William doesn't even listen to what Kazimir is saying, instead choosing to busy himself by looking around the room. It's much too cluttered for Will's taste. He would love to place the books in the bookshelves where they belong, instead of stacks and stacks on the floor. It doesn't necessarily smell bad, but it's definitely stuffy and it would be nice to crack the massive window open. Tadpole chitters at his feet, pressing his scaly head right into Will's calf.
Carefully, he bends to take the small dragon into his arms. It must've been exactly what Tadpole wanted, for he chirps happily and snuggles further into his arms. "Yes," he agrees quietly. "I think it could be a curse of some sort."
Canthus frowned, a faint hum leaving them as they studied Will. "And when did this start?" they questioned, approaching Will and arching an eyebrow. They looked down at Tadpole for a long moment, taking in the sight of the little dragon curled in Will's arms. "Did this begin immediately after you were brought to the palace, or was there any sort of pause?" they moved away again after a moment, searching through the stacks of books as if looking for something in particular.
Kaz was quiet, letting Will answers Canthus's questions himself. After all, the human man was the one that would be able to answer these questions the best, not Kazimir. Kaz could, of course, answer those questions for him if Will wanted him to, but he preferred to let Will answer. Canthus would prefer to hear the answers straight from the mouth of the person who had been affected the most, after all, rather than from Kaz.
"A day ago," Will answers. "I woke up in the library first, and then this morning I woke up in the gardens–and quite far from the palace too." He pauses. How long will it be until he wakes up in a dangerous place? Will prays to put a quick stop to it–otherwise his life could be at risk. (It already is, but he chooses not to dwell on that.)
"It didn't start until… probably three days after my arrival." He has to think on that for a second. "Maybe more." The Martyr has unfortunately already lost track of time stuck in this Fae realm. "I have to wonder if somebody doesn't like me. They hexed me or cursed me or just… something like that." HIs knowledge of magic is limited–the topic banned in his small hometown. Anybody who showed any sign of the supernatural was exiled into the forest, where they were no doubt eaten alive or taken prisoner. Will needs to educate himself, and fast.
Canthus nodded slightly, eyes still narrowed as they stared at Will, studying him closely. "Hm. And who, in that time, did you meet?" they asked. "Anyone strange?"
There had only been four, that Kaz could think of. Ivan, Marie, that girl that Will had made friends with, and Kaz's advisor. Unless someone else had come across the human man and Will had not told Kaz, which would be…concerning, if only because he wanted to keep Will safe.
"Well… I met the queen, and she doesn't like me very much." Will's brow furrows over his eyes as he thinks. "And then there was the servant boy, but he was very quiet. I think he was scared of me." Odd considering William is probably one of the least threatening people to ever exist. He would never assume Eloise to be the one to curse him, so Will leaves her out of the conversation. "A few servants or gardeners, but I only asked them all for directions." If someone wanted to hurt him because of a simple question, Will decides that's their problem and they require a little therapy. "And I did have an encounter with Kazimir's advisor, but he hardly spoke to me. Only to Kazimir."
Canthus hummed a little, moving over to shuffle through their notes again. "I see." they replied, eyes narrowing a little. "Would you mind taking a seat? I am going to cast a spell to see if I can detect the root of the issue. Provided that you are alright with that?" they cocked their head, looking over at Will and waiting for an answer from him before they continued.
"I–" Will's about to object. This feels almost like a visit to the village's healer when he would come down with sicknesses. They would prescribe him salves and teas and even a leech at one point, but he refused them all. Will's smart enough to know that none of them would help. None of the leaves they even chose had medicinal properties. "Fine," he finally submits, sitting down on the provided stool. There's a nice cushion on it, but that doesn't make it any less uneasy. He folds his hands in his lap, looking right at the cobblestone floor instead of at the wizard or the Snake.
Canthus hummed faintly as they prepared some supplies, finally coming over to Will. "The dragon needs to be off of your lap. Dragons are magical creatures, and its presence could interfere with the spellwork." they said, gesturing to Tadpole. "As long as it will not burn any of my notes, I do not care where you put it, but it cannot be here."
