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freakystrashdump · 9 months

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🔮The Oracle Bakery🔮

Emperor Belos|Phillip Wittebane/OC

Slow burn, enemies to lovers, Belos is a content warning by himself

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Chapter 15: Daily Potions

Something was amiss.

Belos stirred in his sleep, groaning at the way his back cracked. The sofa in his sitting room, as comfortable as it was, was not made for spending the night on. And he was far too old not to feel the consequences of being cramped in one position on a sofa, caught in some form of half-sleep as he stayed on high alert if his guest needed him in any way.

Magic could only do so much in chasing away the side effects of age.

He sat up, arching his back and feeling (and hearing) it pop back into place, which in return brought a groan to his lips. He rubbed his neck and shoulders, trying to alleviate the tension in his muscles, ice blue eyes squinting as they struggled to adjust to the darkness of the room. He found the longcase clock in the darkness and could just make out the time - twenty minutes to five in the morning.

Something woke him up.

Belos ran a hand through his hair and leaned back, looking and listening. What was it? He thought through the haze of his sleep-ridden brain. His eyes were glazed over as he stared out the window, catching a glimpse of the moon's light from behind the clouds. He exhaled a deep, long sigh as a feeling of fondness washed over him.

The moon brought comfort, even if it wasn’t his moon. It wasn’t the moon he knew. And yet still…

He wondered briefly if Magnus was still waiting outside the doors. He managed to talk Hunter out of pacing a hole in the carpet outside with how he nervously walked in circles, waiting for any news about the Oracle - the teen looked absolutely stricken with guilt and it made his worry all the more intense.

But the older Fortuna was not that easy to chase off.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“I can assure you, Fortuna, your niece is receiving the best care in the Boiling Isles.” Belos asserted, patience slowly wearing thin as he felt like he was speaking to a wall at this point.

He came out to greet Magnus, the Fortuna prodigy and next in line for Coven Head of the Oracle Coven, assure him that Selena was doing alright and was on her way to recovery, and hopefully get him to leave . Belos didn’t like knowing that someone was waiting in front of his chambers, alert and on guard and probably holding a grudge towards him at the moment, the thought filling him with unease.

Magnus, however, didn’t move from his place as he listened to the Emperor. A purple magic construct serving as a place to sit, he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, a scowl ever present on his face.

And you didn’t have to be an Oracle to feel the grim, oppressing aura emanating from him. It made Belos’ hair stand on end.

The oracle prodigy rolled his shoulders, the scowl never leaving him “I have no doubts she is, Emperor Belos.” he proceeded in an even, cold tone “There is no safer place than the palace - even if it is where she got hurt.” Belos clenched his teeth at that remark “But I’ll leave after I personally have made sure she is safe.”

Damned be the stubbornness of the Fortunas…

“I can’t let you see her, Selena is resting. And it is of critical importance that she is not disturbed.” Belos tried not to let his irritation show “Her recovery depends on it. I’m sure you understand.”

“Then I’ll wait.” Magnus shot back, the bark in his voice letting the Emperor know this conversation was over and that he wasn’t moving on his own free will no matter how many sweet words and reassurance he had to offer him.

Belos clenched his fists, eyes narrowing behind the mask “ Fine . Wait, then.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Damned be the stubbornness of the Fortunas indeed. Like a pack of wild cats, never letting themselves be tamed, always hissing and spitting at anyone trying to control them. He spent years herding them in, keeping them in check, earning their trust, and still they barred their teeth. They were too influential, too annoyingly powerful to be left unleashed.

Selena was much tamer than the rest of her kin, but the teeth were still there, still sharp. She still bristled like a feral kitten away from its mother at his hands as he tried to capture her, spitting as he got closer.

A foolish endeavour from her part. She’ll appreciate him caging her in the end.

Lost in thought - that's when he finally heard it.

The thing that woke him up.

He left the door to his bedchamber ajar, so he could hear if the girl inside needed anything throughout the night. And while he had no real intention of sleeping, he had turned the lights off, not wanting them to seep through the door and disturb her rest. At some point he had lied down for a second, just to rest his body, and the next thing he knew, he was out like a light. And now, through the door, he heard a faint whimper.

Belos was on his feet in seconds, grabbing at the mask he left on the tea table before lying down hours before, and put it on in a haste, letting out a low hiss when he accidentally put it on too fast and too hard, the action giving his nose a knock with the metal. Despite that, he rushed to his bedchambers.

"Selena?" He called out as soon as he opened the door. She was there, sitting on the bed and hugging her knees. Her head snapped to face him as soon as she heard him intrude, a gasp escaping her lips.

Crying. She was crying.

"I…I'm sorry, I just…" she immediately started apologising, wiping her face to hide any evidence of her tears.

Belos was immediately at her side "Hush, hush now." He whispered, trying to soothe her.

