Lost and Found

It was said that all mages were born with a power that was uniquely their own. For some children it was easy to see, their dreams full of visions of fate and others yet again turned everything to gold with their touch alone.

Your unique magic had been harder to notice at first, compared to some of your classmates. That wasn’t too unusual, the current king’s Grand Mage was a woman whose unique magic was the ability to sense deceit with a single handshake. Her ability that hadn’t been obvious to her from the start since she had chalked it up to her having a good gut feeling for years.

There was even a mage out there who could smell poison and hadn’t known about this born skill of his until his mid thirties.

Your unique magic was the ability to find what others had lost, but not just any random item. Only what was most precious to a person and still got lost ended up in your possession.

Though in all honesty that was nowhere nearly as interesting as it sounded at first. Or cool. Or special. It honestly just meant that your little home turned into a hodgepodge of random junk, since your ability was, to your chagrin, a city wide thing.

While you never judged people for the things that were most precious to them, you did judge them over how often they lost them. There were some people you were on a first-name basis with now because of how often they dropped by your tiny little apartment, chagrinned and hopeful.

Being known as the resident walking, talking lost-and-found bin was hardly fun. Barely anyone chatted you up without asking you if you had seen or found anything of theirs. Unfortunately, no matter how often you explained that only precious things showed up people still kept asking you.

You had a basket set up inside your cramped home, dumping all your findings in there, though you had a couple of people complaining that it damaged their bejeweled bracelet and others again were aghast to see that you did dump anything into the bin, even lost underwear.

Look, you didn’t want to touch that either, but what was the alternative? Letting it lie around somewhere in your home? Surely not.

It wasn’t your fault people lost everything but their own heads – though not the heads of other people. It had been rather awful to find a severed head lying at your feet when you had taken a break from studying. At least the city guard had done their job well and both found and apprehended the murderer within the week.

Even when you started to work part time at a local enchanter’s shop you kept finding random things all around you at the shop to the point where your boss started to set up a crate where you could leave things that the owners could later come and pick up.

Speaking of.

„Have you seen my blue shawl somewhere?“ you heard your boss shout and with a sigh you looked up from the charm you had just finished carving sigils into to – yep, it was right there.

„On the table to my left!“ you shouted back and a moment later your boss came bustling in, a portly woman with a smile bright enough to light up even the dimmest room and grimmest of moods.

„Lovely, thank you,“ she said, putting her shawl on, a precious silk thing with fine, shimmering embroidery that her daughter had gifted her before her death. „I’ll head out to buy more enchanting components, please look after the store while I’m gone.“

You made an understanding noise and then she was gone with a hum and a pep in her step. You knew her life hadn’t been easy, that she had clawed her way up from nothing and had overcome numerous hardships and that her optimism was a hard won and worked on skill of hers, even or especially on the days when grief weighed heavily on her. You couldn’t help but admire her.

You finished putting a careful layer of protective coating on the little wooden charm before you headed to the front, only to immediately trip over a book on the floor that hadn’t been there a moment prior. You just barely avoided falling as you flailed your arms and you hissed out a little curse.

You picked it up with a sigh and brought it out of the backroom to dump it the lost and found crate.

Honestly, why couldn’t you have been born with the power to immediately know how many beans were in a jar? Or how many breaths people had taken in their lives? That seemed like less of a hassle than this.

Shelving the newest charm you settled in behind the counter, spelling a bit of dust away from a rarely examined shelf. Component shopping could take a while, especially when it came to bartering with adventuring guilds who knew their work was valuable and that few other people sold hydra teeth or basilisk poison.

As you waited, other things appeared around you. A hat that at least had a name stitched into the inside which was always nice since it made finding the owner easier and a half filled notebook.

You had just put the notebook into the crate, when you heard the little bell at the front door chime and you turned around with a plastered on smile to greet a new customer.

„Welcome to Enchanting Encounters, how may I help you?“ you asked as you took in the young man who stood there, looking confused and lost and like he had no idea why he was even here. He looked like he had cried too, eyes puffy and nose red like he had rubbed it a few times too many.

„I don’t know,“ he murmured. „I, um, I wasn’t really looking where I went, I don’t know why I came here.“

You eyed him. „I see?“ What were you supposed to do with that? And should you ask him if he was alright? „Well, do you perhaps need anything then?“

„I just...“ The young man slowly shuffled forward, glancing around with both confusion and curiosity. „I just feel lost, you know?“

You paused, staring at him, confused and baffled before things sharply clicked into place in your mind. Oh no. Absolutely not. Wasn’t it enough that you found random junk everywhere? And what were you supposed to do about someone feeling lost anyway? It wasn’t like you had their resolve or their determination or even just their hope lying around somewhere!