Oh. Yes. Tadpole the dragon. Will completely forgot he was holding the small reptile. Not wanting to place him on the floor and risk some expensive damages, Will beckons Kazimir forward and wordlessly hands off the dragon to the Snake. They're both reptiles. They should be able to bond over their cold-bloodedness. "Yes, sorry," Will's quick to apologize, clearing his throat and wiping invisible dust off of his trousers. "I'm ready now."
Kaz stared at Tapdole, arching an eyebrow and looking over at Will, then at the dragon that he had been handed. "Ah…" he trailed off, crimson eyes narrowing. He was holding Tadpole a touch awkwardly, as if unsure what to do with the little winged creature. He wasn't going to drop him, but at the same time, he didn't quite know what to do with him.
Canthus watched the emperor and the dragon for a moment, shaking their head as they looked over to Will again. "Alright. Just hold still. This will not hurt a bit. You likely won't feel anything, really."
Will has to supress the amused smile upon seeing Kazimir shuffle so awkwardly with the baby dragon. It almost feels like a juxtaposition–the Snake and a baby. A painful memory singes behind William's eyelids as a child of a past life buries their face in the crook of his neck. The sight isn't so amusing anymore. William looks away and to the wizard standing in front of him.
Will doesn't say anything, only nods and awaits the wizard to initiate whatever screening for curses. Will would very much like to get to the bottom of this whole ordeal. He's tired of waking up in places that aren't his bed.
Kaz continued to watch Tadpole uncertainly, gaze eventually moving back to Will. It was painfully clear that the emperor was absolutely not sure what to do with this tiny, scaly little creature that he had been unceremoniously handed. Did Tadpole even like him?
Canthus did not do much to disturb Will, just gently pressed a hand to his forehead, eyes going slightly unfocused as they used their magic to gently probe at Will. It would not cause pain, but might feel a bit strange as the magic moved through the human's body.
A slight sense of nausea quells through Will as the sudden magic washes through his mind and body. He's a magical human, rare and taboo in the village he lives in. He's not used to being around other beings of magic. The fae world is nauseating and fascinating and Will isn't sure if he'd leave if he was given the chance. While he misses his parents, he longs to be free to manipulate whatever plant life whenever he pleases.He doesn't want to hide himself. Not anymore.
Finally, the intruding magic is drawn from his body, Will having to take a few long breaths to recover from the feeling.
Canthus remained still for a long moment, then pulled away again with a slow exhale. "Hmm." they moved over to one of their books, flipping through it silently. Their brows were drawn together in concentration, and their mouth tipped down at the corners. But they didn't say anything, not yet, just looking through that book and letting Kaz and Will sit in silence. Waiting. As if they had nothing better to do with their time.
William knows that he enjoys silence, but at this moment there's nothing he despises more. His fingers tap anxiously at his knees, his eyes trained on Tadpole within Kazmir's steady arms. He doesn't look at the wizard. William doesn't know what type of nervous expression will cross his face if he dare shift his focus from the tiny dragon. Keep calm. Be patient. Have faith. If anybody could figure out what's possibly wrong with Will, it'll be the damned wizard. It would just be very nice if the wizard could come to a solid conclusion before Will's teleported to another random location.
"Hm." they said again, eyes narrowing a little bit. "There are definitely some…conflicting energies here." they looked over at Will thoughtfully. "Some very strange ones, too. You are only human, correct?" the way they asked the question was not at all condescending, but it was still not the greatest way to phrase the question. Only human, as if it were lesser to be one. But the question was a valid one. What was Will? How would he answer this question? Was he only a human, or was he something more? A Fate?
