"And that is just the beginning. You will have no better treatment in the rest of the kingdom. I guarantee it!" the king declared.
The witch frowned at them, in resentful silence.
"Do you want to talk now? Or would you like to check how weapons have advanced over centuries?" Aragon asked.
She reluctantly hummed.
"What is it that you want?" the king asked.
"The throne!" she growled.
"Not going to happen."
"I am willing to fight for it."
"As am I!" he said. "But there is no need to make a mess. Let's settle this like adults. Magic user to magic user!"
The old woman scoffed. "Very well. If a wizarding duel is what you want, be prepared. In the dawn after the next blood moon, I shall return for our fight. The last one standing wins the kingdom!"
"It is a deal," the king stated.
The witch's lips widened into a grin. With an excited cackle, her hands lit up. She disappeared in an instant, with a fiery trace leading back to the enchanted forest.
The king let out a relieved sign. "Now, I just have to learn some magic," he mumbled worried.
A while later, after dawn, a servant girl brought tea. She placed it in the queen's shaky hand, still traumatized by the event. Next to her sat Zora, with a huge bump on her head. Deep in thought for the same reason.
Aidan was standing near a window, surprisingly quiet.
"Unbelievable!" said the king who was pacing for a while now. "She truly said that about me?"
"Word for word," Aidan said quietly.
"And you believed her? That I was some brute that just took over the greatest kingdom in the world?" he asked, offended. "I come from a long line of wizards that kept this place safe? Why, some believe we go back to Merlin himself."
"The Merlin?" Zora asked.
"A Merlin," the queen replied.
"I mean, just look at those glorious faces," he pointed to the myriad of portraits. "Not to mention all the paintings I have depicting our glorious history. Didn't you see the portrait of me with a magical staff, commanding the heavens?"
"Oh," Zora uttered. "I thought that was for show."
"But why a wizarding duel, sweetheart? You barely used your powers in decades," the queen asked.
A little antsy, the king replied, "Well, I was busy. But I still have them… I'm a little rusty. However..." He lowered his voice. Looking at a candle, he pointed his finger and with some strain made it light up.
Queen Leona sighed, rolling her eyes back.
The king continued pacing, with his hands behind his back. "Why now? Why? I knew this was coming. We were all preparing for it all our lives. But why couldn't she wait a century or two?"
"Her powers must have grown. That explains the screaming and the night terrors. She must have accumulated just enough energy to get our attention. And, after that..."
Aidan stayed at the window. Zora looked at her surprised.
"Witch Margo is from a category of magic users known as emotional scavengers. They can gain strength by evoking strong emotions in others," the queen added.
"Negative strong emotions," the king added. "Happiness and joy taste revolting to her."
Zora gulped, flustered from guilt. "That is information that would have been useful before we went there."
The queen left her cup to pat Zora's hand. "Do not get too upset, dear. You wouldn't want to feed her again, would you?"
King Arogan shook his head. "Look, what was done, was done. What matters now is to find a way to defeat her. Do you two have any ideas?"
Zora pondered. "We could put her to sleep?"
The king looked at her, dumbfounded. "You seriously have nothing stronger than that? You can walk into rooms with walls thicker that most moats, but you have nothing that kills?"
Zora pressed her lips. "We are not that kind of people."
Arogan groaned.
"Do not threat, your Majesty," Aidan calmly declared. "The opponent has some powers back, but she is still weak from her imprisonment."
Everyone looked at him surprised.
"Rest assured that we have came here to help and that is exactly what we will do. Get yourself ready for the duel, and I will do everything in my powers to keep the witch weak. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to get some work done," he said with confidence.
Taking the hoop, he gallantly waved before disappearing.
"Amazing. How does he do that?" the queen of the Golden Kingdom asked.
"I wish I knew," Zora said sad.
At the same time, Aidan landed in a remote part of the world, on an empty beach with fine sand.
"Well done on gathering this information for me. I truly appreciate your help," he told his beautiful bird companion.
"Do not mention it. We are friends, after all. This human you were talking about is a particularly sneaky individual," the bird chirped, landing on his shoulder. "Luckily, she did not suspect a little bird following her around."
"So, what exactly are we looking for?" Aidan said.
"Simple. A large amount of misery is needed for a good energy burst. And there has to be some sort of connection with the magic user. I saw her burying something here. Try finding anything that seems like it belongs to her."
Looking around, Aidan could not find much on a seemingly desolate island. "I don't see anything. Not that there was a lot. She was barely clothed. In rags and no jewelry anywhere."
"Chirp!" the bird flapped his wings, flustered. "I hear the local animals sounding the alarm for trouble. A hurricane, it seems."
"Now?"
"Due in three days."
"That is when the wizarding duel will take place. Then the connection should be here, but I do not see anything." Aidan said, starting to panic. After what seemed hours, he grabbed his head, yelling: "Aha, where is it? All I see is sand! And this wittered seaweed."
Chirp took a close look. "Is seaweed supposed to be this thin?"
Aidan glanced at it again. Upon closer inspection, he smiled. "No, it is not. This is the witch's hair. This is it!"
"Chirp! Excellent. Now collect it and let us go back," the bird suggested.
Aidan pondered, twiddling the strain. "I have a better idea."