"I- I woke you up, I didn't mean to-"

"Don't worry, it's okay." Belos whispered "Are you alright?" She lowered her head, not wanting to look at him, but he was having none of it. He bent over slightly, trying to catch her eyes "Hmm?" He coaxed further.

"I just…" Selena let out a little sniffle "It's a lot."

"It is, isn't it?" Belos sighed, leaning back on his arms.

"I do nothing but cause trouble." He heard her mutter into her knees.

"No, you don't."

"Yes I do!" Selena snapped around to face him, hair flying around her face with a life of its own "This whole fia sco would have never happened if I wasn't so… so careless!" She frowned in frustration and continued "And even then, maybe if we never fought, I wouldn't have been so absentminded to the point of carelessness!" Her clenched fist hit the mattress, the bubbling anger more than apparent "And that never would have happened in the first place if I hadn't attempted to bond with your nephew - all that accomplished was you being angry at me and your nephew now hates me, too!" She buried her head once again in her knees.

Belos watched her, unsure of which part of her breakdown to address first. He hesitated, lips opening and closing as he did, before settling on one "Hunter doesn't hate you."

Probably the wrong thing to say, he thought, as Selena's head whipped to him, fury etched on her face “Do not try and spare my feelings.” she hissed through sobs “You were right, my token of kindness was unneeded and a burden. He hates it!” she had to laugh at herself as the annoyance came back full swing, and she furiously blinked back the tears “He…hates it.” she shook her head and looked away as her anger once more subsided into desperation, hiding her face from him again. She covered her head with her arms as she did, wanting nothing more than to curl up into a tiny, inconspicuous ball.

This…

This was not what he had anticipated.

At least, not in such abundance. Belos knew she would react badly as he let the inevitable blow-up from Hunter play out. The boy was primed to be untrustworthy of her from the start, and him reacting in anger was not something he had to influence him to do. So he let it play out, keeping her on ice until it did, just to make sure it hits her hard, as penance for going behind his back. But this much guilt and anger which choked up in her throat, it wasn’t in his plan. Her face flushed with embarrassment, eyes reddened with tears as she continued to curse herself, it was as heart wrenching of a sight as it was intoxicating.

Perhaps the near death experience amplified her emotions.

Her reacting so strongly was not part of his plan. Admittedly, her starting this entire little endeavour behind his back wasn’t what he had expected in the first place , either, but she had started making it a habit of taking him by surprise.

Selena doing something secretive, and with Hunter - it was like a trigger being pulled, left over sensitive and raw by having to watch way too many grimwalkers, sooner or later, go behind his back over one thing or another. A betrayal, after betrayal, after betrayal , just like-

And Hunter… Hunter was so much like him . Despite everything, he didn't want to replace him, not so soon. Not ever , if he could help it.

Lord, give him just this one

So his temper flared - he wished it hadn’t. Not in front of her. Not when she was opening up to him. It was a miscalculation, a misstep, a pesky emotional reaction he never should have let surface. But it had, and now the spiralling consequences caught up, always spiralling consequences, which he struggled so hard to control. He had to have control, if he didn’t, then he loses , and he can’t bare to lose-

Belos could feel himself spiralling, slowly but surely, the stress from the day prior creeping up in the dead of the night, making his throat clench and breathing pick up. The woman next to him continuing her rant, however, was more than enough to drag him back before his thoughts ventured further.

"And I missed the stupid… Blight sale, too!" Her temper flared, open palm hitting the mattress out of frustration "I promised to be there, and I wasn't!" She pressed her knuckles to her forehead as she pouted "And I didn't get to see Odalia's face turn red with anger at that letter I was gonna give her, either!"

It served well enough. Dragging him back from the edge. The childishly petty comment Selena made at the end was more than enough to lift his spirits.

"I'm sure Hunter would be more than happy to tell you all about how madam Blight reacted to the letter you intended for her." Belos said coolly, satisfied when he got the dumbfounded reaction he wanted to see. Feeling smug, he further elaborated "Hunter volunteered to go in your stead. With how worried he seemed for your wellbeing, I couldn't refuse such a request."

He saw how the cogs turned in her head, trying to make sense of things "He was…worried?" She asked softly, bewildered.

Belos nodded "He seemed very eager, as well." He raised his hand and placed it on top of her head. "I do not know what transpired between you two, but I can tell you with certainty that Hunter felt incredibly guilty because of it." He chuckled as he continued "He had been patrolling outside my chambers ever since you were brought here, hoping I'd invite him in to see you. It took quite a bit of convincing on my part before he left to get some rest."

Hearing this seemed to have finally placated the oracle. Not fully, mind you, but enough that her chest stopped shaking with sobs and her eyes became a little less dull. Still, Selena stayed silent and withdrawn, her mind running a thousand miles an hour. Knowing it would take a little more coaxing before she let him charm her back to sleep, Belos stretched his arm out towards the door, the red glow of his magic more than noticeable in the darkness of the night.

