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Trying to be better

Chapter 7: Chapter 6 part 1

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Within the largest room in the town hall sit all nine coven leaders each of them having an underling standing behind them. 

All around the room are pictures of nine individuals standing side by side each of them garnering their own colors of their respected covens. A large window sits in front of the group displaying the town square filled with various carts and stands.

Alador sits with his arms crossed between leaders of the bard and potion covens with his assistant Petunia standing behind him who looks a little nervous. His ears twitch a little at the sound of her shuffling causing him to sneak a glance at her. He gives her a subtle wave of his hand to help her relax.

Petunia is a little surprised by the action and looks to see him peeking a glance at her. She lets out a breath she didn’t know she was holding and gives him a smile as thanks. 

The head of the illusion coven draws a spell circle dropping a single file to each other patron in the room who’s seated. 

“If you would all look into this folder it has all the detailed information for the Haggle moon festival next month.”

Everyone looks into their folder and reads through the event list and the multiple shops and stands that’ll be attending the festival.

Alador reads through the list of performances and is a little surprised to see that the students of Hexside from the illusion coven. A list of all the names who will be performing are written down and the names of his two eldest catch his attention.

A hint of a prideful smile can be seen on his face, but he’s quick to hide it.

“How much is all this going to cost us?” Asks the head of the potion coven. “I’m not quite sure that all these acts can be affordable with our budget.”

“Worry not most of those acts will actually be done by our local students from Hexside.” Says the head of the illusion coven giving a little flare with his hands. “The top students under the illusion coven will be taking charge of the performances.” The illusion witch stares at Alador and gives him a cheeky smile. “Two of your children will be leading most of the acts and might I say they are becoming a rather promising member of my coven.”

Alador only responds by nodding his head as he stares at his fellow coven leader with a typical blank stare. Though unbeknownst to everyone other than his assistant he is happily tapping his foot.

“How are the preparations for the food?” The Bard leader asks with a hand raised.

Alador leans back listening to his fellow coven leaders as they discuss the upcoming festival. It wasn't until he noticed something from the window that caught his attention. 

From his spot he can clearly see a familiar puff of white hair sneaking along one of the buildings with the human Luz following after copying her mentor’s movements. The two of them are staying low with some rather overexaggerated movements. Though it wasn’t the two that he’s staring at no, it’s the person behind them that has his full attention.

Amity? He thinks to himself as he ignores the meeting as he stares at his daughter who is casually following the two with a confused look on her face. Although even from this distance he could see the dark shade of red on his daughter’s face.

Alador looks at the clock, it seems that there’s still another hour before this meeting is over. He tries to refocus on the meeting, but his eyes keep darting back his daughter.

“Well then Alador?” 

The call of his names brings him back as he turns to find all members looking at him with a curious look. 

His eyes grow a little wide realising that he has no idea what they’ve been talking about. A light tap on his shoulders from his assistant causes him to look up allowing her to whisper the missed information.

“They’re asking about the wendigo trouble around the festival grounds...um sir.”

Giving her a nod Alador turns back to his fellow coven leaders.

With the festival taking place around the base of the knee the Emperor tended to send a large security force to keep watch for the local wendigo packs. Nasty creatures, their bodies pale with mismatched patches of dirty white fur spread along them. Sharp boney claws and teeth, their heads resembling skulls of various animals each with a set of horns like tree branches.

Unfortunately, this year it seems the Emperor is short on witches to do security so it’s up to the main nine coven to decide on how to deal with the wendigo issue. And so it was decided that the Abomination coven will be in charge of security this year.

“Well sir Alador,” The oracle leader asks. “How do you plan on keeping those monsters away from the festival grounds?” 

 He motions Petunia with a hand signalling her to spell in a  map of the festival grounds.

“I’ll have my top witches keeping watch here,” he points to a spot and then to another. “And here, I’ll also have four groups doing back to back rotation of perimeter checks.” he then draws to long lines circling the grounds. “This should be enough to keep the beast out.” Alador turns to the potion leader. “If your coven could provide some potions to help my witches replenish themselves that would be quite helpful.”

The potion leader gives him a nod and the rest of the meeting goes by rather quickly. They go through the rest of plans for the festival and after an hour of discussion they all leave either heading home or to whatever plans they have. 

Alador and Petunia are one of the last pairs to leave.

“That was your first time here wasn’t it?” Alador asks as the two of them walk down the stairs of the town hall. His assistant smiles at him as she follows him. “What did you think?”

“It was quite nerve racking,” Petunia says as the two of them get to the base of the stairs. “I’ve never seen all the coven leaders in one room like that.”

“I appreciate your assistance earlier.” Alador nods at her causing her blush.