„But I suppose you can’t really help me with that,“ the young man murmured, quiet defeat in his voice. „Sorry, I don’t even know why I said that.“

You resisted the urge to sigh or stare skyward as though you could somehow stare at whatever higher power existed. Magic was as strange as it was amazing and there was a lot people still didn’t understand about it. A mage’s unique abilities were one of those things and there had been a couple of mages who had reported their abilities growing over time.

Were you one of those unlucky souls? Lovely.

„Look, buddy,“ you started, then you made the mistake of looking at him again, meeting his gaze. He looked so small, so...lost. You exhaled, deflating. „I’m sure you’re going to be fine.“

To your surprise he came over to sit down on the stool in front of the counter, the one the shop owner usually reserved for customers that wanted to order custom items, which was always a process.

You had only worked here for a month and you had long since lost count of how often she had to remind people that she neither sold wards against death nor did she sell anything that forced people to fall in love with them.

The guy started to talk about his ups and downs, his woes and his good times and how he felt he had no place in this world. That he had no idea why he even existed.

You didn’t tell him that he existed because his parents clearly decided to get frisky nor did you tell him that no one knew why they were here or what their place in this ever changing world was. People just...lived.

„Why not make a place for yourself,“ you asked, half absentminded as you wrote new labels for charms you intended to make later once your boss was back, quill carefully and elegantly scratching over paper. „If you don’t know why you exist, why not create a reason. It’s your life, you owe it to no one but yourself if you do or don’t make something of it.“

The young man was silent for a moment, an aura of surprise surrounding him, before he stood up and you glanced at him, blinking when you saw the bright smile on his face.

„Thank you!“ he said, looking like he had found something, some kind of enlightenment or hope or direction, giving you a glad grin and a downright flourish-y bow before he rushed out of the shop, steps brisk and mood a mix of determined and peppy.

„Huh,“ you said lamely. Well. All’s well that ends well?

*.*.*

The young man wasn’t the only one who ended up stumbling into your life for brief moments, looking lost and confused. You didn’t get it, you were no philosopher or a philanthropist nor were you particularly wise. You weren’t even a particularly nice person some days.

And yet, somehow, your grudging and sometimes baffled and at other times half distracted advice seemed to work for other people.

You also really hoped that your ability would stop there. What else was next after all, someone’s actual, lost life? Why not a whole ass kingdom too, because apparently people could loose anything if they tried hard enough.

At this point people started to come to you even if they didn’t feel lost because their previously lost friends and family members spoke so highly of you. Of course, most of those people you couldn’t help, because they were not in a crisis and you didn’t have what they needed. They left frustrated and baffled and some scoffed under their breaths.

You just rolled your eyes and kept working. When you graduated from the academy at last, your boss hired you full time while you figured out what you wanted to do next.

You could always request to apprentice under a Grand Mage to become one yourself, but you had to admit that you wanted to leave the city. You wanted to go somewhere where you could make life-long friends and be more than your unique magic.

You wanted to test the limits of magic and find like-minded people and...well, you wanted to find your own place in this world. Sadly, your unique magic didn’t help you one bit in finding what you needed, so you had to figure things out on your own.

„I do hope you’ll stay a while longer,“ your boss said with a grin when you told her of your vague plans of leaving and traveling. „I haven’t had such a good enchanter in years.“

While that made you swell with pride, you had to admit that this city had nothing to offer you. Maybe it would be different if you were a different person, a different mage, but you had spent years here already while you had studied and you wanted to get going. You just had to figure out where you wanted to go first and you wanted to save up some money for your travels as well.

And then, one evening as you finished up an enchanted necklace after work, you found a severed hand with an eye imbedded in the palm on the table beside you just after you had set down your fine tools.

You stared at it and it gestured at you and for a moment you wanted to grab the huge book on common enchantments placed on a stand at the side and smack it until it was dead.

„No,“ you said flatly and the hand actually drooped of all things. „Find your own way back home.“

Only it didn’t. Instead it kept following you around as you wrote a label for the necklace and carefully put it in the display stand at the front.

It made skittering noises with its nails until you gave up with a groan. „Fine,“ you grumbled. „But I am not happy about this.“

The hand made an excited circle on the floor before it led the way over to the door, scratching at it like a bizarre dog. You had half a mind to just lock it out of the store, but it would likely just stay right outside on the sidewalk until you left to head home.

„Did someone lose you or have you lost the rest of yourself?“ you couldn’t help but ask as you followed it down the dark street, your mage robes billowing in your wake.

The hand didn’t answer, which was no surprise at all and instead led you to the local cemetery. That was the point where you heavily considered skittering away yourself or tossing the hand into the river on the other side of the city and then you’d swiftly leave said city yourself no matter your funds.

But the eye blinked up at you, big and glassy and far too green to be normal for any living creature and you relented with a sigh. Grumbling over your own stupidity and soft heart you warily crept after the hand until it stopped in front of a crypt, scratching at the stone door that covered the entrance.

You flicked a simple spell at it to push the door open, only it wouldn’t budge. Pausing you took a closer look and then you waved your hand, removing the cloaking spell you could sense now that you paid attention.

