my hand and heart are heavy burdens
A/N: This is my first mini bang piece! I had so much fun writing this, and working with @kingdombrekkerโ and @anubem was an absolute delight. Please check out their amazing art that goes along with this. Now without further adoโฆ.Howlโs Moving Castle! Zoyalai au
@kingdombrekkerโโs piece: x
Summary: Nikolai is just a man with a boat repair shop. Well, he would say an incredibly good looking man with a boat repair shop. But nevertheless, he lived a simple life with dreams that reached higher than the clouds. One nightโone successful card gameโhas his life turned upside down. And the only one who could make it alright was the infamous witch Zoya Nazyalensky and her odd moving castle.ย
It started out simply enough. A friendly wager between two strangers in dark and dusty rooms. On a night that whispered of magic and misfortune, Nikolai remembered only the warmth of drink and the sweet taste of chocolate still lingering in his mouth.
He probably should have called it a night as soon as most of his opponents had folded in their cards and bid him a dejected good night, but the stranger that had entered the bar looked so perfect for the taking. His glittering black clothes that spoke of the kind of wealth that corrupted men, the sharp looks he cast around the room as if he were the predator instead of the prey, and the slow smirk that prickled against Nikolaiโs prideโit felt like the perfect storm.
For all of Nikolaiโs supposed cleverness, he should have seen the scared looks of the other patrons of the bar. He should have paid closer attention to exactly what was making the rings on his hand dance with a light that did not belong to the dimly lit tavern. For a man who had grown up dreaming of meeting witches and wizards, he should have noticed the clear markings of one. Especially one who was so bad at cards.
โInteresting playing cards.โ The stranger had mumbled. His pale fingers tracing the intricate patterns of his deck.
โThank you kindly,โ Nikolai had grinned. They were magic proofed. He had bought them from a travelling merchant just this morning. The woman who had sold them to him had even guaranteed that these cards would make even the dirtiest cheat honest.
โItโs hard to come by this very fine bit of magic.โ He murmured as Nikolai dealt another hand. โPray tell, how did a man such as yourself come by these?โ
Nikolai hummed as he looked at his cards then placed his familyโs ring to the pile of small treasures that contained most of Nikolaiโs money and his opponentโs multitude of shiny trinkets.
โIโm not one to be divulging my own secrets to strangers,โ Nikolai smirked as he settled his cards. โHowever, if you win, my dear sir, I might be persuaded to say.โ
His opponent didnโt smile in return. His black beetle eyes simply studied Nikolai intensely before glancing briefly at his own cards.
Wordlessly, the stranger flipped his cards and Nikolaiโs smile could only widen when he presented his winning hand.
โBetter luck next time, Iโm afraid.โ
The man tapped his knuckles frantically as Nikolai started to shove his earnings in his bag. It was late and he had stayed way past his curfew as it is. If he hurried, he could catch a few more hours of sleep before he had to wake up with the tide tomorrow.
โWell, that would certainly teach me to play with someone with more talent than I,โ The stranger finally said as Nikolai began to leave. He offered a hand, โGood game, Nikolai.โ
Nikolai shook it and felt a sharp snap go through his body.
He had exited the tavern whistling softly. The night air was cool and the road was empty as he made his way homeโnever pausing to wonder how the stranger had learned his name.