“No no no not at all,” Petunia quickly says waving her hands. “It’s my job to make sure to listen to all the information given.”

“Well either way well do-” He doesn’t get to finish.

“MAMA!” A voice calls out making both of the witches look up.

From across the street stood a tall green woman with a few bits of seaweed in her hair. In her arms is a little boy waving his arms as fast as he can a big smile on his face.

“Apologies sir,” Petunia says, giving a small wave of her own. “I promised my family that I would take them out to dinner tonight.”

Alador nods his head as he motions for her to go.

“It’s fine, our work is done here.” This causes her eyes to grow wide as she looks up at him.

“Are you sure sir?” She asks as she looks down at her watch to see that they have at least another two hours.

“Go on, think of this as a thank you for earlier.”

Giving a quick thank you his assistant quickly runs over to her family. A small grin forms on his face as he sees her give them both a kiss wrapping and around her wife’s waist walking off.

His ears flicker at a sudden realization as he raises a hand and places it on his grinning lips. He’s been doing this more often than he usually does as he traces his jaw. Though he won’t really complain about the reasons why as images of his children pop up in his head.

The sound of a crash takes him out of his thoughts as he turns around to see a cart racing at him. His ears fall back as he sees the driver’s big toothy smile, her white hair waving from the sheer speed of her cart. Behind her sat two children both screaming one with fear and the other with excitement. 

In the split second that the cart passes him it’s as if time itself stopped.

The owl lady herself sticks her tongue out at him, her gold fang poking out from the sides.

The Human name Luz gives him a wave, a giant grin on her face some spit trailing the side of her mouth from the speed of the cart.

Next to her is his youngest, her eyes wide and her mouth literally dropping. She is clinging onto the human as if her life depended on it. Her eyes meet his and the sudden look of dread forms on her face.

“Ami-” He doesn’t get to finish as the cart zooms off leaving a trail of screams.

Alador stares off at the now disappeared cart as it rounds the corner. If this happened a few months ago he would’ve just walked away and dealt with it when they both got home, but for some reason something deep down is telling him to go find his daughter and see what is going on. 

Letting out a sigh, the elder Blight begins to walk in the same direction as the cart.

It doesn’t take him long since all he has to do is follow the wheel marks on the ground. Eventually it leads him into the woods and within a few minutes he enters a clearing showing the Owl House itself.

He takes a minute to look as this is probably his first time seeing it in person and to be honest he’s a little disappointed. Knowing Eda he at least expected there to be a vicious monster guardian the place or at least some traps. 

Letting out a sigh, Alador was going to approach, but the sight of an owl head catches his attention. He raises a brow, it looks as if it is looking directly at him, the black of its eyes trying to look deep into his soul.

Closing his eyes and letting out a sigh he shakes his head, of course she would have such a weird looking door he thinks to himself.

Upon opening his eyes something seems a little off because he could’ve sworn that the owl 's head looks a little closer now.

 

Blink.

 

It’s getting closer.

 

Blink.

 

And closer.

 

“Perhaps I should sleep early tonight.” Alador says rubbing his eyes.

“Yeah, I tend to see things too when I don’t get my beauty sleep.” Says a voice right next to his right ear. 

His eyes shoot open, he slowly turns his head to see...nothing....absolutely nothing.

“HI I’M HOOTY WANT TO SEE MY SLUG COLLECTION?”

Aldor nearly jumps back a finger ready to cast a spell as the owl head he saw pops right in front of him. He stares at the thing called “Hooty” who’s giving him a dumb smile. Looking behind it, he noticed that it extended itself from the house. 

“I suppose this does suit her style of...weirdness.” Alador whispers to himself.

“Hmm what’s that?” Hooty asks, slowly pushing his face against Alador causing his hair to ruffle. Some feather’s got stuck in his beard and hair causing a sour look to form on his face.

Alador pushes him away a bit too roughly as he straightens himself plucking out the feathers off of him.

“I’m here to find my daughter,” Alador says. “Amity is she here?”

“Amity, Amity, Amity…” Hooty takes a minute to think. “NOPE! But I do have some cute looking dirt mounds lying around somewhere.”

“Then is the Owl lady here?” He asks.

“Who?”

“Your master?” Hooty shakes his head no. “Edalyn?” another shake. “Edalayn Clawthorne?” again, another shake no.

A vein can almost be seen on Alador’s face, but with his many years of emotional restraint he takes in a deep breath and lets out a sigh.

“Then who lives here?” He asks, giving the owl thing a stone cold look.

“Oh Eda The Owl Lady of course.”