"How about some warm soup?" He offered as a full bowl floated into the room, into his awaiting hand. "There was still some mist coming from your lips when you were sobbing, Hettie said it would help."

Selena peeked from where she sat as he offered it to her "That doesn't look very warm to me."

Belos raised an eyebrow behind his mask. With his other hand, he spun his finger above the soup, once, twice, and in seconds hot steam rose above the bowl, which he then offered once more to the girl. She gave it a distrusting look, eyes fleeting up to him for a second (forgetting in her exhausted state that she could not get a read on his expression, as he was still very much hidden behind a mask), before gingerly reaching out and accepting the bowl into her hold. Selena readjusted herself on the bed, sitting with her back propped up against the numerous pillows and headboard, she cradled the soup between her chest and her knees.

Abandoning the spoon completely, she brought the bowl to her lips, taking a tentative gulp "It's…very nice." Selena muttered, the edge of the bowl resting on her bottom lip. "Thank you, Emperor."

"You're welcome." Belos returned just as politely "Now make sure to finish the entire thing, the warmth should help chase the frostmist clear out of your lungs."

Selena noded, taking another sip. It was easy to eat it that way, as it was a clear soup, no noodles and just the occasional chopped veggie. She definitely could feel the warmth spreading from the inside with every single gulp, reminding her of the way hot cocoa felt so amazing after coming inside the winter cabin they would rent at the Knee. It felt nostalgic, somehow.

The two settled into a somewhat comfortable silence, or the closest thing to it. The emperor was even being polite enough not to stare insistently, as he so usually did, instead his gaze transfixed on to the window across the room from them.

"Have you calmed down a little?"

Selena didn't look at him, opting to stare ahead as well "...a little."

There was a deep hum from Belos, acknowledging her answer. They stayed like that for a moment or two longer. Both choosing to remain silent on the dark thoughts that loomed over their heads, like a gloom cloud threatening to brim over with boiling rain, leaving burn marks everywhere in its wake.

"Perhaps-" Belos started slowly "-we should try bringing your thoughts away from…such a dark place." His head tilted slightly towards her "How about you tell me all about when you started being so interested in humans?"

There was a loud sigh which could have passed as a groan coming from the Oracle "Oh Titan…I don't think I can say it." She glanced at him from the corner of her eyes "It's embarrassing. You'll just laugh at me."

"I promise I won't."

Selena now let out an actual groan "No, you totally will! Believe me!" When he chuckled, she pointed at him accusingly "There, you already started!"

"Selena." The man pleaded, and Selena could imagine the puppy dog eyes he must have been pulling behind the mask "I promise. Please?"

Hearing him say please so sweetly (well, hearing him say please at all), it gave her goosebumps and made her head feel light. And it definitely cracked her resolve like a griffin egg, all the way through.

Well, it couldn't hurt, she reasoned with herself. It was just a super embarrassing story from her youth she was about to tell to the Emperor of the Isles, no big deal.

Sighing really, really deeply, she started her story "When I was younger. And dumber ." She handed him the almost finished bowl of soup, and Belos placed it on the night table "I already heard stories about humans, right? How they come from another realm, weird, with no magic, kind of high-strung. It’s rumoured that, sometimes… they're witch hunters, too." She grimaced at that, not noticing how Belos turned his head away at that statement. "Well, when I was about… maybe eleven? Or was it twelve? It was a while ago, I can't remember precisely. Either way, we were supposed to write an essay for school. It was all about how well we could do research, so we were free to choose any subject, and I decided that the human realm should be an easy thing to write about."

Still staring into the distance, Belos interjected "And was it? Easy to write about?"

Selena let out a little huff through her nose instead of laughing fully "Surprisingly, it really wasn't." She responded with a small smile as she sank further into the many pillows behind her "The available literature was limited, and it seemed…very badly researched." She scrunched up her nose disapprovingly "If I could notice that at my age, you could only imagine what it was like." Belos let out a small laugh under his breath at that assessment, and she joined him as she remembered further "I was so upset, you wouldn't believe it." Selena snickered "Here was an assignment I thought would be effortless on my part, and it was giving me such a headache. I complained loudly to my parents about it, how all the literature was trash, and how was it possible the library didn't have better books on humans? And they, in return, told my grandparents and uncle about how cute I was, all outraged and stomping my feet over unprofessional scientific papers at the age of, like, twelve."

"I don't blame them." Belos added, mirth obvious in his voice "You probably were very cute."

Thank the Titan for the shroud of the night, because Selena felt her cheeks flushing at that comment.