The door was covered in sigils and runes, such an intricate knotwork of two styles that should not work together but somehow did, creating something downright impenetrable.

„Buddy, I hate to break it to you, but I can’t get in there,“ you told the hand. „I’m a pretty good mage, if I may say so myself, but this is beyond me.“

You’d have to find an expert in sigils and then an expert in runes to even begin untangling this unholy mess, tied together like it was merely two strings and not two different forces of magic.

The hand made a hopping motion, pointing with its index finger and that was the moment you noticed the faint indent in the very middle, surrounded by circling runes and sigils like they were the best of friends. In the center of the indent was the symbol of an eye.

Well, that was rather on the nose now that it had gotten pointed out to you. You carefully picked the hand up and it flattened itself as you pressed it against the stone, the eye slotting perfectly in place.

A moment later the runes and sigils glowed and then faded like dust getting wiped away. You really wanted to know who had made this, because it was bizarre and fascinating and you’d really like to try such an interwoven style of magic yourself.

The hand wriggled as the door swung open by itself and you let it hop down from your palm. It skittered into the dark of the crypt, vanishing down the stairs. It returned a moment later, big eye blinking up at you and you sighed again.

Lifting a hand and conjuring a flame in your palm you followed the hand down the stairs. It was dark and cold but not damp and there was nothing down here, not even a spider or a bug or anything of the sort. Usually, crypts had at least some tiny critters scuttling around, but this place was dead and empty.

Well, aside from the body you illuminated a moment later. The dead man was laid out on a marble slap, his shirt missing and he was a mess of stitches that made him look like a particularly fleshy doll that had gotten sewn together by a very skilled seamstress. Also, one of his hands was missing.

The hand made hopping motions again so you picked it up to set it down beside the guy. He couldn’t have been dead long, considering how fresh the body looked. The hand skittered across his bare torso, tapping its fingers, then it appeared lost and confused, turning to you, eye big and begging.

„Yeah, no, you’re on your own,“ you said, half wondering how a simple hand could be so very expressive. It skittered closer, eye looking even bigger when it looked up at you again. „Absolutely not.“

Five minutes later you left the crypt with a guy slung over your shoulders.

To your surprise, he wasn’t actually dead at all though. He still had a pulse, the strongest and yet slowest pulse you had ever felt in your life, though he also was not breathing.

You were panting and starting to sweat and you thoroughly cussed out whatever powers made it impossible to cast a spell on him, or you would have levitated him in your wake easy-peasy. Honestly, who even was this guy?

You got him home without being discovered or stopped along the way, for not even being a mage would keep you safe from the authorities when they thought you were a grave robber – or a murderer.

You left the guy on your kitchen table, which was too small so his legs and arms dangled down, the hand perched on his chest and looking like it was satisfied. You stared at him, then decided there was nothing you could do.

If he was still like this in the morning, you’d go and consult some of your colleagues. You washed up and got dressed for bed and after checking the guy and hand over just one more time, you were too tired to stay up any longer.

„Ugh,“ you muttered as you fell face-first into bed. „Don’t wake me before morning.“

You had a rather good night, considering the catatonic guy and his weird hand and when you opened your eyes in the morning, said guy was leaning over you with a bright smile.

„Good morning,“ he said, which resulted in you flinging a spell at him with a startled screech. It didn’t affect him at all, because apparently his immunity against magic upheld even when he wasn’t dead weight.

He also had the strange hand attached to his arm once again and considering the way it wriggled its fingers at you it had lost none of its sentience.

„Ah, so you met Edgar, so glad to know he can make friends in my absence,“ the guy said, stepping back, his smile pulling at the neat, fine stitches that ran from the corner of his mouth all the way to his ear. His teeth were a little too sharp for your liking. „Thank you ever so much for your aid, Edgar told me everything.“

He then swept into an elegant bow, displaying stitches down his back like someone had once cut him open along his spine. „My name is Grim, at your service.“

„That’s an ominous name,“ you found yourself muttering, heart still racing in your chest and you half crouched on your bed, feeling a plethora of things, from baffled confusion to ruffled annoyance and a healthy dose of wariness. „Also, never just lean over someone while they sleep, it’s creepy.“

Grim smiled at you again, full of too-sharp teeth. „I shall endeavor to do better,“ he vowed and stepped back, Edgar waving enthusiastically at you, eye squinting in something you were willing to call joy, until Grim made a noise at the hand and it settled down.

You ended up eating breakfast with Grim where you found out what had happened to him. Apparently a self-experiment had gone awry. The last thing he remembered was being unable to find Edgar, who had a tendency to run off when the mood struck him.

