Happily Ever Beginning

The Spell twins had rarely been told "no" their entire lives, even to one another. If, by rare happenstance, one got a "no", the other would do all in their power to make it a yes. As a result, when they landed on Scottish soil during an on-and-off rainy day, they weren't expecting any obstacles in the way of what they wanted. Everyone had a price, and this lucky man would have the fortune of working for them. It was a win-win.

Still, they did have some sense to them. After all, there was a reason they needed a mage in the first place. Getting this wealthy had a price tag few knew about it, which was the enemies attached to it. So they had booked their flight and subsequent travels under false identities, even lying to their own employees about where they were going. Very few people knew where they really were and what they were actually doing.

At last, with the rain picking up again, they arrived at Castle McDuck. Poe opened up his umbrella to hold it over his sister. "How... quaint."

"I was expecting something more elaborate. Maybe something out of a fairy tale."

Poe chuckled. "Not to worry, sister dear. You won't have to kiss any frogs to get our prince out of there."

Magica rolled her eyes. "If you could stop treating me like a child for a solid minute... how are we supposed to get his attention from within? I don't exactly see any doorbells to ring, and this... entrance is so huge, I doubt they'd hear us knocking."

"Fair question." Poe lightly rapped his knuckles on the door anyway. "But we'll figure something out. We always do."

Perhaps if it was only rain, the bookkeeper would have tried to continue on his path to the nearest village, even though it was still a good two days away. But the harsh wind and the biting chill would all but force the young man to walk towards the last place he wanted to be. After all, the decaying old castle looked like the sort of setting one would use when telling a spooky story to frightened children.

But even with broken windows, old stone bricks falling off ancient walls, and the eerie feeling that something had their eye on him... what choice did he have? Maybe the scuffling he'd hear was merely the scurrying of rats feet. Maybe the shadows that flickered off in the distance was merely a raven settling in for the night.

This place hadn't been on the map. No one warned him about it. Yet here the castle sat, abandoned for who knew how long.

So why were the candles lit...?

 It's not as the ranch never got rich clients before - but what would come upon their humble abode this day was a few steps higher than mere "rich". The two that exited the limo were in a league all their own.

"I don't know about this."
"Look, it's got five stars from all the best rating sites. And you said you wanted to be with some animals."
"Doesn't mean I want to live in a zoo."
"None of that now. Let's give these people a nice little opportunity to better themselves with our presence... smile, darling."


With that, a pair of twins headed up to the front desk, their exhausted chauffer carrying way more bags than the human arm could really shoulder. One would think the two were moving in instead of crashing for the weekend.

Brigitta meant well. Magica had to repeat that mantra to herself over and over as she pulled the hood more over her face, readjusting her sunglasses. Brigitta really did mean well... but did she really think a simple stay at some ranch would lift Magica's spirits after all that happened? That it would erase the devastation her parents gave her, the fear she had every time she was in public, the panic of a new job, the loneliness of moving to a new place? It was incredibly unlikely... but Brigitta also had a hard time accepting the word "no". She'd keep agitating Magica no matter what.

So in all honesty, Magica was only there to shut Brigitta up. She'd stay a day, maybe two, and then retreat back into her hole. The bus began to pull to a stop, and Magica got up, clutching her small suitcase tight. Right now, she just hoped no one recognized her.

Without making a sound, she walked off the bus, and began the slow, steady uphill walk to the ranch. It did look nice, at least. Perhaps if Magica was in a better state of mine... or, she thought, if she was anyone but herself, she could appreciate it more. It was wasted on her.

At least she came at a good time, it seemed, for there weren't too many people around as she approached the front desk. She cleared her throat. "Excuse me... I'm here to check in."

 As far as Magica was concerned, change only came in two ways - huge, overpowering impacts, and then things so subtle you didn't notice until it was pointed out. Her farmhand had a bit of both - his arrival was the former, and him staying was the latter. At first she had expected him to leave once the weather was warmer, yet now they were in the fresh brush of spring and there were no signs of him moving on. With every passing day, it was if he became more attached to her life, and it was getting harder to think of life without him. She wasn't sure what to make of that.

With his help, the farm house that was once falling apart was regaining life, with the holes patched the animals taking shelter longer than usual. The land itself was thriving more than ever, with her harvests bringing in more than their usual share of food. There had even been changes to Magica herself, though she had yet to notice - fuller meals meant a fuller body, and nights without worry of survival removed the darkness underneath her eyes. But there would always be things that could not change - the mask covering the right side of her face was proof of that.

Scrooge hadn't been able to pry what happened underneath there just yet, but there were little hints here and there - whatever had happened might have happened to her entire right side of her body, as there were days she was so full of pain she needed a thick wooden cane to make it to the nearby village to sell her wares. She was the Witch of the Woods, known to the village as a heretic for going outside the laws of the gods - so the villagers saw. Little did they know she was more of a purist than they'd ever be.

The day had been growing dark, and Magica headed to the farmlands, calling out to Scrooge as kindly and cordial as ever.

"Get inside, rags for brains, it's about to rain. If you catch a cold, I'm not going to be your nursemaid."

 The war between the De Spells and McDucks was almost as old as time itself. The origins of it were lost, not that it mattered much. Both sides were equally powerful, which was why many a bloody battle often ended in a stalemate. No one really expected it to end anytime soon, despite boasting from soldiers when they discussed the strategies for the next assault and defense.

For little over a year now, the next heads of both families had joined the central conflict. Scrooge McDuck was a brilliant tactician, able to lead his men to victory against overwhelming odds. Magica De Spell was as powerful was she was wicked, her powers over darkness instilling nightmares in those who survived her wrath. Naturally the two came at a head time and time again, never truly winning but never truly losing either. To those who witnessed these challenges, it seemed as if their hatred for each other was enough to scorch the earth.

But, as these things sometimes happen, the heat between them wasn't just due to the fire of combat.

On this night, with the full moon aglow, it was warm enough have those who slumbered sweat their sheets. As good as their magical defenses were, Magica was simply stronger. She couldn't send over her physical body through the various traps, but her power over shadows had been severely underestimated. It was child's play to sneak into the bedroom of the next McDuck clan head, and if she intended it, she could have easily slit his throat.

But that wasn't her intention. Instead, her eternally moving form drifted a claw-like hand over his face, watching him without a word.