"A-anyway-" she stuttered slightly "-it was my uncle who came to the rescue. He persuaded master librarian Malphas to let us into the Forbidden Stacks. It wasn't that hard - apparently he was indebted to my grandmother after she predicted a devastating fire in the library, that they were then able to stop before it destroyed everything. So, Magnus took me to the off-limits wing, where there were more obscure books about humans and their realm. I think running through the Forbidden Stacks and climbing the bookshelves as high as the ceiling has to be one of my fondest memories." She smiled softly to herself as she remembered "But none of the books there came close to this one journal I found, hidden away."

She failed to hear how Belos' breath hitched in his lungs "A journal, you say?"

"The personal journal of a human called Philip Wittebane.” she smiled fondly ”A long time ago, he explored the Demon Realm. Humans used to come here, can you believe it?" Selena sighed dreamily, and then hid her face behind her hands "Goodness, it's so embarrassing just thinking about it!" She giggled nervously behind her hands "But the way he wrote, oh! It captivated me, every part of me! I read the journal over and over, cover to cover, like such a little lovestruck weirdo. I started imagining what it would be like, meeting this human from centuries ago. Then I started writing about it in my own journal, too - Make believe stories where we meet and he whisks me away to the human realm."

It was all too much - Belos couldn't stop himself. His shoulders were shaking as he did his best to stifle the laugh, his hand flying under the mask to cover his mouth and muffle any sound threatening to escape. Seeing this, the oracle gasped in outrage.

"Emperor!" Selena whined, hiding behind her fingers once more "You promised!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" As soon as he opened his mouth to apologise, a louder laugh escaped him "I simply couldn't help myself!"

The oracle groaned, sliding down on the bed till she was barely visible from the cushions and covers surrounding her "I knew it, I told you so!" She despaired loudly, which only served to fuel the fire behind Belos' laugh more.

"Come on now, don't be like that, it's sweet!" Belos tried reassuring her "It's very sweet, really it is!"

"You can't even say that with a straight face!"

With lungs still filled with laughter, Belos reached for her, taking the wrist closest to him and pulling that hand away from her face, exposing her while she tried to hide. "I mean it - it's a type of innocent wonder only a child could hold. Thank you for sharing that story with me, I very much enjoyed it." he tilted his head to the side “A little crush on a human, how quaint .”

Selena struggled to hide her entire face with only one hand, so unfortunately one eye was peeking out through her fanned out fingers, forced to face Belos "I'm glad someone at least enjoyed it, because I for one am mortified." Her complaining only made him snicker again, very obviously enjoying the torment she was being put through "You should have let the black ice take me."

This earned her a laugh from the emperor "Unfortunately -" he started cheekily, releasing her wrist from his grip "- it would seem that Lady Luck decided not to let the ice take you. Or, in layman's terms: You're stuck with me, my dear."

"It would seem so." Selena muttered, unconsciously placing the hand that he let her take back gingerly against her cheek. Thanks to the frostmist that still lingered in her body, It felt noticeably warmer from his touch. "Well, for better or for worse it is, then, that we're stuck together." She half-joked, a dry chuckle escaping her.

"For better or for worse." Belos echoed, decidedly, as if putting a dot at the end of that conversation "I do wonder, though, whatever happened to the journal?" He changed the subject, catching her by surprise.

"Oh, hmm." Selena thought about it "I tried sneaking it back home, but I was caught and forced to return it. It's probably still in the forbidden stacks." Selena moved around, pushing the pillows around and getting more comfy on the bed. "Probably for the worse, the stacks were not in the best of shape when I was last there, there were way too many echo mice in there for comfort." Crossing her arms, her brows knitted together in thought "I remember copying parts of it by hand to bring home, not much of it because I was still writing an essay but… I wonder if any of that survived the last move, it was stacked in a box somewhere in the old house's attic I think…"

Letting out a deep, forlorn sigh, Selena finally seemed to have nestled fully in the bed. "I don't know… call it a weird oracle sixth sense or whatever you wish, but I feel like the journal probably got damaged beyond repair through the years." The way she pursued her lips and her eyes squinted, it was obvious she believed that truly and that it made her heart ache.

“That is very defeatist of you.”

“Unfortunately, I’m rarely wrong on such matters.” she said, more decidedly, a certainty in her voice as she defended her forementioned sixth sense she spoke of earlier. "It breaks my heart to think about it, but the Stacks really are a place books go to die.” She turned to lie on her side, pulling the covers tightly under her arms, eyes at half-mast as they gazed sleepily up at the man sitting at the edge of the bed “Some of it still remains, though, up here.” her fingers gently rapped against her forehead to further illustrate her point “Shame that memories tend to be so fickle, though.”

Belos scooched slightly closer, leaning over the girl's form as he watched her let out a tiny yawn “Memories are all we have sometimes, and are more precious than any books lost to time.” he said as his hand slowly raised, pressing the tips of his middle and index finger to her forehead "Now, get some rest, Lena."