„That’s the last time I make a part of me sentient, I swear,“ Grim mused as he ate the last bite and got up to help you wash the dishes. „But it is very useful to let him carry half of my life around with him.“

Edgar curled his fingers in as though to frame the eye that squinted joyfully up at you and you could only respond with a single, baffled, „Huh.“

You had no idea what else to say until you remembered the mess of sigils and runes on the crypt door and you decided to ask Grim about that. Also, you had to get going to work.

„Oh yes, that’s my work,“ Grim said with a sharp grin as he followed you out of the kitchen to the front door where you put on your cloak and boots. „Lovely isn’t it?“

„I have so many questions,“ you said and he laughed as he walked with you out the door.

He accompanied you all the way to the enchanter’s store, telling you everything you wanted to know. When you parted ways he even handed over one of his notebooks that he conjured from out of thin air, saying that it was the least he could do after you had gotten him away from his unfortunate experiment.

He left with a last flourish-y bow and sauntered down the road, grinning at anyone who gave him and his bare, stitches covered torso weird looks. Which was honestly everyone who was out and about at this hour.

A peek into the book showed that it was filled with messy but detailed notes in a truly horrid hand. Well, at least you had gotten something back for once after ending up with a lost item, though you very much hoped that this was the last time you found a severed limb.

*.*.*

Somehow you weren’t surprised Edgar appeared in your life again a month later, only this time he hadn’t gotten lost, he had come to ask you for help. You found Grim in the woods two hours later, body in pieces but awake and even his attempt at a smile didn’t work because his jaw was hanging loose.

You cussed him out as you fetched the magic thread and needle from his pack and watched as it stitched him back up by itself. He was still worn out though, so you ended up half dragging and half pulling him back home, dumping him in a messy nest of spare blankets and pillows near the tiny fireplace so he’d stay warm.

A week later Edgar scratched at your door after work and you found Grim face-down in the alley beside your home, looking like he had gotten mauled to near-death, though he wasn’t bleeding.

You dumped him in front of your little fireplace once more after you bandaged him up to the best of your abilities. You went to sleep to find him perfectly fine and healthy in the morning, breakfast waiting for you.

„I’m going to charge you a fee soon,“ you grumbled as you nearly tripped over a lost doll, picking it up to drop it in the basket at the side. You always felt a little bad for kids losing things, especially since you knew it was a very much beloved and precious toy.

„I will be sure to compensate you,“ Grim said with a toothy smile and you just tossed a pair of pants at him, since his old ones had gotten so shredded they looked more like particularly weird underwear.

He just laughed and you sighed at him, before you left to head to work. When you came back later, you were surprised to see that the basket that was usually half full was completely empty and a little coin purse sat on your table along with a note in a messy crawl.

Squinting at it you needed a moment to decipher Grim’s horrid handwriting to learn that he had returned all the items to their owners and had asked for a little finder’s fee in return.

Huh. You ended up putting the money into the little hiding spot where you kept your other savings for when you were ready to set out into the world. That had been nice of him.

You were a little surprise to see Grim again that very same evening, loitering outside the store, though he protested that description and said he was merely waiting for you. He followed you home and ended up staying the night and when he was once again loitering outside the store the next evening, you were no longer surprised.

A part of you thought that you should probably kick him out, you tiny apartment was cramped enough without Grim and his big personality and he was no small person either.

And yet you never said anything. He helped you decipher his work and told you all about what his next experiments was and handled returning lost items for you. He was a fun guy, once you looked past the weird stitches and sharp teeth and his tendency to walk around without a shirt even when it was cold.

With him taking care of your lost-and-found basket you noticed that, weirdly enough, fewer things seemed to get lost than before.

„People don’t want to pay to get their things back,“ Grim said with a shrug when you remarked on that fact. „Now that you don’t work for free anymore they take better care of their things.“

He was sitting by your feet on the floor, scribbling some kind of tangled mess of sigils and runes onto a sheet of parchment. It said a lot about the progress you had made in his work that you could start to tell what his intention was with this one.

Huh. You said nothing to his words, staring contemplatively at your own work for a long minute. „Thanks,“ you murmured at last and he reached back to give your knee a pat, while Edgar patted your other shin.

Grim wasn’t always there, sometimes he vanished for days and sometimes Edgar came scuttling down the road like a panicked creature to drag you to where he was. For all of Grim’s genius, most of his experiments ended with you dragging his limp body home or helping him stitch himself back together. He was incredibly reckless with himself.

„Moron,“ you said as you stood over his chewed apart body with a heavy sigh. „Who fights a hydra without an adventurer’s guild at their side?“

He just grinned up at you. „At least I’m your moron. And I wanted to see if my idea worked.“ A pause. „It didn’t.“

„Duh,“ you grumbled as you gave him a dry look and got started on fixing him back up. An hour later you hoisted him across your shoulders to drag him back home, a new set of stitches keeping his body together.

Whenever his experiments were a success, however, he ended up giving you all his notes, giddy and gleeful. You never asked him what his unique magic was, he was such a mess of various magic schools and styles that it was impossible to figure out anything.

