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drustvar · 2 years

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The Lion’s Path: 4.4 Secrecy

A retelling of the Arcana Prologue featuring Rosie Springwald, a vindictive hedgewitch searching for herself. Thank you as always to @honeyfixations for beta reading! Portia time

WC:

Chapter 4 of Book 4. Portia and Rosie have late night adventure.

Rosie hurried through the halls, keen to avoid another encounter with the specter from last night. Portia stepped out from a hallway and waved to her, catching up.

“Hey, Rosie! Lemme show you a shortcut back to your room. Just in case Mercedes and Melchior are skulking around again.” She said cheerfully as she took Rosie’s hand in hers.

They turned down a narrow, dusty passage; Portia’s fingers found the edge of a moth-eaten tapestry. With a dramatic flourish, she revealed a secret passage on the other side.

“Ta-dah!” Portia said with a wink.

“Oooh! How did you find out about this?” Rosie asked as she ducked inside.

“It’s my job to know everything around here. Including little tricks like this,” Portia’s eyes glittered with mischief.

“Are there more?” Rosie asked as they traveled through the walls. It was dim, and the floor was uneven beneath their feet.

“Lots! In fact I’m sure there’s tons I haven’t found yet.” Rosie followed closely at Portia’s heels, still holding her hand. “You know, Rosie,” Portia paused, turning around to face her. the light from the candle she held flickered between them. “Things have gotten a lot more interesting around here since you showed up.”

“They have?”

“And all the rumors floating around, my goodness! You’d think we had nothing to do but chat!”

“You hear a lot of rumors?” “Why? Something you wanna tell me, Rosie?”

“Um, actually, I..” Rosie paused. “Can you keep a secret?”

“Of course!” “Look I...I dunnae plan to help the Countess, not with catching Devorak, anyway. I heard some real nasty things about what Vesuvia was like when Old Lucio was in charge so...any enemy o’ his is a friend of mine as far as I’m concerned. But don’t tell nobody, ‘specially not the Countess, okay?” To her surprise, Portia grinned widely.

“Don’t worry, Rosie. My lips are sealed!”

“Good. Knew I could trust you.” After a few more twists and turns, they stepped out of the passage and into the guest wing. Servants had freshened her room while she was gone. Fresh, pressed sheets and a new pitcher of water sat on the desk. Incense burned on the windowsill, filling the room with hazy swirls of wood and spice. Rosie slung her bag from her shoulder to the foot of the bed. At the impact, the scroll taken from Julian’s study bounced out. Portia eyed it, clearly dying to ask questions, but didn't. She instead remained silent, leaning against the door frame.

“Uh, whoops!” Rosie scooped the papers up, meeting Portia’s eyes. “You look worried”

“Worried? Me? Maybe. It’s just...the doctor...he can’t be the only suspect, right? Just between you and me, I think Count Lucio had a lot of enemies.” Portia said, her voice dropping to a whisper.

“I think so too.”

“I mean, I wasn’t working here when it happened. I’ve only heard rumors of what went on that night. Just...keep your eyes peeled for anything strange, alright?”

“Of course. The Countess says I’m meeting the court tomorrow, I’m plannin’ to see if anythin’s off with them.” Portia smiled, the worry leaving her face. She leaned in close, her voice still barely above a whisper.

“Y’know...if you’re not too tired yet, I could show you around the Palace. There’s a lot of interesting things on the grounds. Maybe I could show you some more secrets... if you think you can handle them.” She said with a wink, nodding at the hall behind them.

“Of course I can!” Rosie said, her eyes shining with excitement. “Show me the secrets, all the secrets!”

“I knew I’d like you Rosie! We’re gonna be great friends!” Portia laughed. “Come on, let’s go!” she said as she took Rosie’s hand. “I’ll show you the really good stuff!” She led her off down the hall, a bounce in her step. Portia pushed open a pair of large swinging doors, leading Rosie into a vast kitchen. Someone in a flour-dusted apron lifted their head and smiled at them as they entered.

“Portia! Still on duty for the night?” They asked with a wave.

“Nooooot exactly. I’m just showing Rosie around the palace!”

“Hello!” Rosie said as she waved back.

“Here, new recipe I’m trying out,” The chef tossed Portia a roll from across the counter, which she caught without looking.

“If you ever find yourself hungry at midnight, the door’s always open. Just make sure you don’t ruin Hestion’s breakfast prep. I’m not responsible for any harm that might befall you then,” She said as she covertly slid a roll into Rosie’s hand. They slipped out of the kitchen before Hestion could notice any missing baked goods.