With a soft exhale, the magic washed over her and Selena was out like a light.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The next time Selena awoke, the room was bright, washed in the warm rays of the sun. She hailed the morning, after a night that seemed to have lasted far too long. It almost felt like a dream, a hallucination, as bits and pieces came together the more her brain awoke, forming into one coherent story.

Her thoughts wandered back, as she puzzled together the pieces of the dream that plagued her after her waltz with death, but it felt useless as her mind would default back again and again to the late night conversations with the Emperor. To how he made sure she was taken care of, and that she would recover no matter the cost.

To how she was in the Emperor's most private chambers, occupying his bed, wearing a man's button up blouse that hung loosely over her hands and down to her thighs. It didn't take a genius to connect whose blouse it was.

Who changed her, anyway?!

So the dream (if she could even really call it one because there was a nagging feeling in the back of her head that it may have been a bit too real to be either a dream or a premonition or omen), while she could recall it perfectly, lay forgotten in lieu of more…pressing issues.

However, she didn't get much time to herself (or her thoughts) - mere minutes after she opened her eyes, the room was crowded by Emperor Belos and coven head Hettie.

"Perfect!" Hettie cooed as she checked her vitals "You are recovering just perfectly, my Lady! At this rate, I feel confident in dismissing you by this afternoon!" She turned to Selena, who was trying not to stare too long at either her or Belos (who loomed behind the healer, watching her work), feeling too self-conscious now when she wasn’t hidden away by the shroud of night "Alright, my Lady, head and back straight, look directly up and take in the deepest breath you can-" Selena did exactly as she ordered, lying on her back straight as a plank "-aaaand exhale all the way out, let all the air out of your lungs…there we go! Good, good " she muttered to herself, taking out a little vial from her belt "There is barely any frostmyst left, just some bubbling over your lips before it completely dissipates. Here, you should take one last dose of Vitimir's potion, just as a safety precaution."

Belos reached over and took the vial from her before she could offer it to Selena "I'll make sure she drinks it, thank you Hettie."

If she found it weird, Hettie didn't show it. Just lifted the edge of her lips slightly, a hint of a smirk "Of course, Emperor. I trust you will." She replied and stood up from where she sat on the edge of the bed

"...I can drink it by myself…" Selena let out childishly, but her objection was received to deaf ears.

"Now my lady, I trust you to be a good girl and listen to our Emperor. He only has your best interest in mind - you won't get better care anywhere else on the Isles!" Hettie chastised cheerfully "And make sure to finish your soup, too!" She added at the end, pleased as pudding when she got an obedient "Yes, ma'am" from her patient. She made her way to the door, more than happy to entrust her care into the Emperor's capable (and awaiting) hands.

Following her to the door, Belos addressed her in a hushed tone "Is Magnus still outside?"

"I don't think he ever left, my Lord." Hettie answered "Should I let him in?"

Belos shook his head “No, I’ll call for him myself. Just tell him she's doing alright.” He put a hand to her shoulder, leaning in slightly "If it is not too much trouble, can you send for the Golden Guard? The boy was very troubled last night, I'd like to ease his worries as well."

"Of course, Emperor Belos. It will pose no trouble at all."

And just like that, with a bow and a smile, Hettie was gone. Leaving only Belos and Selena in his royal bedchambers once more. He stood by the door, looking out and waiting for Hettie to leave his sitting room, then quietly closing the door.

"Busy, busy." Selena heard him sigh, his back still turned to her "At least you are well on the road to recovery." He looked at her over his shoulder "But how are you feeling, Selena?"

“As well as I could, Emperor.” The woman sat up in bed, making sure to keep the (now substantially less of them) covers up to her waist. The mens button-up she wore covered down to the middle of her thighs, but she wasn’t taking any chances. With a dry chuckle, she added “All things considered”

“All things considered indeed .” he repeated as he made his way back to her, taking up the spot on the edge of the bed once more as he had numerous times before. “Perhaps this could be a learning moment for you, then, about the dangers of fraternising with wild witches.” Selena groaned, throwing her head back and sinking back into the pillows “Don’t groan at me." He chastised her, in a very parental manner "I did warn you, but I suppose you just have too soft of a heart." He did sound earnest, but the oracle could hear his words as nothing more than mocking.

“Oh come now, Emperor Belos, and we were having such a wonderful time together.” she snapped back “Don’t ruin it.”

“These wild witches, these untrustworthy hexen , they are dangerous-”

“No more dangerous than any witch in a coven!”

“I was terrified!” he raised his voice, the tone making Selena flinch, the worry in his words coiling tightly around her heart “Your skin was blue, it was cold as ice to the touch, I was convinced you met your death!” he turned away from her, focusing instead on his open palm. “I held you in my arms and could not feel your heartbeat, could not hear you breathing-” his voice cut off, trembling, like it could not go further as the memories swarmed him.

He… was the one who held her?