One morning, a year after Grim had found his way into your life through Edgar, you felt a tug at your cloak as you eyed the bookstore from outside, contemplating if you should pick up the newest edition of potionology books.

Glancing down you saw a little girl, looking a bit too thin and her shirt was too big and worn, the pants fraying at the hems and her shoes almost falling apart. She looked like all the other orphans of the nearby orphanage, you saw the little rascals running around often enough, playing pranks or begging for coin or stealing when they were too hungry.

The city didn’t particularly care about abandoned children or the homeless and while the priests and priestesses did their best, they only had so much coin and time available. Usually it wasn’t enough to keep all mouths fed and all kids looked after.

„Yeah?“ you asked as she clung tighter to your cloak.

„They say you find lost things,“ she said, nervous and tense looking. „I think my parents lost me.“

A pang traveled through your chest and you had no idea what to say. That her parents might not even be alive anymore? That they might have dropped her off on purpose, either because they were unable to care for her or because they didn’t want to?

„Alright,“ you ended up saying, helpless to do anything else. You couldn’t break her heart worse than it already was and while you were rather certain you wouldn’t find her parents, maybe you could find someone else who wanted a daughter. Or who wouldn’t mind taking her in as an apprentice.

You offered your hand after a moment and she stared at it, then at you, chewed on her lower lip and finally let go of your cloak. She gripped your hand quickly like she was afraid you would take back the offer, her hand small and bony in yours.

You honestly hadn’t expected or intended to spend your day off walking around the city, trying to find the girl’s parents – though really, you were mostly focused on finding her a place to stay.

She was wary and a bit shy and you wondered how long it had taken her to build up the courage to approach you. She never let go of you, half hiding behind you and she didn’t say much.

You could easily admit that talking up her good points – which you didn’t know so you came up with something that sounded nice and useful – was not your strong suit. There was a reason why you were the enchanter in the shop and only up front if the boss was out.

You took breaks twice so she could eat and drink something, but otherwise she was at your side without protest, never complaining even once that she felt bored or that her feet hurt or anything else.

„Why don’t we ask the guards if they have an idea where your parents are?“ you asked when it started to get dark and you couldn’t help but worry that you wouldn’t find a place for her. Just in case she wasn’t part of the orphanage after all you didn’t want to leave her fending for herself.

For the first time the girl pulled you to a stop, eyes suddenly wide and big. „No,“ she whispered and there was genuine fear in her voice. When you looked at her, she added, softly and quietly, „They only cuff me upside the head and give me a kick so I leave.“

You frowned, feeling angry and offended on her behalf. „Assholes,“ you muttered, only to immediately resist the urge to cuss again when you realized your mistake. „Do not repeat that.“

For the first time you heard her giggle a little. She probably had heard far worse before but, well, that didn’t mean you had to add to that.

„Then let me drop you off at the orphanage,“ you said, mentally going over the coin you had with you and how much you could donate when she refused to keep walking once more.

„Is there a problem too?“ you asked and she bit her lower lip, looking away.

„The other children are terrible,“ she whispered. „And the priestess has no time for anyone.“

You bit back the urge to sigh. What were you supposed to do with her, then? You could get her a room at an inn, but should you leave a kid this young on her own? Just because other adults clearly had didn’t mean you had to be like them as well.

„I guess you can stay with me until we find your parents, if you want to,“ you said after staring across the market square for a long minute. Then you tacked on, „If you don’t mind my roommate, he’s a bit peculiar. Oh, what’s your name?“

„I’m Belle, what does peculiar mean?“ she asked and finally started walking with you again, a gleam of downright wary hope in her eyes, a quiet breath of relief escaping her.

You answered her question and told her about Grim and Edgar all the way to your tiny apartment. Your friend was already there when you opened the door and of course he was in the middle of stitching Edgar back on – who indeed liked to walk around on his own, you had found the hand dropping by a few times throughout your day without Grim needing your help.

„Belle, this is Grim and Edgar. Grim, Edgar, meet Belle, she’s a temporary guest,“ you said, reaching up to remove your cloak. Edgar wriggled his fingers at her, only partially attached and the girl stared wide-eyed.

Grim smiled, clearly trying to look harmless but his teeth made that point rather moot. Well that and the stitches through his face. At least he was wearing a shirt today, that was still a bit dicey sometimes.

Belle shadowed you to the kitchen corner where dinner was already cooking. „Thanks, Grim,“ you said and he hummed as he continued sewing on his sentient hand.

You felt a tug on your shirt and you glanced at Belle, leaning down when she gestured you closer. „What his he?“ she whispered, glancing at Grim.

„I have no idea,“ you whispered back. „And at this point, who cares?“

Grim was certainly something, he was reckless and brilliant as well as brilliantly stupid, but he was also the best friend you had ever had.

