Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Mrs. Wytte and Miss Hilde haven’t visited Queen Daniela today, not even once”, Alice said, worriedly. “I know which day it is today, but I still think that her majesty needs her family, especially on a day like this.”

The young, red-headed woman and her tattooed partner stood outside of the huge door, each with a plate and a glass in their hands. They had just visited Queen Dani to collect her dinner meal.

“Let them be, they’re all suffering and trying to keep their heads up in their own ways”, Romas began, walking away from the door. “Miss Hilde isn’t even at home, she went out for business early in the morning and still hasn't returned. And Mrs. Wytte… She hasn’t left her room all day.”

“Well, Queen Daniela might be suffering today as well! It’s her special day, and yet…” Alice’s voice shrunk, her confidence wavering. “...Her family has left her completely alone.”

“Mrs. Wytte hasn’t had the time to grieve properly, with all that’s happening. On top of that, today must be a painful reminder to her. Besides, it’s not like her majesty seems bothered either. You saw it yourself, she was her usual, detached self. She was acting like nothing was wrong... Mrs. Wytte and Miss Hilde wouldn’t get any kind of comfort watching her in that state. To put it bluntly, she would just be rubbing salt into the wound.”

Alice put her hand on the door and gave it a longing look before deciding to catch up to Romas. “If you put it like that, I can’t really argue with you…” She huffed, a solemn look spreading across her face. “…But, still... She's so young. And I can clearly see that she’s not doing well, she didn’t even touch the raisins I put in as a little celebratory snack! She’s like an… emotionless doll. Isn’t there any way we can help her?”

The couple continued walking down the monotonous, never-ending hall, deep in thought. All of the curtains, mats, paintings, and staircases had lost their heart and soul, only leaving a hollow, torn-down, and shredded palace. Just as the Queen of Witches had lost her vibrant colors, so had the palace itself.

Romas let out a deep sigh. “That isn’t any of our business. We just need to look after Queen Daniela, making sure that she is well-fed and healthy. Excess sympathy will get us nowhere, and you know that.”

“Argh, you idiot! You’re so heartless! How can you take a look at the poor child and say something like that?” Alice shouted. She ran to the kitchen and laid down the brick with leftover food by the sink and aggressively began washing the dishes. Romas was left in shock for a short while, before carefully joining Alice. He threw a glance at her and took notice of her narrowed eyes and lips pressed together.

“But, Alice…” Romas pleaded with an overly kind, phony voice, though he was cut off quickly.

“No buts, I’ve already decided! I’m going to brew potions and read about spells so we can help her explore her memories and take her to different places! It ought to work, it is our specialty, after all!” Alice declared, splashing water droplets into the open.

Romas took a tissue and wiped off the water that had been splashed onto his face and sighed with exasperation, seeing no point in putting up a fight. “Don’t blame me when Miss Hilde throws us out of here.”

Daniela Wytte had practically no company today.

The elderly lady and witch duo had provided her with her necessary meals, but Angela and Hilde, apparently her mother and aunt respectively, had not shown up. Usually, the woman who called herself her mother would visit her room several times a day, sometimes talking about upcoming missions, and other times just blabbering about trivial matters that Dani could not care to pay attention to. The woman who called herself her aunt would never enter the room, only watching over the mother-and-daughter duo interacting from a distance. But she would still check up on her several times a day, more so than her own mother. But today, for the first time since she arrived at the castle, no Angela had come to talk with her, and no Hilde had come to check up on her. And while Dani did not act unusually because of their absence, she did notice the emptiness and gloominess that had crept into her room.

Dani rose up from her king-sized, elegant chair while collecting her lower back-length hair in her hands and bouncing it over her shoulders. The dress she was wearing hugged her figure, the black fabric a bright contrast against her pale, ghostly complexion. She threw a glance at the footstool, where “Spirit” — the closest thing she had to a companion — slept peacefully.

So you’re asleep, too... Dani thought to herself, unamused.

Normally, Spirit was awake anytime she was awake and fed her all sorts of words, which Dani took in and followed without question. But there were a few moments such as these that she was left all by herself, to think for herself. And whenever that happened, Dani always felt directionless, as if she was trapped somehow. The discomfort she felt forced her to concentrate on what she heard as peace of mind; that being her feet thudding against the wooden planks as she made her way to the Victorian windows, and the rain splattering towards the windows forcefully. Outside of the castle, the elm trees were leafless and stunted, and the powerful wind in the night cold dimmed the smoke swirling from the nearby houses. Within the witches’ city, the street was somewhat narrow and muddy, but beautifully decorated with lanterns and other ornaments. There were also a few small shops, where fully-dressed-black witches, even at that time of night, were crawling in and out at the doors.
Dani flicked a bit of dirt that had gathered on the windowsill. She proceeded to carefully touch the cold glass pane and observe her reflection, goosebumps spreading on her arms. She stared deep into her black eyes and caressed her reflection’s cheek.