“We’ll use a secret passage to get to the veranda. Saves a lotta time when you’re in a hurry! Just a warning, it’s kind of creepy,” Portia said as she led them to the end of a small hallway, stopping in front of a painting of Mercedes and Melichior. A pile of pomegranates were spilled out at their feet, their paws stained red from the juice. Portia gripped the edge of the painting and it swung open, revealing a secret archway behind it.

“Think you could help us out with a little light?” She said, playfully nudging Rosie with her elbow.

“You got it,” An orb of light sprung from her fingers and floated around them in slow circles.

“Woooow! Would you look at that!”

“It’s not that special,” Rosie said, her cheeks turning pink. “I could teach you sometime, if you want.”

“That’d be so cool!”

They passed through the arch and into a larger, dusty passage. The walls were lined with paintings of animals, all of them pure white with red eyes that gleamed in the dim light.

“Portia...what is this place?”

“This was the Count’s ‘Menagerie Gallery’. No one goes here anymore though...They say there’s a ghost wandering these halls.”

Rosie froze her hand flying to her amulet as she remembered the specter that cornered her the night before.

“Ghost?”

“And if you follow its voice...you’ll never be seen again!” Portia said as she wiggled her fingers for spooky emphasis.

“H-has that ever happened? Somebody disappearin’ ?”

“Oh sure. Servants are always popping up after shirking their duties, saying the gallery ghost got them. And it usually turns out they fell asleep in the larder and wanted to blame a ghost. No doubt there’s some weird stuff going on around here, though.”

Rosie shuddered. “But I wouldn’t worry about it. Just don’t go wandering off into any dark, creepy hallways alone.

“I saw the ghost…” Rosie breathed, her pupils blown.

“What?! Really?”

“Aye, I...oh! Is that the door out?” Rosie said, jogging ahead to stand by a small door. The door swung open and they stepped out onto the veranda.

The veranda was busy, full of servants in varying states of activity. Cheerful voices greeted them, calling and waving to Portia as they walked by.

“Taking the long way home tonight, Portia?” One asked as they looked up from their sweeping. A groundskeeper answered for her.

“Ahh, she’s probably showing our new magician around the palace.”

“I’m really just a simple hedge witch, no fancy titles please!” Rosie said, her cheeks pink as the groundskeeper bursts into laughter. Portia grinned, hugging Rosie to her side.

“Jealous, Babouche? You’ll have to wait your turn if you wanna spend time with Rosie!”

Rosie grinned broadly, put at ease by how relaxed everyone was. As she and Portia headed down the stairs, a tall and lanky servant gave them a lazy smile.

“Have a good night, Portia!”

“You too, Vincenze. Try not to fall off the veranda!” Portia called over her shoulder. She led Rosie out onto the grounds towards the maze. “It’s getting pretty late...but I’ve got one last stop before the end of the tour. I think you’re really gonna like it!” She said with a wink, leading her through the winding hedges. They reached a crumbling old arch covered in stone roses. The top of the arch had collapsed in, leaving only its supports. There was nothing but a dead end beyond it, but…

“There’s magic here,” Rosie murmured.

‘Yeah, check this out,” Portia grinned as she pulled Rosie through the arch. The scenery changed, and they stepped out into a hallway in the Palace, one that was brightly lit but tucked out of the way.

“Oh wow!” Rosie stared in amazement at the faint residual shimmer the portal had left on them.

“Isn’t it amazing? I bet there’s portal’s like this all over the palace, leading to lots of different places! Maybe you can help me find more.”

“I’d love to,” Rosie said, the faint flush returning to her cheeks.

Portia grinned, excited at the possibility. “I bet a great magician like you would have no problem finding them all! But I’ve kept you long enough...We’ve got an early morning tomorrow, you’d better get some sleep.”

Portia paused, just inside the doorway to Rosie’s quarters.

“I’m gonna go with you tomorrow for the announcement. I hope that’s alright.”

“Oh! Yes, milady told me you’d be joining us. So...I’ll see you in the morning, Rosie. Thanks for coming with me tonight.”

“I had fun! Thanks for showing me around.” Portia squeezed her shoulder before bustling out of the room, the door drifting shut behind her.

#PORTIA TIME!!!#aka rosie is TERRIBLE at hiding her crush #Rosie #Rosie Springwald #Portia #Portia Devorak #the Arcana #Arcana Prologue #mine #2022

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