„Go wash your face and hands and sit down for dinner,“ you told Belle, before you raised your voice, „The same goes for you Grim, Edgar! I don’t even want to know what Edgar touched all day long.“

Steps behind you told you that both guests – plus hand – were doing as told and you started to plate the food, wondering what you had just gotten yourself into.

*.*.*

Belle stayed and it took you two months to realize that you had gotten played.

„You always knew that we wouldn’t find your parents, right?“ you asked her that evening as you taught her how to write and do math.

She shrugged, far less shy and wary now, her cheeks filled in now that she got three meals a day, her clothes warm if simple and she had a small bed squished into the last available nook of your home.

„You would either find them or you’d keep me,“ she said. „Either way it felt right to ask you and besides, anything was better than the orphanage at that point.“

You stared at her for a moment, then heard Grim’s excited gasp which told you he had figured out a solution to his most recent experiment and then you sighed heavily.

It seemed you had to find a bigger home. So much for leaving this city and traveling around to find a place you belonged. Well, you found you didn’t mind too much considering your current company.

„Keep practicing,“ you told Belle. „I want to enroll you in school next year, it’s too late to sign you up this year.“ She made a face and you snorted, reaching out to ruffle her hair. „That’s the price you have to pay for having a home,“ you joked. „Education, how horrid.“

It made her giggle and then Grim jumped up from his spot on the floor – the only available spot for him to scribble and spread out now that Belle had commandeered the table.

„Have fun, don’t die,“ you called after him as he left in a flurry, Edgar whipping up over his head to wave and nearly smacking into the doorframe.

You found yourself laughing as you settled back with your own book, a calm, comfortable quiet settling over your tiny home. Your far too tiny, cramped home.

The next day you went apartment hunting. Your boss was happy for you, though she still eyed Grim with no small amount of baffled confusion whenever your friend loitered around the shop whenever he wanted to pick you up if you stayed at work too long and it got too late. As if anyone but other mages could mess with you anyway.

You were surprised at how hard it was to find a place that wasn’t horrendously overpriced. You hadn’t been looking for a new place for years, your tiny apartment had always been dirt cheap and comfortable enough while you had studied and then...well, you hadn’t exactly intended to stay for that much longer. You had just wanted to work for your boss long enough to have a cushy amount of coin so you could travel for a while.

You weren’t aware of how frustrated and stressed you had become when you came home to get ambushed by Grim and Belle. The former picked you up like you weighed nothing in order to put you down on the floor on your back, covered in blankets and pillows, clearly dragged over from the three beds you had managed to squeeze in, Belle holding on to one of your arms with determination.

„So,“ Grim said as he simply sat down on your stomach, though he was careful not to put his full weight on you. „Talk. What’s bothering you?“

„Did you really have to manhandle me to ask me that question?“ you grouched and he just smiled at you, sharp toothed and stitches pulling at his cheek. „Ugh, fine.“

You told them about your fruitless search – you had kept it a secret, hoping to surprise them later – and that you didn’t want to use your savings just to get a few months at a place that was too pricey for you anyway. They both poked and prodded until you admitted to your ideas about traveling and finding a place for you in the world, that you had never felt at home in the city.

Belle and Grim exchanged a look and then the girl leaned forward. „Then we’ll just go traveling with you,“ she decided. „I don’t care if I go to school here or somewhere else.“

Grim shrugged, still sitting on your stomach. „As long as it’s with you and now the kid, I don’t care where I end up.“

You threw your free arm over your face to hide the way you suddenly had to tear up. „Asshole,“ you muttered, only to immediately tack on, „Don’t repeat that, Belle.“

She just snorted and Grim pulled your arm away to weasel closer still and pull you into a somewhat awkward, slightly uncomfortable hug.

„Yeah, yeah,“ you muttered, patting his back. „You two better start packing then.“

By the end of the week everything was packed and what you weren’t taking along sold. Your boss was sad to see you go, but wished you well all the same and told you that, should you ever come back and be in need of a job, she would always hire you again.

So you set out into the world, not alone as you had expected, but with a brilliant best friend and a smart little kid at your side. Well, your kid now, you could admit that much. She was here to stay.

*.*.*

Traveling was everything you had hoped it would be and so much more. It was both amazing and it really sucked as well, the days sometimes so wonderful you never wanted them to end and when the weather got bad it felt like an endless slog through mud and misery.

It all was going rather well though, until, three months into the journey, the three of you were hopelessly lost.

„Don’t you have magic for this?“ Grim asked after the fifteenth day of tromping through the woods with no way out. At this point you only survived because it was summer and there was enough to food that could be gathered or hunted.

„Don’t you?“ you grumbled back. „You’re a mage too.“

„Eh,“ he said and then refused to elaborate, so you didn’t ask. Grim was the strangest person you knew, but he was still your person. He could keep his secrets and you trusted him to speak up if anything became a problem.

The only person who, strangely enough, didn’t seem upset was Belle. She was the one who marched on with a growing confidence and before you knew it, Grim and you followed her.