Again... Dani thought to herself. I’ve seen you before, someone who’s like me, but also different from me… Who are you?

As she was pondering, she took notice of the black crown on top of her head. She wore it so often nowadays that she did not feel the weight of it anymore.
Dani still remembered parts and bits of the day she was crowned as the Queen of Witches.

Memories of the black-colored crown being put on her head as a black goo covered her hair and streamed down her face.

Memories of witches dressed in black from all over the country that had gathered to witness the crowning, standing beside each other and kneeling in front of her as a sign of solidarity.

Memories of children donning witch hats with little crooked broomsticks in their hands, squealing in laughter and gazing with adoration.

Memories… of a few tears escaping from Angela’s eyes when no one was looking.

That was one part of her memories from that day that Dani could not make sense of, but it was not something that she sat and fret about. Besides, Dani had more important things to focus on.

As the Queen of Witches, you’re a symbol, an ideal, someone who our community is going to look up to and use as an example now. It’s your responsibility to lead the witch rebellion against those who oppose us, to rule in a way that’s worthy of the title that has been given to you, her mother had told her during her crowning.
And Dani had no reason to disagree with any of that. She didn’t have time for anything else — she wasn’t just Dani, she wasn’t just some ordinary witch girl anymore after all — she was the Queen. And if she were given the orders, Dani was willing to do anything to fulfill the duty that had been given to her.

Suddenly, crunching hit Dani’s ears from behind, prompting her to turn around quickly with furrowed eyebrows and tense arms. She saw nothing at first, but that nothingness was something she recognized all too well — she wasn’t alone. As the small footsteps got louder and echoed through the room, she saw a thumb-sized male toddling from her bedroom door, and the threatening look on Dani’s face mellowed down into her usual blank expression, and the tension in her arms released. When he finally arrived in close proximity to her, he grew back to normal-size, revealing himself as a young man no older than 16. His bright, orange hair had just grown past his ears, with several piercings on each of his ears hanging freely and a bandana tied loosely around his head. Dani was unfazed by his appearance, but what she didn’t notice is that the gloominess in her chest was fading away ever so slightly.

Dani walked back to her chair and sat down while adjusting her hair. She peered at the young man from the corner of her eye without moving her head. “You’re here again… Nico.”

Dani didn’t remember anything of her life before arriving at the castle, but she did remember Nico being there with her from the very first day she arrived at the castle. From there on, he visited her almost every day. Dani was not sure if she could trust him completely though, pensive about the possibility of him betraying her anytime and him returning to her side for the sole reason that he can be in his normal-size around her. In spite of that, Spirit had told her to not get rid of him, since he could be useful to her in the future. On top of that, Dani did not mind Nico’s company. In fact, he was one of the few people that Dani could care enough about to remember and acknowledge.

Nico took a deep breath, shook his head, and set his back straight. No matter how many times he saw it, it truly broke his heart to see the once cheerful and expressive Daniela Wytte as an ice-cold witch queen, seemingly devoid of emotions. Nonetheless, with his loyalty towards Dani stronger than his sorrow, he determinedly walked through the smoke that had arisen from his transformation, firmly gripping onto his waist bag and crouching down beside her.

“Of course I am, Dani… You know I always come back.”

Dani turned her head towards him noncommittally in response before directing her gaze to the window again, a dreadful silence falling upon them. Nico’s chest immediately grew heavier, and any attempt he took to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat ended in failure. He had so many things he wanted to talk about with Dani, so many things he wanted her to know, but every time he saw that emotionless mask of hers, he always felt so defeated.

Two years ago, Nico had to confront his emotional smallness by literally turning physically small after Dani accidentally put a curse on him. And now, he had to confront this emotional smallness once again by not being able to make his voice heard to the person he held dearest, no matter how much he screamed, no matter how physically close he was to her. Despite that, the thought of leaving her side never crossed Nico’s mind, not even once. After all, the last thing he wanted was for Dani to feel like she was all alone. He would never want her to feel the same way he used to feel back when he was a child.

“Hey, Dani”, Nico began, a playful grin spreading across his face. “Do you know what day it is today?”

Dani fixated her gaze on Nico. “What?”

He chuckled, happy to somewhat get through to her, at the very least. He huffed as he stood up, relocating himself from being beside Dani to being in front of her. He went down on one knee, supporting his weight by placing his arm on his other knee. “It’s February 15th. It’s your birthday today, Dani! You’re 14 now!”

Dani furrowed her eyebrows, a sense of puzzlement crossing her face. “…My birthday?”

“…Yes, it is your birthday today! Didn’t you know? Didn’t anyone congratulate you today? Not even your mother?”

“No.” Dani inspected the mora clock on the wall, soon to strike ten. “But it doesn’t matter.”