"I'm human," Will says carefully. If there's anything he's sure about, he's sure that he doesn't like where this conversation could be heading. His eyes briefly flick to Kazimir. Is he allowed to say that he's much more? Is he allowed to explain that he can reincarnate in every single life and eventually find Kazimir and die by his hand? "I was born with abilities, however," Will continues, hoping at least his magic prowess towards nature will suffice. To demonstrate, he extends his hand and wills a vine crawling on the wall to drift towards him. "I don't think humans are supposed to be born with magic."
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Kaz nodded faintly when Will looked to him, though he kept quiet still.
Canthus hummed very faintly, reaching to touch the vine for a moment. "No, most humans are not born with magic." they said thoughtfully. "The ones that are, are usually those with some form of magical blood in them. Are you quite sure you are just human? That there is no hint of anything else in there?" they tipped their head faintly, then went back to flipping through one of their books while they waited for an answer from William.
"I am a…" He trails off, unsure if he can fully say the words aloud. He hasn't said them yet in this life, but to be fair, he only rediscovered it a few weeks ago. His eyes find the ground, not daring to look to the wizard or to Kazimir. "I'm a Fate," he blurts out eventually, knowing no better way to phrase it. "The Martyr." The weak one, the sacrificial one, the one thats forced to die by the same hand in the most gruesome ways. "I don't know if that has anything to do with this, but it might."
Kaz inhaled faintly at the admittance, gaze cutting to Will in silent warning. If Will gave away who Kaz was, it would be a bit of a problem. It really would.
Canthus arched their brows, staring at Will for a long, long moment. "The Martyr." they echoed. "Fascinating, but I doubt that that has any effect on this. I…do not know much of the Fates, they were not my primary field of study, but I do know some of this. I really do not think that it really would effect this. Thank you for telling me, though."
Wills eyes cut to Kazimir. Well, what was I supposed to say? He wants to hiss, to grab Kazimir by the shoulders and ask him ehat he could have possibly done in a situation where he's trying to be cured. "That's fine," Will mumbles, internally kicking himself and tossing his body down a long set of stairs. "Just wondering if it could help my condition." He shoots Kazimir a biting glare. What did you want me to do? I'm not a fucking mind reader. "Do you have any idea what could possibly be messing with me?" He turns to the wizard.
Kaz sighed faintly, glancing down at Tadpole, still curled in his arms, then back up at Will.
Canthus sighed. "Well, I do not think it is because of you. I…there is some sort of outside force at work here, but I am not yet sure just what that force is. Whether it is a spell, or…a curse, or otherwise, I'm not yet sure. If you would like to leave, you may. I have no more need of your presence. I am only conducting some research to match up what exactly is happening with you."
"Then I guess we'll leave," Will huffs, standing and brushing the imaginary dirt off his slacks. He approaches Kazimir, but doesn't even look at him as he takes his baby dragon from the Snake's arms. "Thank you for your help. I do appreciate it." Even though it wasn't any help in the slightest. Oh well, Kazimir will get it figured out in enough time. Hopefully Will won't be waking up atop of rooftops or in dangerous situations any time soon. William runs through the probably suspects in his mind like a flipbook. Eloise would never, Ivan seems too anxious to try anything gutsy, the tailor doesn't feel too magical.
"Oh," Will says, only when the door to the wizard's workshop closes behind them. "I think I know who could've caused this."
Kaz happily let Will take Tadpole from his arms, following the human out of Canthus's workshop. He cocked his head faintly when Will spoke, brows drawing together. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Who do you think?" he was not sure himself who could have, but then, he had become busier as of late, trying to juggle ruling this empire with spending time with his Martyr. The man he loved, the man he always loved, the man that, every lifetime, was his again and again and again.
"Somebody who doesn't like you straying away from kingly duties." Will points a finger to Kazimir, and then to vaguely into the rest of the castle. Somebody who doesn't like Will taking up all of his time. "Perhaps somebody in your cabinet, somebody in your military, some other body who is…" He waves his hand and tucks Tadpole beneath his chin. The dragon looks all too happy to be there. He continues down the hall, still frustratingly unfamiliar. He'll figure it out eventually. He will.