All the anger she held when he started to push his crusader agenda dissipated in seconds, replaced instead by guilt. Guilt that she made him worry this much. The hurt in his voice was like a vice in her chest, constricting and painful. Without thinking, she reached for him, wanting nothing more than to offer comfort. Against her better judgement, shaking hands found his arm, resting on his back and bicep, tugging him just a sliver closer to her as she leaned towards him, letting her forehead press against his shoulder.

“I’m sorry.” Selena let out, just above a whisper “I’m sorry to have made you worry.”

She knew she crossed boundaries that never should be crossed, coming so close to the ruler of the Isles; her heart fluttered in fear at the thought. But as she heard his erratic breathing hitch in his throat, as if he forgot how to breathe for a moment, before he let out a long, shaky breath, one she felt under her skin, feeling how he calmed down at her touch, she let those worries go to the back of her mind. If he minded it, he didn’t word it out loud.

Perhaps the Emperor was right. Perhaps she did have too soft of a heart.

Afterall, here she was, comforting the man she considered her enemy. If that wasn’t a sign of weakness, too caring, too soft and easily manipulated, then nothing was. So much of a bleeding heart that all the disgust and fear she would feel at his touch was long forgotten. All it took was him showing a glimmer of genuine emotion. She didn’t even flinch when his hand covered the one she had placed on his arm, letting him do so and find comfort.

“I’m fine now.” she reassured him “So you don’t need to worry anymore.” she gave his arm a squeeze, one last offer of comfort, and pulled away. His hand lingered where it was, where it held hers, for a moment longer. As if savouring the touch.

Belos let out a long, heavy sigh “You’re fine now.” he muttered low and under his breath, the only reason Selena heard him was because it was the only sound in the tranquillity of the bedchambers. And, despite it only lasting seconds, to Selena it felt like they hadn’t moved for painstakingly long minutes. She memorised every single speckle on the back of her hands as she held them in her lap where she sat, feeling too awkward to look anywhere else.

Finally, finally , she heard the Emperor clear his throat and straightened his back, gathering up the last of his dignity that he let crumble for a moment, putting back the facade. Just the little change in his posture felt like it changed his entire demeanour, like it erased completely what transpired just moments before.

The way he controlled the room was nothing short of both astounding and terrifying.

He turned back around, facing her once more and beckoning her closer “Come, I need to administer the last potion to you.”

Vaguely, Selena remembered mentions of a potion, one that Hettie wanted to give her but that Belos snatched away before she could “I can drink it by myself.” The protest was weak on her lips and they both knew it.

“Now now.” he tutted and examined the vial he held up in the air. It was gold in colour, warm and glowing (which made sense as it was meant to chase away the cold) “What did dear Hettie say to you before she left?”

It took a second for Selena to snap her attention away from the glowing gold in the vial, images of golden moths dancing in the back of her mind “Uhh… to be good and listen to the Emperor?”

“That’s right, good job.” Selena felt her entire body bristle at the dripping condescension “To be a good girl and listen to your Emperor, if we want to be more precise.” he turned to her, and this time, his eyes were glowing behind the mask “Now, be a good girl for me and come here.”

Whatever sympathy, whatever grace there was, it burned up, eaten by the blue blaze that lay dormant in her chest where Belos had lit it the first time he dared call her that. It overpowered everything else in an instant, swallowed it whole, until she felt nothing but the fire and the smoke, burning up from the inside. She told herself it was anger, even though anger ran red, not ice blue (just like his eyes). And now after she had felt the biting cold of the black ice, feeling this again made her head spin .

Every time he called her that she made a mental note to beat up and traumatise more of his precious little scouts.

"Come, Selena, I don't have all day." Belos gripped her wrist, giving an insistent tug. Which, taken aback and overwhelmed as she was, didn't register fully with her, so her body instinctively scooched over.

Way too close.

"Your uncle has been waiting outside, by the way." Belos mentioned offhandedly, letting go of her wrist once he was satisfied with how close she was. "As soon as we are done with your medicine, I'll let him in to see you."

"My- Magnus?" His spell on her seemed to break on her momentarily "How- how long has he been waiting?"

Belos didn't answer right away, instead turning the vial in his hand, then removing the cork at the top with a surprisingly loud 'pop' "Oh, I'd say he had been patrolling outside my room the entire night, like a caged animal." His hand, surprisingly casually as if he's done this a hundred times before, loosely gripped her jaw "Now, the potion is apparently hot going down, so try not to jerk away until you've drunk it all."

"I, uh, I guess I'll try?" Selena let out nervously, eyes bouncing between the potion in his other hand and his mask, not quite sure where to even look and not feel like dying of embarrassment.

She heard him let out a loud breath through his nose, a hint of a chuckle "Good girl."

