neve [cowt12 | week 05 | m5]

[hannyakoma]

Prompt: Neve

Word count: 730
Rating: sfw
Fandom: Black Clover
Note: OC Centric.

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As used as she was to the viridiscent splendor of the Witches' Forest, her arrival in Spade Kingdom felt rather traumatic. 

Her skin almost became frostbitten during the mere way to the royal castle - of course, her captors didn't worry about her wearing clothes very unsuited for the harsh climate. They simply wanted to get back to their base as soon as possible, with whatever "loot" they managed to get when they invaded Clover's borders.

Her feet sunk in the fresh snow, leaving small foot prints that joined the moltitude of others that the Spade soldiers left earlier. With the strength of the snowstorm still raging around them, it was a miracle any trace of their passage were still there. 

Angelica did her best to keep herself from shivering - she didn't show weakness before her very mother, always striving to be the perfect daughter, and she surely wouldn't metaphorically bow to someone stepping so low and kidnapping children, together with her and other women - with her magic, tampering with her blood flow and mana enough to avoid the worst of it. She felt threatened, to some extent, but not as much as to the point she wouldn't try to escape from her captors as soon as the occasion arised.

She probably jinxed herself by thinking that.

It was pure bad luck that the soldiers and newly found prisoners crossed roads with one of the probably strongest mages in the Kingdom - and probably one of the strongest Angelica ever met in her life, besides her mother - right in front of the castle's gates. 

A young woman wearing a tiara, hugged by a soft fur coat with a white collar and what the Clover witch thought to be the uniform from Spade's army. Her grin had something akin to maniacal, together with the clearly insane glint in her only visible eye - and from the dark mana coming from unside the other eye's eyepatch, Angelica didn't want to have anything to do with her. 

Instinctively, she lowered her gaze before the... princess? Whatever she was, could meet her eyes.

She kept listening to the exchange between "lady Vanica", as the soldier in lead said, and the enemy mage, trying to get as much information as possible. He talked to her about the good results of the hunt, listing off how many people with supposedly high levels of mana they managed to get that time, and how honored they were to be in her presence right after they came back. 

Not that Angelica thought they'd worry about their captives risking hypothermia, but that obvious stalling was starting to grate on her nerves - not for herself, but... there were children in their ranks, goddamnit! If they had to go and kidnap them for whatever reasons, wasn't it better that they took care of them at least?!

Not one instant later, a soft crunch on the snow was the only warning Angelica got, before her face was forcefully brought up. Her crimson orbs met a single, blood-red one and a contemplative dark smile.

"So you're the Blood Magic user? You're sooo cute, sweetie!" Lady Vanica's voice was full honey, edging towards a danger Angelica didn't want to get close to. The hand that brought her chin up went to her hair, brushing off the snow that started to accumulate there a few times, before it joined its twin on the witch's face. "The soldiers said you've got so much mana in you, but... you know, I think it wouldn't be funny if a strong mage didn't try to get stronger, am I right?!"

Angelica, for the first time in ages, recognized her own whole body trembling before someone - something - else. The woman before her was asking her to become stronger? Why? She didn't have time to question it as much, since the princess suddenly stepped back from her and then away from the group, vanishing again inside the Castle without saying much more.

The soldiers led them, once again, through snow-covered paths towards what Angelica thought to be the underground prisons, typical of every castle. For quite obvious reasons, snow and low temperatures weren't her main concern anymore: catching the attention of someone like that... she really hoped it was an unlucky one time thing.