9. A Fate Written In The Stars
Percy was the witchs familiar. The one who’s fate she’d changed. She hadnt recognized his soul until he changed into the spiny little animal. Only then did she see the soft golden soul shed molded and transformed into what she thought was best for him.
And hed hated it. It had hurt him. And now because she was here and making him help her, he was changing again. This time he not only didnt want this new form, the magic that came along with it, it scared him.
He was her punishment. Not just this weird body, with its intense emotions and needs. This was exactly like the Fates to do this to her. She deserved every bit of the hate that he would feel for her.
She’d changed his destiny then and she was doing it again now. She hadn’t asked, she hadn’t thought, she’d just done what she wanted and it had ruined his life.
Powerful magic, not of the fates, had hidden this part of who he was from her, and that same magic was hiding who he truly was from him. When she and Percy had given their hearts and souls to each other and found bliss in each other’s bodies their connection had opened to her. She saw his strength, his power, his bravery, and his kindness. But shed also felt his sadness, how his love for his witch ran so deep, and how after shed changed him into a man, their relationship had altered too.
The part of his soul where this familiar animal form had been was fuzzy and out of reach to her, like a memory long forgotten. But she could tell when he couldnt access it the way he had before, that’s when he’d started feeling useless, and so sad. The biggest glowing part of his mind had been his sincere desire for things to go back to the way they were before.
He wanted to change his fate.
Well, shed sure done that. Not once, but now twice. And both times were not in ways that he wanted.
For a brief shining moment, Moira was sure that as soon as her punishment was over and she was once again welcomed back into the sisterhood, she would give Percy back everything that had been taken before shed put his destiny on a different path.
Unless of course, he chose to stay with her in his new form and accept her for what she was without her own true powers. They could make a new life. Transformed, together.
She would give up everything to be happy with Percy.
But Percy wouldn’t want her anymore. Fate was cruel that way. She never understood just how cruel she and her sisters could be until now.
She understood it in the frown on Percy’s face, the way his eyes were filled with storm clouds instead of the magic of love. Words weren’t going to fix this for him, but now that she had pulled language from his mind, she had to at least try to communicate how sorry she was for what she’d done.
“Percy, I?—”
A commotion sounded outside of the tree and they heard the whooshing of dragon wings. Percy heldhis fingers to his lips indicating she should remain silent and he peeked around the corner of the partition. “Someones found us. Youd better stay here while I find out if theyre friend or foe. Maybe I can scare them away with my half-assed dragon form, huh?”
Oh, sweet Percy. He was trying to accept this new fate but she heard the hurt in his voice and saw it in his eyes. Shed done that to him.
A voice that Moira had heard before they portal back in time sounded outside. “Percival Skywalker Dragonheart, Jedi knight of the round table, where in the heck are you? How did you get here, and are you okay? Were here to rescue you.”
“Hi Kady. I’m fine,” Percy replied.He didn’t sound fine. Of course he wouldn’t. This was the Kady that he loved. The one he truly wished to be with.
“Where is the dastardly bastard who kidnapped you? Neo will eat his face.” Kady gasped. “You haven’t been brainwashed, have you? Do you have Stockholm syndrome?”
“No, ma’am.” With every word he sounded more forlorn and it was breaking Moira’s heart to know it was her fault. “I’m not kidnapped. I guess I came here on my own power.”
“Oh no, you have been brainwashed. Sweetie, no. You were kidnapped by a big purple dragon. He probably didnt mean it, Porfirio, the Purple Wyvern says hed probably just confused after breaking the curse. Wait, why are you half naked. We talked about wearing clothes when you’re in your human form. If you went out joyriding on Herbie just so you could get naked?—”
Moira couldn’t take another second of hearing Percy get in trouble when all of this was her fault. She marched her way out of the tree and stood beside him, taking his hand in hers. “He did it to help me.”
“Who are you and why are you wearing Percy’s favorite shirt?” The witch looked between the two of them and her eyes went wide. “Oh. Ohh. Umm. I see. Ill come back.
She turned to go, looking very embarrassed. But she turned back and pointed at Moira. No wait, I dont. Are you a lost purple dragon? I thought dragons were all dudes.
Moiras smiled and it was hard not to just blurt out what was going on. I am not the dragon.
Then how did you two get here? You were brought here by a purple dragon, we know that. Porfirio told he could feel the time element. So where is he?
Percy glanced at Moira with a new fear written all over his face. “Neither of us actually know how we got here.”
That wasnt entirely true. Percy knew, he was just afraid of the answer.
“Crud muffins. I was afraid of that. Well just have to wait for the Purple Wyvern to come back and get us. We sent him to a bunch of different time periods where he felt the magic had been used most recently. Kady marched back outside, and that left the two of them all sat in the silence and it filled the space up like a thick fog.
Moira wanted to say something, but didn’t know what. Percy saved her from herself once again. “I guess our little Love Boat cruise is up. Unless you do know how to use my powers to open the portal so we can still get you back home?”
Did he still want to help her get back? He was probably ready to be rid of her in his life. She’d abide by whatever his wishes were for their future. It was his choice whether they would be together or not. But she could not open a portal. Only he could and he didnt believe it or didnt want to.