After a month the three of you finally emerged from the forest to find a massive valley lying in front of you. A valley with villages and fields and, in the distance, a giant castle.

„Didn’t know there was a kingdom around here,“ Grim said and then, „This place reeks of magic.“

You muttered a quick cantrip under your breath, only to blink. He was right, the entire land, from the building to the plants was drenched in the most encompassing spell you had ever seen. It honestly felt more like a curse, than any old regular weaving of magic.

„It...it feels like home,“ Belle whispered and you blinked at her in surprise. She turned to you, eyes wide. „Why does it feel like I know this place?“

Grim and you exchanged a look before you said, „Let’s find out.“ You offered her your hand and she took it right away, eager to keep going.

It didn’t take long at all for you to know for sure that this place was affected by a curse. Everyone who had once lived here had frozen in the middle of their tasks. It looked like someone had paused the entire world. Nothing ever changed here, nothing truly lived and nothing truly died.

„I don’t like this,“ Grim muttered, inching closer to you on your other side, a frown on his usually jovial face. It was the first time he ever looked unsettled by something. „Can you fix it?“

„I don’t know,“ you answered honestly.

Belle seemed drawn to the castle so you followed her up a cobblestone road and through open gates. Here things looked different, though still frozen in time. While the rest of the villages and the city surrounding the castle looked perfectly fine, the soldiers were frozen mid-run. The captain of the guard stood at the open entrance doors, mouth open in a shout as she pointed inside, armor gleaming in the light.

The entire castle seemed to be in uproar, servants trying to run through doors, more guards rushing forward, knights drawing swords and noblemen and women standing protectively in front of their children and young relatives.

In the throne room stood the king and queen, the king throwing himself forward, blade raised, while the queen was acting as though she cradled something close protectively, but her arms were empty.

In front of the king laid two bodies, skeletons by now and clothes half rotted away, two mages from the looks of it. They were the only ones not affected by the curse and had likely died fighting each other. You were willing to bet that one of them was the curse caster and the other the old Grand Mage of this king and queen.

„This is clearly the work of a very upset, very skilled mage,“ Grim muttered and he stood close enough that he kept brushing against your arm. „I don’t like it. We either fix it or we go, curses make my skin crawl.“

Belle let go of your hand before you could answer and she stepped forward as though transfixed. Grim was about to say something when you found yourself reaching out, touching his arm and stilling him.

You had no idea why, it was as though you were transfixed through Belle and then she touched the queen’s face and all at once a gasp went through the air, like a massive set of lungs finally, after being still for too long, inhaled raggedly.

„The princess returns home with a pure heart,“ a voice whispered through the air, something that made a shiver crawl down your spine. „Brought by someone who wants neither riches nor fame and fortune from her. The curse lies broken, envy shattered by kindness and hatred defeated by love.“

The king lurched into movement then, a howl tearing through the air, the queen shouted, „No!“ and all at once the entire castle woke up.

It was a terrible mess for a long, hectic moment. Grim whirled to stand back to back with you, while you shouted for Belle to come back, which she hurriedly did and you threw up a shield, blocking the blades of two very enthusiastic and enraged knights.

The anger and fear and battle-readiness made way for confusion and a tense pause as the king shouted for everyone to pause. He then demanded to know where the mage was who had cursed his family for denying him everything he wanted, or what had happened to their High Mage.

„On the floor, I think,“ you couldn’t help but point out and everyone’s gaze fell to two skeletons. Belle peeked past your cloak then, nervous and startled.

The queen inhaled sharply. „Belle?“ she whispered. „Oh, but how could this be?“ She stepped forward, the king pausing and following her gaze and then his sword fell out of his hand, clattering to the floor.

„Oh, my sweet girl,“ the queen whispered, offering her hands to Belle. Tears starting to fall down her face as Belle slowly inched forward and you dropped the shield. „How long were we frozen in time? You’ve grown so much.“

Belle was starting to cry as well and in a broken voice she whispered, „Mama?“

The next moment she threw herself forward, the queen catching her, sinking to the floor, weeping, the king standing still a moment longer before he joined them. Wrapping his arms around them and crying quietly.

„The curse is gone, by the way,“ Grim whispered and you threw him a glance that said ‚obviously‘ loud and clear.

The king pulled himself together first, ordering the guards to check on his people and the treasury. The lingering nobility broke out into a flurry of movement then, clearly fearing that their own wealth had gotten stolen from them while they had been frozen in time.

As the king helped his wife and apparent daughter up, he guided them away, waving at you and Grim to follow. In a room beside the throne room, clearly meant to entertain guests, the truth got pieced together bit by bit.

A terrible mage had cursed the king and queen and their entire kingdom to never draw breath again or move or dream or think, to neither die nor truly live, until their daughter was returned to them with a pure heart and by someone who wanted nothing from her.

