The witch's tower: The last witch's curse

Spellcast 10: Aporia

The wind curved around the small body of the bat, who soared through the air, a little tired after making his journey out from the plagued lands. All that lay before him was a sky of endless blue, the odd early morning cloud within it, that he recalled being there the last time as his body tilted. Beneath him, the lands of the kingdom were flashing by like pictures from a video tape, and he gazed over them with a thoughtful look...

The bat was none other than Ciel, familiar of the young witch of the plagued lands, Rosalyn Isolde. Though a lot of his time with his mistress was spent partially mothering the young woman, despite her being capable to look after herself, he had found himself as of recent, also somewhat mothering the slightly older Arthur the black knight, upon his travels up to the tower. He, along with his mistress and Ciel himself, were under a curse, in which his own mistress set upon them. Until either she or Arthur could kill the other, and survive past the second day of the curse, then time would keep restarting... As you could imagine, this meant that Ciel was often making long journeys, between where Arthur stood, and the tower, a tiresome task for any bat such as himself. Yet he supposed it would all be worth it in the end once the curse was over... That is, if it ever ended... For they had been living the same two days now for fourteen restarts... Since the incident with Shannon, there had been six time restarts, three of which resulted in contractors getting hold of either Arthur or Rosalyn, the remaining three all being the ends through a tie. One time, Rosalyn set the entire building ablaze, yet Arthur had managed to get past the flames and slay her before the burning burned upon him. The next time second time resulted in them both drowning in a large flood of wine which Rosalyn had made, yet unfortunately found herself being dragged under by Arthur himself, leading the two to meet their demise in pretty much the same way. The third time was a sword battle, Rosalyn using an incantation in the name of Arianrhod who leant her the weaponry of the night skies, yet it seemed that it was to no avail as they both dealt one another enough damage to kill them both... This was their fourteenth restart, and since the curse was placed on them, almost a month ago, there seemed to be no progression in the act of actually ending the curse.

"Oh, Ciel, there you are..." Arthur then stated with a slight smile, greeting the bat as he flew up to the stables.
"Certainly cheerful this time round, aren't you Sir Arthur?" Ciel mentioned as Arthur began leading Ciel out of the stables.
"You think so...?" he replied, not much putting much thought to Ciel's word, Ciel nodding a little.
"Maybe it was because you died in so much alcohol, seems to be going to your head..." Ciel then mentioned as Arthur then gave a stiff look to the thought.
"Di-Did you have to bring that up...?" Arthur then mentioned, already feeling a little sick upon recalling what it was like. Before he then looked back up to Ciel confidently. "I just feel rather fuelled for this time round, there's not much to it other than that...." Arthur then replied with a shrug, before continuing out the stable's as Ciel watched him walk out.. Before his eyes then narrowed auspiciously...

It had been recently, that Ciel had noticed something... Concerning... Ever since the Shannon incident, perhaps before for that matter... And that was, the fact that the hostility between both Rosalyn and Arthur had decreased notably. To the point that during battle, they partially looked to within their element, actually enjoying their little duels to the death... Perhaps even each other's company. And though this wasn't really something to woe about, in most other situations it was something to in fact marvel, when you applied it to the situation the both of them, there was a fine line between what could be considered good, and what could be considered dangerous...

"Mistress, I have returned!" Ciel announced upon the first night of the restart, flying into the tower as Rosalyn looked up from her cauldron a bright look on her face.
"Ciel, good timing, I have been working on a new spell!" Rosalyn chimed, before pointing over to the book at the back of the room. "It could take me a while, but if I can master it, we may have reached our goal!" Rosalyn then gave a prideful smile, pointing to her chest as Ciel could only give her an awkward glance.
"Mistress, you know the side effects of those spells" Ciel then warned her as Rosalyn tutted a little, shaking her head.
"It doesn't really matter what the side effects are, so long as I study it the first night... Besides, it's not like I would race into procedure just like that" Rosalyn then replied, as Ciel's expression could only become even more uncertain.
"Yes but still..." he uttered, still not liking his mistress's hand in such spells, when he then decided to perhaps distract her for now.
"Do you have a trial prepared for Arthur?" Ciel inquired Rosalyn pausing for a moment filled with silence... Before she then smiled faintly...
"Yes, I have everything ready for tomorrow. It took me quite a bit of work..." Rosalyn then mentioned, taking a step back from her pot, leaving it to boil a little. She then slightly raised her eyebrow to Ciel, glancing over to him.
"So... Did he give that Elizabeth the medicine this time?" she then inquired, as Ciel nodded to reply.
"Yes, I don't even need to remind him anymore, he just takes it" Ciel replied, a little worn out as he recalled Arthur's persistence to the medicine by this point.
"That's good. Did you make sure Elizabeth knew the recipe for it?" Rosalyn then asked as Ciel's face went a little awkward.
"You know, I would, but you know talking before her father would probably wind up with me being killed, and he never likes to leave Arthur and Elizabeth alone out of his sight..." Ciel then mentioned, not really wanting to also add that Mary Anne would probably never leave him be after that point.
"Yeah, I guess so..." Rosalyn nodded, walking to the book at the back, before she then looked out the window, which was now covered by an almost perpetual fog, only slight slithers of the plagued lands and the kingdom to the distance being visible. She leaned over the book stand with a slightly intrigued look.
"Say, how is Arthur right now? I couldn't really tell from the crystal ball..." Rosalyn then asked Ciel.
"Actually, he seems rather cheerful today" Ciel answered as Rosalyn then tilted her head curiously, her eyes still focuses on the world outside.
"Really? Any reason why?" Rosalyn questioned on as Ciel shook his head, a little unsure himself, before he flew to the side of Rosalyn.
"He only mentioned that he was feeling ready for this time restart... Maybe he is excited to get here? I'm unsure whether or not this means he has a plan though..." Ciel answered as Rosalyn seemed a little surprised to hear this.
"He's excited to get here?" she doubled checked as Ciel nodded a little slower this time, rather unsure as to if he should really say.
"Well he certainly seemed so... As of recent he seems a little more enthusiastic..." Ciel pointed out, as Rosalyn looked back out the window quietly...
"I see..." she nodded, as Ciel glanced over to her curiously... Upon her face there was a slightly warm smile,  one perhaps she wasn't aware she was pulling. But it was one glance at such an expression that made Ciel shiver a little... Such an innocent and naïve expression, something so small and seemingly insignificant, was in fact very foreboding. It sent warning bells ringing through the old bats ears as he gave a cautious glance away from Rosalyn. Warnings of a complete disaster if it were ever to be realised...