earth had she been so stressed about? She’d figured he had something to say or some such—it had even crossed her mind that, perhaps, he suspected her identity—but this was just… well. She would have been disappointed if it weren’t for the fact that this turn of events made things easier for her, so instead she was just mildly annoyed.

There were a few times when William spoke up again, pointing out things he’d seen, mentioning a fact or two about the businesses they passed. He brought up the weather again, to both her ire and amusement in equal parts. She listened only with half an ear, “Hmm”-ing and “Huh”-ing more or less at random, expressing nothing if not apathy.

Perhaps he eventually caught on, because after a while William fell silent and stayed silent for a time. Bella noted this long pause with… well, it wasn’t quite apathy, admittedly. Though far from disappointed, she found herself almost scornful at the fact that he’d backed down so easily.

Until—

“Hey, Bella?”

“Hmm?” Apparently he had more to say after all.

“This might be a bit of a weird question, but have we met before? Other than that time you pulled me out of the forest, I mean.”

She tripped over her own feet. He caught her before she could fall, helping her regain balance.

“You alright?” he asked, looking alarmed.

She searched his face, fighting down the flash of panic she’d felt. He did suspect, then. Didn’t he? How could he not, if he was asking a question like that? Still… nothing showed on his face. And even if he did, there was no way he was certain—after all, if he was, he wouldn’t be asking anything, he’d be pulling out his sword and waving it in her face again. He had brought a sword with him, though…

“No,” she said, her tone firm.

“Do you think you sprained your ankle? Or—”

“No, I didn’t mean that,” she said irritably. “I meant, no, we haven’t met before, other than that time.”

“Oh… okay. Just curious, was all. You sure you’re good?”

“I’m fine.” In truth, her heel did throb a little, but he didn’t need to know that. She tried not to look as if she were favoring it. To distract him, she pointed at a nearby inn. “This is where I’m staying.”

“It is…?” She could understand his hesitancy; the place she’d indicated was shabby at best. Compared with all the other inns and taverns they’d passed on the way here, it was downright pathetic. But Bella didn’t particularly care, seeing how it was a lie anyway, so she just nodded. “Huh…”

“Well, I should get inside before it gets dark out.” It was a stretch, seeing as the sun was still well above the horizon, but if William thought it was odd, he didn’t show it.

“Right, yeah. I’ll be off then.” He half turned, hesitated, then added, “See you tomorrow?”

“Mm-hm.”

He gave her one last smile, then trotted away.

Bella stood there, in the middle of the street, watching him get further and further away until he disappeared from view. Then she cast a baleful eye at the run-down inn she’d claimed to be staying at, as if this were all its fault. Eventually she sighed.

Perhaps that was the end of it, then. She could raze Ellerdale to the ground with ease, but, frankly, she still would rather not. She’d become a little intrigued by the humans here, and had, in all honesty, enjoyed sneaking in to watch William and the others. At least, it had been better than moping around her home.

She turned away from the inn, and began slowly walking in the direction of the forest, feeling sour.

It had been a good way to pass the time. She didn’t really want to give that up, but if they found out she was a Witch… she could be forced to destroy the town whether she wanted to or not, if only because they’d be so determined to burn her at the stake. She’d prefer to avoid that turn of events if she could, and if William was suspicious of her, then—

She stopped in her tracks, anger flaring up inside her.

Then so what? Someone asking a question or two was enough to scare her off? She was a Witch, not a wimp. If he was suspicious of her, then she’d just have to do away with those suspicions. She would not back down or run away.

… Unless she really really had to.

But she didn’t. Yet. So.

She turned sharply on her heel and marched up to the shabby in. She threw open the door—the man behind the counter let out a squawk of surprise, and stared, bug-eyed, as she approached. She leaned over the counter. He leaned back. She glared. He swallowed nervously.

“I need a room. Now.”

“Er…”

~ ~ ~

Azalea watched with utter bemusement as her sister disappeared into the inn. What on earth is she thinking?

She waited where she was, perched on a rooftop across the street, but Bella didn’t reemerge. She isn’t actually staying there, is she? She shook her head, completely at a loss.

When she hadn’t found Bella at her cottage, she’d had a suspicion that she might find her here. Azalea had cloaked herself so that no one would see her, and had been wandering the town’s rooftops for a while, when she’d noticed with no small amount of shock the pair strolling along the street.

Though the cloaking made her invisible to the eye, she’d wondered if Bella, at least, might notice her—but her sister had seemed rather distracted. Well, more than usual.

She glared in the direction that the human had disappeared. She’d bet anything that that was the one Bella had used the spell on. She’d been itching to follow him, but had let him go with the hope of getting a chance to talk with her sister. But Bella hadn’t noticed her, and she did not feel like following her into that sad excuse for an inn.

She considered going after the human—maybe she could even just kill him, and they could all be done with this mess—but he was far enough away now that finding him would likely be difficult. Was he a member of the town guard, maybe? That’d explain why he’d been carrying around a blade. Perhaps she could go check…

She sighed, turning a frustrated gaze back to the building her sister was in. No, she’d just watch for now. Surely, Bella had some kind of plan, or something. And she was finally getting out of the house… There were plenty of Witches who stole into human settlements all the time. Azalea herself was among them. That said, this was Bella. She was the only one Azalea knew who could develop a healthy habit and make her more worried than she had been before. Honestly.

She sat, hugging her knees up to her chest, wrapped her wings over her arms, and glared at the inn long into the night.

~ ~ ~

William returned to find Alphonse waiting for him.

He’d just finished explaining to the guards outside the gate that he’d lost something in the bushes earlier and had been looking for it, that was all, and was strolling across the courtyard, humming tunelessly, when he noticed his attendant still standing over by the west wall, as if he’d been waiting there since practice had finished. William hesitated. Wait… had he? Admittedly, he’d been so focused on Bella that he couldn’t quite remember if Alphonse had been there when he’d been talking to her…

So it was with a slightly apologetic air that he jogged over to the attendant, opening his mouth to ask—but Alphonse spoke first.

“M’Lord, if I may be so bold.” He paused.

William nodded, curious. “Of course you can.”

“You are training to fight the Witch, are you not?”

“… Um.”

“The Baron is pleased to see you out of your room, but, if I may be so frank—” He paused again.

“… Might as well.”

“—The timing is rather too coincidental.” He fixed William with one of those penetrating gazes he was so good at.

William met it defiantly, if a little uncomfortably. “Well, so what?”

“That is indeed your objective, then, M’Lord?”

“… It is. So? You can’t keep me from going to practice.” Well, actually, the Baron probably could, but he didn’t want to consider that possibility just yet. He’d been afraid something like this might happen, and that trepidation had been one of the deciding factors on his silence these past weeks. Had Alphonse guessed that he’d confronted a Witch once already? How much had he already told William’s father, and how much would he tell him after this conversation? His mind was racing, trying to figure out what he could say to turn this situation around, until—

“I assure you, M’Lord, that was not my intention.”

“… Huh?”

“Forgive me, M’Lord, that is not entirely true. I admit I did consider trying to keep you from practice. However, if, as I have surmised from your words, you are truly set on facing the Witch—”

“I am.”

Alphonse bowed slightly in acknowledgement. “—Then, rather than impede your progress, M’Lord, if I may be so bold, I should like to see to it, with my own two eyes, that you have the prowess required for success in your endeavor. I have already spoken with the Baron, and he has agreed that I might. With your permission, M’Lord, I should like us to begin right away.”

William rubbed at his forehead. “Wait. Say that again?”

Alphonse gave him one of his rare, thin smiles. “I am offering, M’Lord, to train you in how to kill a Witch.”