Scaramouche’s armor gleamed faintly beneath the sinking sun as he made his afternoon patrol through the capital. The streets were calm, lanterns beginning to glow, and yet—each day—his steps slowed near the same square.

Because she was there again. The travelling witch.

You stood among a cluster of curious children, your cloak fluttering as tiny sparks of harmless magic danced from your fingertips. They floated like little stars before fading, making the children squeal with delight. Even the parents lingered, smiling as though they’d been pulled into a small, warm world you created effortlessly.

Scaramouche told himself he only stopped to ensure you weren’t a threat. But the truth was softer, more stubborn—he simply couldn’t look away. Even the smallest tricks you performed hinted at deeper, older power hidden carefully beneath your gentle smile. Power that, strangely, didn’t frighten him.

Instead, it fascinated him.

For the next few days, he found himself drifting toward the square at the exact same hour, almost as if pulled by invisible strings. And every time, you were there—your hair catching the breeze, your laugh quiet yet bright, your presence impossibly calming in a city that demanded vigilance.

So when the king summoned him, Scaramouche expected another mission. Instead, he heard suspicion. Fear.

“Chase her away.”

He felt the order settle like a stone in his chest. You didn’t seem dangerous. If anything, the city felt lighter when you were in it. But obedience was carved into him like an oath he could never break.

The next afternoon, he approached the square with a weight he had never carried before. He waited until the parents gathered their children and drifted off, leaving only you packing away a few trinkets.

He stepped closer, shadows stretching behind him.

“Miss,” he said, voice colder than he intended as he forced himself to meet your eyes. “It is the king’s order for you to leave.”

The words were simple. Dutiful. But his heart—traitorous, aching—hoped you would not disappear from his world so easily.