Titan damn him, why does he have to do that-

Belos pressed the vial to her parted lips, the fingers gripping her jaw tilting her head back as he did. The liquid hit her tongue, and it tasted… sparkly. Is that even a taste? Either way, it was the closest word she could use to describe it. Selena quickly swallowed, and it felt swelteringly hot as it went down her throat. A jarring opposite to how the frostmist felt when it started taking over her lungs. Selena shuddered as her entire body flushed with heat. It was as if she took a full gulp from the boiling sea itself.

It didn't hurt, at least not in the way one would expect burning to hurt, but Titan it felt bad .

Selena jerked away fast, despite the emperor's prior warnings, but the hand on her jaw kept her static as the last of the potion drained from the vial. Belos tsk'd loudly, removing the vial away from her lips and tugging her closer to him, his mask uncomfortably close "Selena, I told you Not. To. Move." He warned, enunciating his point by jolting her head to the beat of his last three words.

He watched as the witches entire face scrunched up and turned red - he could feel it grow hot where he held her - eyes closed and lips pursed shut as she tried to shake his hold off of her "Did you swallow all of it?" Feverishly, she nodded, and he let go of her jaw "Good."

Selena instantly jumped back, decorum and modesty be damned as she landed on her bum, covers gone and forgotten. She clutched at her chest as the heat burned all the way down, spreading through her veins like liquid metal. It felt horrid, absolutely horrid (especially for her, who never was a fan of the sweltering weather of the Isles, this was torture) . Selena doubled over, feeling something bubble in her chest and rise up the same path that the accursed potion just went down through.

A gentle hand landed on top of her head, running through her hair "Breathe, Selena."

Such a strong sense of deja vu.

The oracle exhaled deeply, letting out the air that was trapped in her lungs before she started convulsing. And while she couldn't see it, on account of her eyes being screwed shut, she could feel it - feel it move up her windpipe, push up her throat, and bubble at her mouth, leaving her lips and caressing her cheeks as it spiralled up and above into the air.

"There we go." She heard Belos hum above her.

His fingers detangling her hair felt strangely soothing.

When it (she assumed it was a lingering bubble of frostmist still lodged in her lungs) was out, the sweltering heat started to subside. She had to concentrate on her breathing, feeling like she ran a mile, having to manually force herself not to gulp it down greedily like she just came up for air. And, worst of all, Selena felt super gross. Now that the overwhelming feeling of flames had been snuffed out just as fast as it came, she realised just how clammy and sweaty her skin had become.

"That was…" a pathetic whine left her, which she tried her best to mask as annoyance "...that was the absolute worst."

She heard Belos chuckle above her, giving her a little pat. "You're far too old to act like a baby about taking your medicine."

The oracle scoffed loudly. Becoming aware that the sheets - that were so pleasantly cold before - had become disgustingly warm, she straightened up, doing her best to push down the button up blouse down her thighs as she did. "Yeah, I'd like to see how you'd handle that." She ran her hand through her hair and grimaced - her scalp was uncomfortably hot, and the base of her hair was covered in sweat.

Gross.

"I wasn't the one who almost died."

"No, but if it weren't for me, you would have been dead."

She saw his glowing eyes narrow in annoyance "Touche."

Gods, she hated feeling this warm. She was actually yearning for the cold that rattled her bones whilst she was buried under piles of blankets. Forming a spell circle, Selena lifted it up to her face, the glowing ring blowing air into her face like a fan. She let out a content sigh. It felt like heaven on her flushed skin.

"That should have been the last of the frostmist, according to Hettie." Belos explained, slowly getting to his feet "So you should be clear to leave later today."

Selena was in too much bliss to look at him, eyelids fluttering shut at the pleasant breeze "What time is it?"

"Seven forty five in the morning." Belos quickly answered, heading for the door "I'll call for Magnus, but before I do-" he paused once he reached the door, opening it and looking back at her. Hearing him trail off like that, Selena cracked one eye open, and saw his glowing eyes move over her, starting from her face and slowly (uncomfortably so) moving all the way down "-perhaps you should make yourself more… presentable?"

Her eyebrows arched up in confusion, craning her neck down to follow his gaze -

The magic fan ring was all in vain as her face flushed hot once again. To her absolute horror, most of the buttons on the blouse had come undone without her noticing, revealing way too much of her thighs than any self respecting lady of her stature would be comfortable showing a man. With a loud squeak, she scrambled for one of the covers, struggling to untangle it from under her.

She heard doors open and close, but not before the now unmistakable sound of the Emperor's deep, satisfied chuckle.

She cursed him internally just as she accidentally fell over unceremoniously after she pulled on the cover under her too hard.

Oh, Midnight was gonna have a blast taking out all these anger issues stacking on top of each other like a game of jenga as soon as she was out of the palace.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Just like he promised, Emperor Belos had let her uncle come into his private abode, to visit her and make sure she was safe. Magnus, ever the stoic, intimidating figure, walked in with a familiar scowl on his face, an aura of doom and gloom entering before even he did.

The oppressive aura lifted the moment he saw her.