She wanted to say so much and didnt know how. She hated all these feelings, not just the hurt she was feeling with all of her guilt, but for the way she was hurting him. Percy, I cant.
“Right.” He mirrored her shrug and waved at their surroundings like they didnt matter. “I guess the Purple Dragon can take you back to your home once he gets here. He clearly knows how to use portals. He must be the one who brought us here. I didn’t turn out to be your hero after all.”
She swallowed down the bitter taste bubbling up in the back of her throat. Was that what loss tasted like? “Back to my sisters, back home?”
“Yep. A good cowboy knows the value of home and family. I won’t stop you from being with your sisters and getting back to being one of the all-powerful Fates. Sorry I had to be your punishment. Can I ask just one little favor?”
He was already separating himself from her. She could feel him slipping all those emotions behind a newly developed armor. One he’d had to create for her. “Anything.”
“When you get back, will you ask one of your sisters to...” He reached a hand out as if he was going to touch her cheek, but then let his hand drop. “No. Never mind.”
“What Percy? I don’t know if my sisters will do anything asked of them because they are all always sure they are right, but I will ask. For you.” Her heart pounded in her chest, hoping against hope for what he wanted from the Fates. It was too much to ask for, so she didn’t even let her mind fully form the wish.
“I wanted—” Percy’s words were cut off mid-sentence and he disappeared right in front of her eyes. Wait. It wasn’t Percy who went away, it was her.
Moira was home, among the stars surrounded by her sister Fates, looking down on the universe. She scoured the cosmos for Percy and his friends, but she couldn’t see them. She couldn’t even find Earth. It was like a fuzzy... oh.
They were blocking her view. Her sister Fates were making sure she couldn’t interfere in any of the humans, dragons, or familiars lives again.
Now that she’d experienced the full range of human emotions, which couldn’t be taken back and she pushed out her anger and sadness at her sisters. Most recoiled, but a few of them shined brighter, taking those emotions, and turning them into themselves.
Sister Fate, they said to her, Your punishment is over. You have learned your lesson living among the beings you are supposed to watch over. Let go of your corporal self and let go of the trappings of that human life.
No. I don’t want to let them go. They didnt understand and they never would. We sit up here in the sky and look down at all the beings in the universe making decisions for them and not even bothering to understand what it is they want. How can we know what’s best for them? How can any of you know what’s best for me?
The moment she was home again, they took away her choice. It should be her decision to torture herself through the heartbreak of watching Percy get back to his new life without her. She wanted to feel every bit of that pain. That’s what she deserved more than any other punishment they could possibly have devised for her.
Sister. In that single words she could hear the reproach, the surety that they knew, knew, knew they were doing what was best for her.
Don’t sister me. You don’t even know what feelings are, so don’t pretend you know what’s coursing through me.
Her sister Fates grew silent and turned back to their tasks making choices for everyone else in the universe. All but one. The sister she’d always been the closest too, the one who looked down from the same part of the sky, the one who had condemned her to her punishment.
Moira, you have changed.
How could I not, Inanna? This sister Fate was the one who guided the destinies of the dragons souls. She should ask her about Percys suppressed soul.But did it matter even if she did? Shed never see him again. Everything has changed. I can no longer be the Fate I once was. I don’t even want to be.
She hadn’t realized that until she said it out loud. She didn’t want to create destinies anymore. She had no confidence in the paths she was choosing for others.
But a Fate is what you are. It is your destiny to guide others to finding their true mates.
None of us even understand what that means. No Fate understands true love. It stupid that we’re the ones who get to pick who gets to be together. Maybe she would have to show her sisters what was profoundly important in the lives of their charges. Now that she understood the human condition, she could at least help those beings find their happiness a little better than the rest of them.
I understand. Inanna said. Love is a very powerful force. It can even override one’s Fate.
What? No beings could do that. Never once had Moira seen any Fate’s choice thwarted. Unless she counted Kady and Neo. They were supposed to be soulless according to the Fates. Until Moira had intervened.
Percy was supposed to be a happy little hedgehog familiar who would have been assigned to a new witch once his Kady’s soul was stolen, as was written in the stars.
Until Moira intervened.
Inanna, what are you saying? If Moira still had a heart, it would be racing. If she was covered in skin, it would be covered in goosebumps.
A warm glow came across the connection with Inanna, one that felt strikingly similar to the heated magic Moira had shared with Percy. Inanna did understand, she too knew what love was. Rules are made to be broken. I’ve broken more than my fair share, and now you have too. But that was your destiny all along., wasn’t it?
Fates don’t get to have destinies like that. We don’t get fated mates. That’s not how the universe worked. Not one that she’d ever understood anyway. But clearly there was a lot she didn’t understand.
Most don’t. Most of our sisters are content to watch and never really live. They won’t admit it, but they’re scared. You see, there’s a chance that if you try to find love, you won’t find it. But if you never seek it out, there’s no chance of ever finding it all. Inanna let a silence punctuate her words. It’s your choice, Moira.
I found it with Percy. I know I did. But then I think I ruined it. What if he won’t love me again? It hurt just to think about Percy’s rejection. It hurt more to think of never seeing him again.
But what if he does?