„He thought it impossible,“ the king muttered, while Belle sat beside you, one hand clutching onto your cloak and the other onto her mother, who stared at her with an expression of great relief and great heartbreak. „In truth, he wouldn’t have been wrong, had people known who she truly was.“

„Our High Mage tried to combat the curse,“ the queen whispered. „She must’ve protected our girl, whisked her away.“ Before she had died fighting the enemy mage.

„Still, no one would have been able to figure out who our dear Belle is and brought her back here without hints of her heritage,“ the king said with a puzzled frown and all at once it clicked into place for you.

Belle had said it had felt right to approach you and now you knew what had drawn her to you. She had lost her home, her kingdom, where everything precious to her was and since a kingdom couldn’t exactly come to you, you had instead brought her to it. Your unique magic really kept finding new and unexpected ways to surprise you.

„Huh,“ you said, blinking and drawing everyone’s attention. „I think I can explain that.“

By the evening the king had organized a huge feast in your honor and the entire kingdom celebrated along. One evening to rejoice over their returned princess and freedom, before the inevitable hard work they had to do as they rejoined society after years of being caught up in a terrible curse.

„You know,“ Grim said where he sat beside you, dressed in finery that looked almost out of place on someone who had refused to wear shirts for months in the beginning of your friendship. „I think you found it.“ At your confused look, he gestured at everything around you. „Your place.“

You huffed, „Right. My unique magic isn’t exactly here for me, you know. It’s for other people.“

He rolled his eyes and heaped more food onto your plate, ignoring your protests. „You mages,“ he muttered. „As if magic ever flows only in one direction.“

You said nothing, since you were pretty certain he was wrong. Also, you had...well, you had just lost your kid, hadn’t you? You were happy for Belle, that she had found her parents and her home all in one fell swoop, but you wondered what you were supposed to do now. Keep traveling without her? It felt wrong when your heart ached and sadness filled your lungs along with joy.

„May I have a moment of your time,“ the queen asked a little while later and Grim patted you on the shoulder as he got up to go join the dancing, leaving you alone before you could say anything.

„My daughter told me about everything you did for her,“ the queen said as she sat down in the recently vacated seat, her eyes full of gladness and quiet grief.

She had lost so much time with her kid, hadn’t been there to teach and guide and protect her. To look after her and know she was healthy and happy. To watch her grow.

„I have a proposal,“ the queen continued before you could figure out what to say. „We have an open position for a Grand Mage and, well, we haven’t yet named a godparent for our girl and you would be the perfect fit.“

You were speechless for a long moment. „I’m not a Grand Mage, though,“ you protested and then you said, „But yes. Yes to everything.“

That made her laugh and in that moment you saw Belle in that laughter, they smiled exactly the same way, eyes twinkling.

„Good,“ the queen answered and got up again. „I believe we will be in the best of hands with you at our side, both our kingdom and our future,“ she said, nodding to where Belle was now dancing with Grim, laughing joyfully.

Well, it looked like traveling was off the table again. You could admit to yourself that you weren’t sad about that at all.

You were named Grand Mage a month later, moving into the now empty chambers of the previous one. Grim didn’t ask if he could join you, he just simply moved in with you, gleeful to have more space for his experiments and before you knew it Belle showed up for her usual lessons.

„I have to go to school next year after all, don’t I?“ she said and you resisted the urge to cry, just ruffled her hair and made her sit down with her books.

You were downright surprised, as the months flowed into each other and you felt more and more comfortable, always welcome and people greeting you with big smiles, that you were actually a pretty good Grand Mage.

You still had things to learn of course and you didn’t hesitate to reach out to your fellow mages to ask them for advice and guidance, but it seemed you had found your calling.

It wasn’t until a year later that you paused, looking up from your most recent experiment, which was made of a far more functional system of runes and sigils that Grim and you had developed together, his experiments a lot more stable as well now.

You friend sat beside you, humming as he carefully drew lines to connect his runes and sigils, his hand steady and the lines perfect compared to the messy, near illegible scrawl of his notes.

You looked past him to the rooms that were your own, the castle that you called home and the city that you had grown to love. You were surrounded with amazing people now, from Grim and Belle to even the king and queen who had become dear, precious friends in no time at all.

„Shit,“ you said and Grim looked up, brow raised in a silent question. You buried your face in your hands to hide how you teared up even as a wide grin stretched across your face. „You were right.“

You just knew that Grim was starting to grin and then he leaned against you, arm settling across your shoulders. „Told you so,“ he said, but it was warm and kind and glad. „Welcome home, friend.“

You huffed and leaned back against him, your heart full with happiness and joy. And maybe Grim was right about another thing as well. Maybe your unique magic really wasn’t just here for other people.

Maybe it had looked out for you as well, bringing both Grim and Belle into your life when you had been lonely, wishing for connection, and then it had led you to the thing that was missing: a place where you belonged.

Welcome home indeed.