That did it, somehow this tube of an owl has somehow broken decades of mental and emotional fortification. It hasn’t even been ten minutes and this...Hooty has caused all restraint to just disappear within Alador.

No more words are said, no spell was casted, it happened all in an instant. Like an angry wild beast, Alador bares his teeth showing off his rather sharp canines and clamped down onto Hooty, his face red with anger. He bit down so hard that he could feel the tube indent.

“HOOT!” Hooty cries wriggling in the Blights grasp. “HOOT!” Eventually he’s finally able to squirm his way out. “Okay JEEZ...OWWW.” He began to slink his way back towards the door. “Now I see where she gets it...OW!”

Alador is huffing and puffing with his hair a mess and with clumps of feather in his mouth. He’s literally staring daggers at the owl thing, it wasn’t until he hears a voice behind him that he pulls his eyes away from Hooty.

“Alador?”

Turning around, Alador looks to find Lilith standing behind him carrying a basket her eyes wide in shock.

Quick to tidy himself up, Alador spits out the feathers and fixes his hair. He does a mental meditation by breathing in and out before regaining his composure.

“Lilith,” he finally says as he’s back to this old self. “I take it you’re here to see Edalyn?” He sees the worried look on her face as she slowly approaches him.

“Are you here for something?” She asks as she places a hand to her side, a finger at the ready. Noticing this, the elder Blight is quick to raise his hands to show that he comes to cause no trouble.

“I’m here to find my daughter,” he says, his tone neutral. “It seems she was caught in one of your sister’s...shenanigans.”

Lilith lets out a sigh herself shoulders relaxing as she walks up to Alador.

“Well you know how Edalyn is,” She says with a tired smile. “Always prone to cause problems wherever she goes.”

As if it was rehearsed the two let out a low grumble rolling their eyes placing a hand on their foreheads. Eyes growing wide, they look at each other for a minute before Lilith lets out a small laugh while Alador nods his head.

“It seems we’re both still too aware of my sister’s mishaps.” Lilith says a smile on her face. “Well if you’re here to find Amity then I’m sure she’s inside with everyone else.” She motions towards the house with her hands and leads on.

The two walk up to the house neither saying a word, it's been years since they actually had a conversation that wasn’t related to work of any kind. The last time he spoke to her was when he found out about her fiasco with her sister at the coven convention. Though it was mostly Odalia berating her for using their daughter to embarrass the Blight name by cheating. They haven’t had a real conversation since...their final year at Hexside together.

“So how have you been?” Lilith asks breaking the silence and pulling him out of his thoughts.

“I’ve been fine,” is all he says. “You?”

She rubs a free hand on the back of her neck letting out a sigh.

“I suppose you can say I’ve been...alright.” She says running her hand on the silver strand of hair. “Not being part of a track is quite...strange.” Turning around she a hint of a smile grows on her face as she notices a few feathers still stuck in his beard. “It seems the darn Owl got through to you too hmm?” She picks out the remaining feathers from his beard.

“If that bird...tube thing ever talks to me again…” he gives her a dead serious look. “I’m going to destroy it.”

“Well I know I wouldn’t mind that,” Lilith says muffling a laugh with her hand. “Though I think you’ll have to talk to Edalyn about that, but I think with enough convincing I’m sure she’ll agree.”

When the two reach the door Hooty is quick to open the door so he wouldn’t feel the wrath that is Alador. 

The two witches enter the house only to find a rather strange sight before them. 

The room is silent as four individuals are pointing finger guns at one another each having a rather serious look on their faces. 

Eda holds up two hands pointing a finger at the Human and Alador’s daughter.

Luz the Human is doing the same, but has her fingers pointing at a little creature with a skull for head and her mentor.

The tiny furry ball is pointing at Amity and Eda his tail flicking side to side.

And then there's Amity who didn’t look as serious as the other three, really, she looks more confused than anything. She awkwardly keeps her fingers pointing at the creature and Eda standing next to the human.

Before the two other witches could signal their arrival the oldest person in the circle begins to talk.

“Alright so who drank my extra sweetened apple blood.” Eda’s voice sounded a little too serious.

Hearing a cough come from Lilith, Alador looks over and sees her with a fist raised around her waist as she puts it between them. He raises an eyebrow as he stares at her and then her fist. 

This simple gesture brings back many...many memories of their past.

“Whose turn is it?” Lilith asks, giving him a small grin.

He takes a few minutes to process this, but eventually he shrugs his shoulder and raises a fist to match hers.

They shake their fist in union and at the count of three one of the two has a triumphant smile on their face.

Notes:

Hey guys hope your all doing well! This chapter is going to be another 2 parter so I hope you guys will like it.

 

As always thank you for reading and hope you have an amazing day :D