The Troubles from Monsters and Men (The Secret of Moonacre Fanfiction)

Of Names and Magic

As they approached the store, the chemist gave them a wry smile. Fée hopped off her lap as Regina took the apparatus from the table and led the group inside towards a bookcase across the shop. The chemist swung it open, revealing a set of stairs. Still silent, they walked down into the basement. The boy from the forest trailed behind, still reading his tome.

The basement walls were made of red bricks. To one side was a rather large fireplace made of brass and stone. Across from it was a white counter with a golden marble texture. Its polished shine fit beautifully with the brass tools, glass vials, and colorful liquids held inside them. Behind the counter was a large shelf filled with glass bottles, vials, flasks, and other sorts of tools. Two large workbenches were arranged across the room, intricate tools and mixtures on each of them, left for another day's work. The basement smelled much like the floor above, but there was the added scent of a crackling fire.

Maria looked around in admiration while Robin quickly scanned the room, making sure they weren't being led to a trap. "This shop, it wasn't here last time, was it?" Robin said. He was sure this was the same alley the old women had lured him to.

"You're right," the chemist said with a proud smile. She invited them all to sit at the counter. The chemist, Fée, and the old lady sat on one side of the counter, while Robin, Maria, and the boy sat on the other side.

"Well then, I'm sure you must have many questions," The old lady began. "Let's get started, you can call me Minerva, I am a witch, as I'm sure you guessed," Minerva said with a pointed look at Robin. Gesturing towards the store owner she said, "You may call her Regina, she's the apothecary and chemist, this is her store; and you may call him Pierre, he is of the fair folk." She finished pointing at the boy from the forest. He had resumed reading his tome and was not paying much attention to any of them.

"My name—" Maria began but was interrupted by Robin.

"You may call her Maria, or Moon Princess... and on that note, how does he know my name? Reckon you both do as well?" He asked with a side glance at Pierre.

"My, oh my, issues with memories and hearing," Pierre said with a snicker, not bothering to look away from his book. "I already told you, the Forest said it."

Robin was about to protest when Regina raised a hand, stopping him with a sigh and roll of her eyes. With a shake of her head, she said, "Do not worry for your name. They won't claim anything from you, nor do you have to fear from us. We work at the crossroads between humans and magical folk, keeping peace in this little pocket of the world."

"Then why were you following us?" Robin asked.

"As you guessed, this shop is less than a year old," Minerva said, taking over the conversation as Regina poured them a red tea that smelled of hibiscus and peach. "For the longest time, we believed the age of magic was coming to an end. The prospering world of humans, followed closely by their destructive vices, pushed magical folk to the edges of the world, doing all that they could to remain hidden and prevent the complete disappearance of magic.
"Though upstairs easily passes as a human apothecary shop, in order to fully expose ourselves, we needed to be sure neither of you were a risk to our existence. I needed to ensure both the Moon Princess and her protector remained good in their heart."

"Then Elise, the Forest, the robbery, were they all your doing?" Robin pressed.

Minerva shook her head. "My magic provides me visions, though at times they're merely but the faintest of glimpses. I knew Elise would run after Fée, therefore I sent them your way to see the extent of your generosity. I foresaw you venturing into the forest and the robbery of our most trusted merchants. I sent Pierre to observe you and guide you towards the same path as them. I wanted to see if you'd remain virtuous in the midst of havoc, how well you work together, and the extent of your capabilities, both in defense and magic."