Before she could even greet him properly, he power walked to her and enveloped her in a spine-breaking embrace, almost knocking her completely over.

"Thank the Titan you're okay." Magnus muttered into her hair, hanging on to her even tighter, her much smaller frame completely engulfed and hidden from sight by him.

"I'm fine, uncle, I'm fine." Selena managed to wheeze out, patting his back in an attempt to get him to lessen his grip "Don't worry, I'm fine."

"I was worried sick!" Magnus gave one last squeeze, making Selena let out a breathless squeak of pain, and released her. Holding her by the shoulders, his eyes moved erratically over her face, checking to see if anything was amiss. "The moment I heard the news spread through the palace, that someone was hurt, I knew it was you."

Yeah, the Oracle senses sometimes really sucked. The feeling of dread in one's gut that something bad happened tends to be correct nine times out of ten.

Magnus' eyes softened when he saw no injury on her, and he took her face into his hands, sighing as he felt his heart fill with ease. She was there. She wasn't dead. Selena, seeing his worry, put her hands over his.

"I was careless." She said quietly "And I got hurt trying to fix it. But I'm alright now." She looked behind Magnus at Belos, who stood by the door with his arms crossed while he observed them, like a fly on the wall. "Emperor Belos, in all his grace, made sure I was given the best of care."

"It was the least I could do to thank you for saving my life." At the sound of Belos' voice, she saw Magnus' scowl deepen.

Magnus was, according to her mom and gran, a tightly woven bundle of anger, bubbling under the very thin surface. Not that Selena ever saw that anger come out except for a specifically scathing remark, or in the constant scowl he wore. Not to say Ursula and Isabella weren't known for being spitfires themselves. However, the two of them didn’t try to hide it or internalise it, like Magnus did. It’s… hereditary , to say the least.

Magnus, however, never let it show, at least not in front of her nor her siblings. Which didn’t mean she didn’t know it was there, oh no. She knew, and right now, she saw it in that scowl and the ugly downturn of his lips. And knowing the possibility of his horrid temper rearing its ugly head, already showing in how his lips snarled, and knowing how absolutely unhinged Emperor Belos could be, Selena panicked internally once the realisation hit that if there was a clash, it would leave no prisoners. In this room - nor in the Palace for that matter.

Titan, how could he torture her like this, forcing her in to the position where she was forced to walk the tightrope as she was thrust in to the position of peacemaker to these two fully grown men.

Selena gripped her uncle's hands harshly, nails digging in, forcing his attention back to her. She frowned at him, giving a decisive glare from under her brows, and gave him a very miniscule shake of her head.

“The Emperor has been very kind to me, staying by my bedside vigilantly.” she asserted, glowering daggers into his eyes “I could not have asked for better company.”

“Don’t start anything, damn you.” She forced her way into his mind, opening a telepathic connection just to deliver the warning, cutting it off cold turkey as soon as she had her say. The message was simple - she wasn’t taking any objections.

Magnus, taken aback by how quickly her presence came and left his mind, seemed dumbfounded for a second, eyes widening and eyebrows arching up. But he quickly shook it off, his trademark glare returning along with a grimace as he bared his teeth in annoyance. He rolled his eyes dramatically and pulled his hands away from her face, the irritated expression clearly saying “Fine. But I do not have to like it.”

The older Fortuna decided to stop crowding her and moved to the edge of the bed, opting to just pretend Belos wasn’t there. “When will you be let out?”

“Later today.” Selena smiled when she saw him relax his face, forcing himself to calm down “I was given potions by coven head Vitimir that helped remove the curse, and they worked so well that coven head Hettie cleared me earlier this morning.”

“I’ll be there to take you.” Magnus quickly answered, not leaving her room for arguments as he cast a spell circle, summoning his personal crystal ball to him. It landed heavily in his hand. “Now, Ursula said to contact her as soon as I got to you-” he saw Selena’s eyes widen in horror as soon as he said that “-don’t give me that look, of course I told her! She’s your mother!”

“B-b-but do you have to call her?!” she glanced nervously at Belos “Now?!”

“She needs to know you’re okay.” Magnus stated matter-of-factly “Everyone in the family has been worried since last night!”

Selena whined in despair and ran her hands down her face. Peeking from behind her uncle, she addressed the Emperor, who was leaning against the wall near the door and waiting patiently “Ah… Emperor Belos, I know it’s incredibly rude of me to ask you this, but -”

Belos raised his hand, a gesture that silenced her in an instant “I’ll give you privacy, do not worry.” he replied coolly and pushed himself off the wall “I’d hate to intrude on a touching family moment like this.”

“Thank you.” Selena smiled at him, a weight taken off of her chest as he left the room and closed the door behind him.

#the owl house #the oracle bakery #philip wittebane #philip wittebane x oc #emperor belos #emperor belos x oc #fanfiction #reader insert #self insert

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