“Of course it matters! Everyone deserves to be celebrated, or at the very least be congratulated, on their birthday!” Nico shouted, his throat thickening. “Damn it… Last year, you were so happy. You and Dorian…”

“…Who?”

Nico paused and his face crumpled — once again reminded of the fact that Dani did not apparently remember her own twin brother. He did try to tell her that Dorian didn’t die that day, that he was able to get out of there safely. But despite that, Dani wouldn’t as much as blink an eye. And Nico refrained from continuing to bring it up, since Dorian never returned in the end. He couldn’t make any empty promises.

Nico looked down, sadness flitted across his face.

Even now, Dorian…

Nico suddenly slapped his own cheeks, raised his head, and looked ahead at Dani. He realized that if he let himself get depressed because of what he didn’t have, he would forget to cherish what did have. So while Dorian was not here, Dani was. Even though she always wore her usual cold and gloomy face, she was still right here. Right in front of him. And that was enough for him to not completely lose hope.

“No, it’s nothing. It’s just… I’m really grateful that you’re here.” He turned to his waist bag and fished out a white, rectangular box with a golden lace and a ribbon tied to it. He extended his hand to her. “Here, Dani.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a birthday present I bought for you. Try opening it.”

Dani scrutinized the present before accepting it and putting it on her lap. “Alright.” She proceeded to untie the lace and open the cover, where a yellow-greenish ribbon laid within. She sat quietly and assessed the gift, eyes calculating. “...It’s a ribbon. What for?”

Nico’s face relaxed; the faint outline of wrinkles around his eyes visible—eyes which seemed to sparkle despite the dullness of the room. “Well, I know you own many ribbons in all sorts of colors. But I’ve never seen you with a ribbon in this specific color, so I figured that you might like it.”

Dani didn’t know whether she ”liked” the present or not. The thought of liking or disliking something hadn’t struck her mind. This entire time, she had only focused on being the Queen her mother and the witches needed her to be, and to listen to what Spirit told her to do. She had no time to think about anything else. Despite that, as if her body moved on its own, she lifted the ribbon out of the box and held it in her hands, looking at it earnestly.

Nico observed Dani with a hopeful look on his face, wondering if he had succeeded with going through to her, only to be met with a never-ending silence. He breathed out a disappointed chuckle, but he would be lying if he said that he didn’t expect this kind of reaction. After all, Dani’s face was, as always, emotionless and cold. Her eyes still only reflected the darkness and emptiness of the room, the glimmer, and light having faded away ever since she saw Dorian “die” at the stake. No matter what he did, he was never able to elicit a reaction out of her.

All of this painfully reminded him of the old Dani. Her sparkling eyes, the raven hair she always wore in ribbons, her vibrant expressions, the energetic and dynamic tone of her voice. For someone like Nico, who had great difficulty expressing himself and conveying his true feelings to other people, meeting the free-spirited Daniela Wytte had turned his life upside down. She was truly the most expressive and honest person he had ever met.

It was one of the things that had made him fall in love with her in the first place.

Nico’s face contorted, his forced smile weakening and shifting into a lugubrious frown. Suddenly, a deep, lingering feeling of aching and longing hit him. A longing… for things to go back to how they used to be. For things to get better.

For Dorian to return, safe and sound.

For Monica, Mark, and himself to find peace of mind.

For Pendragon to reboot his life.

For the war between the witches and non-magical people to stop.

For Dani… to recover, and smile again.

He wished hard, even though that kind of future appeared to be so distant, so unattainable, and so out of his grasp that it almost seemed impossible to reach. However, believing in something despite how hopeless it seemed was just the kind of person Nico was. And that’s why, he would do everything in his power to help Dani, to make her feel more like her old self. He knew this would be a lengthy and thorny path that wouldn’t be easy to walk on, but he had still made up his mind to commit to it. He had chosen this way of living for himself.

Most importantly, Nico had made a promise. He had promised Dani to always be by her side, and he planned to keep it.

Nico suddenly put his hand under Dani’s palm and placed his other hand on top, squeezing it gently. Her hands, now capable of hurting, destroying, or even killing were she given the orders, were surprisingly small. They were also cold and paler than usual, but somehow they were just as comforting as Nico had remembered them to be.

Dani neither flinched or retreated, but her eyes widened. When her gaze met Nico’s, she saw that a melancholic smile had been plastered onto his face. A wave of dejection washed over the Witch Queen, subconsciously leaving her disoriented. Left in silence and questioning his gesture and reaction, Dani was quite literally unable to part her eyes from him.

Nico carefully stroked Dani’s hand, reciprocating the deep gaze shared between them. He blinked hard and exhaled slowly, finally ready to break the silence.

“Happy birthday, Dani”, Nico whispered, his eyes shining with the faintest idea of tears. “I'm so glad you were born.”